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Blizzards, Blackouts and a Whole Lot of Bother; President Bush to Receive Iraq Recommendations Wednesday; Face of AIDS in America is Changing

Aired December 01, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

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

Just don't call it a timetable. We've got advanced word on what the bipartisan study group has in mind for getting out of Iraq.

PHILLIPS: Our special World AIDS Day coverage continues with Congresswoman Maxine Waters, her focus on AIDS in the African-American community.

LEMON: And a major mess in the Midwest. Blizzards, blackouts and a whole lot of bother.

Grab some hot chocolate and warm up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Chicago's morning rush hour was anything but. And the afternoon, well, slush hour if they're lucky.

Let's get the latest now from Ed Lavandera -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, this is the scene here in downtown Chicago looking down Michigan Avenue. Traffic starting to move a lot smoother here as the roadways -- essentially, the snow that has been on them has turned to slush. And it has slowed down traffic in many ways, and the rush hour commute here this morning was absolutely horrendous.

But across the state of Illinois, some 1,700 trucks have been dumping salt on the 42,000 miles of roadways in the state. So that has, in some ways, alleviated some of the situation as well.

But one of the concerns that officials now are telling us here is that as this snow -- as the temperatures have gone up a little bit, the snow's starting to melt away, especially on the roadways. But tonight they expect that temperatures will drop below freezing again, and that will mean that the slush on the roadway is freezing. So they're really worried about what might happen in the overnight hours and going into people driving on Saturday morning on the roads, urging people to really be careful, because you might not see the snow on the roadways, but the water will be out there from snow that has melted. Snow flurries still starting to fall, people kind of starting to meander and walk around downtown Chicago as well. But it's still very cold as well.

And over at Chicago O'Hare airport, several miles away from here, American Airlines and United say they're hoping to start their flights up. We're trying to get word from them as to exactly how that is picking up. But hundreds of flights had been canceled overnight, and from last night and into this morning as well.

So there are thousands of people trying to make their way through that airport to get back home to where they want to be. And it was an eerily quiet scene at that airport this morning, as Chicago airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, was quiet, because essentially passengers were told to stay away and wait for us to tell you to come back so that you can come catch your flight -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ed Lavandera, live in Chicago.

We'll keep checking in with you for an update. Thanks, Ed.

LEMON: If you're watching us from St. Louis, well, congratulations. You either dodged widespread power outages or you've got a very good generator around.

CNN's Sean Callebs is there.

Hey, Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, how are you? And I'll throw a third item in that equation. Perhaps power is being restored.

We know that crews are out doing what they can, but, boy, 450,000 homes in and around the St. Louis area losing power this morning. The big reason, freezing rain that came down overnight. And then some snow started just before sunrise, kind of covering that ice.

And tree limbs came down on power lines. Other power lines were just encased in ice and came down. So crews are doing what they can. Throughout the morning they were telling people, don't go out on the streets because so many power lines were down.

It's beautiful here right now. The temperatures warming up, the sun's out. The arch behind me is glistening.

People are beginning to come out. The roads are doing quite well at this hour. That's because the city said they were trying to keep ahead of the storm as best they could. They knew it was coming.

This is a punishing band of storms that really stretched from the northern part of Texas, now reaching all the way up into the Chicago area. Salt trucks, sand trucks, plows were out throughout the evening doing what they could to keep the roads clear.

Interstate 70, though, a big chunk of it near the capital of Missouri, Jefferson City, was shut down throughout the morning. It only recently opened.

But the big news, I can empathize with what Ed Lavandera and the folks in Chicago are going through, because the people in St. Louis went through that yesterday. A number of flights, virtually all afternoon flights, shut down. We were there when the major carriers just had to make the call because the de-icing of planes, they simply got backed up.

The way the FAA regulations work, once an aircraft has been de- iced it must take off within 15 minutes. If not, they have to get out of line, come back and go through that whole process all over again.

The freezing rain was coming down in such a punishing fashion that they simply couldn't de-ice the aircraft or the runways. But that situation's got a lot better.

A thousand people had to spend the night in St. Louis Lambert airport. Flights began -- flights began landing this morning, but only recently began taking back off.

