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Illinois Governor Expected to Name New Senator; More Fighting Between Israel, Hamas; Relief Boat Struck by Israel Patrol Boat; Final Report Makes Sense of Columbia Disaster; No Answers on Cruise Ship Disappearance

Aired December 30, 2008 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I wonder if Blagojevich had a few of those drinks.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, and here she is, CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Let's see. I'll get caught on tape, allegedly trying to sell Obama's Senate seat. And oh, I'm going to appoint my guy to the Senate seat. Interesting.

HARRIS: Yes. You're talking to Lynn Sweet?

PHILLIPS: We sure are. "Chicago Tribune" just broke the story. We're going to talk about it right now at the top of the hour.

HARRIS: Good. Enjoy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Four days and nearly 400 lives, and that's just for starters. Israel says the assault on Hamas in Gaza is in stage one, and as Israel hits harder, Hamas hits deeper.

CARRI LUTRELL, MOTHER OF TYLER LUTRELL, RACER AND CANCER PATIENT: It's probably the hardest thing -- not probably, is the hardest thing I've ever had to view.

PHILLIPS: Her child, one of the youngest mini go-kart drivers ever, thrown off track by a brain tumor, but the brave 9-year-old's race to recovery could be his fastest time yet.

Plus, your old clothes, their fresh start. The key to someone's success might be hanging in your closet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Hello everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get right to it at the top of the hour.

Just when you thought Rod Blagojevich was on his way out, now this. The embattled Illinois governor expected to name someone to Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. That word coming from the "Chicago Tribune," that just broke the story.

CNN's Brianna Keilar in our Washington studio with the latest.

It just keeps getting more interesting, doesn't it, Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And actually, at this point, Kyra, we're actually awaiting a statement from Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader. He has said before, and he sent this to a letter, to -- in a letter to Rod Blagojevich. This was back in early December, in a letter that was signed by all of the Democrats in the Senate.

He said, "Even though the Illinois state legislature can clear the way for a special election, what I would prefer happen is that you, Rod Blagojevich, step aside, so that whoever replaces you could then go forth with the appointment."

Because obviously, the idea being that anyone who Blagojevich appoints, not seen at legitimate by a whole lot of people out there.

Now, he said he wanted this -- he wanted Blagojevich to step aside, and for his replacement to name this appointment, instead of a special election, saying that someone needs to be put in there as soon as possible.

But Kyra, the other point is that, of course, instead of having a special election, he wants this appointment because with a special election, there is, of course, the risk that a Republican could win, especially, you know, voters there in Illinois are disgusted with Democrats over this process.

At this point, in the Senate, Democrats holding 57 seats in terms of the senators who will vote with them in their Democratic bloc. One more, if they can get that seat that's going through a recount in Minnesota; two more if they could definitely secure a seat of a Democrat from Illinois. So obviously, you see that brings them up to 59 seats. That's pretty important in the Senate, where you need 60 seats to break a filibuster. You'd only need to win over one moderate Republican in certain battles to go ahead and do that.

But the problem, obviously, and the reason we're awaiting a response from Harry Reid on this is that, obviously, this pick, any pick by Rod Blagojevich, really frowned upon by Democrats in the Senate, and Democrats in Illinois, of course.

PHILLIPS: All right. Brianna Keilar, thank you so much. We'll continue to follow developing news with you.

Lynn Sweet with "The Chicago Sun-Times" joining me on the phone now. Lynn also covering this story and the new developments today.

Lynn, what do we know about the relationship between Roland Burris and the governor?

LYNN SWEET, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Well, we know that the governor has been a very isolated figure on Illinois politics but not isolated when it came to Roland Burris. He ran a public affairs firm in this state after he left state government. So he had kept his hand in. And is interested in not only serving, but in the two years remaining in the Obama term, but he's not really known if he would even run for it right now. So he's kept to himself as the ideal compromise candidate at this point.

But the thing to know here is that there is a line of communication that Blagojevich had with the -- you know, with Roland Burris that he perhaps did not have with other people in the state.

PHILLIPS: Well, which leads me to the next question. These audiotapes where the governor is -- has been recorded. Do we know -- maybe it's too early -- if in any way, shape or form, that Roland Burris could be on those audiotapes, as well? If they are friends, if they've had communication? The whole controversy surrounding the governor was about an alleged seat to be sold. Can we confirm that at this point, or do we know?

