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American Morning
Latest Developments in Colorado Shootings; Deadly Ice Storm Affecting Millions of Americans; Gas Prices Down, Stock Market Up; Former Vice President Al Gore Receiving His Nobel Peace Prize
Aired December 10, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get you up-to-date right now in the latest developments in the Colorado shootings. Overnight, police executed a search warrant at a home in Englewood, Colorado. Police say there is reason to believe the two shootings may have been connected. Also, a fourth victim died overnight. The first shooting happen in Arvada. That's the suburb northwest of Denver. The second, several hours later, at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs about 80 miles to the south.
The first shooting happens just after midnight on Sunday at youth with a mission in Arvada. A man wearing a black jacket asked if he could spend the night at the mission. When he was told no, he shot two employees dead. About two hours later in Colorado Springs, about 7,000 people had just attended a church service, when a man dressed in black opened fire there. A security guard shot and killed him. Our Ed Lavandera joins us now from Colorado Springs with the very latest. Good morning, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John. Well, we understand that investigators were probably working throughout the night to try to figure out if these two shootings, in quite a distance apart, are in any way related. The latest shooting here, happening yesterday afternoon, as you mentioned, at the New Life Church here in Colorado Springs. After services had wrapped up, a gunman appeared here at the church shootings at some people in the car just before entering the sanctuary of the church here. Now, witnesses at both shooting locations describe a similar gunman in terms of looks and in what they were wearing. So, that was one indication as to why some people think these shootings might be related.
But the gunman, police say, used two different guns. A handgun in the Arvada shooting and a rifle here in Colorado Springs. So, needless to say, investigators say they still have a lot of work to be done here, and they're looking for more information.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF RICHARD MYERS, COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE: We are working directly with the Arvada Police Department to explore if there is any possible link to the incident that they had. Colorado Springs police are requesting that any witnesses to this incident, who are here today, that have not already directly been interviewed by an investigator to please contact us.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LAVANDERA: So, John, at this point, the most investigators are saying is that these shootings may be related. There's reason to believe that they are, but we are anticipating to hear from them here in the coming hours. Authorities here in Colorado Springs have a news conference scheduled for 9:00 a.m. mountain time, 11:00 eastern.
John?
ROBERTS: All right. We'll also see at that time, Ed, whether they name the deceased shooter as well. Ed Lavandera for us in Colorado Springs this morning. Ed, thanks.
Veronica?
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: We're also staying on top of extreme weather this morning. A deadly ice storm affecting millions of Americans from the southern plains to the great lakes. And a second blast, now on the way. At least six traffic deaths reported on the streets and highways of Oklahoma. Emergency crews working overnight to clear two sections of I-40. The interstate, so slick and treacherous, it had to be closed temporarily. Forecasters say ice storm warnings are in effect for the next couple of days.
It's not just that. Power outages are also another problem. More than 130,000 homes across four states still without electricity this morning. Thick ice knocking down power lines. Parts of Missouri reporting ice almost an inch thick in some places. And that state's governor has declared a state of emergency. You know, ice on the ground means trouble in the air. Chicago's O'Hare Airport canceling more than 400 flights, and that's leading to a domino effect of delays across the country. Airports in Kansas City and St. Louis are having the same problems. Jacqui Jeras is standing by now at our weather update desk. She is tracking extreme weather for us. There is a lot of extreme weather this morning, Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: All right, thanks very much. New this morning, thousands of people are fighting South Korea's worst ever oil spill today. Oily sludge was found 31 miles of beach so far. In an area that depends on fishing and tourism. More than 2.5 million gallons of oil leaked from a tanker on Friday when it was hit by a drifting barge.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wants an independent prosecutor, not the attorney general, to investigate the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes. Biden says Attorney General Michael Mukasey should not be involved because during his confirmation hearings, he couldn't say if waterboarding constituted torture. The destroyed tapes include hundreds of hours of interrogations of two top al Qaeda members back in 2002. CIA director Michael Hayden will face questions about those tapes before a senate committee that will be tomorrow.
A wave of attacks this morning in Baghdad. One day after Iraq's defense minister promised a crackdown on an insurgent stronghold. Mortar slammed into a prison killing seven inmates. Rockets hit an oil refinery, setting it on fire. Three civilians were wounded by mortars in central Baghdad. There was also a drive-by shooting and a roadside bomb attack. It all happened around 8:00 local time this morning.
And Britain is getting ready to hand over control of Basra to the Iraqis in an unannounced visit to Iraq. Prime minister Gordon Brown told British troops, the hand over would happen in the next two weeks. After the U.S., Britain has the second largest contingent in Iraq about 5,000 troops. Britain plans to pull out half of them by next spring.
