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Sen. Tim Johnson Undergoes Surgery Due To Possible Stroke, In Critical Condition; In London, Police Release Exhaustive Report on Cause of Princess Di's Fatal Car Crash

Aired December 14, 2006 - 07:00   ET

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

ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: We are doing personal work -- not necessarily personal --
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: You are, not me.

VELSHI: You're just doing work,.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Right. My IMing is absolutely nuts.

VELSHI: The average of interruptions, as they call them, are every 10 minutes for managers, every 11 minutes for cubicle workers, about two hours a day, that's $588 billion a year. This falls into the category of bogus numbers, because talking about the "Super Bowl" after the "Super Bowl", the day after, $825 million, March Madness, $3.8 billion. Who knows whether that's true. Check your messages.

S. O'BRIEN: But it's a big number.

VELSHI: It's a big number.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Ali, thank you.

VELSHI: OK.

S. O'BRIEN: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

M. O'BRIEN: A developing story, Democratic Senator Tim Johnson undergoing brain surgery overnight. His party's control of the Senate now in question.

S. O'BRIEN: Live pictures from London. A new report on Princess Diana's death is due out any moment. Will it end the conspiracy theories that say she was murdered?

M. O'BRIEN: A desperate search, new pictures of a race to save three climbers stranded in Oregon. A violent winter storm heading their way on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Morning, welcome back everybody. It's Thursday December 14th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us.

We'll go live to London in just a moment for the release of the Diana report. There, you see a live signal from there. As soon as we hear from them, we'll bring it to you.

But first we begin in Washington. And the possibility of a power shift in the new Congress. South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson hospitalized this morning for brain surgery overnight.

Johnson appeared to suffer a stroke in the midst of a conference call with reporters yesterday. It is unclear precisely what happened to the senator, or what his prognosis is. But with Democrats poised to take a one-vote majority role in the Senate, there is a political component to the concern felt by his colleagues this morning.

Our Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the CNN Center in Atlanta. And Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel joining us from Capitol Hill this morning. Let's begin with Sanjay.

Sanjay, you know, this is unfair to put you in a position, you are a brain surgeon, but I don't want you to try to diagnose this from the scant information we have. Reading between the lines, can you tell, or have some of inkling of what happened?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Yes, you actually have quite a bit of information there. As I was sort of listening to how the events transpired yesterday.

First of all, you heard that he had some troubles with his speech during a conference call that he had with some reporters. That, first of all, tells me a lot of things in terms of where in the brain things were starting to happen.

And also we heard a quote from one of his staffers that said this all transpired very fast. That tells me this was likely sort of a blood vessel problem in his brain, and specifically, where in his brain it was occurring.

There's parts of the brain, Miles, that are responsible for speech. And I think that I have a CAT scan here, basically, showing what a type of hemorrhage that they're talking about might look like, that would affect his speech and possibly affect some of the movement, or some of the sensation in his right arm as well. That's what it might look like.

They said it was not a stroke. A stroke is where the blood supply is actually interrupted to the brain. They said it was not a heart attack. A hemorrhage of some sort that required surgery, sort of comes to the top of my list.

As you pointed out, I'm sort of reading between the lines here, but that all sort of makes sense to me, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Given how we know how devastating or how mild can this scenario be?

GUPTA: Well, it is very concerning. I would say for a couple of areas, a couple of reasons. One is, I brought a brain model here with me. I don't know if you can see this. There are different parts of the brain that are responsible for different things. When it comes to the areas of the brain that are responsible for speech, for your ability to express yourself, your ability to communicate, either through the spoken word or the written word, as well as receive some of that, you're basically going to have an idea that that's an eloquent part of the brain, that's responsible for lots of different things.

So how much of an impact would a hemorrhage or some sort of damage to that part of the brain actually have, it's hard to say. But I would say that this early on, I would be very concerned about that.

M. O'BRIEN: Sanjay, we didn't have a shot when you were first referencing the model there. Can you point to the part of the brain you were referring to?

GUPTA: Yes, absolutely. Let me show you here. This is the left side of the brain. This is the sort of area called the temporal lobe. That's an area where the hemorrhage possibly occurred, given the symptoms that he has described, that a staffer has described.

