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Florida Votes Today for Possible Republican Frontrunner; Mobs on the Rampage in Kenya; Exercise and Alcohol Can Be Healthy

Aired January 29, 2008 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins. Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Tuesday morning, January 29th.
Here's what's on the rundown.

Florida votes right now. Two Republicans hope to claim the frontrunner mantel. One hopes to survive. Live with the McCain, Romney and Giuliani campaigns.

Flash point Kenya. Mobs on the rampage after a lawmaker is killed. Live to Africa.

And exercise. It's a good thing. Add a glass of wine to your workout? Even better. We'll tell you about new findings about your heart in the NEWSROOM.

Sun, sand, surf and a potential springboard to the Republican nomination. Polling places are open in Florida for today's presidential primary. The state that decided the presidency in 2000 could have a big say in choosing the Republican nominee today.

John McCain and Mitt Romney are fighting to become the party's clear frontrunner. They are facing a strong challenge from Mike Huckabee. And this will be a critical day for Rudy Giuliani. He bet big on Florida, even hinting he could drop out if he doesn't win.

The Democrats don't have any delegates at stake in Florida. So they are focusing on the battleground states of super Tuesday one week from today.

Let's get to the frontlines now of the GOP fight for Florida. CNN's Dan Lothian is at a polling place in Orlando this morning.

So Dan, how's the turnout looking?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on this beautiful day here in sunny Florida, turnout has been very good here at this site. We've seen a steady stream of people showing up. And all across the state, voters started heading to the polls at about 7:00 this morning. The voter turnout across the state expected to be very strong in part because of that competitive Republican race that you were just talking about.

Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney have been duking it out for first place on the Republican ticket. Romney has been pointing out that he's the one with all the business experience, the one qualified to become president, and going after McCain for his stance on immigration. McCain has been, in these final days, some sharp criticism of Romney saying that he has been flip- flopping on many key issues.

Now watching all of this and saying that he's above the fray is Rudy Giuliani who was supposed to be in the spotlight because he had been spending so much time here in Florida, as you know, Heidi. He had passed up some of the early contests certainly in Iowa, South Carolina, had spent some time in New Hampshire, but really had been focusing on Florida and has been saying that Florida was the place, that whoever won in Florida would get the Republican nomination.

Of course, he is running third in the polls. If you believe the polls, he will not have a very strong day here. So the big questions comes: will he drop out of the race? Giuliani is saying that he expects to be part of the Republican debate tomorrow in California, the CNN debate. But, of course, he'll revisit all of this tomorrow morning if he does not have a strong showing here today -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes, it is a very, very interesting. A lot of people have a lot of questions about the way that the campaign is being run.

Dan Lothian, thanks so much for that.

In fact, it's going to be a Republican round robin. We will be checking in with GOP campaigns as they battle for Florida. First up the Mitt Romney camp. That will happen at the bottom of the hour.

In the meantime, Democrats looking to super Tuesday.

CNN's Jim Acosta is in Blackwood, New Jersey. He is at a Bill Clinton event scheduled next hour.

Good morning to you, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. And one of the big questions out on the trail today, will we see the softer side of Bill Clinton. The former president is campaigning for his wife in New Jersey today after a tough couple of days for her campaign. First came that loss in South Carolina. Some Democrats privately grumbled that a few of Mr. Clinton's negative attacks against Barack Obama may have backfired, prompting Ted Kennedy to endorse Barack Obama.

But yesterday, Mrs. Clinton telegraphed what may be a new campaign tactic. She took her aim off of Barack Obama and redirected it at the Bush administration which is always a crowd pleaser for Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know about you, but when this administration started way back in 2001, I spent a lot of time yelling at my TV set. And I go, wait a minute. I'm in the Senate. I've got to do better than that. But, really, you couldn't make up a lot of the stuff they've done. Who would believe it? You know, taking that balanced budget and that surplus, turning it into deficit and debt again, getting us into so many problems around the world. And then when the vice president shot that guy in the face, I thought, that was it. What more can happen?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So the big question for Bill Clinton, will he follow that same approach and tone down the rhetoric against Barack Obama. As for his schedule, some people were wondering whether the former president would take a less visible role on the campaign. But take a look at his schedule. He will be in Illinois next, Barack Obama's home state, no less. And then he moves on to Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico.

