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American Morning
Government of Iraq Taking Shape This Hour; Has President Chosen Person to Lead Nation's New Intelligence Agency?
Aired February 17, 2005 - 08:00 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news to report. The government of Iraq taking shape this hour. Election results there about to be certified. We're going to take you live to Baghdad.
A big announcement possible in Washington, too. Has the president chosen the person to lead the nation's new intelligence agency?
And could U.S. pressure on Syria create a brand new power base for Hezbollah? We're going to take you on "Terror's Trail" on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is history in Iraq, perhaps this hour. We're expecting a ceremony any moment now certifying the election of January 30. Now the room is empty. We expect it to start filling up this hour. When it does, we'll watch it. They will allocate seats in the new 275-member national assembly, open up a new chapter for the country there. Nic Robertson is watching it in Baghdad and we'll check in with Nic and let you know what we expect to happen this morning.
It is history in the making, so we'll get to it.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.
Also this morning, the fizzling away of the NHL season. Talks seemed to get pretty close this week between the players and the league. But in the end, neither side budged when they were talking about $6 million apart. Stubbornness? This morning we talk with a senior writer from "Sports Illustrated" about that.
HEMMER: All right, back to Jack now.
What's happening this hour -- good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Bill, a judge has ordered some mothers of young children to learn English or else. New York City, the Big Apple, may be getting a new slogan. That's what we need here is another slogan. And an update on Pale Male and Lola, those two famous red-tailed hawks that got booted out of their ritzy address on the Upper East Side. We have breaking news. Isn't that what we say around here?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Breaking news.
O'BRIEN: That is.
CAFFERTY: We have breaking news. But I'm not going to break it for about 40 minutes or something.
O'BRIEN: We've got breaking news, but we're not going to tell you about it.
CAFFERTY: It's only cracked now. It'll be broken in about 40 minutes.
O'BRIEN: How about we get some breaking news out of Iraq this morning?
CAFFERTY: There you go.
O'BRIEN: There we go.
The election results in Iraq are about to be announced and certified.
Nic Robertson in Baghdad for us this morning with this -- good morning to you, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
The results, when they are finally certified here, will tell the political parties exactly how many seats they have in the new national assembly. From what we're being told is that will allow these parties then to really make the final decisions that they're engaged in negotiating on who is going to be prime minister, who is going to be interior minister, who is going to be defense minister, president, all those key jobs in the new government.
What's happening is, is that last weekend when the results were announced, there were a lot of smaller, independent politicians, smaller parties that didn't make the final cut, if you will, that didn't get seats in the national assembly. Their votes, if you will, are being tallied into those of the big parties. So the big parties are going to see their seats go up on the earlier estimations. But the percentages within the new government are very unlikely to change.
The Kurds from the north with about a quarter of the vote, and that Shia Muslim bloc from the south getting, perhaps, we're hearing, even just a little over half of all the seats -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us this morning.
Nic, thank you very much.
Of course, obviously we're going to continue to follow that this morning and bring it to you live when it happens.
Headlines now with Heidi Collins -- good morning to you, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
And good morning to you, everybody once again today.
Now in the news this morning, another day of FDA hearings set to get underway this hour on the safety of some popular painkillers. The Food and Drug Administration is trying to decide whether drugs like Celebrex and Bextra should be sold despite possible health risks. We'll have much more on this coming up in the show.
China says it is sending a top official to North Korea this week to jump start stalled nuclear talks. The announcement comes as U.S. and South Korean negotiators are meeting in Beijing this morning. They're trying to work out a way to persuade North Korea to discuss giving up its nuclear weapons program.
New England Patriots' linebacker Teddy Bruschi is set to undergo more medical tests this morning. Bruschi was admitted to the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston yesterday after complaining of headaches. Some media reports claim Bruschi had stroke like symptoms, including partial paralysis and blurred vision.
And actress Ashley Olsen suing the "National Enquirer" for $40 million. Ashley Olsen, seen here on the left with her twin, Mary Kate, says she was devastated by a picture of her on the tabloid's cover with a headline suggesting she was part of a drug scandal. The actual article had nothing to do with Olsen, but focused on someone she has dated.
O'BRIEN: Shocking for the "National Enquirer" to do that.
COLLINS: I can't believe it.
O'BRIEN: Having a headline that had nothing to do with the actual article?
COLLINS: I can't believe it. Bait and switch.
O'BRIEN: That's appalling. Go, girl, with that $40 million.
Thanks, Heidi.
HEMMER: In Washington now, senior intelligence leaders spent part of Wednesday on Capitol Hill briefing senators on possible terror attacks against the U.S. One of them testifying, the new CIA director, Porter Goss, and delivering a sobering message along the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PORTER GOSS, CIA DIRECTOR: It may be only a matter of time before al Qaeda or another group attempts to use chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. We must focus on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HEMMER: That as CNN has learned that President Bush could name his pick as early as today for the recently created post of national security director. It's the focus of our CNN "Security Watch" today.
Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House there -- good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Oh, good morning, Bill.
As a matter of fact, of course, the president selecting that person perhaps as early as today, making that announcement. It is all a part of the Intelligence Reform Bill that the president signed into law back in December.
