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American Morning

Digging Out: Historic Snow in the Northeast; A Father's Struggle: The Letters of Otto Frank

Aired February 15, 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: Flight to nowhere. Steamed passengers stuck on JetBlue planes for hours and they're sounding off this morning.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: When in the world is al-Sadr? New information just coming in this morning confirmed by Iraqi officials. We have details.

S. O'BRIEN: High alert in Madrid. The terror trial for those accused of Spain's 9/11 begins today. New questions about al Qaeda's reach across Europe this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: And a rough ride. Deadly storms and more than 1,000 traffic accidents from that wicked winter storm, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: And good morning. Welcome, everybody. It's Thursday, February 15th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us this morning.

The storm is over, but the mess remains this morning. Take a look at how it looks across much of the Northeast, and New England this morning. The snow plows, the snow blowers, people digging out after record-setting snowfalls. There you go. There's some pictures. So far this morning, at least 13 deaths are blamed on the huge storm system. Power crews are now working overtime. Well that's not power crews. Power crews working overtime in seven states to get the heat and lights back on for more than a quarter of a million people. CNN's Greg Hunter is in Albany, New York. More than 20 inches of snow on the ground there now.

And, Greg, today the story's going to be the wind, isn't it?

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The wind today should be as much as 40 miles per hour. Right now it's about 10 miles an hour. Nine degrees up here in Albany.

I'll tell you one thing, they do know how to handle snow up here in Albany in the capital city of New York. This is just a pile of snow about 20 feet high behind our hotel. But yet all of the streets are mostly clear. Yes, there's snow on them. But all the streets are mostly clear. There's buses running. There is some traffic. Of course, although, not very much at 6:00 here in the morning. But it is surprisingly well-groomed for as much snow as they got. Now some areas of this area got as much as 30 inches of snow up here. So schools are closed. Expecting a lot of snow drifts. A lot of high winds today. You can see my breath blowing. Just a small 10 mile-an-hour wind. But it looks like things are pretty well in order here, even though they had almost 20 inches of snow right here in the Albany area.

Back to you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, at least they're used to it there. All right, Greg Hunter in Albany, thank you.

Coming up in about 10 minutes, we're going to talk to our severe weather expert, Chad Myers.

And then the story everyone is talking about this morning, the flights to nowhere. Hundreds of passengers trapped on several JetBlue airliners. So close, yet so far from the gate at New York's JFK Airport. Ten hours later, they were beyond angry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was no power and it was hot. There was no air. They kept having to open the actual plane door so we could breathe comfortably.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You call it being held hostage?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because nobody gave us any answers. They kept telling us, we know as much as you do. And I said, I don't work here. You work here. Give me answers. We have no answers. That's all we were getting all day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, we're going to try to get some answers in just a few minutes. Ten minutes from now we're going to talk to one of those irate passengers, get his take on all of this and see what's next.

Now let's go to Iraq. Fresh information surfacing overnight on the whereabouts of the anti-American agitator Muqtada al-Sadr. We're told the Shiite religion, political and military leader is now, in fact, in Iran. Now is he a primary conduit for Iran meddling in Iraq? CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad and he has the latest for us.

Michael.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles. What we have is a spokesman for the government of Iraq who also claims, like the White House and U.S. military intelligence, that Muqtada al-Sadr is, indeed, in Iran. However, it's just one more claim to add to the others. Until Muqtada himself pops his head up, we're really not going to know where he is.

The other thing is, the fact that he's gone to Iran, honestly, is no great surprise, Miles. The fellow's gone there many times before. He's got close links with the Iranians. This is not startling. The question is, why has he gone this time. That also remains unanswered, just like his whereabouts.

M. O'BRIEN: And I suppose a good question would be, why this time is the U.S. making such a big deal about the fact that he is in Iran?

WARE: That's the $64 million question. Is this just part of a smoke and mirrors game, trying to beat the drum? We don't know. Are they trying to make more of this visit to say that he has fled, you know, in fear for his life with the advent of an American-backed crackdown? I mean, honestly, that just doesn't stack up.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's shift gears here ever so slightly. The president yesterday talking about this Quds organization or group. These elite forces or commandos, if you will, of Iranians who, it is alleged by the administration, are inside Iraq and perhaps killing U.S. troops. Tell me what we know about Quds. And, more importantly, what is the chain of command? Who is their boss?

