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American Morning
'What's In It For Me?'; '90-Second Pop'; 'New You Revolution'
Aired January 21, 2005 - 07:32 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: It's the last we'll see of that thing, huh? Based on what Chad's saying, that sun is disappearing.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, yes.
HEMMER: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: It's going to be cold and snowy just ahead.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up, our series continues. It's called "What's In It For Me," controversial issues in front of the president in his second term. Kelly Wallace is looking at the proposed changes in immigration law, what they might mean to illegal workers as well as U.S. citizens.
HEMMER: Also, something new for the "New You Revolution" today. We're not talking so much about better health today. We're talking about better manners, maybe some grooming. Meet Jonathan Karp and find out why he's asking our Sanjay for some help, too. It is unique to say the least. Stay tuned for that.
O'BRIEN: First, though, we'll go -- you know, we've been showing this man's hands. Can we give it away a little bit?
HEMMER: Yes, go ahead.
O'BRIEN: He's a nail biter. Thank you. So, he needs a little help.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, he is. I couldn't help myself.
HEMMER: Just sit on your hands. Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, get straight to the news, shall we?
O'BRIEN: I think that's a good idea.
COLLINS: All right. Good morning, everybody.
The U.S. military is starting to withdraw its troops from the tsunami relief effort. Some aid groups are expressing disappointment in that, saying U.S. helicopters play a crucial role in the recovery. About 15,000 American troops are expected to pull out of the region within 60 days. Indonesia said it wants international soldiers to leave the Aceh province by the end of March.
Police in northeastern Texas are looking this morning for a 19- year-old whose apparent abduction was caught on tape. Surveillance video indicates Megan Holden was taken from a Wal-Mart parking lot. A man appears to chase after her and push her into a vehicle. She was last seen leaving work on Wednesday night. A $10,000 reward has been posted for anyone with information in the case.
In Kansas City, Missouri, federal prosecutors say they're leaning towards seeking the death penalty against Lisa Montgomery. She pleaded not guilty yesterday to one count of kidnapping resulting in death. Prosecutors claim Montgomery strangled a pregnant woman and snatched the baby from her womb, passing it off as her own. Montgomery is set to strand trial next month.
And authorities in southern California are trying to determine the source of a mysterious oil spill there. Officials are now testing hundreds of seabirds in the area. The timing of the leak coincides with heavy rains and mudslides in the region. I hate to see those birds like that.
O'BRIEN: That's true. What a mess.
COLLINS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And it's making everything worse out of the mudslides.
COLLINS: No kidding.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thank you.
HEMMER: And stay tuned, because you're only 15 minutes away...
COLLINS: I can't wait!
HEMMER: ... from the groomer-in-chief.
COLLINS: It's so yummy!
HEMMER: See you, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Thanks. Folks in the northeast are bracing for a huge weekend storm which is headed their way. Ice and snow and rain already pounding upper North Carolina overnight. The Raleigh-Durham area had snowy, icy trouble on Wednesday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Today, the president's second term begins in earnest. And we continue our series today, "What's In It For Me."
This morning, we focus on immigration, and Kelly Wallace back from D.C. and back with us here.
Good morning. KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
As you know, each day, we've been profiling a family or a person, asking them what they expect from the president over the next four years. Today, we introduce you to a man who came to the U.S. illegally. He is now a legal resident working with both illegal and legal immigrants in the United States. And we asked him, when it comes to the presidential agenda, what's in it for him?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice over): In Hempstead, Long Island, Carlos Canales is always on the move. The community organizer spends his days trying to help migrant workers, like these men, who are waiting for construction work. Many are here illegally.
CARLOS CANALES, WORKPLACE PROJECT: They come here because they want to support their families. they want to make the living. They want to make a living. They want to take food to the table.
WALLACE: Canales was once in their shoes. He fled El Salvador's civil war in 1986. Now he's a legal resident in the U.S., working towards citizenship. His hopes for the new Bush administration?
CANALES: Give the immigrant the same opportunity that was given to all of those that came before us to the United States.
WALLACE: President Bush has promised to try and grant temporary worker status to some of the eight million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. But Canales says that doesn't go far enough.
CANALES: You come here as a slave to work with no other right, but just the right just to work, like an animal.
WALLACE: He knows some Americans instead want a crackdown on illegal immigration. In fact, one of the first measures Congress will take up? One Republican lawmaker's push to ban states from providing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: American citizens have the right to know who is in their country.
WALLACE: As well as a right to prevent their tax dollars from going to illegal immigrants, says this California radio host.
KEN CHAMPEAU, RADIO HOST: California has a cost of about $5 billion a year for illegal immigration. That's education, health care and all of the other services that used. People are tired of that.
WALLACE: But Canales says any crackdown on illegal immigration won't stop people from coming to the United States illegally.
CANALES: We don't come in because we want to violate your laws here. We come in. We need to come. It's a matter of necessity.
WALLACE: He says he's not too hopeful about the future, saying he doubts the president, who promised immigration reform during the campaign, will deliver.
