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American Morning
New Intelligence Report: Risk for U.S. in Iraq; The Human Toll: Lives of the 5 Killed in Karbala; Boston Bomb Scare; Global Warming Report
Aired February 02, 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. Destructive storms and possible tornados are rolling through central Florida early this morning.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hot off the presses. A report released overnight says our planet is heating up, seas are expanding and rising, and it's all our fault.
S. O'BRIEN: Caught on tape. A shocking attack on a mentally disabled man. A care-giver is now under arrest.
M. O'BRIEN: And who left their heart in San Francisco? The mayor's affair with a married colleague rocks his campaign and endangers his once hot political future on this AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning, everybody. Welcome, everybody. It's Friday, February 2nd. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with weather. It's our top story this morning. We begin with a line of severe storms that are hitting the Daytona area. It happened in the last couple of hours. Tornado warnings are in effect and we're just now getting pictures and reports in of the storm damage. A hundred homes wiped out.
Let's get right to severe weather expert Chad Myers.
Chad, this picture is awful.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And maybe more than that, Soledad.
We're just now getting some of the damage reports. These storms have been going for a lot of the night. Damage around Weirsdale. Not that far from Orlando.
And tornados now still for Seminole County. A tornado warning for you. Doppler indicated. This is from the National Weather Service. Significant rotation with a possible tornado just east of Winter Springs moving to the east around Highway 434. If you're in the area, you know what I'm talking about.
Big area around Orlando. Here is Orlando itself. That little city right there. I'm going to zoom into it. And you see that strong line of storms. Well, the rotation is actually right there. But there's more weather to your west and to your northwest.
Tornado warnings are out there. A lot of the state now under a tornado watch, which means conditions are right. Some of these storms are going to start to spin. The ones that do get the spin, do get the tornado warnings on them and they have produced significant damage overnight across central and eastern Florida. We'll get those pictures to you as soon as they come in.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad.
Now to Paris and an urgent call to action from some of the smartest minds on the planet. This morning they're weighing in with an unequivocal report on global warming. That it is real, the consequences are potentially catastrophic and that our addition to fossil fuels is to blame. The report released just a few hours ago, authored by scientists from 113 countries. It estimates global temperatures will rise somewhere between three and seven degrees in this century. Sea levels are expected to rise seven to 23 inches in this century. And they're calling this report a milestone moment. When the focus shifts from whether it is happening and who or what it is blame to what we should do about it. CNN's Jim Bittermann was there for the briefing in Paris. John Vause is in Beijing, on its way to surpassing the U.S. as the biggest greenhouse gas emitter. We'll get to him in a moment. Let's begin with Jim.
Jim, hello.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles.
In fact, environmental campaigners are calling this an alarm bell, another alarm bell and a series of alarm bells about the dangers of rising greenhouse gases and rising temperatures around the globe. The report leaves little question. This group of 2,500 scientists coming to the conclusion that humans are responsible. Here's the way Susan Solomon put it this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN SOLOMON, NOAA SENIOR SCIENTIST: When we look at this dramatic rise that is so different from the behavior in thousands of years, there can be no question that the increases is these gases, these greenhouse gases, are dominated by human activity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BITTERMANN: And, in fact, the implication of that is, Miles, that is human activity is responsible, then maybe humans can still do something to change things by cutting back on the amount of greenhouse gases that they create around the planet.
Now as kind of a demonstration of what humans can do last night that was a very small demonstration. A demonstration none the less. All across France last night at about five minutes to 8:00 p.m. local time, people turned off their lights. The electric company says about 1 percent of electrically -- there was about a 1 percent drop in the amount of electricity being used. Didn't really change things dramatically for the planet, but, nonetheless, a kind of a demonstration that there is some support out there for the kind of thing that's being expressed in this report this morning.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Aside from that symbolism, did the scientists talk about what individuals can do?
BITTERMANN: No. This is not the report that does that. This is simply to gather all the scientific data that is out there, put it in one place and come to an agreement on it. There will be reports -- in another three months there's one coming out in Brussels and then later in the year elsewhere that will describe what policy-makers should consider, what the options are for policy-makers. And those will be the actionable reports that policy-makers should probably take a notice of.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jim Bittermann in Paris, thank you very much.
Nowhere are they watching news of this report more closely than in China. The economy there is booming and it is fueled in large part by the biggest greenhouse gas producer of all, coal. CNN's John Vause joining us live now from Beijing with more.
