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Denver Snowstorm; Saddam Hussein Execution; Call-In Criminal
Aired December 29, 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: The city's second big winter storm in just over a week.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And power to the people. 2006, the year you became a star. We look back at YouTube's phenomenal success on this Friday, December 29th. You are in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: A deposed dictator in what could be his final hours. A defense attorney for Saddam Hussein says different sources think he will be executed tomorrow morning. Iraqi prime minister Nuri al- Maliki told reporters today there will be, "no reviews or delays in the execution of the criminal Saddam." As far as we know right now, Hussein remains in U.S. custody and has not yet been handed over to Iraqi authorities. The lead defense attorney says the U.S. military has asked him to arrange for Hussein's personal belongings to be picked up. Much more in a live report from Baghdad just a few minutes from now.
HOLMES: Well, if you're in Denver right now, there's a good chance you're going to be staying in Denver for a bit. The city in the center of a one-two winter punch. Snow is piling up. More snow is on the way. Jonathan Freed at the airport, still buried in snow.
You're having a good time out there. You've been on this for a while now.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.
Yes, we are one with the snow. We are one with the weather here in Denver because that's -- you have to be that way in order to deal with this. But take a look at what we're seeing or not seeing here. Since the last time we chatted, visibility has dropped significantly here. The airport, though, if you can see those couple of planes over there, make them out against the white, this airport is still operational.
They are very good at keeping this place running even during significant snow. They have an army of plows that just keep working the runways. And the runways that we're looking at here right now are the four north-south runways still operational as of now here in Denver.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAJOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER, DENVER: There is the potential that this storm could be as intense or even more intense than the storm that hit us a week ago. FREED, (voice over): Round two could bring another dump of snow on the Denver area. Last week, 24 inches fell in 24 hours, paralyzing the mile high city. Denver's mayor says they're better prepared this time.
HICKENLOOPER: We are making a major effort to keep the main arteries open the entire time and focusing our equipment there to make sure that access to our hospitals and emergency facilities are open.
FREED: At Denver International Airport, snowbound for two days last week, airlines canceled flights in advance as some people tried to get out before the storm moved in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said they were letting you fly out early with no change fee fare.
FREED: Last week's storm stranded thousands of travelers at the airport. Officials say it could be deja vu in Denver.
CHUCK CANNON, DIA SPOKESMAN: Our primary goal is safety. And if it's not safe to land on -- or to take off and land airplanes here, we will not do that. We'll shut it down. This is not the way we planned to spend the entire Christmas/New Year holiday. No, it isn't.
FREED: Either way, it's a holiday to remember.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here with my kids, who are seven and five, who have never seen snow like this. So they have been jumping in all the piled up snow and they think that's going to the mountains and jumping in the snow. They don't even know that there are mountains up there because they can't see them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREED: So, T.J., even with the reduced visibility that we're dealing with now because this snow is, indeed, picking up, I'm counting no fewer than one, two, three, four, five, six -- now I've got seven aircraft in view, all operating here at Denver airport. People here bracing in case it gets worse, but they're very good at dealing with snow here. So we'll see, even with heavy snow, whether they can keep this place going throughout the day.
T.J.
HOLMES: And, of course, they know what they're doing. They're the experts. But, boy, I'd be scared being on that little plane right now right behind you taking off in that snow, Jonathan. But, thank you. I'm sure we'll be checking back in with you in a little bit.
We now want to turn and check in with Chad Myers, keeping an eye on all this stuff.
And a lot of people got new year's plans, too. The holiday's not quite over for a lot of folks and the weather's causing some problems.
(WEATHER REPORT) HOLMES: Iraq on edge today awaiting the execution of Saddam Hussein. We want to get a view from the capital and CNN's Ryan Chilcote who's in Baghdad for us.
Hello, Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., two officials, one U.S., one Iraqi, are telling us that Saddam Hussein is still in U.S. custody. That's something that's very important, we're watching very carefully because it is our understanding that Saddam Hussein will be transferred from U.S. custody to Iraqi custody before he is executed.
