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American Morning
Mystery Bag Found in Loughner Case; Latest on the Condition and Recovery of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords; Application to File Taxes and Debit Card Tax Refunds; Letting Women Fight; Zodiac Signs Off By A Month?; On the Road to Sainthood; Rep. Giffords' Progress; Cutting Ties With AT&T; Subway's Gluten Free Options
Aired January 14, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. We have two major breakthroughs in Tucson to tell you about. First, a discovery just blocks from the accused shooter's house.
Also, an amazing development in the recovery of Gabrielle Giffords. And more could be coming in her recovery today on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Hello, everybody. Good morning to you all. Welcome to this AMERICAN MORNING on this Friday, January the 14th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad to be here today.
It is amazing, though, that it's only been six days since the shooting.
HOLMES: That's it.
CHETRY: And she's making tremendous progress, the congresswoman. So we're going to get an update on just some of the incredible strides she's been making.
Also, what's your sign?
HOLMES: I'm a Leo. Am I still a Leo?
CHETRY: I don't know. You're a Leo. I'm a Virgo. But the zodiac may be changing. And it means your sign may be changing as well. Astronomers say there are now 13 instead of 12. We can't pronounce the last one, so we're hoping we don't fall in that category. Jason Carroll is going to be joining us to tell us more about it.
HOLMES: He will pronounce it for us a little later. Also, you're used to getting your refund check in the mail. How would you feel about getting a prepaid debit card with your tax refund on it? That sound good to you?
CHETRY: No.
HOLMES: Well, it's possible --
Why not?
CHETRY: I'd lose it.
HOLMES: OK. Well, there's the check. If you deposit, OK, there's something. But they're going to try this out, a pilot program. There's a catch to it. Our Christine Romans is going to be here to tell you if you could possibly qualify for it.
CHETRY: Up first, though, this hour we're talking about what could be a big break in the investigation in Arizona into the shooting. The FBI recovering a mysterious black bag. They've been hunting for this for some time. They recovered it not far from shooting suspect Jared Loughner's home.
CNN is the only network with this exclusive video from the scene. The bag in a box then being loaded into an SUV. A teenager actually stumbled upon the bag while walking his dog nearby. Our Ted Rowlands is live in Tucson this morning with more on this development, as well as other developments in the investigation.
Hey, Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. In this bag we know there were ammo -- there was ammo and there were also some receipts and, according to law enforcement sources, there were other items in the bag. The bag right now is being analyzed by the FBI. Here's the situation in terms of how they found the bag, according to local sheriff's deputies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our department received a call that an individual in the 4400 block of Soledad reported to us that he had a black bag that was turned over to him by a young man who lives in the neighborhood. That young man reportedly found the bag in a wash nearby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Now, FBI analysts are looking at this bag. It's unclear how this bag might help in their investigation. Of course, the clear thing that investigators are looking for and prosecutors are looking for is what was going through this young man's mind. We know there were other items in the bag here and we don't know if they'll be significant to the investigation.
CHETRY: Yes. And speaking about what was going on in his mind, we're learning more about the online life of Jared Loughner before the shooting.
ROWLANDS: Yes, some disturbing revelations coming out. There are several reports out there. Specifically "The Wall Street Journal" has coming up with what they are attributing to Loughner in excess of 100 posts in an online gaming community. It's sort of a private network that people with like minds get together. And he was asking some very bizarre questions in the months leading up to the shooting, including what would you think it would be like to be in prison. He would start these conversations with some very strange and in sometimes very disturbing topic lines. One of the things, obviously, investigators will be looking at in the months ahead as they continue to prepare for his upcoming trial.
CHETRY: All right. Ted Rowlands for us this morning. Thanks so much.
HOLMES: Let's turn to the other developments out of Tucson. That is the condition and the recovery of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. It has been amazing and the doctors are using words like miracle. The latest here for you, the congresswoman is now sitting up in bed with some help, though, but still she's able to get some movement in her legs. She's been able to dangle them and lift them up off the edge of the bed. Another milestone could come today, at least according to her husband. The breathing tube may be removed.
Also encouraging news, she's not only opening her eyes anymore. She's able to what they say track her eyes, that essentially means she can follow things in the room. She can follow movements around in the room. That is a big, big deal. Listen to her surgeon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MICHAEL LEMOLE, NEUROSURGEON: We have seen the eyes begin to track. So think about it. When you first wake up in the morning you're all blurry eyed and your eyes aren't focusing, then the eyes sort of come together and start to focus. We're just starting to see those signs and her trying to track her gaze to wherever she wants to look. That's very, very encouraging. Again, reflects on a level of alertness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Again, as we mentioned a moment ago, it was six days ago this woman was shot in the head and doctors are themselves using words like miracle. They said there's only so far medicine can take you. And maybe medicine has taken her as far as she can go and like so many other people have said about her, she just has a will to live and is a feisty woman.
Our Sanjay Gupta is there. He has been given some exclusive access to her doctors, and he talked to the critical care surgeon who was the first to see her when she first came into the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DR. RANDALL FRIESE, CRITICAL CARE SURGEON: The first thing I did was walked in the room. Some things were occurring and I think I've said this before, but my first response was, I grabbed her hand, leaned in to her and said, Ms. Giffords, you're in the hospital. We're going to care for you. Please squeeze my hand. And she did.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, she have a wrap on her head? I mean, do you -- can you see the wounds at this point? So you know -- so you have some idea what the obvious wounds are but you look at the rest of her body to make sure, for example, she doesn't have another gunshot wound, right?
