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American Morning
Arafat Dies in France; Discussing the Peterson Case; Discussing Flu Shots
Aired November 11, 2004 - 09:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 9:30 here in New York. Time & Life building here, 51st and 6th Avenue. Stop by and say hello. Soledad is waiting for you.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Security will stop you if you actually try to come into the building, but you can wave from the window. We're happy with that.
Welcome back, everybody. The big story, of course, that we're following today on this AMERICAN MORNING is the death of Yasser Arafat. Some people wondering what it will do to the path to Mid East peace. We're going to take you to the White House for a reaction on that this morning.
HEMMER: Also, another thing that has us talking again today, the Scott Peterson case. Another twist yet again yesterday afternoon.
O'BRIEN: Bizarre.
HEMMER: Another juror has been dismissed. This time it was the foreman, juror number five. What's it like to be an alternate juror, to be thrown into a case so suddenly, especially in a high-profile matter? In a moment, we'll talk to one woman, an alternate on another high-profile trial, the Michael Skakel case up the road in Connecticut. We'll talk about that in a moment.
First, back to the headlines, back to Heidi Collins again. Hello.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you guys, and good morning to you, everyone.
Now in the news this morning, a car bomb exploded in central Baghdad. At least 19 people were killed when the blast went off some five hours ago. Iraqi police say the target may have been a U.S. convoy which had passed through the area just moments earlier. More than a dozen people are wounded.
An historic nomination for the next U.S. attorney general. President Bush has tapped White House Legal Counsel Alberto Gonzales to take over for John Ashcroft. The Senate is expected to confirm the nomination. Gonzales would be the first Hispanic-American to serve as attorney general.
And there is word this morning Elizabeth Edwards has started her treatment to fight breast cancer. Edwards will reportedly undergo 16 weeks of chemotherapy and then have the cancerous lump surgically removed. A family spokesman said yesterday doctors have found no signs that the cancer had spread.
And on a lighter note, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has arrived here in New York City. It will be raised into place later in the next hour. The Norway Spruce is 71-feet tall, 40-feet wide. That tree will be decorated with about 30,000 lights or so and lit in festivities on November 30th. A definite reminder the holidays are soon upon us.
In fact, if you're panicked about Thanksgiving, now you can be panicked about Christmas, too.
O'BRIEN: And some darling traffic for everyone here in Midtown. The glorious tree.
HEMMER: And don't try to catch a cab over there, because you won't get one.
O'BRIEN: Between now and January 1st, just give it up. Heidi, thank you very much.
COLLINS: Beautiful, though.
O'BRIEN: Yes it is. That's true.
Back to our top story this morning. Yasser Arafat, a leader both revered and also reviled. The White House reacting cautiously to his death today, playing down any expectations of dramatic change in the wake of his passing.
White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux live from Washington with more on that. Good morning to you, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Soledad.
President Bush, who refused to meet with Yasser Arafat, considering him an obstacle to Middle East peace, offered his condolences late last night in a statement. He said, "The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history. We express our condolences to the Palestinian people. For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, Democratic Palestinian that is at peace with its neighbors."
Now, after much discussion, the administration decided to send Assistant Secretary of State William Burns to the Arafat funeral. A lower-level official, a reflection perhaps of the Bush administration's tension with the Palestinian leadership. But you talk to White House officials, they say they believe it's an opening, an opportunity for the Palestinian people, perhaps to provide some leadership that the U.S. and Israelis can work with.
Within the last two-and-a-half, largely Yasser Arafat sidelined from that peace process. But the administration is hopeful that it can work with Ahmed Qorei, who's the current Palestinian prime minister, as well as Mahmoud Abbas, who is the former. He actually met with President Bush last July at the White House.
And of course, Soledad, there is another challenge, and that is a challenge to the Bush administration. It's come under incredible fire, particularly as of late, saying it has not been engaged in the Middle East peace process, privately being pushed by one of its closest allies, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Now, in a previously scheduled visit, Blair will actually be here at the White House to meet with the president later today. And of course, that is one of the subjects that's going to come up in their conversations -- Soledad?
O'BRIEN: No question about that. Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House for us this morning. Suzanne, thanks -- Bill?
HEMMER: Back to the Peterson case, Soledad. In the last two days of deliberations in that trial, two jurors have been dismissed and replaced by alternates, including the foreman just yesterday. So, what's it like to be an alternate, thrust suddenly into jury deliberations with the country watching on the outside?
For an insider's view, Anne Layton, a former alternate juror on the Michael Skakel murder trial up the road in Connecticut, with me now. Good morning. Nice to see you.
ANNE LAYTON, FMR. ALTERNATE JUROR, SKAKEL TRIAL: Good morning...
HEMMER: So, you got to sit in on court the whole time. You heard all the testimony, right?
LAYTON: Yes.
HEMMER: And how many alternate jurors were there in your case with Skakel?
LAYTON: There were four alternate jurors.
HEMMER: OK. There are still a few more out in the Peterson case. But you did not have a chance to deliberate, did you?
LAYTON: No, we didn't.
HEMMER: And what was your reaction? How did that hit you as a member of that case?
LAYTON: It was very frustrating. When the judge dismissed us from the case, when the jury went to deliberation, it was almost being like cut off at the knees. Because you'd sat and listened to it. And we'd paid attention very closely to the trial, as though we would deliberate. And then, all of a sudden, we weren't part of that process. So, it was frustrating to not be part of that.
