Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Bush Insulted in Baghdad; Will Blagojevich Resign?; Immigrant Death
Aired December 14, 2008 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: In the NEWSROOM, a man throws a pair of shoes at President Bush in Baghdad. One of the biggest insults in the Arab world.
The power to the people don't stop!
Plus, outrage over the beating deaths of an Ecuadorian immigrant in New York.
And the Illinois governor under fire. The burning question for Rod Blagojevich. Will he resign or try to hang on to his job?
Hi, everybody. I'm Alina Cho in for Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. So glad you're with us on this Sunday. And let's get started with what happened in Baghdad today. President Bush showed up for an unannounced farewell visit, but much like the war in Iraq itself, things didn't go exactly the way they were planned.
CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad. I talked to him just a few minutes ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: So, Michael, you may not like President Bush's politics, but one thing you can say for sure is that the man has great reflexes. So tell us what happened.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely! Absolutely. Talk about reinventing duck and cover. OK. What happened here today is during the president's surprise visit, he has a press conference this evening, local time with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri Al Maliki. Now then the most extraordinary thing took place. While President Bush was talking, an Iraqi journalist for a television network here stood up and threw his shoes, first one, then the other, at President Bush, narrowly missing his head and there we see the reflexes of the president.
After this, obviously, Secret Service and others jumped on this guy and drag him out, still screaming, having called President Bush a dog and saying that, you know, this is your farewell, so to speak. We then saw President Bush, maintaining his composure, actually try to turn the incident to his advantage, brushing the moment aside. And this is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So what if the guy threw a shoe at me?
(INAUDIBLE)
BUSH: Right. No, I consider it an important step in - on the road toward an Iraq that can sustain itself, govern itself, and defend itself. But let me talk about the guy throwing the shoe. It is one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's like driving down the street and have people not gesturing with all five fingers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARE: So that's how President Bush tried to handle this rather delicate situation. And bear in mind that in Iraqi culture, throwing a shoe is close to the ultimate insult, normally reserved for like the statue of Saddam Hussein, during the invasion when it was pulled down, the Iraqi slapped it and then we saw shoes thrown in an effigy of President Bush just a couple of weeks ago in a rally, perhaps prophetic, Alina.
CHO: Well, at least he was able to joke about it. And he did by the way say, Michael, that it was a size ten shoe. Now I don't know if he was serious about that. But let's get on to business now. This is the president's fourth trip to Iraq since the war began. Clearly is going to be his farewell trip. This was his first time outside the heavily fortified green zone. What was on the schedule today?
WARE: Well, actually, it's his first time outside of a U.S. military base. So this was a unique trip in many regards. Indeed, when he went and met the president of Iraq, he was outside the green zone himself, across the river, so technically in the red zone which we've only seen somewhat like you know the Iranian president.
What's been on the agenda? First, the president has said that he was here to thank the troops for their ongoing service. He was also here to celebrate the striking of this deal between Baghdad and Washington, that all but ends the American phase of the war here in Iraq. This is the beginning of the American end. This agreement dictates that America must be out in three years, it governs the new rules here, and President Bush has been hailing that as a success, even though some of his officials here on the ground don't see it as an success at all, Alina?
CHO: Michael, as always, colorful commentary, colorful reporting. We thank you for joining us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Remember the fall of Baghdad and the statue of Saddam Hussein, that was back in April of 2003 with the Iraqis furiously beating it with their shoes. In Arab culture, some of you may know throwing shoes at someone is the ultimate insult. So for more insight on this, we want to bring CNN's senior editor of Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr. She joins us now by phone with some insight on all of these.
Octavia, I've been reading this and a lot of people know that crossing your legs and showing the soles of your shoe is an awful thing to do in Arab culture. Certainly, throwing your shoes is one of the worst insults. Why is this significant?