The sense we are getting on the ground is that this execution could be coming very soon. That is something that Saddam's own defense team also believes. They think the execution could come as soon as tomorrow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAJIB AL-NUAIMI, SADDAM HUSSEIN'S LAWYER: We had a lot of indication, for example, from different sources. Some say maybe in one week after this. Some people say on the 26th. But after we have experienced the meetings yesterday, all the indication I was told he might be executed tomorrow morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHILCOTE: Everything appears to be set for that execution. It's certainly legally the appellate process has been exhausted. This is really now in the political realm. The Iraqi prime minister was quoted on Iraqi state TV earlier today saying that the decision to execute Saddam will not be reversed and that that execution will not be delayed.
T.J.
HOLMES: Ryan, a lot has happened since Saddam was caught, since the trial, since the conviction. A lot is going on. Is Saddam Hussein even relevant anymore? And is his execution -- are we really going to expect it to make a difference one way or another?
CHILCOTE: It is relevant in the sense of perhaps historical justice for many Iraqis that suffered under him. The question is less clear when it comes to the fighting in Iraq. I think it is not very likely that his execution will have much of an impact on the fighting.
The Saddam loyalists that are fighting in the insurgency have been fighting without him for three years and they say that they are ready to continue fighting. Then you have the Islamist groups like al Qaeda in Iraq for whom Saddam Hussein was never a figurehead, so this is not going to have any effect on their fight. If you talk to Iraqis on the street, whether they are Shiites or Sunnis, at least the sense I get from them is they certainly don't think that this is going to have much of an effect on the violence.
And we're seeing even more of that violence today. Just north of the Iraqi capital, a suicide bombing targeting a Shiite cleric. Clearly a sectarian killing. Ten Iraqis killed in that attack. Another 15 wounded. It just continues here in the Iraqi capital and now north of the city.
T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Our Ryan Chilcote for us in Baghdad.
Ryan, thank you so much.
COLLINS: President Bush monitoring the execution from his Texas ranch. CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano is in Crawford with the very latest from there.
Good morning to you, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.
Well, earlier this morning a senior administration official told CNN that this official did not believe Saddam Hussein had been transferred to Iraqi custody just yet. Certainly, though, strong indications that the execution for Saddam Hussein is, in fact, drawing near. Yesterday a senior administration official saying that the word from the Iraqi government was that it would take place sometime within the next day or so, probably. Now this official, at the same time, made clear that this was a decision and a process that would be carried out by the Iraqis themselves, a point echoed by President Bush's homeland security advisor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRAN TOWNSEND, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: Obviously the timing of the execution will be left to the Iraqis. Saddam Hussein has enjoyed a level of due process and legal process that he denied many of his victims. It's now time for him to face the penalty that's been determined by an Iraqi court. We don't yet have the written opinion and it's my belief that we'll see that before you'd see an execution, but this is really going to be in the Iraqis' hands now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Meantime, the president yesterday huddled with his war cabinet. After meeting with them for about three hours, President Bush said that he believed they were making progress in crafting a new policy for Iraq. But he made very clear at that time that he was not yet ready to make any kind of announcements, saying that he wanted to consult further with the Iraqi government, as well as members of Congress.
And, Heidi, today, no public events on President Bush's schedule, but we did learn, as we reported yesterday, that the president will be returning to Washington a few hours early new year's day in order to pay his respects to the late President Gerald Ford.
Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, understood. Elaine Quijano live from Crawford today.
Elaine, thanks.
HOLMES: Iraqis on death watch. What happens after Saddam's execution? A political historian on Iraq shares his thoughts. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Slow ride for a Florida carjacker. He gets lost and decides he might just turn himself in, calls 911, of all numbers to call. We'll tell you the story later in the NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: And, of course, Denver. Look at this picture again. That looks great. Looks nice. Looks dazzling in white. But you've got two back-to-back, big old snow storms happening there. That is a live picture of what's happening right now in Denver. This is not funny anymore. Stay here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Life after Saddam. Iraq after his execution. Will the country erupt in celebration or violence? Our guest is a political historian of Iraq and a professor of political science at Miami University. Adeed Dawisha joins us now by phone from Oxford, Ohio.
Sir, thank you so much for being with us.
And I want to start, if you could, by telling us how delicate of a balancing act does the Iraqi government have here because, on one hand, they need to let people know for sure that Saddam is dead. They have to show them that after the execution. But at the same time, they don't want to put it so far out there and maybe infuriate some of his supporters. Talk about that balancing act that the government's having to go through right now.
