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High Noon on the Hill; President Bush Likely to Announce new Iraq Strategy Next Week; Second Security Guard Detained in Hussein Execution Video

Aired January 04, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.
You're with CNN. You're informed.

I'm Tony Harris.

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

Developments keep coming in here to the NEWSROOM this Thursday, January 4th.

Here's what's on the rundown.

High noon for Democrats. The new Congress opens in an hour with a power shift. We go to a Baltimore diner to chew on the changes with voters.

HARRIS: A second security guard facing questions today about these images investigating the cell phone video of Saddam Hussein's final minutes.

COLLINS: Man on a mission, the subway rider who saved a stranger from certain death on the rails.

We'll tell you the story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

A dozen years in the minority, but today the Democrats take control. The new Congress convenes in 60 minutes, with Democrats at the helm and the president's party in the minority.

CNN's Andrea Koppel reports on some of the new faces on Capitol Hill and the obstacles they face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP-ELECT TIM WALZ (D), MINNESOTA: Holy cow. Look at the door. I'm pretty excited.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here we go. Oh!

WALZ: Look it.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As he walked into his new Capitol Hill digs, for the very first time, Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz, a father of two, could hardly contain his excitement. Until recently Walz had been a teacher and high school football coach with no political experience.

WALZ: My own restroom, which is something new, because you would share it with the students at school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have my branding iron.

KOPPEL: Just down the hall, another political newcomer, Florida Democrat Tim Mahoney was also getting the lay of the land.

REP-ELECT TIM MAHONEY (D), FLORIDA: You know, it's almost surreal.

KOPPEL: Both Mahoney and Walz just two of 42 newly elected House Democrats poised to take control of the House. While in the Senate, eight new Democrats will be sworn in, giving their party a one-seat majority.

Many of these new faces elected in conservative districts now determined to push for change. Putting them on a possible collision course with President Bush. On issues like Iraq, and talk of sending in another 20,000 to 40,000 troops.

MAHONEY: Adding more troops on top of quicksand, I don't see how that's going to get us to where we need to be.

KOPPEL: And on making tax cuts permanent.

WALZ: I don't believe so right now.

KOPPEL: But some Congress watchers predict an even bigger obstacle for these new Democrats could come from within their own party. Especially on social issues, like abortion and gay marriage.

AMY WALTER, SR. EDITOR, COOK POLITICAL REPORT: There's a reason that the Democratic leadership picked issues like ethics reform, like increasing the minimum wage, like stem cell research in their first 100 hour agenda. They have broad consensus in their party. Pretty easy to get past at least on the House side.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel joining us now live from Capitol Hill.

And Andrea, you pointed out in your story there, 42 newly elected Democrats in the House, eight in the Senate. Very new indeed, but will they be getting to work today?

KOPPEL: Well, yes and no. Nancy Pelosi today, the soon-to-be speaker of the House, plans to push through rules changes in the House. It's not legislation, per se, it's not going over to the Senate. And it has to do with an ethics package, lobbying reform, as well as trying to make earmarks, those pet projects, more transparent.

But the real work won't begin until next Tuesday, when they all come back and they start working on what's known as the six in '06, the Democrats kind of quick and easy, they hope, measures that they want to get through. But then they'll then go over to the Senate -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Now, is that -- is that normal, that it takes a few days for things to get under way?

KOPPEL: I think it depends. And certainly, I think that there is more of an -- of an inclination to kind of enjoy and relish the moment, whichever party is in power. And then to move on to the hard work the week after. It just depends sort of where -- what day of the week it is when they have this ceremony.

COLLINS: Is there much talk about what the biggest challenges will be?

KOPPEL: Absolutely. And again, it sort of depends who you ask. But Iraq tops the list for folks on both sides of the aisle, as well as for the White House.

And it's unclear just what's going to happen when President Bush unveils his plan, if he does then push for a surge of 20,000 to 30,000 troops or 40,000 troops, whether it's going to get the support over here. You have got stem cells, which even though it's going to be -- they expect it to be easy in the House, they are expecting more much resistance in the Senate. Remember, President Bush, that was the one veto that he used during the 109th Congress -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Andrea Koppel, our congressional correspondent, in the middle of it all today.

