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American Morning
Bombs Rip Through 'Friendship Express' on Overnight Trip From New Delhi to Pakistani Border
Aired February 19, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: It is February 19th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: I'm John Roberts in for Miles O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Nice to have you. We love when you help us out.
Let's get right to our top story this morning, it's developing news out of India. Deadly explosions happened late last night on a train heading from New Delhi to Pakistan. Two train cars completely burned out in the attack. And you can see what's left of them right there.
Now, the train is called the Friendship Express, and it was named to symbolize a new era of cooperation between long-time rivals India and Pakistan. It happened about 50 miles outside of New Delhi. CNN Satinder Bindra joins us from the scene. He's got a report for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: This train called Osumchota (ph), or Friendship Express, was on its way from New Delhi to the Pakistani border when officials say there were two explosions. The explosions, according to officials, were set off by crude petro- based devices.
Following the explosions, there was a fire in one of the wagons of this train, and it quickly spread to another coach. The fire was intense, and it occurred in the middle of the night. Screaming, terrified passengers tried to get off the train. But because the doors of the train were locked for security reasons, many could not.
According to officials, more than 60 people were killed, more than a dozen people were injured, and they were rushed a hospital about 80 kilometers, or 50 miles, north of Delhi.
When officials arrived at the scene this morning they also uncovered two more crude and unexploded petrol devices. Those bombs were quickly defused. Officials are describing this as, quote, "an act of sabotage".
This incident comes two days before the Pakistani foreign minister was scheduled to visit New Delhi and hold talks with his counterpart, the external affairs minister and the Indian Prime Minister Doctor Manmohan Singh. These talks are part of the ongoing peace process between the nuclear neighbors.
Now officials here in India are saying that this incident was meant to drive a wedge between the ongoing peace process, but they'll do all possible to make sure they maintain the momentum of peace. Satinder Bindra, CNN, Dewana Village, North India.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Now to a developing story we're watching unfold in Oregon. Another rescue on Mt. Hood, about 60 miles east of Portland. Crews are trying to reach three climbers that are still stuck after a fall. Five other climbers have been rescued. CNN's Dan Simon is live at the base of Mt. Hood.
Dan, it's our understanding that rescuers may be just a few minutes away from reaching these three climbers. How is it looking from where you are standing?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I just talked to one of those rescuers who told me the conditions on the mountain are absolutely wretched. We're talking about winds up to 70 miles an hour, near whiteout conditions. And that's why they, at this point, have not made visual contact with those three climbers. They believe they know where they are based on cell phone communication, but they haven't been able to reach them yet.
John, this started out as a party of eight people. Things were going OK until three people actually fell off a ledge. The other five, they were able to get into a snow cave and were rescued by search and rescue crews. As for those other three, we are told that they are in sleeping bags. They're trying to stay warm. They actually have a Labrador dog who is with them that is cuddled up to them trying to keep them warm, as well.
Again, search and rescue crews are trying to get to them. Last night we heard from one of those remaining -- one of those five climbers who was rescued. He talked about his buddies, who were still up there. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
They've been in verbal contact with them. They're still working out there tonight. Conditions are horrible, so kudos to them. They're all doing great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: John, as is often the case when you are talking about rescuing these climbers, weather, again, is a factor. And right now search and rescue crews doing their best to reach those three.
ROBERTS: Dan, things do appear to be going much better than they did in December when those other climbers went missing. What's making the difference this time around?
SIMON: Yeah, John. I was actually here when that occurred actually two months ago. There are a couple of factors. Number one, these particular climbers, again, we're talking about eight of them, they have what are called MLU, mountain locator units. These are unique to Mt. Hood.
And what they do is they emit a tiny electronic signal, a ping. It's a beacon. It allows search and rescue crews to pinpoint their whereabouts. They are very effective, and we are told that these eight had these MLUs.
The other factor is the eight climbers were on the south side of the mountain, which is easier than the north side, where those climbers were during that last incident. John, again, search and rescue crews up there, and they're trying to make contact. Back to you.
ROBERTS: We'll keep on watch this and get back to you, Dan, with updates. Thanks very much. Appreciate it.
Soledad.
