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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Trent Lott Fights to Remain Majority Leader; Gore Drops Out of '04 Presidential Race; Tragedy on the River

Aired December 16, 2002 - 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, HOST: The Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott fighting for his political life. He's giving an interview right now to BET. Our Correspondent Jonathan Karl is inside. He'll come out. He'll tell us what Senator Lott is saying, but first our CNN news alert.
(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: That's our CNN news alert. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.

A lot of trouble, breaking ranks over the majority leader's racially charged remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: Fifty-one Republican United States Senators need to sit down as soon as possible and deal with this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: No Gore in '04.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: And, I'm at peace with that decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Democrats try on their running shoes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I am going to very seriously consider the awesome opportunity that I now have.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I'm extraordinarily encouraged by the support I've been getting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Tragedy on the river.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were just running and sliding on the ice. We told them to get off the ice and they didn't listen to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And stepping into the spotlight, what is it about war that makes the stars come out?

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the Persian Gulf. Reporting from Doha, Qatar, here's Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us, the news dominating the headlines right now, political intrigue in Washington and power realignment. Standing by at this moment with the latest developments in Raleigh, North Carolina, our Jeanne Meserve, she's following the decision of the former vice president Al Gore not to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, and Jonathan Karl.

He's in Washington following the fate of the Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott who, of course, is in deep trouble because of controversial remarks he made only in the past couple of weeks. Jonathan Karl, we're going to begin with you. You're standing by right outside the BET Television studios where Senator Lott is having an interview right now that will air later tonight. Tell us what he's saying, the gist, the thrust of his message, once again.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first Wolf this interview actually took place down in Mobile, Alabama, but I was just able to watch a satellite feed of the interview. It will air at eight o'clock tonight and I can tell you what we saw was an exceptionally contrite Trent Lott, even more so than we have seen in his past efforts to apologize for what he said about Strom Thurmond.

He called his comments about Thurmond and his praise that he gave for Thurmond's 1948 segregationist campaign for president repugnant and also talked and acknowledged that he grew up in the south. It was segregationist, acknowledged that he himself supported segregation growing up in that environment, and called that wicked, called the segregation that he grew up with wicked.

But what was interesting is he talked about how as majority leader he will have the power to do something about the legacy of segregation, and he said this is an opportunity for redemption. This is an opportunity to do something about years of misbehavior, misbehavior not only -- he wasn't necessarily talking about himself but misbehavior that characterized the south that he grew up in.

And, he also was asked an interesting question and I want to read to you this exchange because I thought this was interesting coming from Trent Lott. He was asked: "What about affirmative action?" His answer, very quickly: "I'm for that." "Across the board?" was the question. "Absolutely." And, the interviewer Ed Gordon quickly pointed out that Trent Lott has been on record voting against affirmative action in many forms over the years and Trent Lott said: "My actions don't reflect my voting record."

So, that was an interesting exchange. Trent Lott clearly was trying to make the point throughout this interview that he is poised to use his power as majority leader to demonstrate, to show that he wants to do something to improve race relations in the United States - Wolf.

BLITZER: But, Jon, before I let you go it seems like there are increasing numbers of Republican Senators who are beginning to at least bail, walk away from Trent Lott. How serious of a problem does it appear he has right now?

KARL: Trent Lott has a serious problem and there was a significant development on that today and that is that the Republicans decided that they will come back a day earlier in January before the Congress convenes and convene a conference of the 51 Republican Senators and the item on that agenda will be to decide whether or not they want Trent Lott to continue as their leader.

Trent Lott's in just the beginning of a two-year term as majority leader. This is an extraordinary conference and it shows that there is a feeling, at least among some of his colleagues, that there needs to be a leadership change because this whole controversy has hurt the party so much. January 6 will be the day it appears when those 51 Senators will come together and decide whether or not they're going to stick with Trent Lott.

BLITZER: Jonathan Karl thanks for all that information. Let's get some further analysis now on Senator Lott's troubles. Our CNN Political Analyst Stuart Rothenberg is joining us from Washington. Stuart, based on history can Trent Lott get himself out of this mess and remain the majority leader?

STUART ROTHENBERG, POLITICAL ANALYST: That's going to be very difficult. A week ago, Wolf, it looked to me like this was a bump in the road, possibly a bad bump but nevertheless just a bump. But now, the whole issue has apparently snowballed. There are significant numbers of Republican Senators who wonder whether he can lead the party, be a spokesman for the party, lead with the president's agenda. We'll see over the next couple days whether this appearance on BET will turn things around but it's going to be very, very difficult for the Senator.

BLITZER: It doesn't look, Stu, as if Senator Lott is getting the kind of political backing from the president and the White House that presumably would be critical if he's going to survive this political crisis.

ROTHENBERG: I think you're right. It's one thing to take criticism from the usual Democratic sources, many of them liberal, many of them disinclined to support Trent Lott anyway. The problem he is having is there is considerable criticism on the right from base Republican groups, from members of the Senate, Republican members of the Senate who are saying we can't allow this churning to go on indefinitely. We have to make a decision about our leadership and clearly some of them want a new leader, and the White House has not been as supportive of Senator Lott as I'm sure Senator Lott would have liked. So clearly, the problem is on the Republican side even more than on the Democratic side. It's not surprising that Democrats are critical of Senator Lott. They're scoring political points.

BLITZER: It's surprising that so many Republicans are now beginning to publicly say they need a new leader, Don Nickles being one of them, leading the charge only yesterday but being followed by Senator John Warner of Virginia saying there should be a meeting, Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. There will be this conference meeting on January 6th, but by then it could all be over as far as Senator Lott is concerned given the trends that are out there right now despite his appearance tonight on BET.

ROTHENBERG: Right. Now, of course, it's possible in this meeting in January that Republican Senators will come together and reaffirm their support of him but I think it's more likely when you have a meeting like this, if the situation continues to deteriorate over the next week to ten days, that the writing will be on the wall.

And clearly, the White House and Republican leaders inside the Beltway would much prefer Senator Lott to take the step to remove himself from the Republican leadership than have to put the party and the Republican Senator conference through a vote as to whether or not to dump Senator Lott from the party leadership. That would be the worst situation. I'm sure Republicans inside the Beltway are looking for some out here for the Senator, a graceful way for him to exit from the leadership, although of course there can be no really truly graceful way.

BLITZER: All right, Stuart Rothenberg thanks for that assessment, appreciate it very much. How's all of this playing at Senator Lott's alma mater, the University of Mississippi? Ben Ferguson is a student at the University of Mississippi. He's also 21 years old, one of the youngest radio talk show hosts in the country. He's joining me now live. How is it playing at Senator Lott's alma mater, Ben?

BEN FERGUSON, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, I think a lot of students are disappointed that all this has come out about the Senator and fortunately he's done a great job for his state. He's been reelected several times and he served his people well but it's very hard for somebody, a Senator from the Republican Party to be able to come out and after the fact say I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for these comments when, I think, what he's done and what he said, even at the birthday party in 1980 and before is coming back to haunt him and I think it's his responsibility to step down for the sake of the Republican Party because the Republican Party has done such a good job of reaching out to minority groups over the last several decades and this could tarnish all of the work that we've done.

BLITZER: I know you've been under a lot of pressure to change your opinion. You've suggested that Lott step down. You're getting phone calls from a variety of sources close to Senator Lott. Tell us about that.

FERGUSON: Well, I've gotten different phone calls from different people saying stand up for the Party. Remember where you come from. But in this case, I am standing up for my party, what I feel like the true Republican Party is. We're a group that is inclusive, that is helping minorities and we've reached out and we've, you know, in the past we've made mistakes.

But when you have a point like this where you're in such a defining time in America and in politics, the Republican Party needs to look inclusive and that's what we are, and right now Senator Lott even, you know, I know he's sorry for what he said and I know that things change over time but right now if he's a true statesman and a true Republican, it's his responsibility to this party to step down and say look, I can't lead right now because the American people or some of the American people may not trust me and step down as majority leader and let somebody else take that stance because that's what we've all worked so hard for.

