CNN news 2008-11-20 加文本

Hello, I'm Naamua Delaney at the cnn Center in Atlanta and here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Another piece of President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet puzzle may be falling into place. cnn has learned former Senator Tom Daschle has been asked and has agreed to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Sources say if confirmed, Daschle will also serve as the “Health Czar” to craft the next president's healthcare reform plan. A formal announcement has not been scheduled.

Meanwhile, there is a new audio message from Al-Qaeda directed at President-elect Obama. It is filled with threats and insults. The voice believed to be from Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, warns Obama to be ready for "a heavy legacy of failure and crimes". The terrorist group also claims Obama is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans like Malcolm X who adopted Islam. The tape's authenticity has not been verified.

Top executives of the Big 3 automakers are pleading with Congress to give them a helping hand. They are appearing before the House Financial Services Committee right now. Some top Republicans say the CEOs of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler should all be fired. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Congress may not approve a 25-billion-dollar loan to Detroit during the current session. The car companies say they are survival at stake.

A human windpipe transplant is being called a milestone in medicine. Doctors say they replaced every cell in a donor windpipe, using stem cells from the patient so her body wouldn't reject the new organ. The operation was first reported in British medical journal The Lancet. (Www.hxen.net)

A group of college kids is blamed for starting one of the devastating California wildfires. Officials say ten students didn't fully put out their bonfire at the Tea Garden Estate. The ember sparked a wildfire that burned more than 1900 acres and destroyed 200 buildings. Prosecutors are considering whether to charge the students.

Well those are the headlines this hour, do stay with cnn for more on these stories and the other news of the day.