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American Morning
Missouri Kidnap Mystery; Sympathy Dollars: The Price of War in Iraq; America on Ice
Aired January 17, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: States of emergency. Ice and bitter cold, coast to coast, north to south. Citrus prices already spiking from California's fruit freeze.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The presidential bunch. One candidate tips his hand, surging a surge of others in what's now a truly historic race for the White House.
M. O'BRIEN: Resetting the alarm. Forecasters unveil a new way to warn you about dangerous weather before it strikes.
S. O'BRIEN: And beauty from the storm. We're going to hear from the overjoyed mother of little baby Noah, the newborn who nearly washed away in Hurricane Katrina. Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome everybody. It is Wednesday, January 17th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with what's happening around the nation. Most of America below freezing this morning. The bitter cold is just devastating to places that are not prepared to hand it. A state of emergency now for 10 California counties. At least $500,000,000 of citrus fruit has been lost. Frozen pipes are bursting in southern California and there's a run on space heaters. Freezing rain is falling on south Texas again today.
We're covering it all for you this morning. Jacqui Jeras is in San Antonio. Greg Hunter in at New York's wholesale produce headquarters and our severe weather expert, of course, Chad Myers is with us as well. Let's begin with Jacqui this morning in San Antonio.
Hey, Jacqui, good morning.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Soledad.
Yes, this is day two now here in San Antonio of the freezing rain and ice. Something that's a pretty rare event this far south in Texas. Businesses are closed. Schools are closed. And this city really not very well-equipped to handle this type of winter weather, especially for this long.
The ice is now collecting on the roadways, on the bridges and the overpasses, as well as the trees and all the power lines. Thousands of people are without power right now. And the vegetation here in the south, take a look at this behind me, the weight of the ice, about .25 inch thick on this palm tree has made it bend over and the rain on top of that has this stuck with a coat of ice all along this stone wall here. What's happening in San Antonio is just a taste of a big blast of arctic air that is gripping much of the nation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JERAS, (voice over): It will still be days before it gets warm enough to melt all of the ice left behind by a nasty, deadly winter storm that clobbered parts of Texas, the Midwest, and New England. At least 50 people in eight states are dead. Most of them killed on dangerous, icy roads.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You try to get everybody to slow down, but 've seen people still speeding out here and they just don't know. I mean, this slick ice, you can't see it.
JERAS: The ice, also snapping trees like twigs, downing power lines, leaving nearly half a million people without electricity. Officials say it could be next week before power is back in some places, and the mercury is dropping. Some of the coldest temperatures of the season expected in the northeast tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically we're bundling up. I've got sweatshirts on, dress in layers, trying to stay warm. All staying in one room to keep the heat.
JERAS: In California, blow freezing temperatures expected for at least a couple of more days. The citrus industry on its knees. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger toured an orange grove and spoke with farmers who fear they've lost everything.
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, (R) CALIFORNIA: We may lose up to, as I've just heard, up to 70 percent of our oranges, our lemons and our grapefruits. That's, of course, really bad news.
JERAS: The bad news also extends to the Pacific Northwest, where snow and slush are making daily life a mess. Many schools are closed down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JERAS: And a lot of the ice has finally moved out of parts of the central plains states and into the northeast. But here in Texas, expect freezing rain through at least midday today. We might get a little break in the afternoon as temperatures raise this much above the freezing mark, but more ice, freezing rain and sleet is expected late tonight into tomorrow and that might spread into the deep south, as Chad Myers I'm sure will tell you about, by tomorrow.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: It's going to be quite a mess. Jacqui Jeras for us this morning.
Thank you, Jacqui.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, you've seen those signs "bridges ice before road" or words to that effect. Well, here's the proof of the pudding. Dateline Huntsville, Texas, north of Houston. Look at that truck. Watch it. Whoa! And there's the 18-wheeler coming along, cruising along. He fishtails, does about a 270, spins out of control. Once again, look at the truck right there as it goes across the bridge, begins the fishtail. The 18-wheeler in the next lane over and narrowly avoiding a real catastrophe there. Drive safely, folks.
Ice and snow making roads dangerous in the Seattle area as well. Warnings are up again this morning and classes delayed for hundreds of thousands of school kids. East of Seattle, a 30-vehicle pile-up closes the westbound lanes of I-90 for five hours. The accident started when a tractor trailer smashed into a state trooper patrol car. No one seriously hurt.
We want to talk to Chad about today's bone-chilling forecast coming up.
Plus, the forecast for prices in the produce section. The wild weather in California may leave a sour taste when you buy some citrus. A price check ahead.
S. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.
