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President Bush Lays Out Domestic Agenda; Uncensored Images of Saddam Hussein Causing an Uproar; Farewell Befitting a Favorite Son
Aired January 03, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on this Wednesday, January 3rd.
Here's what's on the rundown now.
Setting his agenda and the tone. President Bush welcoming the new Congress to town as Democrats take charge on Capitol Hill.
HARRIS: A security guard facing questions today about this grainy video, Saddam Hussein taunted on the gallows. Outrage and investigation.
COLLINS: Raw and unedited video-sharing making the Internet a 21st century Wild West. Anything goes.
In the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: The president's priorities. President Bush lays out his domestic agenda as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress. He did not mention his other priority this morning, a new strategy for Iraq.
Kathleen Koch joins us live from the White House.
Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
And yes, that's quite right, the president really focused on domestic priorities in coming out and making these remarks after his first cabinet meeting of the year. The president talked about the need to work with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Obviously, now with Democrats in control as Congress reconvenes tomorrow, saying, "Congress has changed but our obligations to the country haven't."
Mr. Bush issued a challenge to the new Democratic leadership saying -- asking them to "set aside politics and focus on the future." And the president said he was encouraged by the meetings he has had with the incoming Democratic leadership, saying he's hopeful that they can find common ground.
And Mr. Bush in the rest of his remarks, again, focused on domestic priorities, laid out his hopes to balance the budget, to reform entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He called on Congress to cut back on the practice of using earmarks. That's when lawmakers insert into bills special projects that are never debated, they're never voted on by the entire Congress. And the president says that costs the country billions of dollars every year, and often wasteful pork barrel spending.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here's my own view to end the dead-of-the-night process. Congress needs to adopt real reform that requires full disclosure of the sponsors, the costs, the recipients, and the justifications for every earmark. Congress needs to stop the practice of concealing earmarks in so-called report language. And Congress needs to cut the number and cost of earmarks next year by at least half.
To help rein in wasteful spending and restore fiscal discipline in Washington, I call on Congress to give the president the tool that 43 governors have: a line item veto.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: The president will have the occasion to make that pitch in person this evening at 5:30 when he hosts the top leaders in Congress. Both parties here at the White House for a reception. It's supposed to be a social occasion, according to the White House, but it is expected there will be a lot of discussion about the president's new strategy in Iraq that he plans to unveil perhaps as early as next week.
Back to you.
HARRIS: Kathleen, speaking of that strategy and that plan and when the president might make it known to the public, did he mention Iraq at all in his brief comments this morning?
KOCH: No, he did not, no mention of the word "Iraq" at all. He did talk about setting budget priorities so that the United States could -- could meet its most pressing priorities. He said the need to protect ourselves from radicals and terrorists, win the war on terror, maintain a strong national defense.
The president wouldn't even answer a question that reporters shouted about whether or not the execution of Saddam Hussein was handled well. So the president right now staying away from the subject of Iraq. Obviously saving it perhaps for next week.
HARRIS: Yes, it sounds like it.
Kathleen Koch at the White House for us.
Kathleen, thank you. KOCH: You bet.
COLLINS: Uncensored images causing an uproar. The Iraqi government is questioning a guard who was at Saddam Hussein's execution and is suspected of using his cell phone to show the whole thing on the Internet.
Arwa Damon live now in Baghdad.
Arwa, has a crime been committed here?
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, that's a little bit of a gray area. All that we really can confirm from the Iraqi government is that they have detained the individual whom they believe is responsible for shooting that highly controversial cell phone footage of Saddam Hussein's final moments and putting the uncensored footage on the Internet, which has created a huge uproar, not just in Iraq, but pretty much across the Arab world.
It shows Saddam Hussein's final moments where he is being taunted by Shia chants. That has forever stamped his execution as being an act of Shia revenge.
Now, the Iraqi government again is only saying at this point that this individual is being detained and questioned as to specifically as to what his motives were for both shooting and distributing that footage.
Now, we also spoke with an official at Iraq's Ministry of Interior, who said that this guard was an employee of that specific location, which makes him an employee of the prison where the execution took place.
As to what kind of crime the Iraqi government will be prosecuting him for, if any, that still remains unclear. There were, however, rules set in place by the Iraqi government that only the Iraqi government's cameraman would be allowed to film and distribute that footage. And if you do remember, the original version of the footage that the Iraqi government put out ended with the noose being placed around Saddam Hussein's neck and had no audio on it -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Arwa. And we also know, as you mentioned, about the outrage that there are some new demonstrations happening. We saw it in Jordan. And then also now in Tikrit?
