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American Morning
Lebanon Attack: Political Crisis Deepens; Comment Controversy of Huckabee about AIDS: Offers to Meet Ryan White's Mother; Recession on the Way?
Aired December 12, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: New polls. New signals in the race for president.
Plus, Mike Huckabee, eye-to-eye with the mother of Ryan White. What she wants to hear from him now.
America on ice. Thousands of accidents, treacherous roads. Can you learn to drive and stop safely? We'll show you how.
Rolling out a White House Christmas tradition. This time, the Bush twins join Barney and Miss Beasley to light up the season. It's the Barney cam on this AMERICAN MORNING.
You always know you're getting well into the holiday season when the Barney cam is up.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: He's so well behaved. He just wears the thing around his neck and goes room to room.
ROBERTS: He's a lovely little dog.
Wednesday, December 12th. Thanks for being with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm John Roberts.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry. We're glad you're with us. We begin with breaking news overnight from Lebanon, and that's the battle for control of the country that's boiling over today, as a powerful car bomb explodes in the suburbs of Beirut. A key military leader and three other people killed, pro and anti-Syrian political parties are at a standoff over choosing a new president.
Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler joins us now with more. Brent, how significant is this and how much pressure does this put on the delicate political situation there?
BRENT SADLER, BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Kiran. It gives a great deal of emphasis to the great danger that Lebanon continues to face. The assassination of this top military general really rattle the defense establishment here. This general, Francois Hajj, was seen as a possible successor to the next president who is waiting in the wings if it were General Suleiman, Michel Suleiman, the head of the army, and no agreement on him reaching the presidency. But a vacuum at the top presidential level here is very much seen as being part and parcel of this bomb attack. And it really does throw this country into even greater uncertainty and turmoil -- Kiran. CHETRY: We have Syria coming out condemning the attack but really how likely is it, Brent, that they want to see a stable Lebanon?
SADLER: Well, Syria is again being accused by politicians who support the U.S. backed government of Prime Minister Faud Siniora, of being involved and attempts to continually trying to destabilize this country to acts of violence, such as we've witnessed here today.
Syria has denied this all along but if you look at what's happening here, say anti-Syrian politicians, you have no president as head of state. You have a government that's blocked, prevented from having a constitutional amendment to make the army chief the next president. You have a government not recognized by perhaps not just half of the country. It really is a dire political situation right now for a government that has been seen as friendly towards U.S. interests.
And really, the army taking this attack is seen as yet another attempt by the enemies of Lebanon, whoever they may be, to try to shatter general confidence in the army to try to pull this country out of this terrible mess that it now finds itself in -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Brent Sadler reporting from Beirut for us. We'll follow those developments throughout the morning, thank you.
There's some more breaking news, this time from Iraq. Iraqi television reporting as many as 30 people are dead and dozens of others wounded after three car bombs exploded about six minutes apart in southeastern Iraq. It happened this morning in the mainly Shiite city of Amara. It's under Iraqi security control. The Mehdi army loyal to anti-American Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr has battled both the Iraqi police as well as a rival Shiite group in that area -- John.
ROBERTS: Three minutes after the hour. New polls show an incredibly tight race right now in the fight for New Hampshire. Just one point now separates Hillary Clinton from Barack Obama. In the new CNN/opinion research poll released just this morning, Clinton now has 31 percent, Obama has 30 percent, John Edwards in third place back at 16 percent.
On the GOP side, Mitt Romney has a 13-point lead over Rudy Giuliani and John McCain in New Hampshire. Romney at 32 percent, Giuliani and McCain both at 19. Mike Huckabee comes in at 9 percent.
You can catch the Republican candidates in their last debate before the Iowa caucuses. It's today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. The debate is sponsored by Iowa public television and the "Des Moines Register." Tomorrow, it will be the Democrats turn also at 2:00 p.m.. Catch both debates live here on CNN -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, also new this morning. Alan Greenspan speaks out. He's talking this morning with some harsh words about the subprime mortgage crisis calling it an accident waiting to happen. Greenspan writes in today's "Wall Street Journal" that economic growth around the world is to blame. That it fooled investors into underestimating risk. Greenspan also admits that the low U.S. interest rate set under his leadership probably contributed to the housing bubble.
Also new this morning, the House intelligence committee today asked CIA chief Michael Hayden about those destroyed interrogation tapes. Committee Chairman Senator John Rockefeller said that Hayden's testimony was useful but did not answer who authorized the tapes to be destroyed back in 2005, and why Congress wasn't told about the disruption. The tapes had hours, hundreds of hours of video showing the interrogation of two senior Al Qaeda members, including the use of simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding -- John.
ROBERTS: Police are scouring Las Vegas right now looking for at least two people who allegedly opened fire at a school bus stop. Six people were shot. An 18-year-old man is in critical condition, a 17- year-old boy in serious condition. Four others were treated and released. One doctor described the injuries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF DR. JAY COATES, UMC HOSPITAL IN LAS VEGAS: These look like they were, and from all reports, sounded like it was either automatic or semiautomatic weapons. The individuals that we operated were shot both in the chest and the abdomen. The other individuals that were discharged home or they're here were more minor injuries, either shot in the limbs or, you know, soft tissue injuries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Police say the shootings happened after a fight over a girl at a high school.
