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Tragedy On Mount Hood; Serial Killer Arrest; Iraq Strategy; Holiday Deliveries; Charitable Gifts

Aired December 18, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Spend a second hour in the NEWSROOM this morning and stay informed. Here what's on the rundown.

The body of a missing Mount Hood climber identified. Today, the urgent search to find his two missing friends.

COLLINS: President Bush sealing a nuclear deal with India. A major shift in U.S. policy. The bill-signing ceremony live this hour.

HARRIS: They are young, religious and on the rise. Gay evangelicals looking for a place on the pews this Monday, December 18th. You are in the NEWSROOM.

Holding out hope after a tragic find. An urgent search resuming this morning for two mountain climbers. They have been stranded on Oregon's Mount Hood for more than a week. A third climber found dead. His identity revealed this morning. Our Chris Lawrence tracking developments in Hood River, Oregon, for us.

Chris, good morning to you.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

Numerous reports are now identifying that missing climber's body as that of Kelly James, the oldest of the three climbers that went up on the mountain. A lot of the rescue crews had known for about a week now that James was hunkered down near the summit on the north side of the mountain, but because of that extremely bad weather, the winds and the cold, they just were not able to get anywhere close to that particular area until just this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE, (voice over): An all-out assault on Mount Hood continues this morning, but the mission to find three missing climbers is now a search for two.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) base from summit (ph) team, we have found one climber in a snow cave. One climber in a snow cave.

LAWRENCE: Numerous reports now identify that climber as Kelly James. CAPT. MIKE BRAIBISH, OREGON NATIONAL GUARD: Our hearts are going out to the families right now.

LAWRENCE: Still a mystery is what happened at the other snow cave, where rescuers discovered a rope and sleeping bag, but no climbers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to figure out how there could be two ice axes there without two people.

LAWRENCE: There were two sets of footprints and a "y" shaped signal to mark their location.

STAFF SGT. NICK PRZYBCEL, USAF/FOUND CLIMBERS' EQUIPMENT: It's a "y" of hope. It gives us something to go on. It's something to keep us going.

LAWRENCE: Nearly 60 rescue climbers trudged through swirling snow and freezing cold. The cost of the attempted rescue climbed as two Blackhawks, a Chinook and a C-130 circled the summit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of the debts cannot be repaid, but everything's appreciated that can't be repaid.

LAWRENCE: As the bad weather broke for the first time in a week, the mothers of the three men made a plea to mother nature.

MARIA KIM, MOTHER OF JERRY "NIKKO" COOKE: I want to -- mountain to release our sons. And mountain has no right to keep our sons.

LAWRENCE: Mount Hood has claim at least one climber, but search teams aren't losing hope of saving the other two.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: And the rescue effort will kick into high gear again in just about another 30 minutes as the sun comes up. They are expecting another clear day with very low winds.

Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, Chris, you talked about some of the frustrations that have been expressed by the searchers. But, boy, when you look back on the conditions they had to deal with, particularly last week, it sounds like they -- well, they did all they could.

LAWRENCE: That's right. There was no way possible for them to get anywhere near that summit. You're talking about wind gusts gusting at about 100 miles per hour. And there's still hopeful in some other ways. One rescue climber that I spoke with said, yes, it's true that if -- with all that can activity going on on the mountain on such a clear day, if the two climbers were still alive, you would expect them to come out. But he said only if they're mobile. He said he's been involved in other rescues where the people were still alive, they just weren't physically able to signal to the rescuers. HARRIS: And is the sense that the climbers have done to this point everything according to plan? They've carried out their end of this the right and proper way?

LAWRENCE: Yes, if you look at the detail, if you look at the carving out the snow cave, if you look at the equipment that they had with them, the sleeping bag, the ice axes, signaling with the "y" to let people know where they were, they have followed by the book. But again, you're talking about one of the worst storms here in the last four or five years.

HARRIS: Chris Lawrence for us.

Chris, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

And stay in the NEWSROOM for the latest developments in this unfolding drama. A news conference is scheduled for noon Eastern today. CNN will, of course, carry it live.

COLLINS: The specter of Jack the Ripper. A horror as fresh as the morning headlines. British police make an arrest in the murders of five prostitutes. They say the suspected serial killer is 37 years old and lived near the town of Ipswich. That's where the victims' bodies were dumped. CNN's Alphonso van Marsh is joining us now from Ipswich.

