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Irwin Death on Tape; White House Says Progress Made in War on Terror; Congress Returns to Session

Aired September 05, 2006 - 10:59   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We are learning more today about the death of a crocodile hunter. The stingray attack that killed Steve Irwin was apparently caught on tape.
Max Futcher from Australia's Network 10 has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FUTCHER, REPORTER, NETWORK 10: Well, a day and a half after the death of Steve Irwin, and Australians have woken up to a very sad day once they had gotten over the disbelief that one of their favored sons had passed away in extraordinary fashion. Of course, Steve Irwin had his chest and indeed his heart pierced by the barb of a stingray off Port Douglas, here in north Queensland.

Now, today we spoke to his manager, who has seen the video of the final moments of his life, when he was swimming over the top of the stingray and the barb pierced his heart. Incredibly, he was able to rip the barb out of his chest, but it was too late, because the poison had already done its damage.

His body left Cairns in north Queensland today, and he's bound for Birwa (ph), which is where his -- his Australia Zoo is and, indeed, where his family is waiting to bury him. And there were accolades from politicians and very famous people across Australia and right around the globe today.

In north Queensland, Australia, Max Futcher for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I just want to make sure everybody knows we will not be showing that video on CNN for obvious reasons. But to learn a little bit more about Steve Irwin, talk about no fear, years before he came The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin was at home with wildlife.

CNN's Tom Foreman now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Steve Irwin's childhood pictures tell a tale, they say, his love of nature began at birth, born to parents who adored the outdoors, raised in a zoo founded by his father. STEVE IRWIN, THE CROCODILE HUNTER: Growing up at the reptile park is something that is really hard to describe. I was surrounded by wildlife. My whole aim as a kid was to find animals, and particularly venomous snakes and lizards, so I could show my dad. And, so, my whole life, I would just had to go out there and make dad proud.

FOREMAN: Irwin's path to fame, like his childhood, was unusual. He went from chasing critters to running his parents' zoo. He met and married an American. And, in 1992, the TV channel Animal Planet picked up a small show he was producing, The Crocodile Hunter.

IRWIN: I'm Steve Irwin, and these are highly venomous sea kraits.

FOREMAN: The program centered around Irwin's almost unreal enthusiasm for real danger.

IRWIN: You're all right, sweetheart. You're all right. You're all right.

FOREMAN: He was bitten time and again, and his audience ate it up. He always got excited with the animals...

IRWIN: Oh, crikey.

FOREMAN: ... but never angry.

IRWIN: I know that, if I'm respectful and I understand, and I'm well researched, and well rehearsed, that the animal is not going to just swing around and knife me in the back, unlike some people would.

FOREMAN: Human reactions fed a scandal two years ago. Irwin offered a piece of meat to a croc with his month-old baby in hand. And critics attacked.

RON MCGILL, MIAMI METRO ZOO: ... take a -- an infant, your own infant, and put him in that type of dangerous situation was just ludicrous.

FOREMAN: Irwin apologized for scaring his audience, insisted the child was never in danger, but was wounded by the harsh words.

IRWIN: Mate, I wasn't just shocked. I was absolutely devastated. I was taken to the lowest point of my entire life. The Irwin family is steeped in tradition.

FOREMAN: Still, the scandal, like his many scars, faded quickly, as if his freewheeling love of nature could not be put down. That's what co-workers remember.

ANNIE HOWELL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, DISCOVERY NETWORKS: He was that way. What you saw is -- is what he was. He's a very special man.

FOREMAN: What the world saw was a man who loved all the life around him...

IRWIN: Oh, mate.

FOREMAN: ... and shared that love every single day.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And you can see more of Tom Foreman's stories on ANDERSON COOPER 360. Watch AC 360 weeknights at 10:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

Also, Steve Irwin's longtime manager was one of his best friends as well. He will be he looked at the tape that we've been talking about, and it unfortunately did show his good friend dying.

He will be joining LARRY KING LIVE at 9:00 Eastern to the croc hunter.

Meanwhile, days before the September 11th anniversary, the White House puts out a progress report on the war on terror. And it comes as President Bush gives another speech on the topic.

To the White House now and CNN's Elaine Quijano, where the topic of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has also come up this morning, Elaine?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right.

