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American Morning
Watching the Ball Drop in Times Square; U.S. Military Death Toll: 3,000; President Bush's Plans
Aired January 01, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Five, four, three, two, one!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, that's what about a million people sounded like in Times Square last night.
Welcome back, everybody, New Year's 2007.
More than a million people, in fact, rang in the year in New York.
We're live with the sights and the sounds from Times Square, and around the world as well.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Not a great new year in Iraq. A tragic milestone, in fact. Three thousand American troops now killed in the war. A look at the personal toll behind those numbers this morning.
O'BRIEN: And developing news out of Thailand this morning. Those deadly bombings that canceled the New Year's celebrations there injured Americans. Apparently, not the work of the usual suspects.
We've got details straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back, everybody. Happy New Year. It is Monday, January 1st.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts, in for Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for joining us.
We should also say happy zoo year, because later this hour Jack Hanna, "Mr. Animal," is going to be with us to preview the Rose Bowl Parade.
O'BRIEN: Yes, we check in with him every year. And I think they're getting better weather this year than they certainly had the last, when it rained and was pretty miserable.
ROBERTS: They need it, yes. O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let's begin with the biggest party in the world, shall we? New York's Times Square, New York City.
More than a million people watched the ball drop in person. And the weather was nice, too, which meant people were out there enjoying it. And millions more, of course, caught it live on TV.
CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff is live for us in Times Square the morning after.
How is the cleanup going this morning, Allan? Happy New Year, by the way.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, Happy New Year to you as well.
As you can see, still a mess here. Just imagine tons of this confetti all over Times Square. The sanitation crews still working on it a couple blocks down. And the folks from the Times Square alliance just putting up the garbage cans once again. They could have been helpful yesterday. But anyway, it really was quite the event yesterday, quite the party.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Five, four, three, two, one!
CHERNOFF (voice over): In New York's Times Square, it was estimated more than a million revelers, a record number, ushered in the new year. The giant crystal ball dropping into what looked like a sea of humanity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your plans for 2007?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, all the best, peace. Peace and good wishes to everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your plans for 2007, your resolutions?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: None whatsoever. Just have a good time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a good time? That works.
What about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a good time and hopefully fall in love and stay in love.
CHERNOFF (voice over): by the time 2007 arrived, the big crowd was well versed in counting backwards. Each hour brought another mock countdown complete with fireworks and confetti.
In Key West, Florida, they don't drop a crystal ball to bring in the new year, they drop a drag queen named Sushi in a big, red stiletto. They've been doing it now for 10 years.
A Texas-sized party in San Antonio with some 250,000 people taking part in the festivities.
There were fireworks on Chicago's lake front to welcome in 2007. And some celebrations even waxed (INAUDIBLE) on the difference between New York and the Big Apple and the Second City.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from New York, and here I am, in Chicago celebrating New Year's Eve. Yes!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got the Bears. That's our ball. Woo!
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Yeah!
CHERNOFF: There was another big street party in New Orleans, where they dropped a big pot of gumbo to signal a new year in the city still struggling to come back from Hurricane Katrina.
Of course, it wouldn't be a New Year's Eve without plenty of music. And this year was no exception. From the Goo Goo Dolls in California to the B-52s in Atlantic City, to Lionel Richie in Las Vegas, they were singing in the new year, 2007.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Good thing it wasn't pouring like this at midnight, because it would have been a very, very soggy celebration.
Soledad, Happy New Year to you.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Thank you very much. It was a sad thing to see people try to get a cab this morning as I was coming into work, all of us in the downpour.
ROBERTS: In your...
O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly. I had to hitch a ride with a bicyclist to come in.
Allan Chernoff for us this morning.
Thanks, Allan.
We've got some breaking news for you this morning coming to us out of Indonesia. Flight controllers in that country say they've lost contact with a passenger plane that's in the air, supposed to be in the air right now.
The Associated Press is reporting that the flight, operated by Adam Air, is carrying 102 people, including 11 children on board. Officials do not know why they have lost contact.
We continue to follow the story closely for you. It was flying between Indonesia's Java and Sulawesi islands, according to officials. We'll update you on what we know about this plane as soon as we get more information. And a developing story to share with you out of Thailand. Investigators are trying to figure out just who planted eight deadly bombs around Bangkok on New Year's Eve. The explosions killed three people, injured 20, including some American tourists.
