Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Al-Maliki Out?; Listening Mode; Diana's Death; Jefferson Re- Elected
Aired December 11, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Power struggle. New this morning, reports of a plan inside Iraq's parliament to oust Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A princess bugged? A London newspaper says America eavesdropped on Princess Diana the day she died. Part of a new report coming out nearly 10 years after the princess' death.
S. O'BRIEN: Taco Bell is now promising that its food is safe. The number of E. Coli cases at Taco Bell holding steady. And one ingredient is off the menu.
M. O'BRIEN: And career comeback. Mel Gibson delivers a winner, despite his rocky year, with "Apocalypto," on top of the U.S. box office on this AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Monday, December 11th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with the war in Iraq. Here's what's new.
A political shake-up could be brewing in Baghdad, moving Prime Minister al-Maliki out, engineered possibly by the Shiite leader al- Hakim.
President Bush heads to the State Department this morning. He's working to deliver his own ideas for Iraq before Christmas.
And in Iraq, officials report 51 bodies found in Baghdad on Sunday. Four U.S. soldiers were killed, three wounded by roadside bombs.
Let's begin with those reports out overnight about the Iraqi prime minister. CNN's Nic Robertson is live in Baghdad this morning.
Good morning to you, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, we've talked to the prime minister's office. One of his spokesmen denied that there was any move to remove the prime minister at the moment. But what is happening here, there are divisions within the politics. We have seen recently the firebrand Shia cleric, who had supported the prime minister, move away, remove his parliamentarians from the parliament, say that he was going to stand against the prime minister. We've seen a grouping of Sunni politicians join up with him.
Now, the way this has been described to us by some of the leading and influential politicians here is, this is a group of extremists who are trying to block and oppose the government. What's happening within the government is there is a grouping, a cross-sectarian grouping trying to form that wants to speed the political process here. A group that would describe themselves as moderates.
Now we've been told the prime minister is within that group of moderates. There is no, according to his spokesman, at least no plans to change the prime minister. But there are divisions within the political makeup here. And certainly, as we've seen in the past, different politicians have tried to play for their own personal advantage, which many of them privately blame on the situation the country's now in.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a little bit about the fallout from the Iraq Study Group but in Iraq. The president of Iraq, Talabani, rejected, essentially, the recommendations. Do Iraqis agree with his take on that?
ROBERTSON: You know what's interesting? He's a Kurd. The Kurds and Jalal Talabani, the president, have always been big supporters of the United States. This does seem a turnaround from his position. But it seems to be a very Kurdish position. What is said here is that too many U.S. military trainers, as indigoes (ph) by the Study Group, would undermine the sovereignty of the Iraqi army, therefore undermine the sovereignty of Iraq as a whole.
What we've heard from one of the other senior Kurdish leaders is that really the big concern is that the Study Group wants to centralize power in Baghdad, take power and control away from the Kurds in the north and take away their control over the oil revenues from the north of the country. That seems to be at the root of those criticisms.
What we've heard from other politicians here is that by and large they support a lot of what the Study Group has said. There are some issues that they think are what they call half-cooked, half-baked. But, broadly, there does seem to be more support than expressed by the president.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us in Baghdad this morning.
Thank you, Nic.
Miles. M. O'BRIEN: It's clear the Baker-Hamilton report on what to do about Iraq will not be the last word. President Bush offering a cold shoulder so some of the key recommendations and spending time this week listening to more advice. All this a run-up to a speech he will deliver sometime before Christmas where he will lay out his new strategy. Elaine Quijano with more from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This week, President Bush is in listening mode. This morning he heads to the State Department for a private briefing with senior officials and is expected afterwards to make a statement on Iraq. Then this afternoon, he'll sit down with a group of what officials here say are outside Iraq experts.