Good morning to you, Heidi.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow just a short time ago, in fact, responding once more to Democrats' latest calls for a new leadership at the Pentagon. Tony Snow essentially saying that's not going to happen. The president supports Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary. He also said he believes that certainly while it may be politically convenient for Democrats to paint Donald Rumsfeld as kind of a boogeyman -- that was his word -- that in fact it is not great strategy.

Now, in terms of today's speech, his aides say that the president will focus on the nature of the enemy, how they think. Also, though, how the White House believes progress has been made in weakening the enemy. Officials are hoping to underscore that with a new document released today, The National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, an update, essentially, to the nation's war-fighting strategy.

Now, we've heard the president before certainly lay out how he sees the enemy, what he believes it consists of. Aides say what's different now is that the enemy is changing and adapting, and certainly they say the terrorist ideology has spurned -- has inspired other movements.

Democrats, though, of course, are arguing in this election season that the president's policies and Republican support of those policies have made the country less safe. They point to Iraq.

Well, today the president's homeland security adviser, Fran Townsend, defended the president's Iraq strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRAN TOWNSEND, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: We are there now, and we have to deal with, what are our options? Our options are either to stay and support the democratically elected government there or to pull out. And there are serious consequences to American security if we were to pull out.

I understand what you're saying about whether or not we should be there. But the fact is we are there. And the fact is we have a responsibility for our own national security, as well as that of the Iraqi people, to stay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: So, today, look for the president again this afternoon to defend his strategy overall as he tries to rally support for his foreign policy. He'll be speaking to the Military Officers Association of America. And aides are saying that the president is going to point to the terrorists' own words, looking at phrases contained in some new -- newly revealed al Qaeda documents that they say will be evidence of the terrorists' intentions -- Heidi.

COLLINS: That's quite a bit to talk about. Anything else on that agenda, Elaine?

QUIJANO: There is, certainly. At 11:00, right now, in fact, the president meeting with the emir of Kuwait, a valuable ally, aides say, in the war on terror. Among the topics, a discussion, of course, Iraq, Iran, and the situation in Lebanon -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Elaine, thanks so much. We'll be watching that visit as well.

And I also want to remind everyone that speech by President Bush will be coming up today on CNN NEWSROOM P.M. -- I think that's what we're call it -- starting at 1:20 Eastern Time. And of course we'll have the full coverage for you there.

HARRIS: Well, a new poll shows that President Bush has good reason to worry about the public's unhappiness. A closer look at the numbers and the political equation now. Here's CNN's political analyst, Bill Schneider.

Bill, good to see you.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Bill, I'm looking at these numbers. Let's deal with this first question. And it is a question that sort of tracks people's general feeling about the direction of the country right now. And these are some disappointing numbers if you're this administration.

Look at these numbers. And what does this reflect?

SCHNEIDER: Well, obviously people are angry.

HARRIS: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: They're as angry -- three-quarters of Americans say they're angry about the way things are going in the country. That means that we've got the return of those angry voters that we last saw in the early 1990s.

You remember, term limits passed all over the country. Ross Perot emerged as the voice of anger. The voters through out a Republican president, the first President Bush. Then two years later, they threw out a Democratic Congress.

Angry. Angry. Angry.

What are voters angry about? Actually, two things. The war in Iraq is certainly one of them, but also the economy. That's become a growing concern among large numbers of voters.

HARRIS: And angry voters vote, don't they?

SCHNEIDER: They vote, and they vote for change, which is one reason why the Democrats are ahead right now. When likely voters are asked how they intend to vote for Congress, you see the Democrats with a 10-point lead, 53 percent nationwide say they'd vote for the Democrat, 43 percent say they'd vote for the Republican.

The Democrats have become the party of change. And the poll shows that. Which asked, Which party do you think is more the party of change? The Democrats have a very big lead. Angry voters vote for change.

HARRIS: Any sense, generally speaking, of what Americans think of Congress overall?

SCHNEIDER: Yes, there is. And let me tell you, it's not good.

Just 12 percent, 12 percent...

HARRIS: My goodness.

SCHNEIDER: ... of Americans say that they think that they are satisfied with the job that Congress has done. It's not just President Bush they're upset about. It's also the Congress.

