Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Snow Storm Pounds Portland, Oregon; Military Rehearses For Next Week's Inaugeration; Charles Graner Sentenced To 10 Years

Aired January 16, 2005 - 09:00   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.


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, this is such a good morning for you to be with us. Betty, we have got star power on CNN this Sunday morning, stars on the football field, stars on ice and a preview of what stars on the red carpet will be wearing at tonight's Golden Globes. We'll have all their stories ahead this hour.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: All kinds of star gazing for you.

Well from the CNN Center here in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Good morning. Welcome everybody. It's January 16th. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us.

Let's get you caught up on the headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Here's what's coming up this hour.

The champagne is chilling as a big celebration looms. President Bush will take his second oath of office this week and Washington is all abuzz. We will give you the latest on planning and preparations.

And, in Portland, Oregon, they are singing unchain my, well, car. Look at this video, wicked weather for survivors to chain their tires. Yes, but a pending warm spell means no more slipping and sliding, good news there. We'll have those details.

And, the task of identifying those killed in the tsunami in Asia is already so very tough but we will introduce you to a man who is helping get that job done despite the odds.

In our "Security Watch" this morning, one of the most exclusive celebrations in the country is set to unfold on Thursday. Security for the presidential inauguration will be the tightest ever seen for such an event.

Our Brian Todd is following the plans and preparations and he joins us now from Washington with all of that, good morning Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.

We're down here on the National Mall and in just a moment five different divisions, one from each branch of the U.S. military, are going to be taking part in this morning's rehearsal for the inaugural parade and swearing in.

I spoke with members of the U.S. Marine detachment out of the Marine barracks here in Washington, D.C. just a moment ago, along with members of the U.S. Army field band in Fort Meade, Maryland.

They all told me they were up at 3:00 a.m. this morning to deploy from their barracks at 4:00 a.m. and come out here to march. They are going to be starting literally in just a couple of minutes marching right past me.

I mentioned five branches of the military. One of them is the U.S. Coast Guard taking part in the parade and the Coast Guard is also handling a very important part of security for the inauguration. They're going to have several patrol boats and even a Coast Guard cutter on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.

Now, obviously security from a Coast Guard standpoint is very different than it is along the parade route. We asked a lieutenant on the patrol boats, on one of the patrol boats, excuse me, what they look for along the rivers as far as security breaches.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUTENANT FRANK DEL ROSSO, U.S. COAST GUARD: What's even (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the bridges as well, underneath the bridges and also on the bridges, like broken down trucks, cars that have been there for a while. We'll call that in to local law enforcement so they can go out there and check them out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So, along the rivers it's a very different animal as far as security but along the parade route and around the mall overall and in this city you've got about 6,000 officers from about 40 different law enforcement agencies, including the Secret Service. They're taking the lead in the operational planning. So, it is a very involved event security wise and all the world will be watching, so there's a lot of pressure involved -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Definitely a lot of pressure, Brian. So, how precise does all of this security have to be? Will people have to go through checkpoints?

TODD: There will be checkpoints around. There will be officers. There are fences set up along this perimeter all over the place. Streets are closed this morning just for this rehearsal. There's a wide swath of streets closed. So, yes, there will be -- I mean it will be very visible.

And there will be a lot that's not visible, including some security cameras that are going to be stationary along the routes and will be able to have kind of a 360-degree capability to take surveillance.

NGUYEN: So they can monitor it from all angles. All right, CNN's Brian Todd, thank you for that from the nation's capital this morning.

The inauguration is designated a national special security event, now that gives the Secret Service the lead among some 40 government agencies taking part in security. You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

HARRIS: One of the domestic issues on the president's agenda is Social Security. We want your opinion on this question. Does Social Security need to be fixed? E-mail us now at wam@cnn.com and we'll read your comments throughout the morning.

NGUYEN: And speaking of public opinions, President Bush says his reelection was the public's way of endorsing his approach to Iraq. In an interview in the "Washington Post," Mr. Bush says there's no need to hold anyone in his administration accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in the planning or execution phases of the war, reportedly saying:

"We had an accountability moment and that's called the 2004 elections and the American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq and they looked at the two candidates and they chose me."