ADEED DAWISHA, IRAQ POLITICAL HISTORIAN: It is, indeed, a balancing act. I think that's the right word to use. They don't want to be associated with the kind of atrocities that Saddam was famous for, and that is to say, putting people in public places, showing their pictures hanging from a noose and so on. But at the same time, Iraqis are always very skeptical and need to have some proof. So I suspect that he will be hanged and then, after that, they will show pictures of him basically dead to prove that he is, indeed, gone.
HOLMES: Now Iraqis, as we all know, day in, day out, they have other things on their mind and they've got other problems there in Iraq, staying alive at the top of the list. What hopes do they have? And how much is this on their minds, Saddam's execution? Do they have high hopes that maybe this will make some kind of a difference? Or is this more on our radar here in the U.S. than it is there in Iraq?
DAWISHA: Actually, I've been scanning the newspapers, Iraqi newspapers, this morning and watching some of the satellites, the Arab satellites, and the consensus I seem to get from this is that people generally are concerned that there will be a spike in violence after the execution. But many of them think this will be short term and that things will go back to normal, which in Iraq means daily killings, abductions, and kidnappings and so on.
HOLMES: What is the upside for the government, I guess, in doing it so quickly? They have 30 days. They could wait well into January, I believe, the 26th or 27, like that, but they're going to go ahead -- it appears, at least, go ahead and do it now. Do they just want to get it behind them, get it over with?
DAWISHA: Yes.
HOLMES: What's the advantage of doing it so quickly?
DAWISHA: Yes, absolutely. I mean, look, the man has been sentenced to death. The appeal had not been granted. What is the point of waiting 30 days? You only increase the expectations. You get his supporters in the Sunni Triangle to use this as an excuse to mount more attacks. You might get manifestations of support for him in the towns, particularly in the Sunni areas, and so on.
I mean if there was another appeal pending, that's another matter. But it is now finished and that's it, he's going to be executed, then obviously the sooner the better. Get it out of the way, leave it behind and get on with your work.
HOLMES: There are so many moments, historical moments I guess you could call them, for Iraq in the past three years or so. From the invasion, to Saddam being ousted, to his trial, to -- I mean so many things. Elections. Where will Saddam's execution be on the list of historic moments for the country of Iraq?
DAWISHA: I think it would be probably a more historic moment maybe in 20, 30 years time when historians writing the history of Iraq or, indeed, of whatever Iraq is going to become in this period. I think at the present time, at this moment, it really is not that significant. If they had -- if he had been executed, say, two, three months after the invasion began, if he had been executed two, three months after we captured him, it would have had a far greater electric impact on Iraqis than it is now.
It's an old story. Saddam is now a man of the past. He has been imprisoned. He has been on trial while other people have been carrying on in his direction (ph) and the violence. And so to many Iraqis, this is a chapter of their lives that is pretty far away from their daily routines and the daily nightmare that they're going through today. So, in the short term, it's not much of an event. I presume only historians in 20 years time or 30 years time will make a judgment as to its importance in the long term.
HOLMES: Well, it appears at least that chapter, as you say for Iraqi, is about to close.
DAWISHA: Correct.
HOLMES: Adeed Dawisha, a political historian of Iraq, professor of political science at Miami University. Sir, thank you so much for your expertise and spending some time with us.
DAWISHA: Thank you.
COLLINS: A tragic ending in one search, even as another continues. Authorities have identified the body of one of two American climbers. They had been missing for weeks in the mountains of southwest China. Charlie Fowler's remains were found on Genyen Peak, also known as Genie Mountain. Fowler, a veteran guide and photographer, was traveling with Christine Boskoff, another experienced climber. She is presumed dead, but her body has not yet been found.
A private service, a public viewing, honoring the nation's 38th president. Details on Gerald Ford's farewell coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The YouTube revolution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think it's not 15 minutes of fame they care about anymore. It's 15 mega bytes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: It's the website that changed how so many see the world. That's next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: And we are looking at the big board now. You see the Dow Jones Industrial average up about 13 points. Appearing that the Nasdaq is up 9 as well. Resting now at 12,515. We will watch it. Remember, today is the last day of trading. Got the new year holiday on Monday and then the stock exchange will be closed on Tuesday in remembrance of President Gerald Ford.