Now, this individual would have a huge job. He would report directly to the president, be in charge of managing some 15 intelligence agencies, as well as a $40 billion budget.
Now, by law, the president has six months, or until mid-June, to appoint a new director. And the nominee must be confirmed by the Senate. It's been about two months or so, but the White House got a prodding yesterday when the co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee at a hearing expressed frustration that the vacancy was hurting U.S. ability to further gather and analyze intelligence and assess potential threats to the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV), VICE CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Two months have now passed since the bill signing ceremony and the position of director of national intelligence remains vacant, not even a person nominated. To me, this is unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, of course, Bill, you know this comes at a critical time for the president. You had just mentioned before that the CIA director, Porter Goss, actually testified yesterday that it was simply a matter of time before he believes al Qaeda or other terrorist groups may attack the United States. He also presented what he said was evidence that Iran and North Korea were developing their nuclear programs, as well.
We just happened to see Porter Goss arrive at the White House just moments ago. We can tell you, Bill, to keep all eyes here on the White House this morning. Very likely to get that announcement.
HEMMER: Suzanne, we'll be watching it from here.
Thanks.
Be sure to stay with CNN as we await a possible name for the national intelligence director. And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Rice has already recalled the U.S. ambassador to Syria indefinitely and she says the U.S. has a growing list of problems with Syria. Yesterday, the funeral for a former Lebanese leader turned into a rally against Damascus, with crowds calling for a Syria-free Lebanon and demanding the U.S. do something about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): While Syria denies any involvement in Monday's assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, the Bush administration is turning up the diplomatic heat on Damascus.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Syrian presence and the Syrian involvement in Lebanese affairs has, of course, created a destabilized environment in Lebanon.
O'BRIEN: Syria's had an occupying presence in Lebanon for nearly three decades. Some 13,000 Syrian troops are currently stationed there. The U.S. is demanding Syria abide by a recent U.N. resolution and withdraw its troops from Lebanon. But Syria's grip on Lebanon is only part of the U.S. concern.
CNN Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler has spent his career extensively covering the region.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Syria is under the close scrutiny of the United States because it's viewed as a force to destabilize the peace process and emerging democracy in Iraq.
O'BRIEN: He says the U.S. considers Syria a de facto member of the axis of evil.
SADLER: A country that supports extremist militant violent, anti-Israeli, Palestinian groups based in Damascus; a country that's creating, trying to create weapons of mass destruction.
O'BRIEN: And there's new concern about Syria and Iran, another U.S. adversary, forming an alliance that could threaten the Bush administration's master plan for the Middle East.
SADLER: You have emerging democracy in neighboring Iraq. You have one of the Middle East's most enduring semi-democracies, some would say, here in Lebanon. In Syria, an enduring country of one man, iron fist rule that's endured, lasted for decades. Syria does not fit in that equation in its current form vis-a-vis U.S. plans for this region.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: Syria is still not making its position toward the United States completely clear. Only yesterday on AMERICAN MORNING, the Syrian ambassador told the U.S. his government supports the Iraq elections and wants to improve relations with the United States -- Bill.
HEMMER: Also, Syria's presence in Lebanon takes us on "Terror's Trail" this morning. Hezbollah has been allowed to operate in Lebanon under Syrian influence. And according to the White House, the organization is funded by Syria and Iran.
Saban Center, Ken Pollack, back with us this morning from the Brookings Institution.
And, Ken, good morning to you.
The assassination on Monday, is Hezbollah a suspect at this point?
KEN POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION, SABAN CENTER: At this point I don't think that Hezbollah is. Hezbollah tends to take its orders more from Iran. Syria plays kind of more of the role of off-on switch. They let Hezbollah do their thing when they want to, they tend not to when they don't want them to.
I think there's every reason to suspect that Syria may very well be behind it. They're the most likely culprit.
But Syria has a lot of ways of killing people in Lebanon and they don't need to necessarily go to Hezbollah, which can trigger all kinds of things and, again, gets into this relationship with Iran.
HEMMER: So here's our understanding. Hezbollah, most people in this country think about them and their connection to the U.S. Marine barracks, the bombing in 1983. Yet today, in Lebanese parliament, 12 politicians are associated with Hezbollah.
Are they hiding in plain sight?
POLLACK: Well, this is one of the remarkable things about Lebanese politics is that many Lebanese political parties have military wings, I mean something that would be hard to imagine in American politics or most of the Western world. But it's not uncommon in the Lebanese politics of today.
And Hezbollah went from being nothing but a pure terrorist group to becoming a full-fledged political party inside Lebanon. They have constituencies in the Bekaa Valley. They represent those constituencies. They are actually quite good in terms of their political handling of things. But married up to this political wing is also a military wing, which conducts terrorist attacks inside Israel, outside Israel, inside Lebanon, all around the world.
HEMMER: One story we were talking about, in fact, it broke about this time yesterday, Syria announcing that it's forming this common bond to face common fronts along with Iran.
Could that empower Hezbollah?
