Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Mayor Bloomberg Responds to New York Transit Strike; Reports of Voter Fraud Following Iraqi Elections

Aired December 20, 2005 - 14:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, New York's in the grip of a crippling transit strike right now, and it looks like the fight is heading back to court. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg getting ready to speak any moment now. We're going to take it live as soon as he step ups to the mic.
Meanwhile, our Chris Huntington is live at Penn Station, one of the many areas affected by that strike.

And you still have a couple of hours until rush hour, Chris. I can't imagine what it's going to be like.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra, of course it was a mess this morning. Midday, things have calmed down a bit, and we are bracing for the afternoon rush hour.

You mentioned Michael Bloomberg, mayor, coming up just in a few moments. We are almost certainly going to hear him talk about the penalties that he and other authorities are going to seek against the transit workers' union. They've already made it clear that they want to impose the full extent of what is called the Taylor Law, which makes it illegal for public employees to strike.

And in this instance, we have word that they are seeking penalties, at least preliminary penalties, of $25,000 per union worker for the first day. Doubling that the second day, and doubling it each day thereafter. So, really, really hefty fines on workers who on average have a base salary of about $47,000 a year, and with overtime and bonuses make around $55,000 a year.

This is a strike, as most are, all about money. And the offer from the transit authority of a 3 percent raise this year, or 4 percent next year, just not enough to get the job done.

The rhetoric, the vitriol at the last hours of negotiations just really tough. Both sides are really dug in. So we are likely to have a strike go on for at least at few more days.

The strike in 1980 lasted 11. Folks are beginning to figure out how they can beat the system, so to speak, because there are all sorts of travel restrictions. But Kyra, it's going to get uglier before it gets prettier.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Chris, just taking a look -- a look back at the other strike in 1980, 11 days -- and I don't know if we've crunched the numbers yet or not -- but do you know who, what took the biggest hit during that strike, what kind of economic impact it had?

HUNTINGTON: Well, the ultimate losers in that were the transit workers. They did not really come out of that with any great resolution on their behalf. And Mayor Ed Koch was the mayor of New York City as that time, and I heard him on a local radio station this morning saying that, gosh, you know, they didn't -- that the lessons learned from that strike don't seem to have been remembered.

So the fact is that the economic impact, as I mentioned, penalties likely to come, or certainly likely to be sought by authorities on the transit workers. That's one set of -- that's one economic impact.

The economic impact to the city as a whole, it's been estimated to be somewhere around the neighborhood of $400 million a day in lost revenues to businesses, shops, restaurants, theaters. Also lost tax revenues.

New York City has a sales tax. Big tax revenues lost there. And outlays by the city government for extra police and other services needed to sort of come up with these contingency plans to try to bridge the gap of a lost transit system.

So this is costly for everybody. It's frustrating. It hits right before Christmas and Hanukkah, and, indeed, this is -- this is a big, big headache for a city that is truly dependent on mass transit.

Mass transit here in New York City is not just some cute adornment. I don't mean to belittle what it is in other cities, but it is a vital, vital network in this city -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes, no doubt. I mean, that's how everybody gets around, for sure, Chris.

All right. We're waiting obviously for the mayor to step up to the mic and hold that news conference. Chris, I know you'll be monitoring it.

As soon as it happens, we'll take it live and we'll talk again, Chris. Thank you so much.

The strike is a serious economic blow to New York, as Chris mentioned. Experts estimate that New York will lose between $440 million and $660 million every day in lost business activity.

If people can't get around, they certainly can't spend money, right? For each day transit workers walk the picket lines, the city will lose between $8 million and $12 million in tax revenues. The strike also means overtime for the New York Police Department at a cost of about $10 million a day. And that's if they can even make it to work. It's estimated that 50 percent of all hourly employees in the city didn't.

As much as the strike is disrupting New Yorkers and costing the city millions of dollars, this isn't the Big Apple's first transit system strike. In it's 135 years of service, this is strike number three.

