Mariah Carey gulped "ugly juice" for her role as a dowdy social worker in "Precious," a film performance that may free her from painful memories of box office bomb "Glitter."
Carey told CNN's Larry King she would like to take on the real life role of a mother -- but only after her career obligations slow down "because I cannot do the having-a-child thing halfway."
The interview -- airing on CNN's Larry King Live Wednesday -- also explores the singer's thoughts on her marriage to Nick Cannon and Chris Brown's assault on Rihanna.
Carey's career hit a low point after her 1998 divorce from record label chief Tommy Mottola.
"Glitter" -- an almost-autobiographical movie -- was panned by critics and ignored by fans in 2001. The only honor she got from it was a "worst actress" Razzie.
Video: Carey discloses emotional abuse
Despite a physical and emotional breakdown that sent her to a hospital in July 2001, Carey said she never doubted she would bounce back.
"Never, because I have so much faith," she told King. "And I'll never lose my faith, ever."
Now, Carey has a husband -- actor Nick Cannon, who also heads Nickelodeon's Teen Nick programming.
Her new album -- "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" -- sits on top the R&B charts.
And she has a small, but impressive part in Lee Daniel's critically-acclaimed "Precious." Instead of Razzies, the buzz this time is about Oscars.
Daniel -- a friend with whom Carey has worked before -- called her just three days before shooting was scheduled to replace Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren in the role, she said.
Carey, 39, is a star who arrives for interviews with her own photography director to make sure camera angles and lighting are flattering. Her character, though, was far from the glamorous image she's cultivated for years.
She joked that she drank "ugly juice" to prepare for the role.
"It's this really good stuff. I'm going to market it," she said. "It's called 'I want to be in the movie, and this is what's required.' I've been working on my craft for a long time. People never want to let go of the whole 'Glitter,'... I'm like, 'It's eight years later, people. Let's move on.' "
Carey was at first evasive, but finally denied King's question about rumors she was pregnant.
"It would be the happiest thing in my life, but what I'm saying is, right now with this movie coming out, with the next few singles from the album and those things that I'm doing, I need to focus on that because I cannot do the having-a-child thing halfway," she said.
Carey said she would first cut back on her work.
"I wouldn't be just like, 'Oh, I'm having a child, yay! Let me get a nanny so I can give her the baby. Take the kid,' " she said. "That doesn't work for me."
Carey will always be in show business, she said.
"Come on, I can't help it," she said. "It's in my genes. My mother was an opera singer. I'm clearly dramatic."
She married Cannon in April 2008 after they "connected on a lot of levels." He was her first real love, she said.
She's 10 years older than Cannon, but she insisted the age difference is not an issue.
"No, because we're both the same," she said. "We both like the same things. We both like -- we are really both big kids. Like, we both like roller coasters."
Carey said she's "eternally 12."
"I really don't like being a grown-up," she said. "It's not fun and I never wanted to be a grown-up. But then I have to go into my business."
She said it is hard for her to understand the physical abuse between her friends Rihanna and Chris Brown because she was "very sequestered" when she was a younger star. "I wasn't really allowed out of the house, so I can't imagine what she went through."
"If I were just allowed to be young and with a young boyfriend who's also a star and you know, you're working and you're both -- I don't know what goes on," she said.
Carey said she suffered what she described as emotional and mental abuse in her first marriage.
"For me to really get out, it was difficult because there was a connection that was not only a marriage, but a business thing where the person was in control of my life," she said.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
McDonnell turns back Democratic tide in Virginia
Buoyed by support from independent voters and lingering concerns over the state of the economy, Virginians elected Republican Bob McDonnell the 71st governor of the Commonwealth on Tuesday.
Republicans managed a sweep of the state’s top three offices for the first time since 1997, when Jim Gilmore helmed the ticket for the GOP. The election also upheld a familiar political pattern: going back to 1977, the party holding the White House has gone to lose the Virginia gubernatorial race.
The victory breathed new life into the Virginia Republican party, which has suffered a series of statewide defeats to Democrats over the last decade, including last November, when Barack Obama became the first Democrat to win the state at the presidential level since 1964. Democrats have won the governor's mansion in two consecutive elections and control both of the state's seats in the U.S. Senate.
“I pledge to you over the next four years action and results,” McDonnell told a gleeful audience at his victory party in Richmond. “We will leave Virginia better than we found it,” he said, invoking the old Boy Scout adage.
Two thirds of independent voters joined with a motivated Republican base to elect McDonnell, who vaulted to a 17-point victory over his Democratic opponent, Creigh Deeds.
“I wish tonight’s results were different,” Deeds said after the loss. “But now is not the time for bitterness, or retreat into our partisan corners - it’s time to overcome that disappointment with our determination to build a better Virginia, together.”
Though the election was cast by many as a referendum on President Obama, 56 percent of voters said the president was not a factor in the race, according to exit polls. But the national climate was undoubtedly in the mix: Almost half of voters cited the economy as the most important issue in the race, according to exit polls, and 57 percent of them cast their ballots for McDonnell.
“There are a lot of independents in Virginia,” said Ed Gillespie, the general chairman of McDonnell’s campaign. “It’s historically been one third Republican, one third Democrat and one third independent. That swing vote in the middle often reacts to what they see going on in Washington, and I think that clearly shaped the environment in this race today.”
Deeds failed to attract support from young voters and African-Americans, the constituencies that made up Obama’s winning coalition one year ago. Voters aged 18-29 made up 21 percent of the Virginia electorate in 2008; on Tuesday, only 11 percent of voters were under 29.
Although Deeds came close to winning 60 percent of the vote in Democratic-leaning northern Virginia– a threshold key to recent Democratic victories - turnout across the state was relatively low. Only 40 percent of voters cast ballots on Tuesday, lower than the 45 percent who voted in the 2005 governor’s race won by Democrat Tim Kaine and well below the 74 percent turnout rate in 2008.
McDonnell benefited from the motivated Republicans who did show up. More than a third of Tuesday’s voters “strongly” disapproved of how President Obama is handling his job, and nearly 100 percent of those voters chose McDonnell.
Virginians who voted for Republican presidential nominee John McCain in 2008 made up half of Tuesday’s electorate, while Obama supporters comprised 44 percent of the vote.
Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House Minority Whip, boasted that McDonnell’s campaign blueprint will be embraced as Republicans look ahead to the 2010 midterm elections.
“We are going to take the model that worked here in Virginia,” Cantor said. “Bob McDonnell is a common sense conservative Republican that was able to unite our party behind the concepts of limited government, lower taxes, individual responsibility and opportunity.”
Republicans managed a sweep of the state’s top three offices for the first time since 1997, when Jim Gilmore helmed the ticket for the GOP. The election also upheld a familiar political pattern: going back to 1977, the party holding the White House has gone to lose the Virginia gubernatorial race.
The victory breathed new life into the Virginia Republican party, which has suffered a series of statewide defeats to Democrats over the last decade, including last November, when Barack Obama became the first Democrat to win the state at the presidential level since 1964. Democrats have won the governor's mansion in two consecutive elections and control both of the state's seats in the U.S. Senate.
“I pledge to you over the next four years action and results,” McDonnell told a gleeful audience at his victory party in Richmond. “We will leave Virginia better than we found it,” he said, invoking the old Boy Scout adage.
Two thirds of independent voters joined with a motivated Republican base to elect McDonnell, who vaulted to a 17-point victory over his Democratic opponent, Creigh Deeds.
“I wish tonight’s results were different,” Deeds said after the loss. “But now is not the time for bitterness, or retreat into our partisan corners - it’s time to overcome that disappointment with our determination to build a better Virginia, together.”
Though the election was cast by many as a referendum on President Obama, 56 percent of voters said the president was not a factor in the race, according to exit polls. But the national climate was undoubtedly in the mix: Almost half of voters cited the economy as the most important issue in the race, according to exit polls, and 57 percent of them cast their ballots for McDonnell.
“There are a lot of independents in Virginia,” said Ed Gillespie, the general chairman of McDonnell’s campaign. “It’s historically been one third Republican, one third Democrat and one third independent. That swing vote in the middle often reacts to what they see going on in Washington, and I think that clearly shaped the environment in this race today.”
Deeds failed to attract support from young voters and African-Americans, the constituencies that made up Obama’s winning coalition one year ago. Voters aged 18-29 made up 21 percent of the Virginia electorate in 2008; on Tuesday, only 11 percent of voters were under 29.
Although Deeds came close to winning 60 percent of the vote in Democratic-leaning northern Virginia– a threshold key to recent Democratic victories - turnout across the state was relatively low. Only 40 percent of voters cast ballots on Tuesday, lower than the 45 percent who voted in the 2005 governor’s race won by Democrat Tim Kaine and well below the 74 percent turnout rate in 2008.
McDonnell benefited from the motivated Republicans who did show up. More than a third of Tuesday’s voters “strongly” disapproved of how President Obama is handling his job, and nearly 100 percent of those voters chose McDonnell.
Virginians who voted for Republican presidential nominee John McCain in 2008 made up half of Tuesday’s electorate, while Obama supporters comprised 44 percent of the vote.
Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House Minority Whip, boasted that McDonnell’s campaign blueprint will be embraced as Republicans look ahead to the 2010 midterm elections.
“We are going to take the model that worked here in Virginia,” Cantor said. “Bob McDonnell is a common sense conservative Republican that was able to unite our party behind the concepts of limited government, lower taxes, individual responsibility and opportunity.”
Bob McDonnell: The GOP's newest superstar?
He has yet to been sworn in as the 71st governor of Virginia, but the Republican Party appears to have found its newest superstar in Bob McDonnell.
With his resounding win Tuesday in the battleground state of Virginia - a victory that halted a decade of gains for Democrats - top Republicans are boasting that McDonnell has uncovered a winning GOP formula for 2010 and beyond.
The blueprint, his supporters argue, is fairly simple: stay loyal to conservative principles, maintain a personal appeal that connects with voters, and focus like a laser on kitchen table issues.
Throughout the governor's race, Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds flogged McDonnell as a divisive social conservative preoccupied with issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and birth control. But McDonnell beat back those attacks by concentrating on the troubled economy with a simple message: "Bob's for Jobs."
"McDonnell is a candidate who is very conservative, but he's while he's philosophically sound, he's temperamentally moderate," said Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition director who is a longtime friend of McDonnell's. "He's a consensus builder. He's a reasonable guy. I think that's the kind of face Republicans need to start putting forward."
Some Republicans in Washington are already chattering about how McDonnell could boost the 2012 Republican ticket as a vice presidential candidate, a scenario that might put Virginia back in the GOP column after Barack Obama won the state in 2008. Others believe he could be a presidential candidate himself down the road.
McDonnell, who doesn't take office until January, waved off the speculation on Wednesday.
"There's a lot of Kool-Aid in Washington," he joked during a press conference in Richmond. "I'm going to let folks talk about whatever they might want to talk about, but I'm going to be focused on Virginia."
Fred Malek, a prominent Republican fundraiser and party insider who spent Election Night in Richmond with McDonnell, agreed that it's too early to speculate about the governor-elect's political future. But he said he expects Republicans around the country to welcome McDonnell as a campaigner and fundraiser for years to come.
"He's going to be one of the biggest stars in the Republican Party, as someone who showed the direction of what it takes to win as a Republican," Malek told CNN.
That sentiment was echoed by former Virginia Sen. George Allen, who himself was a rising GOP star before stumbling in his 2006 his re-election bid, losing narrowly to Democrat Jim Webb. Allen said he admired McDonnell's playbook because he made clear where he stood on divisive social issues, but chose not to put them at the center of his campaign.
McDonnell captured two-thirds of Virginia's crucial independent voters on Tuesday thanks to that strategy, Allen argued.
"Bob was advocating ideas of jobs, economy, energy, education and transportation that people cared about," he said. "The lesson from Bob's campaign is, offer ideas but keep your party united and attract independent voters."
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele trumpeted McDonnell's win Tuesday as the beginning of a Republican renaissance ahead of next year's midterms. But he wasn't quite ready to predict what the election means for McDonnell's role in the national party.
"That's yet to be determined," Steele told CNN. "Let's get him inaugurated first."
With his resounding win Tuesday in the battleground state of Virginia - a victory that halted a decade of gains for Democrats - top Republicans are boasting that McDonnell has uncovered a winning GOP formula for 2010 and beyond.
The blueprint, his supporters argue, is fairly simple: stay loyal to conservative principles, maintain a personal appeal that connects with voters, and focus like a laser on kitchen table issues.
Throughout the governor's race, Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds flogged McDonnell as a divisive social conservative preoccupied with issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and birth control. But McDonnell beat back those attacks by concentrating on the troubled economy with a simple message: "Bob's for Jobs."
"McDonnell is a candidate who is very conservative, but he's while he's philosophically sound, he's temperamentally moderate," said Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition director who is a longtime friend of McDonnell's. "He's a consensus builder. He's a reasonable guy. I think that's the kind of face Republicans need to start putting forward."
Some Republicans in Washington are already chattering about how McDonnell could boost the 2012 Republican ticket as a vice presidential candidate, a scenario that might put Virginia back in the GOP column after Barack Obama won the state in 2008. Others believe he could be a presidential candidate himself down the road.
McDonnell, who doesn't take office until January, waved off the speculation on Wednesday.
"There's a lot of Kool-Aid in Washington," he joked during a press conference in Richmond. "I'm going to let folks talk about whatever they might want to talk about, but I'm going to be focused on Virginia."
Fred Malek, a prominent Republican fundraiser and party insider who spent Election Night in Richmond with McDonnell, agreed that it's too early to speculate about the governor-elect's political future. But he said he expects Republicans around the country to welcome McDonnell as a campaigner and fundraiser for years to come.
"He's going to be one of the biggest stars in the Republican Party, as someone who showed the direction of what it takes to win as a Republican," Malek told CNN.
That sentiment was echoed by former Virginia Sen. George Allen, who himself was a rising GOP star before stumbling in his 2006 his re-election bid, losing narrowly to Democrat Jim Webb. Allen said he admired McDonnell's playbook because he made clear where he stood on divisive social issues, but chose not to put them at the center of his campaign.
McDonnell captured two-thirds of Virginia's crucial independent voters on Tuesday thanks to that strategy, Allen argued.
"Bob was advocating ideas of jobs, economy, energy, education and transportation that people cared about," he said. "The lesson from Bob's campaign is, offer ideas but keep your party united and attract independent voters."
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele trumpeted McDonnell's win Tuesday as the beginning of a Republican renaissance ahead of next year's midterms. But he wasn't quite ready to predict what the election means for McDonnell's role in the national party.
"That's yet to be determined," Steele told CNN. "Let's get him inaugurated first."
Valerie Jarrett balances roles of friend, official adviser to Obama
Valerie Jarrett does not like to talk about herself.
I know this because we've sat down on numerous occasions for interviews, going back to the early days of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. But this one was perhaps the most challenging because the focus was on her.
She is fiercely loyal to Obama, as one of his closest friends. But she also advises him as president, with the title of Senior Adviser and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison.
The ultimate insider does not spill the beans. But doing a series on the power players inside the White House would not be complete without looking at Jarrett's role.
She has called her relationship with the president a "mind meld."
"We're good friends who have known each other for a long time," Jarrett says. "Eighteen years, you get a pretty good sense of him."
Her first sense of him came in 1991 when Obama was a young law professor in Chicago, Illinois.
Jarrett was interviewing his fiancée, the future first lady, Michelle Robinson, for a job in Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's office. The protective partner, Obama, was making sure Jarrett was on the up and up.
Jarrett first explained the scene when I interviewed her in May 2008.
"They sat next to each other and when she was speaking he would just look at her with this adoring look,"Jarrett said with a laugh, "but he was really tough on me in the nicest possible way."
The three became fast friends. Now Obama says he runs every important decision by Jarrett, trusts her completely and considers her family.
When I bring this to her attention she accepts her role humbly.
"Well, I hope he would trust me the way any close friend does. He knows I have his best interest at heart and that I understand, because I'm part of the administration, the myriad of challenges he faces," Jarrett says. "So I hope he views me a sounding board, someone who's going to be honest, direct and candid with him at all times."
She laughs when I suggest perhaps she is his consigliere.
"You can tell I'm uncomfortable with this," she says when I try to get her to focus more on her role.
She does not like to be singled out from the rest of the White House team.
Instead she paints a picture of what it would be like if I were in an Oval Office meeting with the president.
"When everyone's done talking, if there've been a couple of people who've been quiet, he'll say, 'Well, Suzanne, what do you think of this issue?' " Jarrett says.
She describes his style in running the meetings as "accommodating."
"He reads people very well. He's extraordinarily perceptive. He can tell from the body language if someone is uncomfortable with something," Jarrett says.
But she can also read the president's body language when he's heard enough talk.
"He's not moody, but you can tell when he's ready for a conversation to end," Jarrett says. "He enjoys making sure there is robust debate, but when he's finished with debate he's finished. He's ready to move on. So I can detect when enough is enough, let's bring in the next issue."
Jarrett says newcomers to the administration have pulled her aside to get her take on how things were going.
"Particularly early on, people who didn't know the president as well as I did would come to me after a meeting and say 'What did he really mean? I know he said this, but what is he really thinking?' and I took such delight in being able to say he meant exactly what he said. That's who he is."
It's the intangibles that Jarrett sometimes brings to the table.
"People are always looking for the hidden intent, the body language, and he is about as straight a shooter as you're going to ever come across. So I think part of what I do is go around and give people some comfort to really trust what he said. He meant exactly what he said. You can take him at face value."
Jarrett says the president does not make deals after his meetings are done. People don't trail him through the back door trying to change his mind.
