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American Morning
Israel Refuses to Agree to Humanitarian Truce; Blagojevich Defiantly Appoints Burris to Illinois Senate
Aired December 31, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CO-HOST: It's just seconds before the top of the hour and we're tracking breaking news this morning. Israel says it won't stop its air attacks against Gaza despite a French proposal for a humanitarian truce.
A spokesman says -- a spokesman for the Israeli government says that they need, quote, sustainable solution and not a Band-Aid that will just kick the can down the road. A spokesman for Hamas says the violence needs to stop and humanitarian aid should be allowed into Gaza before any political solution can be discussed.
And Happy New Year, Auckland. Just last hour the clock struck 12:00 in New Zealand ringing in the start of 2009. Right now the New Year started just 23 seconds ago in the small island nation of Fiji.
And some encouraging news out of Iraq to start the new year. U.S. troop deaths fell 66 percent in Iraq in 2008 compared to 2007. A count of Pentagon figures shows 309 U.S. soldiers lost their lives in Iraq in the past 12 months. 906 servicemen died in Iraq the year before.
And another political shocker this morning in Chicago. Governor Rod Blagojevich brushing off a scandal around him and defiantly appointing former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat. Already Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are vowing to block Burris. But it's unclear if that's even possible. For now Burris is trying to stay above the scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROLAND BURRIS (D), FMR. ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: The governor's problems are -- they're not my problems. I am not tainted by this appointment. The governor followed the United States constitution, the (INAUDIBLE) amendment, to fill the vacancy.
That's all that's there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Our Ed Lavandera is following the story for us this morning. It just gets more interesting, doesn't it?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sure does, Christine. You know, the governor -- virtually every politician in Illinois wants to see him out of office. They're trying to impeach him. Others are questioning his sanity. But to the governor of Illinois it doesn't matter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: The chutzpa shocks even the most passionate critics of Governor Rod Blagojevich.
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: To not to fill the vacancy would be to deprive the people of Illinois of two United States senators, to deprive the people of Illinois of their appropriate voice and votes in the United States Senate.
LAVANDERA: Blagojevich's lawyer had said the governor would not fill Illinois's vacant Senate seat but there he is now. Scandal tainted governor standing by his pick to become the next Illinois senator, Roland Burris.
BLAGOJEVICH: Please, don't allow the allegations against me to taint this good and honest man.
LAVANDERA: Burris is a former Illinois attorney general who ran against Blagojevich for governor in 2002. The two quickly became friends. Burris was a key member of the governor's transition team.
Some Illinois Republicans describe Burris as a Blagojevich crony who has spent years working as a lobbyist between his wife, his firm and himself. He's donated to Blagojevich's campaigns.
BURRIS: The evidence that's been presented is truly appalling.
LAVANDERA: But just a few weeks ago Burris said the governor should be removed from office. He's not saying that any more.
BURRIS: I am humbled to have the opportunity. I promise the citizens that I will dedicate my utmost effort as their United States senator.
LAVANDERA: The appointment sent shockwaves across political circles in Illinois. Many expressing dismay and outrage. And one Republican official says the governor is a very confused person.
LT. GOV. PAUL QUINN (D), ILLINOIS: It's time that he gets the message that the people of Illinois will not tolerate his antics any longer.
JAY STEWART, ILLINOIS BETTER GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION: This is really, to some degree, a theater of the absurd. This is Governor Blagojevich's thumbing his nose at the rest of the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: And this morning, essentially, at the end of his press conference yesterday, racial politics injected into all of the situation as Illinois congressman Bobby Rush emerged from the crowd. He wasn't supposed to be part of the deal.
He -- sounds like he just showed up and all of a sudden they gave him the microphone. And he basically said he would be supporting Burris because he would be the only African-American in the Senate seat.
And then as Blagojevich was leaving the press conference away from the podium he pointed at reporters and said don't lynch the appointer -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right, Ed Lavandera. Thanks, Ed.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CO-HOST: President-elect Obama has been calling for Governor Blagojevich to step aside and he's frowning on this latest development calling it disappointing.
Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is with the president-elect in Honolulu.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Joe, Christine, President-elect Barack Obama was trying to turn the page on the whole Rod Blagojevich scandal. But the Illinois governor's decision to appoint Roland Burris to replace Mr. Obama in the Senate has reopened all the wounds.
Mr. Obama putting out a blistering statement making clear that he believes Mr. Burris is a good man but that this appointment should not have been made because it's tainted. And in fact, Mr. Obama also said he supports the move by Senate Democrats to block this appointment saying that the Democrats had warned the governor that since he's accused of trying to auction off this Senate seat he never showed have made the move.
Mr. Obama saying, quote, "I agree with their decision and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it. I believe the best resolution would be for the governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place.
While Governor Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy."
