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American Morning
Police Release 911 Call of School Board Shooting; Gunman's Wife Speaks Out; Scoring the Best Deal; Tea Party vs. Tax Cuts; Making Sure "The Kids Are Alright"; Long Live Larry King
Aired December 16, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us on this Thursday, it's December 16th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us. A lot going on this morning. Let's get you caught right up.
Deep freeze, a dangerous mix of bone-chilling temperatures, snow and ice gripping the nation. Records are falling and roads are closed making this morning's commute treacherous. We're live on the ground this morning with your forecast.
CHETRY: We're also learning more this morning about the gunman who opened fire on school board officials in Panama City, Florida. What may have drove him to it and why his wife believes that he intentionally missed those board members when you saw him shooting from point-blank range. Police also released the 911 call that they got just moments before Clay Duke started shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 CALLER: Somebody is down. Somebody is down.
911 OPERATOR: You don't know who's down?
911 CALLER: We don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We're going to have more of the 911 call and the explosive interview with Rebecca Duke, the gunman's widow, straight ahead.
ROBERTS: And closing a chapter on television history. Tonight is Larry King's final show. After 25 years in suspenders, we're looking back at the headliners and legends that sat across the desk from the "king."
CHETRY: Wow.
Well, first this morning, if you're heading out, bundle up. For millions of you, the temperature is not going above freezing today. And it's been relentless. This wintery system blanketing half the country. In Alabama, deadly icy conditions. Slick roads blamed for at least 30 accidents and three deaths, including two teens who lost control of their pickup and collided with a big rig.
ROBERTS: Just to the east in Georgia, a traffic nightmare for thousands of drivers. Frozen roads caused more than a thousand accidents in and around Atlanta last night. A thousand accidents. Roads were closed. Exit ramps were blocked. In some cases, drivers actually abandoned their vehicles and just walked home. Officials urging drivers this morning to use caution. They say bridges and overpasses remain dangerous, of course, because they always freeze before the roadway does, so be careful when you're crossing them.
CHETRY: And perhaps the most telling picture of mother nature's icy grip. This is a lighthouse along Lake Erie in Cleveland that's now frozen solid. A sight that's breathtaking but also dangerous because the Coast Guard is warning boaters that the ice could obscure navigation aids.
Look at that. Looks like a sandcastle.
ROBERTS: Who would be out there in a boat in this weather?
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: You're probably asking yourself.
Let's get the latest now on the wintery mess. Our Rob Marciano live in Louisville, Kentucky for us again this morning. And boy, I'll tell you, you got slugged by the ice. What's it like there this morning?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's raining, but the problem is, the temperature is below freezing so we went from seeing snow last night briefly to sleet. Accumulating sleet about one to two inches of it. And now, we're seeing freezing rain on top of it. So much of Louisville is covered in ice.
The good news here is that these roads were pretreated. They had some snow over the weekend where they dropped a bunch of salt and brine. And so the roads, at least the busier roads like the one we're on is mostly slushy albeit slick. The sidewalks, on the other hand, I had to kind of kick down through the ice to get into some traction so I wouldn't fall down. But you go just off the side of that and you're talking about, you know, an area that's slick. This railing is coated in ice. Obviously that tree is coated in ice. And that's going to be really the main danger I think here across parts of Kentucky and the northern to southern Indiana are trees that are coated in ice.
If we get a little bit more in the way of accumulation on those tree limbs, those tree limbs will come down and that's where we'll see some power outages. So far, we haven't seen that but we do anticipate the rain or the freezing rain to continue for the next several hours. And it's been two solid years since they have had any significant icing event here, which means some of the weaker tree limbs have yet to come down and that's the main fear here.
As far as what's going on in the Louisville airport, they have one runway open. They're kind of alternating between the two runways, treating it with salt and trying to keep its operations going on. Only five cancellations this morning so far. Certainly will be some delays.
Let's talk temperatures. Obviously, Atlanta had their issues yesterday. Still having issues this morning because temperatures are right the freezing mark. Thirty-four degrees in Atlanta, 47 in Nashville, but 31 in Louisville. So a huge delineation there. And look at Memphis. They saw some freezing rain yesterday, 61.
So here's the radar. Most of the precip across Georgia is over, but not so much here in Kentucky and Tennessee. And we anticipate that to be moving off towards the east. How far east, you ask? It won't get to New York. It will stay mostly south of New York across the mid- Atlantic but in places like the western Carolinas and through parts of West Virginia and certainly into through Virginia and Richmond, you're going to see a wintery mix there today as well.
Once the rain moves out, the freezing rain moves out, guys, we may warm up by a degree before we drop back down into the 20s tonight.
ROBERTS: Wow.
MARCIANO: So what you see as slush here right now could very well be ice again tomorrow morning.
ROBERTS: Nice to see though just to the west of you, though, some warmer temperatures moving in. That will help people out.
MARCIANO: That's encouraging, yes.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Rob.
