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American Morning

White House Waffles on Deadline for Bush Speech on Iraq Strategy Before Christmas

Aired December 12, 2006 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING (on camera): ... for those day laborers to come over, offering them work. When the crowd gathered around his truck, he exploded 200 kilograms of explosives. We have seen time and time again this style of attacks against day laborers. In fact about a month ago in the town of Hilah (ph), some 19 people were killed. We understand, though from Iraqi police, in this attack, hospitals nearly overwhelmed, and they do expect the death toll to rise -- Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Cal Perry for us in Baghdad this morning. Thank you, Cal, for the update.

From Saudi Arabia, an effort to fan the flames of sectarian violence in Iraq. Religious leaders there calling on their fellow Sunnis, in neighboring Iraq, to launch a holy war against the Shiites. The call to jihad posted on an Islamic web site, says the Shiites are marginalizing the Sunnis in Iraq, with the help of the crusaders, which is an apparent reference to the United States -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: President Bush gets more advice today on the Iraq war. White House hoping the president can announce his new plan to the nation before Christmas, but saying the president may need more time. CNN's Elaine Quijano, live at the White House with more -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUJIANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Hello, Miles.

Well, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, yesterday, in the off camera briefing was essentially noncommittal on the idea of a speech coming to the nation before Christmas, on Iraq. He said essentially, that idea was, quote, "Not in cement and -- not, not in cement." But privately we know that senior Bush aides have said that in recent days that it is in fact the administration's desire to have an announcement made before Christmas. Now, for this moment, the president is going to be continuing his listening tour inside the Beltway, if you will.

Yesterday, of course, he was at the State Department, hearing from top officials there. And today, he'll be taking part in a video conference with military commanders on the ground in Iraq, as well as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad.

As for his deliberations, Tony Snow emphasized yesterday that they're going to be exhaustive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He's not selecting from a menu, one from column A, or one from column B, but instead, taking a very good, hard look at all of the analysis, and all of the opinions, and making decisions based on all the input from advisers, on what he thinks is the proper way forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, also today, the president will be engaging in some diplomacy in a very direct way. This afternoon he'll be sitting down with a Sunni Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi. And this coming on the heels, of course, of meeting with a Shia politician last week. Miles, essentially, the president trying to push all of these sides together and convince them it is in their best interest to try to band together to move forward in Iraq -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Elaine, why is the White House being so vague about the timetable for this speech?

QUIJANO: I think what you're seeing here, essentially, is a little bit of wiggle room being sought by the officials on their statements about when the president might make the decision. The bottom line is it's up to the president when he decides to make the announcement.

And they don't know if he's going to take a little bit more time. Their goal, all along, has been really to try and get something out there before the end of the year. Of course, next month is when the Democrats take control of Congress.

They've said, also privately, perhaps, even before Christmas. Ultimately, it's up to the president. I think that's what you were seeing yesterday.

M. O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thank you.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: In Miami, the world's largest cruise ship, the Freedom of the Seas, is scheduled to sail again today. This time with two extra doctors and 45 more cleaning workers on board. Last week an outbreak of neuorovirus infected 108 passengers. And then on the trip before that, 380 people got sick. Now the ship has been scrubbed from stem to stern -- again.

First it was Iowa, now it's Minnesota looking for e. Coli outbreak at Taco John's, now that is a chain that is not related to Taco Bell. Preliminary tests came up positive and now Minnesota health officials are trying to see if in fact there is a link with the case that they found in Iowa.

As for Taco Bell, there are now nearly 400 cases of e. Coli in the Northeast, according to federal officials, who are quoted in today's "New York Times". The feds say the green onions might not be the source, after all. It turns out that the test that implicated the scallions, conducted at first, by Taco Bell, and then confirmed by New York State health officials, was wrong.

White onions have now tested positive, but with a different e. Coli strain; a strain that is not so far linked to any illnesses. Green onions are still off the onions at Taco Bell, and health officials continue to try to sort it out.

