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Weather Hampers Mount Hood Rescue Efforts; Democratic Senator Remains in Critical Condition; Blind Sheik Falls Ill; British Police Release Final Report on Death of Princess Diana
Aired December 14, 2006 - 15:00 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, live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.
The blind sheik falls gravely ill, and the FBI worries his death could spark called al Qaeda reprisals against the U.S. We're following the latest developments.
PHILLIPS: Hurricane-worthy winds freeze Mount Hood rescuers in their tracks, but family members still find a glimmer of hope.
LEMON: And talk about a high-wire act. Make that a high wiring act. Not only do they have to be pilots, but electricians, too.
Your multitasking shuttle astronauts -- next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: It's the top of the hour, and we're talking about brutal conditions keeping rescuers from going all out today in their search for three missing climbers on Oregon's Mount Hood.
Reporter Hilary Hutchison with CNN affiliate KPTV has the latest now on the relentless efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HILARY HUTCHISON, KPTV REPORTER: Weather just continues to be the major challenge here on Mount Hood for search crews.
One team has gone up. Another team is just ready to go up. But they're not going to be able to get very high. They need to get, they say, to about the 10,000-foot level on Mount Hood in the north face area, where they believe the three climbers went, but they don't think they will get any higher than 6,000 feet.
Yesterday, they only got to 6,500 feet. The highest they have been able to get is to about 8,500 feet. Today, they just say that they will be skimming along the tree line at the 6,000-foot area, and they won't be able to do much more than that, until the weather lets them.
Let me tell you a little bit about the conditions that they are going to see today -- right now, 75-mile-an-hour wind gusts. They say that, by mid-afternoon, they think they may -- there may be wind gusts over 90 miles an hour, maybe topping out over 100 miles an hour. Sustained winds may be around 90 miles an hour -- also, 18 inches of new snow expected in that area today -- just conditions that searchers say will just give them a hard time. They don't want to put their own lives in jeopardy, just a dangerous place for them to be today.
So, they will stay a little bit lower. The good news today, though, there is some encouraging new information they're learning about some cell phone activity. Sunday night, you will remember -- or Sunday -- some of the searchers -- family say that they received a cell phone call from James Kelly (sic), who said that he was in a snow cave at about the 10,000 foot area.
And he actually made about a four-minute cell phone call to his family, saying that he was there, and he believed that the others had gone for help.
Monday night, they also got a little more cell phone activity. They believe that they got a signal from James Kelly's (sic) phone. And the Hood River Sheriff's Department is working on confirming this, that a little bit of that signal was picked up by their GPS. They got a GPS tracking on it, and actually sent a text message to James Kelly (sic) on his cell phone that said, please call 911.
Not confirmed whether he -- James Kelly (sic) was able, actually, to retrieve that message. And they don't believe that he responded to that message. They're still working with T-Mobile, a cell phone provider, to find that information out.
The most encouraging news yet, though, Tuesday night, 10:55 in the evening, searchers believe that James Kelly (sic) manually turned his cell phone on -- again, still working with T-Mobile to confirm the cell phone activity. But they believe he was able to manually turn it on after they had believed that the cell phone's batteries had gone dead.
So, that's encouraging information, because the family feels that he was strong and coherent enough to be hunkered down in a snow cave, and turn his cell phone on at that point.
So, we have got the highs and lows here, terrible weather conditions that are not allowing searchers to get to the high elevations they need to be at, but also some encouraging information that at least James Kelly (sic) may be alive, hunkered down in a snow cave, waiting for this bad weather to pass, and for searchers to find him.
Reporting on Mount Hood, Hilary Hutchison -- now back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Rescue leaders also say they don't expect a break in the weather until Saturday.
Now, any encouraging news for the rescue crews, Rob Marciano?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the encouraging news, Kyra, would be that they had a bit of a break this morning. They kind of have a break right now. Winds at about 6,500 to 7,000 feet right now, are gusting to 40 miles an hour, so, that's not as bad as what they have seen the past couple of days.
But this storm behind me, you know the comma shape. That indicates a mature storm that is intensifying. The core is right here. That's the center of it. As it gets closer to Seattle, that is when winds are right going to pick up. The back edge of this is really the jet stream -- and some winds measured here at the higher levels, 25,000, 30,000 feet, about 180 miles an hour.
So, some of those, to a lesser extent, are going to clip the tops of the mountains. We high wind warnings out for the coastline, also, a blizzard warning out for the mountain passes. That's something you don't see a whole lot in this part of the world -- avalanche warning, as well.
