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American Morning
New Poll Numbers: Clinton Leading in New Hampshire; War Money Approved; In the Dark: Oklahoma Family Without Power, Jamie Lynn Spears Pregnant
Aired December 19, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Brand new developments in the case of the destroyed Al Qaeda interrogation tapes. The controversy growing today and critics want to know why and a judge is actually going straight to the White House to try to get answers.
The "New York Times" is reporting in this morning edition that at least four White House lawyers, including the former Attorney General, Alberto Gonzalez, as well as the former White House Counsel, Harriet Miers, were in on the talks with the CIA over whether or not to destroy those tapes. A federal judge has set a hearing for Friday. The top Republican on the House Intelligence panel says that he may also push for subpoenas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PETE HOEKSTRA (R), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE VICE-CHAIRMAN: There were misleading statements that came to the intelligence committee from the community regarding these tapes. You know, we have a constitutional responsibility to do our job and to hold the community accountable for the work that it has done or the work that it has not done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The justice department says that a court proceeding could disrupt its own investigation into the destroyed tapes.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: We've got some brand new poll numbers out this morning just released moments ago. The CNN/WMUR New Hampshire presidential primary poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire shows that Hillary Clinton regained a substantial lead in the granite state. She now has 38 percent support, that is 12 points ahead of Barack Obama. A week earlier the polls showed them to be in a virtual dead heat. John Edwards still third with 14 percent.
On the Republican side of the fence, Mitt Romney still leads with about a third of likely primary voters supporting him. John McCain second with 22, followed by Rudy Giuliani with 16 percent. Mike Huckabee holding on with about 10.
Joining us live now from Manchester, New Hampshire, is our Bill Schneider. And Bill, it's interesting when you look at these polls to note that on the Democratic side, some four in 10 voters still undecided, a little less than four in 10 or a little more than four in 10 rather, on the Republican side, so this race could still change substantially.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It is still wide open. We find that only about one in three Democrats, fewer than one in three Democrats say they've definitely made up their minds here in New Hampshire and among Republicans, it's under one in four. So still a wide open race on this, a lot of shifting going on but for the moment at least, the frontrunners are still the frontrunners and in each case by 12 points.
ROBERTS: So what is it that's being said on the campaign trail by Hillary Clinton, by Mitt Romney that have changed those numbers around?
SCHNEIDER: Essentially what's happening is the campaign is getting back to bread and butter issues. It's more about domestic issues. Hillary Clinton is about health care. What we're seeing in this poll is more interest in health care. More voters saying that's their number one concern.
In the case of the Republicans, more concern about the economy and taxes and the illegal immigration. Relatively less urgency to the issues of terrorism and the war in Iraq...
ROBERTS: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: ... which is -- which has been a vulnerability to Hillary Clinton among the Democrats and where Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are rated higher among Republicans.
ROBERTS: I was also interested to see in the new poll, Bill, that there isn't one issue that really stands out. Those top issues of terrorism, the economy, the war in Iraq, all pretty much share the same amount of concern there among voters in New Hampshire.
SCHNEIDER: That's right. There's no single issue that dominates this campaign, and in fact, the issues -- the economy is the single issue that is more important than any other to Democrats and Republicans, but it's not the dominant issue in the campaign. There are a lot of concerns here, and as I say, there's been a shift towards domestic issues.
It is not 2004, the last Republican victory, which was all about the war on terror, or 2006, the big Democratic sweep in the midterm election, which was all about the war in Iraq. Democrat its and Republicans had hoped to re-run those campaigns but they're not going to be able to do it.
ROBERTS: Interesting to see the way that the numbers are shifting and again, Bill, as you said, they could shift again. We'll get back to you a little bit later on this morning. They'll get you to sift through some of those numbers a little bit more because they hold interesting insights.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
ROBERTS: Bill Schneider for us this morning in New Hampshire. Bill, thanks -- Kiran.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
CHETRY: Well, turning now to the battle for the White House and a sneak preview of Giuliani's, Rudy Giuliani's new Christmas ad. It will be released later this morning. In it we see a lighter side of the Republican presidential candidate. He's in front of a Christmas tree talking about how he doesn't have enough time to go holiday shopping so he's buying everyone the same gift.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, RUDY GIULIANI'S CAMPAIGN AD)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Probably a fruitcake or something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A fruitcake? What?
GIULIANI: It will be a really nice fruitcake with a big red bow on it or something like that. I'm Rudy Giuliani and I approved this message. Merry Christmas, happy holidays!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: How about that? I wonder if that Santa's on his campaign. No, Santa. Totally nonpartisan. We're going to see what Giuliani says a little bit later today. He's going to be joining Wolf Blitzer in "The Situation Room" this afternoon for a rare one on one interview, 4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Pacific.