Here's the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The last time New York experienced a transit strike was 25 years ago, in April of 1980. Subways and buses stood still for 11 days.

During that time, about 12,000 people traveled to and from the city by private boat each day. And about 6 percent of commuters temporarily relocated to Manhattan. But the city's first transit strike occurred nearly 40 years ago in 1966. It lasted 12 days.

This walkout prompted the Taylor Law, which makes it illegal for public employees to strike.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we're expecting New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to speak out about the transit strike. We're going to bring it to you live.

The news keeps coming. We're going to keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: He was thousands of miles away, but that didn't stop Vice President Cheney from vigorously defending domestic spying. In Pakistan, where he met with Pervez Musharraf, Cheney told CNN's Dana Bash that President Bush had every right to authorize secret wiretaps in the U.S. after 9/11.

That revelation has touched off a storm of controversy, with lawmakers calling for a special investigation. Cheney insists that the wiretaps are legal and they're still working.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We made the decision that when we have somebody inside the United States who's in touch not just overseas, but who's in touch with a terrorist, or a terrorist suspect, or an al Qaeda affiliate, that, in fact, that's proper. And the president's authorized the NSA to be involved in looking at that transaction.

If we had been able to do that before 9/11, we might have been able to pick up on the two hijackers who were in San Diego, in touch overseas with al Qaeda individuals or organizations. So the activity we've undertaken is absolutely consistent with the Constitution, it's reviewed very carefully by the president every 45 days. He has to personally sign off of it. It has to be approved by the Justice Department and the attorney general. And we've briefed the Congress on it about a dozen times. So it is good, solid, sound policy. It is, I'm convinced, one of the reasons we have not been attacked for the last four years. It's absolutely the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the vice president has cut short his Mideast trip, heading home in case he has to cast a tie-breaking vote on Capitol Hill. Right now the Senate is in the midst of a heated debate on renewing controversial parts of the Patriot Act.

Summing up the year and looking ahead to the new one, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is doing both today. Our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, had a chance to speak with him. She joins us now live from Washington.

Tell us about your conversation, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I asked the secretary, Secretary Chertoff, about the specifics about the domestic wiretapping program. It scopes the criteria used to select targets. He repeatedly refused to discuss the classified program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: As I said before, I am not talking about classified programs.

MESERVE: OK. Can you talk at all about how valuable a tool it's been? It's been classified as that, but no specifics...

CHERTOFF: I will tell you this: when you talk about electronic surveillance in general, whether it's under any program or the Patriot Act, it is the critical tool in fighting terrorism. In World War II, we had radar to warn us about bombers. We don't have radar for terrorists.

The radar for terrorists is intelligence. And the best intelligence is often signals intelligence, meaning communications you intercept.

So whether it comes from, you know, any particular program, the ability to get the widest range of communications between terrorists and their allies is probably the single most important weapon we have in fighting terrorism and leads directly to our ability to disrupt terror acts.

So I will tell you without getting into this program or that program, that as a general category, in my view, you can't find a more important tool than the ability to have surveillance of terrorists communications with aiders and abettors.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MESERVE: On another topic, the secretary promised a radical overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. No details, but he says he is not going to change the agency's name, despite its having become a punch line. In fact, he said, "I don't want this to be about soapsuds. It's about substance, not sizzle" -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, the TSA this week changing regulations on what you can bring on an airplane, talking about sharp objects. Did he address this with you?

MESERVE: He did. He has said that explosives are now a greater risk than the small household objects.

He acknowledged in his speech that, yes, scissors and the like might be used in an attack against flight attendants and passengers, but he said the TSA was formed to address questions of terrorism, not non-terrorist threats aboard aircraft -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, his department's response to Katrina. There was a time he didn't want to do a lot of talking. I'm sure you asked him about this as well.

MESERVE: I did. He said he thought about it virtually every night, thought about what had happened, what might have been done better.

I asked him if he had a message for the people of the Gulf Coast, many of whom are still living lives totally disrupted. He said, "My message is, you have not been forgotten." He says, "We're still working on these problems, still hoping to come up with solutions" -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jeanne Meserve. Thanks so much.

