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Iranian President Calls Holocaust a Myth; Iraqi Elections Set to Begin; Deer Attacks on the Rise?; Toddler Caught in Immigration Tug-of-War
Aired December 14, 2005 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, President Bush says that the U.S. will remain in Iraq until victory is achieved, and with tomorrow's Iraqi elections just house away, the president and his critics debated the future of U.S. involvement there.
Mr. Bush completed a series of four addresses in Iraq with a speech in Washington this morning. He says tomorrow's elections will be a watershed moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iraqis still face many challenges. Including security and reconstruction and economic reform. But they're building a strong democracy that can handle these challenges, and that will be a model for the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now later a prominent critic of the Iraq war, Democratic Representative John Murtha, responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: We go to war because of our national security interests. We don't go to war to -- to start democracy in another country. We go to war for one reason. And they keep mischaracterizing why we went to war by telling a history that turns out not to be true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, during his speech today, the president conceded that his -- or that decision to go to war was based in part on faulty intelligence. He accepted the responsibility for his decision to go to war, but not the blame for the faulty intelligence.
CNN's Elaine Quijano, at the White House, sort of dissecting this part of the speech.
Can you make sense of it, Elaine?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it's interesting.
You played the John Murtha SOT there. And because of criticisms exactly as those put forth by people like Congressman Murtha, that is why we have heard the president not just today, but in previous speeches as well, try to lay out not only where things stand now in Iraq, but also going over and defending once again, if you will, some of the justifications for going to the war -- going to war in the first place.
Now, President Bush saying today here in Washington -- basically reiterating what he said before, that, at the time, the global intelligence community felt that Saddam Hussein was also a threat because of the possibility of weapons of mass destruction.
Now, obviously, those stockpiles were never found. And, today, President Bush pointedly acknowledged the intelligence failure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president, I'm responsible for the decision to go into Iraq. And I'm also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities. And we're doing just that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: And President Bush, again, also in his speech today, reiterating his belief that it would be a mistake for the United States to outline any kind of time frame for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq -- the president saying, as he has said before, that he feels to do so would send the wrong message to the Iraqi people, to the U.S. forces themselves, and to the rest of the world -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano, live from the White House -- thanks, Elaine.
Well, Iraq stands on the edge. Campaigning has stopped, and the streets are eerily quiet. Security is tighter than ever, as 15 million eligible voters prepare to cast ballots in landmark elections. They will elect 275 members to the country's first post-Saddam Hussein parliament. It's Iraq's third democratic exercise this year.
And the very important job of Election Day security tomorrow will be carried out by Iraqi forces. But all of the some 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq will be on full alert just in case. This marks a shift from the day-to-day routine for American forces in Iraq. Their mission usually is pretty straightforward. The best way to guarantee security is go out and patrol street by street, block by block. But is it working? That depends on who you ask.
Anderson Cooper reports from Baquba.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days before Thursday's parliamentary elections, Captain Patrick Moffitt (ph) and the men of 2nd Platoon Alpha Battery Task Force 110 patrol Baquba around the clock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a predominantly Sunni neighborhood right here.
COOPER: They have been in this city for 11 months now, but, every day, must constantly stay on guard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whenever you start getting to where it is routine, something will happen to remind you that you're in Iraq, and it is still a dangerous place.
COOPER: Captain Moffitt (ph) was reminded of that just two weeks ago, when a suicide bomber tried to blow him up.
(on camera): Is that the vehicle that bomb was in?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This is -- this is what is remaining of it. There wasn't much left.
COOPER: And was there a person inside?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes, there was a man inside the vehicle, one guy. I actually think that is still his sandal, some good chunks of him on the hood of our truck. And the vehicle, we saw parts of the guy on the truck.
COOPER: You actually saw parts of the guy on the -- your truck?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. His small intestines were on the hood. So...
COOPER (voice-over): He got 11 stitches, but his optimism about Baquba and the U.S. mission here wasn't damaged at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We see so much more good than you see bad. You see so much more growth than you see problems, that it helps you keep your optimism high, and it's what helps you get through going through events like that.
COOPER (voice-over): Baquba was once an unlikely place for optimism. A year ago, it was a hotbed of the insurgency. Now, however, attacks are down 30 to 40 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the -- the insurgent groups, some of the disenfranchised Shia, former Baathists have come to realize that democracy is going to happen in Iraq, and they need to vote and get on board if they're going to maintain any -- any power base.
COOPER: Moffitt (ph) credits U.S. counterinsurgency efforts and better-trained Iraqi police for many of the improvements here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Iraqi police and army are a lot more active than they were 10 or 11 months ago. Since we've been here, and what I have seen, I mean, they have still their issues and their growth. There's a lot of growth for them to do, but they have improved greatly.
COOPER (voice over): In the marketplace, however, Captain Moffitt's (ph) optimism doesn't seem to be shared by many of the Iraqis we talked to.
(on camera): Does it frustrate you that not everyone -- seems like everyone in the states sees the same signs of progress?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is very frustrating.
