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American Morning
Hussein's Final Hours?; Denver 'In Deep' Again; Ice Shelf Snaps
Aired December 29, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news now. The execution of Saddam Hussein, a step closer this morning. His lawyers told to pick up his personal belongings. Is Saddam's hanging hours or days away?
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Piled high city. Denver socked again with heavy snow. Another round of storms moving in. Another 20 inches could fall before the weekend is over.
O'BRIEN: And charges files in one of the most notorious incidents in the chaos post-Katrina. Seven police officers facing indictments on murder and attempted murder in the deaths of two men. All this ahead and more on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you. Friday, December 29th. I'm Miles O'Brien.
CHO: And I'm Alina Cho in for Soledad this morning. Thanks for joining us.
O'BRIEN: We begin, once again, in Iraq. Reports intensifying overnight about where Saddam Hussein is and how close he may be to execution. Iraqi officials denying that he has been transferred from U.S. to Iraqi custody. But "The New York Times" reporting Hussein could hang as early as tomorrow. CNN's Ryan Chilcote in Baghdad watching this for us.
Hello, Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
An official from Iraq's justice ministry and now a U.S. military official are telling CNN that Saddam has not been transferred from U.S. custody, where he's been for the last three years, to Iraqi custody. That's important because that is one of the final steps, as we understand it, that must be taken before Saddam is executed. Both of those officials effectively denying earlier unconfirmed reports today that Saddam had been transferred into Iraqi custody.
Now we spoke with Saddam's chief defense attorney earlier today. He said he simply doesn't know. In fact, he says, he asked American officials, but they refused to answer that question. What they did tell him, he says, is that a member of Saddam's defense team can now go to the detention facility here in Baghdad where Saddam was held to pick up Saddam's personal belongings and the personal belongings of Saddam's half brother who was also condemned to death by the Iraqi high tribunal for crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, Iraqi state TV is quoting the Iraqi prime minister as saying there will be no reversal of the decision to execute Saddam and no delay.
Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ryan, will there be any videotape or pictures that will be released after the execution once it happens in order to prove that it has happened?
CHILCOTE: The Iraqi government isn't saying. That is a possibility that there would be videotape or photographs. There is a precedent for that. About a week and a half ago the Iraqi government did release some video of 13 men who had been condemned to death as they were walking into the gallows. That was widely seen as the Iraqi government testing the waters for doing that perhaps in the case of Saddam's hanging.
But the Iraqi government isn't saying. It is something that, obviously, we will be watching for. No word yet from the Iraqi government. Very few details, in fact, as to actually how they plan on carrying out this execution.
Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ryan Chilcote in Baghdad for us.
More bloodshed, meanwhile, and a grim milestone there as the death toll for U.S. troops now approaches 3,000 in Iraq. It now stands at 2,989. A U.S. Marine the latest to die following an attack in the Anbar province. One hundred U.S. service members killed in Iraq this month alone. December is now the fifth deadliest month for U.S. military troops since the 2003 invasion.
CHO: Now to that massive winter storm hitting the Rockies. Denver is in deep this morning. Up to 10 inches of new snow overnight. Up to two feet fell in Boulder, northwest of the city. The storm is expected to ramp up again today and could deliver another 20 inches by Sunday.
Denver International Airport still open, but hundreds of flights canceled. Greyhound bus service completely canceled today. Long stretches of Interstates 25 and 70, the major arteries north and south, east and west, are closed.
Colorado's governor declaring a statewide disaster. The storm stretching from the Rockies to the western plains with winter storm warnings up from Wyoming to Texas.
We have comprehensive coverage this morning. CNN's Jonathan Freed in Denver for us and severe weather expert Chad Myers at the Weather Center. Let's start with Jonathan.
So how bad will it get, Jonathan?
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. I think I should tell you what we're seeing here, because listening to you describe what's going on in other parts of the state, you would not know that here at Denver International Airport. The people here breathing a very big sigh of relief.
We were staying within a few miles of the airport and at the most we saw three or four inches of snow here. That's it. You can take a look at the parking lot. There was barely anything for people to plow here and we're on the upper deck.
Inside the terminal here today, nothing like the scene last week. Very quiet here this morning. A few people sleeping, but that's not unusual at this hour of the morning. People coming in earlier for flights and the airlines, just in case it got as bad as it did last week, had been warning people to try to come in even earlier than usual, which could account for a few people sleeping in there, but nothing like the army cot scene that people were seeing last week.
