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U.S. Death Toll in Iraq; Paying Respects to Gerald Ford; New Laws for 2007
Aired January 01, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You are with CNN. You're informed.
Good morning, everyone. Happy New Year.
I'm Tony Harris.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Melissa Long, in today for Heidi Collins.
Happy New Year.
HARRIS: Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on this Monday, the first day of January 2007.
Here's what's on the rundown.
LONG: Three thousand American deaths now in Iraq. A new poll shows President Bush losing more support among members of the U.S. military.
HARRIS: Denver police looking into a high-profile shooting. A Broncos player gunned down as he road in a Hummer limo.
LONG: And stuck in the snow on the holiday. Crews search highways in the Southwest and Plains for stranded drivers.
Going nowhere fast in the NEWSROOM.
The ultimate sacrifice and the sad reality of war. The U.S. death toll in Iraq now at 3,000. And behind every loss, moms and dads, husbands and wives and children whose lives are forever changed.
We check in now with Ryan Chilcote, who's in Baghdad.
And Ryan, 3,000. So important in terms of the families, but how important is that number in terms of the military?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's important to the military. Obviously, it is an example of the sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice that many of the troops are making here.
That number of the report of the 3,000 fatality, quite tragically, came in just as the troops were about to usher in the new year. It comes on news that a total of 111 troops were killed in December, making the month of December the deadliest month for troops in 2006. There are other examples, though, of that sacrifice. I think the number of wounded is also very important.
More than 22,000 troops have been wounded since the war began in Iraq. And a lot of those troops, a good number of them, would not be alive if it was not for the advances in battlefield medicine that have been made since Vietnam. So that's something that's also something that the troops think about.
LONG: Let's talk about the big news that took place over the weekend. Of course, the execution of Saddam Hussein. There had been concern that we would see a resurgence of sectarian violence after the execution.
What has played out?
CHILCOTE: We have not seen too much. We did see some sectarian violence the same day of the execution. Seventy-two Iraqis killed, mostly in the Iraqi capital, in one of the cities in the south.
We have seen some angry demonstrations today from Saddam loyalists. They were out in the streets of Baghdad in the streets of Samarra. Many of them carrying Saddam's portrait, expressing their anger. But we have not seen the big Sunni backlash, the big retaliatory strikes that many people thought we would see.
And it's very interesting, but it may be very early, still. It often takes a couple of days for these things, for the reaction to turn into violence on the streets -- Melissa.
LONG: Well, you mentioned fewer angry demonstrations from Hussein loyalists. What about loyalty to Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki because of the execution?
CHILCOTE: Well, you know, it was very important for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, I think, in terms of his support base. He is leading a Shiite-led government. 2006 was a very difficult year for this government.
It has been an incredibly bloody year for Iraqis. More than 20,000 Iraqis killed, probably, this year alone. Mostly in sectarian violence.
One of the promises that he had made that he finally was able to deliver was executing Saddam Hussein. And he said he wanted to do it by the end of the year. He did it by the end of the year.
It has gone down very well among Shiites and Kurds that suffered under Saddam Hussein. So, as far as the prime minister is concerned, it was an opportunity to boost support among his own supporters, perhaps at the expense, of course, of alienating the Sunni community here in Iraq, which widely viewed the execution of Saddam Hussein as a sectarian event that the Shiite-led government carried out just seeking victors' justice.
LONG: Ryan Chilcote live this morning from Baghdad. Ryan, thank you.
And then there are these numbers we want to share with you. For the first time, more U.S. troops disapprove of how President Bush is handling the Iraq war than approve. That's from a new "Military Times" poll.
Thirty-five percent of service members polled say they approve, 42 percent disapprove. Only 41 percent of the military members now say the U.S. should have gone to war in Iraq. That's down from 65 percent back in '03. And now only half the respondents say success in Iraq is likely.
In 2004, 83 percent were predicting a successful outcome. The "Military Times" says 945 active duty troops responded to the survey, and the findings are not representative of the military as a whole.
HARRIS: "Complete shock". A Denver Broncos spokesman reacting to this morning's shooting of Darrent Williams. The Broncos quarterback had starred in the team's final regular season game yesterday. Then early this morning, Denver police say he was riding in a limousine that was fired on from another vehicle.