"That's just not the way he operates," Jarrett says. "He likes to hear from everybody at the same time. Then he makes a decision."
Jarrett's job includes acting as a liaison to the business community and conducting outreach to African-American groups. But it's her role as confidante to the president that makes her the ultimate insider.
Jarrett sits in on Obama's daily briefings in the morning that deal with national security and the economy. She also attends policy meetings regarding the president's agenda on health care, energy and education. She facilitates and hosts small groups of CEOs to have lunch with Obama. And she heads the Office of Public Engagement as the president's contact with outside groups.
Jarrett says she also spends "a good deal of time" with Michelle Obama both personally and professionally. Part of her portfolio is working closely with the first lady's team, "making sure there's seamless interaction between the East and West Wings."
Jarrett occupies the office previously used by Karl Rove and former first lady Hillary Clinton.
She is often the only woman in the room in briefings with the president. But she dismisses talk of tension with "the boys," as some of the male power players are referred to in the White House.
"We really do pull together as a team," Jarrett says.
While Jarrett's ability to freelance as the president's senior adviser has rankled some, Jarrett says being inside the circle of power is a "warm" and "inclusive" environment.
As for Obama's all-male pickup basketball games, Jarrett says that's not where the real power resides.
"I think what's really important is who does the president surround himself with and give substantial responsibilities to."
Jarrett's got plenty of responsibility.
Her challenge is separating her friendship with the president from her job. Often she takes her cues from where she stands.
"If we're in the Oval Office, I call him "Mr. President." It's very formal. I think it's appropriate. It's not just deferential to him but to the office," Jarrett says.
"I really try to compartmentalize our friendship and what my role is outside the office, and my role as senior adviser."
When I ask her if that's a difficult thing to do, requiring her to flip a switch, she says "no." She says when she's in the Oval Office, they're all about business, outside, "everything but business."
"The one thing I don't do is try to mix the two. I don't try to be his friend when we're having a business conversation and I try not to burden him with office issues when trying to have downtime," Jarrett says.
When they're hanging out as friends, it's often indulging in their favorite pastime.
"We like to eat," Jarrett says with a hearty laugh. "He's a healthy eater. I'm not. We have a lot of wonderful conversations around the dinner table -- something we've always enjoyed."
But now that dinner table is in the White House. The movies they enjoy watching, they now take in at the White House movie theater. But despite that, Jarrett insists her longtime friend is the same.
She says what she finds "so appealing" is he's still "grounded."
"He has a very good sense of self, he's steady. His temperament is very predictable," she says.
A year after Obama captured the White House, Jarrett is still in awe.
"Not a day goes by I don't pinch myself and treasure this experience and opportunity to serve this president who also happens to be my friend."
I know this because we've sat down on numerous occasions for interviews, going back to the early days of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. But this one was perhaps the most challenging because the focus was on her.
She is fiercely loyal to Obama, as one of his closest friends. But she also advises him as president, with the title of Senior Adviser and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison.
The ultimate insider does not spill the beans. But doing a series on the power players inside the White House would not be complete without looking at Jarrett's role.
She has called her relationship with the president a "mind meld."
"We're good friends who have known each other for a long time," Jarrett says. "Eighteen years, you get a pretty good sense of him."
Her first sense of him came in 1991 when Obama was a young law professor in Chicago, Illinois.
Jarrett was interviewing his fiancée, the future first lady, Michelle Robinson, for a job in Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's office. The protective partner, Obama, was making sure Jarrett was on the up and up.
Jarrett first explained the scene when I interviewed her in May 2008.
"They sat next to each other and when she was speaking he would just look at her with this adoring look,"Jarrett said with a laugh, "but he was really tough on me in the nicest possible way."
The three became fast friends. Now Obama says he runs every important decision by Jarrett, trusts her completely and considers her family.
When I bring this to her attention she accepts her role humbly.
"Well, I hope he would trust me the way any close friend does. He knows I have his best interest at heart and that I understand, because I'm part of the administration, the myriad of challenges he faces," Jarrett says. "So I hope he views me a sounding board, someone who's going to be honest, direct and candid with him at all times."
She laughs when I suggest perhaps she is his consigliere.
"You can tell I'm uncomfortable with this," she says when I try to get her to focus more on her role.
She does not like to be singled out from the rest of the White House team.
Instead she paints a picture of what it would be like if I were in an Oval Office meeting with the president.
"When everyone's done talking, if there've been a couple of people who've been quiet, he'll say, 'Well, Suzanne, what do you think of this issue?' " Jarrett says.
She describes his style in running the meetings as "accommodating."
"He reads people very well. He's extraordinarily perceptive. He can tell from the body language if someone is uncomfortable with something," Jarrett says.
But she can also read the president's body language when he's heard enough talk.
"He's not moody, but you can tell when he's ready for a conversation to end," Jarrett says. "He enjoys making sure there is robust debate, but when he's finished with debate he's finished. He's ready to move on. So I can detect when enough is enough, let's bring in the next issue."
Jarrett says newcomers to the administration have pulled her aside to get her take on how things were going.
"Particularly early on, people who didn't know the president as well as I did would come to me after a meeting and say 'What did he really mean? I know he said this, but what is he really thinking?' and I took such delight in being able to say he meant exactly what he said. That's who he is."
It's the intangibles that Jarrett sometimes brings to the table.
"People are always looking for the hidden intent, the body language, and he is about as straight a shooter as you're going to ever come across. So I think part of what I do is go around and give people some comfort to really trust what he said. He meant exactly what he said. You can take him at face value."
Jarrett says the president does not make deals after his meetings are done. People don't trail him through the back door trying to change his mind.
"That's just not the way he operates," Jarrett says. "He likes to hear from everybody at the same time. Then he makes a decision."
Jarrett's job includes acting as a liaison to the business community and conducting outreach to African-American groups. But it's her role as confidante to the president that makes her the ultimate insider.
Jarrett sits in on Obama's daily briefings in the morning that deal with national security and the economy. She also attends policy meetings regarding the president's agenda on health care, energy and education. She facilitates and hosts small groups of CEOs to have lunch with Obama. And she heads the Office of Public Engagement as the president's contact with outside groups.
Jarrett says she also spends "a good deal of time" with Michelle Obama both personally and professionally. Part of her portfolio is working closely with the first lady's team, "making sure there's seamless interaction between the East and West Wings."
Jarrett occupies the office previously used by Karl Rove and former first lady Hillary Clinton.
She is often the only woman in the room in briefings with the president. But she dismisses talk of tension with "the boys," as some of the male power players are referred to in the White House.
"We really do pull together as a team," Jarrett says.
While Jarrett's ability to freelance as the president's senior adviser has rankled some, Jarrett says being inside the circle of power is a "warm" and "inclusive" environment.
As for Obama's all-male pickup basketball games, Jarrett says that's not where the real power resides.
"I think what's really important is who does the president surround himself with and give substantial responsibilities to."
Jarrett's got plenty of responsibility.
Her challenge is separating her friendship with the president from her job. Often she takes her cues from where she stands.
"If we're in the Oval Office, I call him "Mr. President." It's very formal. I think it's appropriate. It's not just deferential to him but to the office," Jarrett says.
"I really try to compartmentalize our friendship and what my role is outside the office, and my role as senior adviser."
When I ask her if that's a difficult thing to do, requiring her to flip a switch, she says "no." She says when she's in the Oval Office, they're all about business, outside, "everything but business."
"The one thing I don't do is try to mix the two. I don't try to be his friend when we're having a business conversation and I try not to burden him with office issues when trying to have downtime," Jarrett says.
When they're hanging out as friends, it's often indulging in their favorite pastime.
"We like to eat," Jarrett says with a hearty laugh. "He's a healthy eater. I'm not. We have a lot of wonderful conversations around the dinner table -- something we've always enjoyed."
But now that dinner table is in the White House. The movies they enjoy watching, they now take in at the White House movie theater. But despite that, Jarrett insists her longtime friend is the same.
She says what she finds "so appealing" is he's still "grounded."
"He has a very good sense of self, he's steady. His temperament is very predictable," she says.
A year after Obama captured the White House, Jarrett is still in awe.
"Not a day goes by I don't pinch myself and treasure this experience and opportunity to serve this president who also happens to be my friend."
Sandra Bullock in messy custody battle
Sandra Bullock and her husband, Jesse James, are still caught in the web of one messy -- and increasingly public -- custody battle.
James, of "Monster Garage" fame, was granted custody of his 5-year-old daughter, Sunny Lee James, from a previous marriage with former adult film actress Janine Lindemulder when Lindemulder was imprisoned for tax evasion earlier this year.
Bullock and James supplied letters to the judge at the time of Lindemulder's sentencing requesting custody for Sunny, as they alleged that Lindemulder was an unfit parent.
James' representation declined to comment, and attempts to reach representation for Bullock and Lindemulder were unsuccessful.
Since her release, Lindemulder has been pushing for more parental rights.
In an October 13 letter to the judge presiding over the case obtained by CNN, Lindemulder wrote that she hoped to see her daughter every Saturday, and be more informed of her child's out-of-state travel and any changes in her education.
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"My daughter and I are both very eager to get back to a normal, healthy, loving life," she wrote.
The court granted Lindemulder visitation rights on Sundays, according to court documents, as long as she kept her daughter away from her new husband -- felon Jeremy Aikman -- and did not consume any drugs or alcohol.
Yet James found himself back in court October 29, saying that Lindemulder violated that October 13 order to ensure Sunny had zero contact with her new spouse, according to Access Hollywood.
To prove that her maternal instincts are sound, Lindemulder is taking her case to the court of public opinion.
"I am the best mother I can be," Lindemulder said during an interview on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, although she admitted to making "horrific choices in the past."
In a letter to judge Thomas Coffin obtained by ABC News, Bullock alleged that Sunny was subjected to neglect and isolation when she stayed with her mother.
"While in Janine's care, sometimes Sunny is left alone during the day, while her mother is asleep from drug use," Bullock wrote.
Bullock says the uncertainty of Sunny's world has affected her work.
"I myself have stopped working like I used to in order to be here with Jesse and the kids because we are on constant high alert," she wrote. "Never knowing the condition Janine will be in, and even more concerning, the condition Sunny will be in."
On "Good Morning America," Lindemulder said she's not sure how Bullock formed an opinion of her parenting, since "Sandy doesn't know what goes on in my house."
"It hurts tremendously. The accusations, especially from Sandra ... because we've never sat down and talked," Lindemulder said in the interview. "That's the one thing that I wish more than anything, for a remedy for what's happening here, is just communication."
But the "she-said, and then-she-said" doesn't end there. In her letter to the judge, Bullock called Lindemulder's claims that her desire to have custody of Sunny stemmed from an inability to have her own children simply not true.
"To share the joy of bringing another life into the world with Jesse is something that I desire very much," she wrote. "But we realized that due to the instability in Sunny's life, bringing another child into the world at [this] time wouldn't be in Sunny's best interest."
Despite the stress of the situation, Bullock said she's "grateful for the opportunity to participate in preparing" Sunny, Chandler and Jesse Jr. (James' two children from a previous marriage) for life.
"The universe put this in our lap," Bullock said to Parade. "I seemed to have stepped in right when I needed to be there. I now know that anything sweet, really sweet, that I have was nothing that I planned," the actress said, including her marriage to Jesse James in 2005.
"I didn't grow up thinking, 'I'm gonna get married and have someone take care of me,'" she said.
But, as she's grown, Bullock's learned a few lessons about love.
"I was good at bolting before. I didn't want to do the work," she said in the interview. "Now I work at what I love. If I didn't love him, I wouldn't be putting in the effort. I do approach things differently now that I'm married. I would never do anything that would harm his heart.
James, of "Monster Garage" fame, was granted custody of his 5-year-old daughter, Sunny Lee James, from a previous marriage with former adult film actress Janine Lindemulder when Lindemulder was imprisoned for tax evasion earlier this year.
Bullock and James supplied letters to the judge at the time of Lindemulder's sentencing requesting custody for Sunny, as they alleged that Lindemulder was an unfit parent.
James' representation declined to comment, and attempts to reach representation for Bullock and Lindemulder were unsuccessful.
Since her release, Lindemulder has been pushing for more parental rights.
In an October 13 letter to the judge presiding over the case obtained by CNN, Lindemulder wrote that she hoped to see her daughter every Saturday, and be more informed of her child's out-of-state travel and any changes in her education.
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"My daughter and I are both very eager to get back to a normal, healthy, loving life," she wrote.
The court granted Lindemulder visitation rights on Sundays, according to court documents, as long as she kept her daughter away from her new husband -- felon Jeremy Aikman -- and did not consume any drugs or alcohol.
Yet James found himself back in court October 29, saying that Lindemulder violated that October 13 order to ensure Sunny had zero contact with her new spouse, according to Access Hollywood.
To prove that her maternal instincts are sound, Lindemulder is taking her case to the court of public opinion.
"I am the best mother I can be," Lindemulder said during an interview on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, although she admitted to making "horrific choices in the past."
In a letter to judge Thomas Coffin obtained by ABC News, Bullock alleged that Sunny was subjected to neglect and isolation when she stayed with her mother.
"While in Janine's care, sometimes Sunny is left alone during the day, while her mother is asleep from drug use," Bullock wrote.
Bullock says the uncertainty of Sunny's world has affected her work.
"I myself have stopped working like I used to in order to be here with Jesse and the kids because we are on constant high alert," she wrote. "Never knowing the condition Janine will be in, and even more concerning, the condition Sunny will be in."
On "Good Morning America," Lindemulder said she's not sure how Bullock formed an opinion of her parenting, since "Sandy doesn't know what goes on in my house."
"It hurts tremendously. The accusations, especially from Sandra ... because we've never sat down and talked," Lindemulder said in the interview. "That's the one thing that I wish more than anything, for a remedy for what's happening here, is just communication."
But the "she-said, and then-she-said" doesn't end there. In her letter to the judge, Bullock called Lindemulder's claims that her desire to have custody of Sunny stemmed from an inability to have her own children simply not true.
"To share the joy of bringing another life into the world with Jesse is something that I desire very much," she wrote. "But we realized that due to the instability in Sunny's life, bringing another child into the world at [this] time wouldn't be in Sunny's best interest."
Despite the stress of the situation, Bullock said she's "grateful for the opportunity to participate in preparing" Sunny, Chandler and Jesse Jr. (James' two children from a previous marriage) for life.
"The universe put this in our lap," Bullock said to Parade. "I seemed to have stepped in right when I needed to be there. I now know that anything sweet, really sweet, that I have was nothing that I planned," the actress said, including her marriage to Jesse James in 2005.
"I didn't grow up thinking, 'I'm gonna get married and have someone take care of me,'" she said.
But, as she's grown, Bullock's learned a few lessons about love.
"I was good at bolting before. I didn't want to do the work," she said in the interview. "Now I work at what I love. If I didn't love him, I wouldn't be putting in the effort. I do approach things differently now that I'm married. I would never do anything that would harm his heart.
Missing baby was locked in chest for 12 hours
A 7-month-old baby was locked in a 2-by-3 foot cedar chest hidden underneath her aunt's bed for 12 hours before police found her Wednesday night, a Florida sheriff said Thursday.
Shannon Lee Dedrick, who had been reported missing four days earlier, is in good condition, Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said
"There was no bottle, just a blanket to cover [her]," Haddock said. "She was healthy...she was just wide open and surprised."
Police think Crystina Lynn Mercer gave her daughter to the baby's paternal aunt, Susan Baker, a day before reporting her missing, Haddock said. Both women have been charged in connection with the incident.
Baker, who also babysits the child, met with Mercer on Friday and asked if she could permanently take custody of the infant, Haddock said.
"Susan Baker took custody of Shannon from her mother sometime in the hours of October 31st," he said.
That morning, Mercer reported her baby missing to police.
Both women have been charged with interference of child custody, a third-degree felony. They also were charged with making a false report of a missing child, a false report of a crime and contributing to the delinquency of a child, all misdemeanor charges. Mercer has been charged with desertion of a child, and Baker has been charged with child neglect with aggravated circumstances, both felony charges.
Haddock offered no suspected motive.
Baker's husband was also in custody, but he was released without being charged, Haddock said.
Shannon Lee Dedrick, who had been reported missing four days earlier, is in good condition, Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said
"There was no bottle, just a blanket to cover [her]," Haddock said. "She was healthy...she was just wide open and surprised."
Police think Crystina Lynn Mercer gave her daughter to the baby's paternal aunt, Susan Baker, a day before reporting her missing, Haddock said. Both women have been charged in connection with the incident.
Baker, who also babysits the child, met with Mercer on Friday and asked if she could permanently take custody of the infant, Haddock said.
"Susan Baker took custody of Shannon from her mother sometime in the hours of October 31st," he said.
That morning, Mercer reported her baby missing to police.
Both women have been charged with interference of child custody, a third-degree felony. They also were charged with making a false report of a missing child, a false report of a crime and contributing to the delinquency of a child, all misdemeanor charges. Mercer has been charged with desertion of a child, and Baker has been charged with child neglect with aggravated circumstances, both felony charges.
Haddock offered no suspected motive.
Baker's husband was also in custody, but he was released without being charged, Haddock said.
Iowa mom guilty of murdering son, 2
An Iowa jury found Thursday that a mother with a history of depression knew right from wrong when she slashed her sons' throats, killing one and leaving the other permanently scarred.
Michelle Kehoe of Coralville, Iowa, broke into tears as the jury of eight women and four men found her guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. The jury deliberated for just and hour and 40 minutes.
Kehoe faces a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Kehoe's attorneys presented an insanity defense, arguing that she believed she was trying to save her sons from a life of suffering when she cut their throats and her own. Her first suicide attempt occurred in 1996, according to testimony.