So it's obvious that Bill Clinton loves this stuff and despite everything that happened out in South Carolina, he is still the life of the party, the Democratic Party, that is -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes. I think you're right about that. All right. Jim Acosta this morning. Thank you, Jim.

And all this week, CNN is bringing you special coverage of the presidential candidates as they criss-cross the country ahead of super Tuesday. Join us for the "CNN Ballot Bowl" today at noon eastern.

The House voting today on a plan to pep up the economy. President Bush made a plea for quick action in last night's State of the Union address.

CNN's Ed Henry reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Madam Speaker, the president of the United States.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In his final State of the Union, a president who previously used this stage to build the case for war in Iraq and launch dramatic domestic initiatives like Social Security reform, this time offered little that was new or bold. A nod to the fact his own megaphone is not so loud, as candidates for his job like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have seized the attention.

So Mr. Bush began a little wistful.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Seven years have passed since I first stood before you at this rostrum. In that time our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined.

HENRY: Then the president turned to the two issues that will define his legacy: Iraq overseas and the economy at home. Trying to make the case he can work with Democrats to prevent America from sliding into recession.

BUSH: In this election year, let us show our fellow Americans that we recognize our responsibilities and are determined to meet them.

HENRY: But Mr. Bush also had a warning for Democrats. They need to move quickly to complete action on a $150 billion plan to stimulate the economy and resist the temptation to load it up with extra provisions.

BUSH: That would delay it or derail it, and neither option is acceptable. This is a good agreement that will keep our economy growing and our people working and this Congress must pass it as soon as possible.

HENRY: In the Democratic response, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius said the stimulus package should just be a starting point to deal with the credit crisis.

GOV. KATHLEEN SEBELIUS (D), KANSAS: Our struggling economy requires urgent and immediate action and then sustained attention. Families can't pay their bills.

HENRY: On Iraq, Mr. Bush noted in last year's speech he was defending a controversial surge policy. But this year, there are security gains. And 20,000 U.S. troops are coming home.

BUSH: Some may deny the surge is working. But among the terrorists, there is no doubt. Al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq. And this enemy will be defeated.

HENRY (on camera): But Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid pointed out there has been little political progress by the Iraqi government and even with these troop cuts there will still be about 130,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq, a reminder this part of the president's legacy still up for grabs.

Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Digging out from ice and snow. The scene playing out across much of the west this morning. Parts of Colorado got as much as two feet of snow. Several mountain passes and parts of Interstate- 70 shut down last night though. Drivers were warned of blizzard-like conditions.

In Utah, hundreds of wrecks and at least one death. Parts of Interstate-84 shut down near the Idaho line. Heavy snow in northern Idaho damaged the roofs of several businesses as well.

And more snow expected there and Washington state. Many roads still impassable. Spokane saw a record 13.7 inches of snow. Man.

In California, getting ready for more wet weather. Wednesday, flooding and minor mudslides followed a week of rain and snowfall. Obviously, the story snow and freezing temperatures. It is cold, cold, cold.

Meteorologist Rob Marciano live in the severe weather center this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Some heart healthy advice. Work out and throw back a few drinks. Hey, the doctor is in the house to talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Allegations that U.S. soldiers killed, captured Iraqis. The army opens a criminal investigation. The story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

COLLINS: Unfolding this morning. Did U.S. soldiers kill captured Iraqis? The army is now investigating that allegation.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is covering this story for us this morning.

So Barbara, what your hearing about this investigation?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, some very disturbing information coming to light. The U.S. Army says it has indeed opened a criminal investigation into allegations that as many as perhaps six Iraqis were killed in 2007 at the hands of members of the 1st infantry division when they were deployed to a Baghdad district last year.

These are just allegations. But preliminary information indicates that a soldier from the unit came forward with some information that has now led the army to open this criminal investigation.

You might ask why we didn't know about it. Well it was late Friday night apparently around 9:00 when the army posted an announcement of this on its Web site but really saying nothing else about it publicly. Just putting it up on its Web site and, in fact, asking that anybody in the military or anybody who had more information about the incident come forward.

So far, no one charged, we should say, but very disturbing allegations that some Iraqis died at the hands of the U.S. military when they were captured in the field. They were not in a detention facility. They did not die in custody per se. They did not die in a firefight per se. But the allegation is that they died after being captured by U.S. troops -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Hmm, obviously, a lot to learn from this investigation. CNN's Barbara Starr from the Pentagon this morning.

Barbara, thank you.

STARR: Sure.