WARE: OK. Let's put it this way. Within the Iranian military, there's two parallel strains. The most potent, the best trained, the best equipped, the most serious is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Now, within that is a special forces unit, which is the Quds Force. They're extra territorial.

Now by that what we mean is, these guys are experts at the dirty ghost war kind of game. They're very good at going to an area, recruiting militia groups, working with local factions, training them, arming them, indoctrinating them, advising them and sending them out into the field. We've seen them do it in the Sudan, in Kosovo, in Lebanon with Hezbollah, in Afghanistan with Ismael Khan, the warlord.

I mean these guys are like green berets on covert black operations. Who do they answer to? The very strict chain of command. Technically it's to the Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters. In reality, according to U.S. intelligence and many others, to Khamenei's office himself.

M. O'BRIEN: Michael Ware in Baghdad, thank you.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: For the first time we heard President Bush specifically accuse Iran's Quds Force of undermining security in Iraq was during that news conference yesterday, held off, though, on directly accusing Iran's president and the top leaders, while he answered this question from CNN's Ed Henry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you saying today that you do not know if senior members of the Iranian government are, in fact, behind this explosives? That contradicts what U.S. officials said in Baghdad on Sunday. They said the highest levels of the Iranian government were behind this. It also seems to square with what General Pace has been saying, but contradicts with what your own press secretary said yesterday.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Can I -- I can't say . . .

HENRY: What do you . . .

BUSH: Let me (INAUDIBLE), Ed. I can't say it more plainly. There are weapons in Iraq that are harming U.S. troops because of the Quds Force. And as you know, I hope, that the Quds Force is a part of the Iranian government. Whether Ahmadinejad ordered the Quds force to do this, I don't think we know. But we do know that they're there. And I intend to do something about it. And I've asked our commanders to do something about it. And we're going to protect our troops. (END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: President Bush has said the U.S. has no intention of invading Iran. And critics are concerned that the Bush administration is trying to build a case to do just that.

High alert right now in Spain for one of Europe's highest profile terror trials for the bombing of commuter trains in Madrid on 3/11. That, of course, was Spain's version of 9/11. It killed 191 people, injured nearly 2,000 other people back in 2004. CNN international security correspondent Paula Newton is in Madrid for the trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Two years, 11 months, and four days later, the sirens dissolved into silence. The silence turned to rage. But now, there are just questions and that unsettling thought among Spaniards that somehow the terrorists got the better of them, chalked up a victory.

GUSTAVO DE ARISTEGUI, LAWMAKER AND AUTHOR, "JIHAD IN SPAIN": Of course, it was, I mean in their eyes it was the biggest blow they've ever given as Islamic terrorists.

NEWTON: It wasn't just the remote-controlled slaughter or all the fear and anxiety that it bred. Three days after the bombings, Spaniards voted out the government that sent troops to Iraq and voted in a government that withdrew those troops. Later, 29 suspects were rounded up and are now facing trial.

Among them, a handful of alleged ringleaders, like Moroccan immigrant Jamal Zugam. Judicial inquiries in Spain have suggested is he linked to al Qaeda. But the community where he prayed is waiting for solid proof. Madrid's Muslim leaders claim whatever happened, it was not nurtured in their mosques or by the Moroccan community.

SAIF BEN ABDANOUR, ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER, (through translator): Still, nobody knows why this happened. We all know that a small cell was responsible for the carnage. Men are before a judge now and we, in this community, don't feel implicated.

NEWTON: Al Qaeda, though, is implicated. In a martyrdom video by one suspect, it is singled out as a source of inspiration. But did it provide more than that?

Seven suspects blew themselves up in a standoff with police in the Madrid suburb of Leganes. They will never face a trial or any of the questions about al Qaeda. Almost three years later, the apartment block, where the Leganes seven blew themselves apart, has been rebuilt. That inspires a little confidence here now that Europeans know al Qaeda considers this continent a crucial base of operation.

ABDUL BARI ATWAN, EDITOR, AL QUDS NEWSPAPER: We have actually to be very careful. It is more lethal, more actually dangerous than it used to be, say, six or seven years ago.