That is a statement from the president-elect of the United States. It's clear that this rupture in the Democratic Party, the team Obama was hoping to put behind it is still wide-open.
Joe, Christine?
JOHNS: Ed Henry in Honolulu.
And stay with us here on AMERICAN MORNING. Roland Burris will join us live in about 30 minutes to give us his take on the controversial appointment.
ROMANS: All right. Pre-gaming for tonight's big New Year's Eve bash, Kathy Griffin dropped by "AC 360" last night and high jinx ensued. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHY GRIFFIN, COMEDIAN: I can't wait until tomorrow night. I'm nervous about the cold.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: It's going to be very cold.
GRIFFIN: I expect some spooning. Can I count on you?
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: All right. It'll be on the inside. Wow, you drive a hard bargain.
Did you know that Lou Dobbs is like...
COOPER: No.
GRIFFIN: Do you know who's really good friends with him? Cher. Did you know that?
COOPER: No.
GRIFFIN: Cher.
COOPER: No.
GRIFFIN: It's true. They have a love child, Alejandro. Little Alejandro Dobbs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. Meanwhile final New Year preps under way down the block in Times Square. A bigger and better New Year's Eve ball will make its debut tonight in front of Kathy and Anderson and hundreds of thousands of very chilly people.
Our Deb Feyerick is live down the block in Times Square with a sneak preview.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Christine, most people like to get here really early so that they can get a good place. Me I'd like to get here early so I can get those really cool glasses. This year they'll say 2009.
However, the souvenir shop that I usually go to, totally close so what's up with that? 7 o'clock in the morning, I'm here, they should be opened, too.
Well, let's take a look what's going on here behind me. This is where it all takes place. The Bowtie of Humanity here in New York City. Hundreds of thousands if not up to a million people will be standing here with some of their new best closest friends all to see the big ball drop at midnight.
It's Waterford crystal ball. Lots of crystals on that. It takes about 60 seconds for it to descend. And the guest of honor this year, pushing the button will be Senator Hillary Clinton and her husband, former president, Bill Clinton, joining a whole bunch of people.
Preparations have been underway for a lot of months now. But the final ones happening just within the last 24 hours. Balloons that were are getting ready. You'll see lots of bands here to come tonight.
The Jonas Brothers, Lionel Richie is going to be making an appearance, Taylor Swift. So a lot of fun. But you've got to be prepared when you do come here because they begin to barricade all these different streets around here.
So if you don't get into a particular section you have to stand a little bit further back. That's why you'll start seeing people at 9:00, 10 o'clock even. One man who I spoke to, he said that he had a tent.
Another couple, they're sort of figuring out where the best place to stand is and I said you're going to stand here all day? They said, well, maybe, but the woman already looked so cold I can't believe she's going to make to it to even maybe 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
So we'll see how it goes, but this is where the energy is going to be. The lights, the crowds, the noise, the cheering and so it is a lot of fun. No alcohol, no champagne, no bathrooms. So all in all just be prepared. Christine?
ROMANS: You know, Deb, I think it's amazing over the past, you know, eight or nine years how this celebration has changed and how the officials have been able to really have security and then, you know, great festivity co-exist. I mean they...
FEYERICK: Absolutely...
ROMANS: ... had not sacrificed the fun.
FEYERICK: No, they haven't. You know, but security is very serious here. You cannot bring in backpacks. You're very limited as to what you can bring. You'll have a lot of extra police on duty. Many people undercover. They've got their whole counterterrorism squad that's going to be around.
They'll have helicopters in the sky. The big sophisticated NYPD helicopter that can actually shoot close-ups of faces on the ground. Plus you're going to have people on the roofs of many of these buildings here, you know, just keeping an eye on the activity.
Again, nothing has happened but ever since 2001 and 9/11, well, things have definitely changed. And clearly with so many people here, they've just got to be careful.
ROMANS: All right. Well, God love them for lining up already for something that will be cold tonight.
Deb Feyerick in Times Square. Thanks, Deb.
And don't forget you can ring in the New Year right here on CNN where it's warm. Join Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. The fun starts at 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS (voice over): The hits.
BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: This is your victory.
JOHNS: The misses.
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: No, no, no. Not God bless America.
JOHNS: And the mistresses. From Sarah Palin to the flying shoes.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Shame on you, Barack Obama.
JOHNS: Countdown of the top 10 biggest political moments of the year.
You're watching the most news in the morning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: We're following breaking news out of the Middle East this morning. There's an eerie period of calm this morning at the Israeli/Gaza border. That's after intense air strikes overnight.
Israeli war planes rattled high-rise apartment buildings in Gaza City, showering the streets with concrete and broken glass. Palestinian sources say the death toll has now topped 390 and 1900 injured.
