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'Political Jab'; Funeral Services Held Today for Missouri Woman Whose Baby Was Cut From Her Womb

Aired December 21, 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.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 8:30 in New York. Good morning, everybody. Welcome back. Soledad is out today, Carol Costello here to help us out. Good morning to you.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

HEMMER: You having fun?

COSTELLO: I can't tell you how much fun I'm having.

HEMMER: Halfway there.

In a moment here, what investigators are learning from the case of the baby stolen from her mother's womb. We'll have a look in a moment at e-mails that led police to the suspected killer, also an update today on baby's condition, said to be doing OK, by the way, which is really great.

COSTELLO: Oh, you mean the little baby girl. Yes, she is doing OK; she's back with her dad today, so that's good news.

Also on AMERICAN MORNING, is the White House changing its tone on successes in Iraq. Yesterday, President Bush acknowledged insurgents are having an effect on stability. We'll talk about the significance of those comments in our "Political Jab" with Watkins and Finney.

HEMMER: All right, we'll get to that. First, though, the story mentioned a few moments ago, Carol, out of Mosul and northern Iraq, U.S. military officials recognizing that an explosion has taken place at a U.S. military base. We don't know what the result of the explosion has been, or what caused it. But we are told there are multiple casualties. When we get more out of Mosul, we'll pass it along to you.

Back now with the birthday girl, Kelly Wallace, with the rest of the news here.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm getting e-mails from people who are going, shhh, happy birthday, this just in. Thank you so much.

Good morning again, everyone.

Now in the news, the first day of winter officially today, and the East coast already feeling the effects with early blast of frigid temperatures. In the Midwest, as much as two feet of snow blanketed parts of central Indiana. The National Weather Service says another strong storm brewing. Chad Myers has more on what is in store. That's coming up here on AMERICAN MORNING, just about 10 minutes from now. U.S. airports may soon get thousands of new air traffic controllers.

According to "The Wall Street Journal," the Federal Aviation Administration is planning to hire 12,000 workers over the next decade. It is part of a plan to counter a wave of expected retirements. The FAA is expected to announce the plan today.

And an expanding sinkhole causing more problems for people in Deltona, Florida. We told you about this yesterday. Now, city inspectors are condemning two homes near that sinkhole, some 25,000 motorists being forced to take a seven-mile detour around the hole, which now measures 220 feet by 175 feet. But there is some good news there. Officials say it is not expected to get too much bigger. That is called looking on the bright side.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding.

WALLACE: And stating the obvious maybe, right.

HEMMER: It will swallow the whole town in a moment here.

Thank you, Kelly.

WALLACE: Sure.

HEMMER: Funeral services will be held today for the Missouri woman whose baby was cut from her womb. Twenty-three-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett was killed in her Skidmore, Missouri home on Thursday. Jonathan Freed is following that story in nearby Maryville, Missouri, where the services will take place.

And, Jonathan, hello there.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. That's right. The sun is just coming up here in Maryville, Missouri. We're standing in front of that funeral home where many members of this community and family members and friends are expected to show up later this afternoon for the funeral services for Bobbie Jo Stinnett.

It has been a multiday emotional trial for this family, but late yesterday, finally at least, a bit of good news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (voice-over): Bobbie Jo Stinnett did not live to see her child born. But Monday evening, relief for her family, when Victoria Jo Stinnett was released from a Kansas hospital, a month premature and four days old.

Earlier on Monday, Lisa Montgomery, who is facing federal charges of kidnapping resulting in death, had an initial court hearing in Kansas City, Kansas. The first time she's been seen in public since her arrest on Friday. At the courthouse, Montgomery's husband told reporters that he did not know anything about his wife's alleged actions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My heart ain't broke just for me and Lisa and her kids, for them, too. That was a precious baby. I know.

FREED: So far, Lisa Montgomery is the only one charged. The U.S. attorney's office prosecuting the case says it's too early to know if anyone else will be accused as well. There are questions why Montgomery's husband accepted her story that she had suddenly given birth last Thursday and ready to be picked up with the baby that day, not at a hospital, but outside a restaurant.

Stinnett was strangled on Thursday, her body mutilated, and her eight month old unborn baby abducted. The 23-year-old was a dog breeder. And investigators allege that Montgomery used an assumed name, "Darlene Fisher," to arrange a meeting with Stinnett through an Internet message board.

One message posted last Wednesday reads, "Please get in touch with me soon, as we are considering the purchase of one of your puppies." Stinnett's posted reply, "I e-mailed you directions so we can meet. Look forward to chatting with you tomorrow."

Stinnett known as kind and caring person in her northeastern town of Skidmore. The country sheriff knows the family and says Stinnett will be remembered...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a nice girl, a nice family, come from a nice family that didn't have enemies, didn't deserve anything like this, and didn't deserve it the week before Christmas.

