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'Teddy Bear' Teacher Pardoned; Bigger Target: Huckabee Answers Critics

Aired December 03, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: You're here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody, on this Monday.

I'm Betty Nguyen. Tony and Heidi are off today.

You can watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on this Monday morning, December 3rd.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Trouble on the coast. Hurricane-like winds whip the Pacific Northwest. And snow piles up in the East.

HOLMES: Also, her class named a teddy bear "Muhammad." Sudan threw her in jail. Well, today a teacher is heading home to England.

NGUYEN: A man shoots burglars outside his neighbor's house, and now some protesters want him charged with murder. Others are defending him.

Good neighbor or cold killer?

In the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: But we do have new this morning, President Bush making a statement in the White House rose Garden next hour. We're told he's going to be talking about Iraq funding and congressional priorities, priorities he certainly wants them to tackle before they head out on Christmas break. Of course, they're just coming back today from their Thanksgiving break.

When he does begin speaking -- we're expecting that live at 10:00 Eastern Time -- we will bring that to you live.

NGUYEN: Well, it's a new workweek. Gearing up out there. Two regions though of the country, they are hunkering down.

We begin in the Pacific Northwest. Hurricane-force winds slice into the West Coast. One gust this morning measured at 129 miles an hour. That's also whipping up some ferocious surf.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Well, a killer storm barrels through the heartland. We're hearing about this morning it's plowing into the Northeast. Much of the region battered with snow, sleet and freezing rain.

Parts of the New England could see a foot or more of that stuff, snow, and it could be an ugly trouble day in the Northeast again today. The same storm created even more chaos in the nation's midsection. Hundreds of flights there were canceled over the weekend. The storm blamed for at least 11 traffic deaths.

And of course when weather becomes the news, you see it right here on CNN. And if it's happening outside your window, you can help us tell the story here on CNN by sending us your video and your photos. Go to CNN.com, click on "I-Report," or you can type ireport@cnn.com into your cell phone.

We do appreciate all that great video, great pictures, some of you right there in front of the stuff, but please, stay safe while you're doing this.

NGUYEN: Oh, absolutely.

In the meantime, though, a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam is out of prison. Sudan's president pardoned Gillian Gibbons this morning.

And Emily Chang is watching this story from our London bureau.

Emily, so what is next for this teacher?

EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, what's next is Gillian Gibbons will be going home. Right now she's at the British Embassy, waiting for a flight back to the U.K. She was released from police custody just a couple of hours ago.

This morning, the president of Sudan granted her a full pardon. This, after a weekend of negotiations with two British lawmakers who are Muslims themselves.

She was found guilty of insulting Islam and sentenced to 15 days in prison. She served eight days of that sentence.

She had asked her students to name a class teddy bear. They picked the name Muhammad, after the most popular boy in the class. But that also happens to be the name of Islam's prophet.

Some people who thought that sentence was too lenient took to the streets in protest, calling for a harsher sentence. Some people calling for her to be executed.

Indeed, that will not happen. Indeed, she will be coming home very soon.

Let's take a listen to what her son had to say from their home in Liverpool, England.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN GIBBONS, GILLIAN GIBBONS' SON: It's been a strange old week. It's been very stressful, some parts are very difficult for the family. But we're just pleased that hopefully now it might be coming to an end and mom might be coming home.

As you say, we're not getting too excited until she's on that plane, because if this week's taught me anything, anything can happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANG: Now, that's the first time we've heard from any member of Gillian Gibbons' family. They've been very careful to not to speak to the media so as to not make the situation worse. But of course they're very relieved this morning.

Gibbons herself released a statement today saying, "I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone." She said she will miss her students terribly and that she was sad to be going home -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Emily, no doubt Gibbons is relieved today, but even before this pardon, there were protests in the streets, as you were talking about, some even calling for her execution.

What has been the reaction to this pardon?

