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Holiday Travel Crunch; Devastation in Bangladesh; Jail Time Over No Vaccinations?; Barry Bonds Indicted for Steroid Use
Aired November 17, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Right now in the NEWSROOM. A monster storm killed hundreds, wiped out entire villages and now a massive rescue effort is under way. Find out how you can help.
Also, check out this long line of parents right here. They're waiting to get their children vaccinated after the schools threatened that if they don't get a shot, their parents go to jail.
Plus, planes, trains and automobiles, Americans get an early jump on the holiday travel crunch.
We begin with the massive casualties from a monster cyclone in Bangladesh. The death toll is 1,700. Another 1,000 still missing and 1,500 are injured. More than a quarter million families are homeless and those figures are expected to rise as rescuers reach remote areas. CNN's Dan Rivers reports from the hard-hit southern region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what a category four cyclone does to an average house in Bangladesh. The rice harvest is also ruined. These farmers are among the poorest people in the world and now many have lost everything. Among them, Shamimi Faqir (ph), her humble home of 17 years is destroyed. She says she was terrified when the cyclone hit and thought she would die. Somehow she managed to scramble out with her four children. The whole family is now homeless.
(on camera): What's made cyclone Sidr so destructive is that many of the houses are made of very flimsy materials. This one is just made of bamboo and wood and at best, they're made of corrugated iron. None of them stood a chance.
(voice-over): This remote part of southern Bangladesh is crisscrossed by a huge river delta. The shores now elicit with the debris of a violent storm surge, which left many villages in ruins. And you can see just how vulnerable this land is to flooding. For many people, there was no where to run. The road into the worst-hit area is littered with huge fallen trees. Clearing them could take weeks.
These people lack chainsaws or machinery so much of the work is being done by hand or by trunk. Although these elephants are experts in this type of work, they are woefully inadequate for the scale of the task ahead. Repairs to the downed electricity lines are also low- tech. There's talk of the U.S. marines coming to help. These people desperately hope that talk turns into action.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Barashal, Southern Bangladesh.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Washington wants to help the storm victims, the state department says it will work with Bangladesh and foreign donors to assist relief efforts. And the U.S. is expected to send military ships and marines to help out.
Well, you can impact your world and reach out to the storm victims of Bangladesh by going to cnn.com/impact.
And straight talk today from the U.S. point man in Pakistan. John Negroponte met with Pakistan's president amid growing impatience from Washington. Negroponte's mission to persuade General Pervez Musharraf to end his state of emergency, leave the army and set a date for elections comes two weeks after President Musharraf issued the emergency declaration which sparked protests and international condemnation. So far he says no indication that he's prepared to take the U.S. advice.
And here in this country, vaccinate the kids or face jail time. That's what a school district in Maryland is telling parents. CNN's Gary Nurenberg joins us from the suburb of Washington where this new get tough policy has parents lining up at the courthouse right now. Some of them who are kind of angry, right?
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, no kidding, Fredricka. This started at about 8:00 this morning when parents lined up under the threat of either paying big fines or going to jail if they didn't have their kids inoculated. They showed this morning but that doesn't mean they were happy about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NURENBERG (voice-over): They came by the hundreds on a chilly Saturday morning to explain why their children had not received state- mandated vaccinations like those for chicken pox and hepatitis b. Some carried the letter written by the local state's attorney threatening them with jail or fines if they didn't comply.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Completely out of line, want to put people in jail. This is like junk mail sent to us. Ridiculous people. Who want to go to jail for simply immunization? Who send a letter like this? Like a solicitation. We're not stupid.
NURENBERG: Parents concerned about the safety of some vaccines confronted the state's attorney who was threatening parents with jail, saying waivers should be more readily available.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are serious considerations for safety that need to be addressed before compelling people to vaccinate even as a condition of going to school.
NURENBENRG: Well Mr. Ivey, what about those safety concerns? GLENN IVEY, PRINCE GEORGE'S CO. STATE'S ATTORNEY: Well I think they're fair considerations and we talked about them on the phone yesterday, I believe. I think the idea is that the parents who have those concerns have the right to execute the waiver. The point we were just talking about there was making the waiver more readily available inside right now.
