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Power Returning in Illinois; President Bush Talking About Iraq Study Group Recommendations; Donald Rumsfeld Days As Defense Secretary Almost Over; Sportscaster In New Orleans Suspected Of Murdering Wife; Survival in the Wilderness; Man To Run Antarctic Race
Aired December 09, 2006 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News" -- car bomb attacks in Iraq kill at least eight people. Five died after a bombing in Karbala, 44 people were wounded. A bombing in Mosul killed three and wounded three others.
A Moscow death trap: At least 45 women trapped behind a locked gate died in a hospital fire. The mayor says it appears to be arson or careless handling of flammable materials.
Cold and still without power: That's the case for some 1,800 people in Illinois and Missouri after a wintry storm, more than a week ago. At one point, more than 500,000 people in the region had no power.
Battling a scandal and a run-off: Voters in Louisiana are deciding whether to return embattled Democratic Congressman William Jefferson to Capitol Hill. Facing allegation he took bribes, Jefferson face Karen Carter, she is seeking to become the first African-American woman from Louisiana elected to Congress.
The Kim family faced tragedy while stranded in the snowy Oregon wilderness. What would you do in that situation? Thinking about it in the comfort of your own home is one thing, but when the elements take hold, your best ideas could be your downfall.
A murder weapon is often the key piece of evidence in most homicide investigations, if you can't find it, maybe the alleged perpetrators to do list will do?
And most us wouldn't run a 60-mile race no matter what the conditions, this man planned to do it near the South Pole.
The news is unfolding, live on this Saturday, the 9th day of December. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the NEWSROOM.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your Severe Weather Headquarters.
WHITFIELD: And finally, after more than a week, the heat is back on in most homes across Missouri and Illinois. One family in Decatur, Illinois getting relief after someone at the power company saw them right there on CNN shivering in the dark.
Jeff Flock is there. Jeff, pretty...
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are getting good news from the power company now, here in Decatur, it looks like the folks at Ameren say they believe they'll have everyone essentially restored today, power in Decatur, Illinois.
This house, right behind me, is one that still needs work, they need to put a new meter box on this one, but right next door is a happy story that' we've been telling for part of the day, here on CNN. This is the home of the Rife's. And perhaps you see mom had to go off to work, but Russ and Tim and Becky, here, are able to be home to -- that's a pretty sight there, look at.
That's a beautiful sight.
FLOCK: That isn't even -- you've got -- what kind of bulb you got in there, too, that's one of those good bulbs.
RUSS RIFE, DECATUR, IL RESIDENT: Yes, it's one of them energy efficient ones, so I'm not wasting money either.
FLOCK: Well overnight we spent time with the Fife family and it was a very different scene then. Perhaps you can see the pictures of our overnight by candlelight. There was also a kerosene heater at work and a little bit of the stove going but of course you can't go to sleep with all those things on. So they had to shut everything down. And it got -- how cold did it get, Tim, inside.
TIM RIFE, DECATUR, IL RESIDENT: I think about 50 degrees.
FLOCK: Fifty inside?
T. RIFE: Yes, inside.
FLOCK: How was sleeping?
T. RIFE: It was OK. I had a lot of blankets.
FLOCK: Now Becky, you're still all bundled up out here, partly because we're making you stand out here in the cold. But was it real unpleasant last night?
BECKY RIFE, DECATUR, IL RESIDENT: No.
FLOCK: You were making the best of it.
B. RIFE: Yes.
FLOCK: Would you like to go through this again?
B. RIFE: Not really.
FLOCK: Now there's an honest answer. I don't think dad would like it either. As we said, Ameren telling us they had 400 outages when the day started, today in Decatur, they have about 300 crew men and women on the street, and they think that they'll have enough to knock those outages down.
Guys on this street, you're good to go and it looks like finally a day and a week after the storm, the ice storm last week, folks are going to be back to normal.
That is the latest from Decatur, I'm Jeff Flock, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Snowbound in Oregon. Some think James Kim might be alive today if it weren't for vandals. Oregon officials say Kim took a wrong turn and drove on to a deserted logging road usually blocked by a locked gate. The lock had been cut and the gate left open.
Kim, his wife and two children were stranded on that road for a week after their car got stuck in the snow. He died of exposure while searching for help. Sadly the family didn't know they were just a mile away from a closed fishing lodge stocked with food.