HEMMER: So, there were four of you, right?
LAYTON: Yes.
HEMMER: Where do you go when the other 12 go and deliberate?
LAYTON: We were back at home. We were not at the courthouse.
HEMMER: And at no point were you sequestered either?
LAYTON: No.
HEMMER: You say you were cut off at the knees. Give me a better understanding about the frustration you must have felt.
LAYTON: Well, you've been so part of it for so long, and for the five weeks that we were in trial, listening to testimony, and I had very definite feelings about the case by the time it went to the jury to deliberations, so it was very frustrating not to be able to be part of it.
And we couldn't talk about it. The judge instructed the four alternates that we were still in service to the court, and we were not allowed to listen to the news accounts or discuss the case with anybody. So, we were the four only people in the world at that point who couldn't discuss it. And it was really frustrating.
HEMMER: Would you say, and the three others with you, did you pay as close attention to the testimony as the others sitting on that panel?
LAYTON: Oh, I'm sure. You had to. I mean, I felt as though I had to pay attention as though I would be deliberating.
HEMMER: Even though you did not get the chance to do that.
LAYTON: Correct.
HEMMER: So, when you're -- when a high-profile case like the Michael Skakel matter was, does it change the way jurors approach their considerations, their deliberations, maybe the amount of attention they give it or not?
LAYTON: I don't know. Well, I don't -- I can't compare it because I haven't been on a low-profile jury, but I would imagine there's so much attention. You can feel the attention when you arrive at the courthouse every day.
HEMMER: You could? How do you feel that?
LAYTON: And obviously the court is packed. Well, you see the press outside. And they're very careful not to approach you and leave you alone. But you know, they're just always there.
And the courtroom was always very full. And so, there was a lot of -- there was a lot of attention. And you know, you obviously had to feel it.
HEMMER: And two more things if I could get to it quickly. Do you think there were jurors who wanted to be on that panel because they knew the case was getting a lot of attention?
LAYTON: Well, I think it was an interesting case. I don't think the jurors used excuses to get off the panel that many jurors try to use to get -- a lot of people don't want to serve on jury duty. And I think that this was a high-profile case. It was an interesting case.
HEMMER: Sure, sure. Michael Skakel was convicted. Do you agree with that final decision?
LAYTON: Yes, I did agree.
HEMMER: All right. Nice to see you. Anne Layton, thanks for coming in today.
LAYTON: Thank you. Thank you.
HEMMER: All right, back to Soledad now.
O'BRIEN: Time to take a look at the weather for the day ahead. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center for us with the latest look. Hey, Chad, good morning, again.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Thanks, Chad.
In a moment, the president of the United States, the prime ministers of Britain and France -- all with their say now on the passing of Yasser Arafat. But what do the American people think? We will check in on that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, lots of people have questions about the shortage of flu vaccine. A doctor will tell us exactly who should get a flu shot and who can get by without one. That's ahead as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: ... will tell us exactly who should get a flu shot, and who can get by without one. That's ahead, as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Fears of an influenza pandemic have led to a global health summit taking place in Geneva today. Meanwhile, here in the U.S., flu vaccine is in short supply. And thus far, so is the flu, and that is a very good thing.
Dr. Keri Peterson from New York's Lennox Hill Hospital here to talk about her patients' concerns.
Nice to see you, doctor. Good morning to you.
DR. KERI PETERSON, LENNOX HILL HOSPITAL: Good morning.
HEMMER: Is this the calm before the storm, or have we dodged one yet?
PETERSON: Typically influenza begins in November and extends through April, peaks January into February. However, there is no way to predict with certainty how active the influenza virus will be this year.
HEMMER: Can we say also why it has not been as bad as some had thought it would be?
PETERSON: I think it's too early to say at this point in time.
HEMMER: As we look back over time, we can go back to 2002 and 2003, we can go back to this year, you say it's as yet to be seen. The season of 2002 started the end of February. In 2003, it started near the end of December. Is there a reason why you would see those dates?
PETERSON: There really is no way to predict. Every year, there are different strains that erupt and the virulence of each strain varies. So regionally, we can see it as early as October. Starts to increase in November. By December and January, numbers rise.
HEMMER: One thing I think we need to remind people about who should get a flu shot. On the list is whom?
PETERSON: OK, people that are of highest risk and who the CDC recommends are people over of the ages of 65 years old, people between the ages 2 and 64 who have chronic medical conditions, women who are pregnant or will be pregnant during the influenza season, children ages six months through 23 months of age, health care workers in direct patient care and child caretakers for children under the ages of 6 months.
HEMMER: And the other thing we talk about so often is how you can stay healthy and how you can avoid it. Tips for that are what?
PETERSON: Well, the best thing you can do is receive the flu vaccine. But in the event that you are not eligible, most importantly, wash your hands frequently. If you are coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth with tissues and your nose with tissues. If you are ill, please stay at home and avoid contact with others. Sanitize surfaces that you work at in your workplace. And...
HEMMER: Keep everything clean, including yourself?
PETERSON: Basically.
HEMMER: Are people in the medical world, are they surprised now that the flu has not erupted in many places the way they thought it might?
