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American Morning
Detainees Rights: Case Goes to Supreme Court; Romney Fires Illegal Landscaper; Flu Thrives In Winter, Dennis Quaid Lawsuit Against Baxter
Aired December 05, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're also finding out a little bit more this hour about just what may have caused all of this. The fire chief says it appears at this point the driver of that tanker was speeding, lost control and then overturned.
Now, the fire broke out about 1:30 in the morning overnight. Imagine waking up to those flames. It quickly spread to three buildings and up to 40 cars. According to the Red Cross, more than 200 people are now taking shelter at the local armory. Many escaped in just their pajamas. There was a nursing home in the area as well. We're told that all 84 people there got out safely. Here's what some of the residents said as they were told to get up and get out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a big pop. At first, I thought it was a transformer, then I looked out the window and I saw all the brightness and I called it in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was shooting until someone was banging up the cars and I woke my husband up. I said "Get up. We got to get out of here."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Now, we are still waiting for one of the main roads in the area to reopen. So far traffic reports there are urging people to take alternative routes, though. Keep listening to the radio if you're waking in that area around Everett, Massachusetts, and heading to work. The good news as we talked about earlier, Kiran, there are no serious injuries to report. The driver of the tanker is fine, too. He or she escaped.
The fire chief says given all the circumstances, Kiran, as you have been saying all morning, it is just amazing that everyone got out OK, especially when you see those spectacular flames.
CHETRY: It really is. Alina, thanks.
CHO: You bet.
ROBERTS: Got that problem in Everett, Massachusetts. We're also following rescue efforts this morning in the pacific northwest. The heavy rains have stopped, but floods and mudslides are strandings residents across Washington State. This family being pulled out of the waters in Thurston County. National Guard troops also moving down streets looking for residents cut off by landslides there as all that mud came down off the hills.
New pictures coming in overnight from the Coast Guard of some dramatic air rescues. They say that people trapped on the roofs of their homes, including an elderly man and his dog in western Washington, had to be plucked off by helicopters. Search and rescue teams also scrambling to find people missing up in the mountains.
Many roads and highways in Oregon and Washington State still closed to traffic. A 20-mile stretch of Interstate five will remain closed until at least tomorrow. It's the major north/south route between Seattle and Portland. Emergency crew say there's up to three feet of standing water in some spots. As we said, the rain has tapered off. But just how bad was it?
Reynolds Wolf in for Rob Marciano, tracking the extreme weather. We had some incredible rain totals yesterday.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, that's really the truth. No question about it. Some of these numbers were just mind- boggling. Take a look at them. From top to bottom, they're very impressive.
From Lees Camp, Oregon, we had over a foot of rainfall. Same story in Bremerton, Washington. But Log Creek, Oregon, what's interesting about that number, John, as you look at that, 10.07, that fell in less than 24 hours. That's a record, and when you have that much rain that falls that quickly. It is bound to cause problems and that certainly was the case in the pacific northwest.
Right now, our focus is really starting to move towards parts of the Ohio Valley, where we have snow advisories in effect throughout much of the region south of the Great Lakes so that prevailing wind that's been coming from the north and northwest. We've been seeing some lake effect snowfall activity, especially in parts of Indiana, up near Chicago, also near South Bend, Indiana. Some places with snowfall totals up to five to six inches of snow, and we're expecting more of that to continue throughout the day.
We've already had accidents reported along parts of I-65. That's going to be a headache for you. Plus, in many airports around the region, especially in places like back in Dulles and Washington, even Reagan National, even back towards New York, there's no question we're going to be dealing with delays throughout much of the morning throughout the midday hours, and possibly that's going to carry on over into the evening as well.
So a very messy day for us weather-wise through much of the nation. John, that's the latest on the weather story. We've got lots to share with you throughout the morning, and we're going to do that coming up very soon. Back to you.
ROBERTS: Reynolds, by the time that snow gets over the blue ridge in the Appalachians, how much expected to drop east of there? WOLF: Still looking at about one to three inches of snowfall, but some places as always when it comes to snow will get a little bit more and a few places a little bit less.
ROBERTS: OK. Reynolds, thanks. We'll check back with you a little later on -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, President Bush is making plans to travel to the Mideast. Details of the trip not being released just yet, but Israeli television reporting President Bush will stop in Israel, and that would be his first stop there as president. The announcement comes after last week's peace conference in Annapolis, where Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to begin a fresh round of talks.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad weighing in on a new U.S. intelligence report on Iran's nuclear program calling it a "declaration of victory." That report concluded that Iran stopped working toward a nuclear bomb four years ago. President Bush says it's not an excuse to sit back. He says Iran is still a global threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iran was dangerous. Iran is dangerous, and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The intelligence estimates said Iran has left the door open to pursuing atomic weapons but is probably incapable of building a bomb before 2010.
