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American Morning
Iraqi Prisoner Shot by Marine in Falluja; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'
Aired November 16, 2004 - 08:30 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Just about half past the hour now on this American morning. Bill and Soledad are off this morning, in case you hadn't heard that from Jack. I'm Heidi Collins.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez helping out.
In a few minutes, we're going to look at an incident getting a lot of attention this morning, of an Iraqi prisoner who was shot by a marine in Falluja. Retired General James Marks is with us, talking about the realities of urban warfare and what these troops go through.
COLLINS: Also, the FDA telling the maker of Viagra to yank one of its commercials. It's the one with the man they call "wild thing." Sanjay Gupta's going to explain the controversy there.
SANCHEZ: Before we do that, tough, let's get to our other wild thing down in Atlanta, Daryn Kagan following things at the CNN Center. I can say that, I suppose, now that I'm your partner, right?
KAGAN: Yes, now that you're my TV husband, I guess you can say that. Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you, Rick.
Let's get some headlines now in the news. A new offensive is under way this morning in Mosul. It is one of the largest joint U.S.- Iraqi operations in northern Iraq. Hundreds of American troops are sweeping the city for insurgents.
Meanwhile, the fighting continues in Falluja. U.S. warplanes, backed by ground troops, dropped heavy bombs on the city overnight. U.S. forces say they have killed as many as 2,000 people there since last week.
A changing of the guard at the State Department. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is said to be President Bush's choice to replace Colin Powell as secretary of state. Senior administration officials say the announcement could be made public this afternoon. What could the change mean for President Bush's second term? Well, turns out we're going to be looking at both sides, coming up.
And there's also a shake-up at the Central Intelligence Agency. Just weeks after Porter Goss took over the CIA, two of the agency's top officials are stepping down. Among them, the man credited with getting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to abandon his weapons of mass destruction program. Sources telling CNN the two had clashed with Goss' aides. But no official reason for the resignations has been given. Rick, one of the top guys, new top guys, they won't even say his name, because he still is, technically, undercover.
SANCHEZ: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: Back to you.
SANCHEZ: You know there is a criminal investigation under way this morning by the U.S. military. Officials are looking to the killing of an injured Iraqi prisoner by a U.S. Marine in Falluja. It's dramatic. So is this video, by the way. We have spoken with retired General James Marks about the rules of engagement in this particular case and in others, and also what's at stake during urban warfare.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You can't remove the context. Those two are linked, and they will always be linked. Urban conflict, like any form of combat, is confusing. It is -- soldiers and Marines on the ground pray for clarity. They pray for certainty. They want to make sure they can see and act with confidence. And there is precious little, other than confusion, especially in urban combat.
SANCHEZ: He goes into this building, and he sees an insurgent, who is still alive, the fear. Describe us to or put us in his situation, general. What is it that he's thinking at that very moment that with maybe don't understand when he sees this insurgent that still alive, he says, he's breathing. Then he says, he's faking, he's faking.
MARKS: Putting context again, what happened just the day before, where probably some of his brother Marines or Army soldiers on the ground were wounded and one was killed, when in the same incident, a dead soldier, a dead -- excuse me, a dead insurgent had been bobby trapped. So this Marine walks into that building with that in the forefront of his mind, plus he had just come from combat himself, the very violent stages of closing the width (ph) and destroying the enemy, and he walks into a mosque, and sees this insurgent on the ground. He really doesn't know what to think. There might have been a flash of light. You don't know what the circumstance is. I don't know what the circumstances are, and so the context is extremely important to keep in mind.
SANCHEZ: He was actually injured the day before. He was out on patrol, that Marine on this day, even though he had been injured the day before. So you know, that probably brings with it some different levels of anxiety and stress. And as you mentioned, he'd lost a brother Marine the day before on a booby-trapped insurgent's body.
This whole idea of urban warfare really is what you all had told us previous to it, a dirty situation, dirty circumstances, a different type of war, isn't it?
MARKS: It is. Urban combat is the toughest type of combat you can engage in. The difficulty with urban combat is that the distances are so restricted. Maximum distances are reduced. Instead of thousands of yards, you're dealing with 20s and tens of yards. There's rubble everywhere, there's secondary explosions. It's like taking a hockey team, tripling the number of players on the ice, and decreasing the size on the field, making it half of the playing surface, cutting it in half, taking a third away, in terms of width. And then there's just confusion, people are slamming into each other. I mean, this is very confusing, it's very fast, and decisions are made in a hair's instance.