CHANG: Well, we're certainly still kind of waiting for this ruling to kind of filter out into the community, but right now it's been very quiet on the streets of Sudan. The government seems to have embraced this ruling. They seem to have kind of made their point, and that these eight days that she served, it seems like they think that was enough.

NGUYEN: All right.

CNN's Emily Chang joining us live from London today.

Thank you, Emily.

HOLMES: Well, remembering Sean Taylor today. A funeral being held this morning in Miami for the Washington Redskins safety. He was shot at his home last week.

The Redskins held a tribute before their game yesterday. Then, on their first defensive play, the team honored him by lining up just 10 players instead of 11 on the field.

We'll show you some of Taylor's funeral happening in our 11:00 Eastern hour, and CNN.com will have complete coverage of his funeral service.

NGUYEN: A new act in a campaign hostage drama to tell you about. The man accused of holding hostages at a Hillary Clinton office appears before a judge this afternoon. And this follows a five-hour ordeal in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Friday.

Five people released unharmed. That suspect, though, Leeland Eisenberg, told police he had been unable to get mental health treatment. His stepson tells CNN Eisenberg had seen a Clinton campaign ad that showed how she helped an underinsured boy get a bone marrow transplant. The stepson says Eisenenberg hoped Clinton could help him just as well.

HOLMES: Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee getting a lot more attention from voters these days, so that means he's getting a lot more attention from his rivals and a lot more criticism, as well.

CNN's Dana Bash now, part of the best political team on TV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A standing-room-only New Hampshire house party for Mike Huckabee.

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The first time I came, everybody that came could sit right here.

BASH: With these crowds and surging poll numbers, the Arkansas governor's record is under fresh criticism from immigration...

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Governor Huckabee fought in favor of giving in-state tuition breaks to illegal aliens.

BASH: ... to taxes.

HUCKABEE: Others have suggested a surcharge on the income tax. That's acceptable.

BASH: This 2003 speech to the Arkansas legislature is being used in two ads against Huckabee.

HUCKABEE: Let me tell you some of the things that you're going to hear. One of the things is Huckabee was a tax and spender in Arkansas.

BASH: Huckabee is trying to preempt those strikes. So, what is his record? On taxes, he says he signed...

HUCKABEE: The first-ever broad-based tax cuts and signed 94 different tax cuts.

BASH: That's true, but he also raised taxes 21 times, including 16 percent more in gas taxes and a 103 percent hike in cigarette taxes. In fact, he left office with an overall tax increase of $505 million.

Huckabee says the money went to Arkansas schools and roads and tells CNN he has no regrets.

HUCKABEE: There are times when that's necessary. Ronald Reagan raised taxes when he was governor of California. He raised taxes when he was president.

BASH: On immigration, Huckabee backed college tuition breaks for children of illegal immigrants. He also fought legislation to require proof of citizenship for state services.

Again, on both, no regrets.

HUCKABEE: If you want national security handled by people at an entry level of state government, that's what you get. But I don't think anybody thinks that's a good idea.

BASH: But Huckabee's biggest controversy as governor is the Wayne Dumond case, a convicted rapist sentenced to life in prison, a punishment Huckabee, among others, called too tough. Dumond was released on Huckabee's watch but then raped another woman and killed her.

HUCKABEE: It's horrible. I mean, there's nothing any of us can ever do. None of us could have predicted what he would have done when he got out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Yes. And Dana Bash in Des Moines, Iowa, for us this morning.

Dana, you wrapped up that piece talking about the Dumond case. That was a big deal in Arkansas.

How is this going to become now a campaign issue?

BASH: Well, you know, it definitely could become a campaign issue. And even Huckabee himself says that he recognizes that.

Now, he says that this is something that started with his predecessors in Arkansas, two Democratic governors, including Bill Clinton, by the way. But look, he says he's ready for it. And privately, other campaigns say that they've got this in their quiver, ready to hit Huckabee with this if he does become more and more of a threat.