O'BRIEN: The problems of JetBlue, they continue, and they're canceling more flights today. Nearly a quarter of JetBlue's fleet is now grounded. They're trying to get back on track from those storms that left passengers trapped in planes for hours last week. All the ripple effects are still being felt today. CNN's Allan Chernoff is live for us at Kennedy Airport in New York.
Hey, Allan, good morning.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. The flights that are scheduled for today appear to be departing on time. It will take more than that to revive JetBlue's battered image.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (voice over): JetBlue's reputation as one of the nation's most efficient, most comfortable small airlines has come plummeting back to earth. Five days after a winter storm left its passengers stranded and trapped on runways for up to eight hours. The company says they still needed to cancel almost one-quarter of flights on president's day weekend. The cancellations affect flights in and out of 11 cities across the country.
A statement posted on the company's web site called the cancellations part of an operational recovery program and said JetBlue is taking this aggressive unprecedented action to end rolling delays and cancellations, and to operate a new schedule reliably.
Essentially, JetBlue is canceling flights now in order to avoid canceling future flights, which doesn't seem to help irate passengers just looking to either get home or away on vacation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last night our flight was canceled last- minute going to D.C. We were put on a 2:00 a.m. flight here at JFK. We arrived, our baggage was missing. We were told it was put on another flight. We had to go home, come back, pick it up later. It's been a brutal two days, definitely with JetBlue.
CHERNOFF: The problems of JetBlue all started on Valentine's Day when northeast ice storms left planes and hundreds of passengers literally frozen on runways for hours, which then triggered what the company said was a domino effect causing them to cancel hundreds of flights since Wednesday.
JetBlue says passengers can choose either to convert the value of their travel to a JetBlue credit, or a full refund to the original form of payment. That is clearly not enough for those stranded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the CEO of JetBlue is watching, I would like to say either your resignation should be tendered or you should implement a new dynamic within JetBlue.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Well, what the CEO of JetBlue plans to do tomorrow is announce a passenger's bill of rights, which will include the right to be paid if you are stuck on an aircraft. But what passengers, of course, really want is reliable, on time service, and, Soledad, the company will not return to a full schedule until Wednesday.
O'BRIEN: Why? Why so long for JetBlue that -- you know, where other people have recovered after just a couple of days?
CHERNOFF: The company is saying that the ice storm from last Wednesday just put planes and crew out of position. And it really seems so difficult to understand. Why would it take so many days to get back into position, but the company says it was just pushed back, and it -- the problem simply snowballed.
And it just has taken until actually not even today, but until Wednesday -- it's going to take, they're saying, until Wednesday to get all the planes and all the personnel to exactly where they need to be for this airline to run 100 percent.
O'BRIEN: Allan Chernoff for us this morning at Kennedy airport. Thank you, Allan.
Some trouble on the ground to tell you about as well this morning. At Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Two airport shuttle buses in a head-on collision late last night. Two people were killed. Seven people were hurt. It happened at the airport's perimeter road. Still trying to clear the wreckage this morning figure out what exactly happened.
ROBERTS: Also new this morning, Al Qaeda rising again in Pakistan. "The New York Times" is reporting what CNN has confirmed before. That Al Qaeda has set up training camps in the mountainous tribal regions near the Afghanistan border. "The Times" also is reporting that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri have regained significant control over Al Qaeda in the past year.
Democrats in the Senate are considering a new challenge to the president on Iraq after failing to move forward on their resolution opposing the troop buildup. Several Democrats say they will try to limit the mission by modifying the war authorization that Congress passed in 2002.
Dogged by questions about her vote for the war, senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took aim at President Bush on her web site.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We all are going to be part of the solution. We need to begin a phased redeployment of our troops out of Iraq. I have been pushing for this for almost two years. Now it's time to say the redeployment should start in 90 days, or the Congress will revoke authorization for this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Clinton is offering a road map for the U.S. to get out of Iraq -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, at least nine people are dead after a wave overnight of explosions in and around Baghdad. Early this morning, the military also confirmed that another U.S. Marine died in an attack outside the capital.
