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Suicide Attackers Kill More Than 100 in Iraq; Iraq Roundtable With President Bush; Update on Ariel Sharon's Condition
Aired January 05, 2006 - 13:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, at least 130 people are dead in one of the bloodiest days of the insurgency. Suicide attackers struck police recruits in Ramadi and Shiite pilgrims in Karbala, killing more than 100 people in those two attacks combined.
And in Baghdad, five American soldiers died in a roadside bombing. It pushes the U.S. death toll to 2,187.
Iraqi leaders say that the two-day wave of bloodshed is meant to thwart recent progress toward bringing Sunni Muslims into a coalition government.
CNN's Michael Holmes has the latest now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Panic, tears and body bags. Hopes that political progress in Iraq would temper insurgent activity seemed forlorn on Thursday. More suicide bombings, more death as a spike in attacks continues following a brief lull after last month's national election.
The targets familiar: Iraqi security forces, U.S. troops and religious sites, organized focused attacks designed to fracture a nascent democracy.
The highest death toll in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Hundreds of would-be police officers lined up for screening. Officials say a suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body. At least 80 people dead, according to Iraqi hospital officials, and dozens of wounded.
Further south in Karbala, for the first time in more than a year, an attack at the site of one of Shia Islam's holiest places. Blood, chaos, body parts littering a pedestrian walkway that runs between the Imam Hussein and Imam Abba (ph) shrines. Police say a suicide bomber detonated an explosive's belt amid crowds of the faithful. At least 45 of them died; twice that number were wounded.
While the Iraqis bore the brunt of today's violence, coalition forces were targeted, too. Five U.S. soldiers on patrol were killed when their armored Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb.
Including Wednesday's bombings and killings, the death toll in little more than 24 hours, more than 175. All parts, say observers here, of trying to make the current government and the next one illegitimate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These attacks aren't necessarily coordinated. I would say there's a general strategy by a number of groups which is to inhibit the government from functioning. It's barely functioning, as it is.
HOLMES (on camera): This spike in violence comes after a largely peaceful election many Sunnis feel was less than fair, and just days before we can see provisional results of that election announced. The fear here is who wins what and, perhaps, more importantly, who loses out could lead to more bloody attacks.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The architect of U.S. policy in Vietnam would seem an unlikely guest at the Bush White House, but 89-year-old Robert McNamara was among a group of former secretaries of state and defense invited to discuss Iraq today with President Bush.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux joins us now from the White House with more.
And Suzanne, we think about Robert McNamara, the fog of war, and how that really shocked so many people that he would come forward and talk about mistakes made. So it's surprising to hear that there he is at the White House.
I'm curious to know what he said about Iraq.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it was really kind of amazing, Kyra, because you really had this gathering of incredible intellectual political firepower here at the White House in the Roosevelt Room with the president, more than a dozen or so of these former secretaries of state and defense, and really was all a part of this outreach effort that the president, trying to counter the criticism that he doesn't reach outside of the administration, to get advice and consultations when it comes to Iraq.
So President Bush invited them here to the White House to get a little bit of their thoughts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Not everybody around this table agree with my decision to go into Iraq, and I fully understand that. But these are good, solid Americans who understand that we've got to succeed now that we're there. And I'm most grateful for the suggestions that have been given, we take to heart the advice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, who was around the table, Kyra? We saw former secretaries of state: Colin Powell, Madeline Albright, Alexander Haig, of course, under President Bush's father, Alexander Haig. Former secretaries of defense William Cohen, William Perry, who was a foreign policy adviser to John Kerry, as well as you had mentioned McNamara. And, of course, all of these people speaking for some of the main themes here.
They said that no one asked for direct or immediate withdrawal of troops, but they did all make the point that they felt that the president needed to be more honest with the American people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE EAGLEBURGER, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Understand when you're in the presence of the president offense the United States, I don't care if you've been a devout Democrat for the last 100 years, you're likely to pull your punches to some degree. Now, there was some criticism, but it was -- it was basically, you haven't talked to the American people enough, and it was very mild.
I don't think the president can come out of that meeting without with any sense that there was -- there were a bunch of bureaucrats who were about to revolt. You have to understand, as well, we're all has- beens anyway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Well, Kyra, a little bit of humor, as well. But many of them came out and told us -- they also said, look, one thing that he has to do, the administration has to do a better job of saying, look, not everything is going to go perfectly. We saw that very clearly today in Iraq with the kind of carnage.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's interesting that the president's saying, I'm listening to the advice. Did you have a chance to hear from anybody else besides Eagleburger? Did anyone else come out to the mics, any interesting tidbits?