No plans yet for 13-year-old Ben Ownby to return to school. The family says he hasn't even talked about his four-day kidnap ordeal. He was found, of course, on Friday in Kirkwood, Missouri, along with another teenager who had been missing for more than four years. Ownby did thank Mitchell Hults. That's the name of the teenager who gave the cops the tip about the white truck that eventually led to the rescue of both boys.
The man suspected of being Phoenix's so-called baseline killer is facing now 74 charges, including nine murders, 15 sexual assaults and 11 kidnappings. Mark Goudeau was indicted on charges related to a series of crimes that terrorized the Phoenix area from August of 2005 to June of 2006.
The National Weather Service says it's time to overhaul the way that it warns you about severe storms instead of watches and warnings by county. The Weather Service wants to be more precise, using highways and other landmarks to distinguish between where the warnings would go. The new warning system is going to go into effect in the fall. And this morning we're going to talk to the man who's behind the new change and the plan. That's in our next hour.
Day two today in the trial of Louis Scooter Libby in Washington, D.C. Potential jurors have been questioned about their politics and also their knowledge of the trials participants. Libby was once Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff and he's charged now with lying to investigators. We're now trying to figure out who leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame to reporters. Oil prices rebounding slightly this morning after falling to 19- month lows. The Dow opens at another record high. Ali Velshi has more for us.
Hey, Ali. Good morning.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
That rebound won't last. It's a typical early morning light trade thing. But oil is really at 19-month lows. The lowest price a barrel of oil has been since May of 2005, around $51 a barrel, which is kind of surprising. The high last summer was $78 a barrel.
Remember that this cold snap is making people forget this has been a very, very warm, unseasonably warm summer. Not just here in the United States, but in parts of Europe. The United States is the biggest purchaser of oil in the world.
Now OPEC has said that there's no need for a further production cut. There is a production cut scheduled for February 1st. OPEC is going to cut 500,000 more barrels per day out of the system, bringing the total that they've cut over the last year and a half to 1.7 million barrels per day. So as a result, OPEC says no more need for cuts.
Oil prices stabilizing around $51 a barrel. You'll see gas prices going down, around $2.20 a gallon for self-serve unleaded right now. But there are at least 10 cities in the United States where you can now get gas for under $2 a gallon.
Miles, fill up.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Ali.
After only two years in the Senate, Barack Obama has his eyes on the White Hhouse. The Illinois Democrat filing the paperwork to create a presidential exploratory committee. And it seems that just about every other politician in Washington is following suit. AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken joining us from Washington. Can't tell the players without a scorecard. He has the current lineup for us.
Good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Barack Obama is running for president?
M. O'BRIEN: So I hear.
FRANKEN: Gee, what a surprise.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) ILLINOIS: I'll be filing papers today to create a presidential exploratory community.
FRANKEN, (voice over): He may be considered inexperienced, but Barack Obama has already learned how to milk publicity.
OBAMA: On February 10th, at the end of these discussions, and in my home state of Illinois, I'll share my plans with my friends, neighbors and fellow Americans.
FRANKEN: The nation waits. In the meantime, Republican Sam Brownback will be diving in from the right on Saturday. His campaign slogan, "I'm not John McCain." Take the addition of more troops to Iraq, "not the answer," says Brownback. The answers, argues McCain . . .
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: I believe it's necessary and I hope we can move forward.
FRANKEN: McCain hasn't officially moved forward with his presidential canvas, but there are few surer things in this life. That's probably true on the Democratic side of Hillary Rodham Clinton's plans. Clinton aides are claiming that John Edwards, who's already in the ball game, has been throwing some hardballs at her, departing from this "we're all in this together" mantra.
JOHN EDWARDS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to have to do it. All of us together.
FRANKEN: The presidential candidate landscape is already cluttered. Among Democrats, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Senator Christopher Dodd, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, who at least doesn't have to travel far. Among the big name Republicans in the hunt, there's Giuliani and Romney. Small names include Duncan Hunter and now GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo, who is hoping his restrictive immigration leadership produces a groundswell on this side of the border. And in both parties there are literally dozens threatening to run.
RHODES COOK, POLITICAL ANALYST: This is the time to realize the American dream, you know. If you're brought up to believe that anybody can be president, this is the type of election cycle to realize that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: So you don't really need a scorecard, Miles, you really need an inventory. If somebody says that he's -- if you're wondering if somebody's going to run for president, the answer is probably yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, I'd say cheaper by the dozen, but there's nothing cheap about this game, is there?
FRANKEN: No, there's not. When you have an exploratory committee, it means that you can take contributions. I think they're exploring for gold sometimes.
M. O'BRIEN: I think so.
Bob Franken, thank you. Well, CNN equals politics and debate. We are teaming up with WMUR TV of Manchester, New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Manchester union leader to air a pair of debates. The first Republican presidential candidates, then the Democrats, Wednesday, April 4th, and Thursday, April 5th. CNN's Wolf Blitzer to moderate.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, look outside your window. The weather is severe in most places. Severe weather expert Chad Myers is going to join us just ahead with a frozen forecast.
