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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Lott Resigns; Bush Gives Approval to Send in More Troops, Supplies for War Preparations
Aired December 20, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Lott steps down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think any of us are really happy with the apologies.
O'BRIEN: Who will step up as Senate majority leader?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should select Bill Frist by acclimation.
O'BRIEN: The march toward war. A general hears from his commander-in-chief.
Nightmare in Los Angeles. Two sexual predators stalk the city at the same time.
El Nino. Is that bad boy to blame for the rough weather out West?
And, Wolf Blitzer explores the Saudi desert and talks to a man with inside knowledge of Osama bin Laden.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: It is Friday, December 20, 2002. I'm Miles O'Brien at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Wolf Blitzer on assignment.
Fifteen days after his comments about Strom Thurmond touched off a political firestorm, Trent Lott stepping down as Senate majority leader. We have a report from Capitol Hill, reaction from a Lott colleague, Senator Thad Cochran and let's start now with our CNN Congressional Correspondent Jon Karl. Jonathan, what's the latest? You broke this story. Give us the latest on Capitol Hill.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is the effort to replace Trent Lott and Republicans have rallied around Senator Bill Frist who seems now to have the unanimous support of Republicans in the Senate, including the entire Republican leadership and Rick Santorum, Republican of Pennsylvania was the last remaining Republican that was considering challenging Frist for that job. He is now supporting him and the Republicans will not wait until January. We've learned that they will convene a conference call on December 23 to get all the Republicans on the phone and to essentially tap Bill Frist as their new leader. One aide is calling this a coronation, not an election, and they think this is a time to put their problems behind them as is very clear from the public statements you've heard from Republicans today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), TENNESSEE SENATOR-ELECT: I commend him for his leadership and for his willingness to put the Republican Party's future and his country's future ahead of him.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: If we did not make a change in leadership and find someone as leader who accurately portrays our beliefs, our principles and our ideas, that we would be mired with inaction rather than moving forth.
SEN. PETE DOMENICI (R), NEW MEXICO: For many of us, particularly the Republicans in the United States Senate, this is a day of real hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: So, the Republicans have tapped Tennessee's Bill Frist to be their new leader. He is a former heart surgeon. People around here like to call him Dr. Bill Frist. He's somebody who came to the help of people after the Capitol Hill shooting here a few years ago, rolling up his sleeves and getting in and treating those who had been wounded, somebody who's got a lot of support and respect among Republican colleagues and is also somebody who has been known to work with Democrats, most notably Ted Kennedy on a wide range of healthcare issues.
So this will be what Republicans are calling a clean break from the leadership of Trent Lott. They believe this is a chance to start anew and put those problems behind them. But, Miles, I can tell you Republicans are anxious to hold the Republican's feet to the fire on this one and pressure the Republicans to prove that they stand on the right side when it comes to civil rights and racial issues.
O'BRIEN: Sounds like a little bit of delicate political surgery I think. Jonathan Karl you stand by.
Suzanne Malveaux, by the way, I omitted your name at the outset of the broadcast. She's also joining us from the North Lawn of the White House, but I want to have you all participate in this, but let's turn it now to the other Senator from Mississippi, Thad Cochran joining us from our Washington Bureau, Senator, good to have you with us.
SEN. THAD COCHRAN (R), MISSISSIPPI: Thank you, it's good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: I know you've consulted with your fellow Senator from the great state of Mississippi all throughout this. What have you heard? Give us some insights into the inside of the decision making process?
COCHRAN: Well, I talked to him today on the telephone and told him I thought he made a decision that was very courageous and unselfish and I think he made the right decision. It was obvious that this was going to be a continuing distraction, not only for him but for the entire Senate and it would adversely affect our effort to get things done, to help solve the problems of the economy and keep our country moving in the right direction.
O'BRIEN: You are quoted, Senator, as saying you were surprised by this announcement, that you had the sense that they were hunkering down for a new public relations campaign. How did it turn? When did it turn?
COCHRAN: Well, two days ago in a conversation with Senator Lott, I got the impression that he was ready to fight and fight hard and to win. He thought he could overcome the problems and answer the questions effectively. He was reaching out for new advice and counsel on how to do this from a public relations standpoint. He was very serious minded about being able to win, but I think things changed.
He became convinced that this was not going to be the way it would turn out and it was just one of those situations that was too big for him to personally overcome and he made the decision he did. I think it was a very correct decision and one that enables us now to move on and do the work of the country. In his way of describing the decision, it was for the benefit of the country.
O'BRIEN: Jonathan Karl, is that your best take on how things unfolded here? Was there a defining moment when Trent Lott sort of just opened his eyes and realized there was no place to go?
KARL: Well, it was a hefty dose of political reality. Trent Lott's allies here, especially Mitch McConnell, who is the incoming number two for the Republicans, had been taking the temperature of the caucus, trying to rally support for Trent Lott but also talking to colleagues about whether or not they would be willing to support him, and I'm told that Senator McConnell was very candid in his advice to Senator Lott and very candid in his assessment that he was rapidly losing support, that the support was eroding.
Now, by all counts, going into last night Lott was defiant. Lott was insisting that he could fight this and he could win this but it finally dawned on him that he no longer had the support of his colleagues. No matter how hard he was going to fight, he simply didn't have the votes and that, I'm told, is really in the end the biggest factor in his decision.
O'BRIEN: Senator Cochran, was that the sort of advice you were giving, that sort of unvarnished look at this is it. There's really no way to get out of this?
COCHRAN: Well, I didn't give him that advice. I knew that he had as much experience as I did in this town. We've both been here for 30 years and he could make the decisions based on his own good judgment and assessment of the situation. There's no better vote counter in Washington than Senator Trent Lott.
O'BRIEN: All right, Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, the unseen hand of the White House, there are a couple of quotes this week about the razor blades in Washington, the invisible razor blades in some cases, a lot of things unspoken and spoken on background out of the White House this past 15 days. Is this the outcome that the White House wanted do you think?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have to tell you there was quite a debate within the White House about this whole issue. There's one camp that definitely felt that they did not want to get involved in this, that the president felt very strongly not to get involved, very much aware that there could be a potential backlash if there was a strong position coming from the White House on any type of Senate leadership race, very clear on that, but also a sense that the White House had to distance itself from Lott if not from the man himself, certainly from his views.
But then, of course, there was another camp that said look, you know, we're very concerned about this, that it will affect not only the Republicans' success in pushing forward their domestic agenda, but also the president's, the White House position as well. Also, that it would perhaps even undermine some of the outreach to African- Americans.
The bottom line here is that one of the White House aides telling us that last Thursday when we heard from the president publicly admonishing Senator Lott for his statements saying it was offensive, that it did not reflect the spirit of the nation, that aide telling us that this really came from the president's heart, that he felt that he was compelled to say this, that he had to say this but at the same time that he was certainly not unaware of the possible domino effect that it would have.
Of course, those on the Hill seeing that perhaps this silence spoke much louder than some of the words that came from the president or even his aides, saying that bottom line that yes, the president stood by Lott, that he did not think it was necessary for him to resign. At the same time, there was no opinion, no judgment. We are told that would be coming from the president in terms of who he felt would be the ideal leader for the Senate.
O'BRIEN: I want to turn it over to Senator Cochran before we run out of time here and ask him about that, the fact that it appears that Senator Frist by all accounts here is the choice everyone is headed to. Does this provide a clean slate for the GOP to put the GOP in a position to put this all behind it?
COCHRAN: I think he's clearly very well qualified to be majority leader and he served very capably as our campaign chairman last year. He gets along well with everybody. He's someone who has a great deal of knowledge about healthcare issues. That can be helpful to the Senate and to the administration as we go through the effort of improving access and affordability of healthcare.
O'BRIEN: All right, Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Jonathan Karl our Congressional Correspondent who broke this story we should tell you earlier today. Thank you both for being with us. Suzanne Malveaux don't go away because we do have to turn the corner here and talk about the other big story of the day, more reaction about that 12,000-page Iraqi declaration. The way the president views it nothing more than a bit of stonewalling on the part of Saddam Hussein, I guess.
MALVEAUX: Absolutely, it's something that we expected the president to talk about today. It was kind of surprising that he, though, was not as forthcoming or as forceful as he has been in the past but certainly the White House reiterating what Secretary Powell said just yesterday talking about the fact that Iraq is in material breach. This is the kind of language that perhaps could trigger military action in the future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): A warning to Saddam Hussein, cooperate and disarm. President Bush met with the quartet, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations, to discuss paving the way for Middle East peace, a big part of that confronting a defiant Iraq. Mr. Bush says Saddam Hussein's declaration of its alleged weapons program falls short of what the U.N. Security Council resolution requires full disclosure.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We expect Mr. Saddam Hussein to disarm. Yesterday's document was not encouraging. We expected him to show that he would disarm, and as the Secretary of State said, it's a long way from there.