John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
A dramatic increase in coal usage here is one of the major reasons why China is said to overtake the U.S. by 2009 as the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE, (voice over): No country burns more coal than China, and no town produces more of it than Datong, China's cold capital, where the air is thick with pollution, the river black and poisoned. Here, what are arguably the most dangerous mines in the world supply the black gold that drives China's roaring economy. But burning coal produces more of the global warming greenhouse gases than any other fuel. Without coal, though, the Chin (ph) family would be both cold and poor. Cheap coal heats their two small rooms near one of Datong's biggest mines where Mr. Chin works. He says he can't sleep because of headaches from the pollution. His wife complains the house is always dirty from the filth belched from the giant smoke stacks. But they say they can't live without their electric appliances and they want a bigger, better home, like the one in the poster.
"I've had that picture on the wall for the last three years," he told me. "It's my dream. I'd like a house like that. It's clean, beautiful, and safe." China's factories need cheap, subsidized electricity to keep the economy booming. But Chi Yo Ping (ph), a miner turned environmentalist, is among a growing number demanding the government put the environment first.
"If they don't change quickly, there will be no life left around here," he says. "They must change no matter what the cost."
And as these satellite photos show, the toxic pollutants which so many complain about here, eventually drift east over Asia, then on to the United States.
DANIEL JACOB, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: The pollution gets transported from China, across the Pacific, typically in about a week. And we are in a part of the world where the winds from west to east are pretty consistent and rapid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And industry analysts say every five days for the next five years on average, a new coal-burning power station is due to come online somewhere in China for a total of 2,500 coal burning power stations nation-wide, producing almost all of this country's electricity.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: That is such a staggering number at such a rapid pace. Is China committed at all to doing anything to clean up its act?
VAUSE: Well, China is spending billions in research to try and develop alternative energy sources. And many of those power stations, those coal burning power stations, will be cleaner and more efficient. But the real problem here, Miles, is that this economy continues to boom and it continues to need more and more electricity. And there are real questions whether or not the technology can simply keep up with that demand.
M. O'BRIEN: John Vause in Beijing, thank you.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: We're also watching this morning for you the newest National Intelligence estimate on Iraq. Congress is going to get it from the White House today. This morning's "Washington Post" says the estimate paints an increasingly dangerous picture of Iraq where the U.S. has little control and it's quite likely to get worse according to that report. That violence is now between Iraqis and it's the primary source of conflicts. Let's get right to Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
Good morning, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. Well, as this report will make its way across Washington later today, the issue in it is security, security, security. As you say, the extent to which sectarian violence has overtaken the al Qaeda threat as the major threat to both the Iraqi government and U.S. forces and whether Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will be able to control the militias, hold on and have enough security to try and have some reconciliation in his government.
This report will be unveiled. There will be a declassified set of facts about it that will be made available to the news media and the public, but that will only be, of course, a fraction of this highly classified National Intelligence estimate.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Barbara, is there an expectation that this report is going to be greeted differently than the, for example, 2002 report that the White House used as a basis to go to war?
STARR: Right. Yes, that NIE (ph), of course, became, to say the least, notorious as the reason for the U.S. getting into the war in Iraq. There will be differences according to the intelligence community. Number one, they're going to try not to have errors in it. That report turned out, of course, as we know, to be deeply flawed.
They will try, of course, to have more attribution. Where did the information come from? Put some of the source material into this report so members of Congress can see where the intelligence came from and perhaps most importantly, put in some of the alternative scenarios so Congress can see that intelligence at best is a guess rather than a final conclusion.
They will make some projections about the future direction of Iraq, but they will try and put in the alternative scenarios so that Congress can get a fuller picture.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon for us.
Thank you, Barbara.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The two performance artists who drew some horrible reviews in Boston for an ad campaign run amuck are out of jail this morning. Pleading not guilty into inciting panic after putting up several of these battery-operated light boards depicting a character in The Cartoon Network series "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." Cartoon Network parent, Turner Broadcasting, also ours, has apologized for the bomb scare that it triggered. Boston's mayor says the company should pay for the emergency response.
Now the pair who put up the signs staged a rather odd news conference yesterday. They had reporters pulling their hair out, so to speak. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER BERDOVSKY, ACCUSED IN BOMB SCARE: What we really want to talk about today, it's kind of important to some people. It's -- you know, it's kind of important to some people. It's hair cuts in the '70s.
