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CNN Saturday Morning News
Israel and Gaza Continue Launching Rockets at Each Other; How is the Israeli/Gaza Conflict Affecting People Who Live There?; Feds Cut Illinois Governor Blagojevich's Access to Classified Information; More Information on Obama's Economic Recovery Plan; John Travolta's Teenage Son Dies
Aired January 03, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is Saturday morning, January 3rd. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rob Marciano. T.J. Holmes is sticking to his New Year's resolution of working as little as possible. So, he's off and I'm filling in for him today.
A lot of stuff going on, I want to get you up-to-date what's happening overseas. These pictures just coming in. A rocket launched from Gaza crashes into a home in Israel setting it on fire.
NGUYEN: In Gaza, a fuel facility is struck. All this while world leaders are being urged to help get both sides to agree to a ceasefire.
MARCIANO: And a heartbreaking story. John Travolta's teenage son dies, while the family is vacationing in the Bahamas.
NGUYEN: Let's get right to it. The Mideast on edge this morning. Israel's air assault on Gaza is now in its second week and with Israeli tanks waiting at the border, a ground attack on the Palestinian territory could start any time. Israeli planes attack more than two dozen Hamas targets today. And police is saying militants fired at least eight rockets from Gaza into southern Israel.
Protest against the Israeli air offensive is playing out in the Mideast and elsewhere around the world. And there are casualties on both sides of this conflict. Palestinian medical sources say at least 435 people have been killed in Gaza. One doctor tells us that 19 children died in a 24-hour period. Police say four people have died in Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.
I want to take you right to the action. Our Paula Hancocks is along the Israel-Gaza border. She joins us now.
Paula, what are you seeing and hearing this morning about a possible ground offensive?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, what we've been hearing today is really the troops are ready, tanks are there. All of the troops that need to be on the ground are on the ground. They are lined up on the border. But when we came down this morning, sort of driving along the border, checking out what was happening; they didn't particularly look like they were on high alert. You could see the tanks waiting and the soldiers milling about. But at this point, the order has not come. Israeli military is saying how much it can achieve just from these air strikes alone.
And, certainly, standing here, we can see the number of air strikes that have been hitting Gaza and continuing to hit Gaza and Gaza City throughout today. Now, the things that the Israeli military are targeting at the moment: many of the Hamas militant leaders. They are trying to pick them off one by one. Rocket launchers, they're trying to take out. The rocket weapons store houses.
We've seen that in the past couple of days, they've targeted mosques, saying that the militants are actually stockpiling these weapons in these mosques. So, certainly, it's ongoing at this point. So, I think you can see there, just another air strike in, I'd say that's probably eastern Gaza City. You can probably hear the fighter jets flying overhead as well.
So, certainly, the Israeli military is keeping the pressure, and the people in Gaza are still having to cope with this fierce onslaught, and, of course, the humanitarian situation gets worse in Gaza, the more air strikes there are, the higher the death toll gets. It's such a densely-populated area, which you can probably see from here. That no matter how pinpointed that air strike is, it is possible, it is going to hit civilians as well. And we have seen it has hit civilians -- Betty?
NGUYEN: Yes, Paula, let's talk about that humanitarian situation for just a second. Because I understand, a lot of the infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed.
HANCOCKS: That's right. Yes, there's not an awful lot of power in Gaza if anything at this point, all the hospitals are trying to cope just with generators, and they haven't been able to get spare parts for the generators for a long time, because Israel has kept up this siege on Gaza itself. The hospitals are horribly undersupplied. There are approximately 2,200 Palestinians who, Palestinian medical sources say, have been injured in the past eight days alone.
Any American hospital would struggle to cope with that huge number of injuries from these air strikes in such a short period of time. So, certainly you can tell that it's going to be very difficult. We can just hear across the way there, there is a red alert. It seems as though a rocket has actually just been launched from Gaza.
So, again it is evident that the Hamas militants are still able to launch these rockets, even though this tremendous onslaught and these air strikes are continuing. And that begs the question: Will they have to launch this ground offensive? Obviously, they are not managing to just hit these rocket launchers from the air. Will they have to go in on the ground as well -- Betty. NGUYEN: Yes. And also the question, will all of this ever end or when will it end? Paula Hancocks, stay safe out there. We'll be checking in with you. Thank you for that.
MARCIANO: Well, President Bush is blaming Hamas for what's happening in Gaza now. The militant group won parliamentary elections in 2006. But after the Palestinians dissolved the Hamas-led government and declared a state of emergency in 2007, Hamas took control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Since Hamas' violent takeover in the summer of 2007, living conditions have worsened for Palestinians in Gaza. By spending its resources on rocket launchers instead of roads and schools, Hamas has demonstrated that it has no intention of serving the Palestinian people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Rising rhetoric and escalating attacks, that's how this latest conflict is playing out as it moves into its second week.
Another part of the story, how the crisis is affecting people who live in Gaza and southern Israel? Our Nic Robertson has a look at the week of war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Around Gaza, Israeli forces continue a slow but steady buildup of armored vehicles -- raising speculation here a ground offensive may be imminent. It is impossible to know if the buildup is designed to be psychological pressure on Hamas, or the beginning of an actual ground attack.
A Hamas leader in exile in Damascus threatened Israeli soldiers with what awaits them.
KHALED MESHAAL, HAMAS LEADER (through translator): As for you, the soldiers of the enemy, whose leadership are getting you ready to enter Gaza in a ground attack, you need to know that doom will await you, and you will be killed, injured and captured.
ROBERTSON: Israeli air strikes dwindled to about 30 sorties a day, from more than 100 earlier in the week. This one shown by Israeli defense sources targeting a mosque, where Israeli say secondary explosions proved it was used to store weapons. The homes of Hamas leaders are increasingly targets, too. Three small Palestinian children among the latest innocent victims, killed while playing close to their homes in the south of Gaza -- unintended collateral damage of Israeli missiles targeting a nearby Hamas leader's house.
What began a week ago as deadly strikes, killing far more Hamas security forces than civilians, is steadily taking an increasingly civilian toll. Journalists are barred from entering Gaza by the Israeli military, but reports, independent and otherwise, emerging from the slender coastal strip, indicate that Hamas' grip is as firm as ever. A Hamas spokesperson toured one of Gaza's main hospitals.
FAWZI BARHOUM, HAMAS SPOKESMAN (through translator): Hamas is still here. We didn't fall. We are still servicing our citizens despite this barbaric aggression.
ROBERTSON: But in other Palestinian areas, the West Bank in east Jerusalem, where Palestinians are freer to accept or reject Hamas' Islamist doctrine, relatively few heeded calls for day of rage intended to take on (ph) the Israeli and show anger over the killings in Gaza.
In Ashkelon, Israel, just north of Gaza, a family had a narrow escape when one of Hamas' most destructive rockets, a Grad, slammed through the roof of their house. Seconds earlier, (INAUDIBLE) tells me, they've rushed to the shelter after hearing the warning siren go off. He is shaken, he says. No one in their neighborhood expected this.