Well, the Supreme Court gets a case today that are some calling the most important case or one of them to be heard since September 11th. At issue is whether foreign prisoners detained by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have a right to challenge their detentions before federal judges. CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie Mcintyre has been following the case and joins us now from the Supreme Court. Good morning, Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Kiran. You know, a lot of these Supreme Court cases are complicated, but this one is pretty straightforward. Everyone should get their day in court. But that does that apply to non-U.S. citizens held, that aren't held on U.S. soil? That's the question before the court this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): For one hour, the justices will hear arguments about whether foreign prisoners held in Guantanamo, some for as long as five years, are entitled to a fundamental right guaranteed to every American, habeas corpus, the right to petition for a relief against unlawful detention. Charles Swift is a former military attorney who vigorously defended a Yemeni man accused of being Osama bin Laden's bodyguard and driver.
CHARLES SWIFT, FORMER MILITARY DEFENSE ATTY.: They want to look their accusers in the face. They want to be able to say this is what I did. They want to have an opportunity to exonerate themselves.
MCINTYRE: But the Bush administration argues that the more than 300 detainees held in Guantanamo are enemy combatants whose rights are adequately protected by the Military Commissions Act passed by Congress last year.
DAVID RIVKIN, FMR. DEPT. OF JUSTICE LAWYER: Frankly, the detainees under MCE have more due process than any captured enemy combatant, lawful or unlawful ever had anywhere in history, including anywhere in which United States was a party.
MCINTYRE: But attorneys bringing the case before the Supreme Court say the fate of their clients lies in the hands of military officials in a process that does not allow prisoners to have their lawyers present or lay out their own evidence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: This case also has an interesting wrinkle. Originally, the justices said they wouldn't hear it. Then they changed their minds and they are hearing it. A lot of legal experts think that means they're unlikely to overturn the Military Commissions Act that sets out the rules for those Guantanamo prisoners -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Jamie Mcintyre live for us in Washington this morning, thanks.
ROBERTS: Seven minutes now after the hour. New this morning, the former teacher who had sex with a 14-year-old boy, in trouble again. Police in Florida say Debra Lafave was arrested for discussing her personal life with a teen waitress at her new job. That would violate the terms of her probation which said, no contact with minors. Last night, Lafave's former boss was on Nancy Grace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, BOSS OF DEBRA LAFAVE: think it's all a misunderstanding. Again, when you have fellow co-workers and you might be sitting around the table chatting. You know, we have a lot of employees here and they'll sit in the front and take turns, do their side duties and a lot of conversations are struck up at that time, but I've never witnessed any inappropriate behavior by Debbie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Lafave avoided going to prison back in 2005. Now she could go away for 15 years for this alleged violation.
And late breaking this morning. A dangerous microwave recall to tell you about. General Electric says they pose a fire hazard in the kitchen. The company is recalling 92,000 built-in combination wall and microwave ovens. They are sold under the brand names of GE, GE Profile and Kenmore. It says the door switch can overheat and possibly ignite.
GE says there have been 35 reports of minor property damage and one incident in which a fire spread to nearby kitchen cabinets. No injuries have been reported, though. Everything you need to know is posted on our Web site, CNN.com/AM. But I should point out, Kiran, I've been looking on the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site all morning and they don't yet have this posted. Don't know what's going on with that.
CHETRY: Yes. We're going to have to look into that a little bit more because it is confusing if you're trying to figure out what to do if you have that model.
All right. Well, there is a new study that's casting light on why the flu and winter seem to go hand in hand. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at our medical update desk in Atlanta.
You know, conventional wisdom, Sanjay, has always been, there you are, hi. It's always been -- oh, well, you know, if people are inside, I mean, enclosed spaces more so you just sort of pass it along. That's not the whole story, right?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not. And this is very interesting to me, Kiran, because you're right. You sort of hit on a couple of the prevailing theories for a long time as to why flu months are from November to March. Let me ask you something. Why is the flu so much more prevalent during these months? People did say it was because you're in more crowded conditions because it's cold outside and therefore, you stay inside more.
Well, that's true, but kids go to school all year-round. School kids are also a target as a possible culprit. People also said your immune system was just weaker in the winter months. They didn't get as much vitamin D. All of those things may play a role, but the bigger role seems to be that the flu virus itself likes certain conditions. It likes certain conditions that seem to be more common in the northern latitudes anyway in the winter months, specifically a temperature of around 41 degrees and about 20 percent humidity.
And pay attention to the weather guys as well. They can look for this sort of stuff but those sorts of conditions are ideal for that flu virus to be stable. They're ideal for that flu virus to actually transmit around. The lowest transmission, about 86 degrees out there and you saw there at the bottom of the screen. So this is sort of interesting information, actually, as to why the flu virus and the flu itself is so much more prevalent during the winter months.
CHETRY: You know, it's interesting because scientists and researchers have looked into these trends. But why did it sort of take so long? I guess, it seems to pinpoint, you know, what conditions flu viruses like. GUPTA: Well, I'll tell you. I think there's a couple of reasons for that. One is that the existing theory seemed pretty good. It seems pretty likely and in fact, people in crowded conditions are more likely to spread it around and it seemed like a good theory. But the thought was OK, so kids go to school, you know, during many months. Why isn't the flu common in May, when kids are also in school?
