Sizing Up America-s Obesity Crisis

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With two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, -too many [people] are eating themselves to death.- That-s from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, who-s promoting more exercise and healthier diets. Although obesity may soon overtake smoking as the nation-s leading cause of preventable death, there-s bitter controversy over who-s to blame and what to do. The Bush White House supports a ban on lawsuits against fast food outlets for making consumers fat. Is it a question of personal responsibility or is the fast-food industry promoting a dangerous addiction? Should government intervene or get out of the way? Warren Olney speaks with journalists, nutrition and weight management professionals, and the head of a national restaurant industry association. Making News: European Union Unified Against Terrorism? Responding to questions about terrorists ability to influence future elections, President Bush today said the "cold blooded killers-will kill innocent people to try to shake our world.- Meantime, security forces all over Europe are on heightened alert. From Madrid, the Los Angeles Times' Sebastian Rotella updates Spain's investigation into last week's attacks and the European Union's heightened concern about international terrorism. Reporter-s Notebook: ABC News- Poll Measures Iraqi Public Opinion For the first time since the war and the occupation, the Iraqi people have been surveyed about their feelings, beliefs and opinions. Iraqis were trained as interviewers to conduct a poll supervised by Oxford Research International for a number of organizations, including the BBC and ABC News. ABC News Polling Director Gary Langer says Iraqi's opinions about their lives displayed a "striking level of optimism."
With two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, -too many [people] are eating themselves to death.- That-s from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, who-s promoting more exercise and healthier diets. Although obesity may soon overtake smoking as the nation-s leading cause of preventable death, there-s bitter controversy over who-s to blame and what to do. The Bush White House supports a ban on lawsuits against fast food outlets for making consumers fat. Is it a question of personal responsibility or is the fast-food industry promoting a dangerous addiction? Should government intervene or get out of the way? Warren Olney speaks with journalists, nutrition and weight management professionals, and the head of a national restaurant industry association.
  • Making News: European Union Unified Against Terrorism?
    Responding to questions about terrorists ability to influence future elections, President Bush today said the "cold blooded killers-will kill innocent people to try to shake our world.- Meantime, security forces all over Europe are on heightened alert. From Madrid, the Los Angeles Times' Sebastian Rotella updates Spain's investigation into last week's attacks and the European Union's heightened concern about international terrorism.
  • Reporter-s Notebook: ABC News- Poll Measures Iraqi Public Opinion
    For the first time since the war and the occupation, the Iraqi people have been surveyed about their feelings, beliefs and opinions. Iraqis were trained as interviewers to conduct a poll supervised by Oxford Research International for a number of organizations, including the BBC and ABC News. ABC News Polling Director Gary Langer says Iraqi's opinions about their lives displayed a "striking level of optimism."

European Union (EU) on terrorism

EU backs away from new anti-terror organizations (Reuters)

American Obesity Association

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on obesity

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plan to combat obesity

Surgeon General's report on preventing, reducing obesity (2001)

Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act (HR 339)

Commonsense Consumption Act of 2003 (S 1428)

ABC News Poll on Iraqis' view of war

Oxford Research International's survey on Iraq

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney