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American Morning
Georgia Tornado; Security in Somalia; New Iraq Plan
Aired January 08, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news overnight. Pounding rains in the Northeast. More possible tornadoes in the South. We're live on the storm front for you this morning.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The fight in Iraq. Innocent civilians ambushed on a bus while details emerge about President Bush's new war plan.
A security scare. Just what lead authorities to move in on three men at the Port of Miami?
S. O'BRIEN: And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his own words that changed a nation. We go inside his private library. The paper and the notes at the core of the man and the movement, only on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And good morning. Welcome, everybody. It's January 8th. I'm Soledad O'Brien. And Miles is back from vacation.
Good morning. Nice to see you.
M. O'BRIEN: It's good to see you. I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with the severe weather as our top story. Soaking rains on the East Coast triggering flood watches right now. Overnight near Atlanta, a suspected tornado wiped out an entire neighborhood, knocked down trees, snapped power lines. In Colorado, a massive avalanche on U.S. Highway 40 is now cleared. Everyone who was buried in it is now accounted for. Highway crews are using canons to trigger controlled slides now.
And before (ph) another major storm is expected to hit the Rockies this week, the fourth major storm in four weeks. Got the full coverage this morning. Gary Tuchman's in New Orleans, Georgia, for us. Rob Marciano's at Merchant Pass in Colorado, severe weather expert, Chad Meyers, is at the CNN Center.
Let's begin with Gary.
Good morning, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.
Tuchman It's been a bizarre and frightening weekend in this small community 40 miles south of Atlanta. This is Coweta County, Atlanta, and bizarre because over the last three days it appears they've been hit by two tornadoes in January. This BP gas station got it the worst. You can see the spare (ph) damage here. We've always learned in tornadoes and hurricanes, don't stand under canopy's at gas stations. They get destroyed pretty quickly.
But it has not been confirmed yet that a tornado hit here. But it is believed so because of the extent of the damage. Right now it's still dark. It hit when it was dark last night. But the fire chief here is estimating between six to 20 homes have been heavily damaged.
But I just took a drive down the street and there are hundreds of trees that have been cracked in half, including some trees that looked like they're 50 to 100 years old. Trees that have been there for a long time. So it looks like more than just a plain old wind storm.
You know, in the winter, this may be the south, but they're used to weather phenomenon like snowstorms and ice storms. That's what's so unusual. It appears they've had two tornadoes. One Friday came through here. An F-1. A small one. It caused significant damage. And then it appears another one last night came through here.
The very good news, nobody injured, nobody killed. And according to the fire chief, he just can't believe it because at least five of the homes are severely damaged. One 14-year-old boy was in his bathtub when this house crumbled down behind him. Initial reports were he was trapped. They came, they got him, and he was fine. So they're very happy that everyone seems to be OK.
Soledad, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my gosh. Thank goodness for that. Gary Tuchman for us this morning.
Thanks, Gary, for the update.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The Northeast corridor in for it this morning. Heavy rain and flooding for the a.m. rush. Our severe weather expert, Chad Meyers, at the Weather Center in Atlanta with that.
Hello, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Let's turn to Iraq now. Details overnight about President Bush's new strategy that he's going to unveil in a prime time address to the nation on Wednesday. Here's what we know this morning.
Plans not final. It's expected, though, to call for 20,000 additional troops to Iraq. Most to Baghdad. Perhaps in phases. CNN has also learned the plan is going to include a new emphasis on reconstruction. In particular a kind of jobs program, a kind of new deal that would cost at least $1 billion.
Now the new leaders of Congress are already sounding an alarm about the plan. AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Frank is in Washington, D.C., for us this morning.
Good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And the burning question is, is this, as the administration claims, a way forward, or as the critics charge, is a way deeper into the Iraq War?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN, (voice over): The most widely discussed option -- a presidential plan for a so-called surge. Up to 20,000 additional troops, mainly in and around Baghdad. And already we're seeing a surge of opposition from newly powerful Democrats.
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) CHAIRMAN, FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Twenty thousand troops is not enough to deal with the problem. We're going to have American forces going door to door in neighborhoods in Baghdad, a town of six million people.
FRANKEN: And it's not just Democrats who are expressing reservations.
SEN. TRENT LOTT, (R) MINORITY WHIP: I want to know how the surge will occur. What will be the numbers? What will they do? What do they hope to achieve?
FRANKEN: But it's the Democrats who not control Congress, who are trying to influence policies. As commander in chief, the president decides what troops go where. The congressional power is the power of the purse. Democrats are not threatening to cut off financial support for troops already fighting, but they are hinting they might draw the line at paying for added forces.
REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: We want to see a distinction between what is there to support the troops who are there now. The American people and the Congress support those troops. We will not abandon them. But if the president wants to add to this mission, he is going to have to justify it.
FRANKEN: And run a gauntlet of Democratic hearings over the billions already spent.
REP. HENRY WAXMAN, (D) CHAIRMAN, GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: Starting February 6th, we're going have a week of hearings on waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayers' dollars and Iraq will clearly be one of the major focuses of that hearing.
FRANKEN: The president's supporters are also readying for a fight.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MINORITY LEADER: Well, the Democrats don't have a plan for victory, they just simply want to leave.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN: And the Democrats claim that that's what the voters want, to get out of Iraq. Not, as the critics charge, have an escalation.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning in Washington, D.C.
Thank you, Bob.
In Baghdad, at least four people were killed when gunmen ambushed their bus. CNN's Arwa Damon is with the U.S. troops who are patrolling the capital and she filed this report this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just a small example of the reality that both the Americans and the Iraqi security forces face here in the capital. We're embedded with a striker battalion and yesterday, Sunday, at about 4:00 p.m., they received a call for backup from an Iraqi army unit that they have worked with in the past. By the time the strikers that we were traveling with arrived on scene, the gun battle had ended, but you could still smell the gunpowder in the air.
It was pitch black and the situation on the ground was incredibly tense. According to the Iraqi army commander there, eight of his soldiers had been killed during this fire fight. According to him, they had been cornered by the insurgents and after their bullets ran out, they were executed.
This, again, just an example of what is being faced here both by the Americans and by the Iraqi security forces. Although the American commanders on the ground have very little details as to what this potential surge would entail, the hope is that with additional U.S. troops they will be able to bring down the violence and the sectarian attacks to a level that would allow the political process and the training of the Iraqi security forces to move forward.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: In Miami this morning, authorities are still holding three men after a terrorism scare at the port. Security there tightened after it appeared the two Iraqis and one Lebanese national in a truck did not have the correct paperwork to enter the port. More now from CNN's Susan Candiotti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Three men in an 18 wheeler who tried to enter the Port of Miami threw Homeland Security into high gear on Sunday. Authorities say a miss communication over who was inside the truck and what the truck was carrying contributed to the confusion. Authorities say it all started when a truck driver, who didn't speak much English, tried to enter the port without the right kind of identification.
And then later on, two other people were discovered to be in the cab. Two of the men are Iraqi nationals and the third from Lebanon. All three are permanent and legal U.S. residents.
Authorities then checked what was inside the truck. The contents matched the paperwork. The truck was carrying automotive parts and all is well and ends well. Authorities say security procedures worked.
Suzanne Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: In Texas, that virtual border patrol effort drawing mixed reviews this morning. The idea, pushed by Governor Rick Perry, install web cams along the border allowing average citizens to nab illegal immigrants. A month-long trial lead authorities to arrest 10 illegal immigrants and made one drug bust. The website received nearly 28 million hits. But some lawmakers say the plan is still not feasible.
S. O'BRIEN: Stormy weather for your Monday morning commute. Chad is next with the forecast. Also the Vatican has some explaining to do about the pope's pick for archbishop of Warsaw with a past in the communist secret police.
And ready, set, show. We catch up with Bill Gates at the Consumer Electronics Show, weighing in on the high depth DVD battle.
Plus, it looks like things are going to be serious. Prince William's girlfriend is getting palace protection. We'll explain straight ahead. Those stories and much more on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Developing stories we're following for you this morning.
Federal investigators are on the scene of a subway derailment in Washington, D.C. It sent 20 people to the hospital. Sixty others had to be rescued from the tunnel.
Outside of Atlanta, it was apparently a tornado during the night, flattening homes, bringing down trees and snapping power lines.
Out west, the big weather worry is snow. Avalanches are now posing a threat after weeks of severe storms. CNN's Rob Marciano is live for us this morning from Berthoud Pass in Colorado, which is the scene of a big avalanche over the weekend.
Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. We're on Highway 40, as you mentioned, Berthoud Pass, Colorado. This is no desolate, inactive mountain road. When the sun comes up and skiers start heading to the mountain, this is a busy highway. And on Saturday morning, the snow behind me came crashing down.
Take a look. Heavy machinery was brought in to cut a path through this 15, 20-foot high wall of snow that came crashing down this mountain, covering cars on the roadway and taking two cars off the cliff and down into a ravine. Miraculously, nobody was killed. And when you see pictures of the cars that they pulled out of this ravine, it's really -- it's unbelievable to think that nobody was seriously injured or killed. Stories of citizens helping dig people out that were buried in the snow and rescued them that way.