On the news back home, it is always going to be the exciting story, the attack or the bombing. There's not going to be any stories in the news about soldiers and policemen going to school and giving kids new pens and new schoolbooks and things like that, those kind of operations that we do on a daily basis. We do more of that than we do have IEDs hit us. So -- and that's a part that we -- we see that nobody else really gets to.
COOPER (voice over): In this predominantly Sunni marketplace, however, Captain Moffitt's (ph) optimism doesn't seem to be shared by many of the Iraqis we talked to.
There's no security, this man says, especially in this area, because the Americans are here and it's an occupation.
(on camera): Do you plan to vote on Thursday? Do elections matter?
(voice over): When I asked the crowd if they plan to vote, nearly everyone said no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're part of something way bigger than ourselves. We're affecting change in a whole -- whole nation, as opposed to anything we could do in the United States. We only affect our little piece (INAUDIBLE) But it's a -- we have affected this whole -- all of Baquba is a different place because we've been here, which is an amazing experience.
And it's also an amazing responsibility to know that you're -- what you do is going to set this country up for success or failure.
COOPER (on camera): You're proud of what you've done?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, very, proud of what these men have done, not as much what I have done.
COOPER (voice over): Captain Moffitt (ph) and his men will return home in one month, his unit replaced by another contingent of U.S. troops. For all the talk of progress and the possibilities of withdrawal, none of the Americans we talked in Baquba think U.S. forces can leave for good any time soon.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, Baquba, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: We are going to continue following the international news in just a minute, but, first, to Fredricka Whitfield in the newsroom with a developing story -- Fred. FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he said he may be testing the waters. Well, might this be a prelude that Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney just might throw his hat into the ring for the presidential race of 2008?
The Associated Press is announcing, a significant decision is being made by the governor.
Let's bring in our Boston bureau chief, Dan Lothian.
Dan, what's the word?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, you mentioned, the AP has come out and mentioned that the governor will not be seeking reelection in 2006.
We have put in a number of calls to his office, and still waiting for independent confirmation of that. Of course, this will, as you mentioned, fuel the -- the speculation that he will run for president in 2008. He has, as you said, publicly come out and said that he's testing the waters, but has not really gone beyond that.
But what has been interesting over the past year or so is that he has been traveling in some of these -- some of the key early voting states. We have seen him in New Hampshire. We have seen him in Iowa. So, certainly, he has been walking around and acting like he is running in 2008. But this is certainly significant and certainly would point in that direction, if the, indeed, as the AP is reporting, he will not be seeking reelection.
The only sort of independent confirmation that anything is going on, earlier, about a half-hour or so, I did get an alert from his office mentioning that he will be holding a press conference at 6:00 Eastern time, where he will be discussing his future plans, in terms of seeking reelection.
So, we expect to hear from the governor later this evening -- but, for right now, no independent confirmation, but the AP reporting that he will not be seeking reelection for governor in 2006 -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Dan, in addition to the fact that we have seen the governor in a number of those key election states, presidential election states, we know that he has also been quoted as saying, just as early as last October, that he's a red speck in a blue state.
So, you have to wonder what his constituents will think if, indeed, he is going to make that announcement tonight during that press conference, that he will not seek reelection.
LOTHIAN: Well, that's true.
And -- and, also, one of the things that we have seen is, in terms of positioning himself, coming out on various issues, trying to sort of distance himself from the liberal political culture in Massachusetts, that's certainly something that we have seen. So, that's -- a lot of people have pointed to that as sort of a sign that he has been preparing himself, a little bit more than perhaps testing the waters, for the 2008 campaign.
But, certainly, if, indeed, he, as the AP is reporting, will be stepping down, or deciding not to run for reelection in 2006, that's a significant step and would open the door for him to run in 2008.
PHILLIPS: All right, Boston bureau chief Dan Lothian, thanks so much -- Associated Press being attributed as breaking this news.
And now CNN is confirming that, indeed, Mitt Romney, during a press conference tonight, will, apparently, make it official that he will not be running for reelection for governor -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Fredricka Whitfield, thanks so much.
Well, the international community is still digesting comments made today by the president of Iran. And if there was any lingering doubt about that country's stance toward Israel, well, that's been erased. There's a lot of outrage now.
CNN's Asieh Namdar is with me with more on this.
One of the most popular clicked-on stories on CNN.com today -- let's talk about what he said. We still can't believe he said it.
(LAUGHTER)
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you may remember a couple of weeks ago, in October, actually, he said Israel should be wiped off the face of the map.
Last week, he made another comment, that -- sort of questioning the Nazi atrocities. And, today, he said he believes that the Holocaust is a myth. He made a speech in southern Iran, in the city of Zahedan, to some supporters. And he went along and said, yes, that he believes the Holocaust is a myth.
And, in fact, we have sound of him saying that, addressing the people. Let's listen to him. And we also have reaction from E.U. right after this.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If you are telling the truth that, during World War II, you killed six million Jews, if you are telling the truth that you burned six million Jews in the gas chambers, then, apparently, you are telling the truth, and you insist on this claim, and, whoever disagrees you arrest them; you convict them; you imprison them.
