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Cops Killed in "Ambush"; Tiger's New Statement; Defiant Tehran to Unveil New Uranium Enrichment Plant; Opinions Vary in Congress on Obama's Afghan War Strategy; Cuba Conducts War Game, Prepares for Possible U.S. Invasion
Aired November 29, 2009 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, Tiger Woods' first comments on the car accident that sent him to the hospital.
Plus, this...
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 DISPATCHER: What happened? What's wrong?
CALLER: I had a neighbor. He hit the tree. And we came out here just to see what's going on. I see him. He's laying down.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: Florida police release a Tiger Woods 911 tapes. More than one person can be heard on the call. You'll hear it.
Iran defiantly expands its nuclear program despite worldwide opposition and sanctions. What does President Obama and his allies do now?
And in just two days, the president tells you his plans on a troop ramp-up in Afghanistan. What will he say? Will it make a difference? CNN correspondents are on the ground in Afghanistan.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.
We're following breaking news tonight out of the Seattle area. A massive manhunt is under way right now for at least one person who gunned down four police officers this morning. They were in a coffee shop outside McChord Air Force Base south of Tacoma, about to begin their shift when someone walked right in and killed all four.
Police describe it as an ambush. No one else in the coffee shop was hurt.
This is the second time in less than a month that police officers in the Seattle area have been targeted in fatal shootings.
The officers killed today were with the city of Lakewood.
A short time ago, a visibly shaken sheriff spoke about this tragedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF PAUL PASTOR, PIERCE CO. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: As you all know, something very terrible happened today. This is an example of the danger that police officers and deputy sheriffs and state troopers face every day. The person or people who did this not only harmed us, they harmed the good that we can do in the community. They harmed the good that we work to do every day in the community.
This is an example of the cost that is sometimes paid by people who believe in duty and obligation and sacrifice and people who do that on behalf of the community. We've lost people that we care about. We've lost people I'm sure that the good people in the community care about as well. We're working to find out who did this as rapidly as possible and deal with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We want to get right now to CNN's Patrick Oppmann. Patrick -- he joins us from Pierce County, Washington, with the very latest.
Patrick, these officers appeared to be have been taken completely by surprise here, according to the sheriff.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN ALL PLATFORM JOURNALIST (via telephone): There's just no other way to put it, Don. I'm about 100, 150 yards down from the coffee shop where what the police call an execution took place this morning.
These officers were not out on a call. They were not out going door to door. They were sitting in a coffee shop about to start their day, had their computers open, were going over some cases and they were caught totally by surprise when they were murdered. We don't even know if anywhere able to get a shot off.
Just a while ago, police have told us they received information suggesting that the gunman still may be in the vicinity and may be looking to make even more headlines than he made today. They've brought out more security than they already had at the media staging area. I'm looking at officers walking by with automatic weapons over their shoulders. They're taking no -- they're not taking any more risks today to keep everybody in this community safe. They continue to target several places where they're getting tips and leads and they say, Don, they'll work throughout the night to bring in a suspect.
LEMON: And, Patrick, you know, obviously, they were taken off- guard. Could this have been a robbery gone bad? Could it have been the wrong place at the wrong time? They were the only ones who were killed in this incident, though.
OPPMANN: That's just right. Police say they believe they were specifically targeted. The police cars were out front. They were there sitting all together.
They believe the assailant came in and attacked only the police on purpose. Like you said, nobody else was injured, nobody else was hurt. They believe that, once again, that police were specifically targeted. In this case, four officers, three male officers, one female officer, with the Lakewood Police Department, murdered here.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Is there -- is there anything in recent history that would -- might, you know, turn investigators this way as to looking at to something that happened recently in the area? A little bit about the Lakewood Police Department, their background, some of the cases that happened.
OPPMANN: This is a medium-sized police department. Like you said, sort of a bedroom community of the two military bases, McChord Air Force Base, and the Army posts that are in the area. The quite town, I'm told, they've never seen anything quite like this. And it's unusual for the region.
When we had that police officer killed last month in Seattle -- that was like a bomb went off. It had been over a decade that a police officer was targeted and died as a result of a violent attack. That was -- you felt the incredible wave of support because of that killing in Seattle.
Today, with four officers dead from this medium-sized police department, you can only imagine what the level of support and anger will be among police over this most recent loss.
LEMON: Yes, you lead us -- we're going to talk about that incident that happened last month in just a little bit. Patrick, thank you very much.
