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Greetings from the International Space Station; Debating the Latest Mideast Violence; Burris Controversy
Aired December 31, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN HOST: A bird's eye view of the dawn of 2009 from aboard the International Space Station. And New Year's message to the world below.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMMANDER MIKE FINCKE, INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION: And at the dawn of a New Year, Sandy, Yuri and I would like to wish everyone on beautiful Planet Earth a Happy New Year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Two Russians and an American will continue their work aboard the space station into 2009.
The Middle East, tensions rise, hopes for peace fade. Israel rejects a cease-fire and Hamas fires back. And the promise of the New Year, we are counting down as the preparations ratchet up. The latest from Time's Square. Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It's Wednesday, December 31st, New Year's Eve. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
No truce, not now, that word from Israeli leaders who say they want a solution and not a Band-aid to the constant attacks from Hamas militants in Gaza. Their offensive continues for a fifth day. Among the targets hit today, the offices of the Hamas Prime Minister and the interior ministry. Medical personnel in Gaza say more than 390 Palestinians have been killed. At least 1900 wounded. Gaza is roughly twice the size of Washington, D.C. Israel to the east, the Mediterranean sea to the west. Let's go now to CNN's Paula Hancocks right on the Israel-Gaza border.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been a quieter border than we've seen in many days. But certainly the Israeli air strikes are continuing to pound Hamas installations in Gaza. For example, the Hamas leader, Ismael Haniyah's offices, the Hamas interior ministry and the Israeli defense forces released video from the cockpit to show them targeting the tunnels.
Once again, these tunnels running from Egypt into Gaza. And the Hamas militants have been using them for a long time now, transporting food and cigarettes and weapons.
And in the opposite direction, the rockets are still being fired. Israel has not managed at this point to get the militants' capability of reaching Israeli towns and cities. And they are reaching new Israeli towns and cities. Be'er Sheva, almost 40 kilometers from the border with Gaza is now under rocket attacks as well. And rockets have been hitting there.
There is no ceasefire according to Israel. This was a hope from the international community. It was a hope from the French government saying there needs to be a 48-hour truce so at least humanitarian assistance can get into Gaza for those injured. But Israel says no.
Clearly the Israeli military not happy with what it has done so far. It wants to achieve more. It wants to try to cripple the Hamas infrastructure in Gaza even more. But the death toll is rising, at least 390, 1,900 injured, this according to Palestinian medical sources. And the hospitals are inundated. The hospitals cannot cope in Gaza.
Now we know that Israel has allowed some trucks in, trucks Oxfam, trucks from the Red Cross, from the U.N., to allow some medical supplies into those who are injured, especially the civilians who are being caught up in these air strikes. At this point the aid agencies say it's not enough. Paula Hancocks, CNN, on the Israeli-Gaza border.
COLLINS: Well, I just to let you know that about two hours of briefing is planned at the United Nations. We expect to hear more about that humanitarian situation in Gaza and what is being done to help people there.
In response to this crisis, Arab league ministers are meeting in an emergency session. CNN's Cal Perry is in Beirut, Lebanon now. So any action or proposals expected to come out of this, Cal?
CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, to be honest, I don't think so. What we're talking about here is 22 foreign ministers that represent the 22 nations in the Arab League meeting in Cairo. And the bottom line coming out of Cairo as far as we can tell is there's a lot of finger pointing going on. We'll start with the Saudi foreign minister. He is the one who is overseeing these meetings.
He's actually, believe it or not, Heidi, blaming the Palestinians themselves saying that it was the lack of Palestinian unity that the Palestinians are not speaking with one voice that probably could have been avoided that if they did speak with one voice, if they were more unified, that this might not have happened.
Now the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amir Moussa, is putting the blame fully on Israel saying that this was brutal force used by Israel and that Israel is just trying to prove itself as a strong army in front of the Arab world. There are quieter meetings happening in the region that may be more important, Heidi, when you look at the big picture. The Turkish Prime Minister Erdagon is on the move. He is right now in Syria. He has met with the Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad.
That's a key meeting because as we know, the Syrians have been negotiating indirectly with Israel in previous months. We don't know what the status of those meetings are. We can assume that they have been damaged of course by what's going on in Gaza. But while the diplomatic talk continues, of course, protests around the world, we saw them in Jakarta today, and in Sadr City in Baghdad were the two biggest ones today. Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. In Egypt where these meetings are taking place, Egypt itself has an interesting and complicated role in all of this as well.