SANCHEZ: General, tell us, as we leave you, what is the process for this particular Marine? I know he's been removed from combat, but what happens now, to him and to the investigation process?
MARKS: The military's a values-based organization. They will do -- they look at this very, very closely. I am confident that the coalition forces, the U.S. Marines specifically, and it's been pledged by the commander, it will be looked at thoroughly, and aggressively and impartially, and they'll make determinations based on an objective reading of the facts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: That was retired General James Marks on the killing of an Iraqi prisoner by a U.S. marine in Falluja.
Heidi, over to you.
COLLINS: Colin Powell out, Condoleezza Rice in. What would the change at state mean for President Bush's second term? We're going to look at it from both sides now. In Chicago, Debra Pickett, with the "Chicago Sun-Times."
Debra, welcome.
DEBRA PICKETT, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Good morning. Thanks.
COLLINS: And in New York, Republican strategist Joe Watkins.
Welcome to you as well.
JOE WATKINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Good to be here, Heidi.
COLLINS: Thank you.
Debra, I want to begin with you, though, and with Condoleezza rice. As you know, she is one of the president's closest confidantes, known to be hawkish on some issues, though. But as a possible secretary of state, what sort of impact do you think she'll have on that position?
PICKETT: Well, it will certainly be a very different position as Dr. Rice holds it than it has been for General Powell. It's clear that, as you say, Dr. Rice is one of the president's closest advisers, and so the perception of her as secretary of state will very much be that she is in lock-step with the president on policy. She makes a point of agreeing with him, and really promoting his views. And I think that can be troubling for some folks on the international stage, because rather than taking a multilateralist approach, she really has promoted the president's unilateralist approach.
COLLINS: Joe, what is the approach she's going to take?
WATKINS: Heidi, what president wouldn't want a secretary of state to not be in lockstep with him? I mean, of course, every president chooses members of the cabinet that they hope are in lockstep with them, who understands where they want to take the country in that particular area. And clearly, when he chose Colin Powell to be his secretary of state, he knew he would get somebody who would support him and who would certainly support his policies. And in Condoleezza Rice, he's going to more of the same. He's going to get a terrifically qualified, outstanding African-American woman, who is the best person for the job, who is going to carry out the policies of this president.
COLLINS: But, Joe, as we know, world leaders have had this respect for Colin Powell as a diplomat. Is she going to be able to command the same type of respect?
WATKINS: Oh, clearly, clearly. Remember, she's no Johnny-come- lately to this. I mean, I worked with Condi Rice in the first Bush White House, and that is the George Herbert Walker Bush White House, back in '89, and '90 and '91. So she's been around for a long time. She understands national security affairs. She knows a number of world leaders and knows them, and I think she's going to command the same kind of respect that Colin Powell currently commands.
COLLINS: And Joe brings up a good point, Debra -- I mean, you're not going to surround yourself if you are the president with people who you set out to learn to disagree with you and say, come on in, I want you to keep me, you know, on the straight and narrow.
PICKETT: No, of course not. But there is a difference between surrounding yourself with experts who may bring varied points of view and varied perspectives in, so that, you know, ideally we want the president to be receiving a variety of advice from top experts in all fields evaluating that advice.
WATKINS: Well, Condi is an expert.
PICKETT: Well, Dr. Rice is certainly an expert in Russia and in Eastern Europe.
WATKINS: Absolutely, speaks fluent Russian.
PICKETT: But certainly, the foreign policy challenges we face are not exclusive to these areas.
WATKINS: No, and she understands the Middle East.
COLLINS: Pardon me, Joe, I've got to...
WATKINS: I'm sorry. COLLINS: That's all right.
Let's go ahead and talk about the CIA resignations as well. I want to get to that. We've talked about these two resignations that happened yesterday, possibly more to come. When we talk about Porter Goss, is he cleaning up or actually really trying to shake up the CIA?
Joe, to you first.
WATKINS: Well, I think that's the mandate that he had. I mean, he appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to really shake up the CIA, to bring change. And what -- again, what leader would we not give the opportunity to make the changes that he felt necessary in order to make his agency the most competitive, the strongest agency on behalf of the United States people? Porter Goss has that mandate. He was appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and that's what he's doing.
COLLINS: Debra, your thoughts quickly.
PICKETT: Certainly important to shake things up at the CIA, but not A time to have seven of the top people leave the agency at such a critical moment for intelligence gathering, and really, you want to make sure that if you're cleaning house, you're getting rid of people who are part of the problem, rather than the experts who should be part of the solution.
