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Path of Destruction; Family Feud Among Democrats

Aired November 17, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins. For the next three hours, watch events happen live on this Friday, November 17th. Here's what's on the rundown. Nature on a rampage, shredding a North Carolina community, we are there live as a small town copes with loss and begins to pick up the pieces.

HARRIS: Ambush in Iraq. American contractors grabbed at what may have been a phony checkpoint. Late details live from Baghdad.

COLLINS: And the mad rush for PlayStation 3, customers let their feet and fists do the talking, smack down in the NEWSROOM.

Overrun by fast-moving floodwaters, that's what happened to several towns in the northeast after heavy rains turned roads into rivers. Look at that. These incredible pictures were taken in Binghamton, New York. Hundreds of people there had to be rescued from their homes and cars. Outside Washington, a very similar and frightening scene, terrified motorists were trapped in washed out roads. Hundreds of homes there were flooded.

HARRIS: And that storm system left shattered lives, homes in splinters in Riegelwood, North Carolina. A powerful tornado killed eight people and hurt dozens. Some 100 people homeless this morning, our Rick Sanchez is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sheriff's department got the first warning at 6:29 in the morning. Fifteen minutes later, the tornado was on the ground. Mark Brown was home when it arrived.

MARK BROWN, SURVIVED TORNADO: And it sounded like a train was coming. I said, let me get up and look out that door, see what's going on. When I looked out the door, the tornado was coming.

SANCHEZ: Brown's house was destroyed. He was lucky to have survived. Others in the town of Riegelwood, North Carolina, never had a chance.

JANICE WADDELL, SURVIVED TORNADO: It was real terrible. I've never seen anything like it before. And I hope I never see anything like it again. SANCHEZ: The tornado was a killer. Among the dead, two children. The victims lived in this mobile home park sheriff's say was disintegrated by the storm.

SHERIFF CHRISTOPHER BATTEN, COLUMBUS CO., NORTH CAROLINA: It is a major catastrophe. There is an area that's probably almost a half a mile wide, it reaches probably three quarters to a mile in length, stretching northward that is totally demolished. Homes turned upside down. Vehicles completely destroyed.

SANCHEZ (on camera): Authorities say this tornado was so ferocious, its winds so strong that some of the deceased were found in the woods, a full 200 yards, two football fields away from where they were when the tornado first touched.

BATTEN: We assume that the tornado created that kind of damage.

SANCHEZ: Literally took them from their homes to the place where they were found.

BATTEN: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: Authorities say 20 people were injured, four, including three small children, are in critical condition. Meanwhile, thousands are still without power. To look at the devastation, it's amazing the death toll isn't higher. And then there's this to think about. The town doesn't have a siren to alert residents of an impending tornado.

BATTEN: We do not have that type of system.

SANCHEZ: There is no siren?

BATTEN: No.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Rick Sanchez joins us live now. Rick, let me pick up on the end of your piece there. No sirens, so many folks, perhaps didn't even know this was coming, on its way.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, you are absolutely right. Talking about a 15- minute window. The National Weather Service put out the warning at 6:29 a.m. Remember, 6:29, it's still dark, some people are sleeping. The actual tornado touchdown was at 6:44 so you have 15 minutes. In that 15-minute period the only way that people would have known that there was a tornado coming is if they happened to have their radio on or if they had their television on because other than that, there was really no way, at least in this particular town, as it is in a lot of rural parts of our country for people to know that there's something like that -- for residents to be warned.

HARRIS: So Rick, some of the words being used to describe that scene, homes vaporized, homes disintegrated, 100 people homeless now. What's being done for those folks?

SANCHEZ: Well, you're right. Disintegrated is a term that the sheriff used yesterday. I have covered an awful lot of storms, being -- growing up in South Florida, seeing both tornadoes and hurricanes, seeing what they can do. I don't quite think I have ever heard a police official refer to a scene as a disintegration. Mind you, we're talking about a trailer park, mobile home community so it -- you know, it's the kind of thing that we've all come to expect because they're not strong enough to resist those type of ferocious winds. So the people who lived in that area are being told this morning to stay in the shelters that they have created for them, where they're getting both food, shelter, psychological counseling as well to try and help them deal with something, you can imagine, to be as traumatic as this. And they're also telling them not to go back into that area. They say it's just too dangerous Tony, that there are just still too many power lines that are down. A lot of people's lives literally strewn about on the streets

HARRIS: CNN's Rick Sanchez for us. Rick, appreciate that. Thank you.

