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Israeli Air Strikes; U.S. War Terror Setback; Blagojevich Scandal; California Massacre; Holiday Shopping Down
Aired December 27, 2008 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBERT LUI, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Bloody retaliation in the Middle East, here's what we know right now. Palestinian medical sources say at least 170 people are dead and 110 are hospitalized after Israeli air strikes on Gaza. Israel says the air strikes are a response to recent Hamas rocket attacks and it says the strikes will continue for as long as it takes. A special meeting of the Arab League is scheduled to begin in Egypt at this very hour. League is scheduled to begin in Egypt at this very hour.
Well, a truce between Hamas and Israel expired just a week ago. Israel says today's air strikes are aimed at Hamas targets, but there are reports that civilians are among the dead, as well. CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Jerusalem.
And Paula you've been watching the numbers with us and you've seen them grow.
PAULA HANCOCK, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Richard. Yes, unfortunately they have been growing throughout this Saturday. Now, we know Israel says that it was targeting specifically Hamas installations, security compounds, that sort of thing, in Gaza, but it's such a densely-populated area and these compounds are in residential areas, but inevitably there has been a high civilian death toll as well.
As you say, at least 170 at this point and many of those in hospital and of course, they're in hospital in Gaza there are a chronic shortage of doctors in Gaza and there's a chronic shortage of any decent equipment in these hospitals in Gaza, so there are fears that that death toll could rise even higher.
Now, of course, Hamas has vowed revenge and has launched a rocket attack also against Israel killing one Israel Israeli. Now, we heard from the Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, just a little while ago and he said he didn't want to deceive anybody, this was not going to be a short operation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHUD BARAK, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): The time has come to take action. We're not happy to have to take this action, but we are not going to flinch from it. We are not going continue to put up with these attacks on our civilians and our soldiers. We will do what is necessary. There is a time for a lull and thery a time for fighting and now the time for fighting has come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCK: Now, I've heard a similar thing from Hamas, as well, saying it is very willing to continue fighting. One Hamas official in a press conference saying, "We will not renew the calm with Israel and we will not raise the white flag." So, nobody is expecting this to calm down any time soon. You can expect tit for tat retaliation. You have heard, though, from the Palestinian authority calling for calm, but we must remember that the Palestinian authority has no power in the Gaza strip, that is fully controlled by Hamas it's self, but it is calling for calm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAEB ERAKAT, PALESTINIAN PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR: That we are calling up Israel to stop their attack and adhere to the Egyptian efforts in order to maintain a mutual cease-fire. I'm not saying this we have an army or a navy or or an (INAUDIBLE) in Gaza. All I'm saying is Gaza is the most densely populated area on earth, six persons per square meter. I'm afraid if we don't begin a de-escalation and (INAUDIBLE) process immediately the net results of the continuation of such Israeli aggression will be disastrous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: But, these Israeli air strikes are expected to continue as are the rocket attacks from Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. We just heard from our sources in southern Gaza, in Rafah, that they've been told to evacuate all of the tunnels. Now, these are tunnels between Gaza and Egypt where Hamas has been bringing in illegal goods, some basic goods, like food, water and cigarettes, but also they've been bringing in arms that way so certainly they expect Israeli air strikes down there, as well - Richard.
LUI: Paula, put this into context for us. Just on Thursday there were 20 or so rocket attacks coming from Gaza, 80 rocket attacks on Wednesday coming from Gaza. So, this is not necessarily a surprise, I guess.
HANCOCKS: I think the extent of it is a surprise. Many of us and many experts were expecting some kind of Israeli operation on Gaza to try and stop these rocket attacks on the neighboring Israeli towns and civilians. But remember, just eight days ago there was in theory, a truce between Israel and these Palestinian militants, a six-month-old truce. In reality that truce broke down about two months ago, but really in the last week things have escalated severely.
I think the extent of these operations in Gaza have taken many people by surprise. Our sources in Gaza say they haven't seen anything like this in years, the sheer devastation - Richard.
LUI: Paula Hancock's, live in Jerusalem with the latest for us. Thank you so much, Paula.
And we will talk live with Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, that'll be in the 4:00 p.m. Eastern hour of NEWSROOM. Stay with us for that. The Bush administration blames Hamas for the latest round of Mideast violence. A White House statement says continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop. It says, "Hamas must end its terrorist activities if it wishes to play a role in the future of the Palestinian people." The statement adds, "The United States urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza."
