Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Illinois Governor Arrested on Corruption Charges; Obama: No Contact with Blagojevich; Fuel Oil Prices Down; National Rifle Association versus Obama

Aired December 10, 2008 - 06:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The audacity of greed.

GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: I don't believe there's any cloud that hangs over me.

ROBERTS: What the FBI says the bold, busted Illinois governor actually said on tape. Barack Obama's Senate seat for sale.

BLAGOJEVICH: Thank you very much.

ROBERTS: Plus, the people are coming. The buses are coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know the buses are coming on January 20th, but we don't know what to do with them.

ROBERTS: Inauguration choke hold. Ten thousand buses strong on the "Most News in the Morning."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Good morning. Thanks very much for being with us. It's Wednesday. It's the 10th of December on this AMERICAN MORNING. John Roberts together with Kiran Chetry.

This case is just stunning.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Astounding.

ROBERTS: If in fact what Fitzgerald says is true.

CHETRY: Exactly. We're talking about the Illinois governor, and you've been in politics for a long time and there are many who have -- who say I have never seen anything like this.

ROBERTS: I met this guy back in 1999 in Belgrade during a war. Who knew this would happen allegedly?

CHETRY: Who would have thought? Allegedly. Yes, exactly.

We begin with the political scandal that's rocking the Illinois State House.

Governor Rod Blagojevich is free on bail this morning, and under growing pressure to resign after his arrest on federal corruption charges. FBI agents recorded Blagojevich allegedly scheming to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald describing the governor's conduct as a new low that would make Abraham Lincoln roll over in his grave. Complete coverage of the scandal is coming up just ahead.

Meantime, Pakistani authorities have arrested two members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Islamic militant group thought to be responsible for the Mumbai attacks. One of the suspects is said to be a top operational commander. Pakistan's government has launched its own investigation into India's allegations that the gunman who killed more than a 160 people in the Mumbai massacre had links to Pakistan.

And laid off workers continue their sit-in protest at a Chicago factory. Representatives for the workers are expected to resume negotiations today with Bank of America and the Republic Windows and Doors Company. And the bank has offered to extend credit now to the company to break the stalemate. Details though of that loan has not yet been worked out. The workers said they will not leave the plant without the severance and vacation pay that they have earned.

ROBERTS: All right. Let's get you back to our top story now.

This morning the political crisis deepening as the corruption case against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich comes more clearly into focus. Today was supposed to be about fun for the governor. It's his 52nd birthday. But instead of celebrating, he'll be planning a legal defense to try to stay out of prison.

The most serious charge that he's facing, trying to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. Prosecutors say their case against Blagojevich is solid. They have tapes of him sounding more like Tony Soprano as he put price tags on the positions the public entrusted him to protect. Despite it all, the governor's attorney says his client is innocent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Extremely upbeat and very sad and disappointed that this occurred. He feels he didn't do anything wrong.

Most of the people in Illinois have faith in (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: We're covering the story live on the ground in Chicago. Drew Griffin is at the governor's home. Elaine Quijano is covering the Obama transition team.

And let's start with Drew. And, Drew, if you were ever to weave a story of political intrigue this would have to be a stretch to come up with what's going on here.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's really unreal and even the arrest was carried out in a stunning fashion. It was just about 24 hours ago, John, behind me the phone is ringing in the governor's house. The governor awoken by the FBI, telling him there are two federal agents at his front door ready to take him into custody.

Now 24 hours later, many in his own party are really asking him to resign, or face impeachment in a political scandal that's stunning even on Chicago standards.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): According to prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, if you wanted something big in Illinois, you had to pay the governor. Pay to play. The fabled Wrigley Field, "Chicago Tribune" journalists and most stunningly a U.S. Senate seat.

PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a truly new low.

GRIFFIN: That new low comes because the governor actually gets to appoint whomever would take over Barack Obama's now vacated Senate seat. And according to federal prosecutors, Blagojevich has been secretly recorded discussing his intentions to auction the seat off to the highest bidder.

FITZGERALD: The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave. The governor's own words describing the Senate seat, "It's a (bleeping) valuable thing. Thing you just don't give it away for nothing."

GRIFFIN: How much? The complaint says $500,000 to a million dollars. The pay to play scheme as prosecutors alleged also included trying to get "Chicago Tribune" journalists critical of the governor fired in exchange for state help selling the tribune's Wrigley Field ballpark.

It had been an open secret all over Illinois that the Feds had Blagojevich in their sights ever since the conviction this year of political fixture and real estate king, Antoine Rezko. In October, Fitzgerald placed court-approved wiretaps on the governor's home phone and his political office.

