Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, 80, Dies; Wesley Snipes Taken into Custody This Morning

Aired December 08, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I don't want you to put words in her mouth, of course, Bill, but having you here today really helps us understand some of her thoughts and her way of looking at everything that's been happening for our country since September 11th.
In talking about the Iraq war specifically and this new Iraq Study Group report, good ideas, bad ideas in there? You already mentioned Iran and Syria. There's quite a cool reaction from the White House to this. What would Jeane Kirkpatrick have thought of it?

BILL BENNETT: Well, I do want to be careful there except I think I know her mind pretty well. I think she would have said rubbish, frankly.

She had no patience with tyrannies. Said they had to be confronted. You couldn't deal with tyrannies. That there were some people you could work with. These were people you couldn't.

And she was -- she was someone who believed very much that, when the U.S. makes a military commitment, it had to be -- I remember her saying, quoting Hamilton, "It had to go forward like Hercules, no half measures. You need to do these things and do them, and do them right."

She often had, you know, more courage in her convictions than a lot of other people. That was the thesis of her work, was that these confrontations with tyrannies were essential and no compromise there.

COLLINS: All right. Well, Bill Bennett, we certainly appreciate your time here today in talking with the death of Jeane Kirkpatrick, the first woman appointed to serve as a permanent representative to the U.N. And once again, just to put it in perspective for you, Bill Bennett and Jack Kemp both worked with her for Empower America.

COLLINS: I want to go over to Tony now and Richard Roth, yes?

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Let's talk to our Chief U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth, who joins us from New York, of course.

And, Richard, how is ambassador Kirkpatrick likely to be remembered there in the halls of the U.N.?

RICHARD ROTH, CHIEF U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, many of the people who are here now were not present -- except maybe for me at times -- in the early days of CNN, so they didn't know her.

I think they found maybe a kindred spirit in John Bolton, who is concluding his term here as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. under President Bush.

I do remember covering one of Jeane Kirkpatrick's -- in fact her first news conference after being appointed U.N. ambassador to the U.N. under Ronald Reagan. And I remember she played it pretty coy with all of the questions from the Press Corp. I distinctly remember doing a report for CNN where she said that is under review, that is under review. And I kind of poked fun at her responses, I think, including that comment about 15 times in the report.

That was undoubtedly the last time she held back in her thoughts on world affairs and the United Nations. And she was a sharply critical of this institution in her years after leaving the U.N. And even when she was here, she thought it really needed improvement. And she followed a strong conservative line that the United Nations need major changes.

She did say on the U.S. Commission that was at the U.N. Human Rights Commission in 2003. That's a controversial U.N. organization, the Human Rights Commission, which was recently so-called reformed, though all it does is seem to pass resolutions against one country, Israel.

She once said what takes place in the Security Council more closely resembles a mugging than either a political debate or an effort at problem-solving. Jeane Kirkpatrick -- definitely a tough cookie here in the world of diplomacy at the U.N.

HARRIS: It sounds like John Bolton and Jeane Kirkpatrick would have viewed the U.N. in similar terms.

ROTH: Oh, yes, they belong to some of the same organizations, I believe, as she was at the American Enterprise Institute. They definitely felt the same way about the U.N. And they also believed in trying to improve it. I mean, Jeane Kirkpatrick was the ambassador here. John Bolton was the ambassador. He is in his last hours as ambassador here under President Bush.

HARRIS: Okay.

Our Chief U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth for us.

Rich, appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: Breakfast time huddle, but it's more than just coffee talk. Just a short time ago, President Bush wrapped up a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties. A major focus of the meeting -- the search for a new approach in Iraq.

White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joining us now live with more on that.

Suzanne, how did it go? SUZANNE MALVEAUX: Heidi, it seems like it went fairly well. This is really reflective of a new reality here at the White House, the president having a breakfast meeting with the incoming leadership of the Democratic Party, as well as those outgoing chairs from the Republican Party.

The president pledging, with this group of senators, as well as congressional lawmakers, saying, look, he wants to work together, that he wants it to be a more open relationship, and that his door is essentially open to Democrats as well as Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I assured the leaders that the White House door will be open when the new Congress shows up. And I think we ought to meet on a regular basis. I believe there's consensus toward that. And the reason you meet on a regular basis is so that the American people can know that we're working hard to find common ground. That's what they expect us to do. They expect us to work on big problems and solve them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Heidi, it seems that the president certainly has gotten the message from the American voters, as well as that Iraq Study Group, and their report that just came out a couple days ago.