PETERSON: No, we're not surprised. The temperatures have not dropped yet, so we're not seeing enough numbers that will be expected. We will be seeing numbers rise January, when the temperatures begin to drop.
HEMMER: Thanks for coming in, Dr. Carrie Peterson, from Lennox Hill hospital here in Manhattan -- Soledad.
PETERSON: Thank you for having me.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, you might need to start your Christmas shopping early. Andy Serwer tells us why there could be a toy shortage this season. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Time to check the action on Wall Street this morning, plus to talk about a bottleneck at the Southern California shipping docks that could mean the Grinch could be stealing a little Christmas from folks.
Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Hello.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: A lot of stuff going on there.
O'BRIEN: Market?
SERWER: Yes, let's talk about the markets, first of all. Stocks trading up this morning. Up 41 on the Dow, positive feelings on Wall Street about the passing of Yasser Arafat is what I'm hearing. Coca- Cola scaling back its projections for the year. That stock is down. Starbucks profits up 49 percent.
HEMMER: Come on.
SERWER: The stock is down a little bit, because they wanted more than that.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
SERWER: And Howard Schultz, the chairman, is looking to put up more and more Starbucks. Lubbock, Texas, for instance, only two Starbucks. A quarter-million people live there. He's going to put more. Love it. You're going to get more Starbucks.
A couple deals going on this morning. Blockbuster Video looking to buy Hollywood Video. That's No. 1 looking to buy No. 2, a $700 million deal. Hollywood is up $1. Blockbuster is up. Hollywood Video has 1,900 stores across the United States.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the bottleneck problem. It actually is going to mean a huge, huge problem for the manufacturers.
SERWER: It is, and they were talking about Brats dolls, for instance. They're made in China. The company very excited to make them in China because it's so much less expensive to make them there. You know what, though, they can't get them off the ships in Long Beach and L.A. Backups of a week or more. You remember there were backups last year as well.
This year, there's 10 percent to 13 percent more cargo there, and they can't get them off the docks.
You know, all these companies are manufacturing in China, they think it's so great to save so much money over there; it doesn't matter at all if you can't get them in the stores on time.
O'BRIEN: So, it's just a sheer volume issue?
SERWER: Yeah, there's just too much stuff there. They're trying to go 24 hours a day in Long Beach now, but still...
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: What are they called?
O'BRIEN: Bratz.
SERWER: Bratz.
O'BRIEN: A lot of unhappy little 'tweenagers.
SERWER: Yeah, we know those dolls.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: Buy your kids stuff made in this country. That's all you have to do.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack.
SERWER: That's a solution.
O'BRIEN: Any other parenting advice before we run out of time?
CAFFERTY: With all the Christmas stuff you've got to buy, you could change the trade deficit all by yourself.
HEMMER: You better start shopping today.
O'BRIEN: I try each and every day to do a little bit for the economy, Jack.
HEMMER: You said an amazing thing. You said stocks are trading up based on the news of Yasser Arafat's passing.
SERWER: That's what traders are saying on Wall Street.
O'BRIEN: Well, many people say...
SERWER: ... optimistic about peace.
CAFFERTY: Funny you should mention that. I have some stuff right here that goes right along with that idea.
SERWER: Segue.
CAFFERTY: What does Arafat's death mean? How will it affect the Middle East? This is from Harry, writes: "Arafat's successors have a clean slate now. They can start building credibility with the international community and bring peace to the Middle East if they can keep Hamas and Islamic Jihad from spoiling the best opportunity for peace in the last 50 years." That's why Wall Street's up.
Bill writes from Pryor, Oklahoma: "If Bush really wanted to make peace in the Middle East, he would not only send Secretary Powell to Arafat's funeral, he would go himself. It's the Arab people who happen to love Arafat, that we need to win over using diplomacy, and not force."
And this one: "Jack, Arafat is not dead! And I know where the money is -- have Andy Serwer call me! Signed Elvis."
SERWER: Elvis! I'm a little suspicious, because it's Elvis.
CAFFERTY: This weekend on "IN THE MONEY" -- let me slip in a quick plug for my weekend program here so I can keep my kid in college -- we're going to have Alan Dershowitz on, a very renowned legal scholar. Talk about what it means to the Supreme Court now that President Bush has won a second term. It's conceivable that Mr. Bush could wind up appointing two or three Supreme Court justices. How might that tilt the view of the court? Mr. Dershowitz will explain it all. Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00.
And I'm pleased to announce we have had a death among the "IN THE MONEY" viewers. One of the viewers died, so there's an opening. So, if you would like to become an "IN THE MONEY" viewer...
O'BRIEN: Bill and I were just about to be like more shocked than we've been all day.
CAFFERTY: These things fill up very quickly, so if you want to become a viewer, you've got to call like your neighbor or friend, say, "Look, they've got a slot, but you've got to be there this weekend."
HEMMER: Do you remember yesterday at this time, I was talking about putting together a list of Jack-isms, the things Jack says? Just made the list. We've been putting it together the past 24 hours. And you what, Jack? They haven't been hard. It's going long and long.
O'BRIEN: Long list...
CAFFERTY: I'm glad you found something to amuse yourself with.
HEMMER: You've been stirring it up all day.
