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Tragedy in Tucson; Winter Storm Strands Travelers; Australia's Flood Crisis; Florida Considering License to Panhandle; Orange Alligator a Dye Job; Ted Williams Back to Work; Pope Says to Avoid Weird Baby Names; Haiti Quake's Smallest Survivor One Year Later; Verizon to Announce iPhone News Today; Marco Rubio for VP?; Auburn Wins National Title
Aired January 11, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. Here's some of the stories that have us talking this morning.
A major winter storm leaving behind a snow-covered south heading up the East Coast now. Warnings in place from North Carolina to New Jersey.
After years of speculation, Verizon expected to unveil the first iPhone. Up until now, Apple's smart phone was only available to customers of AT&T.
Auburn fans celebrating after a thrilling victory in the BCS National championship. The Tigers beat Oregon 22-19 with a last-second field goal.
We begin in Tucson, Arizona. The anguish still raw. The heartbreak all too real. So imagine the outrage when the accused gunman appeared for the first time in front of a camera. And he looked like this. Smiling in his mug shot. And breaking into a joyous almost taunting demeanor in court.
Twenty-two-year-old Jared Loughner faces only a handful of charges related to Saturday's rooting rampage, six people dead, 14 others wounded, and his parents are said to be devastated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAYNE SMITH, TUCSON SHOOTING SUSPECT'S NEIGHBOR: She's in bed. And she's just broke down, just nervous wreck. And he's in there crying just walking around. They're not going to come out.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Not going to come out.
SMITH: You guys can sit here until Hades freezes over. He's not going to come out. He did tell me to tell you guys that when he gets to where he can, right now he can't talk, guys. He can't get out three words without crying.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, let's begin with the latest information on Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
CNN's Ted Rowlands just outside the University hospital there in Tucson.
So Ted, there is some good news on Giffords' condition, right?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Kyra. In that no news is good news in terms of a change. We just -- we're briefed a few moments ago by doctors here at the hospital, sort of an informal briefing. We'll get a formal briefing at a news conference in three hours.
But they say no change in terms of her responsiveness. She's still responding to commands. Brain swelling has not gone up at all. Today, the third day is the most dangerous if you will with brain injury patients. Typically it's that third day where you see excessive swelling in the brain. And doctors say if we can get through this day, it'll be a collective sigh of relief.
So a very big day here for the congresswoman as she continues to rehabilitate but all signs are good that her prognosis continues to be very, very positive as she moves forward.
PHILLIPS: You -- the suspected gunman, Jared Loughner, appeared at yesterday's court hearing and you were able to observe his pretty -- I guess you could say disrespectful and I guess not surprising demeanor.
ROWLANDS: Well, you know, I'll be honest with you. He was very respectful in court. He -- that smile or smirk that he has wearing on his mug shot was absolutely not there in court.
He was seemingly nervous. His eyes were darting around when he first walked in. I was very close to him as he first came in and then he was very stoic. He answered every question the judge had with a very strong voice that started with what's your name?
He gave his name and there was a back and forth with the judge but I wouldn't say that he was anything but respectful in court. Now you look at that mug shot, and that's a much different view of this young man and that was taken directly after the shooting by sheriff's deputies. But in court, he answered the questions.
He clearly understood what was going on. He did not disrupt the proceedings but he did break his silence, as well. Because of course he has not been cooperating with authorities during interviews or attempted interviews. He has invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.
PHILLIPS: And this was the first time members of the media, you actually, got to see him. What was the reaction, Ted, for you and other people there in the courtroom?
ROWLANDS: Well, I tell you, when he came into -- he came in from the side entrance where they have some holding cells and you could see him coming out of the cell as they opened up the door.
He seemed very nervous and seemed like he wasn't sure what was going on at first. And I thought maybe he wasn't going to comprehend what was going on or maybe he would say nothing, or maybe there'd be some sort of outburst. But it was really the direct opposite.
Once he sat down with Judy Clarke, his attorney, she was whispering to him, he was nodding, and then you understood that he did get what was going on and then when the judge took the bench he absolutely understood what the judge was telling him. In fact the judge started by saying, I want to ask you some questions, you don't have to answer any of them.
But Loughner answered each and every question the judge had, including the question when the judge said you realize you can get the death penalty for this, he said, yes.