Avalanche danger will continue to be high. I mean, what do you do when you're in an avalanche? Well, if you're in the back country skiing, you know, that's a tough go for sure. You can try to ski out of the avalanche. You just don't want to be in that area to begin with.
But if you're in your car, I mean, what do you do? Well, I talked to an avalanche expert. He said, well roll up your window and hit the gas. I mean, you just try to get out of there. But other than that, it's actually not -- it's a pretty safe place to be evident of the fact that nobody was killed this past weekend.
With the winds gusting like they are today, and will continue to do so over the next couple of days, that's going to be the main concern. This is different from, say, the Cascade Mountain ranges, the Sierra Mountain ranges where the main threat for avalanche comes with the snow levels going up and down. Meaning the snow pack warming and cooling.
This is a cold snow pack. But with these gusty winds and all the snow they've had in the past three weeks, that creates the instability in the snow. And it's very difficult to determine when the snow will slide. And that's why they're concerned over the next few days.
We'll have much more on this as we go on through the next couple of hours.
Soledad, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Rob, thank you. And, you know, I guess the other thing you could add is, wear your seat belt. A lot of those people who survived that avalanche said they had their seat belts on and that really helped when their cars tumbled right down.
Thanks, Rob.
Fifteen minutes past the hour. That brings us right to Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center with the traveler's forecast this morning.
Hey, Chad, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: The Vatican this morning trying to explain a stunning turn of events in Poland. Moments before his official installation, the newly chosen archbishop of Warsaw stepping down after admitting his ties to the communist era secret police. CNN's Alessio Vinci live in Rome with more.
Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
Well, this is not the first time that a clergyman from the former communist block has admitted to -- has been accused of collaborating with the former secret police. But it is the first time that a senior church official has admitted to doing so, and on a day that he was supposed to be elevated even to a higher position. It is a move that has left many Vatican officials here stunned and embarrassed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI, (voice over): His code name was Agent Gray, and for about 20 years, starting from the late 1960s, Archbishop Slanislaw Wielgus spied on fellow clerics for the Polish secret police. Wielgus first denied any involvement, but facing increased pressure from the Polish clergy and reportedly from the pope himself, he resigned on Sunday, the day he was to be installed as the highest church official in the Polish capital.
"I submit to your holiness my resignation as the metropolitan archbishop of Warsaw," he said, reading from a letter sent to the pope. Earlier, in a different statement, Wielgus said he did not report on anyone, nor deliberately try to hurt anyone. But documents uncovered by a Polish church commission showed enough evidence he was a willing informer.
"The church historical committee has found that there are important documents which confirm Wielgus' willingness to cooperate with the communist secret police," this spokesman said. "The documents also point that this kind of cooperation has been undertaken."
Among the documents proving he was an informant, this agreement signed by Wielgus in 1978 promising to cooperate in exchange for a passport and the permission to travel abroad. A Vatican spokesman said Wielgus' behavior during the communist regime gravely compromised his authority. But also said Wielgus may be the victim of a revenge from old enemies.
Allegation that's Wielgus was a spy first emerged in early December after Pope Benedict appointed him archbishop of Warsaw to replace retiring Cardinal Jozef Glemp, the primate (ph) opponent, and one of the symbols of the Polish catholic church's opposition to the communist regime, which ended in 1989.
During mass on Sunday, Cardinal Glemp said Bishop Wielgus should not be judged too harshly, as many Pols were forced to cooperate during the communist era. Some historians say as much as 10 percent of the Polish clergy could have cooperated with the regime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI: And, Miles, a senior Vatican official this morning is quoted as saying when the pope nominated Archbishop Wielgus last month, he did not know that he had spied for the communist regime. It is, however, an admission that raises some questions regarding the vetting process of some of the most senior members in the Vatican.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: How rigorous is that vetting process, Alessio?
VINCI: Well, it is vigorous because, obviously, it goes through several layers before it goes out to the pope. We do understand that the pope had some one-on-one time even with Wielgus himself, either right before or after he was nominated. We know that Wielgus had admitted some kind of cooperation with the state security in Poland. But certainly he was not as candid as he was back on Friday when he admitted plainly that not only had he cooperated, but also that he had done so willingly by signing a document.
So I think the Vatican here is embarrassed because they failed. That perhaps the vetting process was not as thorough as it should have been.
M. O'BRIEN: Alessio Vinci in Rome. Thank you.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Some news from the Consumer Electronics Show that just kicked off in Las Vegas. Bill Gates now weighing in on the high definition/DVD format battle. CNN's Jacki Schechner joins us this morning.
Good morning. Nice to see you.
