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American Morning

War of Words; Al Qaeda In Iraq; Madrid Terror Trial; Interstate Closed; Kim Jong-il Turns 65; Words That Changed a Nation

Aired February 16, 2007 - 06:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Showdown. The House set to send President Bush a message today over the troop build-up in Iraq. The dead-locked Senate forced into a rare Saturday session.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Caught on tape. Tragedy, fear, heroism. Every dramatic moment of the Salt Lake City mall shooting captured on home video.

M. O'BRIEN: Stranded on I-78. And a 50-mile-long traffic jam. People stuck in their cars for as long as 24 hours. Highways still closed this morning on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you. It is Friday, February 16, 2007. I'm Miles O'Brien.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry in for Soledad. Thanks so much for joining us this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: And we welcome you, Karen, to CNN.

CHETRY: Thanks. Great to be here.

M. O'BRIEN: Good to have you here.

Let's get right to the news.

We begin in Washington where the war of words over the war in Iraq is escalating and moving to new fronts this morning. In the House today, lawmakers will most likely pass a resolution opposing President Bush's troop build-up in Iraq. And now the measure will head to the Senate for a rare weekend debate. CNN's Dana Bash on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While the House has been debating Iraq all week, the Senate has remained deadlocked. And as the week has gone on, there's been more and more pressure on Senate Democrats to act. And that pressure came to a head when Republicans, who oppose the president's plan in Iraq, went to the Senate floor and said the Senate shouldn't go home for a week long recess until the stalemate is broken.

What Senate Democrats decided to do is give it one more try. And they called a vote for Saturday. They say that they're going to try to call the Republicans' bluff, especially GOP senators who voted to block the resolution last week.

Now GOP leaders say they're still going to continue to block this because they say Democrats still won't give them their say and their resolution, which is to say that the United States Senate still supports funding troops in Iraq.

So what does this mean? It means that after the vote on Saturday, what is likely to happen is we're going to have to same thing we see now -- deadlock.

Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Democrats in Congress also flexing their political muscle to silence the drum beat for an envision of Iran. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says the president does not have the power to I invade Iran without congressional approval. Pelosi says she does take the president at his word that he supports a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Iran. The Iranians continue to thumb their nose at U.N. demands that they stop making weapons grade nuclear fuel.

Karen.

CHETRY: In Iraq today, conflicting reports over what could be a big blow to al Qaeda. A spokesman for the Iraqi interior ministry says that Iraqi police hurt this guy. He's a leader of al Qaeda in Iraq - Abu Ayyub al-Masri. But a top U.S. military source is telling CNN that's probably not true. CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad.

And, Arwa, if you could shed some light on the situation because of these conflicting reports.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, it most definitely wouldn't be the first time that we're getting conflicting reports about something that did take place in Iraq, but this is what happened. Yesterday at about midnight local time, state-owned television, Al Iraqiya, crossed breaking news that Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the current leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, had been wounded in a fire fight with Iraqi police. That is the story that the ministry of interior then confirmed to us and is still sticking to this morning.

They are claiming that a fire fight took place just outside of Balad, some 45 miles north of Baghdad. And in that fire fight, they're saying that they killed one of al-Masri's senior aides, that they currently have his body in their custody, and that al-Masri himself was wounded. The U.S. military, however, according to a senior U.S. military official, he is saying that that is probably not true.

Now, if there are any new developments in the story, any evidence pointing -- or providing evidence for either criminal, we'll definitely be bringing those to you. But again, Kiran, conflicting stories coming out of Iraq once again.

CHETRY: All right. Arwa Damon, we'll check in with you a little bit later. Thanks so much.

Well, we're getting an up close and very frightening look at what it was like to be pinned down by gunfire inside a Salt Lake City mall. This is amateur video you're looking at here. Police rushing to the Trolley Square Mall. It happened Monday night. A man armed with a shotgun and pistol walked in and started shooting people. Now listen closely because you will be able to hear gunfire and shouting as police shoot it out with the gunman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop the gun, (INAUDIBLE) police. Drop the gun now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, that shooter turned out to be an 18-year-old. A former refugee of the Bosnian War. He killed five people, wounded four others until an off-duty police officer shot and killed him. That officer just happened to be in the mall at the time.

