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American Morning
Trying to Recover From Relentless Storms in Southern California; In Iran, Devastation After Another Powerful Earthquake
Aired February 22, 2005 - 08:00 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Trying to recover from relentless storms in southern California. But the storms keep coming. This morning, more destruction and a state on edge.
In Iran, devastation after another powerful earthquake. Whole villages flattened, victims trapped beneath the rubble.
And President Bush with the head of NATO answering questions this hour. Did the U.S. score a diplomatic victory on Iraq? That question on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning.
Welcome back, everybody.
Bill Hemmer is off again today. He actually just sent me an e- mail. He's leaving Aspen.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On his way back. Nothing broken.
S. O'BRIEN: No.
M. O'BRIEN: That's good.
S. O'BRIEN: But he said nothing's broken.
M. O'BRIEN: Good. So it was a successful trip.
S. O'BRIEN: I was very happy to hear that, Bill.
Yes, he'll be back tomorrow.
But Miles O'Brien is sitting in for him.
Nice to have you.
Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: It's good to be here.
Thanks.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks.
It's going to be another rainy day in California, where storms are causing more and more destruction. A dangerous situation, especially in the hills, obviously. Emergency crews very busy once again this morning. A report ahead on what they're doing.
M. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, car dealers desperate to get rid of some inventory right now. And that's making for some good deals on new cars. But not for everyone. We'll talk to an expert from "Consumer Reports" about what you need to know if you want to get a bargain out there.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Jack.
What's in "The File" today?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File" in less than an hour, risking your life in order to get a haircut. More evidence the job of politician in need of some serious imaging polishing. And a meltdown at the wax museum.
S. O'BRIEN: Really? Who got melted?
CAFFERTY: You have to wait. Sorry.
S. O'BRIEN: I always try to get you to...
CAFFERTY: I only do...
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: By the way, Bill...
M. O'BRIEN: It makes you want to watch.
CAFFERTY: ... Miles is doing a great job.
S. O'BRIEN: And Bill is on page six today here in New York. See, that's the gossip pages.
CAFFERTY: What did he do?
S. O'BRIEN: How's that for a tease? I'm not going to tell you, Jack.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: You're going to have to check it out later.
CAFFERTY: Can we share this with the public?
S. O'BRIEN: Sure.
CAFFERTY: What was it?
S. O'BRIEN: I don't know. You've got to look it up and tell them in "The File." Add it to "The File."
CAFFERTY: All right, I'll go find it now.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, thanks.
Let's get to our top stories this morning.
Heidi Collins sitting in for us -- good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
And good morning once again, everyone.
Now in the news, in just a few moments, President Bush expected to make a joint statement with NATO's secretary general from NATO headquarters in Brussels. And they are expected to announce support for an alliance program to train Iraq's military.
The president has been holding a series of meetings with E.U. and NATO leaders as part of his five day trip to Europe. We're going to bring you the president's remarks live from Brussels just ahead.
And turning to Iraq, CNN has just received word that Ahmed Chalabi has dropped his bid for prime minister. Sources say there was pressure within the ranks for Chalabi to withdraw in order to avoid a secret ballot. Iraq's main Shiite alliance has named Interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari as the nominee. The decision comes after three days of around the clock negotiations.
And here in the United States, it could potentially be a crucial day in the right to die case involving Terri Schiavo. A Florida appeals court could give instructions today on whether her feeding tube can be removed. Her parents want their daughter kept alive. The attorney for Schiavo's husband says Michael Schiavo will have his wife's feeding tube removed, possibly as early as today if the court allows.
In Texas, growing concern for a missing pregnant woman from Fort Worth and her 7-year-old son. Lisa Underwood's SUV was found nose down in a creek north of Dallas yesterday. She and her son were reported missing Saturday after she didn't show up to her own baby shower. Investigators later found a large amount of blood in her home, but no forced entry. Underwood is seven months pregnant. Friends plan to hold a candlelight vigil tonight.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that sounds terrible, doesn't that story?
COLLINS: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: All right.
M. O'BRIEN: Heidi.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks.
Well, a series of storms have pounded California with days of rain and snow. The storms are being blamed for at least the deaths of at least three people and dozens more homes are being threatened by mud slides.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Glendale, California with more this morning -- Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Soledad.
It's a very crisp, cool morning. The rains let up a little bit here, which is giving some of the working crews a chance to get out and get going on some of the cleanup efforts. But we'll tell you a little bit more about what they're doing behind me and what's the situation with some of the homes here. But we should tell you that in the big picture, a lot of the firefighters here are calling the last few weeks of weather some of the worst they've ever seen.
Let's take a look now at what's going on around the Los Angeles area. You can take a look in Bel Air. This was the situation just yesterday and you can see the power of some of these mud slides that literally collapsed this entire backyard and sent it crashing down the hill. The swimming pool included, literally just going right down the hill, the barbecue grill, the deck chairs, everything crashing down. The owner had to stand there and literally watch her entire backyard just go straight down that hill.