CANALES: I don't see the logic. I mean, in politics, everything is a business. If he didn't do it before he was elected, why would he do it now?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: But the president in recent interviews insists he will push for it. Still, Bill, immigration reform, like Social Security reform, tremendous opposition within his own party. So to be successful, he has to win over some Republicans.
HEMMER: On the list of priorities for the next four years, where does this issue stack?
WALLACE: Well, the president is saying it's up there. It's up there with Social Security reform, rewriting the Tax Code. But the sense is Social Security reform is the real domestic priority. So he has said he's going to spend political capital. He's likely to spend it mostly on that issue.
HEMMER: Thanks for your series.
WALLACE: Thank you.
HEMMER: Have a good weekend.
WALLACE: You too.
HEMMER: Thanks, Kelly -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Another look at what the president is saying; this time with Jack, who has got the "Question of the Day."
good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Soledad.
Call it the treatment speech. During the inaugural address, Mr. Bush said the United States will seek the growth of freedom in every nation in the world with the ultimate going of ending tyranny.
Recent democratic successes include Ukraine, successful elections in Afghanistan, of course, Iraqis getting a chance to vote on Sunday. But what about places like Saudi Arabia and China and Russia, Egypt or Pakistan, places where opposition to tyranny is at odds with U.S. security or economic policy?
The question this morning: Is President Bush's goal of expanding freedom realistic?
Doug in Bloomfield writes: "In order to be realistic, President Bush's expansion of freedom should begin on U.S. soil. Freedom from economic dependency on Middle East oil and freedom from health care woes would be a good place to start." Linda in Holland, Vermont: "Read between the lines, Jack. Substitute Bush-ism for freedom and liberty. This is another version of Jackson's manifest destiny, which annihilated native Americans and enslaved the black. Look out world, the cowboys are coming."
David in Florida writes: "Ultimately, the real freedom we should seek is self-determination for all people. And if they choose a regime, government or religion-based oligarchy for themselves that's in opposition to the United States, then so be it."
And finally from Paul in Kentucky: "Realistic? Do you honestly think we're going to challenge Saudi Arabia or Pakistan? We promote democracy when it's in our best interests, not in the best interests of the oppressed. Our blind-eye approach to the Saudis and to Pakistan is like dining with the devil."
O'BRIEN: It's kind of swinging between cynicism and optimism there.
CAFFERTY: It's early.
O'BRIEN: And there are many more. Thank you, Jack. Appreciate it.
Well, the "New You Revolution" tackles kind of an icky habit. We're going to meet a man who has spent his whole life biting the hand that feeds him. His own. Dr. Gupta has a plan to help this nail- biter.
Plus, in this corner is SpongeBob SquarePants. In the other, the religious right. "90-Second Pop" has the first big culture clash of 2005. That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A little Prince to start your morning. It's time for "90-Second Pop" for a Friday with our pop players, Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine.
Good morning to you.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Toure, CNN pop culture correspondent.
Good morning.
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: How are you?
O'BRIEN: I'm very well. Thank you for asking.
Jessica Shaw from "Entertainment Weekly."
Good morning, Jessica. Nice to see you.
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to it. SpongeBob. Is the controversy that SpongeBob is gay, that he might be gay, or that he supports gay rights?
TOURE: I love, love, love this story. Focus on the Family, a Christian conservative group, is attacking SpongeBob SquarePants, because they think he's promoting homosexual values, like he's holding hands with his little friend. SpongeBob SquarePants, people. I mean, I love it how Christians often don't act so Christian around homosexuality, like that's the one thing that, oh, my god, like...
SHAW: Or a cartoon character.
TOURE: Right. It's SpongeBob SquarePants.
BERNARD: It's not a (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: But there's an issue, too, with a Web site, right? I mean, it's not just that he holds -- is it Patrick?
TOURE: No. There's a video that Nile Rodgers (ph)...
O'BRIEN: Right.
TOURE: ... funk producer from before, is making, because he's part of creating...
O'BRIEN: Which has a lot of these little characters for kids.
TOURE: Teaching tolerance to kids, not teaching homosexuality, just tolerance.
BERNARD: And it's basically every cartoon character that would be popular with a 4-year-old right now. There's Bob the Builder, you know, Sesame Street people, all sorts of people
O'BRIEN: Those are my people, by the way.
BERNARD: Right. Soledad's boys.
SHAW: And Big Bird might be getting it on, though. I don't know.
O'BRIEN: Any legs to this thing or no, do you think?
BERNARD: Well, actually, he's even saying that someone has confused two different sites, right?
O'BRIEN: Nile Rodgers (ph) says that...
BERNARD: Nile Rodgers (ph) has...
O'BRIEN: ... actually his site promotes tolerance, and there's another site...
BERNARD: Right, right.
O'BRIEN: ... with a similar name that actually is a gay youth organization. And he thinks there might be some kind of situation confusion.
BERNARD: Exactly.
