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APEC Summit Adjourns; Difficulties For Troops Returning from Iraq; U.S. Backs Russia's Bid To Join WTO
Aired November 19, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This is what awaits President Bush when he arrives in Indonesia tomorrow. And coming home, starting over. Well, it's not easy for troops returning from Iraq. And what's the meaning behind presidential doodles? What was John F. Kennedy drawing during the Cuban missile crisis?
Hello and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.
President Putin and President Bush, a major trade deal to cap the APEC summit in Hanoi. The agreement will pave the way for Moscow's coveted entry into the World Trade Organization.
At least 17 day laborers killed in Iraq in a suicide bombing south of Baghdad. They were duped by a man who approached in a car, apparently offering them work. Then blew himself up.
Also today in Iraq, an important arrival. The first official visit since the fall of Saddam Hussein by the foreign minister of neighboring Syria. Among options being considered to try to salvage Iraq, is help from Damascus and Tehran.
And citing strains on the U.S. military, Congressman Charles Rangel says he'll introduce a bill to reinstate the draft. Not many people in Washington expect that idea to fly.
North Korea's nuclear program has loomed over this weekend's APEC trade talks, in many ways overshadowing the official agenda. As the Asian economic summit adjourned today, the group went on the record but not in writing, with its concerns over North Korean nukes. CNN's Elaine Quijano is traveling with the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After two days of meetings, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit wrapped up without a mention of North Korea in its final written statement. But APEC's chairman verbally urged North Korea to return to the negotiating table and said the group's 21 member nations were in agreement on enforcing sanctions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Leaders agreed to ask parties concerned to strictly implement the Resolution 1718 of the U.N. Security Council.
QUIJANO: Earlier President Bush sat down for a bilateral meeting with Chinese president Hu Jintao.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: China is a very important nation. And the United States believes strongly that by working together we can help solve problems such as North Korea and Iran.
QUIJANO: China wields the greatest influence with its neighbor, North Korea, and is a critical partner in the six-nation talks aimed at getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Mr. Bush also met with Russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss North Korea, as well as Iran. And as expected, the two announced the U.S. is backing Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization.
President Bush began his Sunday morning as he usually does, by going to church.
BUSH: Laura and I just had a -- a moment to converse with God in a church here in Hanoi.
QUIJANO: By attending the ecumenical service in communist-run Vietnam, the president was making a political statement.
BUSH: A whole society is a society which welcomes basing freedoms. And there is no more basing freedom than the basic -- the freedom to worship as you see fit.
QUIJANO (on camera): The president ended his day in Ho Chi Minh City by having dinner with Australian prime minister John Howard, a staunch U.S. ally. On Monday, the president plans to highlight Vietnam's economic progress by visiting the stock exchange and meeting with business leaders before heading off to Indonesia.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, with the president in Ho Chi Minh City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And protesters are already out in force awaiting President Bush's arrival tomorrow in Indonesia. More than 10,000 people marched through the streets on Sunday. Some carried banners labelling President Bush a war criminal. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country with an estimated 190 million followers.
And no let up today in the chaos engulfing Iraq. Dozens of people have died in attacks in major cities. And insurgents disguised as police have struck once again with a high level kidnapping. From Baghdad now, here is CNN's Arwa Damon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iraq's latest kidnapped victim, Deputy Minister of Health Ammar Al-Saffar, also a member of the prime minister's Shia Da'wa Party, kidnapped from his home just on the outskirts of a predominantly Sunni northern Baghdad neighborhood after 24 armed gunmen masquerading as Iraqi police and government officials arrived at his home in six vehicles. This is not the first attempt on his life.
Back in June of 2004, gunmen opened fire on him. He escaped the attack unharmed.
Violence around Iraq claimed the lives of over two dozen Iraqis. In the southern city of Hilla, at least 17 Iraqis lost their lives when a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives near a group of day laborers. He arrived at the scene and lured the crowd to his location by claiming to have jobs for them.
And in Baghdad, in the southeastern portion of the city, also a predominantly Shia area, at least 10 Iraqis were killed after triple car bombs exploded at a busy bus station.
And in southern Iraq, the search continues for five kidnapped contractors, four Americans and one Austrian, kidnapped after their convoy came upon a fake checkpoint in the vicinity of Basra on Thursday. The U.S. military is calling it a very well-coordinated and sophisticated attack.