There will be whiteout conditions in the next -- increasingly so, in the next few hours. And, then, by midnight tonight, could easily see winds over 100 miles an hour, possibly, at 8,000 feet, to 120, 130 miles an hour. This is the strongest storm they have seen in this part of the world in probably a couple of years.
It's going to have its fair share of rainfall. Right now, the snow levels are fairly high, meaning that it's snowing at about the 7000, 8,000 foot level, and raining below that. So, there could be some flooding issues, as well. By this time tomorrow, it will all be snow down to about 1,500 feet, as the colder air moves in.
But there will still be high winds during the day tomorrow. So, that is a big issue as well. I don't think they will be able to send any sort of aircraft or even foot patrol up above the 7,000-foot mark likely until Saturday morning, once this thing clears.
But, even tomorrow, things are kind of windy across the Pacific Northwest.
The rest of the country, Kyra, looks to be great, but that part of the world going to get just hammered tonight.
PHILLIPS: All right.
MARCIANO: Back to you.
PHILLIPS: We will keep -- we will all keeping tracking the conditions with you.
Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
LEMON: A warning from the FBI. If a fiercely popular Islamic leader dies in a Colorado prison, we could see backlash, violence and terrorism.
We're talking about Omar Abdel Rahman, the man they call the blind sheik. He's locked up for life, which we have heard might not be much longer.
Let's go now to Washington and CNN's homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Don, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, imprisoned for his part in a plot to blow up New York City landmarks in the 1990s, is in ill health.
And that has prompted a warning from the FBI. The sheik, spiritual adviser to many Islamic extremists, and with close ties to al Qaeda, has, in the past, instructed his followers to extract a violent revenge on U.S. interests when he dies.
Now an FBI bulletin to law enforcement reveals, the sheik was hospitalized for five days earlier this month because a tear in his esophagus was causing him to throw up blood. While under examination, a tumor was discovered on his liver.
Officials say, at this point, he has been returned to the medical center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where he has been incarcerated. And, they say, he is in stable condition.
Law enforcement and Homeland officials stress that, at this time, there is no intelligence to suggest that any attacks are being planned in connection with the sheik or anything else this holiday season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Other than the general threat environment, which, of course, is very serious still, we don't see anything particular for the holidays at this point.
Now, that could change, obviously, you know, tomorrow. But we live in a dangerous world, but there's nothing imminent that we have specific information about for this holiday season.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: For now, aviation remains at threat level orange, or high. Otherwise, the nation is at threat yellow, or elevated -- so, status quo -- Don.
LEMON: Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve, thank you.
MESERVE: You bet.
PHILLIPS: Washington, we all know, is all about politics all the time, sometimes bitter, sometimes divisive. But, even in Washington, party differences can be put aside.
And, today, lawmakers in both parties are expressing their concerns for Senator Tim Johnson. The South Dakota Democrat is in critical condition, after brain surgery, raising immediate concerns about his health and long-term questions about the control of the closely divided Senate. Our congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel, is following the story.
What do you make of what they are talking about with regard to that shift of balance?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, I can tell you that, one month after Democrats won the slimmest of majorities, 51-49, you have got a lot of Democrats and Republicans wondering today whether or not they're going to hold on to that majority.
The question, of course, is whether or not Senator Johnson will be able to recover fully from this -- this -- this really kind of a freak health incident that just happened within the last 24 hours.
We know, just a short time ago, a CNN producer, Paul Courson, caught up with a former senator from South Dakota, former Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who is close friends with Senator Johnson, caught up with him outside the hospital. And this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM DASCHLE (D), FORMER U.S. SENATOR: No, nothing new.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you get a chance to see him?
DASCHLE: It looks encouraging, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no way he is going to give up his seat, obviously?
DASCHLE: No need to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: That is a sentiment that we heard echoed by the man who is set to become the next Senate majority leader, Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada, who was also at the hospital with Senator Johnson late into the evening, and then was back there early this morning.
He, too, said that the prognosis -- or at least he thought the prognosis looked very, very good, that Senator Johnson was looking very good, and that he felt it was really full-steam ahead, as far as he was concerned, with planning for the 110th Congress, set to begin on January the 4th.
Now, of course, Kyra, if, in fact, Senator Johnson, for one of two reasons, either because he passes away, or because he decides to resign from his office, you would then have the governor of South Dakota, who happens to be a Republican, who would then choose his replacement, presumably, a Republican. That would make the Senate split 50/50, right down the middle.
