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Senator Sick; Picking a Jackson Jury; Pope Fights Flu
Aired January 31, 2005 - 14:00 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: Speech interrupted. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes ill during a public appearance within the past hour. We're live with the latest on her condition.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Votes counted in Iraq. It's the first step in a long walk toward democracy this hour. The next steps Iraqis must take to self-government.
PHILLIPS: Picking a Jackson jury. The king of pop goes to court, but a judge tells him to leave some of his entourage behind. We're live from Santa Barbara.
HARRIS: And your cab or mine? A taxi driver turns matchmaker. Find out why his love meter is always running.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Down and out, then back to work. As we've been reporting, Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York's junior senator, apparently now a victim of a stomach bug, fainted today during a lunchtime speech in Buffalo. But she's up and speaking again.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick is in New York. Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill.
Deb, first to you.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we spoke to somebody who was at that speech this morning. She is the Chamber of Commerce -- the head of it. Her name is Colleen DePierre (ph). She was there when Mrs. Clinton began giving her remarks.
And the way she tells, she said Senator Clinton told the crowd that she had some sort of stomach virus or food poisoning. She began speaking. She looked very weak.
She asked for a glass of water. Continued with her remarks. Then she asked to sit down.
And then she left the stage for a few minutes. She came back to try to finish her speech. And then we are told by this witness who was there, Senator Clinton passed out, fainted for about 30 seconds. She was immediately surrounded by Secret Service agents. We are told by several sources that Mrs. Clinton did not go to the hospital, and that no EMS ambulance was called.
Now, there were no cameras in the room at the time. This is from something earlier.
She is now planning to go on with her schedule for this afternoon. As a matter of fact, about 15 minutes ago, she began speaking at a Catholic college in Upstate New York. That speech is supposed to last about 45 minutes. We are told by sources that she plans to go through with the entire 45 minutes. She's talking about health care, in case you're interested -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Deb Feyerick, thanks so much.
Let's go to Joe Johns now on the Hill.
It doesn't surprise me, Joe, that she just keeps going.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's for sure. What we're hearing here is that a number of staffers for Senator Clinton apparently got sick as well apparently at a resort -- retreat, I should say, of some kind.
Now, we are told a lot of things that track with what you just heard, that Senator Clinton did have some type of a stomach virus, a flu virus, perhaps, and that what has happened is that she's continued with her schedule. She hopes to go ahead and do that speech. One tough lady, as you know.
President Clinton, of course, sick not too long ago. Of course, that was very, very serious. And this sounds nothing like that -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Joe Johns live from the Hill. Thank you so much -- Tony.
HARRIS: It may be the middle of next week before anyone knows who won seats in Iraq's new constitutional assembly. But officials from Baghdad to Washington are already declaring victory. That's because Iraqis by the millions defied the grimmest warnings by insurgents and a few deadly attacks to take part in yesterday's first free elections in half a century.
Turnout isn't yet clear, but officials say it was high overall, higher than expected among Sunnis who had vowed to boycott. We're just getting word from Kurds in the north, the turnout there approached 90 percent. But Iraqis abroad can top that.
Almost 94 percent of Iraqi exiles who registered to vote in 14 countries, the U.S. included, cast ballots. The number who registered, however, was barely one in four of those eligible.
So what's next? Once the new assembly gets down to work, it has until August 15 to draft a new Iraqi constitution sometime in October. The constitution goes before the people in a nationwide up or down referendum. If it's approved, another election in December for a permanent government. If not, the whole process starts again.
And now to California, where lawyers for the king of pop hope to strike the right chord with jurors. Jury selection in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial is under way inside the Santa Maria courthouse. Outside, it is a circus with hollering fans and tons of media. Our Sean Callebs is in the thick of it.
Hi, Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.
To give you an idea, more than 1,000 members of the media credential to cover this trial. It's expected to last anywhere from four to six months. And you're right, legions of fans outside the gates here, anxiously awaited this morning for Michael Jackson's arrival.
He's been in court a couple of hours now. And one frustrating thing as far as the media goes, there's very limited seating inside.
So there are pool journalists inside who will come out and brief other reporters here. No cameras in the courtroom. And those in the overflow area can't take laptop computers or Blackberries where they would be able to pass on information.