NEWTON: The key question remains, how much influence does al Qaeda have among Spain's Muslim immigrants? Spaniards are hoping to learn more from the trial. It's a crucial question as the country's North African immigrant population grows and al Qaeda's influence in North Africa, especially Morocco and Algeria, grows too.

And it will come to European shores?

DE ARISTEGUI: It's already here. We don't need to expect them coming. They're among us. This is about understanding, once and for all, that freedom, liberty and democracy, are going to be threatened and attacked constantly by these fanatics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: That was Paula Newton reporting for us. He's in Madrid for that trial.

Now a health alert to tell you about this morning. Salmonella in peanut butter. Making any sandwiches or toast, listen up to this. The outbreak, nearly 300 cases over 39 states. It turns out it's connected to a tainted peanut butter from a ConAgra plant in Georgia. It affects Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter. The jars all have the product code 2111 on the lid. The largest number of cases were in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri. Twenty percent of those infected have been hospitalized. So far nobody, though, has died.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, first the out white and now the wind. Chad won't bluster about the bluster in the Northeast today.

Plus, JetBlue feeling blue this morning. Customers seeing red after the airline left them stranded on the tarmac all day long. It is a traveler's nightmare and we will hear from some frustrated flyers ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.

From Iraq this morning, getting confirmation that the powerful Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, has left Iraq. He is now in Iran.

And Rudy Giuliani is confirming that he is running for president officially in 2008. He's disagreeing with President Bush. He says he's not sure that the tide is going to turn, in fact, in Iraq.

It's coming up on quarter past the hour. That means let's get right to Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center. He's watching the big storms and, maybe even more importantly, some of the aftermath this morning.

Chad, good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Hundreds of JetBlue customers are still seeing red this morning after a nightmare day stuck on the tarmac at New York's JFK Airport. The bad weather tripped some dominoes and left the planes with no gates to taxi to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN FARRELL, JETBLUE PASSENGER: We were on the ground by five minutes of 10:00 and they've left us out there all this time, only because of greed, because they made a decision to let that flight leave from Florida and to keep all of these people on the tarmac and not cancel those flights this morning. And it was purely greed. They knew what they were doing. All these other airlines didn't have the same problems that JetBlue did. This is despicable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Can you smell a lawsuit?

Wallace Turbeville was one of the passengers in the midst of the mayhem there. He joins us this morning. And hopefully our wait in the green room was OK for you this morning.

WALLACE TURBEVILLE, TRAPPED ON PLANE FOR EIGHT HOURS: Oh, it was just fine. (INAUDIBLE).

M. O'BRIEN: Good. We're glad to hear that.

You've been flying for 30 years.

TURBEVILLE: Absolutely.

M. O'BRIEN: That would put you in the frequent flyer category, too. Have you ever had a wait like this? Have you ever been treated like this?

TURBEVILLE: Oh, nothing even remotely approaching it. Maybe an hour.

M. O'BRIEN: Really?

TURBEVILLE: But this was just phenomenal, eight hours on the runway.

M. O'BRIEN: Came in from Houston. So what did they tell you at first? They say, oh, we're just waiting for our gate. It will be any minute now?

TURBEVILLE: Yes, the implication was, it was just a matter of time before they were able to move away an airplane to bring us in. And I think you bring up the right point, is this total lack of information made people feel like they were being manipulated and didn't have any control over the circumstances.

M. O'BRIEN: Give us a sense. What were they telling you? What would they say? Anything at all?

TURBEVILLE: Well, at first it was -- the implication was sometime soon. But very soon after that, we sort of banded together with the crew, because they didn't know what was going on either. And then later, people got even more frustrated, the crew got more defensive. But for the most part, it was just, we don't know, nobody will tell us, and the crew was making telephone calls to friends in the organization trying to find out what was going on. Things like that.

M. O'BRIEN: So what you describe is a pretty ugly scene on this airplane. Try to paint the picture.

TURBEVILLE: Absolutely. I mean, well, from time to time -- first of all, you got to know various members of the passenger list there. You got to understand what their frustrations were. And what would happen is, from time to time people would just have outbursts. And especially this one gentleman who was very claustrophobic. And so basically once every half hour or so he would start slamming his fists and throwing things and screaming and that sort of thing.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, I think anybody who's heard about this story thinks, what would I do in that situation, you know, and I'd be tempted to go for the exit door and just go and pay the consequences later.