JACKI SCHECHNER: Good morning. Thanks for having me here.
S. O'BRIEN: So what did he say? My pleasure.
SCHECHNER: Well, you remember the whole beta max VHS fight from the mid '70s and you didn't know which to buy because you didn't know which was going to win out? And it turns out . . .
S. O'BRIEN: We don't talk a lot about beta max anymore.
SCHECHNER: Well, you can get it on eBay. I just found that out. For about $30. But nobody's really got it in their home anymore.
Well, now there's a big battle waging with high definition/DVD. And there's two competing formats. One of them is backed by Sony, which made the beta max back in the day, and that's called Blue Ray. And that also has the backing of some big movie companies like 20th Century Fox and Disney. And also, if you have a PlayStation 3, you can play Blue Ray disks. On the other side of the battle is what's called HD-DVD. That's backed by Toshiba. And there's movies on it from Universal. And they have also added a component to the xBox 360 where you can plate the HD-DVD format. Well, Bill Gates, obviously with Microsoft, weighing in on this format. He made a comment at CES. Let's take a quick listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL GATES, MICROSOFT FOUNDER: HD-DVD has a lot of great things going for it. And, you know, I'm sure that there may be some technology things that can happen. But for now, you know, I think we've got a lot of happy users. And that number will just go up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHECHNER: Now, obviously, he's pushing the HD-DVD format. But there is a technological solution.
S. O'BRIEN: That was kind of a tap dance, wouldn't you say? A whole lot of nothing.
SCHECHNER: Well, he did. And actually, before that, that sound bite, they asked him a couple more questions and he just kept touting how fabulous he thought the HD-DVD was.
Well it turns out now there's a couple of companies are vying to be the savior of it all. It's more like make love, not war. And LG Electronics is one that has now created a device that will play both formats, so you don't have to chose which to buy. You can play them both. It's right there. You see it on the screen. It's called the LG Super Multi Blue. What a fabulous little name. So that will play both.
On the other side of that is Warner Brothers, which, like CNN, is a Time Warner company, is creating a disk where you can record both formats. You've got Blue Ray on one side and then HD-DVD on the other. So it turns out to be the competition is going to be whoever is going to be peacemaker. And this is going to really pan out well for the consumer. It's not going to solve the issue of which is going to forge ahead versus beta max, VHS. Is it going to be Blue Ray? Is it going to be HD-DVD? Now it's going to be for consumers, you can sort of buy these formats that will mesh them both.
S. O'BRIEN: No need to wait.
SCHECHNER: We're finally getting a good deal.
S. O'BRIEN: Pony up the money now.
SCHECHNER: It's finally working for us, as opposed to the major companies.
S. O'BRIEN: One for the people. All right, Jacki Schechner.
Thanks, Jacki. We'll see you next hour. SCHECHNER: Sure.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Just ahead in the program, on the road with the North American Auto Show. We go for a test drive with the newest high-style hybrid ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: It is 25 minutes past the hour. It's time now for "Minding Your Business" and a quick check on Wall Street. The Dow opens the week at 12,398. Down more than 82 points Friday. The Nasdaq starts off at 2,434. That's off 19 points. And the S&P 500 is down more than 8 points to open at 1,409.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The future of driving on display this morning in the motor city. The North American International Auto Show is getting revved up in Detroit. Over the next two weeks, car makers will unveil more than 45 new models. And reporters are getting a peek at them now, early. AMERICAN MORNING's Ali Velshi has more from Detroit for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Toyota understand that's Americans like their rough and tumble cars. This is the rugged FJ. But what this company understood, maybe before other automakers did, is that with gas prices doing what they've been doing in the last year, fuel efficiency might actually be the way of the future.
Carlos Ghosn doesn't run Toyota, but he does run a car company. Actually, he runs a couple of car companies, Nissan and Renault. And by almost every measure, he runs them well. Gone arranged for me to test drive Nissan's brand new hybrid electric Altima on the streets of Detroit.
CARLOS GHOSN, CEO, NISSAN: You drive or I drive?
VELSHI: You tell me, it's your car.
GHOSN: You drive.
VELSHI: He rode shotgun.
GHOSN: So the more you use a car and the more the fuel price goes up, the more you're going to be likely to save money by buying a hybrid car.
VELSHI: But more than fuel efficiency, car buyers are crying out for competitive and stylish vehicles. General Motors chief Rick Wagoner knows that. Most industry watchers think Toyota is about to steal GM's title as the world's biggest automaker. Nine out of 10 people who know the auto industry well have suggested that Toyota will be the number one car maker. I think the one was you who said that's not likely to be true.
RICK WAGONER, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS: What I is that we don't plan to give that up without a fight.