BLITZER: Ben Ferguson thanks for joining us. Good luck to you. There's been another political story we're following, of course, the former Vice President Al Gore's decision not to seek the Democratic presidential nomination once again, our Jeanne Meserve is standing by. Only a couple of hours ago we heard from Al Gore. Jeanne, give us the headlines, tell us what he said.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the former vice president said that he reached his decision on Friday morning after conversations with his family. He said the family members didn't try to nudge him in one direction or another but acted as a sounding board and he said there was no moment of epiphany but rather a slowly donning realization that if he ran again, a rematch with George W. Bush would turn largely into a rehash of the 2000 race. He acknowledged that perhaps the party needed a new face and he expressed absolutely no regrets about his decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORE: I'm excited about the future. Of course, this has been probably the most difficult decision that I've ever made. You can probably guess a lot of the reasons for that, personal, political, and all the rest. But I am completely at peace with the decision. I believe it's the right thing for the country. I believe it's the right thing for the political party that I'm a member of and what I hope that political party will stand for, and I think that it's the right thing for me and my family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Gore's withdrawal throws the door for the Democratic nomination wide open. Gore said it was too early to predict who his withdrawal might benefit and too early to predict who he might endorse in the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GORE: As for whether or not I will endorse one of the other Democratic candidates, I haven't made that decision yet. I have not told any of the candidates for the nomination that I will endorse him. I have not ruled anyone in or ruled anyone out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Gore staffers say this afternoon that he had a conversation this afternoon with Dick Gephardt and he also had a message from Tom Daschle, that of course in addition to conversations he's had with John Edwards and John Kerry, also with Senator Lieberman. Senator Lieberman has expressed some interest in running but has always said he would not run if Al Gore chose to do so. Today, he held a press conference and said he'd be making his final decision in early January.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMAN: As I have said to many of you when you ask me how likely was it that I would run if Al Gore did not run, I said I probably would run if Al Gore doesn't run and that remains the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: As for Al Gore's future, he said he would continue with business ventures. He will continue teaching and continue speaking out. He says he will remain active in politics. He was very relaxed and funny today. Asked if he was ready to write his political epitaph he said no, no, no, too early for that, and when talking about his endorsement, he said you know it's very important, he said I can influence my family's vote and I know better than anyone how important a half dozen or so votes can be in a presidential election, a reference of course to his close loss to George W. Bush in 2000, Wolf back to you.

BLITZER: He's on 54 years old so there's a lot of time, a lot of time for us to be hearing from Al Gore. Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much for that report. And, here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: Did Al Gore make the right call not to run? We'll have the results later in this program. Vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

It's one of the most popular herbal cold remedies out there but is it really reliable, does it really work? New research shows that Echinacea may not necessarily work at all. We'll help separate fact from fiction, breaking news when we return. Plus, tragedy on thin ice, four young boys and the incredible effort that failed to save them, the story from one of the rescuers.

And, C-section nation, is money or good health driving up surgeries in the labor room, more on that, but first today's news quiz. Which state had the lowest infant mortality rate in the nation during 2001, Utah, Oregon, New Hampshire, Massachusetts? The answer coming up.

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BLITZER: Earlier we asked: Which state has the lowest infant mortality rate in the nation? The answer, New Hampshire, with only 4.4 deaths per 1,000. Washington, D.C. had the highest infant mortality rate.

Welcome back. Coming up, we'll have an in-depth report on why so many women are now going for a C-section. Our Elizabeth Cohen is standing by with that but first other medical news making headlines right now. There's a new study on the effectiveness or lack thereof of a popular cold remedy. Our Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has information on this breaking medical news -- Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Wolf. Well, Echinacea, a very popular herbal supplement, about $300 million worth. Incidentally, the herbal supplement industry is about a $4 billion industry a year, so Echinacea supposedly can ward off, may prevent, possibly even treat colds. There has been some studies that have shown that in the past.

Now, there's a new study, a very good study, out of the University of Wisconsin where they looked at college students. They divided them into two groups, very simple. Seventy-five students who got the Echinacea, 75 who didn't, they were actually the capsule form of the Echinacea and they found that if the students already had a little bit of a sore throat, a little bit of a stuffy nose there was absolutely no difference, in fact, maybe even a little bit longer period of cold in those who took the Echinacea as opposed to those who just took a placebo that really was just simply a sugar pill.

So, what the study is basically looking at, trying to figure out, answer the question that's really on a lot of people's minds in the herbal supplement industry, does Echinacea actually prevent or treat colds. The conclusion of these researchers, from Wisconsin at least, is no it doesn't help, probably doesn't hurt, but certainly doesn't seem to help -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Aren't there some other studies, though, that show that Echinacea does indeed have some effectiveness?

GUPTA: That's right and you know there's been a couple of studies out of Germany. There was a study out of Pennsylvania not too long ago as well. So, this is just another study to throw into the mix. But let me point out a couple of things, Wolf. First of all, when you're talking about Echinacea that is a root of a type of plant and there's 200 different varieties of that type of plant just in the Midwestern United States alone. So, some people say it's really specific as to which specific roots you pick. If you get the high quality roots, the better roots, it may have more effectiveness.

Number two, the studies have seemed to show some benefit with people who actually drank Echinacea tea. They had four to five cups when they felt cold symptoms coming on and then a cup of Echinacea tea every day that they felt that they still had symptoms. So, that was a little different than the capsular form as well. So, those two things might provide a little bit of different but as I said, Wolf, the average duration of a cold is six days. It didn't change at all with these college students, six days with the Echinacea about and six days without it.

BLITZER: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta thanks for that helpful information. We're also following another medical story right now. Nearly one out of every four babies born in the United States is now delivered by C-section, cesarean section. That has some health experts concerned. Our Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is looking into this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The statistics are clear, more babies are being delivered by C-section in the United States. In 2000, 22.9 percent; in 2001, 24.4 percent were delivered by C-section an increase of 7 percent in just one year.

What's not clear is whether this is good or bad for mothers and their babies. C-sections are major surgery and riskier than vaginal births and some doctors say that too many are done unnecessarily. Other physicians say it's not so bad. They say C-sections save babies' lives and mothers' lives and there's a reason why the rates are up year to year.

One reason, women today are older when they give birth. Older mothers have more complications, like multiple births, that sometimes make C-sections necessary. Another reason, more doctors are unwilling to vaginally deliver babies who are breach; and third, there's more evidence that after a woman has one baby by cesarean section it may be safer to have the next baby that was too.

Many doctors say statistics about national C-section rates are not the point. They say a decision about how to deliver a baby varies from case to case, a decision best left up to each individual doctor's judgment, taking into account the wishes of each individual mother.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Also on the health beat, there's a new study released by the U.S. government showing that teenagers are moving away from cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. The survey shows this, that among eighth and tenth graders, illegal drug use has fallen to its lowest level since the mid 1990s. It also suggests that the smoking rate has been cut in half since 1996 and it shows a decline since 1996 in the percentage of eighth grade drinkers.

On the edge of war of possible war with Iraq, is the United States that close to a war with Iraq? Colin Powell weighs in on the Iraqi weapons report. Plus, best friends torn apart by a tragedy on ice, the dramatic rescue that broke a small town's heart, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We said at the very beginning that we approached it with skepticism and the information I've received so far is that that skepticism was well founded. There are problems with the declaration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That's Secretary of State Colin Powell speaking today about Iraq's mammoth weapons declaration. Welcome back to our special coverage. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from the Persian Gulf.

The Secretary of State became the first top U.S. administration official to say openly that that 12,000 page Iraqi document may not be good enough. Powell says the concerns are being shared with U.N. monitoring agencies but adds the United States won't issue a final judgment before the end of this week.

In London today, the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged U.N. members to give inspectors a chance to do their jobs before making a decision on Iraqi compliance. He met with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair who backs President Bush's tough stance toward Iraq. Un- swayed, President al-Assad warned that anyone seeking war against Iraq as a goal in itself is "psychologically ill."

The government meanwhile here in Qatar takes a decidedly pro-U.S. stance, providing American forces with possible bases in case, in case there's a war against Iraq but the news media's position here is decidedly less pro-American.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): If you flip through the TV channels here in the small but strategically placed Persian Gulf state, you get to see the wide range of Arab media, spanning from Morocco across North Africa to Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, to Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states.

There are the staple images, Israelis beating Palestinians, Muslim leaders preaching, and lots of entertainment programs including heart-wrenching dramas and sports. The state run television stations always play up their leaders, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, and King Abdullah in Jordan.

BLITZER (on camera): And then there's Al-Jazeera based here in Qatar. This satellite channel has a wide reach in the Arab world and an increasingly influential voice.

MOHAMMED SAFI, AL-JAZEERA: I think that we have a big margin of freedom to report whatever in news that we have putting in to effect that we know that it is true and I mean it is authentic.