But just look at the crowd outside waiting for Michael Jackson this morning. All kinds of people waiting outside, people from France, people from as far away as Sweden. All of these people, some eerily dressed like Michael Jackson, as well, doing what they can to show support for the pop icon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I impersonate Michael overseas in the U.K. and different countries. And I'm very proud to do what I do. And I'm very proud to be a Michael Jackson fan and support him today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's as big as a musician gets, you know. I know America has this tendency to like -- like to build people up and break them down. And they can't break him down, so they're just kind of like stuck on trying to. It's not going to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: OK. As for what's going on right now, the judge in the case, Judge Rodney Melville, has a somewhat ambitious plan, trying to seat the 12 members of the jury and eight alternates. They expect to go through about 300 people a day, 150 in the morning, 150 in the evening.
And since this trial is going to last so long, those who, for hardship reasons, couldn't stay on a jury for five to six months, they will be excused. Those who aren't excused are being asked to fill out a seven-page questionnaire. Now, on Thursday and Friday, the attorneys from both sides will begin poring over the information on that questionnaire, and they will begin trying to select a jury to hear the child molestation charges against Michael Jackson. He is accused of four counts of child molestation, as well as four counts of administering an intoxicating agent. If convicted, Jackson could receive as much as 23 years in prison.
So that's the latest information from out here, Tony. Of course, we'll be continuing to update you throughout the day. We expect someone to come out within the hour and tell us what has been going on this morning, how the jury selection process has gone.
HARRIS: Sean, an impartial jury. Might we need to change the definition of "an impartial jury" in this case? Everyone knows about the charges, everybody knows Michael Jackson.
CALLEBS: I don't know about impartial, but certainly finding a jury of his peers could be somewhat of a challenge. But you're exactly right.
He's lived here in this area, Santa Barbara County, for about 10, 11 years now. A lot of people in this area know him. He has hired hundreds of people over the years at his ranch.
There were some initial concerns the defense team had about trying to find a jury in this area. They were concerned that African- Americans and Hispanics had been excluded from the grand jury process. But since that unfolded, the defense team has said they're pretty content with this area, holding the trial here.
HARRIS: Sean Callebs following the Jackson trial. Sean, thank you -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Other news "Across America" now.
Jury selection in another trial. Is an antidepressant the prescription for trouble? That's what jurors in Charleston, South Carolina, will have to decide. Lawyers for 15-year-old Christopher Pittman say the drug Zoloft made the boy hallucinate, causing him to kill his grandparents when he was 12.
The prosecution says the killings were cold and brutal murders. If convicted, Pittman could face up to 30 years in prison.
An emotional day in a Georgia courtroom. Former crematory operate Ray Brent Marsh is being sentenced today. You remember he was convicted of dumping 334 corpses and passing off dust as their remains. Relatives of the victims are having their say. The main question on their mind is why.
Remembering a native son. Folks in Nebraska say they needed one last chance to say good-bye to Johnny Carson. Residents of his hometown, Norfolk, crowded into a local high school auditorium yesterday, an auditorium that Carson paid for, to pay tribute to him. It was the only public memorial held for the late-night legend. HARRIS: And now to Vatican news overseas. More than one million Italians are suffering from the flu. Pope John Paul II is joining their ranks.
Vatican officials call his a mild case. But he's skipping some of his normal duties. The Vatican is watching him closely. So is our Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci -- Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Tony.
Well, yes, mild symptoms of flu, but important enough, if you want, to cancel all his private audiences today at the Vatican. The pope had to cancel all these meetings. And as far as the coming days, the Vatican officials are telling us that they will be decided on a day-to-day basis.
Of course the next big event for the pope is next Wednesday, when he will hold a general audience at the Vatican. And we do understand from the pope -- from the Vatican that that is still on. Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Vatican chief spokesman, told reporters this morning, however, that there is no reason for concern, that this is just a mild case of flu, as well as the pope suffering a little bit of fever.
Now, the last time we saw the pope publicly was yesterday, Sunday. Of course, at the Vatican, as he does every Sunday. He appears on his -- on the balcony of his private study. He offers a prayer to the pilgrims down below in St. Peter's Square.