Congress has not acted on immigration. It hasn't acted on gas prices, on healthcare reform, on lobbying reform, on wage stagnation. A whole list of items on the agenda, and people don't see much coming out of this Congress.

HARRIS: So -- boy, all right. So they may vote for change, but what it is that they see, if anything, in the Democrats? Although the mood seems to be throw out the incumbents.

SCHNEIDER: Well, it's not clear that they have a tremendous amount of confidence in the Democrats. They don't give them very high ratings. Their attraction to the Democrats is essentially they're the out party.

When people are upset and in this case angry about way things are -- the way things are going, they vote for change, even if they're not entirely sure what kind of change that will bring. The Democrats have the advantage simply because they're the out party.

HARRIS: A couple of good minutes, about three or four good minutes with Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst, part of the best political team on television.

Bill, good to see you. Thanks.

SCHNEIDER: Thanks.

COLLINS: Congress back in session with a laundry list of things to do there as well. And the high stakes of a midterm election hanging overhead.

Here with more, CNN Congressional Correspondent Andrea koppel.

Hi, Andrea. What's topping the agenda today?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Heidi.

Well, Congress, the Senate side, at least, has just come back into session. And right now, what they're taking up is funding for next year's Pentagon budget. And the expectation is that there will be some kind of progress made on this. But they've got a whole bunch of stuff, Republican leaders do, on their agenda over the next 19 days, including whether or not to legalize those NSA wiretaps, whether or not to authorize and actually have those military tribunals for the detainees at Guantanamo. There's also funding for homeland security.

Realistically, when you talk to Republicans private, they say, come on in 19 days, you can't expect to accomplish a lot of legislation. And this is, as we've all been talking about, a political season.

So you can expect Republicans be focusing much on kind of photo- ops, getting out the message that they are the party, the go-to party on national security. They feel that worked for them in '02 and '04, made them look strong, and came up a winner.

Democrats, though, this year are going to be pushing back hard, Heidi. They say they're not going to be on the defense. They've taken the offense already. You saw that letter that they sent to President Bush yesterday criticizing him on Iraq...

COLLINS: Yes.

KOPPEL: ... and also criticizing, without saying his name, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

COLLINS: Yes, we just heard from Elaine Quijano a little bit about that. I guess he was referred to as the "boogeyman."

What are you hearing the latest on that?

KOPPEL: Well, they're not using "boogeyman" in the letter.

COLLINS: Yes. Tony Snow, I think, referred to it, making him look like a boogeyman.

KOPPEL: Exactly. But when you talk to Democrats, both publicly and privately, the expectation is that they are going to hit hard at Rumsfeld because they see him as the face of what they believe is a failed Iraq strategy. And they're going to be offering in the Senate a no-confidence motion as soon as tomorrow. The expectation is they will do the same over in the House.

They feel that this is a winner for them. They also feel that Secretary Rumsfeld need to be held accountable -- Heidi.

COLLINS: What about immigration, Andrea? Any progress there?

KOPPEL: Well, you know, that really is -- that's tough. And it's also something that's kind of like political quicksand at the moment for Republicans.

As you know, they are divided on this between the House and the Senate. They both passed bills, very different bills. The House very tough on border security and labor workplace enforcement only. And the Senate has more of a comprehensive approach, border enforcement and this kind of pass to citizenship.

The expectation is, at least over in the House, Republican leaders are going to be meeting to decide just how hard to push this. Our understanding is that some Democrats and Republicans, including perhaps Senator John McCain are going to try to get in to see President Bush this week. They may be pushing that hard, but Heidi, again, national security is the way to go really for Republicans, they feel, this time around.

COLLINS: All right. Understood.

Andrea Koppel, nice to see you.

Thanks much.

A presidency in limbo, but the end seems to be in sight. A final court ruling in Mexico's hotly contested election could come down today.

We'll have it for you ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And a trooper dies and the hunt for his killer grows even more urgent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was unnecessary what took place the other day. It was an out-and-out murder of one of our troopers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Burying one of their own while conducting one of New York's biggest manhunts ever.

Details coming up in the NEWSROOM.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We want to take you straight over to Chad Myers in our hurricane headquarters. We had TD6, now we have Tropical Storm Florence. This is an upgrade.