BLITZER (voice-over): But in the process, Al-Jazeera is accused of an anti-American bias in part because it's become the venue of choice for airing al Qaeda statements, which Al-Jazeera often airs in full. There was also this angry exchange in Qatar last week when U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was questioned by an Al-Jazeera reporter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The U.S. is determined on waging war against Iraq regardless of the outcome of U.N. weapons inspectors reports.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Who said that? I certainly didn't say that. How could you even ask that question when it was the Iraqi regime that ignored 16 resolutions of the United Nations over a period of many, many years?

BLITZER: Rumsfeld staff later canceled a formal sit down interview he had planned to give Al-Jazeera the next day. There's a paradox surrounding Al-Jazeera and it's purported anti-American message. It was established then and funded by the government of Qatar, which may be the most pro-American in the region.

SHEIKH HAMAD BIN JASSIM, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER: Yes, we are financing Al-Jazeera as a government partially and Al-Jazeera is part of what we see as a free press in Qatar. I can not support all what Al-Jazeera said because some of the programs I think need to be corrected.

BLITZER: Corrected or not, Al-Jazeera has become a fact of life in the Arab world, one that directly affects the U.S. image here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Dramatic rescue on thin ice. When we come back, meet the man who tried everything in his power to save the lives of four young boys, the story of best friends changed forever.

Plus, Hollywood and war, Sean Penn goes to Baghdad. But first, in case you were out and about this weekend, here's our "Weekend Snapshot."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Another sick cruise, this time a Carnival ship sailing out of New Orleans. It returned from the Caribbean Sunday with more than 200 passengers complaining of stomach problems.

Crews fumigated Washington's Brentwood postal facility in an effort to wipe out any remaining anthrax spores. The giant processing center has been closed since last year's anthrax attacks. It could reopen in the spring.

Out of the D.C. birds, a spectacular ending for the old Capital Center, more recently called U.S. Airways Arena. Demolition experts used 400 pounds of dynamite to bring down the 29-year-old landmark in less than 20 seconds.

Desperate efforts to save a snowboarder near Lake Tahoe failed. The 25-year-old man got caught in an avalanche and was buried for almost four hours. He had been boarding in an out of bounds area. College football's Heisman trophy is heading back to the West Coast for the first time in 21 years. USC quarterback Carson Palmer took the prize. He says his heart nearly came out of his shirt when his name was called.

And no winner again in Saturday's Powerball lottery. Happy holidays are in store for whoever wins Wednesday's drawing worth an estimated $160 million, and that's our weekend snapshot.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, a dramatic rescue on the ice. Meet a man who tried desperately who tried to save four young boys. We'll have that.

Back now to that tragedy in Massachusetts. There is growing sense of anger and fear as a result of what happened there over the weekend in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Four young boys drowned over the weekend when they fell through the ice on the frigid Merrimac River. CNN's Boston bureau chief, Bill Delaney, has more.

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BILL DELANEY, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): What drew Eusemio Rodriguez to the Merrimac River, he didn't know exactly, he said. Just to beware, his 11-year-old son, William, the youngest of seven drowned Saturday.

"Now," he said, "Christmas will not come for us because we've lost our baby."

A loss resounding through the working class old mill town of Lawrence, Massachusetts, four children in all. William Rodriguez, Victor Baez (ph), 9, McKendy Constant (ph), 8, Christopher Kasado (ph), 7. On a day torrential rain weakened already thin ice, rescuers struggling desperately in frigid eight-foot deep water, 20 feet from shore, did manage to save three other children.

(on camera): Differing accounts of just what happened here. Some who live near the river in published reports say they saw the boys fooling around on the ice. But the boys' families and surviving boys, too, say the oldest child, 11-year-old William Rodriguez, either purposefully or accidentally slid on to the ice, broke through it and then the other boys died trying to save him.

Nine-year-old Frances Spraus recounted trying to get to William Rodriguez.

FRANCES SPRAUS, SURVIVOR: It was me, Ivan and Christopher and Victor, we went after him and then we -- he took off a jacket. And then we did a human chain, but it turned out that the ice was about to give away. The ice fell down and then, all of us, we fall down in the water.

DELANEY: A woman said her 15-year-old daughter last saw the boys.

DONNA HICKS, RESIDENT: One boy said, "Let's go on the river." And the other one said no. He kept running and they all ran after him. But she was last one to see him run up the street. I know I don't think it's going to be the same around here for a while.

DELANEY: In his anguish for his child, Eusemio Rodriguez pleaded for other children, calling for a protective barrier to block off the river, tragedy because of the innocent exuberance of little boys and because it seems of their courage trying to save a friend.

Bill Delaney, CNN, Lawrence, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: John Romero is the police chief of Lawrence, Massachusetts. He's joining us now live.

Chief, thanks for joining us. What did you see when you first got to the scene of this horrible, horrible tragedy?

CHIEF JOHN ROMERO, LAWRENCE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, this was a terrible tragedy and I saw police, fire, and emergency personnel working at the site and trying to save lives and looking for more people that may have been under the water.

BLITZER: How much in danger were the actual rescue workers who got to the scene?

ROMERO: Well, it was very dangerous. It was getting dark already. The ice was very thin so we basically -- the first police officers arrived on the scene basically went out into the ice to save the two boys that were actually visible to them. As they brought the boys in from the -- tried to bring them in from the ice, the ice broke and the -- actually, the officers were thrown into the water. However they were able to make it to shore with the two boys.

At that point, the fire department arrived on the scene, without regard again, as the police officers, went right out into the water. And they were able to retrieve the four individuals who had been submerged and they were taken to the hospital right away.

BLITZER: Given the temperature of that water, assuming it wasn't that deep, it presumably deeper than the little boys themselves, how much time did they actually have before they could have been rescued?

ROMERO: Well, it appears as the boys may have been under water as long as 30 minutes. The depth of the water there was 10 feet. The Merrimac River is a very deep river right off from the shoreline. So they were -- they only waded about 20 to 25 feet when the ice broke but that was in eight to 10 feet of water.

BLITZER: Is there any way, looking back now, how this tragedy could have been prevented, Chief?

ROMERO: In Lawrence, Massachusetts, the river runs right through the heart of the city, dividing the north and south. It's more than two miles long in Lawrence and it runs in other towns and cities along the Lawrence borders.

I think a public awareness. I believe the boys just didn't realize the danger they were in. I think we need to educate whether at the school level, maybe with the media, just the dangers of being on the ice, especially in a river. This isn't a pond that's three feet deep. This is a river and in some places, it's 60 feet deep. So quite frankly, it's a dangerous situation. We need do an educational program to tell people to be very careful. Really, quite frankly, we shouldn't be on the river at all. That's the message we should be sending out.

BLITZER: But beyond education, Chief, are there any physical barriers, fences or anything like that, big signs that you need to put up to warn these young kids and others not to go on that ice?

ROMERO: The river has been there -- of course, it existed in the city a 150 years. Residents have dealt with it. It runs the whole length of the city, so you really couldn't fence off the river. Again, I think we could put up signs on it, but you to put it the whole length of the river in Lawrence and even the surrounding towns where the Merrimac River continues to run.

I think just, you know, telling children, you know, the dangers of the river, with the movie, "Water Underneath." I wouldn't trust the ice at any point no matter how cold it was. I think we should restrict our use of going on the ice, to ponds and things and lakes but not a river as big as Lawrence -- the Merrimac River.

BLITZER: John Romero, the police chief of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Our heart goes out to you, your entire community for this horrible, horrible tragedy. Let's hope it never happens again. Thanks very much for joining us.

ROMERO: I appreciate it. Thank you very much for your concern.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Chief.

When we come back, Sean Penn goes Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN PENN, ACTOR: ... blood on my hands be it the blood of American soldiers or of Iraqis be they military or civilian that to live with myself, I don't want that blood to be invisible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He weighs in against the war. But do celebrity opinions really make a difference when all is said and done? A look back at some of Hollywood's political highs and lows during wartime, but first, a look at other news making headlines around the world.

Angering Arafat -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is trying to distance himself from Osama bin Laden. Arafat told a London newspaper that bin Laden should stop citing the Palestinian cause as a justification for his terror attacks.

Going nowhere -- Venezuelan dissidents stepped up their protest against President Hugo Chavez, blocking roads around Caracas. Chavez supporters showed up to confront them. Police tried to keep the two sides apart.