Should also let you know next week is going to be very intense when it comes to diplomatic outreach. The president, on Monday, is going to be going to the State Department meeting with Secretary Rice and other top officials there to discuss Iraq and the strategy forward.

He is then going to go back to the White House, the Oval Office, and he will meet with a group of outside experts to talk about it.

And then, on Tuesday, we're told he's going to hold a video teleconference with his top commanders on the ground in Iraq, as well as the U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

And then, on Wednesday, we are told he is headed over to the Pentagon. That is where he is meeting with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, other top officials, again, to discuss the Iraq plan, moving forward.

We are told do not expect next week to be a decision week, per se, but certainly a listening week for this president.

And we are also told, of course, there are three different reports that are outstanding -- Pentagon, State Department, National Security Council. We don't expect those reports to come in next week. But it certainly is going to be a chance for the president to sit down and to get input from various places within the administration on how to proceed next.

And we are told the president will address the nation with this new plan sometime before Christmas -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Wow. That requires an awful lot of reading, it sounds like. Three Reports still to come in.

But as I look at some more of this reaction, Suzanne, to the Iraq Study Group, it seems like there is a growing list of critics. One representative from Georgia, Jack Kingston, saying it's about as daring as a glass of warm water. The sentiment from there is certainly cool, is it not?

MALVEAUX: Well, you know, officially the White House says, look, he hasn't made any decisions. He's not ruling out anything. But we've certainly heard from the president a couple things that he's not willing to do. That is, of course, one-on-one talks unconditionally with Iran and Syria. But he has not ruled out the possibility of a regional conference involving the Bush administration, as well as those two regimes.

We have also heard somewhat of an openness to the Bush administration taking a much more active role in the Israeli- Palestinian peace process. And we have also heard the president say that he is not going to be committed to any kind of timetables in withdrawing U.S. troops. Certainly the situation depends on the conditions on the ground. But the goal is to get those troops out as quickly as possible.

So we're hearing -- we're getting a sense of at least some of the things that he has rejected -- outright rejected -- and some things he is a little bit warm on

COLLINS: All right. We will continue to follow this one, just scraping the edges there, I think.

Suzanne Malveaux at the White House today, thank you.

HARRIS: Failure in Iraq -- not an option. That statement from the commander of coalition forces there. Last hour, he delivered a briefing on the war and a pair of overnight security sweeps.

CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us now with a recap.

Jamie, good morning.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Sometimes the news isn't what the generals say. And sometimes it's in what they don't say. And this morning, Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli, who's the operational commander, was very measured in his words.

Commanders cannot sound defeatist when they are talking about military operations. But General Chiarelli said that, as he is wrapping up his tour in Iraq, that he is leaving the country in a more uncertain and tumultuous state than the last time he left there.

He still said he thought the mission could succeed. He called it winnable. He said there's definitely an opportunity to turn things around. And he said it's going to rely on the Iraqis.

He also said there's this whole debate about whether Iraq is in a civil war is, in his words, a waste of time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. PETER W. CHIARELLI, COMMANDER, MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS: Many people want to call this a civil war. And the debate, whether Iraq is in a civil war or not is largely a debate over semantics in which I don't particularly care to engage. I find this public discussion really counter productive. People are trying to boil down a very complex situation into a sound bite. It's an attempt to oversimplify what I believe is a very complicated situation. Arguing about what bumper sticker should be used to describe this conflict is potentially misleading and inflames rather than illuminates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Now, General Chiarelli said he had not yet read the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. But when asked whether it was possible that most U.S. combat troops could be withdrawn by 2008, he said he did think it was possible if interim steps were taken.

When he was -- when I asked him about the report's assessment that the situation in Iraq was grave and deteriorating, he avoided saying whether he agreed. He just simply said he thought 2007 could potentially be a much better year.

And when another reporter asked him the key question is the U.S. winning in Iraq, he visibly scrambled for the words before deciding to answer that the U.S. was winning militarily on the ground. But we know from experience, you can win every battle on the ground and still lose the war -- Tony?

HARRIS: Jamie, today is Donald Rumsfeld's last Pentagon town hall, as defense secretary. Any ideas as to what we might expect?

