American Morning
New cervical cancer screening guidelines released
By Saundra Young, CNN Medical Producer
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The new mammogram recommendations out earlier this week caused quite an uproar. Now comes another change in screening tests for women - this one for cervical cancer.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) releases new guidelines Friday, saying women don't need their first cervical cancer screening - or Pap test - until they're 21 years old. And, they don't need followup examinations as often as previously recommended.
According to the guidelines, women younger than 30 should be screened every two years, instead of annually. Women 30 or older can be examined once every three years.
"The tradition of doing a Pap test every year has not been supported by recent scientific evidence," said Dr. Alan G. Waxman, who developed the document for ACOG's Committee on Practice Bulletins-Gynecology. "A review of the evidence to date shows that screening at less frequent intervals prevents cervical cancer just as well, has decreased costs, and avoids unnecessary interventions that could be harmful."
The current guidelines, from 2003, recommend that women get a Pap test three years after they begin having sexual intercourse, but no later than age 21. And that women younger than 30 have an annual exam. For women 30 or older, the recommendation was every two to three years, if they'd had three consecutive negative Pap tests.
Ft. Hood a 'terrorist attack'
On Thursday the Senate's Homeland Security Committee held the first public hearing on the Fort Hood shootings, which several senators called a "terrorist" attack.
Brian Jenkins was among those who testified. He's a terrorism analyst and senior adviser for the RAND corporation. He spoke to John Roberts on CNN's "American Morning" Friday.
Feds explore Hasan's ties to radical imam
As the Fort Hood investigation unfolds, officials are taking a much harder look at a radical imam from Yemen.
The feds think his teachings likely influenced suspect Maj. Nidal Hasan and several other jihadists accused of attacks across the globe. CNN's Jim Acosta reports.
Read more: Senate panel seeks to 'connect the dots'
'Precious' star talks about powerful performance
Two words you'll be hearing a lot together in the coming weeks and months are "Precious" and "Oscar."
There is a lot of buzz surrounding the movie about a teenage girl who faces incredible hardships. CNN's Jason Carroll spent some time with the film's breakout star.
Kirk Cameron attempts to debunk Darwin
Former teen idol Kirk Cameron is on a crusade to debunk evolution. He's a born-again Christian and part of a group that wrote a new 50-page intro to Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" to mark its 150th anniversary.
Cameron and his group are handing out thousands of copies of the book on universities across the country. CNN's Carol Costello reports.
Behind-the-scenes with a new brand of Tim McGraw
By Christine Romans
Tim McGraw, sans trademark cowboy hat, saunters into a Manhattan restaurant and needs to find a place to throw out his gum. Finding none, he finds a clean and shiny teaspoon at a waiter station and neatly tucks his chewed gum into it. As far as I know, no one put it on eBay.
Thus begins our 35-minute sit-down with the country music star, who has a new movie, new album, a tour starting in February, and new management.
McGraw is a country music star who is bent on a “fresh start.” He’s honing his brand for a new dynamic audience. His die-hard country music fans are most-likely to buy his records from Target.
But there is a new, digitally savvy audience online, sampling tracks from various artists and genres. He has signed with Red Light Management, the people behind Dave Mathews Band and Phish, and the tour for his album Southern Voice, will be “different” from anything we’ve ever seen from him.
Has Brand McGraw set the “reset button?”
“I don't know whether it's a reset button as much as it is just an advancement button. It's just time to take this up. We've laid a tremendous platform and it is time to expand from that platform. “
That platform is 40 million country records, three Grammy awards, 10 American Music Awards, 11 Country Music Awards. You get the picture. Where he is expanding most visibly is in movies.
He co-stars opposite Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side," opening nationwide this weekend. It’s his biggest role yet. On the red carpet at the premiere this week, Bullock told CNN about her country music co-star.
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