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Day Two of President Bush's Trip to Canada; Peterson Sentencing; Brokaw Signing Off
Aired December 01, 2004 - 9:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A cold and frosty morning in Canada as the president delivers his warmest thanks to some kind neighbors.
Jurors brought to tears in the Scott Peterson trial as Laci Peterson's mother confronts her son-in-law.
A national catastrophe in the Philippines. Floods killing hundreds. And now a typhoon is on the way.
And that computer chip in Ken Jennings' head finally locks up. His amazing Jeopardy streak is over on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: And good morning. Welcome, everybody. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. Miles O'Brien, though, filling in.
Nice to have you -- very much.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Great to be here. Thank you very much.
A senator investigating corruption at the U.N. says it is time for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to step down. Obviously a Cafferty fan. Norm Coleman says the most extensive fraud ever at the U.N. happened under Annan's watch. We will talk to Senator Coleman in a minute about what he's learned in his investigation.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you posited it yesterday, then Senator Coleman followed up with Jack's, you know...
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Trendsetters, we, on AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the changing of the guard at "NBC Nightly News." Tom Brokaw's last newscast is tonight. We're going to talk about his remarkable career and this remarkable moment in television journalism with another guy who's seen a whole heck of a lot, Jeff Greenfield.
Hello.
CAFFERTY: Hi there.
Plastic sheathing, duct tape and a color-coded alert system. The old country won't be the same without Tom Ridge as the head of the Department of Homeland Security. But nothing bad happened while he was running things. Was he right, was he lucky? AM@CNN.com, drop us a note.
S. O'BRIEN: You've got a point there. All right, Jack. Thanks.
Headlines now with Heidi Collins.
Good morning again.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again to you guys. And good morning to you, everybody.
"Now in the News" this morning, President Bush promising to get the intelligence reform bill through Congress. Speaking in Canada, the president said he plans to discuss the bill later this week with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Members of the 9/11 Commission are also urging congressional leaders to bring the bill up for a vote.
Secretary of State Colin Powell commemorating World AIDS Day in Haiti. Secretary Powell is slated to meet with Haitian youth who provide and receive HIV and AIDS support. The one-day visit will also include a meeting with Haiti's interim leaders, where Powell will reaffirm U.S. support for democracy in the island nation.
The Philippines is bracing for more bad weather. Powerful rainstorms have triggered landslides and flash flooding like this.
Rescue crews are struggling now to reach survivors on rooftops and dry patches of land. More than 400 people have reportedly been killed, some 170 others still missing. A second typhoon is expected to hit within the next 48 hours.
And the first ever of its kind study about parents choosing to stay home with their kids. According to the Census Bureau, last year 5.4 million mothers put their careers on hold to care for their children. The data shows that most stay-at-home moms come from the top 5 percent or the bottom 25 percent of household incomes. And 98,000 dads stay at home, too, according one of those sources we looked up.
S. O'BRIEN: Really?
COLLINS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm kind of jealous.
COLLINS: I know. Me too.
M. O'BRIEN: I would like that.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, you know what? Men say that they want to -- my husband would love to stay home, but then he would like to also have like help so he can go play golf all day.
COLLINS:
M. O'BRIEN: What's wrong with that? Stay home and play.
S. O'BRIEN: That's your idea of staying home, too, right?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: That's what I figured.
M. O'BRIEN: I've got no problem with it at all.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi.
M. O'BRIEN: Day number two of President Bush's trip to Canada. The president left the Canadian capital of Ottawa just a short time ago, on his way now to Halifax, Nova Scotia. White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux still in Ottawa with more.
Hello, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Miles.
As a matter of fact, President Bush's flight was delayed about 45 minutes because of the snowy weather. We saw Air force One had to be de-iced before it actually took off. But President Bush is on his way to Nova Scotia.
Today he is going to address the Canadian people directly. He is going to argue that America's neighbor is a natural ally in the war on terror, and he's going to talk about the moments immediately following the September 11 attacks. That is when Canadians took in more than 30,000 Americans whose flights were diverted, who were stranded in Canada. But as the president discovered yesterday, of course, that U.S. and Canadian relations since then has chilled.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Bush go home! Bush go home! Bush go home!
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Thousands of Canadians demonstrated against President Bush's visit, protesting everything from the Iraq war to America's ban on Canadian beef. Mr. Bush used his joint appearance with Canada's prime minister, Paul Martin, to try to make light of it.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I frankly felt like the reception we received on the way in from the airport was very warm and hospitable. And I want to thank the Canadian people who came out to wave with all five fingers for -- for their hospitality.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Despite presenting a united front, the two leaders had not yet resolved their differences over banned beef and taxed lumber. But they vowed to work together on the war on terror. BUSH: Canada and the United States share a history, a continent, and a border. We also share a commitment to freedom and a willingness to defend it in times of peril.
