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American Morning
Robert Gates Hears Directly From Foot Soldiers: We Need Reinforcements
Aired December 21, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: White out, indeed. A huge storm is shutting down Denver. The roads are closed, the airports closed and thousands of people are stranded.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: A call for help. U.S. troops tell their new Defense secretary, send in the reinforcements.
S. O'BRIEN: And a war of words. Did you hear this one. Rosie O'Donnell going after Donald Trump, who in turn goes after Rosie O'Donnell. She says he's a snake oil salesman. He says she's a slob and a disaster. And it gets worse.
Those stories and much more, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back everybody. It's Thursday, December 21. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts in for Miles O'Brien. And of course, as we try to convey as much information as we can this morning. We'll tell you just how worse it got, this whole thing.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, yes. Because the details of that fight, riveting, actually.
ROBERTS: I expect it's going to continue today.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it is going to get uglier. No question about that. And we'll be watching.
ROBERTS: And so with all this horrible stuff raging around me, and just a little bit of entertainment.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, very entertaining.
ROBERTS: We begin this morning with that winter storm that's paralyzing Denver, Colorado, at this hour. Right now, blizzard warnings in effect for most of eastern Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. Major highways are closed in six states. Folks in Denver can't get in or out. Thousands of passengers forced to spend the night at the Denver International Airport.
Patti Logan is live in Denver this morning. Severe Weather Expert Chad Myers, not our favorite guy this morning, is following the storm. But we begin with CNN's Gerri Willis and the nightmare that this storm has caused for travelers. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one of the more severe storms that I've seen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, wind is really blowing hard.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING (voice over): It may be great for skiers, and kids. Many schools were closed. But it's terrible for just about everyone else, especially travelers.
The Denver International Airport had to shut down. United Air Lines canceled more than 600 flights, causing a ripple effect of delays and headaches from coast to coast.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a son graduating from Penn State on Friday, and we're going to miss it. There's no way to get there it looks like. So I know everybody's here for holiday travel. But we were just trying to get to a graduation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very frustrating for travelers, particularly this is a holiday period. This is probably one of the worst times when this can happen.
WILLIS: On the roads it was just as bad. Driving is so dangerous, authorities had to shut down long stretches of two interstate highways. Snow, though, is just part of the story. This is a massive storm system extending across the region. Heavy rain is soaking several states. And as it moves farther east, millions of people may find themselves caught in the grips of this unwelcome holiday arrival.
(On camera): Denver is at a virtual stand still. Roads closed. Schools closed. Even the malls closed today. And, of course, the airport is closed. Everybody here just waiting for this storm to release its icy grip. Gerri Willis, CNN, Denver, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, Gerri's going to have a cold, if she doesn't already have one by now. Let's get right to Patti Logan, she's been watching the storm for us this morning, in Denver.
Hey, Patty, how's it looking? How is the early commute going for you?
PATTI LOGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Well, we're not seeing too many commuters out yet. The streets are still pretty much deserted. It's quite cold and it's still coming down here. It could be a pretty rough rush hour for folks that decide to come out.
But the governor and every official in the city is saying, folks should just stay put. Nobody from the city of Denver is going to be coming to work today, the city workers or state workers. They've said, just, stay home. Things should be fairly quiet. Most people hunkered down at home.
There are a lot of folks, though that are trying to figure out how are they going to get out of this. They need to travel today. They need to try to get moving if they can. And one of those people is Yvonne Frank. She's been hanging out here at Union Station. She's a little chilly here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
LOGAN: Tell us a little bit about how you ended up at the Amtrak station trying to get out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we were supposed to be going to Sacramento. But the planes couldn't leave. So we decided to take Amtrak, which meant taking a bus, which was four hours to get here. Then we had to take a trolley. And then we spent the night here. Now we're hoping for the train to take us to Sacramento on Friday.
A little longer trip than you planned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
LOGAN: I understand you're wearing a lot of new clothes? Is there a reason for this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Airport, airport. We weren't prepared for this. I have on a light shirt and a wool jacket, and that was about it. All of our clothes are in Sacramento.