But that wasn't the end of it. I know this is hard to kind of visualize, but imagine if all the water in your neighbor's swimming pool was literally dumped on your home. Well, that's what happened. When that swimming pool went down the hill, all of the water in it spilled out. It added about 20,000 gallons to the mud slide, literally punched right through the home sitting at the bottom of that hill.
And it's not just the neighborhoods, either. Take a look at some of the highways. This is the 101, the Hollywood Freeway. It's one of the main north-south roads through Los Angeles, literally shut down yesterday with how quickly that rain was coming down. It quickly rose to floodwaters, trapping cars, trucks, even a big rig. Many of those had to be towed out of there by some of the rescue crews. A lot of people trapped on that. It was shut down for most of the night.
And when you look at the big picture, we can take you out here live. This is back here in Glendale, where the firefighters tell us that 14 homes have been evacuated. You can see some of the road crews look at the -- looking at some of the mud piled up there. A very, very dangerous situation here. Some of the firefighters say that at any time, if that rain starts coming down again, some of these homes here could be in a lot of danger -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: One would really imagine.
Chris Lawrence for us.
Oh, Chris, those pictures are just incredible.
Wow! Thanks for that update.
M. O'BRIEN: So, of course, you want to know what kind of weather is ahead for beleaguered California.
Chad Myers has some answers for us -- good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.
More rain today then it's really over tomorrow. And by noon, the moisture moves to the east.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: A powerful earthquake struck central Iran early this morning. Heavy rain has slowed the search for victims. Two hundred seventy people are dead. That number, though, has been climbing all morning. The damage was done around Zarand. It's an area where earthquakes are common. This one measured 6.4.
David Applegate of the U.S. Geological Survey joins us from Denver this morning.
David, thank you for talking with us.
We certainly appreciate it.
Give me a sense of how this earthquake compares to the one that many of us are familiar with, the one in Bam.
DAVID APPLEGATE, SENIOR SCIENCE ADVISER, USGS: Well, there's a number of similarities. Of course, the earthquake that struck Bam just the day after Christmas a year ago was about a magnitude 6.6. It was a little bit larger. One of the key differences is that this -- Bam was about -- it started about six miles below the surface. This one was a bit deeper. It was more like 26 miles below the surface. That means that the strongest shaking is somewhat removed from where people are going to be. In other words, the energy is dissipated as it moves up through the crust.
So that's something in this one's favor.
They both struck around the same time, early morning. I think this one was about 5:25 a.m. local time. That's -- that always is a problem. People are often in their homes. If homes collapse, you're going to see increased casualties.
S. O'BRIEN: We mentioned that earthquakes are not uncommon in the region.
What exactly does not uncommon mean numbers wise?
APPLEGATE: Well, just as in the case of the Sumatra earthquake that devastated the Indian Ocean region in late December, on December 26, the anniversary of the Bam quake, this is a case where two of the Earth's tectonic plates are colliding against one another, only this one's happening on land, the Arabian plate slamming into the Eurasian plate. That collision is happening at about half the speed as the one in Sumatra.
But it is an area where moderate sized earthquakes are fairly common. So this is certainly not unprecedented for this region.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, what about the aftershocks from this quake? We mentioned 6.4. Does that mean that the aftershocks could be 6.4 and less than that? How does it work?
APPLEGATE: That's right. On a -- there are occasions where you actually get a larger earthquake afterward, in which case we call that the main shock and this one would be a foreshock. But much more typical is we see a decay. The Earth's surface is sort of rearranging itself after the earthquake. But that can pose a challenge for rescue efforts. Buildings that were damaged in the first earthquake, even in, say, a magnitude 5, 5.5 earthquake, can bring it down.
S. O'BRIEN: Has anything changed since, as you mentioned, that earthquake in Sumatra that brought about the tsunami? Has anything changed in the way the USGS sort of deals with these events?
APPLEGATE: Well, part of the president's proposal for an advanced tsunami warning system is to improve our seismic capabilities, global seismic capabilities. And one of those is turning our national earthquake information center out here in Golden, Colorado into a fully operational 24-7 center; in addition, making a number of software upgrades. And one of the most important for an event like this is the capability to create a model of the intense ground shaking, compare that with population databases and very quickly be able to say how many people were exposed to what level of severe shaking.
Often in a situation like this, a lot of communication is going to be down. In the case of Bam, it was several days before we understood the full scope of this.
This will give us the capability to know very quickly, to be able to pass that information on to aid agencies so they know what kind of deployment they're going to need to do.
S. O'BRIEN: Critical stuff.
All right, David Applegate joining us from the USGS.
Thanks very much.
Appreciate your time this morning.
APPLEGATE: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Meanwhile, the search for tsunami victims in Indonesia is nearly over. The Red Cross does not expect to find many more victims from the December 26 tragedy and plans to stop looking at the end of this month. Indonesia has counted more than 122,000 people dead. That's as if the entire city of Flagstaff, Arizona or Vera Beach, Florida were wiped out.