Even scholars who disagree, you charge them; you restrict them; you imprison them; you prosecutor them. Then it's obvious you are serious about this claim of yours. Our question is, if you have committed this huge crime, why should the innocent nation of Palestine pay for this crime?
JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: This shows the nature of the regime in that country. And with the great respect I have for that country, for that people, that great history of that country, I say that they do not have the president or the regime they deserve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Wow. Strong comments from Barroso.
NAMDAR: Yes, basically saying, you know, the people of Iran are the unfortunate ones. They're the one dealing with this guy.
But, when you talk to people in Iran, Kyra, there is definitely a division. If you talk to, you know, housewives, who sit at home and raise their children, and they say, you know what? We have so many problems in this country, from unemployment, high prices, the economic problem, lack of certain freedoms. We don't care what this guy says. All we want is a better life for ourselves and our family.
Then you talk to people who support him and say, why shouldn't he say stuff like that? You know, Iran has always fought for everything. Everything Israel and the U.S. do is OK. Anything that comes out of, you know, the leader of our country is not OK. But this, obviously, is very provocative. I mean, no one has ever said anything like this before.
PHILLIPS: To come and say the Holocaust is a myth...
NAMDAR: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: ... a number of people questioning, is he a loose cannon? Why is he saying this? Why now? It's getting a lot of attention. Is he just looking for attention?
What is sort of the world reaction?
NAMDAR: Well, attention -- you put it right on the dot, Kyra, attention.
This is someone -- if you and I had a conversation last year, and I said, yes, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, you would say, who the heck is that?
PHILLIPS: Right.
(LAUGHTER)
NAMDAR: I never heard of this man. OK?
(LAUGHTER) NAMDAR: So, what better way to bring attention to yourself than say outrageous things, and the world will say, oh, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran...
PHILLIPS: He said this.
NAMDAR: He said this. And people know exactly who it is. That's the number-one reason.
Number two is to sort of provoke a possible reaction from Israel. And why would he want to do that? Let's say if Israel is so fed up and they do something -- you know, we are just theorizing here, hypothesizing -- and they, you know, fire a missile in the Bushehr nuclear plant. What better way for the Iranian masses to mobilize and come behind their leader?
PHILLIPS: Interesting.
Yes, there is the whole nuclear discussion.
NAMDAR: These are total theories and speculation.
PHILLIPS: Right.
NAMDAR: Who knows what goes on his in head, you know?
PHILLIPS: Well, everybody is talking about it now.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Well, we will follow it. I know you're following it.
NAMDAR: I am.
PHILLIPS: We talk about it on a regular basis.
NAMDAR: A very interesting character.
PHILLIPS: It is.
Asieh Namdar, thank you.
NAMDAR: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, the big, beautiful, brown eyes of would-be killers -- it's a story you have all been waiting for, deer attacks. Our Rick Sanchez investigates.
LIVE FROM has all of the news you want this afternoon. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The danger of more flooding is on the minds of many people right now in Lesterville, Missouri. Part of that city has been evacuated, after this morning's breach at a hydroelectric plant reservoir. Water flooded a state park and then rushed back into the black river. A family of five had to be rescued after the waters destroyed their home.
Governor Matt Blunt says that two of those rescued are young children who suffered severe injuries, in addition to hypothermia. Officials now fear a dam on a lower reservoir might fail. The utility that owns the reservoir says there is no obvious equipment failure or evidence of foul play. People downstream from the lower reservoir are urged to flee to higher ground.
Well, the breach today of a reservoir in Missouri had us thinking about the safety of America's dams. To find a report card, we didn't have far to look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): A congressional research report on the safety of dams was released in September, after the failure of New Orleans' levees during Hurricane Katrina.
The report looked at about 80,000 public and private dams in the United States. It says more than 30 percent of those dams are at least 50 years old. That's a designed life for many of them. Almost 12,000 of the nation's dams are considered to be high hazard. That means a failure would probably result in the loss of life.
The report notes that catastrophic failures are infrequent. But there have been more than 1,000 safety indents and 125 failures involving dams since 1999. State safety officials reported in 2003 that some 320 dams in the U.S. had deficiencies that left them susceptible to failure. And fixing the problems will be expensive. A report five years ago put the cost of repairing the nation's aging dams at more than $30 billion.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, there's a reason for the expression deer in headlights.
When we think of people colliding with deer, there's usually a car in the picture and a highway at dusk. But that's not the only deadly scenario. In this age of suburban sprawl, we may often forget deer are wild animals. And this time of year is especially dangerous.
Here's CNN's Rick Sanchez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From a distance, they look gentle, if not timid. But, increasingly, across the country -- and this might surprise you -- there are reports of deer attacking people.
ARNOLD BLOOM, ATTACKED BY DEER: It started over here, yes. SANCHEZ: Listen to what happened to Arnie and Janine (ph) Bloom in Northern California late one evening.