Civil unions are now in effect in New Jersey. This is the first couple to make it legal. Take a look. That's Steven Goldstein and Daniel Gross reaffirming their Vermont civil union in a midnight ceremony in Teaneck, New Jersey. New Jersey is the third state to offer same-sex civil unions.
And 70 lucky passengers on this plane skidded off the runway and went through a fence and finally stopped about 150 feet past the runway, after landing in a snowstorm. It happened at Cleveland's airport. Nobody was hurt.
ROBERTS: Fortunate.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is upbeat about today's summit between the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and she has promised to return soon for another round of Middle East diplomacy. CNN State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee is live and joins us now from Jerusalem.
Zain, what are the expectations for this summit? High? Low? In the middle?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John.
The expectations going into this summit were pretty low. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. She met them for about two and a half hours. She came out with a short statement just a while ago and sounded a positive note.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It was a useful and productive meeting. All three of us affirmed our commitment to a two- state solution, agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror, and reiterated our acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the road map.
VERJEE: Secretary Rice was really going into this also emphasizing that, look, these are just informal conversations. They are not formal negotiations where any side has to stake out an official position. Her efforts, John, have really been overshadowed because of an internal Palestinian political issue. The militant group Hamas and Fatah have basically gotten together and created a power- sharing government. And it's created a big problem for the United States and for Israel.
Secretary Rice says that the unity government needs to recognize Israel, it needs to reject violence, and also needs to abide by the past existing agreements the Palestinians have made with Israel. Hamas, of course, doesn't do any of that -- John.
ROBERTS: Zain, any time there's a high-level meeting like this, it always raises expectations. It also raises a lot of criticism as well. How are people there reacting to Secretary Rice's trip?
VERJEE: You're right, John. They're really reacting with a lot of skepticism and a lot of cynicism. They say the secretary has now been to the region 10 times, and nothing has been accomplished, nothing has changed. Most people here have no expectation at all from a visit like this, or what they've been hearing.
But really to be fair, though, this is the first time in six years that this administration has engaged at this high a level in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, so diplomats that we've spoken to say, hold on a minute. This is a positive development -- John.
ROBERTS: Well, any time you can get the players together like that, you know, there's always the possibility something might happen. Zain Verjee for us live this morning from Jerusalem. Zain, thanks.
Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, freezing cold in the Northeast. Not a big surprise there. Would you believe in Florida, too? Chad Myers has a look at the extremes for us this morning.
Plus, the war in Iraq. We'll take a look at just how much could it hurt or help candidates on the road to the White House.
Plus, Britain's Prince Harry in camouflage and ready to go off to war. Does it make him a patriot, or is it a foolish risk for him and his unit? Those stories and much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
It's 15 minutes past the hour. Chad Myers is at the CNN Weather Center watching a bunch of things for us this morning, including cold weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: So many candidates right now in the running for the 2008 presidential nomination, in both parties, and one issue on theirs and voters' minds, Iraq. Amy Walter, senior editor of "The Cook Political Report"; she's also a CNN political analyst and joins us now from Washington.
Good morning to you, Amy.
AMY WALTER, SR. EDITOR, "THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT: Good morning, John. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Let's take a look at what happened on Saturday with all of those presidential candidates, most of them Democrat, rushing back for that vote on the resolution. Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, Barack Obama. It would really seem if you want to be a viable presidential candidate, have you to lay down markers right now for your constituents to try to be on the right side of this issue with them.
WALTER: Well, that's absolutely right. I mean, this is the battle right now, and the balancing act -- for both sides -- is trying to play to your political base, obviously, your primary voters.
These are going to be more ideological. These are folks obviously from the Democratic side, a little more to the left. On the Republican side, more to the right. How you balance that today here, in February, in 2007 knowing that by February of 2008 you are going to have to talk to a general election audience. So, finding the way to sort of sweet spot here on this issue becomes very, very important.
ROBERTS: So, in terms of finding his sweet spot then, we see John McCain, who in protest that Saturday vote stayed out in Iowa. He didn't come back for it. He is supporting President Bush. He is supporting the troop increase, though he has been critical of the way that the war has been handled. Is he playing to a primary audience, and could that come around to bite him during the general election?