And the consultations continue tomorrow and Wednesday, including a video conference with top military commanders in Iraq. All of this comes as the president is awaiting the results of three internal administration reviews. Senior Bush aides say the goal is to announce any changes to Iraq policy in a speech before Christmas.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Americans are already drawing their own conclusions about the Baker-Hamilton report and the Iraq War in general. "Newsweek" out with a new poll showing 39 percent agree with the recommendations on Iraq in the Iraq study report, 20 percent disagree, 26 percent aren't aware of the group, 62 percent believe the U.S. should set a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops. Only 21 percent think the U.S. is making progress in Iraq, 68 percent think the U.S. is losing ground.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: A day of testing the presidential waters for Illinois Senator Barack Obama. He addressed a sellout crowd on his first trip to New Hampshire where the presidential primary race kicks off. Obama is still serving his first term in the Senate, says he hasn't decided to jump into the Democratic race for president yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) ILLINOIS: It is entirely legitimate for people to look at the body of my experience and the other candidates' experience and ask tough questions and put us through the paces. That's how our democracy is supposed to work. The one thing that I'm confident about, and I think New Hampshire is a part of this process, is that if I decide to run, at the end of the process, people will know me pretty well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Should he decide to run for the Democratic nomination, Obama faces more experienced candidates, including New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. She's coming out this week with a tenth anniversary edition of her book "It Takes a Village."
New details now about the death of Princess Diana coming out just before an official British report is released this week. Alphonso van Marsh is in London with that for us.
Good morning to you, Alphonso.
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
As you mentioned, some of those details coming out before the official report due out on Thursday. This is a report commissioned by the royal coroner to take a look at events before and after the car crash that killed Diana, princess of Wales. Now, as I mentioned, this report is not due out until Thursday, but already some details leaked to the British press.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAN MARSH, (voice over): According to British newspaper "The Observer," a new government report found U.S. intelligence was eavesdropping on Diana's phone calls hours before her fatal accident in 1997. CNN has not independently confirmed this report, but we continue to try to verify the story.
Meanwhile, other details of the report, led by Britain's former top cop, are leaking out to the British press. Details that could end speculation on how and why one of the world's most recognized women died on August 31st, almost a decade ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard to see how he will conclude the crash was anything other than an accident.
VAN MARSH: A BBC documentary looks at events before and after the car crash that killed Diana, her companion Dodi Fayed, and driver Henri Paul. In the documentary, it is revealed that the report is expected to conclude that -- claims that Diana was pregnant and planning to marry Fayed are not credible and that driver Henri Paul was three times over the French drunk driving limit when their car crashed in a Paris tunnel.
MARTINE MONTEIL, HEAD OF FRENCH INVESTIGATION, (through translator): There was a horde of photographers who were following the couple and they were very close to the Mercedes when the accident happened. Obviously, this causes annoyance and stress. But it is not the only explanation. The driver also lost control of the car. That's obvious.
VAN MARSH: Dodi Fayed's father, a London businessman, Mohammed al Fayed, has long maintained that the crash was no accident, but part of a British agent murder plot to keep Diana from marrying his son, an Egyptian Muslim. Al Fayed believes that the authorities likely switched the driver's blood samples with those of a probable suicide victim with alcohol and drugs in his body. Something he has not been able to prove. He's indicating that the BBC has fallen for a cover- up. Through a spokesman, al Fayed says, the BBC documentary, "has fallen into a trap deliberately laid for it." Others who knew Diana say people must accept the report results when they are officially released.
ROSA MONCKTON, DIANA'S FRIEND: I hope that now, once and for all, the line can be drawn under this. It was not a conspiracy. It was a tragic accident.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAN MARSH: Now this report is expected to be taken into evidence as part of public hearings. Hearings that are part of a public inquest into the death of Diana, princess of Wales. Now, this inquest will be open to the public and it's expected to begin early next year.
S. O'BRIEN: Alphonso van Marsh for us this morning.
Thanks, Alphonso.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.
Cedar Falls, Iowa. More suspected E. Coli cases. At least 19 people sick after eating at Taco John's. That restaurant not related to Taco Bell. Meanwhile, Taco Bell says there are no more green onions at its 5,800 restaurants. The onions, the likely source of the E. Coli outbreak last month. Taco Bell is assuring customers it's safe to eat there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG CREED, PRESIDENT, TACO BELL CORP.": What we can assure you is, the food at Taco Bell is absolutely safe to eat. And why do I know that? Because we've done extensive testing. Over 140 centers have been tested and they've all come back negative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: More than 120 people in six states possibly infected by E. Coli linked to food they ate at Taco Bell restaurants now.
Another weekend, another sick cruise ship back in port. One hundred and ten people, once again, sick on the Freedom of the Seas. It appears to be the Norovirus. Last week 380 passengers on the same ship were hit with the gastrointestinal illness. And more than 100 people came home sick on the Sun Princess, another cruise liner, after a 10-day Caribbean voyage.