(on camera): You were just trying to open this door?
BLOOM: Yeah. I was going to get in.
SANCHEZ: You were trying to get right into here?
BLOOM: Yeah.
SANCHEZ: And the deer is standing about where I am right now.
A. BLOOM: Yeah. Something like that. Right there. And that's when things all went to pieces.
SANCHEZ: What happened?
A. BLOOM: I don't know. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground.
SANCHEZ: What were you guys thinking? Have you -- had you ever come across, or...
JANINE BLOOM, HUSBAND ATTACKED: We thought, this can't be happening?
BLOOM: I was on the ground. This can't happen to me.
J. BLOOM: It was traumatic, very traumatic.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): The full-grown buck had charged Arnie. And when his wife tried to help, the animal turned on her. He gored her arm. To escape, she tried to hide in her pickup truck.
(on camera): Arnie and Janine are not the only ones. In fact, there has been a rash of attacks in their state of California this fall, people trampled, kicked or, worst of all, gored by one of these. Can you imagine the damage that something like this could do?
(voice-over): Game warden Rusty Boccaleoni responded to Arnie and Janine's (ph) call for help. When he arrived on the scene, the animal charged him, and he shot it.
RUSTY BOCCALEONI, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME: I have never seen anything this extreme in -- with my own eyes.
SANCHEZ: In another California incident, this time near San Diego, a 73-year-old man picking tomatoes in this garden was suddenly charged and then gored by a full-grown buck. He was hospitalized, received more than 200 stitches. He died two weeks later.
(on camera): This is crazy. I mean, most people would never think that a deer would be dangerous.
BOCCALEONI: Deer are dangerous. They are.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): In Illinois, last summer, Bob Caraway (ph) came upon this incredible scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a lady laying down. And a deer on the back stomping her. I don't know how many times a deer stomped her. Just so fast you couldn't hardly see its front paws stomping her.
SANCHEZ: Caraway (ph) tried to scare off the deer with a stick but then it turned on him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My knees were a-shaking.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, so, I had to go up a tree.
SANCHEZ: And near Columbus, Ohio, listen to this story from a cab driver.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just driving down did road, and this -- this old lady, she just started flagging me down. She was saying, you know, her husband was inside and there was somebody on top of him.
SANCHEZ: In fact, it wasn't somebody, but something. A huge buck was on top of her 84-year-old husband. For no reason, it had suddenly came crashing through this window. Police arrived and shot the buck. But listen to the 911 call that brought them there.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 CALLER: And the one guy is bleeding really bad.
OPERATOR: Can he get out of the house?
911 CALLER: Yes (INAUDIBLE) but the buck has got him pinned.
SANCHEZ: Turns out the victim is renowned sculptor Alfred Tibor, a Holocaust survivor who says he barely survived this.
ALFRED TIBOR, SCULPTOR ATTACKED BY DEER: He was coming right here. And, if he would touch me here, it's a second, and I will be dead.
SANCHEZ: Of course, the deaths caused when deer and cars collide are no surprise. In fact, those accidents cause more deaths than any other animal.
It happens all the time. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, on average, there are about a million-and-a-half deer-car crashes each year that kill about 200 Americans. And those numbers, just like the incidents when deer actually attack people, will continue to go up.
Why? To get the answer, we traveled to Helena, Montana to talk to game warden Dave Loewen.
(on camera): So, these deer are right smack in the middle of a city?
DAVE LOEWEN, MONTANA FISH, WILDLIFE & PARKS: They are. They are.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): And they're thriving.
LOEWEN: The more we encroach on their habitat, the more the population goes up.
SANCHEZ (on camera): In the past, hunters would be able to come here and thin the herd.
LOEWEN: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: But now they can't do that?
LOEWEN: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: So, as a result, you have more deer?
LOEWEN: Exactly.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): And more deer means more close encounters, especially in mating season, when the bucks are more territorial, if not downright aggressive.
In effect, those close encounters occur because, in part, some of these areas, deer have lost much of their natural fear of people.
(on camera): We are going to try to get up as close as we possibly can, to see just how close we can get before we spook them. We're probably 10 feet away from them. And they're listening to me. And they seem to be comfortable enough to stay there. Wildlife officials say that's a problem.
(voice-over): A problem, because the more comfortable they become with people, the greater the risk. And it's harder and harder to avoid the risk, because there are now an estimated 27 million deer living in the U.S. At the turn of the century, there was only 500,000. It adds up to a collision course moving from roads to inside cities.
Rick Sanchez, CNN, Helena, Montana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the news keeps coming. We will keep bringing it to you.
Our Ali Velshi up next with word on the dangers of your Wi-Fi holiday shopping. He's Wi-Fi-ing right now.
See you in a minute, Ali.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, at home, on the road, and in your corner coffee shop, more and more of you are using wireless devices to buy Christmas gifts online. But, as you go wireless, do you know who might be looking over your shoulder?
Ali Velshi is one person. Well, actually, he's got some tips for fending off those...