LOGAN: You don't know where your luggage is right now? Hopefully Sacramento?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said it went to Sacramento and we're hoping it's there.
LOGAN: All right. So, that's just one of many, many hundreds, thousands of stories here today, of people are stranded and hoping to get out of Denver, or to get into Denver perhaps later tonight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Sad story, but she looks like she's in pretty good spirits. Thanks very much. Appreciate the update this morning.
Let's see where the storm's going and how it's going to affect our holiday travel plans. Chad's got that for us.
You heard from Patti, Chad, what do you think?
CHAD MYERS, CNN SEVERE WEATHER EXPERT: You know what, this storm is really dying out. It's gulped a bunch of dry air off the mountains. Now it's just a rainmaker as it pulls in more moisture off the Gulf of Mexico. But that's warm moisture.
So, the numbers you see here are done. Plus, I mean, we're talking elevation change, too. Denver at 5,280 feet, whatever, the Mile High City. Some of these cities higher than that. As the storm gets down into the plains, it's going actually going to be a rainmaker for Kansas City, for Detroit and so on.
Look at the numbers, 30 inches there. Littleton, Colorado at 24 inches. This was the forecast from yesterday. And right on the money; 24, even some spots around Boulder, eight miles south of Boulder right there, that's where the Cold Creek Canyon is, that's where the 33 inches. Like the model said, three feet, approaching three feet. Right on the money, John.
Rain showers in Chicago and Detroit. St. Louis, Memphis, Atlanta. You like it when a plan comes together but you hate it when a plan falls apart at the same time -- John.
ROBERTS: Chad, if nothing else, you are accurate.
MYERS: Well, the computers did a great job yesterday, I'll will say that. I'll tell you what, the computers weren't doing such a good job on Monday with this storm. The forecast in Denver was only an inch or two of snow from the weather service there. We knew here at the Weather Center at CNN it was going to be a whole lot more than that.
ROBERTS: That's why you've got to watch us to find out what the real goods are. Thanks, Chad.
MYERS: You bet.
ROBERTS: Now to Iraq, there is no letup in the violence this morning. A suicide bomber targeted a group of men who were waiting to sign up for the national police force in Baghdad. At least 10 people were killed and 15 were injured. In western Baghdad, two more people were killed in a car bombing.
Elsewhere in Iraq this morning, the new secretary of Defense is getting an earful from U.S. troops in Iraq. He's now meeting with Iraqi leaders. What they tell him may influence whether he eventually orders more troops in the region.
Some U.S. military commanders say a larger troop presence may actually do more harm than good by provoking insurgents, but at breakfast this morning Gates heard a very different take from some troops on the ground.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SPEC. JASON GLENN, U.S. MILITARY: I really think we need more troops in. I really think we need more troops in Iraq. I'm just thinking that maybe more presence on the ground, more troops, might be able to hold them off long enough to where we can actually get some of the Iraqis trained up strong, so they can hold it themselves.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
Jamie McIntyre is the only network correspondent traveling with Secretary Gates in Baghdad. He joins us now on the phone.
Good morning to you, Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, John.
Quite a situation here in Iraq, where we saw this meeting between Secretary Gates and handpicked selection of fairly low ranking, but representative group, of soldiers here in Iraq, picked really to provide Gates with an opportunity to talk one-on-one with some of the troops.
He asked most of the questions in the question-and-answer session. He got some interesting answers, as you heard there. The main question he asked is, would you like to see more troops, more U.S. troops brought into Baghdad? The answer was pretty much universally, yes, among the group. Now, while it was a small group, not necessarily a scientific survey of every troop in Baghdad, it does represent a sentiment.
And it's one of the things that Gates is going to factor into his decision, as he tries to figure out whether or not this option to surge tens of thousands of additional troops really would have a payoff.
The second part of that is happening right now as he's meeting with Iraqi leaders. He wants to get from them some sort of commitment of what it is Iraq would do with this breathing space, that presumably would be bought by the infusion of significant military forces on the part of the United States. Because the consensus of commanders is, unless this surge was linked to a measurable political goal, something that would bring Iraq closer to reconciliation, then it would just be something that would temporarily tamp down the violence, which would just come back as soon as the troops leave.