Plus, who is using your name to get your personal data from the phone company? A huge loophole. We'll tell you what's happening with that.
And an update on a story we told you about on Tuesday. We're going to meet the littlest survivor of Hurricane Katrina. There he is right there. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Developing news now on the health of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. As we've been reporting, a Spanish newspaper has said that Castro's in grave condition. But a doctor who has examined Fidel Castro says, no, it's a different story. CNN's Madrid bureau chief, Al Goodman, is on the phone for us.
Al, good morning.
This is the doctor who has examined Fidel Castro. What's he saying now?
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, in an exclusive interview with CNN on the phone just moments ago, he said, "the only true part to the newspaper's reports are the name of the patient," that would be Fidel Castro, "that he's been operating on and that he has had complications. The rest is rumors." This according to surgeon Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, who's the chief surgeon at a major hospital here in Madrid, and he went last December to Cuba at the request of Cuban authorities to examine Fidel Castro. He confirmed to us today that he was with Fidel Castro for 90 minutes last December, examining Fidel Castro.
Now he's contradicting a lot of what is being said in the newspaper reports on Tuesday and Wednesday by Spain's leading largest circulation newspaper, "El Pais," which it basically said that Fidel Castro has had three operations related to intestinal surgery and that complications have come after each one.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: And quite dire reports actually in Tuesday's "El Pais." Now Garcia Sabrido, the doctor who examined Fidel Castro, has he been back since that December examination where he could realistically know what the change in the patient, Fidel Castro, has been? GOODMAN: No, but he has not. But I asked him, isn't what "El Pais" -- he wouldn't go into specifics about what's wrong with the "El Pais," the newspaper story. But I asked him, aren't they referring to things that happened in the past before December, old information? He says, "well based on my information, that there has been some progressive improvement as opposed to this serious condition that "El Pais" is reporting." He said, "some progressive improvement." I asked why? He said, "that's normal for a patient who's recovering and where there are no incidents," would be a reference to medical incidents.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting.
All right, Al Goodman for us by phone this morning with an exclusive, an update from the doctor who examined Fidel Castro back in December, saying, in fact, the patient, Fidel Castro, is making some improvement.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Quarter past the hour. Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center. He has your traveler's forecast.
Hello, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: The Hewlett-Packard board room scandal introduced us to a new word, pretexting. It's essentially impersonating someone else to mine some confidential information about that person. Got to be illegal, right? Well, actually, it only has been for the past couple of days. CNN's Jacki Schechner here to explain.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello.
M. O'BRIEN: Really?
SCHECHNER: Well, pretexting was illegal for financial information. You couldn't call up and pretend to be somebody else to get their financial records. But there weren't any laws in place to make it a federal crime to call up and get somebody's cell phone records. There were some states who had it in places, like California. But as far as federal regulations were concerned, there wasn't anything.
Well now there is. President Bush has signed into law what's called the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006.
And here was how it was working. Is I could call up a data broker, e-mail a data broker online. We did our own investigation last January. It was really easy to do. You give them about $100, you give them the cell phone records that you want to find out and they e-mail you back with all of the results. And that was it. Now a lot of the cell phones glommed (ph) on and said, hey, we don't want this happening. They filed lawsuits. There was a lot of legislation that was put into place and finally President Bush signed this into law and now it is illegal for somebody to call up a cell phone company and pretend to be you.
M. O'BRIEN: And is this just typical of the government, they're a little bit behind the technology? Is that what it was or what happened?
SCHECHNER: Yes, I mean, I think it got ahead of them. I think that they didn't even know, frankly, that it was happening. It was so easy to do. I mean it really was a proliferation of these data brokers who were finding what now are illegal ways to get all of the information. And when it was finally brought to light, there were some blogger who did some work on it, the media did some work on it and now the legislation is finally catching up.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Jacki, thank you very much.
SCHECHNER: Sure.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Also coming up this morning, a record day on Wall Street. It might not last long, though. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" straight ahead.
And the deep freeze ruins hundreds of millions of dollars in oranges and lemons and avocados. Will we end up paying the price? AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. The most news in the morning right here on CNN.
On our radar this morning, the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, still on the road. She's now in Germany after pushing diplomatic and other leaders in the Middle East, trying to shore up support for the president's new Iraq War strategy.
And Michael Devlin is to be arraigned on charges of kidnapping those two Missouri boys. That will be tomorrow on a video hookup.