But as you can see from the sun coming out, life is returning to normal here in St. Louis. In fact, there's a big billboard right across the way. There's a big NCAA college cup soccer tournament here this weekend. They had to postpone today's matches, but this weekend they're going to crown the champion here on the snow-laden grass of St. Louis -- Don.

LEMON: Sean Callebs, guess what? It's getting better for you guys, but it's all heading east. So now they know what they have to look forward to.

Thank you.

CALLEBS: Indeed.

LEMON: Thank you for your report.

PHILLIPS: Speaking of east, take a look at this live picture. You can barely see it because of the fog and the snow.

Do you know what you're trying to see here? Can you figure it out? New Yorkers can expect to get a taste of this winter blast soon. You're looking live at a picture of the Statue of Liberty.

Reynolds Wolf, could you see it? Can you see anything?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A little bit of a silhouette.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Forget the graceful exit. President Bush didn't hide his scorn at that term this week in Jordan. But will he accept a gradual downgrade of U.S. troops in Iraq?

Next week he'll get the long-awaited report of the bipartisan, blue ribbon Iraq Study Group. And sources say it will recommend phasing out U.S. combat troops while speeding up the training of Iraqi replacements.

CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: So far, the few details that have leaked out of the Iraq Study Group would seem to suggest no drastic change in strategy is coming.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Well, I think the truth is we're all talking about withdrawal. The question is whether that withdrawal will be based upon security considerations or based upon domestic politics here in the United States.

MCINTYRE: A gradual pullout or pullback of U.S. troops with no set timeline and emphasizing training Iraqis over conducting combat operations sounds very similar to what U.S. commanders advocate.

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, U.S. CENTRAL COMMANDER: I think it's very, very clear that we've got to do more to speed the transition, to get the Iraqis in the front because the Iraqis, being in the front, is the key to victory.

MCINTYRE: But the panel does seem to favor a subtle but important shift, according to sources, essentially putting the Iraqis on notice the U.S. commitment is not open-ended by recommending gradual but meaningful troop reductions beginning relatively early next year and moving U.S. troops off the front lines, out of the bull's eye, as one official put it. In another page from the Pentagon's current plan, it will also call for setting clear benchmarks for Iraq to meet.

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: How much of the Iraqi armed forces are under the command and control of the Iraqi leadership? How much of the country has been turned over to provincial leadership? These are all things that we can -- we can judge and measure.

MCINTYRE: Although many of the recommendations may mirror current policy, some analysts argue they also reflect a more sober reality, that Iraq's problems can't be solved by military force.

JOE CIRINCIONE, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Iraq is a failure on so many levels it's hard to count. Clearly it's a military failure. There is no military victory possible. The consensus is clear on that.

MCINTYRE (on camera): The Pentagon has yet to get any inside word on what the full report will say when it's released next week. But already, the military brass is preparing its own list of options to counter any recommendations it sees as unwise -- Paula.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Obviously, you can see that was a taped report. He did that for us earlier on today. Well, an Iraqi Shiite leader with strong ties to Iran is due to meet with President Bush on Monday. Abdul Aziz al-Hakim heads Iraq's Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution, which also runs one of the country's biggest militias. Word on the invitation came from Iraq, and now the White House confirms it.

Joining us now from Baghdad, CNN's Arwa Damon -- Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, hello.

That's right, that meeting, we are hearing, is set to take place early next week between Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and President Bush. Hakim, as you just mentioned, is a very well-respected, powerful political leader here in Iraq, though he himself does not hold an office within the current Iraqi government. He is the head of SCIRI, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution.

Now, his -- just to give you a little bit of background, the party was formed in exile in Iran back in 1982. It also has an armed militia known as the Badr Brigade, also formed in exile, numbering in the thousands -- former members of the Iraqi army that deserted and went to Iran, a number of members in exile. And it grew in its ranks in Iran.

Now, publicly the group has said that it has laid down its weapons. But regardless of that, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is one of Iraq's more influential political figures, and these meetings could not come at a more crucial time for the Iraqi government, which is essentially, by all accounts, crumbling from within. The current Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has, at best, a fragile grip on his government, on his political parties, and on his country as a whole -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, so Hakim has taken a more mainstream diplomatic approach than al-Sadr right now?