COLLINS: On the health front this morning, a strenuous workout. A robust drink. Put them together for a healthier heart? Huh?

CNN's chief medical correspondent and "Time" magazine columnist Dr. Sanjay Gupta writes about it in his latest column.

So Sanjay, exercise and drinking? What, forget the water next to the treadmill? Just have a glass of hooch?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Just the way you do -- isn't that how you -- the treadmill and a glass of wine?

COLLINS: Sure. Exactly, I do. If I could just get on the treadmill to begin with, that will be great.

GUPTA: Right. Now look, they've known for some time that moderate amounts of alcohol, nothing crazy here, can actually be good for your heart. The question is how good and how much alcohol are we talking about here specifically. So researchers in Denmark took this a step further and tried to answer that very question, trying to establish just how much risk -- reduction you get from drinking, exercising and maybe even both together.

Take a look at some of the numbers there. First of all, the highest risk is if you do nothing. You don't drink at all and you don't exercise at all. Look at the next number, though. Fifty percent lower risk if you're a moderate drinker, one to two drinks a day, and you exercise. Thirty percent lower if you just exercise and 30 percent lower if you just drink.

So actually drinking does...

COLLINS: Good lord.

GUPTA: ...comes with benefit all by itself. We've known that for some time but this idea that you can add those two things together and get the greatest benefit, good news, very popular column, I should add.

COLLINS: Yes, I bet it is. I bet it is. Well, that is amazing, though, because I think that it said one to two drinks a day is perceived as a moderate drinker. Yes, of course, but that seems like a lot.

GUPTA: Yes. Two drinks for men and one drink for women. That's how they define moderate for the purpose of this study.

COLLINS: OK. So explain to us exactly what happens when your body is drinking or exercising. We know about the anticoagulation, right? GUPTA: Right. But the anticoagulation from alcohol a really important thing. But what -- you know, some of the Holy Grail in preventing heart disease is raising your levels of good cholesterol. It's called HDL. How do you raise those levels up? Pharmaceutical companies have been researching this. People are really trying to figure this out.

We know that exercise can do it and we also know that drinking can do it. And now we know, at least as a result of this study, that it's additive, that you can really raise your level of good cholesterol. And that can be a very good thing for your heart in the long run.

I should point out, though, one caveat. Always has to have a caveat there...

COLLINS: Yes.

GUPTA: ...is that people under the age of 45 didn't seem to get that benefit. It was only when you started to actually be a risk for heart disease, 45 and older, that the alcohol actually (INAUDIBLE) some benefit.

COLLINS: All right. So you mentioned age. That kind of leads me into this other new study that we're hearing a little bit about.

GUPTA: Right.

COLLINS: More exercise and more drinking? It slows the aging process? What?

GUPTA: This is not about drinking necessarily, but this idea that -- you know, we know that exercise is good for you. But what I found so interesting about this study, why I wanted to talk about it is that people actually looked all the way down to the cellular level, trying to figure out what does exercise do for you at the cellular level. They actually studied twins over 10 years.

One twin exercised, the other one not so much, and they realize your genetic material, very important genetic material called telomeres, actually didn't shrink as they normally do as you age in people who exercise.

So by exercising you can actually make yourself biologically younger by about...

COLLINS: OK.

GUPTA: ....three hours a week of exercise.

COLLINS: OK. I thought you were going to say by about three hours.

GUPTA: Right.

COLLINS: Ah, not worth it. GUPTA: That's not bad, though.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes.

GUPTA: I mean we spend a lot of money on Botox, plastic surgery. Three hours a week. You can actually accomplish a lot just by doing that.

COLLINS: Yes, sure, like the real way.

GUPTA: That's true.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much for that.

GUPTA: All right, Heidi. Thanks.

COLLINS: And a quick reminder, too. You can join Sanjay for his special "Broken Government, Health Care: Critical Condition" this Thursday night at 11:00 Eastern right after the CNN presidential debate. And it is a good one.

Home foreclosure filings skyrocketed last year. Up a whopping 75 percent. One of the hardest hit states, we're going to talk about it. Coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The Fed meets later today and could cut interest rates again by tomorrow.

But first, news just this morning. Wal-Mart announcing it's slashing prices in a bid to boost sales in a sagging economy.

Senior business correspondent Ali Velshi is live now at the Chicago Board of Trade this morning.