PHILLIPS: All right. Ted Rowlands, covering the story for us there out of Tucson.
Ted, thanks.
Police say the suspected gunman had met Congresswoman Giffords at a similar event just a few years back and her staff had no clue that he posed a threat. In fact Giffords' campaign manager says the Democrat seemed an unlikely target for anyone because she was well-known for her moderate views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE MCNULTY, REP. GIFFORDS' CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Quarterly ranked all the Congress persons 1 to 435 and ranked her 217. She is not just a centrist, she is the center. She is the fulcrum of American politics. She is what people fear that there are no more of. People are flinging to the left and the right and Gabby Giffords stands staunchly in the center, and here we have someone's put a bullet through her brain.
The center is in trouble.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: President Obama will head to Tucson tomorrow in a show of solidarity. He's scheduled to attend a memorial for the victims. Yesterday the president led the nation in a moment of silence.
Sympathies also being extended on Capitol Hill beginning this hour. Lawmakers, staffers and visitors can sign books of well wishes and condolences. They'll be set up in the rotunda for the rest of the week.
Well, the east and northeast are the target sites for a blistering storm that's already paralyzed much of the south. Up to 14 inches of snow remain in some areas of Alabama and Tennessee. North Carolina also feeling the crunch of ice and snow.
Several southern states under states of emergency, and many interstate highways closed or blocked due to the ice. This is actually a live shot from the Georgia Department of Transportation. Big rigs just sitting there on the interstate in Atlanta.
Jacqui Jeras has been talking a lot about the storm's impact and its direction. And can we drive home yet?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I wouldn't recommend it. If you don't have to.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
JERAS: Especially not with babies in your belly.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Thanks, mom.
JERAS: You don't want to do it. I know. You know, and the problem is, you know, look how cold we are still. You know even though for the most part the freezing stuff has stopped across the Deep South, we've got a little bit of light fog and some freezing mist. And that will produce a little bit more of an ice deposit on the streets.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JERAS: Not that it's so much snow accumulation for you but if you're trying to travel we've got issues at the airports. We've got delays, ground stop now in Miami. That's a fog issue.
Here's the delay in Chicago because of the snow. Two and a half hours. And Tulsa reporting some delays of around 35 minutes. And last but not least, let's show you this storm as it pulls up the coast. The greatest intensification with this storm is going to occur overnight tonight and into tomorrow morning. And we could be talking over a foot of snow for folks in the northeast -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Boy. All right, Jacqui. Thanks.
And as Jacqui mentioned, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, this is what it looks like right now. Not a good scene for folks that want to be flying today.
David Mattingly is actually there looking at the nearly 3500 flights that have been canceled since Sunday. So what are the stranded passengers doing? Are they just camping out in the airport, David?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we've seen passengers here stranded, some of them for two days now. Yesterday and today.
Delta, the largest carrier here canceled 1900 flights yesterday, 1400 flights today, but the good news here is that Delta will have a couple hundred of flights getting out later today.
Now the problem, we talked to one airline official from one of the airlines here and he tells us that the problem they're having isn't so much the conditions here at the airport because they've got four out of the five runways open and ready for business. Completely capable of handling all the traffic that comes in and out of here.
But the problem they're having is getting employees from their homes to the airport. They just can't get to work on the roads here in Atlanta right now. So they don't have the people, they don't have the ground crews, in some case they don't have the flight crews to get on these planes and get them in the air.
And that's why you see so many people on the ground, a lot of these people here actually trying to make arrangements to make up for that flight that was canceled, hoping if they get out later today. But right now it's not looking too good.
Just take a look up here at the board. Canceled, canceled, canceled, canceled. They're looking at later this afternoon that a lot of these cancelations will start to change and they'll start to get back to normal here, but it is going to be trickling out.
So, Kyra, tell me where you'd like to go and let's see if that's a good spot.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I just want to --
MATTINGLY: Plenty of -- plenty of choices here.
PHILLIPS: I just want to go home, David. I just want to be able to drive about 10 miles north.
(LAUGHTER)
MATTINGLY: Tell you what. We can get you to Minneapolis.
PHILLIPS: Oh, that's perfect.
MATTINGLY: We can also get you to JFK. Oh look. Oh look. There's one to Cancun.