Andrea, thank you.

KOPPEL: Sure.

COLLINS: CNN is the place to watch history unfold today as the best political team on television provides you with insights you won't get anywhere else. After you watch us in the NEWSROOM, stay tuned for a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Wolf Blitzer leads our team for "Power Shift: The Democrats Take control." That's at 11:45 this morning only on CNN.

HARRIS: The president's plan for Iraq -- will thousands more troops get marching orders?

Live to CNN's White House correspondent now, Suzanne Malveaux.

And Suzanne, are we getting a clearer picture as to the president's answer to that question?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we really are getting a clearer picture. Sources are telling us to expect the president, in fact, to sign off on sending thousands of U.S. troops, more troops to Iraq, specifically to secure Baghdad.

Now, Pentagon sources are saying that number could be anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 troops, perhaps leaning on the lower number. This, of course, to -- the thinking being is that to secure Baghdad, at the same time to allow the Iraqi government to get its political house in order to try to deal with the national reconciliation process.

Now, we expect that all of this is going to unfold in the days to come. Likely, the consultations that the president has been involved in will wrap up tomorrow.

We also expect on Monday, White House officials to give a heads up to members of Congress, briefing them about the president's plan. And then Tuesday, perhaps, Wednesday or so, that is when the president will address the American people. A national address about the specifics -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Suzanne, the director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, is on the move. And it would seem to put him in a position to play to more of his sort of his recognized strengths as a diplomat.

MALVEAUX: Well, you're absolutely right. And that's one of the reasons why the move, the shift was made. One U.S. official saying, look, he has a lot more experience in the diplomatic arena, he's much more comfortable in the diplomatic arena, as opposed to intelligence.

As you know, he was the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., as well as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq. So he brings a lot of experience to that position.

HARRIS: White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux for us.

Suzanne, thank you.

COLLINS: Several angles on Iraq this morning. Explosions in Baghdad, new hope for five kidnapped contractors, and another arrest related to video of Saddam Hussein's last moments.

Our Arwa Damon is live now in the capital city.

Arwa, I'm curious to know how much pressure the Maliki government is really feeling for coming down hard on these guards who apparently took those cell phone images.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the government is under incredible pressure to figure out exactly what went wrong in that execution chamber. This is a huge embarrassment to the government that wanted to hail the execution of Saddam Hussein as being one of its successes. But as the truth emerges as to what happened in Saddam Hussein's final moments, the government is finding itself now with an execution that will go down in history as being stamped as one of Shia revenge.

We do know, though, that the Iraqi government has detained two guards whom they believe are responsible for filming, as well as distributing, that grainy cell phone footage over the Internet and to TV stations. In that footage, we clearly hear Saddam Hussein being taunted by Shia chants.

That, especially, is one of the big sticking points for this government. In the hours just after the execution, we heard Iraqi officials saying that there was no humiliation to Saddam Hussein before or after his death. We now know that that is not true.

And listen to what Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al- Rubaie, is saying now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOWAFFAK AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We are disgusted by this. We're very irritated. We are going to leave no stone unturned to investigate this tragedy, and aggressively.

I saw a couple of these cell phones around. But believe me, none of the Iraqi officials were carrying these cell phones. Those -- because those went through two checks -- well, three checks, and they were checked by the Americans in the Green Zone and then the guards, and the American guards as well, outside the building where the execution happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAMON: The Iraqi government is vowing that the same mistakes will not be made in the upcoming execution of two of Saddam co- defendants. No date set on that just yet.

Meanwhile, the cycle of violence continues in the Iraqi capital. At least 16 Iraqis lost their lives in a number of attacks today.

The deadliest attack happened in the morning, where twin car bombs exploded at a gas station. The target of that attack, according to the Iraqi police, were innocent civilians queuing up in line to get fuel to warm their homes in these cold winter days. At least 13 Iraqis were killed just in that attack -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Arwa, quickly, before we let you go here, want to get as best an update as we can on these five abducted contractors. We haven't heard a lot about them. I'm curious to know what Iraqis and the U.S. troops are doing in order to try and find them.

