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Travel Trouble due to Severe Weather; Rove's Involvement in U.S. Attorney Firings; CIA Leak Scandal; Iranian Family Arrive in Canada After Months in Russia.
Aired March 16, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins. Good morning, everybody.
For the next three hours, watch events come in to the NEWSROOM live on Friday, March 16th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
Up in the air. Thanks to a late winter pile of snow, snarls, air travel in the busy Northeast Corridor -- who's flying and who's not.
HARRIS: Presidential adviser Karl Rove -- e-mail traffic suggests he was involved in the so-called prosecutor purge earlier than admitted.
COLLINS: He's running for the White House. We talk live with Democrat Bill Richardson this hour. His view of the ousted prosecutors, the Iraq war and immigration. Talking politics in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And at the top of this hour, yes, it is still winter. A major late-season storm slamming the Northeast. That may mean travel troubles. JetBlue leading the list of airlines, canceling flights, almost all of them, into and out of New York City.
CNN's Alina Cho is at LaGuardia airport.
Alina, good to see you. Good morning.
Anyone stranded at this moment?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there are plenty of travelers who are stranded, Tony, but here's the headline. You know, right now is barely raining outside in New York City, but there are hundreds of flights at all of New York's three major airports that have been canceled. And these measures have been taken out of an abundance of caution.
Take a listen to this. If you are flying on American Airlines out of LaGuardia airport today, and you are heading to these following cities -- and listen to this, long list -- Costa Rica, Detroit, Washington, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Raleigh-Durham, Orlando or Ft. Lauderdale -- take a breath -- call ahead, because some of those flights have been canceled.
Northwest has canceled a total of 65 flights. Delta has canceled 100 flights. Over at Newark airport, 132 outbound flights have been canceled. The same is true for 118 inbound flights.
Let's talk about JFK and JetBlue. Who could forget that infamous operational meltdown that happened last month during the Valentine's Day storm? It lasted six days. Well, today JetBlue has canceled 230 flights, most of them in and out of New York, out of an abundance of caution, in anticipation of the bad weather.
Earlier this morning, I spoke with two young women here at LaGuardia who are still hoping to make it to Dallas in time for St. Patrick's Day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He goes, "I'm going to put you on standby for an earlier flight." And I said, "Why not my 7:00 flight?" And he goes, "Because you're going to go standby earlier." And I said, "Why?" And he said, "Because it's been canceled."
So, you know, there was no indication whatsoever beforehand that the flight had been canceled. It showed on time.
CHO: Are you a little worried?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Hell yes, I'm worried. I want to go home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We woke up this morning and looked out of the window, saw the snow coming down, and was wondering if our flight would be canceled or not. But so far, so good.
CHO: You got lucky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got lucky, yes.
CHO: Well, you're beating the weather.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to beat the weather. It's a good time to get out of New York City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: What a difference a day makes. Just a day ago, it was almost 70 degrees here in New York City. A 30-degree drop today.
And Tony, as you can see, it is having a big impact on travel.
HARRIS: Yes, but Alina, come on now. This "out of an abundance of caution" line that we're getting here -- if the weather isn't bad yet and we're just talking about rain, why so many cancellations so early?
CHO: Well, we were wondering the same thing, Tony. You know, not much snow on the ground at all. We're hearing there's a little bit on Central Park, but, you know, remember what happened last month with JetBlue.
HARRIS: Oh yes.
CHO: I mean, this was a major, major operational meltdown. It lasted six days. More than 1,000 flights canceled. This was a P.R. nightmare for the airline.
HARRIS: Sure. Sure.
CHO: It cost the airline $30 million. I don't think any other airline wants to take that chance. They are moving out of an abundance of caution today, and who can blame them, really?
HARRIS: CNN's Alina Cho for us.
Alina, we appreciate it. Thank you. Good to see you.
COLLINS: Chad Myers is a busy man this morning. Boy, that is for sure.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Chad, glad you're not operating at an airport having to do that.