SEAN STEVENS, ACCUSED IN BOMB SCARE: Yes.
BERDOVSKY: We really want to discuss the style of them.
STEVENS: I really feel like we're not getting the feedback that we need.
BERDOVSKY: Yes, we're not getting the feedback that we need from you guys. If you really want to talk to us, please talk to us about the topic . . .
STEVENS: I'm very disappointed.
BERDOVSKY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was it like to spend last night in jail?
BERDOVSKY: That's not a hair question. I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you disappointed about?
BERDOVSKY: That's also not a hair question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel that you should (INAUDIBLE)?
BERDOVSKY: That's also not a hair question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Rich, are you embarrassed by your client's behavior?
MICHAEL RICH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My client is a performance artist and . . .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So are we being subject to a performance right now, Mr. Rich?
RICH: That's your call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: And on it went. In order to be convicted of felony charges, the prosecution would have to prove the two intended to cause the panic and the judge has already said it appears they had no such intent.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: An update this morning on a pretty shocking story we told you about yesterday involving a pregnant woman and two Kansas City police officers. We showed you this videotape of police stopping a woman named Sofia Salva. She's three months pregnant. She had outstanding warrants apparently. Well, you could hear on the tape, she pleads for help 21 times. She says, I'm pregnant, I'm bleeding, I need to go to a hospital. At one point the female officer says, well how is that my problem?
They arrest her. They put her in jail. The next morning she does get to the hospital and she gives birth, prematurely, to a baby who survived for just one minute. The officers had stayed on the job until yesterday when they were suspended with pay. The woman is now suing them and suing the city too.
Another extremely disturbing story caught on tape we want to tell you about. Police in Anaheim, California, looking for Michael Rama (ph). This is videotape on his cell phone. It shows a care-giver, a gentlemen named Patrick Solas (ph), on two separate occasions cornering mentally impaired men and then beating them over and over again. Solas pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and abuse. Police got the videotape from a third person who bought the cell phone and discovered the pictures on it.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, Chad Myers will be back with the latest on those tornado warnings in Florida right now. A lot of damage there this morning.
Also, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. You've heard that before. Well, how Iran could be making for some unlikely alliances.
And confessions of an affair with a married college and now questions about the political future of the mayor of San Francisco.
All that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Quarter past the hour. Chad Myers watching some severe weather rolling across Florida right now.
Chad, what's the latest?
MYERS: Yes, when I'm holding papers it's never a good thing. This is very close now to Scottsmoor. Right near Lake Harney. The storm behind me, a big watch box here. This is the tornado watch box. This square that you're seeing here. That right there. That's the older one. There's the brand new one.
Now this storm itself is still spinning to the east of Orlando. Getting into a little bit of a less-populated area now, which is a little bit of good news here as we move - and it's just going to moving to the north of Titusville and north of basically Cape Canaveral. Big storms, although not rotating yet, moving through St. Pete, all the way down and through -- basically done with Tampa at this hour. The big story is here in Florida. There has been damage. A lot of it overnight.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: What a mess. All right, Chad, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: New threat from Iran today. Reports that work is underway there on a plant to make nuclear fuel. Fear of Iran is now the number one concern of many countries in the Middle East. And as CNN's Zain Verjee reports, it's strong enough to get countries that rarely see eye-to-eye to work together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Mid East leaders, fearful Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb, are flirting with an idea -- team up to counter the threat.
TZIPI LIVNI, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: There are new threats in the region and they can say, and they've already said, that the situation now is more complicated. But part of our responsibilities also to see not only the threats, but to see whether there is also new opportunities.
VERJEE: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says such alliances are logical.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Historic change is unfolding in the region, unleashing all grievances, new anxieties and some violence. But it is also revealing a promising, new strategic realignment in the Middle East.
VERJEE: The Bush administration says that Sunni Arab allies are telling Washington they're worried Shia Iran is flexing its muscles and could destabilize the region. Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, all places where Iran supports extremists. Experts say most Arabs care more about ending the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, even though Iran keeps their leaders up at night.
TRITA PARSI, IRAN/ISRAEL EXPERT: Arab regimes, however, particularly those that are very close to the United States, are more concerned about Iran, because Iran is a major problem for them.
VERJEE: And an even bigger problem for Israel. Iran's president says Israel should be wiped off the map. An Israeli/Arab alliance against Iran fits well with the Bush administration's strategy in the region. Pit the access of moderates against an axis of extremists, like Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas.