MALVEAUX: So far from disarming, Secretary Powell said Iraq was in material breach of the resolution, strong language that may further down the road trigger military action.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: This declaration fails totally to move us in the direction of a peaceful solution.
MALVEAUX: The problem the White House says is that Iraq's declaration doesn't account for many components that have been identified by weapons inspectors back in 1998, like shells, VX nerve gas, and anthrax. White House aides say in the weeks to come the administration will push for weapons inspectors to enter into an aggressive auditing phase to get Iraq to show how it has destroyed its weapons stockpiles.
But already there is frustration and even criticism from the international inspection team, that the United States is not providing the intelligence needed to help catch Iraqi violations.
HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We would like to have clues as to where the U.S. and other countries' intelligence feel that they know that the Iraqis are storing weapons of mass destruction.
MALVEAUX: Evidence the White House says that will come in due time as it weighs its options for a possible war with Iraq. ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We will continue to work with them to provide them information. The one thing we won't do is do anything around the world, not just in Iraq, but around the world to compromise sources or methods.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, also to be worked out the logistics of trying to move Iraqi scientists out of the country for interviews, issues like granting asylum as well as accommodations. These things have yet to be worked out but a lot of people in the administration believe that it is really critical the kind of information that they will provide in terms of getting information about the alleged weapons program -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House thank you very much, appreciate you doing some double duty for us today.
After two days of talks also at the White House covering troop deployments and targeting the general who would command a war against Iraq now has the green light to get ready for battle. Let's go live to our CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre for the latest on Tommy Franks' discussions with his commander-in-chief. Jamie, what do we know?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Bush did give the go ahead to plans but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has not yet signed a deployment order, which is 174.
But according to Pentagon sources, the plan would send more troops, planes, and warships to the Persian Gulf region, specifically 50,000 troops would join the nearly 60,000 there already, effectively doubling the size of the ground force, 200 additional combat planes, including B-52 bombers and F-117 Stealth fighters would be dispatched by the Air Force, bringing the total of ground combat planes to roughly 500.
The deployment orders don't include aircraft carriers but sources say between four and six carriers could be within striking distance of Iraq by February. One of those carriers might be the USS George Washington who had just returned to its home port in Norfolk after completing a Gulf tour, but if war begins in February, it's more likely fresh carriers would be dispatched, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt from the East Coast and the USS Carl Vinson and USS Nimitz from the West Coast -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon thank you very much appreciate that.
What happens if the Iraq crisis moves from weapons hunt to war? We get world reaction now from London, Amman, and Moscow, where the moods range from readiness to reluctance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN OAKLEY, LONDON: I'm Robin Oakley in London where Tony Blair in a Christmas message to British troops has put them on a war footing. Mr. Blair says that troops have to be prepared and placed in position to show Saddam Hussein that the threat of force is a credible one. Force, he says, is the only language he understands, the only thing that will make him tow the line on U.N. resolutions about his weapons program.
Mr. Blair is making it clear to British troops that it's not certain yet whether Saddam Hussein will be found to be in breach of U.N. resolutions but if he is he, Mr. Blair, will want to go back to the U.N. Security Council and achieve a specific backing from the Security Council for military action. Public opinion in Britain remains divided on the question of military action against Iraq. Forty-four percent say they're opposed in opinion polls, 36 percent back military action, and 20 percent remain undecided.
But the British media, too, has its suspicions about Mr. Blair's readiness to back George Bush. The "Daily Mirror" today has on its front page this slogan. It says, "There's a lunatic with weapons of mass destruction ramping up for a war that will imperil the whole world" but the man they're suggesting needs to be stopped is not Saddam Hussein but George Bush.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: This is Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan. Well, for once officials around the region seem to agree with people on the streets as well as newspaper commentators that the weapons report from Iraq and the U.S. response to it, that its omissions could be in material breach, is an excuse, the excuse a lot of people say that the United States has been looking for to wage war against Iraq.
Now, in the newspapers today in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) one of the official Jordanian dailies, an article entitled "America and its victim," its victim, of course, portrays Iraq. Now that theme picked up much more graphically in this Jordanian weekly with its article "Iraq Headless" and the newspaper says that that's what the world really wants.
It wants to see Iraq carved up and its leader toppled. Over and over in the streets people telling us that they believe if it isn't today it might be tomorrow or next week, but no matter when it is, the United States is intent on going to war against Iraq for reasons of oil and politics and not weapons inspections.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: I'm Jill Dougherty in Moscow. To get a view of how Russia is looking at the Iraq issue, I looked at a number of newspapers, including (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is a leading newspaper essentially the Russian version of "The New York Times" and it took a while to find the Iraq article. On the first page a long article about President Putin and his call-in show, and then also up here an article about Miss Universe and her new boyfriend.
Back here on Page 8, this is the article about Iraq and its entitled "Saddam is a bad writer" and it says the United States does not, is not pleased with the Iraq report. Essentially, this is a pretty straight read. There is very little editorializing and what it says is the United States at this stage is not declaring war on Iraq but it does retain the right to take unilateral action.
Now, this article is in stark contrast to a story that appeared last week which was splashed all over the newspapers in Russia and that was Iraq's canceling a multibillion dollar deal with Russia's leading oil company Luc (ph) Oil. That was a very big story, so why the difference? Well, it's vested interest. Russia obviously had a vested interest in that oil deal. It does not at this stage have a vested interest in getting rid of Saddam Hussein.
So, the Russian position now is to play it very straight. It wants any action to be taken on Iraq to be taken by the United Nations and not by any one individual country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Just a sample of opinions from some of our postings all around the world.
Getting back to our lead story, the Trent Lott story, would you like to weigh in? Well, our "Web Question of the Day" is did Senator Lott make the right decision to step down as majority leader? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. It's not scientific but we invite you to participate. Nevertheless, the place to do it, cnn.com/wolf.
And while you're there we'd like to hear from you. Send us your comments. We'll do our best to read some of them, time permitting, at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read our daily online column, all of that at cnn.com/wolf.
Ahead on the program, a gruesome discovery in Los Angeles, a body police say they believe is Dr. Laura Schlessinger's mother found badly decomposed in an apartment.
We'll have details on that plus schoolgirls targeted by a sexual predator in that same city. Police race against time to catch a prowler on the loose before he strikes again.
And, a CNN exclusive, what's the real relationship between the House of Saud and Osama bin Laden, the answers from a member of the royal family, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Los Angeles Police are looking for two men. They're apparently acting independently of each other but the two of them may be responsible for 35 sexual assaults since 1995. CNN's Charles Feldman has details for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONENT (voice-over): As you stand outside this Los Angeles high school silently observing, selecting by some as yet unknown method which young girl to attack next, or does he rise early in the morning and stalk lonely areas of the city hoping to come upon a single schoolgirl unknowingly on her way to a violent encounter?
DET. GREGORY STONE, LOS ANGELES POLICE: He primarily attacks them as they're on their way to school.
FELDMAN: LAPD Detective Gregory Stone is himself a hunter, trying to find the man who since 1995 has sexually assaulted 17 schoolgirls, eight from this high school alone where many students say they are scared and frustrated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's ridiculous how they haven't caught him and I don't know it's really scary because there's like a lot of people that walk here early in the morning and you know he could be out there ready to strike again.
FELDMAN: But what students here probably don't now is that the LAPD is struggling to catch not one but two different sexual predators who between them have assaulted 35 young women, some as young as 11.
STONE: For Los Angeles it's very unusual. We're able to generally apprehend them prior to them reaching this magnitude.
FELDMAN: Police here do not believe the two sexual predators know one another or are somehow acting in concert, and although one of the two wanted men has a teardrop tattoo below his eye, police say they still have no suspects but refuse to be defeated.
STONE: Challenging more so than frustrating. You know in this position as a detective, you know, here and you're working on serial cases, repetitive offenders, you can't afford to get frustrated. You get more determined.
FELDMAN: And so, police wait for a slip up, a sloppy move that will produce a golden lead that brings the predators to justice. Detective Robert Long spearheads the search for that one lead needed to bust the so-called teardrop attacker.
DET. ROBERT LONG, LOS ANGELES POLICE: When we get him it's going to be a very good day because it's going to be that one that, you know, instead of being a dead end it's going to be the one that results in a prosecution and him spending the rest of his life in jail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FELDMAN: Now, police say there are lots of reasons why it's proven so difficult to bring either sexual predator to justice. They say, for example, that some victims have delayed reporting the crime making it harder to gather vital clues. But then there's the one thing the cops don't like to talk about. It's called luck and so far they just haven't had it -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Charles, got to turn the page here to another piece of the police blotter out there, the body found in Beverly Hills, apparently in the apartment of the mother of the radio and TV personality Dr. Laura. What do we know? FELDMAN: Well, what we know is this, a bizarre story out of Beverly Hills. The police have notified Dr. Laura Schlessinger, that's the of course controversial radio and television talk show host who gives a lot of self improvement advice.
