Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Lieberman Turns Down Job of Homeland Security Chief; Homeland Security in Orlando

Aired December 15, 2004 - 10:30   ET

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

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


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are right at the half hour. Good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here's what's happening right now in the news.

We go to Greece, where we have been monitoring that tense standoff. These are picture we've been bringing in. Hijackers armed with guns and explosives wrapped around them seized a bus. It was just outside Marathon. The hijackers are demanding to be flown to Russia. Police now have the bus surrounded, and have been negotiating with the hijackers over the past few hours. A total of 12 hostages -- first seven, then three, and now just within the last couple of minutes two more have been released.

Also an Iraqi official says that the man known as Chemical Ali will be the first former member of the Saddam Hussein's regime to go to trial for war crimes. There he is. Ali Hassan Al Majid is believed to have played a role in the 1988 chemical attack on Iraq's Kurdish population. The defense ministry official says Al Majid is slated to face trial sometime by the end of this month.

The friendly skies may be getting a little noisier. Federal regulators are considering changes that would allow travelers to use cell phones and also have access to high-speed wireless Internet connections while in flight. Currently, the FCC bans, as you probably know, all cell phone use on domestic flights.

A test of the national missile defense system failed today when an interceptor missile did not even get off the ground. This is the first test of the system in nearly two years. This is designed to protect against ICBMs launched by North Korea or other locations in Asia.

KAGAN: And now to an apparent job offer and a response of thanks, but no thanks. President Bush trying to round out his cabinet for his second term. One familiar name is turning down the opportunity.

For more, let's bring in CNN's Elaine Quijano, who is at the White House.

Good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. And that name is Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman. White House officials, we should note, are not commenting on this, saying it's part of the speculation game. But congressional and government sources say that Lieberman has been approached for the job of homeland security chief in recent days and has said no. Of course Senator Lieberman is the Connecticut legislator who authored the legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security. Sources also saying that he has declined a job to become the U.S.'s ambassador to the United Nations also.

Now Senator Lieberman himself has not been available for comment, and again, White House officials are not speculating. Also White House officials are not commenting, not taking anymore questions on Bernard Kerik's withdrawal, saying that they consider the matter closed -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, let's look at a new beginning for a member of the first family, Jenna Bush getting a new job.

QUIJANO: That's right. According to the first lady's spokesperson, Gordon Johndrow (ph), Jenna Bush will be living in Washington and going to work in D.C. public schools. Now they don't want to give any specific details on this, but "The Washington Post" is reporting that the school is a public school that serves low-income children. It's called the L.C. Whitlow Stokes (ph) Community Freedom Public Charter School. This is in the Mt. Pleasant, Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington D.C. But White House officials are basically saying they would like -- they understand the interest in the first daughter's career moves, but they also want to make sure that any transition to life as a teacher is made in relative peace, but they understand all the publicity surrounding the first daughter.

But the news confirmed from the spokesman that Jenna will, in fact, remain here in Washington to teach in D.C. public School.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano, at the White House, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Here's a question for you, should the government change the color-coded terror warning system? Outgoing homeland security secretary Tom Ridge admits that the system may need to be least be reconsidered. He made the comments at a meeting of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Mr. Ridge also said that the government may need to give the public more specifics when the threat level changes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY.: We are doing well at communicating to first responders, security professionals, et cetera, but clearly, we think there's more work to do within that framework to communicate more and better to the public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Maybe not in its present form, but Tom Ridge did go on to say that he thinks the color system is here to stay. KAGAN: Well, since 9/11, the country has been at a heightened security alert. Some areas like New York's financial district, Washington D.C.'s Landmarks and nuclear power plants have received extra attention from the Homeland Security Department.

But more from our Jeanne Meserve. She explains that some popular family tourist spots have received little or no help from the federal government.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's Mickey Mouse.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A little Orlando magic captured on home video by the Duffield family of Vineland, New Jersey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there's my mom and dad.

MESERVE: Fun? Absolutely. But even here the threat of terrorism is with them.

KIM DUFFIELD, TOURIST: We're from the Northeast area, which is near New York and Washington, D.C., so I think we live with that all the time, the fear.

MESERVE: The Orlando area is the number one family tourist destination in the world, home to Disney World, Universal Studios and scores of other amusements. Local emergency officials worry about security a lot and they are dumbfounded that Orlando is not getting any urban security grant money this year from the Department of Homeland Security.