Want to get you to tell us all about it, if you would.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Chad, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

HARRIS: And this reminder to stay with CNN for instant updates and developments on tropical weather. CNN, of course, is your hurricane headquarters.

COLLINS: In Denmark, at least eight people are now in custody on terror charges. Police arrested the suspects during a sweep in a city in central Denmark. They are suspected of plotting a bomb attack in that country. Danish officials say they have been watching the suspects for quite some time.

CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up to date on safety. So stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

A manhunt mix-up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was seen coming out of the woods, and it was the logical thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Coming up, tense moments for a fugitive lookalike in New York. We'll have that story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And chubby cheeks, pudgy toddlers, but slim chance of outgrowing that baby fat. New research into the NEWSROOM. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: More American casualties in Iraq. The military says three U.S. troops were killed during fighting in Iraq's Anbar province. The military would only identify them as two Marines and a sailor assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5.

Their deaths bring to 2,654 the number of U.S. troops killed since the war began.

And now this scene. Victims of brutal attacks taken to a morgue. Authorities say they found the bodies of more than 30 men yesterday. All apparently had been blindfolded, tortured and shot.

HARRIS: You know, he's not the president of Iraq or the prime minister, yet many consider him the most powerful man in Iraqi politics. He's Abdul Aziz al Hakim.

CNN's Michael Holmes gives us an inside look at the man and his politics in this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): April 2003, southeastern Baghdad, a triumphant return for Shia powerbroker Abdul Aziz al Hakim. "In the name of god, we welcome Al Hakim," is the chant. You knew then how powerful this man would become.

ABDUL AZIZ AL HAKIM, SCIRI LEADER (through translator): Of course it was very emotional for me to meet with my people after Saddam fell. I was longing to see them. My goal in this life is to serve those great people. And I am very proud to be part of it.

HOLMES: Al Hakim spent years in exile in Iran, became part of the Iranian-formed Badr Brigades. Today, he heads its political wing, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI. He is also widely regarded as perhaps the most powerful man in Iraqi politics. His every word scrutinized by all.

As for his country's surging sectarian and insurgent violence, while not civil war, he warns it could easily get out of hand.

AL HAKIM (through translator): I do not consider it a civil war, but it could lead to a large conflict between Ba'athists, their coalition with extremist Muslims, and the ordinary people. They could be able to conduct major crimes against Iraqis or maybe the Iraqi people could eliminate these groups. No one can expect what would happen then.

HOLMES: He is always heavily guarded both physically and with the words he chooses. An ardent opponent of foreign troops in Iraq, he says the United States can't leave now. AL HAKIM (through translator): Considering the policy the U.S. has opted from the start, when they disbanded the Iraqi military, any sudden withdrawal could now lead to chaos and confusion in Iraq and a victory for the terrorists.

HOLMES: The U.S. and others claim SCIRI receives Iranian support, and Shia militias Iranian cash. Al Hakim says, "Show me the evidence."

Last month, the Iranian ambassador called for the reconstruction of Iraqi security and intelligence services to include Iranian assistance. Abdul Aziz al Hakim says it's not such a bad idea and perhaps the issue should be a regional one not involving the U.S.

AL HAKIM (through translator): Of course, we do not want to solve one problem and create another one. But we are whether they can help us or not. But how? This needs to be discussed. We might need a more regional security system that all countries can participate in.

HOLMES: He says democracy is working in Iraq, despite the violence, most of which he blames on Saddamists, Ba'athists and al Qaeda, an organization that killed his own brother in 2002.

ALL HAKIM (through translator): They play an active role. They have been welcomed by the Ba'ath Party and Saddam's loyalists. They are the real enemy for the Iraqi people and they will be in the future if they stay.

HOLMES: Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A presidency in limbo, but the end seems to be in sight now. A final court ruling in Mexico's hotly-contested election could come down today -- ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, a trooper dies and the hunt for his killer grows more urgent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is unnecessary what took place the other day. It was an out-and-out murder of one of our troopers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Burying one of their own while conducting one of New York's biggest manhunts ever. Searching for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips. An update from CNN's Allan Chernoff straight ahead.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: More manpower, more determination, that's what's fueling one of the biggest manhunts in New York's history. At the center of the search, a prison escapee. Police think he shot three state troopers. One died Sunday. We have two reports from rural western New York, near the town of Fredonia (ph). First we go to CNN's Allan Chernoff in Albany.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Police are scouring western New York for fugitive Ralph Phillips, who they believe shot two officers last week while they were searching for him near the home of his ex-girlfriend. State Police Officer Joseph Longobardo died of his wounds Sunday. Trooper Donald Baker is in serious condition. Phillips is also wanted in the shooting of another officer in June.

