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American Morning
Pentagon Could Send More Forces to Persian Gulf; First Lady Undergoes Surgery for Skin Cancer; Rescuers to Search for Hikers Before Storm Sets In
Aired December 19, 2006 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Suzanne Malveaux at the White House where officials are trying to reassure the public that the first lady is OK, this, after facing a health scare from an aggressive form of skin cancer. I'll have more of that coming up next.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence live in Mt. Hood, where the rescue teams are racing the clock to find two missing climbers.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: First it was Ted Haggard, now an associate pastor at the same church is also fired for sexual misconduct. We've got details straight ahead.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And in our "House Call" today, super centenarians, the secret to living well, well into your 100s.
Those stories and more, ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Tuesday, December 19. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts, in today for Miles O'Brien. Thanks very much for joining us today.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for being with us.
We begin with some developments out of the Pentagon this morning: the possible ramping up of U.S. military strength in the Persian Gulf.
Let's get right to Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. She's live with that.
Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, this may be one of the first decisions of the new secretary of defense, Robert Gates, just how much of a signal does he want to send to Iran?
CNN has now confirmed that last week the U.S. Central Command sent a request to the Pentagon for a second carrier battle group to go to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean area. This would join the USS Eisenhower, which is already there. If the request is approved, the carrier would go to the Persian Gulf region after the first of the year.
Multiple military sources tell us that the job that they want that carrier group to do, No. 1, send a signal to Iran with its recent naval exercises and other moves. The U.S. military wants to send that signal to Iran, that it is not stretched thin, that it is perfectly capable of putting additional military force in the region.
Our sources are saying there's no indication, of course, of military action against Iran with this carrier battle group, but it is a very strong signal. If it happens and if the carrier battle group goes to the region, it certainly will participate, our sources say, in additional action against targets in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
But if approved, Soledad, there's no question this would be a very major signal to the government in Tehran -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Clearly. All right. Barbara Starr's watching that for us this morning. Thanks, Barbara.
STARR: Sure.
O'BRIEN: A bandage on the first lady's leg is what prompted a question and then a revelation that Mrs. Bush had a malignant skin cancer tumor removed from her shin.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is in -- is at the White House this morning.
Good morning, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, those who I've spoken to at the White House as well as the first lady's office last night and this morning want to reassure people that the first lady is OK.
What happened was it was shortly before election day. There was a reporter who noticed a bandage on the first lady's right shin, had asked about it at the time. The press secretary of the first lady, Susan Whitson, said it was a sore.
But we have since learned that it was a sore that would not go away. So there was a biopsy that was performed. That is when it was discovered by doctors that, in fact, it was squamous cell carcinoma. It's a malignant tumor. It is the second most common form of skin cancer.
After the first lady found out about that, it was shortly after election day. There was a procedure, a surgical procedure that was done with a local anesthetic to remove that tumor, about the size of a nickel or so.
We are told that it was really no big deal, that the first lady detected it early and that it was treated early. The only reason we're learning about this now is there was yesterday at a Hanukkah party, another reporter noticed a bandage on her leg and asked about it. It was at that time that the office decided they would fully disclose what had happened.
But again, Soledad, they want to reassure people they think that this is not going to recur, that she's in good health and they're encouraged about her prognosis -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's some good news there. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House for us. Thanks, Suzanne -- John.
ROBERTS: On Mt. Hood and the search for two missing climbers in Oregon, here's what's new this morning.
The search area has been narrowed down. Rescuers believe Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke have fallen into a treacherous avalanche zone.
The body of James Kelly (sic) is off the mountain now. It was brought down yesterday. The odds are long on finding the other two. But the National Guard says that this is still a rescue mission.
Today's operation is critical, because freezing rain and snow is going to shut down most of the search by midday tomorrow.
Let's get right to AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence. He's in Hood River, Oregon, with the latest for us.
Good morning, Chris.
LAWRENCE: Hey, good morning, John.
And right now, you know, the concern is that if they didn't get into a hole somewhere, that you're starting to reach the limits of the survivability period. So that is something that the rescue teams are keeping in mind as they try to use this last day.
Now, they have narrowed their search somewhat, and they have been able to answer some of the questions they had. The authorities now believe they know why the climbers actually split up.