And they started to think about it. But the real clue sort of came actually looking at the flu pandemic of 1918, and they noticed that certain animals died at certain temperatures and certain degrees of humidity and they tried to recreate that model. So that's essentially what the researchers at Mount Sinai did. It was actually to look at guinea pig models to actually come up with this theory, but it's an important one. Again, you know, if you look at the southern latitudes, for example, below the equator, it's the exact opposite. Their flu season is in the summer months when it is cooler, when it is more of that cooler and lower humidity temperature.
CHETRY: Very interesting. Before you let you go, it's not too late to get a flu shot for this season, right?
GUPTA: It is not too -- absolutely not. In fact, even into January, although I suggest getting it earlier. It is still -- it remains the best way to sort of prevent the flu from spreading person to person.
CHETRY: Sanjay, good to see you, thanks.
GUPTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: John?
ROBERTS: Dennis Quaid's newborn twins were given doses of a blood thinner that was 1,000 times too strong. Now he's suing the drug maker, but not the hospital. We'll ask our legal analyst Sunny Hostin why.
And under fire over illegal immigration. Mitt Romney literally cleans house as opponents pour it on. The latest attack live from Iowa, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It's an amazing shot to show you on our "Quick Hits" now.
A fireball in San Angelo, Texas. State troopers and firefighters could only watch as that propane tank exploded. It was a truck that caught fire and exploded. Police say the blast killed the driver and was so strong that it shook homes 10 miles away.
An SUV in a sinkhole in the rain and flood-soaked northwest of the pacific. It was sent by I-Reporter Eileen Brook. This is from Silverdale, Washington. And there you see the picture of that SUV face just first into that sinkhole. She says that the two homes next to hers are completely flooded, and she is stuck because the roads to her home look like this.
And a possible burglary right in broad daylight. It was caught on tape by a neighbor. Check it out. This is Cutler Bay, Florida, where a man leaps out of a second story window and takes off when police showed up. The neighbor says that he picked up the camera when he saw him walk in an empty house after he called 911 and then he picked up his camera. You saw the guy walk in.
Police say nothing is missing, and the suspect is still on the run. Nice neighbor, help you out both ways.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: Call police and videotape the evidence.
ROBERTS: Got a pretty good image of that guy right there. Might be in trouble soon.
Sixteen minutes after the hour. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has fired a landscaping company over immigration concerns. The company that Romney hired to work at his home in Boston is accused of using illegal immigrants, but the landscaper says all his workers are in the United States legally. The issue came up during last weekend's CNN YouTube debate. Take a look at how it played out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When the Welfare Reform Act that President Clinton brought forward said that they were going to end the sanctuary policy of New York City, the mayor actually brought a suit to maintain its sanctuary city status.
RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's unfortunately, but Mitt, generally criticizes people in a situation in which he's had far the worst record. For example, in his case, there were six sanctuary cities. He did nothing about them. There was even a sanctuary mansion. At his own home, illegal immigrants were being employed. So I would say he had sanctuary mansion, not just sanctuary city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Our CNN's Dana Bash is live in Des Moines, Iowa for us this morning with a little more on this. You know, Dana, last Thursday I asked Mitt Romney if he knew in retrospect that his landscape company was employing illegal immigrants. He avoided a direct answer to the question. What suddenly prompted him to take the action he did yesterday?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He sure did avoid it, John. I remember that very well. Essentially what we're now learning is that a year ago when he found out about the fact that illegal immigrants were working at his house, he didn't fire the landscaping company. What we're told is that he had his son Tad (ph) go to the owner of the company who is a family friend of theirs and get assurances that they would no longer use illegal immigrants.
Well, what happened is that very morning that you were talking to Mitt Romney about this, the "Boston Globe" went to his home in Belmont, Massachusetts, and talked to two illegal immigrants who were working at his home. Now, when Romney was confronted with this information, he decided to go ahead and fire the company, and he released a statement late yesterday to that effect saying that he had now fired the landscaping company. So this is really a stunning egg on your face moment for Mitt Romney. There's no question about it, John, a potentially problematic for him on two fronts.
Number one is, of course, because of the issue of immigration. It is absolutely red hot in the Republican race especially here in Iowa. He's been trying to run against the whole concept of illegal immigration, of course, and also because it really hits a soft spot for Mitt Romney on the whole issue of flip-flopping and whether or not he's earnest in what he says -- John.
ROBERTS: Mike Huckabee also taking some hits there in Iowa, Dana, one over the release of this prisoner fellow named Wayne DuMond who went on to murder a young woman. But also, over this idea that some of his supporters, not necessarily tied to his campaign, were involved in push polling there in Iowa. It was fair. Remind our viewers what push polling is and how this whole controversy attaches itself to Huckabee.
BASH: Sure. What push polling is is the controversial tactic when voters get phone calls that sound like surveys but really push negative information. And this case, the negative information is about Mike Huckabee's rivals and these automated calls are giving positive information about Huckabee. Now, this is a pro-Huckabee outside group.