On Monday, Blagojevich addressed the media that had reported just last week the Feds wiretapped him.

GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: If anybody wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead. Feel free to do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This wiretap I can tell you from the FBI agents who participated in this wiretap investigation were thoroughly disgusted and revolted by what they heard.

GRIFFIN: If convicted of the charges, the governor could spend a maximum 30 years in prison, a place where his predecessor, the former Illinois Governor George Ryan, now resides. Illinois's current governor has not commented since being released. (END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: The lieutenant governor of Illinois, John, is trying to make sure that this governor has nothing to do with the Senate appointment. There's going to be a special session of the legislature next week to try to strip that appointment power away. But in the meantime, there's no indication Governor Blagojevich is planning to resign. In fact his attorneys said, the governor should be at work today -- John.

ROBERTS: Wow. We'll keep following the story.

Drew Griffin for us this morning in Chicago. Drew, thanks for that.

Here's more on Governor Blagojevich for you in an "AM Extra." As we said he turns 52 years old today. It's his birthday. He's a Democrat.

He was sworn into office as governor back in 2003. Before that, he represented Illinois in the U.S. Congress.

Blagojevich is married and has two daughters, aged 11 and 5. His family was home when the FBI showed up to arrest him yesterday. Agents say he was cooperative and only asked, "Is this a joke?"

CHETRY: Meantime, President-elect Barack Obama says he was "not aware of what was happening involving the pay to play tactics to fill his Senate seat." U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was asked to address a possible connection to Obama at his news conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: I'm not going to speak for what the president-elect was aware of. We make no allegations that he's aware of anything, and that's simply as I can put it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: CNN's Elaine Quijano is live in Chicago. And, you know, one of the questions today is what the political fallout will be, if any, for the president-elect in all of this.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think it's still very much an open question right now. We should say that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald also made clear that the complaint does not make any allegations about the president-elect. But what is not clear right now is who exactly on the Obama team knew what and when.

Now yesterday during a meeting with the former vice president, Al Gore, to talk about environmental issues, the president-elect made it a point to address the situation and he also answered one question from a reporter about whether the president-elect had any contact with or was aware at all of what was happening with his Senate seat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not -- I was not aware of what was happening. And as I said, it's a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that I don't think it's appropriate to comment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now late yesterday, an Obama senior adviser, David Axelrod, released a statement clarifying some comments that he made a couple of weeks ago to a local reporter here in Chicago, when he said that Obama did talk to the governor about the Senate seat. Yesterday in that written statement David Axelrod said, "I was mistaken and they did not then or at any time discuss the subject" -- Kiran.

CHETRY: And also, in that part of that statement he sort of self-corrected Barack Obama mid sentence. He said we were, and then he said I was not aware of what was happening. Are Obama aides worried about any fallout from the case in the coming days?

QUIJANO: Well, you know, what's clear right now is that they are working to sort through facts and to figure out exactly who talked to, you know the governor or members of the governor's team. And we should say that we're not expecting to get any of these questions answered by the president-elect himself, Kiran. We're not expected to have any kind of public event. There aren't any on the president- elect's schedule for today. So certainly, this is a huge distraction for the Obama transition team right now -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Elaine Quijano for us in Chicago this morning. Thank you.

ROBERTS: Also new this morning, power failure is the suspected cause of that deadly military fighter jet crash in San Diego on Monday. California Congressman Duncan Hunter was briefed by investigators and says there appears to be no structural problem with the F-18 Hornet that crashed and burned in a residential neighborhood.

Four members of a family were killed. The pilot ejected safely before impact and survived.

American students gaining ground in math. And according to a new international study, fourth and eighth graders in Massachusetts have outscored most of their international peers. That indeed is good news.

Analysts credit the improvement with teachers narrowing topics and concentrating on the fundamentals. But Asian countries still lead the pack with dramatically higher scores.

Future "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien says he's thrilled to hear that Jay Leno is staying at NBC. The network announced on Monday that Leno will host a nightly variety show airing at 10:00 p.m. O'Brien called the news a "happening ending." He's scheduled to take over as the host of "The Tonight Show". That will be in March of next year. CHETRY: Well, the plummeting price of oil means you'll be paying less to heat your home this winter. But what if you locked in the price that you pay worried that gas prices and oil prices were just going to continue to rise? We're going to find out if there's any new way to get these cheaper rates.

Also, gun advocates bracing for a battle with the incoming president. But is Barack Obama really the enemy to gun owners.