WAYNE BENNETT, SUPERINTENDENT, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: It's a wake-up call. It makes you re-assess the fact that you are vulnerable. That you can be hurt. You can be killed.

CHERNOFF: Phillips, a career criminal known as "Bucky," has been on the run for five months. He escaped from the Erie County Correctional Facility by using a can opener to actually cut a hole through the roof above the kitchen. And he did it only four days before his scheduled release from a three-month term for violating parole.

Police are offering a $225,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. With hundreds of local, state and even federal officials on the hunt, authorities say they're closing in on Phillips.

MAJOR MICHAEL MANNING, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: He's in hiding. I don't think he has any place to go right now.

CHERNOFF: Police have arrested six of Phillips' friends and family, charging them with providing aid to the escaped convict.

SHERIFF J.A. GERACE, CHATTAQUA COUNTY, NEW YORK: We just need the help of the residents of the county to bring him into custody. And those that aided and assisted him have blood on their hands.

CHERNOFF: As Phillips' has evaded capture, his legend has been growing. There are Bucky Phillips T-shirts and Grandma's Family Kitchen restaurant served Bucky burgers, to go. Some locals still feel sympathy for the fugitive.

DAWN COCHRAN, BLASDELL RESIDENT: The only danger there really is, is with all the troopers flying around and, you know, stopping traffic and getting in everybody's way trying to find this guy.

SUE SNOW, IRVING RESIDENT: Most people are taking it as a joke and they think that he should go. Like just keep running.

CHERNOFF: But after the death of Officer Longobardo, the hunt for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips is now anything but a laughing matter.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, Alden, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Funeral arrangements are being made for that slain trooper.

Barbara Pinson of CNN's Buffalo affiliate WIVB picks up that part of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTHONY LONGOBARDO, SLAIN TROOPER'S FATHER: He was a Marine. He was in the Air National Guard, and he was with the SWAT team, which he always wanted to do.

BARBARA PINSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Anthony Longobardo's worst fear come to life, his son, 32-year-old New York state trooper Joseph Longobardo is dead. The eight-year state police veteran succumbed to his injury Sunday at ECMC after being shot in Shataqua (ph) County last Thursday, outside the home of fugitive Ralph "Bucky" Phillips' former girlfriend. Phillips is the prime suspect.

MAJOR MICHAEL MANNING, N.Y. STATE POLICE: This is unnecessary what took place the other day. It wasn't an out and out murder of one of our troopers.

It's a stifling realization for Trooper Longobardo's comrades, both locally and with the state police. They spent Labor Day morning transferring his body onto a helicopter. A salute of pride and pain sent the slain trooper on his journey from Chituaga (ph) to his home in Saratoga County. Trooper Longobardo's body arrived in the afternoon, as his wife, Terri (ph), held tight their 13-month-old son, Louis (ph).

SUPT. WAYNE BENNETT, N.Y. STATE POLICE: This is now the fourth time for the state police since March 1st to have to take and embrace a young widow and a young mother, who now has to raise a very small child from the beginning of his life through maturity without the benefit of his father and her husband.

LONGOGARDO: We thought he was going to pull through for his son, but it wasn't meant to be.

(on camera): Funeral arrangements for state trooper Joseph Longobardo are being finalized. He and his wife would have celebrated a wedding anniversary this Thursday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Two months after the election in Mexico inches closer to a new president, about two hours ago now, an electoral court judge gave his recommendation on July's contested election. More now from CNN's Harris Whitbeck in Mexico City.

Harris, good morning.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

The seven judges who are members of the electoral tribunal still have to vote to make official the fact that they're saying now that Philippe Calderon, the official candidate, won the majority in last July's election. That vote and that decision is final and cannot be appealed. But supporters of opposition leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lucas Aurrello (ph) are out on the streets, in front of the tribunal here, insisting that they will not accept those results. And Lucas Arrello himself has said that he wants a parallel government to be formed, and he wants to be president of that government.