Prosecutors countered that Kehoe methodically planned to kill her sons and herself, but botched it. The detailed planning showed she was not legally insane, Iowa Attorney General Andrew Prosser said.
The trial's dramatic highlight came as prosecutors played an audiotape of the surviving son's police statement. The boy, now 8, described how his mother slashed his throat, then moved on to his younger brother.
"She cut me," the boy said in a high-pitched voice.
Police found him covered in dried blood in the family van the morning of October 27, 2008, near a pond east of Littleton, Iowa. Beside the van, the boy's 2-year-old brother lay dead, his throat also slashed.
Video: Experts testify
Video: Doomed boy seen on camera
Video: A secluded spot to kill
Video: Boy describes attack by mother
The boy had locked himself in the van overnight after his mother slashed him and his younger brother the previous day and left them for dead, Prosser said.
Kehoe then walked to a nearby pond and attempted to kill herself by slashing her throat with the same weapon, a Winchester hunting knife she bought the month before, Prosser said.
She later told a defense mental health expert, Marilyn Hutchinson, that she had tried to pull out her windpipe, according to testimony.
When it became apparent she was not going to die, the prosecutor said, Kehoe staggered half a mile down the road to the nearest home and told a story she'd concocted weeks before of how a stranger abducted the family, killed her sons and tried to kill her.
But when authorities went searching for the stranger, they instead found her 7-year-old son in the car and his younger brother dead outside the driver's side.
"Do you know where you're injured at," Deputy Stephen Peterson asked the boy in the recording.
"Just my throat," the boy said.
"Who did that to you?"
"My mom."
The boy said his mother also put duct tape over his eyes, nose and mouth, but that he pulled them off after his mother left.
"She was hurting my baby brother," he said.
According to testimony Kehoe began planning the attack the previous month, buying the knife and the duct tape. She told her husband she was taking the boys to visit her mother at a nursing home.
Police found a handwritten note laying out details of the the attack. It said a man broke into the car when the family stopped at a gas station and forced them to the area where the van was found. Kehoe tried to fight him off with pepper spray, but he knocked her unconscious, the note said.
Police said Kehoe later told them she had written the note during the attack to explain what had happened to those who would find the scene.
According to testimony, Kehoe also told Hutchinson, the defense expert, that an incident a year earlier in which her car plunged into the Iowa River with the boys inside was actually a suicide attempt.
She and her sons were rescued by passers-by, who were hailed as heroes.
Michelle Kehoe of Coralville, Iowa, broke into tears as the jury of eight women and four men found her guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. The jury deliberated for just and hour and 40 minutes.
Kehoe faces a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Kehoe's attorneys presented an insanity defense, arguing that she believed she was trying to save her sons from a life of suffering when she cut their throats and her own. Her first suicide attempt occurred in 1996, according to testimony.
Prosecutors countered that Kehoe methodically planned to kill her sons and herself, but botched it. The detailed planning showed she was not legally insane, Iowa Attorney General Andrew Prosser said.
The trial's dramatic highlight came as prosecutors played an audiotape of the surviving son's police statement. The boy, now 8, described how his mother slashed his throat, then moved on to his younger brother.
"She cut me," the boy said in a high-pitched voice.
Police found him covered in dried blood in the family van the morning of October 27, 2008, near a pond east of Littleton, Iowa. Beside the van, the boy's 2-year-old brother lay dead, his throat also slashed.
Video: Experts testify
Video: Doomed boy seen on camera
Video: A secluded spot to kill
Video: Boy describes attack by mother
The boy had locked himself in the van overnight after his mother slashed him and his younger brother the previous day and left them for dead, Prosser said.
Kehoe then walked to a nearby pond and attempted to kill herself by slashing her throat with the same weapon, a Winchester hunting knife she bought the month before, Prosser said.
She later told a defense mental health expert, Marilyn Hutchinson, that she had tried to pull out her windpipe, according to testimony.
When it became apparent she was not going to die, the prosecutor said, Kehoe staggered half a mile down the road to the nearest home and told a story she'd concocted weeks before of how a stranger abducted the family, killed her sons and tried to kill her.
But when authorities went searching for the stranger, they instead found her 7-year-old son in the car and his younger brother dead outside the driver's side.
"Do you know where you're injured at," Deputy Stephen Peterson asked the boy in the recording.
"Just my throat," the boy said.
"Who did that to you?"
"My mom."
The boy said his mother also put duct tape over his eyes, nose and mouth, but that he pulled them off after his mother left.
"She was hurting my baby brother," he said.
According to testimony Kehoe began planning the attack the previous month, buying the knife and the duct tape. She told her husband she was taking the boys to visit her mother at a nursing home.
Police found a handwritten note laying out details of the the attack. It said a man broke into the car when the family stopped at a gas station and forced them to the area where the van was found. Kehoe tried to fight him off with pepper spray, but he knocked her unconscious, the note said.
Police said Kehoe later told them she had written the note during the attack to explain what had happened to those who would find the scene.
According to testimony, Kehoe also told Hutchinson, the defense expert, that an incident a year earlier in which her car plunged into the Iowa River with the boys inside was actually a suicide attempt.
She and her sons were rescued by passers-by, who were hailed as heroes.
Former NYPD commissioner Kerik pleads guilty to lying to White House
Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on Thursday pleaded guilty to charges of lying to Bush administration officials who vetted his unsuccessful 2004 nomination to be homeland security secretary.
Kerik admitted to eight counts as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, who are recommending a 27- to 33-month prison term. U.S. District Judge Stephen Robinson set Kerik's sentencing for February 18.
In court papers, prosecutors said Kerik denied to a White House official that there was "any possible concern" about his relationships with the contractors involved in renovations to his apartment or that he had any financial dealings with prospective city contractors.
Kerik, 54, had been scheduled to go to trial next week on a variety of corruption charges, including allegations that he received and concealed benefits of about $255,000 in renovations to his Riverdale, New York, apartment from a company seeking to do business with the city of New York. He pleaded guilty to that charge and several tax-related counts during Thursday morning's hearing.
Robinson said he would take into account Kerik's life and career, which he said "included good" as well as wrongdoing. Kerik put his head in his hands at that point.
Kerik has spent the past two weeks in jail after a judge revoked his bail. According to court papers released in late October, he violated the terms of his bail by leaking confidential evidence about his case to a lawyer who published the material online.
Kerik served as New York police commissioner from 1998 to 2002 -- a tenure that included the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed more than 2,700 people. He spent a brief stint in Iraq training the country's police force after the U.S. invasion in 2003, and was nominated by President George W. Bush for the post of homeland security secretary in 2004. However, he withdrew from consideration after allegations surfaced that he employed a nanny whose immigration status was murky.
In 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts while he worked as city corrections commissioner, but under a plea agreement he paid $221,000 in fines and avoided jail time. His admission dogged the 2008 presidential campaign of his longtime patron, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said his endorsement of Kerik had been "a mistake."
Kerik made an unsuccessful appeal for clemency to Bush in late 2008, according to court papers released in October.
Kerik admitted to eight counts as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, who are recommending a 27- to 33-month prison term. U.S. District Judge Stephen Robinson set Kerik's sentencing for February 18.
In court papers, prosecutors said Kerik denied to a White House official that there was "any possible concern" about his relationships with the contractors involved in renovations to his apartment or that he had any financial dealings with prospective city contractors.
Kerik, 54, had been scheduled to go to trial next week on a variety of corruption charges, including allegations that he received and concealed benefits of about $255,000 in renovations to his Riverdale, New York, apartment from a company seeking to do business with the city of New York. He pleaded guilty to that charge and several tax-related counts during Thursday morning's hearing.
Robinson said he would take into account Kerik's life and career, which he said "included good" as well as wrongdoing. Kerik put his head in his hands at that point.
Kerik has spent the past two weeks in jail after a judge revoked his bail. According to court papers released in late October, he violated the terms of his bail by leaking confidential evidence about his case to a lawyer who published the material online.
Kerik served as New York police commissioner from 1998 to 2002 -- a tenure that included the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed more than 2,700 people. He spent a brief stint in Iraq training the country's police force after the U.S. invasion in 2003, and was nominated by President George W. Bush for the post of homeland security secretary in 2004. However, he withdrew from consideration after allegations surfaced that he employed a nanny whose immigration status was murky.
In 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts while he worked as city corrections commissioner, but under a plea agreement he paid $221,000 in fines and avoided jail time. His admission dogged the 2008 presidential campaign of his longtime patron, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said his endorsement of Kerik had been "a mistake."
Kerik made an unsuccessful appeal for clemency to Bush in late 2008, according to court papers released in October.
H1N1 is now world's dominant flu virus, World Health Organization says
The H1N1 virus has now become the dominant influenza virus around the globe, with high levels and an increase of activity in many regions, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
In a weekly update, the WHO's point person on the H1N1 virus, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, also warned the public not to treat the virus like just another flu.
Like seasonal flu, H1N1 is more active in the winter than in the summer, and a majority of infected people get better on their own, Fukuda said. H1N1 also is as transmissible and infectious as seasonal flu, he said.
But unusually for influenza, Fukuda said, H1N1 continues at high levels over the summer months, and many of the serious illnesses and deaths are concentrated in people younger than 65.
Seven months into the pandemic, the virus commonly known as swine flu remains at high levels and continues to increase in North America, Fukuda said. Mexico, for example, has seen more cases from September to November than they saw in the preceding months from April, when the virus emerged, he said.
The virus is also becoming more active in Europe and Central and Western Asia, Fukuda said.
Health officials this week reported an outbreak of cases in Ukraine, which now has more than 250,000 cases of influenza-like illness, with 235 patients requiring intensive care, the WHO said.
Activity is picking up in East Asia, Fukuda said. Mongolia reported "a number" of cases over the past week, he said.
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"East Asia is one of the parts of the world where seasonal influenza viruses have remained in reasonably high circulation," Fukuda said. "But even in that part of the world, the pandemic virus is becoming dominant."
More cases are being reported from a number of Caribbean countries such as Cuba and Haiti, he said.
In Central America and the Southern Hemisphere, however, activity levels have dropped as those regions enter the summer season, Fukuda said.
"There are several regions in the world -- North America, Europe, Northern and Central Asia -- where we are clearly seeing pandemic influenza activity increase," he said, but "there is no one single place in the world where we are focused on."
Disease activity has been difficult to predict, Fukuda said.
"We really are not going to know what the future is going to bring, and so the main focus of our effort here is ... what steps are needed to make sure countries are as prepared as possible to deal with disease levels," he said.
H1N1 poses different challenges in different countries, but it does seem to be affecting indigenous groups more heavily than nonindigenous groups, he said.
In Australia, for example, "aboriginal groups are disproportionately represented in people who end up in hospitals from diseases related to the pandemic," Fukuda said.
The WHO still doesn't know whether the effect on indigenous groups is because of the pandemic itself or because of underlying factors.
Because most people infected with swine flu tend to recover on their own and don't suffer major problems afterwards, some people are tempted to dismiss the infection and think it's not serious. But Fukuda said that's a dangerous mind-set.
"At WHO, we remain quite concerned about the patterns we are seeing, particularly because a sizable number of people develop complications [that lead to death]," he said. "We do see that the serious complications are concentrated in the younger age groups rather than the older age groups."
While the complications are most often seen in people who have chronic, underlying health conditions and in pregnant women, they also can develop in people "who are currently healthy and young."
But contrary to some reports, Fukuda said, the WHO has not seen big mutations in the virus since it first emerged. He said viruses being isolated now are "generally similar" to those isolated over the past several months, indicating they haven't changed much.
The WHO also has no evidence of widespread resistance to antiviral medication, Fukuda said. There have been sporadic instances of resistance to oseltamivir -- the generic name for Tamiflu, one of the main drugs used against influenza -- but such cases are still "isolated and infrequent," he said.
"Antivirals are quite useful against these infections," he said.
Fukuda praised as "innovative" the decision by Norway to distribute antiviral medication over the counter for a limited period of time. The move can help take stress off the primary health system and allow patients to get the medicine more quickly, he said.
Other useful protections against H1N1 are vaccines, which the WHO recommends against pandemic infections, Fukuda said.
"These vaccines now have been used in a significant number of countries ... and based on this experience, in which millions of people have now received vaccine, we in fact see that these vaccines are very safe," he said.
The only side effects are swelling and pain at the injection site, but "these are occurring at rates that are expected and usually seen with seasonal influenza vaccine," Fukuda said.
"WHO, along with other public health authorities, believes that these vaccines are very useful against pandemic infections and [we] do support their use," he said.
In a weekly update, the WHO's point person on the H1N1 virus, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, also warned the public not to treat the virus like just another flu.
Like seasonal flu, H1N1 is more active in the winter than in the summer, and a majority of infected people get better on their own, Fukuda said. H1N1 also is as transmissible and infectious as seasonal flu, he said.
But unusually for influenza, Fukuda said, H1N1 continues at high levels over the summer months, and many of the serious illnesses and deaths are concentrated in people younger than 65.
Seven months into the pandemic, the virus commonly known as swine flu remains at high levels and continues to increase in North America, Fukuda said. Mexico, for example, has seen more cases from September to November than they saw in the preceding months from April, when the virus emerged, he said.
The virus is also becoming more active in Europe and Central and Western Asia, Fukuda said.
Health officials this week reported an outbreak of cases in Ukraine, which now has more than 250,000 cases of influenza-like illness, with 235 patients requiring intensive care, the WHO said.
Activity is picking up in East Asia, Fukuda said. Mongolia reported "a number" of cases over the past week, he said.
Track H1N1 in your state
Learn the facts about H1N1
RELATED TOPICS
* Swine Flu
* World Health Organization
* Vaccines
"East Asia is one of the parts of the world where seasonal influenza viruses have remained in reasonably high circulation," Fukuda said. "But even in that part of the world, the pandemic virus is becoming dominant."
More cases are being reported from a number of Caribbean countries such as Cuba and Haiti, he said.
In Central America and the Southern Hemisphere, however, activity levels have dropped as those regions enter the summer season, Fukuda said.
"There are several regions in the world -- North America, Europe, Northern and Central Asia -- where we are clearly seeing pandemic influenza activity increase," he said, but "there is no one single place in the world where we are focused on."
Disease activity has been difficult to predict, Fukuda said.
"We really are not going to know what the future is going to bring, and so the main focus of our effort here is ... what steps are needed to make sure countries are as prepared as possible to deal with disease levels," he said.
H1N1 poses different challenges in different countries, but it does seem to be affecting indigenous groups more heavily than nonindigenous groups, he said.
In Australia, for example, "aboriginal groups are disproportionately represented in people who end up in hospitals from diseases related to the pandemic," Fukuda said.
The WHO still doesn't know whether the effect on indigenous groups is because of the pandemic itself or because of underlying factors.
Because most people infected with swine flu tend to recover on their own and don't suffer major problems afterwards, some people are tempted to dismiss the infection and think it's not serious. But Fukuda said that's a dangerous mind-set.
"At WHO, we remain quite concerned about the patterns we are seeing, particularly because a sizable number of people develop complications [that lead to death]," he said. "We do see that the serious complications are concentrated in the younger age groups rather than the older age groups."
While the complications are most often seen in people who have chronic, underlying health conditions and in pregnant women, they also can develop in people "who are currently healthy and young."
But contrary to some reports, Fukuda said, the WHO has not seen big mutations in the virus since it first emerged. He said viruses being isolated now are "generally similar" to those isolated over the past several months, indicating they haven't changed much.
The WHO also has no evidence of widespread resistance to antiviral medication, Fukuda said. There have been sporadic instances of resistance to oseltamivir -- the generic name for Tamiflu, one of the main drugs used against influenza -- but such cases are still "isolated and infrequent," he said.
"Antivirals are quite useful against these infections," he said.
Fukuda praised as "innovative" the decision by Norway to distribute antiviral medication over the counter for a limited period of time. The move can help take stress off the primary health system and allow patients to get the medicine more quickly, he said.
Other useful protections against H1N1 are vaccines, which the WHO recommends against pandemic infections, Fukuda said.
"These vaccines now have been used in a significant number of countries ... and based on this experience, in which millions of people have now received vaccine, we in fact see that these vaccines are very safe," he said.
The only side effects are swelling and pain at the injection site, but "these are occurring at rates that are expected and usually seen with seasonal influenza vaccine," Fukuda said.
"WHO, along with other public health authorities, believes that these vaccines are very useful against pandemic infections and [we] do support their use," he said.
Congress approves more benefits for jobless
Unemployed Americans are set to get up to 20 additional weeks of jobless benefits, while new homebuyers are poised to see the $8,000 tax credit extended into mid-next year.
The House approved the measures by a 403-12 vote Thursday afternoon, a day after the Senate passed the legislation.
The president is scheduled to sign the bill into law Friday morning, the same day the government releases the monthly unemployment rate, which is expected to rise.
The closely watched legislation would extend jobless benefits in all states by 14 weeks. Those that live in states with unemployment greater than 8.5% would receive an additional six weeks. The proposal would be funded by extending a longstanding federal unemployment tax on employers through June 30, 2011.
The measure would apply to those whose benefits run out by Dec. 31, which is nearly two million people, according to Senate estimates. Those whose checks have already stopped would be able to reapply for another round.
The House, which passed its own benefits extension in September, giving an additional 13 weeks in high-unemployment states, approved the Senate's version.
"The bill will mark another step toward a boost in our economic growth and it will make critical investments for our families and our workers," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "The legislation offers a lifeline to out-of-work Americans, to the men and women hardest hit by the recession."