In this area, you also have some of the part of the brain that's responsible for movement on the other side of the body, the right side. This is high priced real estate right here. Given his symptoms, I'm very concerned something happened in that particular part of the brain.

M. O'BRIEN: Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: We want to take you live to London, now, where the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens is now making public the results of this three-year investigation into the crash that killed Princess Diana and her partner Dodi Fayed. Let's listen in to what he is saying.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lord Stevens has continued to have this inquiry providing oversight and direction to the team and their work. Throughout this period, the senior investigating officer has been Chief Superintendent David Douglas, who provides day-to-day leadership of the Operation Pageant (ph) team. Within the MET, Dave Douglas reports to the deputy commissioner, Paul Stevenson, who has authorized publication of this report today.

This is a sizable document, over 800 pages in length. And it will be published on the Internet later. And I'll give you details, later on, as to how we're going to do that. After contributions from the deputy commissioner, and Lord Stevens, we will take questions, but we will not be doing any one-to-one interviews.

I'd now like to invite Paul Stevenson to speak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Dick.

Well, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

The report we are publishing today is clearly of very significant interest to very many people and not only here within the United Kingdom. You only have to look at what people and what is said and what is being written, since the tragic events in Paris back in 1997, to appreciate that extraordinary level of interest.

An enduring feature of that coverage and public debate has been the wide range of theories and speculation that those events have attracted, and which has been sustained over the intervening years. It has been of an incredible high-scale and intensity.

Now, I do have to say that it is highly unusual for the police to publish widely a crime report, in the way that we are doing today. But I do believe that if ever a case warranted it, then this is that case.

Put simply, publication is the right thing to do. To place in the public domain, with some certainty and clarity, what we believe in relation to the conspiracy allegations -- and critically, why we believe it. I consider this properly discharges the public interest balancing test. This is not --

(END LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)

S. O'BRIEN: You're listening to Lord Stevens as he talks about the report that they're about to release. This is a report that is three years in the making. Let's get to Paula Hancocks, who is in London for us.

Paula, of course, we've been talking about this for the last several days. There have been many theories, conspiracy theories, and others. It's very doubtful that whatever this report says, much of which has been leaked, is going to put to rest the other theories.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: That's right. It's very interesting that John Stevens in the first 10 or 20 seconds of his press conference there made reference to those conspiracy theories. He's obviously hoping that what he says today is going to draw a line under that, and make sure that people don't keep talking about a possible murder of Diana Princess of Wales, a possible cover-up.

What we are expecting, from John Stevens, is he is going to say there was no murder plot or there was no foul play. This was a simple drunk driving accident, a tragic accident. But we are expecting him also to make reference to the paparazzi as well. Of course, there were many paparazzi, at least seven photographers, many of them on motor bikes and mopeds following that car when it did crash in that Paris tunnel. He'll make reference to that as well.

He also said it's highly unusual for police to be involved in something this closely and to be this transparent to be making press conferences like this. But he appreciates that everybody in Britain, everybody in the world, wants to know exactly what happened. And he for once and for all wants to put a definitive line under this so the inquest can start early next year.

We'll be monitoring that speech to find out exactly what he is saying -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: It's interesting to note that "The Times" has reported that Stevens, and his team, and we'll probably see this as their report becomes officially public, they believe that in fact Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, and even the driver, Henri would have survived if, in fact, they had been wearing seat belts, which they were not.

HANCOCKS: That's right, yes. This is something we heard way back in 1997, as well. The fact that neither Dodi Fayed or Diana Princess of Wales were wearing seat belts, which was a very crucial point. The fact that it was a very sturdy car. It was a Mercedes. At high speeds, even these kind of cars can withstand some kind of crashes like that.

There are those who assume she would have been very badly injured, but possibly survived had she been wearing a seat belt. Of course, there are all these considerations to think about. The fact that she wasn't wearing a seat belt, the fact that the driver is, we are expecting to hear, three times over the French drunk driving limit, and also the fact that there were a lot of paparazzi following, as well. They all accumulate into one incident, which Stevens is going to say is a tragic accident -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks for us this morning. Thank you, Paula.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Washington and the health of Senator Tim Johnson. The South Dakota Democrat is recovering this morning from brain surgery after suffering what appeared to be a stroke. If he cannot serve, Democrats would likely loose their one- vote majority in the Senate. CNN's Andrea Koppel live on Capitol Hill with more.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Miles, after last month's midterm elections, Democrats were poised about three weeks out from taking back control of this Senate for the first time in four years. As you said, one vote separating the two parties, a 51 to 49 split.