TOURE: But, look, I mean, ultimately, there's, like, this McCarthyism around homosexuality, and we're going to root it out everywhere, every crevice, even if it's not really there.
BERNARD: This is...
O'BRIEN: And if SpongeBob is gay, then we're going it find out, darn it!
SHAW: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: Let's move on to our next topic, shall we? "Apprentice 3," how does it look?
BERNARD: I don't think it looks that good, I've got to say.
TOURE: Wait, wait, wait. Let me explain to you why they don't like it and the high school graduate does. Because they're college graduates, and my team won!
SHAW: And you know what? That is the gimmick this year. It's book smarts, a/k/a college graduates, Sarah and I, versus street smarts...
TOURE: Street smarts!
SHAW: ... Toure, just a high school degree.
BERNARD: It's a little bit of Toure versus the other (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
TOURE: That's right, that's right.
SHAW: I thought it was just so boring and, like, a decent gimmick. But that show is becoming a parody of itself. I mean, it's kind of all about -- they had one of the winners, one of street smarts kids say, oh, Mr. Trump, you're so generous and wonderful. They were there to, like, promote his kindness and altruism. And then Melania, his soon-to-be wife...
O'BRIEN: Melania.
SHAW: Melania.
O'BRIEN: Come on.
SHAW: Sorry, Mr. Trump, I'm going to be fired now. Exactly. She, like, shows up every episode. I don't know. I think the show...
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: It's the product placement, too. There is -- the whole contest involved promoting a new sandwich for Burger King, and then every commercial was for that sandwich. It's just too much.
O'BRIEN: We've got to do that here on AMERICAN MORNING.
TOURE: How annoying is Danny with his stupid guitar? Like, what a dork.
BERNARD: Yes, I know.
O'BRIEN: He's going to go soon.
TOURE: I was praying for him to get fired.
O'BRIEN: He's gone.
BERNARD: Well, I think...
O'BRIEN: We've got to move on to our next topic, there you see clearly. This show is going to do great. This show is going to do great, because we're still talking about it. Ashlee Simpson. There is a young woman who has started...
BERNARD: Oh, I love this.
O'BRIEN: You do?
BERNARD: No, I mean, the controversy.
TOURE: No, she loves this story.
O'BRIEN: OK, good. This young woman has started a Web site. And what's the name of the Web site?
BERNARD: StopAshleeSimpson.com.
O'BRIEN: It wants her to stop her career.
BERNARD: Yes, she does. Now, the funny thing about this is I thought this must be a Web site produced by sort of like a 40-year-old person who doesn't get teen culture. It's by an 18-year-old girl who lives in Staten Island.
TOURE: Very good. Very good.
BERNARD: I mean, this is Ashlee's people. It's not...
TOURE: Very good.
BERNARD: If she doesn't like Ashlee, that's really saying something.
O'BRIEN: Apparently, her Web site, her anti-Ashlee Web site is really popular. BERNARD: Extremely popular.
TOURE: Yes, she's got 100,000 signatures already, her online petition.
SHAW: And that's not including us.
TOURE: Right.
O'BRIEN: Right, right.
BERNARD: But the thing is, I mean, this is coming on the heels of her Orange Bowl performance where she was booed...
TOURE: Booed.
BERNARD: ... and "Saturday Night Live" where she lip-synched kind of unsuccessfully. But it doesn't matter. I have to say, she is still doing great. Her show on MTV is starting again. And no matter...
O'BRIEN: I'm going to throw out a controversial thought. You don't have to be talented to make it really big in showbiz.
TOURE: That's right.
SHAW: It's true.
BERNARD: And you don't even have to have good publicity. Bad publicity is good publicity.
SHAW: You just have to sleep with SpongeBob, and then you're in.
O'BRIEN: Bringing us back to where we started this morning. Thanks, you guys. Appreciate that.
SHAW: I'm there for you.
O'BRIEN: Is this the time where I should do my Burger King promotion?
BERNARD: Yes, exactly.
TOURE: I think you just did.
O'BRIEN: Very smooth, right? You guys, as always, thank you very much.
Bill -- back to you.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad. In a moment here, the "New You Revolution" means it's time to kick those old habits. Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN KARP, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: It's kind of like, oh, I bite my nails. And then I'll be like, yes, are they this bad? And they're like, oh, no, you win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: It may sound like a joke, but nail-biting can lead to serious health issues. Sanjay has a prescription after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: On this Friday morning, all week long we've been introducing you to our "New You Revolution" participants. Today, we're going to meet our final participant, Jonathan Karp.
O'BRIEN: And Jonathan's habit is one that lots of people have, but not that many people like to talk about. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with a little bit more.
Hey.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey. Good morning, guys.
O'BRIEN: It's not life-threatening or anything.
GUPTA: It's not life-threatening. And Jonathan Karp is here. He says he's been biting his nails. That's what we're talking about. And a lot of people do this. He's been doing it his entire life. He wants to stop now and is hoping that our "New You Revolution" team can help him finally quit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice over): Meet Jonathan Karp.
