Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
77th Academy Award Nominations; Interview With Senator Barbara Boxer
Aired January 25, 2005 - 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: Also this hour, in a few moments in fact, Senator Barbara Boxer is our guest in a moment, took a lot of heat last week for her line of questioning with Condoleezza Rice, and in return, today she has an hour to set aside to speak before the full Senate continues its debate. We'll talk to her live in a moment down in Washington. Stay tuned for that as well.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: First, though, let's get right to the headlines with Carol Costello.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, a American citizen known to have been kidnapped in Baghdad in November has appeared in a videotaped statement pleading for his life. The man identifies himself as Roy Hallums. In a short statement, with an assault rifle pointed to his head, you can see it there, he asked Arab rulers for help in saving him for what he says will otherwise be, quote, "definite death." It is not clear when this video was recorded, and attempts by CNN to contact Mr. Hallum's family for a response have been unsuccessful at this point. But the U.S. embassy in Baghdad tells CNN they are in contact with his family and believe that he is indeed a hostage.
A top State Department official is traveling to the Middle East to jumpstart the Israeli/Palestinian peace process. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has been meeting with militant groups in Gaza since last week, hoping to secure a cease-fire. A U.S. official is calling the move "encouraging."
In Washington, President Bush is starting a two-day outreach to the African-American community. The president will discuss his second-term agenda with several black leaders at the White House this afternoon. He's scheduled to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus tomorrow.
And federal officials are reportedly questioning four suspected illegal immigrants after their plane was forced to land in San Antonio, Texas. According to the associated press, homeland security officials detained the group in connection with a possible smuggling operation involving Chinese nationals. No word on the plane's origin or exactly where it was heading. So it remains quite the mystery this morning.
HEMMER: That it does. Carol, thanks for that.
Condoleezza Rice faced pointed questions during last week's Senate confirmation hearings; none so aggressive, though, as those from Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer from California.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: I personally believe -- this is my personal view -- that your loyalty to the mission you were given to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: I would hope that we could have this conversation and discuss what happened before and what went on before and what I said without impugning my credibility or my integrity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was last week. This is today. Senator Boxer, my guest live from Capitol Hill.
Good morning to you. Welcome back to you here on "American Morning."
I want to get back to that phrase you used last week, "overwhelmed your respect for the truth." Were you accusing Condoleezza Rice of lying?
BOXER: I think I said it all and I picked my words very carefully and gave Dr. Rice every opportunity to explain the record away.
She said, for example, that Saddam was seeking these aluminum tubes that could only be used for nuclear weapons when she had to know at the time, because everyone knew at the time, there was a huge dispute over that among the intelligence agencies. And that's just one example.
But instead of answering my questions, she turned around and said, you know, essentially, "You're impugning my integrity." And that's, kind of, the oldest debate trick in the book.
And why is this important? It's important because the United States Senate has this role given us to us in the Constitution that we are supposed to advise the president and consent to his nominees. This isn't something that we're looking at because we want to have some fun. This is a very serious constitutionally driven responsibility that we have.
HEMMER: Tell me why nine hours of debate today is necessary.
BOXER: Bill, I think even more time would be necessary.
Do you know -- and I know you know because you're very aware of this, because CNN runs these names -- we've lost more than 1,300 soldiers, more than 10,000 are wounded. We expect that maybe up to a third of those coming home will need mental help getting over the horrors of this war. You, yourself, reported on Americans being kidnapped. We heard just today, I believe in the last 24 hours, another six soldiers are dead.
These issues are important for us. We need to look at this. This is a secretary of state nominee in a time of war. And the White House wants us to go away and not ask any questions. If I were to do that, I wouldn't be worth my weight as a United States senator.
HEMMER: I don't know if many people are out there saying that the issue of Iraq is not to be considered with a heavy hand. It is truly the story of our lives today.
Andy Card, White House chief of staff, says what you're doing and others is just petty politics. I know you may not care what the White House thinks about it, but what about regular Americans and the fact that they may see it the same way?
BOXER: Well, you know, Bill, you do your work because that's what you were sent to do.
If you're asking me what my people think of this, I can tell you that my calls are running four to one in favor of what I'm doing.
But even if they weren't running that way, I would have to do this because I raised my hand like this and I took my oath of office and I swore to uphold the Constitution.
And when you go back and you read what our founders said about the role of the Senate in these nominations, it was very well- considered. They did not want a White House, be it Democratic White House or Republican White House, any political party, to be so dominant that there was no check and balance. And so I'm really just doing my work.
And it's true, some people have said, "You're terrible. You don't deserve to be in the Senate." Others have said I'm a hero for doing this. I'm neither of those things. I am just doing my job.
HEMMER: You will speak for at least an hour today, right? That's what the schedule has laid out.
BOXER: Probably. Although...