Well, federal and state officials say that there's no specific threat and no evidence of a link to terrorism, but the theft of several hundred pounds of explosives from a New Mexico business has been rattled. They're offering $50,000 for information that would help recover the goods.

The theft, discovered Sunday night, includes high-end commercial plastic explosives, hundreds of blasting caps, detonators, and brima (ph) cord. An ATF agent says that's enough to level a building.

So far, no leads or suspects. The explosives were at a private storage site just southwest of Albuquerque.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Well, walking to work? A transit strike turns millions of New Yorkers into pedestrians. We're expecting the city's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, to speak about it live. We'll bring it to you when that happens.

The news keeps coming. We're going to keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A remarkable rescue. This Montana man's pickup truck had gone over an embankment into a freezing river in the Missoula area. Fortunately for him, a sheriff's deputy was driving by on his way home. The deputy says if he hadn't been there no one else might have seen the truck because of the steep embankment.

The truck sank, but the driver, who was ticketed for careless driving, is OK.

One holiday gift that never goes out of style, of course, a diamond. But what if that ring or necklace isn't worth quite as much as you thought?

Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange.

A little investigation on diamonds, huh, Susan?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a little disturbing, Kyra. You know that slogan, "Diamonds are forever," but not so for the careers of some workers in the diamond industry.

Four employees of the Gemological Institute of America were fired, and management was reshuffled after an internal probe. The investigation sparked by a lawsuit in which a diamond dealer accused the workers of taking bribes to inflate the quality of diamonds in grading reports.

Independent dealers and big retailers such as Tiffany and Bailey Banks & Biddle rely heavily on the institute's reports to value their merchandise. The fraud was discovered after two diamonds sold for $15 million to members of the Saudi royal family. They were found to be far less than the institute's grades suggested.

Turning to the value of Wall Street, well, stocks right now, a little change despite two positive economic reports.

Let's go to Kyra right now.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Susan. We're talking about the transit strike. The mayor is stepping up to the mics now.

Let's listen in.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK CITY: First, I want to give an update on how the city doing and share some of my thoughts on the situation. And then we will take some questions from the press.

Since early this morning, the city's mass transit system has been shut down because of the selfish and illegal strike undertaken by the TWU. The morning rush hour was unlike anything this city has experienced in 25 years. For a lot of New Yorkers, it was not an easy commute, and going home tonight won't be easy either. The good news is, New Yorkers are following the strike contingency plan we developed and put into effect early this morning. I took the same route to work this morning that a lot of New Yorkers did by crossing the Brooklyn Bridge on foot. Other people carpooled, roller-bladed and cycled to work.

The city is functioning and functioning well, considering the severe circumstances that we are in. So far, our contingency plan is working, although we may adjust elements of it as the situation dictates. In a few hours, the evening rush hour will begin, and we will do everything we can to help New Yorkers get home to their families safe and sound.

The police department moved swiftly this morning to secure transit facilities and set up HOV checkpoints. The checkpoints are serving their purpose. Car volume was higher on the East River crossings before and after the 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. period when HOV requirements were in effect.

While the HOV requirements were in effect, the average occupancy of each vehicle was more than twice the average on the bridges and across 96th Street. We have also seen an increase in pedestrians and cyclists.

The LIRR handled an additional 45,000 passengers this morning. Although the full contingency plan for the LIRR and Metro North won't be fully in effect until tomorrow morning, they are now offering shuttle service at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside.

Reports from the taxi industry indicate that there has been heavy uses of taxis and that the zone system is working well. If you want to report price gouging, call 311 and the TLC will investigate.

Our police officers are now on 12-hour tours, and Commissioner Kelly has deployed police academy recruits to traffic points. Although the FDNY hasn't seen an increase in response time, Commissioner Scoppetta has deployed extra engines and ladders in densely-populated areas and deployed 25 extra ambulance shifts citywide.

