Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Dan Rather Announces Departure From CBS Anchor Desk; U.S.-Led Operations Intensify Ahead of Iraqi Elections
Aired November 23, 2004 - 15:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, stepping aside, veteran CBS news man Dan Rather has decided it's time to leave the anchor chair. His last day will be March 9, 24 years to the day he took over from Walter Cronkite. Rather's replacement has not been named. We'll have more on that in a moment.
And the price of oil has risen past $50 a barrel. The investor- driven surge is being blamed on fears of a lag of supplies of home heating oil.
And, in Wisconsin, bail has been set at $2.5 million for the Croatian immigrant -- sorry, the Hmong immigrant -- accused of killing six other hunters. According to place documents, Chai Vang claims that he was shot first, after some of the victims shouted racial remarks.
Well, we begin with that battle over the U.S. intelligence reform bill. If you've been watching CNN, you just saw Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld addressing the issue during the Pentagon briefing. That bill came out of recommendations from the September 11 Commission. But some lawmakers object to it, saying it shifts too much control to a new intelligence director.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr asked Rumsfeld about that during the briefing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: General Myers, to, sort of, attempt to cut to the bottom line here, subsequent...
MYERS: You don't think we gave you the bottom line?
STARR: Not just yet.
(LAUGHTER)
STARR: Subsequent to the president stating his position on intelligence reform, you wrote the letter, and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff last Thursday, when requested, told the House Armed Services Committee that they supported your position.
STARR: So now can you tell us, yourself and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, do you still oppose -- and Mr. Secretary also -- do you gentlemen still oppose shifting budget authority and appropriations and responsibility for the NSA, the NRO, and the Geospatial Agency from the Pentagon, the Department of Defense, over to a national intelligence director? Are you opposed to that? Is that your best military advice to the Congress?
RUMSFELD: The answer for me, I support the president's position and it's one that's evolving as those complex details are being worked out as to what that set of relationships ought to be.
STARR: Sir, with all due respect, that is the language in the bill at the moment. Do you...
RUMSFELD: You can't say that, because there's a debate over what will go in that bill and there are different positions.
STARR: (OFF-MIKE) bill that was not supported over the weekend by -- did not come to a vote in Congress.
So my question, very precisely still stands for both of you. Mr. Chairman, do you and the Joint Chiefs still oppose shifting those programs to a national intelligence director?
MYERS: My position on the particular issue is as stated in my letter, and the Joint Chiefs can speak for themselves, and I guess they did in a hearing last week when I was gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: President Bush is in favor of that bill. He personally lobbied House Republicans over the weekend to support its passage.
Countdown to January. With Iraq's election just a little over two months away, it's a busy time for U.S. and Iraqi forces. They're in the middle of another operation against insurgents, this time in the volatile region south of Baghdad. And, in Mosul, forces are staging raids to find suspects who may be trying to sabotage the election. But a conference on Iraq ended on an upbeat note today about Iraq's future.
Secretary of State Colin Powell tells CNN the priority now is ensuring a safe environment when voters go to the polls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, there are still 60-plus days to go before we get to the election. And it is our intention to create conditions throughout the whole countryside, so that all parts of Iraq can participate in the election.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What happens if you can't, if despite your best efforts, the Sunni dominated areas can't?
POWELL: The Iraqi government and the election commission will have to make a judgment at that point. But we're going under the assumption that we're going to be able to. And I think that's a safe assumption to go on now. We have significant forces over there. And the Iraqi forces are growing larger and stronger by the day. And hopefully, we'll be able to impose order in the Sunni triangle so that the Sunni people, the citizens have the same opportunity that all others do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Back to Mosul now and the search for anyone who could disrupt Iraq's election. CNN's Nic Robertson went on a mission, aimed at routing out one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your time going to be on the objective?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In worsening winter weather, a last-minute rehearsal before a raid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. They're going to try to beat the system and say, hey, I'm not the guy you're looking for.
ROBERTSON: The target a former Ba'ath Party official an informant claims is trying to undermine upcoming elections.