It's 10 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Thirteen minutes now after the hour. Gerri Willis here this morning "Minding Your Business." And we're talking about -- I walked outside this morning. It's beautiful. It's balmy in New York City.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Oh, my gosh. I love it.

ROBERTS: And you think that all those people who locked in their home heating oil at those elevated prices thinking that they were going to save money, what are they thinking now?

WILLIS: It's ugly. Let me tell you. Cancellation prices for these folks if they want to cancel that contract, $600. They're paying $3 in change for a gallon of home heating oil. I know this because I just changed over my own furnace to natural gas. But let's look at some of these numbers.

The government said yesterday that the average cost for heating a home with home heating oil will go down $383 to an average of $1,570. If you do with natural gas, you'll pay 860. Why is that?

Well, the price of light sweet crude is going down pretty dramatically here. It's now $42.07 a barrel. Big decline there.

We know these prices are going down. It is hurting people, though, who locked in prices on home heating oil to heat their homes. They are now paying an exorbitant amount of money to heat their homes. It's very painful.

CHETRY: Well, there is a lot of fear that it would just continue to go up so people when it was -- when gas was $4 a gallon in July and everyone was coming out with these forecasts of how expensive it was going to be, they said, well, let's lock in now.

WILLIS: What can I tell you that the typical pattern of heating oil over the winter it is highest in August, September, and then it comes down over the course of the year. That's typically what happens.

ROBERTS: Nobody thought it was going to come down like it did.

WILLIS: True. ROBERTS: I mean, if the U.S. economy hadn't...

CHETRY: Right.

WILLIS: Tanked.

ROBERTS: ... gone down the great white throne...

WILLIS: Right. Precisely so.

ROBERTS: ... people would have been -- people who locked in probably would end a bargain.

WILLIS: Listen, my heart goes out to them. I think this is really tough. But the moral of the story here, home eating oil is typically used in the northeast. It's a minority of Americans who typically use this.

This is really an old technology. Upgrading makes sense, but the payoff has to happen over years. If you're going to be at a house for years, we're paying about $16,000 for our new furnace that uses natural gas. So I can tell you firsthand that we'll have to be in the house for a number of years to make it pay off.

CHETRY: You take a hit up front.

WILLIS: You take a hit up front improves the resale value of your home.

ROBERTS: $21.75 I think, right?

WILLIS: Yes.

ROBERTS: That's in your (INAUDIBLE).

WILLIS: Well, but it improves the resale value of your home for sure. It's also more efficient. You can use less energy total. You have a more green footprint. So there are other advantages.

CHETRY: Right.

WILLIS: But those folks, what can I say? The cancellation fees are high.

ROBERTS: Who knew? Nobody knew any of this was coming.

WILLIS: That's right.

ROBERTS: Although, well, some people did. But most people chose to ignore it.

Gerri, thanks for that.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

ROBERTS: Fifteen minutes now after the hour. CHETRY: America's gun owners ready for a fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN VELLECO, GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA: President-elect Obama's administration promises to be the most anti-gun in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: But what is the president-elect really saying about what he'll do to gun laws?

You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLTON HESTON, ACTOR: I once said those fighting words for everyone within the sound of my voice to hear and to heed and especially for you, Mr. Gore. From my cold, dead hands!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." That was the late Charlton Heston back in 2000 taking aim at Al Gore when Heston was president of the NRA, the National Rifle Association.

Well fast forward to today, and it's Barack Obama versus the NRA. Even before he takes office, the battle lines appear to have been drawn. But will gun groups really have a fight on their hands?

CNN's Deborah Feyerick has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a new team coming to Washington, some gun owners are taking no chances. Gun sales up as much as 50 percent in certain areas. Membership in the National Rifle Association taking off since the election, says the NRA. And gun groups bracing to do battle with the new president should he and the democratically controlled Congress try to tighten gun laws.

CHRIS COX, NRA CHIEF LOBBYIST: We expect this to be a fight, and we're prepared to fight in every step of the way.

FEYERICK: This despite President-elect Obama's attempts to reassure gun owners over the weekend that he'd make good on campaign promises and not step on the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I believe in common sense gun safety laws and I believe in the second amendment. And so, lawful gun owners have nothing to fear.

FEYERICK: The NRA's chief lobbyist doesn't buy it. COX: This is not someone who makes gun owners in this country feel comfortable.

FEYERICK: Gun advocates point to Obama's support for a permanent banning of assault weapons.

JOHN VELLECO, GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA: President-elect Obama's administration promises to be the most anti-gun in history.

FEYERICK: They even say a question on Team Obama's recent job application is anti-gun because it asks people whether they own a firearm?