And explosive new accusation this morning against Stacy Peterson's husband. Stacy's sister says former police sergeant Drew Peterson nearly shot Stacy months before she disappeared. She says that Drew Peterson's gun went off. The bullet pierced the floor, landing just a foot behind where Stacy was standing in the garage. The incident, apparently, was never reported to police.
Peterson's attorney says it's just a rumor. Meantime, Peterson tried to make a public plea for money for his legal defense at a new Web site called defenddrew.com. The site was suspended last night, though, for generating too much traffic -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, that massive ice storm continues to move across the Midwest. At least 24 people are dead. Officials say that many of those deaths are traffic-related, bad accidents trying to drive on that treacherous ice. The storm is still dumping some sleet and freezing rain from Oklahoma to Illinois. In Chicago, hundreds of flights have been canceled at O'Hare airport.
Now, Oklahoma, one of the hardest-hit states, in fact, nearly 600,000 homes and businesses in that state have no electricity. Utility crews say it could be at least a week or 10 days before they get the power back on to everybody. Police say the thieves are taking advantage of the dark streets and the homes and businesses that don't have burglar alarms. Also, check this out. A massive cleanup is underway in Oregon this morning. A mudslide slammed into homes, blocked a highway to the coast. This was about 65 miles outside of Portland. You can see the mud just pouring through the streets and sometimes going as high as roof level. At least two homes were wiped out and many others covered with mud. No reports of injuries, though. The region was hit hard by storms last week.
Rob Marciano here with us in the studio today tracking extreme weather. So they really got a double whammy in some of those areas. First, the storm and dealing with all the flooding there and then the mudslides.
ROB MARCIANO, METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's been a big headache for them. We've had big time rain there. We've had the ice and snowstorm, and we've had this tropical storm developing in the past couple of days outside of hurricane season. This is tropical storm Olga, just to the west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Not very well- developed and expected to weaken but certainly of interest to the weather enthusiasts around the world and bringing big-time rains to an area that got hammered over hurricane season as you may well know.
All right. Back to the ice and snowstorms. Oklahoma City south towards the Red River Valley, a little bit of frozen precipitation today, but there are no ice warnings out for this afternoon. So that's good news. Mostly just a cold rain from Little Rock up towards Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and through western P.A., temperatures should be above freezing for the most part.
Extreme upstate New York have seen temperatures a little bit around the freezing mark, but temperatures for the most part, not enough to do a whole lot of damage unless you're in Syracuse or north. South of all this, temperatures have been extremely warm.
Check this out. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, yesterday, 83 degrees. Houston, Texas, also a record high. Atlanta, Georgia, 75. Nashville, Tennessee, 76, and some of these areas, obviously, desperately need rain. They'll cool off a little bit with a little bit of rain.
And we're also tracking a winter storm for the northeast coming in tomorrow and then again Saturday and Sunday. All the while, you are going to have to drive through this stuff and coming up in the next half hour, we'll tell you how to drive on ice and what kind of tires are best suited for your vehicle. John and Kiran, back over to you.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to it, Rob, thanks very much.
MARCIANO: Yes.
ROBERTS: Some incredible news this morning for Kevin Everett, the Buffalo Bills tight end hurt in the season opener. He's now walking on his own. Take a look at some of these amazing pictures carried in "Sports Illustrated." A remarkable comeback, just months after a spinal cord injury so severe, that doctors thought Kevin would never walk again. He was even on life support for the first few days after being hurt back in September. His Bills teammates say they're thrilled and they hope to see Kevin in person soon. Just amazing, isn't it? They way that --
CHETRY: It really is. As we said, the bleak outlook when this first happened and the fears that he may never walk again and his amazing progress. Remarkable.
ROBERTS: And the doctors say it may be that treatment that he got in the first few minutes after the injury, cooling down his spine that really saved him.
CHETRY: We're very happy for him.
ROBERTS: Just amazing.
CHETRY: Road to recovery.
ROBERTS: Your "Quick Hits" now. "Sopranos" creator David Chase takes the stand. He's testifying in a suit brought by a man who claims he helped Chase create the "Sopranos." Chase acknowledges Robert Baer helped him with research for the show, but dismisses his claims as "egocentric fantasies."
"Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek could be released from the hospital today after suffering a minor heart attack. The 67-year-old could even return to work next month. He was admitted to Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday. "Jeopardy's Web site says Trebek is resting comfortably.
Mike Huckabee answering critics about comments he made about AIDS 15 years ago. He says he is willing to meet with the mother of Ryan White, the teen who put a human face on the crisis. We'll ask what she wants to hear from Huckabee now. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Thirteen minutes after the hour now. Welcome back to the most news in the morning here on CNN. This just in to the AMERICAN MORNING newsroom. The "Associated Press" reporting that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are right now in their first peace talks in nearly seven years. A spokesman with the Israeli foreign ministry says the two sides met together at an undisclosed location in Jerusalem and that the talks are expected to last for several hours.