CAPT. ROBERT LACKEY, TASK FORCE OLYMPIA: Well, regarding the elections, the importance of this mission is -- is to combat the threat campaign that the former Ba'ath Party members are now waging against just the regular Iraqi people.
ROBERTSON (on camera): With an election date now set, the stakes for eradicating intimidation have been raised, making the success of raids like this even more critical.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step back.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Within minutes, a man fitting the description is taken into custody. A frenetic search of the house and shoes, then the discovery, they're at the wrong address.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep it two squads now. Don't want to keep -- keep a squad here, all right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
ROBERTSON: The home owner is released...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But we need to you show us where this house is. Or he can show us where the house is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you can.
ROBERTSON: ... but appears afraid to talk about the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three houses and the fourth...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want Mogul to continue the way it has for the past week with all the violence and the shooting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fourth door you can shut.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTSON: At the next house, quick confirmation they are in the right place.
(on camera): Even though the man they're looking for is not here, the search for evidence continues. In the last few weeks since the upsurge in violence, the election process here has been set back. Several thousand ballot papers destroyed and four election officials at least intimidated, threatened with death.
(voice-over): Tempers fray as time runs out on the hunt for clues linking the suspect to the allegations of intimidation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every single thing. All right? That means...
ROBERTSON: The pressure high to make a success of this mission.
LACKEY: It feels bad. It does. But the great thing about it is, if this was his house, which it probably was, he knows that we're looking for him and he knows that we're eventually going to get him.
ROBERTSON: Cat and mouse with certainty seeming to favor neither side. A simple snapshot of the troubles leading up to the elections.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Mosul, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Nine-eleven is hitting home in Britain today. Two British media outlets are reporting a major terrorist plot there was thwarted. ITV News and "The Daily Mail" say terrorists linked to al Qaeda had planned to crash planes into Heathrow Airport and skyscrapers in Canary Wharf, a financial district in London. They don't say when or how the plot was foiled. The British government is refusing to confirm or deny those reports.
Pomp, tradition and terror, that was the focus in the British Parliament today, as Queen Elizabeth ii unveiled Prime Minister Tony Blair's agenda for the coming year. It includes tough new anti-terror measures, including a plan to introduce national I.D. cards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN ELIZABETH II, UNITED KINGDOM: My government recognizes that we live in a time of global uncertainty with an increased threat from international terrorism and organized crime. Measures to extend opportunity will be accompanied by legislation to increase security for all. My government will legislate to introduce an identity card scheme and will publish proposals to support the continuing fight against terrorism in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Some of Blair's critics charge the queen's speech is designed to create fear ahead of general elections expected in May.
A generation of Americans grew up with Dan Rather on the CBS anchor desk. But that's about to change. The veteran news man says it's time to step down. That doesn't mean he's leaving, though.
CNN's Chris Huntington is following the developments in New York.
I know you've been talking to a number of people, Chris, including Andy Rooney.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We had a chance to catch up briefly with Andy Rooney. I'll share with you what he had to say in just a sec, Kyra.
But Dan Rather saying that he's going to step down on March 9, 2005. That would make it 24 years as anchor on "The Cbs Evening News." He will have been an anchor of network television news longer than anybody else, including his predecessor, Walter Cronkite. In a statement that Rather and CBS issued a short time ago, in part, Rather said -- quote -- "I have always said that I'd know when the time was right to step away from the anchor chair. This past summer, CBS and I began to discuss this matter in earnest and we decided that the close of the election cycle would be an appropriate time."
Of course, one the major questions that everybody has have Rather's decision and announcement at this time to step down is whether or not the controversy surrounding the "60 Minutes" report that aired in early September and had it in a very controversial document critical of President Bush's then service in the Texas Air National Guard -- CBS and Rather were forced to concede they could not vouch for the authenticity of that document.
