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Interview With New York Governor George Pataki; Bangladeshi Economist Wins Nobel Peace Prize; Ban Ki-moon Endorsed As Next Secretary-General Of United Nations; Bono Takes on RED Campaign

Aired October 13, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

Wintry blasts in Buffalo -- New York responds with full force to help hundreds of thousands of people without power and no way out.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Big snow in Buffalo, New York -- usually, folks barely notice it, but when almost two feet falls, two weeks before Halloween, it is a big deal, even for Buffalo. New York Governor George Pataki is there.

And he joins us by phone.

Governor, as I understand, is this true? Did you tour the area by plane?

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: Yes, I did.

I'm still out in Buffalo. And I have declared a disaster emergency for Erie County, where Buffalo is, and three of the adjacent counties as well.

LEMON: You said a state emergency?

PATAKI: Yes.

LEMON: Is that correct?

PATAKI: Yes.

LEMON: Now, you are also -- you are also expecting money, you said, from Washington. And I heard the mayor say that they put in a call to Washington, asking them to expedite this situation. Why so?

PATAKI: Well, I have declared the state emergency.

And, right now, our focus is on protecting lives and public safety. We have had three people die in storm-related incidents. We still have trees that are coming down and limbs that are coming down, power lines that are down. And if power comes back on, there's the risk, because of flooding, of electrocution. So, right now, our focus is on protecting the health and safety of the people of western New York, bringing their lives back to normal as quickly as possible. And, then, we're working with Congressman Reynolds and our congressional delegation on a federal declaration which would allow for help with the reimbursement of the costs.

LEMON: Governor, I understand you said you hadn't seen anything like this since 10 years ago, when New York had the bad ice storms roll through?

PATAKI: That's right, Don.

The ice storms of 10 years ago in the North Country were something that you don't see in 100 years. But we have now, in western New York, about 380,000 customers, which is probably close to a million people, out of power. In the city of Buffalo, 70 percent of the people are out of power.

And, with all the trees down, and the limbs down, and the roads unpassable, it's hard for the relief crews to get through. But we have everything from the National Guard to our parks people out there working with the local and county officials. And we will get through this.

LEMON: What are you doing for people? Because, if you're in your home, and it's freezing, and you don't have electricity, what are you guys offering?

PATAKI: The -- yes, the towns have set up emergency shelters, firehouses in most of the communities, other locations in some of the other communities as well.

And we have National Guard troops with Humvees and other high- wheeled vehicles, who can take people, if they need to be transported to a different place, and also help with the delivery of medicines and other needed goods.

We're going to get through this. The biggest concern I have in the short term are more trees coming down, and posing a threat to the health of people. And, then, it's going to take a number of days for the power to get back on.

LEMON: I heard you stress safety in all this. And you also asked people to go and check on their neighbors, which, hopefully, they will do.

But what are emergency workers doing? Do you have people out going door to door to help folks?

PATAKI: Well, first of all, what you said is exactly right.

The way you get through this is for people to help people, neighbors to go knock on the door, see if their -- that the people across the street are OK and if they have power.

There are a lot, so many, without power, that it's very hard to get messaging out. So, we're encouraging volunteers to go door to door with a safety message. So, the effort is being made, but this is a very broad area, four counties in western New York. And we just have to continue to be proactive to try to protect people's health at this point.

LEMON: All right, Governor George Pataki.

As you heard the governor say, three people dead so far in western New York from storm-related injuries. And he is a busy man this week, with the plane crash, and also with this snowstorm that is coming through.

We thank you for joining us.

PATAKI: Thank you, Don.

PHILLIPS: Well, these are not conditions the boys of summer like to play in. Check out the scene at Comerica Park in Detroit just a little while ago. It brings all new meaning to the term warm-up.

Look at this catcher.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: The Oakland A's had to pull out their winter caps and sweatshirts for practice. Game three against the Tigers get under way in just in a couple of hours. Maybe the Detroit fans will help keep Oakland fans warm.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: What do you think, Rob?

We were talking about pushing the game. They were pushing the game.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: But you know what? It's cold.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It doesn't matter.

PHILLIPS: It's hell.

MARCIANO: It's snowing now.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Yes.

MARCIANO: And, you...

PHILLIPS: Exactly.

