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American Morning
Repeal vs. Defund: GOP Renews Health Care Reform Fight; Obama and the New Congress; New Developments on Pentagon Official's Murder; Crashing Into the Debt Ceiling
Aired January 05, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody, and welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It is Wednesday, January 5th. I'm Jim Acosta.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you this morning.
ACOSTA: Good to see you.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us.
Here are the top stories. It's going to be a new day in Washington.
ACOSTA: It is.
CHETRY: A new Congress and a new majority in the House. Today Republicans take charge. The GOP promising to act quickly to undo some parts of President Obama's agenda. We're live on Capitol Hill ahead of today's power shift.
ACOSTA: And new developments in the death of a former Pentagon official found dead in a Delaware landfill. Investigators have located John Wheeler's car, and we will have a live report with information about a parking attendant's bizarre encounter with Wheeler two days before his body was discovered.
CHETRY: And you may want to check those numbers especially if you live in Idaho or Washington.
ACOSTA: Not New York City?
CHETRY: Yes. Unfortunately, no. Two winning tickets were sold in last night's mega millions drawing that hit all five numbers. The jackpot, $355 million. The winning numbers, by the way, 4-8-15-25-47, and the mega ball was 42. We're going to let you know where those two lucky tickets were sold. More details on that story ahead.
ACOSTA: And a staff here at AMERICAN MORNING showed up today, so no winners here, obviously. I hate to disappoint everybody.
But first up this morning, the GOP ready to flex its midterm election muscle as the 112th Congress opens for business. A live look at Capitol Hill. Not much activity going on right now, but in just a few hours from now, 96 new members of the House of Representatives will be sworn in, 87 of them Republicans. Only nine new Democratic House members. CHETRY: That's right. Well, taking the gavel as House speaker today is Ohio's John Boehner. He's going to waste no time trying to fulfill promises made during November's elections. This is a statement just released by his office. "Our spending has caught up with us, and our debt will soon eclipse the size of our entire economy. No longer can we kick the can down the road. The people voted to end business as usual, and today we begin carrying out their instructions."
ACOSTA: And right out of the gate, the GOP will move to roll back President Obama's signature achievement health care reform. While House Republicans have the votes to repeal it, in the Senate, any repeal measure is destined to die. But Republicans could try another tactic, cutting of funding for the new law. Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar is live on Capitol Hill.
Good morning, Brianna. It is going to be a busy first day on the Hill. A lot of freshmen running around up there.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a lot of them. Dozens of them. It's a very sort of unusual feeling that we're going to be having here. I've been saying that it feels a little like the first day of school, but it's also going to feel a little like graduation today because there's a lot of pomp and circumstance. There are going to be a lot of members' families here for this moment. And the day is going to kick off this morning with a bipartisan prayer service at a nearby Catholic church.
We do know that the speaker-elect of the House, John Boehner, will be attending that. At the -- I guess you can call them almost festivities today, the swearing-in today, 10 of his 11 family members -- or 10 of his 11 siblings -- he comes a very large family are going to be in attendance. All of this we have sort of a loose schedule about how this is going to go down, but the House is going to come into session at noon today. And we're expecting that there is going to be the swearing-in somewhere in the 2:00 p.m. Eastern hour.
You just mentioned some of those excerpts that have just been released by the speaker-elect's office, John Boehner. One of the things that really struck me, Jim and Kiran, was that he said this is a reminder, this election is a reminder that what we have, the power we have, is on loan from the American people. So he's really kind of stressing in the remarks. We're going to hear from him today that this is really temporary and something that Republicans kind of need to treat with respect because the tides could change again.
ACOSTA: And, Brianna, I've heard that some skyline Chile from Cincinnati has been flown in for the festivities this week. And one sign of the times, if you use Google, you may know this, Brianna. And Google Nancy Pelosi, no longer is her Web site speaker.gov. Speaker.gov. if you go to that, now belongs to John Boehner. This is part of the changing of the guard.
KEILAR: It is. And also, did you know that she changed her Twitter handle to Nancy Pelosi.
ACOSTA: Wow. KEILAR: And one of her -- I think it might have been her first tweet. It said -- it's actually two characters shorter and I think it was at Speaker Pelosi. So we tweeters will be happy about that, Jim. That's what she said in her tweet.
ACOSTA: As long as we keep it straight on Twitter, that's all that counts. Brianna Keilar live on Capitol Hill. Thanks, Brianna.
CHETRY: Well, another first on this first day of the new Congress. For the first time ever, Congress will be broadcast live on Facebook.
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: Didn't think you'd be saying that, right?
ACOSTA: Well --
CHETRY: Maybe five years ago?
ACOSTA: That is absolutely true. But this is a sign of the times.
CHETRY: It sure is. Incoming House Speaker John Boehner has been directing people to the Pledge to America Facebook page. Online viewers will be able to watch the action on the floor and they'll be able to comment on the events, of course, as they happen.
ACOSTA: And that's great because that's going to bring in a lot of young people into the process to watch it unfold. Should be --
CHETRY: Yes. It's not just C-SPAN anymore.
ACOSTA: That's right.
Now, down Pennsylvania Avenue, President Obama is also getting back to work, raising the curtain on the second act of his first term.
