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American Morning
Ethiopian Forces Rout Somali Islamic Militia From Mogadishu; Ford's Funeral Plans Announced In Detail
Aired December 28, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: A developing story, Al Qaeda on the run in Somalia. Is it a victory in the war on terror or are the terrorists lying in wait to fight another day?
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Any day now, Saddam Hussein's execution said to be eminent, now the former leader is releasing a letter and threatening America.
O'BRIEN: And John Edwards makes it official. He is running again, but his campaign stole their own thunder by spilling the beans early. We'll explain, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you, Thursday December 28. I'm Miles O'Brien.
And I'm Alina Cho in for Soledad this morning. Thanks for joining us.
O'BRIEN: It is deja vu in Denver. The city could be in the middle of a blizzard by tonight, again. One to two feet of snow is expected. They still haven't fully dug out from last week's storm. CNN's Jonathan Freed live at Denver International Airport.
Jonathan, good morning.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning.
In the pre-dawn darkness, here in Denver, around noon today, though, people will be looking skyward. That is when it is expected to start snowing and it will not let up, we are told, until sometime tomorrow evening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREED (voice over): A week after Denver was dumped on, on the side streets, its families, not snow plows doing the heavy lifting. Officials say main roads are always targeted for cleaning first, but admit the snow fell too fast for them to keep up in the neighborhoods, with drifts several feet deep in some places.
JOSH FIELDS, DENVER RESIDENT: We just had a storm and now another one's coming. I'm still trying to dig out of this first one, because the plows didn't come.
FREED: This time, the mayor is calling in reinforcements. Public schools and the water department could help bring the total number of snow clearing vehicles to 80, up from 50 last week.
MAYOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER, DENVER: Having a second snow like this, I think we need to marshal as many resources as we can, and bring them together to put every ounce of activity in to snow removal we possibly can.
FREED: Those trucks can't get on the road fast enough for Jeff Pierce.
JEFF PIERCE, DENVER RESIDENT: I was stranded in the house for three days, and, as you can see, still getting stuck.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREED: We are expecting a healthy foot of snow here in Denver before this thing is all over.
O'BRIEN: Jonathan Freed in Denver. Thank you very much. That takes us right to Chad Myers at the Weather Center with more.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Breaking news from Africa, this morning. Islamic militants, with ties to Al Qaeda, on the run from Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu. Ethiopian soldiers routing the militants as they march into the city. The United States has voiced its support for the Ethiopian mission. There are concerns those Islamic militias could transform Somalia into a terrorist state, much like Afghanistan during the Taliban's rule.
A developing story in Iraq this morning, Saddam Hussein facing execution at any time over the next 28 day, and sharing what could be his last public words. He's written a good-bye letter. CNN's Awra Damon live in Baghdad with more for us.
Arwa, good morning.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning.
That letter was written some time after verdict day, which was in early November. In it, Saddam Hussein, Iraq's former dictator, appears to be accepting his fate. He calls it his martyrdom. He is also calling for all Iraqis to put their sectarian differences aside and to unite, to unite in the face of the occupation.
However, the Iraqi government does continue its final preparations for that day, which could happen at any time now, between now and January 27th, that, according to the Iraqi High Tribunal.
There are serious concerns his death could further divide and already divided country, but the Iraqi government is hoping that the death of Iraq's former dictator will decrease the levels of violence and bring closure to those who suffered most under his regime.
However, a posting on a Baathist website, signed by the Baath Party in Iraq, warns of just the opposite. Threatening an increase in the violence, calling the execution of Saddam Hussein a red line that the United States does not want to cross.
Meanwhile, yesterday, in the southern city of Najaf, there was a raid launched by Iraqi forces what the U.S. military is calling an insurgent roadside bomb-making cell leader. The raid resulted in the death of the target individual. He had been identified by a spokesman for radical Shia Cleric Muqtada al Sadr's group as being one of al Sadr's senior aides.
And the U.S. military has also announced the death on Wednesday, today, of three more of it's servicemen here in Iraq, making the total this month, 93 U.S. troops killed across this country. That makes December the sixth deadliest month of the war. October saw 106 U.S. troop deaths. Back to you.