(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 it's not clear what the rest of the day may or may not bring in terms of additional snow. But for now, this airport is operational. And we've been looking out here and you can see them now. You can see these flashing lights off in the distance. There have been an army of snowplows out here clearing the runways and the taxiways. We're looking at a north/south oriented runway here at Denver. And we've seen a number of large jets taxiing and clearly this airport is operational today.
Alina.
CHO: Operational for now. Jonathan Freed, thank you very much.
Let's get right to the forecast now. Severe weather expert Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center.
So the snow is still falling. When is it going to end, Chad?
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Happening this morning in Iraq. U.S. forces release two Iranian diplomats they were holding from a raid last week in Baghdad. They turned them over to Iranian officials in Baghdad. The U.S. says the men are linked to illegal weapons shipments to Iraq, including roadside bombs that are killing U.S. troops.
A possible new message this morning from Osama bin Laden's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Arab websites are posting that Zawahiri mentions Iraq and Afghanistan, and like his most recent message a week or so ago, he criticizes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Somalia's prime minister expected to return to the capital of Mogadishu today. Somali government forces, with the help of Ethiopian fighters, regaining control of Mogadishu from Islamic rebels. The city reportedly calm after days of looting.
In southern Afghanistan, at least 10 Taliban fighters killed in a clash with NATO and Afghan forces. The Taliban reportedly attacking a police post with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. NATO troops firing back from a helicopter. No NATO or Afghan forces reported killed.
Millions of Muslims in Mecca this morning circling the Kaaba stone. It's part of the Hajj. One of the five pillars of Islam. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make the trip to Mecca once in a lifetime. The 45 foot tall Kaaba, or House of Allah, is the holiest place of Islam. The mosque encircling the Kaaba can hold 1 million worshipers.
North of Mexico City, 22 people are dead after a freight train slams into a bus. Chilling pictures showing the bus flattened by the impact. No one's sure why the bus was on the tracks when the train came through.
CHO: A stunning development in New Orleans. Four police officers indicted on first degree murder charges. Three for attempted murder for a deadly shootout during the chaos in the days after Hurricane Katrina struck. Susan Roesgen has more from New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Six days after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans police responded to a call of gunfire on the Danziger Bridge. That's a bridge about 20 minutes from downtown New Orleans. When the police got there, they said they were fired on by a group of teenagers. But the only people the police actually shot and killed were a 40-year-old mentally disabled man and a 19-year-old high schooler whose family said they were just trying to get to a supermarket to get supplies.
Now the police said they recovered a gun that someone threw off the bridge into the water and they entered that gun into evidence. But the grand jury did not buy the police story. The grand jury indicted all seven officers involved, four on first degree murder charges and three on attempted murder charges.
No comment from the officers nor from the police chief, but the New Orleans district attorney released a written statement saying "we cannot allow our police officers to shoot and kill our citizens without justification like rabid dogs." A very controversial case.
I'm Susan Roesgen in New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Happening in America.
In California, private memorial service in Palm Desert begins today for former President Gerald Ford. Thousands are expected to attend a public viewing that follows. President Ford's casket moves to Washington tomorrow where it will lie in state in the Capitol rotunda through Tuesday.
Crawford, Texas. Peace activist Cindy Sheehan arrested outside President Bush's ranch. Sheehan and four others also arrested are accused of blocking a road and holding up Vice President Dick Cheney's motorcade. Sheehan's son died in Iraq in 2004.
In North Carolina, the state bar filing an ethics complaint against Durham District Attorney Michael Nifong for comments he made early in the Duke lacrosse rape case. Nifong could be disbarred. Rape charges against the players were dropped last week.
And in California, pictures released of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recovering from a surgery for a broken leg. Doctors in Santa Monica say the governor is doing well. He's in excellent health. He broke his leg while skiing last weekend and should be released from the hospital in a couple of days.
Miles.
O'BRIEN: Up next, we'll update you on that major snowstorm. Heavy snow all night around Denver and even heavier snow on the way. Brace yourselves for another holiday travel meltdown, alas.
Speaking of meltdowns. The year in politics. Loose lips sink approval ratings.