FREED: Prosecutors explain they're proceeding cautiously about the possibility of seeking the death penalty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED: Now, Bill, there's been some question as to how long Bobbie Jo Stinnett and Lisa Montgomery might have known each other, whether or not their connection was only established recently over the Internet, as we just saw, or whether it went back farther than that. Law enforcement officials here, investigators have photographic proof they believe, and CNN has obtained that, and we can show it to you now, a photo that was taken in November of 2003 in Abilene, Texas at a dog show, which shows both Lisa Montgomery and Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the same photograph at the dog show.

Now the local county sheriff here in Nottingway (ph) County says that he believes that this definitely substantiates they have known each other for a while -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jonathan Freed reporting there. Thanks -- Carol.

COSTELLO: President Bush laid out his agenda for his second term yesterday, everything from immigration reform to Social Security. He also defended embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. How big a job does the president have ahead of him? In our "Political Jab" this morning, Democratic strategist Karen Finney and Republican strategist Joe Watkins.

JOE WATKINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thanks so much. Good to be here.

COSTELLO: Joe, let's start with you this morning.

WATKINS: I get to start first. That's great.

COSTELLO: You get to start first.

You know, yesterday, the president talked about the insurgency in Iraq and said it is having an impact. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No question about it, the bombers are having an effect. These people are targeting innocent Iraqis. They're trying to shake the will of the Iraqi people, and frankly, trying to shake the will of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So is this the administration's way of saying things are not going exactly as planned?

WATKINS: No, this is the administration's way of saying that things are moving along nicely, and that there are going to be some bumps in the road, and absolutely there are going to be. The president is an honest man, and just he's sharing that with the American people. Our soldiers are doing a great job in Iraq, and they're going to win this war.

COSTELLO: Yes, but moving along nicely?

KAREN FINNEY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIC: It's very distressing if you think that's moving along nicely. I think this is an admission by the president that we can't deny what we all know everyday when we open our newspapers and we turn on the television sets. Just this morning, more violence. It's a very fragile situation, and I think it's a partial admission on the part of the president, that frankly, it's his failed policies that have led us to this fragile situation. We know that the elections in January are called into question. We know that everyday there is increasing violence.

WATKINS: They're coming. The beauty is that the elections are coming. They're going to come at the end of January. Iraq's going to have free elections. They're going to have a new constitution, an elected president, and there's going to be democracy in Iraq.

COSTELLO: But how many people will die along the way, until we get to that point? WATKINS: Well, the sad truth of it is that in war, conflicts, people do die, and it's sad. And I know this president and this cabinet grieves for every singling member of the military that losses his or her life and puts his or her life on the line for us for freedom.

COSTELLO: We hear that all the time, and that brings us to the topic of Donald Rumsfeld, the embattled defense secretary, and how many mistakes that he has made in developing a postwar plan.

FINNEY: It's not just that he's made mistakes in developing a postwar plan. Again, this is about an administration that went in willy-nilly, without a real plan to secure the situation in Iraq and win the peace. And now, we're paying for that in human lives, in the toll of our American soldiers who are over there sacrificing.

But again, I'll say that I don't expect the president is going to stop supporting Donald Rumsfeld, because he is the architect of that plan. And if he were to step away from Don Rumsfeld and not show support, then that's an admission of failure.

FINNEY: Do you agree with that, Joe?

WATKINS: Absolutely not. Donald Rumsfeld has done a great job. He did a great in helping to architect the war in Afghanistan, he's doing the same thing in Iraq. And these wars are going to have casualties. There are going to be bumps in the road. It will take some time to win over everybody in Iraq, but we're headed in the right direction, and this war is going to be won.

COSTELLO: But so many people, both Democrats and Republicans, are coming out and criticizing Donald Rumsfeld, some calling for him to step down. How can you say that he's doing a spectacular job?

WATKINS: If the president of the United States were moved to replace their cabinet members whenever a senator or person in the media said they needed to step aside, we'd have bedlam, we'd have chaos. The secretary of defense serves at the pleasure of the president of the United States, who is the commander in chief. As long as he has confidence in Donald Rumsfeld, he stays.

FINNEY: Well, unfortunately, It's not just members of Congress who are voicing their concerns; it's their own troops, it's the generals themselves who have said they don't have the resources that they need. And we've had time and time since this war began, mistake after mistake after mistake.

COSTELLO: So what will happen next. Will Don Rumsfeld stay through the Iraqi elections and then out?

WATKINS: I think Donald Rumsfeld will stay as long as the president will have him stay.

FINNEY: The president can't let him go, because if the president lets him go, then he's admitting that his policies are failing. WATKINS: Absolutely not. Donald Rumsfeld is doing a great job, and I think he stays right through the term as long as he'd like to say, as long as the president wants him to stay.

COSTELLO: Really? We have that on tape.

WATKINS: You have it on tape. You're hearing it right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

COSTELLO: Joe Watkins, Karen Finney, thanks for doing the "Political Jab" thing on AMERICAN MORNING -- Bill.