SHERIFF KEVIN BEARY, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Quite frankly, I was flabbergasted.

MESERVE: Flabbergasted because theme parks have been mentioned as possible terrorist targets, the threat seen as great enough to permanently restrict air space over Disney World.

HEART: I go to bed worrying about it at night and I wake up every morning worrying about it. And it's time that they start worrying about it in Washington, D.C.

MESERVE (on camera): The Department of Homeland Security says it considers a variety of factors in awarding the grants, including the number of threat investigations in a city, the amount of critical infrastructure and, most important, the population.

JOSH FILLER, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Well, the way we do the population numbers is specifically within the city limits, the legal boundaries of the city.

MESERVE (voice-over): Under this formula, Omaha, Nebraska got $5 million. Omaha does have twice the population of Orlando, but the metro Orlando area has twice as many people as metro Omaha, and far more visitors.

REP. RIC KELLER (R), FLORIDA: For the Department of Homeland Security to say we only look within the city limits, 185,000, and we ignore the 1.6 million people in greater Orlando and we ignore the 43 million tourists, is absolutely brain dead.

MESERVE: Brain dead, says Keller, because local emergency personnel have to protect everyone, not just citizens. Orlando area officials are asking DHS to change its mind and its funding formula, which they say relies too much on math and not enough on common sense to keep families like the Duffields safe as well as happy.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Bye, Disney. We'll miss you.

MESERVE: Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Orlando, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And for more on the National Security Watch, tune in next hour. CNN's Tom Foreman will look at the Army's new anthrax vaccine and some possible problems with the old one.

SANCHEZ: And here's another story that we're following. In fact, other stories from coast to coast, beginning with this -- Could it be? The latest calling card from the BTK killer? Police in Kansas believe that it could be. And now the FBI is trying to confirm it. A local television station is reporting that the package contained a -- appears to be a driver's license of a woman killed in 1977.

Now the BTK killer stands for bind, torture, kill, and is linked to eight unsolved murders between 1974 and 1986. We're going to go live, by the way, to Wichita in our next hour and talk to a man who's been following this case since the very beginning.

KAGAN: Right now, though, to Alabama. Thou shall not steal, just one commandment and reminder to those in Judge Ashley McAthan's (ph) court. The Alabama judge wearing a judicial robe with the 10 Commandments embroidered in gold on the front. One lawyer filed a motion objecting to the robe, but the judge says the law and the Commandments cannot be separated.

SANCHEZ: Let's take to you Texas now. A woman pumping gas at a Houston gas station amazingly escaped with only burns on her hands and legs after this. Look at that. She says she does not know what started the fire, but admits that she overfilled the tank and some gas spilled out on the ground. Firefighters say they found a lighter nearby. I wonder if that was it.

KAGAN: Big news in the wireless world. We're going to talk about what the Sprint-Nextel merger will mean for your cell phone bill.

Also, the twists and the turns in Ukraine's presidential election are not unique. Ahead, a look at poison's long-term role in shaping history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Rick Sanchez. Ukrainian opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko is back on the campaign trail today. Recently, it was revealed that Yushchenko was poisoned with dioxin, an incident which left his face dramatically disfigured, certainly comparatively so if you look at the old photos. Despite the attempt on his life, Yushchenko has vowed to continue his campaign.

KAGAN: Well, there's really nothing new when it comes to the use of poison against political opponents. Especially in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Our David Ensor takes a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Hollywood and Shakespeare remind us, political assassination has been around as long as politics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Et tu, Brute?

ENSOR: Back in those days, it was harder to kill a leader and not have his blood on your hands.

But under Soviet communism, the KGB turned political killing into an art form. Some suspect spy chief Lavrenti Beria poisoned his boss, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Many put the KGB successors high on the list of suspects who had reasons for poisoning Viktor Yushchenko, the Ukrainian presidential candidate who survived dioxin poisoning, though it did disfigure him.

TONY MENDEZ, FORMER CIA OFFICER: Who else did you have in mind? That would be the way to answer it.

ENSOR (on camera): It does appeared to have been botched and to have backfired.

MENDEZ: Oh, yes. Heavy-handed. But that's, you know, that's again standard fare for some of those boys.

ENSOR (voice-over): In a display case at the International Spy Museum in Washington, there's an umbrella on display, like the one used to fire a lethal poisoned pellet into the thigh of a Bulgarian dissident in London in 1978.