Yesterday, even joking a little bit because a dove that he had released as a symbol of peace actually didn't want to fly away. The pope looked in good spirits. His voice was somewhat hoarse, but we understand that there is really no reason for concern about this medical condition of the pope.
The only, of course, problem is that the pope is a sick man. He's 84 years old. He suffers from a series of other ailments, including the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. And therefore, one really wonders whether this flue is just a mild flu or whether this is hiding something more serious.
Back to you, Tony.
HARRIS: And Alessio, we just have to wait and see, right? There's no way to know now?
VINCI: Absolutely. I think that there is no way to know.
I mean, the Vatican doesn't like to discuss the pope's health, really. We really have to wait until, I guess, Wednesday. I mean, if the pope does not appear on Wednesday for this general audience, these are the two occasions where he meets the public in a week, if you want, Wednesdays and Sundays. If he does not appear on Wednesday, then, of course, we'll be a bit more concerned on Wednesday than today.
HARRIS: OK. Alessio Vinci, our Rome bureau chief. Alessio, thank you.
PHILLIPS: The Arab television network Al Jazeera airs a new tape.
HARRIS: It's reportedly from a terror group that claims to have used missiles to shoot down a coalition plane. Is the tape for real? We'll talk about it with our military analyst ahead on LIVE FROM.
PHILLIPS: And how did the Iraq election go? Well, it depends on who you watch. We'll show you what we found in our survey of Arab media coverage.
HARRIS: And later on LIVE FROM, you might find some loose change, or a lost wallet in a taxi cab. But one New York cabby says his fares find love.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission says that vote-counting from yesterday's historic election will take -- will take about 10 days in total. Senior Baghdad correspondent Jane Arraf is watching the ballot-counting. She's near Baquba. She's on the videophone.
Jane, describe the scene for us.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Kyra, we're in this building where there's essentially an Iraqi government in the making here. The ballots from Baquba, from this major city and surrounding areas, has come here in these plastic boxes.
They're piled up. They've been streaming in for the past couple of days. And this is where election workers are gathered day and night in this freezing building actually counting the ballots, Kyra.
This was supposed to have been done in Baghdad. But because of security, because they were concerned of insurgent attacks on the highway, they are doing it here.
Now, these are election workers. One of the problems is -- has been in these elections that a lot of the workers did not show up. Here in the province of Diala (ph), perhaps one-third of them showed up at the polls. But these people showed up and stayed, despite threats from insurgents that there would be a bloodbath, anyone connected with the elections.
This is going to take a couple of days, at least, Kyra, to figure out who got all the votes in not just the national election, but the provincial one. An estimated 300,000 people voted here. Perhaps only about a third of the registered voters, but in the backdrop of ongoing violence, a considerable number -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jane, when looking at security and also monitors, with regard to security, is it as tight as it was during the voting? Also, are there any international monitors? Anybody from the U.S. that's there overlooking this process of counting the ballots? ARRAF: Regarding security, Kyra, it is quite tight, as these ballots have essentially been declared essential property. Which means that anyone connected with them will protect them with lethal force.
Now, what they've been really worried about, what they have been extensively worried about, had been attacks prior to the election, that there would be such dramatic and frequent attacks, that they would prevent voters from going to the polls. That didn't really happen.
The next concern, of course, is that something could happen to the ballots, that they could be tampered with. And you can probably get the sense around me that this is not a western-style process. There's nothing cut and dried here.
A lot of this is sort of made up as they go along. But it seems to be working. These dozens of men, dozens of elections officials in this unheated building pulling ballots out of plastic boxes and very painstakingly counting them -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Our Jane Arraf. Quite a switch from being embedded with the troops, now right there within the vote-counting process in Iraq. We'll continue to check in with her -- Tony.
HARRIS: Sharply contrasting coverage of the Iraq vote is showing up on Arab language news media. CNN's Octavia Nasr has been keeping an eye on it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): According to this Al Arabiya anchor, only one headline dominated the news today, the Iraqi elections. Al Arabiya's reflected that view with a channel airing special programs and graphics.