The nation's top prosecutor fighting for his job. Each day Alberto Gonzales may be closer to losing it. The latest blow from President Bush's top political guru. New e-mails raise questions about Karl Rove's role in the firing of federal prosecutors. Democrats who claim politics were behind the firings are now smelling blood.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the white House.
Kathleen, good morning to you.
What do the e-mails say specifically?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the e-mails certainly do make it appear that top political adviser Karl Rove had a much greater role in these firings than the White House had earlier let on. The White House had initially insisted that it was former White House counsel Harriet Miers who came up with the idea not just to fire the eight U.S. attorneys, but to dismiss all 93 that the Bush administration had put in just four years earlier. And that was -- e- mails released Monday indicated that she discussed that beginning in February of 2005. But now this new e-mail from January of 2005 highlights Karl Rove's involvement in the matter.
The e-mail from White House aide Colin Newman (ph) to another aide reads, "Rove stopped by to ask you how we planned to proceed regarding U.S. Attorneys -- allow all to stay, request resignations from all and accepting only some, or selectively replace them?"
Now, Democrats are very angry about this. Senator Charles Schumer specifically saying that this shows conclusively that Rove was involved in these firings from the beginning. But Rove, speaking at a speech in Alabama yesterday, says all of this is political.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL ROVE, SR. WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Congress has a right to play around with it, and they're going to do it. And I just ask the American people and ask Congress to look fairly and carefully at what's being said and done now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: The White House says that this newly released 2005 e-mail from January is actually consistent with earlier statements that have been made. Spokesperson Dana Perino saying that the White House had already said during the transition period after the November 2004 elections that a question was raised about replacing all of the U.S. attorneys.
Perino says, "Karl's recollection is he heard about this idea from Harriet Miers and he thought it was a bad idea and would be unwise." And of course, the White House continuing to say this entire flap is over something that the president has a right to do, and that is replace any and all U.S. attorneys. They serve at his pleasure.
HARRIS: Hey, Kathleen, ultimately, do we expect Rove and Miers to testify?
KOCH: Well, that's certainly something that the House and Senate would like to see, Democrats particularly. However, negotiations are still ongoing on that.
White House counsel Fred Fielding, on the Hill this week, talking with lawmakers. White House and administration officials are telling CNN that's not likely, that it is likely that the president will, as has been practiced in the past, continue to fight, citing at last executive privilege, allowing his officials to testify.
HARRIS: Kathleen Koch at the White House for us.
Kathleen, thank you.
KOCH: You bet.
HARRIS: Exposed. Next hour, outed CIA operative Valerie Plame is expected to tell her story on Capitol Hill. Don't expect any behind-the-scenes bombshells. The CIA will not allow that. But it's a chance for Democrats to delve into the leak scandal.
Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill this morning for us.
We won't hear any classified details, Brianna, but TV sets all over the Washington area will certainly be tuned into this hearing. Why?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it's not for the official reason of this hearing, which is to ask the question, did White House officials follow proper procedure in safeguarding the identity of a CIA operative? The reason everyone is watching is because for the fist time in three and a half years, Valerie Plame Wilson is going to speak in long form about what this scandal meant to her.
She is the glamorous and unwitting star in this Washington drama where the White House leaked the identity, her identity as a CIA operative. A drama that of course has seen Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, Scooter Libby, convicted on federal charges. And aside from prepared comments that Valerie Plame Wilson made last year when she and her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, announced that they were going to file a lawsuit against some White House officials, she has been largely silent.
And what we're expecting her to say today, Heidi, is essentially that the leak of her identity as a CIA operative ruined her career at the CIA.
COLLINS: There is a possibility, though, Brianna, isn't there, that this might not happen? I mean, what can you tell us about that? There could be some snags here.
KEILAR: Yes, much to the chagrin of many people who have their eye on this and want to see how this plays out, at issue today is that the House, Congress, it's largely in name that it's in session. There's no legislative business today, there are no votes today, and that means many less members of Congress than on a usual day.
