American Morning (CNN) - 2008-12-31 (partial)

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] claiming victory for that. But the

[0:01] Israeli military still on standby for

[0:03] this ground operation as tanks,

[0:05] bulldozers, APCs on the horizon. Uh you

[0:07] can see that they're ready for a ground

[0:09] operation. The weather's not great for

[0:11] them for a ground operation. Certainly

[0:12] tanks don't like the rain and uh the

[0:15] weather at this point helping Hamas.

[0:17] They're managing to launch more rockets.

[0:19] And it's more difficult for these drones

[0:21] in the sky to uh to hunt them out and

[0:23] give the information uh to the fighter

[0:26] jets and uh and to the helicopters to

[0:28] take those rocket launchers out when

[0:29] you've got such low cloud. Joe

[0:32] >> Paul, all of this sort of begs the

[0:34] question, is a ceasefire out of the

[0:36] question for Israel?

[0:40] >> Well, we know that Zippy Libnney, the

[0:42] Israeli foreign minister, is on her way

[0:44] to uh France tomorrow. Certainly France

[0:46] has been the one that's tried to push

[0:47] forward this at least 48 hour truce so

[0:50] that some humanitarian assistance could

[0:52] get into Gaza. Uh so we'll have to see

[0:55] what comes out of that meeting. Now we

[0:56] know that trucks are going into Gaza.

[0:58] About 150 trucks for the UN, the Red

[1:01] Cross, Oxfam, but they're saying that's

[1:03] a drop in the ocean. They need far more.

[1:05] 1,900 people have been injured. We

[1:08] understand from Palestinian medical

[1:09] sources and our sources in Gaza are

[1:11] saying a quarter of those are civilians.

[1:14] Paulo Hancock's on the border. Thanks so

[1:16] much. Stay safe.

[1:19] >> All right, it's one minute past the top

[1:20] of the hour here. Here are the morning's

[1:21] top stories. The countdown to 2009. You

[1:24] know, body warmth may be the key to

[1:26] survival in Time Square tonight. New

[1:28] York City is expecting up to a million

[1:30] people all crammed into just a few city

[1:32] blocks with wind chills in the single

[1:33] digits. Snow and ice could be mixed in

[1:36] with the confetti with a winter storm on

[1:38] the way. The Pentagon is reporting a

[1:40] sharp drop in military deaths in Iraq

[1:42] this year. 309 US servicemen and women

[1:45] were killed there. That's down 66% from

[1:48] last year. Officials credit the drop to

[1:50] the US troop surge and improved Iraqi

[1:53] security. Kevin Bacon and his wife Kira

[1:56] Sedwick are the latest victims of

[1:57] alleged ripoff artist Bernie Maidoff.

[2:00] Bacon's Bacon's publicist says the

[2:02] couple invested with the man accused of

[2:04] the biggest scam in Wall Street history,

[2:06] but didn't say how much they lost. We

[2:09] begin though with a dramatic and

[2:10] unprecedented showdown over the

[2:12] replacement for President-elect Barack

[2:14] Obama's former Senate seat. Yesterday,

[2:16] in an act of defiance, embattled

[2:18] Illinois Governor Rod Blgoyovich named a

[2:20] lobbyist and longtime politician to fill

[2:22] the very Senate seat he stands accused

[2:24] of trying to sell. Blgoyovich insisted

[2:27] it was his duty to fill the position,

[2:28] and in fact, state law mandates it, even

[2:31] though Senate Democrats are saying they

[2:33] will block any replacement he names.

[2:35] Lgoyovich appointed 71-year-old Roland

[2:37] Burus. He was the first African-American

[2:39] to hold statewide office in Illinois

[2:41] when he served as comproller back in

[2:43] 1983.

[2:44] Earlier on American Morning, I spoke to

[2:46] Burus about the situation he's in now.

[2:50] Yet today, there is this firestorm of

[2:52] criticism about this particular

[2:54] appointment. Now, this dream appointment

[2:56] must put you in a very uncomfortable

[2:58] position.

[3:00] >> Well, well, it doesn't uh because I

[3:02] don't look upon the governor's problems

[3:04] as the as my problems. I look over the

[3:07] governor's problems as his problems.

[3:08] He'll have to deal with that and the

[3:10] governor is still the governor of

[3:12] Illinois.

[3:13] >> CNN's Ed Landera is covering the story.

[3:15] Eddie says he's not in an uncomfortable

[3:17] position, but boy, this morning there

[3:19] certainly are a lot of people saying

[3:21] that they will not accept this

[3:23] appointment from this governor and it's

[3:25] about this governor, not about this

[3:26] appointee.

[3:27] >> Right. Well, and I think there's a lot

[3:29] of people across the state of Illinois

[3:30] who feel like they've been put in a

[3:32] comfortable uh position. You know, the

[3:33] governor has has said yesterday that he

[3:35] is doing this because it's in the best

[3:36] interest of the people of Illinois, but

[3:38] his critics are saying nothing could be

[3:40] farther from the truth.

[3:43] >> The hutba shocks even the most

[3:45] passionate critics of Governor Rod

[3:47] Bgoyovich.

[3:48] >> To not fill the vacancy would be to

[3:50] deprive the people of Illinois of two

[3:53] United States senators. To deprive the

[3:55] people of Illinois of their appropriate

[3:57] voice and votes in the United States

[3:59] Senate. Lgoyovich's lawyer had said the

[4:02] governor would not fill Illinois's

[4:04] vacant Senate seat, but there he is now.

[4:07] The scandal tainted governor standing by

[4:09] his pick to become the next Illinois

[4:11] senator, Roland Burus.

[4:13] >> Please don't allow the allegations

[4:16] against me to taint this good and honest

[4:20] man.

[4:21] >> Burus is a former Illinois attorney

[4:23] general who ran against Bleggoyovich for

[4:25] governor in 2002, but the two quickly

[4:27] became friends. Burus was a key member

[4:30] of the governor's transition team. Some

[4:32] Illinois Republicans describe Burus as a

[4:34] Bleggoyovich crony who has spent years

[4:37] working as a lobbyist. Between his wife,

[4:39] his firm, and himself, he's donated

[4:41] about $15,000 to Bgoyovich's campaigns.

[4:44] >> The evidence has been presented is

[4:46] pretty appalling.

[4:48] >> But just a few weeks ago, Burus said the

[4:50] governor should be removed from office.

[4:52] He's not saying that anymore. I am

[4:54] humbled to have the opportunity and

[4:58] promise the citizens that I will

[5:00] dedicate my utmost effort as their

[5:03] United States senator.

[5:04] >> The appointment sent shock waves across

[5:06] political circles in Illinois. Many

[5:08] expressing dismay, outrage, and one

[5:11] Republican official says the governor is

[5:13] a very confused person.