M. O'BRIEN: Day two of the Madrid train bombing trail. Twenty- nine suspects accused of Spain's largest terror attack. They've all pleaded not guilty. The trial could go on for months and it's already taking a big toll on survivors. Our CNN international security correspondent Paula Newton is in Madrid.

Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And imagine the toll on survivors, Miles. They do have psychologists on stand-by here in case any of the victims, family members of the survivors themselves need to avail themselves with that kind of service. So far it seems everyone's holding up, Miles.

But you can pretty much divide the people here into two categories. There are those that are absolutely determined to confront these suspects and look them in the eye. The others prefer to try and watch this on TV from a room behind me in the courthouse. What they all have in common, though, Miles, is the determination here to get to the truth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON, (voice over): The victims admit facing the people accused of killing and maiming their loved ones every day for months won't be easy. They are anxious and angry, but above all, they are determined to see this case through.

"It's an attitude," she says, "that makes you want to get up and spit at them. We have more dignity than they have and we will carry on until the end."

Joelle Voyer is a survivor and admits when he sees the suspects, she feels like tearing them apart. JOELLE VOYER, TRAIN PASSENGER, (through translator): I really don't think I want to go back to the court today. I don't think it's good for my health.

NEWTON: Hardly anyone in Madrid was left untouched by the events of March 11th. This Muslim mother lost her 13-year-old daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, (through translator): This is very difficult deep inside, to face the assassins who killed my daughter.

NEWTON: Though protected by bulletproof glass, the suspects are not shielded from the scrutiny of the victims. But there is a growing concern in Spain that prosecutors may not have enough evidence to convict the defendants. Worse still, as many as eight suspects may still be as at large, fueling fears of more attacks.

FERNANDO REINARES, FORMER GOVERNMENT TERRORISM ADVISOR: Spain is to a more attack for al Qaeda than it was for before March 11th, before the Madrid bombing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Unsettling for the victims here, this is day two, second suspect up on the stand, Miles. And again, he's saying he doesn't know anything about this and he is refusing to really cooperate with the proceedings here and refusing to do that. The victims' families and the survivors themselves are denied of that detailed evidence, whether it is from the defense, whether it is from the prosecutor, to really begin to put the pieces of this puzzle together. They are all going to have a knot in their stomach, Miles.

And we'll remind everyone, this is going to last months. This trial is not going to be over until at least the fall. It's going to be very difficult for them to sit through this every day.

M. O'BRIEN: Paula Newton live in Madrid. Thank you.

Also happening this morning. Investigators spreading out to pinpoint the source of the peanut butter salmonella outbreak. Two new cases reported in Spokane, Washington. More than 300 sick in 39 states so far. So if you have Peter Pan or Great Value peanut butter in the cupboard, check the lid. If the product code begins with 2111, chuck it.

And in Washington today, lawmakers pushing the regulate cigarettes, much like other drugs. The proposed legislation would allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the sale of cigarettes, make it easier to stop big tobacco from targeting children or making misleading claims. And get this, the biggest tobacco company of all, Altria, of Marlboro man fame, says it wholeheartedly endorses the idea.

A federal judge in New York is saying no to police videotaping of demonstrators unless they're breaking the law. Police have increasingly used the video cameras since 9/11, but the judge says the practice infringes on first amendment rights. And in case you need any convincing, here is proof that child seats are a good idea in the car. A car plunging 75 feet off an Anaheim freeway. A 10-month-old baby strapped in the car seat in the back of the car slightly hurt. Sadly, the woman driving was killed instantly.

CHETRY: Former NBA star Tim Hardaway is paying the price for some anti-guy remarks that he made. The NBA is banning him now from this weekend's all-star festivities in Vegas. Hardaway had been scheduled to make appearances, but on Wednesday he called into a radio show in Miami and declared, "I hate guy people." Hardaway later apologized. The comments came a week after John Amaechi became the first former NBA player to say he's gay.