CHO: Arwa Damon live for us in Baghdad this morning. Arwa, thanks.
Miles.
O'BRIEN: The Hajj is underway in Saudi Arabia, every able-bodied Muslim, who can afford it, must make a trip to Mecca at least once-in- a-lifetime. Already almost 2 million are there, many more are expected. For some American Muslim children, this is an experience they're looking forward to. CNN's Zain Verjee explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING (voice over): Young American and Muslim. Wrapping a basic 101 on a sacred pilgrimage, one way to learn about their faith at an Islamic school in California.
JAHEER MOHIUDOIN, MUSLIM SCHOOL STUDENT: Islam is a way, a way that you live.
VERJEE: Jaheer is 13 and says he is OK with talking about his faith to non-Muslims.
MOHIUDOIN: Usually, I am like really open with it, because they'll respect me more if I say it to them directly. But if I'm kind of secretive, they'll want to make fun of me and stuff.
VERJEE: He's comfortable at this school, hanging out with his friends, and Tahir Anwar (ph), pretty hip -- for an imam, but worries about the social influences as he gets older.
MOHIUDOIN: Right now, we're in an Islamic school. But when I go to a public school, or private school, where it's not a Muslim school and the Muslim environment, there will probably be a lot of peer pressure there.
VERJEE: Youmun, also 13, already faces a different kind of pressure. She wears a head scarf that draws attention in public. YOUMUN AL-HALU, MUSLIM SCHOOL STUDENT: Some people stare, and it's kind of rude. But I just kind of ignore it and live my life. But some people like ask questions and they're curious.
VERJEE: She's proud of her faith but worries Muslims get stereotyped by many Americans.
AL-HALU: Most people think that we're like -- that a lot of us are like, if our fathers have big beards, that we're going to like do something bad. But really, we're just normal people like them. And like if you wear a scarf, you're oppressed or something.
VERJEE: The students here assist they're both American and Muslim.
(on camera): The students from Santa Clara hope to come here some day, to Mecca, to perform the pilgrimage. But for now, their wrap (ph) keeps them psyched for the real thing. Zain Verjee, CNN, Mecca.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: John Edwards, former Democratic senator, and vice presidential candidate, is entering the 2008 presidential race. Edwards will formally announce hid candidacy this morning. And he'll do it from one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. CNN's Dana Bash, live for us in New Orleans today.
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Alina.
And your calendar isn't wrong, it is still -- just barely -- but it is still 2006. What we'll see here today is the latest evidence of how the 2008 presidential campaign is on an accelerated timetable, and how the early buzz around Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and is having an impact even on Democratic candidates who are well-known.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice over): John Edwards came to New Orleans East to shovel.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Guys, we want more dirt over here so we build this area up a little bit.
BASH: Lay bricks, build a patio for a woman still not back in her hurricane ravaged house -- and he came to do something else.
(on camera): You're here to make an announcement?
EDWARDS: I am. I'm here to announce I will be a candidate for president of the United States.
BASH: The former senator from North Carolina chose to say that in New Orleans, to stake claim to ground he's targeted since his unsuccessful 2004 White House run. Then, it was the fight against two Americas, the haves and have-nots. This time, it's call to citizen action.
EDWARDS: My campaign, which will be a grassroots campaign, is going to ask people to join us. We want people to help. We want people to figure out what they can do to help. It's the natural attitude of the American people. It's not something they've been asked to do.
BASH: In a crowded Democratic field, Edwards will be a familiar face. John Kerry's 2004 running mate, a son of a mill worker rags to riches story, and photogenic family.
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: If there are the crumbs left over from the Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton fest, John -- which is the candidate -- who can scoop them up.
BASH: He has one clear advantage over other Democratic senators eying the White House. He's a former senator, no longer tethered to Washington. In fact, Edwards has pretty much been campaigning full time since he lost in 2004; launching a center on poverty to push his populist platform; staying in the political mix by campaigning with Democratic candidates in 39 states; and appealing to the Democratic blogosphere. Click on his web site and find Podcasts, diaries, videos of his travels with links to YouTube.
Edwards' challenges, though, are many. Left over criticism from 2004, the one-term senator lacks experience. And allies admit he's part of a losing team brings baggage.