VOICE OF OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: It is an insult. It also shows disrespect. Basically, if you want to tell someone that you totally disrespect them, you either turn your shoe at them or you throw the shoe at them. If you are to describe something similar to this, you would say throwing rotten eggs at a bad performance or even giving someone a finger or telling someone to shut up. These are the closest, you can say, to throwing a shoe at someone. It's significant because in a situation like this, you have to think this was very impromptu, very unrehearsed. It's someone, basically, who reacted to something he was seeing. It really shows a lot about how this person feels about President Bush. It doesn't, of course, translate to the whole country or the whole region, but definitely how this man felt towards President Bush. He made his opinion very well known.
CHO: Well I think it's important to know, too, that this was an Iraqi journalist, for those of you wondering about the security in that palace during that news conference. It was an Iraqi journalist, working, I understand, for a TV network, an Iraqi TV network based in Cairo. But nonetheless, this was not some random person who came in from off the street. It was a journalist. And I understand he was sort of taken away by security, sort of dragged away screaming. Do you recall anything of significance like this happening in Iraq in recent times, other than the Iraqis trying to, you know, deface the statue of Saddam Hussein back in 2003. Octavia.
NASR: Not really, Alina, this is so huge when you talk about it, it's not something - it's not an occurrence that you see every day. It's really a sign of frustration, a sign of someone who really wants to show how he feels. The last time we saw something like this was the fall of Baghdad, when Iraqis just ran after the falling statues of Saddam Hussein, hitting it with a shoe as Michael Ware rightly reported. Since then, this is the first occurrence. And again because it's President Bush, it is - it makes it really 100 times more significant than just throwing a shoe at just anybody.
And again, because it's a reporter who was there to cover the press conference, it also makes it more significant. It's definitely something that will play very highly on Arab media and many people will be taking this and basically echoing their frustration of the Bush administration. It is no secret that the Arab world and especially the Arab media have been very critical of the Bush administration and the way they handled, especially Iraq, but also the region.
CHO: Octavia, wonderful insight on all of this. Octavia Nasr, our senior editor of Arab affairs here on CNN, joining us by phone. Octavia, thank you very much.
We want to move on now to what is going on in Illinois. Many of you watching this very closely. A defiant governor, Rod Blagojevich, remains in office despite growing demands for his ouster. Now, mixed signals about if and when he'll step down. CNN's Brianna Keilar live in Chicago for us. So, Brianna, a report out in the "Chicago Sun-Times" today suggests that the governor will be making some decisions early this week about what he might do, that he was blindsided by all of this and that he needed some time to digest it. What are your sources saying?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the question. Will he or won't he? It really depends on who you ask. Alina, there are some people who are calling for Governor Blagojevich to resign who think that it's possible we could be hearing something tomorrow. For instance, one of them, Lisa Madigan, Illinois attorney general. Here's what she said this morning on "Meet the Press."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA MADIGAN, ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: We have heard that there is a possibility that tomorrow he will make an announcement that he will step aside. I don't know if that means he will resign or take another option that's provided under the Illinois constitution where he can voluntarily recognize that there is a serious impediment to his ability to carry out his duties and therefore temporarily remove himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: But I've actually been going back and forth by e-mail today with the governor's spokesman, Lucio Guerrero, who says that that assertion is incorrect. I pressed him further asking if it was possible that the governor could temporarily step aside or step aside or step down in any way, and what he told me, I know of no event or action that the governor is doing today or tomorrow. So some of these assertions we're hearing, Alina, being completely refuted by the governor's office.
CHO: Interesting. As you well know, Brianna, there was a report out just yesterday that President-elect Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, did have conversations with Blagojevich about who might take Obama's senate seat. He is not a target of the investigation, it's important to point out. But having said that, there have been some people, some critics out there that have said that Obama should be more transparent about his transition team's dealings with Blagojevich. So are we getting a sense that Obama might say something further than what he has already said, calling for Blagojevich to resign?
KEILAR: Well, according to the "Chicago Tribune", it was actually Obama's chief of staff, who will be his chief of staff, was caught on the tape, basically talking about Obama's successor. It's important to point out though, Alina, this would not be unusual for Barack Obama or for Barack Obama's team to take interest in who might replace him. It is important to note that prosecutors at this point alleging no wrong doing. But, yes, certainly this is something the president- elect is under a lot of pressure to talk about. You know, Barack Obama said on Thursday that he's basically gathering the facts, his team is gathering the facts in terms of any conversations that his staffers had with Blagojevich's office and they're going to come forward with that information in a few days. Well, it's been a few days. We're wondering when that's going to happen. We don't know exactly. The Obama camp not telling us exactly, Alina, but obviously these are questions that aren't going to go away until they're answered.