M. O'BRIEN: In the frigid Northeast this morning, it may be cold comfort, but the scientific jury is in and January was the hottest month on record for the planet. The world's land areas were 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than a normal January. And that broke the old record set in 2002 by all of 8/10 of a degree. But that's big numbers. Usually records like this are broken in hundredths of a degrees increments. So it's getting warmer out there.

CHETRY: Yes, but that makes up for the fact -- it's been freezing in February. So just remember, January was nice and warm. That should make you feel better.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, so quick your complaining. There you go.

Coming up, just when they thought they were out of the woods, more snow is on the way to upstate New York. Sorry about that. Chad is tracking the storm for us.

Also, a couple of reasons to celebrate in North Korea this morning. Happy birthday, dear leader. We'll take you to the Korean peninsula.

And some important news if you're in the market to buy or sell a home. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Most news in the morning right here on CNN.

The House set to vote on its Iraq War resolution today. The deadlocked Senate called into a rare Saturday session to take up a similar measure.

And Pennsylvania's major artery is clogged this morning. Chunks of Interstate 80, 81, 78 still closed while crews try to clear ice and snow.

And on that front, let's focus on a particular nightmare on one particular interstate in Pennsylvania. Interstate 78, through Hamburg, that's about 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia, finally clear of motorists this morning. But ice and snow still keeping that road closed. Yesterday it was a 50-mile-long parking lot. Cars after car, trucks after truck stuck in the snow and ice. Some were stranded there for as long as 24 hours. Amy Buckman is with our affiliate WPBI. He joins us from Fogelsville, Pennsylvania.

Amy, what's the latest?

AMY BUCKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It continues to be a mess. And I-78 is one of three interstates in this area that remains closed as PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, tries to clear the ice off the roadways.

Now we are right off of Route 100, which is the last turn-off point for vehicles before they get to the 78 entrance where they can't go. If you look behind me, we're in a hotel and restaurant parking lots that has become a make-shift truck stop. All of these trucks just idling here because they can't get to their destinations.

The PennDOT officials are saying, they can't promise when they will be able to get the three inches of ice off the roadways. They're hoping to reopen these roadways about noon, sometime after that today, but they're not making any promises. The problem is that the ice is about three inches thick and the temperatures here are in the single digits. So the usual ice melting methods aren't working. So, again, they are efforting to get these roadways reopened, but it's not happening yet.

M. O'BRIEN: Amy Buckman with WPBI, thank you very much.

About quarter past the hour now. Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center. He's watching the remnants of the storm.

We've got more snow on the way in the Northeast, huh?

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Well, the man that President Bush once put at the center of an axis of evil is celebrating a birthday today. That's Kim Jong- il of North Korea turning 65. The occasion is giving the world a chance to see the strange cult of personality that he holds over his desperate country. Sohn Jie Ae joins us live from Seoul, South Korea, with more on today's celebrations.

SOHN JIE AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kiran. It does say a lot about the strong personality cult that rules North Korea when it says that North Korea's biggest national holiday is the birthday of its leader, Dear Leader Kim Jong-il. And it was today.

In the North Korean capital, we saw tens of thousands of North Koreans clad in colorful traditional dresses, singing and dancing and pledging their loyalty to the leadership. There were also a lot of seminars and mass parties. There were also a lot of North Koreans that paid tribute to, of course, the bronze statute of Kim Jong-il and his father, Kim il-sung, who founded North Korea, in the capital. But statues like that all over the country.

There was also seminars. Especially seminars that were surrounding the Kim Jong-ilia (ph). The flower that was created and named for the North Korean leadership. All the events today and surrounding today have been really a show for North Koreans and to the outside world that North Koreans, overall, are very strongly rallied around their leadership.

Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much, Sohn Jie Ae reporting from Seoul for us this morning.

Thanks.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, it's a buyer's market out there. More evidence the housing market is in a slump. We're going to explain, "Minding Your Business."

Plus, former Vice President Al Gore hanging out with a rather hip crowd. We'll tell you what he's cooking up with Cameron Diaz and Pharrell Williams. Yes, the Pharrell Williams. And a lot of other friends around the world, ahead on the hit this morning show in cable television, CNN AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back.