MARCIANO: You know, how much more can it help? Cold air there, obviously, cold air across Upstate New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, and its' -- it's affecting just about everybody. Got the radar zoomed into Buffalo. It's not raining there now, so, that is good news. And temperatures are above freezing. So, the snow is melting.

As a matter of fact, there is so much snow, 22 inches of it, that there is a flood watch out now, because that snow will melt, and become a flood issue as well. The main snow band, though, has moved to the north.

Here is the rest of that cold air. You see the flow coming out of the Northwest, and then scooting across the Great Lakes in a westerly fashion. The western shores of lower Michigan, upper Michigan, as well, could see two to four inches more of snow, as this continues, itself, to wind its way out. And it will do that eventually.

Similar circulation, but a lot warmer out in Southern California. Here it is. Just the west of Los Angeles is an area of low pressure. And it's spinning some showers. And there is a flood watch out for the mountains north of Los Angeles, right around the Day Fire, or the burn area there. You don't need much rain for the mud and the dirt to start to slide in an area that has been burned so badly. So, that is a concern out in Southern California.

And you will see on-and-off showers throughout the day tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, daytime highs tomorrow in Los Angeles, 66. It will be 64 degrees in San Francisco, 68 degrees in Portland. Northwest will see a dry day tomorrow, but probably wet weather as you go through Sunday.

Fifty in Chicago. It will be 48, 50 degrees in Detroit and Buffalo area tomorrow. So, that is well above freezing. Again, this snow will melt. Fifty-nine degrees expected in New York City tomorrow -- tonight, overnight lows north and west of New York will likely get down to freezing. So, if you got some of that tender vegetation, maybe you're trying to get some of those tomatoes to ripen in the final days of late summer, well, take them in, because I think tonight is the last night.

Across the midsection of the country tomorrow, just a great day for football -- temperatures will be -- there will be a little bit of a chill in the air -- some showers expected across the Intermountain West, and, again, a nice day across the Pacific Northwest.

But it will be chilly in both Detroit and in Queens for the two baseball games happening later on today -- Kyra and Don, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Well, when weather becomes the news, you can become a CNN correspondent. If you see severe weather happening, send us an I- Report. All you got to do is go to CNN.com, click in I-Report, or type in ireport@CNN.com on your cell phone. We will take your video and your pictures.

LEMON: And we're following a very disturbing story: a gruesome discovery along the Florida Turnpike, two adults and two children found shot to death on the side of the road.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is live in Fort Pierce with the very latest for us -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Don.

And we don't yet know whether this was a family. As the sheriff described it, there was no attempt to hide. There was no attempt to fight back. Four people, an adult male, age 29, a woman, age 25, and two children, probably between the ages of 4 and 6, police say, were found shot multiple times. That includes the children.

The authorities say that a car apparently drove off the Florida Turnpike heading southbound, just south of Fort Pierce, Florida, in Saint Lucie County. They saw tire tracks come off the turnpike, into the grass about 25 to 30 feet. And, then, apparently, these people were shot. Someone got back in the car. And there were tire tracks going back onto the highway, continuing to head south.

I'm going to step out of the way, so that we can zoom in, because that area that you see underneath the tent is where investigators are now doing some work. They are digging up the earth. This is a very wooded area, high grass. They're trying to find whatever bullet fragments they can, using metal detectors and shovels, and then putting the soil through sifters, to see whether they can find any important clues as to exactly what happened and whether they can find, as I said, any bullets.

Authorities believe that this happened somewhere between 1:30 and 3:00 in the morning along this usually busy stretch of highway. Obviously, not so at that hour. It is across the street from a housing development. And people there tell police that they heard some noise between those hours. So, that's why they pinpointed that time frame, as to when this probably occurred.

Again, for the very gruesome details about how this woman apparently tried to protect these two children, here is what the sheriff had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN MASCARA, SAINT LUCIE, COUNTY, FLORIDA, SHERIFF: The woman, in a defensive posture, had both of the children surrounded, underneath her arms, in an effort that we -- we can assume was to protect them from the gunfire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: And the police say that the woman was apparently in a fetal position, kneeling down, face down on the ground -- the man, nearby, lying face up when they found him. All of the bodies have now been taken to the coroner's office for autopsies. But, again, the mystery here is, how did this happen? Who did it, and why? -- Don.

LEMON: And, Susan, what about clues or details? Police are asking for the public's help; is that right?