Also on our radar this morning, that frigid weather in California may soon be getting you pretty steamed at the supermarket. Expect to pay a lot more for oranges, lemons, limes, any citrus, but also strawberries, avocados, carrots and lettuce. Consumer reporter Greg Hunter joining us now from Hunt's Point Produce Market in New York where the price has already risen?
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The prices have risen and they're going to go up for awhile. And this is the world's largest produce market for fruits and vegetables. I mean you name it, from cherry tomatoes to bing cherries, they have everything here. Now they do about $2 billion worth of business a year. Now I was talking to just one of 50 wholesalers here, Mr. Catsman (ph). The first question I asked, are prices going to go up for fruits and vegetables? And he said, you betcha.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTER, (voice over): These frozen oranges may lead to some chilling prices for consumer this winter. California officials fear that up to three-quarters of the state's citrus crop has been destroyed by this week's cold weather.
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, (R) CALIFORNIA: We don't really know exactly what the financial damage is yet, but we know that it is probably close to -- just the citrus industry alone -- close to $1 billion.
HUNTER: Some California citrus growers say the market may not recover this year. Richard Pidduck has an 80-acre lemon and avocado farm in Santa Paula (ph). He says the freeze has already cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost crops.
RICHARD PIDDUCK, CITRUS GROWER: This avocado, instead of being guacamole for some nice customer somewhere in the country, is going to be on the ground and maybe feed a bear or one of my dogs.
HUNTER: The growers have been using every method they know to save their crops.
A.G. KAWAMURA, CALIFORNIA FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: But in many areas, the temperature just goes a little bit too low or the wind machines, the helicopters, the irrigation systems and they can't bring that temperature up enough to save the crop.
HUNTER: It's simple supply and demand. With less fruit available, this $1 orange could end up costing you $2.
CESAR HERNANDEZ, ASST. MGR., GARDEN OF EDEN: I expect like maybe 50 to 100 percent increase.
HUNTER: The last time California was hit by such a deep freeze was in 1998. Prices for navel oranges jumped 40 percent. These days, many suppliers get their citrus from other countries, like Brazil, helping to offset higher prices caused by such a freeze. But even with high prices, some consumers won't change their produce shopping habits so quickly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would probably still buy it, but maybe not in the amount that I normally do.
HUNTER: Officials and growers say it's too soon to tell just how bad the damage is, how many crops were lost and whether the cold has harmed the citrus trees, not just the fruit that grows on them.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HUNTER: So you've got to be wondering, how far will prices go up? How long will they stay high? It depends on if we have more cold weather. It depends on how bad the damage is.
But one thing's for sure. Let's take a look at this right here. Don't you just love looking at strawberries like this? Big, huge, beautiful strawberries.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow, that is a beauty. That is a beauty.
HUNTER: Well, this came out of California before the cold snap. And according to Mr. Katzman, he says, you see these? If you see them in the grocery store now, you'd better buy them because you're not going to see these, coming out at least California anyway, for the next four to six weeks. That crop got really damaged. And then the next crop behind it may not be so big.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Greg, would you grab that bin for me there? I'm kind of hungry right now. Thank you very much.
HUNTER: I'm going to get a big old pot of hot chocolate to dip them in.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Excellent. We'll see you. Thank you very much, Greg.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: What a tough gig he has this morning, huh, that Greg?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, a little cold out there, I think.
S. O'BRIEN: I know it is a little chilly.
The Dow sets a record for the third straight day. Worries, though, on the horizon. It is 25 minutes past the hour. That means it's time for Ali Velshi, who's "Minding Your Business."
Hey, good morning.
VELSHI: Good morning, Soledad.
You know, I guess Greg's new to the mornings. The only thing that concerns us is if the doughnut crop goes bad, which I've heard is fine.
Another record for the Dow. Third straight day. Third record for 2007. The Dow gained about 27 points to close at 12,582. As you can see, it wasn't across the board yesterday, but earnings reports and lower price of oil, the lowest it's been in 19 months, helped that Dow.
Now let's take a look at what we should watch today. OPEC has already said there's no need for further cuts, despite the drop in the price of oil. It has a cut of half a million barrels a day scheduled for February 1st. It says it doesn't need anything more. So you'll probably see oil settle or go a little lower. Markets like that.
Also, there's an inflation report coming out today. And if, as expected, it says inflation's under control, it means the Fed doesn't have to raise rates. The markets will like that.
We've got earnings from Intel. They came out last night. Profits were down 39 percent because of the stiff competition with its competitor, AMD. The numbers, though, were still up for the company, $1.5 billion in the last three months of 2006.
And after the bell today, Apple will come out with its earnings preview. Remember that iPhone that everyone's talking about, it is not part of this earnings report. So people will be watching that very closely.
Miles.
S. O'BRIEN: Ali, thank you very much.
VELSHI: Or Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: We answer to each - O'Brien works fine for both of us.