There are still more than 114,000 missing in Indonesia. Nearly 170,000 known dead in the 12 countries hit by the massive waves. Nearly 130,000 still missing.
More rain brings the threat of more landslides in Indonesia. Heavy rain is likely what brought a garbage dump crashing down in central Indonesia yesterday. Tons of mud and garbage buried two villages during the night. As many as 40 were killed. Many more are missing.
S. O'BRIEN: Turning to North Korea now, North Korea might be ready to resume nuclear disarmament talks. The state news agency reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Il says he will return to the six party talks if the U.S. shows "sincerity." North Korea pulled out of talks earlier this month, blaming a hostile United States stance. Pyongyang also announced it had nuclear weapons.
U.S. officials say they're committed to making the six party process work.
M. O'BRIEN: The Supreme Court gets back to work today after a month long break, but without an appearance by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. He's been out since October, undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer. Rehnquist did manage to administer the oath of office to President Bush last month. The 80-year-old Rehnquist has been ruling on cases from home.
S. O'BRIEN: Any moment now, President Bush expected to make a joint statement with the secretary general of NATO from Brussels. We're going to bring that to you live when it happens.
M. O'BRIEN: Also, is exercise the best medicine for depression? Dr. Gupta tells us whether it's time for millions of Americans to toss out the polls.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, much more on that brutal weather in California. We'll go inside a dramatic rescue mission -- a woman who was pinned inside her home by the mud slide.
That's just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: As we've mentioned, we are waiting to hear from President Bush. He's making his way through his five day reconciliation tour. You're looking right there at NATO headquarters. We're expecting to hear from the secretary general of NATO and also President Bush in a short briefing. We'll take that live as soon as it happens.
M. O'BRIEN: It's a good time for our Question of the Day, the spread of democracy throughout the world.
Jack with that.
CAFFERTY: Indeed.
And here are the answers.
The...
M. O'BRIEN: Did I step on you a little bit?
CAFFERTY: What?
M. O'BRIEN: I'm sorry.
Did I step on you a bit?
CAFFERTY: No, no, no, no. No.
Hey, Bill, he's not doing so well now.
M. O'BRIEN: It's an up and down racket.
CAFFERTY: One of the things that the president would like the European leaders to do is join in this campaign to spread democracy to the Middle East. According to a poll, most of the people in Europe don't think that's a great idea. Eighty-four percent of the French, as well as pretty strong majorities in other European countries, including Britain, Germany, Spain, disagree with America's role of spreading democracy.
That's the question, is it the United States' job to spread democracy abroad?
Nabil writes: "I don't think so. If anyone should do this, it should be by consensus and only the U.N. should try. Please understand, most people in the world want and would support democracy. However, democracy under the barrel of a gun is not feasible."
Tony writes: "We should take the money being used to spread democracy and spread some decent education here first." Thomas in Kentucky: "Jack, looking back on the last two presidential elections, it would be nice if the U.S. would take the lead in spreading democracy in the United States."
And Meg writes from Virginia: "The French don't think it's the United States' job to spread freedom and democracy? I wonder if they felt that way when we liberated Paris?"
I like that one.
S. O'BRIEN: As you would.
All right...
CAFFERTY: Now, back to you -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.
All right, coming up this morning, we're talking about some deals that are available now as folks want to head to their dealerships looking for a new car. We'll tell you that now might be the best time to buy. We'll show you how you can save some money. That's right ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: If you're in the market for a new car, the folks at "Consumer Reports" say it pays to do your research. All this month, beginning on Presidents Day, certain auto companies are offering discounts of up to $4,000 on some vehicles.
Here to tell us how to shop for the best bargains is Alberto Rojas.
He's with "Consumer Reports."
Alberto, good to have you with us.
ALBERTO ROJAS, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Good morning, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Now, on your Web site, consumerreports.org, there are five vehicles that you sort of focus on.
Tell us about those vehicles and what sorts of deals are out there.
ROJAS: Right. We're focusing on five vehicles because we saw that these vehicles would have the biggest rebates. But if consumers do the research before going to the showroom, they can actually find deals on every kind of car that they want. There are deals, there are finance deals, there are cash rebates, everything they can possibly want, as long as they do their research before they go into the showroom.
M. O'BRIEN: And among the cars you're talking about are the Mercury Sable, the Jeep Liberty, the Mazda Tribute, other vehicles out there.
Why are car makers so anxious to do a deal right now on some of these vehicles?
ROJAS: There's a big glut, not just of SUVs, as people think, but there's a glut of sedans, there's a glut of pickup trucks. These things are not moving off the lots. And consumers can take advantage by doing their research, like you said. Not just go to consumerreports.org. There's plenty of other sources on the Internet. Shop around, just like as you would shop around for any other purchase. Shop around for the rebates. M. O'BRIEN: All right. It's amazing how people will spend a lot of time researching the small things and then just go dive into a vehicle.