New Year's celebrations were called off and troops are now patrolling parts of Bangkok. Investigators say they do not believe Islamic extremists linked to attacks in the past in Thailand are responsible -- John.
ROBERTS: Now to Iraq and the bleak milestone reminding us about the high cost of war. The number of American troops killed has surpassed 3,000 now. And December was the deadliest month for the United States military in 2006. In fact, the deadliest in the past two years.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now live.
And Barbara, not a great way to finish off one year or begin a new one.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: In fact, John, it will be a very grim start to the new year, as you say, for the 140,000 U.S. troops still on the front line in Iraq as they now begin what will be, of course, the fifth year of this war.
Three thousand fatalities since March 2003, 111 troops having lost their lives in the last month of the year, December, the deadliest month for 2006. And if you were wondering, another grim statistic now. More than 22,000 U.S. troops wounded in this war.
All of this coming, of course, as President Bush contemplates a change in strategy. It is still the IEDs, the roadside bombs, that are the number one threat to U.S. troops in Iraq.
We decided, though, to look back at a bit of history on this day and try and look at the casualty figures from some of America's past wars, see how this compares in terms of history. So we went back and looked.
In World War II, for example, more than 400,000 U.S. personnel killed, 670,000 wounded.
In Korea, more than 36,000 killed, more than 100,000 wounded.
In, perhaps, more recent years, in the Vietnam War, more than 58,000 U.S. troops killed. More than 150,000 wounded.
And then, of course, there was the first Persian Gulf War when Americans saw just -- although it's grim -- 382 killed, 467 wounded.
Perhaps an indicator of how much America now expects its wars to be casualty free, almost -- John.
ROBERTS: And Barbara, the casualties from the Iraq engagement could have been worse if it weren't for advances in personal armor and medicine, correct?
STARR: Well, that's true. That, of course -- what U.S. commanders tell us, those armored vests, the helmets, and the advances, specifically, you are absolutely right, in front line medical combat care.
The feeling now is, if they can get a wounded soldier or troop to -- to a hospital, to a front line combat hospital and get them medical care within that first golden hour of being wounded, that is their best chance for saving that person, and they have had remarkable success. Because, of course, 22,000 wounded is very significant. Those are people who they did save.
Sadly, 3,000 they did not. And as the Pentagon reminds us, John, every one of these cases leaves a family behind.
ROBERTS: Of course. And a lot of those 22,000 have had their lives changed forever as well, losing limbs, brain damage, other tragic injuries like that as well.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
Thanks for us this morning.
President Bush returns to Washington this morning after a week at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. That new death toll number placing new emphasis on his highly-anticipated speech on America's future in Iraq.
CNN's Elaine Quijano is live near the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Elaine, any better idea on when the president is going to make that speech?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Still hearing the early part of January, John.
Good morning to you.
Now, amid the escalating U.S. death toll, a White House spokesman says that the hardest decision President Bush ever has to make is the decision to send American servicemen and women into harm's way. Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott Stanzel saying, "The president believes that every life is precious and grieves for each one that is lost. He will ensure their sacrifice was not made in vain."
Now, Stanzel also reiterated something that we've heard President Bush say time and time again, that the military must fight extremists abroad so that they will not attack Americans at home. Yet, nearly four years into this war, President Bush is under tremendous political pressure not just from Democrats, but also from members of his own party as well, to change course in Iraq.
Despite that pressure and despite the rising number of U.S. casualties, President Bush has signaled that he's not ready to announce any changes to his Iraq policy just yet. After meeting at his ranch here in Crawford for about three hours last week with his war cabinet, the president said that he wants to hold further consultations with the Iraqi government, as well as members of the soon-to-be Democratic-led Congress.
The president said that he was making progress, he felt, towards a retooled plan for Iraq. Aides continue to say, John, that that speech will come sometime early this month.
The president, meantime, today focusing on the former president, Gerald Ford. As you noted, he will be returning to Washington. In fact, a few hours early today in order to pay his respects -- John.
ROBERTS: All right.
Elaine Quijano outside the president's ranch in Crawford.