Ahead this morning, at 7:30 a.m., Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join us with more on all of these e. Coli outbreaks, with information on how we can protect ourselves. And then at 8 o'clock we're going to talk to the president of Taco Bell.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Family and friends are mourning the loss of a South Carolina couple who disappeared last week. Wayne and Diane Guay went missing on their drive from South Carolina to New York over the weekend. They were found dead in their crashed car in North Carolina yesterday. CNN's Jason Carroll is in New York with more -- Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: And, Miles, yesterday afternoon when we were out here meeting with the family, they were still fielding phone calls, still waiting for any sort of word on the couple's whereabouts. Just a few hours after we left the home here, they got the terrible news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEGAN GUAY LIENDO, DAUGHTER: They were a perfect people. We always said we loved each other, we gave each other hugs. And I'm thankful that God gave them to me.

CARROLL (voice over): A daughter's pain after learning her parents died, apparently when their car swerved off a North Carolina interstate, into a swamp. Police discovered Wayne and Diane Guay's white Mazda submerged Monday afternoon, near Rocky Mount, North Carolina. They had left early Thursday morning from their Myrtle Beach, South Carolina home, up Interstate 95, bound to visit family in New York, a 12-hour drive they've taken many times.

Family members were active in the search, passing out flyers, checking out hospitals, even paying for the helicopter that spotted their car near the interstate. South Carolina police say they checked by patrol vehicles and helicopter the routes the Guays may have driven. But one daughter said she begged the local police to more actively search for her parents and if not for family efforts, they might still be missing.

LIENDO: I'm upset because it was my brother and my uncle who found them.

CARROLL: Because the Guays were traveling with a car full of gifts, family members suspect foul play. Police are still investigating that possibility. Police also say they're looking at another possibility, a report of a traffic collision near that location Thursday. LISA EDGE, WBTW REPORTER: There was a call made to 911 in Nash County, saying there was a traffic collision in that same area. EMS and fire officials got out to that scene but they weren't able to find anything.

CARROLL: In the end, it may have simply been a car accident that took their lives, little comfortable for a grieving family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And an autopsy should reveal more about exactly how the Guays died. In the meantime, the family is dealing with how to tell the Guays' five-year-old granddaughter why they will not be home for the holidays -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Jason, is there any indication any of the gifts in the car are missing?

CARROLL: Not at this point. Not from what we're hearing from the authorities down in North Carolina, as well as South Carolina. But again, this investigation is far from being complete.

M. O'BRIEN: Jason Carroll, in Queens. Thank you.

In Oregon this morning, the search for three missing climbers is on hold as the weather turns ugly. A blizzard is hammering Oregon's Mt. Hood. Friends Kelly James, and Brian Hall, both from Dallas, and Jerry Niko (ph) Cook, of Brooklyn, New York, set out to climb Wednesday. One used a cell phone to call his family Sunday from a snow cave near the summit, saying they're in trouble. And the two were going to look for help. Two of them were. Rescue teams described treacherous conditions on the mountain with strong winds and little visibility.

S. O'BRIEN: In Chile, a formal farewell to the former dictator Augusto Pinochet. The military funeral is set for later this morning. CNN's Harris Whitbeck is in Santiago, Chile this morning.

Harris, good morning.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Soledad.

The funeral for Augusto Pinochet is not scheduled to begin for another couple of hours, but since very early this morning, hundreds of his supporters have been gathered outside the military academy in Santiago, where that funeral will take place. The funeral will be open to the public, but there's a limited number of seats inside the academy.

The Chilean minister of defense says that she will attend the funeral representing the civilian government. The government yesterday said it would not allow for a state funeral for Pinochet, which is a testament to how controversial his figure still is in Chile. Since Pinochet's death was announced on Sunday there have been protests on streets, and there have been confrontations between supporters of Pinochet, and the family members of the thousands of people who disappeared, or were killed, during the Pinochet regime.

This tensions on the street are a testament to how controversial Pinochet's figure still and to how divided Chilean society is on what Pinochet's legacy will be for his country. Supporters of Pinochet say he saved Chile from Communism. His detractors say he was responsible for some of the worst human rights violations in the history of Latin America -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: And, Harris, what are the people telling you? Does it seem they're divided, or do people feel like this is a chapter that's now closed? He was ill for a long time and they're ready to move on?

WHITBECK: Well, no, the chapter is definitely not closed. If anything, the passions and the divisions over seem to have been exacerbated. People cannot seem to agree as to what he meant to this country. That is being expressed on the streets of Santiago and also other cities in Chile today.

