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American Morning
Bhutto Assassination Video; Preparations for the New Year; Iowa Countdown
Aired December 31, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, ANCHOR, CNN AMERICAN MORNING: Tale of the tapes. This morning, new evidence, new controversy in the death of Benazir Bhutto. How will it affect Pakistan's elections?
Dead heat. Neck-in-neck in Iowa with just three days to go.
Plus, out with the old, in with the new. We're live from Times Square and around the world to ring in the New Year, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And good morning to you. Thanks very much for being with us on this Monday, December the 31st. Happy New Year's Eve to you all, and thanks very much for being with us on this AMERICAN MORNING.
I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, ANCHOR, CNN AMERICAN MORNING: And I'm Kiran Chetry.
Let's go back real quick to that live picture at Times Square, because it's going to be a totally different scene in just 12 hours from now, or maybe even before that, when people line the streets for, as they call it, the crossroads of the world, to watch the Times Square ball drop.
It's already happening, though, welcoming in 2008. Folks around the world already getting ready to celebrate the biggest party of the year. New York City, of course, one of the places to be.
There's another live picture - beautiful, but, like I said, that's all going to be closed to traffic, and it's just going to be people lining the streets. The final prep is underway.
And our Lola Ogunnaike is there. She'll be joining us in just a few minutes. We'll be seeing a brighter ball this year, and also a first for the confetti.
Plus, you won't want to miss CNN's big party tonight. I'll be ringing in the New Year with Anderson Cooper in Times Square. It all gets underway at 11 p.m. Eastern time.
ROBERTS: New developments overnight in Pakistan to tell you about. The world is getting to see a new angle on the death of Benazir Bhutto that raises new questions about the government's version of how she died. We're going to have a close-up look and analysis of that tape, coming up in just a second. But first, as we begin this morning, we are awaiting the decision on Pakistani elections, which were scheduled for next week.
Our Zain Verjee is live for us this morning in Pakistan. She's got the latest on the political developments.
Good morning to you, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: Good morning, John.
The elections were scheduled for the 8th of January, and it's really up in the air. It's unclear whether they're actually going to happen.
We're being told that the election commission is going to be meeting tomorrow, and they are going to make a final decision. In the meantime, the Pakistan People's Party says that it wants to stand in this election.
Nawaz Sharif, another opposition leader here is likely to announce that he is willing to stand, as well. He's been saying all along that he was willing - that he had planned to boycott the elections.
The key issue tomorrow is that the election commission is going through all the provinces and asking all the security forces in the area, do you think the law and order situation is good enough to hold an election. Over the past few days, election officers have been burned, ballots have been burned, ballots have stopped being printed. So, logistically, it's going to be difficult to pull it off - John.
ROBERTS: So, Zain, what about Bilawal Bhutto, as well, her son? What would his level of involvement be, not only with the party, but particularly in these elections, if and when they happen?
VERJEE: He's not really going to have any role in this election. He's going to be the successor to Benazir Bhutto. But she said that she wants him to go off and finish school first.
I mean, John, he's 19 years old. He's a teenager. He's young. He's inexperienced. And he has no idea how to navigate the murky and difficult political terrain of Pakistan.
The reason, though, that they put him there is that he's her son. He's a Bhutto. And that's seen as really key, because the party needs to have a unifying force.
So, he's really more symbolic. He's really a figurehead more than anything else. And what the party is hoping for is that, when they stand for the election, they will win because of a sympathy vote - John.
ROBERTS: Well, certainly, there would be expected to be a lot of sympathy going the PPP's way. Zain Verjee for us this morning in Islamabad. Zain, thanks very much. We'll check back in with you, because we've got breaking news out of there this morning.
VERJEE: Yes.
CHETRY: One of the most startling developments in this story. It's being called Pakistan's Zapruder film.
There's brand new footage that could be the most conclusive evidence yet that it was an assassin's bullet that killed Benazir Bhutto. And a warning, some of what you will see and hear is graphic.
You can clearly hear three shots fired. Then you see Bhutto get hit and fall back into her car, and then an explosion. It goes black, as many severely wounded people start to scream.
Now, this is the second tape to emerge of the assassination. And it seems to go against the official government story that the suicide bombers and bombing is what ended up killing the former prime minister.
Our Ali Velshi is in Pakistan and has a closer look at these tapes.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: Two videos released since Bhutto's death show different angles of her assassination, both seeming to support the theory that Bhutto was shot.
This widely seen video shows a man on the right raising a gun, pointing it in the direction of Bhutto, who is standing up in her car with her upper body through the sunroof. He fires three shots. Then an explosion.
