warrant for moammar gadhafi on suspicion of committing war crimes. a national disaster devastating floods for thousands of people in the u.s. to abandon their homes. space shuttle endeavour is preparing for its last mission. although he is one of the most powerful men in finance, but today, the head of the international monetary fund will appear in court to answer charges of attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. right now, come niece straus-khan is accused of committing rape. the married 62-year-old denies the charges and has agreed to undergo a medical and physical examination. this is the hotel where the alleged attack took place. police say the maid ran to the front desk for help. by the time they arrived, the imf chief had already left for the airport. susan candiotti brings us the latest. reporter: it was an extraordinary day of waiting. all day long and night long at this courthouse, waiting for the very first court appearance by the defendant in this case
tomorrow. cnn has learn from a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation that the alleged victim was able to pick straus-khan out of a lineup at the police station, chose him as the person who allegedly attacked her. cnn knows very little about the victim because the police haven t said much. however, the general manager where she worked said that she worked there for three years and that in their view, her behavior and her work has been very satisfactory, as they put it. so, again, the defendant in this case is expected to appear in court later this day. susan candiotti, cnn, new york. straus-khan was considered to be in with a serious chance of contesting france s presidential election in 2012. let s go to paris with jim birthman. what happens to that now, jim? well, i think the best summary of that was probably in
the socialist leading newspaper this morning. they summarize it this way, dsk for dominique straus-khan out, out. it seems almost impossible at this point that he could somehow revive his political career. among other things, until his trial takes place, if the judge takes away his passport, he ll be stuck in the united states. pretty hard to imagine you could campaign for president of france while you re in the united states facing criminal charges. here in france, a thunder clap keeps rumbling on and a lot of people who would be contenders on the socialist side have come to the fore and that s what s going to happen. russ, the number two in the public opinion polls is likely to rise to the top in the