VELLECO: I'm certain that the Congress is going to consider things like banning 0.50 caliber firearms, banning the semi- automatics, increasing the Brady law.

FEYERICK: However, those in favor of tighter gun laws say it's time to look at laws changed under the Bush administration and evaluate whether communities are safer.

PAUL HELMKE, PRESIDENT, BRADY CAMPAIGN: Do we want people to have guns that can shoot 30 to 50 round in less than a minute, something that's only used basically to kill people not to defend anyone. If we say no, then let's put that on the table.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And, you know, the gun groups say they simply just don't believe Obama's rhetoric and that's why they say what he says does not match his record. That's why they don't believe him.

CHETRY: All right. Deb Feyerick for us this morning. Thanks so much -- John.

ROBERTS: Illinois governor accused of conspiring to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat. A look at who Rod Blagojevich may have targeted to cut a deal for that vacated seat. We'll have all that information for you.

Twenty-one and a half minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at a work of art designed by Mother Nature that an ambitious professor is trying to recreate. It's the human retina.

PROF. ANDREW BARRON, RICE UNIVERSITY: In this case, we were looking very specifically at a medical application where a device would be small enough obviously to fit in the human eye.

PHILLIPS: Professor Andrew Barron's Nanotechnology team at Rice University was trying to develop an artificial retina when they ran into a problem.

BARRON: But if we don't solve that problem, all we've got is a solar cell.

PHILLIPS: Eureka, solar power.

BARRON: The retina is an extremely efficient design for capturing photons, and photons are essentially light.

PHILLIPS: Now Barron is growing Nano sized forest of light- absorbing rod, modeled after those amazing light-absorbing rods of the retina.

BARRON: What we've got here is a model of a Nano tube.

PHILLIPS: What's the big deal? Well, this is the typical solar power panel. You know, those bulky squares you see on rooftops.

BARRON: It's very brittle. It shatters very happily when you touch it.

PHILLIPS: Compare that to the Barron solar cell made of flexible Nano tubes a thousand times thinner than a human air. The challenge of getting the Barron solar cells from the scale to this will take time. After all, Andrew Barron is not Mother Nature.

PHILLIPS: Kyra Phillips, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN")

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN": Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich, was arrested by the FBI because he was trying to sell the Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama. He's trying to sell it. Yes. Blagojevich says he's sorry he tried to sell the seat and extremely sorry he did on Craigslist.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to "Most News in the Morning." The corruption charges against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich certainly are stunning. Federal prosecutors alleged that he was trying to sell Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says the governor was selling his power like a sports agent. Despite the allegations against him, though, Blagojevich is still in a position, at least for the moment, to appoint Obama's successor.

CNN's Brian Todd takes a look at the candidates who may have been vying for that coveted Senate seat. BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Kiran. No one mentioned as a possibility for that Senate seat is saying that they're one of the unnamed candidates in that complaint. There is one strong possibility that we pieced together, but right now everyone is running as far away from Rod Blagojevich as possible.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): According to prosecutors, Rod Blagojevich knew all too well how much leverage he had as the only person who could appoint Barack Obama's successor to the U.S. Senate.

PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: The governor's own words describing the Senate seat. "It's a (bleeping) valuable thing. Thing you just don't give it away for nothing."

TODD: U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's complaint against Blagojevich gives those Senate candidates numbers not names, and says Blagojevich tried to garner money or jobs in exchange for awarding the seat. One mentioned often, candidate one, an advisor to Barack Obama, a female, said to be Obama's tough choice for the seat.

FITZGERALD: This part of the scheme lost steam when the person that the governor thought was the president-elect's choice of senator took herself out of the running.

TODD: According to Fitzgerald, when the plan fell through, Blagojevich said --

FITZGERALD: "They're not willing to give me anything but appreciation. (Bleep) them.

TODD: Candidate one could be Valerie Jarrett, because she's the only female who was an adviser to Obama mentioned as a possibility for the seat and who dropped out of the running. We were unsuccessful in reaching Valerie Jarrett through the Obama transition office.

There's nothing suggesting Jarrett spoke with Blagojevich about the post, and Fitzgerald is clear, none of the people mentioned as Senate candidates is accused of wrongdoing.

FITZGERALD: And people should not cast dispersions on people who are discussed with wiretap or bug tape.

TODD: The only other candidate mentioned as often in the complaint, candidate five. The complaint says just last week Blagojevich said he might be able to cut a deal with candidate five "with something tangible up front." There's no way to confirm who candidate five is yet.