The sheriff said at some point while the three were summitting the mountain, Kelly James severely injured his arm. The three of them dug out a snow cave and huddled together overnight. The sheriff says he believes the next morning Brian Hall and Nikko Cooke set out to find help, leaving James holed up in the cave alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. JOSHUA JOHNSTON, U.S. AIR FORCE RESERVE: We actually discovered Kelly's cave by some footprints that were leading down in one direction off of the summit of Mt. Hood, and then there was a snow cave, the original snow cave that we found the day prior.
And what we were doing was just connecting the footprints that we found earlier to the snow cave where the gear was, and we kind of just connected those two, and that's where Kelly's cave was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: The sheriff says even if the two climbers made it down to the tree line, there would still be a problem. There is six feet of snow down there, and the climbers did not bring their snowshoes, so walking through those forests would be just about impossible.
At this point, the longer it goes on, the fewer good options out there that still exist -- John.
ROBERTS: Chris, with this weather moving in tomorrow, it's quite probable that they'll have to shut down the search and rescue operations probably a little after midday. Any idea if they will resume that search and rescue operation when the storm clears? Or might it then swing into a recovery operation?
LAWRENCE: Some of that may depend on just how long the bad weather lasts. You know, if it's a 24-hour break, perhaps they pick up again. If it's something that goes on three, four, five days like it did last week, well, you know, like I said, the sheriff is saying you're starting to reach the limits of survivability out there.
ROBERTS: All right. Chris Lawrence in Hood River, thanks very much.
A storm brewing for the eastern plains of the Rockies in the heartland. Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and parts of Kansas could get high winds and snow, up to two feet of it in some areas.
Chad Myers is tracking the storm now from the weather center in Atlanta.
Good morning, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Good skiing, bad driving. Back to you guys.
O'BRIEN: Yes. As always is or often is the case.
MYERS: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thank you.
Some dramatic pictures coming to us out of Tennessee this morning near Memphis. Take a look.
A student driver -- you can see a better shot of the accident in a moment -- there you go -- made a bad turn. And that caused a chain collision among four school buses.
Now, the car, behind -- the student at one point slid under one of the buses, got lodged underneath it. There were at least 150 on board all the school buses at the time. Several students were injured. Nobody seriously, though. So a little bit of good news there.
Happening in America this morning, in Las Vegas a fight broke out in family court between officers and a guy named Jeffrey Wells. He's in the middle of a bitter custody fight for two of his sons. A third son, 12 years old, committed suicide with an unsecured shotgun.
Well, today Wells is in jail. He's accused of assaulting the court officers, as you can see in that videotape.
Courtroom drama in Massachusetts, 21 -- rather 22-year-old guy named Deric Allen. That's not him there, but he's charged with breaking into a woman's home and holding her hostage. What you saw there was the father.
At one point you can see he's furious. He lunges at the suspect because they're listening to the 911 call. That's the suspect there. Listen to the call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I could hear was the tape you had before with her screaming. And what can I tell you? I lost it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: My mistake. It wasn't the call, but that was the father's reaction. Anyway, the woman is just shrieking, literally shrieking and screaming on this 911 tape, which, of course, sends the father over the edge.
Police say they found Allen in the woman's bed. He was holding her at knife point when they got there. You can hear on the tape, too, the dispatcher saying, "Get there quick. He's got her." Her baby was sleeping downstairs.
Well, after this brawl -- you can see right there, the father just lost it -- he got charged with disorderly conduct.
ROBERTS: Perfectly understandable.
O'BRIEN: Oh, my goodness, absolutely.
Northern Virginia now, Fairfax County rescue crews responded and are searching the Potomac River after a boat overturned. One passenger is found. Another is still missing -- John.
ROBERTS: Happening this morning, security forces for Hamas and Fatah exchanging gunfire, sending people running for their lives. One Hamas fighter was killed, 11 other people wounded. The fight is over a new call for elections in the Palestinian territories.
Look at all the school children escaping there.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan holds his final news conference later this morning. Anna's term at the U.N. expires at the end of the month. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon will succeed him.
And astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery are wrapping up their 13-day mission. They managed to finally retract that solar panel on the International Space Station that kept them in space an extra day.
Barring bad weather, Discovery is set to touchdown Friday in Florida.
O'BRIEN: The NBA players involved in that basket-brawl at Madison Square Garden over the weekend, well, they now know their punishment. Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony has been suspended for 15 games. That's the sixth longest penalty in NBA history.
In all, seven suspensions were handed out. Nuggets teammate J.R. Smith and the Knicks' Nate Robinson have also been hit with ten-game penalties apiece.
