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Missile Threat; Oscar Contenders Announced
Aired January 25, 2005 - 14:59 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Checking stories "Now in the News." Having their say on Capitol Hill live pictures. That's Senator Robert Byrd, West Virginia, as he speaks in the well of the Senate. The Senate is in the middle of a nine-hour debate over Condoleezza Rice's nomination to be secretary of state. Senators standing up in support of and in some cases against her nomination. The rhetoric is awfully strong, the outcome is fairly certain however. She will be confirmed.
We'll tune in coming up this half hour.
The president is asking Congress for more money to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House says that request could come later today. Congressional aides are putting the total at $80 billion. That is on top of $25 billion Congress approved for those conflicts over the summer. Now even when you exclude the cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan the congressional budget office now predicts this year's federal budget deficit will hit $368 billion. That is $20 billion higher than the last estimate done this past fall.
Facing the music for the basket brawl at that Detroit Pistons NBA game in November. Five Indiana Pacers, four fans scheduled to appear at a pretrial hearing in suburban Detroit this afternoon. They're charged with misdemeanors. A hearing was held earlier for 37-year-old fan Brian Jackson. He's charged with a felony for allegedly throwing a chair.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour, a CNN "Security Watch." A study could ground efforts to protect commercial airliners from perhaps their biggest threat, shoulder-fired missiles.
CNN's Lindsey Arent is tracking those developments in Washington and she joins us now.
Hi, Lindsey.
LINDSEY ARENT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Betty.
Now, the RAND Corporation's 65-page study confirms what the U.S. government has known for a long time now, that terrorists like al Qaeda and others have both the motives and the equipment to attack commercial U.S. aircraft with shoulder-fired missiles.
Now, there's been one notable attempt to down a plane using these missiles. That happened a couple years ago with terrorists tied to al Qaeda fired two missiles at an Israeli plane that was taking off from a Kenya airport. That missed. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything was normal until just a few seconds after takeoff, when we reached an altitude of about 500 feet and when we heard just not very impressive, like a bang, which at the time I thought was a strike of a small bird hitting the belly of the aircraft.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARENT: Now, not too long after that incident, homeland security officials invested some $6 million to look at plans to put anti- missile systems on American airplanes.
Now, the question here is whether or not it makes sense to install these anti-missile devices -- systems, rather -- on the nation's civilian jetliners. According to the RAND Corporation study, now is definitely not the time. The main reason they cite, the high price tag. The study found it would cost some $11 billion to install missile defense systems on the nation's 6,800 commercial airplanes and $2.1 billion per year to run it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're saying at this point is, the technology's not there. We don't know enough about the reliability. And the cost seems relatively high. Let's invest in trying to control the proliferation of those weapons, so that people are less likely to get their hands on them, and let's invest in driving down the costs of those technologies and increase the reliability with the idea that, combined, the steps that we can take now lead to increases in protection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARENT: Now, at the same time, the report found that a single successful missile attack would also have devastating costs for the nation's aviation industry. Aside from the human toll, a downed aircraft could cost up to $1 billion, $3 billion more if the nation's flight systems were shut down for a week and then another $12 billion over a few months if passengers were simply too afraid to fly.
Now, despite those costs, the study recommends the government should hold off on anti-missile defense systems until the operating and installation costs can be brought down. I spoke to the study's author a short time ago. He told me there is a very simple solution to this potential problem. You could significantly increase funding for transportation security take it up from the $4.4 billion total that the government spends right now, Betty.
NGUYEN: You said the government's going to hold off, at least that was the recommendation, until this technology is brought up to speed. So, do you how long it may take for it to be brought up to speed, so that these systems are reliable and economical?
ARENT: You know, there's no definitive time frame here. We do know that, for the main type of missile-thwarting systems that are out there, we're talking flares, laser jammers and high energy lasers, Israel is set to install one of those into their own jet aircraft in the near future.
So, some governments are already on tap to get this thing going. For now, though, in the United States, there are no immediate plans to install any of these devices and systems.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Lindsey Arent, we thank you for that report.
ARENT: Sure.
NGUYEN: And you want to stick with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about air safety and your security. Tonight, Aaron Brown will have more on the threat of shoulder-fired missiles to commercial airliners. That's at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq.
