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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Celebrex May Increase Risk of Heart Attack; President Bush Signs Intelligence Reform Bill; National Guard Increases Financial Incentives To New Recruits. Cuban Government Responds to U.S. Mission's Christmas Display
Aired December 17, 2004 - 17:00 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.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: Happening now, millions of Americans taking a closer look at their prescription drugs, now that another hugely popular drug has come under a cloud. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
Drug dangers. Now Celebrex side effects. Should you worry about what's in your medicine cabinet?
Intelligence overhaul. It's now a law, but will it make Americans more secure? I'll ask a 9/11 widow who fought for the 9/11 reforms.
Amber Alert.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking at one-month-premature baby that was removed, with the umbilical cord cut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A Midwest murder with a shocking twist.
Scrooged. First the U.S. mission in Havana linked its Christmas decorations to dissidents. Now Cuba has put up its own display.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, December 17, 2004.
BLITZER: Millions of Americans are questioning whether they should keep taking one of the most popular prescription painkillers, Celebrex, after a study showed it may increase the risk of heart attack. That news comes just weeks after the recall of Vioxx because of similar side effects. We have complete coverage for you. Mary Snow is standing by with the impact on prescription drug safety. But we begin with CNN's Allan Chernoff, with the details of this latest stunning finding -- Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, after the Vioxx recall, this is exactly what many arthritis patients feared most. Pfizer thought it was in the clear until last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (voice-over): Celebrex is the top pain medication for arthritis, but it was in a cancer prevention study that the drug's potential danger was uncovered. Pfizer says it found out Thursday night that patients taking 400 or 800 milligrams of Celebrex a day had a two-and- one-half times greater chance of heart attack or stroke than those taking a placebo.
HANK MCKINNELL, PFIZER CEO: The company received this information about 5:00 PM last night. I first heard about it about 8:00 PM last night. We advised the Food and Drug Administration immediately, and we announced this morning information that we thought was important to prescribing physicians and to patients benefiting from Celebrex.
CHERNOFF: Pfizer is keeping the drug on the market, though it plans a new study of Celebrex in arthritis patients beginning next year. The recommended dosage for such patients ranges between 100 and 400 milligrams a day, depending on the type of arthritis. Some doctors say it may be best to drop the medicine.
DR. MARIE GRIFFIN, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: I think for people who are at high risk of heart disease, there's more of an immediate -- you know, they need to do something right away. For other people, I think we feel that we need more safety information on these drugs. So it's our feeling that it's better not to use them until we know more about the safety.
CHERNOFF: Celebrex is the top arthritis drug in the world. Americans doctors alone have written 27 million prescriptions for the drug, with sales of more than $3 billion this year. Pfizer encouraged arthritis patients to switch to Celebrex after Merck pulled Vioxx off the market when it was found to pose risk of heart trouble. Both are in the same class of painkillers known as Cox 2 inhibitors.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Pfizer's stock tumbled 11 percent today, as investors fear that sales of Celebrex are going to take a dive. And Wolf, as you know, Pfizer is a member of the Dow Jones industrial average and a core holding in many large mutual funds -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Allan Chernoff reporting for us. Thank you, Allan, very much.
Pfizer's CEO also is emphasizing that the increased risk of heart problems was found only in people taking higher doses of Celebrex than recommended.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKINNELL: I think what we know, at this point, is that consumers taking Celebrex at 800 milligrams, which is 4 to 8 times the recommended dose, should not be continuing. And we have discontinued the dosing of patients in the study. The study itself is continuing. We've discontinued the dosing. We do know from a wealth of other information, some from FDA studies, some from our studies, some from others, that Celebrex, when taken as recommended, at the doses recommended, is safe and effective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: With word, though, of potentially deadly side effects from two popular prescription medicines within just two months, is there growing concern about drug safety in general? CNN's Mary Snow joining us now with that part of the story -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, not only is there concern about the safety of some drugs, there's also growing concern about the way these drugs are being marketed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TELEVISION COMMERCIAL: Ask your doctor about Celebrex. Take control of your joint pain with the proven strength of Celebrex.
SNOW (voice-over): With ads like this help (ph) make Celebrex popular, analysts project sales of the drug will generate roughly $3.4 billion worldwide this year. While announcements like the one about Celebrex are worrisome, doctors say drug companies are not to blame.
DR. JOHN ABRAMSON, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: The drug companies are no more responsible for our health than the fast food industry is for the quality of our diet.
SNOW: John Abramson, author of "Overdose Nation," says the real responsibility pharmaceutical companies have is to generate profits. And the industry is growing. Last year, Americans spent an estimated $216 billion on prescriptions, an estimated 11.5 percent increase over a year. Critics say with profits driving the marketing, health takes a back seat.
DR. SIDNEY WOLFE, PUBLIC CITIZEN: The FDA is not doing a good job protecting people from dangerous drugs. Part of the reason is that the FDA gets funded directly from the drug industry and is much kinder to the drug industry than it is protective of the public health.
SNOW: Public Citizen lists 180 drugs it believes are not safe. It wants to see more congressional oversight of the drug industry, an industry that some doctors say is having an effect in the offices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There has been a trend to patients distrusting both the pharmaceutical industry, the FDA, sometimes their physician.
SNOW: Some patients are thinking twice about what's in their medicine cabinets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not a person who takes medication easily, and so then, when you hear something like this, then you say, You see? I'm right.
SNOW: But doctors say the danger of a possible backlash against the pharmaceutical industry is that people might not take the medicine they need.
ABRAMSON: I think it's very important for people not to stop medicines, not to stop prescription medicines without talking to their doctors.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, the FDA has defended its drug review process in the past. As for Celebrex, it says it just got this data last night. It's reviewing it, and it plans to have more to say within the coming days -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York, as well, thank you, Mary, very much.
This note to our viewers. You have a chance to weigh in on the story. Our Web question of the day is this: Does news about prescription drug risks make you worried about taking them? You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.
The biggest overhaul of U.S. intelligence in half a century has now been signed into law. With members of Congress and families of 9/11 victims looking on, President Bush signed the intelligence reform bill earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE WALKER BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Under this new law, our vast intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective. It will enable us to better do our duty, which is to protect the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Our White House correspondent, Dana Bash, standing by now with a closer look at how we all got to this current point in intelligence reform legislation -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the president said today that the changes he enacted would make Americans most secure. Most agree with that, but some see a pattern here that, just like creating the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Bush is now embracing some reforms he initially resisted.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): The president gets credit from all involved for personally pushing the intelligence reform measure over the finish line. However. many recall he was initially a skeptic, if not a critic of the effort.
TIM ROEMER (D), 9/11 COMMISSION: The president was Johnny-come- lately to this. Better late than never.
BASH: At first, he fought creating the independent 9/11 commission, saying a congressional probe was adequate.
BUSH: My judgment is, it's best for the ongoing war against terror that the investigation be done in the Intelligence Committee.
BASH: September 11 victims' families lobbied, and six months later, the president signed on. Then a series of skirmishes, from some quiet struggles over boosting its initial $3 million budget to larger public battles turned political pressure points. The commission wanted broad access to classified documents, especially the president's own daily intelligence briefings, what he knew about al Qaeda's threat.
BUSH: It's important for the writers of the presidential daily brief to feel comfortable that the documents won't ever be politicized and/or unnecessarily exposed for public purview.
BASH: The president resisted, but later compromised. Another flashpoint, whether national security adviser Condoleezza Rice would testify at commission hearings. The White House initially refused, citing executive privilege. Again, it later gave in, as it also did in agreeing the president and vice president would answer commissioners' questions, though that was still private.
JIM THOMPSON (R), 9/11 COMMISSION: Though there was controversy along the way, and obviously disagreements from time to time...
BASH: The 9/11's commission's recommendations were yet another example. In the heat of the presidential campaign, Democrat John Kerry embraced them immediately. Mr. Bush initially was more circumspect, but then backed the reforms. And after public pleas from some fellow Republicans still unsure how serious his support was, Mr. Bush eventually used his reelection capital to push the bill through Congress.
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: The president faced the political necessity of not losing on this, of not being overrun and not seeming to care about this intelligence. And I think that's one of the reasons they came around.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: But even the president's critics note that these intelligence reforms did happen relatively fast. And the bottom line, Wolf, they say, is that it's the president's signature on this bill, and that's what history will remember -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dana Bash at the White House, thank you very much.
