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Apparent Tornado Batters Parts of New Orleans Area; Storm System Spreading Snow, Ice, Freezing Rain, Strong Winds; Republican Mitt Romney Kicking Off Presidential Bid

Aired February 13, 2007 - 08:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

For the next three hours, watch events as they come in to the NEWSROOM, live on Tuesday, the 13th of February.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Let it blow. A major winter snowstorm aiming at a wide slice of the country. Impressive snow totals from the heartland to New England.

HARRIS: And North Korea blinks and agrees to begin dismantling its nuclear program, the nuts and bolts of the deal.

COLLINS: It's getting crowded out there. Republican Mitt Romney joining 18 or 20 other presidential hopefuls. He is formally announcing his 2008 campaign in just minutes.

You'll see it here in the NEWSROOM.

Some wicked weather taking aim at a big part of the country. The Midwest, the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, the Deep South all feeling the impact. Look at that map.

Blinding snow, freezing rain and tornadoes all part of the mix. And for parts of the country already overwhelmed by heavy snow, get ready. Another blast heading your way.

We've got complete coverage this morning with CNN's Allan Chernoff in Indianapolis, Susan Roesgen in New Orleans, and meteorologist Chad Myers in the CNN weather center.

HARRIS: In the Deep South, apparent tornadoes. Our Gulf Coast correspondent Susan Roesgen with us now from the New Orleans suburb of Westwego.

And Susan, I understand that this is one of those tornadoes that you hate to talk about the most. It came in, in the small hours of the morning, with very little warning for folks on the ground. SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: It's true, Tony. In fact, I asked if there was any kind of emergency alert system, and apparently there isn't. There was no way to notify people.

Now, the fire department is saying, Susan, get out of the way, they're trying to move this power line behind me. That's a -- Tony, if you can see, it's a light pole, a street pole that has been knocked over. They're trying to lift the power line and get it back on over to the poles in the distance.

And behind that, you see a Burger King, where obviously they have no power at the Burger King this morning. And then to the left of the Burger King is this motel that we have been showing folks this morning, a two-story motel that in the middle of the night had its roof blown off.

I talked to Ken Hood. He was a guy down from Detroit with three buddies in town to see Mardi Gras, and he told us what it was like, Tony, when he woke up to see the tornado tear the roof off that motel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN HOOD, HOTEL GUEST: My roommate ran to the door to see what the noise was, and the door was literally blown off. And then I -- then I looked up and the whole ceiling caved in and the roof just took off.

And everything -- glass started flying. And all I could think after all the disasters here in New Orleans, was, oh, no, it's another hurricane. And I just prayed. You know, all I could think is, when is this going to be over?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: In fact, it was over in two or three minutes, not very long at all. But to see the force of this, let me show you here, Tony. You find these scattered all over, hundreds of yards away from that motel.

This is a comforter, one of the comforters that would have been on the beds. You see them still wrapped in their plastic all along here.

HARRIS: Yes.

ROESGEN: Bits of the ceiling tiles, bits of the wood here. And I've got to tell you that either this tornado or possibly a second tornado jumped the Mississippi River and also struck two different neighborhoods in the New Orleans area. And we have just found out, Tony, that an 86-year-old woman in New Orleans died of her injuries from this tornado.

We had heard earlier in this area, in Westwego, only about seven minor injuries, one person taken to the hospital with not a life- threatening injury. But again, we have just learned and had it confirmed from the Office of Emergency Management in New Orleans that an 86-year-old woman was killed by this tornado in the city of New Orleans, just past the Mississippi River.

HARRIS: Well, we are certainly sorry to hear that.

Just a quick question here, Susan. How badly -- help us orient ourselves with that area there. How badly was this particular area hit by Katrina?

ROESGEN: Well, right where I'm standing, it didn't get very much damage, not very much structural damage from Hurricane Katrina, not much wind damage. There was a little bit of flooding when they turned off the pumping stations to let the people who manned those pumping stations evacuate.