There's some new proof that world leaders may finally be taking global warming seriously. A big meeting on climate change wrapping up in Washington. That informal meeting of the G-8 nations and leaders of five other developing countries ending with an agreement to cut greenhouse gases. Although the declaration is non-binding, it does show a definite change in tone. The forum ended with statements from leaders that manmade climate change was "beyond doubt."

Meanwhile, there are billions about to come together to take a stand for planet earth. Al Gore is enlisting the help of people like music producer Pharrell Williams and actress Cameron Diaz to help him promote one very big day of music. They're calling it "Live Earth." A series of concerts all taking place on 7/7/7. That's July 7th of this year on all seven continents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GORE, CREATOR, "LIVE EARTH": We have found a way to originate on July 7th in the middle of what is winter in Antarctica, the first live musical performance originating from Antarctica so that all of the continents will be represented during this amazing 24 hours of concerts.

CAMERON DIAZ, ACTRESS: The message we're trying to put out to every one is that if they just change one aspect of their life, if they just did one thing differently, then that alone is a step closer to solving the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: Well, the concert will be part of the bigger problem called S.O.S. or Save Our Selves, pushed to educate people about the affects of global warming.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: And now words that changed a nation. The letters of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, Soledad with an interview with King confidant Andrew Young. An emotional look at the last 24 hours of Dr. King's life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He delivers a speech, "I've Been To The Mountaintop." Do you remember the preparation for that and that night?

ANDREW YOUNG, KING FRIEND & CONFIDANT: There was no preparations. "I've Been To The Mountaintop" speech is something that he'd made before. But he'd always made that at a time when things were dangerous.

S. O'BRIEN: Is there anything now that strikes you about that speech in hindsight?

YOUNG: Nothing except that he basically spelled out -- he almost planned his funeral. Because he'd done it before and we'd gone off to the next place, I wasn't really taking it serious. It was just a great speech. But I never thought I was listening to his last speech.

KING: We've got some difficult days ahead.

YOUNG: But the next day, he was more silly and goofy and playful than I'd ever seen him. And he grabbed a pillow off the bed and threw the pillow at me. And he and Ralph, they just kept throwing pillows and I was throwing pillows back. And, I mean, they were just -- they were playing like -- like 10-year-olds. And they finally pushed me down between the two beds and pilled the pillows up on me and sat on me and this was my punishment for not calling in all day.

He came out after this pillow fight thing and he didn't have a coat.

S. O'BRIEN: Where were you in the Lorraine Motel?

YOUNG: We were waiting for him to go to the -- to go to dinner. So I was telling him he need to go back to get his coat. And then a shot rang out, which I thought was a fire cracker. And when I looked up there and didn't see him, I thought he was clowning again. Until I ran upstairs and saw, you know, him laying in a pool of blood.

S. O'BRIEN: At that moment, what did you think? YOUNG: Well, I thought two things. I thought that there was nobody who was more deserving to go on to claim their award. And then I was mad because I was left with all this mess. I really didn't know how we would survive. Actually, his spirit has never left us.

S. O'BRIEN: Is it something that you think about a lot or is it something you don't think about at all?

YOUNG: Something I think about all the time.

S. O'BRIEN: Really? In what way?

YOUNG: Well, everything I do. I have to put in the context of what we were committed to.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Andrew Young, just one of the voices you'll hear in Soledad's special investigations unit piece, "MLK Papers: Words That Changed A Nation," Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. You won't want to miss it.

Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, the housing slump continues as home prices see a record drop. It's about 25 past the hour now and Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business."

Good to see you this morning, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran and Miles.

And it's definitely a case of something we've ben heard about a lot. What's going on with the housing market? Well, it does seems it's cooling off a bit when you take a look at these numbers coming in.

Fourth quarter posted a drop of 2.7 percent in home prices versus a year ago period. That is the largest drop-off on record and also the most widespread. This means that markets with price declines are actually now outpacing those with gains. And just in case you're wondering, 73 metro areas saw a decline, 71 saw a lift, five were unchanged.

Let's move on from there to take a look at what was going on with JetBlue. JetBlue, you heard all that news about what was happening with those flights at JFK Airport. People stranded for hours and hours.