VELSHI: That fight includes a big push on the fuel efficiency front, a collection of cars which average more than 30 miles per gallon. And the largest selection of vehicles, which can run on ethanol. Fuel made from corn, not crude oil. But Nissan's Ghosn thinks ethanol may turn out to be too expensive for the U.S.
GHOSN: What is the cost of transformation of corn into ethanol and the cost of distribution of ethanol? If this cost is competitive, it's going to be, you know, massively adopted. If it's not, it's going to remain marginal in the U.S. market.
VELSHI: So if not ethanol, then what? Hybrids? Plug in electric cars? Or something else?
GHOSN: It may happen that the U.S. will adopt one particular technology, Europe will remain with another technology, and Japan or Asian country will go for a third technology.
VELSHI: One of those technologies may be zero emission hydrogen fuel cell powered cars. But consumer reports Michael Quincy says, while hydrogen is cheap and plentiful, it's a long way from being practical.
MICHAEL QUINCY, CONSUMER REPORTS: There isn't an infrastructure built in the United States where every corner there's a hydrogen filling station like there's a gasoline filling station.
VELSHI: And until that infrastructure gets built, if it gets built, only demand will push the automakers to go green faster.
All right. Before we get too carried away with the green revolution thing, let me give you a quick reality check. For the last 30 years, this series of truck, the Ford F Series, has been the biggest selling vehicle in the United States. So Americans might not be ready to put their money where their mouth is just yet where it comes to fuel efficiency.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: That was Ali Velshi for us this morning. Ali's going to have more from the North American International Auto Show. We call it the Auto Show here. And with a peek at this year's winner for the car and the truck of the year.
M. O'BRIEN: Just Auto Show will do.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, short (INAUDIBLE).
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Top stories of the morning coming up next.
On patrol with troops trying to control Baghdad, while President Bush prepares his address to the nation. New details on that overnight. We'll have them for you.
And the going gets tough for Prince William's girlfriend. We have a live report from London on AMERICAN MORNING ahead. The most news of the morning right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Nature's fury. The flooding rains in the Northeast, possible tornadoes in the South. A look at the damage and the recovery this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Breaking news overnight. Soldiers in Somalia uncover an al Qaeda launching pad. We'll have a live report from Africa ahead.
S. O'BRIEN: And Prince William launching a new assault on the paparazzi, this time to protect his girlfriend. Royal watchers say it could be a sign that things are getting serious.
All that, much more on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back, everybody, Monday, January 8th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien and I'm glad to be back.
And I'm glad to see you.
S. O'BRIEN: Nice to see you. We haven't been together for a little while.
M. O'BRIEN: It has been a little while. Good to be back.
S. O'BRIEN: Nice holiday, nice Christmas, nice New Year's, blah, blah, blah.
M. O'BRIEN: All that stuff. We'll talk about that later.
All right. Talk amongst yourselves.
All right. Happening this morning, south of Atlanta, they're clearing trees and downed power lines. Twenty homes damaged, a half- dozen destroyed by a suspected tornado in Coweta County late yesterday.
No serious injuries, but a frightening experience for a number of people trapped by the storm, including 30 children at a birthday party. Rescuers had to fight their way through blocked roads just to get to them.
In Washington, investigators trying to get the metro back on track after a series of accidents. The latest incident last night. A train jumping the tracks, slamming into a tunnel wall. A hundred and fifty hurt -- excuse me, 150 aboard, 20 hurt. Three workers were killed in accidents in the D.C. metro last year.
Homeland security at the Port of Miami reporting all secure today. Three men still in custody this morning, though. Authorities shut down a section of the port after the trio tried to drive an 18- wheeler in, apparently without the correct paperwork.
The men, two Iraqis and a Lebanese national, are legal U.S. residents, and their cargo did check out after all. Apparently, it was all a miscommunication fueled by a language barrier.
The end of an era for air travelers this morning. The last DC-10 in a U.S. airline fleet to make its final landing with passengers aboard. Northwest Airlines Flight 98 from Honolulu to land in Minneapolis in about 20 minutes.
Northwest first started flying DC-10s in 1972. They've carried more than 125 million passengers for the airline. McDonnell Douglas stopped building the wide bodies in 1998 -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: More now on that tornado you were just talking about a moment ago, Miles.
It happened in Moreland, Georgia, which is outside of Atlanta.
CNN's Gary Tuchman is live for us at the scene this morning.
Good morning, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning you to. And not such a good morning here, however.
You'll have to excuse the people of Coweta County, Georgia, about 40 miles south of Atlanta, if they feel they're being targeted unfairly, because it appears that over the last three days they've been hit by two tornadoes. And this is January.