Families of 9/11 victims were strong and vocal advocates for the intelligence reform bill. At least, many of them were. Kristin's Breitweiser's husband, Ronald, worked at the World Trade Center. He died in the 9/11 attack. Mrs. Breitweiser's joining us now live from New York.
Kristin, thanks very much for joining us. What's your immediate reaction to the signing of this legislation into law? KRISTIN BREITWEISER, 9/11 WIDOW: Obviously, it's an exhale. It's a nice time. But then again, it's been a long time coming. This is something that could have been done three years ago, and then for the past three years, it's been a heck of a battle for the 9/11 families to try and get President Bush and our congress to put these reforms in place.
BLITZER: So are you still bitter? Is that what you're saying?
BREITWEISER: I'm not bitter. I just think that it shouldn't have been a battle. And that's what it was. It was a long slog. We spent an enormous amount of time lobbying Washington, trying to get the president to do the right thing. And it's been a long time in coming, and there's still a lot of work to be done.
BLITZER: But when you make major changes in the way the intelligence community operates -- and these are the most sweeping changes since the creation of the CIA, basically, after World War II -- don't you want to make sure you do it right, rather than make things worse in the process?
BREITWEISER: I totally agree with you, but I think that, certainly, after the millions of documents that the commission looked at, the concept of a domestic national intelligence director is not a novel concept. It's something that's been around for 15 to 20 years. What held it up was the failure of a secretary of defense willing to yield power and turf and that budgetary control over the approximately $40 billion of the intel budget. And I think 9/11 was the catalyst that finally made this country realize that we needed an overhaul of our intel community so that we could better defend ourselves again this new terrorist threat.
We're no longer living in the post-cold war. We have a new terrorist threat. It's an asymmetrical threat, and our intelligence community has to adapt to that.
BLITZER: So is there anything else you want to see happen now in Washington, beyond what the president did today?
BREITWEISER: Yes. I think that we need to do a good, strong look at congressional oversight of the intelligence community. We need to make sure that the civil liberties board that was created out of this legislation is set up in a way that individual rights of American citizens are not unfairly infringed upon. We need to take a good, hard look at terrorist financing. We'd like to get access to the 28 pages of the joint inquiry of Congress. We'd also like to get a look at the inspector general report on the CIA's responsibility with regard to 9/11.
BLITZER: So as far as you're concerned, still lots of work to do. Kristin Breitweiser, congratulations to you and all the others who fought for this legislation to become the law of the land. Thanks very much for joining us.
BREITWEISER: Thank you. BLITZER: And coming up: cold-blooded crime. Who killed a pregnant woman and then took her unborn child? It's a missing child case with a shocking outcome.
Cuba's revenge. How Havana is taking aim at America in a very graphic way. Those stories, and the National Guard's heavy price for the war in Iraq -- all that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: In Iraq today, bloody violence raging on. But while some corners of the country are killing zones, in one urban battleground, there may now be some grounds for hope. CNN's Chris Lawrence reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Iraq's third largest city, another car is burning, more bodies left on the side of the road. Insurgents attacked this white sedan as it drove through the city of Mosul Friday, shooting it up and then setting the car on fire. The attackers killed three Westerners and their Iraqi driver and cut off the head of one of the men.
Farther south, U.S. Marines have seen some of their most intense fighting in one province of Iraq, and on Friday, military commanders confirmed that another Marine has been killed there. The al Anbar province includes Falluja and Ramadi, where insurgent attacks have killed 11 Marines since Sunday.
It's a different story in Baghdad's Sadr City, where just a couple of months ago, American soldiers were attacked every night by rockets and mortars. Now reconstruction projects have put thousands of Iraqis back to work, and soldiers are seeing a different side of the city.
COL. ABE ABRAMS, 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION: From the simple things, as driving down the street, putting your hand up and waving to -- whether it be adults or children, and getting a wave back.
LAWRENCE: Overall, security remains tight in the capital, and a top U.S. general says the most wanted man in Iraq has probably relocated to Baghdad. He says Islamic militant leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi lost his base of operations in Falluja after the recent American offensive there.
(on camera): Starting Friday, some residents are being allowed to come back to Falluja for the first time. And as for Zarqawi, the general says there are some places in this city where people would either hide him or allow him to operate without doing anything to stop him. Chris Lawrence, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: They've moved from the home front to the front lines, and the citizen soldiers of the National Guard are now paying a heavy price. With recruitment down, the Guard says it must gear up to carry out its mission, and it's asking Congress for help. Let's go live to CNN's Elaine Quijano. She's over at the Pentagon -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. The National Guard is dealing with a number of challenges, not only, as you mentioned, the recruitment levels, but also looking at some equipment needs, as well. And on that front, leaders at the National Guard are seeking $20 billion in equipment funding, some of that money to replace equipment damaged or destroyed in combat.
At the same time, of course, recruiting an issue. The Guard found itself almost 30 percent below its recruitment targets in October and November. That's the first time the Guard did not meet recruiting goals since September of 2001. And to try to boost the numbers, officials are increasing by 52 percent the number of recruiters.
Now, another strategy the Guard is trying is doing away with the old slogan of "one weekend a month and two weeks a year" to describe the duty, officials now conceding that that is outdated and no longer truthful, and officials also looking at boosting bonuses, specifically, increases from $5,000 to $15,000 for returning troops and from $6,000 to $10,000 for first-time recruits.
Now, all of this, officials say, is designed to ensure that the National Guard will be able to meet the increased demands on its troops, having U.S. forces in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but this a step that the National Guard leadership feels is quite necessary in order for them to be able to meet the demands down the road -- Wolf.
BLITZER: CNN's Elaine Quijano at the Pentagon. Elaine, thank you very much.
Decoration, frustration and an exchange of low blows, the Cuban government responding to an American display by hanging some very graphic billboards.
Poison politics and an unsolved mystery in Ukraine. Are devious methods used to kill opponents in the past? Are they being used once again today? We have new information.
And later, treating American troops, holiday hospitality for the war wounded.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Turning now to that decoration dispute in Cuba. It began when U.S. diplomats in Havana displayed Santa Claus, candy canes and a reference to political prisoners there. Now the Cuban government has struck back with its own array of, shall we say, less festive symbols. Our Havana bureau chief, Lucia Newman, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fidel Castro had warned there'd be consequences if the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana didn't remove Christmas decorations that included a symbol of 75 imprisoned Cuban dissidents. Friday morning, those consequences were displayed bigger than life along Havana's famous Malecon Boulevard, graphic posters and banners of Iraqi prisoners in U.S. custody at Abu Ghraib put up directly in front of the U.S. intersection. The message, punctuated by swastikas, is that Washington has no moral authority to talk about political prisoners and human rights.
Passers-by couldn't stop staring. "As a Cuban, I say bravo because the Americans are glorifying those 75 mercenaries who are trying to hurt our country instead of worrying about what you see here," said this retiree.
"I'll keep what I think to myself," said this woman. "I prefer to stay out of politics."
But politics is what all this is about, each side using symbols meant to speak louder than words. Washington says it will not back down.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Any government who puts up swastikas ought to answer its own questions about why it does that. But I guess this is how the Cuban government responds to Christmas lights.
NEWMAN (on camera): People are already taking bets on which side will take down their signs first, a graphic end to the year which seems to summarize just what U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations have been reduced to.
(voice-over): Friday afternoon, Cuban electric workers hurried to put up lights so that the Cuban government display would also be illuminated, so that it can compete after dark with the American display. Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Ukraine is preparing for a new presidential vote following last month's election tampering, but who tampered with the health of the opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko? Dioxin at extraordinarily high levels was found in his body. CNN's Matthew Chance reports on what may have been a political poisoning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a hideous transformation from movie-star good looks to pock-marked deformity. But was this a botched Soviet-style attempt to kill Ukraine's leading pro-Western reformer? The country's secret service denies it, but those who know the system say it is possible.