The governor is also -- the Governor Chris Gregoire said today that she is shocked and horrified at the murder of the four police officers this morning in Pierce County.
Meantime, you heard Patrick mentioned it. Seattle Officer Timothy Brenton was killed one month ago, Halloween night, while sitting in his police cruiser. His partner was wounded in that attack. The suspect in that case, a 41-year-old former security guard, was shot and wounded several days later. He remains hospitalized.
Seattle police vehicles have also been targeted in fire bombings. Investigators say a note left at the scene threatened to kill police officers.
We turn now to our other big story. Tiger Woods -- he has some new comments about his Friday car accident, but he is still not talking to Florida police.
We'll join our Susan Candiotti in Windermere, Florida, in just a moment. She has the very latest on the investigation.
But, first, let's look at the new statement from Woods that he has posted on his Web site. Here it is right here. He writes, "As you all know, I had a single car accident earlier this week and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now, I'm pretty sore. This situation is my fault and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again.
This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are circulating about my family and me are irresponsible. The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. And any other assertion is absolutely false.
This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate the concern and well wishes we have received, but I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be."
Let's join now our national correspondent Susan Candiotti on the ground. She's at the luxury subdivision near Orlando where Tiger Woods lives.
Let's talk a little bit more about the statement. What stood out to you, Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, certainly this man's privacy is legendary. So, as much as we hoped that we would hear more from him, we didn't. We all wanted to learn a little bit more about, well, gee, what happened that night? It seems like it's a minor accident. Why not simply explain it?
On the other hand, he knew he didn't have to and he obviously has lawyers advising him that it wasn't necessary for him to talk about it with investigators. And so, he didn't.
But the main question is here, Don, is, when he made the statement about, "I will never let this happen again," we're left to wonder, never let what happen again? Is he talking about a minor accident or something else? That's -- that's the key question.
LEMON: Let's talk about the investigation today. Where do -- where do things stand? Are there some new developments? Police obviously turned away again today. And you have more information I understand.
CANDIOTTI: That's right. Well, it means the investigation is going to go on with or without Tiger Woods' personal assistance. Now, his lawyer was there with him. We've learned that the Florida Highway Patrol investigators never got to see the legendary golfer face to face. They -- instead, they were met by Tiger Woods' attorney, who in turn simply turned over the driver's license, the registration, and the proof of insurance.
And it means that it is now up to investigators to try to complete this investigation without -- now, one of the things they wanted to find out was, what about his injuries? Since they didn't get to see him and ask him about it and because of privacy rules, it could mean that they might decide to subpoena his medical records, if they want to pursue that information. They haven't made a decision about that yet.
But also, I spoke with Tiger Woods' agent, actually messaged him. He e-mailed me back with a statement that says, in part, that, you know, because we knew that the discussion was voluntary and optional, they realized that. So, he said, although -- quote, "Although Tiger realizes that there is a great deal of public curiosity, it has been conveyed to the Florida Highway Patrol that he simply has nothing more to add and wishes to protect the privacy of his family."
So, it is now up to investigators to continue on without his verbal assistance.
LEMON: And, Susan, what of those 911 tapes?
CANDIOTTI: We were waiting to find out what they revealed. What we know now that there was only one 911 call and it came from one of Tiger Woods' neighbors. And we heard just a little bit more documenting the fact that, well, an accident happened.
Here's how it sounds in part.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: Yes. Windermere, Florida, at Isleworth Subdivision.
911 DISPATCHER: What happened? What's wrong?
CALLER: I have a neighbor. He hit the tree, and we came out here just to see what's going on. I see him. He's laying down.
911 DISPATCHER: You mean it was an auto accident?
CALLER: Yes. There was an auto accident. Yes.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. Is he outside or inside his car? Your phone broke up. I heard inside. Are you there?
CALLER: Hello?
(CROSSTALK)
911 DISPATCHER: Yes, your phone broke up there.
CALLER: OK.
911 DISPATCHER: Is he unconscious?
CALLER: Yes.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. Are you able to tell he's breathing?
CALLER: No. I can't tell right now.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. All right. We do have help on the way. What color is his car, too?
CALLER: It's a black Escalade.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: So, we don't hear anything more about whether this person actually saw the accident. Apparently he saw the aftermath. He did not mention anything about Tiger Woods' wife. So, we know nothing more about that. So, we he simply documents what he saw -- above and beyond that, not much more.
I do know that investigators did ask around all the neighbors now for any surveillance video that might exist. They didn't find any.
