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CNN Sunday Morning
Adopted Twins Dispute; Colorado Avalanche; Strong Storms Hit Pacific Northwest; President Bush and War Planners Back at Drawing Board; U.S. Army Snafu; Saddam Hussein Execution; Faces of Faith
Aired January 07, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," the road is now clear in Colorado, but an avalanche near Denver swept two cars off US Highway 40 yesterday. You can see it right there. Eight people were in the cars. None of them seriously hurt. The Colorado Avalanche Center says there is still an increased threat of another avalanche.
We're going to have more in just a couple of minutes on this.
In other news, President Bush is nailing down the final details of his new Iraq war strategy this weekend. Knowledgeable sources tell CNN he may order 20,000 to 40,000 more troops into Iraq. The president is expected to announce his plan Wednesday or Thursday.
Saddam Hussein's execution drawing criticism this morning from a key U.S. ally. Gordon Brown, the Briton expected to become the next prime minister, calls the way the execution was carried out "deplorable." The criticism comes in a TV interview with the BBC.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Angry protesters march in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu. They denounced the presence of Ethiopian troops and condemned the government's plan to forcibly disarm the city. The government has announced it will postpone those plans. Meanwhile, security concerns force a top U.S. diplomat to cancel an unannounced visit to Mogadishu today.
We head over and get our first quick check of the weather from our own Mr. Reynolds Wolf.
Good morning, sir.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning to you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLISON QUETS, FLED TO CANADA WITH TWINS SHE GAVE UP FOR ADOPTION: I think of their faces, I think of their eyes. I think of how they look at me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Remorse from a mother who's in the legal fight of her life. She fled to Canada with the twin babies she had given up for adoption. You'll hear more of her emotional interview coming up.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, from the CNN Center right here in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's January 7th.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
7:00 a.m. here in the East, 5:00 a.m. in Denver, Colorado. We'll get you the latest on the avalanche going on there and the amazing rescue that followed. We'll have that for you in just a moment.
NGUYEN: First, though, a developing story to tell you about, a custody fight, an international odyssey. Now the woman at the center of it is speaking out.
The mother accused of kidnapping her 17-month-old twins and taking them to Canada breaks her silence. And you will see it first right here on CNN.
Allison Quets is set to return to the U.S. tomorrow from Ottawa to face charges. The twins, Tyler and Holly, have been returned to their adoptive parents in North Carolina. They were found with Quets in Canada last month after she failed to return them to the couple Christmas Eve.
Well, Allison Quets says she plans to fight to regain custody of those twins. And in an exclusive interview with "The Ottawa Citizen" newspaper, Quets talked about the legal ordeal she faces, but she says her focus is on her children.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUETS: I think of their faces, I think of their eyes. I think of how they look at me. I think of how much I know they want me to hold them. And I can't, because I'm not there.
Yes.
ANDREW THOMSON, "OTTAWA CITIZEN": So you're going to go back on Monday to the United States?
QUETS: Yes.
THOMSON: Do you know right now -- any idea of what's going to happen as soon as you get back there? I know you did mention that you planned to fight, continue your legal fight, your custody fight, and face whatever charges might come up.
QUETS: Yes. I've retained a lawyer, so the lawyer is handling all of the arrangements in terms of, you know, what happens on the state side. I know I'll be crossing the border Monday morning, and that's pretty much all the information I have right now.
I don't really need to know any more than that right now. I don't really want to think a lot about those things. I just want to focus on the kids. I'm hoping to be able to see them again as soon as possible. I'm praying for that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Quets says she was suffering from postpartum depression when she put the twins up for adoption.
Andrew Thomson is "The Ottawa Citizen" reporter who got that exclusive interview with Quets, and he joins us now by phone from Ottawa.
Good morning to you.
THOMSON: Good morning.
NGUYEN: OK. Instead of returning the children to their adoptive parents on Christmas Eve, as we've noted, she decided to flee to Canada with the children in tow. Did she say why and what was in her mind when it came to a plan after she got to Canada?
THOMSON: Well, during the interview yesterday, there were a number of questions that she wouldn't answer directly, citing her continuing custody fight in Florida and also the possibility of her criminal charges in North Carolina. So it's difficult to get an exact read on just why she decided on Canada.
She did tell us that she had visited Canada before. Her ex- husband had family here. She said she found the people very friendly, very family-oriented. She had been told that Ottawa was a beautiful city, with a lot of amenities for children.
And so, really, as far as getting a read on her motives for coming to Canada, that was really all we could get out of her yesterday.
NGUYEN: Well, let's try to get a read on the person here, because Allison Quets, it's been widely reported that she suffers from postpartum depression, or at least she did when she gave up her children for adoption. Is this a woman -- you spoke with her yesterday -- we're showing video of that right now -- who appears to still be suffering from the illness?
THOMSON: Well, certainly she was very emotional yesterday, compared to -- I was in court this week during her court appearances, and certainly she looked a lot healthier, a lot stronger yesterday than she did this week while she was still in police custody. And certainly showing those home videos of her with her kids, she was smiling, her face was beaming. And certainly, everything that she said yesterday kept going back to this issue of her children. She kept repeating the fact that they had bonded, that the kids loved her, and that they really couldn't stand to be apart.
NGUYEN: And I understand that she plans on returning to the U.S. tomorrow. In light of the charges that she faces, what does she plan to do now? Does she want to go back to North Carolina and that apartment which she has maintained close to the children? THOMSON: She does. Basically, for her, the decision was easy once the children returned with their adoptive parents, the Needhams, last weekend from Ottawa. She said, you know, there was no point in being anywhere else than where the children were.
So, she does plan to voluntarily turn herself back in on Monday to police here in Ottawa. The details of her transfer back into American hands still haven't been released.
Even Allison herself isn't really clear on the details. But she is planning to go back, continue the custody fight, which is still continuing in a Florida court. And she also said she's quite prepared to fight the criminal charges in North Carolina. And that on moral grounds, she didn't feel that she had committed a crime.
NGUYEN: Andrew Thomson with "The Ottawa Citizen" newspaper there.
We appreciate your time today, and thanks for that exclusive interview.
THOMSON: Thanks very much.
HARRIS: A wind advisory in the Rocky Mountains today. And that may perk up more ears in the wake of yesterday's wind-driven avalanche in Colorado. A wall of snow sweeping across a popular mountain road, taking a couple of cars with it down the mountain.
