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The Situation Room
The President's Plan; Less of a Threat?; Saving Face in France; Iraq's Free Press May Not Be So Free; Hurricane Season Ends Today; Timing Of Today's Speech; World AIDS Day Is Tomorrow
Aired November 30, 2005 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's 5:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information from around the world arrive at one place at the same time.
Happening now, it's 1:00 a.m. Thursday in Iraq. President Bush says he has a plan for victory there. Critics say it's weak on specifics. We'll get a reality check.
It's 5:00 p.m. at Reagan National Airport, here in Washington. We'll take you there. We'll take you there live to show you about new rules about what you can and can't take on planes and why flight attendants say those new rules are dangerous.
And over at the Department of Health and Human Services, efforts under way right now to stockpile millions of doses of bird flu vaccine. But not enough for everybody. So who will get them?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
The president calls it a plan for victory. Critics call it a laundry list short on specifics. Mr. Bush is trying to shore up slipping support for the war in Iraq with what the White House calls a series of major speeches. First was today over at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland, where the president touted successes in Iraq and refused to set a time table for bringing the troops home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Setting an artificial deadline to withdraw would send a message across the world that America is weak and an unreliable ally. Setting an artificial deadline to withdrawal would send a signal to our enemies that if they wait long enough, America will cut and run and abandon its friends. And setting an artificial deadline to withdrawal would vindicate the terrorist tactics of beheadings and suicide bombings and mass murder and invite new attacks on America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We have in-depth coverage with our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He's standing by in Baghdad.
But let's begin with our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux. Suzanne, let's talk a little bit, first of all, about the significance of the timing of this speech today.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, certainly, as you know, this comes at a critical time for President Bush, where really just a little over two weeks away from Iraq's national elections, a critical transition point for the administration in terms of its own policy. But also, the administration is looking ahead here.
They figure they have a window of about six months or so to demonstrate some real progress on the ground in Iraq. And that, of course, will have an impact, perhaps, on congressional midterm elections. The Republicans certainly want to see some sort of success here out of the Bush administration. They do not want to be punished for the policy failure of this administration -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Did we learn anything new in this speech?
MALVEAUX: Well, we actually did. Democrats and some political pundits were not pleased with this speech. They said there was very little that was new.
We did learn some new details, essentially how the insurgency was broken down. We know there are Saddamists, people who are loyal to Saddam. That there were those Sunnis who feel that -- rejecting the government, or terrorists, al Qaeda, the most dangerous group, and the different approaches the administration is taking to each one of them.
We also learned as well some of the training techniques with Iraqi forces. And the president acknowledged some of the failures in those training tactics. But again, Democrats and some not satisfied that they got the kind of detail when it comes to withdrawing U.S. troops -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.
Suzanne, thank you very much.
Let's get a fact check now from our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.
Jamie, what's the consensus on what the president cites as a growing number of Iraqi battalions ready for combat?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as you said, the president gave a pretty upbeat assessment of the state of the Iraqi military, and we put some of what he said to a little fact check.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice over): President Bush argues Iraqi security forces are on track to meet a key milestone, the ability to take the lead in defeated insurgents. And he cited the recent operation in Talafar in western Iraq is proof. BUSH: You saw it was primarily led by Iraqi security forces, 11 Iraqi battalions backed by five coalition battalions providing support.
MCINTYRE: True enough, say U.S. military sources. But critics point out those Iraqis all reported to an American commander and could not operate alone.
JAMES FALLOWS, "THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY": It was indispensable to have U.S. logistics support, U.S. planning, U.S. intelligence, all sorts of things that no one imagines the Iraqis are going to have, you know, next year, or the year after that, or for many years in the future.
MCINTYRE: Bush argues it's not necessary for Iraqi battalions to be self-sustaining to take the lead.
BUSH: As a matter of fact, there are some battalions from NATO militaries that would not be able to meet this standard.
MCINTYRE: That's also true. Many smaller NATO countries like the basic airlift and logistics support to deploy far from home.
BUSH: Iraqis now have a small air force that recently conducted its first combat airlift operations, bringing Iraqi troops to the front in Talafar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: Again, that's true, but it's a very small air force. Three U.S.-donated C-130 aircraft, plus four squadrons of reconnaissance aircraft and a handful of helicopters used for training.
But, you know, critics concede that the president basically stuck to the facts in his speech today. What they fault him for is what he didn't say; namely, that even if there are significant cuts in U.S. troop levels in Iraq next year, the U.S. is likely to have to keep tens of thousands of troops in Iraq for many years to come -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Jamie. Thanks very much.
Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.