NURENBERG: Waivers are available only for medical and religious reasons and opponents want to see that broadened. Early indications are that they did what authorities hoped. Many of those standing in line got free vaccinations for their children inside the courthouse so the kids can return to school next week.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NURENBERG: We talked to one of those little boys, coming out kind of holding his arm. I asked did he hurt, he said, well, just a little. Court authorities and school district officials have just left after about six hours here today. Apparently happy at the results. The turnout was pretty great. They'll be counting those at the end of the day and see at the beginning of the week Fredricka, just how many people remain on that list.
One thing we should tell you, a lot of parents came out saying, our kids were inoculated, the school district just got the records wrong. So a lot of record keeping here today in addition to the shots, yeah.
WHITFIELD: I know there are a lot of folks who are steaming. I bet for that little 6-year-old, perhaps what was most painful, not the shots but actually standing in that long line in the cold outside. All right, Gary Nurenberg.
NURENBERG: We're going to introduce you to some of those angry people later in the afternoon.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, I think we'll be hearing a lot more from them. Thanks so much, Gary. Thanks for bringing us their story.
Oh, the things we will do for a turkey dinner with the family. This year, we'll brave bigger crowds in airports and on the road and pay over $3 per gallon for gas. And we'll start earlier trying to avoid the crush. AAA estimates that 31 million Americans will travel by car this Thanksgiving holiday and nearly 5 million will fly. Some of you are already getting an early start on the holiday right now. Remember to pack some patience as well, as you head to the airports. You're going to have plenty of company out there.
Our Jim Acosta is watching the traffic at New York's LaGuardia Airport where the crush is on, in a big way or small way?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon Fredricka. I would say in a small way at this point. But it seems like every year we're served the travel leftovers from last holiday season. The delays, the cancellations and it seems that nothing is being done about it. But this year, government officials say they have a solution, they're calling them express lanes in the sky.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): There's a new flight plan aimed at those epic Thanksgiving lines at the airport. President Bush's proposal for easing pressure on the maxed out northeast corridor rests on opening the military's training airspace to the big commercial carriers.
BUSH: These new routes will help relieve air congestion from Maine to Florida for nearly five full days surrounding the holiday.
ACOSTA: The move comes as the nation's aviation infrastructure is as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey.
DAVID STEMPLER, PRES., AIRLINE TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION: We're basically operating the way we did 60 years ago. It's as if we had the old U.S. highway system of the 50s with the two-lane highways. We never replaced it with the interstate highway system like they did on the ground.
ACOSTA: But not everyone is sure the extra room in the sky will be enough for busy northeast airports, which account for one third of all air travel in the U.S.
PATRICK FORAY, NATL. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSN.: The bottom line is, you can only land a number of aircraft at one time on any given runway. So the capacity at the end game and at the beginning game needs to double or increase before you start killing delays. This is just another gimmick to try and appease the flying public.
ACOSTA: The industry wants to avoid a repeat of the valentine's day nightmare when hundreds of Jet Blue passengers spent hours stuck on a runway.
DAVID BARGER, JET BLUE CEO: As a result of that well publicized disruption to inner operations, we've instituted many changes to ensure we don't ever repeat that performance.
ACOSTA: Travelers in the New York area are demanding improved performance.
DOUG FINKEL, TRAVELER: This is as bad as it can get. You know you want to get somewhere, you have something planned. You get to the airport without any advanced notice and for no reason, no plane malfunctions, you know they're canceling. And if it's probably because of too much air traffic.
MATT BATEMAN, TRAVELER: I mean it's kind of hard when you live here to avoid the New York airports. There's nowhere else to really go I mean, unless you're going to go to Philly or somewhere. One of our friends has a private plane, we can go with them.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Take a look at the departure and arrival board here for American Airlines at LaGuardia Airport. So far all we're seeing is, if you take a look at that board, most of those flights, most of those times of departure are all in white. That is the good news. If they're in white that means that they're on time.
If they're in yellow or red, that means we're entering into a delayed or cancellation situation. That board will change dramatically, perhaps, over the next several days. But, if it doesn't, if those boards stay white, that means that this government plan is working. But we won't know that until the Thanksgiving holiday is over. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. All right. Thank you so much, Jim.
