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Democratic Senator Joe Biden Announces Candidacy For President; Some Army Recruiters May Mislead Enlistees
Aired January 06, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, the U.S. Embassy in Iraq is investigating reports that a U.S. citizen has been kidnapped in Basra. Reports suggest three people disappeared near Basra yesterday, two Iraqis and one American contractor and two bodies turned up today may have been those of the Iraqis.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq's prime minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, says his forces are ready to implement the new security crackdown for Baghdad. He says U.S. and Iraqi officials will together militias regardless of sectarian and political affiliations. Just ahead, a full report from Baghdad.
NGUYEN: Listen to this, the Pentagon is apologizing for letters it sent to 75 dead and 200 wounded Army officers urging them to re- enlist. The letters were part of a mass mailing late last month. Now, the Army says: "Army personnel officials are contacting those officers' families to personally apologize for erroneously sending the letters.
HOLMES: And make room for two more presidential candidates. Democratic Senator Joseph Biden says he plans to form a presidential committee around the end of this month. And an aide says Republican Senator Sam Brownback will make a formal announcement of his candidacy two weeks from today.
NGUYEN: Well, it is a January surprise. Check it out. Temperatures in the Northeast expected to surpass southern California today. We are hearing few complaints.
But one big question -- where is all this winter weather that we're supposed to be having right about now?
HOLMES: And here's another question -- where's the driver?
Look at this car. It's a moving car -- nobody behind the wheel. Now, the drivers in a lot of these cases and the passengers, they're dancing on the hood of the car, the roof and the trunk. These are thrill seekers and they call it ghost riding. Police want to stop it.
NGUYEN: Yes.
Why are they even doing it?
OK, anyways, Internet frenzy -- a steamy video showing a top model's private moments has YouTube in some hot water.
The news is unfolding live here on Saturday, the 6th day of January.
Good morning, everybody.
You are in THE NEWSROOM.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
Thank you so much for being here with us today.
He has new generals and a new plan.
But what will and can he do with the new Congress?
Just days away from unveiling his new strategy for Iraq. President Bush is already running into Democratic opposition on Capitol Hill.
CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us now with the latest on the battle over the Iraq War -- good morning to you, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, T.J.
That's right, President Bush this morning had his usual intelligence briefing and then he met with top members of his national security team. Among those the president met with today that we saw here earlier at the White House, the outgoing now, director of national intelligence, John Negroponte; also, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Now, while the White House is characterizing this really as part of the ongoing meetings and discussions that he has with members of his national security team, of course, the meetings come at a critical time for the White House, as President Bush is getting close to announcing changes to his Iraq policy.
But already he is running into some very strong opposition from Democrats in particular on the idea that is getting a lot of attention, the idea of a possible troop surge of tens of thousands of U.S. forces into Iraq.
Now, just a day after Democrats took control of Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent President Bush a letter outlining their opposition to a troop surge.
When asked about that yesterday, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow basically said that the president is open to whatever ideas the two do want to put forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: They don't believe that U.S. combat troops provide that solution. That's fine. We want to do everything we can to help Iraq succeed. That's precisely the kind of dialogue the president would love to have, which is OK, when you say we want to do anything we can, what is that and how do you define it as a success?
And those are the kinds of conversations that are going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, in another sign of the political reality facing President Bush, Nancy Pelosi yesterday, after an event honoring her in Baltimore, said that the president does not have a blank check from Congress when it comes to Iraq policy. At the same time, as far as this troop surge option goes, there's been a great deal of debate as to whether or not that would, in fact, be effective. Members of the military as well as lawmakers on Capitol Hill, some of them expressing concern that, in fact, there should be a clearly defined mission, they believe, in order for a troop surge to be effective. Also, they want to see it tied to economic and political steps in Iraq.
Now, after the president's announcement, we are expecting that to take place as he continues to weigh the various options. We're expecting the announcement to come on Wednesday, or possibly Thursday of next week -- T.J.
HOLMES: And, Elaine, the Senate majority leader now Harry Reid, a Democrat. He was one of, I guess several, but still, we heard his voice pretty loud and clear criticizing the president replacing generals, saying he's just replacing people who don't necessarily agree with him.
How is the president responding to that criticism?
QUIJANO: Well, the White House press secretary, Tony Snow, responded to that yesterday by saying you know what? That's just not true. It's just not accurate.