SWEET: No. But I doubt it. The equation has changed. So this is, if I could help give a context as to how everyone listening should think about this. Roland Burris would not have been, with all due respect to him, and his historic role in Illinois politics, he kind of had been a man whose time had passed. Generations of politicians to come in.

There was no reason to think that he would be on any list, until this scandal broke, as -- an appointee. Certainly, he wasn't somebody who was thought of, as who was going to run on his own. And various other people around who had been more actively seeking this.

So I would not look to the reason that he is out there now, is that he wasn't associated with this scandal. I'd be surprised, real surprised, to find that his name ever really came up seriously before this.

PHILLIPS: Point well made. Finally, Lynn, where does it go from here?

SWEET: Well, it's -- the defiant governor has kind of always reveled in having -- creating a little trouble. The most important thing is -- it's delicious. Isn't it politics -- if the scandal weren't so serious, you could say, you know, that Blagojevich really knows how to mix things up politically,. But you know what? That's just what he did. Just what he did here.

Well, on the check box of things to check out today, what is the reaction of Senator Harry Reid? He says he didn't want to seat anyone appointed by Blagojevich, because there'd be a taint on that appointment. Well, actually, this one might not have a taint, because it's being done in the open.

All the Democratic senators sent a letter to Blagojevich, saying, "We don't want to you pick anyone." And guess what? He just kind of put his thumb in there eyes, saying, "Guess what? I just did."

Now, because Burris is the first African-American statewide office holder, because he's a former Illinois attorney general, a former Illinois controller. What's the reason going to be why the other Democrats aren't going to seat him?

Also he has a good, a very good, close relationship with Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. So this puts, you know, the senior senator in a position. They've worked together for years. They've come from and were raised in the same part of downstate Illinois.

So I think, in politics you have to assess and keep re-assessing. The situation changed, and these are the facts. And Governor Blagojevich picked somebody who he thinks can probably navigate these hurdles here.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's definitely more drama to cover. Just give us something very interesting to talk about. That is for sure. Lynn Sweet with the "Chicago Sun-Times." Lynn, thanks so much.

SWEET: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Josh Levs working on who is Roland Burris.

What do we know about him? Has he ever been surrounded in any controversy? His background?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little bit of controversy. This is the best I could do in five minutes or less. So I'm not an expert on him, but I am going to you,; we haven't had much about him. He's not a huge national political figure, but he is an interesting guy.

Let me just tell you some of the things I've been able to gather about him from our coverage in the past; also from his own Web site. He has a consulting firm right now, Burris & Lebed consulting firm.

You know, we knew he was the Illinois state controller for three terms, and he was the attorney general for one term. A bit of a pioneer there in Illinois. There are times that he's been praised for this. He was the first black attorney general of Illinois. In fact, he was the first black person elected to a state-wide constitutional office when he became comptroller of the state.

Seventy-one years old. So when you look back, this is a very well-established, very well-known figure inside the world of Illinois politics, even if he hasn't played very big on the national stage.

Kyra, you asked me about controversy. One of the few references we have to him is ten years ago, back in 1998, when there was a gubernatorial race going on in Illinois. And he allegedly made a remark at the time referring to some of his opponents as -- I want to read the quote directly. -- as "unqualified white boys."

Now, apparently, at the time that was a controversy. I believe there was an apology that followed. When you start to look into information about him, that's one of the things that sprouts up very often. And that's one of the things we covered about him.

A few more facts about him. Former president of the National Association of State Auditors and Comptrollers and Treasurers. When I look at what he has done, it does look like he looked for leadership positions in the roles that he had.

And one more thing that I think is pretty interesting. When Governor Blagojevich was taking over, Roland was the vice chair of his transition team. So these two go back a long way. These two have ties that go back a long way, and clearly, he has been a leadership figure in the state.

I have another minute here. I want to mention something. The "Trib" is talking about this, and we'll be talking about it more. That he has said that Obama's replacement should be able to win re- election. He's 71 years old, but he is someone who has said that he is ready to take a position now, apparently take this, and then win re-election, which would be another six years after that.

So clearly, he is someone who has made clear he believes he can take on all of this responsibility and the continue to hold that position for a long time. All of which is couched by the fact, as Brianna was saying, as you know, a lot our analysts have said that the Senate is probably not going to seat someone chosen by Governor Blagojevich. So we don't even know that he would get the position. A few facts on him, in case he does.

PHILLIPS: Waiting to hear from Harry Reid. That's for sure.