CNN's Rhonda Scholting has the story from Berthoud Pass, near Denver.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RHONDA SCHOLTING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A massive wall of snow cutting three paths down a mountain and giving motorists below a terrifying ride they'll never forget. The avalanche buried parts of US 40 with 15 feet of snow and knocked two cars hundreds of feet down a steep slope. At least six people inside, all rescued. Some even managed to crawl out on their own.
JORDAN COOK, CAR HIT BY AVALANCHE: We were driving along, and my passenger's like, "Hey, look. Look, look, look!" And then just got nailed by this big old puff of white.
SCHOLTING: Experts tell CNN say the size of the avalanche was unusual, even for the Rocky Mountains.
DALE ATKINS, AVALANCHE SAFETY EXPERT: This avalanche, just to reach the highway, it will run almost 2,000 vertical feet, just to get down to the roadway.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What sent the snow sliding? A string of heavy snowstorms over a short period of time, backed by abnormally high winds. There's more snow in the forecast and more wind.
On Berthoud Pass, Rhonda Scholting, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, cherry blossoms in bloom, very little snow on the slopes. A lot of people asking, just where is winter?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN (voice over): Crazy weather, all over. What is going on? Let's go around the nation.
Winter in the Rockies, it's supposed to be snowy, right? But this? On-and-off blizzard conditions and now an avalanche.
Down South, a downright hot winter with muggy conditions spawned storms and tornadoes.
Check this out. Cars in South Carolina tossed around like toys.
And look at this, cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.? It's not April yet.
In New York City, no shirt, no problem. Walkers, joggers, families having fun. Just another spring-like Saturday in the park.
And the flap out West -- dry, gusty conditions. Wind and fire advisories are in effect in southern California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. Did we call it wacky? I don't know what else to call it anymore. This weather...
WOLF: You know, really, out of all those things, the most unusual -- I mean, obviously, you know, the snow is a bad thing that happened on the roadway there.
NGUYEN: Right?
WOLF: But, come on, snow in the Rockies, heavy snow? I mean, come on. They've had -- they deal with avalanches in the Rocky Mountains for millions of years. I mean...
NGUYEN: But the cherry blossoms in January?
WOLF: That's where it starts getting really weird.
NGUYEN: Right.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, the lights are slowly coming bag on in the Pacific Northwest. Strong storms hit the area again, causing some serious damage and knocking out power to more than 100,000 people near Seattle.
We get more now from Alison Ahmoye of CNN affiliate KIRO. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRY MATTHEWS, HOMEOWNER: We've been here forever, and this is, you know, the first time. And it's just that the wind shifted and came from a different direction.
ALISON AHMOYE, REPORTER, KIRO (voice over): That wind shift resulted in this, a huge Douglas-fir crashing onto Terry Matthews' home and bringing two other trees with it.
MATTHEWS: I mean, all of a sudden, you just hear this huge crack, and I knew it was a tree, because what else could it be?
AHMOYE: The tree broke through rafters, insulation, and the ceiling, shattering the front window and cutting power out at exactly 12:35 a.m. The Matthews had to bring in a crane to lift the tree off their home without damaging it further.
MATTHEWS: You know, you're just thankful nobody got hurt. And it's just a house, you know. And it will get fixed. It's just going to be an inconvenience for a while.
AHMOYE: In Edmonds, we found a similar situation. A maple tree had split during the storm and toppled onto this home and an old Thunderbird.
Meanwhile, Snohomish PUD crews worked feverishly to restore power to the many residents left in the dark for the second time this winter. But this time around, getting power back seemed a little more urgent for some.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I said, "Are you going to be ready for -- are you going to be done by the time the game is on?" And he went, "Maybe." And I said, "OK."
So I went in and we made arrangements to leave. Because we're going to watch the game.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: That game that he was referring to was last night's...
NGUYEN: Oh, don't talk about it, T.J.
HOLMES: ... Seahawks-Dallas Cowboys playoff game. The Seahawks won that game 21-20.
NGUYEN: One point.
HOLMES: Tony Romo, if you're listening, my heart goes out to you.
NGUYEN: It does. It was almost -- Tony, you were almost there. You were almost there.
HOLMES: It was tough. You had a good year, buddy. But we want to thank as well Alison Ahmoye of affiliate KIRO in Seattle for that report.
NGUYEN: Well, more violence every day, and a rising death toll of U.S. troops in Iraq. President Bush and his advisers are still debating how to turn Iraq around. We have the latest on the president's efforts to come up with a new Iraq war strategy.
HOLMES: Plus, a big scare for a church choir when a man storms into a church and sets it on fire. That story coming up in about 13 minutes.
And some Britons are placing some high bets on a wedding date. When will Prince William wed his fiancee?
More in about 20 minutes right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Two more American soldiers have been killed in Iraq this weekend. The military says one soldier was shot by insurgents yesterday while patrolling a busy street southwest of Baghdad. Another died of wounds suffered during combat in Iraq's Anbar province Friday.
That brings now to 3,008 the number of service members killed since the war began nearly four years ago. More than 22,000 have been wounded. There are about 140,000 U.S. service members now in Iraq.
Increasing violence, mounting death tolls, and a war-weary public. President Bush and his war planners back at the drawing board. A new Iraq war strategy is in the works and details are expected this week.
CNN's Elaine Quijano has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With Democrats now in control of Congress, President Bush in his weekly radio address stressed cooperation on domestic issues, but he steered clear of Iraq.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm confident that we can find common ground in our efforts to serve our fellow citizens and to move our country forward.
QUIJANO: Saturday morning the president huddled with top members of his national security team. Among those spotted at the White House, the outgoing director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, Defense Secretary Robert Hates, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Though a National Security Council spokesman described the meeting as part of regular and ongoing discussions, it came just days before the president is expected to unveil his new Iraq policy. It also came amid new political pressure from Democratic leaders in Congress. For the second day in a row, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid launched a pre-emptive strike, arguing against the most talked about option the president is considering, a temporary surge of thousands of U.S. forces.
SEN. HARRY REID, (D-NV) MAJORITY LEADER: Based on the advice of current and former military leaders we believe this tactic would be a serious mistake. These military professionals say there is no purely military solution in Iraq, there's only a political solution in Iraq.
QUIJANO: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow acknowledged the Democrats' opposition to a surge but he also challenged Democrats to offer other ideas.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Not only do we want to hear what they want to say but if they have alternative plans and views we're interested in hearing that as well.