There's a investigation under way, led by former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh here at CBS. I asked a CBS spokesperson if that played any role in Rather's decision and announcement today to step down in March. CBS spokesman Gil Schwartz said Dan's decision was independent of the findings of that panel. I pressed further. And Gil Schwartz said: "Look, we're all part of a big world here. And Dan's decision, everything feeds into that decision" -- end quote from Gil Schwartz.
Now, we did get a chance to ask Andy Rooney what he thought of Rather's pending retirement. And, Rooney, as you would expect, put it into some perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY ROONEY, "60 MINUTES": I think he's probably ready to do it. I think it's a good thing to do. He's about 15 years after Cronkite stepped down, that much older. So he's had a good run. And it's been great. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: Now, CBS is not commenting or making any kind of announcement as to who will succeed Rather. But the leading contenders, at least among the chattering classes, if you will, are current CBS White House correspondent John Roberts and "60 Minutes II" correspondent Scott Pelley. Rather will stay on with CBS, according to the statement issued today, as a correspondent for both editions of "60 Minutes" -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Chris Huntington, thanks so much.
Two people caught up in Friday's NBA brawl are speaking out over what happened and the repercussions that followed. A fight at the Pacers-Pistons game started on the court, then made its way into the stands. Punches flew. And then drinks started flying. Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest ended up suspended for the entire season. Artest and the man who is accused of throwing a drink at him added in their two cents today about what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON ARTEST, SUSPENDED PACERS PLAYER: I wish that situation had never happened, you know. It wasn't -- it wasn't good at all, you know, for anybody. David Stern, he's been pretty good to me throughout the years, and I don't think it was fair, you know, that many games. And I'm going to continue to try to just do positive things. That's all I can do, is be positive.
JOHN GREEN, POURED DRINK ON RON ARTEST: Ron Artest went through the whole stadium punching people the whole night. That was totally -- he was -- he was being a thug. That's all he was being. I mean, he was -- he was just a time bomb waiting to happen.
As for -- like -- like Ben Wallace said, you know. Do we feel sorry for him? You know, life's too short to feel sorry for anybody. I'll quote him on that. And it is. I don't feel sorry for him. He did what he did. He's got to pay the price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the alleged drink thrower there, John Green, and his attorney, are scheduled to appear tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.
Well, over the river and through the woods and to the airport we go. As America gets ready for one of the busiest travel days of the year, we'll have your travel forecast just ahead.
A casino is predicting that this grilled cheese sandwich will bring some good luck. They're calling it the passion of the toast. Details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: News across America now. An online casino is the winning bidder for this 10-year-old sandwich that supposedly bears the image of the Virgin Mary. GoldenPalace.com bid $28,000 for the item on eBay and immediately began hocking these Virgin Mary grilled cheese T-shirts.
In Washington, the National Institute For Media and the Family issues its annual report card on video and computer games. The top three hot games the media watchdog recommends parents do not get for their kids, "Doom III," "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," and "Half- Life 2." What do all those mean?
Well, at the White House, Lynne Cheney and her three granddaughters topped the National Christmas Tree. The 40-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce stands permanently in the ellipse. President Bush will light it on December 2.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Well, an Oklahoma grandmother goes above and beyond the call of duty. Just ahead, while the 17-year-old -- 72-year-old, rather -- is ready to march off to Iraq.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood.
Teen star Lindsay Lohan speaks out about her recent hospitalization. Plus, the Osbournes issue a major award for their stolen jewels.
All that when LIVE FROM returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And among the Americans soon headed to Iraq could be a 72-year-old great-grandmother from Oklahoma. Lena Haddix, a military wife for nearly 30 years, is preparing to be deployed to Iraq as a civilian defense worker. Well, the grandmother of eight and great- grandma of three says she volunteered because she wants to do something for her country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENA HADDIX, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMPLOYEE: I feel good about going. I'm not scared. Of course, I know there will be times I will be scared, but I'll be -- I'll get over it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Haddix gets a medical checkup before a six-month tour. She'll have a week of training before flying to Germany and eventually Iraq.
Well, U2 rocks New York, while the Osbournes try to catch a thief. Our Sibila Vargas has all the entertainment headlines. She joins me now from L.A.