MALVEAUX: Oh, sure. We heard from a lot of people.
We heard from Alexander Haig. There are a couple of things that they were saying here.
They said you have to talk about withdrawing. This from Eagleburger, that the Osama bin Ladens of this world, of course, well, their ears will perk up when you talk about withdrawing, but you have to talk about it because it's a democracy.
We also heard from Haig, who said that this is a situation where you have to stand by the president.
But a lot of these people, you know, interestingly enough, had been actually critical of the president before. They were critical again today, but we're told that on both sides that it was constructive.
PHILLIPS: Well, and you said, too, there was a little bit of humor, too. Eagleburger saying, yes, we're a bunch of has-beens.
Did they all sit around and talk about their health?
MALVEAUX: Interesting, and coming out of this, actually, we saw Eagleburger. He got to his car, he lit up a cigarette, and he said something like, you know, I've got to get to my car because I just can't stand anymore."
And then we heard from Melvin Laird -- he's 83 years old -- who says, "I've got something better." He says, "I just got two knees." He had knee replacement. He said, "I, you know, relearned how to walk."
And he got into his limo.
So back and forth. A lot of experience here at the White House. It was a fun day.
PHILLIPS: Yes, indeed. They're aging in a very interesting way.
Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much.
MALVEAUX: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, there's a report that a former top U.S. commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, will retire from the Army. Apparently Sanchez currently commands the Army's 5th Corps in Germany. And he was in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was captured two years ago, but his reputation was tarnished by the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.
The Army's inspector general cleared Sanchez of any wrongdoing, but "The New York Times" now reports that Sanchez concluded the scandal has wiped out his hopes for future promotions, which would have to be confirmed by the Senate.
Before Iraq, Sanchez's career was a success story. He grew up in poverty in Rio Grande City, Texas, and the first member of his family to graduate from high school.
Sanchez was commissioned as second lieutenant in 1973. He rose through the ranks to become the nation's highest ranking Hispanic officer. And there's been no comment so far from Sanchez or the Pentagon on today's retirement report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SHLOMO MOR-YOSEF, HADASSAH MEDICAL CENTER: We are fighting for the life of the prime minister without any compromise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Almost 24 hours after Ariel Sharon fell victim to a major cerebral hemorrhage, his doctors warned that it could be two days more, maybe three before his true condition is known. At the moment, though, as you may have heard live in our first hour of LIVE FROM, the Israeli leader is stable and his vital signs "within normal limits." But his chances of ever resuming the life he led only yesterday seen as slim.
It's been a life renowned for its confrontations, conquests and much more recently compromise. And already his absence from the public eye is keenly felt.
CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney begins our coverage now at the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem -- Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, about an hour ago, the director of the Hadassah Medical Center here in Jerusalem spoke to the media, giving the latest assessment of Ariel Sharon's health.
He remains in a severe but stable condition. He is, as you said, under anesthesia for at least 48 hours more before doctors begin the gradual process of cautiously waking him up. It will only be then that they can make any assessment or determination about Ariel Sharon's future.
Interestingly, though, when asked a question about whether Ariel Sharon will be able to resume his duties as prime minister, the director of the hospital here, Shlomo Mor-Yosef, saying to reporters, "I must point out, regarding the future, under the current circumstances it will not be possible."
So, for the moment, a very cautious assessment about the state of Ariel Sharon's health. The 77-year-old lying in intensive care in a severe but stable condition -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK, Fionnuala. Sorry. I think I haven't been able to hear the last part of what you said.
Fionnuala Sweeney. We'll continue to check in with you, of course, from the hospital. I apologize.
I'm being told we've got some developing news in the newsroom now.
Fredricka Whitfield, what are you working on, Fred?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Jefferson, Georgia, which is just northeast of Atlanta, where we showed you within the past hour a water tower rescue where a painter who was working inside this water tank in Jefferson fell about 35 feet inside the tower, well, now the rescue workers -- you see all the activity on the top of that -- tank have managed after dropping a basket into the tank and putting him on the basket and then hoisting him up -- now you see on the top of that tank the actual basket with the man in it, as well as the other personnel, rescue workers.
The plan is, if you recall my conversation with the Jefferson police chief earlier, is they will now gently lower him to the outer rim of that tank, before then being able to bring him all the way down to the ground. And there is a helicopter that is awaiting there on the ground which will then presumably transport him to the hospital. We don't know anything about the condition of the man, only that he was doing the painting work. He was working with a partner who was then able to call for help after this one worker then plunged the 35 feet.