S. O'BRIEN: More details now in the death of James Kim. "The San Francisco Chronicle" is reporting that Kim walked at least 16 miles in the Oregon wilderness trying to get help for his stranded family. Kim's wife and daughters were found alive after eleven days in the cold. Paula Zahn now goes behind the headlines of this heroic and tragic story. It's called "Stranded: The James Kim Ordeal." It airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Some very strong reaction in Chile to the death of the former dictator, Augusto Pinochet, who died on Sunday of heart failure. He was 91 years old. Demonstrators, some whom supported Pinochet, others who opposed him, clashed on Sunday. Take a look at these pictures. Pinochet ruled Chile for 17 years, until 1990. He had been under house arrest. He was charged with murdering two opponents in 1973. Accused of torturing and killing thousands of others while he was in power. A military funeral is scheduled for tomorrow.
The widow of the poisoned ex-Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, is speaking out for the first time and placing blame for her husband's death. Her name is Marina Litvinenko and she says the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, "created an atmosphere that made it possible to kill a British person on British soil. Marina has also tested positive for radiation, as have two British police officers who are investigating the case.
M. O'BRIEN: High above us now the shuttle Discovery links up with the International Space Station this afternoon. So far so good for Discovery's voyage. The crew took a close look at the shuttle's heat shield yesterday, trying to make sure there's no damage after the launch. Beautiful one it was Saturday night. NASA sees no reason for concern so far.
There may not be an English word in it, but "Apocalypto" is still translating into success to Mel Gibson. The film raking in a little more than $14 million over the weekend. Rounding out the top five, another new movie, "The Holiday," starring Cameron Diaz and Jack Black took in $13.5 million. "Happy Feet" dropped to number three, followed by "Casino Royale" and "Blood Diamond."
S. O'BRIEN: Well, the arctic blast has passed, but much of the country is still feeling the effects. We're going to have a travelers forecast for you coming up next.
And then taking down the trees. Is Christmas under attack at Seattle's airport? We're going to tell you what they did there straight ahead when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. New this morning.
President Bush is meeting with State Department officials. They're going to discuss Iraq strategy. That comes after last week's release of the Iraq Study Group's report.
In Gaza there are new concerns of violence between supporters of Hamas and supporters of the rival Fatah party. Gunmen killed a Fatah intelligence officer's three young children. They were between the ages of six and nine.
M. O'BRIEN: About 15 minutes past the hour. If you're heading out the door, Chad Myers has a few words for you.
Good morning, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: The president and the first lady getting into the holiday spirit, singing some Christmas carols. They joined mc Dr. Phil and pop opera group Il Diveo for the finale of last night's "Christmas in Washington" concert. "American Idol's" Taylor Hicks and country singer Gretchen Wilson also there. You can watch it on the TNT Network on Wednesday.
S. O'BRIEN: I liked that they don't give Dr. Phil a mic.
M. O'BRIEN: Probably a good idea.
S. O'BRIEN: Il Diveo has a mic.
M. O'BRIEN: No one's quitting their day job in that group, right?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
Have you heard of the story at the Seattle Tacoma International Airport? This morning the Christmas trees, they're gone. They're banned, actually. The trees were yanked from the terminals after a rabbi threatened to sue to get a giant menorah put in the airport. Officials were worried that they would be sued to display symbols of every faith if they honored his request, so they took out those nine Christmas trees. And that upset even the rabbi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RABBI ELAZAR BOGOMILSKY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHAI CENTER: The people that I've bumped into that know the story today just are just shocked that the airport would make a decision, the port would make a decision to actually remove the Christmas trees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, the rabbi went on to say that losing the trees and refusing to showcase a menorah at the airport darkened the holiday season for everybody.
M. O'BRIEN: I don't think that was what he had in -- he wanted to have the menorah beside the tree, not the trees taken down.
S. O'BRIEN: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: That was the goal.
S. O'BRIEN: And I think they were just trying to avoid litigation on all fronts.
M. O'BRIEN: Right. Of course, the Christmas tree has pagan roots, even though it's linked to Christianity. Anyway.
S. O'BRIEN: My guess is, this is not the final word on that. M. O'BRIEN: I have a feeling this story has some legs, as well as limbs.