Keep it right here on CNN. Jacqui Jeras joins us in a few minutes with your latest travel weather. Some kind of explanation for some of those delays that you might encounter.
Well, millions have been spent, but is New Orleans any safer from flooding than it was when hurricane Katrina hit?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Perhaps you are like millions of Americans trying to get a leg up on the holiday traffic extravaganza. Well, you also want to know about where the traffic is or isn't. Take a look at these pictures right here. We are monitoring traffic all across the country on the road via trafficland.com. We'll explain a little bit further on how they're helping us navigate the roadways throughout this country as you hit the road to go see grandma and grandpa this holiday season.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Well, troubling news for residents who return to post-Katrina New Orleans. A system of flood gates and pumps built after the hurricane may not protect neighborhoods as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had earlier claimed. New Orleans television station WWL discovered a discrepancy in the corps estimates. Initially the Corps of Engineers claimed the improvements reduced flooding during a major storm by about 5 1/2 feet, but in the revised report, the benefit falls to just six inches, not five and a half feet.
A full count for baseball superstar Barry Bonds. Plus, O.J. Simpson on trial again. Our legal eagles are eagerly awaiting the conversation, there they are. We're going to talk with you, Avery and Richard, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: This information we're just getting in right in the Phoenix area. A major hospital facility is on lockdown, it's called the Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, on lockdown because police say a suspect who was being chased by police found refuge at this hospital. And, now, as the facility is on lockdown and the investigators continue to look for this suspect, it is unclear exactly how many people are directly being impacted here. Meantime, it's also unclear what this suspect was being chased for in the first place by police and whether this person is armed.
But we continue to watch the situation there right in the Phoenix area in Glendale, in that area of Phoenix. It's called the Banner Thunderbird Medical Center. Right now on lockdown. It's unclear whether they will at some point ask people to evacuate or how they're going about this search looking for this suspect. We'll keep you posted.
Meantime, home run king Barry Bonds always controversial, well now under indictment. In a moment our legal guys will discuss the federal charges against him. But, first, CNN's Ted Rowlands has some details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Baseball's home run king Barry Bonds is facing four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for allegedly lying under oath about steroid use. Bonds broke the Major League Baseball home run record this year under a cloud of suspicion that he used performance enhancing drugs, something Bonds has always denied.
BARRY BONDS: This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period.
ROWLANDS: But according to the 10 page indictment filed in San Francisco, the government has evidence "including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other professional athletes."
(on camera): Barry Bonds isn't in trouble for using steroids, he was one of several professional athletes that testified under a grant of immunity in 2003 in front of a grand jury. The deal was simple. If you tell the truth, you're fine. If you don't, you're subject to prosecution. The indictment alleges that the testimony given by Bonds in 2003 was quote, "Intentionally evasive, false and misleading."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we will keep asking is whether, whether the media and whether the government of this country would spend as much time repairing Barry's reputation as it has spent destroying him after he is proven innocent by a fair and impartial jury.
ROWLANDS: The indictment sent shockwaves through the sports world and even brought a reaction from the White House. A statement issued said in part, quote, "The president is very disappointed to hear this, clearly this is a sad day for baseball." Bonds, if convicted of the charges, could spend several years in prison. His first appearance in San Francisco federal court is scheduled for December 7th. Marking the start of a long legal ordeal and, likely, the end of his baseball career.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Our legal guys have a lot to say about this case and others. We're not going to be asking them any softball questions, so to speak. Avery Friedman is a Civil Rights Attorney and law professor, good to see you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Nice to see you Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor. Good to see you, as well.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, you guys. How do you go from home run king just two months ago to now under the microscope in this kind of way. Perjury charges, federal charnels. You have to question the timing or is timing even something to put under the microscope here. Richard?
HERMAN: Yes, it's absolutely all about timing, Fred. This U.S. attorney in San Francisco has been thrown out of office. He's leaving. So, this is his sendoff before he takes off. This case wreaks of a vendetta by a federal prosecutor similar to a Mike NiFong situation here. He's leaving office, he's gone. They're never going to prove this case against Bonds. This is really outrageous, Fred. Four years ago they had this information, they've sat with it for four years and if his ex-girlfriend is the new witness they have who just posed for playboy, come on, they have no case against him.