We'll keep an eye on any developments and bring them to you just as soon as we get them. Right now, let's go over to Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. We want to show you some of the best shots in the morning in our "Quick Hits" now. This one is the Denver City and County building. It's all lit up. It happened last night. Light snowfall on the ground made for a beautiful, beautiful lighting there for the building. 30,000 lights and they'll stay lit through the end of the year.
Well, from lights to no lights, utility crew in Oklahoma working on snapped power lines caused by that monstrous ice storm. There you see downed power lines. The ice just so heavy, many of those cables just snapped. More than 600,000 people without power in that state.
And a frightening moment during an NBA game last night. Toronto's T.J. Ford headed for an easy basket when Atlanta's Al Horford tried to prevent the lay-up. He ended up smacking Ford right in the face. He fell and hit his head on the court. There you see the slow-mo shot, and you see just how hard he was hit there.
He was carried off the floor in a stretcher. Team officials say he did have feeling in his arms and legs. Nearly four years ago in a similar situation on court, Ford injured his spine and ended up missing an entire season -- John.
ROBERTS: That had to hurt.
Fifteen minutes after the hour. Fifteen years ago, Mike Huckabee said that AIDS patients should be isolated. It's a comment that's now coming back to haunt him because not long before he made it, our next guest's son died from the disease.
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee now wants to meet with the mother of Ryan White, Jeanne White-Ginder. She joins us now live. Good morning, Jeanne. It's good to see you.
So the candidate is standing by his comments that he made back in 1992, saying at that point, we weren't clear on how AIDS was transmitted. Is he right about that?
JEANNE WHITE-GINDER, SON RYAN DIED OF AIDS: No. We were clear. We were clear back in 1985 really. 1984 was when Ryan was diagnosed with AIDS, and in 1985 especially, the CDC, the health departments got together and they decided that, you know, to make some kind of guidelines and so guidelines were set back then that you can't get AIDS from casual contact.
ROBERTS: So were you surprised that Mike Huckabee stands by that statement, a statement that was made at a time when other people, including President Bush, were urging compassion?
WHITE-GINDER: Yes, I'm very -- you know, I'm very concerned about those statements. At the same time, I think, you know, we were not educated. I mean, some people just would not listen, and I feel like maybe he did not get the information the way he should have.
ROBERTS: Are you suggesting he wasn't listening?
WHITE-GINDER: I think he wasn't listening maybe because it wasn't affecting him, and he had reservations about the disease itself.
ROBERTS: Though he does say that a friend of his, who is also a hemophiliac like Ryan was, died from the disease and as well another gay man that he knows contracted AIDS and died. So it would seem that he had some personal experience with it? WHITE-GINDER: Well, then why isn't he listening? I mean, the evidence has been out for with the AIDS epidemic. That you can't get AIDS from kissing, tears, sweat and saliva.
ROBERTS: Right.
WHITE-GINDER: I mean so, you know, I don't know how -- some people you're never going to be able to reach but I think he is going to be able to look over the educational information.
ROBERTS: Yes.
WHITE-GINDER: And I think he's going to be able to make different statements.
ROBERTS: We should point out that you're also a board member on the AIDS Institute, which has reached out to the Huckabee campaign, to say that you'd like to have a meeting with him. Here's what the candidate said in response to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would be very, very willing to meet with them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would you tell them?
HUCKABEE: I would tell them that we've come a long way in research and treatment, and I certainly never would want to say anything that would be hurtful to them or anybody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So Jeanne, why first of all is it important for you to meet with him, and what would you ask him if you do get that one-on- one meeting?
WHITE-GINDER: I think you know, just to try to change his statement, but to ensure that the AIDS epidemic is going to get the fair treatment, so to speak.
ROBERTS: Right.
WHITE-GINDER: I mean --
ROBERTS: Does that mean that you're concerned on what his views would mean going forward should he win the presidency?
WHITE-GINDER: Well, definitely so. I don't think his views, I mean especially as being a president, I mean, he has to reflect those views. You have to be able to respect the AIDS disease to begin with and respect the people who have it. And I don't think that -- you have to represent all people with AIDS.
ROBERTS: Right.
WHITE-GINDER: And I don't think that he would be a good candidate to do that unless he changes his views.
ROBERTS: So when do you expect this meeting to happen?
WHITE-GINDER: I have no idea. You know, I'm on the board of the AIDS Institute, I'm here in D.C. for two days, and I get these updates all the time on my e-mails about different things going on in the aids epidemic.
ROBERTS: Yes.
WHITE-GINDER: And so, this was one of the issues that came up, and it very, very much concerns me that we're still not educating people the way we should.
ROBERTS: Right. We'll keep on watching this and if you get that meeting, do us a favor and come on back on and talk about it, would you?
WHITE-GINDER: Yes, I sure will.
