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CNN Saturday Morning News
President Bush Begins Second Term; Omaha Couple Freezes To Death Despite Desperate 911 Call
Aired January 22, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: A blizzard warning for the Northeast, part of the same storm that's already hit the Midwest. A foot or (UNINTELLIGIBLE) or more snow could be on the ground in New York and Philadelphia by tonight.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Not a good thing, not at all.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is January 22, 9:00 a.m. in the East. Look at that. And 8:00 a.m....
NGUYEN: Coming down.
HARRIS: ... in Minneapolis, where the pictures are coming in from. What a mess. Still going to get a little worse, I'm sorry to say.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We'll be talking about that throughout the show.
But first, here's a look at stories now in the news.
As mentioned, the Northeast is bracing for a winter blast this morning. A blizzard warning is up in New York City as a massive snowstorm makes its way across the eastern U.S. More than a foot of snow could fall in some spots, and the storm has already dumped heavy snow across the Midwest.
It is not what you usually see on an insurgent videotape. A newly released tape show Iraqi insurgents freeing eight Chinese hostages. Now, one masked insurgent, seen here, even shook hands with them. A voice on the tape says China has agreed to advise its citizens against coming to Iraq.
Another security precaution ahead of Iraq's January 30 national election. This morning, Iraqi officials have announced they are shutting down the Baghdad airport on January 29 and 30. Officials are also restricting road traffic across Iraq and tightening security around polling places.
A Florida boy is safe this morning after authorities say he was abducted on Tuesday. Authorities found the 11-year-old on a highway off-ramp in northern Georgia last night. They are now looking for the man who allegedly took him, convicted sex offender Frederick Fretz (ph). The man was a friend of the boy's family. Keeping you informed, CNN. the most trusted name in news.
HARRIS: And here's what we've got coming up for you this hour. The snowplows are gearing up, and people are hunkering down. No need to. We'll take you on the path of this massive winter storm.
Also, frozen to death, a couple trapped in the snow frantically calls for help. But that's only the beginning of this bizarre story.
And a long haul is getting even longer. When will U.S. troops get out of Iraq? We'll talk to a man who was in the top ranks of the U.S.-led coalition all this hour on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: Well, the weather outside is truly frightful this morning, as a massive winter storm barrels its way east. The storm has already dumped heavy snow in Minnesota and across the Midwest. Dozens of traffic accidents. like you are seeing in some of this video, have been reported, and more than 200 flights are already canceled at Minneapolis airport.
HARRIS: And Betty, snow is also piling up in Chicago and elsewhere in northern Illinois. It is being driven by winds of up to 20, maybe 30 miles an hour.
NGUYEN: And fenders are bending all across Ohio as snow and ice coat the roads there. Ohio's been pummeled by bad weather since before Christmas.
HARRIS: So what's next? We kind of know it's not good.
Meteorologist Rob Marciano joins us now from the CNN Weather Center. Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Tony.
Yes, this rapidly moving storm is going to affect even more people as it pushes off to the east. And it will get even stronger as it gets closer to the Atlantic Ocean.
Here's what we think's going to happen. The center of this thing now just past Chicago, 6 to 12 inches. A bit of a respite now but likely will get a little more later on off the lake. There is a mix, a nasty mix across the Ohio River Valley. And then north of there, mostly snow, 12 to 18 inches, potentially, from just north of Baltimore all the way up through Albany, New York.
And then blizzard warnings out for New York and up through Albany. And Boston could see upwards of two feet of snow and accumulation. Not snowing quite just yet, but the bitterly cold air is in place. Temperatures feel like they are well below zero.
And here comes the moisture, trying to fall into that cold air. It'll have a better chance of doing so later on this afternoon. And the heaviest snows are expected to arrive later on tonight.
It has been snowing heavily overnight in places like Chicago Milwaukee, and Green Bay, now dissipating. Detroit back through Cleveland, the snows are increasing. Columbus, Ohio, saw some snow south of Columbus towards Dayton, and across the Ohio River is where that nasty mix has been.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) here's a quick wrap-up, 14 to 20 expected in New York, 18 to 24 in Boston, Philadelphia 10 to 15. Baltimore and D.C. getting into the act as well with upwards of 8 to 10 inches of snowfall there.
And it's going to stick around, Tony and Betty. Temperatures well below freezing, 28 in St. Louis, 27 degrees in D.C. And just nasty, nasty blizzard conditions expected later on today. That means it's not the kind of storm you just go out and play in.
HARRIS: Yes, right.
MARCIANO: You really want to be inside and just wait for it to be over.
HARRIS: Take it easy. Stay inside, stay warm.
NGUYEN: Watch it from a window.
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: Right.
NGUYEN: OK. Thank you, Rob.
HARRIS: OK, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
NGUYEN: Well, the storm has been making a mess of the roads in the upper Midwest. Interstate 94 is closed for 100 miles from Moorhead, Minnesota, on the North Dakota state line all the way down to Alexandria. A big stretch of State Highway 10 is also shut down.
And joining us is Clay County, Minnesota, sheriff Bill Berqquist to talk about the situation there.
Good morning to you, sheriff.
BILL BERQQUIST, CLAY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT (on phone): Good morning.
NGUYEN: Well, tell us what the weather conditions are right now where you are.
BERQQUIST: Well, it's finally, the sun's coming up. I guess in the town it doesn't look too bad, but still out in the country, the wind is pretty high yet, and it's still blowing snow around. So we're still having some zero visibility yet this morning.
NGUYEN: And parts of Highway 10 have already been shut down. How long do you expect that to last? BERQQUIST: Well, they were going to reevaluate that this morning at around 8:00, somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00. The plows are all out there, opening it up, because we still have some stuck cars on the highways that we're getting moved off of there before we open it back up.
NGUYEN: What kind of concern are those stuck cars? Are people still in them? Or were you able to get them safely to some shelter where it's a lot warmer than being stuck in that car?
BERQQUIST: Well, the last ones that we just kind of rescued just happened about two hours ago. The ones that were -- they were in the car for probably over three and a half hours, stranded. But we were able to get most of them, and get them somewheres until we could go back to get their cars, but...
NGUYEN: All right. And for those watching at home, your advice to people in that area today?
BERQQUIST: Well, seeing as it is Saturday, I would tell them to put another pot of coffee on and just wait a while till the -- because the less cars that are out there, the quicker the plows can get the roads open.
NGUYEN: Oh, good some, good advice there. Better to be safe than sorry out there on the roads. We appreciate your time this morning, sheriff.
BERQQUIST: You bet.
NGUYEN: Tony?
HARRIS: From Texas and Arizona, the story of a kidnapping that ended tragically. About 100 people gathered in Tyler, Texas, a Wal- Mart parking lot there to remember 19-year-old clerk Megan Holden (ph). She was leaving work at the store Wednesday when a security camera caught her abduction on tape.
Her body was found by a west Texas road yesterday. Police say she had been shot to death. A former Marine was arrested in Arizona in connection with Holden's kidnapping and killing.
Police say 24-year-old Johnny Williams was shot in an RV park in Wilcox, Arizona, during an attempted robbery.
NGUYEN: Iraq's defense minister says former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed Chalabi will be arrested today to face bank fraud charges in Jordan. Chalabi was a key U.S. ally leading up to the war in Iraq, but he fell out of favor with the Bush administration after the prewar intelligence he supplied did not pan out.
HARRIS: It is a question that's always on the minds of U.S. military families. When will U.S. troops leave Iraq? The Bush administration says it is training the Iraqis to take over security. But do they have what it takes to do the job? Joining us now is Peter Khalil, a former top official at the Coalition Provisional Authority. He is now with the Brookings Institution in Washington.
Peter, good morning.
PETER KHALIL, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: I got to ask you, there was a lot made of this during the confirmation hearings this week for Condoleezza Rice to be secretary of state, this number of Iraqis trained, 120,000, Senator Joe Biden said the real number of Iraqi security forces ready to do the job is about 4,000.
This is an important number. Do you know -- can you give us your take on what the number is? Because it's important when considering when U.S. troops will be able to leave the region.
KHALIL: Well, Tony, the exit strategy is fundamentally sound at the strategic level, transferring responsibility and training Iraqi security forces to take on the insurgents. The devil is really, though, in the detail. And it's the quality of the forces rather than quantity that is actually quite important.
And the types of Iraqi security forces that can deal with the insurgents are a much smaller number. The Iraqi national guard has quite basic training, and the police forces also are not trained to deal directly with the insurgents. There are Iraqi security forces that are trained in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, but they're much smaller in numbers. Probably a handful of battalions that can do that job, or do it without real U.S. support.
HARRIS: And, you know, military families are probably asking this questions themselves. Why is it taking so long to train the numbers and the types of forces that we need there?
KHALIL: Well, Iraqi security forces that are trained intensively in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency and can deal with the insurgents take time to train. It takes at least 16 weeks to train each individual for those types of forces.
Now, they are in the training pipeline at the moment, but they won't be coming out of training for the next six to 12 months. So the main burden of security will have to be held by coalition U.S. forces at least for that period of time.