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: ... those cyber-Grinches, mobile wireless...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: I'm not looking over anybody's shoulder.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: You know, you remember, on Friday, I missed being with you on the show, because I was stuck an airport during this storm.
And I was e-mailing you from my -- from my laptop from an airport lounge at Newark Airport. Little did I know that -- you assume these things are safe. They're not necessarily safe. All that information that is stored on your computer, passwords, or financial, you know, things, bank cards, that can all be hacked from your computer, even in a place that you think is safe.
You go to one of these Internet cafes or you go to a cafe that has Internet access, those wireless access points, if you think you're going to catch up on your holiday shopping at those places, you could be in some danger -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, they're hot spots?
VELSHI: They're hot spots. Those are what -- yes, exactly. That's what -- there you go. They're -- they're called hot spots.
And what interesting is, not only is your laptop -- your laptop has to be secure. It's not just whether or not the hot spot itself is secure. You have to do some things to your -- your computer.
But there's something called access point phishing. You have heard of -- we have -- we have heard of phishing, the P-H-I-S -- you know what I'm talking about. That's when people send you e-mails claiming to be from eBay or Citibank or whatever, and they're not really from those places.
PHILLIPS: They're fake e-mails.
VELSHI: Fake e-mails.
PHILLIPS: And, then, either you get a virus or you end up getting hosed.
VELSHI: And before you fill in your information. PHILLIPS: Right. Right.
VELSHI: Well, there's something called access point phishing.
So, when you go to the -- the airport, let's say, and -- and I log in, thinking that I'm at the airport and I'm logging into their hot spot, access point phishing is when hackers work it out that you get a log-in page on your computer that you think is legitimate, and you sign on, and you start computing. And, meanwhile, it's transmitting information to hackers. So...
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Now, I -- but what about at home?
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: I mean, I'm wireless at home.
VELSHI: Yes.
PHILLIPS: So, if I'm sitting at home and I'm going on these Web sites, and I'm ordering things, and I'm putting my credit card number in there and my information, you're saying that my next-door neighbor...
VELSHI: Yes.
PHILLIPS: ... could jump in on that?
VELSHI: Not even your next-door neighbor -- these things can go up to a mile away, depending on how strong your wireless router is.
So, you have to be careful. There -- there have been all sorts of people who, just to prove the point, go stand in different places in cities and look at how many different Internet access points they can get on. So, you got to take those safety precautions at home.
And, if you are on the road, some tips for you; Use a fire wall on your computers. If you use Windows XP, there's one there, but you got to put it on.
Switch off your wireless card when you're not connected. Minimize the use of unsecure hot spots. If you don't know they're secure, don't spend your day there, necessarily.
PHILLIPS: Well, how do you know if they're secure?
VELSHI: Well, you need to do a little investigation.
PHILLIPS: Do you ask -- do you just ask them?
VELSHI: Yes, you can call them up and ask. Say look, I like using your coffee shop. Is that a secure wireless connection or -- a secure hot spot or not? If not, maybe you don't do all of your financial dealings while you're sitting there. So, you know, you've got to be safe. A lot of people are doing it. And it seems obvious to take that laptop around and work wherever you are. Be careful. It's like having money hanging out of your wallet as you walk down the street.
PHILLIPS: But you say switch off your wireless card when it's not connected. How do you do -- I mean, you just pop it out?
VELSHI: Well, you can -- you know, you get on, you get onto your little network thing and you disable -- you can actually say disable the wireless connection.
PHILLIPS: I actually didn't know I could do that.
VELSHI: You know, it's not stuff that we do, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I know, I don't pay attention to do it, I just pop the card in, I'm wireless.
VELSHI: Yes, and that's exactly the point. While you're not paying attention, someone could be claiming to be Kyra Phillips and buying gifts.
PHILLIPS: Well, it depending if they're buying good gifts, I guess I wouldn't have an issue with that, right?
VELSHI: As long as you're buying gifts for your friends.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly, and my family. All right, interesting stuff. All right, we'll see you in a little bit, about 25 minutes from now, before the closing bell, right.
VELSHI: See you shortly.
PHILLIPS: All right Ali, thanks so much.
Well the U.S. government targets an illegal immigrant in Georgia, but this case, it's not so cut and dry. We're talking about a little girl standing alone right in the middle of it. There she is. she adorable or what? Say hi, Anett. We're going to talk about her story with her dad, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well the U.S. government wants to deport Anett Maldonado Carbajal (ph). She was born in Guatemala, entered this country illegally and now she's fighting deportation.
Well, the Immigration Service is involved, the Department of Homeland Security is involved and the case is pretty special and here's why, as we look at Anett. She's only two-year-sold. She's with me right here, and her father Edgar and their attorney Robert. Good to have you with us.
ROBERT BEER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Bob, a little more casual there.
BEER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Robert is too formal.
PHILLIPS: Let's talk about -- Anett, what are you doing? Let's talk about what happened. You work here in Atlanta. You've got a successful business.
EDGAR MALDONADO: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Tell me about this tug-of-war with Anett. Why can't she stay with you?