MALVEAUX: Away from the protests, pomp and pleasantries. Wednesday, Mr. Bush delivers a big "thank you" to the Canadians in the eastern provinces who helped the more than 30,000 Americans who had become stranded there immediately following the September 11th attacks. The president will address those Canadian volunteers during his brief visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And Miles, it's really just seen as a first step in this fence-mending efforts. The president, of course, going to be traveling to Europe early next year -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux in Ottawa. Thanks -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Lawyers for Scott Peterson today will make the case for the jury to spare his life. Yesterday's prosecution presentation was very emotional. Ted Rowlands has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A number of jurors broke down as Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, testified that the first Mother's Day after the murders she lay on the floor and cried most of the day. In court, Rocha cried out in a loud voice, saying, "She was taken away from me. Divorce is always an option, not murder."
Sharon Rocha was one of four family members to testify. Laci Peterson's stepfather, Ron Grantski, said, "Part of our hearts are gone. Nothing will ever be the same."
Her half sister, Amy Rocha, broke down in sobs, saying, "I still can't imagine the rest of my life going on without her." Brent Rocha said of his sister, "I never heard her more excited than the day she called me to tell me she was pregnant. She was going to be a great mother."
In his opening statement, prosecutor Dave Harris told jurors they would learn what it was like for the family to wonder what happened to Laci with husband Scott, the person who killed her, in their midst. Harris told jurors, "The only appropriate and just penalty is death."
Peterson had no visual reaction during the testimony. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, told the court he will make his opening statement when the defense case begins.
JIM HAMMER, LEGAL ANALYST: And that's why I think Mark Gerago was smart to reserve his opening. And I think the challenge for him is he's got to make a connection with this jury. He doesn't -- this jury in less than six hours rejected every argument he made. ROWLANDS (on camera): The defense is scheduled to begin their case when court resumes. It is unclear whether Mark Geragos or attorney Pat Harris will handle the arguments when their case begins.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Redwood City, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: The proceedings were delayed nearly three hours yesterday while the judge resolved an issue concerning possible juror misconduct -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: After 21 years on the air, an icon of network news will pass the prompter tonight to the new generation. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw signing off. First of the aging big three network anchors to bid farewell.
CBS anchor Dan Rather will step down in March, as we have been telling you. And that leaves ABC's Peter Jennings, who's probably not planning any vacations in the immediate future.
But is broadcast news the powerhouse it once was? Here is CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): It's been more than a decade since anyone left this center of power. But when one or more of the nine unelected men and women do leave, no one doubts that the power of the Supreme Court will remain. And it's been more than 20 years since anyone left this center of power, where three unelected men have held court.
TOM BROKAW, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: I have been in this chair for more than 20 years.
GREENFIELD: But, now, with NBC's Tom Brokaw stepping down, and with CBS's Dan Rather set to leave in March, there's real doubt about whether the network anchor or even broadcast network news will be anything like the power player it once was.
(on camera): If the answer to that question is a likely "no," the reason for it may be a lot simpler than the idea that network news has gotten too liberal or too elitist or too old-fashioned. What has happened to broadcast news is what's happened to mass media in general: the arrival of competition.
(voice-over): Broadcast news came of age on radio in the '30s and '40s. Most famously symbolized by CBS's Ed Murrow, reporting from London in World War II. From that time, and throughout its first decades on TV, from John Cameron Swayze and Douglas Edwards, though Huntly and Brinkley and Cronkite and Chancellor, it flourished because it was literally the only game in down.
But 30 years ago the widespread deployment of the communication satellite broke the network monopoly. Now, the newly-emerging cable TV industry not only had the space for dozens of channels, they had programming for those channels. From HBO to CNN to ESPN to Lifetime, competitors by the dozens were born. And that also meant something else to watch if you didn't want to watch the news.
Moreover, local stations no longer had to wait for the network news to show imamgs from around the world. They could get them pretty much from anywhere, anytime. And all of this has led to the declining fortunes of broadcast news.
As recently as 1993, more than 40 million Americans watched the evening news. Last year, the number was under 30 million. But don't start playing "Taps" just yet.
This number still dwarfs the roughly three million viewers that the three cable news combined draw on an average night. Broadcast news still remains the biggest game in town nearly 20 years after its death was first forecast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GREENFIELD: Now, there's one other change we should note. When Walter Cronkite stepped down in 1981, he was widely regarded as the most trusted man in America. But now, after more than three decades of criticism, mostly, but not exclusively from conservatives, a lot fewer viewers see broadcast news, or any news, for that matter, as an unbiased source of information.