Veronica?
DE LA CRUZ: Border security was the main topic of discussion at the GOP's debate last night on Univision. Candidates toned down their anti-illegal immigration talk. Arizona Senator John McCain had warned in the past that strong immigration talk would drive away Hispanic voters. Mccain is the only Republican candidate who favors creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
And for the second time in two weeks, a Hillary Clinton campaign volunteer is forced to quit after forwarding a hoax e-mail about Barack Obama. The Iowa staffer passed along the note, calling Obama a Muslim, intent on destroying the United States. Obama is a Christian, and CNN has proved other allegations about his religious past to be false. Last week, another volunteer was forced to quit after forwarding the same e-mail. She says she did it to prove how dirty the race has become.
John?
ROBERTS: Six minutes after the hour now. And Ali Velshi has been in a kind of a good news mood all morning. Gas prices down, stock market up. And tomorrow, all eyes on the Fed to see what Ben Bernanke is going to do. What do we expect?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm passing the good news on to them, so that they can think about the economy. Let me tell you what the markets did last week. It was a strong week for all of the major indexes. The Dow was up 1.9 percent, the NASDAQ 1.7 percent, and the S&P, which probably resembles more of your 401-Ks, up 1.6 percent. How is it looking for the year? Well, just a couple of weeks ago, we thought your earnings, your winnings for the year had been wiped out. But they haven't. Look at that. The Dow is up almost 9.3 percent, the NASDAQ better than that. And the S&P, a little weaker, but still up about 6 percent. That's all going to be in the mix tomorrow, when the fed will decide in the afternoon whether they're cutting rates or not for the third time this year. We'll stay on that story. But I've managed to stay on good news all morning.
John?
ROBERTS: We like it when you've got good news, Ali. Although, if there's too much good news, perhaps, that will dissuade the fed from cutting interest rates, then we'll be back in the bad news. VELSHI: Absolutely correct. You're right.
ROBERTS: All right. Ali, thanks very much. We'll check back with you a little bit later on. And its eight minutes after the hour, rather. We want to go back to Oslo, Norway, where Al Gore is about to give his speech, accepting his Nobel Peace Prize. His work on global climate change. Of course, the documentary in "An Inconvenient Truth" based on his series of lectures and starring Al Gore, won him an academy award. And now, the vice president being honored by the Nobel committee with the Peace Prize for his work on global climate change.
We just heard the representative from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on climate affairs. He gave his speech. And it looks like we're going to have a little musical interlude here before hearing from Al Gore. So, I'll tell you what. We'll cut away from that. We'll keep monitoring the situation. We want to bring you the most news in the morning here. So for now, let's go back over to Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Thanks, John.
Obama leaned on Oprah over the weekend, using some star power to reach out to new voters. Obama and talk show host Oprah Winfrey hit the first three voting states over the weekend, Iowa, South Carolina, and then New Hampshire. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux joins us from one of those stops. She is in Columbia, South Carolina. And she joins us now. Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Veronica. We'll you could call it Oprahloosa or Obamania. Really, the excitement was contagious here in South Carolina, about 29,000 people who gathered, that was a record number for any rally for Barack Obama. Oprah obviously throwing all of her star power behind him. Essentially taking on the really controversial, the big issue here, of course, and that is the fight with Senator Hillary Clinton over experience.
It was Oprah who said this weekend that she really didn't think experience in Washington mattered all that much, that she said it was Barack Obama who inspired her for the first time to go out on a limb and essentially endorse what could be for the presidential candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: I believe that Barack Obama will lead with a sense of strength and conviction, with honor and compassion. I've never done this before. But this is what I also know. If you keep on doing the same thing, the same way, all the time, you get the same results.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, Veronica, really, her star power comes from the fact that she speaks to 9 million viewers a day. 75 percent of them are women. The big question whether or not that's going to translate into votes for Barack Obama. Now, even Oprah joked that she wasn't giving away TVs or refrigerators, as she does in her show. But she was giving away some from free advice, and that was to take a listen to Barack Obama. Many people of the people who I spoke with over the weekend did just that. But some of them, Veronica, said they're not quite ready to commit to voting for him just quite yet.
Veronica?
DE LA CRUZ: Hey, Suzanne, I understand, that also were able to break some sort of a world record yesterday?
MALVEAUX: That's right. It's kind of interesting. Actually, what happened was each one of those people who walked into the stadium, they gave them a little sheet of paper with four names, and four telephone numbers and they had all of them at the same time, pick up their cell phones and call to see if they were Obama supporters and try to convince them to support Obama. And the world record was 15,000 simultaneous calls made. They even had a guy from the Guinness World Book of Records that was there to make sure that it was all legitimate. They beat that number and, so yes, they broke a world record. It was also an interesting campaign tool to try to get more support for their candidate.