KARP: Looking to follow up with you.
GUPTA: A typical workday for Jonathan Karp looks a little something like this: a few cold calls...
KARP: This is Jonathan Karp.
GUPTA: ... a quick glance at his lovely bride-to-be, more calls. And for lunch? A quick nibble on his nails.
KARP: It could be up to, like, 40 to 50 percent of the day that my hands would be in my mouth. And I'd go through all 10 fingers and enjoy them, you know.
GUPTA: It sounds like a funny habit. And who doesn't know a nail-biter?
KARP: It's kind of like oh, I bite my nails. And then, I'll be, like, yes, are they this bad? And they're like ooh, no, you win. It sounds like, you know, if that were a competition or if that were in the Olympics, you know, I'd get a gold every time.
GUPTA: Except it's not a competition. It's a serious habit. Jonathan's nail-biting puts him at high risk of infection, and a lifetime of biting could have damaged his nail bed for good. Twenty- eight years later, Jonathan looks back to see this one habit consuming him almost every day since he was a kid.
KARP: The hardest part when is you're consciously saying like I need to quit. And what happens is you start feeling these, like, little prickly spots.
GUPTA: The prickling, the nagging, the biting often happens in secret, in his cubicle, at home when no one's looking, or in traffic on the way home.
KARP: I want to bite it, but I don't want to bite it. I keep putzing (ph) away, right?
GUPTA: And while it seems like a joke, make no mistake. Those nails are getting in the way of his day-to-day life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm always just yelling at him about it.
GUPTA: His "New You" goal: to curb the nail nibbling before his wedding later this year.
KARP: They're nice nails, and at the tip, you know, there's that perfect white. If I see that, it's just like filet mignon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Hey, welcome to the show, Jonathan, the gold medalist of nail-biting. We've got a deal for you.
HEMMER: You have a sense of humor about this.
KARP: Yes.
HEMMER: That was pretty evident in the piece there and how we've gotten to know you. How does this affect your life? Can you say that?
KARP: It's affected my life, I guess, more than ever right now, because I'm on national TV, and people are just really writing in to me and telling me, you know, you can do it. I've been biting. I didn't know, you know, that it was that bad. And I don't know. I've got to stop. I'm getting married June 25, and that's really my motivation right now to stop.
O'BRIEN: Because you want to get rid of a bad habit, because you're sort of ready to, like, move on beyond this. Is that why? I mean, or because you're worried about sort of the medical problems behind nail-biting, getting infection and stuff like that?
KARP: Well, my motivation is for Erica (ph). I want to have, you know, in our wedding photos, I want to have 10 perfect nails. And that's the goal. And I've always tried, you know, ever since I can remember, I've always been biting my nails.
O'BRIEN: She's got you wrapped around her fingers. You go girl. I like that answer. I'm doing it for you.
HEMMER: She wants his fingers to look good, too.
GUPTA: She hasn't complained at all.
O'BRIEN: Good for you.
GUPTA: So it's another reason, above and beyond.
O'BRIEN: Good for you. Can you do it in eight weeks?
GUPTA: Well, we're going to find out. And you mentioned medical and psychological. We're going to address all of that.
To help you break this bad habit, Jonathan, we've consulted a psychologist and an expert in behavioral modification. Here is the "New You" prescription.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARP: If you see me biting, just smack my hand right out of my face. And that can get violent.
GUPTA (voice over): You've tried everything to stop. Hot sauce on your nails. Bribery. Even getting a slap on the hand. It's time for new tactics. First, a psychologist will help you explore your habit. Step one? Self-monitoring.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Save whatever he bites off, even if it's just skin and cuticle.
GUPTA: It may be the key to figuring out when and why you're most prone to biting. Step two: relaxation training, acupuncture, meditation, even hypnosis. Two steps in eight weeks could mean a "New You" and a new set of nails.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And I'll tell you, Jonathan, we've already started some of this stuff with you. Soledad asked if it can be done in eight weeks. We're going to find out. Thanks for joining us.
KARP: I'm ready.
O'BRIEN: Can other people take -- I mean, if you're not a nail- biter, can you take some of the tips about relaxation and feedback and acupuncture and apply them to your new life?
GUPTA: I think so. And that's what one of the goals of the "New You Revolution" talking about all sorts of bad habits. Some of the things we're going to learn from Jonathan I think are going to apply to all sorts of habits.
O'BRIEN: Good luck, Jonathan.
KARP: Thank you very much. HEMMER: We'll talk to you again very soon, OK?
KARP: I can do it.
HEMMER: All right. A reminder to our viewers. Of the weekend, if you want to see more and meet more of our participants, you can meet them again in "House Call." Sanjay is back with that.
GUPTA: At 8:30 Eastern tomorrow and Sunday.
HEMMER: Terrific. And also follow on the Web site at CNN.com/am. We'll have that for you, too.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, guys.