CHETRY: It's not helping our poor Rob, though.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
CHETRY: Well, efforts to fix the Metrodome's roof which collapsed under the weight of heavy snow. That effort has now suffered a setback. A fourth panel of the roof failed last night, sending in more snow and ice which crashed to the floor of the dome. Repair work has now been suspended while officials assess the new damage. The initial collapse forced the Minnesota Vikings to move last Sunday's game against the Giants to Detroit.
ROBERTS: Meantime, the University of Minnesota is looking for a few good shovelers to help get their stadium ready to host the Vikings Monday night against the Chicago Bears. Volunteers needed to clear the snow from the playing surface and the stands at TCF Bank Stadium. It's going to be the Vikings' first outdoor game since 1981, and it's going to be played in very frigid temperatures, reminding them why they got a dome stadium in the first place.
CHETRY: Yes, die-hard fans, they come out there and sit on those cold metal bleachers.
ROBERTS: Like being in Green Bay.
CHETRY: Well, when Clay Duke opened fire on school officials in Panama City, Florida, it was no spur of the moment act. Police say that they found a calendar in the gunman's mobile home with December 14th circled and that he had more than two dozen extra rounds of ammunition in his pocket when he started shooting. Again, the video startling but no one was hurt as he was shooting. Police have now released the 911 call that they got from an unidentified female in the school. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 CALLER: Oh, my gosh. He's firing.
911 OPERATOR: OK.
911 CALLER: He's firing.
911 OPERATOR: OK.
911 CALLER: He's firing. I don't know (INAUDIBLE).
911 OPERATOR: Are you secure?
911 CALLER: We don't believe we need an ambulance. It looks like everybody is up walking.
911 OPERATOR: OK. So, the person that was shot --
911 CALLER: But I don't know. Somebody is down. Somebody is down.
911 OPERATOR: We don't know who's down?
911 CALLER: We don't know.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Do you have visual of him?
911 CALLER: Everybody's OK? Everybody's OK. Who was shot?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The gunman.
911 CALLER: The gunman was shot.
911 OPERATOR: The gunman was shot?
911 CALLER: The gunman was shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, Clay Duke's widow claims that it's clear from the video that her husband never intended to hurt anyone but himself. Rebecca Duke, a former teacher in the Bay County school district says the economy and the world simply got the best of her husband. She called him a gentle giant and told reporters he was upset with the district for firing her last year. But she believes he intentionally missed school officials when he opened fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REBECCA DUKE, SUSPECT'S WIFE: If you totally look at the video when he starts actually shooting, he's a military man, he's been trained in guns. He knows how to use them, OK? He knows about them. Now, as close as he was, seriously, people, he was that close. If he really wanted to shoot somebody, they would have already been dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Rebecca Duke insists that her husband knew the SWAT team was about to rush in and he feared that they would open fire and hit the school board officials, so he fired first knowing that the officials would duck behind the desk and be out of harm's way if the officers started shooting at him.
CHETRY: Well, that's her take. A very, very tough time, obviously, for her as well.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, released just minutes ago, details of the latest progress report on the war in Afghanistan. And this is the big one, I guess you could say, the one that many have been waiting for since the president announced the surge in troops a little over a year ago. And it says that despite all of the violence and bloodshed, there has been enough progress that some troops can come home starting in July as promised last year. It also mentioned games that the U.S. has made against Al Qaeda.
In just an hour, we're going to go live. Nic Robertson is in Afghanistan. Does this report really tell us what's happening on the ground there? We'll check in with Nic.
ROBERTS: Well, last Christmas, we had the accused underwear bomber on a plane heading to Detroit. This year, new intelligence coming out of Iraq that Al Qaeda is planning suicide attacks in the United States and Europe over the holiday season. Iraq's interior minister tells the "Associated Press" that insurgents captured in the country gave up the information and that the botched bombing in Stockholm, Sweden, last weekend, was one of those planned attacks.
CHETRY: Last year's Christmas day bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is due in court today in Detroit. He's now facing two new charges, possession of an explosives device and conspiracy to commit a terror act across national boundaries. He's already facing a max sentence of life in prison.
ROBERTS: This morning, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman is finally on her way to the International Space Station. Cady and crew lifted off yesterday in Kazakhstan on board a Soyuz spacecraft. They are expected to dock at the space station tomorrow afternoon. Our John Zarrella has been following Cady's progress over the past year. She prepared for her mission and he's going to join us in our 7:00 hour this morning.
CHETRY: Well, check this video out. This is just release by NASA of a massive explosion rocking the sun. Scientists have dubbed it "the great eruption." It took place in August. They've been studying the solar event for the past few months. They say that this explosion actually covered half of the sun's surface and that the eruption lasted for 28 hours. NASA hopes that the data can help forecast future solar disturbances.
ROBERTS: No wonder it's so cold here today.
CHETRY: Right.
ROBERTS: Yes. The sun's blowing up.
CHETRY: Amazing video.