So, it's an open session right now. That means cameras are on, reporters are in, and we get to watch this. But if some Republicans move to close this session, Democrats rally may not have the number to counter that. It's possible, then, if they don't want to go ahead with the closed session, that they would postpone this.
COLLINS: All right. Our Brianna Keilar from Capitol Hill this morning.
Brianna, thanks.
HARRIS: And just minutes ahead, New Mexico governor and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson, what he thinks about the fired prosecutors controversy, U.S. policy in Iraq, and illegal immigration. That's coming up in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Also, more U.S. troops ordered to Iraq. Extra firepower in the air to help forces on the ground. That's coming up also in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A tragic find in south Georgia. A missing 6-year-old boy is dead. The chilling details coming up in the NEWSROOM. AMANDA ROSSETER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Amanda Rosseter, live in Brunswick, Georgia. Four suspects could face murder charges for the death of 6-year-old Christopher Michael Barrios. We'll have details coming up next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tears in Brunswick, Georgia, today. The body of a 6- year-old boy found alongside a road just three miles from where he disappeared.
CNN's Amanda Rosseter with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSSETER (voice over): A week-long search for 6-year-old Christopher Michael Barrios ended suddenly Thursday when a state wildlife official spotted his body off the side of a dead-end road in this wooded area.
CHIEF MATT DOERING, GLYNN COUNTY, GA., POLICE: Thirty minutes ago, about two miles from here, which is further than we thought, Christopher was found.
ROSSETER: Police chief Matt Doering broke the news to dozens of volunteers who spent seven days scouring nearby fields.
DOERING: I'll confirm for you, he was not buried as we were told.
ROSSETER: They based their week-long search on information from four suspects, three from one family. Thirty-one-year-old George Edenfield arrested first, rounded up and interviewed because he is a registered sex offender and convicted child molester. He lived with his parents across the street from the Barrios family.
His mother, 57-year-old Peggy Edenfield, was arrested next for giving police what they call bad leads about where the child was buried. Then the father, 58-year-old David Edenfield, and a family friend, 34-year-old Donald Dale, were arrested after implicating one another.
Police say all four face murder charges. Officers stayed at the Edenfield home into the night to secure evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were just praying and hoping that he was going to come home alive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ROSSETER: Close friends say Christopher was a sweet child, very shy, even withdrawn at times, and had been warned by his grandmother about the Edenfields. They say he never would have gone willingly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's why I don't understand why nobody could hear him screaming or anything, or see him. I just don't understand.
ROSSETER: Several people told us George Edenfield was childlike and would watch the children as they got off the school bus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People like that, really, they need to do background checks on then before they put them in a mobile home park full of kids, or whatever. Do a background check on them, and put them out in the woods if that's the way they're going to be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Amanda Rosseter joining us now live from Brunswick, Georgia.
Amanda, the four suspects, are they still in custody?
ROSSETER: Heidi, they are still in custody. They're being held behind me at the Glynn County Detention Center.
And the district attorney here, D.A. Steve Kelly (ph), says he could file those formal murder charges as early as this afternoon.
We should mention that little Christopher's body is being taken up to Atlanta for an autopsy -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Do authorities think at this point that all four of them actually had a part in the killing?
ROSSETER: I spoke at length with the police chief here, Police Chief Matt Doering, and he does say that they do know a motive. They're not releasing it at this point. And the formal murder charges against all four would be murder, whether it was for playing a role or concealing it. And the person who actually killed Christopher could face felony murder charges, and that could carry the death penalty -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Just an awful story. All right. Amanda Rosseter for us, live in Brunswick, Georgia, this morning.
Amanda, thanks.
HARRIS: Take a look at this. A spectacular fire near Sacramento. A 300-foot stretch of a railroad trestle (ph) in flames. Now that's spectacular.
Hundreds of people stopped to watch the fire. So many, in fact, that Sacramento's rush hour traffic backed up, stalled. The blaze also disrupted rail traffic from Amtrak and cut power to businesses in the area. No word on what caused the fire.