Thanks very much. Appreciate it. Happy New Year to you as well -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: And, in fact, President Bush is going to be joined by the first lady, Laura Bush, as they join their fellow Americans in paying respects to the late president, Gerald Ford, as he lies in state at the Capitol.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Bob Franken is live for us on Capitol Hill with more on that story.
Good morning to you, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And they'll be joining -- well, you can see behind me the small lines that are beginning to form. Actually, just a couple of dozen people thus far. Anybody who is in Washington and wants to take a look, pay his last respects to President Ford, probably a good idea to get up here now, because the lines get fairly long, as they did yesterday when people got a real glimpse at a man whose life was extraordinary, as well as ordinary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice over): Throughout the day family members came to share their private grief with the public. Sons Jack and Steve Ford stayed on to personally thank many of the ordinary citizens who waited hours to pay their respects to the man called to lead the nation out of the Watergate debacle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He helped us get through a bad time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a very calming time after a very difficult period.
FRANKEN: On Saturday night, there were the eulogies from the highly placed, like the vice president, Ford's former chief of staff.
RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He assumed power without assuming airs.
FRANKEN: The somber occasion was also notable for those who did not show up.
President Bush flies back from Crawford, Texas, today and heads straight to the Capitol. Neither his father, the first President Bush, nor President Clinton was here.
For whatever reason, six of the nine Supreme Court justices were absent, and most of the new congressional leaders have not showed up, Republicans, as well as Democrats. At least so far.
The final memorial service is held at the National Cathedral on Tuesday. Between now and then, those who are not on the A-List get their chance to glimpse history and the man that everyone remembers as honest and decent.
JOHN BYERS, SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY: It's kind of nice now that he's passed and everyone is looking back at the positive things that he did, and it's nice to be a part of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: President Ford and his family wanted a low-key ceremony, relatively low key, and, Soledad, they've gotten that.
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning.
Thanks, Bob.
We're going to have much more on President ford's legacy straight ahead, including some surprising insights about his true feelings, some of which are just coming to light now. We'll talk with one of his closest advisers straight ahead this morning.
And then minimum wage hikes go into effect this morning in several states. We'll take a look at some of the notable new laws in this new year straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The national funeral service for the late President Gerald Ford will be held tomorrow at the National Cathedral in Washington. James Cannon is going to be a pallbearer at that service.
And now we'll toss it over to Soledad for the rest of it.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Of course, he is a person who served as a domestic adviser to President Ford. He also wrote the Ford biography, "Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment With History." He's in our Washington bureau this morning.
Mr. Cannon, nice to see you. Thank you for talking with us. We certainly appreciate it. JAMES CANNON, DOMESTIC ADVISER TO PRESIDENT FORD: Thank you for asking me.
O'BRIEN: My pleasure.
Here you have a man who was not elected vice president, who was not elected the president, served just 29 months. Of all the things that he accomplished in that time, what would you say at the end of the day was the one thing you'd point to as his legacy?
CANNON: He restored the integrity of the presidency. He did other things as well, but most important of all, he brought us to see that we could believe our president again.
O'BRIEN: There are many people who thought certainly at the time that that was a huge mistake, that pardon of Richard Nixon. And, of course, Ford paid for it and knew that he paid very heavily for it at the time. He always seemed, though, like a person who did not waver from that difficult decision.
You knew him well. Did he sort of go back and forth on things, especially that?
CANNON: Never. This is a man who made a decision on the basis of the facts, he listened to all points of view, he formed a judgment, he made a decision and he didn't look back. And certainly he never looked back on the pardon decision.
He knew at the time it was the right thing to do, and he never wavered a bit on it. I suppose I talked to him 20 or so times about it, and not once did he ever show the slightest feeling that he had done anything but done -- but made the right decision.
O'BRIEN: In those times that you talked to him, what did he say about the direction he felt the Republican Party was moving? I mean, he was a true moderate Republican, fiscally conservative, socially centrist. And he now, we know, seemed to be full of dismay about some of the direction that the party was going. And others in his party did nothing to stop it.
CANNON: He was a true conservative, as you suggest. But the party moved far to the right of him to be committed to positions and policies that he found unacceptable to him. He stayed the same, but the party moved to his right, and he was dismayed about it.