Fear of fission -- war veterans in South Korea held a rally to protest the reactivation of North Korea's nuclear program. Former President Clinton says his administration made plans to destroy North Korea's nuclear facilities in the early 1990s but the plans were mothballed when North Korea agreed to put its nuclear program on hold.

Festival of faith -- millions of Muslims from scores of countries gathered in Bangladesh to pray for global peace and harmony. The observance is the world's second largest annual Islamic gathering after the Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Hot topic -- Monica Lewinsky may be yesterday's news in America, but she still makes headlines in Italy. Her scheduled appearance on a popular Italian television show was canceled amid my complaints her affair with President Clinton is an inappropriate topic for family TV.

Naked but anonymous -- fraternity members at the University of the Philippines run naked once a year handing roses to women along the way. You can't say they're completely without modesty. They all wear masks to conceal their faces. And that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: From Sean Penn to James Fonda, celebrities during wartime. Are their messages important or self-important? We'll have that and much more on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. We're coming back in one minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight from the Persian Gulf. Celebrities have always had their causes and certainly, war becomes one of them. But do they really make a difference? CNN's Bruce Morton takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Movie actor, Sean Penn in Baghdad with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. Celebrities in war zones, sure. It goes back at least to Jane Fonda cheering the North Vietnamese in Hanoi in 1972. She later apologized to U.S. Vietnam vets, but some are still angry at the woman they called "Hanoi Jane."

In Penn's case, he first took out a full-page newspaper ad criticizing President Bush's Iraq policy. Then went to have a look for himself.

PENN: If there is going to be blood on my hands, be it the blood of American soldiers or of Iraqis, be they military or civilian, that to live with myself, I don't want that blood to be invisible. I want it to have a human face on both sides. And so that is entirely -- the moment the purpose of this trip.

MORTON: Other celebrities, including author, Gore Vidal, and actress, Susan Sarandon took out this ad protesting U.S. policy in Iraq. Vanessa Redgrave has backed many causes, most freedom for a Chechen held in Denmark suspected of involvement in the Moscow theater raid.

VANESSA REDGRAVE, ACTRESS: He's not a rebel. He's an elected leader.

MORTON: Does it make any difference? Probably not in wars. Jane Fonda didn't lengthen or shorten the one in Vietnam. But in causes many. Paul and Heather McCartney got an appointment with Secretary of State Powell -- most of us couldn't -- to talk about land mines.

PAUL MCCARTNEY, MUSICIAN: He expressed his support for Adopt a Minefield.

MORTON: Celebrities like U2's Bono can raise moneys for causes they care about and again, they have access the rest of us lack. Bono at the White House talking about debt forgiveness in the third world.

BONO, U2: I will use that access to make arguments on behalf of people who can't make them.

MORTON: Celebrities have opinions and freedom of speech like everybody else. But if you're rich and famous, your voice may carry further into the rooms where policy is made.

Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And this programming note, later tonight on "CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT," 8:00 p.m. Eastern, you can see that interview with Sean Penn.

When we come back, escape from Cuba in a crop duster. The Cuban government now wants that plane back. So why is it being held up in a bitter divorce settlement? Find out how a simple domestic dispute is turning international politics. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've a breaking story we're following right now, a very important story. Officials at the Marine Recruiting Depot in San Diego fear they have an outbreak of a deadly strep bacteria. Already, it's suspected in the death of one Marine, more than 300 are ill. Let's bring back Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our CNN medical correspondent. He's following this story.

Tell us what's going on, Sanjay. GUPTA: Yes, good evening, Wolf. An 18-year-old private, Michael Zavala, actually dead now at the naval hospital in San Diego. Apparently, he started off with a rash on his ankle and quickly progressed to what they're calling an unusual bacterial event. The doctors spoke out a few moments ago. Let's listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. JAN HULT, MARINE CORPS RECRUITING DEPOT: Yesterday, Private Miguel Zavala noticed he had developed a rash, reported to his drill instructor early yesterday morning. He was medevacked, medically evacuated for medical reasons to our branch medical clinic where he was further medevacked to the hospital at Balboa. And yesterday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., he passed away. The cause of his death has not yet been determined fully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: A very quick sort of progression of events there, Wolf. I don't know if you caught that. About three hours between the time that he actually was being examined for this rash to the point where he actually died.

The thing that they're investigating is actually something called Group A Streptococcus. And this is a fairly infection, although there is an evasive form, which -- of the Group A Streptococcus, which can be very problematic. Wolf, this is the sort of thing that they talk about with the flesh-eating bacteria. There's also a variant that can cause Group A Streptococcus pneumonia, which can also be very serious. Luckily, that's a pretty rare thing. There's less than 10,000 cases at any given time in the United States.

Let's look at some of the early symptoms of Group A Streptococcus, of the particularly severe kind -- the fever, severe pain and swelling, redness at the wound site. That's what we heard Private Miguel Zavala had actually had initially. And then it can actually progress to more severe things -- fever, dizziness, confusion, and a flat red rash really over the entire area of the body.

Wolf, this is something that we've hearing about a lot in the past, the flesh-eating bacteria. No one is saying that this is what that was. But apparently, again, this does appear to be a pretty significant bacterial event.

Now, they haven't confirmed exactly that Group A Streptococcus is what actually led to the demise of Private Zavala. There is another gentleman who is in the intensive care unit with a confirmed case of Group A Streptococcus and 50 other people being treated for bacterial infections. Whether or not this is an outbreak of Group A Strep, they don't know yet. But we should have those answers shortly.

BLITZER: Sanjay Gupta will be following this story, very worrisome story. Thanks very much for that information.

GUPTA: Thank you.

BLITZER: I'm sure our viewers are going to want to get more information as it becomes available and we'll bring it you to right here on CNN.

Let's move on now and talk about something affecting U.S.-Cuban relations. An aging airplane stands at the center of a controversy involving the United States and Cuba. It involves a Cuban defection and questions of international law and a spurned wife. CNN's Mark Potter has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Key West Airport, a Cuban biplane sits on the tarmac, locked up and under seizure. The Russian design (UNINTELLIGIBLE) AN-2 built in the 1960s would normally be used for crop-dusting and cargo hauling. But in early November, eight defectors flew the plane from Cuba to the Florida Keys. Typically, the U.S. government would return the plane to Cuba. That was before Ana Margarita Martinez got involved.

ANA MARGARITA MARTINEZ, PLAINTIFF: To use me for an espionage mission and use my children, that is a crime.

POTTER: In 1995, Martinez married Juan Pablo Rogue who claimed he was a high-ranking Cuban military defector.

FERNANDO ZULUETA, MARTINEZ ATTORNEY: She met Rogue in the most innocent way possible, which was at a church group.

POTTER: Rogue ingratiated himself to the Miami-Cuban exile community and even became a pilot for Brothers To The Rescue, an anti- communist group. But a year after the wedding, Rogue abruptly returned to Havana and denounced Brothers To The Rescue on television. U.S. authorities say he was actually a Cuban spy who married Martinez to establish his cover, then left her behind, devastated.

MARTINEZ: He betrayed me. He deceived me and my children. And he destroyed my life.

POTTER: In Miami, Martinez filed suit against the Cuban government claiming that by duping her, Rogue committed rape. A judge awarded her $27 million, which she will try to collect from Cuban assets frozen in U.S. banks.

After the Cuban biplane arrived in Key West, the same judge ordered it sold at auction to help pay Martinez. At first, U.S. government officials were concerned the sale would violate federal law, but then President Bush signed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act.

MARK WILLIS, MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: At least if you have a judgment against a nation that's defined as terrorist, in this case, Cuba, there is legal authority to attach and sell Cuba's property.

POTTER: While the plane may only be worth up to $20,000, Cuban exiles see the case as an important symbolic victory.

(on camera): The president of Cuba's National Assembly calls the seizure of this aircraft a flagrant violation of the letter and spirit of migratory agreements between Cuba and the United States. The sheriff's auction is scheduled for January 13 and Ana Margarita Martinez says she will be here then, seeking her first payment from the Cuban government.

Mark Potter, CNN, Key West, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: When we come back, we'll have the answer to our "Web Question of The Day." Did Al Gore make the right decision to drop out and not run? We'll have those results immediately when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Ever since I got here into Qatar, I've been watching the sports commercial on television. It's not ESPN, but I love it. It's called Orbit. Listen to this.

All right. That's -- you've got to love this commercial. You're going to watch it multiple times a day. That's all the time we have. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.