An American known to have been kidnapped in Baghdad in November has appeared in a videotaped statement pleading for his life. The man identifies himself as Roy Hallums. With an assault rifle pointed to his head, he asks Arab rulers for help in saving him from what he says will be definite death. It's not clear when the one-minute video was recorded, however.
Just days before elections, a high-ranking judge is assassinated in Baghdad. His son was also killed. A militant group has claimed responsibility on a Web site and it has warned of more attacks.
Iraqi police clashed with insurgents outside a police station in southeastern Baghdad. When it was all over, three police killed, seven wounded. Two militants died in the firefight as well. While campaigning today, Iraq's interim prime minister promised to speed up training for Iraqi security forces, so they can take over from multinational troops. However, Iyad Allawi says this is not the time to set a date for a U.S. troop withdraw.
Happening right now on Capitol Hill, the Senate debate over Condoleezza Rice, Robert Byrd still talking in the well of the Senate there in opposition, with nary a chance of blocking Rice's promotion to secretary of state, however. But those minority forces are continuing a day-long airing of Rice's first-term record and the war in Iraq. In the process, they're ticking off Senate Republicans, to say the least. That's putting it in a family way, after foiling Republican plans to approve the nominee last week, of course.
Before Byrd teed off, it was Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Dr. Rice was a key member of the national security team that developed and justified the rationale for war. And it has been a catastrophic failure, a continuing quagmire. In these circumstances, she should not be promoted to secretary of state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Now, Rice's confirmation is expected tomorrow. Also tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to meet again on President Bush's nominee for attorney general, Alberto Gonzales becoming a popular target for Democratic darts as well.
NGUYEN: News across America now.
Fighting extradition. The man charged in the kidnapping and killing of a Wal-Mart employee is refusing to go back to Texas voluntarily. Johnny Lee Williams was in court in Arizona today. He was placed under arrest there Friday, two days after he allegedly kidnapped Megan Holden from a Wal-Mart parking lot.
And check this out, a suspect shot as many as 70 times by a nonlethal pepper ball launcher during a confrontation with police in Arizona this weekend. It started with police responding to a fight. And police say the man was uncooperative. Now, he finally was arrested. And an investigation is under way.
So paper or plastic? Whatever you choose, it could soon cost you, at least in San Francisco. City environmental officials are voting today on whether to urge the city council to impose a 17 cent fee on grocery store bags. They say it's meant to discourage littering and encourage conserving. The idea is getting mixed reaction from shoppers.
O'BRIEN: All right, the nominees are still ahead on LIVE FROM. That was my best attempt at doing Oscar suspense, faux suspense. A look at the films, the directors, and stars that are in the running for Oscar and details on where you can find all kinds of Oscar-related goodies, all kinds of Oscar stuff, only a mouse click away.
Also, this ad for the Bible was banned from a leading magazine. What led to a change of heart?
But, first, a very serious story that really touched us all today, a young soldier's life taken in Iraq, her mother and father on how they're coping and the emotional return home of her unit. You'll want to see this story.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Cari Anne Gasiewicz, to her family, this young woman meant everything. To her fellow soldiers, she was one of the bravest. The young sergeant will forever be among the many who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq.
CNN's Paula Zahn has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): When Sergeant Cari Anne Gasiewicz came home in August, she had a request.
KATHLEEN GASIEWICZ, MOTHER OF CARI: Before she left, she says, mom, hold off Christmas, because, when I come home, we're going to have Christmas, one big heck of a celebration. And so, we said we would. We're going to keep up the tree and all the decorations up for her. And the family was going to get together and celebrate Christmas when she came home in January.
ZAHN: But that was not to be. Just a few weeks before she was scheduled to come home, Cari Anne was killed by an improvised explosive device, an IED.
K. GASIEWICZ: My understanding was that she had volunteered to drive one of the 2.5 tonners back from Baghdad back to Kuwait. And the first IED missed her and the second one, it blew up, killed her instantly. She could have been safe and flown home with the rest of the unit, but she chose to help volunteer and drive some of the trucks back.