HEMMER: What will you say today that you did not say during the hearings of two days last week?
BOXER: Well, you need to listen.
I'm going to tell my colleagues, as I have to, what occurred at that hearing. I'm going to pose the questions I asked and then I'm going to be able to show what her answers were or, in many cases, non- answers were.
HEMMER: Senator, in the short time we have left, if somebody said this is all a way for you to show America your anti-war position to what's happening in Iraq, would they be wrong?
BOXER: Oh, absolutely they would be wrong.
I'm asking Condoleezza Rice questions about her own statements, not about my statements, not about my views. I'm asking her to correct the record on her own statements, and she has not done that.
Now, why is this important? Because this president said in his inaugural address -- and I was there and I know everyone listened in the country to it -- basically said that we're going to go around the world and we're going to bring freedom where there is no freedom. Does this mean that we may be looking at future combat activities? And if we are, we need to get our facts straight and we need to be honest with the American people.
And that's the whole point of all this. You need to take responsibility for your actions in this world and this life. It's an American value to do that.
HEMMER: We are out of time. And certainly we'll be listening today. Nine hours in the Senate.
Barbara Boxer, thanks for your time, there on Capitol Hill.
O'BRIEN: And a reminder, we're keeping our eye on this picture from Beverly Hills, California, where the Oscar nominations are set to be announced really any minute. We're expecting it momentarily. Adrian Brody is going to be doing the honors.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: As we mentioned, we've been following the action this morning out of Beverly Hills where they are set just momentarily to announce the 77th Academy Award nominations. Of course, many movies, some of them well known, some less known, are expected to be on the list of the most important categories. This morning, Adrian Brody, who is an Oscar winner himself, is going to make the announcement. Chris Rock is going to be hosting the actual event on Sunday, February 27th.
Let's begin by listening in to some of the announcements.
FRANK PIERSON, AMPAS PRESIDENT: Good morning, I'm Frank Pierson, president of the Academy.
Before we reel the nominees for the 77th annual academy awards, I want to say, on behalf of all of us at the Academy, to the man who was our voice for so many years on the Academy Awards, Johnny Carson, good night, and sleep well.
And now, I'd like to introduce my co-announcer this morning. Please welcome the Oscar-winning actor, Adrian Brody.
(APPLAUSE)
ADRIAN BRODY, ACTOR: Thank you, Frank. (LAUGHTER)
I couldn't resist. Good morning, everyone.
PIERSON: I knew he couldn't resist, but I didn't think he'd dare. The 2004 nominees for best performance by an actress in a supporting role are Cate Blanchett in "The Aviator," Laura Linney in "Kinsey," Virginia Madsen in "Sideways," Sophie Okonedo in "Hotel Rwanda" and Natalie Portman in "Closer" -- Adrian.
BRODY: Thank you.
For best performance by an actor in a supporting role, the nominees are Alan Alda in "The Aviator," Thomas Hayden Church in "Sideways," Jamie Foxx in "Collateral," Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby," and Clive Owen in "Closer."
PIERSON: For best performance by an actress in a leading role, the nominees are, Annette Bening in "Being Julia," Catalina Sandeno Moreno in "Maria Full of Grace," Imelda Staunton in "Vera Drank," Hilary Swank in "Million Dollar Baby," and Kate Winslet in "The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
BRODY: The nominees for best performance by an actor in a leading role are Don Cheadle in "Hotel Rwanda," Johnny Depp in "Finding Neverland," Leonardo Dicaprio in "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby" and Jamie Foxx in "Ray."
PIERSON: In the category, best achievement in directing, Martin Scorsese for "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby," Taylor Hackford for "Ray," Alexander Payne for "Sideways" and Mike Lee for "Vera Drake."
BRODY: For best original screenplay, the nominees are, John Logan, "The Aviator," Charlie Kauffman, Michelle Gondry (ph) and Pierre Desmouth (ph) for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Keir Pearson (ph) for and Terry George (ph) for "Hotel Rwanda." Brad Byrd (ph) for "The Incredibles," and Mike Lee for "Vera Drake."
PIERSON: For adapted screenplay, we have Richard Linkletter, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Kim Cruzan (ph) for "Before Sunset." David McGee for "Finding Neverland," Paul Haggis for "Million Dollar Baby," Jose Rivera for "The Motorcycle Diaries," and Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for "Sideways."
BRODY: For best foreign language film, we have "As It Is in Heaven," Sweden, "The Chorus," France, "Downfall," Germany, "The Sea Inside," Spain, and "Yesterday," South Africa.
PIERSON: For best animated feature film, the nominees are "The Incredibles," Brad Byrd, Shark Tale, Bill Denoshka (ph), and Shrek 2, Andrew Adamson.