And from the Pentagon, let's head over to Baghdad. Nic Robertson is standing by.
Nic, I assume there's been some reaction from all sorts of corners coming from Iraq. What are you hearing?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Iraqi people generally, Wolf, have told us -- and this is one area that they agree in -- that they don't really trust President Bush and they don't trust what he's saying. So there's little faith there. They're divided on when and when not U.S. troops should pull out.
Some say they should stay now. Others saying they should go.
I think when you look at the Talafar -- Talafar offensive that President Bush put forward, let's look at the -- the two most recent offensives after that. Steel Curtain, up on the Syrian border, 3,000 U.S. troops, 550 Iraqis. U.S. troops very much the dominant force there.
And the most recent offensive, Iron Hammer, that got under way today, 2,000 U.S. troops, 500 Iraqis. That's the picture that people are seeing here. The U.S. still playing a very, very, very dominant role -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Nic. We'll check back with you soon.
Nic Robertson in Baghdad.
Democrats here in Washington have plenty to say about the president's speech. Senator John Kerry takes issue with the way the president characterized calls for an exit strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The United States Senate had a vote, a Republican resolution and a Democrat resolution, and neither sought to seek an artificial date for withdrawal. What it did on the Democratic side, seek to do, was set an estimated time table for success which will permit the withdrawal of our troops. Everything that we have presented has been presented on the basis of how you succeed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Many Democrats who voted for the war are walking a fine line right now, especially Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a possible candidate for the presidency in 2008.
We'll have an in-depth look at that here in THE SITUATION ROOM. That's coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour.
Time now for Jack Cafferty and "The Cafferty File." Jack once again joining us from New York -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Clinton did vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq, did she not?
BLITZER: Yes, she did.
CAFFERTY: So -- so, you know, you can characterize that she voted for the war, although at the time that wasn't...
BLITZER: You could. You could.
CAFFERTY: OK.
Here's something that might be coming down the pike in the future. You could be able to order a la carte when it comes to television.
The chairman of the FCC says that cable companies should let subscribers pick individual channels instead of forcing them to subscribe to a whole bundle of channels. He says this would allow parents to block programs they don't what their kids to see and it would lower your cable bill, which, of course, means the government probably isn't going to let it happen.
Anyway, this is how it would work if it ever did happen. You would still get to subscribe to a basic group of channels, including all the broadcast stations and others like CNN. But then after that, you'd pay only for the channels you want. You'd pick and choose among the History Channel, whatever you like.
The question is this: would you prefer to pick your own cable channels? You can e-mail us your thoughts at caffertyfile@cnn.com.
You know, I've got, what is it, Cablevision or something. I get 60, 70, 80 channels, and I probably watch 10 of them. And I didn't ask for most of them. But that's the package you get. And this would allow you to just pick the ones you like and I guess cut your bill in the process -- Wolf.
Would you do that?
BLITZER: Well, when you say "cut," you guess cut the bill. Remember, when you go to a restaurant you order a la carte, sometimes it's going to be more expensive than when you order the package dinner.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's true. The pre-show meal, right?
BLITZER: That's correct. If you're an early-birder, as some of our viewers probably are, they -- they know what it's like to order a la carte as opposed to the special.
CAFFERTY: You know what? You're talking to somebody who's getting old enough now that I go to the restaurants and eat with the group we lovingly call "The Purple Hairs."
BLITZER: I love those people.
CAFFERTY: I do, too. I show up with them every weekend.
BLITZER: All right, Jack. Thanks very much.
Up ahead, a medical procedure often seen in the movies, but it becomes a reality. Facial transplants, it's being done in France and planned for right here in the United States. We'll tell you what's going on.
And they'll be cut from the list. Long thought to be potential tools of terror on an airplane, now considered no longer a threat. What's going on?
And how free is the press in Iraq? There are allegations that the U.S. military is writing news stories and planting them in Iraqi newspapers.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A CNN "Security Watch" now.
After 9/11, they were banned in airplane carry-ons, considered potential tools of terror. Now apparently they're no longer considered a threat.
CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve is over at Reagan National Airport here in Washington with more.
What's going on, Jeanne?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, these proposals could still change, but what officials are talking about now is still banning large scissors like these. But smaller scissors under four inches, some of those would be allowed. And small tools under seven inches, some of those also allowed.
Now, some travelers are saying, great, one less annoyance. But others are asking, have they forgotten about 9/11?
MESERVE (voice over): Flight attendants think it is downright dangerous for the Transportation Security Administration to allow some sharp objects back into passenger cabins.