WALTER: Well, that is certainly the concern, John, that, you know, this is somebody as a candidate who is more tied to the status quo, more -- and more closely tied to the war than anybody but President Bush.
But what I found really fascinating between both McCain and Senator Clinton, is that they are both trying to position themselves as the sort of straight talking, I'm not just going to be here sticking my finger in the wind kind of politicians. Saying I'm sticking by my principals here.
You may want me to say or do something, but I'm not going to budge on those principles that I feel very strongly about; and trying to actually make the other folks in the race look like the real politicians.
In a year where we know 2008, every candidate will try to run as an outsider, the status quo is not acceptable for either side. And who is able to best position themselves without turning off their base. Again, very, very fundamental.
ROBERTS: Let's fill in some of the blanks, Amy, in what you were talking about with Hillary Clinton. She's getting a lot of grief from some constituents who want her to recant her vote for authorizing the war in 2002. People want her to apologize. She is so far refusing to do that. I did an interview with her last month, and asked her specifically about that. Here's what she said to me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I said at the time I was not in favor of a preemptive war. And, you know, I don't think you get do-overs in life. I think you take responsibility for the decisions that you make, and you try to make the situation bettered, which is what I have been trying to do consistently.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: On Saturday, in New Hampshire, she went even further to say, look, if you don't like my position on this, there are other people who you can vote for.
WALTER: That's right.
ROBERTS: But there are some people who believe this threatens to unravel her campaign. How much danger is she in with this position that she's holding?
WALTER: Well, you sort of picked up on that here when you talk about the party's base, and what they're looking for, is going to be different in some ways for what the general election audiences will be for. And where she's going in New Hampshire, Iowa especially, these are Democrats now who are very energized.
They came off of a great 2006 election, an election that they believe really was defined by Iraq, and by the upset and disapproval of the war in Iraq. And so they want to see their own party frontrunner disavowing this war in much stronger terms.
But I think what Hillary Clinton here is able to do is try to play both -- I talked about that sweet spot -- but trying to play it both ways, saying I disagree with this war. When I'm president of the United States, we'll end this war. Here are my specific outlines for the war, setting these benchmarks.
And at the same time saying to a general election audience, I'm not just going to bend in the wind here to what the parties' liberal base wants. You don't have to worry about me simply trying to jump on the bus any time my -- the more liberal constituency in this party want me on their side. I'm willing to stand up, even if it means I don't win the nomination. ROBERTS: Amy, real quick, if you could, because we're running out of time, the house passed a resolution in opposition to the troop increase. The Senate couldn't bring it to a vote. Where is this headed now?
WALTER: Well, what we're going to potentially see now are more votes on this issue, specifically tied to funding, where we're going to see Democrats and Republicans arguing over should there be restrictions on how this money is spent. Both sides trying to set the other one up in this sort of rhetorical sort of game of chicken here about who is going to be more supportive of the troops, or not, and will the American public give Democrats or Republicans the benefit of the doubt on this.
ROBERTS: Amy Walters, senior editor of "The Cook Political Report", CNN political analyst. Always good to see you. Thanks very much.
WALTER: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it.
Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, already trimming 13,000 jobs. DaimlerChrysler might be taking another dramatic step to try to turn the business around. We're "Minding Your Business" straight ahead this morning.
Plus, Prince Harry heading to Iraq. We'll tell you why some people say it's not worth the risk to him, or to his unit. That's straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Chrysler has already announced job cuts and may now be ready for the next dramatic step. It's 25 minutes past the hour, Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business".
Good morning, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Soledad.
It's definitely something we've talked about a lot. What's going on with Daimler, as far as their Chrysler unit? Well, "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that they're looking at perhaps spinning off their Chrysler unit or perhaps selling it, saying they've gotten interest about it from around the world.
They want to help cut costs at Chrysler, and, also, expand their international markets there. Let's move on and see what's happening. GM has come out and actually said that they may be in preliminary talks. Actually, I should say that this is speculative at this point -- that they're in preliminary talks to buy Chrysler. A straight takeover could be risky since both companies are in the midst of trying to get their businesses back in the black and get stronger there.
