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American Morning
British School Teacher Jailed for Insulting Islam has Received Presidential Pardon; Venezuela Hands a Stinging Defeat to Its President; Possible Plea Deal for One of Jena Six Teens
Aired December 03, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It's Monday, the 3rd of December. I'm John Roberts.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Alina Cho. Kiran has the morning off. I know you were on your bike in Virginia over the weekend. I woke up to some snow here in New York.
ROBERTS: Thankfully, you live like a block and a half away.
CHO: That's right.
ROBERTS: Good to have you here today.
CHO: Good to be here.
ROBERTS: Deadly dose of winter, the first of the season, parts of the northeast are expected to get hammered today with snow, ice and rain, after the season's first wintry storm made its way across the country over the weekend. Slippery mess is being blamed for at least 11 traffic deaths in the Midwest. Forecasters say a foot of snow to could blanket parts of the northeast with as many as 20 inches possible in some parts of New England. Ice storm warnings have been issued in the New York City area, hundreds of flights already been delayed. Not looking much better for frustrated flyers this morning. Our Jacqui Jeras at the weather update desk for us tracking the extreme weather. Jacqui, it looks like it's going to be an interesting Monday.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It really is. Unfortunately, if you're trying to get anywhere in the east today, it's going to a problem for you because if don't have the rain shall the snow or the sleet or the ice, you've got the wind out there. Let's show you the storm system. This is a big one. And our radar picture is showing you everything from New England, extending all the way down to the gulf coast. You're getting in on the action. The worst of the weather at this hour is where you see that pink coming in across parts of upstate New York, pushing through Albany, and even along the Massachusetts turnpike. Right here. That's where we're seeing freezing entertain sleet. Springfield, Massachusetts, freezing drizzle. Accumulations here, as much as half an inch. When you start getting numbers like that, we could see power outages and tree branches down. That's going to be a real problem for those folks. Farther north, all in the red here, this is where we're going to be primarily seeing the snowfall event. 6 to 12 inches expected in Burlington. 6 to 10 in the Portland area in northern Maine, including you in Caribou, 8 to 14 inches of snowfall. Wind advisories are stacked up. There you see them. Everybody in yellow and orange, right here along the Appalachians, we have high-wind warnings, with winds gusting beyond 60 miles per hour. Winds are very strong behind this front, looking for 50-mile-per-hour winds even from Washington, D.C. up to New York City. Even when the rain moves out, say mid morning, guys, looking for those winds to be a problem at airports all day long.
ROBERTS: Jacqui, quickly what's coming in behind this, will it remain cold or warm up? How long will the snow stay on the ground?
JERAS: Snow you'll see on the ground for maybe another day. People up to the north will be seeing that snow for quite a while. Temperatures up there will stay extremely chilly. We'll see gradual warming across the east once we bottom out, probably by tomorrow.
ROBERTS: Jacqui, thanks for that important news on the weather this morning. We'll get back to helping people get on their way. Thanks Jacqui Jeras for us this morning from Atlanta. Alina?
CHO: Breaking news this morning. A full pardon overnight for a British school teacher in Sudan who let her students name a teddy bear Muhammad. Gillian Gibbons was serving a 15-day sentence for insulting Islam. Sudan's president agreed to pardon her after meeting with a British delegation. Emily Chang, live at the world news update desk in London; Emily, we're hearing Gibbons could be set free at any time and allowed to go home. Is that true?
EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Alina. Gibbons is expected to be released from custody in Khartoum any minute now. The president of Sudan has granted her a full presidential pardon. The decision came out of a meeting with two members of British Parliament. They've been negotiating all weekend with British leaders, also Muslims themselves. Gibbons has served eight days of her 15-day sentence for insulting Islam. 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 it's also the name of the prophet. Since the verdict, hundreds of angry protesters have taken to the streets calling for a harsher sentence. Some of them calling for her to be executed. Indeed, that has not happened. She is expected to return to the U.K., possibly as early as tonight. This morning, we heard from her son, speaking from their home in Liverpool, England.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN GIBBONS, GILLIAN GIBBONS' SON: Obviously very pleased. We're saving until she's on the plain plane. Hope you understand that. Yes, it's been a good news morning. The family aren't going to be 100% thrilled until she's on the plane, on her way home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANG: That is the first time we've heard any member of her family speak publicly. They've been very careful not to talk. They haven't wanted to make the situation worse. Of course, they are extremely relieved this morning. Gibbons also released a statement saying she's sorry if she caused any distress and she also said, "I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone." She says she is looking forward to coming home, but is sorry she won't be able to go back to Sudan. Alina?
