Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 11/10/08
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Tonight on AC360°, President-elect Obama gets his first look at the Oval Office. Mr. Obama's meeting with Pres. Bush lasted for almost two hours. Hear how the meeting went and what the Obamas face in the days and months ahead as they prepare to move into the White House.
We'll give you tour of their new home. And, put you to the test.
Check out the evening buzz for more details on our quiz.
Also tonight, Gov. Sarah Palin's one-on-one interview with 360's Gary Tuchman. She sounds off on the unnamed McCain staffers who have complained about her. One of the allegations: Palin didn't know Africa was a continent. She says that's not true.
And, don't forget to watch Erica Hill's webcast during the commercials. LINK TO WEBCAST
And take a look at our live web camera from the 360° studio. LINK TO THE BLOG CAMERA
Evening Buzz: 43 meets 44
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Oh, how I would have loved to have been in the Oval Office today when Pres. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama talked business. They met in private. Only a couple photos were taken in the Oval Office for the history books.
Though, we do have some details about what the two men discussed.
"The president and the president-elect had a long meeting, described by the president as good, constructive, relaxed and friendly," White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement. "The president enjoyed his visit with the president-elect, and he again pledged a smooth transition to the next administration," she added.
Tonight on AC360°, we'll have all the angles on the White House visit. We'll take you inside the Obamas' future home, from the Oval Office to the kitchen.
Consider these White House stats:
– 132 rooms
– 35 bathrooms
– 412 doors
And, get out a pen and paper. We're giving you a White House quiz during the newcast. Here's a hint: You may want to read up on the facts by clicking on this link.
All that and more, tonight on AC360° at 10pm ET.
On the Radar: Tuesday
Cate Vojdik
AC360° Writer
Here are some of the stories in tomorrow’s mix:
Veterans Day 2008 arrives as a new president is about to take office. With the inauguration just 70 days away, we’ll look at the challenges President-elect Obama faces in Iraq and Afghanistan and the strategies he’s endorsed for both. His new administration has a lot on its plate, to put it mildly. 90 years after the armistice that ended World War I, Obama inherits two war zones. CNN’s Michael Ware breaks it all down for us.
While retail sales have been falling gun stores across the country are reporting a surge in sales since Obama won the election. Apparently, some gun enthusiasts are worried that the president-elect and the Democratic Congress will push for tougher new gun laws that restrict some weapons; so they are stocking up. CNN’s Joe Johns will dig deeper on the story.
Regular viewers know we love animal stories at 360, and dogs are a favorite. The Obama family’s puppy search has put the plight of homeless dogs in the spotlight. For those who haven’t been paying attention, President-elect Obama has said his family is trying to balance their desire to adopt a rescue dog with their older daughter’s need for a hypoallergenic dog. (10-year-old Malia is allergic.) Tomorrow, 360’s Erica Hill goes to a shelter to see firsthand what kind of pooches are in need of rescue. How many abandoned dogs need homes? And what are hypoallergenic dogs anyway? Do they even exist?
We’ll also be keeping a close eye on two television appearances that could make news tomorrow: Senator John McCain will be a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (his first interview since the election); and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will give a network television interview.
We’ll see you tomorrow at 10 PM ET.
Beat 360° 11/10/08
Ready for today's Beat 360°?
Everyday we post a picture – and you provide the caption and our staff will join in too.
Tune in tonight at 10pm to see if you are our favorite!
Here is the 'Beat 360°' pic:
President Bush and President-elect Obama meet in the Oval Office of the White House Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, in Washington.
Have fun with it. We're looking forward to your captions!
Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.
UPDATE: Check out our Beat 360° Winners!
________________________________________________
But wait!… There’s more!
When you win ‘Beat 360°’ not only do you get on-air prime-time name recognition (complete with bragging rights over all your friends, family, and jealous competitors), but you get a “I Won the Beat 360° Challenge” T-shirt!
Beat 360° 11/07/08
The first 100 days
Katrina vanden Heuvel | BIO
AC360° Contributor
Editor, The Nation
We're starting to look ahead to the First 100 Days of the Obama presidency. Already, we're hearing calls in the mainstream media warning the new administration "not to overreach." And working overtime, the Inside-the-Beltway Punditocracy continues to reveal its ability to ignore reality–even while describing itself as "realist"–with its claims that this is still a center-right nation, despite all evidence to the contrary.
But as Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times, "Let's hope that Mr. Obama has the good sense to ignore this advice...this year's presidential election was a clear referendum on political philosophies–and the progressive philosophy won."
Obama himself his talked about needing to measure his accomplishments over the first 1,000 Days, rather than 100, given the problems he has inherited from arguably the worst president ever (my words, not Obama's). Indeed, it will take years to undo the damage of the Bush administration and the conservative ideology that has dominated this country for nearly thirty years. But the First 100 Days are still crucial–not only in signaling to the American people and the world that the administration will take determined steps to repair this nation–but there is a historical precedent for the need to move forward expeditiously in order to seize the moment and the mandate.
President Obama will need to be bold to deal with the challenges he faces: a cratering economy, broken healthcare system, two wars, poverty and inequality, and the stained US reputation in the world. The millions who were mobilized and inspired by Obama's campaign and candidacy also have their work cut out for them–continuing to drive a bold agenda to respond to these crises–just as progressives have in recent years on the war, energy independence, trade, healthcare, and other issues that are defining the new "center" of American politics and hearts and minds.
