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Miami Port Security; Metro Train Derailment in Washington, D.C.; Congressional Opposition to Troop Increase in Iraq; Buried Alive in Colorado; Building Support in Somalia; Glimpse Into New Majority Leader's Upbringing; Adopted Twins Dispute

Aired January 07, 2007 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Fredricka at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
You're in the NEWSROOM.

Fears sparked in Miami around port security. Speculations fly.

We'll have a live report.

Genetically modified crops, cloned cows. It seems scientists are getting their hands on everything we eat, but is it progress or dangerous?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: My parents both drank a lot, and I was always so glad when they were broke because they couldn't afford stuff then.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: From a rough small-town childhood, to the pinnacle of congressional power, a very personal look at the new Senate majority leader, Harry Reid.

First, an update on top stories.

As President Bush ponders more troops to Iraq, Democrats want him to justify the costs. New House speaker Nancy Pelosi says the new Democratically-controlled Congress won't be issuing any blank checks.

The latest in our top story.

In Colorado, work crews bring out the heavy artillery in trying to prevent another possible avalanche at Berthoud Pass. The mountain road closed by a wall of falling snow is now reopened. Eight people were rescued from snowdrifts as high as 15 feet. None had life- threatening injuries.

Security is at a premium at the Port of Miami. The FBI says three men are detained after they allegedly tried to enter the port illegally. One of the men was driving an 18-wheeler, the other two were found inside the cab. All are being questioned by the FBI. In Gaza, a Western journalist held for six days by Palestinian militants has been freed. Fifty-year-old photographer Jaime Razuri (ph) was released to the office of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas earlier today. No reason has been given for his return.

The Port of Miami is open, but it's not business as usual. Today's foiled attempt of three men trying to get into the facility has security at a premium.

Let's go live to CNN's Susan Candioti, who has been following this story all afternoon -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Yes, three people who apparently thought they could drive on to the Port of Miami without the proper paperwork threw security into overdrive today. The port was never closed. In fact, on a Sunday it's pretty busy here, with cruise ship passengers coming and going. And all that went on normally. But, red flags were raised when this man who was driving an 18-wheeler tried to enter the port, apparently didn't have the proper paperwork, and that raised some red flags.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT WILLIAMS, MIAMI-DADE POLICE DEPT.: Some of his actions determined that something might not be correct here. The officer was able to determine that inside the cab of that vehicle were two individuals of Middle Eastern descent concealed inside that cab of that vehicle. All three parties -- the cab -- all three parties were taken into custody and are now currently being detained by the FBI and interviewed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: And, in fact, once that truck came through, it was isolated from the rest of the cargo area.

I'm told by law enforcement authorities that they did use a scanner machine to look over what was inside of the truck using something similar to x-rays. And at first it did not appear to match what was listed on the manifest.

We don't know precisely what that was, but that caused them to bring in bomb-sniffing dogs. They went over the cargo. But apparently, they have not found anything that was untoward.

In any case, this does not appear to be anything that is terrorism- related in any way. And those three people have been questioned. It is possible they will be charged with some state charges.

We are still waiting for a press conference to begin shortly about what happened here. But certainly security is already at its height because the Super Bowl being held in Miami is just a few weeks away. And so authorities here are taking extra special care, like they already do here at Port of Miami, to make sure nothing illegal was going on -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Susan Candiotti, in Miami.

Thank you so much.

Meantime, in the nation's capital, a metro train derailment taking place at the Mt. Vernon Square station, which is downtown at about 7th Street, where the convention center is located.

Our Gary Nurenberg is on that story -- Gary.

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I am standing outside the convention center right now watching D.C. Fire and EMS Ambulance No. 18 dispatched here from Capitol Hill taking away someone who was injured in that collision underneath the streets of Washington. As we stand here, D.C. Fire and EMS Ambulance 16 is also pulling away with an injured passenger.

We just talked to the acting fire chief in Washington, Brian Lee (ph), who says that at about quarter of 4:00 this afternoon, they were told of this derailment underneath the convention center up at Mt. Vernon Square stop. He says he had firefighters and EMS personnel under the streets within four minutes, tells us he was able to get between 75 and 80 passengers off that subterranean train and says there were only a limited number of injuries. He believes everyone is stable at this point.

Power was killed to the third rail. And then D.C. Fire, EMS, Emergency Medical Service, and metro workers individually took the passengers off the train. Passengers we talked to said they felt a very hard impact.