[5:15] >> It's time that he get the message the

[5:17] people of Illinois will not tolerate his

[5:19] antics any longer. This is really to

[5:23] some degrees theater of the absurd. This

[5:25] is uh Governor Bgoyovich thumbming his

[5:27] nose at the rest of the world.

[5:31] >> And you know, Christine, at the end of

[5:32] the press conference, the the only lone

[5:34] voice of support for this appointment so

[5:36] far came from Illinois Congressman Bobby

[5:39] Rush, who emerged from the crowd at the

[5:41] press conference yesterday and said

[5:42] basically he would support the

[5:43] appointment because Burrus would be the

[5:45] only African-American in the Senate.

[5:48] Rush as well, an African-American

[5:49] congressman from Illinois. And as the

[5:51] governor left the press conference, he

[5:53] basically looked at reporters and said,

[5:55] "Don't lynch the pointer." So, this uh

[5:58] uh sense of racial politics has been

[6:00] injected into this already bizarre

[6:02] situation.

[6:03] >> All right, Ed Lamandera. Thanks, Ed. You

[6:05] know, and right now, Governor Robovich's

[6:07] pick has an uphill battle. The Senate

[6:08] Democratic leadership is warning it will

[6:10] not seat anyone appointed by the

[6:12] Illinois governor. A statement from

[6:13] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said

[6:15] their action is not against Roland

[6:17] Burus, but rather the integrity of a

[6:19] governor accused of trying to sell a US

[6:21] Senate seat. Illinois Secretary of State

[6:24] has come out uh against the appointment

[6:26] as well, saying he will refuse to

[6:28] certify it.

[6:29] >> And with Democrats challenging the

[6:31] appointment, there are a lot of

[6:33] unanswered questions. For that, we turn

[6:35] to CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Tubin. Good

[6:38] morning and good to you.

[6:39] >> Hi.

[6:40] >> Well, the story Christine just read

[6:43] Can Senate Democrats do this? Is the

[6:45] Senate's power unlimited when it comes

[6:47] to seating a senator appointed in this

[6:50] way?

[6:50] >> Good question. Not entirely clear. The

[6:53] article one of the constitution says

[6:55] that the house and senate can control

[6:58] their own membership can the

[7:00] requirements for membership in their

[7:02] bodies. But what does that mean? The it

[7:05] is not an unlimited power. There's a

[7:07] famous case from 1969 in the US Supreme

[7:10] Court where the House of Representatives

[7:12] tried to strip Adam Clayton Powell, a

[7:15] famous congressman from Harlem, of his

[7:17] seniority, tried to keep him out of of

[7:20] the House and the Supreme Court said the

[7:22] House couldn't do that. That was an

[7:24] abuse of the House's power. So, the

[7:26] question of how much power the House and

[7:29] Senate have over their own membership is

[7:31] is somewhat of an open one. And I don't

[7:33] think anyone knows for sure whether

[7:34] Harry Reid can follow through on the

[7:36] threat to keep him out.

[7:37] >> It's sort of a due Isn't there a due

[7:40] process question in there? I mean, this

[7:41] guy hasn't had a hearing. Uh, this

[7:44] governor hasn't been convicted of

[7:45] anything. I mean, hasn't really even

[7:47] been charged and already the Democrats

[7:49] are looking at this whole thing and

[7:50] saying, "Ah, forget about it."

[7:52] >> Well, I'm actually not sure it's it's

[7:53] really it's a due process question

[7:55] because, you know, he is innocent until

[7:58] proven guilty of a crime.

[8:00] >> That means he can't be put in jail. But

[8:02] you and I can be fired without being

[8:04] convicted of a crime. You you lose a lot

[8:06] of responsibilities in a political

[8:08] environment if you are simply charged.

[8:11] And and you know that governor

[8:12] yesterday, the guy at the press

[8:14] conference, he's out on bail right now.

[8:16] So the idea that he can continue to

[8:19] govern normally, I think is is folly and

[8:22] it's not and and there's no reason in

[8:23] pretending that.

[8:24] >> So what happens? You go to court. I mean

[8:26] that's where it all ends up. I I think

[8:28] in the best political and legal

[8:29] tradition, what's going to happen now is

[8:31] a lot of delay. The the Democrats are

[8:34] going to refer it to the Senate Rules

[8:36] Committee. They're going to have a

[8:37] study. Basically, I think what the

[8:39] Democrats hope happens is that the

[8:42] impeachment process in Illinois catches

[8:44] up and Bgoyovich is eventually forced

[8:47] out of office relatively soon and then

[8:50] Pat Quinn can go to Burus and say,

[8:53] "Look, let's have a clean break. We're

[8:54] going to appoint someone new." And that

[8:57] I think is probably what the Democrats

[8:59] hope for, not some Supreme Court fight

[9:01] over whether Burrus can be the senator.

[9:03] >> There's also this issue of the Secretary

[9:05] of State and whether that uh

[9:08] certification uh should happen of of

[9:11] this appointment. Does that make any

[9:12] difference?

[9:12] >> I think that makes no difference. I

[9:14] think that is not something that's going

[9:15] to stop Burus from serving. The real

[9:17] issue is the Senate because the Senate

[9:19] does have some constitutional power

[9:20] here. But the question is, can they

[9:23] punish Burus, who clearly has done

[9:25] nothing wrong here, for the sins of the

[9:27] guy who appointed him?

[9:28] >> Yeah, that's the question. I mean, if

[9:30] you look at Burus, he has a pretty clean

[9:31] record, right? And all the only sin he's

[9:34] committed is being tainted by the

[9:36] governor who put him in.

[9:37] >> Well, I I I think it's maybe a little

[9:39] more than that. Maybe it's ambition.

[9:40] Maybe it's being used. Maybe it's

[9:43] associating yourself with a political

[9:45] figure Bgoyovich who literally has no

[9:48] support in the state of Illinois and and

[9:50] is essentially ceased to govern. Maybe

[9:53] that that I I think that's a political

[9:57] um accusation you could like lob Burus,

[10:00] but it's clearly he's not done anything

[10:02] unethical or illegal.

[10:03] >> Got it. All right, Jeff Tubin as always.

[10:05] Thanks. Happy New Year. You bet.

[10:07] >> See you out on Time Square. No.

[10:09] >> Uh I don't think so.

[10:10] >> All right. Well, before we ring in 2009,

[10:12] we're taking a look at the biggest

[10:13] business blunders of 2008. So many to

[10:16] choose from. You know, we brought

[10:17] Stephanie Eli to mind your business just

[10:19] ahead. Plus, five decades ago, Cuba as

[10:22] we know it came into being. 50 years

[10:24] after Fidel Castro took over the

[10:26] country, we'll look back at that

[10:27] historic moment. But first, Australia

[10:30] ringing in 2009, just about 10 minutes

[10:34] ago. Happy New Year down under.