QUIJANO (on camera): As for a time frame on an Iraq announcement that's expected to come in a primetime presidential address to the nation Wednesday or Thursday.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. So the president's plan is the focus of our e-mail question this morning. We want to know what you think about a possible U.S. troop surge in Iraq. Will it work?
E-mail us, weekends@cnn.com. We'll read some of those responses on the air a little bit later this hour.
There is more fallout on a story we first told you about yesterday. More apologies now from the U.S. Army over that snafu that caused reenlistment letters to be sent to the families of 275 officers killed or wounded in action.
CNN's Gary Nurenberg has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Years of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq have left the Army in need of experienced officers.
GINA CAVALLARO, REPORTER, "ARMY TIMES": They might need them for any number of positions in the Army, including filling these advisory teams that they are sending over to Iraq and Afghanistan to train those security forces over there. So it doesn't surprise me that they were looking for people who might want to come out of retirement.
NURENBERG: So the day after Christmas, the Army began sending letters to more than 5,000 former officers, urging them to return. On the list, 75 officers who have been killed and 200 who have been wounded.
Gina Cavallaro is covering the story for the independent newspaper and Web site "Army Times."
CAVALLARO: The Army is very upset about this. They know they made a huge mistake. It's embarrassing for them. And they are going to do as much damage control as they can.
NURENBERG: Expressing frustration and disappointment, the Army issued a formal apology Saturday. Its vice chief of staff, General Richard Cody, saying, "Every Army leader is just sick that this happened."
The Army says a soldier sent the letters using a master list from which the names of the dead and wounded had not been removed. General Cody said, "This is an inexcusable mistake. Five years into this war, the Army can do better than this -- and we will."
Army casualty assistance teams are contacting families this weekend to personally apologize.
(on camera): In addition to those casualty assistance teams reaching out to families this weekend, the Army says senior leaders also plan to write them personally with apologies. The Army also says that database problem has now been corrected.
Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. We all remember Christopher Robbins, Pooh Bear, Piglet and Tigger.
NGUYEN: Tigger, yes.
HOLMES: It all sounds familiar. Well, Disney World, Florida, is in the headlines again this morning because a father is claiming his son got slapped in the face by -- who?
NGUYEN: Who?
HOLMES: Tigger. I don't remember Tigger fighting. That's just me.
The story on Tigger's wild ways coming up in about four minutes.
NGUYEN: Well, the question is, what did the son do to Tigger?
HOLMES: Oh.
NGUYEN: Plus, what led a man in California to storm into a church and -- get this -- set a nativity scene on fire? We'll have those details in five minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A few stories making news "Across America" this morning.
Police are investigating the death of University of Southern California kicker Mario Danelo. His body was discovered at the foot of a cliff near Los Angeles yesterday.
CNN affiliate KABC tells us there will be a homicide investigation in place this morning. Mario Danelo is the son of former NFL kicker Joe Danelo.
All right. This is what we were talking about just minutes ago.
Tigger, you know, of Pooh Corner fame, well, possibly in hot water. A Walt Disney World employee who plays the character is suspended.
A New Hampshire man says Tigger hit his teenage son while posing with the family for a picture. I don't know what was said between the two, but I don't know why Tigger would just hit him all of a sudden. But, hey, who knows. I wasn't there.
The father of the child videotaped the incident. Ooh, it's on tape. A Disney World spokeswoman says park officials are investigating.
Now to Oregon. Quick action saved these dogs from a burning kennel.
Look at this. Firefighters say two workers living in the kennel's grooming room were burning a candle. Those flames, well, they got out of control. Witnesses say people driving past saw flames, pulled over and rescued the dogs from the cages before the fire spread.
HOLMES: In California, some frightening moments at a Catholic church. Police say choir practice was interrupted by a man who walked in and set a nativity scene and altar on fire. That man now possibly facing arson charges.
Alan Wang of our affiliate KGO reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REV. EDMUND COPPINGER, ST. CORNELIUS CATHOLIC CHURCH: And he said, "I'm going to burn this place." And he said, "You can stay or leave, but I'm going to burn it."
ALAN WANG, REPORTER, KGO (voice over): Father Edmund Coppinger of St. Cornelius Catholic Church says about 20 choir members scrambled out of the sanctuary as a man began dousing the altar and nativity scene with what appeared to be gasoline. Later, police arrested a 40- year-old Robert Mills (ph) of San Pablo. It's believed he had a mental disorder.
COPPINGER: The beautiful mosaic of a dove symbolizing the spirit, with the rays of grace coming out, has extensively been damaged. WANG: One parishioner tried to extinguish the blaze, but it was more than he could handle. By the time firefighters saved Richmond's largest Catholic church, the sanctuary looked like the inside of a chimney.
In the middle of the charred remains, a crucifix that almost burned. The flames stopped just before reaching the feet of Jesus.
(on camera): But no one was injured at St. Cornelius, so Father Coppinger says the church really wasn't damaged, because it's the people who make up the church, not the building. It's an experience that inspired his next sermon.
COPPINGER: In life, there are mysteries of sorrow that I don't think there's any human logic that can explain. And yet, in some ways, indirectly, they have a -- they can have an effect of drawing people together.
WANG: In Richmond, I'm Alan Wang, ABC 7 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Around the globe for you.
Saddam Hussein's hanging is still stirring debate.
HOLMES: And more criticism today on how the Iraqi government handled the former dictator's execution. Is the Maliki administration unintentionally turning the former tyrant into a martyr? Our look at that in just a few moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: "Now in the News," more warnings about possible avalanche danger in Colorado. This comes in the wake of yesterday's collapse that swept two cars completely off a mountain road. Eight people had to be rescued.
President Bush nailing down the final details of his new Iraq war strategy this weekend. Knowledgeable sources tell CNN he may order 20,000 to 40,000 more troops into Iraq. The president is expected to announce his plan Wednesday or Thursday.
Saddam Hussein's execution drawing criticism this morning from a key U.S. ally. Gordon Brown, the Brit expected to become the next prime minister, calls the way the execution was carried out "deplorable." The criticism comes in a TV interview with the BBC.
NGUYEN: There is dissent in Iran now over the country's nuclear program. Reformers in the parliament blaming President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government for bringing on United Nations sanctions. A spokesman for the reformist group says if the problems aren't solved in 60 days, they may try to impeach Iran's foreign minister.
(CHANTS) NGUYEN: That's the sound as angry protesters march in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. They denounced the presence of Ethiopian troops and condemned the government's plan to forcibly disarm the city. The government has announced it will postpone those plans. Meanwhile, security concerns force a top U.S. diplomat to cancel an unannounced visit to Mogadishu today.