CHRISTOPHER WITKOWSKI, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: For TSA to allow these objects to be brought on by passengers and potential terrorists is ludicrous. It doesn't make any sense, and it's placing the flight attendants at risk, as well as the passengers onboard.
MESERVE: Homeland Security officials say shrinking the list of prohibited items would let screeners spend more time on the greater threat: explosives. Right now, only 20 of the nation's 450 airports have machines that puff air on passengers to detect traces of explosives. Other machines that test swabs of luggage can be foiled by a meticulous bomb maker. And an explosive detection dog can only work effectively for a limited time.
All of these methods could fail to detect improvised explosives, like the bombs used on London's underground.
HARVEY "JACK" MCGEORGE, PUBLIC SAFETY GROUP: Because of their uniqueness, if you will, they are not necessarily similar to other explosives. Whether we're building a machine or teaching a dog, there's a repertoire, a list of things that you build it to or teach it to detect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: Officials are also talking about making screening procedures less predictable. All of these changes slated to take effect right now on December 20 -- Wolf. BLITZER: All right, Jeanne. Thanks very much.
If the airport has confiscated your tweezer, can you buy it back on eBay? Our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner, has the answer to that question and more -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well, Wolf, it depends on what state you're in, frankly. But yes, you can buy them back on eBay in states like Nevada and Maryland, among others.
Take a look at some of the stuff that's collected. What happens is they put it in big bags, they send it out to warehouses, and they let organizations like the Boy Scouts, some private schools, that sort of thing, go through them. Anything that's surplus ends up on auction sites, some eBay, some private auction sites, like in Wisconsin. They have a surplus online auction, a new one, really, every week.
Another thing, we talked to the Transportation Security Administration today. They have really seen it all. This looks like a statue. Take a look at the blade hidden inside.
Now, obviously stuff like this is not going to be allowed onboard. But there is a full list of what you can and can't take on their Web site.
Right now this is what it looks like, but as of Friday that's going to change. They'll have what you can take now and what you can take once those changes are implemented -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Very interesting. Thanks very much, Jacki, for that.
And to our viewers, please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Coming up, an about-face. Doctors in France are partially moving one face onto another. How soon might American doctors be doing the same thing?
And the British entrepreneur Richard Branson wants you to get into the holiday spirit whether you're Jewish, Christian, Muslim, African-American, anything. Branson thinks he's come out with a holiday title to appeal to everyone. We'll tell you what's going on.
Sir Richard Branson, he'll be joining us in our 7:00 p.m. hour here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: In France, some doctors are literally saving face. Surgeons there performed the first-ever facial transplant.
CNN's Brian Todd is joining us now with details -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, experts say this surgery opens some incredible possibilities and ethical challenges for the future. This is a concept so far out on the cutting edge of medicine that Hollywood once got in on it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice over): Until now, it was the stuff of science fiction. Eight years after the movie "Face Off" popularized the notion of swapping faces, doctors in France announced the world's first partial face transplant, replacing the nose, lips and chin of a 38-year-old woman who had been mauled in a dog attack.
The grafted tissue harvested from another woman who had been declared brain dead. A procedure that's been researched extensively in the U.S. but not tried yet.
DR. JOHN BARKER, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE: If a person -- for example, a burn victim, who's -- you know, half of their face is burned, the procedure consists of removing what is burned and replacing it with transplanted tissues.
TODD: Dr. John Barker is director of plastic surgery research at the University of Louisville. His teams want to do a full facial transplant, but they're not as close as Dr. Maria Simino (ph) of the Cleveland Clinic. She heads the only team to have board approval for a complete facial transplant, and she's now screening potential patients.
Neither Dr. Simino (ph) nor the doctors at Louisville would comment on the operation in France, but officials at the Cleveland clinic tell CNN, "When a full facial transplant is done, an incision will be made around the entire face. The skin flap will be lifted and replaced with another face. They say initially they only plan on transplanting skin, not facial bones or muscles. And they only want to perform the surgery on patients who are burned or are otherwise severely disfigured.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: In other words, officials at the Cleveland Clinic say they never want to see a facial transplant done as elective surgery for someone who simply wants another face. Even if someone tries that, they warn, you likely will not look like your donor -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian, what are they saying about the ethics of all of this, the physicians you're talking to?
TODD: Several ethical questions involved. And the University of Louisville and the Cleveland Clinic have done studies to come up with any scenario for ethical challenges.
The medications for anti-rejection of these transplants are very severe. They can cause all sorts of after-effects and other medical conditions the patients might not be ready for. So they're weighing those.
They're also weighing the psychological effects, the traumatic -- the possible trauma of looking at your face and not necessarily liking what you see, or at least being completely thrown off by the results of the surgery. So all sorts of ethical considerations are coming up in this debate -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Brian. Very interesting. Thanks very much.