MALDONADO: Really I don't know. They're just saying it's the law. But she came in illegally, but what I think about it is if they were going to send her out, they should have just sent her out when they got her at the border. But now she's here, and I've got insurance on her, I'm happy with her, she's learning how to speak. She's just -- I don't think she's doing anything wrong.
PHILLIPS: And let's...
MALDONADO: ... they're saying no.
PHILLIPS: Sure, of course, she just wants to be with her dad and her mom. Her mom is -- where is mom right now?
MALDONADO: Actually, her mom, they got apprehended --- they sent her back to Honduras.
PHILLIPS: So mom is back in Honduras now?
MALDONADO: Yes, ma'am.
PHILLIPS: All right, Bob, let's give a little background just so folks understand. Anett is here now, obviously with Edgar. Edgar is here legally, he's got a successful business. But what happened was mom tried to get into the country illegal with Anett, was stopped by border patrol agents right? And herein lies the problem of where it gets sticky. Tell us what happened at the border.
BEER: Well, as far as I can tell, Anett's mother was sent back because she had previously been border deported and based on the current law, which allows removal order to be reinstated, she was sent back.
But for reasons that we don't quite understand, homeland security, or specifically the border patrol, contacted Mr. Maldonado and said, come pick your daughter up. And they put her in removal proceedings, which most people still call deportation and, for lack of a better reason don't understand why.
PHILLIPS: Well, do you think that -- was everything in process legally to get your wife here, to get Anett here and then when she tried to get in illegally, it made it a little more sticky? BEER: No. Actually, we had just now applying for Mr. Maldonado to become a U.S. citizen, because he's eligible, he's a lawful, permanent resident and he's a builder up in Cobb County. Also we're applying for Anett to become legal. So a practical point, hopefully Mr. Maldonado will be a citizen in a year.
PHILLIPS: Go ahead.
BEER: And Anett, even if she goes back, she'll be back here in a year. So it's to me, what is referred to as an abuse of administrative discretion or prosecutorial discretion. The government doesn't have to prosecute any person who comes in the country illegally. Arguably, Anett did not make the decision to come in illegally. Her mother did.
PHILLIPS: Sure.
BEER: Why should Anett be punished? Doesn't the federal government have better things to do with their time?
PHILLIPS: Well, and we have a statement here about this case. John Mata is the Atlanta director for detention and removal for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said, "we do look at these types of cases with a humanitarian eye. This is not one that is just going to be handled in a routine mater."
So obviously they are taking a look at this, because it is a unique situation. She was born in Guatemala, right. But you are here working legally. So if you get your citizenship, then you can petition to get her and her wife here, legally, correct?
BEER: Well actually, he can petition now. There's a rumor or the conventional wisdom is that you have to be a U.S. citizen to petition. You can petition as a lawful permanent resident, it just takes longer.
But as a practical point, hopefully within a year, Mr. Maldonado will be a U.S. citizen. And at that point Anett will be an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen and she won't have to wait in what's called the preference category or what lots of people refer to as the quarter system, if she can come right back in.
PHILLIPS: So what's happening right now? Because obviously she's here, she's with you. What has -- what have authorities told you? That she needs to go back to mom? Have they said they're going to come take her away from you, and make sure she's deported? What have they said to you?
MALDONADO: Actually, they hadn't said...
PHILLIPS: ... hadn't reached that point?
MALDONADO: Hadn't reached that point yet, just December 13, two days ago, we went to court. They gave us one more month.
PHILLIPS: One more month to work this out? MALDONADO: To see what they can do or if they're actually going to send her out or give her...
BEER: ... voluntary departure. I mean, everybody in deportation -- I'm sorry, go ahead.
PHILLIPS: Anett, come here.
MALDONADO: They said humanitarian parole is what you called it, right?
BEER: Yes, parole.
PHILLIPS: So, and how's your wife handling this? What is she saying?
MALDONADO: Well, she's not happy, but I mean, she's -- she knows that she made a big mistake by trying to come here with her. Thank God nothing happened to her.
BEER: And more importantly, thank God nothing happened to Anett.
MALDONADO: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: And something interesting happened too, when you got to the border. The agent said something to you, didn't he?
MALDONADO: Well yes, he said...
PHILLIPS: ... he gave you some advice.
MALDONADO: He said that by me taking Anett at the border, she had a better chance of staying here with...
PHILLIPS: Wow. Than going back with mom.
MALDONADO: Than going back with mom. Because he says that she hadn't done nothing wrong.
PHILLIPS: Now, legally, does that add to the case, Bob? Does that help the case, hurt the case?
BEER: No, because immigration's taken the position that the reason Anett was given to the father was because there was not enough detention space in Texas. So they're denying everything that the officer said.
PHILLIPS: What you got? Thank you. Why, thank you. She's so much fun.
BEER: And even though we had hoped originally that Mr. Mata would use his discretion and look at this in a positive light. I just got a denial, a three-line denial from him.