HOLMES: Saying farewell to a legend. A private funeral this afternoon for James Brown. Friends and family will gather in his hometown, Augusta, Georgia. Yesterday fans said their farewells at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater. That's where the soul legend began his musical career decades ago. Some fans danced in the aisles as drums played over loud speakers. Brown died Monday at the age of 73 of congestive heart failure. He'll be buried in Georgia tomorrow. You can stay with CNN for live coverage throughout the day.
COLLINS: OK, follow me on this one. Claude King of Plantation, Florida, we have to say, allegedly here . . .
HOLMES: OF course, allegedly.
COLLINS: Anyway, he allegedly carjacks a woman's SUV in Boca Raton. He races off, turns here, turns there, hits another car, then another. After a while he's lost. No GPS in the car, I'm guessing. So what does he do? Something you might not believe. The story from Angela Rozier of CNN affiliate WPBF. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OPERATOR: 9-1-1. What is your emergency?
CALLER: Um, I committed a crime. I stole a vehicle.
OPERATOR: Excuse me?
CALLER: I committed a crime. I stole a vehicle.
OPERATOR: You said you stole a vehicle?
CALLER: Yes.
ANGELA ROZIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): You heard it right. Palm Springs police say this guy, Claude King of Plantation, dialed 911 to report a crime that he committed.
How rare is that, that you have a suspect call and tell you to come and get him?
LT. MARK HALL, PALM SPRINGS, FLORIDA POLICE: It's very rare. However, when you listen to the tape and you hear his voice, it appears that he had pretty much given up and exhausted.
ROZIER: Police say King carjacked the black SUV, seen in this photo. It happened at the I-95 and Glaze (ph) Road exit in Boca Raton Tuesday night. They say King forced the driver and her four passengers out of the vehicle, headed north, ended up at this pay phone near Congreston (ph) Avenue in Palm Springs where he dialed 911.
OPERATOR: Are you with the vehicle right now?
CALLER: No. Right now I'm on Tenth Avenue. Tenth Avenue north.
OPERATOR: OK. Where is the vehicle at?
CALLER: I couldn't even (INAUDIBLE). I don't even know where I'm at.
HALL: He had wrecked the vehicle. He also appeared to be lost, didn't know where he was at, and I guess decided that the only people who would help him at this point was us.
ROZIER: Police helped King get to the Palm Beach County Jail. The driver of that SUV and her passengers are grateful but still in shock.
CAROLINE FUNKEY, CARJACKING VICTIM: It was really terrifying. Like his eyes were all bugged, looking all scary like he was on a mission to get the car. So we're just glad that he didn't have a weapon or anything, and that, you know, we're all like basically OK except for like a few bumps and bruises.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Claude King is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail without bail.
HOLMES: Well, yes, let's move on, shall we? Claude. Good old Claude.
Well, the end is near. At least it certainly looks that way. All signs point to Saddam Hussein's execution maybe within hours. We're following developments here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: A journey of faith. Millions of Muslim pilgrims gather for the Hajj. We'll take you there in the NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: And slippery roads. That's some of them there around the area of Denver. Not too many cars on the road. I guess it's still a bit early there. But maybe a lot of folks heeding the advice of local officials and saying home if you can. But a lot of flight cancellations in Denver as well to tell you about. They're getting clobbered by a second straight week by a big old winter storm. No mercy for the mile-high city. We'll talk about it next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, does this look familiar to you? I'll give you two guesses what that is but you'll only need one. Yeah, Denver. It's looked like that for a while now. It's been pounded by a second major snow storm in a week. Another live picture of the roads in and around Denver. Several inches of snow on the ground and more is on the way. Highways have been closed, hundreds of flights canceled. Same old story, same old song. In Colorado, Governor Bill Owens once again declared a statewide disaster and put the National Guard on stand by.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Nothing will stop the execution of Saddam Hussein. That word today from Iraq's prime minister. There are indications the execution may be imminent. Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki told reporters there will be, "no reviews or delays in the execution of the criminal Saddam." As far as we know right now, Hussein remains in U.S. custody, and has not been handed over to Iraqi authorities. The lead defense attorney says the U.S. military has asked him to arrange for his personal belongings to be picked up. His legal team expects the sentence may be carried out within hours.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE)
(END OF AUDIO CLIP)
COLLINS: We are watching for any developments in the execution of Saddam Hussein so make sure you stay with CNN for the latest in English, we promise.