In just a couple of minutes we will talk to a woman who survived the storm. Her house absolutely leveled, destroyed. We'll talk to Tomeka Jenkins in just a couple of minutes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: A desperate search is on right now in Iraq for Americans kidnapped by insurgents. A military source says they are among five security contractors snatched at a fake checkpoint. CNN's Arwa Damon has the latest from Baghdad. Arwa, what is the very latest on the story?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, first of all, we do have to tell you about a second incident that happened earlier this morning, earlier Friday morning, in the vicinity of where that kidnapping took place. Details are still coming in. What we do know from a British military spokesman is that there was some sort of an attack on yet another civilian security convoy in that area. Now, the first attack that led to four U.S. contractors being kidnapped, plus one Austrian contractor, happened when the convoy was traveling from Kuwait to Talil Airbase in southern Iraq, in the vicinity of Basra, not too far from the Kuwaiti border is what we are hearing by some reports. They approached a fake checkpoint where we are hearing from a military source, Iraqi police, where masked -- Iraqi gunmen, the local militia was masquerading as the Iraqi police. The five were snatched there along with a number of drivers. The drivers all of south Asian origin were later released. There is now a very aggressive search mission going on to try to rescue these victims. One of them has been identified as Paul Ruben from Minnesota. Tony?

HARRIS: Arwa, if you could, explain to folks how these kidnappings often work where these local militias will grab people and in essence sell them up the food chain to the next highest bidder.

DAMON: Well, Tony, there are two things that need to be explained here. First of all, is this method of operation that we're seeing, used quite frequently now where you have armed gunmen or local militias, they're setting up these fake checkpoints, masquerading as Iraqi police or as Iraqi Security Forces, and there is pretty much no real way to differentiate between a fake and a real checkpoint. A lot of the times what happened when these kidnappings do take place is that the victims are sold on to the next highest bidder. We have seen this happen in the past. We have heard reports from people that were kidnapped and later released that they saw this happening to them as well. Right now, the fate of these five that were kidnapped is unknown. They could be being sold on to the latest bidder or they could be being held for political purposes or as some sort of leverage, Tony.

HARRIS: We know you'll follow it for us. CNN's Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad. Arwa thank you.

COLLINS: They will be back seat drivers. Today House Republicans decide who will lead them as the minority now. Democrats calling for unity today after fighting among themselves. Here's congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just one day after Democrats elected the first female speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi tried hard to put a good face on what had been a bitter and divisive battle for the number two spot.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER-ELECT: We've had our debates, we've had our disagreements in that room, and now that is over.

KOPPEL: Now it's the Republicans' turn to go behind closed doors and cast secret ballots for their leaders, but unlike Democrats, Republicans have little to celebrate.

REP. JOHN SHADEGG, (R) ARIZONA: We got slapped in this election. The American people I think are trying to send us a message.

KOPPEL: The message, says Congressman John Shadegg of Arizona who is running for his party's number two spot, is that after a year filled with scandals, from Jake Abramoff's lobbying to the bribery convictions of Duke Cunningham and Bob Ney, to Mark Foley's sexually charged messages to teenage pages, the Republican Party needs change at the top.

SHADEGG: If we re-elect the exact same two top leaders that we had going into the election when we come out of the election, I think we will have said to the American people we don't really care about the fact that you want change.

KOPPEL: Shadegg's rival, Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt, already in the Republican leadership, argues that with Speaker Hastert out and at least four new faces set to join the leadership, now is the time for experience.