ROBERTS: All right. Jeanne White-Ginder for us this morning from Washington. Jeanne, thanks.
WHITE-GINDER: Yes.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Still ahead. What would Christmas be without Barney? Well, we'll show you now actually. Just a few minutes ago, the White House released its annual Barney cam. It's the holiday video, and as usual, it features the first family's dog, little Scottish terrier named Barney, rooting around the White House.
So when somebody that you see Barney being followed and in others, you see a Barney's eye view playing with Miss Beasley, that's his buddy, that's this other dog. The theme of this year's White House Christmas, by the way, "Protecting our national parks." And organizations representing national parks around the country," each made a beautiful handmade ornament. The twins, Barbara and Jenna also getting into the spirit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA BUSH, PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER: Hey, Barney. Did I hear you and Miss Beasley are trying to become junior park rangers?
JENA BUSH, PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER: That's great. We love the national parks. Remember, I got engaged in one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Oh, how cute, Barney's contemplating asking Miss Beasley to marry him. Hopefully they are not related. They look a lot alike.
ROBERTS: A very Barney Christmas. Those tapes are always a lot of fun, available on the White House Web site. CHETRY: Very cute. They just started running through -- run through the floors of the White House. They look like little carpets with feet.
ROBERTS: I remember what President Bush first got Barney. He joked on Miss Beasley. He joked that he got lost out in the snow with the short little legs.
CHETRY: So cute.
ROBERTS: Hey, today is Frank Sinatra's birthday. Old Blue Eyes would have been 92 today. And a new book is out, with the behind the scenes look at the legend. The author -- his son, Frank Jr.. Our Lola Ogunnaike talked to him about the new book. That's coming up on our next hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
And Merriam Webster has announced its word of the year. This time it is spelled with both letters and numbers. Know what it is? We'll tell you, coming up.
And could going hungry actually be good for your heart? Why fasting seems to work to keep you healthy. It's a fascinating new report, and we've got it ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's popular among gamers and now, it's Merriam Webster's new word of the year. W00t, spelled w-0-0-t. Gamers use it as an exclamation of happiness or triumph. On their plan, the dictionary's president said "w00t" blends whimsy and new technology. One language expert says the word might not catch on since it's limited to a very small group.
CHETRY: You know why? I won't be online. It's all the gamers that sit there and vote for their word.
ROBERTS: There you go. So next thing something good happens to you, shout it out, w00t.
CHETRY: All right.
ROBERTS: To make you feel better.
CHETRY: So whimsical, I just love it.
CHETRY: Check this out, folks. You know that the holiday season is here when the dancing cop hits the streets. How about this one?
Retired officer, I feel like I saw him in "Flashdance" like years ago. That's Tony Lapore. He's back on the job in Providence, Rhode Island. Every year at this time, he does his dance moves at the intersection around town, directing traffic, speeding along Christmas cheer to all. That's quite a workout too. He's been doing this since 1984, so maybe he was in "Flashdance." But wow.
(CROSSTALK) ROBERTS: Isn't it a workout? It doesn't look like he's carrying any extra weight, though.
CHETRY: No.
ROBERTS: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. Ali Velshi here, "Minding Your Business," and the question of the day apparently, we have W00t is the word of the day. The question of the day is, why do we like Ali so much?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you why we like Ali so much because CNN and opinion research have come out with a poll to say that the most important issue to you as Americans when voting for president is the economy. So I'm going to walk you through this for the next year.
The economy tops the poll once again as the number one concern of Americans. That's the good news for me. Here's the bad news. When we talk about recession and we've been talking a lot about recession, 57 percent of you think that we are already in a recession. Twenty- six percent of you think that we are going to be in a recession next year, and only a paltry 17 percent don't think there's a recession on the horizon at all. Now, that is very interesting.
Right now, the biggest indicator we have is the people going to shopping malls across America because this is our holiday shopping season. It's the most important season for retailers and a number of various measures are indicating that in fact, we are not going to have the success this year that we were expecting.
And, by the way, the success we were expecting wasn't that fantastic anyway. The expectations had been dimmed and we are just not seeing the foot traffic. We're not seeing the cars. We're not seeing the purchases. The spin on this is that everybody's waiting for the last three days of Christmas, and then the retailers are going to have big sales and everybody is going to buy all their stuff in the last three days.
Apparently, 60 percent of the people who have not finished their shopping are waiting for those last three days. I don't know whether that spin or whether the last three days we're just not going to see this improvement. But this is now something to watch because recessions are one of those things that you can spook yourself into.
ROBERTS: Yes.
VELSHI: Because you think --
ROBERTS: Just talking about it sometimes makes it happen.
VELSHI: Yes. And, by the way, we get a fair amount of criticism at CNN about the fact that we have these conversations, but mine is not to start a recession or stop one. It's to tell you what you guys are thinking about a recession and see where it goes.
ROBERTS: So with the economy as the number one issue, you will have gainful employment at least for the next year.
VELSHI: One hopes.
CHETRY: At least until the election has run its course.