Carrying out the sentence against Saddam Hussein, Iraq's former dictator waits the to be hanged. Throughout history, execution has been the fate of both common criminals and world leaders. More now in the CNN fact check.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): In 2005, there were more than 2,100 people executed in 22 different countries. But the overwhelming majority, 94 percent, were carried out in just four countries -- China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United States. The U.S. executed 60 people. Saudi Arabia, at least 86. Iran executed at least 94. China's execution records are kept secret. Based on public records that are available, Amnesty International estimates China executed 1,770 people in 2005. Saddam Hussein joins a list of world leaders sentenced to death. In 1945, a firing squad shot Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, then strung up his body upside down at a Milan gas station. A military tribunal hanged Japan's wartime prime minister (INAUDIBLE) Tojo for war crimes in 1948. In 1962, former SS lieutenant colonel Adolph Eichmann was also hanged for crimes against the Jewish people. Pakistan hanged its former prime minister (INAUDIBLE) Ali Bhutto in 1979. In 1989, a Romanian firing squad executed the husband and wife team of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu. The pair served as Romania's prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively. Their trial on charges of genocide lasted two hours. They were immediately sentenced to death by firing squad. In 1996, the Taliban executed Afghanistan's president Mohammad Najabula (ph). Two other Afghan presidents were executed months apart in 1979.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Millions are gathered in and around the Saudi Arabian city for a sacred journey, and our Zain Verjee takes us to the plain of Arafat outside Mecca.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The sun has just risen on the plain of Arafat, and standing here on a very sacred place called the mount of mercy, the lucky ones have made it here and are going to spend the day in prayer and in meditation. Prophet Muhammad preached his last sermon here so it's regarded as a very auspicious place to be. Almost 3 million pilgrims are going to spend the day in prayer and in meditation asking for God's forgiveness. We have been hearing chants on the way up, (INAUDIBLE), from the pilgrims here, essentially meaning God, I am here, I am answering your call. I'm going to try to make my way up now, up through these stairs and through the sea of pilgrims here. It's been a little bit difficult but we are trying and we're getting there.
Well, I never made it to the top. I tried, but there were way too many people. I'm headed now to a different part of the plain of Arafat in this mass migration of people. The idea here is that everyone stands equal before God. You can see by the way people are dressed really that you can't tell who's rich or who's poor. Pilgrims want to have a spiritual rebirth here, they want their slate to be wiped clean and they want to get a second chance in life. Zain Verjee, CNN, on the plain of Arafat.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The Youtube revolution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think it's not 15 minutes of fame they care about anymore. It's 15 megabytes.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: It is the website that changed how so many see the world. See it here in the NEWSROOM.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Stephanie Elam at the New York Stock Exchange, coming up, Wall Street prepares for a national day of mourning in honor of former President Ford. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A time of private remembrance for the Ford family today. The late president's wife, Betty and children gathering today at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, California, there, the family will receive the casket from a military honor guard at the church. After the private service there will be a public viewing, the first in a series of ceremonies. Services are upcoming in the nation's capital and Ford's hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He will be buried there on Wednesday. You can stay with CNN for continuing coverage as America mourns.
A state funeral for former President Gerald Ford, the military and one man in particular playing a key role. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether it is at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a funeral for a young service member killed in Iraq or the state funeral for a former commander in chief, the military renders honors with precision, discipline and tradition. The family and the casket are never left unattended. Major General Galen Jackman escorted Mrs. Reagan throughout the president's funeral in 2004. He also directed hundreds of troops through their somber duties.
MAJ. GEN. GALEN JACKMAN, FMR. CMDR., MILITARY DIST., WASHINGTON: America saw them on television as they will see the men and women today and this week performing this. Many of these soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guard men, are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
STARR: They are moments often etched in history.