But one last thing that we should note. Hyundai, did come out, and after a British report saying they were interested in buying this unit from DaimlerChrysler, they're saying, nope. We already have too much on our hands at this point. We are not interested, and just don't even think about us when it comes to that, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's not a good way to go. All right, thank you very much. Appreciate it, Stephanie.
Well, in uniform he is Troop Commander Wales, to the rest of the world, of course, he's Prince Harry, third in line to the throne, and now reportedly ready to ship out to Iraq. CNN's Paula Hancocks is live right in front of Buckingham Palace for us this morning with some late word from London.
Good morning, Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Soledad.
Well, Prince Harry has always said he wants to be treated like one of the boys, that he is training for Iraq, he wants to be able to see active duty in Iraq.
Of course, he is not one of the boys. He is a prince. He is third in line to the throne, and so the fact that he may be going to serve in Iraq is causing a security nightmare.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice over): This is Prince Harry, aged eight, inspecting the troops with his mother, the late Princess Diana and clearly enjoying playing soldier.
And 14 years later, Troop Leader Wales, third in line to the British throne, has trained for service in Iraq, and it looks as though he may be going. Military sources tell CNN that at this moment Prince Harry is expected to head for active duty in Iraq in April or May, but that could still change.
No public confirmation from military or royal officials.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Incoming!
HANCOCKS: This footage shows what life in Basra can be like. These British soldiers taking cover from a mortar attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take cover!
HANCOCKS: And 101 British soldiers have been killed in action in Iraq since March 2003. But Harry has long insisted he wants to see action to fulfill his role as an officer. Even reportedly threatening to resign if is he stop from deploying for security reasons. PRINCE HARRY, TROOP LEADER WALES: The last thing I want to do is have my soldiers sent away to Iraq, or wherever, like that, and for me to be held back home twiddling my thumbs, thinking, what about David, what about Derek, you know, whoever?
HANCOCKS: Harry would not be the first royal to fight in a war. His uncle, Prince Andrew, served as a helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war. There are fears that Harry's presence in Iraq could make him, and his unit, a trophy target for insurgents.
No word on how close to the frontline Harry would be allowed. One thing is clear, though. His brother, Prince William, is unlikely to ever see fighting in his army career. A second in line to the throne and the Prince of Wales's first son, he is widely expected to eventually become king.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: Within the next week or two we are expecting official confirmation, or denial, from the ministry of defense -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks for us this morning in London. Thank you, Paula.
John.
ROBERTS: Top stories of the morning coming up next. Rescue crews battling wind and snow to save three stranded climbers in Oregon.
And a fresh fight could be ahead for those against the president's plans for the war in Iraq. A live report ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Mountain mission, a daring rescue operation is underway right now on Mt. Hood trying to save three stranded climbers. We're live there.
ROBERTS: Round two, Democrats ready to take a surprising step in their fight to stop President Bush's plan in Iraq.
O'BRIEN: And they are famous faces and well-known voices, but do Sharpton and Jackson speak for all of black America? There are surprising answers to that question in a provocative special report this morning. All that and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back everybody, it's Monday, February 19th, I'm Soledad O'Brien.
ROBERTS: I'm John Roberts in for Miles O'Brien until Wednesday. Thanks very much for joining us, always good to have you with us.
O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, at least 65 people are dead after explosions ripped through a passenger train in India. Two train cars destroyed. Two suite cases with unexploded bombs were found in other cars. One Indian official says the attack was aimed at thwarting the peace process between India and Pakistan.
At least nine people are dead in overnight explosions in and around Baghdad. The military is also confirming this morning that a U.S. marine was killed in an attack outside the capital.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem this morning. She says both sides have reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful two-state solution to Mideast violence.
Rescue crews on snow mobiles are searching day and night trying to find more victims of avalanches across three states. Six people are dead in avalanches that struck in Montana and Utah and Idaho.