In a moment here, continuing coverage of Yasser Arafat's body brought back to the Middle East -- first to Cairo, and then Ramallah tomorrow. That's coming up next hour with Rick and Daryn.
We're back in a moment here,final word on AMERICAN MORNING right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right, pipe down -- pipe down, everybody. Got a little milestone to talk about. Bill Hemmer is turning 18 this weekend. No, he just looks young. Really, turning 40 on Sunday. But we're celebrating early because he's taking a little vaca to celebrate.
HEMMER: I'm taking a very, very, very long weekend to get away from you guys.
O'BRIEN: So weird to work with someone so old.
CAFFERTY: So, it's a win-win for everybody?
HEMMER: As a matter of fact, I was just thinking the same thing.
O'BRIEN: You guys know Sanjay Gupta has been traveling. He's not here with us literally. But he's here with us in spirit. Let's listen to what he had to record for you a little earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We couldn't let this day go by without a greeting from the other side of the world. So, happy 40th birthday from New Delhi, Bill. Ek, do, tin!
CROWD: Happy birthday!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Thank you very much. I'd talk back to you if I could, but it's videotape. Doesn't work that way. Thank you, Sanjay.
O'BRIEN: Well, you know we love to eat on this show. So, e have a little something for you.
HEMMER: Cool.
O'BRIEN: A couple things. Let's bring our cake out.
HEMMER: Can we just get this over with?
O'BRIEN: I can smell the candles.
CAFFERTY: Something's burning.
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, he's 40 now. That's a lot of candles.
HEMMER: Last year we had a little birthday party here, right?
CAFFERTY: It's only a three-hour show. Let's get the cake in here.
O'BRIEN: Cue the cake. There we go.
SERWER: All right. O'BRIEN: Oh, my God, that's a lot of candles.
COLLINS: That's high production value.
O'BRIEN: Happy birthday to Bill, happy birthday to Bill...
Let's carve this up...
HEMMER: Now that's lame. Come on. I mean, I've waited 40 years for a song to be sung.
O'BRIEN: Blah, blah, blah. We'll sing it off the air.
EVERYBODY: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Hemmer, happy...
O'BRIEN: Look at this thing. It's on fire.
HEMMER: Oh, my God!
O'BRIEN: All right, blow it out before we...
SERWER: Yeah, got to blow it out, because we've got some other stuff here. Here we go.
O'BRIEN: What a great looking cake.
SERWER: And Bill...
HEMMER: Nothing but hot air.
SERWER: ... thing we got for you...
CAFFERTY: Very good.
HEMMER: Very cool. Beautiful cake.
SERWER: How about these, you guys. Some Hemmer T-shirts for everybody.
O'BRIEN: I love it. I love it.
SERWER: OK. This is from Jackie. My agent Jackie Harris. Thank you, Jackie Harris, for these. These are Bengal colors...
HEMMER: That's right.
SERWER: They're playing the Redskins this weekend.
HEMMER: You know what? I want to see you guys all put this on so we can get a photo, because this is the only time it's going to happen.
O'BRIEN: How about we cut the cake first?
CAFFERTY: All right. We probably have to go. It's time to go down to Atlanta.
It's like Falluja in here.
O'BRIEN: All right. Enough, Mr. Serwer.
HEMMER: All right. You guys have a good, long weekend.
CAFFERTY: Some mornings there are almost as many deaths.
O'BRIEN: Oh. Enough! Enough! Happy birthday.
SERWER: Happy birthday, Bill.
O'BRIEN: Have a nice, long weekend.
COLLINS: Happy birthday, Bill.
O'BRIEN: Think of us.
HEMMER: You like the fact that I sung the song to myself.
O'BRIEN: Let's go back down to Daryn and Rick. Hey, you guy, want some cake.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Feliz cumpleanos, Guillermo.
O'BRIEN: Oh, very nice.
HEMMER: Thank you very much, Rick.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: He's been practicing.
O'BRIEN: He said happy birthday...
HEMMER: What was that again?
SANCHEZ: I'm not in New Dehli, but it'll work.
HEMMER: How do you like these? You want one?
SANCHEZ: Hey, that's nice.
HEMMER: Daryn, I know you're a closet Bengal fan.
KAGAN: Absolutely.
HEMMER: Give it up, girl.
KAGAN: I'll wear it when I go running. Hey, Bill?
HEMMER: Yes?
KAGAN: No pudding in that cake.
HEMMER: Inside joke we have. For years we got pudding in the cake. O'BRIEN: It's still smoking. Can you guys see this?
SANCHEZ: thanks a lot, guys.
SERWER: Call the Marines.
HEMMER: See you guys. Have a great weekend, all right?
KAGAN: All right, happy birthday.
SANCHEZ: Well, we've got two big stories -- actually events that we're going to be following for you throughout the course of the day. We still look at some of that cake as it smolders, I guess you might say.
KAGAN: All the way down here to Atlanta.
SANCHEZ: The process for burying and memorializing Yasser Arafat will begin while we're on the air here. We're going to bring you some of that.
And also, the president's going to be making some remarks in a ceremony today.
KAGAN: That's right. It is Veterans Day. And we'd like to send a special greeting to veterans that are joining us and watching. And we'll be seeing different ceremonies, including one at Arlington National Cemetery.
SANCHEZ: We'll have it all for you.