MCINTYRE: I'll bet we'll see some classic Rumsfeld. Don't expect to see Rumsfeld admit that he made mistakes or probably to focus too much on the Iraq Study Group recommendations.

Instead he will probably get a warm reception from the Pentagon employees here. And he'll probably -- you know -- he's typically in these kinds of events -- and you see him here in his last town hall meeting. He's very relaxed. He's usually somewhat amusing and charming. And you will probably see some of that as well. But don't expect him to make any mea culpas. He will probably go out swinging.

HARRIS: Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre for us. Jamie, thank you.

COLLINS: Once again I want to bring you up to speed on the loss of the first woman ever appointed as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Jeane Kirkpatrick is dead, 80 years old, apparently died in her sleep in Bethesda. She worked most recently at the American Enterprise Institute. But was really seen as an ardent anti-communist. She wrote a famous work called "The Kirkpatrick Doctrine" which really advocated U.S. support of anti-communist governments all around the world and worked also quite closely with our Bill Bennett, who we have had on our air quite a bit, as of late, and Jack Kemp with Empower America.

She also was very well remembered for the day after September 11th happened. She sort of launched a war against the entire fundamentalist Islamic terrorist network. So, she will be missed by many people. That's for certain.

HARRIS: I want to give you an update on the case pending against Wesley Snipes, the actor Wesley Snipes. We can tell you that Wesley Snipes has been taken into custody this morning, that according to our affiliate there on the ground. And we have confirmed that Wesley Snipes is due in court this morning for a first court appearance.

You might remember he was indicted in Florida on eight charges of fraud, tax evasion. That was back in October. Accused of failing to file tax returns for six years and of seeking $12 million in fraudulent refunds.

Wesley snipes in court this morning. We will follow developments there throughout the day.

COLLINS: California hillsides engulfed in flames. You won't believe how this wildfire got started and how quickly it spread. We'll have that story for you coming up in the "NEWSROOM."

HARRIS: The South shivers under an Arctic blast. And thousands in the Midwest want to know why they're still in the dark. We chill out just a bit in the "NEWSROOM."

COLLINS: Calling all taxpayers, Uncle Sam says you can dial for dollars with a special tax refund. And get this. It somehow involves the Spanish-American War? We're going to sort it out in the "NEWSROOM."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Remember the days when you could greet friends and family at the airport gate? Well, the government giving the ban another look now. Homeland Secretary Michael Chertoff joins us in the "NEWSROOM" to talk about that. He'll also take your questions. You can e-mail us at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. Then get his answers at 3:00 Eastern this afternoon.

HARRIS: Ports in a storm again. The new controversy is brewing over an Arab-owned company and U.S. security issues. CNN's Jean Meserve reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a pre-emptive strike by the Secretary of Homeland Security MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We will not out- source our security.

MESERVE: It was an effort to squelch congressional criticism before it erupted over the fact that Dubai-owned, D.P. World operates three ports involved in a new cargo security program that will screen containers for radiation overseas before they are shipped to the U.S.

CHERTOFF: The bottom line is this. If you want to do security overseas, you have got to work with foreign governments and foreign companies because they own the ports.

MESERVE: Last February, there were high decibel protests on Capitol Hill when D.P. World purchased six port facilities in the U.S.

REP. PETER KING, (R) HOMELAND SECURITY CHAIRMAN: I would urge the president to freeze this contract.

MESERVE: As for the new cargo program, King says he will be watching closely, but has been assured D.P. World will not have access to sensitive information or software.

However, some found it ironic that a company that raised security concerns a few months ago was now a partner in a security program.

In the pilot program, containers in six foreign ports will go through radiation detectors. Because those machines cannot detect shielded radioactive material, the containers will also be x-rayed.

If Customs and Border Protection personnel, on-site, or at the national targeting center, see a potential threat, the container will be pulled for further inspection by foreign authorities.

CHERTOFF: In the end, go, no-go decisions rest with our guys sitting in a CBP Office. And if they have any doubt about how this has been resolved, they are going to say time out, it doesn't come in.

MESERVE: When the pilot is fully operational, just seven percent of the cargo coming into the U.S. will be screened. DHS plans to expand the program over time. But some say 100 percent screening of cargo shouldn't wait.

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON, (D) HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Unless we give a date certain, we'll limp along. It's been five years since 9/11. It's time to finish the job.