Now, if Senator Johnson's health concerns keep him from serving, that would mean that South Dakota's Republican governor would be in charge of choosing his replacement, which would likely be a Republican. That would mean there would be a 50/50 split. But with Vice President Dick Cheney there, that would put Republicans back in control of the Senate.

That would mean that they would be the ones who were in charge of Senate committees. They would be in charge of the agenda. They would be in charge of confirmation hearings. All the things that Democrats were so eager to get back into control of. Miles, we should also mention, this is not the first time that Senator Johnson has had a health scare. Just two years ago, he was suffering from prostate cancer. But his website said that he was clear of the disease -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill. Thank you.

In Baghdad this morning, a wave of deadly car bombings claiming more lives. Two Iraqi policemen, the latest victims; they were trying to defuse a car bomb when it exploded. Car bombs killing nearly 100 people in Iraq in just the last 72 hours.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, new details coming out on a mass kidnapping. The Associated Press reporting as many as 70 abducted from a busy shopping area this morning. Gunmen wearing police uniforms loaded the people into trucks and sped away with them, according to those reports.

The nation's top military leaders are urging President Bush to adopt a new war strategy in Iraq. Their idea is to shift troops away from combat, and toward more of a supporting role. Sources telling "The Washington Post" that the joint chiefs of staff do not support a major troop increase. CNN's Ed Henry live at the White House with more on all this.

Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Miles.

That's right, you know, "The Washington Post" reporting that, but other officials and people familiar with the deliberations tell CNN the president is strongly considering sending more troops to Iraq. Part of the reason why the president has not announced his official strategy yet is that there are so many of these ideas floating around, competing proposals, not everyone necessarily on the same page.

As for the president, as you know, at the Pentagon yesterday trying to get answers to these questions. What will it take to send more troops? Is that really the answer? Why should he not do it if the joint chiefs do not want to do it.

The president basically wrapping up the public phase of his listening session, there, at the Pentagon, and saying he will not be rushed into a decision. That's why he has delayed his speech until January, that we thought might come before Christmas. The president also had a direct message to U.S. troops, wondering about his next step in Iraq, telling them they're not coming home anytime soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You have my unshakable commitment in this important fight to help secure the peace for the long term. We're not going to give up. The stakes are too high. And the consequences too grave, to turn Iraq over to extremists, who want to do the American people and the Iraqi people harm. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: It was over a week ago now that the Iraq Study Group told the president the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. That time is of the essence. The president, yesterday, insisted he's not going to be rushed into making a decision because he wants to make sure he gets this right. We have heard leaders in both parties saying this could be the last best chance of victory in Iraq. Obviously, you can understand why the president trying to sort all this out and get it right, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry at the White House. Thank you.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Turns out that lettuce is probably the source of the Taco Bell e. Coli outbreak, that is according to the Centers for Disease Control. Their investigation has narrowed the list of possible sources to lettuce, or cheese, or ground beef. But now they say it's actually probably most likely lettuce. The outbreak sickened 71 people, forced Taco Bell to temporarily close more than 90 restaurants in the Northeast.

Now, nearly all those restaurants are open again. They don't have any green onions because those green onions were initially blamed for the outbreak.

Ahead this morning, a powerful storm is pounding parts of the West Coast. Weather expert Chad Myers is going to tell us what folks out there, and across the country, can expect today.

And then putting the brakes on a plane that is out of control. We get an up-close look at a new runway system that could potentially save countless lives.

We'll take you back to London, where you're looking at some live pictures, where Lord Stevens is making public, finally, after three years the official word on the investigation into the crash that took Princess Diana's life. Those stories and much more straight ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Live pictures from London right now. That's Lord Stevens delivering the details of that long-awaited report on the death of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, nearly 10 years ago now, driver Henri Paul, as well. Trying to allay many of the suspicions over the years that it might have been a plot. But at this point, we're watching for details, basically, expecting to hear that they're going to declare it a tragic accident -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: It's 17 minutes past the hour. Let's look at the "Travelers Forecast".