ROBERTS: Now to that developing story in Oregon, a rescue mission right now on Mt. Hood, yes, again, to find three climbers who fell from a ledge yesterday. CNN's Dan Simon is at the base of Mt. Hood. Dan, five other climbers have been brought down safely. Do rescuers have a good idea where these other three are?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, they feel like they have a very good idea based upon cell phone communication. Now where we are at the foot of the mountain, while it might seem relatively mild, if you go up a couple thousand feet, we are told the winds there are very severe, whiteout conditions, winds up to 70 miles per hour. John, this started yesterday. A party of eight people, they were climbing the mountain. Three people fell over a ledge. We're talking about two women and one man and they weren't seriously injured. That's the good news. We are told that they are in sleeping bags. They're trying to stay warm. It's very, very cold up there. As for the other five, they were able to get in a snow cave, were able to hunker down. They were rescued last night, and those five are doing fine. The concern now is trying to get to those other three people. The good news, they have what are called mountain locater units, MLUs. Now in the situation a couple months ago those three climbers did not have MLUs, but thank goodness they have them now. What that allows the rescuers to do is pinpoint their exact location, these MLUs emit a tiny electronic signal, a ping. It's a beacon. It allows rescuers to figure out exactly where they are. They are up on the mountain trying to find those three. Again, they believe they know where they are, but because the conditions at this point they're so lousy, they can't seem to get to them. John?
ROBERTS: Any idea how long it might take to reach them, Dan?
SIMON: At this point, no, John. It's really up to Mother Nature to determine when they can get to them. We know that they're up there. They believe -- they've narrowed their whereabouts based upon that ping. As soon as the weather lightens up a bit, they feel like they'll be able to get them. John?
ROBERTS: Dan Simon, thanks very much. We'll keep checking back with you. Soledad?
O'BRIEN: What happens in Congress next now that Senate Democrats failed to get the votes to pass a rebuke of the president's war plan? CNN's Dana Bash is live for us on Capitol Hill. Dana, it was a rare Saturday session. Failed with Dems really but they're kind of feeling emboldened. Why?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are because although they are still deadlocked, they ended up exactly where they started, Soledad. Seven Republican senators broke ranks and voted with the Democrats, so they do feel they have momentum, and, in fact, CNN has learned that Senate Democrats, top Senate Democrats, met last week and already began to hatch their next move.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): CNN is told that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has tentatively agreed to try to modify Congress's 2002 broad authorization for war.
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D), CHMN., FOREIGN RELATIONS CMTE: Saddam Hussein is no longer there. The 2002 authorization in my view is no longer relevant to the situation in Iraq.
BASH: Senate Foreign Relations Chairman and presidential candidate Joe Biden floated legislation limiting U.S. troops in Iraq to a support role, instead of combat.
SEN. JACK REED, (D) RHODE ISLAND: We have to start thinking hard about a changed mission in Iraq for our military forces. Support them in that mission, but not an open ended commitment to the Iraqis.
BASH: But there are other Democratic ideas. Presidential candidates Chris Dodd and Barack Obama already introduced bills requiring congressional authorization for more troops in Iraq. And over the weekend Hillary Clinton detailed her plan.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NEW YORK: Now it's time to say the redeployment should start in 90 days or the Congress will revoke authorization for this war.
BASH: Republicans from the president on down are taunting Democrats to choke money for the mission.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: Have the courage of your convictions to stop this war by cutting off funding.
BASH: In the House, Democrat John Murtha has a plan to set strict conditions on the president's war funding request.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now, Congressman Murtha's plan isn't to cut funding, but simply restrict it by requiring that troops are home for a year and also making sure that they don't go over to Iraq without the proper equipment. And Soledad, in the Senate Democrats are lukewarm to that idea, lukewarm at best.
O'BRIEN: Dana Bash on Capitol Hill for us this morning. Thank you Dana. Coming up, they are two men at nearly every high profile story that involves African-Americans, but do Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson really speak for all African-Americans? We'll tell you what they say, coming up next.
And they're cold but safe after falling into an icy canal and they owe their thanks to a neighbor they never even knew. We'll tell you their story straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Today we're kicking off a network wide look at all American faces and stories, it's called "Uncovering America." And we're asking some provocative questions about race and its place in our lives. Beginning with this one, when it comes to African-Americans, do two famous reverends have the first, last, and only word?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN (voice-over): A high profile police shooting. Reverend Al Sharpton leads the protest march. A summit to encourage economic development in poor communities, there's Reverend Jesse Jackson. And when the godfather of soul dies, both Sharpton and Jackson preached to the crowd. Seems like they're everywhere.
