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American Morning
2008 Begins; New Polls Showing Tight Iowa Races; Pakistan Elections Delayed or Cancelled?
Aired January 01, 2008 - 05:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: 2008 by the numbers. Two days to go and tied at the top. What if no one wins Iowa outright? Our new poll out just out this morning.
Extreme weather. Avalanche danger. Thousands stranded in the Rockies.
Plus, fresh start. Celebrating the promise of a new year. From Denver to Disney, Georgia to New York, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And the sign at Times Square says it all, 2008. Tuesday, the 1st of January. Happy New Year to you. I'm John Roberts.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Happy New Year to you. I'm Veronica De La Cruz in today for Kiran Chetry.
And happy New Year to you.
ROBERTS: Happy New Year to you as well. Did you have an exciting night last night, stay up all night, you're just rolling in this morning?
DE LA CRUZ: Oh, it was so exciting. Actually, I woke up at 11:50, poured myself a glass of wine, and watched the ball drop on television. So there you go.
ROBERTS: I was woken up -- you and I are both just a couple of blocks away from Times Square. There was a lot of noise coming up from there.
DE LA CRUZ: Too close, a little too close, I would say.
ROBERTS: Let's get right to it. A lot to tell you about this morning. The start of a brand new year on this AMERICAN MORNING. And by this time next year, we'll know who the next president of the United States will be. You'll be wondering why you didn't make good on your New Year's resolution.
In the meantime, crowds gathered hours before midnight for the 100th anniversary of the Times Square ball drop. Temperatures were in the 30s, but plenty of body heat. And one heck of a light show from a brand new energy efficient crystal ball to get the celebrations off and rocking.
DE LA CRUZ: And then thousands of miles away, rare celebrations in Baghdad. U.S. troops did their best to duplicate the ball drop. It was the first New Year in years that it was safe enough to celebrate on the streets.
Then in London, Big Ben rang in the New Year. Thousands gathered in Trafalgar Square and along the banks of the River Thames to watch the fireworks show. And then back in the States in Key West, there were men, women, and a queen named Sushi. A Mardi Gras-like party at the station's southernmost point for the start of 2008.
And, John, as you know, our Lola Ogunnaike will join us in a few minutes with a wrap of all the festivities. She is live up there in Times Square.
ROBERTS: Yes. And there are probably some people who are still out celebrating, particularly on the West Coast.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Streets are still busy.
ROBERTS: Just in moments ago, new numbers on what will be the big story of 2008, the race for president of the United States. Our new poll from Iowa shows Republican Mitt Romney making a comeback with a narrow lead now over Mike Huckabee. For the Democrats, our poll shows John Edwards falling further behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But overall, too close to call for both parties with just two days to go. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is either up early or still up in Des Moines, Iowa, for us.
Good morning to you, Bill. So let's take a look at these numbers, first on the Republican side. Romney now with 31 percent. Huckabee 28 percent. That's sort of a flip in their position there. Thompson surging a little bit, 13 percent now. John McCain still way back at 10 percent. What are these numbers telling us on the Republican side?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the Republican side, two weeks ago, what had been an 8-point lead for Mike Huckabee has now become a dead heat. It's a cliffhanger. Romney gained 6 points in the last two weeks, all among women. His support doubled among women. Why? The key factor, the economy. The economy is the top issue for Republicans, and it's the issue where Romney has his biggest lead. It appears a lot of Republican women are very worried about the economy.
ROBERTS: Now on the Democratic side, we now see Hillary Clinton recapturing her lead, 33 percent to Barack Obama's 31 percent. John Edwards sliding 4 points there back to 22 percent. What's going on on the Democratic side?
SCHNEIDER: It had been a three-way tie, and now it has become a two-way tie between Clinton and Obama. This is another cliffhanger with Edwards falling behind. Although it is interesting that Edwards does lead among second choices for Democrats, because the race is so polarized, so divided between Clinton and Obama. The Clinton voters say they want Clinton to win, Edwards second, and Obama third. Then it's bye-bye, Barack.
The Obama voters say they want Obama first, Edwards second, and Clinton third, bye-bye, Hillary. So that in their view, if my candidate can't win, they'd rather have Edwards win and their main rival come in it third and be eliminated, in their view.
ROBERTS: Now at the same time that this new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll is out, there's a new poll conducted by The Des Moines Register, samples a little bit larger, which shows exactly the opposite thing. It shows that Obama is up, Hillary is down, and that Huckabee still retains his lead over Mitt Romney. Is this a sign that Iowa is notoriously hard to poll?
SCHNEIDER: Iowa is notoriously hard to poll, and you can't be sure who's going to turn out for these caucuses. They're not exact opposites. Our poll shows two cliffhangers, two races that are dead heats. Their poll shows a slight edge for Mike Huckabee and a slight edge for Barack Obama.