According to Israeli government, Hamas fired 30 rockets into Israel Friday. Almost 1 million Israelis, the government says, are now in range of the deadly missiles.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Ashkelon, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: So many people living in fear of these attacks on both sides of the conflict, and trying to survive in the middle of a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We're talking about that in about 20 minutes with a spokesman for the United Nations Relief Agency.
NGUYEN: Well, clearance denied. Federal authorities have cut Illinois Governor Blagojevich's access to classified information. Although the Department of Homeland Security won't specifically say why clearance was revoked, a spokeswoman says it can happen for a number of reasons, including criminal cases. Blagojevich is facing corruption charges for allegedly trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat.
Well, Blagojevich has picked Roland Burris to fill that seat. Although Burris hasn't been implicated in any wrongdoing, Senate leaders are refusing to seat him.
CNN's Louise Schiavone has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's one of the rockiest transitions of power in Senate history. Intensifying early next week on Capitol Hill, a clash over the Senate seat vacated by the next president. ROLAND BURRIS, FMR. ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL: We are certainly going to make contacts with the leadership of the Senate to let them know that the governor of Illinois has made a legal appointment, and that I am currently the junior senator for the state of Illinois.
SCHIAVONE: But two high-level Senate Democratic sources say the differences between former Illinois attorney general, Roland Burris, and Senate leaders are, quote, "irreconcilable." At issue, a federal prosecutor's charge that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich had hoped to barter the next president's Senate seat for either money or influence.
NORM ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: If you had a corruption Olympics, we now have a new gold medal winner.
SCHIAVONE: Senate leaders cite Article One, Section Five of the Constitution, quote, "Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members," end quote.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tells CNN, quote, "To be clear, this is not about Mr. Burris or the color of his skin. It's about the man who appointed him. We're not going to seat anyone that he appointed," end quote.
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH, (D) ILLINOIS: This is about Roland Burris as a United States senator.
SCHIAVONE: But some legal analysts say, as long as Blagojevich remains in office, the case against seating Burris, who's not accused of any wrongdoing himself, will be difficult and the governor knows it.
MELANIE SLOAN, CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY & ETHICS: I think Mr. Blagojevich has clearly played the race card here. He appointed Mr. Burris, knowing it would be that much harder for the Senate to turn away a well respected African-American in Illinois.
SCHIAVONE: A Senate leadership aide tells CNN that Mr. Burris has briefly spoken with number two Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin, but nothing has been resolved.
(on camera): Meanwhile, a long time friend and confidant of Mr. Burris has told me that the, quote, "senator" will be in Washington Monday night and hopes to be seated in the U.S. Senate the next day.
Louise Schiavone for CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, about a dozen of Chicago's black activists rallied yesterday for Roland Burris. They say he was legally appointed and is highly qualified for the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM DOCK WALLS, COMMITTEE FOR A BETTER CHICAGO: We do not want a situation where this appointment is held hostage by the Democrats of the United States of America, who represent us in the Senate, who have threatened to send this appointment to the rules committee, which can take two to three months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That activist also warned Illinois state officials that if they don't support Burris, they'll work to defeat them in the next election.
MARCIANO: Severe weather now. Some of the worst in Oregon. Heavy rains there cause flooding and mudslides just south of Portland. A state of emergency has been declared. As many as 60 roads are closed. Five people were taken to the hospital when their home was ruined by a slide.
And in Wisconsin, a dozen people have been rescued when a frozen lake broke apart. The ice fishermen were out there a couple hours before rescuers could get them off the ice.
NGUYEN: I always wonder about that. How do they know that that piece of ice is strong enough to hold them? You know?
MARCIANO: Sometimes, it's a matter of faith. And sometimes that faith can be broken.
NGUYEN: I sure hope the fish were worth it. Reynolds Wolf joins us now with a look at the nasty weather. And, boy, 2009 off to a rough start.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, no question about it. I mean, we have the storm system, the same storm system that brought a lot of the snow and a lot of the rough weather in parts of the northwest, is now moving off across the country, and later on today, stretching about 1,000 miles from just the western Great Lakes, clear (ph) into the Gulf of Mexico. It is going to be a combination of rain, sleet, snow, maybe even some even rough stuff, I'm talking tornadoes along the gulf coast.
Let's get it started farther to the north in places like Wisconsin and back in Minnesota. Here's the potential. You can see some significant snowfall. We've got it marked up here, anywhere from five to eight -- some isolated places well over that amount. And a mix of rain and sleet through parts of, say, Wisconsin back into Corn Belt.
But right along the Gulf Coast, where it could really get interesting, where you could see some scattered showers, some storms, possibly even some isolated tornadoes especially in parts of southeast Texas into Louisiana, Mississippi, and back into Alabama. So, I would say between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00, 3:00 this afternoon and 6:00 this evening, that's really your best opportunity to deal with the rough stuff.
Let's take a look at some of the temperatures we have this morning. You might be wondering -- what in the world the temperatures have to do with the rough weather we may see later on today? Well, quite a lot actually. We've got that breeze coming in from the south, right off the coast. It's bringing in high humidity, high dew points to places like Austin, where it's currently 66 degrees up Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium. Very comfortable in Dallas at 66; 68 in Shreveport; currently, 66 in the Big Easy; Jackson with 64.
You've got a lot of this cold air that's pulled up in the Rockies, that's going to come screaming across towards the gulf coast and when it does, that interaction of these two air masses, and that combine with a little bit of jet (ph), and a little bit the daytime heating could give you the strong storms into the afternoon. Certainly, something we're going to watch out for.
But in terms of daytime highs, Dallas roughly 20 degrees above normal for this time of year; 80 degrees in the other side of the coin, and Salt Lake City at 24, Billings with 14. Your high in Portland today, 39 degrees. They're still cleaning up from the mudslides in Washington, D.C., with 43.
That is a look at your forecast across the nation. We got a lot to talk about today, too busy. Always seems to happen when Rob is here. So, looks like that's coming up in a few moments.
NGUYEN: Well, it's a good thing that he's around, right?
WOLF: Yes, absolutely. Dude, how many miles you up to now?
MARCIANO: It's never enough, Reynolds.
WOLF: You walk into the airport and, you know, folks, they've got crowds and they say, "Oh, Marciano."
MARCIANO: Yes.
NGUYEN: He's back.
MARCIANO: Yes, he's on the watch list, get him out of here.
NGUYEN: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet, man.
NGUYEN: That's what you tell people there (ph).
OK. Well, it's the issue credited with putting Barack Obama in office.