DAMON: Well, Heidi, they were abducted, if we go back to November 16th, on that date, in the vicinity of Basra at a fake checkpoint where armed gunmen were disguising themselves as Iraqi security forces, Iraqi police. There were ongoing and still are ongoing efforts to try to locate those five contractors, four Americans, one Austrian.

Now, some new video has come out that may give some hope as to the fact that they could still be alive. That video was first brought to a reporter that works for McClatchy newspapers.

According to the newspaper, though, the video was shot two weeks after the abduction. But in it, we do see these five contractors appearing to be in good health. Four of them are seated; all five identify themselves and ask for help -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Boy, we hope they are all right. That is for certain.

Arwa Damon live from Baghdad.

Thank you, Arwa.

HARRIS: And this just in to CNN. Police in Spain's Basque region have found a car packed with explosives.

CNN's Al Goodman on the phone with us now from Madrid.

Al, what more do we know?

AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Tony.

Our partner station here is being -- confirming with their sources -- and we'll hopefully get that confirmed very soon for CNN -- that a car bomb has been found. It did not explode, but this coming only six days after that massive car bomb exploded at Madrid's airport, killing one Ecuadorian immigrant whose body was recovered early this day in Madrid at the airport. And they fear that a second Ecuadorian immigrant who was also in the garage, the parking garage, was feared dead.

Now, six days later, here, this Thursday, police in the northern Basque region closing in and getting this car with 70 kilos, or about 154 pounds, of explosives. Now, authorities have said that since ETA's car bomb on Saturday at the airport broke off a nine-month cease-fire that the Basque separatist group ETA said would be permanent, raising hopes for an end to 40 years nearly of separatist violence in Spain, the authorities have said they're going to go after ETA.

And it looks like we're seeing that now -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Al, anything that comes to mind to you to explains this recent spike in violence?

GOODMAN: There -- after the high hopes that were raised last March of 2006, when ETA announced what it called would be a permanent cease-fire, there were hopes that maybe there could be some sort of negotiated end. That's what the government was hoping. But things started to hit the rocks in the autumn, and there were a lot of signs that the peace process was not moving ahead.

And some people had warned that it might fall apart completely. And that is what happened last Saturday at the Madrid airport with this massive car bomb that took down a five-story parking garage just across from the newest terminal of the airport.

Now, ETA issued a warning call, apparently didn't want to kill anybody, but two Ecuadorian immigrants separately had stayed in their cars while companions went into the airport to get arriving passengers. And so, these deaths were the first -- the confirmed death is the first one in more than three years for ETA, and that further complicates any peace efforts.

So now the prime minister this day has toured that airport garage and very solemnly vowed that he would try to end this violence. But clearly, there's not going to be any negotiations, so that means the police hands and the court hands are going full speed ahead -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. We'll continue to follow this story with CNN's Al Goodman in Madrid.

Al, appreciate it. Thank you.

Possibly a big break in the hunt for the killer of Denver Broncos' cornerback, Darrent Williams. Denver police today impounded an SUV -- you see it here -- believed to be linked to the deadly shooting.

Crime lab investigators will search it for evidence. Authorities say the license plate on the abandoned Chevy Tahoe matches the one they're looking for.

Twenty-four-year-old Williams was killed early New Year's day in a drive-by shooting on his limousine. He was buried this weekend in his hometown of Ft. Worth, Texas.

COLLINS: Just 17 years old. Sanong Koch (ph) had an 18-month- old son. Now that boy will grow up without his father.

Koch (ph) was shot and killed at his Tacoma, Washington, high school yesterday. Some students returned to school last night for a vigil.

Police have arrested a fellow student in the case. That teen has been arrested for investigation of first-degree murder.

Police say the shooter and the victim knew each other, but detectives are not sure about a motive. The shooting took place inside the school just before classes were to begin.

Rape case closed. University doors opened. Two lacrosse players have been invited to return to classes.

Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty had been placed on administrative leave after being accused of raping a stripper last year. Last month, the district attorney dropped the rape charges against the two and a third player who had graduated.