COLLINS: Back from the front lines, into the classrooms. Veteran chopper pilots teach rookies life-saving lessons. Going to school in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Alberto Gonzales under fire, and may be on Capitol Hill today. Democrats cite new outrage in the firing of federal prosecutors.
You will get the latest details in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: On Capitol Hill, Democrats face a defeat and another fight over Iraq. In the Senate, Democrats failed to get the votes needed to approve a resolution setting a timetable for troops to leave Iraq. But in the House, a panel approved an emergency spending bill that calls for troops to be out of Iraq by September, 2008. The full House votes next week.
HARRIS: More troops headed to Iraq, and they are on the fast track. CNN has learned Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed orders speeding the deployment of up to 3,000 more forces to Iraq. Their main job will be air support for combat forces.
This raises the number of additional troops being deployed to Iraq to more than 31,000. That's about 10,000 more than President Bush initially called for. The troops are expected to head to Iraq in May. That's 45 days earlier than planned.
COLLINS: A new group of helicopter pilots learning lessons from the battlefield.
Our Jamie McIntyre visited the Army's top helicopter flying school. This is a report you'll see only on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At the Army's Aviation Warfighting center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, it's the job of aging veterans to keep rookie students from getting shot down. The pilots and students are all well aware that this year in Iraq U.S. helicopters have become a favorite target of insurgents. Too often with deadly results.
But it's not the first thing on their mind.
1ST LT. CURTIS WILLIAMS, APACHE STUDENT PILOT: I want to focus on training to make sure that I'm ready for when my time comes if something like that is to arise.
MCINTYRE: First Lieutenant Curtis Williams has been a soldier since the first Gulf War in 1991, and now he's itching to fly an Apache in a war zone. In particular, he's grateful his IP, instructor pilot, is just back from the front lines.
(on camera): Did you have any close calls when you were in Iraq?
CW3 GREG SANDERS, APACHE INSTRUCTOR PILOT: I sure did.
MCINTYRE: You're flying in Iraq. You're in a combat situation. You are the pilot. What are you thinking?
SANDERS: Self preservation. You have to take care of yourself in the aircraft to be effective in a combat multiplier.
MCINTYRE (voice over): Allen Mays (ph) is another veteran instructor with Iraq experience. He sat down in the cockpit of his Kiowa scout helicopter to show me how not to get shot out of the sky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our primary thing is their speed is life. We never stop flying. We never come to stationary hover. And we don't have to as a scout pilot. We go forward on the battlefield.
MCINTYRE: Mays (ph) is reluctant to give away the latest tactics. He knows anything he reveals on CNN could help the enemy. But he confirms that reports from the front lines are incorporated into every lesson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We pass it off to our students. These things are happening. These are the tactics that the enemy are using. And this is how we can combat some of those tactics.
WO1 ERICK KNARZER, KIOWA STUDENT PILOT: I'm extremely confident. The IPs we have here, I think, are the best pilots around. And the machine is fantastic. I wouldn't have wanted to fly this helicopter if I wasn't confident. And I love this helicopter.
MCINTYRE: It won't be long before Eric, Knarzer and his fellow Army pilots test their metal in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Fort Rucker, Alabama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A family trapped in a diplomatic no man's land after 10 long months stuck in an airport, they finally arrive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now I feel freedom. I can see again a sky.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Final destination in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: A nasty winter storm and major flight cancellations. Is this a case of deja Blue? Get it? The answer coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And just minutes ahead, New Mexico governor and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson, what he thinks about the fired prosecutors controversy, U.S. policy in Iraq, and illegal immigration -- in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The Northeast slammed by a winter storm just days before spring. And travelers are feeling the pain.
JetBlue is leading a list of airlines canceling flights. Two hundred thirty flights have been scrapped so far. Almost all in and out of New York.
The airlines say the cancellations will free up crews and gates. You may remember, how could you not, JetBlue faced cancellations and criticism after a winter storm last month. Delta Airlines has also canceled flights, more than 100 so far.