CNN contacted several of the people widely reported to be on that list of Senate candidates. Among those who responded, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who issued us a statement saying he met with Blagojevich about the post but is shocked at the charges and is deeply concerned that this process may have been tainted. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky told CNN's Kate Bolduan she'd spoken with Blagojevich about the post. When asked if Blagojevich tried to strike a deal to give her the seat --

REP. JANICE SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: Not even close. The governor all along has said that, you know, he would welcome a recording or whatever. So, you know, I don't know what kind of evidence there is.

TODD: Congressman Danny Davis has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Senate seat but says in his dealings with Blagojevich --

REP. DANNY DAVIS (D), ILLINOIS: There has never been any hint of quid pro quo. There's never been any hint of impropriety.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Another possible candidate mentioned is Illinois Veterans Affairs director, Tammy Duckworth. Her aide told us that Duckworth has never met or spoken with Governor Blagojevich about that Senate seat.

John and Kiran, back to you.

CHETRY: Brian Todd, thanks so much.

We're going to dig deeper on this story in just a minute. But as we approach the half-hour, another quick check of the stories making news right now.

Twenty-nine minutes past the hour.

Barack Obama says his presidency presents a unique opportunity for the U.S. to repair relations with the Muslim world. He tells the "Chicago Tribune" that he plans to be sworn in just like every other president using his full name Barack Hussein Obama. He also plans to give a major speech in an unnamed Islamic capital as part of his global outreach.

And British media reporting that most British troops will be out of Iraq by June. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to confirm a timetable early next year. Britain has 4,000 troops in Iraq. Reports say that number will drop to 300. Most British troops are serving in the southern city of Basra. Progress there is sited as a reason for the drawn down.

And right now the White House and congressional Democrats have agreed in principle at least on a plan for $15 billion in emergency loans going to Detroit's three automakers. It creates a government car czar as well to oversee the rescue money and industry restructuring. The House could vote on this plan as early as today.

And now back to our top story. Federal prosecutors accusing Illinois Rod Blagojevich of brazen corruption. Allegedly using his powerful position for financial and perhaps political gain. The U.S. attorney calling the governor's conduct a new low. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: The most cynical behavior in all this, the most appalling is the fact that Governor Blagojevich tried to sell the appointment to the Senate seat vacated by President- elect Obama. The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, joining us now for reaction, Rick Pearson. He's a political reporter for "The Chicago Tribune". Your paper's editorial board has called for him to resign. Amazingly enough, when you look at some of the transcript of this wiretappings, Blagojevich's lawyer said that he's not planning on resigning and that he's going to show up for work today. What do you make of this?

RICK PEARSON, POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE": Well, that is typical Rod Blagojevich. He's very much an independent. He has alienated most of the Democratic leadership in a very Democratic state. And has always expressed the belief that he's been unfairly targeted and that he intends to do what he intends to do.

CHETRY: There has been some talk about, perhaps a little bit of instability there. I mean, people have been using quotes like delusions of grandeur. One I think fellow politician said, quote, "He's insane." I mean, what is going on. You know, you are close to this situation. You had an exchange with him, in fact, a couple of days ago. What's going on with this governor?

PEARSON: Again, this is Rod Blagojevich. You know, this is a guy who when he loses a major tax initiative vote in the Illinois house on a 107 to nothing vote, calls it an op-ed day. This is the kind of way Rod Blagojevich operates. And certainly, when people take a look at what's contained in those 78 pages in the criminal complaint, and you look at the kind of riches that he saw, envisioned it for a deal, striking a deal for the Obama Senate seat, there's any number of critics who wonder if he's delusional or not.

CHETRY: One of the quote, he was recorded as saying I got this thing and it's bleeping golden, and I'm not giving it up for expletive nothing. He's talking about that empty Senate seat. Going forward, what happens to the senate seat now?

PEARSON: Well, the Illinois legislature is talking about convening in a special emergency session on Monday to try to pass legislation that would overturn Blagojevich's right to be the sole person to make that choice and turn that over to the voters.

Here, again, though, it's a piece of legislation. It would have to await gubernatorial action and Blagojevich is still the governor. So, there doesn't seem to be any immediate way to move on that issue.

CHETRY: Right. Meantime, he was reported of saying as well about a person that he called candidate number five. We were approached pay to play that, you know, he would raise me 500 grand. Can you tell us who this candidate number five is? There's been a lot of speculation out there.

PEARSON: There's been a lot of speculation. There's speculation about the fact that it could be Congressman Jesse Jackson who isn't really talking except for issuing a statement. There's a reference in the criminal complaint that this is a contender for the seat who is not particularly close to Rod Blagojevich. And, certainly, Congressman Jackson and Rod Blagojevich have not been close.

