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Mother & Son Reunion: Together Again After 22 Years; Energy Intervention: President Bush Signs Bill Affecting Cars, Homes; A Spiritual Journey: Three Million Muslims at Mecca

Aired December 19, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS TALLADY, BIRTH MOTHER: Hug me. I haven't seen you in ages. You know, hug me. And we just sat down and just talked, and we have so much in common.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

DEE MORRISON, REPORTER, WOOD TV (voice over): Now they're easing from co-workers into family members.

TALLADY: He's a good person. That's what I was hoping, that he would turn out to be a good person.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good genes.

TALLADY: Good genes. That's wonderful. Thank you.

MORRISON: They like what they see in each other and in their future.

TALLADY: (INAUDIBLE) his mom and dad, because they did such a great job. He's such a good guy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: What are the chances? My lord.

Mother and son plan to spent Christmas together. What a wonderful gift.

The next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.

Fewer flights, could that be the ticket to fewer delays? We're going to find out soon, but guess what? Not in time for this holiday rush.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Oh yes.

And let's talk about going green for Christmas. We all are -- sort of -- under a brand new energy policy that's long on conversation for light bulbs to light trucks.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LONG: Hello. I'm Melissa Long, in today for Kyra Phillips.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: First this hour, a drive into the mountains of northern California to search for the perfect Christmas tree. Well, it turns into a desperate search and rescue mission in horrible weather. Thirty-eight-year-old Frederick Dominguez and his 12 and 18-year-old sons and his 15-year-old daughter left Sunday dressed in light jeans, light jackets and sneakers.

Lisa Sams called authorities when she hadn't heard from her family by Monday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA SAMS, MOTHER OF MISSING KIDS: My heart hurts. I just want to find my kids and bring them home. I love them and I'm praying for them, and that I know that God will bring them home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Searchers have found the family's truck, but that's all. Complicating the search, snow, and plenty of it -- anywhere from two to six feet in the past two days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE ROWE, PARADISE, CALIFORNIA, POLICE: The conditions were pretty bad. Their visibility was very low, plus the terrain is very steep and hilly in that particular area, heavily wooded. So it's a very difficult search for the people that have been out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Another storm is due to hit the area tonight.

LONG: Another story that is happening right now. Dennis Kucinich, presidential hopeful, is finding out today that his brother has passed away. He was found earlier today in his home by another brother, Larry Kucinich. That was about five hours ago now, about 9:00 in the morning.

It is Perry Kucinich who was found dead in his home outside of Cleveland. Now, how did he die? Well, the county coroner said that an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of his death, but at this point there are no signs of foul play.

So, again, earlier today, 9:00 a.m. local time, Perry Kucinich, the brother of Congressman Dennis Kucinich, presidential hopeful, was found dead in his home. We'll keep you posted on the developing story.

LEMON: Absolutely. And if your flight is delayed no matter where you live in the U.S., there's a good chance the trouble started in and around New York City. Now the government wants to do something about it.

Delays often start at JFK, LaGuardia or Newark airports and ripple across the nation. Now, the Bush administration and airlines have made a deal -- fewer flights are going to go through that area at the busiest times of day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY PETERS, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Under the terms of the hourly caps, airlines will able to shift their flights to times of the day when airports have unused capacity. The result in stopping the overload in peak hours will make for a significant, significant reduction in delays in the New York region. These limits will do much to end the scheduling practices that try to squeeze in more flights an hour than the runways can efficiently handle. What they don't do is require airlines to cut the number of flights currently serving the area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, you saw her right there. She also says the military will open parts of its East and West Coast airspace to commercial flights for a few days over Christmas and New Year's.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LONG: A story we're following for you at this hour, very basic information. Just want to give you the nuggets we have at this point.

You can see the remnants of an explosion right now and a fire that is raging this afternoon. This is at a power plant in Jacksonville, Florida. It's our affiliate we have to thank, WTLV, for giving us these live pictures.

Very dark there. And you can see the dark smoke billowing from that building.

