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CNN Live Saturday

Continuing Saga of Baby Noor; Flodding in Northern California

Aired December 31, 2005 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Heavy rain, mud slides and flooding -- Northern California's struggle with bad weather. We are going to be live in Napa and around the Bay Area.
Also ahead, just in the last hour, she made it to the United States. Baby Noor arrives in Atlanta to receive life-saving surgery.

And Happy New Year. New York gets ready to welcome 2006 and our correspondents are at Times Square.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

I'm Carol Lin.

All that and more after this quick check of the headlines.

The year is ending with more violence in Iraq. A U.S. soldier was killed today in a mortar attack in southern Baghdad. And that brings the 2005 U.S. death toll in Iraq to 800 -- 2,844.

Now, police are investigating the deaths of three hurricane Katrina evacuees in Grapevine, Texas. The family was about to be evicted from their apartment. Police say the shooting appears to be a double murder/suicide.

And it's already 2006 in some parts of the world. Many Russians ring in the new year in Moscow's Red Square. We are going to have a round-up of celebrations coming up a little later in this program.

Right now, we want to go to our top story, saving Baby Noor. The little girl who captured the hearts of U.S. troops has ended a big journey from Iraq to Atlanta. But now the real mission begins -- getting the child treatment for a potentially deadly birth defect.

CNN's Christopher King is at Atlanta Hartsfield International -- Jackson International Airport right now with the latest on that -- Christopher, did you get a chance to see the little baby?

CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We got a chance to see the little baby, a very cute little baby. She's on her way to the hospital right now. Doctors at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta want to evaluate her.

She arrived here in Atlanta not too long ago. She's here with her grandmother and her father. They met with the host family they'll be staying with a little while ago. Now Noor has spina bifida, a life-threatening disease. Doctors in Iraq had only given her 45 days to live. But she's well past that. She's three months old now. Doctors say they can save the little girl and they give her a good chance of survival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROGER HUDGINS, CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA: My hope is that this child will, number one, be intellectually and cognitively normal. I think that almost certainly there will be some catch-up that has to take place once we get through just the first medical part of this.

But our goal, just, as Rose Emily said, is not just to close the back and not just to put in a shunt and do this, that and the other, but is to care for the child in totality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: An ambulance took Noor to the hospital. They're going to examine her, the doctors will, that is. They'll determine when she can have surgery and if she's capable enough to undergo the operation -- Carol.

LIN: All right, so when is that operation going to be?

KING: Well, right now it's tentatively scheduled for January 9th, but that could all change, because, of course, they have to see whether she can under -- whether she can withstand the surgery, whether she's stable enough and healthy enough to undergo surgery.

LIN: Ah, sweet pictures that we're sharing with our audience right now, Christopher, of the soldiers kissing this little girl before she makes this big journey to the United States.

It's exciting times for that family, I know. A life-saving operation.

Christopher, thank you.

In the meantime, we want to bring you the latest developing story.

A powerful storm is making for a wet and dangerous New Year's Eve in California.

A woman had to be rescued early today after a wall of mud came crashing into her home in Santa Rosa. It took firefighters about an hour to free her. She suffered a broken leg.

Now, earlier today, an elderly woman also had to be rescued from her car in flooded Marin County. Right now, the situation is urgent in Napa County, the heart of California's wine country.

CNN's Kareen Wynter is there right now -- Kareen, it looks like sunny skies behind you. KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the weather out here is absolutely beautiful, and that's what makes it so dangerous, because all around me are curious spectators with their camcorders in their hands. And people need to be evacuating this area right now, and that's not what we're seeing.

Another problem, behind me, while this is a main drag here, one of them in town, leading to a bridge, you can't go anywhere with all of the floodwaters around the area. The currents just keep bringing it closer and closer to where we are. And off into the distance, we've been seeing people repeatedly trying to get around by boat. So it's a very, very tricky, difficult situation out here.

There have been a number of rescues across the region to the east, about an hour of where we are, in Sacramento, a daring rescue. A helicopter rescue involving a woman who was stuck in a truck. She apparently tried to go off the swift and moving water, tried to maneuver her way through it and got stuck.

Also, to the west, in Marin County, early this morning, well, an elderly woman found herself also in a very dangerous situation. She was stuck in her car for about 90 minutes as she tried to wade through floodwaters there and had to eventually be rescued by a swift water team. She was pulled through the roof of her vehicle. So it gives you an idea of what's going on all around us.