HARRIS: The man at the center of the Iraqi prison abuse scandal is now going to prison. A military jury sentences Charles Graner to ten years. He's also been demoted from an army specialist to a private and he'll be dishonorably discharged once he gets out of prison. But does he have any regrets?

Our Susan Candiotti has the answer from Fort Hood, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Now, a convicted criminal, former MP Charles Graner was the one being treated as a prisoner. He was led away in handcuffs and leg irons but still unwilling to say he was sorry inside the courtroom or outside.

CHARLES GRANER, CONVICTED OF PRISONER ABUSE: I was a soldier and if I did wrong here I am.

CANDIOTTI: Any regrets?

GRANER: No ma'am.

CANDIOTTI: In his sentencing hearing, Graner finally took the witness stand for almost three hours but not under oath to avoid any cross-examination. He said military intelligence, MI, set the tone for what to do inside Abu Ghraib Prison, adding a superior told him "If MI asked you to do this they're in charge. Do it."

Graner gave no explanation for these photos, the naked human pyramid, the detainee on a dog leash, this act of sexual humiliation. When his lawyer asked why he was smiling in so many photos, Graner told jurors: "There were a lot of things that we did that were so screwed up. If you didn't look at it as funny, you couldn't deal with it." At the end, he said: "I didn't enjoy it. A lot of it was wrong. A lot of it was criminal."

Graner stood at attention as the sentence was read, ten years. After the jury left, Graner chuckled nervously and said, "That's what makes the world go round." When it was over, Graner's parents angrily said their son was made a scapegoat.

IRMA GRANER, GRANER'S MOTHER: They were not interested in the truth. My son was convicted the day that President Bush went on television and said the seven bad apples disgraced the country.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Graner was taken to a county jail until he is assigned to a military prison. As he disappeared into a van filled with MPs, he tried to appear upbeat saying "I'm still smiling."

Susan Candiotti CNN, Fort Hood, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Most of those responding to a cnn.com quick vote on the Charles Graner sentence said it was too harsh. The quick vote is an unscientific survey of Internet users.

HARRIS: This morning's "Soldier's Story" is an update. Last November we told you about a support group for families who have lost loved ones in Iraq, in particular families of the Delta Company. We're checking in again to see how things are going.

Joining us is Kristen Sabat, the wife of a U.S. Army commander in Iraq and, Kristen, good morning, how are you?

KRISTEN SABAT, WIFE OF DEPLOYED SOLDIER: Good morning.

HARRIS: Good to see you.

SABAT: Thank you.

HARRIS: Well, you come to us, Kristen, with a particularly sad update. By all accounts in December you, the company, Delta Company, lost two soldiers who were very special, wonderful men. Tell us about these two men Todd Gibbs (ph) and Kyle Eggers (ph).

SABAT: Right.

HARRIS: And before I ask you to tell us about them, we're seeing a picture of both men and Kyle is on your left there in the glasses. Tell us about these men.

SABAT: These men were very brave men. They were wonderful fathers, very passionate for their country. They left behind very young children, young wives and it was very hard to get the phone call in the middle of the night since they were deployed from Korea.

And we had banded together on the Internet and the telephone and I could not get to these women when I got the phone calls and it was very hard. These two men were very close, same platoon, and...

HARRIS: Best friends.

SABAT: Exactly.

HARRIS: Kristen, here's the comment from one of a number of wonderful comments from your husband who is their commander over there in Iraq. It reads: "It didn't matter how miserable a day it was or how bad things seemed. You could always count on these two smiling away their troubles. I could never get mad at these guys. I either forgot what I was angry about or I became insane with anger trying to figure out how they could possibly be so happy in the worst of times."

And how are the wives? How are they doing? And I know it's difficult but I know the support group is there to help. What do you do? What do you say in a time like this?

SABAT: They were with the 506, which is a very historical battalion and I'm very proud that these men and my husband serve with the 506. They are called the Band of Brothers and we're like the Band of Sisters. I will never, ever let these women out of my life. I will cling to them and they will always be with me.