TURBEVILLE: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: Did you think about that?

TURBEVILLE: I personally didn't, but the gentleman who was sitting in front of me did. And it was pointed out to him, of course, that they would have security waiting when they got off. So that calmed that situation down pretty quickly.

M. O'BRIEN: He'd have another kind of wait in another closed space.

TURBEVILLE: Absolutely. M. O'BRIEN: What's the lesson in all of this, do you think? I mean you're -- as a frequent flyer, what would you tell the airlines? And do you think you're going to take some action against JetBlue?

TURBEVILLE: Personally, No. Actually, in actuality, I've flown to Asia 12 hours in an airplane. The difference is information. And what they really needed to do is give people a sense of what's really going on and not be afraid of admitting a mistake or disappointing people or whatever their concerns were about letting people know what was going on. They really need to know. They really need to let people know, these are the circumstances, we're doing our best, but here's what's really going on. Not just keeping it from everybody.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. JetBlue as basically admitted fault in all this. Take a look at a portion of the statement. We called them up. They didn't want to come on camera. But in essence they said, "we did not do our best. No excuse for why we allowed those passengers to sit on the tarmac." So they're admitting fault in all of this.

TURBEVILLE: Correct.

M. O'BRIEN: What will make you feel whole coming out of this?

TURBEVILLE: I suspect they're going to give us some free flights. But in terms of feeling whole, that's -- as much as I fly, getting a free flight is a little bit of a strange compensation.

M. O'BRIEN: They can't give you the day back, can they?

TURBEVILLE: Can't give us the day back, no.

M. O'BRIEN: Wallace Turbeville, thanks for being with us.

TURBEVILLE: Thank you very much, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, when he talks, Wall Street listens. We'll tell you what Ben Bernanke said that sent the Down to an all-time high.

Plus, what's behind the pope's special meeting as he reaches out to the family of kidnapped Iraqi soldiers. We'll update that story ahead as well.

AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. And an interesting question about Pope Benedict XVI. It's based on his meeting on Wednesday at the Vatican with the family members of two Israeli soldiers who were kidnapped by Hezbollah last summer. Is it a sign that the pope's looking to weigh in on the conflicts in the Middle East? We pose that question and much more to AMERICAN MORNING's faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher.

Good morning.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Do the families think that the pope actually can do anything for their case, outside of bring them together and pray?

GALLAGHER: Well, sometimes, of course, it's a symbolic thing, you know, to have the pope on your side and the kind of authority that that can bring. But I think there is a practical side of it, which is the Vatican's sort of vast network of churches and contacts in these places, in Lebanon, in Palestine, in Israel. You know, they have their priests, their bishops, their cardinals that are often people born and bred in those places. And who may or may not have information. And certainly having the pope on your side gives extra impetus to anybody who might have information to come forward.

S. O'BRIEN: You look at the pope's obviously catholic and then you have the families who are Jewish. They're trying to influence Hezbollah, which is an Islamic group. That seems pretty unusual.

GALLAGHER: Yes, it's unusual. You know, not anyone gets a meeting with the pope. I mean I think that you have to see this as a gesture on the part of the Vatican to sort of get involved in this process on a very basic human level. I mean that's kind of been one of the pope's message and the Vatican's message always is the effects of war on ordinary people.

And regardless of what side you're on or what the political consequences are, the fact that there is a human toll in this. And so I think you see this kind of as a real human gesture on the part of this pope wanting to show that solidarity with people.

S. O'BRIEN: Is he making a bigger statement than that outside of the sort of embrace of the families? The human gesture. Is he saying, this is my position?

GALLAGHER: I think you wouldn't want to read a political position into it necessarily. The Vatican has always tried to maintain publicity a sort of neutrality. Sometimes they have been criticized for seeming to be more Palestinian than supportive of Israel, for example. But I certainly think this is a kind of positioning on the part of Pope Benedict to prove himself as a peace broker. You know, both for Israel and Palestine. And that he would be happy to be seen as that kind of neutral place. You know, both as a German and as a catholic, he has this history that perhaps he has to kind of position himself to give himself some credibility with the Israelis.