Another angle. On the far left, a clean-shaven man in a dark suit and sunglasses approaches Bhutto's car. He's the suspected shooter. Police are in the vicinity, but do not appear to be keeping anyone away from Bhutto's car.
Then, three gunshots. You can still see Bhutto standing. Her hair and scarf appear to move, perhaps from the bullet. Then Bhutto falls into the car - clearly, before the blast.
These images appear to show what most people assumed from the beginning, that Benazir Bhutto died at the hands of a shooter, and then a suicide bomb was detonated, killing another 23 people.
Everyone in Bhutto's bomb-proof car lives, except her. Those with her say they saw her bleeding from her wounds, and the heavily blood-stained interior appears to support them.
The doctor who initially examined the body said she died of bullet wounds. Then the government said she died from shrapnel wounds from the explosion.
Then, the government released x-rays of Bhutto's skull, saying it shows she died when she hit her head on the metal lever of the sunroof as she fell into the car.
But this video challenges that, showing Bhutto dropping and disappearing through the sunroof after the gunshots, but before the explosion.
Ali Velshi, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEO)
CHETRY: Now, Bhutto's husband says the government is using this to divert attention from the main issue: Who's behind the killing? John.
ROBERTS: Coming up now on six minutes after the hour, and it could be a white New Year in the Northeast. A storm is moving up the coast into New England. It's becoming a nor'easter. It's already hitting Albany, New York. Snow falling there this morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Also new this morning, it's deadline day for North Korea. Pyongyang has until today to come clean about all of its past and present nuclear programs.
Earlier this year, the communist country struck a deal with the U.S. and its close allies, promising to disable its main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon in exchange for economic and political concessions. The State Department says, so far, North Korea has failed to fulfill its end of the bargain.
And Iran says it's beginning to operate its first nuclear power plant, that that will happen by the summer of 2008. The Iranian government says the nuclear power station is being built by Russian contractors and will start generating electricity next year at half of its 1,000 megawatt capacity.
Russia began shipping fuel to Iran this month, after a U.S. intelligence report said that Tehran abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003, and had not resumed it. The United States says it's concerned Tehran may use the power plant to develop atomic weapons and has asked Russia to suspend the project.
Well, year-end evaluation on the mission in Iraq, it shows two things. One, the U.S. military saying that 2007 will end as the deadliest year for U.S. troops since the war began four years ago - 888 troops killed, but it comes after dramatic declines in deaths over the past six months, thanks to the recent troop surge. Twenty Americans were killed this month, a second month with the fewest American deaths of the war so far.
ROBERTS: Two men are in custody this morning after a deadly apartment fire in Chicago, and police say it could be arson. The raging inferno broke out late on Saturday night. Witnesses say they saw flames shooting into the air like a volcano, they said. Take a look at that dramatic picture.
They also watched people jump from second floor balconies. It took more than 150 firefighters to put it out. Investigators say they think that some type of flammable liquid was involved, because the fire spread so quickly. Two adults and a three-year-old child were killed.
This morning, federal officials continue to look for people who were on a flight with a woman, possibly infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis. The 30-year-old woman was on board an American Airlines flight. It was flight 293 from New Delhi to Chicago back on December the 13th.
She had been diagnosed with the deadly strain of tuberculosis while in India. And witnesses say she was coughing while on the flight. She is now in the hospital. Doctors say 44 passengers were close enough to have possibly been exposed.
And new details this morning about the Illinois woman whose disappearance sparked a massive search. Anu Solanki told investigators she ran away to California on Christmas Eve, because she wanted out of her marriage. She says she wanted to move to Los Angeles and start her life over.
The 24-year-old left her car running by the Des Plaines River. Her family thought that she might have gone there to dispose of a broken Hindu statue.
Her disappearance sparked a quarter of a million dollar search. Solanki says she is sorry and embarrassed about the misunderstanding. Prosecutors say they will decide if they can charge her with a crime - Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, just three days now until the Iowa caucuses. And nearly every poll shows both sides of the race as too close to call.
On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are in a dog fight for the lead, and the rhetoric back and forth shows it, Huckabee accusing Romney of running a desperately negative campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been very clear about it. Mitt Romney is running a very desperate and, frankly, a dishonest campaign. He's attacked me. And yesterday - or Friday, I guess it was - he launched then, just a broadside attack against Senator McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: One poll shows that Huckabee's once double-digit lead is not gone in that state, and he's trailing Mitt Romney in Iowa.
Governor Huckabee will be joining us in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
And Mitt Romney (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a political dirty trick in South Carolina, another early primary state. Someone sent Christmas cards to voters, quoting a controversial Mormon passage about race. That card claims to be from the Romney family and paid for by the Mormon Temple in Boston, but both the Romney campaign and the temple deny they sent it.