This is new video just into CNN from the Israel defense forces. They say air strikes targeted Hamas rocket launchers in Gaza. Israel is ignoring a 48-hour ceasefire proposed by France giving no indication that the violence will end any time soon.
Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan talked with our Wolf Blitzer and said Hamas is not looking for any kind of temporary ceasefire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OSAMA HAMDAN, HAMAS SPOKESMAN: We are not asking just for a ceasefire for 48 hours. We are asking to stop the holocaust against the Palestinians, to stop the Israeli attack against the Palestinians, and to open all the borders, all the checkpoints, then we can talk about the politics, then we can talk about the next step.
No one can ask the Palestinians to talk while they are under -- the fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Our Paula Hancocks joins us live from the Israeli/Gaza border.
Good day to you, Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Joe. Well, it has been a little bit quieter. Certainly when it comes to the Israeli air strikes in Gaza, we think there's been about 10 or so different targets that have been hit this morning.
But, certainly the air traffic the other way has been continuing, at least 30 rockets. That was a number we got from the Israeli police about two, three hours ago and we heard that more land since. And we think these Israeli tanks and we know that they are hitting further than they have hit before.
But the news here is there is no ceasefire. There was a possibility of a 48-hour truce as suggested by the French foreign minister to allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza. But Israel has said no and said it has to be a disappointment to 1.5 million residents in Gaza itself.
But domestic support here in Israel is still strong for this operation. About 700,000 people, that's 10 percent of Israel's population now in rocket range, and they want the rockets to stop. Joe?
JOHNS: Paula Hancocks on the Israeli/Gaza border. Thanks so much for that. We'll stay in touch.
And coming up in just about 20 minutes here on AMERICAN MORNING, we'll talk to a teacher in Gaza who was podcasting on the crisis even during the air strikes. That's ahead on the most news in the morning.
ROMANS: All right. Congratulations, Hillary Clinton. If all goes well with politics in Washington you'll inherit the Middle East crisis in about 20 days. The challenges ahead and whether she'll look back at her husband's administration for guidance.
And how does it feel to be picked to replace Barack Obama in the United States Senate? Well, that just might depend on who did the picking. The man just selected by the embattled Illinois governor is here live.
And six degrees of Bernie Madoff, Kevin Bacon is in the mix. We decided to see who else we could tie to the world's biggest alleged scam artist.
It's 15 minutes now past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right. The actor Kevin Bacon has confirmed he was one of the victims of the biggest alleged rip off in Wall Street history. So this inspired us to play six-degrees of Bernie Madoff.
Today's contestant, chosen randomly, the Bambino, Babe Ruth, who played himself in "Pride of the Yankees" in 1942 starring Gary Cooper. Cooper acted alongside Charlton Heston in "The Wreck of the Mary Deare" in 1959 and Heston was in "Any Given Sunday" with James Woods.
Now James Wood was in "Falling Angels" directed by Tom Cruise who is in "A Few Good Men" with Kevin Bacon.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: So there you go. By our bulletproof logic, Babe Ruth is tied to Bernard Madoff. There you go.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: And Stephanie Elam is tied to Bernard Madoff...
JOHNS: That's amazing.
ROMANS: ... because she is here with the "Dumb Biz Moments of 2008" and of course, I'm sure, the alleged fraud by Bernard Madoff is somewhere on that list, isn't it?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You got it. I'm pressed by that whole linkage...
JOHNS: Yes, that's pretty amazing.
ELAM: ... that just went on there. That was impressive.
(LAUGHTER)
ELAM: That was pretty good. But, you know, it should come as no surprise that the folks at CNN.com/money were able to come up with nearly two dozen dumb business moments. And while there were many...
ROMANS: Only two dozen?
JOHNS: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
ELAM: Only two dozen. And the whole 2008...
JOHNS: Yes.
ELAM: ... so we can probably come up like a hundred each month.
But while there were many a couple of things that probably stand out involve the nation's troubled automakers. Let's start there.
The CEOs of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler sat before Congress pleading...
JOHNS: Oh yes.
ELAM: ... for a multi-billion bailout just hours after arriving in their swanky corporate private jets. When they returned to the Hill just a few weeks later, all three came in company hybrids. But this might make things a little uncomfortable, however, Chrysler chief, Robert Nardelli, well, he drove up in a Dodge Aspen Hybrid. Sounds good except for that's a vehicle that's being discontinued.
ROMANS: And the people who make it lost their jobs.
ELAM: Lost their jobs as well.
(LAUGHTER)
ELAM: But it wasn't all about the carmakers. Let's take a look at Microsoft. They bid nearly $45 billion for Yahoo. That's a dumb move because it was a whopping 61 percent premium over Yahoo! stock price at the time. What's even dumber, Yahoo! turned it down.
JOHNS: OK.
ELAM: So, my personal favorite, though, because I have to just mention this one is the iPhone application that, you know, if you get your iPhone, you get this (INAUDIBLE) on there.