LEVS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks so much, Josh.

LEVS: You bet. Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Another top story. Could an end, at least a temporary one, be in sight for the air strikes in Gaza and Israel? Israeli media reports that the government is considering a two-day truce now to give Hamas a window to stop shooting rockets from Gaza.

The military denies that there's any talk of a cease-fire. And for now Israeli air strikes are in their fourth day. Tanks were at the border with Gaza, waiting on the order to actually move in.

About 375 Palestinians have been killed, some civilians reportedly among the casualties. Hamas fired fewer rockets today.

But CNN's Paula Hancocks says those rockets are reaching deeper into Israel. And at least six Israelis are reported killed in the four days of this conflict so far.

The coastal city of Ashkelon, Israel, is just a few miles north of Gaza. People there have heard the alarm sirens today. And CNN's Ben Wedeman is joining us live from the region to give us a minute-by- minute update.

Hi, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Yes, we're only -- we're in Ashkelon, which is only seven miles north of Gaza.

Today is quieter than yesterday. A few hours ago we did hear the alarms for incoming rockets go off, and we did hear an impact in the distance. But certainly, compared to yesterday, when militants in Gaza fired 70 rockets into Israel, at this point the number is about 30. We don't have a final number. So things have been a bit quieter on this side.

Within Gaza itself, there have been a series of air strikes on government compounds, militant houses. And in the afternoon, Israeli aircraft targeted the area along the border between Gaza and Egypt, where many of those tunnels have been dug. A quite extensive system. That's the second really large strike on those tunnels since this operation began.

Now, we have heard some Israeli officials saying that, at this point, the Israeli air force has essentially exhausted its list of targets within Gaza, and now it appears that they're preparing for the next phase in this operation, which, of course, is a ground operation.

It is not clear at this point when or even if that's going to happen. But as you mentioned, tanks, bulldozers, troops have been concentrated along the borders with Gaza. There's been a partial call-up of the Israeli reserves.

So we -- and we have heard these reports that have circulated in the Israeli media of the possibility of a 48-hour truce, in which Israel would allow humanitarian goods to enter Gaza, but that would simply be a prelude, according to these media reports, to the ground offensive itself.

But the army, as well as the prime minister's office, has categorically denied that such a 48-hour truce is under consideration. So we will have to see in the days to come whether this ground -- operation, Kyra, will materialize.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it with you. Ben Wedeman, thanks so much.

Well, another chapter in this story involves a boatload of medical volunteers and supplies that were headed for Gaza. They ended up running into an Israeli patrol boat, or it ran into them, depending on who you ask.

We asked our Karl Penhaul. He was actually aboard the relief boat. Here's his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the black of night it was probably still three hours before dawn. The Dignity was in international waters. The seas were very heavy. Very stormy seas.

And at least two Israeli patrol boats then came in very fast pursuit of the Dignity. They approached it very easily. And then for the next half hour, moved and maneuvered around the vessel in front, behind, and on both sides. At least one of those Israeli patrol boats had a powerful searchlight lighting up the Dignity. The Dignity itself was sailing with full lights.

After half an hour -- and there was no previous radio communication, according to the Dignity's captain -- one of those Israeli patrol boats with no lights on rammed the front left side of the Dignity very hard. Now, that shattered the glass windows around the wheel house. It also caused part of the roof to peel back and punctured the hull.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, that was our Karl Penhaul.

And on that relief boat, doctors, human rights workers and former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Well, she made no bones about what happened. Here's what she told John Roberts on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": We had our Karl Penhaul saying that you were in international waters, clearly in international waters, when accosted by the -- confronted by these Israeli patrol boats?

CYNTHIA MCKINNEY, FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN: Well, I wouldn't call it accosting. I would call it ramming. Let's just call it as it is. Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side.

But let me also state, for the record, that what we experienced earlier today pales in comparison to what the people in Gaza are experiencing right now as we do this interview.

ROBERTS: But let me just...

MCKINNEY: Our mission was a peaceful mission, to deliver medical supplies. And our mission was thwarted by the Israelis, the aggressiveness of the Israeli military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Israel's foreign ministry again denies that the navy rammed that relief boat.

Our international desk is working the phones right now, working the Internet, to get the latest information from the Middle East. One of our international desk guys right now in London, working on this. He's going to join us in the next 30 minutes to tell us about the second day of protests over the Middle-East conflict.

And then next hour, a Middle-East expert joins us to talk about what it will take for both sides to lay down their weapons.