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[12:09] America made CNN number one on election

[12:11] night. The biggest audience of any

[12:13] network. Share the next big moments. The

[12:16] inauguration on CNN, then the first 100

[12:19] days. In 2009, CNN still equals

[12:22] politics.

[12:26] What a crazy year 2008 was for the

[12:29] business world. Stephanie Elim is here

[12:30] to tell us the big business blenders of

[12:32] 2008. There's so many to choose from.

[12:33] How did you ever pick?

[12:34] >> I didn't. I looked it up to the fine

[12:36] people at CNN.com. They picked them. But

[12:39] I can think of a couple off the top of

[12:41] my head. We probably could all do that.

[12:42] So, you know, it really it really should

[12:44] not be a surprise that there are so many

[12:46] though.

[12:46] >> Made off. Made off with the year.

[12:49] >> Sorry.

[12:49] >> I know. Like he's not even like the

[12:51] major financial scandal, you know? Crazy

[12:53] thing only the punctuation mark on the

[12:55] end of a crazy week.

[12:56] >> It comes at the end of the year. That

[12:58] was crazy. So, as I was saying, the

[12:59] folks at CNN.com were able to come up

[13:01] with nearly two dozen dumb business

[13:03] moments. And while there were many, a

[13:05] couple of things that probably stand out

[13:06] involved the nation's troubled

[13:07] automakers. So, let's start there.

[13:09] >> The road trip from hell, right?

[13:11] >> That's a good place to start. But first,

[13:13] you got to go and fly there first. The

[13:14] CEOs of General Motors, Ford and

[13:16] Chrysler sat before Congress pleading

[13:18] for a multi-billion dollar bailout just

[13:19] hours after they arrived in their swanky

[13:22] corporate jets. That was not good.

[13:24] >> Yeah. Not really a good thing. But then

[13:25] when they returned to the Hill a few

[13:27] weeks later, they all came in company

[13:28] hybrids, which all right, it sounds like

[13:30] you learned your lesson. But making

[13:31] things a bit uncomfortable, Chrysler

[13:33] Chief Robert Nardelli. He drove up in a

[13:36] Dodge Aspen hybrid. Looks like a pretty

[13:37] comfortable ride. Too bad no one else

[13:39] will be able to get one since the

[13:40] vehicle is being discontinued.

[13:42] >> And all those people who make it lost

[13:43] their jobs. But it wasn't just the car

[13:45] makers this year. Microsoft bid nearly

[13:47] $45 billion for Yahoo. That was

[13:50] considered a dumb move because it was a

[13:52] whopping 61% premium over Yahoo stock

[13:55] price at the time. What's even dumber?

[13:57] >> Yahoo turned it down.

[13:58] >> Yeah, that's what shareholders. They're

[14:00] not they're not happy with that. There's

[14:02] some job changing at Yahoo because of

[14:03] that. Now, if you have more dumb moments

[14:05] you want to hear about, uh, like, oh,

[14:07] the Ponzi scheme and made off the SEC

[14:09] not being able to pick that up, or

[14:11] perhaps the accidental release of Steve

[14:12] Jobs obituary when he's alive. Um, you

[14:15] can always check out cnnmoney.com for

[14:17] more.

[14:18] >> That's incredible.

[14:19] >> I'm still sticking by though. My

[14:20] favorite one being the nearly $1,000

[14:22] application on the iPhone app store that

[14:26] was just basically a glowing red jewel

[14:28] that eight people actually bought before

[14:30] Apple took it down. You know, most of

[14:31] the apps are like less than 10 bucks.

[14:32] Was that before or after the the stock

[14:35] market went

[14:37] >> I don't know when it happened in

[14:38] occurrence of that right

[14:39] >> the stock market went down this year I

[14:41] totally missed that story I haven't

[14:43] looked at any of my statements have you

[14:45] know my head I'm lying I do you do have

[14:48] to check

[14:49] >> what I love about the Bernie Maidoff

[14:50] scandal though we cannot you know the

[14:51] SEC getting what I think 10 years of

[14:53] very specific warnings about and failing

[14:56] to follow up on them and the SEC now

[14:58] saying you know we realized that there

[14:59] were some you know we overlooked a few

[15:01] things

[15:01] >> a lot of things that happen during good

[15:03] times. No one pays attention to them.

[15:05] It's when things turn sour that all

[15:07] these things come to life. That's what

[15:08] we saw.

[15:09] >> Stephanie Elum with just

[15:10] >> But until then, hey, happy new year

[15:12] because starting tomorrow, we have a

[15:14] whole new year of these to find.

[15:16] >> Yeah. We have annual returns that maybe

[15:18] won't go down 40%. All right.

[15:19] >> Oh, please.

[15:20] >> 50 years ago, the Cuba of today began.

[15:23] We're looking back at the last five

[15:24] decades in the communist country's

[15:26] history and the bitter relationship

[15:28] between Havana and Washington. Plus,

[15:30] there's plenty of drink and merrynt

[15:31] counting down to midnight, but you want

[15:33] to ring it in safely. Ring in 2009

[15:36] safely. We'll have some important tips

[15:37] for you ahead. It's 15 minutes after the

[15:39] hour.

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[16:15] >> CNN tonight at 10, all the best, all the

[16:17] worst. 2008. Then at 11, Anderson Cooper

[16:20] with Kathy Griffin live from Times

[16:22] Square. New Year's Eve tonight on CNN.

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[17:25] >> UFOs over missile sites. Larry King, CNN

[17:29] Tonight, 9 Eastern.

[17:30] >> The stories are just so incredible. You

[17:32] cannot help but meet some of these CNN

[17:34] heroes and not be inspired.

[17:37] >> Welcome to our second annual tribute to

[17:39] CNN Heroes.

[17:46] The CNN Hero of the Year is Liz

[17:48] McCartney.

[17:50] Thank you to the nine other people that

[17:52] were nominated. You guys are incredible

[17:54] human beings.

[18:03] >> The Cuba as we know it today began 50

[18:06] years ago. Fidel Castro came into the

[18:08] capital Havana with his gorilla rebels

[18:11] on New Year's Day 1959 after a vicious

[18:14] house-to-house battle against the

[18:16] government. So, after five decades under

[18:18] the rule of the Castro brothers, what

[18:20] does the future hold for this small

[18:22] island nation? Our Havana bureau chief

[18:25] Morgan Neil is live from the Cuban

[18:27] capital this morning. Good morning,

[18:29] Morgan.

[18:33] >> Good morning, Joe. That's right.

[18:35] Preparations here are really in their

[18:37] final stages as Cuba gets ready to

[18:39] celebrate those 50 years of the

[18:40] revolution. The main act we're expecting

[18:42] to see in the east of the country in

[18:44] Santiago de Kuva a good ways from place

[18:47] where we're expecting to hear President

[18:49] Raul Castro deliver an address on the

[18:51] anniversary of those 50 years. 50 years

[18:54] in which a lot of things have changed

[18:55] here, including the very word revolution

[18:58] has taken on a new meaning.