Three people inside the limo were hit. Williams was killed. For now, police have little to go on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SONNY JACKSON, DENVER POLICE: At this point in time, it's an open investigation. We're looking for the vehicle that was involved in this situation. And that's where we're at.
QUESTION: So do you have any descriptions of the vehicle?
JACKSON: At this point we don't have a suspect description. We're hoping that we can talk to people, witnesses, and get good information on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Williams was in his second year with the Broncos. He was 24 years old.
Oh, man. 2007 off to a frigid start. Parts of the desert Southwest to the Great Plains shivering today. The big winter storm that blew in just ahead of the new year is blamed for at least a dozen deaths.
Parts of Colorado got up to four feet of snow after barreling across the state. The snow and ice moved into the Plains. Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma all feeling it. Icy roads causing lots of accidents.
Tens of thousands of people across the region without power in New Mexico. A nightmare for holiday travelers. The storm dumped up to two feet of snow, Melissa, on Albuquerque, stranding hundreds of motorists. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been here for the last two days. I am so miserable. I can't wait to get home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm pretty frustrated I can't get home, you know. They are talking about free shelters, but I live here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm in position to have my baby at any time. So doctors are expecting I'll go into labor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: So how will the nasty weather over the weekend into today affect all the travel? You can see by the nifty graphics package going here. We keep you up to date on the travel at so many of the airports all around the country, and if you are heading home to Boston, it doesn't look all that bad -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You see the live shot there?
LONG: Yes.
MYERS: Yes, let's take a look. We'll show the rest of the crew here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Remembering an American President. The body of Gerald Ford lying in state at the Capitol Rotunda. Today, President Bush and the first lady will be among those paying respects.
CNN's Bob Franken is outside the Capitol, where mourners are waiting in line.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
The president comes back from Crawford, Texas, goes over to the White House. Then comes over here with Mrs. Bush to pay respects. We're also told that his father, President Bush 41, is expected here today, and perhaps some other dignitaries. But for the last couple of days, most of those who have been paying their respects are the ordinary citizens, some who were alive when Gerald Ford was the president, the 38th president, others who are just getting a glimpse of history.
But what really speaks about this family is the fact that many of the family members this morning, daughter Susan and son Michael, were out greeting some of the people, just thanking them for paying their respects. The same thing had occurred yesterday with sons Jack and Steve, just mingling, just saying, "Thank you," making this something of a very ordinary, common type of event, which is such an interesting and attractive contrast when you consider that you are talking about somebody who, even in his unlikely way, scaled the heights to the top levels of the U.S. government during such a historical period.
In any case, that history continues to be recognized as he lies in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol. And then tomorrow, the casket will be taken to the National Cathedral. There will be a memorial service there with eulogies from those from on high. Then it is transported to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Gerald Ford spent his childhood and where he'll be buried near his museum in Grand Rapids -- Tony.
HARRIS: Bob, we just saw pictures just a moment ago, live pictures of Susan Ford. Not just saying thanks for coming to someone, but clearly spending time and talking to some of the people as they passed through the line. Do we -- and maybe we don't know this. And there, a big hug. Do we know why the family wanted to extend itself in this very personal way?
FRANKEN: Well, this is just the way this family is.
HARRIS: Yes.
FRANKEN: I think just about everybody who has lived here at one point or another has gotten a chance to meet one of the Fords. Well, probably that's a bit of an exaggeration. But the one thing that you are struck with is just how real and ordinary these people are.
Oftentimes when somebody scales as high as he does and his family, they become somewhat insulated, somewhat removed from -- from the little people, so to speak. But that was not something that this family ever did.
This was a man, and his family, who lived for a very long time in a suburb of Washington, Alexandria. During the procession that came from Andrews Air Base, in fact, there was a stop nearby the house where they had lived for so many years.
So this is a family. This would be a very natural thing. And they want to put that on display. It's a statement.
HARRIS: Yes. It is -- it is a wonderful touch. It really is.
Bob Franken for us.
Bob, appreciate it. Thank you.
And, of course, CNN is the place to watch complete coverage of the national funeral for former President Gerald Ford. The service begins at 10:30 Eastern. Join Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" for special coverage beginning at 9:00 Eastern.
LONG: Twin toddlers found after a week. The accused kidnapper, their biological mom.
HARRIS: Also, a house in flames. Frightened children call their grandmother for help. You won't believe her advice.