ROBERTS: It's getting kind of weird in Washington right now. President Obama and Republicans on one side. Democrats and the Tea Party on the other? They're all fighting over whether or not to let you keep your money and how much that could cost all of us down the line. We're live in Washington this morning to sort it all out.
CHETRY: Well, you can't check your e-mail or look online or go to a store and not see best deals advertised. A sea of discounts this holiday season, but how can you tell if you're really getting the most for your money and what you may need to be aware of?
ROBERTS: And it's just your typical Christmas tree with all the trimmings, diamonds, emeralds and pearls. You know, all the usual stuff. We'll show you the world's most expensive Christmas tree and where you can find it. I'm thinking here. I'm thinking Dubai.
Ten minutes after the hour. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Thirteen minutes now after the hour. And this morning, the nation is one step closer to ending the ban on gays serving openly in the Armed Forces. The House passed a bill repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" yesterday. It could come to the Senate floor as early as today, and it looks like it may have the votes to break a filibuster.
CHETRY: Well, today, the House is expected to take up the tax cut compromise that President Obama hammered out with Republicans. It cruised through the Senate yesterday passing 81-19. It includes the two-year extension of the lower tax rates from the Bush administration.
ROBERTS: Lawmakers are racing to do that and a whole lot more, but now they're even arguing over how long they're going to argue. They're fighting over the possibility of having to work through the holidays even though many of us do, with some Republicans accusing Democrats of disrespecting Christmas and the Christians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: It is impossible to do all of the things that the majority leader laid out without doing -- frankly, without disrespecting the institution and without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: I don't think any of us I don't need here the sanctimonies lectures of Senator Kyl and DeMint to remind me of what Christmas means.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, if Congress doesn't pass the tax cut compromise by the end of the year, the rate will go up for everyone.
ROBERTS: And the president is in a strange position finding Republican votes to get it through, and he may find himself in a tug- of-war with the Tea Party. In fact, some Republicans are finding themselves in a tug-of-war with the Tea Party.
Jim Acosta live for us in Washington with a tale of strange bedfellow this morning. Hi, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Kiran. That's right. Santa may be running out of coal filling all the stockings up on Capitol Hill these days. You know, these lame duck sessions are usually pretty routine, but they're trying to cram 10 pounds of legislation into a five-pound bag, as you just noted there in those various stories. And this tax cut deal is perhaps the most important vote of all. And it is a little difficult to predict at this point as to what's going to happen.
We know that Democrats are unhappy with this tax cut package. It got through the Senate yesterday, but House Democrats don't like it.
Now, some top Republicans are starting to break ranks including Mike Pence. I talked to him yesterday. He is a top Republican in the House. He has been talked about as a potential presidential candidate for 2012. He thinks Republicans would be better off holding off until the next Congress when they would have the majority in the House and he thinks a better deal. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (on camera): So you would vote against this even if it meant bringing the whole thing down and taxes going up come January?
REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: Look, I really believe that the Congress this week should reject this tax deal. And day one of the new Congress that starts just three weeks from today ought to be a permanent extension of tax relief. I - I think we can get a better deal for the American people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Now, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not known to call for votes when she doesn't have the numbers, so it's expected that this is going to get through. But with Mike Pence starting to break loose, that means other Conservative Tea Party-backed Republicans could also break loose. So this could be a lot closer than everybody thinks - John and Kiran. CHETRY: Interesting. Also, as we know because it is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people think, looks like the White House is out there making calls. But an interesting claim from Congressman Pete Defazio that the -
ACOSTA: Right.
CHETRY: -- president himself is calling some Democratic House members saying, this will be the quote, "end of his presidency if this -
ACOSTA: Right.
CHETRY: -- doesn't pass".
ACOSTA: Yes. It sounds like he's saying this is going to be his own waterloo, where we heard that before. Pete Defazio was on "PARKER SPITZER" last night and was saying essentially that the White House is really strong-arming some of these wavering Democrats. Saying, look, guys, if this thing goes down and taxes go up, this president will go down and go into this coming presidential election cycle of as having raised taxes essentially on the American people. And Democrats will be in that same position as well.
So Pete Defazio was trying to warn, I guess - I guess the viewers out there, that the White House is deadly serious about this. We should note, though, that he has not heard this directly from the president. He is talking about what he has heard from other members in the House.
ROBERTS: Yes. This tells you the Democrats certainly find themselves in an interesting position.
ACOSTA: That's right. And the - and the White House has not confirmed whether or not the president has said that, so, you know, we have to keep in mind that some of this is third-hand information. And this is, you know, all of this is coming down to the last minute up on the Hill. These guys want to get home for Christmas.
Despite what Jon Kyl had to say, they all want to get home. They all want to get out of here fast.
ROBERTS: All right. Jim Acosta for us this morning. Jim, thanks. We'll see you again soon.
ACOSTA: Sounds good.
ROBERTS: It's coming up now on 18 minutes after the hour. And coming up, how do you say Christmas in - I was betting Dubai, but it's actually Abu Dhabi, the most expensive Christmas tree ever. We'll till you what baubles are adorning this roost. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-one minutes past the hour right now. Time for some story that had us talking in the newsroom this morning.
