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Iraq and Syria Restore Diplomatic Ties; Deadly Bus Crash in Alabama; Lebanese Cabinet Minister Shot and Killed

Aired November 21, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on this Tuesday, the 21st of November. Here now is what's on the rundown.

Assassination in Beirut. A cabinet member killed in a volley of bullets. Lebanon's fragile democracy under fire.

HARRIS: Sideswiped. If you're in a crash, you want protection. The new list of the safest cars on the road. One hint, they're all imports. This hour, a crash test, live.

COLLINS: Comedy club meltdown. Now "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards apologizing for his racial outbursts. We've got it this hour in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Well, a developing story out of Lebanon this morning. Lebanon's industry minister shot and killed, apparently by assassins -- Pierre Gemayel, a prominent Christian politician, a member of parliament's anti-Syria majority. U.S. reaction coming in now from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMB. JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: We strongly support the Siniora government and all the democratic forces in Lebanon. We call on all states in the region to support the democratic government and to urge everyone's cooperation in finding the assassins of Pierre Gemayel as soon as possible.

NICHOLAS BURNS, UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a very sad day for Lebanon. We were shocked by this assassination. We view it as an act of terrorism. We also view it as an act of intimidation against the March 14th coalition. And we believe it's the responsibility of all countries to support the Siniora government and to oppose those who would try to divide Lebanon or return violence to political life in Lebanon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And in just a moment, we will be joined by our Beirut bureau chief, Brent Sadler.

COLLINS: Milestone in the Middle East. Iraq and Syria restoring diplomatic ties today after nearly a quarter-century break. Will the new relationship temper the insurgency?

CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A historic moment for both countries. Syria and Iraq signing an agreement to restore diplomatic ties which had been severed since 1982, after Syria sided with Iran during the Iran-Iraq War.

Foreign Minister Walid Maluam (ph) was in Iraq for a two-day visit, during which he met his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, as well as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The main topic of conversation was the violence in trying to secure the Iran-Iraq border.

Both the U.S. and Iraq have long accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters, as well as weapons and funds to the insurgency, to come across its border with Iraq. Now both countries pledging to work together.

Meanwhile, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is due to travel to Tehran this weekend for meetings with Iranian president Ahmadinejad. Iraq has a very tricky and complex relationship with its neighbor, Iran. The U.S. believes both on a military and on a political level that Iran is directly responsible for funding, training and arming death squads and militias that operate in Iraq blamed for much of the sectarian violence here.

Both British and American intelligence indicates that Iran wants to create a stable but weak Iraq that it can have a certain element of control over. The Iraqi government, though, does maintain a close relationship with Iran, which in the eyes of many American officials, as well as many Sunnis in Iraq and secular Shias, is categorized as being uncomfortably close. The Iraqi prime minister himself, Nouri al-Maliki, spent a significant time in Iran when he was exiled from Iraq.

The search for a missing soldier kidnapped on October 23rd continues. Iraqi special forces, backed by coalition advisers, launched a raid into the Mehdi militia stronghold of Sadr City earlier today. The raid netted their target, an insurgent who is reported to have intelligence that could lead to the whereabouts of this soldier.

But the firefight that broke out and the U.S. airstrike resulted in at least five civilian deaths and another 19 wounded. That according to Iraqi emergency police.

Raids have been a frequent occurrence into Sadr City, engaging both the residents there and some members of the Iraqi government. We also heard from one member of the Iraqi government who is a member of Muqtada al-Sadr's bloc, speaking out and denouncing the raid, saying that he will resign from parliament until the government can guarantee that such actions will no longer take place.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Tehran's two-way talks with Iraq, will they talk into a three-way discussion? Iraqi president Jalal Talabani is due in the Iranian capital this weekend for what's described as a long-planned visit. He'll meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Wire services report Iran has also invited Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. As of now, Syrian officials tell CNN President Assad has no plans to be in Tehran.