Stay with CNN for the latest on the storm and potential travel trouble.
HARRIS: Let's check in with Chad Myers now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Meanwhile, the firestorm over fired prosecutors flaring this morning on Capitol Hill. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, may go to the Hill to make the case he should not be fired. The latest blow, e-mails that pull the White House deeper into the probe. The question of the day -- could the Bush administration soon face subpoena? CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash on Capitol Hill once again for us today.
Dana, this was pretty confusing yesterday. Some of those subpoenas were authorized, some were not. What do we expect to see happening today?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we expect to see today, Heidi, is a decision by the White House on whether or not they are going to allow Karl Rove, the president's political adviser, and some other officials who work inside the White House, some who actually are no longer there, like Harriet Miers, the former White House counsel, if the White House is going to allow them to come to Congress at some point to talk to members of Congress about what role they had in this whole controversy over the fired federal prosecutors.
As you mentioned, what Democrats on the Judiciary Committee in the Senate tried to do yet is say, look, we want to make clear that we are going to subpoena them if they say no. They held that over for a week. But what we understand will happen today is that the White House counsel, Fred Fielding, is supposed to give an answer to members of the Judiciary Committee on whether or not they're going to make those people available. Right now, it is very unclear if they will, because as you know, there is -- there has been a long-term resistance from this White House and some presidents in the past to allowing their aides who are not confirmed by the Senate to come and talk to Congress.
COLLINS: Is it possible, Dana, we could see some sort of compromise over Rove's testifying, though?
BASH: You know, it is possible. Anything is possible. When you look back at sort of the history of this administration, a couple of incidents come to mind. First of all, Condoleezza Rice when she was the national security adviser to the president, not confirmed by the Senate, the 9/11 Commission, I don't know if you remember, they were trying for a long time to get her to testify. The White House resisted, they said absolutely not. COLLINS: Yes.
BASH: They said this will undermine the conversations that the president has with his top aides in the future. They finally did come to a compromise. She did testify, but they agreed to write something saying it wouldn't be considered precedent. There was one other example in this administration. Tom Ridge, when he was the homeland security adviser to the president, there was a knock-down, dragout fight between the White House and Congress about him coming to testify and in the end, they agreed that he would come and talk behind closed doors to members of the committee. So, there is precedent for that kind of compromise. It's unclear what's going to happen in this particular case.
COLLINS: Right, and it's a good comparison and good example. However, we were talking about national security there. Here we're talking more, possibly, depending on what they determine here, about politics.
BASH: Exactly. I tell you, what's most interesting here, Heidi, is just how much the dynamic has changed in that it's not just Democrats who are saying we want to talk to Karl Rove, we want to talk to his deputy inside the White House, we want to talk to a couple members of the White House counsel's office. It's also Republicans. Arlen Specter, who is somebody who certainly has bucked the White House before on the Republican side.
But even James Sensenbrenner, who is the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, I talked to him a couple days ago, and he does not want the White House, the president, to claim executive privilege here. They are very upset, very upset, because they feel like they have not gotten the truth or at least it's been a drip, drip, drip of information that they've gotten here in Congress from the administration about this. And they are basically fed up. And that's why the fight isn't partisan entirely on this. It's bipartisan when it comes to just the idea of these officials inside the White House coming to talk to Congress.
COLLINS: Alright, Dana Bash following it all for us on Capital Hill this morning. Dana, thank you.
BASH: Thank you.
HARRIS: And, watching these developments on Capitol Hill, a man who wants to be your next president. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson he joins us live from Santa Fe. Governor, great to see you. Thanks for your time this morning.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you very much.
HARRIS: Let me dive in here and first ask you, what are your concerns about the Alberto Gonzales U.S. attorneys firings story? And specifically, I guess we can talk about the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in your state of New Mexico. RICHARDSON: Well, I believe the firing of David Iglesias was inappropriate. He was doing a good job. He was doing his job as he's supposed to do it without politics, prosecuting, we had a state treasurer scandal.
