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CNN Sunday Morning

Militants Fire Rockets Into Israel Seven Hours After Cease- Fire; Obama to Attend Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery

Aired January 18, 2009 - 07:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY for this January 18th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Betty has the morning off. It is 7:00 a.m. here on the east. We are so glad you can be with us this morning. And it's a very busy Sunday.

Here are some of the key stories we are following for you.

Seven hours after Israel declared cease-fire, militants fired rockets into Israel. Israel says it has reached most of its objective in its three-week offensive to stop rocket fire from Hamas militants.

Workers wrestled that U.S. Airways plane out of the Hudson River in New York late last night. The jet came down Thursday, all 155 people aboard survived. Investigators also recovered the flight data info from the plane and to learn what happened.

President-elect Barack Obama took a vintage train into the nation's capital yesterday. And this morning, he will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Later today, he and the future first lady will attend a concert, a star-studded one.

HOLMES: And, of course, we're expecting some 2 million people to be in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday for the inauguration, but as we see in so many big-time events, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, you name it, people start to trickle in, there are events surrounding it, and there's just a buzz in the air. Kate Bolduan is in D.C., where that buzz is beginning to start buzzing.

Tell us, is Washington, D.C. starting, here we are at Sunday now, is it starting to just feel different?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have to tell you, yes, T.J., it's really the topic of conversation. No matter where you are, it's this thing people are talking about for good reason. The entire city is changing and taking shape in order to get ready for this historic event, no matter how you slice it.

Today, following a very jampacked day yesterday for the president-elect and the vice president-elect, they have another busy day today, starting off with, they've be taking part in a wreath- laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. They'll then attend a church service, and have some down time before what maybe they need to rest up a little bit because it's being labeled, the big event this after, as the opening inaugural celebration. A star-studded event that should be happening here on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial, with headliners like Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Bono, all coming here to kind of kick off this -- not the weekend -- but this big celebration.

At the very same time, as we mentioned, T.J., the entire city is preparing for the swearing in on Tuesday, the jumbo television screens are now being set up, and security fences are lining the parameter of the mall as well as many of the streets throughout D.C. And we're also starting to see some of the tourists here in town for this very day starting to trickle in.

Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FARRAH AUSTIN, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: And we are also proud and it's a great day to be an American. So, you want to come out and be an American in an American city.

TEREE CARUTHERS, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Well, this is really our generation to march on Washington. I'm here representing four generations of my family, my great, great grandfather who's born into slavery, and this is my chance to really represent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And we are hearing very similar stories from many of the people that we talked to yesterday down here on the National Mall. Now, I have to tell you, of course, no one can guess what the final number will be, and probably no one will ever know what the final number of people who will be coming here to attend. But I am seeing more people starting to show up. It looks like a very busy weekend day as did yesterday. I expect to see the same here on the National Mall today.

We spoke to the National Park Service who was helping out, of course, with any major events in D.C., and they said, "You know what -- a major factor and how many people will attend and if people will be staying very long will definitely and probably be the weather and the day temperatures." Today, it's slightly warmer than yesterday, but still, you know, as you can tell, I'm not wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

HOLMES: Yes, but you don't have your hat on today? You had on a little bonnet yesterday. So, maybe it's ...

BOLDUAN: I left it in the truck, I know.

HOLMES: OK. Well, one thing quickly here. The citizens of Washington, D.C., are they just as excited? And many of them, I guess, feel blessed they are already there, that they can go see it, or a lot of them maybe going to be getting a little bit annoyed with all these people coming into town and the crowds, that are a lot of them kind of getting out of there and getting out of the way?

BOLDUAN: I think many people, you know, if you live in D.C., you understand that on Inauguration Day, it's not going to be the most convenient day to go out and go window shopping or go to the grocery store. You know, the streets are definitely going to be packed. It's going to be very inconvenient to get around town. But if you live in D.C., you are prepared for it, you understand it, and you are proud to live in the city that's hosting such a massive event.

HOLMES: All right. Kate Bolduan for us there in D.C., we appreciate you, as always, this weekend.

And our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, was among those who was aboard the Obama Express., with the incoming president as he made his way from Philadelphia into Washington, D.C. This is 135-mile train ride from Philly to D.C. But Candy really says this train was carrying more than just the one man.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is not a train. It is a symbol with wheels.