Let's talk about that first tip which you just alluded to.
Do your homework, right?
ROJAS: Do your homework. Do your homework about the car that you want, how much it's going to cost you, what rebates are available, what financing deals are available. As long as you do your homework, you will be set to negotiate. And also don't forget to know how much your trade-in is going to be worth, if you're going to do that kind of...
M. O'BRIEN: And the second tip is don't assume anything.
What do you mean by that?
ROJAS: Don't assume anything. Don't assume that the price of the car is on the sticker, that's the price that it is. Don't assume that the rebates that the dealer is telling you are the only ones available. Don't even assume that you qualify for these rebates.
A lot of people don't qualify for that zero percent down and...
M. O'BRIEN: So...
ROJAS: ... and people are shocked when they find out.
M. O'BRIEN: Because of their credit rating or some other...
ROJAS: Exactly. You must have a near perfect rating, credit score, to qualify for these kind of zero down finance options.
M. O'BRIEN: Now, one of the tips you offer is you say to negotiate one thing at a time.
ROJAS: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: It's interesting how it's a bit of a shell game with a clever salesperson. And basically people kind of focus on what it's going to cost me each month, and that's a big trap, isn't it?
ROJAS: It's a big trap because you're not really talking about the price of the car. You're not talking about the rebates, you're not talking about the financing. You're really focusing on how much you're going to pay each month. It might be very, very little, but then you actually end up, on the long run, you're going to end up paying a lot more money than the car is really worth.
M. O'BRIEN: Right. Pay for many years. You're upside down in the vehicle. You get into all kinds of problems when it comes time to sell it.
What are -- the last tip is don't pay for extras. What do you mean by that?
ROJAS: Don't pay for things you don't really need, kind of like a paint protectant, rust proofing...
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, they love to throw those in, don't they, though?
ROJAS: Oh, you don't need them.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
ROJAS: All cars come already with those things in there. Those are extra. If a dealer tells you, I'm sorry, this is the only car that we have and it has a paint protectant already on it, ask for another one. If they don't want to give you that, go to another dealership. There's plenty of dealerships, there's plenty of cars available for you.
M. O'BRIEN: And always be nervous if they say I've got to go check with the manager, right?
ROJAS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: That's a dangerous moment.
ROJAS: Exactly. You have the money, you have the power. Always negotiate.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
You're in charge, remember that. You're in the driver's seat.
ROJAS: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: People sort of get carried away by the moment.
All right, Alberto Rojas with "Consumer Reports."
Good tips.
Appreciate it.
Hope folks out there are listening and get some good deals this month.
ROJAS: Thanks, Miles.
S. O'BRIEN: We've got some news into CNN.
There are reports that now say there has been an arrest in connection with that disappearance of the pregnant woman and her 7- year-old son. That's just a couple of days after they were reported missing from their home in Fort Worth, Texas. A statewide amber alert had been issued after the woman failed to show up for her own baby shower on Saturday. It was expanded to nearby states, as well. Lisa Underwood and her 7-year-old son are missing. We are trying to get more information on this and obviously as much more comes through, we'll bring that to you as soon as we get it.
Turning now to what's ahead this morning, saws and crowbars and sledgehammers are the tools of choice to save lives during a brutal stretch of weather. This morning, we take you inside a dramatic rescue mission in southern California. That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: A reminder -- you can get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING Quick News at cnn.com/am.
Also, a reminder -- we are waiting to hear from President Bush. You're looking at a picture of NATO headquarters. The president is making his way through a five day reconciliation tour. We'll bring his remarks to you live when he addresses NATO.
That's ahead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Bill has got the day off.
Miles O'Brien is helping us out this morning -- nice to see you
M. O'BRIEN: It's good to be here.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
We're expecting to hear from the president soon. We're going to take you to see some pictures out of Belgium this morning, where the president is going to be talking, addressing a group there along with the secretary general of NATO, as well. We're going to bring those comments to you live when they happen.
Also, a developing story out of Iraq right now. It could have a big impact on relations between the United States and the next government in Iraq. We're going to bring you a report on some important change of plans by the Shiite-led coalition.
M. O'BRIEN: Also, we'll take you back to southern California, where rescuers are being called on again and again to save people caught in the aftermath of those storms out there that just seem to go on and on. We'll go on one of those missions, a woman pinned against the wall of her bathroom by a mud slide. An amazing story on how she got out of there. S. O'BRIEN: Terrible.
All right, we're looking forward to that.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: A lot of people put their lives on the line when they have to do that work.
M. O'BRIEN: It's, it is, you know, hero is a term that is bandied about a little too frequently. These guys deserve it.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Our top stories now with Heidi Collins -- good morning.
COLLINS: Good morning.
And good morning to you once again, everybody.
Now in the news, an update on a story we've been telling you about all morning. According to reports, a suspect has been arrested in the case of a missing pregnant woman and her 7-year-old son. You are looking at a picture of that suspect, identified as Stephen Barbee.
