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Snow And Ice Coast to Coast; Passengers Stranded In Palm Beach; Outrage Overall Funeral Protest; Angel Action Hopes To Protect Mourners; Rebirth for U.S. Automakers; President Obama Heads to Tucson Tomorrow; Winter Storm Brings South to a Standstill; Vice President Biden Makes Unannounced Trip to Afghanistan; New Government Report Warns Oil Spill Could Happen Again; Worst Flooding in Australia in 35 Years; Yes, There Is A Verizon iPhone

Aired January 11, 2011 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you very much, Carol.

If you state isn't under some sort of winter weather warning, watch or advisory today, you're in the minority. At least 30 states are snowed in, glazed over, or soon will be. And even if the ones that aren't, or aren't snowed in, then they're feeling the pain.

Check out Palm Beach International Airport. Palm Beach, as in, yes, Florida. Thousands of passengers are stranded because their flights to or through Atlanta or Charlotte are cancelled. Florida, by the way, is the only state in the lower 48 entirely untouched by snow.

And, speaking of Charlotte, the roads are in worse shape than the runways. And that is still the case right here in Atlanta. And the storm responsible is heading up the eastern seaboard and getting stronger.

And that brings me to our severe weather expert, Chad Myers. And, Chad, I understand this storm is just building and building and building.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. And it's heading to New York City. It's heading to Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Boston. And this is going to be a coastal low. It is going to build strength. It is going to gain steam. It is going to get the warm water -- I know it's a relative term, but warm water from the Atlantic Ocean, and it's going to make a coastal bomb as it runs up the east coast.

Now, it's going to be quick. This thing isn't going to be a five-day nor'easter. It's a one-day nor'easter. But, by tomorrow morning, when you wake up in New York City, there's going to be eight inches of new snow on the ground. More on Long Island, more in Connecticut, probably even more toward Hartford.

And, then, it's going to snow all day, Hartford and Boston. But by tomorrow morning, done for New York City. So, it's there. It's coming again. It has made the big left-hand turn right up the east coast. And it is making problems, again, for more spots. I have a couple of live shots here. There is one from the I-85 in Atlanta. There's five -- we can do these live. Just take them full screen, guys, because we have these shots here. The DOT, Department of Transportation, sending us these pictures. As much as we can get them. As soon as we look at them, literally, they switch back and forth and cars are stopped, not moving at all.

There's what the perimeter, or the beltway, of Atlanta looks like. Nobody going around there very fast. One lane is open in some directions. Other lanes not at all. You're just going to have to try to log on Georgianavigator.com and see whether your road is open or not -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: And, Chad, this is not going to be an ice event up in the northeast is it?

MYERS: For the northeast? No, it's all snow. It's all snow, and it doesn't even start until after dark, and it snows so fast in New York City it will be done by morning, and you'll have eight inches of snow, new snow, on top of that old dirty snow, on the ground.

SAVIDGE: Good to know.

MYERS: So, it'll make it nice and pretty again.

SAVIDGE: There you go. Thanks, Chad. Making the world beautiful.

Now, to the world's busiest airport, once again. Not nearly, though, as busy as it would like to be. CNN's David Mattingly is at Hartsfield-Jackson International right here in Atlanta. And, David, I understand the airlines are at the mercy of the roads just like the rest of us.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Martin. In fact, it's busy enough, here, even though there aren't that many people getting in the air right now. What we saw earlier today, one airline official told us that they had plenty of runways open, here, but they were not able to get enough employees in here to get a lot of flights in the air.

So, what we saw is there were ground crews and flight crews not able to come in and take care of the jets and the passengers that they had waiting. So, they had to cancel some of those flights just for manpower reasons.

Now, right now, as the ice continues to melt, and as everything gets back to normal here, you see this huge crowd of people. Some of them stranded here, in Atlanta, since Sunday.

Delta, yesterday, cancelled 1,900 flights. Yesterday, they cancelled 1,400 flights. They hope to have, what they tell us, a couple of hundred flights in the air today, and these people all hoping that they're one of the lucky ones that are on one of those flights. But everyone now watching this board to find out if their number, their flight number, is coming up. But what we're seeing, right now, is that there are some cities as each hour goes by, more and more indicating that they are a go. I'm just looking up here right now. I'm looking at Des Moines, Detroit, let's see, Lexington, Kentucky. Just popping up all over the place. Flights leaving here, finally, going on to their destination.