Stranded in the wilderness, what if it happened to you? At what point do you start making bad decisions that threaten your life? We have some answer coming up in about 30 minutes from now.
And a couple of days from now, a Paula Zahn special takes an emotional look at that California man's heroic sacrifice to try to save his family. "Stranded: The James Kim Ordeal" airs Monday night at 8:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.
And some pretty dangerously cold weather across the map. Reynolds Wolf is in the Weather Center -- Reynolds.
(WEATHER REPORT)
REYNOLDS WOLF, METEOROLOGIST: We're going to switch gears a little bit. One thing we're talking about this morning is survival, not only in times of winter-like weather, but, you know, you always have to think about how to survive in times of hurricanes, a variety of severe weather, and we've got some great tools here that can make life a lot easier for you and your family, especially during this rough time, weather-wise.
What we have this packet from Life Gear. I'm going to start off with a couple ideas here for you. This first one is from Life Gear, very interesting thing here, if we can zoom on this one a little bit.
This is a kit that contains three days of a water supply, food supply, also a thermal blanket for just one person, but I mean, this is enough. This is enough to sustain your life for three days. That blanket, of course, makes a tremendous difference helping you retain your body warmth.
As we move over a little bit more, you'll see this neat thing. This is a six-in-one tool, it is a -- let me get the reflection off of there -- it is a emergency beacon, it is a radio -- emergency radio, it has got a siren that can actually help attract people to it, a compass. It's just got a variety of things. Also it can help charge a cell phone and doesn't need batteries, something you just wind up.
And then here in the back, right behind that, you have a combination of all of those things, you've got the Life Gear, the food packet, a first aid kit, the survival knife, you even have a beacon that can, of course, attract help for you. All these are just great gift ideas that can be used again during -- under the worst circumstances and thankfully they're all offered for less than $100. Not just from lifegear.com, but also from the American Red Cross, AAA and even REI offer these. So, certainly some ideas for you for the holiday season.
Let's send it back to you -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Those are great. Very smart ideas. Thanks so much Reynolds.
WOLF: It's safe to have them, that's for sure.
WHITFIELD: It is.
Well, straight ahead, President Bush considers recommendations of the Iraq Study Group to determine a way forward.
A pair of car bombings in Iraq make it clear insurgents intend to stay their course.
You and your family stranded for days in the snowy wilderness? At what point do you become your own worst enemy?
And this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF HARRY LEE, JEFFERSON PARISH, LA: Some of them he had "OK." Some of them he had checkmarks by.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Murder in Louisiana and the odd piece of evidence that points to a suspect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Deadly car bombs, today, in both the north and south of Iraq. An explosion in Karbala, in southern Iraq, killed at least five people and wound dozens. A similar explosion in Mosul in northern Iraq killed three people and wound three. Also today, another U.S. combat death. A Marine died in Anbar province. Military officials also say another Marine was killed there on Thursday. The U.S. military death toll in Iraq now stands the 2,928, 38 of those deaths have occurred this month.
President Bush is talking about the Iraq war today, specifically recommendation spelled out recently by the blue ribbon Iraq Study Group. CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House with more.
What is being said -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Fredericka. Well, on the heels of that sobering report by the Iraq Study Group, President Bush today, in his weekly radio address, praised the bipartisan panel's work, but he continued to remain vague about its recommendation.
Now the panel, as you'll recall, in its report, called the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating." Well today in his address, the president said the report was a straightforward picture of the grave situation in Iraq. He did stress areas of agreement with the Iraq Study Group, including the overall strategic goal of one day seeing an Iraq that could govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself.
And as he's done though, since the report was released on Wednesday, the president though was very careful not to weigh in any specific passion on the 79 recommendations.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Iraq Study Group understands the urgency of getting it right in Iraq. The group also understands that while the work ahead will not be easy, success in Iraq is important and success in Iraq is possible. The group proposed a number of thoughtful recommendations on a way forward for our country in Iraq.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, Democrats, in their weekly radio address, also focused on the Iraq Study Group and its report. In fact the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Silvestre Reyes, tried to make the argument that the report shows that nearly four years into the Iraq war the United States is not any closer to achieving its mission.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
REP. SILVESTRE REYES (D-TX), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Their report confirms what most of us have known for some time, President Bush's policy of "stay the course" is not working. We need a new approach. The Iraq Study Group report provides some possible options that deserve serious consideration.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, the push for a new Iraq study comes as Democrats are preparing to take control of Congress next month. Ahead of that, the president is engaging in some more outreach with lawmakers, meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, here at the White House, yesterday.