A setback for the U.S. war on terror. Pakistan is moving troops away from its border with Afghanistan, they're heading to Pakistan's border with India, a response to growing India/Pakistan tensions, there. CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three days of terror. Attacks that shocked India and now fears it could have that country marching towards war with Pakistan. Pakistani officials now confirm they're moving troops away from the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in the border region neighboring Afghanistan and towards India. The move comes in response to Pakistan's belief that India is building troops along its border.
PRANAB MUKHERJEE, INDIAN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER: We would expect that instead of raising war hysteria, they will address this problem, this menace to the regional peace and stability.
ROBERTSON: The long, simmering tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbors were reignited when India claimed the attackers were trained at terror camps in Pakistan. Pakistan arrested leaders of the terror group which denies any part in the attack, but claims India has yet to got give them sufficient evidence to specify their role.
In India, many people are demanding the government strike Pakistan. During the attack, India's air force was put on standby.
WAJID SHAMSUL HASAN, PAKISTANI HIGH COMMISSIONER TO UK: You cannot rule out the possibility that in the (INAUDIBLE) continue with that, we will also have to respond to it.
ROBERTSON: Both sides are now accusing the other of, "war hysteria," but neither is stepping back.
(on camera): This march towards conflict could be exactly what the 10 attackers and the terror masterminds intended with their bloody assault, ignite tensions, bring chaos ask keep the region a fertile breeding ground for radical extremists.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LUI: Today is the first anniversary of the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto. More than 150,000 supporters gathered at her mausoleum, some cried and some beat their heads and chests and wailed. Bhutto was campaigning ahead of parliamentary elections when she was killed. Some blamed forces tied to then President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf's government blamed a militant leader with a alleged links to al Quada. Bhutto's widower was later elected to replace Musharraf as president.
Severe weather creating treacherous conditions across much of the United States. In Seattle, that's been the big story. An awning there, weighed it down by wet snow, it collapsed as you see here, falling on a firefighter and seriously hurting him. Then eastern Washington state, which is already under a blanket of snow, could get more today. Rising temperatures and other parts of the Pacific Northwest and in the Midwest are melting away the heavy snow, too, and that is raising the risk of major flooding. Adding to the problem, heavy rain.
Well, in Chicago, there's thick fog there, a real problem for air travelers. Hundreds of flights at O'Hare Airport had to be canceled last night. The fog is now gone, good thing, leaving the focus squarely on flood control. Low lying areas are being shored up with sandbags. Officials say streams and creeks are likely to rise quickly and even areas that don't normally flood, could be threatened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN COUGHLIN, COOK CO EMERG MGMT AGCY: It's a very complex situation because it's not only the rainwater, we have the snow melt, we have the ice conditions on the rivers, themselves. We have the backup of the storm drainage systems. So this stuff is going to be an hour-by- hour monitoring effort...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LUI: And if that wasn't enough, parts of Illinois and several other Midwestern states are under a tornado watch which means we've got to go to Bonnie Schneider at our weekend weather center.
How's it looking right now? We're not quite expecting so much action this weekend, but we're certainly getting it.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And we've been seeing it since early this morning, Richard, in terms of tornadic activity. We now have several tornado warnings in Missouri and in parts of Illinois. Some of the counties highlighted, Calhoun, Green, Pike and Scott counties and this goes until 11:30 this morning.
As we zoom in on the region, you'll see some of that some of these counties are just well to the north of At. Louis. We don't have actual reports of tornadoes sighted, but we do have them on Doppler radar and we have had some reports of local damage with some trees down due to strong winds.
With the tornadic activity and thunderstorms, fog, water, it all causes a lot of lengthy airport delays. I want to take you to the bigger board now to show you the long list of airport delays and you'll find them due to fog, due to thunderstorms. Really, depending where you are, we're getting a mixed bag of just about everything. Let's look at the airport delays now and we'll show you that we have them across Dallas, Chicago, 45 minutes, some of them are just ground stops, but they may be increased. Philadelphia has been seeing some delays, as well.
Check out Chicago, the rain continues there, another batch of it on the way coming up from the South, so the concern here, of course, is flooding because of the snow pack already on the ground. We could see another two to three inches of melting snow and that would cause flooding.
Overall, though, the fog has been a big concern and a major cause of some of the airport delays. So, we have overcast skies, really across the country. And also, once again, in Seattle where we're getting a wintry mix, right now. Snow in the Cascades in the higher elevations, rain on and off through places like Portland and Seattle. It's been such a treacherous winter season, there.