Do not have the exact location. Can't tell you exactly the name of the company. But again, it's a power plant explosion, Jacksonville, Florida.

We can tell you that fire crews are now rushing to the scene. Of course, emergency personnel are rushing there now.

We'll of course continue to monitor this story. We'll be following it in detail at CNN.com as well. Just checking it out. We'll keep the live pictures up for you there, as well, and bring you any information as we get it.

LEMON: Yes. Look at that smoke.

LONG: And now a scary sight earlier today right across from the West Wing of the White House, but things are now getting back to normal at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

There was a two-alarm fire there this morning. The fire started near Vice President Dick Cheney's ceremonial offices. Cheney and President Bush were at the White House at the time of the fire.

Firefighters using axes to break the windows on the third floor of the building. They were able to put the fire out. And the good news, everyone got out safely.

The president and vice president personally thanked the firefighters afterward. One injury was reported, a marine who hurt his hand when he busted a fifth floor window to escape the smoke and step out on to the ledge. Fire officials say the fire appears to have started in an electrical closet or possibly the phone bank.

LEMON: America looks to be going greener, or at least less dependent on black gold. President Bush signed a bill, the big energy bill a few hours ago. It affects what you will be driving and how you will be living for decades to come.

Bring that in here Jason, real quick.

I'm going to show you this light bulb.

For decades to come -- we're going to go to our Kathleen Koch, but this is -- Kathleen, this normal incandescent light bulb, out the door. We're hearing it's going to be these new ones, energy efficient, coming up. Is that right?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's it, Don. The bulbs with the curlicues.

But I'll tell you what. The thing that will change the most and at least initially make the biggest impact is the centerpiece of this legislation that President Bush signed into law this morning, and that is the first change in the minimum fuel efficiency standards for passenger vehicles in 32 years.

Now, under the law, by 2020 auto makers would have -- would be required for the average miles per gallon in their entire fleet would be 35 miles per gallon. Now, right now, the average is only 25. So that is huge.

Also, ethanol production will be boosted sixfold to some 36 billion gallons a year. And instead of most of it being made from corn as it is now, it would be made from alternative sources like switch grasses or wood chips.

President Bush, at the signing ceremony this morning, described some of the other energy-saving measures that the bill would require.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bill also includes provisions to improve energy efficiency in lighting and appliances. It adopts elements of the executive order I signed requiring federal agencies to lead by example in efficiency and renewable energy use.

Taken together, all these measure would help us improve our environment. It's estimated that these initiatives could reduce projected CO2 emissions by billions of metric tons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: And speaking of reducing, the prediction is also that these measures, by the year 2030, would cut U.S. oil consumption by some four to five million barrels a day.

President Bush talked about leading by example. Now, the White House says it's doing just that.

We were talking about the bulbs. Well, I've got a few here myself, Don. Now, the White House says it is replacing its incandescent bulbs with these -- these are the compact fluorescents -- everywhere that they can.

They're also doing a lot of recycling I know in the press area downstairs. There's a recycle bin in the White House cafeteria. They recycle the paper trays there.

They've also installed low-flow sinks, faucets, toilets wherever they can, though I must say, I haven't yet seen any solar panels on the south lawn, but we'll keep our eyes on it.

LEMON: We'll have to check the roof of the White House.

I didn't mean to steal your thunder there. The producer said, she's got the bulbs, too.

KOCH: We're ready.

LEMON: So I didn't know. Yes, and I'm just looking at the boxes that I have here. The one that you have, just like mine -- by the way, this is provided by the power company here in Georgia. Lots of power companies are providing them.

This one has -- let' see, it uses energy, 14 watts. And it's a 60-watt bulb. This one, the other one, the regular one, uses 150 watts of energy. So...

KOCH: That's right. This would use 13 versus 60...

LEMON: Oh, wow.

KOCH: ... to give the same illumination. So quite a savings.

LEMON: All right.

Kathleen Koch, thank you very much.