Right now, Carol, we're keeping an eye on the area to our right, because that's where the current seems to be the strongest. There are homes just right along here and many people have evacuated. But also still a healthy number, according to the city, of people who just refuse to evacuate. In fact, they have been wading around, walking in this water. It's very dangerous. There's a lot of debris in there. The current still quite strong.

And a few hours ago, it was deceiving, as well. We thought that the water here was receding, only to find out that that strong current I keep telling you about that keeps coming from upstream, bringing the water downstream while it keeps making those water levels a lot higher out here.

The next couple hours are going to be quite telling, as well, because that's when the flood stage in that area is expected to peak, perhaps five to five-and-a-half feet above that 25-foot warning level -- Carol.

LIN: Kareen, what is that supposed to be behind you? Is that normally a street?

WYNTER: It really is. We'll give you another vantage point here. Again, we're just right along a bridge here. And this is the main drag here, one of them, leading into town. And usually this area is quite populated, a lot of traffic, people going back and forth. And quite obviously, now, in fact, there are some cars in the background. Carol, they're just stuck there. It's apparent that they may have been trying to wade through this water and just shut down. So people are forced to try to get around by boat now. It's extremely dangerous out here.

In fact, where we're standing on this bridge, Carol, we saw a few people walking in this water. And we can't emphasize enough, according to the city, they're extremely concerned. It's a voluntary evacuation order. But even with the mandatory ones, they can't physically force people to leave. And the situation is going to be completely different again in a couple hours from now. And we're hoping that they heed those warnings.

LIN: All right, thanks very much, Kareen.

Great perspective there.

Let's go to the CNN Weather Center and talk with meteorologist Monica McNeal -- Monica, blue skies behind Kareen Wynter up there in Napa and yet she says it's still a dangerous situation.

So when are the clouds going to move back in?

MONICA MCNEAL, METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know what? Late -- we're expecting that activity to move back in later on. She's right in between a cell. As you notice, as we take a look at our radar, you can certainly see just south of the Sacramento area. That's where the little Napa Valley area is and that's why things are relatively quiet. They're getting a dry slot. A pocket of drier air is moving in. And that's why we're seeing the sun shine.

But, Carol, we do have another storm system that's right behind this system that's going to be moving in. And this is just a series of storms. The ground is already saturated from storms that we got earlier in the week.

As you take a look across Northern California, you can see the rotation of this upper level low that's still hammering parts of Eureka, where some of those areas got a little over six inches of rainfall.

Now, most of the heaviest rain now has really started to penetrate parts of southern California, right around the Los Angeles area. You're seeing some heavy rainfall moving into your neck of the woods, right around Huntington Beach and also into parts of Oceanside. So be on the lookout for some of that heavy rain.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: All right, so what's on the agenda for the president in the new year?

Well, we're going to take a look ahead.

And, also, we are going to get an update on the weather conditions in Northern California, because we're going to check in again with Kareen Wynter. You saw from Monica's map the clouds are moving back in. And high water rescues there going on. We're in a developing story in Northern California.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Partiers are already saying Happy New Year around the world.

Tokyo rung in the new year literally with a giant bell.

And revelers in Hong Kong celebrated with a brilliant display of fireworks, as did thousands of people in mainland China and Taiwan.

Dancers were on stage at the stroke of midnight in India.

Sydney, Australia celebrated with red lights and fireworks at the city's famous harbor.

now, here, well, the new year is approaching fast.

Standing by live for us in new year for the big celebration, CNN's Jason Carroll and, also, CNN's Erica Hill -- Jason, let's start with you.

Where are you right now?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm a little further up the block from where Erica is. She's further down in Times Square. I'm just like several blocks up here.

But, look, I still have a number of people up here who are waiting to get down to where Erica is. So they'll be joining her. Erica, that's what you have to look forward to in just a little bit.

We're just now about an hour away from the ball being raised. And, of course, you know, the ball will be dropped during the magical hour.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is going to be doing that. A lot of people are going to be looking forward to that actual moment.

Before that happens, though, you're going other hear performances from Mariah Carey. Mary J. Blige is going to be up there. She's going to be doing her thing. So a lot of people looking forward to that.

Of course, the city wants everyone to have a good time. But they're also thinking about security. That's also a major priority for them that's out here. One thousand -- more than -- thousands of police officers are going to be out on the streets. The city's counter-terrorism unit, they're going to be out there patrolling, as well, on the rooftops, in the subways, out on the streets, as well. So that's going to be happening.