And Mike Huckabee defending his new Christmas ad poking fun at critics who say that the white bookcase in the background of the ad is shaped like a cross and meant to be a subliminal message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That was a bookshelf mind me, a bookshelf. And so now I have these people saying, oh, there was a subtle message there. Actually, I will confess this, if you play the spot backwards, it says "Paul is dead, Paul is dead, Paul is dead."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, Huckabee said that the spot was set up the last minute, that he ad-libbed it and he can't believe the length people will go to make something out of nothing. It will air in the early primary states of Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.
ROBERTS: Not the first time somebody's made something out of nothing nor will it be the last.
Time to check in now with our Alina Cho for other stories just breaking this morning. Good morning to you, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot going on John. Kiran, good morning to both of you and good morning, everybody. New this morning, reports of a pretty big earthquake in Alaska. It was a magnitude 7.2 and it happened just after 4:30 a.m. Eastern time, that's just about 90 minutes ago. The epicenter of the quake was deep underground and off shore so no damage or injuries have been reported. A tsunami warning, we you mention, was issued as well but it was quickly canceled.
President Bush will sign a major energy bill today. It includes the first increase in auto fuel economy standards in 32 years. Cars will have to get 35 miles to the gallon by the year 2020. Today's standard is 25 miles a gallon. The new law also phases out those standard incandescent light bulbs, you know, the ones we've been using for more than a century. Beginning in 2012, you have to start buying more energy-efficient bulbs.
In less than five hours, the U.S. transportation secretary will unveil steps to improve air travel over this busy holiday season. The announcement is said to include plans to ease congestion in the New York area by the summer. Guys, that's good news for us.
The plan is to shift some flights to off-peak times but for now, the federal government will reportedly not impose a reduction in the number of takeoffs and landings.
A major victory for President Bush. The Senate has overwhelmingly passed a $555 billion spending bill. The massive federal budget includes $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, without timetables for bringing the troops home. That was the sticking point. Today the House is expected to approve the revisions, which also funds every government agency except the Pentagon until October of next year.
The U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq will be staying there for at least one more year. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to approve the extension. That means that more than 150,000 troops in Iraq will stay there until the end of 2008, the overwhelming majority of the troops, of course, are American. Iraqi officials say they hope the troops can leave a bit sooner.
Some concerns this morning about a strike on Kurdish rebels overnight. The Turkish raids crossed into northern Iraq. U.S. military commanders say they weren't told Turkey was bombing in Iraq until war planes were already across the border. Turkey says it was acting on U.S. intelligence Sunday. Turkish ground forces briefly crossed the border yesterday as well. Iraqi officials are calling on Turkey to use diplomacy instead of violence.
And a major disaster to report in Pakistan. A passenger train packed with holiday travelers derailed overnight. The "AP" is reporting at least 50 people were killed and dozens more were injured. The death toll could go higher. Rescuers are using metal cutting equipment to reach those who were trapped.
About 700 people were on the train, including a large wedding party. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. But guys, 12 of the 16 trains derailed and, of course, the death toll could go higher as they search for survivors. ROBERTS: Some incredible pictures out of Pakistan. Alina, thanks.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: There's some new figures just in to CNN that detail the rate of foreclosures and the state of the housing market. Ali Velshi is at the business update desk to explain what those numbers mean those morning. Hi, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kiran, good morning. The new numbers are for November. The foreclosure rates around the United States is a good news/bad news situation. Take a look at this.
Foreclosures are actually down 10 percent from October, and that is the first double-digit decline since April of 2006. But if you compare November to last November, November 2006, they're still up 68 percent. Now the people who put this report out warned that this doesn't mean that we're at a turning point just yet because we're likely to see more mortgage resets in the beginning of 2008 and that could put more foreclosure pressure.
Let's take a look at the places with the highest foreclosures. Nevada, once again, heads that list, one in 152 homes is in some degree of foreclosure. It doesn't mean you're losing your house. It just means you're in that process. Florida one in 282. Ohio one in 307, Colorado one in 320 and California one in 325. Through the course of the morning, I'll break some of that down so that you get some idea of what this means in the areas in which you live -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Ali Velshi will be talking more about that and also, by the way, retail sales numbers, how many people have not actually hit the stores yet.
VELSHI: Lots of you have not done your shopping. Yes.
CHETRY: And whether that's good news or bad news for stores. All right. We'll see you know, in a few.
VELSHI: OK.
ROBERTS: Ten minutes now after the hour. We are also following extreme weather this morning. The pacific northwest is bracing for another round of winter storms. A high wind warning is now in effect for the Oregon coast. Forecasters say snow and heavy rains could cause more mudslides. Folks are also dealing with severe flooding there.
That same system dropping several feet of snow across the Sierra Nevada in California bringing along with it some much-needed drought relief in the area, but the storm is making it difficult for rescuers about 100 miles north of Sacramento. They are searching for a family that disappeared on Sunday while looking for a Christmas tree.
Our Rob Marciano is at the weather update desk tracking all of the extreme weather, so we had all that weather in the northwest. Who else is in line for it today, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, METEOROLOGIST: Well, northwest again, and in the west coast again, so we have -- this is the last of a series of strong storms that's moving into the west coast and then a weak storm is moving into the northeast. Let's cover it now.