ZAHN: Cari Anne Gasiewicz had a history of volunteering. She volunteered for the Army, joining the ROTC while in college, and then becoming a military intelligence agent. She volunteered to teach English to Korean children and adults, refusing to let anyone pay her for her time.
After serving two years in Korea, Cari was asked to take a language exam.
K. GASIEWICZ: And she scored extremely high. And her choices were Arabic and Russian. She wanted Russian, but the military said, well, gee, we would like you to take Arabic.
ZAHN: In January of 2004, Cari was told she would be going to Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She spoke Arabic fluently, which made her an enormous asset. She was very good.
PAUL GASIEWICZ, FATHER OF CARI: She went in and she knew what she wanted to do.
ZAHN: For her family, finding out Cari was headed to war was not good news, but it was what their daughter wanted.
K. GASIEWICZ: She says, mom, I'm ready to go. I need to go and use the language and all of the information that I have gotten from the Army, all my training, and this is what I was trained for and I need to go.
ZAHN: While working in Iraq, Cari contacted her parents several days a week.
K. GASIEWICZ: Mom, I'm OK. It's the first thing that came out. Hi, mom. I'm OK.
P. GASIEWICZ: It was nice that there was a contact a couple times a week either by e-mail or by -- especially by phone. She made it a point to contact us like Sunday mornings. She would contact us and see how we were doing and tell how she was doing. Just to hear her voice was real nice.
ZAHN: On December 4, Cari's father answered a knock on the door.
P. GASIEWICZ: I remember just saying to them, this better not be anything about my daughter. And they told me that she had died in an explosion. And I said, no. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I says, go away. I says, this can't be really happening.
ZAHN: Last month, hundreds of mourners attended Cari's funeral, honoring her compassionate spirit and her giving nature.
BARBARA FUN, AUNT OF CARI: And Sergeant Cari Anne Gasiewicz, when you do master the languages of the ages -- and I know you will -- remember to teach the rest of us.
ZAHN: A few weeks later, Cari's parents traveled to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for her unit's return, an otherwise joyous occasion marred by a single loss, the absence of Cari Anne.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sergeant Cari Gasiewicz paid the ultimate price. We honor her memory tonight.
P. GASIEWICZ: I didn't expect the whole unit to come over to us and expressing their sympathy and condolence to us. I thought it would just be watch them come and go to their families. But there was a few -- there was quite a few of them that came to us before they even went to their families to express their condolence to us. It was just -- it was unbelievable. It was more than we expected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You OK?
P. GASIEWICZ: Yes.
K. GASIEWICZ: She's always made us proud of everything she's ever done. She packed a lot into 28 years, a lot more than some people put in a lifetime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. "Rolling Stone" magazine has apparently undergone a religious conversion when it comes to advertising. Last week, the magazine banned this ad for Today's New International Version of the Bible, telling the book's publisher that the magazine does not accept religious advertising. Well, apparently, "Rolling Stone" has seen the light and will now print the ad. The magazine's parent company issued this statement, saying -- quote -- "We have addressed the internal miscommunications that led to the previous misstatement of company policy and apologize for any confusion it may have caused." Zondervan Publishers says its half-page ad for the Bible will now appear in the February 24 issue. So that has been put to rest.
Well, it is the second biggest day of the showbiz year, as nominations are announced for the 77th Academy Awards.
O'BRIEN: It is fair to say Tinseltown's in a total tizzy today, especially for those who might wind up inside one of those coveted envelopes come February 27.
CNN's Chris Wolfe lays out some of the contenders.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS WOLFE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The contenders for Hollywood's most prestigious honor, the Academy Awards, have been named. One man to watch is Jamie Foxx. He's nominated as best actor for "Ray" and best supporting actor for his role in "Collateral." Other best actor contenders include Don Cheadle for "Hotel Rwanda," Johnny Depp for "Finding Neverland," Leonardo DiCaprio for "The Aviator," and Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby."
That "Baby" also popped up in the best picture category. It's joined by "The Aviator," "Finding Neverland," "Ray" and "Sideways."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Here's to a great week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLFE: We'll have a rematch between best actresses, Annette Bening for "Being Julia" and Hilary Swank for "Million Dollar Baby." Their competition includes Kate Winslet for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Catalina Sandino Moreno for "Maria Full of Grace," and Imelda Staunton for "Vera Drake."