But as the criminal complaint says, Blagojevich kept trying to look for ways to try to enrich himself, enrich his political fund. And the complaint says that Blagojevich alleges that these emissaries from whoever candidate five were, were actually offering cash for a campaign fund and perhaps the possibility of money up front.

CHETRY: President-elect Barack Obama, this is what he said yesterday when asked about the investigation. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: This is an ongoing investigation involving the governor. I don't think it will be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: What types of questions does this raise? Is this a potential scandal for Barack Obama?

PEARSON: I don't know how deep a scandal it is. But, you know, when you think about just a little more than a month ago, this was Barack Obama's town. The Chicago kind of escaped its reputation for corruption, and now you find Rod Blagojevich and all of these tawdry allegations that are contained in this criminal complaint.

I mean, certainly there is an issue here regarding Senate candidate number one that's named in the complaint which everyone believes to be Valerie Jarrett, who was certainly believed to be a big favorite for the post.

CHETRY: Right. And then her name was removed, right? The Obama team perhaps felt something fishy was going on?

PEARSON: Well, I think that's a very valid question to ask. Because there certainly seems to be indications that they knew that there was some kind of attempt by the governor to allegedly wring something out of this appointment. And for example, when I talked to the Blagojevich people, right when Valerie Jarrett pulled her name, they expressed a big surprise because they said that, in fact, the Obama camp had been pushing her as a candidate.

CHETRY: Very interesting stuff. I wish we had more time to talk about it. Even your paper, apparently, there was some sort of possible scheme against your editorial board. It's alleged as well because of your coverage of him.

Rick Pearson, political reporter with "The Chicago Tribune." Thanks for your time today.

PEARSON: Thank you.

CHETRY: John.

ROBERTS: Attack of the charter buses, as Washington gears up for millions of visitors in preparation for the inauguration. The city faces its biggest transportation task ever. Here it is. Where do you park 10,000 buses?

And trouble on the road. Ice and snow sends cars out of control. Wait until you hear where it happened, and where the weather could impact travel today. It's 36-1/2 minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." Live pictures for you this morning from Washington, D.C. where it's breezy, 55 degrees and cloudy right now, and rain is in the forecasts. But it's going to be nice and mild today.

With just 41 days, it will be huge crowds there in the nation's capital. Millions of people will head to D.C. to see Barack Obama sworn in as the nation's 44th president. Lots of those folks will be arriving on the bus and it raises the question, what do you do with all those buses? Samantha Hayes is looking into it for us?

SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, just to give you an idea, even 1,000 buses a day can create big problems in Washington, D.C. and that's what happens every spring during the cherry blossom festival. For the inauguration, there could be ten times that many.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAYES (voice-over): This is bus traffic on a normal day in the nation's Capitol, which is accustomed to hosting lots of tourist. But for the upcoming inauguration --

Just the sheer ability to accommodate 10,000 buses in this town will be a daunting task.

HAYES: And Jim Dinniger, he was looking out for the interest of businesses says that transportation task is bigger than anything city leaders have tried to do before. Even the Million Man March in 1995 did not bring in a million people. This inauguration, on the other hand, may reach five million and most of them are sharing a ride and will need a place to park.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't close off a tarmac at an airport or one of the air bases or you can't just say, we're going to take this section of the stadiums because even those don't hold enough of these 10,000 buses.

HAYES: 10,000 buses nose to tail would ring the beltway, the interstate around D.C., and go all the way to Baltimore. PETER PANTUSO, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN BUS ASSOCIATION: We know the buses are coming on January 20th but we don't know what to do with them when they get here. So, the city, we said, please tell us, we need to know right away. We're running out of time and the phones are continuing to ring every single day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAYES: The city tells CNN that organizers are working on bus parking and other big issues related to the inauguration, but they won't go into details yet. A spokesperson says that all that information is going to come out in a big announcement yet to come.

John?

Kiran?

ROBERTS: The queen of talk, up to 200 pounds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Oprah did this to tell people, you know what, I'm human.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Oprah Winfrey going public about her decades-long struggle with weight and how her famous friends made her face what she calls her addiction. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Coming up now on 43 minutes after the hour. Time to fast forward to some of the stories that you'll be seeing later on, on CNN today. News just in from North Korea. A U.S. envoy says nuclear talks with the North -- big surprise here -- have reached a stalemate. U.S. just trying to get the North to agree to terms that would verify the country's dismantling its nuclear program.