One man described what he felt as being something similar to whiplash when the train hit something beneath the street. He says the power went out, lights were lost, cell phone service was lost. But he said other than the panic he observed on the train, he found no serious injuries. And his colleagues, as we saw them walking down the street, also said they saw no one seriously injured.

Fire Chief Lee (ph) could not tell us at this point what caused that derailment, but they believe at this point they have everyone from beneath the streets now accounted for. And at this point they're evaluating them and trying to determine exactly what caused this accident.

WHITFIELD: So, Gary, when you say about 75 to 80 passengers have been taken off the train, no major injuries, how many cars are we talking about that have been derailed?

NURENBERG: Well, Fredricka, we asked that specific question, and Fire Chief Lee (ph), when we talked to him about four minutes ago, simply did not have the answer for us.

As you know from your time in Washington, on weekends the number of cars on each train is reduced. They often run between four and six at this hour on Sundays, but we really have no way to know exactly.

WHITFIELD: Gary Nurenberg, thanks so much.

Five more Americans have lost their lives in Iraq. Three were killed today in a car bombing in Baghdad. One died Friday of combat wounds sustained in Anbar province, and another was shot dead in Baghdad, according to statements released today by the military.

In Washington, President Bush's new plan for saving Iraq is expected this week, but congressional opposition to a troops increase grew more insistent today.

Standing by live at the White House, CNN's Elaine Quijano -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Fredricka.

Well, President Bush has yet to unveil his Iraq strategy, but already some Democrats are forcefully opposing the idea of a so-called troop surge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO (voice over): President Bush hasn't announced his retooled Iraq plan yet, but Democratic leaders are warning they could use the power of the purse to hold the president accountable if he decides to increase the number of U.S. forces in Baghdad.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: If the president wants to expand the mission, that's a conversation he has to have with the Congress of the United States. But this is not a carte blanche, you know, blank check to him to do whatever he wishes there.

QUIJANO: Democrats are seeking to cast a surge as an escalation of the unpopular Iraq war. But a senior Bush administration official says the White House views a potential surge as part of a broader political and economic strategy. A sentiment meant to answer concerns expressed by some skeptical fellow Republicans.

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: I want a plan. I want to know how the surge will occur. What will be the numbers? What will they do? What do they hope to achieve?

QUIJANO: Adding to the debate, President Bush's decision to change military leadership in Iraq. Some Democrats charge the president is replacing his generals there, John Abizaid and George Casey, because they disagree with him on a troop surge.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Looking at it from my perspective, it looks like the president went shopping for a general who agreed with him.

QUIJANO: The White House calls that inaccurate. Some Republicans agree, saying Lieutenant General David Petraeus is the right man to lead in Iraq.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: General Petraeus represents the best hope of this country to start over. He believes that a surge in troops will be effective and necessary when co-joined with political realignment and new efforts by the Iraqi government.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: Now, though administration officials say the president still has not made any final decisions on Iraq policy just yet, we are expecting to hear that in a primetime address to the nation Wednesday or Thursday of this week -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Elaine, thanks so much.

Well, in Colorado, motorists are heading safely to their destinations now. Just west of Denver today, a stretch of US 40 that was closed yesterday due to a massive avalanche has reopened. Tumbling tons of snow knocked two cars off the road. When searchers were done, eight people were rescued, and one of them was Dave Boon.

He and his wife June and another passenger, 13-year-old Gary, were all in the car and had to make their way out. David is on the line with us now.

David, how are you feeling?

DAVID BOON, AVALANCHE SURVIVOR: A little sore, but pretty good considering what we went through yesterday.

WHITFIELD: Wow. You all must feel incredibly lucky.

BOON: We are very grateful to be alive and unhurt today.

WHITFIELD: So tell me about what was taking place when you were on Highway 40. Did you see any kind of warning that an avalanche was heading your way?

BOON: We were heading up to the Winter Park ski area and just happened to see a little puff of white powder on the left. And a blast -- a blast hit us and carried -- and knocked us out of control into the guardrail. And about the same time, the major part of the avalanche hit us with the force of a freight train, over the guardrail.

We started tumbling down a 30 to 40-degree slope. We flipped three or four times, ended up on our roof.

WHITFIELD: And you all had your seatbelts on?

BOON: We all had our seatbelts on, yes.

WHITFIELD: Thank goodness.

BOON: I don't think we would be in good shape if we -- if we hadn't.