S. O'BRIEN: It will be interesting to see what happens next. Delia Gallagher, our faith and values correspondent.

Thank you, Delia.

GALLAGHER: Thank you. S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Just a few encouraging words and it was enough to push the Dow to another record. Twenty-five minutes past the hour. Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business."

And Ben Bernanke, I think, has finally figured out how to say the right thing at the right time, right?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When to come out with those little pieces of information that make people feel good. And that's exactly what happened yesterday when he addressed a Senate panel. Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Fed, going on to say that he sees the economy continuing to grow modestly and also said that inflation should continue to ease.

Those nice, happy, rosy kind of comments are just what the markets love. The Dow is up 87 points to 12,741, beating out an old record. Setting a new record for us. That was set on February 1st.

There was also a new intraday high yesterday as well. And in case you're keeping track of all this, this is the 28th record close since the start of October. So the two-day streak here now with the up arrow.

Let's move on to take a look at some other news. Stock option cases. There's some headway being made as far as criminal charges against companies that were making some stock option changes. Let's start off with Monster Worldwide. Federal prosecutors are expected to announce a plea deal today with a former Monster Worldwide executive in a stock option case.

Also, the founder of Take Two Interactive, which is a video game company, he has pleaded guilty to a state felony charge and so that also coming out today. So we're showing these options backdating schemes actually showing some movement here.

Also there's a merger coming out. It will be Dollar and Thrifty, owned by the same company, will also come together with National and Alamo. Those two companies coming together in a $3 billion deal, so says "The New York Times." So maybe less places to go.

M. O'BRIEN: What would they call the combined company or just keep the brand?

ELAM: I hope -- we don't know yet because it's all speculative at this point, but I hope they don't use all four names.

M. O'BRIEN: That would be (INAUDIBLE).

All right, thank you very much, Stephanie. See you in a bit.

Top stories of the morning are coming up next.

The snow finally stopped. Now it's the wind is making for a brutal morning in the Northeast. Chad Myers is tracking it for us. Also, lunch alert. Watch what you spread on your kids' sandwiches this morning. More on a surprising peanut butter recall. You want to stay tuned for that.

Plus, an SUV smashes through the wall of a building in Connecticut. But just wait until you see what was on the other side. You'll watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Where is Muqtada al-Sadr? New information just coming in this morning has now been confirmed by Iraq officials.

M. O'BRIEN: Rough ride. Deadly storms and more than a thousand traffic accidents from that wicked winter storm.

Dire words in dire times. We hear from the first time from the father of Anne Frank. The new letters and a newly-discovered American connection on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. It's Thursday, February 15th.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

Good morning to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Here's what's happening this morning.

(NEWSBREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq this morning, fresh word on the whereabouts of the anti-American agitator Muqtada al-Sadr. We're told the Shiite religious political and military leader is now in fact n Iran, has been there for a few days. This comes from an aide to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The Iraqis had been denying U.S. claims al- Sadr was in Iran.

President Bush pointing the finger at Iran's Quds force, accusing them of undermining security in Iraq. It happened during his news conference yesterday, but he held off directly accusing Iran's president and top leaders while answering this question from CNN's Ed Henry...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Are you saying today that you do not know if senior members of the Iranian government are, in fact, behind these explosives? That contradicts what U.S. officials said in Baghdad Sunday. They said the highest levels of the Iranian government were behind this.

It also -- it seems to square with what General Pace has been saying but contradicts with what your own press secretary said yesterday.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Can I -- I can't say -- let me finish, Ed. I can't say it more plainly. There are weapons in Iraq that are harming U.S. troops because of the Quds force. And as you know, I hope, that the Quds force is a part of the Iranian government.

Whether Ahmadinejad ordered the Quds force to do this, I don't think we know. But we do know that they're there, and I intend to do something about it, and I've asked our commanders to do something about it. And we're going to protect your troops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: President Bush has said the U.S. has no intention of invading Iran. Critics are concerned the Bush administration is trying to build a case to do just that -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, the storm is over, but the mess remains this morning. And there's a warning, of course, that the roads are still very slick and messy.