Just out from NASA: a new report on what happened and why to the Columbia astronauts as the space shuttle disintegrated five years ago. The shuttle broke apart during reentry, killing all seven astronauts.

CNN's John Zarrella joins us in Miami with what he's learned.

What stood out in the report, John? I know we all just got it a few minutes ago.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra. It's quite extensive, as you and our viewers can see. It's about 400 pages thick. A lot of it, though, it has to be emphasized, is information that had already come out over the years, and was compiled, recompiled, into this final extensive report.

The key things that they are saying in this report really go to the heart of what probably most likely killed the astronauts, and what they want to do in the future.

The facts that they are saying are that the astronauts were not properly restrained in their seats. That the restraints, the upper body restraints, did not hold the astronauts' bodies in place. Their lower bodies stayed in place, but they were flailing around.

It also goes through a description, an -- you know, minute-by- minute description, of the vehicle as it was re-entering the earth's atmosphere. Again, some of these details had already come out and the signals that were coming in, as the left wing had been penetrated by the debris, of course, as the vehicle ascended on liftoff two weeks earlier, and as they reentered the Earth's atmosphere, hot gases got into the hole in that left wing. The wing begins to fall apart at about 227,000 feet, as the vehicle's re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.

Alarms are going off in the wheel well. Pieces of debris are beginning to fall apart. Eventually, depressurization of the crew cabin, which had come apart from the main vehicle. And at that point, the astronauts lost consciousness, and the astronauts ultimately died of hypoxia.

But, again, the reported says that in the future, and they've already made some changes to the harnesses and restraint systems on the shuttles that are flying now. But that in the future, on the next generation spacecraft, the Constellation program, the Orion vehicle, they want to incorporate these things.

But it's also important to note that they say that, with the current technology available, they say that the breakup of the crew module would not have been survivable under whatever the current technology is. As we all know, the vehicle completely came apart over Texas into very small bits and pieces that were found then on the ground.

So, again, NASA's emphasizing that it wants to go from trying to save the vehicle to trying to save their lives. So that it's a survivability issue: what can you do in the future to make it safer for the astronauts so that they may be able to survive some incident like this?

But again, NASA saying that, under the current technology, this kind of accident would not have been survivable.

And they sum it up in a sentence, saying at the bottom of their summary that, "by learning these lessons and ensuring that we continue the journey begun by the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia, we hope to give meaning to their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families. It's for them and for the future generations of explorers that we strive to be better and to go farther."

So again, Kyra, in summing up, it really is a report that takes everything that they've compiled earlier and looks ahead to how can you make space travel safer and more survivable for the astronauts, and focuses on better restraint systems so that they, at least, have a chance in these kinds of situations -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Hey, John, if you don't mind just for a second, because I heard a couple of people in the NEWSROOM shout out, "Hey, what's hypoxia?" Maybe we should explain that every fighter pilot, every astronaut worries about going into a hypoxic state, not having that oxygen to the brain. That's why they have these G-suits and their oxygen masks. And so that is what can sustain life, if indeed, they don't have to reach a hypoxic state.

ZARRELLA: Correct. And they actually -- they went unconscious. And then the blunt force trauma from their upper bodies literally flailing around as the vehicle is beginning to pivot up and then beginning to come apart, as it came over the California and Nevada border. That, ultimately, is what killed -- the astronauts.

Now, a lot of the report has been redacted. There are lots of graphic details that, of course, NASA does not go into. And of course, they say the only one word that they got the final transmission word from the vehicle was one word from the commander saying, "Roger." When everything was nominal and still going well, as the vehicle first began to enter the earth's atmosphere at about 227,000 feet.

A hundred and eighty thousand feet is when depressurization began, when the actual crew cabin and forward part of the shuttle separated from the rest of the vehicle. And it was at that point the depressurization in the crew cabin would have led to it astronauts going unconscious and the hypoxia, as you and I have mentioned. And then all of the blunt force trauma that ultimately killed them -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. John Zarrella, appreciate it.

Well, missing for five days. Now all searches have been suspended for a Florida woman who disappeared from the deck of her cruise ship. The latest on that high-seas mystery.

Plus, driven at such a young age.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's fun to be competitive, and go out and (INAUDIBLE). (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A little boy with some big plans to beat cancer and keep his racing career on track.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: When the call came in, the dispatcher sprang into action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds like they're ripping a car off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It dialed in their pocket by accident. And they're taking the tires off a car.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Some knucklehead car thieves lead the cops right to them. Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, still no good answers in a Christmas cruise ship mystery. A Florida woman is missing and presumed drowned. And now her family is weighing in with its suspicions.