HARRIS: And Peter, you know, the other question people are asking is, Why are we in this place, why are we in this situation in the first place? Everyone seems, and you've heard this, to point to the disbanding of the security forces as the critical mistake after the fall of Baghdad. Now, you were part of the policy team that was advising Paul Bremer. What was your advice at the time?
KHALIL: Well, it was very important to develop the right types of forces. Early on, it wasn't known that the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) after all, wasn't known that the insurgency would be so intense. That policy has changed, late in 2003, to train the right types of Iraqi security forces to take over from U.S. troops, the offensive operations. Unfortunately that takes a bit of time.
But at least in the next 12 to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) maybe two years, U.S. forces will start being able to withdraw from Iraq.
HARRIS: Peter, what's your prediction for the election?
KHALIL: I hope the election goes well. There will be very tight security (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HARRIS: What does that mean? When you say you hope it goes well, what does that mean?
KHALIL: Well, I hope that the Sunnis that want to come in and vote will have the opportunity to do so. The majority that I spoke to when I was there would like to be part of the democratic process. Unfortunately, some might be afraid of doing so from intimidation or fear.
HARRIS: Do you expect attacks?
KHALIL: Of course. There will be attacks during the elections, but the U.S. and coalition forces and Iraqi security forces have been planning for this for a long time. And there'll be very tight security cordons around the polling centers.
HARRIS: OK. Peter Khalil with the Brookings Institution in Washington. Peter, thank you this morning.
KHALIL: Thank you, Tony.
HARRIS: And let us know what you think. When should U.S. troops leave Iraq? E-mail us as wam@cnn.com, and we'll be reading your messages just ahead.
NGUYEN: Now to security watch, where we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning.
Several of the nation's mayors are asking the Department of Homeland Security to keep them in the loop when trains come through carrying hazardous materials. Tuesday's request at the U.S. Conference of Mayors came less than two weeks after a train crash in South Carolina caused a deadly chlorine leak. One mayor says response to train accidents would speed up if communities knew what was coming through on those rails.
Some mayors also said they are having trouble paying for homeland security needs. A few of them complained that states are hoarding federal funds, even though they are allowed to spend up to 20 percent of the money tagged for local needs.
And Wednesday, the search began for four Chinese nationals possibly linked to a possible terrorist plot in the Boston area. Now, the FBI says there may be up to 16 people involved in that possible plot. A federal law enforcement official says an anonymous tipster told authorities the threat involved a shipment of nuclear oxide that would follow the four Chinese into Boston. The FBI says that information is still uncorroborated.
And Thursday's presidential inauguration saw the highest level of security of any inauguration in history. The mix included heavily armed Coast Guard patrol and thousands of law enforcement officers, as well as military troops.
And we want to remind you to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
HARRIS: Drugs, driving, and extreme cold made for a deadly combination in Nebraska. But is a flaw in cell phone technology also to blame? We'll find out straight ahead.
NGUYEN: Plus later, today marks the anniversary of a Supreme Court ruling that has polarized this country ever since. We will look at events marking the Roe versus Wade decision.
First, though, looking at a live picture of New York City. How pretty...
HARRIS: That's beautiful.
NGUYEN: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the lakes and ponds in the area, I should say, are a little frozen over in this weather. Blizzard conditions for...
HARRIS: Central Park.
NGUYEN: ... New York City. Yes, and in the park. And Rob Marciano will have the latest on those storms coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Our top stories this hour.
A winter storm out of Canada is causing zero visibility and subzero temperature in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast. A blizzard warning goes into effect for New York City and surrounding areas less than three hours from now. And the warning moves east throughout the afternoon.
The eight Chinese hostages recently kidnapped in Iraq are now free. That from an official with the Chinese embassy. A videotaped message shows eight men holding their passports. Now, in that tape, a man reportedly says they were freed after China warned its citizens not to travel to Iraq.
And Iraq's interim defense minister says former exile leader Ahmed Chalabi will be arrested today to face bank fraud charges in Jordan. Chalabi was a key U.S. ally leading up to the war in Iraq, but he fell out of favor with the White House last year, when the prewar intelligence he supplied did not pan out.
And an awesome occasion, a solemn oath. President Bush took his second oath of office, and our Bob Novak, covering Washington for almost 40 years, attended his umpteenth inauguration. He'll join us in about 15 minutes with some insight.
HARRIS: For many conservatives, it's a day of infamy. For some activists, a day of liberation. Today is the 32nd anniversary of Roe versus Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Groups both for and against plan protests around the country.
Our Gary Nuremburg is outside of Planned Parenthood in the nation's capital with more. Good morning, Gary.
GARY NUREMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
We're about several blocks from the White House here on 16th Street in Washington at the Planned Parenthood local clinic, which is open for 24 hours, from 8:00 this morning until 8:00 tomorrow morning, to commemorate the anniversary of the Roe versus Wade decision.
On 16th street, escorts who are helping people get into the clinic if they choose, and opponents of abortion standing side by side, as they protest the demonstration.
Barbara Goss is here from Idaho. She's a mother of four children who had an abortion early in her life and says that it caused great psychological damage.
Across the street, a small group of demonstrators demonstrated against the Roe versus Wade decision, which they hope will be overturned. They will march to the Supreme Court later today to hold a prayer vigil at noon on the Supreme Court steps.
They make the march at an interesting time in American politics, with an administration in favor of a constitutional amendment that would overturn Roe versus Wade. During the inaugural address on Thursday, President Bush talked about the value of life, even for those who are unwanted.
Opponents of Roe versus Wade believe that they stand a chance to have that decision eventually overturned if President Bush is able to appoint to the court opponents of the Roe versus Wade decision. Those who favor abortion rights believe that the president should have a litmus test and appoint only those who would agree to support Roe versus Wade and its continuation.
Tony, the demonstration will continue throughout the day. We'll follow it to the Supreme Court. We'll cover the prayer vigil, and we'll cover it throughout the day from here in Washington.
This is Gary Nuremburg in D.C. Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: Gary, we appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, they called for help but could not get it.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no, no, please. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). My phone's going to die. I need some help now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't understand -- but I can't help you because I'm in a different area.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
NGUYEN: A young couple dies after being stranded in the snow. Why they weren't helped when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. No matter how stressed out you are running your own business, it could be worse. The 2005 International Business Owners survey finds that the U.S. ranks 18th out of 24 countries for increased levels of stress.
People in countries with high-growth economies, like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico, and India experience the highest stress levels. A sigh of relief for Sweden. The survey shows its business owners turned out to be the least stressed-out of all.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Ohhhhh, a little soothing music from the Garden State sound track. Good morning, New York. What a cold day it's going to be there. You are looking live over the city. The entire Northeast is bracing for a winter storm this morning that could dump more than 12 inches of snow by tonight. So you may just want to stay inside, New York.
Rob is coming up with the latest on the forecast.
HARRIS: And if you've had a tough time keeping up with the headlines this week, we're here to help. Time now to rewind some of the top stories from the past five days.
On Tuesday, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the United States's long-running probe of the oil-for-food program in Iraq netted its first conviction. An Iraqi-American businessman pleaded guilty to several charges, including acting as an illegal agent for Saddam Hussein's government. The man admitted to lobbying U.S. officials, hoping they would push for scaling back sanctions against Iraq.
Wednesday, Indonesia nearly doubled the number of people killed in the December 26 tsunami to more than 166,000. That brings the overall number of dead from the disaster to a staggering 212,000 people.
Also Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 16 to two to send Condoleezza Rice's nomination for secretary of state to the full Senate. The two dissenting votes came from California Democrat Barbara Boxer and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. The Senate is slated to debate the issue Tuesday, and will vote the day after.
Tomorrow, we'll fast forward to the week ahead, and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight. NGUYEN: Well, no doubt grabbing the spotlight today are these blizzard warnings for the upper Northeast. Rob Marciano joins us now with a look at that. Morning.
MARCIANO: Hi, Betty.
It's not too often that they put blizzard warnings out.
HARRIS: Yes, that's true.
MARCIANO: So it's a big deal. And they put it out last night, in fact, this afternoon through tomorrow. Includes big cities like Boston and up through New York as well. Chicago, not quite blizzard conditions, but certainly more snow on the way later on today after a break. But this storm is beginning to intensify as it pulls rapidly off towards the east.
We do have a bit of a mix in places right along the Ohio River Valley, and we have up across parts of the western mountains of West Virginia. But other than that, it's mostly all snow, falling into extremely cold air.
Temperatures in Boston right now, one. And that doesn't include the wind chill. Temperatures in New York right now, nine degrees. So there's no question that this will fall in the form of snow. And it'll be that very light, powdery snow, so it will pile up and be blown around by the winds even more.
Here's what we think this storm will do, six to 12 in Chicago. They got about six right now, so another half a foot possible when this thing rolls across the Appalachian mountains. Once it hits the Atlantic Ocean, picks up some moisture, picks up the gulf-stream warmth, creates a little bit more instability, and by tomorrow morning, there it is, dumping even more snow across places like Philadelphia, Trenton, Newark, 12 to 18 inches of snow, up to Poughkeepsie, maybe even in Albany, New York, or Hartford, Connecticut.