CANDIOTTI: They are.

They want to know whether anyone else might have heard something, might have seen some activity by the side of the road. Again, a passerby is the one who saw something, pulled over, saw the bodies, or at least one body at that hour, called the authorities. And that is how they discovered this scene here. So, they're hopeful that someone else not only might have seen something, but perhaps knows the some family member is missing.

They're not -- they know who these people are, but police right now are not telling us the identities. There is going to be a news conference at about 4:00 Eastern time. Perhaps we will know more then.

LEMON: All right, Susan, thank you very much for that.

CANDIOTTI: Now, another member of Congress you probably never heard of before the Mark Foley scandal, John Shimkus, Republican head of the House Page Board, well, today, he's telling his colleagues on the House Ethics Committee about Foley's problem with teenage pages.

Joining us from Capitol Hill, CNN's Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, three hours and counting, that is how long Congressman Shimkus has been behind closed doors, talking to and answering questions from members of the House Ethics Committee. As you said, Shimkus is the chairman of the committee that oversees the page program. I mean, he is the only member of the program that actually met Foley and first got word about those inappropriate e-mails that Foley was sending back in the fall, late 2005.

He also not only got word of it, but he actually met with Foley around that same time, and spoke to him, told him, along with the House clerk, to knock it off, to cut off communication, and was told by Foley that this was really very innocent, that he was mentoring this young boy. Obviously, we have now learned that there was something more behind that.

Now, the next star witness to take the hot seat before the House Ethics Committee, that's going to be next week. We're expecting the majority leader, John Boehner, to answer questions. And, remember, Boehner says that he didn't learn about Foley's behavior until last spring.

And, then, here is where his story has kind of taken different twists and turns. He said, originally, that he had said something to Speaker Hastert about it. Then, he said he didn't remember. Now, again, John Boehner is saying he did tell Speaker Hastert about this.

Dennis Hastert's rebuttal has been, he does not remember. And that is the story that he is sticking to right now.

And the message, the unmistakable message, really, Kyra, from the House Republicans right now, is that they, far from running from this issue, are trying to aggressively address it. And one of the reasons why, you only have to look at your calendar. November 7 is just around the corner. This has been an issue that has really resonated with voters all across the country -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, more testimony next week, right, more testimony? Who will we see?

KOPPEL: Right.

Well, in addition to John Boehner, we're also going to hear from the Louisiana congressman Alexander, whose office was initially contacted. This was the first point of contact by that 16-year-old page, former page, and his family, to say: Hey, gotten some e-mails that are making me uncomfortable.

PHILLIPS: All right, we will follow it. Andrea Koppel, on the Hill, thanks.

And, as we head into the midterm elections, like Andrea said, stay up to date with the CNN Political Ticker. The daily service gives you an inside view of the day's political stories. See for yourself at CNN.com/ticker.

LEMON: Combat duty in Iraq, in the words of one who's there.

PHILLIPS: What is the best, worst, bravest, happiest, saddest, coolest thing about war? This may be the best letter home you will ever read. And we will share it with you -- right here from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A reporter can't tell the real story of war, nor can a filmmaker, an analyst, or a television news anchor.

To convey the experience authentically takes a man or woman who has seen it, fought it, stayed alive through it.

Joining me now, Sally Donnelly. She is with "TIME" magazine, and has such an account in her hands.

Sally, let's first bring our viewers up to date about this letter and why it's making headlines.

SALLY DONNELLY, "TIME": Well, first, it's very well-written.

When I got it, actually, I got about six copies of it from different people. I read through it. You get a lot of these things over e-mails. And it just struck me how well-written it was, and how it ranges. It's very funny in parts. It's very somber in parts. And it just gives you a real feel for being there.

PHILLIPS: Did you get to talk with this Marine personally? How did you make sure that this, indeed, was a letter that he wrote and was the letter that was making so much news?

DONNELLY: Well, first, I did not talk to him. He is still in Iraq.

I have had several e-mail conversations with him. And, once I learned who it was -- it took me several weeks, as you know -- I checked around with other Marine sources, both active-duty and retired, to -- to get a sense of who this guy was and was he legit. And he's a very well-respected, very experienced officer.

PHILLIPS: And just to sort of explain to our viewers, when they get a chance to read this in "TIME," he just -- section by section, he talks about most real surreal moment, most profound man in Iraq, worst city, bravest guy in Al-Anbar Province.

