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American Morning
Model Behavior; Personal Look at What's Going on Behind Immigration Debate; Fit Nation
Aired March 31, 2006 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Every one of those people walking to work right now is thinking, how am I going to get out of it? What is my excuse to the boss?
Tornadoes touching down across the Midwest. Severe storms leaving a path of destruction. A much different story there.
Homes in peril in California. A hillside at the breaking point right now as residents there prepare for the fall, so to speak.
A bank robber downsizes, which leaves a bank employee locked inside an ATM.
And the Fit Nation Tour hits the heartland as people prove that weight loss can be all about fun and games.
Wouldn't that be nice, if it was all fun and games?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I know. Oh, yes. But also, you have to be on top of it. We're going to talk about that a little bit later this morning.
And all those stories are ahead.
First, though, let's get right back to Carol. She's in the newsroom with an update on our top stories.
Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, talk about taking the fun out of the game, the latest investigation into the baseball steroids scandal could go into extra innings. Slugger Barry Bonds and BALCO in the crosshairs. But baseball commissioner Bud Selig says he's giving investigators the authority to expand the probe, if necessary. The investigation being headed up by former Senate majority leader George Mitchell.
A major toy recall to tell you about. Nearly four million Magnetic Building Sets being taken off the shelves. The problem, the magnets that hold the pieces together can fall out. The government says a child died after swallowing one. The boy's family now suing.
Sago Mine survivor Randy McCloy is enjoying his first full day back at home. He spent last night with his family. His wife Anna made him some lasagna. McCloy was in a coma for weeks, as you know. He lost 35 pounds. The minutemen are heading back out, and they say this could be their biggest operation yet. The group was planning to patrol the Altar Valley in Arizona for illegal immigrant crossings. That area is considered the most heavily trafficked corridor in the United -- into the United States.
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has lashed out. Now she'll speak out. She is set to hold a news conference about her run-in with Capitol Hill police. She allegedly struck an officer with her cell phone when he tried to stop her at a House office building. Still no word if that officer will press charges, but he is threatening that.
And gay rights groups in the Bahamas are battling a movie ban. Local officials prohibiting theaters from showing the cowboy love story "Brokeback Mountain." That's after a Christian group complained. Local gays say that instead of the ban, the film should be given an adults-only rating.
It sounds like a compromise to me, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: I guess. I guess.
I haven't seen it. Have you seen it?
COSTELLO: No, I haven't. I don't know why. I just haven't. Maybe it's because of all the controversy. But it's playing at my little local theater in my town. So maybe I'll go.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, why don't you go see it. And let us know what you think.
An assault charge for supermodel Naomi Campbell. She says it's just a case of extortion by a disgruntled housekeeper.
We get the story from Joe Torres of our affiliate WABC here in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE TORRES, REPORTER, WABC (voice over): A model's smile and a poncho to hide handcuffs for Naomi Campbell's perp walk. The supermodel is charged with assault after she allegedly threw a cell phone at a housekeeper.
Police arrested Campbell at her Park Avenue penthouse after the victim received four stitches to her head at Lenox Hill Hospital. No comment from Campbell's employees as they lived the building.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No comment, please.
TORRES: Police say Campbell accused the 41-year-old housekeeper of stealing a pair of jeans she noticed were missing after returning from a trip.
DAVID BREITBART, CAMPBELL'S ATTORNEY: She found things that were missing and this particular individual was going to be separated. And as a result of which, I guess we have all seen the tactic known as the best defense is a good offense.
TORRES: This report (ph) isn't the first legal strap for the British-born model. In 2003, she was sued by a former assistant who also claimed Campbell threw a phone at her. In 1998, she was ordered to complete anger management treatment after she pleaded guilty to beating an assistant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She better get a handle on her problem.
TORRES: Campbell is charged with second-degree assault, a development that the British press says will be front-page news in the U.K.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love Naomi Campbell. She's one of our biggest British supermodels. And she's got the most spectacular behavior record as well. So we love a bit of bad behavior and we love Naomi. So this is going to be big.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: That report came from Joe Torres of our affiliate WABC here in New York.
Prosecutors asked the judge to set bail at $3,500, pocket change for Naomi. Her attorney called all this an insult. Her next court appearance is scheduled for late June.
We'll be there. Don't worry.
S. O'BRIEN: And you heard that woman say, oh, it's going to be big because everybody loves Naomi Campbell here.
M. O'BRIEN: Big.
S. O'BRIEN: Big here, of course. Front page.
M. O'BRIEN: The tabs loving it. "Fashion Bashin'". "Crazed."
And she -- you know, I've got to tell you, the poncho...