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Out of '04 Presidential Race; Tragedy on the River>


Aired December 16, 2002 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: The Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott fighting for his political life. He's giving an interview right now to BET. Our Correspondent Jonathan Karl is inside. He'll come out. He'll tell us what Senator Lott is saying, but first our CNN news alert.
(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: That's our CNN news alert. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.

A lot of trouble, breaking ranks over the majority leader's racially charged remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: Fifty-one Republican United States Senators need to sit down as soon as possible and deal with this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: No Gore in '04.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: And, I'm at peace with that decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Democrats try on their running shoes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I am going to very seriously consider the awesome opportunity that I now have.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I'm extraordinarily encouraged by the support I've been getting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Tragedy on the river.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were just running and sliding on the ice. We told them to get off the ice and they didn't listen to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And stepping into the spotlight, what is it about war that makes the stars come out?

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the Persian Gulf. Reporting from Doha, Qatar, here's Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Thanks very much for joining us, the news dominating the headlines right now, political intrigue in Washington and power realignment. Standing by at this moment with the latest developments in Raleigh, North Carolina, our Jeanne Meserve, she's following the decision of the former vice president Al Gore not to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, and Jonathan Karl.

He's in Washington following the fate of the Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott who, of course, is in deep trouble because of controversial remarks he made only in the past couple of weeks. Jonathan Karl, we're going to begin with you. You're standing by right outside the BET Television studios where Senator Lott is having an interview right now that will air later tonight. Tell us what he's saying, the gist, the thrust of his message, once again.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first Wolf this interview actually took place down in Mobile, Alabama, but I was just able to watch a satellite feed of the interview. It will air at eight o'clock tonight and I can tell you what we saw was an exceptionally contrite Trent Lott, even more so than we have seen in his past efforts to apologize for what he said about Strom Thurmond.

He called his comments about Thurmond and his praise that he gave for Thurmond's 1948 segregationist campaign for president repugnant and also talked and acknowledged that he grew up in the south. It was segregationist, acknowledged that he himself supported segregation growing up in that environment, and called that wicked, called the segregation that he grew up with wicked.

But what was interesting is he talked about how as majority leader he will have the power to do something about the legacy of segregation, and he said this is an opportunity for redemption. This is an opportunity to do something about years of misbehavior, misbehavior not only -- he wasn't necessarily talking about himself but misbehavior that characterized the south that he grew up in.

And, he also was asked an interesting question and I want to read to you this exchange because I thought this was interesting coming from Trent Lott. He was asked: "What about affirmative action?" His answer, very quickly: "I'm for that." "Across the board?" was the question. "Absolutely." And, the interviewer Ed Gordon quickly pointed out that Trent Lott has been on record voting against affirmative action in many forms over the years and Trent Lott said: "My actions don't reflect my voting record."

So, that was an interesting exchange. Trent Lott clearly was trying to make the point throughout this interview that he is poised to use his power as majority leader to demonstrate, to show that he wants to do something to improve race relations in the United States - Wolf.

BLITZER: But, Jon, before I let you go it seems like there are increasing numbers of Republican Senators who are beginning to at least bail, walk away from Trent Lott. How serious of a problem does it appear he has right now?

KARL: Trent Lott has a serious problem and there was a significant development on that today and that is that the Republicans decided that they will come back a day earlier in January before the Congress convenes and convene a conference of the 51 Republican Senators and the item on that agenda will be to decide whether or not they want Trent Lott to continue as their leader.

Trent Lott's in just the beginning of a two-year term as majority leader. This is an extraordinary conference and it shows that there is a feeling, at least among some of his colleagues, that there needs to be a leadership change because this whole controversy has hurt the party so much. January 6 will be the day it appears when those 51 Senators will come together and decide whether or not they're going to stick with Trent Lott.

BLITZER: Jonathan Karl thanks for all that information. Let's get some further analysis now on Senator Lott's troubles. Our CNN Political Analyst Stuart Rothenberg is joining us from Washington. Stuart, based on history can Trent Lott get himself out of this mess and remain the majority leader?

STUART ROTHENBERG, POLITICAL ANALYST: That's going to be very difficult. A week ago, Wolf, it looked to me like this was a bump in the road, possibly a bad bump but nevertheless just a bump. But now, the whole issue has apparently snowballed. There are significant numbers of Republican Senators who wonder whether he can lead the party, be a spokesman for the party, lead with the president's agenda. We'll see over the next couple days whether this appearance on BET will turn things around but it's going to be very, very difficult for the Senator.

BLITZER: It doesn't look, Stu, as if Senator Lott is getting the kind of political backing from the president and the White House that presumably would be critical if he's going to survive this political crisis.

ROTHENBERG: I think you're right. It's one thing to take criticism from the usual Democratic sources, many of them liberal, many of them disinclined to support Trent Lott anyway. The problem he is having is there is considerable criticism on the right from base Republican groups, from members of the Senate, Republican members of the Senate who are saying we can't allow this churning to go on indefinitely. We have to make a decision about our leadership and clearly some of them want a new leader, and the White House has not been as supportive of Senator Lott as I'm sure Senator Lott would have liked. So clearly, the problem is on the Republican side even more than on the Democratic side. It's not surprising that Democrats are critical of Senator Lott. They're scoring political points.

BLITZER: It's surprising that so many Republicans are now beginning to publicly say they need a new leader, Don Nickles being one of them, leading the charge only yesterday but being followed by Senator John Warner of Virginia saying there should be a meeting, Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. There will be this conference meeting on January 6th, but by then it could all be over as far as Senator Lott is concerned given the trends that are out there right now despite his appearance tonight on BET.

ROTHENBERG: Right. Now, of course, it's possible in this meeting in January that Republican Senators will come together and reaffirm their support of him but I think it's more likely when you have a meeting like this, if the situation continues to deteriorate over the next week to ten days, that the writing will be on the wall.

And clearly, the White House and Republican leaders inside the Beltway would much prefer Senator Lott to take the step to remove himself from the Republican leadership than have to put the party and the Republican Senator conference through a vote as to whether or not to dump Senator Lott from the party leadership. That would be the worst situation. I'm sure Republicans inside the Beltway are looking for some out here for the Senator, a graceful way for him to exit from the leadership, although of course there can be no really truly graceful way.

BLITZER: All right, Stuart Rothenberg thanks for that assessment, appreciate it very much. How's all of this playing at Senator Lott's alma mater, the University of Mississippi? Ben Ferguson is a student at the University of Mississippi. He's also 21 years old, one of the youngest radio talk show hosts in the country. He's joining me now live. How is it playing at Senator Lott's alma mater, Ben?

BEN FERGUSON, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, I think a lot of students are disappointed that all this has come out about the Senator and fortunately he's done a great job for his state. He's been reelected several times and he served his people well but it's very hard for somebody, a Senator from the Republican Party to be able to come out and after the fact say I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for these comments when, I think, what he's done and what he said, even at the birthday party in 1980 and before is coming back to haunt him and I think it's his responsibility to step down for the sake of the Republican Party because the Republican Party has done such a good job of reaching out to minority groups over the last several decades and this could tarnish all of the work that we've done.

BLITZER: I know you've been under a lot of pressure to change your opinion. You've suggested that Lott step down. You're getting phone calls from a variety of sources close to Senator Lott. Tell us about that.

FERGUSON: Well, I've gotten different phone calls from different people saying stand up for the Party. Remember where you come from. But in this case, I am standing up for my party, what I feel like the true Republican Party is. We're a group that is inclusive, that is helping minorities and we've reached out and we've, you know, in the past we've made mistakes.

But when you have a point like this where you're in such a defining time in America and in politics, the Republican Party needs to look inclusive and that's what we are, and right now Senator Lott even, you know, I know he's sorry for what he said and I know that things change over time but right now if he's a true statesman and a true Republican, it's his responsibility to this party to step down and say look, I can't lead right now because the American people or some of the American people may not trust me and step down as majority leader and let somebody else take that stance because that's what we've all worked so hard for.