H. KEITH MELTON, HISTORIAN: So as Georgy Markoff (ph) was standing on Waterloo Bridge waiting for a taxi, someone came up behind him and literally poked him with an umbrella and walked away.

ENSOR: That umbrella was first purchased in Washington by then KGB officer Oleg Kalugin to be converted into a weapon. Now an American citizen, Kalugin says Russian intelligence never stopped using drugs and poisons. OLEG KALUGIN, FORMER KGB OFFICER: In fact, we had a number of incidents in Russia lately where people were either assassinated or poisoned or administered some drugs which incapacitated them.

ENSOR: Spy museum director Peter Earnest, a former spy himself, says a congressional investigation in the '70s found that the CIA also plotted to assassinate leaders.

PETER EARNEST, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM: What they found, interestingly, was that there had been plans to assassinate several people, including Fidel Castro, Patrice Lumumba, and others and they also found that the CIA never successfully assassinated anybody.

ENSOR: Some say all is fair in time of war. The CIA has lately killed its share of al Qaeda leaders. Israeli assassinations are almost commonplace. Assassination, it's the dark side of politics.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And up next live, right here. "Time Magazine for Kids" announced its pick for person of the year.

KAGAN: Yes. It's the kids this time.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's different.

KAGAN: Won't want to miss that. Also, this is what we're working on for next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Here at CNN, of course, we bring you breaking news first often. Now the first you've heard of this story. The readers of "Time for Kids," the student edition of "Time" magazine, have picked their choice for this year's person of the year. And here with the exclusive announcement, John Aroutiounian, an 11-year-old reporter for the magazine and its managing editor, Martha Pickerill. Both live from New York City. John and Martha, good morning to you.

JOHN AROUTIOUNIAN, REPORTER, "TIME FOR KIDS": Good morning.

MARTHA PICKERILL, MANAGING EDITOR, "TIME FOR KIDS": Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, John, we're going to put you to work. We're going to cue the drum roll.

AROUTIOUNIAN: All right.

KAGAN: All right. "Time for Kids," person of the year for 2004 is...

AROUTIOUNIAN: The American soldier. KAGAN: All right.

AROUTIOUNIAN: For a second consecutive year.

KAGAN: Now, explain to us why you think more kids picked that than other choices?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Well, especially in this holiday season, where soldiers are working abroad, are fighting for freedom abroad, picking them as a person of the year is a way of showing our gratitude and thanks for their service.

KAGAN: Even though that that was the same selection as last year?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Yes, well, they're still fighting this year. And we still need to show them appreciation this year.

KAGAN: What were some other choices that kids were picking from?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Second place came -- Lance Armstrong, with twenty percent of the vote, following the American soldiers, 24. Then came gymnast Carly Patterson. Then came the Boston Red Sox. And kept going down the list from there. But those were the four main predominant. In the beginning, Boston Red Sox was actually in third place but then that changed last night and Carly Patterson picked up.

KAGAN: Well, you go. Here's one for the girls. Speaking of that, let's bring Martha in. Martha, explain this works. How did kids across the country participate?

PICKERILL: Well, we announced the poll in our -- one of our December issues and explained to kids the "Time" tradition of ending the year by focusing on the most influential newsmaker or newsmakers from the previous year, and you know, making the announcement. For generations, people have awaited hearing who the "Time"'s man of the year, as it was for many decades, was going to be, and now "Time"'s person of the year. In anticipation of that, we wanted kids to sort of go through the exercise of thinking what makes a newsmaker influential, who was it that really defines this year, and will change the way that our country and world move forward the most. So we let kids make the choice, even though at "Time," it's an editorial choice.

KAGAN: Right. And so, John, let's bring you back in. So the grown-ups do it a different way. They get a bunch of grown-ups in a room and they decide.

AROUTIOUNIAN: Yes.

KAGAN: We'll deal with them another time, but we're interested in you. What do you think kids took into consideration perhaps differently than the grown-ups do when figuring out who the person of the year should be?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Kids more think about who is bringing peace and justice and freedom around the world. And soldiers are number one and then Armstrong is a spirit of hope and optimism, and he came in second place. And I think that's what kids thought about when choosing Lance Armstrong as person of the year, whoever chose Lance Armstrong. And then came Carly Patterson, who is also a gymnast and it's more of a positive image with Carly Patterson.

