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President's State Of The Union Address; American Journalists Injured in Bombing; Enron Trial; Trapped Canadian Miners Survive; Professional Financial Help Tips

Aired January 30, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We're in overtime.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes we are. So we're done.

MILES O'BRIEN: Daryn.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Let's get right to Daryn. She's at the CNN Center.

Hey, Daryn, good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Have a great day. I hope your week starts off well in New York City.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Thanks. You too.

KAGAN: We'll go ahead and get started. Let's do that by taking a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."

A group of Canadian miners is safe after being trapped by a fire for 24 hours. The 72 miners took refuge in several safe rooms while firefighters put out the fire. The safe rooms have a 36-hour oxygen supply, plus food and water. Officials say 67 of the miners have been brought to the surface. The remaining five should be back up soon. We'll have more on this story just ahead.

The death toll from that roof collapse in Southern Poland now stands at 67 and Polish officials say they doubt anyone else will be found alive. The roof gave way on Saturday during a racing pigeon convention at an exhibition hall. Polish officials suspect deep snow caused the collapse. Poland's president has declared a national period of mourning for the next couple of days.

A top Hamas leader is calling on the global community to continue aiding the Palestinian government. The militant Islamic group dominated elections last week and the U.S. and E.U. consider it a terrorist organization. Ismail Haniyah says that the financial support would help the Palestinian people. He says Hamas is willing to have the spending monitored.

The call for continued aid comes as the quartet of Mideast mediators are holding talks on Hamas' election win. Representatives of the U.S., the E.U. and the U.N. and Russia are meeting in London. The west has said it will cut off aid to the Hamas-led government unless the group recognizes Israel and renounces violence. We expect to hear from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in about 30 minutes.

And Senate debate resumes this is hour over Judge Samuel Alito's nomination for the Supreme Court. A vote to cut off debate is scheduled for this afternoon. Democrats concede they don't have votes for a filibuster. The Senate is expected to approve the nomination tomorrow.

Well, good morning. Welcome to the week. Monday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

Presidents Bush, past and present, but today the current officeholder mainly looked ahead. He meets with members of his cabinet and prepares for tomorrow night's State of the Union Address. It's the most important speech of the year for the president. For any president, for that matter. Even more so for a president mired in sagging public support. Our White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux sets the stage on that.

Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Daryn.

It's actually this hour the president is sitting down with his cabinet to coordinate that message. Of course, the State of the Union Address tomorrow. We have been told by Scott McClellan, the press secretary, just out of the gaggle that they are now on their 23rd draft of that speech. It times out about 36 minutes or so they say without applause. This is a very important moment, as you know, for the president.

And to give you a sense of what he's going to talk about. We've learned that it's going to be really kind of broad themes when it comes to his domestic agenda. He'll be talking about improving healthcare, as well as finding alternative sources of energy and improving and promoting new technologies.

Of course, on the international side, it is quite predictable. He's going to be talking about the global war on terror. He's going to be defending the domestic spy program, defending this war on terror. And all of this, of course, comes at a very important time for this president. He is considerably weaker than he was last year before the American people at this time. The latest "Time" magazine poll showing his approval numbers here now at 41 percent. That is 12 points lower, Daryn, than last year.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thank you.

And we want to remind our viewers, CNN will have extensive, live coverage surrounding tomorrow night's State of the Union speech. Our prime time lineup begins at 7:00 Eastern with a special edition of "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer and Paula Zahn. And then the president's speech at 9:00 Eastern. After that, Anderson Cooper brings you immediate reaction. And at midnight Eastern, 9:00 Pacific, Larry King hosts an hour of insight and analysis.

On to the latest in Iraq now. The families of two ABC journalists wounded in Iraq have arrived at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Both were transferred overnight for treatment. ABC says that anchor Bob Woodruff and photographer Doug Vogt suffered head injuries when a roadside bomb hit the Iraqi army vehicle in which they were riding. Both are reported in stable conditions at this hour. CNN's Chris Burns is in Landstuhl, the site of the largest American military hospital outside the U.S.