JACKMAN: The transfer of the casket at 16th and Constitution, the procession of -- of the casket to the capitol. At the Reagan Library, when the United States Army chorus sang the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," as the sun was setting, a very memorable experience for me.
STARR: At President Ford's funeral, as with President Reagan's, the military will make sure the former first lady is watched over and cared for.
JACKMAN: There were times where she needed a little bit of support. These things tend to be a bit tiring, and so she needed some support and someone to kind of lean on during the funeral.
STARR (on camera): Here at Arlington Cemetery, there are some 30 funerals every day. Veterans of World War II and Vietnam and, of course, those who have fallen on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. So for the U.S. military, sadly, they practice the funeral honors that they will render to President Ford almost every day. Barbara Starr, CNN, Arlington National Cemetery.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Farewell to a president, remembering Gerald R. Ford and a CNN special report at cnn.com. You can view images of Americans paying tribute across the nation. Listen and watch Ford's legacy in an audio slide show and see and share your memories of him. Get more at cnn.com.
COLLINS: In fact, President Bush has declared Tuesday, January 2nd, a national day of mourning for former President Ford. Closing most federal offices for the day and Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on what Wall Street has planned. Hi Stephanie.
ELAM: Hi Heidi and T.J. Well the word from the New York Stock Exchange this morning is that there will be no trading here on Tuesday to honor the 38th president. We were waiting for that word. The NASDAQ stock market said yesterday it will be closed on January 2nd as well, what would have been the first trading day of 2007. However, the bond market is likely to be open for half a day. Now, the day of a president's funeral has traditionally been a national day of mourning in the financial markets, so this is in keeping with tradition. Most recently markets were closed on Friday, June 11th of 2004 and that was after President Ronald Reagan died. One interesting twist here is that with Tuesday as a national day of mourning, the markets will be closed for four consecutive days because Monday is also a holiday for New Year's Day, so Wall Street has not been closed for more than three days in a row since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And in that event the markets were actually closed for six days in a row, including a weekend. Now even on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the NYSE opens for half a day of trading just to avoid being closed for four straight days. And the reason is, the markets want to avoid the buildup of a huge wave of selling pressure in the event of some major world event. So there's a lot of reason why they took some time to figure out what they were going to do here, Heidi and T.J.
COLLINS: So, it sounds like that could have some impact.
ELAM: Oh, yes. Very little action will take place. You know, when you take a look at all the stuff that's going on, it probably won't have much of an impact. I mean most people did expect this to happen when it's happening.
COLLINS: Ok. Very good. How about Wall Street today? We saw earlier anyway the numbers were up a tad.
ELAM: Yeah, there's a little bit of move here. The major averages continue to edge higher, the Dow Industrials right now are on the up side by 8 points, they were up a little bit higher earlier today. The NASDAQ, however, is also up by about 4 points. Not a lot of movement there. The S&P 500 is on the negative side, but it's kind of what you expect on a very light volume trading day as you would expect on this holiday week, basically. And as 2006 winds down, we see that it's been a very good year. As of yesterday's close the Dow is up more than 16 percent, the NASDAQ is up nearly 10 percent and the S&P 500 is up 14 percent. One stock that is on the move today, Apple Computer which is gaining about 5 percent. Apple did disclose in a regulatory filing today that CEO Steve Jobs was aware that some stock options granted to him were backdated, but Apple says Jobs did not financially benefit from the options, adding the company has, "complete confidence in him." That's the latest from Wall Street. Heidi and T.J., back to you.
COLLINS: All right, Stephanie, thank you.
HOLMES: Thank you and were you a part of it? The Youtube revolution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think it's not 15 minutes of fame they care about anymore. It's 15 megabytes.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: It is the website that changed how so many see the world and that's next in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: And a British royal preparing for military action in Iraq. That story coming up here in the NEWSROOM.