LEMON: And, Susan, you know, we're going to go a little bit deeper in an hour here on CNN. We're going to play the 911 tape most in its entirety -- most of it, I should say. It's about three minutes long. And you can hear people, other people in the background, including two women. That will happen at 7:00.
Meantime, I want to move on here. But, real quickly, what happens next with this case? Is this a done deal?
CANDIOTTI: Well, no, because investigators still have to put together a written report. They have to tie it all together.
And the other thing we don't know yet is whether Tiger intends to go to that tournament that is scheduled to begin in California this coming week. He said he's suffering, he's sore, has cuts and bruises. Will he stay home and recover? Don't know yet.
But we've asked the agent to find out. He said he would let us know. They haven't decided yet.
LEMON: We will know definitely by next week whether he's there or not.
Susan Candiotti, our national correspondent -- thank you, Susan.
You know, this all started early Friday around 2:30 in the morning. That's what police say Woods crashed his Cadillac SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree right in front of his home. His wife, Elin, reportedly used a golf club to break a window and help him from the vehicle. Wood was taken to the hospital where he was treated for cuts on his lips and his face. He was released later in the day.
Police have tried to interview Woods and his wife three times since the accident. All three times, the couple asked that the interviews be postponed.
Iran on a mission -- 10 new uranium enrichment plants, two months to break ground. Now, the White House fires back.
Osama bin Laden, did we have him in the crosshairs? New claims from Senate Democrats that he could have been caught in 2001.
A dangerous dust-up in the desert, brown skies, brutal winds. When will the dust settle?
And time for you to weigh in. That's how you can do it, right there on the screen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Iran is upping the ante in the high stakes showdown over its nuclear program far. The cabinet rolled out plans today for 10 new uranium enrichment plants, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to break ground on half of them within two months.
The announcement is bound to add fuel to the concerns that Tehran is trying to build a nuclear weapon. And it comes just days after a U.N. nuclear watchdog group demanded Iran stopped construction on a previously secret nuclear facility at Qom. Iranian leaders insist that they are trying to generate energy and not weapons.
Sharp words from the White House over Iran's announcement.
Kate Bolduan is live in Washington.
Kate, the press secretary was quick to respond to this.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He sure was, Don. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs released this statement on this latest development in Iran.
Gibbs says, "If true, this would be yet another serious violation of Iran's clear obligations under multiple U.N. Security -- excuse me -- Security Council resolutions and another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself. The international community has made clear that Iran has rights but with those rights come responsibilities."
Gibbs goes on to say, "As the overwhelming IAEA board of governors vote made clear, time is running out for the Iran to address the international community's growing concerns about its nuclear program."
As you mentioned, this announcement comes just two days after the United Nations nuclear watchdog passed a resolution demanding Iran stop construction on its existing site in Qom. Following that IAEA resolution endorsed by the U.S., senior administration officials told CNN it -- that that resolution sent a strong signal of the serious international concern over Iran's, quote, "continued noncompliance."
Well, today's developments can only serve as more evidence Iran is further defying international calls for cooperation. Iran continues to say its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. and other countries clearly do not believe that, accusing Tehran -- as you mentioned -- of working toward producing a nuclear weapon, Don.
LEMON: So, are there any -- maybe not, maybe there are options on the table for the administration?
BOLDUAN: It's a very good question. As you see from the statement, there's no clear step forward yet that we hear from Robert Gibbs. But a senior administration official does have -- did warn just this past Friday that the U.S. was prepared to push for significantly stronger economic sanctions if -- in their words -- they didn't find a willing partner in Iran.
But despite that tough talk, the same officials repeated previous statements from the administration that the U.S. is still ready to engage with Iran. So, it will be interesting to see in the coming days and weeks, Don, as always say, to see if that tough talk remains, or really what steps forward the United States sees.
LEMON: Kate, thank you.
And we're going to go in-depth about what all of this means for Iran and for the international community -- coming up in 15 minutes. About 15 minutes, we'll talk with James Rubin, a former assistant secretary of state.
After 50 years of a cold war with the United States, the communist island nation of Cuba heats up its military muscle, pointing at Uncle Sam. We'll investigate what may be behind the Cubans' show of force.
And a magic wall that moves -- or so it seemed. We'll explain in this week's "Edge of Discovery."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Jacqui Jeras is joining us in the CNN holiday travel/weather/forecast center.
Jacqui, thanks for the food.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Holiday travel headquarters.
LEMON: Hey, I've ribbed you so much about not bringing me food. Jacqui brought me some, what was it, soup. What kind of soup was it, tortilla? Tortellini.