COLLINS: Debra Pickett and Joe Watkins this morning.
Thanks, guys.
Thanks. Thanks, Heidi.
A familiar conservative voice is soon going to be gone. William Safire is going to stop writing his regular op-ed column in "The New York Times" early next year. Safire was a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon before joining the paper back in 1973. He is 74 years old. Safire plans to continue his "On Language" column in the "Times" Sunday magazine, and he's also going to run a charity devoted to neuroscience.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Well, there was a fistfight and a stabbing at last night's taping of the Vibe Awards. Hip-hop legend Dr. Dre was apparently in the middle of a brawl. One report say he was attacked. The chair-throwing melee lasted 10 minutes. One person was stabbed and is said to be in stable condition, not clear if the stabbing was part of this fight. The Second Annual Vibe Magazine Awards honors urban music. Dr. Dre was just about to receive an award when the fight broke out.
SANCHEZ: Yes, unexplainable.
Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, for people still traumatized by Ashlee Simpson's "SNL" debacle. COLLINS: Traumatized?
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, it's kind of tough to watch. You felt bad for her.
Jack is going to explain, of all people, on "The Cafferty File."
COLLINS: He loves her.
SANCHEZ: Does he?
COLLINS: He does, he loves her.
SANCHEZ: Also, the wild thing is gone, why the FDA had a problem with Viagra's latest ad campaign. We're Paging Dr. Gupta, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Rick Sanchez.
The FDA wants the maker of Viagra to yank its new TV ad that apparently promises more than the little blue pill can actually deliver. This is that "wild thing" ad some of you may have seen on TV repeatedly.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now from the CNN Center in Atlanta with the details on this.
What you got, Sanjay?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rick.
Yes, you know, you have seen a lot of different drugs coming to market now. We're talking about Viagra, Levitra, Cialis. You've also seen a lot of different ad campaigns as well. One of them, though, the FDA taking issue with, specially as you mentioned the one about -- you've seen it here, talking about the wild thing.
Specifically what they're concerned about is that this ad, this television ad seems to do two things. One, it makes some claims that the medication, that the studies on the medication can't back up. and also, it doesn't talk about side effects specifically, which are important for any of these types of medications when you do this direct-to-customer advertising.
The FDA had some specific concerns. Specifically what they were concerned about. We jumped ahead there. But let me just tell you specifically, the TV ads claim that Viagra will provide a return to a previous level of sexual desire and activity. That is what they were concerned about, the television ad making a claim and subsequently not talking about side effects.
Rick, let me just point out one thing as well, because you see a lot of these television ads lately, a lot more for various types of medication. There is something known as reminder ads. These are quick little ads that come on television basically designed just to remind someone that a drug exists. As soon as they make a claim about the medication, they have to talk about the side effects. That didn't happen in this case. That's why the FDA pulled them. Pfizer agreed to do it, and draft a letter of response by November 24th -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Yes, we put up that graphic with the side effects just for a little bit, and then we took it down. Let's put it back up, and go through it for us, because I think this is important.
GUPTA: Right, and when you talk about these ads, again, you hear a lot of times at the end of the ads, people talking quickly about the side effects. That is something that the FDA and the pharmaceutical companies agreed upon when you talk about direct-to-consumer advertising. This is what they should have talked about -- headaches, facial flushing, upset stomach, visual changes, and also there are people who are more at risk for these things, including patient's with a history of heart disease, Rick. Again, those things not mentioned. That's what the FDA had a concern about.
SANCHEZ: Yes, they just want them to be fair. Don't tell people this is a magic pill, right?
GUPTA: Exactly. Exactly.
SANCHEZ: All right. Hey, Sanjay, thanks a lot, appreciate it.
GUPTA: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Still to come, one of the biggest and oldest names in the toy biz is riding his way into bankruptcy. Andy's minding your biz.
Stay with us. This is AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Some troubling inflation numbers. The government agency that ensures pensions looks a little shaky, and Lionel Trains filing for bankruptcy. The world is coming to an end as we know it. Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business."
Remember those little pills you got to put in the engine to make the smoke come out of Lionel Trains?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Little pills? No. No -- I do remember the little pills. I remember those little pills.
(LAUGHTER)
SERWER: I got you going there for a minute. I do remember those things. That was strange. A lot of bad news here this morning, Jack. We'll get to the bad news here. First of all, inflation number out for the month of October. A real shocker, inflation is up 1.7 percent for the month, that's the highest since 1990. What's going on? Well, oil prices, number one. Number two, food prices, and that's because of the hurricanes and the bad weather. Even if you strip that out, food and energy, inflation still up 0.3 percent, which is more than economists anticipated. Is inflation back? The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates.