That, in fact, what Tony Snow said is that as they look to make changes to Iraq policy, it just so happens that these two top commanders, top generals, are, in fact, due to be leaving anyway, at any point -- at some point. So why not start with a fresh team?
But as to the idea that the president is somehow pushing out these commanders who don't agree with him, the White House says that's just not accurate -- Tony -- or, T.J.
HOLMES: We'll get this right one of these days, Elaine.
QUIJANO: Sorry.
HOLMES: No problem.
Elaine Quijano from the White House.
Thank you.
QUIJANO: Thanks. NGUYEN: She's a busy woman and got a lot on her mind.
Well, as President Bush finishes work on his new plan for Iraq, Iraq's prime minister has announced some plans of his own. He also talked about the execution of Saddam Hussein. CNN's Ryan Chilcote has details now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Speaking at a celebration honoring Iraq's National Army Day, the Iraqi prime minister defended his government's decision to execute Saddam Hussein, saying that Saddam received a fair and lengthy trial.
The Iraqi prime minister really lashed out at governments from across the mostly Sunni Arab Middle East, saying that it was a matter of internal politics, a matter for the Iraqi people how they exceed Saddam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I am astonished by the statements coming from some governments that are crying for the tyrant. The Iraqi government may reconsider its relations with any country that does not respect the will of the Iraqi people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHILCOTE: The prime minister also announced what he described as a major crackdown on militants in the Iraqi capital, really only outlining it in the broadest brushes, though, saying that this plan would include going after rogue elements, perhaps the suggestion that this time the government plans on going after the illegal militias, the mostly Shiite illegal militias here in the capital that have been blamed for a lot of the sectarian killings.
The prime minister gave no timetable for when that operation would begin; certainly no signs of it yet on the streets of the Iraqi capital.
It should be said we have seen crackdowns like this before and they have had only limited impact on the violence. And an example of that violence, one example of that violence today in the Iraqi capital, Iraq police telling us that they found 27 bullet-ridden bodies in one neighborhood, that it was simply too -- but it was simply too dangerous to go into that neighborhood to recover the bodies.
Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: So, what will President Bush's final decision about troop levels mean for American troops in Iraq?
CNN correspondents discuss the possibilities on "THIS WEEK AT WAR," hosted by John Roberts.
That's tonight at 7:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: Well, cleaning up the house.
NGUYEN: Now that the Democrats have taken control of Congress for the first time in a dozen years, they say that is their first order of business. Some say they need outside help.
CNN's Joe Johns reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First things first -- Democrats say they want to fix Congressional ethics.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER ELECT: Our first order of business is passing the toughest Congressional ethics reform in history.
JOHNS: No secret that it's been ugly here -- scandals, indictments, golf trips, favors for official acts, charges of bribery, corruption. Members of Congress, staffers, lobbyists, mostly Republicans, all got sucked in over the last year. And the House Ethics Committee, which is supposed to handle all this stuff, was asleep at the wheel.
Congress has a hangover now. Call it public disgust. And Democrats, who ran the last campaign against what they call the culture of corruption, are now in the position of having to do something about it, with a plan to ban gifts from and travel paid for by lobbyists. Prohibiting use of corporate jets and full disclosure before members' slip pet projects, known as earmarks, into spending bills.
A former senior aide to Republican Tom DeLay, who, under a cloud of suspicion and lawsuits, stepped down as majority leader then actually gave up his House seat, said this is all a good start, but keeping them honest, this kind of thing cuts both ways.
STUART ROY, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: The real danger in any sort of ethics reform is that no party has cornered the market on ethics and morality. And if you try to use ethics as a partisan sword, you're liable to find the blood on the sword will be your own.
JOHNS: Don't forget, Democrats have their own members with pending problems, like Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana, nicknamed "Dollar Bill," who got caught with $90,000 of FBI bait money in his freezer and a bribery investigation. Jefferson denies wrongdoing, hasn't been charged and was, in fact, reelected.
So how are the Democrats planning to deal with that?
REP. RAHM EMANUEL, DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS CHAIRMAN: The whole thing we must do is to make sure that this Congress operates different, a different set of standards and different ethical standards than the past. And we're going to fulfill our obligations.