My concern is broader. The attorney general of the United States is the chief law enforcement officer for the United States, not the political adviser to the president. And it seems that Mr. Gonzales, who obviously has very close ties to President Bush, has taken more of a political role in his contact with the White House.
The second broader issue is there really should not be politicization of the U.S. attorneys in this country. They most likely should now be confirmed by the Senate. Right now they're not confirmed. They're just appointed by the White House after consulting with senators. So, I believe that there's too much politicization right now in the context between the White House and the Justice Department.
HARRIS: So, you would like to see U.S. attorneys confirmed by the Senate?
RICHARDSON: Yes, I believe they should be. They currently are not. You just basically ask your senator, your party, and the White House has some names. It's too political. They should be confirmed. The Senate could at least vet some of these candidates that perhaps should not be placed if they are too political.
HARRIS: Would you reserve the right to fire any prosecutor who didn't reflect the concerns of your administration with filings?
RICHARDSON: Well, you want to have that flexibility, but what I believe is needed is more a tone, an attitude, that the Justice Department is supposed to prosecute based on evidence, not based on politics. And what we've had here is clearly too much contact between White House political staff, White House counsel, the attorney general, his executive assistant, on whether they should be fired, the U.S. attorneys, en masse. That shouldn't be happening. There should be a separation, basically, because these U.S. attorneys are supposed to prosecute crimes in the states. And it shouldn't be guided by politics.
Whether Democrats -- for instance, here in New Mexico, it was obvious that some congressional leaders from New Mexico wanted the prosecutions to of Democrats before the election. That shouldn't happen. That's totally inappropriate.
HARRIS: And you're clearly talking about more transparency in whatever process we're talking about here, aren't you?
RICHARDSON: Yes, I am. And I believe if you confirm these U.S. attorneys, and I believe what the transparency should next be is -- I don't think there's any reason why the White House should deny these political aides, these White House aides, testifying before the Congress, being transparent. Now, if it is national security, if it's intelligence secrets, executive privilege, I understand that. But this is politics, so they should just go and say we're going to come clean, this is what it is, admit that it was serious, politicization, and then take action and say this is not going to happen again.
HARRIS: I've got a couple other topics I want to get to. But one quick, final question on this subject. Should the attorney general resign?
RICHARDSON: Not quite yet. I'd like to hear his explanation. He should go to Congress and basically explain why it is he didn't know basically what was going on in his department. I know Mr. Gonzalez. He's a good man. But obviously he's got to get more engaged in the running of his department. So, I would wait to see what his explanation is.
HARRIS: Governor Richardson, what do you believe? A couple of I believe questions if you don't mind. What do you believe about Iraq? How much longer should U.S. troops be engaged in that country at the level that we are currently engaged?
RICHARDSON: Well, I believe that there is no exit plan for Iraq, that the surge of troops the president wants is bad policy, that there's enormous sectarian violence. And I believe the Congress should continue its efforts to set a withdrawal. The Senate failed yesterday; the House will probably succeed in terms of March, 2008, date. I would like to see a withdrawal sooner with strong diplomacy to bring some kind of reconciliation among the secular religious groups, reconstruction assistance, security assistance. I'd bring Iran and Syria in to very tough negotiations on the future of Iraq.
But I believe right now our policy is not working and it should change as rapidly as possible. And I believe the Congress has an obligation, because that's why we voted them, to change, to stop this war and do it as honorably and as rapidly and protecting American national security. Another New Mexico troop, I just ordered the flags going half-staff because he died just two days ago.
HARRIS: Congressman, U.N. ambassador, energy secretary, governor, I'm wondering -- you're tracking about three percent in our most recent polls. Are you a little frustrated that you aren't performing better in the polls and what is going to turn this around for you?
RICHARDSON: Well, no, I'm not frustrated. By the way, I'm a little higher. I may be up to six percent.
HARRIS: Oh, OK. You're right. No. Look.