And T.J., he is more of a threat. Just yesterday, a poll came out showing him for the first time not just doing better in the polls, but is actually now the front-runner here in Iowa. And that is primarily because of his support, the former Baptist preacher, his support from conservatives who are very, very -- social conservatives who are incredibly important when it comes to the Republican vote in this state.

That is why, T.J., you are seeing more and more of an attack on Huckabee's record on other issues when it comes to his conservative record like taxes, like, immigration, and perhaps his record in dealing with criminals back when he was in Arkansas.

HOLMES: Yes. When he was polling single digits, nobody wanted to give him any attention. He is leading the pack now.

BASH: He sure is.

HOLMES: But before we let you go, Mitt Romney hoping to have a -- I guess a JFK moment, if you will. He's going to be talking about his religion in a speech that's coming up this week.

Is this something that his campaign thought needed to be done?

BASH: Well, certainly, it is. It's something that his campaign and he, himself, have been involved in, debates over debates over debates about, really, since he announced his candidacy about a year ago.

His religion -- he is, of course, a Mormon -- has been -- has been an issue for him. And he understands that.

He has heard questions, many questions in public, here in Iowa and other states, from voters wanting to know more about it, in private especially. Some concern that his religion could hurt him, especially with voters here, social conservatives, again, who are sort of flocking more towards Mike Huckabee on issues, and perhaps because of his religion.

So what happened, we are told, T.J., is that after a lot of debate, last week the governor himself, the former governor, decided that he would give this speech. He's going to give it this coming week in Texas.

They call it "Faith in America." And what he is going to do, we're told, is not necessarily give a Mormonism 101 speech, but try to explain how he is going to use his faith or perhaps not use his faith when it comes to the time where perhaps he hopes he could be in the White House -- T.J.

HOLMES: Yes. A lot of people in this country probably could use a Mormon 101 speech.

BASH: They could.

HOLMES: And I'm sure we'll be learning more as the campaign continues.

Dana Bash from a cold Des Moines, Iowa.

Thank you this morning. We'll see you again soon.

BASH: Thank you.

HOLMES: And then today at 4:00 in "THE SITUATION ROOM," Wolf Blitzer sits down with another GOP presidential candidate, Fred Thompson. That's in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 4:00 Eastern, only right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: Well, roaming the sidelines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A wonderful kid that brings a spirit and an energy about this program that -- you know, that's unique.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: He is a small man with a big heart, USC's campus giant. Don't miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Oil prices on the retreat after hovering for weeks near that $100 mark. So, is there any relief in sight for gas prices?

Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business," and hopefully he has some good news for us on a Monday.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I do!

NGUYEN: Yeah, finally.

VELSHI: Look at my barrel. I've got a sale sign on it.

NGUYEN: Isn't that sad when $88.71 is good news?

VELSHI: Is a discount?

NGUYEN: Yes.

VELSHI: Yes, that's exactly right.

$88.71 is where oil settled on Friday. A nice big drop, and it's actually dropped further this morning. We're about $88 a barrel now.

We've been looking for that $100 a barrel. And we came within a dollar of it a few times in the last few weeks. It is resulting in some lower prices on gasoline -- $3.06 a gallon is the national average for a price -- for a gallon of gasoline. And again, Betty, that's kind of weird that we're talking about $3.06 as gasoline prices coming down a little bit.

Now the other thing that happened late Friday night, Congress came to some sort of a deal about how they're going to move forward with fuel efficiency legislation. It will be the first change in fuel efficiency standards in the United States in more than 30 years.

Right now, the -- a fleet of cars. A company -- a U.S. automaker has got to have a fuel efficiency of 25 million -- 25 miles per gallon across their entire fleet.

NGUYEN: Wish it was 25 million.

VELSHI: Twenty-five million, yes.

NGUYEN: That would be great.