And trouble doesn't just follow NBA stars. T.O., Terrell Owens, of the Cowboys, a little trouble with the NFL. Did you hear about this? He's been fined $35,000 for spitting in the face of Atlanta's D'Angelo Hall. It happened on Saturday night, during a Cowboys- Falcons game.
He claims he didn't intentionally spit in his face.
ROBERTS: Right.
O'BRIEN: But Mr. Hull would say the opposite.
ROBERTS: I recall a similar case to that last year that I can't remember, but it didn't seem like it was unintentional.
O'BRIEN: Yes. The whole spitting in somebody's face seems hard to do as an accident, if you know what I mean.
ROBERTS: Exactly. All right.
Some of the stories that we continue to follow this morning, those mini cars. They're easy to park, easy on gas, but how do small cars stand up in crash tests? We have the results on the safest subcompacts and the not-so-safest subcompacts.
And ghosts sighted in North Carolina. We'll tell you all the spooky details, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Top stories we're following for you this morning, the Pentagon is reporting that violence in Iraq is on the rise. Sectarian attacks up 22 percent in just the past three months.
And it's back to the table. Six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program opened yesterday with Pyongyang insisting that that nation should be considered a nuclear power. A quarter past the hour. If you're heading out the door, let's get a quick check of the traveler's forecast for you. Chad's got that.
Good morning, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Chad, thanks very much.
Rescuers will be back on Mt. Hood today, looking for Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke. The Air Force National Guard, sheriff's department and other officials will be on the ground and in the air, and so will dedicated friends, friends who just can't sit by while a friend needs help.
Frederick Stephenson is one of them. He works with Brian Hall, actually owns the company that Brian Hall works for. He joins us this morning.
Fred, how have you been spending the last few days?
FREDERICK STEPHENSON, FRIEND OF BRAD HALL: You know, we've been spending together -- a few of my friends have been out. We spent some time at the ski resorts, kind of searching around at lower levels, trying to figure out, you know, what this mountain is all about and kind of the enormousy (sic) of it. It's a huge mountain. And we just wanted to kind of figure out what it was up there.
ROBERTS: You're not part of the official search operation. Why did you feel compelled, though, to do whatever you could to try to locate your friends?
STEPHENSON: You know, Brian is a brother to all of us back at Performance Playground. And I know that if I were in that situation, he would do whatever it took to try to find me. He's a great guy.
ROBERTS: Are you -- are you still hanging on to hope?
STEPHENSON: Oh, most definitely. You know, until someone tells me otherwise, I know the type of person Brian is. I know the type of will that he has, and that goes for Jerry, too. It has to be the same. Those guys are great people, and they just wouldn't give up.
ROBERTS: Brian was stuck for four days on Mt. McKinley a while back, was he not?
STEPHENSON: Right, he was. And he had some great stories. And I think that's just part of the journey. You know, sometimes you're tested, and this is one of those tests for these gays.
ROBERTS: Well, it would be terrific if he came out of this with more of those memorable stories. But you know, Sheriff Joe Wampler yesterday seemed to be sort of, you know, diminishing expectations for the outcome of this, suggesting that perhaps there was an accident. They're looking in this area called the Gullies on the north side of Mt. Hood. He says that they could be buried under the snow there.
Is it difficult to hang on to hope and expectation when you hear news like that?
STEPHENSON: Well, you know, not really because all the people that are involved in this search are, you know, they're incredible people, and this is what they do. So we really believe in what they do. We really believe in the sheriff. And you know, they've -- up -- like you said, up until the very end, we're not going to give up hope.
ROBERTS: Right. Have you seen Brian's family? How are they coping?
STEPHENSON: You know what? They're very, very strong people. If I were in that situation, I really don't know how I'd handle it. But I've seen them, and you know, they're doing as well as can be expected.
ROBERTS: You can't imagine what it's like to have a loved one lost in the snow on the mountain like that with so many people out looking for him.
What would you like people to know about Brian? What kind of a guy was he?
STEPHENSON: You know, Brian has -- he's really infectious. He has an energy, I think, that is unmatched by anyone. He's the kind of guy that, when he hugs you, you know that he's leaving a part of himself behind. And it's up to you to either, you know, repay it, pass it on or just say thank you.
I mean, and I know if Jerry is with him, he has to be that same type of guy, also.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, certainly our thoughts and prayers stay with him. Good work that you're doing, too, Fred. Thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.