Mike Huckabee has said over and over here in Iowa, campaigning the last couple of days, that he wants them to stop. But the Romney campaign, they say they're not buying it. They say that he's feigning ignorance, and they're also asking the attorney general, John, here in Iowa to investigate whether a law was broken because they say that this is something that certainly should stop. And I can tell you just in talking to Iowa voters who have gotten some of these calls, they are really whirled by them, Huckabee supporters or non-Huckabee supporters. This is the kind of tactic that they say backfires and Mike Huckabee says he knows that.
ROBERTS: And as the race gets tighter and gets closer to the caucus day, I'm sure we're going to see a lot more of this charge and counter charge going on.
BASH: Yes, we will.
ROBERTS: Dana Bash for us this morning in Des Moines, Iowa. Dana, thanks very much. We'll see you again soon.
BASH: Thank you.
CHETRY: Well, the Barack Obama campaign is still trying to knock down persistent and false rumors about his religion. You may have seen e-mail circulating around the claim Obama is a Muslim and that he attended a Madrassa or religious school in Indonesia.
Rumors at CNN were able to confirm were false more than a year ago. Still, though, here's what our Chris Lawrence found when he talked to voters just this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have heard that he was a Muslim.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Would it surprise you to know there's actually a picture of him with his hand on a bible while he was being sworn in?
BILL SHOCKLEY, VOTER: Yes, it would be. I didn't see it. Yes. That would be a surprise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: CNN investigated the school. It found it was a public school, not a religious one. Chris will show us how Obama's campaign is working to show the truth about his religion, that he is a committed Christian.
It brings us to this morning's "Quick Vote." How much does a candidate or should a candidate's religion matter? And how much does it matter to you?
Cast your vote CNN.com/AM. Right now, 34 percent of you say it matters a lot, 15 percent say a little bit, and 51 percent saying not at all.
Well, we want to show you a live look now. This is President Bush leaving the White House. He is getting ready to head to Omaha, Nebraska. He's going to be visiting a health center there, trying to highlight efforts to promote community health.
He is also going to be attending a fund-raiser for Mike Johannes. That's his former Agriculture secretary who's now seeking a Senate seat. So even though he's going to be going to the border, the border state of Iowa, he's not stopping in Ohio. Everyone else is campaigning in Iowa, but the president is going to be in Omaha.
ROBERTS: Look at that snow coming down there.
CHETRY: How about it?
ROBERTS: Yes. My goodness. It's going to be an interesting day in Washington. Maybe a snow day for the kids tomorrow, we'll see.
A lawsuit over a massive blood thinner overdose given to the newborn twins of actor Dennis Quaid. The hospital made the mistake, so why is the drug maker being sued? Our legal analyst Sunny Hostin will tell us why. Next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife are now suing the makers of a blood thinning drug, heparin, after their newborn twins were given a massive overdose. The babies were mistakingly given doses of heparin that were 1,000 times too strong.
Here's a look. On the left is the 10,000 milligram dose and on the -- milliliter dose, rather. And on the right is the 10 milliliter dose. This isn't the first time this has happened either. The Quaids are now suing the drug maker Baxter Health Care but not the hospital that admitted they made that mistake.
AMERICAN MORNING legal analyst Sunny Hostin joins us now with more on this. So, the interesting thing is the decision to go after the drug maker?
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING LEGAL ANALYST: Yes.
CHETRY: Not the hospital. Even though they said that they inadvertently gave the wrong dose.
HOSTIN: Exactly. And it was interesting because with medical malpractice cases, typically it's about money. It's typically about injuries. And in this case, we know that the twins were injured and we know that the hospital admitted liability or admitted fault, but they did not sue. And I think it's because this case is not about money. This case is about the safety of other children.
They've only sued Baxter for $50,000. Clearly, Dennis Quaid and his wife, they don't need that amount of money. But what they want to do is make sure that this doesn't happen again because as you said, Kiran, this has happened many times before. Three premature infants died because of this exact same mistake, and then other children were overdosed but made it through.
And so, this is something that Baxter was on notice of. They sent a letter out about it, but the Quaids are saying that that is not enough, and I think that's probably accurate.
CHETRY: Let's show you the two bottles again because you talked, again, about the fact this is not the first time it's happened.
HOSTIN: Right.
CHETRY: And also they're saying, look, we just -- we're suing because not to get monetary damages, not to put a huge dent in your company but we want you to change its packaging.
HOSTIN: Exactly. And I have the complaint in front of me. What's very interesting is that they're saying they were negligent. They were put on notice, and they failed to recall the vials. And we know that we've seen toy recalls, all sorts of recalls. They should have done that. They failed to repackage. It would have been a simple repackaging.
They also designed and marketed everything, and they knew that it could lead to fatal medication errors. And they're also saying that they failed to issue an urgent warning. I've read the letter that they sent. It's not enough, I think, legally. And so, that's what the Quaids are trying to do, make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else and that's very admirable.
CHETRY: Wow. And they're lucky their kids made it through OK. They did survive that scary situation.
HOSTIN: Absolutely.