Let's get you the latest on the weather now with CNN's Reynolds Wolf.
Good morning to you, Reynolds.
WOLF: Good morning to you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
It's January 7th. Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen. We appreciate you joining us today.
HOLMES: Well, blunt words from a close American ally this morning for the way Saddam Hussein was executed. The criticism coming from the man expected to become Britain's next prime minister. The interview perhaps providing signs of what may be ahead in Britain's relationship with the U.S. and its role in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH TREASURY SECRETARY: Even those people, unlike me, who are in favor of capital punishment, found this completely...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was grisly, wasn't it?
BROWN: ... completely unacceptable. And I'm pleased that there's now an inquiry into this. And I hope that lessons in this area will be learned, as we learn lessons in so many other areas about what's happened in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The cell phone video of that hanging with Saddam Hussein being taunted at the gallows is on the Internet. And as CNN's Cal Perry reports, there is growing concern the video could turn Saddam into a martyr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAL PERRY, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): It's over 2,000 years old and was once the scene of combat by gladiators for entertainment. Now a symbol of Italy's stance against the death penalty, on this day protesting the Iraqi government's execution of Saddam Hussein.
Italy is one of many countries across Europe and the Middle East weighing in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Today's statement of the Iraqi president is below the international standard, because the question of the death penalty is a question of human rights. And it's not anymore a question of internal sovereignty, but something that affects all of us.
PERRY: There is no question many see the execution as a virtual debacle. Video was leaked, the images graphic and difficult to watch.
Even in Iraq, some mourners chanting, "By God, the president, Saddam Hussein, didn't bow to America, even in the last days of his life."
The Iraqi prime minister quick to defend his actions.
NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The execution of the tyrant was not a political decision, as the enemies of the Iraqi people say. The verdict was implemented after a fair and transparent trial which the dictator never deserved.
PERRY: The enemies of Iraq not the usual suspects.
In Jordan, a rally in Saddam's honor, and an unexpected appearance by his eldest daughter. "God bless you, and I thank you for honoring Saddam, the martyr," Raghad told the crowd before she left.
In Sri Lanka, this banner: "President Saddam Hussein, a martyr."
And in Kashmir, for two days in a row, police clash violently with protesters.
(on camera): With a now admitted controversy and things now surfacing, has the Iraqi government done exactly what it did not want to? In the minds of many, turning Saddam from what he was, a despot, to what he now is, a potential martyr.
Cal Perry, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We are following a developing story this morning. A mother accused of kidnapping her biological twins and fleeing to Canada, she's now speaking out.
The twins are back with their adoptive parents in North Carolina. The biological mother, Allison Quets, expected to return to the U.S. from Ottawa tomorrow to face charges. She talked with "The Ottawa Citizen" newspaper in an exclusive interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) QUETS: I just think of their faces, I think of their eyes. I think of how they look at me. I think of how much I know they want me to hold them. And I can't because I'm not there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Earlier, we spoke with Andrew Thomson, "The Ottawa Citizen" reporter, about his exclusive interview with Quets and why she went to Canada.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMSON: During the interview yesterday, there were a number of questions that she wouldn't answer directly, citing her continuing custody fight in Florida and also the possibility of her criminal charges in North Carolina. So it's difficult to get an exact read on just why she decided on Canada.
She did tell us that she had visited Canada before. Her ex- husband had family here. She said she found the people very friendly, very family-oriented.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Quets says she was suffering from postpartum depression when she gave the twins up for adoption.
NGUYEN: Well, are you surfing the Web this morning? Let's take a quick look at what you're clicking on, on CNN.com.
HOLMES: I have heard of the Miracle Bra, and I have a general understanding of what it's supposed to do. But...
NGUYEN: Pretty interesting that it's your read, but go right ahead, T.J.
HOLMES: ... this one is different. This is a real Miracle Bra here.
Seriously, it was New Year's Eve, folks were shooting into the air to celebrate. And this woman is outside while the celebration is going on. All of a sudden she feels a pain in her shoulder.
She notices that she's bleeding. It turns out she's hit by a stray bullet, and, would you believe, the only thing between her and a more serious injury was the bra strap on her Miracle Bra?
NGUYEN: Well, let me tell you, there are going to be plenty of us headed out there to get one of those just in case.
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when we first practice to deceive," a lesson a 36-year-old Keifer Bonvillain may be learning the hard way. Yes, he is accused of trying to extort $1.5 million from Oprah Winfrey.
Bonvillain allegedly taped telephone conversations he had with a Winfrey employee. Then he allegedly threatened to release the "shocking and newsworthy tapes." He was arrested and released on a $20,000 bond.
HOLMES: Well, reading out loud in front of a crowd can be a bit intimidating, maybe, so some pups lending their ears in the Paws for Reading program. Kids get to practice their reading in front of a very attentive nonjudgmental group of listeners.
NGUYEN: Well, all bets are off. A British bookie was taking wagers on when Prince William will marry his girlfriend, Kate Middleton. Apparently folks know something we don't.
He says there was a overwhelming number of high-dollar bets that the couple will marry on July 19th. So much so, T.J., that he closed the books on Will and Kate getting hitched on that date.
HOLMES: Wow. I wanted to get my bet in.
You can also get more on our top stories on our Web site, of course. Just log on to cnn.com/mostpopular.
NGUYEN: Well, the new Congress gets back to work this week. You've been hearing Democrats talk about their first 100 hours.
Nicole Lapin from CNN Pipeline is here to talk about what lawmakers are going to be doing as this session opens up.
Hi.
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN PIPELINE ANCHOR: Well, a short -- hi, Betty. The short answer is, they're going to be doing a lot...
NGUYEN: A lot of work.
LAPIN: A lot of stuff.
The first 100 hours technically spans, Betty, from Tuesday to next Thursday. And since this is the first time in 12 years the Dems have control, they're shooting the moon.
Here are some of the things the Dems are planning on doing in those seven working days.
From security, voting in a couple of days to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, to healthcare, a House vote expected this week on a prescription drug plan. And votes on minimum wage and oil subsidies are also slated for the first 100 hours.
So, will it all happen or will it pass? Of course, we'll be watching. And so will this man, President Bush, no doubt.
This is the first time he's dealing, of course, with a Democratic-controlled Congress. And you can see what he recently said online that he wanted for the agenda on Capitol Hill, including permanent tax cuts. He also says he wants a line item veto to control some spending. So you can see what the president wants. You can also see what the Democratic leadership wants.