DAMON: Yes, that's right. He has. In fact, the two could not be more different.

The widely accepted view on Muqtada al-Sadr is that he is a young radical Shia cleric. He has, of course, the loyalty of the Mehdi militia, which is quite active in the streets of Iraq, blamed for much of the sectarian violence, and has also been quite a thorn in the side of the United States. There was that fierce fighting that took place down south between the Mehdi militia and U.S. forces.

Countering that is Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and his group, SCIRI, which has taken a more moderate approach to the whole democratic process here. In fact, Hakim himself maintained a close relationship with the United States since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 while still maintaining a close relationship with Iran -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right.

Arwa Damon live from Baghdad.

Thanks.

LEMON: Let's head to the NEWSROOM now and Fredericka Whitfield with details on a developing story -- Fredricka.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Don, according to The Associated Press and police in the U.K., now a hotel in southern England is being evacuated in order to conduct some tests on radioactive material in connection with that poisoned former Russian spy who died. Here's the picture of Alexander Litvinenko.

Now, this poisoning of Litvinenko has snowballed into a huge investigation. We know that yesterday a couple of jets, at least two jets, maybe even three jets, tested positive from British Airways of the same kind of substance. And now we're learning today an Italian security expert who was one of the last people to meet with Litvinenko when he was in the hospital also may have been exposed to this radioactive substance.

And now we're just learning this within the last few minutes, a hotel in southern England -- we don't know any more than that -- is now being tested for similar radioactive substances that are all in connection with the death of the poisoned former Russian spy. So this investigation is widening by the minute. And this is the latest that we have.

When we get any more information on how many people this just might be affecting just at this hotel in southern England alone, we'll be able to bring that to you -- Don.

LEMON: You know, you can't write this. It's almost like a movie or a spy novel or something. Very interesting.

WHITFIELD: Lots of layers.

LEMON: Yes. Thanks very much for that, Fredricka.

AIDS cases in Africa, the numbers are staggering. But focus on the faces and the reality, well, it hits home.

It's World AIDS Day, and the CNN NEWSROOM continues our special coverage with a visit to the country, the continent bearing the brunt of an epidemic.

PHILLIPS: AIDS is spreading fast among African-Americans on this World AIDS Day. We're going to look at some scary statistics and talk to one leader who's trying to do something about it. Maxine Water is joining us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

The face of AIDS in America is changing. CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are more than one million people living with HIV or AIDS in the United States. John Paul Womble is one of them. He was diagnosed 14 years ago, just two years after his own father, an ex-Southern Baptist Minister died in the first wave of the American AIDS epidemic.

JOHN PAUL WOMBLE, HIV POSITIVE 14 YEARS: Lots of people have excuses. Lots of people have legitimate stories of they didn't know better. I knew better. You can be stupid like I was. Young and feeling invincible.

GUPTA: As gay white men John Paul and his father were once considered typical AIDS patients.

Now that's changed. Today John Paul works with victims of HIV like this couple. Poor, married and in their 20s.

ANTOINE DAVIS, HIV POSITIVE: Sleeping on the street, trying to look for a job is a real hard task and we done it for a while. Then, also having the virus on top of that is extra hard.

GUPTA: African Americans are the hardest hit.

While they represent only 13 percent of the population, they make up 40 percent of those diagnosed AIDS cases. And consider this. An African-American woman is 14 times more likely to get HIV than a Caucasian woman, 14 times.

AIDS has moved beyond major metropolitan areas. The South had the greatest number of people living with and dying from AIDS in 2004. Almost half the people living with the disease in this country do not get regular HIV care or treatment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it. Thank you for coming and I'll see you back in a month.

EVELYN FOUST, SOUTHERN AIDS COALITION: If you make $13,000 a year, you can't afford your medication. So there are people that choose not to work. They want to work. But they can't or they'll lose their medication which is keeping them alive.

GUPTA: Without insurance or assistance, the cost of treatment is anywhere from $12,000 to $30,000 a year. But for Antoine, hope goes hand in hand with sharing his story.