Best director nominees, Martin Scorsese, "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby," Taylor Hackford, "Ray," Alexander Payne for "Sideways," and Mike Leigh for "Vera Drake."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right, and if that's not enough Oscar for you, CNN.com has you covered from every possible angle.
Christina Park walks us down the virtual red carpet, where you'll find everything but the pop-up paparazzi or so we hope -- Christina.
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Miles. Come on over. You're invited to our pre-Oscar party on line at CNN.com. We're your official date to the 77th Academy Awards this year. And you don't even have to rent a tux. What do you know?
Now, to start you off right, enter our sweepstakes at CNN.com/Academy Awards. Once you're there, be sure to click on the inside the envelope feature to predict your Oscar winners. And if you've got the golden touch and they turn out to be true, you could win the grand prize. That's right, a "Cribs"-worthy 32-inch LCD high- def television, plus $1,000 cash.
Now, you can play right off our site or if you want to start an Oscar party of your own, we've pretty much done all the work for you. All you have to do is print out the ballots and tune in.
But let's face it. If the Oscars are too high-brow for you, check out our section on the Razzie Awards. We've got a gallery where you can feast your eyes on Hollywood's worse this year, including nominations for worst movie, worst actor and actress, according to Razzie.com, that is, not CNN.
Of course, we have got you covered from the Oscars to the Razzies at CNN.com/Academy Awards -- back to you, Miles.
And, by the way, I hear you've signed on to play our inside the envelope game. What a brave soul.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I have a little bit of homework to do. The only one I'm qualified to vote on now is the animated category. That shows you the movies we see in our house.
(CROSSTALK)
PARK: Pixar vs. DreamWorks, "The Incredibles."
O'BRIEN: "The Incredibles." "The Incredibles."
PARK: "Shrek 2," "Shark Tale."
O'BRIEN: Those ones with actual people, I will have to go out and watch those real quick.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: So, I'll get on it. Don't worry.
PARK: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: All right, Christina, thanks for letting me play. Appreciate it.
All right, some -- your reaction to today's nominations. In particular, we asked you about "The Passion of the Christ." Should it have been nominated for the best picture?
Theodore weighs in with this one. "'The Passion of the Christ' and 'Fahrenheit 9/11' should have both been nominated in the best picture category. They moved and challenged us. They caused a national dialogue. And regardless of our religious or political orientations, none of us left either film completely unchanged."
That's a good litmus test -- Betty.
NGUYEN: This other person writes: "I think that it is a shame that 'The Passion' did not receive a nomination. However, I don't believe the makers of the film made it to garner any sort of awards or accolades from the academy. The film is about a powerful message. And in that respect, it has won more awards in people's heart than any academy could hope to award." That comes from Tony.
And this next one, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Todd in Minneapolis offers this: "If my memory serves me correctly, 'The Passion of the Christ' was not a criminal favorite, which, like it or not, is usually a litmus test for being an Oscar contender. There were a few critics who thought it was a solid film, but most of them ignored the hyped, critiqued it, and, in the end, saw it as a biased, overly graphic, and simply not a solid film."
NGUYEN: "My vote," says Lucy in Tucson, Arizona, "would have been for 'The Passion of the Christ' for best picture. The academy got it wrong. Omissions of this sort have delegitimized the Oscar. Hollywood is totally out of touch with the American movie-going public. Only when filmmakers feel it in their wallets with they change their slant."
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Lucy.
And one final one: "'The Passion of the Christ,' no matter how popular, was not a good movie. I'm sure it was spiritually moving for a large segment of America, but that does not qualify it as a best picture candidate. My biggest fear is that this will further the disgusting and idiotic idea of Jews owning Hollywood" --- Andrew in Durham, North Carolina.
How do you really feel? Thank you for being with us, all of you. We appreciate your e-mails all day today. They were among the best we've received here. Very thoughtful.
NGUYEN: They've already sparked a lot of debate, too, a lot of people on both sides of it.
O'BRIEN: Yes. People actually taking some time. That's nice to see.
That wraps up this Tuesday edition of LIVE FROM.