We don't know the extent of his injuries, either. But just looking at these pictures, obviously, serious enough where they've had to put him into this basket where his body obviously is being kept very still as they very gingerly will then begin to lower him.
And now you're seeing that process taking place. It's a remarkable event taking place, because if you recall the police chief saying, about 200 people are involved in this rescue mission.
Not only was the work that this man was doing one that had lots of potential dangers, but so does the rescue mission. There are a lot of things that could go wrong. They're working very slowly, very carefully to make sure that everything goes right from this point on -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Fredricka Whitfield continuing to follow that story for us.
Live pictures via our CNN affiliate WAGA here in Atlanta.
Thank you so much, Fred.
Now, straight ahead, we're going to be talking about medical news. The National Cancer Institute is calling it the biggest ovarian cancer treatment advance in decades. We've got the story.
LIVE FROM has all the news you need this afternoon. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A new development now in the case of enemy combatant Jose Padilla. Our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena has the details.
Kelli, what did you find out?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, government officials tell us that Jose Padilla is on board a military aircraft headed for Miami, Florida, where he is expected to make an initial appearance in court today.
Kyra, as you know, our audience if they're following this as well, yesterday the Supreme Court decided that it would grant the government's request to transfer Padilla over to U.S. Justice Department custody and out of military custody so that he can finally face charges that were put forth against him in November. Padilla's lawyers had argued that they wanted the Supreme Court to rule on the larger issue of whether his detention was ever constitutional at all before they arranged for that transfer, but the Supreme Court went -- sided with the government, at least for now, and arranged for this transfer. It's not clear, Kyra, whether he's still in military custody while he's on board the military aircraft and whether that transfer officially will take place, but the process is definitely under way.
PHILLIPS: All right, Kelli. Keep us updated, please.
ARENA: Sure will.
PHILLIPS: We're also -- thank you so much.
We're working another story, too, with Fredricka Whitfield. Once again we want to get to the newsroom.
What more do you know about this rescue taking place?
WHITFIELD: Well, Kyra, it's a remarkable sight to see these guys in action there in Jefferson, Georgia, where they have taken an injured worker who was working inside this water tank now on this basket. They are very carefully lowering on the outside ladder of the tank before they're able to eventually get him very safely, gingerly down to the ground, where they will -- where then they will airlift him to a hospital.
Jefferson Police Chief Darren Glenn is on the line with us.
And Chief, earlier you gave us an idea that this is the kind of scenario you were hoping to be played out. This really is potentially dangerous for the workers in addition to that injured worker on that basket, right?
CHIEF DARREN GLENN, JEFFERSON, GEORGIA, POLICE: They're professionals, this is what they train for. And so we'll be -- they just have to take their time. And like I told you earlier, this is something, this is an operation that just takes time. So they know exactly what they're doing.
WHITFIELD: Now, they're bringing him to this one landing on the outside of this tank. And then they'll kind of reassess. And will they be trying to take him down in some other different manner all the way down to the ground?
GLENN: The scaffolding over the side right up under the tank, they'll lower him down to that scaffold, which is about seven to eight feet down. They'll lower him from the (INAUDIBLE). They'll lower him down that scaffolding and then lower him down from there.
WHITFIELD: And what's your understanding, Chief, as to how he lost his footing or how the spill, the fall took place in the first place inside that tank?
GLENN: I really couldn't tell you. We had officers inside with him that say he just lost his footing and fell. I'm really not sure how that happened.
WHITFIELD: Now, earlier, before we took this shot as a live picture, I was able to watch the injured man on the basket. He was moving his arms. So do you know if there has been any kind of conversation, or have you learned anything about what he's been able to communicate to the rescuers?
GLENN: No, I have not. The officers did say that he was alert, conscious, and he had feeling. So it's a good sign for him. And we just hope, like I said, these guys are taking it slow. They'll be down shortly. I hope everything's fine.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we hope everything is fine, as well.
Chief Darren Glenn of Jefferson, Georgia, thank you so much.
GLENN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Fred, we'll keep track of the developing story. Amazing live pictures.
Thanks so much, Fred.
We're going to move on now to a pretty -- another pretty amazing story. We're talking about Gilda Radner, Jessica Tandy, Dinah Shore. You know, those are just a few of the thousands of people that have been claimed by ovarian cancer. It's the fourth leading cause of cancer death for women in the U.S.
Fewer than half of those who get it survive five years past initial diagnosis. But here's a new study. It's out today in the "New England Journal of Medicine," and it shows that pumping large doses of chemotherapy directly into the abdomen increased survival rates for women with advanced cases by up to 16 months.