(WEATHER REPORT) M. O'BRIEN: When the weather turns bad, pilots have to be on their toes. Slick runways mean they have very little margin for error; particularly at some of the older airports inside cities. It was just a year ago when a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 overran Chicago's Midway Airport, landing in a snowstorm, one child was killed.

There is a way to make things safer at airports like this, and Midway has done just that. CNN's Jonathan Freed live now from Midway with more -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Miles.

They're using runway 22 lag turn (ph), here at Midway this morning. It means that planes are landing and departing to the southwest. A year ago, though, it was a Southwest Airlines plane that ran into serious trouble on a different runway here at Midway.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (voice over): It was a surreal scene, a Southwest Airlines 737 sitting in the middle of a busy Chicago street after crashing through a fence at the end of a runway at Midway Airport. The plane's nose crushed a car, killing a six-year-old boy.

There was a major snowstorm on December 8 last year, with next to no visibility. The aircraft couldn't stop after landing. A year later, a new emergency stopping system sits at the end of that runway. It's a sloping pad made of crushable concrete that's meant to put the brakes on a plane that's out of control.

NURIA FERNANDEZ, CHICAGO AVIATION COMMISSIONER: Our challenge at Midway, in particular, is that we are in the midst of a very densely populated community. So we've got residential, commercial, light industrial, happening right in the perimeter of our airport.

FREED: These so-called arresting systems are meant to help airports like Midway, that can't comply with federal regulations requiring 1,000 feet of run-out room at the end of a runway. The concrete pads only need about half that length.

(on camera): So a year ago, in that snowstorm the Southwest Airlines plane is coming down this runway right here, 31 Charlie, at Midway, and it keeps going past the end of the runway and crashes through that fence right there, at the northwest end of the field. Now, if a similar incident were to happen today, the manufacturer of this stopping, or arresting, system tells us that the nose of the plane would not travel much farther than that point right there.

How far into the system will the average aircraft travel once the nose gear hits it? How long does it take to stop it?

KENT THOMPSON, ZODIAC ARRESTING SYSTEMS: Typically a plane going in at 40 knots might go in for 100 feet or less. Planes going faster, 50 or 60 knots might go 200 feet or so. FREED (voice over): Stopping systems like Midway's are now in place at 18 airports across the country, including some of the busiest, like JFK, and La Guardia in New York, Boston, Minneapolis, San Diego and Burbank. Hundreds of airports still need to comply with runway safety area regulations, either by finding more runway room or installing a stopping system.

TONY MOLINARO, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMIN.: We feel that by the end of this decade, it will be all these buffer systems will be in place, at every runway across the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED: Now, Miles, we are still waiting a year later for the official accident report into what happened here, and whether it was the weather conditions that day or a problem with the aircraft's braking system. Regardless of what caused this plane to overrun the runway a year ago, airport management here says that they are confident that the braking system, the stopping system that is in place now would have prevented that accident from happening -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Jonathan Freed at Midway, thank you.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, U.S. officials head to China on a critical economic mission. Ali Velshi explains as he's "Minding Your Business", straight ahead.

Then the glitz, the glamour, the Golden Globe nominations. We'll have the list live, in just over an hour.

Straight ahead we'll tell you which movies and TV shows are getting the biggest buzz. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Top stories we're following for you: Authorities in London releasing that new report on Princess Diana's death. As we speak, that's a live signal there.

Just in, the Associated Press now reporting Democratic Senator Tim Johnson is in critical condition after brain surgery overnight.

The Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson are in China this week discussing economic issues. It is about 25 minutes past the hour, which means Ali Velshi has dropped by.

Hello, Ali.

VELSHI: Hey, Miles, good to see you.

If it were only the two of them that would be a story, but it's this big, big U.S. delegation. Five Cabinet level secretaries, plus two agency heads, and Ben Bernanke, all of them in China right now. We've got, as you mentioned, Ben Bernanke, you have Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Energy Secretary Sam Bodman.