MARCIANO: Yes. So, how is he going to sell his economic stimulus plan to Congress? We'll talk about that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: So, just what did the future first lady see in Barack Obama when they first met?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA'S WIFE: My assumption was this guy is got to be kind of weird, probably a little nerdy. I already sort of created an image of this very intellectual nerd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: She thought he was a nerd. A revealing interview with Michelle Obama -- next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Money talk. Struggling car company, Chrysler, finally receives its first emergency loan from the federal government -- $4 billion. The top guy at Chrysler says it will help with restructuring. The funds came from the $700 billion bank bailout program. President Bush authorized it after Congress failed to pass a bill to help Detroit's Big Three. General Motors received its first check earlier this week.
NGUYEN: Well, just last hour, in his weekly radio address, President-elect Barack Obama outlined his plans to fix the economy, in the most detailed way that we have heard yet. Listen to this -- his five goals. Here they are: Increase renewable energy, improve infrastructure -- if I can get that out, modernize hospitals and learning facilities, provide tax breaks, and create 3 million new jobs. Those are the five.
We're going to play a portion of his speech for you next hour.
In the meantime, though, CNN's Ed Henry has more on the president-elect's economic recovery plan. He's in Hawaii, where the Obama family spent their holiday break.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CHEERS)
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While keeping one eye on the crisis in Gaza, President-elect Barack Obama is now returning to the mainland to focus on the issue that propelled him to office: the economy -- which is why the transition team is kicking off the New Year by sending Congress a recovery plan in the neighborhood of $775 billion.
JOE BIDEN, (D) VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: Economists rarely agree, but on this score, there is an overwhelming agreement that we need a robust and sustained economic recovery package. A greater threat to our economy lies in doing too little, rather than in not doing enough.
HENRY: Transition aides say the goal is to get the bill signed into law as quickly after the inaugural as possible, to get the new president a quick victory while also giving the economy a shot in the arm. The emerging plan includes billions for backlogged transportation projects to beef up construction jobs and improve the nation's infrastructure, as well as modernizing crumbling schools to create jobs while also investing in education.
REP. BARNEY FRANK, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: If we don't do this, it will cost us even more. This economy is now in the worst shape since the Great Depression. And if we do not respond in a very firm way, it gets worse and worse, and feeds on itself.
HENRY: But Republicans are making noise about slowing the stimulus plan down, because they are wary about the price tag, especially on top of a series of government bailouts.
REP. ERIC CANTOR, (R) VIRGINIA: I think most American taxpayers now are sort of scratching their head, wondering when all of this bailout stuff is going to end, and probably thinking, you know, when is my bailout coming?
HENRY: To overcome the opposition, aides say Mr. Obama is considering plans to travel the country, to sell the economic plan quickly after being sworn into office.
(on camera): Mr. Obama needs to move quickly to sell his plan because there's no time to waste. This is the first real test of the new president's clout.
Ed Henry, CNN, Honolulu.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Well, tragedy for actor John Travolta's family. This story is just heartbreaking this morning.
NGUYEN: Yes, it is.
MARCIANO: They are coping with the loss of their only son.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Just devastating news for actor John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston at the start of this New Year. The couple's 16-year-old son, Jett, died of an apparent seizure in the Bahamas this weekend. An attorney for Mr. Travolta says Jett suffered a seizure at the Westin Resort in the Bahamas where they were staying, and most likely hit his head on a bathtub as he fell. Here is a scene at the hospital when the body was brought in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL JONES, OLD BAHAMA BAY REPRESENTATIVE: It was a scene here and that was it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Heartbreaking. Well, according to Travolta, his son had a developmental disability an early age that has been linked to Kawasaki syndrome, which can lead to heart disease. And in a 2001 interview with CNN's Larry King, John Travolta told Larry how he thought his son may have gotten this syndrome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN TRAVOLTA, ACTOR: With my son, again, it was about seven years ago, and I was obsessive about cleaning -- his space being clean. So, we constantly had the carpets cleaned, and I think between him, the fumes and walking around, maybe picking up pieces or something, he got what is rarely a thing to deal with, but it's called Kawasaki syndrome. And it's very easily handled if you identify it, and we did, and it was handled within 48 hours. But that 48 hours was not to be believed.
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: What happens to him? Was he knocked out? Is he...
TRAVOLTA: No, he wasn't knocked out. It was the immune system overreacts, because they have almost the equivalent of metallic chemical, and their body is responding to.
KING: You knew that right away.
TRAVOLTA: No, no. The doctor knew that right away. We didn't know what was wrong.
KING: You got him right -- how he was what? How old?
TRAVOLTA: He's nine now. He was probably two or two-and-a-half.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, the family plans to have an autopsy done on Monday.
MARCIANO: And we are getting reaction from people in Florida, where the Travoltas also kept a home. Hearts in Ocala are filled with sympathy for the actor's family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's their oldest boy. Very sad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel badly for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: And for more on the Travolta tragedy, we get the latest from Ken Baker with E! Entertainment of the "CNN NEWSROOM."
NGUYEN: One of the biggest horrors of war is always the civilian casualties.
MARCIANO: Yes. And it could get worse in Gaza because many of the innocent are not allowed to leave the region. Mideast expert on what can be done about that -- that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: All right. So, caught on camera. Check this out. A mom on surveillance video, was she trying to hire a killer? That's the question.
Welcome back, everybody. That's the way to start the New Year, right? I'm Betty Nguyen. Good morning.
MARCIANO: Yes, good morning. I'm Rob Marciano. T.J. Holmes is off today. Thanks for starting your day with us.
NGUYEN: Top story this half hour, the Mideast on edge this morning. Israel's air assault on Gaza is now in its second week, and with Israeli tanks waiting at the border, a ground attack on the Palestinian territory could start any time. Israeli planes attacked more than two dozen Hamas targets today. And police say militants fired at least eight rockets from Gaza into southern Israel.
Protests against the Israeli air offensive playing out in the Mideast and elsewhere around the world. There are casualties on both sides of this. Palestinian medical sources say at least 435 people have been killed in Gaza. One doctor tells us 19 children died in a 24-hour period. Police say four people have died in Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.
Well, Josh Levs is joining us now to show us the lay of the land in Gaza because a lot of these locations are really close to each other -- Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are. Yes, we have some really good Google Earth images. Let me first tell you where I am. I'm right here at the CNN International desk. We got people following all angles of the story as they will be doing throughout the day, watching all the latest from the region, talk to our reporters nonstop, to officials on both sides.
All right. Let's go to some of this geography. We have a Google Earth animation. It should help trace you through some of the basics here. I want you too see this one first because what we're going to do is we're going to be able to zoom in to Gaza City.
You, guys, know I've been talking to you about Gaza for a while. We're talking about the population density there, 1.5 million people packed into that tiny little strip of land. Well, what you have in Gaza City, is hundreds of thousands of them right there.
And these visuals -- I'll emphasize -- are taken before the military action we've seen in recent days. It show you how incredibly many people are packed into these areas and what that means is even when Hamas targets are the ones that are being focused on, you're still going to end up getting some other areas. So, that's Gaza city.