It took Barack Obama from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. along the same route Abraham Lincoln took to his inauguration, a historic trip into the future.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT-ELECT: What's required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives -- independence from ideology, and small thinking, independence from prejudice and bigotry, independence from selfishness -- an appeal to our easy instincts but to our better angels.

CROWLEY: Along the way on the 135-mile trip, they came to stand by the tracks or the hillsides and wave. During the pre-planned slow in rural towns, he stood on the back of his vintage train and waved back. But even when the train raced past without fanfare, people showed up, mostly in small groups with signs and flags, a way to claim just a piece of the history being made. They wanted to see him, and he wants to hang on to them, the people who sent him on this journey.

OBAMA: Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but just the beginning.

CROWLEY: Hope meets reality Wednesday when the new president walks into the Oval Office with a worse economy in decades, a war he wants to end and another he wants to step up. A man who campaigned on the urgency of now needs people to give him time.

OBAMA: There will be false starts. There will be setbacks. There will be frustrations and disappointments. I will make some mistakes, but we will be called to show patience even as we act with fierce urgency.

CROWLEY: His speeches contained phrases and paragraphs of campaign rhetoric, but in the end, this was not about him, but about them -- the people who listened, who clapped, who only stood to see. They have a lot riding on the train that went by.

(on camera): As you can see, by the time Barack Obama left Baltimore, it was pitch black. As he headed for his new home in Washington, D.C., still we can see people outside near the tracks waving. Those are the people interested in the history and the hope, the same people who Wednesday morning will be looking for help.

Candy Crowley, CNN, aboard the Obama Express.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Around the world today. A unilateral cease-fire Israel called in Gaza is already facing some tough challenges. Palestinian sources say Israeli war planes struck a town in northern Gaza this morning just hours after the Israeli truce went into effect. The Israeli attack came after Palestinian militants fired 13 rockets into southern Israel. The rockets were also fired after the truce officially started. Israel says the unilateral cease-fire is meant to end its three-week offensive aimed at stopping Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.

The U.S. military is investigating a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan that killed a U.S. service member. Officials say small arms fire was present when the chopper hit the ground. But it's still unclear if that caused the crash. The death was the 9th U.S. casualty this month.

New saber-rattling from North Korea this morning. The "New York Times" is reporting that North Korean military has declared an all-out confrontational posture against South Korea. The "Times" quotes an American scholar as saying that North Korean officials told him they have weaponized enough plutonium to make between four and six nuclear bombs. It has never been clear whether North Korea has actually constructed any nuclear weapons.

Russian and the Ukraine have agreed to settle the bitter gas feud that has drastically cut supplies to Europe. Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart met in Moscow yesterday. And as part of the new deal, Russia will give the Ukraine a 20 percent discount on gas supplies. In exchange, the Ukraine will not charge Russia any more to send supplies to other countries -- T.J.?

HOLMES: All right. Well, Alina, that U.S. Airways jet that crashed into the Hudson is actually out of the water, but still not quite on the move just yet. Here is another angle, some video, some surveillance video that we caught. This was released by the New York mayor's office. But again, it shows that flash down into the water there.

It looks relatively, I don't know, routine, if you will. It doesn't look like a whole lot was going on there. But a lot of people reported that, sure enough, they hit the water, and it didn't seem like much of an impact. And again, a lot of credit is given to the pilot for that.

But again, the video we're seeing here, the plane has now been lifted out of the water. This crane has lifted it out, it's now going to be put on a barge and taken to a secure location so it can be examined. The right engine appears still to be attached contrary to some earlier beliefs.

And the live picture here now, again, of the snowy New York. The plane has been lifted up, but not on a barge, not on the move yet. The other engine, the left engine that's believed to have exploded and broken apart on impact, somewhere at the bottom of the Hudson, they do believe. They're going to track that down as well.

Also, they know, investigators, where the black box and also the cockpit recorders are. They believe they are still intact, but the divers, because of the cold conditions and the currents of the water could not retrieve those in some earlier attempts.

We'll take you to Milwaukee now. Take a look at what we got here. Some freezing temperatures combined with a water main break, not the best of combinations there. Take a look at this. The rupture sent water gushing all over the neighborhood.