So what it's lost, Miles, is not just a lot of its dominance, but a fair chunk of its stature as well.
M. O'BRIEN: It lost some stature, but it still has a tremendous audience, as you point out. Nevertheless, there's this fractionalization of the audience. And that continues, doesn't it?
GREENFIELD: Yes, but it's -- but people who look at the news and say it happened there miss the point. It's happened everywhere.
When I started covering TV before I did it, about 25 years ago, if you didn't get a 30 share, if you were a primetime entertainment program, you were off the air. Nobody gets a 30 share now, not "ER," not -- maybe "Desperate Housewives" does now -- because there's so much more competition.
M. O'BRIEN: It's interesting. There's that much more competition, and yet there -- on the other hand, you have a consolidation of the ownership of a lot of these outlets. It's kind of a dichotomy there.
GREENFIELD: It's actually -- it's the great disparity. People are worried -- and I frankly think they should be -- that fewer and fewer institutions own these things. But if you look at the choice the viewers have, compared to when I was a kid, you know, roughly at the time of Tom Edison, we had -- I lived in New York. We had seven channels.
When I tell my children that, they can't believe it. M. O'BRIEN: And that was a big deal.
GREENFIELD: It's like -- now we have 200 on digital cable. And that doesn't even count the influence of the Web, with literally countless Web sites. So diffusion is the name of the game.
M. O'BRIEN: On the one hand, you would think that has got to be good for democracy. But in a sense, the fact that we have these collective moments that we don't get anymore, I wonder if that hurts our democracy.
GREENFIELD: I've often wondered. Although, I think after -- I think that 9/11 proved that maybe that fear was not as well grounded as it was.
When 9/11 happened, people did turn to the broadcast networks, to places like CNN and Fox. They did get a common sense of what was going on. But I think it takes something far greater than in the old days, when there were only -- actually, before ABC, there were two network news shows people watched, NBC and CBS, and then nothing until the morning papers.
It's the -- this has been a revolution of information that -- where that phrase is not overused.
M. O'BRIEN: A couple of decades, things changed quite a bit, I should say. Jeff Greenfield, always a pleasure. Thanks for dropping by.
GREENFIELD: Good to see you.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Senator Norm Coleman says he wants Kofi Annan out. We'll talk to him coming up next.
Also, we're talking about osteoporosis. It's a problem, of course, for millions of American women. Researchers say a trip to the dentist could help.
And who should be the next Homeland Security secretary? We'll talk to one possible replacement, James Gilmore up next.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: A key voice from Congress is joining the chorus of calls for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to resign. Annan is under fire in connection with an Oil-for-Food scandal that also involves his son and monetary kickbacks. Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota is in charge of the Senate subcommittee investigating the whole thing, and he joins us from St. Paul this morning.
Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for being with us.
Your investigation has been going on for seven months now. What has it found, in a nutshell?
SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: Well, we found that Saddam Hussein used the Oil-for-Food program as a cash cow to undermine the sanctions, $21.3 billion what he ripped off. At the start of the Oil- for-Food -- and that goes back, by the way, to 1990. It started the sanctions program.
Close to $7 billion directly for the Oil-for-Food program, kickbacks, substandard goods, bribes, manipulations. And the bottom line is that there was one man in charge of the United Nations during the period of time of the Oil-for-Food program, and that's Kofi Annan.
I'm a former prosecutor. I believe in presumption of innocence. But we're at a point now where the guy who was in charge of the program really needs to step down so we can get to the bottom, we can figure out exactly who was involved.
There are allegations that the key person in the U.N., (UNINTELLIGIBLE), oversaw the program, received these vouchers which, in effect, bribes. The whole range of allegations here, but the bottom line is, one man was in charge. And if we're going to get to the bottom of this, he's got to step back so that we can have trust and credibility and transparency in sorting out what happened.
S. O'BRIEN: Is there any evidence, though, specifically of wrongdoing by Kofi Annan?
COLEMAN: At this point, I'm not accusing Kofi of anything other than incompetence and mismanagement. And the evidence is that Saddam Hussein ripped off the sanctions and Oil-for-Food program for $21.3 billion, and that Kofi Annan was in charge of that. That the person he picked to oversee the program is evidence that he received vouchers that were, in effect, bribes.
There's evidence that his son was involved with a company, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), that was supposed to be responsible for overseeing the program. And, in fact, his son was receiving payments from that company up to very recently.
What you've got is you've got a stain of accusation. If we're to get to the bottom of it, either my committee, or Paul Voelker is doing an investigation that is reporting to Kofi Annan. We're not going to get to the bottom of this with any kind of credibility unless the guy that was in charge steps back and then lets us figure out what happened.
And bottom line is, what happened to the billions that are out there? And are those billions being used to fund an insurgency that's taking American and coalition lives today?
