Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
A Pardon for Victim of Gang Rape; Stocks Around World Sliding; Hillary Clinton Ramps Up Her Campaign With Key Endorsement; New Investigation into Soldiers Using Internet to Get Promoted
Aired December 17, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Unfortunately for the kids, a lot of it happened over the weekend so probably you're going to school.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: No snow days.
MARCIANO: Yes.
CHETRY: Well, we begin with breaking news overnight, and it's a story that sparked outrage around the world. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has now pardoned a rape victim who had been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail. The seven men accused of abducting and raping her had been sentenced to 10 months to five years in jail.
Emily Chang is at the world news update desk in London. Emily, how much of this had to do with the international outcry after learning the rape victim's sentence?
EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're certainly waiting to find all of that out. This is certainly an unprecedented turn of events. The Saudi justice minister broke the news in a local paper this morning that King Abdullah has pardoned this rape victim, a 19-year- old woman whose case sparked international outrage. She was meeting in a car with a man who is not a relative when she was gang-raped at knife point by seven men.
Each of those men did receive jail sentences up to five years in prison. She, in addition to being acknowledged as the rape victim, was also convicted of breaking Islamic law for being with a man who was not a relative at the time. She was sentenced to 90 lashes. Her attorney appealed that sentence, and it was increased to 200 lashes and six months in prison.
World leaders, of course, condemned the ruling. Even some of the U.S. presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton and John Edwards spoke out about it, but it also sparked a debate about justice within Saudi Arabia, of course, women there still face very strict laws, the strict dress code. They can't vote. They can't drive. They can't do many things without a man's permission, so this royal pardon is very much being seen as a victory for women in Saudi Arabia -- Kiran.
CHANG: All right. Hopefully we will get some reaction throughout the morning and check in with you a bit later. Thanks a lot, Emily. MARCIANO: Also new this morning, John McCain picks up another endorsement with the help of an old friend. Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman will publicly back McCain in New Hampshire this morning. McCain also got endorsed by "The Boston Globe" this weekend. Mary Snow is live in Hillsborough, New Hampshire where McCain and Lieberman will host a town hall meeting later on today. Mary, good morning.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob. Also, Senator McCain this weekend was endorsed by "The Des Moines Register." This morning, he'll be joined by Senator Joe Lieberman, a Democrat turned Independent and also in 2000, was the vice presidential running mate to Democrat Al Gore. This is significant because he is crossing party lines and for John McCain, this is an endorsement that could help him with Independent voters here in New Hampshire who can vote in these primaries and with independent voters who helped him win in 2000. So this is coming on the heels of those newspaper endorsements.
Senator Lieberman has been also a very vocal supporter of the Iraq war. He has taken criticism from Democrats because of that. But this morning, he'll be joining Senator McCain to announce his endorsement -- Rob.
MARCIANO: And, you know, as far the Republicans are concerned, Senator McCain may be as independent as they come, you think that the conversation might be had well, Joe, if I don't get the nomination. I mean, how tough was it to run as an Independent? Should I go at it as an Independent?
SNOW: Well, as you know, Rob, all kinds of speculation is always fueled on the campaign trail especially as we get so close to the first caucus. So there is, of course, buzz asking all kinds of questions about that and certainly that will be one of those questions that people will be wondering about in this week leading up to the primaries.
MARCIANO: All right. Mary Snow, we're hearing we may get that before this show ends. If not, it will happen in the 9:00 hour of "The Newsroom" down in Atlanta. Mary Snow joining us live. Thank you, Mary.
Also, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards will pick up an endorsement today. The First Lady of Iowa, Mary Culver will give Edwards her support, and they will stop at a homeless shelter this morning.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with Edwards. She'll have a live report later on this hour.
And Hillary Clinton picked up an endorsement of "The Des Moines Register" this weekend and today hits the road and the skies for a helicopter brainstorming tour of Iowa. Senator Clinton will talk about her fight for Iowa when she joins us live, 7:30, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: Well, a wintry storm pounced committees from the Great Lakes to the northeast this week. And our Reynolds Wolf has been in the middle of it. He's in Syracuse, New York, right now with a look at how much they got. And boy, it's coming down even as we speak this morning up in Syracuse. Hey, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, you're absolutely right, Kiran. This is really the tail end of it, that area of low pressure that northeastern continues its march off to the northeast. Right now, what we're seeing here is mainly seeing lake effect activity and to be honest with you, it is really quite pretty, beautiful thing to see but still a headache.
Now, what we've been dealing with here in Syracuse is just one tiny part of a huge storm system that affected millions of people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF (voice-over): The fiery storm blew from Michigan to Maine. Ten inches of snow in Michigan, up to 18 inches expected in New England. Hundreds of flights canceled in Chicago and over 100,000 without power in Pennsylvania. A roof of a drugstore in Boston collapsed into the weight of the snow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw the exterior wall start to buckle, and then everything was just like a domino coming down.