WHITFIELD: Well you know, he brings up a great point, Richard. I mean Avery, you have to wonder, if they had this information for years why now, especially now that the season with the giants has ended. They've decided they're not going to renew his contract. I mean, come on. Are the giants complicit in all this, as well?
FRIEDMAN: The giants have nothing to do with it Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Really.
FRIEDMAN: This is a case involving not only an outgoing U.S. attorney but a new one coming in who had served as U.S. attorney. And again, this case turns on, well Kimberly Bell, the ex-girlfriend, indeed, is a smoking gun in this case. But also the question is, what is this personal trainer Greg Anderson going to have to say? We know what the defense is. The defense Fredricka, is look, I didn't know it, my trainer was rubbing in that white cream in my muscles, but you know what, the truth is Barry Bonds is never going to testify. The key here is what are we going to see from the trainer Greg Anderson?
WHITFIELD: So, Richard, what about the evidence of these, you know, positive tests or, perhaps, even anyone else at BALCO who has yet to come forward. I mean, did the feds feel like they got those people to talk in addition it this ex-mistress or ex-girlfriend?
HERMAN: I don't think so, Fred. I have seen Mark Geragos on TV who represents Anderson says that his client is not cooperating with the feds on this one and, you know, it's not whether he has a positive test in the blood records there years ago. It's whether he knowingly lied to the grand jury. It's not whether he ever did steroids, it's whether he knowingly took performance enhancers. WHITFIELD: Perjury and obstruction of justice. What would be the obstruction of justice portion of it?
FRIEDMAN: Well, the condition, the condition here was, you've got to be direct, you've got to be candid, you've got to be truthful. Obviously, evidence has evolved in this case where they matched up his grand jury testimony in December of 2003 and matched it up with the information that's evolved here. That's where it is and that's where this case is going forward.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about another big name in sports, O.J. Simpson. Avery, I think you called it last weekend. You said this is definitely going to trial. The judge agreed. But, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a shoo-in, does it?
FRIEDMAN: Well actually Richard said last week that he's going to walk. I was very careful in studying this testimony. I'm not sure I understand it, but here's where I think defense lawyers are coming from. They're saying that when you take a look at the quality of witnesses that all of them are basically subterranean invertebrates, don't believe any of them. But the bottom line is audiotape, videotape, motive, opportunity, they're going to get the conviction.
WHITFIELD: Richard?
HERMAN: Fred, I spoke to my sources in Las Vegas, (INAUDIBLE), they told me he's absolutely walking. He's walking in this case. Riccio, the number one prosecution witness is a convicted felon, three times over. He's the one that rented the motel room. He's the one that set it all up. He's the one that told the FBI this was going down. He told O.J. that he told the FBI. Come on, this is really outrageous.
FRIEDMAN: O.J. and Tom Riccio had a deal cooked up where they were going to video and sell it to CNN and everybody else to try to make money, it went up in smoke. O.J. was going to do a private sting. He was going down with this thing.
HERMAN: Every one of the government witnesses have book deals or video deals. They're all making deals, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Which is why, Richard, you have to wonder Richard, why would the prosecutors even want to go forward with this if this really does seem like it's perfect, I guess, environment for what you'll definitely see as a circus environment?
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: And an acquittal. You know, sometimes the district attorneys have to temper their desire to get headlines and not bring cases that are ridiculous. This is a ridiculous prosecution.
FRIEDMAN: If there is such a thing as legitimate prosecution? I have never heard anything coming out of New York say that there's anything legitimate here. They're going to get him here. WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be watching and we'll be checking in with you guys, too. Because you always keep it fiery and we learn a lot. Avery and Richard, thank you so much.
HERMAN: Take care. Hey, Fred, happy Thanksgiving.
WHITFIELD: Oh, happy Thanksgiving to you too, that's right, I won't see you until after the holiday. All right, have a great one.