CHETRY: Yes. And while he knows that the new Republicans are gearing up for battle, he's also hoping that they're ready to work with him.
Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House this morning. And, Suzanne, the president's back at work. Of course, he's facing this new political reality in Washington. Is it going to be gridlock, or is it going to be a new show of bipartisanship?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, I like Brianna's analogy about back to school. I don't think you're going to have all the fun here of back to school at the White House. Obviously it's more like, you know, back to work, back to class, whether or not you can get along with maybe the bully or your best friend or how you're going to get along with your fellow classmates.
One of the things that the president is emphasizing is essentially that, look, he want to work with Republicans. They know this is a new political reality. He is going to be stressing bipartisanship. But the other hand here, and you're going to hear this message from the president often, is that with this new responsibility that Republicans have, there's also accountability, as well. That they are now going to be more powerful when it comes to governing. If there is this kind of gridlock that you're talking about, that they are going to be equally responsible for that. So the president is trying to strike a bipartisan tone, at the same time really set the stage here for a different kind of political reality here at the White House. Here's how he put it when he was returning from his Hawaiian vacation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I think that there's going to be politics. That's what happens in Washington. You know, they are going to play to their base for a certain period of time. But I'm pretty confident that they are going to recognize that our job is to govern and make sure that we are delivering jobs for the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: You may note there that the audio's a little low because it's on Air Force One. But essentially, part of that political reality and the politics that he expects Republicans are going to be playing out in the next year or so is all about really trying to defend, defend the health care reform. There are going to be efforts by the Republicans to either not fund certain aspects of it or outright repeal. There's also going to be a lot of investigations of White House officials. White House lawyers have been hired essentially to take a look at all of the things that the Republicans are going to be throwing at them to try to justify the way that this White House is actually governing and the policies that they've put forward to make sure that they can actually be implemented -- Kiran.
ACOSTA: Yes, both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue on two separate tracks, you might say. Suzanne Malveaux live at the White House for us this morning. Thanks, Suzanne.
CHETRY: Speaking of the White House, there are some staffing changes that could come down before the end of the week, as well. CNN has learned that Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is reportedly ready to leave, perhaps for another senior spot in the West Wing. Also interim chief of staff Pete Rouse is trying to decide whether or not he wants the job permanently. Sources tell CNN that he may prefer a lower profile, behind the scenes role. And also Vice President Joe Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, is leaving at the end of the month. No replacement has been named yet.
ACOSTA: Also new this morning, sorry to disappoint you. Two winning tickets were sold in last night's mega millions drawing, and most of you did not win. They were purchased in Idaho and Washington State. So viewers there, check your tickets. The winners will split the estimated $355 million jackpot, one of the largest in U.S. history. Those winning numbers were 4-8-15-25-47 and the mega ball 42. And if you're a fan of the TV show "Lost," Kiran, this is something that is very eerie, I think. You will notice there is a striking similarity to the numbers that were a recurring theme on that show, 4-8-15-16-23- 42.
CHETRY: Yikes.
ACOSTA: Those numbers are pretty darn close.
CHETRY: Yes.
ACOSTA: That (INAUDIBLE) -- it's got me a little freaked out this morning.
CHETRY: Try to reassure you throughout the morning.
ACOSTA: OK.
CHETRY: But all we know is we didn't win, right?
ACOSTA: That's right. That's right.
In New York, criminal investigations are now underway into a badly flawed cleanup effort following last week's blizzard. District attorneys in both Queens and Brooklyn looking into allegations of a slowdown by sanitation workers who were supposed to be plowing. There are some published reports talking about the possibility of a federal investigation.
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: Which has also been launched by the U.S. attorney's office in New York and also word of perhaps some videotapes, surveillance tape or, you know, camera footage that shows plows going down snowy streets with the plow up as opposed to actually removing snow.
ACOSTA: Yes.
Wow. And speaking of videotape, let's go to this videotape. A brand new snow controversy uncovered in New York. Several cars and trucks found crushed under mounds of heavy snow dumped there by city crews trying to clear the streets. One massive snow mound collapsed on to a fence along a cemetery, taking out as many as 30 headstones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GREENFIELD, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL: Look at this. How is this acceptable? How did you not see a car and dump piles of snow on top of it and then pile the snow so high that it collapsed, falls on a fence, and topples over tombstones in our community? It's really shocking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: All right. Speaking of weather, let's get a quick check of this morning's weather headlines. Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center. And, Rob, I mean, they have to dump that snow somewhere but my goodness, can they be just a little more careful?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, you're working in tight spaces, you have a lot of snow. In the burbs, you can actually plow it to the other end of the street or sides of the streets. But there's no place to put it in urban areas. And I'm not making excuses, that was quite a storm and tough to dig out of it.
Not quite as bad but still snowing in upstate New York today. About a foot of snow in places like Oswego and places just east or just the north and west of Syracuse. Lake-effect snow still kind of cranking along today. We'll see maybe a few isolated numbers like that, but for the most part, accumulations should be less than a foot. Maybe some flurries working their way into New York City. I think it will be a similar day today than with what you saw yesterday. Temps starting out right around the freezing mark. Seasonally cool.