The Staten Island ferries are decreasing in ridership, although there has been heightened demand at other ferry crossings. DOT dispatched a Staten Island ferry to the Brooklyn Army terminal ferry landing to take people over to the Whitehall terminal in Lower Manhattan this morning. For the evening rush, DOT will operate a ferry from Whitehall to the Brooklyn Army terminal.

Our sanitation department has moved their Manhattan garbage pickups to earlier in the morning and later in the evening to reduce congestion during the rush hours. Alternate side of the street parking has been suspended for the duration of the strike.

Schools opened two hours later, as the plan called for this morning. Students got to school safely, and the schools are staffed with teachers and safety personnel. Student attendance was down, but from the mid to -- mid to -- 80s, to the low 60s, which, all things considered, is pretty good. Attendance at the elementary school level was excellent.

911 is getting more calls than usual, about a 15 percent increase. As always, we ask that people only use 911 in an emergency. 311 is a great source of information for people. And since midnight, 311 has received over 175,000 calls, setting a new record.

To gauge the effect on our economy, EDC and the Department of Small Business Services has been surveying the business community over the course of the day. From what we have been able to learn, the economic consequences of the strike range from severe to devastating, depending on the business. Retail, especially Lower Manhattan, has been hit the hardest. Hundreds of stores haven't been able to open, and some that did had practically no business. Along one stretch of 8th Avenue, 40 percent of the stores weren't even open.

Businesses are struggling to get their people to work. HIP told us that two-thirds of its work force could not make it in. Columbia House told us half of its work force didn't make it in. Also, we have had alarming reports in from the food service industries, where deliveries aren't being made. Our hotels are getting hit with cancellations and the airline industry is on edge.

All of this, because of an illegal strike. Let me repeat, this selfish strike is illegal. We live in a country of laws where there can be severe consequences for those who break them. Union members are no different. As we speak, the city's top lawyer is in court with the MTA, seeking to convince a Supreme Court judge to punish the TWU for being in contempt of court.

We will use every avenue available under the law to get the transit workers back to work. The TWU has violated the laws of our land by defying an order of the court, and they must be held accountable. No union gets everything they want when they negotiate a new contract.

I have butted heads with the PBA, the UFT, the UFA and the Sanitation and Correction Unions, strong unions that form the backbone of our municipal work force, keeping our streets safe and clean, putting out fires and educating our children. But for all the acrimony, they never walked out on the job, walked out on New York and hurt the people that they worked for.

Roger Toussaint and the TWU have shamefully decided that they don't care about the people they work for, and that they have no respect for the law. The leadership of the TWU has thuggishly turned their backs on New York City and disgraced the noble concept of public service.

This strike is costing us. It is costing people their jobs. It will cost billions in lost economic activity. It is robbing people of their opportunities to earn a living and provide for their families. It will hurt hard-working New Yorkers, struggling to get into the middle class and get benefits and health insurance as generous at TWU members get. It is costing students their opportunity to learn. It will make it harder for our police officers, firefighters and EMS to get where they need to go. Already today, a police officer on a strike-related assignment was seriously injured when he was hit by a car. He is currently at Booth Memorial Hospital. Roger Toussaint and the TWU need to send their members back to work and stop hurting their fellow New Yorkers. Then, and only then, they should head back to the bargaining table and negotiate a new contract, like every other union does.

New Yorkers always support the selfless, but don't have any sympathy for the selfish. In the meantime, we will carry on in the same intrepid spirit New Yorkers have shown since the early hours of the morning, and even since this city was founded. We will keep our heads high and our wits intact, as we learn to get around without our subways and buses. We know how to work together to overcome obstacles. Considering others -- others we have been through, I know we will get through this one just fine.

Now I'd be happy to take a few questions from the press. Sir?

QUESTION: Besides this police officer, are any other incidents you have seen, people who have been seriously injured or have expired or died due to traffic, whatever...

BLOOMBERG: Thank God, not so far. Let us pray that that continues. Sir?