Speaking of Thanksgiving and trying to get home to grandma's house. What's the real story behind the airline delays? We're keeping them honest in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An update now on what we're following in the Phoenix area in Glendale where police are confirming that they were chasing a suspect, the suspect then got out of his vehicle when he got to the Banner Thunderbird Medical Center and actually ran inside, seeking refuge of sorts in there. So the hospital, right now, is on lockdown. But it's unclear exactly what this suspect was being sought for and/or whether he is armed. Meantime, Banner Thunderbird Medical Center there in Phoenix on lockdown as they continue to look for a suspect. We'll bring you more information as we get it.
Also happening right now, death and destruction, as far as the eye can see. In Bangladesh, the death toll from the monster cyclone is more than 1,700. Relief workers are still trying to reach hard-hit areas, so the toll is expected to rise.
And facing the possibility of new fires like this one. The U.S. military makes plans to move firefighting planes to Southern California. Forecasters say stronger Santa Ana winds are possible next week and those winds fueled last month's wildfires, if you do remember that.
Let's find out how difficult or easy it might be getting around out there weather wise. Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center. How is it going to be?
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, so, we know that flight delays are pretty routine these days, not always because of weather, so, what are some of the other reasons why?
Our Josh Levs has been looking into all that to keep them honest.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Boy, it drives people crazy.
LEVS: It drives me crazy.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: The chances are, when you go to the airport, it's going to be late.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: You know, it feels like it's always like that. And it's interesting to be coming off of Jacqui with this because a lot of the time, we hear that the delays are because of weather. What I'm about to show you is that the vast majority of the time, when they cite the weather, it's actually not even the main reason.
WHITFIELD: Good grief.
LEVS: They could avoid most of these -- most of the delays that are blamed on weather really could be avoided. So, what we want to do today is show you what officials have said and what's actually happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): The fastest form of travel comes with ridiculously frequent delays. The government knows it has a problem.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The skies are too crowded.
MARION BLAKEY, FMR. FED. AVIATION ADMINISTRATOR: As we look at it annually over the whole year, it's a $10 billion problem for the United States.
LEVS: But for all the talk, we're not seeing the problems fixed. 2007 is the worst year for flight delays on record. One of every four flights delayed. Why?
BLAKEY: Well, I can tell you right now that the biggest problem is always the weather.
LEVS: Not exactly. The Department of Transportation says nearly half of flight delays can be linked to weather, but the Department says many of those could be avoided "with corrective action by the airports or the Federal Aviation Administration." So, if a better system were in place, many delays currently blamed on weather just wouldn't happen.
The number of delays due to extreme weather that prevents flying, just one percent of all flights for the year. What about security concerns? Are they causing many delays? Nope. The government says less than 0.01 percent of all flights were delayed because of security.
So, what are the biggest reasons for delays? Aircraft arriving late, the National Aviation System and air carrier delays. Why is this happening? Airlines acknowledge they have work to do when it comes to organization and efficiency and the FAA itself says this.
ROBERT STURGELL, FAA ACTING ADMINISTRATOR: More people are flying than ever and more smaller planes are carrying them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: Now, there are talks under way about reshaping the whole aviation system, but, Fred, so far, there's no reason to believe that we'll see anything fixed by next year.
WHITFIELD: All right, good airlines, bad airlines in terms of reliability?
LEVS: If you got to fly this week ...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: ...or in general ...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: All right, well, I'll show you what the best are for the year. And we can take a look at that. Kind of depends where you're going.
WHITFIELD: Oh.
LEVS: Right? Because some of the best ones for this year are there: Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines ...
WHITFIELD: How about more regional ones?
LEVS: Well, if you're lucky enough to be even in Hawaii, then there, you get those. And Frontier, they're the best of the year. Those are their records.
Now, let's take a look at the worst. The absolute worst, Atlantic Southeast Airlines at 63.4 percent and Alaska Airlines and then Northwest is third from the worst of the year. All that stuff is straight from the Transportation Department. Those are the latest figures they got.
And you know, that's pretty miserable, 63 percent.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: Two-thirds of the flights are making it on time. And you know, we're just going to keep seeing this until there are real structural changes to the whole aviation system.