Arwa Damon, CNN Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: More now on that kidnapping from last week. CNN has learned the name of another one of the four Americans held in southern Iraq. He is 23-year-old Jonathan Cote of Getzville, New York. His family provided this picture but refrained from making a detailed statement. Former police officer Paul Reuben is the other American identified to date. Reuben is from Minnesota.
In Gaza overnight, Hamas unveiled a new defense against a planned Israeli air strike. It is shockingly simple. Here is CNN's Paula Hancocks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Hundreds of Palestinians put themselves between an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza and its intended target. Late Saturday night, a militant leader in the Jabalia (ph) refugee camp was given a 10-minute warning call by Israeli forces to leave his home. An airstrike was imminent. But instead, he called on neighbors to defend the building, and with so many Palestinians directly in the line of fire, the Israeli air force called off the strike.
This senior Hamas militant said, "We decided to challenge Israel and sit on top of these houses that are threatened by airstrikes. So if we die we all die, and if we live we all live."
It appears that this unprecedented tactic of defiance has worked. At least this time. But two weeks ago, a call for Palestinian women to encircle a Gaza mosque to protect gunmen holed up inside turned bloody. Israeli troops shot and killed two of the women, claiming they were targeting the militants. But last night's human shield tactic was seen as a success for the militants. This man says a campaign is starting now to protect the fighters. But airstrikes without warning continued Sunday.
An Israeli aircraft fired on a car in Gaza City. Two Hamas militants inside were seriously injured. Several civilians nearby were likely wounded, but Israel insists it always tries to avoid civilian casualties.
MIRI EISEN, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: As soon as we know there are uninvolved combatants in the area, uninvolved civilians, then we are the ones who immediately stop the strike. We have done that in the past, and this is something that they know. And I want to think of it as our strength and not our weakness, and it's going to be something that we're going to have to approach in a different way.
HANCOCKS: Rockets fired from Gaza hit the Israeli town of Sderot Sunday, seriously wounding a 17-year-old boy. These rockets are one of the main reasons for Israel's airstrikes in Gaza.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wrong place, wrong time. An off-duty Secret Service officer is shot. Find out what happened.
Also, fallout from the elections could mean big changes for America's immigrants.
And Vietnam brings to mind stark images for many Americans. Later, discover a Vietnam that may be very different from what you think. You're in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, let's check some of the day's most popular stories on CNN.com. Police in New Mexico scramble to evacuate the state fairgrounds Saturday after two containers marked radioactive were discovered under a car. A geiger counter did detect low levels of radiation. But police say no one was endangered. An investigation is under way.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair says military force is not enough in the global war on terrorism. He says a broad Middle East peace deal would resolve a big grievance exploited by Islamic extremists. Mr. Blair is in Pakistan meeting with President Pervez Musharraf.
And British doctors are treating a former Russian spy who says he was poisoned. The KGB colonel turned Kremlin critic got sick after meeting with a contact at a London restaurant. The contact claimed to have information about the murder of a prominent Russian journalist.
And a quiet night of shopping at a Maryland mall shattered when a gun battle breaks out. Police say the whole thing began as a fight between two teens. And when an off-duty Secret Service agent got in the middle, the bullets really started flying. Here is CNN's Gary Nurenberg.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It started as a typical Saturday night at the Westfield Annapolis Mall.
OFC. SARA SCHRIVER, ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY POLICE: You had families there, you had juveniles there getting ready to go to the movies upstairs.
NURENBERG: But a real-life drama soon changed the mood.
SCHRIVER: It was definitely a terrorizing event.
TINA STOLICA, WITNESS: All of a sudden, a lady comes running in frantically telling everyone to, "Duck, duck. There's a guy out there shooting."
DOUG WHIPPS, WITNESS: About five loud bangs. And then I didn't know what it was at first until I saw everybody running. And I looked in to the food court and there was people like hiding under the tables.
NURENBERG: Police say an off-duty Secret Service agent tried to stop a group of young men from beating another man in the food court.
CAPT. TIM BOWMAN, ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY POLICE: One of those individuals pulled a handgun and began shooting at the second individual. At that time, an individual who was in the immediate area, who we understand is an off-duty federal agent, drew his service weapon and began exchanging fires with the first assailant.