And, so, it's very easy to read. And, like you said, it does. It has humor, and it also has heart-wrenching details.

I asked you to pick three that you thought were the most interesting

"Most profound man in Iraq," this Marine writes, "an unidentified farmer in a fairly remote area who, after being asked by reconnaissance Marines if he had seen any foreign fighters in the area replied, 'Yes. You.'"

DONNELLY: Yes. The point of that is foreign fighters from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Syria, other countries have come into Iraq and have been identified in the past by the U.S. military as being sort of the heart of the insurgency.

So, U.S. servicemen are always on the lookout for these foreign fighters, these jihadists, who are thought to be more intense than the Iraqis, and more of a threat to the U.S. servicemen.

So, when the Marine wanders upon this farmer and he says, simply, well, it's you, the foreign fighter, it sort of turns the threat on its head.

"Worst City in Al-Anbar Province," he says, "Ramadi, hands down. The provincial capital of 400,000 people. Lots and lots of insurgents killed in there since we arrived in February. Every day is a nasty gun battle. They blast us with giant bombs in the road, snipers, mortars and small arms. We blast them with tanks, attack helicopters, artillery, our snipers, much better than theirs, and every weapon that an infantryman can carry. Every day. Incredibly, I rarely see Ramadi in the news."

DONNELLY: That gives you a sense of the intensity of Ramadi, which, as he points out, doesn't get in the news much, because we seem to be very much focused on Baghdad, but also of the quality and the bravery of the Marines that are fighting there. PHILLIPS: And here is...

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: "... Greatest vindication."

Here comes the humor, right?

"Stocking up on outrageous quantities of Diet Coke from the chow hall, in spite of the derision from my men on such hoarding, then having a .122-millimeter rocket blast apart the giant shipping container that held all of the soda for the chow hall. Yep, you can't buy experience."

DONNELLY: Yes, there is the humor in that, but also the deadly reality of a rocket hitting inside the camp, and it just brings home what danger these guys face every day.

PHILLIPS: The -- probably, the most heart-wrenching, or maybe the most moving part of this letter that you won't forget?

DONNELLY: Well, I think in one part, he says the worst e-mail you want to get while you're sitting there is one that alerts all people on the base to come because the blood bank needs blood.

He says he goes over there repeatedly, but he can never give blood, because the line of young Marines in front of him is so long. And it just shows -- goes to show you what kind of service these Marines are -- are putting forth in a really dangerous combat zone.

PHILLIPS: "The Secret Letter From Iraq: A Marine's Letter Home," TIME.com.

Sally Donnelly, riveting. Thanks.

DONNELLY: Thank you.

LEMON: And it's time now to honor one of America's fallen heroes.

Marine Lance Corporal Derek Jones died Sunday when a roadside bomb hit the 5-ton truck he was riding in. Jones was born in Oregon, but based in Hawaii. And his family had recently seen him there while he was on leave.

His wife's MySpace page, what had -- which had been full of proud messages about her husband, is now filled with condolences from their friends back in Oregon. Derek's younger brother, his high school football team gave him a fighting tribute.

KGW's Andrea Cantu has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA CANTU, KGW REPORTER (voice-over): The spring high school football game began on a somber note. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, at this time, we would like to ask everybody to please join in, in a moment of silence, in honor of Derek Jones.

CANTU: Twenty-one-year-old Derek Jones, a 2003 graduate of Sprague, was killed on Sunday while serving in Iraq. Tonight's Sprague vs. McNary game is bittersweet for the Jones family. Derek's little brother Chad is playing. The senior linebacker led his team on the field with an American flag in hand. His teammates showed their support with flags on their helmets.

ARASH AFSHAR, FRIEND OF DEREK JONES: His brother going out there playing shows so much heart. And for his teammates to do that shows how much they care.

CANTU: Friends of Derek filled the stands to remember the guy they called courageous, and to pay their respects to his family.

DAR AFSHAR, FRIEND OF DEREK JONES: Derek was the truest friend I have ever had, loyal, one of the bravest people I have ever met.

CANTU: Derek often contacted his friends via e-mail. He was looking forward to spending time at home next fall.

BRANDON BROOKS, FRIEND OF DEREK JONES: He was going to be one of my groomsmen for my wedding. So, that -- it's hard.