VELSHI: O'Brien. OB will do, yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Top stories of the morning are coming up next.
Prosecutors are building their case in the Missouri kidnap mystery. They're trying to find out now if there are more victims in the case. We're going to take you live to the courthouse for more on that.
And new details about Fidel Castro's illness from a doctor who's examined him. He talked exclusively to CNN. We'll bring you that report.
Plus, a growing controversy about U.S. policy which compensates Iraqi families who are killed in the war. We'll tell you what the issues are straight ahead in AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Deep freeze. Frigid air and ice slam the country. Hundreds of thousands without power, travel treacherous. And a price spike is now looming at the supermarket produce aisle.
S. O'BRIEN: The mystery grows. New details about the kidnapped life of Shawn Hornbeck, including the friends that he made in his four years away from home.
M. O'BRIEN: And sympathy peg. A closer look at the money given to families of Iraqi civilians killed by U.S. troops. No one seems to know how many tax dollars are being spent, and we're asking why on this AMERICAN MORNING. S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody, Wednesday, January 17th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
Happening this morning, the latest on Fidel Castro's condition now.
A Spanish doctor talking to CNN this morning and contradicting reports Fidel Castro is in grave condition battling an intestinal infection. Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido telling our Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman exclusively that Castro is making progress. A Spanish paper had reported Castro was gravely ill after three failed operations.
Now about 26 hours down, and the House Democrats' 100-hour push to pass legislation. Today, a debate on cutting student loan interests. The bill would drop rates from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent in stages over a five-year period. Five and a half million students rely on the federally-backed loans to pay their tuition bills.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Afghanistan, visiting troops deep in Taliban territory. Gates vowing the U.S. won't cut and run from that country. U.S. commanders say they need more troops. Taliban militants launched a record number of attacks last year. During Gates' visit, NATO-led troops captured an unidentified Taliban leader.
S. O'BRIEN: Prosecutors in Missouri are preparing their case against Michael Devlin. He, of course, is the man accused of kidnapping two boys in Missouri. The family of one of the boys is speaking out this morning.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence is outside the courthouse again for us in Union, Missouri.
Hey, Chris. Good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Michael Devlin's attorneys are going to file a not guilty plea when they appear at the arraignment here tomorrow. They've also filed a motion to get him out of his orange jumpsuit and shackles. They're concerned that it could prejudice any potential jurors if this case goes on to trial.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice over): The sheriff's office is concerned about safety and won't risk walking their prisoner into court. So Michael Devlin will be arraigned through a video camera near his jail cell.
SHERIFF GARY TOELKE, FRANKLIN COUNTY, MISSOURI: And it's because of security reasons. The sheriff's office isn't connected to the courthouse. There's about a two-mile distance between the two.
LAWRENCE: In the next 24 hours, the Franklin County prosecutor will be talking with his counterparts in other counties that are involved in the case.
ROBERT PARKS, PROSECUTOR: And we will be pooling all of our evidence and then deciding what charges will come out of what counts.
LAWRENCE: At least one is certain. Devlin is charged with kidnapping Ben Ownby, who is trying to fit back in after four days away from home.
DORIS OWNBY, BEN OWNBY'S MOTHER: He wanted to go back to school today. He was ready. But we're not quite ready for him to go back to school yet.
WILLIAM OWNBY, BEN OWNBY'S FATHER: We assured him we'd get him some homework to do, though.
LAWRENCE: The transition could be tougher for Shawn Hornbeck, who was missing for four years. He lived with Devlin for some or possibly all of that time. Shawn didn't go to school, but he did go out, and he did have friends. One neighbor says she saw a young girl visiting Devlin's apartment over the past few months, and investigators are trying to figure out how many other children may have been there.
TOELKE: That's part of the legwork that needs to be done. Any contacts Shawn may have had, he may have had, that's what we're talking about, basically.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: As investigators try to still collect evidence, the families of the boys that were involved still have a lot to deal with. Ben Ownby disappeared after stepping off a school bus 500 feet from his home. Once his parents decide to send him back to school, they've still got to figure out exactly what his routine will be in order to get home, something probably a lot of parents out there would just take for granted -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. In fact, all the safety experts said that, you know, especially in rural areas, kids should not be alone. They shouldn't be waiting even 500 feet from the house by themselves. They've got to have other -- other kids or even grownups just hanging out in the car waiting for the school bus to pick them up.
Chris Lawrence for us this morning.
Thanks, Chris. Appreciate it.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: New this morning in Iraq, renewed violence. Two people are dead, 20 injured after an overnight truck bombing in the northern city of Kirkuk. The attack follows a wave of bombings and shootings that killed at least 107 Iraqis. Seventy of them died in explosions outside this predominantly Shiite university ing Baghdad.