"The bill also a places a down payment on the future of our middle-class because it extends, for the first-time homebuyer, a tax credit helping more Americans purchase homes and making it a little easier for families to move into a new house and keep a roof over their heads," she added.
7,000 a day losing benefits
The Senate had been bickering over the details since September, and that cost more than 200,000 people their benefits. Some 7,000 unemployed Americans run out of benefits each day, according to the National Employment Law Project.
Millions of Americans are now depending on unemployment benefits, as the unemployment rate continues to soar. The unemployment rate hit a 26-year high of 9.8% in September, and is expected to go even higher when the October numbers are released on Friday.
More than one in three people who are unemployed have been out of work for at least six months, according to the law project.
Lawmakers twice lengthened the time people can receive checks to as much as 79 weeks, depending on the state. But at least one Republican warned this would be the final extension.
"The public needs to ... know, this is the last extension," said Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.
Tax break for buying a home
The legislation also would extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit to contracts signed by April 30 and closed by June 30. The controversial credit, which many say has boosted home sales in recent months, was set to expire after Nov. 30.
The bill also creates a $6,500 credit for those who buy a home after living in their current house at least five years. That measure would apply to contracts signed by April 30 and closed by June 30. The current credit defines a first-time homebuyer as someone who has not owned a residence within the past three years.
The credit would be available only for the purchase of principal residences priced at $800,000 or less.
The bill would raise the adjusted gross income cap to $125,000 for single filers and $225,000 for joint filers. The amount of the credit currently begins to phase out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is more than $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers.
"It's gonna put people back to work, the home builders, put people in the real estate business," said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. "The kind of jobs that can make a difference."
The extension will cost $10.8 billion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Through mid-September, 1.4 million tax returns had qualified for the credit, according to the IRS. Some portion of those returns, which the IRS couldn't specify, represents buyers who took advantage of an earlier version of the tax credit, which was only worth $7,500 and has to be repaid over time.
By the end of November, the credit will have been used by 1.8 million homebuyers, at least 355,000 of whom would not have bought a house without the tax break, according to estimates by the National Association of Realtors.
"The data on the present home buyer tax credit show that the credit has had its intended impact -- sales have jumped in recent months to a projected 5.1 million for the year and housing inventory has been trimmed, thus stabilizing home prices noticeably," said Ron Phipps, the association's first vice president, in Senate testimony last month.
The credit, however, has also posed many problems. Critics say it's a waste of money because most of those claiming the credit would have bought homes anyway.
It's also been the target of fraud. Some 74,000 people claimed more than $500 million in credits even though they may not be first-time homeowners, according to Treasury officials. And more than 580 children, including some as young as 4-years-old, have claimed the credit.
"Some key controls were missing to prevent an individual from erroneously or fraudulently claiming the credit and receiving an erroneous refund of up to $8,000," said J. Russell George, Treasury inspector general for tax administration, before a House subcommittee last month.
CNN Radio Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins contributed to this report. To top of page
The House approved the measures by a 403-12 vote Thursday afternoon, a day after the Senate passed the legislation.
The president is scheduled to sign the bill into law Friday morning, the same day the government releases the monthly unemployment rate, which is expected to rise.
The closely watched legislation would extend jobless benefits in all states by 14 weeks. Those that live in states with unemployment greater than 8.5% would receive an additional six weeks. The proposal would be funded by extending a longstanding federal unemployment tax on employers through June 30, 2011.
The measure would apply to those whose benefits run out by Dec. 31, which is nearly two million people, according to Senate estimates. Those whose checks have already stopped would be able to reapply for another round.
The House, which passed its own benefits extension in September, giving an additional 13 weeks in high-unemployment states, approved the Senate's version.
"The bill will mark another step toward a boost in our economic growth and it will make critical investments for our families and our workers," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "The legislation offers a lifeline to out-of-work Americans, to the men and women hardest hit by the recession."
"The bill also a places a down payment on the future of our middle-class because it extends, for the first-time homebuyer, a tax credit helping more Americans purchase homes and making it a little easier for families to move into a new house and keep a roof over their heads," she added.
7,000 a day losing benefits
The Senate had been bickering over the details since September, and that cost more than 200,000 people their benefits. Some 7,000 unemployed Americans run out of benefits each day, according to the National Employment Law Project.
Millions of Americans are now depending on unemployment benefits, as the unemployment rate continues to soar. The unemployment rate hit a 26-year high of 9.8% in September, and is expected to go even higher when the October numbers are released on Friday.
More than one in three people who are unemployed have been out of work for at least six months, according to the law project.
Lawmakers twice lengthened the time people can receive checks to as much as 79 weeks, depending on the state. But at least one Republican warned this would be the final extension.
"The public needs to ... know, this is the last extension," said Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.
Tax break for buying a home
The legislation also would extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit to contracts signed by April 30 and closed by June 30. The controversial credit, which many say has boosted home sales in recent months, was set to expire after Nov. 30.
The bill also creates a $6,500 credit for those who buy a home after living in their current house at least five years. That measure would apply to contracts signed by April 30 and closed by June 30. The current credit defines a first-time homebuyer as someone who has not owned a residence within the past three years.
The credit would be available only for the purchase of principal residences priced at $800,000 or less.
The bill would raise the adjusted gross income cap to $125,000 for single filers and $225,000 for joint filers. The amount of the credit currently begins to phase out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is more than $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers.
"It's gonna put people back to work, the home builders, put people in the real estate business," said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. "The kind of jobs that can make a difference."
The extension will cost $10.8 billion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Through mid-September, 1.4 million tax returns had qualified for the credit, according to the IRS. Some portion of those returns, which the IRS couldn't specify, represents buyers who took advantage of an earlier version of the tax credit, which was only worth $7,500 and has to be repaid over time.
By the end of November, the credit will have been used by 1.8 million homebuyers, at least 355,000 of whom would not have bought a house without the tax break, according to estimates by the National Association of Realtors.
"The data on the present home buyer tax credit show that the credit has had its intended impact -- sales have jumped in recent months to a projected 5.1 million for the year and housing inventory has been trimmed, thus stabilizing home prices noticeably," said Ron Phipps, the association's first vice president, in Senate testimony last month.
The credit, however, has also posed many problems. Critics say it's a waste of money because most of those claiming the credit would have bought homes anyway.
It's also been the target of fraud. Some 74,000 people claimed more than $500 million in credits even though they may not be first-time homeowners, according to Treasury officials. And more than 580 children, including some as young as 4-years-old, have claimed the credit.
"Some key controls were missing to prevent an individual from erroneously or fraudulently claiming the credit and receiving an erroneous refund of up to $8,000," said J. Russell George, Treasury inspector general for tax administration, before a House subcommittee last month.
CNN Radio Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins contributed to this report. To top of page
Monday, November 2, 2009
Rock and Roll wrap up
Producer Doug Ganley blogging from backstage at Madison Square Garden where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert took place Thursday night.
A long night at Madison Square Garden wrapped up close to 1:30 on Friday morning with Bruce Springsteen belting out "Born to Run" with Billy Joel.
The concert started late and the sets were pretty long.
Take Stevie Wonder who was on stage for more than an hour and told the crowd that he was there to “turn this mother out!”
There were some moments that definitely stood out for me at the end of the night.
Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon arm in arm performing some of their biggest hits. Garfunkel said backstage that he and Simon had “a lovely falling back together again,” after their long feud.
Stevie Wonder, John Legend, and BB King singing “The Thrill is Gone” definitely riled up the audience as well.
But Bruce Springsteen took the cake. He came out on stage just before midnight and played until well after 1 am.
This is not a young crowd, and I’m sure at least some of them had to be at work in the morning, but it looked like they kept the place pretty full through Bruce’s set.
They were flying when Bruce brought out Sam Moore to sing “Hold On I'm Coming.” You may not recognize Moore’s name (he's from the duo Sam & Dave) but you’ve heard his voice, which Bruce called “one of the best voices of all time.”
The crowd got louder when the Boss was joined by John Fogerty for “Fortunate Son” and “Proud Mary.”
But the favorite moment for the New York audience came when Bruce discussed his theory of continental drift and how that separated Long Island and New Jersey.
To reunite the two, he held a “Bridge and Tunnel Summit,” with Long Island’s own Billy Joel. The term comes from how people, who live in New York City, disdainfully refer to their suburban neighbors. Everyone loved the pair singing Joel’s hit “New York State of Mind.”
As the concert wrapped up, even the celebrities discovered that it can be tough to get out of the Garden. As I walked out I saw Shania Twain trying to get past some determined autograph seekers and into her car.
The concert will air on HBO November 29th, after it’s edited down and combined with another show starring Metallica and U2 scheduled for Friday night.
One of the persistent topics backstage was what bands will eventually wind up in the Rock Hall of Fame. So I’ll put it out to you, what acts do you think should be enshrined in the Cleveland museum?
A long night at Madison Square Garden wrapped up close to 1:30 on Friday morning with Bruce Springsteen belting out "Born to Run" with Billy Joel.
The concert started late and the sets were pretty long.
Take Stevie Wonder who was on stage for more than an hour and told the crowd that he was there to “turn this mother out!”
There were some moments that definitely stood out for me at the end of the night.
Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon arm in arm performing some of their biggest hits. Garfunkel said backstage that he and Simon had “a lovely falling back together again,” after their long feud.
Stevie Wonder, John Legend, and BB King singing “The Thrill is Gone” definitely riled up the audience as well.
But Bruce Springsteen took the cake. He came out on stage just before midnight and played until well after 1 am.
This is not a young crowd, and I’m sure at least some of them had to be at work in the morning, but it looked like they kept the place pretty full through Bruce’s set.
They were flying when Bruce brought out Sam Moore to sing “Hold On I'm Coming.” You may not recognize Moore’s name (he's from the duo Sam & Dave) but you’ve heard his voice, which Bruce called “one of the best voices of all time.”
The crowd got louder when the Boss was joined by John Fogerty for “Fortunate Son” and “Proud Mary.”
But the favorite moment for the New York audience came when Bruce discussed his theory of continental drift and how that separated Long Island and New Jersey.
To reunite the two, he held a “Bridge and Tunnel Summit,” with Long Island’s own Billy Joel. The term comes from how people, who live in New York City, disdainfully refer to their suburban neighbors. Everyone loved the pair singing Joel’s hit “New York State of Mind.”
As the concert wrapped up, even the celebrities discovered that it can be tough to get out of the Garden. As I walked out I saw Shania Twain trying to get past some determined autograph seekers and into her car.
The concert will air on HBO November 29th, after it’s edited down and combined with another show starring Metallica and U2 scheduled for Friday night.
One of the persistent topics backstage was what bands will eventually wind up in the Rock Hall of Fame. So I’ll put it out to you, what acts do you think should be enshrined in the Cleveland museum?
Yankovic still 'Weird' after all these years
In the 1980s, it was easy to dismiss the accordion-toting "Weird Al" Yankovic as a one-joke wonder.
Sure, the joke was funny. Those song parodies, such as "Eat It" or "I Lost on Jeopardy"? Clever, as were the note-perfect videos for them that played constantly on MTV. (Occasionally, Yankovic would take over the channel, rechristening it "AlTV.")
But how long could it last? Devotion to song parodies was the stuff of teenage boys, not serious musicians or Top 40 hitmakers. Sooner or later, Yankovic's time would be up, and he'd end up back in the rack with Dickie Goodman or Buckner & Garcia.
"I never expected to make a living at this when I was growing up. My whole career is pretty much by accident," he said from New York.
Twenty-five years later, the joke's on us. And it's still funny.
Yankovic, now a 30-year veteran of the music business, recently issued "The Essential 'Weird Al' Yankovic" (Way Moby/Volcano/Legacy), two full discs of spot-on parody and original musical humor. (It's not the first time Yankovic's material has been gathered on a best-of; there was a four-disc boxed set back in 1994.)
The parodies include the early hits -- the Michael Jackson spoof "Eat It," the Madonna send-up "Like a Surgeon" (which was suggested by the Material Girl herself) -- on through recent entries such as the Green Day parody "Canadian Idiot" and Yankovic's biggest chart hit, 2006's "White & Nerdy," the latter a take-off of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'."
"It's certainly ironic considering that my genre is by and large the domain of one-hit wonders, and I've outlasted many of the artists that I've parodied over the years," he observed with a touch of wonder.
Yankovic owes his start to comedy-mining DJ Dr. Demento, who took a taped submission by the then-high school student and put it on the air. Eventually, Yankovic decided to give music a full-time shot, despite architecture studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
It's been mostly success since then. Besides the hits, Yankovic's starred in a movie (the cult favorite "UHF") and a television show ("The Weird Al Show") and established himself as a video director. Musicians, whom Yankovic consults before recording a send-up, generally treat a Weird Al song as a tribute.
"The list of people that have turned me down is actually pretty small," Yankovic said. "The only person who has consistently said no is Prince." (He has had his run-ins with the suits; Atlantic Records said he couldn't release "You're Pitiful," a parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful," despite Blunt's approval; Yankovic retaliated by insulting Atlantic in a video and putting out the song as a free download.)
If Yankovic has a challenge these days, it's finding songs worth parodying. He admires music from a variety of genres, but the splintering of the Top 40 audience has made it harder to find a tune everybody recognizes.
"One of the hardest things to do nowadays is even trying to define what a hit is. Just because it's a hit on one particular radio station doesn't mean it's a mainstream hit," he said.
But he likes rap's bounty of language -- "There are a lot of words to play with. A lot of pop songs are either very repetitive or don't give you a lot of material" -- and figures that pop will change again and provide more opportunities.
Besides, it comes down to the humor, he adds.
"Thankfully, one of my creeds is that my songs need to be funny and enjoyable even if you're not familiar with the original source material," he said.
If the source material should fail him, there's always the accordion. Indeed, Yankovic has given the much-maligned instrument a leading role on his recordings, usually on polka-flavored ditties.
Asked whether there's a possibility of teaming with They Might Be Giants' accordionist John Linnell and polka master Jimmy Sturr, Yankovic chuckles. Could "Monsters of Polka" be in his future?
"No talk as far as I know, but that sounds like a fun project," he said.
Sure, the joke was funny. Those song parodies, such as "Eat It" or "I Lost on Jeopardy"? Clever, as were the note-perfect videos for them that played constantly on MTV. (Occasionally, Yankovic would take over the channel, rechristening it "AlTV.")
But how long could it last? Devotion to song parodies was the stuff of teenage boys, not serious musicians or Top 40 hitmakers. Sooner or later, Yankovic's time would be up, and he'd end up back in the rack with Dickie Goodman or Buckner & Garcia.
"I never expected to make a living at this when I was growing up. My whole career is pretty much by accident," he said from New York.
Twenty-five years later, the joke's on us. And it's still funny.
Yankovic, now a 30-year veteran of the music business, recently issued "The Essential 'Weird Al' Yankovic" (Way Moby/Volcano/Legacy), two full discs of spot-on parody and original musical humor. (It's not the first time Yankovic's material has been gathered on a best-of; there was a four-disc boxed set back in 1994.)
The parodies include the early hits -- the Michael Jackson spoof "Eat It," the Madonna send-up "Like a Surgeon" (which was suggested by the Material Girl herself) -- on through recent entries such as the Green Day parody "Canadian Idiot" and Yankovic's biggest chart hit, 2006's "White & Nerdy," the latter a take-off of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'."
"It's certainly ironic considering that my genre is by and large the domain of one-hit wonders, and I've outlasted many of the artists that I've parodied over the years," he observed with a touch of wonder.
Yankovic owes his start to comedy-mining DJ Dr. Demento, who took a taped submission by the then-high school student and put it on the air. Eventually, Yankovic decided to give music a full-time shot, despite architecture studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
It's been mostly success since then. Besides the hits, Yankovic's starred in a movie (the cult favorite "UHF") and a television show ("The Weird Al Show") and established himself as a video director. Musicians, whom Yankovic consults before recording a send-up, generally treat a Weird Al song as a tribute.
"The list of people that have turned me down is actually pretty small," Yankovic said. "The only person who has consistently said no is Prince." (He has had his run-ins with the suits; Atlantic Records said he couldn't release "You're Pitiful," a parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful," despite Blunt's approval; Yankovic retaliated by insulting Atlantic in a video and putting out the song as a free download.)
If Yankovic has a challenge these days, it's finding songs worth parodying. He admires music from a variety of genres, but the splintering of the Top 40 audience has made it harder to find a tune everybody recognizes.
"One of the hardest things to do nowadays is even trying to define what a hit is. Just because it's a hit on one particular radio station doesn't mean it's a mainstream hit," he said.
But he likes rap's bounty of language -- "There are a lot of words to play with. A lot of pop songs are either very repetitive or don't give you a lot of material" -- and figures that pop will change again and provide more opportunities.
Besides, it comes down to the humor, he adds.
"Thankfully, one of my creeds is that my songs need to be funny and enjoyable even if you're not familiar with the original source material," he said.
If the source material should fail him, there's always the accordion. Indeed, Yankovic has given the much-maligned instrument a leading role on his recordings, usually on polka-flavored ditties.
Asked whether there's a possibility of teaming with They Might Be Giants' accordionist John Linnell and polka master Jimmy Sturr, Yankovic chuckles. Could "Monsters of Polka" be in his future?
"No talk as far as I know, but that sounds like a fun project," he said.
Actor Dennis Hopper diagnosed with prostate cancer
Actor and filmmaker Dennis Hopper has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his manager Sam Maydew said Friday.
Hopper is being treated in a special program at the University of Southern California, according to CNN news affiliate KTLA.
He was expected to appear at an exhibition of his photography at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne but has cancelled in order to focus on treatment.