And we're watching the storm develop across the Gulf Coast states. It is getting itself together. And heavier rains are beginning to fall now across parts of southeast Louisiana. Some of this moisture shield getting into Alabama and Georgia. And temperatures in Atlanta are right around the freezing mark. So it may start off and get a little bit of sleet. You'd expect most of the action to be south of 20.
Sixty in Dallas today for a high temperature. Twenty-three in Minneapolis. It's still winter, guys, and the longer term pattern indicates just that. I don't see any massive warm-up, at least for the eastern half of the country for the next week or so. Talk more about that in about 30 minutes -- Jim and Kiran.
CHETRY: All right, Rob. Thanks.
ACOSTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: We'll check in with you in a little bit.
Meanwhile, there are some new developments this morning in the investigation into the death of a Pentagon official who was found in a Delaware landfill. There was a witness now talking about a strange encounter she had with John Wheeler just two days before he was found dead.
ACOSTA: And she's a star among people who study the stars. A fifth grader from New Brunswick, Canada, now the youngest person ever to discover a supernova. Details in "Morning Talkers."
CHETRY: Also, the federal government spending your tax money to round up thousands of wild horses. Is this the best use of money? Is the practice cruel? And what happens to the horses after they're rounded up? We're going to John Zarrella again for more on our "A.M. Original" series coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fourteen minutes past the hour right now. Investigators are working to find a crime scene this morning five days after a former Pentagon official's body was discovered in a Delaware landfill. His name is John Wheeler. His car was found yesterday and now investigators are hoping that some new information will help them move the case forward.
ACOSTA: Two days before his body was discovered, a parking attendant said she had an odd encounter with the 66-year-old Wheeler. Deborah Feyerick has details on that and what's ahead for investigators. And this encounter is just so bizarre. But it does shed some light on what happened.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really does. And it does seem that this case is getting stranger and stranger by the day. Part of it is that John Wheeler, the defense contractor and former Pentagon official, appeared completely disoriented when he turned up at a parking garage that was blocks away from the train station where he had actually left his car. He appeared disoriented. It was freezing cold out that day, according to a parking attendant. And he walked in wearing a dark suit, carrying one of his burgundy loafers.
Here's the parking attendant and what she has - first of all, looking at that picture, though, we just want to show you, because this is how he last appeared. Again, freezing cold outside, wearing simply a dark suit. The parking attendant described it this way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He didn't have a coat on, and he - what really strike me as being - he didn't have a coat on and he didn't have his shoe on. Then, when I asked where was his parking ticket at when we were at my garage, he said he couldn't find it. It was inside his briefcase. So when I asked him where was his briefcase, he said his briefcase was stolen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Now, Wheeler did not tell the parking attendant whether he had been robbed or where he may have been robbed. According to the timeline, however, he did die sometime between 3:30 on December 30 and about 4:20 the following morning. He was last seen near the famed Hotel Du Pont, again, appearing very disoriented.
Police say they don't know exactly where he was murdered, that's the next stage of the investigation. They are checking that landfill where his body was discovered. But they think because of the way he was found, the position of the body, they believe that the waste truck that picked up all the dumpsters on that route may have picked him up very early on. That's why the state of rigor mortis wasn't made it clear that he had been murdered and dumped early on.
The lawyer representing him in a civil litigation concerning a homeowner, a neighbor, basically says that as far as he knew, he had no known enemies. So, really, they're looking into this just to find out exactly how he was murdered.
But, again, a big clue, the fact that he was disoriented, so confused when he walked into the parking garage.
CHETRY: Yes. And that was two days before they believe he was murdered. That's what -
FEYERICK: That's exactly right. That's exactly right. And it's not clear what happened when he left the parking garage, where did he go, because there's no - CHETRY: Because he left without the car.
FEYERICK: He left without the car. He didn't know where it was. Not clear whether the supervisors had any information, any details of who he was or where he was going. The first sighting of him was on Thursday, the following day, at about 3:30 in the afternoon. That was the first and the last sighting, as far as police know right now.
ACOSTA: All right. Deb Feyerick, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
CHETRY: Thanks, Deb.
Well, the Navy captain who produced and starred in those offensive training videos has been relieved of his command and is no longer in charge of the aircraft carrier U.S. Enterprise. Admiral John Hardy says that Captain Owen Honors demonstrated a, quote, "profound lack of good judgment." The videos were made public last week. They include some anti-gay slurs and simulated sex acts and what appear to be two female sailors in a shower. Honors has been reassigned to administrative duties.
ACOSTA: New video this morning giving us a different view of the protest that put Prince Charles and Camilla in danger last month. This is closed circuit tape of the incident when rioters kicked and punched the royal limousine in London. They also poured paint on the vehicle. Charles and Camilla were not hurt. Demonstrators were protesting university tuition hikes.
CHETRY: And more testimony later today will be heard in the Michael Jackson death case. One of Jackson's security guards telling the court yesterday that Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, appeared panicked while crouched next to the singer's body. The witness is also claiming that the heart surgeon asked if anyone knew CPR. The judge will determine whether or not Murray should stand trial for involuntary manslaughter.