They notified her on Monday that they found the body of a dead woman in the apartment that belongs to her mother, but they have not yet completed positive identification and won't until next week. But they do know, and here's where it becomes really bizarre, Miles, is that the woman was apparently murdered, the victim of a homicide. The police won't say exactly how she was killed.
Now reportedly, Dr. Laura has not actually spoken with her own mother in several years but, as I said, she has been notified on Monday that a woman was found in her mother's apartment in Beverly Hills, the victim of an apparent homicide.
Now, we have tried for a couple of hours now to get in touch with Dr. Laura to find out what, if anything, she knows about this. Thus far, we have not, but we of course will let you know as soon as we find anything more out about this still developing story -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Charles Feldman in Los Angeles thank you. Keep us posted.
Time for us to take a break. California's governor banned from a holiday party at a children's home, the welcome mat taken away over his stance on abortion. And, that nasty El Nino battering the West Coast but how will the wacky weather impact the rest of the nation? Spencer Christian will be out guest, there he is, coming up. Stay with us.
O'BRIEN: California Governor Gray Davis was forced to cancel a scheduled pre-Christmas visit to a home for troubled children. Marcey Brightwell of CNN Affiliate KXTV explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCEY BRIGHTWELL, KXTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The preparations began early, welcome sign hung, Christmas presents stacked under the tree. The governor's advance staff setting the stage for Gray Davis to play Santa Claus by handing out gifts at Saint Patrick's Home for Children presents bought by the governor's staff.
But then a different sign went up outside the home and the governor's office received a surprise phone call. Davis was barred from school grounds.
MONSIGNOR EDWARD KAVANAGH, SAINT PATRICK'S CHILDREN'S HOME: This is Catholic faith. He is a Catholic.
BRIGHTWELL: Monsignor Kavanagh declared Davis unwelcome at the Catholic sponsored home unless he signed a letter repenting his position on abortion. A Catholic, Davis supports abortion rights.
KAVANAGH: You see the governor had an agenda and he wanted to look good because he's helping kids but what about the kids he doesn't allow to be born? When is he going to hop on? Somebody has to stand up to him.
GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, yes he's entitled to his point of view and I'm entitled to mine.
BRIGHTWELL: Davis refused to sign the letter inviting the children to the State Capitol instead.
DAVIS: Sorry I couldn't come out to the home earlier today, but I'm thrilled that you can come to our home.
BRIGHTWELL: Handing out gifts to about a dozen teenage girls.
DAVIS: I didn't want to kids to be disappointed so I invited them here.
BRIGHTWELL: It was a Capitol visit without the monsignor's blessing. He's been opposed Davis for years. Even led this protest outside the governor's first inaugural prayer service. Monsignor Cavanaugh says he doesn't want Davis influencing the students.
CAVANUGH: We don't want him to be talking to our children. We don't want him to be telling indoctrinating our children.
DAVIS: It's a change order.
BRIGHTWELL: But Davis did talk with the children at the Capitol, taking pictures, passing out gifts, making no apologies for his abortion stance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That report from Marcey Brightwell of CNN affiliate KXTV in Sacramento, California.
Time for another break. The Saudis, friend for foe of Osama bin Laden? An exclusive interview with a member of the royal family when we return.
Also, Wal-Mart found guilty. How unpaid overtime may cost the retailer a bundle this holiday season.
And then there's this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: OK, now here's where we stand now. Trent Lott, six apologies, Cardinal Law, four.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Comedians everywhere are scrambling for new material. Jeanne Moos looks back at the highs and lows of Trent Lott's moments in the sun. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Keeping up the pressure. Another huge demonstration in Venezuela against President Hugo Chavez. A 19-day general strike crippling Venezuela's oil industry, and it shows no sign of weakening.
Angry anniversary. Thousands of demonstrators staged a march in Argentina marking the first anniversary of a violent riot that forced President Fernado de la Rua out of office. The demonstrators say despite de la Rua's departure, there's been no improvement in Argentina's economy.
Sore at Soros. A French court has found billionaire George Soros guilty of insider trading and levied a $2.2 million fine. Soros, a Hungarian-born U.S. citizen, vows to appeal.
Political comeback. Winnie Mandela has been reelected to the Executive Committee of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress. The ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela was one of the top vote getters even though she's on trial for fraud and theft charges.
Closer to sainthood. The Catholic Church has taken another step toward declaring Mother Teresa a saint. Pope John Paul II has attributed a miracle to the late nun, who cared for the poor in the slums of Calcutta. A beatification ceremony has been scheduled for next October.
Playful pachyderms. No, you haven't had one too many. These elephants really are playing polo. A team from Nepal won this year's World Elephant Polo Championships. They're already making plans for next year's tournament in case you want to pack a trunk.
That's our look "Around the World."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back. I'm Miles O'Brien. Coming up a CNN exclusive. How cooperative is Saudi Arabia in the hunt for Osama bin Laden? Find out in just a moment.
But first let's look at some other stories making news right now in our "News Alert."
(NEWSBREAK)
O'BRIEN: And this just in to us. We were telling you at the top of the show about the discovery of what appears to be the body of the mother of Laura Schlesinger, the television and radio personality.
We have a statement which came in from Dr. Laura and it reads this: "I am horrified by the tragic circumstances of my mother's death and so sad to learn that she died as she chose to live -- alone and isolated. My mother shut out all her family out of her life over the years, though we made several futile attempts to stay connected. May God rest her soul." That from Laura Schlesinger on the occasion of finding her mother's body in her Beverly Hills apartment. We'll keep you posted on that developing story.
What does the Saudi royal family know about Osama bin Laden and his possible where abouts? Our Wolf Blitzer has been in Saudi Arabia this week as you faithful viewers would know and he has an exclusive interview with Prince Turki al-Fisal, the former chief of Saudi Intelligence. Wolf began the interview by asking the prince about his connections with Osama bin Laden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Your highness, thanks the hospitality, thanks for inviting me here to your beautiful farm.
PRINCE TURKI AL-FISAL, FORMER INTELLIGENCE CHIEF: It's a pleasure to have you here with us.
BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit history before we talk about the present.
AL-FISAL: All right.
BLITZER: Osama bin Laden, you actually met this man?
AL-FISAL: I did meet him four or five times. This was in the '80s in Afghanistan four of those times and once in the kingdom.
This was, if you remember, during the fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. And he was contributor to the mujahideen of his own money and the resources that he had for mostly construction.
So he was in Pakistan most of the time and when I used to go to Pakistan, he would attend some of the official functions that were held either by the Pakistanis or by the Saudi embassy.
BLITZER: What motivated him?
AL-FISAL: To do that?
BLITZER: To become what he is.
AL-FISAL: Well, I think when he started he started off on a good footing because he wanted to help the mujahideen.
BLITZER: Liberate Afghanistan from the Soviets.
AL-FISAL: Everybody wanted to help the Afghans mujahideen at that time. And the kingdom and the United States had a joint program of support for the mujahideen.
BLITZER: Financial support.
AL-FISAL: Financial, military training, intelligence. BLITZER: You ran that operation?
AL-FISAL: I did on the Saudi side.
BLITZER: He eventually committed -- organized 9/11.
AL-FISAL: Yes, he did.
BLITZER: Fifteen of those 19 hijackers were Saudis.
AL-FISAL: Yes.
BLITZER: What happened there? How did that develop?
AL-FISAL: I believe that was a particular effort on the part of bin Laden because in al Qaeda, there are many nationalities including Americans. And yet he specifically chose these 15.
As he described them in that famous videotape in which he says these were people who didn't even know what they were up to. He didn't even inform them when they went on this mission that this was going to happen to them. And he chose the Saudis in order to bring a schism between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Is he still personally in charge right now?
AL-FAISAL: I believe he still is.
BLITZER: He can communicate with his people?
AL-FAISAL: I think he can.
BLITZER: How does he do that?
AL-FAISAL: He does that with wireless. He does that with satellite phones. He does that with couriers. He's knowledgeable enough to make that use restrictive enough not to be picked up by all these sensors that are running around and...
BLITZER: The National Security Agency in the United States can't listen in and find that?
AL-FAISAL: There are means of doing that and he has come to know those means.
BLITZER: The fact that they can't find him right now, where do you believe -- you believe he's alive, right?
AL-FAISAL: I believe he is alive. I believe he is in Afghanistan.
BLITZER: Let me just wind up by asking you this. I spent the day at the Prince Sultan Air Base. I saw the cooperation between the U.S. and the Saudi military, the pilots, the commanders. Is it conceivable to you that Saudi Arabia won't cooperate militarily with the United States if President Bush orders a war against Iraq?
AL-FAISAL: If it is through the United Nations -- how can I put it? Under the aegis of the United Nations, as we have said many times and as the United States has also committed itself through work in the United Nations, of course we will cooperate fully. This is -- we consider that to be vital and important. There's nothing to keep us back from that.
BLITZER: And if it's a unilateral U.S./British move without necessarily a formal resolution from the U.N. Security Council?