NURENBERG: The agent was struck, as was the 18-year-old shooter and a 16-year-old boy. The agent and suspect were flown to a shock trauma center in Baltimore. All three are expected to survive their wounds.
(on camera): The local police department says the investigation has been slowed because as of midday Sunday, detectives had been unable to interview the Secret Service agent, the suspect, or the third shooting victim because of ongoing medical treatment.
SCHRIVER: Most of these individuals that were involved in the altercation all ran away from the scene before the officers arrived. And since we're not able to conduct an extensive, detailed interview with the suspect, or the agent, or that third person, in fact, we don't have any information on motives.
NURENBERG (voice over): She says the department is investigating whether a fight at a local high school Friday where seven youths were arrested may have contributed to the Saturday night fight.
Shoppers Sunday said they were stunned by the violence. PATTIE DOWNES, MALL SHOPPER: It just breaks my heart that all these kids have guns available to them. You know, I don't understand how that is happening and -- or what we are doing wrong.
NURENBERG: Her daughter works at the mall.
JESSICA DOWNES, MALL WORKER: I bet a lot of people will be more apprehensive to come to the mall.
NURENBERG: But with the reasons for the weekend shooting unknown Sunday, shoppers still lined up to get inside when the mall opened for business.
Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Annapolis, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Other news across America right now. The story pretty gross. The Navy is investigating a sewage leak from one of its barracks on San Diego Bay. It was discovered and fixed Friday. But apparently the leak has been happening for two years. In that time, more than 10 million gallons of raw sewage have seeped into the Bay. The culprit, an improperly connected discharge line.
And in Port Everglades, Florida, a sea cruise you wouldn't want to write home about. Nearly 700 passengers on Carnival Cruise Line's "Liberty" are sick. It's believed they came down with the highly contagious norovirus. The ship is now being disinfected.
And fans celebrating Ohio State's win over rival Michigan got a bit too rowdy last night. Columbus police reported nearly 40 arrests including four for arson.
And which potential presidential candidates evoke the most fear in the opposing party? The answers just might surprise you. Also -- when troops come home from war, there is joy, but also a lot of pain. How some families are coping straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We are two years away from the next presidential election. But the list of politicians testing the waters is growing. Just today Senator John Kerry said he is still not ruling out a run. So looking ahead, which opponent might the two leading parties fear most? Here is our senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Who are Republicans and Democrats most afraid of? We know Republicans don't like Hillary Clinton. They hold a four to one negative opinion of the New York Senator, even though she's made a serious effort to reach out to Republicans.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: But you know, we can come together and try to solve a real problem for America. SCHNEIDER: Republicans reassure themselves Senator Clinton can't be elected president. Can she? Polls show her highly competitive, especially if the voters are as eager for change in 2008 as they were this year. We hear some Republicans say, we hope she does run. She'd be easy to beat. The candidates Republicans fear is Barack Obama. He's attractive, articulate, multicultural and inspirational.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: That is the true genius of America. A faith -- a faith in simple dreams. An insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know that they're fed and clothed and safe from harm.
SCHNEIDER: Obama doesn't have Senator Clinton's political baggage. Republicans have a neutral view of the Illinois Senator. A candidate people don't know too much about? Uh-oh. The Republican Democrats fear is Rudy Giuliani. They like him. They really like him, by nearly two to one. Democrats reassure themselves the Republicans would never nominate Giuliani. Would they?
MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI, POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm in favor of gun control. I'm pro-choice.
SCHNEIDER: That was seven years ago. Maybe he'll change his mind. Oops, flip-flop. Or maybe Republican primary voters will be so thrilled by Giuliani's heroic 9/11 image, they won't care.
Here's another Republican Democrats liked. Since 2000, John McCain has shown an ability to appeal to voters across party lines. But many Democrats say, wait 'til voters hear what McCain has been saying about the war in Iraq.
MCCAIN: But I would say roughly you need another 20,000 troops in Iraq.
SCHNEIDER: Which candidate should each party fear? Maybe Democrats should fear Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He's telegenic and he has a big issue, health care.
GOV. MITT ROMNEY (R), MASSACHUSETTS: Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, all to come together and say, you know what, getting everyone health insurance is so important.
SCHNEIDER: Maybe Republicans should fear John Edwards. His economic populism proved very popular with voters this year.