BLITZER: Ben Ferguson thanks for joining us. Good luck to you. There's been another political story we're following, of course, the former Vice President Al Gore's decision not to seek the Democratic presidential nomination once again, our Jeanne Meserve is standing by. Only a couple of hours ago we heard from Al Gore. Jeanne, give us the headlines, tell us what he said.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the former vice president said that he reached his decision on Friday morning after conversations with his family. He said the family members didn't try to nudge him in one direction or another but acted as a sounding board and he said there was no moment of epiphany but rather a slowly donning realization that if he ran again, a rematch with George W. Bush would turn largely into a rehash of the 2000 race. He acknowledged that perhaps the party needed a new face and he expressed absolutely no regrets about his decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORE: I'm excited about the future. Of course, this has been probably the most difficult decision that I've ever made. You can probably guess a lot of the reasons for that, personal, political, and all the rest. But I am completely at peace with the decision. I believe it's the right thing for the country. I believe it's the right thing for the political party that I'm a member of and what I hope that political party will stand for, and I think that it's the right thing for me and my family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Gore's withdrawal throws the door for the Democratic nomination wide open. Gore said it was too early to predict who his withdrawal might benefit and too early to predict who he might endorse in the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GORE: As for whether or not I will endorse one of the other Democratic candidates, I haven't made that decision yet. I have not told any of the candidates for the nomination that I will endorse him. I have not ruled anyone in or ruled anyone out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Gore staffers say this afternoon that he had a conversation this afternoon with Dick Gephardt and he also had a message from Tom Daschle, that of course in addition to conversations he's had with John Edwards and John Kerry, also with Senator Lieberman. Senator Lieberman has expressed some interest in running but has always said he would not run if Al Gore chose to do so. Today, he held a press conference and said he'd be making his final decision in early January.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMAN: As I have said to many of you when you ask me how likely was it that I would run if Al Gore did not run, I said I probably would run if Al Gore doesn't run and that remains the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: As for Al Gore's future, he said he would continue with business ventures. He will continue teaching and continue speaking out. He says he will remain active in politics. He was very relaxed and funny today. Asked if he was ready to write his political epitaph he said no, no, no, too early for that, and when talking about his endorsement, he said you know it's very important, he said I can influence my family's vote and I know better than anyone how important a half dozen or so votes can be in a presidential election, a reference of course to his close loss to George W. Bush in 2000, Wolf back to you.

BLITZER: He's on 54 years old so there's a lot of time, a lot of time for us to be hearing from Al Gore. Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much for that report. And, here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: Did Al Gore make the right call not to run? We'll have the results later in this program. Vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

It's one of the most popular herbal cold remedies out there but is it really reliable, does it really work? New research shows that Echinacea may not necessarily work at all. We'll help separate fact from fiction, breaking news when we return. Plus, tragedy on thin ice, four young boys and the incredible effort that failed to save them, the story from one of the rescuers.

And, C-section nation, is money or good health driving up surgeries in the labor room, more on that, but first today's news quiz. Which state had the lowest infant mortality rate in the nation during 2001, Utah, Oregon, New Hampshire, Massachusetts? The answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked: Which state has the lowest infant mortality rate in the nation? The answer, New Hampshire, with only 4.4 deaths per 1,000. Washington, D.C. had the highest infant mortality rate.

Welcome back. Coming up, we'll have an in-depth report on why so many women are now going for a C-section. Our Elizabeth Cohen is standing by with that but first other medical news making headlines right now. There's a new study on the effectiveness or lack thereof of a popular cold remedy. Our Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has information on this breaking medical news -- Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Wolf. Well, Echinacea, a very popular herbal supplement, about $300 million worth. Incidentally, the herbal supplement industry is about a $4 billion industry a year, so Echinacea supposedly can ward off, may prevent, possibly even treat colds. There has been some studies that have shown that in the past.

Now, there's a new study, a very good study, out of the University of Wisconsin where they looked at college students. They divided them into two groups, very simple. Seventy-five students who got the Echinacea, 75 who didn't, they were actually the capsule form of the Echinacea and they found that if the students already had a little bit of a sore throat, a little bit of a stuffy nose there was absolutely no difference, in fact, maybe even a little bit longer period of cold in those who took the Echinacea as opposed to those who just took a placebo that really was just simply a sugar pill.

So, what the study is basically looking at, trying to figure out, answer the question that's really on a lot of people's minds in the herbal supplement industry, does Echinacea actually prevent or treat colds. The conclusion of these researchers, from Wisconsin at least, is no it doesn't help, probably doesn't hurt, but certainly doesn't seem to help -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Aren't there some other studies, though, that show that Echinacea does indeed have some effectiveness?

GUPTA: That's right and you know there's been a couple of studies out of Germany. There was a study out of Pennsylvania not too long ago as well. So, this is just another study to throw into the mix. But let me point out a couple of things, Wolf. First of all, when you're talking about Echinacea that is a root of a type of plant and there's 200 different varieties of that type of plant just in the Midwestern United States alone. So, some people say it's really specific as to which specific roots you pick. If you get the high quality roots, the better roots, it may have more effectiveness.

Number two, the studies have seemed to show some benefit with people who actually drank Echinacea tea. They had four to five cups when they felt cold symptoms coming on and then a cup of Echinacea tea every day that they felt that they still had symptoms. So, that was a little different than the capsular form as well. So, those two things might provide a little bit of different but as I said, Wolf, the average duration of a cold is six days. It didn't change at all with these college students, six days with the Echinacea about and six days without it.

BLITZER: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta thanks for that helpful information. We're also following another medical story right now. Nearly one out of every four babies born in the United States is now delivered by C-section, cesarean section. That has some health experts concerned. Our Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is looking into this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The statistics are clear, more babies are being delivered by C-section in the United States. In 2000, 22.9 percent; in 2001, 24.4 percent were delivered by C-section an increase of 7 percent in just one year.

What's not clear is whether this is good or bad for mothers and their babies. C-sections are major surgery and riskier than vaginal births and some doctors say that too many are done unnecessarily. Other physicians say it's not so bad. They say C-sections save babies' lives and mothers' lives and there's a reason why the rates are up year to year.

One reason, women today are older when they give birth. Older mothers have more complications, like multiple births, that sometimes make C-sections necessary. Another reason, more doctors are unwilling to vaginally deliver babies who are breach; and third, there's more evidence that after a woman has one baby by cesarean section it may be safer to have the next baby that was too.

Many doctors say statistics about national C-section rates are not the point. They say a decision about how to deliver a baby varies from case to case, a decision best left up to each individual doctor's judgment, taking into account the wishes of each individual mother.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Also on the health beat, there's a new study released by the U.S. government showing that teenagers are moving away from cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. The survey shows this, that among eighth and tenth graders, illegal drug use has fallen to its lowest level since the mid 1990s. It also suggests that the smoking rate has been cut in half since 1996 and it shows a decline since 1996 in the percentage of eighth grade drinkers.

On the edge of war of possible war with Iraq, is the United States that close to a war with Iraq? Colin Powell weighs in on the Iraqi weapons report. Plus, best friends torn apart by a tragedy on ice, the dramatic rescue that broke a small town's heart, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We said at the very beginning that we approached it with skepticism and the information I've received so far is that that skepticism was well founded. There are problems with the declaration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That's Secretary of State Colin Powell speaking today about Iraq's mammoth weapons declaration. Welcome back to our special coverage. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from the Persian Gulf.

The Secretary of State became the first top U.S. administration official to say openly that that 12,000 page Iraqi document may not be good enough. Powell says the concerns are being shared with U.N. monitoring agencies but adds the United States won't issue a final judgment before the end of this week.

In London today, the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged U.N. members to give inspectors a chance to do their jobs before making a decision on Iraqi compliance. He met with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair who backs President Bush's tough stance toward Iraq. Un- swayed, President al-Assad warned that anyone seeking war against Iraq as a goal in itself is "psychologically ill."

The government meanwhile here in Qatar takes a decidedly pro-U.S. stance, providing American forces with possible bases in case, in case there's a war against Iraq but the news media's position here is decidedly less pro-American.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): If you flip through the TV channels here in the small but strategically placed Persian Gulf state, you get to see the wide range of Arab media, spanning from Morocco across North Africa to Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, to Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states.

There are the staple images, Israelis beating Palestinians, Muslim leaders preaching, and lots of entertainment programs including heart-wrenching dramas and sports. The state run television stations always play up their leaders, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, and King Abdullah in Jordan.

BLITZER (on camera): And then there's Al-Jazeera based here in Qatar. This satellite channel has a wide reach in the Arab world and an increasingly influential voice.

MOHAMMED SAFI, AL-JAZEERA: I think that we have a big margin of freedom to report whatever in news that we have putting in to effect that we know that it is true and I mean it is authentic.