And the cold cash in the congressman's freezer. We'll look back ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Breaking news from Iraq. Saddam Hussein's lawyers told to pick up their client's personal effects from prison and Hussein saying his good-byes to his family.
And 10 inches of snow in Denver overnight with another storm ramping up today that could bring two more feet of snow by Sunday. Oh, boy.
Fourteen minutes after the hour. Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center with the forecast.
Oh, boy, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Now a closer look at the historic year in U.S. politics that turned the Congress upside down. AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken joining us live from Washington with a look at 2006.
Good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, the highly paid political consultants don't usually like to hear this, but elections aren't usually won. Most often they're lost.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN, (voice over): 2006 was the silver platter in which Republicans handed over control of Congress to the Democrats, with morsels like former Congressman Duke Cunningham, now convict Cunningham, former Congressman Bob Ney, soon to be a convict, George Allen, former Senator Allen.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN, (R) VIRGINIA: This fellow over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is.
FRANKEN: His name spelled trouble for Allen.
And who can forget Mark Foley and his computer messages to young male pages? Voters certainly didn't. Not that the Democrats didn't do their best to fritter away their advantage. Congressman William Jefferson, D of Louisiana, was caught up in corruption charges too, but he won his election.
Senator John Kerry's joke about the military, where he apparently flubbed the punch line, may have sunk his presidential hopes, but not his party's chances of taking over Congress.
But in the end, it was the non-candidate, President Bush, and his unpopular, some feel unwinnable war who appears to have handed the Democrats their victory.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is clear the Democratic Party had a good night last night.
FRANKEN: And the Democrats had won.
REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) INCOMING SPEAKER: The American people, with their votes yesterday, placed their trust in the Democrats. We will honor that trust. We will not disappoint.
FRANKEN: But the new number one in the House first thing lost a very public fight over who would be her number two. Then after snubbing Democratic rival Jane Harman as Intelligence Committee chairman, the man she chose, Sylvester Reyes, promptly flunked a reporter's quiz about national security. And after Democratic Senator Tim Johnson felt ill a few weeks ago, we were all reminded of just how slim his party's hold of the Senate really is. Just one vote.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: While there's little that the Democrats can do about fate, but we're going to have to see how they deal with an instinct to self-destruct, which, Miles, we saw last year was one that they shared with the Republicans.
O'BRIEN: It seems to me it's just a matter of time, isn't it, Bob, before it happens?
FRANKEN: It is. Yes. There is a pendulum and it just knocks everybody off whoever happens to be in power.
O'BRIEN: Whoever's in the way. All right. Bob Franken, thank you very much.
Alina.
CHO: Stay with us. Just ahead, Goodyear gets ready to roll again. We'll hear how they've settled a bitter strike.
And a last bow at the Apollo Theater for music legend James Brown. We'll take you there. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: New this morning.
Denver bracing for blizzard conditions and 20 more inches of snow and an incredible forecast for the plains where they could be measuring the snowfall in feet.
And breaking news from Iraq. Saddam Hussein's lawyers told to pick up the former leader's personal belongings from prison. His execution expected any time now.
CHO: Whenever the James Brown show came to Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater, you could count on long lines to get in to see the hardest working man in show business. It was no different Thursday as fans lined the streets of Harlem to say good-bye to the late godfather of soul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO, (voice over): With all the pomp and pageantry of a royal funeral, horse drawn carriage carrying the golden casket, thousands packed Harlem streets. Politicians, celebrities and mourners joined together to say good-bye to the man they say epitomized the slogan "I'm black and I'm proud."
REV. AL SHARPTON, ATTENDED MEMORIAL TO BROWN: He became a superstar on his own terms and he made you respect us. That's why we respect him.
CHO: His partner nearly collapsed. His grandson wept after seeing Brown's body on display. Fans say his message was deeply personal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It wasn't a time when you was proud to be black. And there was color -- I didn't know how to define myself and that was the first time I'd heard something like that and it made me feel good. It made me feel proud.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks to James Brown I'm still black and I'm proud.
CHO: James Brown, born in poverty, became one of the most influential musicians of the century. Today, he returned to his musical roots, the Apollo Theater, where he made his debut as an amateur in 1956. He secured his spot in history as the godfather of glitz, glamour and soul.
SHARPTON: James Brown shines for us that never had anybody shine for them.