The National Cancer Institute is now urging doctors to begin using this procedure, calling it the biggest ovarian cancer treatment advance in a decade. But there is a steep downside. Severe side- effects, including abdominal pain caused by -- or caused about six in 10 women to switch to conventional intravenous chemo.
So if you're the patient, would you sign up for this radical approach? And are those extra months worth the physical price?
Joining me to talk more about the treatment and the dilemma it poses for patients, Dr. Otis Brawley, medical oncologist at Emory University here in Atlanta. And from New York, Ellen Dominquez, who calls herself the "Ovarian Cancer Warrior Princess."
She is facing a second battle against the disease.
And I am so glad to have you both.
But Ellen, you've got to tell me how you got the warrior name.
ELLEN DOMINQUEZ, "OVARIAN CANCER WARRIOR PRINCESS": Oh, I don't believe you survive cancer. Cancer -- you can survive a snowstorm, but not cancer. Cancer you have to battle. So you're a warrior.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's unbelievable what you have been through. Just give us a little background. How did you find out about it? And what was your next step with regard to how you wanted to get it treated?
DOMINQUEZ: I discovered the tumor myself. And it took a few months to finally get into the office of a gynecologic oncologist. And after my surgery, my initial surgery, he suggested that I enroll in a clinical trial, which was, indeed, this clinical trial. And it's given me four years, four good years. So...
PHILLIPS: Wow. So are you still doing -- are you still doing the IP?
DOMINQUEZ: No. Not this round.
PHILLIPS: You're not doing it this round. OK.
DOMINQUEZ: No.
PHILLIPS: So, you started -- you started doing this new treatment. How did you find out about it? Did your doctor say, well, you know, we're experimenting with a new treatment, do you want to give it a try? Is that -- how did it happen?
DOMINQUEZ: That's exactly how it happened. He -- the gold standard at that time was six treatments of a platinum agent, and at that point they were using Taxel. And he said that there was a clinical trial that was for IV for IP and that it was very promising, and that if I wanted to, I could enroll. So I did.
PHILLIPS: All right. Now, I want to talk about why you are no longer doing that treatment. Stay with us, Ellen. I want to dock to Dr. Brawley a minute.
I guess, first of all, I want to ask you a question about -- about her treatment. When did you first find out about this? And did you start talking to your patients about this treatment?
DR. OTIS BRAWLEY, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Yes. Well, we've been trying to do intraperitoneal chemotherapy for more than 20 years. This is actually the first trial that's actually been able to do it quite successfully. And as you said, a large number of women were not able to complete the intraperitoneal therapy.
PHILLIPS: What's the advantage of this treatment? It goes directly into the abdomen. Normally, how do women get the treatment?
BRAWLEY: Yes. Usually it's given intravenously.
PHILLIPS: OK.
BRAWLEY: We're talking about two drugs in this instance, Paclitaxel, which is also called Taxel, and a drug called Cisplatin. They're given intravenously, or through the vein, through a normal IV, given once every three weeks or so, and usually given for six sessions.
In this study, they took 400 women, half of them were randomized by computer to get a combination of both the intravenous and directly into the abdomen and into the abdominal cavity. Not into the bowel, but under the skin, into the cavity of the abdomen where the bowel is. And they actually get moved around a little bit in a shake-and-bake maneuver, make sure all the chemotherapy coats the bowel, gets to all the tumor.
The theory is, maybe the chemotherapy will actually get into the tumor a little better through direct contact in the abdomen versus going through the bloodstream into the tumor.
The other half got the standard therapy that we've been doing for almost 15 years. Comparing the two groups, 200 women in each arm over time, the group that got the intraperitoneal therapy, even the group that didn't complete all the prescribed intraperitoneal therapy, they tended to do better than the folks getting only IV.
PHILLIPS: So, Ellen, why did you decide not to do then this new treatment the second time around?
DOMINQUEZ: The advice of my medical team. And I had surgical issues that I think probably made it impossible this time around.
PHILLIPS: Did you have any side-effects? Because we've talked about the down side of this treatment, as well.
DOMINQUEZ: I did have a lot of nausea, but I also noticed just between last time, which was in 2001, and this time, there's been huge advances in the treatment of nausea.
PHILLIPS: Wow. So the first time you did this treatment, you're saying you definitely believe it helped -- it helped save your life, or it helped prolong your life for sure? That's what the doctor said, it was due to this treatment?
DOMINQUEZ: It was never said why, but I'll take prolonging.
PHILLIPS: Absolutely.