S. O'BRIEN: Are you suggesting in any way that Kofi Annan has hamstrung or is going out of his way to obstruct the investigation that Paul Voelker is doing?
COLEMAN: Well, we have had problems up front. And I will tell you that I'm getting better cooperation today from Voelker, and I'm pleased with that.
It took four months for a letter to be responded to. The U.N. proactively blocked our ability to enforce certain subpoenas. They weren't turning over an investigative report.
Some of that is forthcoming. We're not getting access to U.N. personnel.
But if we're to get to the bottom of this, if there's to be any credibility, an investigation is going on. The person that was at the helm during the course of this thing cannot be the guy that Paul Voelker reports to, cannot be the guy that we go asking for help and assistance and getting to the people that we need to talk to.
He needs to step back, step down for the credibility of the organization itself. Its credibility is at a low ebb, as it should be, because of the most massive abuse and scandal in the history of the United Nations.
S. O'BRIEN: Accounting to about $21 billion, at least as it stands right now. Are any indications that any of that money went from Saddam Hussein to terror groups?
COLEMAN: Well, we know, for instance -- yes, there are some indication. We know that money from Oil-for-Food went to Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. There's evidence of that.
We know that there's evidence of payments to terrorists, suicide bombers. We know that.
What we don't know is what happened to probably close to $14 billion. We've accounted for about $6 billion, that that's been frozen. But there are billions of dollars that are unaccounted for. Something is fueling an insurgency out there.
We know that Saddam Hussein, by the way, used this money to rebuild his own military capacity. The funding for what was Iraq's military (UNINTELLIGIBLE) complex increased 100 percent from the time Oil-for-Food began until the time we took Saddam out.
So we know that this went for bad things. We haven't tracked all the money. But we're not going to get to the bottom of this unless the guy at the helm steps back, there's some new blood in there, new leadership. And then we'll sort this out.
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Norm Coleman joining us this morning. Nice to see you. Thanks for your time.
COLEMAN: Always a pleasure. Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, one city in Wyoming is in a giving mood this holiday season, especially for people who break the law. We'll explain ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) M. O'BRIEN: The city of Riverton, Wyoming, celebrating the spirit of Christmas in a fine way, so to speak. For the next two weeks, fines for offensives like speeding, DUI and fighting will be cut in half. Same for bonds on outstanding warrants. And the punishment elves have this little treat in store: double credit will be given for community service.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it is "'tis the season."
M. O'BRIEN: If you are planning on being naughty, that's the place to go.
CAFFERTY: We miss nothing on this program. I mean, no story goes unreported.
S. O'BRIEN: It's where real news makes the difference, Jack.
CAFFERTY: You're darn right. You bet you.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Bet you, Soledad.
Tom Ridge leaving Department of Homeland Security. We will miss his plastic sheathing, duct tape and color-coded alert system. But don't laugh. On his watch, there have been no attacks on the homeland.
So the question is, has the Department of Homeland Security under Tom Ridge's tenure been right or just been lucky.
Ed in Niagara Falls writes: "Tom Ridge, didn't he invent some new kind of terror stoplight, the closer to red the more you should be scared? Be more scared. But that's it."
That system really didn't give any plan for what to do with your fear. It just made sure that you held on to the fear."
Anonymous writes: "Ridge has done nothing. Two serious assaults came on his watch, the Northeast blackout and the flu scandal of 2004. Yes, these are homeland security issues and they have yet to be addressed, as well as the dysfunctional no-fly list."
Bill in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, "Jack, as a free society, we would be the first to complain if our borders became more restrictive. The Department of Homeland Security has done a good job in its short existence. The rest of the bad-mouthing is just the blue state blues singers who for the next four years aren't going to be happy anyway."
And Arthur in Watertown, Wisconsin, "Regarding Tom Ridge, when I was a kid riding with my grandfather in the country, he would suddenly blow the horn for no apparent reason. When I asked why, he would say it was to keep the elephants off the road."
We'd laugh and say, 'But there aren't any elephants on the road.' And he would say, 'Well, it works pretty well, then, doesn't it?'" (LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: There you go.
S. O'BRIEN: That's very funny. Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: They probably -- they probably know that joke out there in Riverton, Wyoming.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, see...
CAFFERTY: The fine is only half for telling it, though, in public at Christmas season.
S. O'BRIEN: But just now.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: January 1st, it all starts up again.
CAFFERTY: It's all over.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.
Still to come, the Wednesday edition of "90-Second Pop."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
S. O'BRIEN (voice-over): It was supposed to be a three-hour tour, but once again "Gilligan's Island" is full of castaways -- some of them famous. Will the reality remake sink or swim?