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 January 25, 2005 - 14:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Checking stories "Now in the News." Having their say on Capitol Hill live pictures. That's Senator Robert Byrd, West Virginia, as he speaks in the well of the Senate. The Senate is in the middle of a nine-hour debate over Condoleezza Rice's nomination to be secretary of state. Senators standing up in support of and in some cases against her nomination. The rhetoric is awfully strong, the outcome is fairly certain however. She will be confirmed.
We'll tune in coming up this half hour.
The president is asking Congress for more money to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House says that request could come later today. Congressional aides are putting the total at $80 billion. That is on top of $25 billion Congress approved for those conflicts over the summer. Now even when you exclude the cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan the congressional budget office now predicts this year's federal budget deficit will hit $368 billion. That is $20 billion higher than the last estimate done this past fall.
Facing the music for the basket brawl at that Detroit Pistons NBA game in November. Five Indiana Pacers, four fans scheduled to appear at a pretrial hearing in suburban Detroit this afternoon. They're charged with misdemeanors. A hearing was held earlier for 37-year-old fan Brian Jackson. He's charged with a felony for allegedly throwing a chair.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour, a CNN "Security Watch." A study could ground efforts to protect commercial airliners from perhaps their biggest threat, shoulder-fired missiles.
CNN's Lindsey Arent is tracking those developments in Washington and she joins us now.
Hi, Lindsey.
LINDSEY ARENT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Betty.
Now, the RAND Corporation's 65-page study confirms what the U.S. government has known for a long time now, that terrorists like al Qaeda and others have both the motives and the equipment to attack commercial U.S. aircraft with shoulder-fired missiles.
Now, there's been one notable attempt to down a plane using these missiles. That happened a couple years ago with terrorists tied to al Qaeda fired two missiles at an Israeli plane that was taking off from a Kenya airport. That missed. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything was normal until just a few seconds after takeoff, when we reached an altitude of about 500 feet and when we heard just not very impressive, like a bang, which at the time I thought was a strike of a small bird hitting the belly of the aircraft.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARENT: Now, not too long after that incident, homeland security officials invested some $6 million to look at plans to put anti- missile systems on American airplanes.
Now, the question here is whether or not it makes sense to install these anti-missile devices -- systems, rather -- on the nation's civilian jetliners. According to the RAND Corporation study, now is definitely not the time. The main reason they cite, the high price tag. The study found it would cost some $11 billion to install missile defense systems on the nation's 6,800 commercial airplanes and $2.1 billion per year to run it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're saying at this point is, the technology's not there. We don't know enough about the reliability. And the cost seems relatively high. Let's invest in trying to control the proliferation of those weapons, so that people are less likely to get their hands on them, and let's invest in driving down the costs of those technologies and increase the reliability with the idea that, combined, the steps that we can take now lead to increases in protection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARENT: Now, at the same time, the report found that a single successful missile attack would also have devastating costs for the nation's aviation industry. Aside from the human toll, a downed aircraft could cost up to $1 billion, $3 billion more if the nation's flight systems were shut down for a week and then another $12 billion over a few months if passengers were simply too afraid to fly.
Now, despite those costs, the study recommends the government should hold off on anti-missile defense systems until the operating and installation costs can be brought down. I spoke to the study's author a short time ago. He told me there is a very simple solution to this potential problem. You could significantly increase funding for transportation security take it up from the $4.4 billion total that the government spends right now, Betty.
NGUYEN: You said the government's going to hold off, at least that was the recommendation, until this technology is brought up to speed. So, do you how long it may take for it to be brought up to speed, so that these systems are reliable and economical?
ARENT: You know, there's no definitive time frame here. We do know that, for the main type of missile-thwarting systems that are out there, we're talking flares, laser jammers and high energy lasers, Israel is set to install one of those into their own jet aircraft in the near future.
So, some governments are already on tap to get this thing going. For now, though, in the United States, there are no immediate plans to install any of these devices and systems.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Lindsey Arent, we thank you for that report.
ARENT: Sure.
NGUYEN: And you want to stick with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about air safety and your security. Tonight, Aaron Brown will have more on the threat of shoulder-fired missiles to commercial airliners. That's at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq.