JOHNS (on camera): Experts say Democrats need outside, independent review of ethics matters to help Congress police itself. There could be a fight over that. And they need some real enforcement.
(voice-over): Still, history on the Hill suggests there's no way to stop someone in Congress in either party from behaving badly if they really want to do it, which leaves some to simply to appeal to a higher authority.
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Remember "The Lord's Prayer": "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."
JOHNS: Temptation for the Democrats. They're now in power and power and money are the ultimate magnets of corporation.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: From Washington today, it may feel like spring outside. Cheery blossoms in bloom.
Reynolds, this is not supposed to be happening in January.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know. I know. The climate right now says April, but we're still kind of in January. It's hard to believe. Weird weather.
NGUYEN: It's crazy, really.
WOLF: I know. I know. It's kookoo for Coco Puffs.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Hey, it's a new sitcom with a twist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LITTLE MOSQUE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the charge, flying while Muslim?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: What?
OK, it's called "Little Mosque On the Prairie." That's probably one of the milder things I can say. It's a show that could really touch a nerve, and that's coming up in about 10 minutes from now.
HOLMES: But first, Ethiopian troops drove Islamists out of the Somali capital. Now, the hunt is on for their alleged al Qaeda allies.
That's next in THE NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Going Global now.
Supporters of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may get some help from the United States. The Reuters News Agency says the U.S. will provide more than $86 million to strengthen Fatah security forces, which have been battling Hamas fighters.
NGUYEN: Still no trace of the Indonesian airliner that disappeared five days ago. U.S. experts have arrived to help investigate. Now, the plane, carrying 102 people, was flying through storms when it vanished from radar screens.
HOLMES: Angry protests in Mogadishu against Ethiopian troops supporting Somalia's interim government. Protesters say they want Ethiopia out of Somalia. They're also angry about a government order to turn in their weapons. The government now says it is postponing that order.
NGUYEN: Well, Ethiopian troops in Somalia help that country's interim government push Islamic rebels out of Mogadishu?
HOLMES: Yes, when those Islamic forces retreated, some top terror suspects may have been among them.
CNN's Barbara Starr has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An urgent manhunt is underway in East Africa to capture five top al Qaeda operatives on the run from Somalia since the fall of the Islamic militia government.
CNN has learned that U.S. and African intelligence services are closely cooperating in an effort to find the men before they slip away, with fear that they might plan new attacks.
The U.S. especially wants these two men -- Haroon Faisul (ph) and Sali Ali Salat Naban (ph), both said to be involved in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Authorities believe all five have ties to al Qaeda attacks across East Africa.
Escape routes from Somalia are being sealed off. U.S. intelligence sources believe the men may have been at a known al Qaeda training camp on the Somali-Kenyan border. Two U.S. Navy warships are now patrolling offshore, stopping and searching small boats.
Kenya has sealed its northern border with Somalia. U.S. Navy SEALS have been just south of the border, helping train Kenyan forces. U.S. military sources deny claims that the SEALS are engaging in search operations.
The top U.S. diplomat for Africa has been trying to muster an African peacekeeping force to help Somalia's new transitional federal government. Hunting al Qaeda is a priority.
JENDAYI FRAZER, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS: We believe that it's extremely important and we feel that the cooperation between the neighboring countries, with the transitional federal government at the request of the transitional federal government, is quite helpful in trying to prevent those terrorists from fleeing Somali territory into their neighbors'.
STARR: All of this comes as Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, he called for an Iraq style insurgency inside Somalia.
(on camera): This memorial park now stands on the site of the former U.S. Embassy. The al Qaeda bombing here killed hundreds and wounded thousands. Today, here in East Africa, the concern remains that unless Somalia is shut down as a terrorist safe haven, the threat of another attack remains very real.
Barbara Starr, CNN, Nairobi.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: And getting through the day a goal of every soldier in Iraq. They can use all the luck they can get and some even carry a little bit of luck with them.
NGUYEN: Plus, a new television show stirs up, well, some controversy. A look at "A Little Mosque On the Prairie" -- that's what it's called -- coming up next in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Here they are, some of the most popular stories on cnn.com.
After someone posted a steamy video of a Brazilian super model and her boyfriend on YouTube, they won a court order to have it removed. But, somebody kept putting it back on the Web site. Now, a judge has ordered YouTube to use filters to make sure it stays off. We're going to have more on that later this hour.