BRODY: And finally, I'm pleased to announce the films selected as the best picture nominees for 2004 are "The Aviator," nominees to be determined, "Finding Neverland," Richard N. Gladstein and Nelly Bellflower (ph), producers, "Million Dollar Baby," nominees to be determined, "Ray," nominees to be determined, and "Sideways," Michael London, producer.
PIERSON: February 27th is Oscar Sunday when we'll open those famous envelopes. We'll see you all then. Thank you.
BRODY: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: We've been listening to the nominees. Now named, some shocks, some not.
TOURE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two movies completely shut out, unless I missed something.
O'BRIEN: The last category we just heard.
TOURE: "Passion of the Christ" got nothing, and "Fahrenheit 9/11," nothing at all. They were long-ago movies. They are political movies. Hollywood is not necessarily a political town. "Million Dollar Baby," "Sideways," and "Aviator," that's the story there are in all of the major categories. It's going to be a good, suspenseful Oscar...
HEMMER: Ten of 24 categories this morning -- could either of those films come out in another category that wasn't announced today?
TOURE: You're throwing me curveballs on the air -- thank you Bill Hemmer!
HEMMER: I don't know. I don't know the answer.
O'BRIEN: Anything could happen I think is a fair answer.
Here, let's run through some of these categories since we have a moment. Best actor, Leonardo Dicaprio for "Aviator," Jamie Foxx for "Ray," Don Cheadle for "Hotel Rwanda," Johnny Depp for "Finding Neverland," Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby." Any surprises there?
TOURE: No surprises. I mean, I'm happy Don Cheadle is here, but Johnny Depp, Leonardo, Clint Eastwood, I mean, they all had to be there. Jamie Foxx has to win or they'll be rioting in the streets as we already said, but I mean this seems to be what I expected.
I'm happy to see Kate Winslet for "Eternal Sunshine." I thought they might forget that one, because it was so long ago, but "Eternal Sunshine" has gotten a lot of love today. Best screenplay, so that's looking good.
O'BRIEN: Should we talk about best actress in the few seconds we have? Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby," Imelda Staunton for "Vera Drake," Annette Bening, I believe, for "Being Julia," Kate Winslet, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and a small movie, "Maria Full of Grace," a lead actress there also nominated. Outside of that young woman, any surprises? TOURE: No, I mean, this, again, went pretty much the way I expected it to go. I think Hilary Swank remains the class of the pack, but we'll see what happens. Anything could happen.
O'BRIEN: How about best supporting actor? Great category. Jamie Foxx in "Collateral" by the way, gets two other nominations, Thomas Hayden Church in "Sideways," Great; Morgan Freeman was awesome in "Million Dollar Baby."
TOURE: Clive Owen in "Closer."
HEMMER: He just won a Golden Globe. Alan Alda, "Aviator." So that's a great, great category.
TOURE: And Natalie Portman in "Closer," very excited to see that, because she played great.
O'BRIEN: It's going to be close, I think, for best picture.
TOURE: Yes, it's going to be airtight.
O'BRIEN: Toure, thank you very much.
TOURE: Talk to you next hour.
O'BRIEN: I'm sure we'll be talking about this as we got a little closer to the big old event come February 27th.
Researchers say say they have some scientific proof on whether men or women are better drivers. Right, whatever. "Cafferty File" is just ahead.
HEMMER: Jack already has an answer.
Also, how you cook your fish may help prevent stroke. We're paging the good doctor in a moment, here after this on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: You know that eating fish can be good for you, but it turns out not if it's cooked the wrong way. Results of a surprising new study on that subject right now from CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta at CNN Center.
Hey, Sanjay, isn't it kind of, duh, if it's deep fried, probably not so healthy, right?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, it is kind of duh, but what's sort of interesting here, they looked at this big study and found a very specific problem that might occur with the brain, a stroke; 4,700 people, all over the age of 65, followed for about 12 years. So a pretty good study here.
What they're trying to figure it out what does baked or broiled fish confer some advantages over fried fish when it comes to stroke risk? And what they found specifically, eating broiled or baked fish gave you a 14 percent reduced risk of stroke, again, over 12 years. And specifically, it actually got better if you ate more fish. So if you ate one to four times a week of the broiled or baked kind, you could reduce your risk by 28 percent of a stroke; five times or more per week, 32 percent reduction in stroke. so these are pretty significant numbers, Soledad.
Also, it goes the other way, so if you're eating more fried fish, you lose all of that advantage. You actually have a 37 percent increased risk of stroke, and each additional serving you have per week over years, over in this case, 12 years may increase your risk by 10 additional percent. Really significant numbers. The question a lot of people ask is, well, why is that? Why would eating fried fish increase your risk of stroke?
A couple of reasons, first of all, people who eat fried fish may have other unhealthy lifestyles as well. Typically, the fish that you fry, which is a cod sort of fish, doesn't give you any of the advantages of the Omega 3 fatty acids like some of the other fish. So those are a couple of the reasons why the fried fish so much worse than broiled or baked -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Did they do a correlation of the type of fish that you're actually eating and how that relates to your stroke risk?