The three still face sexual offense and kidnapping charges. An attorney for Finnerty says he hasn't decided whether to return to Duke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WADE SMITH, COLLIN FINNERTY'S ATTORNEY: I'm sure that Collin loves Duke and would want to come back at some point. But we'll just have to wait and see. All of the circumstances surrounding this case would bear upon a decision to return. The most important, of course, is the fact that the case is still pending.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Duke officials say changing circumstances in the case led to the students' reenstatement.

HARRIS: A hero on the subway and a city proud to call him their own. Wesley Autrey is his name. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Alone, injured and stranded 500 miles from land. Loved ones desperate, anxious and waiting in California. Lost at sea, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: A soldier's story. Remembering the first U.S. service member killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Someone is in a life or death situation, the only way to save them is put your own life at risk. What would you do?

COLLINS: A New York man was faced with that decision. And CNN's Randi Kaye tells us what he did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): 1:00 in the afternoon Tuesday, Wesley Autrey was with his two little girls on his way to work.

(on camera): So you take this train every day?

WESLEY AUTREY, SUBWAY HERO: I take this train every day.

KAYE: Same time?

AUTREY: Same time.

KAYE (voice-over): But this commute would be different. This 50-year-old Navy veteran was about to become front-page news.

AUTREY : I didn't want to see anybody hurt. So I felt, you know, the best thing to do was start the new year off right. What a better way than to save a life.

KAYE: Wesley noticed Cameron Hollopeter having a seizure.

AUTREY: I think he meant to lean on this, but when he came this way, he went like this, bumped off and fell backwards.

KAYE: What Wesley did next sent his girls age 6 and 4 into tears. He handed them to a woman and jumped on to the track to save a man he'd never met.

AUTREY: I hopped down here, one feet there, one feet there. I look. I see an oncoming train. You see what I read in blue lights?

KAYE (on camera): Yes.

AUTREY: But the farthest one. That's where the train was when I first went down.

KAYE (voice-over): Cameron was still struggling in this gutter between the live rails. The train was blowing its horn. Brakes were squealing. Time was running out.

AUTREY: And I'm slipping. Each time I go, I look, the train is getting closer, the train is getting closer, it's getting closer. So the last time, the train was about right there where that wood is. And I'm like, you can't get him up. Go for the gutter. So I just...

KAYE (on camera): So where...

AUTREY: ... grabbed him like this, fell on top of him, and locked my legs around his, both of them, held him down, put my head over here and leaned in the gutter.

KAYE: So, he was on his back, and you were on top of him?

AUTREY: Yes.

KAYE: From the time Wesley jumped down on the tracks, he thinks he had only about seven seconds before the train was on top of him.

(voice-over): Four cars rushed over them, so close they grazed Wesley's hat. His mother believes there was an angel on the track with him. Wesley was unharmed. Cameron's recovering in the hospital.

AUTREY: He thanked me, and he said that he didn't even realize that he was underneath the train.

KAYE: Wesley doesn't like being called a hero, but to Cameron's family, that's what he is.

LARRY HOLLOPETER, CAMERON'S DAD: Mr. Autrey's instinctive and unselfish act saved our son's life.

AUTREY: That's all right. You'll be all right.

HOLLOPETER: And there are no words to properly express our gratitude and feelings for his actions.

KAYE: Hero or not, Wesley is in demand. David Letterman wants to interview him. Donald Trump is giving him $10,000. His kids have been offered a trip to Disneyland.

And the New York Film Academy, which Cameron attends, surprised Wesley with a $5,000 check, plus $5,000 in scholarships for his children. Wesley says he doesn't care about the money. He just wants others to know...

AUTREY: A life is worth saving.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: "You see, Randi, this is how it happened." Big embrace. Love it.

Twins together, now separate. Surgery for conjoined sisters from North Dakota. What's next for them?

That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Conjoined no more. Doctors say 5-month-old North Dakota twins are doing well after separation surgery. Abigail (ph) and Madison Fitterer (ph) were wheeled into an operating room at the Mayo Clinic yesterday morning.

About 40 doctors, nurses and others were involved in the six-hour surgery. The critical moment came when surgeons separated the girl's hearts, placing them in their respective chests.

Unbelievable, isn't it?

Doctors say the sisters will probably remain in intensive care for at least a few weeks. No additional surgery is expected for now, though the girls could need chest surgery when they are older.