KAGAN: Well, great choices. John, real quickly, you have been a "Time for Kids" reporter for about a year. What's been the coolest part -- the coolest assignment that you've had?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Well, I like coming on and doing broadcasts here. And I've also had an -- I also interviewed Sarah Jessica Parker and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and they were very fun to interview. And then, I had an article which went on timeforkids.com.

KAGAN: Well, good work. You hang on for that and you give us a call in about ten years. We'll set you up with a CNN internship.

AROUTIOUNIAN: Sure, all right.

KAGAN: John Aroutiounian and Martha Pickerill from "Time for Kids" magazine. Thanks for breaking the news here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

AROUTIOUNIAN: Thank you.

PICKERILL: Our pleasure, thanks.

KAGAN: Now to the grown-ups -- who will "Time" magazine's person of the year be? The grown-ups are going to decide. Tune into CNN this weekend and find out. Aaron Brown hosts a special on "Time"'s pick for person of the year. It airs Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

SANCHEZ: The story of a giant iceberg. How giant is it, you ask? Well, it's 1,200 square miles. Can you imagine?

KAGAN: Big iceberg.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Imagine a Titanic story that would create. Also, it's causing some pretty big problems in Antarctica. We're going to tell you what it is. We'll have that story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Bringing you the very latest news. We are just now getting information that there has been an explosion in Karbala in Iraq. The latest information we're getting is that seven people have died as a result of this explosion and 32 people have been wounded. It's in an office in the center of Karbala, it's close to the shrine of one of the holiest sites in the Shiite Islam. So, once again, word of an explosion there in Karbala. And seven people reportedly dead, 32 people injured. As we get more information on this, we will certainly bring it to you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: A mysterious package is found in a Kansas park. Can it help piece together the horrific crimes of the BTK serial killer? Next up, we have details of the discovery.

SANCHEZ: Also, if you like cell phones, the friendly skies might get a little friendlier. Convenience may be right at your fingertips. Again, it's the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY and it begins right now.

The Pentagon has identified the units that will be in the next troop rotation to Iraq. Brigades based in Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Kansas and New York will all be in the upcoming deployment, which will last through mid-2006.

President Bush meets with one of his strongest international supporters this hour. Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is going to have lunch with the president.

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


Aired December 15, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are right at the half hour. Good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here's what's happening right now in the news.

We go to Greece, where we have been monitoring that tense standoff. These are picture we've been bringing in. Hijackers armed with guns and explosives wrapped around them seized a bus. It was just outside Marathon. The hijackers are demanding to be flown to Russia. Police now have the bus surrounded, and have been negotiating with the hijackers over the past few hours. A total of 12 hostages -- first seven, then three, and now just within the last couple of minutes two more have been released.

Also an Iraqi official says that the man known as Chemical Ali will be the first former member of the Saddam Hussein's regime to go to trial for war crimes. There he is. Ali Hassan Al Majid is believed to have played a role in the 1988 chemical attack on Iraq's Kurdish population. The defense ministry official says Al Majid is slated to face trial sometime by the end of this month.

The friendly skies may be getting a little noisier. Federal regulators are considering changes that would allow travelers to use cell phones and also have access to high-speed wireless Internet connections while in flight. Currently, the FCC bans, as you probably know, all cell phone use on domestic flights.

A test of the national missile defense system failed today when an interceptor missile did not even get off the ground. This is the first test of the system in nearly two years. This is designed to protect against ICBMs launched by North Korea or other locations in Asia.

KAGAN: And now to an apparent job offer and a response of thanks, but no thanks. President Bush trying to round out his cabinet for his second term. One familiar name is turning down the opportunity.

For more, let's bring in CNN's Elaine Quijano, who is at the White House.

Good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. And that name is Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman. White House officials, we should note, are not commenting on this, saying it's part of the speculation game. But congressional and government sources say that Lieberman has been approached for the job of homeland security chief in recent days and has said no. Of course Senator Lieberman is the Connecticut legislator who authored the legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security. Sources also saying that he has declined a job to become the U.S.'s ambassador to the United Nations also.

Now Senator Lieberman himself has not been available for comment, and again, White House officials are not speculating. Also White House officials are not commenting, not taking anymore questions on Bernard Kerik's withdrawal, saying that they consider the matter closed -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, let's look at a new beginning for a member of the first family, Jenna Bush getting a new job.