Big trip. It's part of a meeting called the China Strategic Economic Dialogue. They're trying to have these serious conversations with China, to say, look, we've got some problems. They mainly surround the Chinese currency, the yuan, which is roughly pegged to the U.S. dollar, at what Americans think is too low a rate.

So that, combined with lower wages in China, mean that's it's just cheaper to buy stuff in America that's made in China. The new Democratically elected Congress has 29 more members in it who would vote for protectionist measures. I think the message that Paulson is trying to send, while he's in China, is to say to the Chinese, we're all here to do business. We're ready to work things out.

But the folks that are behind us are going to get really serious about this. So you might want to make a deal with us before those guys come along.

Hank Paulson, when he was chairman of Goldman Sachs, between that and being Treasury secretary, has been to China about 70 times. So he knows his way around there.

The stock exchange, that we measure in China, the Shanghai Index, closed at its highest level ever yesterday. So, interesting story. We'll continue to follow it.

S. O'BRIEN: Ali, thank you very much.

VELSHI: OK.

S. O'BRIEN: Our top stories straight ahead, including an update on Senator Tim Johnson hospitalized after undergoing brain surgery. We'll take a look at what it could mean for the balance of power in the Senate, straight ahead.

The risks of antidepressants: An FDA panel recommends stronger warning labels about a possible link to suicide. Could it hurt more people than it helps? Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Just in now, Democratic Senator Tim Johnson reportedly in critical condition after brain surgery overnight. Now, new questions about his party's control of the Senate.

S. O'BRIEN: And there are new calls to rewrite warning labels on antidepressants. We talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta straight ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: And the culprit uncovered, perhaps, maybe the likely source of that E. coli outbreak at Taco Bells was the lettuce. S. O'BRIEN: Hollywood has a little case of the butterflies. Tinseltown's biggest TV and movie stars will learn in about an hour whether or not they're nominated for a golden globe. Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Welcome back, everybody. It's Thursday, December 14th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

We're glad you're with us this morning.

(NEWSBREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Democratic Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota reported in critical condition now after brain surgery overnight in a Washington hospital. Johnson was rushed to the hospital yesterday after suffering stroke-like symptoms during a conference call with reporters. If Johnson can't serve in the new Congress, Democrats could lose their one-vote majority in the Senate.

AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken is here with us for more on the political implications. A little bit of speculation, but nonetheless, a lot of talk in Washington about this.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of speculation. Of course, we don't know the ultimate prognosis. He's in medical hands right now, but that hasn't stopped the political hands from quickly engaging in down-home calculation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): The speculation began almost immediately after word got out Johnson had been stricken at the end of a political conference call with South Dakota reporters.

SEN. TIM JOHNSON (D), SOUTH DAKOTA: The money was proposed to be provided a year ago, second to -- you know -- it just is frustrating.

FRANKEN: If senator Johnson can no longer serve, and that's a big if, the balance of power in the Senate would turn upside down. It's as simple as that. Republicans would almost certainly take back the Senate that the Democrats had just wrenched from their control in last month's election.

JOHN MERCURIO, SR. EDITOR, "HOTLINE": Democrats are expecting to come back to Capitol Hill in January in control of a legislative agenda. And this put a huge wrench in what Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are expected trying to accomplish over the next two years.

FRANKEN: Tim Johnson of South Dakota is one of the states where the sitting governor chooses a replacement, without regard to party. Republican Party Mike Rounds could be expected to appoint someone from his own party to fill the vacancy until the next election in two years. Instead of the 51/49 majority Democrats fought so hard to achieve, it would become 50/50, and the tie would be broken by the president of the Senate -- the vice president of the United States, Dick Cheney.

Of course, Democrats would still control the House, but the opposition party's newly gained power in Congress would suddenly be ripped in half by fate, and GOP senators would be able to protect their party's president from a full-scale assault.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: Without question, all the expressions of concern for senator Johnson are very sincere but I've got to say that the ones from the Democrats, Miles, are even more sincere.

M. O'BRIEN: Absolutely. Bob Franken, thank you very much.

Let's talk about the what ifs in all of this. Joining us from Washington, A.B. Stoddard, associate editor of "The Hill" newspaper.

A.B., good to have you back with us on the program.