And, because of the Constitution, you would have the president of the Senate, who is Vice President Dick Cheney, a Republican, who would then cast a deciding vote. That would, of course, put Senate control back into Republican hands.
But, at this point, Democrats are looking on the bright side. They feel that they think that Senator Johnson is looking better today. And they also feel, Kyra, that they have got no choice right now but to plow ahead.
PHILLIPS: How unprecedented do you think this is?
KOPPEL: Well, I have spoken to a couple of Senate historians, who have said that there are any number of cases that we can think of. In recent history, there's Delaware Senator Joe Biden, a Democrat, who had a health scare a number of years back. He didn't show up for work, in fact, didn't come in, didn't vote, didn't do anything for about eight or nine months.
There are a number of senators who have not been able to work, who haven't been able to vote. And, yet, they held on to their job, because, under the Constitution, as long as there is a heartbeat, they can keep their job, unless they choose to resign.
PHILLIPS: Andrea Koppel, live from the Hill -- thanks, Andrea.
KOPPEL: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Doctors say that Senator Johnson was born with the condition that he that has then -- that has caused the bleeding in his brain, rather.
So, what is the condition, and what is his prognosis for recovery?
Earlier, I had a chance to speak with our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There are a lot more details coming out specifically about what happened to the senator over the last 24 hours.
At first, they thought this was a stroke. And what they found subsequently was, in fact, this was an arteriovenous malformation. That's a big word, but, basically, in a nutshell, what that means is, is you have a cluster of arteries and you have a cluster of veins, and they sort of tangle themselves together.
People are usually born are it. And what happens is, because you have fast-moving blood in those arteries, they can get into the veins and cause a bleed.
And that's what it looks like right there. You see at the top right of your screen there, that, in fact, is that tangled arteries and veins together, which can bleed and cause the problems that the senator has had over the last 24 hours now.
Now, what was most fascinating, I think, to a lot of people -- and we're not trying to embarrass the senator by any means here, but is exactly how this thing first developed. He was actually on a phone call with some reporters. Here's what it -- how it sounded.
I want to let you kind of listen -- let you listen to it, and then tell you what it means.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. TIM JOHNSON: The money was -- proposed to be -- a -- provided a year ago. Uh, uh, second, uh -- you know you, it just is, is, is, frustrating that...
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GUPTA: I mean, you could see there, Kyra, just, he was having trouble finding words at first, word-finding difficulties. And then he started to stammer and started to slur his speech a little bit -- again, not trying to embarrass him or the family at all, but this is something that people can look for, in terms of one of the earliest signs for a problem like that.
What has happened here -- and I want to show you my model of the brain really quickly, if you can take a look at that -- is, in the left part of the brain here -- that's the part of the brain that's responsible for speech -- there's also a little area of the brain here that's responsible for movement on the right side of the body -- there was probably that -- that bleeding that occurred in this area, a very important part of the brain, that caused the symptoms he had.
He had surgery. He's recovering. They say the operation was successful. But it's going to take a while -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I know. You hear that tape, and it makes your heart sink, because it could happen to any of us. But how devastating could this be? Let's say he recovers. What could be the outcome?
GUPTA: Well, it's a great question. It's an important question.
You know, with these AVMs, or arteriovenous malformations, a lot of it is based on where they're located in the brain, in terms of figuring out how someone is going to recover. What's concerning, I think, to doctors, neurosurgeons alike, is that this part of the brain where this seems to have occurred is a really important area of the brain.
I mean, obviously, many important areas in the brain, but this area controls speech and controls movement. So, I think people are worried that it's going to take some time for some of those functions to return.
When we talk about recovery, you know, typically, what we're asking is, when is the person going to be 100 percent? That could take, you know, months -- weeks and months, not hours and days -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, we will stay on top of the case; that's for sure.
Sanjay Gupta, thanks.
GUPTA: Thank you, Kyra.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Man and machine are at their limit, says one Oregon rescuer. Today, hurricane-worthy winds stall rescue efforts on Mount Hood. How can three stranded climbers possibly survive? One of the search team members joins us live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: As you can probably imagine, a lot of hugging and a lot of praying at the base of Oregon's Mount Hood, as family members and rescuers wait for a break in the weather.
See that? This is just a taste of what search parties have been up against the past few days, as they try to find three missing climbers. Every day, it seems, the conditions grow worse.
And joining us from Portland is Lindsey Clunes. He's the rescuer who shot that incredible video.
You are actually part of the team. You were out there on Tuesday, trying to find these three missing hikers.
LINDSAY CLUNES, CORVALLIS MOUNTAIN RESCUE UNIT: Correct.