CHO: Certainly aren't. And I know you'll be watching it all very closely. CNN's Brianna Keilar joining us from Chicago. Brianna, thank you.
Extreme weather holds much of the nation in an icy grip, especially the northern plains where blizzard warnings are now in effect. I- reporter Matt Creedman shot this video that you're about to see in Jamestown, North Dakota, this morning. Still trying to gather that video. Meanwhile, interstate 94 has been shut down all the way to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, that's about 150 miles away. Many secondary roads have no travel advisories posted. The northeast still hoping to thaw out and clean up from a massive ice storm earlier this week. It is just a mess there. States of emergency have been declared in Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire, New York, and Maine. Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power and they might be without power for another week. Four weather-related deaths have been reported in the region.
Watching it all for us, Karen Maginnis in the CNN weather center. Hey, Karen, you're watching what's going on, the clean up in the east coast, but also it's just frigidly cold in the west too, right?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We have so many quadrants of the country Alina that have been affected by essentially an outbreak of winter weather before winter even arrived, that it's almost impossible to keep up with. All the way from Maine into Minnesota, the Dakotas into Montana, and for the Pacific northwest, essentially you divide the nation in half, and to the north, that's where we've got winter conditions. To the south, a lot of places seeing abnormally cold temperatures.
Here's the problem. We've got an area of low pressure. Here comes the cold front. And this really is the dividing line between that soggedly Arctic air and some milder air out ahead of it. Look at these temperatures. These are not windchill factors. Fargo, also into Bismark and into Pierre, temperatures are single digit and double digits below zero. But look at the windchill factor, 30 and 40 degrees below zero. Primarily across the northern tier states. Also, the Pacific northwest, in the deep freeze as well. When I come back in a few minutes, I'll show you that and the aftermath of the ice storm into the northeast. Alina, a lot going on and a lot to tell you about.
CHO: Boy, a lot of minuses out there.
MAGINNIS: Yes.
CHO: All right. We'll check back with you later.
Outrage in New York City. An immigrant dies after suffering a vicious beating by men yelling anti-Hispanic and anti-gay slurs at him. We'll have a live report next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: New York is grappling with a high-profile hate crime. An Ecuadorian man beaten by attackers who believed he was gay has died from his injuries. CNN's Susan Candiotti live in Brooklyn, New York, where a vigil has just wrapped up. Susan, what happened?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Alina. Two deaths within the last month that you indicated. One just last night. Both victims are believed to be the victims of hate crimes. Both men happened to be from Ecuador. Now, both of these incidents have prompted people to gather today here to protest these hate crimes. The latest victim died on Friday night when his heart gave out after he and his brother, just a week ago, were walking down the street late at night when police say a car pulled over, men jumped out, according to witnesses, and started beating one of the two brothers with a bottle and with a baseball bat.
Again, his heart gave out last night before his mother had a chance to arrive here from Ecuador to be at her son's bedside. In any case, today, people are saying, enough is enough. The brother is saying of the victim, that this kind of thing must stop. That people must be educated, they must come together to try to prevent similar crimes from happening.
According to the FBI, hate crime statistics, 40 percent of the time in the last four years, crimes against Latinos have been going up, hate crimes. And last year alone, Hispanics were targeted 60 percent of the time. Authorities are saying that they will get to the bottom of this latest crime. Mayor Michael Bloomberg just today said that, called it a pointless crime, a gutless crime, and that they intend to prosecute the suspects as soon as they can find who is responsible. This is the kind of thing, he said, will not be allowed to go on and they intend to get to the bottom of it. Alina, back to you.
CHO: Susan Candiotti, live for us in Brooklyn, New York. Susan, thank you.