PERRY: Absolutely. And Egypt is finding itself I think in a very delicate position to say the least because of course Tzipi Livni from Israel, the Israeli foreign minister was in Egypt just before this violence broke out. And a lot of people are putting some blame on Egypt for not opening that southern Rafa crossing, that connects Gaza and Egypt. They want them to open up that crossing to allow some humanitarian aid. But Egypt of course finds itself in a very difficult position. It doesn't want a humanitarian nightmare on its own hands and of course, it's worried about regional politics, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. We will continue to follow the story certainly alongside you, thanks so much. Cal Perry for us in Beirut, Lebanon, this morning.
A terror attack in northern Spain this morning. There have been no reports of any injuries. But there was damage to a regional TV station there. You can see the blast there on the right side of your screen. The separatist group Atta is taking responsibility. They tipped off police about the bomb in Bilbao. Police had about an hour to evacuate that area.
Your money is still in the headlines on this last day of a troubled year. Mixed news on the jobs front. This morning we learned new claims for unemployment benefits dipped sharply last week. But continuing claims have climbed to the highest level since 1982.
Here's another sign of the bad economy. The number of workers forced to take unpaid time off has hit a 17-year high. Many companies forced to temporarily layoff workers just in order to stay in business. Go ahead and take a look at the big board now. Dow Jones industrial averages to the positive about 57 points or so. A little bit of good news there. We'll continue to follow those numbers as well.
Upstate New York, getting blasted by winter weather. And that's making for a dangerous start to New Year's celebrations. Snow in Buffalo being blamed for causing multiple accidents. Rochester, New York, also getting some snow. Snow and freezing temperatures are expected to last for a few days making the recent warm snap a distant memory already. Boy, that was fast, huh, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, you've got to enjoy it while it lasts this time of the year, right?
COLLINS: Yes.
JERAS: It is winter after all. COLLINS: No question.
JERAS: Pretty nasty, especially late tonight. All you people think you're going to be outside watching the New Year's eve celebrations tonight, please bundle up. We've got a really wicked storm across the northeast. This seems to be really fast-moving. This is the same thing that was bothering you folks in the midwest yesterday.
Well today it already is bringing in heavy snow. We think the heaviest will be here across southern parts of New England into upstate New York for as much as four to eight inches should fall. A little bit of rain mixing with the snow, maybe in New York City through this morning. But back to snow by this afternoon.
And behind it, which will probably be a much bigger deal than the snow for everybody pretty much other than maybe Boston is that the winds are going to incredibly strong. We're talking about gusts that could be approaching 50, maybe 60 miles per hour. So that could knock out power for people, that could bring down some decent tree limbs as well. It's going to just blow things all over the place. Garbage cans as well as all your holiday decorations out there. And it's also going to be a big mess for travelers.
Travel along the New York throughway has been a real slow go of it. There you can see the heavier snow pushing into western Connecticut and right around the Hartford area, visibility down to about 1/4 mile at this time. The wind certainly not helping things. We're seeing sustained winds of 26 miles per hour in Pittsburgh.
La Guardia you're at 16. This is not bad now. We're going to be seeing 20 to 30 miles per hour sustained winds. Yes, that constant push of winds, that strong, by the middle of the afternoon. The New Year's eve forecast for you, best thing I can tell you, the snow is going to be out of there. I think it should be done by late this evening. And so as we head toward the midnight hour, you should have clearing conditions. But the winds will still be very strong. So when you see the teens and the 20s there on the map, it's going to be feeling more like single digits.
Let's go ahead and take a look at New York City, of course, the big Time Square celebration going on there, later on tonight. The wind chill down into the single digits, maybe five above. Winds get strong enough, stay strong enough late enough and we could be looking at single digits, below zero.
COLLINS: But I don't see snow anymore. It was quite a few flurries that were coming down last time we checked.
JERAS: We did have some flurries. But don't worry. It's coming back. Might even see an inch if you're lucky today in New York City.
COLLINS: Oh, I'm sure they'll love that if they're standing out in it.
JERAS: It will bring out the spirit, won't? COLLINS: That's right. All right. Jacqui, we'll check in a little later on. Thank you.
Fireworks light the sky as a New Year dawns. We'll tell you who is already celebrating the arrival of 2009.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
COLLINS: A celebration with heart and soul. Get it? Seoul, South Korea, that is, because of the 14-hour time difference. South Koreans are ringing in the New Year as we speak. These are the sights and sounds from a little bit earlier off in Auckland, New Zealand. The so-called kiwis, celebrated their New Year about four hours ago. Beautiful sight there.