CHO: I bet she is. Emily Chang live in our world news update desk in London. Thank you. John?
ROBERTS: Five minutes now after the hour. Thousands of people are expected at the funeral of football star Sean Taylor's in Miami later on today. Washington Redskins paid tribute Sunday with this special video and moment of silence. Then on the Redskins' first defensive play of the game, only ten men were on the field. One man short, in Taylor's honor. CNN will carry the Taylor funeral live from Florida International University.
New details emerging about the man accused of taking hostages at Senator Clinton's headquarters on Friday. Police arrested 46-year-old Leland Eisenberg on Friday. Eisenberg had filed a civil suit in 2002 claiming he was sexually abused by a priest in the Boston archdiocese. He faces kidnapping and other charges in court today.
New information about that Amtrak train that crashed and injured dozens in Chicago on Friday. Investigators say the train's engineer admits he was going 40 miles an hour in a 15-mile-an-hour zone when it slammed into a freight train. Most passengers suffered only minor injuries Alina?
CHO: John, thanks. New this morning, a major defeat overnight for one of America's biggest critics, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. Venezuelans voted down a referendum that would have changed the constitution and would have allowed Chavez to run for president indefinitely. CNN's Harris Whitbeck live with the action.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina. Opposition members met the news that they had narrowly defeated President Chavez with disbelief at first. Many of them got very, very emotional as members of the electoral council read the news that this they, in fact, defeated Chavez's attempt to change the constitution. Students who spent the week out in the streets, battling national guardsmen with tear gas and water canons started singing the national anthem and launched an hour's long party and rally in a park in eastern Caracas. Firecrackers, live music. Lots of celebrating there. President Chavez addressed the press shortly after the announcement was made. His tone was, of course, much more sober. He did say, however, that he felt that this proved that he is committed to democracy.
HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We will fulfill, abide by the constitution. We will fulfill our obligation. We will fulfill our conscience and recognize the decision that has been made by the people.
WHITBECK: What's next? The political opposition now says it sees a good opportunity to try to gain some of the political ground it has lost here over the last nine years. Students said they will continue to be vigilant. They said they also see a moment here in Venezuela to fight for and to strive towards national unity. They say Venezuela has been fractured, that the society has been very much divided over the policy that is Mr. Chavez has wanted to instill and they say they're not necessarily against Mr. Chavez, they just simply are trying to instill liberty and democracy. Alina?
CHO: Interesting. Harris, thank you.
In Russia overnight, a different story. Vladimir Putin's united Russia party won big in parliamentary elections, taking nearly two- thirds of the vote. Putin's term ends in 2008, but this strong showing could help him stay in power, perhaps as prime minister. Putin has opposed the U.S. on the Iraq war, sanctions against Iran and the missile defense shield.
Israel, releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners today, a show of support for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. It comes a day after Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert said that Israel is not bound to the timetable announced at that conference to reaching a peace deal by the end of next year. John?
ROBERTS: New this morning, there may be signs that things are turning around in Iraq. There has been a steady decline in the U.S. troop death toll. 37 soldiers and marines were killed in November. That is the lowest monthly total in more than a year. Number of Iraqi civilian deaths also plummeted. Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha, one of the most vocal critics returned to Iraq. Some of his comments seem to suggest he thinks the troop increase is working. I asked him if that puts him at odds with the democratic leadership, who wants a troop withdrawal.
CONGRESSMAN JOHN MURTHA, PENNSYLVANIA: Already is in place, I think. We're talking about a goal rather than a timetable. What the democratic leadership --
ROBERTS: Obviously, a problem with that. Can you see my full interview with Congressman Murtha in about an hour's time, 7:15 eastern.
Larry Craig is facing new allegations about his past sexual behavior. Sunday's Idaho Statesman newspaper identifies four gay men that claim they either had sex with Craig or were the subject of his sexual advances. The men described their incidents in detail. He said, he said allegations. In a statement, Senator Craig calls the claims "completely false." In his words, "It is unfortunate that the Idaho Statesman has continued to lower it to the standards of what could best be described as tabloid journalism."
Senator Craig, you may remember, was arrested last June in a sex sting at a Minneapolis airport bathroom and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, but tried to reverse that plea after it became public. He has chosen to stay on until his term expires in January 2009.