CHO: Die-hard fans waited for hours for the chance to pay their respects.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody can outperform him. In this age of technology and everything, he did it without the technology and still was digging at all the stars today.
CHO: His children and relatives took to the stage in his honor, a fitting tribute, it would seem, to a man many Americans considered royalty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Today there will be a private ceremony for Brown in his hometown of Augusta, Georgia. On Saturday, the public is invited to a homecoming celebration of sorts at the James Brown Arena in Augusta. He'll be buried in a family plot near the arena. And he will be buried in style. Diamonds on his blue suit, silver shoes, white gloves and that was on display yesterday.
O'BRIEN: He is the godfather of soul. Amazing turnout. People waiting in line for hours to pay respects.
CHO: Five, six hours getting there at 6:00, 7:00 a.m. and, you know, staying there well past 8:00 in the evening. It was supposed to close at 8:00 but I believe it stayed open well past that.
O'BRIEN: Clearly it's about much more than just the music in this case.
CHO: It certainly is.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Alina.
Some breaking news regarding Apple. It's 25 minutes past the hour, that means it's time to check in with Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business."
Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. Good morning, Alina.
We have just received news that Apple has filed its 10-K, its annual report, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We got a copy of it. It's 144 pages long and we're going to parse through it. I've already started reading it. It does contain information about the allegations about stock options, back-dating, and I'll bring you information on that in half an hour.
It's a pretty busy business day for the last business day of the year. Last night, Goodyear workers, 14,000 of them, approved a new contract. Goodyear workers at 12 plants across 10 states and in Canada have been on strike for 12 weeks. They reached an agreement with the company. Part of that deal allows for the company to close one plant in Texas, but it is putting about a billion dollars into health care. It's less than the workers wanted, but many of them say it's the best deal they could have had.
No new records on the Dow yesterday. It slipped by about nine points. Now this is interesting. We've had a lot of economic news this week. New home prices, existing home sales, good consumer confidence. It's all been positive. We've been seeing records on the Dow.
So why the slip on all the indexes? Because of the fact that all of this positive news means that the Fed may not reduce interest rates at its next meeting in January. In fact, it may even push interest rates a little higher. That, of course, doesn't have markets enjoying things, so they've got something to think about on this last day, which will probably be a light trading day.
And the Nasdaq will not trade on Tuesday due to former President Jerry Ford's funeral. We are expecting an announcement from the New York Stock Exchange before markets open this morning. We'll bring that right to you and let you know if they are also closing on Tuesday.
I'll have more on Apple in half an hour.
Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. You're going to do some speed reading for us, Ali.
VELSHI: I will.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
We're updating the morning's two breaking stories straight ahead.
Snow piling up in Denver and beyond. Ten inches of new snow on the ground right now and it's still coming down. We'll update the forecast and the travel outlook.
An execution watch. Saddam Hussein saying good-bye to his family. His lawyers told to pick up their client's belongings. The latest from Baghdad ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Breaking news. Saddam Hussein a step closer to the gallows. Lawyers told to pick up his personal belongings overnight as Iraq's prime minister promises an execution.
CHO: Deja vu in Denver. Nearly a foot of snow piling up overnight. New storms on the move. Another 20 inches possible this weekend.
O'BRIEN: And a breaking point. An ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields snaps off in the Canadian arctic. Scientists sounding an alarm on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you. Friday, December 29th. I'm Miles O'Brien.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Alina Cho, in for Soledad this morning.
Thanks for joining us.
M. O'BRIEN: We begin in Iraq. Reports intensifying overnight about where Saddam Hussein is and how close he may be to execution. Iraqi officials denying that he has been transferred from U.S. to Iraqi custody, but "The New York Times" is reporting Hussein could hang by tomorrow.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote in Baghdad watching it for us -- Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, an official from the Iraqi Justice Ministry and a spokesman for the U.S. military are now telling us that Saddam is still in U.S. custody and that he has not been transferred to Iraqi custody. That's an important bit of news because, as we understand it, that transfer of custody is one of the final steps that must take place before Saddam is executed. Both of those officials effectively knocking down some earlier unconfirmed reports that Saddam had already been transferred.
Now, we are hearing from Saddam's chief defense attorney. We spoke with him earlier in the day. He says he simply doesn't know. In fact, he says he asked American officials about that, and they refused to answer that question.