Oleg Gordievsky, a former KGB colonel, has been studying accounts of the alleged poisoning and believes his old colleagues may have had a hand. OLEG GORDIEVSKY, FORMER KGB COLONEL: The motive is to keep Ukraine for Russia. Ukraine remaining really independent and pro- Western is the worst nightmare for the Russian leaders.
CHANCE (on camera): So what do you believe happened in the Ukraine case? How would this have played out? If the idea would have been conceived by somebody in Ukraine and they'd have gone to Russia, how do you think it would have played out?
GORDIEVSKY: Very simple. Head of the Ukrainian KGB, or somebody important, went to Moscow and said, We need an effective and easy-in- use poison and some instruction how to use it because we have something on our agenda, something of national importance. Did they tell Moscow against whom or not, it is difficult to tell.
CHANCE (voice-over): His account is just speculative. There's been no comment from Moscow. Gordievsky has no evidence, only his old KGB sources. But in September, Viktor Yushchenko, then presidential candidate, says he attended a meal with heads of the Ukrainian secret service. It's there he says he was poisoned. His American wife spoke of tasting medicine on his lips that night.
GORDIEVSKY: The best thing is actually to put it in the gravy or in the soup. The Ukrainian borshch is very red, very aromatic, full of garlic and other vegetables with spices. So a poison can easily be hidden in the soup.
CHANCE: Poison was used in the past by the old Soviet Union for killing political enemies. Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian dissident living in London was assassinated in the 1970s with a poison-tipped umbrella, causing outrage.
The use of toxins to deprive Ukraine of a pro-Western reformer would mark a grim return to those sinister methods. Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Trouble for another major pharmaceutical company after a popular pain medication is added to the risk list.
And an unthinkable crime, a pregnant woman murdered, her fetus stolen from the womb. Now there's another shocking twist.
Secret prison revealed. Find out where the CIA has been holding high-value al Qaeda detainees. Also ahead: Elvis sold, why "The King's" daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, is letting go of her father's music.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Coming up, risky relief, new information regarding the popular prescription drug Celebrex.
But, first, let's get a quick check of some other stories now in the news. Authorities are searching for more suspects in that arson subdivision fire earlier this month in Maryland. A suspect charged with arson admits he was there when the fire started and knew of the arson plan. That's according to a federal criminal complaint against Aaron Lee Speed. More than a dozen homes were damaged. No one was hurt. The 21-year-old worked as a security guard over at the site.
A former Pentagon official confirms a report the CIA has maintained a detention facility for so-called high-value al Qaeda suspects within the U.S. Defense Department-run prison at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay inn Cuba, but he adds that newspapers had long reported that fact. The CIA declined comment.
Federal health officials are now relaxing flu shot restrictions. They're concerned thousands of flu vaccine doses might go to waste. A CDC study reveals more than half of all elderly and chronically ill adults have not received a flu shot.
It's now or never. The Presley family sells Elvis' music library and other items to Robert F.X. Sillerman. He is set to acquire an 85 percent stake in the Elvis Presley Enterprises. The company grossed $40 million in 2004, making Elvis the most profitable dead celebrity four years in a row. Lisa Marie Presley will keep the title to Graceland.
More now on our top story, new questions about the safety of the popular prescription painkiller Celebrex. One study now shows it can increase the risk heart attacks. So what should doctors be telling their patients?
I talked about that earlier today with Dr. Marie Griffin. She's a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University and an expert on drug safety.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Dr. Griffin, thanks very much for joining us.
I understand you were involved in one of these studies. Is that right?
DR. MARIE GRIFFIN, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: We were involved in studies of Vioxx, yes.
BLITZER: In Vioxx, but you weren't involved in the studies on Celebrex?
GRIFFIN: No.
BLITZER: All right, well, what do you make of this new study that has come out, two new studies, actually, on Celebrex? Give us your perspective.
GRIFFIN: Well, I guess, for all of the COX-2 inhibitors now, we have evidence for adverse cardiovascular effects. So it's very concerning that this might be something that all of these drugs can do.
BLITZER: What other drugs are part of the same category, beyond Vioxx and Celebrex?
GRIFFIN: Bextra is the other one.
BLITZER: Any information about Bextra?
GRIFFIN: Yes. There have been two studies of patients at very high risk for heart disease that did indicate a threefold increased risk with...
BLITZER: All right. So if you're one of the 27 million people taking Celebrex right now, what do you do? What should you do, practically speaking, because a lot of these people understandably are going to be nervous?
GRIFFIN: Well, I think for people who are at high risk of heart disease, there's more of an immediate -- you know, they need to do something right away.
For other people, I think we feel that we need more safety information on these drugs. So, it's our feeling that it's better not to use them until we know more about the safety.
BLITZER: Well, if a patient came to you -- let me press you on this -- one of your patients said, what should I do, doctor? I've been taking this Celebrex now for some years. What do I do right now? It really helps me with the pain and the arthritis.
GRIFFIN: I would try to find another alternative.
BLITZER: Well, give us some other alternatives. What are other alternatives?
GRIFFIN: OK.
Other alternatives are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that may have higher risk of G.I. effects, so they could be used with something to protect the G.I. tract. The safest alternative for people is Tylenol, acetaminophen. For people for whom that works, that's probably the safest.
BLITZER: Should the FDA, in your expert opinion, pull Celebrex from the market right now, like they did with Vioxx?
GRIFFIN: Well, the FDA didn't pull Vioxx. The company decided to withdraw it. So I think the FDA needs to make that decision, but I think, in the meantime, physicians and consumers can make up their own minds. The information is out there now. And I think it's time for -- you know, we're glad that you're -- that this is being broadcast, because we think that people need to have this information and make up their own minds about this.
BLITZER: Let me rephrase the question. Some Pfizer pull Celebrex? GRIFFIN: I think that, from my standpoint, there could be additional studies done, but until there are additional studies, I don't think it's warranted for most people to take the risk.
BLITZER: Even people who are not necessarily high-risk heart patients?
GRIFFIN: For my patients, I would prefer that they took another drug.
BLITZER: Dr. Marie Griffin of Vanderbilt University, thanks very much for your help in understanding this important and complicated subject.
GRIFFIN: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And Pfizer is also the manufacturer of Bextra, the other drug Dr. Griffin just mentioned. We asked Pfizer for a comment about Bextra. So far, we have not received a comment. We'll continue to check with Pfizer on Bextra.
Meanwhile, there's been a horrifying crime in a small town. A pregnant woman has been murdered, her fetus, though, removed from her body. Now there's another shocking development. I'll speak shortly with the sheriff leading the investigation.
Rumsfeld rumblings. Is the defense secretary causing a rift in the Republican Party?
And a holiday feast for the most deserving, one community rallying around the war wounded.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Criticism of the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, appears to be building. And several Republican lawmakers say it's time that he go.
Our political analyst Carlos Watson is joining us now with "The Inside Edge."
What do you make of this whole uproar, Carlos, over Don Rumsfeld?
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's serious, Wolf.
There were lots of calls, going back to the Abu Ghraib scandal early last year. But now you're starting to hear it not only from mavericks like Chuck Hagel and John McCain, but also those kind of New England Republicans like Susan Collins. And now Trent Lott, who is a very savvy guy and obviously has his own issues with the White House, came out as well. I think the next step to worry about -- and at that point you know it's moved to a different level -- is when you start hearing names for possible replacements circulate in a significant way. If that happens, it's a real issue. One of the things I'll mention on this whole topic is, Republicans may be having too many rifts too soon. They have just won increased majorities in the House and the Senate.
They own the White House, but having fights on the 9/11 bill, on Rummy, and potentially on Social Security may ultimately compromise their ability to get as much done, despite the fact that they control all the major institutions over the next four years -- two years, at least.
BLITZER: Well, as the president gears up for his second term, there are, as you point, other battles looming. Like what? What do you see as some of the bigger battles out there?
WATSON: I think Iraq is going to be significant. And it can work both ways.
On one hand, if this election turns out pretty well in January in Iraq, then the president is going to get a lot more credit and some of that political capital he talks about is going to get replenished, not only as he deals with foreign policy issue, but domestic policy issues.
On the other hand, if it doesn't go well, remember, there are other Iraq-related things that are going to come up. It looks like the White House is going to ask for another $100 billion from Congress for Iraq issues and to support that. That could be a big issue during a time of deficits.