WOLF: In Cleveland, the browns battle the buffalo bills in the middle of a blizzard, while snowplows were out in full force in Vermont. At least three traffic deaths were blamed on the storm and in some places, visibility was so bad you couldn't see the car in front of you. You couldn't see many Christmas shoppers either. Earlier reports suggest that blizzard dealt the holiday sales a heavy blow. But fans of teen singer Hannah Montana were not disappointed. The concert in Rochester, New York, went on as planned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We would go through a snowstorm to see her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: Not rain, sleet or no will stop Hannah Montana. It's an amazing thing. Both Rob Marciano and I celebrate her entire collection. What we're expecting here in Syracuse, can be a little bit more of the snowfall then a little bit of a break in the action by midday and maybe some intermittent snow showers. But thankfully, the worst it appears is over. We'll send it back to you.
CHETRY: I could have sworn, Rob, was into the Cheetah Girls. I didn't know it was Hannah Montana. But, you know, now I got to return his Christmas present.
WOLF: When you have a heart like Rob's and mine, we're open to everything. There's always room for the Cheetahs.
MARCIANO: Reynolds Wolf lifting the veil of the CNN weather department.
CHETRY: Yes. We had a little birdie told us that he's actually our "Hot Shot" of the day. He makes the cameo, so we'll be watching for that.
MARCIANO: Reynolds' debut. It's going to be a big part of our show. Stay tuned for sure.
Alina Cho, always a big part of the show with --
CHETRY: I'm going to say usually the hot shot is Rob, but you know --
MARCIANO: Take it easy, guys.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We'll talk about that later. All right. Lots of news to report this morning.
New this morning, in Russia, announcing it has shipped nuclear fuel to Iran. Iran insists its nuclear power plant is for peaceful purposes and the latest U.S. intelligence says Iran put its nuclear weapons program on hold back in 2003, but Israeli intelligence disputes that. In fact, a team of Israeli intelligence officers is in the U.S. right now trying to convince officials that Iran has indeed begun a new nuclear weapons program.
A top U.S. general in Iraq says violence is now at its lowest level since the first year of the American invasion. Lieutenant General Ray Odierno said he believes that means the Iraqi government can move forward to settle political differences between rival sects. He also conceded the first six months of this year were probably the most violent since the invasion in 2003.
A new Al Qaeda video on the Web today from Osama bin Laden's second in command, Ayman al Zawahiri, says the U.S. is defeated and looking for a way out of Iraq. He also threatened Sunnis cooperating with American forces rather, that they'll be killed when the U.S. leaves the country.
Pressure on the CIA coming from a Republican Congressman. Peter Hoekstra says the intelligence committee won't be backing off and will investigate the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes, and he's not buying the story that the tapes were destroyed to protect the identities of the interrogators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PETER HOEKSTRA (R), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: It appears that these tapes existed for at least three years before they were destroyed so I find the rationale for when they were destroyed and the reasons given for that -- excuse me -- and the reasons for that timing not to be very convincing at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The justice department is fighting the investigation and is asking intelligence officials not to cooperate. Hoekstra says the committee may be forced to issue subpoenas.
Also new this morning after months of wrangling with the White House, it appears that Congress will pass a budget bill before heading home for the holidays. That is good news. The $516 billion spending bill stays within the president's overall spending target and funds Democratic priorities, like health care and education, but funding for the Iraq war is not included. House leaders are hoping to bring the bill to a vote by tomorrow.
Despite worries about a recession, President Bush says the economy is still going strong. That will be the focus of a speech later today in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The president will talk about what small businesses are doing to stay afloat and will also address the mortgage crisis.
Two of the five men suspected of setting a wildfire in Malibu, California, will be arraigned today. The 18-year-old Eric Ullman and 19-year-old Dean Lavorante turned themselves in yesterday. They and three others are accused in the fire that destroyed dozens of homes and forced 15,000 people to evacuate. All five faced felony charges.
And officials are waiting for investigators to get to Rhode Island today, where a plane is actually still stuck on the runway, hours after landing. Take a look at this.
The U.S. Airways Express jet slid off the runway at TF Green Airport near Providence, about 5:00 yesterday afternoon. All 31 passengers and three crew members got off the plane safely. Weather may have been a factor. A record 7.6 inches of snow fell at the airport on the same day. So you have -- these are the more dramatic pictures but weather a big problem across the northeast. Hundreds of flight canceled between the northeast and Chicago. So big problem for people traveling around the holidays.
MARCIANO: It just covers it all.