Home alone, that's next in the NEWSROOM. LONG: And it's just one story out of 3,000, an American soldier's ultimate sacrifice. Faces behind the numbers.
You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: A tug-of-war over adopted twin toddlers gets ugly. Their biological mom accused of kidnapping them just days before Christmas. And over the weekend, all three were found in Canada.
CTV's Jonathan Rotondo reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN ROTONDO, REPORTER, CTV (voice over): Ottawa police arrested 49-year-old Allison Lee Quets at a residence in the Ottawa neighborhood of Sandy Hill. The children, who were taken from their home in North Carolina, were with her.
SGT. ART MAYE, ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE: The Ottawa police services received a tip from a member of the public. And this was the result of media that was done in the area. And as a result of that, they attended to the residence and took this woman into custody.
ROTONDO: The RCMP have been in close contact with the FBI since December 27th and used resources in Kingston, Toronto and Ottawa to track down Quets.
MAYE: We had the Canadian border services involved right from the beginning. And the Department of Justice as well. So all these police forces, agencies, and as well the community were excellent.
ROTONDO (on camera): The twins are in the care of the Children's Aid Society, and according to police are unharmed and doing well. Their adoptive parents will fly into Ottawa to be reunited with the children.
(voice over): Quets made a brief court appearance in Ottawa. She remains in police custody and is slated to be in superior court on Tuesday.
MAYE: She'll be going through the extradition process. So she's been remanded into custody now. And so we're just going to allow that process to go through.
ROTONDO: Quets' lawyer, however, plans to fight the extradition and keep the children in Canada, saying the adoption was carried out improperly and Quets never wanted to give up her twins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was absolutely pressured into giving them up for adoption. God forbid that a loving mother should face criminal charges just for wanting to be with her children.
ROTONDO: The 17-month-old twins cannot be identified as long as they are in the care of the Children's Aid Society. They had moved only recently with their adoptive parents to Apex, North Carolina.
Jonathan Rotondo, CTV News, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. Stay with me.
Young children home alone inside a burning house. Your first instinct is to help them get out as fast as they can, right? Well, police say that wasn't the case for a Connecticut grandmother.
Katie Zachary (ph) of our affiliate station WFSB has more information on this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): As bad as this house fire was, Waterford police say it could have been much worse. Three children were inside alone when it started. And when they called their grandmother for help, she told them to wait.
BILL MEYER, NEIGHBOR: It's unimaginable. I can't believe that somebody would do that. You know, you've got to get them out. You don't know what's going to happen with the fire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police believe 51-year-old Edwina Naholick (ph) was afraid to get caught for illegally leaving her grandchildren aged 11, 10 and 7 home alone. Court records show phone conversations during the fire.
Her granddaughter said, "There was fire and light everywhere. It's hot? Do you want us to get out?"
She said, "Mommy will be there in just a minute. OK?"
During another call, her 11-year-old grandson was upset and crying. He begged his grandmother to please come home. She said his mother was on his way. He said, "There's no time."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole house was engulfed. The trees were on fire and the bushes were on fire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Neighbors were stunned at how quickly the fire grew. Police say Naholick (ph) finally called 911 20 minutes after she first learned of the fire. The children's mother, Brandy Naholick (ph), arrived in time to get the kids out of the burning house. She told firefighters on scene she was home with her kids when the fire started.
We now know that's not true.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The grandmother and her daughter have been charged in connection with the case. LONG: What did you do last night for New Year's? Warm and toasty inside? These people weren't. They were snowbound on the highway. Some were shivering at home in the dark.
The big storm ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: New year, new law, but some of them -- well, frankly, they've gone to the dogs.
You cute pooch.
LONG: It's a cute little doggy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: The ball drop in Times Square with thousands and -- actually more than a million people this year, actually -- one of the many ways to welcome in the new year. If you happened to be getting a good night's sleep, however, when 2007 arrived, here's some of what you missed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!
CROWD: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!
CROWD: ... three, two, one. Whoo! Happy New Year!
CROWD: ... three, two, one. Happy New Year!
CROWD: ... four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Happy New Year!
The new year a time for resolutions and new rules.
CNN's Allan Chernoff takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Pistol- packing judges could become the norm in Kansas. A new state law permits judges to carry concealed weapons into their courtrooms.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would have no problem with that. I would have no problem with that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like that.