There will be people who might think watching TV that you and Jesse Jackson are the only black leaders in this country practically. Every time there is an event, a shooting, something to be said, something to respond to the black community, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are there in front of the microphones.
REV. AL SHARPTON, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: Well I think there are those that don't understand that 99 percent of the time they see me if it's a police shooting or if it's corporate discrimination or whatever it is. We are called to come, so you get tagged as the ambulance chaser. In many ways we're the ambulance. People know we'll come when the ambulance won't come.
O'BRIEN: Sometimes Sharpton and Jackson are the ones being chased. After a profanity-laced tirade, comedian Michael Richards seeks out Jesse Jackson to apologize on his radio show. And when presidential candidate Joe Biden calls fellow Senator Barack Obama articulate and clean, guess who he calls next.
SEN. JOE BIDEN: I spoke to Barack today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I bet you did.
[ Laughter ]
BIDEN: I also spoke to Jesse and Al Sharpton.
O'BRIEN: But do Reverend Sharpton and Reverend Jackson speak for all African-Americans? One lawmaker says if it seems that way, blame the media. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The media has identified who black leadership is. They go to the same people over and over again. They're saying to the American public this is the person who speaks for the black community.
BRUCE GORDON, PRESIDENT & CEO, NAACP: I think the media is lazy. I think that Al and Jesse are bright, articulate, compelling personalities. They've both run for president, so they've created a presence for themselves, and the media gets lazy and simply picks them because they always have. They don't choose to cast a wider net.
O'BRIEN: NAACP President Bruce Gordon says there are plenty of leaders in the black community, but we don't always see them or hear from them.
GORDON: There are black folks in key leadership positions that influence policy, that influence how the community is ultimately treated or affected, but nobody knows about them.
O'BRIEN: Jesse Jackson, a former presidential candidate, says he wants to talk about all kinds of issues, but he is often pigeon-holed.
REV. JESSE JACKSON, PRESIDENT, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: Well no one speaks for everyone. No one would ever refer to a senator as white senator from X state says or white president says, so why call me black leader when my blackness is self-evident. Give me the freedom. Let my voice soar and don't limit my interests, that's reasonable and fair.
O'BRIEN: The criticism doesn't bother Al Sharpton who says he is going to keep marching whether the cameras are there or not. A number of people have said, Al Sharpton, you know what, I'm black, he does not represent my views. He doesn't represent a lot of black America, but if I get shot, I'm going to call him.
SHARPTON: You're fighting people. You're confronting people. That makes people uncomfortable. And you understand that going in. You are not going to win the popularity contest, and you're not even going to get your due till probably after you're gone. But if you don't do it, you're not going to open the doors that need to be opened.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Tomorrow we take a look at who the next generation of black leadership is from a maverick mayor in one of America's most troubled cities. To the man many people say could the nation's first black president. More all American stories and faces all this week on CNN's special series, "Uncovering America." John?
ROBERTS: An interesting piece, Soledad.
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ROBERTS: Coming up, dramatic rescue. Three little boys pulled from an icy canal by a neighbor they never knew. And slipping through the cracks, how did one woman live without power for 15 years? And why? Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: Welcome back everybody. Let's begin with some health headlines for you this morning. Some encouraging information for people who have been diagnosed with brain cancer. There's a new study that shows that a drug, which is called Avostim(ph), combined with chemotherapy could temporarily stop brain tumors from growing. That study's in the Journal Clinical Cancer Research.
And here's a question for you. Do those vinyl lunch bags you send to school with your kids pose a threat or not? Government scientists found that one in five bags contained unsafe amounts of lead in tests that were done back in 2005. But that's not what the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported at the time. The "Associated Press" got a look at the data and reported this inconsistency. The commission says the tests that were done didn't reflect how most people use lunch bags, and so they are standing by their report that the bags are safe.
ROBERTS: Happening in America today, Cleveland, Ohio, 70 lucky passengers on this aircraft that skidded off the runway during a landing, went through a fence, finally stopping more than 150 feet past the runway. It was snowing heavily at the time. No one was hurt, though.