When the pumping stations were turned off, there was about a foot of water in this area, but nothing like this kind of structural damage that you see. And yet, the mayor of Westwego here says that this is the third time that this same area has been struck by a tornado.

HARRIS: Oh man.

ROESGEN: That they come up from the marshes, back toward the Gulf of Mexico, to my left, and then they spread this way, right up to the Mississippi River. And in this case, we apparently believe this tornado jumped the Mississippi and then hit some of those neighborhoods in New Orleans itself.

HARRIS: Wow.

Our Gulf Coast correspondent, Susan Roesgen, for us.

Susan, great to see you. Thank you.

COLLINS: And now to the frigid Midwest. CNN's Allan Chernoff is with us now from Indianapolis to give us a picture of what things look like there.

Good morning to you, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

We're getting pounded right now with sleet, those little ice pellets that love to nick you on the face. The snow started about midnight. And we have about five inches of snow.

It's really good stuff, the type that you really can't make a nice snowball with. But it's great for skiing, if you can find skiing around here.

But right now, as I said, we're getting that sleet, so there's an ice coating developing right on top of the snow. That's going to make things very nasty on the roads. The forecasters are saying later today, it will turn back to snow.

North of Indianapolis, they're predicting a little more than a foot of snow. To the south, maybe about half a foot. So a big difference. It's going to get much messier to the south, they're saying as well. More sleet and also freezing rain. So the conditions on the roads are definitely going to deteriorate.

As you can see behind me, traffic is moving just fine along I-70. There is a little bit of accumulation. So the traffic is moving relatively slowly, but we haven't seen any major problems here.

There have been some problems through Indianapolis. Of course a number of major traffic accidents, with at least one traffic accident involving a tractor-trailer jackknifed. But in terms of major trouble, the predictions is that when we get more of this ice in the afternoon, power lines really could be impacted.

Back to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, Allan, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, because obviously when you get that freezing rain, it starts to have some weight to it. So it ends up really weighing down those power lines and possibly breaking them. Right now, the power situation, though, is OK?

CHERNOFF: Yes. Right now, there's no problem with the power. But as you say, when you get ice, just like you do on a tree, of course it will weigh it down.

The more ice we have on the tree, it will pull it down. The same exact thing happens to the power lines. And when some of those come down, the power will go out.

COLLINS: All right. Allan Chernoff, we hope you stay warm there. But the traffic does look pretty good behind you. So those are -- that's a good sign.

Thanks so much.

Allan Chernoff for us today.

HARRIS: Let's check in now with Chad Myers in the severe weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: The field of 2008 presidential candidates about to get even more crowded. An announcement due any minute now from Republican Mitt Romney. He's back in his home state of Michigan today.

CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, part of the best political team on television, standing by now at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

Good morning to you, Candy, if you can hear me OK.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I can hear you a little bit. We're right here in the Henry Ford Museum, where the theme is innovation, which I think is what you're going to hear from former Governor Romney. This is actually where his political DNA is.

His father was governor in Michigan. His father also ran for president. Right now, we're hearing from his wife, who will be introducing him.

So they came to Michigan to launch this. Massachusetts not a great place for a Republican to launch a campaign from.

The governor goes from here to all the usual spots. He will go to Iowa and then down to South Carolina, and there will be time in between for a fund-raiser. So he is making all the steps one needs to make when you announce for the presidency -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Candy, we of course are going to bring that announcement live to our viewers when it does happen. We certainly appreciate it.

Candy Crowley this morning.

So where does Mitt Romney stand with Republican voters? Well, according to a recent CNN-WMUR poll on the New Hampshire primary, Romney was the third favorite choice for nominee. He was behind Arizona senator John McCain and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani with 13 percent.

Here now, a snapshot of the national picture. A CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll conducted last month puts Romney fourth, trailing former House speaker Newt Gingrich with 7 percent.

HARRIS: Let's take a look now at where Mitt Romney stands on some of the issues.