LEMON: Tell us about those conditions on Tuesday, as compared to today.
CLUNES: Well, that was the nice weather of this week, was the -- the nice weather, or the break between storms. And it was actually a pretty nice day, except for that wind.
LEMON: Yes, so, the stuff...
CLUNES: We had sun.
LEMON: The stuff we're looking at, the blowing wind, the blowing snow and all of the wind, that's good weather, you're saying?
CLUNES: Yes. That -- what -- that is gusts of blowing snow that's being driven from, like, Clackamas County or further on the mountain. And, so, that's just wind-driven surface blizzard, if you will.
LEMON: So, you were saying that you...
CLUNES: It's not stuff coming out of the sky.
LEMON: Yes. You were saying that you had sun that day. I would imagine that, with today's weather, with those strong winds, the visibility is way down. CLUNES: Oh, it would be zero, see your hand in front of your face, but you wouldn't be able to tell what is up or what is down.
LEMON: So, if you have zero visibility, what, then, do you do to find these searchers -- I mean, these hikers?
CLUNES: You wait, just as they are doing. If they're in a snow cave, this new -- this new snow on top of them is just adding insulation, and -- and maybe even helping them out. It's -- they will -- they can survive in a snow cave for a long time.
LEMON: So, go further...
CLUNES: If they try to...
LEMON: Go further into that, how these climbers might benefit, you said, from more snow.
CLUNES: Oh, it will just pack on top of it, it adds insulation. The drawback is that it covers any sign that they have been there.
LEMON: We're getting word, possibly, that emergency workers may have picked up a signal from a cell phone. Have you heard anything about that, a new signal from a cell phone?
CLUNES: Not since Monday, I have not heard anything.
LEMON: You haven't heard anything about that. How...
(CROSSTALK)
CLUNES: That would be great, if that was the case.
LEMON: How optimistic are you?
CLUNES: Very.
The fact that he's in a snow cave, that somebody is in a snow cave, near the summit is encouraging, because, in a snow cave, you're out of this wind. If you're in a snow cave, you're insulated. And, usually, you will have a pad that you can lay down on. And, hopefully, he's fine, or surviving this all right.
It's not that brutally cold. It's just that it's this high wind. And, if you're in a snow cave, you're out of the wind.
LEMON: Yes, because that was a concern, that there was this, you know, huge storm, and all these winds were coming through today. But, apparently, you know, it sounds like it's good news. You are saying that this may actually help if they are hunkered down in a snow cave.
Explain. How does this work? Do you have any plans to go back? Are they rotating rescue workers?
CLUNES: I believe they are, as needed. They can't get anybody out today, because -- as far as I know, high up on the mountain. And, even after the storm breaks, the freeze level is quite high right now. And it's raining pretty high up on the mountain. And the freeze level is going to come back down. It's going to dump a bunch of new snow on top of this. And all that new snow on top of ice is just going to slough right off. That's just great avalanche danger.
LEMON: Yeah. Well...
CLUNES: And it's -- that's a very unsafe situation.
LEMON: Yes.
CLUNES: It might be sunny and beautiful, but it's going to be crazy avalanche time.
LEMON: Yes. Well, we certainly hope that it may be good news that they are packed down in the snow and into those snow caves. And we certainly hope that they find them.
Lindsay Clunes...
CLUNES: And, hopefully, they...
LEMON: Go ahead.
CLUNES: And, hopefully, they are, and they stay put. You have got to fight boredom. You sit in a snow cave looking at a white wall, you have just got to make sure you don't just get out and start scrambling around, because that's when you will have problems.
LEMON: All right, Lindsay Clunes, thanks for joining us today.
CLUNES: You bet.
PHILLIPS: Now a power surge in space -- two Discovery astronauts to amp up the International Space Station. After floating around the station on Tuesday, they are due to dip out again this afternoon, this time as space electricians.
The job is to wire the station to its permanent solar panels. The extra juice will help expedite the station's expansion and let it take on bigger crews.
Mile O'Brien will join us when the walk gets under way.
LEMON: Not murder, they wrote. British police release their final report on the death of Princess Diana -- reaction from London next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Daisuke -- I hope it isn't -- I don't mess this guy's name up -- he's the darling of Beantown, at least for the moment. But pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka -- Was that right? -- and...
(LAUGHTER) LEMON: ... the Boston Red Sox have sealed a record-breaking deal worth at least $103 million. That's $51 million to his team back in Japan just for the right to talk to him, and $52 million over six years for the 26-year-old right-hander. That's the largest contract ever for a Japanese player.