So whoever ends up winning this election and being declared the winner of this election is going to end up governing a very divided country. The results are very, very close. The Congress is divided, and public opinion is also very divided as to who should lead Mexico for the next six years -- Tony

HARRIS: So, Harris, this presumptive president-elect Calderon, is he making inauguration plans?

WHITBECK: Well, he's already meeting with his transition team, and it's already been announced that if he's declared president-elect, he would be meeting with president Vicente Fox tomorrow to start the official transition process. Now The opposition has said that it will do all it can to try to sabotage the inauguration, which would take place December 1st. The government is insisting that it will take place as planned.

HARRIS: Harris, just one more quick question, "sabotage" the inauguration -- what does that mean?

WHITBECK: Well, if you'll recall, last week, there was the annual State of the Union Address here, which President Fox went to Congress, and by tradition he reads the state of union before a full parliament. On that occasion, members of the legislature, who belonged to Lucas Aurrello's party, went up onto the area, the podium, from which the president was supposed to speak and prevented him from doing so. So the president basically left. He gave the Congress a written document, a written copy of the state of the union address, and went back to his presidential residence. They say they could do that again on December 1st. The inauguration takes place inside the congress, the palace of legislature.

HARRIS: Harris Whitbeck for us in Mexico City. Harris, thank you.

COLLINS: Well the worst is over, that word from Fidel Castro himself today. Cuban media released new photos of the 80-year-old president today. In a written statement, Castro says he's lost more than 40 pounds since his intestinal surgery in July. Indeed, video released over the weekend backs that up. Cubans got a glimpse of a thinner but still animated Castro. He was chatting from his bed with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Meanwhile, I want to remind you a little bit about Tropical Storm Florence. Used to be TD-6, has now been upgraded. You see there, moving and swirling a bit. We've been talking with Chad about it. Apparently we will have much more information on its path come this weekend. But we of course are watching it because we are your hurricane headquarters here at CNN.

HARRIS: And still ahead, chubby cheeks, pudgy toddlers, but slim chance, Heidi, of outgrowing that baby fat. New research into the CNN NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The mystery of autism. Could a father's age be a clue? A new study says children are almost six times as likely to have autism if their fathers are 40 or over. Some researchers had already linked older fathers to other disorders, as well.

The study co-author, Jeremy Silverman, spoke with CNN's Soledad O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JEREMY SILVERMAN, MT. SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We had seen -- members of our team had looked at something similar in schizophrenia. So we were already thinking a little bit about this question. The fact is that older fathers -- fathers -- males continue to produce sperm throughout their lives. And what happens is, as men get older, there are just increasing numbers of mutations and other genetic anomalies that take place. So, at least, the working hypothetical that we're focused on is the possibility that there are just simply more genetic mutations that are occurring at those ages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, you know, for years, doting parents have viewed baby fat as a sign of healthy child. New search seems to suggest it may be a warning for future health concerns. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has found that pudgy toddlers face a good chance of becoming overweight 12-year-olds. The research challenges the long-held belief that children naturally outgrow that baby fat.

To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, logon to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address, CNN.com/health.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: And "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up at the top of the hour. Hala Gorani is here with a preview for us. Hala, good morning.

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Tony and Heidi.

Well, we're going to be going to Iraq. Our Michael Holmes is there. He's going to tell us about murders, kidnappings and torture. Well, it sounds like the acts of the criminal gang or even the insurgents in Iraq, but these are crimes alleged to have taken place at the interior ministry there. There is a new man at the top at the Iraqi interior ministry, and Michael Holmes will introduce us to him.

We'll also be going live to Mexico City, Mexico. That's where the top electoral commission is expected to name and has named Felipe Calderon, the conservative candidate in July 2nd elections there, as the winner. But the margin was so narrow that the liberal opponent is claiming irregularities, and some say that the chaotic scenes that we saw in the streets of Mexico City will continue.

And lastly, we're going to -- not lastly, really, but lastly there in our preview here, we're going to be going to Japan. The country is on tenterhooks quite literally. The wife of the second in line to the throne expected to give birth, caesarean section.

COLLINS: Love this story.

GORANI: Now, it is going to be a boy? Because if it is a boy -- and that's what some tabloids...