RICHARDSON: This is ten months away. I've got momentum. I've got the best foreign policy experience, I believe, of all the candidates. I'm a CEO in the state. I've balanced a budget. I've created jobs. I'm the only governor in the race. I believe as a former energy secretary I can deal with how to become energy independent. It's still early. It's ten months away, and I feel very good about how I'm doing in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina.
So, I'm at my own pace. It's going to be voters that decide this race, not pollsters, not pundits in Washington, not you.
HARRIS: Thank you.
RICHARDSON: But you know who I mean.
HARRIS: Thank you, governor. Thanks for your time this morning. We appreciate it.
RICHARDSON: Thank you.
COLLINS: Want to go ahead and show you some tape that's just come in to CNN here. Earlier this morning, just a few minutes ago, in fact, the president met with the commission on care for America's returning wounded warriors. Let's go ahead and listen in to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A couple weeks ago I announced that Senator Dole and Secretary Shalala agreed to chair a commission of our fellow citizens to look into the healthcare that our veterans and those in the military are receiving.
Today, I was pleased to meet the commission members that have been selected. We've got purple heart recipients and the wife of a severely wounded troop. We've got a doctor. We've got compassionate people who all care about whether or not our government is fulfilling its responsibility to make sure our healthcare systems, both the DOD, Defense Department, and the Veterans Administration, are meeting our obligations.
And I assure the members of this committee that I will support their work and will address the problems that they find. We owe it to those who wear the uniform and their families to make sure that our troops have the best, and that's what this commission is meant to do.
And I thank you for your willingness to serve. You're doing the country great service because the commission report will insure the service goes beyond my term in office, really set the stage for this presidency and other presidencies, set a standard that we expect our government to follow. Thanks for being here. Appreciate your time. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Once again, the president meeting there with the president's commission on care for America's returning wounded warriors. Former senator Bob Dole and former health and human services director Donna Shalala in charge of that commission which the president, you just heard him say, will keep up with developments, anything that they discover about the Walter Reed Medical facility.
Meanwhile, I want to show you the numbers today. And we are listening in to the bell ring just a few moments ago on this Friday, ending an interesting week, that's for sure.
Today, however, we are looking at this. The DOW's down about three or four points or so, NASDAQ also down about five points resting at 12,154.
The big story of the day in case you haven't noticed, bad weather and JetBlue cancelling about 230 flights. Once again, other airlines are cancelling as well. We'll keep up with that story and bring you the latest.
HARRIS: What would St. Paddy say? A lawman masquerading as a leprechaun handing out wee tickets to speeders.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifty-nine, out-bound lane, SUV, silver colored, 59.
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HARRIS: Not so little green man in the NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: Want to show you some more tape we have just gotten in here. Apparently, there was a man overboard from a Carnival cruise line after eight hours of sort of flailing around in the water, if you will, he was rescued.
This is coast guard video, well actually this is our affiliate WFOR shooting video of the coast guard rescue. He was airlifted to a hospital. Not quite sure of his condition, but we do know this: 24- years-old and according to witnesses he apparently ran through a cabin window on a Carnival cruise line ship and fell into the water.
Nobody knows if the window was actually open or not at the time. Witnesses also say, surprise, he was intoxicated. So, it is very good that he is at least out of the water for now and on his way to the hospital. This happened at Port Canaveral, just east of Orlando.
HARRIS: Stranded at the airport for 10 months? A family fleeing Iran had a long stopover in Moscow before finally arriving at their new home. CTV reporter Shannon Paterson has the story.
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SHANNON PATERSON, CTV REPORTER: Tearful family reunions are not unusual at the airport, but this one played out like a Hollywood movie. Zahra Kamalfar's journey to Vancouver began two years ago when she and her two children fled Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was lashed and she was in prison and she was persecuted and she fled the country.
PATERSON: The family hoped to make its way to Canada as refugees but was detained in Russia and spent ten months living in limbo in the Moscow airport just like Tom Hanks' character in "The Terminal."