JOHNS: Right.
ELAM: Well, there is one for a nice cheap $999.99 which most (INAUDIBLE) like less than $10. It was called "I Am Rich" and it was just a screensaver of a red glowing jewel. That is all it did. Apple sneakily took it down. But what's even worse, eight people bought it before they did.
JOHNS: No.
ROMANS: No. Really.
ELAM: That's a dumb one.
JOHNS: Are you...
ELAM: That's true.
JOHNS: That's incredible.
ELAM: That is incredible. Of course, if you want more of these dumb moments from 2008, if you didn't get enough while you were living through it, then -- including Madoff who is on the list, you can check out CNN.com/money and even read a few jobs...
ROMANS: And if you want...
JOHNS: Yes.
ELAM: ... obituary that's -- I clearly made it out.
ROMANS: Oh yes, and if you want more dumb moments in business in 2009 just watch here on "Minding Your Business" every morning on AMERICAN MORNING and we will bring them all to you as it happens. ELAM: We will have them for you all day long.
JOHNS: Yes, we can start tomorrow.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: All right. Stephanie Elam. Thanks, Stephanie.
All right, when it comes to 2008 there were a lot of political ups and downs. You know we're counting -- counting them all down. All the best and all the worse from inside the beltway just ahead.
JOHNS: And the man embattled Governor Blagojevich picked to replace Barack Obama in the Senate is live with us. We've got some tough questions to ask him about the controversial appointment.
It is 21 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: They're celebrating in Auckland, New Zealand. The kiwis rang in the New Year just about 90 minutes ago. Plenty of fireworks and parties to start 2009.
And here's a look at the start of 2008 in Australia, 2009 just about 35 minutes away from hitting the eastern coast down under. That includes Sidney, Brisbane and Canberra.
JOHNS: And Christine, as the end of 2008 approaches here in the United States we're looking back at all the best and the blunders from inside the beltway.
Jim Acosta has our look at the political hits and misses, if you will, from the past few months and, Jim, there have been quite a few. A very rich year.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Joe. What a year it was. Most Americans felt both hopeful as they elected their first African- American president and helpless as they watched the nation plunged into a nasty recession.
Just two of the biggest political stories of 2008.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice over): Try to top this. The most powerful nation in the world making the son of a Kenyan father president. By far, the greatest political moment of the year.
OBAMA: This is your victory.
ACOSTA: To get there, he had to beat her. Starting in Iowa.
OBAMA: And our time for change has come. ACOSTA: But Hillary Clinton didn't go quietly.
CLINTON: Just don't want to see us fall backwards.
ACOSTA: Their fight to the finish was epic.
CLINTON: Shame on you, Barack Obama!
ACOSTA: Then came a turning point.
WRIGHT: No, no, no, not God bless America.
ACOSTA: The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a pastor disaster averted.
OBAMA: What we have seen is that America can change.
ACOSTA: The senator from Illinois survived and Democrats united behind a history making nominee.
The next day Republican John McCain tried to shoot for the moon and hit Alaska. Then an unknown governor, Sarah Palin, revved up the party base at the GOP convention.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull, lipstick.
ACOSTA: Then she crashed.
PALIN: As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border.
ACOSTA: Queue Tina Fey.
TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: And I can see Russia from my house.
OBAMA: Spread the wealth around. It's good for us.
ACOSTA: In the end it all came down to an economy in free fall. McCain had another running mate in Joe the plumber -- even if he didn't always show up as scheduled.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Joe is with us today. Joe, where are you? Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today?
ACOSTA: But there were bigger misses. Just ask John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer.
ELIOT SPITZER, FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR: I sincerely apologize.
PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a truly new low.
ACOSTA: For Rod Blagojevich it wasn't sex for sale, prosecutors say it was a Senate seat. But there was one more shoe to drop.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Make that two shoes. I don't know if you noticed that graphic there, it said shoe me once, shame on you, shoe me twice -- anyway. That's the way it was. We all aged more than one year in 2008.
2009, you got a tough act to follow. Joe? Joe, where are you? Joe?
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: All I got to say is...
ACOSTA: Is Joe here?
JOHNS: ... great stuff. Thanks so much for that. And we'll be seeing you next year.
ACOSTA: I will see you next -- we got 17 hours to go. More political shoes to drop.
JOHNS: Jim Acosta in Washington. Thanks.
ROMANS: All right. About 2 1/2 minutes to the bottom of the hour now. Let's update you on our top stories.
And breaking news now out of the Middle East. Israel has said no to a 48-hour truce and is calling up more reserves as the all-out war with Hamas threatens to stretch into the New Year.
The relentless bombing campaign has leveled several government buildings and now claims 390 lives according to Palestinian sources. But it hasn't stopped Hamas from sending rockets deeper into Israeli territory.