VELSHI: And then under this proposed legislation, by 2020, we would have to get to 35 miles per gallon -- again, across the fleet. So you're going to have some vehicles that are manufactured by a company that get less than that, but they'll have to make more that manufacture more, which means they'll be pushing more diesels, more hybrids, things like that.

Now, you know, Betty, just so you know, China's average mileage per gallon on a car is 30.

NGUYEN: Oh, really?

VELSHI: Europe, 37. Japan, 40. So, it's -- you know...

NGUYEN: Wow.

VELSHI: ... there really is a big way to go, because they don't drive those big gas-guzzlers anywhere else in the world.

NGUYEN: That is so true. And you know, Ali, some critics say Americans might actually spend more money as a result of these changes.

VELSHI: The same people who say that when gas -- gas is better at a higher price, because what Americans do tend to do is when prices start to pull back -- so, when you see gas going under $3 a gallon, you'll drive more. So the idea is that if you are saving money at the pump because your car is getting more miles per gallon, it might tempt you to actually drive more, thereby defeating the whole purpose of better mileage and less driving.

But you know, again, we've got to get better mileage anyway. So if that causes some people to drive more, that may be a pill we've got to swallow.

NGUYEN: That's true.

All right, Ali. Thanks. And thanks for the good news on a Monday. We need a little bit.

VELSHI: My pleasure. Glad to help.

NGUYEN: OK. See you later.

VELSHI: OK.

HOLMES: All right. Time to take a look at the most watched videos on CNN.com. Are mannequins too raunchy?

NGUYEN: Mannequins?

HOLMES: Yes. They're plastic, people.

NGUYEN: They're not real.

HOLMES: And critics say some public displays at lingerie stores are too sexually charged.

It's a lingerie store. NGUYEN: Oh my.

HOLMES: Isn't the whole store sexually charged?

NGUYEN: Isn't that the point?

HOLMES: All right.

Well, a mystery plane that flew over Washington on September 11, 2001 still a cause for concern. People still checking that out at CNN.com.

And also, residents of one Texas town shocked to find a small swastika on a visitor's guide. The publisher says it was not supposed to be there. Well, hopefully it was not supposed to be there.

NGUYEN: Be there, yes. Maybe just an error.

Well, for more of your favorite videos, go to cnn.com/mostpopular. And when you get there, be sure to download CNN NEWSROOM daily podcast. We have one coming up today for you.

In the meantime, though, driving on trust and a bad tire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I trusted my life in the hands of so-called experts to make sure that nothing like this would happen to me, but it did. The system failed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The trouble spotting recalled tires.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, welcome back, and good morning on this Monday.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.

We're sitting in for Tony and Heidi today, trying to hold things down, keep everything under control.

New this morning, something that we're keeping an eye on, President Bush going to be making a statement in the White House Rose Garden next hour. We told you he's going to be talking about Iraq funding and congressional priorities. Congress has some work to do. Just came back from the Thanksgiving break and certainly trying to get some things done before they leave for Christmas.

10:00 a.m. Eastern, we'll have it live.

NGUYEN: And the opening bell ringing right now on Wall Street. Universal American Corporation ringing that bell, and here is the reason why. They are moving from NYSE to the NASDAQ or actually moving to NYSE from the NASDAQ. They're especially life insurance company. To give you a little information on the Dow now, learning that it closed at 59 on Friday at 13,371. We'll see how it goes today. We talked to Ali a little bit earlier. He said oil prices are down. So, we'll see how things run on this Monday morning.

Warnings, wind advisories. It's a mess out there.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is cleaning up the mess for us.

NGUYEN: Trying to.

HOLMES: At the CNN weather center, tracking a lot of stuff, coast to coast, no doubt about it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Thank you, Jacqui. Stay on top of that. Boy, what a busy day it's going to be. And so you know, speaking of that weather, we do want to share some picture of the snow and ice that we've received from CNN I-reporters out there. Take a look at this. Giovanni Sanchez took this picture outside his house in Murray, Utah. What a beautiful site there. That's near Salt Lake City where he says he had a foot of snow over the weekend.