LONG: Reporting and able to go out and go shopping. Kathleen's amazing.

LEMON: Hey, you know what? That's a Christmas present shopping idea we have there from our very own Kathleen Koch.

LONG: It doesn't say jewelry or -- it doesn't glimmer like jewelry, but, hey, it's smart. You know?

LEMON: It does light up. Lights up like a diamond.

LONG: Yes, you try to convince someone of that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: The symbolic Stoning of Satan, it is a high point of the Hajj pilgrimage and one of the most risky. Today around two million Muslims converged on the pillars of western Saudi Arabia, and more will follow tomorrow and again on Friday. Among them, a Muslim convert from California.

CNN's Isha Sesay recently caught up with her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They come together as one on the Plains of Arafat. Under the hot Saudi sun, nearly three million Muslims spent the day in prayer and meditation, all hoping God will hear their prayers on this, the second day of the Hajj. Muslims believe this ritual is a dress rehearsal for the day of judgment, and when the sun sets the pilgrimage reaches its climax.

DR. AHMED IBN SAIFUDDIN, ISLAMIC SCHOLAR: This is a day of forgiveness, a day of emancipation, a day for a forgiveness. And that's what Hajj is all about, is becoming a newly born person.

SESAY: For Leslie Rohn, an American-born Muslim convert, the experience of performing her first Hajj is a dream come true. We spoke to her just hours before she set out for Arafat. Just thinking about the day's significance fills her with emotion.

LESLIE ROHN, AMERICAN PILGRIM: I'm going to be praying for forgiveness for my sins. And that, I think, is what we all are after. And, you know, there are a lot of things that we do consciously and unconsciously. I want a closer relationship with God.

SESAY: This 49-year-old resident of California is a long way from home. And she says she is relishing everything minute of this spiritual journey. But she admits performing the ritual of (INAUDIBLE) is at times physically overwhelming.

ROHN: There are times when you have to -- you have to kind of put down that spiritual piece of it and just focus on staying safe.

SESAY: She converted to Islam three years ago because she had grown dissatisfied with Catholicism. In Islam, she says, she found the connection to God she had been yearning for.

Every Muslim who is financially and physically able is required to perform the Hajj at least once during their lifetime. While other Muslims agonize about when to actually make the trip, Leslie says it was an easy decision for her. Back home in the U.S., as she made her final preparations for her trip to Mecca, she explained why.

ROHN: It's a really great time to go. It's winter in Saudi Arabia, so it's probably only 95 degrees during the day. And I'm very excited about going. So it's something I've wanted to do ever since I converted.

SESAY: But the Hajj is not simply about getting closer to God. Over the course of this five-day religious gathering Muslims from all around the world will also be striving to get closer to each other.

(on camera): Now that the sun has set, Leslie and the millions of other pilgrims will relocate to Muzdalifah. And there they will collect the small pebbles needed for the Hajj's stoning ritual, and also take the opportunity to have a meal, get some rest, and reflect on the high point of the Hajj.

Isha Sesay, CNN, Arafat, Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A medical emergency at sea. Who you going to call? The feel-good story of the day told by the people who lived it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

LONG: The next story about someone who is innocent, so many that are damaged. They are the youngest victims of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): "I never imagined that we would be here. It was hard. Baghdad isn't easy. It's scary," her father says.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: Their faces are young but they have been through a lifetime of pain. What will it take to fix their bodies and, perhaps, more importantly, their souls?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Welcome to a subdivision that is taking solar power to new heights and depths.

LIZ REESE, DRAKE LANDING RESIDENT: We came all the way from Seattle to support this solar community because it was cutting edge and it was new and exciting.

O'BRIEN: Liz Reese and Lyle McRae moved north of the border to a place called Drake Landing, near Calgary. There are solar panels everywhere here, 800 of them in all. They don't generate electricity, they heat up water in pipes that snake through the community of more than 50 homes.

LYLE MCRAE, DRAKE LANDING RESIDENT: And it comes to our air exchanger. And this air exchanger gets the water and distributes it throughout the house and then it cools off and it sends it back so it can get heated up again.