He supports President Bush's position on the Iraq war, including the plan to send more troops. Romney opposes a U.S. troop withdrawal. Romney also supports President Bush's tax cut package.

On immigration, he favors stronger laws against illegal immigrants and the companies that employ them. And on abortion, Romney opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest and when the mother's life is in danger.

COLLINS: The fight for Iraq. The case against Iran. The Bush administration stating it as fact, Iran is aiding the insurgents. But one Washington powerbroker isn't convinced. His opinion hard to ignore, too.

General Peter Pace is the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He says he hasn't seen evidence to prove that Iran's government is the source of weapons. Those armaments are now blamed for 170 coalition deaths. Tehran says the U.S. accusations are "all lies."

HARRIS: And new developments this morning out of Iraq. CNN has learned hostile fire is now suspected in last week's deadly crash of a military helicopter in Iraq.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has been working her sources. She is here now with the latest.

Barbara, what can you tell us? Good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.

A Marine Corps CH-46, of course, going down last week near Falluja. And quite serious, of course. Seven helicopters down in a three-week period.

Now, the Marines originally said it was due to mechanical failure, that they had reports from pilots flying nearby they hadn't seen any hostile fire in the area headed towards this helicopter. They believed it was mechanical. But then, of course, we saw an insurgent video being posted that appeared to show a smoke trail from the ground, indicating a surface-to-air missile.

Now the Marines say, indeed, they are strongly leaning towards the believe that indeed this helicopter was brought down by hostile fire last week, most likely brought down by a shoulder-fired surface- to-air missile.

The investigation continues, but a senior Marine officer tells us that they now believe this insurgent video is "very convincing." They don't have much of the wreckage left to look at. It was destroyed in the fire and destroyed by Marines on the ground, who didn't want it, of course, to fall into the hands of the insurgents. But they are so convinced they are already privately beginning to tell Capitol Hill that, indeed, they're beginning to change their mind and that it was insurgent fire.

HARRIS: So, Barbara, we're curious as to how the military is responding to these attacks, wondering if there are any changes in the works.

STARR: Seven helicopters in three weeks is very serious, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes.

STARR: All of them are different, of course, but that really, you know, may not matter. They are looking at the patterns, trying to see if there's any common thread here. And military officers say, indeed, that helicopter flights are now trying to change their own tactics, their own patterns of flying, trying to take more -- even more care and more caution and staying out of the way of hostile fire -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr for us this morning.

Barbara, thank you.

COLLINS: Utah mall shooting. We talk with someone who watched a young man fire randomly at shoppers. Fright night in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, controlling the skies over Iraq. Are increased attacks forcing the U.S. military to rethink its airborne strategy?

COLLINS: Plus, a nuclear shutdown in North Korea could be in the near future. What about any nuclear weapons?

That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: A license to express opinion. Will Floridians get another choice for their car tags?

That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Putting on his running shoes. Live pictures there of Governor Mitt Romney, and preparing to shake a lot of hands. Let's listen to what could be his announcement for running for president.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We came here together, teaching me about cars that were built way, way before my time. The Rambler automobile that he championed right there, was the first American car designed and marketed exclusively for the purpose of economy and mileage. He dubbed it a "compact car," and a car that would slay the gas-guzzling dinosaurs. And it transformed the industry.

But this place isn't just about automobiles, as you can see. It's about innovation, innovations that transformed an industry and gave America a way of life that our grandparents would have never dreamed possible.

The DC-3, above us there, was the first true commercial airliner. It transformed aviation from a luxury to a standard mode of transportation. I think if you look carefully enough, you'll see the first lost luggage.

Next to us is the Ford hybrid over here. It's the first giant step away from our dependence on the gasoline engine. It's already changing the world of transportation.

And just down the hall is Rosa Parks' bus. Her courage transformed hearts.

Outside is Thomas Edison's laboratory. There, the electricity that Benjamin Franklin had discovered was transformed from a novelty into a necessity.