VELSHI: That's right. I bet for a year.
CHETRY: Hang in there. Thanks, Ali.
Well, take a look. Is this really the best way to keep your heart healthy? Well, we're talking about exercise, of course. But there is possibly another option to go along with exercise. We're going to talk about it with medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. That's coming up in just a bit.
ROBERTS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, driving on ice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to look to where you want to go and turn that direction, so you're turning into the slide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: We sent Rob Marciano to find out the right and wrong way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: To drive in the winter. What you need to know to keep your family safe this season, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. There's some breaking news. A top general has been killed in a car bombing in Lebanon. It tops our news this Wednesday, December 12th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: Good morning to you, I'm John Roberts. A powerful car bomb killed a key military leader and three other people in the suburbs of Beirut overnight. The president resigned last month, and last night pro and anti-Syrian political parties backed away from a deal that might have agreed on a new president. The minister of communication blames the attack on parties influenced by Syria and Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARWAN HAMADEH, COMMUNICATION MINISTER: Syrian/Iranian axis are now, after having hit civilian institutions, the press are targeting the Lebanese army. It is the only body in Lebanon who can balance the power of Hezbollah and other militias in the country. This is why I believe that what we have witnessed today is a translation of the threats that were given yesterday by Vice President Sharaf of Syria and come at the moment where Lebanon is seeking its road to stability and to peace through electing the president.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: The Syrian government this morning issued a statement condemning today's assassination. Pictures just coming in of a series of deadly bombings in southeastern Iraq this morning. Iraqi TV reporting 30 people dead, dozens injured. Three car bombs went off within minutes of each other in Amara. Rival Shiite factions are battling for control there. The British left the area in Iraqi hands back in August of 2006. Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: There are some shocking allegations that seven New Jersey state troopers are now on suspension as police look into them right now. It all stems from a 25-year-old Rider University student who was accusing those officers of sexual assault at this home in Trenton last week. Investigators say that the troopers were off duty. The suspension with pay come before formal charges have been filed. Investigators say because of the high profile nature of case.
Also, a potential bombshell about to drop on major league baseball. "The Daily News," "The New York Daily News" reporting that baseball officials received a copy of the Mitchell report on steroids. And in that report the names of 60 to 80 current or former players. The reports comes after a nearly two-year investigation by former Senator George Mitchell about allegations of steroid use in major league baseball. It's expected to be made public in the next few days.
ROBERTS: Hillary Clinton is waking up to some shocking news today. In fact, her campaign may be in big trouble. That's according to a brand new poll released this morning. The new CNN/WMUR New Hampshire presidential primary poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire shows that Clinton's former double-digit lead in the granite state is history. Barack Obama eating up her lead. Now, it's a one- point race in the democratic primary there in New Hampshire. Clinton has 31 percent. Barack Obama 30 percent, neck and neck, well within the margin of error. John Edwards in third place now at 16 percent.
On the GOP side of things, Mike Huckabee's buzz in Iowa is not catching on in New Hampshire. That same poll shows Mitt Romney with a commanding 13-point lead over Rudy Giuliani and John McCain. Huckabee trails well back, look at that, with only 9 percent. Just what impact will this new poll have on the Clinton campaign? CNN's Jessica Yellin joins us now live from Des Moines where the candidates from both parties are getting ready for the Des Moines registers presidential debate set for today and Thursday, the last debates before the caucuses there. Jessica, we're going to see Hillary Clinton come out swinging even harder against Barack Obama, trying to claw back into the lead?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. You got to expect it coming up, John. Those numbers that you cited from New Hampshire are not good news for the Clinton campaign in the strongest way. New Hampshire is crucial for Hillary Clinton. It's the state that made her husband the comeback kid in 1992. He lost Iowa that year and New Hampshire has been good to the Clintons and they're counting it on it again. So, her shrinking lead there is of concern to that campaign. She has a strong organization. She has a strong history there and they feel that there is a sense of opportunity that can still be capitalized on. It is not at all too late, but they really do need to refocus their message, which is this message of strength, experience, and that she can beat the GOP, the republican nominee. So you can expect Hillary Clinton to hit all those themes in the debate here tomorrow, and also don't be surprised if you see her try to really sharpen the difference with Barack Obama on issues like health care, and some specific policy differences that suggest she knows how to take care of America better from the get-go, perhaps even digging up some of his votes from the state senate, when he served in the state, senate in Illinois. John.
ROBERTS: Jessica, what is the scuttlebutt there on the trail about what happened to Hillary?
YELLIN: Well you know, there's a lot of head scratching and all sorts of questions about what's going on inside the campaign, is there fingerpointing, et cetera. The bottom line is, she always banked on New Hampshire as a big winner, always said Iowa was not the state she was strongest in, and had to learn more about. So here in Iowa, it's perhaps not as much of a surprise but she has not connected in the way they need her to and you know, she's going to be here trying to refocus that message and maybe the big question for it, how negative can she be in a state where people are already wondering about how trustworthy and truthful she is. It's a tough balancing act for that campaign.