CHETRY: Sunny, thank you.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes now after the hour. Ali Velshi here "Minding Your Business" this morning. Consumers getting hit in the pocketbook by higher fuel costs, airlines as well, and they're trying to save some money.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, we've just seen a year where the airlines have actually done fairly well in terms of making some money. Air fares we've seen being pretty competitive. Now we're hearing from the airlines that because fuel -- you know, fuel and labor are their biggest costs. They're going to pull back on some of their costs because gas is costing too much. Jet fuel is costing too much.
Delta outlined some specifics that they're going to undertake. They're going to cancel some flights and stop flying certain particular aircraft just to try and save some fuel. There'll be a hiring freeze at Delta, on everybody who is not customer facing. So sort of only back office behind the scenes jobs will have a hiring freeze.
There'll be more self-serve kiosk options in order to try and get people to use services that don't require interaction, and they're going to try and push more people to online sales with incentives and sort of reductions to do that. Now, this is obviously just a micro chasm of what you're going to see across the board from the airlines as they try and cut costs because of higher fuel costs.
ROBERTS: Do you have any idea how much money they can save as a result of this?
VELSHI: No. We're still trying to get a handle on how much they can save because there's a combination of how much they can save from the people that they don't hire and where fuel goes because they're not hedging on it. So, we don't know exactly what the numbers are. The bigger deal right now is this 2,000, they're going to see more airline consolidation deals between airlines?
ROBERTS: Oh, we'll see if that happens. Ali, as always, thanks.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: Well, still ahead. Sounding the alarm on baby formula. Why one consumer group says you could be putting your infant at risk. Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a warning. He's going to break it down for us. We'll also have the top stories of the morning when we come right back.
ROBERTS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING. As election season heats up, so do the campaign rumors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a Muslim. He didn't believe in God and the pledge of allegiance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: How candidate rumors quickly spread and take on a life of their own. But who starts them, and how damaging can they be?
We sent Chris Lawrence to South Carolina to find out. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: Wow, beautiful shot this morning coming to us from WSVN of Miami, Florida. How pretty is that? 62 degrees, set to be nice and sunny today, 81 degrees and pure sunshine. That's got to be the place to be on this Wednesday, December 5th, where it's cold in many parts of the northeast and of course as we know in the northwest a lot of problems this morning with a big storm.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: For some people, this is the best time of year for Miami as well, sort of December through February.
CHETRY: That's right.
ROBERTS: A nice cool temperatures, clear skies, the humidity is down.
CHETRY: How about it? Well, welcome. Great to see you this morning. I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: And good morning. I'm John Roberts. This just in to the AMERICAN MORNING newsroom, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is "somewhat vindicated by the new U.S. intelligence report." That report says Iran stopped developing the nuclear weapons program four years ago.
Mohammed Elbaradei who is the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says, has said for a long time that he doesn't believe there's any evidence that Iran had a nuclear program asking the United States to back off on its heated rhetoric until he can work out some sort of deal for monitoring of that program. So, he must feel somewhat vindicated as well himself today. He said the door is open the door for Iran to resume nuclear activity but probably it could not have the capability to build a bomb before the year 2010 at the earliest, maybe 2015 at the outside. We're also following breaking news this morning outside of Boston where a tanker truck exploded sending flames through a neighborhood. At least two nearby homes and dozens of cars burned in Everett, Massachusetts. Now we're learning that the driver may have been traveling too fast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE COAN, EVERETT, MA. FIRE MARSHALL: We do have a witness who indicated that the truck was traveling at an excessive rate of speed. So we're looking at speed as a factor in this crash.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Amazingly, no serious injuries were reported, not even the driver. More than 200 people were evacuated to a nearby shelter. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, a teenager has been identified as the alleged killer of NFL star Sean Taylor. Police say 17-year-old Eric Rivera fired the shot that killed the Washington Redskins safety. Rivera and three other suspects have been indicted on murder and burglary charges. Police say the four were trying to rob Taylor's home when he was shot.
Seeing the troop surge up close. The Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Iraq to meet with military commanders. The (inaudible) his visit is his sixth trip there in the past year. He plans to talk to General David Petraeus, the top military commander in Iraq and also meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki.
ROBETS: Coming up to 34 minutes after the hour now, for months the presidential candidates have been on the campaign trail, trying to get their messages across and giving voters a chance to get to know them but Barack Obama's campaign has been on constant rumor control, trying to clear up reports that CNN found to be false more than a year ago. AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence is live in Charleston, South Carolina. Chris, what did you find?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you know, CNN and other fact checkers thoroughly investigated these rumors and completely dismissed them but in the places where it matters most, like right here in South Carolina, a lot of people still don't know the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Four weeks from the first primary and false rumors are still circulating about Senator Barack Obama.
HELEN MOWRY, VOTER: I have heard that he was a Muslim.
LAWRENCE: Would e-mail still getting passed around claims Obama attended an Islamic school in Indonesia with "radical teaching." He did move there for a few years with his mother but he was six year old. And CNN went to the school and found a mixed group of boys and girls and teachers in western style clothes. Obama never prayed as a Muslim.