POLLACK: Conceivably it could, although I tend to think that what we're seeing from the Iranians and Syrians is what they would consider a defensive move in response to the heated up rhetoric from the United States against both of them. But what we've seen in the past is that the Iranians in particular take rhetoric from the United States very seriously. It's worth remembering that in the mid-1990s, we had the same thing -- a lot of rhetoric from the United States directed at the Iranians. You may remember Newt Gingrich trying very hard to beef up the U.S. covert action program against Iran.
Iran took that very seriously, saw it as a threat. And the response to it was a Hezbollah, in part, masterminded operation at Khobar Towers. They killed 19 Americans and wounded 400 others.
HEMMER: Shift your focus a little bit to Iraq right now.
What do we know about operations there?
POLLACK: Well, in terms of Hezbollah, there is a presence in Iraq. Wherever Iranian intelligence agents, Revolutionary Guards are present, you will typically find Hezbollah. They work in lockstep with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and intelligence. And the Iranians have built a massive intelligence presence inside Iraq. So it's not surprising that Hezbollah is there, too.
But, a very important but, the Iranians have not, as the military likes to put it, our military likes to put it, the Iranians have not gone kinetic. They are lying low in Iraq. In many cases they're actually being very helpful to us, telling some of their allies in Iraq to go ahead and support the elections and participate in them.
So Hezbollah is there, but they are there as a latent presence, as part of this much larger Iranian intelligence presence, which is really there to prevent Iraq from becoming a staging ground for a U.S. invasion against Iran, which is one of the things the Iranians do fear.
HEMMER: There's a lot to consider in all your answers there.
I want to get to one more thing, if I could.
Porter Goss yesterday saying that Iraq is the chief recruiting ground there for al Qaeda.
When you heard this yesterday in committee testimony, what are we to make of this comment?
POLLACK: I think it's entirely unobjectionable. It is the truth. It is what intelligence agencies in the United States and around the world have been saying for at least 12 months, that Iraq has become the new Afghanistan; the battleground, the training ground where al Qaeda is bringing its personnel and other Salafi jihadist groups are bringing their personnel to train them on how to fight these kind of wars.
It's one of the reasons why solving the problems of Iraq is so critical, not just to the problems of Iraq itself, but to the entire Middle East and to our global position.
HEMMER: Ken Pollack, thanks for your time from the Saban Center down there in D.C. POLLACK: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Another check of the weather this morning.
Chad's got the day off, but Rob Marciano is at the CNN Center with the latest forecast for us -- hey, Rob, good morning to you.
What are you looking at?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: We're keeping a close eye on what's happening in Iraq at this hour. A developing story now. Final election results supposed to be announced, but there's been some sort of delay. And we'll continue to follow that out of Iraq in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, on a scale of one to 10, just how much does it hurt? Why one of the most common ailments in America is still among the hardest to treat.
HEMMER: Also, an FDA panel hears about the dangers of popular painkillers. Today, the testimony of a 7-year-old girl allegedly blinded by one drug's side effects. You will meet her in a moment as we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The FDA is taking another look at the safety of popular painkillers. Seven-year-old Sabrina Brierton Johnson is one of those who's going to testify today in Washington. Sabrina is now legally blind from Stephens Johnson Syndrome. She and her family say it was caused by Children's Motrin and they are suing its maker, Johnson & Johnson.
Sabrina and her mom, Joan Brierton Johnson, and their attorney, Browne Greene, are all in Maryland this morning.
Nice to see you guys.
Thank you very much for talking with us.
We certainly appreciate it.
We should mention that Sabrina's got that hat on and has got her head down because, of course, the lights for TV are so bright and I know she's extremely photo sensitive.
So, Sabrina, we sure appreciate you talking to us.
Thank you very much.
Joan, I'm going to start with you.
When Sabrina was just six years old, she came home with a fever. She wasn't feeling well. Walk me through what happened.
JOAN BRIERTON JOHNSON, SUING OVER DAUGHTER'S BLINDNESS: Well, she was ill, as any child when they come home from school with normal childhood illnesses. I paid attention and she had a fever, so she was given Children's Motrin.
O'BRIEN: Were there any other indications of any seriousness of the sickness or was it just she was just sort of a standard 6-year-old with a fever?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Just standard 6-year-old with a fever. There was nothing alarming about...
O'BRIEN: What happened after that?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: The next morning, she woke up with very purple eyes, puffy purple eyes and a very puffy mouth and looking very ill with a very high fever.
O'BRIEN: We mentioned that it turned out, after she was taken to the hospital and she had intervention by doctors, you discovered she had something called Stephens Johnson Syndrome.
Tell me about that disease. What exactly is it? And are you saying that the Motrin caused, this Children's Motrin caused that disease? Is that what you're trying to say?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Yes. Yes. Stephens Johnson Syndrome is an allergic reaction to a drug. Children's Motrin is ibuprofen. It's one of the drugs, a Cox-2 inhibitor, that can cause this reaction.
She -- people burn from the inside out. Their mucous membranes are basically on fire and if they progress to tens, it then covers the entire skin and the skin burns off.
O'BRIEN: Sabrina, I want to ask you a question.
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: It's a hideous disease.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I can tell certainly by your description it is.