Harder tactics toward Iran could backfire. Analysts warn that if hardliners in the U.S. continue to push, Iranians could forgive Ahmadinejad all, close ranks behind him, making neocons his best friend. Zain Verjee, CNN, at the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, can Wall Street keep up its hot streak? Ali Velshi takes a look at the latest record for the Dow. He's "Minding Your Business" straight ahead.
Plus, a city hall sex scandal in San Francisco. The popular mayor's confession and the consequences for his political future. We'll take a look straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
A line of severe storms hitting the Daytona area just within the past few hours. Tornado warnings remain in effect. We're getting pictures and reports of some serious storm damage. Up to 100 homes seriously damaged.
A new report on global warming released this morning in Paris. Says humans are very likely to blame for the earth's increased temperature. That means rising sea level and it means more powerful storms, like those tornados we just told you about.
And at the other end of the weather spectrum for forecasting, it's Groundhog Day. In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Phil will pop out of his digs. You're seeing live pictures there now. And we'll show you whether he sees his shadow or not and all that stuff.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: In San Francisco this morning, there are questions about what happens now. Mayor Gavin Newsom has confessed to an affair with the wife of his campaign manager. CNN's Dan Simon has our report this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO: I want to make it clear that everything you've heard and read is true. And I am deeply sorry about that.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Mayor Gavin Newsom confirming the stunning report that he had an affair with the wife of his reelection campaign manager.
NEWSOM: I've hurt someone I care deeply about. Alex Tourk, his friends and family, and that is something that I have to live with and something that I am deeply sorry for.
SIMON: "The San Francisco Chronicle" quotes sources as saying, Newsom had a short-lived relationship with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, his appointment secretary until last spring. The affair reportedly happening around the time Newsom was going through a divorce with his ex-wife, television host Kimberly Guilfoyle. Alex Tourk was Newsom's deputy chief of staff until last September when he took over the mayor's reelection campaign. After his wife told him about the affair, he reportedly confronted Newsom, who was also his long-time friend, and resigned. The mayor didn't take questions, but did apologize to the city, his staff, and his family for what he called a personal lapse of adjustment.
NEWSOM: I am deeply sorry and am accountable for what has occurred and have now begun the process of reconciling it and now will be working aggressively to advance our agenda in the city and to work hard to build, again, the trust, restore the trust that the people of San Francisco have afforded me.
SIMON: In terms of how this scandal erupted. According to "The Chronicle," Mrs. Tourk was in rehab for substance abuse and as part of her rehabilitation she admitted to her husband that she had an affair. Whether this will effect Mayor Newsom politically really remains to be seen. This is a mayor with high approval ratings, about 70 percent. The question is whether any potential candidates can seize on this story and try to mount a successful challenge. He is up for reelection in November.
Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: More bad news for Detroit. Ford in fourth place? Twenty-five minutes past the hour. Ali Velshi, "Minding Your Business."
Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Good morning, Soledad.
Ford has slipped to number four in auto sales in January. Now Ford has traditionally been the number two car seller in America. It slipped a couple of times to number three. Toyota jumped ahead of it for many months in 2006. Now not only is Toyota in the number two spot for January, Daimler-Chrysler is in the number three spot. Ford has slipped to number four after dropping massively in sales.
Both Ford and GM suffered major losses in January, particularly because they've given up on emphasizing their fleet sales. The rental car sales. Those are popular. They sell a lot of cars, but they're not entirely profitable for the car companies.
Now, it's been a busy business week and markets have reacted very well to that. We saw another record on the Dow yesterday. Another record close. It's the fifth one for this year. The 27th one since October. Since the Dow achieved levels that it hadn't achieved in about six years. So we've got a Dow that was 52 points stronger to 12,673 and we're going to be expecting the monthly employment report at 8:30 Eastern, two hours from now. It's expected to hold steady at 4.5 percent, which is a record low.
And Cisco and Apple are talking again about the iPhone. You'll recall that Apple announced it's got this big iPhone. Cisco said, no, no, we've actually got an iPhone already. We own the name. Cisco sued Apple. Apple has now not suspended its suit, but its basically said it's giving Apple more time to respond and they have both agreed they're chatting about it.
You know what I think this is going to end up with? Apple is going to cut Cisco some money and they'll all move on.
M. O'BRIEN: I think there will be a big check written and on it will go.
VELSHI: But none of us knew the iPhone that Apple -- that Cisco had an iPhone. So, you know.