CHETRY: It sure does. But one quick question, did you get all your shopping done?
CHO: I did, started Friday, ended Saturday. I'm done. Totally done.
CHETRY: All right. It seems like you're in the minority, though, because there's only one more week until Christmas, and retailers are still wondering whether shopper are actually come through.
MARCIANO: Yes.
CHETRY: Our Ali Velshi joins us from the business update desk, not exactly the holiday shopping season a lot of retailers were hoping for.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not at all. You're right. That Alina's done actually puts her in a minority. It's not been what it's turned out to be, and there's one more shopping weekend left until Christmas. Retailers are hoping that's going to be the big one.
By the way, let me just tell you what's big out there. If you're looking for a Nintendo Wii, good luck. They're very hard to find. I think, Kiran, I might have seen you wearing UGG boots this morning, but I'm not sure and for Rob and Reynolds, Hannah Montana -- anything Hannah Montana is big. "High School Musical" and GPS are selling well this year, but shoppers are holding back. They were not there in full force this weekend.
They're some speculations that shoppers are thinking the sales are going to be better this coming weekend, the Saturday before Christmas, which is this coming Saturday, is going to be -- is always the biggest shopping day of the year. It's typically the biggest shopping day of the year, and some people are expecting that the bargains are actually going to get better.
At Macy's, eight of them across the country, mostly in this region around here, are going to stay open 24 hours a day in the days coming up to Christmas. Toys "R" Us starting Friday will be open until midnight, so we'll keep an eye on how the shopping season looks but still some work to do, Kiran. Were those UGGS or no?
CHETRY: No. I think they start with an UGG and end with a Lee. I don't really wear those.
MARCIANO: Those were mine.
VELSHI: It was something, Rob. It was somebody -- somebody's I saw. But Rob, I got that Hannah Montana for you.
MARCIANO: Thank you.
VELSHI: We're good.
CHETRY: Cheetah girls. Cheetah girls.
MARCIANO: Cheetah girls. Sorry. I'll take them all. Now you know what to get me.
Hey, listen to this. A new study says more Americans are googling themselves. Forty-seven percent of adults have looked up their own name on Google. About 60 percent said they're OK with all the personal information that they have online. The study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project also found 53 percent Googled a friend or a neighbor, and they found more women Googled the person they were dating than did men.
CHETRY: Interesting phenomenon. A lot of employers are also googling and also checking some of those social networking sites...
MARCIANO: Yes.
CHETRY: ... to make sure prospective employees aren't passed out on the ground or something along those lines.
MARCIANO: You got to watch. Have you googled yourself?
CHETRY: I don't feel like depressing myself that early in the morning. MARCIANO: Yes. I have, and I don't like what I see.
CHETRY: Me either.
MARCIANO: Dramatic video out of Kentucky this morning. A horse trapped and a race to get him free. We'll show you just how it was done in just a little bit.
And videos posted online of attacks on the New York City subways and buses. Could anyone get in trouble for taping them but not stopping them? Our legal brief weighs in ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Some of the best shots in the morning in our "Quick Hits" now. This is a brawl in South Korea's parliament becoming all too common. All of this over the investigation of a leading presidential candidate accused of corruption. I'm not sure exactly what the smoke was there.
Lawmakers tried to block access to the podium using -- it looks like they were trying to use some water to spray people to get them out of the way there. This is a situation that we saw last week as well, when fighting led to a big ruckus there at the parliament. In this case, at least one person was apparently knocked unconscious. Second time in a week that this has happened in South Korea.
Well, the Cryin' Dutchman on the last day of a 12-day conference on climate change in Bali. The executive secretary of the conference, Yvo de Boer, broke down into tears while discussing a minor procedural matter. De Boer lost it, had to leave the room. The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he left. Moments earlier, de Boer had been warning delegates that failure to reach an agreement on global warming could plunge the world into conflict.
And Celine Dion walking off the stage in Vegas to a standing ovation. She ended her nearly five-year run at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. She had a farewell concert last night. Since March of 2003, her show has been at Caesar's. It's been seen by nearly three million fans, taking in more than $400 million. She plans to take a couple of months off and then she's embarking on a world tour -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Kiran, a week after a disturbing video of a beating on a New York City subway made waves on the Web, pictures of similar attacks are appearing on YouTube. One bus rider in Queens, New York, captured pictures of a woman pinned down by a female attacker. Now, should the person who shot the video have reported it and can anyone be held accountable for this?
AMERICAN MORNING legal contributor Sunny Hostin joins us live with a look at this. A little bit troubling to see that kind of stuff, but we're in a day and age now where just about everyone is carrying a camera.
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Everything, everything. MARCIANO: First off, is this stuff admissible in court if charges were made?
