Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Virginia Boat Rescue; Dangerous Toy; The Case Against O.J. Simpson; State Of Emergency; Gerri's Top Tips
Aired November 08, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Aground and taking on water. A Coast Guard rescue underway right now.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A toy coated in a chemical that can put your child in a coma. Aqua Dots recalled.
HARRIS: The Fed chief is talking, investors are listening, after Wall Street's big sell-off. We are watching stocks today, Thursday, November 8th and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Updating our breaking news story now. A Coast Guard rescue happening right now off Virginia Beach. A small cruise ship ran into trouble on the Intercostal Waterway. Sixty-six people on board. The Coast Guard now evacuating the passenger and crew. The ship is the Spirit of Nantucket. It was on a 10-day cruise between Alexandria, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina. Petty Officer Christopher Evanson, with the U.S. Coast Guard, is on the line with us.
Christopher, great to talk to you again.
PETTY OFFICER CHRISTOPHER EVANSON, U.S. COAST GUARD: Thank you for having me. Same to you.
HARRIS: Hey, who's it going? How's the rescue going?
EVANSON: The rescue's going very well right now. Our number one priority is to insure the safety of passengers and crew aboard the Nantucket. We currently have two 41 foot utility boats from the Coast Guard station in Portsmouth, Virginia, board (ph) up to the vessel right now. Passengers and crew have been instructed to wear life jackets and have been given the opportunity to disembark the vessel. In addition, a Coast Guard H-60 Jayhawk helicopter of Air station Elizabeth City, lowered a rescue swimmer with a dewatering pump to the Spirit of Nantucket to assist the removal of excess water.
HARRIS: Well, that helps us. How much distance are we talking about from where that cruise ship is now and dry land?
EVANSON: Oh, well it's not very far from the closest point of land, but I want to stress that the vessel is stable. There's no issues with the vessel right now of sinking or anything like that. But, again, our number one priority is to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew aboard this vessel. I'd also like to say that this is a joint operation with local and state agencies from the Virginia Beach Fire Department and Police Department. HARRIS: OK, Chris, did the captain deliberately run this ship aground on to some kind of a landing, a barge there, something? Did this action, was it deliberately taken by the captain?
EVANSON: Yes, the information we had was, once the captain noticed that the vessel was taking on water, he made the decision, as the captain of the vessel, to run it aground. He made this -- that's the information we have that the moment. And the Coast Guard was notified shortly after 6:00 a.m. this morning. Once we arrived on scene, we made the decision to bring assets to give passengers the opportunity to leave the vessel.
HARRIS: Is everyone OK?
EVANSON: Everyone. There's no reports of injuries and everyone is OK.
HARRIS: All right. Appreciate your time. Christopher, thank you. Thanks for the update.
EVANSON: Thank you, Tony.
COLLINS: Want to give you an update now on a story we've been telling you about for the better part of an hour I guess. A U.S. military helicopter has crashed in northern Italy. You can see the map there of where it has taken place.
Italian news agencies say the Black Hawk went down in northeastern Italy. We are understanding that there may be people still trapped inside. We do know local police are reporting that five people have been killed and fire officials are reporting four killed and then two others possibly still trapped inside that wreckage. It is unclear whether those who were killed were soldiers or crew members or passengers of the Black Hawk.
The helicopter had taken off from Aviano Air Base with as many as 10 people onboard. No word yet what caused the crash, of course. I'm sure there will be an investigation. We're going to bring you more updates just as soon as we get them.
Meanwhile, another story that we are watching, and I'm sure you are to. The Dow Jones Industrial averages down by 45 points right now, about a half an hour into the trading day. But certainly that's better than the way things ended up yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial average fell 360 points by the time the close came upon us.
Today we're learning more about the value of the dollar, sinking to a record low against the euro. Yikes. Talking more about this credit crisis, of course. The Nasdaq, I understand, also down this morning about -- what was it, Tom, 23.
Also want to show you, you see those live pictures on the left- hand side there. We're looking at the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. He will be testifying in front of Congress here, talking about growth and inflation and whether or not they are balanced. And that is certainly at the heart of all of this, as we talk about some of these fears that people have and how long this housing crisis or the market, I should say, is going to be in the situation it is. Some forecasters are saying well into next year. So we'll talk more about this, obviously, as the day goes on.