"We're hoping for the best," Maydew said. No other details were immediately available.
On September 30, Hopper was hospitalized in New York for flu-like symptoms and stomach pains. He was released the next day feeling "much better," according to KTLA.
The 73-year-old Academy Award winner is known for his roles in "Rebel Without a Cause," "Hoosiers," "Apocalypse Now" and "Easy Rider" -- the latter of which he also directed -- among scores of other films.
Hopper recently finished shooting the second season of the Starz drama "Crash," based on the 2006 Oscar-winning film.
Hopper is being treated in a special program at the University of Southern California, according to CNN news affiliate KTLA.
He was expected to appear at an exhibition of his photography at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne but has cancelled in order to focus on treatment.
"We're hoping for the best," Maydew said. No other details were immediately available.
On September 30, Hopper was hospitalized in New York for flu-like symptoms and stomach pains. He was released the next day feeling "much better," according to KTLA.
The 73-year-old Academy Award winner is known for his roles in "Rebel Without a Cause," "Hoosiers," "Apocalypse Now" and "Easy Rider" -- the latter of which he also directed -- among scores of other films.
Hopper recently finished shooting the second season of the Starz drama "Crash," based on the 2006 Oscar-winning film.
Clinton says time to move past 2008 election
One day after a new book revealed former President Bill Clinton's 2008 campaign trail outbursts may have prevented his wife from landing a spot on the Democratic ticket, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says it's time to move past last year's election.
"I'm very happy with the position that I have and I think Joe Biden's doing a great job as vice president, so I think we should move on from the campaign of 2008," Clinton told CNN's Jill Dougherty in Pakistan earlier Friday.
In excerpts released Thursday of David Plouffe's forthcoming book, the former Obama campaign manager writes he was surprised at how interested Obama was in picking Clinton for his running mate after the hard-fought Democratic primary race came to an end.
Ultimately, Plouffe writes, Obama ruled against Clinton in fear her husband may have proved to be "too big a complication."
"If I picked her, my concern is that there would be more than two of us in the relationship," Plouffe quotes Obama as saying.
The new book, titled The Audacity to Win, hits book stores November 3.
"I'm very happy with the position that I have and I think Joe Biden's doing a great job as vice president, so I think we should move on from the campaign of 2008," Clinton told CNN's Jill Dougherty in Pakistan earlier Friday.
In excerpts released Thursday of David Plouffe's forthcoming book, the former Obama campaign manager writes he was surprised at how interested Obama was in picking Clinton for his running mate after the hard-fought Democratic primary race came to an end.
Ultimately, Plouffe writes, Obama ruled against Clinton in fear her husband may have proved to be "too big a complication."
"If I picked her, my concern is that there would be more than two of us in the relationship," Plouffe quotes Obama as saying.
The new book, titled The Audacity to Win, hits book stores November 3.
White House begins publishing the names of visitors
The White House on Friday began releasing the names of visitors as part of a Barack Obama campaign promise to run a more transparent administration.
Last month, Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, said records of White House visitors would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis beginning in December.
"We will achieve our goal of making this administration the most open and transparent administration in history not only by opening the doors of the White House to more Americans, but by shining a light on the business conducted inside it," he said. "Americans have a right to know whose voices are being heard in the policymaking process."
As part of that initiative, he offered to look back at records from before the announcement.
Eisen said Friday that 110 disclosure requests from September have been processed, yielding nearly 500 visitor records that have been posted on the White House Web site. Since the release covers only those records that are at least 90 days old, the first records cover January 20 to July 31.
"This first release is only the latest in a series of unprecedented steps by the president to increase openness in government," Eisen said.
Given that up to 100,000 people visit the White House each month, the names published Friday included people with some very familiar names -- including William Ayers, Michael Jordan, Michael Moore, Jeremiah Wright and R. Kelly -- that did not belong to their more famous counterparts, he said.
"The well-known individuals with those names never actually came to the White House," Eisen said.
Last month, Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, said records of White House visitors would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis beginning in December.
"We will achieve our goal of making this administration the most open and transparent administration in history not only by opening the doors of the White House to more Americans, but by shining a light on the business conducted inside it," he said. "Americans have a right to know whose voices are being heard in the policymaking process."
As part of that initiative, he offered to look back at records from before the announcement.
Eisen said Friday that 110 disclosure requests from September have been processed, yielding nearly 500 visitor records that have been posted on the White House Web site. Since the release covers only those records that are at least 90 days old, the first records cover January 20 to July 31.
"This first release is only the latest in a series of unprecedented steps by the president to increase openness in government," Eisen said.
Given that up to 100,000 people visit the White House each month, the names published Friday included people with some very familiar names -- including William Ayers, Michael Jordan, Michael Moore, Jeremiah Wright and R. Kelly -- that did not belong to their more famous counterparts, he said.
"The well-known individuals with those names never actually came to the White House," Eisen said.
Cheney told FBI he did not know who leaked Plame's identity
Former vice president Dick Cheney told a special prosecutor in 2004 that he had no idea who leaked the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame, according to newly released FBI documents.
Cheney was questioned as part of an investigation on how journalists came to know the identity of Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who was a critic of the Iraq war.
In the interview, Cheney responded to many questions with "I do not recall."
However, he took a few stabs at the CIA in its handling of White House allegations that Iraq was attempting to purchase uranium from Niger to manufacture nuclear weapons.
Wilson was dispatched to Niger on a CIA assignment to explore the charges and later said that the Bush administration was twisting facts to support an invasion of Iraq. He implied in a newspaper article that his trip was at the behest of the vice president.
Cheney's reaction to the article was that it was "amateur hour" at the CIA, according to the FBI documents, released after the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a watchdog group in Washington, sued under the Freedom of Information Act. The 28-page summary of the Cheney interview was made public more than five years after it took place.
Cheney, his chief of staff, Scooter Libby, and presidential adviser Karl Rove, were named in a 2006 federal civil lawsuit by Plame and Wilson. Plame contended she was the victim of intentional and malicious exposure and that both she and Wilson suffered a violation of rights. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2007.
Only Libby was tried and convicted of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI about the Plame leak. President George W. Bush later commuted his sentence.
Cheney told the FBI he did not recall discussing Plame with Libby prior to her name being published in a column by Robert Novak in July 2003, and said he had no knowledge of Libby's meeting with New York Times reporter Judith Miller a week before Plame was identified.
In closing arguments at Libby's trial, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald said "a cloud over the vice-president" persisted.
Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, said: "Mr. Cheney's near total amnesia regarding his role in this monumental Washington scandal -- resulting in the conviction of his top aide -- shows why."
Cheney was questioned as part of an investigation on how journalists came to know the identity of Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who was a critic of the Iraq war.
In the interview, Cheney responded to many questions with "I do not recall."
However, he took a few stabs at the CIA in its handling of White House allegations that Iraq was attempting to purchase uranium from Niger to manufacture nuclear weapons.
Wilson was dispatched to Niger on a CIA assignment to explore the charges and later said that the Bush administration was twisting facts to support an invasion of Iraq. He implied in a newspaper article that his trip was at the behest of the vice president.
Cheney's reaction to the article was that it was "amateur hour" at the CIA, according to the FBI documents, released after the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a watchdog group in Washington, sued under the Freedom of Information Act. The 28-page summary of the Cheney interview was made public more than five years after it took place.
Cheney, his chief of staff, Scooter Libby, and presidential adviser Karl Rove, were named in a 2006 federal civil lawsuit by Plame and Wilson. Plame contended she was the victim of intentional and malicious exposure and that both she and Wilson suffered a violation of rights. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2007.
Only Libby was tried and convicted of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI about the Plame leak. President George W. Bush later commuted his sentence.
Cheney told the FBI he did not recall discussing Plame with Libby prior to her name being published in a column by Robert Novak in July 2003, and said he had no knowledge of Libby's meeting with New York Times reporter Judith Miller a week before Plame was identified.
In closing arguments at Libby's trial, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald said "a cloud over the vice-president" persisted.
Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, said: "Mr. Cheney's near total amnesia regarding his role in this monumental Washington scandal -- resulting in the conviction of his top aide -- shows why."
19-Year-Old Survives Avalanche Near Copper Mountain
A 19-year-old skier was buried up to his neck but survived a weekend avalanche near Copper Mountain.
The Eagle County man was skiing with two friends Saturday on the northeast side of Bartlett Peak between Copper Mountain and Leadville. The man's friends, including one who made it down the slope safely, said they saw the 19-year-old make five or six turns before an avalanche broke about 50 feet above him and carried him to the bottom.
He was buried up to his neck, but his friends quickly ran over and dug him out.
They soon discovered he was injured so one of them climbed back up the chute to get cell phone coverage and made a 911 call for help.
Summit County rescuers determined GPS coordinates from the 911 call, and then directed a Flight for Life crew based in Frisco to fly directly to the victim.
The helicopter was able to land approximately 150 feet from the skier. The pilot, flight paramedic and the victim's two friends carried the man to the helicopter, and he was flown to St. Anthony's Summit Medical Center, where he was hospitalized with serious injuries.
The Summit County Rescue Group said the slide was about 500 feet long.
"It was 15 feet wide at the top, expanding to 65 to 75 feet wide at the toe, and about 500 to 600 vertical feet in length. The snow failed right down to the ground, and there were a lot of rocks," said Kevin Kelble, the flight paramedic at the scene.
All three of the backcountry skiers had avalanche beacons, probes and shovels, and all three had been trained in avalanche awareness.
Rescue groups are warning backcountry skiers to be prepared for avalanches. All backcountry skiers should be fully equipped with avalanche gear and have the knowledge of how to use it, the Summit County Rescue Group said.
Already this season slides have been reported in Rocky Mountain National Park and on Independence, Loveland and Jones passes.
"There have been seven incidents and one close call reported in Colorado in October. Nine people have been caught, three of them partially buried and two of them fully buried," said Spencer Logan of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The Eagle County man was skiing with two friends Saturday on the northeast side of Bartlett Peak between Copper Mountain and Leadville. The man's friends, including one who made it down the slope safely, said they saw the 19-year-old make five or six turns before an avalanche broke about 50 feet above him and carried him to the bottom.
He was buried up to his neck, but his friends quickly ran over and dug him out.
They soon discovered he was injured so one of them climbed back up the chute to get cell phone coverage and made a 911 call for help.
Summit County rescuers determined GPS coordinates from the 911 call, and then directed a Flight for Life crew based in Frisco to fly directly to the victim.
The helicopter was able to land approximately 150 feet from the skier. The pilot, flight paramedic and the victim's two friends carried the man to the helicopter, and he was flown to St. Anthony's Summit Medical Center, where he was hospitalized with serious injuries.
The Summit County Rescue Group said the slide was about 500 feet long.
"It was 15 feet wide at the top, expanding to 65 to 75 feet wide at the toe, and about 500 to 600 vertical feet in length. The snow failed right down to the ground, and there were a lot of rocks," said Kevin Kelble, the flight paramedic at the scene.
All three of the backcountry skiers had avalanche beacons, probes and shovels, and all three had been trained in avalanche awareness.
Rescue groups are warning backcountry skiers to be prepared for avalanches. All backcountry skiers should be fully equipped with avalanche gear and have the knowledge of how to use it, the Summit County Rescue Group said.
Already this season slides have been reported in Rocky Mountain National Park and on Independence, Loveland and Jones passes.
"There have been seven incidents and one close call reported in Colorado in October. Nine people have been caught, three of them partially buried and two of them fully buried," said Spencer Logan of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
King: One year after Obama's victory
This is a week that, in more ways than one, will bring lessons of how much has changed since President Obama's historic election victory one year ago.
In Washington, key tests remain for Democratic health care plans in the House and Senate. This week will also give us a better sense of just how detailed Republicans are willing to be in offering an alternative plan.
From the government and Wall Street, fresh earnings and other data will test this cautiously optimistic assessment from Vice President Biden: "I'm confident we have hit bottom."
And Election Day 2009 will be compared with Election Day 2008. Democrats have had the upper hand in New Jersey and Virginia in recent years. In gubernatorial and other elections, Republicans see a chance to make a statement about their party and perhaps about the president's standing as well.
Video: NJ test of independence
Video: GOP working on health care bill
Video: Barbour gets 'The Last Word'
RELATED TOPICS
* Barack Obama
* Democratic Party
* Republican Party
* National Economy
* Afghanistan
"I think it's a great overstatement to say this a referendum on President Obama," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who is chairman of the Republican Governors Association and a former Republican National Committee chairman. "But his policies have had a lot of effect on people's thinking."
This week, watch for book releases from former Vice President Al Gore and Obama campaign guru David Plouffe, new orders from the Supreme Court and an "Odd Trio" education tour featuring Education Secretary Arne Duncan, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and civil rights activist Al Sharpton.
And with challenger Abdullah Abdullah bowing out of the Afghan presidential runoff, look for increased calls for Obama to make his decision on U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan.
"The longer the decision hangs, the more jeopardy and the more danger our troops on the ground there are in the middle of," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, told us Sunday on "State of the Union."
"We've had the highest casualty troops in years over the last month or two. Why? Because of all the uncertainty around what the president is going to decide."
Strong words. But the White House says there is no connection between the troops debate and the recent increase in casualties, and it also insists the president will not be rushed into making his decision.
A closer look at the week's highlights:
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's hybrid health care plan is awaiting scorings from the Congressional Budget Office, and those numbers will shape his effort to round up the 60 votes he needs to command the debate. Floor action could begin in the House, too. As Democrats proceed, Republicans are working to combine several GOP proposals into one comprehensive health care alternative.
Boehner said the GOP plan would not raise taxes or increase the deficit. He could not, however, say how much it would cost or what percentage of Americans would gain health coverage if it were enacted. He did say those numbers would be forthcoming.
• Economic data: Ford and Cooper Tire earnings reports will test the auto industry's condition. Earnings from Humana, Marathon Oil, Viacom, Time Warner, News Corp., Allstate, Sunoco and Starbucks offer a broad cross-section of economic activity. The government will mix in new reports on construction spending, productivity and consumer credit.
Deserving of a mention of its own is Friday's unemployment report -- with all eyes watching whether the national rate of 9.8 percent heads into double digits.
• Elections: The governors races are the main events, and while it would be wrong to read too much into the results, Obama's personal appeals in person and in TV ads erase any doubt of his investment.
There is as much if not more buzz in the final weekend over a special congressional election in New York: the endorsed Republican candidate not only bowed out but endorsed the Democrat -- this after she came under fierce attack from conservative groups.
Republicans labored Sunday to say it was an isolated family feud in a unique race, but Democrats saw it as proof of an intolerance for moderates on the GOP right.
"I'm a big believer in Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment: never talk ill about another Republican," Boehner said when asked about the conservative attacks on Dede Scozzafava.
'That was not followed in this race," we suggested.
"I know," Boehner answered.
Still, he and others suggested this would all pass. But on "Face the Nation," senior Obama adviser David Axelrod saw it differently: "It sends a clear message to moderates within that party that there is no room at the inn for them."
No more room here, though still much more we could discuss.
Enjoy the week.
In Washington, key tests remain for Democratic health care plans in the House and Senate. This week will also give us a better sense of just how detailed Republicans are willing to be in offering an alternative plan.
From the government and Wall Street, fresh earnings and other data will test this cautiously optimistic assessment from Vice President Biden: "I'm confident we have hit bottom."
And Election Day 2009 will be compared with Election Day 2008. Democrats have had the upper hand in New Jersey and Virginia in recent years. In gubernatorial and other elections, Republicans see a chance to make a statement about their party and perhaps about the president's standing as well.
Video: NJ test of independence
Video: GOP working on health care bill
Video: Barbour gets 'The Last Word'
RELATED TOPICS
* Barack Obama
* Democratic Party
* Republican Party
* National Economy
* Afghanistan
"I think it's a great overstatement to say this a referendum on President Obama," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who is chairman of the Republican Governors Association and a former Republican National Committee chairman. "But his policies have had a lot of effect on people's thinking."
This week, watch for book releases from former Vice President Al Gore and Obama campaign guru David Plouffe, new orders from the Supreme Court and an "Odd Trio" education tour featuring Education Secretary Arne Duncan, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and civil rights activist Al Sharpton.
And with challenger Abdullah Abdullah bowing out of the Afghan presidential runoff, look for increased calls for Obama to make his decision on U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan.
"The longer the decision hangs, the more jeopardy and the more danger our troops on the ground there are in the middle of," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, told us Sunday on "State of the Union."
"We've had the highest casualty troops in years over the last month or two. Why? Because of all the uncertainty around what the president is going to decide."
Strong words. But the White House says there is no connection between the troops debate and the recent increase in casualties, and it also insists the president will not be rushed into making his decision.
A closer look at the week's highlights:
• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's hybrid health care plan is awaiting scorings from the Congressional Budget Office, and those numbers will shape his effort to round up the 60 votes he needs to command the debate. Floor action could begin in the House, too. As Democrats proceed, Republicans are working to combine several GOP proposals into one comprehensive health care alternative.
Boehner said the GOP plan would not raise taxes or increase the deficit. He could not, however, say how much it would cost or what percentage of Americans would gain health coverage if it were enacted. He did say those numbers would be forthcoming.
• Economic data: Ford and Cooper Tire earnings reports will test the auto industry's condition. Earnings from Humana, Marathon Oil, Viacom, Time Warner, News Corp., Allstate, Sunoco and Starbucks offer a broad cross-section of economic activity. The government will mix in new reports on construction spending, productivity and consumer credit.
Deserving of a mention of its own is Friday's unemployment report -- with all eyes watching whether the national rate of 9.8 percent heads into double digits.