BOB TULLY, FMR. IOWA DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN: Some people may say, Well, you know, John Edwards had a shot at this before, and maybe we should give somebody new a chance.
BASH: To that, Edwards says:
EDWARDS: They need to see who I am, the way that I hope I have evolved since the 2004 election.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now, after the 2004 elections, former Senator John Edwards was one of the first Democrats to say he regretted his vote for the Iraq war. And today, as he enters the race, he put a web video on his new campaign web site. He actually filmed it right here yesterday, where he takes direct aim at Republican contender John McCain. He says, that the, quote, "McCain doctrine of surging troops", and what he says would be escalating the Iraq war, should be rejected, Alina.
CHO: And, Dana, there was a little bit of oops on that website yesterday, right? Tell us what happened.
BASH: There was. And it really is sort of evidence of what I was just discussing, which is the real push and the need by many of these candidates to get ahead, and get out early. Especially for this campaign, which is really going to have a lot of focus on the website and trying to get support through the website. They had their the JohnEdwards.com website, which is the official presidential website, it went up momentarily -- just for a few minutes -- as they were testing it yesterday. And it kind of scooped his announcement. It was kind of an open secret that John Edwards was running --
CHO: It certainly was.
BASH: And that he was going to announce today.
CHO: I think the campaign said better a day earlier than a day late.
All right, CNN's Dana Bash live for us in New Orleans.
BASH: Exactly.
CHO: Thanks.
BASH: Thanks.
CHO: And a quick programming note, John Edwards will join us live on AMERICAN MORNING. That's in our next hour -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: A quick look at the stories we're following for you, Denver bracing for round two as another blizzard bears down on Colorado, and beyond. Chad Myers up next with the impact on travel all across the nation.
And the Fords were just about as candid about their love as they were about politics. We'll take a closer look at their amazing marriage and relationship. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: It's 15 minutes after, a check of the forecast, Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Funeral plans announced for former President Gerald Ford, a tribute that will span three states, over the next six days. It begins tomorrow in Palm Desert, California, with a private church service for the Ford family. On Saturday President Ford's casket will be flown to Washington for a state funeral in the Capitol Rotunda. The public will get to pay its respects while Ford's body lies in state from Saturday through Tuesday.
On Tuesday, there will be a memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington. Family members will then accompany Ford's casket back to his home state of Michigan. On Wednesday, he'll be laid to rest on a hillside plot near his presidential museum, in Grand Rapids.
Former First Lady Betty Ford broke the news of her husband's death on Tuesday and took time to thank the public for their support, through a spokesman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREGORY D. WILLARD, FORD SPOKESMAN: My family and I are touched beyond words by the outpouring of affection, and many wonderful tributes we have received following the death of my husband.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Gerald Ford met Betty Bloomer in 1947. Their relationship survived 58 years, through tremendous public scrutiny, ordeals with drug dependency, and poor health. But for better and worse, they remained a committed loving couple. CNN's Randi Kaye with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING (voice over): Politics was Gerald Ford's second love. His first was partner and friend of more than 50 years, his wife, Betty.
BETTY FORD, FMR. FIRST LADY: We just thank the good Lord for the days he's given us, and we hope to keep going, as Gerry say, another 50.
CARL SFERRAZZA, AUTHOR, "FIRST LADIES": I think they enjoyed each other's company, enormously.
KAYE: Carl Sferrazza Anthony (sic) has known the Ford family for a quarter century and has written about many first ladies. He saw first hand the love affair between Betty Ford and the former president.
SFERRAZZA: On that day he inherited the presidency, when Nixon resigned, he immediately mentioned, and thanked his wife, in his speech. Basically said he had no obligation to anyone except one person, his wife. That was unprecedented.
KAYE: Gerald Ford first met Betty Bloomer back in 1947, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They married the following year, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. Over the years, through four children, a host of health problems, and personal battles, their affections only grew.
SFERRAZZA: He certainly was man who had absolutely no reservations about kissing his wife, in public. And I think, as president, that was really -- unprecedented.
KAYE: In 1974, when Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer, just a month after they moved into the White House, they battled it together. And when she went public with her prescription drug and alcohol dependency, it was Mr. Ford who stopped drinking.