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

HARRIS: Five years and almost four months later, a grim reminder of the devastation from the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Nine human bone fragments have been found from New York's World Trade Center site. Five of the fragments were found by workers sifting through Ground Zero debris at a Brooklyn site. The other bone fragments were found by workers digging a service road at Ground Zero.

Since October, more than 225 pieces of human remains have been found.

COLLINS: A soldier's story, remembering the first U.S. service member killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Will the commander in chief order thousands more troops to Iraq? We have got new word on the president's plan.

To the White House, in the NEWSROOM. COLLINS: And food for thought. Dishing up opinions on the new Democratically-controlled Congress. The political diner talk, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And this story just in. The Federal Trade Commission is fining the marketers of four weight loss pills millions of dollars. The companies are accused of making false advertising claims ranging from rapid weight loss to a reduced risk of cancer. The products are Xenadrine, EFX, Cortaslim, TrimSpa One-A-Day Weight Smart. The government says the marketers surrendered cash and other assets worth at least $25 million, and agreed to limit their future advertising claims. The FTC says the products will remain on store shelves.

A U.S. envoy arrives in Ethiopia. The focus, that country's offensive against the Islamic militia in neighboring Somalia.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials came here today to meet with the Ethiopian prime minister in the wake of Ethiopia's two-week war that has now driven the Islamic militia from power in Somalia. All of this leading to many questions here about how the Bush administration will deal with the situation.

JENDAYI FRAZER, ASST. SECY. OF STATE: We have to go beyond just the humanitarian to also support assistance to the transitional federal government, capacity building so that the transitional federal government can provide services to the Somali people. And so we're right now in the process. And so we're right now in the process. My visit here, at the direction of Secretary Rice, is to consult with the Somali people and with the region on how we can coordinate that assistance.

STARR: Here in Africa, there is much discussion about an African peacekeeping force and a lot of questions about how much support Washington will give to the new, relatively week government in Mogadishu.

Still, the U.S. Navy has two warships off the coast of Somalia. U.S. intelligence is keeping a close eye on the situation. They are very concerned that there are still Al Qaeda members on the run from Mogadishu. They are especially watching for at least two members of Al Qaeda that they believe were involved in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies here in East Africa.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: A political power shift playing out in Washington. The new Congress convenes today with Democrats in control for the first time in a dozen years. With the power shift comes new leadership. Nancy Pelosi will be sworn in As house speaker. She's the first woman to hold that position. On the Senate side, Harry Reid takes over as majority leader. The Democrats have laid out plans for speedy votes on several issues. Among the top agenda items, increasing the minimum wage and enacting tougher rules on lobbying.

A new party taking over, but some Americans expect the same old politics. National correspondent Bob Franken chewed things over with customers at a popular Baltimore diner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're supposed to have some of the best crab cakes in Baltimore here at the Sit and Bite Diner, which is really saying something. What they definitely do have is customers who are real crabby about Congress.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like they're puppets in the Congress. It's like...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know who is controlling all of them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's kind of bizarre.

FRANKEN (on camera): Whichever party?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Both.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't even think it's a party.

FRANKEN (voice-over): Our table included an administrative assistant, truck mechanic, the owner of a real estate agency and a clerk.

While a CNN Opinion Research poll found that 61 percent of those surveyed expect the Democratic takeover will be good for Congress, our Sit and Bite Diners weren't so sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the Democrats lost the house, everybody was tired of Democrats, so they thought Republicans could do it, and they would make a difference. Republicans were in for 12 years, and so now the Democrats come back around.

So it's going to be back in the same cycle. Democrats will stay in for eight to 12 years. They'll screw up, Republicans will say, we can do better, and people will vote them in.

FRANKEN: What about corruption? Will it be any better under the Democrats than it was under the Republicans? Our poll shows that 49 percent say it would make no difference. The Sit and Bite commentators agree.

(on camera): Do you feel that the Democrats are going to be any less corrupt?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've been corrupt for years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel that they're all corrupt.

FRANKEN: When it comes to politicians, this is a tough crowd at the Sit and Bite Diner. It's fair to say it's a tough crowd all around the country.