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And, Sabrina, I know you must be a little nervous, so you can hold your mom's hand if you want. I saw you holding her hand a little bit earlier. There you go.
Tell me -- you've got to testify today before the FDA, which is a pretty big job for a little girl.
What are you going to tell them?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Yes, honey, go ahead.
O'BRIEN: Can she hear me?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK, go ahead, Sabrina, if you can hear me...
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Go ahead with whatever.
O'BRIEN: ... I just want to know, as I said, you're testifying today before the FDA, which is a pretty big job for a little girl.
What do you want to tell them? What do you want them to know?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Just say what you do, honey.
Go ahead.
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: What?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Just say whatever you want to tell them.
O'BRIEN: You know what? I'm going to go back to your mom -- hey, I hear you. Maybe you need a moment. Tsar. It's a big deal.
You know, in fact, let me ask your attorney something. You also have a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. I assume there's a fair amount of money involved.
What else would you like to get out of this lawsuit?
BROWNE GREENE, ATTORNEY FOR BLINDNESS LAWSUIT: Well, the family is very, very demanding that there be a new warning -- actually, the first warning -- about the potential of this tragedy so that other consumers and the medical profession could know about what could happen here. There's no such warning now on the box and the medical profession has not been alerted to this potential, although there have been many, many cases of this and Johnson & Johnson, the maker of this product, has known about them and have been settling them confidentiality.
O'BRIEN: I want to read a statement to you guys from Johnson & Johnson. This is what they had to say: "As the maker of Children's Motrin, we're deeply concerned about all matters related to our products. We're investigating the situation."
Sabrina, I'm going to ask you another question and you can answer it or if, you know, you don't feel like it, that's OK, too.
I have a daughter. She's just a couple of years younger than you. You can hang onto your mom.
Here's my question for you. What's the last year been like for you? I know you've had 18 surgeries. That's got to be super tough.
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: It's been terrible.
O'BRIEN: It's been terrible?
Can you tell me a little bit more about that? There's got to be a whole bunch of things you can't do anymore, huh?
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: Um-hmm.
O'BRIEN: Like what kinds of things?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Play dates?
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: I can still do play dates, just not very well.
O'BRIEN: Oh, you remind me of my little girl, Sabrina.
Listen, good luck in your testimony today before the FDA.
I know your mom has got a picture of you.
Can you hold that up so we can see? Oh, she's a beautiful little girl. We hope you have a good experience in front of the FDA. Good luck with that.
Thanks to all of you for coming on to talk to us.
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Thank you.
GREENE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: We certainly appreciate it.
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Thank you.
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: Thank you.
GREENE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad, thanks.
Twenty-two minutes now past the hour.
The NHL canceling its entire season. A senior writer from "Sports Illustrated" tells us if the sport can ever recover. But first, name the team that was not one of the original six founding members of the league -- the Detroit Redwings, the Philadelphia Fliers or the Montreal Canadiens.
The answer after a break.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Before the break, we asked you which of the following was not one of the original six founding teams of the NHL -- the Redwings, Fliers or Canadiens. The answer is B, Fliers.
O'BRIEN: Oh, I thought it was (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HEMMER: Well, you know...
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: The NHL founded in 1917. The Fliers joined the league in 1967 when they expanded. Six additional teams joined the league that year. Now you know. No hockey. Jack is so hurt about all of this.
O'BRIEN: No hockey, but we'll be doing hockey trivia to make up for the season...
HEMMER: That we will.
O'BRIEN: ... that is no longer.
HEMMER: Good morning.
CAFFERTY: Hello.
HEMMER: Did you bring your skates?
CAFFERTY: Thanks for setting it up so I could follow that.
The government's taking up its first big obscenity case in 10 years. A district court judge threw out an indictment against a California pornography company, some outfit called Extreme Associates Inc., saying prosecutors over stepped their bounds. The Justice Department wants the indictment reinstated, arguing the ruling undermines obscenity laws.
The new attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, says selling or distributing obscene materials does not fall within first amendment protections. Really?
Here's the question. Are federal laws banning obscenity unconstitutional?
Johnny in Mississippi: "The age old question still stands -- who has the right to dictate what constitutes obscenity? Admittedly, my level of tolerance for obscenity is much higher than many, so why should others dictate what I can or cannot be exposed to?"
Charles in Georgia: "If somebody wants to buy this garbage, then how offensive I or Alberto Gonzales find it is irrelevant."
Jack in Louisiana: "Of course they're unconstitutional. Neither party has ever seen fit to write the obscenity laws so that they are constitutional. Instead, they paint them with a broad brush as not offend people of religion and parents who believe that all pornography should be banned outright."
And John in Pennsylvania: "Many of our Founding Fathers were ale sucking, body free thinkers. If they knew that Alberto Gonzales was about to use their constitution to stop citizens from enjoying themselves in the privacy of their own homes, they'd rise up from the grave, drop their drawers and moon him."
HEMMER: That would be a picture.
O'BRIEN: Yes. The visual on that, it kind of sends you over the edge, doesn't it?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
O'BRIEN: A mysterious new message reportedly from the BTK killer. This time it is a manila envelope containing jewelry. What does it mean? We're going to take a closer look ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired February 17, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news to report. The government of Iraq taking shape this hour. Election results there about to be certified. We're going to take you live to Baghdad.