But what do you want? We've been asking readers to chime in with their own ideas.
All you have to do to do that is log on to cnn.com/exchange to send us your thoughts.
And Betty, we've been getting a lot of responses. One just in. I wanted to share it with you.
Mel from Florida writes in, "The number one business of Congress should be to get us out of Iraq."
So a lot of thoughts on Iraq and other issues, and it's all online.
NGUYEN: Well, we'll be hearing more about that as the president is set to speak this week about his plan forward in Iraq.
So, all very interesting, Nicole. Thank you.
LAPIN: Yes. Sure.
NGUYEN: Appreciate it.
HOLMES: Well, we've got a sitcom to tell you about. It's in the headlines these days. Why? The title might give it away here. It's called "Little Mosque on the Prairie."
NGUYEN: Interesting. The production tackles religious prejudice toward Muslims, but in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way.
So, is it entertainment or an education in political correctness, or maybe even both? We're going to take a look in our "Faces of Faith."
That is coming up in just a few moments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE": I can see your belly button. You look like a Protestant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE": Don't you mean prostitute?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I meant Protestant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That is a sneak peek at "Little Mosque on the Prairie." It's a new TV sitcom, but you are not going to find that on American airwaves. Just yet, anyway. The show premiers on Canadian TV this week.
While religious intolerance is a sensitive issue for a TV sitcom to tackle, the show's producers say it's entertainment, first and foremost.
CNN's Brooke Anderson takes us behind the scenes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For North Americans who have come to view Muslims with suspicion, this sitcom provides a glimpse into a world that will feel both very familiar and very strange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been planning this for months. It's not like I dropped a bomb on them.
Well, if dad thinks it's suicide, so be it. This is Allah's plan for me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm not throwing my life away. I'm moving to the prairies to run a mosque.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step away from the bag. You're not going to paradise today.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
ANDERSON: It turns out the passenger isn't a terrorist, but an imam on his way to a remote Muslim community. The show finds humor in the all-too-common misunderstandings that come when you take Islam at a rural Canadian location and mix in universal themes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the charge, flying while Muslim?
(END VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
ZARQA NAWAZ, CREATOR, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE": No one's ever done this before. This is the first time anyone's, you know, combined comedy with the North American Muslim life experience.
ANDERSON: Zarqa Nawaz, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, created "Little Mosque on the Prairie," drawing from her own experience of being Muslim in a small town.
NAWAZ: It created a lot of fodder for comedy. And I thought, wow, you know, why not use this material for a sitcom?
ANDERSON: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation picked up eight episodes, hoping that the series comedic look at Muslim life will resonate with viewers in a post-9/11 era.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there's a lot of curiosity about the Muslim community and how it interacts with the world at large.
ANDERSON: Andrew Wallenstein, with "The Hollywood Reporter," thinks it just might gain footing.
ANDREW WALLENSTEIN, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: I think a great comedy is the kind of comedy that tips sacred cows. And there's probably no more sacred cow right now than the stereotypes in the Muslim community. So it's got a great chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you part of a sleeper cell?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't answer that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't answer that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, what is your connection to al Qaeda?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is your connection to journalism?
(END VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
ANDERSON: But the show's creator emphasizes the themes in "Little Mosque" aren't specifically Muslim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please tell me I'm adopted.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
NAWAZ: The show talks -- you know, deals with relationships between people, between husbands and wives and their kids, between non-Muslims and Muslims. It does a lot of things on a lot of different levels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the privilege of living in a country with freedom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom? To do what, fan the flames of hatred?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, isn't it Muslim preachers like yourself that do that? I've got news for you, Johnny Jihad.
(END VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
ANDERSON: Nawaz hopes her efforts will not only entertain, but educate.
NAWAZ: Laughter's the best medicine when it comes to bridging the gaps between people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was joking. Muslims around the world are known for their sense of humor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did not know that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was another joke.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh. Oh. What is that? Some kind of signal?
(END VIDEO CLIP, "LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE")
ANDERSON: The show's creators have taken into account Islamic religious sensibilities and believe they've struck enough of a balance to avoid offense.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: It does look kind of funny.
All right.
Borrowing a line from the Beatles, all you need is love, and maybe some stamps. We'll show you why fans of the Fab Four will be saying, please, Mr. Postman.
That's next in "The WaterCooler."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Time now to take a quick break. To "The WaterCooler" we go.
HOLMES: This is when we get you caught up on some of the crazy stuff, some weird news items you may have missed.
First, some of you may know Beefeater known as gin. A lot of people in our studio apparently familiar with it today.
NGUYEN: If you could only see them now.
HOLMES: Yes. But Beefeater actually is a name given to these fellows, the red and black Ceremony of Guards at the Tower of London, where the crown jewels are kept.
NGUYEN: This summer will end 522 years of tradition for the Beefeaters, and they're accepting their first -- get this -- female member.
HOLMES: Yes. The woman, who has not been publicly identified, still fulfilling her military duties. And by the way, the Beefeaters now mostly function as tour guides at the tower these days. NGUYEN: Ah, interesting. OK.
Would you let your teenage son sail solo across the Atlantic? This 14-year-old from Britain just became the youngest person to accomplish that feat.
HOLMES: Yes. Mike Horham (ph) arrived in Antigua Wednesday after navigating the open ocean for six weeks. Well, for the record here, we do need to tell you his dad was following in a boat not too far behind.
NGUYEN: Oh, OK.
HOLMES: Just to make sure.
NGUYEN: Got it.
And please, Mr. Postman, give me some Beatles stamps, would you? Britain's royal mail on Tuesday will honor six Beatles albums as postage stamps.
HOLMES: And you can see them here. Can you name them all, though?
NGUYEN: I don't know.
HOLMES: No, you can't. All right.
With the Beatles is in that somewhere -- you've got "Revolver." "Help" is on the bottom left.
NGUYEN: "Sergeant Pepper's."
HOLMES: "Sergeant Pepper's," "Abby Road' top right. "Let It Be" on the top left.
So there you go.
NGUYEN: All right.
We're going to switch gears right now and talk about our e-mail question. Here it is. This is what we're asking you.
What do you think about a possible U.S. troop surge in Iraq?
As you know, the president's going to be speaking on that later this week. And here's what you've been telling us this morning.
Let's get to Art today. He says, "The 'surge' is yet another case of bait and switch by the Bush administration. Adding 15,000 more troops at this point is deserving of its own wing in The Museum of Bad Ideas."