Under the title "Iraq Decides," anchors and guests exuded exhilaration and optimism. This guest told viewers how much he appreciates the freedom to choose. "Under Saddam," he says, "we didn't even dare whisper, lest someone hears and tells."
At the other Arabic language network, Al Jazeera, the mood was notably different. The headlines focused on violence, with details about the death toll and the aftermath of the attacks on polling stations. In reference to the blood on the ground, this report says, "This is not voting ink that you're looking at."
Al Jazeera also had special elections coverage, but focused mainly on out-of-country voting, offering this explanation every hour. "The Iraqi interim government has forbidden Al Jazeera from working in Iraq for the last six months." Arabic language newspapers also tended toward elections skepticism.
This from the London-based Arab (UNINTELLIGIBLE) newspaper: "If the occupation could, it would have overthrown the Iraqi people just as it did the government, army and security," wrote columnist Abdel Wahhab Badrajgab. "The coming period could bring the deadliest mistakes. This time at the Iraqis' own hands."
In another London-based competitor editorial, congratulations. "The Iraqi elections will serve as a lesson for neighboring countries to assume power through voting and not overthrowing."
Iraqi voters did just as asked by this public service announcement seen often on Al Arabiya. Many cast ballots despite the dangers lurking in the streets. The Arab media, positive or negative, cynical or skeptical, witnessed and recorded for history.
Octavia Nasr, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, an Iraqi athlete is one step closer to his dream of becoming his country's first competitor in the winter Olympics. Faisal Ghazi Faisal is training at Lake Placid in the sport skeleton. Over the weekend, he finished 32nd out of 37 in the America's Cup race. The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation is supporting his training.
HARRIS: A terror group claims responsibility for the crash of a British plane in Iraq and releases the tape to Al Jazeera. We'll talk about the clues on this tape with our CNN military analyst just ahead.
And mental health officials say this valentine message sends the wrong message. Find out why later on LIVE FROM.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Move over, Google. The search engine has lost its crown as the most influential brand name. I'll tell you who took the title up next on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Google has been ousted from its top spot as the most influential brand. And there's a surprise entry in the top five now.
HARRIS: How did that happen? Let's check in now with Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired January 31, 2005 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Speech interrupted. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes ill during a public appearance within the past hour. We're live with the latest on her condition.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Votes counted in Iraq. It's the first step in a long walk toward democracy this hour. The next steps Iraqis must take to self-government.
PHILLIPS: Picking a Jackson jury. The king of pop goes to court, but a judge tells him to leave some of his entourage behind. We're live from Santa Barbara.
HARRIS: And your cab or mine? A taxi driver turns matchmaker. Find out why his love meter is always running.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Down and out, then back to work. As we've been reporting, Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York's junior senator, apparently now a victim of a stomach bug, fainted today during a lunchtime speech in Buffalo. But she's up and speaking again.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick is in New York. Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill.
Deb, first to you.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we spoke to somebody who was at that speech this morning. She is the Chamber of Commerce -- the head of it. Her name is Colleen DePierre (ph). She was there when Mrs. Clinton began giving her remarks.
And the way she tells, she said Senator Clinton told the crowd that she had some sort of stomach virus or food poisoning. She began speaking. She looked very weak.
She asked for a glass of water. Continued with her remarks. Then she asked to sit down.
And then she left the stage for a few minutes. She came back to try to finish her speech. And then we are told by this witness who was there, Senator Clinton passed out, fainted for about 30 seconds. She was immediately surrounded by Secret Service agents. We are told by several sources that Mrs. Clinton did not go to the hospital, and that no EMS ambulance was called.
Now, there were no cameras in the room at the time. This is from something earlier.
She is now planning to go on with her schedule for this afternoon. As a matter of fact, about 15 minutes ago, she began speaking at a Catholic college in Upstate New York. That speech is supposed to last about 45 minutes. We are told by sources that she plans to go through with the entire 45 minutes. She's talking about health care, in case you're interested -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Deb Feyerick, thanks so much.
Let's go to Joe Johns now on the Hill.
It doesn't surprise me, Joe, that she just keeps going.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's for sure. What we're hearing here is that a number of staffers for Senator Clinton apparently got sick as well apparently at a resort -- retreat, I should say, of some kind.