A church in Alaska suffers major damage in an arson fire. So why is it in the news? Well, it's the home church of Governor Sarah Palin.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Across America on this Sunday, investigators believe someone may have intentionally set fire to a church attended by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. The Wasilla Bible Church in Palin's hometown was heavily damaged. Palin told an assistant pastor she apologized if the fire was in any way connected to the "undeserved negative attention" from her vice presidential candidacy.
Well, who is the lucky winner of the mega millions jackpot? Well, the single winning ticket of the $207 million multi-state lottery was sold Friday at a Kroger's store in Ohio. The store gets $100,000 for selling the winning ticket. An Ohio mayor says the winners are a dozen state employees who will split the prize. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's always nice to spread the wealth around. From what we hear, it's a little around a little over $9 million each, after taxes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy, whoever that person is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you spend $200 million?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 2008 Heisman trophy is Sam Bradford.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: And there you have it. Sam Bradford is the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback. Among the first to congratulate to Bradford, Tim Tebow, last year's Heisman trophy winner. He will be facing Tebow in January when the Sooners play the Florida Gaters for college football's national championship. There's a match up for you. Many Native Americans say they are inspired by Bradford, who is part Cherokee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDALL ANSTEE, NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENT: This is like a big thing, man. You never see like natives that are in football big time like him, in the Heisman, winning awards and what not. That's a big deal, I think.
RAYMOND BRADY, NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENT: That's a big deal. I look up to him. Because if he can accomplish it, I can accomplish it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: And a rude welcome for President Bush in Iraq. Take a look at this. Wait until you hear how the President responded. His comments are next.
Plus, a gloomy time for auto repair shops. You get insurance money for your damaged car, but you use it to pay other bills.
MAGINNIS: And we will show you some of the pictures if our i- reporters of the ice storm in the northeast. Blizzard conditions in the northern tier and freezing cold temperatures in the northwest. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: News happening now, an Iraqi man threw his shoes at President Bush during a news conference today in Baghdad. It was a journalist who threw them. Mr. Bush, as you just saw there, dodged both of them. Good reflexes. The man was dragged away by security. The president was in Iraq to celebrate the security pact that lays out a plan to withdraw U.S. troops. And when asked about the shoe-throwing incident, here's what the president had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So what if the guy threw his shoe at me.
(INAUDIBLE)
BUSH: Right.
(INAUDIBLE)
BUSH: No, I consider it an important step and on the road toward an Iraq that can sustain itself, governor itself, and defend itself. But let me talk about the guy throwing the shoe. It is one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: At least he has a sense of humor about it.
Moving on now, sources tell CNN that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will not resign tomorrow, despite comments by the state attorney general that he might step aside. The governor is facing corruption charges, including an explosive charge that he tried to sell Barack Obama's senate seat.
Still no announcement from the Bush administration on a new plan to rescue the ailing U.S. auto industry. One White House official says they are considering a full range of options. CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us live now from Washington. So Kathleen, what is on the table and when might we see some action?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alina, there was so much excitement Friday when the White House said it would consider using money from the troubled asset relief program to help Detroit. Some optimists predicted there would be action that very day. While we are told that President Bush, while he was in Iraq today, was kept informed of developments on the auto bailout, there are still no announcements.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH (voice-over): Treasury Department officials are pouring over auto maker's balance sheets this weekend. But a senior administration official says there will be "no news today" on a bailout for Detroit. On the Sunday talk shows, senators from auto- producing states argued that the White House needs to act immediately.
SEN. ROBERT CASEY (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I'm confident they will, but I think they must come through now and provide help from here to there, meaning get GM, especially GM, through December and January and then with the new administration, we can put in place a longer strategic approach to this. SEN. DEBBI STABENOW, (D) MICHIGAN: We're in a situation where a short-term bridge loan makes sense. And then it's not just about continuing to give additional loans. It's about giving them time to be able to restructure.
SEN. SHERROD BROWN, (D) OHIO: I'm optimistic they're going to do something significant. I don't think the White House wants some bankruptcy at one of the big three automakers as part of their legacy.
KOCH: But bankruptcy is precisely what some Republicans are advocating.