QUESTION: Mayor, you and the governor both frequently reminded the public and the union that this strike would be illegal before it happened and that did not prevent it. At this point, would you urge Governor Pataki to personally get involved with the talks, to somehow...

BLOOMBERG: The problem is not the negotiations for a contract. The problem is, there is an illegal strike going on, and until the workers go back, I don't think anybody should be negotiating anything. You can't break the law and then use that as a negotiating tactic. The public, the city, the state and the country will not stand for that. Sir?

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) governor share your position on the non- negotiating (INAUDIBLE)?

BLOOMBERG: You'll have to go and ask Peter Calico (ph) and the governor, but when I have talked to both of them today, yesterday, I think they couldn't have been more strong in saying that the strike is illegal, intolerable, unconscionable, and it should not take place. And both said they would do everything they can to enforce the law. We'll take -- yes, Miss?

QUESTION: Two things. First, how are response times to emergencies, fire and police emergencies, going?

BLOOMBERG: I mentioned that. There's no increase in fire response times -- and police and EMS?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: EMS is about the same. BLOOMBERG: About the same.

QUESTION: And then, at what point will this start having a long- term impact on the city's economy or will it be...

BLOOMBERG: Well, it's having an effect today. If you can't get to school, you've got one day in your life that you've learned less. Stores, it's a little bit more difficult with some stores, because maybe you would buy something tomorrow if you couldn't buy it today, but a restaurant will never get back the business that it loses. So the long-term problems happen right way. Miss?

QUESTION: You mentioned that you were planning to review some aspects of the plan? Could you tell us which aspects?

BLOOMBERG: No. We're just every day as -- the extent that the strikes lasts. If we need more resources one place or another, there would be minor changes. I think what you see here is that the contingency plan we put in effect -- number one, people followed it, and number two, it seemed to work.

Keep in mind that a lot fewer people have come in to the city today, into Manhattan. And so tomorrow and the next day, you would expect the traffic to build and our contingency plan would have to take -- into account.

Also, we tend to talk about Manhattan and below 96th Street. Remember, there are five boroughs and people work in all of those boroughs. And in many of those boroughs, people depend on mass transit to get around, buses and subways. And stores there, schools there, people there are being hurt and inconvenienced. It's not just Manhattan. The reason we keep focusing on Manhattan is simply because of the concentration. Yes, Miss?

BLOOMBERG: Mayor, how -- you spoke this morning...

PHILLIPS: A very angry New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, right out of the box there just saying that this strike is a selfish and illegal strike. Talking about even though it has gone forward, that New Yorkers still followed the strike contingency plan very well. He talked about the walking and just the creative nature of how New Yorkers got around today. whether it was rollerblading, bikes or skateboards.

But then went into the point that this is a severe and devastating move that these workers have taken. Specifically, he talked economically about the city and just the large amount of stores, from food to retailers, that have had to close down. Not even been able to open up, because of this strike.

He really lashed out at the TWU, calling them thuggish, saying that thuggishly, this union has turned its backs -- turned its back, rather, on New York, and New Yorkers. And then he laid out the numbers, once again, talking about not only the experts, but the mayor coming forward and saying, look, New York is going to lose between $440 and $660 million every day in lost business activity. The people can't get around. They certainly can't spend money. And for each day the transit workers walk the picket lines, the city will lose between $8 million and $12 million in tax revenues.

The strike also means overtime for the New York Police Department at a cost of about $10 million a day. And that's if they can even make it to work. It's estimated that 50 percent of all hourly employees in the city didn't make it in. And he got very specific about those areas as well.

And then when he was asked about negotiations, he said there is no way negotiations continue when you're breaking the law. He's not going to allow anyone to get involved in negotiations. Come back to work, then you talk about negotiations. But right now, he feels the TWU is breaking the law. This is selfish and illegal strike, and it's killing the city of New York right now.

We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Iraqi police officers found themselves the target of two attacks in Baghdad today. In one attack, masked gunmen opened fire on three officers as they were leaving a cement factory. All three officers were killed. Later, a fourth policeman was killed and four people wounded during a clash in western Baghdad.