WHITFIELD: And so here you are upside down. At this point, you know, what is taking place inside the car? Are you all talking to one another? You know, how are you assessing what comes next?

What do you do? BOON: Well, the car was full of snow and we couldn't see daylight yet. And I pushed my hand up through where my window had been because it blew in as soon as the avalanche hit us, and I found daylight.

I dug myself out, and then dug the snow out around my wife's face so she could breathe and everything, but we couldn't get her out. She was upside down, being held by her shoulder restraint.

So I got out of the car and screamed for someone to call 911 and to get a knife down to me.

WHITFIELD: And so you could see people and you were certain that some one could hear you?

BOON: Yes. The motorists behind us had stopped. And by the time we were able to -- I was able to dig my way out, it probably took me two or three minutes for me to unstrap my seatbelts and dig my way out.

So, a few people had stopped. They were up on the roadside looking down at us. And so, I then got Gary out of the backseat. He had to come out through my driver's side window because it was a two-door Honda Accord.

And then, somebody came down with a knife. And I busted the rear window on the driver's side and got back in the car...

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

BOON: My wife's head was trapped between the roof and the headrest because we were upside down. So we were able to push up. At the same time, we cut the shoulder strap and we were able to get her outside the side window.

WHITFIELD: That is amazing. Boy, you all are indeed lucky.

And I understand a lot of the other drivers in the area saw a lot of this stuff taking place, started taking skis off their rooftops and getting shovels out of their cars, anything they could do to try to help out before rescue crews came along.

David Boon, you're from the area but, at the same time, who could prepare themselves to be caught up in an avalanche?

BOON: Well, I don't think you can. We had -- we had an avalanche shovel in our trunk, and we've done a lot of back country skiing and actually had taken avalanche awareness courses. But I don't think you could ever be ready for something like this.

WHITFIELD: All right. David Boon, thank you so much. And we're glad that everything worked out for you, June, as well as Gary.

Thanks again.

BOON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Now on to the other story that we continue to follow all day long out of Miami. This involves the Port of Miami and the detainment of three men who tried to enter the port without the proper credentials or paperwork.

Well, as promised, there is another press conference taking place right now. We want to take you straight to Miami, near the Port of Miami, for this press conference, where I understand Lieutenant Nancy Goldberg of Miami-Dade Police will be speaking, as well as Jose Ramirez, with the U.S. Customs.

LT. NANCY GOLDBERG, MIAMI-DADE POLICE: (SPEAKING SPANISH)

WHITFIELD: Well, let's just explain a little bit before we are able to get some of the press conference now taking place in English.

GOLDBERG: We are here to tell you that the Port of Miami is safe. At no time was the port closed. All cargo and cruise operations continued uninterrupted.

At approximately 8:00 a.m. today, a truck bringing a cargo container to the port arrived to the main gate for entry. At that time, as is standard protocol, a routine security inspection took place.

During that inspection, the seaport security officer determined that the driver did not have the required seaport-issued I.D. As a result, the driver was directed to the commercial vehicle inspection station for a routine background investigation in order to obtain a one-day pass. This routine investigation which is conducted by the Miami-Dade Police Department is mandated by state statute whenever an individual attempts to enter the port without the required port issue identification.

During the routine inspection, Miami-Dade police officers noticed two additional passengers inside the cab area which is located in the backseat of the truck. Not inside the container.

Up to this point, due to miscommunication between gate security personnel and the truck driver, we believe there was a discrepancy in the number of people in the vehicle attempting to enter the port of Miami. This, and the fact that one of the individuals did not have any form of I.D.

(HORN SOUNDS)

GOLDBERG: I have to go now -- raised our level of concern.

Based on these series...

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GOLDBERG: I'm sorry. OK.

Up to this point, due to miscommunication between gate security personnel and the truck driver, we believed there was a discrepancy in the number of people in the vehicle attempting to enter the Port of Miami. This, and the fact that one of the individuals did not have any form of I.D., raised our level of concern. Based on these series of events, and in an abundance of caution, we initiated security protocols that included calling in our federal and local law enforcement partners through the southeast regional domestic security task force which is chaired by our own Miami-Dade Police Department director, Robert Parker (ph), and co-chaired by Amos Rojas Jr. (ph), with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

This layered approach to security led to an immediate interagency response that included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ICE; FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida: U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Services; and the Maritime Industry of the port.