Brian Todd doing an excellent job, as usual.
Coming up, it won't be missed. The rough weather of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends today, but we're not completely in the clear yet.
And the U.S. says it will soon get eight million doses of human bird flu vaccine. Who will be fortunate enough to get one of those vaccines? You may be surprised to find out.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, he's here in THE SITUATION ROOM standing by with the answers.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A dangerous strain of avian flu is spreading in Asia. Indonesian officials say a 25-year-old woman who died yesterday tested positive for the virus. If confirmed by the World Health Organization, her death would bring the human toll to the flu in Indonesia to eight.
Another new outbreak of avian flu is also reported among the birds in China. The latest report says 300 birds found dead November 24 were infected with the flu strain.
If the avian flu makes its way to the United States, will we be ready for the potential health crisis? A small stockpile of vaccine is one weapon, but who gets it first?
Our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, asked that question. He's joining us now live.
Sanjay, what did you come up with?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf.
Yes, making a virus is a tricky job, there's no question. The virus can mutate. It takes about four to six months for the vaccine to actually be made against a recently changed virus. You can see the problem here. But here's where the government is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice over): You're looking at the pharmaceutical plant that is making the very first doses of human vaccine for bird flu. This one's in France.
The U.S. now says it will have eight million doses in hand by February. But who's going to get those eight million doses if bird flu strikes?' DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: Those in the trenches, healthcare workers who will be seeing the first cases of flu, need to be on that high priority list. And, in fact, they are.
GUPTA: Well, 2.2 million doses will go to the Department of Defense. The remainder, about 5.5 million doses, will be held in the Department of Health and Human Services' stockpile. And keep this in mind: eight million doses doesn't necessarily mean eight million people.
Each person who's vaccinated will need two doses about a month apart. So the number of people of vaccinated from the HHS stockpile would only be 2.83 million people. Unless, of course, that little bit can be stretched even farther. Studies looking into that are under way now.
This vaccine was created by Robert Webster, one of the best-known scientists in the field of avian flu. At the age of 73, he still works 10 hours a day at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, trying to outsmart the virus that is already killing half the people it infects.
But even the creator of the vaccine has some concerns, because this vaccine was designed to work against the strain of avian flu currently circulating in Asia. But viruses change. That's what they do.
So will this vaccine really work if the vaccine mutates?
ROBERT WEBSTER, ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSP.: The vaccine, even though it's not a perfect match, would probably protect you from death. If you were vaccinated, you would still get infected. You would probably get very sick, but not die.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: So it's important to remember that this is still experimental, considered experimental, not officially approved by the FDA. But the issue here is, in a pinch, in an emergency, the benefits may still outweigh the risks -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Sanjay. Stand by. I want to get some more on this.
And we're joined here in THE SITUATION ROOM by Dr. Anthony Fauci. He's the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.
What's the bottom line? Who gets the vaccine? Who won't get the vaccine? Because clearly, Dr. Fauci, there's not enough for -- for everyone in this country.
FAUCI: Well, I think it's important for people to understand the difference between a pre-pandemic vaccine which are stockpiling based on a strain that was isolated from Vietnam in 2004 and the preparation for making a vaccine for the virus that will -- and hopefully it never does -- assume the capability of being able to go efficiently from person to person.
We're not there right now. So...
BLITZER: This vaccine they're talking about is something that may or may not work?
FAUCI: Exactly. What we're -- what we're really talking about is developing the capacity now to be able to surge up when that virus does make that jump, which it has not yet down.
What we have in a very small stockpile right now is what we call pre-pandemic vaccine. It is a very small amount, relatively speaking.
If you have an explosion, which you're talking about the worst worst-case scenario, then you're really talking about not being able to respond very adequately at all.
The goal where we need to go is, as rapidly as possible, get our production capacity up, so that you can have vaccine rolling out as things are evolving. Under those circumstances, there's a prioritization plan. And, clearly, as was mentioned, the people who actually make the vaccines are ones that are high priority, the health care workers that -- who will be able take care of people, because if they're not ready to respond to a pandemic, then nobody is going to get ...
BLITZER: All right.
FAUCI: ... any vaccine.
BLITZER: Let's bring Dr. Gupta.
Sanjay, I know you have a question that...
GUPTA: Yes.
BLITZER: ... you want to ask Dr. Fauci as well.
GUPTA: Yes.