QUIJANO: That's right. According to the first lady's spokesperson, Gordon Johndrow (ph), Jenna Bush will be living in Washington and going to work in D.C. public schools. Now they don't want to give any specific details on this, but "The Washington Post" is reporting that the school is a public school that serves low-income children. It's called the L.C. Whitlow Stokes (ph) Community Freedom Public Charter School. This is in the Mt. Pleasant, Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington D.C. But White House officials are basically saying they would like -- they understand the interest in the first daughter's career moves, but they also want to make sure that any transition to life as a teacher is made in relative peace, but they understand all the publicity surrounding the first daughter.

But the news confirmed from the spokesman that Jenna will, in fact, remain here in Washington to teach in D.C. public School.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano, at the White House, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Here's a question for you, should the government change the color-coded terror warning system? Outgoing homeland security secretary Tom Ridge admits that the system may need to be least be reconsidered. He made the comments at a meeting of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Mr. Ridge also said that the government may need to give the public more specifics when the threat level changes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY.: We are doing well at communicating to first responders, security professionals, et cetera, but clearly, we think there's more work to do within that framework to communicate more and better to the public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Maybe not in its present form, but Tom Ridge did go on to say that he thinks the color system is here to stay. KAGAN: Well, since 9/11, the country has been at a heightened security alert. Some areas like New York's financial district, Washington D.C.'s Landmarks and nuclear power plants have received extra attention from the Homeland Security Department.

But more from our Jeanne Meserve. She explains that some popular family tourist spots have received little or no help from the federal government.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's Mickey Mouse.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A little Orlando magic captured on home video by the Duffield family of Vineland, New Jersey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there's my mom and dad.

MESERVE: Fun? Absolutely. But even here the threat of terrorism is with them.

KIM DUFFIELD, TOURIST: We're from the Northeast area, which is near New York and Washington, D.C., so I think we live with that all the time, the fear.

MESERVE: The Orlando area is the number one family tourist destination in the world, home to Disney World, Universal Studios and scores of other amusements. Local emergency officials worry about security a lot and they are dumbfounded that Orlando is not getting any urban security grant money this year from the Department of Homeland Security.

SHERIFF KEVIN BEARY, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Quite frankly, I was flabbergasted.

MESERVE: Flabbergasted because theme parks have been mentioned as possible terrorist targets, the threat seen as great enough to permanently restrict air space over Disney World.

HEART: I go to bed worrying about it at night and I wake up every morning worrying about it. And it's time that they start worrying about it in Washington, D.C.

MESERVE (on camera): The Department of Homeland Security says it considers a variety of factors in awarding the grants, including the number of threat investigations in a city, the amount of critical infrastructure and, most important, the population.

JOSH FILLER, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Well, the way we do the population numbers is specifically within the city limits, the legal boundaries of the city.

MESERVE (voice-over): Under this formula, Omaha, Nebraska got $5 million. Omaha does have twice the population of Orlando, but the metro Orlando area has twice as many people as metro Omaha, and far more visitors.

REP. RIC KELLER (R), FLORIDA: For the Department of Homeland Security to say we only look within the city limits, 185,000, and we ignore the 1.6 million people in greater Orlando and we ignore the 43 million tourists, is absolutely brain dead.

MESERVE: Brain dead, says Keller, because local emergency personnel have to protect everyone, not just citizens. Orlando area officials are asking DHS to change its mind and its funding formula, which they say relies too much on math and not enough on common sense to keep families like the Duffields safe as well as happy.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Bye, Disney. We'll miss you.

MESERVE: Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Orlando, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And for more on the National Security Watch, tune in next hour. CNN's Tom Foreman will look at the Army's new anthrax vaccine and some possible problems with the old one.

SANCHEZ: And here's another story that we're following. In fact, other stories from coast to coast, beginning with this -- Could it be? The latest calling card from the BTK killer? Police in Kansas believe that it could be. And now the FBI is trying to confirm it. A local television station is reporting that the package contained a -- appears to be a driver's license of a woman killed in 1977.

Now the BTK killer stands for bind, torture, kill, and is linked to eight unsolved murders between 1974 and 1986. We're going to go live, by the way, to Wichita in our next hour and talk to a man who's been following this case since the very beginning.