An American known to have been kidnapped in Baghdad in November has appeared in a videotaped statement pleading for his life. The man identifies himself as Roy Hallums. With an assault rifle pointed to his head, he asks Arab rulers for help in saving him from what he says will be definite death. It's not clear when the one-minute video was recorded, however.
Just days before elections, a high-ranking judge is assassinated in Baghdad. His son was also killed. A militant group has claimed responsibility on a Web site and it has warned of more attacks.
Iraqi police clashed with insurgents outside a police station in southeastern Baghdad. When it was all over, three police killed, seven wounded. Two militants died in the firefight as well. While campaigning today, Iraq's interim prime minister promised to speed up training for Iraqi security forces, so they can take over from multinational troops. However, Iyad Allawi says this is not the time to set a date for a U.S. troop withdraw.
Happening right now on Capitol Hill, the Senate debate over Condoleezza Rice, Robert Byrd still talking in the well of the Senate there in opposition, with nary a chance of blocking Rice's promotion to secretary of state, however. But those minority forces are continuing a day-long airing of Rice's first-term record and the war in Iraq. In the process, they're ticking off Senate Republicans, to say the least. That's putting it in a family way, after foiling Republican plans to approve the nominee last week, of course.
Before Byrd teed off, it was Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Dr. Rice was a key member of the national security team that developed and justified the rationale for war. And it has been a catastrophic failure, a continuing quagmire. In these circumstances, she should not be promoted to secretary of state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Now, Rice's confirmation is expected tomorrow. Also tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to meet again on President Bush's nominee for attorney general, Alberto Gonzales becoming a popular target for Democratic darts as well.
NGUYEN: News across America now.
Fighting extradition. The man charged in the kidnapping and killing of a Wal-Mart employee is refusing to go back to Texas voluntarily. Johnny Lee Williams was in court in Arizona today. He was placed under arrest there Friday, two days after he allegedly kidnapped Megan Holden from a Wal-Mart parking lot.
And check this out, a suspect shot as many as 70 times by a nonlethal pepper ball launcher during a confrontation with police in Arizona this weekend. It started with police responding to a fight. And police say the man was uncooperative. Now, he finally was arrested. And an investigation is under way.
So paper or plastic? Whatever you choose, it could soon cost you, at least in San Francisco. City environmental officials are voting today on whether to urge the city council to impose a 17 cent fee on grocery store bags. They say it's meant to discourage littering and encourage conserving. The idea is getting mixed reaction from shoppers.
O'BRIEN: All right, the nominees are still ahead on LIVE FROM. That was my best attempt at doing Oscar suspense, faux suspense. A look at the films, the directors, and stars that are in the running for Oscar and details on where you can find all kinds of Oscar-related goodies, all kinds of Oscar stuff, only a mouse click away.
Also, this ad for the Bible was banned from a leading magazine. What led to a change of heart?
But, first, a very serious story that really touched us all today, a young soldier's life taken in Iraq, her mother and father on how they're coping and the emotional return home of her unit. You'll want to see this story.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER UPDATE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Cari Anne Gasiewicz, to her family, this young woman meant everything. To her fellow soldiers, she was one of the bravest. The young sergeant will forever be among the many who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq.
CNN's Paula Zahn has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): When Sergeant Cari Anne Gasiewicz came home in August, she had a request.
KATHLEEN GASIEWICZ, MOTHER OF CARI: Before she left, she says, mom, hold off Christmas, because, when I come home, we're going to have Christmas, one big heck of a celebration. And so, we said we would. We're going to keep up the tree and all the decorations up for her. And the family was going to get together and celebrate Christmas when she came home in January.
ZAHN: But that was not to be. Just a few weeks before she was scheduled to come home, Cari Anne was killed by an improvised explosive device, an IED.
K. GASIEWICZ: My understanding was that she had volunteered to drive one of the 2.5 tonners back from Baghdad back to Kuwait. And the first IED missed her and the second one, it blew up, killed her instantly. She could have been safe and flown home with the rest of the unit, but she chose to help volunteer and drive some of the trucks back.