Another thing to watch by way of the markets, rising oil prices. And as we said, the falling dollar just some of the reasons the economy is now the top issue heading into the presidential primaries. Take a look at this new poll by CNN Opinion Research Corporation. Eighty-two percent of Americans saying the economy will be extremely important or very important in their vote for president. Concern over high gas prices also fueling some of the economic worries. Two-thirds of Americans say gas prices are extremely important or very important in their presidential choice. Other issues of concern are poverty, taxes and immigration.
HARRIS: Dangerous toy facing recall today. This one has a link to a hallucinogenic drug. Here's CNN's Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Just add water and create a fantasy world. That's how Aqua Dots and Bindeez beads were marketed to children looking to create play things out of the colorful beads. Now those toys are being recalled. This after, in some cases, if those colorful beads are swallowed, a chemical used to make the adhesive metabolizes into a dangerous drug known as fantasy, also called GHB and in other circumstances, it's referred to as the date rape drug because of its hazardous effects.
DR. NAREN GUNJA, POISONS INFORMATION CENTER: This toxin can cause you to become comatose from which you may either stop breathing or obstruct your airway and potentially cause death.
CARROLL: Doctors discovered the problem after three children were hospitalized in Australia. The mother of a 10-year-old victim says her daughter became very ill after swallowing the beads.
HEATHER LEHANE, CHARLOTTE LEHANE'S MOTHER: I was just beside myself. It's just so -- I was just so frightened because I literally thought that she wasn't going it make it.
CARROLL: Here in the United States, two children fell into comas after ingesting the beads. Both have since recovered.
The toy beads are imported from a manufacturer in China. The company that sells Bindeez toys in Australia, who enterprise released a statement on its website announcing an immediate and voluntary recall. Late Wednesday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 4 million Aqua Dots in the United States. All those made between April and November of this year.
This raising more concerns about Chinese imports. Over the past year, at least 20 million toys made in China have been recalled worldwide. Now, two more toys. This time connected to GHB, gamma hydroxy butyrate used to be sold in health food stores in the U.S. as a performance enhancer for body builders until it was banned in 1990. Now its more common use is by club goers who risk using it illegally for its euphoric and hallucingetic effects.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission says anyone who has Aqua Dots at home should throw them out immediately. They also say an investigation is underway right now into exactly how those hazardous chemicals made it into all of those toys.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: CNN called the company that distributes Aqua Dots in the U.S. and has not heard back yet. But within hours of the recall, the company, get this, Spin Master, posted a statement on its website saying they are cooperating fully. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have stopped shipping this item and are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission." The company says it has made the safety of children our foremost priority.
COLLINS: Out of uniform and on the street. New and disturbing findings about America's veterans. More than one-fourth of vets are part of the nation's homeless population.
The Homeless Research Institute estimates on any night last year, 98,000 veterans slept on the street, in a shelter or in temporary housing. Government figures show 194,000 veterans homeless in 2005. That's about 50,000 fewer than in 1985.
And as of today, 1,500 homeless veterans are from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Advocacy groups say 20,000 more homes or vouchers are needed to reduce chronic homelessness among veterans. The National Alliance to End Homelessness makes a final point. Nearly 500,000 veterans could easily become homeless due to rising housing cost.
On to this story now. O.J. Simpson due in a Las Vegas courtroom this afternoon to face armed robbery charges. CNN's Dan Simon is in Las Vegas for us this morning with the very latest.
Dan, what do we expect to take place in court today?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Heidi.
It is a preliminary hearing, a probable cause hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to bring O.J. Simpson to trill. The stage, if you will, is set. I can hear the helicopters buzzing overhead and you can see the local newspaper here, the headline, "The Simpson Show Returns."
Eight people expected to testify for the prosecution today, including three of Simpson's co-defendants who took plea deals. They pled guilty to lesser charges. This all stems from that incident on September 13th when Simpson and five men allegedly burst into a hotel room and took some sports memorabilia. Items that O.J. Simpson says belonged it him.
Simpson says there were no guns used in the incident. He says he didn't tell anybody to bring guns. But the three turncoats, if you will, are expected to testify to the opposite, that there were guns and Simpson told them to bring those guns.
This hearing will be televised. It's starting at 10:00 a.m. And, again, this is to determine if there's enough evidence to bring O.J. Simpson to trial.
Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, so, Dan, you mentioned the helicopters around and can't really see too much behind you. You should us the newspaper. But I imagine as the day goes on here, it's going to be the usual media crush when O.J. Simpson is involved.
SIMON: There is a tremendous media presence here. If we pan the camera, you can see some of the other crews that have lined up here. Some of the other cameras. In all 62 of the 100 or so seats in the courtroom had been reserved for the media. So more than half of the people inside the courtroom will be members of the press.
Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Dan, keep us posted. Coming to us live, Dan Simon this morning from Las Vegas.
Thank you, Dan.
HARRIS: And this is a story, obviously, we've been following and will continue to follow. A U.S. military helicopter crashing in northern Italy. The first video coming in of the scene. This is pretty horrible to see.
Two people, we understand, still trapped inside that helicopter. Italian news agencies say the Black Hawk went down in northeastern Italy. Local police reporting five killed. Fire officials report four killed. And, again, two others trapped in that helicopter. It is still unclear whether those killed were soldiers, crew members or passengers.
The helicopter had taken off from Aviano Air Base with as many as 10 people on board and no word yet on what caused the crash. And we will bring you updates on this story as soon as we get them. Sad pictures, indeed.
An omen of bloodshed posted online. Police in Finland says a student gunman left clues before a rampage at his high school. The 18-year-old shot eight people to death before killing himself yesterday. He got a license for the gun just last month and had a series of videos on YouTube. One clip posted just hours before the killings showed the school building disintegrating and a shooter aiming the gun at the camera. You can see here, the school is closed for the rest of the week. Flags flying at half staff across Finland.
COLLINS: Marching against marshal law in Pakistan. Protesters back on the streets despite new pledges from Pakistan's president. We'll have a live report from the country and developments from our international desk coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And good morning again, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
Rescue right now. A small cruise ship runs aground. Live coverage just minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A crackdown and now concessions. Pakistan's president vowing to hold elections by mid February. CNN's Dan Rivers is live in Lahore, Pakistan, for us now.
Dan, President Musharraf's words, are they likely it ease any tension?
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're being dismissed by a main character who is in the opposition, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. She described it as vague. She wants specific dates. At the moment, General Musharraf has just said before the 15th of February next year that there will be an election, but no more specifics than that. He's also yet to specify exactly when he will stand down ahead of (INAUDIBLE).
All this going on, the political jockeying for position between Benazir Bhutto and General Musharraf going on. There are continued protests here in Lahore. We went to one demonstration at a university campus. This is what we saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS, (voice over): First, it was the lawyers. Now, small groups of students are also daring to speak out, adding their voice to the protests against marshal law. Some too nervous to show their face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel extremely bad because it's a one-man show. What he wants to do and what he thinks is best for the country is being done.
RIVERS: Others were bolder, though, defying the ban on political protests. But this campus hasn't exactly been overrun by radicals. Around the rally, a drawing class continues, many just standing impassively amid the chance to hang the president.
These student leaders are making their point forcefully about the state of emergency. But, so far, they lack the numbers or the organization to make any real challenge to General Musharraf.
Some students even speak out in support of the general.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That Musharraf is 100 percent right. The way he's doing work, he's marvelous. You know, such a great leader for Pakistan. He's doing good. RIVERS: Since marshal law was declared at the weekend, its claimed hundreds of lawyers, human right activists and opposition politicians have been arrested. General Musharraf claims he had to act to stop the country committing suicide. In reality, suspending the constitution just before a key court ruling on his eligibility as president.
Now, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has issued demands, restore democracy or tens of thousands of her supporters will take to the streets. In Lahore, they're showering rose petals to show their solidarity with the arrested judges. The police are ignoring them for now, but for how long?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS: So General Musharraf is basically saying that the newly appointed leader (ph) supreme court (INAUDIBLE) 10 or so judges, must now understand (ph) that his candidacy in the election. (INAUDIBLE). But at the moment it's not looking like that's enough for Benazir Bhutto. She is still saying she wants specific a specific -- she's still saying she's going to have this big demo tomorrow with possibly tens of thousands on the streets.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Dan Rivers, we will be watching for that tomorrow then.
Live from Lahore, Pakistan. Dan, thank you.
HARRIS: And staying on top of the Pakistan crisis. It is Isha Sesay live at the international update desk here in Atlanta.