O'BRIEN: He worked with his alma mater, the University of Michigan, to help keep Affirmative Action there, supported women's rights. Not many people knew that he was a big supporter of gay rights as well. All these things that come to light now that he's dead.
Why did he fly under the radar on these important issues at the time, and we're just sort of learning about them now?
CANNON: Well, first, he was a modest man and he didn't go about bragging about what he did. But the other element is that this is a man who lacked showmanship.
He was a good manager, but not much of a showman. And so much of the White House, much of the presidency now is staged. It is the most important stage in the world.
Ford was not an actor. He was himself, he was exactly as you saw. And he could not pretend to be anybody else.
O'BRIEN: When asked about the war in Iraq, here's what he said. We have a snippet of an interview. Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GERALD FORD, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Rumsfeld, Cheney and the president made a big mistake in justifying going into the war in Iraq. They put the emphasis on weapons of mass destruction.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: That was an interview with journalist Bob Woodward. He says, "I think Rumsfeld, Cheney and the president made a big mistake."
In the times that you have talked to him, what was, beyond that, his take about the war in Iraq?
CANNON: Well, his take about -- it goes back further than that. In the year 2000, he and I were talking about the presidential campaign, and he told me then he was going to talk about candidate Bush about the fact that he must not overextend the capability of American forces. He thought at the time that American troops were spread too thin around the world, and he wanted to warn president -- future President Bush against making commitments that we could not sustain.
O'BRIEN: James Cannon was a Ford biographer, also a Ford adviser, and will be a pallbearer for President Ford.
Thank you, sir, for talking with us this morning. We certainly appreciate it.
CANNON: Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: John.
ROBERTS: Coming up now to 21 minutes after the hour. Chad Myers is at the CNN weather center with the traveler's forecast.
Got some rain on the forecast there, I see.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And really big areas, John, big areas with big travel and nightmarish commutes this morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad. MYERS: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Coming up, remember this guy, Chad? Take a look at this guy. See if you can remember back to him.
Guy Goma was his name. Remember him? Deer in the headlights when he shows up at the BBC applying for a job. Somehow he ends up in the middle of a live interview?
We're going to talk to him this morning, see how his year has gone.
And from pistol-packing judges to a law that makes it illegal for teenagers to catch a ride in the trunk of a car, there are some new laws across the land. And they're now in effect.
We'll tell you what they are.
Stay with us. AMERICAN MORNING is back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
We're taking a look this morning at some of our very favorite Jeanne Moos stories from 2006, the very best of Moos, as we like to say. In this installment, Jeanne tracks down a case of mistaken identity.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is one face you don't forget.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guy Kewney is the editor of the technology Web site News Wireless.
MOOS: Actually, he was Guy Goma, and he came to the BBC to interview for a job in information technology. They mixed him up with another guy named Guy and threw him on the air live being interviewed as an expert in trademark law.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, good morning to you.
GUY GOMA, WRONG GUY: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you surprised by this verdict today?
GOMA: I'm very surprised to see this verdict to come on me.
MOOS: Guy became an overnight global sensation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). MOOS: His deer in the headlights expression plays continuously on the Guy Goma fan site. He's even had poetry written about him. "He's obviously no choker at life's game of poker." And everyone asks the same question...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you get the job?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you got the job?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you get the job that you came to the interview?
MOOS: Well, now we know he didn't, despite a petition with over 5,000 names on it at guygoma.com.
(on camera): The BBC won't say why Guy didn't get the IT job, but he has gotten lots of other things.
(voice over): For instance, his very own entry in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. He's gotten his very own celebrity P.R. rep. He's appeared on a big-time British comedy show. A company that supplies freelance TV technicians hired him to do an online commercial.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, action.
MOOS: Don't adjust your sound. Guy plays a hapless technician who forgot to put a mic at the end of his poll.
The company says it took a lot of takes to recreate that famous expression, but will Guy ever find the right job?
In the meantime, he's auctioning off his lucky blue shirt for charity, the one he wore during his surprise guest appearance. Bidding is up to more than $190.
"P.S.," Guy notes, "the shirt has been worn a couple of times." Actually, we've seen it practically every time Guy's been in the public eye.