A&E may have pulled the plug on David Hasselhoff's reality show, but if you were worried about his career, don't be because across the pond people can't get enough of "The Hoff". The actor's publicist tells "Entertainment Weekly" that the former "Baywatch" star will now join the judging panel on "Britain's Got Talent."
Hasselhoff replaces Piers Morgan, who, as you know, debuts his own show here on CNN, 9:00 P.M, next month.
ROBERTS: You know, when he was here - was it a week and a half ago? - he confirmed to us that - that he was going go. He's friends with Simon Cowell.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: And Simon's got a big thing to do with that show, and invited him to come on. And so, there you go. The Hoff -
CHETRY: At least have a backup plan.
ROBERTS: Always have plan B. Yes. And The Hoff's got a few of those.
Retweeting a tweet. It's sort of the online equivalent of, hey, check this out. Well, this morning, we've got the official list of the most retweeted tweets. Coming in - ready? Here we go.
Number four, Justin Bieber's, "Te quiero mucho, mi amor." Then number three, Lil Wayne's simple statement, "I'm back!" At number two, Drake's inside post (ph), "We always ignore the ones who adore us, and adore the ones who ignore us."
And the number one retweeted tweet goes to Stephen Colbert, for, "In honor of oil-soaked birds, 'tweets' are now 'gurgles'."
CHETRY: Referring to the oil spill.
Well, it looks like Christmas in Abu Dhabi is quite costly. Does it really matter what's under the tree when it's decked out like this? If you take a look, it looks like a beautiful tree, but if you look a little bit closer, it's a 40-foot evergreen that's decorated with diamonds, emeralds, pearls, sapphires and other precious stones and jewelry.
Total value -- $11 million. The most expensive tree ever.
ROBERTS: Well, it turns out the Jets coach who tripped a Miami Dolphins player as he ran down the sideline last weekend, didn't just happen to be there. The team now acknowledging that Sal Alosi ordered his players to form a wall in that specific location to force the opposing player to run around them.
Alosi's original suspension was for the rest of the season. The Jets, as a result of this new information, have made that suspension indefinite.
Well, there's no shortage of sales this holiday, so how do you know if you're getting your best deal out there? We're "Minding Your Business" for you this morning.
CHETRY: We also have an "A.M. Original." Our Jason Carroll with unprecedented access to U.S. troops as they hold secret meetings with tribal elders in Afghanistan. He's going to join us with "A Soldier's Story" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes now after the hour, and Stephanie Elam here, "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Have you paid full retail value for any Christmas gifts this year?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: One. And I was about to say what it was, but he could be watching.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: You don't want to do that.
ELAM: Yes. I know.
For one, but that's because it never, ever goes on sale. But, the rest of them -
CHETRY: Nothing does at the Apple store either.
ELAM: Yes. That's true. Not there, either.
But, everything else, no, I do not pay full retail for anything. And maybe I'm just totally thinking I'm getting a good deal because it seems retailers are out there to get into our wallets any way they can with a lot of little tricks. You may notice a sense of urgency. Maybe you've seen a sale that's there for just three hours, four hours, you feel like I've got to get in there. I've got to get them now, because, like, they're not going to have another sale this year.
Well, take a look at this. This is what we were looking at here. If you see a little item there, and it says it's $29.50 on Friday, and then Friday, it's 50 percent off. OK. So you're like $29.50. That sounds like a good deal.
Well, let's take a look at what that would be. That's $14.75 there on the calculator. Do a little math for you. This is the thing. Most of us don't break out our calculators to do the math.
Now, let's see what it would cost on Saturday. If they say, you know what? Everything in the store is going to be $5, $10 or $15, and they say that same skirt you're looking at, it's going to be $15.
So what's the deal on that one? Let's take a look and see what our little trusty math shows us.
ROBERTS: Twenty-five cent.
ELAM: Oh, it's $15. So you're actually paying - right. ROBERTS: Twenty-five cents. Yes.
ELAM: John Roberts has got math in his head.
ROBERTS: I'm following along here.
ELAM: Well, in that case, you're actually paying more, but it sounds like a better deal. And stores have found that by saying, hey, if we just put up a sign that say $15, $10, people go, that's great. That's how much I pay. I don't have to do any math, and they're actually making more money off of that.
They've also found - and I've known -
ROBERTS: A quarter -
ELAM: (INAUDIBLE) this one for a while, if you end any price in a nine, people feel like they've gotten a deal.
ROBERTS: Oh, yes.
ELAM: So that's why you always see in stores, everything's like 99 cents at the end. This could be like $100.99 and people feel like they've got a deal.
One other thing though, what do you think is better? If you take a look at a sign and it says 20 percent off, or it says $10 off $50, $15 off $75, $20 off $100. Which one looks like a better deal to you guys?
ROBERTS: Oh, well, $10 off $50 is 20 percent.