Look at this one. This tree that you're about to see, covered in ice. Boy, that really -- I mean, it really can wreak havoc on the power lines out there. But it is a pretty sight. Dan Cheverie took this shot in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. He said the sight of the ice reflecting off the porch lights was just beautiful. And Donna Murphy took a picture of her dog on her bag deck. Did you see that dog? You know, it looks like he has a coat on. They live in Sanford, Michigan. That dog definitely prepared for the winter weather out there today.

Well, when weather does become the news, you can see it right here on CNN. And if it's happening outside your window, send us your video or your photos. Go to cnn.com and click on I-report or type ireport@cnn.com into your cell phone. But remember, stay safe doing it.

HOLMES: Well, are you possibly driving on a recalled tire? You might not know it. But the troubling thing here is the experts; they might not know it either. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carolyn Thorne says she had no idea she was driving a rolling time bomb when a tire on her SUV suddenly ripped apart, triggering a roll over at 65 miles per hour.

CAROLYN THORNE, DROVE ON A RECALLED TIRE: All I heard was a popping sound. And next thing I knew, I'm flipping.

LAVANDERA: The accident left Thorne partially paralyzed. She won multi-million dollar legal settlements with the tire car maker and dealer that cared for the car. Thorne's story highlights a disturbing reality. The tire that blew out on her car should not have been on the road at all. It had been recalled two years before the rollover. Millions of recalled tires just like it have not been returned and are still on the road today.

SHAWN CANE (ph), AUTO SAFETY CONSULTANT: It's very easy to have recalled tires on a vehicle and not know it.

LAVANDERA: Shawn Cane (ph) works as an auto safety consultant who has studied the tire recall process and was also an unpaid consultant on Thorne's case. He says only 20 percent of all recalled tires are actually found and not even tire professionals have trouble determining which tires are recalled.

CANE: The reason why we don't know where they are is because there's no tracking mechanism. There's no identification system that works. The recall system is just clearly broken.

LAVANDERA: The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is the federal agency that oversees tire recalls. A spokesman says the agency agrees that tire return rates are too low and that more needs to be done to get recalled tires off the road, but did not say what should be done.

CANE: You'd see the DOT number here...

LAVANDERA: Cane says finding recalled tracking numbers on tires is difficult and that retailers don't have a database to make sure people are driving on safe tires. That was a shock to Carolyn Thorne, who believes that tire mechanics would spot the danger.

THORNE: I trusted my life in the hands of so-called experts to make sure that nothing like this would happen to me. But it did. The system failed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The system failed, as you heard there. Ed Lavandera in Dallas for us now. Ed is anything being done to fix that failing system?

LAVANDERA: Well, at this point, the experts that we have spoken with have said that it's really in the hands of some sort of congressional action to make that happen. There are some ideas that are floating through the process. But it doesn't appear that it's close to happening any time soon.

T.J.?

HOLMES: Close to happening any time soon and congressional action, you say, I'm sure that doesn't give a lot of people comfort that that would be done quickly. All right, Ed Lavandera...

LAVANDERA: Yes.

HOLMES: Ed Lavandera for us there in Dallas. Appreciate you. NGUYEN: This is a great story. Southern Cal is headed to the rose bowl, but check the sideline, New Year's Day for the big man on campus. He is all of 90 pounds. CNN's Kara Finnstrom has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At a school known for football legends, story of triumph is no surprise. But this story isn't about the NFL stars in the making. In their shadows, we found a 4'8" giant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a small guy with a big heart, bringing happiness to the field.

FINNSTROM: 18-year-old Ricky Rosas is a cancer survivor with a learning disability. Two years ago at a public practice, he met Coach Pete Carol.

PETE CARROLL, USC HEAD COACH: Hey, how are you doing? He hung around for a little bit afterward and I told him to come back and sure that he came back.