And lighting the skies down under, this is a fireworks extravaganza in the skies over Sydney, Australia.
It's called the crossroads of the world. And on New Year's eve there may be no other place on the globe like Time Square in New York. Here is a glimpse of a new and improved reporter Adam Balkin of CNN affiliate, New York 1.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAM BALKIN, NEW YORK 1, REPORTER (voice-over): In case there was any doubt that people from around the world have been ringing in the New Year by gazing into the world's largest crystal ball hanging above Time Square. That crystal ball is now twice the size and four times the mass of last year's.
JEFF STRAUSS: It's 12 feet in diameter, and weighs 11,875 pounds. It's six tons of fun at top Time Square. It actually has 32,256 Phillips LEDs.
BALKIN: And believe it or not, organizers of the yearly celebration in Times Square say part of the inspiration for the bigger ball came from me? Yes, they say they grew tired of hearing me talk with revelers during our live new year's coverage about how it looked so small in person.
STRAUSS: I got to tell you. Actually last year I was listening to you on camera saying exactly that. And I have it over and over on tape. And I said, we got to do something about that. So we actually together and we said let's make it bigger. And when the building came to me and said we're building a new roof sign on the building and they wanted to use the old six foot ball. I said no way. We created and we doubled the size and you're absolutely, right. It was a small thing for the people in the square. What's interesting is that the people at home think it's absolutely huge. Well, now it will actually meet the expectations of everybody who sees it in their home and then comes to Times Square.
BALKIN (on-camera): The other huge change, not structural but how it will be used. In years past this thing was just brought out on New Year's. This one will be sitting at top time square, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all 365 days a year.
BALKIN (voice-over): Because of that the new ball had to undergo rigorous testing to make sure it wouldn't literally crack under the year-long pressure, starting with the Waterford crystal exterior.
PETE CHEYNEY: Back in 1999 when we first undertook this joint venture to develop a ball covered with Waterford Crystal, we did extensive testing. We even did wind tunnel testing with winds up to 140 miles an hour to be sure that the crystal would perform. Of course, in those days we were only worried about one night. So we continued our testing this year, and we've got a clean bill of health from our engineers and say we're ready to do this year-round.
BALKIN: And the keepers of the ball say part of keeping the ball afloat all year includes developing special lighting shows for special occasions, making it part of a unique New York celebration for virtually all holidays.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Well the party gets started here on CNN tonight at 11:00. Becoming a tradition of sorts. Kathy Griffin joins Anderson Cooper as we ring in 2009. Make sure you don't miss the action live from Times Square.
The political year in review. It wasn't just about the election. Careers coming and going in the flash of an eye or a camera.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: It was a scandal that began in China and spread across the globe. Chinese dairy products tainted by the toxic chemical melamine. The government there said half a dozen babies died. Hundreds of thousands of other people got sick. CNN's Emily Chang takes a look back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three -year-old Zhao Pengrui(ph) chats incessantly, laughs vivaciously and sometimes cries hysterically. He had a stomach ache this morning said his father. Whenever he gets sick we're so scared. Little Zhao was diagnosed with a small kidney stone in September, ten days after the news of the milk scandal broke in China. Dairy products including baby formula had been contaminated with a toxic chemical called melamine.
We're worried and we're angry. I've basically been feeding my child poison says his mother. The same night his son was diagnosed, Zhao Lianhai(ph) started building a website where families could communicate. Jeasibabao(ph) or kidneystonebabies.com. Hundreds of parents have registered, some posting pictures of their sick or dead children, even funeral music. ZHAO LIANHAI, FATHER: When I first heard the music I cried, he said. Look at this scar, 20 centimeters long on a one-year-old baby. It's especially painful for parents who have had only one child in accordance with China's one-child policy. Officially the Chinese government says 294,000 babies got sick. More than 50,000 were hospitalized. Some are still in the hospital. Six died.
MAO QUIN'AN, MINISTRY OF HEALTH (through translator): According to our information, most children have fully recovered and we will continue to treat those who are still in serious condition said a spokesman for the health ministry.
CHANG: Sanlu Group, the dairy at the center of the scandal has filed for bankruptcy. Company executives are already on trial. 22 dairies including Sanlu have announced they will compensate families with a one-time cash payment. Families say it won't be enough.
The victims have the right to solve this through legal channels, he says.
CHANG (on-camera): But lawsuits including one brought by the Zhaos and other families have been turned away by the courts. Zhao Lianhai says his website has been shut down numerous times under government pressure. He also says even if justice is served some day, it won't ease those always nagging fears.