We wanted to be as prudent and deliberate as we could in conducting a thorough investigation in one of our nation's busiest ports. For this reason, the container was further inspected as part of protocol. This inspection has determined that the contents match the manifest. The 40-foot container was, in fact, transporting electrical automotive parts as stated in the manifest.

The security checks and balances at the port -- at the port, I'm sorry -- worked well and effectively. What in the past would have taken us three to four days has taken your federal, state and local law enforcement community a few hours to investigate and resolve.

Here to discuss the technology utilized to inspect the 40-foot container is Jose Ramirez, port director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

JOSE RAMIREZ, U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION: Good afternoon.

This morning, my office was called to -- by the Miami-Dade Police Department to assist them in identifying the contents of a 45-foot container that they had stopped, and was concerned about the contents in the container. Customs and Border Protection uses an array of technology to examine the contents of containers in a non-intrusive fashion.

We used the gamma ray identification device. It's a large x-ray piece of equipment that we can see through the 45-foot container.

We x-rayed the container, and the contents of the 45-foot container were consistent with what was manifested on the shipping documents. We also inspected the container using a device called a radio isotope identification device, or RID, and that device was used to determine if there was any radioactivity emanating from the container. And there was none.

Having secured the container to make sure that it was safe, we transported the container to our examination facility in the back side of the port, and we are in the process of removing the palettes from the container. There were 22 palettes. We are x-raying all the palettes and we're inspecting the cargo. And again, everything in the container is consistent with what was manifested.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

RAMIREZ: No. There was no -- no drums on the truck. I'm not sure where that came from.

QUESTION: And again, what was on the palettes, sir?

RAMIREZ: It was wiring, spools of wire. There were fittings and stuff. It's to make automotive wiring harnesses, what the commodity was for.

QUESTION: Are these three people now free to go?

RAMIREZ: I think they are still being talked to by the FBI. I am not certain.

QUESTION: Did the driver, did he ever say that he was alone in the truck? Or was that just a miscommunication? Did he ever say, I'm alone, and then you found two other people in the back?

GOLDBERG: OK. I will go ahead and answer those.

What was your previous question? I'm sorry. I just didn't want to...

QUESTION: Are the three men free to go?

GOLDBERG: OK. At this point, OK, they're still investigating -- in our department, we are still investigating the three gentlemen -- OK -- along with administrative violations that could have possibly happened in reference to the required identification in order to enter the port.

OK. Those are the things that we are looking at right now at this point.

I'm sorry?

QUESTION: My question was, the driver of the truck, did he ever simply say I'm alone on the truck. Was he asked if he was alone?

GOLDBERG: He was asked and stated that he was by himself, which was one of the issues that erupted in our concern.

QUESTION: What was his excuse for the other two being there? They're just along for the ride? Or were they working with him?

GOLDBERG: They apparently -- one is a friend. And the other one -- the other two are related by blood. They're brothers.

QUESTION: So there's four?

GOLDBERG: No, there is three.

QUESTION: There's three?

GOLDBERG: Yes. There is a driver and two passengers.

QUESTION: Could you give us the ages?

QUESTION: Earlier, you said there was a miscommunication, but does that mean a miscommunication -- you said about whether he actually said he was alone or...

GOLDBERG: Well, he -- no. He claimed -- he said that he was alone. OK?

The guard, the seaport guard that questioned him, OK, understood that he was alone. That is when he was directed, because he did not have identification. That's when the other two were found out.

So, somewhere -- I can't tell you because I wasn't there, actually how this miscommunication occurred. But apparently there was some sort of miscommunication between them. Maybe it could have been a language barrier. We don't know at this point.

WHITFIELD: Lieutenant Nancy Goldberg of Miami-Dade Police Department explaining the communications problems for one that may have taken place there at the Port of Miami after a driver in an 18-wheeler pulls up and apparently didn't have the proper identification, and somehow through communication between the driver and the person at the checkpoint failed to mention that there were two other people in the vehicle. Neither one of them had the proper identification either.

So fast forward. Now we have got the FBI continuing to question the three people that were associated with that 18-wheeler that you are looking at. Violations, including having improper credentials and identification.

However, the port remains open. And after further investigating the container there on that 18-wheeler, it looks like all of the contents match the manifest which the driver had.

Now on to another story that we'll be looking at later on in this hour.

It's been more than a decade since 18 U.S. soldiers were killed and one body dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. CNN was with a new generation of soldiers as they prepare to reenter Somalia.

You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: "Going global."