CNN's Sean Callebs reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a high-seas mystery, one that had the FBI meeting the Norwegian Pearl when it arrived back in Miami on Sunday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was crazy. I mean, I'm sitting in my room and I see CNN come on. And we're on the news.

CALLEBS: Thirty-six-year-old Jennifer Ellis Seitz, seen in this video taken back in 2003, apparently went over the ship's railing on Christmas, into the water about 15 miles off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. After searching for days, the Coast Guard and Mexican navy called the search off Monday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's so many different crazy stories going on the ship.

CALLEBS: The FBI has seen surveillance tape, taken aboard the massive cruise liner, that shows someone going overboard. The agency is trying to determine if a crime has been committed. The FBI says it's standard when an American apparently dies on the high seas.

Seitz' husband, Raymond, reported his wife missing around 3:30 in the morning, at least seven hours after she apparently went over the rail.

The Seitzes took the cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary and took Jennifer's mother, as well. A joint Ellis-Seitz family statement says, "Jennifer was in a very happy, uplifted mood," but went on, "Jennifer, however, has had previous emotional issues. The family suspects that Jennifer chose an unfortunate ending to her life. She was a beautiful and caring person and will truly be missed by all who love her."

(on camera) We're learning a bit more about Jennifer Seitz's husband, Raymond. This is a mug shot taken back in April by the Polk County Sheriff's Office after he was charged with domestic violence.

(voice-over) In the affidavit, which has the victim's name redacted or blacked out, he basically admitted head butting, saying he struck her forehead with his. However, later on, charges were dropped when Raymond Seitz agreed to go into a diversionary program.

(on camera) We should point out that right now the FBI says it's simply investigating to see if a crime was committed on the high seas, saying that right now Raymond Seitz is not a suspect at all.

Sean Callebs, CNN, in New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, a dad faces life in prison in the Christmas day death of his daughter. Cops say the 11-year-old and her brother tried to walk ten miles in Idaho's freezing cold.

Dad was driving them to their mom's house Thursday when his truck got stuck in a snow drift. He's accused of telling them to go ahead on foot. Once he freed the truck, he allegedly turned around and went home.

The 12-year-old boy was found walking hours later, delusional from hypothermia, the little girl's body found early the next day.

Helping the unemployed help themselves. We'll tell you who's providing free suits and interview tips.

And he's a born competitor, now facing an unexpected challenge. A 9-year-old racer stays the course as he battles cancer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One twenty-nine Eastern Time. Here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich expected to name someone to Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat today. "The Chicago Tribune" says he'll appoint this man, former Illinois attorney general, Roland Burris. The Senate leaders say they will not seat anyone named by Blagojevich.

Day four of Israeli air strikes against Hamas militants in Gaza. Israeli media reports that the Israeli military would urge the government to agree to a two-day truce. The military denies that report.

NASA has just released a graphic new report on the Shuttle Columbia disaster. The agency says the seat restraints, suits and helmets didn't work well, leading to lethal trauma as the shuttle broke apart. All seven astronauts -- astronauts, rather, died in that attack (sic).

Word coming out of Jerusalem right now. We've learned that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak possibly considering a truce proposal. Ben Wedeman joining us once again out of Ashkelon with more on this.

What have you been able to find out, Ben?

WEDEMAN: Kyra, we understand from a defense official in Israel that the defense minister, Ehud Barak, is considering a proposal by the French foreign minister for some sort of cessation of violence to allow for humanitarian goods into Gaza, to alleviate the dire situation there.

And according to the same source, the defense minister will raise this proposal with the Israeli prime minister later today. This coming, of course, after the vehement denials by the prime minister's office, as well as the Israeli army that any sort of 48-hour ceasefire is being considered.

So, we're waiting for further information on that, but this is from a source within the Israeli defense ministry -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Ben Wedeman. Thanks so much.

And our other developing story as you saw at the top of the hour, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich expecting to name someone to Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat today.

Of course, senators in Washington have said they will not allow for anyone that the governor, who has been surrounded by controversy, that they would approve anybody that he would appoint to that position. However, there is a name out there now. The "Chicago Tribune" says that he is going to attempt to appoint former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris. Who exactly is that? What do we know about him?