S. O'BRIEN: "Fashion Bashin'" is pretty clever.
M. O'BRIEN: ... the poncho...
S. O'BRIEN: The fur poncho to hide the handcuffs.
M. O'BRIEN: That is clever, isn't it?
S. O'BRIEN: I've got to remember that one.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Just in case.
S. O'BRIEN: Just in case.
M. O'BRIEN: Always have it handy, right?
S. O'BRIEN: You know, you look good, no one sees the handcuffs. It's such a -- such a bad photo.
Mallika Kapur is covering this story for us out of London this morning.
She's big in London. What are the headlines where you are, Mallika?
MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're right, she certainly is big in London because, of course, this is a city where she was born, where she grew up, where she was discovered as a model in Covent Garden, which is just a couple of blocks from where we are right now.
And yes, the story is playing out in all the newspapers this morning between pages three and five in some of the main newspapers, and it's on the cover of some tabloids like this one. As you can see here, the headline saying, "Naomi Nicked."
And I think it is fair to say that the tabloids here, the newspapers here do have a healthy -- some would say rather unhealthy obsession with Naomi Campbell, who they consider one of their girls. And so the British public, you know, the reaction here today very much is, Naomi, not again. Because remember, we have gone down this road before with Naomi Campbell. This isn't the first time she's had a brush with the law.
Back in 2000, she was accused of hitting her assistant with another mobile phone. She was cleared of those charges. But then four years after that, in 2004, she sued another tabloid for invading her privacy.
So people are used to Naomi Campbell being in the headlines for the wrong reasons. And as for the British tabloids, they are always looking to see whether Naomi has been behaving badly. And, you know, truth be told, more often than not she doesn't disappoint.
S. O'BRIEN: And that makes for really good front-page story for those tabloids.
Mallika Kapur for us in London this morning.
Mallika, thanks.
M. O'BRIEN: And let's check the forecast. Chad Myers is crestfallen that poor Naomi is in trouble again.
(LAUGHTER)
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's not so hard. Put your suit on backwards.
M. O'BRIEN: Very nicely done. All right. Chad Myers...
MYERS: Good morning -- perp walk.
(WEATHER REPORT) MYERS: Back to you guys.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thanks.
M. O'BRIEN: Do they still make HoHos?
MYERS: They still make HoHos.
S. O'BRIEN: They do.
MYERS: And Little Debbies.
S. O'BRIEN: And they're delicious.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh. You're still doing the HoHo thing, huh?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Good, and good for you.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we've got a more personal take on a story we've been talking about now for a while, the nation's immigration battle. An undocumented worker and his boss talk about the issue that's dividing our country.
M. O'BRIEN: Also, more on the release of American journalist Jill Carroll. We'll talk to her editor at the "Christian Science Monitor." We'll try to find out what led to her freedom.
S. O'BRIEN: Then later this morning, the big question surrounding the woman accused of murdering her preacher husband. Why did she do it?
A closer look ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at some stories making news "In America" this morning.
A Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling could mean that some married gay couples are not. The court upheld a law that bars out-of-state couples from taking advantage of Massachusetts marriage laws. In essence, the court is saying, if a marriage isn't legal in your home state, then it is not legal in Massachusetts either.
In suburban Detroit, police helping a woman who was bound with Duct tape and locked inside an ATM machine by a robber. She had been servicing the ATM machine when she says a man with a handgun shoved her inside. Customers later heard muffled cries and called for police. M. O'BRIEN: A potential disaster in Sausalito, California. Heavy rains have weakened that hillside, and soon it could come crashing down in that picturesque town. Construction crews trying to stabilize the situation with tarps and plastic sheeting. Residents were evacuated for a short time, but now they're allowed back in their homes -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh. What a terrible situation there. We'll keep following that story.
A story we've been following for a while now, the immigration issue. This morning Carol joins us with a closer look, really a personal look at what's going on behind the debate.
COSTELLO: Yes. Because, you know, there's all this talk about immigration. But when you actually meet an immigrant who's in this country, who's undocumented and trying to make a living, it's hard not to feel sorry for them. It's hard not to think, oh my gosh, we're going to kick this person out of the country?
So it's hard to -- you know, you have sympathy for them because you're human, right?. For many undocumented workers the immigration debate isn't just academic. It is practically a matter of life and death. But now they're finding support not just from other immigrants like them, but also from some business owners who are willing to stand up for them. We met one such owner and his employee, who's also a manager. Both were willing to speak out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice over): Take one look at Frank Garcia and you can see how proud he is of his cartridge toner factory and the workers who are helping his business grow. One of them, Carlos, who asked us not to use his full name, came to the United States illegally. He desperately wants to stay.
Both Frank and Carlos are glad immigration is being openly debated, but they say the tone of the debate has been disturbing.
FRANK GARCIA, BUSINESS OWNER: I'm extremely angry and disappointed.