GUPTA: Yes, that's Exactly right. There are some fish that are actually considered fattier fish. They're going to have more of the Omega 3 fatty acids. They're going to offer you a more significant advantage. Take a look at the list there. Those are also fish that are not typically fried. You can fry them, but not as typically fried.
Again, the fish that you find in fried fish sandwiches, things like that, typically are going to be more like cod, they're going to have fewer of the Omega 3 fatty acids and offer you significantly less stroke benefits -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Sanjay for us this morning. Sanjay, thanks -- Bill.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad, would you believe it or not, scientific proof now on whether or not men or women make better drivers. It's perfect for Jack in the file right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Five days from an election in Baghdad and "The Daily Show" has the fun of this, as the voters head to the polls there on Sunday. Here's Jon Stewart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE DAILY SHOW")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Voters are getting ready to select from nearly 8,000 candidates, representing 270 political parties. According to the latest poll, things are really heating up. As you can see.
(LAUGHTER)
Jon, if you look there on your graph, as you can see, the Iraqi unity party seems to be sitting pretty with a strong eight tenths of one percent support. But Jon, anything can happen in a week. I thought this was interesting. The Islamic Islamic party now losing ground to the unbelievably Islamic party. Of course, both still beating Sharpton by a comfortable margin.
(END VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE DAILY SHOW")
HEMMER: "The Daily Show" had a crack at that last night.
O'BRIEN: Funny.
HEMMER: Back to Jack now, "The File."
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The "Question of the Day," before we get to "The File," is about whether or not a company can fire employees who smoke. There's a healthcare benefits company out in Michigan -- fired four people who refused to take a test that would indicate whether or not they smoked cigarettes.
Time was here at the good old Turner Broadcasting Company, which owns CNN, that if you worked here, you had to sign a pledge when you came to work saying that you didn't smoke. Not just at work, but anytime. You didn't smoke at home, you didn't on the weekend, you didn't smoke at all. Now, apparently they have changed -- they've relaxed the rule a little, as I'm told to where you cannot at smoke at work, but they don't care what you do at home, as long as what you're smoking is legal.
Now, "The File." A California attorney's fighting to allow topless women -- here's a story that could change the world right here. California attorney fighting to allow topless women in California beaches and parks. Liana Johnsson says the current ban against going topless is the last criminal sanction that treats women differently than men. At some point, she says, men's breasts became liberated and women's breasts didn't.
Johnson also says a recent ruling in the Megan's Law case would make it possible for a woman who went topless and was convicted of indecent exposure to actually find themselves listed as a sex offender. A California park spokesman points out that it's not the park ranger's top priority to go around punishing topless women.
O'BRIEN: Phew. Good to know.
CAFFERTY: From the file of really dumb studies, we got this. Women are worse drivers than men according to some bunch of clowns at a place called the University of Giessen in Germany. They actually spent time and presumably someone's money to determine the following. Women who experienced a lack of exposure to testosterone while in the womb have poorer spatial ability than men. That includes the ability to judge distances, which could explain why some women, when parallel parking, simply go forward till they hit something then backward till they hit something, then forward till they hit something.
HEMMER: You have experience in that?
CAFFERTY: I've actually sat in a restaurant and watched a woman do this in probably a $125,000 Mercedes-Benz. It was quite an exhibition.
A Wisconsin inmate who is doing 123 years in the joint because he's a really bad guy has filed a lawsuit against prison officials for not completing his sex change. Scott Konitzer looked like this when he was booked in 1994. Now he calls himself Donna -- Dawn Conitser and he looks like this.
The Corrections Department has been providing Konitzer with hormone therapy to stimulate female development, but won't allow genital surgery. Konitzer, who's been diagnosed with gender identity disorder, claims the refusal violates the 8th amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Give me a break! The taxpayers, of course, in Wisconsin are being asked to pay for all of this.
HEMMER: Send that to Giessen, Germany. All right, Jack.
O'BRIEN: Good "File" today, thanks.
CAFFERTY: Next week, we're going to read the Turner Broadcasting policy book on whether or not you can come to work wearing shorts.
O'BRIEN: I'd be curious to know about that just in time for summer. Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: So how much does it cost to seek democracy in Iraq? President Bush may be ready to put a massive request on the table. A live report from the White House is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Good morning. The battle over Condoleezza Rice's nomination about to begin at this hour in the Senate, even though most senators say they already know the outcome.
Five days before the elections in Iraq and much more American money is needed. The president expected to ask the Congress for another $80 billion.
And "Million Dollar Baby" turning out to be an Oscar heavyweight in the ring, while the hype just keeps on getting bigger for Jamie Foxx in "Ray."