Chris, hello.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, what we're waiting to hear is what the results of the tests were today. The two arrived intubated and heavily sedated when they came here early this morning from Iraq, just a day after that roadside bomb injured them as they were in an Iraqi vehicle. They had been wearing body armor. They had been wearing helmets. But they were stand, from what we understand, standing in the hatch of that Iraqi military vehicle when the bomb went off and that is why the injuries were so severe.

Broken bones. Head injuries. CAT scan tests and other testing have been underway today to see just how bad these injuries are, how much more surgery they might require. The families here, the doctors are informing them of what the exact situation is and, after that, then possibly the media might be informed as well.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Chris Burns live from Landstuhl, thank you.

BURNS: Thank you.

KAGAN: Other news out of Iraq. One Iraqi soldier was wounded in the attack but no U.S. troops. Still, Woodruff and Vogt are traumatic reminders of the perils facing journalists in Iraq. According to Reporters Without Boarders, 79 journalists and assistants have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion nearly three years ago. Two CNN employees are among those fatalities. There have also been 35 news people abducted since the start of the war and that includes the young woman you see there, Jill Carroll, a freelance reporter working for the Christian Science Monitor. She was abducted earlier this month and there's no word today on her fate.

After the tragedies at two mines in West Virginia, a better ending to another dangerous situation below ground. Dozens of miners in Canada successfully pulled out early this morning after being trapped by a fire. The reunions with their family members and the safety measures that made a difference in that mine when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

Also, he says he looks worse than Charles Manson right now. The man charged with raping a three-year-old and taking her on a trek around the country, talks to CNN from jail.

And they call themselves women of the storm. Victims of Katrina. More than 100 of them on Capitol Hill today. Their message to congressional leaders after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Live pictures from the floor of the U.S. Senate. That's Senator Ted Kennedy, a Democrat. He is opening the debate against cloture. Doing that right now. This is all about the nomination for Samuel Alito to become the next Supreme Court justice. Republicans do believe that they are confident they have the 60 votes need to invoke cloture, which thereby would cut off debate about Alito and send the nomination to the floor of the Senate for a vote.

On to other news now. Enron, it's become a name that is synonymous with corporate greed, abuse and betrayal. And now the two men accused of engineering the catastrophic implosion have their day in court as jury selection gets underway. Our Business Correspondent Chris Huntington is outside the U.S. District Court in Houston with more on the trial.

Hello.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

It is underway now in the courtroom behind me, jury selection beginning. The judge here very aggressively saying he wants to try and pick a jury within the first day or so. That's a tall order when you consider the jury pool comes from Houston and just about everybody in this town either worked for Enron, knew somebody who worked for Enron or lost money when Enron collapsed.

Well, Kenneth Lay, the founder and former chairman of the company, arrived here. As you can imagine, getting a lot of attention. Even had a couple of mounted police to try to protect him as he entered. He has been publicly proclaiming his innocence for years and done so quite recently. And today, just this morning, walking in, he said, we'll be fine. We'll be fine. We're just looking for a fair jury. That's what he had to say.

Former Chief Executive Officer Jeff Skilling, coming in a few minutes after Ken Lay. Also wearing a big smile. Also very, very confident. He, too, has publicly proclaimed a couple of years ago or so that he indeed is also innocent.

Now, the charges they face, basically, in a nutshell, that they conspired, along with others at Enron, to proper up the company's appearance of profitability and hide debt. They are accused of multiple charges, especially Jeff Skilling, of more than 30 charges of making false statements to regulators and to investors. Again, this is a trial that involves very, very complex accounting. The prosecution, we're told, is going to try not to get the proceedings bogged down in those complexities. But if they do, Daryn, this is a trial that could drag on for many, many months.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Chris Huntington live from Texas, thank you.

Well, we've seen a lot of unusual weather across the country. But here's something you might not have seen or heard of before. It's called a land spout and one hit Newton, Kansas over the weekend. Do we have the pictures? There it is. Causing quite a bit of damage at a local car dealership. Ah, there's your damage. The general manager says I was sunny and 50 degrees when all of a sudden a miniature funnel cloud started shattering windows on the cars.