And in terms of fog advisory, the mass is kind of shrinking as we go through the day because we're getting more of a burn off, but the Columbia, South Carolina area, they're still seeing fog. Be careful if you're driving in this region. And it looks like the fog advisories are also persisting for northern sections of Wisconsin also the upper peninsula into Michigan, lots of low clouds on the ground.
What a day in terms of really variances in temperatures. You have the 20s out to the West and the teens, right now, it's 18 degrees in Salt Lake. Look how wild it is. Atlanta, 55, but then once you head to Memphis, it's 74 degrees, 74 degrees, and then you just drive a little further to the West and it gets into the 20s. Quite the contrast.
Let's talk about what this means. Severe storms throughout the day, we're seeing it right now, from Missouri, Illinois, down through Oklahoma and Arkansas. Warm air in advance of it and watch out for windy conditions and the threat for fire danger, that exists in west Texas due to strong winds, dry conditions and low humidity.
So, temperatures today will be nice and warm in the Southeast, but very cold off to the West. The cold air is coming, don't let these temperatures fool you, Richard. It's definitely going to get colder even in places like New York where the temperature is 53 degrees. That will be short-lived, we'll be back to winter very soon.
LUI: But, you know, Bonnie, folks in Minneapolis looking down to Tampa, there in Florida, and saying you shysters, look what you got, you got 80 degrees.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, they can't complain in Florida.
LUI: All right, thanks Bonnie, we'll talk to you in a little bit. Parts of Hawaii still without power, much of Oahu plunged into darkness last night after lightning sparked a power surge. Among those who lost power, President-elect Obama and his family. This blackout is just one of the distractions for the president-elect. CNN's senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, has the latest in the Blagojevich scandal. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT-ELECT: Thank you. You guys have a wonderful New Year.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His daily visit to the workout room at a Marine base dubbed "Semper Fit" is about the only activity making president-elect Barack Obama sweat in Hawaii.
But the question in the days ahead is whether the scandal engulfing Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will take a bite out of Mr. Obama's Honolulu honeymoon.
ROBERT BENNETT, ATTORNEY: It's like Count Dracula. The count needs fresh blood every day, and if he doesn't get his daily dose of blood, he withers away. And that's what a scandal is. It needs fresh blood every day.
HENRY: The latest wound? CNN has confirmed Blagojevich's attorney has written to the Illinois state panel considering impeachment, urging lawmakers to issue subpoenas to incoming White House aides Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett for testimony about the governor's alleged attempts to auction Obama's Senate seat.
Power lawyer, Bob Bennett, says this is a typical defense tactic that probably will not work. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is likely to squash the subpoenas to prevent interference with his criminal problem, though the drip, drip of scandal can be politically damaging.
BENNETT: It certainly can take the president and -- and his people off-message. And it certainly prevents them from dealing with the issues they want to deal with in the timeline they want to deal with them.
HENRY: But Bennett, who represented then President Clinton in his impeachment drama, notes, the current president-elect seems well- served, having Clinton vets on his staff, from Emanuel to incoming White House counsel Greg Craig, who led the internal investigation the transition team is hoping will the turn the page for the president- elect.
STEVE ELMENDORF, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think he and the people around him have nothing to hide. And they have done this perfectly. They have answered every question. They have put out all the information and they have a U.S. attorney who said at the beginning, in his first press conference, that Barack Obama was not open to any sort of a deal.
HENRY: Bennett, author of a book on how to deal with political scandal, says the transition team was particularly shrewd about making the president-elect available for an interview with the prosecutor, suggesting he has nothing to hide.
BENNETT: I think it was a very smart thing for the president-elect to do. HENRY (on camera): A sharp contrast from some previous Bennett clients, like Bill Clinton, who did not always seem forthcoming, which only brought more attention to the scandal.
Ed Henry, CNN, Honolulu.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LUI: A shocking scene in Philadelphia. A fire ripped through this house killing seven people including three children. Six of the victims were found huddled together in the basement against the only exit door. Two people were rescued, two others escaped. Officials suspect a kerosene heater may have started the fire.
Well, police in California say the man who dressed as Santa Claus and killed nine people at his ex-wife's parent's home had an elaborate escape plan, but it didn't work out that way. Our Thelma Gutierrez has the chilling emergency call to police.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their frantic screams for help coming from the inside of this home. These are the transcripts of the 911 call.
"He's shooting. He's shooting."
Two dozen people are at a Christmas party when a man dressed as Santa Claus goes on a rampage. The panicked caller tells the 911 operator she knows the shooter. "His name is the Bruce Pardo. He's my ex- brother-in-law. He's still shooting. He's knocking out the lights. He came in through the entrance of the door in a Santa Claus suit. I didn't see them when he shot."