• Elections: The governors races are the main events, and while it would be wrong to read too much into the results, Obama's personal appeals in person and in TV ads erase any doubt of his investment.
There is as much if not more buzz in the final weekend over a special congressional election in New York: the endorsed Republican candidate not only bowed out but endorsed the Democrat -- this after she came under fierce attack from conservative groups.
Republicans labored Sunday to say it was an isolated family feud in a unique race, but Democrats saw it as proof of an intolerance for moderates on the GOP right.
"I'm a big believer in Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment: never talk ill about another Republican," Boehner said when asked about the conservative attacks on Dede Scozzafava.
'That was not followed in this race," we suggested.
"I know," Boehner answered.
Still, he and others suggested this would all pass. But on "Face the Nation," senior Obama adviser David Axelrod saw it differently: "It sends a clear message to moderates within that party that there is no room at the inn for them."
No more room here, though still much more we could discuss.
Enjoy the week.
CIT files for 5th largest U.S. bankruptcy
CIT Group Inc., one of the nation's leading funders of small and medium-sized businesses, filed for the fifth largest bankruptcy by assets in U.S. history Sunday as part of a reorganization plan that has the support of an overwhelming majority of debtholders.
In a statement, the company said it is asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York for a quick approval of the prepackaged plan. CIT said none of its operating subsidiaries would be affected by the filing, allowing them to continue operations.
"The decision to proceed with our plan of reorganization will allow CIT to continue to provide funding to our small business and middle market customers, two sectors that remain vitally important to the U.S. economy," said CIT (CIT, Fortune 500) chairman Jeffrey M. Peek.
In the bankruptcy filing, CIT said it had $71 billion in assets and $64.9 billion in liabilities. Only Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, Worldcom and General Motors had more in assets when they filed for protection.
CIT's position in the business world is crucial. It says it is the leading provider of factoring, a key element in the day-to-day financing of the retail industry. Its key role in shipping goods is illustrated by its statement that it is the nation's third-largest lessor of rail cars and the world's third-largest lessor of aircraft.
While the required percentage of debtholders approved the prepackaged bankruptcy procedure, the company said it did not receive the required support from bondholders for a $5.9 billion debt exchange offer that would have prevented the Chapter 11 filing.
CIT said it expects the reorganization to total debt by approximately $10 billion, significantly reduce its liquidity needs over the next three years, enhance its capital ratios and accelerate its return to profitability.
CIT said an additional $4.5 billion in credit obtained Wednesday will allow it to meet the needs of its clients and continue day-to-day operations during the bankruptcy approval process. The company said it has also obtained an additional $1 billion in credit to provide supplemental liquidity.
The company also said it has filed motions in the bankruptcy court to allow for the continued payment of employees, and to allow the company to pay vendors and other creditors in full.
Common shareholders, however, will be out of luck. CIT said all existing common and preferred stock will be cancelled upon emergence from bankruptcy protection. That would likely include preferred stock from the $2.3 billion in funding from the U.S. government's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) the company received in its efforts to stay afloat.
CIT sought a second federal bailout in July but was rejected. It was then able to get a $3 billion loan from bondholders in order to stave off bankruptcy -- at least for a little while.
CIT shares were trading at 64 cents after hours Friday, having closing at 72 cents during regular trading hours. The stock traded above $60 as recently as 2007.
On Friday, it reached an agreement under which Carl Icahn, a prominent investor who had opposed the company's efforts to reorganize. will now support the firm's restructuring. Icahn's hedge fund firm, Icahn Capital LP, will provide CIT with a $1 billion credit line.
The credit line can be used as debtor-in-possession financing as part of the bankruptcy procedure.
Separately, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday that it had struck an agreement with Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) to change the terms of a loan it had originally sought from the Wall Street firm in June.
In reducing the size of the loan to $2.125 billion from $3 billion, CIT Group will pay Goldman a termination fee of $285 million and will post $250 million in collateral.
In return, Goldman agreed not to terminate the credit facility in the event of a CIT bankruptcy. Prior to Friday's announcement, Goldman Sachs was poised to collect $1 billion when CIT filed for bankruptcy, according to reports.
--CNNMoney.com assistant managing editor Mark M. Meinero, reporter David Ellis and Fortune senior writer Colin Barr contributed to this report. To top of page
In a statement, the company said it is asking the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York for a quick approval of the prepackaged plan. CIT said none of its operating subsidiaries would be affected by the filing, allowing them to continue operations.
"The decision to proceed with our plan of reorganization will allow CIT to continue to provide funding to our small business and middle market customers, two sectors that remain vitally important to the U.S. economy," said CIT (CIT, Fortune 500) chairman Jeffrey M. Peek.
In the bankruptcy filing, CIT said it had $71 billion in assets and $64.9 billion in liabilities. Only Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, Worldcom and General Motors had more in assets when they filed for protection.
CIT's position in the business world is crucial. It says it is the leading provider of factoring, a key element in the day-to-day financing of the retail industry. Its key role in shipping goods is illustrated by its statement that it is the nation's third-largest lessor of rail cars and the world's third-largest lessor of aircraft.
While the required percentage of debtholders approved the prepackaged bankruptcy procedure, the company said it did not receive the required support from bondholders for a $5.9 billion debt exchange offer that would have prevented the Chapter 11 filing.
CIT said it expects the reorganization to total debt by approximately $10 billion, significantly reduce its liquidity needs over the next three years, enhance its capital ratios and accelerate its return to profitability.
CIT said an additional $4.5 billion in credit obtained Wednesday will allow it to meet the needs of its clients and continue day-to-day operations during the bankruptcy approval process. The company said it has also obtained an additional $1 billion in credit to provide supplemental liquidity.
The company also said it has filed motions in the bankruptcy court to allow for the continued payment of employees, and to allow the company to pay vendors and other creditors in full.
Common shareholders, however, will be out of luck. CIT said all existing common and preferred stock will be cancelled upon emergence from bankruptcy protection. That would likely include preferred stock from the $2.3 billion in funding from the U.S. government's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) the company received in its efforts to stay afloat.
CIT sought a second federal bailout in July but was rejected. It was then able to get a $3 billion loan from bondholders in order to stave off bankruptcy -- at least for a little while.
CIT shares were trading at 64 cents after hours Friday, having closing at 72 cents during regular trading hours. The stock traded above $60 as recently as 2007.
On Friday, it reached an agreement under which Carl Icahn, a prominent investor who had opposed the company's efforts to reorganize. will now support the firm's restructuring. Icahn's hedge fund firm, Icahn Capital LP, will provide CIT with a $1 billion credit line.
The credit line can be used as debtor-in-possession financing as part of the bankruptcy procedure.
Separately, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday that it had struck an agreement with Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) to change the terms of a loan it had originally sought from the Wall Street firm in June.
In reducing the size of the loan to $2.125 billion from $3 billion, CIT Group will pay Goldman a termination fee of $285 million and will post $250 million in collateral.
In return, Goldman agreed not to terminate the credit facility in the event of a CIT bankruptcy. Prior to Friday's announcement, Goldman Sachs was poised to collect $1 billion when CIT filed for bankruptcy, according to reports.
--CNNMoney.com assistant managing editor Mark M. Meinero, reporter David Ellis and Fortune senior writer Colin Barr contributed to this report. To top of page
Suspect arrested in North Carolina killings of 4
Investigators arrested a suspect Monday in the fatal shootings of four men in North Carolina a day earlier, authorities said.
Authorities captured Marcos Chavez Gonzalez in a motel room in Henry County, Virginia, said police in Mount Airy, North Carolina, where the shooting occurred.
Local and state authorities received information about his location at 2:30 a.m. ET, and arrested him without incident, police said in a statement. Henry County is about 40 miles northeast of Mount Airy.
Gonzalez was wanted in the shooting deaths of four men Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of a store that sells cable TV equipment in Mount Airy, about 50 miles north of Winston-Salem.
Read local coverage from CNN affiliate WXII
Police declined to provide more information or identify the victims but said the shootings were not random.
Video: Suspect in 4 shootings
RELATED TOPICS
* Murder and Homicide
* North Carolina
"We do have an idea why they were there," said Dale Watson, the town's police chief.
Watch police describe shooting before Gonzalez' arrest
Watson described the victims as "four Hispanic males, all shot," from the surrounding Surry County area. He said two died at the scene while the other two were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Gonzalez, 29, will be extradited to North Carolina.
Authorities captured Marcos Chavez Gonzalez in a motel room in Henry County, Virginia, said police in Mount Airy, North Carolina, where the shooting occurred.
Local and state authorities received information about his location at 2:30 a.m. ET, and arrested him without incident, police said in a statement. Henry County is about 40 miles northeast of Mount Airy.
Gonzalez was wanted in the shooting deaths of four men Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of a store that sells cable TV equipment in Mount Airy, about 50 miles north of Winston-Salem.
Read local coverage from CNN affiliate WXII
Police declined to provide more information or identify the victims but said the shootings were not random.
Video: Suspect in 4 shootings
RELATED TOPICS
* Murder and Homicide
* North Carolina
"We do have an idea why they were there," said Dale Watson, the town's police chief.
Watch police describe shooting before Gonzalez' arrest
Watson described the victims as "four Hispanic males, all shot," from the surrounding Surry County area. He said two died at the scene while the other two were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Gonzalez, 29, will be extradited to North Carolina.
Tehran Braces for a New Political Showdown
A new showdown looms in Iran this week, as the regime and its intrepid opposition gear up for what may be their biggest street confrontation since the protests that followed the disputed June 12 presidential election. The latest face-off is scheduled for Wednesday, when Iran commemorates the 30th anniversary of the U.S. embassy takeover by radical students. In an ironic twist, however, instead of the traditional festival of America-bashing, students across the country are being summoned to mark the event with a protest against their own government.
Related
Photos
The Long Shadow of Ayatullah Khomeini
Stories
*
Iran Celebrates an Earthshaking Anniversary
More Related
*
Iran’s Political Crisis: Protesters Won’t Go Away
*
In Iran, New Demonstrations Bring New Violence
*
As Students Return, Iran’s Regime Braces for More Protests
For three decades, students have massed every Nov. 4 at the sprawling former U.S. embassy — now a Revolutionary Guards training center and museum — that occupies several blocks in downtown Tehran to commemorate the young revolution's confrontation with the world's mightiest power. On that day in 1979, revolutionary students stormed the compound and seized 52 U.S. diplomats, holding them hostage for 444 days. The regime has long supported the event, officially dubbing it Pupils' Day and giving students the day off from school to attend. (See pictures of the long shadow of Ayatullah Khomeini.)
Last year students paraded down the streets shouting anti-American slogans and burning an effigy of President George W. Bush. Now, for many Iranian students, the real issue is no longer the U.S. This year opposition leaders are calling on Iranians young and old to parade in front of the graffiti-covered embassy walls against their controversial President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei.
The world's only modern theocracy is clearly nervous. The regime announced last week that it would mobilize 3 million of its supporters to prevent the normally raucous festival from turning into a sustained anti-regime protest. The paramilitary Basij vigilantes will be deployed to keep the commemoration on message and to silence protesters. And, escalating the stakes, Ayatullah Khamenei warned last week that questioning the election results will now be treated as a crime. (See the top 10 players in Iran's power struggle.)
An Iranian opposition website has published what it claims is a top-secret letter from the Islamic Guidance Ministry to the press urging censorship. "Given the possibility that groups opposed to the regime may engage in actions on the eve of Nov. 4, the anniversary of the seizure of America's den of spies, and may deviate public opinion from the ceremonies on the national day of struggle against world arrogance," the letter reads, "I request that you refrain from disseminating any news, photo or topic which can lead to tension in the society or breach public order."
The opposition has so far refused to back down. In a statement on Oct. 31 on his website, opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi called the Nov. 4 anniversary the greenest day of the year — in reference to the color adopted by his movement. The commemoration, he said, should be a "rendezvous so we would remember anew that among us it is the people who are the leaders." (See pictures of Iran's presidential election and its turbulent aftermath.)
In the wake of the ruthless crackdown that ended last summer's mass protests, the opposition has begun converting national holidays — when the public is expected to turn out on the streets — into opportunities for political protests. But the Nov. 4 commemoration is particularly sensitive because it symbolizes the power of the regime's biggest long-term problem — Iran's youth.
Young people were in the vanguard of the 1979 overthrow of the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and in the embassy siege, they were way out in front of Ayatullah Khomeini and the revolutionary leadership. Students from three Tehran campuses plotted to seize the American diplomatic mission after the Carter Administration admitted the ailing, exiled Shah for medical treatment, suspecting that Washington wanted to restore Pahlavi to power, as it had in the coup of 1953. The student action only won the support of the new Islamic regime days after the fact.
The only other major challenge to the regime in 30 years was the 1999 campus protest that led to bloody clashes. Some 70% of Iran's population is now under age 30 due to a post-revolution baby boom spurred in part by clerics calling on Iranian women to breed an Islamic generation. But the first generation of children born under the revolution has come back to haunt the regime. Their political apathy in 2005 may have helped put Ahmadinejad in office, but their current activism in myriad forms has fueled a vibrant civil disobedience campaign that the authorities have failed to suppress.
In an unprecedented public rebuke, mathematics student Mahmoud Vahidnia last week criticized Iran's Supreme Leader to his face for living in a bubble, limiting freedom of speech and press and allowing élites to get a stranglehold on power through institutions like the Council of Guardians. State-controlled television terminated the broadcast of the meeting between Khamenei and Iran's academic élite, but thousands have since seen parts of Vahidnia's bold criticism on YouTube. Sporadic applause can be heard in the background. (See pictures of terror in Tehran.)
The Nov. 4 anniversary previously had a unique role in Iran's foreign policy, often serving as a barometer of public opinion. During the past eight years, the rallies were intensely anti-American because of fears that Bush would launch a military attack. But in 1998, under reformist President Mohammed Khatami, one of the three masterminds of the embassy takeover offered an olive branch: Our dealings with the hostages were not directed against the American people and not even against the hostages themselves, Ibrahim Asgharzadeh told that year's commemoration. Although Iranians still felt wronged by U.S. policy, he said the time had come to invite all the hostages to return to Iran as guests. Regarding relations with America, Iranians must look to the future and not to the past. He received thunderous applause.
Many involved in the embassy siege later became leaders of the reform movement. Asgharzadeh went on to become a member of Tehran's city council. Mohsen Mirdamadi, another of the three masterminds, became a member of parliament and leader of Iran's largest reform party. As chairman of Iran's foreign affairs committee, he called for improving relations with the U.S. And as Iran prepares to commemorate the event that he helped plan, Mirdamadi today is among the more than 100 political prisoners who are awaiting the outcome of a mass show trial on charges of trying to subvert the revolution.
Related
Photos
The Long Shadow of Ayatullah Khomeini
Stories
*
Iran Celebrates an Earthshaking Anniversary
More Related
*
Iran’s Political Crisis: Protesters Won’t Go Away
*
In Iran, New Demonstrations Bring New Violence
*
As Students Return, Iran’s Regime Braces for More Protests
For three decades, students have massed every Nov. 4 at the sprawling former U.S. embassy — now a Revolutionary Guards training center and museum — that occupies several blocks in downtown Tehran to commemorate the young revolution's confrontation with the world's mightiest power. On that day in 1979, revolutionary students stormed the compound and seized 52 U.S. diplomats, holding them hostage for 444 days. The regime has long supported the event, officially dubbing it Pupils' Day and giving students the day off from school to attend. (See pictures of the long shadow of Ayatullah Khomeini.)
Last year students paraded down the streets shouting anti-American slogans and burning an effigy of President George W. Bush. Now, for many Iranian students, the real issue is no longer the U.S. This year opposition leaders are calling on Iranians young and old to parade in front of the graffiti-covered embassy walls against their controversial President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei.
The world's only modern theocracy is clearly nervous. The regime announced last week that it would mobilize 3 million of its supporters to prevent the normally raucous festival from turning into a sustained anti-regime protest. The paramilitary Basij vigilantes will be deployed to keep the commemoration on message and to silence protesters. And, escalating the stakes, Ayatullah Khamenei warned last week that questioning the election results will now be treated as a crime. (See the top 10 players in Iran's power struggle.)
An Iranian opposition website has published what it claims is a top-secret letter from the Islamic Guidance Ministry to the press urging censorship. "Given the possibility that groups opposed to the regime may engage in actions on the eve of Nov. 4, the anniversary of the seizure of America's den of spies, and may deviate public opinion from the ceremonies on the national day of struggle against world arrogance," the letter reads, "I request that you refrain from disseminating any news, photo or topic which can lead to tension in the society or breach public order."
The opposition has so far refused to back down. In a statement on Oct. 31 on his website, opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi called the Nov. 4 anniversary the greenest day of the year — in reference to the color adopted by his movement. The commemoration, he said, should be a "rendezvous so we would remember anew that among us it is the people who are the leaders." (See pictures of Iran's presidential election and its turbulent aftermath.)
In the wake of the ruthless crackdown that ended last summer's mass protests, the opposition has begun converting national holidays — when the public is expected to turn out on the streets — into opportunities for political protests. But the Nov. 4 commemoration is particularly sensitive because it symbolizes the power of the regime's biggest long-term problem — Iran's youth.
Young people were in the vanguard of the 1979 overthrow of the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and in the embassy siege, they were way out in front of Ayatullah Khomeini and the revolutionary leadership. Students from three Tehran campuses plotted to seize the American diplomatic mission after the Carter Administration admitted the ailing, exiled Shah for medical treatment, suspecting that Washington wanted to restore Pahlavi to power, as it had in the coup of 1953. The student action only won the support of the new Islamic regime days after the fact.