M. O'BRIEN: I think Apple knew, but they just went on.
VELSHI: Apple new, yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Onward they went.
S. O'BRIEN: A lot of money is going to change hands is my prediction.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
VELSHI: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Ali, thanks.
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Ali.
Top stories of the morning up next.
Severe weather topping the news already. Possible tornados in Florida. Already been some touch-downs.
Plus, we report nearly every day on the attacks in Iraq. Today, see some of the faces behind the names of the fallen soldiers.
And melting point. Global warming is a clear and present danger. We all are to blame. Details of the smoking tailpipe report out this morning.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Breaking weather news for you. Powerful storms, possible tornados moving across central Florida this morning. M. O'BRIEN: Hot zone. A new report on global warning released just hours ago. The planet's heating up, the seas are rising, and it's our fault. So now what?
S. O'BRIEN: And a final solute to American heroes who were killed in that sneak attack in Iraq. Their stories and much more is ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back, everybody. It's Friday, February 2nd.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with our top story this morning, and that's the weather. A line of severe storms hitting central Florida right now. Tornado warnings are in effect. And we're getting some pictures and reports of storm damage this morning. Up to 100 homes wiped out.
Let's get right to severe weather expert Chad Myers.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: A crucial intelligence report on the Iraq war slated for release today in Washington. It paints a very grim picture, but stops short of using the term "civil war," even though the description sure makes it sound like one.
"The Washington Post" got a leaked report. It says in part -- we quote it now -- "... Although al Qaeda activities in Iraq remain a problem, they have been surpassed by Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence as the primary source of the conflict and the most immediate threat to U.S. goals."
CNN's Arwa Damon live now from Baghdad with more -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.
And that is something that we have been hearing here for quite some time now, that the sectarian violence that exists in Iraq is going to be posing a greater threat, already is posing a greater threat to Iraq's future than any sort of violence that is being put forward by Al Qaeda in Iraq. Take, for example, the attack that happened in Hilla yesterday that killed at least 73 Iraqis and wounded over 160. It was a double suicide bombing.
Hilla is known to be a predominantly Shia area. This attack most certainly bears all of the hallmarks of being one of sectarian violence, whether it was motivated by a Sunni insurgency or whether it was motivated by Al Qaeda in Iraq. But regardless, it is these types of devastating attacks, with their incredibly high casualty tolls, that are only serving to further divide the Iraqi people along sectarian lines. And as Iraq moves forward in its history, in its future, trying to mend those divides is going to be the biggest challenge here -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Arwa, "The Post" says that this report is also critical of the Iraqi government, Nuri al-Maliki. Does that government feel like it's a bit under siege at this point, literally and figuratively, with the U.S. being so critical?
DAMON: Well, look, Miles, I mean, the government is under siege in many ways. First off, they are operating out of the Green Zone, they're fairly isolated from the Iraqi people. And they are coming under intense pressure from the United States, especially Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
And a lot of what we are hearing right now, especially from senior U.S. military officials, that the cornerstone for Iraq to move forward is going to be building trust. Not just trust within the Iraqi government, but also between the government and the people, the security forces and the U.S. military. And people are saying now that perhaps the issue might be the prime minister in the sense that although his intentions might be in the right place, his message is not permeating down to the street level where we're seeing all of this violence unfold -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad.
Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The military is reporting the death of another American soldier today in Iraq. 3,087 Americans have now been killed in the war. And often we hear the numbers but know absolutely nothing about the young men and women who are behind those numbers.
Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr takes a look for us this morning at the lives of those five soldiers who were recently killed in Karbala.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Private 1st Class Jonathan Millican is finally back home in Alabama, one of five soldiers killed January 20th in a sneak attack on a Karbala compound. Millican was just 20 years old, just a teenager when the twin towers were struck on the morning of September 11th. It changed the course of his life.
MITCHELL MILLICAN, FATHER OF SLAIN SOLDIER: He had come home that day and said, you know, these people did something. He said, "It wasn't right." And he made his mind up that day to defend his country.
STARR: Millican and the others were killed when attackers wearing U.S.-style uniforms, carrying U.S.-style weapons, got past security and shot their way into the compound. Millican was killed almost instantly. Four others were captured and later executed.