Ali, good morning to you. Lots of news to talk about.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Lots of news, Heidi. Let's start with what you just talked about, Wal-Mart. Wal- Mart sees 100 million Americans a week if not more. So when Wal-Mart does something, it affects a lot of people. Wal-Mart is saying that starting this week it is going to cut the prices on between 10 and 20 -- they are going to cut the prices between 10 and 30 percent on thousands of goods.

It's something they that they will do throughout the year. Wal- Mart has actually benefited from Americans moving into discount retailers. They are actually selling more compared to other retailers who are selling less.

We've got a lot of other news for you as well. Countrywide Financial, the nation's biggest mortgage lender, which is being bought out by Bank of America, announced its fourth quarter earnings. The company has swung to a loss and its losses are bigger than expected. We've also got foreclosure news. You said this before the break. In 2007, foreclosures were up 75 percent over 2006. We had more than 400,000 homes in America lost to foreclosure. This is not the beginning of the foreclosure process. Those are homes that are actually lost. Take a look. California, the biggest losses there, followed by Michigan and Nevada.

So we've got a lot of mixed news right now that people have to consider and that the Fed has to consider. It is day one of a two-day meeting. Typically if the Fed makes a decision on interest rates, it makes it on the second day at 2:15 Eastern -- Heidi?

COLLINS: OK. As you said, the Fed starts its meeting today. And you feel confident there is going to be this rate cut. What happens then? I mean isn't there going to be another sort of lag time or at least for us to see any sort of effect on the market? It takes a while, does it not?

VELSHI: Well, I'll tell you what. See these guys behind me? They're trading bonds right now. When the Fed cuts rates, it doesn't actually affect fixed mortgages. But what these guys do does affect that. So when you see the Fed cut rates, it goes down. The prime rate also goes down. The prime rate is always three percentage points higher than the Fed rate.

So anything that you have, any loan that you have that's connected to prime will drop by the same amount that the Fed cut. Then mortgage rates will start to come down over here and you'll that happen. You'll also see the dollar weaken because as rates go down, the dollar weakens against other currencies. All of that put together does make people worry about inflation.

When you have a combination of slow economic growth, which is why the Fed would be cutting rates and inflation, you get something called stagflation, which means people's wages can't keep up with the increases in their bread and their milk and their cheese and their gasoline and things like that. So we're in a very tough time.

And what I'm hear on the floor, maybe a 50-basis point, that's half a percentage point cut tomorrow afternoon at 2:15 Eastern Time -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Right. OK. Ali, glad you're there for us this morning. Keep us posted on everything. Appreciate it.

VELSHI: OK. Yes.

COLLINS: Ali Velshi this morning from Chicago.

Authorities in Miami say it was a miracle no one was hurt. A cab fell at least 30 feet from an overpass onto a highway during rush hour. The cab driver survived and was taken to a hospital. Officers describe what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LIEUTENANT IGNATIUS CARROLL, MIAMI FIRE RESCUE: According to witnesses, loses control and basically pin-balls on the expressway knocking guardrail to guardrail.

DFC. PAT SANTANGELO, FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL: The speed was too fast for that particular ramp. I've seen several crashes in this exact location. Sometimes they turn out like this and sometimes they turn out fatal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The officer said the driver's life was probably saved because the cab landed on its wheels. But the driver's luck may have run out. He faces a reckless driving charge. It is his 33rd citation since 1995.

Resealing the border. Egyptian and Hamas security forces working to repair breaches along the Egyptian-Gazan border. The barbed wire and other barriers meant to slow the traffic of Palestinians into Egypt. Tens of thousands of Gazans crossed over last week after the border breach. They were desperate for medical attention, and goods in short supply because of an Israeli blockade of Gaza.

The Egyptian-Gazan border is supposed to be jointly maintained by Egypt and the Palestinian authority but it had been closed since Hamas took over Gaza and split with the Palestinian authority last year.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak are scheduled to hold talks on the situation tomorrow.

Ahead, new outrage in Kenya. More people take to the streets with machetes after the killing of an opposition lawmaker.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: All right. There we have the opening bell this morning at the New York Stock Exchange. People will be watching closely yet again today, as you well know by now. Yesterday, everything closed up. But that was a good thing. Up by about 176 points.

But as you also know, there has been incredible volatility, up a couple hundred points, down a couple hundred points from day-to-day. Also, news this morning of a 75 percent spike in foreclosures. And the Fed, we know, has already begun their meetings discussing another interest rate cut. So we will be watching all of those stories on the economic level for you throughout the day.