REV. JOSEPH LOWERY, OBAMA SUPPORTER: Anybody who's spreading that rumor is wasting his time.
LAWRENCE: On Tuesday, ministers rallied support in South Carolina.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hallelujah!
LAWRENCE: And the campaign is emphasizing Obama's life as a committed Christian. In the Iowa office, staffers keep a letter attesting to his faith, signed by multiple ministers. It refutes rumors like Obama took his senate oath of office with a Koran, even though a photo proves it's the bible. Would it surprise you to know there's actually a picture of him with his hand on a bible while he was being sworn in?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it would be. I didn't see it. That would be a surprise.
LAWRENCE: Supporters are worried that some voters still don't know the truth.
MIKE TORGERSON, OBAMA SUPPORTER: The people that in the early primaries, they have a bigger responsibility.
LAWRENCE: Mike Forgerson is an Obama supporter from Washington which votes after 29 other states. Forgerson says that false rumors costed votes early on, Obama could be too far behind by the time he casts a ballot.
FORGERSON: It bothers me about the election. By the time we get to vote we won't have a real choice because of some narrow-minded, you know, rumor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Yes, it may not be fair, but some of the earlier primaries and caucuses that go earlier will carry a little bit more weight and faith is very, very important to a lot of voters here in South Carolina, and South Carolina is very important to Senator Obama's chances of winning the nomination. John.
ROBERTS: Tremendously important, Chris. So, we went out and we investigated these allegations that he attended a Madrassa and prayed as a Muslim. Supporters are out there trying to set the record straight. What is the Obama campaign doing on that front?
LAWRENCE: Well, one of the things that they're doing is, this is some of the literature that's going around Oklahoma, it's called Barack Obama, answering the call. It shows the candidate in a very thoughtful prayer mood, inside the pamphlet a lot of pictures of him at different churches, slogans like "called to serve" "committed Christian." And I spoke with a senior staffer at the Obama campaign last night. He said this is not in response to some of these rumors that is going around but something that they just want to remind voters of to keep in consideration as they cast a ballot.
ROBERTS: And of course it's not about the rumors. All right. Chris Lawrence for us this morning in Charleston, South Carolina. Chris, thanks very much. Of course tomorrow is the day that Mitt Romney is going to make his big speech on faith, trying to explain his Mormon faith a little more. It brings us to this morning's quick vote. How much does the candidate's religion matter to you? Cast your vote at cnn.com/am. Right now, 29% say it matters a lot, 20% say it matters a little bit, 51%, the majority, doesn't matter at all. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, who needs a paper ticket when you have your cell phone? They're trying something new at One Airport, maybe it will speed the lines up. How does it work and is it secure? We'll show you, just ahead.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, baby formula fears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Concerns range from breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, early puberty and infertility.
CHETRY: New worries about chemicals found in baby formula. Is it an overreaction from environmentalists or something parents need to take seriously? Dr. Sanjay Gupta sorts it out, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 41 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the most news in the morning here on CNN. Your "Quick Hits" now, sunrise after a snowstorm. A look over Lake superior in Minnesota, i-reporter Steven Hoaglund sent it in. As much as ten inches of snow have fallen in parts of the state this week. And take a look at this, snowdrifts six or seven feet high behind a jewelry store in the same area. This is around Grand Morey. There were reports that plowers were even stalling on the roads because it was so deep.
And take a look at this - a styling pug. Meet Dakota, a 2-year- old pup who knows how to stay warm, look good at the same time. It's quite an outfit. Out for a walk in Edmonton, Alberta up in Canada in a (inaudible) coat and the boots to match.
Rob Marciano off today, and Reynolds Wolf at the CNN weather center tracking extreme weather in the Midwest now. Is this the storm that was in the pacific northwest, and moving across the center of the country?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Great question. Actually two different storms all together. This one is associated with that clipper system that's been coming on through. Look at the results, goodness gracious, Duluth, Minnesota, over a foot of snowfall. Still the snow continues to pile up in places like Chicago. Right now, 4.4 inches. In Minneapolis, we have just over three but again as I mentioned this is a work in progress. We'll see more added on to these totals through the mid morning hours into the afternoon and perhaps into the evening as well. We already have those advisories scattered throughout much of the Ohio valley, south of the great lakes and as we put everything into motion you can see the snow, kind of hard to miss, isn't it. Man, it's already causing all kinds of travel problems especially in parts of Indiana.
Along i-65, we had a few accidents there and northward into Chicago, we have some places in the western suburbs with snow totals over seven inches and that as I mentioned is going to keep going which is going to cause all kinds of issues along the (inaudible) expressway, no doubt this morning.
The clipper system is expected to make its way as little bit more to the east as it does so, anywhere from Pittsburgh, you can expect two to four inches of snow, Baltimore, anywhere from two to three. Washington D.C. along the banks of the Potomac River, I'd look for anywhere between two to three but you may see isolated amounts as much as four and no question that's going to cause al kinds of headaches for people. Ladies and gentlemen, winter is here and with it some delays could be anticipated in many of the airports. In fact in New York look for about an hour delay, at least in many spots as you make your way through the midday hours and the afternoon.