And, Alphonso, how confident are police that they have their man?

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're not saying much more other than saying that they have arrested a suspect. As you mentioned, about eight hours ago, Suffolk County Police say that they did take a 37-year-old man into custody under suspicion for the murder of five Ipswich area women, all of them, as you mentioned, known prostitutes.

Now the police are not confirming the name of this suspect, but it has been reported in the U.K. press, in the British press here, that he is Tom Stephens, a 37-year-old supermarket worker who even has his own space, his own profile at myspace.com. Now that supermarket, Tesco, putting out an announcement today, putting out a press release saying that they do confirm that one of their employees has been arrested, but they would have no additional comment.

But what I can tell you about, is a little bit about where we are. You'll see behind me there is a brown brick home where we see police investigators, forensic teams in their white jumpsuits here collecting evidence. Evidence against a suspect who they say they've actually talked to before. A suspect who has talked to other press, talked to the media here, admitting that he had a relationship, that he knew these women, that he had developed a friendship with these women. It's all a dramatic, dramatic event. All a dramatic development here.

This is a very small town. People here always seem to think that these kinds of things, prostitution and drugs and murder, serial killers, possible serial killers would happen somewhere else. But it's all come to this very small town. This very small village where people are trying to come to grips with the idea that the person responsible, possibly responsible for up to five murders comes from this very little, very small town.

Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. It has become a brutal time, that's for sure. Alphonso van Marsh live from Ipswich. Thank you.

HARRIS: Robert Gates has a big, big challenge ahead of him. Gates' swearing-in ceremony as defense secretary taking place in private at the White House today. This is Gates arriving at the White House about 8:30 Eastern this morning. A public ceremony is being held this afternoon at the Pentagon. Gates' number one priority, of course, Iraq. Before being picked to replace Donald Rumsfeld, he was a member of the Iraq Study Group. That bipartisan panel in issuing its report earlier this month called the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating." Just what does incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates face in trying to figure out Iraq? CNN's Baghdad bureau chief, Cal Perry, brings us the ugly numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): As Robert Gates takes over as the 22nd secretary of defense, he faces monumental challenges. Overseeing a military that has more than a hundred thousand soldiers in Iraq, battling an insurgency and growing sectarian violence. Nearly 3,000 U.S. troops have been killed so far in Iraq, more than 22,000 others wounded. For American forces, the most dangerous places are Baghdad and the Sunni dominated al Anbar province.

One initiative after another to bring peace to Baghdad has failed. The last was followed by an increase in attacks. The Iraq Study Group concluded that despite three years of U.S. training, the Iraqi army lacked equipment, leadership, and discipline. So tough is the mission here that U.S. commanders expect some of their troops to leave the military.

GEN. JAMES CONWAY, MARINE CORPS COMMANDANT: I think we may lose some of those folks. I think that the families, the young Marines, the Sailors will say that's just more than I think, you know, I'm willing to bear and it could have some negative consequences for us in that regard.

PERRY: But it's the Iraqi people that have paid the heaviest price over the past three years. By most estimates, some 2,000 civilians are being killed every month. Most are victims of growing sectarian war between Sunni and Shia. Neighborhood militias are springing up across the capital. Many Iraqis unwilling to trust their own army or police to protect them. Even those who initially greeted U.S. forces as liberators say they're now fed up with the lack of progress.

SALIM MAHDI, STOREOWNER, (through translator): When the Americans came I was happy. But as time passed, we haven't seen anything positive come out. Just killing and destruction. For that reason, I no longer trust them.

PERRY: And the government the U.S. is relying on to unite Iraqis and put down the violence is considered weak and largely ineffective.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The United States is extending the hand of nuclear friendship to India. Later this hour, President Bush is scheduled to sign a peaceful atomic cooperation agreement with New Delhi. It allows shipments of civilian nuclear fuel to India, overturning a U.S. policy that's been in place for three decades now. In return, India would accept safeguards and inspections at more than a dozen civilian nuclear plants. Weapons plants would still be off limits.

HARRIS: In Beijing, not a good way to get North Korea nuclear talks back on track after a year-long boycott by the North Koreans. The six nation talks resumed today in China's capital. Right off the bat, defiance from North Korea. The communist country said out sweeping demands for scrapping its weapons program. Among them, an end to United Nations sanctions. American envoy Christopher Hill is warning North Korea the United States is losing patience.