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 25, 2005 - 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: Also this hour, in a few moments in fact, Senator Barbara Boxer is our guest in a moment, took a lot of heat last week for her line of questioning with Condoleezza Rice, and in return, today she has an hour to set aside to speak before the full Senate continues its debate. We'll talk to her live in a moment down in Washington. Stay tuned for that as well.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: First, though, let's get right to the headlines with Carol Costello.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, a American citizen known to have been kidnapped in Baghdad in November has appeared in a videotaped statement pleading for his life. The man identifies himself as Roy Hallums. In a short statement, with an assault rifle pointed to his head, you can see it there, he asked Arab rulers for help in saving him for what he says will otherwise be, quote, "definite death." It is not clear when this video was recorded, and attempts by CNN to contact Mr. Hallum's family for a response have been unsuccessful at this point. But the U.S. embassy in Baghdad tells CNN they are in contact with his family and believe that he is indeed a hostage.
A top State Department official is traveling to the Middle East to jumpstart the Israeli/Palestinian peace process. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has been meeting with militant groups in Gaza since last week, hoping to secure a cease-fire. A U.S. official is calling the move "encouraging."
In Washington, President Bush is starting a two-day outreach to the African-American community. The president will discuss his second-term agenda with several black leaders at the White House this afternoon. He's scheduled to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus tomorrow.
And federal officials are reportedly questioning four suspected illegal immigrants after their plane was forced to land in San Antonio, Texas. According to the associated press, homeland security officials detained the group in connection with a possible smuggling operation involving Chinese nationals. No word on the plane's origin or exactly where it was heading. So it remains quite the mystery this morning.
HEMMER: That it does. Carol, thanks for that.
Condoleezza Rice faced pointed questions during last week's Senate confirmation hearings; none so aggressive, though, as those from Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer from California.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: I personally believe -- this is my personal view -- that your loyalty to the mission you were given to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: I would hope that we could have this conversation and discuss what happened before and what went on before and what I said without impugning my credibility or my integrity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was last week. This is today. Senator Boxer, my guest live from Capitol Hill.
Good morning to you. Welcome back to you here on "American Morning."
I want to get back to that phrase you used last week, "overwhelmed your respect for the truth." Were you accusing Condoleezza Rice of lying?
BOXER: I think I said it all and I picked my words very carefully and gave Dr. Rice every opportunity to explain the record away.
She said, for example, that Saddam was seeking these aluminum tubes that could only be used for nuclear weapons when she had to know at the time, because everyone knew at the time, there was a huge dispute over that among the intelligence agencies. And that's just one example.
But instead of answering my questions, she turned around and said, you know, essentially, "You're impugning my integrity." And that's, kind of, the oldest debate trick in the book.
And why is this important? It's important because the United States Senate has this role given us to us in the Constitution that we are supposed to advise the president and consent to his nominees. This isn't something that we're looking at because we want to have some fun. This is a very serious constitutionally driven responsibility that we have.
HEMMER: Tell me why nine hours of debate today is necessary.
BOXER: Bill, I think even more time would be necessary.
Do you know -- and I know you know because you're very aware of this, because CNN runs these names -- we've lost more than 1,300 soldiers, more than 10,000 are wounded. We expect that maybe up to a third of those coming home will need mental help getting over the horrors of this war. You, yourself, reported on Americans being kidnapped. We heard just today, I believe in the last 24 hours, another six soldiers are dead.
These issues are important for us. We need to look at this. This is a secretary of state nominee in a time of war. And the White House wants us to go away and not ask any questions. If I were to do that, I wouldn't be worth my weight as a United States senator.
HEMMER: I don't know if many people are out there saying that the issue of Iraq is not to be considered with a heavy hand. It is truly the story of our lives today.
Andy Card, White House chief of staff, says what you're doing and others is just petty politics. I know you may not care what the White House thinks about it, but what about regular Americans and the fact that they may see it the same way?
BOXER: Well, you know, Bill, you do your work because that's what you were sent to do.
If you're asking me what my people think of this, I can tell you that my calls are running four to one in favor of what I'm doing.
But even if they weren't running that way, I would have to do this because I raised my hand like this and I took my oath of office and I swore to uphold the Constitution.
And when you go back and you read what our founders said about the role of the Senate in these nominations, it was very well- considered. They did not want a White House, be it Democratic White House or Republican White House, any political party, to be so dominant that there was no check and balance. And so I'm really just doing my work.
And it's true, some people have said, "You're terrible. You don't deserve to be in the Senate." Others have said I'm a hero for doing this. I'm neither of those things. I am just doing my job.
HEMMER: You will speak for at least an hour today, right? That's what the schedule has laid out.
BOXER: Probably. Although...
HEMMER: What will you say today that you did not say during the hearings of two days last week?