CANTU: On the field, his brother and uncle, a coach for the Olympians, worked hard, Derek on their minds and hearts.

KERRY HADDEN, UNCLE OF DEREK JONES: He was doing something that he really believed in. And he did believe in our country. He did believe in God.

CANTU: Chad gave the crowd and his parents some moments of joy, scoring for the team and for the brother he will truly miss.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And Chad Jones scored not once, but twice at last night's game.

We want to point out, his big brother, Derek, leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old daughter, who, according to grandma, has her daddy's smile.

Marine Lance Corporal Derek Jones of Salem, Oregon, one of 2,754 U.S. forces killed in Iraq.

PHILLIPS: Straight to the Hill -- Representative John Shimkus addressing reporters now, after testifying with regard to the Foley fallout.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. JOHN SHIMKUS (R), ILLINOIS: ... Ethics Committee in that, and trying to do -- trying be helpful, sooner rather than later, as they go through this process.

And I will take a couple questions.

QUESTION: Congressman, is there anything you would have done differently (OFF-MIKE)

SHIMKUS: Yes. I think there's stuff that everybody would have done differently, had -- 20/20 hindsight's always perfect. So, having 20/20 hindsight, a lot of things would have been different -- done different.

QUESTION: But do you feel you let Foley off the hook, really?

SHIMKUS: I did what was requested, as in my public statements, in confidence with the request of the parents, based upon information I had available. And that's my consistent statements.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: At that point, Congressman, had you ever heard anything about Congressman Foley's -- potentially being too friendly or anything like that?

SHIMKUS: You know, my first desire to be involved -- or not desire -- it's not -- really asked for this -- the first -- when the clerk showed me excerpts of the e-mail from the family in Louisiana that this family was concerned of, that was the first time that I had any indication that I needed to address Congressman Foley.

QUESTION: But had you ever heard anything about anything, like, in an unofficial...

(CROSSTALK)

SHIMKUS: No. No. My first -- again, my first contact or, you know, process is with this 2005 e-mail.

QUESTION: Were you under oath today? Were you under oath?

(CROSSTALK)

SHIMKUS: Oh, yes. All -- I think we all are. So, I would be surprised if anybody...

QUESTION: So, you were sworn in?

SHIMKUS: That's right.

QUESTION: Mr. Shimkus...

SHIMKUS: Last question for me.

QUESTION: ... who decided that just you and Mr. Trandahl should speak with Mr. Foley as opposed to having one or two or three other people involved?

SHIMKUS: It was my decision.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) your decision?

SHIMKUS: Yes.

Thank you.

QUESTION: Which members questioned you today?

PHILLIPS: Well, that's the first time we have heard from the head of the page program, Representative John Shimkus. He has been testifying there at the House Ethics Committee, as it investigates the former Congressman Mark Foley scandal.

He said -- well, he was asked if he would have done anything differently. He said hindsight is 20/20. He would have done a lot of things differently.

He also said that the first time -- there has been a lot of talk about what did he know and when. He is saying he knew nothing of Foley's activities until he saw that 2005 e-mail from that page that came forward out of Louisiana. He said that that was the first time that he saw there was a problem, and that he needed to address Mark Foley's behavior.

We will continue to the follow the investigations, couple investigations going on, actually.

LEMON: Mmm-hmm.

But I got a quick question for you.

PHILLIPS: Sure.

LEMON: All right. What is the only branch of the armed services that doesn't have a memorial in Washington?

PHILLIPS: You know I already know that.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Well, maybe I should do it to the viewers, instead of you.

PHILLIPS: Because, if you're right, you're going to be wrong tomorrow.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Can you figure out what demonstration team that is? It's a little bit of a giveaway.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Watch them bank.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: He has been called the banker to the poor. Now he's a Nobel laureate.

Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The bank he founded makes tiny loans -- and I'm talking 50 bucks -- that's a tiny loan -- maybe even $100 -- to help some of the poorest people on Earth become self-sufficient.

CNN's Paula Newton reports, the Nobel Prize is an unexpected dividend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More and more, the Nobel Committee is proving to be as unpredictable as it is inspiring -- the surprise choice for the Peace Prize this year, Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded.

OLE DANBOLT MJOES, CHAIRMAN, NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE: Loans to poor people, without any financial security, had appeared to be an impossible idea. From modest beginnings three decades ago, Yunus has, first and foremost, through Grameen Bank, developed microcredit into an ever more important instrument in the struggle against poverty.