And it is not the memories of Melissa Gibbs draping over her husband's coffin. I will never forget. And Jen Eggers, they had to go through the funeral for her husband and then a couple of days later she went to Todd Gibbs and Melissa went to Kyle's as well.

And Carla White (ph), which is my husband's first sergeant's wife, we both flew out to Texas because they were both buried in Texas and it was just a very emotional week and something I can't even begin to describe.

HARRIS: When in December did this happen? Was this just before Christmas, just after Christmas?

SABAT: Kyle was killed on the 5th of December and Todd was killed on the 7th.

HARRIS: And, Kristen, here's the irony of all of this. This was something of a surprise deployment. The company was in Korea with no plans to go to Iraq and then the deployment orders came through and now they're in Iraq but you fought very hard and the wives of the company fought very hard to get some time with the soldiers before that deployment, is that true?

SABAT: That's true and these women feel, and I'm talking about Jen Eggers and Melissa Gibbs, their husbands should still be in Korea doing their hardship tour. They should have not been deployed to Iraq.

And I will never forgive Donald Rumsfeld because he's the one that makes the decision of the movement of the troops. They should have brought us together before these soldiers were ever deployed.

Some of them have already done Iraq, Afghanistan, then Korea and now back in Iraq and my husband has been gone two years next month and not expected back until the fall of this year. HARRIS: Well, Kristen, as we wrap just a couple of final words from your husband about these two. "These two heroes are still with us over here today. They were wingmen, honest, and loyal to the last full measure of devotion." Kristen thank you for taking the time to talk to us this morning, I know it's a very difficult story to tell and take care of those families for us please.

SABAT: Thank you. I will.

HARRIS: OK, Kristen, thank you.

It's a big concern for U.S. troops making sure their loved ones are provided for if they are killed in action. Now lawmakers in New Mexico and several other states are helping out.

They're proposing to pay the premiums for life insurance policies for National Guard members. The policies amount to $250,000 each. The basic premium is about $16 a month.

NGUYEN: Well, in northern Oregon freezing rain makes for a slippery drive. Not even chains help drivers stay between the lines. We'll hit a very cold road. That's just ahead.

HARRIS: And Hollywood stars will be providing the heat on the red carpet tonight. You know that. We'll get a sneak peak at the fashions for tonight's Golden Globe Awards.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And a little ice out there in the Midwest, a little snow -- a little ice in the northwest, a little snow in the Midwest and a little rain across the mid-Atlantic. Also, a little rain in Tampa, look at this, 49 degrees, you'll clear out a little bit later on this afternoon. Good morning Tampa and the rest of the Sunshine State, a complete forecast is upcoming.

CNN SUNDAY MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, it's a tough time for many in one Ohio town. After hard work rebuilding from floods a few months ago, high water hits them again this week and tears down much of all that progress. Their story is a little later this hour.

HARRIS: But first it's a slip and slide weekend for people in Oregon, a coat of ice making driving and walking dangerous. John Becker from our Portland affiliate KGW has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BECKER, KGW CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Streets turned to sheets of ice on Hall Street in Beaverton, catching drivers by surprise. Walkers lost their footing. Even this bus, tires wrapped in chains, skated into the sidewalk, clunking to a stop. Its back end fishtailed into place.

Truckers found the notorious (UNINTELLIGIBLE) curve even trickier coated in freezing rain.

In the West Lynn (ph) hills, a Wonder Bread truck flipped on its side. Saturday morning it was hard to drive even a mile almost anywhere around Portland without spotting someone in trouble.

De-icers at the airport tried in vain to keep up with the demand. Delays mounted in the early afternoon.

Vancouver didn't escape the cold blast. People who ventured out coped any way they could.

In the gorge, snow fell on I-84 but driving conditions on this day proved less hazardous here than in Portland.

Back on Barnes (ph) Road, notice the empty cage in the hand of this couple slip-sliding their way to a relative's house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's nothing in the cage but he's got some rats in his coat because we don't want to make them freeze. We didn't want to abandon them.