Mitt Romney will deliver a major speech this week about his Mormon faith, called faith in America. Romney campaign has gone back and forth for months of whether to address the issue of religion. I asked him about it point blank last Thursday, he seemed to indicate no particular urgency to do it. But Romney is now set to give that speech this Thursday at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas.
Hillary Clinton is going negative as her lead slips away in Iowa. Latest poll has Barack Obama leading Senator Clinton for the very first time. Clinton questioned Obama's, saying his action committee is contributing to candidates in early primary states. Obama says that everything he has done is in accordance with the law. Alina?
CHO: Thanks, John. In business news this morning, oil prices retreat after hovering for weeks near the $100 mark. Is there any relief in sight for gas prices? Ali Velshi at the business news update desk with more on that. Oil below 90?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping, now's the time to pick up a barrel of oil. $88.71 is where it settled on Friday. That was a drop of $2.30. And Alina, right now it is down another dollar now, $87.68 for a barrel of oil. Remember last week about the middle of the week last week, a pipeline explosion, carrying oil from Canada to the United States. That's all up and running. It's been repaired. There's a meeting Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. There's some talk that the OPEC ministers will increase the output of oil. That $100 oil isn't good for country that is sell oil. It makes people worry that -- they won't sell enough. People will change their driving habits, in particular.
Let's look how gasoline is doing right now. I'm starting the week with good news. I can't believe it, all across the board. Gasoline prices were even down from yesterday. $3.06 per gallon for unleaded. Keep you posted. There's other news is coming up. Busy business week, Alina. For now, a bit of a discount or a barrel of oil. You can borrow my barrel if you need to pick some up.
CHO: It's too heavy. John?
ROBERTS: 13 minutes now after the hour. Another twist in the disappearance of Stacy Peterson, her husband, Drew, denying an alleged encounter with truck drivers just hours after Stacy went missing. We'll tell you what they claim Peterson asked them to do.
And we told you a moment ago that Mitt Romney is ready to address his Mormon faith head on this week. What will he say and why has he decided to say it now? That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CH: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Some of the best shots in the morning in our quick hits now. Fire on ice, zamboni machine caught fire at a skating rink in Aspen, Pennsylvania Friday night. Nobody was hurt.
In search of the abominable snowman, a U.S. crew returns home from Napal where they found three footprints they think belong to the fabled yeti as it's called. The crew says they got one full print that's 13 inches long. Like a human foot, but a little bit longer. Here comes Santa Claus. 220 skiing Santas hit the slopes at the resort in Maine on Sunday. Anyone dressed as Santa got a free lift ticket Sunday. They also raised $2,000 to buy toy force local children during the holidays. John?
ROBERTS: We are one month away from the first vote notice race for president. Mike Huckabee now leads republicans in Iowa and Mitt Romney has decided he will address his Mormon faith in a speech in Texas this week. Mark Halperin is the senior political analyst at "Time" magazine and author of "the undecided voter's guide to the next president." He broke the story that Romney will give that speech.
MARK HALPERIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, TIME: Morning, John.
ROBERTS: I asked him, sitting here as close as I am to you, are you going to give this speech and he said lots of time, maybe next year. What drove the decision to suddenly schedule it for this Thursday?
HALPERIN: Well I think the most thing that drove it, Mitt Romney is an active guy. He's not a passive guy. He has succeeded by doing thing, rather than laying back. If he didn't give this speech and lost the nomination, he would always wonder did, I fail to address the big issue? Now what drives the timing? He can't give it much later than now, if he wants to give it before the Iowa caucuses. You won't give this kind of speech around Christmas. For the first time, he's behind in Iowa, a state he really has to win to win the nomination.
ROBERTS: He remarked to me, when I asked him the question, John Kennedy gave that speech and many people credit that speech with helping him to win the presidency. He said let's look when he gave that speech. It was October, a month before the election. Why should I do it now?
HALPERIN: The process started much later, much less intense the year before the electric. Americans have real doubts about Mormons. We have a woman running and an African-American running there. It seems to be more of a problem with being a Mormon than either of those two things. He doesn't want religion to be at center. Religion is part of what people are thinking about. He wants to try to address it now.
ROBERTS: The democratic side of the coin, Hillary Clinton stepped up her attacks of Obama over the weekend, suggesting he might have a character issue. She also remarked in terms of her going on the attack, "I have been for months on the receiving end, now the fun part, with emphasis on fun starts." The Obama campaign says there's nothing fun about having to look at serious issues. Does she run the risk, look at she's rolling out the famed Clinton attack machine?