Police say 45-year-old Bruce Pardo went to the Christmas party dressed as Santa, because he knew it was an annual family tradition. When an 8-year-old girl opens the door, Pardo pulls out a semiautomatic weapon and shoots her. The caller tells the operator, "My daughter's been shot in the face. She was shot in the face, and she's bleeding."
Police say Pardo then begins shooting at everyone in sight. Some hide under furniture, others jump from windows to escape. Then he pulls out a canister of racing fuel disguised as a holiday package.
KIM RANEY, POLICE CHIEF, COVINA POLICE DEPARTMENT: The package he had appears to be a homemade pressurized device.
GUTIERREZ: The two-story home belonging to Pardo's former in- laws is engulfed in flames. The bodies of nine people are burned so badly they have to be identified using dental records. Pardo is also severely burned.
RANEY: He suffered third-degree burns on both arms. It also appears that the Santa Claus suit that he was wearing did melt onto his body.
GUTIERREZ: Pardo flees to his brother's house, but investigators discover he had an elaborate escape plan.
RANEY: Pardo did have $17,000 in cash, Saran Wrapped to his legs or concealed inside of a girdle that he was wearing. He also had a plane ticket for a flight on an early morning flight Thursday, Christmas morning, from LAX to Canada.
GUTIERREZ: He hadn't counted on suffering third-degree burns, himself. Unable to escape, Pardo fatally shoots himself in the head.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Covina, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LUI: After a ho-hum Christmas, retailers make a final holiday shopping sales push, but is it working?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LUI: With a few exceptions, the holiday shopping season has been a bust for retailers and now shoppers may even be snubbing the after- Christmas sales, which are supposed to be good. CNN's Susan Candiotti is at Macy's in New York.
And Susan, how good are they? But it looks like there's a lot of people out there to see how good they are.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Richard, I actually wish I was inside the store taking advantage of all these sales and a lot of people are filling the sidewalks and filling stores, here. In fact, it was so crowded inside, some shoppers came out and told me they couldn't cake take it anymore, had to come out here and get some fresh air.
This is the time when retailers are trying to make up for lost ground. Sales are down anywhere from five percent to eight percent this holiday season and so now these sales are even more important to retailers, as we said, who are trying to at least make up some of that slack during this weekend.
Found a couple of shoppers who did take advantage of the holiday sales.
Gentlemen, this is when I say: show us what's in the bag. How well did you do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did very well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did pretty well. Got a shirt. It was almost half off.
CANDIOTTI: Almost half off. Not bad. Not bad. And what else? What about this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually got the jacket.
CANDIOTTI: So, the jacket that you're wearing you wore out of the store.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wore out of the store. I actually did.
CANDIOTTI: How was that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was OK. We took the tags off after we got into the lobby, so security wasn't too upset.
CANDIOTTI: What about you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was such a great buy. His jacket, I had to get one, too.
CANDIOTTI: Not bad. So, how much off? How much was it? How much...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they were originally one...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a $39 jacket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty-nine, it was originally 195 for $39.
CANDIOTTI: That's an incredible buy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yep.
CANDIOTTI: Did you change your shopping habits this holiday season waiting for the sales to see how much you could get off?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, for my kids I had to buy before Christmas, so myself, I'm doing my own shopping, now, so that's what I'm doing.
CANDIOTTI: Well, that's what a lot of people were doing. Did you find yourself doing the same thing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did. We were a little bit more tight with our budget up front and now that we're out UNIDENTIFIED MALE: and we see the sales we feel like we can get a few things for ourself, but still not getting too many craze things. We saw a jacket at Bergdorf that was $18,000 and we had to want get that.
CANDIOTTI: Did expect to spend less than you did last Christmas?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With my kids, I didn't. You know, you have to spend for them no matter what.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you also bought them a car.
CANDIOTTI: Well, some big-ticket items, too. Well, there you have it. Because, we will sign off by telling you that actually luxury items of sale items were down more than 34 percent. So again, this is a tough time of year for retailers and we'll get the final figures around January 8 or so. Richard, back to you.
LUI: So Susan, with all of those shoppers out there do you feel that you've been able to satisfied some of your shopping needs, shall we say, vicariously? CANDIOTTI: Oh, sure. I'm waiting until I'm through at the end of the day, see what I can find, if anything's left.
LUI: That's true, that's true. Lots of folks out there. Susan Candiotti there in front of Macy's in New York, live for us. Thank you so much.