Let me approach this from a little bit of a different angle, Dr. Fauci. We have heard some of this before. In 1976, Gerald Ford talked about the swine flu, and inoculating, getting vaccines for all these people. And a lot of people ended up getting sick, because they sort of rushed the process, they felt. Could that happen again? Would people have to take the vaccine if they're worried that it may not be safe enough for them?
FAUCI: Well, first of all, there's not going to be any mandatory taking of vaccines.
And, secondly, that's the whole issue of not preemptively vaccinating someone with a vaccine for a virus that has not yet attained the capability of going efficiently from person to person. If we had enough H5N1 vaccine now in its present form, and the virus was doing what it was doing in Southeast Asia, it's very unlikely that we would make the commitment that, now, we are going to preemptively vaccinate everyone for something that may not be the vaccine that ultimately causes a serious public health problem, which gets me back to what I just told Wolf, that the fact is you really do need to have the production capacity to surge up, as opposed to having a small amount of pre-pandemic influenza.
BLITZER: Dr. Fauci, here's the nightmare scenario that a lot of people are worried about. God forbid this mutates and it becomes a pandemic. There's a limited number of this vaccine. You know there are going to be people who are going to be panicking.
FAUCI: Right.
BLITZER: And they're going to be coming -- if they think they're going to have -- be able to save their lives or their kids' lives or their family's lives, they're going to take drastic steps.
FAUCI: Right.
BLITZER: And this could get really, really dangerous and ugly.
FAUCI: Right.
BLITZER: How do you prevent that?
FAUCI: Well, that's the reason why we have got to, in a very calm and formative way, let people know that there are multifaceted ways that you address an influenza epidemic or pandemic.
First and foremost, there's public health measures, things that you can do, things like social distancing, keeping sick children out of school. Don't go to work if you're sick, public health measures of isolation, perhaps even some quarantine, if that appropriate and if it will, in fact, help.
And then there are ways of preparing. There's antiviral drugs that you give selectively to certain people. Certainly, a vaccine would be the answer to where we were going to be.
But the fact of the matter is, we don't have a pandemic vaccine for whatever virus is going to be the pandemic virus. We don't even know what that virus is, which keeps getting us back to, in a calm, measured way, we need to develop preparedness to be able to surge up in the eventuality of a pandemic, not to get all panicked about, is it going to be H5N1 tomorrow?
BLITZER: All right.
FAUCI: That's less the issue than the broad preparedness.
BLITZER: Dr. Fauci, as usual, excellent advice.
Thanks very much for joining us.
Sanjay Gupta, thanks to you as well. This important note to our viewers: Sanjay Gupta will have a special on bird flu that airs a week from Sunday, December 11, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. You will want to catch that here on CNN. Sanjay has done an excellent job on this subject.
Monitoring all the bird flu resources online is our Internet reporter, Jacki Schechner -- Jacki.
SCHECHNER: Well, Wolf, we're seeing plenty of world organizations keeping track of the rising numbers and publishing those facts online.
For example, at the World Health Organization, they have the latest human case, that case in Indonesia that you mentioned. Over to the World Animal Health Organization -- online, they have a graph of the poultry cases, showing you which countries have the most incidents so far. You can see, Vietnam far ahead of the others at this point.
Over to the FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization. This is a branch of the United Nations that was founded in 1945 to combat hunger. They're using the OIE, that Animal Health Organization, numbers in order to create a bimonthly map. The latest one will be up, they said, in the next couple of days.
Now, they also have this really animated timeline, which actually just stopped running. But I spoke to them today. And they said the reason why they're keeping taps on this is because there are some 200 million small farmers in Southeast Asia who are going to be economically affected by this, if there's a poultry outbreak that consumes that nation, especially in the local market economy -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Jacki, thanks very much.
Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a free press in Iraq -- the Bush administration chalks it up as a victory. But a new report suggests, the U.S. government is putting words in the Iraqi news media's mouth. We will tell you what is going on.
And, later, she's considered a top presidential contender in 2008. So, why is she walking on eggshells right now? That would be Senator Hillary Clinton and the Iraq factor. That's coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Zain Verjee is off today.
Fredricka Whitfield is standing by at CNN Center in Atlanta with a closer look at other stories making news.
Hi, Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again, Wolf. The U.S. Supreme Court today heard its first abortion case since John Roberts took over as chief justice -- at issue, a New Hampshire law requiring teens to tell their parents before they have an abortion. Some justices were troubled that the law doesn't make an exception for minors who have medical emergencies.
And there's a major heroin bust to tell you about. The Drug Enforcement Administration says artwork and dance shoes were among the items used to smuggle heroin into the U.S. from Colombia. U.S. agents arrested 78 people and seized more than two million hits of heroin.