Here is a list of actions–ones I care deeply about–that President Obama can take in the First 100 Days to immediately achieve real and significant change. Some of these he can literally achieve on Day 1 with the stroke of a pen, others will demand coalition building and an inside-outside strategy to push legislation. Many of these ideas are drawn from good groups like the Center for Constitutional Rights, Amnesty International USA, the Apollo Alliance, and Public Citizen. You may have others and I'd welcome hearing yours – just post a comment.
Haiti school collapse: Hope for finding survivors fades
David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
I took this photo late Saturday night. I didn't know it at the time but this was the moment when hope of finding survivors was beginning to fade.
A U.S. search and rescue team was punching holes in the rubble of the collapsed school looking for "voids."
These are spaces large enough where people could have escaped fatal injury. But unlike other building collapses, there turned out to be very few voids...and none of them held any survivors.
Read more about the Haiti school collapse on CNN.com
Obama watchers
Drew Griffin | BIO
CNN Investigative Correspondent
Just wanted to share with you some snapshots from the airport in DC – here are people at Reagan National looking across tarmac at Obama departing the nation's capitol:
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360 Crime Blotter
Compiled by Gabriel Falcon
AC360 Writer
Welcome to the 360 Crime Blotter.
Some of the best crime writing comes from cops on the beat. But it’s not fiction. It’s fact, put down on paper in incident reports. Starting today, we’re going to bring you their first-hand accounts. Taken from police department web sites, the official submissions run the gamut from mundane misdemeanors to the most serious of felonies.
They all show what police officers across the country face 365 days a year. So let’s get started with our first offering:
________________________________
From the Austin, Texas Police Department:
Officer Involved Shooting
Case: 08-3110300
Date: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
Time: 3:58 a.m.
Location: Berkman Drive and Patton Lane
Narrative:
On Thursday, November 6, 2008, at 3:58 a.m., Austin Police Department
Northeast Patrol Officers responded to a 911 call of a disturbance with a gun and
several calls of shots fired in the 7600 block of Blessing Avenue.
As officers arrived on the scene they observed the suspect vehicle leaving the
area. APD officers pursued the suspect vehicle that later crashed at the
intersection of Berkman Drive and Patton Lane. After crashing, the occupants of
the vehicle ran from the scene. One suspect, armed with an AK-47 assault rifle
was pursued on foot by Officer Will Ray.
The suspect shot at Officer Ray who returned fire striking the suspect. Austin-
Travis County EMS responded to the scene and the suspect was pronounced
deceased.
The incident on Blessing Avenue is believed to be an Aggravated Robbery
committed by the five suspects. As a result of the public’s assistance two
suspects were apprehended. SWAT members searched several homes in and on
Patton Lane and did not find the remaining two suspects believed to be 17 to 27
years of age remain at large and are considered armed and dangerous.
There were two victims transported by Austin-Travis County EMS from the
Blessing Avenue incident. One victim was treated and released and the other
remains at the University Medical Center at Brackenridge with non-life threatening
injuries. Aggravated Robbery charges are pending on the suspects for the
Blessing Avenue incident.
Young children wince in pain, and they're the lucky ones
David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
The air inside the hospital is hot and humid. There is no air conditioning. At the crowded trauma ward there is not a single empty bed.
They are filled with injured children, survivors of the collapse of a school building on the outskirts of the capitol of Haiti.
Most lie quiet. When they try to move their young faces wince from the pain. This is a heartbreaking sight and yet these children are the fortunate ones.
At least 90 of their friends, teachers, classmates and siblings died under the fallen rubble.
Heroes Nominator: A nomination 30 years in the making
Program Note: CNN Heroes received nearly four thousand submissions from 75 countries. A Blue Ribbon Panel selected the Top 10 CNN Heroes for the year, and over 1 million of you voted for your CNN HERO OF THE YEAR
WATCH CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE
A Global Celebration: Thanksgiving Night at 9p ET
____________________________________________________________________
Janet Lee
Nominated Yohannes Gebregeorgis | HIS STORY
The nomination of Yohannes Gebregeorgis as a 2008 CNN Hero has been over thirty years in the making. Although I have only met Yohannes twice, I feel that I have known him my entire life, for I am a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Ethiopia, serving from 1974-76. During that time I taught English in a remote village where my students would sit four or five to a desk and share a single textbook. There were far more boys than girls because of the distances that the students needed to travel and the perceived need to keep the girls sheltered and closer to home.
Shortly after my arrival, the government was overthrown. By chance, I was in Addis Ababa and watched as Emperor Haile Selassie left a church, perhaps with a premonition of what was to come. The next day, it was over. Thousands of young men filled the streets chanting and for a short time I felt relatively invisible. I was not fearful, but that could not be said for many Ethiopians.
Reports from the BBC and the Voice of America reported daily of imprisonments and executions. It is entirely possible that Yohannes’ and my paths crossed during that time. Perhaps we shared a taxi ride, or had tea in the same bar, or stood in line at the post office, or ate 'Injera and Wat' at the same restaurant. I returned to the tranquility of my remote village and Yohannes feared for his life.
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