Well, batten the hatches. A monster winter storm is about to slam into a big chunk of the country. We're going to tell you where it's headed up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired January 21, 2005 - 07:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's the last we'll see of that thing, huh? Based on what Chad's saying, that sun is disappearing.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, yes.
HEMMER: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: It's going to be cold and snowy just ahead.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up, our series continues. It's called "What's In It For Me," controversial issues in front of the president in his second term. Kelly Wallace is looking at the proposed changes in immigration law, what they might mean to illegal workers as well as U.S. citizens.
HEMMER: Also, something new for the "New You Revolution" today. We're not talking so much about better health today. We're talking about better manners, maybe some grooming. Meet Jonathan Karp and find out why he's asking our Sanjay for some help, too. It is unique to say the least. Stay tuned for that.
O'BRIEN: First, though, we'll go -- you know, we've been showing this man's hands. Can we give it away a little bit?
HEMMER: Yes, go ahead.
O'BRIEN: He's a nail biter. Thank you. So, he needs a little help.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, he is. I couldn't help myself.
HEMMER: Just sit on your hands. Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, get straight to the news, shall we?
O'BRIEN: I think that's a good idea.
COLLINS: All right. Good morning, everybody.
The U.S. military is starting to withdraw its troops from the tsunami relief effort. Some aid groups are expressing disappointment in that, saying U.S. helicopters play a crucial role in the recovery. About 15,000 American troops are expected to pull out of the region within 60 days. Indonesia said it wants international soldiers to leave the Aceh province by the end of March.
Police in northeastern Texas are looking this morning for a 19- year-old whose apparent abduction was caught on tape. Surveillance video indicates Megan Holden was taken from a Wal-Mart parking lot. A man appears to chase after her and push her into a vehicle. She was last seen leaving work on Wednesday night. A $10,000 reward has been posted for anyone with information in the case.
In Kansas City, Missouri, federal prosecutors say they're leaning towards seeking the death penalty against Lisa Montgomery. She pleaded not guilty yesterday to one count of kidnapping resulting in death. Prosecutors claim Montgomery strangled a pregnant woman and snatched the baby from her womb, passing it off as her own. Montgomery is set to strand trial next month.
And authorities in southern California are trying to determine the source of a mysterious oil spill there. Officials are now testing hundreds of seabirds in the area. The timing of the leak coincides with heavy rains and mudslides in the region. I hate to see those birds like that.
O'BRIEN: That's true. What a mess.
COLLINS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And it's making everything worse out of the mudslides.
COLLINS: No kidding.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thank you.
HEMMER: And stay tuned, because you're only 15 minutes away...
COLLINS: I can't wait!
HEMMER: ... from the groomer-in-chief.
COLLINS: It's so yummy!
HEMMER: See you, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Thanks. Folks in the northeast are bracing for a huge weekend storm which is headed their way. Ice and snow and rain already pounding upper North Carolina overnight. The Raleigh-Durham area had snowy, icy trouble on Wednesday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Today, the president's second term begins in earnest. And we continue our series today, "What's In It For Me."
This morning, we focus on immigration, and Kelly Wallace back from D.C. and back with us here.
Good morning. KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
As you know, each day, we've been profiling a family or a person, asking them what they expect from the president over the next four years. Today, we introduce you to a man who came to the U.S. illegally. He is now a legal resident working with both illegal and legal immigrants in the United States. And we asked him, when it comes to the presidential agenda, what's in it for him?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice over): In Hempstead, Long Island, Carlos Canales is always on the move. The community organizer spends his days trying to help migrant workers, like these men, who are waiting for construction work. Many are here illegally.
CARLOS CANALES, WORKPLACE PROJECT: They come here because they want to support their families. they want to make the living. They want to make a living. They want to take food to the table.
WALLACE: Canales was once in their shoes. He fled El Salvador's civil war in 1986. Now he's a legal resident in the U.S., working towards citizenship. His hopes for the new Bush administration?
CANALES: Give the immigrant the same opportunity that was given to all of those that came before us to the United States.
WALLACE: President Bush has promised to try and grant temporary worker status to some of the eight million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. But Canales says that doesn't go far enough.
CANALES: You come here as a slave to work with no other right, but just the right just to work, like an animal.
WALLACE: He knows some Americans instead want a crackdown on illegal immigration. In fact, one of the first measures Congress will take up? One Republican lawmaker's push to ban states from providing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: American citizens have the right to know who is in their country.
WALLACE: As well as a right to prevent their tax dollars from going to illegal immigrants, says this California radio host.
KEN CHAMPEAU, RADIO HOST: California has a cost of about $5 billion a year for illegal immigration. That's education, health care and all of the other services that used. People are tired of that.
WALLACE: But Canales says any crackdown on illegal immigration won't stop people from coming to the United States illegally.
CANALES: We don't come in because we want to violate your laws here. We come in. We need to come. It's a matter of necessity.
WALLACE: He says he's not too hopeful about the future, saying he doubts the president, who promised immigration reform during the campaign, will deliver.