Plus, Mariah Carey giving her regards to Broadway.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired December 1, 2004 - 9:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A cold and frosty morning in Canada as the president delivers his warmest thanks to some kind neighbors.
Jurors brought to tears in the Scott Peterson trial as Laci Peterson's mother confronts her son-in-law.
A national catastrophe in the Philippines. Floods killing hundreds. And now a typhoon is on the way.
And that computer chip in Ken Jennings' head finally locks up. His amazing Jeopardy streak is over on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: And good morning. Welcome, everybody. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. Miles O'Brien, though, filling in.
Nice to have you -- very much.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Great to be here. Thank you very much.
A senator investigating corruption at the U.N. says it is time for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to step down. Obviously a Cafferty fan. Norm Coleman says the most extensive fraud ever at the U.N. happened under Annan's watch. We will talk to Senator Coleman in a minute about what he's learned in his investigation.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you posited it yesterday, then Senator Coleman followed up with Jack's, you know...
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Trendsetters, we, on AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the changing of the guard at "NBC Nightly News." Tom Brokaw's last newscast is tonight. We're going to talk about his remarkable career and this remarkable moment in television journalism with another guy who's seen a whole heck of a lot, Jeff Greenfield.
Hello.
CAFFERTY: Hi there.
Plastic sheathing, duct tape and a color-coded alert system. The old country won't be the same without Tom Ridge as the head of the Department of Homeland Security. But nothing bad happened while he was running things. Was he right, was he lucky? AM@CNN.com, drop us a note.
S. O'BRIEN: You've got a point there. All right, Jack. Thanks.
Headlines now with Heidi Collins.
Good morning again.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again to you guys. And good morning to you, everybody.
"Now in the News" this morning, President Bush promising to get the intelligence reform bill through Congress. Speaking in Canada, the president said he plans to discuss the bill later this week with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Members of the 9/11 Commission are also urging congressional leaders to bring the bill up for a vote.
Secretary of State Colin Powell commemorating World AIDS Day in Haiti. Secretary Powell is slated to meet with Haitian youth who provide and receive HIV and AIDS support. The one-day visit will also include a meeting with Haiti's interim leaders, where Powell will reaffirm U.S. support for democracy in the island nation.
The Philippines is bracing for more bad weather. Powerful rainstorms have triggered landslides and flash flooding like this.
Rescue crews are struggling now to reach survivors on rooftops and dry patches of land. More than 400 people have reportedly been killed, some 170 others still missing. A second typhoon is expected to hit within the next 48 hours.
And the first ever of its kind study about parents choosing to stay home with their kids. According to the Census Bureau, last year 5.4 million mothers put their careers on hold to care for their children. The data shows that most stay-at-home moms come from the top 5 percent or the bottom 25 percent of household incomes. And 98,000 dads stay at home, too, according one of those sources we looked up.
S. O'BRIEN: Really?
COLLINS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm kind of jealous.
COLLINS: I know. Me too.
M. O'BRIEN: I would like that.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, you know what? Men say that they want to -- my husband would love to stay home, but then he would like to also have like help so he can go play golf all day.
COLLINS:
M. O'BRIEN: What's wrong with that? Stay home and play.
S. O'BRIEN: That's your idea of staying home, too, right?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: That's what I figured.
M. O'BRIEN: I've got no problem with it at all.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi.
M. O'BRIEN: Day number two of President Bush's trip to Canada. The president left the Canadian capital of Ottawa just a short time ago, on his way now to Halifax, Nova Scotia. White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux still in Ottawa with more.
Hello, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Miles.
As a matter of fact, President Bush's flight was delayed about 45 minutes because of the snowy weather. We saw Air force One had to be de-iced before it actually took off. But President Bush is on his way to Nova Scotia.
Today he is going to address the Canadian people directly. He is going to argue that America's neighbor is a natural ally in the war on terror, and he's going to talk about the moments immediately following the September 11 attacks. That is when Canadians took in more than 30,000 Americans whose flights were diverted, who were stranded in Canada. But as the president discovered yesterday, of course, that U.S. and Canadian relations since then has chilled.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Bush go home! Bush go home! Bush go home!
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Thousands of Canadians demonstrated against President Bush's visit, protesting everything from the Iraq war to America's ban on Canadian beef. Mr. Bush used his joint appearance with Canada's prime minister, Paul Martin, to try to make light of it.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I frankly felt like the reception we received on the way in from the airport was very warm and hospitable. And I want to thank the Canadian people who came out to wave with all five fingers for -- for their hospitality.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Despite presenting a united front, the two leaders had not yet resolved their differences over banned beef and taxed lumber. But they vowed to work together on the war on terror. BUSH: Canada and the United States share a history, a continent, and a border. We also share a commitment to freedom and a willingness to defend it in times of peril.