STEPHENSON: Thank you very much. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Gosh. Good for them to go help out.
ROBERTS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And provide so much emotional support, too, for the family members who, I'm sure, need it.
ROBERTS: For sure need it. Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: That's fantastic.
ROBERTS: You could see them yesterday in that little press conference, how much they're hurting.
O'BRIEN: Yes, that's true.
Ahead this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, first it was Ted Haggard. Now another pastor at the Colorado church is forced out because of sexual misconduct. We'll tell you who it is and what happened.
And we'll show you how to live well, well into your hundreds. Dr. Sanjay Gupta with the secrets of super-centenarians, straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The medical space is fascinating, because we're on the edge of a very huge shift into genetics and genomics that, over the next 50 years, will profoundly affect our lives.
RAY KURZWEIL, CEO, KURZWEIL TECHNOLOGIES: We'll have very powerful tools emerging over the next decade to completely simulate the processes that lead to heart disease and cancer and then reprogram them and bring those reprogrammed processes to -- to human beings and really overcome these diseases. So that's one area. This is biotechnology.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the long run, biotechnology will probably eliminate surgery for many treatments. They'll treat cancer with biotech rather than scalpels.
JOEY REIMAN, THINKER & CEO, BRIGHTHOUSE: I think what's most promising is where we've now made inroads to having our bodies talk to prosthetics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open. Close.
REIMAN: But the largest advance, probably, is the notion of moving from preventative medicine to curative to restorative. And restorative medicine will be the most exciting medicine out there, because rather than extend your life, it will enhance your life.
DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF, MEDIA THEORIST: Really the race against death will be fought with your money. If you've managed to save $300,000 for hormone replacement therapy when you're 70, then you may get to 85.
DR. JAMES CANTON, AUTHOR, "THE EXTREME FUTURE": You're going to hear a lot more about disease management in the very near future, particularly as we unlock the human genome.
So personalized medicine, this fusion of combining biotechnology with healthcare, will make for a very different kind of healthcare that will be more precise, more cost effective and ultimately is going to help people live longer.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ROBERTS: Corn and soybeans have nothing on America's largest cash crop, and get this: you can't even buy it at your grocery store. Twenty-four minutes after the hour, Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Morning to you.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
I wonder how many people are tuning in now.
ROBERTS: Yes. What are we talking about here?
ELAM: Our friend marijuana.
ROBERTS: Oh!
ELAM: A lot of people's friend, I should say. In the U.S., it actually exceeds $35 billion. Now this information, I should say, is coming from someone who is advocating the idea of legalizing marijuana.
But they're saying marijuana here is actually -- in the U.S. the market value exceeds $35 billion, and that would be greater than the value of corn, soybean and hay, which are the top three legal cash crops.
ROBERTS: Hey, if you could make it into ethanol, maybe it would work.
ELAM: Then maybe there'd be more people going for it. Now, a third of the harvest comes out of one state. You guys want to venture a guess which state?
O'BRIEN: California.
ELAM: Indeed. It is indeed, my home state.
O'BRIEN: I lived there for a long time. I know.
ELAM: California. California would be the one; $13.8 billion worth, they're saying would actually come out of California there. And that would be more of the value of the state's combined market value of grapes, as well, as hay and vegetables.
O'BRIEN: So is this their strategy: we could make a lot of money if we'd legalize pot? Is that the...
ELAM: Well, this man's angle is if they do this, and it's become something that could be treated like alcohol, and then therefore, the government could tax it. And it would be another way for them to gain money.
O'BRIEN: I get it.
ELAM: But they're saying... O'BRIEN: Big numbers.
ELAM: Very large numbers. But it's an interesting idea.
ROBERTS: It follows along that whole thing that if you want to put the drug cartels and the poppy growers in Afghanistan out of business tomorrow, you legalize all this stuff and you can make huge profits.
ELAM: And some argue that doesn't really work as well anyway. For countries where opium or same thing, coca -- it's not having the same effect.
ROBERTS: There's a little moral problem with that whole thing.
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, then there's the moral argument that's not going to hold up on that one.
ELAM: They don't want it to be treated like LSD or heroin, because they're saying there's no actual benefit from there, whereas marijuana has shown to have some benefits. But still, it's -- I don't think it's really going to help.
O'BRIEN: It's big numbers. The numbers they cite are 50 percent more, they say, worth of marijuana than the next type, which is what, corn.