PHILLIPS: OK. Now you're talking.
MATTINGLY: There's one to Belize City.
PHILLIPS: OK. Belize. That'd work.
MATTINGLY: But -- as you could see so many of those flights up there just canceled and so many people here sitting on the ground just having to wait. The lucky ones were able to get hotel rooms. And yesterday the crowds of people sleeping in the airport were a lot bigger than what we saw coming in this morning.
One of the few things we observed, the airport authority here actually went through passing out blankets to people who were sleeping in the atrium, trying to make everyone as comfortable as possible in a very uncomfortable situation. So, again, Delta alone telling us they're going to have a couple of hundred flights going out today. Expect to see more tomorrow and see this -- this, the nation's largest airport, getting back to life in the next 12 to 24 hours.
PHILLIPS: You know, you're bringing back good memories with Belize. Backpacking as a teenager. Sleeping in a hammock on the beaches there. You're taking me back, David. Now you've got me excited. I might have to join you.
MATTINGLY: All right. If you can be here at 11:00 that flight can be yours.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: OK. David Mattingly, thanks so much.
Well, it's not snow but rain that's taking a toll on Australia right now. A violent rush of water sweeping across the state of Queensland in the eastern part of the country. Cars, trees, bridges just washed away. Ten people now reported dead. At least 78 others still missing.
These floods have been a problem for weeks, too. And now they're threatening Brisbane, the third biggest city in the country. Another very real concern, supplies. Right now only helicopters are able to get to the tens of thousands of residents who are stranded.
Phil Black is bringing us up to speed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The site of Queensland was preparing to move from crisis to recovery when the situation deteriorated sharply. The death toll is expected to rise from flash flooding in the town of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, with thousands of people still missing.
Locals describe a wall of water that rushed through the town with pretty much no warning. Cars were tossed about. Buildings and structures moved. People swept away. And they scrambled on to roofs, grabbed on to whatever they could just to survive.
Now the water from that flood event is partly responsible for what is going to be the next stage in the flood crisis. The state capital Brisbane is now under threat. The Brisbane River has broken its banks. More than 30 suburbs have been warned that they will be flooded. That's a total of more than 6,000 homes. Understandably, locals are feeling a little anxious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not too frightened. You know? I think probably tomorrow I will be if we lose power, there's no electricity, things like that. And then you can't get out of the house and we're more isolated and it will be a bit more scary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1974 it was a mad mixture of caravans and stock, when I say stock, I mean animals, swimming animals, and fractured homes. And all manner of debris. We're seeing a little bit of that now.
BLACK: 1974, Brisbane suffered a major flood that killed 14 people. This time, the flood levels are expected to be even higher. The forecast for the coming days is still more heavy rain.
Phil Black, CNN, Brisbane, Australia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, if you're an iPhone addict, this story will really grab you. Verizon, iPhone, no longer flirting but walking down the aisle.
And the Pope makes a plea. Please don't name your newborn Maxi Crimefighter or Sage Moonblood when Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are available. A little twist to the name game in our "Talker" segment today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC - "Baby It's Cold Outside)
PHILLIPS: A license to beg. One county in Florida actually considering it, and it tops the look Cross Country this morning. In Tampa, Hillsborough County officials thinking of requiring licenses and mandatory safety training for street corner solicitors.
It came up in a series of meetings trying to stop or at least slow the growth of panhandling. Attorneys told county officials that concept may not be legal. Newspaper vendors and charities aren't too thrilled about the idea, either.
Well, from nearby Venice, Florida, remember that orange-colored alligator that we showed you last week? Skeptics, which now include Florida's Fish and Wildlife Commission, think that the reptile may not be an albino but, rather, a dye job. Or could out in be muddy. The mystery lives on.
Another update worth mentioning. Remember Ted Williams, the golden- voiced homeless guy discovered just a few weeks ago? He's back among the ranks of the gainfully employed. His first voice-over spot aired Sunday for Kraft macaroni and cheese. Let's hear you, Ted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED WILLIAMS, VOICE ACTOR: Kraft home-style macaroni and cheese. Cheesy noodles topped with golden-brown bread crumbs. You know you love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And we love it. I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of our buddy Ted. Pope Benedict XVI is our Talker today. He's asking parents to please, please, please give your newborns a Christian first name. We're thinking the pope's not a big fan of these celebrity kid names, like Kal-El Cage, or Pilot Inspektor Lee. Can't forget Gwyneth Paltrow's little Apple, or Moon Unit Zappa. And this list just wouldn't be complete without Jermajesty Jackson. That's Jermaine's son.