BOXER: Well, you need to listen.
I'm going to tell my colleagues, as I have to, what occurred at that hearing. I'm going to pose the questions I asked and then I'm going to be able to show what her answers were or, in many cases, non- answers were.
HEMMER: Senator, in the short time we have left, if somebody said this is all a way for you to show America your anti-war position to what's happening in Iraq, would they be wrong?
BOXER: Oh, absolutely they would be wrong.
I'm asking Condoleezza Rice questions about her own statements, not about my statements, not about my views. I'm asking her to correct the record on her own statements, and she has not done that.
Now, why is this important? Because this president said in his inaugural address -- and I was there and I know everyone listened in the country to it -- basically said that we're going to go around the world and we're going to bring freedom where there is no freedom. Does this mean that we may be looking at future combat activities? And if we are, we need to get our facts straight and we need to be honest with the American people.
And that's the whole point of all this. You need to take responsibility for your actions in this world and this life. It's an American value to do that.
HEMMER: We are out of time. And certainly we'll be listening today. Nine hours in the Senate.
Barbara Boxer, thanks for your time, there on Capitol Hill.
O'BRIEN: And a reminder, we're keeping our eye on this picture from Beverly Hills, California, where the Oscar nominations are set to be announced really any minute. We're expecting it momentarily. Adrian Brody is going to be doing the honors.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: As we mentioned, we've been following the action this morning out of Beverly Hills where they are set just momentarily to announce the 77th Academy Award nominations. Of course, many movies, some of them well known, some less known, are expected to be on the list of the most important categories. This morning, Adrian Brody, who is an Oscar winner himself, is going to make the announcement. Chris Rock is going to be hosting the actual event on Sunday, February 27th.
Let's begin by listening in to some of the announcements.
FRANK PIERSON, AMPAS PRESIDENT: Good morning, I'm Frank Pierson, president of the Academy.
Before we reel the nominees for the 77th annual academy awards, I want to say, on behalf of all of us at the Academy, to the man who was our voice for so many years on the Academy Awards, Johnny Carson, good night, and sleep well.
And now, I'd like to introduce my co-announcer this morning. Please welcome the Oscar-winning actor, Adrian Brody.
(APPLAUSE)
ADRIAN BRODY, ACTOR: Thank you, Frank. (LAUGHTER)
I couldn't resist. Good morning, everyone.
PIERSON: I knew he couldn't resist, but I didn't think he'd dare. The 2004 nominees for best performance by an actress in a supporting role are Cate Blanchett in "The Aviator," Laura Linney in "Kinsey," Virginia Madsen in "Sideways," Sophie Okonedo in "Hotel Rwanda" and Natalie Portman in "Closer" -- Adrian.
BRODY: Thank you.
For best performance by an actor in a supporting role, the nominees are Alan Alda in "The Aviator," Thomas Hayden Church in "Sideways," Jamie Foxx in "Collateral," Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby," and Clive Owen in "Closer."
PIERSON: For best performance by an actress in a leading role, the nominees are, Annette Bening in "Being Julia," Catalina Sandeno Moreno in "Maria Full of Grace," Imelda Staunton in "Vera Drank," Hilary Swank in "Million Dollar Baby," and Kate Winslet in "The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
BRODY: The nominees for best performance by an actor in a leading role are Don Cheadle in "Hotel Rwanda," Johnny Depp in "Finding Neverland," Leonardo Dicaprio in "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby" and Jamie Foxx in "Ray."
PIERSON: In the category, best achievement in directing, Martin Scorsese for "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby," Taylor Hackford for "Ray," Alexander Payne for "Sideways" and Mike Lee for "Vera Drake."
BRODY: For best original screenplay, the nominees are, John Logan, "The Aviator," Charlie Kauffman, Michelle Gondry (ph) and Pierre Desmouth (ph) for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Keir Pearson (ph) for and Terry George (ph) for "Hotel Rwanda." Brad Byrd (ph) for "The Incredibles," and Mike Lee for "Vera Drake."
PIERSON: For adapted screenplay, we have Richard Linkletter, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Kim Cruzan (ph) for "Before Sunset." David McGee for "Finding Neverland," Paul Haggis for "Million Dollar Baby," Jose Rivera for "The Motorcycle Diaries," and Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for "Sideways."
BRODY: For best foreign language film, we have "As It Is in Heaven," Sweden, "The Chorus," France, "Downfall," Germany, "The Sea Inside," Spain, and "Yesterday," South Africa.
PIERSON: For best animated feature film, the nominees are "The Incredibles," Brad Byrd, Shark Tale, Bill Denoshka (ph), and Shrek 2, Andrew Adamson.