And get this. An assistant high school football coach in California has been suspended for cheating. How come? Well, watch carefully. He moves the field marker. It helps his San Pedro High School team get a first down at a critical time late into the game to help them win. And school officials suspended Paul Bryan for -- guess how much -- a year -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Well, I guess you have to learn your lessons.
WHITFIELD: You think he deserves more or...
BLITZER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... is a year enough?
BLITZER: A year, well, that's a good start.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Thanks, Fred, very much.
WHITFIELD: All right.
BLITZER: A newspaper report is shedding doubt on just how free Iraq's new free press really is. It suggests the U.S. military is systematically planting stories in Iraqi news outlets.
How is the Pentagon responding to this report?
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is joining us now live with more -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Pentagon is trying to get a little bit more information about what may be going on in Iraq, and whether, indeed, the new Iraqi free press is bought and paid for by the U.S. military.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): On the streets of Baghdad, dozens of newspapers, all covering the latest developments -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the new Iraqi media is a success for the coalition.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The country is -- is -- has a free media. And they can -- it's a relief valve. They -- there's a hundred-plus papers.
STARR: But "The Los Angeles Times" now reports that the U.S. military may be deeply involved in influencing the Iraqi press.
MARK MAZZETTI, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES": We have documents to reveal the fact that the -- the information operation going on in Iraq involves stories written by U.S. troops, information operations troops, that are translated into Arabic, and then placed in Iraqi media throughout mostly Baghdad for payment, in -- in, sometimes, very -- very large sums of money.
STARR: A U.S. military spokesman would not comment on potential payments -- quote -- "because this is part of our ongoing operations."
The military has a contract with the Lincoln Group, a Washington, D.C.-based company. Part of the company's job is to undertake an aggressive information operations campaign that will effectively engage the Iraqi people, including writing Iraqi articles, according to their contract.
But two military officials tell CNN that company employees in Baghdad have offered Iraqi newspapers money to run their articles without identifies they work for the United States government. The company declined to comment on any part of their military work.
One expert says it undermines democracy in Iraq.
TOM ROSENSTIEL, PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM: You cannot have democracy without a free press, and you can't have free press if the controlling government is planting government propaganda stories in the newspaper.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And, Wolf, a senior Defense Department officials says the whole notion of paying for these stories in the Iraqi newspapers is, in his words, a dumb idea -- Wolf.
BLITZER: What a story, Barbara. Thanks very much, Barbara Starr, over at the Pentagon.
Let's go to New York -- Lou Dobbs getting ready for his program. That begins right at the top of the hour.
Lou, what are you working on?
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, thank you very much.
Coming up at the top of the hour here, we will have a great deal more on the president's strategy for victory in Iraq. My guest include tonight Senator Carl Levin, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Congressman Duncan Hunter, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Also tonight, we will tell you why Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito is no Harriet Miers. And I will be talking with former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who says the 9/11 Commission failed in its duty in the Able Danger controversy -- all of that, and a great deal more, coming up at the top of the hour here on CNN.
Please join us -- now back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, thanks very much, Lou. We will be joining you.
Up next, it's officially the end of the hurricane season, but Tropical Storm Epsilon didn't get the memo. We will take you to Key West for a ceremony full of symbolism, also.
Cable a la carte? Our Jack Cafferty reading your e-mail, tell you what he has come up with.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: It was truly a season of discontent. The 2005 hurricane season produced a record number of storms, damage and misery. Today, it's officially over.
Let's go to CNN's John Zarrella. He's joining us now live from Key West in Florida -- John.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bear with us. We are going to live to France.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Hey, Wolf.
Well, yes, I'm in -- in Key West, Florida. And it is, what, six hours and 15 minutes until the official end of hurricane season. And down here, at the Pier House, they're marking the end of this season, where four hurricanes, the four major hurricanes that impacted the United States all impacted the Keys to one extent or another -- a bad year.
In just a moment now, they're going to blow the ceremonial conch shell to honor the people who lost their lives during this hurricane season. And, then, they are going to light the ceremonial hurricane -- infamous hurricane warning flags in just a moment, Wolf.
BLITZER: You know, it looks pretty colorful. But let's watch it.
(APPLAUSE)
ZARRELLA: Captain, Captain, Captain, get out of the shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to get out of the shot -- that way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't get it going.
(LAUGHTER) BLITZER: What are they doing now, John?
ZARRELLA: Yes. There it goes, Wolf. They're trying to light the ceremonial hurricane flags. Those are those hurricane flags.