REP. ROY BLUNT, (R) MISSOURI: You have to have leaders who actually know how to get this job done, of keeping our team together. KOPPEL: A position shared by the current Republican leader, John Boehner, who's being challenged by Indiana's Mike Pence. Pence has told his colleagues we didn't just lose our majority, I believe we lost our way.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Andrea Koppel joining us now live from Capitol Hill. And Andrea, it's interesting because it seems like some of these congressmen are saying that the GOP needs new faces, new energy perhaps, but still the current leader, John Boehner, who we just saw a little bit there in your piece, seems to be exactly who's moving forward as the same face.

KOPPEL: That's exactly right, Heidi, unlike Congressman Blunt, John Boehner has only been back in leadership as majority leader since February, since he replaced Tom DeLay. Nevertheless, you have, when you talk to Republican rank and file, they say that Boehner has done a really good job of being an inclusive leader. He has done a really good job of reaching out and being a consensus builder. In fact, even Mike Pence, who's running against him, says that he doesn't think that John Boehner did a bad job. He said the guy deserves a medal. Rather, he thinks that he is a better suited candidate to work as leader for a minority party this time around.

COLLINS: Andrea, pardon the interruption. I just want to let you know that we are hearing and confirming here at CNN that John Boehner has just been elected as -- I should say House minority leader-elect. John Boehner, so there you have it.

KOPPEL: And that was fully expected Heidi.

COLLINS: OK, Andrea Koppel, thanks for that.

Meanwhile, power plays and political battles. The elections are over but the intrigue just getting started. We'll talk with a political veteran right here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, it's the game to get. But getting your hands on one can cost you in more ways than one. The fights, angry words, even gunshots. PS3 mania gone wild in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And the Iraqi mindset. If Allah wills it, my bullet will hit the target. Precision takes a hit with that kind of thinking. An American who trained Iraqi troops tells that story and other challenges from the front lines. Right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to go ahead and get this straight out to you right now, news just in to the CNN NEWSROOM. House minority leader used to be the majority leader, John Boehner, House Minority Leader now elect, John Boehner. He was just voted into that position, again, as House minority leader. We don't have a vote count just yet, but it will be interesting to see how those votes came down. As you know from the eighth district of Ohio, Congressman John Boehner. You see him there on the left of your screen. We'll continue to follow this one and talk about some of the implications of that coming up a little bit later in the NEWSROOM.

Some terrifying moments this morning in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Two people were forced to climb on top of their SUV after rising waters flooded the vehicle. Rescue crews waded out with a boat. The relieved couple was fitted with life jackets and towed to dry land. Frightening there.

HARRIS: In Riegelwood, North Carolina today, it is still too dangerous for some people to go home. A powerful tornado killed eight people and wiped out a mile-long section of homes in Riegelwood, a small town west of Wilmington. Tomeka Jenkins escaped with only the clothes on her back. Tomeka is with us from her hometown in North Carolina. Tomeka, thank you for your time. How are you doing the day after all of this?

TOMEKA JENKINS, HOUSE DESTROYED BY TORNADO: Still taking it one day at a time. I mean I still don't have any, you know -- still don't have any, you know, knowledge of what I'm going to do. Still trying to take it one day at a time.

HARRIS: Tomeka, did you lose everything?

JENKINS: I lost my home, everything I own. I don't have -- but the clothes on my back.

HARRIS: But you -- your children are OK?

JENKINS: My children are fine, thank God.

HARRIS: Not injured at all?

JENKINS: No, not injured at all.

HARRIS: Ok, take us back through the morning yesterday. My understanding is you were running a little late yesterday and you changed your routine a bit. Tell us what you did and the reality is, is that slight change in your routine may have saved you.

JENKINS: Yes, it did. Actually, I woke up that morning, you know, a regular day to go to work. Normally, you know, when I'm running late I will leave my kids home for the daycare to pick them up. Yesterday, I decided to go and just call my job to tell them I'm running late. I'm taking my kids to daycare and I'll be a little bit late.

HARRIS: Yes.

JENKINS: So as I was taking them to daycare, I'm driving, and you know the wind is blowing kind of hard. So I'm thinking, well, that's nothing because -- that's nothing. And then the radio went out. And I heard an emergency signal saying a tornado watch or a warning, I'm not really sure what it was, in the area. So, but still, I went on to work. And as I got to work, I got a phone call saying is anybody home at your house? I said no. And I said why? They said because your house is gone.