Now, we are told a lot of things that track with what you just heard, that Senator Clinton did have some type of a stomach virus, a flu virus, perhaps, and that what has happened is that she's continued with her schedule. She hopes to go ahead and do that speech. One tough lady, as you know.
President Clinton, of course, sick not too long ago. Of course, that was very, very serious. And this sounds nothing like that -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Joe Johns live from the Hill. Thank you so much -- Tony.
HARRIS: It may be the middle of next week before anyone knows who won seats in Iraq's new constitutional assembly. But officials from Baghdad to Washington are already declaring victory. That's because Iraqis by the millions defied the grimmest warnings by insurgents and a few deadly attacks to take part in yesterday's first free elections in half a century.
Turnout isn't yet clear, but officials say it was high overall, higher than expected among Sunnis who had vowed to boycott. We're just getting word from Kurds in the north, the turnout there approached 90 percent. But Iraqis abroad can top that.
Almost 94 percent of Iraqi exiles who registered to vote in 14 countries, the U.S. included, cast ballots. The number who registered, however, was barely one in four of those eligible.
So what's next? Once the new assembly gets down to work, it has until August 15 to draft a new Iraqi constitution sometime in October. The constitution goes before the people in a nationwide up or down referendum. If it's approved, another election in December for a permanent government. If not, the whole process starts again.
And now to California, where lawyers for the king of pop hope to strike the right chord with jurors. Jury selection in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial is under way inside the Santa Maria courthouse. Outside, it is a circus with hollering fans and tons of media. Our Sean Callebs is in the thick of it.
Hi, Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.
To give you an idea, more than 1,000 members of the media credential to cover this trial. It's expected to last anywhere from four to six months. And you're right, legions of fans outside the gates here, anxiously awaited this morning for Michael Jackson's arrival.
He's been in court a couple of hours now. And one frustrating thing as far as the media goes, there's very limited seating inside.
So there are pool journalists inside who will come out and brief other reporters here. No cameras in the courtroom. And those in the overflow area can't take laptop computers or Blackberries where they would be able to pass on information.
But just look at the crowd outside waiting for Michael Jackson this morning. All kinds of people waiting outside, people from France, people from as far away as Sweden. All of these people, some eerily dressed like Michael Jackson, as well, doing what they can to show support for the pop icon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I impersonate Michael overseas in the U.K. and different countries. And I'm very proud to do what I do. And I'm very proud to be a Michael Jackson fan and support him today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's as big as a musician gets, you know. I know America has this tendency to like -- like to build people up and break them down. And they can't break him down, so they're just kind of like stuck on trying to. It's not going to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: OK. As for what's going on right now, the judge in the case, Judge Rodney Melville, has a somewhat ambitious plan, trying to seat the 12 members of the jury and eight alternates. They expect to go through about 300 people a day, 150 in the morning, 150 in the evening.
And since this trial is going to last so long, those who, for hardship reasons, couldn't stay on a jury for five to six months, they will be excused. Those who aren't excused are being asked to fill out a seven-page questionnaire. Now, on Thursday and Friday, the attorneys from both sides will begin poring over the information on that questionnaire, and they will begin trying to select a jury to hear the child molestation charges against Michael Jackson. He is accused of four counts of child molestation, as well as four counts of administering an intoxicating agent. If convicted, Jackson could receive as much as 23 years in prison.
So that's the latest information from out here, Tony. Of course, we'll be continuing to update you throughout the day. We expect someone to come out within the hour and tell us what has been going on this morning, how the jury selection process has gone.
HARRIS: Sean, an impartial jury. Might we need to change the definition of "an impartial jury" in this case? Everyone knows about the charges, everybody knows Michael Jackson.
CALLEBS: I don't know about impartial, but certainly finding a jury of his peers could be somewhat of a challenge. But you're exactly right.
He's lived here in this area, Santa Barbara County, for about 10, 11 years now. A lot of people in this area know him. He has hired hundreds of people over the years at his ranch.
There were some initial concerns the defense team had about trying to find a jury in this area. They were concerned that African- Americans and Hispanics had been excluded from the grand jury process. But since that unfolded, the defense team has said they're pretty content with this area, holding the trial here.