Also, many of these people who are out here need to know that when they actually get down into Times Square, their bags are probably going to be searched, when they get down to Erica.

A hundred and twenty million people are expected to be tuned in today. Hopefully a lot of them will be tuning in to watch Erica, who's down there -- Erica, what's going on?

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we hope they will be tuning in, absolutely, Jason, for CNN's coverage.

Thanks.

It is an incredible view from up here. I've never been up this high. As Jason mentioned, I'm a couple of blocks away from where he is. And if I turn around, it is just a sea of people. It's one thing to be down in it and to really see it and start to, you know, people are going like this. But when you look at it from on top, it's amazing.

As Jason mentioned, 120 million people could be watching this, will also hear. We have hundreds of thousands of people flocking to Times Square. It is a little chilly. There's a little bit of rain. It was snow, now it's rain. But that is not stopping anybody. So much excitement, so much energy here in Times Square, Carol. It's really going to be a great night.

As Jason mentioned, some incredible acts lined up. Some incredible acts also lined up on CNN's coverage, which begins, of course, at 11:00 tonight.

We're going to bring you the John Mayer Trio, James Brown. What's a new year without James Brown? We've got the Barenaked Ladies. It is just an incredible lineup. And, really, a lot of excitement here. People starting to get pumped. We're starting to hear a little bit more noise from the crowd as they move in, as they get packed in like a can of sardines. And they couldn't be happier about it -- Carol.

LIN: I bet.

It's going to be a big night.

Hey, Jason Carroll, back on the other side of Times Square...

CARROLL: Yes?

LIN: So you're saying security is going to be really tight tonight, though, right?

CARROLL: Oh, yes, absolutely. Without question. It is every year. And like Erica, I've been down there in Times Square. It's not -- you always see a heavy police presence.

I interviewed Police Commissioner Ray Kelly a little earlier today. You know, he makes this point, and I think it's an important point. New York City is accustomed to dealing with large scale events, whether it be the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or Times Square. So they're used to dealing with a lot of people in a confined area. He says this year is no exception.

LIN: All right, thanks very much, Jason Carroll and Erica Hill.

CARROLL: All right.

LIN: You guys have a great time tonight, OK?

CARROLL: Absolutely.

LIN: We'll be talking throughout the night.

Now, wherever you are tonight, we are counting on you being with us.

Anderson Cooper is going to host CNN's New Year's Eve coverage live from Times Square, along with Jason and Erica, beginning at 11:00 p.m. Eastern. So please join us for that.

And, also, here's something new. We are inviting everybody to show us how you're celebrating the New Year's Eve. You can e-mail your images to newyears@cnn.com. Send us video, send us stills, whichever you like.

And for all the details, please visit cnn.com/newyears.

All right, we have been covering the California flooding. It is a serious situation. You saw blue skies in Napa, where Kareen Wynter has been reporting from.

But as you can see, the streets are incredibly flooded and the water is still rising and another storm is on the way.

So with me on the telephone right now is Doug Williams.

Doug, where are you?

DOUG WILLIAMS, RINCON VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT: I'm in Santa Rosa, California.

LIN: All right.

The situation there, please?

WILLIAMS: Well, we are seeing a little bit of a break in the weather right now, which is encouraging for a lot of the folks. Of course, the river itself is expected to continue to rise pretty significantly and so we're in the emergency operations center right now preparing for that inevitability.

Also, I think we've got a couple of incidents that we're working around the county that probably have some fair significance to them. One of them being a problem with the regional sewage treatment plant in the southern...

LIN: Well, be more direct.

What do you mean a problem? What's happening?

WILLIAMS: Oh, OK. There is a -- there is some electrical equipment down there that is threatened to be overcome by the floodwaters. And that electrical equipment, we're told, is very, very expensive. So they're committing a large number of resources to try to mitigate that.

LIN: Doug, we're watching on our screen several dramatic rescues.

Have you been involved in any of those?

WILLIAMS: Well, I haven't directly. There's been a lot of crews in a lot of areas doing these things. This has been a constant thing for the last several hours all around our county.

LIN: Our reporter up in Napa says that because there are blue skies out there, it looks like the storm is over and that the trouble is now starting to recede. But we're also hearing that waters are continuing to rise.