Usually in January you're talking about snow or ice, even though it's the South, but two tornadoes have hit this area because of the unusual weather that's been afflicting much of the East Coast, the warm springtime-type weather. But you see this gas station, this BP station. You had a canopy destroyed, you had the convenient store destroyed. They'll be closed for much of the day.
You have in this area where we are -- once again, it's about 45 minutes south of the city of Atlanta, Georgia -- up to 20 homes that have been heavily damaged, hundreds of trees that are down, and lots of lucky people, because there were fears yesterday from the fire chief when he heard that these winds came through and these trees were down, these homes were damaged, that people might be injured or killed. There have been no deaths, no serious injuries. But many people were trapped, including one 14-year-old who was in the bathtub.
They feared the worst, authorities. They found him safe and sound inside his home.
Many of the people in the homes that were destroyed were gone when this happened, but other people were there. And people feel very fortunate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got in the center room in the house. It was the bathroom. All the walls caved in except those four. And I felt like I had God's hand over that ceiling. There was nothing else there. Everything's gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Friday, an F-1 tornado came through this very same county. Also nobody killed and nobody seriously injured.
It hasn't been confirmed yet that this is a tornado. I just took a drive up the street, though, and there are hundreds of trees down, including some huge, gigantic trees. Very unlikely that it wasn't some type of twister.
Lots of power lines down, too. Some cell service down. So, Soledad, if you're trying to give me a call on my cell phone, don't. My cell phone is not working anymore.
Back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Well, I'll just ask you this question while we're on the air. Tell me about the situation for those kids at the birthday party. I think we said 30 kids. Are they all safe and sound?
TUCHMAN: Yes, everyone's safe and sound. It wasn't that they were trapped inside collapsed homes. It wasn't that kind of situation.
They were trapped because trees were surrounding the area and people could not rescue them. And that was the situation. So people, including those children, were trapped in their homes because the rescuers couldn't get to them so quickly.
They moved the big trees and no one was hurt whatsoever. They got everyone out safe and sound.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, scary no matter what happened there.
All right. Gary Tuchman for us this morning.
Thanks, Gary, for the update -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: President Bush doting the I's and crossing the T's on his new Iraq strategy. The much-anticipated speech slated for Wednesday in prime time. CNN learning the president is poised to send 20,000 more troops in. Their focus, Baghdad.
Today, at least four dead and nine wounded in an attack on a bus carrying people to work at the airport there.
CNN International Correspondent Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad. He joins us with more -- Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the United States and Iraq have a new strategy for cracking down on militants in the Iraqi capital. It's called the Baghdad Security Plan. And Iraqi officials, who have been working on it with their American counterparts, have given us an inside look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHILCOTE (voice over): Fighting crime in a city of six million people is a daunting task. Cleaning up Baghdad, where more than 100 people are killed on any given day, is a mammoth task.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baghdad is the center of gravity. And the battle will have to be won.
CHILCOTE: The new plan, cordon off the city and each of its neighborhoods. No one gets in or out unchecked. Then move in more Iraqi and American troops.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to be -- clean it, hold it, and inject cash in it to stimulate the local economy in that particular neighborhood, and to generate jobs and to attract young people to do useful jobs.
CHILCOTE: The U.S. and Iraq have launched crackdowns in Baghdad before, but those operations have failed to stop the killing. This time, Iraq's Shiite-led government is promising to go after both the Sunni-based insurgency and Shiite militias, including the Mehdi army in Sadr City, believed to be responsible for a large number of sectarian killings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually take on the Mehdi army?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take on Sadr City, clear the area from the insurgents. We have people -- bad people there who will be cleared.
CHILCOTE: U.S. troops will be fighting alongside Iraqi forces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would like the multinational forces to be everywhere within the police, within the army, and the checkpoints and the patrolling, and the combat forces.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHILCOTE: Miles, that's going to require an awful lot of manpower, not just U.S. troops, but Iraqi troops as well. The Iraqis say that they're going to bring those troops into the Iraqi capital from the north and the south.
And in a change from what they were saying just a couple of months ago, the Iraqi government is saying that they are ready to accept more American troops -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: Ryan Chilcote in Baghdad.
Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: This morning, some developments in the conflict in Somalia. Somali officials say they have raided a suspected al Qaeda base in southern Somalia, which is near the border with Kenya. Now, CNN is the only television network on the mission.
CNN's Barbara Starr is live in Nairobi, Kenya, with the very latest for us.