ROBERTS: New Hampshire was supposed to be her firewall and seems to be evaporating before her eyes. Jessica Yellin for us this morning with the "Election Express" in the background in Des Moines. And Jessica, thanks.
And that brings us to this morning's quick vote. Will the poll results from early primary states influence your vote? You know sometimes in the later primary states, they wait to see what's happening. You can actually see preferences change depending on what the vote in Iowa and New Hampshire was. Cast your vote at cnn.com/am. Right now, 13 percent of you say yes, you're looking for guidance from the early primary states. 87 percent say no, we're making up our own minds.
We'll continue to track those votes throughout the morning. And a reminder today is 2:00 p.m. Eastern, the republican candidates will go at it in a debate sponsored by Iowa Public Television and "The Des Moines Register." Tomorrow, it will be the democrats' turn in the last debates before the caucuses on January 3rd. You can see both of those debates, live this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon here on CNN. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, do not call ever. The House has passed legislation that would make the do not call list permanent. Right now, you'd have to sign up for it again every five years. (inaudible) approval but some 146 million Americans have signed on to this list since it started back in 2003. In fact, one lawmaker describes it as possibly one of the most popular laws in our nation's history. The new bill means that you won't have to reregister and by the way if you like to know where you can do that, you can register your home or mobile phone on do not call dot-gov.
Also feeling the heat for a planned ad in the nation's reserve oil supply. Senators blasted energy department officials at a hearing for a plan to boost the amount of oil in the 750 million barrel strategic petroleum reserve. One industry analyst said that taking oil off the markets could push prices up. Crude recently spiked just below $100 a barrel.
Well, we've been talking all week about the fierce ice storm. We've seen the pictures in the Midwest. Thousands of accidents on the road. We sent Rob Marciano to see if it is possible to find yourself in those dangerous and treacherous conditions to learn how to drive and whether or not the tires you have on your car can make a difference. We're going to take a look, Rob shows us, coming up in just a minute. Also, can putting down the fork one day a month help your heart? We're going to hear the facts on fasting, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: All right. Welcome back. This is a shot coming to us of Charleston, South Carolina, courtesy of WCBD, that's the Cooper River Bridge or the Arthur Ravenell Bridge or the AMERICAN MORNING bridge as we show it a lot. It's certainly a beautiful stand. 61 degrees there, shaping up to be 81 degrees, they say partly cloudy but boy if you're somebody dealing with all of the treacherous ice in the Midwest you probably want to head to Charleston today. Our Rob Marciano is here right now as well. You were trying to help people out, I guess the first advice would be if you don't have to drive in ice, don't. What do you do if you find yourself on a treacherous roadway?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, just take it slow. We're going to talk more about what you can and can't do and certainly what kind of tires you should be strapping on your car for sure. First off, though, we'll talk more about the weather. We've got some action of the tropical variety, not only snow and ice but we got a tropical storm, We're outside of hurricane season, this tropical storm Olga slammed into Hispaniola last night, moving west at 19 miles an hour. It is about 110 miles west-northwest of Port-Au- Prince, Haiti. Not expecting to strengthen too much but we'll keep an eye on it just in case. All right, 30 degrees in Oklahoma City, 28 in Wichita. That's cold enough for frozen precipitation getting a little bit of it this morning but not nearly the wide expanse of precip like we saw yesterday but still if you're in an OK city, you have your power out, you see more freezing rain coming down. It's just not very hopeful but you'll get a little bit more in the way of warming temperatures over the next couple of days but today it looks to be rather frozen down there.
CHETRY: You'll see a little bit of pink in western New York. MARCIANO: We got a pretty good storm coming into town across the northeast tomorrow and again Saturday night and Sunday. So northeastern folks will have their chance to express their driving skills in the snow and ice.
CHETRY: Yes, that's right. This ice storm that you said, it is letting up. The roads though are still treacherous in this situation so we sent Rob for some driving lessons to check out if you can actually handle yourself better on the ice if you know what you're doing.
MARCIANO: Well, last year we went to a driving school in Colorado, which was kind of a snow and ice combination but this is just shear ice. You know, where do you get the best ice? Well, you go to an ice rink and that's where you met Matt Edmonds. He is of the "Tire Rack" and they test all sorts of tires so they know their stuff. If you have all season tires and most of us do, you should pay close attention. I learned firsthand, the right set of wheels can make all the difference.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): Come on, I thought with all season tires we don't need winter tires now.
MATT EDMONDS, VP, THE TIRE RACK: Well, an all season tire is good in everything but it's not great in anything. I mean, it's going to give you somehow a performance but it's not going to give you the ultimate performance.
MARCIANO: Show me the difference.
EDMONDS: This car has the all-season 'nonbarking we're going to skid more' tires?
MARCIANO: Well, this is the tire you're going to find on really 90 percent of the vehicles out there. So, let's go see how we do.
EDMONDS: This is a speed of, you know, roughly 10 to 11 miles an hour that you'd find yourself driving in your neighborhood.
MARCIANO: I got nothing.