AL-FAISAL: Look, Wolf, all your friends worldwide, your European friends, your Asian friends, your African friends are telling you on every level, don't do it unilaterally. It is not just Saudi Arabia who does that. Your European allies like Germany, France, Italy, name them, they're there. Your Asian allies, whether it be in the Asian countries or in Japan or South Korea or in China -- Russia as a friend of the United States. African countries -- they're all telling the United States don't go unilaterally.
This is something for the world community to do. And it is better for the United States to be a member of that community rather than to be outside it, doing its own bidding and not getting any support any where. So it is not just Saudi Arabia that's doing that.
BLITZER: Thank you.
AL-FAISAL: Thank you for coming to see me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A rare look inside the kingdom.
Up next on our program, the West Coast is in some hot water, weather wise. The warm ocean waters that are the tell tale signs of El Nino might be very well be the cause of the trouble.
We'll check in on current events if you will, with Mr. Christian -- that's Spencer Christian after the break. There he is. Still there waiting for us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The second powerful storm in a week lashing the West Coast with heavy rain, snow and strong wind. More on the way, sorry to tell you. Northern California is getting the brunt of it. According to the National Weather Service, the culprit is El Nino once again.
Joining us from San Francisco to talk about it, chief weather forecaster Spencer Christian of our affiliate KGO. You might have seen him on another network at one time or another.
SPENCER CHRISTIAN, KGO CHIEF WEATHER FORECASTER: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Good to see you, sir. How are things in San Francisco? Not so good.
CHRISTIAN: A little wet right now. A little wet and windy right now, Miles. Otherwise we're doing OK here.
O'BRIEN: All right. Give us a sense of the weather situation right now. You've got ton of rain right where you are, and then you get up into the Sierra Nevadas and you get a lot of snow. \
CHRISTIAN: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Give us -- what's going on?
CHRISTIAN: Well, it began late last week -- last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We had a series of three very powerful storms day after day pounding this region. They all featured strong, damaging winds. They all featured heavy rainfall and, of course, that produced localized flooding and each of those storms that produced rainfall here in the San Francisco Bay, of course, area produced significant snow over in the Sierra.
And that three or four day storm episode was followed by two more storms later this week, Thursday and again today featuring again strong winds, heavy rainfall, local flooding, hail, thunder and lightning and heavy snow over the Sierras. So we are in a very stormy pattern.
O'BRIEN: Positively Biblical weather there.
CHRISTIAN: Some have put it that way, yes.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let's talk a little bit about what's at root here. El Nino. We had a nice graphic of El Nino. I'm not sure we can show it to you right this moment, but basically, picture if you will, a big hunk of warm water in the Pacific, 20 to 30 times bigger than the Great Lakes, and it moves in the direction -- the opposite direction that it normally moves, and that changes all the weather patterns.
Explain it to us in layperson's terms so that our producers can understand it, OK?
CHRISTIAN: Well, let me tell you this, Miles. There is more that we don't know about El Nino than there is that we do. But in layperson's terms, I'll try to simplify it.
El Nino is characterized by an increase in the sea surface temperatures in the tropical waters or equatorial in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. And although El Nino occurs only in the Pacific, its effects are felt in weather patterns world wide, especially here in the U.S., where El Nino, that warming of the Pacific waters there, tends to generate more moisture into the atmosphere. It also warms the air over the ocean surface, and hat triggers more storms, more frequent storms and more intense storms. And the result is we get an alteration in our rainfall patterns -- our precipitation patterns here in the U.S.
O'BRIEN: Now, Spencer, we'd be remiss if we did this weather segment without talking about the jet stream.
CHRISTIAN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: So, let's do that, shall we? Let's go to the graphic. We'll start with the globe here. That's North America for those of you who flunked geography.
And as you put the map in motion, we're going to show you - this is the typical January jet stream, right, roughly?
CHRISTIAN: That's right.
O'BRIEN: And what that does is, that brings moisture up sort of on that sort of pattern. You guys are normally staying nice and dry and enjoying wonderful San Francisco weather.
But with El Nino, what happens is the moisture pattern changes and you can see it's hitting you with a full frontal assault. We're getting a dose of it over here.
What does it take to change that, Spencer?
CHRISTIAN: OK, well that warming of the waters, as I said, generates more moisture into the atmosphere, produces more frequent storms and more intense storms.
So with the position of the jet stream being disrupted by Al Nino and lifting it into a position where it directs or steers more storms into the southern tier of states in the U.S., it means we get more frequent storms during the winter. The air temperatures are a little bit warmer in the upper Midwest and the Northeast, so the storms we get don't translate into snow storms for the Northeast in a winter El Nino. They translate into rain storms and thunderstorms and the kind of thing we saw in February of 1998 where the air temperature was so warm in the Northeast that Quebec and Ontario and parts of the Northeastern U.S. had ice storms instead of snowstorms.
Of course, for California, what this position of a jet stream will mean is more rain storms for us and more of the kind of Biblical turn of events we've been having, meteorologically speaking, lately.
O'BRIEN: All right.
Thank you very much, Professor Christian. We'll bring you back next time and you can explain La Nina, which is happens after El Nino.
CHRISTIAN: That's exactly right.
O'BRIEN: All right. Spencer Christian, from our affiliate KGO, a great pleasure to see you. Drop in any old time, all right?
CHRISTIAN: Thank you, Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right.
CHRISTIAN: OK.
O'BRIEN: He was the king of late night talk shows, at least for a week. Not Spencer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LETTERMAN: This just in. Trent Lott has apologized on Telemundo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Jeanne Moos with a look back at a whole lot of laughs.
But first, a live coast to coast look at the holiday road rush.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: With a name like Lott the Senator gave headline writers a lot of ammunition. Some might say he was punned out of his leadership post. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports an end to this punishment is now in sight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The puns have been punishing. One of the best of them came from "TIME" magazine, "A Sorry Lott," but that could also apply to the crop of puns, "A Lott on the Line," "Not a Lott of Support," "Lott of Heat," "Trent casts his Lott," "Lotts of Fallout."
JAMES CARVILLE, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": You're lying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most pernicious thing about this is that even if you don't want to make Lott puns you find yourself heeding the siren's song of Lott puns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of like a primal human instinct to pun, sort of like searching for food or shelter or water.
MOOS: Michael Colton is co-author of the parody "One Nation Extra Cheese." He says it is Trent Lott's misfortune to have a common word for a name.
Lott has seven different definitions in Webster's.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no definition for the word "Daschle." Nothing for "Gephardt."
MOOS: But a lot can be anything from a parcel of land to a considerable quantity. No wonder there are a lot of puns especially given the rage for writing all over the TV screen these days. And you know that deep in the bowels of this organization there are some poor interns handcuffed to radiators having to come up with material for these things.
MOOS: Well actually, John Hourback (ph) is senior producer, not an intern, but he helps make up the on screen banners for CNN's "NEWSNIGHT."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the beginning we had "A Lott of Trouble," now we have "A Lott of Explaining." It's certainly been "A Lott of Apologies."
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: I think it's time to lay off.
MOOS: Even viewers have gotten into the act sending us e-mail saying "Lott at Stake" and "A Lott of Nothing." But before we cast stones...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your segment on CNN is a pun. What's the mane of your segment?
MOSS: He would have to bring that up.
(on camera): Are you not running dry of puns?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's getting a "Lott" harder.
MOOS: A "Lott" harder? But then there's Trent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the "Trent-ches." Should we fight on or throw in the towel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In some ways this creates essentially a race to the bottom among headline writers to come up with the worst possible puns.
MOOS: May the worst puns surface from the bottom. We the press have created a Lott-ness monster. At least now that he's resigned his leadership post, the puns will peter out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Majority Leader Faces New Lott in Life."
MOOS: There'll be a Lott-less leadership. Then Republicans will be saying thanks a Lott, Trent.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Well, not a "Lott" of time left for you to turn in and weigh in on our "Question of the Day." Did Senator Trent Lott make the right decision to step down as majority leader? Log on to cnn.com/wolf to vote. We hope you do that "Lotts" of times. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: It's the season. No, we're not talking about Christmas. Surf's up in Hawaii. Let's look at these pictures. They're pretty awesome. It's always interesting to see a championship surfer riding the crest of a wave. Ouch!
For some reason it's even more interesting to see this, when they wipe out. Yow! There were multiple opportunities to see this week in Hawaii. Together they provided our "Pictures of the Day." A sequence we call "Endless Bummer."
Endless Bummer. That was good. I got that on my own there.
Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." We've been asking you this question, did Senator Trent Lott make the right decision to step down as majority leader? Survey says 75 percent yes, 25 percent of you said no. None of this is scientific, but we think it's fun. And you can always weigh in at cnn.com/wolf.
That's all the time we have for today. Thanks very much for watching. I'm Miles O'Brien. On behalf of the on assignment Wolf Blitzer still in the Middle East on his way back, we turn it over to Lou Dobbs and MONEYLINE.