Well, Otis, it says here that the Cancer Institute is making this a clinical announcement. Now, how big of a deal is a clinical announcement? Is this the type of thing that basically tells you as a doctor, you need to change your practice and you need to get on this treatment immediately and start talking to all your patients about it?
BRAWLEY: Yes. Well, as you know, I was at the Cancer Institute for almost 16 years, and during that 16 years there were perhaps four clinical announcements.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
BRAWLEY: Yes.
PHILLIPS: It's a big deal. BRAWLEY: It happens once every three or four years. This is an advancement, it's not a cure. But this definitely prolongs the life and prolongs the chance for -- or improves the chances for prolonging life for women who have ovarian cancer.
PHILLIPS: And when we talk about prolonging life, I mean, can you actually give a patient this treatment and say, OK, I think we've got at least six months, at least a year, at least two years? I mean, can you even do that, or is it sort of a step by step?
BRAWLEY: You know, it's very difficult to do that for an individual patient. And that's very unfortunate, because every patient wants to know how long they have.
Here, what you can say is, if I have 200 women, and I give intravenous Taxel and Cisplatin, the median survival, that is number 100 and number 101, are going to live for 50 months from the start of the therapy.
If I give a combination of the intravenous and the intraperitoneal chemotherapy to 200 women in the same situation, number 100 and number 101 are going to live 16 months longer.
PHILLIPS: Now, Ellen, you're not doing it this time around. So tell me what type of treatment you are taking.
DOMINQUEZ: I started out with Taxel and Carboplatinum (ph), and after having platinum for a certain number of treatments I developed an allergy to it. So now I am on a drug called Doxel (ph). And I'll be doing that for another five months.
PHILLIPS: So -- and I'm going to ask Dr. Brawley about that in a second. But just for someone that may be watching this segment, no doubt, this has got to be one of the most difficult things to ever deal with in your life. And maybe someone's at home thinking, you know, I just don't want to try another procedure, I just don't want to try any other types of drugs.
What would you say to that patient who is dealing with ovarian cancer and is hearing about this treatment today?
DOMINQUEZ: It's a personal decision, but my feeling is, having had a previous generation of women in my family succumb to the disease, if I can do something that will help future treatment be that much better, I'm going to do it.
PHILLIPS: You're quite an activist, aren't you, Ellen?
DOMINQUEZ: No, I'm not.
PHILLIPS: No? But I've been reading about you, and just things that you say and just even using the title of being a "warrior princess." I mean, you exude a strength that I think a lot of people don't have the energy or the ability to do.
I mean, you've got to give yourself a little more credit, I think.
DOMINQUEZ: Thank you. But that also comes from the strength I get from family, friend, colleagues from work, but especially a support group that I participate in online. It's a virtual support and it's through The Wellness Community.
PHILLIPS: So important.
And this is -- we actually have the Web site up right now. So folks can log on to this and they can get teamed up with support groups, Ellen, throughout the United States, state by state?
DOMINQUEZ: Throughout the United States. There's face-to-face groups in many cities throughout the country, and there's also virtual groups that meet on a weekly basis.
You log on to your computer and they're led by a qualified therapist. So, it's not just, you know, I heard that such and such drug works. These are people who are trained to help us.
PHILLIPS: And if you want to find out more about the treatment, you can call 1-800-4-CANCER. There's also a Web site that we're putting up for you that you can log on to find out more about this treatment.
And, of course, Otis Brawley, always on top of the cutting edge technology here at Emory, thank you so much, Otis.
BRAWLEY: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: I appreciate your time.
Ellen, thank you so much.
DOMINQUEZ: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: We want to get straight to the newsroom now. Fredricka Whitfield and an update now on that story we have been watching -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: So, Kyra, in the past couple of hours we've been watching the developments, the rescue efforts for a man who was painting inside a water tower in Jefferson, Georgia, and how he had fallen and rescuers were trying to get to him. Well, now you're seeing one of the final phases of the rescue operation on this scaffolding that is now being lowered on the outside of this tower.
Along with the rescue workers is the body of that injured man who is still in that basket. They're going to take him all the way down. So far, so good.
We spoke with the police chief earlier, who said that they felt like this was a successful rescue mission. And we're finding out in the very end that this is turning out to be, indeed, a successful one.
They're going to get him into the helicopter, which is a life flight helicopter that will then take him to the hospital to look over whatever kind of injuries he might have sustained -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Fred.
Thanks so much.