So, people woke up and all this water, it gotten over their cars and all over the streets, the trees, the power -- all kinds of stuff, and it just froze and iced up everything. Crews now are working around the clock to try to repair a lot of the damages. They hope some warmer weather will help melt some of that ice, of course. But, yes, a lot of water, and freezing temperatures, not a good combo, for the water to break.

CHO: Yes, kind of a mess across large parts of the country, right?

HOLMES: All over (ph).

CHO: Well, cold at the very least.

HOLMES: Yes.

CHO: Reynolds Wolf is here with a look at that -- Reynolds?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. You know, guys, the sad thing about Milwaukee, I mean, their temperatures are not going to warm up Miami-style. It's not going to happen. I mean, it's still winter there. So, I mean, we're expecting that ice is going to remain steady.

You know, a lot of the focus now is in parts of New England, where we're going to see some heavy snow, some places up to a foot. In Washington, D.C., thought, conditions look OK.

HOLMES: Yes.

WOLF: OK. It's still going to be breezy. It's still going to be nasty out there in many places. It's going to get better as we get closer to the inauguration.

Here's the great shot that we have of our nation's Capitol. You'll see the gray skies there. Now, into the afternoon hours, I'd say, between the hours of 1:00, 2:00, maybe 3:00 or 4:00 o'clock, you're going to see a few scattered snowshowers. You see the White House there; you see the flag moving just a little bit, thin breeze. That breeze may increase a little bit too.

Now, in terms of a great deal of accumulation, that will not be in the cards in parts of Washington, D.C. I would expect a light dusting at best.

It's a different story, though, when you get to the Great Lakes where for some locations, you could see up to, maybe three to six inches of snow, mainly to Buffalo. But when you get in to upstate Maine back in New Hampshire, Vermont, even parts of Massachusetts, it's going to be a different story altogether, four to eight inches possible mainly into parts of the Berkshires, but when you get in to Maine, really heavy stuff, anywhere from 10 to 15 inches of snowfall.

For Washington, D.C., though, again, expect the snow to really stick around through the late afternoon, and perhaps into the early evening hours. But into Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, an improving situation, we go right up the scale in terms of these temperatures, maxing out to 40 degrees by Thursday. For the inauguration, a mix of sunshine and clouds as we wrap things up, 30 degrees is your high, low temperature at 20 degrees.

That is a quick look at your forecast. Guys, let's toss it right back to you at the news desk.

HOLMES: With a little breeze, that 30, what might that feel like?

WOLF: You know, it's going to feel like it's probably into the 20s or so. That's why you want to dress in layers; you really want to take it easy. And common sense, if you start feeling cold, find some shelter.

HOLMES: Yes, common sense.

CHO: Yes, a good idea.

HOLMES: All right. We appreciate you, Reynolds.

CHO: Thanks, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet, guys.

CHO: President-elect Barack Obama built his campaign around one word, "change."

HOLMES: And coming up now on our Faces of Faith segment, find out what change means for you and this country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: I believed that our future is our choice. And then if we could just recognize ourselves and one another, and bring everyone together, Democrats, Republicans and independents, north, south, east, west, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay and straight, and disabled and not -- and not only would we restore hope and opportunity in places that yearn for both, but maybe, just maybe, we might perfect our union in the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, with the remembrance of Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. tomorrow and the inauguration of Barack Obama as president on Tuesday, shaping up, it's certainly be a historic week.

Doctor Michael Beckwith is with us this morning, founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City, California. A name and a face many people do know.

Thank you for being here with us here in Atlanta. Glad you could be here. Tell us -- let's just go back a little bit, first of all. What happened to us in this country?

It seems a lot of people would say that we were just at each other, and it seems like we were highlighting our differences. There was nothing really bringing us together over the past several years. A lot of people credited the political climate.

What did you sense over the past several years in this country?

MICHAEL BECKWITH, AGAPE INTL. SPIRITUAL CENTER: Well, when you had that particular administration in office, it seems as though people lost a sense of hope. There was a lot -- people absolutely going at each other. And so, whenever that happens, there's a loss of creativity. There's -- people want to reach out and blame and attack each other rather than looking to see where we can agree and move forward. And I think in this time in human history, there is -- a great change has taken place.

HOLMES: Now, is that change you speak of, how much of that should be credited to Barack Obama and what we saw during the campaign season and now leading up to the inauguration? Is all of -- is much of this change and this new feeling you speak of, now, squarely resting on his shoulders?