S. O'BRIEN: Harris Whitbeck for us this morning; he's in Santiago.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Seattle airport. The trees are going back up today. The trees being removed after a rabbi demanded a menorah be included in the displays. And he threatened to sue. The rabbi saying getting rid of the trees wasn't the point. And so he withdrew the threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RABBI ELIZAR BOGOMILSKY, CENTRAL ORG. FOR JEWISH EDUCATION: People are more educated today. People realize the sensitivity to it, and people hopefully will be more welcoming.

ALEC FISHKIN, PORT OF SEATTH: I'd like to see us put up a menorah, put up a little Kwanzaa symbol, and put the tree back up, right? End of story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Port officials say they will meet with community members to work out a plan for next year's holiday decorations.

Stay where you are because if you're not staying where you are today, Chad has the "Traveler's Forecast" for you.

And gotcha: A pop quiz trips up the incoming Intelligence Committee chairman. He's far from the first to fall victim to this kind of effort. The reality of gotcha politics, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Breaking news from Iraq this morning. At least 60 people dead, 220 injured, when a truck bomb explodes in Baghdad overnight.

NASA engineers combing over pictures of the Shuttle Discovery's heat shield, trying to make sure it will protect the crew when it's time to come home.

Let's get a quick check of the "Traveler's Forecast".

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: In Washington, D.C., Democrats are getting a little taste of what it's like to be in charge on Capitol Hill. Along with the perks of power comes the gotcha moments. The incoming House Intelligence chairman is the current victim as he flunks an important test. AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken live in Washington for us this morning with details.

Good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Well, now we're finding out why some people say that politics is a contact sport. I guess that would include, Soledad, contact with reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice over): The incoming House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes, has just been given rude welcome, a pop quiz from a "Congressional Quarterly" reporter. Al Qaeda is what, he was asked, Sunni or Shia? His answer, predominantly probably, Shiite. Al Qaeda is largely Sunni.

Nor could he describe Hezbollah, long dominant on the U.S. list of terrorists organization.

JEFF STEIN, "CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY": How is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee going to ask intelligent questions of the CIA and the Pentagon spy agencies, if he doesn't know what to ask?

FRANKEN: In 1999, then presidential candidate George W. Bush flubbed a similar impromptu quiz about world leaders.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The new Pakistani general, he's just been elected -- not been elected, this guy took over office, he appears he's going to bringing stability to the country. And I think that's good news for the sub-continent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you name him?

BUSH: General -- I can't name the general.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's?

BUSH: General. FRANKEN: He still became president.

And it is not only reporters who lay in ambush.

SEN-ELECT. JIM WEBB, (D-VA): We have a situation in the Senkaku Islands that can blow up into an incident. I wonder what you think about that, George?

SEN. GEORGE ALLEN, (R-VA): I would have to study the issue more fully to give you the complete answer.

FRANKEN: Of course, we all know the islands are claimed by both Japan and China, right?

This gotcha game is nothing new. Sometimes a candidate even gets himself.

GERALD FORD, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration.

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would like to see Mr. Ford convince the Polish-Americans and the Czech-Americans and the Hungarian-Americans in this country that those countries don't live under the domination and supervision of the Soviet Union behind the Iron Curtain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: Well, that was then. This is now. Incoming Chairman Reyes has put out a statement, saying, quote, he is "acutely aware of the fact that Al Qaeda wants to do harm to Americans." Might I add, Soledad, now acutely aware of snarky reporters.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I think he is. Welcome to running Congress, sir. All right, thank you, Bob.

M. O'BRIEN: What does Bob know about snarky?

(LAUGHTER)

Anyway, this morning we'll continue our special look at sick pay. Did you know nearly half of all Americans working in the private sector do not get a single day of paid sick leave?

As we told you yesterday the new Congress may push a bill to mandate paid sick days. What do the companies who already provide good sick policies? Alina Cho is here with more on that.

Good morning, Alina.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Miles.

We did a little digging and got a little help. You know, we called on the Great Place to Work Institute. It's a San Francisco- based research and consulting group that compiles an annual list of best companies to work for "Fortune" magazine, which, like CNN is a Time Warner company.

Now, 450 companies applied and answered many questions, including how much paid sick time they provide to their workers each year. We then asked the group to put together a list for us, of companies that generously pay for sick days. And here what they found.