HARRIS: Because your house is gone.

JENKINS: I said what do you mean my house is -- They said my house is gone, I said what do you mean my house is gone? They said it's gone. I didn't believe them. So I hung the phone up and continued to work. The second phone call saying, well, Tomeka you need to get home because you don't have a house. So I immediately dropped the phone in tears, and left and came here. But when I got here, I couldn't get through to see actually what happened. So, really, a tornado hitting here, you know, I thought was impossible.

HARRIS: So Tomeka, let me stop you there for just a moment. So you get this word from a friend that your house is gone. You realize early on that your kids are ok.

JENKINS: Yes.

HARRIS: Which you probably make a phone call or so or a couple maybe to find out that your kids are ok.

JENKINS: Yes, I called the daycare on my way.

HARRIS: And you found out they were ok. Were you -- what's the feeling of one moment you're driving to work, you get to work and the next moment you get this call that says your whole life has been rearranged for you by Mother Nature?

JENKINS: I mean, I actually didn't believe it. I mean, I didn't really believe it until I saw it yesterday afternoon.

HARRIS: What did you see?

JENKINS: I didn't believe it. My life just sitting in front of me in pieces. I mean, my life just -- everywhere. I mean --

HARRIS: So Tomeka, where do you go from here?

JENKINS: I don't know. I do not know.

HARRIS: Family, relatives? Friends, family, relatives?

JENKINS: I really don't have any friends. My mother and father passed away years ago. I mean, where do I go from here? Who knows?

HARRIS: And you're staying -- you and your children are staying in a shelter now?

JENKINS: Yes.

HARRIS: Ok, let's hope the good folks of North Carolina and maybe some folks around the country will see and clearly there is a lot of help needed not only by you Tomeka, but by a lot of folks in that community. Stay strong, all right, and keep fighting for your kids, ok?

JENKINS: All right, thank you.

HARRIS: All right, Tomeka. My goodness.

Still to come, from virtual violence to the real deal. The frenzy over PlayStation 3 gets physical. The game console went on sale at midnight with long lines, short supplies, and quick tempers. In Wisconsin, about 50 people at a Wal-Mart scrambled to get one of the 10 available consoles. A 19-year-old man ran into a pole trying to beat out other gamers. Much more serious activities in Connecticut, police say two men tried to rob people in line. One person resisted and was shot. No word on his condition this morning. In Palmdale, California, a Super Wal-Mart was shut after some PS3 hopefuls got a bit rowdy.

COLLINS: Video games are more than just fun and games to Sony and other companies. They are pretty darn big business. Andrew Ross Sorkin of "The New York Times" is "Minding your Business" today. I don't even know what to say. I don't know where to start, I mean this thing is crazy. It's out of control.

ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, THE NEW YORK TIMES: It's a crazy story, Heidi. The PlayStation 3, this is the big day, this is game day for those gamers. There's only 400,000 of these available at the moment. They're running at $500 and $600 price points, and as we just saw, there are people clearly in a frenzy over these devices. We also have additional devices coming out this weekend from Nintendo so it's going to be a big one. And we will just have to see exactly how -- who wins the big battle, if you will.

COLLINS: Yes, Andrew let's talk about that for a second. What about this Nintendo W2, is that what you call it, I'm a total idiot about this stuff?

SORKIN: It's called the Nintendo WII if you will.

COLLINS: WII of course. Tony's kicking me under the desk.

SORKIN: The WII is actually at a very different price point, it's a $250 device and it's supposed to be a lot simpler. So all of these complicated new devices from PlayStation, or whether it be Xbox, which are actually very difficult, not difficult but very complex. The WII is supposed to be a lot easier for some of the older folk, if you will. So that's what the Nintendo WII is all about.

COLLINS: I have just lost all credibility in the gaming community, hopefully not more than that. But what do you do, though? I mean this is always a tricky question when we talk about compatibility with these video games and even with computers. What do you do if you have that Xbox 360, are you feeling left out?