And then some pinks on the map as this thing catches parts of eastern Mass. and Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and Boston, 18 to 24 inches possible. So there are your winds. This thing's really going to continue to pull down strong winds and strong cold air from Canada. Places across Iowa have already seen winds gust over 60 miles an hour. The whiteout conditions in places like Cedar Rapids, with tractor trailers being blown off the sides of the road. So this is a dangerous storm for sure, and the cold air will continue to press all the way down to the south.
Right now, though, across the Gulf coast, and across much of the intermountain West, fog is an issue. Not a whole lot going on weather-wise, but waking up to some soupy conditions and low visibilities yourselves. Forty-five degrees for a high in Salt Lake. It'll be 61 degrees in San Francisco. Finally some quiet weather after all the storminess in California.
Twenty-five Chicago, 27 degrees for a high temperature today in New York. And tomorrow's highs will not get above freezing, so that the snow that falls, Tony and Betty, is going to stick around, looks like, for a little while. We'll keep you posted.
Back to you in the studio.
NGUYEN: All right, definitely...
HARRIS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NGUYEN: ... want to stay tuned, yes. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
HARRIS: Thanks, Rob.
President Bush lays out his second-term agenda. Is it too ambitious? Bob Novak joins us for his thoughts.
NGUYEN: Plus, a family feud, and we're not talking about the game show. A knockdown...
HARRIS: Oh!
NGUYEN: ... drag-out in front of a Louisiana courthouse.
We are going across America when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: President Bush lays out his agenda for next four years. Where does he plan on taking the nation? We'll examine that.
First, we want to welcome you back this morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.
That story coming up.
First, here's what's happening now in the news.
Bracing for the dreaded B-word. A blizzard will clobber much of the Northeastern U.S. today. Here you see, in just a moment, some road crews in Pittsburgh getting ready by loading up some salt trucks. OK, I guess this is what this guy is doing.
Blizzard warnings go into effect beginning at noon in New York City and then roll east through the afternoon. By the time the storm hits Boston, accumulation could be up to two feet.
A Chinese official in Baghdad says eight Chinese hostages in Iraq have been freed after nearly a week in captivity. But the official adds that their whereabouts are not yet known. An insurgent video of the men says they were being released after China warned its citizens not to travel to Iraq. The video shows the hostages shaking hands with one of the captors. And in northeast Georgia, a happy ending for an Amber Alert for a kidnapped Florida boy. The 11-year-old was found safe and sound last night near Interstate 75 north of Atlanta. Police are still searching for the boy's abductor, who is a family friend. The man's car broke down on the interstate, and police believe he is hiding in nearby woods.
NGUYEN: Well, the party is over, and the work begins. President Bush is two days into his second term, having been sworn in this past Thursday. Now some fresh polls are shedding light on how Americans look at the road ahead. In a CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll, 43 percent of those surveyed say they feel more hopeful about the next four years after the inauguration. Twenty-five percent said they were less hopeful, and 28 percent said there was no difference in their view.
As to whether Mr. Bush will heal deep divisions in the next four years, 42 percent said yes, while just over half said no.
So with almost 40 years covering Washington, Robert Novak usually has a front row seat to history, and this inaugural week was no different. In today's Novak Zone, Bob joins us today to talk about President Bush's inaugural message and where the president plans to take the nation in the next four years.
Good morning.
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST, THE NOVAK ZONE: Good morning, Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about this for just a moment. I want to get into the president's plan momentarily. But right now, let's look at the inauguration itself. Do you think that, in a time of war, it was appropriate for President Bush to have a $40 million inauguration?
NOVAK: Oh, yes, absolutely. There's no question about that. It was actually less expensive than most recent inaugurations have been. But this is a celebration of a great rite in America. And I think it's just kind of petty partisanship to criticize it.
NGUYEN: But during time of war, President Roosevelt decided just to do it just very quietly, no pomp and circumstance.
NOVAK: Well, there was a different atmosphere at that time. I am old enough I can even remember it. But it was a -- there was a, there was rationing. There was all kinds of price controls. There was a lot of hardships going on that we don't have in this country today.
NGUYEN: We were talking money just now. Now let's talk poll numbers. In the latest CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll, 60 percent of Americans say spreading democracy is essential to U.S. security. But with more than 1,000 U.S. casualties in Iraq, are Americans truly ready for the sacrifice it's going to take to spread democracy into other countries?
NOVAK: I don't think the American people have a very high tolerance for casualties. They haven't liked the casualties in Iraq so far. And I believe that the president was trying to set off a -- set out a goal of what he wanted in the world, a spreading of democracy and freedom, rather than a blueprint of sending troop here and there, because we just, I don't believe there is a public will for a massive under -- military undertaking.
And I don't think that's what the president has in mind. I think he has in mind setting out the ideal.
You know, Betty, the motley, people from the, who are advisers to the president tell me that the model for this speech was Lincoln's second inaugural address, when he set out a plan for trying to bring the Union together, not the details of it. And that, I think, is what President Bush was trying to do, rather than say, We're going to send some troops to North Korea, so many troops here, and we're going to have wars all over the place.
NGUYEN: Speaking of other countries, I found it very interesting that on inauguration day, Vice President Dick Cheney sounded off new warnings to Iran. Is Iran the next target?
NOVAK: I don't believe so. I don't think the U.S., the military is prepared for a military venture. You know what? Secretary of State Powell often said, before, as he is leaving office, that they studied many times in the previous Bush administration what the parameters were of a military operation in Iran, and it was just too costly.
Well, we're spread even thinner now. So I think the vice president was giving a warning to Iran, but I don't believe that there's a military operation in store. Certainly, that is not the feeling either in the Pentagon or the State Department.
NGUYEN: Bob, looking at some other numbers this morning, President Bush enters this second term with the lowest approval rating for a reelected president since Nixon. Yet he says he has a mandate. How does that add up?
NOVAK: I'll tell you how it adds up, Betty. (UNINTELLIGIBLE), he has, he has the lowest rating for an, a reelected president, but he's reelected. The presidents who weren't reelected, his father and Jimmy Carter, had even lower ratings. So he does have -- once you get reelected, you have a mandate.
Of course, he has lower ratings because we have a divided country with a lot of issues in which the two parties are on opposite sides, not just the war in Iraq, not just this question of spreading freedom, but domestic issues as well.
NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about those. Social Security, isn't the president even going to have a hard time within his own party getting that plan passed?
NOVAK: Very difficult time. And that was what has surprising about the inaugural address, that this was a time, perhaps, in broad terms that the president could make a pitch for his domestic program. But the -- it was really a one-note inaugural address on spreading freedom around the world, which is a goal rather than a program.
The program that he's going to have to do, and which he didn't really engage himself in, and this was a surprise, was the Social Security reform, tort reform, trying to hold down the spending, which is going to be a major effort, and also, of course, down the line, tax reform.
Now that's is, this was not a State of the Union address, where he'll lay that out. But it was a little surprising that he didn't even discuss those matters in broad outline.
NGUYEN: And Bob, before I let you go, with all of these things on the table, what should be the president's first priority?
NOVAK: The first priority, Betty, unquestionably, should be ending the war in Iraq. Not so much ending the war, but getting the troops back. There is not a great deal of public tolerance around the country, even in his own party, even in his own supporters, for an indefinite stay of troops in Iraq.
There's a feeling in the Pentagon, there's feeling in the State Department that there has to be a plan of getting out, even if we leave, not total chaos, but the makings of a civil war. We cannot turn Iraq into a little Iowa, where everybody is peaceful and arguing in the state legislature.
I really do believe, Betty, that the -- there is a certain conflict between the broad concept of the president spreading freedom all around the world, and the imperative that the U.S. troops must, in a reasonable amount of time, be withdrawn from Iraq, even if the situation for the perpetuation for freedom there is not perfect. That is going to be the conflict in his own, the administration, in the country, and his most difficult task as a second-term president.
NGUYEN: And it could define his legacy as well. All right. CNN's Bob Novak, as always, we thank you for your insight.
NOVAK: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NGUYEN: And you can see more of Bob Novak tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on "The Capital Gang." Democratic Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania will be a guest, talking about Bush's second-term agenda and how the Democrats should fight back. Again, that's 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
Time now for a check of some of the stories making news around the world.
HARRIS: And for that, let's go to Anand Naidoo at the international desk. Anand, good morning.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN: Good morning, Tony. Thanks. And a very good morning to you from me.
Time now to check on some of the other stories that are taking place around the world. And first up, a significant political development in Iran. This in just a short while ago. Iran's hardline ruling council has decided that women can run for president in the upcoming presidential election. The Iranian television quoted a government spokesman as saying, and I'm quoting here, "If they possess the necessary qualifications, women can also run for president."
And you have to remember something here, that the next president of Iran will face some pretty tough challenges, like trying to convince the rest of the world that Iran has no nuclear weapons ambitions.
So stay with CNN. We'll bring you more details as we get them here.
Now, moving to another part of the Middle East, and here's something that you don't see very often. These are Palestinian forces taking up positions in Gaza. They're there to try and put an end to rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian militants into Israeli territory. It's all part of the effort by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to try and stop the violence and get peace talks back on track.
For their part, some of the militants are saying that they will suspend attacks. In fact, we had a report just a few hours ago, just a short while ago, in which the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, that's an offshoot of the main Fatah faction, saying that they will suspend attacks if Israel meets certain conditions.