No. 2, don't forget that National Guard recruiting is down 30 percent. They're missing their goals by 30 percent. And as lots of these members of Congress go home over their vacations, they're going to hear from families of members of the National Guard who say we're over there way too long. And that could become a real issue.
And then, Wolf, the other thing to start looking to hear more from is not just the deaths in Iraq, but also as you start to hear more about injuries. And next year, I expect that you'll hear a lot about post-traumatic stress disorder. Remember, there's a lot of hand-to-hand combat over there and in every war we've seen that's always had kind of a boomerang effect. We haven't talked about it yet, but coming in 2005, that may make the whole Iraq conversation a lot stickier.
BLITZER: And then the president has this two-day economic summit, this conference here in Washington this week, kicking off his drive, for example, to reform Social Security. This is going to be a huge battle for him as well.
WATSON: It is.
And in order to win that battle, he will ultimately need, interestingly enough, Wolf, the help of a number of the new senators who just got elected. And in some ways that's a good thing for him. The seven new Republican senators, five of them are from the South, including places like Florida and Louisiana, places where the president won big and where the president ultimately helped out there.
So maybe he's got a good shot when you think about it that way. On the other hand, remember, there are some other economic fights that weren't talked about beyond taxes, beyond Social Security. What am I talking about? One, I'm thinking about minimum wage. And that's a frequent fight, but it could become more intense given some success with ballot initiatives in Florida and Nevada, which raised the individual state minimum wage in those places.
Something else that we don't normally talk about, but you'll hear more about next year, are something called hedge funds. It doesn't sound special, but you'll hear more about it next year, about $1 trillion worth of investment, but they're not well regulated. And if another one or two of them were to crash, a lot of people in pension funds and elsewhere could lose money.
Last, but not least, we'll hear about trade agreements, particularly intellectual property, because in places like the Silicon Valley, that could lead to job loss if some of the laws as it relates to piracy aren't strengthened.
BLITZER: CNN's Carlos Watson always has "The Inside Edge" for us.
And to our viewers who want to know more, they can always go to his column, CNN.com/Carlos. Is that right, Carlos?
WATSON: You bet. You bet. We're coming back in the new year with the brand new edition and look forward to seeing people come online.
BLITZER: Carlos Watson, good work. Thanks very much.
WATSON: Good to join you. Take care.
BLITZER: When we come back, an unthinkable crime, truly unthinkable, a pregnant woman murdered, her fetus stolen from her womb. Now another shocking development.
That story and the sheriff who is leading the investigation when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A short time ago, authorities in northwest Missouri announced they think they have found a baby who was stolen from her murdered mother's womb. An Amber Alert was issued after the woman who was eight months pregnant was found murdered in her home with her fetus removed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BEN ESPEY, NODAWAY COUNTY SHERIFF: We have some really good breaking news. They have located a baby girl. We're waiting testing, medical testing to see if it's going to be our child that's missing. We feel really good about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: An Amber Alert remains in effect until those DNA tests confirm the infant's identity, but it appears to be the end to a gruesome mystery that stunned even veteran police.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ESPEY: I've been in law enforcement 20 years and 12 as sheriff. And this is one of the worst ordeals we've got -- had to deal with.
BLITZER (voice-over): It started when Bobbi Jo Stinnett's mother discovered her body in Stinnett's rural Skidmore, Missouri, home. The 23-year-old woman was dead and her unborn child removed.
ESPEY: More than likely, our victim has been strangled and was probably deceased when the child was removed from the womb. The child -- the mother was eight months pregnant, so we're looking at one month premature baby that was removed with the umbilical cord cut.
BLITZER: Doctors said the baby was likely alive, but with no description, it took several hours and even help from a member of Congress to get an Amber Alert issued. It includes a description of a red two-door Honda Hatchback seen in the Stinnetts' driveway. The victim's husband was at work.
Neighbors say the couple bred dogs and sold them over the Internet, so it wasn't unusual to see unfamiliar cars parked outside their home. And no one could imagine something like this happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She didn't have any enemies. She didn't have any problems with anybody. She was just real quiet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And Sheriff Ben Espey joins us now live with an update on the investigation.
Sheriff, thanks very much for joining us.
What do we know, specifically, right now on the condition of this child?
ESPEY: The information we're getting from the hospital down in Kansas is, this little girl was carried in by one of the officers. And the little girl is a day old, very good health. They don't see anything that is going to be any complications. They're doing some testing right now, but the information we got initially is this baby is in very good health.
BLITZER: What about the suspects? You apparently arrested or are detaining some individuals. What can you tell us about that?
ESPEY: I have to be a little bit careful on that. We have got several agencies involved. The FBI and some of our people in Maryville Public Safety are down there doing interviews right now.
There are two people that are detained right now. And they're being interrogated. They're being talked to. We're trying to gain as much information as we can.
BLITZER: Is there any information that you can share with us on a possible motive for this horrendous crime?
ESPEY: If the female offender of these two possibly lost a child to a miscarriage, and that may be a motive. I don't think she was going to take this child to try to sell it or move it. I think they were probably going to take it because she lost one through childbirth, or through...
BLITZER: Through some sort of miscarriage, is that what you're saying, Sheriff?
ESPEY: A miscarriage at about six months.
BLITZER: Is there any indication the child in the one day or so that the child has been alive has been mistreated?
ESPEY: No. And, again, the initial information we got, the child was in very good health. They didn't say anything about any bruises or anything that -- like the child was harmed in any way.
BLITZER: Have you ever seen anything like this before, Sheriff?
ESPEY: Well, I haven't, but I've talked to hundreds and hundreds of people in the last 24 hours. And I haven't -- no one single person has heard of this happening and can even hardly believe that it took place.
BLITZER: One thing that's raised some question is, it took a relatively long amount of time to get this Amber Alert going, so that people could be on the lookout for this vehicle that apparently was spotted in the area, the vehicle that actually apparently turned up close to where the baby was found. Were you frustrated by the delay in getting this Amber Alert off the ground?
ESPEY: I was. And I expressed that to the media. And I would like to kind of go ahead and explain that, because the Amber Alert is the best thing we've ever had for these kids in recovering these children.
The first 48 hours are the most crucial. This case was done in 23 1/2 hours. And that's just because so many people were involved, so many agencies. But here's what took place with the Amber Alert, that there was a problem, and it was not foreseen when they put this together, is to have a fetus removed from a body that survives. And the thing is, we don't have any identifying characteristics. We don't have a hair color. We don't have eye color. We don't have complexion. We don't have height, weight. We don't have the criteria that it takes to fill out the blanks to do the Amber Alert. And that's -- our initial holdback was, that's what we was told.
Within 30 minutes, I was the one to get the Amber Alert out, thinking that this could cross state lines. And we don't know how many state lines, but we didn't meet that criteria. Being aggravated, I made a few phone calls to congressmen and some people in some upper places and said, we've got to change this. This is not going to work. I feel like we have a live baby and the doctors from the hospital said that very -- sure, we could have a live baby out there.
And so, about midnight -- it went from 4:00 to about midnight last night, and I got the phone call and said, get your paperwork together. We're going to do the Amber Alert. And that was one of the best news that could have been given to everybody that was working the case.
BLITZER: Sheriff Ben Espy, thanks very much. Thanks for your good work. Good luck to you and all the folks out there. Appreciate very much. What a horrible story, though. I've never come across anything like this in the years I've been reporting the news. Thanks very much, Sheriff.
BLITZER: There's the results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up next.
Plus, the taste of home for some U.S. troops who have been far away from their families.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Does news about prescription drug risks make you worried about taking them? Sixty-eight percent of you say yes; 32 percent of you say no. Remember, though, this is not a scientific poll.
They're home for the holidays, but for now, home is a hospital. So, while the troops are being treated for their wounds, they're also being treated -- get this -- to a gourmet meal. Chefs from the Washington, D.C. area this week teamed up to provide a Christmas feast at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Soldiers who were used to eating field rations in Iraq were served mini crab cakes, roast hens with forest mushroom stuffing and a whole barbecued pig, lovely time for the troops, indeed. Those chefs were among the best in the business.
Reminder, we're on the air weekdays, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, as well as noon Eastern. Please be sure to join me Sunday on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. Among my special guests, Treasury Secretary John Snow.