What do you want to tell people who are going out now with their camcorders and their cameras, taking pictures?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think I want to encourage folks to be very, very careful. I wouldn't actually recommend any unnecessary travel at this point, especially near anything that has water over a road. Every time that, you know, you think that it's safe to go through and it's, you know, it turns out that you can't make it. It ties up the rescue resources and so forth.

LIN: All right...

WILLIAMS: So we would just really encourage people to be very, very careful about their actions.

LIN: Right. The water may only look like it's an inch deep, but it could get a lot deeper and it could happen very quickly.

Doug Williams, thank you very much.

WILLIAMS: You're welcome.

LIN: Doug Williams is with the Rincon Valley Fire Department.

All right, what do you think? Was 2005 a boring year politically? Nope, not at all. Just ask the politicians heading for trial.

CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, serves up the political play of the year, straight ahead.

And, President Bush will probably not miss 2005 very much. But what does 2006 hold for the president? You're going to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right, we're following this developing story this afternoon, the floods in Northern California. These are the streets in Napa County -- completely flooded. And the irony of blue skies overhead. But another storm is moving in and our reporter, Kareen Wynter, has been seeing people come out onto the streets with their cameras and their video recorders to try to take pictures of the scene.

The warning from the Rincon Valley Fire Department is get back inside. There is still trouble ahead. It's a dangerous situation out there on those streets.

Now, many people in Northern California are spending New Year's Eve looking for shelter. Police are urging evacuations as powerful storms are dumping more rain on the already soaked region. In fact, they're expecting something like six inches of rain this weekend. Forecasters are warning residents they may experience their worst flooding in years.

And a Florida man is recovering after spending a day with a bullet lodged in his brain. Glen Betterley woke up this week and noticed his head was bleeding. So he drove to work, he left a note for his boss and finally he went to the hospital.

Well, that's where doctors discovered he had been shot in the forehead.

How do you miss something like that?

Police say it appears Betterley's girlfriend killed herself while he was being treated. They're calling it a case of aggravated battery and apparent suicide.

Well, the man who shot President Reagan may have an easier time getting out of a mental hospital for visits with his parents. A federal judge granted John Hinckley, Jr. permission to make three overnight visits to his parents' home without hospital staff present. The Justice Department could appeal that decision.

Now, the political play of the year. What was it? Well, here are the five biggest moves from the world of politics from our political guru, CNN's Bill Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Five for '05 -- the political plays of the year.

Play number five, Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle brought down the hammer on the Hammer, Tom DeLay.

RONNIE EARLE, TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The indictment charges DeLay with conspiring Ellis and Colyandro to violate the Texas election code by contributing corporate money to candidates for the Texas legislature.

SCHNEIDER: It was a classic act of partisan score settling, as DeLay did not fail to notice.

REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), FORMER HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: This act is the product of a coordinated, premeditated campaign of political retribution.

SCHNEIDER: But it was also a brilliant decapitation strategy. DeLay stepped aside as majority leader. House Republicans fell into leaderless disarray and Democrats saw a chance to make ethics a partisan issue.

Play number four, another prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, led another politically charged probe. But in Fitzgerald's case, no one could find any partisan motive.

PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. SPECIAL COUNSEL: This is simply an indictment that says in a national security investigation about the compromise of a CIA officer's identity, that may have taken place in the context of a very heated debate over the war, whether some person -- a person, Mr. Libby, lied or not.

SCHNEIDER: Fitzgerald indicted Libby, continues to threaten Karl Rove and pretty much paralyzed the White House while he himself remained untouchable, a political Elliott Ness.

Play number three, conservatives declared their independence. They rose up in revolt over the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Well, a number of us would like to have had somebody that had a clear track record on these key issues.

SCHNEIDER: They brought Miers down. They also refused to tow the White House line on deficit spending, immigration, Medicare and torture. After four years, a conservative uprising loosened the White House grip on the Republican Congress.

Play number two, John McCain managed to have it both ways -- a principled maverick who remained Bush-friendly and kept lines open to conservatives. After beating the White House into submission on the torture issue, McCain somehow made it look like President Bush won.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Thank you, Mr. President.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the effort that you have made to resolve this very difficult issue.

SCHNEIDER: McCain is one of the few figures in American politics who appeals to both Democrats and Republicans.