SORKIN: I think you are feeling a little left out, but Burger King, just to do a little flaking is actually having a promotion for those X-Boxers feeling left out this weekend. They have launched a series of games, we're holding one up right here, I don't know if you can catch that.

COLLINS: Do it again, hold it up again.

SORKIN: Right there, can you see it? It's running at $4. So instead of spending 50 or $60, you can play with the King here and -- you know, you can try to enjoy the weekend and get over all of your friends who may have the PlayStation or the Nintendo WII. Not the Nintendo or W2.

COLLINS: The WII.

SORKIN: The WII.

COLLINS: The spelling is interesting, however, you have to admit.

SORKIN: Yeah.

COLLINS: All right Andrew, thank you so much for that. We'll be watching this all day long.

SORKIN: I appreciate it.

COLLINS: Power plays, political battles, the elections are over but the intrigue just getting started. We will talk with a political veteran coming up here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: There's a reason many Iraqi troops aren't hanging around for the fight. A U.S. military trainer will help us understand. We will talk to him shortly, in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Italy rolls out the red carpet for a Hollywood couple. Don't know if you've heard of these guys before, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, they won't have everything their way though when they get ready to tie the knot. That story as well coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We have a little bit more information to share with you here now from the House Republicans. We just learned moments ago that John Boehner has now been elected to be the minority leader elect. This will be a little bit different role, being that he serves as the majority leader right now. But interesting, of course, he's from Ohio, and that vote -- we have the vote count now, 168 votes for Boehner. Mike Pence, who he was going against from Indiana, 27 votes. So once again, 168 for Boehner, 27 for Mike Pence. So that was quite a vote to his confidence there.

Meanwhile, power plays and political battles, as you well know the elections are over but the intrigue and the questions and the chatting just getting started. We'll talk with a political veteran Bob Barr coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Americans kidnapped in Iraq, tricked at a fake checkpoint. Live to Baghdad, next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Torrential rainfall, flooding, deadly tornadoes, the devastating story this week as a massive storm system moved across the country.

Rob Marciano traces the path of destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Tuesday, the rains had turned into a severe snowstorm, dropping nearly two feet in the Colorado Rockies.

That storm system pulled cold air down, and spun it into the Plains, drawing warm, moist air in from the Gulf of Mexico as it moved east. By early Wednesday, the system caused strong thunderstorms, some developing the swirling winds that produce tornadoes.

A twister dropped north of New Orleans, cutting a path two miles wide and three miles long through Greensburg, Louisiana. When it had passed, one man was dead, his home destroyed. Eleven homes were left damaged or devastated in Lamar County, Mississippi. And it wasn't finished yet -- next up, Alabama, five confirmed tornadoes, taking down an elementary school and a skating rink, with its busy day care facility inside.

The storm continued on its deadly path, feeding off the Gulf, and moving all of the way to another source of moisture, the Atlantic Ocean. It pushed into South Carolina, killing a utility worker checking on power lines.

But North Carolina took the worst beating, with young children among the dead and injured.

Then, that same storm system continued up the coast, bringing torrential rains to Virginia and Maryland. Sandbags brought in to stop the water couldn't prevent flooding in the streets and businesses in Annapolis, Maryland.

Rob Marciano, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Rob Marciano joining us now live from Hawthorne, New York.

And, Rob, as we look at those pictures from yesterday, and then we saw the path of this storm, we have you in New York, where is this storm system now?

MARCIANO: Well it's up in Quebec. And now it's much quieter, much more calm and much cooler behind this system. But, you know, those winds and those tornadoes in the system, it wasn't done after that, it moved up the eastern seaboard, brought flooding rain to Virginia.

And look at some of the video out of Binghamton, New York, Broom County, a state of emergency this morning, upwards of four inches falling in a short period of time. Flooded streets, and roadways and homes and mudslides also for a time, I-88 eastbound closed because of high water and mudslides there. So a tremendous amount of damage in Upstate New York as well from this storm. Water, wind and even snow in Colorado.

We're in Hawthorne, New York, where actually a few months ago in July they had a tornado come through here, pretty rare event, but it goes to show it can happen jaws about anywhere.