COSTELLO: Garcia, a Republican, an activist for Hispanic-owned businesses, is stunned when he hears talk of making illegal immigrants criminals or building a fence between the United States and Mexico. He's so miffed at the legislation passed in the House he's thinking of becoming an Independent.
(on camera): So because of this, you're thinking of changing your party affiliation?
GARCIA: That's correct. We feel that the Republicans -- with this legislation that first came out, we were very disappointed that a lot of Republicans voted for it. And luckily for the community it was an outrage, and all these big marches show that we wasn't going for it. COSTELLO (voice over): Those marches actually inspired Carlos to show his face on camera despite his fear of deportation.
(on camera): So to see all of those people gathering makes you feel stronger?
CARLOS, UNDOCUMENTED WORKER: Yes. Yes. Sure.
COSTELLO: Like you might be able to change minds?
CARLOS: Sure.
COSTELLO (voice over): To change minds. It's what he hopes will happen.
Carlos sneaked into the United States from Mexico so he could get better medical care for his daughter. She has a birth defect and needs constant medical attention. And the financial burden on his family is immense.
He and four family members are crammed into a tiny apartment which he pays for by working a couple of jobs, including the position at Garcia's factory.
CARLOS: And sometime I think I want to -- I want to open one -- a small company here in United States. But I can't because I -- I don't have no papers.
COSTELLO: As the debate shifts into high gear in Congress and across America, Carlos says he has applied for those papers, a work visa that may or may not come through for years. For now, he's happy working with Garcia, and both of them plan to march in a pro- immigration rally in New York on Saturday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And they say tens of thousands of people will be at that march.
Going back to Carlos for just a bit, he's really trying to become a documented worker, but the process is so unwieldy and so hard to understand, you know, you just look at him and you go, huh? So what's happening now is his boss, Mr. Garcia, is paying for a lawyer to kind of take Carlos through the long process.
He may not get -- just a worker's permit. We're not talking about citizenship, we're not talking about a green card. We're just talking about this worker's permit. That may take one to five years to coming through. And in the time -- in the time between, he could be thrown out of the country at any time.
S. O'BRIEN: You think about 11 million other people kind of in similar circumstances.
COSTELLO: So complicated.
S. O'BRIEN: Carol, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, a fast-food chain turns to a famous funnyman to try to sell some sandwiches. And we have -- Andy has that in "Minding Your Business."
Plus, one state's version of the Olympics games that is all about losing instead of winning. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will explain next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Let's go to the newsroom now. Carol is there.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: I am. Good morning, Miles.
Good morning to all of you.
Iran rattled by three earthquakes. In a matter of hours entire villages wiped out. Officials tell the Iranian state TV some 50 people were killed. At least 800 others have some kind of injury. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the U.S. is ready to offer humanitarian aid.
People in northwest Australia are cleaning up after another cyclone. That's what hurricanes are called down under. Glenda is the second destructive storm to hit Australia in less than two weeks. This one was a Category 4 with winds of more than 140 miles per hour. Officials say flooding could be a major problem now.
A massive explosion in Nevada could create the first mushroom cloud there since the '60s. Don't panic. The Pentagon is preparing for an experiment using a 700-ton explosion. That's nearly 1.5 million pounds of explosives.
The blast is set for June, and it's set for northwest of Las Vegas. It's apparently a test for new technology to bust underground bunkers.
So all is safe.
I got a little nervous there, Chad, when I was reading that.
MYERS: Wow. Yes. I was reading it on the Web site here and it says it will be a 3.1 to a 3.4 earthquake.
COSTELLO: Wow.
MYERS: That's how loud and that's how much shaking will be going on there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thanks a lot. Well, CNN's Fit Nation college tour is rolling into Iowa. The tour is an effort to focus on solutions to the nation's obesity epidemic. Iowa State University is the latest stop on the tour of seven colleges and universities. But as Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us, Iowa is already taking some action to combat obesity.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is Iowa's homegrown version of those other games, the annual Iowa Games.
JIM HALLIHAN, IOWA GAMES DIRECTOR: We have 50 sports, everything from, I'd say, A to W, archery to wrestling, but we have equestrian. We have soccer. We have basketball, baseball, track and field.
GUPTA: But there's one thing different about these games. They're not about winning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice job. Nice job.
GUPTA: The Iowa Games are about losing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've lost 156 pounds.
GUPTA: The games began 20 years ago as a venue for fun and competition, but a growing obesity epidemic caused a sea change. The games' sponsor shifted the emphasis to getting active.
HALLIHAN: We've got to provide an environment where people have fun doing it, and they don't realize it, but they're moving around a lot and being very active.
GUPTA: During the past four decades, obesity levels in Iowa have been steadily rising. According to the Iowa Health Department, 61 percent of adults in Iowa are either overweight or obese. Only 12 states have a higher percentage of overweight adults.