So there could be some dividends to those talks that Mahmoud Abbas is holding with the militants.
And this in from Germany. He was a guy who was flamboyant and eccentric to the end. German designer Rudolf Mosshammer (ph), who was murdered this week, has left his home to his dog. Mosshammer was something of an icon in his native Germany. His funeral is expected to be watched by millions on television today.
Under the terms of his will, his beloved pet will stay at the villa until she dies, looked after by his chauffeur.
And incidentally, something you might not know, but among Mosshammer's clients is one Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California. Somewhat of a snappy dresser. Anyway, he was the last time I looked.
That's all from me. I'll be back tomorrow morning, Betty, Tony.
HARRIS: Did not know that.
NGUYEN: Very interesting.
HARRIS: Anand, thank you.
NGUYEN: Yes, thank you, Anand. A young couple stranded in the snow. They called 911 five times for help, but were later found dead. Why weren't they rescued? Their story when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And checking our top stories now.
People living in the Northeast are bracing for a snowstorm so intense, it's described as potentially life-threatening. More than a foot of snow and bone-chilling temperatures are expected. A blizzard warning goes into effect at noon in New York City. Surrounding areas are expected to follow.
China confirms eight Chinese nationals kidnapped in Iraq were freed today. First word of their release came in a videotape aired on Arab TV. The captors said the hostages were freed after China advised its citizens not to travel to Iraq.
A Marine who served in Iraq is arrested in connection with the kidnapping and killing of a Wal-Mart cashier in Tyler, Texas. The 19- year-old woman was found shot to death yesterday.
We've been asking you all morning, when should U.S. troops leave Iraq? What do you think? E-mail us at wam@cnn.com, and we'll read some of your comments in just a few minutes.
NGUYEN: Investigators trying to trace some methamphetamine have arrested a woman and her son in Kearney (ph), Nebraska. Now, the meth was found in the bodies of two young people who were froze to death January 5 while lost southwest of Omaha. There is speculation the drugs impaired their judgment.
But, as CNN's Keith Oppenheimer reports, the victims were not the only ones confused.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a subzero snowstorm, Michael Wamsley and Janelle Hornickel, two 20-year-olds, got lost driving to Omaha, Nebraska. They made repeated calls to 911.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sarpy County, 911.
MICHAEL WAMSLEY: Yes, my girlfriend (UNINTELLIGIBLE) placed a call earlier out by an old sandpit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out by where?
WAMSLEY: Out by a sandpit.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: Because Wamsley is using a cell phone, his signal is bouncing to other regions, and dispatchers want to transfer him to where they think he is, so he can get help faster.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
WAMSLEY: Oh, no, no, please. I don't have a chance to -- my phone's going to die. I need some help now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't understand -- but I can't help you, because I'm in a different area.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: Wamsley and Hornickel are stuck near a gravel pit near the rural outskirts of Omaha, slowly freezing to death.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
WAMSLEY: Please, can you get over here now?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: But despite the anguish, dispatchers don't have the technology to pinpoint the call.
DAN PETERSON, SARPY COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: It was just not possible to locate where they were.
OPPENHEIM: Days of searching follows the phone calls. The bodies of Wamsley and Hornickel were found outside, frozen. They left their vehicle, not dressed for the weather.
DR. HENRY NIPPER, CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Both individuals were impaired at the time of death.
OPPENHEIM: An autopsy revealed both bodies had high traces of the drug methamphetamine, or crystal meth, which may explain their confusion in the storm. And that may have made the calls even more challenging for 911 dispatchers.
Still, the question is, was this a bad mix of drugs and inadequate technology, or were the calls transferred so often that time was wasted in this search for two people calling for help?
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A deadly plane crash left a fiery trail of destruction across a Kansas City neighborhood. The twin-engine plane went down shortly after takeoff. The aircraft broke into bits and pieces after hitting a street lamp and several trees. All five people on board were killed.
Look at this, a fist fly outside a New Orleans courtroom. Families on both sides of a murder case tangle, scrap after the suspect's hearing. Wilton Karabe (ph) was mistakenly released from jail, then rearrested this week. Held since May, Karabe was never indicted and was freed due to a paperwork snafu.
This Georgia couple won Tuesday's $130 Mega Millions jackpot. It's the second-largest payout in state history. Margaret and James Jones are taking the cash up front, getting nearly $80 million after taxes. The Washington, Georgia, couple say they will stay in their rural home, because it is paid for.
'Tis the season of beads and baubles. Mardi Gras festivities kicked off in many Southern cites, like this parade in Mobile, Alabama. The actual day of Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday, falls on February 8.
NGUYEN: Always looks like a fun time.
Well, want to give you a live picture of Cleveland this morning. Look at all that snow, where a winter storm moving through the Midwest can dump at least six inches of snow by tonight.
Rob is here with your winter storm forecast. That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Hey, good morning, Cleveland, Ohio. And Betty, I believe that is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now, just behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you've got Lake Erie. And you want to talk about...
NGUYEN: Frozen lake?
HARRIS: ... lake effect, yes, and lake effect snow. So communities like Euclid and Lesling (ph), they're going to get swamped today. We'll check in with Rob in just a couple of minutes for your full forecast.
NGUYEN: Right now, we want to go to Washington and the lovely Suzanne Malveaux for the latest "ON THE STORY." Hi, there, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, "ON THE STORY": Well, hey, we're "ON THE STORY" from here in Washington, to Saudi Arabia and Iraq. We'll be "ON THE STORY" of the inauguration, and how the president may translate inaugural words into deeds. We'll also go to Iraq to talk to Jane Arraf about the run-up to elections there. Dane Vergy (ph) is in Saudi Arabia, as 2 million Muslims make their pilgrimage to Mecca. And we're "ON THE STORY" of the new debate this week, whether women are biologically able to compete in math and science. All that up, coming up, all "ON THE STORY."
NGUYEN: Hmmm, very interesting. All right. Thank you, Suzanne.
HARRIS: You know, all morning long, we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question. What do you think? When should U.S. troops leave Iraq? And boy, this has been a hot topic for you. And we want to thank you up front for your e-mails.
This from Vincent, "Two years ago, before they were involved in the quagmire that it has become, we have created a civil war for those people. It was -- I was a combat soldier in Vietnam, and I see the same thing unfolding all over again."
NGUYEN: Bob from Belleview, Florida, writes, "Unfortunately, our troops are there, and no matter how big that error is, we can't just invade a country, disrupt their entire way of life, and then jump out."
And we do want to thank you for all your responses this morning to our e-mail question of the day.
HARRIS: Let's get a final check of weather. And what a story this is becoming.
Rob, folks need to take care of the pets, they need to check on older folks. And there are a lot of considerations when the weather get this bad.
MARCIANO: Yes, and with winds gusting over 40 miles an hour in some cases, and wind chills well below zero, that's the kind of cold that can freeze skin in a matter of minutes. So it's not going to be very pleasant at all.
And it's incorporating a large swath of the country. Right now, winds have been gusting over 60 in places in Iowa. And that wind will continue to push off to the east, as will the snow and the moisture as it pounds into extremely cold air.
Snow is increasing tonight, Boston, New York, and Philly. Blizzard conditions expected, 12 to 18 to 24 inches of snow expected in spots. The Southeast drops by at least 20 degrees, specifically in places like Atlanta, by tomorrow.
And the upper Midwest will continue to be cold. Snows will come to an end later on today, although probably hold onto it a little bit in Chicago.
Houston gets into the act. They go from 70 today to 48 tomorrow.
West Coast looking good. You had your storms a couple of weeks ago. So you'll take the rest.
Here's the snow, showing up in the radarscope in the form of some white, Detroit back to Columbus, Youngstown, Ohio, and Cleveland, Ohio, as well. Here's a wrap-around. This thing is beginning to take shape, and it will only intensify farther as it goes over the Atlantic Ocean, where it'll pick up a little bit of moisture.
This moisture falling into extremely dry and cold air, so it's not quite falling heavily right now. But later on today and tonight, that's when the heaviest snows will pick up. And that's when the winds will pick up later on tonight as well.
Nine the actual temperature in New York. It's one degree in Boston, three degrees in Toronto. And the actual wind chills, what it feels like outside right now, minus 10, minus four. And looks like, as this storm continues to move east, with temperatures not much above 20 degrees and then the winds gusting over 30 miles an hour at times, for the next really 24 hours, wind chills should be below zero.
And then actual temperatures will keep below freezing, so snow is not really going to melt.
Twenty-seven degrees in New York, 27 degrees in D.C., and 19 degrees expected in Boston. Updates on the hour and half-hour.
Tony, back to you and Betty.
HARRIS: Rob, quick question. When you talk about these accumulation amounts, are we talking about factoring in the blowing and drifting?
MARCIANO: No, no, I mean, that's like wind protects it.
HARRIS: Ohhh!
NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: So you take two feet or a foot of snow, and you blow that around, that could easily...
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: ... result in three-, four-, even five-foot drifts.
HARRIS: Oh, this is crazy.
NGUYEN: Hmmm. Keep that in mind. All right.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob.
HARRIS: Be safe. Take your time out there. Stay home.
Thank you for joining us this Saturday morning.