Tensions flaring in Greece again this morning. Skirmishes and small riots breaking out in Athens for yet another day. People are outraged over the police shooting of a teenage boy.

And here in this country, gasoline prices continue their downward spiral. AAA now reports that gasoline is going for $1.68 for a gallon of regular. That's the national average, by the way. They're a lot lower than that in many places. Prices have not been this low since February of 2004.

That's what's making news today -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Some bad weather to show you. Ice and snow certainly keeping the insurance adjusters busy in New Mexico this morning. Slick roads caused a string of crashes right outside of Albuquerque. A reporter from our affiliate KRQE was right in the middle of it, her photographer even closer. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (voice-over): It started with this truck. A driver rolled as he came up upper hill. Then, this, an SUV slides out of control headed right for Kerry (ph). He got out of the way in time. The same could not be said for his news vehicle. Moments later, this. Kerry gets on the phone to get police out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, the cars got banged up as we saw. Fortunately, though, no one was seriously hurt.

Our Rob Marciano is at the weather center in Atlanta.

And, boy, you know what it's like trying to drive when the ice and the snow first are down there on those roads. It's nearly impossible. There's really nothing you can do.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Yes, a little schizophrenic, you're breaking out the gloves. It was 15 to 20 degrees two days ago and now it's 55 -- 61 right now. Wow.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Just trying to keep you on your toes.

CHETRY: I know. Well, it's working. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right. See you.

CHETRY: First, the nanny wants to be a senator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ms. Drescher goes to Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Then the governor stole the headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Blagojevich - Blagojevich had been inspiration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Jeanne Moos on how to tell the story when you can barely say his name.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): When you're dealing with a name that's this long, this unpronounceable, there's only one thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." You know, there are two high-profile Senate seats to be filled. And as we've seen all too clearly in Illinois, there's more than one way to get it done. Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An itty bitty tattoo on a Kennedy, a former nanny...

FRAN DRESCHER, ACTRESS-COMEDIAN: Ms. Drescher goes to Washington.

MOOS: ...and a Senate seat for sale on eBay? Who knew that replacing this guy and this gal in the Senate would be so interesting? Is it possible that former Nanny star Fran Drescher could hustle her way into the Senate seat Hillary Clinton is expected to vacate?

DRESCHER: I think I pulled a hustle muscle.

MOOS: She might not be able to muscle her way into the Senate, but this Politico and cancer awareness activist is serious about asking to be considered. Meanwhile, another of the potential candidates was having her tattoo analyzed. Caroline Kennedy reportedly got tattooed on a dare from her brother and cousin. OK, it's nothing fancy like this Hillary tattoo on some guy's thigh or does Obama tattoo. But who expects to see any tattoo even a faded butterfly on a Kennedy. But all that fades in comparison to the news about this guy allegedly selling President-elect Obama's Senate seat.

WHOPPI GOLDBERG, HOST, "THE VIEW": Illinois Governor Rod Blag --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blagojevich.

GOLDBERG: Blagojevich.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Into Governor Rod Blagojevich.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rod Blagojevich.

MOOS: You figure the prosecutor knows how to say it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Blagojevich -- Blagojevich had been inspiration.

MOOS (on camera): When you're dealing with a name that's this long, this unpronounceable, there's only one thing to do.

(voice-over): Shorten it to Blago, as they did in the blogosphere. That and G. Rod are his nicknames in Illinois. This kid posted on YouTube tried to spit out the whole thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is going to jail next?

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Blagojevich.

MOOS: As for what the governor himself spit out when secretly recorded by prosecutors --

PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: Fire all those (BLEEPING) people. Get the (BLEEP) out of there. I've got this thing and it's (BLEEPING) golden. I'm just not giving it up for (BLEEPING) nothing. (BLEEP) them.

MOOS: The governor even called the president-elect a bad name. Next thing you know some joker put Obama's Senate seat up for auction on eBay, quoting what the governor allegedly said.

FITZGERALD: It's a (BLEEPING) valuable thing.

MOOS: In this story, the unprintable meets the unpronounceable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Illinois Governor Blagojevich --

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: The downfall of a greedy governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH, ILLINOIS: I think there's nothing but sunshine hanging over me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: What makes a man put power up for sale? The latest on the corruption charges against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAGOJEVICH: Whatever I say is always lawful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: And the startling comments the FBI says he made about America's next president.