[19:04] >> In Cuba today, when someone refers to

[19:06] the revolution, often this is what they

[19:08] mean. The country's aging established

[19:11] government.

[19:14] Change is something that happened long

[19:16] ago. After 50 years, people's hopes for

[19:19] the revolution's future are hardly

[19:21] revolutionary.

[19:24] I hope that it continues to move

[19:25] forward, says this student, because this

[19:28] country needs development. We're really

[19:30] behind.

[19:32] >> More opportunities, says this man, in

[19:34] the economy and in transportation. But

[19:37] there was a time when the goals were

[19:39] much loftier. In the first days of 1959,

[19:42] when Fidel Castro and his bearded rebels

[19:45] rolled into Havana on tanks and other

[19:47] captured vehicles, they talked of

[19:49] sweeping changes, an end to corruption,

[19:53] justice for the poor, and independence

[19:55] from foreign domination. 50 years later,

[19:59] their achievements are a mixed bag. The

[20:02] government often points to free health

[20:03] care as a measure of its success.

[20:07] >> Cuba is a global medical power. Nobody

[20:10] can doubt that, says this public health

[20:12] official.

[20:14] Also touted by the government,

[20:15] education. Literacy rates are among the

[20:18] world's highest and access to higher

[20:20] education is widespread.

[20:24] But students question why they can't

[20:26] travel freely and why their access to

[20:29] the internet is so limited. Most Cubans

[20:32] can barely make ends meet. And while the

[20:34] government blames the US embargo,

[20:37] critics say it's just bad management.

[20:39] They say the gains of the revolution

[20:41] have come at too heavy a price.

[20:46] Dissident groups say Cuba holds more

[20:47] than 200 political prisoners. Charge the

[20:50] government denies.

[20:54] Television, radio, and newspapers are

[20:56] all controlled by the state.

[20:59] Cuba marks the 50th anniversary of the

[21:01] revolution with a new president. Raul

[21:04] Castro officially took the reigns last

[21:06] February.

[21:08] But this year, he's faced three

[21:10] devastating hurricanes, rising prices

[21:13] for food imports, and plummeting prices

[21:15] for nickel, one of Cuba's most important

[21:18] exports.

[21:21] In a speech this week, he warned Cubans

[21:23] who earn the equivalent of less than $20

[21:25] a month to prepare for belt tightening.

[21:31] >> The accounts don't add up. Raul Castro

[21:33] told the National Assembly, "2 plus two

[21:36] always makes four, never five. You have

[21:39] to act with realism and adjust the

[21:41] dreams to the true possibilities."

[21:45] that pragmatic approach a far cry from

[21:48] the idealism in the early days of the

[21:50] revolution led by his brother.

[21:52] >> I think that the celebrations of the

[21:55] 50th anniversary are also marked by a

[21:57] real sense uh that sustaining this

[22:01] experiment and institutionalizing it is

[22:04] going to require major major lifting in

[22:07] a very short term by the people running

[22:09] the country today.

[22:13] And that in turn could mean adapting. It

[22:16] could mean making changes to deal with

[22:18] this new environment. But ironically

[22:20] enough, change really isn't a strong

[22:22] point of this revolution. Joe,

[22:25] >> thanks so much. Morgan Neil in Havana

[22:27] for us this morning. Tomorrow on

[22:29] American Morning, we'll look at the

[22:31] long-standing political standoff between

[22:33] Cuba and America and whether relations

[22:35] could thaw in the future. Christine

[22:37] >> Joe 2009 just hours away and the crowds

[22:40] will be gathering in Time Square. Tips

[22:43] on how to ring in the new year safely

[22:45] from New York City's top cop. It's 22

[22:48] minutes after the hour.

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[24:00] >> CNN Tonight at 10. Relive the biggest

[24:03] stories of the year with CNN's Tom

[24:04] Foreman. All the best, all the worst.

[24:07] 2008. Then at 11, join Anderson Cooper

[24:09] and Kathy Griffin live from Times

[24:11] Square. New Year's Eve tonight on CNN.

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[25:18] That's a live look at the scene that

[25:19] will look, you know, pretty different

[25:21] come tonight, midnight. Thousands of

[25:23] revelers expect to pack Time Square. You

[25:25] can bet security will be a major concern

[25:28] tonight. So, what steps are being taken

[25:30] in the Big Apple to keep all those party

[25:32] people safe? Are there concerns of a

[25:34] terror attack? Joining me now is NYPD

[25:36] Commissioner Ray Kelly. Thanks for

[25:37] joining us.

[25:38] >> Good morning. Thanks for having me.

[25:39] >> You know, frankly, what keeps you up at

[25:41] night when you have New Year's Eve

[25:43] rolling around with potentially a

[25:45] million people in Time Square, all those

[25:47] people, a lot of security, but you know,

[25:49] you know what keeps you up? Well, we

[25:51] have a lot of experience in in doing

[25:53] this. We have major events of course in

[25:55] Manhattan uh all year long and we have

[25:57] this uh every year. Um so there's no

[26:00] specific threats. Uh you'll see lots of

[26:03] uniform police officers. There's lots of

[26:05] police officers there who uh won't be in

[26:07] uniform. Uh we urge people not to bring

[26:10] packages, backpacks, certainly no no

[26:12] alcohol. uh we'll have a very aggressive

[26:15] DWI enforcement program

[26:18] >> and uh you know we urge people to take

[26:20] uh mass transit that it's going to be a

[26:22] happy peaceful festive event

[26:24] >> and that balance has been pretty pretty

[26:26] incredible since the September 11 terror

[26:27] attacks the the the ability to balance

[26:29] the festivities with the security and

[26:31] I'm sure there will be security that we

[26:33] won't be able to see to the naked eye.

[26:35] What will we see?

[26:37] >> You'll see lots of uniform officers as I

[26:39] said. you'll see some of our uh

[26:41] equipment that'll be on uh display. We

[26:43] have a skywatch towers that we have in

[26:46] in various uh locations. We have

[26:48] radiation uh detection equipment. We

[26:51] have biological detection equipment, but

[26:53] you won't see uh uh officers in in plane

[26:56] clothes. We have what we call a

[26:58] counterterrorism overlay uh where we'll

[27:01] have a lot of uh observation post that

[27:03] that'll be manned. We have our

[27:04] helicopters uh in the air. It's been

[27:06] just a month since the terror attacks in

[27:08] Mumbai where just 10 individuals they

[27:11] think it looks now like about 10

[27:12] individuals were able to just absolutely

[27:15] uh wreak havoc in that city for more

[27:17] than a day. When you look at an event

[27:19] like that does it change the calculus

[27:21] for you for for New Year's Eve and for

[27:22] other you know mass gatherings in New

[27:24] York City?

[27:25] >> No. I I can tell you though what happens

[27:26] overseas obviously concerns us. We sent

[27:28] people to Mumbai. We got very specific

[27:30] information to what what happened there.