Next week, Iraq will again be, of course, on the agenda, the president is going to have a number of briefings, including briefings at the State Department as well as the Pentagon. He's also waiting on three internal administration review, one from the Pentagon, the State Department and another from the National Security Counsel. And then aides say he will -- he is expected to make some kind of address to the nation about his Iraq policy, expected to take place, Fredericka, we're told, possibly before Christmas -- Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, thanks so much.
Well, to the relief of his many critics, Donald Rumsfeld days as defense secretary are almost over.
CNN's Tom Foreman profiles the man who was convinced his policy was the right one for Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just as the war in Iraq has defined the Bush administration, Donald Rumsfeld defined the war.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The only thing that the coalition will discuss with this regime is their unconditional surrender.
FOREMAN: And his hard line became the rock solid base for the conflict. When critics said he tackled the job with too few troops, too little preparation, Rumsfeld famously shot back.
RUMSFELD: You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want.
FOREMAN: Other politician an military leaders didn't like his plans for a smaller, high-tech military. Rumsfeld didn't care.
RUMSFELD: You know, if you do something somebody's not going to like, therefore you've got a choice, you can go do nothing or you can go do something and live with the fact that somebody's not going to like it.
FOREMAN: Like the college wrestler he was, he dismissed challengers quickly, especially those in the media.
RUMSFELD: Do you think I'm going to stand around reading your books and disputing things in them or validating or not validating? I've got a real daytime job.
FOREMAN: Yet he became a political star. His sometimes, mangled comments must-see TV.
RUMSFELD: There are known unknowns, that is to say we know there are some thins we do not know. But they are also unknown unknowns.
FOREMAN: Some of the better known Rumsfeldisms are even online now. About computers: "A trained ape can know an awful lot...just by punching on his mouse."
About plans: "I think what you'll find is, whatever it is we do substantively, there will be near-perfect clarity as to what it is."
And about himself, "Once in a while...I think...what in the world am I doing here?"
(on camera): But even when his words failed him, his will did not. Rumsfeld was like the guy who walks into a bar and says with a smile, "I can whip any man here," and then proves it, at least for a while.
Bush: Your service has made America stronger and made America a safer nation.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Add up his time in office and Don Rumsfeld was the youngest, the oldest, and one of the longest servings secretaries of defense in American history, a trifecta of records that even his critics say may never be broken.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And they're supposed be in no mourning, a teenage boy killed, his funeral marred by more violence. Emotion spill over in Texas.
And a shocking crime, a husband accused. Police say they have the to-do list to prove it. A closer look, right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: "News Across America," you call this mourning? Pushing and shoving at a funeral for a Texas teenager allegedly killed for refusing to join a gang. The boy was shot just steps away from his high school, no arrests have been made.
More details about a deadly shooting at a downtown Chicago law office. Police say the gunman chained the door shut before he opened fire, killing three people yesterday afternoon. The gunman was shot by an SWAT officer and later died.
NASA still hopes to launch space shuttle "Discovery" tonight. In about 10 minutes from now engineers plan to begin filling the fuel tank with liquid oxygen and hydrogen. There's only about a 30 percent chance of acceptable weather. CNN will keep you posted and if liftoff does happen, you'll see it right here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It couldn't be the wise men, because one of the wise men got stolen, so it couldn't be one of them. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A wise child. These Connecticut kindergartners reaching out in the spirit of the holiday. Someone took an angel, a wise man, and the baby Jesus from a nativity scene in Waterbury. The kids dipped into funds they had raised from selling cupcakes and staged a silly hat and tie day, all to raise money to prove no grinch or thief can steal their Christmas.
A woman shot dead. Witnesses say the getaway vehicle, a bike. The rider, wearing a fake beard, three problems for police however, no gun, no bike, no beard, still they have one suspect.
CNN's Susan Roesgen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
911 OPERATOR: What's wrong with her? Do you have any idea?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ma'am, I don't know. I was trying to find a parking place, she's bleeding from her head, very badly
LEE: This is a very safe neighborhood. So everybody was alarmed that there's some guy shooting people for money out there.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It looked like a botched robbery, a 45-year-old woman shot twice in the face. Witnesses called 911 to report a bearded man racing away on a bicycle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He looked like, you know, one of these kooks you see dressed up in different kind of outfits.