Hi, Sibila.
VARGAS: Ozzy and Sharon have shared just about everything, their music, their talent and their lives on TV. But one thing they're not about to share, their family jewels.
One day after an intruder made off with about $3.5 million in jewelry at their English country mansion, the Osbournes are up upping the stakes. Sharon and Ozzy are offering a $187,000 reward for information leading to conviction of the thieves. Ozzy, who fought off one of the burglars, said he acted on instinct to protect his wife's jewelry, including her wedding rings. But, in the end, both thieves managed to get away with the loot.
In other news, Brooklyn fans of the band U2 were given a big surprise, a surprise of the lifetime by the Irish rockers. No, this is not your regular U2 concert. It was part of a special that was being shot for MTV. Riding on the back of a flatbed truck, the band serenaded New York streets as a film crew captured the action for a music video. In the end, about 3,000 fans were treated to 45 minutes of old favorites and songs from the band's new album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." It hits stores today -- Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, that's an interesting title.
All right, now, Lindsay Lohan, what's the deal? We've seen her acting. Now she's moving into music?
VARGAS: Yes, she does just about everything. Now you can add -- actress Lindsay Lohan is now officially actress/pop star Lindsay Lohan. Looking all grown up in the video for her first single, "Rumors," the 18-year-old has dispelled any rumors about her five-day stay in a hospital last month. During an interview for her new album, "Speak," she tells CNN it was exhaustion that led to her health problems and nothing more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: They can say it was drugs or anything they want, because that's what I was hearing, or meningitis or whatever. When you get tired -- I'm 18. And I'm still growing. And my body can't handle like going out and then working and doing all that stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: In the end, all the work did pay off. Lohan finished her album on time. And it will be in stores December 7.
Kyra, they do grow up pretty fast, don't they?
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.
I was just thinking, 18 years old and look at all that she's doing. What were you and I doing? Hmm.
VARGAS: Hmm.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: I know. We better not say that on the air.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: All right, Sibila, see you tomorrow.
VARGAS: All right. Our secret.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. All right.
VARGAS: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 23, 2004 - 15:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, stepping aside, veteran CBS news man Dan Rather has decided it's time to leave the anchor chair. His last day will be March 9, 24 years to the day he took over from Walter Cronkite. Rather's replacement has not been named. We'll have more on that in a moment.
And the price of oil has risen past $50 a barrel. The investor- driven surge is being blamed on fears of a lag of supplies of home heating oil.
And, in Wisconsin, bail has been set at $2.5 million for the Croatian immigrant -- sorry, the Hmong immigrant -- accused of killing six other hunters. According to place documents, Chai Vang claims that he was shot first, after some of the victims shouted racial remarks.
Well, we begin with that battle over the U.S. intelligence reform bill. If you've been watching CNN, you just saw Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld addressing the issue during the Pentagon briefing. That bill came out of recommendations from the September 11 Commission. But some lawmakers object to it, saying it shifts too much control to a new intelligence director.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr asked Rumsfeld about that during the briefing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: General Myers, to, sort of, attempt to cut to the bottom line here, subsequent...
MYERS: You don't think we gave you the bottom line?
STARR: Not just yet.
(LAUGHTER)
STARR: Subsequent to the president stating his position on intelligence reform, you wrote the letter, and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff last Thursday, when requested, told the House Armed Services Committee that they supported your position.
STARR: So now can you tell us, yourself and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, do you still oppose -- and Mr. Secretary also -- do you gentlemen still oppose shifting budget authority and appropriations and responsibility for the NSA, the NRO, and the Geospatial Agency from the Pentagon, the Department of Defense, over to a national intelligence director? Are you opposed to that? Is that your best military advice to the Congress?
RUMSFELD: The answer for me, I support the president's position and it's one that's evolving as those complex details are being worked out as to what that set of relationships ought to be.
STARR: Sir, with all due respect, that is the language in the bill at the moment. Do you...
RUMSFELD: You can't say that, because there's a debate over what will go in that bill and there are different positions.