KAGAN: But right now, let's take a look at what's happening now in the news.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 11, 2004 - 09:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 9:30 here in New York. Time & Life building here, 51st and 6th Avenue. Stop by and say hello. Soledad is waiting for you.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Security will stop you if you actually try to come into the building, but you can wave from the window. We're happy with that.
Welcome back, everybody. The big story, of course, that we're following today on this AMERICAN MORNING is the death of Yasser Arafat. Some people wondering what it will do to the path to Mid East peace. We're going to take you to the White House for a reaction on that this morning.
HEMMER: Also, another thing that has us talking again today, the Scott Peterson case. Another twist yet again yesterday afternoon.
O'BRIEN: Bizarre.
HEMMER: Another juror has been dismissed. This time it was the foreman, juror number five. What's it like to be an alternate juror, to be thrown into a case so suddenly, especially in a high-profile matter? In a moment, we'll talk to one woman, an alternate on another high-profile trial, the Michael Skakel case up the road in Connecticut. We'll talk about that in a moment.
First, back to the headlines, back to Heidi Collins again. Hello.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you guys, and good morning to you, everyone.
Now in the news this morning, a car bomb exploded in central Baghdad. At least 19 people were killed when the blast went off some five hours ago. Iraqi police say the target may have been a U.S. convoy which had passed through the area just moments earlier. More than a dozen people are wounded.
An historic nomination for the next U.S. attorney general. President Bush has tapped White House Legal Counsel Alberto Gonzales to take over for John Ashcroft. The Senate is expected to confirm the nomination. Gonzales would be the first Hispanic-American to serve as attorney general.
And there is word this morning Elizabeth Edwards has started her treatment to fight breast cancer. Edwards will reportedly undergo 16 weeks of chemotherapy and then have the cancerous lump surgically removed. A family spokesman said yesterday doctors have found no signs that the cancer had spread.
And on a lighter note, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has arrived here in New York City. It will be raised into place later in the next hour. The Norway Spruce is 71-feet tall, 40-feet wide. That tree will be decorated with about 30,000 lights or so and lit in festivities on November 30th. A definite reminder the holidays are soon upon us.
In fact, if you're panicked about Thanksgiving, now you can be panicked about Christmas, too.
O'BRIEN: And some darling traffic for everyone here in Midtown. The glorious tree.
HEMMER: And don't try to catch a cab over there, because you won't get one.
O'BRIEN: Between now and January 1st, just give it up. Heidi, thank you very much.
COLLINS: Beautiful, though.
O'BRIEN: Yes it is. That's true.
Back to our top story this morning. Yasser Arafat, a leader both revered and also reviled. The White House reacting cautiously to his death today, playing down any expectations of dramatic change in the wake of his passing.
White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux live from Washington with more on that. Good morning to you, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Soledad.
President Bush, who refused to meet with Yasser Arafat, considering him an obstacle to Middle East peace, offered his condolences late last night in a statement. He said, "The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history. We express our condolences to the Palestinian people. For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, Democratic Palestinian that is at peace with its neighbors."
Now, after much discussion, the administration decided to send Assistant Secretary of State William Burns to the Arafat funeral. A lower-level official, a reflection perhaps of the Bush administration's tension with the Palestinian leadership. But you talk to White House officials, they say they believe it's an opening, an opportunity for the Palestinian people, perhaps to provide some leadership that the U.S. and Israelis can work with.
Within the last two-and-a-half, largely Yasser Arafat sidelined from that peace process. But the administration is hopeful that it can work with Ahmed Qorei, who's the current Palestinian prime minister, as well as Mahmoud Abbas, who is the former. He actually met with President Bush last July at the White House.
And of course, Soledad, there is another challenge, and that is a challenge to the Bush administration. It's come under incredible fire, particularly as of late, saying it has not been engaged in the Middle East peace process, privately being pushed by one of its closest allies, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Now, in a previously scheduled visit, Blair will actually be here at the White House to meet with the president later today. And of course, that is one of the subjects that's going to come up in their conversations -- Soledad?
O'BRIEN: No question about that. Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House for us this morning. Suzanne, thanks -- Bill?
HEMMER: Back to the Peterson case, Soledad. In the last two days of deliberations in that trial, two jurors have been dismissed and replaced by alternates, including the foreman just yesterday. So, what's it like to be an alternate, thrust suddenly into jury deliberations with the country watching on the outside?
For an insider's view, Anne Layton, a former alternate juror on the Michael Skakel murder trial up the road in Connecticut, with me now. Good morning. Nice to see you.
ANNE LAYTON, FMR. ALTERNATE JUROR, SKAKEL TRIAL: Good morning...
HEMMER: So, you got to sit in on court the whole time. You heard all the testimony, right?
LAYTON: Yes.
HEMMER: And how many alternate jurors were there in your case with Skakel?
LAYTON: There were four alternate jurors.
HEMMER: OK. There are still a few more out in the Peterson case. But you did not have a chance to deliberate, did you?
LAYTON: No, we didn't.
HEMMER: And what was your reaction? How did that hit you as a member of that case?
LAYTON: It was very frustrating. When the judge dismissed us from the case, when the jury went to deliberation, it was almost being like cut off at the knees. Because you'd sat and listened to it. And we'd paid attention very closely to the trial, as though we would deliberate. And then, all of a sudden, we weren't part of that process. So, it was frustrating to not be part of that.