COLLINS: As we follow developments this morning in the search for the remaining two climbers, we'll talk to this man, 13 days inside an ice cave on Mount Hood. A remarkable survival story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, on the brink of a holy war. A deadline looms in Somalia. We'll explain the three-way conflict.

COLLINS: And breaking links in the terror chain. Fighting the Taliban crucial to combating other terror groups. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ali Velshi at FedEx's busiest sorting plant in Memphis, Tennessee, although you wouldn't know it from looking at it right now. You may depend on your packages getting to their destination by Christmas, but for some businesses, this is the most important busy week of the year. I'm Ali Velshi and I'll have that story in the NEWSROOM in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Maybe we need to paint that floor. I don't know.

COLLINS: Or shine it up.

HARRIS: Shine it up. Buff it a little bit.

Decades ago, NASA sent chimpanzees into space. Remember that? Well, your computer mouse may be the next pioneer. Later today, NASA's expected to announce a new partnership with the internet giant Google. Now, according to reports, the deal will make it easier for all of us to access NASA's vast library of images and data. Details expected a few hours from now. COLLINS: Shop, wrap and ship. The holiday rush in full swing, that's for sure. FedEx expecting its busiest delivery day of the year today. CNN's Ali Velshi is at FedEx headquarters in Memphis.

Ali, good morning. You look awfully small right now.

VELSHI: Did they ever teach you in journalism . . .

HARRIS: Oh, no.

VELSHI: Television should match the story.

HARRIS: There we go. There we go.

COLLINS: See, now, did you hear that. He's trying to give me a hard time and we lost the shot.

Ali, I don't know what that means, but try it again.

VELSHI: This is the busiest shipping day of the year at FedEx and they're going to ship about 10 million packages today. This was really busy. They're all gone now. They're being shipped to the places they need to go to. But there are a lot of businesses that really, really depend on the country's major shippers getting it right. Otherwise, the businesses themselves will fail. This isn't just about getting your package on time. This is about your business. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAY ROSS (ph): Here we go.

VELSHI, (voice over): Jay Ross is preparing for Christmas dinner for a lot of people.

ROSS: We'll do 100,000 to 150,000 just out of this location. We do about 90 percent of our annual business in the months of November and December. So this is basically our whole year in these two months.

VELSHI: Honey Baked ham relies on UPS to get those hams to its customers, frozen and on time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a nine-pound half ham. Now we do ask that you receive that approximately 48 hours before they want to serve it.

VELSHI: Clark Nelson (ph) works for UPS. He spends the weeks leading up to Christmas on site at Honey Baked making sure nothing goes wrong. Before UPS stationed him at Honey Baked, there were problems. For instance, UPS was sending small brown trucks for pickup. Honey Baked need trailers -- big cold ones.

CLARK NELSON, UPS: Honey Baked has allowed us to tap into their ordering system and that gives us a live view of what their orders that are being processed right now so we can have a better idea of what kind of volume we can expect at our UPS centers later that day.

VELSHI: Packaging was another problem. Frozen hams tend to thaw a bit in transport and shipping labels don't stick so well to sweaty hams. So UPS developed new foam packaging and custom adhesive labels.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for calling Honey Baked. Happy holidays.

VELSHI: Happy holidays, only if Honey Baked and UPS both do their jobs right.

ROSS: We can't miss Christmas dinner.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, our hams are fully cooked and spiral sliced.

ROSS: There might be 4 million people that will be eating from those dinners, so we've got to get it right the first time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: You know, in this last few weeks before Christmas, these guys are doing over 100,000 hams a week. Their typical volume, about a thousand hams a week. So this is one, you know, busy time. And that's just one company. This is what companies across America are counting on. We are moving toward an economy where more is done online, more is done just in time and this is what FedEx, UPS and the other shippers have to contend with.

COLLINS: Well, I think it's really interesting, too, Ali, because Christmas this year on a Monday. It seems like, you know, a lot of people really wait, especially with the services of a company like FedEx, until like Friday and they say, hey, same day, two day delivery, we can get it there.

VELSHI: Right. And that's what they're saying. UPS, FedEx and a lot of companies that you buy from, that you can ship from say that you've got until Friday to order for Christmas delivery. And that's just getting tighter and tighter and tighter. We're seeing a real shift over to people waiting until the last minute and getting things delivered for them. So that bodes well for these companies, but their technology and the things that they do have got to be totally up to scratch. They've really got to put a lot into it to make sure that they can deliver.