The only other major challenge to the regime in 30 years was the 1999 campus protest that led to bloody clashes. Some 70% of Iran's population is now under age 30 due to a post-revolution baby boom spurred in part by clerics calling on Iranian women to breed an Islamic generation. But the first generation of children born under the revolution has come back to haunt the regime. Their political apathy in 2005 may have helped put Ahmadinejad in office, but their current activism in myriad forms has fueled a vibrant civil disobedience campaign that the authorities have failed to suppress.
In an unprecedented public rebuke, mathematics student Mahmoud Vahidnia last week criticized Iran's Supreme Leader to his face for living in a bubble, limiting freedom of speech and press and allowing élites to get a stranglehold on power through institutions like the Council of Guardians. State-controlled television terminated the broadcast of the meeting between Khamenei and Iran's academic élite, but thousands have since seen parts of Vahidnia's bold criticism on YouTube. Sporadic applause can be heard in the background. (See pictures of terror in Tehran.)
The Nov. 4 anniversary previously had a unique role in Iran's foreign policy, often serving as a barometer of public opinion. During the past eight years, the rallies were intensely anti-American because of fears that Bush would launch a military attack. But in 1998, under reformist President Mohammed Khatami, one of the three masterminds of the embassy takeover offered an olive branch: Our dealings with the hostages were not directed against the American people and not even against the hostages themselves, Ibrahim Asgharzadeh told that year's commemoration. Although Iranians still felt wronged by U.S. policy, he said the time had come to invite all the hostages to return to Iran as guests. Regarding relations with America, Iranians must look to the future and not to the past. He received thunderous applause.
Many involved in the embassy siege later became leaders of the reform movement. Asgharzadeh went on to become a member of Tehran's city council. Mohsen Mirdamadi, another of the three masterminds, became a member of parliament and leader of Iran's largest reform party. As chairman of Iran's foreign affairs committee, he called for improving relations with the U.S. And as Iran prepares to commemorate the event that he helped plan, Mirdamadi today is among the more than 100 political prisoners who are awaiting the outcome of a mass show trial on charges of trying to subvert the revolution.
Ford reports a nearly $1 billion profit
Ford Motor reported a surprise profit for the third quarter Monday, helped by a bump in sales from the Cash for Clunkers program, a reduced cost structure and problems at its U.S. rivals.
The only major U.S. automaker not to file for bankruptcy this year earned earned $997 million, or 29 cents a share, compared to a loss of $161 million, or 7 cents a share on that basis a year earlier.
Excluding special items, Ford reported a profit of $873 million, or 26 cents a share, in the period. Analysts had been forecasting a loss of 12 cents a share for the quarter on this basis. Ford said it was the first pre-tax operating profit since the start of 2008.
The company said cost cutting during the past year and an improved outlook for sales leads it to believe Ford will be "solidly profitable" in 2011, excluding special items.
That's the most bullish outlook Ford has offered investors since it started losing money in 2005. The company had previously said it was looking for break-even or better results that year.
Turning the corner. The guidance raised hopes that the company may have turned the corner on nearly five years of losses for its key North American auto operations.
"Our third quarter results clearly show that Ford is making tremendous progress despite the prolonged slump in the global economy," said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally in a statement.
The company said it lowered its structural costs by $1 billion compared to a year earlier, with about half of that improvement coming in North America.
While Ford did not need federal assistance or a bankruptcy reorganization as rivals General Motors and Chrysler did, it was able to win concessions from its unions that resulted in a $300 million structural cost reduction. Ford also said it paid about $200 million less for materials and commodities in the quarter.
Ford still faces some potential problems in the near term. The United Auto Workers union rank and file is voting on additional contract concession and there are reports that they could reject the contract when results are released late Monday.
And Ford said it expects to see sharp declines in European sales in the next year partly because an even larger Cash for Clunkers there this year will steal demand from future months.
Still, Mulally told investors that the company remains hopeful it could be profitable in 2010, not just by 2011, and that the longer time frame in the new guidance is a way of being cautious.
"The reason we couched it that way is we're just not sure about the strength of the recovery," he said. Mulally said Ford will detail further guidance on 2010 profits when it reports fourth-quarter results in January.
Digesting the details. Results in North America were helped by much stronger sales than a year earlier, particularly in the United States, where the company was one of the prime beneficiaries of the Cash for Clunkers program that gave buyers up to $4,500 if they traded in a gas guzzler for a more fuel efficient vehicle.
Even without the Cash for Clunkers program, which lifted the whole industry out of the doldrums, Ford made gains on many of its rivals during the quarter.
During the quarter, Ford's U.S. market share rose by 2.2 percentage points to 14.6%. Ford benefited from steep market share declines at GM and Chrysler in the wake of their bankruptcies, but it also posted bigger market share gains than Japanese rivals such as Toyota Motor (TM) and Honda Motor (HMC).
Shares of Ford (F, Fortune 500) rose about 8% in mid-morning trading Monday following the report.
The company reported overall revenue of $30.9 billion in the quarter, down $800 million from the same period a year ago due to a decrease in revenue at its Ford Credit unit.
0:00 /2:59Better days ahead for autos
Ford said that global auto sales rose $100 million from the third quarter of 2008, to $27.9 billion. It sold 1.23 million vehicles worldwide, up 5% from a year earlier, and its average net pricing also improved along with its sales volume. Auto revenue in North America soared by $2.9 billion, or 27%, to $13.7 billion.
Ford (F, Fortune 500) also said it made money on its auto operations, and that it reported positive cash flow of $1.3 billion from its auto businesses. The company had been burning through significant amounts of cash every quarter since the second quarter of 2007 as it suffered from years of ongoing losses.
"While we still face a challenging road ahead, our [company] transformation plan is working and our underlying business continues to grow stronger," Mulally added.
Ford's automotive unit earned $446 million in the quarter, compared to a loss of $2.9 billion in the year-earlier period, as the company's core auto operations in North America returned to profitability for the first time since the first half of 2005
The only major U.S. automaker not to file for bankruptcy this year earned earned $997 million, or 29 cents a share, compared to a loss of $161 million, or 7 cents a share on that basis a year earlier.
Excluding special items, Ford reported a profit of $873 million, or 26 cents a share, in the period. Analysts had been forecasting a loss of 12 cents a share for the quarter on this basis. Ford said it was the first pre-tax operating profit since the start of 2008.
The company said cost cutting during the past year and an improved outlook for sales leads it to believe Ford will be "solidly profitable" in 2011, excluding special items.
That's the most bullish outlook Ford has offered investors since it started losing money in 2005. The company had previously said it was looking for break-even or better results that year.
Turning the corner. The guidance raised hopes that the company may have turned the corner on nearly five years of losses for its key North American auto operations.
"Our third quarter results clearly show that Ford is making tremendous progress despite the prolonged slump in the global economy," said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally in a statement.
The company said it lowered its structural costs by $1 billion compared to a year earlier, with about half of that improvement coming in North America.
While Ford did not need federal assistance or a bankruptcy reorganization as rivals General Motors and Chrysler did, it was able to win concessions from its unions that resulted in a $300 million structural cost reduction. Ford also said it paid about $200 million less for materials and commodities in the quarter.
Ford still faces some potential problems in the near term. The United Auto Workers union rank and file is voting on additional contract concession and there are reports that they could reject the contract when results are released late Monday.
And Ford said it expects to see sharp declines in European sales in the next year partly because an even larger Cash for Clunkers there this year will steal demand from future months.
Still, Mulally told investors that the company remains hopeful it could be profitable in 2010, not just by 2011, and that the longer time frame in the new guidance is a way of being cautious.
"The reason we couched it that way is we're just not sure about the strength of the recovery," he said. Mulally said Ford will detail further guidance on 2010 profits when it reports fourth-quarter results in January.
Digesting the details. Results in North America were helped by much stronger sales than a year earlier, particularly in the United States, where the company was one of the prime beneficiaries of the Cash for Clunkers program that gave buyers up to $4,500 if they traded in a gas guzzler for a more fuel efficient vehicle.
Even without the Cash for Clunkers program, which lifted the whole industry out of the doldrums, Ford made gains on many of its rivals during the quarter.
During the quarter, Ford's U.S. market share rose by 2.2 percentage points to 14.6%. Ford benefited from steep market share declines at GM and Chrysler in the wake of their bankruptcies, but it also posted bigger market share gains than Japanese rivals such as Toyota Motor (TM) and Honda Motor (HMC).
Shares of Ford (F, Fortune 500) rose about 8% in mid-morning trading Monday following the report.
The company reported overall revenue of $30.9 billion in the quarter, down $800 million from the same period a year ago due to a decrease in revenue at its Ford Credit unit.
0:00 /2:59Better days ahead for autos
Ford said that global auto sales rose $100 million from the third quarter of 2008, to $27.9 billion. It sold 1.23 million vehicles worldwide, up 5% from a year earlier, and its average net pricing also improved along with its sales volume. Auto revenue in North America soared by $2.9 billion, or 27%, to $13.7 billion.
Ford (F, Fortune 500) also said it made money on its auto operations, and that it reported positive cash flow of $1.3 billion from its auto businesses. The company had been burning through significant amounts of cash every quarter since the second quarter of 2007 as it suffered from years of ongoing losses.
"While we still face a challenging road ahead, our [company] transformation plan is working and our underlying business continues to grow stronger," Mulally added.
Ford's automotive unit earned $446 million in the quarter, compared to a loss of $2.9 billion in the year-earlier period, as the company's core auto operations in North America returned to profitability for the first time since the first half of 2005
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Jon Gosselin turns to Rabbi Shmuley
Jon Gosselin's actions haven't been too kosher lately.
But now, given relationship dramas and bad press, the father in "Jon & Kate Plus 8" is looking to a higher authority.
In a statement released to CNN, Gosselin said he is receiving "regular study sessions and counseling" with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, well known as a spiritual adviser to Michael Jackson.
Boteach, the author of the book "The Michael Jackson Tapes" and host of TLC's "Shalom in the Home" series, has linked up with the beleaguered "Jon & Kate Plus 8" for an upcoming seminar titled "Fame: Blessing or Curse?" to be held at a synagogue in New York City.
Gosselin said in his statement that he is "troubled to learn that the media has accepted as true the scurrilous rumor that I would appear in a reality television program with Nadya Suleman" and goes on to say that such reports are "utterly false."
"I do however accept that some of my previous actions have in some way lent credence to such outrageous stories," Gosselin said. "I am well aware that my behavior over the past few months has not always reflected my personal and religious values. I further accept that I have allowed myself to become somewhat severed from my own moral anchor and be carried away by the challenges of fame."
For that reason, the father of possibly the most famous set of twins and sextuplets said he has sought the spiritual guidance of Boteach, who is himself no stranger to the camera.
I am well aware that my behavior over the past few months has not always reflected my personal and religious values.
--Jon Gosselin
Boteach bills himself as "one of the world's leading relationship experts and spiritual authorities."
According to his author bio in "The Michael Jackson Tapes," Newsweek referred to him as "the most famous rabbi in America." Among his achievements: a National Fatherhood Award.
Gosselin could certainly use the help.
Since his high profile breakup with his wife in August, the reality star has been slammed for reports of his involvement with other women and extravagant spending sprees.
Earlier this month TLC announced he would be cut from the show and that plans were under way for a "Kate Plus 8" series. That show was put on hold after Jon refused to allow his children to be filmed. The network has since filed suit against him for breach of contract.
He and his estranged wife also headed to court after she accused him of looting their joint account of more than $200,000. A Pennsylvania judged ordered him to return $180,000.
Most recently, Gosselin's girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, accused him of being "emotionally abusive" and throwing "mantrums" because of his frustrations.
Gosselin said in the statement that he regrets having "betrayed the moral principles that have always guided me" and said he is committed to making things right with Kate and his children.
He turned to Boteach, he said, because the rabbi has counseled others in similar circumstances. Gosselin said Boteach has made clear to him the "moral obligations inherent in celebrity."
"It is my sincere desire to use the fame I have so unexpectedly acquired to highlight mature, responsible behavior as well as the joys of fatherhood and family," he said. "I ask the public to please understand the challenges I face in living under constant public scrutiny, even as I am aware that I have at times courted that scrutiny."
But now, given relationship dramas and bad press, the father in "Jon & Kate Plus 8" is looking to a higher authority.
In a statement released to CNN, Gosselin said he is receiving "regular study sessions and counseling" with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, well known as a spiritual adviser to Michael Jackson.
Boteach, the author of the book "The Michael Jackson Tapes" and host of TLC's "Shalom in the Home" series, has linked up with the beleaguered "Jon & Kate Plus 8" for an upcoming seminar titled "Fame: Blessing or Curse?" to be held at a synagogue in New York City.
Gosselin said in his statement that he is "troubled to learn that the media has accepted as true the scurrilous rumor that I would appear in a reality television program with Nadya Suleman" and goes on to say that such reports are "utterly false."
"I do however accept that some of my previous actions have in some way lent credence to such outrageous stories," Gosselin said. "I am well aware that my behavior over the past few months has not always reflected my personal and religious values. I further accept that I have allowed myself to become somewhat severed from my own moral anchor and be carried away by the challenges of fame."
For that reason, the father of possibly the most famous set of twins and sextuplets said he has sought the spiritual guidance of Boteach, who is himself no stranger to the camera.
I am well aware that my behavior over the past few months has not always reflected my personal and religious values.
--Jon Gosselin
Boteach bills himself as "one of the world's leading relationship experts and spiritual authorities."
According to his author bio in "The Michael Jackson Tapes," Newsweek referred to him as "the most famous rabbi in America." Among his achievements: a National Fatherhood Award.
Gosselin could certainly use the help.
Since his high profile breakup with his wife in August, the reality star has been slammed for reports of his involvement with other women and extravagant spending sprees.
Earlier this month TLC announced he would be cut from the show and that plans were under way for a "Kate Plus 8" series. That show was put on hold after Jon refused to allow his children to be filmed. The network has since filed suit against him for breach of contract.
He and his estranged wife also headed to court after she accused him of looting their joint account of more than $200,000. A Pennsylvania judged ordered him to return $180,000.
Most recently, Gosselin's girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, accused him of being "emotionally abusive" and throwing "mantrums" because of his frustrations.
Gosselin said in the statement that he regrets having "betrayed the moral principles that have always guided me" and said he is committed to making things right with Kate and his children.
He turned to Boteach, he said, because the rabbi has counseled others in similar circumstances. Gosselin said Boteach has made clear to him the "moral obligations inherent in celebrity."
"It is my sincere desire to use the fame I have so unexpectedly acquired to highlight mature, responsible behavior as well as the joys of fatherhood and family," he said. "I ask the public to please understand the challenges I face in living under constant public scrutiny, even as I am aware that I have at times courted that scrutiny."
Rock and Roll wrap up
Producer Doug Ganley blogging from backstage at Madison Square Garden where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert took place Thursday night.
A long night at Madison Square Garden wrapped up close to 1:30 on Friday morning with Bruce Springsteen belting out "Born to Run" with Billy Joel.
The concert started late and the sets were pretty long.
Take Stevie Wonder who was on stage for more than an hour and told the crowd that he was there to “turn this mother out!”
There were some moments that definitely stood out for me at the end of the night.
Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon arm in arm performing some of their biggest hits. Garfunkel said backstage that he and Simon had “a lovely falling back together again,” after their long feud.
Stevie Wonder, John Legend, and BB King singing “The Thrill is Gone” definitely riled up the audience as well.
But Bruce Springsteen took the cake. He came out on stage just before midnight and played until well after 1 am.
This is not a young crowd, and I’m sure at least some of them had to be at work in the morning, but it looked like they kept the place pretty full through Bruce’s set.
They were flying when Bruce brought out Sam Moore to sing “Hold On I'm Coming.” You may not recognize Moore’s name (he's from the duo Sam & Dave) but you’ve heard his voice, which Bruce called “one of the best voices of all time.”
The crowd got louder when the Boss was joined by John Fogerty for “Fortunate Son” and “Proud Mary.”
But the favorite moment for the New York audience came when Bruce discussed his theory of continental drift and how that separated Long Island and New Jersey.
To reunite the two, he held a “Bridge and Tunnel Summit,” with Long Island’s own Billy Joel. The term comes from how people, who live in New York City, disdainfully refer to their suburban neighbors. Everyone loved the pair singing Joel’s hit “New York State of Mind.”
As the concert wrapped up, even the celebrities discovered that it can be tough to get out of the Garden. As I walked out I saw Shania Twain trying to get past some determined autograph seekers and into her car.
The concert will air on HBO November 29th, after it’s edited down and combined with another show starring Metallica and U2 scheduled for Friday night.
One of the persistent topics backstage was what bands will eventually wind up in the Rock Hall of Fame. So I’ll put it out to you, what acts do you think should be enshrined in the Cleveland museum
A long night at Madison Square Garden wrapped up close to 1:30 on Friday morning with Bruce Springsteen belting out "Born to Run" with Billy Joel.
The concert started late and the sets were pretty long.
Take Stevie Wonder who was on stage for more than an hour and told the crowd that he was there to “turn this mother out!”
There were some moments that definitely stood out for me at the end of the night.
Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon arm in arm performing some of their biggest hits. Garfunkel said backstage that he and Simon had “a lovely falling back together again,” after their long feud.
Stevie Wonder, John Legend, and BB King singing “The Thrill is Gone” definitely riled up the audience as well.
But Bruce Springsteen took the cake. He came out on stage just before midnight and played until well after 1 am.
This is not a young crowd, and I’m sure at least some of them had to be at work in the morning, but it looked like they kept the place pretty full through Bruce’s set.