HEMMER: So, there were four of you, right?
LAYTON: Yes.
HEMMER: Where do you go when the other 12 go and deliberate?
LAYTON: We were back at home. We were not at the courthouse.
HEMMER: And at no point were you sequestered either?
LAYTON: No.
HEMMER: You say you were cut off at the knees. Give me a better understanding about the frustration you must have felt.
LAYTON: Well, you've been so part of it for so long, and for the five weeks that we were in trial, listening to testimony, and I had very definite feelings about the case by the time it went to the jury to deliberations, so it was very frustrating not to be able to be part of it.
And we couldn't talk about it. The judge instructed the four alternates that we were still in service to the court, and we were not allowed to listen to the news accounts or discuss the case with anybody. So, we were the four only people in the world at that point who couldn't discuss it. And it was really frustrating.
HEMMER: Would you say, and the three others with you, did you pay as close attention to the testimony as the others sitting on that panel?
LAYTON: Oh, I'm sure. You had to. I mean, I felt as though I had to pay attention as though I would be deliberating.
HEMMER: Even though you did not get the chance to do that.
LAYTON: Correct.
HEMMER: So, when you're -- when a high-profile case like the Michael Skakel matter was, does it change the way jurors approach their considerations, their deliberations, maybe the amount of attention they give it or not?
LAYTON: I don't know. Well, I don't -- I can't compare it because I haven't been on a low-profile jury, but I would imagine there's so much attention. You can feel the attention when you arrive at the courthouse every day.
HEMMER: You could? How do you feel that?
LAYTON: And obviously the court is packed. Well, you see the press outside. And they're very careful not to approach you and leave you alone. But you know, they're just always there.
And the courtroom was always very full. And so, there was a lot of -- there was a lot of attention. And you know, you obviously had to feel it.
HEMMER: And two more things if I could get to it quickly. Do you think there were jurors who wanted to be on that panel because they knew the case was getting a lot of attention?
LAYTON: Well, I think it was an interesting case. I don't think the jurors used excuses to get off the panel that many jurors try to use to get -- a lot of people don't want to serve on jury duty. And I think that this was a high-profile case. It was an interesting case.
HEMMER: Sure, sure. Michael Skakel was convicted. Do you agree with that final decision?
LAYTON: Yes, I did agree.
HEMMER: All right. Nice to see you. Anne Layton, thanks for coming in today.
LAYTON: Thank you. Thank you.
HEMMER: All right, back to Soledad now.
O'BRIEN: Time to take a look at the weather for the day ahead. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center for us with the latest look. Hey, Chad, good morning, again.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Thanks, Chad.
In a moment, the president of the United States, the prime ministers of Britain and France -- all with their say now on the passing of Yasser Arafat. But what do the American people think? We will check in on that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, lots of people have questions about the shortage of flu vaccine. A doctor will tell us exactly who should get a flu shot and who can get by without one. That's ahead as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: ... will tell us exactly who should get a flu shot, and who can get by without one. That's ahead, as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Fears of an influenza pandemic have led to a global health summit taking place in Geneva today. Meanwhile, here in the U.S., flu vaccine is in short supply. And thus far, so is the flu, and that is a very good thing.
Dr. Keri Peterson from New York's Lennox Hill Hospital here to talk about her patients' concerns.
Nice to see you, doctor. Good morning to you.
DR. KERI PETERSON, LENNOX HILL HOSPITAL: Good morning.
HEMMER: Is this the calm before the storm, or have we dodged one yet?
PETERSON: Typically influenza begins in November and extends through April, peaks January into February. However, there is no way to predict with certainty how active the influenza virus will be this year.
HEMMER: Can we say also why it has not been as bad as some had thought it would be?
PETERSON: I think it's too early to say at this point in time.
HEMMER: As we look back over time, we can go back to 2002 and 2003, we can go back to this year, you say it's as yet to be seen. The season of 2002 started the end of February. In 2003, it started near the end of December. Is there a reason why you would see those dates?
PETERSON: There really is no way to predict. Every year, there are different strains that erupt and the virulence of each strain varies. So regionally, we can see it as early as October. Starts to increase in November. By December and January, numbers rise.
HEMMER: One thing I think we need to remind people about who should get a flu shot. On the list is whom?
PETERSON: OK, people that are of highest risk and who the CDC recommends are people over of the ages of 65 years old, people between the ages 2 and 64 who have chronic medical conditions, women who are pregnant or will be pregnant during the influenza season, children ages six months through 23 months of age, health care workers in direct patient care and child caretakers for children under the ages of 6 months.
HEMMER: And the other thing we talk about so often is how you can stay healthy and how you can avoid it. Tips for that are what?
PETERSON: Well, the best thing you can do is receive the flu vaccine. But in the event that you are not eligible, most importantly, wash your hands frequently. If you are coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth with tissues and your nose with tissues. If you are ill, please stay at home and avoid contact with others. Sanitize surfaces that you work at in your workplace. And...
HEMMER: Keep everything clean, including yourself?
PETERSON: Basically.
HEMMER: Are people in the medical world, are they surprised now that the flu has not erupted in many places the way they thought it might?