Yesterday the stock market up a little bit, except for the S&P 500, not following suit. But the Dow and the Nasdaq were up, so that's good enough for us.
Let's talk about these pension problems that Jack alluded to. This is the government entity that insures the pension funds of companies that go bankrupt. And it is in trouble. It's called the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. And its deficit has more than doubled. Why? Well, the stock market has gone down, interest rates are down. But also, guess what, all of these airlines and steel companies have been eating into this thing. And you talk to government experts and they will tell you that if this problem is not addressed, along with Social Security and a host of other agencies, we're going to be in a lot of trouble in a few years. And it's for real.
Lionel Trains running off the track, filing for bankruptcy.
COLLINS: My brother had tons of those things, they're beautiful.
SERWER: This is an interesting little story. One hundred and four years old, Chesterfield, Michigan, by the way. The company used designs stolen from another company that Mike's Trains, a competitor, hired. So they were hit with a $40 million suit and they can't pay it. So they're going bankrupt. This company is partly owned, Jack, by Neil Young.
CAFFERTY: You're kidding, the singer?
SERWER: Yes, and some people say that his voice, which is high and some say irritating maybe made this company run off the tracks. I don't know.
CAFFERTY: Remember those little pills you used to get to put in the engines that made the smoke come out?
SERWER: Southern man!
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Do a little "Down by the River."
CAFFERTY: No please...
SERWER: Never mind.
CAFFERTY: Do it out there.
COLLINS: No more fills (ph), please. CAFFERTY: Time for the "File." The government has brought a lawsuit against a man in Lincoln, Nebraska, named John Koch. He's a landlord, he was caught on tape demanding sex once a week from a female tenant as payment for the rent. Tamekia Neds (ph) complained to the Omaha Fair Housing Center. She agreed to wear a wire. They caught this guy. His lawyer says, quote, "sex for rent may be immoral but it's not illegal."
Ashlee Simpson had her own version of being caught with her pants down a few weeks ago when she was busted for lip syncing on "Saturday Night Live." Well, now, a New York-based group -- good, Ellie. Thank you very much. Now a New York-based group called Hope for Horrified Observers of Pedestrian Entertainment is offering Ashlee's fans the opportunity to trade in her CD for real music.
Fans who take their Ashlee Simpson CD to New York's Knitting Factory can swap them for Ray Charles, Jimmy Page, The Ramones, Elvis Costello or The Grateful Dead, to name a few. If you can't make it to the New York club, you can log onto the group's Web site which is www.hopeinamerica.com.
And finally we have this. A man in Chicago so broken up about his divorce that he's suing the man his wife left him for. Steven Cyl's marriage of 15 years ended when his wife had an affair with a neighbor, a guy named Lee Bauman. Steven Cyl claims Bauman ruined his wife by seducing his wife, Lupe, after meeting her in a bar. He's seeking unspecified damages. Similar lawsuits have been filed elsewhere in the country, two in North Carolina resulting in settlements in the million dollar range. The other option is you could just send the guy a thank you note and be done with it, along with your wife.
SERWER: Lee got himself, Lupe, right?
CAFFERTY: He did, in the bar.
SERWER: Yes, Lupe.
SANCHEZ: Remember those little pills they used to put in the trains?
SERWER: The pills you would put in the trains.
CAFFERTY: Taxi!
SERWER: I do remember that, actually.
SANCHEZ: It would be huge lawsuits today if somebody sold a little pill like that because kids would pretend...
SERWER: They'd swallow them.
SANCHEZ: That's another day.
In a moment, today's top stories, including Condoleeza Rice's likely move to secretary of state. Some experts think that she could bring some things to the table that Colin Powell could not. We're going to have a look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail, just sign up for AMERICAN MORNING "Quick News" at cnn.com/am.
Still to come this morning, about 1,000 insurgent have been killed in Falluja. But one of the latest deaths has led to a criminal investigation. We'll take you live to the Pentagon for the latest on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: From national security to international diplomacy, Condoleezza Rice expected to be named the new secretary of state as soon as today.
Taking the battle straight to the insurgents in yet another Iraqi city. U.S. forces now on the move in Mosul.
While in Falluja, an American Marine is under investigation for shooting an Iraqi prisoner. What's the explanation?