HOSTIN: I think absolutely it would be admissible in court, and we've seen this over and over again. I think it almost started with Rodney King when we started seeing sort of those handheld videos from across the street. Now, people have video cameras in their pockets, you know, they have them. They're this big as opposed to being very large before, so I think we're going to see more of this.
But the bottom line is the videographer, the person taking the amateur video is not responsible. There's no duty for that person to act. You know, a lot of people hear about this Good Samaritan law.
MARCIANO: Yes.
HOSTIN: If you see something happening or you're videotaping something happening, there really is no exposure. You do not have a duty to act. You don't have a duty to do anything. You can sit and watch.
MARCIANO: What about a duty to report it? I mean, you just witnessed a crime.
HOSTIN: Yes. There is no duty to report either. I think it's interesting because people don't want to get involved because legally when you get involved, that's when your exposure arises.
MARCIANO: Yes.
HOSTIN: So if you get involved and you hurt someone more or you get hurt yourself or you exacerbate the situation, now you have some sort of liability. And so, I think people are struggling with the moral issues as opposed to the legal issues. Legally, you don't have to do anything.
MARCIANO: Yes.
HOSTIN: Morally, maybe you should do something.
MARCIANO: And then the people that are on the tape just being a bystander...
HOSTIN: Yes.
MARCIANO: ... they're not responsible here on the tapes.
HOSTIN: They're not responsible. I think a lot of people remember that Jodie Foster movie, where people just sitting and watching. There's no liability. Now if you are watching and you are making it continue and you are egging it on...
MARCIANO: Yes.
HOSTIN: ... there's some states, some situations where you may be held liable for continuing the crime. MARCIANO: Yes.
HOSTIN: But from what I've seen with these videos, there's no liability anywhere, but it's great that we now have that evidence and police are now investigating. And so, I would say continue, you know, videotaping these things.
MARCIANO: Yes.
HOSTIN: And then perhaps hand it over to the police.
MARCIANO: It's like having more security cameras just about everywhere.
HOSTIN: Everywhere.
MARCIANO: Maybe we'll determine -- maybe, we'll live in a safer world.
HOSTIN: Maybe so, maybe so.
MARCIANO: I'm too optimistic. Sunny Hostin, thank you very much.
HOSTIN: Thanks.
MARCIANO: Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Thanks a lot, Rob and Sunny.
Well, the Pats still perfect. Your "Quick Hits" now. The New England Patriots beating the New York Jets Sunday. It was 20-10. New England is now 14-0, two more games to go to be only the second team in NFL history to have an undefeated season.
Will Smith's post apocalyptic thriller "I am Legend" topped the weekend box office. It brought in $76.5 million in its debut weekend. It made it the biggest December opening ever. Coming in a strong second "Alvin and the Chipmunks." You'll definitely not going to see both of those movies, one or the other, I imagine, $45 million. Also "The Golden Compass" last week's top movie fell to number three, bringing in just $9 million.
Well, the president of France seen around Paris this weekend with his new girlfriend. We're going to tell you where they were spotted and who she is coming up.
Also, a heart wrenching scene. A horse stuck in an icy Kentucky well. Three teens desperately trying to keep the horse's head above water before rescue people can move in to help. We're going to show you more of this dramatic rescue coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in Mecca with millions of other pilgrims for the start of the Hajj. He'll be the first Iranian leader ever to take part. The ritual begins in Mecca, birth place of Islam and Muhammad and is a spiritual journey to cleanse the soul.
And trains are running again between Baghdad and Basra. Service resumed Sunday, same day Iraqi forces took over for British troops in Basra province. Service was halted nearly four years ago because of insurgent attacks. But Iraqis say security has improved enough to allow the trains to run again.
CHETRY: Well, this dramatic video of a horse being pulled from a freezing well. It happened in Burlington, Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati, Ohio. Three teens spotted the horse named Bo, thrashing in icy water. They helped keep the 4-year-old's head up while rescue workers were able to wrap him into a harness and there you see Bo being pulled to safety. His owners say that he is going to be OK.
MARCIANO: Oh, Bo.
CHETRY: Thank goodness, poor little guy.
Well, our "Hot Shot" of the morning, the death of a snowman. Frosty had a run-in with our own Reynolds Wolf. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: You won't be seeing much in terms of the snow. It's just going to be mainly some rain. I didn't mean for that outcome to be --
CHETRY: That was brutal, Reynolds. You just made all of the little kids watching right now cry.
WOLF: Oh, my gosh. Can you imagine the nightmares that they're going to have? I can't wait to see the e-mail I get from that.
CHETRY: Yes.
WOLF: Sorry, frosty.
CHETRY: Yes, that was bad.
WOLF: Actually, there was no frosty. I have no idea what you're talking about.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Oh.