BLITZER (voice-over): But in the process, Al-Jazeera is accused of an anti-American bias in part because it's become the venue of choice for airing al Qaeda statements, which Al-Jazeera often airs in full. There was also this angry exchange in Qatar last week when U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was questioned by an Al-Jazeera reporter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The U.S. is determined on waging war against Iraq regardless of the outcome of U.N. weapons inspectors reports.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Who said that? I certainly didn't say that. How could you even ask that question when it was the Iraqi regime that ignored 16 resolutions of the United Nations over a period of many, many years?

BLITZER: Rumsfeld staff later canceled a formal sit down interview he had planned to give Al-Jazeera the next day. There's a paradox surrounding Al-Jazeera and it's purported anti-American message. It was established then and funded by the government of Qatar, which may be the most pro-American in the region.

SHEIKH HAMAD BIN JASSIM, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER: Yes, we are financing Al-Jazeera as a government partially and Al-Jazeera is part of what we see as a free press in Qatar. I can not support all what Al-Jazeera said because some of the programs I think need to be corrected.

BLITZER: Corrected or not, Al-Jazeera has become a fact of life in the Arab world, one that directly affects the U.S. image here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Dramatic rescue on thin ice. When we come back, meet the man who tried everything in his power to save the lives of four young boys, the story of best friends changed forever.

Plus, Hollywood and war, Sean Penn goes to Baghdad. But first, in case you were out and about this weekend, here's our "Weekend Snapshot."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Another sick cruise, this time a Carnival ship sailing out of New Orleans. It returned from the Caribbean Sunday with more than 200 passengers complaining of stomach problems.

Crews fumigated Washington's Brentwood postal facility in an effort to wipe out any remaining anthrax spores. The giant processing center has been closed since last year's anthrax attacks. It could reopen in the spring.

Out of the D.C. birds, a spectacular ending for the old Capital Center, more recently called U.S. Airways Arena. Demolition experts used 400 pounds of dynamite to bring down the 29-year-old landmark in less than 20 seconds.

Desperate efforts to save a snowboarder near Lake Tahoe failed. The 25-year-old man got caught in an avalanche and was buried for almost four hours. He had been boarding in an out of bounds area. College football's Heisman trophy is heading back to the West Coast for the first time in 21 years. USC quarterback Carson Palmer took the prize. He says his heart nearly came out of his shirt when his name was called.

And no winner again in Saturday's Powerball lottery. Happy holidays are in store for whoever wins Wednesday's drawing worth an estimated $160 million, and that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, a dramatic rescue on the ice. Meet a man who tried desperately who tried to save four young boys. We'll have that.

Back now to that tragedy in Massachusetts. There is growing sense of anger and fear as a result of what happened there over the weekend in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Four young boys drowned over the weekend when they fell through the ice on the frigid Merrimac River. CNN's Boston bureau chief, Bill Delaney, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL DELANEY, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): What drew Eusemio Rodriguez to the Merrimac River, he didn't know exactly, he said. Just to beware, his 11-year-old son, William, the youngest of seven drowned Saturday.

"Now," he said, "Christmas will not come for us because we've lost our baby."

A loss resounding through the working class old mill town of Lawrence, Massachusetts, four children in all. William Rodriguez, Victor Baez (ph), 9, McKendy Constant (ph), 8, Christopher Kasado (ph), 7. On a day torrential rain weakened already thin ice, rescuers struggling desperately in frigid eight-foot deep water, 20 feet from shore, did manage to save three other children.

(on camera): Differing accounts of just what happened here. Some who live near the river in published reports say they saw the boys fooling around on the ice. But the boys' families and surviving boys, too, say the oldest child, 11-year-old William Rodriguez, either purposefully or accidentally slid on to the ice, broke through it and then the other boys died trying to save him.

Nine-year-old Frances Spraus recounted trying to get to William Rodriguez.

FRANCES SPRAUS, SURVIVOR: It was me, Ivan and Christopher and Victor, we went after him and then we -- he took off a jacket. And then we did a human chain, but it turned out that the ice was about to give away. The ice fell down and then, all of us, we fall down in the water.

DELANEY: A woman said her 15-year-old daughter last saw the boys.

DONNA HICKS, RESIDENT: One boy said, "Let's go on the river." And the other one said no. He kept running and they all ran after him. But she was last one to see him run up the street. I know I don't think it's going to be the same around here for a while.

DELANEY: In his anguish for his child, Eusemio Rodriguez pleaded for other children, calling for a protective barrier to block off the river, tragedy because of the innocent exuberance of little boys and because it seems of their courage trying to save a friend.

Bill Delaney, CNN, Lawrence, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: John Romero is the police chief of Lawrence, Massachusetts. He's joining us now live.

Chief, thanks for joining us. What did you see when you first got to the scene of this horrible, horrible tragedy?

CHIEF JOHN ROMERO, LAWRENCE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, this was a terrible tragedy and I saw police, fire, and emergency personnel working at the site and trying to save lives and looking for more people that may have been under the water.

BLITZER: How much in danger were the actual rescue workers who got to the scene?

ROMERO: Well, it was very dangerous. It was getting dark already. The ice was very thin so we basically -- the first police officers arrived on the scene basically went out into the ice to save the two boys that were actually visible to them. As they brought the boys in from the -- tried to bring them in from the ice, the ice broke and the -- actually, the officers were thrown into the water. However they were able to make it to shore with the two boys.

At that point, the fire department arrived on the scene, without regard again, as the police officers, went right out into the water. And they were able to retrieve the four individuals who had been submerged and they were taken to the hospital right away.

BLITZER: Given the temperature of that water, assuming it wasn't that deep, it presumably deeper than the little boys themselves, how much time did they actually have before they could have been rescued?

ROMERO: Well, it appears as the boys may have been under water as long as 30 minutes. The depth of the water there was 10 feet. The Merrimac River is a very deep river right off from the shoreline. So they were -- they only waded about 20 to 25 feet when the ice broke but that was in eight to 10 feet of water.

BLITZER: Is there any way, looking back now, how this tragedy could have been prevented, Chief?

ROMERO: In Lawrence, Massachusetts, the river runs right through the heart of the city, dividing the north and south. It's more than two miles long in Lawrence and it runs in other towns and cities along the Lawrence borders.

I think a public awareness. I believe the boys just didn't realize the danger they were in. I think we need to educate whether at the school level, maybe with the media, just the dangers of being on the ice, especially in a river. This isn't a pond that's three feet deep. This is a river and in some places, it's 60 feet deep. So quite frankly, it's a dangerous situation. We need do an educational program to tell people to be very careful. Really, quite frankly, we shouldn't be on the river at all. That's the message we should be sending out.

BLITZER: But beyond education, Chief, are there any physical barriers, fences or anything like that, big signs that you need to put up to warn these young kids and others not to go on that ice?

ROMERO: The river has been there -- of course, it existed in the city a 150 years. Residents have dealt with it. It runs the whole length of the city, so you really couldn't fence off the river. Again, I think we could put up signs on it, but you to put it the whole length of the river in Lawrence and even the surrounding towns where the Merrimac River continues to run.

I think just, you know, telling children, you know, the dangers of the river, with the movie, "Water Underneath." I wouldn't trust the ice at any point no matter how cold it was. I think we should restrict our use of going on the ice, to ponds and things and lakes but not a river as big as Lawrence -- the Merrimac River.

BLITZER: John Romero, the police chief of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Our heart goes out to you, your entire community for this horrible, horrible tragedy. Let's hope it never happens again. Thanks very much for joining us.

ROMERO: I appreciate it. Thank you very much for your concern.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Chief.

When we come back, Sean Penn goes Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN PENN, ACTOR: ... blood on my hands be it the blood of American soldiers or of Iraqis be they military or civilian that to live with myself, I don't want that blood to be invisible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He weighs in against the war. But do celebrity opinions really make a difference when all is said and done? A look back at some of Hollywood's political highs and lows during wartime, but first, a look at other news making headlines around the world.

Angering Arafat -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is trying to distance himself from Osama bin Laden. Arafat told a London newspaper that bin Laden should stop citing the Palestinian cause as a justification for his terror attacks.

Going nowhere -- Venezuelan dissidents stepped up their protest against President Hugo Chavez, blocking roads around Caracas. Chavez supporters showed up to confront them. Police tried to keep the two sides apart.