ELAM: Corn, yes, soybean. And on top of it, in a dozen states it's also believed to be the top cash crop, as well. So it's spread across the country whereas it may have been in little areas before. Now it's everywhere.
O'BRIEN: That's interesting.
ROBERTS: Interesting facts and figures this morning.
ELAM: Just want to make sure everyone is awake.
ROBERTS: Thanks. You made sure.
Top stories are next, including new insight this morning on Cuban leader Fidel Castro and what's happening in Cuba now. The congressman who led a special delegation there fills us in on what he saw and heard and what he thinks should happen.
And a legendary sight in the Big Easy rolls again. Are the good times far behind? We've got a ticket to ride for you.
And good-bye to a legend who brought us the Flintstones, Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The search narrows and time is of the essence. Rescuers return to Mt. Hood in a dangerous avalanche zone. They're looking for those two missing hikers before another storm front moves in.
ROBERTS: New this morning, tiny cars, big risks. What are the safest and most dangerous mini cars? The crash tests are in. We'll tell you about them.
O'BRIEN: And the secret of those supercentenarians. How they outlive just about everybody and do it so well. Today's "House Call" and much more is ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back, everybody, Tuesday December 19th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts in today for Miles O'Brien. Thanks very much for joining us. I don't know that I'd want to live to be 110.
O'BRIEN: Oh, I do, man.
ROBERTS: I'm already worried that the money is going to run out long before the years do, so.
O'BRIEN: Just as long as you're healthy. See the guy on TV -- there's some ad, he's 100 years 100 old, he's working around, fixing his house. I want to be that guy.
ROBERTS: It would be nice to think that you could do that. It's the retirement money thing. I don't know if that's going to work.
Happening this morning, Mt. Hood rescue workers continue searching for two climbers before stormy weather moves in. Today they'll look for signs of snow caves where the men might be holed up. The body of 48-year-old Kelly James of Dallas brought down from Mt. Hood late Monday.
The White House revealing First Lady Laura Bush had a cancerous skin tumor removed from her leg after a reporter noticed a bandage on Mrs. Bush's shin on Monday. Mrs. Bush had a squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer removed from her shin shortly after Election Day.
A new Pentagon report shows violence in Iraq is at its most intense in years. The average number of attacks per week is up 22 percent from 800 to nearly 1,000 per week over the past last three months. That's the highest it's been since June 2004.
And United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan holds his final news conference later on this morning. Annan's term expires at the end of the month. South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-Moon will succeed him -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Officials in Cuba say Fidel Castro is not dying and that Castro will be let back to lead Cuba. Ten members of the U.S. congressional delegation spent the weekend in Cuba. Couldn't get a meeting with Castro or with his brother Raul, who is now temporarily in charge. Congressman Jeff Flake of Arizona was in that delegation. He's from Phoenix this morning. It's nice to see you, as always, sir. Thanks for talking with us.
REP. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. OK, so what was the official word they gave you on the health of Fidel Castro.
FLAKE: Well, they said he does not have cancer and his condition is not terminal and he'll be back. So that was the official line.
O'BRIEN: That was kind of it in a nutshell. As you well know, in Cuba, often in other countries as well, leaders very much are perfectly fine until they're dead or even after their dead, they're still fine sometimes.
Was there a sense that you had that in fact -- just by, I guess, walking around and talking to some of the Cuban citizens, and you've been to Cuba a bunch of times, was there a sense that you had -- that you could glean about his health?
FLAKE: I think what is striking is that the Cuban people have pretty much moved on. I think they recognize that if he does come back, it will be for a short time. And they're pretty much ready to move beyond the Fidel era, but it looks like the new government will look very similar to the old.
O'BRIEN: So they're ready to move on. How do they feel about the Raul Castro era then?
FLAKE: You know, it's tough to know exactly how they feel, but I think they're at least resigned to it. You have to remember that 78 percent of Cubans were born after Fidel Castro took power, so they know very little else.
And because they're so isolated in terms of American media or our presence, we simply have very little influence there. They know nothing else. I think that's the problem. I think that's why we ought to change our policy and have more dialogue, have more contact instead of trying to prohibit it.
O'BRIEN: In fact, members of the delegation have called for a change in the policy toward Cuba. Specifically is the word I'm trying to say, specifically, what kind of changes would you like to see?
FLAKE: I think we ought to start by allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families uninhibited. Right now, if you're a Cuban- American in America, you can go back to Cuba once every three years. So, if you have a father and mother and they're old and one might pass away, you have to decide whose funeral you're going to attend. That's simply wrong.