SFERRAZZA: He decided that he would stop drinking. He would do that not because he thought he had any problem, or she thought he had a problem, but simply because it would make it easier for her. KAYE: Their love for one another was not lost on the public or the media. The first lady handled questions about it with her hallmark frankness.
SFERRAZZA: She said, you know, I've been asked every possible personal question except how often I sleep with my husband. And the interviewer said, and if somebody asked you that? Well, I'd say, I sleep with him as often as possible. You never heard a first lady before -- or since -- talk about sleeping with her husband.
KAYE: With her husband at her side, Betty Ford set a new standard for White House candor. She let the nation know she and the president would be sharing the same bedroom, a first at the White House.
SFERRAZZA: He was one of those men, I think, atypical of his generation, who was not at all threatened by a strong, articulate woman.
KAYE: In the end, it was Betty Ford who released word of her husband's passing to the nation, not a family spokesperson or friend. With a love so deep, who would have expected less? Randy Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Randy's report first aired on "Anderson Cooper 360". Catch Anderson weeknights, 10 Eastern, here on CNN.
CHO: That was some love affair.
We've been telling you the incredible stories, Wall Street executives and their million-dollar bonuses. In some cases, multi- multi millions. One headline, so much money -- too few Ferraris. Ali Velshi is going to explain just how they figure out who deserves $40 million, and who has to live with a paltry $40,000.
Plus, a New Year check-up. What you might see on the health front in 2007. Stay with us, you're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Happening today: A major strategy session on Iraq, President Bush meeting with his senior advisors at his Texas ranch. And public good-bye to the legendary singer, James Brown. Brown's body will lie repose at New York City's legendary Apollo Theater today.
CHO: Well, New York City compiles an annual list of the city's most popular dog names. Is your dog on the list? Take a look, the tried and true name, Max came in first, followed by the every popular, Lucky; No. 3, Princess, then Rocky, and in fifth place, a perennial favorite, Buddy.
O'BRIEN: Where's Fido?
CHO: Fido is not in there.
O'BRIEN: Fido didn't make it.
CHO: Maybe in the top 10. The No. 1 dog breed in the Big Apple? The all-American mutt, which fitting for this melting pot of a city.
O'BRIEN: Speaking of mutts. Two of them that we want to -- unfortunately, Annie and Peanut did not make it.
CHO: Annie and Peanut are not on the list.
O'BRIEN: Let's put it on the screen there.
CHO: Ah, the family on the left.
O'BRIEN: On the lower right, that's the family on the left.
CHO: Exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Lower right.
CHO: Dogs on the right.
O'BRIEN: Annie, top, Peanut, bottom. Neither made the list but they're extraordinarily unusual dogs.
CHO: And Sandy and (INAUDIBLE) on the left.
O'BRIEN: Mutts, though, nonetheless.
Big bonuses are the theme on Wall Street this holiday season. Who got what and how much? We're talking eight figures -- eight figures. Ali Velshi, "Minding Your Business", at 25 minutes past the hour -- Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Hey, Miles. You know, another record on the Dow today. It's going to be a good year. It's been a great year for stock markets.
I wanted to give you some sense, Alina had earlier told us about what people make, the whole bonus story, end of the year. We talked about Goldman. I wanted to give you a sense of what folks on Wall Street make. Now, the first job out of school, if you don't have an MBA, let's say you did an undergraduate business degree. No experience, you go to Wall Street -- this is a sort of a composite of what you might earn.
Now, the first job, at some places is called an analyst and you are likely to earn $75,000. At the end of the year, your bonus might be around the same amount. That is what you might be expected to match. And there are going to be a lot of people at an investment bank who are earning more money than you are at $75,000.
Now, let's say you have an MBA, or you've had a little more experience, you're an analyst and you are moving up. Then you become an associate. Again, roughly, these things vary a lot. But let's say about $100,000 is what you earn. About this time of year, you can probably expect, if things go well, and it's a good year, a $100,000 bonus. That has the junior level.
Then it moves up, then you become a managing director, these are the senior people in the business. And you'll see that the salaries there are up to around $500,000, half a million. The bonuses on that size are a mystery, because they're $500,000 up. That's where you start making the big money.