On the Democratic side, a new poll shows a three-way tie in Iowa. An MSNBC-McClatchy-Mason Dixon poll has John Edwards leading with 24 percent, Senator Hillary Clinton at 23, and Barack Obama at 24. With the margin of error, it's too close to call.
We're live on both sides of the campaign trail. Suzanne Malveaux is covering the Democrats live from Des Moines, and she joins us now.
Now, Suzanne, you had a chance to spend a day with Senator Obama. How was that campaign feeling about how close the race is at this point?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, DES MOINES, IOWA: Kiran, they realize it's going to be very close. And it's obvious that they are optimistic. But all of the sides are optimistic here.
And really, what's interesting is just to see his campaign evolve. He is up there giving his closing argument. There are huge crowds. There's a lot of enthusiasm.
But his message and his tone very different than when he started out. It is simple. It is crisp. It is punchy. Sometimes he uses humor, really, to make his case here. When he talks about fighting for civil liberties he says, he taught the Constitution, he believes in the Constitution, he'll follow the Constitution.
He uses repetition. He says, if you believe, if you believe, if you believe, you know, and then goes on to make the case that he is the one who is the most electable out of Senator Clinton, stressing that he believes that the likeability factor is an issue, that she would not win on a national level.
He talks about Senator John Edwards, how he doesn't believe he goes after the special interests tough enough or hard enough. And then he goes ahead, he's been talking a lot about hope, but he defines hope for his audience. And you could tell they respond to this, when he mentions people doing what they never thought possible.
And he talks about abolishing slavery, the civil rights marches. And one thing that in particular stood out from his speech yesterday that got a roaring applause, I asked him about it in my one-on-one interview just afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: You said, when you're a black guy running for president, named Barack Obama, you've got to have hope. Tell me what you meant by that. And why do you think it resonated with Iowa voters?
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, D-ILLINOIS, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, I think they understand that it's very unlikely for me to be in this position. It's a testimony to what this country is about, and it's a testimony to the American dream.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And Kiran, obviously, this is really about the closing arguments, the cases that they're making about who they are, the messages. But it's also about just motivating the voters to come out and vote on caucus night.
I spoke with some of his aides who say they have really mobilized and charged up all 37 of their campaign headquarter offices in the state. They're making phone calls. They're going door-to-door.
And just to give you a sense of what they're trying to do here, the Obama folks are offering babysitting services - 90 minutes to watch your kids, so you can go and caucus. And that is because their group really strong when it comes to 45 years old and younger, and skews towards men.
I talked to the Hillary camp, the Clinton folks. They have bought 600 snow shovels, because they're really worried about the weather. They want to dig out folks, because a big deal is that they have a lot of elderly women who they believe won't be able to get to get to the caucuses unless they help them - Kiran.
CHETRY: Boy, it is going to be quite a scene there. Clearly, every vote matters with the campaign ...
MALVEAUX: Absolutely.
CHETRY: ... pulling out all the stops.
Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.
We're also going to be checking in with Dana Bash on the Republican side of the race, coming up a little bit later at the bottom of the hour.
And as we said, Governor Mike Huckabee joins us at 7:30 Eastern. Then we'll be joined by Democrat John Edwards around 7:50 Eastern. So, keep it here on AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: An amazing get-out-the-vote operation this year.
CHETRY: How about it?
ROBERTS: And you know what's really incredible? In 2004, they set a record for caucus-goers - 125,000. All this effort for 125,000 people.
CHETRY: That's right.
ROBERTS: It's really amazing.
Hey, something new from iTunes coming up in the new year. We'll tell you what you might be able to get for your iPod now.
And we're live from Times Square on this New Year's Eve. Just how do they keep millions of visitors safe in the streets? And just who will help drop the ball? The answers next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 18 minutes now after the hour. The biggest New Year's Eve party is always in Times Square, just a few blocks south of where we are here in our studios.
Our Lola Ogunnaike is there and joins us now live with a preview. You've got the 2008 glasses on, and everything.
How is the city getting ready for tonight, Lola?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN REPORTER, TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY: Oh, I'm styling and profiling, and I think the rest of the city is doing that, as well.
I'm down here in Times Square. Right now the streets are pretty empty. It's dark here. But by this time this evening, you can expect nearly one million people will be here, John. And nearly a billion people will be watching this spectacle that is New Year's Eve in New York City.
The ball this year is going to be beautiful. It's going to be twice as bright as the ball last year. And it will be able to emit nearly 16 million different colors.
And the ball has gotten a lot bigger over the years. This year's ball will weigh over 1,200 pounds. The first ball in 1907 only weighed 700 pounds. So, the girl's put on a little weight over the years.