PHILLIPS: Some well-known capitalists say that market forces alone will never solve the problem of America's dependence on oil. And they're making their concerns known at the White House.
Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange, with all the details -- hey, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
And that's partly what makes this story so interesting. A lot of folks in the business world believe the high price of oil will change consumer behavior, and spawn new industries to exploit it.
But a group of leading executives, including the heads of FedEx, UPS and Dow Chemical, say economics alone won't do it. Their report urges Congress to adopt measures that would cut in half America's reliance on oil in the next 25 years. The plan calls for an increase in offshore drilling, a harder push for biofuels, and tougher fuel- economy standards.
President Bush has previously said that America is addicted to oil, but the announcement hasn't been followed by significant changes on that front. The president says he is hopeful that the change in congressional control could increase bipartisan support for his initiatives -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, this all comes at a pretty interesting time. Didn't OPEC cut oil production today?
LISOVICZ: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
LISOVICZ: That is for sure. And we're seeing...
PHILLIPS: Not the first time.
LISOVICZ: Yes. And, you know -- and there's an immediate impact. When you hear that is there going to be less supply, it drives the price up -- OPEC today announcing, as expected, it will decrease oil output by nearly 2 percent, not until February, though. That follows a comparable reduction in October.
(MARKET REPORT)
LEMON: All right, thank you very much, Susan.
One team at a time, a few feet at a time -- rescuers looking for three missing climbers on Mount Hood can't get very far today, because of the brutal weather. Meantime, loved ones hold on to hope that the men will be found.
These are the three men that they are looking for. They are looking for climbers Kelly James, Brian Hall and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke. They left about a week ago on what was supposed to be a two-day trek.
Joining us on the phone now is -- from Oregon -- is Frank James, who is the brother of Kelly, who is still missing.
Mr. James, thanks for joining us.
You know what I want to know? We heard earlier in a press conference that there was a possible signal from a cell phone that was picked up on Tuesday. Can you tell us about that?
FRANK JAMES, BROTHER OF KELLY JAMES: Yes, I will be glad to.
We had -- the sheriff's office reported to us -- again, they're still having to work with some of the technology, but it looks like that, at 10:55 p.m. on Tuesday, my brother Kelly turned on his cell phone. So, that's an indication that tells us two things, one, that he's alive, as of late Tuesday, and, secondly, that he has his wits about him, and knows that he needs to send a signal.
So, we're encouraged by that, very much.
LEMON: I just interviewed, just a few minutes ago, Lindsey Clunes, who was one of the rescue -- one of the searchers in that. Talking about the bad weather conditions, he says, on Tuesday, the -- this video that we're looking at there -- not sure if you can see it -- we're looking at it here -- blowing, gusting winds, and snow. He said that was actually good weather, but the weather -- the winds are much higher today.
And he said, that may be a good sign, as well, because it's just packing that snow on top of them, and possibly keeping them warm.
JAMES: Well, that -- they tell me -- I'm not a climber, but they tell me that snow is a great insulator.
So, from some of the experts that I have talked to over the last few days, they tell me that a person can survive in those kinds of conditions, in a snow cave, for any number of days, eight, 10, 12 days even. And, so, all of that gives the families, all three families, a great deal of encouragement and hope, as we endure this difficult situation.
LEMON: Speaking of the families, for your family especially, the last couple of days for you?
JAMES: They're hard. We know this is very serious business, that lives are at stake.
But it's been remarkable, Don. We -- the families have come together in a remarkable way. Our faith has remained strong. Our sense of cohesion and purpose is very strong. It's really quite an extraordinary experience for me. And I'm really encouraged by the way the families are coming together and handling this, but -- but very resolute, very, very resolute.
LEMON: A lot of people in the country and around the world are following this story and the story of your brother, and other family members here. What do you want folks to know who are watching and listening to you right now about your brother?
JAMES: He's -- Kelly is one of those unique persons. He's a remarkable man. The first thing I would say is he's a man of faith. For us and our family, that's a very important thing to know about us.
But we're also, Kelly in particular, was very much an adventurer. I mean, he's a guy who had that sort of spirit. He loves physical challenges, to test himself again physical limits. A great father, a terrific father. He loves people.
One of the things that I've learned these last couple of days about all of the family and all of these guys is they were very active in their communities and that is one of the reasons we're getting so many phone calls and e-mails all across the country because many of the friends have friends and who are very, very concerned.