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Aired February 22, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Trying to recover from relentless storms in southern California. But the storms keep coming. This morning, more destruction and a state on edge.
In Iran, devastation after another powerful earthquake. Whole villages flattened, victims trapped beneath the rubble.
And President Bush with the head of NATO answering questions this hour. Did the U.S. score a diplomatic victory on Iraq? That question on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning.
Welcome back, everybody.
Bill Hemmer is off again today. He actually just sent me an e- mail. He's leaving Aspen.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On his way back. Nothing broken.
S. O'BRIEN: No.
M. O'BRIEN: That's good.
S. O'BRIEN: But he said nothing's broken.
M. O'BRIEN: Good. So it was a successful trip.
S. O'BRIEN: I was very happy to hear that, Bill.
Yes, he'll be back tomorrow.
But Miles O'Brien is sitting in for him.
Nice to have you.
Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: It's good to be here.
Thanks.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks.
It's going to be another rainy day in California, where storms are causing more and more destruction. A dangerous situation, especially in the hills, obviously. Emergency crews very busy once again this morning. A report ahead on what they're doing.
M. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, car dealers desperate to get rid of some inventory right now. And that's making for some good deals on new cars. But not for everyone. We'll talk to an expert from "Consumer Reports" about what you need to know if you want to get a bargain out there.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Jack.
What's in "The File" today?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File" in less than an hour, risking your life in order to get a haircut. More evidence the job of politician in need of some serious imaging polishing. And a meltdown at the wax museum.
S. O'BRIEN: Really? Who got melted?
CAFFERTY: You have to wait. Sorry.
S. O'BRIEN: I always try to get you to...
CAFFERTY: I only do...
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: By the way, Bill...
M. O'BRIEN: It makes you want to watch.
CAFFERTY: ... Miles is doing a great job.
S. O'BRIEN: And Bill is on page six today here in New York. See, that's the gossip pages.
CAFFERTY: What did he do?
S. O'BRIEN: How's that for a tease? I'm not going to tell you, Jack.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: You're going to have to check it out later.
CAFFERTY: Can we share this with the public?
S. O'BRIEN: Sure.
CAFFERTY: What was it?
S. O'BRIEN: I don't know. You've got to look it up and tell them in "The File." Add it to "The File."
CAFFERTY: All right, I'll go find it now.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, thanks.
Let's get to our top stories this morning.
Heidi Collins sitting in for us -- good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
And good morning once again, everyone.
Now in the news, in just a few moments, President Bush expected to make a joint statement with NATO's secretary general from NATO headquarters in Brussels. And they are expected to announce support for an alliance program to train Iraq's military.
The president has been holding a series of meetings with E.U. and NATO leaders as part of his five day trip to Europe. We're going to bring you the president's remarks live from Brussels just ahead.
And turning to Iraq, CNN has just received word that Ahmed Chalabi has dropped his bid for prime minister. Sources say there was pressure within the ranks for Chalabi to withdraw in order to avoid a secret ballot. Iraq's main Shiite alliance has named Interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari as the nominee. The decision comes after three days of around the clock negotiations.
And here in the United States, it could potentially be a crucial day in the right to die case involving Terri Schiavo. A Florida appeals court could give instructions today on whether her feeding tube can be removed. Her parents want their daughter kept alive. The attorney for Schiavo's husband says Michael Schiavo will have his wife's feeding tube removed, possibly as early as today if the court allows.
In Texas, growing concern for a missing pregnant woman from Fort Worth and her 7-year-old son. Lisa Underwood's SUV was found nose down in a creek north of Dallas yesterday. She and her son were reported missing Saturday after she didn't show up to her own baby shower. Investigators later found a large amount of blood in her home, but no forced entry. Underwood is seven months pregnant. Friends plan to hold a candlelight vigil tonight.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that sounds terrible, doesn't that story?
COLLINS: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: All right.
M. O'BRIEN: Heidi.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks.
Well, a series of storms have pounded California with days of rain and snow. The storms are being blamed for at least the deaths of at least three people and dozens more homes are being threatened by mud slides.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Glendale, California with more this morning -- Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Soledad.
It's a very crisp, cool morning. The rains let up a little bit here, which is giving some of the working crews a chance to get out and get going on some of the cleanup efforts. But we'll tell you a little bit more about what they're doing behind me and what's the situation with some of the homes here. But we should tell you that in the big picture, a lot of the firefighters here are calling the last few weeks of weather some of the worst they've ever seen.
Let's take a look now at what's going on around the Los Angeles area. You can take a look in Bel Air. This was the situation just yesterday and you can see the power of some of these mud slides that literally collapsed this entire backyard and sent it crashing down the hill. The swimming pool included, literally just going right down the hill, the barbecue grill, the deck chairs, everything crashing down. The owner had to stand there and literally watch her entire backyard just go straight down that hill.