FRIESE: Well, that's part of the trauma work-up. That's part of the trauma evaluation is that you never assume that just what you see is all that is present. So I saw the severe head injury. I saw some blood loss. Her eyes were closed. She did have a blackened right eye and swollen right eye. And she was grunting a little bit. I got the impression she was trying to communicate but was being frustrated by the fact that she could not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
And the good doctor, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to be joining us live a little later this morning. Again, he was given some exclusive access. And you will hear from him and see more of his exclusive access a little later this morning.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we look forward to hearing more about her, the stages. I mean, each of these things is just such a milestone in itself and for -- to have it happen so quickly is just remarkable.
HOLMES: A lot of milestones in the first week.
CHETRY: Yes.
Well, also this morning, other top stories at six minutes past the hour. Congress hit the pause button following the shootings in Tucson. The people's business, though, resumes next week. House Republicans still planning to vote on a repeal of the health care bill. The debate is scheduled to begin Tuesday and a final vote will come down on Wednesday.
HOLMES: Also, we have been watching a couple of major and catastrophic weather events around the world. This is one in Brazil. There has been -- just look at this picture here.
Some deadly flooding taking place. You're seeing a rescue taking place here, but they have been hit with rains that have caused this flooding. That is a rescue you're seeing here. A woman actually clutching a dog. She is trying to get out. You can see there, she jumps in with the dog, but the dog does not make it out. About 500 people have been killed in this flooding and the president there has actually criticized some of the shoddy work with some of the housing there. The zoning laws are not the way they should be. People have been building in places they shouldn't and that she says that is contributing to maybe the heavy loss of life.
CHETRY: It's such a terrible visual there to see the dog not making out of the water. Terrible for those people dealing with that there.
Well, Europe's most active volcano roaring back to life. Italy's Mt. Etna spewing ash and smoke into the air during a two-hour eruption this week. A nearby airport was forced to shut down. This is Mt. Etna's first eruption since 1992.
HOLMES: Also, former Senator Bob Dole is out of the hospital. He was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for a few days there in D.C. Said he's feeling a whole lot better. He was in the hospital being treated for a minor infection. He's out of the hospital.
You think he wants to go home, rest and make sure he's OK? No, he's going to go right back to work. He says he's going to be at work today, actually. The former senator is 87 years old.
CHETRY: And from a deep freeze to the NFL divisional playoffs, Atlanta's mayor says his city is ready to tackle weekend crowds at several downtown events. Specifically Saturday night's playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Falcons. Atlanta was crippled this week by a rare snowstorm, as well as many other parts of the south. Temperatures expected to go above freezing today for the first time this week.
HOLMES: I hope the mayor comes and clears my sidewalk and my street off as well.
CHETRY: You had that trouble in New York. Now you're hearing about it in Atlanta as well?
HOLMES: Yes. That's all right, though. It's all right.
Let's check with Bonnie Schneider keeping an eye on things there in Atlanta. Is that goal really attainable there, Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Getting rid of --
HOLMES: Temperature is going to go up enough to actually melt that stuff or are they're going to have to get it all off themselves?
SCHNEIDER: Well, T.J., Kiran, the problem has been is that we have seen some melting. We saw it yesterday, too, with the sun shining. But then, as you can see, temperatures are cold enough in the early morning hours for everything to refreeze. So even at this hour, there's a thin layer of black ice where a lot of places enjoyed better driving yesterday than we saw all week long.
In fact, the traffic has been very troublesome because of lane closures, ice on the roads. You can see there's been a lot of accidents. Certainly this picture shows you what it's been like. A lot of spin-outs. And there's still plenty of abandoned cars on the sides of the roads from the storm earlier in the week as the city tries to get back to normal. And we will. We'll see temperatures in the 50s by Monday. Can't wait for that.
All right. Let's talk about snow in the northeast. It has been tremendous. This big storm has brought a lot of snow to New England. In fact, in Savoy, Massachusetts, we saw record snow, over 30 inches. Check out some pictures there. The skies look pretty but the snow covers the ground. So it is really a mess.
Now this snow blower, can you see in the distance? Look at how large it is. Piles of snow are actually by several feet in terms of snowdrifts. The totals are still coming in. Savoy, 38.2 inches. Pretty pictures. Looks like a postcard. The problem is if you have to get anywhere, it's something that's going to slow you down.
All right. Elsewhere across the country, you can see the high pressure over the southeast. And that high will slide to the east in the days to come. Allow more of a southerly flow and again, temperatures will get much more comfortable for the south for Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina. We'll look at improvements for next week. But the in the meantime, low pressure works its way across the Great Lakes. That will bring some snow showers to areas of the upper Midwest, including northern Minnesota.
Rain is coming in to Seattle once again today, but mild conditions across much of the southwest. For those of you traveling, that rain in Seattle will slow you down. We are anticipating some delays there, as well as in San Francisco and Detroit. This is one of the first days and while we don't have the eastern seaboard listed for delays and we still may have some as we try to get back to normal.