[27:33] make some adjustments some some

[27:35] adjustments that uh may not the public

[27:38] may not see but we're always looking at

[27:39] our our plans and uh you know we've

[27:42] learned from Mumbai we learn from every

[27:44] every event that happens over

[27:45] >> is it a coincidence or just luck that

[27:47] there hasn't been another terrorist

[27:48] attack on New York City

[27:50] >> oh I think an awful lot of hard work has

[27:52] been done to protect this city and and

[27:54] to protect the country and by the

[27:55] federal government by certainly uh local

[27:58] uh resources as well so we've done a lot

[28:01] uh we believe that we've done more than

[28:03] any other city uh that I'm aware of to

[28:05] protect ourselves.

[28:06] >> We know the security experts talk about

[28:07] the transition period being vulnerable

[28:09] for for national security. Um how does

[28:12] anything change for you as we await uh

[28:15] the new administration this time? Is it

[28:17] particularly uh more dangerous or do you

[28:21] every day treat the you know treat each

[28:23] day with the same kind of set of of of

[28:25] threats? Well, there's no specific

[28:27] threats, but I think the the current

[28:28] administration, the Bush administration,

[28:30] has paid an awful lot of attention to

[28:32] the issue of of transition. They they've

[28:35] worked with with people who will be

[28:37] assuming positions in the new

[28:39] administration. Uh they've made certain

[28:41] that career uh individuals are in the

[28:44] deputy position spots in in major uh

[28:46] federal departments. So, a lot of focus

[28:49] has been given to to that issue.

[28:50] >> Meanwhile, the hypothetical, we worry

[28:52] about the hypothetical about a Mumbai

[28:53] style attack or some sort of terrorist

[28:55] attack. we don't understand or something

[28:56] terrible happening on New Year's Eve.

[28:58] But we know the economy is weak. We know

[29:00] there has been an increase in in

[29:02] robberies. We know about the the

[29:05] property thefts and the petty thefts

[29:06] that come along with a weak economy. How

[29:08] are we dealing with that? That's

[29:10] something that happens every day and

[29:11] that we we sort of anticipate.

[29:12] >> Well, it it does happen every day, but

[29:14] crime is down again in New York City,

[29:17] down 4%.

[29:18] >> You concerned a weak economy is going to

[29:20] be a problem? I

[29:21] >> I think it's something we have to pay

[29:22] attention to. We've had weak economies

[29:24] in the past and yet crime continues to

[29:26] go down in New York City. But it's

[29:28] certainly something that uh you know we

[29:29] have to be concerned about. We haven't

[29:31] seen it yet. We have seen an uptick in

[29:33] bank robberies, but uh to a certain

[29:36] extent we think the banks are

[29:37] responsible for some of that because

[29:39] they haven't uh really paid attention to

[29:42] doing some of the things we think will

[29:43] help protect.

[29:44] >> They're paying attention now. I would

[29:45] say I would think they're trying to get

[29:46] their attention with five in one day.

[29:47] And tonight you'll be in Time Square

[29:49] yourself.

[29:49] >> Absolutely. Be cold. Be there.

[29:51] >> All right. Funny place to be.

[29:52] >> Happy New Year.

[29:53] >> Happy New Year,

[29:54] >> Commissioner Ray Kelly. Thanks.

[29:56] >> Christine is 29 minutes after the hour.

[29:58] Here are the morning's top stories. He

[30:00] was warned not to do it. He was told it

[30:03] wouldn't fly, but the man accused of

[30:05] trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate

[30:06] seat has given it away. Illinois

[30:09] Governor Rod Bleggoyovich appointed

[30:11] 71-year-old Roland Burus. By all

[30:13] accounts, a respected public figure, the

[30:16] first African-American to hold statewide

[30:18] office in Illinois. But Senate Democrats

[30:20] have said they will block anyone

[30:23] Bleggoyovich picks. Kevin Bacon and his

[30:26] wife Kira Sedwick are the latest victims

[30:28] of alleged ripoff artist Bernie Maidoff.

[30:31] Bacon's publicist says the couple

[30:33] invested with the man accused of the

[30:35] biggest scam in Wall Street history, but

[30:37] did not say how much they lost.

[30:40] And breaking in the Middle East, Israel

[30:42] has now said no to a 48 hour truce and

[30:45] is calling up more reserves in its

[30:48] all-out war against Hamas. The

[30:50] relentless bombing campaign has leveled

[30:52] several government buildings and now

[30:53] claimed 390 lives, according to

[30:56] Palestinian sources. But the bombing has

[30:58] not stopped Hamas from sending rockets

[31:01] deeper into Israeli territory.

[31:04] And the Israeli Palestinian conflict is

[31:06] stirring emotions in people all over the

[31:09] world with loyalties to both sides.

[31:11] Dozens of protests took place here in

[31:13] the US and yesterday. Chris Wallace was

[31:16] at one of them where insults replaced

[31:18] rockets and missiles.

[31:21] >> Joe Christine, this is just one of

[31:24] several rallies here in Los Angeles and

[31:26] we are seeing scenes like this all over

[31:28] the country.

[31:29] >> All you want to do is kill Jews. In Los

[31:32] Angeles, one man got into a heated

[31:34] argument when he showed up to support

[31:36] Israel at a pro Palestinian rally.

[31:39] >> You are killers. You are terrorist.

[31:42] >> Oh, I'M A TERRORIST.

[31:43] >> YOU ARE.

[31:44] >> Steve Patrick says Hamas started this by

[31:46] firing rockets into Israel.

[31:48] >> They have a right to live in peace and

[31:50] they're not being allowed to live in

[31:52] peace.

[31:53] >> Patrick says Israel should keep

[31:54] targeting Hamas even if some innocent

[31:57] Palestinians are killed. I don't see any

[32:00] alternative when they're mixed right in

[32:01] with them.

[32:02] >> At that same protest, Yosi Kent urged

[32:05] Israel to accept a ceasefire and talk to

[32:07] Hamas. You don't have to like them. I

[32:10] don't like Hamas.

[32:11] >> Kent is a Californian now, but he grew

[32:14] up outside Tel Aviv, served in the

[32:16] Israeli army. It says Israel is wrong to

[32:19] bomb Gaza.

[32:20] >> Just because Hamas engage in in a war

[32:22] crime, it doesn't mean that we have to

[32:24] do a war crime multiply BY 10.

[32:28] YOU THINK HE'S GOING TO GET ON THE

[32:29] SIDEWALK?

[32:30] >> Across the country, tempers flare.

[32:32] Protesters push police barricades.

[32:36] >> And the fight in Gaza is spilling over

[32:38] into American streets. From Miami to

[32:41] Minnesota and out west in San Francisco,

[32:44] Americans are taking a stand.

[32:47] No surprise to see a crowd surge outside

[32:49] the White House gates.