Good evening, Lou.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Supplies for War Preparations>
Aired December 20, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Lott steps down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think any of us are really happy with the apologies.
O'BRIEN: Who will step up as Senate majority leader?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should select Bill Frist by acclimation.
O'BRIEN: The march toward war. A general hears from his commander-in-chief.
Nightmare in Los Angeles. Two sexual predators stalk the city at the same time.
El Nino. Is that bad boy to blame for the rough weather out West?
And, Wolf Blitzer explores the Saudi desert and talks to a man with inside knowledge of Osama bin Laden.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: It is Friday, December 20, 2002. I'm Miles O'Brien at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Wolf Blitzer on assignment.
Fifteen days after his comments about Strom Thurmond touched off a political firestorm, Trent Lott stepping down as Senate majority leader. We have a report from Capitol Hill, reaction from a Lott colleague, Senator Thad Cochran and let's start now with our CNN Congressional Correspondent Jon Karl. Jonathan, what's the latest? You broke this story. Give us the latest on Capitol Hill.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is the effort to replace Trent Lott and Republicans have rallied around Senator Bill Frist who seems now to have the unanimous support of Republicans in the Senate, including the entire Republican leadership and Rick Santorum, Republican of Pennsylvania was the last remaining Republican that was considering challenging Frist for that job. He is now supporting him and the Republicans will not wait until January. We've learned that they will convene a conference call on December 23 to get all the Republicans on the phone and to essentially tap Bill Frist as their new leader. One aide is calling this a coronation, not an election, and they think this is a time to put their problems behind them as is very clear from the public statements you've heard from Republicans today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), TENNESSEE SENATOR-ELECT: I commend him for his leadership and for his willingness to put the Republican Party's future and his country's future ahead of him.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: If we did not make a change in leadership and find someone as leader who accurately portrays our beliefs, our principles and our ideas, that we would be mired with inaction rather than moving forth.
SEN. PETE DOMENICI (R), NEW MEXICO: For many of us, particularly the Republicans in the United States Senate, this is a day of real hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: So, the Republicans have tapped Tennessee's Bill Frist to be their new leader. He is a former heart surgeon. People around here like to call him Dr. Bill Frist. He's somebody who came to the help of people after the Capitol Hill shooting here a few years ago, rolling up his sleeves and getting in and treating those who had been wounded, somebody who's got a lot of support and respect among Republican colleagues and is also somebody who has been known to work with Democrats, most notably Ted Kennedy on a wide range of healthcare issues.
So this will be what Republicans are calling a clean break from the leadership of Trent Lott. They believe this is a chance to start anew and put those problems behind them. But, Miles, I can tell you Republicans are anxious to hold the Republican's feet to the fire on this one and pressure the Republicans to prove that they stand on the right side when it comes to civil rights and racial issues.
O'BRIEN: Sounds like a little bit of delicate political surgery I think. Jonathan Karl you stand by.
Suzanne Malveaux, by the way, I omitted your name at the outset of the broadcast. She's also joining us from the North Lawn of the White House, but I want to have you all participate in this, but let's turn it now to the other Senator from Mississippi, Thad Cochran joining us from our Washington Bureau, Senator, good to have you with us.
SEN. THAD COCHRAN (R), MISSISSIPPI: Thank you, it's good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: I know you've consulted with your fellow Senator from the great state of Mississippi all throughout this. What have you heard? Give us some insights into the inside of the decision making process?
COCHRAN: Well, I talked to him today on the telephone and told him I thought he made a decision that was very courageous and unselfish and I think he made the right decision. It was obvious that this was going to be a continuing distraction, not only for him but for the entire Senate and it would adversely affect our effort to get things done, to help solve the problems of the economy and keep our country moving in the right direction.
O'BRIEN: You are quoted, Senator, as saying you were surprised by this announcement, that you had the sense that they were hunkering down for a new public relations campaign. How did it turn? When did it turn?
COCHRAN: Well, two days ago in a conversation with Senator Lott, I got the impression that he was ready to fight and fight hard and to win. He thought he could overcome the problems and answer the questions effectively. He was reaching out for new advice and counsel on how to do this from a public relations standpoint. He was very serious minded about being able to win, but I think things changed.
He became convinced that this was not going to be the way it would turn out and it was just one of those situations that was too big for him to personally overcome and he made the decision he did. I think it was a very correct decision and one that enables us now to move on and do the work of the country. In his way of describing the decision, it was for the benefit of the country.
O'BRIEN: Jonathan Karl, is that your best take on how things unfolded here? Was there a defining moment when Trent Lott sort of just opened his eyes and realized there was no place to go?
KARL: Well, it was a hefty dose of political reality. Trent Lott's allies here, especially Mitch McConnell, who is the incoming number two for the Republicans, had been taking the temperature of the caucus, trying to rally support for Trent Lott but also talking to colleagues about whether or not they would be willing to support him, and I'm told that Senator McConnell was very candid in his advice to Senator Lott and very candid in his assessment that he was rapidly losing support, that the support was eroding.
Now, by all counts, going into last night Lott was defiant. Lott was insisting that he could fight this and he could win this but it finally dawned on him that he no longer had the support of his colleagues. No matter how hard he was going to fight, he simply didn't have the votes and that, I'm told, is really in the end the biggest factor in his decision.
O'BRIEN: Senator Cochran, was that the sort of advice you were giving, that sort of unvarnished look at this is it. There's really no way to get out of this?
COCHRAN: Well, I didn't give him that advice. I knew that he had as much experience as I did in this town. We've both been here for 30 years and he could make the decisions based on his own good judgment and assessment of the situation. There's no better vote counter in Washington than Senator Trent Lott.
O'BRIEN: All right, Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, the unseen hand of the White House, there are a couple of quotes this week about the razor blades in Washington, the invisible razor blades in some cases, a lot of things unspoken and spoken on background out of the White House this past 15 days. Is this the outcome that the White House wanted do you think?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have to tell you there was quite a debate within the White House about this whole issue. There's one camp that definitely felt that they did not want to get involved in this, that the president felt very strongly not to get involved, very much aware that there could be a potential backlash if there was a strong position coming from the White House on any type of Senate leadership race, very clear on that, but also a sense that the White House had to distance itself from Lott if not from the man himself, certainly from his views.
But then, of course, there was another camp that said look, you know, we're very concerned about this, that it will affect not only the Republicans' success in pushing forward their domestic agenda, but also the president's, the White House position as well. Also, that it would perhaps even undermine some of the outreach to African- Americans.
The bottom line here is that one of the White House aides telling us that last Thursday when we heard from the president publicly admonishing Senator Lott for his statements saying it was offensive, that it did not reflect the spirit of the nation, that aide telling us that this really came from the president's heart, that he felt that he was compelled to say this, that he had to say this but at the same time that he was certainly not unaware of the possible domino effect that it would have.
Of course, those on the Hill seeing that perhaps this silence spoke much louder than some of the words that came from the president or even his aides, saying that bottom line that yes, the president stood by Lott, that he did not think it was necessary for him to resign. At the same time, there was no opinion, no judgment. We are told that would be coming from the president in terms of who he felt would be the ideal leader for the Senate.
O'BRIEN: I want to turn it over to Senator Cochran before we run out of time here and ask him about that, the fact that it appears that Senator Frist by all accounts here is the choice everyone is headed to. Does this provide a clean slate for the GOP to put the GOP in a position to put this all behind it?
COCHRAN: I think he's clearly very well qualified to be majority leader and he served very capably as our campaign chairman last year. He gets along well with everybody. He's someone who has a great deal of knowledge about healthcare issues. That can be helpful to the Senate and to the administration as we go through the effort of improving access and affordability of healthcare.
O'BRIEN: All right, Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Jonathan Karl our Congressional Correspondent who broke this story we should tell you earlier today. Thank you both for being with us. Suzanne Malveaux don't go away because we do have to turn the corner here and talk about the other big story of the day, more reaction about that 12,000-page Iraqi declaration. The way the president views it nothing more than a bit of stonewalling on the part of Saddam Hussein, I guess.
MALVEAUX: Absolutely, it's something that we expected the president to talk about today. It was kind of surprising that he, though, was not as forthcoming or as forceful as he has been in the past but certainly the White House reiterating what Secretary Powell said just yesterday talking about the fact that Iraq is in material breach. This is the kind of language that perhaps could trigger military action in the future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): A warning to Saddam Hussein, cooperate and disarm. President Bush met with the quartet, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations, to discuss paving the way for Middle East peace, a big part of that confronting a defiant Iraq. Mr. Bush says Saddam Hussein's declaration of its alleged weapons program falls short of what the U.N. Security Council resolution requires full disclosure.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We expect Mr. Saddam Hussein to disarm. Yesterday's document was not encouraging. We expected him to show that he would disarm, and as the Secretary of State said, it's a long way from there.
MALVEAUX: So far from disarming, Secretary Powell said Iraq was in material breach of the resolution, strong language that may further down the road trigger military action.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: This declaration fails totally to move us in the direction of a peaceful solution.