HALPERIN: She does. There's a history of campaigns being lost by people who go negative. Negative politics works and voters say they don't like it, but they do. In Iowa, they don't like it. She runs that is risk. At the same time, she has been beaten up for several weeks and feel she is needs to go back on the attack. It will be interesting. Those two candidates and John Edwards in Iowa are still strong. Those three all between now and Christmas have to think about what works negative, what works positive.
ROBERTS: Interesting move in New Hampshire. The Manchester union leader endorsing Senator John McCain, running a strong second in many polls. What does that do for McCain and what does it do to Mitt Romney, the front-runner there?
HALPERIN: One, a newspaper who used to hate me says I will be the best president. They've written negative things about him for years. He needs a comeback story. He can go around New Hampshire, and say, look, the union leader, conservative voice of this state is for me. It's not great for Romney. It's not great for Giuliani. McCain is a real player in that state. Iowa is keeping the democrats New Hampshire is very key for the republicans.
ROBERTS: Getting more and more exciting. Good to see you.
HALPERIN: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Alina.
CHO: The tables are turned on the pepper spray pageant queen. What police say the evidence really shows. All the details coming up.
And paying tribute to Sean Taylor, how his teammates honored his memory and how fans are saying good-bye today. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Samantha Miller from New Jersey got what she wanted from Santa without even asking. Her husband came home from Afghanistan. Your Hot Shots this morning. Take a look.
Can you believe that? Samantha and her 4-month-old daughter had been waiting to see Santa in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. When Santa got up to take a break, Adam popped out. He has never met his baby before, because he was deployed three months before she was born. Adam wasn't due back until January. He switched leave with a buddy to come home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Came home. Let my mom know. My sister came up with the idea to do it here.
SAMANTHA MILLER: It's really overwhelming. I don't know. I'm really happy. I didn't think I would see him for a while.
CHO: That baby is so cute. It goes without saying, Samantha says it's the best Christmas present ever. If you've got a hot shot, send it to us; the address, amhotshots@CNN.com. Be sure to include your name, where you're from and a little bit about the picture or video. One more thing. Make sure the image is yours.
ROBERTS: That is a first visit to Santa Claus you'll remember. My goodness.
CHO: No kidding. ROBERTS: Mourners will gather today in Miami for the funeral of football star Sean Taylor. On Sunday, his team, the Washington Redskins played their first game since the shooting. The Redskins had a video tribute and moment of silence and wore Taylor's number 21 on their jerseys. On their first defensive play, only 10 men took the field, an NFL version of the missing man formation.
Meanwhile, one of the four suspects charged in Taylor's killing was in court on Sunday. Jason Mitchell was denied bail as were others who appeared in court Saturday. There's word police may be looking for a fifth suspect. CNN's John Zarella with that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police have only said maybe. But an attorney for one of the suspects in Sean Taylor's murder says cops don't have all their men yet. There's another one out there.
WILBER SMITH, RIVERA'S ATTORNEY: I just wanted to confirm that there is a fifth suspect that the police are looking for. My client's family is also trying to locate his whereabouts.
ZARELLA: Over the weekend, the four men police do have in custody went before a judge in Ft. Myers. Eric Rivera, Charles Wardlow, Venjah Hunte and Jason Mitchell face burglary, robbery and murder charges; possible life in prison. Each of the four has a long history of problems with the law. And they're all now behind bars. CNN has learned fingerprints found inside Taylor's home belong to one of the men. And in their confessions, more than one of the suspects admitted to going to Taylor's home, but only to burglarize it. Meantime, two questions remain unanswered. Where is the murder weapon and who fired the shot that killed Sean Taylor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Mitchell is not being accused of being the alleged trigger man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those facts are going to show that my client may have been inside the house, but was not, in fact, the trigger man.
ZARELLA: There's no evidence any of the men knew Sean Taylor. Sources say Taylor's sister, Sasha Johnson, once dated one of the suspect's brothers. John Zarella, CNN, Ft. Myers, Florida.