ROESGEN: While detectives searched for the man on the bike, they released the murdered woman's name, she was not well known in New Orleans, but just about everyone here knows her husband.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. 1 one draft choice...
ROESGEN: Vince Marinello is a long-time local sportscaster. Two years ago he fell in love with a woman 20 years young, Mary Elizabeth Norman. Liz's family couldn't believe she was gunned down in broad daylight and they began to doubt that robbery was the motive. The sheriff was beginning to doubt it, too.
LEE: It was a hit.
ROESGEN: Liz was shot with her purse still on her shoulder, her car keys still in her hand. And while the guy on a bike had disappeared, some ugly allegations about the Marinello marriage were starting to come out. Liz's mother says the couple had argued violently and she was worried.
BERTHA NORMAN, VICTIM'S MOTHER: I said you need to do something because he's threatening your life.
ROESGEN: Liz filed for divorce in July and got a temporary restraining order against Vince. The family suspected his involvement in Liz' murder right away. But detectives weren't so sure.
Marinello said he was driving to Jackson, Mississippi when Liz was killed, 2-1/2 hours away to watch a Saints game, but friends said he got to the game late, he could still have been in New Orleans when his wife was killed.
Then the owner of a local costume shop told detectives Marinello had recently bought a mustache telling the clerk he already had a fake beard.
Finally the owner of a local gun shop told detectives Marinello recently bought a box of .38 caliber bullets with a special nylon tip, the same type of bullet used to kill his wife.
(on camera): When detectives searched Vince Marinello's FEMA trail they didn't find a disguise or bike or a gun, nothing to tie him to the murder of his wife, except a sheet of paper, they say it was a checklist for murder.
LEE: Some of them he had "OK." Some of them he had check marks by. And on the backside of this note, was a drawing of the parking lot.
ROESGEN: The sheriff said the list included references to a mustache, a bicycle, even a reminder to get rid of the gun. Marinello was arrested on a second degree murder charge, but there are still unanswered questions.
LEE: For him to have this feeling that this is what he had to do, that's -- he wasn't thinking right.
ROESGEN: Marinello hasn't entered a plea yet and has declined to comment. Now, the sportscaster who use tonight joy the spotlight is unable to avoid it.
Susan Roesgen, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Surviving in the wilderness, out in the severe heat or cold your mind starts playing tricks on you. Expert advice on what happens to your mind and body in deadly conditions.
And later:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just planning it an all-nighter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: While most of us would be happy staying warm when the temperature drops below zero, this man, well, he looks to run more than 60 miles in the cold. That's still ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Half past of the hour, here's what's happening right "Now in the News" -- five dead, more than 40 wounded, the grim toll of a suicide car bomb attack outside a Shiite shrine in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala. In northern Iraq, a car bomb exploded in Mosul, killing three and wounding three, there.
Cold and still without power? That's the case for 1,800 people in Illinois and a Missouri more than a week after a winter storm. At one point, more than 500,000 people in the region had no power.
And in Chicago, a man escorted into a law office pulled out a gun and then opened fire, killing three people. A police sniper killed the gunman as he held a hostage at gunpoint. The hostage was not hurt. Police say the gunman didn't work at the office, but may have had encounters with those who did work there.
It's all over on Capitol Hill. The Republican-led 109th Congress ended and in the last hours, lawmakers passed several bills, including a sweeping revival of expired tax breaks. Speaker Dennis Hastert gaveled the House to a close for the last time. Taking his place as speaker in the new Congress, Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
Congressman William Jefferson is fighting for this political life today. He's facing Karen Carter in a run-off election in Louisiana. The FBI has been investigating bribery allegations against Jefferson and agents have searched his home and offices.
James Kim might be alive today if it weren't for vandals. Oregon officials say Kim took a wrong turn down a deserted logging road usually block by a locked gate. The lock had been cut and the gate left open. Kim and his family were stranded on the that road for a week after their car got stuck in the snow. He died of exposure while searching for help.
Would you know what to do if you were stranded in a snowy wilderness? Our Rick Sanchez asked an expert for some survival tips.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICH SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A recent snowfall has left a couple of feet of snow in this area. We're right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. Our elevation right here is about 8,000 feet. It's about 20 degrees. It's going to get into the teens pretty soon.
These conditions are very difficult and very disorienting for someone who is in this element suddenly. And you can see from these conditions how easy it would be to get disoriented between the trees, also the elevation itself. You think you're heading in one direction and suddenly you're going around in circles.