HEMMER: About 20 minutes now before the hour. Carol, thanks.

After a year of serving in Kuwait and Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Curtis Mattison had just a short break to spend time with his family before going back on Sunday, because his wife and six kids knew dad would not be home for Christmas, they asked Santa to pay a visit early this time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. COL. CURTIS MATTISON, 319 SIGNAL BATTALION COMMANDER: Only 10 percent of the unit will be able to be home for Christmas. That means when I'm going to over 500 people I'm in command that are going to be over there, and that's where I need to be, is I need to be with them. You know, it's kind of part of a brotherhood.

Daddy's working. I know.

It's been about 26 years, I guess more or less my entire adult life have been in the service in some way, shape or form. I get a sense of trying to make the world a better place for my children. We have six kids in our family, so that's something that I consider really worthwhile to do.

You want me to pick him up?

ANNELENA MATTISON, COMMANDER'S WIFE: Come here. I know. You want daddy.

It's hard not to have your spouse there. I have to make all the decisions. I can't discuss it with him, and I just get tired of having to be the one in charge all the time. That's why we're having Christmas early, because it wouldn't be the same if we waited until the 25th. It would just be too weird not to have him here.

Come on Jesus.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Come on Jesus.

A. MATTISON: Be our guest.

It does feel like Christmas. If you plan it, it doesn't really make any difference. You know, the smells are the same. The kids are excited. The 4-year-old is like Santa's coming tomorrow! UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello there!

C. MATTISON: I'm leaving in a couple of days. You recognize the precious moments for what they are. I've already missed already missed a lot of them. I'll never see that first step from the three babies. I'll never hear the first words.

Hear my little girl go ooh over a tea set.

The kids especially are going to be different people by the time I come back, so I really want to kind soak up as much as you can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: By the way of Lieutenant Mattison's six kids, three are triplets. Crowded house. And he's heading back -- Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: If you're looking for a solid investment, try the "Pop Idol Fund." Andy's "Minding Your Business," has that in a moment here.

COSTELLO: The pop idol fund, huh?

Plus, an over-the-counter painkiller gets caught up in a new FDA drug warning. What do you need to know when you take Aleve? Stay with us, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Sanjay is out today. But the FDA warning patients taking the drug Naproxen about increased risk for heart problems. That painkiller is sold under the brand name Aleve. This follows similar warnings about drugs like Vioxx and Celebrex over the past couple of days. Elizabeth Cohen is at the CNN Center to take us through this and more.

And good morning there.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. According to this new study, people who were taking the ingredient that's in Aleve were 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke.

Now two important points to make about this study. First of all, these folks weren't taking Aleve on a casual basis. They were taking it on a regular daily basis for up to three years. That's quite a long time. That's not how everyone uses this drug. Also, all the people on this study were over the age of 70. So two important things to remember.

Let's take a look at some of the details of this study. It was done by the National Institutes of Health. They wanted to see if either Celebrex, which we've all been hearing about lately, or Aleve, would prevent people from getting Alzheimer's. So one group in the study got Celebrex, one group got Aleve, and one group was given placebo. And what they found was very interesting. They found that the group getting Celebrex actually had no problems. They didn't have an increased risk of heart attacks. That contradicts an earlier study, but again, they found this 50 percent increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Now in the study that we're talking about now, plus the one with Celebrex earlier this week, what researchers have done is they have stopped the study. So now, in this study, nobody's taking Aleve and nobody's taking Celebrex because of concerns about cardiovascular health -- Bill.

HEMMER: Will the FDA say pull the drug at some point, or not?

COHEN: You know what, they haven't. They keep saying with both of these drugs that they're studying the data, they're going to keep looking at the data, and Pfizer, which makes Celebrex, has said we're not pulling this off the market at this point, it is on the market; however, they have had to pull their ads off the air.

HEMMER: All right, Elizabeth, thanks. We'll follow that again throughout the day here. Sanjay back next week, by the way, and he reminds us that our "New You Revolution" is right around the corner. Every new year we follow five people as they undergo major health changes.

Here's Sanjay, an update now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Believe it or not, we're just two weeks away from the "New You Revolution." That's coming up at the end of the year. I've had a chance to chat with all five of our opponents, I think you're going find them very interesting and hopefully learn from them as well over the eight weeks. Again, "New You Revolution" begins January 3rd right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, thanks. Looking forward to that in 2005. You can follow our "New You Revolution" participants on cnn.com/health. It'll be there for you online -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Can't wait. Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, which actress is selling her fat -- selling her fat to make a buck. "Cafferty File" is coming up. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Investors in Japan taking a cue from "American Idol" by putting money on prospective pop stars. And wait until you see some of the prospects. Andy Serwer's here "Minding Your Business." Good morning. ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you, Jack. I've always got prospects. These are very interesting (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here, though.