Highs today are going to be much more mild across the southwest. Very pleasant in Los Angeles today -- in the upper 70s. And will be cold once again, Minneapolis, and cold across the northeast as you shovel out. Highs in New England only in the 20s -- T.J., Kiran.
HOLMES: All right, Bonnie, we appreciate you. We'll check in with you again soon.
CHETRY: Yes. And they can handle the 20s in New England. It's Atlanta hoping and praying to get above freezing that's pretty bizarre.
All right. Thanks a lot, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
CHETRY: I don't know if you would trust this. I'm debating because I love my apps, but they are saying that you can file your taxes by just taking a picture of your W-2.
HOLMES: Come on. You take a picture of it? And do what with it?
CHETRY: You take a picture of your W-2 and it auto fills, I think.
HOLMES: Stop. Stop Apple. Just stop it.
CHETRY: Stop Apple.
They are the makers of Turbotax actually, releasing this app. It's called snap tax. Take a picture of your W-2.
HOLMES: Doesn't even sound right.
CHETRY: Snap tax. You take a picture of your W-2. You fill out some additional questions. Bing, bang, ba da boom, ba da bing, and there you go. $15 and file your return. You know there's going to be a problem with this, of course, and that is that security experts say, of course, the gremlins out there smart enough to figure out a way to make it so that, you know -- hey, we're that, too. Take a picture of your W-2 so I have all your personal information. So they say you have to make sure that your password is secure.
HOLMES: Forgive me. I didn't quite understand. You take a picture of your W-2 --
CHETRY: You know on the new -- you have the iPhone, of course.
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: And you can take a picture of a bar code and it can tell you about the product. You know how they have those red laser and other ones.
HOLMES: OK. All right.
CHETRY: Well, this is similar. You take a picture of your W-2 and it auto fills in all of the information.
HOLMES: Automatically? Wow. OK, that's impressive.
CHETRY: So now you're --
HOLMES: That's impressive. Can I itemize on this thing?
CHETRY: Take a picture of everything you've donated to charity and it just goes right in.
HOLMES: Christine, that doesn't make a whole lot of -- does that going to work?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, just don't lose your iPhone because, then, everything you know about you is right in there and it becomes the biggest privacy concern there is. But we're going to take your W-2 later and we're going to try it. And Kiran and I are going to --
CHETRY: We're going to do that.
HOLMES: OK. Let's do that this morning.
CHETRY: What's yours is yours.
ROMANS: Because we want to see how well it works. Maybe we can call in an accountant to see if they made any mistakes.
HOLMES: But I can get my return if I get one on my debit card, or can I? Some can.
ROMANS: If you make less than $35,000 a year you can. This is something the Treasury Department is trying. Think of this. Getting your IRS tax, income tax refund on a debit card. The Treasury Department, look, they are really pushing this. They're going to do 600,000 of these this year in different kinds of debit cards to test out what kind -- which works the best. This is a program for people without bank accounts. There will be some fees. They're testing different fee structures to see what makes sense. The treasury says this is safer, faster and more convenient. Also, it lowers cost for the government. It costs about 10 cents for the government to send you -- or for the government, rather, to put your tax refund on an actual debit card. Costs about a buck to send you an IRS tax refund check. So this is going to save about $40 million a year once it's up and running.
Everyone is using these debit cards, prepaid debit cards. Government agencies are starting to do it. You can get food stamps on an actual debit card. You get a social security checks on a debit card. They can be reloaded. You can keep this card, move it forward. This is something the treasury is interested in because they can promote financial literacy. It can help people save money. A lot of times you have people who don't have a bank account, who don't make an awful lot of money, who are taking a check, an IRS income tax refund, for example. Go into a store or a check cashing agency and losing an awful lot of money and they're not saving anything. So this is meant to help build -- I always say watch the fees on these prepaid cards. They're testing a lot of different fee structures to see what makes the most sense. Six hundred thousand people will get this debit card instead of a cash check from the IRS this year.
HOLMES: That is interesting. Christine, thank you for that.
ROMANS: All right.
CHETRY: If you're getting money back, that's great.
ROMANS: I know, I know.
HOLMES: What's your astrological sign?
ROMANS: I'm an Aquarius.
HOLMES: An Aquarius. Are you still an Aquarius this morning?
ROMANS: Well, I'm not sure.
CHETRY: We have to check on that one.
HOLMES: Yes.
ROMANS: I'm not sure.
HOLMES: We ask for a reason here, folks. Because you might have gone to bed last night thinking you were one sign. This morning you might be something else.
The universe is changing. And your sign may have changed with it. We'll explain. CHETRY: Also, banning women from the battlefield. Is it discrimination? The fight to allow women to fight. A live report from the Pentagon still ahead.
It's 14 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," finally decided, the military is about to turn its attention to another policy that many consider discriminatory, which is a ban on women taking part in direct combat. A commission of high-ranking officers, retired and active, is about to recommend that the Pentagon drop that ban.
Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us this morning. And, you know, this is something that we've talked about many times in the past, that they -- they say there's a ban on women in combat. Well, women are already involved in ground fights, as we've seen in theaters of war like Iraq and Afghanistan.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are, Kiran, but in fact there is a restriction on women actually serving in those direct -- what they call direct combat units, units like infantry and armor, special forces unit, that sort of thing.