And Isha, great to see you.
You know, we have been asking i-Reporters to help us tell this story and it looks like people are starting to respond.
ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They really are, Tony. And, you know, i-Reporters are an invaluable resource for us here at CNN. You know, in some situations, they provide us with that key bird's-eye view for the situation on the ground, from places ly Myanmar and from Pakistan in more recent days.
I'm really pleased to say that, you know, off the back of Dan's piece, which is about those protests in Lahore, we actually have one of our i-Reporters on the line about to speak to me. This i-Reporter has been part of these protests. We're not going to name them because we don't want to endanger them in any way but let's get right to it and get a sense of the situation on the ground.
Can you hear me? It's Isha here at CNN Center.
First off, I want to get your reaction to the news that these elections will be held, the parliamentary elections will be held in mid February, according to your president. What's your reaction to that? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Isha, we all know that Musharraf's beat (ph) has -- are containing an increasing amount of policies, especially in this year's. So he has promised already to give up his -- the army chiefs appointment. But hasn't fulfilled that promise yet. So we do not really trust him with his promises. So that is the overall behavior of the students here.
Isha.
SESAY: And I know that there have been protests over the last couple of days. What's the situation on campus right now. Tell us about the student demands that you guys have got going right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the students have been striving for these demands. There are three or four of them. First of all, they wanted unjustified military coup against that military coup to be taken out, emergency situation to be taken off. Secondly, they want the judiciary to be revived as it was before this imposition of emergency state. And, thirdly, they want free and fair elections under the government of a new (INAUDIBLE) government, actually, and of the media. So these are the demands they're pursuing.
SESAY: So, with this in mind, these are your demands, but all you have at this point in time is a guarantee, as it were, from the president that the elections will be held by mid February. Are these protests going to carry on in coming days?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. As I said, right now that we don't really trust the president or the army chief with his promises. So we are going to carry on with our protests. There will be peaceful and on-campus protests carrying on every day, almost every day within the lunch time from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on campus so that the economic and everything is not disturbed.
SESAY: All right. We're going to leave it there. I want to thank you so much. Keep those images coming in to us. They've been invaluable of giving us a sense of the situation on your campus. We want to thank you for that.
Tony and Heidi, as you're hearing there, those protests are going to keep on coming. The students at that school in Lahore, they have their demands for now. All they have from the president is that the elections will take place in mid February, but that doesn't seem as if it will be enough.
HARRIS: You know, two thoughts come to mind. You wonder, at what risk to personal safety does the i-Reporter in that case put himself when he takes those pictures and sends them to us, given the restrictions on the press and those kinds of images right now. And then the other side of this is that, you know, the story does get out in spite of the restrictions, doesn't it?
SESAY: Yes.
HARRIS: The story gets out. It gets told. SESAY: That's right. And, you know, this is the thing. The Pakistani government has tried to put into force some kind of media blackout, as it were, certainly on TV stations, you know, so you only get state TV. The privately run stations are off the air. But it just goes to show, in this world we live in, with all this technology, the information gets out. And we're pleased it gets out because we can bring it to the viewers.
HARRIS: OK. Isha, appreciate it. Thank you.
COLLINS: So is your home an energy glutton. Find the leaks, save some money. Sounds pretty good. Gerry Willis will show you how.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's do some work here. There you go, the big board. The New York Stock Exchange right now. As you can see, the Dow is down five. And we're keeping an eye on the Dow, obviously, particularly after yesterday, dropping 3 percent, nearly 3 percent of its value, 360 points.
Now, let's see Ben Bernanke, the Fed chief, testifying before Congress right now. The dollar falling. A mess in the sub prime mortgage market. So there is the man in the hot seat right now. Sort of trying to quiet the concerns about this economy.
Just last week the Fed cut interest rates by a quarter of a point and told investors not to bank on further rate cuts. So what is he saying? We will monitor the hearing and the comments from the Fed chief and turn some of that around for you a little later in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: So you know what that means, energy costs are through the roof. You could be facing brutal heating bills this winter. Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis has some tips for saving money with a home energy audit.
OK, what's that, Gerri?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it assesses how much energy your home uses and evaluates how you can make your home more energy efficient. Look, you can slash your heating bill by up to 40 percent by following the recommendations. And guess what, Heidi, you can do it yourself.