Captain Brian Freeman (ph), who was found barely alive, died on the way to the hospital. It was his 3-year-old son Gunner Freeman (ph) who comforted his mother.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just came up to me and put his arms around me and said, "It's OK, mommy. Daddy is coming home soon."
STARR: Twenty-five-year-old Private 1st Class Shawn Falters (ph) also lost his life that day. He had three brothers and a sister. All are serving in the military. Andrew had advice for his litter brother when he got to Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you get there, make sure you take care of your buddies, watch your backside, do what you've got to do, and come home safely.
STARR: Now they are all home, and five more families are saying goodbye.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(NEWSBREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Severe weather slamming into central Florida as we speak. Possible tornadoes -- tornado warnings going on right now. Chad Myers is watching it. We're going to go to him and gate the latest on that as it barrels into Titusville right now. If you're in Titusville, you better be paying attention.
Plus, leading scientists issue a warning about global warming. What do we do now?
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
An update now on that severe weather in central Florida. A band of storms going right through, major damage we've been telling you about. Some reports say up to 100 homes absolutely destroyed. It's looking more and more likely that it was a tornado, and we've got some coverage from our affiliate WESH in live -- live for us in central Florida.
Let's dip in for a moment, listen to their coverage for a second.
AMANDA OBER, REPORTER, WESH 2 NEWS: But the woman who was in the car said she had been friends with that young girl, approximately 17- year-old who was killed, and she was extremely distraught, teary-eyed, said that she had walked to the bus stop with that girl every day.
Again, I need to keep stressing that we haven't had that specific death confirmed by the Lake County sheriff's office, but we do know there are several fatalities here, and are led to believe that that indeed is one of them. Live in Lady Lake in Lake County, Amanda Ober reporting, WESH 2 news.
S. O'BRIEN: The National Weather Service is reporting that as well, one fatality there, that report on the 17-year-old girl who was killed in her sleep.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office has now called in all of its officers.
There are reports, Chad, too, about a mobile home that was destroyed, a church completely distorted. Really a mess there.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: "Melting Point" now. In Paris, just a few hours ago, an urgent call to action from some of the smartest minds on the planet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN (voice over): It is a smoking tailpipe report. The world's leading scientists are no longer mincing words. The planet is warming, the consequences are potentially catastrophic, and our addiction to fossil fuels is to blame.
JERRY MAHLMAN, UNIV. CTR. FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH: I think it's going to be a wakeup call that is more effective than all of the other wakeup calls that have been released over the last few decades, OK? This is a no-brainer right now.
M. O'BRIEN (on camera): The scientific debate is over?
JAMES HANSEN, NASA GODDARD INST. FOR SPACE STUDIES: The debate that was occurring a decade or so ago, is this real and is it caused by humans, that's over.
M. O'BRIEN (voice over): Researchers from 113 countries are now 90 percent certain humans are to blame for rising global temperatures. Much more definitive than five years ago when they issued their last report.
ROBERT CORELL, AUTHOR, "ARCTIC CLIMATE IMPACT": Right now, we have put in since the industrial period began, predominantly from our fossil fuels, more CO2 in the atmosphere than we have seen for over 500,000 years.
M. O'BRIEN: A lot more CO2 -- a two to threefold increase since the industrial revolution. And because it lets the sun's energy in but then traps the heat, carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse gases are steadily cranking up our global thermostat, already one degree warmer over the last 30 years, somewhere between 3.75 and 7 degrees more in the next 100 years.
(on camera): Help us understand why we should be worried about a single degree Fahrenheit.
HANSEN: The effect on critical parts of the climate system is very important for changes of even a few degrees. And the most -- perhaps the most important one is the ice sheets and the eventual sea level rise.
M. O'BRIEN: The ice sheets are melting away at an alarming rate, the equivalent of a four-mile-high and four-mile-wide ice cube gone from Greenland and Antarctica every year. The big melt is just part of the sea level problem, because as the oceans warm they expand. The report predicts sea levels will rise between 7 and 23 inches in the next century.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So we're likely to see hundreds of millions of what we'll call environmental refugees, people who no longer can live where they had lived for maybe thousands of years.
M. O'BRIEN: The report paints a dire picture if we do nothing -- mass extinctions; the polar bears perhaps on the thinnest ice; changes in migratory patterns and disease trajectories; huge shifts in productive land for farming; dry areas drier; wet areas wetter; the oceans acidic; and huge killer storms common.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I call climate change kind of a super tanker. And you've got to put the brakes on it as soon as you can because it will drift, it will move forward on these kinds of time scales, 10, 20, 30 years.