That's not a very humanitarian policy, so we ought to start with that, and I think we ought to throw it open and allow American tourists to travel to Cuba as well. Let Raul Castro deal with spring break a few times. I think they may change their policy.
O'BRIEN: As you well know, the administration as recently as just a couple days ago has said that's not going to happen. That the policy that they have right now, including the embargo, is going to remain in place. Do you feel like to some degree you're shouting into the wind?
FLAKE: No, I think now is the time. There are a lot of people in the U.S. who have been conditioned to believe that as soon as Fidel is gone, then policy will change, their policy and ours. Theirs may not change, but I think Americans are ready to move on.
Why in the world should we prohibit our own citizens from traveling to Cuba? These sanctions are imposed on us, not them. If somebody is going to restrict travel, it ought to be a communist government, not ours.
O'BRIEN: Congressman Jeff Flake from Arizona, nice to talk to you as always. Thanks for talking with us.
FLAKE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: John.
ROBERTS: I don't know, you give Cuba one spring break, they may build a wall around the entire country.
O'BRIEN: I'm not sure that would be necessarily the strategy that would open up..
ROBERTS: Give it a try anyway. Daytona would probably be thankful.
New information this morning on the safety of those popular subcompact and mini cars. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just released its review of the smallest cars sold in the United States.
CNN's Brianna Keilar joins us now live from Washington with the crash test results. How are the cars looking, Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they leave something to be desired, I guess, is one way that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety would put it. Now, of course, the popularity of the cars have gone up as gas prices have gone up, but, unfortunately, they don't weigh very much.
This car category, the mini car, which this mini Cooper fits into, 2,500 pounds or less. And when you compare that to a larger vehicle, other ones that are on the road, for instance, this Chevy Suburban, you're looking at three and a half times, about three times what this small car weighs. And of course, that tells you in an accident who is probably going to win.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR (voice-over): Small cars can save you big money at the pump, but they could cost you dearly in a crash. Driver death rates in so-called mini cars are more than double that of mid sized and large cars.
ADRIAN LUND, INSURANCE INST. FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: If you're in a small lightweight vehicle in the mini cars and you get hit from behind, almost everything that hits you is larger and heavier, which means on average your crashes are more severe than what the other people are seeing. So it's more important that you have good safety equipment to protect you.
KEILAR: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety measures vehicle safety on a four-part scale, from good to poor. Overall, the Hyundai Accent and the KIA Rio fared the worst with an acceptable rating for front crash test, but the worst possible rating for side and rear impacts.
(on camera): The popular mini Cooper gets average scores overall. A top rating for front crashes and acceptable for side impacts and a lower marginal score for rear crashes.
KEILAR (voice-over): The Scion XB earned a good for front impacts but a poor for side crashes. The barrier used in the tests, penetrated far enough into the Scion to hit the dummy drivers' head. The Scion also earned a marginal for the rear crash test.
The Nissan Versa earned the best score of all. It was the only car to get top ratings in all three crash tests. But there's a catch. Technically, it's not a mini car. It's a small car that's marketed with the minis.
(on camera): Now, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety representatives tell us you don't actually have to buy the smallest, lightest car for good fuel economy. For instance, the Toyota Corolla, the Honda Civic, not even the hybrid versions -- they have good fuel economy, as well. Although they are larger cars, and so they're safer -- John.
ROBERTS: So there are some options that people should be looking for. But really, what are the safety features people should consider when they are looking for one of these cars?
KEILAR: Generally speaking you want to look for side air bags. That's what's going to protect you in the side impacts. For instance, the Scion XB doesn't even come with these as an option.
Then you have other cars, the Hyundai Accent and the KIA Rio, the same underpinnings in that car. And they have these standard side air bags. At the same time, in those crash tests, the dummies actually sustained injuries that would have created internal organ injuries or fractured ribs in a normal human -- in a real human being.
ROBERTS; Well, good information for us this morning. Brianna Keilar in Washington, thanks, appreciate it -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're continuing to follow for you this morning -- what is the secret to a long and healthy life? And we mean long. Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to a woman who is 110 years old. Look at her. And history returns to New Orleans.
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SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Roche where a sentimental favorite is back. Take a ride with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
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ROBERTS: A sign of recovery and progress to cheer this morning in New Orleans. The city's famous street cars are getting ready to roll again. CNN Gulf Coast Correspondent Susan Roesgen is ready to step onto the St. Charles Avenue streetcar for us. Good morning Susan.