Iraq's foreign minister went further. In an interview seen here live on CNN this morning, he said, "There is no summit meeting between Iraq, Syria and Iran."

There's been talk of involving Syria and Iran in diplomatic efforts at peacemaking in Iraq.

HARRIS: Deadly detour for a school bus in Alabama. Three kids dead following a 30-foot fall. Many more still hospitalized this morning.

CNN's Rusty Dornin joins us live from Huntsville with details.

And Rusty, our understanding was that the NTSB would be meeting with Huntsville police. Is that meeting under way?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Huntsville police investigators are on the scene. They've been taking photographs. We understand the NTSB is still behind closed doors gathering all that information, gathering all the interviews, trying to piece together some of this puzzle.

Now, one of the things that the investigators did tell us is the fact that, if you look up here on the overpass, this is near where the bus hit the side after a car is believed to swerve near the bus. That it hit the side of the railing and careened down that railing 117 feet. And one of the most amazing things is that bus driver was still on top of that overpass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBBIE HERSMAN, NTSB SPOKESWOMAN: All we know at this point is that the bus driver was found on the top of the overpass and was transported to the hospital from there.

We will be trying to document the scene. We looked at some signs up on the overpass of what might have happened to the bus driver, but we need to examine the seating compartment, the seat belt, to see if there was any damage, things like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) DORNIN: Of course, central to this whole crash is how and why it happened. They still -- they do believe it was this orange Toyota Celica that either careened out of control -- the NTSB investigator did tell us there are two flat tires on this car from this photograph. And they did tell investigators they believe the car went out of control.

They said they are still going to be mapping out this scene to figure out whether the car went out of control and that's why it hit the bus, or if the car went out of control after later. They don't depend on what people tell them. They want to see the facts for themselves. And that's why they are minutely mapping every bit of the overpass and all the area around the bus. We were told, though, however, this afternoon they're expected to remove the bus.

Meantime, 14 children are still hospitalized. Four are in very critical condition. And this community is coping with a very tough situation -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Rusty, if you would, give an update on the condition of the bus driver.

DORNIN: The bus driver is also in very serious condition. And it's unclear, as you heard from the investigator, whether he was ejected. They don't know whether he climbed out of the bus.

HARRIS: Yes.

DORNIN: But he is in very serious condition. He was in and out of consciousness yesterday. And he will be talking apparently to NTSB investigators today. And they may be able to glean a lot more about what actually happened.

HARRIS: OK.

CNN's Rusty Dornin for us in Huntsville, Alabama.

Rusty, thank you.

COLLINS: We want to get you back to the situation in Lebanon. We've been reporting all morning Lebanese cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel has been assassinated.

We'll go straight to Brent Sadler now, live from Beirut.

Brent, tell us the very latest on the situation here.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Heidi, the reverberations of this assassination, the latest in a string of attacks over the past 20 months or so, really being felt throughout the country, particularly in parts of Lebanon that support the Gemayel family. Pierre Gemayel, the industry minister, a third generation politician from that family, a family that has a great deal of political track record in this country.

There was a previous president-elect from the Gemayel family who was assassinated in the early 1980s. It was Pierre Gemayel's father, Amin Gemayel, who ascended to the presidency, again in the 1980s. So this is a very important Maronite Catholic family that has suffered as a result of this political assassination.

Now, the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority here, led by Saad Hariri, the son and political heir of assassinated former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, killed some 20 months ago, lashed out at Syria, saying that the hand of Syria again was involved in a top-level assassination.

Syria, though, condemning this latest attack here, the killing of Gemayel. Syria consistently denying it had any hand in any of the assassinations that have taken place here against both the media in Lebanon, and important, anti-Syrian politicians -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, the sadness for the country obviously overwhelming, Brent. But is there any way to know what will happen in the coming days politically?