EDMONDS: That was, that was exactly what happens.
MARCIANO: The worst I'm going to hit are the cones in the hockey rink when it still makes me nauseous not having that control.
EDMONDS: Yes, in the worst conditions, slowing down makes a big difference. Slowing down, maintaining spacing behind yourself. Because is someone in front of you looses control, you want the ability to get around them.
MARCIANO: So, we're now in the red car with the better winter tires.
EDMONDS: As we go through the corner here, I think you'll definitely feel the difference.
MARCIANO: I feel them digging into the ice.
EDMONDS: They're barking. Listen to it. They're grabbing the ice there working. They're gripping the ice like it's pavement.
MARCIANO: So, here I'm going to try to brake. This would be just like driving down the road in the slick spot and you're trying to avoid the person in front of you?
EDMONDS: Well, yes, if you're coming up to an intersection let's say and the ice has been polished by people stopping, that's what really this simulates here for us. We got the all season tires so we'll see how we do compared to the car that's on the winter tires.
MARCIANO: Thank you, all right. Fancy pants with the tires over there.
EDMONDS: All right, keep going. Brakes.
MARCIANO: About twice as far to stop.
EDMONDS: Yes, so it makes a difference, getting on the brakes, the brakes are working, we felt the brakes and heard them working but the tires weren't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: About 10, 12 miles an hour there and it took twice as long for the regular car with the regular all season tires to stop and that certainly could be the difference between having an accident and not having an accident.
CHETRY: Of course.
MARCIANO: Those aren't the studded tires that you're used to and a lot of people are used to. Those really tear up the roads. These are made with a special material. They're kind of soft. They're kind of grabby. They're kind of like a vibrum sole on your shoe and it really made a difference digging into that ice. It really feels like it's cutting into the ice.
CHETRY: So, even though you were on that controlled course when you were in the car without those, I mean, it still makes your heart stop, especially when you're trying to brake and you have no control.
MARCIANO: It's a miserable thing. And so you switch them on and off during winter and summer. You know cost probably 400 bucks but that's less than the deductible if you get into an accident and it would let your other tire lasts a little bit longer. I hate to sound like an infomercial...
CHETRY: I know, what are they called?
MARCIANO: You know, I can't. I don't want to put out the particular brand. Bridgestone makes a brand and all of the other major tire companies do it as well. You may want to look into it.
CHETRY: All right. Cool. Sounds good. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: You got it.
ROBERTS: 45 minutes after the hour now. Teachers getting better grades tops your "Quick Hits" now. A study out today by the Educational Testing Service says teachers starting their careers now are more qualified than those who started a decade ago. Their verbal S.A.T. scores are 13 points higher, math scores 17 points higher. The study says tougher requirements at all levels are attracting better teaching candidates.
And a huge education gift will be announced today. Every child born in Maine starting next year will get $500 to start a college fund. The money comes from the late founder of the Dexter Shoe Company, Harold Alfond. And according to the Finance Authority of Maine, if a family member contributes $50 a month that investment can grow to $25,000 by the time a child turns 18.
Looking for a new way to get heart healthy? Exercise is always a good option. But if you want something new, you might want to put down the fork. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen will explain coming up in just a little bit.
And was it guts that made a New Jersey clerk fight back against a would-be robber or was it YouTube? The story coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: All right, about ten minutes before 8:00 here on the east coast. And if you're just joining us, a look at what's making headlines this morning. We have an update for you on a story happening right now, a milestone of sorts in Jerusalem. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are taking part in the first peace talks in nearly seven years. This comes amidst new violence in the region. Palestinian militants fired 16 rockets toward Israel. Israeli officials say a woman was hurt. Hours earlier, Israeli forces ended an incursion in Gaza that left six militants dead. Today's talks, they were expected to last for several hours.
Also, a powerful car bomb killed a key military leader and three others in the suburbs of Beirut today. The assassination further destabilizes a country with no president, as pro and anti-Syrian political parties struggle for control of the government.
Also the first pictures in now from a series of deadly bombings that's taking place in southeastern Iraq this morning. There you see vehicles in flames. Iraqi TV reporting 30 people dead, dozens of others injured, three car bombs blasting off within minutes of each other in Amara. Rival Shiite factions battling for control there. The British left the area in Iraqi hands back in August of 2006.
ROBERTS: Coming up to nine minutes to the top of the hour. Parents who keep in constant contact with their kids in college are not holding them back after all. College administrators had worried that so-called helicopter parents, because they're always hovering over their children, were smothering their kids. But a new study shows that students who stay in contact with mom and dad overall are actually more engaged. However, it also found those students tend to have lower grades by about a tenth of a GPA point.