MESERVE: Others think the entire approach is misguided.

RANDALL LARSEN, INSTITUTE OF HOMELAND SECURITY: They're asking the wrong question. Most people ask the question, how do we prevent al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations from bringing a nuke through a sea port? The right question is, how do we prevent al Qaeda from becoming a nuclear power?

MESERVE (on camera): DHS says money is being spent on that, too. But critics say it is nowhere near enough. Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: "CNN Security Watch" keeps you up to date on your safety and security. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

COLLINS: Some people call Mike Pierce a lunatic, crazy, maybe for good reason. The San Diego man is training to run an ultramarathon, a little more than 62 miles. Tough enough, right? But check out the course -- the frigid Antarctic.

Pierce, a runner from Ireland, and three from France plan to run the marathon next week. We wish him and all of them, in fact, good luck. Ouch.

Gerri Willis joining us now.

You're going to taking some e-mails today, right, Gerri?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: We're not going to be doing that run, I'll tell you that.

COLLINS: No.

WILLIS: That's for sure. Yes, we're going to talk about this year's phone rebate. We'll tell you how to collect free money -- yes, I said free money from Uncle Sam. That's next on "Top Tips."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's take you back up to the New York Stock Exchange. Take a moment. Isolate a couple of the important numbers there on the big board. Right now, the Dow Jones Industrial average is down 21, 22, 23 points. About an hour into the trading day. We will check on Nasdaq and the rest of the business day with Susan Lisovicz a little bit later this hour.

COLLINS: Credit scores, bankruptcy and solar power. CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis tackling those topics this morning. She's joining us now from New York with Friday viewer e- mails, a popular segment here.

Hi, Gerri.

WILLIS: Hi, Heidi, good to see you.

COLLINS: You too.

WILLIS: Hit me with that first question.

COLLINS: All right. Are you ready for this?

WILLIS: Yes. COLLINS: "I pulled my credit report and got a similar credit score from Transunion and Experian. The FICO score I got from Equifax was lower by 177 points. So why is there such a discrepancy?" And Larry from New York City wants to know.

WILLIS: I have got to tell you, Larry, this is the most common thing. I've got to tell you. Credit scores are different depending on who you talk to. Here's why. Each bureau gathers their own data. And not all creditors supply all three bureaus with information.

In fact, getting your financial information is a competitive business. They hire thousands of people to sift through courthouse records so they can find out if you have any tax liens or even whether you have been sued by anybody. So whoever has the best snooping capability has the most information on you.

Finally, each credit bureau uses a different math formula to calculate your score. In Experian's case, it's how many timely payments you've made, whereas at another bureau, it may be how many accounts you have opened in the last year -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Yikes. Well, unfortunately, as you well know, some people have to go ahead and claim bankruptcy. And Greg of West Virginia wants to know this. "What is the best way to improve your credit after bankruptcy? Should I take out a small loan and pay it off?"

WILLIS: It's an interesting question. A lot of people have this problem, Greg. The solution to your credit woes isn't automatically to do more borrowing.

You have to look at what caused that bankruptcy to begin with. Was it excessive borrowing? If you couldn't pay off your loans, you want to avoid the very behaviors that would counteract your positive financial moves.

Instead, concentrate on taking small steps that will build your credit back up. Build up an adequate savings cushion, make timely payments on absolutely everything. That is going to convince your creditors that you are worth giving more money to.

COLLINS: All right. Now question number three. "Where can I find a list of reputable work from home companies?" A lot of people wanting to do this. "So many of them, though, are rip-off agents." Caroline from Arkansas wants an answer to that.

WILLIS: I have to tell you, we get the best questions and smart questions, too.

COLLINS: Right.

WILLIS: Caroline, you are right. You really have to be careful who you work for. Many of these work-from-home companies are scam artists. They target senior citizens, the disabled, even moms who want to stay at home with young children so you want to be really careful.

Do this. Watch out for overstated claims of product effectiveness, claims of no experience necessary. You have heard that. That's a buzz word you should watch out for. And check out the legitimacy of work-at-home companies by going to your local Better Business Bureau. They hear about the people who are total scam artists.

COLLINS: Yuck. There are so many of them out there, darn it.

WILLIS: I know.

COLLINS: Question number four here, "we installed a solar power system this year and are only aware of a one time credit from both the state -- New York is $5,000, federal is $2,000 -- I would love for the federal credit to be annual. Please let me know," Jim from New York.