So is "G.I. Jane" -- you know, you remember that movie, with Demi Moore becoming a Navy SEAL, is that about to happen? A Pentagon commission is in fact recommending that this final restriction, women in direct combat on the ground, be lifted. And when they made this recommendation in the report, listen to what they had to say.
They said, quote, "One frequently cited argument in favor of the current policy is that having women serving in direct combat will hamper mission effectiveness by hurting unit morale and cohesion. Comparable arguments were made with respect to racial integration, but were ultimately never borne out."
You know, with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" now being lifted, women on submarines, why not have this?
We actually talked to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs about this just a couple of months ago. He said maybe not right away, but he didn't close the door on it. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: Women have proven themselves incredibly capable, as good as anybody else in those areas, and I think it's something that we just need to look at for the future. And there are some hard issues associated with this. I understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Hard issues. Women would, of course, still have to meet the same physical qualifications that men do in terms of being able to serve in these units. But the army as well is also looking at it. So a little steam gathering on this issue now, Kiran.
CHETRY: Interesting to see where it goes from here.
Barbara Starr for us this morning, thank you.
HOLMES: Well, still ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING, my goodness, the most expensive show ever on Broadway just can't seem to get it together. We've got another delay for "Spider-Man."
CHETRY: Also, after winning the Heisman Trophy and a national championship, we'll tell you what's next for Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.
Twenty minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Twenty-two minutes past the hour.
It may be the most famous address in the country. Little kids even know the address to the White House -- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
CHETRY: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
HOLMES: Well, could you imagine that changing? Some folks in D.C. actually want to rename Pennsylvania Avenue. Why in the world would they want to do that?
Well, it's kind of a protest thing. They aren't necessarily changing the name of the street. They would kind of do a supplemental name, if you will. Put a street sign under the Pennsylvania Avenue street sign.
So not necessarily official, but still trying to get their point across that they don't have representation in Congress. Statehood they want, if you will. But here are some of the possibilities. Unconstitutional Avenue?
CHETRY: That's a great one.
HOLMES: There's a good ring to it. There's a good ring. Another one, No Vote Street. Any better?
CHETRY: Plug it in the GPS.
HOLMES: All right. What about Statehood Way? There's one. There you go.
CHETRY: It's so confusing to get around D.C. to begin with.
HOLMES: Anyway --
CHETRY: I don't think they need to make it anymore complicated.
HOLMES: It's fine.
CHETRY: But I get their sentiment.
HOLMES: Where they're going to.
CHETRY: Well, Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton says that he's ready for the NFL. Shocker?
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: He is deciding to skip his senior year at Auburn and enter the NFL draft. The announcement comes just days after Newton led Auburn to the National Championship. A very exciting game, by the way. His Tigers beat Oregon, the Ducks, 22-19 to finish a perfect 14 and oh season. So he's off. I mean, what a great way to cap it.
HOLMES: Well, what else do you do? I won the Heisman. My team is an undefeated national champion. What do you come back and do next this time?
CHETRY: I'm going to re-enroll.
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE). No. But who was the other guy that just decided to stay?
HOLMES: Andrew Law from Stanford. He was going to be the number one pick, no doubt. He still says he's going back to school.
CHETRY: OK. Let's see how it goes.
HOLMES: All right. I can't wait to see "Spider-Man: The Musical." I'm serious. I've been hearing so much about it. But it's been -- (INAUDIBLE). It's been nothing but bad news we've been hearing about it. Several actors have been injured. It's been delayed several times. The most expensive Broadway show ever.
Now, they've had to push back the opening day one more time. Now, this thing was supposed to open December the 21st. Now, it's been delayed until March the 15th. They say they are trying to get it just right, fine tune a few things, including the ending. Sounds like it just kind of sucks right now and they're trying to work it out. You want to get it right you have to tweak it. That's what they're going through right now.
CHETRY: I hear. But every --
HOLMES: So going to get it right.
CHETRY: -- every time they delay, it's costing -- I mean, it's already the most expensive show. But it is costing millions upon millions. They aren't getting any revenue from, you know, people actually coming in there to see it, so -- HOLMES: It's going to win awards, though, when it opens.
CHETRY: I hope it's safe, too.
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: All right. Well, listen up all the horoscope readers out there. It turns out you might be following the wrong sign.
HOLMES: OK. Everybody has been talking about this, this morning. I guess that I was -- I was a Leo when I went to bed, and you were a --
CHETRY: Virgo.
HOLMES: -- Virgo.
Jason Carroll here to tell us, are we still a Leo and Virgo this morning?
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Maybe.
HOLMES: Maybe?
CARROLL: Maybe. Well, I -- you know, I was a Virgo. Now I'm a Leo like you probably.
HOLMES: Or did you switch the other way?
CARROLL: Did you switch? Yes, I was a Virgo. Now I'm a Leo.
CHETRY: You were a Virgo and now you're a Leo. I'm (INAUDIBLE) because I'm on the cusp.
HOLMES: Are you serious?
CHETRY: I'm on the cusp.
CARROLL: I was, too.
HOLMES: Welcome. Good to have you.