DE LA CRUZ: Very smart, 15,000. We will see if that translates into votes now. Suzanne Malveaux, we appreciate it. Thanks.
And the arrival of Oprah in the campaign trail brings us to our quick vote this morning. Will celebrity endorsements make a difference in how you vote? You can cast your vote right now, cnn.com/am is the place. Right now, 9 percent of you are saying yes and 91 percent of you are saying no.
John?
ROBERTS: Oh-oh for Obama.
Thousands of people are looking for help. Flooding the phone lines at the president's new subprime hotline. But are homeowners getting any relief? We'll have a closer look at the plan and whether it's what you need, coming up.
And monitoring developments in Oslo here. Former Vice President Al Gore receiving his Nobel Peace Prize there. About to give his acceptance speech in just a couple of minutes. A musical interlude under way right now. But we're monitoring it. We'll jump back in just a second that's over and bring you that speech. You're watching the most news in the morning here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up to 15 minutes after the hour and as promised, we're back live in Oslo where Former Vice President Al Gore is about to give his acceptance speech for winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change. And here is the former vice president now.
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: Your majesties, your royal highnesses, honorable members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. I have a purpose here today. It is a purpose I have tried to serve for many years. I have prayed that God would show me a way to accomplish it. Sometimes, without warning, the future knocks on our door with a precious and painful vision of what might be. 119 years ago, a wealthy inventor read his own obituary, mistakenly published years before his death. Wrongly believing the inventor had just died, a newspaper printed a harsh judgment of his life's work.
Unfairly labeling him, the merchant of death, because of his invention, dynamite. Shaken by this condemnation, the inventor made a faithful choice to serve the cause of peace. Seven years later, Alfred Nobel created this prize and the others that bear his name. Seven years ago, tomorrow, I read my own political obituary, in the judgment that seemed to me harsh and mistaken, if not premature. But that unwelcome verdict also brought a precious and painful gift, an opportunity to search for fresh, new ways to serve my purpose.
Unexpectedly, that quest has brought me here. Even though I fear my words cannot match this moment, I pray that what I'm feeling in my heart will be communicated clearly enough, that those who hear me will say we must act. The distinguished scientists with whom it is the greatest honor of my life to share this award have laid before us a choice between two different futures. A choice that, to my ears, echoes the words of an ancient prophet. Life or death, blessings or curses. Therefore, choose life that both thou and thy seed may live.
We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency. A threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here. But there is hopeful news as well. We have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid the worst, though not all of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly. However, despite a growing number of honorable exceptions, too many of the world's leaders are still best described in the words Winston Churchill applied to those who ignored Adolf Hitler's threat. And I quote, "They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided. Resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent."
So, today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet as if it were an open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations now trapping more and more heat from the sun. As a result, the earth has a fever and the fever is rising. The experts have told us, it is not a passing affliction that will heal by itself. We asked for a second opinion and a third and a fourth. And the consistent conclusion restated with increasing distress is that something basic is wrong. We are what is wrong and we must make it right. Last September 21st, as the northern hemisphere tilted away from the sun, scientists reported with unprecedented alarm that the north polar ice cap is, in their words, falling off a cliff.
One study estimated that it could be completely gone during summer in less than 22 years. Another new study, to be presented by U.S. Navy researchers later this week warns it could happen in as little as seven years. Seven years from now. In the last few months, it has been harder and harder to misinterpret the signs that our world is spinning out of filter. Major cities in north and South America, Asia and Australia are nearly out of water due to massive droughts and melting glaciers. Desperate farmers are losing their livelihoods. Peoples in the frozen arctic and low lying pacific islands are planning evacuations of places they have long called home.
Unprecedented wildfires have forced a half a million people from their homes in one country and caused a national emergency that almost brought down the government in another. Climate refugees have migrated into areas already inhabited by people with different cultures, religions, and traditions, increasing the potential for conflict. Stronger storms in the Atlantic and the pacific have threatened whole cities. Millions have been displaced by massive flooding in South Asia, Mexico and 18 countries in Africa.
As temperature extremes have increased, tens of thousands have lost their lives. We are recklessly burning and clearing our forests and driving more and more species into extinction, the very web of life on which we depend is being ripped and frayed. We never intended to cause all this destruction. Just as Alfred Nobel never intended that dynamite be used for waging war. He had hoped his invention would promote human progress. We shared that same worthy goal when we began burning massive quantities of coal than oil and natural gas.