Here, let me show what you I'm talking about. Now imagine what it's like to be out there for several hours. You begin to appreciate what the experts call the rule of threes and that is you can probably survive about three hours without shelter, about three days without water, about three weeks without food. Now you begin to get a sense of how we prioritize these things according to what experts teach. Let's talk to an expert, if we can. This is Ken Brink. He's with Colorado State Parks, an expert on surviving.
Thanks, Ken, for joining us.
KEN BRINK, COLORADO STATE PARKS: You bet.
SANCHEZ: I probably made a mistake by trying to walk through the woods. Had I been stuck out here and I had a car near me, I should have stayed in the car.
BRINK: We tell people to stay put if you're in trouble. If you tell people where you're going and when you get in trouble you stay put, there's a very high possibility that we can find you within 24 hours. Not always, but usually.
SANCHEZ: And don't give up your shelter?
BRINK: Absolutely. If you're with a vehicle it can provide good shelter for you. If you get out wandering, like you were, there are some things you can do. As an example, one thing we teach is what we call a desperation trench.
SANCHEZ: This is a shelter of last resort, if you will.
BRINK: Absolutely. And you don't need any special equipment to make it. You're not going to have to work real hard to put it together, and hopefully you're not going to get soaking wet building.
SANCHEZ: So, it looks like a hole in the ice that you've made, taken some tree branches, covered it with snow and you would literally just get yourself in there.
BRINK: Absolutely. You don't want to make it much wider than you are. If you can build it so it can goes on an uphill slope, that's ideal because the warmth from your body will rise.
SANCHEZ: Let me just try and get in here. OK, I'm going to try and just show -- so it's deep enough in the back that I can raise my head and what do I do? Just kind of get into a ball.
BRINK: You want to pull your knees up and put your hands around your knees. You want to minimize the air that's around you inside and once you put the pine boughs on the top, you seal it with snow. And if you've got this build on an uphill slope, that will hold your heat and keep the wind off of you.
SANCHEZ: This keeps me warm because of my own, what, breath?
BRINK: Your own body heat certainly will stay in there. You're insulated from the ground with a pile of pine boughs we put on the ground, and you're insulted at the top and you have no wind on you.
SANCHEZ: So this is not an ideal condition, it's basically a shelter of last resort.
BRINK: Absolutely. Absolutely. But it will minimize your exposure to weather and hopefully help you get through a tough night.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Ken. Appreciate it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That's Rick Sanchez reporting. So what are the warning signs that your body and mind might be in trouble?
Dr. Gail Anderson joins us from Los Angeles with more survival tips. He's the medical director of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Good to see you, Doctor.
DR. GAIL ANDERSON, HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you for having me.
WHITFIELD: All right, so Rick talked about those rules of three: three hours of exposure, three days without water, three weeks without food. But let's talk about how you identify whether your body and your mind are starting to succumb to hypothermia. What do you look for and is it a matter of hours or days?
ANDERSON: Well, depending on how cold it is, it determines how abrupt it will come on, but typically people that have signs of impending hypothermia start to get a bit -- feelings of lassitude, feelings of tiredness, sleepiness. You can look at your palms, if you're out in the wilderness and the cold, start to see if they start to become pale.
But by the time you get to the state of disorientation, you're probably in trouble. So trying to avoid getting to that point is going to be the key to survival.
WHITFIELD: And so let's talk about, you know, before you get to that point since that is the key to survival. Obviously, if you're disoriented, it's too late. There's really nothing you can do. But those things such as being tired or sleepy or your hands are pale, those are things you can observe.
Maybe someone who is out in the elements who is walking for a great distance might think well, naturally I'm tired and I'm sleepy because I'm exerting a lot of energy. So what should that person do at that point to really identify that I'm on the brink of really being in trouble?
ANDERSON: Well, first of all, if you're out there, you should be with somebody else. That's probably one of the best rules of thumb, but when you go out, you should make sure you have something on your head. We lose about 70 percent of our body heat probably through our scalp and if your head is not covered, you're going to be getting into a heat loss situation very rapidly. So making sure that you're properly clothed.
Of course, we just saw some tips about getting into shelter, trying to avoid removing clothes. Now one of the things that we saw in this particular sad incident was that -- the removal of clothes and this notion of paradoxical undressing that frequently happens as our body heat starts to drop.