Meanwhile, developing this hour, an attempt at peace in Kenya. Talks are getting started, even as police fire rubble bullets into crowds of angry protesters. Many of them carrying machetes. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is on his way to the capital Nairobi after spending the morning in a refugee camp. He is joining us now on the telephone.

Nic, tell us the latest on the peace efforts on the ground there.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Former U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan is bringing together for face-to-face meetings, the President Kibaki and the main opposition leader here, Raila Odinga.

His effort is to get these two political leaders to reconcile their political differences because the violence that's been happening in the country over the last few days is beginning to get -- is beginning to get out of the control of politicians. It's beginning to become ethnic violence. Violence that has its base in historic land disputes here.

The U.S. ambassador here today called the violence over the weekend and the killing of an MP here today. He said the violence is of great concern. And while we were in a refugee camp today, the people there told us how they were still being forced out of their homes. They were afraid of being killed if they strayed out of the refugee camp, which was centered on a police station in a town not far from Nairobi.

We were also told when we arrived that army helicopters have been flying overhead in the day firing rubber bullets from the crowds. We were told this was an effort to disperse the crowds who are beginning to form illegal checkpoints on the main road. These checkpoints are at places that many of the people trying to flee this area have been caught up and killed (INAUDIBLE). We saw one man at the side of the road, who had been brutally injured. The army was trying to help him.

Heidi?

COLLINS: Nic, as we look at this video, it's just truly amazing. We do see people carrying machetes. What is the first step in all of this? What is the first thing that can be done when we're talking about peace efforts?

ROBERTSON: Well, the first thing a lot of people would hope and that hasn't happened so far is that the political leaders, President Kibaki and Raila Odinga tell people, tell ethnic followers that this is the time to stop the violence, not to -- not to continue to force people out of their homes. Not to continue to cause stress and strain on the streets. The situation that's happening at the moment is now violence is popping up in a variety of places in the country. Sporadic violence, worse than has been seen over the previous weeks.

So a lot of killings over the weekend. 863 killings so far. And it leads the political leaders at the moment to tell their followers and supporters to let the temperature go down. The real concern is the passions and the level of violence and the type of violence that's been committed so far. It's perhaps going to take a long time for people here to forget. The longer it goes on, the hardest it is for them to forgive their neighbors. A lot of people we saw today living in absolute fear.

Heidi.

COLLINS: Boy, well, you can certainly understand why, again, as we continue to look at this video. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson on his way to Nairobi, Kenya, as we speak.

Nic, keep in touch with us and stay safe. Thanks so much.

COLLINS: The road to the White House leads through Florida today for Republican candidates. Polling places are open and so is the race to become the party's nominee.

Mitt Romney and John McCain are locked in a battle to become the Republican front-runner. Mike Huckabee has mounted a strong challenge and Rudy Giuliani has bet big on Florida. He even hinted he could quit if he doesn't win. Here's his bottom line pitch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here's the thing to remember. I am the person that gets things done. I have gotten things done in the past. If I promise you something, we'll do it. We will get it done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The Democrats don't have any delegates at stake in Florida, so they are focusing on the battleground states of Super Tuesday, of course, one week from today.

Throughout the morning, we are going to be talking with several of the Republican campaigns. Let's go ahead and begin with the Mitt Romney camp. Veteran strategist Bay Buchanan serves as a senior adviser. She is joining us this morning from Tampa.

Nice to see you, Bay. Thanks for being with us.

BAY BUCHANAN, VETERAN STRATEGIST: Sure, Heidi. Always good to be with you.

COLLINS: How important is this victory today?

BUCHANAN: It's important. It would make life a lot easier. Obviously, it's a dead heat. We're not sure who is going to win here in Florida. We hope to win. Mitt Romney has put a great team together. There is a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. There is real momentum coming his way. But you know, we are going to be in this race. Obviously, what's going to happen here in Florida, it's going to reduce the race to, without question, a two-man race.

And then we will give conservatives across the country and all those 20 states next week a real choice. They'll have Mitt Romney, a social conservative, an economic conservative, somebody that's on the right side of the illegal immigration issue. John McCain, of course, is not any of those things.