Back towards Toronto and even Pittsburgh, about a 15 to 30-minute delay. Chicago, as you can imagine, out of midway and O'Hare You're going to be waiting for a bit but in St. Louis it does not look that bad, same story in for you in Kansas City and meanwhile in the southeast, things remain dry. Wish we could get some precipitation from the system rolling on through but no such luck and no big travel issues. That's a look at your forecast. Let's send it back to you in New York.
ROBERTS: Reynolds, I know one young woman in Washington who is going to be going to bed tonight with her pajamas on inside out hoping for a snow day tomorrow. Is she going to get it?
WOLF: You know, I don't think it's going to amount to a whole lot. But again, we'll get a two to three inches of snowfall in the nation's capital. They do such a great job with the snow removal, same story in northern Virginia. I would keep the books handy.
ROBERTS: All right. Reynolds, she'll be disappointed but thanks. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, an important warning for parents this morning, the same group that warned the u.s. or warned us about the chemical bisphenol-a in plastic bottles has given CNN a first look at it's new report on this chemical, bisphenol layer BPA in baby formula. CNN's chief medical correspondent: Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been looking into this about whether it really is a big concern or whether this has been overblown a little bit.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this particular group, Kiran, has basically top baby formula makers admitting that there is BPA, trace amounts but in their cans. That same group is saying even in small amounts BPA can be a problem. The FDA denies that. So is this sort of an overreaction from this environmental group or something to be taken seriously? You decide.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
GUPTA (voice-over): New mom Helen Niblock wanted to breastfeed 5-week-old Emma but didn't produce enough milk.
HELEN NIBLOCK: I actually cried when they told me they had to give her formula in the hospital.
GUPTA: To supplement Emma's diet she feeds her Enfamil, just one of the canned baby formulas that research group claims contains a toxic chemical. That could hurt her. It's bisphenol A or BPA. It's used as a protective lining in cans. the group informs. Some moms panicked when they learned that it's in plastic baby bottles. Now, the environmental working group says top baby formula makers acknowledge BPA is in their cans and that environmental working group says even a little bit is harmful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bisphenol-A is linked to toxic effects at very low doses. Concerns range from breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, early puberty and infertility.
GUPTA: Also, fueling concern findings, just published from a federal panel say that BPA poses some risk to babies' brains and behavior. Findings the American Academy of Pediatrics takes seriously but admits there's not enough information yet to take action.
We don't have any data unfortunately in humans so it makes it a little bit hard to know what's worrisome and what's not.
GUPTA: You know, the FDA insists infants would have to ingest over 7,000 times more formula than they do in a day to do any harm, and adds there's no reason to ban or restrict its use in baby formula cans. Mead Johnson, maker of Enfamil joins the nations other top baby formula makers in acknowledging a trace amount of BPA in theirs can, within federal limits but say their products are safe. The industry maintains no changes in feeding practices are recommended. New moms may not have answers, but they do have alternatives, powdered formula or formula not packaged in cans and glass or BPA-free plastic baby bottles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's an easy, cheap way to limit or reduce the exposure in your child's life, why not do it?
GUPTA: There's one thing missing from all of this, as you may have seen that, Kiran, that is actual human studies. A lot of the studies they were talking about were obviously animal studies. Helen told us there's been a lot of product scares out there over the last summer and the last several months but this is one that she's going to take seriously as a new mom. Kiran.
CHETRY: You know, and it is interesting, as you figure out like where do you draw the line, because in some of the actual baby bottles that you see this formula being poured into, they also contain small amounts of the BPA, correct? It seems like it's everywhere.
GUPTA: Yes. And yeah that's one of the points they made as well, some of the plastic bottles, you know, if you're concerned about you switch to the glass bottles. It's a good point and it's confusing, and we both have small children. One of the things that they also asked about, regarding teenagers and adults, that did not seem a problem. Babies, their developing brains, their developing brains bodies, are they somehow more susceptible to this? I don't think the answer's there yet and here is the other thing, Kiran, it may take ten years or so for the answer to start coming back, you know, as the data develops.
CHETRY: So yesterday, we said honey instead of cold medicine for your coughs, grandma was right. Now grandma used glass bottles and we're probably coming back to that, too. So, you know, with all of the advances we make.
GUPTA: A lot smarter than we think.
CHETRY: Right. We go back to, you know, what they used to do back in the old days.
GUPTA: I always thought my mom was pretty smart, though.
CHETRY: Me, too. Sanjay, thanks, great report.
GUPTA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Cloth diapers right around the corner.
CHETRY: Oh, no. Don't say it!
ROBERTS: Your cell phone could soon replace your boarding pass at the airport. Our Veronica de la Cruz breaks down a new program for us, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Nine minutes now to the top of the hour. Welcome back to the most news in the morning. And if you're just joining us, here's a look at what's making headline this is morning. Flames spreading through a neighborhood after a tanker truck exploded outside of Boston. Two homes and dozens of cars reportedly went up in flames. 200 people, including several elderly residents, were `evacuated. Now, crews are racing to reopen the road by the peak of rush hour.