COLLINS: Yes, clearly I haven't done this. But tell us how to do it ourselves, Gerri.
WILLIS: All right. Well, make a list of the places in your home where you feel a draft. Just think, cutting these drafts could save you up to 30 percent a year. Check for indoor air leaks. The junctures of the walls or ceilings. Just stick your hand up there. You can feel it when the weather's cold. At the edge of your flooring, electrical outlets, window and door frames. Then seal these by using caulking or weather stripping. On the outside of your house, inspect the areas where different building materials come together. That's right for some leaks. And look for cracks in the siding and foundation. Make sure to caulk any holes where faucets, pipes or electrical outlets are located. The Department of Energy has a step-by-step guide at eere.energy.gov. Check it out. It's good stuff.
COLLINS: Oh, yes. Sounds good. But what if you want to hire a professional? Maybe you just don't feel like you're going to be able to find all the leaks.
WILLIS: Well, look, you can hire a professional. If you've lived in your house for at least a year and you want to make sure your home is as energy efficient as possible, consider hiring a pro. Now it doesn't come cheap. Costs can range from $300 to $700.
And before the auditor comes in, make sure you list the problem spots in your home, give them copies of your energy bills. Look, some of the tests the auditor will perform are a blower door test. I don't know if you've seen one of these, but they're really cool. They help determine how air tight is your house is.
They can also do a thermographic scan. These are cool too. This detects air leaks and moisture problems in your home. The auditor will also test your insulation, lighting, appliances for efficiency.
COLLINS: All right. So where do you find one of these auditors who's 100 percent honest and it not going to rip you off?
WILLIS: Well, OK, go to your utility company first. They may give you a free audit.
COLLINS: Wow.
WILLIS: Yes. So free is good.
COLLINS: Why would they do that?
WILLIS: You know, they're all about helping you save money, seriously. I mean there are all kind of programs through local utilities to help people save money on energy. They're incentives. The company may also recommend local auditors. Your state energy office and energystar.gov, great place to go, can also help you find local auditors. But before you sign up, check in with the Better Business Bureau. Make sure they don't have any complaint. You've always got to check up. And make sure the auditor outlines specific recommendation that will increase your home's energy efficiency. You don't want a lot of broad ideas.
CHETRY: Yes, love the BBB on this. Sounds like there are some other benefits too here for homeowners?
WILLIS: But they're about to go away. It's tax credits if you replace your windows or add insulation to your home, you're eligible for tax credits of up to $500. You won't be able to get these credits after December 31st of this year, so you've got to act now. If you do it before the 31st, a little bit of money back on your taxes. That's always a good thing.
COLLINS: Yes. Hey, husbands, give your wives windows and insulation for Christmas. That will be fun.
WILLIS: Yes, with diamonds.
COLLINS: Hey, I know that we have the big program, "Open House," this weekend. What do you got?
WILLIS: "Open House" Saturday morning, 9:30. Join us. More on cutting your energy bill. How to get a good loan, mortgage loan that is, and preventing holiday debt hangovers. We'll talk about that.
COLLINS: Yes. I don't know. I could be a candidate for that possibly.
COLLINS: All right, (CROSSTALK).
WILLIS: Thank you very much.
CHETRY: CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis. It's nice to see you, Gerri.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
Live in the CNN NEWSROOM Heidi Collins and Tony Harris.
COLLINS: 10:30 Eastern time now. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Updating our breaking news for you this morning. A coast guard rescue. Happening right now off Virginia Beach. A small cruise ship ran into trouble in the Intercostal Waterway. 66 people onboard. Have we actually seen a rescue yet? Have we seen anyone come off that ship yet?
COLLINS: I have not. I have not but these are not live shots.
HARRIS: Yes. So, the coast guard now, evacuating the passengers and crew. The ship is the "Spirit of Nantucket". It was on a ten-day cruise between Alexandria, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
COLLINS: Now, it's time to take a look at some of the most clicked on stories on cnn.com. The Chinese-made toy aqua dots is being pulled from store shelves today after it was found to contain a chemical that converts into the date rape drug "Rohypnol." A lot of people are wondering about that.
Also, Jennifer Lopez told Miami concert goers, finally, Wednesday night that she and husband Marc Anthony, yes, indeed, have a baby on the way.