A U.S. Army Reserve trauma surgeon has been killed in Iraq. Major John Pryor was killed on Christmas Day by shrapnel from a mortar round. Pryor was known surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania. He was on his second tour duty. He wrote articles about the similarities of confronting violence in Iraq and in inner city Philadelphia. I'll have more right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LUI: So, this year's gamer may be next year's soldier. Skills learned in front of the popular gaming console may soon follow recruits to the military. Here's CNN's Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A gun in one hand and a Wii in the other, it's one possible image of the 21st soldier. Engineers are modifying the video games remote to move military robots.
PETER WILL, ROBOTICS EXPERT: It's this natural hand-eye coordination. It's not looking at the keyboard or typing, and getting the motions from typing.
LAWRENCE: The Army uses robots to dismantle explosives and keep soldiers at a safe distance, but the controllers are big, bulky and the operator has to focus on 40 or 50 buttons, that's a potentially deadly distraction during battle.
The Wii-mote would use an infrared beam to instantly match a soldier's motions with the robots movement. Potentially, it's small and light enough that the infantry could use it to say, send robots into a building ahead of troops. But, the Wii's greatest benefit could be its biggest drawback. The same way gamers accidentally throw controllers into their TVs, engineers have to account for a soldier's natural body twitches. So, the goal...
BOB QUINN, VICE PRES, TALON ROBOT OPERATIONS: Is to make sure you're not having misguided, unintentional movements of the body, make those changes in the robot and have the robot act chaotically because it's sensing that it's being moved when the soldier really has no intention of moving it.
LAWRENCE: Bob Quinn works for the company that's helping integrate the Wii. He says developers still have to extend the range of the controller and make sure its signal can't be hack.
QUINN: And allow for the soldier to be able to make those movements without the enemy bringing out their own controllers, and taking over control of the robot.
LAWRENCE (on camera): The company tells me they can turn the prototype into a working unit within a year. The pentagon doesn't move quite that fast. The Army has to test it, allocate the money. So it will probably be at least three years before it's actually available to soldiers.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIU: Violence in Gaza again and whatever happened to the road map to peace? Our Josh Levs will take a closer look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could be a dream vacation, no packing, no crowded airports and no kids screaming...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we there yet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If only the character, Nick Pearsons (ph) in the movie "Are We there Yet?," knew about Stacation, he may have thought twice about loading up that SUV.
STEPHANIE OSWALD, TRAVELGIRLINE.COM: Staycations basically mean that you're trying to get the vacation mindset at home, that is, letting go of your electronic leashes, focusing on your family or your friends, your partner. Really saying good-bye to all that stress and letting your body re-energize.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Plan your hometown vacation like any other, watch your budget and visit places you've never seen, this includes restaurant, theaters, museums and spas. And when traveling with your family...
OSWALD: Stay in a hotel in your hometown. Yet, you'll still have the hotel bill, but you won't have a plane ticket to pay for, you won't have to fill the gas tanks. You can go into the pool, splurge a little, maybe order room service. That's always fun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead, power down that laptop, save money and enjoy your home front vacation experience.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIU: In case you're just joining us, an update on what's happening right now. A fire in a Philadelphia duplex has killed seven people including three children. The victims are trapped in a basement with only one exit. Six of them were found huddled together. The fire is blamed on spilled fuel from a kerosene heater. Palestinian medical sources now saying 170 people are dead after Israeli air strikes in Gaza. Israel says it's in response to Hamas rocket attacks. The Arab League is holing an emergency meeting right now.
And back to our top story. Palestinian medical sources say hundreds of people have been killed or wounded in a series of Israeli air strikes on Gaza. Israel Defense Forces say that the militant group Hamas was targeted. Our Josh Levs is here to remind us of the Gaza Strip's importance as well as Hamas in that region. Hey, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. Yeah, let's do this. I want to show you guys to put into context physically, the geography. Let's zoom into the board and take a look at this and I'll show you what we're talking about today.
This you're seeing on my page, this is Israel. This tiny little strip down here, that's Gaza. It's this area right up against Egypt in the very southern, west side of Israel. What you've been seeing when we've been reporting on Hamas rocket attacks have been toward the north and toward the east. That's what we've been seeing. Some towards Ashkelon and some here towards the city called Beersheva inside Israel.
And what we're hearing today is Israel has these launched air strikes on Hamas targets inside this little section right here. But I want to emphasize how small this is. The Gaza Strip, Gaza, that entire area, is about twice the size of Washington, DC. And all of Israel itself to give you more context is about the size of New Jersey.