And one of the reasons we got the extension until yesterday is so that I can hopefully personally go up to Washington and lobby second Secretary Chertoff in person and if necessary try to speak to -- if Secretary Chertoff says no -- the White House. This child...
PHILLIPS: So it's getting that intense. They're actually -- why, thank you. Thank you. They're actually listening to your case and saying OK, let's talk about it. They are engaging you with correspondence, or no? You're just making these pleas at this point?
BEER: Well, the only correspondence I've received back, as I said, is a very terse two-paragraph denial from Mr. Mata that said no.
PHILLIPS: And of course, we read that statement there here from...
BEER: But that statement was prior to the denial.
PHILLIPS: OK. Oh, this one...
BEER: The denial was just last week.
PHILLIPS: OK, so you're getting the denial now, I see.
BEER: We just got the denial last week.
PHILLIPS: So what's the next move? What's the next move?
BEER: The next step is Judge Howles (ph) so graciously -- who's the immigration judge -- graciously gave us an extension until January 13th and I will, in the next few days, be writing a letter and hopefully getting an appointment with Secretary Chertoff or someone in his staff.
Ideally, there are two things we're looking for. The government has the right to parole Anett in so she can adjust her status, which is the procedure for becoming a lawful, permanent resident. And then once Anett is paroled in, hopefully, we can ask the court to terminate the hearing.
We've already asked the government attorneys to administratively close the hearing because we see this -- or I see this and I've been practicing now for 16 years as...
PHILLIPS: You've never seen a case like this, have you?
BEER: This is the most flagrant abuse of...
PHILLIPS: Well, when it comes down to it...
BEER: ... prosecution. I mean, what does this child...
PHILLIPS: The law is the law. But, obviously, she's not a security threat. Poppy? That's poppy right there.
BEER: We want to just do what's right, and this is just wrong.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll follow the case, that is for sure.
Edgar, thank you for your time. MALDONADO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Anett is precious. I'm sorry we were a little distracted, but hey, it's like we're having coffee talk here at the table. But it's an interesting case. We'll follow it.
BEER: Well, thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Well, thank you very much, Bob. Thank you, Edgar.
MALDONADO: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: OK. Appreciate it. OK, we're going to say good-bye. Can you go say good-bye?
MALDONADO: Bye-bye.
PHILLIPS: Bye-bye. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, in Georgia, it appears no good deed goes unpunished. A judge in Atlanta accused of selling a subway token to stand trial on criminal charges. The man says he gave the token to a fellow passenger who was having trouble with a token machine.
Listen to this story from Jeff Dore of our CNN affiliate WSB.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the state versus Donald Pirone, your honor.
JEFF DORE, WSB REPORTER (voice-over): The state of Georgia is putting all its power into possibly punishing Donald Pirone with...
JACQUELYN ZERICK, DONALD PIRONE'S SISTER: Twelve months in jail. It's scary.
DORE: Pirone and a friend got extra MARTA tokens and a stranger who couldn't get the token machine to work asked for help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He asked if he could get our extra token we had.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And (INAUDIBLE)
DONALD PIRONE, FACING CRIMINAL CHARGES: I handed my extra token, sir, and walked away.
DORE: Then the stranger gave him the $1.75 the token was worth. And this MARTA officer handcuffed Pirone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I asked him to put his hand behind his back and explain to him that he was under arrest for solicitation of MARTA tokens.
DORE: The Fulton County Solicitor vigorously prosecuted the case, even misrepresenting testimony.
JAMIE MACK, PROSECUTOR: The officer never mentioned the word, while he was testifying, solicitation.
DORE: Judge Stephanie Davis sided with the state and ordered Pirone to go to trial. A MARTA spokesman said, simply, the law is the law. State legislators who oversee MARTA have filed legislation to change the law.
HARRY GEISINGER (R), GEORGIA HOUSE OF REP: We instruct the paragraph that would allow arrest for such silliness.
DORE: Pirone's sister is outraged.
ZERICK: I mean, what are we going to have now? A slogan that says 'tis the time to be hand handcuffed?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, an interesting side note here. The judge in the case once joined a class-action suit against MARTA, charging it failed to provide adequate services for people with disabilities.
Well, an Arkansas judge has handed down an unusual punishment to a woman who pleaded guilty in -- or to manslaughter. Tiffany Nix passed a stopped school bus and struck a 9-year-old boy, killing him this past September. After pleading guilty, the judge order the woman to serve a day in jail on the anniversary of the boy's death for the next ten years. Nix must also pay restitution, spend 10 years on probation and perform community service. The victim's parents say they are satisfied with that sentence.
Straight ahead, the reason for the season, McDonald's style. LIVE FROM has all of the news you need this afternoon. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, how about a Big Mac, large fries and a order of faith to go at a McDonald's restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina? Well, it has landed smack dab in the holiday vs. Christmas controversy.
Take a look at the sign that the restaurant put up. It says, Merry Christmas, Jesus is the reason for the season. Fast food faith comes amid a national debate over the influence of religion this time of year. Some people are lobbying for more non-specific holiday language at businesses or elsewhere. Others say religious themes are an essential part of the season right now.