Seattle seeing some rainfall. Some of this could be heavy at times, up and down the I-5 corridor. You see the moisture plume coming into this area. This is northwest Oregon, and they're getting hit hard as well. Chris Lawrence in the Bernomia (ph) area covering this end of the story. He'll be up in about a half an hour. We'll go live to him. In the mountains, a different story, you better believe it.
Two to three feet of snow expect in the cascades. By the time this storm is done tomorrow afternoon so that is a boom for ski resorts but traveling is going to be miserable. Similar numbers maybe to a lesser extent across the bitterroots of Idaho.
Snow advisory still in effect for parts of the sierra, and southern California still seeing some rainfall. This is beginning to taper off. No word right now of any landslides or mudslides there. That is good news because they got a ton of rain last night. We were really worried about seeing some of those burned areas beginning to slough off.
All right. A little bit of moisture now heading into the northeast. This shouldn't cause too much of a problem but there's a wintry mix of precip heading up the I-95 corridor. Shouldn't be too much of a headache, especially after what everybody endured last weekend. John, back up to you.
ROBERTS: Rob, I'm hearing a little something in your voice there. Have you been out in the cold too much?
MARCIANO: Maybe that or my little bit of a Barry White imitation voice singing a couple of tunes today.
ROBERTS: All right. Sounds good. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Well, another late night funnyman headed back to his desk. Your "Quick Hits" now. ABC's Jimmy Kimmel is going to be returning to the air waves January 2nd despite the writer's strike, same days NBC's Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. Like his comedy counterparts, Kimmel said returning is difficult while his writers are on strike but doing so saves the jobs of all of his other non-writing staff.
Meanwhile, David Letterman's production company is in talks with the Writer's Guild to allow members back on his show specifically while the strike in general continues. Who says you can't put a price on freedom? How about $21.3 million? That was the final price paid for an ancient copy of the Magna Carta. We first told you about the auction yesterday.
Well, there was a buyer. It was David Rubenstein, the former member of the Carter administration and cofounder of a private equity firm. This copy is one of 17 known in the world. This particular one was written in 1297. It includes a ban on taxation without representation, and it became the basis of our constitution as well as declaration of independence.
So did she do it again? Bombshell baby news out of the Spears family. What message does this latest pregnancy send to teens? We're going to talk about it.
Also imagine being without power after a storm for not 24 hours, not 36 hours but 10 days and counting. Well, it's happening right now to thousands in Oklahoma, as they deal with frigid temperatures. We're talking with one family about how they're coping and what they're hearing from the power company. Why is it taking so long? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Some of the most amazing shots of the morning in our "Quick Hits" now, this one certainly bad news for the family that lives here. But this is a Scottsdale, Arizona, mansion, entirely up in flames. It was an 8,000-square-foot home. It was brand new. They just built it. Firefighters said that no one was there at the time. There are reports that a water shortage hurt efforts to stop it before the home was a total loss.
A spaniel in distress on a frozen pond. This is in Lake Winona in Minnesota. The dog fell in. A fire captain came to the rescue, and there's a shot of it. It's a pretty delicate operation. The rescuer, of course, weighing a lot more on the little guy on the ice, had to don a cold water suit and then crawl out onto the ice to pull the dog out.
The fire department says that two other dogs also went under, but they were able to climb out on their own. The vet says this little guy will be fine.
And look at these amazing ice sculptures and snow pictures. These are workers putting finishing touches on this giant French maid that's entirely carved out of snow. This is a part of the 20th annual snow sculpture expo that takes place in northeast China, one of the world's four largest ice and snow festivals fueled by cold winter temperatures blowing in from Siberia -- John.
ROBERTS: Seventeen minutes after the hour. We are also following extreme weather this morning. Utility workers in Oklahoma working to restore power to more than 88,000 homes and businesses more than a week after a major ice storm there. President Bush declaring seven counties a disaster area. The order means that state and local governments can now receive federal funds for cleanup and repair. One power company says all of the electricity is expected to be restored by late tonight or maybe tomorrow.
We're talking this morning to one family who had the lights come back on for just a little bit, but they are unfortunately in the dark again this morning. The Barnes family joins us now from Sand Springs, Oklahoma, sitting in front of their fire there, Lisa and Brandon and a couple of the kids. Is that your only source of heat that you've got going there? I imagine it is.
LISA BARNES, MOTHER: Yes, it is.
ROBERTS: Oh, my goodness. You've been without power, Brandon, since the 9th of December. How have you been coping?
BRANDON BARNES, FATHER: When this -- as far as getting logs, bringing them in and staying as warm as we can.
ROBERTS: Go ahead.
B. BARNES: We have no electric and no hot water, and we've been doing the best we can.
ROBERTS: So your heat is electric as well, is it? I mean, not that it would work if there was a gas-fired furnace anyway.
B. BARNES: Correct.
ROBERTS: But what temperature is the house at these days?