ACOSTA: And another bizarre bird death. This time in Louisiana, where 500 blackbirds and starlings mysteriously fell from the sky Monday near Baton Rouge. Biologists are investigating the cause. This is coming just days after 5,000 dead birds rained down from the sky in Arkansas. We'll have a closer look at this investigation coming up in our next hour.
And biologists, wildlife experts are investigating. They want to figure out what exactly happened.
CHETRY: Exactly. And, you know, we're going to be talking to someone from the National Wildlife Federation in our next hour about -
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: -- you know, is this - some scientists were saying this is a naturally occurring thing.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: Others are saying they have not seen this in years.
ACOSTA: One thing we can all; agree on, it is bizarre.
CHETRY: It is.
ACOSTA: And it's got a lot of people talking.
CHETRY: Yes. Well, coming up, a 10-year-old Canadian girl, she is suddenly the celebrity of the astronomy circle after discovering a supernova.
ACOSTA: And couples looking to have a baby may be able to influence whether it's a boy or girl by eating certain foods? Oh, come on, really? Well, we'll find out.
It is 19 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-two minutes past the hour. "Morning Talker" time.
This a very, very advanced young girl.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: She's just 10 years old, and she is certainly a celebrity of the astronomy world. This past weekend, Kathryn Aurora Gray from New Brunswick, Canada spotted an exploding star, a supernova. It turns out she is now the youngest person to discover a supernova.
Here's what she told the CBC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHRYN AURORA GRAY, 10-YEAR-OLD WHO DISCOVERED SUPERNOVA: A supernova is a star that is blowing up. We have a program at home that takes an older picture and a newer picture and puts them together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: She's adorable.
ACOSTA: She is adorable.
CHETRY: And her middle name's Aurora, so, you know -
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: -- this was written in the stars.
ACOSTA: That's right.
CHETRY: Talk about a science project, Kathryn made the discovery. She did it with the help of her father as well as a family friend.
ACOSTA: Who is the most influential person in the Twitter-verse? Is it President Obama? That's right -
CHETRY: Or the Biebs?
ACOSTA: Yes, just by a nose over Justin Bieber, who I - actually, I saw President Obama at an event with Justin Bieber and he called him Justin Biber. This was before Bieber was a big celebrity. This is not the case - I mean, this doesn't happen anywhere.
CHETRY: His daughters were probably so embarrassed.
ACOSTA: Everyone knows how to pronounce Justin Bieber's name.
But a study by Clout.com measured a person's influence over the last year based on their Twitter presence. Sarah Palin was third on the list, not surprising there.
Rounding out the top 10, Glenn Beck, George W. Bush, Steve Jobs, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, and now former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
CHETRY: Veggies could be the key to having a baby girl. Dutch scientists say that future mothers with a diet rich in calcium -
ACOSTA: Oh, look at this little girl.
CHETRY: -- and magnesium - I know. So cute! - are more likely to have daughters than sons.
So this is what the researchers did. They had 32 women. They gave them supplements and food like spinach and broccoli in the weeks before they conceived. Eighty percent of those women - 80 percent - gave birth to girls.
ACOSTA: Wow. That's amazing.
And this video got our attention this morning. We - we love animal videos. This is yet another one. Check out this little penguin, taking a stroll along the rocks. But, wait a second. That is no rock.
The penguin makes a run for it after waking up a napping sea lion. That's not a good idea. He managed to high-tail it out of there for safety. But check out his little friend there, closing -
CHETRY: There's his friend coming in for -
ACOSTA: Following close behind, hopefully not making the same mistake. Not sure how they all made it out safely.
CHETRY: Yes. I love how the sea lion goes right back to sleep. That's the funniest part.
ACOSTA: Yes. He's like, yes, it's just penguins.
CHETRY: Just climb on over me. There he goes. ACOSTA: (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: He's coming up. Does he jump, too?
ACOSTA: Oh, my goodness. Hello.
CHETRY: I think that was the same penguin, actually. Poor guy.
ACOSTA: That's no rock.
CHETRY: Well, coming up, a little-known holiday in the nation's capital ends up being good news for those who like to procrastinate around tax time. We'll find out why you have a little bit extra time to file your returns in April.
ACOSTA: And wild horses ripped from their homes and locked up by the federal government. It sounds bizarre, but it's actually happening, and how much it's costing you, the taxpayer? That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Good news for all you tax procrastinators, you'll have three extra days this year to file your tax return. Doesn't mean you don't have to pay it. The IRS is extending the deadline to April 18th. That's because on April 15th, Washington, D.C. is observing Emancipation Day. It's a little-known holiday that celebrates the freeing of slaves in the District of Columbia, and well worth it for that holiday, and we'll take the few extra days.
CHETRY: Yes. There are some people who just - I mean, they need it.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: They really need it because they're not anywhere near filing.
ACOSTA: No. That's right. That's right.
CHETRY: Well, Christine Romans is here now, "Minding Your Business" this morning, and we're talking a little bit about the debt ceiling this morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
CHETRY: It doesn't sound sexy, but we need to worry about it.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. Everybody's talking about it in Washington right now.
ROMANS: It is (ph) sexy. You know, look, it's - it's the credit limit on our - on what we can borrow, right, as a country? And we -
CHETRY: And we're maxed out?