Up next, signed, sealed and delivered. The last act of the 109th Congress could save you money at the post office. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business."
Also, re-elected. The congressman with the cash in his freezer gets another stint in Congress, even as the bribery investigation continues.
And caught on camera. Police, a suicidal man and a garbage truck. See how it all ended when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: A developing story this morning. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki facing a possible revolt inside the Iraqi parliament. There are reports members of the parliament are drafting plans to oust him.
And in the Philippines, three children are dead after a typhoon roared ashore. It's the second typhoon to hit the Philippines this month.
S. O'BRIEN: William Jefferson. Remember him? He's that Louisiana congressman who was accused of stashing $90,000 in cash in his freezer. Well, apparently not even that could put a chill on his ambition to return to Congress. CNN's Gary Nurenberg has our report this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A focus of an ongoing bribery investigation, William Jefferson nonetheless handily won re-election to Congress.
REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON, (D) LOUISIANA: And we love you. We truly do.
NURENBERG: His election is not being warmly received by his party's leadership.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I think the Democrats would have preferred probably to have Mr. Jefferson lose re-election. It would make things a lot easier for them.
NURENBERG: Jefferson has been a subject of a very public corruption investigation for more than a year and a half. Federal agents raided his home and said they found $90,000 in cash in the freezer.
KAREN CARTER, JEFFERSON'S OPPONENT: The biggest difference is ethics and honesty and integrity.
NURENBERG: Jefferson's opponent made corruption a central part of her campaign. But the eight-term congressman was able to capitalize on a long history with voters in his district.
JEFFERSON: I love them completely and totally. And it's just a relationship. People wanted to stand up and put their arms around me.
NURENBERG: That is an embrace he is not likely to get from Democratic leaders who made Republican corruption an important part of their campaign to capture control of Congress.
PRESTON: I think what you'll see is Republicans will say, look, it's a two-way street here in Washington, D.C., and they'll try to point to Mr. Jefferson as an example.
NURENBERG: Jefferson has been charged with no wrongdoing. Some Democrats are frustrated with the uncertainty of the lengthy investigation.
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) DELAWARE: Get on with it. Federal government, attorney general, make a decision. Charge him or don't charge him. Move on.
NURENBERG: Prosecutors give no indication if charges will be brought.
Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning.
In Illinois, grief counseling today for a Chicago law firm. Police say Joe Jackson shot four people and killed three at the firm Friday before police killed him with a sniper rifle. Police believe Jackson held a grudge against a patent attorney there, thinking the attorney was stealing his ideas.
In Connecticut, northbound Interstate 395 open again this morning. Police say this tour bus was in the breakdown lane when a pickup truck hit it from behind. Seven passengers on the bus and the truck driver were hurt in the crash.
In New York, railroad crews had to bring in heavy machinery to clean up after this CSX freight train derailed in Buffalo. It was heading east with a load of vegetables when, for some reason, four cars jumped the tracks. No one hurt.
And in Florida, an Orlando area garbage man hijacked a company truck and took it for a dangerous ride. A camera from a sheriff's helicopter shows the truck speeding through two counties. The chase ended when the truck got stuck on the edge of a lake. Officials say the man was suicidal.
S. O'BRIEN: Congress extends some tax breaks on their way out of town. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
I got nothing but good news for you this morning. On Saturday, the Senate passed a bill which extended a lot of tax breaks that had expired in 2005. You now get them. They're extended for two more years, which means you can claim them on your 2006 tax return.
Now one of them, actually the biggest one, is for businesses. It's a research and development tax credit.
But for individuals, there are some good ones, too. There's a tuition deduction that's now available to you. It was available. You can use it again.
There's a state and local sales deduction. This applies to states with high sales tax or states with no sales tax. And there's a teacher's classroom deduction.
There's also a new component, and that is a mortgage insurance premium deduction. This is for people who have mortgages that are greater than 80 percent of the value of their home. So they can now deduct that.
Also, postal rate changes. There's a bill that's in Congress to limit the amount that the post office can increase its rates, tied to inflation. Now if you look back to 1985, stamps were about 22 cents. According to inflation, they should be 39 cents, where they are now. But there's an increase scheduled for this spring which would be about seven or eight percent. That sort of thing should be brought in line. So you can expect your postal rates to stay a little tighter.