And their poll is interesting, particularly in the Democratic race, they show a very, very heavy turnout of first time voters, independents, and young voters who are heavily for Barack Obama. We can't be sure if those people are going to turn out to vote, but if they do, Obama will have a very good night.
ROBERTS: And very quickly, Bill there's still a significant number of undecideds, about one in four on the Republican side, fewer on the Democratic side, about 17 percent. So these numbers could still change somewhat over the next day.
SCHNEIDER: They could easily change because there are so many voters, even at this late date in the last few days who haven't firmly made up their minds.
ROBERTS: All right. Bill Schneider for us this morning, up early in Des Moines, Iowa. Bill, thanks very much for the analysis, appreciate it. All right. Happy New Year to you, by the way.
SCHNEIDER: Thank you. Same to you.
ROBERTS: Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: New this morning, a big N-O from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Last night during the Times Square madness, he tried to put an end to the buzz in town that he may make a run for president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK CITY: Look, I'm not running for president. What I am trying to do is to speak out and push what I think we need, and that's an independent approach where we get rid of partisanship and special interests and we stop this gridlock that you see in Washington where nobody is willing to do anything unless it's in their selfish interests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Sure sounded like a candidate there. Speculation gained momentum last summer when he left the Republican Party to become an independent. A new law expanding the Freedom of Information Act will let journalists and the public know more about what the government is doing. President Bush signed the bill Monday in one of his final acts of 2007. The new legislation requires government agencies to respond to information requests within 20 days. It also creates a system for the news media and public to track their requests.
New Year, new unions. New Hampshire now joins Vermont, New Jersey, and Connecticut in legalizing same-sex civil unions. Some 20 couples got hitched in midnight ceremonies on the steps of the statehouse in Concord. Under the new law, they will be able to share medical insurance and file joint municipal taxes, but their federal tax returns still won't be recognized by the government. Massachusetts is the only state that allows same-sex marriages -- John.
ROBERTS: New this morning in Pakistan, a struggle to decide if elections will go on after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and news that the United States may have known and shared information with Bhutto about threats against her. CNN's Matthew Chance has been monitoring a meeting going on right now in Pakistan at the information ministry. He's live in Islamabad.
Matthew, what's the latest on the status of the elections there?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there has been an announcement already today from the election commission of Pakistan, they decide whether elections will go ahead or not, and they're saying that they're delaying that decision for a second day until they finish consulting with the various political parties in Pakistan, that party of Benazir Bhutto and the other opposition parties, to try to reach a consensus to agree a date when the elections can be held.
They've been set already for January the 8th, but because of the violence and the confusion following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, it seems that that date is no longer realistic. A lot of damage was done to the election centers, and the government is saying that it is basically going to be very difficult for them to stage the elections on time -- John.
ROBERTS: Still a tremendous amount of controversy on this New Year's Day, Matthew, regarding Benazir Bhutto, how she died, the cause of death. There are accusations that the police chief in Rawalpindi prevented doctors from conducting a full autopsy. What's the latest on that?
CHANCE: Well, the police chief of Rawalpindi has denied those accusations that he was the one who prevented an autopsy being carried out on Benazir Bhutto as she lay in the hospital here already dead. He said he was the family of Benazir that refused an autopsy to go ahead, and, indeed, that was supported by Benazir Bhutto's husband, who said he didn't want any authorities in Pakistan to be carrying out any kind of autopsy, perhaps for religious reasons, perhaps for political reasons, on his wife's body. He has called for an international investigation, though, so there may be some clarity in the weeks ahead.
ROBERTS: And, Matthew, I read this medical report that has been released, which describes one wound to Benazir Bhutto's head, it's just above the right ear, what they called an open depressed skull fracture. It doesn't sound like it would be the exit wound from a bullet because there was no entry wound on the other side. This may seem, at least to some people, to give credence to the government's version that she hit her head coming back down into this vehicle. But can we trust this medical report?
CHANCE: Well, it's not clear, and that's one of the reasons why, in cases like this, when murder is involved and when terrorism is involved, it's so important to have an autopsy. You're right. The medical report that we've all seen, which isn't an autopsy, it's just a general medical account of the state of Benazir's body when it arrived at the hospital, does indicate that the wound was over her right ear.
But if you look at the video that we've been seeing, it seems from that that the gunshots were fired from the left side of Benazir Bhutto. And so obviously, there's a contradiction there. I'm afraid we're not going to get to the bottom of this until there is some kind of autopsy, if there is an autopsy. Until then, there's going to be questions.