That's it for me. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now. 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 December 17, 2004 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: Happening now, millions of Americans taking a closer look at their prescription drugs, now that another hugely popular drug has come under a cloud. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.
Drug dangers. Now Celebrex side effects. Should you worry about what's in your medicine cabinet?
Intelligence overhaul. It's now a law, but will it make Americans more secure? I'll ask a 9/11 widow who fought for the 9/11 reforms.
Amber Alert.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking at one-month-premature baby that was removed, with the umbilical cord cut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A Midwest murder with a shocking twist.
Scrooged. First the U.S. mission in Havana linked its Christmas decorations to dissidents. Now Cuba has put up its own display.
ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, December 17, 2004.
BLITZER: Millions of Americans are questioning whether they should keep taking one of the most popular prescription painkillers, Celebrex, after a study showed it may increase the risk of heart attack. That news comes just weeks after the recall of Vioxx because of similar side effects. We have complete coverage for you. Mary Snow is standing by with the impact on prescription drug safety. But we begin with CNN's Allan Chernoff, with the details of this latest stunning finding -- Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, after the Vioxx recall, this is exactly what many arthritis patients feared most. Pfizer thought it was in the clear until last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (voice-over): Celebrex is the top pain medication for arthritis, but it was in a cancer prevention study that the drug's potential danger was uncovered. Pfizer says it found out Thursday night that patients taking 400 or 800 milligrams of Celebrex a day had a two-and- one-half times greater chance of heart attack or stroke than those taking a placebo.
HANK MCKINNELL, PFIZER CEO: The company received this information about 5:00 PM last night. I first heard about it about 8:00 PM last night. We advised the Food and Drug Administration immediately, and we announced this morning information that we thought was important to prescribing physicians and to patients benefiting from Celebrex.
CHERNOFF: Pfizer is keeping the drug on the market, though it plans a new study of Celebrex in arthritis patients beginning next year. The recommended dosage for such patients ranges between 100 and 400 milligrams a day, depending on the type of arthritis. Some doctors say it may be best to drop the medicine.
DR. MARIE GRIFFIN, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: I think for people who are at high risk of heart disease, there's more of an immediate -- you know, they need to do something right away. For other people, I think we feel that we need more safety information on these drugs. So it's our feeling that it's better not to use them until we know more about the safety.
CHERNOFF: Celebrex is the top arthritis drug in the world. Americans doctors alone have written 27 million prescriptions for the drug, with sales of more than $3 billion this year. Pfizer encouraged arthritis patients to switch to Celebrex after Merck pulled Vioxx off the market when it was found to pose risk of heart trouble. Both are in the same class of painkillers known as Cox 2 inhibitors.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Pfizer's stock tumbled 11 percent today, as investors fear that sales of Celebrex are going to take a dive. And Wolf, as you know, Pfizer is a member of the Dow Jones industrial average and a core holding in many large mutual funds -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Allan Chernoff reporting for us. Thank you, Allan, very much.
Pfizer's CEO also is emphasizing that the increased risk of heart problems was found only in people taking higher doses of Celebrex than recommended.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKINNELL: I think what we know, at this point, is that consumers taking Celebrex at 800 milligrams, which is 4 to 8 times the recommended dose, should not be continuing. And we have discontinued the dosing of patients in the study. The study itself is continuing. We've discontinued the dosing. We do know from a wealth of other information, some from FDA studies, some from our studies, some from others, that Celebrex, when taken as recommended, at the doses recommended, is safe and effective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: With word, though, of potentially deadly side effects from two popular prescription medicines within just two months, is there growing concern about drug safety in general? CNN's Mary Snow joining us now with that part of the story -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, not only is there concern about the safety of some drugs, there's also growing concern about the way these drugs are being marketed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TELEVISION COMMERCIAL: Ask your doctor about Celebrex. Take control of your joint pain with the proven strength of Celebrex.
SNOW (voice-over): With ads like this help (ph) make Celebrex popular, analysts project sales of the drug will generate roughly $3.4 billion worldwide this year. While announcements like the one about Celebrex are worrisome, doctors say drug companies are not to blame.
DR. JOHN ABRAMSON, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: The drug companies are no more responsible for our health than the fast food industry is for the quality of our diet.
SNOW: John Abramson, author of "Overdose Nation," says the real responsibility pharmaceutical companies have is to generate profits. And the industry is growing. Last year, Americans spent an estimated $216 billion on prescriptions, an estimated 11.5 percent increase over a year. Critics say with profits driving the marketing, health takes a back seat.
DR. SIDNEY WOLFE, PUBLIC CITIZEN: The FDA is not doing a good job protecting people from dangerous drugs. Part of the reason is that the FDA gets funded directly from the drug industry and is much kinder to the drug industry than it is protective of the public health.
SNOW: Public Citizen lists 180 drugs it believes are not safe. It wants to see more congressional oversight of the drug industry, an industry that some doctors say is having an effect in the offices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There has been a trend to patients distrusting both the pharmaceutical industry, the FDA, sometimes their physician.
SNOW: Some patients are thinking twice about what's in their medicine cabinets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not a person who takes medication easily, and so then, when you hear something like this, then you say, You see? I'm right.
SNOW: But doctors say the danger of a possible backlash against the pharmaceutical industry is that people might not take the medicine they need.
ABRAMSON: I think it's very important for people not to stop medicines, not to stop prescription medicines without talking to their doctors.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, the FDA has defended its drug review process in the past. As for Celebrex, it says it just got this data last night. It's reviewing it, and it plans to have more to say within the coming days -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York, as well, thank you, Mary, very much.
This note to our viewers. You have a chance to weigh in on the story. Our Web question of the day is this: Does news about prescription drug risks make you worried about taking them? You can vote right now. Go to cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.
The biggest overhaul of U.S. intelligence in half a century has now been signed into law. With members of Congress and families of 9/11 victims looking on, President Bush signed the intelligence reform bill earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE WALKER BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Under this new law, our vast intelligence enterprise will become more unified, coordinated and effective. It will enable us to better do our duty, which is to protect the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Our White House correspondent, Dana Bash, standing by now with a closer look at how we all got to this current point in intelligence reform legislation -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the president said today that the changes he enacted would make Americans most secure. Most agree with that, but some see a pattern here that, just like creating the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Bush is now embracing some reforms he initially resisted.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): The president gets credit from all involved for personally pushing the intelligence reform measure over the finish line. However. many recall he was initially a skeptic, if not a critic of the effort.
TIM ROEMER (D), 9/11 COMMISSION: The president was Johnny-come- lately to this. Better late than never.
BASH: At first, he fought creating the independent 9/11 commission, saying a congressional probe was adequate.
BUSH: My judgment is, it's best for the ongoing war against terror that the investigation be done in the Intelligence Committee.
BASH: September 11 victims' families lobbied, and six months later, the president signed on. Then a series of skirmishes, from some quiet struggles over boosting its initial $3 million budget to larger public battles turned political pressure points. The commission wanted broad access to classified documents, especially the president's own daily intelligence briefings, what he knew about al Qaeda's threat.
BUSH: It's important for the writers of the presidential daily brief to feel comfortable that the documents won't ever be politicized and/or unnecessarily exposed for public purview.
BASH: The president resisted, but later compromised. Another flashpoint, whether national security adviser Condoleezza Rice would testify at commission hearings. The White House initially refused, citing executive privilege. Again, it later gave in, as it also did in agreeing the president and vice president would answer commissioners' questions, though that was still private.
JIM THOMPSON (R), 9/11 COMMISSION: Though there was controversy along the way, and obviously disagreements from time to time...
BASH: The 9/11's commission's recommendations were yet another example. In the heat of the presidential campaign, Democrat John Kerry embraced them immediately. Mr. Bush initially was more circumspect, but then backed the reforms. And after public pleas from some fellow Republicans still unsure how serious his support was, Mr. Bush eventually used his reelection capital to push the bill through Congress.
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: The president faced the political necessity of not losing on this, of not being overrun and not seeming to care about this intelligence. And I think that's one of the reasons they came around.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: But even the president's critics note that these intelligence reforms did happen relatively fast. And the bottom line, Wolf, they say, is that it's the president's signature on this bill, and that's what history will remember -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dana Bash at the White House, thank you very much.