SADLER: Well, the country was already gripped by a sense of deep anxiety that a political meltdown could lead to violent confrontation between the Fouad Siniora Lebanese government -- he's the prime minister -- and the Hezbollah-led opposition supported by Syria and Iran. The country has been in the grips of a political drama with Hezbollah, threatening to take to the streets imminently to topple the U.S.-backed government of Siniora.

It was when Saad Hariri, the parliamentary majority leader, essentially anti-Syrian bloc in this country, was holding a press conference to lash out at Syria for interfering in Lebanese affairs and to try to persuade the Hezbollah-led opposition to come form a more fair government that news of the Gemayel assassination was passed to Hariri. He was visibly shaken by this news, and very soon afterwards he told CNN that he categorically blamed Syria for this and called for that regime, in his words, to be pulled down -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. As we spoke to him here, Brent, obviously very shaken.

Talk to us a little bit, if you would, as we look at those pictures of the streets. How frightening is the situation there? Looking at people feeling very angry. New video here that we're seeing now, Brent, coming into us at CNN.

What is the security situation? How dangerous is it? Are there protests going on? What do you see around you?

SADLER: At the moment, the ramifications of this are really just beginning to sink in. The country was preparing for some trouble in terms of the psyche of how people were feeling as a result of the political friction. Deep friction in the country.

Now with such a political assassination, this sensitive and volatile time, there is a deepening concern that rival religious communities in particular, that the specter of religious confrontation could once again rear its ugly head in this country. That's, up until now, been essentially a red line that no one has prepared to cross, because it could, in the minds of some, set off the circumstances that could trigger a new civil war.

But there were some politicians I was speaking to who feared that there could be a return to assassinations, that there could be some sort of Iraqi-style bombing campaign conducted against the Lebanese to try to destabilize and push the country into chaos and anarchy at this time. That was a very real concern amongst many politicians who would align themselves with Saad Hariri's political grouping.

Now with this assassination, I think you're going to see clearly anger in the immediate hours after this death was confirmed. And whether or not that sparks violent confrontation between opposing rival groups is anybody's guess, of course. But certainly, it does not portend well for the immediate future of this country -- Heidi.

COLLINS: CNN's Brent Sadler.

Brent, excellent reporting today, live from Beirut. So appreciate it here on CNN NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: A very busy morning in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Changing subjects now, dummies take it on the chin. Find out the cars that top the insurance industry's safe list, plus a crash test, live here in a few minutes.

HARRIS: Laughter interrupted. "Seinfeld" actor Michael Richards apologizing. He calls his on-stage racial rant "three minutes of crap," his words -- in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And live pictures now coming to you of the memorial service for CBS correspondent Ed Bradley.

We will continue to follow this and watch this here on CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Take a look at these live pictures from Lebanon right now. Let me describe the scene for you briefly.

This is the scene outside of, we believe, the hospital in Lebanon where Christian Lebanese parliament member Pierre Gemayel was being treated, all efforts to save his life, which were -- which were unsuccessful, shot and killed, assassinated. This is the scene outside of the hospital.

His father arriving at the hospital to get the latest news, to see his dead son. Just a dramatic scene outside of the hospital right now.

A very tense set of circumstances right now for that country. The leader of the anti-Syrian bloc, whom you heard on our air in an interview with Heidi Collins, Saad Hariri, accusing the Syrians of this assassination. And more pictures now of the crush of people trying to get inside of the hospital now. It is going to be a very tense 24, 36, 48 hours now as we wait to see how this all plays out.

As you just heard Brent Sadler say just a few moments ago, who knows of the ramifications of this assassination. But these are the pictures. New video into CNN right now.

The father of slain Lebanese parliament member Pierre Gemayel arriving at the hospital just moments ago.

COLLINS: Want to get to some health news now. Celiac Disease, we've been talking about it quite a bit right here in the NEWSROOM. If you can't digest bread products very well, just to name a few things, you just may have it.