ROBERTS: I tell you, Jamie, it's really interesting to note that split between the front line troops and generals, the front line troops saying we want more guys, the generals saying we have enough for now.
Jamie, we'll check back with you a little bit later on. Thanks very much.
The Pentagon wants more money to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Associated Press reports they are asking for $99.7 billion. That would boost the coming year's war budget to about $170 billion. So far, the war in Iraq has cost $350 billion, and if you add in the cost of Afghanistan, and other terror operations, the total bill reaches half a trillion.
The White House will not decide how much to ask for until the budget is submitted. That won't happen until February -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Coming up, a blinding blizzard out West has stranded thousands of people in Denver. Chad Myers tells us where it's headed next. And how it's going to mess up those holiday travel plans.
Plus, there is a new Christian video game out, sparking a lot of controversy. It's supposed to teach faith and values. Critics say, though, it is preaching hate and violence.
And it's Rosie versus The Donald. We'll tell you why the two are duking it out. AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Happening this morning, a major blizzard shutting down Colorado. Thousands of travelers stranded at the Denver Airport. And thousands stranded at London airports, too. No snow there, though, it's the famous London fog. Too thick to fly through.
S. O'BRIEN: There's a video game out this holiday season and it's supposed to be promoting Christian values. Critics say, though, in fact it's encouraging hate and religious intolerance. AMERICAN MORNING's Dan Lothian has the story for us.
Good morning.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: What's the game?
LOTHIAN: It is a PC game and it's based on the highly successful "Left Behind" Christian series, which includes books and movies. The theme is the same. The battle against the anti-Christ, good versus evil. But some think this latest effort to spread a religious message using a game has crossed the line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN (voice over): Like most video games, "Left Behind: Eternal Forces", involves strategy, war, guns, except this is religious entertainment, where you get more points when you pray and lose points when you kill.
TROY LYNDON, CEO, LEFT BEHIND GAMES: The purpose of the game is to create an alternative in an industry that creates a lot of dark content.
LOTHIAN: But some argue that this Christian game definitely has its share of dark content. And they're calling on the company to pull it, and mega retailer Wal-Mart, to stop selling it.
REV. TIM SIMPSON, CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE FOR PROGRESS: The game presents faith-based killing. It's a manual for religious violence that's being given to children.
LOTHIAN: In the war of good versus evil, based loosely on the biblical Book of Revelation, a player tries to recruit others in order to fight the enemy of nonbelievers. Prayer, after killing the opposition, will essentially redeem you.
CLARK STEVENS, DEFCONAMERICA.COM: At a time in history, when religious violence and religious intolerance are real -- the last thing we should be doing is promoting a game like this. LOTHIAN (on camera): The concern among some critics is that young people playing this game will get the wrong message. And that what they play in here will stick with them out there, in the real world.
(Voice over): Rebecca Glenn is a Christian, and the mother of a 17-year-old.
REBECCA GLENN, PARENT: I think some people might pick up this game and think that they are learning about a religion, and it's a very dangerous slant on the Christian religion.
LOTHIAN: Glenn bought the game for her son Weston to test, after hearing about the controversy online.
WESTON GLENN, TEEN GAMER: Basically there's no way to get through the game without killing people in the name of God.
LOTHIAN: But the game's creators say it does not, quote, "gratuitously depict violence." There is no bloodshed. And that the ultimate message is positive, helping gamers think about faith and the future. They say critics are misinformed.
LYNDON: They're simply made by people that haven't played the game. They're just throwing rocks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: The game is targeted at conservative Christians, but of course they're trying to appeal to a mainstream audience. By the way, the company and Wal-Mart have no plans to pull this game.
S. O'BRIEN: That teenager clearly is not throwing rocks. He played the game and said very clearly you can't get through it unless you kill people.