NEWTON: American-educated, this economist went back to his native Bangladesh to start his dream, a bank lending small amounts, in the hope that self-employment would lead to self-sufficiency.

MUHAMMAD YUNUS, NOBEL LAUREATE: The bank that we have is owned by the poor people. Grameen Bank is owned by the borrowers themselves. You take an initiative to make an effort to change your own life, to earn yourself a living, raising a cow, processing rice, raising chickens, basketmaking, things they are very familiar with. Nothing fancy.

NEWTON: It may not be fancy but it has become revolutionary, not just in Bangladesh. Microcredit has changed the lives of millions around the world, especially women who have proven to be shrewd businesspeople. The bank is not a charity. It's a business that has loaned billions and nearly 99 percent of those loans are repaid.

JEFFREY SACHS, U.N. MILLENNIUM PROJECT: The Grameen Bank is one of the great successes of economic development and Muhammad Yunus is one of the brilliant leaders of development in our time. It's a model that's very important throughout the world.

NEWTON: And that is what the Nobel Committee wants to promote, a model that combats poverty and helps build lasting peace. Yunus' passionate vision has showed the way.

YUNUS: It gives you the confidence the whole world can do that. If Grameen Bank can do that, the whole world can do that.

NEWTON: Yunus himself says he is delighted the Nobel Committee has endorsed his dream of a poverty-free world, hoping that the global recognition that comes with the Nobel Peace Prize will convince more people that without poverty, peace will prevail.

Paula Newton, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: North Korea pushes, so how hard will the U.N. push back? A vote on sanctions over North Korea's self-proclaimed nuke test is set for today.

Details now from senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, here at the United Nations General Assembly currently has -- in action, as we speak, has officially nominated, endorsed Bank Ki-moon as the next secretary-general of the United Nations, 192 countries joining in applause for the South Korean foreign minister, whose new post will -- to lead this organization, which oftentimes is beleaguered, hailed and has gone through a lot in the last five or 10 years.

The South Korean foreign minister came to the podium after the applause for the South Korean. Yesterday, he told me how he feels about getting the job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAN KI-MOON, S. KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I feel very much honored to be given this great opportunity and responsibility. At the same time, I feel also anxious how I should deal with all many daunting challenges, but with strong support of the member states of international community, I think I can discharge my duties as secretary-general well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Also at the General Assembly, the former -- the current Secretary-General Kofi Annan talked to the General Assembly about the new man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: This is also the best possible job on earth. There will be time to wish you well more fully, as we have reach the moment of transfer of authority towards the end of the year. Until then, my colleagues and I will do all we can to assist you as you prepare for the road ahead.

As you ready yourself to take over, I wish you both strength and courage. You will need those attributes, but equally, you will need a healthy sense of humor, which I know you possess in abundance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Kofi Annan before his comment said the former Secretary- General Dag Hammarskjold said it could be the most impossible job on earth but it could also be the best job. Ban Ki-moon will take office January 1st. His family is in the audience, and he has a tough job ahead of him.

He wants to be flexible, Kyra. He has said he wants to be able to streamline the organization, wants to go to North Korea to see if he can diffuse tensions there. Many times it's really up to the big powers on the Security Council who determine just how much of an operator and diplomat the new secretary-general or any secretary- general can be.

PHILLIPS: So, quick question because we haven't talked about this for awhile. But I was -- the oil for food scandal and centering around Kofi Annan, does Ban Ki-moon inherit that scandal and whatever happened there with all the alleged corruption that was taking place or what happens to that?

ROTH: Well, we know that there are various U.S. justice organizations or grand juries that have been hearing evidence in cases. There is some trials now. If someone is indicted or someone in the U.N. system is named, then he inherits that.

The oil for food system and that whole scandal does continue to spill out as various governments from around the government only now finally turn to investigating what happened with their own companies or even people in their own foreign ministry.

So it continues to play out on the world stage, and he has the tough job of getting the image of the U.N. back up to where it was before all of this, especially in the United States.

PHILLIPS: What is Kofi Annan going to do now?

ROTH: Kofi Annan is expected to go back to Ghana, where he was born. Of course, he will probably travel extensively, giving many lectures and panel discussions once he is out of office after 10 years on the job.