CANALES: I don't see the logic. I mean, in politics, everything is a business. If he didn't do it before he was elected, why would he do it now?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: But the president in recent interviews insists he will push for it. Still, Bill, immigration reform, like Social Security reform, tremendous opposition within his own party. So to be successful, he has to win over some Republicans.
HEMMER: On the list of priorities for the next four years, where does this issue stack?
WALLACE: Well, the president is saying it's up there. It's up there with Social Security reform, rewriting the Tax Code. But the sense is Social Security reform is the real domestic priority. So he has said he's going to spend political capital. He's likely to spend it mostly on that issue.
HEMMER: Thanks for your series.
WALLACE: Thank you.
HEMMER: Have a good weekend.
WALLACE: You too.
HEMMER: Thanks, Kelly -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Another look at what the president is saying; this time with Jack, who has got the "Question of the Day."
good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Soledad.
Call it the treatment speech. During the inaugural address, Mr. Bush said the United States will seek the growth of freedom in every nation in the world with the ultimate going of ending tyranny.
Recent democratic successes include Ukraine, successful elections in Afghanistan, of course, Iraqis getting a chance to vote on Sunday. But what about places like Saudi Arabia and China and Russia, Egypt or Pakistan, places where opposition to tyranny is at odds with U.S. security or economic policy?
The question this morning: Is President Bush's goal of expanding freedom realistic?
Doug in Bloomfield writes: "In order to be realistic, President Bush's expansion of freedom should begin on U.S. soil. Freedom from economic dependency on Middle East oil and freedom from health care woes would be a good place to start." Linda in Holland, Vermont: "Read between the lines, Jack. Substitute Bush-ism for freedom and liberty. This is another version of Jackson's manifest destiny, which annihilated native Americans and enslaved the black. Look out world, the cowboys are coming."
David in Florida writes: "Ultimately, the real freedom we should seek is self-determination for all people. And if they choose a regime, government or religion-based oligarchy for themselves that's in opposition to the United States, then so be it."
And finally from Paul in Kentucky: "Realistic? Do you honestly think we're going to challenge Saudi Arabia or Pakistan? We promote democracy when it's in our best interests, not in the best interests of the oppressed. Our blind-eye approach to the Saudis and to Pakistan is like dining with the devil."
O'BRIEN: It's kind of swinging between cynicism and optimism there.
CAFFERTY: It's early.
O'BRIEN: And there are many more. Thank you, Jack. Appreciate it.
Well, the "New You Revolution" tackles kind of an icky habit. We're going to meet a man who has spent his whole life biting the hand that feeds him. His own. Dr. Gupta has a plan to help this nail- biter.
Plus, in this corner is SpongeBob SquarePants. In the other, the religious right. "90-Second Pop" has the first big culture clash of 2005. That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A little Prince to start your morning. It's time for "90-Second Pop" for a Friday with our pop players, Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine.
Good morning to you.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Toure, CNN pop culture correspondent.
Good morning.
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: How are you?
O'BRIEN: I'm very well. Thank you for asking.
Jessica Shaw from "Entertainment Weekly."
Good morning, Jessica. Nice to see you.
JESSICA SHAW, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY": Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to it. SpongeBob. Is the controversy that SpongeBob is gay, that he might be gay, or that he supports gay rights?
TOURE: I love, love, love this story. Focus on the Family, a Christian conservative group, is attacking SpongeBob SquarePants, because they think he's promoting homosexual values, like he's holding hands with his little friend. SpongeBob SquarePants, people. I mean, I love it how Christians often don't act so Christian around homosexuality, like that's the one thing that, oh, my god, like...
SHAW: Or a cartoon character.
TOURE: Right. It's SpongeBob SquarePants.
BERNARD: It's not a (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: But there's an issue, too, with a Web site, right? I mean, it's not just that he holds -- is it Patrick?
TOURE: No. There's a video that Nile Rodgers (ph)...
O'BRIEN: Right.
TOURE: ... funk producer from before, is making, because he's part of creating...
O'BRIEN: Which has a lot of these little characters for kids.
TOURE: Teaching tolerance to kids, not teaching homosexuality, just tolerance.
BERNARD: And it's basically every cartoon character that would be popular with a 4-year-old right now. There's Bob the Builder, you know, Sesame Street people, all sorts of people
O'BRIEN: Those are my people, by the way.
BERNARD: Right. Soledad's boys.
SHAW: And Big Bird might be getting it on, though. I don't know.
O'BRIEN: Any legs to this thing or no, do you think?
BERNARD: Well, actually, he's even saying that someone has confused two different sites, right?
O'BRIEN: Nile Rodgers (ph) says that...
BERNARD: Nile Rodgers (ph) has...
O'BRIEN: ... actually his site promotes tolerance, and there's another site...
BERNARD: Right, right.
O'BRIEN: ... with a similar name that actually is a gay youth organization. And he thinks there might be some kind of situation confusion.
BERNARD: Exactly.
TOURE: But, look, I mean, ultimately, there's, like, this McCarthyism around homosexuality, and we're going to root it out everywhere, every crevice, even if it's not really there.