So you might be wondering, what is a landspout. They're described as small, weak tornadoes. Basically the land equivalent of a waterspout which, of course, Jacqui Jeras knew because that's her business.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's kind of a local term there, actually, landspout. It's not all that widely used. Dust Devil. You've heard of that one, right?

KAGAN: Yes, absolutely.

JERAS: It's basically the same thing. Yes, they've had some pretty quiet weather across the plains over the last couple of days so that one, I'm sure, kind of snuck up on them.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: And now a hazardous career that has been in the news in recent weeks, mining. This morning, in central Canada, a mining drama inches toward a happy ending for 72 miners trapped in a fire. We're going to get the details now from reporter Sarah Galashan. She is in Saskatchewan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH GALASHAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After more than 24-hours underground, the miners are now making their way to the surface. They are exhausted. They are headed home. Nothing more than a wave and a smile to reporters who are eagerly waiting to ask them questions about the time they spent underground.

What we understand, that they -- there was smoke. It filled the mine. They went into a safe room and that's where they stayed. They stayed put until rescuers could come and find them. At one point, 32 of them lost contact with the surface.

The entire town very concerned. But the company now praising their efforts, praising the rescuers and praising the family for their patience because this is something that has certainly taken a toll on everyone out here.

Sarah Galashan, CTV News, Esterhazy, Saskatchewan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And we're just getting this from Associated Press. They are reporting that indeed all 72 miners have made it out of that mine in Canada and that they have been rescued and that they are in good health. So a happy ending to that drama with the mine in Canada.

Well, you love to hear this at this time of the year when it comes to finances. Well, sarcastic, kind of, when I say that. Holiday credit card bills need to be paid and taxes are due before you know it.

Gerri, we could probably use some advice from you. Hello.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Daryn. Good to see you.

Do you need help? Professional help, that is, with your money? "Five Tips" is next with answers. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Two developing stories we're following here at CNN. On the left side of your screen, Saddam Hussein. His defense lawyer is saying that he and his lawyers will boycott the next session of the deposed leaders trial in Baghdad. It's all to protest what they say is the bias of the new chief judge that has been appointed to hear that case. More on that in just a moment.

Then on the right side of your screen, a happy ending in Canada, in Saskatchewan. All 72 miners who have been trapped below ground have made it out and they are safe and they are healthy. More details on both those as they become available.

Right now we move on to the markets. They've been open about 50 minutes. The Dow is up 5 points. Not a lot of movement in the Nasdaq, either. It's up 5 points as well.

Let's talk about the perfect financial storm and we're not talking about weather, we're talking about your finances. The holiday bills are due, tax season is here, and college costs are rising. So maybe you've been thinking about getting some help from a financial planner. Our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis has today's "Top Five Tips" on that.

Gerri.

WILLIS: Daryn, good to see you.

You know, there are times in your life when you really need some professional help with your money. You mention a few. But there's also the time when you have a baby, maybe you're closing in on retirement and you're thinking about what you want to do then. Any of these things, if you inherit money, means you want to take a look at your money and maybe get some professional help doing it.

But here's the deal, Daryn, it will cost you. In fact, a lot of financial advisor won't even take you on unless you have assets of 100,000 or more. So the thing to do is to find an advisor who will maybe charge you by the hour. About $150 to $350 to get some expert advice. It's really worth it, particularly if you're facing some specific issue or problem you're trying to solve.

KAGAN: What about the alphabet soup that comes after some of these advisors? WILLIS: It's crazy. I'm telling you, there's CFP, CLU. You name it, there's an acronym. A lot of them don't mean much at all. One designation that is worthwhile is CFP, that's certified financial planner. That means they have 18 to 24 months worth of training in a classroom, looking at the very things that you're trying to figure out, retirement, investments, a range of issues. What's more, they have to have three years of experience, and then once they get the designation, they have to go back every couple of years and get more training. So these are folks that really have a lot of work under their belt.