But that wasn't the end of it. I know this is hard to kind of visualize, but imagine if all the water in your neighbor's swimming pool was literally dumped on your home. Well, that's what happened. When that swimming pool went down the hill, all of the water in it spilled out. It added about 20,000 gallons to the mud slide, literally punched right through the home sitting at the bottom of that hill.
And it's not just the neighborhoods, either. Take a look at some of the highways. This is the 101, the Hollywood Freeway. It's one of the main north-south roads through Los Angeles, literally shut down yesterday with how quickly that rain was coming down. It quickly rose to floodwaters, trapping cars, trucks, even a big rig. Many of those had to be towed out of there by some of the rescue crews. A lot of people trapped on that. It was shut down for most of the night.
And when you look at the big picture, we can take you out here live. This is back here in Glendale, where the firefighters tell us that 14 homes have been evacuated. You can see some of the road crews look at the -- looking at some of the mud piled up there. A very, very dangerous situation here. Some of the firefighters say that at any time, if that rain starts coming down again, some of these homes here could be in a lot of danger -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: One would really imagine.
Chris Lawrence for us.
Oh, Chris, those pictures are just incredible.
Wow! Thanks for that update.
M. O'BRIEN: So, of course, you want to know what kind of weather is ahead for beleaguered California.
Chad Myers has some answers for us -- good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.
More rain today then it's really over tomorrow. And by noon, the moisture moves to the east.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: A powerful earthquake struck central Iran early this morning. Heavy rain has slowed the search for victims. Two hundred seventy people are dead. That number, though, has been climbing all morning. The damage was done around Zarand. It's an area where earthquakes are common. This one measured 6.4.
David Applegate of the U.S. Geological Survey joins us from Denver this morning.
David, thank you for talking with us.
We certainly appreciate it.
Give me a sense of how this earthquake compares to the one that many of us are familiar with, the one in Bam.
DAVID APPLEGATE, SENIOR SCIENCE ADVISER, USGS: Well, there's a number of similarities. Of course, the earthquake that struck Bam just the day after Christmas a year ago was about a magnitude 6.6. It was a little bit larger. One of the key differences is that this -- Bam was about -- it started about six miles below the surface. This one was a bit deeper. It was more like 26 miles below the surface. That means that the strongest shaking is somewhat removed from where people are going to be. In other words, the energy is dissipated as it moves up through the crust.
So that's something in this one's favor.
They both struck around the same time, early morning. I think this one was about 5:25 a.m. local time. That's -- that always is a problem. People are often in their homes. If homes collapse, you're going to see increased casualties.
S. O'BRIEN: We mentioned that earthquakes are not uncommon in the region.
What exactly does not uncommon mean numbers wise?
APPLEGATE: Well, just as in the case of the Sumatra earthquake that devastated the Indian Ocean region in late December, on December 26, the anniversary of the Bam quake, this is a case where two of the Earth's tectonic plates are colliding against one another, only this one's happening on land, the Arabian plate slamming into the Eurasian plate. That collision is happening at about half the speed as the one in Sumatra.
But it is an area where moderate sized earthquakes are fairly common. So this is certainly not unprecedented for this region.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, what about the aftershocks from this quake? We mentioned 6.4. Does that mean that the aftershocks could be 6.4 and less than that? How does it work?
APPLEGATE: That's right. On a -- there are occasions where you actually get a larger earthquake afterward, in which case we call that the main shock and this one would be a foreshock. But much more typical is we see a decay. The Earth's surface is sort of rearranging itself after the earthquake. But that can pose a challenge for rescue efforts. Buildings that were damaged in the first earthquake, even in, say, a magnitude 5, 5.5 earthquake, can bring it down.
S. O'BRIEN: Has anything changed since, as you mentioned, that earthquake in Sumatra that brought about the tsunami? Has anything changed in the way the USGS sort of deals with these events?
APPLEGATE: Well, part of the president's proposal for an advanced tsunami warning system is to improve our seismic capabilities, global seismic capabilities. And one of those is turning our national earthquake information center out here in Golden, Colorado into a fully operational 24-7 center; in addition, making a number of software upgrades. And one of the most important for an event like this is the capability to create a model of the intense ground shaking, compare that with population databases and very quickly be able to say how many people were exposed to what level of severe shaking.
Often in a situation like this, a lot of communication is going to be down. In the case of Bam, it was several days before we understood the full scope of this.
This will give us the capability to know very quickly, to be able to pass that information on to aid agencies so they know what kind of deployment they're going to need to do.
S. O'BRIEN: Critical stuff.
All right, David Applegate joining us from the USGS.
Thanks very much.
Appreciate your time this morning.
APPLEGATE: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Meanwhile, the search for tsunami victims in Indonesia is nearly over. The Red Cross does not expect to find many more victims from the December 26 tragedy and plans to stop looking at the end of this month. Indonesia has counted more than 122,000 people dead. That's as if the entire city of Flagstaff, Arizona or Vera Beach, Florida were wiped out.