However, he does have some chilling news. He says that he has been told by American officials that either he or another member of Saddam's defense team can collect Saddam's personal belongings from the detention facility where he's being held and that they can also pick up the personal belongings of Saddam's half-brother, both of them condemned to death for crimes against humanity by the Iraqi high tribunal.
Meanwhile, the state media channel, Al-Iraqiya, here is reporting that the Iraqi prime minister has said there will be no reversal of the decision to execute Saddam and there will be no delay in that execution -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Ryan Chilcote watching it for us in Baghdad.
We have one of Saddam Hussein's lawyers on the phone, Najib al- Nuaimi. He's been trying to get a meeting with Hussein, joining us from Doha, Qatar.
Mr. Nuaimi, what are you hearing about where Saddam Hussein is, whose custody he is in, and when this execution might happen?
NAJIB AL-NUAIMI, HUSSEIN DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, he is actually in American custody still, and the prediction and the indication we have received, actually, from yesterday's meeting with Mr. Saddam, that they might execute him tomorrow.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. And do you know if he is -- first of all, have you been able to make contact with your client? Is he in contact with his family, as well?
AL-NUAIMI: Well, he's actually in contact -- directly through contact with his family through us. And one of his families (sic) requested me to accompany me -- I'm supposed to see him next week, but -- and she wanted to come with me. But all the indications is saying that, you know, he might be executed tomorrow.
And we have one of our lawyers actually in the Green Zone, and he has requested -- at the moment I'm talking to you, he's still insisting on meeting him today to process some information about the family and to receive from him any requests he would like to have, you know, before the execution. But unfortunately, the Americans are denying his access, the lawyer, and that means, you know it might be that execution will be tomorrow.
If not tomorrow, there will be a delay. I'm seeing him personally and probably with one of his family to say his last wish.
M. O'BRIEN: The prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, saying he will not stay the execution. I assume that comes as no surprise to you. But did the defense team hold out some hope?
AL-NUAIMI: Well, let me tell you, there is no hope, because Mr. Bush (ph) has decided (INAUDIBLE) prior to the verdict of the trial, that he has be executed by the end of the year. It was a political decision.
It was not a fair trial. He received no really -- his rights on the defense. I am one of the leading defense -- I was denied totally to have an oral pleading on the court or to have a time even to speak to the audience regarding the (INAUDIBLE) so-called quotes (ph). We have been denied totally.
This court was biased and they did not do anything, you know, within the legal framework of international law. To my surprise, the U.S. actually committed to a number -- a number of international conventions and declarations of human rights. They did not apply one sentence of what they are claiming they are actually promoting, especially to have a fair trial. But he did not, and his actually capital punishment (INAUDIBLE) and it is not a legal decision by all means.
M. O'BRIEN: Najib al-Nuaimi joining us from Doha in Qatar.
Thank you -- Alina.
CHO: Now to that massive winter storm hitting the Rockies. Denver is in deep this morning. Up to 10 inches of new snow overnight. Up to two feet fell in Boulder, northwest of the city. The storm is expected to ramp up again today and bury the plains.
Denver International Airport still open, but hundreds of flights are canceled. Long stretches of interstates 25 and 70, the major arteries north and south, east and west, are closed.
Colorado's governor declaring a statewide disaster. The storm stretching from the Rockies to the western plains, with winter storm warnings up from Wyoming to Texas.
We have comprehensive coverage today. CNN's Jonathan Freed in Denver for us, and severe weather expert Chad Myers at the weather center.
Let's start with Jonathan.
Jonathan, good morning.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina.
That's right. Here at Denver International Airport, there are plenty of flights canceled. Seventy-five alone, United; 60 with Frontier. A lot of those flights were canceled as of yesterday afternoon here, done protectively because it's difficult to entirely predict exactly when a storm is going to hit and how hard it is.
Let me show you how this airport is trying to deal with the snow that we have right now. Come over here.
This is a north-south oriented runway off in the distance. And you can see the flashing lights of this army of snowplows that they have here. And the way they do this -- and I'm trying to see -- I'm going to ask Chris -- Chris, can we see the plume of snow that's coming up there now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
FREED: Yes. He tells me that we can.