ROBERTS: Matthew Chance for us this morning, live from Islamabad. Matthew, thanks -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: A snowy New Year across the Rockies, and in the Northeast this morning, drivers in Colorado back on the road after an avalanche threat shut down a 60-mile section of I-70 west of Denver. Thousands of travelers spent Sunday night in Red Cross shelters but were able to get back on the road before the New Year.
In the meantime, in the Northeast, snow is falling across parts of northern New England. That comes on top of a foot of snow that already fell in parts of Upstate New York and New England yesterday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Now 11 minutes after the hour. A huge fire at a Boston condo complex hours before the New Year. A 47-year-old man suffered a heart attack and died after getting pulled from the seven-alarm fire. The fire was so intense that crews were forced to leave the scene before they could determine if any residents were trapped inside. No word on any other victims. Investigators say the fire started in a kitchen on the first floor, and within minutes had spread to all five floors.
A search is on this morning across 17 states for 44 American Airlines passengers who may have been exposed to a deadly form of tuberculosis. A fellow passenger from Nepal is being treated right now in San Francisco. They were on a flight from New Delhi, India, to Chicago on December the 13th. Health officials are looking to contact passengers in her row and the rows around her in proximity to be potentially infected. Do not disturb because you may be raising someone's risk of developing diabetes. According to researchers at the University of Chicago, getting interrupted during your deepest sleep can damage your body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels, and that can lead to weight gain and eventually even type 2 diabetes. The study also found the quality of sleep played a role, 18 million Americans suffer from type 2 diabetes.
Well, a million people have cleared out of Times Square. They got to see the ball drop and ring in 2008, and now the cleanup begins.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, now the fun begins. Our Lola Ogunnaike is live in Times Square with a look at some of the best celebrations from around the world.
Good morning, Lola.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENET: Good morning, Veronica. How are you? It was quite the party down here. Two tons of confetti. Balloons everywhere. It was the party. Performers, Kid Rock, Miley Cyrus. Everyone was here. But it wasn't the only party in town. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWD: Five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!
OGUNNAIKE (voice-over): Sydney was among the first to ring in 2008, doing so in true Aussie style. Balloons filled the air in Tokyo as the bronze bell at Buddhist temples rang out. China countered with a countdown in the Millennium Altar in Beijing. A prelude to the much anticipated Olympic summer games there. Fireworks lit the sky above Moscow's Red Square. And in Iraq, U.S. troops shouted out the arrival of 2008.
CROWD: Happy New Year!
OGUNNAIKE: While marking the end of what has been the deadliest year for U.S. troops in the war. Fireworks rained down from the Millennium Wheel in London. And Big Ben chimed in the arrival of 2008. And hours later, across the pond, more than 1 million revelers filled New York's Times Square for the 100th anniversary of the world famous ball drop.
And this year the Big Apple celebrated with a new energy efficient ball, twice as bright as last year, but only using about 10 toasters' worth of electricity. A bright idea for any year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OGUNNAIKE: So there are very -- there are no cars here. You see there's someone cleaning up back there. They're getting rid of the confetti. They're getting rid of the balloons. They're getting rid of all the debris that was just once here. The million revelers that showed up to this place have cleared out, but you can still feel the vibe of a great new year. I really think that 2008 is going to be a good one. What do you guys think?
DE LA CRUZ: It's definitely going to be a great one. I'm surprised at how empty those streets are already. Do you have any New Year's resolutions, by the way, Lola? Are we supposed to be asking you that?
OGUNNAIKE: I think my New Year's resolution is to get more sleep, Veronica. That's mine. What's yours?
DE LA CRUZ: About the same. That and learn the city. That and learn New York City since I'm still a little new.
OGUNNAIKE: All right. I've got your subway map, girl. I'll get you there through that. No problem.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Thanks. Lola Ogunnaike live for us there in Times Square. Happy New Year.
OGUNNAIKE: Happy New Year.
DE LA CRUZ: John.
ROBERTS: It's now 16 minutes after the hour. This just in to CNN. The Associated Press is reporting that Sudanese officials are today investigating a shooting attack on a vehicle carrying at least one diplomat in the capital city of Khartoum. According to Al Arabiya television, it may have been a U.S. vehicle that was targeted. According to Al Arabiya, the Sudanese driver was killed, and there could be an American who was at least injured in the attack. No word yet from either the State Department in Washington or the U.S. embassy in Khartoum. CNN is checking with the embassy there. We'll get you the latest information on that just as soon as we hear about it.
The New Year means a handful of new laws go into effect today. Our legal analyst Sunny Hostin with a look at a tough new immigration law in Arizona and some other laws that will be hitting the books in '08.