ROBERTS: Yes. They've also got a lot of these Waterford crystal prisms on it, and they're using LED lights this year, which they say will both be brighter and use less electricity, as well.
OGUNNAIKE: Yes. The ball this year is energy efficient. It'll only take about 10 toasters to light this thing. So, the ball has gone green, if you will.
The other great thing about Times Square is that you've got Mayor Bloomberg. He'll be here to light the ball. And he'll be doing that with an Iraq war veteran, as well as a police academy - the valedictorian.
But you'll have amazing performances here. Miley Cyrus will be here. Kid Rock will be here. Lenny Kravitz will be here. The Jonas Brothers will be here.
So, it's going to be quite the party. ROBERTS: All right. Miley Cyrus.
OGUNNAIKE: But remember to ...
ROBERTS: Yes, Miley Cyrus. And for those of us who don't know about Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, right?
OGUNNAIKE: All the Hannah Montana fans should head down here. And you should get here early, because by 3:30, this place will start locking down. So, it's best to get here early, get your spot.
But also remember to travel light. They're not allowing backpacks. They're not allowing large bags. They're definitely not allowing alcohol.
There'll be bomb-sniffing dogs here. There will be loads of police officers here.
And there'll also be tons of confetti, covered in a number of nice messages about well wishes for the New Year. So, it'll be quite the scene, but it'll be alcohol-free, and it'll be a party.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to it.
OGUNNAIKE: And I've got my glasses, so I'm ready.
ROBERTS: You are styling.
OGUNNAIKE: Yes, styling and profiling in the New Year.
ROBERTS: You are. Lola Ogunnaike for us, reporting live from Times Square. Lola, thanks. We'll check back with you a little bit later on.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: You can ring in the New Year with Anderson Cooper and our own Kiran Chetry. It all starts at 11 p.m. Eastern tonight.
And we also want to know how you're ringing in the New Year. Send your party pictures and videos to us, to iParty@cnn.com. It's like a New Year's Eve iReport type of thing - iParty@cnn.com.
Kiran, you're here, and it's 21 after six. And you're going to be here at midnight tonight, as well.
CHETRY: That's right. I'd better get a nap. Let's hear it for the power naps.
You know what I wonder, though? What are we going to do after it's 2010, because the glasses are so perfect. The zero, zero is for the eyes. What do we do after that?
ROBERTS: Yes, somebody will come up with something creative, I'm sure.
CHETRY: I guess so, and Lola will be wearing them.
Well, a new battery ban for airline passengers. We're going to tell you what you need to know when boarding a plane in the new year.
Also, it's been rumored for a long time, but (UNINTELLIGIBLE) happening. We're going to tell you what new service iTunes may be offering in the New Year. All of that ahead on this New Year's Eve edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Loose lithium batteries can sink your travel plans. Beginning in the new year, passengers can no longer pack the batteries loose in their checked bags, because of fire risk.
Air travelers will still be able to check bags with lithium batteries already installed in electronic devices like cameras and laptops. If you carry them on, they must be packed in plastic bags, and the limit is two batteries per passenger.
Well, movies (UNINTELLIGIBLE) available for rent on iTunes. It's been rumored for a long time, but reports say Apple will finally introduce a rental service next month. Apple already has some movies on iTunes, but you have to buy them. Twentieth Century Fox is reportedly the first movie studio to sign on with the new service for Apple.
ROBERTS: Interesting.
Twenty-five minutes after the hour. Want to get a head start on the New Year? Move to New Zealand. Your hot shot this morning comes to us from Auckland, on the north island, where they already had the countdown and the fireworks about 25 minutes ago.
New Zealand just on the other side of the dateline, and it's 18 hours ahead of us, and one of the first places to ring in 2008. Sydney, Australia, will be coming up very soon.
We'll bring you pictures from that, as well - all of the New Year's celebrations as they take place on this New Year's Eve. All counting down to the big CNN celebration in Times Square tonight, beginning at 11 o'clock Eastern.
CHETRY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). There's always the back-and-forth between the cities. We're the first city. No, we're the first city that celebrates. We're the first to officially (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the New Year.
ROBERTS: There's this small town on an island somewhere in the South Pacific that's actually first.
CHETRY: We get an e-mail from them every year when we say New Zealand. And they know it's not (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
By the way, if you've got a hot shot, send it to us. The address, amhotshots@cnn.com. Include your name, where you're from, a little bit about the picture or video. And please make sure the image is yours and not someone else's.
And by the way, our quick vote this morning - hey, we had to do it. It's about New Year's resolutions.
Now, John claims, hey, he doesn't make them anymore. Well, a lot of people still do, even though most will break them.