Let's a talk a little bit about the markets yesterday. A mixed session on Wall Street. The Dow was up 11 points, I promise you. And I promise you that the Nasdaq was down 7. The Dow was up despite weakness in Pfizer. Jack, I think it will be very interesting with these drug stocks going forward because they've always been safe harbors, really good investments. Pfizer, Merck, down 32 percent. Is this a good time to buy them?

CAFFERTY: I was just thinking that, is it time to get into these things, right?

SERWER: Or has this business changed forever? I mean, a lot of people are asking that question on Wall Street, the whole notion of a blockbuster drug and rolling it out and spending all the money and recouping the profits over several years. A lot of questions on Wall Street.

CAFFERTY: Business model might be in for some alteration here.

SERWER: Indeed. So if you're burned by drug stocks, maybe you want to try investing in the next Britney Spears.

CAFFERTY: Very cool.

SERWER: You can do this in Japan, something called the "Japan Idol" fund. This is a crazy idea. And here they are: you can invest about $500 in a fund that will track the careers of these young ladies. And you get 12 to 15 percent of the revenues of the CDS -- these are budding stars in Japan.

On the left is Hwan (ph), then Hanoi (ph), then Riyan (ph) is the little girl look with the bunny ears -- that's a little different. And Akanai (ph) on the right. They're hoping to raise, you know, a couple hundred thousand dollars. They've already got one fund. They've actually recouped some money. Here's some tape.

(MUSIC)

COSTELLO: Oh, they actually sing.

SERWER: Well, of course they do, Carol.

COSTELLO: I thought they did something else.

SERWER: You're so cynical.

COSTELLO: Yes.

SERWER: Bill, did you run into one of these young ladies over there?

HEMMER: No, we did not. SERWER: That looks like Riryan there.

HEMMER: The future's bright there, by the way.

CAFFERTY: We're just looking price-wise $500?

SERWER: 500 bucks will get you a unit in their careers.

COSTELLO: A unit.

SERWER: Yes, well that's what they call it now.

HEMMER: This is Wall Street talk.

CAFFERTY: That's the name of it now.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: You get a unit.

SERWER: Get me a unit. I'd love to get you some, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Yes. Please do. Sales of freshly-cut Christmas trees off 34 percent over the last ten years. Americans trading in the fresh smell of pine for artificial trees that are made in China. This year the National Christmas Tree Association is running a big advertising campaign, trying to lure us back to the real deal, using the phrase, "Nothing says Christmas more than a real tree." In scholarships and essay contests aimed at kids between the ages of 6 and 13.

There is one state, however, that has a Christmas tree deficit. People in Hawaii were camped outside a shopping center in Honolulu all night to buy a real Christmas tree. There's a shortage there and prices of trees hitting as much $200 a pop.

SERWER: Almost as bad as Manhattan.

CAFFERTY: My favorite story of the morning is this one. Actress Kirstie Alley selling her blubber to Jenny Craig. The former "Cheers" star ballooned up to 203 pounds for her own reality show "Fat Actress," which will debut on Showtime this spring, set your TiVo for that deal.

SERWER: No.

CAFFERTY: She was on the cover of "People" magazine in August, defending her plumper self and the lifestyle that packed on the pounds. Now, she's figured out to turn the blubber into bucks. Alley has signed on as a representative for the Jenny Craig weight loss programs 2005 TV campaign. She says quote, "I had a great time getting fat and now I'm going to have an even better time losing weight" and she'll get paid for...

SERWER: Coming and going as they say, right? CAFFERTY: Hitting the local strip clubs won't be the same in San Antonio, Texas anymore. There is a local ordinance that has changed all the rules. No more nudity, no more lap dances, strippers have to stay three feet away from the customers. It's hardly worth even going anymore.

Strippers have to have permits and the permits have to be displayed on the stripper's person while said stripping is taking place. Now, obviously, the locations are limited for this. The permits are the size of a credit card and they may be displayed on bracelets, ankles, or G-strings. Cops said the permits will quickly allow them to identify strippers who are breaking the local nudity ordinances, as opposed to just looking at them and seeing if they're naked or not.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Which would be another way you could do that.

HEMMER: That was worth the wait. Nice "File" there. By the way, we've gone two hours, Mr. Football, without mentioning the fact that the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots last night.

SERWER: What can I say?

HEMMER: The second time in 29 years.

COSTELLO: They changed back to beat them, too.

SERWER: I know, well...

HEMMER: Did you pick that, by the way?

SERWER: Well, no, I did not.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: I got that one.

SERWER: Well, you did because of your contrarian ways.

CAFFERTY: That's right, I have all the underdogs. I won that.

SERWER: Cheers to you.

HEMMER: Well done.

COSTELLO: Yes.