MALVEAUX: Away from the protests, pomp and pleasantries. Wednesday, Mr. Bush delivers a big "thank you" to the Canadians in the eastern provinces who helped the more than 30,000 Americans who had become stranded there immediately following the September 11th attacks. The president will address those Canadian volunteers during his brief visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And Miles, it's really just seen as a first step in this fence-mending efforts. The president, of course, going to be traveling to Europe early next year -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux in Ottawa. Thanks -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Lawyers for Scott Peterson today will make the case for the jury to spare his life. Yesterday's prosecution presentation was very emotional. Ted Rowlands has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A number of jurors broke down as Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, testified that the first Mother's Day after the murders she lay on the floor and cried most of the day. In court, Rocha cried out in a loud voice, saying, "She was taken away from me. Divorce is always an option, not murder."
Sharon Rocha was one of four family members to testify. Laci Peterson's stepfather, Ron Grantski, said, "Part of our hearts are gone. Nothing will ever be the same."
Her half sister, Amy Rocha, broke down in sobs, saying, "I still can't imagine the rest of my life going on without her." Brent Rocha said of his sister, "I never heard her more excited than the day she called me to tell me she was pregnant. She was going to be a great mother."
In his opening statement, prosecutor Dave Harris told jurors they would learn what it was like for the family to wonder what happened to Laci with husband Scott, the person who killed her, in their midst. Harris told jurors, "The only appropriate and just penalty is death."
Peterson had no visual reaction during the testimony. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, told the court he will make his opening statement when the defense case begins.
JIM HAMMER, LEGAL ANALYST: And that's why I think Mark Gerago was smart to reserve his opening. And I think the challenge for him is he's got to make a connection with this jury. He doesn't -- this jury in less than six hours rejected every argument he made. ROWLANDS (on camera): The defense is scheduled to begin their case when court resumes. It is unclear whether Mark Geragos or attorney Pat Harris will handle the arguments when their case begins.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Redwood City, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: The proceedings were delayed nearly three hours yesterday while the judge resolved an issue concerning possible juror misconduct -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: After 21 years on the air, an icon of network news will pass the prompter tonight to the new generation. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw signing off. First of the aging big three network anchors to bid farewell.
CBS anchor Dan Rather will step down in March, as we have been telling you. And that leaves ABC's Peter Jennings, who's probably not planning any vacations in the immediate future.
But is broadcast news the powerhouse it once was? Here is CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): It's been more than a decade since anyone left this center of power. But when one or more of the nine unelected men and women do leave, no one doubts that the power of the Supreme Court will remain. And it's been more than 20 years since anyone left this center of power, where three unelected men have held court.
TOM BROKAW, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: I have been in this chair for more than 20 years.
GREENFIELD: But, now, with NBC's Tom Brokaw stepping down, and with CBS's Dan Rather set to leave in March, there's real doubt about whether the network anchor or even broadcast network news will be anything like the power player it once was.
(on camera): If the answer to that question is a likely "no," the reason for it may be a lot simpler than the idea that network news has gotten too liberal or too elitist or too old-fashioned. What has happened to broadcast news is what's happened to mass media in general: the arrival of competition.
(voice-over): Broadcast news came of age on radio in the '30s and '40s. Most famously symbolized by CBS's Ed Murrow, reporting from London in World War II. From that time, and throughout its first decades on TV, from John Cameron Swayze and Douglas Edwards, though Huntly and Brinkley and Cronkite and Chancellor, it flourished because it was literally the only game in down.
But 30 years ago the widespread deployment of the communication satellite broke the network monopoly. Now, the newly-emerging cable TV industry not only had the space for dozens of channels, they had programming for those channels. From HBO to CNN to ESPN to Lifetime, competitors by the dozens were born. And that also meant something else to watch if you didn't want to watch the news.
Moreover, local stations no longer had to wait for the network news to show imamgs from around the world. They could get them pretty much from anywhere, anytime. And all of this has led to the declining fortunes of broadcast news.
As recently as 1993, more than 40 million Americans watched the evening news. Last year, the number was under 30 million. But don't start playing "Taps" just yet.
This number still dwarfs the roughly three million viewers that the three cable news combined draw on an average night. Broadcast news still remains the biggest game in town nearly 20 years after its death was first forecast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GREENFIELD: Now, there's one other change we should note. When Walter Cronkite stepped down in 1981, he was widely regarded as the most trusted man in America. But now, after more than three decades of criticism, mostly, but not exclusively from conservatives, a lot fewer viewers see broadcast news, or any news, for that matter, as an unbiased source of information.
So what it's lost, Miles, is not just a lot of its dominance, but a fair chunk of its stature as well.