KAGAN: Right now, though, to Alabama. Thou shall not steal, just one commandment and reminder to those in Judge Ashley McAthan's (ph) court. The Alabama judge wearing a judicial robe with the 10 Commandments embroidered in gold on the front. One lawyer filed a motion objecting to the robe, but the judge says the law and the Commandments cannot be separated.

SANCHEZ: Let's take to you Texas now. A woman pumping gas at a Houston gas station amazingly escaped with only burns on her hands and legs after this. Look at that. She says she does not know what started the fire, but admits that she overfilled the tank and some gas spilled out on the ground. Firefighters say they found a lighter nearby. I wonder if that was it.

KAGAN: Big news in the wireless world. We're going to talk about what the Sprint-Nextel merger will mean for your cell phone bill.

Also, the twists and the turns in Ukraine's presidential election are not unique. Ahead, a look at poison's long-term role in shaping history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Rick Sanchez. Ukrainian opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko is back on the campaign trail today. Recently, it was revealed that Yushchenko was poisoned with dioxin, an incident which left his face dramatically disfigured, certainly comparatively so if you look at the old photos. Despite the attempt on his life, Yushchenko has vowed to continue his campaign.

KAGAN: Well, there's really nothing new when it comes to the use of poison against political opponents. Especially in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Our David Ensor takes a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Hollywood and Shakespeare remind us, political assassination has been around as long as politics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Et tu, Brute?

ENSOR: Back in those days, it was harder to kill a leader and not have his blood on your hands.

But under Soviet communism, the KGB turned political killing into an art form. Some suspect spy chief Lavrenti Beria poisoned his boss, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Many put the KGB successors high on the list of suspects who had reasons for poisoning Viktor Yushchenko, the Ukrainian presidential candidate who survived dioxin poisoning, though it did disfigure him.

TONY MENDEZ, FORMER CIA OFFICER: Who else did you have in mind? That would be the way to answer it.

ENSOR (on camera): It does appeared to have been botched and to have backfired.

MENDEZ: Oh, yes. Heavy-handed. But that's, you know, that's again standard fare for some of those boys.

ENSOR (voice-over): In a display case at the International Spy Museum in Washington, there's an umbrella on display, like the one used to fire a lethal poisoned pellet into the thigh of a Bulgarian dissident in London in 1978.

H. KEITH MELTON, HISTORIAN: So as Georgy Markoff (ph) was standing on Waterloo Bridge waiting for a taxi, someone came up behind him and literally poked him with an umbrella and walked away.

ENSOR: That umbrella was first purchased in Washington by then KGB officer Oleg Kalugin to be converted into a weapon. Now an American citizen, Kalugin says Russian intelligence never stopped using drugs and poisons. OLEG KALUGIN, FORMER KGB OFFICER: In fact, we had a number of incidents in Russia lately where people were either assassinated or poisoned or administered some drugs which incapacitated them.

ENSOR: Spy museum director Peter Earnest, a former spy himself, says a congressional investigation in the '70s found that the CIA also plotted to assassinate leaders.

PETER EARNEST, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM: What they found, interestingly, was that there had been plans to assassinate several people, including Fidel Castro, Patrice Lumumba, and others and they also found that the CIA never successfully assassinated anybody.

ENSOR: Some say all is fair in time of war. The CIA has lately killed its share of al Qaeda leaders. Israeli assassinations are almost commonplace. Assassination, it's the dark side of politics.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And up next live, right here. "Time Magazine for Kids" announced its pick for person of the year.

KAGAN: Yes. It's the kids this time.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's different.

KAGAN: Won't want to miss that. Also, this is what we're working on for next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Here at CNN, of course, we bring you breaking news first often. Now the first you've heard of this story. The readers of "Time for Kids," the student edition of "Time" magazine, have picked their choice for this year's person of the year. And here with the exclusive announcement, John Aroutiounian, an 11-year-old reporter for the magazine and its managing editor, Martha Pickerill. Both live from New York City. John and Martha, good morning to you.

JOHN AROUTIOUNIAN, REPORTER, "TIME FOR KIDS": Good morning.

MARTHA PICKERILL, MANAGING EDITOR, "TIME FOR KIDS": Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, John, we're going to put you to work. We're going to cue the drum roll.

AROUTIOUNIAN: All right.

KAGAN: All right. "Time for Kids," person of the year for 2004 is...

AROUTIOUNIAN: The American soldier. KAGAN: All right.

AROUTIOUNIAN: For a second consecutive year.