HEMMER: In a moment, top stories, including more on this stolen baby matter. Police say the suspect and victim met online. How can you be safe when you log on? We'll talk to an expert about that when we continue. Top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired December 21, 2004 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 8:30 in New York. Good morning, everybody. Welcome back. Soledad is out today, Carol Costello here to help us out. Good morning to you.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

HEMMER: You having fun?

COSTELLO: I can't tell you how much fun I'm having.

HEMMER: Halfway there.

In a moment here, what investigators are learning from the case of the baby stolen from her mother's womb. We'll have a look in a moment at e-mails that led police to the suspected killer, also an update today on baby's condition, said to be doing OK, by the way, which is really great.

COSTELLO: Oh, you mean the little baby girl. Yes, she is doing OK; she's back with her dad today, so that's good news.

Also on AMERICAN MORNING, is the White House changing its tone on successes in Iraq. Yesterday, President Bush acknowledged insurgents are having an effect on stability. We'll talk about the significance of those comments in our "Political Jab" with Watkins and Finney.

HEMMER: All right, we'll get to that. First, though, the story mentioned a few moments ago, Carol, out of Mosul and northern Iraq, U.S. military officials recognizing that an explosion has taken place at a U.S. military base. We don't know what the result of the explosion has been, or what caused it. But we are told there are multiple casualties. When we get more out of Mosul, we'll pass it along to you.

Back now with the birthday girl, Kelly Wallace, with the rest of the news here.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm getting e-mails from people who are going, shhh, happy birthday, this just in. Thank you so much.

Good morning again, everyone.

Now in the news, the first day of winter officially today, and the East coast already feeling the effects with early blast of frigid temperatures. In the Midwest, as much as two feet of snow blanketed parts of central Indiana. The National Weather Service says another strong storm brewing. Chad Myers has more on what is in store. That's coming up here on AMERICAN MORNING, just about 10 minutes from now. U.S. airports may soon get thousands of new air traffic controllers.

According to "The Wall Street Journal," the Federal Aviation Administration is planning to hire 12,000 workers over the next decade. It is part of a plan to counter a wave of expected retirements. The FAA is expected to announce the plan today.

And an expanding sinkhole causing more problems for people in Deltona, Florida. We told you about this yesterday. Now, city inspectors are condemning two homes near that sinkhole, some 25,000 motorists being forced to take a seven-mile detour around the hole, which now measures 220 feet by 175 feet. But there is some good news there. Officials say it is not expected to get too much bigger. That is called looking on the bright side.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding.

WALLACE: And stating the obvious maybe, right.

HEMMER: It will swallow the whole town in a moment here.

Thank you, Kelly.

WALLACE: Sure.

HEMMER: Funeral services will be held today for the Missouri woman whose baby was cut from her womb. Twenty-three-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett was killed in her Skidmore, Missouri home on Thursday. Jonathan Freed is following that story in nearby Maryville, Missouri, where the services will take place.

And, Jonathan, hello there.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. That's right. The sun is just coming up here in Maryville, Missouri. We're standing in front of that funeral home where many members of this community and family members and friends are expected to show up later this afternoon for the funeral services for Bobbie Jo Stinnett.

It has been a multiday emotional trial for this family, but late yesterday, finally at least, a bit of good news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (voice-over): Bobbie Jo Stinnett did not live to see her child born. But Monday evening, relief for her family, when Victoria Jo Stinnett was released from a Kansas hospital, a month premature and four days old.

Earlier on Monday, Lisa Montgomery, who is facing federal charges of kidnapping resulting in death, had an initial court hearing in Kansas City, Kansas. The first time she's been seen in public since her arrest on Friday. At the courthouse, Montgomery's husband told reporters that he did not know anything about his wife's alleged actions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My heart ain't broke just for me and Lisa and her kids, for them, too. That was a precious baby. I know.

FREED: So far, Lisa Montgomery is the only one charged. The U.S. attorney's office prosecuting the case says it's too early to know if anyone else will be accused as well. There are questions why Montgomery's husband accepted her story that she had suddenly given birth last Thursday and ready to be picked up with the baby that day, not at a hospital, but outside a restaurant.

Stinnett was strangled on Thursday, her body mutilated, and her eight month old unborn baby abducted. The 23-year-old was a dog breeder. And investigators allege that Montgomery used an assumed name, "Darlene Fisher," to arrange a meeting with Stinnett through an Internet message board.

One message posted last Wednesday reads, "Please get in touch with me soon, as we are considering the purchase of one of your puppies." Stinnett's posted reply, "I e-mailed you directions so we can meet. Look forward to chatting with you tomorrow."

Stinnett known as kind and caring person in her northeastern town of Skidmore. The country sheriff knows the family and says Stinnett will be remembered...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a nice girl, a nice family, come from a nice family that didn't have enemies, didn't deserve anything like this, and didn't deserve it the week before Christmas.