CHERNOFF (on camera): You wouldn't trust a judge to be a good shot?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No. I wouldn't trust anybody with a gun. No.
CHERNOFF (voice over): California is cracking down on pranksters. It's now illegal to ride in the trunk of a car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dead or alive.
CHERNOFF: Some live-wire teens apparently have been doing it. Now it will cost them $100 if caught.
And anyone taking more than 25 copies of a complimentary newspaper in California could be subject to a $250 fine and jail time for a second offense.
It's no longer a legal offense to take home a half-empty bottle of wine from a restaurant in Illinois. Patrons now get to drink every drop they paid for, perfect for New Year's Eve.
2007 rings in new rights for animals. In California, it's now illegal to keep a dog tethered for more than three hours. If convicted of a misdemeanor, the offender could be jailed for up to six months.
(on camera): A person could actually be sent to prison for that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. I'm an animal lover, you know.
CHERNOFF (voice over): Pet owners can now show their love under a new law in Ohio by setting up a trust fund for their pooch.
(on camera): In Ohio, you're going to be allowed to set up a trust fund for your pet. Would you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure, why not?
CHERNOFF: You already have one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Talk to my kids. Everybody likes dogs, yes.
CHERNOFF: Wait a minute. You're losing your trust fund to your dog.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. That's not good.
CHERNOFF (voice over): Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, not happy about it. Some other new laws to tell you about.
In Illinois, you face a fine if you didn't earn that Purple Heart. The Military Imposters Law makes it illegal to claim you earned the medal if you didn't. Actors and historical reenactment's are exempt.
In California, how about this? Makers of kitty litter must now include a message encouraging people not to dump used litter in toilets, gutters or storm drains.
And Massachusetts today becomes the final state in the nation to require hunting safety classes before issuing hunting licenses.
LONG: Some interesting laws as we head into 2007.
And still to come in the NEWSROOM, just hours after his season ended, violence takes his life. A Denver Broncos player was killed early this morning.
Details coming up.
HARRIS: Laid to rest. Is Saddam Hussein's burial resurrecting the political life of Iraq's prime minister?
That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.
LONG: And it is just one story out of 3,000, an American soldier's ultimate sacrifice.
Faces behind the numbers ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Shock this morning in Denver. A Broncos spokesman is reacting to this morning's shooting death of Darrent Williams. The Broncos quarterback had starred in the team's final regular season game New Year's Eve and then early this morning, Denver police say he was riding in a limousine that was fired on from another vehicle. Three people inside that limo were also hit. Williams was killed. We get more from our affiliate KWGN and reporter Greg Nieto.
GREG NIETO, KWGN CORRESPONDENT: We're here at the intersection of 11th and Spear near downtown Denver. And it does appear the deceased party in this case is none other than Denver cornerback Darrent Williams. I'll give you a live look here behind me. Here you can see the stretch H2 limousine that still rests on top of the curb near the intersection of 11th and Spear.
This all started about 2:00 this morning, according to Denver police. A second vehicle, a second party pulls up alongside the hummer and fires multiple shots inside the vehicle. Three people are hit. All three people taken to local hospitals. Two individuals have serious injuries. The third party again apparently Denver Bronco cornerback Darrent Williams, shot taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
You can make out bullet holes there toward the back of the vehicle. You can also see a little bit further back that you can make out the name of the company, Advantage Limousine. That gives you an idea of exactly who owns this vehicle.
Again the limousine has been here a number of hours as the investigation considered ongoing at this point.
LONG: The shooting happened early this morning. Williams was in his second year with the Denver Broncos. He was just 24 years old.
HARRIS: Man oh, man, 2007 off to a frigid start. People are shivering from the dessert to the high plains. The big winter storm that blew in just ahead of the New Year is blamed for at least a dozen deaths. Parts of Colorado got up to four feet of snow, Melissa, after barreling across Colorado. The snow and the ice moved into the plains. Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, all feeling it. Icy roads causing lots of accidents. Tens of thousands of people across the region without power. In New Mexico, a nightmare for holiday travelers. The storm dumped up to two feet of snow on Albuquerque, stranding hundreds of motorists. What a way to spend New Year's Eve stuck in your car on a snow-bound highway. That's how hundreds of motorists in New Mexico ushered in 2007. KOAT's Sasha Andrade has the story from Albuquerque.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASHA ANDRADE, KOAT CORRESPONDENT: It's not much of a party. But this is where hundreds of people spent New Year's Eve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty frustrated. I can't get home. You know? They are talking about free shelters, but I live here.