CHO: Coming up, most of us are called to jury duty. One jury is getting called back after reaching a verdict. Why the judge wants to know what went on behind closed doors at a sensational murder trial in Cape Cod. A new look at the evidence in the case of the pepper spray beauty pageant. You won't believe this one. What police are saying now. We'll have all of that and today's top stories when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning from Sudan. It's Monday, December 3rd. I'm Alina Cho. Kiran has the morning off. JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. British school teacher jailed for insulting Islam has received the presidential pardon. Gillian Gibbons was serving a 15- day sentence, the result of letting her students name a teddy bear Muhammad. Some hard line protesters had actually demanded her execution. Two British Muslim law makers secure the pardon and a meeting today with Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir. One of them talked with CNN international about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORD AHMED NAZIR, BRITISH PARLIAMENT: We made it very clear, this was an unfortunate, unintentional, innocent misunderstanding. And nobody has set out to offend anyone and, therefore, the president's pardon is most welcome.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you managed to speak to the government back home, to let them know of your success?
NAZIR: Well, I'm sure they will be watching CNN and I'm sure that they will be watching other news channels and they will get the news. These days, the news channels are much faster than even us. And I'm sure that they've got the good news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Gillian Gibbons is expected to be released later on today and flown back to Britain.
Also new this morning, Venezuela hands a stinging defeat to its president, Hugo Chavez, one of America's biggest critics. Celebrations erupted in Caracas overnight. Voters rejected a constitutional change that would have allowed Chavez to run for president as many times as he wants. It was a narrow defeat, 51 to 49 percent but first political loss of Chavez' presidency. He says, he's not giving up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELA'S PRESIDENT (THOUGHT TRANSLATOR): None of this congress will be withdrawn. I will continue proposing this to the Venezuelan people. The proposal is alive. It's not dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The little book, by the way, his little book of proposals. In addition to abolishing term limits, Chavez' referendum would have expanded his power over Venezuela's economic institutions like the central bank and broadened his political power, including the authority to declare states of emergency for unlimited periods of time.
Alina?
CHO: Back in this country. Parts of the northeast are expected to get hammered with snow, ice and rain after the season's first wintry storm made its way across the country over the weekend. Take a look at that mess. The slippery mess is blamed for at least 11 traffic deaths in the Midwest.
And hurricane-force wind gusts are ravaging parts of Oregon this morning. High surf, heavy snow and rain and power outages are reported. Also, there's concern about swollen rivers and streams. Three tropical typhoons and cold air from Alaska is to blame for the unusually strong storm.
John?
ROBERTS: 33 minutes after the hour now. A possible plea deal for one of the Jena Six teens. Lawyers for 17-year-old Michael Bell's figuring out a deal to drop the conspiracy charges against Bell and in return, Bell would plead guilty to battery. It stems from the beating of a white student last December which followed months of racial tensions when white students hung nooses from a tree on school grounds.
In question this morning, disappearance of Stacy Peterson. Her husband Drew Peterson is denying he met with truck driver just hours after Stacy disappeared back in October. The drivers claim Peterson and another man approached them at a truck stop and asked them to transport a package. Peterson's attorney says the incident never happened.
And the man accused of taking hostages at Senator Clinton's New Hampshire Campaign Headquarters will be in court today. Police arrested 46-year-old Leeland Eisenberg on Friday after a five-hour hostage standoff. All of the hostages, including a small child, got out OK.
Alina?
CHO: John, thanks.
A jury convicted a black garbage man of robbing, raping and killing a white Cape Cod fashion writer. Now, more than a year later, the jury itself is being questioned to see whether race played a part in the verdict. Now, police say Christa Worthington was found stabbed to death inside her home. A garbage collector named Christopher McCowen was arrested for the brutal killing three years later. Now, the judge has ordered the jury back to court for a rare public hearing.
Joining us now, AMERICAN MORNING's legal analyst Sunny Hostin. I know (INAUDIBLE) Sunny. During deliberation are generally seen as sacred off limits. So, I've never heard of this happening before, a jury being called back. How common is this?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is highly, highly unusual. As you said, the sanctity of the jury room is everything. It sort of a bedrock of our judicial system. I was a juror. I deliberated 13 days and so, I sort of understand this from the inside out. And of course, I was also a prosecutor. When I heard about this, I was shocked. This is a story that I covered. And I remember it. I remember the day that the verdict came in. He had one tear coming down his face. It was definitely racially charged. And I'm not surprised that we're hearing about this case again.
CHO: So, let's talk about the specifics of this case. You talk about race and that's really what this is about and why the jury is being called back, right?
HOSTIN: Absolutely.
CHO: I mean, there have been allegations that there was no way that a black garbage man could have had consensual sex with a white fashion writer.
HOSTIN: Exactly.
CHO: And that's really at the heart of it, right?