Separately, gunmen fired on three trucks carrying supplies to the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity. One bodyguard was killed. Three others were injured.

Accusations of voter fraud are resounding in Iraq right now, five days after parliamentary elections. Preliminary numbers are much different than what some observers had expected. CNN's Aneesh Raman has reaction now from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days after Iraqis in millions went to the polls, new-found unity is giving way to old divides. Demonstrators outside the headquarters of Ayad Allawi's secular Iraqi list complaining Tuesday of voter fraud, as the politicians inside detailed specifics.

IBRAHIM AL-JANABI, ALLAWI'S IRAQI NATL. LIST: Some of our representatives, they are not allowed to enter on the day of the election. They not allowed them sometimes by the police, who are fully working for another.

RAMAN: Just at few miles away, another press conference. Another critical voice, that of the Sunnis speaking as well of irregularities and warning of further alienation.

TARIQ AL-HASHIMI, IRAQI NATIONAL ACCORD FRONT: We have an agenda to be tabled by the a (INAUDIBLE) immediately or in the very near future.

RAMAN: Anger sparked by preliminary results, based on about two- thirds of the ballots released by Iraq's electoral commission showing the religious Shia alliance faring far better than many observers had anticipated, showing as well that the Sunni list and that of Ayad Allawi did far worse than either had hoped. The commission alongside the early returns, announced scores of complaints.

FARID AYAR, IRAQ'S ELECTORAL COMMISSION (through translator): We have now more than 1,000 complaints. Some of these complaints are very serious, and they are related to changing some of the figures.

RAMAN: And ongoing investigations into those complaints mean final results won't be known until next year.

(on camera): The stakes in this political fight are incredibly high. A four-year government is up for grabs, one the Iraqis hope will foster consensus, one the United States hopes will set in place a secular democracy, but one set it seems, to be led by the religious Shia alliance. Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: As we told you earlier, a victory today in federal court for evolution. A judge ruled that so-called intelligent design cannot be taught in public school science classes. And to help us sort of public opinion on this, we turn to Frank Newport, Gallup editor-in-chief.

Frank, how do Americans view the very contentious debates over teaching evolution and intelligent design?

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, bottom line, Kyra, based on our analysis of the data, Americans generally will not be sympathetic to the judge's ruling.

Now, we did ask in a CNN/"USA Today" Gallup poll earlier this year the basic question, should intelligence design, I.D., be taught in public schools? At that time, 43 to 21, two to one, Americans said yes, although notice on the right-hand side, quite a few Americans weren't familiar with the concept of intelligent design.

But those who did have an opinion strongly in favor of it. All of this is based on the following. This is probably the key graph, Kyra. This is a question about where we came from. We gave them three options, something we've been doing at Gallup for quite awhile.

Now, notice that over half, 53 percent, believe that mankind was created by God, just as it said in the Bible. That means no evolution. Given all of this, as I say, Kyra, I think most Americans would be more sympathetic to the teaching of some form of creationism or intelligent design than not.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk about President Bush. Recent weeks he's mounted an extraordinary campaign aimed at winning public support for his presidency and the war in Iraq. Any signs that it's working?

NEWPORT: Well, let's look at the data very carefully and see if we can answer the question. Clearly, the Bush administration not having a good time prior to Thanksgiving. In several different polls that we conducted at that point, his job approval rating averaged 37, 38 percent.

Now, in three polls, over 3,000 interviews we've conducted since then, he's been averaging about 42 percent including our recent CNN/"USA Today" Gallup poll just completed at 41. So the administration is up a little from this low point, however, this current 41 percent, 42 percent average is really no better than it was a little earlier this fall. So that's certainly not great ratings.

Here's some subapprovals. Economy, Iraq, foreign affairs all about the same in this 37 percent to 41 percent range, none of them showing that the president is doing significantly better than he was earlier this fall -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Taking a closer look at Iraq, any signs that American attitudes are changing on that front?