In northern Iraq, four more U.S. soldiers are dead after insurgents attacks there.
And another Republican breaking ranks with the president over the war in Iraq. New Hampshire senator John Sununu the eighth Republican senator refusing to back Bush's plan to send nearly 22,000 more troops to Iraq.
The United Nations is out with a stunning figure this morning. The U.N. estimating more than 34,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in sectarian violence last year. But how many civilians were killed by U.S. troops? The short answer is we don't know.
We also don't know how much so-called "condolence pay" is being doled out by U.S. soldiers in the wake of those deaths.
CNN's Joe Johns explains why the Pentagon is not pushing for a tally.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The numbers are grimly stunning: 34,000 Iraqi civilians dead in 2006, most in the kind of sectarian violence which erupted today. Most, but not all.
In fact, some Iraqi civilians who died were casualties of U.S. actions there, so-called collateral damage. We can't tell you the exact number killed by U.S. forces, because we don't know.
Sara Holwinski is with the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict.
SARA HOLWINSKI, CAMPAIGN FOR INNOCENT VICTIMS IN CONFLICT: The U.S. military doesn't keep numbers on civilian casualties.
JOHNS: We're "Keeping Them Honest", or trying to, but the Pentagon generally doesn't do civilian body counts. Why? For one thing, they point out, there's no federal law requiring it.
But we do know the Pentagon says it has paid tens of millions of dollars to compensate innocent victims of war over the past three years with what have come to be known as condolence payments.
We also know this: in 2005, the military received hundreds of claims for these payments. By the way the going rate for condolence payments when an Iraqi civilian is killed by U.S. forces is generally about $2,500. But since we don't know who got what and who didn't, there's no way of telling how many civilians may have killed and how many may have been injured by U.S. forces by accident.
What's more, the military deals with each claim differently. Commanders literally decide who deserves what an Iraqi civilian is killed.
HOLWINSKI: The problem is, it is very ad hoc across the entire country. So the documents that are required are different depending on which brigade you're talking to, depending upon the commander. The commander is really in charge of this program. And so he or she can set down guidelines, either very vague or very specific.
JOHNS: Jonathan Tracey (ph) is a former U.S. Army captain, a military lawyer who was responsible for handing out the payments. He says the U.S. has to do this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's not a system in place that handles that situation, you're not the harbinger of democracy and justice, and you're not helping these people, you're just going to breed ill will.
JOHNS: The Pentagon says the idea is to try to show that the U.S., without admitting any fault or responsibility, is expressing sympathy.
But virtually all the critics say the one problem with the program is the lack of uniformity and the resentment created by inconsistent payments. Now the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Pat Leahy, is looking into whether condolence payments need to be formalized by Congress, essentially requiring the Pentagon to count civilian dead.
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: I think if we had a consistent program, run the same way everywhere, you would have the actual numbers. It doesn't have to be hard, to count where the numbers are. And it wouldn't be catch us catch can. As I said, our military, in many areas, are doing an extremely good job. But it's not consistent.
JOHNS: The Government Accountability Office is looking at how much money is paid to how many Iraqi civilians as a result of U.S. actions. When it issues that report, we'll be watching.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Most of America's below freezing this morning. A state of emergency now for 10 California counties. At least $500 million lost in citrus fruit.
And in south Texas, more freezing rain today.
Jacqui Jeras is in San Antonio, Texas, for us this morning.
Jacqui, good morning.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad. Good morning, everyone.
Yes, it's been about 36 hours that we've been enduring the freezing rain, sleet and ice here in San Antonio. A pretty rare thing to happen this far south. The average high temperature this time of the year is 62 degrees, and we've been hovering around the 30 degree mark for well over a day.
The ice is coating everything, from the street signs, to the light poles, to the sidewalks. And look at these palm trees beside me. You can see the ice is just dripping off them, making everything brittle and kind of cracking the plants -- very tender, obviously, around this area.
The roadways in town are fine, but video will show you that we have got cars sliding all over the place, especially on the bridges and on the overpasses. Interstate 10, from here in San Antonio, westward, 300 miles is shut down because of the freezing rain. Also, to the north and west of here, in the hill country, a town called Boerne, about 5,000 people are without power there because of the ice covering the roadways. And a little farther to the north of there, about two to four inches of snow has fallen, and more is anticipated there for today.
A break is expected here this afternoon as temperatures might hover above freezing just a smidgen. But temperatures dropping back down and late tomorrow. More freezing rain and ice is expected here by Thursday -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Jacqui Jeras for us this morning.
Thanks, Jacqui.
The deep freeze, of course, is making very hard to get where you want to go today. Chad Myers is up right after the break. He's got the latest travel forecast for you.