LOTHIAN: That's true. He said the difference between this game and other games, he says you're typically shooting up aliens and make believe. But in this case, he says you feel like you are a real person, and it's a real message. That's why he feels it has a different impact.
S. O'BRIEN: So, that 17-year-old gamer, does he think there's something -- does he think it's the kind of thing parents should not be giving to their kids? Or does he feel like, listen, as a 17-year- old I can tell the difference between what's a game and reality?
LOTHIAN: He can. But he doesn't think everyone can tell that difference. So he thinks it's a dangerous game. But then again, he also doesn't like the game. It is very complicated, it takes a while before you get to the fighting scene. Also, there are a lot of technical glitches. So, it's not a very popular game among gamers.
S. O'BRIEN: It might be boring, too. Even worse than being offensive, it's also boring.
(LAUGHTER)
LOTHIAN: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks a lot, Dan. John.
ROBERTS: It's 16 minutes now after the hour. We should say good morning to all of those people at the Denver airport, who are watching us on the monitors there today. About 3,000 spent the night there. So what are we in for today? Let's check get a quick check of the "Traveler's Forecast", Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Hey, Chad, did you see this Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump, thing?
MYERS: I saw it earlier, yeah.
S. O'BRIEN: This little spat? Crazy, huh?
MYERS: Yeah.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, you know, The Donald held that news conference on Tuesday, and he gave Miss USA, Tara Connor, a second chance. And then, of course, then you had Rosie O'Donnell on "The View", following up, really mocking The Donald. I think it's fair to say. Let's hear what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSIE O'DONNELL, "THE VIEW": This young girl, Tara Conner, how old is she? 20?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 21.
O'DONNELL: 21, she was out, and she was partying. She's from Kentucky. She went to New York and she was hanging out at all the parties, doing what Paris and Lindsay do. You know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
O'DONNELL: So he held a press conference to announce whether or not she was going to retain her crown. And then she started to cry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She did.
O'DONNELL: I just want to thank Donald for giving me a second chance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was brilliant.
O'DONNELL: And there he is, hair looping, going, "everyone deserves a second chance" --
(LAUGHTER)
O'DONNELL: And I'm going to give her a second chance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your hair is perfect for that.
O'DONNELL: He annoys me on a multitude of levels. He's the moral authority. Left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair, had kids both times, but he's the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America.
Donald, sit and spin, my friend. I don't enjoy him. He inherited a lot of money --
(CROSS TALK)
O'DONNELL: Wait, a minute. And he's been bankrupt so many times where he didn't have to pay --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What? He didn't have to pay?
O'DONNELL: All the people he owed. Here comes a lawsuit, get ready.
O'DONNELL: They put you on a payment plan.
O'DONNELL: He sues, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can imagine.
O'DONNELL: He's going to sue me, but he'll be bankrupt by that time, so I won't have to worry. I don't know -- I just think that this man is like sort of one of those snake oil salesmen in "Little House on the Prairie".
DONALD TRUMP: Rosie O'Donnell is disgusting, I mean, both inside and out. You take a look at her. She's a slob. She talks like a truck driver. She doesn't have her facts. She'll say anything that comes to her mind.
And, you know, her show failed when it was a talk show. She failed on that. The ratings went very, very low and very bad. And she got essentially thrown off television. Her magazine was a total catastrophe. She got sued.
And I mean, she's basically a disaster. She called me a snake oil salesman. Coming from Rosie, that's pretty low, because when you look at her, and when you see the mind, the mind is weak. I don't see it. I don't get it. I never understood, how does she even get on television.
I'll probably sue Rosie because she doesn't tell the facts. As an example, I'm worth many billions of dollars. It's not to brag about. I'm worth many billions of dollars, it's very simple.
She said I was bankrupt. Now, I never went bankrupt. She said I filed bankruptcy three times. I never filed bankruptcy. I never went bankrupt, but she said I went bankrupt. So probably I'll sue her, because it would be fun. I'd like to take some money out of her fat ass pockets. (END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: There are so many good lines in what he said.
ROBERTS: Oh -- It's not bragging, I'm worth many billions of dollars.