BECKER: More than a few people abandoned their trips, trucks and cars around the city, this January coat of ice making travel too treacherous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Ouch.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: Don't walk. Don't drive. That was John Becker from our Portland affiliate KGW.

NGUYEN: Well, we are teaming up with the power of cnn.com. Coming up, wild weather and the web, Veronica de la Cruz of cnn.com joins us to talk about the role the website played in coverage this past week and how you can stay on top of all that weather thanks to the click of a mouse.

HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. A study by Harvard Medical School found that after long shifts, sleep-deprived doctors in training were about six times more likely to have a near-miss traffic accident. New standards limit doctors' work to 80 hours a week and no m ore than three on-call shifts a week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And good morning Tampa, Florida. What beach is that? Rob Marciano has your forecast, Rob in a word what is it going to be? How does it look?

MARCIANO: Nicer than that. HARRIS: OK, in just a couple of minutes.

NGUYEN: That's all you need to know. OK, we'll be talking with him in just a few.

Meantime, an Alberta (UNINTELLIGIBLE) invaded the Midwest this weekend and temperatures dove to the zero mark and even deeper but weather conditions calmed down in the west after a wild week of heavy snowstorms, torrential rains, mudslides, even avalanches.

We've been following these developments and so has cnn.com. Web reporter Veronica de la Cruz is here with the latest on all of this. Nice color scheme today, I like that.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: I got the memo.

NGUYEN: Yes, you did apparently.

DE LA CRUZ: I got the memo. We're all in winter white this morning.

NGUYEN: Winter white, see.

DE LA CRUZ: And you know what, Betty, you're right. There was some wild weather last week and cnn.com has tremendous resources. Our weather section being no exception, in fact you're probably going to want to keep the page bookmarked if this week looks anything like it did last week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): Wicked weather plaguing the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just like a chain reaction.

DE LA CRUZ: All week long from the mudslides in California to flooding across the country and more snow than the west can handle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I guess you could compare it to the folks down in Florida that suffered through that series of hurricanes. Here you have all this big weather come in and just hammers on you. It finally breaks. You come up for air and you think, oh man, that has to be the worst of it and the next thing you know you get socked in again and you're just getting your potatoes peeled.

DE LA CRUZ: In the cnn.com newsroom, we've received e-mail like this:

Robert from Illinois writes in: "Your coverage on the weather out west is great but I'd like to know the positive side of all of this precipitation. How will this help with the horrible drought they have had over the past few years?"

And, at cnn.com/weather, plenty of resources, the top story silver lining of heavy rains offers up some insight. Also, personalize your weather and sign up for severe weather alerts. Planning a ski trip? This e-mail from Diana in Florida: "I need to know if it's going to snow in Boone, North Carolina. We want to go for vacation but we want to make sure that it will snow at least once."

You can find out online snow and ski report by going to cnn.com/weather and clicking on the icon. There you will find resort information and current weather conditions in the area.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DE LA CRUZ: And that snow and ski report is extremely thorough. In fact, you guys, it gives you information on lifts, the runs, how many lifts are open. It give you the condition of the snow, so there's actually a lot of the page.

NGUYEN: Yes, pertinent information when you're covering snowstorms, right Rob?

MARCIANO: Well, and it's very simple.

DE LA CRUZ: And your skiing, and your skiing.

MARCIANO: Do you see how simple that graphic was? I mean downhill skiing they show a big guy downhill skiing.

HARRIS: Right.

MARCIANO: And they show you most importantly fresh snow.

NGUYEN: And we're going to show a little bit of you right here, Rob.

MARCIANO: We are?

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: Oh, that's right, yes, from your travels last week. Oh, look at you, look at you. Now see.

NGUYEN: This is you working.

DE LA CRUZ: Look at that, hard at work.

NGUYEN: I want to see the video of you playing.

HARRIS: Where were you for this?

MARCIANO: We were in Lake Tahoe.

HARRIS: OK.

MARCIANO: We got the call last Friday. Look at how much snow fell.