Finally, if you're at the partnership level, or higher than a managing director, if it is not a partnership -- we're calling them partners for argument's sake -- salaries tend to be up to three- quarters of a million dollars -- and there's a big range there. But the bonuses there are the really hefty ones. Those are the ones that we've seen some people get up to $25 million. So, if anybody out there is looking for a new career, Wall Street might be interested, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Is it too late for me, Ali?
VELSH: Never too late for you, Miles. You're a morning guy.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, I can get up early. For $25 million, I can get up real early.
Coming up, more than a decade after the Oklahoma City bombing a congressional report is out and it is drawing fire. Are it's conclusions worthy of the money spent on it? We'll ask that question ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
O'BRIEN: Good morning to you, Thursday, December 28th. I'm Miles O'Brien.
CHO: And I'm Alina Cho, in today for Soledad. Thanks for joining us.
O'BRIEN: Colorado under the gun again this morning. The state bracing for another foot-and-a-half of snow from a massive storm expected to cover the plains just east of the Rockies by this afternoon. It means Mother Nature is taking a bead once again on Denver. The city still trying to dig its way out of the last blizzard that dumped more than three feet of snow, covering just about everything, including the airport.
Severe weather expert Chad Myers is at the CNN Weather Center. Jonathan Freed is at the Denver International Airport.
Jonathan, you've logged more hours than I suppose you care to at DIA these days. But here you go again.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
That's absolutely right. And snow is supposed to start at noon today. It's dark now. We're looking up at the sky. It's not looking ominous yet, but everybody here knows it is coming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREED (voice-over): You're looking at the last 100 or so bags still sitting at United Airlines baggage claim in Denver after last week's storm. Some 5,000 travelers were stranded here for two days, most sleeping wherever they could. United alone canceled over 1,800 Denver flights, and managed to reunite most people with their bags and get them on their way within 24 hours of the airport opening last Friday.
The question is, have they cleared this the place out only to have it happen all over again? Denver's mayor say, if it does, despite the inconvenience, the city will not compromise safety.
MYR. JOHN HICKENLOOPER, DENVER: And we're not going to keep it longer than WHAT is completely safe, and we're not going to open it sooner than we feel is completely safe.
FREED: Plowing this place is no small task.
(on camera): When your crews plow every inch of concrete at this airport, how much have they touched?
CHUCK CANNON, SPOKESMAN, DENVER INTL. AIRPORT: Well, we're talking 1,200 lane miles, and that's enough for a single-lane road from Denver to San Francisco, or Denver to Detroit, depending on which way you want to go.
FREED: Airlines are already waiving restrictions on tickets to help people who want to try to get out ahead of the second storm in a week.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREED: Now, Miles, people here have heard predictions, everything from six inches of snow to a foot-and-a-half of snow. Of course it doesn't take very much when you get winds kicking up to create drifts that are several feet deep. People here kind of taking comfort, if you can believe it, thinking, well, maybe it will only be around a foot. That's where we're at in Denver these days.
O'BRIEN: Just a foot.
FREED: Just a foot.
O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much. Jonathan Freed at DIA.
FREED: Thank you -- Alina.
CHO: Well, that Colorado storm pounded northern California first. Thousands in the San Francisco Bay area are still without power after heavy winds knocked down trees and power lines. One woman was killed when a tree crashed through her home. And wind-driven rains dropped more than three inches of water on the Bay Area, flooding roads and snarling traffic.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Now, to a new report in this bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City 11 1/2 years ago now. A congressional subcommittee is blasting the Justice Department and the FBI for mishandling the case.
AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken live in Washington with more.
Good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
Well, this report covers a lot of ground, but it doesn't break much ground. And the explanation for that, according to the congressman who led the investigation, Congressman Dana Rohrbacher, is that he had a very small staff and real lack of cooperation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): It's been more than a decade since the second worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. The conspiracy theories begin almost immediately after 168 people were killed in the Oklahoma City Bombing. Did Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols act alone, or were others involved? Was every lead hunted down? This new report by a House International Relations Subcommittee does not conclude there was foreign involvement. It does charge that federal investigators did not fully pursue those possibilities, which has been raised since day one, when some witnesses, for instance claimed to have spotted a so-called John Doe No. 2. The FBI discarded those theories years ago, citing a lack of evidence.