Among the most popular stories this hour at CNN.com, reservoir breach washes away homes, cars. That's in southeast Missouri. We have been following that.
Four shot dead in Boston rap studio. It's the city's deadliest shooting in more than a decade.
And crocs top elephants as biggest threat to Zimbabweans. Want to know why? Well, to read more stories like these just give us a click on CNN.com.
Well, he is always popular. Everyone is always clicking on to his show. CNN's Wolf Blitzer standing by in Washington to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour.
Hey, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra. Thanks very much.
Lots of news going on. Is there a new candidate for the White House in 2008? Speculation being fueled right now by a surprise announcement. We're checking the political pulse.
Plus, on the eve of the historic election in Iraq President Bush takes responsibility for bad intelligence. How will the nation move forward from here? We're looking at all of the sides.
Also, on the attack. The president of Iran, get this, denies the Holocaust ever happened and suggests moving Israel to Alaska. The wild speech that is raising more than eyebrows.
And at 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM," rock stars sell from Bob Dylan to Paul McCartney. Are they trading in idealism for lucrative ad deals? The baby boomers grow up. That and much more in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Wolf, I just want to know if you have a few Bob Dylans tucked away in the closet?
BLITZER: I do. I do. I got almost all of them.
PHILLIPS: You do? Really? Favorite song? Do we have a favorite song?
BLITZER: Bob Dylan, all of the Bob Dylan songs I love. I grew up with Bob Dylan. He's very, very good. And, in fact, I just went to Starbucks the other day and got the new CD.
PHILLIPS: You did. Very good. I bet Bob will come on your show. I can see him in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
BLITZER: That would excellent.
PHILLIPS: Wolf Blitzer, we'll be watching at 4:00.
BLITZER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, back home and on the mend former President Gerald Ford still dealing with what a family source call a horrible cold but out of the California hospital where he spent yesterday undergoing what was described a routine medical test. A spokesperson there says that tests had been scheduled for the same time. Gerald Ford, as you know he's 92. He's the oldest living former president.
LIVE FROM wraps it up with Ali Velshi and the closing bell right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Almost closing bell time on Wall Street. CNN's Ali Velshi at the New York Stock Exchange. Roger, my director, advised me to come.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like that a lot.
PHILLIPS: Roger, so I want you to come sit next to me. We get a long very well.
VELSHI: All right. Give us a look. Come on. Give us a look, say hello. There we go, thank you.
PHILLIPS: That's Roger. And then Vicki (ph), let's not forget Vicki.
VELSHI: Hey Vicki.
PHILLIPS: My very creative ever so--you know Vicki.
VELSHI: Vicki and I chat quite a bit, yes.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you and Vicki are good friends.
VELSHI: I have asked Vicki to let me know what time I am suppose to be on your show because if I have got extra time she suggest I go for a mani and a pedi.
PHILLIPS: Does she always give you a hard wrap?
VELSHI: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
VELSHI: She does.
You know, it's not nearly going to be as interesting to tell you what I am about to tell you, but we had our end of year wrap-up update from the treasury secretary, John Snow and the labor secretary, Elaine Chao and the commerce secretary, Carlos Gutierrez. No slight to them intended. It was interesting, but, you know, not as much fun as talking to Vicki.
PHILLIPS: What did they have to say?
VELSHI: They were saying that the economy's in good shape. It's pretty much the same message we have heard from the president the last couple of times. Some emphasis on concentrating on what the successes have been in the economy in terms of creating new jobs and in terms of growth.
So they were just reminding us all that the numbers recently have been pretty strong. And the economy's not in bad shape. They delivered that to close out the year.
And one of the things that the treasury secretary pointed out was that this was a rough year. There were things that were going on this year, the hurricanes in particular, the war in Iraq that challenged the economy. And that the U.S. economy seems to have withstood that well. And we're on a good track. So that was the message that came out of Washington today.
And markets seem to be liking it. So, you know, we are yet to see. This is a work in progress obviously. We follow this very closely, and we will keep you posted as to whether the economy is taking any left turns that our viewers should know about.
PHILLIPS: Well, talking about just the economy, and we are talking about the presidents speeches, you know, talking about Iraq, talking about the economy, listening to the director of FEMA. When we start talking about all the money going into this economy, I mean, five billion dollars, absolutely incredible the amount of money going in there to help New Orleans and other Gulf residents.
VELSHI: But the good news is for those people who were displaced who had to have a place to live at least there is a little bit of a stay on their getting out of their homes.
So, you know, it continues to be a story we are going to cover. Kyra, markets are closing.
PHILLIPS: We'll see you tomorrow.
VELSHI: I will see you tomorrow. Always a pleasure. Goodbye Vicki.
Dow Jones Industrial is closing 60 points higher roughly to 10,884. The Nasdaq is almost flat just down a couple of points to 2,262. Those are initial numbers. We will let you know if anything changes.
Let's take it to Wolf in Washington.
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