You might think that might make the stock go down. Not really. No. Actually things are good there. The stock was up almost 5 percent yesterday after an analyst from Goldman Sachs gave a buy rating to the stock. So that has actually helped lift the stock. One person pointing out, if the plane had been full of traders, it might have been a very different story. Let's move on from there to take a look at something else that's going up. The Dow. We've got a new record for the Dow, coming in 23 points higher yesterday at 12,765. This is still feeling that rosy feeling from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech to the Senate panel. Basically saying that things look like they're pretty much in check right now. A Goldilocks economy. Things are good.

Of course, I can promise you, Kiran and Miles, that the markets will not be up on Monday. That's because the markets are closed for President's Day. So nothing will be happening. So we might see a sell-off today. That typically happens before a three-day weekend.

M. O'BRIEN: I didn't know that.

ELAM: Yes, I know.

M. O'BRIEN: A sell-off before the three-day weekend so you can go on vacation.

ELAM: Yes, exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Got to pay for the vacation, right.

All right, Stephanie, thank you.

Top stories of the morning coming up next.

The House could vote today on that troop build-up resolution. The Senate is going into overtime this weekend.

Plus, something fishy. Surprising news for pregnant women who like seafood. A new study adding to the debate on whether they should eat it or not.

And it's your money. Now there's proof about how your dollars are really being spent in Iraq.

And how much would you pay for that wedding gown right there? How much? What would you pay?

CHETRY: Boy, it's nice. Millions.

M. O'BRIEN: Millions. Well, OK. That kind of spoils the surprise a little bit. You won't believe the price tag, though.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Deadly flu. A Seattle second-grader dies with flu symptoms. The second child to die in two weeks.

CHETRY: Rebuilding Iraq. $10 million and counting. Who is paying for it? M. O'BRIEN: And the next best thing to Viagra for guys of a certain age. Hey, who you talking about. A cure for baldness. A new kind of comb-over on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you. It is Friday, February 16th. I'm Miles O'Brien.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry.

What's wrong with the old comb-over? They need a new one?

M. O'BRIEN: Apparently so. We've got an upgrade. It's a new century.

Anyway, good to have you with us at CNN. Welcome.

CHETRY: Thank you. I'm in for Soledad this morning and it's great to be here.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, welcome to CNN.

(NEWSBREAK)

O'BRIEN: In snowy eastern Pennsylvania, they're still hard at work this morning trying to clear some clogged interstates. Police, firefighters, even the National guard had to help rescue hundreds of drivers stranded in a huge traffic jam. Some drivers were stuck for more than a day.

But wait, there's more. As in more snow.

CNN's Reggie Aqui is in Mexico, New York -- Reggie.

REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, take a look at what we have here at this person's house. You've got a roof and you've got the snow pile next to that roof.

This is the area that I was actually in on Monday when I talked to you last. And at that point, they had about nine, 10 feet of snow. That's almost gone up another couple of feet. It could go up another foot today. This lake-effect snow is the problem now.

Of course they went through that nor'easter that affected much of the country just a couple of days ago. Right now, the big news is, well, they need a lot of help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AQUI (voice over): The worst of this week's snowfall may be over...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lot of snow. And it's definitely more snow than I've seen here.

AQUI: ... but it appears Mother Nature isn't quite through with the Northeast yet. In upstate New York, Oswego County, already covered in more than 11 feet of snow, is bracing for up to a foot more Friday thanks to another blast of arctic air moving over Lake Ontario. That means extra work for the many snow crews working overtime to clear roads in the area.

In Mexico, a small town in Oswego County, the National Guard has joined the cleanup effort. A task so big, New York's governor has asked that at a federal emergency be declared in the county.

For the residents of upstate New York, the storm can't pass through soon enough. Near whiteout conditions, bitter cold temperatures and gusty winds have made for a winter nightmare. Fears of snow bringing down the roof on this Oswego County Wal-Mart forced officials to close the store, literally leaving customers out in the cold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's inconvenient, especially out here in the remote area of Central Square. You know? It's about the only thing, you know, next to a convenience store.

AQUI: And move it or pay. That's the attitude of tow truck companies in Syracuse, taking no mercy on snowed-in motorists.