A big announcement possible in Washington, too. Has the president chosen the person to lead the nation's new intelligence agency?
And could U.S. pressure on Syria create a brand new power base for Hezbollah? We're going to take you on "Terror's Trail" on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is history in Iraq, perhaps this hour. We're expecting a ceremony any moment now certifying the election of January 30. Now the room is empty. We expect it to start filling up this hour. When it does, we'll watch it. They will allocate seats in the new 275-member national assembly, open up a new chapter for the country there. Nic Robertson is watching it in Baghdad and we'll check in with Nic and let you know what we expect to happen this morning.
It is history in the making, so we'll get to it.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.
Also this morning, the fizzling away of the NHL season. Talks seemed to get pretty close this week between the players and the league. But in the end, neither side budged when they were talking about $6 million apart. Stubbornness? This morning we talk with a senior writer from "Sports Illustrated" about that.
HEMMER: All right, back to Jack now.
What's happening this hour -- good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Bill, a judge has ordered some mothers of young children to learn English or else. New York City, the Big Apple, may be getting a new slogan. That's what we need here is another slogan. And an update on Pale Male and Lola, those two famous red-tailed hawks that got booted out of their ritzy address on the Upper East Side. We have breaking news. Isn't that what we say around here?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Breaking news.
O'BRIEN: That is.
CAFFERTY: We have breaking news. But I'm not going to break it for about 40 minutes or something.
O'BRIEN: We've got breaking news, but we're not going to tell you about it.
CAFFERTY: It's only cracked now. It'll be broken in about 40 minutes.
O'BRIEN: How about we get some breaking news out of Iraq this morning?
CAFFERTY: There you go.
O'BRIEN: There we go.
The election results in Iraq are about to be announced and certified.
Nic Robertson in Baghdad for us this morning with this -- good morning to you, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
The results, when they are finally certified here, will tell the political parties exactly how many seats they have in the new national assembly. From what we're being told is that will allow these parties then to really make the final decisions that they're engaged in negotiating on who is going to be prime minister, who is going to be interior minister, who is going to be defense minister, president, all those key jobs in the new government.
What's happening is, is that last weekend when the results were announced, there were a lot of smaller, independent politicians, smaller parties that didn't make the final cut, if you will, that didn't get seats in the national assembly. Their votes, if you will, are being tallied into those of the big parties. So the big parties are going to see their seats go up on the earlier estimations. But the percentages within the new government are very unlikely to change.
The Kurds from the north with about a quarter of the vote, and that Shia Muslim bloc from the south getting, perhaps, we're hearing, even just a little over half of all the seats -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us this morning.
Nic, thank you very much.
Of course, obviously we're going to continue to follow that this morning and bring it to you live when it happens.
Headlines now with Heidi Collins -- good morning to you, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
And good morning to you, everybody once again today.
Now in the news this morning, another day of FDA hearings set to get underway this hour on the safety of some popular painkillers. The Food and Drug Administration is trying to decide whether drugs like Celebrex and Bextra should be sold despite possible health risks. We'll have much more on this coming up in the show.
China says it is sending a top official to North Korea this week to jump start stalled nuclear talks. The announcement comes as U.S. and South Korean negotiators are meeting in Beijing this morning. They're trying to work out a way to persuade North Korea to discuss giving up its nuclear weapons program.
New England Patriots' linebacker Teddy Bruschi is set to undergo more medical tests this morning. Bruschi was admitted to the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston yesterday after complaining of headaches. Some media reports claim Bruschi had stroke like symptoms, including partial paralysis and blurred vision.
And actress Ashley Olsen suing the "National Enquirer" for $40 million. Ashley Olsen, seen here on the left with her twin, Mary Kate, says she was devastated by a picture of her on the tabloid's cover with a headline suggesting she was part of a drug scandal. The actual article had nothing to do with Olsen, but focused on someone she has dated.
O'BRIEN: Shocking for the "National Enquirer" to do that.
COLLINS: I can't believe it.
O'BRIEN: Having a headline that had nothing to do with the actual article?
COLLINS: I can't believe it. Bait and switch.
O'BRIEN: That's appalling. Go, girl, with that $40 million.
Thanks, Heidi.
HEMMER: In Washington now, senior intelligence leaders spent part of Wednesday on Capitol Hill briefing senators on possible terror attacks against the U.S. One of them testifying, the new CIA director, Porter Goss, and delivering a sobering message along the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PORTER GOSS, CIA DIRECTOR: It may be only a matter of time before al Qaeda or another group attempts to use chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. We must focus on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HEMMER: That as CNN has learned that President Bush could name his pick as early as today for the recently created post of national security director. It's the focus of our CNN "Security Watch" today.
Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House there -- good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Oh, good morning, Bill.
As a matter of fact, of course, the president selecting that person perhaps as early as today, making that announcement. It is all a part of the Intelligence Reform Bill that the president signed into law back in December.
Now, this individual would have a huge job. He would report directly to the president, be in charge of managing some 15 intelligence agencies, as well as a $40 billion budget.