SEN. JOHN ENSIGN, (R) NEVADA: I actually agreed that the federal government could do that bridge loan. But that bridge loan could be done in Chapter 11 reorganization.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: If they believe that the taxpayer is going to continue to bail them out, they're not going to make the fundamental changes that will make them truly competitive.
KOCH: One senator says the administration might have more leverage to force change on the automakers and unions than Congress did.
SEN. BOB CORKER: Of course, the benefit they have, they don't have to negotiate. They can say, this money's available, but it's only available under these conditions.
KOCH: The autoworkers' union says it's made concessions before and will again, as long as it's not a loan.
RON GETTELFINGER, PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTO WORKERS: We have said we're ready to come forward, with all of the other stakeholders. And that means everybody from the board to the management to suppliers, the dealers, the bondholders, the creditors, the whole works. Let's get everybody in a room, let's work it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: White House officials won't give a time frame for action on the bailout, noting that they want to get it right, but the clock is clearly ticking with GM and Chrysler saying that they could run out of cash in a matter of weeks, Alina.
CHO: Yeah, at the end of the year. That was the deadline for GM. We'll have to see what happens in the coming weeks.
Kathleen Koch in Washington. Kathleen thank you.
CHO: Call it a sign of the recession. You're liking to see more cars with dents and dings because drivers are keeping their insurance claim checks rather than repairing their cars. Auto body shop owners agree and George Estevez with our CNN affiliate WFOR has the story from Miami.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ESTEVEZ, WFOR: A dent to the car of this retired woman, who like so many of us in south Florida, are living on a fixed income.
SILVIA SCOTT, CAR OWNER: That's a shame, huh?
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): It is.
ESTEVEZ: But is it worth fixing? You know what the cost is and make a decision.
A decision faced by many drivers who own their own vehicles. Fix the car or take the cash. And for Silvia, it's about paying other bills.
SCOTT: I don't know too many people right now in this economic situation where even $100 doesn't mean a lot.
ESTEVEZ: And body shops in south Florida are feeling it. As a matter of fact, I'm standing in a spot where there should be a car.
BLAKE MOOESITT, BODY SHOP VETERAN: So that's what they're doing. They're just cashing out.
ESTEVEZ: Blake has been in the business for 22 years.
MODESITT: As soon as you get a chance, get me a printout of the frame specs on this, OK?
ESTEVEZ: And is seeing fewer cars coming to Ocean Collision in Miami.
MODESITT: We're seeing about a 22, 26 percent drop in clientele based on the economic crunch.
ESTEVEZ: So we waited with Silvia to get her estimate. So what did you decide to do? What's the deal?
SCOTT: I haven't decided.
ESTEVEZ: An estimate of more than $800.
SCOTT: Between you and I, I probably won't do it.
ESTEVEZ: Because of the money?
SCOTT: Yeah.
ESTEVEZ: Silvia says she needs the money for her medication, a perfect example of how the economy is also making a dent in people's living. In Miami, George Estevez, CBS 4 News.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: And with the economy in recession, many families are feeling the pinch this holiday season. That's for sure. And they're looking for ways to give without having to dig deep. Our Kate Bolduan reports that means homemade holiday gifts are making a comeback.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tis the season to be shopping or not.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): It's the fun of making things. At least for me.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I think that's a wonderful thing. I think we're going back to what they did many, many years ago. People have to be creative. I think it's a great idea.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): So you just wrap it around.
BOLDUAN: Facing the demands of holiday gift giving and the pinch of shrinking budgets, many shoppers are buying less and making more.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I have six nieces and nephews and two brothers. So it's just -- it makes more sense just to make it myself because it could be cheaper.
BOLDUAN: With near limitless options ranging from ornaments and picture frames to baked goods and olive oil, homemade gifts may once again be a hot holiday trend.
ANGIE LESS, ASST. CULINARY COORDINATOR: Many people are turning back to the kitchen as a source of holiday gifts. Everything from cookies to homemade breads, anything home and cooking related, we're seeing a lot of that.
BOLDUAN: And a recent survey commissioned by arts and crafts giant Michael's stores, more than half of the respondents said they're more likely to make gifts this year than last. Meanwhile, retailers continue to slash prices, but holiday retail sales could see the slowest growth in more than 17 years.