FINNSTROM: And kept coming. Before long, Ricky was on the field, alongside the coaches five days a week.

RICKY ROSAS, TEAM VOLUNTEER: I go get the coaches food and then I shred the papers and I'm there whenever they need me.

FINNSTROM: The team began saving him a chair at the training table, suiting him up in SC Jet.

R. ROSAS: This sweat shirt was given by Jared Blank (ph) and the shoes were given to me by (INAUDIBLE).

FINNSTROM: Even taking him on the SC Jet to an away game and bestowing an unofficial title.

CARROLL: Well, Ricky is the special assistant to the head coach. So, he is very close to me.

JARED BLANK, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOOTBALL OPERATIONS: Whenever he's asked to do something, he goes to his maximum level to get it done and no one can ask anything more of the kid and it's cool to see.

FINNSTROM: But its not the odd jobs that make unassuming Ricky such an asset. It's the smile, the hugs, the pure joy Ricky takes in being here. It spreads.

R. ROSAS: I just want to give them a big thanks for letting me be around them for so long.

CARROLL: He's a wonderful kid that brings a spirit and energy about this program that, you know, it's unique and once we sensed it, you know, we just needed him around us.

FINNSTROM: Ricky's family always knew he would make his mark. NICKY ROSAS, RICKY'S SISTER: I'm really proud of him because he's really recognized.

FINNSTROM: He lives in East L.A. with his sister, who suffers from a disability that destroyed her leg, and his mother. They say the boy who overcame cancer at age 1 has been undaunted by hardship ever since.

N. ROSAS: It shows us that we could do things in our way. Just because we may have like disabilities in our way, we still can do these things, you know.

FINNSTROM: Ricky, who doesn't have a driver's license, spends an hour and a half on two buses to get to practice every day and games every weekend. All this, not to be paid in dollars -- what does it feel like being out here?

R. ROSAS: It feels so good. All the fans.

FINNSTROM: But to simply live a dream.

CARROLL: He's got a little bit of a heart throb about him that keeps us all going.

FINNSTROM: And to remind all of those around him that's exactly what they're doing too. Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: OK, we love that story.

NGUYEN: That such a good story.

HOLMES: We love that story.

All right, we'll turn to some shopping here. Shopping season in full force. You know, would be thieves, the identity thieves, they are in full force as well. And our Veronica De La Cruz takes a look at who is likely to steal your information and how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, he's got money on his mind. President Bush in the White House rose garden 10:00 eastern. His remarks live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: You already know how to catch us, weekday mornings from 9:00 am to noon eastern. In fact, that's Heidi and Tony. But did you know, you can catch them and us today, you can take us anywhere on your iPod. The CNN NEWSROOM podcast. Available 24/7 right on your iPod? Don't miss it.

HOLMES: Venezuelan voters decide and they say no to President Hugo Chavez's proposals. One of those could have made him president for life. CNN's Harris Whitbeck in Caracas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Celebrations lasted into the early morning hours in front of the campaign headquarters of those who opposed President Chavez's proposals to amend Venezuela's constitution. Most of the people here gathered are students. Many of the students have spent days and days, sometimes weeks protesting in the streets, protesting what they said was an affront towards liberty and Democracy in Venezuela. Shortly after the announcement was made by the electoral authorities, President Chavez himself appeared on television and he said that the results tonight are a result of the fact that there is still freedom of expression in Venezuela.

HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELA'S PRESIDENT, (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In light of this statement and in light of the bulletin and the trends, in light of the statement, the reading of the bulletin at, what 1:15 am in the morning, we will fulfill, abide by the constitution. We review our obligations, (INAUDIBLE) our conscience, and we recognize the decision that has been made by the people.

WHITBECK: The opposition now has a challenge here that says it must work towards unity in this country, a goal that Mr. Chavez himself also expressed. Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Caracas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Well, from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, savage storms pound the U.S. coast. And if you are traveling anywhere in between, you'll want to know the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. Sure she's pretty.