ROMANS: And we're - we're getting there. We're $300 billion away, which sounds like a lot of money to you and I, but it's nothing in Washington. And - and, quite frankly - I want to be clear. You know, in Congress, they are professional debt ceiling raisers. So this is a big political fight right now about raising the debt ceiling again so American can borrow more money to pay its bills.
So what is the debt ceiling? That is how much money we can - we can spend that we don't have. It's $14.3 trillion is what the -
ACOSTA: Wow.
ROMANS: -- debt ceiling is right about now. We're very, very close. And before we can spend beyond that, Congress has to say, OK, we're going to raise the debt ceiling so we can borrow more money because, remember, we're borrowing money from investors to pay the bills in the United States and we've been doing that for a long time.
What does it mean to you if we hit that debt ceiling or if that debt ceiling is not allowed to be raised? Well, according to Austan Goolsbee in the White House and many other economists, it hurts U.S. markets, it hurts international markets, it weakens bonds, it weakens the dollar, it causes what is - effectively, it's a default, that we can't pay our bills, we can't raise more money to pay our bills.
Well, does it shut down the government? No, because the government could - would still keep running because you'd have to raise taxes and cut spending dramatically to actually pay those bills that you have already committed to.
How many times have we changed the debt limit? A whole bunch of times. You know, 70 times, I think, since we first had it in 1917. But if you look at 1993 to present, you can see here how many times we have just kept raising it and raising it and raising it and raising it.
ACOSTA: There's a lot of members of Congress who are saying if we keep raising it, we'll just keep spending more money.
ROMANS: Spending more money.
ACOSTA: And our debt will continue to rise exponentially. And it will never stop. Which is why a lot of Republicans are saying, look, we may not vote for this this time.
CHETRY: Right.
ROMANS: But Democrats in the White House and economists say you can't mess around with the debt ceiling -- you can't mess around with the actual debt ceiling and the ability for America to pay bills. And what that says about our solvency on the international markets. You do that elsewhere, in budgets, and you do that in the process, before you get to the debt ceiling.
ACOSTA: And the stock market doesn't need any extra jitters.
ROMANS: No.
CHETRY: So, they're gearing up for a fight.
ROMANS: Oh, yes. Wouldn't you like to be able to just raise your own limit over and over and over again? Wouldn't that be nice?
ACOSTA: It doesn't work in the real world.
CHETRY: I'd just live within a budget.
ACOSTA: Shouldn't work for Congress either.
CHETRY: Yes, there you go.
ACOSTA: Christine Romans, thanks so much.
It is 6:30, time for this morning's top stories. Just hours from now, 87 new Republicans will take the oath in the House. And incoming speaker, that's what we're going to call him now, John Boehner, takes back the gavel. And right away, a rematch of the health care reform fight between President Obama and the GOP.
CHETRY: Also, we're continuing to track developments in the death of a former Pentagon official whose body was discovered in a Delaware landfill. Investigators have located John Wheeler's car.
We're also learning more about a parking attendant's bizarre encounters with Wheeler, saying she saw him wandering around disoriented two days before his body was found, carrying one of his shoes and saying he was trying to find his car. And that his briefcase was stolen.
And an update on the troubles over at Toyota. Toyota is being sued by seven auto insurance companies. The insurers are trying to recover money paid out in claims for car crashes blamed on the sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating as many as 89 crash deaths since 2000. That may be linked to unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
CHETRY: Well, the pictures are hard to watch. These wild horses being chased by helicopters, rounded up, forced into captivity, sometimes collapsing from exhaustion. And animal rights groups call it cruel and unnecessary. But what happens to these mustangs after the government takes them into custody, essentially?
ACOSTA: Today, we're going to look at the holding facilities and what it takes to care for thousands of animals that have spent their whole lives running free. Our John Zarrella live from Miami this morning with an A.M. original, a story you will see only on AMERICAN MORNING.
And, John, this series you'd had for us this week has generated a lot of talk, a lot of people very concerned about those horses out there.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, it really has, Jim and Kiran. On both sides, we've seen a lot of comments coming from those who think, you know, these horses absolutely must be protected. And other people who just think that it's not necessary. But you know, the horses that we showed our viewers yesterday being rounded up at that Lahontan roundup. The very next day, they ended up at a holding facility outside Reno.
And for all the horses in the facility, it is only a midway point.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): As she stood on her porch watching Nevada's wild horses, country singer/songwriter Lacy Dalton wrote the words.
Dalton is one of many advocates who passionately believe wild horse sanctuaries are desperately needed.
LACY J. DALTON, COUNTRY SINGER: Get these horses in a place where they are the primary species of wildlife.
ZARRELLA: But for now, sanctuary for many horses rounded up in Nevada is the Palomino Valley holding facility.
JOHN NEILL, PALOMINO VALLEY HOLDING FACILITY: Some years depending on our budget, there's less horses. Other years, there's more.
ZARRELLA: John Neill runs the place. With the BLM, Bureau of Land Management, rounding up more horses than ever, Neil's facility is at capacity, nearly 1,700 horses. They'll stay here an average of 200 days, while the BLM tries getting them adopted.
NEILL: On a national level, six or seven years ago, we would adopt out over 8,000 animals throughout the nation --
ZARRELLA (on camera): In a year?