CARROLL: And I'll be -- thank you. Thank you.
CHETRY: I've always felt I was more of a Leo.
HOLMES: Really?
CARROLL: Did you -- deep down inside this is what you felt, you got the roar of the lion.
HOLMES: Pretentious and arrogant, I think we are. Is that right?
CARROLL: Oh, let's move on. So, you know, regardless of what you believe, you know, it's probably a good bet that most people out there know what their sign is -- but not anymore. According to astronomers at the Minnesota Planetarium Society, the astrological chart most people are familiar with may not be quite accurate, because it doesn't account for how the earth's position has changed over thousands of years.
Zodiac, as we know it, is based on a Babylonian chart created some 3,000 years ago. Astronomers recalculated the dates taking into account the earth's position in relation to the sun. So?
Here's how the new chart is going to look. Take a look there. I'm going to speak slowly so you can look where your sign is and look what some of the new dates are. Yes. Some shockers there.
CHETRY: I'm a Leo now.
CARROLL: See, you changed. You're now a Leo, like me.
So now, not only are there changes in some of the dates but there are now also 13 signs. If you take a look down there, you can see scientists restored the sign of Ophiuchus. The ancients originally had that sign.
CHETRY: I don't know if I buy this.
CARROLL: Someone is saying I'm now Ophiuchus out there. Right.
CHETRY: And both of my children's signs changed.
CARROLL: See that. All these changes out there, you see the highlighted one there too for Ophiuchus. The ancients dropped it because they only wanted 12 signs, not 13.
HOLMES: Who wants to be an Ophiuchus?
CARROLL: Because we're not used to it, right?
HOLMES: It's terrible.
CARROLL: You're not used to that particular one.
CHETRY: Do we have -- is this true or you got -- this is just a proposal? This has to be voted on by Congress because --
CARROLL: Let me finish. I'm going to get to it.
HOLMES: OK.
CARROLL: I'm going to get to it.
OK. The whole thing has created quite a stir among believers like we've got here. So the astronomer who released all of that released a response. Here's what he had to say. In science we deal with the long tradition of fact-based investigation. But we are not in the business of interpreting the purported relation between the positions of planet and human affairs. Let me -- let me keep going.
HOLMES: Please.
CARROLL: But people who deal with the human affairs of astrology say -- hold on -- they've known about this for years. Susan Miller is the creator of a popular website astrologyzone.com.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN MILLER, ASTROLOGYZONE.COM: Please don't believe the hype. This is not a new concept. This is not a new discovery. It's something astrologers have been looking at for years and years and years. It's not a new concept. Please believe that. And we have had time to test this, and it doesn't work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: She says it doesn't work. Miller says astrologists have already tried using the updated chart, which again it counts for the earth's changed position, but she says the general consensus is that the readings were not accurate, so what does she suggest? Look at both. If your sign has changed like with us.
CHETRY: That's the last thing we need.
CARROLL: So we will look at Virgo --
CHETRY: More confusion.
CARROLL: -- look at Leo as well.
CHETRY: I've been doing that for years, what the heck.
CARROLL: You set this up.
CHETRY: I told you, yes.
CARROLL: But the thing is I don't follow astrology like other people do, so for me it's a Virgo one day, I'm a Leo the next day. But a lot of people do take it very seriously.
CHETRY: Yes.
CARROLL: And for those people, Miller suggests that you might want to look at your new sign as well as your old one.
CHETRY: OK.
HOLMES: Jason, appreciate it.
CHETRY: There's so much more that goes into it. It's not just your sign, you're going to go look where the moons are, waxing and waning and you've got to see where your sun is and different planets, and so it's hard. It's hard. But I don't -- we don't need to throw this into the mix. OK?
CARROLL: You're scaring me.
CHETRY: Thank you, Jason.
HOLMES: Thank you.
Well, still coming up on this AMERICAN MORNING, you will not believe what happened in the White House Briefing Room yesterday. Another Cold War breaking out between Robert Gibbs and a Russian reporter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Thirty-one minutes past the hour. We take a look this morning on Friday, January 14th, at Columbus Circle. The sun is still not up yet, obviously, but --
HOLMES: It's working on it.
CHETRY: Working hard on that. And even though the snow is mostly gone, it's still pretty cold here. Highs in much of the East struggling to get above freezing -- I think we're in the teens actually right now.
Good morning to you. I'm Kiran Chetry.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could be with us here on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Give you a look at some of the stories we're keeping a close eye on.
Out in Tucson, the investigation is moving forward about that alleged gunman in the Tucson -- in that Tucson shooting. The FBI, you're looking pictures here, exclusive pictures from CNN, of the FBI getting a black bag that's believed to be a -- belong to the accused shooter. Inside, they found ammunition that has been linked, they say, to the shooting.
Also, in relation to this story, a memorial service yesterday for that young lady, 9-year-old Christina Green. She's the youngest victim of the Tucson shooting. You see there a flag, a 9/11 flag that was sent out from the fire department in New York to be there for that memorial service. She, of course, was born on September 11th, 2001. That flag survived in the rubble.
Also, today, we're going to see Federal Judge John Roll who was also killed, one of the six killed, going to be laid to rest today.