But it is reasonable to question, says the report, "if all leads were thoroughly pursued, all evidence gathered and all evidence gathered and properly analyzed."
The report does not question whether McVeigh and Nichols were the ones primarily responsible for the bombings, but concludes McVeigh execution should have been further delayed while investigators continued to delve into possibilities of involvement by terrorists associated with the New York World Trade Center bombing in 1993, as well as neo-Nazi groups, including a German national. While federal officials would not be interviewed, an FBI response contended every bit of information was investigated and reviewed. The FBI worked tirelessly to cover all leads.
But the outgoing chairman of the subcommittee Dana Rohrbacher says his own two-year investigation, more than 10 years after the deadly blast, was hamstrung by a lack of cooperation and his subcommittee's very limited resources.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN: At the end of this report, Miles, we're left with the same unanswered questions that have existed such a long time. And of course there's one more question, why are they still unanswered?
Miles?
O'BRIEN: Good question, Bob Franken.
Let's put it right to the outgoing chairman of the subcommittee, Republican Congressman Dana Rohrbacher joining us from Santa Ana, California.
Congressman Rohrbacher, good to have you with us. Hope you're having a good break and hanging 10 a little bit. I know you're a big surfer out there.
REP. DANA ROHRBACHER (R), CALIFORNIA: Well, it's a little early here.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I know, and we appreciate you getting up early for us.
All right, you didn't get very far in this report. Was it a waste of time?
ROHRBACHER: No, it wasn't a waste of time, considering the magnitude of the crime and the relationship that it may have to the terrorist threat that we face today, and of course the experience on 9/11. So we did -- while we didn't come to the conclusion that we have proven a foreign connection, we have at least broken some new ground by analyzing the FBI and Justice Department original investigation and perhaps some of the deficiencies there that led -- that could possibly have led to 9/11.
O'BRIEN: It's interesting, though, you raise a lot of questions that are just kind of out there in the conspiracy theorist world, that McVeigh called a German citizen who was living in a white supremacist compound. Another man seen with John McVeigh, that John Doe No. 2 story, a group of Neo-Nazi bank robbers may have been tied to McVeigh. Persons associated with Middle East terrorism in the Philippines might have contacted Nichols, an Iraqi national happened to be in Oklahoma City. All these things have been out there. It's raised once again in the report. Doesn't this just add more fuel to those conspiracy theories?
ROHRBACHER: Well, there's nothing wrong to add to a conspiracy theory when there might be a conspiracy.
O'BRIEN: But isn't it time...
ROHRBACHER: The public needs to understand.
O'BRIEN: Just raising the question.
ROHRBACHER: Let me give you an example, a specific example. John Doe two was someone who was allegedly with Timothy McVeigh the day of the bombing. There are numerous witnesses that suggest they saw Timothy McVeigh with another person that day.
When he rented the Ryder truck that was used in the bombing, the man who rented the truck to him insists that there was someone with McVeigh, someone who delivered a pizza to McVeigh's room that night, someone else other than McVeigh answered the door to his motel.
The bottom line is, someone was with him, and that person has not been identified, and the FBI called off the investigation into John Doe two months after the bombing. That was premature and its left questions unanswered.
O'BRIEN: Why did they do that? Why do you feel the FBI is stonewalling hiding information from you?
ROHRBACHER: Well, I didn't say they're stonewalling, they're hiding information. What I said was that they called off this investigation. I think it represents a mindset we saw also at play in the pre-to 9/11, when we had FBI investigators calling up the main office of the FBI saying, oh, my gosh, they're taking pilot lessons, and the FBI headquarters had a mindset of debunking and ignoring things like this. That same mindset we found present during the Oklahoma City Bombing investigation, when they just said, after two months, there was no John Doe two, despite countless -- well, not countless -- a good number of credible witnesses that we interviewed who suggested there was a John Doe two.
O'BRIEN: Do you really believe there are accomplices out there that have escaped justice in this case?