NEILL: In a year. Now, I think we're under 3,000.
ZARRELLA: Wow.
(voice-over): The economy has hurt. You can adopt a wild horse for 125 bucks. But long term, a horse is expensive. In fact, half of the BLM's annual $60 million wild horse budget goes to run facilities like Palomino.
(on camera): And with the increasing difficulty in getting these horses adopted out, the amount of money spent on feeding and caring for these animal is not likely to go down.
(voice-over): Who's paying? You, the taxpayer -- $5 a day per horse, at facilities like Palomino which goes for veterinary care, antibiotics, vaccinations.
Here, a foal with a sole abscess.
NEILL: We'll give it some penicillin and some burke (ph) and put a wrap on it.
ZARRELLA: And feed, 17 tons.
NEILL: That's just per day.
ZARRELLA (on camera): Per day?
NEILL: Yes.
ZARRELLA: The BLM says there's no choice. The horses will destroy the land if the herd sizes are not reduced.
Lacy Dalton says there is -- sanctuaries where the horses can run free.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now, once they leave Palomino, they end up in long-term facilities in Oklahoma and Texas. And there are about 40,000 horses now that will likely spend the rest of their lives in those facilities.
Now, Jim, Kiran, the BLM says this coming year, they may not have to round up as many because what they are going to try a fertility drug. They're going to go, birth control/fertility drug that they're going to give to about 900 mares that they hope will, you know, reduce the herd population, keep the mares from breeding as quickly. And then they won't have to round up as many. So, we'll see if that actually happens -- Jim, Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, I mean, every challenge breeds a new challenge. You can tell here. And the other question, too, is -- I mean, why do they need all of that care and everything. When they were in the wild, they were sort of in the wild. And then what change is once they come to those facilities.
ZARRELLA: Well, you know what? The issue becomes is that if they had been left alone, which is what a lot of advocates want, then the advocates say Mother Nature would take care of the problem and call out those that are excess. You would have natural selection.
Well, you know, because that's no longer the case, the responsibility of the BLM that Congress mandated in 1971, was to take care of these wild horses as a national treasure. So, they have to give them this kind of care, you know, certainly in these facilities where there's so many stacked up almost like cordwood together.
CHETRY: Sad.
ACOSTA: Very sad. John Zarrella, a great look at a story you don't hear a lot about. Thanks so much for that.
And John's exclusive series will continue tomorrow, we'll take you to a prison where the inmates learn from some of these horses. It's another A.M. original story you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING. CHETRY: And coming up: a changing of the guard in Congress. In just a few hours, Democrats hand over control to Republicans, and the battle lines seem to already be drawn. We're going to get the view from both sides of the aisle -- just ahead.
ACOSTA: And if you or someone you love is walking slower than usual, it might be time to run to the doctor. Your morning house call is coming up.
It is 37 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Forty minutes past the hour.
And the first session of the 112th Congress begins in just a few hours with Republicans now in charge in the House. And item number one is to repeal health care. The odds are against them certainly. The big fight, though, is more likely to be over the so-called debt ceiling.
Joining us to break down both of those issues in Washington, we have Democratic strategist Kiki McLean.
Good to see you this morning, Kiki.
And with us here in New York, CNN political -- senior political analyst and Republican Ed Rollins.
ED ROLLINS, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you. Good morning. How are you?
CHETRY: Did you hear Kiki just now or not?
ROLLINS: I didn't. Happy New Year, Kiki.
KIKI MCLEAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Happy New Year.
CHETRY: OK. We didn't have your mic for a second. Just wanted to make sure --
MCLEAN: OK.
ROLLINS: It's nice to give me the advantage. Don't give her a mic.
CHETRY: If she doesn't have a mic, we know what's going to win the debate.
But, Ed, starting with the Republicans, they promise today to repeal --
ROLLINS: And they're going to repeal it. They're going to live up to their promise --
CHETRY: But once they repeal, it's still not going to turn to law --
(CROSSTALK) ROLLINS: First of all, it's the House. The House will repeal, the Senate obviously will not. But this is a long-term battle. This doesn't go into full effect for a long period of time. And I think that what they will do is they'll highlight the good parts and bad parts which there are many.
CHETRY: When people say, look, I elected you, I want you to make something happen, there's still no jobs, unemployment's still high -- why sit there and fight something that they really can't change?
ROLLINS: Well, I think they will change it over time. And I think that's the key thing here. In two years, the Senate may very well be a Republican majority. This 23 of the 33 senators up next cycle are ours. So, we think that there's always a four-year plan to get the Senate back. So, health care doesn't go into full effect for a long period of time.
CHETRY: And Kiki, what do you think about this being the top legislative agenda for the Republicans?
MCLEAN: Well, look, I think -- I think the Republican caucus has some symbolic activities they need to do, to say that they did it. I think what's most important about health care reform is that there's a chance for it to be enacted, for the American people to see what the real benefits of it are, what the purpose of it was.
And you know, interestingly enough, the whole government didn't flip. What this really demonstrates is what that two-chamber government is about, with the House and a Senate, as Ed pointed out.