HOLMES: All right.
Patricia now from Oregon says, "Of course, surge. Also, we should remember that George Bush is the president, not Nancy and Harry. War is hard, but we must not run."
NGUYEN: And Alex from Atlanta, Georgia, says, "Yes, I believe a final effort should be made to try and resolve the situation in Iraq. I'm also a strong supporter that if for any reason this last tactic does not work, our soldiers must come home at once."
Of course, we invite you to keep those comments coming. Here's the question one more time.
What do you think about a possible U.S. troop surge in Iraq? E- mail us, weekends@cnn.com.
HOLMES: Well, we've got more wild weather to tell you about this morning.
NGUYEN: Yes. Have you seen the pictures from Colorado? A huge avalanche sweeps cars right off of this mountain. Wow.
We'll take you there live for more on this amazing rescue.
Also...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He just got my interpreter. And he signed to me that the principal said that the dog is not allowed to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Common sense seems to have flown out the window a very long time ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes. A hearing-impaired boy says he just wants to take his dog to school. But the school says no. We're going to talk to the family in our next hour.
CNN SUNDAY MORNING rolls on. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Here's what's "Now in the News."
More warnings about possible avalanche danger in Colorado. And this comes in the wake of yesterday's collapse. What you see there, that swept two cars off a mountain road. Eight people had to be rescued.
We're going to take you there live in just a minute.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had no idea it could be this warm in New York at this time of year.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: But it's not supposed to be. It's a record. All-time high temperatures reported in parts of New York and New Jersey. Other areas of the Northeast hit near-record highs for what is supposed to be the cold month of January.
HOLMES: Angry protesters march in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu. They denounced the presence of Ethiopian troops and condemned the government's plan to forcibly disarm the city. The government has announced it will postpone those plans.
NGUYEN: A communist era scandal rocking the Catholic Church in Poland. The new archbishop of Warsaw announcing his resignation this morning. He admitted to signing an agreement with Poland's secret police in the late 1970s that says he never informed on anyone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The dog and the partner, the human partner are supposed to be together basically, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So why is a New York school banning a hearing impaired student from bringing his service dog to class? We'll have a live interview. That's just 10 minute away.
NGUYEN: From CNN Center right here in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's January 7th, 8 a.m. in New York and 6 a.m. in Denver where they're experiencing avalanches. We'll talk more about that. Good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: I'm T.J. Holmes and thank you so much for starting your day here with us.
NGUYEN: First up, two more American soldiers have been killed in Iraq this weekend. The military says one soldier was shot yesterday southwest of Baghdad. Another died of combat wounds in the Anbar Province on Friday and that brings to 3008 the number of U.S. troops killed since the war began nearly four years ago.
New strategies for Iraq. Iraq's prime minister announces a new Baghdad security plan. Nouri al Maliki says he's government is ready to crack down on militias regardless of their sectarian and political affiliations. The prime minister says Iraq's armed forces will implement the crackdown. He says U.S. forces will play a backup role. Now the plan comes on the heels of President Bush's announcement Friday replacing top military commanders in Iraq. It also comes just days ahead of Mr. Bush's plan to unveil his own revamped Iraq war strategy.
HOLMES: Iraqis are plotting a new strategy is fine, but they want action. A lot less violence and safer streets. More now from CNN's Arwa Damon.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Working in the family business, this humble fish stand, Sa'eed Al-Khafaji has watched Iraq's tormented history unfold on Baghdad streets for nearly half a century, but he still finds hope that one day things will change for the better, that after the violence there will be a better life.
SA'EED AL-KHAFAJI, BAGHDAD RESIDENT (translator): For the sake of change, we have to put up with this, he says. The wounds from the past days are deep ones. A rare perspective.
DAMON: Other Iraqis are more skeptical, believing the country's wounds won't be healed by increasing the number of U.S. troops or by the current Iraqi government's new plan, which hasn't been fully explained. Eighteen year-old Hussein Ghaleb lives in a state of helplessness and shock at how unbearable life has become.
HUSSAIN GHALEB, STREET WORKER (translator): I feel afraid, he says. I force myself to come to work, but what if a car drives by and shoots me? Two cleaners from our group were killed on this bridge. Forced to leave school to support his family, every day he swallows his fear for about $60 a month.
DAMON: It's barely enough to live on. He wants the Americans out, wants his government to take control, but doesn't really have faith that they're up to the task of making his simple dreams come true. We want job, he says. We want a future. We want to grow up and get married and have children. Through his grimy windshield cab driver keeps a sharp eye on every vehicle that passes. He, like many Iraqis, spends his days on edge and lives on a common sane in Shala, god willing, he puts his life in god's hands each time he ventures out.
Increasing U.S. troop levels will only make things worse, he says. Iraq needs to be controlled by Iraqis. Iraqis haves heard American and their own government's plans to stop the violence before, while few are hopeful, most won't be convinced until they feel it's safe enough to go to work, safe enough to just go out.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: So how will the new Congress react to the president's new Iraq war strategy? Coming up on "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer," Wolf will talk with Senator Trent Lott and Barbara Boxer. That begins at 11 Eastern Time.
NGUYEN: Here's what we're asking you this morning, what do you think about a possible U.S. troop increase in Iraq? E-mail us, WEEKENDS@CNN.com. We'll read some of those responses in 15 minutes.
HOLMES: Now we want to turn and talk about the unstable Rocky Mountains. Two cars swept away by an avalanche. Yesterday, high wind at least partially to blame. More winds and snow expected today. This happened in Berthoud Pass near Denver and that's where we find Rhonda Scholting now reporting.
RHONDA SCHOLTING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A massive wall of snow cutting three paths down a mountain and giving motorists below a terrifying ride they'll never forget. The avalanche buried parts of U.S. 40 with 15 feet of snow and knocked two cars hundreds of feet down a steep slope. At least six people inside all rescued, some even managed to crawl out on their own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were driving long and my passenger said look, look, look! And we got nailed by this puff of white.
SCHOLTING: Experts tell CNN the size of the avalanche was unusual even for the Rocky Mountains.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This avalanche, just to reach the highway it will run almost 2,000 vertical feet just to get down to the roadways.
SCHOLTING: What sent the snow sliding? A string of heavy snowstorms over a short period of time backed by abnormally high winds. There's more snow in the forecast and more wind.