Take a look at this amazing dashboard video. It happened near Cincinnati, right at the height of the storm on Tuesday. Ooh, a semi slides on the road, slams right into a car and a police truck. We'll roll it again for you.

The cops had gotten out to take a look at another accident. He gets hits. The car flips around. The next thing you know, a semi trying to avoid his car slides.

Ooh. Can you believe that nobody was hurt in that crash? Unbelievable.

And, of course, today this is how it looks across much of the Northeast and New England this morning. Oh, yes, the snow plows, the snow blowers. People just digging out after some record-setting snowfalls, including Greg Hunter.

He's in Albany, New York. More than 20 inches of snow fell on the ground there.

Official -- is that official total or an unofficial total so far, Greg?

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Somewhere between 18 and 21 inches here in the Albany area, in the capital area itself. And I'm standing on a big pile of snow that's in a parking lot. There are many piles like this about 20-feet-tall.

And I've got to hand it to the people up in Albany. When the snow started falling, they had the plows out. By the time we went to the live shot yesterday, about 5:00 a.m., it looked like they were already making their second or third pass. And, of course, all of that plowing of snow got pushed up on the sides of the street. And if there are cars parked there, there are a lot of restrictions when you have snowstorms up here in the Albany area. You can't park your car in certain streets, many streets, as a matter of fact. If you do, they just plow you in. And on top of it, they give you a ticket and they tow you out.

So the officials here are saying that they're going to be doing a lot of snow removal in the next few days and all the way into the weekend. And if you -- and another thing they're worried about just today is that when you take a look at the texture of this snow -- I'll try to make a snowball, right? Well, that's it.

And they're expecting winds up to 40 miles an hour. And what they're afraid of is that this snow with this texture will just blow and drift. And so that's what they're worried about right now. You know, that if they remove the snow, it could blow and drift.

So back to you, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Greg. That means the same snow you dug out you might be digging out again a little bit later today.

All right. Greg Hunter for us this morning.

Thank you, Greg.

Coming up in about 10 minutes, we're going to check in with severe weather expert Chad Myers and talk about snow across the nation yesterday -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Here's a news flash. Rudy Giuliani is in. Here's something that is even more interesting. He's the front-runner.

The former New York mayor spilled the beans last night on what other program but "LARRY KING LIVE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, who has formed an exploratory committee for the 2008 presidential race, which usually leads to an advisory committee and a maybe committee.

Are you running or not?

RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, I'm running. Sure.

KING: Are you? When will you -- do you make an official announcement or is this it, here, right now?

You just said, "I'm running."

GIULIANI: I guess you do one of these things where you do it four times or five times in a day so I can get on your show and about five others. KING: So you're running?

GIULIANI: Yes, I'm running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Now, check out some numbers. Giuliani has a double- digit lead over John McCain, according to a "USA Today" and Gallup poll.

Senior political analyst Bill Schneider will have more on Giuliani rising in the 7:00 Eastern hour. And, of course, you can always catch "LARRY KING LIVE" every night, 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN -- Soledad.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.

There's confirmation this morning that the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has left Iraq and that he is in Iran. That's coming from an aide to the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki.

And President Bush is going to speak about Afghanistan this morning, talking about sending in more troops in an all-out effort to defeat the Taliban there -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Every school kid in America has read "The Diary of Anne Frank," or they should, the dramatic story of how a young girl and her family hid from the Nazis. Well, now there's a new page to the story coming from Anne Frank's father, Otto.

AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho has more from some newly-released letters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Seventy-eight pages of documents never before seen include telegrams, immigration papers, and three letters from Otto Frank to a good friend in the United States. Written in 1941, they reveal Frank's desperate efforts to get his family out of Amsterdam as the Nazis moved in during World War II. One last effort before his family is forced into hiding, made famous in "The Diary of Anne Frank."

PROF. DAVID ENGEL, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: Real desperation bubbling under the surface, but he does the best he possibly can to keep his emotions under control.

CHO: Otto Frank seeks help from his college classmate, Nathan Strauss Jr., son of the founder of Macy's and friend of then first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. "It is for the sake of the children mainly that we have to care for," he writes. "Our own fate is of less importance. You are the only person that I know that I can ask."