COLLINS: Procrastinators still coming out on top.

All right, Ali Velshi, thank you.

HARRIS: Gay evangelicals. Should they be welcomed or shunned by their churches? The issue straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Thirteen days inside a snow cave on Mount Hood. One man shares his remarkable survival story, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And Gerri Willis back after a well-deserved week of vacation.

Gerri, look, I've got a -- good to see you. I've got some extra money in the kitty and I'm thinking about some charitable giving. Can you help me here?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Well, should you give a gift that gives back? We'll tell you what's worth it and what's not. It's come up next on "Top Tips."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Love the music. It is the season of giving. So what's wrong with a gift that benefits charity? In a word, plenty. CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis with words of warning. She joins us from New York.

Gerri, we're talking about charitable giving here. Why all the red flags this morning?

WILLIS: Well, you've got to be careful and you've got to purchase with caution, Tony, because you want to make sure the things you're giving are actually adding bang to the buck for the charity itself. Look, buying products for a cause is nothing new at all and there are plenty of worthwhile products out there. But you really still have to be careful. You should know exactly how much money the charity will get from your purchase, whether you're buying an iPod Nano or anything else. Look, companies don't have to disclose how much they give. And remember, Tony, anybody can slap an imitation logo on a product. So, for example, if you're confused about all those pink ribbon campaigns out there that benefit breast cancer, go to thinkbeforeyoupink.com and you'll get the lowdown on who's doing what for breast cancer charities.

HARRIS: I got you. All right. Affinity cards. Those -- that's -- you're telling us that that may not be a great idea.

WILLIS: That's right. Some of these credit cards that are affinity cards are also affiliated with a specific charity, so that every time you use your card the bank donates a percentage of the amount to the organization. But look, Tony, in some cases, the charity is only getting up to 1 percent of the amount you purchase. So, think about it. This means that if you charge $100, the bank will give $1 to charity. And if you're spending at this rate all year, that's about $12 over the course the year. Not a lot of money. Plus, you should know these cards tend to have high interest rates. Up to 18 percent. That's going to cost you a lot of dough. You're better off getting a rebate card that gives you 5 percent rebate and then sending the rebate to the charity of your choice.

HARRIS: Now I've gotcha. I've gotcha. I got you. What is a -- what's a charity mall?

WILLIS: It's a place you can go online to donate to charities. It's really interesting. Look, you buy the gifts online and a percentage of the purchase price goes to whatever charity you choose. Here are a couple of examples. Greatergood.com and igive.com. Or you can simply go straight to the website of the charity you're interested in. I've done this. Charities will sell products on their websites and a portion of your purchase price goes to the charity itself.

HARRIS: What do you mean when you say browsing for dollars?

WILLIS: There are lots of different ways to give money to charity. Now, think about this. You can benefit charities not only by giving stuff, but by changing your daily practices, like how you surf the Internet. Goodsearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine that will donate 50 percent of its ad revenue to the charity of your choice when you do an Internet search. Now generally you'll raise about a penny per Internet query. But I don't know about you, but I spend so much time on the web, that could really add up over time.

HARRIS: No, that's good. That's great.

Hey, but the bottom line is, this time of year we want to give but you're telling us, just be smart about it. And there's help out there to do just that.

WILLIS: Yes. You know, look at the details. Make sure you understand how much money is actually going to the charity.

And, of course, Tony, we want to hear from your very intelligent viewers. Send us a question, if you have a money question, to toptips@ cnn.com. We'll answer them right here every Friday. And we love hearing from your viewers.

HARRIS: There she is, Gerri Willis.

Gerri, have a great day.

WILLIS: Thank you.

HARRIS: Still to come, the cold, the wind, well, it was just too much. The body of a Mount Hood climber identified. We're covering developments this morning in the NEWSROOM.

The world's biggest nuclear power, the world's biggest democracy. Two countries sealing a nuclear deal. Details and the signing ceremony straight ahead.

And breaking links in the terror chain. Fighting the Taliban crucial to combating other terror groups. That story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

Gay evangelicals. Should they be welcomed or shunned by their churches? The issue.