But, again, we have seen so many people here that have been here since Sunday. The lucky ones got the hotel rooms, but, at this point, everyone will feel like they will really be lucky if they're finally on a flight to their destination -- Martin. SAVIDGE: David Mattingly, live at the airport. I know the misery well. Thanks very much.

Well, let's go, now, to Tucson, where we just got an update from surgeons who are treating Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

This is day three after surgery for a bullet wound in her brain. A critical day for swelling and a potential dire complication, but, so far, the news is still good.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MICHAEL LEMOLE, UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: I'm happy to say that she's holding her own. Her status is the same as it was yesterday. She's still following those simple commands. We've been able to back off on some of that sedation.

And, in fact, she's able to generate her own breaths. She's breathing on her own. In fact, the only reason we keep that breathing tube in is to protect her airway so that she doesn't have complications like pneumonia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: That is a good sign. CNN's Ted Rowlands is at the University Medical Center. Ted, what more can you tell us?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, actually, during this press conference, for the first time, we heard from some family members of the injured. And one of those family members we heard from was Bill Heilman. His wife, Susie, was the neighbor that took little 9-year-old Christina Green to the Congress on the corner event on Saturday. This was the woman that took her neighbor to go visit the Congresswoman.

He says that as soon as his wife woke up from the anesthesia, she was shot as well in this, she said, "What about Christina?" And, of course, little Christina had already died at that point. Listen to him talk about what hazy memories his wife has, at this point, about what transpired.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEILMAN: So, the two of them were together holding hands, and most of what Susie has shared with me, about the specifics, are on the edges of a morphine-induced haze. So, there hasn't yet been a clear, precise discussion. From time to time, in moments of discomfort, things come out. She's recalling and remembering and having flashbacks of uncomfortable moments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: And one thing that Mr. Heilman did say is that the Green family has been very supportive of them. Christina Green will be laid to rest at a funeral service on Thursday here in Tucson -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Ted, you were at Jared Loughner's initial court hearing, yesterday. And we now understand that all the federal judges there are recusing themselves. Is that right?

ROWLANDS: Yes, absolutely. An order has been issued that there will be no Arizona-based federal judges involved in this case from this point on. What will happen at the next hearing, which is scheduled for January 24th, is another judge, from a neighboring state, will come in and hear the arguments or hear the preliminary hearing and, likely, take a plea from the defendant.

From there, there may be a change in venue. In fact, that is also expected. To a neighboring state, possibly California or Nevada. But one thing that is clear, as per the order today, no Arizona judges will be involved in this case moving forward, of course. That is because judge Rolls was a murder victim in this rampage on Saturday.

SAVIDGE: Right. That's really not a surprise. Ted Rowlands, thank you very much.

Well, I want you to hear a couple of voices now from the life of Jared Loughner. He is the only child of Randy and Amy Loughner, who lived in the same quiet neighborhood for all of Jared's life.

Wayne Smith lives on that same street and says he always knew two things about the Loughner family -- they're extremely private, and the parents are devoted to their son. Last night, Randy Loughner called and asked the Smith -- or Smith, rather, to bring in their mail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell me what other sense you got from them when you spoke to them on the phone?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he called INAUDIBLE that he need help. It was a loud "help me." I said something about Jared? Do you need to know what's happening to Jared? I seen it on the news. He said, "I know everything" and started crying. She's in bed, and she's just broke down, this nervous wreck. And he's in there crying, just walking around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Now, a friend of Jared, who also got a late-night phone call, Bryce Tierney, says that Loughner left him a voicemail just hours before the rampage. Police don't want him to play it in public, but Tierney tells CBS the message is short and telling. "Hey, it's Jared. We had some good times. Peace out."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYCE TIERNEY: It's sort of a very strange, uncomfortable spot to be in, to be -- to know that you were possibly, like, one of the last people that he might have attempted to contact, you know, before doing this. It's sort of -- it's pretty uncomfortable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Tierney says he wonders what might have been different had he answered Loughner's call.

Some new developments in a story that consumed the country for most of last year. Preventable but, almost, inevitable. That's the scathing takeaway from the national oil spill commission's final report on the gulf oil disaster.

According to the presidential panel, human and engineering failures were the immediate causes of the Deepwater Horizon blowout in April, with BP, Transocean, and Halliburton sharing the blame. But the commission, also, faulted what it called, years of industry and government complacency and lack of attention to safety. Among its proposals, tougher government oversight and bigger fines.