CHANG (voice-over): Some of these kids look healthy now, he says. But what about the future? Doctors say little Zhao's kidney stone is gone now. But his parents still worry every day. Emily Chang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The incoming Obama administration wants your help to fix health care. They've held around 8500 meetings since the middle of the month getting feedback on what needs to be done. The president-elect's choice for secretary of health and human services, Tom Daschle, attended one of the meetings yesterday. He says some of the things people want are shorter wait times at the doctor and free checkups. Recommendations will be posted on their website, change.gov.
Well, it was quite a year in politics. The election had us glued to our chairs from the first January primary right up to election day. But that's not all we were watching. CNN's Jim Acosta takes a look back at the hits and misses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Try to top this. The most powerful nation in the world making the son of a Kenyan father president. By far the greatest political moment of the year.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: This is your victory.
ACOSTA: To get there, he had to beat her, starting in Iowa.
OBAMA: And our time for change has come.
ACOSTA: But Hillary Clinton didn't go quietly.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just don't want to see us fall backwards.
ACOSTA: Their fight to the finish was epic.
CLINTON: Shame on you Barack Obama.
ACOSTA: Then came a turning point.
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT: No, no. Not God bless America --
ACOSTA: The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, a pastor disaster averted.
OBAMA: What we have seen is that America can change.
ACOSTA: The senator from Illinois survived, and democrats united behind a history making nominee. The next day republican John McCain tried to shoot for the moon and hit Alaska. Then an unknown governor, Sarah Palin, revved up the party base at the GOP convention.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.
ACOSTA: Then she crashed.
PALIN: As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United State of America, where do they go? It's Alaska, it's just right over the border.
ACOSTA: Cue Tina Fey.
TINA FEY AS SARAH PALIN: And I can see Russia from my house.
OBAMA: Spread the wealth around. It's good for everybody.
ACOSTA: In the end it all came down to an economy in free fall. McCain had another running mate in Joe the plumber. Even if he didn't always show up as scheduled.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Joe is with us today. Joe, where are you? Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today?
ACOSTA: But there were bigger misses. Just ask John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer.
ELIOT SPITZER, FMR. NEW YORK GOVERNOR: I sincerely apologize.
Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a truly new low.
ACOSTA: For Rod Blagojevich, it wasn't sex for sale. Prosecutors say it was a Senate seat.
But there was one more shoe to drop.
ACOSTA (on-camera): Make that two. We all waged more than one year in 2008. 2009, we have a tough act to follow. Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Shocked but not awed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was somebody I knew. But then seeing him without clothing, you know it's nobody you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Confronted by a naked intruder. One woman squeezes her way to safety.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Israel says no to a 48-hour truce and calls up more reserves in its all-out war against Hamas. The government spokesman says Israel wants, "a solution, not a Band-aid to the constant rocket attacks from militants in Gaza.
Despite a fifth day of air strikes, those attacks continue. The southern Israeli town of Ashkelon hit again today. In Gaza the Israeli military is warning neighbors of a senior Hamas leader to leave because they may bomb the area.
Earlier today, the offices of the Hamas Prime Minister and the Interior Ministry were targeted. Israeli leaders say they'll work to bring humanitarian aid. Two Palestinians caught in the cross fire. CNN's Ben Wedeman is live now in Ashkelon in southern Israel. Ben, if your could, tell us what you know about that aid.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what we know, according to the Israeli government is that 106 trucks were allowed into Gaza containing badly needed humanitarian aid. Obviously the situation is quite difficult at the moment. And it's rather ironic that on the one hand while Israel is bombing Gaza intensely, on the other hand it's actually allowing aid through. But relief organizations say every one of these trucks is desperately needed. The U.N. refugee works agency which provides much of the aid, food aid to Palestinian refugees who make up 80 percent of the population of Gaza said that their warehouses are almost empty. So this may help. It may be just a drop in the bucket. But it's better than nothing. Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. I'm just wondering, I'm trying to get a look here. You may not know this, but what exactly they're able to bring in on those trucks?
WEDEMAN: Well, from the past we know it's things like flour, cooking oil, lentils, very basic food items that people depend upon in Gaza, obviously they are not accustomed to very luxurious foods in there. So bread and lentils is something. Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Ben. We sure do appreciate that. We're also expecting a press conference, a briefing I should say coming up shortly. A little bit more from the U.N. about this effort that is being on going now, the aid going into Gaza. So we'll stay on top of that for you right here on CNN.