FREED: Prosecutors explain they're proceeding cautiously about the possibility of seeking the death penalty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED: Now, Bill, there's been some question as to how long Bobbie Jo Stinnett and Lisa Montgomery might have known each other, whether or not their connection was only established recently over the Internet, as we just saw, or whether it went back farther than that. Law enforcement officials here, investigators have photographic proof they believe, and CNN has obtained that, and we can show it to you now, a photo that was taken in November of 2003 in Abilene, Texas at a dog show, which shows both Lisa Montgomery and Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the same photograph at the dog show.

Now the local county sheriff here in Nottingway (ph) County says that he believes that this definitely substantiates they have known each other for a while -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jonathan Freed reporting there. Thanks -- Carol.

COSTELLO: President Bush laid out his agenda for his second term yesterday, everything from immigration reform to Social Security. He also defended embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. How big a job does the president have ahead of him? In our "Political Jab" this morning, Democratic strategist Karen Finney and Republican strategist Joe Watkins.

JOE WATKINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thanks so much. Good to be here.

COSTELLO: Joe, let's start with you this morning.

WATKINS: I get to start first. That's great.

COSTELLO: You get to start first.

You know, yesterday, the president talked about the insurgency in Iraq and said it is having an impact. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No question about it, the bombers are having an effect. These people are targeting innocent Iraqis. They're trying to shake the will of the Iraqi people, and frankly, trying to shake the will of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So is this the administration's way of saying things are not going exactly as planned?

WATKINS: No, this is the administration's way of saying that things are moving along nicely, and that there are going to be some bumps in the road, and absolutely there are going to be. The president is an honest man, and just he's sharing that with the American people. Our soldiers are doing a great job in Iraq, and they're going to win this war.

COSTELLO: Yes, but moving along nicely?

KAREN FINNEY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIC: It's very distressing if you think that's moving along nicely. I think this is an admission by the president that we can't deny what we all know everyday when we open our newspapers and we turn on the television sets. Just this morning, more violence. It's a very fragile situation, and I think it's a partial admission on the part of the president, that frankly, it's his failed policies that have led us to this fragile situation. We know that the elections in January are called into question. We know that everyday there is increasing violence.

WATKINS: They're coming. The beauty is that the elections are coming. They're going to come at the end of January. Iraq's going to have free elections. They're going to have a new constitution, an elected president, and there's going to be democracy in Iraq.

COSTELLO: But how many people will die along the way, until we get to that point? WATKINS: Well, the sad truth of it is that in war, conflicts, people do die, and it's sad. And I know this president and this cabinet grieves for every singling member of the military that losses his or her life and puts his or her life on the line for us for freedom.

COSTELLO: We hear that all the time, and that brings us to the topic of Donald Rumsfeld, the embattled defense secretary, and how many mistakes that he has made in developing a postwar plan.

FINNEY: It's not just that he's made mistakes in developing a postwar plan. Again, this is about an administration that went in willy-nilly, without a real plan to secure the situation in Iraq and win the peace. And now, we're paying for that in human lives, in the toll of our American soldiers who are over there sacrificing.

But again, I'll say that I don't expect the president is going to stop supporting Donald Rumsfeld, because he is the architect of that plan. And if he were to step away from Don Rumsfeld and not show support, then that's an admission of failure.

FINNEY: Do you agree with that, Joe?

WATKINS: Absolutely not. Donald Rumsfeld has done a great job. He did a great in helping to architect the war in Afghanistan, he's doing the same thing in Iraq. And these wars are going to have casualties. There are going to be bumps in the road. It will take some time to win over everybody in Iraq, but we're headed in the right direction, and this war is going to be won.

COSTELLO: But so many people, both Democrats and Republicans, are coming out and criticizing Donald Rumsfeld, some calling for him to step down. How can you say that he's doing a spectacular job?

WATKINS: If the president of the United States were moved to replace their cabinet members whenever a senator or person in the media said they needed to step aside, we'd have bedlam, we'd have chaos. The secretary of defense serves at the pleasure of the president of the United States, who is the commander in chief. As long as he has confidence in Donald Rumsfeld, he stays.

FINNEY: Well, unfortunately, It's not just members of Congress who are voicing their concerns; it's their own troops, it's the generals themselves who have said they don't have the resources that they need. And we've had time and time since this war began, mistake after mistake after mistake.

COSTELLO: So what will happen next. Will Don Rumsfeld stay through the Iraqi elections and then out?

WATKINS: I think Donald Rumsfeld will stay as long as the president will have him stay.

FINNEY: The president can't let him go, because if the president lets him go, then he's admitting that his policies are failing. WATKINS: Absolutely not. Donald Rumsfeld is doing a great job, and I think he stays right through the term as long as he'd like to say, as long as the president wants him to stay.

COSTELLO: Really? We have that on tape.

WATKINS: You have it on tape. You're hearing it right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

COSTELLO: Joe Watkins, Karen Finney, thanks for doing the "Political Jab" thing on AMERICAN MORNING -- Bill.