There are still more than 114,000 missing in Indonesia. Nearly 170,000 known dead in the 12 countries hit by the massive waves. Nearly 130,000 still missing.
More rain brings the threat of more landslides in Indonesia. Heavy rain is likely what brought a garbage dump crashing down in central Indonesia yesterday. Tons of mud and garbage buried two villages during the night. As many as 40 were killed. Many more are missing.
S. O'BRIEN: Turning to North Korea now, North Korea might be ready to resume nuclear disarmament talks. The state news agency reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Il says he will return to the six party talks if the U.S. shows "sincerity." North Korea pulled out of talks earlier this month, blaming a hostile United States stance. Pyongyang also announced it had nuclear weapons.
U.S. officials say they're committed to making the six party process work.
M. O'BRIEN: The Supreme Court gets back to work today after a month long break, but without an appearance by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. He's been out since October, undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer. Rehnquist did manage to administer the oath of office to President Bush last month. The 80-year-old Rehnquist has been ruling on cases from home.
S. O'BRIEN: Any moment now, President Bush expected to make a joint statement with the secretary general of NATO from Brussels. We're going to bring that to you live when it happens.
M. O'BRIEN: Also, is exercise the best medicine for depression? Dr. Gupta tells us whether it's time for millions of Americans to toss out the polls.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, much more on that brutal weather in California. We'll go inside a dramatic rescue mission -- a woman who was pinned inside her home by the mud slide.
That's just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: As we've mentioned, we are waiting to hear from President Bush. He's making his way through his five day reconciliation tour. You're looking right there at NATO headquarters. We're expecting to hear from the secretary general of NATO and also President Bush in a short briefing. We'll take that live as soon as it happens.
M. O'BRIEN: It's a good time for our Question of the Day, the spread of democracy throughout the world.
Jack with that.
CAFFERTY: Indeed.
And here are the answers.
The...
M. O'BRIEN: Did I step on you a little bit?
CAFFERTY: What?
M. O'BRIEN: I'm sorry.
Did I step on you a bit?
CAFFERTY: No, no, no, no. No.
Hey, Bill, he's not doing so well now.
M. O'BRIEN: It's an up and down racket.
CAFFERTY: One of the things that the president would like the European leaders to do is join in this campaign to spread democracy to the Middle East. According to a poll, most of the people in Europe don't think that's a great idea. Eighty-four percent of the French, as well as pretty strong majorities in other European countries, including Britain, Germany, Spain, disagree with America's role of spreading democracy.
That's the question, is it the United States' job to spread democracy abroad?
Nabil writes: "I don't think so. If anyone should do this, it should be by consensus and only the U.N. should try. Please understand, most people in the world want and would support democracy. However, democracy under the barrel of a gun is not feasible."
Tony writes: "We should take the money being used to spread democracy and spread some decent education here first." Thomas in Kentucky: "Jack, looking back on the last two presidential elections, it would be nice if the U.S. would take the lead in spreading democracy in the United States."
And Meg writes from Virginia: "The French don't think it's the United States' job to spread freedom and democracy? I wonder if they felt that way when we liberated Paris?"
I like that one.
S. O'BRIEN: As you would.
All right...
CAFFERTY: Now, back to you -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.
All right, coming up this morning, we're talking about some deals that are available now as folks want to head to their dealerships looking for a new car. We'll tell you that now might be the best time to buy. We'll show you how you can save some money. That's right ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: If you're in the market for a new car, the folks at "Consumer Reports" say it pays to do your research. All this month, beginning on Presidents Day, certain auto companies are offering discounts of up to $4,000 on some vehicles.
Here to tell us how to shop for the best bargains is Alberto Rojas.
He's with "Consumer Reports."
Alberto, good to have you with us.
ALBERTO ROJAS, "CONSUMER REPORTS": Good morning, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Now, on your Web site, consumerreports.org, there are five vehicles that you sort of focus on.
Tell us about those vehicles and what sorts of deals are out there.
ROJAS: Right. We're focusing on five vehicles because we saw that these vehicles would have the biggest rebates. But if consumers do the research before going to the showroom, they can actually find deals on every kind of car that they want. There are deals, there are finance deals, there are cash rebates, everything they can possibly want, as long as they do their research before they go into the showroom.
M. O'BRIEN: And among the cars you're talking about are the Mercury Sable, the Jeep Liberty, the Mazda Tribute, other vehicles out there.
Why are car makers so anxious to do a deal right now on some of these vehicles?
ROJAS: There's a big glut, not just of SUVs, as people think, but there's a glut of sedans, there's a glut of pickup trucks. These things are not moving off the lots. And consumers can take advantage by doing their research, like you said. Not just go to consumerreports.org. There's plenty of other sources on the Internet. Shop around, just like as you would shop around for any other purchase. Shop around for the rebates. M. O'BRIEN: All right. It's amazing how people will spend a lot of time researching the small things and then just go dive into a vehicle.