STARR: (OFF-MIKE) bill that was not supported over the weekend by -- did not come to a vote in Congress.
So my question, very precisely still stands for both of you. Mr. Chairman, do you and the Joint Chiefs still oppose shifting those programs to a national intelligence director?
MYERS: My position on the particular issue is as stated in my letter, and the Joint Chiefs can speak for themselves, and I guess they did in a hearing last week when I was gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: President Bush is in favor of that bill. He personally lobbied House Republicans over the weekend to support its passage.
Countdown to January. With Iraq's election just a little over two months away, it's a busy time for U.S. and Iraqi forces. They're in the middle of another operation against insurgents, this time in the volatile region south of Baghdad. And, in Mosul, forces are staging raids to find suspects who may be trying to sabotage the election. But a conference on Iraq ended on an upbeat note today about Iraq's future.
Secretary of State Colin Powell tells CNN the priority now is ensuring a safe environment when voters go to the polls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, there are still 60-plus days to go before we get to the election. And it is our intention to create conditions throughout the whole countryside, so that all parts of Iraq can participate in the election.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What happens if you can't, if despite your best efforts, the Sunni dominated areas can't?
POWELL: The Iraqi government and the election commission will have to make a judgment at that point. But we're going under the assumption that we're going to be able to. And I think that's a safe assumption to go on now. We have significant forces over there. And the Iraqi forces are growing larger and stronger by the day. And hopefully, we'll be able to impose order in the Sunni triangle so that the Sunni people, the citizens have the same opportunity that all others do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Back to Mosul now and the search for anyone who could disrupt Iraq's election. CNN's Nic Robertson went on a mission, aimed at routing out one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your time going to be on the objective?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In worsening winter weather, a last-minute rehearsal before a raid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. They're going to try to beat the system and say, hey, I'm not the guy you're looking for.
ROBERTSON: The target a former Ba'ath Party official an informant claims is trying to undermine upcoming elections.
CAPT. ROBERT LACKEY, TASK FORCE OLYMPIA: Well, regarding the elections, the importance of this mission is -- is to combat the threat campaign that the former Ba'ath Party members are now waging against just the regular Iraqi people.
ROBERTSON (on camera): With an election date now set, the stakes for eradicating intimidation have been raised, making the success of raids like this even more critical.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step back.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Within minutes, a man fitting the description is taken into custody. A frenetic search of the house and shoes, then the discovery, they're at the wrong address.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep it two squads now. Don't want to keep -- keep a squad here, all right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
ROBERTSON: The home owner is released...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But we need to you show us where this house is. Or he can show us where the house is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you can.
ROBERTSON: ... but appears afraid to talk about the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three houses and the fourth...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want Mogul to continue the way it has for the past week with all the violence and the shooting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fourth door you can shut.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTSON: At the next house, quick confirmation they are in the right place.
(on camera): Even though the man they're looking for is not here, the search for evidence continues. In the last few weeks since the upsurge in violence, the election process here has been set back. Several thousand ballot papers destroyed and four election officials at least intimidated, threatened with death.
(voice-over): Tempers fray as time runs out on the hunt for clues linking the suspect to the allegations of intimidation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every single thing. All right? That means...
ROBERTSON: The pressure high to make a success of this mission.
LACKEY: It feels bad. It does. But the great thing about it is, if this was his house, which it probably was, he knows that we're looking for him and he knows that we're eventually going to get him.
ROBERTSON: Cat and mouse with certainty seeming to favor neither side. A simple snapshot of the troubles leading up to the elections.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Mosul, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Nine-eleven is hitting home in Britain today. Two British media outlets are reporting a major terrorist plot there was thwarted. ITV News and "The Daily Mail" say terrorists linked to al Qaeda had planned to crash planes into Heathrow Airport and skyscrapers in Canary Wharf, a financial district in London. They don't say when or how the plot was foiled. The British government is refusing to confirm or deny those reports.