HOLMES: Yes, she is.

NGUYEN: Would a beauty queen tell an ugly lie? T.J.?

HOLMES: No.

NGUYEN: He doesn't believe so. Police say though, there is no trace of pepper spray in Miss Puerto Rico Universe's clothes or make- up brush. Ingrid Marie Rivera had claimed someone tried to sabotage her pageant performance and investigator if Rivera or someone else made the whole thing up. Rivera had said the pepper made her swell up and break out in hives during last month's pageant. Didn't matter though, she still won that crown anyway.

HOLMES: No, she's not lying. A face like that? She can't lie.

NGUYEN: Never buy her beauty. She would tell you anything, and it wouldn't matter, would it?

HOLMES: She's telling the truth, OK?

NGUYEN: OK. HOLMES: Well, let's turn to the holidays now. Primetime of course for identity theft. And our Veronica de la Cruz, beauty queen in her own right explains why it's really up to you to protect your own information. You could say, we miss you down here. Haven't seen you in a while. Good morning to you.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I miss you, too, T.J. It's nice to see you, and Betty. Make sure you say hello to her.

NGUYEN: Hi, Veronica.

DE LA CRUZ: Oh, it's like old times. Looks like the gang is all back here again. OK, let's get to this statistics. Pretty interesting. A new report out by the FTC saying 66 percent of all people who become victims of identity theft discover on their own. That, despite dozens of states that have laws or are working on law that would require companies to alert customers if there is a breech.

The study also found out more than 8 million people became victims of identity theft in 2005. Experts say it's hard to get a handle on the situation, because a lot of people don't even know that they're victims when they're surveyed. Also, thought, T.J. and Betty, this is interesting. 16 percent of victims said they knew the person who stole their identity. 8 percent of the time, it's a friend or a neighbor. 6 percent of the time, it was a relative.

HOLMES: Oh men.

DE LA CRUZ: And in 2 percent of the time, it was a co-worker.

NGUYEN: Uh-oh.

DE LA CRUZ: And a lot of people, you know, they fear the web. But check this out. Only 2 percent of the time, hacking or fishing was to blame. 7 percent of the time, a person's identity was compromise while shopping, whether they were online or in stores. Most of the time victims don't know the culprit however so.

HOLMES: But the culprit could be right under my nose.

NGUYEN: I think, sitting right next to you.

HOLMES: It could be right next to me. Of course, this is the time. Credit card and things flying, people spending. And the credit card statements are coming. All this stuff going on right now during the holidays. So, how now, do they recommend for folks to protect themselves, especially during this busy time?

DE LA CRUZ: Well, like you just said, people are really, really busy. They're probably rushed. So, what's happening is they can be a little careless. So, what you wanna to, keep tabs on your receipts. Shred all pertinent information instead of throwing it in the trash. If you apply for an in-store credit card, be aware of who is around you. Also, use a credit card instead of your debit card which takes money directly from your account. And if your shopping online, make sure that the website is encrypted. Only make purchases from reputable countries. And here's another, when your traveling, keep tabs on your boarding passes, anything with your name on it and don't ever carry your social security card with you if you can avoid it. Another easy one T.J., keep your eye on your wallet. A lot of people, you know, like I said, get really crazy. They're rushed. They can leave their wallet at the register or, you know, might be stolen from right under their nose. You just never know.

HOLMES: Yes. Thank you for that.

DE LA CRUZ: Watch the person next to you as well.

HOLMES: Yes.

NGUYEN: Why are you insinuating, both of you, that I could be the culprit here? I haven't taken a thing. Not yet, though.

HOLMES: You kind of slick, with the slight of hand.

NGUYEN: Is that what it is? I'm not that talented. Veronica, good to see you.

DE LA CRUZ: Good to see you.

HOLMES: And reminder, you can see Veronica every morning on "American Morning" 6:00 to 9:00 eastern. They call her now the Internet correspondent. When she was with us on the weekends, she was at the dotcom desk. Now she's the Internet correspondent.