And Russian travelers under a terror threat today. Security on high alert for a possible attack on Russia's public transportation system.
Then healing through photography, African children tell their gripping and emotional stories through their own pictures.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. A couple of big stories we're watching for you on AMERICAN MORNING, the place to find the most news in the morning.
President Bush is set to outline a new policy on global warming in his State of the Union Address next week. It's not going to include, though, a mandatory cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
And the National Weather Service says it's changing how it's going to warn people about dangerous weather. Soon they're going to start issuing alerts for specific areas, not entire counties, which is the way it works now.
M. O'BRIEN: A picture may be worth a thousand words, but can it heal a thousand emotional wounds? The answer to that question may lay in Uganda, where a special kind of photo camp is helping young refugees, some of them orphans, from the wars in the Congo and Rwanda.
"National Geographic" and the International Medical Corps have teamed up to put cameras in these young hands. The results? Some good therapy and some great pictures.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: I'm joined now by Dr. Lynne Jones from the International Medical Corps and "National Geographic" photographer Ed Kashi, who has worked as a mentor for some of these budding photographers.
I want to begin with you, Dr. Jones, in London.
First of all, why this location?
DR. LYNNE JONES, INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS.: Western Uganda has a large number of refugee camps where young children from the Congo and Rwanda have been living for a number of years. And I was working there in the summer and was sad to see that there was almost nothing happening for a number of children, especially children who were out of school.
They have no access to education, their lives have been completely changed from what they were used to in the past. And it was a very depressing situation. So when I heard from "National Geographic" that they wanted to do a photo camp, it seemed to me like the ideal place to go.
M. O'BRIEN: Which brings Ed into the picture.
You were there to help these kids. You know, you can't just put a camera in their hand. They need a little bit of guidance.
ED KASHI, PHOTOGRAPHER, "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC": Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: I'll tell you what, let's look at some pictures, and then I want you to talk about this whole process. Let's look at the first picture, and you can help me understand what this is all about.
This right there, that's a very gripping picture there. Tell us about that one.
KASHI: Well, actually, this picture was so impressive, because this was a young man from the Congo, and he had actually created -- he had gotten his villagers to enact a play that was to show what happens to them when they get malaria, and there's not transportation to the hospital, and then they care for each other. So it was quite brilliant that he had this conceptual mind.
M. O'BRIEN: Interesting. So it was a little bit of art capturing art in this unbelievable place.
KASHI: Unprompted as well, so it was particularly spectacular. M. O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at the next picture, we'll talk about that as well. And I want to ask you -- Ed, why don't you tell us what this is all about.
KASHI: Well, again, what is so marvelous -- and this addresses this sort of universality of the language of photography -- is, again, unprompted, this child gathered his family in front of his home.
M. O'BRIEN: And it looks like their possessions, really.
KASHI: Exactly, to show -- to show what they all have, and where they live. You know? It's like an anthropological study in a way.
M. O'BRIEN: Dr. Jones, what's it like being there and seeing these young people expressing themselves in this way? You would think that with all their other concerns, photography would be pretty low on their list of things to do.
JONES: It was fabulous working this way. It was really one of the most powerful psychosocial programs I've ever been involved in because it's -- the cameras are extraordinary tools in the hands of these young children.
You know, if you use words or you use paintings, quite a lot is going to depend on the child feeling comfortable with that medium. And many won't. But digital photography, you have this extraordinary fast-learning curve, and within a morning, we had these teenagers feeling powerful, creative and empowered.
M. O'BRIEN: Ed, did you see some budding talent there?
KASHI: Absolutely. I mean, it was -- the human potential that we witnessed among this group of kids was amazing. Yes, quite inspiring.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you both. An inspiring story.
Ed Kashi of the "National Geographic." Dr. Lynne Jones of the International Medical Corps.
Thank you both.
KASHI: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: The International Medical Corps hopes to expand this program for other children in Africa. For more information, you can go to CNN.com and see more photos, or go to imcworldwide.org -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: They're pretty remarkable photos. We'll have to check that out.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, very impressive. A lot of talent.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes. Very nice.
Let's take a look at the time, which is 46 past the hour, and the weather, which Chad has for us this morning.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thank you very much.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a reality show that's racist? That's the accusations, at least. We'll tell you which show and what they're saying straight ahead.
And unprecedented security measures now in Moscow. We'll tell you why officials there are on high alert for a possible terror attack.
Those stories and much more straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look now at stories that CNN correspondents around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Frederik Pleitgen in Berlin.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to arrive in Germany today after finishing her visit to the Middle East. Now, Germany currently holds the presidency of the European Union and has made the Middle East its top foreign policy priority.
German Secretary of State Frank-Walter Steinmeier is calling on the international community to speak with one voice and for a revival of the Middle East peace process. He's calling Rice's visit to the region a very encouraging first step.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ryan Chilcote in Moscow.