Eventually, they were granted refugee status by the United Nations. And today, friends and family in Vancouver waited anxiously for their arrival. But at YVR, the family was detained again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zahra was smoking on the plane. She was not aware of any rule or regulation on the plane or at airports -- regulation. So, they are stopping her for a while.
PATERSON: Eventually the family was released and reunited with Zahra's brother, who hadn't seen his sister in 13 years.
ZAHRA KAMALFAR, IRANIAN REFUGEE: Thank you. Thank you so much, Canada, so very much, and people, Canada.
ANNA KAMALFAR, IRANIAN REFUGEE: Now I see trees now, I can see again a sky, moon, stars.
PATERSON: Overcome by emotion, Zahra collapsed on her way out of the airport. She was overcome again when she stepped onto Canadian soil for the first time, an emotional end to a long ordeal and for this family the beginning of a new life.
Shannon Paterson, CTV News.
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COLLINS: Well, you already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. until noon Eastern, but hey, you can actually take us with you anywhere you go. The grocery store, fill up your gas tank, on a vacation. Right on your iPod. CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7 on your iPod.
HARRIS: I tell you it's the March Madness, winter weather, time travel and knots in the northeast. We will tell you who's flying, and who's grounding their planes. Delayed in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: A big St. Patrick's day weekend ahead, but the luck of the Irish won't help in one Florida community, check out the leprechaun. He's actually an Orange County deputy sheriff, he's carrying a badge and a radar gun. This is Operation Unlucky Leprechaun near Orlando. A poster warns drivers to watch your speed or it will cost you your pot of gold.
Several drivers tested their luck and lost.
COLLINS: Spy story -- an outed operative talks about her public exposure. Was it political retaliation? Democrats delve into the CIA leak scandal live right here in the NEWSROOM.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alina Cho in New York's LaGuardia Airport where hundreds of flights have been cancelled today throughout the New York area, even with no snow on the ground. So, what's going on? Two words: JetBlue. We'll explain when CNN's NEWSROOM continues.
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COLLINS: A former college basketball champion has found success off the court, his new passion helping to revitalize inner city communities. Ali Velshi takes a look at today's life after work.
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ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been 15 years since Duke University cut the nets down after winning back-to-back college basketball championships. A few of those players went on to have successful careers in the NBA. Others, like Brian Davis, gave the pros a try but ultimately found a different path.
BRIAN DAVIS, BLUE DEVIL VENTURES: I knew I was at a great school, played on a great team, but I wasn't Michael Jordan, you know, and I recognized that very early. When you're not that good, you try and focus on life after basketball.
VELSHI: After playing for a few years in the NBA and in Europe, Davis retired to focus on his other passion -- working to revitalize inner cities through real estate development. Davis formed a company called Blue Devil Ventures in 1995 with a couple of partners, including former teammate Christian Laettner.
DAVIS: We're an urban development firm, and our focus is historic preservation and the rehabilitation of urban environments.
VELSHI: Their first development was a group of abandoned tobacco mills they converted into apartments near downtown Durham, North Carolina. After the success of that project, Davis and his partners built a second phase and decided to develop similar projects in other cities.
DAVIS: I think you have to revive the neighborhoods so young people grow up to be positive and make contributions. So, we thought that we would create mixed-use neighborhoods that would create some jobs and some real wealth.
VELSHI: Davis hasn't completely left the sports world behind. He made a failed bid to buy the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, but he did succeed at becoming the owner of another team, a soccer team earlier this year. Davis was part of a group that purchased the D.C. United.
Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
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COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris, for the second hour in the NEWSROOM this morning, stay informed. Here's what's on the rundown. Exposed but silent. Today she talks. Outed Agent Valerie Plame scheduled for a capital appearance this hour. The CIA leak hearing live when it happens.
COLLINS: Friendly fire over Iraq. Authorities ruling a U.S. attack on British troops, quote, "criminal and entirely avoidable." Live to Britain this hour.
HARRIS: Spring can wait. Winter making a strong late-season showing in the northeast this morning, the storm grounding hundreds of flights on this Friday, March 16th. You are in the NEWSROOM.
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