Also, some news having to do with the JFK Presidential Library. Well, you don't have to go to a physical library anymore to see so much of the collection. Hundreds of thousands of documents, speeches, news conferences from the early 1960s are online now. Anybody can access them. This is meant to mark the 50th anniversary of his inauguration this month. It was on January 20th 50 years ago. You can access all that stuff at JFKLibrary.org.
CHETRY: Well, we have some breaking news this morning.
Pope John Paul II is now officially on the road to sainthood. A big announcement from the Vatican is coming just moments ago.
John Allen is our senior Vatican correspondent and a correspondent with the "National Catholic Reporter." He joins me this morning.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning. So, when we say Pope John Paul is beatified, where is he in the process of sainthood?
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the next to last stage. Sainthood is basically a four-step process. It begins with a local clause in the diocese where the person is from. Then you move to a decree of heroic virtue, which means they lived a saintly life. Then you move to beatification, which means they have accomplished one miracle in heaven. And then you get to canonization, which is the formal declaration of sainthood.
John Paul is now at stage three, which means that he is on the brink of becoming a formal saint. I think, informally, he's already widely regarded as a saint. But this will be sort of put the bow on the story.
And it also means there is going to be a huge beatification ceremony in Rome this spring, on May 1st, where you will have this veritable river of humanity -- millions and millions of people washing into the city to celebrate the life and legacy of the late pope.
CHETRY: And this is the month of his birth, May, and --
ALLEN: Yes. May is the month that John Paul was born. It is also the month of Mary in Catholic devotion and more specifically, May 1st is celebrated in the Catholic Church as Divine Mercy Sunday, which is a feast launched by a Polish nun who was near and dear to the heart of John Paul II. So, there's something poetically apt about doing that on that day.
CHETRY: Well, he was much beloved pope by millions of people. But this does not come without controversy. First of all, the proof of the miracle that he -- that when he was suffering from Parkinson's prayed to John Paul and then was cured. And that's been called into question?
ALLEN: Yes. That's right. This is a 49-year-old French nun who was suffering from an aggressive form of Parkinson's disease, which was, of course, the same disease from which John Paul II himself suffered, who in 2005, shortly after the pope's death, prayed to him and reported that she had been cured. Now, earlier this year, there were media reports out of France suggesting that maybe she actually wasn't cured. Maybe this actually wasn't Parkinson's disease.
But the Vatican, obviously, feels they resolved those doubts. I mean, this was looked at by a bank of doctors and then by a bank of theologians and by a group of cardinals and bishops and finally the pope himself. So, at least as far as they're concerned, this was the real deal.
CHETRY: There also has been some controversy about the, quote, "fast tracking" of sainthood. That this is a process that technically plays out in much longer form than what's happened with Pope John Paul.
ALLEN: Yes, in many cases, these procedures actually take centuries. This, obviously, has taken only six-and-a-half years. In church law, there is a rule there's supposed to be a five-year waiting period between someone's death and the beginning of the sainthood process. Pope Benedict XVI waived that for John Paul II. That was in response to both the popular demand.
I mean, you will remember those images during the pope's funeral mass where you had the crowd chanting, "Santo Subito," you know, meaning, "Sainthood Now." Also, the cardinals, before they elected the next pope actually signed a petition saying whoever the next pope should be should move this forward. So, Benedict did that.
The Vatican will insist however that aside from getting rid of the waiting period, they follow the normal process. Now, and that may well be true, but they obviously followed the normal process much more quickly than is often the case. And I think that is because at the grassroots of the Catholic Church, this is a foregone conclusion.
I mean, frankly, if you ask the typical Catholic, the question isn't why has this happened so fast. The question is: why has this taken so long?
CHETRY: Right.
Well, we're looking forward to May 1st then. That will be the official beatification ceremony taking place. As you said, they are expecting millions to come out to Rome to witness that.
Thanks so much for being with us, John Allen. Appreciate it.
ALLEN: You're welcome, Kiran.
CHETRY: T.J.?
HOLMES: All right. Kiran, thank you.
I want to show our viewers now some just stirring pictures we're getting out of Brazil, what they have been dealing with devastating flooding. This is just one of the rescues taking place there. Some 500 people have been killed in devastating flooding there.
The pictures you're seeing here, a woman on a rooftop trying to be rescued. She has a dog in her arms but she does not make it through those raging waters with the dog as you see there. It's swept away.
But, again, they've been deal with this flooding after heavy rains. Some 500 people killed so far.
CHETRY: Horrible to see those pictures.
Monday's premiere of "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" is just a few days away. And Piers is already grilling Anderson about things, including his wardrobe -- more specifically, his socks. Why are they white? You'll see it, coming up.
HOLMES: Also, another tense exchange. But this one happened at the White House, between a Russian journalist in the room and the White House press secretary.
It's 37 minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: All right. Forty minutes past the hour.
You may have heard Kiran and I and the rest of us here at CNN, we got a new co-worker. Piers Morgan is moving in. A big debut is coming up on Monday.
A lot of people in this country know him as one of the judges on "America's Got Talent." Jon Stewart apparently doesn't watch "America's Got Talent." He's never heard of Piers Morgan.
CHETRY: If Jon Stewart has never heard of him, there's trouble.