Up next, not on their watch. The plan some Arizonans have for potential protests at the Tucson funerals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Many Arizonans are expressing outrage, today, over plans for a protest at Christina Green's funeral. Green was, of course, the youngest victim of Saturday's rampage in Tucson. A controversial church has announced plans to stage a protest at her funeral on Thursday.

Westboro Baptist Church has become notorious for using funerals to publicize the notion that God is punishing America for tolerating homosexuals. I've covered a number of funerals where they have been present.

A member of the Arizona House of Representatives has drafted legislation to protect mourners by keeping protesters 300 feet away. Backers hope to rush it through the legislature so that the governor can sign it today. The protest plans are, of course, drawing widespread criticism from across Arizona's political spectrum.

CNN's John King spoke with representatives from the Republicans, the Democrats, and the Tea Party. You can see that interview on "JOHN KING USA" at 7:00 p.m. eastern, here on CNN.

And it's not just the political leaders that are voicing outrage over the Westboro protest plans. Some Tucson citizens are planning something they call Angel Action. They are using bed sheets to make angel wings, and they're planning to use those wings to shield mourners from the protests. Tucson community activist Christin Gilmer is part of the Angel Action group, and she joins us from Tucson. Thank you very much for being with us.

CHRISTIN GILMER, ANGEL ACTION: Of course. Thank you.

SAVIDGE: So, first of all, I understand that you knew two of the victims. Our heart goes out to you, and, of course, to all in Arizona. And, I'm wondering, just who it was you knew and how you were affected as a result?

GILMER: I think the whole community of Tucson has been, really, directly affected. Even if you didn't know people -- unfortunately, I did lose some people. Even if you didn't know people who were lost in the tragedy, this is a really community-based city. There's a lot of love here. There's a lot of acceptance and tolerance. So, when someone viciously takes the life of one of our own, Tucson's going to respond. And they did so, overwhelmingly.

SAVIDGE: And this idea of the angel wing idea, how did that originate?

GILMER: Well, actually, I've been involved in LGBTQ and HIV rights and cases for a long time. And we know that Romaine Patterson, who is the best friend of Matthew Sheppard, who was killed, viciously, a while ago, knew people would be protesting his funeral. So, what she did was have a large group of people dress in angel wings to completely block the group from being able to affect any of the funeral attendees, so that the families could mourn in peace, basically, so they can celebrate the life of someone without having it filled with hate and ignorance.

SAVIDGE: How many people do you think are going to show up? I mean, what's the reaction been, to your idea?

GILMER: The reaction has been overwhelming. We want only about 30 angels. The reason is Westboro usually has about 15 people, sometimes less. We know they have a protest planned for Washington, D.C. the following week. So, we kind of ended up having 200 people, so far, respond and say that they'll help us build them.

We've had over 2,500 to 3,000 people say that they want to come help us line the sidewalks to the funerals dressed in all white, just having a very peaceful, non-violent, silent protest. So, we're, basically, trying to block any type of messages from affecting this poor girl's family, and, basically, saying, our community supports you, and we are so sorry for you, but we're here for you.

SAVIDGE: I've covered a number of funerals where this group has shown up and they're not only very loud, they also hold up some very graphic signs. And I'm wondering just how exactly do you combat that beyond just using these angel wings?

GILMER: Well, what we're planning to do is -- so there's a group of people, and they hold those signs, which have extremely offensive language on them. It doesn't take many -- it doesn't take a lot to know how offensive they are. So what the group of angels do, these 30 people, we'll cover the people and signs so that if they yell, if they shout, they can't hear it, they can't see it, they won't even be aware that the protesters are there. The rest of them are going to cover the sidewalks and basically surround the entire funeral home as kind of angels surrounding it and just showing that there's protection and there is community support here.

But we will have a silent protest. We actually are building the angels tonight. And tomorrow we're going to have a workshop led by Cat Sinclair (ph), who is this amazing activist, has been involved with Westboro before, and what they're going to do is teach tactics and how to respond to these terrible and vile methods in non-violent and peaceful ways. We're going to do it silently and basically take on an aura of peace. They can't affect us if we don't let them.

SAVIDGE: Christin Gilmer, we're going to continue this conversation next hour. So, thank you very much and I'll be back talking to you.

GILMER: Absolutely. Thank you.