WHITFIELD: Right.
LEVS: Yes, but ugly (ph).
WHITFIELD: OK, well, we'll be waiting and watching on that one.
LEVS: Enjoy, folks. As some people watching us in the airports right now. We're thinking of you ...
WHITFIELD: That's right.
LEVS: ...we'll be there soon, we understand. Trust me, we get it.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right. All 17 were invited, three presidential candidates will actually show up for a forum on climate change today. CNN's Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider live now from Los Angeles. So, who's taking the lead on the environmental issue?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the three candidates who will show up are going to participate in a forum sponsored by an organization called Grist, Seattle-based and describes itself as fiercely independent in their coverage of the environment.
How do they evaluate the candidates? I looked on their Web site and they said John Edwards, he's going to be at the forum today, has been more aggressive on the issue of climate change than other Democratic candidates and the others have followed his lead.
Any Republicans singled out for praise? Yes. They say John McCain's leadership on climate change has made him the greenest Republican presidential candidate.
The three who are going to be at the forum today are Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich, all Democrats.
WHITFIELD: Ah, interesting. All right, well, what about discussions on the U.N.'s report on climate change? Any?
SCHNEIDER: Well, that report is dire, but I'm certain it's going to be the central topic of conversation because it is really alarming an alarmist report. Its message is that climate change is so severe and so sweeping that only urgent global action can head it off.
So, the candidates are going to be asked to address what kind of urgent global action. Will they go so far as to endorse mandatory caps on carbon dioxide emissions? Something that is a very controversial issue that a lot of countries are not ready to support at this point.
You know, you ask who's the candidate who's taking the lead, the obvious answer is Al Gore who's not running, but who got the Nobel Peace Prize and he's sharing it with that U.N. panel, whose report just came out.
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, and can I like put you on the spot and ask you how awkward of a moment that's going to be when the president, right after the Thanksgiving holiday, actually shakes the hand of Al Gore as he will for all those recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. Awkward, huh?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it'll be awkward for everybody there, but I'm sure Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore will be pleasant to each other. They've spoken a couple of times and I believe Mr. President Bush made a phone call to Mr. Gore ... WHITFIELD: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: ...and -- to talk about it. So, I think they've tried to put each other at ease and they're honoring the prize and all the recipients, all the American recipients of the prize. Not specifically only -- not only Mr. Gore.
WHITFIELD: Right, right. All five of the honorees or recipients.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Just had to get your take on that because I caught that and thought, whoo ...
SCHNEIDER: Yes, I saw that.
WHITFIELD: ...that's going to be one heck of a moment in that White House.
SCHNEIDER: It'll be an interesting photo opportunity, and we'll see what they say.
WHITFIELD: Right. All right, thanks so much, Bill. Always good to see you.
And just in case you missed it on Thursday night, the Democratic presidential candidates talk about the war, health care and education. The CNN Las Vegas Debate, we're showing it again today 6:00 p.m. Eastern and later at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
And give one, get one. How you can help connect a child in a developing country to the worldwide Web right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, here are some of the most popular stories right now on CNN.com. They were drinking, a lot. Investigators say six of the seven college students who died in this North Carolina beach house fire last month had high levels of alcohol in their systems. The local D.A. says he doesn't think the drinking had anything to do, however, with the tragedy.
Up the river without a paddle. An 18-foot minke whale, I hope I'm saying that right, minke whale, trapped on a river sandbar in the Amazon jungle. The 12 ton mammal is way off course. Nearly 1,000 miles from the ocean. Scientists are trying to return the animal back to the ocean.
And need a painless way to break up? Just IM. Many teens do it to avoid those awful face-to-face confrontations and other embarrassing moments. Forty-three percent say they use instant messages to say things they'd never say in person.
Well, he is a man with a dream and he's asking you to share in it. Nicholas Negroponte wants every child in the world, especially in developing countries, to have a computer. I talked to him this week and he's got a deal for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICHOLAS NEGROPONTE, FOUNDER, ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD: The idea dates back many years because my colleagues and I at MIT have been trying to understand how children learn and how they're going to learn differently when they have access to computers, particularly one that they own.