HOLMES: That might be a problem. Piers, what do you think about that?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": I don't know if you saw Jon Stewart when he was recently on CNN. I want to play something he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": By the way, I think they made a brilliant choice by bringing in a British guy no one has heard of. I think that is -- when I'm thinking about floating a sinking ship, what do I want to bring on it, a guy that people are going to tune in and go, who's that? And why is he speaking so funny?
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: What did you think when you heard that?
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": I just heard that last night. David Letterman did the same thing, basically saying this is some guy we've never heard of. And I went, OK, guys, you are clearly the cutting edge of popular culture. "America's Got Talent" has been number one for five years, you've never heard of me. Get with it.
COOPER: I understand, though, you don't like casual Fridays.
MORGAN: I don't get it.
COOPER: And you feel that around here --
(CROSSTALK)
MORGAN: Look at you, for goodness sakes. You are wearing an immaculate suit and then you got the jeans and white socks. I mean --
COOPER: I know. To be honest, I didn't know -- I thought we were shooting at a desk, so I didn't think we were going to be seen.
MORGAN: Whatever the excuse.
COOPER: Which is why I don't like being on a three-shot right now which is we were just on.
MORGAN: Well, I think we should have done a three-shot.
COOPER: Where?
MORGAN: To embarrass -- I mean, my grandmother had three sayings, which is the three important things in life.
COOPER: I know.
MORGAN: Never trust anyone who can't pronounce a lesser "R," who has a large number of keys joggling from his hip pocket or who wears white socks and black shoes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: That's a good life lesson. I thought he said grandfather.
HOLMES: Did he say grandmother or grandfather? Anybody?
CHETRY: Grandmother.
HOLMES: Whoever it came from, good information.
But Piers is going to be debuting on Monday, 9:00 Eastern Time. He got a big lineup. Now, check this out: Monday, Oprah Winfrey. Tuesday, Howard Stern. Wednesday, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Thursday, he's got Ricky Gervais, the guy who created "The Office," right? And then Friday, he got George Clooney.
Coming up, Piers Morgan, check him out (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: You know, Anderson was trying to say, oh, I -- accidentally, I wore white socks. White socks and jeans -- that's his uniform.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: That's what he wears.
Well, this next video is a perfect example of good sportsmanship. Eight-year-old Elizabeth Hughes was singing the national anthem at a hockey game in north Virginia last week when the mike cut out. But instead of just taunting the little girl or booing, this crowd -- this was a nice crowd. They came together, they picked up the song and they finished it along with Elizabeth. Here's a little bit of that.
(VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Does she -- I wonder if she -- does she even realize the mike was out? I couldn't tell by her reaction. But she was down there, maybe she didn't even realize it was out. But that's very cool.
CHETRY: It was.
OK. Here's the end.
(VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Love it. She's adorable. She had a great voice, too.
HOLMES: Yes. I think they're going to have her back.
CHETRY: Yes. They want her to sing next month. And hopefully -- sound check, sound check -- so that we can actually hear her.
HOLMES: Thank goodness that never happens around here, does it, Phil?
Forty-four minutes past the hour.
CHETRY: If it does, Phil is on it.
HOLMES: Phil is on it. Yes, after the fact.
Coming up: a lot of people, you want the iPhone. You have to be with AT&T. Not the case anymore. Verizon is getting into the game. Now, that is apparently about to cut into a lot of that AT&T money.
Also, much of the East waking up frozen, struggling to get above the freezing mark this afternoon. We're going to join Bonnie Schneider. She has the latest forecast right after the break.
Forty-five minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Forty-seven minutes past the hour. Top stories this morning and some hopeful signs about the recovery of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords after she was shot six days ago. Doctors say she's able to move both of her legs on command and that her breathing tube could be removed today, which is considered another huge step forward. We're also that told the congresswoman is aware of her environment and trying to engage in it.
HOLMES: Also, this morning, you may have heard, not just AT&T anymore, Verizon now getting the iPhone. So, a lot of people is saying, so long AT&T. A new survey just out shows that 26 percent of iPhone owners plan to switch in the next few months. Also, from 10 percent to 15 percent of T-Mobile and Sprint customers as well, they plan to head over to Verizon to get that iPhone, too.
CHETRY: Competition opening up. Let's see what happens.
The sandwich giant subway is testing out new gluten-free buns and brownies for people who have wheat allergies. The new menu is now available at 700 locations in Dallas and East Texas. Employees are even being instructed to use disposable knives when they cut the sandwiches to prevent cross contamination with products that do contain wheat.
HOLMES: All right. Coming up on about 12 minutes until the top of the hour. Check in with Bonnie Schneider giving us a look at what's happening in the country. It's been interesting, weather wise, for the past several weeks. Are we starting to maybe be not so interesting for a change in the weather department?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Then, we won't be as busy here in the weather department, T.J. and Kiran. We are definitely looking at some improvements for the east, but what about the west? A series of storms have been hitting Washington State, and we have two landslides yesterday. Take a look at some pictures of what it's been looking like in Washington. Already three inches of rain on the ground. That really caused steep mountainous areas just to cave in.