You are in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

COLLINS: Tragedy on the mountain. Hopes mixed with fear for two climbers still missing on Oregon's Mt. Hood. Search teams are moving out again this morning. They will also retrieve the body of a third climber. His body was found inside a snow cave yesterday. Reports quoting family member's identify the deceased climber as Kelly James. James, along with Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke have been on the mountain more than a week. Searchers remain optimistic they will find the others alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. MIKE BRAIBISH, OREGON NATIONAL GUARD: Well, the mountain is still giving us clues. Whether we see a series of footprints over a stretch of a number of feet or a number of meters there in the snow, the equipment that we're finding. We continue to put all of these pieces of information together from what we've collected over the past several days, and that helps us to narrow and focus our search. And that gives us cause for optimism still.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Want to remind you to stay in the NEWSROOM for the very latest developments in this unfolding drama. A news conference scheduled for noon Eastern today. We will have that live for you right here on CNN.

Back in 1976, Randy Knapp survived on Mt. Hood for 17 days. He spent 13 of them huddled inside a snow cave. He is on the phone with us now from Medford, Oregon. Thanks for being with us, Randy. Tell us first if you would what happened to you out there.

RANDY KNAPP, FORMER STRANDED MT. HOOD SURVIVOR: Well, initially, you know, we were young high school students, just on a Christmas break, and we had planned on climbing the mountain, maybe spend a couple of days, maybe three or four days on the mountain.

And it turned into 17 days. Because a storm that we didn't know -- we didn't -- you know, we didn't have weather forecasts like we do today, and it just came in on us unexpectedly.

COLLINS: It also speaks to the unpredictability of weather, especially in a climate like that. After everything that we have learned in this story, which I'm sure that you have been following, what are the chances now that these other two climbers may be found alive, Randy. In your heart, what do you really feel?

KNAPP: You know, I've -- the only -- the only logical thing to do, until you know different, is to hope. That's the basis of our human character, that's the way we think. That's the way our society operates. Until we know different, we always hope for the best.

COLLINS: Take me back to 1976 for a moment. About the thoughts going through your mind when you are in a situation as perilous as this, as we try to think about the other two climbers that are out there right now, as we speak. If they are alive, what goes through your mind?

KNAPP: Well, I remember that, you know, we -- we didn't really understand that the outside world was so concerned about us. We were worried that they -- they might be worried about us, but we knew that we were -- we were okay. We just -- we just didn't have any way of letting anybody else know that.

COLLINS: I know companionship in a situation like this is just absolutely crucial. It would help, of course, if the two of them were together.

KNAPP: Yes, it's -- that was the way it was with us. When one would be down a little bit, the other two would be there to, to lift them up. And so we encouraged each other through the cold times, you know. When we were shivering, we were shivering together.

COLLINS: Randy, talk to us quickly about this very, very important need for shelter. I know the three, three, and three rule. You've got three weeks for no food, three days for no water, but really just three hours with no shelter.

KNAPP: Well, that's correct. You know, the winds can be fierce. The temperature can be, you know, brutally cold. But once you're able to dig in underneath the ice, then it becomes calm and 32 degrees because that's the temperature of ice. And so that's why the importance of a snow cave. The outside elements no longer are in play.

COLLINS: Wow, I didn't realize it really provided that much shelter if you can get down inside there. That's of course, what we are hoping for today. Are you still climbing to this day, Randy?

KNAPP: I -- yes, I climb, but I climb the easier routes. I had an injury that slowed me down about maybe 15 or 16 years ago, so I just do the easy stuff now.

COLLINS: And I know your faith very important to you as well, what we have learned in some of these press conferences that we've been watching with these three climbers, something that really is on your mind when you are doing climbs like this.

KNAPP: Well, that's it. That's initially the reason that, you know, God is -- is often found by me in quiet places, away from the rush of life. And so that's why me and my friends -- that's why we go out, is to get away from -- maybe step off the merry-go-round and actually spend some quiet time with our God.

COLLINS: And as we look at the pictures of the mountain, as you describe that to us, it becomes all too clear and understandable to be a climber. All right. Randy, we certainly appreciate your time here today.

KNAPP: No problem.

COLLINS: Thanks so much.

HARRIS: Well, it is still cold and thousands still powerless in the Pacific Northwest today. The impact of last week's big storm also being felt in Seattle area hospitals, not because of the outages. Apparently, some people brought their barbecue grills inside to stay warm or cook. One man, possibly a second died from carbon monoxide positioning. More than a hundred others became ill.