Good morning, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Some days it's the story that doesn't happen, of course, that becomes the most interesting. Indeed, we came here to east Africa to be with a small team of American diplomats and military officials that were planning secretly to go into Mogadishu, a city that is often known as the most dangerous city in the world. There is violence, clans, warlords, heavily-armed militias, the Islamic militia, with its ties to al Qaeda, that has just been thrown out of power in this ongoing war.
And, of course, the United States has not been in Somalia since it withdrew after -- in the wake of the Black Hawk down disaster in 1993.
So all of this was about to happen. But then something unexpected.
Word of the secret visit leaked into several newspapers back in the United States, and the top State Department official leading the mission, the top assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, talked to us when the mission finally had to be canceled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENDAYI FRAZER, ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE, AFRICAN AFFAIRS: Unfortunately, that plan was fairly broadly exposed in the -- in the newspapers. We had got the aircraft necessary to go in. But again, when you start saying they'll be on the ground for four hours on this day, it just became impossible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: You know, Soledad, it was a remarkable plan that we can now talk about. The United States was not going to put Americans on the ground in Somalia again without a massive rescue plan if they had gotten into trouble.
There were going to be F-15s overhead. There were even going to be helicopters nearby, ready to fly into Mogadishu again to rescue the Americans, to shoot their way into town and out of town if they had to. But, of course, the visit got canceled.
Now, there are new developments on the ground in east Africa today, as you say. An announcement that an al Qaeda training camp called Roscamboni (ph) has now been captured. And it's very significant.
That camp is just north of here on the Somali-Kenyan border. It is one of several camps that U.S. intelligence had been closely watching for the last several months.
They say now that they have seen several al Qaeda camps in Somalia. They have seen training, weapons, and money flowing in. And there had been growing concern that al Qaeda in east Africa was regaining the capability again to launch attacks in this part of the world. And, of course, here in Nairobi today, we are just a short distance from the American Embassy that was bombed here in 1998 -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr in Nairobi, Kenya, for us this morning.
Thanks, Barbara -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, questions about the Vatican's vetting process. How did the pope choose a new archbishop with a past in the Polish secret police?
And the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., how they changed the nation. Soledad gets access to Dr. King's private papers and writings. Some of them in his own handwriting.
AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning. Stay with us.
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M. O'BRIEN: A couple of developing stories on the radar this morning.
Avalanche warnings still in effect in Colorado. This, after a wall of snow swept away two cars this weekend.
And sources are telling CNN President Bush will announce his new Iraq strategy Wednesday night. Word is he will send 20,000 more troops into that country -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The Vatican is trying to explain a stunning turn of events in Poland. Moments before his official installation, the newly-chosen archbishop of Warsaw stepped down after he admitted ties to the communist-era secret police.
AMERICAN MORNING'S faith and values correspondent is Delia Gallagher, just back from Rome.
Good morning. Nice to see you.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: This is -- this is pretty shocking. And especially the way it happened.
Here you have the -- well, technically about to be installed as the archbishop. Just as it's about to happen, he decides -- he steps down. The pews are filled, the people are shocked.
GALLAGHER: Yes. Nobody knew.
I mean, when I left Rome yesterday, people were still expecting that he was going to be installed officially at this mass. And then at the mass he announced that, no, he was going to resign instead. It is really an unprecedented step.
S. O'BRIEN: Was he spying on John Paul II?
GALLAGHER: Well, he claims he wasn't spying on anybody. He claims he signed a document of collaboration to be allowed to go and study in west Germany.
So, he claims he didn't inform on anybody and he didn't cause any damage. And, you know, it's interesting that this document was signed in 1978, which was the year that John Paul II was elected. And, of course, as Carol Wojtyla he would have been a very important cardinal. But I think, you know, the least you can say is that, if he was informing on anybody, he wasn't very effective, because, of course, history has borne out that communist regime fell, in large part, thanks to John Paul II.
S. O'BRIEN: He admitted to meeting with the secret police 50 times over one five-year period, for example.
GALLAGHER: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: That's a lot of meetings.
GALLAGHER: Well, there are these documents. What's interesting is the timeline of this, was that he was nominated on December 6th by the Vatican. On December 20th, a Polish newspaper came out and said, you know, there are some questions about his ties to secret police.
And only on Friday did a church -- Polish church commission come out. And that's what caused this whole furor to erupt and say, no, we have found some evidence, primarily this document that he signed, that said he would collaborate. But the extent of what this means -- and, you know, he himself has said that it didn't mean that he actually gave any information.
S. O'BRIEN: Shocking misstep by the Vatican in picking him.
GALLAGHER: Well, this is the big question now at the Vatican. How did this happen? Why was he nominated and not vetted sufficiently prior to this?
S. O'BRIEN: Well, they'll be looking into that. Delia Gallagher for us this morning. Of course she is our faith and values correspondent.