MALVEAUX: The problem the White House says is that Iraq's declaration doesn't account for many components that have been identified by weapons inspectors back in 1998, like shells, VX nerve gas, and anthrax. White House aides say in the weeks to come the administration will push for weapons inspectors to enter into an aggressive auditing phase to get Iraq to show how it has destroyed its weapons stockpiles.
But already there is frustration and even criticism from the international inspection team, that the United States is not providing the intelligence needed to help catch Iraqi violations.
HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We would like to have clues as to where the U.S. and other countries' intelligence feel that they know that the Iraqis are storing weapons of mass destruction.
MALVEAUX: Evidence the White House says that will come in due time as it weighs its options for a possible war with Iraq. ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We will continue to work with them to provide them information. The one thing we won't do is do anything around the world, not just in Iraq, but around the world to compromise sources or methods.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, also to be worked out the logistics of trying to move Iraqi scientists out of the country for interviews, issues like granting asylum as well as accommodations. These things have yet to be worked out but a lot of people in the administration believe that it is really critical the kind of information that they will provide in terms of getting information about the alleged weapons program -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House thank you very much, appreciate you doing some double duty for us today.
After two days of talks also at the White House covering troop deployments and targeting the general who would command a war against Iraq now has the green light to get ready for battle. Let's go live to our CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre for the latest on Tommy Franks' discussions with his commander-in-chief. Jamie, what do we know?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Bush did give the go ahead to plans but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has not yet signed a deployment order, which is 174.
But according to Pentagon sources, the plan would send more troops, planes, and warships to the Persian Gulf region, specifically 50,000 troops would join the nearly 60,000 there already, effectively doubling the size of the ground force, 200 additional combat planes, including B-52 bombers and F-117 Stealth fighters would be dispatched by the Air Force, bringing the total of ground combat planes to roughly 500.
The deployment orders don't include aircraft carriers but sources say between four and six carriers could be within striking distance of Iraq by February. One of those carriers might be the USS George Washington who had just returned to its home port in Norfolk after completing a Gulf tour, but if war begins in February, it's more likely fresh carriers would be dispatched, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt from the East Coast and the USS Carl Vinson and USS Nimitz from the West Coast -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon thank you very much appreciate that.
What happens if the Iraq crisis moves from weapons hunt to war? We get world reaction now from London, Amman, and Moscow, where the moods range from readiness to reluctance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN OAKLEY, LONDON: I'm Robin Oakley in London where Tony Blair in a Christmas message to British troops has put them on a war footing. Mr. Blair says that troops have to be prepared and placed in position to show Saddam Hussein that the threat of force is a credible one. Force, he says, is the only language he understands, the only thing that will make him tow the line on U.N. resolutions about his weapons program.
Mr. Blair is making it clear to British troops that it's not certain yet whether Saddam Hussein will be found to be in breach of U.N. resolutions but if he is he, Mr. Blair, will want to go back to the U.N. Security Council and achieve a specific backing from the Security Council for military action. Public opinion in Britain remains divided on the question of military action against Iraq. Forty-four percent say they're opposed in opinion polls, 36 percent back military action, and 20 percent remain undecided.
But the British media, too, has its suspicions about Mr. Blair's readiness to back George Bush. The "Daily Mirror" today has on its front page this slogan. It says, "There's a lunatic with weapons of mass destruction ramping up for a war that will imperil the whole world" but the man they're suggesting needs to be stopped is not Saddam Hussein but George Bush.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: This is Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan. Well, for once officials around the region seem to agree with people on the streets as well as newspaper commentators that the weapons report from Iraq and the U.S. response to it, that its omissions could be in material breach, is an excuse, the excuse a lot of people say that the United States has been looking for to wage war against Iraq.
Now, in the newspapers today in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) one of the official Jordanian dailies, an article entitled "America and its victim," its victim, of course, portrays Iraq. Now that theme picked up much more graphically in this Jordanian weekly with its article "Iraq Headless" and the newspaper says that that's what the world really wants.
It wants to see Iraq carved up and its leader toppled. Over and over in the streets people telling us that they believe if it isn't today it might be tomorrow or next week, but no matter when it is, the United States is intent on going to war against Iraq for reasons of oil and politics and not weapons inspections.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: I'm Jill Dougherty in Moscow. To get a view of how Russia is looking at the Iraq issue, I looked at a number of newspapers, including (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is a leading newspaper essentially the Russian version of "The New York Times" and it took a while to find the Iraq article. On the first page a long article about President Putin and his call-in show, and then also up here an article about Miss Universe and her new boyfriend.
Back here on Page 8, this is the article about Iraq and its entitled "Saddam is a bad writer" and it says the United States does not, is not pleased with the Iraq report. Essentially, this is a pretty straight read. There is very little editorializing and what it says is the United States at this stage is not declaring war on Iraq but it does retain the right to take unilateral action.
Now, this article is in stark contrast to a story that appeared last week which was splashed all over the newspapers in Russia and that was Iraq's canceling a multibillion dollar deal with Russia's leading oil company Luc (ph) Oil. That was a very big story, so why the difference? Well, it's vested interest. Russia obviously had a vested interest in that oil deal. It does not at this stage have a vested interest in getting rid of Saddam Hussein.
So, the Russian position now is to play it very straight. It wants any action to be taken on Iraq to be taken by the United Nations and not by any one individual country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Just a sample of opinions from some of our postings all around the world.
Getting back to our lead story, the Trent Lott story, would you like to weigh in? Well, our "Web Question of the Day" is did Senator Lott make the right decision to step down as majority leader? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. It's not scientific but we invite you to participate. Nevertheless, the place to do it, cnn.com/wolf.
And while you're there we'd like to hear from you. Send us your comments. We'll do our best to read some of them, time permitting, at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read our daily online column, all of that at cnn.com/wolf.
Ahead on the program, a gruesome discovery in Los Angeles, a body police say they believe is Dr. Laura Schlessinger's mother found badly decomposed in an apartment.
We'll have details on that plus schoolgirls targeted by a sexual predator in that same city. Police race against time to catch a prowler on the loose before he strikes again.
And, a CNN exclusive, what's the real relationship between the House of Saud and Osama bin Laden, the answers from a member of the royal family, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Los Angeles Police are looking for two men. They're apparently acting independently of each other but the two of them may be responsible for 35 sexual assaults since 1995. CNN's Charles Feldman has details for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONENT (voice-over): As you stand outside this Los Angeles high school silently observing, selecting by some as yet unknown method which young girl to attack next, or does he rise early in the morning and stalk lonely areas of the city hoping to come upon a single schoolgirl unknowingly on her way to a violent encounter?
DET. GREGORY STONE, LOS ANGELES POLICE: He primarily attacks them as they're on their way to school.
FELDMAN: LAPD Detective Gregory Stone is himself a hunter, trying to find the man who since 1995 has sexually assaulted 17 schoolgirls, eight from this high school alone where many students say they are scared and frustrated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's ridiculous how they haven't caught him and I don't know it's really scary because there's like a lot of people that walk here early in the morning and you know he could be out there ready to strike again.
FELDMAN: But what students here probably don't now is that the LAPD is struggling to catch not one but two different sexual predators who between them have assaulted 35 young women, some as young as 11.
STONE: For Los Angeles it's very unusual. We're able to generally apprehend them prior to them reaching this magnitude.
FELDMAN: Police here do not believe the two sexual predators know one another or are somehow acting in concert, and although one of the two wanted men has a teardrop tattoo below his eye, police say they still have no suspects but refuse to be defeated.
STONE: Challenging more so than frustrating. You know in this position as a detective, you know, here and you're working on serial cases, repetitive offenders, you can't afford to get frustrated. You get more determined.
FELDMAN: And so, police wait for a slip up, a sloppy move that will produce a golden lead that brings the predators to justice. Detective Robert Long spearheads the search for that one lead needed to bust the so-called teardrop attacker.
DET. ROBERT LONG, LOS ANGELES POLICE: When we get him it's going to be a very good day because it's going to be that one that, you know, instead of being a dead end it's going to be the one that results in a prosecution and him spending the rest of his life in jail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FELDMAN: Now, police say there are lots of reasons why it's proven so difficult to bring either sexual predator to justice. They say, for example, that some victims have delayed reporting the crime making it harder to gather vital clues. But then there's the one thing the cops don't like to talk about. It's called luck and so far they just haven't had it -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Charles, got to turn the page here to another piece of the police blotter out there, the body found in Beverly Hills, apparently in the apartment of the mother of the radio and TV personality Dr. Laura. What do we know? FELDMAN: Well, what we know is this, a bizarre story out of Beverly Hills. The police have notified Dr. Laura Schlessinger, that's the of course controversial radio and television talk show host who gives a lot of self improvement advice.