What do you want to resolve to do better this year? Pay down your credit cards and save money, exercise more, quit smoking, do something nice for someone.
And, you know, for a lot of ladies it's lose weight. Maybe that's part of the exercise more or lose weight.
So, cast your vote, cnn.com/am. We'll get the first tally of the votes later this hour.
ROBERTS: I suffered from the triumph of hope over experience when it came to New Year's resolutions for years, and I gave up.
CHETRY: But you did add in the do something nice for someone, which is - it doesn't have to be about you.
ROBERTS: I did.
CHETRY: It can be about bettering the world around you.
ROBERTS: Exactly. If you do something nice for somebody, everybody benefits.
9/11 transcripts - or 911 transcripts are out, rather. And they put a new light on how the San Francisco Zoo handled the tiger attack on Christmas Day. Could it spell more trouble for the zoo legally?
And it's the talk of the town. Does New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg have his sights set on higher office? He's planning something in the new year that gives us a hint. That, plus the rest of the top stories when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: There is a beautiful picture of Times Square, New York City this morning. Boy, its empty now, save for a few cars but that is going to change rather quickly. In fact, by 3:30 this afternoon they're going to be closing down the streets to street traffic and that is when people start arriving to wait in line for hours. More power to you, because you're not allowed to bring backpacks, you're not allowed to bring a lot of large handbags and so, boy, it really is for the not for the faint of heart to stand out there.
ROBERTS: Stand there and enjoy your fellow human being for about eight or nine hours. The good news is though the weather's improved. It was terrible overnight. Ice, rain and cold. It was just awful.
CHETRY: So it's supposed to be clear. You were nice enough to let me know. Clear and 38 because I'll be out there tonight too, so it should be great. Monday, December 31st, New Year's Eve, thanks for being with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: And good morning to you I'm John Roberts.
New this morning, we are waiting for a decision from Pakistan over whether elections will take place as planned on January the 8th. Assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has put that vote in danger. A spokesman for Pakistan's election commission says a decision could come by tomorrow. Bhutto's Pakistan's people's party said that the vote should not be delayed but we're hearing some reports that it could be pushed back by as much as four weeks.
A brand new video has surfaced showing the moment that Benazir Bhutto was murdered. It may offer concrete proof that it was a bullet, not a bomb or a lever on a sunroof that killed her. You could hear three shots and see the former prime minister slump down into her car before a suicide bomber blows himself up. The government says it was the explosion that was the cause of her death, causing her to hit her head on that lever on the sunroof. President Musharraf now says he is open to an international investigation into her death. Doctors who attended to Bhutto say they felt pressured to agree with the government's version of events.
The political crisis in Pakistan is blamed in part for a new spike in oil prices. The price of crude is again near $100 a barrel today. Crude oil approached $98 on Friday after the Bhutto assassination before settling back at $96.35. Oil prices nearly doubled in 2007 from a low of $50 a barrel back in January. Some industry analysts predict that prices will top $100 in the New Year.
CHETRY: The setback for peace in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says that the Palestinians must crack down on terrorism before Israeli forces will make any security changes. He's said to be furious over the killing of two off-duty Israeli soldiers who were hiking in the West Bank Friday.
The search for a missing hunter in Alabama turns tragic for three would-be rescuers. Authorities are trying to figure out what caused their helicopter to crash on Sunday killing all three on board. Investigators say they had spotted the missing man. They were hovering over his location when the chopper went down. The hunter had apparently disappeared a day earlier at a state hunting reserve. He was eventually rescued and treated for only minor injuries.
A report says Mike Leavitt talked about how to incorporate Mormon principles into state policy when he is governor of Utah. Leavitt is currently the secretary of health and human services. "The Salt Lake Tribune" got a hold of documents with details of meetings between Leavitt and his advisers. They showed that the group talked about how lessons from Mormon scripture applied to modern government. Leavitt says church has never tried to influence his decisions in state or local government.