And Kenny Chesney won "Entertainer of the Year." Carrie Underwood took home "Female Vocalist" and "Single of the Year" honors at the Country Music Association Awards last night. When you're not watching the CNN NEWSROOM on television, you can go to cnn.com for this stories and a whole lot more. Once you're there, just be sure to download the daily CNN NEWSROOM podcast. Haven't thank, though, forget that.
HARRIS: Work it, work it, work it.
And still to come this morning in the CNN NEWSROOM, a diabetic dies in jail. His family says he never received his medicine. The story straight ahead for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A U.S. military helicopter crashes in Northern Italy. This video just in to CNN, a short time ago of the scene. Two people still trapped inside. It is a story we've been following all morning in Italian news agencies say the Blackhawk went down in northeastern Italy. Local police report five killed. Fire officials report four killed. It is unclear whether those killed were soldiers, crew members or passengers. The helicopter had taken off from Aviano Air Base with as many as ten people aboard. No word yet what caused the crash. And we will bring you updates when we get them.
Finland in mourning. A nation dealing with a school shooting that took eight lives and then the young gunman's. CNN's Phil Black reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The process of grieving for those suddenly taken from this high school in Southern Finland has begun here. Through the night, students and members of the community have come here to the buildings to sit in small groups, to comfort one another and to light candles and to mourn those that were taken here in such a violent way yesterday.
As those students come here, they're also telling stories about what it was like inside that school building from the time that the gunman is believed to be on the loose there. They've spoken of the initial warning from the head master, which they thought was a drill and then the word from a school that a person was on the loose in the building with a gun in the 40 or so minutes they were left waiting, uncertain of what was happening outside.
We also learned that one of the female victims was another employee of the school. A nurse, who worked here, a woman in her 30s who had two small children of her own. One of whom was a student here. It is a national day of mourning in Finland as people across the country, more particularly in this small community ask themselves how and why this violent crime was able to take place here. This is not a nation that knows violent gun crime that intimately. Phil Black, CNN, Tuusula, Finland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Workers at the Ronald Reagan presidential library are asking, where did it all go? The "Los Angeles Times" reporting today more than 80,000 items, gifts, momentous are missing or unaccounted for at the Simi Valley Library. The newspaper reports the federal government audit reveal the items couldn't be found. The paper says the audit took place after a former worker was accused of stealing from the library. We are trying to speak with someone from the library next hour about what happened to those missing items. So, stick around for that.
Strange political bed fellows. Well, maybe not. There are a couple of behind Pat Robertson's backing of Rudy Giuliani. CNN John King as part of the "Best Political Team" on television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAT ROBERTSON, TELEVISION EVANGELIST AND CHRISTIAN COALITION FOUNDER: We're both prostate cancer survivors.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two men with a personal bound and now a surprising political alliance.
ROBERTSON: Rudy Giuliani is without question an acceptable candidate.
KING: It is a striking statement from a legendary and controversial religious broadcaster who calls abortion evil and homosexuality an abomination. But Robertson says he is convinced Giuliani would appoint conservative judges and also convince there is a bigger test for the next president.
ROBERTSON: The overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the blood loss of Islamic terrorists.
KING: Giuliani backed to tax payer funded abortions as mayor and also signed a sweeping Civil Unions policy, so Robertson's blessing is a boost for a candidate whose biggest weakness is the Christian right.
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope it sends the message that we have the same goals. All of us in the Republican Party.
KING: In Iowa, more evidence of the fierce competition. John McCain welcomes the endorsement of anti-abortion Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, who dropped out of the Republican contest three weeks ago.
SAM BROWNBACK, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm here today to endorse the best pro-life candidate to beat Hillary Clinton.
KING: White evangelicals are critical in two of the early nominating contests. Iowa and South Carolina but have yet to coalesce around one candidate. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's appeals include this stop at a South Carolina Christian adoption agency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the book of psalms, what is the 126?
KING: Later, Romney predicted most evangelical voters won't follow Robertson's advice.
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think the Republican Party is going to choose a pro-choice, pro-gay civil union candidate to lead our party.
KING: Robertson founded the Christian Coalition from the ashes of his 1988 presidential bid and it was a power house in Republican politics in the 1990s.
ROMNEY: The coalition is here for the long haul.
KING: But others have eclipsed Robertson's political clout in recent years. Some, going us far as warning of a possible third party effort if Giuliani wins the republican nomination.