Sounds like kind of a fair question, don't you think?

WILLIS: Well, Jim, yes.

COLLINS: But it is the federal government.

WILLIS: You want to get as much as you can for your money, right. I admire that. But you can only claim the federal and state tax credit for the year you install the system. So if you had all the work done in 2006, you get a credit for 2006.

However, if you decide to put in some additional paneling next year or do some other upgrades, you'll be able to claim a credit for that, too. But you can't keep claiming the same deduction over and over again.

COLLINS: No, you just keep on improving it.

WILLIS: That's right. And some of you are asking about the phone rebate credit that's new this year. This is the free money part of our head here. You can file for an automatic rebate for $30 if you own a phone. And cell phones count, too.

You can get up to $60 back for a family of four. You only need to fill out an additional line on your regular income tax. For more info -- I know you'll want it -- go to irs.gov.

And if you've got a question, e-mail us at toptips@cnn.com. We answer them here every Friday.

And, Heidi, I've got to tell you, you've got one smart audience there.

COLLINS: I know. They are darn smart. We like having them.

And by the way, you have a show coming up this weekend, don't you?

WILLIS: That's right. "CNN Open House," 9:30 a.m. right here on "CNN Saturday Morning." We will tell you about holiday gifts for your home.

And we have a heart-warming story about Warrick Dunn. He is the running back for the Atlanta Falcons. He as got this great special project for mothers who are working and have kids, and bringing them up on their own, helping them find housing. It is a great story. You'll really want to see that.

COLLINS: All right. Gerri, we won't miss it for the world. Thank you for being here. Have a great weekend.

WILLIS: Good to see you. You, too.

HARRIS: Hey, and looking ahead, it's not the final farewell ceremony, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld holds this last town hall meeting with Pentagon employees this morning. That is coming up in just -- oh, inside a half hour -- just about a half hour from now at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. You never know what he's going to say. We will certainly carry his opening remarks live and bring you highlights as they happen. Right here in the "NEWSROOM."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And again, reminding you of the news that just developed, broke over the course of the last hour. Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick has died. That according to the American Enterprise Institute, where she was a senior fellow. The American Enterprise Institute reporting that she died yesterday, Thursday, at the age of 80. She was the first woman appointed to serve as permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations. A college professor, one of the original neocons, according to Bill Bennett, one strong and impressive lady with a great sense of humor. The news this morning that former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick has died.

COLLINS: A West Wing huddle on the war in Iraq. President Bush met with congressional leaders from both parties of the White House this morning as part of the search for a new strategy in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Just had a very constructive conversation. We talked about Iraq, and talked about the need for a new way forward in Iraq, and we talked about the need to work together on this important subject.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: After the meeting, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked about the urgency of making changes in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: The time for change is now. It is apparent to the American people. They made this decision one month and one day ago. And the Iraq Study Group reinforced some of the concerns of the American people about an urgency. They said it's not a matter of months anymore; it's weeks, it's days. Hopefully the president has gotten that message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The president says he will consider the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, but he has already objected to some of them, including talks with Iran and Syria. He says other studies will also be part of his decision-making process.

HARRIS: Three years ago, hopeful Iraqis were returning to their country. Now thousands are looking for the fastest way out.

CNN's Ben Wedeman has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You need a big bag and a strong back if you're packing up your life and leaving. At Baghdad's international airport, travelers arrive early for repeated checks and searches. And many have only bought one-way tickets.

(on camera) There was a time following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime when Iraqis were returning to this country. But now, with anarchy and violence a daily reality, many are leaving.

(voice-over) Businessman Laif Yasin (ph) says he's had enough. "Recently, there have been mortar attacks on our neighborhood," he says, "and mortars don't differentiate between civilians and fighters."

He's leaving with his mother, wife, sisters and their children, heading to Alexandria in Egypt where they have relatives. The family's planning to stay there for a year or more, depending on what happens in Baghdad.

With only $7,000 in his pocket, Laif (ph) is hoping he'll find a way to support his family.

Travel supposedly broadens the mind, but sometimes it can break your heart.

"It's hard," says Laif's (ph) mother Haifa. "I cried my heart out. It's not easy to leave your country. But we have no choice."