A mass rally in a Gaza soccer stadium today marking the 42nd anniversary of the Fatah movement. The show of strength is intended to send a message to the rival Hamas faction in the increasingly violence struggle for Palestinian influence.

In Bangladesh, riot police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up anti-government protests today. Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of the Bangladeshi capital, demanding electoral reforms and postponement of elections planned for January 22nd. In Somalia, security concerns force a top U.S. diplomat to cancel the first diplomatic visit in over a decade. Today angry protesters marched through the streets of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. They denounced the presence of Ethiopian troops and condemned the government's plan to forcibly disarm the city.

That U.S. diplomat is Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer. She is in the region trying to drum up support for an international peacekeeping force in Somalia. In nearby Yemen, that is reportedly proving to be a very hard sell.

More now from our CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The top U.S. diplomat for Africa arrived here seeking the government's support for an international peacekeeping force to go into Somalia. But for the government here in Yemen, that is a difficult proposition.

This place has long ties to al Qaeda. The U.S. Navy warship Cole was attacked in the harbor here several years ago. And the government here in Yemen is well aware that Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, has just issued a call for an Iraq-style insurgency in Somalia against any foreign peacekeeping forces in that country. So the Bush administration is walking a fine line, trying to keep support for the new fragile government in Somalia, and trying to see if there are any moderate elements in the Islamic militia that was thrown out of power, moderate Islamic elements still in Somalia that it might work with.

JENDAYI FRAZER, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE OF AFRICAN AFFAIRS: I think it is important to talk to the Islamic courts, or whomever -- the moderates within the groups, because they do have experience, they did bring a certain degree of order to Mogadishu.

STARR: The message to this region now from the United States is that the new government in Somalia must stay in power long enough to govern and long enough to get a chance to try to bring peace to that troubled country.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Aden, Yemen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: "Now in the News," ""The New York Times" says President Bush will call for a rapid influx of U.S. forces to Iraq when he announces his new strategy this week. The paper says the president's plan will send as many as 20,000 troops to Baghdad. The plan includes a reconstruction and job program for Iraqis as well.

Trying to avert disaster outside Denver, Colorado. Crews fired artillery shells today to trigger controlled snow slides on a mountain highway that was hit by a massive avalanche yesterday. Two cars were forced off the road, but no one was seriously hurt.

Security is beefed up at the Port of Miami after three people allegedly tried to get through the checkpoint at the port there without the proper I.D. They are now being questioned by the FBI, and local and state authorities say they went through the protocol in place when someone doesn't have the proper credentials.

A subway train derails in the nation's capital. Officials say a metro train went off the tracks this afternoon. Some passengers had to be evacuated. As many as 80, in fact. So far, there are no reports of major injuries.

And in Scottsdale, Arizona, preparations are well under way for the biggest college football game of the season. Top-ranked Ohio State takes on number two, Florida, in the BCS National Championship tomorrow night.

The new leader of the U.S. Senate gives us a tour of his humble Nevada hometown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID: This house right here, that last room was a bedroom. That's where he killed himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Not all of Harry Reid's memories of Searchlight, Nevada, are pleasant ones.

Details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

And how about that hamburger? Is it cloned? The FDA says beef and milk from cloned cows is safe, but what do the farmers themselves seem to think?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLISON QUETS, FLED TO CANADA WITH TWINS SHE GAVE UP FOR ADOPTION: I think of their faces, I think of their eyes. I think of how they look at me. I think of how much I know they want me to hold them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A mother charged with kidnapping her own children. Now she's returning to the U.S. to face her fate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Democratically-controlled 110th Congress has a weighty agenda ahead with the number of legislative goals set for the first 100 hours.

First up, they'll take a close look at ethics reform, calling for stricter rules. Democrats also want to increase minimum wage.

Leaders also plan to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. And fed up with what they call outrageous oil company profits, Democrats want to cut oil industry subsidies. And they will take on the hot-button stem cell issue. Many hope to promote more research on the education front. Democrats want to cut college costs and the cost of prescription drugs.

On another big issue, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is not ruling out a tax increase on America's highest incomes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELOSI: What we're saying is, Democrats propose tax cuts for middle- income families. And we want to have pay-go, no new deficit spending. We're not going to start with tax -- repealing tax cuts, but they certainly are not off the table for people making over half a million dollars a year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Pelosi said the new Democratic Congress will target waste, fraud and abuse in the federal budget, and invest in education and healthcare.