Good friend of his, Dr. Mark Sawyer, who works within the department, at Poli Sci and African-American studies at UCLA, has known him for some time.

And Dr. Sawyer, are you able to hear me OK?

VOICE OF DR. MARK SAWYER, UCLA: Yes. I can hear you well, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Fabulous. Why don't you go ahead and did you know that this appointment was going to be made? Did your friend, Roland Burris, tell you about this? Or did you find out via CNN? SAWYER: Well, he's known me since I was in diapers. So, I'm not exactly the person he makes a call to. But, there had been some drum beats for the last 24 hours that this might happen. But, it is a bit of a surprise.

PHILLIPS: So you are surprised?

SAWYER: I'm surprised that Blagojevich made the appointment. But, I'm not surprised that he picked the former Attorney General Roland Burris. He ran for the seat once before. Lost to Paul Simon, who ultimately became the Democratic senator and has had a long, illustrative career in Illinois state politics.

PHILLIPS: Well, tell us more about Roland Burris. The man, the former attorney general, his background.

Do you know anything about his relationship with Blagojevich?

SAWYER: I wouldn't particularly peg him as being close to Blagojevich. He's been a critic of Blagojevich all along throughout the scandal. He grew up in Centralia, Illinois, down state. So, he was one of the few black politician out of Chicago, who had down state roots and always ran well.

He was the first black to get elected statewide in 1979. He was only the second black Attorney General, state Attorney General in the country. And has a real history -- in some ways the run of Barack Obama for Senate and Carol Moseley Braun before him, were sort of on the shoulders of people like Roland Burris, who were pioneers in getting elected statewide for African-Americans.

PHILLIPS: Does Roland Burris have a relationship with Barack Obama, do you know?

SAWYER: Yes, I would assume that they have a relatively cordial relationship. I've seen them together. And he's a -- Roland Burris is kind of dean of African-American politicians in Chicago. Having been one of the few that accomplished being able to run statewide, being widely respected in all circles.

PHILLIPS: Do you see him as a U.S. Senator, Mark?

SAWYER: Sure. Why not? I mean, he is certainly capable. He served with distinction in every office he's ever held. And you know, he may not be the kind of you know, sizzle, that people associate with Obama. But he certainly was a pioneer that helped Obama get to where he is.

PHILLIPS: Final question, Mark. You know, you've known him for so many years and Harry Reid has come forward and said, in no way, shape or form will any of us as Senators allow Rod Blagojevich to pick the person that's going to replace the U.S. Senate seat once taken by Barack Obama.

Do you think that if they deny Roland Burris as a U.S. Senator, that they'd be making a mistake? SAWYER: They'd be making a huge mistake. I can't imagine they would do that. He's not a figure associated with Blagojevich. He's not a figure associated with any corruption. And he's the kind of safe dean of African-American politics in Illinois. And someone that has wide respect, including respect across the aisle with Republicans.

PHILLIPS: UCLA's Dr. Mark Sawyer.

Mark, thanks.

SAWYER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Helping the unemployed help themselves. We'll tell you who's providing free suits and interview tips.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

PHILLIPS: Well, the struggling economy is making the job market a tough place to be. You heard Stephanie just mention that. And if you're lucky enough to score a job interview, well, it presents a lot a whole new dilemma for a lot of you. What do you wear and can you even afford it?

Well, one company is helping female job applicants solve that problem one outfit at time and you can actually help.

CNN's John Zarrella has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Squeeze it. Harder. Harder. Like that.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It all begins with the handshake. In a Miami office of the worldwide nonprofit Dress For Success, Sonya Jacobson teaches job hunters the basics. She's dressing people in need for free. Helping them make that very important first impression. The office is busier now than ever.

SONYA JACOBSON, "DRESS FOR SUCCESS": We are turning people away. We really are. We don't have the capacity, we don't have the manpower. We don't have the funds to be able to really meet the demand.

Let's try this for size. I don't know if it's going to fit, but we won't know until we try it on. OK. How do you like that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like that. I like the color.

JACOBSON: It's pretty, isn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

JACOBSON: Good. Go on in here. Try that on for me. ZARRELLA: Dress For Success provides one free outfit to women for a job interview. Another once they land a job. Ernsline Verdu (ph) is trying to re-enter the workforce after being out of work several years due to illness.

JACOBSON: Come on out. Oh, that looks beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I like it.

JACOBSON: I like that on you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me, too.