Now, we have another video I want you to see. I'm going to take you north of Gaza City, to this place called Ashqelon. That's one of the Israeli cities that has been hit, just one of the many. And you can see how incredibly close it is right there. We're talking just seven miles from the Gaza border. Now, since then, we've seen Hamas rockets reach into further areas as well, east over to Beersheba, also further north to places like Ashdod. Israeli officials are saying hundreds of thousands of people are in the path of those rockets as well right there.
So, Betty and Rob, what we're doing throughout the day is tracking all those areas, everything throughout Israel, southern Israel, everything throughout Gaza, making sure to get you the latest every step of the way and we'll be here as soon as news breaks, we'll come right back again.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you for that, Josh. We do appreciate it.
LEVS: You got it. Thank you.
MARCIANO: Thank you, Josh.
Well, now you have an idea of where it's all happening. Let's talk more about Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is getting even more difficult. Christopher Gunness is a spokesman for the United Nations Relief Works Agency. He joins us now live from Tel Aviv.
Christopher, you know, it's so difficult, as you know -- journalists can't get in there. So difficult to get first-hand accounts as to what's going on in Gaza. Give us an idea of what Palestinian civilians are going through.
CHRISTOPHER GUNNESS, SPOKESMAN, U.N. RELIEF WORKS AGENCY: They are going through living hell. They are being bombarded in a massive air bombardment. On the one side, they have people who are firing rockets, in effect, making the Israelis want to bomb more. On the other hand, you got this huge -- well, the secretary general has called it "disproportionate use of force."
Imagine a place the size of Detroit built up, and an extremist group takes this over. The American government decides to go in there and bomb them out from the sky, and innocent women and children get killed. What would most Americans, what would most of your viewers say? OK, they wouldn't sympathies necessarily with the militants, but wouldn't they say that innocent children shouldn't get killed?
You know, I was talking to someone in Gaza today and she said that her neighbor came to her with her baby in her arms and she said they plucked my flower from my breast. Well, you know, when a mother says that, I'm sorry, any mother anywhere in the world has got to be moved.
MARCIANO: I don't think anybody is going to argue with that Christopher. Innocent children and civilians certainly should not be killed. But as you mentioned, this is a densely-populated area, this is an area that's controlled by a terrorist group that has launched unsolicited missile attacks on southern Israel.
So, there are a lot of Americans that would say, "Hey, you listen, this is what we have to do is go in there and stop these attacks. We've got to go in there and go after where those munitions are." In many cases, hidden in the homes of civilians, and that it would -- some Americans would say, "Hey, Hamas is playing unfairly here. We really don't have much choice."
So, what would you say to that?
GUNNESS: Rob, you make your point well and eloquently. But what I would say to those Americans is, at what point do you say, we've got to stop the fighting? The way to deal with a militant organization that's prepared to put itself and put its people at risk in this way is maybe some other tactic. If -- I mean, you could say to those people, "Well, OK, let's carpet-bomb Gaza." Is that too much? Carpet-bombing Gaza?
Hey, we sought out the militants but we've killed all of these people. There has to be a sense of proportion, I hope you'd agree. And certainly, the United Nation's secretary-general believes there is a disproportionate use of force. And when you think that a quarter of all facilities, at a very minimum, Rob. So, you know, it's probably going to rise beyond that.
If you think that a quarter of those fatalities are civilians, among those are women and children, you have to start asking whether it isn't time to try and call this thing off. Enough people have suffered and perhaps it's time really to start talking. I know it's easy for me to say that in the United Nations, I'm not in southern Israel having rockets.
MARCIANO: Yes. Well, diplomacy is certainly on the backburner now.
GUNNESS: But it's a hard reality.
MARCIANO: It certainly is. As for -- let's talk about the humanitarian crisis aside from the political landscape here. How difficult -- given how compact this area is, how populated it is, and certainly how wounded what was any sort of limited infrastructure is now -- how difficult is it for the relief agencies to get in there and get help to the people?
GUNNESS: Well, two issues. First of all, getting goods into Gaza, because don't forget, it has a fence around it, and it's very difficult to get goods into Gaza. Though actually, since the bombardment started, the Israeli authorities have been very, very cooperative in allowing humanitarian agencies like ours to get stuff in.
But then, you know, imagine you're a truck driver and you've got to drive your truck through this area to, say, one of our warehouses. It's dangerous. Imagine you're one of our beneficiaries that has to walk through the streets with a donkey cart, whatever, to come and pick up food aid. There are bombs going off. There is a huge aerial bombardment. So, naturally, it's hugely risky.
We've spoken to the Israeli army and we've let them know what the coordinates of all our distribution centers are. We've got six at the moment in Gaza which are operating for the third day doing food distributions, but it's enormously risky. And we hope and we pray this morning that the Israeli authorities will respect the neutrality of the United Nations humanitarian agency, UNRWA, which I represent.
MARCIANO: Well, we're certainly there with you, Christopher. We certainly wish and pray that both sides do find some diplomacy and find some peace in what has been a long history of conflict there. Christopher Gunness, giving us some insight as to what the Palestinians going through. Thank you.
GUNNESS: Thank you so much. God bless you.
NGUYEN: And speaking of crisis management, the Obama administration is keeping a close eye on the Middle East.
MARCIANO: Forced to hit the ground running, but will they have a unified message on the day to come?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: It's paradise for football fans. Wild card weekend is kicking off in the middle of bowl season. But can anyone really keep up with all of the games, besides Betty? Rick Horrow is coming up. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You know, the crisis will soon fall into the laps of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, his pick for secretary state. So, how will they handle the Middle East?
CNN's Brian Todd takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT-ELECT: Hillary Clinton.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are about to become instant partners in trying to cure what's been called the 100- year headache: the effort to find some kind of lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This week, that headache may have turned migraine. Whether Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton can easily approach the two sides with one voice is still unclear.
JON ALTERMAN, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC AND INTL. STUDIES: I think the Israelis look at President-elect Obama and they are a little uncertain. It's not that they don't think they have a strong supporter, but they are not as sure where this is going to go.
TODD: Mr. Obama has been seen alternately as sympathizing with the plight of the Palestinians earlier in 2008, saying, quote, "Nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people," and expressing air- tight solidarity with Israel.
OBAMA: Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided. TODD: A remark he backed away from the following day.
OBAMA: Well, obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues, and Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations.
TODD: But we've also seen two Hillary Clintons: one who embraced Yasser Arafat's wife a decade ago and voiced early support for a Palestinian state, but who also since she first ran for senator in New York, has become one of the most unwavering hawks in defense of Israel.
During the campaign, they split on Iran -- a key player in the Israeli-Palestinian dynamic. Separate interviews on ABC highlighted that. First when Clinton talked about how the U.S. might respond to an Iranian attack on Israel.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NEW YORK: We would be able to totally obliterate them.
OBAMA: Using words like "obliterate" doesn't actually produce good results.
TODD: Mr. Obama has said he is willing to meet with Iran's president without preconditions. Senator Clinton has favored engaging the regime but not meeting directly with its leader.