ROHRBACHER: Oh, yes. I just said we cannot conclusively say that in our report. I cannot say that for the record we have proven that. I can tell you that I personally believe that after looking at all of this evidence, after interviewing witness who saw Tim McVeigh with someone else that day, and looking at the investigation.
For example, let me give you an example, we found a link, a possible link, between a group of Iraqi emigres, one of those who had been identified as John Doe two, and we found a link between that and the first World Trade Center attack. And when we gave this information to the Justice Department, the FBI, for confirmation, that one name on one list was the same name on another list from these two crimes, they refused to confirm for us whether or not this was the same man. They should want to know that themselves. They should want to know whether or not one man was involved with the World Trade Center, or at least accused of that, was the same man who was involved in the Oklahoma City Bombing, or accused of that.
Instead, they shut it down, said no, it would be too burdensome for us to check that out. That is not a mindset that gives us confidence.
O'BRIEN: Dana Rohrbacher, the outgoing chairman of the subcommittee and the person who headed up this report on Oklahoma City. Thanks for your time.
ROHRBACHER: All right. CHO: And ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, when is a secret family vacation not so secret? When your jet overshoots the runway. That's when. We'll have new information and a new uproar over Tony Blair holiday vacation.
And to your health. Dr. Sanjay Gupta gives us a peak at the health trends you'll see in the New Year. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: We're watching two developing stories, Islamist militants with ties to al Qaeda retreating from Somalia's capital city as Ethiopians soldiers approach.
And Saddam Hussein releasing a letter from death row urging Iraqis to unite against American troops.
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CHO: Coming up, a new year brings new trends and breakthroughs. Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares some predictions for your health in 2007 in our special series.
And a new discovery in the search for two missing American climbers in China.
Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHO: This week, we're looking into the future, all the way to the year 2007, just four days away. In our special series we've had predictions from the world of business politics and this morning medicine.
Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from the CNN Center in Atlanta with more on that.
Hey, Sanjay. Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina.
2006 has been such an amazing year. You saw food outbreaks. Most recently you saw a face transplant. You saw a vaccine for cancer, the end of transfats in New York City. Pretty remarkable. But I think the story that sort of garnered the most interest had to do with stem cells, and specifically it got a big jolt when you saw these adds from Michael J. Fox as well for a political campaign. A lot of people obviously very interested in stem cells. Predictions are in January, according to some sources, Democratic leaders are going to pass a bill to try and expand federal funding for stem cell research, the same sort of bill the president vetoed earlier this year. This could have an exponential impact on the field and draw a lot more researchers to the field and obviously increase the amount of research.
A lot of concern right now, Alina, because so much stem cell research is being done in other parts of the world. Scientifically, I think they're going to get better at techniques, specifically extracting embryonic stem cells without destroying fetuses, and we'll probably also see some improved -- increased, I should say, state funding. There's already a lot of funding in California specifically for stem cells, similarly sorts of plans for other states like Florida may start to occur in 2007 as well.
CHO: What about health care reform, Sanjay, always a hot button issue, and certainly with the presidential election looming, going to be a big issue that we're going to be talking about soon, huh?
GUPTA: There are several big issues when it comes to health care reform, and you can name them, everyone can, but the uninsurance problem in America. There are still too many people that are uninsured, and that has a lot of different impacts. Not enough people are getting preventative care. They're not accessing the health care system until it's too late, until it's too costly, and so many times the disease process has gone too far.
Also the drug plans for Medicare simply cost too much money for seniors. It is too expensive to get the medication this they need.
And finally, something that's really been out there for some time, Alina, is the way that we approve medications in this country. We saw it with Vioxx this year, a critical look at that drug-approval process. I think we're going to see some reform in that area as well next year.
CHO: Yes, they pulled back a lot of drugs, haven't they?
All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Atlanta for us. Sanjay, thank you very much. Thank you.
And, hey, a programming note, don't miss Sanjay's year-end special. It's called "House Call: Prognosis '07." That's on Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Pacific right here on CNN -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Just what any doctor ordered.
Some of the stories we're following for you this morning. The holiday travel season may not be slowing down after all. We'll tell you why it might be a good idea to plan a vacation after the holidays.
And John Edwards announcing his run for president in 2008. We'll talk with him about his campaign.
Stay with us.
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