The fire marshall says witnesses saw the driver speeding. We'll have a live report for you and update at the top of the hour.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Iraq to meet with military commanders. The unannounced visit is his sixth trip there in just the past year. He plans to talk with General David Petraeus, the top military commander in Iraq and also meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki.
And President Bush heading to the Mideast next month. Israeli television reports the president will visit Israel. It will be his first trip there as president. News of the planned visit comes a week after the Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, where Israelis and Palestinians agreed to re-open peace talks.
CHETRY: All right. Well, forget your boarding pass if you're getting on a plane. You may only need to reach for your cell phone or Blackberry.
ROBERTS: Wouldn't that be interesting. Our Veronica de la Cruz has that story and more in this morning's "Tech Hits." Good morning.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ: Hey guys. Good morning to you. Pretty cool program to tell you about. Continental Airlines in Houston testing out a pilot program that could roll out nationwide. Instead of paper boarding passes, passengers show a bar code sent from the airline to their cell phone or PDA. When scanned the two-dimensional bar code lists the passenger's name and flight information but you still need to show your photo I.D. A TSA officials say that they're hoping to cut down on fraudulent paper boarding passes by doing this and maybe save a little extra time as well. Right?
CHETRY: You don't have to worry about printing anything out.
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly.
CHETRY: You don't have to check-in at the kiosk either?
DE LA CRUZ: You know, honestly I'm not going to speak to that because I don't know, but I don't know. We'll see if it rolls out nationwide.
CHETRY: If it makes things easier.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
ROBERTS: Anything that can get you through the airport quicker.
CHETRY: I know.
DE LA CRUZ: Maybe one of your new year's revolutions, guys, maybe to help save the earth, see more green.
CHETRY: Yes, I'm only lighting seven candles.
DE LA CRUZ: I didn't know you're Jewish.
CHETRY: No, I'm not but we did that story. Well, you had to tell us about it yesterday.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
CHETRY: They wanted this big pitch will be only to light seven candles not eight. Go figure. At least, I'll jet cross the world.
DE LA CRUZ: Here's something else you can do. If you're traveling for the new year, now you can make your holidays green by riding a Hybrid. Orbits and cheaptickets.com are partnering up with Budget and Avis to provide hybrid car rentals. Your car choices will include the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape hybrid. And they're going to be available at most locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Finally, guys, you want to make it a blockbuster night or maybe a, cue up the next movie on your Netflix list. You know, according to several type logs, a good majority of you out there are turning to Netflix. Analyst confirmed compete reports that Netflix has seen four times the number of users that blockbuster.com has. And since January both Netflix, web traffic has steadily climbed while blockbusters dropped off. But there's more competition coming because of Apple Itunes now. They're going to start offering movies as well to download. Something you guys do at all?
ROBERTS: I've never downloaded a movie but I am a Netflix customer.
DE LA CRUZ: Are you, Kiran?
CHETRY: No, I don't do any of that.
DE LA CRUZ: No.
CHETRY: I don't either. Good old fashion TV on demand stuff at home.
ROBERTS: Who has time to watch a movie anyway, seriously.
CHETRY: Thanks, Veronica.
Well, Dads who look like mom, actually some of these guys do not but you know what? They say a guy will do anything for his daughter. How about this, dressing up in wigs and going through a series of humiliating relay events to get their daughters Hannah Montana tickets.
ROBERTS: Coming up on American Morning state of emergency, high-powered storms and howling winds slam into the northwest, leaving five people dead, thousands without power and hundreds homeless. Is there relief in sight? Find out ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Still not convinced that tickets to Hannah Montana concert are insanely valuable? Take a look at this one. Men in drag for their daughters. It was all part of a radio station promotion in Detroit. Fathers were hoping to get their hands on the coveted tickets. The dancing was all just a warm-up for the real competition. It was a drag race. Get it, a drag race. The winner, we assume, will be handing over the tickets to his daughter. That's so sweet. Your daughter's past the Hannah Montana craze but would you do it for her?
ROBERTS: Way, way, way past it. I would have bought her the CD, the DVD. I would have done a lot of things, but I think I would have drawn the line there. CHETRY: I think you would have payed $3,000 for a ticket not to have to dress like that.
ROBERTS: I don't think I would have done that either but oh, well, thank goodness she never asked for tickets. That's all I can say. Thanks.
Doctors say that fitness is a major factor in staying healthy. Why fit and fat beats lean and lazy in the long run. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a new research on the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Air rescue. They're completely surrounded by water with no ability to get in and out. The Coast Guard scopes in to save those trapped by a deadly storm.
Free wheeling fire -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to the windows where everything is up in flames.
A tanker truck explodes and a fireball rolls through the neighborhood.
Plus, losing her crown. Was it a simple counting mistake or something more sinister? The dethroned Miss California joins us live on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Wait till you hear what she has to say about it. Wednesday, December 5th. And thanks very much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm John Roberts.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry.
And we begin with breaking news, we're hearing from the International Atomic Energy Agency. That's the world's nuclear watchdog group.
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