JACOBSON: Great.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love it.

JACOBSON: Fits you perfectly.

ZARRELLA: Widespread job cuts and layoffs have dramatically increased Dress For Success' client load. Miami is up about 100 percent over last year. Denver, up 68 percent. And Portland, Oregon, up a whopping 144 percent.

JACOBSON: When we get a phone call from a woman who's crying that her husband just left, she lost her job. She can't afford to go out and buy clothes, and she needs to find a job immediately, how can we say no to that?

ZARRELLA: The charitable organization relies on donations like these from a law firm.

MICHAEL PANTER, CIVIL ATTORNEY: We've met with lots of different clients and friends and neighbors, and we have these beautiful clothes that we'd like to donate.

JACOBSON: Here's the complete outfit. How do you feel?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel great!

JACOBSON: Good. That's good.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And blessed.

ZARRELLA: Sometimes, they say, you have to dress from the outside in.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, we know that many of you want to help disadvantaged women dress for success. And here's just a couple of ways. You can contact Dress For Success Worldwide, attention: Development Department, at 32 East 31st Street, Seventh Floor in New York. Here's the zip -- 10016. Or, you could just go online to dressforsuccess.org. And if you want to drop out of clothes, just click on your city to find out where to do that. And remember, Dress For Success only accepts women's apparel.

All right. The other top story we've been talking about today. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich expecting to name Roland Burris, the former Illinois Attorney General, to replace Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate seat there in Illinois. Is the President-elect responding? We're not sure. That's why we're going to Ed Henry. He is with the president there in Honolulu.

Anything for us, Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. Well, no comment yet from the President-elect here in Hawaii. But important new information CNN learned from two Democratic officials that essentially Senate Democratic leaders are going to block this appointment by Governor Blagojevich.

(AUDIO GAP) have no knock on Mr. Burris, as you noted, an African-American leader in Illinois. The former state Attorney General. But, one Democrat official saying quote, anyone appointed by Governor Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of Illinois and will not be seated by the Democratic caucus.

So, what that means is that the Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid, the No. 2 Senator Dick Durbin, of Illinois, all the other leaders, are prepared to block this appointment by the governor. You've heard them previously say even before this development that they felt anyone that Governor Blagojevich would appoint now given this criminal investigation of him, allegedly trying to auction off the Senate seat once held by Barack Obama. They've said before that that would be a tainted pick.

So we're now hearing officially that Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and his colleagues are going to block this appointment by the governor. It's going to set up a major showdown you know, within the Democratic Party.

Now, where does the President-elect stand on this? As I noted, I reached out an official with the Obama transition. They're saying no comment just yet. Obviously, the appointment hasn't even officially been made. They're monitoring the situation. But we can report obviously, that previously the President-elect, as you know, has called on Governor Blagojevich to resign. And has also said that he wants to see state leaders, other state leaders beyond the governor come up with some sort of procedure to pick his own successor in the U.S. Senate.

So based and that reading, it's pretty clear that the President- elect will not be in favor of what Governor Blagojevich is doing now, because that runs counter to what the President-elect said before. But, more fortunately, the people in the U.S. Senate that have to seat this appointee are saying they're going to block it. And that's important, because the Constitution gives the U.S. Senate and the Senate leaders the ability to decide who they will seat and not seat. So, now essentially from Harry Reid on down they're saying that they're going to block what Governor Blagojevich is doing. A very interesting development -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Ed Henry, we'll be in touch. Thanks.

And if you're already thinking of excuses to skip the gym, this guy is not going to accept any of them. He's an amazing young man born without hands or feet and he has never made any excuses. Find out what he wants you to do, come 2009.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, a 9-year-old Colorado boy is one of the youngest competitive go-cart racers ever. He can beat pretty much anyone. But, right now his foe is Cancer. And this is a race that he's determined to win ASAP so he can get back on the track.

Matt Arnold, from CNN affiliate, KUSA has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT ARNOLD, KUSA REPORTER (voice-over): Hang around your local racetrack and you'll hear. The thrill of speeding around the corner is ageless.

JAY LUTRULL, FATHER OF TYLER LUTRULL, RACER AND CANCER PATIENT: That's his comfort zone. That's his place to be.

ARNOLD: Which makes the age this driver all the more exciting.

J. LUTRULL: He loves it. He's got Driver of the Year in Cheyenne, this year. He just -- he works real hard. He always has respect for his competitors.