PETERSON: No, we're not surprised. The temperatures have not dropped yet, so we're not seeing enough numbers that will be expected. We will be seeing numbers rise January, when the temperatures begin to drop.
HEMMER: Thanks for coming in, Dr. Carrie Peterson, from Lennox Hill hospital here in Manhattan -- Soledad.
PETERSON: Thank you for having me.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, you might need to start your Christmas shopping early. Andy Serwer tells us why there could be a toy shortage this season. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Time to check the action on Wall Street this morning, plus to talk about a bottleneck at the Southern California shipping docks that could mean the Grinch could be stealing a little Christmas from folks.
Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Hello.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: A lot of stuff going on there.
O'BRIEN: Market?
SERWER: Yes, let's talk about the markets, first of all. Stocks trading up this morning. Up 41 on the Dow, positive feelings on Wall Street about the passing of Yasser Arafat is what I'm hearing. Coca- Cola scaling back its projections for the year. That stock is down. Starbucks profits up 49 percent.
HEMMER: Come on.
SERWER: The stock is down a little bit, because they wanted more than that.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
SERWER: And Howard Schultz, the chairman, is looking to put up more and more Starbucks. Lubbock, Texas, for instance, only two Starbucks. A quarter-million people live there. He's going to put more. Love it. You're going to get more Starbucks.
A couple deals going on this morning. Blockbuster Video looking to buy Hollywood Video. That's No. 1 looking to buy No. 2, a $700 million deal. Hollywood is up $1. Blockbuster is up. Hollywood Video has 1,900 stores across the United States.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the bottleneck problem. It actually is going to mean a huge, huge problem for the manufacturers.
SERWER: It is, and they were talking about Brats dolls, for instance. They're made in China. The company very excited to make them in China because it's so much less expensive to make them there. You know what, though, they can't get them off the ships in Long Beach and L.A. Backups of a week or more. You remember there were backups last year as well.
This year, there's 10 percent to 13 percent more cargo there, and they can't get them off the docks.
You know, all these companies are manufacturing in China, they think it's so great to save so much money over there; it doesn't matter at all if you can't get them in the stores on time.
O'BRIEN: So, it's just a sheer volume issue?
SERWER: Yeah, there's just too much stuff there. They're trying to go 24 hours a day in Long Beach now, but still...
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: What are they called?
O'BRIEN: Bratz.
SERWER: Bratz.
O'BRIEN: A lot of unhappy little 'tweenagers.
SERWER: Yeah, we know those dolls.
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: Buy your kids stuff made in this country. That's all you have to do.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack.
SERWER: That's a solution.
O'BRIEN: Any other parenting advice before we run out of time?
CAFFERTY: With all the Christmas stuff you've got to buy, you could change the trade deficit all by yourself.
HEMMER: You better start shopping today.
O'BRIEN: I try each and every day to do a little bit for the economy, Jack.
HEMMER: You said an amazing thing. You said stocks are trading up based on the news of Yasser Arafat's passing.
SERWER: That's what traders are saying on Wall Street.
O'BRIEN: Well, many people say...
SERWER: ... optimistic about peace.
CAFFERTY: Funny you should mention that. I have some stuff right here that goes right along with that idea.
SERWER: Segue.
CAFFERTY: What does Arafat's death mean? How will it affect the Middle East? This is from Harry, writes: "Arafat's successors have a clean slate now. They can start building credibility with the international community and bring peace to the Middle East if they can keep Hamas and Islamic Jihad from spoiling the best opportunity for peace in the last 50 years." That's why Wall Street's up.
Bill writes from Pryor, Oklahoma: "If Bush really wanted to make peace in the Middle East, he would not only send Secretary Powell to Arafat's funeral, he would go himself. It's the Arab people who happen to love Arafat, that we need to win over using diplomacy, and not force."
And this one: "Jack, Arafat is not dead! And I know where the money is -- have Andy Serwer call me! Signed Elvis."
SERWER: Elvis! I'm a little suspicious, because it's Elvis.
CAFFERTY: This weekend on "IN THE MONEY" -- let me slip in a quick plug for my weekend program here so I can keep my kid in college -- we're going to have Alan Dershowitz on, a very renowned legal scholar. Talk about what it means to the Supreme Court now that President Bush has won a second term. It's conceivable that Mr. Bush could wind up appointing two or three Supreme Court justices. How might that tilt the view of the court? Mr. Dershowitz will explain it all. Saturday at 1:00, Sunday at 3:00.
And I'm pleased to announce we have had a death among the "IN THE MONEY" viewers. One of the viewers died, so there's an opening. So, if you would like to become an "IN THE MONEY" viewer...
O'BRIEN: Bill and I were just about to be like more shocked than we've been all day.
CAFFERTY: These things fill up very quickly, so if you want to become a viewer, you've got to call like your neighbor or friend, say, "Look, they've got a slot, but you've got to be there this weekend."
HEMMER: Do you remember yesterday at this time, I was talking about putting together a list of Jack-isms, the things Jack says? Just made the list. We've been putting it together the past 24 hours. And you what, Jack? They haven't been hard. It's going long and long.
O'BRIEN: Long list...
CAFFERTY: I'm glad you found something to amuse yourself with.
HEMMER: You've been stirring it up all day.
In a moment here, continuing coverage of Yasser Arafat's body brought back to the Middle East -- first to Cairo, and then Ramallah tomorrow. That's coming up next hour with Rick and Daryn.