SAVIDGE: We tried to reach the Westboro Baptist Church, by the way, for a comment today, but our attempts to get through have been so far unsuccessful. We'll keep trying.

Chances are if you are not a football fan, you watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Well, when you tune in this year, you'll be seeing something you haven't seen in a few years. That's next in "Your $$$$$."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: What a difference a year or two makes. Yesterday was a big day for the American auto industry. The plug-in Chevy Volt was named North American Car of the Year and the Ford Explorer was voted Truck of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show. Also, Ford announced it will add thousands of new jobs in the United States. Christine Romans, she hosts "Your Bottom Line," and she joins us now from New York to tell us what this all means for the future of the American auto industry -- Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Boy, Marty, you could hardly imagine it a couple years ago, right? We had "government motors." We had a U.S. auto industry, Martin, on the brink. This was a really serious, serious decline of American autos. And now, I mean, by the looks of it, this is an industry that has managed to restructure itself and move forward here with some products that people actually want to buy. And it looks like they'll be hiring.

So, today, you've got a lot of people asking, where are those jobs. In particular, for Ford, what kinds of jobs are they hiring? Where will you see them? It will be 7,000 jobs by the end of 2012. Now, some of these had been previously announced at a Kentucky plant. But 4,000 factory workers overall, 2,500 hourly workers and 750 engineers. So this is also good news if you live in one of these towns around a Ford facility because the CEO of the company says, quite frankly, every auto industry job is up to 10 more jobs in the town amongst suppliers, people who rely on the auto industry. So it will be more than just 7,000 jobs.

And more evidence maybe that Detroit is back. You're going to be seeing General Motors products during the Super Bowl. They're also adding 1,000 more jobs over the next couple of years. Their first Super Bowl ad since 2008. Something you could hardly imagine when this was the much-derided "government motors." And as you pointed out, the Chevy Volt named 2011 North American Car of the Year. You will see the Chevy Volt advertised during the Super Bowl. You know, 3 million for 30 seconds of TV time. GM is back up there. Maybe it means GM is back. We used to say a long time ago, they used to say, you know, Martin, as goes General Motors, so goes America. Maybe it will hold true again someday.

SAVIDGE: Yes. Yes. That -- I mean it's clear that it's very good in the auto industry to see it recover. And just as you pointed out, I mean it wasn't that long ago we actually thought that maybe the auto industry in America was absolutely dead. You say 3 million for these spots? I mean is that how much it is per spot?

ROMANS: That's how much -- that's how much reports are. It is up to $3 million for just 30 seconds. And I will point out, you know, Toyota making some big strides at this auto show as well. I mean to branch out from the North American automakers. You know, some would argue that the Prius and volks -- not Volkswagen but a station wagon version of the Prius. There's some other exciting things happening in autos in general. After two really tough years, people are buying cars again. People are excited about cars again, American and otherwise.

Martin.

SAVIDGE: Real quickly, can I ask you about Goldman Sachs? I understand they're opening their books.

ROMANS: Sure.

SAVIDGE: And I'm wondering is this, what, damage control on their part? They've taken a lot of criticism.

ROMANS: Yes. A little bit. I mean this is part of a big committee that was going to look at ways to -- business standards and conduct of Goldman Sachs. You might recall this company took a bruising early last year in Congress and in the press for seeming to profit in the midst of all of this decline in the American economy and in the subprime housing market. Goldman Sachs promising to be more transparent, issuing a 63-page report about how it's going to do that.

We'll probably learn a lot more when it reports its quarterly earnings next week. CNN "Money" calling it "glasnost.". Will Goldman actually deliver on all of this glasnost? We have yet to see. But it's a company promising it's going to tell us more about how it's made its money so it doesn't live up to that reputation of just being a, you know, a wild gambling salon on Wall Street, quite frankly.

SAVIDGE: Glasnost. I like that. Like that very much.

ROMANS: Yes.

SAVIDGE: Christine Romans, thank you very much.

And be sure to tune in to "Your Bottom Line" with Christine Romans each Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern, and "Your Money" with Ali Velshi. It airs Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sunday at 3:00.

Here are the developing stories we're following right now.

That winter weather that has gripped the southeast, well, it isn't letting go and now it's headed north. People across the south are still snowed in thanks to temperatures that are staying below freezing. Ice has made highways treacherous at best. The bad weather is now headed up the northeast corridor through Washington, into New York and Boston, spreading the misery as it goes. Stay with CNN throughout the day for updated forecasts and warnings.