S. O'BRIEN: It's not that I'm not bragging, but I'm worth many billions of dollars.
ROBERTS: Many -- billions, B, dollars.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my gosh. You knew that was coming.
ROBERTS: This is just going to get better. You've got know that.
S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely. He followed up.
ROBERTS: Some of the stories that we're following right now. President Bush now standing behind Democrats in a pay hike for minimum wage earners. There's a catch. We'll tell you what it is. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
And this man gets about 100 misdialed calls a day from children looking for Santa Claus. We'll explain how it's happening ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We're back at AMERICAN MORNING happening this morning, a blizzard in the High Plains. Thousands stranded in Denver. Roads and the airport shut down by snow.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates hears it directly from the troops in Iraq, send us reinforcements.
S. O'BRIEN: The next time you're dialing Santa, dial carefully. Take a look at this guy. He's a businessman in Giletta (ph), California, he's been receiving dozens of calls from children who think they're calling Santa at 1-800-santaclause. Listen to one of these calls.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Santa Claus. I have been the best girl in the world! Could you please come to my house? I'll give you some cookies, and some chocolates, and milk.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Sorry, Santa, I have been the best girl in the world. He's been literally getting a hundred calls a day.
ROBERTS: See, and I've been very bad. S. O'BRIEN: Kids are off by a digit. Because they're dialing 1- 800-SantaClaus, kind of. They miss the digit so they're getting this guy, John Dickinson, who is answering a toll-free number for Santa Barbara's online visitor's guide.
ROBERTS: Wait a minute. Did you say Santa Barbara?
S. O'BRIEN: So close. That's the problem. But he says, he takes notes and talks to the kids, and asks them who's been naughty and who's been nice.
ROBERTS: Good for him.
S. O'BRIEN: He's getting a hundred calls a day.
ROBERTS: I'm sure it's driving him nuts, too.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it's cute.
ROBERTS: So, it's good for him to be in the spirit of the holiday.
S. O'BRIEN: Yeah, it really is.
ROBERTS: President Bush in the spirit of the holiday, as well. Signing a new tax bill just in time; 25 minutes after the hour. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business".
Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, John.
President Bush signed one big bill yesterday and then, he talked about something else that matters to a lot of people.
The big bill was about something we spoke about weeks ago. There were a number of tax changes that expired this year, and need to be renewed. They hadn't been renewed by election time. What happened is Congress quickly passed a whole bunch of -- just sort of lumped a whole bunch of things into one bill and President Bush signed it yesterday.
What it does, is it renews a $4,000 education deduction for higher education, renews the tax credits for teachers who buys supplies out of their own pockets, renews some tax options for people who live in states that don't have an income tax, so they can claim their sales tax that they pay.
The bill also had trade provisions. It normalizes trade relations with countries like Vietnam, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Haiti, some African countries. That's a big bill and in fact it will affect people when they pay their taxes, so you should check about the changes that were made after the tax forms were printed.
The other thing President Bush did is he endorsed the Democratic proposal to raise the minimum wage. Federal minimum wage is $5.15. It's been that way for 10 years. More than 29 states -- 28 states and the District of Columbia -- have minimum wages that are higher than the federal average.
Well, what's happened is the president has endorsed the Democratic proposal to increase the minimum wage by $2.10. The Democrats had said let's do it over three years. President Bush says let's do it over two years. But tie it to some sort of a break for small businesses, who say they're going to get hit the hardest for it.
Sounds like it might be a reasonable proposal. That it might actually work and will keep everybody happy.
So that's where we are with those. We'll be back in a little while talking about how to keep shoppers from getting angry in your stores, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: How about having more sales people?
VELSHI: That would be number one on the list.
S. O'BRIEN: And shorter lines and good sales. That's just my short list. All right, Ali. We'll wait for that at 55 after the hour.
VELSHI: OK.
S. O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, a winter blizzard is virtually shutting down Denver and forcing thousands of people to sleep on the floor of the Denver airport. We'll tell you where the storm is heading next when we talk to Chad.