The Pentagon is reporting a sharp drop in military deaths in Iraq this year. 309 U.S. servicemen and women were killed there. That's down 66 percent from last year. Officials credit the drop to the U.S. troop surge and improved Iraqi security.
And here's your chance to witness history for free. The president-elect's inauguration committee is offering 10 winners of an essay contest and all-expense-paid, all-access trip to the swearing in. All that's required is an essay on what the inauguration means to you. Details are on the inaugural committee's Web site at PIC2009.org.
In just 20 minutes, the situation in the Mideast is going to be squarely on -- 20 days rather, it's going to be squarely on Hillary Clinton's plate. As the presumed secretary of state Clinton could end up jumpstarting the Mideast peace negotiations her husband left behind back in 2000.
So what should her approach be? I'm joined now by Salameh Nematt in Amman, Jordan. He's written on the subject for the DailyBeast.com.
Welcome to the program.
SALAMEH NEMATT, INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, THE DAILY BEAST: Thank you.
ROMANS: Tell me, in your opinion, what are the choices ahead for the incoming Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? I mean what are her big immediate choices to try to diffuse this crisis?
NEMATT: Well, I'm afraid the time being the only thing we can hope for is some kind of a crisis management that would end the current fighting, establish some kind of a ceasefire hopefully that would hold and end the current cycle of bloodshed that we were witnessing in Gaza with the exchange of rockets, you know, from Hamas and the -- and the massive assault by the Israelis.
ROMANS: She steps into a gap that's pretty remarkable. A lot of people talking about the gap in what's been happening there and the crisis from, say, 1999 and 2000 until today when you have the most violence and the most serious situation since the war in 1967. It's a remarkable challenge for this incoming administration, isn't it?
NEMATT: Yes. I think the transition period now we can only hope for a calming down of the situation, containing the violence. I don't -- I don't see we could restart or re-launch the peace process any time soon. However, you know, the ground needs to be prepared for resumption of peace negotiations hopefully by both sides cooperating on that level.
The problem here is that the Israeli body politic is divided, you know between the Kadima Party and the Likud Party and the left as well as on the Palestinian side you got the division between the Palestinian authority and Hamas and Hamas which controls Gaza and the Palestinian authority which controls the West Bank.
So I think that a lot of work needs to be done. We cannot expect, we cannot raise expectations really in view of the current tension in the region which is making it very, very difficult for the moderates to have a say in what's happening.
ROMANS: Let me ask you about that. Because I'm wondering if you don't have a ceasefire, if you have daily violence that continues and stretches into the new year, you know, does this strengthen the Hamas position or does it weaken it? I mean, do the moderates and do the people who are literally under siege right now, do they turn away from the rocket fire of Hamas or do they rally around it as some sort of resistance that the buildup Hamas?
NEMATT: I'm afraid people's voices are not heard now in Gaza because they have no venue to say anything. It's Hamas that is in control of the situation and under these barrage of attacks from the Israelis, I can't see how they can do anything about it. The only thing that can be done, hopefully is that Hamas would announce a ceasefire, would hold its rocket attacks so that would remove any justification for the Israelis to continue their assault on Gaza which is claiming so many innocent lives. ROMANS: Two tracks here really, the longer term peace process that so many people would like to see a return to and the short term just the daily violence, ending the daily violence, the rocket attacks and also the attacks on Gaza. Two tracks here at the same time. And then you have a new administration that has to deal with Iraq and Afghanistan and with Iran and with other issues in the Middle East. They are all interconnected, aren't they?
NEMATT: They're absolutely interconnected. And if we really look at what's happening in Gaza, the bigger picture is the polarization in the region between the pro-Iran forces, you got Iran, Syria and Hamas and Hezbollah and Lebanon in one camp and you have the moderates, people like the Palestinian authority,
Egypt and Jordan who are trying to reach some kind of peaceful break through. So, you know, Gaza is basically a symbol of the big polarization in the region in the sense that even Hamas cannot probably make a decision on its own without the green light coming from Tehran. The same thing is happening we shouldn't forget the Hamas political leadership is broad in Damascus.
And the Iranians also have a big leverage on them. So we cannot really see a settlement on the Palestinian/Israeli side without some kind of easing of the tensions across the region and ending this state of polarization between hard liners and the moderates.
ROMANS: So much to consider and a very big job ahead. Salameh Nematt, international editor of "The Daily Beast." Thanks so much for joining us, sir.
NEMATT: Thank you very much.
JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: Israel and Hamas are blaming each other for the fighting but for people inside Gaza the situation goes far beyond politics. They just want to stay alive.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MIDEAST VOICE: I'm not Hamas. I'm not Fatah, I just care about my people. Today, I am safe but tomorrow I don't know if I will be safe or not.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
JOHNS: Joining me by phone now is the young man you heard on that podcast. His name is Ramzy (ph) and he works with students in Gaza.