Studies show about three million Americans, including me, are affected by Celiac, but only about 90,000 know they have it. If you suffer from Celiac Disease, that doesn't mean you have to give up all the fun foods during the holidays.

Here's CNN medical correspondent Christy Feig.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For Vanessa Maltin, being diagnosed with Celiac Disease helped her end nearly 20 years of agonizing migraines. But for others, the symptoms can run the gamut.

VANESSA MALTIN, AUTHOR, "BEYOND RICE CAKES": They can range from gastrointestinal issues, to severe migraine headaches, like I had as a kid. My whole life I had migraine headaches. Some people might have skin rash, skin irritation, failure to thrive in childhood.

FEIG: But it's all caused by one problem.

MALTIN: You can't digest gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

FEIG: By avoiding these grains, Vanessa no longer suffers. And for some folks, that sounds like giving up the best part of life.

But Vanessa says no, and she wrote a cookbook to prove it.

MALTIN: Traditional pizza doesn't really work for people with Celiac Disease. So we have to find alternatives.

FEIG: Like eggplant pizza, using sliced eggplant for the crust.

MALTIN: It's just like as if you were using a regular dough. You take the sauce. This is just marinara sauce.

FEIG: Add a few toppings and cheese and bake.

Give up appetizers? MALTIN: One of my favorite things to eat at a holiday party is spinach artichoke dip. And you have to be careful because a lot of restaurants put flour in their artichoke dip.

FEIG: Not Vanessa.

MALTIN: I just chopped up two eight-ounce cans of canned artichokes, frozen spinach, half a cup of mayonnaise, half a cup of sour cream, half a cup of freshly-grated parmesan cheese. And I sprinkle just some mozzarella cheese on top. And we are going to put it in the oven to bake for half an hour.

FEIG: Even desserts can be fun. Peanut butter cookies without the flour, made with just one cup sugar, one cup peanut butter, and one egg.

Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, you can log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness. That address, cnn.com/health.

Also another address if you're interested in Celiac Disease, celiaccentral.org. This is the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

HARRIS: And once again, let's take you back to these live pictures we showed you just a moment ago coming out of Lebanon. Tonight in Lebanon, this is the father of Pierre Gemayel speaking now to the media.

AMIN GEMAYEL, FATHER OF ASSASSINATED OFFICIAL (through translator): I'm unable to speak about this tragedy. But I would like to say that my brother died for the cause, my niece died for the cause, and today Pierre died also for the cause.

I would like to ask those who love Pierre to preserve the cause. We don't want to do anything instinctively.

He was serving the cause, and he died for Lebanon, for freedom and for humanity. And we should not desecrate his memory by any irresponsible acts.

I wish from all those who loved Pierre and to those who believe in the cause, I have one wish, that tonight would be a night of prayer and to think and reflect about what happened. And to see how we can protect this country away from vengeance and reactions.

We want the Lebanese cause to prevail, and my message to all who love Pierre and who appreciate his martyrdom to preserve the cause and to the meaning of his death, so we can stand together and serve Lebanon properly. And I would like to repeat this call. We don't want reactions. We don't want vengeance. HARRIS: And you've been listening now to Amin Gemayel, the father of slain Lebanese parliament member, the industry minister, Pierre Gemayel, asking for prayer and reflection and talking about the enormous sacrifice that his family has made personally for peace: the loss of a brother, a niece, and now a son.

We will continue to follow developments out of Lebanon throughout the day.

COLLINS: And taking you back now to the memorial service for Ed Bradley, CBS News correspondent. We want to go ahead and listen in just a moment for actor Bill Cosby.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BILL COSBY, ACTOR: Skippy. I want you to know something about Ed Bradley. Giving you the nickname.

He gave himself a nickname, Teddy, something else. I don't know what. But I was talking to a college mate of his who had graduated in '64, and I didn't want any dirt, but the guy said, "Oh, one thing. I want you to know that his nickname (INAUDIBLE) was moon."