BRODY: And finally, I'm pleased to announce the films selected as the best picture nominees for 2004 are "The Aviator," nominees to be determined, "Finding Neverland," Richard N. Gladstein and Nelly Bellflower (ph), producers, "Million Dollar Baby," nominees to be determined, "Ray," nominees to be determined, and "Sideways," Michael London, producer.
PIERSON: February 27th is Oscar Sunday when we'll open those famous envelopes. We'll see you all then. Thank you.
BRODY: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: We've been listening to the nominees. Now named, some shocks, some not.
TOURE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two movies completely shut out, unless I missed something.
O'BRIEN: The last category we just heard.
TOURE: "Passion of the Christ" got nothing, and "Fahrenheit 9/11," nothing at all. They were long-ago movies. They are political movies. Hollywood is not necessarily a political town. "Million Dollar Baby," "Sideways," and "Aviator," that's the story there are in all of the major categories. It's going to be a good, suspenseful Oscar...
HEMMER: Ten of 24 categories this morning -- could either of those films come out in another category that wasn't announced today?
TOURE: You're throwing me curveballs on the air -- thank you Bill Hemmer!
HEMMER: I don't know. I don't know the answer.
O'BRIEN: Anything could happen I think is a fair answer.
Here, let's run through some of these categories since we have a moment. Best actor, Leonardo Dicaprio for "Aviator," Jamie Foxx for "Ray," Don Cheadle for "Hotel Rwanda," Johnny Depp for "Finding Neverland," Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby." Any surprises there?
TOURE: No surprises. I mean, I'm happy Don Cheadle is here, but Johnny Depp, Leonardo, Clint Eastwood, I mean, they all had to be there. Jamie Foxx has to win or they'll be rioting in the streets as we already said, but I mean this seems to be what I expected.
I'm happy to see Kate Winslet for "Eternal Sunshine." I thought they might forget that one, because it was so long ago, but "Eternal Sunshine" has gotten a lot of love today. Best screenplay, so that's looking good.
O'BRIEN: Should we talk about best actress in the few seconds we have? Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby," Imelda Staunton for "Vera Drake," Annette Bening, I believe, for "Being Julia," Kate Winslet, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and a small movie, "Maria Full of Grace," a lead actress there also nominated. Outside of that young woman, any surprises? TOURE: No, I mean, this, again, went pretty much the way I expected it to go. I think Hilary Swank remains the class of the pack, but we'll see what happens. Anything could happen.
O'BRIEN: How about best supporting actor? Great category. Jamie Foxx in "Collateral" by the way, gets two other nominations, Thomas Hayden Church in "Sideways," Great; Morgan Freeman was awesome in "Million Dollar Baby."
TOURE: Clive Owen in "Closer."
HEMMER: He just won a Golden Globe. Alan Alda, "Aviator." So that's a great, great category.
TOURE: And Natalie Portman in "Closer," very excited to see that, because she played great.
O'BRIEN: It's going to be close, I think, for best picture.
TOURE: Yes, it's going to be airtight.
O'BRIEN: Toure, thank you very much.
TOURE: Talk to you next hour.
O'BRIEN: I'm sure we'll be talking about this as we got a little closer to the big old event come February 27th.
Researchers say say they have some scientific proof on whether men or women are better drivers. Right, whatever. "Cafferty File" is just ahead.
HEMMER: Jack already has an answer.
Also, how you cook your fish may help prevent stroke. We're paging the good doctor in a moment, here after this on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: You know that eating fish can be good for you, but it turns out not if it's cooked the wrong way. Results of a surprising new study on that subject right now from CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta at CNN Center.
Hey, Sanjay, isn't it kind of, duh, if it's deep fried, probably not so healthy, right?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, it is kind of duh, but what's sort of interesting here, they looked at this big study and found a very specific problem that might occur with the brain, a stroke; 4,700 people, all over the age of 65, followed for about 12 years. So a pretty good study here.
What they're trying to figure it out what does baked or broiled fish confer some advantages over fried fish when it comes to stroke risk? And what they found specifically, eating broiled or baked fish gave you a 14 percent reduced risk of stroke, again, over 12 years. And specifically, it actually got better if you ate more fish. So if you ate one to four times a week of the broiled or baked kind, you could reduce your risk by 28 percent of a stroke; five times or more per week, 32 percent reduction in stroke. so these are pretty significant numbers, Soledad.
Also, it goes the other way, so if you're eating more fried fish, you lose all of that advantage. You actually have a 37 percent increased risk of stroke, and each additional serving you have per week over years, over in this case, 12 years may increase your risk by 10 additional percent. Really significant numbers. The question a lot of people ask is, well, why is that? Why would eating fried fish increase your risk of stroke?
A couple of reasons, first of all, people who eat fried fish may have other unhealthy lifestyles as well. Typically, the fish that you fry, which is a cod sort of fish, doesn't give you any of the advantages of the Omega 3 fatty acids like some of the other fish. So those are a couple of the reasons why the fried fish so much worse than broiled or baked -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Did they do a correlation of the type of fish that you're actually eating and how that relates to your stroke risk?