JOHN EDWARDS (D), FORMER VICE-PRESIDENT NOMINEE: We need to get this economy back in line with our values, the things you and I grew up believing in -- hard work, responsibility, integrity, fairness. These are things that George Bush just does not understand.
SCHNEIDER (on camera): Since 1960, three Democrats have been elected president. All southerners: LBJ, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Bill Schneider, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And one of those Democratic figures the GOP most fears will be on CNN, Senator Barak Obama is a live guest tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern. Hear about his thoughts about the country's future right here on CNN.
And now they survived combat overseas, but when they return home to their families, they don't necessarily live happily ever after. CNN's Randi Kaye looks at how troops and their families are learning to live together again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Melanie Gray is happy to finally have her husband home, after his 15 months in the Middle East. But home doesn't feel as good as it did before Master Sergeant Sheldon Gray went to Iraq.
MELANIE GRAY, HUSBAND DEPLOYED FOR 15 MONTHS: Before deployment, we did everything as a family, you know, we went away together. You know, when you saw one, you saw the other. I mean, it was all about our family.
KAYE: Today, the Grays and their three children find themselves struggling to return things to the way they used to be. But in this house, communication is complicated by the ghosts of war. And a long separation that is fracturing military families around the country.
M. GRAY: I felt like I was living the life that we were supposed to live together, and then he was living a totally different life that I didn't understand. I felt like a single parent, a single person, you know, like everything was up to me. I had to get it right. It didn't matter what it was, the trash, you know, the bills, the kids.
KAYE: Like many soldiers upon return, Master Sergeant Gray became a stranger in his own home.
(On camera): What was it like when you first got back?
MASTER SGT. SHELDON GRAY, U.S. ARMY RESERVE: Getting back was, it's almost like tiptoeing into a haunted house.
KAYE (voice-over): Unsure how to be a husband and father, unsure how to talk to his wife.
M. GRAY: One time he said to me, he said, you know, I know, hon, you are used to being in charge, but I'm back and your service is no longer needed.
KAYE (on camera): Your service is no longer needed?
M. GRAY: Yes, that's what he said to me, and I go, do I look like one of your soldiers?
KAYE: You said that?
S. GRAY: Yes, something like that. KAYE (voice-over): While there are no overall statistics on military marriages, the Army does keep track of its own. And between 2001 and 2004, the relatively low number of divorces in the Army had nearly doubled, even though the number of troops remain the same.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not your problem or my problem, but...
CROWD: Our problem.
KAYE: Seeing a strong relationship at home means a stronger soldier overseas, the Army began offering weekend retreats, like this one, to returning veterans and their spouses, helping them learn how to readjust to married life after spending more than a year apart.
The program, called "Strong Bonds," has counseled more than 30,000 couples and it seems to be working. The Army says its divorce rate is now dropping.
CHAPLAIN MACK GRIFFITH, U.S. ARMY RESERVES: The Army recognizes that the person and the relationship, marriages, the relationship with children is critical to the effectiveness of the soldier. In fact, we say we recruit a soldier, but we retain a family.
S. GRAY: I guess one of the things I feel as though...
KAYE: Melanie and Sheldon Gray decided to give the retreat a try after a friend recommended it. In just two days, they say, their communication improved.
M. GRAY: I learned to be more patient and to actually hear when he said stuff, because I wasn't hearing him, you know, I just wanted stuff done. Because, you know, this is my life. I mean, I didn't go away, he did. You know, so for him to come back and want something to be explained, I am like, OK, whatever, I've been here doing this, not a big deal.
KAYE: What is a big deal is they have identified their issues. And with the help of the Army, are already working to resolve them.
S. GRAY: So what did you hear about in the news this week?
KAYE: For some, returning home is like fighting a second war. And for the Grays, it is a battle they plan on winning.
M. GRAY: There are a lot of people getting divorces, you know, so I was afraid that that could happen to us, too. And I wanted to do whatever we could do to make sure that we end up being, you know, on the other side of the statistic.
KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Coming up in the NEWSROOM...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I was immediately struck by the constant chaos in the streets. People in perpetual motion, whether you are walking or riding it's hard to stay in a lane. And just trying to cross the road is a big-time adventure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Ed Henry in the middle of it all in Vietnam, finding some surprises. His impression straight ahead. And the TomKat's meow. So what's next for the happy couple? That's next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Half past the hour. Here's what is happening right now in the news. Iraq's deputy health minister joins the ranks of the kidnapped. Baghdad police say Ammar al-Saffar was abducted at gunpoint from his north Baghdad home roughly seven hours ago. No word of his possible whereabouts or any ransom demands either.
South of Baghdad this morning in Hilla, a suicide bomber kills at least 17-day laborers and wounds nearly 50 more. By detonating a car loaded with explosives. Iraqi police say day laborers are becoming a more popular target for the insurgency.
President Bush is in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as the Asian Pacific Economic Summit wraps up a few hours ago. But before leaving Hanoi, Mr. Bush and Russian President Putin completed a dozen years of diplomatic efforts by agreeing to Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization.
And in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta people are already protesting President Bush's scheduled visit for tomorrow. Mr. Bush is set to visit with the Indonesian president to talk terrorism. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country. Extra police will be on hand to discourage any possible violence.
And it's not your father's Vietnam. Not by a long shot. With this year's APEC conference drawing to a close some have been pleasantly surprised to see how brightly Hanoi shines since the dark days of the Vietnam War. CNN's Ed Henry explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice over): Faces of the new Vietnam. As an American I came to Hanoi thinking I would find a nation defined by the war but this is a city bursting with pride. Its moment in the sun hosting its first APEC Summit. Communism still rules. But the experiment with the market economy has taken off. It's now an Asian tiger. I was immediately struck by the chaos in the streets. People in perpetual motion whether your were walking or riding it's hard to stay in a lane. And just trying to cross the road is a big time adventure.
Wait till you see what people carry on some of these vehicles. Televisions, ladders, wide loads, a rolling botanical garden, a mobile shoe store, a family of four. On the Vietnamese version of the SUV. I saw two whiz by with freshly slaughtered pigs. Young people are full of optimism, like this 17-year-old girl. A first year university student, she wants to be an English teacher.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Vietnam, developing very much, very fast. You know?
HENRY: Maybe too fast. The gap between rich and poor is widening. On one street, Hanoi's first Louis Vuitton Boutique. Close by abject poverty. A spanking new convention center built for the summit with energy efficient solar panels while decrepit power lines dangle dangerously all over the city. New buildings sprout up above dusty old bamboo shacks. Still amid all the optimism and growth I found reminders of the war sprinkled around Hanoi like American B-52 bomber that crashed right in the middle of a neighborhood. Or the lake where Senator John McCain's navy plane was shot down.
But people here have moved on. I found this 75-year-old man proudly teaching young people the orgins of Vietnam's national anthem. What do you think about President Bush coming here from America?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Translator): This is good he said. The people of Vietnam and America are a step closer to healing. The aspiring English teacher said she was happy about Mr. Bush's visit. But had a strong message for him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like the way he -- he make the war in Iraq. You know? So, I don't like war. I like peace.
HENRY: Then she turned the tables on me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think about Vietnamese people?
HENRY: Very happy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy, why?
HENRY: You tell me. You seem optimistic, happy. Everybody is smiling. She was shy but then?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My life now is very OK. I am satisfied with it.
HENRY: Here in Vietnam, the rough waters of the past now seem smoother.
Ed Henry, CNN, Hanoi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Now to go global with headlines from around the word, other headlines around the world. We begin in western Afghanistan where the government is asking for help after heavy rains Thursday spawned flash flooding there. Mud mired roads and rough mountainous terrain are making it tough to get relief into the flood-affected areas. At least 55 people have died, another 100 missing. Yemen's Court of Appeals up holds a three-year jail sentence for Mohammed Hunde al-Hado (ph) considered a major al Qaeda operative by Yemen and U.S. authorities. Al-Hado (ph) was convicted of financing a 2002 terror attack on a French tanker. Prosecutors complain the jail term is too lenient.
Teaming up to save sea turtles off the Indian Coast. A British rugby squad and environmentalists are campaigning to save the breeding grounds for the olive ridley sea turtle. Activists say commercial over fishing and habitat depletion are threatening the dwindling number of turtles.
The bride wore Armani and so did the groom. The fairy tale wedding at an Italian castle is over. And Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are now honeymooning in the Maldives in case you weren't invited our Alessio Vinci has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Every fairy tale needs a castle and a waiting princess. The prince groom Tom Cruise arrived a few hours after the bride.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tom! Tom!