And just what did you get from your boss? Did you get a holiday bonus this year?
ROBERTS: $10 million, $12 million, I can't remember.
S. O'BRIEN: Is that what you got this year? $10 to $12 million? Well, some people did.
ROBERTS: It wasn't that much.
S. O'BRIEN: We'll tell you what they're doing with those big bucks, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: As we all know, when the snow comes down like this, chances are that the planes aren't going up. So how are holiday travelers dealing with being stuck in Denver?
Julie Hayden of our affiliate KDVR has this report from the floor, literally the floor, of the Denver International Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're supposed to be in Mexico for Christmas. We might as well get the air mattress out. And we're supposed to be floating out in the water with this.
JULIE HAYDEN, KDVR REPORTER (voice-over): It was all about timing at DIA.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We actually landed 10 minutes earlier than we were supposed to, and the pilot came on and said had we landed on time we definitely would have been diverted.
HAYDEN: But then Danielle (ph) and the plane sat on the tarmac for over two hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that if the plane would have pulled into the gate, we might have made it home. We're trying to get to Highlands Ranch, and we tried twice to get out of the airport.
HAYDEN: Sarah sat on the tarmac eight hours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They didn't have any food to offer us, which is unfortunate. They had muffins we could buy, but they only have a limited number. People were getting cranky. We were stuck on the flight for eight hours. You know, it was not fun.
HAYDEN: The airport handed out blankets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're trying to get blankets so we can stay warm for the night.
HAYDEN: But there's not a lot you can do to make an airport floor comfortable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, you've got people here who have their holiday plans ruined, and there's not much that we can do to make up for that. Hopefully you give them a roof over their head, a warm building to stay in, access to the basic necessities.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Give them a plane to leave on that would probably help.
O'BRIEN: That would be good, too.
ROBERTS: That was Julie Hayden of our affiliate KDVR for us this morning. Our thanks to her.
O'BRIEN: And guess what, similar problems across the Atlantic in London. Thousands of travelers stranded there, too, because of thick fog, though, not snow. But that's there problem. So far, hundreds of flights at Heathrow have been grounded.
Paul Newton's there for us live with the very latest. Good morning, Paula.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. Well, you guessed it, fog in London. I know we should be used to this, but what's happened here, this is unusual. It's our second straight day of fog, and we are socked in. This isn't the kind of stuff that's going to burn off, and the result, hundreds of flights canceled.
Mostly affected is Britain and some European destinations. The problem, Soledad, I've been speaking to passengers who came in from the United States, landed at Heathrow, expected to go on to another European destination, and no luck. They've been stranded here, some of them one, two nights. Things are getting ugly in the airport terminal. And people are getting depressed and desperate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were here yesterday in London for a 12:50 flight, but it was canceled. Next two flights, we have no seats. Our flight was canceled. So we were here all day yesterday, and we'll try again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And the forecast for here, nothing you want to fill your stocking with, Soledad. The fog is expected to get worse, and tomorrow is expected to be the busiest travel day of the year here at Heathrow. It's going to get uglier before it gets any better.
And as we all know, Soledad, as these flights pile up, it is a domino effect. If you're traveling in and out of the United States, into the Heathrow, your flight is not likely to be canceled, but expect long delays -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Terrible timing for all this to be happening weatherwise.
Paula Newton for us this morning. Thanks, Paula -- John.
ROBERTS: Kofi Annan faced some tough challenges during his tenure as secretary-general of the United Nations, and looming over everything the war in Iraq.
CNN's senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth got a chance to talk with Annan about his lingering concerns just before he leaves.