Families of 9/11 victims were strong and vocal advocates for the intelligence reform bill. At least, many of them were. Kristin's Breitweiser's husband, Ronald, worked at the World Trade Center. He died in the 9/11 attack. Mrs. Breitweiser's joining us now live from New York.
Kristin, thanks very much for joining us. What's your immediate reaction to the signing of this legislation into law? KRISTIN BREITWEISER, 9/11 WIDOW: Obviously, it's an exhale. It's a nice time. But then again, it's been a long time coming. This is something that could have been done three years ago, and then for the past three years, it's been a heck of a battle for the 9/11 families to try and get President Bush and our congress to put these reforms in place.
BLITZER: So are you still bitter? Is that what you're saying?
BREITWEISER: I'm not bitter. I just think that it shouldn't have been a battle. And that's what it was. It was a long slog. We spent an enormous amount of time lobbying Washington, trying to get the president to do the right thing. And it's been a long time in coming, and there's still a lot of work to be done.
BLITZER: But when you make major changes in the way the intelligence community operates -- and these are the most sweeping changes since the creation of the CIA, basically, after World War II -- don't you want to make sure you do it right, rather than make things worse in the process?
BREITWEISER: I totally agree with you, but I think that, certainly, after the millions of documents that the commission looked at, the concept of a domestic national intelligence director is not a novel concept. It's something that's been around for 15 to 20 years. What held it up was the failure of a secretary of defense willing to yield power and turf and that budgetary control over the approximately $40 billion of the intel budget. And I think 9/11 was the catalyst that finally made this country realize that we needed an overhaul of our intel community so that we could better defend ourselves again this new terrorist threat.
We're no longer living in the post-cold war. We have a new terrorist threat. It's an asymmetrical threat, and our intelligence community has to adapt to that.
BLITZER: So is there anything else you want to see happen now in Washington, beyond what the president did today?
BREITWEISER: Yes. I think that we need to do a good, strong look at congressional oversight of the intelligence community. We need to make sure that the civil liberties board that was created out of this legislation is set up in a way that individual rights of American citizens are not unfairly infringed upon. We need to take a good, hard look at terrorist financing. We'd like to get access to the 28 pages of the joint inquiry of Congress. We'd also like to get a look at the inspector general report on the CIA's responsibility with regard to 9/11.
BLITZER: So as far as you're concerned, still lots of work to do. Kristin Breitweiser, congratulations to you and all the others who fought for this legislation to become the law of the land. Thanks very much for joining us.
BREITWEISER: Thank you. BLITZER: And coming up: cold-blooded crime. Who killed a pregnant woman and then took her unborn child? It's a missing child case with a shocking outcome.
Cuba's revenge. How Havana is taking aim at America in a very graphic way. Those stories, and the National Guard's heavy price for the war in Iraq -- all that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: In Iraq today, bloody violence raging on. But while some corners of the country are killing zones, in one urban battleground, there may now be some grounds for hope. CNN's Chris Lawrence reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Iraq's third largest city, another car is burning, more bodies left on the side of the road. Insurgents attacked this white sedan as it drove through the city of Mosul Friday, shooting it up and then setting the car on fire. The attackers killed three Westerners and their Iraqi driver and cut off the head of one of the men.
Farther south, U.S. Marines have seen some of their most intense fighting in one province of Iraq, and on Friday, military commanders confirmed that another Marine has been killed there. The al Anbar province includes Falluja and Ramadi, where insurgent attacks have killed 11 Marines since Sunday.
It's a different story in Baghdad's Sadr City, where just a couple of months ago, American soldiers were attacked every night by rockets and mortars. Now reconstruction projects have put thousands of Iraqis back to work, and soldiers are seeing a different side of the city.
COL. ABE ABRAMS, 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION: From the simple things, as driving down the street, putting your hand up and waving to -- whether it be adults or children, and getting a wave back.
LAWRENCE: Overall, security remains tight in the capital, and a top U.S. general says the most wanted man in Iraq has probably relocated to Baghdad. He says Islamic militant leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi lost his base of operations in Falluja after the recent American offensive there.
(on camera): Starting Friday, some residents are being allowed to come back to Falluja for the first time. And as for Zarqawi, the general says there are some places in this city where people would either hide him or allow him to operate without doing anything to stop him. Chris Lawrence, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: They've moved from the home front to the front lines, and the citizen soldiers of the National Guard are now paying a heavy price. With recruitment down, the Guard says it must gear up to carry out its mission, and it's asking Congress for help. Let's go live to CNN's Elaine Quijano. She's over at the Pentagon -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. The National Guard is dealing with a number of challenges, not only, as you mentioned, the recruitment levels, but also looking at some equipment needs, as well. And on that front, leaders at the National Guard are seeking $20 billion in equipment funding, some of that money to replace equipment damaged or destroyed in combat.
At the same time, of course, recruiting an issue. The Guard found itself almost 30 percent below its recruitment targets in October and November. That's the first time the Guard did not meet recruiting goals since September of 2001. And to try to boost the numbers, officials are increasing by 52 percent the number of recruiters.
Now, another strategy the Guard is trying is doing away with the old slogan of "one weekend a month and two weeks a year" to describe the duty, officials now conceding that that is outdated and no longer truthful, and officials also looking at boosting bonuses, specifically, increases from $5,000 to $15,000 for returning troops and from $6,000 to $10,000 for first-time recruits.
Now, all of this, officials say, is designed to ensure that the National Guard will be able to meet the increased demands on its troops, having U.S. forces in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but this a step that the National Guard leadership feels is quite necessary in order for them to be able to meet the demands down the road -- Wolf.
BLITZER: CNN's Elaine Quijano at the Pentagon. Elaine, thank you very much.
Decoration, frustration and an exchange of low blows, the Cuban government responding to an American display by hanging some very graphic billboards.
Poison politics and an unsolved mystery in Ukraine. Are devious methods used to kill opponents in the past? Are they being used once again today? We have new information.
And later, treating American troops, holiday hospitality for the war wounded.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Turning now to that decoration dispute in Cuba. It began when U.S. diplomats in Havana displayed Santa Claus, candy canes and a reference to political prisoners there. Now the Cuban government has struck back with its own array of, shall we say, less festive symbols. Our Havana bureau chief, Lucia Newman, reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fidel Castro had warned there'd be consequences if the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana didn't remove Christmas decorations that included a symbol of 75 imprisoned Cuban dissidents. Friday morning, those consequences were displayed bigger than life along Havana's famous Malecon Boulevard, graphic posters and banners of Iraqi prisoners in U.S. custody at Abu Ghraib put up directly in front of the U.S. intersection. The message, punctuated by swastikas, is that Washington has no moral authority to talk about political prisoners and human rights.
Passers-by couldn't stop staring. "As a Cuban, I say bravo because the Americans are glorifying those 75 mercenaries who are trying to hurt our country instead of worrying about what you see here," said this retiree.
"I'll keep what I think to myself," said this woman. "I prefer to stay out of politics."
But politics is what all this is about, each side using symbols meant to speak louder than words. Washington says it will not back down.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Any government who puts up swastikas ought to answer its own questions about why it does that. But I guess this is how the Cuban government responds to Christmas lights.
NEWMAN (on camera): People are already taking bets on which side will take down their signs first, a graphic end to the year which seems to summarize just what U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations have been reduced to.
(voice-over): Friday afternoon, Cuban electric workers hurried to put up lights so that the Cuban government display would also be illuminated, so that it can compete after dark with the American display. Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Ukraine is preparing for a new presidential vote following last month's election tampering, but who tampered with the health of the opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko? Dioxin at extraordinarily high levels was found in his body. CNN's Matthew Chance reports on what may have been a political poisoning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a hideous transformation from movie-star good looks to pock-marked deformity. But was this a botched Soviet-style attempt to kill Ukraine's leading pro-Western reformer? The country's secret service denies it, but those who know the system say it is possible.
Oleg Gordievsky, a former KGB colonel, has been studying accounts of the alleged poisoning and believes his old colleagues may have had a hand. OLEG GORDIEVSKY, FORMER KGB COLONEL: The motive is to keep Ukraine for Russia. Ukraine remaining really independent and pro- Western is the worst nightmare for the Russian leaders.