Fans have put Guy's expression to music, even his words.
GOMA: Good morning.
MOOS: A group called The Sex Bishops has sexed up Guy's delivery.
GOMA: Good morning. I'm very surprised to see...
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Not quite being there, but almost.
Coming up, your dog could have some new rights in the new year. We'll take a look at new state laws for 2007.
Plus, we're going to go live to southern California for a sneak peek at today's Rose Parade. Jack Hanna joins us with some of his animal friends ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Happy New Year! Welcome to the New Year. A million people packing Times Square to usher in 2007 and we are live on the morning after with more reasons to celebrate, like a big paycheck or a bigger paycheck for some people.
ROBERTS: I'm looking forward to that. Wintry blitz, massive storms turning deadly in the plains states, drivers stranded, thousands of people without power.
O'BRIEN: The rose parade rolls today. A look ahead at the beloved event with the help of Jack Hanna and some of his amazing animal friends. All happening on this AMERICAN MORNING and welcome back, everybody. It is Monday, January 1st. It is the New Year. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
ROBERTS: I'm John Roberts in for Miles O'Brien this morning. Thanks very much for joining us. How do you like an eight-foot Burmese python?
O'BRIEN: I like it fine when we're doing it as a remote with Jack Hanna who's handling it and I don't have to touch it. We're going to talk about that in just a little bit. Also we're talking about some of the new laws that the New Year brings. Seven states, in fact, are raising the minimum wage. Arizona, California, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania are the states. Now, the Federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. The state increases will go as high as $7.50 an hour. In Illinois a new law is going after copy cat music groups. Tribute acts now must make it clear in advertising that they're a salute to the actual band.
Alaska and South Carolina are now adopting laws that would help curb school bullies. And in Wisconsin, police have to tape interrogations of felony suspects either on videotape or on audiotape to prevent wrongful convictions. CNN's Allan Chernoff has more. He's in Times Square this morning. Good morning to you Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad, and happy New Year. Those are some of the more conventional new laws where you sort of scratch your head and say, sounds a little whacky.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (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: You wouldn't trust a judge to be a good shot?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I wouldn't trust anybody with a gun. No.
CHERNOFF: 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-wired 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 brings 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. A person could actually be sent to prison for that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. I'm an animal lover, you know?
CHERNOFF: Pet owners can now show their love under a new law in Ohio by setting up a trust fund for their pooch. 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, yeah.
CHERNOFF: Wait a minute. You're losing your trust fund to your dog.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. That's not good.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Would you believe that there are actually more than two dozen states that have such a law, setting up a trust fund for your pet? Could be a very happy year for those pets. Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I believe it, you know? To see that young lady's reaction, yeah, that could be bad. She better get herself an attorney.
CHERNOFF: She's serious.
O'BRIEN: Allan Chernoff for us this morning, thank you Allan. John. ROBERTS: President Bush and the first lady today will pay their respects to the late President Gerald Ford as he lies in state at the state capitol. AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken is live on Capitol Hill for us this morning. What's the scene there like right now, Bob?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the scene, a few moments ago, had probably about 50 people or so in line. But they've now been moved into the capitol. They go through what amounts as a process before they're allowed to go in at 9:00, which is just a little bit under a half hour from now and begin the second day of viewing the body, the remains, the casket that is right there in the middle of the rotunda of the capitol. There has been this steady parade of people who have come in to pay their last respects to the man who was noted for bringing the United States back from the brinks of Watergate.
Now the high and mighty are going to becoming more and more involved. President Bush is heading back, as you pointed out, from Crawford, Texas. He will be coming also to pay his respects this afternoon. Tomorrow at the national cathedral will be the big memorial service where the president will give one of the eulogies. Then Gerald Ford leaves the capitol where he had spent 25 years as a member of Congress and will go back where he spent his childhood to be buried in Grand Rapids, Michigan. John.
ROBERTS: So what time does everything begin tomorrow Bob?
FRANKEN: It's a process, leaves the capitol about 9:00 a.m. and then goes to the national cathedral and the late morning, they'll be having the memorial service.
ROBERTS: Bob Franken, thanks very much. Appreciate your time this morning. Soledad.