HARRIS: Sean Callebs following the Jackson trial. Sean, thank you -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Other news "Across America" now.
Jury selection in another trial. Is an antidepressant the prescription for trouble? That's what jurors in Charleston, South Carolina, will have to decide. Lawyers for 15-year-old Christopher Pittman say the drug Zoloft made the boy hallucinate, causing him to kill his grandparents when he was 12.
The prosecution says the killings were cold and brutal murders. If convicted, Pittman could face up to 30 years in prison.
An emotional day in a Georgia courtroom. Former crematory operate Ray Brent Marsh is being sentenced today. You remember he was convicted of dumping 334 corpses and passing off dust as their remains. Relatives of the victims are having their say. The main question on their mind is why.
Remembering a native son. Folks in Nebraska say they needed one last chance to say good-bye to Johnny Carson. Residents of his hometown, Norfolk, crowded into a local high school auditorium yesterday, an auditorium that Carson paid for, to pay tribute to him. It was the only public memorial held for the late-night legend. HARRIS: And now to Vatican news overseas. More than one million Italians are suffering from the flu. Pope John Paul II is joining their ranks.
Vatican officials call his a mild case. But he's skipping some of his normal duties. The Vatican is watching him closely. So is our Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci -- Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Tony.
Well, yes, mild symptoms of flu, but important enough, if you want, to cancel all his private audiences today at the Vatican. The pope had to cancel all these meetings. And as far as the coming days, the Vatican officials are telling us that they will be decided on a day-to-day basis.
Of course the next big event for the pope is next Wednesday, when he will hold a general audience at the Vatican. And we do understand from the pope -- from the Vatican that that is still on. Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Vatican chief spokesman, told reporters this morning, however, that there is no reason for concern, that this is just a mild case of flu, as well as the pope suffering a little bit of fever.
Now, the last time we saw the pope publicly was yesterday, Sunday. Of course, at the Vatican, as he does every Sunday. He appears on his -- on the balcony of his private study. He offers a prayer to the pilgrims down below in St. Peter's Square.
Yesterday, even joking a little bit because a dove that he had released as a symbol of peace actually didn't want to fly away. The pope looked in good spirits. His voice was somewhat hoarse, but we understand that there is really no reason for concern about this medical condition of the pope.
The only, of course, problem is that the pope is a sick man. He's 84 years old. He suffers from a series of other ailments, including the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. And therefore, one really wonders whether this flue is just a mild flu or whether this is hiding something more serious.
Back to you, Tony.
HARRIS: And Alessio, we just have to wait and see, right? There's no way to know now?
VINCI: Absolutely. I think that there is no way to know.
I mean, the Vatican doesn't like to discuss the pope's health, really. We really have to wait until, I guess, Wednesday. I mean, if the pope does not appear on Wednesday for this general audience, these are the two occasions where he meets the public in a week, if you want, Wednesdays and Sundays. If he does not appear on Wednesday, then, of course, we'll be a bit more concerned on Wednesday than today.
HARRIS: OK. Alessio Vinci, our Rome bureau chief. Alessio, thank you.
PHILLIPS: The Arab television network Al Jazeera airs a new tape.
HARRIS: It's reportedly from a terror group that claims to have used missiles to shoot down a coalition plane. Is the tape for real? We'll talk about it with our military analyst ahead on LIVE FROM.
PHILLIPS: And how did the Iraq election go? Well, it depends on who you watch. We'll show you what we found in our survey of Arab media coverage.
HARRIS: And later on LIVE FROM, you might find some loose change, or a lost wallet in a taxi cab. But one New York cabby says his fares find love.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission says that vote-counting from yesterday's historic election will take -- will take about 10 days in total. Senior Baghdad correspondent Jane Arraf is watching the ballot-counting. She's near Baquba. She's on the videophone.
Jane, describe the scene for us.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Kyra, we're in this building where there's essentially an Iraqi government in the making here. The ballots from Baquba, from this major city and surrounding areas, has come here in these plastic boxes.
They're piled up. They've been streaming in for the past couple of days. And this is where election workers are gathered day and night in this freezing building actually counting the ballots, Kyra.