NGUYEN: "ON THE STORY" is next. We'll see you again tomorrow morning starting right here at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 22, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: A blizzard warning for the Northeast, part of the same storm that's already hit the Midwest. A foot or (UNINTELLIGIBLE) or more snow could be on the ground in New York and Philadelphia by tonight.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Not a good thing, not at all.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is January 22, 9:00 a.m. in the East. Look at that. And 8:00 a.m....
NGUYEN: Coming down.
HARRIS: ... in Minneapolis, where the pictures are coming in from. What a mess. Still going to get a little worse, I'm sorry to say.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We'll be talking about that throughout the show.
But first, here's a look at stories now in the news.
As mentioned, the Northeast is bracing for a winter blast this morning. A blizzard warning is up in New York City as a massive snowstorm makes its way across the eastern U.S. More than a foot of snow could fall in some spots, and the storm has already dumped heavy snow across the Midwest.
It is not what you usually see on an insurgent videotape. A newly released tape show Iraqi insurgents freeing eight Chinese hostages. Now, one masked insurgent, seen here, even shook hands with them. A voice on the tape says China has agreed to advise its citizens against coming to Iraq.
Another security precaution ahead of Iraq's January 30 national election. This morning, Iraqi officials have announced they are shutting down the Baghdad airport on January 29 and 30. Officials are also restricting road traffic across Iraq and tightening security around polling places.
A Florida boy is safe this morning after authorities say he was abducted on Tuesday. Authorities found the 11-year-old on a highway off-ramp in northern Georgia last night. They are now looking for the man who allegedly took him, convicted sex offender Frederick Fretz (ph). The man was a friend of the boy's family. Keeping you informed, CNN. the most trusted name in news.
HARRIS: And here's what we've got coming up for you this hour. The snowplows are gearing up, and people are hunkering down. No need to. We'll take you on the path of this massive winter storm.
Also, frozen to death, a couple trapped in the snow frantically calls for help. But that's only the beginning of this bizarre story.
And a long haul is getting even longer. When will U.S. troops get out of Iraq? We'll talk to a man who was in the top ranks of the U.S.-led coalition all this hour on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: Well, the weather outside is truly frightful this morning, as a massive winter storm barrels its way east. The storm has already dumped heavy snow in Minnesota and across the Midwest. Dozens of traffic accidents. like you are seeing in some of this video, have been reported, and more than 200 flights are already canceled at Minneapolis airport.
HARRIS: And Betty, snow is also piling up in Chicago and elsewhere in northern Illinois. It is being driven by winds of up to 20, maybe 30 miles an hour.
NGUYEN: And fenders are bending all across Ohio as snow and ice coat the roads there. Ohio's been pummeled by bad weather since before Christmas.
HARRIS: So what's next? We kind of know it's not good.
Meteorologist Rob Marciano joins us now from the CNN Weather Center. Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Tony.
Yes, this rapidly moving storm is going to affect even more people as it pushes off to the east. And it will get even stronger as it gets closer to the Atlantic Ocean.
Here's what we think's going to happen. The center of this thing now just past Chicago, 6 to 12 inches. A bit of a respite now but likely will get a little more later on off the lake. There is a mix, a nasty mix across the Ohio River Valley. And then north of there, mostly snow, 12 to 18 inches, potentially, from just north of Baltimore all the way up through Albany, New York.
And then blizzard warnings out for New York and up through Albany. And Boston could see upwards of two feet of snow and accumulation. Not snowing quite just yet, but the bitterly cold air is in place. Temperatures feel like they are well below zero.
And here comes the moisture, trying to fall into that cold air. It'll have a better chance of doing so later on this afternoon. And the heaviest snows are expected to arrive later on tonight.
It has been snowing heavily overnight in places like Chicago Milwaukee, and Green Bay, now dissipating. Detroit back through Cleveland, the snows are increasing. Columbus, Ohio, saw some snow south of Columbus towards Dayton, and across the Ohio River is where that nasty mix has been.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) here's a quick wrap-up, 14 to 20 expected in New York, 18 to 24 in Boston, Philadelphia 10 to 15. Baltimore and D.C. getting into the act as well with upwards of 8 to 10 inches of snowfall there.
And it's going to stick around, Tony and Betty. Temperatures well below freezing, 28 in St. Louis, 27 degrees in D.C. And just nasty, nasty blizzard conditions expected later on today. That means it's not the kind of storm you just go out and play in.
HARRIS: Yes, right.
MARCIANO: You really want to be inside and just wait for it to be over.
HARRIS: Take it easy. Stay inside, stay warm.
NGUYEN: Watch it from a window.
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: Right.
NGUYEN: OK. Thank you, Rob.
HARRIS: OK, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
NGUYEN: Well, the storm has been making a mess of the roads in the upper Midwest. Interstate 94 is closed for 100 miles from Moorhead, Minnesota, on the North Dakota state line all the way down to Alexandria. A big stretch of State Highway 10 is also shut down.
And joining us is Clay County, Minnesota, sheriff Bill Berqquist to talk about the situation there.
Good morning to you, sheriff.
BILL BERQQUIST, CLAY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT (on phone): Good morning.
NGUYEN: Well, tell us what the weather conditions are right now where you are.
BERQQUIST: Well, it's finally, the sun's coming up. I guess in the town it doesn't look too bad, but still out in the country, the wind is pretty high yet, and it's still blowing snow around. So we're still having some zero visibility yet this morning.
NGUYEN: And parts of Highway 10 have already been shut down. How long do you expect that to last? BERQQUIST: Well, they were going to reevaluate that this morning at around 8:00, somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00. The plows are all out there, opening it up, because we still have some stuck cars on the highways that we're getting moved off of there before we open it back up.
NGUYEN: What kind of concern are those stuck cars? Are people still in them? Or were you able to get them safely to some shelter where it's a lot warmer than being stuck in that car?
BERQQUIST: Well, the last ones that we just kind of rescued just happened about two hours ago. The ones that were -- they were in the car for probably over three and a half hours, stranded. But we were able to get most of them, and get them somewheres until we could go back to get their cars, but...
NGUYEN: All right. And for those watching at home, your advice to people in that area today?
BERQQUIST: Well, seeing as it is Saturday, I would tell them to put another pot of coffee on and just wait a while till the -- because the less cars that are out there, the quicker the plows can get the roads open.
NGUYEN: Oh, good some, good advice there. Better to be safe than sorry out there on the roads. We appreciate your time this morning, sheriff.
BERQQUIST: You bet.
NGUYEN: Tony?
HARRIS: From Texas and Arizona, the story of a kidnapping that ended tragically. About 100 people gathered in Tyler, Texas, a Wal- Mart parking lot there to remember 19-year-old clerk Megan Holden (ph). She was leaving work at the store Wednesday when a security camera caught her abduction on tape.
Her body was found by a west Texas road yesterday. Police say she had been shot to death. A former Marine was arrested in Arizona in connection with Holden's kidnapping and killing.
Police say 24-year-old Johnny Williams was shot in an RV park in Wilcox, Arizona, during an attempted robbery.
NGUYEN: Iraq's defense minister says former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed Chalabi will be arrested today to face bank fraud charges in Jordan. Chalabi was a key U.S. ally leading up to the war in Iraq, but he fell out of favor with the Bush administration after the prewar intelligence he supplied did not pan out.
HARRIS: It is a question that's always on the minds of U.S. military families. When will U.S. troops leave Iraq? The Bush administration says it is training the Iraqis to take over security. But do they have what it takes to do the job? Joining us now is Peter Khalil, a former top official at the Coalition Provisional Authority. He is now with the Brookings Institution in Washington.
Peter, good morning.
PETER KHALIL, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: I got to ask you, there was a lot made of this during the confirmation hearings this week for Condoleezza Rice to be secretary of state, this number of Iraqis trained, 120,000, Senator Joe Biden said the real number of Iraqi security forces ready to do the job is about 4,000.
This is an important number. Do you know -- can you give us your take on what the number is? Because it's important when considering when U.S. troops will be able to leave the region.
KHALIL: Well, Tony, the exit strategy is fundamentally sound at the strategic level, transferring responsibility and training Iraqi security forces to take on the insurgents. The devil is really, though, in the detail. And it's the quality of the forces rather than quantity that is actually quite important.
And the types of Iraqi security forces that can deal with the insurgents are a much smaller number. The Iraqi national guard has quite basic training, and the police forces also are not trained to deal directly with the insurgents. There are Iraqi security forces that are trained in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, but they're much smaller in numbers. Probably a handful of battalions that can do that job, or do it without real U.S. support.
HARRIS: And, you know, military families are probably asking this questions themselves. Why is it taking so long to train the numbers and the types of forces that we need there?
KHALIL: Well, Iraqi security forces that are trained intensively in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency and can deal with the insurgents take time to train. It takes at least 16 weeks to train each individual for those types of forces.
Now, they are in the training pipeline at the moment, but they won't be coming out of training for the next six to 12 months. So the main burden of security will have to be held by coalition U.S. forces at least for that period of time.
HARRIS: And Peter, you know, the other question people are asking is, Why are we in this place, why are we in this situation in the first place? Everyone seems, and you've heard this, to point to the disbanding of the security forces as the critical mistake after the fall of Baghdad. Now, you were part of the policy team that was advising Paul Bremer. What was your advice at the time?