And from California, the awards show that completely came unglued when fists start flying at the Vibe Awards on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired November 16, 2004 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Just about half past the hour now on this American morning. Bill and Soledad are off this morning, in case you hadn't heard that from Jack. I'm Heidi Collins.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez helping out.
In a few minutes, we're going to look at an incident getting a lot of attention this morning, of an Iraqi prisoner who was shot by a marine in Falluja. Retired General James Marks is with us, talking about the realities of urban warfare and what these troops go through.
COLLINS: Also, the FDA telling the maker of Viagra to yank one of its commercials. It's the one with the man they call "wild thing." Sanjay Gupta's going to explain the controversy there.
SANCHEZ: Before we do that, tough, let's get to our other wild thing down in Atlanta, Daryn Kagan following things at the CNN Center. I can say that, I suppose, now that I'm your partner, right?
KAGAN: Yes, now that you're my TV husband, I guess you can say that. Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you, Rick.
Let's get some headlines now in the news. A new offensive is under way this morning in Mosul. It is one of the largest joint U.S.- Iraqi operations in northern Iraq. Hundreds of American troops are sweeping the city for insurgents.
Meanwhile, the fighting continues in Falluja. U.S. warplanes, backed by ground troops, dropped heavy bombs on the city overnight. U.S. forces say they have killed as many as 2,000 people there since last week.
A changing of the guard at the State Department. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is said to be President Bush's choice to replace Colin Powell as secretary of state. Senior administration officials say the announcement could be made public this afternoon. What could the change mean for President Bush's second term? Well, turns out we're going to be looking at both sides, coming up.
And there's also a shake-up at the Central Intelligence Agency. Just weeks after Porter Goss took over the CIA, two of the agency's top officials are stepping down. Among them, the man credited with getting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to abandon his weapons of mass destruction program. Sources telling CNN the two had clashed with Goss' aides. But no official reason for the resignations has been given. Rick, one of the top guys, new top guys, they won't even say his name, because he still is, technically, undercover.
SANCHEZ: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: Back to you.
SANCHEZ: You know there is a criminal investigation under way this morning by the U.S. military. Officials are looking to the killing of an injured Iraqi prisoner by a U.S. Marine in Falluja. It's dramatic. So is this video, by the way. We have spoken with retired General James Marks about the rules of engagement in this particular case and in others, and also what's at stake during urban warfare.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You can't remove the context. Those two are linked, and they will always be linked. Urban conflict, like any form of combat, is confusing. It is -- soldiers and Marines on the ground pray for clarity. They pray for certainty. They want to make sure they can see and act with confidence. And there is precious little, other than confusion, especially in urban combat.
SANCHEZ: He goes into this building, and he sees an insurgent, who is still alive, the fear. Describe us to or put us in his situation, general. What is it that he's thinking at that very moment that with maybe don't understand when he sees this insurgent that still alive, he says, he's breathing. Then he says, he's faking, he's faking.
MARKS: Putting context again, what happened just the day before, where probably some of his brother Marines or Army soldiers on the ground were wounded and one was killed, when in the same incident, a dead soldier, a dead -- excuse me, a dead insurgent had been bobby trapped. So this Marine walks into that building with that in the forefront of his mind, plus he had just come from combat himself, the very violent stages of closing the width (ph) and destroying the enemy, and he walks into a mosque, and sees this insurgent on the ground. He really doesn't know what to think. There might have been a flash of light. You don't know what the circumstance is. I don't know what the circumstances are, and so the context is extremely important to keep in mind.
SANCHEZ: He was actually injured the day before. He was out on patrol, that Marine on this day, even though he had been injured the day before. So you know, that probably brings with it some different levels of anxiety and stress. And as you mentioned, he'd lost a brother Marine the day before on a booby-trapped insurgent's body.
This whole idea of urban warfare really is what you all had told us previous to it, a dirty situation, dirty circumstances, a different type of war, isn't it?
MARKS: It is. Urban combat is the toughest type of combat you can engage in. The difficulty with urban combat is that the distances are so restricted. Maximum distances are reduced. Instead of thousands of yards, you're dealing with 20s and tens of yards. There's rubble everywhere, there's secondary explosions. It's like taking a hockey team, tripling the number of players on the ice, and decreasing the size on the field, making it half of the playing surface, cutting it in half, taking a third away, in terms of width. And then there's just confusion, people are slamming into each other. I mean, this is very confusing, it's very fast, and decisions are made in a hair's instance.
SANCHEZ: General, tell us, as we leave you, what is the process for this particular Marine? I know he's been removed from combat, but what happens now, to him and to the investigation process?