So Richard, we're talking about this little spot down there, 1.5 million people live in there, though, and obviously, the historic significance is so much and that's why the world's attention runs right there.
LIU: I've heard quotes by some official in that area saying six people per nine square feet. That's not a lot of space in some of the areas here.
LEVS: Sure.
LIU: If you could here, Josh, tell us about the history of Gaza and how that might help us understand the context of what's happening today?
LEVS: You got it. I think we have a graphic here.
Just some key points. Obviously here's a lot to say about this area. And looking at dot com, just a few points about Gaza. It was part, back in 1920, part of the British-ruled Mandate of Palestine. In 1948 Egypt gained control during the Arab Israeli war that ultimately led to Israel's existence. In 1956 Israel briefly took Gaza, but what you'll see in the next graphic, it was in 1967 in that Six Day Arab Israeli war that Israel took control of that area. In 1994 there was a year after Israel struck these agreements with the Palestinian Liberation Organization. So in '94 most Israeli troops left that area and it was 2005 as you remember, Richard, Israel, we're reporting this heavily, officially ended its occupation at that point and pulled out settlements and pulled out troops and left the area.
And as our folks have been reporting and our Paula Hancocks has been telling us all day, the Hamas attacks did continue through then and after then and Israel has at times taken steps in return and that's more of what we're seeing today.
Also let's zoom back in. One more thing I want to show you. You're asking about Hamas, Richard, right? So Hamas is in control of Palestinian life down here in Gaza. Up here, this section is the West Bank. I know this confuses people.
In the West Bank, Fatah, a different political party, is in charge of Palestinian life there and also Israeli troops are still inside the West Bank and still patrolling that area. So there is still occupation inside the West Bank and that is one of the key differences here. Hamas has controlled Gaza and so that's what we're seeing today is about Hamas specifically as we're targeting that.
LIU: Militarily and politically in the Gaza Strip for Hamas' control, right?
LEVS: You got it.
LIU: OK. Josh Levs. Great stuff. Thank you so much for giving us that context.
LEVS: All right. Now we're going to move over to Bonnie Schneider and a look at weather. You know those tornado warnings which we have been watching this morning, just about to expire, but we have got some tornado watches, Bonnie that you have got your fingers on for us, hey.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOTOLOGIST: That's right. And just while you were introducing me, a new tornado warning just popped up in Missouri.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIU: Bonnie Schneider, thank you so much for that. Hopefully folks will get to where they want to go to.
You know, as part of the story that we've been telling you about weather this week, it's been all of the good video. So if you see some good weather video CNN is always looking for the next wave of I- Reporters. That's right. Citizen reporters. Send us the view from your corner of the world, your corner of your phone or your camera. Just go to ireport.com.
And you know, this weekend a look back at some of the most memorable I-Reports of 2008 will be had. You and your stories helped shape the news and helped us cover some stories certainly more extensively. Don't miss our I-Report special tonight and tomorrow night, that is at 8:00 Eastern.
From O.J. Simpson to Caylee Anthony, to a teacher in a bikini, the legal stories that grabbed your attention in 2008.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIU: As you know, we are just about four days away from New Year's Eve and of course, it is time on look back at some of the amazing stories that we were able to cover for you. Let's take a look now at the top legal stories of 2008.
Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor and has been watching all of the great stories for us Saturday by Saturday by Saturday.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Absolutely, Richard.
LIU: How are you doing, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: I'm doing great. Ready to go on this.
LIU: All right. Let's get straight into it.
We'll start with the ones that were a little bit more serious. And there's the MySpace suicide. And basically that's a mother posing as a teen boyfriend who demeans a girl that later commits suicide.
FRIEDMAN: That's an amazing story, Richard, because it involves the crime of cyber bullying and that's a crime that frankly, no one even knew about. Watch for congress this year to address that issue, but what we saw here was Lori Drew who was the morgue that you talked about actually engage in behavior by posing as a phony boyfriend resulting in the suicide of Megan Meier and the creative prosecution came down by the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles even though this action occurred in Missouri. Why? Because MySpace is based in Beverly Hills and that prosecution was successful in bringing about three convictions, three misdemeanors and we will see in 2009 what kind of sentence this mother is going to be facing.
LIU: What do you think? Maximum years here.
FRIEDMAN: Well maximum years is three years. The fact is there's no criminal record. I don't think that we're looking for jail time, but you know what? Lori Drew is still going to face off to a potential wrongful death civil action by the Meier family.