Guess the pope doesn't want to put St. Peter in the position of saying, "Hey, Dweezil, welcome to Heaven," when there are more traditional names out there. Let's talk about it with Zain Verjee. Zain, what brought all this on?
(LAUGHTER)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's all about what's in a name and what it represents for the pope. And this is a big deal for him, he's really serious about this. He wants parents to name their kids with good, solid Christian names. What he's saying is that it would be an indelible sign from the Holy Spirit, that a good Christian name would also protect family life. And a name is also about a journey of religious faith.
He wants families to forget about all of those celebrity names, because they all inspire a rollover effect around the world, and all of a sudden, there are thousands of Apples and Jermajestys -- Jacksons.
And so, this is actually coming, Kyra, just -- almost immediately after the Beckhams, right? Announced that they're going to have their fourth child. They have three. Brooklyn, Cruise and Romeo. Now, I don't think the pope would really like the first two, but "Romeo" is actually Latin for "pilgrim to Rome," so I think that one would be OK.
I know that you're expecting twins and you're working on names, Kyra. I don't think the pope would approve of Fifi, Trixabell or Pixie.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Are you considering those?
PHILLIPS: Oh, you don't like those? That's exactly what I was thinking about.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Actually, one that I am thinking about means "prophet," so let's see if you figure it out. So -- but what about -- what does "Zain" mean?
VERJEE: Ah, "Zain" is actually Arabic for "to adorn, to dress up, beauty." That kind of a thing so --
KYRA: How appropriate.
VERJEE: I don't think that -- oh, Kyra. Well, you know, the pope actually is going more for the Matthew, Luke, John type of names, and I just came across an interesting report, Kyra, and it said that there are countries like Denmark, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and Argentina that actually have a name of -- a list of names for kids that are approved. So, if you come in and say "I want Fifi Trixabell," or "I want Damion," it may not be on the list. And so, you can't name your kids that. Portugal has actually banned names. Lolita, Maradonna, Mona Lisa and Kyra.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: No! Are you serious?
VERJEE: I was kidding about the last one.
PHILLIPS: Did you just throw that in there?
VERJEE: No --
PHILLIPS: I knew you --
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I'm thinking, that's really uncool. It's a nice -- does this mean that you and I aren't going to heaven because we don't have these Christian or traditional names?
VERJEE: No. Heaven is waiting to embrace us, Kyra. They would have a lot of fun with us. And what does "Kyra" mean, by the way?
PHILLIPS: It's actually -- it's Persian for "sunshine," and it's also a -- it's also an Irish saint, That saint has been turning in her grave ever since she found out I was named Kyra.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: No. You are sunshine, and you are a saint. Sometimes.
PHILLIPS: Well, you are beautiful, so now that we'll move on with our love fest. Great to see you, Zain.
VERJEE: Sure. You, too, darling.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, tell us what you think about Christian or traditional name? What do you think is best? Send me a tweet @KyraCNN. Tell me if you gave your child a really different name and why. And tell me what it means, too.
Well, she was Haiti's smallest survivor. A two-month-old child crushed beneath the rubble. We're actually checking in with Baby Jenny a year later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a year ago tomorrow, we watched Haiti crumble. We shared the stories of heartbreak as the people literally dug out from that devastating earthquake. But amidst the rubble, there definitely was a tiny miracle. A beautiful baby girl who defied all odds and became a symbol of hope and survival. Well now, a day before the anniversary of the deadly quake, Baby Jenny is reunited with the woman who saved her, and our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This baby, Jenny Alexis, was nearly dead. Her head and chest crushed, she was stuck in the rubble for four days without anything to drink. Two months old, separated from her parents, all alone.
Amazingly, someone found Jenny and brought her to a hospital where pediatrician Karen Schneider fought to save her. She rushed her to Miami, but had little hope she'd survive.
A year later, that baby once on the brink of death --
JENNY DEVILME, QUAKE SURVIVOR: Baby.