MARKS: The military's a values-based organization. They will do -- they look at this very, very closely. I am confident that the coalition forces, the U.S. Marines specifically, and it's been pledged by the commander, it will be looked at thoroughly, and aggressively and impartially, and they'll make determinations based on an objective reading of the facts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: That was retired General James Marks on the killing of an Iraqi prisoner by a U.S. marine in Falluja.
Heidi, over to you.
COLLINS: Colin Powell out, Condoleezza Rice in. What would the change at state mean for President Bush's second term? We're going to look at it from both sides now. In Chicago, Debra Pickett, with the "Chicago Sun-Times."
Debra, welcome.
DEBRA PICKETT, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Good morning. Thanks.
COLLINS: And in New York, Republican strategist Joe Watkins.
Welcome to you as well.
JOE WATKINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Good to be here, Heidi.
COLLINS: Thank you.
Debra, I want to begin with you, though, and with Condoleezza rice. As you know, she is one of the president's closest confidantes, known to be hawkish on some issues, though. But as a possible secretary of state, what sort of impact do you think she'll have on that position?
PICKETT: Well, it will certainly be a very different position as Dr. Rice holds it than it has been for General Powell. It's clear that, as you say, Dr. Rice is one of the president's closest advisers, and so the perception of her as secretary of state will very much be that she is in lock-step with the president on policy. She makes a point of agreeing with him, and really promoting his views. And I think that can be troubling for some folks on the international stage, because rather than taking a multilateralist approach, she really has promoted the president's unilateralist approach.
COLLINS: Joe, what is the approach she's going to take?
WATKINS: Heidi, what president wouldn't want a secretary of state to not be in lockstep with him? I mean, of course, every president chooses members of the cabinet that they hope are in lockstep with them, who understands where they want to take the country in that particular area. And clearly, when he chose Colin Powell to be his secretary of state, he knew he would get somebody who would support him and who would certainly support his policies. And in Condoleezza Rice, he's going to more of the same. He's going to get a terrifically qualified, outstanding African-American woman, who is the best person for the job, who is going to carry out the policies of this president.
COLLINS: But, Joe, as we know, world leaders have had this respect for Colin Powell as a diplomat. Is she going to be able to command the same type of respect?
WATKINS: Oh, clearly, clearly. Remember, she's no Johnny-come- lately to this. I mean, I worked with Condi Rice in the first Bush White House, and that is the George Herbert Walker Bush White House, back in '89, and '90 and '91. So she's been around for a long time. She understands national security affairs. She knows a number of world leaders and knows them, and I think she's going to command the same kind of respect that Colin Powell currently commands.
COLLINS: And Joe brings up a good point, Debra -- I mean, you're not going to surround yourself if you are the president with people who you set out to learn to disagree with you and say, come on in, I want you to keep me, you know, on the straight and narrow.
PICKETT: No, of course not. But there is a difference between surrounding yourself with experts who may bring varied points of view and varied perspectives in, so that, you know, ideally we want the president to be receiving a variety of advice from top experts in all fields evaluating that advice.
WATKINS: Well, Condi is an expert.
PICKETT: Well, Dr. Rice is certainly an expert in Russia and in Eastern Europe.
WATKINS: Absolutely, speaks fluent Russian.
PICKETT: But certainly, the foreign policy challenges we face are not exclusive to these areas.
WATKINS: No, and she understands the Middle East.
COLLINS: Pardon me, Joe, I've got to...
WATKINS: I'm sorry. COLLINS: That's all right.
Let's go ahead and talk about the CIA resignations as well. I want to get to that. We've talked about these two resignations that happened yesterday, possibly more to come. When we talk about Porter Goss, is he cleaning up or actually really trying to shake up the CIA?
Joe, to you first.
WATKINS: Well, I think that's the mandate that he had. I mean, he appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to really shake up the CIA, to bring change. And what -- again, what leader would we not give the opportunity to make the changes that he felt necessary in order to make his agency the most competitive, the strongest agency on behalf of the United States people? Porter Goss has that mandate. He was appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and that's what he's doing.
COLLINS: Debra, your thoughts quickly.
PICKETT: Certainly important to shake things up at the CIA, but not A time to have seven of the top people leave the agency at such a critical moment for intelligence gathering, and really, you want to make sure that if you're cleaning house, you're getting rid of people who are part of the problem, rather than the experts who should be part of the solution.
COLLINS: Debra Pickett and Joe Watkins this morning.
Thanks, guys.