VINCI: Cheered by hundreds of fans who waited hours to get a glimpse of one of Hollywood's hottest stars.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Translator): We have been here since 11:30 this morning says this young girl, but we don't mind because he is so fabulous.
VINCI: To local residents the beauty of the castle was a perfect backdrop for an event that brought Hollywood to this idyllic Italian town.
FRANCO SCIOPONA, BRACCIANO RESIDENT (Translator): It will be only for one day he says but this is the opportunity for the town to get well known all around the world.
VINCI: Being in the spotlight was thrilling for many of the town's residents. Used to seeing this kind of crowd only on television. Among the VIPs attending, Jennifer Lopez with husband Marc Anthony, Brooke Shields and Richard Gere just to name a few. Actor Will Smith and his wife were in a particularly good mood as they left their posh hotel.
WILL SMITH, ACTOR: Want to give them to them right now.
VINCI: Singer Andrea Bocelli one off the few Italians on the guest list reportedly serenaded the newlyweds after the ceremony. By nightfall the beauty of the castle was even more evident. All the candles on top of the castle have been lit. We do understand that 6,000 scented candles have been organized for the ceremony. George Armani the Italian designer has been hired to organize the ceremony but also to provide the suit and dress for the groom and the bride. The media had a field day. News organizations and the most intrepid paparazzi even hired choppers. Authorities imposed a no-fly zone over the castle. By the end of the day, it was Mother Nature who kept them away. And the fireworks well, it was easier to hear them than see them. Mr. and Mrs. Cruise finally got their privacy on the first night as husband and wife.
Alessio Vinci, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Alessio mentioned the stylist behind TomKat's wedding fashion icon George Armani. Well here is a sample of what Armani did for this couple. Holmes wore a fitted Armani off the shoulder gown with a silk train adorned in hand made French lace and crystal embroidery. She also wore an ivory floor length veil and ivory silk shoes.
For Cruise, Armani created a hand made navy blue satin single breasted tuxedo, he wore a matching four button vest an added touch the groom wore an ivory silk French collar shirt of the same fabric as the bride's gown. So now you know.
On to more serious matters immigration reform. Is it the common ground between Democrats and Republicans? That is coming up.
Plus did commuters learn a lasting lesson at the pumps? Or have they returned to their love of gas-guzzlers? We'll be right back.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Jacqui Jeras with today's cold and flu report. The CDC is reporting the highest number of flu case across the southeastern United States. Where you see the dark blue that's where we have the most regional activity here across parts of North Carolina, into Alabama, we have got local activity from Louisiana through Mississippi and down into Florida. Yes you are doing OK with sporadic reports right now in Georgia, Tennessee, up towards Kentucky. But expect this to kind of fill in as we move towards the week ahead.
We also have, regional cases of flu across the state of Hawaii, doing pretty good though across much of the west and the Midwest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Securing America's borders were one of the big issues heading into the midterm elections and now despite the Republican losses the president may have some new allies on immigration reform. Our Kareen Wynter has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They were the shock waves felt from the congressional midterm elections.
REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) CALIFORNIA: Today we have made history. WYNTER: Republicans lost control of both Houses but President Bush may have gained one advantage in the Democratic takeover. An unlikely base of allies on a top national security issue. Illegal immigration.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: I believe we can find some common ground with the Democrats.
WYNTER: Newly elected House Democrats like Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona are just a few eager to work with President Bush on his comprehensive immigration reforms. Heavily debated plan, which House Republicans have blocked for two years.
REP. -ELECT HARRY MITCHELL, (D) ARIZONA: I suspect that is one of the first things going through. I am a freshman. It is a number one issue it seems all over this country or important issue anyway. It will be dealt with very quickly.
REP.-ELECT GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, (D) ARIZONA: If an idea is a good idea, it's a good idea. Doesn't matter whether or not it is a Republican idea or a Democrat idea.
WYNTER: The president has had more support from Democrats and moderate Republicans on the guest worker plan than with hard line Republican conservatives who favor firmer immigration enforcement.
MITCHELL: It's an economic problem. I think that has to be dealt with. I think that's exactly from what I understand the McCain-Kennedy Bill, and the president's bill wanted to do.