[32:52] But if the president-elect thought

[32:54] Hawaii would give him sanctuary, he was

[32:56] wrong. As Barack Obama vacationed in

[32:59] Honolulu, protesters let him know the

[33:01] kind of change they're looking for.

[33:05] Obviously, passions aren't quite as

[33:07] heated as they are in the Middle East.

[33:08] But clearly, Americans all over the

[33:11] country on both sides are very invested

[33:14] in what happens in Gaza. Joe Christine.

[33:18] >> All right, Chris Lawrence. Thanks. the

[33:20] very lucrative business side of a baby

[33:22] quest. Young women selling their eggs to

[33:25] make babies and they're they're getting

[33:27] paid plenty plenty of money for that.

[33:29] And looking back at some of the craziest

[33:31] stories of the year from the shoes

[33:33] hurled at the president to the Sarah

[33:35] Palin calendar, we're counting down the

[33:37] most memorable moments of 2008. It's 33

[33:41] minutes after the hour.

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[36:29] >> All the best, all the worst. 2008. CNN

[36:32] Tonight, 10 Eastern.

[36:36] >> You know, 2008 was filled with a lot of

[36:38] fodder for comedians and late night talk

[36:40] show hosts. But what will go down is

[36:42] some of the wackiest, most memorable,

[36:44] you couldn't make it up stories of the

[36:46] year.

[36:46] >> Paul Tommpkins is the host of VH1's Best

[36:50] Week Ever. He joins us now. Good

[36:51] morning. Happy New Year. Thanks for

[36:53] coming in.

[36:53] >> Thank you. Good morning and happy new

[36:55] year to you as well

[36:56] >> about the shoe throwing incident.

[36:59] >> All right, you look at it,

[37:01] >> it's comedy,

[37:02] >> but I mean why is it funny?

[37:04] >> It's a shoe. That's what makes it so

[37:07] funny. It's a shoe that I know, I

[37:10] understand in other parts of the world

[37:12] that is a huge insult, but here it's

[37:14] like my girlfriend has thrown shoes at

[37:15] me.

[37:16] >> You know what I mean?

[37:17] >> Not once, but twice.

[37:18] >> Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you got two

[37:20] shoes. Why not? It plays into

[37:21] everything. The terrible puns we have in

[37:23] television writing. You know, the other

[37:24] shoe to drop and you know, I mean, it

[37:26] plays all

[37:27] >> the thing that makes it so beautiful is

[37:28] you sort of have pride in our

[37:30] president's cat-like reflexes.

[37:32] >> He ducked so fast. Like that was

[37:34] amazing.

[37:35] >> Yeah. Boxing or something. All right,

[37:37] moving on. Um, the star of the year,

[37:39] >> Sarah Pal.

[37:40] >> No question.

[37:41] >> Well, this this calendar, this 2009

[37:43] calendar, there's apparently I mean, she

[37:45] will live on in 2009 as a a memorable

[37:47] moment for more than her 15 minutes.

[37:50] Yes. Yes, I suppose so. Indeed. And I

[37:53] think we will still be talking about her

[37:54] this time next year when we are saying I

[37:57] have to buy a new calendar. My Sarah

[37:59] Palin calendar has run out.

[38:01] >> What's the funniest thing about her?

[38:02] >> Yeah. Why is it funny?

[38:04] >> I think that uh I think that she loved

[38:06] to jump in front of any camera. Even

[38:08] after it was all over, she was still

[38:10] jumping in front of cameras. Even if

[38:11] they were slaughtering turkeys in the

[38:13] background, it did not matter. She Any

[38:15] camera, any place, I will get in front

[38:17] of it.

[38:17] >> That was That was unfortunate. It was

[38:19] hilarious. It was unfortunate is a good

[38:20] word to use.

[38:21] >> Also unfortunate. Um,

[38:23] >> one of our favorite things today. The

[38:26] the road trip from hell. The road trip

[38:28] from hell to DC that I'm sure that that

[38:31] young public relations college students

[38:33] are going to learn about this particular

[38:35] episode and know never to advise their

[38:36] clients to do it.

[38:38] >> Which road trip are we talking about?

[38:39] >> Automaker.

[38:40] >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When they took the

[38:41] planes to Yeah. Well, first of all,

[38:44] public shaming, I think, is is good. You

[38:46] know, when when when Congress shamed the

[38:48] automakers for taking a plane, public

[38:50] our country was built on public shaming.

[38:52] The Puritans, the Salem witch trials,

[38:54] nobody got hurt except for those women

[38:56] who were drowned as witches, but they

[38:58] did float, so their names were cleared.

[39:00] Um, but just because uh you make cars

[39:03] for a living doesn't mean planes are no

[39:05] longer practical. You know what I mean?

[39:06] Like they should be allowed to fly a

[39:08] plane to DC. Uh I' I've I fear for the

[39:11] boating industry if they are ever in

[39:13] trouble. Yeah. Uh, it's going to be a

[39:15] long trip

[39:15] >> and the aircraft industry is in trouble

[39:16] anyway.

[39:17] >> Yeah, exactly.

[39:18] >> Now, the ladies of the view is another

[39:19] one of your favorites.

[39:21] >> Favorites is a bit of a stretch.

[39:23] >> Okay. I get a snicker out of them.

[39:25] >> Oh, sure. Well, the the whole they got

[39:28] so much mileage out of the uh out of the

[39:30] presidential race, the arguing between

[39:32] specifically Elizabeth Hasselbeck and

[39:34] everybody else uh because she was the

[39:36] sole conservative on that panel of

[39:38] ladies. And it was just like watching

[39:40] political arguments in your own family.

[39:42] uh nobody's mind got changed and

[39:44] somebody ends up crying that everyone

[39:46] else is picking on them, you know. But

[39:48] then I love that uh Elizabeth retained

[39:50] the courage of her convictions that even

[39:53] though she said for months that Obama uh

[39:55] consorted with terrorists, as soon as he

[39:57] was elected, that ceased to be a

[39:59] problem.

[40:00] >> There's a lot of sarcasm, too. Sort of

[40:03] >> makes it funny. Is it funny or is it

[40:05] like

[40:06] >> funny? Well, it's funny to watch these

[40:07] people that are any of them qualified to

[40:09] be bickering about politics on national

[40:11] television, you know, like my family,

[40:14] for example.

[40:16] >> Well, yeah. If if there's a camera in

[40:18] your home, you know, wouldn't you be a

[40:19] little embarrassed?

[40:20] >> The difference is is you can't turn your

[40:21] family off, but you can sure turn off

[40:23] other people talking about politics.

[40:25] >> Exly. Exactly. Well, hopefully one day

[40:27] we can turn our families off cuz

[40:31] >> Yeah. Well, maybe you can.

[40:35] Best of luck to you. Happy New Year and

[40:37] thanks for coming in.

[40:38] >> Thank you.