B. BARNES: We have not been paying attention. We've just been wrapping up in blankets and keeping all of us bundled up.
ROBERTS: That I imagine, it's cold regardless of what temperature it is.
B. BARNES: Right, right.
ROBERTS: So what's the power company told you about getting the lights back on? I understand it came on briefly yesterday?
B. BARNES: Yes, a short period of time, but from the wife calling the last four nights, they've been saying 10:00.
ROBERTS: Right.
B. BARNES: And you know, the last, first couple times, you know, we anticipated it, but we haven't seen any changes yet.
ROBERTS: Yes. And how many other folks there in Sand Springs without power? Is it still the whole town or just a couple of blocks?
B. BARNES: No, it's just from what we've seen it's just the houses in this neighborhood only.
ROBERTS: Right. So how have you been coping? How have you been cooking food? How have you been, obviously, you don't have any hot water, so how have you been bathing? How have you been keeping the kids clothes clean? You mentioned, you can't do any laundry.
B. BARNES: We've hit the Laundromat a couple of times, and that was a nightmare. Everybody -- the first Laundromat and everybody in Sand Springs was involved in going there, and it was terribly busy.
ROBERTS: Right. So when do you hope to have the power back on?
B. BARNES: Any time would be nice.
ROBERTS: I'm sure it would be, but no estimate there. They're still saying hang in. We're trying to get it all done?
L. BARNES: They're saying December the 20th is the soonest.
ROBERTS: Wow!
L. BARNES: Yes.
ROBERTS: All right.
L. BARNES: We'll see.
ROBERTS: All right, folks. Well, good luck to you. Stay warm. The Barnes family in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, thanks for joining us this morning.
Let's get a response now from the power company, Public Service Company of Oklahoma spokesman, Stan Whiteford joins us on the phone now from Tulsa. So you heard what the Barnes had to say, Stan. What can you tell them about getting the power back on?
STAN WHITEFORD, SPOKESMAN, PUBLIC SERVICE CO. OF OKLA (ON THE PHONE): Well, first of all, we recognize the hardships that many of our customers have endured over the last 10 days or so, and we want to thank all those customers for their patience and for their continued patience.
We're nearing the completion of what has been a long and very challenging recovery process. We had over 250,000 PSO customers without power here when the storm hit on the 9th and 10th, and we have restored power to well over 240,000. Actually, we're just down to the remaining 6,000 or so customers who are still without power, so we are nearing the completion of this.
ROBERTS: These ice storms are just the worst because unlike snow, which can easily fall off of the power line, the ice clings to it, and it doubles or triples the weight and it comes down. Is it possible to prepare for something like this? Were you adequately prepared?
WHITEFORD: Well, we have a very formal and aggressive vegetation management program here, and certainly we hope that and would expect that the work that we do year-round to help trim trees away from power lines has done something to help mitigate the amount of damage...
(CROSSTALK) ROBERTS: You mean --
WHITEFORD: But you know this is a storm of unprecedented damage in the populated areas of Oklahoma.
ROBERTS: You mean -- you're saying Stan--
WHITEFORD: We've never had anything like this before, so this is a historic event.
ROBERTS: Stan, you're saying it could have been even worse?
WHITEFORD: Well, it could have been worse for sure. We have a very formal program to try to take care of vegetation that's in and around the power lines. We've also been in the process of converting certain overhead power lines to underground.
ROBERTS: Yes.
WHITEFORD: So we continue to try to do whatever we can to mitigate the impacts and to lessen the impacts of these type of events.
ROBERTS: Well, that's a process that can't happen fast enough for some people. Stan Whiteford for us this morning. Stan, thanks for joining us.
WHITEFORD: You're welcome.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, he knows that you've been naughty, of course, and he knows when you've been nice. Which list will this woman end up on? Well, that's the actual Santa. A mall Santa says that one woman sat on his lap and grabbed him inappropriately in front of kids, no less. We'll have that story in just a bit.
And a new child coming into the Spears family. This time is not Britney, though. Her 16-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn, we're going to tell you what Jamie Lynn's plans are for the new baby and how she broke the news to her parents, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, Britney Spears' baby sister is having a baby. Sixteen-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears telling "OK!" magazine that she's 12 weeks pregnant and that the father is her 19-year-old boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. Spears is saying that she was scared at first especially to tell her mom. She plans to raise the baby in Louisiana, so that it can have a normal family life.
She's the star of the popular Nickelodeon show "Zoey 101." When asked what type of message her news sends to teens about premarital sex, Jamie Lynn said "I definitely don't think it's something you should do. It's better to wait." ROBERTS: Our "Hot Shot" of the morning. It's a light display that may not go over too well with the power company or with some of the neighbors. This I-Report was sent to us by Robert Cox's of his light show in Pittsburgh. It's set to the music of the song called "Toy Sack."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSIC: toy sack, baby, a toy sack, baby
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A little pickup from the B-52s's Love Shack there and quite a shack. Look at those lights, took 150,000 lights, five miles of extension cord, three months to set it all up. He's accepting donations for the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from people who stop by to see the light display.