And I said this the other day and I'll say it again. I think this speaks so very well of America. I was thinking this morning, frankly, that for us, at least, our feeling is that America has become almost our hometown because there's such a strong sense of community throughout this country and we're so grateful and appreciative.
LEMON: Frank James, will you promise to keep us updated just as soon as you hear word, if you hear about another cell phone signal or phone call or anything you hear about your brother and the other two climbers, will you please check back with us as soon as possible?
JAMES: I will make sure I do that, happy to do it.
LEMON: Thank you, sir. And we wish you the best, the brother of Kelly James.
We're going to take a look at the three climbers that they're looking for, just to remind you there. The three climbs they're looking for, Kelly James, Brian Hall, and Jerry Nikko Cooke. They left a week ago for what was supposed to be a two-day trek. Heavy weather is setting in and we certainly wish them the best -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: A Democratic senator's sidelined by brain surgery. What does it mean for his party's slim edge in the U.S. Congress? The impact of a personal health crisis in politics. We'll talk about it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello everyone, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. So how do you know if you're grounded when you're way up in space? A fair question as shuttle astronauts try their hands at some electrical work today? I bet you Miles O'Brien knows the answer.
We want to update you on the condition of Senator Tim Johnson. The South Dakota Democrat is in critical, but stable, condition this hour in a Washington hospital. He's recovering from surgery for bleeding in the brain. Our Brianna Keilar is standing by at the George Washington University Hospital in D.C. Brianna, what do you know?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now Kyra, we've been seeing a number of familiar faces from Capitol Hill making their way in and out of George Washington University Hospital throughout the day.
Most recently, current Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist just entering the hospital. Harry Reid, the soon to be Senate majority leader also here, as well as North Dakota Democrat Senator Byron Dorgan. About an hour ago, we saw former Senator Tom Daschle leave, a fellow South Dakotan. Our photojournalist, Tim Garrity (ph) actually chased after him. This is a very short exchange, but he addresses both Senator Johnson's health and how the Democrats are going to proceed with the new Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM DASCHLE, FORMER SENATOR: No, nothing new.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you get a chance to see him?
DASCHLE: It looks encouraging, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no way he's going to give up his seat, I assume?
DASCHLE: No need to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So, obviously a positive, optimistic outlook there from former Senator Tom Daschle. Not only about Senator Johnson's health, but also about Democrats maintaining their 49-51 majority in the Senate. Senator Johnson undergoing brain surgery very early this morning.
The attending physician of the U.S. Capitol, Admiral John Eisold saying "Senator Johnson was found to have had an intracerebral bleed caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation. He underwent successful surgery to evacuate the blood and stabilize the malformation."
Now, this has been explained in layman's terms as a brain hemorrhage caused by pressure from blood vessels that are too close together. Admiral Eisold saying that Johnson is recovering without complications. Also a source familiar with Johnson's condition also billing the surgery as successful -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Brianna Keilar, thank you.
LEMON: And Senator Johnson's colleagues have been quick to offer their support to him and his family. But the Senate's business is all about politics and with the incoming Congress so closely divided, his illness raises questions about which party will control the Senate agenda.
Here's our national correspondent Bob Franken.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Things we can do, as well.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The speculation began almost immediately after word got out Johnson had been stricken at the end of a political conference call with South Dakota reporters.
If Senator Johnson can no longer serve, and that's a big if, the balance of power in the Senate would turn upside down. It's as simple as that. Republicans would almost certainly take back the Senate that the Democrats had just wrenched from their control in last month's election.
JOHN MERCURIO, SENIOR EDITOR, "HOTLINE": Democrats are expecting to come back to Capitol Hill in January, in control of a legislative agenda, and this will put a huge wrench in what Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are expecting to try to accomplish in the first few -- over the next two years.
FRANKEN: Tim Johnson's South Dakota is one of the states where the sitting governor chooses a replacement, without regard to party. Republican Governor Mike Brown could be expected to appoint someone from his own party to fill the vacancy until the next election in two years.
Instead of the 51-49 majority Democrats fought so hard to achieve, it would become 50-50 and the tie would be broken by the president of the Senate --
(BANGING GAVEL)
FRANKEN: The vice president of the United States, Dick Cheney.
Of course, Democrats would still control the House, but the opposition party's newly gained power in Congress would suddenly be ripped in half, by fate. And GOP senators would be able to protect their party's president from a full scale assault.