NADINE DEVILME, JENNY'S MOTHER: Baby.
COHEN: Is thriving. Today, she's perfectly healthy.
(BABY BABBLING)
NADINE DEVILME: Love you, Baby Jenny.
JENNY DEVILME: Mama.
COHEN: Talking, walking, just like any 14-month-old.
NADINE DEVILME (through translator): "It's a miracle," Jenny's mother tells me. "I want to thank the doctors and God."
COHEN (voice-over): Nadine Devilme has thanked God countless times over the year for saving Jenny's life, but she's never met Dr. Schneider to say "thank you."
Then last week, by chance, I got this e-mail from Dr. Schneider, wondering how Jenny was doing. We decided to go see her together in Miami.
COHEN (on camera): Are you excited to see her?
KAREN SCHNEIDER, DOCTOR, JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL: Absolutely. Because she's definitely one of the success stories.
DEVILME: Hello.
SCHNEIDER: Hello. I'm Dr. Karen.
DEVILME: Hello.
COHEN (voice-over): Jenny is taking her afternoon nap when we arrive.
SCHNEIDER: Gosh, she's so big. DEVILME: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: I was so afraid she was going to die. But she did good.
COHEN: Finally, a year later, Nadine has her chance.
DEVILME (through translator): "I always wanted to meet you," she says. "For me, it's just a great thing to be able to say 'thank you' to you."
SCHNEIDER: Well, you're welcome. You're welcome. She's a miracle baby.
DEVILME: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: Because for almost four days she had no fluid and, yet, she survived. So I've always said God has a special plan for her.
COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: A possible outbreak of cabin fever in the South. It looks like the snow, ice and cold going to keep people at home or in the hotel, or on the airport floor for another day. We'll have more on that, plus the next stop for that winter storm.
And a Verizon iPhone. Rumor has been floating out there for years. The reality arrives later this morning, and the wireless trash talking is going full steam.
(MUSIC - "Call Me")
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: 9:30 on the East Coast, 6:30 out west. Here are some of the stories that made us talk this morning
U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan past 2014 if the war torn country needs them. That's what Vice President Joe Biden said after meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Biden is in the country to gauge security ahead of the planned troop withdrawal starting in July.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Doctors say she's holding her own in critical, but stable condition, after she was shot in the head on Saturday. She's responding to verbal commands. She even gave them a thumbs up. Meanwhile, the alleged gunman you see there on the other side of the screen, Jared Loughner appeared in federal court yesterday. His head completely shaved. If convicted of murder he could face the death penalty.
And Dr. Conrad Murray told officers that a sleepless (ph) Michael Jackson begged him for Propofol just hours before the singer died. New details from a police interview are coming to light. Part of a preliminary hearing in the involuntary manslaughter hearing. Murray told police he eventually gave Jackson a surgical anesthetic. But, a defense lawyer planted the seed a frustrated Jackson might have poured the fatal dosage right into his juice and drank it.
Well, it's that time of year when corporate America starts to report those quarterly earnings. You can hear the bell there on Wall Street. Today, the numbers starting to come in and the early results not too bad.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
If you love your iPhone, this might be your hottest story today. Verizon and iPhone after years of flirting, finally connecting. CNN's Christine Romans, of course, is all over it.
This is pretty big news, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know. And I love that you use Blondie "Call Me" on the way into the break. That really got me thinking. Because, think, when that song came out, we never could have imagined all of the speculation about iPhones and all these gadgets we have, right?
But this is the Verizon iPhone calling at 11:00 a.m. on 1/11/11 -- isn't that Apple? We're expecting to see that Verizon, indeed, will have the rights to have a Verizon iPhone. What does it mean? Well, it means many analysts say, maybe 9 million to 12 million iPhones by Verizon in 2011. You know, AT&T sold more than 11 million of these things, just in the first 9 months of this year. So it's an incredibly popular product.
And, as you know, many of the people who have the iPhone, all they can have is AT&T service. There have been complaints that the data hog iPhone has been hard to use. It gets very poor ratings from some of the consumer agencies. Consumer Reports most recently giving a very poor rating to AT&T because of with call dropping and the like.