HEMMER: About 20 minutes now before the hour. Carol, thanks.

After a year of serving in Kuwait and Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Curtis Mattison had just a short break to spend time with his family before going back on Sunday, because his wife and six kids knew dad would not be home for Christmas, they asked Santa to pay a visit early this time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. COL. CURTIS MATTISON, 319 SIGNAL BATTALION COMMANDER: Only 10 percent of the unit will be able to be home for Christmas. That means when I'm going to over 500 people I'm in command that are going to be over there, and that's where I need to be, is I need to be with them. You know, it's kind of part of a brotherhood.

Daddy's working. I know.

It's been about 26 years, I guess more or less my entire adult life have been in the service in some way, shape or form. I get a sense of trying to make the world a better place for my children. We have six kids in our family, so that's something that I consider really worthwhile to do.

You want me to pick him up?

ANNELENA MATTISON, COMMANDER'S WIFE: Come here. I know. You want daddy.

It's hard not to have your spouse there. I have to make all the decisions. I can't discuss it with him, and I just get tired of having to be the one in charge all the time. That's why we're having Christmas early, because it wouldn't be the same if we waited until the 25th. It would just be too weird not to have him here.

Come on Jesus.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Come on Jesus.

A. MATTISON: Be our guest.

It does feel like Christmas. If you plan it, it doesn't really make any difference. You know, the smells are the same. The kids are excited. The 4-year-old is like Santa's coming tomorrow! UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello there!

C. MATTISON: I'm leaving in a couple of days. You recognize the precious moments for what they are. I've already missed already missed a lot of them. I'll never see that first step from the three babies. I'll never hear the first words.

Hear my little girl go ooh over a tea set.

The kids especially are going to be different people by the time I come back, so I really want to kind soak up as much as you can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: By the way of Lieutenant Mattison's six kids, three are triplets. Crowded house. And he's heading back -- Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: If you're looking for a solid investment, try the "Pop Idol Fund." Andy's "Minding Your Business," has that in a moment here.

COSTELLO: The pop idol fund, huh?

Plus, an over-the-counter painkiller gets caught up in a new FDA drug warning. What do you need to know when you take Aleve? Stay with us, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Sanjay is out today. But the FDA warning patients taking the drug Naproxen about increased risk for heart problems. That painkiller is sold under the brand name Aleve. This follows similar warnings about drugs like Vioxx and Celebrex over the past couple of days. Elizabeth Cohen is at the CNN Center to take us through this and more.

And good morning there.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. According to this new study, people who were taking the ingredient that's in Aleve were 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke.

Now two important points to make about this study. First of all, these folks weren't taking Aleve on a casual basis. They were taking it on a regular daily basis for up to three years. That's quite a long time. That's not how everyone uses this drug. Also, all the people on this study were over the age of 70. So two important things to remember.

Let's take a look at some of the details of this study. It was done by the National Institutes of Health. They wanted to see if either Celebrex, which we've all been hearing about lately, or Aleve, would prevent people from getting Alzheimer's. So one group in the study got Celebrex, one group got Aleve, and one group was given placebo. And what they found was very interesting. They found that the group getting Celebrex actually had no problems. They didn't have an increased risk of heart attacks. That contradicts an earlier study, but again, they found this 50 percent increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Now in the study that we're talking about now, plus the one with Celebrex earlier this week, what researchers have done is they have stopped the study. So now, in this study, nobody's taking Aleve and nobody's taking Celebrex because of concerns about cardiovascular health -- Bill.

HEMMER: Will the FDA say pull the drug at some point, or not?

COHEN: You know what, they haven't. They keep saying with both of these drugs that they're studying the data, they're going to keep looking at the data, and Pfizer, which makes Celebrex, has said we're not pulling this off the market at this point, it is on the market; however, they have had to pull their ads off the air.

HEMMER: All right, Elizabeth, thanks. We'll follow that again throughout the day here. Sanjay back next week, by the way, and he reminds us that our "New You Revolution" is right around the corner. Every new year we follow five people as they undergo major health changes.

Here's Sanjay, an update now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Believe it or not, we're just two weeks away from the "New You Revolution." That's coming up at the end of the year. I've had a chance to chat with all five of our opponents, I think you're going find them very interesting and hopefully learn from them as well over the eight weeks. Again, "New You Revolution" begins January 3rd right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, thanks. Looking forward to that in 2005. You can follow our "New You Revolution" participants on cnn.com/health. It'll be there for you online -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Can't wait. Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, which actress is selling her fat -- selling her fat to make a buck. "Cafferty File" is coming up. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, welcome back, everybody.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Investors in Japan taking a cue from "American Idol" by putting money on prospective pop stars. And wait until you see some of the prospects. Andy Serwer's here "Minding Your Business." Good morning. ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you, Jack. I've always got prospects. These are very interesting (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here, though.