And new plans to clean up the Internet and protect kids in Australia. We'll tell you what the government is proposing. That is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Some new laws are in effect now as of the stroke of midnight. What are they, and what do they mean for you? AMERICAN MORNING's legal analyst Sunny Hostin here to explain some of the new laws for 2008.
Happy New Year to you. Good morning.
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Happy New Year, John.
ROBERTS: So the first law that you're going to take a look at is in the state of Arizona, dealing with immigration, which is a very big issue for a lot of people in this country. HOSTIN: It is a huge issue. It's going to be a huge election issue, I think. And what Arizona has done is it has passed the Legal Arizona Workers Act. And that is considered the most aggressive legislation aimed at preventing employers from hiring illegal immigrants. And now Arizona employers will be required to use the federal government's E-Verify program to verify the status of employees and make sure that they're not illegal immigrants.
Interestingly enough, employers who violate the law and hire illegal immigrants face mandatory suspension of their business licenses -- and for first time offense. If they do it again, permanent revocation of their business licenses. So you think about it, it's going to hit their bottom line. This is extremely aggressive. It's something that we really need to watch in 2008.
ROBERTS: This next law is something that hits home for me. My daughter gets her license in eight days, and I will not let her, when I'm driving with her, talk on the cell phone while she's driving. And some states are trying to enact laws to prevent that.
HOSTIN: And they are. We know in New York that's a law, and certain people are big offenders. It's interesting because adults are huge offenders. But these laws are trying to make roads a safer place by restricting cell phone use and even outlawing them altogether for teen drivers.
This year we're talking about six states having laws go into effect that relate specifically to minors. Cell phone use, text messaging by drivers, they cannot do it. Four states will make it illegal for teen drivers to use a cell phone at all, including using a hands-free device. So no earpieces, teens.
Anyone under 18 will not be allowed to use a cell phone in California, a big commuter area, Oregon, Nebraska, and in Illinois anyone under 19 cannot use a cell phone. What's also interesting -- and my son takes the bus, what I love is that in Illinois bus drivers now can't use cell phones either.
ROBERTS: And a new law in California aimed to protect children but not in the way you might initially think.
HOSTIN: Exactly. It's interesting. It just seems to be such common sense, but in California the new law is no smoking in cars with children, people. California has outlawed smoking in a car when anyone under the age of 18 is present. Violators are going to be punished by a fine of up to $100. So no smoking in cars. We know about the effects of secondhand smoke. You can't do it.
ROBERTS: Sunny Hostin, thanks for joining us. Again, happy New Year to you.
HOSTIN: Thank you, John. Happy New Year.
DE LA CRUZ: And blocking Internet porn, a tough new crackdown designed to cut out all X-rated material. We'll tell you where it's happening and why some folks aren't on board with the plan. However you celebrated the New Year, we're sure it was nothing like what Australian daredevil Robbie Maddison did. We're going to show you Maddison's record motorcycle jump. That is straight ahead. Stay with us right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 24 minutes after the hour. A major push in Australia this morning to block X-rated content on the Internet. The government is requiring Internet providers to block all porn and violence before it reaches homes or schools. Now people can opt out, but they have to call and ask for the filters to be removed. Critics call the plan oppressive and say it will erode the freedom of the Internet. The government says it will work with providers to make sure that the extra filters don't slow down Internet access.
DE LA CRUZ: How to cure your hangover. Experts say the best way to cure a hangover is to stay hydrated. But there are some strange hangover cures out there. Check this out. A Web site called health901.com, John, says peanut butter and sauerkraut juice are possible solutions. Did you get that?
ROBERTS: Sauerkraut juice, that would be sort of like pickle juice, electrolyte replacement, dehydration cure, yes, I can see that.
DE LA CRUZ: But mixed with peanut butter, maybe?
ROBERTS: Protein, elevate blood sugar lows.
DE LA CRUZ: Oh, you're good. So you have obviously tried this and it works.
ROBERTS: Can of Coke is the best thing is the best thing that I have ever discovered.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, health901.com does also suggest pulling your hair out to stimulate blood flow to your head. We do suggest that you try that one at your own risk. And we want to know what you think this morning. What is your favorite cure for a hangover? You can e- mail us at cnn.com/am, and we're going to be reading some of the best cures a little later on in the show. And you said a can of Coke?
ROBERTS: Yes, the sugar, caffeine, little bit of water in there.
DE LA CRUZ: How about grease?
ROBERTS: Some people swear by grease, but that's usually before you drink.
DE LA CRUZ: Oh, is that how it works?
ROBERTS: And a lot of other people talk about ketchup, too. A little bit of acid in there and vinegar and sugar with the tomato paste.
DE LA CRUZ: You know, he has got them all. (CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: I've got a wealth of experience (INAUDIBLE).