And a social conservative. We can't be certain he'll give us the judges. And he's not for that constitutional amendment to make sure we can secure the sanctity of marriage. So -- and of course, on economics, he's been fighting us constantly as a senator for conservative causes, for instance, cutting taxes. So we feel that what's going to happen in Florida is it's going to make it a two-man race. One fellow, a solid conservative across the board. The other fellow that's been a bit of a nemesis for conservatives and then Americans can decide then.

COLLINS: Well, you say a solid conservative. And yet, things are certainly getting heated on the campaign trail. I'm sure you are well aware of Senator McCain, sort of attacking, if you will, Governor Romney for flip-flopping on issues. Let's listen for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, I really -- one thing I think we should really give Governor Romney credit for, he is consistent. He is consistently taken both sides of any major issue. He is consistently flip-flopped on every issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: How do you respond to that? Is that something that voters are concerned about in your mind?

BUCHANAN: Sure. There's no question people like to see somebody who is committed to a cause. But you know, with John McCain is no one to talk here. You know, he used to be -- he claims he's for the fence. He has fought those who wanted to secure the fence every inch of the way. Finally, this year, he realizes maybe he should tell people he'll secure the fence.

This is a man that said he -- actually took a pledge that he believes in no new taxes and yet he fought the tax cuts of George Bush, voted against them and now he's for increasing taxes on gas and electrical bills for working men and women. And so this is a guy who is completely changed what he's talking about with Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney was pro-choice. He admits that. But he converted to the cause of pro-life. He's been solid. He would not let any move ahead on the stem cell research. He's opposed to stem cell research and has a record of being a pro-lifer since he's been the governor of Massachusetts.

So we are delighted to have him as a pro-lifer. He's committed to the judges, giving us good, solid judges. Just this weekend, we heard that John McCain is telling people privately, Sam Alito is not his kind of judge. Well, he's our kind of judge. Social conservatives want Sam Alito on that court.

So I think as this thing opens up next week, you're going to see more and more conservatives recognizing that Mitt Romney is their candidate. John McCain is wrong on amnesty. He's wrong on taxes and he's wrong on judges.

COLLINS: What about Iraq and foreign policy? Senator McCain has also run on this experience of sorts that he has, obviously, from being in the situation. He was in Vietnam and also being in politics for as long as he has been. How does Mitt Romney confront someone who has that type of experience on his side?

BUCHANAN: Well, you know, clearly John McCain has enormous experience on that. Of course, he's the first one to admit he has little to no experience on economics. He has indicated that he needs to be educated on economics. That's why that's Mitt Romney's real strong suit. So he has an advantage there.

But the bottom line is this. Mitt Romney has said without questioning, he understands we're at war with Islamic fundamentalists. He understands that we need to increase the size of our army. We need to make it the strongest, the best, have the finest equipment. He's committed to this. And he recognizes the need to be strong and to make certain that we finish this Iraq war in a way that is important.

But I got to tell you something, Heidi. I saw John McCain speak the other day without one of his rallies. 90 percent of his talk is about war and war and military and military. He seeing talks about the very likely we're going to have more wars. I think here what's important is we have a president who understands how important it is to get out of this war in Iraq. To finish it correctly and move out and make certain he has the temperament to be careful and cautious and prudent. And I think Mitt Romney is clearly that individual.

COLLINS: Well, we certainly appreciate your time here today.

BUCHANAN: Thank you.

COLLINS: It's a long road.

BUCHANAN: It sure is, Heidi.

COLLINS: Again, senior adviser to the Romney campaign, Bay Buchanan, this morning. Bay, thanks so much.

BUCHANAN: Thank you very much, Heidi.

COLLINS: Next up, we're going to be hearing from Rudy Giuliani's campaign. Could a dismal showing today actually be the end of his presidential bid? That's next hour in the NEWSROOM.

And all this week, CNN is bringing you special coverage of the presidential candidates as they crisscross the country ahead of Super Tuesday. Join us for the CNN's "BALLOT BOWL" today at noon Eastern. Remember, CNN equals politics.

Overseas for a moment now. Devastating winter storms sweeping across China today. Millions of people trying to get away for the Chinese New Year holiday ended up stranded. Here's Beijing bureau chief Jaime Florcruz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chinese workers sweep roads and clear electric lines covered by heavy snow. Racing against time to open up roads for millions of stranded travelers. For days, relentless snowstorms have hit 14 provinces in central, eastern and southern China. Roads, railways and airports are paralyzed and hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded.