And the stock market is doing very well right now. The Dow closed on Friday at 12,194. We've got a Fed rate decision on Tuesday, so we'll have to see how that affects you and I'll be talking about that tomorrow morning. But for the year, for the year-to-date, the Dow is up 14.6 percent, the S&P, 12.7 percent and the Nasdaq is up 10 percent. So a pretty good year so far for stock markets.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Ali. Appreciate that.
Top stories are straight ahead, including a third country now involved in the poisoning death of a former Russian spy. This morning we hear for the first time from the widow who has tested positive for radiation poisoning herself.
And how far would you go to save your family? A closer look at James Kim's tragic journey when AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Fighting back. The source of the nationwide E. Coli outbreak still not pinpointed. Taco Bell says it's safe to eat there again.
M. O'BRIEN: New twists in the murder of that former Russian spy, German police now in the mix. The case takes more twists and turns and Alexander Litvinenko's wife breaks her silence.
S. O'BRIEN: And the distance of devotion. New details about just how far James Kim went to get help for his family -- trapped in the Oregon wilderness. Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And welcome back, everybody. It's Monday, December 11th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's what's happening this morning.
President Bush is going to be attending a strategy session on Iraq at the State Department. Mr. Bush is scheduled to hold several meetings on Iraq over the coming days. He's then expected to announce changes in U.S. strategy in a speech to the American people before Christmas.
In Iraq, there is word that some lawmakers are ready to oust the prime minister, al-Maliki's government, in order to try to rein in some of the violence there. They want to form a new coalition without ties to the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. And reportedly leading the charge in all this is the Shiite leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. You'll remember he's the one who met with President Bush just a week ago.
Strong reaction in Chile to the death of the former dictator, Augusto Pinochet, who died on Sunday of heart failure. He was 91 years old. Demonstrators, some in support of Pinochet, others who opposed him, clashed on Sunday. Pinochet ruled Chile for 17 years till 1990. He had been under house arrest. He was charged with murdering two opponents back in '73. Also accused of torturing and killing thousands of people while he was in power.
A military funeral is scheduled for tomorrow.
And some surprising new details are surfacing about the death of Princess Diana just days ahead of the release of an official British report. Citing DNA evidence, the BBC is saying that Diana's driver was, in fact, drunk the night she died in a car crash in Paris.
And a surprising twist, too. The British newspaper "The Observer" says a government report found U.S. intelligence was eavesdropping on Diana's phone calls just hours before her death.
Now, CNN hasn't independently confirmed this report. We're trying to verify that story for you.
We're going to bring you a live report out of London coming up in our next hour -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The investigation into the murder of that former Russian spy with another strange turn. This time, to Germany. And for the first time, Alexander Litvinenko's widow is speaking out.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joining us from London with more.
Hello, Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, it's been almost six weeks since the ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned and two and a half weeks since he died. But still, revelations, rumors and conspiracy theories are emerging almost on a daily basis. Now, as you say, the latest information is coming to us from Germany, which is pulling a third country into the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice over): German police say this man, Dmitry Kovtun, is being treated as a suspect in the international hunt for the killers of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. Kovtun is a former soldier in the Soviet army, and one of the men who British police say met Litvinenko in this London hotel on the day he was given a fatal dose of radiation.
German police say they have found traces of Polonium-210, the material used in the poisoning, at the apartment of Kovtun's ex-wife. They say Kovtun stayed there the night before flying to London and meeting Litvinenko. German police say there is "... a reasonable basis for suspicion that Dmitry Kovtun may not just be a victim, but could also be a perpetrator." Their investigation now focuses on whether Kovtun illegally handled radioactive material.
The Russian news service Interfax says Kovtun is being treated for radiation poisoning in Moscow.
Litvinenko's wife Marina broke her silence Sunday, telling "The Sunday Times" how her husband came to the realization he had been deliberately poisoned.
MARINA LITVINENKO, ALEXANDER LITVINENKO'S WIDOW: And he said, "Marina, I feel like people who was poisoned with chemical." You know, because they started, they got some systems (ph). But of course I told him, "Sasha (ph), it's unbelievable. I can't -- I can't believe what happened."
HANCOCKS: British police are continuing their murder inquiry in Moscow Monday. Two police officers involved in the case have also tested positive for Polonium-210. London police say both men are well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: Now, on his death bed, Litvinenko accused the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, himself, for the poisoning of himself. Now, we have known from the Kremlin many times throughout the last six weeks they have denied any involvement whatsoever in this particular case.