Pomp, tradition and terror, that was the focus in the British Parliament today, as Queen Elizabeth ii unveiled Prime Minister Tony Blair's agenda for the coming year. It includes tough new anti-terror measures, including a plan to introduce national I.D. cards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN ELIZABETH II, UNITED KINGDOM: My government recognizes that we live in a time of global uncertainty with an increased threat from international terrorism and organized crime. Measures to extend opportunity will be accompanied by legislation to increase security for all. My government will legislate to introduce an identity card scheme and will publish proposals to support the continuing fight against terrorism in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Some of Blair's critics charge the queen's speech is designed to create fear ahead of general elections expected in May.
A generation of Americans grew up with Dan Rather on the CBS anchor desk. But that's about to change. The veteran news man says it's time to step down. That doesn't mean he's leaving, though.
CNN's Chris Huntington is following the developments in New York.
I know you've been talking to a number of people, Chris, including Andy Rooney.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We had a chance to catch up briefly with Andy Rooney. I'll share with you what he had to say in just a sec, Kyra.
But Dan Rather saying that he's going to step down on March 9, 2005. That would make it 24 years as anchor on "The Cbs Evening News." He will have been an anchor of network television news longer than anybody else, including his predecessor, Walter Cronkite. In a statement that Rather and CBS issued a short time ago, in part, Rather said -- quote -- "I have always said that I'd know when the time was right to step away from the anchor chair. This past summer, CBS and I began to discuss this matter in earnest and we decided that the close of the election cycle would be an appropriate time."
Of course, one the major questions that everybody has have Rather's decision and announcement at this time to step down is whether or not the controversy surrounding the "60 Minutes" report that aired in early September and had it in a very controversial document critical of President Bush's then service in the Texas Air National Guard -- CBS and Rather were forced to concede they could not vouch for the authenticity of that document.
There's a investigation under way, led by former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh here at CBS. I asked a CBS spokesperson if that played any role in Rather's decision and announcement today to step down in March. CBS spokesman Gil Schwartz said Dan's decision was independent of the findings of that panel. I pressed further. And Gil Schwartz said: "Look, we're all part of a big world here. And Dan's decision, everything feeds into that decision" -- end quote from Gil Schwartz.
Now, we did get a chance to ask Andy Rooney what he thought of Rather's pending retirement. And, Rooney, as you would expect, put it into some perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY ROONEY, "60 MINUTES": I think he's probably ready to do it. I think it's a good thing to do. He's about 15 years after Cronkite stepped down, that much older. So he's had a good run. And it's been great. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: Now, CBS is not commenting or making any kind of announcement as to who will succeed Rather. But the leading contenders, at least among the chattering classes, if you will, are current CBS White House correspondent John Roberts and "60 Minutes II" correspondent Scott Pelley. Rather will stay on with CBS, according to the statement issued today, as a correspondent for both editions of "60 Minutes" -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Chris Huntington, thanks so much.
Two people caught up in Friday's NBA brawl are speaking out over what happened and the repercussions that followed. A fight at the Pacers-Pistons game started on the court, then made its way into the stands. Punches flew. And then drinks started flying. Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest ended up suspended for the entire season. Artest and the man who is accused of throwing a drink at him added in their two cents today about what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON ARTEST, SUSPENDED PACERS PLAYER: I wish that situation had never happened, you know. It wasn't -- it wasn't good at all, you know, for anybody. David Stern, he's been pretty good to me throughout the years, and I don't think it was fair, you know, that many games. And I'm going to continue to try to just do positive things. That's all I can do, is be positive.
JOHN GREEN, POURED DRINK ON RON ARTEST: Ron Artest went through the whole stadium punching people the whole night. That was totally -- he was -- he was being a thug. That's all he was being. I mean, he was -- he was just a time bomb waiting to happen.
As for -- like -- like Ben Wallace said, you know. Do we feel sorry for him? You know, life's too short to feel sorry for anybody. I'll quote him on that. And it is. I don't feel sorry for him. He did what he did. He's got to pay the price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the alleged drink thrower there, John Green, and his attorney, are scheduled to appear tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.