O'BRIEN: But there is more to it than that. In the warm summer months, the hot water flows to a network of 144 pipes deep underground. The pipes warm up the surrounding soil to more than 170 degrees Fahrenheit, a heat bank for the winter. And if all else fails, there is a gas burner backup.

REESE: The thing that I liked about it is that it was really easy for us to just buy the home, turn the key and go in and not have to figure out any of the technology.

MCRAE: There you go, Benji.

O'BRIEN: Liz and Lyle say they have cut their heating bills in half and they've reduced their greenhouse gas production by five tons a year, just like all their neighbors.

Miles O'Brien, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Getting some new information into the CNN NEWSROOM about that power plant explosion in Jacksonville, Florida. Now, here's what we're learning from our affiliates there. They say that rescue crews were responding to this huge explosion on the New Berlin and Fay Road intersection, that's what it's called. You can just see that ball of smoke, black smoke, just shooting up, a huge cloud of black smoke there.

Callers near the scene tell local television stations and reporters on the scene that the explosion shook their cars. One caller said he works at a chemical plant nearby and that he was told to get out. Now, he says -- this is according to the caller that it was a chemical explosion. We have not confirmed that.

But again, this explosion happening at a power plant, Jacksonville, Florida. Dozens of rescue crews on the scene. We have no reports of any injuries there, but we'll continue to follow this developing story and bring you the very latest right here.

LONG: Of course, the Iraq War is not just about war itself, it's about, of course, the fact the families are shattered. Children will die, and futures will vanish in the crossfire.

CNN's Arwa Damon reports now on groups that are dedicated to sharing that enormous burden.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And his struggle is almost over.

(on camera): Exploded. Visiting America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

DAMON (voice-over): He's made a short movie. And his mother, Jinan has kept a journal of their remarkable journey.

"We left Fallujah September 7th at 3:00 p.m.," she reads.

(on camera): She's actually only writing down the events that take place in this book that she's keeping because her emotions are just too intense.

(voice-over): About two years ago, Mohammed was outside his home when an explosion blew off his right leg and killed his six-year-old cousin. CNN met him 15 months later.

MOHAMMED RASOUL, LOST LEG TO BOMB IN IRAQ (through translator): I remember everything going pitch black. My cousin died at the scene. I still hear her screams.

DAMON: Three times a week, he watered the tree he had planted at her grave. Thousands of miles away, on Staten Island, New York, a Elissa Montani saw our story. She is the founder of the Global Medical Relief Fund.

ELISSA MONTANI, GLOBAL MEDICAL RELIEF FUND: All children are equal and these children need us. They need us so bad.

DAMON: So she brought Mohammed and his mother to America. And now, he's on his way to Shriners Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, which has pledged to provide Mohammed with free treatment and prosthetics until he's an adult.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me go get your leg -- the new leg, OK. And I'll be right back.

JINAN MOHAMMED, MOHAMMED'S MOTHER: I am very happy for this leg. I am very happy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're happy to have you. There we go. Try that out. Come on in.

J. MOHAMMED (through translator): I am so happy, so happy. I am seeing him tall and big. It's a strange emotion. It's been two years since I last saw him standing like this.

Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you very much.

DAMON (on camera): Mohammed has been through so much in his short life, but at least he's getting help. So many Iraqi children don't, whether they are innocent victims of war or just desperately in need of medical aid.

(voice-over): It's not just the violence, it's the collapse of the healthcare system. After four years of war, there's little medicine, sanitation is almost non-existent, most of the country's doctors have fled abroad. Others have been killed. Child mortality has risen by more than a third.

For the most part, the only way to help children is to get them out. Last month, the American Charity, Operation Smile, brought about 50 Iraqi children to Jordan. These kids all have either cleft lips, pallets, or burns. Not life-threatening, but surgery is life- altering.