They notified her on Monday that they found the body of a dead woman in the apartment that belongs to her mother, but they have not yet completed positive identification and won't until next week. But they do know, and here's where it becomes really bizarre, Miles, is that the woman was apparently murdered, the victim of a homicide. The police won't say exactly how she was killed.
Now reportedly, Dr. Laura has not actually spoken with her own mother in several years but, as I said, she has been notified on Monday that a woman was found in her mother's apartment in Beverly Hills, the victim of an apparent homicide.
Now, we have tried for a couple of hours now to get in touch with Dr. Laura to find out what, if anything, she knows about this. Thus far, we have not, but we of course will let you know as soon as we find anything more out about this still developing story -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Charles Feldman in Los Angeles thank you. Keep us posted.
Time for us to take a break. California's governor banned from a holiday party at a children's home, the welcome mat taken away over his stance on abortion. And, that nasty El Nino battering the West Coast but how will the wacky weather impact the rest of the nation? Spencer Christian will be out guest, there he is, coming up. Stay with us.
O'BRIEN: California Governor Gray Davis was forced to cancel a scheduled pre-Christmas visit to a home for troubled children. Marcey Brightwell of CNN Affiliate KXTV explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCEY BRIGHTWELL, KXTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The preparations began early, welcome sign hung, Christmas presents stacked under the tree. The governor's advance staff setting the stage for Gray Davis to play Santa Claus by handing out gifts at Saint Patrick's Home for Children presents bought by the governor's staff.
But then a different sign went up outside the home and the governor's office received a surprise phone call. Davis was barred from school grounds.
MONSIGNOR EDWARD KAVANAGH, SAINT PATRICK'S CHILDREN'S HOME: This is Catholic faith. He is a Catholic.
BRIGHTWELL: Monsignor Kavanagh declared Davis unwelcome at the Catholic sponsored home unless he signed a letter repenting his position on abortion. A Catholic, Davis supports abortion rights.
KAVANAGH: You see the governor had an agenda and he wanted to look good because he's helping kids but what about the kids he doesn't allow to be born? When is he going to hop on? Somebody has to stand up to him.
GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, yes he's entitled to his point of view and I'm entitled to mine.
BRIGHTWELL: Davis refused to sign the letter inviting the children to the State Capitol instead.
DAVIS: Sorry I couldn't come out to the home earlier today, but I'm thrilled that you can come to our home.
BRIGHTWELL: Handing out gifts to about a dozen teenage girls.
DAVIS: I didn't want to kids to be disappointed so I invited them here.
BRIGHTWELL: It was a Capitol visit without the monsignor's blessing. He's been opposed Davis for years. Even led this protest outside the governor's first inaugural prayer service. Monsignor Cavanaugh says he doesn't want Davis influencing the students.
CAVANUGH: We don't want him to be talking to our children. We don't want him to be telling indoctrinating our children.
DAVIS: It's a change order.
BRIGHTWELL: But Davis did talk with the children at the Capitol, taking pictures, passing out gifts, making no apologies for his abortion stance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That report from Marcey Brightwell of CNN affiliate KXTV in Sacramento, California.
Time for another break. The Saudis, friend for foe of Osama bin Laden? An exclusive interview with a member of the royal family when we return.
Also, Wal-Mart found guilty. How unpaid overtime may cost the retailer a bundle this holiday season.
And then there's this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: OK, now here's where we stand now. Trent Lott, six apologies, Cardinal Law, four.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Comedians everywhere are scrambling for new material. Jeanne Moos looks back at the highs and lows of Trent Lott's moments in the sun. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Keeping up the pressure. Another huge demonstration in Venezuela against President Hugo Chavez. A 19-day general strike crippling Venezuela's oil industry, and it shows no sign of weakening.
Angry anniversary. Thousands of demonstrators staged a march in Argentina marking the first anniversary of a violent riot that forced President Fernado de la Rua out of office. The demonstrators say despite de la Rua's departure, there's been no improvement in Argentina's economy.
Sore at Soros. A French court has found billionaire George Soros guilty of insider trading and levied a $2.2 million fine. Soros, a Hungarian-born U.S. citizen, vows to appeal.
Political comeback. Winnie Mandela has been reelected to the Executive Committee of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress. The ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela was one of the top vote getters even though she's on trial for fraud and theft charges.
Closer to sainthood. The Catholic Church has taken another step toward declaring Mother Teresa a saint. Pope John Paul II has attributed a miracle to the late nun, who cared for the poor in the slums of Calcutta. A beatification ceremony has been scheduled for next October.
Playful pachyderms. No, you haven't had one too many. These elephants really are playing polo. A team from Nepal won this year's World Elephant Polo Championships. They're already making plans for next year's tournament in case you want to pack a trunk.
That's our look "Around the World."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back. I'm Miles O'Brien. Coming up a CNN exclusive. How cooperative is Saudi Arabia in the hunt for Osama bin Laden? Find out in just a moment.
But first let's look at some other stories making news right now in our "News Alert."
(NEWSBREAK)
O'BRIEN: And this just in to us. We were telling you at the top of the show about the discovery of what appears to be the body of the mother of Laura Schlesinger, the television and radio personality.
We have a statement which came in from Dr. Laura and it reads this: "I am horrified by the tragic circumstances of my mother's death and so sad to learn that she died as she chose to live -- alone and isolated. My mother shut out all her family out of her life over the years, though we made several futile attempts to stay connected. May God rest her soul." That from Laura Schlesinger on the occasion of finding her mother's body in her Beverly Hills apartment. We'll keep you posted on that developing story.
What does the Saudi royal family know about Osama bin Laden and his possible where abouts? Our Wolf Blitzer has been in Saudi Arabia this week as you faithful viewers would know and he has an exclusive interview with Prince Turki al-Fisal, the former chief of Saudi Intelligence. Wolf began the interview by asking the prince about his connections with Osama bin Laden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Your highness, thanks the hospitality, thanks for inviting me here to your beautiful farm.
PRINCE TURKI AL-FISAL, FORMER INTELLIGENCE CHIEF: It's a pleasure to have you here with us.
BLITZER: Let's talk a little bit history before we talk about the present.
AL-FISAL: All right.
BLITZER: Osama bin Laden, you actually met this man?
AL-FISAL: I did meet him four or five times. This was in the '80s in Afghanistan four of those times and once in the kingdom.
This was, if you remember, during the fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. And he was contributor to the mujahideen of his own money and the resources that he had for mostly construction.
So he was in Pakistan most of the time and when I used to go to Pakistan, he would attend some of the official functions that were held either by the Pakistanis or by the Saudi embassy.
BLITZER: What motivated him?
AL-FISAL: To do that?
BLITZER: To become what he is.
AL-FISAL: Well, I think when he started he started off on a good footing because he wanted to help the mujahideen.
BLITZER: Liberate Afghanistan from the Soviets.
AL-FISAL: Everybody wanted to help the Afghans mujahideen at that time. And the kingdom and the United States had a joint program of support for the mujahideen.
BLITZER: Financial support.
AL-FISAL: Financial, military training, intelligence. BLITZER: You ran that operation?
AL-FISAL: I did on the Saudi side.
BLITZER: He eventually committed -- organized 9/11.
AL-FISAL: Yes, he did.
BLITZER: Fifteen of those 19 hijackers were Saudis.
AL-FISAL: Yes.
BLITZER: What happened there? How did that develop?
AL-FISAL: I believe that was a particular effort on the part of bin Laden because in al Qaeda, there are many nationalities including Americans. And yet he specifically chose these 15.
As he described them in that famous videotape in which he says these were people who didn't even know what they were up to. He didn't even inform them when they went on this mission that this was going to happen to them. And he chose the Saudis in order to bring a schism between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Is he still personally in charge right now?
AL-FAISAL: I believe he still is.
BLITZER: He can communicate with his people?
AL-FAISAL: I think he can.
BLITZER: How does he do that?
AL-FAISAL: He does that with wireless. He does that with satellite phones. He does that with couriers. He's knowledgeable enough to make that use restrictive enough not to be picked up by all these sensors that are running around and...
BLITZER: The National Security Agency in the United States can't listen in and find that?
AL-FAISAL: There are means of doing that and he has come to know those means.
BLITZER: The fact that they can't find him right now, where do you believe -- you believe he's alive, right?
AL-FAISAL: I believe he is alive. I believe he is in Afghanistan.
BLITZER: Let me just wind up by asking you this. I spent the day at the Prince Sultan Air Base. I saw the cooperation between the U.S. and the Saudi military, the pilots, the commanders. Is it conceivable to you that Saudi Arabia won't cooperate militarily with the United States if President Bush orders a war against Iraq?
AL-FAISAL: If it is through the United Nations -- how can I put it? Under the aegis of the United Nations, as we have said many times and as the United States has also committed itself through work in the United Nations, of course we will cooperate fully. This is -- we consider that to be vital and important. There's nothing to keep us back from that.
BLITZER: And if it's a unilateral U.S./British move without necessarily a formal resolution from the U.N. Security Council?