TONY PERKINS, PRESIDENT FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: To the degree that the party moves away from those principal issues, the social conservatives, evangelicals will move away from the party.
KING: So, some saw this as a risky effort to reclaim the spotlight by making a different calculation. If Giuliani is electable better than the alternative.
GREG MUELLER, GOP STRATEGIST: Same sex marriage issues, abortion issues are being decided in the courts. So, what's most important is that Hillary Clinton is not picking our judges or Barack Obama is not picking our judges.
GIULIANI: I'm very, very pleased to have Pat Robertson's endorsement.
KING: In South Carolina hours later, Giuliani saw only an upside. But with the benefits also could come some baggage. Asked here about one of many controversial Robertson remarks in recent years, that 9/11 was caused by God's wrath over abortion and pornography, Giuliani said Robertson had long ago explained what he meant and that all lead us from time to time, say things they later regret. John King, CNN, Columbia, South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The Democratic presidential candidates are hitting the strip. Next week all belts are off as the Democrats clash again in Las Vegas with CNN's Wolf Blitzer and the "Best Political Team" on television. That's Thursday, November 15th, 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.
HARRIS: What do you say, we get another check of weather now? Rob Marciano standing by for us in the CNN weather center. OK, you are starting at the smaller monitors and then you're going to move to the big gigantic in time.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Too tired to fly? Well, some disturbing news from a "U.S.A. Today" analysis of airline safety records. The paper reports hundreds of pilots made mistakes because they were simply tired. Among the cases cited, six were pilots who fell asleep in mid-flight. The newspaper says crews missed radio calls from towers, flew at the wrong altitude and messed up some landings. A pilot's union says pilots are often pushed to fly longer hours. The NTSB is discussing the problem of fatigue today.
COLLINS: From eight limbs to four. A successful surgery for this toddler. We'll tell you what's happening with this little girl today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. What do you say we give you an update on this breaking news story we have been following most of the morning here in the CNN NEWSROOM. This small cruise ship the "Spirit Of Nantucket" boy, it was run aground on purpose by its captain. It was on a ten- day cruise. Alexandria, Virginia, to Charleston, South Carolina making its way through the Intercostal Waterway when it hit something and started to take on water. The captain just ran it aground to keep the ship from sinking.
We've been waiting all morning to see some folks get off that cruise ship and get on to one of those coast guard vessels and get to higher ground. Get to shore. And we're starting to see that happen right now, as you can see. Here's some of the passengers in their life vests. 66 in all onboard the "Spirit Of Nantucket." So, it will take a while here, I guess. There was a coast guard. Helicopter is being used, as well here. But everyone is okay and the rescue continues at this hour. We will bring you additional updates throughout the morning.
COLLINS: After opening to the plus side, stocks have been moving in and out of negative territory ever since. Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock Exchange with more details on this. Hi there, Stephanie. I think investors just sort of holding their breath a little bit as the day goes on?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a little bit of that, Heidi. You know, after the fifth biggest drop of the year yesterday, stocks opened stronger but now, they're kind of wavering since then. We're in the red right now. Ford is helping to lift sentiment, however. The automaker posted an hour than expected loss in the third quarter as its automotive business improved.
Its shares are actually up nearly 2 percent or just over 2 percent right now. But there are plenty of reasons for concerns. For one thing, retailers had a weak October. Wal-Mart, which, of course, is the world's largest retailer. It sales rose an anemic .0.4 percent. On seasonably warm weather, (INAUDIBLE) are on sales of winter items like the heavy coats and also higher gas prices and lingering housing market issues didn't help either. Wal-Mart stock is down about 1 percent.
And another weak area is the tech sector. Cisco's stock is taking a hit right now. Down nearly 7 percent after the company's CEO warned that a cooling U.S. economy will hurt Internet server sales to businesses. Other tech stocks are being dragged down, as well. IBM which also sells a lot of servers to businesses is down more than 4 percent, Heidi. So, obviously, there's a lot of weakness going on if you take a look at the index. I don't know if we're going to get there by the end of the year.
COLLINS: What's that? I have no idea what you're talking about.
ELAM: I know that you haven't mentioned it in a while. You just stopped talking about it.
COLLINS: I have no idea what you're talking about.
ELAM: I just want to let you know, I don't see you every day, but I'm paying attention.