HOSTIN: It really was at the heart of it. She was, you know, this glamorous, fashion writer from New York. Moved to a small town in Massachusetts and his defense was that he had consensual sex with her and many, many people in that town said impossible. Well, not necessarily impossible. He also had a very low I.Q. And I recall he was interrogated for, I believe, maybe six or seven hours before he confessed to even being there. So, this was a very unusual case, highly, highly racially sort of charged.
CHO: Very quickly, could we see a new trial? I mean, what's the end game of this?
HOSTIN: We very may well see a new trial. The jury is going to come back. If they indeed made these racially charged comments during deliberations and didn't just deliberate on the facts, I think, we may see a new trial.
CHO: In the meantime, he is serving three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Sonny Hostin, our legal analyst. Sunny, thank you.
HOSTIN: My pleasure.
CHO: John?
ROBERTS: Alina, thanks. This morning, we have a new look at war in Iraq through the eyes of a war critic who has just return from there. 3,700 U.S. troops were killed last month. That is the lowest monthly total in more than a year. The number of Iraqi civilian deaths is also dramatically down. We spoke with Pennsylvania congressman, John Murtha earlier this morning. His comments seem to suggest that he thinks the troop increase is working. I asked him if he is at odds with the Democratic leadership, which was a troop withdrawal tied to more war funding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN MURTHA, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: The compromise already is in place, I think, because we're talking about a goal rather than a timetable. I think what the Democratic leadership was worried about is the goal. And they don't want to go any longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The full interview with Congressman Murtha is coming up in our next half hour, which brings us to this morning's quick vote question. Do you think the U.S. troop increased, the so called surge in Iraq is working? Cast your vote at cnn.com/am. We'll have our first tally of votes coming up in our next hour here.
CHO: The pageant pepper spray mystery gets stranger and stranger. Police are now investigating whether the new Miss Puerto Rico, Ingrid Marie Rivera lied to police. How about that for the turn of events. Puerto Rico's Forensic Scientist Institute tested the gown and make-up brush that Rivera claims were laced with pepper spray. But guess what? They found no pepper spray. Rivera said she broke out in hives and had to ice down her face and body during the contest.
A racially charged clash outside the home of a Texas man, accused of shooting two suspected burglars dead. One side says he's a murderer. The other said he's a hero. Hear what else they had to say.
And more than a million homeowners are now facing sky rocketing mortgage rates and possible foreclosure. The new plan to save their homes that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Rob Marciano off today. Jacqui Jeras at the CNN weather center tracking that extreme weather for us. You know, Jacqui, I know it snows every year in New York. But I was shocked to wake up to it on Sunday. So, what are we in for today?
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: A new flame in the works in Washington to save homeowners who are on the brink of foreclosure. The treasury secretary will address the issue today. The questions, though, would the plan work and are you eligible? AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence live in our Washington Bureau with the details on this. Good morning, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. You know, a lot of folks out there make some very serious compromises to get any deal done. But homeowners are at least hoping to get some more information today when the treasury secretary meets with those top mortgage lenders and home builders. Also today, we're hearing that Senator Hillary Clinton may go even further and ask the treasury secretary to stop all foreclosures on subprime mortgages for three months and put a freeze on those homeowners' interest rates for the next five years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: More than a million homeowners are asking the same questions as Ed Anderson. ED ANDERSON, FACING FORECLOSURE: Am I going to lose the home? Is it going into foreclosure?
LAWRENCE: He bought his home in suburban Maryland at the height of the housing boom in 2005. His mortgage payment was $2,200.
And what is it now?
ANDERSON: $3,400. It's unreal.
LAWRENCE: Where do you get that extra hundred?
ANDERSON: Again, I have to work as much overtime as I can.
LAWRENCE: It's not enough to make up that much money. Anderson's a few months behind and facing foreclosure. He got an interest-only adjustable rate mortgage at 6.6 percent. It's already shut up to 11 percent with the potential to soar past 13 percent. The Treasury Department has been organizing a coalition of lenders, investors and community groups to work on a freeze. A source familiar with the negotiations tells CNN, one of the plans being considered would allow qualified homeowners to keep paying their current interest rate if they can show they can't make higher payments. Leading Democrats are backing the plan.
SEN. CHRIS DODD, (D) CHAIRMAN, BANKING AND HOUSING COMMITTEE: This way, the homeowner can stay there, maintain at least some payments here without losing their home, going into foreclosure.
LAWRENCE: Now, investor would loose out on a lot of profit and critic say homeowners need to take responsibility for what they signed. As for Ed Anderson, a freeze could keep his rate from going any higher and maybe allow him to refinance closer to his original payment.