NGUYEN: Look at that. MARCIANO: That was in a 12-hour period.

DE LA CRUZ: Wow.


Aired January 16, 2005 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, this is such a good morning for you to be with us. Betty, we have got star power on CNN this Sunday morning, stars on the football field, stars on ice and a preview of what stars on the red carpet will be wearing at tonight's Golden Globes. We'll have all their stories ahead this hour.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: All kinds of star gazing for you.

Well from the CNN Center here in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Good morning. Welcome everybody. It's January 16th. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us.

Let's get you caught up on the headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Here's what's coming up this hour.

The champagne is chilling as a big celebration looms. President Bush will take his second oath of office this week and Washington is all abuzz. We will give you the latest on planning and preparations.

And, in Portland, Oregon, they are singing unchain my, well, car. Look at this video, wicked weather for survivors to chain their tires. Yes, but a pending warm spell means no more slipping and sliding, good news there. We'll have those details.

And, the task of identifying those killed in the tsunami in Asia is already so very tough but we will introduce you to a man who is helping get that job done despite the odds.

In our "Security Watch" this morning, one of the most exclusive celebrations in the country is set to unfold on Thursday. Security for the presidential inauguration will be the tightest ever seen for such an event.

Our Brian Todd is following the plans and preparations and he joins us now from Washington with all of that, good morning Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.

We're down here on the National Mall and in just a moment five different divisions, one from each branch of the U.S. military, are going to be taking part in this morning's rehearsal for the inaugural parade and swearing in.

I spoke with members of the U.S. Marine detachment out of the Marine barracks here in Washington, D.C. just a moment ago, along with members of the U.S. Army field band in Fort Meade, Maryland.

They all told me they were up at 3:00 a.m. this morning to deploy from their barracks at 4:00 a.m. and come out here to march. They are going to be starting literally in just a couple of minutes marching right past me.

I mentioned five branches of the military. One of them is the U.S. Coast Guard taking part in the parade and the Coast Guard is also handling a very important part of security for the inauguration. They're going to have several patrol boats and even a Coast Guard cutter on the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.

Now, obviously security from a Coast Guard standpoint is very different than it is along the parade route. We asked a lieutenant on the patrol boats, on one of the patrol boats, excuse me, what they look for along the rivers as far as security breaches.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUTENANT FRANK DEL ROSSO, U.S. COAST GUARD: What's even (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the bridges as well, underneath the bridges and also on the bridges, like broken down trucks, cars that have been there for a while. We'll call that in to local law enforcement so they can go out there and check them out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So, along the rivers it's a very different animal as far as security but along the parade route and around the mall overall and in this city you've got about 6,000 officers from about 40 different law enforcement agencies, including the Secret Service. They're taking the lead in the operational planning. So, it is a very involved event security wise and all the world will be watching, so there's a lot of pressure involved -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Definitely a lot of pressure, Brian. So, how precise does all of this security have to be? Will people have to go through checkpoints?

TODD: There will be checkpoints around. There will be officers. There are fences set up along this perimeter all over the place. Streets are closed this morning just for this rehearsal. There's a wide swath of streets closed. So, yes, there will be -- I mean it will be very visible.

And there will be a lot that's not visible, including some security cameras that are going to be stationary along the routes and will be able to have kind of a 360-degree capability to take surveillance.

NGUYEN: So they can monitor it from all angles. All right, CNN's Brian Todd, thank you for that from the nation's capital this morning.

The inauguration is designated a national special security event, now that gives the Secret Service the lead among some 40 government agencies taking part in security. You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

HARRIS: One of the domestic issues on the president's agenda is Social Security. We want your opinion on this question. Does Social Security need to be fixed? E-mail us now at wam@cnn.com and we'll read your comments throughout the morning.

NGUYEN: And speaking of public opinions, President Bush says his reelection was the public's way of endorsing his approach to Iraq. In an interview in the "Washington Post," Mr. Bush says there's no need to hold anyone in his administration accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in the planning or execution phases of the war, reportedly saying:

"We had an accountability moment and that's called the 2004 elections and the American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq and they looked at the two candidates and they chose me."