Let's a talk a little bit about the markets yesterday. A mixed session on Wall Street. The Dow was up 11 points, I promise you. And I promise you that the Nasdaq was down 7. The Dow was up despite weakness in Pfizer. Jack, I think it will be very interesting with these drug stocks going forward because they've always been safe harbors, really good investments. Pfizer, Merck, down 32 percent. Is this a good time to buy them?

CAFFERTY: I was just thinking that, is it time to get into these things, right?

SERWER: Or has this business changed forever? I mean, a lot of people are asking that question on Wall Street, the whole notion of a blockbuster drug and rolling it out and spending all the money and recouping the profits over several years. A lot of questions on Wall Street.

CAFFERTY: Business model might be in for some alteration here.

SERWER: Indeed. So if you're burned by drug stocks, maybe you want to try investing in the next Britney Spears.

CAFFERTY: Very cool.

SERWER: You can do this in Japan, something called the "Japan Idol" fund. This is a crazy idea. And here they are: you can invest about $500 in a fund that will track the careers of these young ladies. And you get 12 to 15 percent of the revenues of the CDS -- these are budding stars in Japan.

On the left is Hwan (ph), then Hanoi (ph), then Riyan (ph) is the little girl look with the bunny ears -- that's a little different. And Akanai (ph) on the right. They're hoping to raise, you know, a couple hundred thousand dollars. They've already got one fund. They've actually recouped some money. Here's some tape.

(MUSIC)

COSTELLO: Oh, they actually sing.

SERWER: Well, of course they do, Carol.

COSTELLO: I thought they did something else.

SERWER: You're so cynical.

COSTELLO: Yes.

SERWER: Bill, did you run into one of these young ladies over there?

HEMMER: No, we did not. SERWER: That looks like Riryan there.

HEMMER: The future's bright there, by the way.

CAFFERTY: We're just looking price-wise $500?

SERWER: 500 bucks will get you a unit in their careers.

COSTELLO: A unit.

SERWER: Yes, well that's what they call it now.

HEMMER: This is Wall Street talk.

CAFFERTY: That's the name of it now.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: You get a unit.

SERWER: Get me a unit. I'd love to get you some, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Yes. Please do. Sales of freshly-cut Christmas trees off 34 percent over the last ten years. Americans trading in the fresh smell of pine for artificial trees that are made in China. This year the National Christmas Tree Association is running a big advertising campaign, trying to lure us back to the real deal, using the phrase, "Nothing says Christmas more than a real tree." In scholarships and essay contests aimed at kids between the ages of 6 and 13.

There is one state, however, that has a Christmas tree deficit. People in Hawaii were camped outside a shopping center in Honolulu all night to buy a real Christmas tree. There's a shortage there and prices of trees hitting as much $200 a pop.

SERWER: Almost as bad as Manhattan.

CAFFERTY: My favorite story of the morning is this one. Actress Kirstie Alley selling her blubber to Jenny Craig. The former "Cheers" star ballooned up to 203 pounds for her own reality show "Fat Actress," which will debut on Showtime this spring, set your TiVo for that deal.

SERWER: No.

CAFFERTY: She was on the cover of "People" magazine in August, defending her plumper self and the lifestyle that packed on the pounds. Now, she's figured out to turn the blubber into bucks. Alley has signed on as a representative for the Jenny Craig weight loss programs 2005 TV campaign. She says quote, "I had a great time getting fat and now I'm going to have an even better time losing weight" and she'll get paid for...

SERWER: Coming and going as they say, right? CAFFERTY: Hitting the local strip clubs won't be the same in San Antonio, Texas anymore. There is a local ordinance that has changed all the rules. No more nudity, no more lap dances, strippers have to stay three feet away from the customers. It's hardly worth even going anymore.

Strippers have to have permits and the permits have to be displayed on the stripper's person while said stripping is taking place. Now, obviously, the locations are limited for this. The permits are the size of a credit card and they may be displayed on bracelets, ankles, or G-strings. Cops said the permits will quickly allow them to identify strippers who are breaking the local nudity ordinances, as opposed to just looking at them and seeing if they're naked or not.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Which would be another way you could do that.

HEMMER: That was worth the wait. Nice "File" there. By the way, we've gone two hours, Mr. Football, without mentioning the fact that the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots last night.

SERWER: What can I say?

HEMMER: The second time in 29 years.

COSTELLO: They changed back to beat them, too.

SERWER: I know, well...

HEMMER: Did you pick that, by the way?

SERWER: Well, no, I did not.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: I got that one.

SERWER: Well, you did because of your contrarian ways.

CAFFERTY: That's right, I have all the underdogs. I won that.

SERWER: Cheers to you.

HEMMER: Well done.

COSTELLO: Yes.

HEMMER: In a moment, top stories, including more on this stolen baby matter. Police say the suspect and victim met online. How can you be safe when you log on? We'll talk to an expert about that when we continue. Top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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