Well, over the river and through the woods and to the airport we go. As America gets ready for one of the busiest travel days of the year, we'll have your travel forecast just ahead.
A casino is predicting that this grilled cheese sandwich will bring some good luck. They're calling it the passion of the toast. Details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: News across America now. An online casino is the winning bidder for this 10-year-old sandwich that supposedly bears the image of the Virgin Mary. GoldenPalace.com bid $28,000 for the item on eBay and immediately began hocking these Virgin Mary grilled cheese T-shirts.
In Washington, the National Institute For Media and the Family issues its annual report card on video and computer games. The top three hot games the media watchdog recommends parents do not get for their kids, "Doom III," "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," and "Half- Life 2." What do all those mean?
Well, at the White House, Lynne Cheney and her three granddaughters topped the National Christmas Tree. The 40-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce stands permanently in the ellipse. President Bush will light it on December 2.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Well, an Oklahoma grandmother goes above and beyond the call of duty. Just ahead, while the 17-year-old -- 72-year-old, rather -- is ready to march off to Iraq.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood.
Teen star Lindsay Lohan speaks out about her recent hospitalization. Plus, the Osbournes issue a major award for their stolen jewels.
All that when LIVE FROM returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And among the Americans soon headed to Iraq could be a 72-year-old great-grandmother from Oklahoma. Lena Haddix, a military wife for nearly 30 years, is preparing to be deployed to Iraq as a civilian defense worker. Well, the grandmother of eight and great- grandma of three says she volunteered because she wants to do something for her country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENA HADDIX, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMPLOYEE: I feel good about going. I'm not scared. Of course, I know there will be times I will be scared, but I'll be -- I'll get over it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Haddix gets a medical checkup before a six-month tour. She'll have a week of training before flying to Germany and eventually Iraq.
Well, U2 rocks New York, while the Osbournes try to catch a thief. Our Sibila Vargas has all the entertainment headlines. She joins me now from L.A.
Hi, Sibila.
VARGAS: Ozzy and Sharon have shared just about everything, their music, their talent and their lives on TV. But one thing they're not about to share, their family jewels.
One day after an intruder made off with about $3.5 million in jewelry at their English country mansion, the Osbournes are up upping the stakes. Sharon and Ozzy are offering a $187,000 reward for information leading to conviction of the thieves. Ozzy, who fought off one of the burglars, said he acted on instinct to protect his wife's jewelry, including her wedding rings. But, in the end, both thieves managed to get away with the loot.
In other news, Brooklyn fans of the band U2 were given a big surprise, a surprise of the lifetime by the Irish rockers. No, this is not your regular U2 concert. It was part of a special that was being shot for MTV. Riding on the back of a flatbed truck, the band serenaded New York streets as a film crew captured the action for a music video. In the end, about 3,000 fans were treated to 45 minutes of old favorites and songs from the band's new album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." It hits stores today -- Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, that's an interesting title.
All right, now, Lindsay Lohan, what's the deal? We've seen her acting. Now she's moving into music?
VARGAS: Yes, she does just about everything. Now you can add -- actress Lindsay Lohan is now officially actress/pop star Lindsay Lohan. Looking all grown up in the video for her first single, "Rumors," the 18-year-old has dispelled any rumors about her five-day stay in a hospital last month. During an interview for her new album, "Speak," she tells CNN it was exhaustion that led to her health problems and nothing more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: They can say it was drugs or anything they want, because that's what I was hearing, or meningitis or whatever. When you get tired -- I'm 18. And I'm still growing. And my body can't handle like going out and then working and doing all that stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: In the end, all the work did pay off. Lohan finished her album on time. And it will be in stores December 7.
Kyra, they do grow up pretty fast, don't they?
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.
I was just thinking, 18 years old and look at all that she's doing. What were you and I doing? Hmm.
VARGAS: Hmm.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: I know. We better not say that on the air.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: All right, Sibila, see you tomorrow.
VARGAS: All right. Our secret.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. All right.
VARGAS: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