Concern about obesity in this state spawned another program in 2003 sponsored by the same group that puts on the games, Lighten Up, Iowa. It stresses teamwork. People sign up for a five-month health program where they and their teammates get ideas about how to be more active and eat healthier.
The idea has caught on.
HALLIHAN: Two years ago we had 8,500 people. Last year we had 19,300 who lost 93,000 pounds and logged 4.6 million miles of activity.
GUPTA: Back at the games, a father and son team have been carving up the slope at Iowa's winter games for the past several years.
TROY ROBBINS, IOWA WINTER GAMES PARTICIPANT: Yes, my dad and I are pretty competitive, whether it's skiing or losing weight. And so we both kind of jumped on the boat and started losing weight together, and each week we had to outdo each other.
GUPTA: The competition has paid off.
GARY ROBBINS, IOWA WINTER GAMES PARTICIPANT: We lost a couple hundred pounds total, and it's just something -- it's a time for Troy and I to bond together. And we just have a great time doing it.
GUPTA: At this year's games, more than 20,000 participated. And that translates to potentially thousands of pounds of weight loss.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: That is such a great idea.
Business news now. Andy's "Minding Your Business" in just a moment.
What you got?
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": I am, Soledad.
Coca-Cola says things go better with a new ad campaign.
Plus, Jon Lovitz, a smoking jacket and a big fat sandwich.
We'll tell you all about that coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: A new look for Coca-Cola. The bottle, though, staying the same.
Andy's "Minding Your Business" with that story and more.
M. O'BRIEN: You can't touch that bottle.
SERWER: No.
M. O'BRIEN: You don't mess with that bottle.
SERWER: And yes, but they do come out with new slogans every couple of years. In fact, I checked. Over the past 46 years, 22 new slogans. Coca-Cola coming out with a new one.
Get this: "The Coke Side of Life." "The Coke Side of Life" is their new slogan. They're going to be running new ad campaigns.
S. O'BRIEN: What does that mean?
SERWER: They never mean anything, really. Do they? I mean, they just sort of -- you're supposed to just repeat them and they have cool music.
Here's some other famous ones, and these are good. I don't know if it's going to stack up to these, because these are...
M. O'BRIEN: "The Real Thing" is hard to beat.
S. O'BRIEN: "The Real Thing" was good.
SERWER: "Coke is It!"
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: That's kind of -- that kind of works.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: And they're going to be airing these in the NCAA tournament.
Last one, "Life is Good" was in 2001. I don't think that really...
S. O'BRIEN: That doesn't say anything.
SERWER: ... brought -- no.
M. O'BRIEN: It didn't resonate.
SERWER: No, it did not.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Another ad campaign to tell you about, guess who's ringing the dinner bell for Subway? You know, the giant Subway sandwich chain does very well at lunchtime. People don't really go there for dinner, though. And so they're trying to change that.
They have a new ad campaign coming out featuring Jon Lovitz. There's Jon Lovitz.
M. O'BRIEN: The thespian.
SERWER: The master thespian. That's from "Saturday Night Live."
M. O'BRIEN: "I'm acting! I'm acting."
SERWER: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: That's right? Is that it?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: And so they're not going to have Jared in these campaigns. They don't want Jared and Jon Lovitz going up...
M. O'BRIEN: They got a lot of mileage off of Jared, who lost, what, about 9,00 pounds?
SERWER: Yes. And it doesn't look like Jon Lovitz has lost anything.
M. O'BRIEN: There is that.
S. O'BRIEN: It's a whole different ad strategy on this one.
SERWER: I think it is a little different.
S. O'BRIEN: Subway for dinner, huh?
SERWER: Well, people go to McDonald's for dinner, but they don't go to subway. Because people like to have a hamburger, a hot hamburger than a sandwich.
S. O'BRIEN: Right.
SERWER: They're going to see if they can do that.
S. O'BRIEN: You can have the meatball sub. That's warm.
SERWER: Yes. They have the warmer sandwiches now, too.
M. O'BRIEN: Subways are stockier (ph) guys, too. You know, it's inclusive that way.
SERWER: I guess that's true. I guess that's true.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm working on it.
SERWER: But anyway, that's going to be on the NCAA tournament as well. So a couple of new ads there.
S. O'BRIEN: That's funny. All right. Thanks.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Andy Serwer.
SERWER: OK.
M. O'BRIEN: As we approach the top of the hour, let's check the forecast.
Chad Myers, Subway for dinner tonight?
MYERS: Getting hungry all of a sudden. I don't know.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Me too.
MYERS: Yes. I like that -- I can put cucumbers on my -- on my club sandwich. That's what you do. It's a good sandwich.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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