I said, "Why?" He said, "Because" -- and this is what he said -- "back in those days, Ed was very light."

(LAUGHTER)

COSBY: You dermatologists make note of that, please.

And at night, on campus, sometimes Ed would wear shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. And we could see him.

There you go, Skippy.

(LAUGHTER)

1829, there was a race riot in Philadelphia. And because of that, a man by the name of Humphreys set up in his will $10,000 -- or 10 percent of his total income and wealth to be donated to build a school for colored boys.

It came to the amount of $9,900.29. And they bought a property from Mr. Wilson to build this school for colored boys outside of Philadelphia. And the building burned down mysteriously.

They then moved back into the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And they moved twice. No burnings, just moved.

And they bought a piece of property from a family named Cheyney. Out in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, which was Cheyney Station. They built the school for the colored boys, which, by the way, it is noted that 100 applications from African-American male teachers came to teach at this school, which became Cheyney State College.

Ed Bradley entered there. On the 40th anniversary, Ed Bradley, who was a football player for Cheyney State, which played against other state colleges, powerhouses like Kutztown or any school ending with the last four letters "burg".

Ed was the center, if you want to know. Even on an all-black team, everybody can't be in the backfield.

(LAUGHTER)

COSBY: And Ed spoke to his classmates and he talked about his Cheyney education and how he felt that he had just recently graduated from Cheyney because he had gone to -- from Philadelphia, to Paris, Vietnam, Washington, D.C., New York, and each time he changed the job and the assignment in a new place, he always felt necessary to go back to those days and the teachings at Cheyney, which obviously meant the support, the support given to him by his professors. Ed was a very very wonderful person that would make any teacher proud. Because Ed was a person who admitted that a teacher said you can be anything you want to be. And Ed said -- and I believed her. And so with all these professors and their stories in his mind that he could, Ed said to his classmates, it didn't make any difference who he was starting out with or competing with, it didn't make any difference if they were from Harvard, Yale, Brown.

He was prepared. He made himself prepared. He was very, very proud. At Cheyney State College. Ed tells a story, very short one. While playing football he didn't have enough money to pay for his tuition. And so he went to the football coach, coach Stevenson. And told coach he didn't have half of the tuition. And coach Stevenson said, well, let me see if I can get you some humphries. Ed said he didn't know what humphries was or who humphries is. But the coach came back with $75. Which was half of Ed's tuition and he paid it.

On the 40th anniversary Ed pulled up, wrote a check for $60,000 to start the Ed Bradley Foundation because he wanted some students to be able, when they needed it, to go get some Ed Bradley.

(APPLAUSE)

Everybody feels that Ed was so cool. We're both from the same hometown. I'm cool, too.

(LAUGHTER)

But the reason why Ed and I are cool is because of Miles Davis. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. We are cool because whatever they wore, that's what we wore. And the way they walked, we walked like that. I know that Ed Bradley has a beret somewhere. It may be old and tattered, but Dizzy Gillespie wore it and I bet you at some point in Ed Bradley's life, he had a goatee. I'm still trying to figure out, however, how he was lighter then than he is now. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Comedian Bill Cosby eulogizing "60 Minutes" correspondent, 25 years on that great program, Ed Bradley. Still to come, Jimmy Buffett will perform. I can't wait to hear Wynton Marsalis. I hope we're still in the NEWSROOM when that happens and of course, if it is, we'll dip in and give you a bit of that.

COLLINS: What a beautiful memorial that's for sure.

Meanwhile, we are going switch gears a little bit here, no pun intended. But dummies drive home a message about safe cars. The latest crash test results. See where your car stacks up. We're going to crunch those numbers for you and crash a car, right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: There's Jimmy Buffett.

COLLINS: We are listening into the memorial service for Ed Bradley. Here we have Jimmy Buffett along with Allen Toussaint. Let's listen in -- do you know what it means to miss New Orleans.