And I think that you raise an important point, Kiran, and that's about the economy and jobs. And part of health care reform is its role in the economy. And now, we're going to have the chance in the next couple of years to see what that really does. I do think that even the newest members who have arrived on certain platforms will find that the American people are impatient and rightfully so in a desire to have action around jobs and the economy right now.
CHETRY: And it does set up at least part of an opportunity for some bipartisanship because the Democrats also need to bring along more Republicans in the Senate to make anything happen.
ROLLINS: We don't have to ask permission to be in the room. We're in the room. We have one House. We have the House that basically starts any kind of budgetary process or any kind of tax process.
The last year, two years, there hasn't been a budget process, there will be now. We get to start right today, seven months left on this budget, the Democrats didn't pass. We'll get to have some effect. We're talking about cutting $50 billion or $60 billion out of that.
The next budget, the president will submit I think will be dead on arrival. We'll basically start from scratch and cut. What you'll see is -- sit with a $14 trillion budget today and they'll start reducing. And the first they did is they reduced their own offices, their own pay, their own staffs. And that's a good sign. CHETRY: Go ahead.
MCLEAN: I think that what Ed said about the president's budget being dead on arrival, that's what people don't want to hear anymore. They don't want to hear we're starting with the negative place. They want to hear people starting about what we have in common, what grounds can we make up, what can we do together.
There is a chance, as you said, Kiran, for more bipartisan activity. Now, that's a good thing in the long haul. There will be principled positions that both caucuses will take and where they'll draw the line.
But the only way that we're going to get out of the mess that we're in is if people start by focusing on what's doable. What can we do on jobs, what can we do on the economy, and sort of get past the grandstanding.
I certainly hope that over the course of the next week, what happens on health care reform votes and in an attempted repeal, that the name- calling that's been historically associated with that is gone and out of this debates.
CHETRY: Well, there is a big game of chicken looming over the debt ceiling issue, essentially caps how much the government can borrow.
ROLLINS: Sure.
CHETRY: And, you know, there are some -- especially some of the Democrats saying this isn't the time or the place, some economists agreeing, to try to make an issue of how much -- how much we're borrowing. Is it a game of chicken? Or --
ROLLINS: Well, this is -- this is a great place for bipartisanship. Former Speaker Pelosi, who's now the minority leader, she can come up with a couple hundred votes or 150 votes and certainly Republicans can provide the other. I mean, if you expect Republicans alone to carry the debt ceiling, that's not going to happen. But I think the reality is we will raise the debt ceiling, unfortunately. And we'll basically move forward.
CHETRY: And do you think that it's been overblown some -- and the White House saying that this failure to act would be, quote, "catastrophic," that it would be worse than what happened in 1995 with the government shutdown?
ROLLINS: The Republicans are not going to shut the government down. That's the bottom line.
CHETRY: Kiki?
MCLEAN: Well, what's important is that we figure out the risks. You know, one of the interesting things about transitions into new governments or majorities is that what happens in a campaign and what people say in a campaign and what they want realty to be has to be translated into governing every day. There are a series of experienced economists who have told us that if we don't deal with the debt ceiling, in fact, there will be dramatic results from that. And now, governing isn't just about saying what you want, but it's about really taking into consideration the effect of what you do.
ROLLINS: I assume that's a call for your Democrats to support whatever we do and bipartisanship.
MCLEAN: I don't think it's -- I don't think it's a blank check for you, but I think we ought to be at the table.
ROLLINS: Thank you. Appreciate it. Appreciate cooperation. We're happy to have you at the table.
CHETRY: Kiki McLean and Ed Rollins -- good to get both of your takes this morning. Thanks for joining us.
MCLEAN: Thanks. Good morning.
ROLLINS: Happy New Year, buddy.
CHETRY: You, too.
ACOSTA: All right. Good to see everybody in lively spirit.
CHETRY: Yes.
ACOSTA: Still to come: an incredible story -- he lost his home but not his voice. That's special gift has made this guy an Internet sensation. Jeanne Moos will have a story coming up.
It is 46 minutes after the hour.
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ACOSTA: Welcome back. It is 48 minutes after the hour, time for your morning house call.
If you're not walking as quickly as you used to, you might want to run to see the doctor. Researchers studied 35,000 people age 65 and older and found that those who walked faster lived longer. The conclusion: a person's walking speed a good indicator of how long they will live.
CHETRY: That makes me happy because I have to run to keep one my dad. So, he's going to be around for a while.
ACOSTA: That is good news. And walking is the best exercise.
CHETRY: Yes, he's just -- he's fast.
Forty-nine minutes past the hour right now. Let's check the weather headlines -- Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center for us this morning.
Hey, Rob.
MARCIANO: Hey, good morning. My dad's the same way, walks everywhere, always have. Still kicking and walking around the neighborhood.
Good morning, guys. Not bad walking weather across the East Coast, although we've got a couple things starting to get together. First up, the storm we told you about yesterday in Texas, now in through Louisiana, spreading southeast mostly in the form of rain. Some of it heavy from New Orleans up through Hattiesburg, getting into southern parts of Alabama, lighter obviously as you go to little further north and cooler.
So, places north of Interstate 20, temperatures are flirting with the freezing mark. So you might see sleet mixing in here from time to time. But generally speaking, the surge will be from the Gulf so it will warm up throughout the day and be on the wet side.