ANDRADE: Drivers determined to get out of Albuquerque before '07 opted to sit in traffic and wait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we're trying to go back to Edgewood and try and have a party tonight. You know the rest of the family is back there.
ANDRADE: In this long line, everybody had a story. This carpenter lives in the East Mountains but he was in (inaudible) with his wife.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She just had her gallbladder removed this morning.
ANDRADE: Now he's trying to get home to take care of his dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's probably cold and hungry.
ANDRADE: And Don Lingunfolter (ph) is nine months pregnant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm already in a position to have my baby at any time. The doctors expect me to go into labor.
ANDRADE: As if that's not enough weight to carry, she has four fussy kids in the back seat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The baby is cranky and he wants to get outside and go play.
ANDRADE: But no matter how badly people wanted to get home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Real bad.
ANDRADE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we don't to be stuck in the car all night.
ANDRADE: State police wouldn't budge.
The icy roads and heavy fog made this a New Year's Eve to remember. Or maybe one people would rather forget.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So Chad, it's mostly slushy, slushy stuff there in Albuquerque right now, isn't it?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LONG: Missing in Indonesia. Rescue crews heading to Central Sulawesi. You can see the location on the map right there. That's where they believe a passenger plane may have gone down in bad weather. The flight issued a distress signal. There are believed to be 102 people on board.
Iraq war has now claimed the lives of 3,000 U.S. Service Members. As the military marks that milestone, there's this as well. For the first time, more U.S. Troops disapprove of how President Bush is handling the Iraq war than approve. That is from a new "Military Times" poll. 35 percent of service members polled say they approve. 42 percent disapprove. Only 41 percent of military members now say the U.S. should have gone to war in Iraq. That is down from 65 percent back in '03.
And now only half of the respondents say success in Iraq is likely. In 2004, 83 percent were predicting a successful outcome. The military times says 945 active duty troops responded to the survey and the findings are not representative of the military as a whole.
Again, 3,000 U.S. Troop deaths. There are names and faces behind those numbers, of course. CNN's Cal Perry introduces you to one soldier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is one story out of 3,000. The story of a soldier far from home, fighting in Iraq. Taking pictures as all soldiers do. This one published in "Stars & Stripes" shows a search for roadside bombs. An eerie foreshadowing of what would happen to the photographer.
Caleb arrived at the 10th combat support hospital on May 4th as thousands before him. A wounded soldier brought to his knees by war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Access guys, get the IO out. Alright clear them off guys. What's your name?
CALEB, SOLDIER IN IRAQ: Caleb.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, Caleb. Pretty pale. Breathe deep for me, Caleb. Are you having trouble breathing over there?
CALEB: A little bit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big breath. Don't you dare try to die on me OK? I didn't give you permission.
CALEB: Don't let me die.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't let you die. I promise. I give you my word.
PERRY: These were the images transmitted by news agencies that day. Showing smoke rising in the distance from a string of roadside bombs detonated in Baghdad. And this, the brutal result of one of those bombs. Caleb's flack jacket torn apart. His boots filled with blood. There's no reason or telling who lives and who dies in Iraq. Brought in at the same time with Caleb, a soldier that medics cannot resuscitate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty bad injury on the leg there.
PERRY: But Caleb hung on through emergency surgeries in Baghdad and Germany. Sometimes there's only so much a body can take. He died three weeks later during surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. His heart simply gave out.
And so Caleb returned home to Galesburg, Illinois, a fallen hero. He had earned four medals serving his country. Caleb's mother was too upset to speak. She wrote her eldest son a letter to say good-bye.
"You were still smiling your first day of kindergarten" the letter said, "when I found it so hard to let go of your hand. I'll be okay, mom, you said over your shoulder at me as you trotted alone into the school with your new school backpack. It was almost more than I could bear let going of that little hand and releasing you into the world. And you said the same thing again when you went to Iraq. I'll be okay, mom, with your army pack on your back." She ended the letter as any mother would. Simply, "you are forever in my heart."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: In today's daily dose of health news, claims from U.S. and Japanese scientists that they can build a better cow? One that can be genetically resistant to mad cow disease. They say they've isolated a protein that leads to the disease and got rid of it. The hope, eventually, engineered cattle could produce more nutritious products with no risk of the brain-destroying disease.