DAMON: That's right, Heidi, and this is pretty much the third day in a row that we have seen these types of demonstrations. There are demonstrations in Tikrit, also Saddam Hussein's hometown.
We have also over the last few days seen demonstrations in other Sunni strongholds. And it is rather interesting, because as we are seeing the celebrations at Saddam Hussein's execution really begin to wind down, we are seeing these demonstrations in support of Iraq's former dictator only increasing. Arguably, a lot of it -- a lot of these demonstrations have been fueled by that uncensored cell phone video -- Heidi. COLLINS: Arwa Damon reporting live from Baghdad.
Arwa, thank you.
HARRIS: Slammed by a monster snowstorm on New Year's weekend. Several states in the nation's heartland are still trying to dig their way out.
Clearing roads a big priority in Kansas. Parts of the state actually got socked, just walloped, with up to three feet of snow. Thousands of homes and businesses still in the dark in some areas. National Guard troops and police are going door to door to check on those without power.
In Nebraska, much of the same. Homes, businesses are still waiting for the lights to come back on. Portable generators are helping keep water running and shelters open. Nebraska's governor says damage is worse than he even imagined.
Let's check in with Chad Myers now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: A farewell befitting a favorite son. The people of Grand Rapids out in force, saying final good-byes to hometown hero Gerald Ford.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Jeanne, good morning.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. They are coming and coming and coming. Let me step away and show you this crowd here. They have come by the thousands to pay their final respects to the former president.
As you can see, some of them are older, but many are younger. A lot of children. I've even seen infants here, people who clearly wouldn't remember the Ford presidency. Many of whom wouldn't even remember when Gerald Ford represented this city in Congress.
Why have they come here? Well, a number of them say they want to play a part in history. They don't believe they'll see anything like this again in their lifetimes in the city of Grand Rapids.
They also, though, want to show their gratitude for a man who they think did a good job and stepped up to the plate when the country needs them. And they want to show also their pride.
That was a theme that ran through the memorial service for President Ford yesterday. One of those who spoke, Michigan's governor, Jennifer Granholm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM (D), MICHIGAN: We are proud to see, Mr. President, the down-to-earth spirit you brought to the White House. And we are proud now that we will lay you down in our Michigan earth right here.
Welcome home, Mr. President.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Sometime shortly they are going to cut off the public viewing of the body. The Ford family will come here and they will have private time in the Ford Museum with the casket. How long is up to them.
When that time is over, they will move and the casket will move to Grace Episcopal Church here in Grand Rapids. That's a church with great significance to the Ford family. The family has worshipped there since the '40s.
Gerald Ford's mother, we are told, died in this church during a service. She and her husband both had their funeral services there. Betty and Gerald Ford were married there, three of their four children baptized there.
There will be eulogies there from former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former president Jimmy Carter. And then the casket will be brought back here. It will be brought back to the museum, where there is a gravesite prepared.
There's a wall there with an inscription. It says, "Lives committed to God, country and love." Betty Ford will be buried there, too, when she dies.
Back to you, Tony.
HARRIS: Jeanne Meserve for us in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Jeanne, appreciate it.
Thank you.
COLLINS: Calls to communicate. A new homeland security report sends out a troubling signal. Is your city prepared for disaster?
We'll tell you all about it coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Troop surge in Iraq, solution or setback? President Bush considers sending additional U.S. forces. No shortage of opinions on this topic. We'll hear from two people about how it could all play out.
That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Getting some information into us from Tacoma, Washington. You see some live pictures now. This is at a school. This information coming to us from The Associated Press. According to police there, one person was shot this morning inside. That is Foss High School. Foss High School, in case you know the area.
Police -- one of the spokesman saying that they are now inside the school and are evacuating students. Remember, now, this is Pacific Time, so it is only about 8:15 in the morning. Oftentimes, the start of a school day.
Not sure if the shooter may still be inside. And boy, aren't those pictures reminiscent of Columbine in -- outside of Denver, Colorado.
Not sure if the shooter is still inside, as I said, so they are trying to get everybody out. The goal at 8:00, these spokesmen are telling us, was to clear that school and find out exactly what happened.