In the U.S. reaction to the Israeli offensive in Gaza is varied and strong. CNN's Chris Lawrence takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Los Angeles, one man got into a heated argument when he showed up to support Israel at a pro-Palestinian rally.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are a killer. You are a terrorist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I'm a terrorist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are.
LAWRENCE: Steve Patrick says Hamas started this by firing rockets into Israel.
STEVE PATRICK, SUPPORTS ISRAEL: They have a right to live in peace and they're not being allowed to live in peace.
LAWRENCE: Patrick says Israel should keep targeting Hamas even as some innocent Palestinians are killed.
PATRICK: I don't see any alternative when they're mixed right in with them.
LAWRENCE: At the same protest, Yossi Khen urged Israel to accept a ceasefire and talk to Hamas.
YOSSI KHEN, GREW-UP IN ISRAEL: You don't have to like them. I don't like Hamas.
LAWRENCE: Khen's a Californian now. But grew up outside Tel Aviv, served in the Israeli army and says Israel is wrong to bomb Gaza.
KHEN: Just because Hamas engage in a war crime, it doesn't mean that we have to do a war crime multiplied by ten.
LAWRENCE: Across the country, tempers flare. Protesters push police barricades.
And the fight in Gaza is spilling over into American streets. From Miami to Minnesota. And out west in San Francisco Americans are taking a stand. No surprise to see a crowd surge outside the White House gates, but if the president-elect thought Hawaii would give him sanctuary, he was wrong. As Barack Obama vacationed in Honolulu, protesters let him know the kind of change they're looking for.
LAWRENCE (on-camera): Obviously passions aren't quite as heated as they are in the Middle East, but clearly Americans all over the country on both sides are very invested in what happens in Gaza.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: CNN's Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras joining us to get a look at the last forecast of the year.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It's an ugly one, too, unfortunately, Heidi. I wish I had better news for all you celebrators and revelers out there.
But this is the big story today. And boy look at that snow coming down right now in the Boston area. Visibility down to 3/4 a mile. Your temperature's 23 degrees, it feels like ten above. A winter storm warning in effect. Four to eight inches plus expected by the end of the day. Your winds are going to be howling tonight as well.
We've got a real potent vigorous system just blowing through the Northeast. The best thing about it is that it's moving quickly but unfortunately is packing a punch. Snowfall rates extremely heavy here across Southeastern New York state through much of Connecticut, into Massachusetts, over towards Rhode Island, even the Providence area. You could be seeing those heavier snowfall totals. There you can see our forecast accumulation over the next 48 hours. Look at the big, dark purple area.
Yes. This computer model pushing out 8-10 inches of snowfall, so we'll see how it comes out. But when you add in the wind, it's going to cause a lot of blowing problems, a lot of visibility issues as well. We're getting some reports, some really significant wind gusts already in the Baltimore and D.C. areas, 50 to 60 miles per hour. And this just kicked up in the last hour, hour and a half.
The cold air is moving in now as well behind the system. Take a look at some of the highs from yesterday. 66 in St. Louis. Wasn't that fantastic? 68 in Oklahoma City. Well, today with that front moving on through the area, high temperatures much colder than that, 36 in Topeka, temperatures are going to be 15 to 30 degrees colder than you were yesterday.
Yes. Speaking of cold, the wind chill index in the Northeast, if you're going to be out for the New Year's Eve celebrations are going to be down there into the single digits. It'll be teens and 20s on the thermometer and the snow is going to be gone, but you really need to bundle up. Because it's going to be really, really brutal as well. One quick map I wanted to show you before I walk away is a number of records that have been broken as we round out 2008 for the most snowfall ever received in the month of December.
Fargo, North Dakota gets a little star by their name because your 33.5 inches is most snow you've ever seen in one month since records have been kept. So, if you feel like you need to complain about the snow, you go ahead and do it. Because you certainly have the right to.
And we're talking -- look at 60 inches in Spokane.
Roofs are collapsing in Spokane.
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Can you believe that? You've got to be careful. Absolutely.
All right, Jacqui. Everybody try to stay warm tonight.
Sure do appreciate that.
The Tennessee sludge spill now has its first lawsuit. A group of landowners are asking for $165 million from the Tennessee Valley Authority. They say their land was badly damaged when billions of gallons of coal ash sludge poured through a broken dam last week. The cleanup is under way. There are serious concerns over air, soil and water quality in the area.
Fighting back. An Oregon woman used something she saw on TV to stop a naked intruder.
Jamie Wilson of affiliate KPTV has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER: I was just thinking, oh, this couldn't be happening to me.