(on camera): Still, when Mr. Obama announced his security team a month ago, he made it clear that he and Hillary Clinton will work together on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. And a transition team official says, whatever debates may take place as they formulate policy, they will speak with one voice in the end.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, President Bush talking tough about the Middle East mess. We'll have more on the reactions from the ongoing administration -- next hour.
MARCIANO: Well, murder for hire, and police say it was all caught on tape.
NGUYEN: The surveillance video shows the suspect even brought her weapon of choice with her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: A disturbing surveillance tape being seen by the public for the first time. A mother's deadly plot to get custody of her daughter -- caught on camera.
CNN's Randi Kaye has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BETH BEIMER, ARRESTED FOR HIRING HITMAN TO KILL EX-HUSBAND: This is something nobody expects out of me. Let's put it this way, this is Beth Goody-two-shoes who does nothing wrong.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Goody-two-shoes laughing over what sounds like a lethal plot. Beth Beimer may think she's hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband and his family. What the 28-year-old mother from Washington State doesn't know is that the assassin is actually an undercover cop, and their entire meeting is being taped by a hidden camera.
UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE: Are there guns in the house?
BEIMER: Yes, there are, but they're all kept in a closet and they're not loaded.
KAYE (on camera): Caught in a bitter custody battle, Beimer allegedly was ready to pay $500 to rub out not her children's father, but his current wife, even his parents. And police say she was deadly serious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She contacted a friend who she wanted to help her find somebody to kill the family. And so, eventually, he came forward to us, and he was very concerned that she was going to have these threats carried out.
KAYE (voice-over): That's when this rendezvous was set at a motel room under surveillance, with a camera rolling inside and cops watching from just outside the door.
UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE: There's nothing you want out of the house?
BEIMER: Nothing I do want. Ain't got nothing worth anything to me.
KAYE: In a matter-of-fact tone, the two discuss how the victims should die.
UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE: Bludgeon them with a crowbar, baseball bat...
BEIMER: I don't care.
UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE: ... and then disappear. I'm out.
BEIMER: That's fine (ph).
KAYE: Beimer allegedly brings along the steel rebar to the meeting and suggests it as the murder weapon.
UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE: To make it personal, I can use the rebar.
BEIMER: Go for it. Just wipe it down and don't leave it there.
KAYE: Police say Beimer showed the undercover detective a floor plan of the home and photographs of the targets. She also had a warning about her ex.
BEIMER: Now, he's a quick runner.
UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE: OK.
BEIMER: So, he's the quickest out of all of them.
KAYE: After the deal is done, Beimer heads out of the room, where instead of waiting for the plot to be carried out, she will be arrested and led away in handcuffs. Beimer was charged with solicitation to commit murder, and faces decades in prison if convicted. She's pleaded not guilty.
(on camera): Her attorney says he is disappointed that the tapes were released and fears it will hurt Beimer's chances of getting a fair trial.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. So, bowling for dollars? Yes, cities and teams banking on big turnouts.
MARCIANO: And lots are riding on dozens of college bowl games with stakes even bigger than the national championship. Talk sports is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Well, if you missed it, maybe you went to bed early -- got up early with us this morning.
NGUYEN: Yes.
MARCIANO: Big news out of the Sugar Bowl last night.
NGUYEN: It's huge.
MARCIANO: 'Bama beaten by Utah.
NGUYEN: Can you believe it?
MARCIANO: And Utah goes undefeated with a perfect season of 13- 0.
NGUYEN: Yes, 13-0, OK? Let's keep that in mind. We're going to talk about that, plus the countdown is on for thousands of NFL fans. The wild card weekend gets under way a little bit later today. So, let's bring in our good friend Rick Horrow, who joins us live from West Palm Beach to talk money and sports.
But first off, let's talk Utah. OK, should they share in this national championship title with whoever wins between, what, Florida and O.U.? Because keep in mind, Utah has not lost a game all season. Florida and O.U., both have. RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hey, well, while we're at it, how about Southern California who played a great game? How about one of you goes to Texas, right or went to Texas?
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: That's exactly why she's bringing this up.
HORROW: There we go. We're going to get around to that. We're not -
NGUYEN: Look, I'm just asking -- and if you look at the numbers, it makes sense. At least we should have a conversation about this.
HORROW: Well, we're going to have this conversation. Since 1954, there have been 11 split national championship votes. Then they went to the system called the BCS to solve all the problems.
I say, there aren't too many bowls. We're not going to have a playoff system. President-elect Obama talked about trying to institute one. He's got more important issues to deal with, like the Middle East, probably have a better chance of resolving that.
NGUYEN: Yes, I think it's going to be issue number one on his list.
HORROW: So, it's not going to happen.
NGUYEN: And why is that, Rick? Because -- I'm guessing, because of the money.
HORROW: Well, the money is the big deal. But, look, the economic impact for these national championships down here in south Florida, $300 million or so. And we have 68 teams in 34 bowls.
And yes, there's some mediocrity. Nine teams were six-and-six going into the bowls. But anywhere from $30 million to the $300 million of economic impact in all those places, seven bowls in Florida, five in Texas, and on and on.
And, by the way, guys, we do really need those dollars in this economy as we know.
NGUYEN: Yes, but are there too many bowl games, Rick? Because, as we talked before the holidays, people weren't even buying tickets for many of the bowl games.
HORROW: Yes. No, there aren't too many bowl games, I don't think, because every one of these serves a useful purpose. Television likes it. Corporate America likes it.
Twenty-seven of the bowls have corporate names on them. Why? Because the people that watch these bowl games, 33 percent more likely to buy stuff than watching regular season games. So, corporations, television, alumni, schools, communities -- they all like it. We see here -- I guess this is Sugar Bowl. Utah deserves a claim. They're 13-0, as you said. Texas, assuming you guys bring it on Monday night, not dial it in -
NGUYEN: I know we will.
HORROW: Well, we don't know that yet. You know, we'll see. Ohio State has something to do it. Yes, you maybe, but there are a lot of Ohio State -- people in Columbus are watching this show, too, by the way. So, you ought to know that.
So, there's a lot of this going on and it's good for college football.
MARCIANO: It is good. And, you know, to Betty's credit, you know, Utah did beat Oregon State, who beat USC, and they defeat Michigan. So, we'll give them that.
HORROW: Hey, Rob, Betty doesn't need any help.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: I appreciate it, Rob.
HORROW: She's fine with what she's got. She's all year -- that's all we're hearing, all year out. You may get back in, you're out.
NGUYEN: I will give you this peace offering. We'll move off of, you know, college football and we'll talk about the NFL for a second because playoff weekend.
MARCIANO: Yes, wild card's this weekend. And -- did I read something that's correct, that they're not all sold out?
NGUYEN: Yes.
MARCIANO: Is that true?
HORROW: Well, yes, but let's not talk about it as the death knell of the NFL. It's the juggernaut. Everybody understands that. And people didn't know -- teams didn't know until Sunday where they were going to play the following week. And so, there is excitement in all these cities.