Increasingly, Iraqis, often the country's best and brightest, are rushing for the exits. According to U.N. figures, 2,000 Iraqis leave every day for Syria, 1,000 for Jordan, some by car, others by plane, with no idea when they'll be back again.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: There is a report this morning that suggests funding for sectarian violence in Iraq may be coming from Saudi Arabia. The associated Press reports private Saudi citizens are giving millions to their fellow Sunnis in the Iraqi insurgency. Officials say that money often trucked across the border is used to buy guns and explosives that target Shiites and U.S. troops. The Associated Press says some Saudis appear to know that the money is headed to Iraq's insurgents, but others merely give it to clerics, who funnel the cash to anticoalition forces. Saudi government officials reportedly deny that any money is being sent to insurgents.

And it is not a final farewell ceremony, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is holding his last townhall meeting with Pentagon employees this morning. That is coming up in just, oh, 25 minutes or so from now, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time.

COLLINS: Also want to bring this to you. This is coming in from our affiliate WJLA in Arlington, Virginia. There has been an accident at a construction site. This is a 30-story building where crews are now responding to because they believe the floor on the upper stories of that building may have collapsed. Arlington County Police are saying that there are reports that some workers may be trapped. No word yet on how many people may have been injured, but we are going to be having -- we are just hearing now -- a live update, a press conference that will be coming at the top of the hour, so it looks like just about 20, 25 minutes from now we are going to be hearing from likely the Arlington County Police on this. Again, looking at some video coming in to us from Arlington, Virginia, where a building has collapsed -- at least the floor on the upper stories of this 30- story building. We're going to find out as soon as possible if there are people actually trapped inside that building. I'm sure quite a responders on the scene.

This is the Arlington area, not far from Key Bridge, if you are familiar with that area. We'll bring it to you just as soon as it happens.

HARRIS: And a new twists not the case of poisoned Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko. One focus of the investigation, a London hotel bar where Litvinenko was drinking the day he became ill. At least seven workers there show signs of radiation exposure.

Now, in Moscow, another former spy, Dmitry Kovtun, is being treated for radiation poisoning. He met with Litvinenko at that London bar and has been questioned in the ongoing probe.

COLLINS: The south shivers under an Arctic blast, and thousands in the Midwest want to know why they're still in the dark. We're wearing mittens, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: As Heidi mentioned just a moment ago, we are following a developing situation in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C. There's been a construction site accident on one of the upper floors of a 30-story high-rise.

We get the latest details now from reporter Jennifer Donelan of our affiliate WJLA in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JENNIFER DONELAN, WJLA REPORTER (on camera): Hi. We're going to take you back out here live on the corner of 19th and Lynn Street, if I could, right in the middle of this street. As you can see, we have construction workers still milling about here because they've been evacuated out of the building.

But as you see, we have a major scene here, just before the Key Bridge. Let's go to that video from earlier. We have now seen a total of seven construction workers being taken out of this building on gurneys, two of them were put in ambulances. The others have been taken to a building right across the street that has been set up as a triage center. We also now have watched seven workers walk out of this building that were in the affected area.

Here's what we know what happened. On the top floor, we had steel beams and concrete come crashing down. We spoke with a worker just moments ago who was upstairs when it all happened. He said that concrete had covered many of the workers. He used his hands and a shovel to literally try and get the concrete off his friends so that they could be taken out of that area.

Now he said he came down about 30 minutes ago. He said three of his friends were still trapped up there, very concerned at this hour. He says we come out here, we try to make a dollar, we go home to our families. He's very concerned about their friends right now. They are being taken care of here inside the building to the left. Others have been rushed to the hospital. We are still awaiting a press conference from the Arlington County Fire Department. We're expecting an update. We understand this building is called the Waterview building. As you pan around over here to the street, you can see this area has been completely shut down. We don't know when it will reopen. This happened just before 9:00 this morning, sort of right at the end of rush hour. We've got the Red Cross on the scene. We understand that this is a Clark Construction building. This is going to be mixed use, all commercial real estate, perhaps some condos. But again, we've got seven workers at this hour being taken to the hospital on gurneys. We now have a total of eight being walked out, and we have another one on the way down, we've just learned, another one on the way down much.

This is a very -- situation right now is very fluid. We've Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria County fire departments on the scene here. Again, we're awaiting that update.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: OK, let's sort of continue to monitor that situation for you. Our thanks to Jennifer Donnelon there reporting on the scene from our affiliate in Washington D.C., WJLA.