ROBERTS: Three days away now from the official start of the primary season and it cannot get any closer on either side. A new MSNBC/McClatchy Mason Dixon poll shows a statistical three way tie on the Democratic side. And has John Edwards now leading with 24 percent, followed by Hillary Clinton at 23 and Barack Obama two back at 22 percent, with its margin of error, everybody is within it too close to call. On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee's double-digit lead according to this poll, gone. The poll now has him trailing Mitt Romney by four percentage points but that is still within the five- point margin of error and of course Iowa, notoriously hard to hold. The closer it gets the nastier it's getting at least on the Republican side. Mike Huckabee is fighting back against Mitt Romney, calling his campaign "dishonest." Dana Bash has the latest, she's in Des Moines, Iowa for us this morning. Dana, what is happening with Mike Huckabee when you look at those poll numbers and look at things that some people are saying about him? Last night Drew Griffin was talking with a correspondent from the conservative national review who was really harsh on Huckabee.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The national review has definitely been no fan of Mike Huckabee. They endorsed Mitt Romney and if you listen to Mike Huckabee on the campaign trail that actually is part of his pitch that he is somebody who is sort of outside the Washington establishment Republican Party. But to answer your question, John, what has happened to Mike Huckabee is the attacks not just from the national review but more importantly perhaps on TV and in the mail from his chief rival, Mitt Romney, they seem to be working and that is why we saw something quite extraordinary over the weekend, we saw a shift in tone from Mike Huckabee. He is somebody who over and over again has said that he is going to run a positive campaign, and that he still thinks Iowa voters are going to applaud him and reward him for that. But he is also making clear he understands the attacks on his record are actually working so he is fighting back and launching pretty aggressively against Mitt Romney. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am a pro-lifer and I am a pro second amendment guy and I think my record of consistency on those issues that matter to conservatives and Republicans in this state and around the nation is far stronger than Mr. Romney's, that's why he's trying to dodge his own record, not only with me but with Senator McCain as well.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So you see there, Mike Huckabee first of all saying that Mitt Romney is somebody who is dishonest. He's suggesting that he is dishonest in the campaign, he will be dishonest in the White House, and he is also pretty aggressive, not just about that, but actually going after Mitt Romney's record, saying that he is somebody as you just heard there, who has changed positions on the issue of abortions, changed positions or made stuff up about his biography, whether he was endorsed by the NRA. Again, this is a very, very different tone from Mike Huckabee and you know what he did yesterday, John, he spent the entire day not campaigning. He spent the day cutting ads and we might see them as soon as today perhaps to mirror this new aggressive tone he has on the campaign trail also on TV. John?
ROBERTS: As we saw in August of 2004 with John Kerry, if you let an attack go unanswered it can be a fatal blow to you but how is Governor Huckabee's new aggressive stance toward Romney going over there in Iowa? Is there a chance that it could hurt him because they don't like attack politics?
BASH: You know, it's true and that is really the risk that he runs, not just that, but also because of the kind of campaign that Mike Huckabee has been touting, because of the way he actually surged here in Iowa. He surged here as somebody who is a nice guy, who is positive, who is authentic. But he clearly has looked at these numbers that we're being told about also internally, sort of match up from the Huckabee campaign and the Romney campaign, is he simply not doing as well and they realize just as you said that he simply has no choice in these final days here but to fight back and try to correct the record from his point of view and that is really probably the only chance that he has to continue to do well here. But I have to tell you, despite that, it is still incredibly close. He has an incredible coalition of those evangelical pastors and evangelical community, of those home schoolers, so he still has those people, many of whom are still very much planning on getting out and caucusing for Mike Huckabee. He has that up against a pretty sophisticated organization from Mitt Romney and it's going to be fascinating to see which one of those prevails on caucus night.
ROBERTS: Certainly going to be key. Dana Bash for us this morning from Des Moines, Dana thanks very much.
Governor Mike Huckabee by the way, joins us live at 7:30 eastern here on AMERICAN MORNING. So we'll get a chance to ask the horse himself all these questions about what's going on there in Iowa. Kiran?
CHETRY: There's some new speculation this morning about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a potential third party candidate. On CNN's "LATE EDITION" Sunday, former presidential candidate and media exec Steve Forbes says he's convinced that Bloomberg will make an independent run for the White House. Forbes says Bloomberg, who is a billionaire, can afford to wait until after February 5th to see who the two party nominees are and then decide whether or not to jump into the race.
And Mayor Bloomberg will be joining a number of prominent democrats and republicans next weekend for a unity conference in Oklahoma. Former Senator Sam Nunn and Dave Borin organized the meeting in an effort to pressure the major party candidates to end partisan gridlock in Washington. It's still speculation they're hoping to lay the groundwork for an independent like Bloomberg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM NUNN, FORMER GEORGIA SENATOR: It's not the beginning of a third party. It is not a meeting to forge an independent candidacy. All of that is possible in the future but what we are is a group of people who trust each other because we worked for years together across party lines. We are frustrated with the political process. We think the two-party system is not working now for the best interests of the American people. We believe the next president of the United States, whoever that is, has to have some consensus to govern and that consensus has to be partially built at least during the campaign and it's not being done.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Senator Borin for his part says that he would urge Bloomberg to seriously consider running for president as an independent.
ROBERTS: It's a snowy New Year's Eve in the city of Albany, New York. Snowfall already accumulating there with the storm expected to move across New England later on this afternoon.
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CHETRY: Rescuers find a lost skier in Washington State. We're going to tell you how the man managed to save his own life after getting stuck in blizzard conditions.