JERAS: Tortellini.
LEMON: Tortellini soup and banana bread, yummy. Thank you.
JERAS: I'm glad you enjoyed it.
LEMON: I'm very happy right now.
(CROSSTALK)
JERAS: Hopefully, everybody is recovering from the holidays, right?
LEMON: Yes. So, if they're watching us in the airport, I'm sure some are, hello, happy travels to you. Calm down. Have a safe flight, right?
JERAS: Yes, absolutely.
We do have some airport travel delays, by the way, too. Just issued about two minutes ago, literally, a ground stop in Memphis until 6:45 Central Time. And that's due to some low clouds and fog and some mist, which is going on in the area. We also have delays at Teterboro, over two hours. So, that's getting pretty hefty for you, about an hour and a half in White Plains.
Now, a lot of people are hitting the roads this holiday as opposed to air travel. And we had a major problem on the interstates in Arizona yesterday.
Check out this video that we have here. This is near the Phoenix area. And there you can see a dust storm blew through the area. This was in Pinal County. Five different accidents took place because the visibility was so poor. Unfortunately, two people were killed and one person seriously injured in one of those accidents.
Now, that threat is still out there actually, believe it or not, across the Phoenix Metro area.
And we'll show you the latest radar picture. And the way that these dust storms get started is from the outflows or the strong winds that come out of thunderstorms. And they can push up all of that dust and cause those visibility problems. And there you can see some thunderstorms which are diving down through the area.
We can see some wind gusts, 25, maybe 35 miles per hour. And so, do expect that threat to be ongoing over the next couple of hours.
And we take a look at the picture as a whole. And our storm system, we're also getting stormy weather here across parts of New Mexico, snow into the higher elevations. We also have some rain across Oklahoma City, down into parts of Arkansas.
We'll take you into the Memphis area. We were talking about that. Nothing too heavy expected. Then we're looking at some showers also across parts of the upper Midwest.
Forecast then for tomorrow looks like this -- storm system kind of stalls out in this area, but moves across the east. So, expect airport delays here if you're getting back to reality and doing the business thing.
Hey, tomorrow, Don Lemon, happens to be...
LEMON: Yes, ma'am...
(CROSSTALK)
JERAS: Tomorrow, the official end of the hurricane season.
LEMON: I knew that. JERAS: Yes, November 30th. It was a very quiet season overall. We had nine named storms. There you can see an animation of all of them. Only two tropical storms hit the U.S. this year. No hurricanes.
LEMON: Why -- why such a -- I don't know, was it a quiet season? Can you call it a quiet season?
JERAS: Absolutely. You know, compared to average, you'll usually see like 11 named storms. We only had nine. Many of those were very short-lived. And we think a lot had to do with the strong wind shear, which can be indicative of an El Nino season. So, we haven't seen a season this quiet since 1997, and that was a very big, strong El Nino episode.
LEMON: That's good, though, because a lot of people didn't get hit with strong storms.
JERAS: Not in the Atlantic.
LEMON: We like that. Thanks again, Jacqui.
Yes. OK. Some called them optical illusions. Other say they're animated artwork. We found on inventor whose magic murals are sure to get you talking.
Gary Tuchman has the story on this week's "Edge of Discovery."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You might have seen these bestselling books.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that one looks good.
TUCHMAN: They bring pictures to life when you flip the page. But the man behind the books has been creating other eye-catching art for 20 years. Rufus Butler Seder calls them life tiles -- murals that move when you walk by.
RUFUS BUTLER SEDER, ARTIST/INVENTOR: What I'm after is trying to create an experience which totally takes you by surprise.
TUCHMAN: But how do they work?
SEDER: The short answer is it's magic. The slightly longer answer is it's like a flip book. I've taken all of the pages from a flip book and I've scrambled them all together and I've put them up on the wall and made them animate.
TUCHMAN: Life tiles don't use any moving parts, electricity, or tricky lighting -- just hours of painstaking work done at Seder's Boston studio.
SEDER: We put about four or five hours into each tile we make. TUCHMAN: The glass for each tile is cast by hand -- then sandblasted, painted, and eventually assembled to work in harmony with the hundreds of other tiles that make up each mural.
SEDER: Anywhere from six months to a year is what it takes to produce these.
TUCHMAN: Seder says the hard work pays off when his audience pays attention.
SEDER: I love to watch people react to the work. They don't expect a wall to move so they'll be walking down the hallway in a museum or walking outdoors through a zoo and suddenly they're realizing that, those dolphins are starting to move next to me. How is that possible?
TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Iran finds a new way to frustrate world opinion. The White House is weighing in now.
And President Barack Obama prepares to announce his decision on sending U.S. troops to Afghanistan. We've uncovered an interesting split in American public opinion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We want to update our top stories for you right now.
A desperate manhunt is under way in Washington State to find the killer or killers of four police officers this morning. The Lakewood, Washington, officers, three men and one woman, were in a coffee shop getting ready for their shift when a gunman came in and killed all four. They haven't ruled out an accomplice, possibly a getaway driver. This is the second fatal shooting of police officers in the Seattle area in less than a month.
Tiger Woods has turned down a third request to answer questions from Florida Highway Patrol officers. They want to know more about Woods' car accident early Friday morning. Meantime, Woods posted a statement on his web site today calling the one-car crash embarrassing. He says it's all his fault and he also asks for privacy.
The new uranium enrichment plant in Iran, that is a plan unveiled today by the cabinet, fueling international fury over the country's rogue nuclear program. The announcement comes just two days after U.N.'s atomic watchdog group demanded Iran shut down its long-secret enrichment plant in Qom. The White House says this is another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself.
So we want to drill down on the latest defiance out of Tehran, the Islamic Republic seemingly thumbing its nose at the intercommunity. James Ruben, an instructor of international studies at New York's Columbia University, who served as an assistant secretary of state under President Bill Clinton.
Good to see you on a Sunday. Thank you very much. What do you make of all of this, first of all?
JAMES RUBEN, PROFESSOR, INTERNATIONAL STUDIES & FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETAREY OF STATE: Well, I think it's pretty bad news, first of all, in that for the last year of the Obama administration, both Washington and Tehran have tried to keep the rhetoric to a minimum and avoided threats of escalation and threats of the situation deteriorating. So President Ahmadinejad is clearly attempting to threaten the world with what, if it could be actually done, would be a full-fledged nuclear program that could be easily turned into a nuclear weapons program. So President Ahmadinejad is trying to scare the world.
What he's talking about is multiplying, roughly by 100, what their current capability is, going from 5,000 of these centrifuges that can help make the material needed for a nuclear weapon or nuclear energy, and multiplying that to 500,000. So it's a pretty drastic, blustery kind of defiance from President Ahmadinejad.
And interestingly, it's not been done through the normal channels. Normally, this sort of decision would come in what's called their national security council, not through the so-called cabinet.
LEMON: Listen. You said it's not done in the traditional way. So has it upped the anty or is it a calculated bluff? Is this saber rattling?
RUBEN: I think it is a bluff in the since that I don't think it will be many, many years, dozens of years, before they could actually do all of this. And clearly, inside Iran, there are some very messy internal complications going on, because it was President Ahmadinejad who came to New York, offered to negotiate -- the Obama administration came up with a reasonable counterproposal that they would allow for the enrichment of uranium needed for a medical facility. The West would do it and return the uranium to Iran. And Iran, for a moment there, it seemed like were going to accept that and many of the fears of a confrontation were easing. And now, over the last several weeks, they've been battling in Tehran over this. And I think this final step from President Ahmadinejad is, as you say, bluster and designed to be a threat to the world. Don't mess with us. We don't care about your resolutions. We don't care about your condemnations. We can do whatever we want.
LEMON: To your point where you talked about what President Ahmadinejad, the concessions he made to the Obama administration, so then why do this? I guess a better question is, is it possible that it is just for energy, possible, but not likely here?
RUBEN: Well, look, it's possible that Iran wants to have a nuclear energy program. That's certainly possible. And they have every right to have a nuclear energy program. The problem is that the way they've gone about it, is in such a way that it has convinced many in the United States and around the world that they want to have the cover of a nuclear energy program and then quickly convert that uranium to nuclear weapons. And the way they're going about it, by hiding things, by refusing to comply with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, all of these things have made people concerned that they are moving towards a nuclear weapon or the capability to have a weapon quickly. And coming up against that is the world trying to resolve this diplomatically while people fear that Israel is threatening to resolve it militarily.
LEMON: Jamie Ruben. We appreciate your expertise. Thank you, sir.
RUBEN: Thank you.
LEMON: Osama bin Laden expected to die in 2001? That is a quote from a new report by the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. They say that the terrorist leader had written a will in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks. He was trapped in the mountains of Tora Bora with the U.S. Army closing in. But bin Laden slipped away.
Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says bin Laden's escape may have extended the war in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CARL LEVIN, (D-MI), CHAIRMAN, SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: I would say there would be a good chance we would not have forces or need to have forces there, but this has been kind of well- known for some time, that we took our eye off the ball instead of moving in on him at Tora Bora. The previous administration decided to move its forces to Iraq. It was a mistake then, and I think this report of the Foreign Relations Committee just sort of reinforces that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The report places most of the blame for bin Laden's escape on then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and U.S. Commanding General Tommy Franks. It said they held back the necessary forces for a, quote, "classic sweep and block maneuver" that could have prevented bin Laden's escape.
As President Obama prepares to address the nation Tuesday for his strategy in Afghanistan, there's a wide range of opinion in Washington and across the country.
CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, joins me now.
Hello, Paul, How is the president's support among his own party?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, this is interesting. Just about every major issue, Democrats are with the president except for Afghanistan. National polls suggest that Democrats oppose sending more troops. And we saw you that skepticism today as well on the Sunday talk shows, Don. You just played a clip from Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Serves Committee. He said he wants to have the president explain why sending more troops to Afghanistan will help beef up the Afghan military itself. And right on our own CNN's "State of the Union," we heard David Obey, on of the top House Democrats, say he has serious reservations about what's going on in Afghanistan, Don.
LEMON: And Republicans?
STEINHAUSER: Republicans, those same polls suggested Republicans are in favor of sending more troops. Overall, this is one of the few areas where Republicans seem to be, to a degree, supporting the president. But today, this was interesting, A top Republican, Richard Lugar, in the Senate on CNN's "State of the Union," and he was using the war in Afghanistan as maybe an excuse to stop the health care debate. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD LUGAR, (R), INDIANA: The war is terribly important. Jobs and our economy are terribly important. This may be an audacious suggestion, but I would suggest we put aside the health care debate until next year, the same way we put cap-and-trade and climate change, and talk now about the essentials, the war and money.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Is your Republican friend making sense, Senator Reed? Should health care be set off until next year?
LUGAR: Absolutely not. I think we're in the midst of probably the most significant debate and conclusion with legislation that we've ever had. And the health care debate is essential to our economic future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: I don't think Senator Lugar's suggestion is going to fly with Democrats as you just heard. But overall, while Republicans aren't giving a blank check to the president, they are more supportive than Democrats on Afghanistan.
LEMON: This is truly a split on whether more troops should be committed on the president's plan as well, right?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. One thing that's interesting, our poll, and this is very interesting, take a look at these numbers. When we broke down support or opposition to sending more troops, take a look, a gender gap. Men, 58 percent in favor of sending more U.S. troops, around 34,000, women, by the same numbers, pretty much opposed. Don, I don't know if this says something about the sexes, but it is interesting how the breakdown falls.
LEMON: All right. Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you. LEMON: Tuesday night, President Barack Obama will reveal his decision about U.S. troops heading to Afghanistan. Our special coverage begins 7:00 p.m. eastern. Actually, it begins right now. We'll cover it and then we'll have that live at 7:00 eastern on Tuesday night.
Ready to fight off an American invasion, hundreds of thousands of Cubans fine-tuning their defenses this weekend. Why the island isn't letting its own guard down.
And a chase, a triple shooting, a dead little boy in the streets of New Jersey and the alleged gunman -- the victim's father.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Want to update our breaking news for you. We're getting more information on the manhunt under way right now in Washington State near Seattle. Four police officers there gunned down this morning in a coffee shop. They were Lakewood City police officers. It wasn't clear at the time whether or not these police officers were able to fire off a shot at the suspect.
But we're hearing now, in an updated press conference happening moments ago from the Pierce County sheriff's spokesperson, that they possibly did. They believe the gunman may be wound and they're asking people to call them if they have any information.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED TROYER, PIERCE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We believe that there was a struggle in there and there's a possibility that one of the Lakewood police officers fired a shot. We're finding evidence that the suspect may be hurt. And we've already contacted local area hospitals, medical clinics, and other locations. What we need is if somebody knows somebody who has a gunshot wound or has a fresh injury and is described as a black male between 25 and 35, rough facial hair, wearing a black coat and jeans and has an injury, we want to know what that is.
What happened in there wasn't just a shooting but we believe, after some of the officers were shot, one with of them managed to fight his way with the suspect -- fight his way, wrestle, all the way out the doorway until he was shot and died by a gunshot wound.