Get this -- a 10-year-old boy hanged himself near Houston and police say he had seen television reports about the execution of Saddam Hussein.
Plus, an 1,100 pound wild hog, believe it or not, has been shot and killed in suburban Atlanta. You see where it is, in the front yard.
Don't ask us why, but these stories and much more available right now on cnn.com.
HOLMES: Muslims living in a small town -- does that sound like the makings of a TV sitcom to you?
It does to some.
CNN's Brooke Anderson has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "LITTLE MOSQUE," COURTESY WESTWIND PICTURES/CBC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amir Hakeem (ph). Allah akbar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For North Americans, who've come to view Muslims with suspicion, this sitcom provides a glimpse into a world that will feel both very familiar and very strange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "LITTLE MOSQUE," COURTESY WESTWIND PICTURES/CBC)
ZAIB SHAIKH, ACTOR: I've been planning this for months. It's not like I dropped a bomb on him. If dad thinks it's suicide, so be it. This is Allah's plan for me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my.
SHAIKH: Yes, I'm not throwing my life away. I'm movie to the prairies to run a mosque.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step away from the bag. You're not going to paradise today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It turns out the passenger isn't a terrorist, but an imam on his way to a remote Muslim community. The show finds humor in the all too common misunderstandings that come when you take Islam, add a rural Canadian location and mix in universal themes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "LITTLE MOSQUE," COURTESY WESTWIND PICTURES/CBC)
SHAIKH: What's the charge, flying while Muslim?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARQA NAWAZ, CREATOR, "LITTLE MOSQUE": No one has ever done this before. This is the first time anyone's, you know, combined comedy with the North American Muslim life experience.
ANDERSON: Zarqa Nawaz, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, created "Little Mosque On the Prairie," drawing from her own experience of being Muslim in a small town.
NAWAZ: It's a lot of fodder for comedy and I thought wow, you know, why not use this material for a sitcom?
ANDERSON: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation picked up eight episodes, hoping that the series' comedic look at Muslim life would resonate with viewers in a post-9/11 era.
ANDREW WALLENSTEIN, "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": And there's a lot of curiosity about the Muslim community and how it interacts with the world at large.
ANDERSON: Andrew Wallenstein with "The Hollywood Reporter" thinks it just might gain footing.
WALLENSTEIN: You know, I think a great comedy is the kind of comedy that tips sacred cows. And there's probably no more sacred cow right now than the stereotypes in the Muslim community. So it's got a great chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "LITTLE MOSQUE," COURTESY WESTWIND PICTURES/CBC)
QUESTION: Are you part of a sleeper cell?
SHAIKH: Don't answer that.
NAWAZ: Don't answer that.
QUESTION: Well, what is your connection to al Qaeda?
NAWAZ: What is your connection to journalism?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: But the show's creator emphasizes the themes in "Little Mosque" aren't specifically Muslim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "LITTLE MOSQUE," COURTESY WESTWIND PICTURES/CBC)
NAWAZ: Please tell me I'm adopted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NAWAZ: The show talks, you know, deals with relationships between people, between husbands and wives and their kids, between non-Muslims and Muslims. It does a lot of things on a lot of different levels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "LITTLE MOSQUE," COURTESY WESTWIND PICTURES/CBC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the privilege of living in a country with freedom.
SHAIKH: Freedom? To do what, fan the flames of hatred?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, isn't it Muslim preachers like yourself who do that, huh?
I've got news for you, Johnny Jihad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Nawaz hopes her efforts will not only entertain, but educate.
NAWAZ: Laughter is the best medicine when it comes to bridging the gaps between people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP "LITTLE MOSQUE," COURTESY WESTWIND PICTURES/CBC)
SHAIKH: I was joking. Muslims around the world are known for their sense of humor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did not know that.
SHAIKH: That was another joke.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, oh. What is that, some kind of signal?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The show's creators have taken into account Islamic religious sensibilities and believe they've struck enough of a balance to avoid offense.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: That's going to be one funny show.
Rabbit's feet, four leaf clovers -- we all have our good luck charms.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the U.S. soldier patrolling unknown terrain, it's the small things that carry you through the day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Cal Perry talks with U.S. soldiers about the special extras that they carry into the field in Iraq.