Now, by law, the president has six months, or until mid-June, to appoint a new director. And the nominee must be confirmed by the Senate. It's been about two months or so, but the White House got a prodding yesterday when the co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee at a hearing expressed frustration that the vacancy was hurting U.S. ability to further gather and analyze intelligence and assess potential threats to the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV), VICE CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Two months have now passed since the bill signing ceremony and the position of director of national intelligence remains vacant, not even a person nominated. To me, this is unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, of course, Bill, you know this comes at a critical time for the president. You had just mentioned before that the CIA director, Porter Goss, actually testified yesterday that it was simply a matter of time before he believes al Qaeda or other terrorist groups may attack the United States. He also presented what he said was evidence that Iran and North Korea were developing their nuclear programs, as well.
We just happened to see Porter Goss arrive at the White House just moments ago. We can tell you, Bill, to keep all eyes here on the White House this morning. Very likely to get that announcement.
HEMMER: Suzanne, we'll be watching it from here.
Thanks.
Be sure to stay with CNN as we await a possible name for the national intelligence director. And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Rice has already recalled the U.S. ambassador to Syria indefinitely and she says the U.S. has a growing list of problems with Syria. Yesterday, the funeral for a former Lebanese leader turned into a rally against Damascus, with crowds calling for a Syria-free Lebanon and demanding the U.S. do something about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): While Syria denies any involvement in Monday's assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, the Bush administration is turning up the diplomatic heat on Damascus.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Syrian presence and the Syrian involvement in Lebanese affairs has, of course, created a destabilized environment in Lebanon.
O'BRIEN: Syria's had an occupying presence in Lebanon for nearly three decades. Some 13,000 Syrian troops are currently stationed there. The U.S. is demanding Syria abide by a recent U.N. resolution and withdraw its troops from Lebanon. But Syria's grip on Lebanon is only part of the U.S. concern.
CNN Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler has spent his career extensively covering the region.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Syria is under the close scrutiny of the United States because it's viewed as a force to destabilize the peace process and emerging democracy in Iraq.
O'BRIEN: He says the U.S. considers Syria a de facto member of the axis of evil.
SADLER: A country that supports extremist militant violent, anti-Israeli, Palestinian groups based in Damascus; a country that's creating, trying to create weapons of mass destruction.
O'BRIEN: And there's new concern about Syria and Iran, another U.S. adversary, forming an alliance that could threaten the Bush administration's master plan for the Middle East.
SADLER: You have emerging democracy in neighboring Iraq. You have one of the Middle East's most enduring semi-democracies, some would say, here in Lebanon. In Syria, an enduring country of one man, iron fist rule that's endured, lasted for decades. Syria does not fit in that equation in its current form vis-a-vis U.S. plans for this region.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: Syria is still not making its position toward the United States completely clear. Only yesterday on AMERICAN MORNING, the Syrian ambassador told the U.S. his government supports the Iraq elections and wants to improve relations with the United States -- Bill.
HEMMER: Also, Syria's presence in Lebanon takes us on "Terror's Trail" this morning. Hezbollah has been allowed to operate in Lebanon under Syrian influence. And according to the White House, the organization is funded by Syria and Iran.
Saban Center, Ken Pollack, back with us this morning from the Brookings Institution.
And, Ken, good morning to you.
The assassination on Monday, is Hezbollah a suspect at this point?
KEN POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION, SABAN CENTER: At this point I don't think that Hezbollah is. Hezbollah tends to take its orders more from Iran. Syria plays kind of more of the role of off-on switch. They let Hezbollah do their thing when they want to, they tend not to when they don't want them to.
I think there's every reason to suspect that Syria may very well be behind it. They're the most likely culprit.
But Syria has a lot of ways of killing people in Lebanon and they don't need to necessarily go to Hezbollah, which can trigger all kinds of things and, again, gets into this relationship with Iran.
HEMMER: So here's our understanding. Hezbollah, most people in this country think about them and their connection to the U.S. Marine barracks, the bombing in 1983. Yet today, in Lebanese parliament, 12 politicians are associated with Hezbollah.
Are they hiding in plain sight?
POLLACK: Well, this is one of the remarkable things about Lebanese politics is that many Lebanese political parties have military wings, I mean something that would be hard to imagine in American politics or most of the Western world. But it's not uncommon in the Lebanese politics of today.
And Hezbollah went from being nothing but a pure terrorist group to becoming a full-fledged political party inside Lebanon. They have constituencies in the Bekaa Valley. They represent those constituencies. They are actually quite good in terms of their political handling of things. But married up to this political wing is also a military wing, which conducts terrorist attacks inside Israel, outside Israel, inside Lebanon, all around the world.
HEMMER: One story we were talking about, in fact, it broke about this time yesterday, Syria announcing that it's forming this common bond to face common fronts along with Iran.
Could that empower Hezbollah?