O'BRIEN: And as we've been telling you all morning, the war in Iraq has surpassed a new milestone, 3,000 American troops dead. The Pentagon reporting that Specialist Dustin Donica (ph) of Spring (ph), Texas died on Thursday while he was on patrol in Baghdad. His name was released on Sunday. And while the 3,000 mark naturally draws attention, the personal toll is rarely counted. Each number represents a person though, a son or a daughter, a father or a mother, who leaves behind a family now struggling to cope.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEB YASHINSKI, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: This is the book that I started for him once we found out he was gone.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Everywhere in Deb's Yashinski's home are reminders of her son Michael, pictures, paintings, medals, his ashes.
YASHINSKI: He was my baby, my buddy, my life. He was my son.
O'BRIEN: Deb lost her son, Army Sergeant Michael Yashinksi three years ago on Christmas Eve in Iraq.
YASHINSKI: About 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon, two soldiers from Ft. Bragg knocked on the door, came inside and said, on behalf of a grateful nation --
O'BRIEN: These days Deb's life is about remembering those who have been lost and reaching out to those they've left behind.
YASHINKSI: This is gold star moms. This is where I spend most of my time.
O'BRIEN: Every day she goes online looking for new gold star moms, mothers who have lost their children to war.
YASHINSKI: The only name I recognized was this one.
O'BRIEN: During one of those searches, she found Patricia Desens.
YASHINSKI: I called her and I said, would you be willing to meet? And she said yes.
O'BRIEN: That initial contact turned into a friendship, which turned into a unique bond.
YASHINSKI: I always say, you know, my phone is open 24/7. If she is having a bad day and calls me or I'm having a bad day and call her, we know that we're not going to tell the other one, well, get over it. You know, you've got to keep going.
PATRICIA DESENS, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: Yeah.
O'BRIEN: Patricia's son Army Specialist Daniel Desens Jr. died in a fire fight near Baquba, Iraq in June 2004. He was only 20 years old.
DESENS: If I could leave this earth and go where he is, I'd be happy, but it's not my time. I'm not that special angel. He was.
YASHINSKI: They've got a book of everyone that's been North Carolina residents.
DESENS: Right.
O'BRIEN: The women who share not only loss, they share a goal.
YASHINSKI: The most important thing, I think, to all of us, is we don't want our children forgotten. You're saying 3,000. Well, number 436 probably doesn't mean much to you, but it meant the world to me because number 436 was my son. Each one of those numbers was somebody's someone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: At least 111 service members were reported killed in the month of December. It was the deadliest month of 2006 for the U.S. military. A short break and AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: The 118th tournament of roses parade kicks off in the streets of Pasadena, California. It happens in just a few hours.
ROBERTS: But right now, some of the parade's 45 floats are getting the final touches put on them, participants and parade watchers hoping for better weather this year than last year's icy rain and temperatures in the 50s.
O'BRIEN: Those are last year's pictures. What a mess, what a sad, experience there. Jack Hanna of course is the director emeritus of the Columbus zoo and aquarium and he's going to be riding a float with a few of his animal friends. We spoke last year. It was such crummy, weather Jack. Nice to see you. Also with him this morning we should mention is Walter Crawford. He's the founder and director of the world bird sanctuary. Gentlemen, oh, my goodness. Nice other friend you've got with you. Good morning guys. Who is that?
JACK HANNA, COLUMBUS ZOO AND AQUARIUM: Good morning. This is a beautiful butterscotch, a beautiful python we'll have on the float, a Rain Bird float which now 11 years and we've award - we actually won it six or seven years and taken awards nine years. So we're really excited and it's called natural beauty. We have incredible, the tallest waterfall in the history of the rose bowl parade, about 15 feet tall. We have lizards with us and snakes and big beautiful dragons on there and iguana lizards, also.
ROBERTS: So is that a wild snake Jack or was that born in captivity?
HANNA: This is Walter Crawford's snake. It was born in a zoological park, so he's pretty good. He has about 220 teeth shaped like fish hooks. So if they bite Walter on the parade route, you'll see him get swallowed.
ROBERTS: A lot of people keep those as pets, do they not?