And we heard from Litvinenko's wife also, saying she believed the Russian authorities were behind this. But mainly, she just wanted to know exactly what happened to her husband -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks in London.
Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: There is a frantic search going on for a missing couple from Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Now that search is spanning the East Coast.
Wayne and Diane Guay (ph) disappeared on their way to New York to visit their children for the holidays. It's a drive they've done often, apparently.
They were supposed to arrive in Queens on Thursday night. They never showed up.
Now obviously, as you can imagine, the children are very worried and distraught, as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
This is like a nightmare going through. I just want to wake up from it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Calls to the couple's cell phones went straight to voicemail. Their children checked the home. Everything was normal, they say. State troopers are reporting no accidents along the route the couple was supposed to take. So it is a mystery at this point.
There's some new information about James Kim, the San Francisco man who died in that rugged snowy terrain in Oregon. Authorities now say that Kim actually trekked 16 miles into the wilderness trying to find help for his wife and children. That's eight more miles than they originally thought he'd walked.
Take a look at this map. It traces Kim's steps from where the car was found, where he walked up the road and wandered off the path, where he left his pants behind, and then the ravine where the body was found.
Dan Simon has more this morning on James Kim's heroic sacrifice.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMES KIM, SR. EDITOR MP3S, CNET: Hey, everybody. It's James Kim here, senior editor of MP3s at CNET. And I have with me the first look in my palm. This is the mobiBLU Cube 2.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's the kind of job a lot of us would love to have. Remember Tom Hanks in the movie "Big"? He played with toys to see what other kids would like.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "BIG": So what do they make you do for all this? TOM HANKS, "BIG": Well, I play with all of this stuff. And then I go in and I tell them what I think.
SIMON: Well, James Kim essentially had the same job. The 35- year-old editor for CNET, a leading technology Web site, tested and played the latest high-tech music gadgets, and then advised consumers on what to buy. He got a first look at all the cool stuff.
KIM: I'm here at the San Francisco Apple event, where we've seen the launch of three new iPods.
This right here is not a button. It's a phantom button. So what's the big deal about this thing? Well, the reason I like it is because it's $20.
SIMON: James Kim wasn't just concerned about your wallet, but about your happiness as a parent. After all, these are important purchases for your kids.
KIM: It's a digital audio player, and my 3-year-old daughter actually approves of it. She picked it up and started using it and started having fun with it without any direction at all. In fact, she skipped the manual just like her dad does.
SIMON: James often talked about his own kids on his webcast, Penelope and baby Sabine. Friends and colleagues say he was ever the devoted father and husband to Kati.
HAHN CHOI, FRIEND AND FORMER COLLEAGUE: As a father, I know he love his kids so much. And his wife. He loved them so much. I know he'd do anything for them.
SIMON: Hahn Choi used to work for James at another high-tech venture but says it felt more like a friendship.
CHOI: I never saw him get mad. He was one of those people you could talk to all the time, you know? You know, it's strange, because, you know, he was just a really good, good human being. It just doesn't -- you don't find that very often.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Tonight, CNN will take an emotional look at James Kim's sacrifice to save his family. You can catch a special "PAULA ZAHN NOW," "Stranded: The James Kim Ordeal," at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
You might not expect a businessman to be able to rid the world of terrorism, but one man in Bangladesh is trying. He's using boardroom ingenuity to make the world a safer place. Just won the Nobel Peace Price in a pomp-filled ceremony in Oslo this weekend.
Muhammad Yunus accepted his award. They honored the 66-year- old's Grameen Bank, which provides loans to some of the world's poorest people. And the money allows people to become entrepreneurs.
I spoke to Yunus about the concept when he visited us in New York last month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUHAMMAD YUNUS, NOBEL PRIZE WINNER: What drives people into all kinds of extreme things, and people who are promoting extreme ideas, they find it very good breeding ground when you have abject poverty. So terrorism and poverty is very closely linked. So if you address the issue of poverty, you reduce the chances of terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Yunus is going to use his $1.4 million in Nobel Prize money -- that's U.S. dollars -- to keep enriching the lives of the world's poorest citizens, he says.