Even in Nobel's time, there were a few warnings of the likely consequences. One of the very first winners of the prize in chemistry worried that, in his words, we are evaporating our coal mines into the air. After performing 10,000 equations by hand, Svante Arrhenius calculated that the earth's average temperature would increase by many degrees if we doubled the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. 70 years later, my teacher, Roger Rivel, and his colleague, Dave Keeling, began to precisely document the increasing CO2 levels day by day. But unlike other forms of pollution, CO2 is invisible, tasteless and odorless, which has helped to keep the truth about what it is doing to our climate out of sight and out of mind.
Moreover, the catastrophe now threatening us is unprecedented and we often confuse the unprecedented with the improbable. We also find it hard to imagine making the massive changes that are now necessary to solve the crisis. And when large truths are genuinely inconvenient, whole societies can, at least for a time, ignore them. Yet, as George Orwell reminds us, sooner or later, a false belief bumps up against a solid reality, usually on a battlefield.
In the years since this prize was first awarded, the entire relationship between human kind and the earth has been radically transformed. And still, we have remained largely oblivious to the impact of our cumulative actions. Indeed, without realizing it, we have begun to wage war on the earth itself. Now we and the earth's climate are locked in a relationship familiar to war planners mutually assured destruction. More than two decades ago, scientists calculated that nuclear war could throw so much debris and smoke into the air, it would block life giving sunlight from our atmosphere, causing a nuclear winter.
Their eloquent warnings here in Oslo, helped to galvanize the world's reserve to halt the nuclear arms race. Now, science is warning us that if we do not quickly reduce the global warming pollution that is trapping so much of the heat, our planet normally radiates back out of the atmosphere. We are in danger of creating a permanent carbon summer. As the American poet Robert Frost wrote, "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice." Either, he notes, would suffice. But neither need be our fate. It is time to make peace with the planet. We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war.
These prior struggles for survival were leaders found words at the 11th hour that released a mighty surge of courage, hope and readiness to sacrifice for a protracted and mortal struggle. These were not comforting and misleading assurances that the threat was not real, not imminent, that it would afflict others, but not ourselves, that ordinary life might be lived, even in the presence of extraordinary threat. That providence could be trusted to do for us what we would not do for ourselves.
No. These were calls to come to the defense of the common future. They were calls upon the courage, generosity and strength of entire peoples, citizens of every class and condition who were ready to stand against the threat, once asked to do so. Our enemies in those times calculated that free people would not rise to the challenge. They were, of course, catastrophically wrong.
Now comes the threat of climate crisis. A threat that is real, rising, imminent and universal. Once again, it is the 11th hour. The penalties for ignoring this challenge are immense and growing. And at some near point would be unsustainable and unrecoverable. For now, we still have the power to choose our fate. And the remaining question is only this. Have we the will to act, vigorously, and in time or will we remain imprisoned by a dangerous illusion?
Mahatma Gandhi awakened the largest Democracy on earth and forged a shared resolve with what he called Satyagraha or truth force. In every land, the truth, once known, has the power to set us free. Truth also has the power to unite us and bridge the distance between me and we, creating the basis for common effort and shared responsibility. There is an African proverb that says, if you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We need to go far, quickly. We must abandon the conceit that individual, isolated private actions are the answer. They can and do help, but they will not take us far enough without collective action.
At the same time, we must ensure that in mobilizing globally, we do not invite the establishment of ideological conformity and a new lock step-ism. That means adopting principles, values, laws and treaties that release creativity and initiative at every level of society in multi-fold responses originating concurrently and spontaneously. This new consciousness requires expanding the possibilities inherent in all humanity. The innovators who will devise a new way to harness the sun's energy for pennies or invent an engine that's carbon negative may live in Lagos, or Mumbai or Montevideo. We must ensure that entrepreneurs and inventors everywhere on the globe have the chance to change the world. When we unite for a moral purpose that is manifestly good and true, the spiritual energy unleashed can transform us. The generation that defeated fascism throughout the world in the 1940s found in rising to meet their awesome challenge, that they had gained the moral authority and long- term vision to launch the Marshall plan, the United Nations and a new level of global cooperation and foresight that unified Europe and facilitated the emergence of Democracy in Japan, Germany, Italy and much of the world.
One of their visionary leaders said, "It is time we steered by the stars and not by the lights of every passing ship." In the last year of that war, you gave the Peace Prize to a man from my hometown of 2000 people, Carthage, Tennessee in the U.S.A. Cordell Hull was described by Franklin Roosevelt as the "Father of the United Nations." He was an inspiration and hero to my own father, who followed Hull in the Congress and the U.S. Senate and in his commitment to world peace and global cooperation.