Cutler Bay, Florida, its lights on again for a woman who went without electricity for 15 years. The woman, who is embarrassed about her situation and didn't want her name mentioned, has been without power since hurricane Andrew. That was in August of 1992. No heat, no air conditioning, no hot water since the contractor disappeared leaving her home just partly repaired and with no electrical hookup.
New Orleans is rocking, its Mardi Gras time again, cooler than normal temperatures. It was about 40 degrees on Sunday. Didn't put a chill on the celebrations, though. You don't notice the cold when you're full of margaritas. Seven hundred thousand people expected for the four-day party that ends on fat Tuesday tomorrow.
And this morning Thomas Rosotti is a hero. The 18-year-old in the suburban New York community of Bellmore jumped into a canal and saved three brothers who had fallen through the ice. The brothers, age 8, 10, and 16 were taking a shortcut across the ice when it gave way. Thanks to Thomas, they are all ok.
O'BRIEN: Good news there.
Straight ahead this morning, rescuers are battling wind and snow trying to save three stranded climbers in Oregon. We're going to take you there live to see what kind of progress they're making this morning.
Plus, Democrats in Congress lost the vote but say the real fight is just getting underway. Will they try to yank the president's power to wage war? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
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O'BRIEN: Homeowners in Louisiana are still waiting for their insurance checks, likely near a deal with the insurance company. It is 55 minutes past the hour, time for Stephanie Elam, who is "Minding your Business." Good morning.
STEPHANIE ELAM: Good morning Soledad. It's only a couple of years later, so you can imagine that people would really like to see some money coming their way. This has to do with a group of hurricane-ravaged homes in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and this deal could be announced in the next couple of weeks. The district attorney saying that this could be a multi-million dollar deal coming out here from the insurance company, and it would cover about 165 homeowners. The settlement, it's not a sure deal at this point, but if it does go through, it could be the baseline of how hundreds of cases will be resolved in the state, and it would not, just in case people are wondering affect New Orleans homes that were affected by those levee breaches. That's a separate area. This is specifically looking at Cameron Parish. Now, in that same area, State Farm, which happens to be the largest insurer in the state of Louisiana, has made two offers to settle 135 Cameron Parish cases involving homes that were completely demolished. However, the assistant district attorney said that they have not taken those offers. They said that they were not going to give enough money to the homeowners so they're back to the drawing board with those two cases, but we'll have to see what happens there. But at least it looks like some money will start filtering out. Soledad?
O'BRIEN: That nearly two years later, right?
ELAM: Right.
O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, Stephanie.
Some other headlines we're watching this morning. One of cnn.com's most popular stories right now, mob boss at Mardi Gras, James Gandolfini, otherwise known as Tony Soprano. There he is right there in a black derby. He's wearing white tights under that outfit there, leading the (INAUDIBLE), the parade before thousands of revelers in New Orleans.
ROBERTS: And from USA today, Democrats to push for subway safety. Congressional Democrats want to add more funds to step up security in the nation's subways calling them, quote, "Easy targets for terrorists." Homeland Security has only earmarked $500 million into mass transit security since 9/11 while pumping $24 billion into air security. They want to narrow that disparity.
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O'BRIEN: A carrier in crisis, weather clipped JetBlue's wings. Now it's taking some extreme measures to try to get back in the air and get back its reputation too. We've got a live report straight ahead. ROBERTS: To the rescue, a daring mountain mission to save three stranded climbers. We've got the latest on the race against time.
O'BRIEN: And a fresh fight. The Democrats go back to the drawing board, literally, in the battle to stop President Bush's plan in Iraq. We've got those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING. Welcome back, Monday, February 19th, I'm Soledad O'Brien.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts in for Miles O'Brien for the next few days. Thanks very much for joining us on this President's Day.
O'BRIEN: Our top story this hour, the problems of JetBlue. The airline is canceling nearly a quarter of its flights today. JetBlue is still reeling from last week's snow and ice storms that left passengers trapped on planes for hours. CNN's Allan Chernoff is live for us this morning at New York's JFK Airport.
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