KAGAN: Now, explain to us why you think more kids picked that than other choices?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Well, especially in this holiday season, where soldiers are working abroad, are fighting for freedom abroad, picking them as a person of the year is a way of showing our gratitude and thanks for their service.

KAGAN: Even though that that was the same selection as last year?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Yes, well, they're still fighting this year. And we still need to show them appreciation this year.

KAGAN: What were some other choices that kids were picking from?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Second place came -- Lance Armstrong, with twenty percent of the vote, following the American soldiers, 24. Then came gymnast Carly Patterson. Then came the Boston Red Sox. And kept going down the list from there. But those were the four main predominant. In the beginning, Boston Red Sox was actually in third place but then that changed last night and Carly Patterson picked up.

KAGAN: Well, you go. Here's one for the girls. Speaking of that, let's bring Martha in. Martha, explain this works. How did kids across the country participate?

PICKERILL: Well, we announced the poll in our -- one of our December issues and explained to kids the "Time" tradition of ending the year by focusing on the most influential newsmaker or newsmakers from the previous year, and you know, making the announcement. For generations, people have awaited hearing who the "Time"'s man of the year, as it was for many decades, was going to be, and now "Time"'s person of the year. In anticipation of that, we wanted kids to sort of go through the exercise of thinking what makes a newsmaker influential, who was it that really defines this year, and will change the way that our country and world move forward the most. So we let kids make the choice, even though at "Time," it's an editorial choice.

KAGAN: Right. And so, John, let's bring you back in. So the grown-ups do it a different way. They get a bunch of grown-ups in a room and they decide.

AROUTIOUNIAN: Yes.

KAGAN: We'll deal with them another time, but we're interested in you. What do you think kids took into consideration perhaps differently than the grown-ups do when figuring out who the person of the year should be?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Kids more think about who is bringing peace and justice and freedom around the world. And soldiers are number one and then Armstrong is a spirit of hope and optimism, and he came in second place. And I think that's what kids thought about when choosing Lance Armstrong as person of the year, whoever chose Lance Armstrong. And then came Carly Patterson, who is also a gymnast and it's more of a positive image with Carly Patterson.

KAGAN: Well, great choices. John, real quickly, you have been a "Time for Kids" reporter for about a year. What's been the coolest part -- the coolest assignment that you've had?

AROUTIOUNIAN: Well, I like coming on and doing broadcasts here. And I've also had an -- I also interviewed Sarah Jessica Parker and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and they were very fun to interview. And then, I had an article which went on timeforkids.com.

KAGAN: Well, good work. You hang on for that and you give us a call in about ten years. We'll set you up with a CNN internship.

AROUTIOUNIAN: Sure, all right.

KAGAN: John Aroutiounian and Martha Pickerill from "Time for Kids" magazine. Thanks for breaking the news here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

AROUTIOUNIAN: Thank you.

PICKERILL: Our pleasure, thanks.

KAGAN: Now to the grown-ups -- who will "Time" magazine's person of the year be? The grown-ups are going to decide. Tune into CNN this weekend and find out. Aaron Brown hosts a special on "Time"'s pick for person of the year. It airs Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

SANCHEZ: The story of a giant iceberg. How giant is it, you ask? Well, it's 1,200 square miles. Can you imagine?

KAGAN: Big iceberg.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Imagine a Titanic story that would create. Also, it's causing some pretty big problems in Antarctica. We're going to tell you what it is. We'll have that story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Bringing you the very latest news. We are just now getting information that there has been an explosion in Karbala in Iraq. The latest information we're getting is that seven people have died as a result of this explosion and 32 people have been wounded. It's in an office in the center of Karbala, it's close to the shrine of one of the holiest sites in the Shiite Islam. So, once again, word of an explosion there in Karbala. And seven people reportedly dead, 32 people injured. As we get more information on this, we will certainly bring it to you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: A mysterious package is found in a Kansas park. Can it help piece together the horrific crimes of the BTK serial killer? Next up, we have details of the discovery.

SANCHEZ: Also, if you like cell phones, the friendly skies might get a little friendlier. Convenience may be right at your fingertips. Again, it's the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY and it begins right now.

The Pentagon has identified the units that will be in the next troop rotation to Iraq. Brigades based in Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Kansas and New York will all be in the upcoming deployment, which will last through mid-2006.

President Bush meets with one of his strongest international supporters this hour. Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is going to have lunch with the president.

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