ROESGEN: Good morning, John. This is what so many people here in New Orleans have missed, these old green street cars rolling along one of the most famous avenues in the country. It just isn't New Orleans without the St. Charles Avenue streetcar. And now, for the first time since Katrina, you can take a short ride.
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ROESGEN (voice-over): It's a New Orleans treasure, a ride on the street car is a ride back in time. Street cars first rolled on St. Charles Avenue in 1835, gliding past the avenue's graceful oaks and grand mansions until Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane knocked down the electric wires and the total repairs will cost $11 million dollars. But now part of the track is no longer empty.
CLARENCE OLIVER, STREETCAR OPERATOR: You hear the wheels on the tracks and you can feel it. It's just a feeling that sends a rush to you that's just incredible.
ROESGEN: 25 years ago Clarence Glover was working in the bank on St. Charles, looking out the window when he saw a street car go past and knew his true calling. He's been a streetcar driver ever since.
GLOVER: It was a feeling that I didn't think I was going to miss, but I did.
ROESGEN: Right now the city can only afford to open the first mile and a half of the track and it probably won't attract anywhere near the three million people that used to ride it each year. For tourists, the street car is as popular as Mardi Gras beads for Bourbon Street. But for locals, it's part of the city's soul. Peggy Scott Laborde is a local documentary filmmaker.
PEGGY SCOTT LABORDE, FILMAKER: In a way, a streetcar is the continuum of the past -- to set that, there i9s something very reassuring for us.
ROESGEN: For Clarence Glover, driving the streetcar again makes him proud.
GLOVER: It makes you feel like that you are the main attraction. Everyone wants to wave at you and see you.
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ROESGEN (on-camera): And I just love these old streetcars. This is the original 1920s era street car. They've got the old wood. They don't have have air conditioning. But on a hot summer day, you just open up the window and let the smell of the gardenias come in. For a buck and a quarter John, that's how you need to take a ride back through history.
ROBERTS: Yes, that's a pretty good deal. What took them so long to get everything back up and running again?
ROESGEN: Well, it was those overhead power lines that were just wiped out and three electrical substations. They actually had an $11 million federal grant before Katrina to upgrade the system, but Katrina came and they have to re-do the whole thing. In fact, later this morning, the Federal Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is going to be here to officially welcome back the first little segment of St. Charles Avenue.
ROBERTS: great, well don't spend too long riding around today. You're on the clock.
ROESGEN: It's fun. OK.
ROBERTS: Susan, thanks very much -- Soledad.
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O'BRIEN: Health news to tell you about this morning, about a supplement that's used to ease the symptoms of menopause. It's called Black Cohosh. Well, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health, it doesn't work.
Black Cohosh is no better at getting rid of hot flashes that a placebo or a sugar pill.
ROBERTS: have you ever heard of this word -- supercentenarian? If you haven't, you haven't been watching this morning. I've said it at least three times, Soledad as well.
It's an exclusive group of people who have lived past the age of 110. How do they do it? That's exactly what doctors want to know. And here's CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
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UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I didn't smoke and I didn't drink. Work, go home.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Those are words to live by, and she should know. Gertrude Baines is 112 years old, and except for the arthritis in her knee, she's never been seriously sick a day in her life.
GERTRUDE BAINES, SUPERCENTENARIAN: I've taken care of myself, that's all.
GUPTA: She belongs to an exclusive group of people over the age of 110 called supercentenarians and researchers believe they might be the key to finding the fountain of youth.
DR. DOROS PLATIKA, CEO SUPERCENTENARIAN RESEARCH FOUNDATION: These people at every stage of their lives -- they look younger, but not only look younger, they function much younger.
GUPTA: So how can we live longer and healthier lives like Gertrude Baines? That's the question the Supercentenarian Research Foundation is trying to answer.
PLATIKA: People who live longer primarily live longer because they have genes that protect them from disease. They don't get Alzheimer's. They don't get heart attacks.
GUPTA: The foundation is compiling a database of supercentenarians worldwide, detailing their family history, as well as blood and tissue information.
DR. STEPHEN COLES, SUPERCENTENARIAN RESEARCH FOUNDATION: So we can sample their tissues before they die and get an analysis of their DNA.
PLATIKA: That will give us insights into how they're living longer and how we can create products and interventions that would allow the rest of us to live longer.