JAMIE WILSON, KPTV REPORTER (voice-over): After living here 33 years without a single problem, this woman we're calling Jennifer can't believe what happened to her this morning. Jennifer was picking up some logs for her wood stove when all of the sudden she says a completely naked stranger walked in through her sliding glass door.
JENNIFER: Well, I thought it was somebody I knew, but then seeing him without clothing, you know it's nobody you know.
WILSON: Jennifer says the man didn't say a word, he just followed her around the room and kept pushing himself against her. Police say he shoved her face first into this chair. But before he could make another move, Jennifer fought back.
JENNIFER: I kept saying no, no, no. And then I said Holy Mother, and then I said God. And he stopped. That's when I reached around and grabbed him.
WILSON: In that moment Jennifer says she flashed back to an old news story about a woman facing a similar intruder. And she remembered that woman survived by grabbing the man's testicles.
JENNIFER: So, she grabbed him there, didn't let go. She did not let go, she said.
WILSON: Jennifer didn't have to hold on long before the intruder ran out the back door. She called police and a Troutdale (ph) officer happened to be close by. He pulled Michael Dick over and cops say he matched the description.
Jennifer says she's proud of herself and grateful she is safe. She also knows the intruder should have never been able to get inside.
JENNIFER: Always keep your door locked and have some kind of security light out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The suspected naked intruder was booked on burglary, harassment and indecency charges. Bail was set at $110,000. That got us thinking a whole lot.
But what we can say here is without pockets, where do you actually keep your checkbook for that bail?
A wild ride on Wall Street this past year. How are things shaping up on the final trading day of the year. A live look here now, to the positive. 60 points or so for the Dow Jones Industrial averages.
We'll talk with Stephanie Elam in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: 2008 has been a year of historic market plunges, record layoffs and a huge batch of company bankruptcies and government takeovers.
Investors are certainly hoping for a better 2009, but what can we really expect?
Stephanie Elam at the New York Stock Exchange now looking into her crystal ball.
I hope your crystal ball is better than everybody else's because was kind of thinking not planning on being a perfectly fantastic year.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am not taking credit for what may or may not happen in 2009 at all. My crystal ball is stuffed away. Totally hidden.
COLLINS: It's on the top of Times Square?
ELAM: Yes. Yes. Anyway.
Well, when it comes to this market business, there's always a little bit of good news and a little bit of bad. So let's go ahead and get the bad out of the way first.
Many economists are saying that the overall economy may not recover until 2010 and that the recession will, at the very least, continue until the later half of 2009. That means we're likely due for another 12 months of job losses and rough corporate earnings.
Here is the good news, though. Stock markets typically rebound before the economy does because they're anticipating the turn-around. So, while Wall Street analysts do expect some wild market swings, eventually there's likely to be a recovery, especially construction, housing, retail sales, if all of those begin to show improvement.
And eventually, we know, we don't when. But eventually they will, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. Sounds like the take-away from all of this, investors need to be patient. It's not the first time we've heard that.
ELAM: No, not at all. That is definitely what everyone needs to do. The heydays of what we're seeing in the early period, maybe after the recovery from 9/11, after that period that growth there, we won't see that again right away.
The three major averages have lost between 35 percent and 42 percent over the past year. And historically with losses of that magnitude, it can take about five years to get back to that break-even point.
The S&P 500 which obviously gives us the broadest picture of the market because it has 500 stocks in it, it plunged 39 percent this year. And then get this one, the index is now far lower than it was ten years ago. And of the 500 stocks in the index, only 22 ended the year with gains. The biggest winner there? Family Dollar. Its shares are up more than 30 percent over the year. Walmart has also fared well, tacking on 16 percent. This is all showing people are going to those discount stores to get what they needed, so that helped those stocks.
Now let's take a look at the major averages on this last trading day of 2008. Right now the Dow is up 56 points, 8725. Nasdaq better by just shy of 1 percent at 1565, Heidi.
So, maybe we'll have two days in a row here with gains. It would be a nice way to end out the year.
COLLINS: Yes, it would. Get out while we can.
All right.
Stephanie, Happy New Year to you. Thank you.
ELAM: Happy New Year, Heidi.
COLLINS: Later day thousands of people will gather in Times Square, as you know, to well come in the New Year. But this time they'll do so with a nod to the past. Good old-fashioned peddle power will light up the sky in New York.
CNN Money.com's Poppy Harlow has our Energy Fix now from there, as well.
Hi there, Poppy. What's this about?