HANNA: If you keep on as a pet, you have to really know what you're doing. It's not something you just take away and have it at home. You saw on CNN a lady was almost eaten by one yesterday in Florida. So you have to be very careful with that.
O'BRIEN: Oh my goodness. Now the name of the float I know is natural beauties. Tell me a little bit about the float Jack.
HANNA: The Rain Bird float, Rain Bird is the largest irrigation company in the world. They love to conserve water. That's, obviously, their cause. But what we have on the float are a lot of waterfalls, the beautiful lizards. The lizards really represent in the world, the animal world, animals you have to watch very closely. They live in the desert. They live in water. Some people think of habitat as just land. But remember something, we heard about the polar bear just last week. We have to have water to have these animals survive and that's what the whole theme of the float is.
ROBERTS: The news about the polar bear last week was that the White House was suggesting that global warming may be reducing its habitat and they may have to put the polar bear on the endangered species. That's pretty shocking, is it not?
HANNA: It really is. We still up there (ph) quite a bit and you have to be so appreciative of what these polar bears - remember something. They never eat in the summertime. They go on land in the summer, the big males do. They sit there by themselves, have to wait until that ice freezes. Then they can go out and hunt and find the seals and sea lions in those ice, in the holes there. They pop them up just like, just pull them out of the water like you wouldn't believe. Without the ice, the polar bear would go into extinction.
O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE) go ahead.
HANNA: How do you like my Australian lizard?
O'BRIEN: I was going to ask you to show up somebody else. I like him fine from a distance, I'll tell you that.
HANNA: No, no, this lizard, very dry climate. Obviously the water it gets is from the food it eats, especially if it eats little rats and mice and things like that. But this is the -- isn't it beautiful there, gorgeous animal. See how it puffs up.
ROBERTS: That's balthar or balder (ph)?
HANNA: Right. And this one right here, let me show you this one here. This is a beautiful one here. We've got these on the float.
O'BRIEN: Oh, my gosh!
HANNA: Isn't that magnificent? That's an iguana lizard. We see a lot of these in central South America and a lot of people used to have these as pets as well. They have real sharp claws. Their real long tails you can see here with like little spikes on the end that (INAUDIBLE) defense - central South America (INAUDIBLE) iguana.
ROBERTS: So will they just be sort of standing around the float waving to the crowd or will somebody be holding on to them?
HANNA: Walter and I will do the best we can for about three hours. They'll be fine. They got a lot of habitat on that float. It is a magnificent float, 10,000 volunteer hours by the Rain Bird people to build this float, you would not believe, about 55,000 roses, the waterfall. It's spectacular. Oh, a lot of like walnuts and apricots cover all the lizards. So it's something to see.
ROBERTS: So much work goes into each and every one of those floats does it?
O'BRIEN: Yeah. It's going to be great and now you have good weather this time around, so we're looking forward to that.
HANNA: Yeah, last year it rained so hard the koala's head fell off and hit me right on the back.
ROBERTS: Hopefully it was papier-mache koala.
O'BRIEN: Yes it was, it was definitely.
HANNA: Flowers.
O'BRIEN: Nice to see you Jack as always and of course to Walter as well, who was holding onto Butterscotch. Once Jack brought Butterscotch to New York and I got to wrap Butterscotch around my neck.
ROBERTS: Really?
O'BRIEN: He's very soft.
ROBERTS: For a snake.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, but scary.
ROBERTS: The most fascinating animal experience that I had was when Sigfreid and Roy brought in their baby white tigers on morning. They were really cute.
O'BRIEN: Scary in their own way.
ROBERTS: Not when they're that small, big, fat paws and little tiny claws.
Shovels, plows and snow blowers working over time in the plains states this morning, more than a foot of snow falling in spots from Denver to New Mexico, thousands of people are without power. Slick roads also blamed for several deadly crashes. Chad Myers in the CNN weather center now with a travelers' forecast, snow in the west. Now we're facing a lot of rain in the east today, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Exactly. And the same storm, John, but the low -- the top of the low where the cold air is, moves right across from Albuquerque through Santa Fe, up through New Mexico and into Kansas and Nebraska and now its moved up even into southern Ontario there. But the warm side of the storm, which is what you're in now, actually it's in the 50s in New York City, 53 downtown in Central Park, 50 in Atlanta. That's the rainy side of the storm, so Hartford, New York City, right on down to Philadelphia and Atlantic City, very heavy rainfall this morning and then the tail, it's just to the south of Atlanta, but through most of Florida, with showers on and off for your New Year's Day.