KHALIL: Well, it was very important to develop the right types of forces. Early on, it wasn't known that the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) after all, wasn't known that the insurgency would be so intense. That policy has changed, late in 2003, to train the right types of Iraqi security forces to take over from U.S. troops, the offensive operations. Unfortunately that takes a bit of time.
But at least in the next 12 to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) maybe two years, U.S. forces will start being able to withdraw from Iraq.
HARRIS: Peter, what's your prediction for the election?
KHALIL: I hope the election goes well. There will be very tight security (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HARRIS: What does that mean? When you say you hope it goes well, what does that mean?
KHALIL: Well, I hope that the Sunnis that want to come in and vote will have the opportunity to do so. The majority that I spoke to when I was there would like to be part of the democratic process. Unfortunately, some might be afraid of doing so from intimidation or fear.
HARRIS: Do you expect attacks?
KHALIL: Of course. There will be attacks during the elections, but the U.S. and coalition forces and Iraqi security forces have been planning for this for a long time. And there'll be very tight security cordons around the polling centers.
HARRIS: OK. Peter Khalil with the Brookings Institution in Washington. Peter, thank you this morning.
KHALIL: Thank you, Tony.
HARRIS: And let us know what you think. When should U.S. troops leave Iraq? E-mail us as wam@cnn.com, and we'll be reading your messages just ahead.
NGUYEN: Now to security watch, where we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning.
Several of the nation's mayors are asking the Department of Homeland Security to keep them in the loop when trains come through carrying hazardous materials. Tuesday's request at the U.S. Conference of Mayors came less than two weeks after a train crash in South Carolina caused a deadly chlorine leak. One mayor says response to train accidents would speed up if communities knew what was coming through on those rails.
Some mayors also said they are having trouble paying for homeland security needs. A few of them complained that states are hoarding federal funds, even though they are allowed to spend up to 20 percent of the money tagged for local needs.
And Wednesday, the search began for four Chinese nationals possibly linked to a possible terrorist plot in the Boston area. Now, the FBI says there may be up to 16 people involved in that possible plot. A federal law enforcement official says an anonymous tipster told authorities the threat involved a shipment of nuclear oxide that would follow the four Chinese into Boston. The FBI says that information is still uncorroborated.
And Thursday's presidential inauguration saw the highest level of security of any inauguration in history. The mix included heavily armed Coast Guard patrol and thousands of law enforcement officers, as well as military troops.
And we want to remind you to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
HARRIS: Drugs, driving, and extreme cold made for a deadly combination in Nebraska. But is a flaw in cell phone technology also to blame? We'll find out straight ahead.
NGUYEN: Plus later, today marks the anniversary of a Supreme Court ruling that has polarized this country ever since. We will look at events marking the Roe versus Wade decision.
First, though, looking at a live picture of New York City. How pretty...
HARRIS: That's beautiful.
NGUYEN: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the lakes and ponds in the area, I should say, are a little frozen over in this weather. Blizzard conditions for...
HARRIS: Central Park.
NGUYEN: ... New York City. Yes, and in the park. And Rob Marciano will have the latest on those storms coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Our top stories this hour.
A winter storm out of Canada is causing zero visibility and subzero temperature in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast. A blizzard warning goes into effect for New York City and surrounding areas less than three hours from now. And the warning moves east throughout the afternoon.
The eight Chinese hostages recently kidnapped in Iraq are now free. That from an official with the Chinese embassy. A videotaped message shows eight men holding their passports. Now, in that tape, a man reportedly says they were freed after China warned its citizens not to travel to Iraq.
And Iraq's interim defense minister says former exile leader Ahmed Chalabi will be arrested today to face bank fraud charges in Jordan. Chalabi was a key U.S. ally leading up to the war in Iraq, but he fell out of favor with the White House last year, when the prewar intelligence he supplied did not pan out.
And an awesome occasion, a solemn oath. President Bush took his second oath of office, and our Bob Novak, covering Washington for almost 40 years, attended his umpteenth inauguration. He'll join us in about 15 minutes with some insight.
HARRIS: For many conservatives, it's a day of infamy. For some activists, a day of liberation. Today is the 32nd anniversary of Roe versus Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Groups both for and against plan protests around the country.
Our Gary Nuremburg is outside of Planned Parenthood in the nation's capital with more. Good morning, Gary.
GARY NUREMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
We're about several blocks from the White House here on 16th Street in Washington at the Planned Parenthood local clinic, which is open for 24 hours, from 8:00 this morning until 8:00 tomorrow morning, to commemorate the anniversary of the Roe versus Wade decision.
On 16th street, escorts who are helping people get into the clinic if they choose, and opponents of abortion standing side by side, as they protest the demonstration.
Barbara Goss is here from Idaho. She's a mother of four children who had an abortion early in her life and says that it caused great psychological damage.
Across the street, a small group of demonstrators demonstrated against the Roe versus Wade decision, which they hope will be overturned. They will march to the Supreme Court later today to hold a prayer vigil at noon on the Supreme Court steps.
They make the march at an interesting time in American politics, with an administration in favor of a constitutional amendment that would overturn Roe versus Wade. During the inaugural address on Thursday, President Bush talked about the value of life, even for those who are unwanted.
Opponents of Roe versus Wade believe that they stand a chance to have that decision eventually overturned if President Bush is able to appoint to the court opponents of the Roe versus Wade decision. Those who favor abortion rights believe that the president should have a litmus test and appoint only those who would agree to support Roe versus Wade and its continuation.
Tony, the demonstration will continue throughout the day. We'll follow it to the Supreme Court. We'll cover the prayer vigil, and we'll cover it throughout the day from here in Washington.
This is Gary Nuremburg in D.C. Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: Gary, we appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, they called for help but could not get it.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no, no, please. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). My phone's going to die. I need some help now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't understand -- but I can't help you because I'm in a different area.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
NGUYEN: A young couple dies after being stranded in the snow. Why they weren't helped when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. No matter how stressed out you are running your own business, it could be worse. The 2005 International Business Owners survey finds that the U.S. ranks 18th out of 24 countries for increased levels of stress.
People in countries with high-growth economies, like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico, and India experience the highest stress levels. A sigh of relief for Sweden. The survey shows its business owners turned out to be the least stressed-out of all.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Ohhhhh, a little soothing music from the Garden State sound track. Good morning, New York. What a cold day it's going to be there. You are looking live over the city. The entire Northeast is bracing for a winter storm this morning that could dump more than 12 inches of snow by tonight. So you may just want to stay inside, New York.
Rob is coming up with the latest on the forecast.
HARRIS: And if you've had a tough time keeping up with the headlines this week, we're here to help. Time now to rewind some of the top stories from the past five days.
On Tuesday, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the United States's long-running probe of the oil-for-food program in Iraq netted its first conviction. An Iraqi-American businessman pleaded guilty to several charges, including acting as an illegal agent for Saddam Hussein's government. The man admitted to lobbying U.S. officials, hoping they would push for scaling back sanctions against Iraq.
Wednesday, Indonesia nearly doubled the number of people killed in the December 26 tsunami to more than 166,000. That brings the overall number of dead from the disaster to a staggering 212,000 people.
Also Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 16 to two to send Condoleezza Rice's nomination for secretary of state to the full Senate. The two dissenting votes came from California Democrat Barbara Boxer and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. The Senate is slated to debate the issue Tuesday, and will vote the day after.
Tomorrow, we'll fast forward to the week ahead, and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight. NGUYEN: Well, no doubt grabbing the spotlight today are these blizzard warnings for the upper Northeast. Rob Marciano joins us now with a look at that. Morning.
MARCIANO: Hi, Betty.
It's not too often that they put blizzard warnings out.
HARRIS: Yes, that's true.
MARCIANO: So it's a big deal. And they put it out last night, in fact, this afternoon through tomorrow. Includes big cities like Boston and up through New York as well. Chicago, not quite blizzard conditions, but certainly more snow on the way later on today after a break. But this storm is beginning to intensify as it pulls rapidly off towards the east.
We do have a bit of a mix in places right along the Ohio River Valley, and we have up across parts of the western mountains of West Virginia. But other than that, it's mostly all snow, falling into extremely cold air.
Temperatures in Boston right now, one. And that doesn't include the wind chill. Temperatures in New York right now, nine degrees. So there's no question that this will fall in the form of snow. And it'll be that very light, powdery snow, so it will pile up and be blown around by the winds even more.
Here's what we think this storm will do, six to 12 in Chicago. They got about six right now, so another half a foot possible when this thing rolls across the Appalachian mountains. Once it hits the Atlantic Ocean, picks up some moisture, picks up the gulf-stream warmth, creates a little bit more instability, and by tomorrow morning, there it is, dumping even more snow across places like Philadelphia, Trenton, Newark, 12 to 18 inches of snow, up to Poughkeepsie, maybe even in Albany, New York, or Hartford, Connecticut.
And then some pinks on the map as this thing catches parts of eastern Mass. and Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and Boston, 18 to 24 inches possible. So there are your winds. This thing's really going to continue to pull down strong winds and strong cold air from Canada. Places across Iowa have already seen winds gust over 60 miles an hour. The whiteout conditions in places like Cedar Rapids, with tractor trailers being blown off the sides of the road. So this is a dangerous storm for sure, and the cold air will continue to press all the way down to the south.