So, what's different about this approach is the child, even in the poorest country where they're spending less than $100 per year per child for primary education, will have the opportunity to own the laptop, take it home, use it seamlessly for music, for books, for accessing the Web. It's really possible now.
WHITFIELD: Wow, so we're talking about places from Peru to Uruguay to even Rwanda, but then, Nicholas, some of these places, some of these villages, communities, there's no power. So, how do you make this laptop work?
NEGROPONTE: This laptop is designed specifically for the kind of environment that has no power. It winds up, for example. You can crank it. If you crank for one minute, you get ten minutes. It also can be read in the sunlight, it creates an Internet connection for you automatically. And this is very important because we just can't take normal laptops -- 50 percent of the children of this world have no electricity at home or at school.
WHITFIELD: Wow, pretty remarkable. So, we're looking at the images here of this laptop. Very small, very handy and that it's green, I guess, very inviting for a young person. You've really had the young person in mind when you designed this.
NEGROPONTE: Very much so. It does things that children like to do. It's not only a normal laptop and it will run Windows and it does run Linux. It's also something that has a lot of video, a lot of audio. But most importantly, all the laptops collaborate. They connect to each other. So ...
WHITFIELD: So ...
NEGROPONTE: So when you have hundreds of them, they all make a network automatically.
WHITFIELD: Now, you have one with you, I understand, right?
NEGROPONTE: Yes, I do.
WHITFIELD: All right, so show me just how easy it is and why you think it is so valued for a kid who is in a small village in Rwanda, et cetera, to be connected with the rest of the world. What does it do for that child?
NEGROPONTE: Well, just think for a start that each laptop has 1,000 books in it. And then, if there are 20 children in the village, they could all have different books or different parts of an encyclopedia. So, just the book value is enough to get going. And then the fact that it's connected to the Internet ...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
NEGROPONTE: ...is, is almost a bonus. In the villages where we've done this project, children's first English word is Google.
WHITFIELD: Wow!
NEGROPONTE: And that's where they spend their time.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
NEGROPONTE: And it turns into sort of like a book. It collapses. It's a tablet. You can use it in the sunlight. You can't use your laptop, I can't use my cell phone in the sunlight because it's not readable, but this is particularly designed so kids can use it outdoors. Kids, because of these little cute ears, can all talk to each other.
WHITFIELD: Wow, that's amazing. So, when you saw a kid in a developing nation using your invention right there for the first time, what did you see in that child? Did you kind of see the wheels in motion?
NEGROPONTE: Well, there's a hope and a passion that just doesn't exist otherwise. To me, the biggest measure of success is that in one of our schools in Cambodia, 100 percent more kids showed up for first grade ...
WHITFIELD: Wow.
NEGROPONTE: ...the second year we ran the tests. And that's because the six-year-olds, the previous year, said to the other six- year-olds how cool school was.
WHITFIELD: Oh, neat.
NEGROPONTE: That's very important.
WHITFIELD: So, show me how it works. You know, you hand this laptop to a kid just in that formation and then what happens? How do you make it work?
NEGROPONTE: Well, the hardest thing to do is to open it, actually.
WHITFIELD: It looks tricky.
NEGROPONTE: And then, once it's open, a child takes about two minutes to really start using it very proficiently. An adult might take 30 or 40 minutes. So, what we do is go into the village and we spend a week with the teachers, first. Partly to give them self- confidence ...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
NEGROPONTE: ...so that they'll let the children basically help them.
WHITFIELD: Yes, because kids are going to have questions. How do I make this thing work?
NEGROPONTE: Well, the kids will really be teaching the teachers. And then, for example, there's a camera in here. So, you can do video conferencing with kids in other parts of the world.
WHITFIELD: Oh, neat.
NEGROPONTE: One application that came up recently is that the kids brought it home and the parents who were illiterate could leave messages and make messages for the teacher or receive messages for the teacher because they were all in video and audio.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
NEGROPONTE: So, we're finding lots of new applications daily. And the give one/get one program that we're in the middle of right now ...
WHITFIELD: Right.
NEGROPONTE: ...is an effort to get the American people to buy one for themselves, but that's almost incidental, it's really about giving.