Can going hungry one day a month be good for the heart? CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in Atlanta this morning to explain why fasting seems to have a positive effect. Elizabeth, we've heard how caloric restriction, severe caloric restrictions can extend lives in some cases. Haven't heard about this one before.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This one is very interesting, John, because so many different religions prescribe fasting. The doctors are beginning to think hmmm, maybe there's something to this, maybe it actually does affect people's health. So what doctors in Utah did, is they looked at Mormons who fast. Mormons often fast, the first Sunday of each month, 24 hours without food and water, and what they found is that those who fasted had a 39 percent reduction in their chances of having -- 39 percent reduction in the clogged arteries, in heart disease, and so this definitely makes many people think this is worth studying, this is very interesting. Now, this is not a definitive study at all. Doctors are not recommending fasting, but they definitely are interested in studying it more.
ROBERTS: So, Elizabeth, what is the mechanism through which this might be protective of coronary arteries?
COHEN: You know what John, nobody knows but here is one thought that doctors have. When you're fasting, you're basically keeping sugar out of your body for those 24 hours and so the cells that are involved with insulin production kind of get a break, and after the break, there's a theory that maybe they work better, but there's another theory which is much more psychological in nature, and that is that if you're disciplined enough to not eat for 24 hours, you're probably disciplined enough in life in general to make good food choices.
ROBERTS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning in Atlanta on that, ground-breaking new research, one day a week and maybe protect your heart a little bit better. Thanks very much, Elizabeth. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, the search for remains at ground zero in your "Quick Hits" now. New York City closing a facility where debris is sifted by hand. Mayor Bloomberg said the extended search, the expanded search started last year is largely completed.
Also, some of the so-called Ft. Dix Six are now accused of trying to incite terrorism from behind bars. The feds say one of them slip an Al Qaeda DVD to another inmate and another passed notes including one, talking about "the fight we weren't able to finish." Five foreign-born Muslim are in prison waiting to be tried on charges of conspiring to kill soldiers at Ft. Dix.
Well, as brazen as it is stupid, it's all caught on camera. A thief drives off with a woman's car right under the nose of a police officer. There he goes zooming off. You're going to see what happens next on AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, when planes nearly collide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something needs to be done before there is a major catastrophe in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So what is being done to protect passengers? The answer will shock you. The report you need to watch before you fly, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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ROBERTS: 57 minutes after the hour. You are about to see the gutsiest if not the stupidest robbery imaginable. It happened in North Carolina right in front of a police officer. We got a carjacking going on right in front of the cop. Police say they chased down the man literally and take look at this, walked right past the officer to steal the woman's car. The woman had stopped to report a crime, left her car running. The guy hopped in and took off. He's lucky the officer didn't draw his gun and fire a few bullets into the car. The suspect didn't get too far, he was eventually caught.
Also, caught on tape, a clerk fighting off a robber in New Jersey. And wait until you hear why. It happened at a Dunkin Doughnuts in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. The clerk grabbed the tip jar to beat back a would be thief to try to grab cash out of the register. The clerk says he fought back not because he was trying to save the Dunkin Donuts store money but because he knew it was being caught on security video, knew that it would end up on YouTube and didn't wasn't to look like a wuss.
CHETRY: He's smart.
ROBERTS: The clerk's name, by the way, Dustin Hoffman. You're a hero.
CHETRY: Congratulations, Dustin. You're a hero. Should have just looked at the camera and waved first. He knew it was coming.
ROBERTS: He's a macho guy.
CHETRY: There he is. Now, you're watching the most news in the morning. Coming up now, Alan Greenspan has a few thoughts on the current subprime mortgage crisis. He says he knows who is to blame for it. We're going to find out what his editorial said in today's "Wall Street Journal," coming up.
Also, it seems like it happened every day and in fact it did just happen yesterday, two more planes near colliding, Alina Cho is taking a closer look at why this is happening in the air and on the ground and whether anything is being done to put the flying public at ease. The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
ROBERTS: Capital interrogation, the CIA's director back on the hill, facing heat over those destroyed tapes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who authorized it? How come we didn't know about it?
ROBERTS: Seconds from disaster.
CONTROLLER: We're going to miss approach, on to your left.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS (voice-over): New reports of close calls at America's biggest airports, what can be done to keep us safe.
Plus an intimate new look at old blue eyes. Fly me to the moon.
Snapshots from this Sinatra family album helping celebrate the birthday of the chairman of the board, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
FRANK SINATRA: Spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Thanks very much for joining us. And welcome back on this Wednesday, the 12th of December. I'm John Roberts.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry. We start off with a battle for the White House in the new polls just out a couple of hours ago, showing the race really intensify especially in New Hampshire presidential primary poll. It was conducted by the University of New Hampshire. Let's take a look at the numbers showing Senator Clinton's former double digit lead in New Hampshire evaporating. Senator Barack Obama now a point behind her in New Hampshire. Clinton at 31 percent. Obama at 30 percent, John Edwards coming in third at 16 percent. Now, on the GOP side, Mitt Romey has a 13-point lead with Rudy Giuliani and John McCain. The GOP's rising star in Iowa Mike Huckabee only at 9 percent in New Hampshire.
You can catch the republican candidates in their last debate before the Iowa Caucuses that's taking place today. Two p.m. Eastern and that debate is sponsored by Iowa Public Television and the Des Moines Register.
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