Let's talk about that first tip which you just alluded to.
Do your homework, right?
ROJAS: Do your homework. Do your homework about the car that you want, how much it's going to cost you, what rebates are available, what financing deals are available. As long as you do your homework, you will be set to negotiate. And also don't forget to know how much your trade-in is going to be worth, if you're going to do that kind of...
M. O'BRIEN: And the second tip is don't assume anything.
What do you mean by that?
ROJAS: Don't assume anything. Don't assume that the price of the car is on the sticker, that's the price that it is. Don't assume that the rebates that the dealer is telling you are the only ones available. Don't even assume that you qualify for these rebates.
A lot of people don't qualify for that zero percent down and...
M. O'BRIEN: So...
ROJAS: ... and people are shocked when they find out.
M. O'BRIEN: Because of their credit rating or some other...
ROJAS: Exactly. You must have a near perfect rating, credit score, to qualify for these kind of zero down finance options.
M. O'BRIEN: Now, one of the tips you offer is you say to negotiate one thing at a time.
ROJAS: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: It's interesting how it's a bit of a shell game with a clever salesperson. And basically people kind of focus on what it's going to cost me each month, and that's a big trap, isn't it?
ROJAS: It's a big trap because you're not really talking about the price of the car. You're not talking about the rebates, you're not talking about the financing. You're really focusing on how much you're going to pay each month. It might be very, very little, but then you actually end up, on the long run, you're going to end up paying a lot more money than the car is really worth.
M. O'BRIEN: Right. Pay for many years. You're upside down in the vehicle. You get into all kinds of problems when it comes time to sell it.
What are -- the last tip is don't pay for extras. What do you mean by that?
ROJAS: Don't pay for things you don't really need, kind of like a paint protectant, rust proofing...
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, they love to throw those in, don't they, though?
ROJAS: Oh, you don't need them.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
ROJAS: All cars come already with those things in there. Those are extra. If a dealer tells you, I'm sorry, this is the only car that we have and it has a paint protectant already on it, ask for another one. If they don't want to give you that, go to another dealership. There's plenty of dealerships, there's plenty of cars available for you.
M. O'BRIEN: And always be nervous if they say I've got to go check with the manager, right?
ROJAS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: That's a dangerous moment.
ROJAS: Exactly. You have the money, you have the power. Always negotiate.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
You're in charge, remember that. You're in the driver's seat.
ROJAS: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: People sort of get carried away by the moment.
All right, Alberto Rojas with "Consumer Reports."
Good tips.
Appreciate it.
Hope folks out there are listening and get some good deals this month.
ROJAS: Thanks, Miles.
S. O'BRIEN: We've got some news into CNN.
There are reports that now say there has been an arrest in connection with that disappearance of the pregnant woman and her 7- year-old son. That's just a couple of days after they were reported missing from their home in Fort Worth, Texas. A statewide amber alert had been issued after the woman failed to show up for her own baby shower on Saturday. It was expanded to nearby states, as well. Lisa Underwood and her 7-year-old son are missing. We are trying to get more information on this and obviously as much more comes through, we'll bring that to you as soon as we get it.
Turning now to what's ahead this morning, saws and crowbars and sledgehammers are the tools of choice to save lives during a brutal stretch of weather. This morning, we take you inside a dramatic rescue mission in southern California. That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: A reminder -- you can get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING Quick News at cnn.com/am.
Also, a reminder -- we are waiting to hear from President Bush. You're looking at a picture of NATO headquarters. The president is making his way through a five day reconciliation tour. We'll bring his remarks to you live when he addresses NATO.
That's ahead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Bill has got the day off.
Miles O'Brien is helping us out this morning -- nice to see you
M. O'BRIEN: It's good to be here.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
We're expecting to hear from the president soon. We're going to take you to see some pictures out of Belgium this morning, where the president is going to be talking, addressing a group there along with the secretary general of NATO, as well. We're going to bring those comments to you live when they happen.
Also, a developing story out of Iraq right now. It could have a big impact on relations between the United States and the next government in Iraq. We're going to bring you a report on some important change of plans by the Shiite-led coalition.
M. O'BRIEN: Also, we'll take you back to southern California, where rescuers are being called on again and again to save people caught in the aftermath of those storms out there that just seem to go on and on. We'll go on one of those missions, a woman pinned against the wall of her bathroom by a mud slide. An amazing story on how she got out of there. S. O'BRIEN: Terrible.
All right, we're looking forward to that.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: A lot of people put their lives on the line when they have to do that work.
M. O'BRIEN: It's, it is, you know, hero is a term that is bandied about a little too frequently. These guys deserve it.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Our top stories now with Heidi Collins -- good morning.
COLLINS: Good morning.
And good morning to you once again, everybody.
Now in the news, an update on a story we've been telling you about all morning. According to reports, a suspect has been arrested in the case of a missing pregnant woman and her 7-year-old son. You are looking at a picture of that suspect, identified as Stephen Barbee.
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