HARRIS: New recommendations from mothers-to-be. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says all pregnant women should be offered a choice of tests for Downs Syndrome regardless of their age. Testing has been limited to women over age 35. Today's tests are less invasive and more widely available. About 1 in 800 babies is born with Down syndrome, a condition that causes mental retardation.
To get your daily dose of health news online, log on to our website. You will find the latest medical news, health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is CNN.com/health.
LONG: We want to show you a live picture from the Rotunda of the Nation's Capitol in Washington, D.C. You see a spotlight shining on the flag-draped coffin of the former President Gerald Ford. Again these are live pictures of thousands of people as they have filed past the casket of the 38th president.
Yesterday Mr. Ford's sons Jack and Steve were there to thank the mourners personally. Today we saw Ford's daughter Susan there as well thanking people for coming to pay their final respects.
Today is the last day for the public to walk past the coffin. And this afternoon, President Bush and the first lady will pay their respects. Tomorrow, Ford's remains will rest outside the Senate chamber before a funeral service at the Washington National cathedral. President Bush has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning. Ford is to be buried on Wednesday in the town where he grew up. Grand Rapids, Michigan. He will be laid to rest near the Presidential Library and Museum bearing his name in Michigan.
And CNN's "Situation room" with Wolf Blitzer will bring you complete coverage of the national funeral for the former president. That service begins at 10:30 eastern tomorrow. CNN's coverage will start at 9:00 a.m.
HARRIS: "Your World Today" coming up at the hop of the hour. Hala Gorani standing by with a preview. Hala, good morning.
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Tony and Melissa. We're going to start in Iraq. One of Saddam Hussein's daughters makes a public appearance in Jordan at a rally condemning her father's execution.
We will also bring you the story of one of the 3,000 fallen soldiers in Iraq. We also take you live to Africa this hour. Could this be the end of the fighting that had some predicting an all-out regional war in the horn of Africa? The latest on the war in Somalia.
Also, Tony and Melissa bringing you an international perspective on New Year's Day from Sydney to Hong Kong to Paris, to New York. Join us on a world tour. That's "Your World Today" at the top of the hour with Jim Clancy and myself. Hope you can join us.
HARRIS: Love those pictures. Alright Hala, we'll be there, top of the hour.
LONG: And laid to rest is Saddam Hussein's burial resurrecting the political life of Iraq's prime minister? That story ahead in THE NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And this into CNN. Information that we're learning about an event that actually happened yesterday. The secret service, we understand, is now talking to a man, a pilot, who flew his small aircraft into restricted air space near the president's Crawford ranch twice yesterday. The last time it occurred shortly after midnight. We understand that NORAD actually scrambled fighters and forced the plane to land. We can show you where at the city county airport in Gatesville. That's Gatesville, Texas. So once again, the secret service is talking to this pilot who flew into restricted air space very near the president's Crawford ranch. This happening yesterday. And it happened twice. NORAD scrambling jets. Forced the plane to land and we will continue to follow developments in this story. And bring you what we know as soon as we get it.
LONG: And John Levin here on this New Year's, happy new year.
LEVIN: Yes, happy new year to you. You don't want to do that. You don't want to get near that-
HARRIS: No, that's a huge mistake.
LEVIN: Hope you guys had a great New Years. Couldn't sleep because of the fireworks. I got to bed about 2:00 or 3:00. And I wasn't even partying.
LONG: Sure.
LEVIN: We have a lot coming up today here on THE NEWSROOM. A lot coming up today. Hit the newsroom this afternoon. Detailed coverage of the 3,000th American killed in Iraq. We'll look at some of the individual stories of the fallen heroes from across the country.
And what's the big deal about a part of the polar ice cap breaking off? Well the part we're talking about stretches 41 square miles. That's about twice the size of Manhattan. Could it mean changes in our weather? Well, Miles O'Brien will have more. That's ahead in THE NEWSROOM today at 1:00 eastern. We'll be there.
LONG: And from the gallows to the grave. Will Saddam Hussein's burial give new life to Iraq's embattled prime minister? CNN's Aneesh Raman takes a closer look.