DR. WILLIAM MCGEE, FOUNDER, OPERATION SMILE: No child should have to live their life imprisoned in their own body for the lack of a 45-minute operation that can bring them to society and into their life.

DAMON: A life that can't be changed in their homeland. This baby already had an unsuccessful surgery in Iraq.

"I never imagined that we would be here. It was hard. Baghdad isn't easy, it's scary," her father says.

The charities that work with Iraqi kids know they could do more. The Global Medical Relief Fund has brought a dozen Iraqi kids to the U.S.

MONTANI: I function on a prayer, literally. If I thought logical, and I wasn't persistent, I wouldn't be where I am. We have no paid staff. We're not this big organization. We are very small, making huge -- making a huge impact on these children and these parents' lives.

DAMON: And that impact goes beyond the medical care.

J. MOHAMMED (through translator): People in Iraq and in the Arab world think the Americans are our enemy. It's just the opposite. They helped me in the airport. Everywhere I go, the Americans help me. Let this truth get out. You know, I stayed in Kuwait four days and no one helped me. They are Arabs. I didn't see help until I got here.

MONTANI: I love you.

MOHAMMED RASOUL: I love you, too.

DAMON: Mohammed may be just 12-years-old, but he knows he is one of a fortunate few.

MOHAMMED RASOUL (through translator): I wish that they would help all the other children like me that were harmed by the war, by the bombs in Iraq.

DAMON: At least he can make a new start in life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: You know, the care that Mohammed received according to his doctors is not necessarily all that sophisticated. It's just that it's not available currently in Iraq and there really aren't any accurate estimates as to how many children have been wounded by this war. But UNICEF says that that number is well into the thousands.

LONG: So nice to hear how appreciative his mom is and see that smile on the 12-year-old's face. You have of course, been documenting the effects on the children. But let's explore a little deeper about how does the effects of war are not just -- it's not just about the kids, it's just about all the communities.

DAMON: It is about the entire community. You have to think that this war has been going on for over four years now, the stress of that. The stress of living in that constant state of anxiety and not knowing if when you step out of your house, you're going to be able to come back alive.

If we look at just the children, they're growing up and this is the only reality that they know. And they're watching their parents live in this constant state of anxiety, and the impact also goes beyond just those that are wounded in the violence.

You've got their educational system falling apart, they're unable to go to school. You've got their psychological state of mind. You've got the fact that an estimated 90 percent of the casualties in Iraq are male, many of these men have families, they are leaving their kids behind. Often times, they're forced out into the streets to fend for themselves.

It's really such a desperate situation, which is why these groups that are able to operate in Iraq say that they will take all the help that they can get.

LONG: Such a touching story. Arwa Damon live from London.

And we want to make sure everybody knows you have a special coming up this weekend. It's a special little boy and we have a special about him. He's been suffering through so much and Christmas Eve at 10:00 Eastern, watch "Rescuing Youssif," his life then and his life now only on CNN.

LEMON: And we're following a developing story here. A power plant explosion in Jacksonville, Florida. We'll speak to a reporter on the scene coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's get out live now to the scene of that explosion in Jacksonville, Florida. For the reporters on the scene, one of our affiliate reporters from WTLV, Grayson Kamm.

Grayson, talk to us.

VOICE OF GRAYSON KAMM, WTLV-TV REPORTER: Yes, what I'm seeing out here -- I'm actually in an overpass near the explosion site, a highway overpass. And there's been a cloud of thick black smoke that is far wider than you might expect from a single explosion that has been billowing for half an hour now.

This area north of Jacksonville, sort of an industrial area near a power plant was rocked by this explosion 45 minutes or so ago. It shook windows. Folks telling me that they have industrial warehouses with big industrial doors that don't move for anything. Those doors rattled and shook.

I talked to one witness who said a fireball, at least 50 to 75 feet wide went billowing out of this transformer complex along the edge of the power plant into the sky.

We've been up here for about half an hour trying to respond to this and we have seen police cars, fire engines, ambulances rushing in and out, all sorts of directions, police basically cordoned off this entire area saying -- one of them to me, we don't know exactly what's going on.