We're back in a moment here,final word on AMERICAN MORNING right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right, pipe down -- pipe down, everybody. Got a little milestone to talk about. Bill Hemmer is turning 18 this weekend. No, he just looks young. Really, turning 40 on Sunday. But we're celebrating early because he's taking a little vaca to celebrate.
HEMMER: I'm taking a very, very, very long weekend to get away from you guys.
O'BRIEN: So weird to work with someone so old.
CAFFERTY: So, it's a win-win for everybody?
HEMMER: As a matter of fact, I was just thinking the same thing.
O'BRIEN: You guys know Sanjay Gupta has been traveling. He's not here with us literally. But he's here with us in spirit. Let's listen to what he had to record for you a little earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We couldn't let this day go by without a greeting from the other side of the world. So, happy 40th birthday from New Delhi, Bill. Ek, do, tin!
CROWD: Happy birthday!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Thank you very much. I'd talk back to you if I could, but it's videotape. Doesn't work that way. Thank you, Sanjay.
O'BRIEN: Well, you know we love to eat on this show. So, e have a little something for you.
HEMMER: Cool.
O'BRIEN: A couple things. Let's bring our cake out.
HEMMER: Can we just get this over with?
O'BRIEN: I can smell the candles.
CAFFERTY: Something's burning.
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, he's 40 now. That's a lot of candles.
HEMMER: Last year we had a little birthday party here, right?
CAFFERTY: It's only a three-hour show. Let's get the cake in here.
O'BRIEN: Cue the cake. There we go.
SERWER: All right. O'BRIEN: Oh, my God, that's a lot of candles.
COLLINS: That's high production value.
O'BRIEN: Happy birthday to Bill, happy birthday to Bill...
Let's carve this up...
HEMMER: Now that's lame. Come on. I mean, I've waited 40 years for a song to be sung.
O'BRIEN: Blah, blah, blah. We'll sing it off the air.
EVERYBODY: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Hemmer, happy...
O'BRIEN: Look at this thing. It's on fire.
HEMMER: Oh, my God!
O'BRIEN: All right, blow it out before we...
SERWER: Yeah, got to blow it out, because we've got some other stuff here. Here we go.
O'BRIEN: What a great looking cake.
SERWER: And Bill...
HEMMER: Nothing but hot air.
SERWER: ... thing we got for you...
CAFFERTY: Very good.
HEMMER: Very cool. Beautiful cake.
SERWER: How about these, you guys. Some Hemmer T-shirts for everybody.
O'BRIEN: I love it. I love it.
SERWER: OK. This is from Jackie. My agent Jackie Harris. Thank you, Jackie Harris, for these. These are Bengal colors...
HEMMER: That's right.
SERWER: They're playing the Redskins this weekend.
HEMMER: You know what? I want to see you guys all put this on so we can get a photo, because this is the only time it's going to happen.
O'BRIEN: How about we cut the cake first?
CAFFERTY: All right. We probably have to go. It's time to go down to Atlanta.
It's like Falluja in here.
O'BRIEN: All right. Enough, Mr. Serwer.
HEMMER: All right. You guys have a good, long weekend.
CAFFERTY: Some mornings there are almost as many deaths.
O'BRIEN: Oh. Enough! Enough! Happy birthday.
SERWER: Happy birthday, Bill.
O'BRIEN: Have a nice, long weekend.
COLLINS: Happy birthday, Bill.
O'BRIEN: Think of us.
HEMMER: You like the fact that I sung the song to myself.
O'BRIEN: Let's go back down to Daryn and Rick. Hey, you guy, want some cake.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Feliz cumpleanos, Guillermo.
O'BRIEN: Oh, very nice.
HEMMER: Thank you very much, Rick.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: He's been practicing.
O'BRIEN: He said happy birthday...
HEMMER: What was that again?
SANCHEZ: I'm not in New Dehli, but it'll work.
HEMMER: How do you like these? You want one?
SANCHEZ: Hey, that's nice.
HEMMER: Daryn, I know you're a closet Bengal fan.
KAGAN: Absolutely.
HEMMER: Give it up, girl.
KAGAN: I'll wear it when I go running. Hey, Bill?
HEMMER: Yes?
KAGAN: No pudding in that cake.
HEMMER: Inside joke we have. For years we got pudding in the cake. O'BRIEN: It's still smoking. Can you guys see this?
SANCHEZ: thanks a lot, guys.
SERWER: Call the Marines.
HEMMER: See you guys. Have a great weekend, all right?
KAGAN: All right, happy birthday.
SANCHEZ: Well, we've got two big stories -- actually events that we're going to be following for you throughout the course of the day. We still look at some of that cake as it smolders, I guess you might say.
KAGAN: All the way down here to Atlanta.
SANCHEZ: The process for burying and memorializing Yasser Arafat will begin while we're on the air here. We're going to bring you some of that.
And also, the president's going to be making some remarks in a ceremony today.
KAGAN: That's right. It is Veterans Day. And we'd like to send a special greeting to veterans that are joining us and watching. And we'll be seeing different ceremonies, including one at Arlington National Cemetery.
SANCHEZ: We'll have it all for you.
KAGAN: But right now, let's take a look at what's happening now in the news.
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