(on camera): Obviously, everyone is concerned for Senator Johnson's health and wishes him a speedy recovery, but no one more so, than his fellow Democrats. Bob Franken, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Ever try to rewire a house? What about rewiring a house in zero gravity inside a clunky space suit? The NEWSROOM is keeping an eye on the latest home improvement project for shuttle astronauts. Don't flip that switch.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right, we want to take a live look at the space electricians. Two Discovery astronauts now floating outside the international space station to do a little rewiring.
To help us walk through it from New York, is CNN's space correspondent Miles O'Brien. Now, I know you're really good at rewiring homes so this should come easy for you to understand what is going on up there.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Send me up. No problem. Once again, I'm ready. I'm tanned.
PHILLIPS: You got your tools?
O'BRIEN: Absolutely. Got the tool belt in space. Kyra, it's not a very good to be out in space. Weather not so great. I'll tell you about the weather in just a moment.
Live pictures -- mission control. It's important to show mission control today. This is the space station control room and this spacewalk that we're going to see today is as much about the performance of the people in that room as it is these guys -- Christer Fugelsang and Bob Curbeam. I was going to have a hard time with Curbeam, after getting Fugelsang right.
Been out for about an hour now and they are going to go through a series of cable disconnections and reconnections swapping a temporary setup which has been out there for quite sometime for a more permanent deal.
Look at the solar arrays to the right part of your screen. Those are going to be included into the grid. The solar arrays on the top that are horizontal, they, at least -- this picture is already out of date because they are partially retracted.
Let me show you what happened yesterday because you were -- we checked in with you as they were having problems folding this in. Remember, this is like trying to fold an old map. Solar array was supposed to contract in to make way for those other solar arrays
Close-up shot. Take a look at the close-up short here. And if you can fee this up, I think I can (INAUDIBLE) if you want to feed this up to me. Take a look there. What was happening there is folding in the opposite directions like that instead of like that. That's not what you want to do. Now, of course, the thing to do would be just to go push on it with your hand, of course, but that's -- they were inside the space station and couldn't do that very easily.
So it is possible there will be a spacewalk later in this mission, maybe on Saturday, to do just that. So this thing can be put in its box, so to speak, where it needs to be. Take a look what they were trying to do. You want to get this thing up and running and in order to do that it needs to spin like a paddle wheel, OK.
This thing would be in the way if it wasn't retracted. They did get it in by 50 percent and that was enough to give clearance to these solar arrays. So they sort of put that problem off to the side and, today, they're doing their electrical job. Now, as they work out there Kyra, did you hear about this weather in space?
PHILLIPS: Solar storm?
O'BRIEN: It's a pretty decent solar storm.
PHILLIPS: What causes a solar storm?
O'BRIEN: Well, the sun is a giant fusion reaction. Think of a big fusion reactor. And there we have a nice image there to give you a sense of it. Every now and then, it just spits out a hunk of sun in our direction and it hits us like a tsunami and it just so happened at 1:00 today we had the peak of that tsunami and that's not a good time to be in space generally.
But what happens is there is a space weather center in Boulder, Colorado, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, watches it, they have sensors in space where they actually keep track of this stuff and they have been sending NASA regular weather reports and at this point, NASA feels it is safe enough to send that crew out there.
Being outside in a space suit, you are potentially more exposed to the radiation as it washes across there tsunami-like. But as it stands right now, it is considered an S-2 storm, meaning it is not the peak and it is not as much of a risk as it was earlier.
PHILLIPS: Interesting stuff. All right. Thanks, Miles.
O'BRIEN: You're welcome.
LEMON: Unforgiving weather, blistering wind, heavy snow, and dangerous ice. Can searchers on Mt. Hood overcome the obstacles? That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Brutal winds and freezing temperatures preventing rescuers from tackling Oregon's Mt. Hood today. Somewhere near the top, three mountain climbers who set out a week ago for a two-day adventure. Then the weather took a nasty turn. Since Sunday, an army of rescuers has been braving the elements trying to find them. Just look at what they're up against.
CNN's Dan Simon has more on the massive search effort.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, rescue crews say they are still hopeful that the three climbers can be found alive but today the story is the weather. It is downright miserable, and basically, the rescue crews are staying put at the base camp which is right at about 6,000 feet. Even the unmanned thermal imaging drones cannot fly because it is too windy.
Meanwhile, the wife of climber Kelly James, in an emotional news conference, says she is still optimistic her husband and the other two climbers can be found alive.
KAREN JAMES, WIFE OF KELLY JAMES: Well, this is one of the worst weather days. Our spirits are still high. These are three of the most phenomenal men you could ever meet. They're smart. They're strong. And they care so deeply for one another. You know, my husband proposed to me on Mount Ranier and we were planning our 50th wedding anniversary there, so I know he's coming off this mountain.