And when it comes to Iraq, Richard, he's certainly leaving nothing in the locker room.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Iraq dominated his two terms in office, John. You remember once he said he could do business with Saddam Hussein. He tried, worked out a deal on arms inspections that eventually collapsed. And then the war, which he is strongly opposed. Yesterday, in an interview yesterday he said there's no military solution. There's got to be an international conference, and he still has a lot of concerns about going forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: We are in a very difficult situation. You remember that I have said we are in civil war in Iraq. And we need to be extremely careful in the sense that if this were to get out of hand and escalate through the region, it would be very catastrophic for the region and for the world. And that's why it is in everyone's interest to come together to get Iraq right. And sooner the better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: And he said he knows that the people who are killing each other in Iraq right now are not going to respect an international conference. But he thinks, though, it may help diffuse tensions. He lost 20-plus people, the best and brightest of the U.N., in Baghdad when the U.N. building was hit by a suicide bomber. It took a strong emotional toll on him. He's opposed the war right from the beginning. He's also concerned about military intervention in Iran which he says would be a disaster should it ever come to that.
ROBERTS: So what's the opinion of Annan as he's leaving? The Clinton administration liked him. The Bush administration seemed to like him for a while. But then in recent years, after the war, and after his outspokenness on that, didn't seem to have a whole lot of time for him. And actually if you talk to diplomats privately, they have a lot of ridicule for them.
ROTH: Well, the international set at the U.N. supported him because they strongly opposed what the U.S. did on Iraq, avoiding the U.N. I think the Bush administration and Kofi Annan tolerated each other. The Bush administration had its problems as the war went against them, and Kofi Annan had Oil-for-Food, which he said unfairly targeted him, since it was the member counties of the U.N. that knew Saddam Hussein was making millions off business deals.
The legacy is a mixed legacy, definitely. A great first three years in terms of success, which he's credited with, and then a big decline, not necessarily due to his own actions, but he may have trusted too many people.
ROBERTS: The new secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon, the South Korean foreign minister, what do we know about him, what we can we expect.
ROTH: A bit of a cipher. He seems to takes pride in that. Constantly citing how he was called the slippery eel by South Korean media. He says he's going to try to back up words with deeds. His first trip will be to the African Union, very late on appointments so far, hasn't announced much of his cabinet. We don't know much about the new man.
ROBERTS: The slippery eel heading up the U.N. That's great. Richards, thanks very much -- Soledad.
ROTH: Thank you, John. S. O'BRIEN: Much more to come on the stories we're following for your this morning. Some clues maybe about who's going to get Alzheimer's years before patients, in fact, show signs of the disease. We'll tell you about a new brain scan.
And what does bacteria have to do with obesity? Some doctors say it could be a cause. Those stories straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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S. O'BRIEN: And then we've got the promising breakthrough in the battle against Alzheimer's. New tests might be able to detect the disease long before a person actually demonstrates it. You can tell that they have Alzheimer's.
Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is at the CNN Center. She's got more for us.
Good morning, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.
Soledad, if this really turns out that it works, this could be a huge development in the detection of Alzheimer's. Right now, there really isn't a way to detect if someone has Alzheimer's. We've all had sort of senior moments. We joke about them. We forget things. Well, for some people that gets worse and worse, and they really don't know if there on the way to having Alzheimer's, or if they're just getting sort of forgetful.
Well, what these scientists did is that they actually did images of people who had Alzheimer's and people who didn't, and people in the middle, people who just had some cognitive impairment. That's the group in the middle.
And as you can see, the Alzheimer's group, you see a lot of red, and yellow and white, and that's a sign of the plaques and tangles that are hallmarks to Alzheimer's Disease, actual plaques and tangles that are on the brain.
In the impaired group, in the middle, you see some of that yellow. You don't see nearly as much as you do in the Alzheimer's, but you see a lot more than you do on the image to the left on the healthy brain. So what you're seeing there in the middle, that's really key; you're seeing the beginnings of some form of impairment.
Now, what they have to do now is they have to follow this group in the middle, these folks with these impairments and see if they really do go on to develop Alzheimer's. They think there's a good chance they will. Right now they don't know simply because the time hasn't passed.
But once enough time has passed and they see if those folks in that middle category get Alzheimer's, that will help answer the question. Right now, of course, you can't go to your doctor and get this test, it's still experimental -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: When do they think, if this ever really does becomes a test, that you could go to your doctor to take, would they start giving these test at age 40? Is it age 50? It is age 70? Could you do it when you're 10 years old, 12-year-olds?