In Guangzhou, more than 200,000 train travelers are left waiting for transportation after a power failure, put the brakes on rail service. The snowstorms in these provinces are unusual and devastating. Power lines were snapped. Homes and farmland destroyed. Economic losses are estimated at more than 3 billion U.S. dollars, according to Chinese officials.

China's Premier Wen Jiabao ordered officials to make sure those supplies are made available to those in need, as the nation prepares to celebrate the Chinese New Year on February 7th. But more miserable weather is expected and China's weather forecasters have issued a red alert.

(on-camera): That's bad news for the tens of millions of Chinese who in the next few days will travel by train, plane or bus to go home for the Lunar New Year. China's busiest travel time of the year. Jaime Florcruz, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Snow and freezing temperatures all over the place. Meteorologist Rob Marciano is live in the severe weather center now with more on this.

At least some parts are getting snow in the middle of that. It's really the worse when it's just freezing and you get no snow.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: A drunken driver tells 911 she's tipsy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm too intoxicated to drive.

911 DISPATCHER: OK and so you called 911 or he called 911.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he wanted me to call 911 because he thinks I'm too drunk to drive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A few for the road in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: He had access to a treasure trove of historic artifacts. And now, a New York archivist is charged with stealing from a state library and trying to sell the items on eBay. Veronica De La Cruz has that story and more.

Good morning to you, Veronica.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. You know, state officials say Daniel Lorello began the crime spree to pay off some of his bills. Lorello has worked at the New York State Library since 1979. He's now being placed on administrative leave. Authorities say he supposedly stole a $3,000 Davy Crockett almanac and this 1823 letter from Former Vice President John Calhoun among other things, Heidi.

And a handwritten confession published in "The New York Times." Lorello writes that he took the items also because his daughter unexpectedly ran up a $10,000 credit card bill. He also said it was to pay her tuition for school.

COLLINS: Well, how did he get caught?

DE LA CRUZ: Apparently, a history buff saw the items on eBay, Heidi. They tipped off authorities. The library did confirm that the letter was missing. And to catch Lorello, investigators started bidding on eBay for it. And you know, the rest is history.

COLLINS: Wow. You also have another story to tell us about. A new cell that's supposed to help blind people see. So how does that work?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. It's pretty amazing technology. The phone which is designed for the vision impaired like you just saw. It's going to hit the stores next month. It's loaded with software that turns text and photograph documents into speech.

Users, Heidi, can scan things like restaurant menus, currency and then a few seconds later, the device will audibly say what was scanned. And the phone can store thousands of printed pages and its memory with external flash memory cards. So again, it's pretty amazing technology.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, that's great. Is this the first time we're seeing something like this?

DE LA CRUZ: Well, you know, the software has been around for a while. But this is actually the first time it's been incorporated into a cell phone which, as you know, is portable, convenient. I mean, you take your cell phone everywhere. The phone is made by Nokia.

We're going to see it on store shelves in a month. It's going to cost you about $500. The software is an additional $1,500, but you know, the technology is priceless, for sure.

COLLINS: Absolutely.

DE LA CRUZ: OK. Don't go away, because I have a question for you, Heidi. So put on your thinking cap.

COLLINS: I don't have one of those. Sorry.

DE LA CRUZ: Do you think the Fed is going to cut interest rates again tomorrow?

COLLINS: I do. I do, probably by .5 percent. DE LA CRUZ: Well, tomorrow I want you to logon to this new website. I want to tell you about it. It's called hubdub.com. And it lets people bet on the outcome of ongoing news stories.

COLLINS: Wow, fun.

DE LA CRUZ: Isn't that cool? You sign up and you get 1,000 Hubdub dollars to start. No real money exchanging hands, unfortunately. And some examples of the betting that you can find right now, taking place on hubdub.com.

Who will the Democratic candidate for '08 be? Also, Heidi, this is a big one. Who will win the Super Bowl? The site provides links to related stories. It tracks opinions. There's even a leader board that ranks the top forecasters. So what do you think, Heidi? Who is going to win the Super Bowl?

COLLINS: Gosh, it's a good one. See I was out when the Vikings are out, which was like after the first couple of games.

DE LA CRUZ: So would you say the Patriots or would you say the Giants? Well, I mean, what do you hear percentage wise?

COLLINS: I guess the Patriots.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. 75 percent.

COLLINS: Really?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes, 75 percent.

COLLINS: All right. Well, I'm glad I was close. But you know, I like an upset, so we'll have to see.

DE LA CRUZ: All right. So hubdub.com.