That is all the information that we have. Again, according to The Associated Press, out of Tacoma, Washington, one person was shot this morning inside that high school. You see quite a seen there. We will, of course, stay on top of it for you and bring you any new information just as soon as we get it.
HARRIS: Well, President Bush is getting ready to share his new strategy for Iraq. One key part of that plan may be a troop surge with tens of thousands of additional U.S. forces temporarily deployed to Iraq.
We have two guests to talk about that this morning. First, Lawrence Korb, a former assistant secretary of defense, now with the Center for American Progress.
Lawrence, great to see you.
LAWRENCE KORB, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Nice to be with you.
HARRIS: Let me get you on the record here. Where do you stand on this idea of a troop surge in Iraq?
KORB: It's absolutely the wrong thing. You don't need a military surge. You need a diplomatic surge.
If you put more troops in there, as General Casey, the commander over there said, it will increase the Iraqis' dependence on us. It will give them less incentive to make the painful political compromises necessary to bring all of the factions together, and also will increase American casualties.
HARRIS: Lawrence, if you don't do it now, if you don't surge now, you're in for a longer period of time. You're not asking to shorten the amount of time. You're going to lengthen the amount of time that U.S. forces are in country. So do it now, surge. You can't get any political traction until you solve the security problem. KORB: No. Its -- that's absolutely backwards. Until -- you could put a soldier or a Marine on every street corner in Baghdad, but until they begin the reconciliation process it won't make any difference. The only leverage we have is to set a date to get out, which I would argue should be over the next 18 months, to give them the opportunity and the incentive to do what they need to do.
This is no longer an insurgency. We're not fighting al Qaeda. This is a civil war in which the parties have to come together. And we're not over there to referee a civil war.
HARRIS: Lawrence, deadlines are a recipe that essentially set up the government for failure.
KORB: No. Absolutely not. I mean, you have a government -- this government -- you had an election over a year ago. They were supposed to be making these political compromises. They were supposed to be demanding the militias.
They haven't done a darn thing. We already surged back in the fall. And what happened is more Americans died when we surged.
The Iraqis were supposed to send six battalions in Baghdad, along with the extra 7,000 American troops. Only two showed up.
So when people say, well, you've got to train them, it's not a question of training. It's motivation. They're trained, but they don't have an Iraq that's worth fighting and dying for. And until they do that, it doesn't matter what you do.
HARRIS: So tell us again, what's the option? If you're not going to surge, what do you do?
KORB: Well, basically, you say that you are going to redeploy, keep your forces in the area in case you should have an invasion from Iran or Turkey. You also need a diplomatic surge in which you get all of the countries around there who are already involved. But you have to get them to coordinate their efforts, because none of them want to see a failed Iraq that becomes a destabilizing force.
And until the United States sets a date certain, those countries are going to say, well, it's our problem. And in fact, General Casey said we put more troops in, the Iraqis will blame us for what's going on.
HARRIS: It's hard to imagine that Syria and Iran are going to be helpful. Tell us why.
KORB: Well, I'll tell you why they're going to be helpful, because they don't want, among other things, millions of refugees streaming into their country if Iraq should become a failed state. The Iranians who are Shias do not want to see it become a haven for al Qaeda, which is a Sunni group.
Look, their foreign policy is not compatible with ours, but we do have certain common interests. Remember how much help the Iranians are giving us in Afghanistan. Not because they like us, but because it's in their interest to have an Afghanistan that's not controlled by the Taliban, that doesn't send, you know, lots of drugs into -- into Iran.
HARRIS: Yes. And Lawrence, very quickly, you've told us what you think the president should do. What do you think he will do?
KORB: I think, unfortunately, he is going to surge and basically double down his -- down his -- probably relieve General Casey from command and blame him rather than taking the blame himself.
HARRIS: Lawrence Korb, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
KORB: Nice to be with you.
HARRIS: Iraq strategy, still lots to talk about. Next up, another view on the possibility of a troop surge.
Keep it here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Back now to these live pictures coming to us from Tacoma, Washington, where CNN has now confirmed one person has been shot at Foss High School. We are not sure if that is a teacher or a student or some other administrative type official working inside the school. We are working to get more information. But as we say, we will bring that to you just as soon as we get it.
One person shot, we are confirming here at CNN, at Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington. Our affiliate are on it as well. We'll bring more information to you as soon as we get it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Back with me now to Tacoma, Washington, where CNN has confirmed that one person has been shot at Foss High School. That's Foss High School.