ELAM: Exactly. They're all 20 percent.
ROBERTS: Yes.
ELAM: But it's just about the way they show it to you. Because (INAUDIBLE) exactly the same.
CHETRY: You know that - you could take $10 off if you're paying $50. It registers quicker, right?
ELAM: Yes. Right.
CHETRY: So people go for that other -
(CROSSTALK)
ELAM: It's all about making sure that people see that.
The other thing that retailers are hating this year, they hate smartphones because someone can walk into the store and they're like hmm, I want to buy this mug here. I want to buy John a CNN mug. And in the store it says it's $5, but you could go online really quickly and say, oh, I could actually get it for $2 somewhere else. So it's really hurting their sales that way. CHETRY: And, in fact, with the red laser, with a couple of those apps, you can actually scan the bar code and it shows you where it's cheaper.
ELAM: Right. And where you could go to get it. So it's a little bit easier. This technology helping us, but at the same time, the psychology -
ROBERTS: Retail is getting more and more difficult.
ELAM: Yes. So you have to just, you know, be a little smart, make sure you take a little moment and (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: Informed consumer's a good thing.
ELAM: Make sure you're not spending more money than you planned on before you walked in.
ROBERTS: But you're right, $99.99 somehow is not $100.
ELAM: Is not $100.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Stephanie.
ELAM: Sure.
CHETRY: All right. Coming up right now, we're crossing the half hour, time for a look at our top stories.
It's a dangerous mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain that's making the commute treacherous in Alabama. Slick roads were to blame for at least three deaths yesterday. And in Georgia, a rough start to the morning commute that happened there as well. We're learning that various roadways, including the Stone Mountain Freeway, a highway connecting a suburb to the perimeter freeway, that shut down at one exit. A heavily traveled area, and they also say icy conditions have caused - caused many accidents.
And, again, we want to let you know that that freeway is shut down. It's the Stone Mountain Freeway at the Brockett Exit, shut down both north - east and westbound this morning because of ice.
ROBERTS: Well, the federal government is suing BP, the Justice Department filing suit in New Orleans, accusing the oil giant and its partners of failing to take necessary precautions to prevent last April's oil spill in the Gulf. The suit asks for civil penalties against BP under the Clean Water Act. It demands eight other defendants be held liable for all oil removal costs and damages.
CHETRY: A border patrol agent who was killed Tuesday night in the Mexico/Arizona area was shot after confronting a group of bandits who may have been preying on illegal immigrants. The head of the border patrol union says Agent Brian Terry was part of a surveillance team that was looking for bandits north of the border of Nogales.
ROBERTS: Time now for an A.M. original, a story that you'll only see on AMERICAN MORNING.
For the past year, we've been bringing you "A Soldier's Story," documenting the lives of military recruits from basic training to the battlefield.
CHETRY: This morning, we have an unprecedented look at Sergeant Randy Shorter and his unit, using his word instead of weapons to try to win the trust of tribal elders in one of the most dangerous regions of Afghanistan. Our Jason Carroll traveled to Afghanistan to be with him and to see this firsthand.
Hi, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you. And both of you guys know from watching this series over an extended period of time that what these guys have got to do, they've got to engage the Afghan people, a little bit of on the ground diplomacy. Sergeant Randy Shorter's mission is not just about going after insurgents, obviously.
So, in order for him and other soldiers to gain the trust Afghan people, they have to go outside the protected perimeter of the base.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time to move again. Time to move again.
SGT. RANDY SHORTER, U.S. ARMY: All right. Enemy situation, last 24, a lot of IEDs, you anticipate the worse. Everybody tracking?
CARROLL: OK, right now, Sergeant Shorter and the rest of his men in his unit, you can see that's Frank Worten (ph) right there are about to head outside the wire for the first time on foot patrol. So, we're going to be along with them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, if you haven't done so, lock it. It's game time now.
CARROLL: Our first stop outside the wire on this particular day is a meeting with the village elders. But security is such that you really have to have troops surrounding in order just to get to this location.
SHORTER: I need shooters on this side. You need eyes on every direction possible.
CARROLL (voice-over): Inside, Shorter's superior officers are trying to build bridges with Afghan elders. Some are Taliban sympathizers. They're demanding the release of Afghan prisoners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have six prisoners with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you guys are all vouching that they're innocent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we have more up there (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't randomly go and take them. Usually, there's a reason. Now, that doesn't mean that we're right all the time.
CARROLL (on camera): Anything happen while we were inside, while you were outside?
SHORTER: No, nothing of significance. Just a lot of traffic coming in, search a lot of motorcycles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Just to give you a little more perspective, an area just steps from Shorter's base was later attacked by insurgents. And the clips that you just saw are from a one-hour documentary that we put together, expanding the series we put together here on AMERICAN MORNING, which features not just Shorter but two other soldiers as well from different walks of life.
ROBERTS: Some great stories. Tell me, the stress level, maybe it's not like an overtly expressed stress, but it's always there when you're out there driving around, isn't it? Because of the thread of IEDs, you just never know, you know, you turn the next corner and bam.