Among the small employers, companies with fewer than 2500 employees, Griffin Hospital, that's in Derby, Connecticut, had the best paid sick leave policy. They report paying 12 days a year for full-time workers. Not bad.

Among the mid-sized company, those with fewer than 10,000 workers, Recreation Equipment Incorporated, commonly known as REI, was number one on the list. The outdoor gear company, which is based in Washington State, says it provides 13 days paid sick time annually. And get this! Listen to this you guys. REI even allows workers to give away paid sick days to colleagues who may need them more than they do. Not bad, huh?

M. O'BRIEN: That's nice.

CHO: Pretty nice little perk there.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

CHO: Now the large category, these are companies with more than 10,000 employees. Goldman Sachs topped the list. The investment banking firm provides a whopping 30 days, a full month, of paid sick time a year.

You may be surprised to hear that there are actually a handful of companies that say they provide unlimited sick time. Among those companies on that list, accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, pharmaceutical company, Astrazeneca, Genentech, a biotech company, PCL Construction. You may not have heard of that company, but it is actually a group of construction companies, operating in the U.S., Canada and the Bahamas.

Now, most companies that offer that benefit told us they do so, on the honor system, meaning they trust that their workers won't abuse the policy.

And something else we should mention. This survey did not include companies like CNN that lump their sick and vacation days into one category. We talked about this yesterday. In some places it's known as PTO, paid time off. And it certainly is catching on, it's becoming a trend. A lot of companies are getting into this.

As we mentioned, Miles, this is front and center right now, because Senator Kennedy is about to reintroduce a bill that would require companies with 15 or more employees to provide 7 days of paid sick time a year.

M. O'BRIEN: Unlimited sick days, wow. S. O'BRIEN: There's not one investment banker at Goldman Sachs that is taking 30 days off a year, with his or her sick leave. That mean a loss of money. They will be sick as a dog, working at their desk before they take that day off. I put money on that.

Thank you, Alina.

CHO: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: The Federal Reserve is going to meet today talking interest rates, but what exactly is it going to mean for our money? Ali Velshi will be along next, to give us a breakdown of what exactly the Fed does, and does not do.

Miles, Alina, here's a question for you. Would you prefer a party with all of us, or would you prefer to have time off at the end of the year? We'll tell you what workers say they would rather have this holiday season.

M. O'BRIEN: Honestly? You know the answer.

S. O'BRIEN: Honestly, a party with your colleagues, right?

M. O'BRIEN: You know the answer.

CHO: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Top stories this morning: A strategy session on Iraq, President Bush talking to some of his top commanders and meeting with Iraq's vice president. Former Enron chief executive Jeffrey Skilling is getting an early Christmas gift. His prison sentence delayed for defrauding the company, delayed. It was supposed to start today.

S. O'BRIEN: Here's a question for you. Are Americans party poopers are just plain pooped? Apparently 73 percent of workers would prefer an afternoon off instead of the holiday party? Really? Can you believe that?

M. O'BRIEN: No.

S. O'BRIEN: That's according to a recent survey by Workplace Media.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, I do.

S. O'BRIEN: They also found that 68 percent of U.S. workers are planning to buy their boss a gift. Brownnosers, hello!

(LAUGHTER)

I believe that, 73 percent. That makes sense. M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it does make sense.

S. O'BRIEN: Would you rather have the party, or the day off?

M. O'BRIEN: I love being with you all, I spending a lot of time with you, give me day off.

S. O'BRIEN: This is the build up for the day off. I can tell.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, here's a high interest story, or maybe it's a low interest story. Either way, Ali Velshi is interested, right?

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

S. O'BRIEN: Researchers say it could be a breakthrough for early diagnosis. We'll tell you what they're learning about Alzheimer's and where it may be showing a first.

Then more states and more cases and more food, apparently, affected by the spreading e. Coli outbreak. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us with the very latest. AMERICAN MORNING is back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Another twist in the E. coli investigation to tell you about. Nearly 400 suspected cases now in the Northeast. That's according to federal officials, who are quoted in today's "New York Times." The feds say, in fact, green onions may not be the source at all. Turns out that the test that implicated scallions, which was conducted first by Taco Bell and then confirmed by New York State health officials, was wrong. White onions have now tested positive with a different E. coli strain, a strain that's not linked to any illnesses so far. But green onions are still off the menu at Taco Bell, and health officials are trying to sort it all out.