We also believe there's evidence that the Lakewood police officer fired off some shots. We hope that he hit him. And if he's hit, that means he's injured somewhere with a gunshot wound. He's going to have to get that taken care of some time, someplace. When that occurs, we want to know where that person is at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Sheriff's deputies in Washington State asking for your help, the public's help, in locating the gunman. They believe there may have been another gunman, an accomplice, someone who may have driven a get-away car. Four police officers killed this morning, three men and one woman. They were preparing -- getting ready for their shifts, going over their computers in a coffee shop, gunned down. If you have any information, call police.
Let's move on and talk about Cuba. The message from Havana to Washington, D.C., we're ready for you. Nearly five decades after America's failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuba conducted war-game exercises this weekend. The stated reason? To prevent another possible invasion from the United States. Thousands of people took part today as the island nation celebrated its National Day of Defense.
So how should the U.S. React to this latest military muscle flex out of Havana? We turn to Ann Louise Bardock, an award winning journalist, an expert on Cuba, and she's also the author of "Without Fidel, a Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and in Washington." She joins us tonight from Los Angeles.
Thank you very much. What do you make of this? This was planned, we're told, since 2004, I think. But it is the biggest exercise in five years. Why a possible invasion from the United States? Why prepare for that?
ANN LOUISE BARDOCK, AUTHOR OF "WITHOUT FIDEL": Well, it's clearly a shot across the bow, and it's certainly a sign to us that the Castros and Cuba are not ready to bury the hatchet. Particularly interesting to me was the language, the diction when General Andoyo (ph) announced this, how he talked about the ongoing threats from the empire. Now, the empire is the favorite epithet of Castro and, I may had, Hugo Chavez for the United States. Again, it's invoking the language, the rhetoric of the Cold War, of playing David against our Goliath.
It's certainly not what the Obama administration had hoped for. After all, they have extended the olive branch. We are involved with several negotiations with Cuba that did not -- were not going under the Bush years.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Yes. Lifting the travel restrictions to Cuba, that raised some controversy as well. I'm not sure, I don't know if this will have any effect on that at all.
BARDOCK: Well, I don't think that that will change. The Obama administration has already lifted restrictions on Cuban-Americans. We have other bills pending before Congress to lift them on other people. But it's really just the rhetoric and it's a sign that the Castros are not ready to bury the hatchet. It's also a sign to me that things are very bad in Cuba right now.
LEMON: Yes.
BARDOCK: A friend of mine who got back on Friday was saying to me, my god, the country is just about bankrupt. This is a wonderful way to divert attention from internal problems. I mean, remember that the whole world has an economic recession. Well, that is even much more dire in Cuba.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: It's magnified in Cuba because it's -- Listen, Ms. Bardock, I want to ask you about this because we are hearing from Raul. We haven't heard from Fidel Castro. Talk to me about that.
BARDOCK: Well, Raul Castro is a very different man than his brother, Fidel, and he comes completely out of the army. He's personally supervising these maneuvers. But they share the common view that preparedness, defense, the protection, the security of Cuba, but mostly the Castro family are absolutely central. That is the number-one priority.
LEMON: My question, really, is who's calling the shots here? My question is, who is calling the shots here because we haven't really seen much of Fidel Castro. There are some who are saying that he, you know, is incapacitated. Is it Raul or Fidel who is calling the shots?
BARDOCK: Well, you're absolutely right. Fidel has morphed from the commander in chief to the convalescent in chief. He's a reasonably comfortable convalescent. You can be certain that Raul Castro does nothing without the assent of his brother. Let's put it this way. At this point, Fidel Castro has veto power. He's not doing the day-to-day management issues, but if anything really bothers him, we hear about it. We hear about it in his columns. And he speaks to his brother every day.
LEMON: Ann Louise Bardock, we appreciate it. Thank you.
BARDOCK: My pleasure.
LEMON: Tiger Woods is the billion-dollar man. Now his spotless reputation may have just hit a tree. We'll look at why the mystery about a simple fender bender could damage the Tiger Woods brand.
And the Silver Dome might be a bit tarnished but surely it was worth more than scrap metal. Sport business analyst, Rick Harrow, joins me next because it's no all about money.
I can't wait to talk to you about this. We've got interesting subjects, my friend.
RICK HARROW, SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hi. (ph)
LEMON: Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. So listen. Why is this Tiger Woods story such a big deal? We're about to tell you why. Tiger Woods has been called the first athlete in history to earn a billion dollars, much of it from corporate endorsements. So how is all the attention over this accident in front of his home going to affect Tiger Woods, the brand? The man to ask is Rick Harrow our sports business analyst.