My parents spoke often of Hull, always in tones of reverence and admiration. Eight weeks ago, when you announced this prize, the deepest emotion I felt was when I saw the headline in my hometown paper that simply noted I had won the same prize that Cordell Hull had won. In that moment, I knew what my father and mother would have felt were they alive. Just as hall's generation found moral authority in rising to solve the world crisis caused by fascism. So can we find our greatest opportunity in rising to solve the climate crisis. In the Kanji characters used both in Chinese and Japanese, crisis is written with two symbols, the first meaning danger, the second opportunity. By facing and removing the danger of the climate crisis, we have the opportunity to gain the moral authority and vision to vastly increase our own capacity to solve other crisis that has been too long ignored.
We must understand the connections between the climate crisis and the afflictions of poverty, hunger, HIV-Aids and other pandemics. As these problems are linked, so too must be their solutions. We must begin by making the common rescue of the global environment, the central organizing principle of the world community. Fifteen years ago, I made that case at the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro. Ten years ago, I presented it in Kyoto. This week, I will urge the delegates in Bali to adopt a bold mandate for a treaty that established a universal global cap on emissions and uses the market in emissions to efficiently allocate sources to the most effective opportunities for speedy reductions.
This treaty should be ratified and brought into effect everywhere in the world by the beginning of 2010, two years sooner than presently contemplated. The pace of our response must be accelerated to match the accelerating pace of the crisis itself. Heads of state should met early next year to review what was accomplished in Bali and take personal responsibility for addressing this crisis. It is not unreasonable to ask, given the gravity of our circumstances, that these heads of state meet every three months until this treaty is completed. We also need a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store carbon dioxide. And most important of all, we need to put a price on carbon. With the CO2 tax that is then rebated back to the people, progressively, according to the laws of each nation, in ways that shift the burden of taxation from employment to pollution. This is, by far, the most effective and simplest way to accelerate solutions to this crisis. The world now needs an alliance, especially of those nations that weigh heaviest in the scales where earth is in the balance.
I salute Europe and Japan for the steps they've taken in recent years to meet the challenge and the new government in Australia, which has made solving the climate crisis its first priority. But the outcome will be decisively influenced by two nations that are now failing to do enough, the United States and China. While India is also growing fast in importance, it should be absolutely clear that it is the two largest CO2 emitters and, most of all, my own country, that will need to make the boldest moves or stand accountable before history for their failure to act.
Both countries should stop using the other's behavior as an excuse for stalemate. And instead develop an agenda for mutual survival in a shared global environment. These are the last few years of decision. But they can be the first years of a bright and hopeful future if we do what we must. No one should believe a solution will be found without effort, without cost, without change. Let us acknowledge that if we wish to redeem squandered time and speak again with moral authority, then these are the hard truths. The way ahead is difficult. The outer boundary of what we currently believe to be feasible is still far short of what we actually must do.
More over, between here and there, across the unknown, falls the shadow that is just another way of saying that we have to expand the boundaries of what is possible. In the words of the Spanish poet, Antonio Machado, "path walker, there is no path. You must make the path as you walk." We are standing at the most fateful fork in that path. So, I want to end as I began, with a vision of two futures, each a palpable possibility and with a prayer that we will see with vivid clarity the necessity of choosing between those two futures and the urgency of making the right choice now.
The great Norwegian playwright Henry Gibson, wrote "one of these days the younger generation will come knocking at my door." The future is knocking at our door right now. Make no mistake. The next generation will ask us one of two questions. Either they will ask, what were you thinking? Why didn't you act? Or they will ask instead, how did you find the moral courage to rise and successfully resolve a crisis that so many said was impossible to solve? We have everything we need to get started. Save, perhaps, political will. But political will is a renewable resource. So, let us renew it and let us say together, we have a purpose. We are many. For this purpose, we will rise and we will act.
JOHNROBERTS: Al Gore there, giving his acceptance speech upon winning the Nobel Peace Prize, what they call the Nobel lecture there, speaking about climate change in the most urgent of terms, saying we're at the 11th hour, almost at the point, Veronica, of no return.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ: You know, it's not just Gore also who is receiving this prize. He is accepting it alongside that panel of U.N. scientists.
ROBERTS: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
DE LA CRUZ: You know what was interesting, john, you know, he was talking about CO2 damage and emissions and really got behind his word when he landed in Oslo. Instead of, you know, going ahead with the official airport motorcade, he and Tipper took the train.