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HOLMES: That's Mike Tyson you're seeing there and we're not about to tell you a story about him getting back in the ring, actually back in jail this time. Word this morning that Mike Tyson in fact has been arrested again, this time on DUI charges and possession of cocaine. This was in Scottsdale, Arizona. Police there say he was arrested after he was driving his car and almost hit a sheriff's police car on the road. They stopped him, said they found -- he was impaired, failed a field sobriety test and also cocaine was found in the car. The sheriff's officials out there -- this is not something you hear quoted about Mike Tyson that often -- but said he was a complete gentleman and that's a quote. When they did stop him, he was very cooperative but he spent at least some hours in jail, expected to make an appearance in court this morning, actually in the 11:00 hour we believe this morning, expects to post bond possibly. Of course, Tyson has had a host of legal issues over his historic career, really a promising career, one of the youngest heavy weights of all time, then had all kinds of legal troubles, served time in jail for rape and the list goes on and on and that infamous biting of the ear of Evander Holyfield back in '97 but it looks like again, more trouble for Mike Tyson who stopped fighting, actually retired officially last year from boxing. But again, another story and troubling news in the past of Mike Tyson.
COLLINS: Part star maker, part big brother, 100 percent you. 2006 was the year Youtube sank a senate campaign, launched homegrown talents and kept us all watching for more. CNN's Chris Lawrence looks back at the Youtube revolution.
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CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Iraq, it took us inside an American convoy getting ambushed and helped launch an investigation into police brutality in L.A.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2006 really has been the year of Youtube.
LAWRENCE: Jeff Cole runs the Center for the Digital Future at USC. He says Youtube plus cell phone cameras have empowered millions of people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think it's not 15 minutes of fame they care about anymore. It's 15 megabytes of fame.
LAWRENCE: Maybe 100 people would have heard Michael Richards' racist rant in an L.A. comedy club. On Youtube, more than 2 million views.
MICHAEL RICHARDS: That's what happens when you interrupt a white man.
LAWRENCE: Six months ago, Senator George Allen of Virginia was in the presidential mix for '08. He couldn't even get re-elected after his Youtube moment.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN: This fellow over here with the yellow shirt, macaca or whatever his name is, he's with my opponent, he's following us around everywhere. Let's give a welcome to macaca here.
LAWRENCE: Politicians send trackers to their opponents' campaign stops, hoping to record a blunder or contradiction that can now be immediately uploaded.
JEFF COLE, UNIV. OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Whether it's a policeman, whether it's a comedian, whether it's a presidential or senatorial or any political candidate, the rules have changed.
LAWRENCE (on camera): Youtube's biggest challenge in the next year could be potential copyright lawsuits from those content providers who didn't give their permission to use their video. (voice-over): It will have to be diligent, removing that video as soon as someone complains, but the technology can't be put back in the bottle.
COLE: So this isn't a bad passing trend or a fad. This is really a revolutionary change in communication.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is moving all around and --
LAWRENCE: If that's true, we may look back on one year and one site that started it all. Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
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HOLMES: Iraq may be one of the most dangerous places on earth, but a member of the British royal family is reportedly headed there. And not as a visiting dignitary, but as an army officer on the front lines. Britain's "Daily Telegraph" says Prince Harry will be deployed to Iraq with his unit in May. The paper says he will be stationed near the southern city of Basra and will likely patrol the border with Iran. The "Telegraph" says the 22-year-old prince is determined to go despite concerns he could be targeted by terrorists.
And of course a busy weekend ahead, so before you hit the roads or the airport, make sure you check in with us for the very latest on this winter weather this weekend. Also --
HOLMES: We have been talking about it here a bit today. We're going to talk about it this weekend as well. Some very funny things. This is an all time favorite really. Some really funny stuff. We will show you the best of the year's Youtube revolution. Also Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, some other big names eying the White House as well. Who will run, who will win, we'll ask somebody who has all the answer. The amazing Kreskin will join us with his fearless predictions for 2007. Plus, this.
Yes, that's where I go to church right there. No. Well, this is the spirit of hip-hop. That's what they are using the spread the gospel. We'll tell you more about this new ministry in our faces of faith. We're going to have all that plus live coverage of course from Washington as thousands pay tribute to President Ford. That is CNN Saturday and Sunday morning, my regular shift that begins tomorrow morning at 7:00 eastern.
Meanwhile, back here now in the chaos of Katrina. On the bridge in New Orleans, did the police go too far? Murder charges, that's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
And Colorado, yes, here we go again. Nature throws a one-two punch at Denver. Snowy details in the NEWSROOM.
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