DAVIS: If the people just hide and close their doors, the more the infection is spreading around and people are dying off without being helped.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now, as Sanjay just reported, African-Americans are bearing the brunt of the AIDS crisis here in the U.S., accounting for half of all new infections.

Joining me now to talk about AIDS and the black community, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, co-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus task force on HIV and AIDS. Representative Waters, good to have you with us.

I'm curious, do you have a personal reason to why you've been so active on this issue?

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, first of all, it's a tragedy. We have an AIDS pandemic in the world. And African- Americans are now the face of AIDS.

We do represent 50 percent of all the new AIDS cases. And African-American women represent about 70 percent of all of the new AIDS cases among women.

And so not only am I committed to good public policy that will begin to deal with this pandemic, but I do have a personal case. I have a sister who died from AIDS. I was involved with AIDS long before she was diagnosed. But she certainly did pass away from AIDS.

PHILLIPS: Wow. So that made quite an impact on you.

Did she talk to you about it? Did she say, "Look, you're my sister, you're a congresswoman. There's got to be something that you can do, especially within the black community"?

WATERS: Well, I was very much involved with her care. And I learned a lot about what AIDS patients go through.

And I have given a good deal of time in the Congress of the United States to helping to increase the appropriations for minority AIDS, in particular. I created the minority AIDS appropriation in the budget under Bill Clinton, where we try and get money to those communities to build capacity, to learn to respond to requests for a proposal, to try and get more outreach and education.

It's not enough. We've got to do more.

PHILLIPS: What's going on? Why has it reached such large numbers within the black community?

Is it unprotected sex? Is it gay sex? Is it drug use? What have you found to be the main problem?

WATERS: Well, first of all, let me just say that in a country as rich as America, we don't have good health outreach and prevention programs of any kind. We need comprehensive universal health care that will get people involved and taking charge of their health, and learning how to be healthy, how to avoid contacting diseases.

So, the first problem is poverty, a lack of outreach and prevention, and comprehensive health care programs where people are only seeing doctors when there is a crisis in the emergency room. Too much of that.

Secondly, there's the stigma that's attached with AIDS. And the African-American community is lagging in being able to take our heads out of the sand and just deal with it to get all of the leaders and public policymakers and ministers and everybody making this a priority in their work and what they do on a daily basis. For all of these reasons, that's why it's a problem.

PHILLIPS: Well, I was reading that you were saying there's a high number of men who have sex with men, MSM, is what you refer to. But they don't call themselves gay.

WATERS: Well, I think that, you know, in all sectors of our society, we do have men who have sex with men. I don't think the numbers are any greater in the African-American community. But I think that we have not faced this issue in the African-American community.

PHILLIPS: Which issue are you talking about specifically? Being gay?

WATERS: No, I'm talking -- well, gay, I'm talking about being gay. But the fact that men are having sex with men, it's not talked about.

In church, in our churches on Sunday morning, you have African- Americans in that institution more than anyplace else in America. We have not been able to generate the kind of conversation, the kind of targeting on this issue that I think we should have, even in our churches.

So it's a matter of us taking hold of the issue, recognizing what is going on, facing up to these facts and dealing with it.

PHILLIPS: Magic Johnson was on our show not too long ago. I don't know if you saw the interview, Representative Waters, but here's a little bit of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EARVIN "MAGIC" JOHNSON, FMR. NBA PLAYER: I respect all men to be open to their partners about if they are living that double life -- that double life, much of what you just talked about. And then I urge all women, because it's the -- especially African-American women, when you think of that it is the number one killer for those women ages 25 to 35. And that's -- those are young women. So women are going to have to really take charge of making sure that their partners are wearing protection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Interesting. So he's saying men have to stop living this double life and that women also have to demand that men protect -- or that they use protection during sex.

Would you say those are the two...

WATERS: All of that.

PHILLIPS: OK. WATERS: All of that throughout our society, and certainly in the African-American community. You know, we have promiscuity. We have infidelity in American society. And it's true in the African-American community.

And we have to take more responsibility for our lives and our families. And women, too.