ROBERTS: Whatever little bit you can do. Of course, plenty of critics out there will say he has this huge house in Tennessee. What is he doing to offset his consumption of electricity and heating fuel there? He did say, though, that the world needs to mobilize against global warming in a way they've only mobilized in the past for war, which was an interesting call to action. And also very interesting, too, at the very beginning of his speech, it seems that the wounds of seven years ago are still bitter and still pretty obvious. Because he said seven years ago tomorrow, I read my political obituary, thought the judgment was harsh and mistaken, if not premature, but, of course, he was denied the presidency of the United States by the Supreme Court. At least, he thought he was denied it. Bt he did say it was an opportunity to search for new ways to serve a purpose. So, the former vice president there accepting his Nobel Peace Prize.
DE LA CRUZ: Now he is off to Bali.
ROBERTS: Congratulations from everyone.
DE LA CRUZ: Congratulations are in order for sure.
All right. Here's what's coming up. Buyer beware. Christmas lights lined with lead. A special investigation with a warning for parents, it's all straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay close.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty minutes now to the top of the hour. New this morning. Michael Vick is expected to arrive in court any minute now to find out how long he has to stay in jail. Vick turned himself in and is already serving jail time for his role in an illegal dog fighting ring. Vick could get as much as five years but two of his co-defendants were already sentenced, one got 18 months, the other got 21 months. So that may serve as some sort of a guide as to how much time Michael Vick may have to spend in prison.
We're also watching extreme weather in the Mid west right now. The National Weather Service is predicting more freezing rain for central Missouri. And forecasters say round two could be a big ice jam. Kansas City could see up to an inch of ice tonight. Last night's ice storm causing flight delays and cancellations in Kansas City International Airport today. Let's get the very latest. Jacqui Jeras is at the weather center down there in Atlanta, in for Rob Marciano today, tracking the extreme weather. Good morning, Jacqui. JACQUI JERAS, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Well, good morning, John. Yes, a lot of ugliness across parts of the plains states from Texas, extending on up into Illinois. The dark pink, where we have the ice storm warnings, we're expecting half an inch or more of ice. And some of this could be on top of what you already had. And then the light pink areas, that's where we have freezing rain advisories where it's going to be a little bit lighter. The worst has been really confined at this area along the i-44 corridor from Tulsa, extending on up towards Springfield.
And we've also seen a lot of ugliness starting to push into the southern parts of the St. Louis metro area. There are at least, say, 20 plus towns right within this little corridor here that are completely without power. They're saying it will likely be days before you get it back on. Now, warm air is overriding the cold air, which is why we're getting it coming down as liquid and then freezing on contact. As that warmth lifts farther to the north tomorrow, we'll be watching places like Kansas City over to the quad city, for seeing a good inch possibly of more ice. So, no big improvements expected. Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Not good news. Jacqui Jeras there in the CNN Weather Center. We do appreciate it, Jacqui. Thanks.
Police in Colorado are investigating possible links between yesterday's shootings. In all, five people were killed, including one victim who died overnight in Arvada and Colorado Springs. Public Information Officer Lieutenant Skip Arms of the Colorado Springs Police Department joins us now live from outside of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. Thanks so much for joining us Lieutenant Arms. We appreciate it. You know I wanted to ask you.
Good morning to you. Arvada police said yesterday that they have reason to believe that the two attacks are possibly linked. What do you have to say about that? Do you believe that the two attacks are linked?
PIO LT. SKIPS ARMS, COLORADO SPRINGS POLICE DEPT.: Well, there is that possibility. We are working closely with the Arvada Police Department, their investigators and ours are working together to try to confirm whether or not there is a link in these two cases.
DE LA CRUZ: And right now, we're hearing that Arvada police are there. They're searching a home related to the shooting. Do you have any more information on this? Who's home is it?
ARMS: I don't have information on the searches as of yet. I do know that they've been conducting some searches throughout the night. We planned a brief a little bit later on this morning and we'll have more details available later on. They are conducting these searches with Arvada.
DE LA CRUZ: And what more do we know about the shooter at this point? Do we know of a possible motive?
ARMS: We have not been able to identify the motive as of yet. Hopefully, we'll be able to put some more information on it as we're able to learn more. But it's still early in the investigation. And so, they've done a massive amount of work to date. But we have a lot more to go.
DE LA CRUZ: And Lieutenant Arms, the shooter is now deceased. Are you going to be releasing his name?
ARMS: We will be later on this afternoon at a press conference. I do think it's important to note, however, that the other security guard that took action in the church probably saved this tragedy from becoming a lot worse than it already is.
DE LA CRUZ: Lieutenant arms, can we talk about, you know, I believe there are five people that have been wounded as a result of these shootings. Do we know the extent of their injuries, what the prognosis might be for them?