The body core temperature starts to get into the 80s, people frequently get disoriented even just before they go into coma and this situation of sometimes removing clothing occurs.
Alcohol, another problem, with people that think that if they ingest alcohol it's going to make them feel warmer. Actually, it probably complicates the problem because it causes to you lose more heat. So there are a few things that you have to be thinking about if you're in that condition.
WHITFIELD: And could even cause a little dehydration, right, alcohol?
ANDERSON: That's actually true. As a matter of fact, if you're out there in the snow, say, and you think you're dehydrated and you try to eat snow to get water, takes probably takes even more heat away from your body.
WHITFIELD: But, you know, that's like the logical move that I think most people would think. OK, I've got to stay hydrated. There's a lot of snow around me. There's no excuse. Why can't I eat that? You're saying that it exerts too much energy and that it really could put you in further danger?
ANDERSON: Well, I'm saying if you have the option if there's a stream close by, you're better off taking the water which is -- because it's water, it's not frozen, it's going to take less energy from your body to convert it to water -- to fluid, I should say, and so that's one of the reasons you want to be careful about eating snow to maintain water.
On the other hand, one of the key things to success is being well hydrated when you're outside, so keeping fluids on board is important and, of course, drinking warm fluids. A lot of these things are very common sense.
WHITFIELD: Yes, all right. But it's so good to hear those details being reiterated. Dr. Gail Anderson, thanks so much.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And a couple of days from now, a Paula Zahn special takes an emotional look at that California man's heroic sacrifice to try to save his family. "Stranded, The James Kim Ordeal" airs Monday night at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
WHITFIELD: And we want to get straight to John Zarrella in Florida to give us an update on what was to be a planned shuttle launch this evening, and the plan was within minutes that the external fuel tank would be filled with the proper fuels.
Let's see if they're still on schedule for that -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka.
Well, yes, in fact, they are. They just announced now -- the launch management team has made the announcement that although they were behind schedule earlier and some preliminary work to prepare for fueling of the tank which could have forced them to scrub, again, tonight's attempt, they will make an attempt to launch this evening.
They will begin tanking the external tank with that half a million gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen momentarily. That process will begin.
The weather here of course is windy, it's breezy, so that still could be a concern tonight, but again, the launch team has decided to go ahead with an attempt to launch Discovery and its seven astronauts on a mission to the International Space Station. If they can get off the ground, it would be 8:47 p.m. Eastern time -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. John Zarrella, thanks so much. And, of course, if it does indeed go according to schedule with 8:47 liftoff, of course, CNN will be covering that live.
We'll have more in the NEWSROOM Right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Getting a new pet can be exciting, but finding one that matches your lifestyle and personality can be a bit of a challenge.
Gerri Willis tells us what to keep in mind when embarking on your search their in this week's "Modern Living."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies -- cute and cuddly, but when it comes to finding the perfect pet, good looks aren't everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do want to make sure that, you know, you have the right animal for the right environment.
WILLIS: Do you live in a small apartment? Consider a cat or small-breed dog like a beagle or terrier. And if you're retired, think about older animals because they're already trained and usually more sedate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do have to determine are you willing to make the commitment? It's a commitment that could be a long time.
WILLIS: A long time indeed. The average lifespan for cats an dogs is 15 years and it's not just an emotional commitment, but a financial one as well. Finding a pet may be a weekend project, but owning one is a life-time investment, one that usually pays big dividends.
I'm Gerri Willis and that's this week's "Modern Living." (END VIDEOTAPE)
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WHITFIELD: "Going Global" now, the case of poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko moves to Germany. Hamburg police say they've found traces of radiation in two buildings linked to one of the men who met with Litvinenko the day he fell ill. Radiation detection experts are tracking the movements of former Russian spy Dimitri Kovton (ph). Kovton is being treated for radiation poisoning in Moscow.
And in China, a worker stabs his boss, then threatens to kill the man's wife with an ax. He demanded $400. A Chinese news agency reports police ended the standoff after an hour by capturing the man, and the woman was not hurt.
Terror at a Moscow rehab clinic -- 45 people dead, trapped in a fire. Their desperate attempt at escape blocked by bars designed to keep patients inside.
And in the Middle East, protesters take to the streets of Gaza demanding unpaid salaries. Among the demonstrators, about 2,500 Palestinian police, some who fired their weapons into the air. International sanctions imposed after the formation of the Hamas-led government have left it unable to pay full salaries to thousands of workers.