Right now, though, across the Gulf coast, and across much of the intermountain West, fog is an issue. Not a whole lot going on weather-wise, but waking up to some soupy conditions and low visibilities yourselves. Forty-five degrees for a high in Salt Lake. It'll be 61 degrees in San Francisco. Finally some quiet weather after all the storminess in California.
Twenty-five Chicago, 27 degrees for a high temperature today in New York. And tomorrow's highs will not get above freezing, so that the snow that falls, Tony and Betty, is going to stick around, looks like, for a little while. We'll keep you posted.
Back to you in the studio.
NGUYEN: All right, definitely...
HARRIS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NGUYEN: ... want to stay tuned, yes. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
HARRIS: Thanks, Rob.
President Bush lays out his second-term agenda. Is it too ambitious? Bob Novak joins us for his thoughts.
NGUYEN: Plus, a family feud, and we're not talking about the game show. A knockdown...
HARRIS: Oh!
NGUYEN: ... drag-out in front of a Louisiana courthouse.
We are going across America when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: President Bush lays out his agenda for next four years. Where does he plan on taking the nation? We'll examine that.
First, we want to welcome you back this morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.
That story coming up.
First, here's what's happening now in the news.
Bracing for the dreaded B-word. A blizzard will clobber much of the Northeastern U.S. today. Here you see, in just a moment, some road crews in Pittsburgh getting ready by loading up some salt trucks. OK, I guess this is what this guy is doing.
Blizzard warnings go into effect beginning at noon in New York City and then roll east through the afternoon. By the time the storm hits Boston, accumulation could be up to two feet.
A Chinese official in Baghdad says eight Chinese hostages in Iraq have been freed after nearly a week in captivity. But the official adds that their whereabouts are not yet known. An insurgent video of the men says they were being released after China warned its citizens not to travel to Iraq. The video shows the hostages shaking hands with one of the captors. And in northeast Georgia, a happy ending for an Amber Alert for a kidnapped Florida boy. The 11-year-old was found safe and sound last night near Interstate 75 north of Atlanta. Police are still searching for the boy's abductor, who is a family friend. The man's car broke down on the interstate, and police believe he is hiding in nearby woods.
NGUYEN: Well, the party is over, and the work begins. President Bush is two days into his second term, having been sworn in this past Thursday. Now some fresh polls are shedding light on how Americans look at the road ahead. In a CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll, 43 percent of those surveyed say they feel more hopeful about the next four years after the inauguration. Twenty-five percent said they were less hopeful, and 28 percent said there was no difference in their view.
As to whether Mr. Bush will heal deep divisions in the next four years, 42 percent said yes, while just over half said no.
So with almost 40 years covering Washington, Robert Novak usually has a front row seat to history, and this inaugural week was no different. In today's Novak Zone, Bob joins us today to talk about President Bush's inaugural message and where the president plans to take the nation in the next four years.
Good morning.
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST, THE NOVAK ZONE: Good morning, Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about this for just a moment. I want to get into the president's plan momentarily. But right now, let's look at the inauguration itself. Do you think that, in a time of war, it was appropriate for President Bush to have a $40 million inauguration?
NOVAK: Oh, yes, absolutely. There's no question about that. It was actually less expensive than most recent inaugurations have been. But this is a celebration of a great rite in America. And I think it's just kind of petty partisanship to criticize it.
NGUYEN: But during time of war, President Roosevelt decided just to do it just very quietly, no pomp and circumstance.
NOVAK: Well, there was a different atmosphere at that time. I am old enough I can even remember it. But it was a -- there was a, there was rationing. There was all kinds of price controls. There was a lot of hardships going on that we don't have in this country today.
NGUYEN: We were talking money just now. Now let's talk poll numbers. In the latest CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll, 60 percent of Americans say spreading democracy is essential to U.S. security. But with more than 1,000 U.S. casualties in Iraq, are Americans truly ready for the sacrifice it's going to take to spread democracy into other countries?
NOVAK: I don't think the American people have a very high tolerance for casualties. They haven't liked the casualties in Iraq so far. And I believe that the president was trying to set off a -- set out a goal of what he wanted in the world, a spreading of democracy and freedom, rather than a blueprint of sending troop here and there, because we just, I don't believe there is a public will for a massive under -- military undertaking.
And I don't think that's what the president has in mind. I think he has in mind setting out the ideal.
You know, Betty, the motley, people from the, who are advisers to the president tell me that the model for this speech was Lincoln's second inaugural address, when he set out a plan for trying to bring the Union together, not the details of it. And that, I think, is what President Bush was trying to do, rather than say, We're going to send some troops to North Korea, so many troops here, and we're going to have wars all over the place.
NGUYEN: Speaking of other countries, I found it very interesting that on inauguration day, Vice President Dick Cheney sounded off new warnings to Iran. Is Iran the next target?
NOVAK: I don't believe so. I don't think the U.S., the military is prepared for a military venture. You know what? Secretary of State Powell often said, before, as he is leaving office, that they studied many times in the previous Bush administration what the parameters were of a military operation in Iran, and it was just too costly.
Well, we're spread even thinner now. So I think the vice president was giving a warning to Iran, but I don't believe that there's a military operation in store. Certainly, that is not the feeling either in the Pentagon or the State Department.
NGUYEN: Bob, looking at some other numbers this morning, President Bush enters this second term with the lowest approval rating for a reelected president since Nixon. Yet he says he has a mandate. How does that add up?
NOVAK: I'll tell you how it adds up, Betty. (UNINTELLIGIBLE), he has, he has the lowest rating for an, a reelected president, but he's reelected. The presidents who weren't reelected, his father and Jimmy Carter, had even lower ratings. So he does have -- once you get reelected, you have a mandate.
Of course, he has lower ratings because we have a divided country with a lot of issues in which the two parties are on opposite sides, not just the war in Iraq, not just this question of spreading freedom, but domestic issues as well.
NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about those. Social Security, isn't the president even going to have a hard time within his own party getting that plan passed?
NOVAK: Very difficult time. And that was what has surprising about the inaugural address, that this was a time, perhaps, in broad terms that the president could make a pitch for his domestic program. But the -- it was really a one-note inaugural address on spreading freedom around the world, which is a goal rather than a program.
The program that he's going to have to do, and which he didn't really engage himself in, and this was a surprise, was the Social Security reform, tort reform, trying to hold down the spending, which is going to be a major effort, and also, of course, down the line, tax reform.
Now that's is, this was not a State of the Union address, where he'll lay that out. But it was a little surprising that he didn't even discuss those matters in broad outline.
NGUYEN: And Bob, before I let you go, with all of these things on the table, what should be the president's first priority?
NOVAK: The first priority, Betty, unquestionably, should be ending the war in Iraq. Not so much ending the war, but getting the troops back. There is not a great deal of public tolerance around the country, even in his own party, even in his own supporters, for an indefinite stay of troops in Iraq.
There's a feeling in the Pentagon, there's feeling in the State Department that there has to be a plan of getting out, even if we leave, not total chaos, but the makings of a civil war. We cannot turn Iraq into a little Iowa, where everybody is peaceful and arguing in the state legislature.
I really do believe, Betty, that the -- there is a certain conflict between the broad concept of the president spreading freedom all around the world, and the imperative that the U.S. troops must, in a reasonable amount of time, be withdrawn from Iraq, even if the situation for the perpetuation for freedom there is not perfect. That is going to be the conflict in his own, the administration, in the country, and his most difficult task as a second-term president.
NGUYEN: And it could define his legacy as well. All right. CNN's Bob Novak, as always, we thank you for your insight.
NOVAK: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NGUYEN: And you can see more of Bob Novak tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on "The Capital Gang." Democratic Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania will be a guest, talking about Bush's second-term agenda and how the Democrats should fight back. Again, that's 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
Time now for a check of some of the stories making news around the world.
HARRIS: And for that, let's go to Anand Naidoo at the international desk. Anand, good morning.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN: Good morning, Tony. Thanks. And a very good morning to you from me.
Time now to check on some of the other stories that are taking place around the world. And first up, a significant political development in Iran. This in just a short while ago. Iran's hardline ruling council has decided that women can run for president in the upcoming presidential election. The Iranian television quoted a government spokesman as saying, and I'm quoting here, "If they possess the necessary qualifications, women can also run for president."
And you have to remember something here, that the next president of Iran will face some pretty tough challenges, like trying to convince the rest of the world that Iran has no nuclear weapons ambitions.
So stay with CNN. We'll bring you more details as we get them here.
Now, moving to another part of the Middle East, and here's something that you don't see very often. These are Palestinian forces taking up positions in Gaza. They're there to try and put an end to rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian militants into Israeli territory. It's all part of the effort by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to try and stop the violence and get peace talks back on track.
For their part, some of the militants are saying that they will suspend attacks. In fact, we had a report just a few hours ago, just a short while ago, in which the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, that's an offshoot of the main Fatah faction, saying that they will suspend attacks if Israel meets certain conditions.
So there could be some dividends to those talks that Mahmoud Abbas is holding with the militants.