Also details coming out on the Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo. The father of the victim is not satisfied with some of the answers he's getting and now there are new details about just who knew that maybe that wall was too low and that perhaps the tiger exhibit was a recipe for disaster. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. There are new details coming out about the Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo. The father of 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. who was killed says he wants to hear what happened from the two brothers who were also attacked by the tiger who were with his son. They said very little though even to police. They were released from the hospital on Saturday, and now there are 911 transcripts out revealing that when the first report of the attack came in, the zoo told police the men reporting it may be mentally disturbed and making something up. AMERICAN MORNING's legal contributor Sunny Hostin is here now and joins us with more on this. So they're investigating the response and let me just read to our audience some of the details of this 911 cal. One of the dispatchers said there were two males who the zoo thinks are 800 which means what, mentally?
SUNNY HOSTIN: Right, mentally disturbed.
CHETRY: 800 and making things up but one is in fact bleeding from the head. According to this transcript it looks like perhaps at first zoo authorities weren't even taking this seriously.
HOSTIN: Exactly.
CHETRY: If that proves to be true what kind of trouble are they in?
HOSTIN: That's going to be extremely problematic for the zoo. We have now heard reports that the enclosure around the tiger pen was too low, we're hearing that they didn't respond, they didn't have policies and procedures in place. This does not bode well for the zoo at all. We know that there will be a civil lawsuit. I have to say with this new information that we're hearing, this is the type of lawsuit that may not see the light of day. This is the type of lawsuit that will end in a settlement, because we're just hearing things that are really, really concerning.
CHETRY: The other question is that apparently the 911 logs also show that police were not immediately allowed in, that they actually said zoo security not letting police in. Zoo personnel have tiger in sight and are dealing with it. The victim is inside the cafe at the other side of the zoo. Did they have the right to keep police away when a 911 call has been made in this type of situation?
HOSTIN: They do not have the right to keep police away. But the other thing is, the medics did not want to go in. That is not a problem. Medics don't necessarily have to put themselves in harm's way to help other people, even though there's a 911 call. So the medic issue I don't think is a problem. The police issue is a problem. It really just seems like it was so chaotic, they really didn't have a system in place and that is where their exposure is going to be.
CHETRY: I know you've said that you think this may not see the light of day but is there a possibility of negligent homicide or anything along those lines if it does go to trial?
HOSTIN: Absolutely. I think we're going to see a slew of things happening here. The family is going to bring a lawsuit, we know that. The bottom line is, is the zoo in a position to defend and the way I see it at this point, I just don't see a defense. I see a lot of negligence. The response was inappropriate. It's almost a slam dunk.
CHETRY: It does raise a lot of other interesting questions because apparently at least according to a couple of the articles it was common knowledge among some of the zookeepers that this 12 1/2- foot mote situation and wall was really not adequate.
HOSTIN: Exactly.
CHETRY: They warned each other anecdotally about it. Then there's another zoo right across the bay in Oakland who has a tiger exhibit that has 13-foot heights.
HOSTIN: Exactly.
CHETRY: Even though this is not recommended. So, are these zoos just taking unreasonable chances?
HOSTIN: I think so and the thing that really, really upsets me and bothers me about this case is this same tiger attacked a zookeeper almost a year to the day when this happened and tore off her arm. Why would they not do anything? It's just almost criminal at this point. I'm shocked. I'm dismayed. It's really, really disturbing.
CHETRY: Apparently other zoos in the area are now rethinking their fences and their enclosures.
HOSTIN: They have to. They have to.
CHETRY: Sunny Hostin, always great to see you.
HOSTIN: Thanks Kiran.
ROBERTS: An extension for child health care tops your "quick hits" now. President Bush has signed legislation that keeps the state's children health insurance program running until March of 2009. He vetoed an extension twice before citing democratic efforts to expand the program by $35 billion. Democratic lawmakers say they're going to keep trying to put some extra money into the program.
A new study says smoking may increase impetus. Researchers at Temple University's School of Medicine say men who smoke a pack a day are almost 40 times more likely to have erectile dysfunction. They say nicotine and other (INAUDIBLE) constrictors close down blood vessels. Two percent of American men have ED serious enough to warrant medical attention.
He spent an entire day covered in ice and snow that saved his life. We'll tell you what this skier did when he faced white out conditions on the slopes.
And an update on the girl who survived a plane crash in Panama. She is now out of the hospital but not home yet. And the reward, some of her rescuers some of her rescuers are now asking for. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. If you're just joining us, here's a look at what's making headlines this morning. Waiting for a decision from Pakistan over whether elections will take place as scheduled on January the 8th. The assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has put that vote in danger. A spokesman for Pakistan's election commission says a decision could come by tomorrow. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party has already said that the vote should not be delayed.