POPPY HARLOW, CNN MONEY.COM: Hey there, Heidi.
Everyone is pitching in this year, doing their part. People from around the country helping to power tonight's New Year's Eve celebration right here in New York, in Times Square.
The 2009 sign which will light up when the ball drops will actually be poured by people peddling on bikes. Check them out there, working hard. Here is how it works. Earlier this the month Duracell set up an area in Times Square where people could peddle on those snowmobikes. The energy generated is that (INAUDIBLE).
It will be released at the stroke of midnight tonight lighting up that 2009 sign. Duracell says it needed 230 hours of peddling to do this, that's nine and a half straight days. It is not too late if you're free today and don't have much to do. Head down to Times Square you can still jump on one of those bikes and help power the signs.
Heidi --
COLLINS: Yes. It looks fun. I feel like though they have to do that because they spent so much money on the ball with all that Waterford crystal.
HARLOW: $5 million I heard, right?
COLLINS: Yes. So, how energy efficient is it? If it's made of Waterford crystal -- we know that. Is it at least energy efficient?
HARLOW: It's certainly not recession proof, but it is energy efficient. It's a brand new ball, folks, being dropped this year. The Times Square Alliance says it's bigger, it's brighter than ever.
It claims this ball will only use the amount of energy per hour that's needed to operate two traditional ovens.
And over at Rockefeller Center, check out the famous Christmas tree there. That will eventually be used, chopped up and used to build homes for Habitat for Humanity. Both the Rockefeller tree and the Times Square use energy saving LED lights.
So, they're doing their part, Heidi --
COLLINS: Yes. And you can use those in your home, if you want. Right? How do they compare to regular bulbs?
HARLOW: They're so much more energy efficient. They use 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescents. They last a whole lot longer. The problem, especially during a recession, they're much more expensive. We checked out Amazon.com to compare the prices. One string of Christmas lights that are LED were $25 versus just $5 for some regular lights.
But some analysts say the LED lights pay for themselves in one to three years. More Energy Fix's next year, 2009. We'll bring them to you.
They're always on CNN Money.com.
Happy New Year, Heidi --
COLLINS: Okay. I'm checking my math. Five times five is 25, one to three years. Five bucks, twenty-five bucks. I'll work it out on my own.
All right, Poppy. Thanks so much. Happy New Year to you, too.
CNN New Year's Eve at 11:00 becoming a tradition of sorts.
Kathy Griffin joins Anderson Cooper as we ring in 2009. Don't miss all the action live from Times Square.
Making his choice no matter what. Rod Blagojevich picks a new senator despite threats from the Senate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Rod Blagojevich acting on his own, thumbing his nose at Senate threats as he chooses a new man to take Barack Obama's seat.
CNN's Joe Johns has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If this guy was a sacrificial lamb thrown to the wolfs in an ugly political scandal, he wasn't letting on about it.
As far as former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris was concerned, it was a high honor getting appointed to Barack Obama's Senate seat.
ROLAND BURRIS (D), FMR. IL. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I welcome the challenge that await us at the 111th Congress.
JOHNS: Just two weeks ago Burris was expressing his disgust with the Blagojevich affair.
BURRIS: The evidence that has been presented is pretty appalling should that come out to be the case on what our governor was attempting to do. I find it just reprehensible. JOHNS: But now here he was on the stage accepting the appointment from the very same guy accused of scheming to cash in on the President-elect's Senate seat. Blagojevich, for his part, was pretending that his legal problems somehow won't mean problems for his appointee.
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: I'm absolutely confident and certain that the United States Senate is going to seat a man of Roland Burris's unquestioned integrity, extensive experience, and his long history of public service. This is about Roland Burris as a United States Senator, not about the governor who makes the appointment.
JOHNS: Pretty much on cue, people started trotting out Roland Burris's political contributions to the governor, who by the way was pushing the limits to gin up support for his guy, even calling on an African-American Congressman from Illinois who then teed up race as a potential factor.
U.S. REP. BOBBY RUSH (D), ILLINOIS: We need to have many African-Americans in the U.S. Senate. So, I applaud the governor for his decision, and I would ask you to not hang or lynch the appointee as we try to castigate the appointor.
JOHNS: Burris was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Illinois when he became comptroller in 1979. But not forgotten here is how an African-American Congressman from Illinois, Jesse Jackson, Jr., could have been the appointee himself, except he got slimed in the scandal with Blagojevich's own words, allegedly caught on tape and reprinted in the governor's complaint.