Let's talk about who makes a decision -- and once again, warn viewers, we're in a bit of speculation here. Who makes the decision as to whether a senator resigns? Just that senator?

A.B. STODDARD, ASSOC. EDITOR, "THE HILL": If Senator Johnson becomes, you know, incapacitated and he can no longer serve, I imagine that he and his family will make the decision, and he will resign his seat. I mean, I can't imagine -- we just -- it would be made by his family if it couldn't be made by him, I would think.

M. O'BRIEN: So who determines what is incapacitated? It's up to the family then?

STODDARD: Well, I would -- I mean, I think his medical condition will become clear soon. And he's either going to be able to recover and work, or he's going to be in a long -- you know, possibly a long recovery period following brain surgery, in which he can not work. You know, people make decisions about this, whether or not they're going to return shortly, or if it looks like six weeks, he's probably coming back. If it looks like six months, probably not.

M. O'BRIEN: We looked into the history of this a little bit this morning. In the World War II era, there was a senator gone for two years with health issues. More recently Joe Biden had some surgery, gone for several months. Senator Pryor as well. So there's precedent there for senators keeping their seat and yet being away because of health issues.

STODDARD: Right. This election had such a huge impact, obviously, because power shifted in both chambers for the first time in 12 years. And I really -- you know, we could look at this in the best light and say everybody will be sympathetic, and it will al work out just great. The Democrats won a majority in the Senate and they're going to hold power. But we just don't know. We don't know if the Republicans are going to make a huge push if Senator Johnson will be out for a long period for a replacement. And I don't know what kind of pressure, you know, the senator or his party would be under to relinquish his seat.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, let's assume for a moment that suddenly it is a deadlocked Senate, the vice president has the tie-breaker vote. Let's talk about how that changes the tone of the debate, and the committees which, of course, dictate a lot of what is discussed about on Capitol Hill.

STODDARD: Well, power will no longer be obviously in the hands of the Democrats. And that's the huge change. In a 50/50 Senate, as they did in the past several years ago, they are likely to share full representation on the committees. That's the agreement they had in the past. I would imagine it would be the same one again, where they have equal numbers of members on the committees. That makes for, you know, some serious fights and -- but it brings the parties to parity in the committees. Of course with that tie-breaking vote in the end the Republicans end up controlling a lot more on the floor and they control the chamber, so they can make a lot of decisions to sort of box, you know, the Democrats in the final legislative votes on the floor. So that's a real problem for the Democrats, moving an agenda. And it's much -- obviously much better for the president in his last two years in power.

M. O'BRIEN: Sounds like a prescription for gridlock.

STODDARD: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, A.B. Stoddard, associate editor of "The Hill" newspaper, thanks for your time -- Soledad

STODDARD: Thanks, Miles.

S. O'BRIEN: Much more to come on the stories we're following for you this morning. In Oregon, take a look at this videotape. These are the conditions. This is videotape shot by the rescuers as they are trying to find the three men missing, those climbers on Mount Hood. Near whiteout conditions are now moving in. We'll update you on the situation there.

Wow, horrible pictures.

We'll also going to hear this morning from Dr. Sanjay Gupta on those proposed warning labels on antidepressants after an increased suicide risk. We'll update you on what's happening there as well.

AMERICAN MORNING continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Developing news from London. We're getting the first details of that new report released moments ago on the death of Princess Diana. Let's get right to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who's been monitoring this one for us.

Paula, what do we know?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, we've just had the press conference from John Stevens. He's the former head of London police. He's in charge of this report. And his job was to find out whether or not there was any credible evidence to these accusations of allegations of murder that have come most notably from Dodi Fayed's father, Mohammed Al Fayed. He made it very clear what his report was saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORD JOHN STEVENS, INQUIRY CHAIRMAN: Our conclusion is that on the evidence available now, there was no conspiracy to murder any occupants of that car. This was a tragic accident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, Stevens wanted to make it as clear as possible, so he could try to draw a line and end almost a decade of conspiracy theories in Britain and across the world. Any questions that he's taking at this moment in the building behind me, he was asked Mohammed Al-Fayed has said, this is a whitewash, what would you say to that. And he just said he's a grieving parent and has no comment on his accusations, then he said yesterday, that this report was, quote, "outrageous." He still believes his son and Diana princess of Wales were murdered.