And this is what we're seeing going on all around us, Alina. They have an army of people out covering -- there is enough concrete here, if you were to make a one-lane road from Denver to San Francisco or Detroit, as they say, depending on which direction you'd rather go, that's how much concrete they have here between runways and taxiways and the ramp areas. And they have multiple plows that come out here, and they span the width of these runways and taxiways in a tag team kind of format in order to get these things cleared.
And depending on how much snow there is, sometimes they just have to keep going over it again and again, because by the time you get to the end of a three-mile-long runway, often it's time to swing around and start up again. So it's not clear when it's going to hit here, but everybody knows to expect it later today -- Alina.
CHO: That's right. And they're doing their darnedest to keep that airport open.
All right. Jonathan Freed, thank you very much.
Let's get right to the forecast now. Severe weather expert Chad Myers at the CNN weather center.
Hey, Chad. Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Alina.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Coming up, it's all about you and YouTube. A look back at the groundbreaking year for the Web site that made you the star.
And a Titanic-size island of ice breaks off in the Arctic Circle. A look at the far-ranging ripple effects.
That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Frederik Pleitgen in Addis Ababa.
Shooting and looting has died down somewhat in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, as government forces are moving into more and more parts of the city. Now, the Islamist fighters that have held Mogadishu for several months abandoned the city yesterday morning, and the Ethiopian government tells us that the Islamist movement in Somalia is in somewhat like -- something like a state of disintegration, where warlords that had been on the sides of the Islamists are now switching sides and joining the government forces.
Now, the Ethiopian force, which were really the strong arm of that whole offensive, are going to stay in Somalia for several days, maybe even several weeks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Al Goodman in the Spanish Pyrenees, just across the border from France, at a place called Candanchu, the oldest ski resort in Spain. But here, and at ski resorts across Europe, they're concerned about a lot less snow than normal for this time of year.
Brown patches are clearly visible, and there aren't the huge holiday crowds of skiers you'd expect. Some recent scientific reports blame global warming, and they warn the situation could get worse for ski resorts, especially those at lower altitudes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: And speaking of global warming, yesterday we told you about the polar bears and the fact that there's a lot of concern about them headed toward the threatened species, maybe the endangered species list. Here's another little piece of evidence that our climate is changing and not changing for the best.
Cast your attention up there. We're going to the top of the world. We're going to the Ayles Ice Shelf, which is right near Ellesmere Island. This is the 10th largest island in the world. Nobody lives there.
It is the northernmost island in Canada. So when things happen there we don't find out about them so quickly.
Sixteen months ago, a huge piece of the Ayles Ice Shelf right around in here, something about 11,000 football fields in size, broke off. Now, we'll tell you more about ice shelves, but first I want to show you this piece.
It came from a group called the Canadian Ice Service. The Canadian Ice Service is there to ensure that ships can safely navigate through this part of the world. Lori Weir (ph) is a scientist who was looking at her computer screen and took a look about 15 months ago and saw inside this red circle this huge piece of the ice shelf that became an ice island. Take a look at it there, right in that -- oh, I thought we had a still frame of it. If we get a still of it I can point it out to you. There we go.
Right in there is that piece. Now, this piece has since moved out into the Beaufort Sea, and is now sort of packed in with the other ice. It will be interesting to see what happens when the thaw comes in the spring.
Take a look at what an ice shelf is. We're not talking about sea ice here. This is freshwater ice.
Now, just to orient yourself, this would be like the Continental Shelf there. This is the ocean out here and this is the ice shelf.
It's part of a glacier, it's freshwater, and what happens is the ice kind of cantilevers out as a shelf floating on the sea, but attached to the glacier on the ground. This is an important thing because as time goes on, as these glaciers melt and these pieces of the ice shelf break off and move into the sea, you have the possibility of sea levels rising.
Now, the biggest ice shelves in the world are in Antarctica. As a matter of fact, if you took all of the water that is bottled up in the glaciers and ice shelves in Antarctica -- let's take a look and let's go down to the bottom of the Earth right now -- 70 percent of the freshwater in the world is bottled up here.
The Ross Ice Shelf is a great example. It's one of the biggest ice shelves down there. And as this -- as the climate changes and as this ice shelf deteriorates and melts into the sea, that's when you get this rise in sea level that we've been telling you so much about.
Things are happening gradually, but when you see big pieces like this, Chad Myers, drop off that ice shelf in the north, you realize that things could be accelerating. Scientists are a little worried about that this morning.