As Arizona mourns the victims of Saturday's shooting, all district and magistrate judges in Tucson, Arizona's jurisdiction are recusing themselves from the case. They are trying to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Suspect Jared Lee Loughner has made his first court appearance. He did that yesterday. His next hearing is January 24th. A judge from outside the state will be called in for that hearing.

The final report on the BP oil disaster was delivered just a few hours ago and it paints a dreary picture for the oil industry and the government. The National Oil Spill Commission called the spill a foreseeable and preventable disaster. It cited errors and miscommunications between the three companies at the center of the spill, BP, Transocean, and Halliburton. The commission also blasted government regulation as ineffective.

President Obama is planning a trip to Tucson. Coming up in "The Stakeout," our Ed Henry tells us what the president is hoping to do there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: President Obama is heading to Tuscan tomorrow where he is expected to personally offer his thoughts and his prayers to the victims of the shootings and their families. CNN's senior White House correspondent Ed Henry joins me now from the White House.

Ed, I'm wondering, what are we expecting to see and hear from the president tomorrow.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Marty, one thing we know for is the president is going to try to meet with some victims' families. He's already spoken to just about all of them by phone in the last couple of days, trying to give them some solace. But this is obviously a very tricky balance. You don't want to -- the president didn't want to rush in, that's why he didn't go right away. Obviously you don't want to interfere with the investigation but don't -- he didn't want to interfere with the grieving process. and I've seen this before with President Bush in tragedies, now with this president as well, there's such a large, you know, group around the president, the Secret Service, the media that are trailing him everywhere, that the last thing you want to do is sort of be traipsing through everybody's yards right now, knocking on the door, offering solace. They wanted to give it a little bit of time. And so I think what he's also going to be doing, obviously, is speaking at this memorial service tomorrow evening at the University of Arizona.

And, you know, White House Spokesman Nick Shapiro gave us a statement just a short time ago laying out what the president wants to do. He said, quote, "the president thought it was important to visit the Tucson community since this tragedy touched everyone there as well as throughout the entire country in some way. The president believes that right now the main thing we should be doing is offering our thoughts and prayers to those who have been impacted and making sure that we're joining together and pulling together as a country."

You think about previous presidents, like Bill Clinton, who had to face the Oklahoma City tragedy. Many more lives lost than even in this terrible tragedy. And it is pretty difficult speeches for presidents of both parties to step up. President Bush after 9/11. Such a horrific tragedy. And these are very important moments for any president to try to, you know, kind of heal the country in some ways, but also try to bring everyone together, Martin.

SAVIDGE: You and I, of course, talked a lot on Saturday when this was all happening.

I'm wondering how long do you think the president's planning to be in Tucson?

HENRY: You know, I would assume just because of the time since it's -- they haven't put out a full schedule that's why I'm saying I'm assuming based on talking to various officials here, that the ceremony tomorrow night is so late in the evening, 6:00 p.m. local time from what I understand in Arizona, that it's probably unlikely that he would leave that night. It's possible, obviously. But it's possible then that he stays over Wednesday night into Thursday morning. But we haven't gotten all of those details.

But my sense is that he wouldn't spend too much time there because, again, I've seen this with presidents in both parties where there's a fear that you end up kind of overshadowing what's going on. You end up bringing such a large contingent that the last thing you want to do is interfere in the grieving process. So, I would anticipate that he's not on the ground for very long at all, Martin.

SAVIDGE: I just want to switch subjects quickly.

Presidential Obama's faced a lot of criticism from the business community and I understand you had a chance to talk with the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about their differences. HENRY: That's right. I sat down with Tom Donahue a short time ago and it's interesting, he gave, delivered this annual address he does, the State of American business. Obviously a lot of people, not just business owners, but consumers in our audience wondering, you know, what is the outlook for this economy.

And just take a quick look, he told me that he's pretty bullish right now about economic growth this year.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS DONAHUE, PRESIDENT, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Well, we're talking about 3.2 economic growth, and we're talking about 2.5 million jobs. Half of those for new entrants in the workforce, and half to put some people back to work. Those are optimistic numbers.

And we would hope that we're able to do the trade we're talking about. We would hope that we'll be able to take care of some of these regulatory overkills so that we're not dragging the economy down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: So you see him laying down a marker there that he's still frustrated that he thinks the Obama administration's putting out too many regulations that could pull down this economic growth.