Frank needed money and ultimately U.S. visas for his family. The problem, U.S. immigration policy during the war was rapidly changing. And worse...

PROF. RICHARD BREITMAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: There was a fear that the Nazi regime might somehow be using Jews and other victims of persecution as agents.

CHO: In other words, spies. The U.S. was on the verge of entering the war, and Jews were shut out.

That forced Otto Frank to go to plan B.

BREITMAN: Plan B was to get to Cuba or at least to get a visa for Cuba.

CHO: In fact, in December, 1941, Otto Frank did get a visa for Cuba, but by then it was too late. Nathan Strauss writes, "I am afraid, however, the news is not good news."

ENGEL: In many cases, it didn't matter who you had on your side.

CHO: Anne Frank, her sister, Margo, and mother, Edith, died in a concentration camp. Three of six million Jews killed during World War II. Otto Frank survived, remarried, and lived a long life. He died in 1980 at the age of 91.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Otto Frank's letters are on display at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York City -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, that must be quite a -- quite a display. I'd love to see that.

Forty-five minutes past the hour. Let's get right to Chad Myers, who's watching the last remnants of the snowstorm.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, in case you didn't know, he's in, too. Former mayor Rudy Giuliani confirms it to Larry King. He is officially running for the presidency. And at least one poll now has him right at the top of the heap.

Plus, we'll tell you what could be a new and better way to stop your kids from getting the flu and take the sting out of a doctor's visit.

Those stories are ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) M. O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning right here on CNN.

A court hearing in Florida today over what is to become of the remains of Anna Nicole Smith. Her mother, Vergie Arthur, and her former companion, Howard K. Stern, fighting for custody of the body.

And ultra-tight security in Spain this morning for the Madrid train bombing trial. Twenty-nine defendants accused in the bombing of four rush hour trains in 2004.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, politics now. If he can make it here, maybe he can make it anywhere. Or at least that's what he's hoping for. Maybe even the White House.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani confirming his candidacy to CNN's Larry King on Wednesday. A new poll now shows him leading the Republican pack with a double-digit lead over the Arizona senator, John McCain.

Mitt Romney's campaign kickoff tour was slowed by that Nor'easter snowstorm. It forced Romney to delay his trip to the all-important primary state of New Hampshire. The former Massachusetts governor is going to host a fund-raiser tonight in Boston.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was talking about Iran. She says no option is off the table. She was speaking on the Senate floor on Wednesday. Senator Clinton cautioned President Bush against taking any military action without congressional approval.

And John Edwards is also a candidate. He says he would pull a third of U.S. troops out of Iraq immediately if he were commander in chief. Edwards is also calling on Congress to force the president's hand by putting a cap on funding for the war.

Barack Obama's campaign could get a key endorsement over the weekend. Virginia governor Tim Kaine is expected to throw his support to the Democratic presidential candidate. Obama and Kaine campaigned together in the past -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Health news this morning. The new drug of choice for American teenagers can be found in your medicine cabinet.

The White House drugs (ph) are reporting marijuana use in this country is down among teens, but prescription drug abuse is on the rise. Popular pills among teens? Pain pills, like OxyContin and Vicodin and anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax.

That nasal flu vaccine is not only more pleasant than shots, it is more effective. The FluMist spray is better at preventing the flu in older babies and children, according to a study. The study happened to be sponsored by the FluMist maker. The spray also dramatically reduced the risk of flu related to ear and lower respiratory tract infections -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we're going to show you what Cleopatra of ancient Egypt actually looked like. It's not so pretty.

And bad news for hurricane-ravaged Mississippi. State Farm Insurance claims they're "like a good neighbor." So why are they giving up on that state?

Plus, the dollar coin being officially released today. Does it mean the end of the dollar bill?

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Like a good neighbor, State Farm insurance is bailing out now that it's been hit with lots of lawsuits and high costs in Mississippi after it was ravaged in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business" 55 minutes past the hour.

Good morning.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

It's an interesting story here, because if you look at State Farm's position in Mississippi, they're actually the largest homeowner insurer in the state. They actually hold on to 30 percent of the homeowner policies and about 8.5 percent of the commercial policies in Mississippi. But they're saying they're not going to write any more new policies for homeowners or commercial policies in the state, and that's going to take effect on Friday.