[40:39] >> It is now 40 minutes after the hour.

[40:43] >> Infertility and another woman's eggs.

[40:46] >> I was paid $7,000.

[40:48] >> Pretty young women who sell their eggs

[40:50] for big bucks. Making babies making

[40:53] money. The business side of a baby

[40:55] quest. You're watching the most news in

[40:57] the morning.

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[43:01] >> America made CNN number one on election

[43:04] night for the biggest audience of any

[43:06] network. Number one in all of

[43:08] television. CNN.com's biggest day ever.

[43:12] Share the next big moments as the story

[43:15] continues. The inauguration on CNN

[43:18] Tuesday, January 20th. Then the first

[43:21] 100 days of the new administration and

[43:24] beyond. in 2009. CNN still equals

[43:28] politics.

[43:32] >> Welcome back to the most news in the

[43:33] morning. More and more women are helping

[43:35] other couples have children and they're

[43:37] making a nice chunk of change while

[43:39] doing it. Randy Kay has today's

[43:41] installment of our series Baby Quest.

[43:45] Morning, Joe and Christine. Thousands of

[43:47] women in today's tough economy are

[43:49] earning extra cash by donating their

[43:51] eggs. It pays as much as $10,000. Women

[43:55] who carry a baby as a surrogate mom can

[43:57] rake in even more, 30 grand in some

[44:00] cases.

[44:02] At 26, Courtney Smith has lots of bills

[44:05] to pay. She's a wine steward at a

[44:07] high-end Manhattan restaurant, but says

[44:08] the economy is hurting business and as a

[44:11] result, her bank account. She's already

[44:14] cut back on eating out and cab rides.

[44:16] She'd get a second job, but she doesn't

[44:18] have the energy or the time. So, she

[44:20] plans to donate her eggs. She first did

[44:23] it two years ago when money got tight.

[44:25] >> So, how much were you paid when you

[44:27] donated your eggs?

[44:28] >> Um, I was paid $7,000.

[44:31] >> Courtney provided these baby pictures so

[44:33] recipients can see what their child

[44:35] might look like. Once matched, usually

[44:38] with a couple unable to have their own

[44:39] children, donors like Courtney take

[44:42] hormones for about 2 weeks to stimulate

[44:44] ovulation. A doctor then removes the

[44:47] eggs from the donor's ovaries. The

[44:49] recipient gets the eggs to fertilize

[44:51] them. The donor gets the money. Deborah

[44:54] Spar, author of The Baby Business, says

[44:56] she's never let her daughter donate.

[44:59] Spar is concerned about the women's

[45:00] health. Ovaries can be overstimulated,

[45:03] which she says can be dangerous.

[45:05] >> It is one woman giving birth to a child

[45:08] who was genetically the child of another

[45:10] woman. It is sale of our most intimate

[45:14] products. Kathy Bernardo started a donor

[45:17] agency in Manhattan.

[45:19] >> I don't want people to lose sight that

[45:20] this is a treatment for infertility.

[45:22] >> Courtney was recently anonymously

[45:24] matched with a recipient who will pay

[45:26] her $8,000. The maximum recommended by

[45:29] the American Society for Reproductive

[45:31] Medicine is $10,000. Though some

[45:34] recipients place private ads like this

[45:36] one offering much more. Bernardo says

[45:40] the number of donor applicants at her

[45:42] agency has doubled in recent months.

[45:44] >> What gets somebody picked?

[45:46] Attractiveness is number one. That you

[45:48] have to um be attractive and it's a

[45:50] beauty contest to a certain degree, but

[45:53] also education, high test scores,

[45:55] ability in music and sports and things

[45:57] like that.

[45:58] >> Most women say the money is secondary,

[46:01] that it's really about helping others.

[46:03] Courtney says those women are kidding

[46:05] themselves. Would you donate your eggs

[46:07] if you weren't getting paid for them?

[46:09] >> Personally, I don't think that I would

[46:11] if it was for a stranger.

[46:13] >> Most women who donate are under 30 when

[46:15] their eggs are healthiest. Courtney will

[46:17] keep doing it as long as she needs the

[46:19] money, but she does plan to save some

[46:21] eggs to have her own child one day. Joe,

[46:24] Christine,

[46:26] >> CNN Newsroom is just minutes away. Heidi

[46:28] Collins is at the CNN Center with a look

[46:30] at what's ahead.

[46:32] >> Hi there, Joe. That's right. Here's a

[46:33] check of what we're working on now in

[46:34] the newsroom. Just a few minutes away.

[46:36] The Middle East on edge. Gaza in ruins.

[46:39] Israel rejects a ceasefire. And Hamas

[46:42] fires back. Plus, new resolutions for

[46:44] the new year. Your lifelong journey can

[46:46] begin with a single step. Dr. Sanjay

[46:49] Gupta with the keys to a longer life.

[46:52] And the future is now. 2009 is ushered

[46:55] in on the other side of the world. We're

[46:58] going to get started at the top of the

[46:59] hour right here on CNN. Joe

[47:02] >> injured in a war zone cut off from the

[47:05] rest of the world. Dr. Sanjay Gupta

[47:07] knows firsthand what that's like. The

[47:09] struggle for thousands of people in

[47:10] desperate need of medical care in Gaza.

[47:13] It's 47 minutes after the hour.

[47:23] >> Prescription drug prices.

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[47:46] >> "That's what everyone says.

[47:49] >> Save money. Live better." Walmart.

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[49:33] >> Bring in 2009 live with Anderson Cooper

[49:36] and Kathy Griffin. CNN Tonight, 11

[49:38] Eastern.

[49:43] >> There we go. Snowy New York City

[49:45] skyline. Uh, wow. Tonight is our turn.

[49:48] You know, this is the can't miss

[49:50] celebration. It begins at 11 PM tonight

[49:52] with Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin

[49:53] right here on CNN. We will have live

[49:55] reports from Las Vegas, Key West, you

[49:58] know, Joe, where they drop a conchk. New

[50:00] Orleans, but everybody better better

[50:02] bundle up here in New York City. It's

[50:03] expected to be freezing cold there.

[50:05] That's what it looks like right now. A

[50:07] little snow falling, traffic still

[50:09] moving, but tonight it will be

[50:11] jampacked.

[50:13] There will be cold people. There will be

[50:15] maybe some proposals, maybe some

[50:17] breakups, lots of cold feet. Jackie

[50:19] Jarus,

[50:20] she's doing the weather for us today.

[50:22] Jackie, it's going to be cold tonight,

[50:23] isn't it?