LEMON: Right.

KAMM: So, we need to push everybody back.

LEMON: Yes, so -- that's what I was going to ask you, my next question. You read my mind here. So, the -- you got folks that are back -- being pushed back from the scene. Has everyone been evacuated from the area that you're in?

KAMM: They're trying to evacuate everyone. You know, folks -- this is an industrial area, you've got people who've been here working all day. And police had to go closer to this than probably they would like to get to these people in these industrial areas, telling them to get out.

Yes, they spent the first, I'd say maybe 25, 30 minutes after this explosion cordoning off an entire area that is probably, I'd say about a mile, not even across. Maybe two miles across and a mile out in every direction from this. In fact, they've closed all the exits off this highway that runs by it. So, about the closest you can get is from this highway about a mile away.

LEMON: OK, and real quick, do you know about any injuries?

KAMM: That's the question, do we know if anyone's been injured. We've heard different reports, but I don't know. The only ambulances I've seen, luckily, have been moving sort of to relocate and have not been transporting any patients.

LEMON: Do you know what this plant does?

KAMM: This is a power plant ...

LEMON: Give us an idea of what might be in the air here, that's what I'm asking. KAMM: So, what we've got is here on the north side of Jacksonville on the St. John's River, there are a couple of different power plant complexes that are next to each other. There's a big marine port, they bring in coal. They ship the coal down a railroad track, and it dumps right at these power plants.

LEMON: OK, all right.

KAMM: There's a big coal yard, there's a big power plant complex, two huge cooling towers, two huge smokestacks, and then north of that is the transformer complex where they distribute all of that power.

LEMON: So, Grayson, we've got a plethora of different things that happened there. OK, thank you very much. WTLV's Grayson Kamm, one of our affiliates there in Jacksonville. Thank you.

LONG: Your children love teenage television star Jamie Lynn Spears and now, you find out she's pregnant. What is her mother saying about the news? And what's next for the teen queen?

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: Ten minutes before the hour, and topping our political ticker, the death of Perry Kucinich, that's the brother of Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich. He was found dead this morning at his home in Cleveland, Ohio. His body was discovered by another brother, Larry. An autopsy is under way. Authorities right now say there are no signs of foul play. Perry Kucinich was 52.

A no go from Bush 41. Former president George H.W. Bush says there is no way he'll take part in any diplomatic mission for Hillary Clinton if she is elected president. Former president Bill Clinton made that suggestion on Monday in South Carolina, saying his predecessor might join him on a mission to improve U.S. relations with other countries. In a statement, the elder Bush says he wholeheartedly supports the current president and his foreign policy and sees no need for any fence mending.

LEMON: No go, as you said, to mojo, and some people say he's lost it. But Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson says he has not lost his mojo. The former Tennessee senator entered the race just three months ago and apparently, still hasn't caught fire with many Republicans in Iowa. He is a distant third in most polls there. Right now, Thompson is on a two-week bus tour of Iowa.

Thompson had this to say to CNN's Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED THOMPSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have been working hard for several months now, you know. I think sometimes the media had a notion, you know, that because I have been in the movie business, that I'd be well scripted, that I'd be slick, that I'd be perfect. And it was a standard nobody else was held to. But I think I was held to it. And so, they concentrated on the negative.

And I have been doing basically the same thing the entire time. I've even started out with a bus. So now, we're back on the bus and having a good time doing it. And you know, people are entitled to their opinions but I haven't lost an election yet.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you feel though -- now that you've been at it for a few months -- do you feel more comfortable? Do you feel like you've got your mojo now? .

THOMPSON: Well, I was probably, to a fault, felt like I've had my mojo the whole time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Mojo, is that Austin Powers?