One of Pelosi's allies is new Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The Nevada Democrat will set the Senate's agenda this year. He's a private man from a hardscrabble background that has shaped his views on public service.

He gives a rare glimpse now of his upbringing to our Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Searchlight, Nevada, a dried-up mining town, a relic of the Wild West. A truck stop 55 miles from Las Vegas. Most of the 800 residents live in trailers.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), INCOMING MAJORITY LEADER: Welcome to Searchlight.

BASH (on camera): Thank you.

(voice over): The one house belongs to new Senate majority leader Harry Reid, shaped and scarred in Searchlight.

REID: I'm a pessimist about everything in life. That way I have fewer disappointments.

BASH: In the distance of this vast property, a mine where his father worked. Pinky (ph), young Harry's nickname, would keep dad company.

REID: It was hard to making a living. And the man that my dad worked for a lot of times wouldn't pay him or would give him bad checks that would bounce.

BASH: The memories can hurt.

REID: My parents both drank a lot, and I was always so glad when they were broke because they couldn't afford stuff then.

BASH: Then, prostitution was Searchlight's biggest industry. Reid learned to swim at one of the 13 brothels, remembers the owner giving kids $5 for Christmas.

REID: That's what it cost for the men to go with the girls, is five bucks.

BASH (on camera): I won't ask how you used the $5.

REID: Well, I bought things out of the catalogue.

BASH (voice over): School ended in eighth grade, so Reid hitchhiked 42 miles for high school, went to college with a collection from the locals.

REID: Even though I was raised here, my mother always was able to instill in me that I was as good as anybody else.

That's part of it there, that old wood (ph) there.

BASH: A trailer has now replaced the four-room home with no running water where Reid and his three brothers grew up.

To tour Searchlight is to find scars, like where his 58-year-old father shot himself to death.

REID: This house right here, that last room is a bedroom. That's where he killed himself.

Hi.

BASH: The senator from Nevada fights for Sin City but doesn't gamble or drink. A square-looking guy who listens to hip songs on his iPod.

(on camera): Cowboy Junkies.

REID: You know the Cowboy Junkies?

BASH (voice over): And how does he keep up with music? Get this...

(on camera): Did I read that you're a "People" magazine reader?

REID: Yes. I love "People" magazine.

BASH (voice over): Harry Reid sums himself up this way...

REID: Isn't Kris Kristofferson -- his song, "He's a walking contradiction?"

BASH: Dana Bash, CNN, Searchlight, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now a custody fight an international odyssey. Now the mother accused of kidnapping her 17-month-old twins and taking them to Canada breaks her silence. Allison Quets says she plans to fight to regain custody of the twins.

In an exclusive interview with "The Ottawa Citizen" newspaper, Quets talked about the legal ordeal she faces, but she says her focus is on the children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUETS: I think of their faces, I think of their eyes. I think of how they look at me. I think of how much I know they want me to hold them. And I can't, because I'm not there.

Yes.

ANDREW THOMSON, "OTTAWA CITIZEN": So you're going to go back on Monday to the United States?

QUETS: Yes.

THOMSON: Do you know right now -- any idea of what's going to happen as soon as you get back there? I know you did mention that you planned to fight, continue your legal fight, your custody fight, and face whatever charges might come up.

QUETS: Yes. I've retained a lawyer, so the lawyer is handling all of the arrangements in terms of, you know, what happens on the state side. I know I'll be crossing the border Monday morning, and that's pretty much all the information I have right now.

I don't really need to know any more than that right now. I really don't want to think a lot about those things. I just want to focus on the kids.

I'm hoping to be able to see them again as soon as possible. I'm praying for that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now something all of you are likely to have to think about soon, milk and meat from cloned cows? Are they safe to eat and drink?

The Food and Drug Administration says yes. But one Maryland dairy farmer is not so convinced.

CNN's Gary Nurenberg has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG (voice over): Maryland dairy farmer Greg Wiles has had cloned cows Cyagra Z and Genesis Z for five years.

GREG WILES, FARMER: From the normal healthy one, everything has been positive. From the unhealthy one, we've had disaster.

NURENBERG: Cyagra Z has miscarried, had another calf die, has lost 500 pounds, has diarrhea, and other medical problems. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See her ears, how all the hair is coming off of it?

NURENBERG (on camera): Scientists have seen abnormalities in other cloned cows, but the Food and Drug Administration may lift its voluntary ban on products from animal clones, putting meat and milk from cloned cows like Cyagra Z on supermarket shelves nationwide.