Jumping into the New Year. Time now for our "Hot Shot" of the morning. Australian daredevil Robbie Maddison, take a look at this, set a world record -- look at how fast he's going. Jumped 300 and -- watch this. Just seems to go forever. Jumped 322 feet at the Rio Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas. Maddison tried another jump right after that, came up a few feet shorter. Said that there was a slight headwind that prevented him from going farther. Maddison says that he is planning to beat his new record when he competes in an event in Australia in two months' time. Actually in a practice jump on Sunday, he jumped farther than any of these jumps, and they're trying to figure out if that one can go in the record book.
If you've 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, please make sure that the image is yours and not someone else's. And don't go jumping 322 feet just to get a good "Hot Shot," because that could be dangerous.
DE LA CRUZ: Unbelievable. You're watching the most news in the morning. He said he didn't want to show it but showed it. The controversy surrounding the attack ad that Mike Huckabee didn't want you to see. We have that straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Now there's a little bit of a melancholy sight this morning. Times Square still lit up, still lots of neon blazing away there, but barely a soul in sight, that after a...
DE LA CRUZ: And more than a million people last night.
ROBERTS: That after more than a million people crowded the area last night. It's amazing how quickly they get the whole place cleaned up, though, isn't it?
DE LA CRUZ: I know. I know. It looks great. You know, earlier, Lola O. was out there for us. She was talking about her New Year's resolution. She was saying hers was to get more sleep. John Roberts, what's yours?
ROBERTS: Well, certainly not to get more sleep because I know that it wouldn't happen. Although if you take into consideration that you never accomplish your New Year's resolutions, maybe I should put that one down as well.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Well, we'll go with that, then.
ROBERTS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It's Tuesday, January the 1st. Happy New Year, if you're just getting up, still up, planning to go to bed, whatever.
DE LA CRUZ: Happy New Year. I'm Veronica De La Cruz in this morning for Kiran Chetry.
And happy New Year to you.
ROBERTS: Thanks, and same to you.
DE LA CRUZ: Thank you. Well, this just coming in to CNN right now, an attack on a U.S. embassy official in Khartoum, Sudan, today. According to the embassy, an American was wounded and an embassy driver was killed during a gun attack. Not clear yet if the attack was random or targeted. It comes the day after a joint African-United Nations force took over peacekeeping duties in the Darfur region of Sudan.
A defiant New Year's message from Cuban leader Fidel Castro. In a written statement run on Cuban TV, Castro saluted his people for 50 years of heroic resistance against the United States. The communist leader came to power on January 1st, 1959. Cuba plans to celebrate the 50th year of the revolution throughout 2008. The 81-year-old Castro hasn't been seen in public since having emergency intestinal surgery 17 months ago.
ROBERTS: The stakes are high as the New Year begins in Pakistan. A nuclear arsenal and the hunt for al Qaeda could hang in the balance as that country considers delaying elections. Now there are questions about whether the U.S. did enough to protect Benazir Bhutto before she was assassinated. CNN analyst and Newsweek's international editor Fareed Zakaria joins us by phone now from across the border in India.
Fareed, no decision has been taken yet on what to do about these elections, which are scheduled a week today, but what would their postponement mean for the United States?
FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN ANALYST: I think probably what is most important, John, is that they take place. I think everyone would understand if they were to be postponed for, say, a month or six weeks. If they were postponed indefinitely, it would frankly throw the country into greater chaos and probably feed the forces of radicalism.
So I think what we should be pressing for is not that they not be postponed, but that if there is a delay, it be -- the new date is set immediately so that the process continues to have legitimacy.
ROBERTS: Who do you think would be chosen to lead the Pakistan People's Party, which is Benazir Bhutto's party? Her son, Bilawal, has been installed as sort of a figurehead chairman. He is too young to run for office. Who could they put forward in elections?
ZAKARIA: Well, that's a very interesting question, John, because as you point out, this is almost like a child prince in Europe in the 16th Century. He's six years too young to run for parliament. He does not seem to speak the language very well. I watched his press conference, and the few words he spoke were all in English, not in Urdu. So the question is, who's going to control things?
Probably his father, who is a kind of an old -- member of the old feudal elite, and also the old party apparatchik Fahim. But one wonders whether this will all work, because South Asia's parties, whether it is India, Pakistan, are all very personality-driven. And if he's not going to be out there campaigning and embracing the image and legacy of his mother the way Benazir Bhutto did when her father was hanged by the military dictatorship of the time, I'm not sure it will work.
They're hoping for a fast election. They want to cash in on the sympathy vote. So the longer it is delayed, the worse it is for Benazir Bhutto's party.