M. O'BRIEN: It lost some stature, but it still has a tremendous audience, as you point out. Nevertheless, there's this fractionalization of the audience. And that continues, doesn't it?
GREENFIELD: Yes, but it's -- but people who look at the news and say it happened there miss the point. It's happened everywhere.
When I started covering TV before I did it, about 25 years ago, if you didn't get a 30 share, if you were a primetime entertainment program, you were off the air. Nobody gets a 30 share now, not "ER," not -- maybe "Desperate Housewives" does now -- because there's so much more competition.
M. O'BRIEN: It's interesting. There's that much more competition, and yet there -- on the other hand, you have a consolidation of the ownership of a lot of these outlets. It's kind of a dichotomy there.
GREENFIELD: It's actually -- it's the great disparity. People are worried -- and I frankly think they should be -- that fewer and fewer institutions own these things. But if you look at the choice the viewers have, compared to when I was a kid, you know, roughly at the time of Tom Edison, we had -- I lived in New York. We had seven channels.
When I tell my children that, they can't believe it. M. O'BRIEN: And that was a big deal.
GREENFIELD: It's like -- now we have 200 on digital cable. And that doesn't even count the influence of the Web, with literally countless Web sites. So diffusion is the name of the game.
M. O'BRIEN: On the one hand, you would think that has got to be good for democracy. But in a sense, the fact that we have these collective moments that we don't get anymore, I wonder if that hurts our democracy.
GREENFIELD: I've often wondered. Although, I think after -- I think that 9/11 proved that maybe that fear was not as well grounded as it was.
When 9/11 happened, people did turn to the broadcast networks, to places like CNN and Fox. They did get a common sense of what was going on. But I think it takes something far greater than in the old days, when there were only -- actually, before ABC, there were two network news shows people watched, NBC and CBS, and then nothing until the morning papers.
It's the -- this has been a revolution of information that -- where that phrase is not overused.
M. O'BRIEN: A couple of decades, things changed quite a bit, I should say. Jeff Greenfield, always a pleasure. Thanks for dropping by.
GREENFIELD: Good to see you.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Senator Norm Coleman says he wants Kofi Annan out. We'll talk to him coming up next.
Also, we're talking about osteoporosis. It's a problem, of course, for millions of American women. Researchers say a trip to the dentist could help.
And who should be the next Homeland Security secretary? We'll talk to one possible replacement, James Gilmore up next.
Stay with us.
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S. O'BRIEN: A key voice from Congress is joining the chorus of calls for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to resign. Annan is under fire in connection with an Oil-for-Food scandal that also involves his son and monetary kickbacks. Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota is in charge of the Senate subcommittee investigating the whole thing, and he joins us from St. Paul this morning.
Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for being with us.
Your investigation has been going on for seven months now. What has it found, in a nutshell?
SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: Well, we found that Saddam Hussein used the Oil-for-Food program as a cash cow to undermine the sanctions, $21.3 billion what he ripped off. At the start of the Oil- for-Food -- and that goes back, by the way, to 1990. It started the sanctions program.
Close to $7 billion directly for the Oil-for-Food program, kickbacks, substandard goods, bribes, manipulations. And the bottom line is that there was one man in charge of the United Nations during the period of time of the Oil-for-Food program, and that's Kofi Annan.
I'm a former prosecutor. I believe in presumption of innocence. But we're at a point now where the guy who was in charge of the program really needs to step down so we can get to the bottom, we can figure out exactly who was involved.
There are allegations that the key person in the U.N., (UNINTELLIGIBLE), oversaw the program, received these vouchers which, in effect, bribes. The whole range of allegations here, but the bottom line is, one man was in charge. And if we're going to get to the bottom of this, he's got to step back so that we can have trust and credibility and transparency in sorting out what happened.
S. O'BRIEN: Is there any evidence, though, specifically of wrongdoing by Kofi Annan?
COLEMAN: At this point, I'm not accusing Kofi of anything other than incompetence and mismanagement. And the evidence is that Saddam Hussein ripped off the sanctions and Oil-for-Food program for $21.3 billion, and that Kofi Annan was in charge of that. That the person he picked to oversee the program is evidence that he received vouchers that were, in effect, bribes.
There's evidence that his son was involved with a company, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), that was supposed to be responsible for overseeing the program. And, in fact, his son was receiving payments from that company up to very recently.
What you've got is you've got a stain of accusation. If we're to get to the bottom of it, either my committee, or Paul Voelker is doing an investigation that is reporting to Kofi Annan. We're not going to get to the bottom of this with any kind of credibility unless the guy that was in charge steps back and then lets us figure out what happened.
And bottom line is, what happened to the billions that are out there? And are those billions being used to fund an insurgency that's taking American and coalition lives today?