WOF: There was never a snowman here.
CHETRY: Oh, Reynolds.
WOLF: It was a figment of your imagination.
CHETRY: Oh, this is bad.
WOLF: It does appear that, whoa -- it does appear -- don't you love these golden moments of television?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Yes, we do that's why we played it again and again and again. Joining us now to talk about why he decapitated the innocent snowman...
MARCIANO: Yes.
CHETRY: Reynolds, I love how you go "oh, I didn't mean for that to happen" as you knocked the snowman's head off. Seemed intentional. We're having Sunny Hostin look into it.
WOLF: Kiran, Kiran, these hands, these mittens are weapons. They're weapons. I know illegal ninja weapons removed that are legal in 17 countries. And the snowman said some things to me off camera, said bad things about our country and my mama, and there's no way in the world that I'm going to let a snowman get away with bad-mouthing the United States and my mom, and basically that's what happened.
MARCIANO: So here we are, you know, giving you an opportunity, Reynolds, to apologize to the child that maybe built that snowman, and you're saying it was really more of a self-defense and maybe, you know, showing a little respect, sticking up for your mom and your country.
WOLF: Basically, yes. I mean, Rob, you know, you yourself have referred to me as being the Chuck Norris of weather people.
MARCIANO: Yes.
WOLF: And you know, when sometimes when you have to, you have to do those things. You know, it's defending honor. That's what it's all about, man, what we do here.
MARCIANO: Reynolds Wolf keeping the street cred in the weather department. I swear to daddy.
WOLF: Absolutely.
CHETRY: All right. Speaking of street cred, tell us about the weather today because it's obviously snowing where you are in Syracuse?
MARCIANO: Oh, that's coming, I know.
WOLF: What we're seeing here, you know, what's amazing about this, we had 17 inches of snowfall here in Syracuse and we're going to be talking about how long this is going to last and how it's affecting millions of people around the country. It is really hard to believe some of the snowfall totals that you're going to see coming up. It has been one heck of a storm and thankfully it is slowly beginning to wind down.
MARCIANO: Reynolds Wolf live for us in Syracuse, Chuck Norris, the terminator and weather forecaster. See you in a little bit, Reynolds.
WOLF: All right. Nice.
MARCIANO: Thanks, buddy.
On a cheerier note, today is expected to be the busiest day of the holiday season for the U.S. postal service, which is expected to handle about 275 million letters today. So don't procrastinate any longer with those holiday cards because time is running out. The deadline to get them there by Christmas is December 20th.
And that brings us to this morning's "Quick Vote" question. How many holiday cards are you sending out this year? Cast your vote at CNN.com/AM. We'll have the first tally of the votes later this morning.
And French President Nicolas Sarkozy is showing off his new girlfriend. How did you like that French accent?
CHETRY: Yes, I loved it. It's beautiful.
MARCIANO: French media reports were abuzz over Sarkozy's visiting Disneyland in Paris with supermodel Carla Bruni. In October, Sarkozy was divorces from his previous wife, Cecilia.
CHETRY: All right. Well, a match made in the halls of congress. Two members of Congress tied the knot over the weekend. We're going to have details on that coming up.
Also, caught on tape, what could be evidence against the Reverend Al Sharpton or does it prove he's innocent? The story and headlines when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. It's Monday, December 17th. I'm Rob Marciano. John Roberts has the day off.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. We have some breaking news out of Saudi Arabia this morning and a pardon for a woman sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison after she was the victim of a gang rape. After weeks of international outrage, word overnight that Saudi King Abdullah has overruled that conviction in the interests of the people. She was convicted for being alone with a man who was not a male relative. The seven men who attacked her received sentences of up to five years.
Well, stocks around the world sliding this morning. Hong Kong's Key index lost 3.5 percent in part because of an inflation fears in the United States. Japan's Nikkei also falling sharply. Markets across Europe are open for trading and Paris, London and Frankfurt, all down more than 1 percent.
There's an announcement from Russia this morning that it has shipped nuclear fuel to Iran. Iran insists its nuclear power plant is for peaceful purposes. The latest U.S. intelligence says Iran put its weapons programs on hold back in 2003 but Israeli intelligence is disputing that. In fact, a team of Israeli intelligence officers is now in the U.S. trying to convince officials that Iran has begun a new nuclear weapons program.
Well, nearly 300 escaped prisoners still at large in India, after a mass jailbreak. Authorities say the inmates escaped Sunday from a jail in the central part of the country, overpowering four guards at a facility during lunch time.
MARCIANO: Time now to check in with Alina Cho for other stories that are new this morning.