(CROSSTALK)

GORANI: Well, then that means that the looming and potential succession crisis in Japan will come to an end.

HARRIS: That's right.

GORANI: And they'll be able to all relax. But talk about pressure, right?

COLLINS: Yes.

HARRIS: And we'll know...

GORANI: It's like, oh, don't worry, just go ahead and have your baby. Don't mind us, the millions of people waiting for this.

HARRIS: Oh, by the way, make it a boy. Right.

COLLINS: Hala, thank you so much.

GORANI: All right. Good you could join us.

HARRIS: We're going to take a break. When we come back, we will get an update on what is now Tropical Storm Florence, with Chad Myers in the CNN Weather Center. You're watching "CNN NEWSROOM," on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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HARRIS: You know, our friends over at CBS are unveiling a brand- new evening newscast starting this evening. "CBS Evening News" with a pretty big star in television news.

COLLINS: Yes. There she is!

HARRIS: Certainly not bigger than our own Heidi Collins.

And there's been a lot of writing, reporting on this, but we found this particularly interesting. Did you hear this? About the selection of the music of the show unveiled today? How about this. This is a quote. Do we have a quote? This is from the executive producer of the "CBS Evening News" talking about the music for the "Evening News With Katie Couric".

"It must be urgent and serious, yet light. Flexible, yet memorable. Regal and encompassing the grand history of CBS News, yet moving forward."

Well, we're all about that here, in the "NEWSROOM" at CNN.

COLLINS: We have new music.

HARRIS: We have new music.

COLLINS: It's oddly serious. Flexible, yet light, isn't it?

HARRIS: I'm totally with you on that.

COLLINS: Now listen, this is a huge task, actually, for the composer, I mean they hired a composer, the whole deal. His name is James Horner. Academy award winner. Helped write scores for "Titanic". I mean, he has a ton of experience. Says this task was the biggest, toughest task of his career.

HARRIS: Bigger than scoring "Titanic"?

COLLINS: Yes. To create ten seconds. In fact, Katie had a chat with James and said that, that you see on your screen there.

"Katie told me she wanted something that reminded her of wheat fields blowing rather than Manhattan skyline."

HARRIS: Wheat fields? Sort of like that?

COLLINS: Listen. Listen.

HARRIS: You'd have to listen very closely.

COLLINS: Yes, I don't think there's any sound with that. So you know, I am very interested. This guy didn't watch much TV either. Said he watched Peter Jennings.

HARRIS: And new music for CNN NEWSROOM, Kyra Phillips.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, yes.

HARRIS: One P.M...

COLLINS: Where's the shucking of the corn, that's what I want to know? I'm a Midwest girl. I want to hear it.

HARRIS: There you go.

COLLINS: A few bars from "Oklahoma!", maybe.

PHILLIPS: I'm seeing the musical right now from the CNN NEWSROOM.

On a more serious note. He's the most outspoken member of Congress when it comes to getting U.S. troops out of Iraq. Controversial Congressman John Murtha, Pennsylvania joins us live to respond to the president's speech on the war on terror. Speech is at 1:20 Eastern time. Murtha will follow.

And it's the outraged story of the day. Tony and Heidi, take a look at this. This double amputee, Vietnam veteran is mugged, beaten up, and tossed over a bridge all for his disability check. What are the police doing to track down the heartless thugs who committed this murder? We'll have more on that later from the CNN NEWSROOM, and believe me, we're not letting up on this story.

HARRIS: Good, good. Good to see you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Good to see you too.

COLLINS: Also watching Tropical Strom Florence now. We've been talking with Chad, he's going to give us an update. You see it there, swirling down below, a little bit to the right of your screen. The "Hurricane Center" here at CNN. You're watching the most trusted name in news.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: All right. Chad, thank you. Just time enough to is say good-bye and also to remind you that the president will be talking about terrorism. That's at 1:20 today. In the CNN NEWSROOM with Kyra Phillips.

Also, "LARRY KING LIVE" will have a terrific guest tonight. Someone that we've been hearing a little bit from. This will be an extended interview with Steve Irwin's manager, John Stainton, he will have much to say about his very good friend who was killed by a stingray in a bizarre accident.

HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with Hala Gorani and Stephen Frazier. Have a good afternoon.

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