ROBERTS: Fareed, what's your read on all of this controversy surrounding how Benazir Bhutto died, the lack of an autopsy, medical reports that appear to be hastily written, people don't know if they can be confirmed or not? What's your sense of all of that?
ZAKARIA: Well, General Musharraf has shown himself to be over the last year less competent than many in the United States certainly thought, and this seems to be the kind of crowning keystone cops moment of it all, where the reports are very -- it's not even clear why they're not -- you know, they don't seem to serve his cause in any particular way.
But then there's also the fact that Bhutto's death has been thrown into the political football of Pakistan. So the family of Bhutto did not allow a postmortem or an autopsy because frankly they prefer the mystery that surrounds her death because it feeds conspiracy theories. It makes her death seem even more, you know, martyrous (ph). And, if you will, this is a little bit like the Kennedy assassination, where the more it's shrouded in mystery, the larger symbolism it takes on.
So they don't want an autopsy. The government seems to have made enough blunders that there are enough questions up in the air. And all this unfortunately will feed the atmosphere of conspiracy, where it's quite possible that there is more incompetence than there is conspiracy at work here.
ROBERTS: All right. Fareed Zakaria for us this morning, talking to us from across the border in India. Fareed, thanks very much -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: We have new poll numbers on the presidential race just out within the hour, and Iowa is too close to call. That's according to our CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. Among Republican caucus-goers, Mitt Romney has regained the lead from Mike Huckabee, but it is a statistical dead heat. Romney with 31 percent. Huckabee with 28 percent. Fred Thompson is at 13 percent. John McCain 10 percent.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is clinging to a 2-point lead over Barack Obama. She has 33 percent. He has 31 percent. Also a statistical dead heat. John Edwards has lost ground and stands at 22 percent. But anything can happen. More than 25 percent of Democrats are not sure who they'll be voting for. And for the Republicans nearly half of those polled are not committed to a candidate. That is two days before the caucus -- John.
ROBERTS: In what can only be described as a bizarre news conference by Republican Mike Huckabee in Iowa, Huckabee catching some heat this morning for showing reporters an ad attacking Mitt Romney that he had already decided not to air. The news conference was originally called to release the ad, but Huckabee said he changed his mind at the last minute, didn't want to show it, didn't want it aired. But you can hear some reporters laugh as he goes on to play it for them and the cameras.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know that some of you are saying that, well, did you really have an ad? I'm going to show you the ad. You'll get a chance to find out exactly what we're doing.
(LAUGHTER)
HUCKABEE: No, I want you to see it. This is what we planned to do. And I think once you see it, you'll realize this is why we're not going to run it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, it would have been Huckabee's first negative ad. Huckabee says the decision to pull it was made just an hour before the news conference. CNN's Mary Snow talked with Huckabee after that news conference. She joins us now live in Des Moines.
So what he got there, it seems to me, Mary, was he got a sort of good PR move by saying that he was going to pull this ad, and at the same time, he got it aired across America.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly, John. Good morning. And you know, he knows that there is skepticism lingering after this because, as you heard, the reporters were laughing when he came out and said this.
But he insists -- we asked him, when did you decide? Why did you decide this? He said that he really made the decision on his way to this event. He taped these ads on Sunday. And he said, even though there's skepticism out there, he said that he felt at the end of the day he would have to live with himself and that he had been getting a lot of kudos for running a positive campaign earlier, and in the end decided to pull it.
And about showing that ad because that only raised more questions, he insists that he did it because, if he didn't, people wouldn't believe that the ad wasn't out there. But this comes after a few days where he was calling his opponent Mitt Romney -- saying he was making desperate and dishonest attacks. So that message had already gotten out there. It was reinforced when he showed that ad.
So as you said, really two things happening there. He got his message out, but then taking a back step and saying, wait, I'm going to stay positive.
ROBERTS: He even told us that about the dishonesty in Romney's campaign on AMERICAN MORNING just a few hours before that press conference. Meanwhile, speaking of Romney, he has been spending considerable cash in Iowa. Where is he putting his money?
SNOW: Well, John, you know, all over the state. Whether it's mailings out to people, phone banks, getting this organization on the ground, the Romney campaign won't say exactly how much money they have put into Iowa, but it's a massive amount of money, and right now Mitt Romney is relying on that investment to pay off and to win here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks, you guys. What a welcome.
SNOW (voice-over): In his final push in Iowa, Mitt Romney is fighting off a challenge with main rival Mike Huckabee, who has far less cash and organization.
HUCKABEE: We may not have the money, but I believe we've got the heart of the people in Iowa.
SNOW: Getting down to the wire in a close contest, Romney is relying on old-fashioned politicking to sway the undecideds.