BECKWITH: Oh, absolutely not. I think, because we came out of such a period of darkness, he has an opportunity to do something new and to do something better, but it's not on his shoulders. It's actually a grass route effort, where people are having a sense of hope, and now that there's a sense of hope, creativity can blossom again.

We can't put it on Barack's shoulders. Now is the time for the people to rise up and say exactly what they want, have a vision and walk in that direction.

HOLMES: Do you get a sense that that momentum will continue? You call it a grassroots there that people were itching for some kind of change, and a lot of it you see embodied in Barack Obama. But, still, do you get a sense that will change and we go back to some of the same bickering in Washington, and then it will trickle down to the grassroots instead from it, coming from the bottom up, as many people will say?

BECKWITH: It has to come from the bottom. But I think, because of Barack, because of his ability to articulate a vision and keep people galvanized towards looking that direction, I think it can develop some momentum. But, again, we can't rest on him. We have to continue to walk in that direction ourselves.

HOLMES: Last couple of things here. Something I want to ask you about. Did you see it as well -- people seemed to be so excited and feel so good after the plane crash on Thursday. It seemed like this horrible thing, another tragedy, it could have ended up with so many dead, but it turned out we had a genuine hero, and so many people just felt good about that story.

BECKWITH: Absolutely. Well, you had a gentleman that did his job in the most excellent way, and people's lives were saved, but I also think that people were looking for good news.

HOLMES: Yes.

BECKWITH: I think we have been inundated over the last few years with all of the worst of human conditions. And so now, finally, there was a story where peoples' lives were saved, someone absolutely knew how to do their job, it was not human error. So, people were able to carry that vibration.

HOLMES: And, finally, here, of course, before we let go. "Spiritual Liberation," a new book you have out. "Spiritual" in the title there. This is not a book for necessarily talking about religion. It's a different journey, religion versus spiritual.

BECKWITH: Absolutely. When we talk about that which is spiritual, we are talking about our essential nature, the presence of God, the presence of love, compassion and beauty, that's within everyone. Regardless of what your religious background is, everyone is spiritual. So, this book is really about tapping into that and fulfilling our potential here on the planet.

HOLMES: All right. Doctor Michael Beckwith, we wish we could stay here and talk to you a whole lot more.

BECKWITH: Me, too.

HOLMES: I know you got to get up to D.C., you got a lot going on up there. But, good to have you here in the studio. Betty sends her best, she couldn't be here this weekend.

BECKWITH: Thanks, T.J.

HOLMES: But thank you so much for being here.

BECKWITH: My joy.

HOLMES: And our special coverage of the inauguration of Barack Obama as president, you can watch "MLK to Today." That's going to be hosted by Soledad O'Brien. That's Monday morning, 9:00 o'clock Eastern.

Stay with us for all of our special coverage leading up to Tuesday.

CHO: It's one thing to get to the inauguration, but do you know where you are going once you get there? We're going to give a tour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We will fight for you every single day that we are in Washington, because Joe and I are committed to leading a government that is accountable, not just to the wealthy or well-connected, but to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: All right. A lot of people are going to be attending the inauguration as we've been reporting. But if you go, you don't need to go up there and you'd start wondering around, you need to have a plan in place.

CHO: A game plan, right?

HOLMES: Yes.

CHO: You know, if you are watching on TV or online, you may be stunned by how many people are going to be packed to just a handful of locations. So, how do you navigate?

Josh Levs is joining us now with the CNN interactive inauguration map. That's a mouthful.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a mouthful. Well, what are you going to do? You know, of course, you guys are right. You need a game plan for this thing. There are so many people -- you guys keep saying, a couple of million people, and Washington, not that big.

So, let's zoom in on the board. I want to show you one of the many features going on at CNN.com right now. This is great.

Just click on "inauguration" at the top of the screen. You can't miss this. It shows you all sorts of major locations in the Washington area, if you want to visit.

But this thick red line is one of the keys for the day. This is the parade route. And you're going to be able to see where it starts -- just barely up from the National Mall. Some of the major sites just passing along the way and you can click as we go on to some of the major sites. In fact, let's click on this one right here, which it shows this -- the White House. So, it's going to trace you through any of the major sites in this area, and let you know where were you want to be. And if you can follow the parade route as well, you can get one of those places in advance.