Forty-six minutes past the hour. Let's check in with Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Still to come on this AMERICAN MORNING, a notorious bridge a scene of chaotic shots fired in the chaos of Katrina. Now charges for seven police officers.
And the winning moments from one of the best new inventions of 2006.
Stay with us on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Two developing stories on the radar.
Another major storm roaring toward Denver. Twenty inches of snow expected there, possibly three feet in the plains.
And one of Saddam Hussein's lawyers tells AMERICAN MORNING his client could be executed as early as tomorrow.
We'll have a live report coming up at the top of the hour -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: It's the last Friday of 2006. A look back at one of the innovations now that changed the way we see the world, a Web site that launched a video revolution. We're, of course, talking about YouTube.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've taken fire -- 10-4, come back.
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.
JEFF COLE, CENTER FOR DIGITAL FUTURE, USC: 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 has 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 two million views.
MICHAEL RICHARDS, COMEDIAN: Well, you interrupted me, pal. 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 reelected after his YouTube moment.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: 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. COLE: 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 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 passing trend or a fad. This is really a revolutionary change in communication.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is moving all around.
LAWRENCE: If that's true, we may look back on one year and one site that started it all.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Coming up, the government checking to see if something is rotten at Apple. Ali Velshi has the breaking news for us.
And proof yet again that James Brown can fill a room. The emotional tribute, dancing, singing and paying respects to the late "Godfather of Soul," that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Ali Velshi is back, 57 minutes past the hour. He's been reading like crazy. Obviously he took Evelyn Wood.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no kidding.
M. O'BRIEN: You just did one of those deals, you know, scan it, scan it...
VELSHI: There have been unfortunately -- it's not just me, there's a bunch of us who have been going through this and we found the salient point.
This is Apple's 10-K. It's its annual report. It was supposed to have been filed on December 15th. It wasn't. It was filed this morning.
Apple is restating its earnings for the 2004 to 2006 period. This was all about a report we heard yesterday.
First of all, we knew there were options issues at Apple. Yesterday, "The Financial Times" reported that there was some forged document or some kind of document about a meeting that was held to approve $7.5 million in stock options for Steve Jobs, the CEO. It was reported that that meeting never took place. Here's Apple's response to that in the 10-K.
The grant was finalized on December 18th of 2001. The minutes of the meeting indicated that it was on October 19th, 2001. Here's what Apple has to say.
"The approval for the grant was improperly recorded as occurring at a special board meeting on October 19, 2001. Such a special board meeting did not occur. There was no evidence, however, that any current member of management was aware of this irregularity."
Apple goes on further to say that "The resolution of these matters" -- referring to all of this options mess that they're in -- "will be time-consuming, expensive and will distract management from the conduct of the company's business."
Now, while we hear about companies restating fairly often, this is serious because the average investor can't go in and ask how a company is being run. This is all they have. This is what they have to trust. And when this is wrong, that's quite serious for investors.
This is the health report of the company, and right now the health report is not fantastic.
We'll keep reading through and see what impact it's going to have on anybody who invests in the company -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: It's interesting, because Apple has been on such a roll.
VELSHI: Yes. They really are on a roll. This is not the kind of thing Apple needs. If they fix this quickly, they might be able to get past it.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Ali Velshi.
VELSHI: OK.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Keep reading now.
VELSHI: I will.
M. O'BRIEN: Some the top stories of the morning.
The most popular on CNN.com right now, the pending execution of Saddam Hussein. One of his lawyers told us just a few moments ago that he believes it will happen tomorrow, maybe another day later. Another lawyer has told us that he's been asked to pick up his personal -- Saddam Hussein's personal effects.
The lawyer we spoke with a little while ago also said that Saddam Hussein is in contact with his family as we speak.
CHO: Taking another story -- another look at "USA Today," the headline: "Study Finds Preschoolers Are Too Fat; Hispanics at Highest Risk." They can't explain why Hispanics are at the highest risk, versus whites or blacks. They did find that kids still using a bottle at age 3 were more prone to be heavy. And, of course, you know, these preschoolers, children who are obese, are on track for a lifetime of health problems when they are obese.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
Don't park them in front of the TV, parents, or the video games.
CHO: That's right.
M. O'BRIEN: Whatever.
Some images of the day to tell you about.
Study in contrast. In Denver, take a look. The effects of the snowstorm.
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