Behind me you can see the trees that are down. The swirl of this tornado brought these trees this way as the tornado went off towards the east. So, give you a clear indication that this was a twister when it came down, and we are on the north side of what was a twister just a few months back. It can happen, well, just about anywhere in the country. And with storms like the one that rode through the south this week, obviously a better chance of that happening. Unfortunately a deadly toll across parts of Louisiana, Alabama and North Carolina -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Boy, that is for sure. And if you've never been through anything like it or if you have never seen a tornado it's just -- the pictures behind you and the pictures we've been showing, it's truly unbelievable. Never really does is justice for the real thing.

Rob Marciano, thanks so much for that in Hawthorne, New York.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: It is massive and it's aggressive. Coalition forces are searching right now for Americans kidnapped in Iraq. The military says four Americans and one Austrian were kidnapped at a phony police checkpoint near the southern city of Basra. The military says they were traveling with a convoy that was ambushed by local militia masquerading as Iraqi police officers. And a British military spokesman says a second security incident happened near the same area this morning. It, too, involved a convoy of private contractors.

COLLINS: A family feud among Democrats. An ousted Republican rises from the rubble. It has been a week filled with political power plays and intrigue.

Former Congressman Bob Barr has been there, done that. He joins us to talk about what's ahead for both parties. Thanks for being here, Congressman Barr.

BOB BARR, FMR. U.S. CONGRESSMAN: It's a pleasure.

COLLINS: I want to ask you quickly this information that we just got in about John Boehner, now becoming the House minority leader elect. Your thoughts on that? Is this good or bad?

BARR: It's -- well, it's good for John Boehner, but it's not good for the GOP. They desperately need new leadership, new blood, a new face out there, and they -- this morning decided not to go that route. This fits in the mold of following what the White House wants them to do. They put Mel Martinez in as head of the Congressional Committee. This does not indicate that they've learned a lot from last week's lesson.

COLLINS: Who should it have been? I mean, Mike Pence had 27 votes to Boehner's 168.

BARR: There are several new leaders, Mike Pence from Indiana among them, John Shadegg from Arizona, also Jeff Flake, also from Arizona. This is the new blood that the Republican Party and the Congress really needs. And thus far, they haven't indicated that they're willing to jettison the status quo.

COLLINS: What about the minority whip? Maybe that -- maybe they will elect a new face.

BARR: That will be a very key vote, a little bit later this morning. You have Roy Blunt, who's the current majority whip, majority whip, and he wants to move over to the minority whip status to keep that leadership position. If the caucus, the Republican caucus goes with Roy Blunt, then that will indicate that they want a complete no change with the past and complete status quo. If, on the other hand, they move John Shadegg, who's running for that seat up, that will at least indicate a little crack in that status quo facade.

COLLINS: Well, you wrote an interesting article that I was reading, and you talk about the blue dog Democrats who are basically, I guess you would say them as somewhat moderate, a little conservative. It is going to be interesting, is it not, to see speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi do, as you called in your article, sort of a balancing act between making those folks happy and the leadership that she has worked with for so many years in the minority.

BARR: This is going to be the key for whether or not Pelosi will have a rocky first term or somewhat smooth. Thus far, it's a very rocky start for her. Whether or not she will be able to sort of regroup and put her personal peeves aside with John Murtha and Jane Harmon, for example...

COLLINS: Why would you do that? Why would you endorse someone as the speaker elect, instead of just staying quiet and letting your party decide who's going to be in the role?

BARR: A smart leader would not have injected themselves into that, unless they were assured that the person they were supporting was already going to win. This indicates that she's not good at counting votes perhaps, which can be a fatal mistake for a leader in the Congress. But it also indicates that she harbors grudges. She and Steny Hoyer ran against each other a few years ago for minority leader, and she apparently still is upset by that, and I think that colored her thinking. That's not wise.

COLLINS: What about her and Jane Harmon? Do you think they're in an interesting relationship, or lack thereof?