HOLMES: Also, it's the sex video that just apparently can't be stopped. YouTube says it's doing all it can, but a Brazilian judge says you need to do more.
NGUYEN: And now, is what he says.
Plus, the Internet helps spread a new stunt. Check this out. Why police say it could backfire on the players.
All of this ahead, here in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TJ HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Now in the news, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki says his forces are ready to implement a new Baghdad security plan. The announcement is short on specifics. It comes days before President Bush is expected to unveil his new military strategy for Iraq.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: The U.S. Army says it is sorry for inadvertently sending letters to deceased and wounded officers' families. The notes requested former officers consider returning to service. The army says it mistakenly mailed the letters to 75 deceased and 200 wounded personnel.
HOLMES: Slain Denver Bronco cornerback Darrent Williams will be buried in his hometown of Ft. Worth about 90 minutes from now. The 24-year-old was killed in a drive-by shooting following a New Year's Eve party. Denver police say they plan to question a man being held on a parole violation about the shooting.
NGUYEN: Well, better check your calendar. Early January and golfers are already swinging away on green fairways? It's just another sign of wacky winter weather. But as warm as it's been in the east, Denver still digging out of its third major snowfall. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is just ahead with your weekend forecast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. JEFFREY ALLAN HESS, MARINE CORP RECRUITER: It has definitely become more challenging. I got here about the time that 9/11 happened, just after, and there was a flux of a lot of patriotic Americans that wanted to join, and then after -- after the time it's dwindled down. It changed a little bit. OK? It became -- it began to get very challenging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war on terror, together it's becoming tougher for the U.S. military to find and enlist those willing to serve. And there are claims some recruiters may be minimizing the risks and overstating the benefits to reach their enlistment goals. What should you, your son, or daughter know before signing that dotted line? We put that question to Gina Cavallaro. She's a reporter for "The Army Times" and despite its name, we need to note that it's not affiliated with the military.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GINA CAVALLARO, ARMY TIMES: I would imagine that when you are 18 and you are kind of deciding what you'd like to do or even if you're a little bit older, you probably do have a lot of questions. You need to know that the Army has a mission to enlist a certain number of soldiers every year in the active duty is 80,000 soldiers they enlist every year. You're going to maybe eventually run into someone out there who is going to be less than scrupulous or isn't going to tell you everything. What it comes down to is -- do the research and get your information from them up front. Get it all in writing. If the job you want isn't available, it might be because there isn't a slot available in the school you want. So tell them you'd like to wait until there is a slot available. I mean, they need you just as much as you might think you need them.
HOLMES: You talk about there's a signing a contract like any other job you're signing up for. With a contract with the military, is there much negotiating that can be done? You hit on if they don't have the job ready for you that you want right then, to come back later. How much negotiating can you do with the military to get what you want?
CAVALLARO: Well, I think there's a significant amount of negotiating you can do. I think they're going to put their best face forward when they're trying to get you to sign on the dotted line. It's obvious why. The Army's at war right now and it's a big decision to join the Army. But find out what the Army has for you too. That may sound kind of selfish, but the Army is going to get what it wants out of you during the time you're enlisted. And you need to know also that any recruiter who tells you you're not going to go to Iraq is telling you less than the truth. You're pretty much assured that you're going to go somewhere, whether it be Iraq or Afghanistan or some deployment somewhere. You're needed. The Army needs people everywhere right now.
HOLMES: Finally here, how skeptical should people be going into a recruiter's office? You mentioned the wars. It makes it of course tougher now. Are we seeing more instances -- it's still rare, not all are out there being deceptive and lying, but are we seeing more instances and it's getting tougher to convince kids to sign up so maybe we're getting more reports now of deceptive practices by some recruiters.
CAVALLARO: TJ, I think you hit the nail on the head on that one. With the number of recruiters out there and the number of people they're recruiting every year, I think we're talking about maybe a few hundred people who have gotten desperate and have done some things. The media has got a lot more focus on recruiters right now because there is a war going on. It's going to happen. But I think your best defense is to know everything you can. Go to goarmy.com, read about the jobs, read about what it's like to be a soldier. They make it easy for you. So take advantage of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And next hour our legal analysts weigh in on military recruiting. What you need to know before enlisting. That's coming up at 12:30 Eastern time.