SIMON: Kelly James' family is encouraged by a cell phone ping that was picked up some time on Tuesday night. Authorities now confirming that there was a ping generated from his cell phone some time on Tuesday night. They don't know if the phone was suddenly turned on or it had been left on but for the family, certainly encouraging news.
Dan Simon, CNN, Cooper Spur, Oregon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: No conspiracy, no cover up. A British report into the death of Princess Diana is officially out today after years of investigation. The police probe's conclusion squares with the French version of events, that alleged drunken driver Henri Paul lost control of the car in which Diana, Dodi Fayed and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones were escaping paparazzi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN STEVENS, FORMER METROPOLITAN POLICE CHIEF: Our conclusion is that, on the evidence available now, there was no conspiracy to murder any occupants of that car. This was a tragic accident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed rejecting the probe's findings as garbage. He has accused the royal family of plotting the deaths of Diana and his son Dodi. The chief investigators says he didn't expect everyone to be convinced otherwise.
LEMON: Four years old and accused of sexual misconduct. Yes, I said 4 years old. It's a story out of suburban Waco, Texas and it's drawing plenty of response. A pre-kindergartner went to hug a teacher's aide and rubbed his face against her chest. The principle suspended child for sexual harassment.
The dad says this is absolutely ridiculous, his son has no idea about sexual harassment. The school district reduced the charge to inappropriate contact but it's not apologizing and it refuses to clear the boy's record.
PHILLIPS: The "Closing Bell" and a wrap of action on Wall Street straight ahead, plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was in their mind to leave an empty beer can in place of the Baby Jesus?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Pilfering the Prince of Peace? A heartless holiday prankster ought to catch holy hell for this one. Forgive us, but we're judging them harshly in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Developing story out of New Jersey.
Carol Lin with all the details -- Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Talking about the quarantining of that elementary school in Willingboro, New Jersey. It turns out, Don, we're hearing that -- from a doctor at the hospital where this teacher was being treated after being exposed to some white powder that fell out of an envelope, well, now, the doctor at the Virtua Memorial Hospital says there never was any white powder on the teacher, or at Garfield Park East School.
So the mystery continues. We're trying to find out whether they just didn't find any powder, whether there was ever any powder to begin with, or whether the teacher was perhaps recanting the original story.
But we're working on this because there was a -- they quarantined virtually the entire school and her classroom and the teacher was taken to the hospital, so something we've been tracking this afternoon.
LEMON: All right, Carol, thank you.
LIN: OK.
PHILLIPS: Well, the police report in Plaistow, New Hampshire might read something like this. Away in a manger, case number 666. Baby Jesus nabbed from a nativity scene, suspects believed to be under the influence of a malt beverage.
Reporter Lauren Przybyl of CNN affiliate WHDH fills in the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAUREN PRZYBYL, WHDH REPORTER (voice-over): Bob Chooljain has been displaying this nativity scene more than 30 years, but this year the centerpiece of the scene is not the same, the Baby Jesus stolen. BOB CHOOLJAIN, NATIVITY OWNER: When I walked over here I noticed that Baby Jesus was missing and in its place was a empty can of beer.
PRZYBYL: Chooljain says it's special to him because it's homemade.
CHOOLJAIN: I had three boys that grew up here and kind of we did this together oh, about, 30, 35 years ago and we put it up every year ever since.
PRZYBYL: And he can't imagine why anyone would want to steal from a manger scene, but what's worse is what the thief left behind.
CHOOLJAIN: What was in their mind to leave a empty beer can in place of the Baby Jesus? Especially this time of year, you know, you wonder who would do such a thing like this.
PRZYBYL: For now, Chooljain is using another Baby Jesus to replace the one stolen from him.
CHOOLJAIN: It's not the same because the one I had before, it was illuminated so it lit up at night.
PRZYBYL: And he is holding out hope that he'll be able to get the original back.
CHOOLJAIN: And I hope they feel guilty of what they have done and, you know, hopefully, they'll return it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Blasphemous. Apparently the guilt did kick in, sort of. The original Baby Jesus was returned. However, the nativity nabber had drawn horns on him. Bob Chooljain says he will be able to paint over the horns and put the Christ child back in the manger.
LEMON: That is just mean!
PHILLIPS: That is just wrong.
The "Closing Bell" is about to ring on Wall Street.
LEMON: Hey, Susan Lisovicz standing by at the New York Stock Exchange, tell us about the trading day, but isn't that just mean?
(MARKET REPORT)
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