Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 11/14/08
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Just scroll down and share your thoughts on the headlines starting at 10pm ET.
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Check out the Evening Buzz for the scoop on some of the stories we're following tonight LINK TO EVENING BUZZ
Don't miss 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: Clinton's New Role?
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Tonight we've learned from democratic sources that President-elect Barack Obama has asked Sen. Hillary Clinton if she's interested in the post of Secretary of State.
Although, Clinton is saying much on the matter.
"I'm very happy there is so much press attention and interest in transit, especially guesses about my own," Clinton said to laughs at New York State Mass Transit Fall Convention in Albany, New York today.
"But in the off chance that you're not here for this important issue and are here for some other reason, let me just say that I'm not going to speculate or address anything about the president-elect's incoming administration. And I'm going to respect his process, and any inquiries should be directed to his Transition team," she added.
Now let's add this name to the mix: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
A senior Democratic source tells CNN he also has met with Obama about the possibility of becoming Secretary of State.
Both Richardson and Clinton were in the battle for the Democratic nomination, along with Obama.
Who do you think is the better pick?
Also tonight, bailout nation. Now some of America's biggest cities are asking for cash assistance from Uncle Sam. Will they get help?
Plus, a brush fire is raging in the hills near Santa Barbara, California. Up to 150 homes have been destroyed and one death may be linked to the flames. We'll have the latest tonight on AC360°
Erica’s News Note: Friday Roundup
Erica Hill | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Dog-fighting is not a “sport”. It is sick, inhumane, and inexcusable. It is torture. I will never understand what compels someone to train animals to fight one another, not how anyone can gain pleasure and enjoyment from watching two living beings tear one another to pieces – literally. I don’t want to understand it, either.
I am happy to report 55 people have been arrested in what is believed to be one of the country’s largest dog fighting operations. One of the alleged participants is a special ed teacher. Nice. More than 100 dogs, “bred specifically to fight”, were also seized.
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The Big Dig seems to have been under a dark cloud since Day One, but it is the heart wrenching death of Milena Del Valle more than two years ago that stands out in many minds when you mention the Boston transportation project. Now, one of the Big Dig’s largest contractors, Modern Continental Construction Inc., will pay $21 million in damages related to her death, and to the cost of fixing leaks in the massive highway project.
Del Valle, 39, was killed in July 2006 while on her way to the airport with her husband. She was a passenger in the car when 26 tons of tunnel ceiling collapsed on the vehicle.
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World’s tallest Mohawk – 27 inches of rockin’ locks – gets groomed for charity.
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An 11-year-old girl Oregon girl crawled out of her family's smashed SUV and made her way through a storm to get help, saving seven others in the process.
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When Lt. Gen Ann E. Dunwoody enlisted in the Army more than three decades ago, she figured she’d stay for two years, then move on to college and ultimately become a phys ed teacher.
Things didn’t exactly go as planned. Lt Gen Dunwoody never left the Army, and today she becomes the first woman in U.S. military history to get four stars.
Beat 360° 11/14/08
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 George W. Bush winks before speaking at the United Nations headquarters in
New York, yesterday.
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!
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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!
Brother can you spare $52 billion?
Elizabeth Cohen | BIO
CNN Medical Correspondent
All this week I’ve been trying to get my head around $52 billion is. How many flu shots is that, or appendectomies, or tongue depressors?
Fifty-two billion dollars is how much President-elect Barak Obama’s health care plan is estimated to cost, at least – it might be as high as $106 billion, according to factcheck.org. There’s no question something’s got to be done. Forty-five million Americans are uninsured, and we’ve all heard the horror stories of sick people who can’t get the care they need because they don’t have insurance, or they have lousy insurance. Everyone agrees that shouldn’t happen.
But where would this money come from? Obama says he’ll roll back a tax break President Bush gave to wealthy Americans. But will that be enough? Obama also says his administration will help get health care costs under control – there’s a lot of waste out there – and that this savings will be passed on to you and me. But will it really happen that way? Hospitals and insurance companies, if they manage to figure out ways to cut costs, might just keep the savings for themselves.
Lots of questions, and not a lot of answers. Here’s another one: will Obama tackle health care reform early on? It’s expensive, and our economy’s a mess. Plus, remember Hillary Clinton’s 1993 attempt at health care reform? It was a failure. Health care reform is no way to win a popularity contest. It’s tricky. You’re bound to get someone mad, whether it’s doctors, pharmaceutical companies, or consumers.