Innovation and transformation have been at the heart of America's success from the very beginning. And if there ever was a time when innovation and transformation were needed in government, it is now.

(APPLAUSE)

We've lost faith in government, and not in just one party and not in just one House, but in government. We're weary of the bickering and the bombast. We're fatigued by the posturing and self-promotion, for even as America faces a new generation of challenges, the halls of government are clogged with petty politics and stuffed with peddlers of influence.

It's time for innovation and transformation in Washington. It's what our country needs, it's what our people deserve.

(APPLAUSE)

I don't believe Washington can be transformed from within by lifetime politicians. There have been too many deals, too many favors, too many entanglements, and too little real world experience managing, guiding and leading. I don't believe Washington can be transformed by someone who's never tried doing such a thing before, in any setting, by someone who's never run a corner store, let alone the largest enterprise in the world.

Throughout my life, I pursued innovation and transformation. It's taught me the vital lessons that come only from experience, from failures and from successes, from public, private and voluntary sectors, from small and large enterprises, from leading a state, from actually being in the arena, not just talking about it.

Talk is easy. Talk is cheap. It's the doing that's hard. And it's only in the doing that hopes and dreams can come to life.

This Christmas, Ann and I gathered our five sons, our five daughters-in-law and grandkids together, and we asked the kids whether I should run for president. We talked about the special time this is in the history of our country. We talked about the qualities that are needed in America's leaders. And they were unanimous.

They know Ann and my hearts. They know our values. They know my experience innovating and transforming in business, in the Olympics, and in Massachusetts. And they know we love this country.

And so, with them next to us, with the fine people of Michigan in front of me, and with my sweetheart at my side, I declare my intention to run for president of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

COLLINS: Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney announcing he has thrown his hat into the ring. Announcing today at the Henry Ford Museum right there in Dearborn, Michigan.

He is a native of Michigan, hasn't lived there in quite some time, though, since the '60s or so. But his father, George, as you probably well know from that speech, was the president of American Motors and, of course, later governor of Michigan as well.

So interesting. If you would like to see more, you certainly can. Just go to CNN.com/pipeline.

HARRIS: And still to come, Utah mall shooting. We will talk with someone who watched a young man fire randomly at shoppers. Fright night in the NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A man walks through mall shooting people at random. A horrific scene in Salt Lake City last night. When it was over, six people were dead, including the 18-year-old suspect.

Reporter Christiana Brady of CNN affiliate KTVX is live with the very latest.

Christiana, first of all, you have to share with us your story. I understand you were in the mall doing some shopping.

What did you see? What did you hear?

CHRISTIANA BRADY, REPORTER, KTVX: Well, I was there about 6:45, Tony, which is when the call was actually placed to paramedics initially. And really got out of the parking lot, was making my way toward the Pottery Barn, and heard a series of popping noises. And, you know, as journalists we hear those a lot, and immediately identified them as what could be gunshots.

That was slightly confirmed when I found a gentleman running very rapidly and hurriedly to a nearby store and saying, "Call the paramedics. Call the paramedics."

We then ran away from the gunshots, went to -- inside the Pottery Barn, and everyone was calm, cool and collected in there.

HARRIS: Yes.

BRADY: And I said, "Does anybody know?" You know, "I think there's been a shooting in the area." And they knew nothing of it.

So being a journalist, we obviously have a lot of contact with our assignment desk. And I did go ahead and call -- call them. And they said, well, "Rumors at this point, Christiana, of an unconfirmed but possible gunman in the area." That, of course, enough to trigger fear and put us in to cautionary mode.

HARRIS: Right.

BRADY: Mustered up 10 other employees, myself and another shopper, went into a back shelter room with no windows, of course, at that point. And, you know, only contact with anybody who knew anything -- there was no television, no radio -- was with that cell phone. And I was talking to the newsroom.

HARRIS: Yes.

BRADY: I understand that security in the mall, Tony, had then come and actually locked the doors at that point. So we were locked inside the building. And, you know, I was asked earlier, was there tangible fear?