NEWPORT: Same idea. Attitudes were a little more negative a month or two ago. Let me show you our mistake question. Gallup's been asking this about wars going back to Korea, as I've told you. Fifty-four percent in October and early November said, yes, it was a mistake.

That came back down again, below 50 percent, and now it's edged back up to 52 percent. This measure moves up and down a little bit. No sign of any kind of dramatic change in the structure of these attitudes either way would be my conclusion on this question.

Does the Bush administration have a clear plan for victory? Three times we've asked this since the president's Naval Academy speech, November 30th in Annapolis, Maryland. Each time, just about four out of ten Americans say yes. That means the majority say no, still they don't believe the Bush administration has a plan for victory -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Frank Newport, thanks so much.

Checking in with the world of entertainment. What's on tap, Sibila?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, Britney Spears is suing a popular celebrity magazine. I'll tell you why and which one.

And a member of Pink Floyd is hitting the road again. All that when LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you're awake, but does Santa know the fear he sometimes strikes in the hearts of kids?

Many of you apparently do. You fulfilled our Christmas list and sent in your snapshots of kids screaming on the jolly old elf's lap! We call this one "Bookends of Boo Hoos."

While sister Cameron (ph) is loving the moment, her twin bothers, Grant and Trent, are having none of it.

And check out 10-month-old Alice posing for a pause with Mr. And Mrs. Claus. Seems a bit unsure of the situation. But then -- she totally makes up her mind about it, let's the wails fly and everybody in Birmingham probably heard that.

Here, a couple from the retro collection. Here's Little Tim back in 1978 crying his eyeballs out but still eating that candy cane. Smart kid. Tim's now 29, doesn't cry over Santa but says he does shed a tear or two over the Eagles' games.

And Jared sent this one in of his wife, Michelle, crying in Santa's clutches. Hope she doesn't kill you for this one.

And if you've got a snapshot with Santa you'd like to share, send them to us at livefrom@CNN.com. We'll be sharing the holiday tears all week.

A quick break and more LIVE FROM... right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Britney Spears talking to her lawyer. Bo Bice, talking to his doctor. Transit workers taking to the picket lines and Pink Floyd singer is talking tour.

Now talking to us, Sibila Vargas with all the scoop in New York City. You get to work OK?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I did. Thankfully, I wasn't too far away from the bureau. I planned it well.

It seems that Britney Spears is headed to court, Kyra. Spears has filed a $20 million libel lawsuit against "US WEEKLY." The pop singer says the celebrity magazine published a false story that stated that she and her husband Kevin Federline had made a sex tape and were worried about its release.

The story ran in the magazines October 17 issue. According to the suit, Spears filed a lawsuit after "US WEEKLY" refused a request for a retraction. The magazine reportedly said it stood by its story.

American Idol runner up Bo Bice is recovering at this hour. Over the weekend, Bice was rushed to a hospital in Las Vegas. The pop singer had became ill while rehearsing on stage for the Radio Music Awards on Sunday. He was rushed to the hospital in Las Vegas before being released and going back home to Nashville for treatment.

Back in August you may remember Bice underwent emergency surgery to repair a blocked intestine. Reports say this recent visit to the hospital was for complications from the surgery back in August. We certainly wish him a speedy recovery.

OK. All you Pink Floyd fans, listen up. After 20 years, the band's singer and guitarist David Gilmour is hitting the road again. This time it's solo.

Gilmour will tour North America and Europe touting his new album called "On An Island," his second solo release since 1984's "About Face." The American tour begins in April. Some of the stops include New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Kyra, I missed Pink Floyd when they played back here in 1994 and, I must admit, I have been regretting it ever since.

I might have to catch them.

PHILLIPS: You still have a few albums, cassettes, something, right?

VARGAS: Yes. Some cassettes. Let's not go back.

PHILLIPS: I'll admit to two albums. There we go. Just aged both of ourselves. Sibila, thanks.

A quick break. More "LIVE FROM..." right after this."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com