Ramzy, can you hear me?
VOICE OF RAMZY, GAZA: Yes, I do.
JOHNS: Give me a situation of what's going on the ground there as we speak and over the last several hours. What's it like where you are right now?
RAMZY: Yes, I do. I hear you.
JOHNS: OK. Give me a sense of what's going on there now.
RAMZY: Well, now we, there's some quiet. Gaza sky is almost clear of aircraft. But overnight we have heard many explosions. Aircraft were bombing all night again targeting Gaza.
JOHNS: OK.
RAMZY: Now, we can only hear the Israeli drones hovering over Gaza. For the past few hours we heard no explosions or bombing.
JOHNS: Can people there leave their homes? Are they able to flee if they want to?
RAMZY: Well, even if they want to flee where would they want to flee to? I mean, the crossings are closed and we can't flee anywhere. Where will they go to?
JOHNS: How is the -
RAMZY: You know, the whole Gaza is a target by aircraft. There's no certain areas that they are targeting. Let's say the aircraft is targeting every area in Gaza strip from the north to the south. So wherever the Palestinians try to flee, they can be affected, injured or killed.
JOHNS: You've said and you've told us that you work with young people. We're not being any more specific than that just because for your own personal protection.
RAMZY: Yes.
JOHNS: But could give me some sense of how the violence is affecting these young people? What do they say to you about it?
RAMZY: Well, of course, the young people are not living a normal life like all young people or all young children in the world. They have no sand box to go to. They are living in fear because of the continued attacks. So I suppose they are being encouraged all the time by their families to fight Israel, to be fighters and all the way to defeat Israel is the only way to see their independence of the Palestinian state.
JOHNS: What do you tell them?
RAMZY: Well, I'm trying to tell them all the time that fighting is not the only way to fight Israel. It's not the only way to achieve liberation. Because Israel is much more powerful than us in terms of military power, in terms of infrastructure.
Like here in Gaza, on the West Bank, we are not even comparable to the power of Israel, so the fighting is not the way that we should go. We should consider options other than the military confrontation, the military disproportionate confrontation with Israel. That has (INAUDIBLE) so far. So we have to consider other options, options like diplomacy, like knowledge and equipping ourselves with knowledge and education and trying to build a model state in whatever small land we have now.
And to prove to the world that we're worthy of a country, that we're worthy of having a normal life. And there's something called peaceful resistance. We have examples of that in history. Peaceful resistance can yield good results, like in the example of South Africa, the examples of India. So in light of all these, we should know and common sense and logic states that the military confrontation, all the examples, not helping any more.
JOHNS: Ramzy, thank you. I just want to thank you so much for giving us that exclusive look inside the conflict there on the ground. And hopefully we'll be back in touch with you -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. New this morning. "People" magazine shooting down a report that it paid $300 grand for Bristol Palin's baby photos. The magazine broke the story that Governor Palin's unmarried 18-year-old daughter gave birth to a healthy baby boy. "People's" managing editor says the magazine has had conversation about photos with a Palin representative but no money has been given.
Breaking late last night, Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in- law has been indicted on murder charges. William Balfour is accused of killing the Oscar-winning actress mother, brother and seven-year- old nephew. He denies the charges and his lawyer says there's no forensic evidence linking him to those killings.
If you want your MTV and have Time Warner cable, you may be out of luck in 2009. Viacom is threatening to pull MTV, comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and 16 other channels from the carrier if a new deal is not agreed upon midnight. Time Warner says Viacom is seeking an exorbitant fee increase. Viacom says the increase will cost customers less than a quarter each month. Time Warner Cable is own by the parent company of this network.
JOHNS: It's a new year which usually means resolutions. How about one to live longer. It could be as easy as putting one foot in front of the other. 39 minutes after the hour.
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JOHNS: You know, it's actually harder running in slow motion than you would think. I'm almost out of breath. A look back at the cinematic classic "Chariots of Fire." And it turns out running just won't help overcome the flying Scotsman, it could also prolong your life. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now live from Atlanta with our "Living Longer" series. Sanjay, good morning. Just got my work out.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you got your morning workout. I'm not sure how much that running in particular is going to do for you.
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GUPTA: I hope you live forever anyway.
JOHNS: This is really good news starting out at the beginning of the year though. Because I had sort of cutback on the running and I was riding the exercise bike but you're telling me I should go back to running?
GUPTA: Yes, it's interesting. I've been following this study along for some time. This two decade study that came out of Stanford looking at the benefits of running. I think people generally know that getting some form of exercise is good but when this study started two decades ago there were a lot of concerns that running was not going to be a very good form of exercise and it would cause all sorts of problems with knee injuries and ankle injuries and hip injuries. After two decades they came to some conclusions about what the runners group looked like compared to the non-runners group. Again, a two decade study.