HARRIS: Yes. BRADY: And I say, you know, if tangible fear is a mother on her cell phone talking to her children and fighting back tears, saying that "Mommy is OK, but there is a lot of chaos in the mall right now," then, yes, there was tangible fear. People crying, people -- people dealing with fear in multiple ways, as we see in many of the stories I guess that we do.

HARRIS: All right. Christiana, let me stop you for just a second...

BRADY: But it was a serious situation. Sure.

HARRIS: ... and sort of dissect this a little bit.

How many shots did you hear?

BRADY: I heard about -- I want to say anywhere from four to five shots. A series of quick pops.

HARRIS: Yes.

BRADY: But we now understand that there was a series of gunshots. So we were thinking we probably just heard the very end of the shots.

HARRIS: Panic set in immediately, or was there that moment when folks were trying to figure out, what is it that I just heard here?

BRADY: Panic more from myself and the person I was with who heard the shots.

HARRIS: OK.

BRADY: Not so much obviously within -- within the shopping center. But, of course, when you say, listen there could be a gunman, and I get that confirmation from the newsroom, a lot more panic does set in.

HARRIS: How similar is this -- you could talk us through this...

BRADY: Sure.

HARRIS: ... to the Columbine shootings, and why are we even drawing those comparisons?

BRADY: You know, very reminiscent. I'm actually a native of Colorado...

HARRIS: OK.

BRADY: ... lived very close to that Littleton area. And they say, what are the images, what are the thoughts going through your mind at a time like this?

You know, first thing, I had heard this shooter could be in a black trench coat. Immediately, I think, trench coat mafia. Secondly, we had heard the S.W.A.T. teams there were going to try to do some evacuations in about an hour. And, you know, we all remember the images on the television screen of people trying to be evacuated, holding that very gun-fearing position and trying to return to safety.

HARRIS: Yes.

BRADY: And then lastly, and, by and large, the most obvious and important of them really of them all, the innocent -- innocent -- or killing, rather, of innocent civilians.

HARRIS: Yes, random.

BRADY: Butchering randomly, and that's a strong word, but that's, I think, a fitting word. It was very random, and it was -- it was, you know, a massacre.

HARRIS: And Christiana, lastly, any motive yet?

BRADY: No. Unknown at this point.

We do know, as you said, he is an 18-year-old from the Salt Lake City area. The police are still looking into motives right now, certainly something that a lot of people around here are asking this morning, though, Tony.

HARRIS: Christiana Brady with us this morning.

Christiana, thanks for reporting. Man, it must have been frightening for you.

Thank you.

BRADY: Thank you.

COLLINS: After years of building up his nuclear program, North Korea's president agrees to begin tearing it down. Details on the deal in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Winter whopper. We're talking ice, snow, wind, cold. February showing its wild side in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And we are "Minding Your Business." Ali Velshi here with a preview.

Anything about snow, Ali?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've got something about ice.

COLLINS: OK.

VELSHI: Vanilla Ice, something you haven't heard about for a long time.

COLLINS: Oh, I have. VELSHI: Vanilla Ice is back. Stick around here in the NEWSROOM. I'm going to bring him back to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Good morning once again, everybody. Boy, a lot going on today and most of it weather.

HARRIS: That's right. Let's get it started. Good morning again everyone. Parts of the Deep South under the gun this hour, from a line of powerful thunderstorms, this scene just hours ago in the New Orleans suburb of Westwego. One person was killed and several people reportedly were injured by an apparent tornado. Damage also reported in the city of New Orleans, parts of Mississippi and Alabama also getting pounded right now by severe storms, plus snow and more snow. When will it end? We will check in with meteorologist Chad Meyers coming up shortly in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: A step in the right direction. North Korea agrees to shut down its nuclear program in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid. But one key question does remain. CNN's John Vause has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Finally, they did it. More than three years since these on again off again talks began, a deal which should see North Korea's Kim Jong-Il give up his nuclear program much to the relief of America's top negotiator.