S. O'BRIEN: Are you suggesting in any way that Kofi Annan has hamstrung or is going out of his way to obstruct the investigation that Paul Voelker is doing?
COLEMAN: Well, we have had problems up front. And I will tell you that I'm getting better cooperation today from Voelker, and I'm pleased with that.
It took four months for a letter to be responded to. The U.N. proactively blocked our ability to enforce certain subpoenas. They weren't turning over an investigative report.
Some of that is forthcoming. We're not getting access to U.N. personnel.
But if we're to get to the bottom of this, if there's to be any credibility, an investigation is going on. The person that was at the helm during the course of this thing cannot be the guy that Paul Voelker reports to, cannot be the guy that we go asking for help and assistance and getting to the people that we need to talk to.
He needs to step back, step down for the credibility of the organization itself. Its credibility is at a low ebb, as it should be, because of the most massive abuse and scandal in the history of the United Nations.
S. O'BRIEN: Accounting to about $21 billion, at least as it stands right now. Are any indications that any of that money went from Saddam Hussein to terror groups?
COLEMAN: Well, we know, for instance -- yes, there are some indication. We know that money from Oil-for-Food went to Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. There's evidence of that.
We know that there's evidence of payments to terrorists, suicide bombers. We know that.
What we don't know is what happened to probably close to $14 billion. We've accounted for about $6 billion, that that's been frozen. But there are billions of dollars that are unaccounted for. Something is fueling an insurgency out there.
We know that Saddam Hussein, by the way, used this money to rebuild his own military capacity. The funding for what was Iraq's military (UNINTELLIGIBLE) complex increased 100 percent from the time Oil-for-Food began until the time we took Saddam out.
So we know that this went for bad things. We haven't tracked all the money. But we're not going to get to the bottom of this unless the guy at the helm steps back, there's some new blood in there, new leadership. And then we'll sort this out.
S. O'BRIEN: Senator Norm Coleman joining us this morning. Nice to see you. Thanks for your time.
COLEMAN: Always a pleasure. Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, one city in Wyoming is in a giving mood this holiday season, especially for people who break the law. We'll explain ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) M. O'BRIEN: The city of Riverton, Wyoming, celebrating the spirit of Christmas in a fine way, so to speak. For the next two weeks, fines for offensives like speeding, DUI and fighting will be cut in half. Same for bonds on outstanding warrants. And the punishment elves have this little treat in store: double credit will be given for community service.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it is "'tis the season."
M. O'BRIEN: If you are planning on being naughty, that's the place to go.
CAFFERTY: We miss nothing on this program. I mean, no story goes unreported.
S. O'BRIEN: It's where real news makes the difference, Jack.
CAFFERTY: You're darn right. You bet you.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Bet you, Soledad.
Tom Ridge leaving Department of Homeland Security. We will miss his plastic sheathing, duct tape and color-coded alert system. But don't laugh. On his watch, there have been no attacks on the homeland.
So the question is, has the Department of Homeland Security under Tom Ridge's tenure been right or just been lucky.
Ed in Niagara Falls writes: "Tom Ridge, didn't he invent some new kind of terror stoplight, the closer to red the more you should be scared? Be more scared. But that's it."
That system really didn't give any plan for what to do with your fear. It just made sure that you held on to the fear."
Anonymous writes: "Ridge has done nothing. Two serious assaults came on his watch, the Northeast blackout and the flu scandal of 2004. Yes, these are homeland security issues and they have yet to be addressed, as well as the dysfunctional no-fly list."
Bill in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, "Jack, as a free society, we would be the first to complain if our borders became more restrictive. The Department of Homeland Security has done a good job in its short existence. The rest of the bad-mouthing is just the blue state blues singers who for the next four years aren't going to be happy anyway."
And Arthur in Watertown, Wisconsin, "Regarding Tom Ridge, when I was a kid riding with my grandfather in the country, he would suddenly blow the horn for no apparent reason. When I asked why, he would say it was to keep the elephants off the road."
We'd laugh and say, 'But there aren't any elephants on the road.' And he would say, 'Well, it works pretty well, then, doesn't it?'" (LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: There you go.
S. O'BRIEN: That's very funny. Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: They probably -- they probably know that joke out there in Riverton, Wyoming.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, see...
CAFFERTY: The fine is only half for telling it, though, in public at Christmas season.
S. O'BRIEN: But just now.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: January 1st, it all starts up again.
CAFFERTY: It's all over.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.
Still to come, the Wednesday edition of "90-Second Pop."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
S. O'BRIEN (voice-over): It was supposed to be a three-hour tour, but once again "Gilligan's Island" is full of castaways -- some of them famous. Will the reality remake sink or swim?
Plus, Mariah Carey giving her regards to Broadway.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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