HARRIS: The man at the center of the Iraqi prison abuse scandal is now going to prison. A military jury sentences Charles Graner to ten years. He's also been demoted from an army specialist to a private and he'll be dishonorably discharged once he gets out of prison. But does he have any regrets?

Our Susan Candiotti has the answer from Fort Hood, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Now, a convicted criminal, former MP Charles Graner was the one being treated as a prisoner. He was led away in handcuffs and leg irons but still unwilling to say he was sorry inside the courtroom or outside.

CHARLES GRANER, CONVICTED OF PRISONER ABUSE: I was a soldier and if I did wrong here I am.

CANDIOTTI: Any regrets?

GRANER: No ma'am.

CANDIOTTI: In his sentencing hearing, Graner finally took the witness stand for almost three hours but not under oath to avoid any cross-examination. He said military intelligence, MI, set the tone for what to do inside Abu Ghraib Prison, adding a superior told him "If MI asked you to do this they're in charge. Do it."

Graner gave no explanation for these photos, the naked human pyramid, the detainee on a dog leash, this act of sexual humiliation. When his lawyer asked why he was smiling in so many photos, Graner told jurors: "There were a lot of things that we did that were so screwed up. If you didn't look at it as funny, you couldn't deal with it." At the end, he said: "I didn't enjoy it. A lot of it was wrong. A lot of it was criminal."

Graner stood at attention as the sentence was read, ten years. After the jury left, Graner chuckled nervously and said, "That's what makes the world go round." When it was over, Graner's parents angrily said their son was made a scapegoat.

IRMA GRANER, GRANER'S MOTHER: They were not interested in the truth. My son was convicted the day that President Bush went on television and said the seven bad apples disgraced the country.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Graner was taken to a county jail until he is assigned to a military prison. As he disappeared into a van filled with MPs, he tried to appear upbeat saying "I'm still smiling."

Susan Candiotti CNN, Fort Hood, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Most of those responding to a cnn.com quick vote on the Charles Graner sentence said it was too harsh. The quick vote is an unscientific survey of Internet users.

HARRIS: This morning's "Soldier's Story" is an update. Last November we told you about a support group for families who have lost loved ones in Iraq, in particular families of the Delta Company. We're checking in again to see how things are going.

Joining us is Kristen Sabat, the wife of a U.S. Army commander in Iraq and, Kristen, good morning, how are you?

KRISTEN SABAT, WIFE OF DEPLOYED SOLDIER: Good morning.

HARRIS: Good to see you.

SABAT: Thank you.

HARRIS: Well, you come to us, Kristen, with a particularly sad update. By all accounts in December you, the company, Delta Company, lost two soldiers who were very special, wonderful men. Tell us about these two men Todd Gibbs (ph) and Kyle Eggers (ph).

SABAT: Right.

HARRIS: And before I ask you to tell us about them, we're seeing a picture of both men and Kyle is on your left there in the glasses. Tell us about these men.

SABAT: These men were very brave men. They were wonderful fathers, very passionate for their country. They left behind very young children, young wives and it was very hard to get the phone call in the middle of the night since they were deployed from Korea.

And we had banded together on the Internet and the telephone and I could not get to these women when I got the phone calls and it was very hard. These two men were very close, same platoon, and...

HARRIS: Best friends.

SABAT: Exactly.

HARRIS: Kristen, here's the comment from one of a number of wonderful comments from your husband who is their commander over there in Iraq. It reads: "It didn't matter how miserable a day it was or how bad things seemed. You could always count on these two smiling away their troubles. I could never get mad at these guys. I either forgot what I was angry about or I became insane with anger trying to figure out how they could possibly be so happy in the worst of times."

And how are the wives? How are they doing? And I know it's difficult but I know the support group is there to help. What do you do? What do you say in a time like this?

SABAT: They were with the 506, which is a very historical battalion and I'm very proud that these men and my husband serve with the 506. They are called the Band of Brothers and we're like the Band of Sisters. I will never, ever let these women out of my life. I will cling to them and they will always be with me.