ELLEN DAVIS, NATL. RETAIL FEDERATION: They know it's going to be tough. They're expecting meager gains, if any, and they know it's going to take a lot to bring people into stores and get them to buy.
BOLDUAN: And while homemade isn't for everyone --
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I don't do any crafts, because I don't have the patience for that.
BOLDUAN: Tough economic times may mean good old creativity is making a big comeback this holiday season. Kate Bolduan, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Losing your job, a serious concern for millions of you out there, obviously. Many others already unemployed are struggling to find work. And in the next hour, we're going to be zeroing in on the best strategies to get and keep a job. We're going to be talking to a top career counselor and CNN's Josh Levs is here with us now on how you can get involved in all of this. We want people to send in their e-mail questions.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a great system we've got going. Here's the deal, as you know, we've been following your I-reports about your concerns about jobs. Now we want you to send us your questions right now. What you want to know about the job market. You can ask any question you want if you think it might help you find a job, maybe even make a career change. WEEKENDS@CNN.com. Think about what you want to know. We've got a team looking at the e-mails right now. We'll present those questions on the air. Stick with us next hour. Alina, I know you're also going to talk with one interesting guy who wore a sandwich board.
CHO: Yes he did. He waited six months. He and his wife came up with the idea. He wore a sandwich board on Park Avenue in Manhattan.
LEVS: Good for him.
CHO: But there's a happy ending to that story. So we can't wait to talk to him. Josh, thank you.
Want to go to Karen McGinnis in the CNN Weather Center where you can looking at a lot of weather stuff happening all over the country, especially out west, right, Karen?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. Pretty much, we're looking all across the northern tier states into the northeast and pacific northwest. We want to show you some pictures that came out of the northeast in New England on Thursday. That's when they got walloped by the big ice storm. Our I-reporter, they're sharing their images of the wintry mess. Check out these ice-covered trees from upstate New York.
This is from Greg Lavow. Lavow said that he took the pictures yesterday. His area has been without power since Thursday and they've been warned that the electricity is probably not going to come on until at least Tuesday. There are some estimates that it could be as long as Thursday.
Another I-reporter, Jennifer Plouife (ph) of, took these pictures of downed trees in Massachusetts the day after the ice storm. Look at that. They are quite dangerous. There were life-threatening issues across the state of Massachusetts and all across the interior sections of the northeast and New England. She's a life-long Massachusetts native and she says she's never seen anything like this.
If you were in the northeast and New England, I think it was back in 1991, they had a huge ice storm there. And this one certainly rivals that area. They were without power for weeks. Take a look at the northern tier states. These are some of the winds coming out of the north and northwest. This is where that arctic air is coming from. Some of those wind gusts could reach as high as 50 miles an hour. Dangerously cold wind chill factors. For the Pacific Northwest, the west coast, even southern California, you've got some big weather changes about to take place here. An area of low pressure, just offshore, Washington and Oregon. That will bring rainfall into southern California, dropping snow levels. Alina, we've got so much to tell you about, in the 5:00 hour, we'll look more at these wind chill factors, double digits below zero, coming up.
CHO: Oh, boy. We'll have to bundle up. Thank you.
The case of missing toddler Caylee Anthony takes a tragic turn. Remains found near her home, the wait now for DNA results.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Take a look at this video there. In Iraq today, President Bush on an unannounced visit in Iraq today got a surprise himself. An Iraqi journalist threw both of his shoes right at the president. As you saw there, the president, great reflexes there, was able to deflect that -- boy, that's a near-miss. Our Michael Ware reporting that it brings new meaning to the words "duck and cover." The president later joked that the shoes were a size 10.
We'll have a live report from Baghdad at the top of the hour.
Meanwhile, investigators in Orlando, Florida, are digging for more clues in the disappearance of little Caylee Anthony. Four days ago, a utility worker found the skulls and remains of a child in a wooded area near Anthony's home. Police believe those remains are that of Caylees. The DNA test may take a week or more. Forensic investigators are taking a look inside the Anthony family home, just a half mile away. Little Caylee went missing back in June, but her mother didn't report it for a month. Casey Anthony has been charged in her daughter's murder.