LIU: OK. Let's go back to the election of 2008. A big story for us. There's ACORN which registers voters across the country. Voter registration fraud or voter fraud?
FIREDMAN: Yeah. It went all of the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court to get the question answered, but you know what? It wound up being a tempest in a tea pot. Here's why. The ACORN people were out registering people like the Dallas Cowboys, Mr. and Mrs. Jive Turkey. And you know what? The Supreme Court made the right decision. It held that organizations didn't have the right to bring the suit, but you know what, Richard, when it gets right down to it, when Mr. or Mrs. Jive Turkey showed up at the polls they weren't going to be voting anyhow. A lot of nothing, but at the time a big legal story.
LIU: This one is personal to many people across the country and this is the right to bear arms and the Supreme Court ruled it is a personal right.
FRIEDMAN: In a fractious decision, five to four, the Supreme Court said you're right. It is a personal right. A rot of people thought that meant the end of gun control, but what we learned was that the DC Ban which prohibited each the possession of weapons wound up getting knocked out as I say in a five to four decision. So for those people that are thinking it's the end of gun control, no way. Gun control will remain, but that is an individual right to possess, to bear arms.
LIU: This story had several phases to it in the Nebraska and the safe haven law.
FRIEDMAN: Oh boy.
LIU: We had a story day after day, it was even newborns and even teenagers, 30 some-odd kids that were dropped off there.
FRIEDMAN: Right. What a horrible, horrible story. The legislators in Lincoln, Nebraska, actually had a great idea. Let's protect the newborns from death or injury by letting them be dropped off at hospitals.
Well, the problem, Richard, is that they never defined what a child was. So because of that, instead of a child being one to 30 days it was anyone under 19. As a result, we saw papers dumping their children off in Nebraska, a horrible situation. Well, the good news, the legislature did change the law. It is one to 30 days, but what we don't know the answer to is what happens to the children.
LIU: Caylee Anthony, the top legal story of 2008 perhaps going into 2009. Are we closer now that they found some remains?
FRIEDMAN: Well, you know what? This has been a riveting story that everyone feels for because of the tragic murder of a two-year-old, but, you know, you look at this case. A mother who didn't report the loss until after 30 days along with evidence of her use of the Internet, of breaking a neck and using chloroform.
I mean, this defendant is about as trapped as Sonny Corleone in a toll booth. She's got big trouble. We'll have to see what happens in 2009.
LIU: All right, Avery. Those are some of the frustrating and serious legal stories of 2008 and we're going to lighten it up just a little. You sit tight, my friend. We're going to go for a little bit of a break. We have more cases to consider and Avery will stick around to talk about this year's legal stories, including power washing your children, that make sort of make you ask, they did what? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIU: Right before the break we were talking about some of the big legal stories of 2008. Well, now we're anything to talk about some of the weird ones with Avery Friedman who is a civil rights attorney and law professor. He still says with us this time. Avery, your mom told you to look before you crossed the street.
FRIEDMAN: Yeah.
LIU: You know, eat your vegetables and pay your taxes. Wesley Snipes didn't hear that last one.
FRIEDMAN: This is the bladerunner (sic) upon everybody loved that guy and I guess even though you're invincible as a good vampire, you still have got to take care of the IRS. This was a case where among other things Wesley wrote a letter to the IRS threatening an agent that if they messed with him they're going to be in trouble. Well, by the time the case went to trial in federal court there in Atlanta, what happened is that he wound up being convicted of tax evasion. He's looking at $17 million plus interest and three years in jail.
Avery, do you have a power washer at home? Do you clean your driveway?
FRIEDMAN: You want to do that. That's how you clean houses and cars and things like that, right?
LIU: This there is a case you'll tell us about right now, the mother who power washed her child.
FRIEDMAN: Man oh, man, Nikki Ramirez (ph) got mad at her child and takes her to the local car wash and blasts her with one of those power washers. Well, the good news is there was a videotape. It was turned over to the Orange County Sheriff's Department and she was sentenced to jail. She's out now, Richard, but she's on anger management and parenting skills. You what? If she weren't pregnant I bet I know what you were thinking what the right punishment would be here.
LIU: Yeah, 150 psi and 200 psi, those things are not soft.
FRIEDMAN: No, horrible.
LIU: It is horrible.
A teacher fired for wearing a bikini.