So, there's rain down there, some snow across parts of Upstate New York. I think from Boston to D.C. and obviously al parts in between along the I-95 corridor will be similar to what you saw yesterday. Upstate, some folks saw quite a bit of snow, about a foot of snow in places like Scriba, New York, Oswego, that's just east of Oswego, by the way. Akron seeing about three inches or so; Buffalo, just a couple of inches. So, there will be isolated spots of seeing some snow from the lakes today, as well.
Boston, New York metros, again, breezy, might see some mild delays there. D.C., the same deal. And local clouds and rain here in Atlanta might slow things down later on today.
Out to the west, not too bad except for the Pacific Northwest.
Check out this video that was posted on YouTube. Homemade luge, come on, baby. This is old school. I don't know where it was, they didn't say where they did this. Obviously they got a good two, maybe three feet of snow and quite an incline.
But take the family out and do a little tobogganing down this luge run that they made in their backyard or at least in a wooded area. They got it all on video for your enjoyment. Listen to the cackles, listen to the kids laughing, probably 30, 40, 50 years old.
CHETRY: Yes, we're all kids in heart (INAUDIBLE). That's a long run.
MARCIANO: I know, I can't believe how long it is.
ACOSTA: I'd hate to be the guy who dug that out.
CHETRY: I'd hate to be the person having to walk back up the hill.
ACOSTA: That's true.
MARCIANO: Exactly.
ACOSTA: They might want to put a ski lift in with the luge run.
CHETRY: Yes, very cool.
MARCIANO: Clean, winter fun. CHETRY: Love it.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. Love it, Rob. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
MARCIANO: I'd see you in a bit.
ACOSTA: A brand new Congress about to convene this morning. And the first order of business for House Republicans: health care reform. And they may have a few more tricks up their sleeves.
CHETRY: Also, new developments in the case of a former Pentagon official whose body was discovered in a Delaware landfill. We're going to tell you about John Wheeler's strange encounter with a parking lot attendant in the days before he was killed.
ACOSTA: And first, it was Arkansas, now Louisiana. We're talking about hundreds of birds that have been found dead. No one seems to know why. And what is killing them.
We'll have to look into that in a few moments.
It is 51 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty-five minutes past the hour. This story will certainly wow you.
He has no home, but he does have a great set of pipes.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. And that golden voice could help turn his life around.
Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may be homeless, but he's not voiceless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been this guy with an interesting sign at I-71 --
MOOS: A panhandler sign saying "I have a God-given gift of a great voice." Wait until you hear it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey. We're going to make you work for your dollar. Say something with that great radio voice.
TED WILLIAMS, HOMELESS: When you're listening to nothing but the best of oldies, you're listening to Magic 98.9. Thank you so much. God bless you. Thank you. And we'll be back with more right after these words.
MOOS: And folks wanted to hear more. The homeless man with the golden voice blew up on Web sites like Reddit, "Just had an eargasm," "He should be an NBA announcer." "He should do audio books." "Get this man's voice on everything.
The man is Ted Williams.
WILLIAMS: The voice just became something of a development over the years. I went to school for it. And then alcohol and drugs and a few other things became a part of my life. And I got two years clean.
MOOS: A videographer for the "Columbus Dispatch" Web site is the one who shot and posted the video.
(on camera): The first thing that went through your mind when you heard his voice?
DORAL CHENOWETH, COLUMBUS DISPATCH VIDEOGRAPHER: He's good. He's just really good.
MOOS (voice-over): Next thing you know, job offers are being posted, including one from the "Bo" radio show in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
SCOTT "DJ BO" WOLOSZYN, MAGIC PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Absolutely, yes, he'd have his own show live on the air. He already has radio experience obviously. So, he would just need a little tweaking.
WILLIAMS: And don't forget, tomorrow morning is your chance to win a pair of tickets to see this man live in concert.
MOOS (on camera): How much is the station willing to pay? Well, they say at least minimum wage.
(voice-over): But there may be a bidding contest through a Columbus radio station. The Ohio Credit Union League is offering up to $10,000 in voiceover work, saying "We are all amazed by Mr. Williams' gift." He may not end up being the next James Earl Jones --
JAMES EARL JONES, ACTOR: This is CNN.
MOOS: But Ted Williams has dreams --
WILLIAMS: So, you know, I'm hoping one day -- watch "Family Guy," weeknights at 7:30 on FOX 28.
MOOS: Watch homeless guy find a home behinds a microphone.
WILLIAMS: When you're listening to nothing but the best of oldies --
MOOS: Jeanne Moos --
WILLIAMS: -- you're listening to Magic 98.9 --
MOOS: -- CNN --
WILLIAMS: -- Magic 98.9.
MOOS: New York.
WILLIAMS: Thank so much. (END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: So, things could change for him quickly.
ACOSTA: Yes. Somebody give that man a contract.
CHETRY: Absolutely
ACOSTA: Get him an agent, get him going.
CHETRY: Well, we'll follow that to see if that credit union and if some of those radio stations indeed use him, says he's turned his life around, says he's been clean for two years. So, we wish him the best.
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
CHETRY: Amazing stuff.
All right. We're going to take a break. Our top stories are coming up in just a minute.
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