Bob Franken, CNN, Baltimore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And CNN is the place to watch history unfold today as the best political team on television provides you with insight you won't get anywhere else. After you watch us here in the NEWSROOM, stay tuned for a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM." Wolf Blitzer leads our team for "Power Shift: The Democrats Take Control." That's coming up in just a couple of minutes, 10 minutes from now, 11:45 a.m. Eastern this morning only on CNN.

(NEWSBREAK)

COLLINS: Overshadowed by the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan. Today a somber anniversary in that war for one family. The family of the first U.S. soldier killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan. Sergeant First Class Nathan Chapman was a green beret with the Army's special forces unit He died five years ago today near the Pakistani border with Afghanistan.

In an interview just months after his death, Sergeant Chapman's family talked with CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): When someone asks you what was he like, what's the first thing you say?

LYNN CHAPMAN, NATHAN CHAPMAN'S MOTHER: He was a happy guy. He was happy and he was sensitive.

WILL CHAPMAN, NATHAN CHAPMAN'S FATHER: Nathan was the first. I guess I wish he had been the only one, but that's not the case. And we don't know where the end will be.

Freedom isn't cheap. To keep our freedom, that's a continuous battle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: To date, 353 Americans have been killed in Operation Enduring Freedom. There have been a total of 510 coalition deaths in Afghanistan.

Desperate, injured and alone. Hundreds of miles from land, stuck on a damaged boat. Back in California, loved ones wait for his calls on a fading cell phone.

CNN's Chris Lawrence with the story of hope.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From a dying satellite phone half a world away, Ken Barnes manages to reach his daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, dad.

LAWRENCE: Barnes is adrift at sea, 500 miles off the coast of Chile. A vicious storm blew out his engine and destroyed the mast and steering wheel. Barnes leg is bleeding, his boat taking on water. The sat-phone is almost finished.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has no way of recharging it, Ron, and he's running out of battery.

LAWRENCE: In Newport Beach, California, his girlfriend and twin daughters wait hours between his short, 60-second calls.

CATHY CHAMBERS, GIRLFRIEND OF ADRIFT SAILOR: I thought, you know, I haven't heard from him for several hours. Has that boat rolled, and is he alive?

LAWRENCE: Barnes set out from Long Beach at the end of October. He headed south, past Mexico and Peru, trying to circumnavigate the Earth alone.

(on camera): Barnes had hoped to cover more than 100 miles a day, arriving back here at home sometime between April and June.

(voice-over): A search plane spotted him Wednesday and dropped off supplies.

CHAMBERS: Did you get the life raft and the communication. Were you able to retrieve it?

LAWRENCE: No, he tells Cathy Chambers, but he appreciates the attempt.

CHAMBERS: Seeing the plane and him waving at the plane was giving him a ray of hope, that yes, they are coming after me.

LAWRENCE: Three ships are fighting through 20-foot swells, racing to save him before another storm hits Friday. And the man who dreamed of sailing around the world would now settle for just coming home.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Newport Beach, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT) COLLINS: Some people see divine images in a slice of pizza or a cheese sandwich perhaps. And now in this Jacksonville, Florida neighborhood, some say they see Jesus' face in a tree. The image noticed a week before Christmas by a woman walking her dog. She told one TV station she moved to the neighborhood to find peace and quiet after retirement. She says she didn't know she would find Jesus there, too.

HARRIS: Doggone! Daisy's -- there you go. Daisy's cross- country escape comes to an end. Her story straight ahead in the -- hey, hey, settle down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Have you heard the story of Daisy the wayward dog? Well, she's back home in Aurora, Colorado after a long -- and we mean long -- trip. As feisty as ever, we can see here. She apparently escaped through a hole under the backyard fence last April. Feisty Daisy was found Christmas night in Knoxville, Tennessee, more than 1,300 miles from home. Daisy's owner has no idea how the dog made it to Knoxville. Daisy got a plane ride back home, but that's the end of her travels for a while. Daisy's owner says she has now fixed that hole under the fence.

Settle down!

Sorry.

COLLINS: Sweet dog.

Thanks so much for joining us everybody in the NEWSROOM.

I'm Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

Stay with CNN. A special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM: Power Shift: The Democrats Take Control," begins right now.

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