Thanks. Thanks, Heidi.
A familiar conservative voice is soon going to be gone. William Safire is going to stop writing his regular op-ed column in "The New York Times" early next year. Safire was a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon before joining the paper back in 1973. He is 74 years old. Safire plans to continue his "On Language" column in the "Times" Sunday magazine, and he's also going to run a charity devoted to neuroscience.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Well, there was a fistfight and a stabbing at last night's taping of the Vibe Awards. Hip-hop legend Dr. Dre was apparently in the middle of a brawl. One report say he was attacked. The chair-throwing melee lasted 10 minutes. One person was stabbed and is said to be in stable condition, not clear if the stabbing was part of this fight. The Second Annual Vibe Magazine Awards honors urban music. Dr. Dre was just about to receive an award when the fight broke out.
SANCHEZ: Yes, unexplainable.
Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, for people still traumatized by Ashlee Simpson's "SNL" debacle. COLLINS: Traumatized?
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, it's kind of tough to watch. You felt bad for her.
Jack is going to explain, of all people, on "The Cafferty File."
COLLINS: He loves her.
SANCHEZ: Does he?
COLLINS: He does, he loves her.
SANCHEZ: Also, the wild thing is gone, why the FDA had a problem with Viagra's latest ad campaign. We're Paging Dr. Gupta, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Rick Sanchez.
The FDA wants the maker of Viagra to yank its new TV ad that apparently promises more than the little blue pill can actually deliver. This is that "wild thing" ad some of you may have seen on TV repeatedly.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now from the CNN Center in Atlanta with the details on this.
What you got, Sanjay?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rick.
Yes, you know, you have seen a lot of different drugs coming to market now. We're talking about Viagra, Levitra, Cialis. You've also seen a lot of different ad campaigns as well. One of them, though, the FDA taking issue with, specially as you mentioned the one about -- you've seen it here, talking about the wild thing.
Specifically what they're concerned about is that this ad, this television ad seems to do two things. One, it makes some claims that the medication, that the studies on the medication can't back up. and also, it doesn't talk about side effects specifically, which are important for any of these types of medications when you do this direct-to-customer advertising.
The FDA had some specific concerns. Specifically what they were concerned about. We jumped ahead there. But let me just tell you specifically, the TV ads claim that Viagra will provide a return to a previous level of sexual desire and activity. That is what they were concerned about, the television ad making a claim and subsequently not talking about side effects.
Rick, let me just point out one thing as well, because you see a lot of these television ads lately, a lot more for various types of medication. There is something known as reminder ads. These are quick little ads that come on television basically designed just to remind someone that a drug exists. As soon as they make a claim about the medication, they have to talk about the side effects. That didn't happen in this case. That's why the FDA pulled them. Pfizer agreed to do it, and draft a letter of response by November 24th -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Yes, we put up that graphic with the side effects just for a little bit, and then we took it down. Let's put it back up, and go through it for us, because I think this is important.
GUPTA: Right, and when you talk about these ads, again, you hear a lot of times at the end of the ads, people talking quickly about the side effects. That is something that the FDA and the pharmaceutical companies agreed upon when you talk about direct-to-consumer advertising. This is what they should have talked about -- headaches, facial flushing, upset stomach, visual changes, and also there are people who are more at risk for these things, including patient's with a history of heart disease, Rick. Again, those things not mentioned. That's what the FDA had a concern about.
SANCHEZ: Yes, they just want them to be fair. Don't tell people this is a magic pill, right?
GUPTA: Exactly. Exactly.
SANCHEZ: All right. Hey, Sanjay, thanks a lot, appreciate it.
GUPTA: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Still to come, one of the biggest and oldest names in the toy biz is riding his way into bankruptcy. Andy's minding your biz.
Stay with us. This is AMERICAN MORNING.
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COLLINS: Welcome back.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Some troubling inflation numbers. The government agency that ensures pensions looks a little shaky, and Lionel Trains filing for bankruptcy. The world is coming to an end as we know it. Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business."
Remember those little pills you got to put in the engine to make the smoke come out of Lionel Trains?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Little pills? No. No -- I do remember the little pills. I remember those little pills.
(LAUGHTER)
SERWER: I got you going there for a minute. I do remember those things. That was strange. A lot of bad news here this morning, Jack. We'll get to the bad news here. First of all, inflation number out for the month of October. A real shocker, inflation is up 1.7 percent for the month, that's the highest since 1990. What's going on? Well, oil prices, number one. Number two, food prices, and that's because of the hurricanes and the bad weather. Even if you strip that out, food and energy, inflation still up 0.3 percent, which is more than economists anticipated. Is inflation back? The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates.