WYNTER: Congressman elect Harry Mitchell says nowhere is it more pervasive than in Arizona the front line state in immigration. Here in Tucson border patrol agent's bus nearly 2,000 illegal crossers each day from Mexico. A job that would be eased by the placement of more agents along the border if Bush's policy passes. Analysts say that could happen with a Democratic majority in Congress that stands ready to trump the approach of the president's own party.
Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Jacqui Jeras is in the Weather Center. Big holiday travel week. How does it look across the board?
JERAS: So many people leaving already, Fred. I can't believe it. Normally we just do a one or two day forecast here at CNN. But we are going to get you through your Thursday here so you can go ahead and plan your week.
The main things that we have to watch is what is happening in the Pacific northwest and then what is going to happen across the southeast. We will start in the northwest. We have a new storm system moving on here. Our jet stream pattern is going to stay pretty active in the northwest throughout the entire week and it is going to continue to steer storms into your neighborhoods. Things are going to stay pretty wet and pretty overcast. Not going to be much better one- day to another for your travel.
In the east look at low overcast conditions. We have a trough covering parts of the east right now. Really not bringing in a lot of moisture with it at this time. But with this trough that is going to be kind of sliding off to the east and as it does that we'll watch an area of low pressure developing here. This could be a big player in our forecast especially on Wednesday. In the meantime if you are trying to travel today. San Francisco the only delay, but it is a good one at over an hour, ground delay because of the low clouds. Fog you have been dealing with. You will be dealing with that for tomorrow as well. Your Monday forecast looks like this. The nation's midsection can expect the best travel of the next couple days. High pressure mainly in control, most of the storms will travel up and over you.
We could see maybe, this is kind of a maybe into the late Monday night early Tuesday morning hours into parts of the Appalachians little moisture picking up here. We could see a few snowflakes as those temperatures are at their coldest in the early morning hours on Tuesday. High temperatures on Monday, mostly in the 40s, we have some 50s a couple of 60s. Even cooler here across state of Florida only 70 in Orlando, 70 in Tampa. We'll see 84 in phoenix, 79 with an offshore flow in the Los Angeles area.
Tuesday forecast looks a lot like Monday. Staying busy here into the northwest. Looking beautiful across the nation's midsection. We are going to have a pretty strong flow here across the plain states. Looking at breezy maybe rather than windier conditions. Our low here offshore starting to bring showers, coastal areas of Georgia through the Carolinas. As we approach Wednesday high pressure will settle into the northeastern parts of the country. We could have a strong gradient of pressure dealing with windy conditions into the northeast, which really could affect air travel. This will be the storm to watch.
Of course Wednesday one of the biggest travel days of the year as well as next Sunday. So, CNN is going to be rolling out special weather coverage. And this is what it is going to look like. Don't pay attention to the forecast. I didn't up that for today on the bar. You will have a forecast for the next five day across the bottom of your screen. There you can see over there, a radar picture. We will update airport delays as well as any live travel delays and some of the big cities across the country. That's this Wednesday big day before Thanksgiving and one week from today Sunday. The big travel day. So make sure you watch CNN.
WHITFIELD: All right. We look forward to all that. Thanks so much, Jacqui.
Many Americans will soon will be packing into the cars and trucks for these holiday trips and they'll find that gas prices that have crept up an average of 5 cents a gallon over the past two weeks all that is according to the Lundberg Survey. So with next year's car models already on the lots is the price of gas having an impact whatsoever on what we choose to drive.
CNNs Dan Lothian reports.
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DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After months of severe pain at the pump, call it the recovery.
TOM LIDDY, J.D. POWER: Gas price hike, people have moved to small cars. Then they very quickly in the United States when gas prices go back down and get a big vehicle very quickly regain favor.
LOTHIAN: With gas prices well off their highs nationwide, some experts say more Americans seem to be pulling into SUV dealerships.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From what we see, Americans have short memories.
LOTHIAN: Sales manager David Melkonian sees the evidence firsthand.
DAVID MELKONIAN, SALES MANAGER: They're telling you, that prices of gas are down now. Makes it more comfortable to be buying a vehicle like this.
LOTHIAN: Industry analyst J.D. Powers says customer loyalty for big vehicles is on the rise. Internet site Cars.com says its traffic is shifting.