Rick, quickly before we get to this, we've been on the social networking sites. People have been asking, why is this such a big deal. A lot of people's livelihoods are on the line here with Tiger Woods if he is indeed injured. A lot of people make money from him. He has a lot of endorsements. He's a billionaire. He carries a lot of people's earnings and lives. That's why this is a big deal. If he's injured in this accident, people have the right to know, who are counting and depending on him.
HARROW: I would make that argument. I'd also say, as an extension of what we talked about yesterday, the most recognizable man in the history of the world, day three. It will be a countdown clock, every day. And $93 million off-course endorsements. It's not just Accenture and AT&T and E.A. and Gatorade and Nike. But it's those millionaire golf pros that owe the bump-up to him. It's the caddies, the golf-course design business, the vendors. There's a worldwide billion-dollar economic impact of Tiger Woods worldwide. It's a major corporation.
LEMON: OK. In this economy, everyone is paying close attention to every single cent, every single dollar, how it might affect the bottom line and, sad, but true, Tiger is a human being, right? He says he's human, he's not perfect. We know that. For a lot of people, Tiger is the company. And it's the way that they make their living, off of selling products through Tiger Woods, the brand.
HARROW: Yes. And now we have a cottage industry around speculation of what happened, where, who, how. You know, can he hit his drives as well as he can avoid hitting fire hydrants? Until such time as the Tiger Woods camp comes out with a clear statement about what's happening and meets with the police, which is not illegal not to under the state of Florida law, understand, but every day, there's more and more speculation. And I think his advisers will tell him that, until he comes out with a clear statement, there will be more of this, not less of this.
LEMON: Thank you, sir, for putting this into perspective. It's not the end of the world, but it's definitely a news item that deserves attention.
Let's move on and talk about -- this really caught me earlier this week during Thanksgiving, the sale of the Pontiac Silver Dome, Once the home of the Detroit Lions. It's a really bargain-basement price. What's going on here?
HARROW: It was built for $55 million in the early '80s. And then, as the Lions moved to Ford field in downtown Detroit about 20 miles to the south, the city of Pontiac put it up for bid and turned down $15 million, $17 million, $19 million offers a few years ago. Economy? We know what happens. Net result? $585,000 at auction for the dome and the land. The developer who bought it said we may play some soccer games there. We understand the purpose of buying it is for the land underneath it. And the fact that the Lions aren't very good is only a small part of this because they play at Ford Field anyway 20 miles to the south.
LEMON: And Detroit is having some issues. Boy, oh, boy. That's a big price cut there.
Rick, always good to see you. Wish I could spend more time with you. Have a good Thanksgiving?
HARROW: Yes, wonderful. Yours?
LEMON: Very good.
HARROW: Good. See you next week.
LEMON: Thanks. I appreciate it.
We want to update our breaking news story out of Washington State coming up at the top of the hour. As police hunt for the killer of four police officers gunned down this morning in a coffee shop. They now think the gunman may have been wounded.
Also ahead, victims of a Thanksgiving Day rampage in Florida are mourned but still no sign of their suspected killer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The search is widening for a Florida man considered armed and dangerous after allegedly gunning down four family members in a Thanksgiving rampage. There's a warrant out for 35-year-old Paul Merhige. He took off after killing his two sisters, his 79-year-old aunt and the youngest victim, his cousin, 6-year-old, Mikhaila Sitton. She was supposed to perform this weekend as a gingersnap in the "Nutcracker" ballet. Instead, the family is gathering for vigils, mourning and praying the little girl killed in her sleep.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM SITTON, VICTIM'S FATHER: I felt the urge to go in and give her a kiss. I went in there and was telling her how much I love her, how special she is. Just what an honor it is to be her dad. And we had a tender moment, and I kissed her good night. She went -- I put her to sleep and she woke up with Jesus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The search for the suspect goes far beyond Jupiter, Florida. Officers on the lookout all the way up to Michigan, where Merhige apparently sought out a doctor over the last year. Police will not say why.
A frantic scene on a blustery New Jersey street. A father reportedly chased down and shot his wife and two sons yesterday, killing the younger boy. Moments later, Edelmiro Gonzalez was fatally shot by an off-duty officer who heard the commotion from a nearby restaurant. Seven year-old Adrian Gonzalez was pronounced dead on the scene. His older brother, Edryn Gonzalez, and their mother, Johanna, are in critical condition.