First it was in Iowa, and now Minnesota is looking into a different outbreak of E. coli. It happened at Taco John's. That's a chain that not related to Taco Bell. Preliminary reports came up positive, and now Minnesota health officials are testing to see if there are any links to the cases they've already found in Iowa. So as of today we have illnesses reported across seven states.

Let's get to Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He's in Atlanta to answer some questions about this E. coli outbreak across the nation.

Sanjay, good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's start by talking about the green onions and Taco Bell cases, first and foremost. First they thought green onions. Now it looks like it's not green onions. How do they know, in fact, that Taco Bell is implicated in this? Is it just the number of people who had eaten at a Taco Bell?

GUPTA: You know, it's quite a medical investigation to actually piece this together. It does sound kind of confusing the way it's been outlined so far.

What's interesting is that they'll basically find people at a local level who have become ill, become ill and they look like they might have been contaminated with E. coli, and they'll start to see these clusters of cases. And then literally, Soledad, it's just shoe leather question asking of these patients. I've actually seen this in action at the CDC. They ask them what they've eaten, where they've eaten, and they start to piece together information. It's really nothing more sophisticated than that. Soon things start to jump to the top of the list. Taco Bell, for example, in this case. Previously it was bagged spinach, as well remember, lettuce as well in the past. so this time Taco Bell. And they specifically try to figure out, what was being eaten at Taco Bell.

The preliminary tests, as you outlined, on the green onions came back positive. That was not the definitive test. That test actually came back negative. So now they're looking in all sorts of other food sources. The white onions, yes, showed E. coli, but it was a different strain, meaning that they actually do a DNA analysis to figure out is it the same DNA strain of E. coli that's getting all these people sick. They find out the answer is yes, but it's not the white onions or the green onions. That's where it gets a little confusing, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: So they technically don't have a clue at this point exactly what has caused this outbreak.

Now let me ask you a question, you know, everyone will tell you, doctors and other people who study this stuff, that you're more likely to get E. coli from meat that's not been cooked, right? You know, and they give you advice like wash your hands, et cetera, et cetera, look for good hygiene. And yet we've seen lately really produce being infected with E. coli in a way that you could never really control it. Why are we seeing an increase in produce?

GUPTA: That is interesting. You know, and there's a lot of different theories on this. First of all, to put it in context, there's been about almost 700 outbreaks over the last 15 years. There a lot of outbreaks, a lot of times these are controlled at the local level, and they really don't make national attention, but it does happen, for sure. Another thing to keep in mind is that the nature of farming, at least one theory is the nature of farming has changed.

So you have big producers, big farms actually sending their produce to lots of different areas. So if you do have one specific area that might be potentially getting infected, then all of a sudden several states might be affected by that, as we've seen here.

Preventing the E. coli infection, as you can see there, at home, washing fruits and vegetables under running water. We talk about that all the time. The thing I find most interesting, Soledad, is that not only do you have to wash the vegetables, possibly cut off the skin, but also wash your hands, because you've just touched the E. coli. You're unwittingly contaminating your countertops, contaminating your kids' mouths, whatever, and that can be another source of infection as well, at home.

S. O'BRIEN: Just wash it with regular water and you can rinse off E. coli, I mean, you don't have to scrub it with anything?

GUPTA: Sometimes it can be somewhat sticky bacteria, so you use hot water. You want to sort of rub it off. That'll usually be enough. But again, washing your hands afterwards, because now it might be on your hands, and again, you might unwittingly, contaminate people.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Sanjay, excellent advice, as always. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Straight ahead this morning at about 8:15, we're going to be joined by Greg Creed. He's the president of Taco Bell. That's right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

In Miami, the world's largest cruise ship scheduled to sail again today. This time it's got two extra doctors onboard and 45 more cleaning staff. Last week we told you about an outbreak of the neurovirus that infected 108 people on that cruise, on the Freedom of the Seas. That's a Royal Caribbean ship. It was the second outbreak in a row. Before that, 380 people got sick on the previous cruise. Well, now they say the ship has been scrubbed from stem to stern again.

Might be a test for Alzheimer's. A new study out this morning says a pattern in the proteins of spinal fluid could indicate just who has Alzheimer's. Researchers say that they need more studies before doctors can just do a spinal tap to test people for Alzheimer's, but it's some promising information.