ROMNEY: We've been able to get folks who have been sitting on the fence to say, you know what, we're going to get behind your campaign. And I see that in some of these meetings
SNOW: While he hits the road, his organization has cranked into high gear. State Republicans are watching to see if Romney's investment pays off.
CHUCK LAUDNER, EXEC. DIR., IOWA REPUBLICAN PARTY: It has been overwhelming, Mitt Romney learned from past races, Bush, Forbes, and beyond, that you have to spread your roots out wide and deep.
SNOW: That spans from county leaders and grass roots activists to last-minute volunteers to Young Republicans. And Romney has blanketed the air waves with ads, including this new one.
ROMNEY: It's time to turn around Washington.
SNOW: Romney spent an estimated $6.5 million to Huckabee's estimated $1 million-plus. But whether Romney's investment pays off will be seen in turnout, and that's where his organization is stepping in, working on everything from phone calls to offering rides and carpooling.
GENTRY COLLINS, IOWA STATE DIR., ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: We're doing everything we can think of.
SNOW (on camera): Shovels?
COLLINS: We haven't resorted to shovels yet, but we're not above it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, the Romney camp may not have shovels, though the Clinton camp does. It has distributed shovels to captains in precincts just in case there's a snowstorm coming in, showing that these campaigns are taking no chances when it comes to Thursday night -- John.
ROBERTS: Massive get-out-the-vote operation is the type that you would typically expect to see in the general election, not the Iowa Caucus. Mary Snow for us this morning from a chilly Des Moines. Mary, thanks very much -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, it's a big hit with the kids, but who knew Nintendo's interactive Wii also could be an important tool for patients rehabbing from injuries. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta will have details.
Plus, avalanche warnings. Thousands take to shelters as a major road is closed. The latest in extreme weather. That's all straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: About 44 minutes after the hour now. A major stretch of highway is open again this morning in Colorado. A 60-mile section of Interstate 70 west of Denver was closed late Sunday. There were fears that high winds could cause an avalanche. Thousands of travelers were stranded in Colorado's high country. They had to spend the night in Red Cross shelters. Rhonda Scholting is in Silverthorne, Colorado, this morning, and she joins us now live.
Good morning to you, Rhonda. What is it looking like right now?
RHONDA SCHOLTING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning happy New Year, Veronica. Well, for this first day of 2008, it is a great day at least for the ski resorts in this part of Colorado. That storm brought a lot of problems to travelers trying to get up here and trying to go home with the blowing snow, as you mentioned, but for the ski resort it brought several inches of fresh powder.
So the folks that are heading up here today will obviously be very happy to see that. But for at least 24 hours it was miserable. People trying to drive up to this part of Colorado, the Silverthorne/Dillon/Frisco area, get to the ski resorts yesterday, were stuck in traffic for hours. Many people stayed on I-70, trying to -- hoping that the interstate would reopen. But they stayed there pretty much all day, ended up turning back around. Many went back to Denver.
Some, though, did sleep in their cars. They pulled off the interstate in several parking lots along I-70 and just stayed there the entire day. They were finally rewarded late yesterday when the interstate did reopen. But as you mentioned, more than 2,000 people were stranded here when the 60-mile stretch of I-70 was shut down. Many of those did stay in shelters. A miserable night for them as well because there were only so many cots to go around. And they did, at one point, run out of food, but Red Cross did bring up several truckloads of food for them.
Now, as for those people, most of them have already moved out when the interstate reopened, but there are still a few dozen here in Silverthorne today, this morning, and they are in the totally packed motels and hotels here. There are really no vacancies.
Now, as you mentioned, we do expect snow, obviously, this time of year in Colorado because it is wintertime, after all. But the high winds were really the problem yesterday. And right now this morning, there is still high avalanche danger in a good portion of Colorado. So those folks that are perhaps heading up today to do a day of skiing on their day off, on this holiday, will have to be very careful because there is always a chance of a slide.
And, Veronica, within the past 24 hours, there has actually been a slide, an avalanche here, where a snowmobiler was caught but he was rescued.
DE LA CRUZ: That is good news. All right. Rhonda Scholting, live for us this morning in Silverthorne, Colorado. Rhonda, happy New Year to you. Thanks so much for the update -- John.
ROBERTS: Coming up on 47 minutes after the hour. Just in to CNN, we've been telling you this morning about a shooting incident in the capital of Khartoum in the Sudan. We've just received a statement from the U.S. embassy in Khartoum that says, in fact, an American official with the U.S. Agency for International Development, that is USAID, was shot and wounded in an incident this morning.