But he's trying to kind of mend fences with this White House. They've battled over issues like health care reform. He's now invited, Tom Donahue who's asked President Obama to go across the street to the Chamber of Commerce's headquarters and give a speech on February 7th. And both sides looking forward to doing that -- to do that to see whether or not the business community and this White House, with this whole new power dynamic in Washington, can come together on some of these economic issues, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Ed Henry at the White House. Thanks, Ed, very much.

HENRY: Thanks, Martin.

SAVIDGE: He's been laying low for six months for cancer treatment. But now Michael Douglas says his spirits and hopes are high. More on the actor's recovery and some insight from our Dr. Sanjay Gupta, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Happening now. Much of the southeastern United States still shut down by a winter storm. Hundreds of flights are canceled today. Roads are still covered with ice and snow across the south as that storm moves north.

In Arizona, six of the victims in Saturday's shooting remain in the hospital. Also, all district and magistrate judges in Tucson, Arizona's jurisdiction are now recusing themselves from the case to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

And a report from the National Oil Spill Commission says the Gulf oil spill was preventable. It blamed BP, Transocean, and Halliburton for the disaster, as well as ineffective government oversight.

Six months of cancer treatments were like grueling physical battles. But now Michael Douglas says he's won the war. The actor says the tumor in his throat is gone and he's got the cancer beat. Pretty impressive. But what does it mean medically speaking?

Over to our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, what they typically mean when they say they've beaten cancer is that there's no evidence of disease -- NED, it's called. You get a scan, like a CAT scan or a PET scan and you don't see evidence of disease. No evidence of the tumor remaining.

Now, as most doctors, health care professionals will point out, these tests have a certain limited accuracy. They're very good. But if something, let's say, is smaller than about six-tenths of a centimeter, it may be hard to pick up. And that's why doctors and the teams are going to be vigilant about following up on this.

Now, I want to point out something about throat cancer in general. Throat cancer is a bit of an umbrella term. Throat cancer can mean cancer of the back of the tongue, of the gums, of the larynx, for example, anything sort of in that region. And depending on where the cancer came from, it behaves differently. The likelihood of recurrence is different.

Also, what caused it in the first place. Alcohol and tobacco, for example, are risk factors. Human papilloma virus is a risk factor. What sort of caused the cancer in the first place will affect the likelihood of recurrence.

Now, you know, when you talk about recurrence, the most common location for recurrence is in the lungs. So doctors are, over the next several years, really, next three to five years, are probably going to be looking at his lungs as well as the back of his throat to see if there's any evidence of recurrence. And if so, you know, deciding on a treatment plan at that point.

A lot of people have asked about what is the treatment for throat cancer. Well, he got chemotherapy and radiation. And it can be a very tough treatment, but also can sort of obviate the need for surgery. If he'd had surgery, for example, on his larynx, he would have lost his voice, for example. So chemo and radiation can be a good first line therapy. It can be curative in certain cases.

And in his case it sounds like it did the job, at least in getting rid of any obvious signs of tumor. He'll need to be monitored again for the next several years. Good luck to him.

And Martin, back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Thank you, Sanjay. Vice President Biden's unannounced visit to Afghanistan. We'll tell you why he's there and who he's talking to. Next in Globe Trekking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Time for Globe Trekking.

First, the worst flooding in 35 years. It threatens Australia's third largest city of Brisbane. Officials are urging residents to flee to higher ground as floodwaters rush toward the capital of Queensland State. The swollen Brisbane River has already overflowed its banks. Brisbane's mayor warns that at least 6,500 homes could be flooded by Thursday, when the river is expected to reach 20 feet above its normal level.

In what's being called a safety move, the city's electrical power plans to shut down its massive power grid -- that'll be tomorrow -- throwing 100,000 homes and businesses into darkness.

Despite all this, some residents are pretty stoic about the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 you can't get out of your house and we're more isolated. Then 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: A scene that could replay in Brisbane. Heavy rain sent a wall of water tearing through a nearby town of Toowoomba yesterday, killing at least 10 people. What one official described as an inland tsunami swept away cars, ripped houses from foundations, and uprooted trees. People clung to telephone poles or the rooftops of their homes. Helicopters have rescued some 300 stranded people. A total of 20 people have died in the flooding since torrential rain began falling in Queensland late last month. At least 78 people are missing.