PHILLIPS: All right. Richard Roth, thanks.

LEMON: One is a leader of the free world, the other is a rock star trying to make the world a better place.

PHILLIPS: So what do President Bush and Bono talk about when they get together? You'll find out in the CNN NEWSROOM right after a break.

LEMON: Maybe it's Christy Turlington.

PHILLIPS: Pretty good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: Name the band! Name the band. Otis is pulling out the archives! Well, it's a great weekend and a sad weekend for live music in New York City. This is Don Lemon's old hangout, by the way.

LEMON: I hang out here a little bit. I spent many a couple of ...

PHILLIPS: Punking it up in the mosh pit.

LEMON: ...crazy nights in that place down in the Bowery. This place is arguable the most fertile ground on earth for punk rock, new wave, spoken word and the hardcore sound. Of course, CBGB's in the Bowery, a building apparently held together by stickers.

PHILLIPS: Well, The Dictators, Debbie Harry, a friend of our show, by the way -- she's been on with us, we love her -- and Chris Stein of Blondie and Patti Smith ...

LEMON: Love the Patti Smith.

PHILLIPS: ...headlining tomorrow and Sunday. It's bittersweet though. The legendary club closes for good after 33 years of spawning such acts like The Ramones, The Talking Heads ...

LEMON: That's The Ramones right there.

PHILLIPS: ...there you go, The Jam, many others. Cause of death? Rent disputes. The owner plans to open a CBGB's in Vegas.

LEMON: That's -- is that the Sex Pistols?

PHILLIPS: Sex Pistols.

LEMON: Sex Pistols, you got it.

PHILLIPS: Oh, I thought you saw a video of them, of The Ramones. Did we show a video of The Ramones or no?

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

LISOVICZ: I'll be back at the end of the hour with a wrap of the trading day, but first our weekly series "Life After Work."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sculpting is more than just a casual hobby for 64-year-old Jean Dibner.

JEAN DIBNER, RETIREE: It's such a part of who I am. It's not what I do, it's who I am.

MORRIS: Ten years ago, Dibner started taking night classes while she was still working as a senior executive in the high-tech industry.

DIBNER: I knew the moment I touched play that something magical had happened. A very encouraging teacher who took me aside after I'd taken my first class and said, "You are where many people are after they've been working at it for five or ten years."

MORRIS: Dibner took an early retirement package in 1999 and started sculpting full time. Success was soon to follow, as she won several awards and gained national recognition. DIBNER: I think people of my age have a great deal of wisdom and they have a story they want to tell. So I'm commenting on the incredible gift we have of life.

Wow, is that beautiful!

MORRIS: Dibner also shares her passion with students, teaching classes one day a week at her Boston home.

DIBNER: I know how important this aspect of my life is for me, and it gives me a great deal of pleasure to open that up for other people.

MORRIS: Valerie Morris, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we asked a bit earlier about the only branch of the military with no memorial in Washington. Well, it's the Air Force and its time has finally come.

CNN's Jamie McIntyre joins us now with a preview of what's sure to be a pretty memorable weekend. Hey, Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Big doings going on here in the South Pentagon parking lot. The preparations under way for the dedication of the Air Force Memorial, which you can see over my shoulder. A little music and everything. Earlier today, we were treated to a look at the rehearsal for tomorrow's festivities.

The Thunderbirds, the Air Force precision flying team, followed by a parade of vintage aircraft starting with World War I, working their way up to World War II and ending with a very impressive flyover by the B-2 stealth bomber right over the Pentagon. Earlier, I got a look --a close-up look at this memorial as it was nearing its completion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It looks like it's almost done.

MAJ. GEN. ED GRILLO (RET.), AIR FORCE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: Got one more piece to put on and we are done.

MCINTYRE (voice-over): For retired Major General Ed Grillo, watching the Air Force Memorial's completion has been as exhilarating as the aerobatics it evokes.

(on camera): You know, when I look at it, I can't help but think of that maneuver that the Thunderbirds do. What's that called?

GRILLO: It's called a "bomb burst" maneuver. And it's literally when four planes come together, and they go reach into the heavens, they're soaring straight up into the sky, and that was part of the inspiration that the architect used for this memorial.

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Designed by the late James Freed (ph), the memorial took two years to build at a cost of $30 million, in mostly private funds. It now takes its place as a prominent landmark on the Washington skyline, next to Arlington National Cemetery and up a hill from the Pentagon.