So, still some big questions about whether Verizon can do any better. Verizon has said it has spent billions of dollars upgrading its own capacity so that it can handle it. It's unclear whether you'll be able to chat and surf at the same time if you're using the old 3G CDMA technology. You might not be able to chat and surf with your Verizon iPhone. But the officials of this company say, absolutely, we can handle this traffic.
Another thing here, AT&T immediately coming out of the gate and battling back saying, look, we're battle tested at AT&T. We don't think Verizon can do the job that we can. The iPhone is built for speed, Kyra. I'm not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane.
Unclear when you'll be able to get the Verizon iPhone. Unclear if Verizon will be able to do a better job of these customer service issues than AT&T. Also, we'll see what the kind of data plans look like. Right now on Verizon, you have a $30 unlimited data plan. We think that that's probably what you're going to be able to get with the iPhone. This is what the AT&T plans look like -- $15 for 200 megabytes and $25 for 2 gigs.
I love it.
PHILLIPS: I was trying to -- let me see if I can bring it up again. My computer is so slow. You mentioned, you know, Blondie's "Call Me," and cell phones, you know, from the '80s. All right. I'm trying to bring it up. Boy, my computer is slow.
Here we go. All right, Robert, take a shot. This is what the cell phones looked like, Christine, in the early 1980s. Take a look at this. When Blondie's song was released "Call Me," in 1980, I guess it was about 1983, The big brick was released. There it is.
ROMANS: And about 10 people had it.
Exactly! and they were darn expensive, too. Thanks, Robert.
By the time we retire, they will be a microchip and talk to each other. We won't have anything, a device.
PHILLIPS: Exactly. And they were darn expensive, too.
ROMANS: I'm telling you, by the time we retire, there will be a microchip in the back of your -- we'll just talk to each -- we won't even have anything -- a device, right?
PHILLIPS: Exactly. We'll just be able to think about each other and have this, you know, communication via the brain waves.
All right, Christine. Thanks a lot. Thanks for playing. That did take us back a long time ago.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Well, the south takes it on the chin while the northeast waits for its turn on the severe weather merry go round. The question this morning: will New York and the region get a repeat of the paralyzing storm that hit the first week of the new year? We'll tell you, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well that powerful winter storm left behind a paralyzed south and it's moving into the east and the northeast right now, still churning fears of repeat of the nasty storm that hit New York the first week of the year. Remember that?
Well, states from Arkansas to North Carolina are also trying to dig out of the crush of ice and snow. Several remain under states of emergencies. And then many interstates are closed or blocked due to the ice. The live shot actually shows you several big rigs still just sitting on the Interstate right here in Atlanta, Georgia.
(WEATHER REPORT) PHILLIPS: Marco Rubio hasn't even taken a vote as a senator yet but there's a buzz about him being a vice presidential candidate. We're going to tell you what he's saying about that.
And the kick is good. Auburn wins the national title on the last play of the game. We're going to take you live to the site of the BCS championship.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay heading to prison. Our senior political editor, Mark Preston, with that at our Politics.com desk -- Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Kyra. Good morning.
Yes, Tom Delay, one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress in the late '90s, some would say he was the most powerful Republican in the nation, was sentenced yesterday to three years.
Now, he was found guilty late last year for being -- for money laundering and conspiracy. And what this does is this dates back to 2002 when Delay had funneled $190,000 in corporate donations through his Texas-based political action committee.
He's given that money to the Republican National Committee, so the Republican National Committee in turn then made donations to seven Republicans running for the state legislature in Texas. Such a transaction is illegal under state law. Yesterday, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
He is appealing that, Kyra. So that case is not yet over.
Marco Rubio, one of the -- certainly a -- a rising star in the Republican Party, some would say the biggest rising star in the Republican Party, he is from Florida. He defeated a popular Democratic Congressman and of course, Charlie Crist who is the Republican turned Independent governor in Florida to win the Senate seat back in November.
Well, Marco Rubio is telegenic; he's very personable and he's Hispanic so a lot of people think that he can play the role for the Republican Party, reaching out to Hispanic party, Hispanic voters.
Well, in addition to that, some think that he could run for vice president. Well, he has shot down those rumors; he says that he wants to be a Senator from Florida. That's all he's wanted to be. So, Marco Rubio shooting down that speculation.