Plus, 200 pound Oprah. She says food is her drug.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Food often is the band-aid that we apply to much of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: Why she hit bottom, again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Oprah did this to tell people, you know what? I'm human.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Five minutes now to the top of the hour. The top videos right now on cnn.com. Most popular -- all 3-year-old Kenslie (ph) wants for Christmas is her daddy in a truck. And one of her wishes has already come true. Her father is back from Afghanistan after serving nearly nine months there. Her grandma says their prayers have been answered. Don't yet know where the truck is, though.

Also, this is all that's left of a party animal who crashed a fourth grade class. A big buck jumped through the classroom window, over this kid's desk. Kicked the kid in the head as he was going over the desk. Then the deer stared down the teacher before jumping back out the window.

And desperate or deserving? This woman wears her resume on her T-shirt. She says it's never been this hard to find a job. If this idea doesn't work, she's got another plan up her sleeve. And those are the most popular videos on cnn.com right now.

CHETRY: She should get one just for being so intrepid. How about it? Good job.

Well, welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." Weight is an issue for millions of Americans. But it's usually personal and private. Not so for the queen of talk, Oprah Winfrey. Our Alina Cho has the story for us this morning.

You know, over the years, we followed the ups and downs of Oprah Winfrey. She's been candid about it.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And it's a battle over her weight that most of us hope to keep private. That's right. We have followed her ups, her downs, everything in between. But what we saw on the cover of "O" magazine this month caught a lot of us by surprise. By Oprah's own admission, she now weighs 200 pounds. A benchmark, clearly. And she's the first to admit she's not proud of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): How did I let this happen again? It's the cover story in the new issue of Oprah Winfrey's magazine. She said she's gained 40 pounds since 2006, hitting in her words the dreaded 200 -- 200 pounds.

ELISA ZIED, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: I think Oprah did this to tell people, you know what, I'm human. You're human. A lot of us deal with this issue.

CHO: An irresistible topic on "The View".

JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": They would have to water board me for me to say my weight.

CHO: Oprah's public weight struggle has gone on for decades.

OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST: I have lost as of this morning, as of this morning, 67 pounds. This is what 67 pounds of fat looks like.

CHO: That was 20 years ago, Oprah in her skinny jeans. She lost that weight on a liquid diet. In 1994, she ran a marathon. But in May of this year, Oprah says she hit bottom and almost skipped out on a show with Tina Turner and Cher.

WINFREY: How do you feel, though, about getting older?

CHER, SINGER: I think it sucks.

CHO: Oprah said she was the one who felt awful. Next to them, she says I felt like a fat cow. I wanted to disappear. How did it happen? Complications with her thyroid condition, combined with what she calls her drug of choice -- food.

WINFREY: It's an egg pasta with mint garden vegetables.

CHO: 200 was the magic number for her.

DR. DAVID KATZ, COLUMNIST, "O" MAGAZINE: I think so, yes.

CHO: Dr. David Katz writes a monthly column on nutrition for "O" magazine.

KATZ: With all the resources that Oprah has comes an awful lot of responsibility, a lot of stress and food often is the band aid that we apply to much of that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Now Oprah said over the past year or so, that she's been so embarrassed about her weight that regular "O" magazine subscribers will notice that she never shot a head to toe cover. She simply did not want to be seen. Now she said she's making more of an effort to eat healthier, to work out more, five to six days a week. And in the coming year, Kiran, she said she has a new goal, not necessarily to be thin, she wants to be healthy, strong and fit.

But if you read the article, you will see she is extremely candid, brutally honest. It must have taken a lot of courage to write this. CHETRY: Right. I know a lot of people are probably like, oh, we're picking on Oprah, but it's something that a lot of people go through. And the other thing that she's been candid about, one is that, you know, she's not meant necessarily to be skinny. I mean, we all sort of have a baseline. But number two, she said it's a struggle. She doesn't enjoy working out. There are some people who -- that they love it. That's the way they relax. It's not for her.

CHO: She admits now that when she wore those skinny jeans that that was her big fat mistake. You know, she said two hours after the show, she started eating again. And two days later, she couldn't fit into those jeans. You know, she did it on a liquid diet. But remember, this is something that millions of Americans are going through.

Dr. David Katz who writes that column for "O" magazine, he says that 80 percent of adult Americans are overweight and -- listen to this. By the middle of the 21st century, he believes that the entire adult population will be overweight. So this isn't just Oprah's struggle. This is everyone's struggle.

CHETRY: Yes. There going to have to be like some of the designers start changing the sizes. So like an old two is really a six.

(CROSSTALK)

CHO: It would make people feel better, certainly.

CHETRY: Good for Oprah, though, that she's coming clean about it and talking about it.

CHO: That's right.

CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.

CHO: You bet.