On Berthoud Pass, Rhonda Scholting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well the question is what is going to happen there today. Reynolds Wolf joins us with more on that. Reynolds really we knew that there was a lot of snowfall, what? Three storms together caused all of that?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. December 20th to the 21st, of course, last year, also the one that took place right before New Year's, we had anywhere from two feet of snow and then we had a 10 inch snowfall right before New Years and on January 5th, we had 7.5, just over three feet of snow. That is only part of the story.
The second half of the story, the strong wind gusts they had yesterday anywhere from, say, 20 to 30 to 40 miles per hour. In fact, in just one hour's span. Take a look at it from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. we jumped from 28 miles per hour to 44 miles per hour. Some gusts were stronger and it's the combination of those two things that helped that avalanche form. I will tell you what though again folks the Rockies have been there for millions of years. They've had plenty of snow out there and these kind of incidents are not that unusual, but the big span of time, but seeing this kind of snow laying across a roadway that is a huge deal and certainly those people are very fortunate that things didn't turn out worse than they could have.
Something else that's been really weird, not just the avalanche we've had on the Rockies as I mentioned not to unusual, but the temperatures we've had in the northeast incredibly unusual. We've shown you the pictures this morning of the cherry blossoms popping up in Washington D.C., people running out in their shorts in Central Park, hard to believe that. That was the case yesterday and it may be today as well with the high temperature of 52 degrees in New York City. We have a live image in New York. You don't see people jogging, you see them skating at that this time. They could be skating in their t-shirts and shorts easily today and then you fall and no question it would a little bit of a different matter. Let's move along and show you what else we have temperatures as we make our way down the eastern seaboard down to Atlanta 61 degrees. We have live images in Atlanta as well compliments of WSB, which shows the lens cap, and we'll show you some rain out there. Unfortunately we don't have those pictures at this time, I'm being told, but trust me just6 imagine your TV set with some raindrops on it be and that's the way it will shape up for much of the day. We have moisture coming in from the Atlantic as well as the Gulf of Mexico. Scattered showers and possible storms, now all this is heading into the Carolinas we've had some heavy rain over the last couple of days. The additional falling to the afternoon, late afternoon and the early evening, will not be out of the question to see some localized flooding in this area and flash flooding and maybe even some strong storms. In the center of the U.S., nice and cool. Snow showers possible for the northern Rockies and into the northwest. Look for rain showers in the Willamette Valley northward to the Straits outside of Seattle, Washington. Looks pretty good.
Lets send it back to you.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: Don't say it too quickly because it will sound really, really bad.
NGUYEN: You know what? Done with both of you. Thanks so much, Reynolds.
HOLMES: We're going to get more on that situation out in Denver, specifically Berthoud Pass where that avalanche we've been talking happened. We're going to get to the reporter Rhonda Scholting who is on the ground for us there and on the phone for us right now. So please update us. How are things now?
SCHOLTING (via telephone): Well Highway 40 has reopened. Road crews were able to get the job done very late last night. Even with the snow gone, high winds may drive over Berthoud Pass last night very treacherous, in fact so dangerous that many people had to turn around and go back. The crews worked all afternoon and all evening to remove the snow slide from 100 feet wide and 16 feet deep. Six people riding in two cars got caught up in the avalanche and one car was actually pushed over the edge. We caught up with someone who was on the road right after it happened and he took several pictures of the rescue efforts.
It was quite a miracle that no one was badly hurt and many more cars would have been involved in this had the avalanche happened two hours before because that would have been when the lifts were opening at Winter Park Ski Resort and then dozens of cars and hundreds of people would have been on Highway 40. The area where the avalanche happened is well known for having these kinds of snow slides and in the Colorado Department of Transportation checks routinely for danger every year and generally closes the road and then drops explosives from helicopters as sort of the cleanup effort to try to cleanout all that snow, but this winter, as you know, the state has had three heavy snowstorms in three weeks and usually this weather happens in late February and early March and then high winds in this area, sometimes keep those helicopters grounded. We don't know at this point if CDOT was able to clean up the area before the slide. We do know they brought in explosives after the slide and were able to clean out the remaining snow.
HOLMES: All right. Our Rhonda Scholting on the ground there for us in Berthoud Pass near Denver. Thank you so much.
If you're planning a vacation this year you'll want to be sure and stay with CNN.
NGUYEN: Some time during the year, at least.
HOLMES: The passport requirement changes, you need to listen up so as you're traveling you need to be aware of the stuff before you book that flight. That's coming up at 9 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Very good information. Also, can multitasking make you less intelligent? "House Call" has details in 20 minutes and don't do anything else while you watch, all right?
HOLMES: Also, you need to see this. This is getting a lot of attention these days. A 14-year-old hearing impaired boy banned from bringing his service dog to school. We'll hear from him and his mom, next.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Common sense seems to have flown out the window a very long time ago.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A final farewell for Denver Broncos quarterback Darrent Williams. Teammates and coaches who spoke at the memorial service vowed to carry on Williams's legacy of mentoring children. Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting on New Years Day in Denver.
Police they are investigating the death of University Southern California kicker Mario Danelo. His body was discovered at the foot of a cliff near Los Angeles yesterday. CNN affiliate KABC tells us there will be a homicide investigation team in place this morning. Mario Danelo is the son of former NFL kicker Joe Danelo.
Lets take you to Northern California now. The writing's in the sand. You see it there? More than 1200 people stretched 450 feet a cross spells out the word impeach. The protestors were expressing their unhappiness with the current presidential administration.
Toys "r" Us changing its mind after being criticized for disqualifying a Chinese-American infant from a New Year's baby contest. The company decided to reverse its decision. The prize was supposed to go to Yugi Lynn who was born at the stroke of midnight, but she was disqualified because her mother is not a legal U.S. resident. Now each of the three babies in the grand prize pool will receive $25,000 in savings bonds.
JOHN CAVE, AID DOG BANNED FROM CLASS: He the principal said the dog is not allowed to be here.
HOLMES: With that John Cave and his assistant dog Simba were barred from entering his high school in New York this week. Fourteen year-old John is deaf and has been impaired with a specially trained dog. That is his new dog, they have only been together a short time, they just met and the Cave family has been fighting for the past year for John to bring his helper dog to class. John Cave and his mother Nancy join us now from New York along with John's helper dog who is hanging out in there as well.
We want to welcome you both. Before we start talking to you all we do want to let folks know that we did try to get a hold of some officials from the school district, from the high school actually and have not yet heard back from them so we will talk to you all and first, mother, Nancy. Can you first explain your son's hearing impairment and his condition and how long he's been deaf?