(CROSSTALK) CHETRY: That could almost send people to the hospital. I mean, when you talk about those video games with the flashing light.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: A little flashing light.
ROBERTS: We'll have a couple of people who have grand mal seizures.
CHETRY: Wow.
ROBERTS: Yes. If you got a "Hot Shot," send it to us. The address is amhotshots@CNN.com. Be sure to include your name, where you're from, a little bit about the picture or video. One more thing, make sure that the image is yours and not someone else's.
Obviously, no light displays like that going on in many places in Oklahoma these days. We should point out, too, you brought this up, that the Barnes family, the light in their house was provided by us.
CHETRY: Right.
ROBERTS: They have no light.
CHETRY: Yes. Our cameras and crew lit it, so that we could see them. But they are still in the dark and very cold out there.
ROBERTS: Living like that for a few hours is difficult enough, let alone all that time.
CHETRY: God bless them.
Well, more trouble for singer, Amy Winehouse. She was arrested in London yesterday. We're going to tell you why, coming up.
And also this jolly old St. Nick has quite a laughful in Connecticut. The mall santa says he was touched inappropriately by a woman and now she's facing some serious charges. That story is ahead when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: This is a beautiful shot this morning, coming to us from WBAL in Baltimore, Maryland. Right now, its 38 degrees, going up to 44 degrees. Cloudy, a chance of showers today on this Wednesday, December 19th. Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. New this morning in the case of the destroyed al Qaeda interrogation tapes, the "New York Times" is reporting that at least four White House lawyers, including Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, were in on the talks with the CIA over whether to get rid of the tapes. A federal judge has set a hearing for Friday. He wants to find out whether the Bush administration violated an order to preserve all evidence related to possible prisoner mistreatment at Guantanamo Bay.
A major victory for President Bush, the Senate overwhelmingly voted for a $555 billion spending bill late last night. The massive federal budget includes $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and does not include any timelines for bringing the troops home. Today, the House is expected to approve the additional war funding. The bill funds every government agency, except the Pentagon until next October.
CHETRY: Chipping away at the devastating housing slump, just released numbers from November show that foreclosures were actually down 10 percent over a month, but still up close to 70 percent from just a year ago. It's the first time in more than a year that monthly foreclosure rates have actually posted a double-digit decline.
You may remember this story, the toy that pulled over date rape drug fears. It's going back on the shelves in an Australian State. The toy known as Aqua Dots in the U.S., Bindi's down under. At least, nine children in the U.S. and three in Australia got sick from the beads, which were made in China. The state of New South Wales has now lifted a ban on the toy because the maker is promising it would no longer contain the chemical that turned into GHB when swallowed.
ROBERTS: Its right there in its title but a D.C. firefighter could be punished for fighting a fire. Lieutenant Gerald Burton was on his way to a training class in a fire truck, when he heard a call go out just a few blocks away. His attorney says, Burton offered to help but was ordered to go to class instead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GERALD BURTON, D.C. FIREFIGHTER: If someone was trapped, if its a baby trapped inside, seconds count from saving lives (INAUDIBLE) and at that point, it's go do your job.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: That fire reportedly caused $150,000 of damages. The 21-year veteran of the department now faces a two-day suspension without pay for disobeying an order.
And it looks like one Connecticut woman is headed for Santa's naughty list. Former employee at the Danbury Fair Mall allegedly molested the mall's Santa Claus. Yes, molested the mall's Santa Claus. The Santa says the middle aged woman sat on his lap and groped him. She's been charged with fourth degree sexual assault and breach of peace, both of them misdemeanors.
CHETRY: Is that after he's sitting there sadly?
ROBERTS: I don't know.
CHETRY: He said the kids were around and that's really what got him.
All right, well, she says it was supposed to be a joke, now a Virginia mother is facing serious charges for something she posted on the Internet. Our Veronica De La Cruz is following this story for us this morning. Hi, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, you and I talk about this all the time, why you shouldn't be posting things on your MySpace page or Facebook page. It gets people in trouble. It's just another example of why you need to be careful of things like that. Police arrested and charged 33-year-old Sandra Venery with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The mother of 6 posted a video of her 2-year-old daughter on her MySpace page. The clip reportedly shows the child trying to light a cigarette in her mouth and using profanity while asking for the rent.
Someone saw it online, tipped off the police. Venery's fiance says they regret the entire thing, which was not to be a spoof of a wildly popular Will Ferrell Internet interview. You may have seen it. It's called "The Landlord" and from the website funnyordie. Its satire featuring 2-year-old Pearl, in it Pearl yells and swears at Ferrell's character for not paying the rent. She is also seen carrying a beer bottle. Ferrell calls the child a drunk. The video has gotten more than 50 million views on funnyordie.com. It was so popular, it's even available in subtitles in multiple languages.
CHETRY: That was Will Ferrell's own child.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
Now, we weren't able to see Sandra Venery's MySpace page or the video she supposedly posted because both have been taken down. Her fiance says the cigarette was not lit and the child was never in any real danger. She's due back in court in February. Of course, we're going to continue to track the story and bring you the updates.