They're saying they're really pretty much tired and mired right now by the legal and political climate in the post-Hurricane Katrina world in Mississippi. Keep in mind that in January, they reached a settlement, agreed to pay about $80 million to more than 600 policyholders who sued State Farm, claiming that the insurer was refusing to cover them -- or cover the damage that they did go through after Hurricane Katrina there.

Now, they're saying they're going to continue to assess their position on the policies that they currently have and say that they will "determine what further steps, if any, are necessary." So, opening up a door here for perhaps changing the way they even deal with the policies they do have.

They are also saying they will stay in this new world order until the business climate improves, as far as they're concerned, as an insurer in Mississippi. This does not affect, however, their financial services, their banking, or their auto coverage services in Mississippi.

And in case you are wondering, this is not the first time that we've seen insurers pull out of a state based on what's happened with catastrophes and how it's affected their overall revenues. So there we have it. We'll have to see what happens with this one, Miles.

Back to you.

M. O'BRIEN: Stephanie, it could be the end of the dollar bill today.

ELAM: The changing of the dollar bill?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, they're going to bring in the coin.

ELAM: No, that's not going to happen.

M. O'BRIEN: It's not going to happen?

ELAM: It's not going to happen. It's heavier.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. We're going to quote you. Here is the new $1 coin, the new version.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, it's large.

M. O'BRIEN: Boy, that's some coin. You've got to have a big pocket for that one.

The new version featuring George Washington rolling out today. I think they'll shrink it down for us to make it a little easier. I think that's how they actually -- I've never seen how they did this. That's how they make them.

The previous dollar coin showing Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea failed to catch on, as we well know by now. We're going to talk to the director of the U.S. Mint in our next hour, and we'll ask him why we're so in love with folding money.

What is it?

S. O'BRIEN: Because it's not as heavy as coins that you also accidentally give away as quarters to people.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, but if you've been -- if you've been to a vending machine and you've tried to get the change and all that stuff, wouldn't it be nice to just...

S. O'BRIEN: If you carried a handbag you wouldn't ask that question.

M. O'BRIEN: I need a man bag. Maybe I do.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, speaking of famous faces, it turns out the queen of the Nile may be not so much of a beauty queen after all. Here's a look at what could be the proof.

Take a look at this coin. It's 2,000 years old, on display now at England's Newcastle University. This Cleopatra has very, very pointy lips.

M. O'BRIEN: That's really the way she looked, huh?

S. O'BRIEN: The chin, the sharp nose, that's what they -- you know, that's the image from 2,000...

M. O'BRIEN: She's no Elizabeth Taylor. That's for sure. I'll tell you that.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, exactly. She's no Elizabeth Taylor. Wow. My vision of Cleopatra is more like the one on the right with the braids.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm going with that.

S. O'BRIEN: That's back from 1963 in the film. Then take a look at this, Mark Antony. Look at the coin.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. That's Richard -- oh, that looks a little more like him, doesn't it?

S. O'BRIEN: Richard Burton. Not so much. I wouldn't say he's handsome.

M. O'BRIEN: It's in the context of the times.

S. O'BRIEN: Exactly. Maybe that was very attractive back then.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. There you go. There you go.

S. O'BRIEN: It could be.

M. O'BRIEN: Other news we've got going this morning -- oh, we don't have any other news this morning. We've got Chad.

Hey, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Where is Muqtada al-Sadr? There's new information that's coming in this morning that's now been confirmed by Iraqi officials.

M. O'BRIEN: A rough ride. Deadly storms and more than a thousand traffic accidents from that wicked winter storm.

S. O'BRIEN: Lunch alert. A new health warning this morning about peanut butter. A major recall to tell you about as well.

M. O'BRIEN: And some flights to nowhere. Steamed passengers stuck on JetBlue planes for hours and hours. And they're sounding off on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning,. Welcome back, everybody. It's Thursday, February 15th.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us.

We begin this morning in Iraq with fresh information surfacing overnight on the whereabouts of the anti-American agitator Muqtada al- Sadr. We're told the Shiite religious, political and military leader is now, in fact, in Iran.

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