They were flying when Bruce brought out Sam Moore to sing “Hold On I'm Coming.” You may not recognize Moore’s name (he's from the duo Sam & Dave) but you’ve heard his voice, which Bruce called “one of the best voices of all time.”
The crowd got louder when the Boss was joined by John Fogerty for “Fortunate Son” and “Proud Mary.”
But the favorite moment for the New York audience came when Bruce discussed his theory of continental drift and how that separated Long Island and New Jersey.
To reunite the two, he held a “Bridge and Tunnel Summit,” with Long Island’s own Billy Joel. The term comes from how people, who live in New York City, disdainfully refer to their suburban neighbors. Everyone loved the pair singing Joel’s hit “New York State of Mind.”
As the concert wrapped up, even the celebrities discovered that it can be tough to get out of the Garden. As I walked out I saw Shania Twain trying to get past some determined autograph seekers and into her car.
The concert will air on HBO November 29th, after it’s edited down and combined with another show starring Metallica and U2 scheduled for Friday night.
One of the persistent topics backstage was what bands will eventually wind up in the Rock Hall of Fame. So I’ll put it out to you, what acts do you think should be enshrined in the Cleveland museum
Chaz Bono: I love being a man
Now that he's finally in the body he always felt he belonged in, Chaz Bono said he's enjoying something that took decades to accomplish.
"It's a long process going back almost a decade," Bono, formerly known as Chastity, told, Entertainment Tonight in an interview airing Thursday and Friday. "I got clean and sober in 2004 and I couldn't have done this before that."
Born the daughter of Cher and Sonny Bono, Chaz, 40, has been undergoing a female-to-male sex change since March, a process that has already had significant physical changes on his body.
"It lowered my voice," he said. "Fat redistributes, muscle growth, hair growth, sex drive increases."
One thing that didn't need changing: His mental and emotional concept of himself as fundamentally male.
People.com: Cher 'will support' Chaz's sex change
"I always felt like the male from the time I was a child," he said. "There wasn't much feminine about me."
"I believe that gender is something between your ears, not between your legs. That is something I discovered in the early '90s. It was just a long process of being comfortable enough to do something about it."
It was turning the milestone age of 40 that spurred him to action.
"I was turning 40 and I thought it's now or never. I want to still feel vibrant and be able to enjoy my life in a male body and not wait until I am an old man."
"It's a long process going back almost a decade," Bono, formerly known as Chastity, told, Entertainment Tonight in an interview airing Thursday and Friday. "I got clean and sober in 2004 and I couldn't have done this before that."
Born the daughter of Cher and Sonny Bono, Chaz, 40, has been undergoing a female-to-male sex change since March, a process that has already had significant physical changes on his body.
"It lowered my voice," he said. "Fat redistributes, muscle growth, hair growth, sex drive increases."
One thing that didn't need changing: His mental and emotional concept of himself as fundamentally male.
People.com: Cher 'will support' Chaz's sex change
"I always felt like the male from the time I was a child," he said. "There wasn't much feminine about me."
"I believe that gender is something between your ears, not between your legs. That is something I discovered in the early '90s. It was just a long process of being comfortable enough to do something about it."
It was turning the milestone age of 40 that spurred him to action.
"I was turning 40 and I thought it's now or never. I want to still feel vibrant and be able to enjoy my life in a male body and not wait until I am an old man."
Yankovic still 'Weird' after all these years
In the 1980s, it was easy to dismiss the accordion-toting "Weird Al" Yankovic as a one-joke wonder.
Sure, the joke was funny. Those song parodies, such as "Eat It" or "I Lost on Jeopardy"? Clever, as were the note-perfect videos for them that played constantly on MTV. (Occasionally, Yankovic would take over the channel, rechristening it "AlTV.")
But how long could it last? Devotion to song parodies was the stuff of teenage boys, not serious musicians or Top 40 hitmakers. Sooner or later, Yankovic's time would be up, and he'd end up back in the rack with Dickie Goodman or Buckner & Garcia.
"I never expected to make a living at this when I was growing up. My whole career is pretty much by accident," he said from New York.
Twenty-five years later, the joke's on us. And it's still funny.
Yankovic, now a 30-year veteran of the music business, recently issued "The Essential 'Weird Al' Yankovic" (Way Moby/Volcano/Legacy), two full discs of spot-on parody and original musical humor. (It's not the first time Yankovic's material has been gathered on a best-of; there was a four-disc boxed set back in 1994.)
The parodies include the early hits -- the Michael Jackson spoof "Eat It," the Madonna send-up "Like a Surgeon" (which was suggested by the Material Girl herself) -- on through recent entries such as the Green Day parody "Canadian Idiot" and Yankovic's biggest chart hit, 2006's "White & Nerdy," the latter a take-off of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'."
"It's certainly ironic considering that my genre is by and large the domain of one-hit wonders, and I've outlasted many of the artists that I've parodied over the years," he observed with a touch of wonder.
Yankovic owes his start to comedy-mining DJ Dr. Demento, who took a taped submission by the then-high school student and put it on the air. Eventually, Yankovic decided to give music a full-time shot, despite architecture studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
It's been mostly success since then. Besides the hits, Yankovic's starred in a movie (the cult favorite "UHF") and a television show ("The Weird Al Show") and established himself as a video director. Musicians, whom Yankovic consults before recording a send-up, generally treat a Weird Al song as a tribute.
"The list of people that have turned me down is actually pretty small," Yankovic said. "The only person who has consistently said no is Prince." (He has had his run-ins with the suits; Atlantic Records said he couldn't release "You're Pitiful," a parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful," despite Blunt's approval; Yankovic retaliated by insulting Atlantic in a video and putting out the song as a free download.)
If Yankovic has a challenge these days, it's finding songs worth parodying. He admires music from a variety of genres, but the splintering of the Top 40 audience has made it harder to find a tune everybody recognizes.
"One of the hardest things to do nowadays is even trying to define what a hit is. Just because it's a hit on one particular radio station doesn't mean it's a mainstream hit," he said.
But he likes rap's bounty of language -- "There are a lot of words to play with. A lot of pop songs are either very repetitive or don't give you a lot of material" -- and figures that pop will change again and provide more opportunities.
Besides, it comes down to the humor, he adds.
"Thankfully, one of my creeds is that my songs need to be funny and enjoyable even if you're not familiar with the original source material," he said.
If the source material should fail him, there's always the accordion. Indeed, Yankovic has given the much-maligned instrument a leading role on his recordings, usually on polka-flavored ditties.
Asked whether there's a possibility of teaming with They Might Be Giants' accordionist John Linnell and polka master Jimmy Sturr, Yankovic chuckles. Could "Monsters of Polka" be in his future?
"No talk as far as I know, but that sounds like a fun project," he said.
Sure, the joke was funny. Those song parodies, such as "Eat It" or "I Lost on Jeopardy"? Clever, as were the note-perfect videos for them that played constantly on MTV. (Occasionally, Yankovic would take over the channel, rechristening it "AlTV.")
But how long could it last? Devotion to song parodies was the stuff of teenage boys, not serious musicians or Top 40 hitmakers. Sooner or later, Yankovic's time would be up, and he'd end up back in the rack with Dickie Goodman or Buckner & Garcia.
"I never expected to make a living at this when I was growing up. My whole career is pretty much by accident," he said from New York.
Twenty-five years later, the joke's on us. And it's still funny.
Yankovic, now a 30-year veteran of the music business, recently issued "The Essential 'Weird Al' Yankovic" (Way Moby/Volcano/Legacy), two full discs of spot-on parody and original musical humor. (It's not the first time Yankovic's material has been gathered on a best-of; there was a four-disc boxed set back in 1994.)
The parodies include the early hits -- the Michael Jackson spoof "Eat It," the Madonna send-up "Like a Surgeon" (which was suggested by the Material Girl herself) -- on through recent entries such as the Green Day parody "Canadian Idiot" and Yankovic's biggest chart hit, 2006's "White & Nerdy," the latter a take-off of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'."
"It's certainly ironic considering that my genre is by and large the domain of one-hit wonders, and I've outlasted many of the artists that I've parodied over the years," he observed with a touch of wonder.
Yankovic owes his start to comedy-mining DJ Dr. Demento, who took a taped submission by the then-high school student and put it on the air. Eventually, Yankovic decided to give music a full-time shot, despite architecture studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
It's been mostly success since then. Besides the hits, Yankovic's starred in a movie (the cult favorite "UHF") and a television show ("The Weird Al Show") and established himself as a video director. Musicians, whom Yankovic consults before recording a send-up, generally treat a Weird Al song as a tribute.
"The list of people that have turned me down is actually pretty small," Yankovic said. "The only person who has consistently said no is Prince." (He has had his run-ins with the suits; Atlantic Records said he couldn't release "You're Pitiful," a parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful," despite Blunt's approval; Yankovic retaliated by insulting Atlantic in a video and putting out the song as a free download.)
If Yankovic has a challenge these days, it's finding songs worth parodying. He admires music from a variety of genres, but the splintering of the Top 40 audience has made it harder to find a tune everybody recognizes.
"One of the hardest things to do nowadays is even trying to define what a hit is. Just because it's a hit on one particular radio station doesn't mean it's a mainstream hit," he said.
But he likes rap's bounty of language -- "There are a lot of words to play with. A lot of pop songs are either very repetitive or don't give you a lot of material" -- and figures that pop will change again and provide more opportunities.
Besides, it comes down to the humor, he adds.
"Thankfully, one of my creeds is that my songs need to be funny and enjoyable even if you're not familiar with the original source material," he said.
If the source material should fail him, there's always the accordion. Indeed, Yankovic has given the much-maligned instrument a leading role on his recordings, usually on polka-flavored ditties.
Asked whether there's a possibility of teaming with They Might Be Giants' accordionist John Linnell and polka master Jimmy Sturr, Yankovic chuckles. Could "Monsters of Polka" be in his future?
"No talk as far as I know, but that sounds like a fun project," he said.
Actor Dennis Hopper diagnosed with prostate cancer
- Actor and filmmaker Dennis Hopper has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his manager Sam Maydew said Friday.
Hopper is being treated in a special program at the University of Southern California, according to CNN news affiliate KTLA.
He was expected to appear at an exhibition of his photography at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne but has cancelled in order to focus on treatment.
"We're hoping for the best," Maydew said. No other details were immediately available.
On September 30, Hopper was hospitalized in New York for flu-like symptoms and stomach pains. He was released the next day feeling "much better," according to KTLA.
The 73-year-old Academy Award winner is known for his roles in "Rebel Without a Cause," "Hoosiers," "Apocalypse Now" and "Easy Rider" -- the latter of which he also directed -- among scores of other films.
Hopper recently finished shooting the second season of the Starz drama "Crash," based on the 2006 Oscar-winning film.
Hopper is being treated in a special program at the University of Southern California, according to CNN news affiliate KTLA.
He was expected to appear at an exhibition of his photography at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne but has cancelled in order to focus on treatment.
"We're hoping for the best," Maydew said. No other details were immediately available.
On September 30, Hopper was hospitalized in New York for flu-like symptoms and stomach pains. He was released the next day feeling "much better," according to KTLA.
The 73-year-old Academy Award winner is known for his roles in "Rebel Without a Cause," "Hoosiers," "Apocalypse Now" and "Easy Rider" -- the latter of which he also directed -- among scores of other films.
Hopper recently finished shooting the second season of the Starz drama "Crash," based on the 2006 Oscar-winning film.
Anna Nicole Smith drug case to go to trial
A judge ruled Friday there was probable cause to try Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend Howard K. Stern and two doctors for involvement in an alleged conspiracy to provide drugs to a known addict.
"Evidence in the record strongly suggests she was an addict," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry said at the end of a 13-day preliminary hearing.
Perry said "there was a widespread and ongoing effort" to obtain drugs for Smith, whom he characterized as a "strong-willed person" intent on getting drugs.
The doctors may have been "blinded by the celebrity of their patient," Perry said.
A defense lawyer said the case could have a chilling effect on doctors who treat patients for pain, since the doctors could be held criminally liable if their prescriptions are deemed excessive.
Witnesses described Smith as weak and "zombie-like" much of the time in the months after September 11, 2006, when her 20-year-old son died in the Bahamas hospital room where she was recovering from the birth of her daughter.
Smith died February 8, 2007, five months after her son's death, from what a Florida medical examiner ruled was "acute combined drug intoxication."
The defendants, who are out on bond, return to court December 11 for arraignment. No trial date has been set.
The 23 charges against Stern and co-defendants Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor included three counts of conspiracy to dispense and administer controlled substances to a known addict.
The three also allegedly conspired to use false names to obtain drugs for Smith, a practice defense lawyers argued was intended to protect the celebrity's privacy.
Stern's lawyer, Steve Sadow, argued that Stern should not be charged because he did not know his companion was an addict or that it was illegal to obtain medication with a prescription written out to a false name.
"He's being charged here with doctor-related activities, which doctors have specific knowledge [of] and he's just a layperson," Sadow told the judge.
Prosecution witnesses outlined evidence that the doctors wrote many prescriptions using several names, including Stern's, for drugs intended for Smith.
"One of their theories is that the mere prescribing of medications using a pseudonym is a crime and it's rebutted by the fact that some of the most respected hospitals in this city use this practice to protect the privacy of some of their celebrity patients," Eroshevich defense lawyer Adam Braun said.
Prosecutors argued that Stern used the false names to get double doses of dangerous drugs to feed the addiction of the former Playboy model and reality TV star.
Kapoor's lawyer said prosecutors could make it difficult for California doctors to treat their patients for pain.
"If this prosecution is successful, you can all plan to call the D.A. office every time you ask your doctor for a prescription for pain, because that's going to be the standard," attorney Ellyn Garafalo said.
Perry agreed with Braun's argument that Eroshevich, a psychiatrist, "deeply cared for Anna Nicole Smith and was well intentioned" with her treatment.
"I made that observation," the judge said.
As Eroshevich left the courthouse Friday, she said she had wanted to stand up and speak several times during the three weeks of testimony, especially when the prosecution hinted that she had had a lesbian relationship with Smith.
Perry refused to allow the prosecutors to show photos they said would prove sex as a motive.
The defense lawyers said they had no expectation that the judge would throw out any of the charges, because the prosecution needed to show only a minimal level of suspicion to get the case sent to trial.
They insisted on the hearing, however, as a way to learn more about the case against them.
"We got to see a few of the witnesses to testify," Sadow said. "We got to see the prosecutors at work, all of which is knowledge we will use."
Braun called the hearing "a gift to us."
"We were tickled to death, though, that the prosecutor called some of their best witnesses and gave us a chance to size up their weaknesses and to get ready for trial," Braun said.
"Evidence in the record strongly suggests she was an addict," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry said at the end of a 13-day preliminary hearing.
Perry said "there was a widespread and ongoing effort" to obtain drugs for Smith, whom he characterized as a "strong-willed person" intent on getting drugs.
The doctors may have been "blinded by the celebrity of their patient," Perry said.
A defense lawyer said the case could have a chilling effect on doctors who treat patients for pain, since the doctors could be held criminally liable if their prescriptions are deemed excessive.
Witnesses described Smith as weak and "zombie-like" much of the time in the months after September 11, 2006, when her 20-year-old son died in the Bahamas hospital room where she was recovering from the birth of her daughter.
Smith died February 8, 2007, five months after her son's death, from what a Florida medical examiner ruled was "acute combined drug intoxication."
The defendants, who are out on bond, return to court December 11 for arraignment. No trial date has been set.
The 23 charges against Stern and co-defendants Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor included three counts of conspiracy to dispense and administer controlled substances to a known addict.
The three also allegedly conspired to use false names to obtain drugs for Smith, a practice defense lawyers argued was intended to protect the celebrity's privacy.
Stern's lawyer, Steve Sadow, argued that Stern should not be charged because he did not know his companion was an addict or that it was illegal to obtain medication with a prescription written out to a false name.
"He's being charged here with doctor-related activities, which doctors have specific knowledge [of] and he's just a layperson," Sadow told the judge.
Prosecution witnesses outlined evidence that the doctors wrote many prescriptions using several names, including Stern's, for drugs intended for Smith.
"One of their theories is that the mere prescribing of medications using a pseudonym is a crime and it's rebutted by the fact that some of the most respected hospitals in this city use this practice to protect the privacy of some of their celebrity patients," Eroshevich defense lawyer Adam Braun said.
Prosecutors argued that Stern used the false names to get double doses of dangerous drugs to feed the addiction of the former Playboy model and reality TV star.
Kapoor's lawyer said prosecutors could make it difficult for California doctors to treat their patients for pain.
"If this prosecution is successful, you can all plan to call the D.A. office every time you ask your doctor for a prescription for pain, because that's going to be the standard," attorney Ellyn Garafalo said.
Perry agreed with Braun's argument that Eroshevich, a psychiatrist, "deeply cared for Anna Nicole Smith and was well intentioned" with her treatment.
"I made that observation," the judge said.
As Eroshevich left the courthouse Friday, she said she had wanted to stand up and speak several times during the three weeks of testimony, especially when the prosecution hinted that she had had a lesbian relationship with Smith.
Perry refused to allow the prosecutors to show photos they said would prove sex as a motive.
The defense lawyers said they had no expectation that the judge would throw out any of the charges, because the prosecution needed to show only a minimal level of suspicion to get the case sent to trial.
They insisted on the hearing, however, as a way to learn more about the case against them.
"We got to see a few of the witnesses to testify," Sadow said. "We got to see the prosecutors at work, all of which is knowledge we will use."
Braun called the hearing "a gift to us."
"We were tickled to death, though, that the prosecutor called some of their best witnesses and gave us a chance to size up their weaknesses and to get ready for trial," Braun said.
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