Straight ahead, inside the mine. Insight into what the trapped miners went through in their final hours. We've actually been able to read some of the personal letters that they left behind for their loved ones. It's definitely extremely moving. You won't want to miss it.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: On a collision course, a group of New Orleans residents resist city plans to demolish homes in the Ninth Ward. Many homes in that neighborhood were severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. City officials say about 2,500 buildings pose an imminent threat, but one city council member, who is backing the residents, argues that Mayor Ray Nagin is overstepping his powers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLIVER THOMAS, NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL: I don't understand how you take away the only thing that a person really has without their approval. I don't know what humane person would do that. I don't know what caring person would do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, a hearing is scheduled for today on the issue. It's been delayed and the city is trying to move the hearing to a federal court. Officials say that the issues raised are more appropriate for federal court, but an attorney for the resident says that's just a delaying tactic.
It was incredible to see what happened in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and apparently, seeing what happened has turned into a profit-making enterprise. A new bus tour has started in New Orleans.
The route takes passengers past some of the hardest hit parts of town. That tour includes the Superdome, convention center, and flood- damaged neighborhoods. People on the tour thought seeing the damage would help rebuilding efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes you more aware of what -- how bad it really is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really had to see it. We've seen pictures. I go on the Internet. That's where I found out about this tour and you just have to be here to see it. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Gray Line is doing something important for this -- not just people in New Orleans, but for America. Otherwise we're going to move on to other things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Critics of the tour say its exploitation. The cost is $35 for adults and $28 for kids. Yesterday's tour sold out.
A new IRS tool could help make tax time a little easier. Susan Lisovicz joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange. A lot of people are going to be happy with that story, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It's called the AMT Assistant, Kyra, as an alternative minimum tax -- dreaded words to millions of Americans. The tax agency telling people they can now go online and get help in figuring out whether they have to pay this dreaded tax.
The new AMT calculator on the IRS Web site is designed to prevent recurrence of what happened last year when millions of taxpayers were surprised and dismayed to learn that they were subject to the tax. The AMT was designed in 1969 to ensure that the wealthiest Americans couldn't avoid paying income tax by taking multiple exemptions and deductions.
But because that tax was never indexed for inflation, it affects a larger group of people with every passing year. After all, it first came into creation 37 years ago.
This year, four million taxpayers are expected to be hit with the AMT for their '05 income and unless Congress acts quick, that number could jump to 21 million next year. And it's good for the IRS too, by the way, Kyra, because it says when you make tax laws easier to understand, the compliance is that much better.
PHILLIPS: Still a lot of people breaking the law, though, that's for sure.
LISOVICZ: No question.
PHILLIPS: Yes, every tax season we hear about that. Well, retailers are reporting their crucial December sales tallies today. How does that look?
LISOVICZ: Well, it depends which sector within retail that you look at, Kyra. If you are a retailer that catered to the teen market, you had a very merry holiday. Names like Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale and American Eagle did exceptionally well. Other winners include the discount giant Target and the upscale department store Nordstrom.
But deep discounter Dollar General missed estimates and expected Wal-Mart sales were weak. The world's biggest retailer reported sales up just 2.2 percent. The company is also cutting its fourth quarter profit outlook. Wal-Mart shares are lower today, in fact, by nearly two percent and that is dragging on the DOW. Back to you, Kyra. .
PHILLIPS: Susan, thank you so much. Now we want to take you to the chief of the join -- or the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace, at the Pentagon talking with reporters. Let's listen in.
QUESTION: And could you assess what you see as the intensity of the insurgency?
GENERAL PETER PACE, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Well, especially today when there have been at least two suicide bombings of which I'm aware.
What's clear to me is that each of the elections has been a major blow to al Qaeda. In January, in October, in December, al Qaeda tried to influence the voters in each of those to not go to the polls.
And the percentage went up. In January, the percentage of people that voted was in the 50 percent mark, 50-plus. In October it was 60- plus, and in December it was 70-plus.
So, clearly, terrorists failed at each of their primary missions with regard to stopping the vote.
And I think what you're seeing now is their continuing attempt to disrupt the proper formation of the Iraqi government. And I am very confident that they'll fail at this as well, because the Iraqi people will form a government that is representative of what they want to have and it will begin functioning to the betterment of the Iraqi people.
So I see the terrorist attack as acknowledgment on the terrorists' part that this is a center of gravity and that they're losing.
QUESTION: You mentioned al Qaeda specifically when you referred to the attacks. Of course, the suicide attacks are generally thought to be not Iraqis.
But is that the primary concern you have with the insurgency is not the Iraqi side of it, the former Baathists?
PACE: There are several parts to those who are fighting against the Iraq government right now.