Seven workers, at least, injured, maybe two to three more still in some kind of harm's way right now as part of that 30-story construction project that's going on right now known as the Waterview building there in Arlington, Virginia. One person was seen describing steel beams and concrete crashing down on workers, and this worker having to use his hands to just sort of remove the concrete from fellow workers. So we will continue to monitor this situation and bring you the update when it happens.

What's the schedule now, Heidi? Is it 11:00?

COLLINS: Well, they're saying it's 11:00, but I mean, you can imagine, the whole area, she said, is also shutdown because of the instability of that building. I mean, you just have no idea. I would be certainly frightened to be in the area at this point. We think we are going to be hearing from the commander of the Arlington County Fire Marshalls. Those are the responders that you see there, so we'll bring that up for you just as soon as it happens.

Meanwhile, a longtime Pennsylvania high school basketball coach is back on the court with one of his former players having dished out the greatest assist of his life. Pat Dieter has had kidney disease since childhood, but it turned more serious this year. When a former player found he and the coach shared the same blood type, he stepped up to donate a kidney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVEN ROHEN, PLAYED FOR DIETER, 1988-1990: I tried to tell him that thanks isn't necessary. What he's done for me over the past 24 years, there's no need for him to thank me. I mean, this is maybe in a small way my way of thanking him for everything he's done for me.

PAT DIETER, KIDNEY TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT: My wife and I are thinking up some things to do. But how do you say thanks for that? It truly is the gift of life, and it's fantastic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Five weeks after the surgery, the coach says he feels great.

HARRIS: Losing a bet, well, that's never fun. It's happened to me a few times with Miss Heidi, but sometimes it can be downright painful.

COLLINS: Do you want to tell them more about that later?

HARRIS: How about this story? A New Jersey principal lost a wager with students, so last night he paid up, sleeping on the school roof with temperatures in the teens.

Sheri Hensley with News 12 New Jersey with our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing up on the roof, Mr. Davies?

SHERI HENSLEY, NEWS 12 REPORTER (voice-over): Principal Scott Davies at the Harrington Park School is preparing for a long night. He's going to sleep on the roof of the school. It's the students' reward for reading 10,000 books. SCOTT DAVIES, HARRINGTON PARK SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: They reached 10,000 books much faster than we anticipated. We thought they would hit it in April or May when the weather was a little bit warmer, but they did it the first week of December.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They read 12,807 books.

HENSLEY: Because the children exceeded their goal, Principal Davies also honored the students' second choice for him to dye his hair blue and white.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We wanted to really create some excitement around reading, and we know that reading really helps kids succeed, and that's really the key to it, and that's what this is all about.

HENSLEY: And excited the students are.

ANNIE THOMAS, THIRD GRADER: Oh, it's really, really, really funny. It is.

MARLENE SCHEER, THIRD GRADER: I think he really did a great job. I hope he stays up there.

HENSLEY: Mr. Davies will brave the cold overnight by sleeping in a tent and wearing warm clothing

DAVIES: I used to do some camping in Vermont and in Montana, so I'm used to the cold winters. I'll be able to make it through a north Jersey winter one night outside.

HENSLEY: In Harrington Park Sheri Hensley, News 12, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: Some people call Mike Pierce a lunatic, maybe for good reason, training for a marathon at the bottom of the world. That is ahead in the NEWSROOM.

And let's take you back to the U.N. now, and let's listen to John Bolton as he remembers Jeane Kirkpatrick.

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: She was a great ambassador of the United States here. She never forgot who she was representing. She was a friend and colleague of many people at AEI, at Georgetown University, in the diplomatic community. She was a great scholar. She was one of the most outstanding advocates of American foreign policy in our history. When I was at AEI in the late '90s for most of that time our offices were right next to each other, and I benefited very greatly. It really is very sad for America. But she will be greatly missed. So I'll take a question or two.

QUESTION: Are you following in her footsteps?

BOLTON: I don't want to address that question. HENSLEY: What would you say was her legacy, her greatest accomplishment?

BOLTON: I think she spoke clearly for liberty in the world, made it clear during tensions in the Cold War that America's interests here at the U.N. were advanced when the cause of liberty was advanced, and I think in her academic writing she made that very clear as well. So I think she will be remembered as a spokesman for those interests both in her governmental service and in her academic work.