And it is not the memories of Melissa Gibbs draping over her husband's coffin. I will never forget. And Jen Eggers, they had to go through the funeral for her husband and then a couple of days later she went to Todd Gibbs and Melissa went to Kyle's as well.

And Carla White (ph), which is my husband's first sergeant's wife, we both flew out to Texas because they were both buried in Texas and it was just a very emotional week and something I can't even begin to describe.

HARRIS: When in December did this happen? Was this just before Christmas, just after Christmas?

SABAT: Kyle was killed on the 5th of December and Todd was killed on the 7th.

HARRIS: And, Kristen, here's the irony of all of this. This was something of a surprise deployment. The company was in Korea with no plans to go to Iraq and then the deployment orders came through and now they're in Iraq but you fought very hard and the wives of the company fought very hard to get some time with the soldiers before that deployment, is that true?

SABAT: That's true and these women feel, and I'm talking about Jen Eggers and Melissa Gibbs, their husbands should still be in Korea doing their hardship tour. They should have not been deployed to Iraq.

And I will never forgive Donald Rumsfeld because he's the one that makes the decision of the movement of the troops. They should have brought us together before these soldiers were ever deployed.

Some of them have already done Iraq, Afghanistan, then Korea and now back in Iraq and my husband has been gone two years next month and not expected back until the fall of this year. HARRIS: Well, Kristen, as we wrap just a couple of final words from your husband about these two. "These two heroes are still with us over here today. They were wingmen, honest, and loyal to the last full measure of devotion." Kristen thank you for taking the time to talk to us this morning, I know it's a very difficult story to tell and take care of those families for us please.

SABAT: Thank you. I will.

HARRIS: OK, Kristen, thank you.

It's a big concern for U.S. troops making sure their loved ones are provided for if they are killed in action. Now lawmakers in New Mexico and several other states are helping out.

They're proposing to pay the premiums for life insurance policies for National Guard members. The policies amount to $250,000 each. The basic premium is about $16 a month.

NGUYEN: Well, in northern Oregon freezing rain makes for a slippery drive. Not even chains help drivers stay between the lines. We'll hit a very cold road. That's just ahead.

HARRIS: And Hollywood stars will be providing the heat on the red carpet tonight. You know that. We'll get a sneak peak at the fashions for tonight's Golden Globe Awards.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And a little ice out there in the Midwest, a little snow -- a little ice in the northwest, a little snow in the Midwest and a little rain across the mid-Atlantic. Also, a little rain in Tampa, look at this, 49 degrees, you'll clear out a little bit later on this afternoon. Good morning Tampa and the rest of the Sunshine State, a complete forecast is upcoming.

CNN SUNDAY MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, it's a tough time for many in one Ohio town. After hard work rebuilding from floods a few months ago, high water hits them again this week and tears down much of all that progress. Their story is a little later this hour.

HARRIS: But first it's a slip and slide weekend for people in Oregon, a coat of ice making driving and walking dangerous. John Becker from our Portland affiliate KGW has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BECKER, KGW CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Streets turned to sheets of ice on Hall Street in Beaverton, catching drivers by surprise. Walkers lost their footing. Even this bus, tires wrapped in chains, skated into the sidewalk, clunking to a stop. Its back end fishtailed into place.

Truckers found the notorious (UNINTELLIGIBLE) curve even trickier coated in freezing rain.

In the West Lynn (ph) hills, a Wonder Bread truck flipped on its side. Saturday morning it was hard to drive even a mile almost anywhere around Portland without spotting someone in trouble.

De-icers at the airport tried in vain to keep up with the demand. Delays mounted in the early afternoon.

Vancouver didn't escape the cold blast. People who ventured out coped any way they could.

In the gorge, snow fell on I-84 but driving conditions on this day proved less hazardous here than in Portland.

Back on Barnes (ph) Road, notice the empty cage in the hand of this couple slip-sliding their way to a relative's house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's nothing in the cage but he's got some rats in his coat because we don't want to make them freeze. We didn't want to abandon them.