First of all, they live longer. In general they have lower rates of some of the biggest killers including heart disease and diabetes. They also tended to have, not a higher rate of knee replacements, ankle injuries, hip problems, things like that. Again they expected to have a lot of those problems. They didn't. I think the biggest thing that I saw come out of the study was that there was a delay, up to 12 to 16 year delay of some of the onset of disabilities that are commonly associated with older age. So not only do they not have knee replacements and stuff, they actually started to ward off osteoporosis, bone fractures, the knee-hip replacements and things like that.
Again in the runners group as compared to the non-runners. So there's a lot of benefits to running. And I think this study sort of confirms that. The loading of your bones over and over again tends to make your bones stronger over time, tends to make you less likely to tear ligaments. And again, you know, as far as heart disease, diabetes, some of the biggest killers in this country, it tend to delay the onset of those as well, Joe.
JOHNS: That's really fascinating because intuitively you would think that out on the pavement or whatever with just running shoes on you would get stress in the knees, stress in the ankles and, you know, frankly, hurt you as much as help you.
GUPTA: You know, like anything else, and like any other form of exercise, you got to do it right. You got to make sure you have the right shoes, you got to make sure you are not overdoing it. You got to make sure that you're listening to your body when your body is telling you to pull back a little bit.
Anybody can be a runner, that's for sure. Here's something that I also found a little bit non-intuitive to your point. While you can stretch a little bit maybe before you start a run, the best time to stretch is maybe near the end of the run or certainly after your muscles have warmed up. Again, a little bit counter intuitive. Just trying to stretch cold muscles can sometimes lead to injuries. So waiting a little bit seems to make a huge difference. And a lot of people can fit running into their schedule, Joe. I mean, you don't have to take a bike with you. You don't have to go to a gym. You can get outside and pound the pavement. You can find time. You know you were just talking about the President-elect. He finds 90 minutes a day to go out and exercise. Running is one of those easy things you can incorporate into just about any schedule.
JOHNS: Absolutely. Great stuff, Sanjay. Good to see you. Although I can't tell you I will not be running in 16 degree temperatures here in Times Square tonight.
GUPTA: Run around the set a few times like you would.
JOHNS: You bet. Appreciate it. And happy new year to you.
GUPTA: You too.
JOHNS: All right. And if you're looking to learn how you should drink after your New Year's eve party, join us tomorrow. Sanjay will have another installment in our "Living Longer" series, "Drinking to your Health."
ROMANS: Breaking news this morning. No truce in the Middle East. Israel says the bombing will continue as Hamas issues a death sentence for southern Israel. We'll go live to the front lines. And some nursing mothers are furious at Facebook. Apparently photos are OK as long as they are from the neck up. It's 46 minutes past the hour.
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ROMANS: Embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich choosing former state Attorney General Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat. But after Obama himself joined the chorus of democrats rejecting the appointment because of criminal charges still pending against Governor Blagojevich. Roland Burris is sticking up for himself saying I am not tainted. He joins us now live from Chicago.
Welcome to the program.
ROLAND BURRIS, FMR. ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: Thank you very much.
ROMANS: Why did you decide to accept this appointment from a governor who was under such scrutiny and even when so many people in your own party, including the President-elect, have said they will not accept an appointment from this governor?
BURRIS: Number one, the governor has the constitutional and statutory authority to make the appointment. That's what his responsibilities are. And he has carried out that responsibility. The reason why I accepted it is because this will take a major issue off the table for our state. We will be fully complemented in the 111th Congress when we go in to session. So, based on that, Illinois will not be shorthanded given the crises and all the major problems that we're facing in our state and in our nation. This is a solution to a major situation for our state. And my experience, my commitment to the state, my commitment to the people of the state certainly cause me to be fit and able and willing to serve and therefore I accepted the appointment.
ROMANS: In normal circumstances this would be a dream appointment for you. You are someone who has served your state. You are a history-making government official, in your - in the state of Illinois. You were the first African-American elected to office in that state. Yet today, there's this firestorm of criticism about this particular appointment. Now, this dream appointment must put you in a very uncomfortable position.
BURRIS: Well, it doesn't. Because I don't look upon the governor's problem as my problem. I look at the governor's problems as his problems. He'll have to deal with that. And the governor is still the governor of Illinois. And as a former attorney general of the state, you know, I would state that you are innocent in our judicial system until you are proven guilty. And I don't see where the governor hasn't been found guilty of anything and that will take its course in a court of law. And he has to deal with that. But by the fact of him appointing me is an altogether separate situation and no one will answer the question of whether or not the appointment is legal. The appointment is legal.