Thanks, Delia -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Forty-seven minutes past the hour. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the traveler's forecast for you.
Hello, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad.
Still to come this morning, a royal defense. Prince William rallying to protect his longtime girlfriend. A new assault of celebrity photographers aimed at her.
Plus, the best of the Motor city and beyond. A ride in the best car and truck on the market ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snowshoeing, anybody can do it and it's a lot of fun.
Are you having fun, Amy?
AMY SMITH, SNOWSHOER: I'm having a great time.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Snowshoeing is a total body workout, and it's ideal for people who love to be outdoors. And anybody can do it, including Amy Smith, who is six months pregnant.
SMITH: It looks like a lot of fun, especially since I can't ski right now. So it looks like a good way to get some low-impact exercise.
COSTELLO: Today, snowshoes are designed to be lighter and more comfortable. Most people can burn a minimum of 600 calories per hour. It's easy to increase the intensity of your workout just by hiking up a hill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're working your upper body, your lower body. Your working your buns, you're working your hamstrings, you're working your calves.
COSTELLO: And Joel's (ph) best beginner tip, keep your feet pointed straight ahead and stand tall with good posture. If you have knee problems or ski injuries, snowshoeing is a good low-impact workout. But perhaps the best reason to go snowshoeing is the fun factor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah! All right!
COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: In London this morning, the official inquest into the death of Princess Diana is just getting under way, while security has been beefed up around Prince Williams' girlfriend, Kate Middleton.
CNN's Paula Newton live in London for us with more.
Good morning, Paul.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Quite a morning for Prince William. He has sent his private secretary to keep tabs on that inquest into his mother's death. He begins his career as an official officer in the British military. But at the same time, Soledad, he's trying to find a way to protect his girlfriend from the snappers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice over): To the prying lens of the paparazzi, she is irresistible. Kate Middleton, Prince Williams' girlfriend, now just can't seem to shake the scrutiny or the security. So hounded by the snappers, that in recent weeks she's been granted a police escort.
It started without a trickle of pictures, but is now a flood of photos captured in hot pursuit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know she's fairly constantly now chased by the paparazzi. From her point of view, it's a nuisance. It's getting -- I understand it's getting too much. They're there every day. They're on top of her every day.
NEWTON: And that's what's proving tough to take for a girlfriend who is still just a commoner, a regular girl getting a parking ticket on her way to work, riding buses, trying to go out with her friends.
Despite the royal family's pleas that's Ms. Middleton is still a private citizen, the battle lines are being drawn as the press closes in on a subject that clearly sells.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does she want? What does she want, the privacy of a nun?
She's going out with a future king. She may one day be our future queen. We do have a right to know more about her. NEWTON: Twenty-five years ago it was Princess Di in the lens. You can't miss the sense of deja vu, and neither can the tabloids, comparing their every move, their every outfit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no question that she'll be immediately as big a star probably as the princess of Wales was. And it will be a difficult thing for her to cope with it, as it was for Diana. And it will be difficult for William.
NEWTON: It is all quite worrying to Prince William, now enduring a very public courtship as he tries to decide if and when to pop the question, and still tries to make sure the woman he loves is never tormented and pursued as his mother was.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And the royal family has learned a lesson from Diana's death. They are going to be aggressive, we're told, about trying to fight certainly the bounds that the paparazzi can go and the lengths they can go to pursue Ms. Middleton. They're going to try to fight that in the courts with lawyers because, so far, asking the editors to stop has not worked -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: It doesn't look like it.
Paula Newton for us this morning.
Thank you, Paula -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, joy at GM. The struggling automaker gets a shot in the arm from the North American International Auto Show. We'll tell you about that.
The most news in the morning. You're watching CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Right at the top of the hour, almost. Chad Myers at the CNN weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Breaking news overnight. Pounding rains in the Northeast, possible tornadoes in the South, and more wicked weather on the way today.
We're live on the storm fronts.
S. O'BRIEN: Developing news in the fight for Iraq. Innocent civilians attacked overnight as details emerge about President Bush's new war plan.
M. O'BRIEN: Life-saving gadgets -- a look at some of the high- tech products helping rescuers quickly find people caught in some dire circumstances. S. O'BRIEN: And inside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s private library. The papers and the writings that shaped the man and the movement only on AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back, everybody. It is Monday, January 8th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Happy New Year. Good to see you.
S. O'BRIEN: I know. Been a while.
M. O'BRIEN: It has been, yes. Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: We're back. The team is back.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
Good to see you, too.
We begin with severe weather. Soaking rains on the East Coast triggering flood watches right now.
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