Darn. I'm sure it was fantastic. We're going to continue to check in on this memorial service. Just some wonderful, wonderful performers still to come, so we'll watch that.

Also some other sad news to share with you. Associated Press is reporting that Robert Altman, director Robert Altman, has died. You know him as the irreverent satirist behind the show "M.A.S.H.", I'm sure. His production company is saying that the died Monday night, 81 years old. Cause of death not know at this time. We will continue to get more information on Robert Altman as well.

HARRIS: And very quickly, let's take you back to New York City now and the memorial service where Ed Bradley, former president Bill Clinton:

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... And the second is, Charlene thought it only fair that some representative of the class that he persecuted so relentlessly should speak.

(LAUGHTER)

I first met Ed Bradley the way most Americans did -- on television more than 30 years ago talking about Vietnam. Over the years I watched him migrate from CBS News to the documentaries to "60 Minutes." I washed his hair migrate from gray to black, from long to short to shaved. I didn't know what I thought about the earing. But Hillary liked the hair changes.

Throughout this whole migration, I was learning. I learned about the human consequences of war and politics and Asia. I learned an enormous amount about complex bio-medical issues. I learned about the perils of power and greed, about America's constant struggle with bigotry and its consequences. You already heard that one of his last stories was about the appearance of the ivory billed woodpecker in the cyprus (ph) swamps of my native state of Arkansas. I love that story, because it was the first time in 30 years he talked about something I knew as much about as he did.

(LAUGHTER) And the only time.

Ed Bradley was a brilliant, insatiable curious traveler on a relentless lifetime quest to get to the bottom of things. He was like the great jazz musicians he so admired. He always played in the key of reason. His songs were full of the notes of facts, but he knew that to make the most of the music, you have to improvise. We'll never forget what his solos were, the disarming smile, the disconcerting stare, the highly uncomfortable stretches of silence, the deceptively dangerous questions, and the questions that would be revealing no matter what answer you gave.

(LAUGHTER)

Watching him was mesmerizing, because you knew you were watching a master at work. This then is my tribute. I knew I had arrived in national politics when Ed Bradley wanted to interview me. I always preferred watching him interview others.

(LAUGHTER)

The best thing about my brief stint on "60 Minutes" with these little one-minute commentary for Bob Dole was that it was the only time in my entire public life that I felt protected from Ed Bradley.

(LAUGHTER)

On the one occasion when I thought he got a story wrong, I never once believed he wasn't looking for the truth, or that he believed bad facts or unwarranted inferences were justified because he was making some larger point. He was, after all, a jazz master. He improvised, but he honored the music. I liked him. I admired him. I miss him. And will never forget the music he made in all our lives.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: Former President Bill Clinton remembering a man that he misses, as do many of us, Ed Bradley.

COLLINS: I knew someone was going to bring up the earring.

HARRIS: Yes. Just a wonderful ceremony remembering Ed Bradley today there in New York City. Still waiting to hear Wynton Marsalis play. And when that happens, hopefully we can bring that to you.

But moving forward now, something we wanted to bring to you live, couldn't, but we'll do the next best thing. We're calling it a crash course in survival. The insurance industry out today with its list of the safest and sturdiest, the cars, and SUVs that'll best protect you in an accident. Worth noting, not a one is an American model.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Susan, we wanted to bring this to everyone live. But the next best thing, above all else, we've got you. Good morning.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, thank you very much, Tony.

But first before we show you that test -- this is called a tease - first let's go over that list, because I know everyone wants to see it, of the nine nondomestic carmakers that had the 13 safest cars. Let's get to the list right now. Only one large car made the grade. That's the Audi A6. Of the midsized cars, the Audi a4, the Saab 9-3 and the Subaru Legacy. Two minivans made it, the Hyundai Entourage and the Kia Sedona. Luxury SUVs, the Mercedes M-class and Volvo XC90. Of the midsize SUVs, the Acura RDX, the Honda Pilot and the Subaru B9 Tribeca. And finally, the small SUVs, the Honda CR-V and the Subaru Forester. No small cars made the list.