Hi, again.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Rob, Kiran. Nice to see you, Rob. Good morning, everyone. New this morning, the husband of Stacy Peterson is scheduled to be in court this morning. The question, will he get back the items that were seized just after his wife vanished? Drew Peterson's lawyer says prosecutors are relying on innuendo to explain Stacy's disappearance, but those prosecutors insist it's too early to give Peterson back his gun, two vehicles and a computer. They say the probe is still ongoing. The Chicago area ex-cop is a suspect but has not been charged with anything. His wife has been missing since October 28th.
One of the victims wounded in last weekend's Colorado church shooting has been kicked out of that church. Larry Bourbonnais was escorted from the New Life Church and told not to return. He told CNN affiliate KRDO TV that officials didn't like his criticism of church security. Bourbonnais says he pleaded with a guard to confront the shooter Matthew Murray, then asked for a gun. He says he then distracted Murray before another guard shot him. The Pastor Brady Boyd Says Bourbonnais probably did more harm than good.
Rev. Al Sharpton is defending his innocence after a videotape allegedly shows him cutting a deal. The "Philadelphia Inquirer" obtained the tape of a 2003 FBI sting, investigating corruption in Philadelphia City Hall. Now, the paper says the tape actually shows Sharpton offering to help a man win a business deal in exchange for fund-raising for his presidential bid.
The tape touched off a separate investigation into Sharpton's campaign and his civil rights group. His aides were subpoenaed last week as part of that case. Sharpton says the deal was legal, because he is not a public official.
Fans are remembering singer Dan Fogelberg today. Fogelberg died yesterday at his home in Maine. He is best known for the song's "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne". Fogelberg had been battling prostate cancer for three years. He was 56.
And Congresswoman Mary Bono widow of the late singer turned politician Sonny Bono has actually gotten remarried. Bono married Florida Congressman Connie Mack Saturday in a private ceremony in Asheville, North Carolina. There are the first photos there of the happy couple. They had been dating for about two years. The congresswoman succeed her then husband Sonny in a special election after Bono's death in 1998 and both guys are Republicans so we're not going to have a Carville/Madeleine situation here. So, that's always good.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Alina. See you a little bit.
CHO: My pleasure.
CHETRY: Thanks, Alina. Meanwhile, Republican John McCain wants to try to build momentum toward New Hampshire and he could do it with an endorsement today. Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman formerly a Democrat, now an independent, will be putting his weight behind McCain at a town meeting this morning. Lieberman, Democrat turned independent, says McCain, a Republican, would be America's best defender against Islamic terrorism.
And $6 million in 24 hours, that's what presidential hopeful Ron Paul says he raised yesterday. The Republican congressman's campaign called the effort a money bomb. The idea to raise as much money in one day as possible. His previous one-day record $4.2 million. A spokesman says the average donation was about $50.
MARCIANO: Hillary Clinton is barnstorming Iowa, after picking up an endorsement from the "Des Moines Register," Clinton takes to the skies today for a helicopter tour of Iowa. She's been sagging lately in the polls but she may be poised to change the tone of her campaign. Suzanne Malveaux joins us live now from Des Moines with more. Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob. Really it's anybody's race here in Iowa. So of course, everybody is scrambling. It's less than two and a half weeks away from the Iowa caucuses. Sometimes these big endorsements make a difference. Sometimes they don't, but certainly clamp -- it is camp Clinton that hopes that this one will.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Dogged by bad press and bad weather, Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign looks like it was grounded. But then, something happened. Clinton got the coveted endorsement of Iowa's most important paper. The skies cleared and she took off. You couldn't get a better metaphor.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And if you stand up for me, I promise you, I will stand up and fight for you every single day that I'm president.
MALVEAUX: The makings of another Clinton warping into comeback kid, well, it maybe too soon to tell. But the nod from Iowa's "Des Moines Register" does help. It echoes her campaign central theme, experience matter.
H. CLINTON: I'm running because I think I can take the experience of my lifetime, particularly the work that I've done over the last 35 years, and put it to work for everybody. MALVEAUX: She uses the argument mostly to set herself apart from her closest opponent, Barack Obama. Her husband, Former President Bill Clinton, is fine-tuning the message, mixing it with part flattery.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE USA: Obama is a person of enormous talent. You know, staggering political skills.
MALVEAUX: Part inquiry.
B. CLINTON: Who is the best agent of change, not the best symbol but the best agent?
MALVEAUX: And part zinger.
B. CLINTON: I mean, in theory we could find someone who is gifted in television commentator.
CHARLIE ROSE, HOST: Do you think?
B. CLINTON: And let them run. They'd have only one year less experience in national politics.
MALVEAUX: Obama's comeback?
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I was 24 points down, they all thought I was a wonderful guy. So you know, obviously, things have changed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And Rob really the feud over Obama's experience is heating up so much, there are some voters that are dubbing this a battle of Bill versus Barack.