CHETRY: Yes. I mean not only not posting it but how about not doing stupid things like that as well.
DE LA CRUZ: I know.
CHETRY: All right, Veronica, thank you.
DE LA CRUZ: They just never learn, you know.
CHETRY: Yes, exactly.
ROBERTS: You know that topic. More trouble for singer Amy Winehouse. She was arrested in London yesterday. Police say, she was attempting to interfere with a court case involving her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Fielder-Civil was held in custody last month in connection with an assault on a bartender back in June. Police questioned Winehouse and released her without filing charges. The 24- year-old Winehouse has been dogged by reports of drug use, amid a flurry of canceled concert dates.
A cheating scandal at Florida State University, your "Quick Hits" now. About a quarter of the football team, as many as 25 players could miss the team's appearance in the Music City Bowl on December the 31st. The players were enrolled in a class in which a tutor was found to have given students answers during a test.
Sticking up for a jailed teammate is going to cost five Atlanta Falcons. In last week's game, Roddy White scored a touchdown and lifted up his jersey to reveal a T-shirt that said "Free Mike Vick." White was fined $10,000 and teammate Joe Horn fined $7500 for helping him. Three other players were also fined $10,000 a piece for wearing black eye strips which read "MV 7." Michael Vick and the number 7 which is his number. The league called the uniform violation quote "displaying an unauthorized personal message."
Monkeys on her back, a woman accused of kidnapping real monkeys has to deal with protesters dressed like them. We'll tell you what they want and what they say, that's ahead.
And he's high above the city and then quickly under arrest. The real life spider-man strikes again, this time in the UK and this time, he's doing it for a cause. The story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Well, a new round of extreme weather, just the latest blow to the Pacific Northwest for weeks now. People there had their lives turned upside down by the rain, the flooding and the severe mudslide. Chris Lawrence is in one of the hardest hit areas, Vernonia, Oregon. He joins us now from inside of a family home that's been devastated by the rain and the mudslides.
Hi, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, it's actually the mayor's home, one of several hundred that had the floodwaters just rush through here, just a few weeks ago so the folks here are very anxious about that rain starting to fall outside.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LAWRENCE: In early December storm flooded hundreds of homes in Vernonia, Oregon. For too many residents, it wasn't the first time and won't be the last.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Always worried, always wondering.
LAWRENCE: Now, more rain is falling and everyone is bracing for the worst.
SUSAN JENKINS, FLOOD VICTIM: We're ready for this. It wasn't even in anybody's mind that it would happen this week.
LAWRENCE: Susan Jenkins says the water that flooded her home would be bad enough by itself.
JENKINS: It's the mud that comes with it that is terrible. Just sludge.
LAWRENCE: All in your house?
JENKINS: All in my basement. Three feet of it.
LAWRENCE: The town's clinic is operating out of tents, after the building took on four feet of water. Some of the schools have been shut down and plans are under way to move them to higher ground. Some community leaders want to go even further, and relocate the entire town of 2,000 people. But other residents say a move isn't feasible in a valley like this one.
SYKES MITCHELL, VERNONIA RESIDENT: You got 300 houses out here that are in flood zone and there isn't enough high ground around here to do that and start all the infrastructure again.
LAWRENCE: This round of rain isn't expected to be as fierce as the last storms that pounded the Pacific Northwest. But any significant rain could be enough to sink this battered town.
You just live with that fear?
JENKINS: If you want to live in Vernonia, yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: It also means living in with your house almost completely torn to pieces while you fix the flood damage. Now, Vernonia is looking at several long-term options, including damming the creek that runs behind a lot of these homes, dredging the river so it can hold more water and yes, physically moving the town, and whatever option they choose, it's a safe bet they're going to need some help from the federal government to pay for that.
Kiran?
CHETRY: No doubt. Wow, a tough situation there. Chris Lawrence, thank you. ROBERTS: 42 minutes now after the hour. He is at it again. The real life spider-man proves what goes up must come down and when it does, go directly to jail. Frenchmen Alain Robert was arrested yesterday after climbing a 29-story building in Central London. As usual, he did it with his bare hands, without the use of wires or a safety net. Robert called it a protest climb on behalf of a campaign against climate change. He's already climbed more than 70 skyscrapers worldwide.
And protesters donned monkey suits in Missouri all over some real-life stolen monkeys. The protester shouted as Catherine Montes left the Independence Courthouse. She was allegedly caught on tape, dragging and stealing three monkeys from an animal sanctuary. That was two months ago. She is facing charges but the protesters want to know, what she did with the pilfered primates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that she needs to face the public. We just wanted to, you know, confront her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Montes still hasn't revealed where she hid the monkeys. A judge ordered to stay away from the sanctuary. She is due back in court on January 23rd.