POLLACK: Conceivably it could, although I tend to think that what we're seeing from the Iranians and Syrians is what they would consider a defensive move in response to the heated up rhetoric from the United States against both of them. But what we've seen in the past is that the Iranians in particular take rhetoric from the United States very seriously. It's worth remembering that in the mid-1990s, we had the same thing -- a lot of rhetoric from the United States directed at the Iranians. You may remember Newt Gingrich trying very hard to beef up the U.S. covert action program against Iran.
Iran took that very seriously, saw it as a threat. And the response to it was a Hezbollah, in part, masterminded operation at Khobar Towers. They killed 19 Americans and wounded 400 others.
HEMMER: Shift your focus a little bit to Iraq right now.
What do we know about operations there?
POLLACK: Well, in terms of Hezbollah, there is a presence in Iraq. Wherever Iranian intelligence agents, Revolutionary Guards are present, you will typically find Hezbollah. They work in lockstep with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and intelligence. And the Iranians have built a massive intelligence presence inside Iraq. So it's not surprising that Hezbollah is there, too.
But, a very important but, the Iranians have not, as the military likes to put it, our military likes to put it, the Iranians have not gone kinetic. They are lying low in Iraq. In many cases they're actually being very helpful to us, telling some of their allies in Iraq to go ahead and support the elections and participate in them.
So Hezbollah is there, but they are there as a latent presence, as part of this much larger Iranian intelligence presence, which is really there to prevent Iraq from becoming a staging ground for a U.S. invasion against Iran, which is one of the things the Iranians do fear.
HEMMER: There's a lot to consider in all your answers there.
I want to get to one more thing, if I could.
Porter Goss yesterday saying that Iraq is the chief recruiting ground there for al Qaeda.
When you heard this yesterday in committee testimony, what are we to make of this comment?
POLLACK: I think it's entirely unobjectionable. It is the truth. It is what intelligence agencies in the United States and around the world have been saying for at least 12 months, that Iraq has become the new Afghanistan; the battleground, the training ground where al Qaeda is bringing its personnel and other Salafi jihadist groups are bringing their personnel to train them on how to fight these kind of wars.
It's one of the reasons why solving the problems of Iraq is so critical, not just to the problems of Iraq itself, but to the entire Middle East and to our global position.
HEMMER: Ken Pollack, thanks for your time from the Saban Center down there in D.C. POLLACK: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Another check of the weather this morning.
Chad's got the day off, but Rob Marciano is at the CNN Center with the latest forecast for us -- hey, Rob, good morning to you.
What are you looking at?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: We're keeping a close eye on what's happening in Iraq at this hour. A developing story now. Final election results supposed to be announced, but there's been some sort of delay. And we'll continue to follow that out of Iraq in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, on a scale of one to 10, just how much does it hurt? Why one of the most common ailments in America is still among the hardest to treat.
HEMMER: Also, an FDA panel hears about the dangers of popular painkillers. Today, the testimony of a 7-year-old girl allegedly blinded by one drug's side effects. You will meet her in a moment as we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The FDA is taking another look at the safety of popular painkillers. Seven-year-old Sabrina Brierton Johnson is one of those who's going to testify today in Washington. Sabrina is now legally blind from Stephens Johnson Syndrome. She and her family say it was caused by Children's Motrin and they are suing its maker, Johnson & Johnson.
Sabrina and her mom, Joan Brierton Johnson, and their attorney, Browne Greene, are all in Maryland this morning.
Nice to see you guys.
Thank you very much for talking with us.
We certainly appreciate it.
We should mention that Sabrina's got that hat on and has got her head down because, of course, the lights for TV are so bright and I know she's extremely photo sensitive.
So, Sabrina, we sure appreciate you talking to us.
Thank you very much.
Joan, I'm going to start with you.
When Sabrina was just six years old, she came home with a fever. She wasn't feeling well. Walk me through what happened.
JOAN BRIERTON JOHNSON, SUING OVER DAUGHTER'S BLINDNESS: Well, she was ill, as any child when they come home from school with normal childhood illnesses. I paid attention and she had a fever, so she was given Children's Motrin.
O'BRIEN: Were there any other indications of any seriousness of the sickness or was it just she was just sort of a standard 6-year-old with a fever?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Just standard 6-year-old with a fever. There was nothing alarming about...
O'BRIEN: What happened after that?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: The next morning, she woke up with very purple eyes, puffy purple eyes and a very puffy mouth and looking very ill with a very high fever.
O'BRIEN: We mentioned that it turned out, after she was taken to the hospital and she had intervention by doctors, you discovered she had something called Stephens Johnson Syndrome.
Tell me about that disease. What exactly is it? And are you saying that the Motrin caused, this Children's Motrin caused that disease? Is that what you're trying to say?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Yes. Yes. Stephens Johnson Syndrome is an allergic reaction to a drug. Children's Motrin is ibuprofen. It's one of the drugs, a Cox-2 inhibitor, that can cause this reaction.
She -- people burn from the inside out. Their mucous membranes are basically on fire and if they progress to tens, it then covers the entire skin and the skin burns off.
O'BRIEN: Sabrina, I want to ask you a question.
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: It's a hideous disease.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I can tell certainly by your description it is.
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And, Sabrina, I know you must be a little nervous, so you can hold your mom's hand if you want. I saw you holding her hand a little bit earlier. There you go.