ZAHN: Cari Anne Gasiewicz had a history of volunteering. She volunteered for the Army, joining the ROTC while in college, and then becoming a military intelligence agent. She volunteered to teach English to Korean children and adults, refusing to let anyone pay her for her time.
After serving two years in Korea, Cari was asked to take a language exam.
K. GASIEWICZ: And she scored extremely high. And her choices were Arabic and Russian. She wanted Russian, but the military said, well, gee, we would like you to take Arabic.
ZAHN: In January of 2004, Cari was told she would be going to Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She spoke Arabic fluently, which made her an enormous asset. She was very good.
PAUL GASIEWICZ, FATHER OF CARI: She went in and she knew what she wanted to do.
ZAHN: For her family, finding out Cari was headed to war was not good news, but it was what their daughter wanted.
K. GASIEWICZ: She says, mom, I'm ready to go. I need to go and use the language and all of the information that I have gotten from the Army, all my training, and this is what I was trained for and I need to go.
ZAHN: While working in Iraq, Cari contacted her parents several days a week.
K. GASIEWICZ: Mom, I'm OK. It's the first thing that came out. Hi, mom. I'm OK.
P. GASIEWICZ: It was nice that there was a contact a couple times a week either by e-mail or by -- especially by phone. She made it a point to contact us like Sunday mornings. She would contact us and see how we were doing and tell how she was doing. Just to hear her voice was real nice.
ZAHN: On December 4, Cari's father answered a knock on the door.
P. GASIEWICZ: I remember just saying to them, this better not be anything about my daughter. And they told me that she had died in an explosion. And I said, no. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I says, go away. I says, this can't be really happening.
ZAHN: Last month, hundreds of mourners attended Cari's funeral, honoring her compassionate spirit and her giving nature.
BARBARA FUN, AUNT OF CARI: And Sergeant Cari Anne Gasiewicz, when you do master the languages of the ages -- and I know you will -- remember to teach the rest of us.
ZAHN: A few weeks later, Cari's parents traveled to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for her unit's return, an otherwise joyous occasion marred by a single loss, the absence of Cari Anne.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sergeant Cari Gasiewicz paid the ultimate price. We honor her memory tonight.
P. GASIEWICZ: I didn't expect the whole unit to come over to us and expressing their sympathy and condolence to us. I thought it would just be watch them come and go to their families. But there was a few -- there was quite a few of them that came to us before they even went to their families to express their condolence to us. It was just -- it was unbelievable. It was more than we expected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You OK?
P. GASIEWICZ: Yes.
K. GASIEWICZ: She's always made us proud of everything she's ever done. She packed a lot into 28 years, a lot more than some people put in a lifetime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. "Rolling Stone" magazine has apparently undergone a religious conversion when it comes to advertising. Last week, the magazine banned this ad for Today's New International Version of the Bible, telling the book's publisher that the magazine does not accept religious advertising. Well, apparently, "Rolling Stone" has seen the light and will now print the ad. The magazine's parent company issued this statement, saying -- quote -- "We have addressed the internal miscommunications that led to the previous misstatement of company policy and apologize for any confusion it may have caused." Zondervan Publishers says its half-page ad for the Bible will now appear in the February 24 issue. So that has been put to rest.
Well, it is the second biggest day of the showbiz year, as nominations are announced for the 77th Academy Awards.
O'BRIEN: It is fair to say Tinseltown's in a total tizzy today, especially for those who might wind up inside one of those coveted envelopes come February 27.
CNN's Chris Wolfe lays out some of the contenders.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS WOLFE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The contenders for Hollywood's most prestigious honor, the Academy Awards, have been named. One man to watch is Jamie Foxx. He's nominated as best actor for "Ray" and best supporting actor for his role in "Collateral." Other best actor contenders include Don Cheadle for "Hotel Rwanda," Johnny Depp for "Finding Neverland," Leonardo DiCaprio for "The Aviator," and Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby."
That "Baby" also popped up in the best picture category. It's joined by "The Aviator," "Finding Neverland," "Ray" and "Sideways."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Here's to a great week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLFE: We'll have a rematch between best actresses, Annette Bening for "Being Julia" and Hilary Swank for "Million Dollar Baby." Their competition includes Kate Winslet for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Catalina Sandino Moreno for "Maria Full of Grace," and Imelda Staunton for "Vera Drake."