M. O'BRIEN (on camera): So is now the point at which action must be taken?
HANSEN: I think that's exactly right. I think we are now at the tipping point. Either we get on a different path now or it's going to be too late to prevent large climate changes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: In fact, the report said no matter how much we do right now to curb our production of greenhouse gas emissions, some of the warming will continue. The climate just doesn't turn on a dime -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right.
Thanks, Miles.
Coming up this morning, Prime Minister Tony Blair says he's not going anywhere. He's rejecting calls for his resignation. We've got a live report for you from London straight ahead.
And on the road in America. We're going to talk to some young men and women who trekked across our nation as part of a reality show. We'll tell you what they found straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look now at stories that CNN correspondents around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in London.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has told Britain, you'll have to put up with me a little while longer. He's rejecting calls for his resignation over the investigation into weather some people who loaned money to political parties were then recommended for state honors. Mr. Blair has already been questioned twice by police as a witness, not as a suspect. But he's still the first serving British prime minister to ever be questioned in a criminal investigation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Ben Wedeman in Jerusalem.
It died a violent death after just three days. The latest truce in Gaza collapsing as Fatah and Hamas resume their bloody power struggle.
Overnight, security forces loyal to Fatah fought their way in to the Hamas-affiliated Islamic University. There, they say they captured several Iranian officers, including explosives experts. Hamas denies there were any Iranians there.
Friday morning, a senior Palestinian intelligence officer was assassinated. Fatah accuses Hamas of being behind the attack. Since the cease-fire collapsed Thursday, at least eight people have been killed, more than 100 wounded in the fighting in Gaza.
(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, we've been watching some severe weather whip across Florida from coast to coast. Chad Myers is watching it for you. And we have reporters on the ground. We're giving you the latest on that.
Plus, new signs that millions of baby boomers could be in huge trouble when they retire.
Why are we hearing "Puppy Love"?
Next one. And they call it puppy love. Why? I'm thinking maybe it's time for me to retire.
Oh, look at him. He's cute.
Why this single young pup's search for a boyfriend could take her all the way to the White House.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. We have a nose for news here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. The most news in the morning is right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
We're following some severe storms for you in Florida. We've got Chad, reporters on the ground, watching the devastating storms. Reports of 100 homes downed and damaged in the wake of those storms -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, there's some work this morning for the Maytag repairman. If you have a Maytag or a Jenn-Air dishwasher, listen up. The company is recalling 2.3 million dishwashers.
Maytag says liquid soap can leak into the dispenser, into the wiring system, causing a short circuit. The flaw has sparked 135 fires and prompted four injuries. The dishwashers were sold between July '97 and June '01. If you think you have a defective machine, you better stop using it immediately.
Well, we are not a nation of savers. We've known that for a long time. But not since the Depression have we saved less. And when we were spending our savings during the Depression, we were buying food. Now we're buying flat panel TVs.
Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business."
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I was just thinking about buying one today. Like, I really was in the mood. I've been talking about these flat panel TVs, and now I'm reading this and I'm kind of upset about the whole thing because Americans, for the second year in a row, have had a negative savings rate.
Now, your savings rate is what you earn minus what you spend. What's left is your savings rate, and for the second year in a row, Americans have nothing. They've got less than nothing. In fact, we have a negative 1 percent savings rate, and that's the worst savings rate since 1933.
Now, when you spend more than you earn, the money that you -- the extra money you're spending either has to be borrowed or it has to come out of your investments, or it has to come out of your savings. So that's where the bad news comes, because it erodes what you've got saved up or inhibits your ability to save more money.
Now, why does this happen? Largely because money is cheap and easy to borrow. Credit rates are low, and then when things like energy prices creep up, it adds into that extra little bit that you might have. There are only four times in history that the saving rate has been negative -- 1932 and 1933, and then 2005 and 2006.
Food for thought.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Ali. Thanks.
Breaking news this morning.
Deadly storms rolling through central Florida. Hours later, we've got the very first pictures of the damage. At least one person has reportedly been killed.
M. O'BRIEN: Mercury rising. The best minds in the world telling us overnight the planet is heating up, seas are expanding and rising, and we only have ourselves to blame.
S. O'BRIEN: And, are they felons or are they fall guys? The men who sparked panic in Boston stage another stunt outside the courthouse. We'll tell you why they might just have the last laugh on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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