NGUYEN: Well, for soldiers on the battleground, a picture, a memento, a letter from home, all these and more may be just as important as the rifle and government-issued gear. CNN's Baghdad bureau chief Cal Perry on the significance of the things carried in war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I asked Lieutenant Colonel Ross Brown if he'd ever read the Vietnam war novel, "The Things They Carried," which referred to the little things soldiers carry with them to make them feel safer. He hadn't, but he was intrigued and he began asking his men.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Do you carry anything special with you on a mission to help protect you?
PERRY: For the U.S. soldier patrolling unknown terrain, it's the small things that carry you through the day, the small trinkets given by family or picked up in the field.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Does this protect them? (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Hey Morales, do you carry anything special with you on mission to help you out?
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: I carry my wedding ring, a bracelet my wife sent me.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Archangel.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: I care a Bible, Psalm 91, prayer to St. Raphael (INAUDIBLE)
PERRY: Psalm 91, thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Carry it over your heart.
PERRY: And of course, the ever present banter of a sergeant major.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: (INAUDIBLE) My weapon is the only thing that I need I think.
PERRY: For the Iraqi Army soldier trying to rebuild his country and the Iraqi civilian trying to survive, it's the things they carry that make the small mental difference.
The Iraqi army is under strict orders not to speak with the press, not to tell us anything, whether it is what they carry for luck, how they go about their jobs or what it is that gets them through their day.
So we came out to this Baghdad street about a quarter of a mile away from the relatively protected green zone because in many respects, Iraq today is more dangerous for its civilians than for its soldiers. Civilians, too, carry with them mementoes they hope will bring them safety.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: So before they go out, they read a phrase in the Koran.
PERRY: Materials possession aside, all those fighting this war and all those who cover it, we will always carry with us demons, the memories we wish would simply go away. And here at CNN, only one small part of a much larger puzzle, the list is growing slowly larger. CNN producer (INAUDIBLE) driver Yasser (ph) and our stringer, Abbas (ph), all killed since the start of the war. Guy Barateri (ph), security guard and a friend, dead at age 36, leaving behind a three- month-old daughter. All of us here in Iraq carry with us something, something personal, something that reminds us of the unrelenting violence, the statistics that never seem to end. I, for one, was presented this coin by a combat medic here in Baghdad and not a day goes by that I don't remember the Iraqi and American soldiers that sacrificed their lives in this war. Cal Perry, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, from war to politics, presidential politics. McCain, Clinton, Obama, Giuliani. There's so much talk surrounding these folks, you'd think the election was just around the corner, but it's still almost two years away. So how does all this media attention play into the race for the White House? Joshua Levs joins us now with a CNN reality check. A lot of big names.
JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it feels like it's time for a reality check, doesn't it. Y would feel like the race is just about to happen. It's two years away, people. They call it the presidential horse race and this is the very, very early stage. What we wanted to do here was look back to four years ago at this time, follow me here, to some of the early talk about the last presidential race. And then we're going to see how that early talk actually panned out. But we're going to start here with a recent clip.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And so it begins.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We'll have more on the presidential horse race? Does Senator John McCain have the right stuff to beat the field? And what about Barak Obama?
LEVS: It's true, the horse race has begun, but hold your horses. Let's look back to this time four years ago, when the Democratic slot was up for grabs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why Al Gore is already leading in the so- called invisible primary.
LEVS: The former VP soon announced he wasn't running. The other folks getting the media attention did turn out to be major players in the race.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, those are the two names that are sort of floating to the top of the poll. Jack Edwards up against those two.
LEVS: But relatively little attention was going to a man who would rewrite the race.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty two percent of registered Democrats picked the former Vermont governor as their fave.
LEVS: A year later Howard Dean had come from behind, taking political observers by surprise. Of course, his campaign ultimately collapsed. Yes, we're showing that scream again. And in the end, the nominations went to two men among the handful of contenders who have, indeed, stuck out two years before the election.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: So, OK, does this mean that we can start predicting who will ultimately win? No.
NGUYEN: No.
LEVS: But in most of the presidential races of the last 30 years, the party nominees have been people with big-name recognition coming out of the midterm elections. So it turns out Betty that momentum this early on actually is a really big plus.
NGUYEN: So these may be the people to watch. All right. Thank you, Josh.