KAGAN: What kind of payment plan should you be looking for?

WILLIS: I like the fee only planners. You know, they're not being paid commissions by people who are trying to sell product to you, so you're not sitting there listening to the latest pitch on annuities or maybe about some hot stock. They're really thinking about what you need because you're paying them for their services. Probably about 1 percent of assets. It's not inexpensive, but it can be worth it.

KAGAN: Turning your money over to somebody, though, it's kind of scary.

WILLIS: Yes. Yes. Exactly. There are red flags for planners that, you know, maybe they're not the best planner out there. If they've got over 150 clients, you know you're not going to be at the top of their list when they're trying to help you. What's more, if they're talking about product first, and then asking you questions about what your financial goals are, what your situation is, how much you have in savings. You really want somebody who's going to develop a plan that's specifically geared for you and your issues.

KAGAN: And then finally, what if taxes are your problem?

WILLIS: Well, then you need an accountant. And it's tough to find good accountants. It's tough to know there's no designation like there are with financial advisors that points to the good guys. You have to ask friends and family, who are you working with? Who do you like? Who's responsive? Make sure they're licensed. You can go to the state board of accountancy to find out.

And another little trick that I think make a lot of sense, just to make sure you're not getting somebody who's really, really bad. If you're accountant has one of those little lightning bolt designations that the IRS hands out to people who can file electronically, directly to them, that means they've done a base level check of that person to make sure they're on the up and up, because once tax season hits, they are all kinds of people who set up shop, put out a sign, say they're accountants but they may not be. So you have to be careful.

KAGAN: Gerri Willis. Thank you, Gerri.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Let's go live back now to Capitol Hill. Senator Ted Kennedy once again leading the way to stop the cloture vote on the nomination of Samuel Alito as the next Supreme Court justice. Let's listen in.

SEN EDWARD KENNEDY, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: Something that those of us in the Judiciary Committee had no mind of. Maybe our friends on the other side knew about. But to this -- is front page New York side (ph), paving the way for Alito began. And it goes back extensively. It goes on page 18, asks that it -- printed at an appropriate place in the record. I'll just mention . . .

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without objection.

KENNEDY: Just a few times. So America is listening to the president, we're going to get the very best nominee we possibly can. One side of the story. Most of us certainly believed it.

Well, this is -- the story. This may be accurate, it may not be. But I think it's very difficult to read this story and not certainly find a very, very powerful ring of truth in the it. Last February, as the rumors swirled around the failing health of Chief Justice Rehnquist, a team of conservative grass roots organized public relations specialists, legal strategists, met to prepare a battle plan, a battle plan to ensure any vacancies were filled by like-minded jurors.

Well, so they have a plan. Conservatives have a plan. They know what the thinking is of this -- of the nominee. It continues, the team recruited conservative lawyers to study the records of 18 potential nominees, including Roberts and Alito, and trained more than three dozen lawyers to respond to news reports on presidential picks. So we're going to evidently have this group of the conservatives, they're going to make the pick and then it's going (ph) to seeded around the country where dozens of lawyers are going to call on in the news reports when they have the president.

KAGAN: We've been listening in to Senator Ted Kennedy. He is against the nomination of Samuel Alito to be the next Supreme Court justice. Republicans, by the way, believe they do have the 60 votes needed to stop any kind of filibuster effort and expect to vote perhaps today or tomorrow.

And if you'd like to listen to more of Ted Kennedy, go to Pipeline. Cnn.com/pipeline and you can continue listening to streaming live coverage of that.

Meanwhile, we're stand by for another live event. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in London today. She is with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Also talking a lot about Hamas, the political group that has won an overwhelming landslide victory with the Palestinians. She would like to see aid cut off to Hamas. And we will have more on that just ahead.

Also, are you looking for something different, something new to earn a paycheck? Well, join the club on that. Workers polled on their job satisfaction. What the survey says ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY. But first, he says he looks worse than Charles Manson right now. The man charged with raping a three-year-old and taking her on a trek around the country, talks to CNN from jail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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