But it is a windy day, much like you would have in a tropical storm here in the Keys. And they're not having a whole lot of luck with it right now, to get the flag lit, to wish that ceremonial goodbye, good riddance to the 2005 hurricane season -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, well, good riddance to this hurricane season. Let's hope, next year, it's a lot better for all of us.
John Zarrella in Key West, thanks very much.
Let's get back to our top story, President Bush's speech today outlining his so-called plan for victory. Why this speech and why this speech now?
Let's bring in our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield. He's joining us from New York.
What do you make of the timing of this? Why now, Jeff?
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Well, this is the eighth time this year, by my count, the president has talked to the country, one way or another, either about Iraq or the war on terror.
And through this whole year, there's been a slow, but study diminution in support for the war, in the president's approval on Iraq, in the skepticism, increase in skepticism about the basis for the war. Sixty percent of the country now says, look, it hasn't been worth it.
And I think there's no mystery about what the message is. You saw those enormous -- that enormous sign over the president's head and all over, plan for victory. I think the message of the speech was, we have a plan for victory. We know what we're doing. It's working. And we know how to bring Americans home.
I think they felt they had to get that message out now, because the country is just basically -- looks like it's drifting just more and more away from supporting the president, or even trusting in him on this issue -- Wolf.
BLITZER: How do you measure the effectiveness of this one speech?
GREENFIELD: Here's is how you don't do it.
You don't do it with a snap poll that I'm sure we and every other news organization is taking, because, as far as I can remember, all the way back into the mists of time, when the president gives a speech on national security, the initial reaction of the public is to support the president. The problem has been, over and over again, in past cases, like Vietnam, in this case, over time, that initial support fades. And I would suggest to you that one way to measure the effectiveness of the speech, which is all going to rest on what happens in Iraq, is, is it correct that the military says it can do the job with no more troops and begin sending them home?
We have heard stories to that effect. Joe Lieberman, the senator, the Democrat, came back and said, yes, it's working. We have also seen press reports that lower-down military officers have told people, we are -- we will not ask for more troops because we know it will threaten our career, because Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld don't want to hear that.
Now, over the next weeks and months, with the vote in mid- December, if we see stability, if we see Iraqi forces, particularly the police, being able to establish safe zones, if American troops begin to be drawn down, then the president's job numbers will increase. It's not going to be a speech. As I said, this is the eighth time he's gone to the public. And there's no sign the public is listening to the rhetoric anymore.
BLITZER: Jeff Greenfield helping us better assess the speech -- thanks, Jeff, very much.
Tomorrow is World AIDS Day, designed to call attention to the global fight against HIV and AIDS. In this country, the disease is taking a heavy toll on one group in particular.
Ali Velshi is joining us now with more on this story -- Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf.
And that group in particular is African-American women. A lot of people think AIDS is a problem that is going away in America. But the Centers For Disease Control have said that, even though the rate of infection among African-Americans as a whole are down, poverty and other factors are contributing to an alarming rate of HIV infection in African-American women.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IDA BYTHER-SMITH, HIV POSITIVE: I was literally dying.
VELSHI (voice-over): Ida Byther-Smith remembers her shock the day she took a routine blood test and found out she had HIV.
BYTHER-SMITH: You made a mistake on my name when I walked in, so I know you got the wrong person.
VELSHI: But it was true. Seventeen years ago, she was infected by her husband, who left her for another man. After a long period of shame and silence...
BYTHER-SMITH: I thought I was going to cut my wrists. VELSHI: ... Ida told her family, forgave her husband, and nursed him for three years, until his death. She now works to prevent AIDS among African-American women, a highly vulnerable group, according to the Centers For Disease Control.
HIV is the leading cause of death in African-American women age 25 to 34. Black women are 21 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than white women. And 76 percent of all women are infected through heterosexual sex.
BETHSHEBA JOHNSON, LUCK CARE CENTER: Your viral load is really out of control. And...
VELSHI: On the front lines is Bethsheba Johnson, a nurse who runs a clinic for AIDS patients on Chicago's South Side.
JOHNSON: Hey.
VELSHI: She says, every day, she sees why HIV cases are up among African-American women.
JOHNSON: We don't like to think of our -- our partners as being bisexual or gay. We don't want to think of our men possibly incarcerated having sex with other men. It -- it's just a lot denial: "My man wouldn't do that."
VELSHI: Health officials believe some ex-offenders go back and infect their wives and girlfriends. Other men may have multiple sex partners, putting women at risk. Bethsheba says women still assume that AIDS is just a gay white male disease.
JOHNSON: Or, "It just won't happen to me," if you're young. "I'm invincible."
BYTHER-SMITH: I wasn't a prostitute. I wasn't a gay white man. I wasn't on drugs. People think they can see HIV. You can't see HIV.