Now to Afghanistan. Vice President Joe Biden is in Kabul on an unannounced visit. Speaking after a meeting with Afghan president Hamid Karzai, Biden said the U.S. training and aid will continue. That's if the Afghans want it after 2014, when U.S. and NATO forces plan to hand over control of security to Afghan forces. Checking our top stories now. A winter storm that's brought parts of the south to a standstill, now heading to the northeast. Forecasters say it will merge with a storm from the Midwest, bringing even more misery to storm-weary northeasterners. At least 30 states are under some form of winter storm watch or warning today. Pretty amazing.

And a court order issued today recuses Tucson-area judges from hearing the case against Jared Lee Loughner to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Loughner is accused of killing six people in Arizona Saturday, including U.S. District Judge John Roll. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition, but doctors say that she is breathing on her own.

A new government report warns that a disaster like the BP oil spill, it could happen again. A national commission that's been investigating the spill says more research and oversight are need to avoid a future disaster. Last year's BP oil spill was the worst maritime oil spill in U.S. history.

Well, in today's "Big I," a simple invention that could make a very big difference. An Oklahoma doctor and entrepreneur has come up with a device that turns your iPhone into a heart monitor.

Take a look at this. The slim case fits into or onto the back of the phone, and then you can press the lower power electrodes on the back of the case against the fingers or the chest. The phone will then show a real-time electrocardiogram on the screen.

It's pretty cool stuff. The question is, is it something we can really use? Well, let's talk to the creator of this new heart monitor, Dr. David Albert, he joins us live from Oklahoma City.

And first of all, thank you for being with us. And how did you come up with this concept?

DR. DAVID ALBERT, FOUNDER & CTO, LIFETONE TECHNOLOGY: Well, thank you, Martin.

Actually, I've been in the cardiovascular device business for about 25 years. My last job was chief clinical science of GE Cardiology.

And so, I have been building sophisticated cardiology devices for a long time, each of those going to university medical centers, hospitals. And I felt that the wave of technology that's been brought to the smartphone with the iPhone leading that wave enables us to bring first world 21st century technology to the third world at a price that previously wasn't possible. So --

SAVIDGE: We're going to get into that in just a minute.

Let me ask you, I know we showed people quickly, but I'd like to see it at work in your very expert hands. Show us how it works.

ALBERT: Absolutely. So just like my stethoscope, I can bring out my iPhone now, and I will start up the application and you will see that I will be showing the electrocardiogram, just taking it from my thumbs. And it should be scrolling across the screen.

SAVIDGE: Right. I think we can see it.

ALBERT: Now, if I was with a patient, it would be on their chest, and I would be getting the ECG, also transmitting it anywhere in the world so it could be viewed by a remote consulting physician.

SAVIDGE: And so that's the key there, I guess. This isn't just for, say, the sports enthusiast who wants to check out how their heart is doing. You see this as real medical benefits far afield.

ALBERT: Well, I can tell you, we've been inundated with EMTs, paramedics, family medicine doctors, cardiologists from literally all over the world who've told us all the different applications quite frankly I never envisioned, from a victim trapped in a motor vehicle when they can't get their regular monitor to somebody in a rural village in China for whom this is lifesaving information, again, in a very small case.

SAVIDGE: All right. How about cost? Because we always worry about medical cost.

ALBERT: Absolutely, and I think that's where we felt like we could make a big impact. Because the cost of this device will be disruptively low. You know, we've told people it'll be less than $100. So we're delivering what previously cost thousands for less than $100. And as we all know, the cell phone infrastructure is the only truly global infrastructure in places that don't have running water.

SAVIDGE: And this will be available not just to doctors but to the general public. And when?

ALBERT: That's correct. Well, first of all, we have to go through in the United States FDA clearance, and that's going to take a number of months. But we will be selling this as a medical product to consumers as well as a consumer product outside of the U.S. under the CE Label, hopefully during the second quarter.

And then, once we get FDA clearance in the United States, we'll be selling it as a medical product here. But it will also go on sale as a consumer product that can be used for monitoring your heart rate, like the conventional runner's chest straps.

SAVIDGE: Seems like an absolutely great idea. Dr. David Albert, thank you very much. And especially with the low cost, truly effective.

ALBERT: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: If you want more information on this heart monitor, by the way, check out Ali's blog at CNN.com/Ali.

Newt Gingrich, he is picking his spots carefully. So where is the potential presidential candidate headed next, and with whom? Your "Political Update," that's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: A Republican with possible presidential aspirations is now coming to the defense of Sarah Palin in the wake of the Arizona shooting. Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar joins us now from Capitol Hill for a CNN "Political Update."