But Stevens made it very clear, saying he's spoken to more than 300 witnesses, two new eyewitnesses as well, all showing that this was a tragic accident. And also saying that he had spoken to the American intelligence services and they had no relevant information.

Now, of course, there were reports that they had been bugging Diana princess of Wales' phone. But he said that that was completely unfounded. And he said that he personally ensured that every single line of inquiry that could possibly suggest conspiracy to murder had been followed. He wanted to make sure that this was definitive -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Paula, there's one word in that statement we just shared with folks that stood out. The word "now." "Based on the evidence we have now," he said. Will that continue to add fuel to the conspiracy theory fire?

HANCOCKS: Well, the thing is, this report is just part of a wider inquest, the inquest that started back in 2004. They adjourned it instantly, waiting for this report. So the hearings themselves for the inquest of the death of Diana princess of Wales will start at the beginning of next year. So Stevens wants to make it clear that the information he has available now shows there was no conspiracy to murder.

And he also, I assume is referring back to the French inquiry, which was concluded seven years ago. He said they are very different inquiries. But he has found exactly the same information, exactly the same confirmation that there was no murder conspiracy, that the French inquiry found. So he wants to punctuate the point that even nine years on, more than nine years on from the death of Diana, princess of Wales, there is still no conspiracy.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Paula Hancocks. It's a lot like the Kennedy assassination here. I don't think much of this will ever be put completely to rest. Thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, FDA advisers are now proposing now warning labels for antidepressants because of an increased suicide risk in young adults. What does it mean for anybody who's taking the drug now to treat their illnesses?

Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Good morning, Sanjay.

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

Really remarkable hearings, one of the most contentious issues the FDA advisory committee has had to deal with in some time, trying to decide whether these very strong warnings should be on these bottles of antidepressants, warning adults as well as children and adolescents about their potential risks. As we hear and see, it was a very emotional session.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): As we hear and see, a black box warning is the strongest warning the FDA can put on a drug. And right now the FDA requires such a warning for the use of antidepressants in children and adolescents. But for those who say they've lost loved ones to antidepressants because of suicide, everyone is at risk.

SUZANNE GONZALEZ, WIDOW: (INAUDIBLE) Paxil, he woke up within an hour and shot himself in the head. He did this less than ten feet from where my son was sleeping.

GUPTA: In more than three hours of emotional testimony, wives, sons, parents, health experts spoke in front of an FDA advisory panel about antidepressants and suicide. Suzanne Gonzalez lost her 40-year- old husband days after he first took the antidepressant Paxil. She blames the drug for his death and says the FDA should warn people about potential suicide dangers.

GONZALEZ: I cannot believe that you people sit on this and do nothing.

GUPTA: But psychiatric experts also argue that drugs such as Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac help millions of people fight debilitating mental illness, and that putting strong warnings of suicides on their labels may actually scare away those who really need treatment.

To back up that claim, they point to a recent study by the American Psychiatric Association which looked at the effect of placing black box warnings on pediatric prescriptions two years ago. DR. JAMES SCULLY, AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOC.: Since the black box warning went on to the pediatric and adolescent antidepressants, there's been greater than 25 percent reduction in people getting treatment with antidepressant medications.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: FDA, you almost took my daughter, as well as my son.

GUPTA: After the dramatic testimony, the advisory committee decided to advise the FDA to rewrite the black box warning on antidepressants to include adults up to the age of 25.

And to note, in the warning, that as patients get older, over the age of 30, the effective antidepressants actually starts to protect them from suicide and suicidal thoughts. The recommendations also added that people need to be carefully watched as they begin any antidepressants.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Now to be clear, there's already a black box warning, specifically for children, adolescents who take these antidepressants. This is an advisory committee meeting, so this isn't written in stone by any means, but they're going to advise the FDA that those warnings actually be expanded to adults up to the age of 25 -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: When they talk about these black box warnings, sort of scaring people off from the drugs, for the example that was cited there in children, these are prescription drugs. So it's really the doctors that are being affected, right? I mean, it's the doctors who are not prescribing them for the young patients. People don't go into stores and pick up the box themselves and decide whether or not to get it. Is that the concern now?