Here's some of those numbers out of New Mexico. We talked about Colorado a lot and some areas had 40 and 35 inches. But even look at Albuquerque in the southeastern foothills, 26 inches there and Santa Fe at 25, Towson, all the ski areas there very happy with the snow, but a lot of people are still trying to dig out from this, unexpected in some spots around Amarillo too, some heavy snow in western Texas panhandle as well. Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thank you.
MYERS: Sure. O'BRIEN: The godfather of soul has been laid to rest, not before a fitting tribute at the James Brown arena in his home town of Augusta, Georgia. Thousands of people honored the man who changed American music history. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE: The whole world changed its beat because of James Brown. Rap started from James Brown. Hip- hop started from James Brown. Pop (ph) started from James Brown.
MICHAEL JACKSON, ENTERTAINER: When I saw him move, I was mesmerized. I've never seen a performer perform like James Brown and right then and there, I knew that that was exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown.
CHARLES BOBBIT, JAMES BROWN'S MANAGER: My wife, God bless her soul, talked me into going to a James Brown show. We walked in, sat down. Mr. Brown walked on stage and the bells went off. I said I'm going to get me a job with him and I'm going to be the manager.
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: Beyond the service today, his memory be carefully carved out on the legacy of his manifest talents. There's enough substance and legacy for all of you to share.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Wow, that was quite a party. James Brown died early on Christmas morning of congestive heart failure. He was 73 years old.
ROBERTS: That was really unusual in the funeral where they had the open gold-plated casket.
O'BRIEN: I had not seen that before, people singing (INAUDIBLE) what a party.
ROBERTS: It was. It went on for hours and hours too.
O'BRIEN: Great music.
ROBERTS: Watch the Ford funeral a little bit, flipped back to that. It just seemed to go on and on and on. CNN "Newsroom" just minutes away. Tony Harris at the CNN center in Atlanta with a look now at what's ahead. Hey, Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey John. Good morning to you. We've got these stories in the "Newsroom" run down for you this morning, 3,000 American deaths now in Iraq. A new poll shows President Bush losing more support among members of the U.S. military.
Down and out in the plains. A fierce winter storm knocks out power lines across Kansas and Nebraska, thousands of homes in the dark and cold today. How about this unreal story, the Connecticut grandmother who allegedly told three children to stay inside a burning house. She is facing charges. We'll tell you what happened to those kids. CNN "Newsroom" weekend starts at the top of the hour right here on CNN. John, back to you.
ROBERTS: That's a strange story. Thanks for this (ph). Tony, see you soon.
Coming up from New York to London to Baghdad, we're going to take you around the world for the sights and sounds and the hottest New Year's parties. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Oh, wake up already! 2007 is here, and since you couldn't be in all the same places at the same time, we've got a little help for you this morning. Here are some of the sights and sounds of the New Year coming in from around the world.
ROBERTS: Ah, that's always a great shot with the bridge in Sydney lights up with those fireworks.
O'BRIEN: I've never been to the Times Square celebrations, even though I live about 15 blocks from Times Square.
ROBERTS: I've never actually been to them. I've sort of walk through them as they're preparing. New Year's in Baghdad.
O'BRIEN: That looked all right.
ROBERTS: At least some people had something to celebrate there.
A quick look at what CNN's "Newsroom" is working on for the top of the hour.
HARRIS: See these stories in the CNN "Newsroom," the New Year starts with an ominous number from Iraq, 3,000 American deaths in the war.
Gerald Ford lying in state. The president and Mrs. Bush will pay respects at the U.S. Capitol today.
Searchers canvassing snowy roads in the plains. They're looking for motorists stranded in a big winter storm. You're in the "Newsroom," 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 on the west coast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, that's all from us here on this AMERICAN MORNING, happy New Year. I hope your head is not banging too hard.
O'BRIEN: Enjoy the day and celebrate the New Year in style. CNN "Newsroom" with Tony Harris begins right now.
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