WHITFIELD: Yes, well, because by default then, really not by default because it's your design, another kid gets it, you know, in one of these developing nations. So, you've got this, give one/get one promotion going on through the end of the month, through November 26, right?
NEGROPONTE: Right.
WHITFIELD: Where do you find an XO and why wouldn't you extend it further into the holiday season when everybody is really eager to buy, spend, et cetera? I asked you a lot right there.
NEGROPONTE: Well, yes, I know you did.
The way you find it is you just go to the Web there. Sold on the Web, you can go to laptop.org or you can go to laptopgiving.org. And you can buy one, you can buy many. In fact, it's very important that if you buy one for $399, $200 of that is tax deductible. And as I said, you get a free Internet connection for the year.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. You've got it for 100 bucks.
NEGROPONTE: This is the best deal in town, but most importantly, it sends a laptop to a child in Africa or one of the poorest countries in the world.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that is the best part. So, your kid is able to communicate with someone who has just received this. I mean, what an incredible gift and teaching tool, not just for the kid who's abroad, but your kid, too.
NEGROPONTE: It changes the life of a child and our goal is nothing short of eliminating poverty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Nicholas Negroponte, XO is the computer, laptop.org to get one.
Well, getting mud all over your beautiful white wedding dress. Would you do that? What is she doing? For some brides, it apparently is the thing to do. What?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And it's that time of the year, again. Time for the cold and flu report. Here's a look at where we're seeing the worst of the activity. The purple's the worst. So, Louisiana into Florida. So, you know things are going to be spreading on here into the Deep South, and also some local activity over here into Hawaii. Pretty good across much of the west of the nation's midsection.
Just a little friendly travel tip as you're on the airplane or out there in public this holiday, cover your cough and your sneeze with your elbow, not your hand to help reduce the spread of germs.
Hope you have a safe and happy holiday. More in the NEWSROOM right after this.
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WHITFIELD: Tonight at 8:00 Eastern, wounded warriors returning home to red tape and outrage. Dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates. "Waging War on the V.A." 8:00 p.m. tonight.
Well, apparently, it's vogue with new brides these days. Find the dress, wear it once, then trash it. What? Why? Here's reporter Monique James with Boise affiliate KTVB.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHARON HIGGINS (ph), BRIDE: You could always just come sit here.
MONIQUE JAMES, KTVB REPORTER (voice-over): Sharon Higgins is searching for the perfect spot to trash her dress. All in the name of art. And she's willing to do just about anything for the perfect picture.
HIGGINS: Rolling around in the leaves, climbing trees, getting in the mud. Whatever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, let me make sure ...
JAMES: She was married three years ago, but didn't ever get the pictures she wanted.
HIGGINS: It's like being a model for a day and I didn't have a photographer on my wedding day, so this is my perfect opportunity to have the pictures that I always wanted.
I'm going to come sit right here.
JAMES: Photographer Christy Dame starts her client out on a backdrop of dead leaves.
CRISTI DAME, PHOTOGRAPHER: Now, it's so much of a trend that people are actually asking for it. So, it's really cool. Completely, they just completely turn out so gorgeous and so real. Like you can put them in a magazine, I think.
JAMES: The next stop for this brazen bride: the nearby Boise River.
HIGGINS: I'm planning on walking across that water and laying in the grass, so getting wet.
JAMES: Nothing like a trek in the water to spice up your wedding photos. From the river, they move to muddier waters and, according to the bride, even better pictures. And then, the money shot. For this unique photo shoot, the photography trend that, according to this bride is worth an "I do."
HIGGINS: They are women who are just doing their thing, loving every minute of it and I probably will never wear this again, so why not?
JAMES: Monique James, Idaho's News Channel 7.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Oh, what? All right, whatever floats your boat, as they say. So, perhaps you want to know more about this bridal fad, check out trashthedress.com. There's even a long list of photographers who'll help you get dirty.
An American basketball player has disappeared in Brazil. I'll talk with Tony Harris' wife at 4:00 p.m. Eastern in the NEWSROOM. A check of the day's headlines is next and then, CNN's "SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT."
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