African-American women, again, represent 70 percent of all the new AIDS cases. We're going to have to step outside of the box and step up to the plate and make sure we do everything we can to protect ourselves.

PHILLIPS: And you're working on a number of pieces of legislation.

WATERS: I am.

PHILLIPS: One is -- I want to ask you about the routine HIV-AIDS Screening Act of 2006. It says to require individual and group health insurance coverage, plans to provide coverage for routine HIV-AIDS screening.

What exactly are you asking for?

WATERS: I'm asking the insurance companies to pay for the testing. We need to get testing. Twenty-five percent of those who are infected don't know that they are infected. So 2007 has to be the year of the test.

People have to get tested. We've got to encourage it.

I was with Magic Johnson this morning, and he's got a program where he's doing outreach to get people tested. People were standing in line. They were listening to what Magic Johnson had to say.

So we've got to get people tested. There are some new CDC guidelines that will help to support routine testing in clinical settings. And then we've got to have the money to pay for the care for those victims once they get tested and find out that they are infected with HIV and AIDS.

So that's what that bill will do. It will force insurance companies to pay for testing, just as they do for diabetes and cholesterol and other kinds of general testing when one goes in for a checkup.

PHILLIPS: Congresswoman Maxine Waters, thanks for your time.

WATERS: You're welcome. Thank you.

LEMON: We have something just in here to the CNN NEWSROOM. For weeks it's been stuck in the mud. Now the USS Intrepid may be on the move.

Is that right, Heidi Collins? Joining us by phone right now. HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, that's right, Don.

We have a date now. As you probably remember, since November 6th, that was the original date of when the Intrepid was going to be moving five miles down the Hudson River for a massive restoration project, a $60 million project. It got stuck in the mud. We remember when it happened live on our air.

Now today what we're announcing and we're hearing from the Intrepid Air and Space Museum is that on Tuesday, December 5th, it will be moving again. This will be from Pier 86 where it's been stationed, and they will be moving it, as I said, the five miles to Bayone, New Jersey where they're going to be doing this massive restoration project.

This is all with the help of U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Here's what's going to happen. Because they have had such great success with the salvage operation, again, if you remember, the ship got stuck in this massive pile of muck or sludge is a better way to say it. 35,000 cubic yards of material was actually dredged up from around and underneath the stern area, the rudder, and those four propellers that are on the bottom of the vessel. So they are very excited about this.

Again, that plan, along with the help of the high tide on December 5th, will happen between the hour of 8:00 and 9:00. Of course, always depending on weather conditions. But they hope to unfurl this giant American flag around 10:00 to 10:30 and then go past the historic Ground Zero shore point and really pay tribute to the people who lost their lives on September 11. Later on they'll be passing the Statue of Liberty and end up at Bayone between 2:30 and 3:00.

LEMON: Of course, Heidi, this was big news a couple weeks ago when that didn't happen. It's going to be big news Tuesday once it does happen, and you will be there live.

COLLINS: That's right.

LEMON: Carrying our coverage of the USS Intrepid, and we'll be watching and the world will be watching. Thanks for calling in this news.

COLLINS: Yes, I'll be on board and I'll talk to you guys on Tuesday, then.

LEMON: Great. Look forward to that. Thanks for calling in this developing news for us. Heidi Collins joining us by phone. Thank you.

I'm sure they have religious differences, but there's a lot of political unity in Beirut. Muslims and Christians want Lebanon's prime minister out. A Mideast government in crisis next in the NEWSROOM. PHILLIPS: And Reynolds Wolf tracking this winter wallop as it heads east toward the Big Apple. You're seeing two various live pictures, Statue of Liberty, she's trying to break through there. Of course, one of the famous ice rinks there in New York City. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Showdown on the streets of Beirut as hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah supporters aim to topple Lebanon's U.S.-backed prime minister. CNN's Brent Sadler saw it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This is the start of an Hezbollah-led opposition campaign to bring down the U.S.-backed government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Critical mass was reached earlier in the day when hundreds of thousands of Lebanese, waving their national flag, converged in downtown Beirut not far from the prime ministerial complex.