BARR: A little bit frosty there. This is -- if she didn't allow that to get in the way, it would give her an easy out to avoid this problem that they're going to face with Alcee Hastings, who has the -- you know, he was impeached as a federal judge several years ago. Now he's a member of Congress. He wants to chair the Intelligence Committee. Jane Harmon really should be in charge of that committee, but because Miss Pelosi and Miss Harman don't get along, she apparently is going to move Hastings into that spot.

COLLINS: Is this high school, Bob Barr?

BARR: It sure is not the sort of congressional leadership that we'd like to see.

COLLINS: But you know, that being said, we also have to ask the question, on the Republican side, are Republicans going to be able to regroup, if you will? Some people would say, obviously with these major losses, congressional power, by the time 2008 comes over, are they going to be in a position to win the presidential race?

BARR: Right now, things don't look really good for the Republicans. They seem to be more concerned with sort of letting the White House run things by pushing Mel Martinez, for example, as head of the Republican National Committee, and to go with the sort of more comfort level of the old leaders back again. That is not going to put them in good stead to make the changes the party needs to make in order to regroup, as you say, and reassert itself in time to win in 2008.

COLLINS: Where do the American people stand in all of this?

BARR: They'd like to see real leadership on both parties' part, and thus far, I'd have to say they're probably disappointed in what they see thus far.

COLLINS: Yes, so far those first 100 days, but they don't start until January, so still have some time, right?

BARR: All is not lost.

COLLINS: All right, Bob Barr, we always appreciate your time here. Thank you.

BARR: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: And still to come, he came to Iraq to make a movie, but in a real life horror twist, he wound up in Abu Ghraib.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Did you think you were going to die there at that point?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember, I kept telling myself, stay awake, you won't die today, stay awake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now this film maker wants to put Donald Rumsfeld on trial? The story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Also, Italy rolls out the red carpet for a Hollywood couple, but Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes won't have everything their way when they get ready to tie the knot. That story in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: All right, how about this for a recipe. Take a sleepy Italian village, throw in Hollywood royalty, and add a castle wedding. You know what you get? A lot of buzz.

CNN's Alessio Vinci checks it out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The shocked (ph) paparazzi and fans in Rome have been waiting for days. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and daughter Suri making their first public appearance on Thursday night, walking inside one of Rome's best known restaurants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of different kinds of pasta we are serving tonight for him and ravioli with truffles. Of course he likes ravioli with truffles. And there are artichokes, that he loves too.

VINCI: Until then, the only sightings were this night shot of holiday's hottest couple and a few seconds of the movie star in a hotel lobby. Meanwhile, there is frenzy in Bracciano, the small town north of Rome, where the two are expected to marry on Saturday in this 15th century castle. The world's media have taken this usually sleepy place by storm and locals are cashing in. Windows overlooking the castle are being rented out for thousands of dollars as journalists wander in search of juicy details.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're also talking to people like the caterers, like the people supplying the flowers. We know that there's going to be 6,000 scented candles of coffee and rose.

VINCI: Details of the wedding are a closed, guarded secret, but many here speculate that the couple will reach the castle through this tunnel. At the end of it, hordes of journalists will be waiting for them on this side, before the couple will disappear beyond this gate, off limits to anyone without an invitation.

There will be a lot of people disappointed here if all this was a ruse to keep reporters away from the actual wedding location. Starting with Bracciano's shop keepers, each trying to outdo the other with their window dressing skills.

"It's a great event for us," she says. "We have seen a lot of weddings, but this one really shakes us up."

Nearby, Tom Cruise's recent biography is a best-seller here and on prominent display in the local book store. And across the street, the manager of a clothing store selling American casual wear hopes the wedding will also brings good business. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most important windows that we make is the top gown (ph) window, if you see. And we sell a lot of pilots jackets, like American "Top Gun" sales.

VINCI: And, of course, this being Italy, food is playing a prominent role. The restaurant across from the castle main entrance is already booked out for Saturday. The chef will prepare a special dish, the Tom and Katie Risotto, with mushrooms and truffles, served in a Parmesan (ph) basket.

But despite all the niceties, there is one thing Hollywood's maverick won't be having his way, a request to close the airspace above the castle, to keep paparazzi helicopters away, has been turned down.