CARROLL: That's why I tried to explain to people about this war. You know, when I'm talking to friends, people who are unfamiliar with the military, that's how this war is being fought by these insurgents. They can't match our fire power.
ROBERTS: Sure.
CARROLL: So, what they do with coalition forces, they plant these roadside bombs everywhere. So, it's really an unconventional war in that way.
CHETRY: Do they believe that progress is being made with tribal elders, bringing them around and making them believe that, you know, we're on their side?
CARROLL: In that particular incident that we were, you know, we attended this Shura, which is this meeting with elders, I would say a little bit of progress, not as much as they wanted. Not as much as they wanted.
CHETRY: Jason, it's a great look. And we're going to be airing the whole hour on this so people can really get an inside look at what it's like to be there, tracking military recruits every step of the way. "A Soldier's Story" airing Saturday, December 18th, 8:00 p.m., and again on Sunday, December 19th, at 8:00 p.m.
Thanks, Jason.
ROBERTS: Actress Julianne Moore, she saw firsthand how kids in this country need our help. And now, she's doing something about it. Our Alina Cho talks to Julianne, coming up next.
CHETRY: Also, a royal sendoff for the king. Larry Kings hosting his final live show tonight on CNN, a look back at 25 years of headliners and legends. It's 35 minutes past the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODNEY ATKINS, COUNTRY MUSICIAN: Hey, you guys, I'm Rodney Atkins. I'm a country music entertainer.
I'm on the road about 200 days a year. The biggest challenge for me out on the road: keeping it normal. When I get a calendar, on the first of the year, I try to go through and get my kids' school schedule, games, practices, I want to be at as many as I can.
My favorite thing about touring, no doubt, the show. Your whole day is about two hours per night (ph). And you get start crazy, so you got to get out.
This is where you keep your sanity. You get an old Harley. It's great (INAUDIBLE) out here. You get your freedom. It's one of the coolest things.
You get the TV out, stereo, play them as loud as you want. You hang out and have a little barbecue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Thirty-eight minutes past the hour.
Actress Julianne Moore constantly gets rave reviews for her talent, for her beauty. And, in fact, she was just recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in "The Kids Are Alright."
ROBERTS: Well, the title of that movie holds a special meaning for Julianne Moore because she spends a lot of energy making sure that kids here in America get the help that they need.
Our Alina Cho is here to explain that. It's part of our special series, "Big Stars, Big Giving."
Good morning to you.
ALI CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very clever way to get into me.
Good morning, guys. Good morning, everybody.
You know, for actress Julianne Moore, it was her childhood that first inspired her to give back. She moved around a lot as a kid and she saw things that she thought were inherently unfair. Today, Moore works with Save the Children. She's focused on creating equal opportunities for kids here at home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIANNE MOORE, ACTRESS; ARTIST AMBASSADOR, "SAVE THE CHILDREN": You know, when people say, how -- you know, how did you become involved? Is it -- are you acting as a mother, is it what you see as a mother? I'm, like, no, it's what I saw as a child.
CHO (voice-over): Before she was a glamorous actress -- Julianne Moore was just Julie, an Army brat.
MOORE: We moved a lot. And every time you move, you know, you change schools. You're in a completely different environment. And I think, you know, what you learn pretty quickly as a kid moving around the United States is that, you know, we're not -- it's not all created equal. Everybody -- everybody should have the same opportunity.
CHO: She moved around so much it was hard to keep friends. So, books became her constant companion.
MOORE: You know, one thing I say about reading, too, with children is, you can do anything if you can read.
You did it, you did it.
CHO: That passion for reading has inspired her work as an artist ambassador with Save the Children, where she spends time working on educational programs for the poor.
(on camera): You were very focused on helping people here in the United States.
MOORE: Well, it's not that I don't believe there are many, many needy causes all over the world, but I do -- I do believe that, just in terms of poverty in our country, often people hide in plain sight.
Because we have so much in the United States, sometimes, it's a refusal to acknowledge what's going on right here.
CHO: One in five children is in poverty.
MOORE: Yes, one in five people -- one in five children in the United States is in poverty. When you tell people, they're shocked. They're absolutely shocked.
Once upon a time there was a little girl who was just like everybody else.
CHO (voice-over): For Moore, one key way to lift kids out of poverty is through education. You mentioned literacy. I know that's something that's very close to your heart.
MOORE: Yes.
CHO (on camera): You've written two books which I've read.
MOORE: They didn't take very long, right? They're a quick-read.
CHO (voice-over): Children's books about "Freckleface Strawberry," the nickname she hated as a child. The moral: look beyond what you see on the surface.
(on camera): You're obviously so well-know. I mean, how do kids respond to you? I mean, do they --
MOORE: Oh, kids don't care. I mean, if I were Justin Bieber, for example, I would be exciting.
CHO (voice-over): But she's a celebrity who can and wants to make a difference.