And the political play of the year? That would be John Roberts, who shut down what was supposed to be the ultimate political showdown. Roberts trumped what could have been a bitter ideological controversy with strong credentials and a limited paper trail, as well as considerable political finesse. Under close questioning, Roberts revealed almost nothing about how he might vote.

JUDGE JOHN ROBERTS, SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE: And there's nothing in my personal views, based on faith or other sources, that would prevent me from applying the precedents of the court faithfully under principles of stare decisis.

SCHNEIDER: The Senate voted 78-22 to confirm Roberts as chief justice. Democrats were split down the middle. War was averted.

(on camera): New Year's is the time for predictions. But the message of 2005 is political plays are rarely predictable. As the great American philosopher Yogi Berra once said, never make predictions, especially about the future. Good advice for a happy new year.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Happy New Year to you, too, Bill.

All right, the future is looking a lot brighter for Baby Noor, who has finally arrived in Atlanta.

So I'm going to be talking with someone who has been strongly involved in this unusual rescue mission of a 3-month-old baby, straight ahead.

Also, an astonishing story of survival out of Pakistan. You have got to see it to believe it, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now we've got the latest developments. Heavy rain from a winter storm is causing severe flooding across Northern California, and it is expected to get worse. Swelling rivers and mudslides have forced many people to evacuate, and somewhere being trapped by rising floodwaters. Homeowners are being warned to get out of low-lying areas. Russia and Ukraine have come up with a plan to settle their dispute over natural gas prices. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered government controlled Gazprom to supply Ukraine with gas on 2005 terms during the first quarter of 2006. Ukraine must agree to pay a higher price starting in the second quarter.

French President Jacques Chirac said his government's efforts to cut unemployment are paying off. In his new year's address, Mr. Chirac said unemployment in France has dropped for eight consecutive months. France had been rocked by violence set off by young immigrants. They complained about discrimination and joblessness.

And now dangerous flooding is prompting calls to evacuate parts of the Napa Valley wine country. CNN's Kareen Wynter joins me again with an update. Kareen?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I have to tell you, I cannot believe what just happened in front of me our here, I'll get to that in a second. But we've been talking about the floodwaters and the fact they keep getting higher and higher, that's not really the main concern out here but also the current, can you see how strong it is here. Just a few minutes ago, Carol, there was a young man on a bike trying to make his way through the area, it literally knocked him off his feet, he could barely even keep his head above water and you can see him sitting over there right now, well, he is stranded. He's not going anywhere. And as for the bike, it's long gone. We're not sure how we're going to make it over to dry land, where we are right now. You can bet emergency officials are on their way.

But I want to talk to a home owner, Carol Nilson (ph) who has been here for more than 25 years. You saw what happened. In fact, I think I heard you scream. Why aren't people following those evacuation orders?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're afraid of what they might come back to. It's very hard to leave your home and the place where you live.

WYNTER: You're also very emotional because something scary happened to your son last. He almost got washed away in the current.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not down in the river here, but up by a creek where he lives. That's kind of scary. I have a friend who owns a business, Sleepy's Pizza (ph) over here, and he got flooded. I came down to see if there was something I could do to help or lend moral support.

WYNTER: And you said this is quite heart breaking for you. You know many people who live here. Their homes, you don't know what they're going to come back to?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Businesses. Actually I know what they're going to come back to. I was flooded in '95-'96. And it's really hard. It's very emotional to go through your things and throw away part of your life.

WYNTER: Can you understand the urgency here for people not to be standing here, you saw what just happened to that young man?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Absolutely, absolutely. I know if that were my son, I don't know what I would do. It's very hard. You need to use your common sense, but you don't think, you think you can make it or you think you can cross or take your car somewhere, and before you know it, you're gone.

WYNTER: Carol, best of luck to you. Please stay safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

WYNTER: And watch in the upcoming hours, Carol, especially within the next couple hours, when the city says things are going to get even worse, the water levels higher than what we're seeing out here because of the high tide. We do have the video right now, I understand, I'm not sure what you're seeing, essentially someone in the water trying to stay afloat. This person was trying to cross, and quite deceiving this area that is flooded along the river because there are so many uneven areas.

And so we think that he was on firm area when he accidentally was swept away by the current, and just barely was able to stay above the water. And we saw him splashing around trying to look for his bike. Well, that should have been a secondary concern, because it's extremely, extremely dangerous out there. And that's the message we want to get across to people who have loved ones in the area or are maybe watching this broadcast right now, it's extremely, extremely dangerous, and we're not getting too close to the edge here because the current continues to pick up from the water that's coming up stream flowing downstream and as mentioned when the high tied kicks in here, it's going to be very different from what you're seeing right now.