DR. STEPHEN SUNDLOF, FOOD AND DRUG ADMIN.: We have engaged in extensive studies.

NURENBERG (voice over): The FDA, in a finding last month called draft risk assessment, gave initial approval for human consumption.

SUNDLOF: We find no discernible differences between the food produced from this animal cloning technology and the food produced through normal mating.

NURENBERG: Some consumer groups fault the studies used in that draft risk assessment.

JAYDEE HANSON, CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY: They're not putting the resources that they need into assuring us that our food is safe.

NURENBERG: At Futuroland Farm (ph), Wiles (ph) believes the federal government is simply not interested in hearing about the problems with Cyagra Z.

WILES: And basically I was told that they had gathered enough research for the risk assessment from the cloning companies. And all those indications were positive that everything was healthy.

NURENBERG (on camera): You've got a problem with a cloned cow and the federal government doesn't want to hear about it?

WILES: No, they don't. Nobody -- nobody in the last five years from the federal government has even stepped foot on the farm.

NURENBERG: And you think there is something seriously wrong?

WILES: I do think there's something seriously wrong, because the cow herself is only half the size of the other clone. And she obviously has -- has medical problems.

NURENBERG (voice over): The FDA says it has solicited information from owners of animal clones, including Wiles. Suspended from his milk cooperative, Wiles Thursday dumped thousands of dollars' worth of milk from his non-cloned cows.

Some dairy farmers hope approval of cloned animal products will mean higher quality meat and milk. But the business model is unproven and, as CNN visited Wiles, sheriff's deputies arrived to serve eviction papers. He says financial problems may force him to violate the voluntary ban and sell Genesis and Cyagra for meat.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Williamsport, Maryland. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, today they are slim and small. But once upon a time, cell phones required a real physical commitment to carry. Jeanne Moos compares the old with the new.

You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't come here for this. You know? I mean, Disney is supposed to be a safe place. It's supposed to be a place that you come and you enjoy time with your family.

How hard did he hit you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty hard. Like, he hit me pretty hard. I could still feel it even though he was wearing padded gloves.

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WHITFIELD: They're actually talking about a pretty unfortunate altercation with none other than Tigger of Winnie the Pooh fame. He is also one of the many life-sized characters walking around Walt Disney World.

The New Hampshire dad says the man in the Tigger suit hit his son during a photo-op. Police are now investigating. Meanwhile, the employee is on suspension.

Police in Los Angeles are investigating the death of USC football player Mario Danelo. The 21-year-old's body was found at the bottom of a cliff in San Pedro yesterday. Police say there is no evidence of foul play.

And a bizarre case of arson at a church in Richmond, California, last night. Police say a 40-year-old man walked into the sanctuary and allegedly set a nativity scene on fire. The choir was practicing at the time but managed to escape unharmed.

And western Washington State reeling from widespread power outages again. This is the second time in just a few weeks that wind storms have left thousands of residents there in the dark. And more bad weather is in the forecast.

Alison Ahmoye with CNN affiliate KIRO looks at the damage.

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TERRY MATTHEWS, HOMEOWNER: We've been here forever, and this is, you know, the first time. And it's just that the wind shifted and came from a different direction.

ALISON AHMOYE, REPORTER, KIRO (voice over): That wind shift resulted in this, a huge Douglas-fir crashing onto Terry Matthews' home and bringing two other trees with it.

MATTHEWS: I mean, all of a sudden, you just hear this huge crack, and I knew it was a tree, because what else could it be?

AHMOYE: The tree broke through rafters, insulation, and the ceiling, shattering the front window and cutting power out at exactly 12:35 a.m. The Matthews had to bring in a crane to lift the tree off their home without damaging it further.

MATTHEWS: You know, you're just thankful nobody got hurt. And it's just a house, you know. And it will get fixed. It's just going to be an inconvenience for a while.

AHMOYE: In Edmonds, we found a similar situation. A maple tree had split during the storm and toppled onto this home and an old Thunderbird.

Meanwhile, Snohomish PUD crews worked feverishly to restore power to the many residents left in the dark for the second time this winter. But this time around, getting power back seemed a little more urgent for some.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I said, "Are you going to be ready for -- are you going to be done by the time the game is on?" And he went, "Maybe." And I said, "OK."

So I went in and we made arrangements to leave. Because we're going to watch the game.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Some pretty serious weather there in Washington State. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center.