ARNOLD: Even if he needs a little help reaching the pedals.

TYLER LUTRULL: It's fun to be competitive and go out and try your hardest.

ARNOLD: For 9-year-old Tyler Lutrull, racing isn't just about winning.

T. LUTRULL: I'd be going fast.

J. LUTRULL: He was the second youngest kid ever to race a mini- cup in the United States.

ARNOLD: He's overcome obstacles and broken barriers, all while scaring his mom about broken bones.

C. LUTRULL: It's a lot of emotions. It's exciting. It's scary. It's -- ups and downs, too. It can be really exciting, but being a mom, you're always worried.

ARNOLD: Still, watching her little boy go so fast in the a race car is nothing compared to watching his battle off the track.

T. LUTRULL: Why? They have to poke me again.

ARNOLD: For the past five months, this is where Tyler Lutrull competes.

T. LUTRULL: Every week, you have to go to the hospital for one day and it's not fun. Because you have to get poked, blood drawn and all that.

ARNOLD: After getting sick at the track in July, Tyler entered a new race and learned a new word.

T. LUTRULL: Megaloblastoma.

ARNOLD: It's a big word.

T. LUTRULL: Kind of.

C. LUTRULL: It's probably the hardest thing -- not probably, is the hardest thing that I've ever had to do.

J. LUTRULL: He had a tumor the size of a golf ball in the back of his head.

ARNOLD: Surgeons at Children's Hospital removed 98 percent of the brain tumor. Radiation and chemotherapy are racing against the rest of Tyler's cancer.

T. LUTRULL: They say they have to go through all of the chemo and the radiation, so it doesn't come back.

ARNOLD: For now, it's Tyler's comeback on the racetrack that keeps everyone's mind off of that.

J. LUTRULL: His last chemotherapy treatment is in June, and we're shooting for July 4th.

ARNOLD: A very special Independence Day for a very special 9- year-old racecar driver.

T. LUTRULL: I can't wait to go back racing.

ARNOLD: Something else you'll hear if you hang around the track.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, that was Matt Arnold from our Denver affiliate, KUSI, reporting. Tyler actually would have joined to us today, but he had another appointment with the doctor, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Well, they're not what you'd call criminal masterminds. So, some car thieves, they actually dialed 911 on themselves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Shoppers looking for bargains at a mall in Milwaukee got more than they bargained for. Police say two men got into a fight the day after Christmas. It turned into a huge brawl, spilling into the store. shoppers were stunned, and the store was left in shambles. Police don't know what started the fight, but they did arrest three men for disorderly conduct.

New York police got a great tip about a car theft in progress. It started normally enough with a 911 call, but things got kind of weird from there. The 411 from Kelley Jelinski now reports from our affiliate in Westchester.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. PAUL RICKARD, MIDDLETOWN, N.Y., POLICE DEPARTMENT: We say in law enforcement, sometimes you've got to get lucky, and this is a case where, you know, we kind of got lucky.

KELLEY JELINSKI, WESTCHESTER AFFILIATE REPORTER (voice-over): A lucky for police as a thief mistakenly dials 911 while he and his buddies are stripping stereo equipment and parts from cars. Listen in to part of what the dispatcher at the Orange County 911 center heard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

JELINSKI: The dispatcher quickly realized he was hearing a crime in progress and dialed up Middletown police.

ORANGE COUNTY 911 DISPATCHER: It sounds like they're ripping a car off.

MIDDLETOWN 911 DISPATCHER: All right.

ORANGE COUNTY 911 DISPATCHER: It dialed in their pocket by accident. They're taking the tires off of a car.

JELINSKI (on camera): The 911 dispatcher was able to trace the crooks' cell phone signal to this road, Midland (ph) Avenue Extension, and sure enough, when Middletown police officers arrived here, they found a car in this driveway that had been stripped and two men running away.

JELINSKI (voice-over): Police quickly caught up with them and arrested a third man they say was involved. Fabian Corley, Xavier Jenkins and Andre Price, all from Middletown, all face several charges. But the items they stripped were recovered, thanks to a criminal's mistake and astute 911 dispatchers.

RICKARD: If he didn't call us, we probably would never known about it. We would be taking, you know, reports this morning of items stolen from a car. And instead, you know, it's nice to be able to make an arrest.

JELINSKI: Police believe this trio has stripped cars before, but maybe this will be their last call.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, it turns out the dispatcher is a retired cop himself. He says that those old instincts just kicked back in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)