Tell me -- you've got to testify today before the FDA, which is a pretty big job for a little girl.
What are you going to tell them?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Yes, honey, go ahead.
O'BRIEN: Can she hear me?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK, go ahead, Sabrina, if you can hear me...
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Go ahead with whatever.
O'BRIEN: ... I just want to know, as I said, you're testifying today before the FDA, which is a pretty big job for a little girl.
What do you want to tell them? What do you want them to know?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Just say what you do, honey.
Go ahead.
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: What?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Just say whatever you want to tell them.
O'BRIEN: You know what? I'm going to go back to your mom -- hey, I hear you. Maybe you need a moment. Tsar. It's a big deal.
You know, in fact, let me ask your attorney something. You also have a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. I assume there's a fair amount of money involved.
What else would you like to get out of this lawsuit?
BROWNE GREENE, ATTORNEY FOR BLINDNESS LAWSUIT: Well, the family is very, very demanding that there be a new warning -- actually, the first warning -- about the potential of this tragedy so that other consumers and the medical profession could know about what could happen here. There's no such warning now on the box and the medical profession has not been alerted to this potential, although there have been many, many cases of this and Johnson & Johnson, the maker of this product, has known about them and have been settling them confidentiality.
O'BRIEN: I want to read a statement to you guys from Johnson & Johnson. This is what they had to say: "As the maker of Children's Motrin, we're deeply concerned about all matters related to our products. We're investigating the situation."
Sabrina, I'm going to ask you another question and you can answer it or if, you know, you don't feel like it, that's OK, too.
I have a daughter. She's just a couple of years younger than you. You can hang onto your mom.
Here's my question for you. What's the last year been like for you? I know you've had 18 surgeries. That's got to be super tough.
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: It's been terrible.
O'BRIEN: It's been terrible?
Can you tell me a little bit more about that? There's got to be a whole bunch of things you can't do anymore, huh?
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: Um-hmm.
O'BRIEN: Like what kinds of things?
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Play dates?
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: I can still do play dates, just not very well.
O'BRIEN: Oh, you remind me of my little girl, Sabrina.
Listen, good luck in your testimony today before the FDA.
I know your mom has got a picture of you.
Can you hold that up so we can see? Oh, she's a beautiful little girl. We hope you have a good experience in front of the FDA. Good luck with that.
Thanks to all of you for coming on to talk to us.
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Thank you.
GREENE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: We certainly appreciate it.
J. BRIERTON JOHNSON: Thank you.
SABRINA BRIERTON JOHNSON: Thank you.
GREENE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad, thanks.
Twenty-two minutes now past the hour.
The NHL canceling its entire season. A senior writer from "Sports Illustrated" tells us if the sport can ever recover. But first, name the team that was not one of the original six founding members of the league -- the Detroit Redwings, the Philadelphia Fliers or the Montreal Canadiens.
The answer after a break.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Before the break, we asked you which of the following was not one of the original six founding teams of the NHL -- the Redwings, Fliers or Canadiens. The answer is B, Fliers.
O'BRIEN: Oh, I thought it was (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HEMMER: Well, you know...
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: The NHL founded in 1917. The Fliers joined the league in 1967 when they expanded. Six additional teams joined the league that year. Now you know. No hockey. Jack is so hurt about all of this.
O'BRIEN: No hockey, but we'll be doing hockey trivia to make up for the season...
HEMMER: That we will.
O'BRIEN: ... that is no longer.
HEMMER: Good morning.
CAFFERTY: Hello.
HEMMER: Did you bring your skates?
CAFFERTY: Thanks for setting it up so I could follow that.
The government's taking up its first big obscenity case in 10 years. A district court judge threw out an indictment against a California pornography company, some outfit called Extreme Associates Inc., saying prosecutors over stepped their bounds. The Justice Department wants the indictment reinstated, arguing the ruling undermines obscenity laws.
The new attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, says selling or distributing obscene materials does not fall within first amendment protections. Really?
Here's the question. Are federal laws banning obscenity unconstitutional?
Johnny in Mississippi: "The age old question still stands -- who has the right to dictate what constitutes obscenity? Admittedly, my level of tolerance for obscenity is much higher than many, so why should others dictate what I can or cannot be exposed to?"
Charles in Georgia: "If somebody wants to buy this garbage, then how offensive I or Alberto Gonzales find it is irrelevant."
Jack in Louisiana: "Of course they're unconstitutional. Neither party has ever seen fit to write the obscenity laws so that they are constitutional. Instead, they paint them with a broad brush as not offend people of religion and parents who believe that all pornography should be banned outright."
And John in Pennsylvania: "Many of our Founding Fathers were ale sucking, body free thinkers. If they knew that Alberto Gonzales was about to use their constitution to stop citizens from enjoying themselves in the privacy of their own homes, they'd rise up from the grave, drop their drawers and moon him."
HEMMER: That would be a picture.
O'BRIEN: Yes. The visual on that, it kind of sends you over the edge, doesn't it?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
O'BRIEN: A mysterious new message reportedly from the BTK killer. This time it is a manila envelope containing jewelry. What does it mean? We're going to take a closer look ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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