BERNARD: This is...
O'BRIEN: And if SpongeBob is gay, then we're going it find out, darn it!
SHAW: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: Let's move on to our next topic, shall we? "Apprentice 3," how does it look?
BERNARD: I don't think it looks that good, I've got to say.
TOURE: Wait, wait, wait. Let me explain to you why they don't like it and the high school graduate does. Because they're college graduates, and my team won!
SHAW: And you know what? That is the gimmick this year. It's book smarts, a/k/a college graduates, Sarah and I, versus street smarts...
TOURE: Street smarts!
SHAW: ... Toure, just a high school degree.
BERNARD: It's a little bit of Toure versus the other (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
TOURE: That's right, that's right.
SHAW: I thought it was just so boring and, like, a decent gimmick. But that show is becoming a parody of itself. I mean, it's kind of all about -- they had one of the winners, one of street smarts kids say, oh, Mr. Trump, you're so generous and wonderful. They were there to, like, promote his kindness and altruism. And then Melania, his soon-to-be wife...
O'BRIEN: Melania.
SHAW: Melania.
O'BRIEN: Come on.
SHAW: Sorry, Mr. Trump, I'm going to be fired now. Exactly. She, like, shows up every episode. I don't know. I think the show...
(CROSSTALK)
BERNARD: It's the product placement, too. There is -- the whole contest involved promoting a new sandwich for Burger King, and then every commercial was for that sandwich. It's just too much.
O'BRIEN: We've got to do that here on AMERICAN MORNING.
TOURE: How annoying is Danny with his stupid guitar? Like, what a dork.
BERNARD: Yes, I know.
O'BRIEN: He's going to go soon.
TOURE: I was praying for him to get fired.
O'BRIEN: He's gone.
BERNARD: Well, I think...
O'BRIEN: We've got to move on to our next topic, there you see clearly. This show is going to do great. This show is going to do great, because we're still talking about it. Ashlee Simpson. There is a young woman who has started...
BERNARD: Oh, I love this.
O'BRIEN: You do?
BERNARD: No, I mean, the controversy.
TOURE: No, she loves this story.
O'BRIEN: OK, good. This young woman has started a Web site. And what's the name of the Web site?
BERNARD: StopAshleeSimpson.com.
O'BRIEN: It wants her to stop her career.
BERNARD: Yes, she does. Now, the funny thing about this is I thought this must be a Web site produced by sort of like a 40-year-old person who doesn't get teen culture. It's by an 18-year-old girl who lives in Staten Island.
TOURE: Very good. Very good.
BERNARD: I mean, this is Ashlee's people. It's not...
TOURE: Very good.
BERNARD: If she doesn't like Ashlee, that's really saying something.
O'BRIEN: Apparently, her Web site, her anti-Ashlee Web site is really popular. BERNARD: Extremely popular.
TOURE: Yes, she's got 100,000 signatures already, her online petition.
SHAW: And that's not including us.
TOURE: Right.
O'BRIEN: Right, right.
BERNARD: But the thing is, I mean, this is coming on the heels of her Orange Bowl performance where she was booed...
TOURE: Booed.
BERNARD: ... and "Saturday Night Live" where she lip-synched kind of unsuccessfully. But it doesn't matter. I have to say, she is still doing great. Her show on MTV is starting again. And no matter...
O'BRIEN: I'm going to throw out a controversial thought. You don't have to be talented to make it really big in showbiz.
TOURE: That's right.
SHAW: It's true.
BERNARD: And you don't even have to have good publicity. Bad publicity is good publicity.
SHAW: You just have to sleep with SpongeBob, and then you're in.
O'BRIEN: Bringing us back to where we started this morning. Thanks, you guys. Appreciate that.
SHAW: I'm there for you.
O'BRIEN: Is this the time where I should do my Burger King promotion?
BERNARD: Yes, exactly.
TOURE: I think you just did.
O'BRIEN: Very smooth, right? You guys, as always, thank you very much.
Bill -- back to you.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad. In a moment here, the "New You Revolution" means it's time to kick those old habits. Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN KARP, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: It's kind of like, oh, I bite my nails. And then I'll be like, yes, are they this bad? And they're like, oh, no, you win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: It may sound like a joke, but nail-biting can lead to serious health issues. Sanjay has a prescription after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: On this Friday morning, all week long we've been introducing you to our "New You Revolution" participants. Today, we're going to meet our final participant, Jonathan Karp.
O'BRIEN: And Jonathan's habit is one that lots of people have, but not that many people like to talk about. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with a little bit more.
Hey.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey. Good morning, guys.
O'BRIEN: It's not life-threatening or anything.
GUPTA: It's not life-threatening. And Jonathan Karp is here. He says he's been biting his nails. That's what we're talking about. And a lot of people do this. He's been doing it his entire life. He wants to stop now and is hoping that our "New You Revolution" team can help him finally quit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice over): Meet Jonathan Karp.