Could you save your home?
ANDERSON: Yes, definitely. That's what I initially was able to afford. But currently, it's just impossible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Anderson told me even working overtime, he needs about three weeks' salary to pay his monthly mortgage. That doesn't leave a lot of money leftover for food, bills, car payment, gas. You get the picture.
ROBERTS: Yes. Certainly not. A lot more people getting caught in this squeeze. Nothing finalized yet, Chris. But, if it is, who could possibly benefit from this plan?
LAWRENCE: Bring out, sort of the parameters that, as I understand, with their considerer, are the folks who took out these subprime mortgages back in 2005 and 2006, got in at a lower rate and now have been paying that rate on time, but are about to see that rate sky rocket. ROBERTS: All right, so people who actually have the money to make the payments, but may not be able to make them if they go higher?
LAWRENCE: Exactly.
ROBERTS: Chris Lawrence for us this morning from Washington. Chris, thanks.
Alina?
CHO: Thanks, John.
So much to do, so little time. Congress getting back to work today topping your "Political Ticker" this Monday. The agenda, around a dozen spending bills to keep the government running. Financing the wars and energy bills. Trying to get rid of that alternative minimum tax, plus a number of other pressing issues and there's only a couple of weeks until Christmas.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will deliver a major speech this week about his Mormon faith. That speech is called faith in America. It's widely believed; Romney decided to go ahead with the speech after polls showed former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee leading in Iowa. The speech is set for Thursday at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.
And on the Democratic side, with exactly one month to go until the Iowa caucuses, the latest, ongoing register poll shows Senator Barrack Obama is leading Senator Clinton in Iowa for the very first time. And you can find all the day's political news around the clock at cnn.com/ticker.
John?
ROBERTS: A new anti-terror measure tops your "Quick Hits" now. Starting this week, customs will check all ten fingerprints of visitors entering the U.S. from other countries. They used to check only two. The program begins at Washington Dallas International Airport. They hope to have it up and running at every U.S. airport by the end of next year.
Delays at New York City's airports drawing more fire today. The Air Traveler's Association wants to ban private jets from LaGuardia airport. The Consumer Group says thousands more people could be served if commercial jets had to take off in landing slots currently allotted to corporate jets. They also say, LaGuardia should only serve people coming into or flying out of New York, not passenger trying to connect to somewhere else.
Breaking news out of Sudan overnight for a British school teacher who allowed her student to name a teddy bear Muhammad. We'll hear from one of the men who helped to win her freedom.
And a wintry weather has made for a messy Monday morning for many of us. Veronica De La Cruz shows us the shots that our I-reporters have been sending in of the storm. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up now, nine minutes to the top of the hour. If you're just joining us, here's a look at what's making headlines this morning. Breaking news out of Sudan today. A British school teacher thrown in jail has receive a full presidential pardon. She allowed her 7-year-old students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." Over night, two British Muslim lawmakers secured Gillian Gibbons release in a meeting today with the Sudanese president. We'll have a live report of that coming up for you in the top of the hour.
Later on this morning, a funeral for Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor will be held. A funeral will take place in Miami at the 6,000 seat arena at Florida International University. The entire Redskins Team and many players from the NFL are expected to attend.
And the winter storm that has been blamed for killing 11 on the roads in the Midwest is slamming the northeast this morning. There could be a foot of snow in New England. The coating of ice in the New York City area. There are freezing rain and high wind advisories out, causing school closings and one rough commute for folks. The nasty weather is also having a ripple effect as you can imagine at airports across United States. Well, this weekend's snow storm was the first of the season for many of us. Surprised you, didn't it?
CHO: Sure did. I looked out my window and thought -- I know it snows, but it's still a shock to see that white stuff. Veronica De La Cruz has been keeping track of some of your I-reports this morning.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really doesn't come this early, does it?
CHO: Well, three day in the December. Yes, it is bit early.
DE LA CRUZ: Right. But it was nice, nevertheless. We want to get back to those messy roads out there, John. I think, you said, at least 11 people killed because of those traffic collisions. So, we wanted to show you some video that shows some of the harsh driving conditions along Interstate 90. Take a look at this. This was sent in by Greg Quarter (ph) who drives trucks for a living. And as you can see, his job made all the more difficult because of the weather. Greg was able to capture this pile-up on Interstate 90.