Violent crime is up across the nation. In fact, the FBI's preliminary figures show this is the second consecutive increase after 15 years of decline. From January to June, violent crime jumped 3.7 percent compared to the first half of 2005.

Here's a break down of the numbers: Nationwide, robberies increased 9.7 percent. Murders rose by 1.4 percent. And aggravated assault climbed more than 1 percent. Worth noting, property crimes dropped more than 2 and a half percent during the same time period.

COLLINS: Extending the hand of nuclear friendship to India. President Bush formalizing an atomic cooperation deal with New Delhi thus hour. It overturns three decades of U.S. policy.

CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry checks in now. Ed, three decades of policy. It's a big switch.

Ed HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, a big move. The White House billing it as strategic move to try to build a new relationship with India, the world's largest democracy, emerging as a global power.

The White House obviously under fire for its foreign policy, chiefly in Iraq, so they are eager to tout this initiative, also because it was one of the few Bush initiatives that made it through Congress on a bipartisan basis this year. It has the support of Democrats like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.

Here's the substance -- the president will basically sign into law a bill that marks a major shift as you noted by allowing shipments of civilian nuclear fuel to India. In exchange, India has to create safeguards at 14 of its nuclear power plants.

This deal does have critics like Democrat Ed Markey of Massachusetts, basically saying that at a time when the U.S. is trying to stop nuclear proliferation this could actually spark a nuclear arms race in Asia. Markey thinks it could sort of have the opposite effect, that the White House is trying to intend.

The White House pointing out, though, that India has been responsible in recent decades with its nuclear program, that this is not a rogue nation like Iran that has been cheating and that there still is another hurdle that India has to go through after the president signs this into law.

It has to be approved, the safeguards, at least, by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, so the White House trying to point out this is a new day in relations with India. A strategic move to really try to build this relationship further -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And on the same topic, Ed, interesting timing in all of this. Today being the start of the six-party talks with North Korea, some of the headlines I'm reading, North Korea starting off defiant, that word we hear it again.

HENRY: That's right. In fact, Nick Burns from the State Department just spoke to the White House press core a few moments ago. And was still trying to be optimistic about these talks, saying the U.S. hopes to make progress over the course of the next four to five days in the six-party talks in Beijing, but a lot of questions about those sort of pessimistic comments from North Korea. Bottom line is the White House is billing this as more talk, bellicose talk, from North Korea, but they're hoping to finally get some sort of a breakthrough this week -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Ed Henry, live. We're going to be talking to Nicholas Burns coming in the next hour as well.

Ed, thank you.

HENRY: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: Everyone is standing. Let's take everyone to the East Room of the White House right now where Mr. Bush is prepared to sign the United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.

(APPLAUSE)

Welcome. Please be seated. Thanks for coming. Welcome to the White House.

Today, I had the honor of signing a bill that will strengthen the partnership between the world's two largest democracies. The relationship between the United States and India has never been more vital. And this bill will help us meet the energy and security challenges of the 21st century.

I want to thank the Congress for delivering this historic bill to my desk.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm looking forward to signing it.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

The Henry Hyde -- the Henry Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act passed with strong bipartisan support. It is a fitting tribute to its sponsor and the man whose name it carries. During his 32 years in Congress, Chairman Hyde earned the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I appreciate his effective and principled leadership. I wish him all the very best in his retirement.

I'm proud to be joined here by Secretary of State Condi Rice. This bill would not have happened without her leadership.

(APPLAUSE)

I thank very much the members of the Senate and the House who've joined us up here -- people from both parties who worked hard to get this bill passed: Senator Bill Frist and Senator Dick Lugar, Senator George Allen, Congressman Gary Ackerman, Frank Pallone, Joe Crowley, Thad McCotter.

Thank you all for joining us. Thank you. Good work.

(APPLAUSE)

I appreciate our ambassador, David Mulford -- and wife Jeannie -- for joining us.

Thanks for your good work, Ambassador.

I'm also proud to be joined by Ambassador Jazwa (ph).

I want to thank you for coming, Ambassador.

I thank the Indian-American community leaders who are here today. The Indian-American community was vital to explaining this strategic bill to our fellow citizens.