We will be talking soon here to the director of community relations for the Tacoma public schools to find out just as much as we can about what happened. But apparently we are hearing here that they are trying to evacuate the school, make sure everybody is out safely.
We see lots of police and lots of students and teachers and school buss and so forth in the parking lot of that high school. So we are going to continue to follow this, of course, and bring you more information, and hopefully an interview here quickly with the community relations director for the schools.
HARRIS: In the meantime, we are talking this morning about the idea of a troop surge, more U.S. forces to Iraq on a temporary basis. A top administration official says that's one idea President Bush is considering for his new Iraq strategy.
Frank Gaffney is president of the Center for Security Policy. He is also a former deputy assistant secretary of defense.
Frank, good to see you, as always.
FRANK GAFFNEY, CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY: Thank you, Tony. Nice to be with you.
HARRIS: Frank, where do you stand on the idea of a troop surge?
GAFFNEY: I can't evaluate it, frankly. Certainly it's premature to say the president is going to suggest it, but it's hard to evaluate unless you know what the purpose of it is.
HARRIS: I think that's a good point, yes.
GAFFNEY: And how long it's going to apply.
My feeling about this is, if the president describes his strategy as one that involves addressing a reality that we really have not discussed so far -- and I don't think this is a civil war we're dealing with. I think it's a proxy war that's going on in Iraq today, primarily waged by Iran and Syria, on the one hand, and al Qaeda, with its Saudi backers, on the other.
This dimension is what I would hope we might address with surged forces, if we in fact have them and the president decides to deploy them, specifically going after the Iranian assets and infrastructure and personnel in Iraq. And then without military means at this point, using our ability to help the people of Iran liberate themselves from a very dangerous regime to them and to us across the border.
HARRIS: Frank, what do you mean when you say that? You seem to be pointing a lot of -- pointing your finger directly at Iran.
GAFFNEY: Well, there is no question. Iran, despite what Larry Korb said earlier, is not trying to work with us to create a stable Iraq, one that will have refugees flows (ph) contained and so on. It's doing everything it can to destabilize Iraq.
It hopes, I think, to colonize it, much as it has already colonized Syria, for all intents and purposes, and is working to colonize Lebanon. Iran is very much the problem here.
HARRIS: Yes.
GAFFNEY: And we've got to counter that in Iraq and across the border in Iran itself.
HARRIS: And if necessary, did I hear you suggest that you would -- you would be in favor of some kind of military --if I go too far, stop me -- some kind of military action against Iran to make the point, stay out of Iraq?
GAFFNEY: I think you are going too far right now.
HARRIS: OK.
GAFFNEY: I would focus the military action where it is necessary, indisputably, and that is inside Iraq right now. The Iranian presence, infrastructure and influence operations there.
Across the border, I think what we could do is use non-military means. Going after in much the same way Ronald Reagan went after the Soviet Union, cutting off the cash flow of the Iranian regime, working to de-legitimate the government and to empower its people to work and hopefully rise up against it.
These are the sorts of things, Tony, that I think would be absolutely undermined, if not completely foreclosed, by this idea that Jim Baker and now Larry Korb have endorsed of negotiating with the Iranians. Absolutely the wrong thing to do.
HARRIS: So you would be advocating an approach to Iran that the Iraq government can't seem to pull off. So I'm wondering, what is the role of the Iraqi government in all of this?
GAFFNEY: The Iraqi government has a very important role to play in this, especially since we are intent on ensuring that it is in fact a sovereign government, one that we are not undermining and we're not is supplanting. This is a very difficult box in which to operate, particularly because members of the Iraqi government at the moment are very heavily dependent upon some of these Iranian financial sources and outfits like Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi army.
These are the sorts of people that we're going to have to help the Iraqi government understand it has to counter. And we have to take steps on our own, I think, to help them counter.
HARRIS: But there is -- there is -- in the final analysis, this would still be a surge to help and buy time for the Iraqi government. If the prime minister, this consensus candidate who didn't want the job and seems willing to give it up at any moment here, can't find the stomach to do the work, why send more American troops in, in to that country?
GAFFNEY: Well, as I say, I'm reserving judgment on it. I want to see what the president says. I want to see what he says he is going to do with them.