Casey Anthony reportedly didn't handle the news well when she found out the remains were found. She's currently under psychological observation. So what's the next step? Want to bring in former U.S. attorney Kendal Coffey. Kendal as you well know, the discovery of a body in a murder case is always significant, but what I'm hearing is that prosecutors could actually put the death penalty back on the table as a result of this?
KENDAL COFFEY, FMR. U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, they have the option. Not clear if they're going to, but it's certainly a dramatic development. And the case now has completely changed. It's going to go into a very active CSI forensic phase, then the defense. The prosecution has the option; it's up in the air. Certainly their case is a much stronger case than it was five days ago.
CHO: I understand that there was duct tape across the skull that was found and that investigators are clearly going through the Anthony house right now, looking for any sort of forensic evidence, clues, and what I'm told is that in the case of duct tape and plastic bags, trash bags, the skull was found in a trash bag, that there are actually lot numbers in addition to knowing the brand and the make, so it could be a perfect match. Is that your experience, Kendal?
COFFEY: Certainly. First of all, they may be able to match it to products found in the same house. That would be blockbuster. Additionally, there is a possibility of finding verifiable fingerprints on either the duct tape or plastic bag. If so, an increasingly strong case for the prosecution could get even stronger.
CHO: Let's talk a little bit about where the remains were found. Incredible, just a half mile from the Anthony home. I was talking with somebody earlier saying, if you're going to commit this crime, to leave the remains, dispose of the body, just a half mile from the home, seems like a ridiculous sort of thing to do, but what I'm told is that in most cases like this, the perpetrator actually does dispose of the body in an area that is familiar. In fact, in this case, it happened just right adjacent to the elementary school, where Casey Anthony went along with her brother. And that's been your experience as well; I'm sure, in cases like this, right?
COFFEY: Certainly. The defense tries to argue, well, of course this isn't something that Casey Anthony would have done, because how could she be so dumb that she would put the remains within 30 miles. But the reality is, criminals aren't that smart. When they act, they often act in panic. So it's perfectly consistent with her being guilty of the crime of homicide for her to have planted the remains within less than half a mile from the Anthony home.
CHO: Incredible. Former U.S. Attorney Kendal Coffey. Kendal always great to talk to you.
COFFEY: Thanks for including me.
CHO: Thanks so much.
Now, "Impact Your World." Somalia has been in chaos since the early 1990s. Continuous war has produced hundreds of thousands of refugees. And as David McKenzie reports, some of them are very young and very hungry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Ambia was born a refugee. Her tiny eyes have never seen her homeland of Somalia. Her mother fled to Kenya to escape fierce fighting. She weighs half of what a healthy four-month-old should. There are many like her, fleeing the trauma of Somalia, paying the price of war. Admissions at the feeding center have doubled over the last few months. Somalia's have been fleeing the country because of years of wars and strife. The recent upsurge in fighting, particularly in the capital, Mogadishu, has caused displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
The refugee camps here in Dadaab, Kenya were originally designed for around 90,000 people. But because of the dire humanitarian and security situations, in Somalia, there are now close to a quarter of a million people living in these camps.
HILDE F. JOHNSON, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNICEF: This camp is packed. It's way beyond its limits and we need to have the facilities to be able to respond and we need to have the resources to be able to respond. At the moment, none of the two are in place.
MCKENZIE: Waiting could mean more misery for the refugees of Dadaab. They left their country to escape the violence and tyranny of their failed state, but now the future of their haven is unsure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Want to find out how you can help refugees? Just go to our "Impact Your World" Website at CNN.com/impact. And you thought the presidential election was over? Not so fast. Barack Obama's victory doesn't become official until tomorrow, thanks to our transition of the Electoral College. So how does it work, exactly? Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider with a quick lesson next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Well, this next story may just surprise you. The 2008 presidential election is still undecided. Well, let me rephrase that. The 2008 presidential election is still officially undecided. The results of the election become official tomorrow. That's when the Electoral College meets and our CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider is joining us to talk about it. So, Bill, where are they meeting and what are they going to do, exactly?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's true. Tomorrow is Election Day. We haven't selected a president yet. When you voted on November 4th, if you looked closely at the ballot, it said you were not voting for Obama or McCain, you were actually voting for electors who then vote. Here's a sample ballot. If you look very closely on the left-hand side, it says, electors for Barack Obama. You were actually voting for those electors.