Alessio Vinci, CNN, Bracciano, Italy

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HARRIS: A political gamble does not pay off for Nancy Pelosi. The speaker to be calls for healing after a bruising battle. See it in the NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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COLLINS: Want to remind you about some information we have here now this morning, relatively new information about the minority leadership positions. We have Congressman John Boehner who was the majority leader right now, as you see him there on your left hand side of your screen there. He's now the minority leader-elect, I should say, 168 votes he got against Mike Pence of Indiana, who got only 27. A lot of talk about whether or not this is really going to be working in the favor of the Republican Party. Some would say they need some new faces. Obviously, this would be someone who has been there doing these types of roles and this type of contribution for quite some time now. You see there, 57 years old, elected back in 1991 so we will continue to follow this. Some more voting going on today. We learn more about the minority whip elect position coming up shortly. We'll have that vote count for you, too.

HARRIS: Well, one of her first big tests, she gambled, and lost. Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi calling for healing today. It follows a bruising fight within her own party.

Details now from congressional correspondent Dana Bash.

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DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A moment in history, Democrats unanimously elected the first woman speaker of the House.

But with her victory, also a stinging defeat. Nancy Pelosi put her prestige on the line in backing Iraq war critic and longtime friend John Murtha to be majority leader, her number two. But Murtha lost to Steny Hoyer in a blowout. REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER-ELECT: Steny came out a big winner today. It was a stunning victory for him. We've had our debates, we've had our disagreements in that room. Let the healing begin.

BASH: A plea for healing just 10 days after triumphantly seizing control of Congress was proved to many Democrats their new leader made a major strategic blunder even before being handed the speaker's gavel.

REP. ALLEN BOYD (D), FLORIDA: Well, I think the caucus, Dana, is fractured now, not because of the race but because of Speaker-Elect Pelosi's heavy involvement in the race.

BASH: Heavy involvement that some Democrats complain crossed into strong-arm tactics. Like suggesting committee assignments were at stake in the vote.

REP. RON KIND (D), WISCONSIN: We're all grown-ups around here and sometimes elbows are thrown from time -- it shouldn't surprise too many people.

BASH: There is concern in the Democratic ranks this could be an early warning. Pelosi may misread her diverse caucus again and have big problems when it matters, corralling Democrats to pass an ambitious agenda.

BOYD: She has a challenge to put the genie back in the bottle here and get everybody back together.

BASH: That won't be easy. Pelosi will have to work hand in glove with the man she tried to get rid of. Steny Hoyer has been Pelosi's deputy for four years, but have been rivals. She beat him in a head-to-head leadership race back in 2001.

In the end, Hoyer's feverish campaigning and fundraising for colleagues won him a victory by a wide margin. He took pains to promise no hard feelings.

REP. STENY HOYER (D), MAJORITY LEADER-ELECT: Nancy and I, I think, have been a good team. In my opinion, it was not that somebody was rejected today, it was that a team that had been successful was asked to continue to do that job on behalf of the American people.

BASH: Pelosi said she has no regrets and attributed her support for Murtha to his prominence in making Iraq the central issue.

PELOSI: To change the debate in this country in a way that I think gave us this majority in this November.

BASH: As for Murtha, he took defeat in stride.

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I know you'd like to know why I didn't win. I didn't have enough votes.

BASH: And promised to keep his party focused on ending the mission in Iraq.

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HARRIS: We have been following the leadership meeting for Republicans in the House, selecting their new leaders for the 110th Congress. We told you just a short time ago that John Boehner, the current majority leader, has been chosen by House Republicans to become the new minority leader. We have just learned that Congressman Roy Blunt, who was in the running for the second position of leadership, that of minority whip, has been chosen by House Republicans to take over that position. He was in the race against Congressman John Shadegg, and we've just learned that Roy Blunt has been chosen by Republicans to be the House minority whip.

COLLINS: Americans kidnapped in Iraq, at a fake check point. A massive manhunt taking place right now. We'll go live to Baghdad, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

And picked by the president to chart a new course in Iraq today, senators sit down with the nominee for defense secretary, Robert Gates, making the rounds, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

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