Turning now to our "Political Ticker." A sneak preview of Rudy Giuliani's new Christmas ad. It's going to be released later on this morning. In it, we see a lighter side of the Republican presidential candidate in front of a Christmas tree, talking about how he doesn't have enough time to go holiday shopping so he's buying everyone the same gift.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Probably, a fruitcake or something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A fruitcake? What?
GIULIANI: It will be a really nice fruitcake with a big red bow on it or something like that. I'm Rudy Giuliani and I approved this message. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, we'll see what Giuliani has to say about that later on today. He's going to join Wolf Blitzer in "The Situation Room" this afternoon for a rare one on one interview. In fact, Wolf will be doing the entire "Situation Room" from the road today along with the CNN Election Express, starts at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Pacific.
CHETRY: Maybe Giuliani will bring Wolf a fruitcake. ROBERTS: That would be nice. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns says he is turned off by Hillary Clinton's negative campaigning so he is supporting Barack Obama. Burns lives in New Hampshire and says he has known the Clintons for 15 years. You can find all the day's political news around the clock at cnn.com/ticker.
CHETRY: Well, a TV reporter refusing to give in to a disease that's literally turning him white on camera. Lee Thomas suffers from something called vitiligo. It's a disorder that destroys pigment- making cells in your skin. He uses creams to cover up patches of skin that have gotten lighter over the years. It's a condition that affects 65 million people worldwide, 2 million in the U.S. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to have more on his struggle on and off camera and whether or not there are any treatments on the horizon to help people with it.
Well, there could be fewer flights at peak hours to one of the busiest airports in the country. How will it affect your holiday travel plans? We're going to get a live report in just a couple of minutes.
Also, take a look at this amazing video. A woman falls 5,000 feet after her parachute fails. She lives to tell what happened next. We're going to hear her amazing story on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: 47 minutes past the hour now and if you're just joining us, here's a look at what's new this morning. The case of the destroyed al Qaeda interrogation tapes leading all the way to the top, according to new reporting today. The "New York Times" has an article in its morning edition, saying that at least four White House lawyers, including Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and then White House Counsel Harriett Miers were in on the talks with the CIA over whether or not to get rid of the tapes. A federal judge now setting a hearing for Friday. He wants to find out whether the Bush administration violated an order to preserve all evidence related to possible prisoner mistreatment at a Guantanamo Bay.
Also this morning, the president will sign the first fuel economy increase in three decades. Cars will have to get 35 miles to the gallon by 2020. The new law also phases out the standard incandescent light bulbs, the ones we've been using for more than a century. Starting in 2012, you'll have to buy the more energy-efficient bulbs.
And brand new poll numbers released within the hour. The CNN/WMUR New Hampshire Presidential Primary Poll which was conducted by the University of New Hampshire, new breath, shows Hillary Clinton has regained a substantial lead. She now has 38 percent support, 12 points ahead of Barack Obama. A week earlier, the poll showed them in a virtual dead heat. John Edwards still lagging in third place now with 14 percent.
On the Republican side, Mitt Romney still leads with about a third of likely primary voters supporting him, followed by John McCain at 22 percent, slide up six since last time. Rudy Giuliani at 16 percent and Mike Huckabee at about 10 percent.
ROBERTS: Of course, Huckabee still doing very well in Iowa, though, isn't he?
CHETRY: He is.
ROBERTS: Later on this morning, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters will unveil steps to improve air travel during the holiday season. Military air space in the East Coast will be opened up again as it was on Thanksgiving to ease the crowded skies. But by next summer, there could be fewer flights to New York Airports at peak hours at least. AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho now, here now with more details on this. How much are they thinking about cutting back these flights?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, they're thinking about shifting the flights, not reducing them at least for now, John. You know, the Transportation Department for now is staying quiet about today's announcement. So, we won't know what's going on until 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. But, the goal has always been to try to ease congestion at New York's Kennedy Airport, which is notorious for delays, by this summer. Now, the "New York Times" is reporting that the plan would be to shift some of those flights to off-peak hours. For now, we're told the federal government will not reduce the number of takeoffs and landings at Kennedy just move them around. So, we'll have to see if that works.
Now, the acting head of the FAA met with New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who described the meeting as heated and components of the plan, including one proposal to auction off landing slots untested. Schumer said, it boggles the mind that the FAA would experiment with an untested ideological theory in the country's busiest and most congested air space. Now, a committee advising the Transportation Department has reportedly also recommended to pointing a travel czar to oversee the crowded New York air space. And remember, I see that works, John.
The overall plan is to ease congestion by next summer, but reports say the Transportation Secretary Mary Peters will also announce steps the government, airlines and airports are taking to get ready for the upcoming holiday travel season. One industry group, John says, domestic airlines will carry some 47 million passengers for this three-week travel period ending on January 2nd, so it's a big concern. But remember, the big components of the plan won't take effect, we're told, won't be in place at least until next summer. So, it's going to be a little bit, a little while.
ROBERTS: We seem to have a lot of czars these days.
CHO: We do, we do and we'll have to see, really, whether this plan to shift flights to off-peak hours works. I mean, some have suggested, you really only going to make a difference in terms of delays in congestion if you reduce the number of flights.