M. O'BRIEN: Another state, another restaurant, but the same deadly bacteria. The E. coli outbreak spreading, as Taco Bell says it's safe to come back.
And speaking of health threats, whatever happened to the dreaded bird flu? Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: New this morning, four more American troops killed in Iraq after roadside bombings in Baghdad. It brings to 42 the number of U.S. GIs killed this month.
And the space shuttle Discovery orbiting Earth right now. The crew of seven sleeping as we speak. They're expected to dock with the International Space Station later today.
S. O'BRIEN: Health news to tell you about this morning. In Cedar Falls, Iowa, more suspected E. coli cases. At least 19 people are sick after eating at Taco John's.
Now, that restaurant isn't related to Taco Bell. Taco Bell is saying that there are no more green onions at its 5,800 restaurants. They're believed to be the source of the E. coli outbreak last month.
Taco Bell is assuring its customers its safe to eat there. More than 120 people in six states possibly infected by E. coli, linked to food they ate at Taco Bell restaurants.
A hundred and ten people once again sick on the Freedom of the Seas with what appears to be the norovirus again. You'll remember we told you this last week, 380 passengers were on that exact same ship and they were hit with a gastrointestinal illness. More than 100 people came down sick on the Sun Princess after a 10-day Caribbean voyage.
And then whatever happened to the bird flu? It hasn't turned out to be the pandemic it was feared to be. Yet, at least. We're happy to say.
Scientists say, though, we're not out of the woods. The virus that causes the flu thrives in cold weather, and vaccinations make it harder for the -- for scientists to be able to detect bird flu -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: An emotional homecoming for two U.S. pilots. The two pilots, Jan Paladino and Joseph Lepore, arrived Saturday in New York to the sound of cheers. Their passports were confiscated in Brazil after the plane they were piloting collided with a 737 over the Amazon in September.
All 154 people on board that airliner died. Brazilian authorities accused the two pilots of being at the wrong altitude at the time. The pilots had to sign a document promising to return to Brazil to face trial if necessary.
A quarter of the hour. Chad Myers at the weather center with a look at your forecast.
Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: A surprising number of people can't afford to call in sick. So a lot of workers have to show up sick and expose you and everyone around you to that nasty cold. The latest moves to give more people a break coming up in our next hour.
And "Apocalypto" now. Is it a victory for Mel Gibson, or is he cashing in on the controversy around him? We'll take a look when we return.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a top athlete?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an NFL player in the making right here.
COSTELLO: Justin Johnson is the number one high school running back in the country, according to "Sports Illustrated."
JUSTIN JOHNSON, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER: If you want to be the best, you have to train.
COSTELLO: Chip Smith has trained over 600 professional NFL players at Competitive Edge Sports. Most of these elite athletes spend four to six hours a day training. While studying at the Soviet Sport Institute in Moscow, he uncovered three key components that he believes are essential to athletes enhancing their sports performance.
CHIP SMITH, COMPETITIVE EDGE SPORTS: So we try with resistance in the movement, over-speed in the movement and reaction. NATE WAYNE, NFL LINEBACKER: He has this thing he calls Chipometers (ph). You know, it's a resistance band. And you put those on and it keeps constant resistance on your muscles. And, you know, we run with them, then we take them off, and it feels like we can run a two-flat 40 -- 40-yard dash.
COSTELLO: Chip says all athletes can improve their sports performance by staying committed to training hard.
Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at some of the stories we are watching for you. Here's the grid, some of the feeds we're looking at.
The White House on this predawn part of the morning. The president is headed over to the State Department later, part of his so-called listening tour. He's looking for other alternatives to the Baker-Hamilton report which was released last week. And we'll be watching that all this week as he continues to look for other suggestions for that change in strategy.
Incoming 12 there, that's Iranian TV. Remarkable story coming out of Tehran this morning.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at a university speech, was booed by students. They shouted, "Death to the dictator!" They went after Iranian television, broke their camera.
Then some pro-Ahmadinejad students came out chanting, "Ahmadinejad, we support you!" The speech was interrupted several times.
We're going to get some video on that very shortly. We'll bring it to you as soon as we get it.
Incoming 16, that's the view from the space shuttle Discovery right now, about 280 miles above us, making its way toward the International Space Station. The crew's asleep. They'll get up at 10:47 a.m. Eastern Time, and then this afternoon the docking with the International Space Station. They're there to essentially rewire that space station -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look now at stories that CNN correspondents around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nic Robertson in Baghdad.