Wayne Huizenga and Steve Ross, the owners of the Dolphins, have energized this town more than ever. We've had a turnaround from one in 15 to the AFC east champs. And there are excitement elements all over. Arizona, a big deal. Minnesota, we've got some tickets left. That will get done in some positive way. The Vikings have taken over center stage in Minnesota.
Obviously, in Miami, we've got all of these teams ready for a reason why, by the way, the NFL is a $7 billion juggernaut. So, I wouldn't put too much stock in the fact that there are a few tickets remaining. If you want them, they're available. But, it's a big deal and will continue to be a big deal.
NGUYEN: And, quickly, it's because of the schedule or not because of the economy?
HORROW: Well, again, we didn't know until a few days before where teams were going to play and when they were going to play.
NGUYEN: OK.
HORROW: We're going to be fine with it. The NFL playoffs are exciting, down here with the Dolphins and everywhere else.
NGUYEN: All right. Rick Horrow, as always, we do appreciate it. Thank you.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Rick.
HORROW: All right, man. Next week.
NGUYEN: CNN is trekking the roads to success. And we are following the stories of small business owners who are making it, actually making it in this brutal economy. Four friends in Brooklyn, New York, created a Web site to connect buyers and sellers of handmade goods and 2 million people signed up.
CNN's Melissa Long shows us how they got started.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rob Kalin had experience building furniture and Web sites, but it wasn't until he combined the two that he stopped having trouble paying the rent.
ROB KALIN, FOUNDER, ETSY INC.: I wanted to create an online marketplace for selling furniture, my own furniture, and I'm kind of blast (ph) of this idea of handmade marketplace.
LONG: Three years ago, Kalin drafted three friends, and together they built Etsy.com. The site lets crafters market handmade products.
KALIN: I remember that first day we started it, like two people signed up. And then, those two people told two people. In the next day, five signed up.
LONG: Kalin sought advice from creators of the photo-sharing site Flicker, who showed them how to find investors. With the little money, the startup moved to Brooklyn. Etsy headquarters became a gathering spot for local crafters, and Web traffic heated up.
KALIN: It was three years of just this mad dash, where, you know, I was working seven days a week.
LONG: Today, Kalin is the only founder still working at Etsy's home office, with 65 employees and counting. In 2008, vendors worldwide used Etsy.com to sell approximately $100 million worth of handmade goods. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
MARCIANO: Good morning. I'm Rob Marciano. T.J. Holmes is off.
Developing right now: The violent conflict in the Mideast. This morning, Israeli jets launched another round of air strikes against targets in Gaza. Now, U.N. officials are saying much of Gaza's infrastructure is destroyed.
NGUYEN: The son of actor John Travolta has died, and it happened while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How did he propose?
M. OBAMA: We were, you know, having our typical dinner and going back-and-forth, and talking about life and all that. And then dessert comes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: And breaking news: how the future president popped the question.
NGUYEN: Well, let's start with this. The Mideast on edge this morning. Israel's air assault on Gaza is now in its second week. And with Israeli tanks waiting at the border, a ground attack on the Palestinian territory could start at any time.
An Israeli military spokesman says an air strike killed a Hamas military commander today. And medical sources say rockets launched from Gaza into southern Israel set a house on fire, damaged a dining hall and injured two people. There are casualties on both sides of this.
Palestinian medical sources say at least 435 people have been killed in Gaza. One doctor tells us 19 children died in a 24-hour period. Israeli police say four people have died in Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.
So, we take you right to the action now. Our Paula Hancocks is joining us along the Israel-Gaza border.
Paula -- and actually before we get right to her, I want to show you this. Pictures coming to us, we're seeing the situation there as this plays out. Paula, what are you hearing about the ground offensive? Could that happen at any time?
HANCOCKS: Yes, Betty, it could basically. This has been the situation for the past couple of days. According to the Israeli defense forces, they're ready. They have all the tanks they need down here. They have all the personnel they need down here. We can see them lining up on the horizon, facing the direction of Gaza, waiting for the order.
But until that order comes, if it comes at all, the air strikes are not slowing down, certainly over a couple hours -- the past couple of hours we've been here, we've seen probably seven, eight, nine air strikes still targeting Hamas installations in Gaza. We can still hear the planes going overhead. So certainly the military and the air force does not think they have done enough from the air.
They're certainly, the situation in Gaza is incredibly dire. The hospitals are horribly overcrowded, 2,200 people injured and some of them just horrific injuries. You can imagine from an air strike, targeting Gaza, an incredibly densely populated area, one of the most densely populated on earth. It would end up with many civilians being injured. All the Israeli defense forces seems to be doing is actually warning certain members of the civilian population, dropping leaflets onto a certain area of Gaza city, saying we're about to target this area.
Stay inside or get out. Certainly they're trying to limit the number of civilian casualties, but said that -- I mean, a lot of people are dying in these air strikes. This is what the international community is calling on Israel and Hamas to stop this violence. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire.
NGUYEN: Yes, it is. We understand that four Israelis have died in this, some 400 Palestinians. When we look at a possible ground offensive here, let me ask you this, is that being driven by the fact that going in with troops on the ground you can really pinpoint these targets a little more accurately than an air strike?
HANCOCKS: Well, from the Israeli point of view, the military would want to go in because it doesn't feel that it can do everything from the air. It doesn't feel as though you can -- the drones that are going overhead, you can still hear them overhead are trying to get the information from the ground as to where the rocket launchers are, where the weapons caches are and (INAUDIBLE) many of them are underground hiding as well.
You can do that on the ground far easier than you can from the air. And of course, if you see a target that you want to hit and it's surrounded by civilians, you'd hope the Israelis would pull off. They say they do pull off and they don't go for that target at that point.
But the fact is, if these troops go in on the ground, there will be a lot more casualties. Palestinian civilians will be caught up with the violence on the ground. Israeli soldiers will likely be injured and killed on the ground. We've already heard Hamas leaders say if they come in, we will kill them and we will capture them. So, certainly a ground operation is not an easy decision. It would -- it would be a bloody operation -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. An exiled Hamas leader says that our people will fight from one street to the next, from one house to the other and on every inch of the land. So, a lot to come if they do go in by ground. Paula Hancocks joining us live as we look at these pictures coming to us, live pictures as well from the situation there in the Middle East. Thank you, Paula.
MARCIANO: Well, looking for a solution to problems in the Mideast has been a challenge and a frustration for plenty of presidents. Even though the Bush administration is winding down, it's still working on the issue.
Our Kate Bolduan is here with more on that. Good morning, Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob.
In his first comment on the situation since the conflict began, President Bush says in his weekly radio address that another one-way cease-fire that leads to rocket attacks on Israel is not acceptable and promises from Hamas will not suffice. He also says that the U.S. is leading diplomatic efforts, but the question is, how much traction is the administration's approaching having while the fighting continues?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN (voice-over): A week into Israel's attacks in the Gaza strip and Hamas rockets being fired into Israel, the Bush administration is still pushing for a long-term solution. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared for the first time in public after briefing the president.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I have talked with our European colleagues and we are talking constantly with the Israeli government to find a solution to Gaza that will be a sustainable one.