VELSHI: For Ida, the answer lies in empowering African-American women. That means educating themselves and practicing safe sex...
BYTHER-SMITH: You have got to confront something before you can fight it. We have got to acknowledge that this is happening.
VELSHI: ... and never have a false sense of security.
BYTHER-SMITH: We need to look in the mirror and say, this is the face of HIV.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: Well, experts, Wolf, tell us that other risk factors associated with poverty, like lack of good access to health care, domestic and sexual abuse, and lack of adequate awareness about sexually transmitted diseases, make the HIV threat worse among African-American women than in the population as a whole -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ali Velshi reporting for us -- Ali, thanks very much.
Up next, might you soon be able to tell the cable guy you would like to order only a cable channel or two, one in particular you might love?
Jack Cafferty has your e-mail.
Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the hours after the 1996 bombing in Atlanta's Olympic Park, Security Guard Richard Jewell was recognized for his courageous act.
RICHARD JEWELL, SECURITY GUARD: We got about 150 people off the grass area right directly in front of the bomb before it exploded.
PHILLIPS: One person was killed in the bombing, and more than 100 were injured. Jewell was credited with saving lives and was instantly hailed as a hero.
But his 15 minutes of fame turned into what he claimed a nightmare. Jewell was wrongly linked to the bombing and became the target of incessant media scrutiny.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you do it?
JEWELL: No, sir. I didn't do this.
PHILLIPS: Twelve weeks later, he was cleared by the FBI. Jewell turned the table on several media outlets, including CNN, and filed a series of lawsuits, in which many of them settled.
Nine years later, Eric Rudolph confessed to the Olympic Park bombing. And Richard Jewell finally feels vindicated.
JEWELL: Well, it begins a new chapter in my life, with -- with, hopefully, some closure in the case.
PHILLIPS: Jewell is now a police officer in Pendergrass, Georgia.
JEWELL: Firemen, E-mails, police officers, we just want to be remembered for doing a good job. That's -- that's what I did that night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Jack Cafferty is joining us once again from New York with "The Cafferty File."
Hi, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Wolf, how you doing?
The chairman of the FCC says that cable companies should allow subscribers to pick individual channels, instead of forcing us all to subscribe to bundles of channels. He says, this would let parents block programs they don't want their kids to see. But, maybe even more importantly, he claims it would lower all our cable bills.
The question is, would you like to pick your own cable channels?
Glynn in Brighton, Michigan: "Yes, I would like the option. I'm all for options. However, I'm afraid the cable companies would find a way to use this to get us to pay more for less."
Jessica in Lincoln, Nebraska: "You bet I would like to pick my own cable channels. Half the channels I get are worthless. The other 25 percent are worth watch -- are worth watching less than 10 percent of the time. I would be very happy with a mere 24 channels if I could pick them."
Chris in Sacramento, California: "Of course. Who wants O'Reilly by choice?"
Diane in Lacey, Washington: "Yes, I would very much like to pick and choose. I have four shopping channels, five religious channels. I would love to have them removed."
Matthew in Nova Scotia: "Yes. And I first channel I would axe would be the F-word network, FOX News. I can't believe I have to pay for that junk. By the way, in case you put this on the air, my cat Boo-boo (ph) was recently diagnosed with diabetes. It's, of course, treatable, but I just thought the world should know who he is. Make him famous, Jack."
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: And Dave in Japan writes: "Yes, yes. For the love of God, yes. You may have been wondering, Jack, why I have sent you so much e-mail over the years. The answer is, I only get two English channels over here in Japan, CNN and the Golf Network. And Tiger Woods doesn't answer my e-mails."
BLITZER: Hey, Jack, can I wish you a merry Christma-Hanukkah- Kwanzaakah (ph)?
CAFFERTY: Yes. Can I wish you a...
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: What is...
BLITZER: Do you know that...
CAFFERTY: What is that? Christma-Hanukkah-Kwanzaakah.
BLITZER: You're going to have to watch Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic Airways. CAFFERTY: Sure.
BLITZER: The billionaire. He's going to be our program, THE SITUATION ROOM, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, an hour from now.
CAFFERTY: All right.
BLITZER: We are going to talking about his theory that there should be a Christma-Hanukkah-Kwanzaakah.
CAFFERTY: You know what else we are going to talk about?
BLITZER: We will talk -- we will talk about that.
CAFFERTY: You know what else we are going to talk about -- real quick -- "The Cafferty File"? Face transplants.
BLITZER: All right. Jack, thanks very much.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starting right now. Lou is in New York -- Lou.
DOBBS: Wolf, thank you.
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