LIN: Kareen, I was going to ask you, what are you standing on?

WYNTER: Well, let's show you right here. We're right at edge, and down here is where all the activity is taking place in terms of the current, and we're thinking it's actually, Carol, going to rise above. But we've been seeing that happen all morning long where the waters recede and then will come back up much higher than before. And so we're keeping an eye on it. So it's not even safe where we are right now, but we wanted to show you how strong the water is behind us. It's deceiving, and for people who are out here walking their dogs, there is a man next to me, other people wading in the water.

And that young man trying to bike across is not advisable.

LIN: And we should tell our viewers for anybody watching this, we're telling them it's so dangerous, it's so dangerous, and we have you next to a rushing stream of water. But we have resources to be able to get out very quickly and get to dry land. I know you have got a plan for escape.

WYNTER: Absolutely.

LIN: Warning, everybody, don't look at this live shot and say, oh, it must be safe out there. Kareen is standing in the water. Stay safe out there Kareen. OK?

WYNTER: I will, Carol.

LIN: Thank you so much.

All right, now our stories from around the world begin with a deadly bombing outside the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in Kalis (ph). The attack killed five Iraqi civilians and wounded two others.

And in Baghdad, two Iraqi police officers were killed while on patrol. Separately, a U.S. soldier was killed in a mortar attack in the city.

And five kidnapped staffers from the Sudanese embassy in Baghdad are reportedly free. Al-Jazeera television reports all five hostages, including a diplomat were released today. Yesterday Sudan said it would close its embassy after hostage-takers demanded the country end its relationship with Iraq.

And a former German ambassador to the U.S. and his family have been freed in Yemen. Jergen Shrobag (ph), his wife and their three adult sons were taken hostage while on a guided tour Wednesday. Now, there is no word on the terms of the deal that led to their release.

All right, we've got much more ahead. You know it's New Year's Eve. And the celebrations are pretty much getting under way as thousands are beginning to gather in New York's Times Square. We've got our correspondents on the scene, Jason Carroll and Erica Hill standing by to give us the latest on the scene there. And there is Erica now.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, it is starting to get a little loud here. Performances are starting up. Also, a big thing happened at the top of the hour. I'm going tell you what that is. Big part of Times Square New Year's Eve. Stick around for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: And we want to know what the president's plan is for all those troops to come home. You know the Iraq War is one of the stories that haunted President Bush this year. Now President Bush, take a look at his approval ratings and how much they've changed since he was sworn in for his second term in office.

His rating then stood at 57 percent. Now here at this year's end, it is 43 percent. Joining me to address Mr. Bush's predicament and perhaps his brighter future, CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein, also a columnist for the "Los Angeles Times." Good have you, Ron. Happy New Year.

ROB BROWNSTEIN, CNN ANALYST: Happy New Year to you.

LIN: Let's talk about the president's fortunes, what do you think has been the most damaging to President Bush in 2005?

BROWN: Well, as you mentioned it was a very rough year, if you look at approval rating overall, it is the lowest we've seen for a re- elected president in the first year of the second term except for Richard Nixon in the middle of Watergate. And that's usually not a comparison you want to have made when you're sitting in the Oval Office.

Probably three factors, I think, were the biggest. Iraq, the disillusionment among the public for most of the year in the direction of events in Iraq, I think was the biggest weight dragging him down and domestically, I think, two things, obviously, Hurricane Katrina, and the shock in most of the country about the government's halting response in the first days, and secondly, the failure of his central initiative, domestic policy initiative, Social Security, which died without a vote and failed to garner support for the American people. Some minor missteps along the way, Harriet Miers and others, but I think those were the big ones that drove him down into this territory.

LIN: Do you think he did anything particularly well in 2005?

BROWNSTEIN: I'm going to agree with Dr. Schneider. I think the high point of the year for President Bush was the appointment of John Roberts to the Supreme Court. You know, we have been waiting for a long time for a vacancy. Both sides expected it to be kind of an Armageddon, a full scale political Donnybrook, and Roberts was really kind of a -- the president found the sweet spot, he united his own party and he divided the opposition because he generated broad support in the country. And that's really what you want to do with your initiatives from the White House.