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ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In life, Saddam Hussein was obsessed with his own image, and it was everywhere. Towering statues, shadowed streets, overbearing opulence accompanied every appearance. And if Saddam was still in power, certainly the same would have defined his burial. In the end it was, instead, a simple affair. That a mosque in Saddam's hometown, of Ouja, a coffin lay covered with an Iraqi flag. A sole picture placed close by in memory of the man inside. A man whose final moments speak volumes of where Iraq has been and where it is heading.
Saddam stood, noose around his neck, seconds away from the same sort of death he condemned upon others. And from the witnesses came the following.
Chants in honor of radical Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr. Saddam smiles and asks, is this how you show your bravery as men? Straight to hell, a voice retorts. And then came one of the final things Saddam Hussein heard in life. The name of a man killed by Saddam's regime. That of Muqtada al Sadr's father-in-law, founder of Iraq's Shia Dowa party, the same founder of Iraq's current prime minister. The hope by his Shia dominated government is clearly that Saddam's execution will bring closure. But mired in division and incapable of tackling sectarian violence there is, as well, a message. That of a government taking action. The first image broadcast on state-run TV before Saddam's execution was Iraq's prime minister signing the former dictator's death sentence.
For Nouri al Maliki, this is a rare success, a rare promise fulfilled. Days after Saddam's sentencing in November, Maliki said Saddam would not live to see the New Year. And on the streets of Iraq, there is now praise for a prime minister who over the past few months has been blamed for so much by so many. Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.
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HARRIS: And still to come, a daredevil in diapers. A toddler wondering around a busy interstate. Drivers forced to dodge and weave. Can't believe this story. It's coming up next in THE NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Melissa, it's not what you expect to see on the interstate. A 3-year-old boy. Car after car swerved to avoid him. Big rigs, too. Natalie Holzer of our affiliate station WTHR has our story.
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TROY CREADY (ph) INTERSTATE DRIVER: I've seen a lot of crazy stuff on the interstate. People are usually running 65 and 70
NATALIE HOLZER, WTHR CORRESPONDENT: But Saturday morning, Troy Cready (ph) says his ride to work was his wildest yet.
CREADY (ph): I looked over to my right and I seen this little 2- year-old boy running down the middle of the slow lane in the interstate. I just could not believe what I was seeing. I dove to the shoulder and jumped out of my truck.
HOLZER: He and two other motorists ran to help the boy and call police. State troopers believe 3-year-old Damon made it around a fence out on to I-465 to play in traffic.
CREADY (ph): He was happy. He didn't even have a clue that, you know, just two seconds prior to us getting there, you know, his life was in the middle of peril. He looked pretty bad. He had a messy diaper on and a t-shirt, bare footed and that was all he was wearing. He was shivering.
HOLZER: A few hours later, police locate his mother in the Scarborough Lake apartments next to the interstate. Indiana state police say the 3-year-old made it several hundred yards away to the interstate you see behind me from this apartment over here. And investigators believe he went from one horrible situation to another.
CEDRIC MERRITT, INDIAN STATE POLICE: There was another child, 2- year-old female; infant that was in the residence herself. Basically had the same conditions of the brother. No clothes on. Diaper heavily saturated with feces and bile. Bile and feces on the walls. Trash everywhere in the residence. Very unsanitary conditions for children to live in.
HOLZER: While the 2-year-old Gabriele and 3-year-old Damon are taken into protective custody the children's mother, 30-year old Nancy Dyer (ph) is placed under arrest for felony child neglect.
MERRITT: The mother didn't really have too much to say other than she just didn't know the children were up. Mom seemed like she really didn't care at all. Like it was just a nonchalant thing.
CREADY (ph): I just feel sorry for him. That he has parents that don't care for him any better than that.
HOLZER: And Troy Cready (ph) says now every time he drives to work he'll remember that terrifying discovery on this Saturday morning. A tiny boy in a superman t-shirt who escaped a life and death situation and needed strangers to come to his rescue. In Indianapolis, Natalie Holzer, Channel 13, Eyewitness News.
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HARRIS: And before we go just want to give you a quick update on the story we told you about just moments ago. A pilot flying into a restricted airspace around the President's Crawford ranch, not once but twice. As told the Secret Service and the FAA it was a total accident and the FAA is continuing its investigation -
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