But just a little while ago, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a test on what they call a mini car. Let's bring in Dave Zuby right now, one of the engineers here.

Good morning. Thank you very much.

Why are you doing these tests as we look at the aftermath of what happened just a few minutes ago?

DAVID ZUBY, CAR SAFETY ENGINEER: OK, we just ran the side-impact crash test on the 2007 Nissan Versa. The test that we saw is a component of our top safety pick considerations. The test that we saw today will be part of ratings that we release to be public later today.

CANDIOTTI: I'm anxious to see how that test when the. Let's take a look at the tape. Let's roll that tape right now. It takes about 15 seconds.

ZUBY: OK.

CANDIOTTI: Now, Dave, tell us, how did that test go, do you think? Have you had a chance to look at it a little bit on the rerun?

ZUBY: Well, at first blush, it looks like the vehicle did fairly well. We saw that the side-impact curtains deployed early in the crash and protected the dummies' heads from being struck by the moving barrier. So initially things look good. We've got our other engineers downloading data from the sensors in the dummies, and we'll know more in a little bit.

CANDIOTTI: How many cars will be you testing as part of this study?

ZUBY: In this study there will be six or seven vehicles, all of the same-size class.

CANDIOTTI: And then what happens to the list in the end?

ZUBY: Well, when we've got all the tests run, we will publish a list of the ratings for front tests, side tests and rear tests on these smallest vehicles in our marketplace.

CANDIOTTI: How important are these to the carmakers, these lists that you put out?

ZUBY: Well, the lists are important because the vehicle manufacturers don't want to be associated with poor ratings. Good ratings helps sell cars. Poor ratings maybe detract from a manufacturer being able to sell cars. So vehicle manufacturers are paying attention to tests that we run and trying to build vehicles that do well in the tests, and we all hope that makes the vehicle safer for everybody.

CANDIOTTI: Thank you, Dave Zuby. And of course consumers, very important work for them as well, because it helps give them a guide as to which cars are the safest ones they can buy.

ZUBY: Very good, Susan. We appreciate it. Thank you, Susan Candiotti for us.

COLLINS: And as we go to break now, I want to bring you back to the memorial service for Ed Bradley. We're listening here now to Wynton Marsalis with Cyrus Chestnut on the piano. This is called "Black and Tan Fantasy."

Take a listen.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: More information now on director Robert Altman. We are learning here at CNN, and have confirmed, that Robert Altman died. He was 81 years old. He was famous, I would say, mostly for his directing of the movie MASH. 1970 that movie was made. He died at a Los Angeles hospital. Again, he was 81 years old.

HARRIS: Well, today's assassination of a Lebanese cabinet minister, another blow for peace efforts in that region.

Journalist Hisham Melhem is with us now from Washington. He's Washington bureau chief for Lebanon daily newspaper.

Thank you for your time this morning.

My first question is, any doubt in your mind that this was a political assassination? And if that's the case, maybe characterize what this means in terms of further destabilizing the Siniora government in Lebanon.

HISHAM MELHEM, LEBANESE JOURNALIST: I think the Siniora government and many, many Lebanese will see this brazen assassination of Pierre Gemayel today as an act of war against the government to bring it down. One should see this attack, this assassination, this act of terror, against background of attempts by Hezbollah and their allies in Lebanon and their allies the region to bring down the Siniora government, a government that Hezbollah was part of until a few weeks ago. And now Hezbollah is claiming that this government, quote, unquote, is illegitimate. Now I don't know who did it, although the mood in the Christian community and among Mr. Gemayel's allies, particularly Mr. Saad Hariri, the parliamentarian, who is head of the parliamentary majority, and the leader of the March 14th movement, explicitly and bluntly today accused Syria of being behind this assassination. And the mood in the -- within Mr. Gemayel's supporters is that the Syrians benefit from this.