And shortly we are going to hear a major business address here in Washington, D.C. Thomas Donahue from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is going to deliver the state of the American business. Among the many things he's going to say is that the U.S. needs to expand trade. They need to spend more money on infrastructure. And he's also going to talk about how businesses can help support Congressional efforts to reduce the debt and the deficit. So, a major speech today by one of the most powerful business leaders in the country -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Mark Preston, I appreciate it.
We'll have your next political update in an hour. And a reminder: for all the latest political news, go to our Web site at CNNpolitics.com.
But first, "Flashback". This day in 1964, Johnny Cash, "Ring of Fire" became the first country album to top the U.S. pop album chart. How about some real old school crossover?
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PHILLIPS: We've got a lot of developments for you in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. First, Ted Rowlands live in Tucson with the latest on that shooting rampage and Jared Lee Loughner -- Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we'll have the latest on Loughner. We're also getting some insight on what his parents are going through. Plus, of course, we'll have the latest on the condition of the Congresswoman as she continues to fight for her life. That -- coming up at the top of the hour.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. The southeast still reeling from a winter storm which is now going to ride up the coast; Find out how many inches of snow you're going to be seeing. That's coming up in your forecast.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm David Mattingly in Atlanta. If you want to fly out of the world's busiest airport today, be prepared to stand in a very long line. I'll have the details coming up in the next hour.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, guys.
And President H.W. Bush leaves President Clinton a private letter, a little old president to new president secret advice. That letter never seen before is re-opened. We're going to find out what Bush 41 told the new guy from Arkansas nearly 20 years ago, long before they started working together.
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PHILLIPS: Auburn's Michael Dyer has the play of the season in last night's BCS Championship. It looks like he's down but no, no tackle, no whistle. Dyer just keeps running for 37 yards and puts Auburn in position to win the game.
Let's check out some more highlight from the game. CNN's Mark McKay covering it; he joins us live from Glendale, Arizona. Hey, Mark.
MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Yes we were expecting an offensive downpour here in the Arizona desert. But as it turned out we had a scoring drought. We all got it wrong but as it turned out it was one fantastic national championship game.
Let's you show some highlights. We pick it up in the first half of this game, Oregon quarterback Darren Thomas going downfield. He finds Jeff Mail for the 81-yard pickup. That sets up the Oregon two-point conversion. The Ducks lead 11-7. Back come Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers. The Heisman Trophy winner avoiding the sack, finding Aubrey Emery Blake wide open, a 30-yard touchdown strike. Auburn now leads 16-11.
Auburn held the lead for most of the second half. But Oregon came back. Thomas to LaMichael James, a two-yard touchdown and that led to a two-yard conversion, a two-point conversion, game tied at 19. You saw the play just before they came to us; Michael Dyer appeared to be tackled. He never was.
A 37-yard gain and that led to that chip shot field goal from (INAUDIBLE) 19 yards out, Auburn national champs for the first time since 1957. For Cam Newton this caps quite a season.
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CAMERON NEWTON, AUBURN QUARTERBACK: I'm a blessed individual. And, you know, it wouldn't have got done without these guys that's sitting on the left and right of me. And you know, I'm not up here to take up all the time. I don't want nobody to feel sorry for me, because you know they're out this year, didn't nobody feel sorry for Auburn. And you know we got the last laugh.
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MCKAY: They certainly did. The Auburn Tigers, now Kyra, the fifth straight team out of the southeastern conference to win this championship and that trophy, the crystal globe, it stays in the State of Alabama as the Tigers follow up the Crimson Tide, their arch rivals by the way, the Crimson Tide a year ago.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well Mark now that they've won it, with all the issues surrounding Cam Newton, do you think they're going to keep it?
MCKAY: We'll have to see about that. As you mentioned, plenty of issues. This was quite a season for Cam Newton. He was able to stay focused, keep his team unbeaten through the national championship game. We'll have to see how all this plays out as the investigation does continue into Cam Newton.
Of course, he was asked the obligatory are you going to the NFL on the postgame news conference last night, Kyra. Cam said he's going to think about it and he'll have an answer for us in the coming weeks.
Right now, that young man with quite a smile is smiling brightly this morning, isn't he?
PHILLIPS: Yes, is he. Mark thanks.