Still, as usual, it was Washington, D.C., that seemed the most disconnected from fairness and reasonableness. Fifty U.S. senators in the Democratic Caucus have said they'll oppose any Blagojevich appointee even though Burris was named by a sitting governor who at least so far hasn't been convicted of anything and says he's not guilty. Barack Obama says he agrees with the caucus, because the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government free of taint.
Joe Johns, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: It's going to be pretty interesting. Roland Burris is still hoping to get to the Senate. He told WGN Radio this morning he's waiting for everything to get cleared up but wasn't clear about what exactly that meant. And earlier, Burris appeared on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," where he explained how he could be critical of the governor's actions while still accepting the appointment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROLAND BURRIS (D), FORMER ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: My concern is about the people of Illinois. And, the governor's behavior is reprehensible. I'm not going to be giving apologies for -- if those actions turn out to be true, and if he is -- I cannot condone that type of behavior.
So, that was my response to that. I don't back up on that. But that does not interfere with him working or carrying out his constitutional responsibilities of appointing an individual who is qualified to carry out the responsibility to represent our state. And that's what we must separate those issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Senate rules say the Illinois secretary of state also has to sign off on Burris to make him eligible. But Secretary of State Jesse White says he will not sign the certification.
Forty-nine votes separating the players in the Minnesota Senate race. That's the margin for Democratic challenger Al Franken's lead over Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. You see Franken on the left and Norm Coleman on the right there.
We could have an official final tally by this time next week after absentee ballots are counted. But as you know, more lawsuits could follow the recount results.
Israeli tanks perched on the border waiting to see if they'll be ordered into Gaza. Day five of the fighting and no end in sight. The latest in the next hour of newsroom.
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COLLINS: 2009 is arriving on the other side of the world. In Beijing, the new year is just minutes away. Here with those celebrations is CNN's Emily Chang. Hi there, Emily. Appropriate almost to say happy new year to you.
EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Almost a happy new year and a very cold one, too. Freezing temperatures here in Beijing haven't stopped people from coming out to celebrate the end of 2008. Now, the Chinese traditionally celebrate the lunar new year or Chinese new year, which isn't for another month or so.
But Western new year is more of an imported holiday and is becoming more and more popular, especially among young people. It's a good excuse to party and celebrate the successes of the last year. And of course, the major success of 2008 for the Chinese, the Olympics.
The event that's going on behind me, this is a nationally televised event. All of these people are volunteers, many of them worked in the Olympics, many of them also worked in the Sichuan earthquake relief effort. They've been doing a lot of singing, a lot of emotional songs. And indeed, 2008 has been a very emotional year for them.
Now, the stage is set between two ancient monuments in China, the drum and bell tower. These monuments were used to tell time centuries ago. And at midnight tonight in just a few more minutes, that bell will start tolling to signify the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, Heidi. COLLINS: Yes, just curious, Emily, if you can still hear me OK. I know there's a lot of people gathered behind you there. Because this is not the Chinese new year, how does it compare in the amount of people gathered and the excitement to have sort of an American new year right now?
CHANG: Well, you know, this one isn't so bad. You know, I'm American so I'm very used to Western new year. But the Chinese know how to throw a good party. And indeed they're definitely turning out tonight in droves.
And they're very excited, very proud of what they've done in 2008. It's been a very challenging year. It started off with some very bad snowstorms. There were those riots in Tibet, the earthquake and then the Olympics. So I think the Chinese are very proud of overcoming that and they're hoping for a better year in 2009, Heidi.
COLLINS: Absolutely. All right, well, Emily Chang, we sure do appreciate that live, coming from Beijing right now.
And another look at places where the new year has already taken place. A celebration with heart and soul, Seoul, South Korea, of course. Because of the 14-hour time difference, Seoul -- or, South Koreans, that is, are ringing in the new year as we speak.
Sights and sounds from earlier in Aukland, New Zealand. The so- called Kiwis celebrated their new year a few hours ago. And lighting the skies Down Under, this is the fireworks extravaganza in the skies over Sydney, Australia. Always beautiful there.
Midnight run in New York, workers there racing the clock to get everything in place for the legendary Times Square celebrations. As many as one million people will brave 20-degree temps and strong winds, too, that will actually make it feel below zero tonight. CNN New Year's Eve at 11. It's becoming a tradition of sorts.
Kathy Griffin joins Anderson Cooper as we ring in 2009. Make sure you don't miss all the action live from Times Square.
So, Happy New Year in advance, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You can join us again tomorrow morning beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern. For now, CNN Newsroom continues with Tony Harris.