ARMS: We had one person that was actually treated and released here at the scene, that did not require any further medical treatment. Another person was transported to the hospital and treated and released there with minor injuries. And then we have another individual who is in fair condition at the hospital, and then the patient who is originally listed in critical condition passed away shortly after 10:00 last night.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Lieutenant Skip Arms there in Colorado Springs with the latest on the shootings. We're looking forward to another update. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. John.
ARMS: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Veronica, thanks. It's 44 minutes after the hour. CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away now. Heidi Collins at the CNN center with a look at what lies ahead. Good morning, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning to you, John. That's right on the NEWSROOM rundown. More on those deadly shootings at a church and a missionary center. Are they linked? Colorado police try to put the pieces together now. Out guest to updates us on the investigation.
And ice storm warnings from Texas to the northeast. Thousands of people lose power and roads are a slippery mess. We'll also update that story.
Plus toys for tots coming up short. So many kids, not enough donations. A toys for tots executive tells us how you can help meet the need Monday in the NEWSROOM right here at the top of the hour on CNN. John.
ROBERTS: Heidi, we will see you then. Thanks.
The New England Patriots are still perfect. Your "Quick Hits" now. Tom Brady and company rolled over the Pittsburgh Steelers to extend their record to 13-0 now, just three games away. New England plays the New York Jets on Sunday, the same team that accused the Pats of spying from the sidelines earlier this year.
The "Golden Compass" led the way at the box office this weekend. The fantasy flick under fire from Christian groups, brought in $26 million. Disney's "Enchanted" and "This Christmas" rounded out the top three.
First, what's under the tree. Now what lines the tree, lead fears for Christmas lights. A special investigation with a warning for parents, straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: An 48 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the most news in the morning. An online stampede forcing an Olympic ticket meltdown in China, topping our "Quick Hits" right now. Sales have now restarted with a few changes. Instead of first come, first serve, it's now a lottery. People also have the option of filling out an application for the 2008 Beijing games, but a ticket has been knocked back from 50 to just eight. Tickets are already reportedly going for thousands of dollars on the black market. The Wall Street journal said to change hands. Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp brought the journal and its parent company Dow Jones was bought for $5 billion. The deal will get formal approval from shareholders this week and is expected shortly thereafter. Check this out, a $54,000 per bottle of scotch. The 81-year-old scotch was bought by a collector at a liquor auction at Christie's over the weekend. It was the first liquor auction in New York State.
ROBERTS: A 1926 Macallan. Can you mach imagine? Wow.
A brand new warning about to be on the lookout for this holiday season. Lead. This time on Christmas lights that could be making your kids sick.
DE LA CRUZ: It is an AMERICAN MORNING investigation. Our Greg Hunter has been on the lookout for you. What can you tell us now, Greg?
GREG HUNTER, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Veronica, John, I tell you it's not good news. You know, the sparkle of Christmas lights may be toxic. There's lead on the wiring that millions of Americans string up in their home and medical experts warn that lead can be dangerous, especially to children.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTER (voice-over): Every year, Ronica Dhaliwal decorates her Christmas tree, but she never worried about her Christmas lights.
RONICA DHALIWAL, CONSUMER): You know, to plug it in safely and use the proper outlet and that kind of thing.
HUNTER: But lights contain lead, most boxes display labels saying, in part, this product contains chemicals, including lead and wash hands after use. That worries medical experts, like Dr. Leo Trasande, a specialist in children's environmental health at New York's Mt. Sinai school of medicine.
DR. LEO TRASANDE MT. SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: There is no level at which lead exposure is safe, even at one microgram per deciliter. That level has been associated with cognitive impairment in children.
HUNTER: The use of lead as a fire retardant in the lighting chores is perfectly legal. We bought lights from several large retailers and sent them to be tested at an independent lab, Quantex, in New Jersey. Using the consumer product safety commission standard wipe test for lead and vinyl products like mini blinds and toys, we wanted to see if the lead in the cords' PVC coating would come off on someone's hands.
DR. JAMES MENDOTIS, QUANTEX LABS: You don't realize there's lead in it. You eat a cookie, you eat something else without washing your hands and that exposure builds up in your body over time.
HUNTER: In all four brands of lights, Quantex found surface lead levels far exceeding the CPSC's recommended children's limit of 15 micrograms. We tested samples from each brand. What we found was starting? GE showed lead from 68 to 109.1 micrograms. Wal-mart, from 86.6 to 132.7 micrograms. Sylvania, from 59 to 70.3 micrograms and Philips, from a low of 3.2 while under the 15 microgram limit to 107.2 in another sample. Dr. Trasande says those tests show children could be vulnerable.