HOLMES: It's time for us to turn over to weather again and Reynolds Wolf has been on it all morning for us. Hello again to you, sir.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey guys. For all the poor kids in parts of New York that got sleds for Christmas and waiting to go out and enjoy them, I'm sorry, no snow in the forecast for you, but instead we got temperatures that are going to be in the 70s today. Take a look at this live image that we have from New York City, actually in Central Park, that shows people ice skating. That live shot from New York that shows people -- visualize in your head, people. Well, now, no one -- right below the tree, I think you see somebody in a Zamboni.
Well, imagine if you could people ice skating, because I promise you it did happen a while ago, and nonetheless, they are doing so with temperatures that will be in the 70s because we still have a great deal of warm air all along the eastern seaboard from Boston to New York, a chance of scattered showers, actually a better chance of rainfall in New York. Also some rain central part along portions of the Gulf coast and back into the Pacific northwest, rain along the coast and the higher elevations, we're talking about some snowfall.
Let's talk about those temperatures. Kinds of cold back in the Rockies, still 20s in Salt Lake City, 37 degrees in Denver. There you go, New York City, 70. The expected high in Boston, 68 degrees. But in Boston as well as New York over the next couple of days we can expect those temperatures to drop a little bit more each day, all the way back to the 30s by the time we get into Wednesday. That's a look at your forecast. Let's send it back to you.
NGUYEN: So it's going to return to normal very soon.
WOLF: I talked to the ice skaters. NGUYEN: I know. Enjoy the warm weather while you can on the northeast.
WOLF: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Reynolds.
HOLMES: Ghost riding home videos have exploded on Internet sites like youtube. Some of them mixed with a popular hip-hop tune that celebrates this risky ride.
Of all places to dance, how about in the middle of the street with your car rolling next to you?
NGUYEN: Who thinks of this stuff? I mean, really?
HOLMES: I prefer a dance floor, but, hey, whatever your thing is. That's ghost riding is what they are calling it. It's more popular than you may think. Stay around for that.
NGUYEN: And later, shall we say, sex on the beach? One of Brazil's most famous women caught on tape. And the ongoing fight between Brazil's government and web video company youtube. All of this, ahead, right here in newsroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: In news across America this morning, nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is recovering from a 12-hour operation. The nature of the surgery was not disclosed. As you recall, back in September, Farrakhan told followers he was seriously ill but did not give any details. Farrakhan has had a previous bout with prostate cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANNY PORTER, GWINNETT COUNTY DISTRICT ATTY: The lowest price that we were able to discover through our investigation was $500 and it would go as high as $10,000 or $15,000.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The former "Penthouse" playmate and an associate are out of jail after their arrest earlier this week. Police in suburban Atlanta say the two ran a high-end prostitution ring out of a million dollar home in a gated community. More arrests are expected. Police are going through computer records of the woman's alleged customers.
NGUYEN: And the American Dialect Society has determined 2006 word of the year, drum roll, is "plutoed." yes, "plutoed" as in to demote or devalue something, as astronomers did by changing the status of Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet. Plutoed, and now you know.
HOLMES: We've got another something for you to note here. We told you what the term ghost riding - this is kind of drivers on a dare here. NGUYEN: Yeah, police warn it could be the last chance they take, and CNN's Dan Lothian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ghost riding, some call it a thrill, an adrenaline rush, but police call it a dangerous stunt, leaving a car in gear or neutral, while it's still moving, then dancing next to it, on the hood, the roof, or the trunk, before getting back behind the wheel. Sometimes, things go wrong.
CAPT. GLEN REWELL, SAN DIEGO CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT: To leave a vehicle completely uncontrolled and to just trust it to nature, if you will, and the forces of nature and physics is taking foolish to new heights.
LOTHIA: Twenty-five year old Vip Patel, who lives in northern California says he started ghost riding about six months a ago.
VIP PATEL, GHOST RIDER: Saw people doing it, thought it was funny, and wanted to try it.
LOTHIAN: His buddies videotaped the ride. Then he posted it on myspace. Patel is hooked.
PATEL: The thrill of just doing it and taking the risk. It's dangerous, but it's fun at the same time.
LOTHIAN: Ghost riding home videos have exploded on Internet sites like youtube, some of them mixed with a popular hip-hop tune that celebrates this risky ride.
It's so widespread, police in places like Stockton, California, and San Diego, say it's a disturbing trend.