GUPTA: Yes, that's Exactly right. There are some fish that are actually considered fattier fish. They're going to have more of the Omega 3 fatty acids. They're going to offer you a more significant advantage. Take a look at the list there. Those are also fish that are not typically fried. You can fry them, but not as typically fried.
Again, the fish that you find in fried fish sandwiches, things like that, typically are going to be more like cod, they're going to have fewer of the Omega 3 fatty acids and offer you significantly less stroke benefits -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Sanjay for us this morning. Sanjay, thanks -- Bill.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad, would you believe it or not, scientific proof now on whether or not men or women make better drivers. It's perfect for Jack in the file right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Five days from an election in Baghdad and "The Daily Show" has the fun of this, as the voters head to the polls there on Sunday. Here's Jon Stewart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE DAILY SHOW")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Voters are getting ready to select from nearly 8,000 candidates, representing 270 political parties. According to the latest poll, things are really heating up. As you can see.
(LAUGHTER)
Jon, if you look there on your graph, as you can see, the Iraqi unity party seems to be sitting pretty with a strong eight tenths of one percent support. But Jon, anything can happen in a week. I thought this was interesting. The Islamic Islamic party now losing ground to the unbelievably Islamic party. Of course, both still beating Sharpton by a comfortable margin.
(END VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE DAILY SHOW")
HEMMER: "The Daily Show" had a crack at that last night.
O'BRIEN: Funny.
HEMMER: Back to Jack now, "The File."
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The "Question of the Day," before we get to "The File," is about whether or not a company can fire employees who smoke. There's a healthcare benefits company out in Michigan -- fired four people who refused to take a test that would indicate whether or not they smoked cigarettes.
Time was here at the good old Turner Broadcasting Company, which owns CNN, that if you worked here, you had to sign a pledge when you came to work saying that you didn't smoke. Not just at work, but anytime. You didn't smoke at home, you didn't on the weekend, you didn't smoke at all. Now, apparently they have changed -- they've relaxed the rule a little, as I'm told to where you cannot at smoke at work, but they don't care what you do at home, as long as what you're smoking is legal.
Now, "The File." A California attorney's fighting to allow topless women -- here's a story that could change the world right here. California attorney fighting to allow topless women in California beaches and parks. Liana Johnsson says the current ban against going topless is the last criminal sanction that treats women differently than men. At some point, she says, men's breasts became liberated and women's breasts didn't.
Johnson also says a recent ruling in the Megan's Law case would make it possible for a woman who went topless and was convicted of indecent exposure to actually find themselves listed as a sex offender. A California park spokesman points out that it's not the park ranger's top priority to go around punishing topless women.
O'BRIEN: Phew. Good to know.
CAFFERTY: From the file of really dumb studies, we got this. Women are worse drivers than men according to some bunch of clowns at a place called the University of Giessen in Germany. They actually spent time and presumably someone's money to determine the following. Women who experienced a lack of exposure to testosterone while in the womb have poorer spatial ability than men. That includes the ability to judge distances, which could explain why some women, when parallel parking, simply go forward till they hit something then backward till they hit something, then forward till they hit something.
HEMMER: You have experience in that?
CAFFERTY: I've actually sat in a restaurant and watched a woman do this in probably a $125,000 Mercedes-Benz. It was quite an exhibition.
A Wisconsin inmate who is doing 123 years in the joint because he's a really bad guy has filed a lawsuit against prison officials for not completing his sex change. Scott Konitzer looked like this when he was booked in 1994. Now he calls himself Donna -- Dawn Conitser and he looks like this.
The Corrections Department has been providing Konitzer with hormone therapy to stimulate female development, but won't allow genital surgery. Konitzer, who's been diagnosed with gender identity disorder, claims the refusal violates the 8th amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment. Give me a break! The taxpayers, of course, in Wisconsin are being asked to pay for all of this.
HEMMER: Send that to Giessen, Germany. All right, Jack.
O'BRIEN: Good "File" today, thanks.
CAFFERTY: Next week, we're going to read the Turner Broadcasting policy book on whether or not you can come to work wearing shorts.
O'BRIEN: I'd be curious to know about that just in time for summer. Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: So how much does it cost to seek democracy in Iraq? President Bush may be ready to put a massive request on the table. A live report from the White House is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Good morning. The battle over Condoleezza Rice's nomination about to begin at this hour in the Senate, even though most senators say they already know the outcome.
Five days before the elections in Iraq and much more American money is needed. The president expected to ask the Congress for another $80 billion.
And "Million Dollar Baby" turning out to be an Oscar heavyweight in the ring, while the hype just keeps on getting bigger for Jamie Foxx in "Ray."
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