This was supposed to have been done in Baghdad. But because of security, because they were concerned of insurgent attacks on the highway, they are doing it here.
Now, these are election workers. One of the problems is -- has been in these elections that a lot of the workers did not show up. Here in the province of Diala (ph), perhaps one-third of them showed up at the polls. But these people showed up and stayed, despite threats from insurgents that there would be a bloodbath, anyone connected with the elections.
This is going to take a couple of days, at least, Kyra, to figure out who got all the votes in not just the national election, but the provincial one. An estimated 300,000 people voted here. Perhaps only about a third of the registered voters, but in the backdrop of ongoing violence, a considerable number -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jane, when looking at security and also monitors, with regard to security, is it as tight as it was during the voting? Also, are there any international monitors? Anybody from the U.S. that's there overlooking this process of counting the ballots? ARRAF: Regarding security, Kyra, it is quite tight, as these ballots have essentially been declared essential property. Which means that anyone connected with them will protect them with lethal force.
Now, what they've been really worried about, what they have been extensively worried about, had been attacks prior to the election, that there would be such dramatic and frequent attacks, that they would prevent voters from going to the polls. That didn't really happen.
The next concern, of course, is that something could happen to the ballots, that they could be tampered with. And you can probably get the sense around me that this is not a western-style process. There's nothing cut and dried here.
A lot of this is sort of made up as they go along. But it seems to be working. These dozens of men, dozens of elections officials in this unheated building pulling ballots out of plastic boxes and very painstakingly counting them -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Our Jane Arraf. Quite a switch from being embedded with the troops, now right there within the vote-counting process in Iraq. We'll continue to check in with her -- Tony.
HARRIS: Sharply contrasting coverage of the Iraq vote is showing up on Arab language news media. CNN's Octavia Nasr has been keeping an eye on it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): According to this Al Arabiya anchor, only one headline dominated the news today, the Iraqi elections. Al Arabiya's reflected that view with a channel airing special programs and graphics.
Under the title "Iraq Decides," anchors and guests exuded exhilaration and optimism. This guest told viewers how much he appreciates the freedom to choose. "Under Saddam," he says, "we didn't even dare whisper, lest someone hears and tells."
At the other Arabic language network, Al Jazeera, the mood was notably different. The headlines focused on violence, with details about the death toll and the aftermath of the attacks on polling stations. In reference to the blood on the ground, this report says, "This is not voting ink that you're looking at."
Al Jazeera also had special elections coverage, but focused mainly on out-of-country voting, offering this explanation every hour. "The Iraqi interim government has forbidden Al Jazeera from working in Iraq for the last six months." Arabic language newspapers also tended toward elections skepticism.
This from the London-based Arab (UNINTELLIGIBLE) newspaper: "If the occupation could, it would have overthrown the Iraqi people just as it did the government, army and security," wrote columnist Abdel Wahhab Badrajgab. "The coming period could bring the deadliest mistakes. This time at the Iraqis' own hands."
In another London-based competitor editorial, congratulations. "The Iraqi elections will serve as a lesson for neighboring countries to assume power through voting and not overthrowing."
Iraqi voters did just as asked by this public service announcement seen often on Al Arabiya. Many cast ballots despite the dangers lurking in the streets. The Arab media, positive or negative, cynical or skeptical, witnessed and recorded for history.
Octavia Nasr, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, an Iraqi athlete is one step closer to his dream of becoming his country's first competitor in the winter Olympics. Faisal Ghazi Faisal is training at Lake Placid in the sport skeleton. Over the weekend, he finished 32nd out of 37 in the America's Cup race. The U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation is supporting his training.
HARRIS: A terror group claims responsibility for the crash of a British plane in Iraq and releases the tape to Al Jazeera. We'll talk about the clues on this tape with our CNN military analyst just ahead.
And mental health officials say this valentine message sends the wrong message. Find out why later on LIVE FROM.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Move over, Google. The search engine has lost its crown as the most influential brand name. I'll tell you who took the title up next on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Google has been ousted from its top spot as the most influential brand. And there's a surprise entry in the top five now.
HARRIS: How did that happen? Let's check in now with Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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