360 Crime Blotter: Cannabis; "Where's Dave?"
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. 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:
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Randolph, New Jersey Police Department
On Sunday, November 9th at approximately 1:50 p.m., the Randolph Township Police Department received a 911 emergency call from a twenty-six year-old female who reported that she had just been sexually assaulted by an acquaintance. The female victim further reported that the actor had left the incident location traveling in an unknown direction. Further investigation revealed that earlier in the day, the victim had contacted the actor and requested a ride to her apartment in Randolph. The actor complied with the request and provided transportation for the victim. While traveling to the victim’s apartment, the actor provided the victim with an Ambien sleeping pill to help her cope with not feeling well. Upon arrival at the victim’s apartment, both the actor and the victim went inside. Shortly thereafter, the victim fell asleep in her bed. While sleeping, the victim awoke only to find the actor sexually assaulting her. The victim immediately objected to the actor’s actions at which time the actor abruptly left the apartment. The victim was later transported to the hospital for treatment while the investigation continued. FULL POST
The Shot: McCain on Leno
Sen. McCain makes light of his campaign on "The Tonight Show."
Letter to Obama on the Muslim world
Editor's Note: Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, founder of www.TheMuslimGuy.comand contributing editor for Islamica Magazine in Washington.
Arsalan Iftikhar | BIO
Founder, themuslimguy.com
First of all, as one of more than 66 million Americans of all races, religions and ethnicities who voted for you, your electoral victory was one of the proudest moments of our collective lives.
As our American political history witnessed the magnitude of our nation's first African-American president, our society was also able to collectively (and finally) exhale, knowing that the mailbox at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. would now read "Obama" instead of "Bush."
With hardly a moment's rest, as you transition toward Inauguration Day, our nation (and the rest of the world) will not wait for long before seeking your leadership on many pressing global issues.
From an economic recessionary mess to a perpetually broken health care system with 46 million American neighbors as uninsured casualties, your soon-to-be administration will face some monumental domestic and foreign policy issues that will affect us for generations.
From an ill-conceived war in Iraq to an oft-forgotten war in Afghanistan, from global flashpoints from Tel Aviv to Islamabad, your diplomatic and political interaction with the Muslim world may decide the success (or failure) of your foreign policy legacy.
And the forecast calls for hell to freeze over
Jack Gray
AC360 Associate Producer
The weekend is finally here and that makes it difficult not to smile. Unless you’re John Kerry, who just smashed a bottle of Heinz ketchup against his wind surfboard upon learning that President-elect Obama is considering nominating Hillary “I have great respect for Senator Obama. Did I mention he has a slumlord friend named Tony Rezko?” Clinton to be Secretary of State.
My guess is that Hillary would take the job, if offered. Provided, of course, Obama agrees to her request for a slight change in title: Secretary of State and Whatever Else Bill & I Damn Well Please.
Some people think she’s too much of a superstar in her own right to be a team player in an Obama administration. But not me. I can see her as Secretary of State, sitting there at tense Middle East peace negotiations and bluntly telling those around her: “Look, I’m not prepared to make any kind of commitment on behalf of the United States until I consult with the president.” And then she’ll call Bill.
I do love the speculation about high-profile cabinet positions. It always involves secret meetings and games of cat-and-mouse. We get leaks that the major players are meeting at an “undisclosed location.” Which sounds very All the President’s Men until we find out that the undisclosed location is underneath Dianne Feinstein’s ping-pong table.
Meanwhile, everyone is still talking about the Obamas’ future dog. It’s an important decision, to be sure. Because, let’s face it, with Dick Cheney leaving there’s going to be a vacancy for someone who will break wind in the Roosevelt Room without apologizing.
FULL POST
Morning Buzz: Grandma the Clown
Penny Manis
AC360 Senior Producer
Hello again, Hillary!
Hillary Rodham Clinton is in the news this morning over buzz that she is being considered as Secretary of State.
Senator Clinton and Barack Obama did meet yesterday late afternoon according to our sources who say the meeting was at the behest of Obama. Apaprently, Clinton went because “she knew Obama wanted to talk about whether she would have a role in the administration." However, there is no word if they discussed this role specifically. Have we figured out if these 2 definitely like each other yet? But I digress.
HRC was asked this past Monday if she would consider a post in the Obama Administration to which she replied: “I am happy being a Senator from NY, I love this state and this city. I am looking at the long list of things I have to catch up on and do. But I want to be a good partner and I want to do everything I can to make sure his agenda is going to be successful." A coy reply that leaves the door open to potentially accepting a Cabinet position, perhaps?
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