GUPTA: So what does eventually cause supercentenarians to die? Dr. Stephen Coles has performed several autopsies. He says they die of a substance in their bodies called amaloid that builds up in the veins causing organ failure..
COLES: And then you have total system collapse.
GUPTA: Amaloid builds up in all of us, yet, we usually die of something else first. The supercentenarians, the substance doesn't seem to affect them until much later in life.
It could be years before the foundation uncovers the clues behind longevity. In the meantime, supercentenarians like Mrs. Baines are happy providing living proof.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
O'Brien: "CNN NEWSROOM" is just a few minutes away. Heidi Collins is at the CNN center with a look at what they've got for you ahead this morning. Good morning Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS: Good morning, Soledad. That's right, we're working on these stories now. Mt. Hood rescuers racing the clock and a new storm. Two climbers stranded in the snow and cold for 11 days now.
The president and the generals. The joint chiefs reportedly arguing against a troop surge in Iraq.
And this, party queen. Will Miss USA get pushed off her throne for having a good time? Pageant co-owner Donald Trump could tell her -- you're fired. His news conference will hit during our show, 11:00 a.m. Join Tony Harris and me for all the drama in the NEWSROOM at the top of the hour on CNN.
S. O'BRIEN: There's going to be a lot of drama.
COLLINS: Oh, yes, I can't wait.
S. O'BRIEN: That news conference is going to be good TV, man.
COLLINS: No question about it.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Heidi, thanks.
Ahead this morning, the man who helped create the Flinstones, Yogi Bear, many, many, many others. This morning we're remembering cartoonist Joe Barbera. That's straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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S. O'BRIEN: One of the most famous names in animation is dead. Joe Barbera of the same Hanna Barbera animation team died on Monday. He was 95 years old. Now you may not know his face, but you absolutely would recognize his many famous creations.
CNN's Sibila Vargas has our report.
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SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The theme songs were catchy.
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VARGAS: So were the characters.
YOGI BEAR: Don't worry, Boo, for the sake of warm tooties, some things just have to be done.
VARGAS: The sarcastic Yogi Bear.
FRED FLINSTONE: Ooh, is he going to get a fist full of fingers.
VARGAS: The bombastic Fred Flintstone.
SHAGGY: Like, what is it, Scoob?
VARGAS: Scooby Doo, the cowardly dog who behaved more like a frady cat. Generations of American kids grew up on those cartoons. Well into adulthood, many of us can still sing the songs and mimic Scooby's "rero." And while we might know Papa Smurf, most of us never knew what the cartoons' papas looked like.
Hanna and Barbera. What Joe Barbera, who died Monday at age 95, brought to the partnership was writing and drawing skills. Bill Hanna did the directing. Barbera and Hanna, who died in 2001, scored their first big success with "Tom and Jerry" more than 60 years ago.
TOM: I'm Tom.
JERRY: I'm Jerry.
TOM/JERRY: You talked.
VARGAS: Short film starring the cat and mouse combo earned Hanna-Barbera seven academy awards.
JERRY: Look at me. I'm dancing.
VARGAS: Jerry was even inserted into the 1945 Gene Kelly film, "Anchors Away."
They created the first primetime animated show, "The Flintstones," in the early 60s. A sly, prehistoric parody of the honeymooners. The shows borrowed from popular culture and they became part of popular culture.
Huckleberry Hound, and the Jetsons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't look now, but we are being followed.
VARGAS: Johnny Quest, Space Ghosts, Josie and the Pussycats.
SMURFETTE: These smurfs, Daddy, sure are sweet.
VARGAS: The smurfs. Few people may be able to put a face to the name Joe Barbera, but they can put a name and a catch phrase to all of the characters he helped create.
SHAGGY: Scooby Doo, where are you?
VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.
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S. O'BRIEN: The other half of that team, Ms. William Hanna, was almost 91 years old when he died.
A quick look now at "CNN NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour for you.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the NEWSROOM. Two climbers still missing on Mt. Hood. Rescue workers zero in on a treacherous slope near the summit today. Crunchtime for gas-misers: Subcompacts don't fare so well in the latest round of crash tests.
Desperate days. Once Africa's breadbasket, children in Zimbabwe now catching rats -- that's right, rats -- for dinner.
You're in the "NEWSROOM" shortly, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.
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S. O'BRIEN: That's it. We're out of time on AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: We'll see you again tomorrow morning. Thanks for being with us today.
"CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
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