For all the day's political stories, including the latest polls in New Hampshire, log on to our Web site. The address is cnnpolitics.com.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brooke Anderson in Hollywood. Britney Spears' family expecting the arrival of another baby. But this time, the mother is un-married and just old enough to drive. The details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, one is in the midst of a high profile custody battle and the other one is famous, as well, and has just now learned that she is pregnant. So, Britney Spears is going to be an aunt. We're talking about her little sister. Entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson joins me now with the very latest on that -- Brooke.

ANDERSON: Well Don, not sure that Britney Spears is going to be doing much babysitting as an aunt. She has to be supervised to see her own children. But yes, her 16-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, is about three months pregnant, she says. And Jamie Lynn, who first revealed the news to "OK" magazine, is quite a star herself among young kids and fans who adore her, want to emulate her. She has her own show, very popular TV show, "Zoey 101" on Nickelodeon. It was actually nominated for an Emmy back in 2005 for Outstanding Children's Program.

Now, "OK" magazine tell us the interview with Jamie Lynn was hastily arranged and that it happened on Monday. In the article, Jamie Lynn says that she plans to keep the baby and that the father is her boyfriend of about two and a half years, 18-year-old, Casey Aldridge. Jamie Lynn also says she hopes to raise the child in Louisiana so it can, as she puts it, "have a normal life."

You're looking at video now from hollywood.tv. That's Jamie Lynn with her sister, Britney. Jamie Lynn says she has no plans to get married at this point, but that she just wants to focus on the baby. Her mother, Lynn, was also interviewed by "OK" magazine and said that she was shocked when Jamie Lynn told her the news just before Thanksgiving, but that now she is just going to support her daughter.

And Don, I want to mention too, that the teen birth rate has risen for the first time in 14 years. This according to a new government report. One in three girls in the U.S. gets pregnant before her 20th birthday. And Jamie Lynn did actually address the message this sends to young girls saying, "I definitely don't think it's something you should do," referring to premarital sex, "it's better to wait, but I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."

LEMON: One in three, one in three girls. OK.

ANDERSON: Yes.

LEMON: She mentioned that and you said she's a role model to many young girls, especially considering her show, that "Zoey 101" show, on Nickelodeon. Hugely popular.

What is going to happen with that? Can she continue the show?

ANDERSON: Well, it's unclear at this point. And nothing official has come from Nickelodeon on the fate of the program. They did tell us that "Zoey 101" is scheduled to end its third season early January, and that filming on the fourth season has already been completed.

The network also issued this statement to CNN, "We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well- being."

So right now, Don, future of the show, her role in it -- unknown.

LEMON: I mean, some perspective to this. A 16-year-old should not be pregnant, but it's not like anyone has died here. It's a young girl with a child, so ...

ANDERSON: True.

LEMON: ...we shouldn't be so morbid about it. Maybe she will be a good mom, who knows.

ANDERSON: Maybe so. She's excited about it.

LEMON: And speaking of moms, her mom is supposed to be writing this book on parenting. Is that about to be released?

ANDERSON: Well, it was scheduled for a Spring '08 release, Don. She had been working on a book about parenting, about raising her famous daughters. But the book's publisher tells CNN that release has been delayed indefinitely, but wouldn't comment on whether the pregnancy affected their decision to put the project on hold.

We're going to have more on this coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." This startling story, we'll have the details behind the pregnancy of Jamie Lynn Spears. And, was Britney a bad influence? And will the show be canceled? 11:00 Eastern and Pacific. We hope to see you then.

LEMON: Some real world stuff. Maybe it will be good for the show. It might teach some kids some lessons, who knows.

ANDERSON: You know, maybe so. Maybe it will send a good message. Maybe it's a time for parents to sit down with their children and have a talk.

LEMON: And talk about these things. Yes, she could be a catalyst for that, if anything will come out of this. So, we wish them well, her and the baby and her family.

ANDERSON: Absolutely.

LEMON: Thank you very much. We'll be watching tonight, Brooke.

LONG: Of course and next week, talk will be much about the travel in the Big Apple. It can cause big flight delays all around the U.S. and now the government is targeting the New York City area to cut your travel time no matter where you live.

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