NGUYEN: Moving on up.

Hey, he's got his mind on money today. We're talking about President Bush in the White House rose garden, 10:00 eastern. His remarks live right here on the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, this just in to CNN. We want to tell you about a school bus accident in Long Island today, in Babylon, New York, to be exact. I wanna show you some video. Look at that thing. That school bus turned on its side. What we know is that it's involving not only this bus, but a car as well. We don't know exactly how this accident happened. But what we can tell you is that there were no ejections and no serious injuries dealing with the kids on that bus.

But that one person in the vehicle that collided with this school bus was injured. We don't know the extent of that injury. But this took place on southern state parkway. Again, Babylon, New York, located on long island. We'll continue to watch this story and bring you the latest.

HOLMES: President Bush is just about 90 second. That's all the way from speaking at the White House rose garden. Told he's going to be talking about Iraq funding and congressional priorities. Well bring you that live in a matter of seconds. Now we're told before that happens. More now on the president's statement with our Brianna Keilar. She's at the White House for us. We'll also have our Jessica Yellin on Capitol Hill. She's covering things over there for us. We're going to start here from Brianna. We'll start with you and I guess we're just a minute or so away here from the president.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, T.J. Much of what we're expecting to hear from President Bush, we've heard from him before. But this is really just a sign that he is ratcheting up the pressure on Congress to get some, what he called, unfinished business done. He called it unfinished business this weekend in his radio address and he's talked about that in the last few months. He is going to be talking about legislative priorities. Specifically, were told, he's going to be talking about funding the Iraq war.

He wants a bill without any strings attached. He doesn't want any regulations from Congress on withdrawing U.S. troops. He is also expected to talk about FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. As you'll recall, that was passed in the summer. It sun sets. It goes out in -- let's go now and listen to the president.

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: They have just two weeks to go before they leave town again. That's not really a lot of time to squeeze in nearly a year's worth of unfinished business. In fairness, Congress was not entirely out over the past two weeks. Our political maneuver designed to block my ability to make recess appointments, congressional leaders arranged for a senator to come in every three days or so, bang a gavel, wait for about 30 seconds, bang a gavel again and then leave. Under the senate rules, this counts as a full day.

If 30 seconds is a full day, no wonder Congress has got a lot of work to do. Congress needs to start bypassing a bill to fund our troops in combat. Beginning in February, I submitted detailed funding requests to Congress to fund these operations in the war on terror. If some in Congress who were holding this funding, because they want to substitute their judgment for that of our military commanders. Instead of listening to the judgment of General Petraeus, they are threatening to withhold money he needs unless they can mandate an arbitrary date of withdrawal.

This month, more of our troops return home as a result of the success we're seeing in Iraq. People are coming home. For Congress to insist on setting an arbitrary date for withdrawal would put gains General Petraeus and our troops have made in danger and that would threaten the security of our country. It's unconscionable to deny funds to our troops in harm's way because some in Congress want to force a self-defeating policy. Especially when we're seeing the benefits of success.

Secretary Gates and other senior Pentagon official say the delay in our funding will mean this for our military. Unless Congress acts, the Defense Department will soon be required to begin giving layoff notices to about 100,000 civilian employees. Unless Congress acts, the military task force developing ways to better detect and protect our troops from roadside bombs will run out of money by early next year. Unless Congress acts, the army will run out of operations and maintenance money in February. Unless Congress acts, the Marine Core will run out of similar in March.

Earlier this year, Congressional leaders were trying to impose conditions on funds because they said our strategy in Iraq was not working. We changed our strategy and now even many of those who initially opposed the surge; acknowledge that it is achieving results. It is time for members of congress to meet their responsibility to our men and women in uniform and they should stay in session until they pass these emergency funds for our troops. Second, Congress needs to make sure our intelligence professionals can continue to monitor terrorist communications.

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