JOE WIESENFELDER, CARS.COM: We're seeing people search much less for hybrids and smallest cars.
LOTHIAN: Still some people like Bruce McCarthy are holding on to some habits they adopted during the recent run on gas prices.
BRUCE MCCARTHY, WORKS FROM HOME: I'm working at home taking the train because it is a better solution.
LOTHIAN: Other commuters like Houston Smith say they will eventually return to their big cars, but are waiting until gas prices drop a little lower.
HOUSTON SMITH, ATTORNEY: I don't think they have gotten low enough yet to even enjoy driving the truck the way I would like to.
LOTHIAN: After all, gas is still averaging more than $2 a gallon. The highest average $2.48 out west. If prices stay flat or fall some experts say more commuters will give up trains, bikes and small cars. What will change the cycle?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they believe gas prices are going to be high and stay there for a long time. And we haven't seen that yet.
LOTHIAN: Experts say not just hitting those high levels for a long period of time but perhaps hitting shocking levels like $4 a gallon. They believe then some people may start making lifestyle changes for life.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Washington.
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WHITFIELD: Flames and smoke filled or smoke rather did fill the morning sky near Dallas today. A fuel tanker slammed into an abandoned car on the side of I-30, killing the tanker driver. The highway was shut down and traffic backed up as authorities worked the scene. Police say the tanker driver apparently struck a curb and then lost control.
From fish and ships to geometric designs to the absolutely mushy. All about presidential doodles when we come right back.
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WHITFIELD: We have all doodled on paper from time to time perhaps out of boredom or creativity. When the president of the United States does it there is a different type of analysis that comes into play. CNNs Jeanne Moos explores.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You see them signing bills and signing autographs but rarely do you get to see a president doodling.
DAVID GREENBERG, CO-AUTHOR, "PRESIDENTIAL DOODLES:" A person with horns, a mutant cat or rabbit.
MOOS: A devil cat. It is a doodle by LBJ.
GREENBERG: There is a kind of a whip there. Awe.
MOOS: Where is the whip?
GREENBERG: I see it as a whip.
MOOS: Whatever it is, President Eisenhower doodled it. Presidential doodles are a collection of scribbling from George Washington's filled in alternating squares to FDRs fish and chips. Most recent presidents, Clinton and Bush wouldn't hand over any doodles.
GREENBERG: Even a doodle might in some ways subvert the public image.
MOOS: At least JFK left us words in boxes and sailboats. This is what he was doodling during the Cuban missile crises.
GREENBERG: Blocking Cuba. He kept reminding himself to pick up his dry cleaning.
MOOS: You could actually dry clean these doodles, Herbert Hoovers geometric designs ended up on a line of children's clothing. So how do doodlers-in-chief stack up?
GREENBERG: Benjamin Harrison not a great president, but a great doodler. Reagan is a terrific doodler. MOOS: He once considered becoming a cartoonist though he had a much analyzed habit of leaving off the ends of limbs ironic when you consider the part he played as an amputee in "King's Row." All of him seemed crazy about Nancy. Check out his love doodles.
GREENBERG: It says there I was doodling away then I began to think about you. My cuddly, wuddly little pink honey pot.
MOOS: And reaches a 0 --
GREENBERG: Dear Mommie, First Lady Nancy. And signs it I love you Poppa, Poo Pants 1st Guy.
MOOS: Speaking of bathroom talk. This is the closest thing to a doodle the authors could get from President Bush. He was at the U.N. when a photographer captured a note he slipped to Conde Rice saying I think I may need a bathroom break is this possible?
GREENBERG: Here is a guy who said he didn't need a permission slip from the U.N. to go to war but he did need a permission slip at the U.N. to go to the bathroom.
MOOS: Beware of overanalyzing doodles when Tony Blair left an Economic Summit, reporters pounced on doodles he apparently left behind, experts analyzed the prime ministers scribblings, aggressive, unstable, death wish. Turns out the doodles were done by Bill Gates. Finally, the saddest doodle.
GREENBERG: It is hard to find a doodle that is moving. This one is.
MOOS: Penned by JFK the night before his assassination, this doodle suggests JFK longed to be in a sailboat rather than a motorcade.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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WHITFIELD: Straight-ahead IN THE NEWSROOM goes inside the lives of private contractors working in Iraq. The pay is big. But so is the danger.
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