BOLDUAN: However, the top U.S. diplomat says at this point she has no plans to head to the Middle East to broker a cease-fire and repeated the administration's diplomatic stance.
RICE: It is obvious that that cease-fire should take place as soon as possible, but we need a cease-fire that is durable and sustainable.
BOLDUAN: But with the threat of the conflict escalating with an Israeli ground assault, the White House is declining to comment on whether it would be justified.
GORDON JOHNDROE, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: You know, I don't want to speak to an operation that has not taken place, that may or may not take place. Those will be decisions made by the Israelis.
BOLDUAN: Decisions that Mideast expert James Phillips says the U.S. has little influence over.
JAMES PHILLIPS, SR. RESEARCH FELLOW, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: I think the U.S. hands a relatively tied here and the first priority should be avoid making the situation worse by pushing for an abrupt end to the conflict that will leave Hamas in a position to continue threatening Israeli civilians.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: A difficult situation, but by the U.S. not taking a stronger position, some say it could appear as the U.S. giving a green light to an Israeli escalation -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Kate, I want to touch on some pictures real quick. There's is some protests happening right now live in London. As you know, London no stranger to immigrants, Arab included and these protests taking place now live in London or pro Palestinian protestors there in support of Palestinians and clearly in opposition of what the Israelis are doing in their air strikes, air strikes that continue today.
Kate, let's talk peacekeepers. Is there any push or any cause that you're hearing for the U.N. to push some peacekeepers in there?
BOLDUAN: We have to tell you we've been checking on that, Rob and the White House, as well as the State Department, yesterday they declined to comment, but there are reports that some diplomats are suggesting that international monitors be brought in to Gaza as part of any peace deal.
Late yesterday evening, in his radio address when it was released, President Bush did say that there must be monitoring mechanisms in place to help ensure that smuggling of weapons to terrorist groups in Gaza comes to an end. So, we'll have to be keeping an eye on that element.
MARCIANO: Kate Bolduan live for us in Washington. Thank you, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Of course.
MARCIANO: Wading through the violence in Israel and Gaza. Coming up next hour, a special panel discussion on the mess in the Middle East, looking at the issue from both sides.
NGUYEN: Also want to bring you this devastating news for actor John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston at the start of this new year. The couple's 16-year-old son, Jett, died of an apparent seizure in the Bahamas this weekend. An attorney for Travolta says Jett suffered a seizure at the Weston resort in the Bahamas where they were staying and most likely hit his head on a bathtub as he fell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: It was a seizure and that was it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: According to Travolta, his son had a developmental disability at an early age that's been linked to Kawasaki syndrome which can lead to heart disease. Want to tell you this also. In a 2001 interview with CNN's Larry King, John Travolta told Larry how he thought his son may have gotten the syndrome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVOLTA: With my son, it was, again, it was about seven years ago. I was obsessive about cleaning -- his space being clean. So we constantly had the carpets cleaned. And I think between him -- the fumes and walking round, maybe picking up pieces or something, he got what is rarely a thing to deal with, but it's called Kawasaki syndrome. It's very easily handled if you identify it and we did and it was handled within 48 hours. But that 48 hours was --
KING: What happens to him? Was he knocked out?
TRAVOLTA: No, he wasn't knocked out. The immune system overreacts because they have almost the equivalent of metallics -- chemical in their body responding.
KING: You knew that right away?
TRAVOLTA: No, no, the doctor knew that right away. We didn't know.
KING: You got him -- he was, what, how old?
TRAVOLTA: He's nine now so he was probably two or two-and-a- half.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, the family plans to have an autopsy done on Monday.
And for more information on this tragedy in the Travolta household, do invite you to stay right here because we're going to be talking to Ken Baker from E!Entertainment during the 10:00 hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
MARCIANO: A state of emergency declared in Oregon right now. Several cars were caught up in a mudslide caused by heavy rains after heavy snow. This is the scene just south of Portland. As many as 60 roads are now closed. Those mudslides and severe flooding have also forced dozens of families from their homes.
Let's get to Reynolds Wolf who's been monitoring this situation, among other things. Turned out to be pretty active here in the start of 2009.
NGUYEN: What a start to the year, Reynolds. You want to ring it in with nice weather, but for the most part it's been rough out there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Barack Obama's a handsome man, wouldn't you say? NGUYEN: Yes. An intelligent man.
MARCIANO: What else did the future first lady see when she met Barack for the first time?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. OBAMA: My assumption was this guy's got to be kind of weird, right, probably a little nerdy. I'd already sort of created an image of this very intellectual nerd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: She thought he was a nerd.
MARCIANO: Showering him with compliments. A revealing interview with Michelle Obama next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Well, there's definitely a lot of buzz surrounding the president-elect and first lady to be, Michelle Obama. But what about the moment before she became Barack Obama's bride to be?
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux talked to Michelle about the days before all the fame kicked in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
M. OBAMA: I'd never met anybody who lived in Hawaii. That was always where you vacationed. It wasn't where you were from. And I found out that he was biracial, so my assumption was this guy's got to be kind of weird, probably a little nerdy. I'd already sort of created an image of this very intellectual nerd. And I was prepared to be polite and all that.
Then, he walked into my office on that first day and he was cuter than I thought he'd be. So, that was the first positive impression.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: How did you come to the point where the two of you decided that you would get married? How did he propose? I understand it was kind of a little bit of back and forth discussion over marriage.
M. OBAMA: You know, Barack, you know, through the couple of years that we dated, we -- Barack was very clear that he was very serious and you know, he believed that I was the one for him. So we got very serious very quickly. But it wasn't until after he finished law school, because he was still in law school and I was working in a firm, that we started talking about marriage.
And Barack would always -- sometimes -- I shouldn't say always. He would sometimes say, well, if you love -- two people love each other, you know, what is marriage? I would say marriage is everything. Right. It's like, you know, marriage means a great deal. So, we'd sort of go back and forth with that. But I think in his mind, he had always intended to propose because apparently he had talked to my father, talked to my family before he bought the ring. I think everybody knew but me. So, he was just sort of goading me on. But --
MALVEAUX: How did he propose?
M. OBAMA: We were at one of our favorite restaurants and we were there under the guise of celebrating the fact that he had just finished the bar, he had taken the bar exam. He said let's go out and celebrate. So, I thought we were there celebrating the fact that he was done with the bar, which as any person who's gone to law school knows that's a cause to celebrate.
We were, you know, having our typical dinner and going back and forth and talking about life and all that and then dessert comes. And the waiter brings out a tray, sets it in front of me, uncovers the little silver dish and there's a ring. And he asked me to marry him. And I said yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: I love that. Stop it. I love what she said. What do you mean? Marriage is everything?