Fear of fission -- war veterans in South Korea held a rally to protest the reactivation of North Korea's nuclear program. Former President Clinton says his administration made plans to destroy North Korea's nuclear facilities in the early 1990s but the plans were mothballed when North Korea agreed to put its nuclear program on hold.

Festival of faith -- millions of Muslims from scores of countries gathered in Bangladesh to pray for global peace and harmony. The observance is the world's second largest annual Islamic gathering after the Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Hot topic -- Monica Lewinsky may be yesterday's news in America, but she still makes headlines in Italy. Her scheduled appearance on a popular Italian television show was canceled amid my complaints her affair with President Clinton is an inappropriate topic for family TV.

Naked but anonymous -- fraternity members at the University of the Philippines run naked once a year handing roses to women along the way. You can't say they're completely without modesty. They all wear masks to conceal their faces. And that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: From Sean Penn to James Fonda, celebrities during wartime. Are their messages important or self-important? We'll have that and much more on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. We're coming back in one minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight from the Persian Gulf. Celebrities have always had their causes and certainly, war becomes one of them. But do they really make a difference? CNN's Bruce Morton takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Movie actor, Sean Penn in Baghdad with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. Celebrities in war zones, sure. It goes back at least to Jane Fonda cheering the North Vietnamese in Hanoi in 1972. She later apologized to U.S. Vietnam vets, but some are still angry at the woman they called "Hanoi Jane."

In Penn's case, he first took out a full-page newspaper ad criticizing President Bush's Iraq policy. Then went to have a look for himself.

PENN: If there is going to be blood on my hands, be it the blood of American soldiers or of Iraqis, be they military or civilian, that to live with myself, I don't want that blood to be invisible. I want it to have a human face on both sides. And so that is entirely -- the moment the purpose of this trip.

MORTON: Other celebrities, including author, Gore Vidal, and actress, Susan Sarandon took out this ad protesting U.S. policy in Iraq. Vanessa Redgrave has backed many causes, most freedom for a Chechen held in Denmark suspected of involvement in the Moscow theater raid.

VANESSA REDGRAVE, ACTRESS: He's not a rebel. He's an elected leader.

MORTON: Does it make any difference? Probably not in wars. Jane Fonda didn't lengthen or shorten the one in Vietnam. But in causes many. Paul and Heather McCartney got an appointment with Secretary of State Powell -- most of us couldn't -- to talk about land mines.

PAUL MCCARTNEY, MUSICIAN: He expressed his support for Adopt a Minefield.

MORTON: Celebrities like U2's Bono can raise moneys for causes they care about and again, they have access the rest of us lack. Bono at the White House talking about debt forgiveness in the third world.

BONO, U2: I will use that access to make arguments on behalf of people who can't make them.

MORTON: Celebrities have opinions and freedom of speech like everybody else. But if you're rich and famous, your voice may carry further into the rooms where policy is made.

Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And this programming note, later tonight on "CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT," 8:00 p.m. Eastern, you can see that interview with Sean Penn.

When we come back, escape from Cuba in a crop duster. The Cuban government now wants that plane back. So why is it being held up in a bitter divorce settlement? Find out how a simple domestic dispute is turning international politics. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We've a breaking story we're following right now, a very important story. Officials at the Marine Recruiting Depot in San Diego fear they have an outbreak of a deadly strep bacteria. Already, it's suspected in the death of one Marine, more than 300 are ill. Let's bring back Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our CNN medical correspondent. He's following this story.

Tell us what's going on, Sanjay. GUPTA: Yes, good evening, Wolf. An 18-year-old private, Michael Zavala, actually dead now at the naval hospital in San Diego. Apparently, he started off with a rash on his ankle and quickly progressed to what they're calling an unusual bacterial event. The doctors spoke out a few moments ago. Let's listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. JAN HULT, MARINE CORPS RECRUITING DEPOT: Yesterday, Private Miguel Zavala noticed he had developed a rash, reported to his drill instructor early yesterday morning. He was medevacked, medically evacuated for medical reasons to our branch medical clinic where he was further medevacked to the hospital at Balboa. And yesterday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., he passed away. The cause of his death has not yet been determined fully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: A very quick sort of progression of events there, Wolf. I don't know if you caught that. About three hours between the time that he actually was being examined for this rash to the point where he actually died.

The thing that they're investigating is actually something called Group A Streptococcus. And this is a fairly infection, although there is an evasive form, which -- of the Group A Streptococcus, which can be very problematic. Wolf, this is the sort of thing that they talk about with the flesh-eating bacteria. There's also a variant that can cause Group A Streptococcus pneumonia, which can also be very serious. Luckily, that's a pretty rare thing. There's less than 10,000 cases at any given time in the United States.

Let's look at some of the early symptoms of Group A Streptococcus, of the particularly severe kind -- the fever, severe pain and swelling, redness at the wound site. That's what we heard Private Miguel Zavala had actually had initially. And then it can actually progress to more severe things -- fever, dizziness, confusion, and a flat red rash really over the entire area of the body.

Wolf, this is something that we've hearing about a lot in the past, the flesh-eating bacteria. No one is saying that this is what that was. But apparently, again, this does appear to be a pretty significant bacterial event.

Now, they haven't confirmed exactly that Group A Streptococcus is what actually led to the demise of Private Zavala. There is another gentleman who is in the intensive care unit with a confirmed case of Group A Streptococcus and 50 other people being treated for bacterial infections. Whether or not this is an outbreak of Group A Strep, they don't know yet. But we should have those answers shortly.

BLITZER: Sanjay Gupta will be following this story, very worrisome story. Thanks very much for that information.

GUPTA: Thank you.

BLITZER: I'm sure our viewers are going to want to get more information as it becomes available and we'll bring it you to right here on CNN.

Let's move on now and talk about something affecting U.S.-Cuban relations. An aging airplane stands at the center of a controversy involving the United States and Cuba. It involves a Cuban defection and questions of international law and a spurned wife. CNN's Mark Potter has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Key West Airport, a Cuban biplane sits on the tarmac, locked up and under seizure. The Russian design (UNINTELLIGIBLE) AN-2 built in the 1960s would normally be used for crop-dusting and cargo hauling. But in early November, eight defectors flew the plane from Cuba to the Florida Keys. Typically, the U.S. government would return the plane to Cuba. That was before Ana Margarita Martinez got involved.

ANA MARGARITA MARTINEZ, PLAINTIFF: To use me for an espionage mission and use my children, that is a crime.

POTTER: In 1995, Martinez married Juan Pablo Rogue who claimed he was a high-ranking Cuban military defector.

FERNANDO ZULUETA, MARTINEZ ATTORNEY: She met Rogue in the most innocent way possible, which was at a church group.

POTTER: Rogue ingratiated himself to the Miami-Cuban exile community and even became a pilot for Brothers To The Rescue, an anti- communist group. But a year after the wedding, Rogue abruptly returned to Havana and denounced Brothers To The Rescue on television. U.S. authorities say he was actually a Cuban spy who married Martinez to establish his cover, then left her behind, devastated.

MARTINEZ: He betrayed me. He deceived me and my children. And he destroyed my life.

POTTER: In Miami, Martinez filed suit against the Cuban government claiming that by duping her, Rogue committed rape. A judge awarded her $27 million, which she will try to collect from Cuban assets frozen in U.S. banks.

After the Cuban biplane arrived in Key West, the same judge ordered it sold at auction to help pay Martinez. At first, U.S. government officials were concerned the sale would violate federal law, but then President Bush signed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act.

MARK WILLIS, MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: At least if you have a judgment against a nation that's defined as terrorist, in this case, Cuba, there is legal authority to attach and sell Cuba's property.

POTTER: While the plane may only be worth up to $20,000, Cuban exiles see the case as an important symbolic victory.

(on camera): The president of Cuba's National Assembly calls the seizure of this aircraft a flagrant violation of the letter and spirit of migratory agreements between Cuba and the United States. The sheriff's auction is scheduled for January 13 and Ana Margarita Martinez says she will be here then, seeking her first payment from the Cuban government.

Mark Potter, CNN, Key West, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: When we come back, we'll have the answer to our "Web Question of The Day." Did Al Gore make the right decision to drop out and not run? We'll have those results immediately when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Ever since I got here into Qatar, I've been watching the sports commercial on television. It's not ESPN, but I love it. It's called Orbit. Listen to this.

All right. That's -- you've got to love this commercial. You're going to watch it multiple times a day. That's all the time we have. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next.

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Out of '04 Presidential Race; Tragedy on the River>