(on camera): You know, from here, it almost looks like this towers over the Washington Monument, but I guess that's just perspective.

GRILLO: It is just perspective. The Washington monument is actually 550 feet tall.

MCINTYRE: And how tall is this?

GRILLO: The tallest part is 270. We do sit on a 130-foot plateau. But even when adding those two together, the Washington Monument is still higher, as it should be.

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Wind tunnel tests of the unique design revealed a problem. The spires acted like wings and vibrate, prompting a unique solution.

GRILLO: The engineering element that corrected that was to put these large 1,600 steel balls in cages inside the memorial, such that as the memorial begins to sway in one direction, the ball would move in the other and dampen the oscillation.

MCINTYRE: At the dedication this weekend, the Air Force, the youngest of the military services, will no longer be the only service without a major memorial in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: And you can see the memorial is complete now, with the gleaming spires behind me. And they're preparing for what they expect will be 30,000 people here in the south parking lot of the Pentagon for tomorrow's dedication. They've filled the lot, by the way, with all kinds of aircraft, everything from a global hawk to a mock-up of the F-35, the newest addition, the joint strike fighter -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, the thunderbirds, Jamie, they have -- it's the only demo team in the U.S. that has a female pilot now. She's one of the new members of the team. I think you ought to go airborne there and have her demonstrate the bomb burst maneuver, what do you think?

MCINTYRE: Well I think that would put me into what we call a reverse thruster mode, if you get my drift.

PHILLIPS: I can't see you going high fox now, come on now.

MCINTYRE: I think I'll just -- I've been in an F-16 and we flew very straight and level. I didn't feel any of my bags.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jamie McIntyre -- yes?

MCINTYRE: I was going to say it should be a great day tomorrow. It's going to be -- weather like this, it should be a wonderful event.

PHILLIPS: Yes, it will be great. It's about time. Jamie McIntyre, thanks.

LEMON: That looks a lot like the memorial.

PHILLIPS: It does. It's like half of the St. Louis arch, right?

LEMON: Very beautiful.

Bush and Bono, hanging out in Chicago. What was their meeting all about? Find out next in the NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: And why was Christy Turlington there?

LEMON: There you go. She's a model in all this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You know you're important when -- that's when we're going to start a joke. You know you're important when? When you can cold call the White House and meet the president the same afternoon. Well who can?

Bono can and he did as he and President Bush crossed paths yesterday in Chicago. Mr. Bush and the U2 frontman share a commitment to slow the spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa. Bono talked about his impromptu meeting on our sister network, CNN International.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONO, MUSICIAN/ACTIVIST: We just launched RED on Oprah. We were in Chicago and they wouldn't let us leave on the runway. They closed down the air space. We were very upset and I wanted to make a complaint. They said, you'll have to complain to the president of the United States. I said, well there's a few things I'd like to complain to the president of the United States. So we stormed the plane as it were.

But actually, I have to say, on AIDS, the United States are way out in front in your leadership on AIDS and President Bush working with Congress has a million Africans on anti-retroviral drugs. Two years ago, there were about 50,000. So I was bringing him some good news but also telling him we need to increase funding for the global fund which is where all the RED money is going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: He's talking about a program there called Pepvar (ph). As we mentioned Bono was in Chicago to see Oprah. Both are promoting a line of clothing and accessories that will raise money to help fight AIDS. PHILLIPS: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer standing by in "THE SIT ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour. Hey, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi guys, good cause by Bono. Thanks very much.

An Ohio Republican congressman pleads guilty to felony charges, but refuses to resign his seat. It's just what Republicans don't need 25 days before the election. We're going to show you what is going on behind the scenes.

Also some new developments in another scandal. Was the White House deliberately snubbing former Congressman Mark Foley back in 2004? We have details of some newly revealed e-mail from Foley to the president's brother seeking answers.

Plus, cash in Congress. We're going to show you how it could determine who will be in control. We're following the money trail for you. All that, guys, coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Wolf. Closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street. Susan Lisovicz with record...

LEMON: Speaking of records, yes, record on Wall Street. But speaking of records, you wanted to mention something?

PHILLIPS: Oh, CBGB's, Candy Crowley son's band OK is called Three Deep (ph).

(MARKET REPORT)

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