CHRISTOPHER HILL, CHIEF U.S. NEGOTIATOR: It's not an easy process, no question about it. I think this is a good first step and our hope, in fact we insist that this step be followed up by other steps.

VAUSE: Under the plan, North Korea has 60 days to shut down its main plutonium production facility in return for desperately needed energy. Initially, 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil, another 950,000 tons will be delivered when the reactor is completely disabled. The North has also agreed to allow the return of international inspectors.

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, (D) NEW MEXICO: The reality is that North Korea will not be able to harvest any new plutonium. The next step has to be, get them to dismantle all their nuclear weapons, but this is an important step.

VAUSE: There is also a commitment to work towards improving relations between Washington and Pyongyang, and removing North Korea from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. The North Koreans announced a successful test of a nuclear device last October. Since then, some reports put their stockpile of nuclear weapons as high as 12. And in this deal, no word when Kim Jong-Il will be forced to give up the nuclear weapons he already has.

JOHN BOLTON, FMR. U.S AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: It sends exactly the wrong signal to would be proliferators around the world. If you hold out long enough and wear down the State Department negotiators, eventually you get rewarded.

VAUSE (on camera): But save the celebrations for now. These six party talks have been down this road before almost a year and a half ago, when another landmark deal was reached, only to have it all break down just days later. John Vause, CNN, Beijing.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: What do you say we get you to New York City, The New York Stock Exchange? The good people there at Rydex Distributors and Investment Company, ringing the bell to get us going this morning. What happened yesterday? Wow, off to a good start. The Dow closed down 28 points yesterday, so we begin the day at 12,552, but we're out of the gates fast as you can see, the NASDAQ was down almost 10. We are following all of the day's business news with Susan Lisovicz, from the New York Stock Exchange, throughout the morning here in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And one of the big business stories today, Bank of America looking to tap into a new group of customers, illegal immigrants. Ali Velshi, "Minding your Business" this morning. So as long as you have a checking account with Bank of America for three months, you're good.

ALI VELSHI: Yeah, this is a program they're trying out. Bank of America is the largest issuer of credit cards in the country. And you know without a social security number in this country, you can't get much done. So they've been trying out this program in Los Angeles County, it's about 50 banks now, where if you have a bank account with Bank of America for the last three months and it hasn't gone into overdraft, you can get a credit card from them. The idea is they want to tap into this untapped market of people who apparently are earning money and spending money in the United States but can't sort of participate in normal credit. Now critics of this program are saying that Bank of America is aiding people who are abusing U.S. immigration laws. Bank of America is saying this is a huge market. There are people out there who need our services and we're going to provide it. So you can imagine that debate will continue. The business community certainly understands the growth and spending power of immigrant communities regardless of whether they're legal or illegal. So that's an interesting story. The other interesting story that we're following today is Vanilla Ice. Do you remember Vanilla Ice?

COLLINS: I certainly do. Tell me that we get to see an impression of him.

VELSHI: This is Ice Ice Baby, as you remember him. So now why am I talking about this? Turbo Tax, which is one of the software programs you can buy to do your taxes is coming out with a program now to promote its software for the next few months while tax season goes on, saying that you can write your own tax rap and submit it and you can win cashes and prices as a result. And Vanilla Ice is the first guy who did his own tax rap. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VANILLA ICE: Business deductions from Miami to Palermo. On April 15th yo you better be prepared so you learn before you burn or you end up like a [bleep] or do what I do and use that Turbo Tax mojo. Remember Uncle Sam, remember Uncle Sam.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Does he pay his taxes?

VELSHI: I think Mr. Vanilla Ice hasn't been doing much over the last few years. I think they got a good deal on him, but you know, it made me watch.

COLLINS: Yeah, well wait, do we get to hear -- didn't I hear a little bit of your own rap?