HENSLEY: Can you describe what you did across the street -- about the...

BOLTON: Yes we had a moment of silence at the mission in her memory.

OK, thanks.

HARRIS: There you have it, outgoing U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton talking about the passing of Jeane Kirkpatrick, a friend -- getting emotional there -- a friend, a colleague, someone who he clearly deeply respected.

COLLINS: It's an emotional day for him, too, his last day for John Bolton after offering up his resignation to President Bush. His office just right next to Jeane Kirkpatrick's at the American Institute there. So he obviously -- I've never seen him get emotional like that before.

HARRIS; Yes, yes. You will -- great line. How will she be remembered? He will remember her as someone who spoke clearly for liberty in the world.

When we come back, we will hear from former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp, another friend of Jeane Kirkpatrick.

First, a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Just moments ago, let's play this for you again quickly as we can. John Bolton, outgoing U.S. ambassador to the United Nations remembering his friend, colleague and predecessor in this job, Jeane Kirkpatrick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOLTON: When I was at AEI in the late '90s for most of that time our offices were right next to each other, and I benefited very greatly. It really is very sad for America. But she will be greatly missed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A very tough day for U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, a lot of other things on his mind as well, his last official day in that position.

Also we want to show you this, give you a little bit more knowledge about Jeane Kirkpatrick. She sat down and spoke your Larry King. And we want to show you the interview from July 23rd of this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. U.N. AMB. JEANE FITZPATRICK: And the Hezbollah is going to make a continued effort to prevent that from happening, and I don't see the probable outcome yet.

Eventually, I think the Israelis will recapture those airmen, because Israel will not give up its airmen, as we know.

I don't think the United States is opposed to a cease-fire. We're only opposed to a cease-fire that cannot hold. And I believe we will continue to be opposed to a cease-fire that cannot hold. We want a solution that may be a solution, in fact.

KING: How do you know if something is going to hold until you try it?

FITZPATRICK: Well, you don't, but you judge by all of your experience, and we've had a lot of it in this area.

KING: This, again, for you, Madam Kirkpatrick. What confidence do you have in the U.N.?

FITZPATRICK: I -- look, I don't think the U.N. or the U.S., or the U.N. and the U.S., or any combination of the countries that are assembled here can solve this problem. This is a very difficult problem, and it's very important, and the lives of many people are at stake here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Let's get more on the legacy of Jeane Kirkpatrick, former ambassador to the United Nations.

Jack Kemp is a former member of Congress and former co-director of Empower America where he worked with Jeane Kirkpatrick.

Mr. Secretary, good to talk to you again.

JACK KEMP, FMR. CO-DIRECTOR, EMPOWER AMERICA: Thank you, sir. I'm on a cell phone, so I apologize if it's not perfectly clear.

HARRIS: No problem at all.

Let me start with, I guess, a basic question -- what are your thoughts this morning of your good friend?

KEMP: Sadness, regret to lose a friend and a great champion of liberty, not only for the United States, but throughout the free world. And one of the America's greatest diplomats. I think she and Daniel Patrick Moynihan were our two greatest ambassadors to the United Nations, so we will miss her, as John Bolton pointed out, and I think you'll see the world paying its respects to this great, great woman.

HARRIS: What were her great and good strengths, in your opinion?

KEMP: She had courage, audacity, (INAUDIBLE). She could see beyond the existential moment. She was a true Truman Democrat, a good and dear friend of Hubert Humphrey. She called herself a Scoop Jackson Democrat. And then she wrote that great piece for "Commentary" magazine that caught the attention of Governor Ronald Reagan running for president in '79 and '80, and she became one of his most trusted advisers.

So I think her greatest attribute was to see history not as an inevitable fact, but as a living organism that can be changed by men and women of conviction, courage, determination and principle.

HARRIS: Bill Bennett, who you know very well, described her as one of the original neocons, one strong and impressive lady with a great sense of humor. You agree with that, I'm sure. What would you add to that?

KEMP: I would go beyond neocon, because that has become, in some circles, a pejorative. She was a neoconservative, as I was, in those days of the Reagan revolution, along with Irving Crystal (p) and our friends throughout, I would say, the Scoop Jackson wing of the Democratic Party, including Joe Lieberman.

Now, having said that, she was not in favor of going into this war, or I would say she was not for the rush to war.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com