MARCIANO: All about the rock, kids.
NGUYEN: No, she didn't say that. She also called him a nerd, so for all you nerds out there, there is hope. You can make it to the top office and get a nice lady on your side.
MARCIANO: Nothing wrong with being smart.
NGUYEN: Yep.
So, let's talk about this. Where are the jobs? The new administration is facing an uphill battle.
MARCIANO: Job loss and falling stocks feeding the fears for the unemployed who are looking for better times for sure in 2009.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Looking for work. Two million Americans lost their jobs in 2008, meaning even more competition for positions in 2009. CNN's Susan Candiotti takes a look at what job seekers should expect in the new year.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's hard to be happy when you're starting off the new year without a job.
JEN KWOK, UNEMPLOYED: It's just scary not knowing when your next paycheck is coming. CANDIOTTI: Jen Kwok was let go last fall as a website writer And despite accounting skills, still can't find a job.
KWOK: I think it might be another year or so. I mean, I'm not really -- I'm not that optimistic that it's going to happen very soon.
CANDIOTTI: Kwok is among a staggering two million Americans who lost their jobs in 2008. That's far more than the 1.6 million jobs lost in the last recession in 2001. And the worst the job outlook gets, the harder it is to break out of a vicious cycle. No factories, no jobs, no spending.
JOHN CHALLENGER, CEO, CHALLENGER, GRAY AND CHRISTMAS: It certainly got much worse, much quicker in 2008.
CANDIOTTI: Bleak is putting it mildly.
ED YARDENI, ECONOMIST, YARDENI RESEARCH: The problem is companies are having a very difficult time getting credit. And if they can't roll over their credits, they're desperate for cash. There's a dash for cash. And the fastest way to do that is to cut back on payroll employment.
CANDIOTTI: Economist Ed Yardeni says a key to stabilizing the job market is reviving the housing industry by lowering interest rates. Until then, what can job hunters like Jen do right now?
CHALLENGER: Be open to changing industries, but stay in your field. So if you've been an accountant or a human resources professional or an administrative worker, you can take those skills and move them, say, out of automotive or banking if things are just too tight there and go into health care or energy or some of the other areas of the economy.
CANDIOTTI: Tips that job seeker Jen Kwok takes to heart.
KWOK: I think I'll find something. However, I don't think that I'm going to get the job that I want.
CANDIOTTI: And job experts say expect the job hunt to be even more competitive in 2009.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: It's all in the name. Lose the hyphen, grab the hybrid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTINA WATSON, BRIDE: We have like what-mocker. What else?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shoesen (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: What in the world are they talking about? Yes, I was asking that, too. They're actually talking about picking your own last name. California is now giving couples a lot of leeway.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: You're seeing live pictures now on the ground in London where earlier we told you about a pro-Palestinian protest happening there. The name of the group, Palestine Solidarity Campaign. We're told estimations of about 5,000 people have gathered there at Trafalgar Square and supports of Palestinians and obviously, in opposition of the air strikes that Israel continues to take on Gaza. We'll give you more pictures and information throughout the morning.
NGUYEN: Back here in the states, California has a new law for people that like playing name games, if you will. You don't have to settle for the hyphen. Making hybrid monikers like Brangelina more accessible for anyone.
David Bienick of affiliate KCRA has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID BIENICK, KCRA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before Kristina Schumaker and Anthony Watson said "I do," at the county recorder's office, they spent a few minutes playing with ideas for what they might soon be called.
KRISTINA WATSON, BRIDE: We have what-mocker. What else?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shoe-sen.
BIENICK: Marriage officials have started handing out information on what's called the name equality act. It lets brides and grooms take each other's last name, adopt a hyphenated combination of their names or, if they choose, get really creative.
WANDA DARK, CLARK-RECORDER'S OFFICE: You can take segments of your last names and combine them together to make a new name.
BIENICK: For example, Bob Brennan and Mary Martinez, they could become Mr. and Mrs. Brenninez or Mr. and Mrs. Brennez, Mr. and Mrs. Martinan or why not, Mr. and Mrs. Martian, as long as the new name uses as least two letters from each previous name and doesn't change the order.
The new law is just now being applied to married couples, but it's already been in effect for a year now for domestic partners, including domestic partners of opposite sex. The group Equality California, which lobbied for the law, says it levels the playing field by allowing not just married women but all spouses or registered domestic partners to access a free, legal name change.
RANDY THOMASSON, CAMPAIGN FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES: This is a back door to same-sex marriage because it actually allows same-sex couples, homosexuals, to become Mr. and Mr. Smith. BIENICK: In the end, Kristina and Anthony decided to both take his last name and leave the new name change options to somebody else.
WATSON: I think it's really kind of dumb, but they probably have a need out there, obviously. They passed a law for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: OK. That report said, it is absolutely fine to get creative. So, decided to give that a shot.
MARCIANO: Josh took on that task. What did you work up there, buddy?
NGUYEN: I'm frightened.
LEVS: I have a tough test this morning. I come in, I find out I have to mesh you guys names together. How are we going to do that?
NGUYEN: I've come up with a couple. Go ahead.
LEVS: Let's go to a graphic because I have a nice pretty picture of the two of you if you were to get married, Betty and Rob Nguano. Do you like that?
NGUYEN: Like bat guano.
(INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: Clearly.
LEVS: like the Dr. Seuss family. Here's you with Reynolds. Instead of Rob, if you had Reynolds. There you are.
NGUYEN: No, I've got a better one (INAUDIBLE) W-o-n-g.
LEVS: That's not fair to Reynolds.
NGUYEN: I'm just saying. Mr. Wong, how do you feel about that?
WOLF: I'm digging it. I don't think it's going to happen, but, you know, hey --
NGUYEN: I think your wife would have a problem with that.
WOLF: She would have a few issues, yes. I can see that being a problem.
MARCIANO: Reynolds would be Mr. Shamwow.
WOLF: I have been kind of a Shamwow kind of guy. Absolutely. No question.
LEVS: I'm going to help you escape here. Let's go to the next graphic. Check this out. This is if we got Christiane together with Wolf, Christiane and Wolf Amanplitzer. MARCIANO: That sounds like an award-winning journalist.
NGUYEN: That's not bad.
LEVS: I think that's a good one. We could end with this one. Now we're going to put Rob with Christiane because I think this is the prettiest one of all. Rob and Christiane Marciamanpour.
MARCIANO: That works.
LEVS: A happy couple.
MARCIANO: For me, that's the best one of all.
LEVS: Send us your celebrities, weekends@cnn.com. Think of a celebrity names, mash them together, come up with some good ones. Anybody who has a great one, we'll read it on the air tomorrow.
MARCIANO: I'm pretty sure neither Betty nor Christiane will have me but I appreciate (INAUDIBLE) .
LEVS: I hope they like that. Otherwise, I'm in trouble.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you.
So a race car driver in trouble with the law. Why cops pulled over Danica Patrick.
MARCIANO: But first, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
