[Rick Sanchez, Cnn Anchor:] Just about the midpoint in this hour. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
[Daryn Kagan, Cnn Anchor:] And good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news. Security is being increased around Kabul ahead of tomorrow's inauguration of Hamid Karzai as Afghan president. Police are blocking off the road from the capital's airport to the presidential palace. More NATO armored cars are on patrol and U.S. helicopters are searching nearby mountains. There's concern that the event could trigger insurgent attacks. A pre-trial hearing is under way this hour for one of the soldiers implicated in the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. Specialist Charles Graner, who is seen in many of the photographs has been described as a ringleader in the alleged abuses. His lawyer will argue that public condemnation by President Bush and military leaders has made a fair trial impossible. In Major League Baseball, representatives of the players union opened their annual meeting today and the mushrooming steroid scandal will be on their agenda. The latest revelations involve Barry Bonds' appearance before a grand jury investigating illegal steroid use. Bonds is on track to become the all-time leading home run hitter. He reportedly says that he used a cream and a clear substance, but he claims he was unaware that they were steroids. More than a month after President Bush formally won re-election, the state of Ohio will officially certify its voting results today. Yet two major court challenges still loom. One is seeking a statewide recount. The other challenges the results because of problems at polling places.
[Sanchez:] All right, let's go over now to our CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano. She just finished the briefing there at the White House they usually call affectionately the gaggle, where you get the skinny on what's going to happen with the White House and our nation's affairs. What did you learn, Elaine?
[Elaine Quijano, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Hello to you, Rick. That's right, that off-camera briefing called the gaggle. A little bit about the president's schedule. Of course at this hour President Bush is meeting with the king of Jordan, and on the agenda, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But of course, also the situation in Iraq. In fact, just a short time ago, President Bush wrapped up a meeting with Iraq's interim president, Ghazi al-Yawer. The visit perhaps just as important for the symbolism as the substance. The symbolism of welcoming a member of Iraq's Sunni minority to the White House, a sign to other Sunnis in Iraq that they will be included in the political process. Now the two leaders have stated they do not want to see a delay of any kind for Iraq's elections. Both Mr. al-Yawer and Mr. Bush remain firmly committed to the January 30th date, saying that any delay would only hand a victory to the insurgents.
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] I am confident that when peoples are allowed to vote and express their will, peaceful societies emerge. And I'm confident that the process that has been set up by the international community to allow the people of Iraq to express their will, is a major step in democracy in the greater Middle East. I believe the Iraqi people have got the capacity and the desire to self-govern. And these elections will be a very important moment.
[Quijano:] And, of course, Mr. Bush has a lot at stake with the future of Iraq politically. He has steadily maintained that successful elections there, and the democracy that he hopes to see take hold would be a major step for the region, also may quiet some critics here at home who have argued that President Bush and his administration did not have an adequate plan in place for post-war Iraq. In the meantime, as we mentioned, he is meeting with the king of Jordan today. One of the other things President Bush would like to focus on in his second term is the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. Bush hoping to see some movement on the so-called road map for peace. A road map, Rick, in which President Bush envisions a two-state solution, an Israeli state and a Palestinian state, coexisting side by side in peace Rick.
[Sanchez:] Has the president picked up the phone and called any of the holdouts, Sensenbrenner or Hunter or Warner, about this 911 bill that seemingly everyone wants passed?
[Quijano:] Well, the White House says that the president has, in fact, spoken. He has continued discussions with leaders in the Congress about this. What White House officials are saying is that they see things moving forward. Although they won't be specific on exactly what that might mean. Now, there's also supposed to be that letter that has gone out that is supposed to have gone out, rather. At this point White House officials saying they are still in discussions about that, and when pressed on exactly why it hasn't gone out just yet, White House spokesman Scott McClellan saying only that you should look at it like it's a positive sign, because there are ongoing discussions taking place. No word, though, on exactly when that letter might be going out to the Hill.
[Sanchez:] Well, I guess, who specifically they've called, right, because they keep saying leaders. But has he called Hunter? Has he called Warner? Has he called Sensenbrenner specifically and talked to one of those three gentlemen?
[Quijano:] Well, discussions have been going on we understand with Congressman Hunter. No word on Senator Warner just yet. But we know in the past that the president did, in fact, speak with Congressman Sensenbrenner. That was sometime ago before the Thanksgiving break. Now whether or not there has been any kind of movement since then, there hasn't been any indication of specifics. So we're waiting to see when this letter does come out, what exactly it might say that might have been different than before that letter had gone out. But so far they're continuing to say you should look at this like it's a positive sign. The fact that discussions are continuing to go on as they have gone back and forth. They say that look for some kind of movement but they don't want to go into specifics just yet. Perhaps not ready yet to have any kind of deal publicized.
[Sanchez:] Elaine Quijano with a handle on that. We certainly thank you for bringing us up to date. Daryn, over to you.
[Kagan:] Well, I know you're a Florida boy. I know you enjoy the beach.
[Sanchez:] Yes, emphasis on boy.
[Kagan:] Yes. And beach. This is not how you go to the beach. Take a look at this videotape we're just getting in from Southern California.
[Sanchez:] Oh, no.
[Kagan:] Orange County. You're not supposed to drive your car onto the beach. Somebody did this overnight. Well, high tide came up, claimed the car. This is a Ford Expedition. It's huge. Now we can say this kind of lightheartedly. No one was hurt. No one is inside. But now they've got a problem, how to get the car out of the ocean.
[Sanchez:] Yes, try to call your insurance company and explain that to them.
[Kagan:] Yes, hmm, OK, so the tide came up in Orange County. So that live, that just coming in from the O.C. More on that later. Other news now, proponents of the intelligence reform bill say that passage will make Americans safe. Safety, though, is clearly a global issue. Canadian authorities are investigating the disappearance of more than 1,000 uniform parts and 90 badges that are worn by airport security screeners. Right now screeners are being double-checked at all of Canada's 89 airports. To Paris, embarrassed French authorities say they lost track of five ounces of explosives deliberately placed inside a passenger's luggage. Those explosives were being used to test bomb-sniffing dogs. The luggage apparently made it on board one of several flights out of Charles De Gaulle airport and it hasn't been seen since.
[Charles Slepian, Aviation Security Expert:] Aviation security is still a mess. It's in shambles. It's not consistent anywhere in the world. And when you have no accountability for explosives going through a system, we are really endangered by that kind of a situation.
[Kagan:] That is from Charles Slepian. He says that several handguns were lost during security training exercise at an airport in the U.S. earlier this year. You heard our conversation just a little while ago with Elaine Quijano about the 911 reform bill and who's doing what to make sure it gets passed. Well, there is Charles Schumer, Representative Charles Schumer of New pardon me, Senator Charles Schumer of New York. He's going to be joined in just a little while by Chris Shays11. And they are going to also have their say on this day about why they think that it's extremely important for this measure to be approved. So we're going to be dipping into that from time to time as we follow this story throughout the course of the next couple of hours. We're also bringing the story of one Alabama city, it's getting a new bus. That might not be the biggest news. But this bus is intended to travel a road into history.
[Sanchez:] Also still to come, a virtual step into the past, as a civil rights icon is honored.
[Kagan:] Plus, a Spongebob napper confesses to his crime. The story straight ahead.