But I think fundamentally that those who are Iraqi citizens, as they see the results of these elections, as they see their own government providing a way ahead that all of their citizens can understand as progress for their country, that those who are fighting against the government right now who are Iraqis will more and more lay down their arms and decide to become part of the future of Iraq and not the past.
PACE: It is the foreign fighters from whom I believe most of the suicide bombers come, who are the ones who are not going to adhere to that same kind of principle because they are not Iraqi and they are there simply to try to subjugate the Iraqi people. QUESTION: If I could just go back to that first question about the intensity, whether or not they're going to be ultimately successful, do you see this kind of intensity with this level of attack, with 130 people killed in Iraq today and also a suicide bombing in Afghanistan? Do you expect that level of intensity to continue throughout the U.S. stay there, or do you see that going down over time as some of these events you're talking about occur, like Iraqis becoming more and more in line?
PACE: I don't have a clear crystal ball on that. Clearly, though, the environment inside of which they're operating right now -- as it changes, as more and more Iraqis want to have a peaceful solution to the problem, as more and more Iraqis see the benefit of their own government, they'll be fewer place from which those folks that want to attack will have refuge.
So the opportunity in the future for the folks who are against the government to hide, to store weapons and the like will go down. So I do believe that over the course of the coming year that violence will subside.
However, the enemy has a vote. and the bottom line is, is that we will assist the Iraqi government and the Iraqi armed forces to be able to have enough security so that their government can function properly and start providing the services to their people that they deserve.
QUESTION: First of all, welcome home and happy new year.
PACE: Thank you, sir.
QUESTION: With the embedding now with the U.S. -- I mean, with the Iraqi police units, what type of U.S. troops are being embedded? Are they M.P.s? Are they special forces? A mixture? And what's the ultimate goal of training the police? As SWAT teams or as cops on the beat or something in between that?
PACE: Thank you.
As you know, the current embeds are with the Iraqi armed forces, and they are able to assist them in bringing in medevac and fixed-wing attack and logistics and the like.
The commando battalions that are part of the police are the ones that we're looking to have embedded people with, not the cops on the street, but these battalions that are in fact formed for operation at the battalion level to be able to do, locally, what some of the Iraqi armed forces have been doing regionally.
So that the types of support that the police will receive will be more along the lines of what we have been providing to the Iraqi army battalions, not air strikes and the like, but the ability to call in medevacs, the ability to help train the trainers, so to speak, some of whom will be our own M.P.s, some will be gendarmerie from other countries, folks who can assist the police force in Iraq to understand how to function as a local police force, how to protect their citizens, but also to strengthen them where they initially won't have capacity so they can go out and do their job.
PHILLIPS: General Peter Pace talking about the war in Iraq right now. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs. If you want to continue watching the rest of this live news conference, you can click on to CNN.com/pipeline.
We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.
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PHILLIPS: The fight over Samuel Alito intensified today ahead of his confirmation hearing for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. In Washington, a woman's group held a press conference to air its support for Alito, but the event was interrupted by protesters chanting "Bush and Alito will outlaw abortion." The Alito hearings are to begin on Monday. Some critics have that Alito favors expanding presidential powers beyond what the founding fathers envisioned, but earlier this week Alito received the highest possible rating of the American Bar Association.
He's conquered challenges on the football field; now Hall-of- Famer Lynn Swann is ready to tackle Pennsylvania politics. The former Pittsburgh Steeler has made it official: he's running for governor as a Republican. He's been a broadcaster since he retired from the game almost three decades ago, but the fact that he has no political experience is not stopping him now.
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LYNN SWANN (R), PA. GOVERNOR CANDIDATE: My mom and dad worked very hard to provide me with opportunities and options in this life. And they wanted my life to be better than theirs, to give me a chance to improve upon what they had in their lives. Is not that the job of the governor of a state, to give its citizens the opportunity to be better and stronger? To make life better for all of us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: If Swann captures the Republican nomination, he will likely incumbent Democrat Ed Rendell. A recent poll showed Rendell leading Swann by 13 points in a hypothetical match-up.
Checking in with the world of entertainment next. What's on tap, Brooke?
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Kyra. Well, today, we entered a new leg in the Hollywood award seasons race. The Screen Actors Guild named its top picks for both film and television. And coming up, I'll have the details on the big nominees, including a chat with Ellen Pompeo from "Grey's Anatomy." Stay with us.
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PHILLIPS: The Oscar guessing game is underway with this morning's announcement of the nominees for the 12th annual "Screen Actors Guild Awards." CNN entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson is in Los Angeles. The SAG Awards cover both film and television. Why don't we start with the movies and the big nominees?