CHANCE (on camera): So what do you believe happened in the Ukraine case? How would this have played out? If the idea would have been conceived by somebody in Ukraine and they'd have gone to Russia, how do you think it would have played out?
GORDIEVSKY: Very simple. Head of the Ukrainian KGB, or somebody important, went to Moscow and said, We need an effective and easy-in- use poison and some instruction how to use it because we have something on our agenda, something of national importance. Did they tell Moscow against whom or not, it is difficult to tell.
CHANCE (voice-over): His account is just speculative. There's been no comment from Moscow. Gordievsky has no evidence, only his old KGB sources. But in September, Viktor Yushchenko, then presidential candidate, says he attended a meal with heads of the Ukrainian secret service. It's there he says he was poisoned. His American wife spoke of tasting medicine on his lips that night.
GORDIEVSKY: The best thing is actually to put it in the gravy or in the soup. The Ukrainian borshch is very red, very aromatic, full of garlic and other vegetables with spices. So a poison can easily be hidden in the soup.
CHANCE: Poison was used in the past by the old Soviet Union for killing political enemies. Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian dissident living in London was assassinated in the 1970s with a poison-tipped umbrella, causing outrage.
The use of toxins to deprive Ukraine of a pro-Western reformer would mark a grim return to those sinister methods. Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Trouble for another major pharmaceutical company after a popular pain medication is added to the risk list.
And an unthinkable crime, a pregnant woman murdered, her fetus stolen from the womb. Now there's another shocking twist.
Secret prison revealed. Find out where the CIA has been holding high-value al Qaeda detainees. Also ahead: Elvis sold, why "The King's" daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, is letting go of her father's music.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Coming up, risky relief, new information regarding the popular prescription drug Celebrex.
But, first, let's get a quick check of some other stories now in the news. Authorities are searching for more suspects in that arson subdivision fire earlier this month in Maryland. A suspect charged with arson admits he was there when the fire started and knew of the arson plan. That's according to a federal criminal complaint against Aaron Lee Speed. More than a dozen homes were damaged. No one was hurt. The 21-year-old worked as a security guard over at the site.
A former Pentagon official confirms a report the CIA has maintained a detention facility for so-called high-value al Qaeda suspects within the U.S. Defense Department-run prison at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay inn Cuba, but he adds that newspapers had long reported that fact. The CIA declined comment.
Federal health officials are now relaxing flu shot restrictions. They're concerned thousands of flu vaccine doses might go to waste. A CDC study reveals more than half of all elderly and chronically ill adults have not received a flu shot.
It's now or never. The Presley family sells Elvis' music library and other items to Robert F.X. Sillerman. He is set to acquire an 85 percent stake in the Elvis Presley Enterprises. The company grossed $40 million in 2004, making Elvis the most profitable dead celebrity four years in a row. Lisa Marie Presley will keep the title to Graceland.
More now on our top story, new questions about the safety of the popular prescription painkiller Celebrex. One study now shows it can increase the risk heart attacks. So what should doctors be telling their patients?
I talked about that earlier today with Dr. Marie Griffin. She's a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University and an expert on drug safety.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Dr. Griffin, thanks very much for joining us.
I understand you were involved in one of these studies. Is that right?
DR. MARIE GRIFFIN, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: We were involved in studies of Vioxx, yes.
BLITZER: In Vioxx, but you weren't involved in the studies on Celebrex?
GRIFFIN: No.
BLITZER: All right, well, what do you make of this new study that has come out, two new studies, actually, on Celebrex? Give us your perspective.
GRIFFIN: Well, I guess, for all of the COX-2 inhibitors now, we have evidence for adverse cardiovascular effects. So it's very concerning that this might be something that all of these drugs can do.
BLITZER: What other drugs are part of the same category, beyond Vioxx and Celebrex?
GRIFFIN: Bextra is the other one.
BLITZER: Any information about Bextra?
GRIFFIN: Yes. There have been two studies of patients at very high risk for heart disease that did indicate a threefold increased risk with...
BLITZER: All right. So if you're one of the 27 million people taking Celebrex right now, what do you do? What should you do, practically speaking, because a lot of these people understandably are going to be nervous?
GRIFFIN: Well, I think for people who are at high risk of heart disease, there's more of an immediate -- you know, they need to do something right away.
For other people, I think we feel that we need more safety information on these drugs. So, it's our feeling that it's better not to use them until we know more about the safety.
BLITZER: Well, if a patient came to you -- let me press you on this -- one of your patients said, what should I do, doctor? I've been taking this Celebrex now for some years. What do I do right now? It really helps me with the pain and the arthritis.
GRIFFIN: I would try to find another alternative.
BLITZER: Well, give us some other alternatives. What are other alternatives?
GRIFFIN: OK.
Other alternatives are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that may have higher risk of G.I. effects, so they could be used with something to protect the G.I. tract. The safest alternative for people is Tylenol, acetaminophen. For people for whom that works, that's probably the safest.
BLITZER: Should the FDA, in your expert opinion, pull Celebrex from the market right now, like they did with Vioxx?
GRIFFIN: Well, the FDA didn't pull Vioxx. The company decided to withdraw it. So I think the FDA needs to make that decision, but I think, in the meantime, physicians and consumers can make up their own minds. The information is out there now. And I think it's time for -- you know, we're glad that you're -- that this is being broadcast, because we think that people need to have this information and make up their own minds about this.
BLITZER: Let me rephrase the question. Some Pfizer pull Celebrex? GRIFFIN: I think that, from my standpoint, there could be additional studies done, but until there are additional studies, I don't think it's warranted for most people to take the risk.
BLITZER: Even people who are not necessarily high-risk heart patients?
GRIFFIN: For my patients, I would prefer that they took another drug.
BLITZER: Dr. Marie Griffin of Vanderbilt University, thanks very much for your help in understanding this important and complicated subject.
GRIFFIN: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And Pfizer is also the manufacturer of Bextra, the other drug Dr. Griffin just mentioned. We asked Pfizer for a comment about Bextra. So far, we have not received a comment. We'll continue to check with Pfizer on Bextra.
Meanwhile, there's been a horrifying crime in a small town. A pregnant woman has been murdered, her fetus, though, removed from her body. Now there's another shocking development. I'll speak shortly with the sheriff leading the investigation.
Rumsfeld rumblings. Is the defense secretary causing a rift in the Republican Party?
And a holiday feast for the most deserving, one community rallying around the war wounded.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Criticism of the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, appears to be building. And several Republican lawmakers say it's time that he go.
Our political analyst Carlos Watson is joining us now with "The Inside Edge."
What do you make of this whole uproar, Carlos, over Don Rumsfeld?
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's serious, Wolf.
There were lots of calls, going back to the Abu Ghraib scandal early last year. But now you're starting to hear it not only from mavericks like Chuck Hagel and John McCain, but also those kind of New England Republicans like Susan Collins. And now Trent Lott, who is a very savvy guy and obviously has his own issues with the White House, came out as well. I think the next step to worry about -- and at that point you know it's moved to a different level -- is when you start hearing names for possible replacements circulate in a significant way. If that happens, it's a real issue. One of the things I'll mention on this whole topic is, Republicans may be having too many rifts too soon. They have just won increased majorities in the House and the Senate.
They own the White House, but having fights on the 9/11 bill, on Rummy, and potentially on Social Security may ultimately compromise their ability to get as much done, despite the fact that they control all the major institutions over the next four years -- two years, at least.
BLITZER: Well, as the president gears up for his second term, there are, as you point, other battles looming. Like what? What do you see as some of the bigger battles out there?
WATSON: I think Iraq is going to be significant. And it can work both ways.
On one hand, if this election turns out pretty well in January in Iraq, then the president is going to get a lot more credit and some of that political capital he talks about is going to get replenished, not only as he deals with foreign policy issue, but domestic policy issues.
On the other hand, if it doesn't go well, remember, there are other Iraq-related things that are going to come up. It looks like the White House is going to ask for another $100 billion from Congress for Iraq issues and to support that. That could be a big issue during a time of deficits.