But I do think that if we're interested in motivating the Iraqis, which is what Larry Korb said he's hoping to do by basically bailing out on them, I think the better way to motivate them to take the steps that they need to take is to demonstrate our support for them, our willingness to help them, provided they understand that there are certain things that they're going to have to do to enable us to help them, one of which is to cut the kinds of ties that some in their government are developing on Iran, a mortal enemy of this country, and I believe of the Iraqi freedom-loving people.
HARRIS: Frank Gaffney, thanks for your time.
GAFFNEY: My pleasure. Thank you.
COLLINS: Want to get you more information now as we have it here at CNN about the shooting, the school shooting, in Tacoma, Washington. Live pictures coming in from our affiliate there, KIRO. We are now hearing from Patti Holmgren, she's the director of community relations for Tacoma Public Schools that apparently this incident happened, once again, at Henry Foss High School in Tacoma.
A student brought a gun to school, wounded another student, and then ran off. Police are currently pursuing that student. They do have a strong identification. The building is now secure. Busses are coming very shortly to pick those students up and just take them home. Parents can also pick up their students, we're being told.
Police do have the building secure. The students are safe. This is something that we had been hearing about a little bit earlier. They were just trying to get all of the kids out of the school. Happened about an hour ago.
Now remembering that this is Pacific time, so it is about 8:30 in the morning there. School currently under lockdown and that process is all (INAUDIBLE) and secured and all staff are counting heads and making sure that everybody is there and everyone is OK.
You see them boarding the busses that we just mentioned and heading home. A day has been obviously called off in Tacoma, Washington at Henry Foss High School. We will continue to follow this story. Any new developments, we'll bring them right to you.
COLLINS: Good morning, once again everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. And we say it here all the time, the news keeps coming, we'll keep bringing it to you.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, livestock. Looking for a blizzard bailout. Choppers dropping hay again today. Stranded cattle in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: From state house to White House. Outgoing Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney looking ahead. His plans, in the NEWSROOM.
And Pat Robertson says God has spoken directly to him. Robertson's dire predictions for the new year ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: And some breaking news coming to us out of Tacoma, Washington. This is the high school that we have learned that apparently, according to the director of community relations, that a student brought a gun to school and wounded another student and then ran off.
Once again, the name of that high school, Henry Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington. Police are apparently looking for, and in pursuit of, that student. They do have a pretty good identification on him or her. Busses are now there. They have arrived and students are getting on the busses, going home, calling it a day.
As you can imagine. Apparently this incident happened at about 7:15, 7:30 this morning. We want to go ahead and bring in Patti Holmgren, she is the director of community relations for Tacoma Public Schools.
Patty, if you wouldn't mind, run through it for us as to what you are hearing happened at Henry Foss High School this morning.
PATTI HOLMGREN, TACOMA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Apparently, there was a wounding. Someone brought a weapon to school and wounded another person, that I'm assuming at this time was a student.
I have not been exactly briefed by police on exact place or people involved, but apparently the person who brought the weapon then did leave and -- leave campus and police have a strong identification. And of course, are pursuing that, if they don't already have the person.
We've never had this happen. We have 30,000 students in Tacoma School District, 100 years old. We've never had anything like this. But we were prepared because of all the drills we do.
So the school immediately went into secure mode, which means that police, security, administrator and staff count heads, get all students in an interior area that they feel is safe until the police secure the building, search it, make sure there are no other threats and can then release the kids.
Obviously we are sending them home because they're all so upset. We're having busses come in and take them home. And those who walk will be able to do so once the building -- police have secured the area. And parents can start picking their kids up around 9:00 or once the police open that parking lot on the west side of the building.
COLLINS: OK, let me ask you a couple quick questions just to make sure that I'm clear. At this point, Patti, we are not sure whether or not it was a student or teacher who was wounded?
HOLMGREN: Two young people involved. So, I don't have identities or anything else. But, assuming it is one young person brought a weapon to school and wounded another. And has since been taken to the hospital.
COLLINS: OK, any idea of the condition at this point?
HOLMGREN: No, I don't have word on that yet.
COLLINS: OK. We are also looking at some live pictures. This is a very, very big school. It looks to me to be a very big school. You said 30,000 students in Tacoma public schools. But as far as Henry Foss ...
HOLMGREN: About 1,700.
COLLINS: 1,700.
HOLMGREN: And it is an international baccalaureate school, which is unusual, so it is like a magnet school. It draws students in from all over because of its special program and good school. Good student body. Unfortunate incident.