MOORE: If we are going to set an example, we need to help everybody here. We need to bring everybody to the same place. Then we can really be effective in the rest world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: She's absolutely right. She's such an elegant, well-spoken woman. And she's doing such great things.
You know, if you want to see behind-the-scenes photos or you want to get involved to Save the Children, go to CNN.com/amFIX, our Web site. For more on how you can make a difference around the world, CNN.com/Impact. All of the interviews from this year's "Big Stars, Big Giving" will live on "Impact Your World."
And one thing that Julianne Moore does that she hopes will be her little legacy, she started something called the Valentine's Day Card Program, which I know she talked to you (INAUDIBLE) about a year or two ago. And basically what it is it's a contest. Kids submit their designs. The best ones get published and they get sold and the proceeds go to Save the Children.
And she said, you know, I was inspired by UNICEF's Trick or Treat Program, and I thought, what's another holiday that could work? You know, we have to buy as mothers those Valentines anyway. Why not make it a teachable moment.
ROBERTS: And how many billions of dollars do we spend on Valentine's Day sort of funnel some of that toward a good cause.
CHO: That's right.
CHETRY: She's great. And the kids love the "Freckleface" book as well.
CHO: They do.
CHETRY: They're very popular.
CHO: And the Valentine's Day cards, by the way, I should mention, are for sale already. So, go to savethechildren.org.
CHETRY: That's wonderful, because you're doing the charity but you're also doing something you kind of do anyway.
CHO: That's right.
CHETRY: She mentioned Justin Bieber --
CHO: She did.
CHETRY: -- because you're featuring him as well.
CHO: I am. You know, an exciting moment. You know, I never listened to Justin Bieber until a couple weeks ago.
ROBERTS: There's --
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: That's right. That's me in jeans, by the way. I did talk to Justin Bieber about a week ago in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he was giving a concert. He's 16 years old. As you know, he's one of the hottest music stars on the planet.
He's also giving back. And he says, listen, charity is not just for older people, it's for kids too, and I want to help kids. And he's a great -- he's such a great example for his millions of fans and we'll talk to him tomorrow.
ROBERTS: Well, when you're as blessed as he is, it's nice at his age to be giving back.
CHO: Yes.
ROBERTS: Good stuff, Alina.
CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.
ROBERTS: Thanks so much.
CHO: You bet.
ROBERTS: Don't miss Alina's one-hour special "Big Stars, Big Giving." It airs Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, and on Christmas Day at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
CHETRY: Still to come this morning, we're going to check in with Rob Marciano. He's live in Louisville, Kentucky. He's going to have this morning's travel forecast. It is a mess out there in many, many parts of the country due to the freezing temperatures and the ice.
ROBERTS: And it's bittersweet for all of us at CNN. Larry King signs off for his last life broadcast tonight. A look back at his legendary run -- just ahead.
It's 44 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Thirteen minutes now to the top of the hour. Let's get a quick check of the morning weather headlines. Our Rob Marciano braving the cold temperatures in Louisville, Kentucky, this morning. Not just the cold temperatures, Rob, but ice and ice rain?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's pretty slick certainly off the roadways. On the main roadways, guys, you see this main road behind me, one of main thoroughfares here in Louisville is doing okay. There's been a fair amount of traffic, and more importantly, there's been salting on the roadways, not only last night in preparation for this event but over the weekend as well. So, they're in decent shape on the main roads. But you get off the main roads and you get on an area like this where there's just a sidewalk.
And you're talking about railings that are slicked up and a sidewalk that's extremely difficult to walk on unless you just pound through about a quarter to a half an inch of ice. And then, the trees are the other issue. Looks pretty, but tree limbs coming down is certainly a possibility. Let's talk about the larger picture of weather here. This is a bigger system today than it was yesterday, that's for sure. Intensifying as it rolls towards the Appalachians, leading edge of it is in the form of snow across Virginia, parts of North Carolina, so we've got winter storm warnings and advisories in effect for those areas.
West Virginia, Southern Ohio, it's all snow. And this is not going to move north and east, it's going to move east and north. So, south of New York is where most of the action will be over the next 24 to 36 hours. All right. We're at below freezing in Louisville, even though, it's raining. So, that's why we have the freezing rain and the icing event. Nashville has warmed up dramatically. I think the bulk of the warm air will stay south of Louisville.
We may warm up to just above freezing for a couple of hours today, but most of the warm air will stay south. Interestingly enough, Atlanta still right at the freezing mark there. They'll warm up eventually into the lower 50s, and we're seeing that now, but a slick go this morning. Winter weather advisory still in effect there, but the traffic accidents have been plentiful.
Atlanta not prepared to salt roadways in anticipation of this icing event. If you are traveling by air, obviously, there's going to be some issues here at Louisville. There'll be some delays, but they do have one way open as this storm moves through. We expect this to wrap up here by about noon. And then, at least the precip will be over. Schools are closed, though. Kids are enjoying that, but it looks like mommy and daddy are trying to get off to work. John and Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: No fun for the grown-ups. Hey, we have some video. You were mentioning the slick weather and the rough weather down in Georgia and the Atlanta area. They say that a lot of the roads and exit ramps in and around Atlanta had to be closed because of these icy conditions causing a lot of accident, Rob.