And this in from Germany. He was a guy who was flamboyant and eccentric to the end. German designer Rudolf Mosshammer (ph), who was murdered this week, has left his home to his dog. Mosshammer was something of an icon in his native Germany. His funeral is expected to be watched by millions on television today.
Under the terms of his will, his beloved pet will stay at the villa until she dies, looked after by his chauffeur.
And incidentally, something you might not know, but among Mosshammer's clients is one Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California. Somewhat of a snappy dresser. Anyway, he was the last time I looked.
That's all from me. I'll be back tomorrow morning, Betty, Tony.
HARRIS: Did not know that.
NGUYEN: Very interesting.
HARRIS: Anand, thank you.
NGUYEN: Yes, thank you, Anand. A young couple stranded in the snow. They called 911 five times for help, but were later found dead. Why weren't they rescued? Their story when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
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HARRIS: And checking our top stories now.
People living in the Northeast are bracing for a snowstorm so intense, it's described as potentially life-threatening. More than a foot of snow and bone-chilling temperatures are expected. A blizzard warning goes into effect at noon in New York City. Surrounding areas are expected to follow.
China confirms eight Chinese nationals kidnapped in Iraq were freed today. First word of their release came in a videotape aired on Arab TV. The captors said the hostages were freed after China advised its citizens not to travel to Iraq.
A Marine who served in Iraq is arrested in connection with the kidnapping and killing of a Wal-Mart cashier in Tyler, Texas. The 19- year-old woman was found shot to death yesterday.
We've been asking you all morning, when should U.S. troops leave Iraq? What do you think? E-mail us at wam@cnn.com, and we'll read some of your comments in just a few minutes.
NGUYEN: Investigators trying to trace some methamphetamine have arrested a woman and her son in Kearney (ph), Nebraska. Now, the meth was found in the bodies of two young people who were froze to death January 5 while lost southwest of Omaha. There is speculation the drugs impaired their judgment.
But, as CNN's Keith Oppenheimer reports, the victims were not the only ones confused.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a subzero snowstorm, Michael Wamsley and Janelle Hornickel, two 20-year-olds, got lost driving to Omaha, Nebraska. They made repeated calls to 911.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sarpy County, 911.
MICHAEL WAMSLEY: Yes, my girlfriend (UNINTELLIGIBLE) placed a call earlier out by an old sandpit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out by where?
WAMSLEY: Out by a sandpit.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: Because Wamsley is using a cell phone, his signal is bouncing to other regions, and dispatchers want to transfer him to where they think he is, so he can get help faster.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
WAMSLEY: Oh, no, no, please. I don't have a chance to -- my phone's going to die. I need some help now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't understand -- but I can't help you, because I'm in a different area.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: Wamsley and Hornickel are stuck near a gravel pit near the rural outskirts of Omaha, slowly freezing to death.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
WAMSLEY: Please, can you get over here now?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: But despite the anguish, dispatchers don't have the technology to pinpoint the call.
DAN PETERSON, SARPY COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: It was just not possible to locate where they were.
OPPENHEIM: Days of searching follows the phone calls. The bodies of Wamsley and Hornickel were found outside, frozen. They left their vehicle, not dressed for the weather.
DR. HENRY NIPPER, CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Both individuals were impaired at the time of death.
OPPENHEIM: An autopsy revealed both bodies had high traces of the drug methamphetamine, or crystal meth, which may explain their confusion in the storm. And that may have made the calls even more challenging for 911 dispatchers.
Still, the question is, was this a bad mix of drugs and inadequate technology, or were the calls transferred so often that time was wasted in this search for two people calling for help?
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A deadly plane crash left a fiery trail of destruction across a Kansas City neighborhood. The twin-engine plane went down shortly after takeoff. The aircraft broke into bits and pieces after hitting a street lamp and several trees. All five people on board were killed.
Look at this, a fist fly outside a New Orleans courtroom. Families on both sides of a murder case tangle, scrap after the suspect's hearing. Wilton Karabe (ph) was mistakenly released from jail, then rearrested this week. Held since May, Karabe was never indicted and was freed due to a paperwork snafu.
This Georgia couple won Tuesday's $130 Mega Millions jackpot. It's the second-largest payout in state history. Margaret and James Jones are taking the cash up front, getting nearly $80 million after taxes. The Washington, Georgia, couple say they will stay in their rural home, because it is paid for.
'Tis the season of beads and baubles. Mardi Gras festivities kicked off in many Southern cites, like this parade in Mobile, Alabama. The actual day of Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday, falls on February 8.
NGUYEN: Always looks like a fun time.
Well, want to give you a live picture of Cleveland this morning. Look at all that snow, where a winter storm moving through the Midwest can dump at least six inches of snow by tonight.
Rob is here with your winter storm forecast. That's straight ahead.
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HARRIS: Hey, good morning, Cleveland, Ohio. And Betty, I believe that is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now, just behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you've got Lake Erie. And you want to talk about...
NGUYEN: Frozen lake?
HARRIS: ... lake effect, yes, and lake effect snow. So communities like Euclid and Lesling (ph), they're going to get swamped today. We'll check in with Rob in just a couple of minutes for your full forecast.
NGUYEN: Right now, we want to go to Washington and the lovely Suzanne Malveaux for the latest "ON THE STORY." Hi, there, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, "ON THE STORY": Well, hey, we're "ON THE STORY" from here in Washington, to Saudi Arabia and Iraq. We'll be "ON THE STORY" of the inauguration, and how the president may translate inaugural words into deeds. We'll also go to Iraq to talk to Jane Arraf about the run-up to elections there. Dane Vergy (ph) is in Saudi Arabia, as 2 million Muslims make their pilgrimage to Mecca. And we're "ON THE STORY" of the new debate this week, whether women are biologically able to compete in math and science. All that up, coming up, all "ON THE STORY."
NGUYEN: Hmmm, very interesting. All right. Thank you, Suzanne.
HARRIS: You know, all morning long, we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question. What do you think? When should U.S. troops leave Iraq? And boy, this has been a hot topic for you. And we want to thank you up front for your e-mails.
This from Vincent, "Two years ago, before they were involved in the quagmire that it has become, we have created a civil war for those people. It was -- I was a combat soldier in Vietnam, and I see the same thing unfolding all over again."
NGUYEN: Bob from Belleview, Florida, writes, "Unfortunately, our troops are there, and no matter how big that error is, we can't just invade a country, disrupt their entire way of life, and then jump out."
And we do want to thank you for all your responses this morning to our e-mail question of the day.
HARRIS: Let's get a final check of weather. And what a story this is becoming.
Rob, folks need to take care of the pets, they need to check on older folks. And there are a lot of considerations when the weather get this bad.
MARCIANO: Yes, and with winds gusting over 40 miles an hour in some cases, and wind chills well below zero, that's the kind of cold that can freeze skin in a matter of minutes. So it's not going to be very pleasant at all.
And it's incorporating a large swath of the country. Right now, winds have been gusting over 60 in places in Iowa. And that wind will continue to push off to the east, as will the snow and the moisture as it pounds into extremely cold air.
Snow is increasing tonight, Boston, New York, and Philly. Blizzard conditions expected, 12 to 18 to 24 inches of snow expected in spots. The Southeast drops by at least 20 degrees, specifically in places like Atlanta, by tomorrow.
And the upper Midwest will continue to be cold. Snows will come to an end later on today, although probably hold onto it a little bit in Chicago.
Houston gets into the act. They go from 70 today to 48 tomorrow.
West Coast looking good. You had your storms a couple of weeks ago. So you'll take the rest.
Here's the snow, showing up in the radarscope in the form of some white, Detroit back to Columbus, Youngstown, Ohio, and Cleveland, Ohio, as well. Here's a wrap-around. This thing is beginning to take shape, and it will only intensify farther as it goes over the Atlantic Ocean, where it'll pick up a little bit of moisture.
This moisture falling into extremely dry and cold air, so it's not quite falling heavily right now. But later on today and tonight, that's when the heaviest snows will pick up. And that's when the winds will pick up later on tonight as well.
Nine the actual temperature in New York. It's one degree in Boston, three degrees in Toronto. And the actual wind chills, what it feels like outside right now, minus 10, minus four. And looks like, as this storm continues to move east, with temperatures not much above 20 degrees and then the winds gusting over 30 miles an hour at times, for the next really 24 hours, wind chills should be below zero.
And then actual temperatures will keep below freezing, so snow is not really going to melt.
Twenty-seven degrees in New York, 27 degrees in D.C., and 19 degrees expected in Boston. Updates on the hour and half-hour.
Tony, back to you and Betty.
HARRIS: Rob, quick question. When you talk about these accumulation amounts, are we talking about factoring in the blowing and drifting?
MARCIANO: No, no, I mean, that's like wind protects it.
HARRIS: Ohhh!
NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: So you take two feet or a foot of snow, and you blow that around, that could easily...
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: ... result in three-, four-, even five-foot drifts.
HARRIS: Oh, this is crazy.
NGUYEN: Hmmm. Keep that in mind. All right.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob.
HARRIS: Be safe. Take your time out there. Stay home.
Thank you for joining us this Saturday morning.
NGUYEN: "ON THE STORY" is next. We'll see you again tomorrow morning starting right here at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
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