I appreciate so very much your carrying the message not only here at home, but in India. And I want you to know that your voice was very effective. And I welcome that.

(APPLAUSE)

The United States and India are natural partners. The rivalries that once kept our nations apart are no more. And today America and India are united by deeply held values.

India is a democracy that protects rule of law and is accountable to its people. India is an open society that demands freedom of speech and freedom of religion. India is an important ally in the war against extremists and radicals.

Like America, India has suffered from terrorist attacks on her own soil. And like America, India is committed to fighting the extremists, defeating their hateful ideology and advancing the cause of human liberty around the world.

The United States and India are working together to expand economic opportunities in both our countries. India's economy has more than doubled in size since 1991, and it is one of the fastest growing markets for American exports.

If you visit India today, you're going to see a lot of people using goods and services made by American companies. And that helps raise the standard of living not only in India, but here at home.

Trade is good for both countries. And we're going to continue to work with India to promote free and fair trade.

In our meetings in Washington and in New Delhi, Prime Minister Singh, for whom I have a lot of respect, we discussed the importance of working together to meet the energy needs of our growing economies. We recognize that energy -- clean energy -- is going to be important to the advancement of our economies.

And on my visit to India earlier this year, we concluded an historic agreement that will allow us to share civilian nuclear technology and bring India's civilian nuclear program under the safeguards of the IAEA.

This cooperation will help the people of India produce more of their energy from clean, safe nuclear power. And that, in turn, will help their economy grow, and it's in our interest that the Indian economy continue to grow. It helps make America more secure.

As part of the agreement, the United States and India have committed to take a series of steps to make nuclear cooperation a reality, and we're going to fulfill these commitments.

The bill I sign today is one of the most important steps, and it's going to help clear the way for us to move forward with this process.

The bill is going to help us achieve four key goals.

First, the bill will help us strengthen cooperation between India and United States on one of the most important challenges in the 21st century, and that is energy.

India is now the world's fifth-largest consumer of energy, and its demand for electricity is expected to double by 2015. The United States has a clear interest in helping India meet this demand with nuclear energy.

By helping India expand its use of safe nuclear energy, this bill lays the foundation for a new strategic partnership between our two nations that will help ease India's demands for fossil fuels and ease pressure on global markets.

Second, the bill will help promote economic growth. This bill helps open a new, important market for American businesses by paving the way for investment in India's civilian nuclear industry for the first time ever. This new trade will help American companies gain new customers abroad and create new jobs here at home.

Third, the bill will help make it possible for India to reduce emissions and improve its environment. Today, India produces nearly 70 percent of its electricity from coal. Burning coal produces air pollution and greenhouse gases, and as India's economy has grown, emission levels have risen as well.

We must break the cycle. And, with nuclear power, we can. We can help India do so. And we can do so here at home by the use of nuclear power.

Nuclear power is the one source of energy that can generate massive amounts of electricity without producing any air pollution or greenhouse gases.

And, by sharing advanced civilian nuclear technology, we will help our friend, India, meet its growing demand for energy and lower emissions at the same time.

Finally, the bill will help keep America safe by paving the way for India to join the global effort to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

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India has conducted its civilian nuclear energy program in a safe and responsible way for decades. Now, in return for access to American technology, India has agreed to open its civilian nuclear power program to international inspection.

This is an important achievement for the whole world. After 30 years outside the system, India will now operate its civilian nuclear energy program under internationally accepted guidelines and the world is going to be safer as a result.

The bill I'm about to sign is evidence of the growing bonds of trust between our two countries.

Congress acted quickly and passed it with overwhelming bipartisan support.

You know why? Because the American people have come to see India as a friend.

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And I view the prime minister as a trustworthy man and a friend. I appreciate Prime Minister Singh's leadership on this very important issue. I look forward to continuing to work with him to make civil nuclear cooperation a reality.

And now it is my honor to sign the Henry J. Hyde United States- India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006.

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O'BRIEN: And there you have it, President Bush signing the United States India-Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act in the East Room of the White House. It allows for shipments of civilian nuclear fuel to India, overturning a U.S. policy of more than 30 years. India, in return, would accept safeguards and inspections at more than a dozen nuclear civilian plants. We will talk more about this signing this morning with Ambassador Nicholas Burns next hour.

COLLINS: The cold, the wind just too much. The body of a Mount Hood climber identified. We are covering the developments right here in the NEWSROOM.

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