The electors are really people. They're chosen by the state political parties because they're believed to be reliable and they'll cast their ballots tomorrow for the candidate who carried the state. They meet in their state capitols. They vote. The outcome, we expect, will be 365 electoral votes for Obama and 173 for John McCain. But we really won't know until the electoral votes are counted on January the 8th by a joint session of Congress.
And then they'll count them and announce the official results. But nobody, nobody has been elected yet. Occasionally, there's a faithless elector who does not vote the way the state voted. That happened in 2004 when one Minnesota Democratic elector cast his or her vote for John Edwards instead of John Kerry, but even though occasionally there's a faithless elector, they've never really made a difference in the outcome and we don't think that's likely to happen this year.
CHO: Well, let's hope not. Boy. It harkens back to 2000, Bill.
SCHNEIDER: It certainly does.
CHO: Bill Schneider, senior political analyst. Thank you.
Well you knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of time the parodies of Rod Lodaroy (ph) Saturday night Live."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Want to show you some video that we've been showing you all hour about President Bush in an unannounced visit in Iraq today. His last farewell visit to Iraq. Look at what happened at a news conference at the palace. An Iraqi journalist threw both of his shoes at him, as you just saw there. The president successfully dodged them. The man was hauled away by security. The president later joked; the shoes were a size ten. We'll get a live report from our man on the ground, Michael Ware, at the top of the hour.
Big three bailout proposals and the governor of Illinois accused of corruption. Both important news stories but also great fodder for satire. On NBC's "Saturday Night Live" last night, one sketch covered both topics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): You're currently facing federal charges for attempting to sell to the highest bidder the Illinois Senate seat left vacant by the election of Senator Obama. Why do you feel entitled to a government bailout?
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): First of all, Senator, because it was a federal prosecutor who spite my deal to sell the Senate seat in the first place. And second, if I don't get this bailout, I swear to god, I will appoint some psycho mother [ bleep ] who will tear this [ bleep ] apart.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): In my opinion, you are a disgrace to the state of Illinois. Well, maybe not to Illinois, but you know what I'm saying. If you were the governor of any other state, you would be a disgrace to that state.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Let me ask you, are you retarded?
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): First of all, senator, the correct term is developmentally challenged. And yes, I am mildly developmentally challenged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: That, by the way, is Jason Sodaygus (ph) who also brilliantly plays Joe Biden. We haven't seen any reaction yet from Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Then again, if he didn't like it, we might not be able to quote the response.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
Watch out. A journalist hurls shoes and insults at President Bush during the president's unannounced visit to Iraq. We're live in Baghdad.
Parts of New England paralyzed by an ice storm, hundreds of thousands without power.
A sign of the times. He went from a pink slip to a sandwich board now to a dream job. What do you do if you're suddenly unemployed? We're helping you out this hour. Get your questions answered from a career counselor.
I'm Alina Cho and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Welcome back, everybody. I'm Alina Cho in for Fredricka Whitfield this hour. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. President Bush has left Iraq following an unannounced farewell visit today. The president declared that the war in Iraq is on its way to being won, but an incident that disrupted a news conference today shows how much controversy the Iraq war continues to generate.
A man threw two shoes at the president before security officers dragged him away. CNN's Michael Ware joins us now from Baghdad. As I was saying earlier, Michael, may not like his policies, but certainly the man has great reflexes, doesn't he?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely. I mean, he moved like a cat. And it was just so -- actually, he moved like a boxer, the way he just shifted out of the way and the thing whizzed past his head. Something to say about this incident, the man who threw this is actually an Iraqi journalist, working for an Iraqi television network. And it appears he became so outraged at something that he threw his shoes, hurled them at President Bush's head.