LT. JOE CECILE, SYRACUSE POLICE: If a car an illegally parked and it's prohibiting emergency vehicles or DPW from cleaning that road, then it's being ticketed and towed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AQUI: In the forecast for the next seven days, even more of that lake-effect snow that they are really sick and tired of at this point. I can tell you, they are really waiting for that reimbursement from FEMA, because they could get up to 75 percent of the cost recovered from that. We'll see what happens.

Obviously the governor, Senator Clinton, they have second the president for some help up here. Could also let you know that the National Guard is here. More than 100 of their folks trying to get this place plowed out. There was a group of Mennonites here trying to help out yesterday, going on peoples' roofs like this one, shoveling it out so that there's no danger of that roof collapsing.

O'BRIEN: Reggie, I know in that Mexico -- this is the other Mexico, after all -- the roofs are very steep and a lot of times they're metal roofs. But there's got to be a lot of them that are about to collapse. I mean, I think getting the snow off the roof has got to be a very important thing right now.

AQUI: It's a high priority. And the folks here know about that.

They've been on the roofs just every day. The problem is, Miles, it snows every day. So as soon as they get it cleared off, they have to do it again the next day. It is dangerous to get up there, but they feel it's worth the risk because it's much better to, you know, risk falling off of this and on to the snow pile than it is your house collapsing. I can tell you, in Mexico, I talked to the mayor last night. He told me already 10 buildings have collapsed. Luckily so far, no major injuries.

O'BRIEN: Reggie Aqui in the other Mexico.

Thank you very much.

So, how much would you pay for a wedding gown? Say 1,500 bucks? Check out this gown.

A sneak preview. It's being described as the most expensive wedding gown ever. We're going to accept that description.

It was shown at Samine Haute Couture (ph) in Brentwood, California. Did I do that OK, Samine Haute Couture (ph)? Si? Oui?

CHETRY: Sounds good.

O'BRIEN: The gown is covered in $19 million worth of diamonds. Hmm, $19 million. How many little planes could I get?

Let's see. I think 40. Yes. About 38 Cirrus SR-22s. That's like my little plane.

CHETRY: You could give them out as holiday presents.

O'BRIEN: I could. Stocking stuffers.

What would you do with $19 million.

CHETRY: I'd buy an island, especially with the cold that we've experienced.

O'BRIEN: Oh, you could get a pretty good island for that. Look at that. Where's that? A private island in the Bahamas.

Does it have a landing strip for my plane?

CHETRY: You would be crazy to buy a wedding dress when you could buy an island.

O'BRIEN: I'll come visit you.

CHETRY: And we could use your planes to fly everyone out there. It could be a party.

O'BRIEN: I think this sound like a great idea. Private address.

CHETRY: All right. Well, you don't have this problem -- you have a beautiful head of hair, by the way -- but there are some men that need help. Hope for the hairless. We're going to tell you how a comb and a laser could actually help guys going bald.

Also...

O'BRIEN: It could be a weave, you know.

CHETRY: Yes.

O'BRIEN: But I'm not telling you.

CHETRY: Well, I think it's real.

Have you seen this dash cam video, by the way? It's a tractor- trailer smashing into a police cruiser, then another car. And we're going to talk to the hero cops that made sure that this did not turn into a tragedy.

That's all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

The most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: The most news in the morning here on CNN.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Well, coming up, there is new hope for guys who are going bald, courtesy of a comb and a laser.

This better work. We've been talking about it a lot. We're going to explain coming up.

Also, is seafood good or bad for expecting moms? Some new advice ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, where you can always find the most news in the morning right here on CNN.

(NEWSBREAK)

O'BRIEN: If you're bald and you want to try yet another way to regain those long-lost locks of hair, a Florida company says it has the answer. Take a look at this. It's HairMax Laser Comb, sold only online.

According to the company, it uses a low-level laser to stimulate hair growth. In a six-month clinical study, it reportedly increased the amount of thick hairs on the scalp. It is rather expensive, however, $545. But I think they throw in a Ginsu knife with that, too.

You might want to just shave your head and save the money.

CHETRY: That's right. And that's what our floor manager said. He said some men want to be bald.

How about that?