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WHITFIELD: Rick Sanchez is along with me now. More of the NEWSROOM straight ahead.

Uh-oh, what you got cooking?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Jen our producer says I take too long to do these, so I'm going to get right to it.

You watch.

We're going to talk to a family within that avalanche situation we told you about yesterday. They were one of the cars that actually rolled down the hill. It's a man, and also a 13-year-old boy. They actually had to cut his seatbelt to get him out of that situation.

What a story. And they're going to be here at 7:00 to tell us their story.

And then there is this. Have you seen those "AC 360" ads that we have been running?

WHITFIELD: You better believe it.

SANCHEZ: With Jeff Koinange talking to Oprah Winfrey?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SANCHEZ: We're going to talk to Jeff. There they are together.

What is going on with the story? What is she doing with the program? Why are some people even being critical of it?

WHITFIELD: Really, critical?

SANCHEZ: The inside scoop on this. So we're going to talk to Jeff Koinange.

WHITFIELD: I've heard a lot of positive stuff, but I hadn't heard the critical yet.

SANCHEZ: Was that quick? Was that quick?

WHITFIELD: That was quick, lickety-split, like that.

Bye, Rick.

Ciao.

SANCHEZ: She's telling me to get out.

WHITFIELD: OK. Bye. We'll see you.

All right. Well, cell phones, everyone has one these days, right? Well, they are part of our everyday lives. But remember these old clunkers? That used to be an amazing sight, right?

Well...

SANCHEZ: Oh, yes. I remember that.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Do you remember having one of those?

SANCHEZ: Yes, Motorola.

WHITFIELD: Well, Jeanne Moos is going to tell us a little bit about the cultural divide between the old and new, who is hip, who is not.

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WHITFIELD: Cell phones, who doesn't have one these days? Well, you can text, you can take pictures, you can use GPS to see exactly where you are going, and of course you can make the phone call.

Well, Jeanne Moos reminds us that it wasn't always like that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): If "TIME" magazine can nominate you as "Person of the Year," then we can nominate the cell phone as gadget of the decade. It was probably a cell phone camera that let us walk up the stairs to the gallows, let us listen to the taunts of Saddam Hussein's hanging.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Muqtada, Muqtada, Muqtada!

MOOS: It was a cell phone that recorded the N-word rant.

MICHAEL RICHARDS, COMEDIAN: It's uncalled for for you to interrupt my ass, you cheap...

MOOS: It was a cell phone that captured Mel Gibson partying before his ring.

(on camera): True, most of what most of us shoot with our cell phones is less than momentous.

(voice over): A dip in the tub. A friend scaling fish. But the cell is celebrated with cell phone film festivals and cell phones dancing to their own vibrations on the Web. And as they got smaller and smaller, size became...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on.

MOOS: ... a "Saturday Night Live" joke.

Which makes us all the more nostalgic for these old dinosaurs, from "Wall Street"...

MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR, "WALL STREET": Astonishing...

MOOS: ... to "Lethal Weapon:...

DANNY GLOVER, ACTOR, "LETHAL WEAPON": Terrific.

MOOS: ... they now look like lethal weapons.

The Motorola researcher credited with making the first cell phone call in 1973 looks as if it took all of his strength just to lift it. But there's something comforting about these clunkers, especially when you notice them in documentaries like "The War Room"...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "THE WAR ROOM": You've had it your way.

MOOS: ... or seen them in films. Julia Roberts' phone must have taken up every inch of her tiny purse.

JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS, "MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING": George, I didn't tell you my dress was lavender.

DOUGLAS, "WALL STREET": This is your wakeup call, pal.

EDWARD NORTON, ACTOR, "THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT": Yes, we did. We won. MOOS: They don't call them bricks for nothing. And on Web sites like Retro Brick, you can buy second-hand or pre-loved cell phones for a hundred bucks or so. A new box set will set you back about $300.

Some, like the brains behind phonebashing.com, seem to hate all cell phones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kill all the phones! Kill all the phones!

MOOS: They apparently dressed up as cell phones, grabbed other people's cells and trashed them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Run! Keep running!

MOOS: The new year is a time for nostalgia.

GLOVER, "LETHAL WEAPON": I'm too old for this (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

MOOS: So are these.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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WHITFIELD: I think we can all identify.

Still much more ahead on CNN.

Up next, "LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK." Lou demands answers and fights for your rights on "LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK." That's coming up in about three minutes after an update on today's top stories.

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