ROMANS: When the charges against the governor surfaced just a few weeks ago, you were among the many to criticize him. Here is what you said at that time.
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BURRIS: The evidence that has been presented is pretty appalling should that come out to be the case of what our governor was attempting to do. I find it just - just reprehensible.
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ROMANS: But today you are cooperating with the governor on this appointment and you're accepting his appointment. Is that a change of heart?
BURRIS: No. What that is, at the time of that situation was a question about what the current attorney general, action that she had in the Illinois supreme court. I went on to say in that same context that if I had been attorney general, I would have certainly sought the same remedy for the people of Illinois.
My concern is about the people of Illinois. And the governor's behavior is reprehensible. I'm not going to be given apologies for - if those actions turn out to be true, and if he is, I cannot condone that type of behavior. So, that was my response to that. I don't back up on that. But that does not interfere with him working or carrying out his constitutional responsibilities of appointing an individual, who is qualified, to carry out the responsibility to represent our state. And that's what we must separate those issues. ROMANS: Are you having conversations with people in your party, democratic leaders, even the president-elect's office, about accepting this appointment and what - are you going to fight? Would you like to fight and keep going here, or in the face of that opposition, how would you step back and say, I will not accept this?
BURRIS: Once this is settled, I'm pretty sure that they will all realize the appointment is legal and that I'm very well qualified and we will move on with my being, you know, the junior senator from the great state of Illinois. That's how I view this.
ROMANS: Roland Burris, thank you very much for your time this morning. I really appreciate it, sir.
BURRIS: Thank you and happy new year to all of you and your listeners, OK.
ROMANS: And you as well in chilly Chicago. Thank you, Mr. Burris. It's six minutes before the top of the hour.
BURRIS: Thank you so much.
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ROMANS (voice-over): I pick you to replace Barack Obama. How brazen can an embattled governor get?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Governor Blagojevich thumbing his nose to the rest of the world.
ROMANS: On the hot seat but apparently still in charge, what does it say about the chosen one?
Plus, from a Sarah Palin calendar to the president ducking shoes, roundup of the wackiest moments of 2008. You knew you hadn't seen the last of it. You're watching the most news in the morning.
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JOHNS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Breaking news out of the Middle East. Israel has said no to a 48-hour truce and is calling up more reserves in its all-out war against Hamas. The relentless bombing campaign has leveled several government buildings. And now has claimed 390 lives according to Palestinian sources. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we spoke exclusively to a freelance journalist inside Gaza who is trying to shelter his family in the war zone.
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VOICE OF SAUD ABU RAMADAN, FREELANCE JOURNALIST: There are hundreds of families in the Gaza strip are suffering. Not only the fear of air strikes, but also lack of electricity, lack of water, lack of food supplies, hospitals are full of casualties and bodies of people who were killed over the past five days.
ROMANS: Are you --
RAMADAN: The situation in terms of the humanitarian aspect is very, very difficult. I can evaluate it as horrible. We have witnessed a very difficult situation.
ROMANS: Right.
RAMADAN: Since the Israeli-Arab war of 1967.
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JOHNS: The bombing has not stopped Hamas from sending rockets deeper into Israeli territory. Our Paula Hancocks joins us live from the Israeli-Gaza border. Paula, could there be any sign of letup in either direction from your location on the border?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Joe, it is a quieter border than we've seen in some days. More than ten target that the Israeli air strikes from midnight up until now we understand. There's been at least 30 rockets, though, heading in the opposite direction and they are hitting further than they have before.
But Israel says no ceasefire. Clearly, the Israeli military don't believe they have done enough to stop these rockets and as we're seeing by the distance these rockets are covering, they haven't done enough to try and stop these rockets. Hamas claiming victory for that, but the Israeli military is on stand by with this grand operation, the tanks and APCs on the horizon. You can see that that's ready for a ground operation. And the weather is not great for a grand operation. Certainly, tanks don't like the rain.
And the weather at this point helping Hamas. They're managing to launch more rockets. And it's more difficult for these drones in the sky to hunt them out and give the information to the fighter jets and to the helicopters to take those rocket launchers out when you've got such low clouds -- Joe.
JOHNS: Paula, all of this sort of begs the question, is a ceasefire out of the question for Israel?
HANCOCKS: Well, we know that Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister is on her way to France tomorrow. Certainly France has been the one that's tried to push forward this, at least 48 hour truce so that some humanitarian could get into Gaza.
So, we'll have to see what comes out of that meeting. Now, we know that trucks are going into Gaza, about 150 trucks for the U.N., the Red Cross, (INAUDIBLE). But, they're saying that's a drop in the ocean. They need far more, 1,900 people have been injured we understand from Palestinian medical sources. And our sources in Gaza are saying, a quarter of those are civilians.
JOHNS: Paula Hancocks, on the border. Thanks so much. Stay safe.