COLLINS: So hubdub.com. Very fun. All right, Veronica, thanks so much for that.

DE LA CRUZ: Of course.

COLLINS: And just a quick reminder, you can watch Veronica on AMERICAN MORNING, every weekday morning 6:00 until 9:00 Eastern.

All right, so listen to this story. Drunk dialing 911. One woman calls from her car to toddle on herself. The story now from Lauren Leamanczyk. She's with affiliate WTMJ in Milwaukee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAT DYKSTRA, CALLED 911 ON HERSELF: I didn't really think I was that bad.

LAUREN LEAMANCZYK, WTMJ REPORTER (voice-over): Pat Dykstra has an OWI ticket because of this phone call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: I just want to know if somebody can follow me home because somebody seems to think I can't drive home straight.

911: OK, why is that?

CALLER: He seems to think I am too intoxicated to drive.

911: OK, and so you called 9-1-1 or he called 9-1-1?

CALLER: Well he wanted me to call 9-1-1 because he thinks I'm too drunk to drive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEAMANCZYK (on-camera): What did you think would happen when you called 911?

DYKSTRA: I really wasn't sure. Like I said I don't think I was really thinking that much at the time either.

LEAMANCZYK (voice-over): She gave police such a good description, they found her at home and gave her a breathalyzer. She blew a .14.

(on-camera): Pat says she is not sure if the drunk-driving ticket is really fair. After all, by the time she got her ticket, her car was parked right here in the garage.

DYKSTRA: I was home already and in my pajamas, going to bed.

LEAMANCZYK (voice-over): The Sheriff Todd Nehls says Pat did the right thing.

SHERIFF TODD NEHLS, DODGE COUNTY WISCONSIN: I think that judge will look at her and say, you know, you stepped up to the plate. You did the right thing. I think it's commendable.

LEAMANCZYK: She was even safety minded when she called 911.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: I don't like being on the phone while I'm driving.

911: OK. Well, I can certainly let you go, Pat. I don't want to cause...

CALLER: I would appreciate that because I don't like driving on the phone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEAMANCZYK: So would she drunk dial 911 again?

DYKSTRA: It's good in a way but if I have thought about it, it wasn't good for my driving record. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Not so much. The woman said she was driving because her boyfriend was too intoxicated to get behind the wheel. But he's the one who convinced her to call 911 on her cell. She now faces a $740 fine.

A record dropped in the housing market. Bad news for the already struggling economy. The numbers, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The Feds tomorrow are set to cut interest rates again. Along with that, the stalled housing market. No longer the engine driving the economy. CNN's Bill Tucker has the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Already weak new home sales plunged a chilling 26.5 percent last year. It was the biggest drop since the government started keeping track and the double-digit declines were nationwide.

Sales in the west fell more than 32 percent. In the Midwest, sales dropped almost 28 percent. In the south, 26.5 percent. Only the northeast offered hope, albeit weak with an increase of 1.5 percent. With sales plunging, prices fell. The median new home price dropped more than 10 percent from December 2006. Bad for homeowners and potentially bad for the economy.

ROBERT SHILLER, YALE UNIVERSITY: What ultimately drives the economy is substantially psychology. You know, you could easily see people suddenly when they realize that this house is falling in value, and they don't have any equity for a home equity loan. You could easily see people pulling back and not spending so much.

TUCKER: We have been living in a housing-driven economy. Rising home prices, increased home equity. That is over for now. And the new reality is setting in. Economists are forecasting that American homeowners will lose more than $2 trillion in home equity this year.

ROBERT KUTTNER, AUTHOR, "SQUANDERED AMERICA": We're looking at a major anchor of the middle class economy getting sandbagged, and that cuts into the ability of people to consume, to purchase and that cuts into the incomes of lots of other people like home builders and carpenters and people who sell washing machines and home repairmen.

TUCKER: And the recovery may take a while. At current sales rates, it will take almost 10 months to sell off all the new homes on the market. Bill Tucker, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Republicans storm the beaches. Will today's winner in Florida ride a wave to the nomination? We're tracking the campaigns for you next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Good morning, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay informed all day long. Here's what's on the rundown now.

Florida voters at the polls this hour. Will the primary cement a clear Republican frontrunner? Will it end the campaign?

A vicious snow and ice storm paralyzes much of southern China. Millions of people traveling for the Chinese New Year now stranded.

And brimming with chemicals.

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