For more on the impasse between Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, CNN's Atika Shubert joins us live from Jerusalem -- Atika.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to Palestinian officials, President Mahmoud Abbas may announce early parliamentary and presidential elections within the week. He made that announcement apparently to the executive committee of the PLO, saying that he had failed to negotiate a coalition government with the militant Hamas faction and that early elections may be an option.
Now, he said that he may make an address within the week and that's when his decision would be announced. Now Hamas was very quick to respond saying -- an official saying that they rejected the idea calling it, quote, "a coup against democracy."
The fact is, however, as you can see from the violent protests that happened today, there is increasing pressure on Abbas to form a coalition government or moderate Hamas finds some way to break the boycott that is making it impossible for the Palestinian administration to govern and pay those 160,000 civil servants that it has under it.
WHITFIELD: Atika Shubert. Thanks so much for that update, Atika, from Jerusalem.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Antarctic -- icy, cold, remote.
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WHITFIELD: Does this sound like a place you want to hang out? Well, what about run a little race? Try 60 miles. That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
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WHITFIELD: Here are some of the most popular stories on CNN.com. Oregon police say a vandalized gate to a closed logging road put James Kim and his family in harm's way. Their car got stuck in the snow. He died after wandering in the wilderness for more than a week. His wife and two daughters were rescued.
A marshal is under investigation after a letter he wrote came to light. In it, he pledges allegiance to polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. The marshal is facing a misconduct charge and could lose his certification.
And in Moscow, arson is suspected in a fire that killed at least 45 people. The fire broke out at a substance abuse rehab hospital.
Mike Pierce is training for a race, but not just any race. He's running in an ultra marathon, 62 miles, but maybe that's not tough enough for you. Well, it does get tougher. This race takes place in the Antarctic.
CNN's Larry Smith has more.
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LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Antarctic -- icy, cold, remote -- sounds like the last place you would want to run a marathon.
MIKE PIERCE, MARATHON RUNNER: At first, you know, people are like, well this must be a joke. And then when they realize it's not a joke, the next reaction is OK, you're crazy, but for me it's really about passion and it's about focus because I've been a big fan of Antarctic history ever since I've been a kid and this is really my way of being able to relate to the explorers that went there 100 years ago.
SMITH: Mike Pierce was one of nine runners to compete in the first Antarctic Ice Marathon last January. This time he's going back to the compete in the 100K, a 62.1 mile ultra marathon.
PIERCE: The one human being that's actually run the 100 kilometers down there, Richard Donovan from Ireland, it took him about a little under 16 hours. I'm figuring somewhere between 18 hours and as much as 24. I mean, I'm just planning an all-nighter. It's very monotonous. It's just nothing but ice and ice and ice. I mean, there's no life where we are. We're at a base camp about 600 miles from the south pole and there's no penguin, there's no bug, there's no mold, there's no trees, there's nothing that sustains life.
SMITH: To acclimate himself to the temperature he'll face, Pierce trains in a commercial freezer for a couple of hours, two or three days per week.
PIERCE: I literally got the phone book out and just looked under the word ice and I starting dialing. And after about 30 or 40 phone call to freezers, one guy took me seriously after I showed up in his front doorstep in an Antarctic parka that came from the Antarctic, and I said, hey, this is Antarctic Mike and I'm serious and I really want to train in your freezer and he let me in.
SMITH: Pierce will be joined by four other runners, one from Ireland and three from France, but his success or failure doesn't depend on if he wins or loses.
PIERCE: It's really my intent to be able to be an example and a model for people that you know what? An average person can do extraordinary things when they're focused, when they're disciplined and when they have a plan.
SMITH: Pierce will put his plan into action on December 15th.
Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.
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WHITFIELD: All right. Well, straight ahead, one last look at weather.
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WHITFIELD: Baby it's cold outside. But it's supposed to be. Reynolds Wolf is in the Weather Center.
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WHITFIELD: A look at the top stories in a moment. "IN THE MONEY" is coming up next. Ali Velshi has a preview.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks.
Coming up on "IN THE MONEY," why the U.S. dollar is weak and why you should care. We'll have an explanation that you don't need an MBA to understand.
Also ahead, rough diamonds. With a new movie out about the diamond trade, we'll ask Russell Simmons why he thinks bling can be a force for good. And big pharmas, big problem. Find out whether the business is just too large to cook up new, blockbuster drugs. All that and more after a quick check of the headlines.
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