Best director nominees, Martin Scorsese, "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby," Taylor Hackford, "Ray," Alexander Payne for "Sideways," and Mike Leigh for "Vera Drake."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right, and if that's not enough Oscar for you, CNN.com has you covered from every possible angle.
Christina Park walks us down the virtual red carpet, where you'll find everything but the pop-up paparazzi or so we hope -- Christina.
CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Miles. Come on over. You're invited to our pre-Oscar party on line at CNN.com. We're your official date to the 77th Academy Awards this year. And you don't even have to rent a tux. What do you know?
Now, to start you off right, enter our sweepstakes at CNN.com/Academy Awards. Once you're there, be sure to click on the inside the envelope feature to predict your Oscar winners. And if you've got the golden touch and they turn out to be true, you could win the grand prize. That's right, a "Cribs"-worthy 32-inch LCD high- def television, plus $1,000 cash.
Now, you can play right off our site or if you want to start an Oscar party of your own, we've pretty much done all the work for you. All you have to do is print out the ballots and tune in.
But let's face it. If the Oscars are too high-brow for you, check out our section on the Razzie Awards. We've got a gallery where you can feast your eyes on Hollywood's worse this year, including nominations for worst movie, worst actor and actress, according to Razzie.com, that is, not CNN.
Of course, we have got you covered from the Oscars to the Razzies at CNN.com/Academy Awards -- back to you, Miles.
And, by the way, I hear you've signed on to play our inside the envelope game. What a brave soul.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I have a little bit of homework to do. The only one I'm qualified to vote on now is the animated category. That shows you the movies we see in our house.
(CROSSTALK)
PARK: Pixar vs. DreamWorks, "The Incredibles."
O'BRIEN: "The Incredibles." "The Incredibles."
PARK: "Shrek 2," "Shark Tale."
O'BRIEN: Those ones with actual people, I will have to go out and watch those real quick.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: So, I'll get on it. Don't worry.
PARK: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: All right, Christina, thanks for letting me play. Appreciate it.
All right, some -- your reaction to today's nominations. In particular, we asked you about "The Passion of the Christ." Should it have been nominated for the best picture?
Theodore weighs in with this one. "'The Passion of the Christ' and 'Fahrenheit 9/11' should have both been nominated in the best picture category. They moved and challenged us. They caused a national dialogue. And regardless of our religious or political orientations, none of us left either film completely unchanged."
That's a good litmus test -- Betty.
NGUYEN: This other person writes: "I think that it is a shame that 'The Passion' did not receive a nomination. However, I don't believe the makers of the film made it to garner any sort of awards or accolades from the academy. The film is about a powerful message. And in that respect, it has won more awards in people's heart than any academy could hope to award." That comes from Tony.
And this next one, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Todd in Minneapolis offers this: "If my memory serves me correctly, 'The Passion of the Christ' was not a criminal favorite, which, like it or not, is usually a litmus test for being an Oscar contender. There were a few critics who thought it was a solid film, but most of them ignored the hyped, critiqued it, and, in the end, saw it as a biased, overly graphic, and simply not a solid film."
NGUYEN: "My vote," says Lucy in Tucson, Arizona, "would have been for 'The Passion of the Christ' for best picture. The academy got it wrong. Omissions of this sort have delegitimized the Oscar. Hollywood is totally out of touch with the American movie-going public. Only when filmmakers feel it in their wallets with they change their slant."
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Lucy.
And one final one: "'The Passion of the Christ,' no matter how popular, was not a good movie. I'm sure it was spiritually moving for a large segment of America, but that does not qualify it as a best picture candidate. My biggest fear is that this will further the disgusting and idiotic idea of Jews owning Hollywood" --- Andrew in Durham, North Carolina.
How do you really feel? Thank you for being with us, all of you. We appreciate your e-mails all day today. They were among the best we've received here. Very thoughtful.
NGUYEN: They've already sparked a lot of debate, too, a lot of people on both sides of it.
O'BRIEN: Yes. People actually taking some time. That's nice to see.
That wraps up this Tuesday edition of LIVE FROM.
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