Let's go over here now, because I want you to see another way to look at this map they are also offering on CNN.com. If you really want to get specific and plan it out street by street, not only do we have this Google map that shows you the actual streets, but we also have the parade marked as well. So, those of you who are going to be looking for key locations, you can look at any of these cross streets, to see that's where I'm going to try to camp out, that's where I'm going to get my best shot, just follow the mark all the way along. Any of the places will let you see the parade.

Now, finally, one more thing. Let's go to this page I want you to check it out. This is our special coverage on the inauguration. Let's scroll down a little bit. Tons of stuff for you to see. Any given moment is being updated, in fact, all day today. Lots of stuff on the inauguration.

But, obviously, for everybody making that trip, and for everyone who'll be watching, like Alina said, one of the big keys is where to be. Now, we got it for you at CNN.com.

HOLMES: Everything is on CNN.com.

Josh, we do appreciate you bringing that stuff now.

LEVS: Thanks, guys.

HOLMES: Viewers, I'm sure, they appreciate it as well.

Coming up here: He is a 94-year-old, 94 years, and you imagine he has seen a whole lot in his life.

CHO: Yes, 94 years young, I like to say.

HOLMES: Yes.

CHO: You know, but there is something that this Katrina survivor never imagined he would experience. You'll meet him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. A live look there at the preps, just 48 hours away, really, from Barack Obama and about 2 million of his closest friends there in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. Preparations are still under way.

Only 28,000 people are going to have seats.

CHO: Yes.

HOLMES: Another 240,000 do have tickets, but some of them, most of them have to stand. But then, the 2 million-plus, they're looking at Jumbotrons and all that good stuff.

CHO: As empty as it is right now, it's full as it will be 48 hours from now.

HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. And we will see that picture. And among those who are going to be there, eight Hurricane Katrina survivors. They're heading there for the inauguration and all- expenses paid trip for them, thanks to the Congressional Black Caucus.

CHO: Yes, how incredible is that, you know? And they'll have, at least, one other thing in common.

CNN's Sean Callebs explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joseph Smith, he's having trouble with his new digital camera.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to show (INAUDIBLE). Right there.

CALLEBS: He's seen a lot in his 94 years. He fought in the south Pacific in World War II when he was in his 30s, but before that he says, he fought Jim Crow in Louisiana, spending hours trying to register a vote in the segregated South, finally casting his first presidential ballot for Franklin Roosevelt. And now, he's on his way to Washington to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office.

(on camera): Did you ever think you live to see a black president?

JOSEPH SMITH, KATRINA SURVIVOR: No, I never thought it. I never thought I'd live long to see one.

CALLEBS (voice-over): The Congressional Black Caucus in Washington is paying to send eight Katrina survivors to this historic event, promising good seats and tickets to some of the balls. The only caveat, all the Katrina survivors had to be more than 80 years old.

Sarah Ricks is 90, and fled to Baker, Louisiana, hours before the storm made landfall. That's old news now. She wants to talk about the future.

SARA RICKS, KATRINA SURVIVOR: I'm just so glad to go and to be a witness to history-making, because down through the years, we have been struggling and struggling and struggling, but now, we've got a chance to do the things better. What we didn't do in the past, we got a chance to them now.

CALLEBS: State Representative Juan Lafonta helped locate the survivors for the black caucus.

JUAN LAFONTA, LOUISIANA STATE ASSEMBLY: I think it just tells them it was worth standing in those food lines and harassment and the civil rights fights and things they had to deal with. When the people had to put their head down, now they can really have their head up to see that all the efforts.

LOURVENIA LEWIS, KATRINA SURVIVOR: What you're thinking, do you think a colored would ever be the president? No, indeed, child, no way.

CALLEBS: At 92, Lourvenia Lewis is the pistol in the group. She's seen that Barack Obama can be this. Better than this. And if she gets to meet the president-elect, just one question.

LEWIS: If he can dance, I'd dance with him.

CALLEBS: Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: That is so cute.

(CROSSTALK)

CHO: Congratulations to all of them. What a great honor.

Well, join us back here in 30 minutes for more special coverage of the inauguration.

HOLMES: Coming up here now, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.