LIN: All right. A given that the Iraq War is going to continue in 2006. The recovery from Hurricane Katrina. So what does the president need to do in 2006 to regain the confidence of the American public, or do you think that's possible?

BROWNSTEIN: I think there are limits, we're five years into the presidency. It's been a very polarizing presidency. We saw even in the 2004 election, the country deeply divided. There's probably an upward ceiling on how far it can go, but within that obviously he can do better than where he is right now.

I think the key in '06 as it was in '05 is Iraq. I think the president needs to see progress on the ground. He's made some gains with public opinion in the last few weeks with a series of speeches in which he struck a very different tone than early in the year. He was more conciliatory toward his critics, he was also more acknowledging of difficulties and that combined with the election has given him a tailwind at the end of the year on Iraq and his approval in general. But in the past, Carol, those kinds of turning points haven't lasted unless they are sustained by events on the ground, and he really needs, I think, progress in Iraq above all.

LIN: All right. Words to live by. Ron Brownstein, thank you so much, we'll see you in 2006.

BROWSTEIN: Thank you. Happy New Year to you.

LIN: All right. We've been following a developing story all day long. The flooding in Northern California. You've seen dramatic water rescues going on. Fire departments are telling us and please warn people to stay in their houses even if they see sunshine, because there is another storm on the way, and the water is still rising, so let's see what's happening in Northern California and when there might be a break. Monica McNeal at the CNN Weather Center.

Monica, so let's start with the clouds that are coming, what's going to happen in the next few hours?

MONICA MCNEAL, CNN METEOROLIGST: All right, Carol, in the next three hours it looks like things are going to be relatively quiet. We're going to see a lull but late tonight into tomorrow is when the next storm system should be making its way onshore. This constant onshore flow, we have the jet stream that's helping to drive the storms into western California at this time.

Mainly across Northern California right now, across Redding, you are still seeing some rain, and as we switch radars for you, traveling more towards the south right around Los Angeles, that's where some of the heavier rainfall is coming into Los Angeles, long beach, and around Oceanside at this point. As we showed you on the live shot where Kareen Wynter was. Most of the rain is just to the east of her, so that's why she's dealing with dry conditions, mainly along the western coast where the temperatures - or the air is starting to dry out a little bit because a lot of the rain has pushed toward the east.

Let's take a look what's happening across Washington State. Yesterday they got a whole lot of rainfall and a whole lot of snow in their forecast. At least about seven inches of snow across Washington State yesterday into Kittetakas (ph) County, they got about seven inches of snow.

Now as we shift our gears and move toward the East Coast and show you what's going on in the eastern part of the country. Things are snowy across the East. You can certainly see some snow in parts of New York City. And what's going to happen for the big ball drop? A lot of people are wanting to know. You're getting light snow right now. Layer up the clothes because you will definitely need it in terms of what's going to happen for tonight. Temperatures will be just slightly above freezing, about 34 degrees. It's still going to be cold and you still will see the mixture of snow and rain.

Carol?

LIN: Monica, I have a pretty good feeling those folks in New York aren't going to be feeling anything when that ball drops.

MCNEAL: I'm sure they're going to be very warm.

LIN: Yeah. Nothing but good times out there.

MCNEAL: Exactly.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Monica.

Now, starting tomorrow, all foods will have to carry labels that tell you exactly which ingredients are inside. The new federal labeling law is designed to help consumers who may have deadly food allergies. Gary Nurenberg has details from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 13-year-old Sam Gilman, grocery shopping is a matter of life and death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to do the pasta aisles?

SAM GILMAN, ALLERGY SUFFERER: Yes.

NURENBERG: Like an estimate 11 million other Americans, if Sam eat the wrong thing an allergic reaction could make him so sick he could die.

S. GILMAN: I'm allergic to all nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds and poppy seeds and shellfish.

NURENBERG: So Sam chooses carefully.

S. GILMAN: It's magic brownies with raspberries and vanilla.

NURENBERG: And reads the labels with excruciating care.

Starting from the back.

S. GILMAN: I read the labels from back to front one word at a time so that I don't miss anything and I read it two or three times.

NURENBERG: It's a family ritual.

ANDY GILMAN, SAM'S FATHER: You have to rely upon the labels. Because that's the only indication you have. Good labeling can save a life, it's as simple as that.

NURENBERG (on camera): But some food labels use words that are hard to understand. On January 1st, new labeling requirements demand simplicity when it comes to the eight ingredients that cause 90 percent of allergic reactions, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, nuts, fish and shellfish.