And, right now, they say that the Stone Mountain Freeway is actually shut down in both directions, between two exits, Brockett Road to Mountain Industrial Boulevard. And all of this right in the middle morning commute.
MARCIANO: Yes, that's a major freeway or highway on the east side of the town heading out just 285 (ph). And this morning is the farther issue or that's where the bulk of the cold air is going to be because we've got, basically, a wedging situation happening which is unique to Atlanta where within east wind, layer of cold air will sit there longer than it would just down the road and, say, Tuscaloosa or Birmingham.
So, that's why you see the dramatic difference there. And obviously, much more populated in Atlanta. Really, never prepared for any sort of winter weather, let alone one that kind of sneaks up on them like this. So, a hairy right last night, and it's improving slowly, slowly this morning -- Guys.
CHETRY: Rob, thanks so much.
Also, our top stories minutes away including troop withdrawal. Is it on target? There are new details on the progress report in Afghanistan. The president is going to talk about it today as well. How much longer could America's longest war continue on?
ROBERTS: $165,000 for maple syrup research? Whether you like maple syrup or not, you might be paying for it. A look at some the pet projects in a trillion-dollar spending bill. Why Republicans are so angry and why they're not off the hook either?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's the end of an era here at CNN. Tonight, is Larry King's final show. For the past 25 years, Larry has been a staple in his suspenders and our living room every night.
ROBERTS: It's hard to sum up all of that television history in just a few minutes' time, but we're going to give it a shot this morning. Here's a look back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. My name is Larry King, and this is the premiere edition of "Larry King Live." Every night at this time, we'll be here for one hour. We're going to meet fascinating people from all walks of life.
You're a legend. I mean, you do know that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is really a legend, but nobody nor (ph) normal people in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) is almost impossible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From here up, I'm fine. From here down, I need makeup.
(SINGING) everybody going to dance around tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Larry, kiss me, just do it now, don't be afraid, hold me. I love you. Your nipples are hard.
KING: Struggling, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, wait.
KING: Dance, dance.
SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER: See, I told you low to the floor.
KING: I'm low to the floor.
You want more children?
BRAD PITT, ACTOR: Oh, yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here, right back here.
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Paul's going to get upset, you're touching my leg, Larry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You must have (INAUDIBLE) something in your head for you to come out and call me a murderer of my child.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feeling like slaves and we're going uphill feeling like free people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the chapel (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goodbye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goodbye.
CHRISTOPHER REEVES, ACTOR: It wasn't a road I would have picked, but a lot of times things, you know get picked for you.
JOHNNY CASH, SINGER: Why should I be bitter? I'm thrilled to death with life.
MATTIE STEPANEK, AMERICAN POET: It's possible, we don't like or we even trying.
TAMMY FAYE MESSNER, CHRISTIAN SINGER: Jesus, Jesus, you know, the bible says that his name is all powerful, that his name is (INAUDIBLE).
ELIZABETH EDWARDS, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR: Don't spend your time worrying about when it is you're going to die. Spend your time worrying about how you're going to live today.
STEVE IRWIN, TELEVISION PERSONALITY: That's why I was put on this earth to try and help conserve our trees, our oceans, and our water.
KING: Police radio (ph) is saying that Simpson, a passenger in the car, has a gun had his head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not run as either a Democrat or republican.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know that's kind of a lie and you're trying to come across with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're saying --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys never doing this thing with propaganda.
KING: Was there a holocaust?
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I've never been in the Watergate, so it's kind of hard.
KING: Never?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Other people were in there.
KING: That's still Texas?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, you want to see it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have a question, I have a statement, please.
KING: Go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to say hello to my son, Bill Clinton.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hi, mother.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a strange question to ask?
KING: What happened with the submarine?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. It sunk.
KING: Is it kind of (ph) a curse of any kind (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no, it comes with so much love.
KING: What's it about the (INAUDIBLE)?
If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I'd walk out of heaven and bring her home again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is his creation. This is his idea to come here and to feel him here, I'm happy.
KING: We'll as go live to Haiti showing you specifically what your donations mean. For now, for here, it's time to hang up the nightly suspenders, and who knows what the future's going to bring.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: I love that exchange with Putin about the curse. What happened to the submarine? It sunk.
CHETRY: Gosh, you get goose bumps just seeing all those years of interviews. It's a wonderful job --
ROBERTS: It really is amazing. And the number of people that he's talked to that have passed on, as well. That's really extraordinary.
CHETRY: He's had some life.
ROBERTS: Sure has. And will continue to, no doubt. Larry King's final live show tonight, 9:00 eastern right here on CNN. It's going to be a night to remember, so don't miss it.
CHETRY: All right. Meanwhile, we're going to take a quick break. Your top stories coming up in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