A locally employed Sudanese fellow, they say, was killed, according to reports that we've received from Al Arabiya. That would most likely be the driver of that vehicle. Officials at the U.S. embassy are working with local officials to try to get to the bottom of this, not knowing whether it was a specific targeting, which would make it a terrorist attack, or whether it was simply a criminal act.
But, again, an American official with the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, shot and wounded in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum today. No exact word on his medical condition yet, but we hope to get you more information as the minutes wear here this morning on AMERICAN MORNING .
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: San Francisco Zoo is getting ready to reopen to the public. We'll tell you how they're planning to protect visitors after a deadly tiger attack there on Christmas Day.
And the healing powers of the Nintendo Wii? We've heard how the video game system is helping some people lose weight. Now we'll tell you why the Wii is being used in nursing homes. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. It's 52 minutes after the hour. And if you're just joining us, here's a look at what's making headlines on this first day of 2008.
Two tons of confetti being cleared from New York Times Square this morning. A live look at the clean-up continues, barely a trace of trash left. They are amazingly quick at getting rid of the trash. It was a far different scene just a few hours ago when a million people counted down to the New Year. We'll have a live report on the aftermath coming up in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
New poll numbers out of the presidential race in Iowa. Republican Mitt Romney has come back to take a 3-point lead over Mike Huckabee, but that is within the margin of error, making it a statistical dead heat. And Democrat Hillary Clinton is holding a 2- point lead over Barack Obama. John Edwards has lost some ground to both of the frontrunners.
Major developments out of Pakistan today. We're waiting to hear if parliamentary elections will be delayed there. The announcement could come tomorrow. They put it off by another day. The assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto could push them back from January the 8th to sometime next month.
A New Year's message from North Korea signals another standoff in nuclear disarmament. North Korea says the U.S. should end its "hostile" policy toward them. That comes as Pyongyang misses a deadline in disarmament agreement. North Korea was supposed to declare all of its nuclear programs by the end of the year. The U.S. State Department says it's disappointed by the missed deadline.
The San Francisco Zoo will reopen to the public on Thursday. It has been closed since a tiger escaped its enclosure on Christmas Day, killing a teenager and injuring two of his friends. Zoo officials say they're working with the city on plans for a new security barrier to protect visitors and the tigers. And that's the headlines. Let's go over to Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, it was one of the hottest items this Christmas, but the Nintendo Wii isn't just for kids. In fact, it can be therapy for people who need it. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI MCKENZIE, PATIENT: I've just got to hit you one more time.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Heidi McKenzie (ph) may look like she's just having a bit of competitive fun, but she and her boxing partner are engaged in a serious form of rehab. Both are patients at Ohio State University Medical Center.
MCKENZIE: It's just exciting, and it actually helps with my balance in my chair, which I've kind of had problems with.
GUPTA: Last summer, Heidi was in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. She broke her arm and could barely move it. But after sessions with Wii, she has regained strength in her shoulder.
MCKENZIE: And therapy like, they'll stretch it and get it to where it needs to be, but to actually move my arm on my own is really -- it has helped it a lot.
GUPTA: Why Wii? Well, doctors say it brings activities like bowling, boxing, and golf right inside the rehab center. Patients with spinal cord or brain injuries, even stroke could benefit; helping patients work on balance, coordination, and muscle strength without making it seem tedious.
DR. SHARON MCDOWELL, STROKE REHABILITATION, OSU MED. CTR.: And it's boring to go to the gym and just do something over and over again. The Wii makes it more fun, and is able to provide that long intensity, high repetition duration therapy session.
GUPTA: A typical session runs about 30 minutes a day, three times a week. Therapists say Wii will not take the place of conventional therapy but adds that it's another tool to aid recovery.
ROBBIE WINGET, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, OSU MED. CTR.: It's to complement the other therapy that they are receiving. So, you know, in the course of receiving their traditional therapy and doing the Wii therapy, we're seeing progress with a lot of our patients.
MCKENZIE: Oh, it's on now.
GUPTA: The use of video games in medicine is so new that no studies have been done on its efficacy so far, but OSU Medical Center hopes it's sending a trend, using video games like Wii to get injured patients moving again.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: As of now, there is very little research that says Wii does make a difference when it comes to rehab, but studies are under way, studies that OSU hopes to participate in.
ROBERTS: Well, it certainly might make it a little bit more fun.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, absolutely. Yes, it would.
ROBERTS: Anything to jazz up the rehab a little bit.
DE LA CRUZ: And I know how much you love the Wii.
ROBERTS: You know, I've never actually had one in my hand. I'll have to try it one of these days.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Well, then Pong.
ROBERTS: Pong. Yes. I do know. I'm very familiar with that.
What are Michael Bloomberg's plans for 2008? New York City's mayor tries to settle rumors about his possible run for president. That is coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
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