ANNE MUNOZ-FURLONG: So instead of ammonium caseinate, you'll see milk. Instead of albumin, you'll see eggs. It will make label reading easy enough for a seven-year-old.

NURENBERG (voice-over): But what about the labels that say may contain something on the list, even if it doesn't specifically include the ingredient it may have been processed in a plant where the ingredient was present.

MUNOZ-FURLONG: So you might have a candy, for example, that is processed on the machinery that had peanuts on it right before they manufactured your non-peanut candy or vice versa.

NURENBERG: It raises the possibility of cross contamination.

STEPHANIE CHILDS, GROCERY MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION: Companies are using the may contain statement because we have had feedback from consumers that the slightest amount an allergen can cause a very negative reaction in a consumer.

NURENBERG: Sam Gilman's dad worries manufactures might use the may contain label to protect themselves at the cost of confusing consumers.

A. GILMAN: They're not sure, but they don't want the liability.

NURENBERG: Congress has ordered a study of may contain labels to see if they can be made more effective. In the meantime, Sam's label reading life is getting easier.

A. GILMAN: Salt, basil, onions, carrots, olive oil, tomatoes, tomatoes can you have that.

NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And look at beautiful pictures we have to show you out of New York City right now. Times Square. That's where our Erica hill is standing bys getting ready for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Erica, I hear it's pretty chilly out there?

HILL: It is a little chilly. We just heard 34 degrees. But let me tell you, there is so much warmth from the crowd, we're not going to have to worry about it. And just ahead, a preview of tonight's big moment. Something you gotta stick around for.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Some of the most popular stories, the ones you guys like to read about include Tropical Storm Zeta. Can you can believe it? We got to the Zs it's true. Zeta formed yesterday and strengthened today but is not expected to threaten land. It is the last named storm in the busiest year on record.

And another big story on our Web site, the continuing saga of Farris Hassan, you know the face right now. He's that Florida high school student who ran off to Iraq. The U.S. military has taken him out of Iraq, and his sister said Farris has called home from Kuwait to say he's flying home on Monday. You can click onto cnn.com for more details about that.

In the meantime, let's return to New York once again where, it's often this wacky year is finally coming to an end. CNN's Erica Hill is there ready for tonight's big celebration, Erica?

HILL: Absolutely. And Carol, we are getting ready to raise the ball, which is, of course central to the celebration in Times Square, that ball that gets dropped precisely at midnight. Well it's 6:00 and in just a few minutes at 6:00 Eastern is when they will raise the ball to put it in position so it's ready to drop at midnight. And when it's raised we're also supposed to see a taste of the fireworks display that should be coming later.

We're going to be getting, I believe it's about a 21 seconds fireworks display from the Greuke (ph) brothers, we've all heard of them, they'll also be doing the fireworks for the midnight show, a two minute firework extravaganza.

But just to give you an idea, too, this ball, as I said, will be raised at 6:00 Eastern. It takes about 60 seconds for it to drop. It's 77 feet that it will be dropping, and really this is such a symbol of Times Square and New Year's around the world. Millions of people tuning into see the ball drop, even if they have celebrated their New Year or it's coming early for them like our friends on the West Coast who we hope will join us for the ball drop at midnight on the East Coast, Carol.

LIN: You bet, we're going to be up watching. Erica, you're going to be playing with Anderson tonight and Jason Carroll, too. We'll look forward to it. HILL: Absolutely. We're looking forward to it.

LIN: You bet. Have a great time out there. Wherever you are tonight, and we are counting on having you with us, Anderson Cooper is hosting CNN's New Year's Eve coverage live from Times Square beginning at 11:00 p.m. Eastern. So please join us for that.

And here's something new, we're inviting everybody to show us how you're celebrating New Year's Eve. You can email your images to newyears@cnn.com, and you can also send us video, and can you send us stills, whichever you like, but keep it clean, OK? For all the details visit cnn.com/newyears.

Now from the quake zone, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to show us what it's like for survivors in Pakistan two months after the devastating earthquake. That's up next.

And then at 7:00 it's ON THE STORY CNN correspondents have the inside word on the stories they covered in 2005.

And then at 8:00 Eastern, CN PRESENTS "Voices from the Tsunami." A check of the top stories next, and then CNN's special report with Dr. Sanjay Hupta from the quake zone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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