VELSHI: Oh yeah, I was practicing in the rap world earlier, I had something going on, but I'm going to work on it more. I will give you another rap another time. I had mixed reviews on my rap earlier this morning.

COLLINS: Oh really!

VELSHI: I think it was better than Mr. Vanilla's, but, you know.

COLLINS: And I'm not quite sure how much that's saying, but we certainly do appreciate the creativity.

VELSHI: It probably cost as much to produce mine as it cost to produce his.

COLLINS: What was that, in his basement, you think?

VELSHI: I definitely think that was in his basement. Well you know if anybody has got good rapping skills, send it in, you might win something.

COLLINS: Hey, you never know. Interesting campaign, that's for sure. All right, "Minding your Business" this morning, Ali Velshi.

VELSHI: Good to see you guys.

HARRIS: What did you just do on television?

COLLINS: That's -- you know --

HARRIS: Did we save that? Did we save that moment? Ok, good? You'll see that again, Heidi.

Too much of a snow thing, people in upstate New York now wondering if they'll ever see the grass again. The forecast for the northeast and the rest of the country, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Also controlling the skies over Iraq are increased attacks forcing the U.S. military to rethink their airborne strategy. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Snow, freezing rain, apparent tornadoes, wicked weather, striking hard today, and for areas already walloped by heavy snow, get ready there is more headed your way. Sorry, don't hate the messenger here. CNN's Keith Oppenheim is with us now from Peoria, Illinois. Keith, what is the view? I think I see it behind you and around you from Peoria this morning.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well the view I have Tony is mostly I'm looking into the wind and into the light of the camera, and it's a little hard to see because of the wind blowing at me. The snow has been coming down at a pretty good clip. You can see there's a guy right here who is dealing with a couple of inches that are on the ground. We may get as much as 8 inches here. Now as a result, last night, there were a lot of folks who were going to grocery stores and hardware stores as well, trying to stock up on food as well as rock salt and shovels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm concerned about the 40 mile an hour winds, that's the biggest thing. But I'm just looking forward to a day at home with the kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shovel and ice, my shovel bent the last time it snowed, so getting ready for the morning.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

OPPENHEIM: All right, walk with me now, as we head over to a snowdrift, Tony. You can see how it piles up and it's really, really windy. And that's sort of the issue for a lot of folks around here, is that this soft powdery stuff is just blowing in the breeze and that's what people have to drive in around here. The wind is going to get up to about 30 miles per hour we're told today. In fact we were experiencing some rough gusts just a little while ago. And that makes the temperatures, which is I'm reading it off of a back monitor here, 22 degrees Fahrenheit. While it's not that cold compared to last week, this wind is really making it feel a lot colder.

HARRIS: So you have the wind, which means you have snow blowing and drifting on to roads. I can't imagine, Keith, that the schools are open today?

OPPENHEIM: Well some area schools are open.

HARRIS: Really?

OPPENHEIM: There are other area schools that are closed. One of the local airports is closed as well. This storm is relative. In December, December 1st, there was a terrible ice storm which really shut things down in central and southern Illinois. This doesn't reach that level but it's still bad and things are either slow going or closed.

HARRIS: Keith Oppenheim for us in Peoria, Illinois this morning. Keith appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Still to come, car tags with a message. Florida drivers soon could get both sides of the debate. Political plates in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: New developments and deepening concerns in Iraq. CNN has learned hostile fire is now suspected in last week's deadly crash of a U.S. military helicopter in Iraq. Insurgents say this video shows their missiles bringing down the CH-46. U.S. military officials first blamed a mechanical failure, now a senior Marine Corps officer tells CNN a surface to air missile is most likely to blame. Seven U.S. troops died in that crash in Anbar Province. Six U.S. helicopters have crashed in Iraq in less than three weeks.