That complex was surrounded by very heavy security. The heaviest security I've seen in recent years. At least a dozen armored personnel carriers drew up a ring of steel to protect Siniora and at least eight of his cabinet colleagues who are holed up the prime ministerial building.

Hundreds of Lebanese Army troops and security police have been in and around downtown Beirut during the demonstration. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called for the start of peaceful protests to topple the government which Hezbollah and its allies say is simply serving western interests, not least those of the United States.

Hezbollah says it wants a new national unity government, and to that end, is being supported by Hezbollah's close allies, Syria and as well as Iran. The outcome of this political showdown is important for the U.S. administration as it seeks to rein in Hezbollah and try to reduce Iranian influence not only here in Lebanon, but also in Iraq.

Also, behind these protests and this escalating tension on the streets of Beirut is the setting up of an international tribunal at the United Nations level to try suspects in Lebanon's long list of assassinations over the past two years. A process which the government says the Hezbollah-led opposition is trying to torpedo with the support of Iran and Syria.

It was only a week ago or so ago that hundreds of thousands of Lebanese were also waving their national flag during the burial of government minister Pierre Gemayel. So now essentially two visions of Lebanon under one national flag. Two visions that are diametrically opposed. Many Lebanese now concerned that this is the start of a long and potentially drawn-out political battle for control of this country.

Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut. PHILLIPS: A wing and a prayer and some rave reviews. Pope Benedict earns kudos in Turkey releasing doves and praying toward Mecca before winding up his landmark visit. The latest from Istanbul -- next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Pope Benedict's historic mission to Turkey is history. He left Istanbul earlier today after four days of meetings, services and sight-seeing aimed at making peace with Muslims and with Orthodox Christians. Did he succeed? Here's CNN's Alessio Vinci.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The journey started with the pope telling us, don't expect too much about a four- day trip. And ended with a dramatic visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque. Benedict XVI became the second pontiff ever to enter a Muslim house of prayer.

A last-minute addition to his schedule that provided the Vatican with a photo opportunity it needed to dispel once and for all the perception that he is anti-Islam.

From the moment he touched down, his desire to defuse tensions stirred after he quoted a medieval emperor who linked Islam and violence was evident. He told the prime minister he no longer opposed Turkey's bid to join the European Union. He shook hands with the countries highest Muslim religious authority and whenever possible, he repeated this.

POPE BENEDICT XVI: It is my profound esteem for all the people of this great country, I love the Turks.

To reiterate my great esteem for Muslims, you are (INAUDIBLE) Turkey.

VINCI: Two days before he arrived, 20,000 gathered in Istanbul to protest his visit, but no big anti-pope rallies once he arrived. A secure operation involving 3,000 policemen with military support kept the few dozen demonstrators who did turn out at safe distance.

But mending fences with Islam was just one aspect of this trip. In fact, the pope's mission was mostly about meeting this man, Patriarch Bartholomew I, head of the world's Orthodox Christians, who invited the pope to work on uniting the two churches which split 1,000 years ago.

No breakthrough on that front. But they promised to bridge differences.

BENEDICT XVI: The divisions which exists among Christians (INAUDIBLE) to the world. And that all (INAUDIBLE) is a proclamation of the gospel.

VINCI: And while they were at it, the pope and Bartholomew took the opportunity to send a political message to Turks as well: grant more rights to religious minorities.

(on camera): If the pope's mission was to mend fences with Turks and Islam then, yes, it was a success. As for pressing turks to grant more rights or even announce any major shift in the longstanding rift between the Catholic Church and the Christian Orthodox, well we'll have to wait a few more years, centuries perhaps.

But as with any papal trip, it's a symbolism that counts. And on that front, the pope left Turkey in much better shape than when he arrived here.

Alessio Vinci, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Fistfights, sit-ins, threats and accusations: it's inauguration day in Mexico. Spectacle overshadowed ceremony today as Felipe Calderon was sworn in as Mexican president, a post many in Mexico are still contesting five months after the election.

Leftists claimed fraud in Calderon's exceedingly tight victory over Andre Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Fights broke out in the Mexican Congress before Calderon took the oath of office. Minutes later, bodyguards rushed him out of a back door as opponents screamed to get out. Get out!