[50:24] >> Uh, you know, really miserable. If for

[50:26] no other reason, it would be fun to tune

[50:27] in tonight just to watch them suffering

[50:29] in the cold because we're talking about

[50:32] windchill indices in the single digits,

[50:34] maybe even single digits below zero. And

[50:36] the winds are going to be howling. You

[50:37] know, you look at this map and you

[50:39] think, "Oh, not too bad teens." But when

[50:41] we're talking winds still gusting

[50:43] between 20 and 30 miles per hour, it's

[50:45] going to be feeling like maybe seven at

[50:47] midnight tonight. So certainly bundle up

[50:50] with the hat and the parka and the scarf

[50:51] and the whole bit. You don't want to

[50:53] have a lot of exposed skin because it

[50:54] really can be dangerous. You can get

[50:56] frostbite out there, believe it or not.

[50:58] Lot going to happen between now and

[50:59] then. Low pressure and a strong cold

[51:01] front moving through the northeastern

[51:03] quarter. It's bringing in some really

[51:04] hefty snow amounts. In fact, one to two

[51:06] inches at times across parts of upstate

[51:09] New York, pushing into western

[51:11] Massachusetts right now. Winter storm

[51:13] warnings in effect for you from Boston

[51:15] down through Providence. Expecting 4 to

[51:17] 8 ines there. And the wind warnings in

[51:20] effect for New York City to

[51:21] Philadelphia, even into Baltimore, where

[51:24] winds will gust between 50 and 60 miles

[51:26] per hour at times. Now, that's enough to

[51:28] knock down some significant tree

[51:29] branches. Spotty power outages are going

[51:31] to be possible and holiday decorations

[51:33] are going to be blowing all over the

[51:35] place. And if you're trying to get into

[51:36] New York City or other areas of the

[51:39] Northeast, you're going to have a lot of

[51:40] trouble doing that. The later in the day

[51:42] that you get, the worse you're going to

[51:43] be. Uh, best news I can tell you,

[51:45] Christine, is that at least the snow

[51:46] should end uh before the midnight hour.

[51:49] >> Well, it sure is pretty, Jackie. Happy

[51:51] New Year. Thanks, Jackie.

[51:52] >> You too.

[51:53] >> Christine, hospitals are near the

[51:55] breaking point in Gaza, desperately

[51:57] trying to care for the badly injured.

[51:59] Palestinian sources say close to 2,000

[52:01] people are injured and many could die

[52:03] because of a lack of basic medical

[52:05] supplies. We're paging Dr. Gupta, CNN's

[52:08] chief medical correspondent in Atlanta

[52:10] this morning. Happy New Year almost

[52:12] Sanjay

[52:14] >> and to you as well.

[52:15] >> You've seen this type of devastation

[52:17] before firsthand. What are the

[52:19] challenges that the hospitals in Gaza

[52:22] are facing right now?

[52:23] >> Well, you know, one one thing that's

[52:25] important to point out and I have been

[52:26] in this part of the world. I have been

[52:27] in this part of the world during

[52:28] conflict before. Uh Gaza was a place

[52:31] that already had so few resources uh in

[52:34] order to be able to take care of these

[52:35] patients in hospitals. Hospitals are

[52:37] often built with a lot of redundancy to

[52:39] be able to take care of extra patients

[52:41] should there be some sort of traumatic

[52:42] thing happening in that particular area.

[52:45] Unfortunately, when you have so many

[52:46] patients, the numbers that you're

[52:47] citing, Joe, uh it is overwhelming to

[52:50] any hospital structure. If you add on

[52:52] top of that the lack of basic resources,

[52:55] including fuel for generators,

[52:56] antibiotics, narcotics, what we're

[52:58] hearing is a very, very high death to

[53:01] injury ratio. So, a lot of a lot of

[53:03] people who go in with preventable

[53:05] deaths, people who have injuries that

[53:06] could otherwise uh be salvaged in some

[53:08] way, we're hearing horrific stories

[53:10] about those patients not being able to

[53:12] be saved. And that's what's happening in

[53:14] this area. That is classic war zone

[53:16] triage. When you talk about the types of

[53:18] injuries, Joe, and I've seen this

[53:20] firsthand. Uh you talk about the primary

[53:22] blast from an air strike. That that's

[53:24] the first thing that happens. Secondary

[53:25] blast is when all the shrapnel and

[53:27] debris is thrown up in the air. And the

[53:29] tertiary blast is when bodies are thrown

[53:31] against bodies or against walls and

[53:33] enclosed spaces. You get some of the

[53:35] worst injuries there. Uh one of the

[53:36] things that happens is traumatic brain

[53:38] injuries. You can see on the screen, the

[53:40] brain literally being rattled back and

[53:41] forth in the skull. It has nowhere to go

[53:44] uh once it starts to swell like that.

[53:46] And that is a problem as well that needs

[53:47] urgent medical attention that they're

[53:49] not getting right now. Joe,

[53:51] >> um you've been talking, I understand, to

[53:54] the International Red Cross. Any sense

[53:56] of whether they've been able to get

[53:57] supplies in?

[53:59] >> Well, we've heard they've been able to

[54:00] get some supplies in. Now, they

[54:01] specifically told us they were able to

[54:02] get a few trucks in, three truckloads

[54:05] with blood, uh spare dialysis parts,

[54:07] generators. They've also been able to

[54:09] get a few ambulances in. This has been

[54:11] somewhat of a difficult proposition for

[54:13] them because uh some of these precious

[54:15] commodities are also being targeted on

[54:17] the battlefield and you know even though

[54:20] they're Red Cross, even though they're

[54:21] humanitarian vehicles, they're still in

[54:23] the target zone. They say they have 10

[54:25] tons of supplies ready to go in when

[54:28] they can. Uh they're desperately needed

[54:30] but not able to get in there right now.

[54:31] Joe,

[54:32] >> Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much for

[54:34] that. Uh and we'll see you next year.

[54:36] >> All right, Joe. Thanks.

[54:37] >> It is 54 minutes after the hour.

[54:41] The president-elect at play.

[54:43] >> If you had to grade Barack Obama,

[54:45] >> is it a C plus? C. That's average.

[54:48] >> Is Obama's swing worse than his bowling?

[54:51] Jeannie Mo grades his golf game.

[54:55] >> You're watching the most news in the

[54:57] morning.

[55:01] >> I'm Anderson Cooper. Usually you see me

[55:03] every night on 360 at 1000 p.m. Well, on

[55:05] New Year's Eve, I'm going to be live in

[55:07] Times Square with my co-host Kathy

[55:09] Griffith.

[55:09] >> It is such a treat for you to be here

[55:11] with me tonight, Anderson. I'm um very

[55:13] happy to be your sidekick.

[55:16] >> I'll try to cover more of the newsier

[55:17] angles and I think maybe you can cover

[55:18] more of the like the pop angles.

[55:19] >> Yeah, that's backwards.

[55:20] >> Are you going to get in trouble again

[55:22] this year?

[55:22] >> My goal is to get you fired by midnight.

[55:24] >> I'm starting to rethink this whole New

[55:25] Year's Eve thing.

[55:26] >> CNN New Year's Eve live tonight, 11

[55:29] Eastern.