FRIEDMAN: Boy, oh, boy, Tiffany Shepherd (ph) is a divorced single mom of three children. She's a biology teacher and by what everyone says is a terrific one. On the weekend she works on a boat and yes, she wears a bikini, but the School Board down there says because she wore a bikini on the weekend they weren't going to renew her contract.
LIU: Just because of that?
FRIEDMAN: Yes. And you want to know something? I hope Tiffany stands up and does something about it because it violates her constitutional rights. You know what? If she committed a crime or did something inconsistent with a good teacher, then fine, get rid of her, but they got rid of her because she held that job and it is outrageous.
LIU: O.J. That's all I've got for you. O.J.
FRIEDMAN: O.J. I thought you said OK.
LIU: No, I said O.J., that needs no other introduction, Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Oh. OK. That tells it all. Again, Judge Judy Glass tells us a combination of arrogance and stupidity. She couldn't figure out which it was. It was both. The fact is he will be eligible for parole when he turns the age of 70 years old. Did what happened 13 years ago fit into it? The judge said no, nobody really knows the answer to that.
LIU: That has been a big story for many years. It even shocked you when I just said O.J.
FRIEDMAN: I thought you said OK. But O.J. is OK. That's done for 2008.
LIU: You and I, I remember on air we were talking about this fellow. The fake heart attack in court. I love this.
FRIEDMAN: Yeah. This is a case on Wilkins. Let me tell you something, Richard, this guy is not going to be nominated for an Oscar. This guy does a Fred Sanford holding his heart, trying to convince the judge that he's in too much trouble. The fact is if you're in trouble don't be your own lawyer. It's like having appendicitis and trying to take out your own. You call a doctor.
In a case like this, if you're charged with a felony. Keyshawn (ph) should know better than that. Not only was he convicted, but you know what, Richard? He's looking at 42 years. I think -- I don't know if he got it for bad acting, but he certainly did it for bad representation.
LIU: He has time to study his acting skills I guess as things go. Hey, Avery, I hope you have a great new year and thank you so much for giving us some perspective on some of the fun stories and some of the serious ones, too.
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely. All the best to you, Richard and everyone.
LIU: Have a good one.
FRIEDMAN: Likewise.
LIU: In hard times, some people dream of cashing in on the lottery and there's a harsh wake-up call this time around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIU: The economy in recession. That often means booming lottery sales, but experts say it's not the case this time around. And the big losers could be the states that run those lotteries. Here's CNN's Brooke Baldwin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In these tough economic times where many Americans are spending less and saving more.
Are you feeling lucky?
EDGELL GROVES, LOTTERY PLAYER: I feel lucky all of the time.
BALDWIN: Edgell Groves opens his wallet every day in hopes of hitting the jackpot.
GROVES: Yeah, I cut down a little bit on it. Still, you have to play to win.
BALDWIN: Asaf Kiltry (ph) plays four times a week even though he admits work has been hard to come by lately.
Just because the economy is bad that doesn't stop you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It's not stopped me.
BALDWIN: The economy hasn't stopped many millionaire hopefuls here. Employees at this Atlanta Shell station say lottery sales haven't hit a slump yet.
DENES PELARTE, SHELL GAS STATION: This is a time people try to win money.
BALDWIN: The Christmas spirit.
PELARTE: Yes.
BALDWIN: So once we start in January.
PELARTE: Yeah. Maybe it slows down (ph).
BALDWIN: Nationwide, contrary to popular opinion, state lotteries are not recession proof. According to the "Wall Street Journal," lottery ticket sales fell two percent in the third quarter of this year compared to last year. A portion of the proceeds from state lotteries help fund public services like education.
Fewer sales may mean fewer funds.
That report cites sales in California fell 10 percent and four percent in Texas in just the last couple of months, but in New York home to North America's largest lottery. Officials reported 3.2 overall increase as opposed to last year. That state's lot row contributed nearly 2.6 billion to help support public education last year.
While the smart plan may be a conservative approach with his paycheck, this Georgia businessman still can't resist the lure of quick cash.
GROVES: Think it's good to plan 401(k)s and IRAs. I think that's important. But still yet, you know, I think the opportunity to win a lot of money for a little bit of an investment is good.
BALDWIN (on camera): New York Lotto officials told us the economy isn't the entire reason why some of these sales are slumping nationwide. They say it is also gas prices and it's also the size of the jackpot, two big factors here in sales. Given the fact that gas prices are at least lower for now, they're anticipating lottery sales to rebound. Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIU: And stay with CNN throughout the day for the latest breaking news on what's happening out of the Gaza Strip as well as tornado warnings across the country. YOUR $$$$ starts right now.