NANCY CAVE, JOHN'S MOTHER: John lost his hearing when he was about 10 months old. He is profoundly deaf. He has bilateral cochlear implants and they're wonderful, but he still misses a lot of sounds.
HOLMES: He misses a lot; give us an idea of how much he can actually hear? What can he hear a normal conversation one-on-one?
N. CAVE: One-on-one, he does very well assuming that the environment is not noisy, but the school is a noisy place, outdoors is a noisy place. A restaurant is a noisy place. Also a lot depends on where he is in his mapping. John is a growing boy, he's 14, and so he has to go for mappings three or four times a year and so the optimum hearing time for him is right after a mapping. Obviously, as you go by for a couple of months he's not hearing quite as well. The trainer even noticed when he was training that there were a lot of things that he missed her saying that I to sign to him or repeat.
HOLMES: Now what assistance does he have in school right now?
N. CAVE: Well, he has a full-time interpreter in the classroom. He has an FM-system with speakers on his desk and the teacher wears a microphone. He meets one period a day with a teacher for the deaf, but T.J., you have to understand this dog was not a pained for school. This dog is not an educational tool. This dog is an upon independent life tool.
HOLMES: That's maybe the part that's key here for a lot of folks and let's talk about that because I guess the school is saying that he doesn't need it to learn, so your explanation for why he needs to take it to school is what?
N. CAVE: The dog is supposed to help him be independent in a hearing world. Because John is 14 years old school takes up six or six and a half hours of his day, five days a week, but this dog alerts him to sounds at all times whether he be at home or outdoors playing with his friends or in the mall, you know, or going to a movie. This dog alerted him to a train yesterday when we were in the car, but the dog doesn't differentiate the location of where we are. We were in the car and the train was coming by and he alerted John to the train. HOLMES: I'm going to try to ask John here a question. I think you are able to hear me, if not I know mom will help us out here. But John how is that, I know one day or a couple of days even you tried to take your dog to school and were turned away. What was that like for you to show up to school and essentially be kicked out of school because your new partner there wasn't allowed in?
J. CAVE: Well, I think they're not being fair to me; they're not respecting me. I respect the school and I think they should be respect me. Right now they're really not helping me.
HOLMES: We found a quote from the superintendent of the district there and they're not saying too much, but we do want to share this at least with our viewers. The superintendent Robert Dillon saying there is a process and there are protocols and we just wish that they would be followed. Apparently they would like you to go through some process and some steps of getting permission, Nancy, of having the dog. Have you or do you believe you followed all those steps and then they rejected you.
N. CAVE: First of all, there is no process and there is no protocol. The Board of Education, the superintendent, the committee for special education have no jurisdiction over this dog. This dogs right to public access is protected by the American with Disabilities Act which is a federal law and it is protected by the New York State Civil Rights Law 47 Article 4b Subdivision 1. Arguably, some people will look at ADA and say it might be murky and vague in some places, but the New York State Civil Rights Law is extremely explicit and very specific.
It even uses the words guarantee and without exception. This dog has full right to public access whether it be a school, a hospital, a restaurant, a business, a shopping mall, a movie theater, it makes no difference. Protected under state and federal laws, this dog has full right to public access and the school is wrong when they say that there is a process. When you have an individual education span, all of your educational tools whether they be a special teacher or an FM system or anything like that, that's all listed in the individual education plan. Simba is not an educational tool.
HOLMES: John, I'm going follow up with you and ask about having the dog at school and what you believe here. You're both saying, you're admitting that the dog is not necessary for you to have an education. You're not being denied an education. That's not the point. What do you think you're missing out on at school or more importantly is the dog, just having it at school, do you believe and understand how maybe walking through a high school with a dog is somewhat of a distraction at the school?
J. CAVE: Yes. My education, my grades are starting to go down right now because I am focusing -- worried about Simba right now and I just got my math test and I failed it. I've been focusing on Simba and right now the school is not letting me focus my education because I'm worried about Simba.
HOLMES: OK. Well John Cave, Nancy Cave, really it's a tough process you've been going through. A lot of people watching this and the best of luck to you and Simba and congratulations on your new partner, but really thank you all for spending some time with us and talking with us here today.
N. CAVE: Thank you for having us.
J. CAVE: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Well the president is expected to call this week for a troop increase in Iraq. What do you think of the idea? We're posing that to you. Here's the e-mail address where you can send in your thoughts. WEEKENDS@CNN.com. We'll read some of those responses in five minutes.
Now here's dr. Sanjay Gupta with a preview of "House Call."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody can do it and it's a lot of fun. Are you having fun, Amy?
AMY SMITH, SNOW SHOER: I'm having a great time.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Snow shoeing is a total body workout and it is ideal for people who love to be outdoors and anybody can do it, including Amy Smith who is six months pregnant.
SMITH: It's a lot of fun especially since I can't ski right now. So it looks like a good weigh to get low-impact exercise.
COSTELLO: Today's snowshoes are designed to be lighter and more comfortable. Most people can burn a minimum of 600 calories per hour. It's easy to increase the intensity of the workout just by hiking up a hill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're working upper body, your lower body, your abs, you're working your buns, and you're working your hamstrings and your calves.
COSTELLO: Joe's best beginner tip, keep your feet pointed straight ahead and stand tall with good posture. If you have knee problems or ski injuries snow shoeing is a good low impact workout. Perhaps the best reason to go snowshoeing is the fun factor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right!
COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Let's get to our morning e-mail question for you.
HOLMES: We're asking this question. What do you think about a possible U.S. troop surge in Iraq?
Our first e-mail is from Tom in Lexington says, "Richard Nixon, got elected in 1968 in part because he convinced voters that he had a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam. What he did was escalate the war by invading Cambodia. Escalation didn't work then and it won't work now."
NGUYEN: And Jay Walter Kosewicz writes, "Finish the job. If it takes a troop surge so be it. Does the United States want to be known as a country that never finishes what it starts or a country that can be relied on when the going gets tough?"
We appreciate all your e-mails. Keep them coming this morning and we'll continue to read your responses on the air.
HOLMES: Up next here, every time you multitask is your intelligence taking a hit?
NGUYEN: I hope not.
HOLMES: Find out on this morning's "House Call." That's coming your way in five minute.
NGUYEN: Also will we see higher airfares and more crowded jets in 2007? Find out at 9:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: Then at 10:00 o'clock reliable sources explores the controversy surrounding Saddam Hussein's execution.
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