Yesterday the stock market up a little bit, except for the S&P 500, not following suit. But the Dow and the Nasdaq were up, so that's good enough for us.
Let's talk about these pension problems that Jack alluded to. This is the government entity that insures the pension funds of companies that go bankrupt. And it is in trouble. It's called the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. And its deficit has more than doubled. Why? Well, the stock market has gone down, interest rates are down. But also, guess what, all of these airlines and steel companies have been eating into this thing. And you talk to government experts and they will tell you that if this problem is not addressed, along with Social Security and a host of other agencies, we're going to be in a lot of trouble in a few years. And it's for real.
Lionel Trains running off the track, filing for bankruptcy.
COLLINS: My brother had tons of those things, they're beautiful.
SERWER: This is an interesting little story. One hundred and four years old, Chesterfield, Michigan, by the way. The company used designs stolen from another company that Mike's Trains, a competitor, hired. So they were hit with a $40 million suit and they can't pay it. So they're going bankrupt. This company is partly owned, Jack, by Neil Young.
CAFFERTY: You're kidding, the singer?
SERWER: Yes, and some people say that his voice, which is high and some say irritating maybe made this company run off the tracks. I don't know.
CAFFERTY: Remember those little pills you used to get to put in the engines that made the smoke come out?
SERWER: Southern man!
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Do a little "Down by the River."
CAFFERTY: No please...
SERWER: Never mind.
CAFFERTY: Do it out there.
COLLINS: No more fills (ph), please. CAFFERTY: Time for the "File." The government has brought a lawsuit against a man in Lincoln, Nebraska, named John Koch. He's a landlord, he was caught on tape demanding sex once a week from a female tenant as payment for the rent. Tamekia Neds (ph) complained to the Omaha Fair Housing Center. She agreed to wear a wire. They caught this guy. His lawyer says, quote, "sex for rent may be immoral but it's not illegal."
Ashlee Simpson had her own version of being caught with her pants down a few weeks ago when she was busted for lip syncing on "Saturday Night Live." Well, now, a New York-based group -- good, Ellie. Thank you very much. Now a New York-based group called Hope for Horrified Observers of Pedestrian Entertainment is offering Ashlee's fans the opportunity to trade in her CD for real music.
Fans who take their Ashlee Simpson CD to New York's Knitting Factory can swap them for Ray Charles, Jimmy Page, The Ramones, Elvis Costello or The Grateful Dead, to name a few. If you can't make it to the New York club, you can log onto the group's Web site which is www.hopeinamerica.com.
And finally we have this. A man in Chicago so broken up about his divorce that he's suing the man his wife left him for. Steven Cyl's marriage of 15 years ended when his wife had an affair with a neighbor, a guy named Lee Bauman. Steven Cyl claims Bauman ruined his wife by seducing his wife, Lupe, after meeting her in a bar. He's seeking unspecified damages. Similar lawsuits have been filed elsewhere in the country, two in North Carolina resulting in settlements in the million dollar range. The other option is you could just send the guy a thank you note and be done with it, along with your wife.
SERWER: Lee got himself, Lupe, right?
CAFFERTY: He did, in the bar.
SERWER: Yes, Lupe.
SANCHEZ: Remember those little pills they used to put in the trains?
SERWER: The pills you would put in the trains.
CAFFERTY: Taxi!
SERWER: I do remember that, actually.
SANCHEZ: It would be huge lawsuits today if somebody sold a little pill like that because kids would pretend...
SERWER: They'd swallow them.
SANCHEZ: That's another day.
In a moment, today's top stories, including Condoleeza Rice's likely move to secretary of state. Some experts think that she could bring some things to the table that Colin Powell could not. We're going to have a look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail, just sign up for AMERICAN MORNING "Quick News" at cnn.com/am.
Still to come this morning, about 1,000 insurgent have been killed in Falluja. But one of the latest deaths has led to a criminal investigation. We'll take you live to the Pentagon for the latest on AMERICAN MORNING.
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COLLINS: From national security to international diplomacy, Condoleezza Rice expected to be named the new secretary of state as soon as today.
Taking the battle straight to the insurgents in yet another Iraqi city. U.S. forces now on the move in Mosul.
While in Falluja, an American Marine is under investigation for shooting an Iraqi prisoner. What's the explanation?
And from California, the awards show that completely came unglued when fists start flying at the Vibe Awards on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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