More violence to tell you about on the streets of Gaza today. A mosque security force is firing on a group of Palestinians who are protesting the deaths of those three children we told you about who were gunned down on Monday morning as they were getting out of their car on their way to school.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Jerusalem for us this morning.

Good morning, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, that demonstration in Han Eunis (ph), in the central Gaza Strip, has turned bloody, according to reports from there. Some of the demonstrators, which included students and members of the Fatah movement, threw stones at what is known as the "Executive Force." That's a Hamas-led security force formed in May of this year. Shots were exchanged apparently between Fatah members and that Hamas-led force, both sides claiming the other started shooting. Our understanding is two members of the Hamas force were wounded, in addition to two members of the Fatah organization.

Now, this comes just hours after the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, ordered his men, his security forces loyal to him, deployed in the streets of Gaza at key installations and intersections. That following, of course, that killing yesterday of those three young sons of a senior Palestinian intelligence official -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ben Wedeman for us this morning. Thank you, Ben.

Still to come this morning, stranded and alone: Bad weather is leaving three hikers still missing on a mountain. We're going to give you the very latest on the search when we're back in just a moment.

And then, Christmas back at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. The trees go up again. We'll tell you about the religious controversy that threatened to steal Christmas.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: On board the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Statin today, space walk day. A pair of space walkers will head out this afternoon to install a two-ton piece, new piece, to the International Space Station.

But take a look at what engineers will be focused on today. One of those things you're going to be looking at, you're looking at the left wing, upside down of the Space Shuttle discovery. This section right here is of some concern. There are a series of sensors behind here now, which were installed after the Columbia disaster. And if you'll recall, it was a piece of this leading edge of the wing that was damaged by foam, causing the lost of the Columbia and her crew of seven.

This particular piece right here, right at the end, there 22 are pieces of carbon which protects the orbiter from the strongest heat of re-entry. There was some indication that it was hit by some sort of micro-meteorite, right around in there. It happens, though, after looking at it, trained the cameras on it yesterday, that it is not anything to worry about.

But nevertheless, engineers will be poring over that data just to be sure. Take a look at what happened just before docking yesterday. It's become a familiar routine now. The space shuttle doing this backflip maneuver for the space station crew to get an opportunity to take pictures of its heat shield, about 20,000 tiles protecting the aluminum shuttle from the 3,000-degree heat of re-entry. A 400- millimeter, 800-millimeter camera taking a bunch of pictures of the bottom as it approached a docking. And take a look at this section right here, because I want to show you a closeup of that in just a moment.

As a matter of fact, let's go to it right now. This is one of those pictures. This is a door. The door is open while the space shuttle is attached to the external fuel tanks, where all the pipes attaching the engines, I should say, the main engines, to the fuel tank are.

Now if you look very carefully here, there's a couple of places where some cellophane, which is part of the prelaunch setup there, is sticking out, nothing to worry about, but also some chips in the tiles there. Apparently they're not too concerned about it, but nevertheless, they're sharpening their pencils and taking a close look to make sure they're safe to return home at the end of this mission -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Miles. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport once again. The trees are going back and the controversy that brought the trees down is apparently over. We'll tell you what's behind the change of heart, straight ahead this morning.

And then we're calling it profit and floss. Just who has the better dental hygiene habits at the office, men or women? I'm going to guess women. Ali Velshi has the answer, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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S O'BRIEN: And what a difference a day makes. In Seattle this morning, a religious controversy appears to be over, and the Christmas trees are going back up at Seattle's International Airport. The trees were ordered back up last night after the storm of controversy we told you about yesterday. The airport pulled the trees after a rabbi threatened to sue because he said he wanted to see a Menorah in one of the terminals. Well, the rabbi said he didn't want the trees to come down; he just wanted a Menorah to go in. So he's promised not to move forward with any lawsuit. He's now offering a Menorah to the airport and hopes it gets displayed -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Another state is reporting cases of E. coli this morning, and federal officials are casting new doubts on the source of the outbreak at Taco Bell. We'll talk with the president of Taco Bell about that just ahead.

And President Bush weighs the evidence, listens to advice and considers the options in Iraq, but when will he reach a conclusion? A live report from Washington ahead.

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