COLLINS: Yes, no kidding. We are looking at live pictures still and interesting, too, that the flag is flying at half-staff, of course, for the passing of President Ford.
And when this happened, boy, it is certainly poignant. Any idea, are police talking at all about what type of weapon was brought to the school?
HOLMGREN: No. No. Apparently a gun, but I don't know anything other than that.
COLLINS: OK. All right. Well, Patty Holmgren, we appreciate your information, the director of community relations for Tacoma public schools.
Once again, one person shot at Henry Foss High School. That student, or that -- we aren't completely clear on whether or not this is a student or teacher, but that person has been taken to the hospital, condition unknown. And police are still pursuing the shooter. We'll continue to follow this story for you.
HARRIS: A communication breakdown. The Department of Homeland Security reporting just six cities in regions out of 75 get the highest grades for disaster readiness. Those top grades go to Washington, San Diego and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Also, in the top six, Columbus, Ohio, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Laramie County, Wyoming, which includes the state capital, Cheyenne. The new report, which comes out in detail today, looks at emergency communication systems. Plenty of cities and counties failing to implement changes recommended after 9/11. With the good comes the bad, as you know. The lowest scores go to Chicago, Cleveland and Baton Rouge, also Mandan, North Dakota, and American Samoa, which is, if you don't know, about 2,200 miles southwest of Hawaii.
COLLINS: New Mexico ranchers in crisis mode. The winter storm that slammed the state now threatening to wipe out thousands of cattle.
KRQE Edie Nulton (ph) reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EDIE NULTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thirty inches of snow pounded Union County last week. Ten to 15-foot drifts have many people near Des Moines and Fulsom snowed in, and their cattle stranded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a serious problem up here. We've had just more snow than, you know, is humanly possible to take care of.
NULTON: Tim Morrow (ph) has more than 1,000 head of cattle. He's been able to use front-end loaders to dig a path to get feed to most of them, but he cannot get to about 200 head on top of a mesa, just west of Capula (ph) Mountain. The cattle haven't been fed for nearly over a week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need help. We're -- the days are numbered for the cattle. They're just -- we're going to have to do something in the next few days or the cattle will start dying.
NULTON: Desperate to take a look at his stranded cattle, Morrow went up in Sky Ranger to check on them. They were stuck but still alive. Ranchers are helping each other dig out. We took one man in Sky Ranger to his bulldozer, which was stuck on top of a mesa. Once there, he was able to start opening up the way for stranded ranchers and make a trail for these hungry cattle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: A message from god. That's what religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is calling it. He says God has told him a terrorist attack on the United States would result in mass killing late in 2007. Robertson tells his TV show talk "The 700 Club," that, quote, "The Lord didn't say nuclear, but do I believe it will be something like that." Robertson's predictions have become somewhat of a New Year tradition. He says he has a pretty good track record, but also points out he's had a few misses.
COLLINS: She's set to make history as the first female house speaker. But Nancy Pelosi's own history also has congressional ties. A trip back in time to Little Italy just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Quickly back to these pictures out in Tacoma, Washington, where we have learned that one person has been shot. Not exactly clear on whether or not that was a student or a teacher, but according to the director of community relations, Patti Holmgren, who we talked to a little while ago, she said that two young people were involved. So we are waiting to hear more information on that. Apparently one person has been taken to the hospital. Another person still on the loose. Police apparently in pursuit of that person, very well may be in custody already. They say they do have good identification on who the shooter may have been. Not sure of the weapon that was used. But I want to bring you some sound now that we have collected from one of the other students who apparently witnessed what happened.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somewhere by the library I think that people came out of their classroom and they heard something that sounded like fireworks. They just saw the kid laying on the ground. That's all we know right now just from, like, things flying around.
QUESTION: What did you see, a girl running out? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I saw a girl running out of the cafeteria just screaming that someone was going to shoot her, and then she ran down the stairs of the courtyard and just ran home.
He grabbed me and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were a few kids that started running, so kind of panicked a little bit and went inside, so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got into the closest classroom we could find and just stayed there until we heard anything.
QUESTION: Did you hear anything inside going on?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't hear anything actually, but...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were a few students who did hear gunshots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Well, you can see the genuine fright on the faces of those two kids. The day has been called off, kids on their way home from either being picked up from school by their parents or on school buses that came pretty immediately after all of this happened. We are told once again by the community relations director of Tacoma public schools that this has never happened before in their history. There is about 30,000 students in all of that public school system, about 1, 700 at the Henry Foss (ph) High School, which we are looking at live now.