And there's the cleanup crew working hard. The problem is there's more moisture headed for Western Washington. We could see one to three inches additionally this weekend. Flood watches for this part of the country are posted straight through Sunday. Let's switch gears and talk about more cold weather for the southeast. It's 20 degrees in Atlanta. That means that there is still a very fine layer of ice on the roads and some larger chunks of ice that just haven't melted despite yesterday's sunshine.
We saw refreezing overnight. We'll continue to see the cold temperatures for today, eventually, warming up above freezing, which will be great, and then slowly, gradually, will warm up into the 50s by next week. That sounds terrific. It will also be nice to get some milder weather for New England. Look at the heavy, heavy snow we saw in Massachusetts. This is part of the same system that brought the snow and ice to the south and merged with another system along the eastern seaboard and then just hammered New England.
Fifteen inches in ice from Suffolk County, Long Island, and then, to the north as you head towards the Berkshires. There's a 38.2 inches in western mass. That is a lot of snow and will take a while to get rid of it all. Looking across the country, we have drizzle along the Gulf Coast. Cold conditions certainly for the northern sections of the upper Midwest into Minnesota, Michigan. You will see snow there. And there it is, rain ahead for the northwest.
This includes Seattle. We'll be watching for that. And because of that, we have 30 to 60-minute delays anticipated at the airports there. Also just snow in Detroit may slow you down. San Francisco, delays yesterday were lengthy. Unfortunately, more of that is ahead for today. We could see delays 30 minutes to an hour. But all the delays are out further west today. Interesting. This is the first day this week where we don't have huge delays on the eastern part of the country -- T.J., Kiran.
CHETRY: Bonnie, thanks so much.
Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, they're not just looking good and doing good things. The dolphins are actually really helping out researchers here.
HOLMES: What in the world?
CHETRY: I know. We all know that they're super smart. They are put to the test in a different way using blind folds. Suction cup blind folds from the dolphins. John Zarrella explains, coming up.
HOLMES: Looks odd. And a little later, you probably always think the airlines are getting over on you in one way form or fashion with all those fees. Find out how you can now get one over on the airlines. That's coming up. It's 10 minutes until the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Getting close to the top of the hour here. That was a moment at the White House yesterday that threw a lot of people off, including the reporters in the room because there was one journalist in there, a Russian journalist, who had a tense exchange with the White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs.
CHETRY: Yes. He was asking a question about Saturday's shooting spree in Tucson and whether the freedoms that we enjoy in America might have contributed to that tragedy. Ed Henry is live at the White House. And you were in the briefing room when this question and answer went down, and you witnessed the reaction. What was it like?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was downright strange. It was surreal. I was in the front row, and you could almost, literally, feel a chill in the air because of the exchange, but also, because it felt for a couple of minutes like maybe the cold war have returned to the White House briefing room with the Russian reporter grilling the American press secretary not just about American freedoms, but saying, look, it's certainly American, this reporter said, to have freedom of speech, freedom and right to assemble and whatnot, but also isn't it, he said, you know, American to have a deranged individual act violently.
And that's where a lot of reporters were shaking their head saying what in the world are you talking about. He essentially wanted to have a debate about gun control. And so, take a listen to this exchange with the reporter and a very emotional Robert Gibbs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is -- the Democracy, the freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly, the freedom to petition your government. And many people outside would also say and they quote/unquote "freedom" over deranged mind to react in violent way is also American. How would you speak to that?
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No, I would disagree vehemently with that. There are -- there is nothing in the values of our country, there is nothing on the many laws on our books that would provide for somebody to impugn and impede on the very freedoms that you began with by exercising the actions that that individual took on that day. That is -- that is not American.
There are -- I think there's agreement on all sides of the political spectrum. Violence is never, ever acceptable. We had people that died. We had people whose lives will be changed forever because of the deranged actions of a madman. Those are not American. Those are not in keeping with the important bedrock values by which this country was founded and by which its citizens live each and every day of their lives in hopes of something better for those that are here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: You see that it prompted that strong response from Robert Gibbs saying these were just the deranged actions of a madman. That's a lot further than I think he wanted to go because earlier in the briefing, Gibbs was saying, look, I'm not going to comment on the shooter. Essentially, it's an ongoing investigation. That's what they tend to do from the White House podium, something serious like this, but I think he was so anxious to react so strongly that he maybe went a little bit further.
Now, he also was able to kind of duck the broader issue of gun control by getting into this emotional exchange, and certainly, that may be a legitimate debate that's going to happen down the road. But I think, as you can see, from some of the reporter' reactions around this individual, it was kind of, look, that may be a debate down the road, but emotions are still so raw just a few days after this tragedy that you can see Bill Press, for example, the liberal radio talk show host shaking his head no to this reporter.
He was sitting right nearby, but also saying out loud, that's not true. That's not American that a deranged individual acts in a violent way. That's unfair. And so, I've never quite seen a moment in the White House briefing room where he had that much sort of back and forth with other reporters there -- T.J., Kiran?
CHETRY: Those are remarkable moment. All right. Ed Henry for us. Thanks so much.
HENRY: Thank you.
CHETRY: Top stories coming your way. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY (voice-over): Good morning. Two big breakthroughs to tell you about in Tucson, Arizona this morning. What could be a vital piece of evidence in the case against accused shooter, Jared Loughner. And also, an amazing development in the recovery of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