HARRIS: I wonder if you'd go along with this characterization, and not placing a value judgment on it, the Siniora government is described by most as being a weak government that's being propped up by the United States. I'm wondering if for many players in the region, is that a reason in and of itself for that government to be destabilized and if at all possible to be brought down?

MELHEM: This was a government that was elected Democratically. It has a parliamentary majority. But then there are powerful forces within Lebanon led by Hezbollah and some of their allies, supported by Iran and Syria, who are bent on bringing down this government, because that government is bent on investigating the killings of Mr. Hariri and those other assassinations and assassination attempts that occurred in Lebanon the last two years.

HARRIS: How about the aspect that the government is also supported heavily by the United States?

MELHEM: Obviously Hezbollah, and their friends in Iran are saying that this government is beholden to the United States. In fact, the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, calls it the Feldman government, in reference to Jeffrey Feldman, the American ambassador in Beirut, But I think Hezbollah has an interest in preventing this government from pursuing its current policies, which is essentially to put Hezbollah against a test, that is to try to disarm Hezbollah. And what Hezbollah wants is to have an absolute veto power against any new government in Lebanon and prevent that government from discussing the disposition of Hezbollah's weapons. They don't want an investigation of the Hariri killings, because the Syrians don't want that, and they don't want anyone new government in Lebanon to deal with Hezbollah's weapons. And essentially Hezbollah is saying, you take our positions or else we'll bring you down.

HARRIS: You've described this as an act of war. Talk to us about ramifications, possible ramifications from this assassination as you term it?

MELHEM: As you know, Tony, because of the war between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer, the country is extremely tense. There's a deepening of the existing polarization between the Sunnis and Shia in Lebanon. Many people blame Hezbollah for starting a devastating war against Israel. So the assassination take place against this kind of tense background. And when Hezbollah threatens the government to bring it down, that tells you we have an extremely combustible situation. And I think those who are calling for engaging Syria and Iran to deal with the situation in Iraq maybe should think twice about engaging governments that may be responsible for creating this kind of chaos and tension in Lebanon. HARRIS: What does Syria want in Lebanon, aside from scuttling any investigation into the Hariri assassination? What is it ultimately that Syria wants in Lebanon?

MELHEM: They want to retain or regain, if you will, their previous hegemonic control of the Lebanese decisionmaking process.

HARRIS: Why? Why? Tell us why?

MELHEM: Because Syria is a weak country in and of itself. Their control of Lebanon enhances their little -- the little region of influence they have. It enhances their position vis-a-vis Israel. It enhances their position vis-a-vis the United States. And they benefit financially. And they did benefit tremendously financially from that control of Lebanon for the last three decades. So I mean, there are many Lebanese who will tell you there is no political regime in Damascus, it is a criminal enterprise. They benefit from Lebanon, and they would like to regain that position. And as you said, they don't want to see an investigation. They don't want to see their Allies, Hezbollah, weakened further in Lebanon.

HARRIS: OK, journalist Hisham Melhem, joining us from Washington D.C. We appreciate your time. Thank you.

COLLINS: In just one hour from now, CNN NEWSROOM continues. Kyra Phillips joining us to talk more about what you guys will have.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I think you guys have been talking about the same thing, that's for sure. Everybody heard him say the 'n' word. Now is the 's' word enough to end the controversy. Michael Richards says he's deeply, deeply sorry. Some fellow comics say he can't uncross the line. We're going to talk about that.

And long before anyone heard of Angelina Jolie, Mia Farrow was an advocate for children at risk around the world, especially in Africa. She's just come back from Darfur. She joins me live to talk about the crisis there. Join me and Don Lemon coming up, 1:00 p.m. Eastern hour.

HARRIS: That is outstanding. I can't wait.

COLLINS: Thanks, Kyra. We'll be watching.

CNN NEWSROOM does continue just one hour from now.

HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Have a great day, everybody.

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