COHEN: No it definitely wouldn't work when you're 10 or 12 years old. They would most likely give this test to people who are having symptoms. Because if you're not having symptoms, you're going to show up as that healthy brain probably, the one that you saw there on the left. So it would be given most likely to people who are having symptoms, and where they're concerned and there family is concerned, is this is just someone getting a little bit forgetful as people do with age? It's often no big deal, or is this is someone who is on their way to Alzheimer's.
O'BRIEN: How long do they think, Elizabeth, before they're able to look at that middle picture and say, this person has dementia, or this person is just forgetful, and this person is going to go on to develop Alzheimer's? How many years do they have to monitor these?
COHEN: They're going to have to monitor these patients for many years. Because it can take a couple of years, or sometimes five or 10 years for someone to go on from that mild cognitive impairment onto Alzheimer's. So they have years of work ahead for them.
O'BRIEN: Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning in Atlanta. Thanks, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
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ROBERTS: Some of the stories that we're following right now, it looks like Wall Street workers were nice instead of naughty this year. You won't believe the bonuses in their Christmas stockings.
And California dreamers waking up to the harsh reality of expensive living. We'll tell you why the Golden State is losing its luster for some people there.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: This year, some folks on Wall Street are going to be smiling, maybe even going farther than that, maybe just jumping for joy. That's because the holiday bonuses are bigger than ever this year. So big, in fact, that they equal the gross domestic products of countries like Qatar and Panama.
AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho report on just how all that extra cash might be spent this year.
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ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their stockings are stuffed with holiday green. Investment banks are handing out a whopping $23.9 billion in holiday bonuses.
ELIZABETH MACDONALD, SR. EDITOR, "FORBES": M&A activity is up. The Dow has taken off. The S&P 500 has taken off. Wall Street is continuing to turn out record profits.
CHO: Profits soared 93 percent at Goldman Sachs this year, which means more than $16 billion in holiday paychecks. Outside Goldman headquarters, no one wanted to brag. Except one guy, who wouldn't give his name, but couldn't contain himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joyous.
CHO: He and fellow bankers celebrated in style with 1,000 white castle hamburgers. Goldman chief Lloyd Blankfein will take home $53 million, while Morgan Stanley CEO will pocket an estimated $40 million. A few of their hot shot traders and bankers can expect to take home $10, $25, and in some cases $50 million. A select few are getting $100 million. And they're looking to spend.
Real estate executive Pamela Liebman says her phones are ringing off the hook.
PAMELA LIEBMAN, PRES., CORCORAN REAL ESTATE: We know it's in their pocket and we know that they want to spend it, and they're not shy about saying, hey, I worked so hard all year, I just got this big bonus and I want to live really well.
CHO: Liebman says this year the buyers aren't just setting their sites on Park and Fifth Avenue penthouses, they're thinking oceanfront, Fancy restaurants will also benefit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-four million, five hundred.
CHO: So will auction houses and luxury car dealers, Rolls- Royces, Bentleys, and Lamborghinis. Some lucky bankers are paying $200,000 or more on the spot with no sticker shock.
WALTER D'URSO, MANHATTAN MOTORCARS: They just want to show everyone that they can afford a beautiful car.
CHO: Experts say what's good for Wall Street is good for Main Street, and an economy that for now is roaring.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
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O'BRIEN: It's a nice car. If you work for a small business you'll probably get time off instead of a bonus. According to an American Express survey which is in "USA Today," 47 percent of small businesses give out bonuses, which is down four percent from last years; 55 percent of businesses say congratulations.
ROBERTS: You get a day off. Wow, I wish somebody would say that to me once in a while. Some large corporations do that as well. Some of which will go unnamed.
O'BRIEN: Here, for example. Congratulations. Take the day off.
ROBERTS: You let the cat out of the bag. And I'm going to suffer for it.
Some of the stories that we're following for you right now, millions of documents about to be declassified, revealing secrets from Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
And this is the last weekend to get your Christmas shopping done. A look at what stores are doing to keep workers from losing their cool. Stay with us.
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