So once again we'll continue to follow this. Happened at about 7:15, 7:30 this morning, Pacific Time. We'll continue to follow it and let you know about the condition, as well as the shooter who was apparently at this time still on the loose.
Our congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel is on the phone with us right now with some news out of the House Ethics Committee.
Andrea, good morning.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
Well, as we all know, this is the last day that the Republicans are in power here on the house, and as well as in the Senate. And they're getting some last-minute business done before the Democrats take control, and it has to do with a ruling that was made by the House Ethics Committee, apparently earlier this year, regarding Kurt Weldon, who was the Congressman -- and I guess apparently still is for the next day -- for the seventh district in Pennsylvania. He lost his bid for re-election, and it turns out that the committee had notified Weldon in the middle of this year that a trip that he had taken, along with a number of family members back in January of 2003, was prohibited by the gift rule, and that he had to repay the folks who paid for his trip $23,000. He was notified about this in the middle of the year, and that he had told the committee, this is Weldon, that he would repay that.
Now there is another Congressman who was questioned about another trip he had taken. This one is Florida Congressman Tom Sweeney, also a Republican. He won re-election. This has to do with a trip he took to Scotland in August of 2003. It had to do with reports that were in the media concerning allegations the trip was paid for by the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, rather than the sponsor of the trip that he had reported. In this case as well, Tony, the committee concluded that the trip didn't comply with House rules and that Sweeney has to reimburse the U.S. government over $5,000.
HARRIS: Our congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel. Andrea, thank you.
COLLINS: Quickly before we take a break here, a reminder about the story we're following, Tacoma, Washington. Apparently there has been one person shot at Henry Foss High School. That person on their way to the hospital now. We will learn more about their injuries as the day continues. Also the shooter apparently still on the loose as police are in pursuit of that individual, but they do say they have a good identification. So we will have the very latest coming to you after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Developing story we're following here. Kids on their way home from school because there has been a shooting in Tacoma, Washington, at Henry Foss High School. Busses have already come to pick up several of them, parents as well. They've called the day off. Want to let you know what happened here from apparently a student who may have seen the whole thing. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somewhere by the library I think that people came out of their classroom and they heard something that sounded like fireworks. They just saw the kid laying on the ground. That's all we know right now just from, like, things flying around.
QUESTION: What did you see, a girl running out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I saw a girl running out of the cafeteria just screaming that someone was going to shoot her, and then she ran down the stairs of the courtyard and just ran home.
He grabbed me and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were a few kids that started running, so kind of panicked a little bit and went inside, so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got into the closest classroom we could find and just stayed there until we heard anything.
QUESTION: Did you hear anything inside going on?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We didn't hear anything actually, but... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were a few students who did hear gunshots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We are told one person is on the way to the hospital and the shooter apparently, once again, being pursued by police. They feel they have a good identity on this person, so hopefully that situation will be resolved very, very soon.
In the meantime, outgoing governor, incoming presidential candidate. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts setting up an exploratory committee today.
Here's a quick look at where Romney stands on major issues. He supports President Bush's position on the Iraq War and opposes troop withdrawal. Romney supporting the president's tax cuts. He suggested creating an independent panel to create a plan to reform Social Security. He opposes same-sex marriage and opposes civil unions. As Massachusetts governor Romney authorized the use of state police for immigration enforcement. He supports stronger laws against illegal immigrants and companies that employ them. And Romney opposes abortion rights. He supported them earlier in his political career.
COLLINS: In about an hour or so, CNN news team...
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Lots of stuff. Very busy day for you guys. Very busy day for us, too. We'll get right to it.
A world leader who never lost his common touch. Today in the NEWSROOM we're there in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as Gerald Ford is laid to rest. We'll have continuing coverage of the ceremonies at the Ford Museum. Also talk with people who knew him before, during and after he became the president of the United States.
Make sure you join us in the CNN NEWSROOM today starting at 1:00 p.m.
COLLINS: We will do that.
And CNN NEWSROOM does continue just one hour from now.
But right now, an Anderson Cooper special report, ambush at River of Secrets, the story of four U.S. marines killed in Iraq two years ago, along the banks of the Euphrates River.
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