COLLINS: Thanks a lot, Stephanie.
ELAM: It may happen, you never know.
COLLINS: It may, and boy, if it does, then we'll talk about it a lot.
ELAM: I'm going to send you cookies or something if you actually get that.
COLLINS: Gluten-free, don't forget.
ELAM: Gluten-free, yes, just by the end of the year, so everyone knows what we're talking about.
COLLINS: Yes, exactly. On going credit crunch though. I mentioned this affecting sentiment somehow. I mean, everybody is talking about.
ELAM: Of course, it is. Yes, were getting more bad news in that arena, as well. However, much of it was actually predicted yesterday. So, those stocks are already factored in the drop on the news. Morgan Stanley confirms a massive loss is due to the mortgage crisis. The firm will write down nearly $4 billion in losses and the losses could reach $6 billion if the market continues acting badly. Shares of Morgan Stanley are bouncing back today after falling sharply yesterday. Also, AIG is posted quarterly earnings that missed expectations. The insurance giant was also hurt by tight credit and of course the ailing U.S. housing market. Its stock is dropping for a second straight day, down 4 percent. The Dow's biggest percentage loser, as well. So, obviously we'll keep our eye on oil prices, too.
Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Sounds very good as we look at that big board with one eye, as usual. Stephanie Elam, thanks so much.
HARRIS: Marching against Marshall Law in Pakistan. Protesters back on the streets despite new pledges from Pakistan's president. What are the bloggers saying? We're going to find out next in the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Staying on top of the Pakistan crisis for you now. CNN's Isha Sesay live at the international update desk here at CNN global headquarters. Isha, we promised a moment ago that we would check in with some bloggers and we are doing that, aren't we?
ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are, indeed, Tony. As you can imagine, we are keeping an eye not just on the situation on the ground in Pakistan, but also monitoring the websites, as well. And the Paktribune is an English language website and as you can imagine, it has blogs and people can post their thoughts and get involved in online debates and it didn't take the bloggers too long to get heated up on this whole issue of President Bush calling for Musharraf take off his uniform.
I want to share with you some of the things that are being said. (INAUDIBLE) says, "There is nothing in the constitution of Pakistan which says that the Pakistani president cannot wear the uniform of the military." Actually, as it is in India, the president is the head of the military. So, I do not understand the problem of that man wearing the uniform. Join opinions there. I want to share some other thoughts that are being discussed. A lot of discussion focused on the declaration of the state of emergency in the first place.
(INAUDIBLE) write, "What I'm being told by merchants, some young professionals and industrialist in Karachi and Lahore is that they merely care for stability. When it comes in the form of the military or in the form of democracy." Incidentally, many of them believe that it is Musharraf who is more likely to assure that stability. Adman (ph) says, "The time has come for Musharraf when he should act more like a dictator than a nice guy." And this one from American Wind (ph), they write, "Bhutto, would sell her soul and her nation down the river for a new dress and a pair of shoes." The smart money is on Musharraf. Next hour, we'll take a look at what people are saying on an American Pakistani website and get their views on the situation.
HARRIS: Outstanding. What is it? Some shoes and what?
SESAY: A new dress.
HARRIS: A new dress.
SESAY: You need a dress to go with the shoes.
HARRIS: Oh my, all right, well said. Isha, appreciate it, thank you.
COLLINS: New danger to tell you about in the toy box.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just beside myself. Just so, I was just so frightened because I literally thought that she wasn't going to make it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Watch this story carefully. Arts and crafts beads could make your child extremely sick. Recall, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: They maybe her first tiny moves towards a normal life. An Indian Toddler has elucidated that showing progress today after having her extra body parts remove. You remember the story. So, she is, shortly before she went in to 27 hours of surgery. Doctor says she is in critical postoperative period. She moves her toes and head and opens her eyes briefly today. The head surgeon says the girl will need further treatment and maybe more surgery before she'll be able to walk.
Of course, everybody remembers she was born with a four extra limbs.
HARRIS: And good morning again, everyone, you are with CNN, you are informed. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Hi there, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM, on this Thursday, the 8th of November.
Here's what's on the run down. A cruise ship aground and taking on water. The coast guard is scrambling is to get everyone off.
HARRIS: Danger in the toy isle. Arts and crafts bead so toxic they could put the child in a coma.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