Four U.S. servicemen were killed by roadside bombs around the city on Sunday. There's been spiraling sectarian violence, deepening political divisions. And into all of that, Iraq's president has criticized the Iraq Study Group's survey.
We'll be watching this week as the government here tries to ready for a national reconciliation conference.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. I'm Atika Shubert in Jerusalem.
A violent attack in Gaza this morning. A passing car opened fire on students as they were being dropped off at school, killing three children and their driver.
Now, the father of the children is a senior Palestinian intelligence official of the Fatah faction loyal to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. It's not clear who carried out the killings or why. All factions so far, however, have condemned the shooting.
There are fears, however, that this could cause a substantial escalation in the infighting between the Fatah faction and the more militant Hamas faction that now controls the government. Unity talks between the two factions have failed. And President Abbas over the weekend said he would call for early elections to try and break the deadlock. Hamas, however, rejected the idea, warning that it would only cause a further escalation in tensions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, new tube? How TV's biggest networks may be getting ready to challenge YouTube. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" ahead.
And a parting shot. A controversial congresswoman's parting shot at President Bush, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Your cell phone is becoming a valuable marketing tool for some companies.
Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" with more.
Hello, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
It wasn't good enough for the average consumer, was as helpful to the economy as they are. We're now becoming the world's most effective marketers, as well. This is another YouTube discussion. Some time ago I told you about how Charmin, the toilet paper company, had set up these courtesy toilets in Times Square. We did that story and apparently a lot of people did. It ended up in about 100 stories. But the funny thin about this is that it ended up on a lot more YouTube hits.
According to "The New York Times," that -- this clip, or these clips of these toilets have been watched more than 7,000 times. NASCAR had a recent display in Times Square. Same thing happened, 1,800 times on YouTube.
There's a sense that people taking pictures of these things and posting them themselves on YouTube might be a more effective form of marketing than traditional marketing. Viral marketing of things that people get excited about, Times Square is becoming a hot place for that. But this really has nothing to do with Times Square, it's about the idea that people take interesting things, put them on YouTube, and other people see them. And it causes people to buy.
YouTube is in -- YouTube is in discussions with nobody, but they say that they get more than 100 million hits a day, 100 million views a day. Well, that's causing the networks, FOX, NBC, CBS, and Viacom, to discuss starting up a rival to YouTube, which would be the place where video content from those TV shows is shown.
Right now, CBS and NBC have deals with YouTube for content, and what they're finding is they're actually gaining viewers for the television shows from people who see those clips on YouTube. So, it's pretty successful. And this is how YouTube is actually making money.
We're all wondering how it makes money for Google -- $1.6 billion is what it cost to buy that operation. But it looks like this is it.
So that's your business report this morning, Soledad, from YouTube.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Ali.
Here's a look at some of the top stories on CNN.com this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): In what could be her last legislative move, outgoing Georgia representative Cynthia McKinney is calling for the impeachment of President Bush. McKinney introduced the bill on Friday. She accuses the president of misleading Congress on the war in Iraq and violating privacy laws with his domestic spying program.
You may recall Congresswoman McKinney made news last March in an incident with Capitol Hill Police.
It's a little less festive at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport today. The airport took down all nine Christmas trees in response to a lawsuit that demanded a giant Jewish menorah be added to its holiday decorations. An airport spokeswoman says adding the menorah would have required them to add other religious symbols to the display.
And it looks like moviegoers were able to forgive and forget Mel Gibson for his anti-Semitic rant over the summer. Gibson's epic "Apocalypto" debuted at number one this weekend, with $14.2 million in ticket sales.
For more on these stories, log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Power struggle. Developing news in Iraq. Members of the parliament there reportedly working to oust the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki.
S. O'BRIEN: Better news for Taco Bell, but another taco chain is now doing damage control. And there's another round of E. coli poisoning to tell you about.
M. O'BRIEN: Obama in '08? Senator Barack Obama testing the political waters in a city best known for hosting candidates for president. We're live with the Monday morning analysis.
S. O'BRIEN: And we'll tell you this morning how the power shift in Congress could make it easier for you to call in sick and still get paid.
Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back, everybody. It is Monday, December 11th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
We're glad you're with us.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with the war in Iraq. Here's what's new this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