HARRIS: U.S. helicopters under attack. Could it drastically change operations in Iraq? CNN's Arwa Damon takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Against an increasingly sophisticated insurgency on the ground, the U.S. military's biggest advantage is in the air, from troop transport to dropping bombs. America's aircrafts keep its troops safe. But since January 20th, six choppers crashed. Most of them brought down by enemy gunfire. This insurgent video shows what U.S. military intelligence increasingly believes was most likely a missile, knocking a Marine Chinook out of the sky on February 7th. A group called the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility. Regardless, the possibility of new tactics and techniques is not lost on the troops that fly these birds.

C.W.O. WILLIAM WILLIAMS: The enemy is ever evolving and changing and we are evolving and changing to meet that threat on a daily basis. I assure you, we look at it very seriously and we look at it in great detail.

DAMON: Chief warrant officer Williams and his crew are part of the 25th combat aviation brigade. They operate in central Iraq. Often, their missions take them through the Sunni insurgent heartland. Here, doing some last minute training before they drop Iraqi and U.S. forces just outside of Buhriz, an insurgent stronghold.

STAFF SGT. DANIEL PINA, U.S. ARMY: In terms of choppers going down, I mean I'm not going to lie and say that, you know it does make things a little bit more uncomfortable.

DAMON: The crews not only take care of themselves but they carry the responsibility of the lives in the back of the aircraft.

(on camera): The troops here are gearing up for an air assault mission but the U.S. military uses its Blackhawk helicopters for a number of purposes, to transport passengers that can take up to 11, plus four crew members and equipment and also to transport casualties off the battlefield.

LT. DUSTIN HEALEY, U.S. ARMY: Every day we go out there and we take it very seriously. We just want to keep those guys out of harm's way as much as we can. So anything we can do to help moving them from one place to another and keeping them off the roads.

DAMON: Because on the roads the playing field is more level. There are thousands of flights a day, despite the recent attacks, America still retains air supremacy. But if the insurgents have obtained the technology to more easily shoot down choppers that would drastically alter the battlefield. Arwa Damon, CNN, Baqubah, Iraq.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Mitt Romney, his hat's in the ring and his name is among the front runners. But in this party right makes mic. Republican frontrunners making a swerve from the center, a closer look in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The abortion debate, it plays out in courts, on the news, even on vehicle license plates. Now, Florida drivers getting a new choice. Reporter Mike Deeson of affiliate WTST reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE DEESON, WTST (voice-over): Go to buy a Florida license plate and your plate is full, from the Bucs, the Lightning, protect the panther, protect the wild dolphin, save our reefs, save the manatee. More than 100.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's quite a selection.

DEESON: Get ready for another plate to go along with the choose life plate, which is seen as anti-abortion. Now, NOW is pushing for a Florida United in Choice plate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not? We have so many already.

DEESON: But some people want to clean the plates of political messages.

So you'd be just as happy if neither of the license plates?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly, exactly.

DEESON: However, the man behind the choose life plate Russ Amerling has no objection.

RUSS AMERLING, FOUNDER OF "CHOOSE LIFE" LICENSE: We've been telling them for five years to stop filing suits against the choose life plate and go get your own license plate.

DEESON: And while many law enforcement agencies say there are already too many license plates in Florida, Governor Charlie Crist, who wasn't aware of this new push and who has come out on record as being pro-life, says he wouldn't necessarily rule out this effort.

GOV. CHARLIE CRIST, FLORIDA: I'd love to see it.

DEESON: Would you sign a bill?

CRIST: I'd like to see it first. There's all kind of plates. I learned a long time ago, it's not good to get into hypotheticals, I'll wait until they come to me. If it's real, we'll take a look at it.

DEESON: And if the conserve legislature refuses to authorize the new plate, it could cause a problem.

AMERLING: But I think the state could possibly be sued if they discriminated against one viewpoint.

DEESON: And that's the point the United in Choice folks will make as they try to join the other specialty plates.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well you already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 until noon eastern, but did you know you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod. There we are, the CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7, right on your iPod.

COLLINS: General disagreement, the White House says Iran's government is helping kill Americans in Iraq. But one insider not convinced and he has the rank to be taken seriously. Details ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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