BECKER: More than a few people abandoned their trips, trucks and cars around the city, this January coat of ice making travel too treacherous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Ouch.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: Don't walk. Don't drive. That was John Becker from our Portland affiliate KGW.

NGUYEN: Well, we are teaming up with the power of cnn.com. Coming up, wild weather and the web, Veronica de la Cruz of cnn.com joins us to talk about the role the website played in coverage this past week and how you can stay on top of all that weather thanks to the click of a mouse.

HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. A study by Harvard Medical School found that after long shifts, sleep-deprived doctors in training were about six times more likely to have a near-miss traffic accident. New standards limit doctors' work to 80 hours a week and no m ore than three on-call shifts a week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And good morning Tampa, Florida. What beach is that? Rob Marciano has your forecast, Rob in a word what is it going to be? How does it look?

MARCIANO: Nicer than that. HARRIS: OK, in just a couple of minutes.

NGUYEN: That's all you need to know. OK, we'll be talking with him in just a few.

Meantime, an Alberta (UNINTELLIGIBLE) invaded the Midwest this weekend and temperatures dove to the zero mark and even deeper but weather conditions calmed down in the west after a wild week of heavy snowstorms, torrential rains, mudslides, even avalanches.

We've been following these developments and so has cnn.com. Web reporter Veronica de la Cruz is here with the latest on all of this. Nice color scheme today, I like that.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: I got the memo.

NGUYEN: Yes, you did apparently.

DE LA CRUZ: I got the memo. We're all in winter white this morning.

NGUYEN: Winter white, see.

DE LA CRUZ: And you know what, Betty, you're right. There was some wild weather last week and cnn.com has tremendous resources. Our weather section being no exception, in fact you're probably going to want to keep the page bookmarked if this week looks anything like it did last week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): Wicked weather plaguing the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just like a chain reaction.

DE LA CRUZ: All week long from the mudslides in California to flooding across the country and more snow than the west can handle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I guess you could compare it to the folks down in Florida that suffered through that series of hurricanes. Here you have all this big weather come in and just hammers on you. It finally breaks. You come up for air and you think, oh man, that has to be the worst of it and the next thing you know you get socked in again and you're just getting your potatoes peeled.

DE LA CRUZ: In the cnn.com newsroom, we've received e-mail like this:

Robert from Illinois writes in: "Your coverage on the weather out west is great but I'd like to know the positive side of all of this precipitation. How will this help with the horrible drought they have had over the past few years?"

And, at cnn.com/weather, plenty of resources, the top story silver lining of heavy rains offers up some insight. Also, personalize your weather and sign up for severe weather alerts. Planning a ski trip? This e-mail from Diana in Florida: "I need to know if it's going to snow in Boone, North Carolina. We want to go for vacation but we want to make sure that it will snow at least once."

You can find out online snow and ski report by going to cnn.com/weather and clicking on the icon. There you will find resort information and current weather conditions in the area.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DE LA CRUZ: And that snow and ski report is extremely thorough. In fact, you guys, it gives you information on lifts, the runs, how many lifts are open. It give you the condition of the snow, so there's actually a lot of the page.

NGUYEN: Yes, pertinent information when you're covering snowstorms, right Rob?

MARCIANO: Well, and it's very simple.

DE LA CRUZ: And your skiing, and your skiing.

MARCIANO: Do you see how simple that graphic was? I mean downhill skiing they show a big guy downhill skiing.

HARRIS: Right.

MARCIANO: And they show you most importantly fresh snow.

NGUYEN: And we're going to show a little bit of you right here, Rob.

MARCIANO: We are?

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: Oh, that's right, yes, from your travels last week. Oh, look at you, look at you. Now see.

NGUYEN: This is you working.

DE LA CRUZ: Look at that, hard at work.

NGUYEN: I want to see the video of you playing.

HARRIS: Where were you for this?

MARCIANO: We were in Lake Tahoe.

HARRIS: OK.

MARCIANO: We got the call last Friday. Look at how much snow fell.

NGUYEN: Look at that. MARCIANO: That was in a 12-hour period.

DE LA CRUZ: Wow.