KARP: Looking to follow up with you.
GUPTA: A typical workday for Jonathan Karp looks a little something like this: a few cold calls...
KARP: This is Jonathan Karp.
GUPTA: ... a quick glance at his lovely bride-to-be, more calls. And for lunch? A quick nibble on his nails.
KARP: It could be up to, like, 40 to 50 percent of the day that my hands would be in my mouth. And I'd go through all 10 fingers and enjoy them, you know.
GUPTA: It sounds like a funny habit. And who doesn't know a nail-biter?
KARP: It's kind of like oh, I bite my nails. And then, I'll be, like, yes, are they this bad? And they're like ooh, no, you win. It sounds like, you know, if that were a competition or if that were in the Olympics, you know, I'd get a gold every time.
GUPTA: Except it's not a competition. It's a serious habit. Jonathan's nail-biting puts him at high risk of infection, and a lifetime of biting could have damaged his nail bed for good. Twenty- eight years later, Jonathan looks back to see this one habit consuming him almost every day since he was a kid.
KARP: The hardest part when is you're consciously saying like I need to quit. And what happens is you start feeling these, like, little prickly spots.
GUPTA: The prickling, the nagging, the biting often happens in secret, in his cubicle, at home when no one's looking, or in traffic on the way home.
KARP: I want to bite it, but I don't want to bite it. I keep putzing (ph) away, right?
GUPTA: And while it seems like a joke, make no mistake. Those nails are getting in the way of his day-to-day life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm always just yelling at him about it.
GUPTA: His "New You" goal: to curb the nail nibbling before his wedding later this year.
KARP: They're nice nails, and at the tip, you know, there's that perfect white. If I see that, it's just like filet mignon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Hey, welcome to the show, Jonathan, the gold medalist of nail-biting. We've got a deal for you.
HEMMER: You have a sense of humor about this.
KARP: Yes.
HEMMER: That was pretty evident in the piece there and how we've gotten to know you. How does this affect your life? Can you say that?
KARP: It's affected my life, I guess, more than ever right now, because I'm on national TV, and people are just really writing in to me and telling me, you know, you can do it. I've been biting. I didn't know, you know, that it was that bad. And I don't know. I've got to stop. I'm getting married June 25, and that's really my motivation right now to stop.
O'BRIEN: Because you want to get rid of a bad habit, because you're sort of ready to, like, move on beyond this. Is that why? I mean, or because you're worried about sort of the medical problems behind nail-biting, getting infection and stuff like that?
KARP: Well, my motivation is for Erica (ph). I want to have, you know, in our wedding photos, I want to have 10 perfect nails. And that's the goal. And I've always tried, you know, ever since I can remember, I've always been biting my nails.
O'BRIEN: She's got you wrapped around her fingers. You go girl. I like that answer. I'm doing it for you.
HEMMER: She wants his fingers to look good, too.
GUPTA: She hasn't complained at all.
O'BRIEN: Good for you.
GUPTA: So it's another reason, above and beyond.
O'BRIEN: Good for you. Can you do it in eight weeks?
GUPTA: Well, we're going to find out. And you mentioned medical and psychological. We're going to address all of that.
To help you break this bad habit, Jonathan, we've consulted a psychologist and an expert in behavioral modification. Here is the "New You" prescription.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARP: If you see me biting, just smack my hand right out of my face. And that can get violent.
GUPTA (voice over): You've tried everything to stop. Hot sauce on your nails. Bribery. Even getting a slap on the hand. It's time for new tactics. First, a psychologist will help you explore your habit. Step one? Self-monitoring.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Save whatever he bites off, even if it's just skin and cuticle.
GUPTA: It may be the key to figuring out when and why you're most prone to biting. Step two: relaxation training, acupuncture, meditation, even hypnosis. Two steps in eight weeks could mean a "New You" and a new set of nails.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And I'll tell you, Jonathan, we've already started some of this stuff with you. Soledad asked if it can be done in eight weeks. We're going to find out. Thanks for joining us.
KARP: I'm ready.
O'BRIEN: Can other people take -- I mean, if you're not a nail- biter, can you take some of the tips about relaxation and feedback and acupuncture and apply them to your new life?
GUPTA: I think so. And that's what one of the goals of the "New You Revolution" talking about all sorts of bad habits. Some of the things we're going to learn from Jonathan I think are going to apply to all sorts of habits.
O'BRIEN: Good luck, Jonathan.
KARP: Thank you very much. HEMMER: We'll talk to you again very soon, OK?
KARP: I can do it.
HEMMER: All right. A reminder to our viewers. Of the weekend, if you want to see more and meet more of our participants, you can meet them again in "House Call." Sanjay is back with that.
GUPTA: At 8:30 Eastern tomorrow and Sunday.
HEMMER: Terrific. And also follow on the Web site at CNN.com/am. We'll have that for you, too.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, guys.
Well, batten the hatches. A monster winter storm is about to slam into a big chunk of the country. We're going to tell you where it's headed up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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