Rob?
MARCIANO: You say the battle is heating up but it looks so cold there, single number this morning. How are the candidates handling the winter weather there?
MALVEAUX: Eight degrees.
MARCIANO: Eight degrees.
MALVEAUX: Well, it was amazing over the weekend, Senator Clinton's campaign almost had to ground their helicopter tour, they're calling it the helicopter tour but the weather cleared. But, yes, I mean, it is really is going to depend on how cold it gets whether those voters come out. So far, the Edwards Camp, they are the ones that are most reliable when it comes to coming out in this kind of weather. It's tough, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right, Suzanne, stay warm out there. Suzanne Malveaux is live for us in Des Moines.
Well, Senator Clinton will be our guest this morning. 7:30 eastern right here on AMERICAN MORNING. You don't want to miss that.
CHETRY: Cheating to get ahead? Veronica De La Cruz takes a look at a new investigation into soldiers using the Internet to get promoted.
Also, winter weather from Chicago to Maine. We're going to have some of the best pictures of the snow and ice sent in by you. Your winter weather I-reports ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Some of the best winter weather I-reports in our "Quick Hits" now. Iceberg dead ahead. This one from Edward Vick (ph) in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. He says the streets there flood often but the Nor'easter created some ice floats. My goodness.
And Max in Boston shot this video through his apartment window. The snow stranding drivers. This driver gets a push, then drives off, and leaves his helper to chase the car down the street. Come on, come on, a little push. More, pushing, come on, come on. He's trying. He's trying. Snow tires, my friends, and four-wheel-drive always helps, if not -- there you go, and for your help, you get left behind.
All right, a tree falls in Kansas and someone was around to photograph it. This was sent in by Suzanne Gervais (ph) of St. Johns, Kansas. She said that the home owners were trying to cut down this tree so it wouldn't fall on the house but they cut it the wrong way and this is what happened. Insurance adjusters no doubt, will be battling on that one.
Reynolds Wolf is tracking extreme weather live for us this morning from Syracuse, New York, where it's still snowing this morning.
Hey, Reynolds.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Don't worry about his health. He's obviously healthy enough to beat up innocent snowmen, so I'm sure he is hanging in there fine. By the way, it's a balmy 80 in here. Just for you.
Senator Barack Obama trying to disprove some false rumors, we're going to tell you how he's doing it coming up.
Also, accusations that the army/navy ignoring widespread cheating on exams for promotions? Veronica De La Cruz takes a look at a new investigation, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Well, if you're just joining this morning, here's a look at what's happening for the headlines. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has pardoned the woman who was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison after she was raped. The case sparked international outrage. The seven men who attacked her received sentences of up to five years.
Republican Congressman Peter Hoekstra could issue subpoenas to the CIA for destroying videotapes that allegedly show harsh interrogations. He called the intelligence community incompetent, arrogant and political and he says the intelligence committee will hold the CIA accountable.
And retailers are reporting disappointing sales, partly because people from Midwest to the Northeast didn't get out into the winter storms. Online sales also slumped.
CHETRY: Scathing new report that tells of tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers using the Internet to cheat on exams that help them get promotion. Our Veronica De La Cruz is here with more on this investigation.
Hi, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Scathing is right. Good morning to you. You know what, these accusations though, Kiran, are not new. But this five-month investigation by "The Boston Globe" shows just how widespread the cheating is. And according to "Boston Globe" website, the army is aware and has largely ignored the problem that has existed now for about eight years. Their investigation found that hundreds of thousands of packages of exam answers have been downloaded from multiple websites.
Records from one site, shamschool.com showed that between September '06 and August '07, nearly 43,000 packages of engineering tests were downloaded. Plus, close to 20,000 interschool exams, nearly 19,000 air defense artillery exams and more than 13,000 packages for the quartermaster corps. So, a pretty shocking numbers there. What has the army done about this? Well, according to "The Boston Globe" not much. No one has been prosecuted for cheating. There is a note on shamschool.com that says due to the refusal of the webmaster to censor the site; the army has taken it upon itself to prevent access here from any military computer.
But of course, it doesn't really stop you from using a different computer. The report also showed how easy exam info was to come by. This site we're looking at here, armyfocus.com supposedly sells test answers. There are also apparently links on tons of Yahoo and Google message boards. And we did try to reach out to Pentagon and the army this morning for comment, but no one has gotten back to us yet. And "The Boston Globe" does suggest the army having such a tough time finding qualified recruits that they might be letting the cheating slide. I mean, back in 2001, there was a panel of experts that say, you know, this is really, really easy to fix. All you have to do is administer these tests in proctored classrooms, also change the test questions. Just change the test questions. None of that has been done.