Russian security forces are on high alert after receiving what many here are calling credible information terrorists are ready to strike the country's public transportation system. Russian officials say they got the information from foreign partners.
Police have stepped up patrols in buses, in train stations, subway stations, and airports throughout the world's largest country. These are unprecedented security measures, accompanied by an unprecedented warning to Russians to keep their eyes out for suspicious behavior.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in London.
It's a reality TV show that sets out to cause controversy, but this time around, "Celebrity Big Brother" is being inundated with allegations of racism and bullying. More than 10,000 viewers have complained that Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has been taunted by other contestants for the color of her skin and for her Indian accent. The show has not yet intervened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, get this, good news for the airline biz. Ali Velshi has that in "Minding Your Business."
And let's take a look. Whose heart is this? It looks pretty healthy. Some incredible pictures, though. We'll tell you who it belongs to and why we're looking at it, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the most news on the morning and a show with heart.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: After losing billions in the past few years since 9/11 -- I think I saw a figure of $35 billion in losses -- get this -- some airlines are expecting to post profits. That's right, black ink for airlines in 2007.
Just about 55 minutes past the hour. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business."
This is some real news.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Miles, you're an aviation buff, so you understand that the five years between 2000 and 2005 were pretty depressing -- layoffs, bankruptcies, strikes, all sorts of things plaguing the airline industry. And as you said, $35 billion in losses.
Well, today we are going to hear from Southwest Airlines and AMR, the parent of American Airlines. Their profits for 2006, both of them expected to be profitable for the entire year of 2006. We'll hear from Continental tomorrow and United next week.
It's looking like a good year. Some analysts are predicting $2 billion to $3 billion in profits for 2006 for the airline industry, $4 billion to $5 billion for 2007. Why? Because 2007, we start with much lower oil prices. We start with Delta and Northwest possibly emerging from bankruptcy. And that consolidation we've been talking about, US Air trying to get a hold of Delta, Delta and Northwest talking about an alliance, Continental and United, Delta and everyone else. So you'll probably see some tightening in the industry.
And remember, from all of those flights that were canceled and those planes that weren't bought, they haven't added those. So the economy's strong, people have money, they still want to travel.
Flights, as you know, from any flights you're recently taken, are typically full. So it looks to be a stronger year in the airline industry. And that's something not only good for travelers, but for investors and for those tens of thousands of workers who have been put out of work by that industry.
Maybe there's hope for them yet -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Ali, thank you very much.
Some other headlines of the morning. One of CNN.com's most popular stories, in fact.
Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are moving to New Orleans. And they say they're going to send their three kids to school there. Well, maybe not the baby. She's a little young.
M. O'BRIEN: She's above average, though, little Shiloh there..
S. O'BRIEN: "US Weekly" is reporting -- they're reporting that the Jolie-Pitt...
M. O'BRIEN: Or is it Suri? I always get Shiloh and Suri mixed up.
S. O'BRIEN: No, no, Shiloh. Shiloh's the baby.
M. O'BRIEN: Suri's the other one.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, that's Cruise -- have purchased a $3.5 million six-bedroom mansion in the French Quarter.
M. O'BRIEN: Nice.
S. O'BRIEN: It sounds quite nice.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: The move apparently is just temporary, according to the publicist. Brad Pitt is working on a movie in New Orleans.
So why not by a $3 million home?
M. O'BRIEN: Why not -- in the Crescent City? This headline from "USA Today" says it all: "New Scanner Gets Off on the Wrong Foot." You k now, in Orlando, if you've been to the Orlando airport, they have this registered traveler program. As part of that, they put in a system which supposedly allows to you walk through without taking your shoes off.
It turns out, though, of the registered travelers who tried this, about half of them still had to take their shoes off. Why? They had metal in their shoes.
Harmless metal, you k now, like a steel shank or whatever. So it was kind of -- well, a misstep, you might say. The company says they feel like a heel about it.
But the truth is, passengers, just don't wear shoes that have metal when you go flying. That's my suggestion to you. And then maybe you can use that system a little more...
S. O'BRIEN: Just prepare to take them off. It will save everybody time.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, yes, but they're trying to come up with a way where you don't have to. So that's -- let them press on with that, because I like that.
We're coming up on the top of the hour. Chad Myers, who is always well shod, in the weather center.
Good morning, Chad.
MYERS: You know what I did when I came to New York? I bought these things. I bought these loafers.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
MYERS: They slip on, they slip off. I can get in and out of those in an airport in about 10 seconds.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.
MYERS: And that's exactly why I bought them, because it's awesome.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm flying with flip-flops in the summer. I'm thinking about the winter, too. Maybe.
MYERS: There you go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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