And a winter wonderland in Murray, Utah. This photo was sent in to us by Giovanni Sanchez (ph). He says, there's almost a foot of snow on the ground. I'm sure he is having fun shoveling today. Take a look at the trees. (INAUDIBLE) captured this photo of an ice storm in Omaha. He says, it is the first storm of the year. The ice is about a half an inch thick and the snow. Catching one student from overseas off guard.
It was the first time ever seen snow for Abdul Halal (ph). He says, he doesn't have snow shoes, he doesn't have snow gear and he really didn't expect all the snow to come so soon. So, good luck to you, Abdul. Also, meet Iya Moqua (ph), the 5-year-old chow enjoying the snow in Sanford, Michigan. This photo sent to us by Donna Murphy (ph). Too cute, right?
CHO: Looks like a big old cotton ball.
DE LA CRUZ: Let us know what the weather is looking like in your area by sending us an I-report. You can log on to cnn.com/i-report. Just like you, I called everybody I knew yesterday. I was so excited to see the snow in New York City. Its really nice.
CHO: I went to the drugstore and bought cold medicine.
DE LA CRUZ: Everybody else was buying cold medicine too. Oh, yeah. Winter is upon us.
ROBERTS: It's December. It's the north. It snows.
DE LA CRUZ: I know. But it was exciting to see. You know, it doesn't snow in Atlanta.
CHO: It's been so warm lately that, you know, it's a bit of a shocker.
ROBERTS: It could warm up again. Who knows.
CHO: All right. Thanks.
A move by "Tonight" show host Jay Leno tops your "Quick Hits" now. Leno will pay the salaries of about laid off from the show in the ongoing writers' strike on Friday. The workers were told there were no guarantees they would be rehired when that strike ends and production resumes. David Letterman and Conan O'Brien have already pledged to pay laid-off staffers.
And Brad Pitt is promising $5 million and better design to help the Lower Ninth Ward rebuild from Hurricane Katrina. We're talking about New Orleans, of course. Some ideas include home with his wider steps and some home that can even float. How about that? Pitt's project is called make it right and will oversee the building of 150 new affordable homes over the next two years.
Investigators looking into Friday's Amtrak crash in Chicago. Now, say a terrible mistake was made. We'll tell you what happened.
And changing Iowa's minds. What formula is Mike Huckabee using to move from way back in the pack to front-runner?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up now to a couple of minutes to the top of the hour. Fuel efficiency standards have not changed for a long, long time. But, that could be changing.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About 30 years. I mean, late on Friday evening, Congress actually reached an agreement to change fuel efficiency standards. Now, here is what it means. Right now, for a U.S. car maker, the fleet has to have average fuel efficiency of 25 miles per gallon. That means it could have any combination. But all the cars they manufactured together have to come up to 25 miles a gallon. Under this new agreement, the Congress has reached, 35 miles a gallon by 2020.
Now, by the way, just to give you a sense of how this compares to other countries, China already has 30 miles per gallon and is going up higher. Europe about 37 miles per gallon and in Japan, 45 miles per gallon. Because, you don't have those big gas guzzlers skewing the average. Now, what is this going to do for you? A couple of things. The Sierra Club says this, once enacted, by about 2020, once it's all the way up to 35 miles per gallon that could be a saving of $1.2 million barrels per day of fuel or $26.5 billion a year.
The question is whether drivers are going to do more -- they're going to drive less and save fuel because of that saving or they're going to do what Americans tend to do and say oh my gosh, it costs me so much less to drive around, I'm going to drive more.
ROBERTS: Yahoo, let's get in the car and drive.
VELSHI: So, it may not be a financial saving for everybody, but looks like that's where we're headed right now. New fuel efficiency standards.
ROBERTS: Always the way. As soon as the price of gas goes down --
VELSHI: Right. We start driving like nuts, buy bigger cars. Oh, well.
ROBERTS: Let's see if they can actually do it this time.
VELSHI: Yes. Well, it looks like its moving. Since Congress has agreed, this might actually happen.
ROBERTS: All right, Ali, thanks.
VELSHI: OK.
CHO: All right, Ali. Russia's President Vladimir Putin more powerful than ever this morning. Does he have a plan to run Russia for years to come? And he has gone from back of the pack to front- runner. What do we really know about Mike Huckabee? A closer look at his record and a live report from Iowa coming right up. The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
ROBERTS: Back from Iraq. Is he changing his tune?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly, some progress should be made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: One of the most outspoken war critics speaks out, one on one with Congressman Jack Murtha.
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