ROBERTS: So, it could be a rob Peter to pay Paul situation.
CHO: Yes, exactly.
ROBERTS: Alina, thanks. See you again soon.
CHO: You bet.
ROBERTS: A judge in New York is listening to arguments from the airlines against a passenger's bill of rights. The law is supposed to take effect on January the 1st. It would require airlines to give passengers food, water, clean toilets and fresh air when they are delayed on planes for more than three hours. The airlines say states are not allowed to regulate them saying it's a federal issue and therefore the lawsuit has no merit.
CHETRY: Well, you're about to hear an amazing story of survival. A woman who falls thousands of feet into a parking lot, after her parachute fails. The dramatic video, and her remarkable recovery, including something else amazing she discovered after her fall.
And it's a very Happy Holiday for the Wall Street and Goldman Sachs. They actually set a record again for employee bonuses. We're talking bonuses with a "B" meaning billions. We're going to tell you just how much cash will be in their stockings ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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ROBERTS: Its 56 minutes after the hour, coming up in just a couple of minutes here. This incredible video, you got to see what happens after a woman falls 5,000 feet with a tangled parachute. But right now, let's get you caught up on the latest business news. Are you getting a bonus this holiday? Some employees of Goldman Sachs are. 12.1 billion, with a "B" dollars' worth. It's a record for the Wall Street firm when you include salary and benefits for the year. The number swells to more than $20 billion. If it were be to spread out equally, each worker would get $661,000. Of course not everyone is paid equally.
Some reports say that CEO Lloyd Blankfein made $70 million this year. However, a spokeswoman says his bonus will not be set until a board meeting later this week. So, he's still got the bonus to look forward to. And that brings us to this morning's "Quick Vote" question. Are the bonuses at Goldman Sachs justified based on the amount of money that they made? Are they justified or are they outrageous? Cast your vote for us this morning, cnn.com. We'll have the first tally of votes coming up in our next hour.
CHETRY: Always makes you wonder, did I go into the wrong business?
ROBERTS: Yes and every time you see that you say yes.
CHETRY: 57 minutes past the hour. What would you vote, Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I get to spend my year reporting on that, that's fantastic.
CHETRY: I know, exactly.
VELSHI: In the interests of perhaps being able to retire to Goldman Sachs one day, yes, sure, totally justified.
CHETRY: They work hard. They need that money.
VELSHI: They're busy working. They're not watching.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, people are busy doing something.
VELSHI: You're not shopping. What is the problem, people? 35 percent according to "Consumer Reports," 35 percent of you have not started your shopping. Now, these numbers are higher than we got even yesterday from the national retail federation. They said 16.5 percent hadn't started shopping. 35 percent have not started shopping. 24 percent will finish their holiday shopping on December 23rd. 10 percent will finish on Christmas Eve. That's according to one of my producers, Man Day (ph) at the mall.
I've spent a few CNN, days for CNN at the mall on Christmas Eve. It is a lot of guys buying a lot of stuff in boxes and 5 percent will finish after Christmas. That, I don't even understand because the sales will be really good. By the way, one in five men have not started their shopping. Department stores will be the destination of choice this weekend and gift cards will be a popular selection. It is 35 percent, that's good news for the retailers because it's been a weak season.
CHETRY: Just for my single friends, what day, Man Day (ph) at the mall?
VELSHI: Christmas Eve is the Man Day (ph) at the mall.
CHETRY: All right, the 24th, that's fine. By the way...
VELSHI: Their mostly buying stuff for their ladies.
CHETRY: Oh. OK.
VELSHI: Not a single Man Day (ph).
CHETRY: Thanks, Ali. We'll check in with you a little later.
Well, if you missed "Larry King" last night, you missed some amazing survival stories. One woman shared her story of falling thousands of feet, when her main parachute and then the backup also failed. Shayna West was making just her sixth solo jump. This is back in November of 2005 and you can hear the screams. 5,000 feet above ground. She lost control of her main chute and then, her reserved tangled. She was spinning uncontrollably, landing in a parking lot at 50 miles per hour. She has shattered bones throughout her body. And on the video, you can hear her instructor screaming instructions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE," HOST: Did you think as you're falling, "I'm gonna die?"
SHAYNA WEST, SURVIVED 5,000-FOOT FALL: Oh yes, many times I thought for sure, I was going to die and it was after attempting all these different alternatives to fixing it and they didn't work, that's when I really realized that I had no other choice, I had no backup. Everything they were telling me to do didn't work and I really truly saw my life ending. I didn't think there was any other option but to die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Wow.
CHETRY: It is unbelievable, especially when you see the video of her just spinning uncontrollably high above the earth. Her instructor Rick West and Shayna started dating actually after the accident. They eventually married. And get this, Shayna was two weeks pregnant when she fell. She found out when she was being treated at the hospital. The baby boy is fine. Shayna said she still has some aches and pains but she is thankful to be alive.
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