A contested presidential election triggers deadly violence in Kenya. Police clashed with thousands of opposition protesters in Nairobi who charge that incumbent (INAUDIBLE) rigged the vote. At least 34 people are reported to have died in two days of rioting. European Union monitors are questioning the legitimacy of the vote count but the U.S. has already sent its congratulations to Kibaki.
The U.S. military says 2007 will end as the deadliest year for U.S. troops since the war began with 888 killed. The violence dropped dramatically in the second half of the year after U.S. troops began attacking insurgent strongholds, part of that so-called surge. Twenty Americans were killed this month, matching the lowest total of the war.
And sending out 2007 with a snowstorm, a storm moving through the east coast has already dropped some snow in Albany, New York, and could bring up to 10 inches there, 8 inches in parts of Maine. The storm will keep moving up through New England this afternoon. More than a foot expected in some of the higher elevations. Kiran?
CHETRY: The 12-year-old girl who was the sole survivor of a plane crash in Panama is out of the hospital this morning. Francesca Lewis will spend a few days in Panama with her parents before the family returns to southern California. Her father says she still has some aches and pains. The December 23rd crash killed Lewis' 13-year- old friend, Thalia Klein, Thalia's father, Michael and the Panamanian pilot. Lewis was found two days later. Two brothers who helped find her say they don't want the $25,000 reward. Instead they want visas so they can work in the United States.
And a lost skier has been found in Washington State, Olympic National Park rangers say that Randy Kraxberger survived a frigid night by making a snow cave. The 23-year-old built the shelter after getting lost in blizzard conditions. He first reported trouble Saturday afternoon. About a dozen park staff and other volunteers set off to find him. He describes the moment when he finally saw his rescuers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY KRAXBERGER, RESCUED SKIER: As I was standing there trying to figure out what to do next, I heard voices coming on the wind, and I had a whistle with me, and I was, I started blowing that quite furiously. And Tony and Scott from the Olympic Mountain Rescue team came over the hill, out of the wind, and located me there, so it was a wonderful experience.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Rescuers found 53-year-old Randy in good condition. They said he had the right gear with him to stay safe and of course he obviously knew how to make a snow cave to protect himself at least somewhat from those harsh elements.
ROBERTS: I'll tell you though those mountain rescue guys they are just a godsend, they go out trudging around through the mountains like that looking for people when the conditions are as bad as they are.
CHETRY: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: So our Ali Velshi is on assignment in Pakistan this morning. Jill Bennett is filling in this morning, she's from "Business Week" TV and you have some winners and losers of 2007 to tell us about this morning.
JILL BENNETT: It was a rough year, it was antacid, grab it while you have it because there were a lot of rollercoaster rides, a lot of ups and downs. For the year we can take a look at some of the major indices and see how they finished off things. We had the Dow finishing higher by just 7 percent. The NASDAQ did pretty well because it had some of the big winners, the big components like Amazon and also Apple, so that really helped to boost the NASDAQ composite. The S&P 500 finishing higher by only four percent year-to-date on the year. Normally you see a return of about 8 to 9 percent, so that's a big difference there. But we want to take a look at some of the stocks. This is the ones that everybody talks about. These are the winners. This is the one that people will usually tell you they have the winners but usually they never mention they had the losers. Jacobs Engineering, which actually does engineering and construction, finished higher by 141 percent year-to-date. Amazon up 141 and Apple, this is largely thanks to the iPhone this year, up 135 percent. We want to take a look now at the losers for the year, because this was the rough and tumble one, we had eTrade down by 88 percent, Countrywide off by 82 percent, Circuit City, the consumer electronics retailers really had a rough and tumble year, down 81 percent. Now we mentioned Countrywide, that was really due to the tie-in to the sub prime fallout and we really saw financials take a hit this year. They were in fact the worst sector, they did down more than 22 percent, that entire sector really rough, because they had so many tie-ins to all of that mortgage-related debt and now the best sector this year? We saw energy, that was the big winner for 2007.
ROBERTS: Not much of a surprise there either.
BENNETT: Yeah, definitely not. This is the last trading day of the year, we have the market closed tomorrow, reopens again on Wednesday.
ROBERTS: How about Apple, my goodness.
BENNETT: I know, quite a winner.
ROBERTS: Compared to where they were just a few years ago, Jill Bennett, thanks very much in for Ali Velshi this morning, we'll see you a little bit later on. Kiran?
CHETRY: Still ahead, her disappearance sparked a massive search effort in Illinois. It turns out she wasn't really missing. We'll tell you why one woman says she ran away from home.
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