A VIP saw the whole thing. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger calls it a good action. President Bush's father, the former President Bush, well, predicts things will work out, despite all the chaos.

AIDS in Africa. The numbers are staggering. The focus on the faces and the reality, well, it hits home. It's World AIDS Day. And the CNN NEWSROOM continues our special coverage with a visit to the continent in crisis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: AIDS is a small word with a very big stigma and a heavy sentence, especially for children in Africa. It is estimated that 2.3 million children in the world are living with HIV and AIDS, 80 percent of them are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Last summer I traveled to Africa for a special series on AIDS and met some of the children who represent those alarming numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): The hospital wards in sub-Saharan east Africa overflow with suffering children. The gashes and bruises on these boys come from a rabid hyena which attacked their village near Malawi in the middle of the night. It killed nine people, most of them children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three people in the house. The mother died and the baby also died. He's the only survivor.

LEMON: Similar tragedies come to many African children -- if not from a beast or infected insect or tainted food, then death will most likely come from a cunning virus that has wiped out more families than any plague in recent history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The daughter (ph) is nearly dead, most positive, the father, and the son now. The son is also positive.

LEMON: Ian and his father learned they were infected when Ian's mom died of AIDS last year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It makes me feel bad because I know that his life is short. And every parent's dream is to see their child grow up, get a family of their own.

LEMON: It won't happen for Ian. At only 2 years old, he died, days after our visit.

On the same day at the same clinic near Nairobi, Luta, 12, will sit with her father and a doctor and learn the grim news about her own health.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has been treated for TB, yeah? Sometime for tuberculosis. So we suspected she was having a problem.

LEMON: She doesn't know?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know that she's sick.

LEMON (on camera): When did you find out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today.

LEMON (voice-over): Luta's mom died of AIDS, and chances are, she'll outlive her father and end up on the street or in an orphanage like millions of others. Even the sick children try to keep a normal routine with singing, school, and sports.

But living conditions are constant reminders that malaria, dysentery and the like are running rampant. Open sores stream through slums and for most, electricity and indoor plumbing don't exist.

And when it comes to AIDS, the possibility of being able to afford expensive antiretroviral drugs is slim.

(on camera): Oh, you just need some love. You just need some love.

(voice-over): But not impossible. In a children's ward at another hospital near Nairobi, a skinny and dehydrated 9-year-old named Christine (ph) is referred to as the miracle child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A few days ago she was in a coma. And she's been getting treatment and now she's on antiviral treatment, and I think she's going to pull through. LEMON: While Christine is still the exception, antiretrovirals are starting to make their way to more clinics and hospitals. But how long will it take to reach the children of Rwanda, Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: What's being done? Well, there have been some changes since my visit, and who's taking care of all those children? Millions who have become sick are either orphaned because of HIV and AIDS. We'll report on that in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Much of middle America is a no-fly zone today, thanks to winter's early arrival. Keith Oppenheim has got the story from Chicago. We're digging him out for a live report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Straight to the NEWSROOM now. Fredricka Whitfield working on a developing story.

What do you have for us, Fred?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Don, I told you earlier that the investigation into the poisoning death of that Russian -- former Russian spy is widening. Well, try to keep up with me now because within the past hour I told you about a hotel in southern England that was evacuated and being searched and forensic testing for any kind of radioactive contaminants.

We also learned today that an Italian security expert who had been exposed to the former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, may have been exposed, and then the British Airways jets that have also been contaminated.

Well, now we're learning, according to a family source of Litvinenko, that his wife may have also been exposed to this polonium- 210. She would now be the second person exposed to this radioactive material linked to Litvinenko. Police investigators are not confirming the name or the identity that it is, indeed, the wife. We're getting this information from a family source.

Litvinenko was showing signs of the poisoning back November 1st, and then he died three weeks later. So, of course, we're waiting for more information about this widening investigation right now -- Don and Kyra.

LEMON: Thank you, Fredricka.

PHILLIPS: A continent ravaged, a generation orphaned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What do you remember about your mother and father?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They were people who loved me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Counting AIDS casualties among the living. It's World AIDS Day, and we're covering all the angles in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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