You wouldn't have them in your house?
TRASANDE: I wouldn't needlessly expose them to a lead-based hazard that could have significant and life long consequences for that child's cognitive capacity, whether attention or other health problems.
HUNTER: Of all the companies whose lights we tested, none would go on camera. In written statements, all expressed concern about safety. GE told CNN "we take great precautions to make sure our products are safe." Wal-mart said "the special coating around electrical wires on the light sets is necessary to pass the stringent safety and quality regulations." And Sylvania said "we encourage consumers to exercise common sense by keeping holiday lights and other electrical products way from the hands and mouths of children." Phillips said their light meet all American National Standards Institute, underwriters, laboratory requirements although Philips is working to reduce the physical amount of lead necessary.
The CPSC says Christmas light do not pose an elevated danger of lead exposure to children. And they say, our test on light cords using the CPSC's methods for blinds and toys is like comparing apples to oranges, and is rotten to the core. But in a prior interview, not a response to our tests, the Consumer Product Safety Commission advises children should still keep away from lights, because they are electrical products, not toys.
JULIE VALLESE, CPSC: There are plenty of other things kids can do to help decorate the tree. Lights should be something that are the responsibility of a parent. HUNTER: Veronica Dhaliwal says that might mean going without lights.
DHALIWAL: I don't want my whole family exposed to Christmas tree lights and lead. You know, Christmas tree lights, I love, but the lead, I don't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTER: So, what's the best way to minimize lead exposure when you're putting up Christmas lights? Wear gloves, have only grown-ups handle the lights, and hang them high up. At least you keep them out of the reach of young children. And by all means, do what it says on the boxes. Wash your hands after touching them.
ROBERTS: You know that's an interesting point. I have seen I don't know how many boxes of Christmas lights but I never saw this warning that said handling the coated electrical wires of this product exposes you to lead. In the state of California, can cause birth defects, other reproductive harm. Wash your hands thoroughly after use.
DE LA CRUZ: Is there warning on every box?
HUNTER: We bought, I bought all the boxes. These are the ones we ended up testing but we have many more with the many store out there. I couldn't find a box out there without this warning that said contains lead, wash your hands after use.
ROBERTS: That's pretty shocking. What else could they put in the lights besides lead as a fire retardant?
HUNTER: That's a good question. I called the laboratory and they said zinc or calcium, but that will be more expensive. These things, you know, are cheap.
ROBERTS: And I think they're made in China too.
HUNTER: They are, but that's not the problem why, you know, this is the spec'ed them to have this wire, this way. American companies are writing the specs.
DE LA CRUZ: All this information on our website as well, right, Greg?
HUNTER: Yes, log on to cnn.com/americanmorning. And you can get this story and more information. And I f you have fraud, waste or abuse, log on and also e-mail me at lookingout@cnn.com.
ROBERTS: Greg, thanks. Fascinating story today. Here's a quick look at what CNN NEWSROOM is working on now for the top of the hour.
COLLINS: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Police look for links between two shootings at religious sites in Colorado. A new wave of icy weather coats roads from Texas to the northeast.
A judge hands former NFL star Michael Vick his prison sentence today.
Al Gore picked up his Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental work.
And an upside down dog in a tight spot. NEWSROOM at the top of the hour on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: Welcome back. Before we let you go, final check of this morning's quick vote. The question, will celebrity endorsements make a difference in how you vote? Right now, 11 percent of you are saying yes. 89 percent are saying no. A big thank you to all of you out there who have voted.
ROBERTS: Well, maybe those 11 percent are all in Iowa. They'll vote for Obama because of Oprah being on the campaign trail. We'll see.
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly, and in South Carolina.
ROBERTS: One more story before we go. The space shuttle "Atlantis" will not be launching until the new year now. A fuel tank glitch forced Mission Control to delay the lift off over the weekend. But fuel sensors weren't the only problem of the shuttle. It was also attacked, take a look at this, by a giant spider. Well, at least that's how it looked on NASA's camera, walking right over the live picture on the launch tray. It was on the lens cover there.
Add exterminator to the list of pre-flight checks for January's launch. What a great picture there.
DE LA CRUZ: Your favorite piece of video this morning.
ROBERTS: It certainly is. That's going to do that for us. Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. Good to have you here today.
DE LA CRUZ: Thank you. I had so much fun.
ROBERTS: Yes. Kiran will be back again tomorrow. We'll see you then.
DE LA CRUZ: And CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins begins right now. Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Good morning to you and good morning, everybody.
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