GUPTA: That is the concern. In fact, you're right, the prescription numbers did decrease by 20 to 25 percent based on the studies that we saw. There is an impact of patients actually going to their doctors and asking for specific medications as well. It's hard to quantify how much of an impact there is. But that decreases as well. The biggest concern, as you know, Soledad, we talked about this, is that it's already a widely undertreated disease probably, depression is, and the concern, some of the critics of this sort of thing would be that it would decrease even further, becoming even more undertreated.

S. O'BRIEN: Interesting. Sanjay, thanks as always -- Miles.

GUPTA: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: In Oregon, those climbers are still trapped on Mt. Hood this morning, and the weather is getting worse. Heavy snows and winds, 90-mile-per-hour gusts, maybe more, keeping rescuers below 7,000 feet. This is footage shot by a rescue team yesterday, amazing footage. Rescue workers say a cell phone ping tracks the climbers between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. That's the signal emitted by a cell phone passively there. An official says Kelly James tried to make a 911 call on Monday, but it did not go through, and that helped them identify where he might be. James, Brian hall and Jerry Cooke haven't been heard from that's the signal emitted by a cell phone passively there. An official says Kelly James tried to make a 911 call on Monday, but it did not go through, and that helped them identify where he might be. James, Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke haven't been heard from since Sunday when James was able to make a successful phone call to his family.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, laptops stolen from a major company that deals with top-secret defense contracts. Ali Velshi has the fallout. He minds your business straight ahead.

And a sneak peek at this morning's Golden Globe nominations. We'll tell you who's up for what, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Less than an hour until it's official. Hollywood's going to be buzzing with the announcement of this year's Golden Globe nominations. And the awards honor the best in both movies and TV.

And CNN's Sibila Vargas has a look at some of the likely nominees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The Golden Globes are upon us and, of course, nobody knows award shows more than Tom O'Neil from theenvelope.com.

Tell us, what is going on? What's the big buzz?

TOM O'NEIL, THEENVELOPE.COM: The big buzz is in the race for best drama.

JACK NICHOLSON, "THE DEPARTED": I've got a date with some angels.

O'NEIL: We know that three films will probably be there: "The Departed," "Babel," "The Queen."

HELEN MIRREN, "THE QUEEN": Thank you.

VARGAS (voice over): Helen Mirren's royal performance will most likely get a nod, along with Penelope Cruz for "Volver" and Judy Dench for "Notes on a Scandal."

As for lead actor, Leonardo DiCaprio could be facing himself for his roles in "Blood Diamond" and "The Departed." But O'Neil says the race will between Peter O'Toole for "Venous" and Forest Whitaker for his role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.

O'NEIL: The race for best comedy/musical picture is no laughing matter. Everybody says "Dreamgirls," "Dreamgirls," but watch out for "Little Miss Sunshine."

VARGAS: Sacha Baron Cohen could get recognized for best comedic actor for "Borat."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "BORAT": I'm not used to that, but that's fine.

VARGAS (on camera): Now, the best thing about the Globes is that it's not just about movies but it's also about TV.

What's the buzz there?

O'NEIL: Their eyes are on the hot new shows and the breakout stars. That means It's all about "Ugly Betty."

AMERICA FERRERA, "UGLY BETTY": I work here.

VARGAS: Its star, America Ferrera, is an early favorite, and the comedy may find itself contending with newcomer "30 Rock" and a few "Desperate Housewives."

O'NEIL: On the drama side, "Brothers & Sisters," "Heroes," "Studio 60." These are standouts, and their stars, especially the A- list ones, like Matthew Perry and Sally Field, those are the frontrunners.

SALLY FIELD, "BROTHERS & SISTERS": Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "THE SOPRANOS": Private eyes?

VARGAS: But don't count out "The Sopranos" and the guys and girls of "Grey's Anatomy."

Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: We will have those golden globe nominations live for you right here 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Just about 35 minutes or so.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up in the program, E. coli, clues it wasn't the green onions that caused an outbreak of E. coli in the Northeast. Now investigators are taking a hard look at the lettuce.

And President Bush says he won't be rushed as the country's top military commanders reportedly want to rewrite war plans in Iraq.

Stay with us.

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