AL-FAISAL: Look, Wolf, all your friends worldwide, your European friends, your Asian friends, your African friends are telling you on every level, don't do it unilaterally. It is not just Saudi Arabia who does that. Your European allies like Germany, France, Italy, name them, they're there. Your Asian allies, whether it be in the Asian countries or in Japan or South Korea or in China -- Russia as a friend of the United States. African countries -- they're all telling the United States don't go unilaterally.
This is something for the world community to do. And it is better for the United States to be a member of that community rather than to be outside it, doing its own bidding and not getting any support any where. So it is not just Saudi Arabia that's doing that.
BLITZER: Thank you.
AL-FAISAL: Thank you for coming to see me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A rare look inside the kingdom.
Up next on our program, the West Coast is in some hot water, weather wise. The warm ocean waters that are the tell tale signs of El Nino might be very well be the cause of the trouble.
We'll check in on current events if you will, with Mr. Christian -- that's Spencer Christian after the break. There he is. Still there waiting for us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The second powerful storm in a week lashing the West Coast with heavy rain, snow and strong wind. More on the way, sorry to tell you. Northern California is getting the brunt of it. According to the National Weather Service, the culprit is El Nino once again.
Joining us from San Francisco to talk about it, chief weather forecaster Spencer Christian of our affiliate KGO. You might have seen him on another network at one time or another.
SPENCER CHRISTIAN, KGO CHIEF WEATHER FORECASTER: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Good to see you, sir. How are things in San Francisco? Not so good.
CHRISTIAN: A little wet right now. A little wet and windy right now, Miles. Otherwise we're doing OK here.
O'BRIEN: All right. Give us a sense of the weather situation right now. You've got ton of rain right where you are, and then you get up into the Sierra Nevadas and you get a lot of snow. \
CHRISTIAN: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Give us -- what's going on?
CHRISTIAN: Well, it began late last week -- last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We had a series of three very powerful storms day after day pounding this region. They all featured strong, damaging winds. They all featured heavy rainfall and, of course, that produced localized flooding and each of those storms that produced rainfall here in the San Francisco Bay, of course, area produced significant snow over in the Sierra.
And that three or four day storm episode was followed by two more storms later this week, Thursday and again today featuring again strong winds, heavy rainfall, local flooding, hail, thunder and lightning and heavy snow over the Sierras. So we are in a very stormy pattern.
O'BRIEN: Positively Biblical weather there.
CHRISTIAN: Some have put it that way, yes.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let's talk a little bit about what's at root here. El Nino. We had a nice graphic of El Nino. I'm not sure we can show it to you right this moment, but basically, picture if you will, a big hunk of warm water in the Pacific, 20 to 30 times bigger than the Great Lakes, and it moves in the direction -- the opposite direction that it normally moves, and that changes all the weather patterns.
Explain it to us in layperson's terms so that our producers can understand it, OK?
CHRISTIAN: Well, let me tell you this, Miles. There is more that we don't know about El Nino than there is that we do. But in layperson's terms, I'll try to simplify it.
El Nino is characterized by an increase in the sea surface temperatures in the tropical waters or equatorial in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. And although El Nino occurs only in the Pacific, its effects are felt in weather patterns world wide, especially here in the U.S., where El Nino, that warming of the Pacific waters there, tends to generate more moisture into the atmosphere. It also warms the air over the ocean surface, and hat triggers more storms, more frequent storms and more intense storms. And the result is we get an alteration in our rainfall patterns -- our precipitation patterns here in the U.S.
O'BRIEN: Now, Spencer, we'd be remiss if we did this weather segment without talking about the jet stream.
CHRISTIAN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: So, let's do that, shall we? Let's go to the graphic. We'll start with the globe here. That's North America for those of you who flunked geography.
And as you put the map in motion, we're going to show you - this is the typical January jet stream, right, roughly?
CHRISTIAN: That's right.
O'BRIEN: And what that does is, that brings moisture up sort of on that sort of pattern. You guys are normally staying nice and dry and enjoying wonderful San Francisco weather.
But with El Nino, what happens is the moisture pattern changes and you can see it's hitting you with a full frontal assault. We're getting a dose of it over here.
What does it take to change that, Spencer?
CHRISTIAN: OK, well that warming of the waters, as I said, generates more moisture into the atmosphere, produces more frequent storms and more intense storms.
So with the position of the jet stream being disrupted by Al Nino and lifting it into a position where it directs or steers more storms into the southern tier of states in the U.S., it means we get more frequent storms during the winter. The air temperatures are a little bit warmer in the upper Midwest and the Northeast, so the storms we get don't translate into snow storms for the Northeast in a winter El Nino. They translate into rain storms and thunderstorms and the kind of thing we saw in February of 1998 where the air temperature was so warm in the Northeast that Quebec and Ontario and parts of the Northeastern U.S. had ice storms instead of snowstorms.
Of course, for California, what this position of a jet stream will mean is more rain storms for us and more of the kind of Biblical turn of events we've been having, meteorologically speaking, lately.
O'BRIEN: All right.
Thank you very much, Professor Christian. We'll bring you back next time and you can explain La Nina, which is happens after El Nino.
CHRISTIAN: That's exactly right.
O'BRIEN: All right. Spencer Christian, from our affiliate KGO, a great pleasure to see you. Drop in any old time, all right?
CHRISTIAN: Thank you, Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right.
CHRISTIAN: OK.
O'BRIEN: He was the king of late night talk shows, at least for a week. Not Spencer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LETTERMAN: This just in. Trent Lott has apologized on Telemundo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Jeanne Moos with a look back at a whole lot of laughs.
But first, a live coast to coast look at the holiday road rush.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: With a name like Lott the Senator gave headline writers a lot of ammunition. Some might say he was punned out of his leadership post. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports an end to this punishment is now in sight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The puns have been punishing. One of the best of them came from "TIME" magazine, "A Sorry Lott," but that could also apply to the crop of puns, "A Lott on the Line," "Not a Lott of Support," "Lott of Heat," "Trent casts his Lott," "Lotts of Fallout."
JAMES CARVILLE, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": You're lying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most pernicious thing about this is that even if you don't want to make Lott puns you find yourself heeding the siren's song of Lott puns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of like a primal human instinct to pun, sort of like searching for food or shelter or water.
MOOS: Michael Colton is co-author of the parody "One Nation Extra Cheese." He says it is Trent Lott's misfortune to have a common word for a name.
Lott has seven different definitions in Webster's.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no definition for the word "Daschle." Nothing for "Gephardt."
MOOS: But a lot can be anything from a parcel of land to a considerable quantity. No wonder there are a lot of puns especially given the rage for writing all over the TV screen these days. And you know that deep in the bowels of this organization there are some poor interns handcuffed to radiators having to come up with material for these things.
MOOS: Well actually, John Hourback (ph) is senior producer, not an intern, but he helps make up the on screen banners for CNN's "NEWSNIGHT."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the beginning we had "A Lott of Trouble," now we have "A Lott of Explaining." It's certainly been "A Lott of Apologies."
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: I think it's time to lay off.
MOOS: Even viewers have gotten into the act sending us e-mail saying "Lott at Stake" and "A Lott of Nothing." But before we cast stones...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your segment on CNN is a pun. What's the mane of your segment?
MOSS: He would have to bring that up.
(on camera): Are you not running dry of puns?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's getting a "Lott" harder.
MOOS: A "Lott" harder? But then there's Trent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the "Trent-ches." Should we fight on or throw in the towel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In some ways this creates essentially a race to the bottom among headline writers to come up with the worst possible puns.
MOOS: May the worst puns surface from the bottom. We the press have created a Lott-ness monster. At least now that he's resigned his leadership post, the puns will peter out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Majority Leader Faces New Lott in Life."
MOOS: There'll be a Lott-less leadership. Then Republicans will be saying thanks a Lott, Trent.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Well, not a "Lott" of time left for you to turn in and weigh in on our "Question of the Day." Did Senator Trent Lott make the right decision to step down as majority leader? Log on to cnn.com/wolf to vote. We hope you do that "Lotts" of times. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: It's the season. No, we're not talking about Christmas. Surf's up in Hawaii. Let's look at these pictures. They're pretty awesome. It's always interesting to see a championship surfer riding the crest of a wave. Ouch!
For some reason it's even more interesting to see this, when they wipe out. Yow! There were multiple opportunities to see this week in Hawaii. Together they provided our "Pictures of the Day." A sequence we call "Endless Bummer."
Endless Bummer. That was good. I got that on my own there.
Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." We've been asking you this question, did Senator Trent Lott make the right decision to step down as majority leader? Survey says 75 percent yes, 25 percent of you said no. None of this is scientific, but we think it's fun. And you can always weigh in at cnn.com/wolf.
That's all the time we have for today. Thanks very much for watching. I'm Miles O'Brien. On behalf of the on assignment Wolf Blitzer still in the Middle East on his way back, we turn it over to Lou Dobbs and MONEYLINE.
Good evening, Lou.
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