SGT. JEFF FELLOWS, SAN DIEGO POLICE: Well, hopefully it's a short fad, but it's already proven to lead to injuries and death.
LOTHIAN: Like this video we showed earlier. The driver bails before his truck hits a fire hydrant and crashes into an electric pole. He was lucky. But in Stockton, police say 18-year-old Davender Gulley was killed while performing a stunt out of the window of his SUV. Patel says he only pushes his luck so far.
PATEL: Make sure you do it in a controlled environment and keep it safe, and don't do anything out of control.
LOTHIAN: But police warn that without anyone behind the wheel, everything is already out of control.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Whoa. We're still trying to figure out why, really? I mean, let's get real about why.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thrill seekers. NGUYEN: But, still.
WHITFIELD: Sorry to barge in on your conversation, right? That's what I'm thinking.
HOLMES: Well, hello to you.
WHITFIELD: Hello.
HOLMES: Fredicka.
WHITFIELD: How are you guys doing? Happy New Year.
HOLMES: Yes, happy new year to you, yeah.
WHITFIELD: Coming up in the noon hour, we're going to continue on something you touched on earlier, when the armed services are upping the ante on recruitment. Well, our legal guys weigh in, because after all, if you are of age and you are recruited or perhaps you volunteer, there's a contract involved. So, how negotiable is that contract? Our legal guys will be weighing in.
And what's this about a UFO sighting in Chicago? What's going on? Well, apparently some witnesses say they saw some kind of oval object.
HOLMES: Yeah.
WHITFIELD: We're going to get to the bottom of it. What's it all about?
NGUYEN: Is it really a UFO? Come on, you can tell us about it.
WHITFIELD: Noontime. Tune in.
NGUYEN: She's going to make us wait for it. All right, Fred. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you.
TIM LESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daniela Cicarelli is one of Brazil's top models with her own show on MTV Brazil.
NGUYEN: So what has this Brazilian beauty at the center of an international dispute? Find out, just ahead here in the newsroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, if you have seen the video, you know why one of Brazil's best-known models is taking on the video-sharing website youtube.
HOLMES: The legal showdown spans the western hemisphere and the worldwide web. CNN's Tim Lester has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TIM LESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Daniela Cicarelli is one of Brazil's top models, with her own show on MTV Brazil. She's also well known for her brief engagement to soccer star Ronaldo. So as a celebrity, there was little surprise that when a steamy video surfaced of Cicarelli and her current boyfriend Renato Malzoni (ph) on a beach in Spain, it found its way on the video-sharing service youtube and it quickly became very popular. Back in September, the couple won a court order in Brazil, instructing youtube to remove the video. It did, but --
BRUCE UPBIN, FORBEST MAGAZINE: The thing about youtube is the reason it became so successful, because anyone can put up anything at any time. Youtube is forced to take things down if they infringe on a copyright and so they've been told by the judge to take this down for privacy reasons, but people keep putting it back on.
LESTER: So a judge in Sao Paulo has now ordered youtube to use filters to ensure the video does not reappear. Malzoni's lawyer said his struggle is to have some level of control to avoid violations of people's fundamental rights such as privacy and intimacy. There may be more trouble ahead for youtube, a panel of Brazilian judges will decide whether the service should be fined some $100,000 for every day that the video was available. It's for cases like this that youtube's owner Google set aside tens of millions of dollars to cover fines and legal bills.
UPBIN: We're going to see this forever and ever. Google is just going to put money into every little suit that comes up. They'll have to settle them. They might get hit with a very big one, but mostly for copyright infringement .
LESTER: The case of Daniela Cicarelli shows that a global presence online brings its own dilemmas.
ANDREW HOBSON, INTL PATENT ATTORNEY: This is the trouble with doing business on the Internet. You are exposed in all jurisdictions. Youtube is at the moment, as far as I know, limited to the USA, so anybody who has a big problem with it, eventually, if you get judgment in Brazil, you've got to go to the USA to enforce that judgment.
LESTER: No comment from youtube on this case, nor from Daniela Cicarelli, but few in the fashion industry think it will harm her career. Tim Lester, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, CNN newsroom continues with Fredricka Whitfield.
HOLMES: That's coming up right after the break. Thanks so much for hanging out with me and Betty this morning.
NGUYEN: Have a terrific day.
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