No. 2, don't forget that National Guard recruiting is down 30 percent. They're missing their goals by 30 percent. And as lots of these members of Congress go home over their vacations, they're going to hear from families of members of the National Guard who say we're over there way too long. And that could become a real issue.
And then, Wolf, the other thing to start looking to hear more from is not just the deaths in Iraq, but also as you start to hear more about injuries. And next year, I expect that you'll hear a lot about post-traumatic stress disorder. Remember, there's a lot of hand-to-hand combat over there and in every war we've seen that's always had kind of a boomerang effect. We haven't talked about it yet, but coming in 2005, that may make the whole Iraq conversation a lot stickier.
BLITZER: And then the president has this two-day economic summit, this conference here in Washington this week, kicking off his drive, for example, to reform Social Security. This is going to be a huge battle for him as well.
WATSON: It is.
And in order to win that battle, he will ultimately need, interestingly enough, Wolf, the help of a number of the new senators who just got elected. And in some ways that's a good thing for him. The seven new Republican senators, five of them are from the South, including places like Florida and Louisiana, places where the president won big and where the president ultimately helped out there.
So maybe he's got a good shot when you think about it that way. On the other hand, remember, there are some other economic fights that weren't talked about beyond taxes, beyond Social Security. What am I talking about? One, I'm thinking about minimum wage. And that's a frequent fight, but it could become more intense given some success with ballot initiatives in Florida and Nevada, which raised the individual state minimum wage in those places.
Something else that we don't normally talk about, but you'll hear more about next year, are something called hedge funds. It doesn't sound special, but you'll hear more about it next year, about $1 trillion worth of investment, but they're not well regulated. And if another one or two of them were to crash, a lot of people in pension funds and elsewhere could lose money.
Last, but not least, we'll hear about trade agreements, particularly intellectual property, because in places like the Silicon Valley, that could lead to job loss if some of the laws as it relates to piracy aren't strengthened.
BLITZER: CNN's Carlos Watson always has "The Inside Edge" for us.
And to our viewers who want to know more, they can always go to his column, CNN.com/Carlos. Is that right, Carlos?
WATSON: You bet. You bet. We're coming back in the new year with the brand new edition and look forward to seeing people come online.
BLITZER: Carlos Watson, good work. Thanks very much.
WATSON: Good to join you. Take care.
BLITZER: When we come back, an unthinkable crime, truly unthinkable, a pregnant woman murdered, her fetus stolen from her womb. Now another shocking development.
That story and the sheriff who is leading the investigation when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A short time ago, authorities in northwest Missouri announced they think they have found a baby who was stolen from her murdered mother's womb. An Amber Alert was issued after the woman who was eight months pregnant was found murdered in her home with her fetus removed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BEN ESPEY, NODAWAY COUNTY SHERIFF: We have some really good breaking news. They have located a baby girl. We're waiting testing, medical testing to see if it's going to be our child that's missing. We feel really good about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: An Amber Alert remains in effect until those DNA tests confirm the infant's identity, but it appears to be the end to a gruesome mystery that stunned even veteran police.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ESPEY: I've been in law enforcement 20 years and 12 as sheriff. And this is one of the worst ordeals we've got -- had to deal with.
BLITZER (voice-over): It started when Bobbi Jo Stinnett's mother discovered her body in Stinnett's rural Skidmore, Missouri, home. The 23-year-old woman was dead and her unborn child removed.
ESPEY: More than likely, our victim has been strangled and was probably deceased when the child was removed from the womb. The child -- the mother was eight months pregnant, so we're looking at one month premature baby that was removed with the umbilical cord cut.
BLITZER: Doctors said the baby was likely alive, but with no description, it took several hours and even help from a member of Congress to get an Amber Alert issued. It includes a description of a red two-door Honda Hatchback seen in the Stinnetts' driveway. The victim's husband was at work.
Neighbors say the couple bred dogs and sold them over the Internet, so it wasn't unusual to see unfamiliar cars parked outside their home. And no one could imagine something like this happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She didn't have any enemies. She didn't have any problems with anybody. She was just real quiet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And Sheriff Ben Espey joins us now live with an update on the investigation.
Sheriff, thanks very much for joining us.
What do we know, specifically, right now on the condition of this child?
ESPEY: The information we're getting from the hospital down in Kansas is, this little girl was carried in by one of the officers. And the little girl is a day old, very good health. They don't see anything that is going to be any complications. They're doing some testing right now, but the information we got initially is this baby is in very good health.
BLITZER: What about the suspects? You apparently arrested or are detaining some individuals. What can you tell us about that?
ESPEY: I have to be a little bit careful on that. We have got several agencies involved. The FBI and some of our people in Maryville Public Safety are down there doing interviews right now.
There are two people that are detained right now. And they're being interrogated. They're being talked to. We're trying to gain as much information as we can.
BLITZER: Is there any information that you can share with us on a possible motive for this horrendous crime?
ESPEY: If the female offender of these two possibly lost a child to a miscarriage, and that may be a motive. I don't think she was going to take this child to try to sell it or move it. I think they were probably going to take it because she lost one through childbirth, or through...
BLITZER: Through some sort of miscarriage, is that what you're saying, Sheriff?
ESPEY: A miscarriage at about six months.
BLITZER: Is there any indication the child in the one day or so that the child has been alive has been mistreated?
ESPEY: No. And, again, the initial information we got, the child was in very good health. They didn't say anything about any bruises or anything that -- like the child was harmed in any way.
BLITZER: Have you ever seen anything like this before, Sheriff?
ESPEY: Well, I haven't, but I've talked to hundreds and hundreds of people in the last 24 hours. And I haven't -- no one single person has heard of this happening and can even hardly believe that it took place.
BLITZER: One thing that's raised some question is, it took a relatively long amount of time to get this Amber Alert going, so that people could be on the lookout for this vehicle that apparently was spotted in the area, the vehicle that actually apparently turned up close to where the baby was found. Were you frustrated by the delay in getting this Amber Alert off the ground?
ESPEY: I was. And I expressed that to the media. And I would like to kind of go ahead and explain that, because the Amber Alert is the best thing we've ever had for these kids in recovering these children.
The first 48 hours are the most crucial. This case was done in 23 1/2 hours. And that's just because so many people were involved, so many agencies. But here's what took place with the Amber Alert, that there was a problem, and it was not foreseen when they put this together, is to have a fetus removed from a body that survives. And the thing is, we don't have any identifying characteristics. We don't have a hair color. We don't have eye color. We don't have complexion. We don't have height, weight. We don't have the criteria that it takes to fill out the blanks to do the Amber Alert. And that's -- our initial holdback was, that's what we was told.
Within 30 minutes, I was the one to get the Amber Alert out, thinking that this could cross state lines. And we don't know how many state lines, but we didn't meet that criteria. Being aggravated, I made a few phone calls to congressmen and some people in some upper places and said, we've got to change this. This is not going to work. I feel like we have a live baby and the doctors from the hospital said that very -- sure, we could have a live baby out there.
And so, about midnight -- it went from 4:00 to about midnight last night, and I got the phone call and said, get your paperwork together. We're going to do the Amber Alert. And that was one of the best news that could have been given to everybody that was working the case.
BLITZER: Sheriff Ben Espy, thanks very much. Thanks for your good work. Good luck to you and all the folks out there. Appreciate very much. What a horrible story, though. I've never come across anything like this in the years I've been reporting the news. Thanks very much, Sheriff.
BLITZER: There's the results of our Web question of the day, that's coming up next.
Plus, the taste of home for some U.S. troops who have been far away from their families.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. Does news about prescription drug risks make you worried about taking them? Sixty-eight percent of you say yes; 32 percent of you say no. Remember, though, this is not a scientific poll.
They're home for the holidays, but for now, home is a hospital. So, while the troops are being treated for their wounds, they're also being treated -- get this -- to a gourmet meal. Chefs from the Washington, D.C. area this week teamed up to provide a Christmas feast at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Soldiers who were used to eating field rations in Iraq were served mini crab cakes, roast hens with forest mushroom stuffing and a whole barbecued pig, lovely time for the troops, indeed. Those chefs were among the best in the business.
Reminder, we're on the air weekdays, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, as well as noon Eastern. Please be sure to join me Sunday on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. Among my special guests, Treasury Secretary John Snow.
That's it for me. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