CHETRY: Very interesting. We'll see if it changes now because of the investigation. Thanks, Veronica.
Well, the passing of a political pioneer in your "Quick Hits" now. The Democratic Congressional Representative Julia Carson has passed away. She died of lung cancer, Saturday. She rose from poverty and segregation to become Indianapolis's first black congresswoman. Julia Carson was 69 years old.
So, who pays for the Bill Clinton Presidential Library? There's a new report that says the library raised more than 10 percent from foreign investors and that the royal family of Saudi Arabia contributed $10 million, about the same donated to the library of Former President George Bush.
Hillary Clinton's been slogging in the polls but she hopes an aerial tour of Iowa and a key endorsement will help her out. She's going to join us live to talk more about how her campaign is going, 7:30 Eastern Time.
Also, New Jersey becomes the first state to require parents to vaccinate preschoolers for the flu. Elizabeth Cohen has this one for us at the top of the hour. Is this smart medicine? AMERICAN MORNING, comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back, Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" this morning. Hanukkah may be over but Christmas is around the corner and that mean deadlines.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People are mailing stuff. I'm always fascinated when I see these numbers every year. Today is the biggest day, the peak day for the United States postal service of more than 1 billion pieces of mail are going to move through its system. It's also the peak day for FedEx and DHL. 11.3 million parcels going through FedEx. 14.5 million through DHL. As far as the private delivery services go, UPS has the most of those parcels, that will happen on Wednesday.
And you know, every year it gets a little closer to the holiday season, but because we've been talking about the fact that shopping hasn't been as robust in the last few weeks as we've expected, this is going to be a bit of an issue, because those dates are getting pushed further and further back. I think, Best Buy says that they'll get shipping out there if you shop as late as Thursday, so this is kind of tricky but today, a billion pieces of mail working through the mail system. I think they said, I can't remember what proportion of this is cards but a lot of it is cards going into the mail today.
MARCIANO: Well, do you send Christmas cards?
VELSHI: I don't. I'm an "e" everything guy. I shop "e" and I send messages "e."
MARCIANO: Sign of a true lazy man. You're right on board. Well you know, our "Quick Vote" question has to do with cards, Kiran complaining about having to do all of that stuff.
CHETRY: I feel like I'm getting remarried. You know, making out hundreds of cards to people. VELSHI: Hundreds?
CHETRY: At least 150 cards.
VELSHI: Wow.
CHETRY: But, that's why this "Quick Vote" is interesting. I mean, everybody in your family, all of your friends.
MARCIANO: At least, you're trying to keep the USPS in business.
CHETRY: You guys are getting cards. You guys are, too. I mean, I don't know where it ends. You know, I don't know where it ends. So I just keep writing.
VELSHI: Have you ever decided to trim the whole operation, I won't feel bad because in the interest of saving the planet, that's a lot of cards.
MARCIANO: I'm the same way and apparently we're not sending you a card.
But they are fantastic.
All right, here's "Quick Vote". We're asking you, the viewer, how many holiday cards or any holiday cards are you sending out this year? Cast your vote at cnn.com. Your options are, more than 25, 0 to 25 or none. And there are the results. 32 percent, I guess Kiran is included in that, send more than 25. We probably need to set up one about more than 100.
CHETRY: And it would be interesting to see if anybody else sends out more than 100. Do you guys get the family form letter to, by the way, from people?
MARCIANO: I don't mind.
VELSHI: I like the little update.
This year we had two children and bought a new house. I like that.
CHETRY: We ripped up the linoleum and added ceramic to the floor. I mean, it's unbelievable what people write. I love getting those, thanks. Keep them coming. Thank you. It's fabulous.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Ali.
CHETRY: All right, thanks, Ali. Well, Senator Barack Obama trying to disprove some false rumors. We're going to tell you how he's doing it.
Also, some frightening moments for passengers on a jet in Rhode Island, after their plane skids right off the runway. A day when nearly eight inches of snow falls, setting a record there. That plane is still sitting on the runway this morning. We're going to tell you why. The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
Fight for Iowa. Hillary Clinton ramps up her campaign with a key endorsement behind her. Can she keep voters on her side? The senator joins you live.
Shots for tots. The flu vaccine mandatory now in one state. Is it smart medicine?
Plus winter white. Snow, sleet, ice and now the winds, get ready for a frigid day and a tough go from the great lakes to the northeast on this AMERICAN MORNING. Fun for the kiddies, not so fun at one of the airports that's dealing with some delays this morning.
MARCIANO: Oh, it's the same old story. It is Monday, December 17th. John Roberts is off. I'm Rob Marciano.
CHETRY: Good to see you this morning, by the way. And I'm Kiran Chetry. We begin with a home stretch in Iowa just 17 days in fact until the first votes for president are cast.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