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Marty.

Well, here on the Ticker what we have is a likely contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination who, yes, is coming to defend Sarah Palin. We're talking about Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota governor. While he said he wouldn't have used that graphic that she did with the crosshairs over Gabrielle Giffords' district and other contentious districts going into the midterm election, he says that it's unfair and premature to draw any connection between the mass shooting in Tucson and the graphic Sarah Palin used.

Also, we are expecting to hear in the next few months whether or not Pawlenty is definitely going to be running for president.

And then speaking of potential contenders, Newt Gingrich, former House speaker, guess where he is going to be again? We're talking about Iowa, key presidential primary state. He's going to be there at the end of the month talking to ethanol proponents. He was there just recently in September as well as November and he has said previously we should know by spring whether or not he's throwing his hat in the ring.

And then also on the Ticker, check this out, Tom DeLay, former House Republican leader, bad week for him. He has been sentenced to jail time, three years in jail after a recent conviction for laundering money.

A jury in Texas said that he took corporate donations, funneled them through his Texas political action committee, then through the RNC, and then back to candidates, Republican candidates who were running for the Texas legislature, seven of them. And in Texas, that kind of corporate money is not OK.

He is out, though, on $10,000 bail while he appeals this. And, Marty, he maintains he is innocent.

We're going to continue to track all of these stories on the CNN Political Ticker -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Brianna, thanks very much.

By the way, your next update from "The Best Political Team on Television" is just one hour away. Thanks.

Well, the calendar says January 11th, but for the folks at Verizon Wireless and lots of their subscribers, today sort of feels like Christmas. We'll go live to New York for today's "Odds & Ends." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: For four years now, if you wanted an iPhone you needed AT&T. The carrier struck an exclusive deal with Apple and gained tens of millions of subscribers. The whole time there have been rumors though and reports about a mythical Verizon iPhone, but they've never panned out. Till now.

CNN's Richard Roth joins us from New York with the big news and nobody can tell it to us like Richard. Good to see you.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I can't profess to be a technology expert, but inside this big cavernous Time Warner Center in New York, the big announcement was made, as the president of Verizon took to the stage followed by an Apple executive, not Steve Jobs -- it was rumored he might be here.

But the big announcement was made, it's now not an exclusive arrangement between AT&T and Apple. Now the iPhone will be sold also through distribution channels of Verizon. And the new device was displayed for journalists and research analysts, but they really couldn't contain themselves about this partnership, as Verizon pronounced the big deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOWELL MCADAM, PRESIDENT & CEO, VERIZON: Today, we are extremely gratified, and I can't think of a better word, to announce that early next month the iPhone 4 will be part of the great Verizon Wireless portfolio of products.

Now in our view, our announcement today is bigger than any single device, even one as iconic as the iPhone. What we're really excited about is the great partnership between two technology giants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Consumers can go into stores, Verizon stores, and purchase the new device February 10th, about a week earlier they can preorder online.

One research analyst says there's been a lot of consumer pent up demand waiting for this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GARTENBERG, TECHNOLOGY ANALYST: Verizon customers who have been waiting and praying and holding back their purchase for an iPhone until it came to their network have something to be really happy about. It's going to be an instant hit because there's so much pent up demand here and more importantly it's going to give Apple more carrier presence in the U.S. beyond AT&T.

So this takes an existing product and opens up a lot more customers to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: These phones will cost $199.99 for the simplest version. Then $299, you'll have to pay more for that data and the network. Martin, they were nonspecific on the details as to how many new customers they expect, where this might lead.

But this is a nonexclusive arrangement between Apple and Verizon. So Apple could be joining with other carriers in the weeks and years to come.

Martin, back to you.

SAVIDGE: Richard, is Verizon doing anything service-wise to sweeten the pot and try lure away AT&T customers?

ROTH: Well, they're talking about doing some things they wouldn't reveal. AT&T says it's not overly worried, but they're looking to slash some rates to try to keep their customers happy. A lot of the Verizon customers will be upgrading from existing products, so it's really hard to get an idea of how many new customers.

But this is the big battle still to come. These smart phones, this is where the action is in this business section and space, as they like to say.

SAVIDGE: Either way, Apple comes out on top. They win.

So, all right, Richard Roth, thank you very much.