O'BRIEN: Pete is proud to be bald.

CHETRY: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: And there's nothing wrong with it. It will just be just interesting to see if that thing really works.

In Detroit they are calling it the Valentine's Day massacre. Chrysler cutting thousands of jobs and maybe turning to an ailing competitor for a lifeline.

We'll have details on that from Stephanie Elam.

Also, incredible images. What was it like to be in that mall in Salt Lake City as a gunman opened fire and police got into a huge shootout with him? You'll see it in just a minute.

And regulate them if you've got them. The feds may soon control cigarettes just like drugs.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: The most news in the morning right here on CNN.

There are some conflicting reports out today on the state of the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. The Iraqi government saying that their forces wounded him. American sources saying don't believe that.

Also, the House set to vote today on a resolution opposing sending more troops to Iraq. The senators also changing plans. They've been ordered in for a rare Saturday session.

O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at some of the other stories that are making news out there this morning.

(NEWSBREAK)

O'BRIEN: Let's move on now. We've got some real news.

Chrysler and GM want to get together.

Stephanie Elam, could this be possible?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, it would be...

O'BRIEN: Like dogs and cats together or something, no?

ELAM: It would be a nice little moment together. I don't know if we'd say they're together for good. You know, it's a different kind of thing. Although, I was wondering if you were made out of rubber, if you're going to jump off out of the plane and just run on to the tarmac before -- because, you know, you're up too high to just jump out the door.

O'BRIEN: You drop and roll. Drop and roll, right?

ELAM: Drop and roll, right.

CHETRY: You would have activated the rubber slide first.

ELAM: Right. If he had, like, jumped out with his vest, he would have blown (INAUDIBLE).

All right. Let's move on and talk about what's going on here with Chrysler and GM.

They're in talks to build a sports utility vehicle. This is the combination we're talking about here. It would be similar to the Chevy Suburban, which they don't really have anything like that, an SUV like that. The closest thing would be a Dodge Durango, which I have seen around. So you have seen those.

Now, this is coming from "The Wall Street Journal." And they're saying that this would actually help Chrysler, which, as we know, is really trying to restructure and make its -- its earnings come back to the positive side here and make some money. So this could be good for Chrysler.

And in that same vain, take a look at what they're doing in China. Dodge will soon be sold in China. That's expected at some point this year.

China is a fast-growing, developing market. And so a lot of American companies are looking to get in there earlier rather than later so they can get their positions -- get their brands known and make that happen for them.

Chrysler also plans to launch another vehicle and three new Jeeps. Four Chrysler models in China later this year as well. So a lot of expansion happening there on that front.

Now, the other news, big news, obviously, that we heard this week was about Chrysler making these job cuts. Ad the big news was that it was going to affect three plants. Well, now they're saying actually it's going to affect eight more.

And those eight plants are in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. And they also make parts for slow-selling mid-size SUVs, trucks, maybe some of their larger vehicles. But these are vehicles that Chrysler is actually going to go ahead and start phasing out through 2009 and start to cut back on production. So that's why it works out.

So that's what's happening there.

Back to you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, Stephanie. Thank you very much.

Coming up on the top of the hour right now. Chad Myers in the weather center with a look at what's ahead for the weekend and where the trouble spots are.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Showdown. The House set to send President Bush a message today over the troop buildup in Iraq. The deadlocked Senate forced into a rare Saturday session.

CHETRY: Stranded on I-78, a 50-mile traffic jam. People stuck in their cars, running out of gas and food for as long as 24 hours.

O'BRIEN: Caught on tape. Tragedy, fear, heroism, every dramatic moment of the Salt Lake City mall shooting captured on home video.

CHETRY: And he fouled out. A former NBA star banned for his hate speech on this AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. It is Friday, February 16th.

I'm Miles O'Brien.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry, in for Soledad this morning.

Thanks so much for joining us.

O'BRIEN: And we welcome you to CNN.

CHETRY: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: It's good to have you here.

CHETRY: Great to be here.

O'BRIEN: Let's begin in Washington, where the war of words over the war in Iraq is escalating and moving to new fronts. In the House today, lawmakers will most likely pass a resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq.

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