ANDERSON: The big nominees, Kyra, the headline here is "Brokeback Mountain." I'm sure you've heard a lot about it. It's the film about two gay cowboys and it led all SAG nominees with four nominations this morning, including best actor for this guy, Heath Ledger.
Now this nomination really cements his spot in the front of the pack heading into the Oscar race for a possible best Oscar nomination there as well. Jake Gyllenhaal, this guy, as well as Michelle Williams, also received best supporting actor nominations for their roles in "Brokeback Mountain."
Moving now to the film "Good Night, and Good Luck." Interesting thing here, George Clooney not only stars in this film, he directed it, he co-wrote it, and he co-produced it. "Good Night, and Good Luck" is the story of Edward R. Murrow. And it earned a nomination for best ensemble cast. It also earned a nomination for best actor for David Strathairn, who actually portrays Edward R. Murrow.
I want to also quickly mention "Walk the Line." And one of the most exceptional aspects of this film is that stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, Kyra, they do their very own singing and they were rewarded for their performances. They each received a SAG nomination for best actor and best actress, respectively. And I don't know if you've seen the film, but I saw it and they gave really, really stellar performances. At times, Kyra, I thought I was hearing Johnny Cash, but it was Joaquin Phoenix.
PHILLIPS: You know what's funny, I'm glad you answered this because we did. We saw it a couple weeks ago and we kept asking each other, "Is he really singing? No, no, no. That's a record. No, wait." We kept going back and forth. So, both of them, everything that we heard, music-wise, it was those two?
ANDERSON: It was those two, and didn't they do a fantastic job?
PHILLIPS: Wow. It was pretty incredible.
ANDERSON: It is. Not only do they act, but they can sing, as well.
PHILLIPS: And it was a great flick, that is for sure. All right, the SAG Awards, it's a precursor for something else, isn't it?
ANDERSON: For the Oscars, it absolutely is. It is considered one of the most accurate indicators of who will be nominated for Oscars. And why, you say? Well, the Oscar voters, it's decision time for them.
They're sitting around thinking, who am I going to nominate, who am I going to -- which box am I going to check? Well they really respect the Screen Actors Guild, it's one of the most prominent trade groups in Hollywood, founded in 1933, represents nearly 120,000 actors.
So, this really helps the Oscar voters kind of sort out who they want to vote for. And, Kyra, let me tell you, a lot of people regard the "Screen Actors Guild Awards" as the second most important award show in Hollywood, behind the Oscars. It's actors voting on their peers, so many people think this award show is the most genuine and the least political of them all.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's talk about the top contenders in television. I heard you mention my favorite show, "Grey's Anatomy."
ANDERSON: It is one my favorites as well.
PHILLIPS: I love it.
ANDERSON: I do. Every Sunday night, I can't wait for this show to come on. And it received three nominations. One for Patrick Dempsey, one for this lady right here, Sandra Oh, who you're seeing in the clip. And also best ensemble cast. And this morning, star Ellen Pompeo, she plays the title character in the show, she was actually on hand, she introduced the nominees live and I was able to speak with her minutes after and I asked her how Grey's Anatomy has changed her life.
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ELLEN POMPEO, ACTRESS, GREY'S ANATOMY: I think personally I just feel so satiated that I'm getting to act every day and I feel like I'm learning so much every day. I learn so much from my fellow actors and the directors that come on.
ANDERSON: You say you're grateful you're getting to work every day. SAG represents nearly 120,000 actors. How hard is it to find something really good and get to be a part of it, like you have?
POMPEO: It's, you know, sort of like hitting the lottery, I think. So we're just all very, very grateful and trying to have as much fun as we can. And it's really nice that it's being rewarded, because that just makes it easier to get up at 4:30 in the morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Those are early days for Ellen. She was a really, really sweet person. And Kyra, I also, before I let you go, I want to mention Felicity Huffman. She's really the woman to beat. Was nominated three times for SAG Awards, two for "Desperate Housewives," including best actress in a comedy. And she was the only actress from "Desperate Housewives" to receive an individual acting nomination. No Marcia Cross, no Teri Hatcher, no Eva Longoria, but they were included in the best ensemble cast nomination. And I think that's all we have time for, so I'm going to give it back to you.
PHILLIPS: Bummer, I wanted to talk about -- more about Dr. Dreamy in Grey's Anatomy, but OK, we'll do that...
ANDERSON: ... Oh that Patrick Dempsey. PHILLIPS: Oh boy, I know, I hear you. All right, we're going to take a quick break. Thanks so much, Brooke. We'll be right back with more on LIVE FROM.
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