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CNN Sunday Morning
Presidential Candidates Campaign in Iowa
Aired December 16, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, HOST: Well, good morning, everybody. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is December 16th. I'm Betty Nguyen. So, are you feeling a lot warmer than my partner out there? I bet you are. Because he is braving the cold in Des Moines, Iowa. Good morning, T.J. I see you finally have a hat and scarf. I don't think it's yours, though.
T.J. HOLMES, HOST: I did finally get a hat. They let me borrow gloves here. They're kids' gloves, I think, but I'll take anything at this point. But I'm not really braving any temperatures. It's brave to try to run for president in Iowa in this temperatures, yes. T.J. Holmes here in Iowa with the Election Express Bus hanging out with the best political team in television this morning. Thank you all for starting your morning with us. We've got a lot to talk about. If you are just waking up, didn't hear the news maybe overnight, we've got the major political news to tell you about. Two very influential papers have announced their endorsements; that is a very big deal. One of those papers right here -- the "Des Moines Register." A very big deal every year -- every four years, candidates try to get this endorsement. And yes, we do know who has gotten the very influential endorsement of the "Des Moines Register." We'll be talking about that. A big morning here in Iowa. So, let's get started here, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. We do look forward to that news in just a moment, T.J. In the meantime though, millions of you are also waking up to extreme weather this morning. So, let's get you up to speed on all of that. Cold and snow, plenty of it to go around. Many people are waking up with a major winter storm on their hands. As much as a foot of snow fell from the plains across to the Midwest. At least two people are dead in highway accidents blamed on the weather. It is the second major storm in a week to barrel through the Midwest. Ohio, Wisconsin, Kansas all got snow. Now, the storm has its sights set on the northeast and New England. CNN meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf is in the thick of it. He's in Syracuse, New York and he'll have live reports throughout the morning. But we'll have more on that in just a moment. You have to hold off and stay out there in the cold for just a second for us, Reynolds. Much more with this extreme weather situation but first, let's turn to (INAUDIBLE) who's on the road this morning, T.J. is in Iowa today aboard the election express bus. Good morning, T.J. too bad you're not inside the bus right now.
HOLMES: Yes, it's actually nice and cozy inside the bus. But we're out here. And like you said, we've got a lot of extreme weather going on. And you would think I'm here right now covering the weather. But no, it is hot here in Iowa right now. Despite what you see around me, despite the 20 degree temperatures, it is hot because the political season is hotter than ever here. Outside here in Des Moines, the temperatures -- well below freezing. I'm told by the crew that's been here for the past week that barely gotten above freezing just once in the week that they've been here. The candidates - yes, things are heating up. Key endorsements are rolling in, very key endorsements. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux of course the member of the best political team on television, she takes a look at that for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was just a lifesaver Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign needed and not a moment too soon. The endorsement of Iowa's most influential newspaper, the "Des Moines Register." Coming less than three weeks away from the Iowa caucuses. A Clinton spokesman gasped, "We are incredibly pleased and honored." But also cautioned, "We know we have a few weeks left to go before the caucuses and a lot of work to do." The endorsement didn't come cheap. Mrs. Clinton, her husband, the former president and a host of former high level officials lobbied the paper's editorial board hard. For the first time in the newspaper's history, three of the board's six members were women. Clinton's opponents acknowledged they all courted the board aggressively and hopes of winning the coveted prize.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We would love to have the endorsement of the "Des Moines Register" and any newspaper here in Iowa. You know, I think it would be this disingenuous to pretend that we haven't actively sought it.
MALVEAUX: But Senator Barack Obama sought and got the endorsement of the "Boston Globe," a big deal, because in New Hampshire, the home state of the first primary, the paper is popular among Democrats. As Obama put it to CNN, "I think we are doing pretty good. We split it between the "Globe" and the "Register." So he wins, she wins, sort of. In 2004, John Edwards got the "Register's" endorsement, giving him the balance needed to place a strong second in the Iowa caucuses. Not surprisingly, this year, he's trying to downplay the affair.
JOHN EDWARDS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a good thing. I wouldn't overstate it, though. I think that the caucus goers tend to make their own decisions. But it will be helpful to anyone who gets it.
MALVEAUX: The clear winner on the Republican side, Senator John McCain, getting the nod from the "Des Moines Register," the "Boston Globe," and last week - New Hampshire's "Union Leader." Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Des Moines, Iowa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: As what we heard today, it is a big deal. All the candidates do want the endorsement of the "Des Moines Register" however, it just in past of several elections at least guaranteed a second place finish. John Edwards talked about that. Actually, some of his response, he's hoping once again, that it will result in a second place finish for Hillary Clinton this time around. Of course, I'm going be with the CNN election express all morning long. We've got a whole lot to talk about, including this new endorsement, the impact on the voters here in Iowa, also New Hampshire. Across the country, the candidates are out in full force today. It will be a big day and CNN's best political team on television covering it all for you right here in Iowa and beyond. Also, if you're away from your television, you can still get the most up to minute political news out there. CNNPolitics.com is your one-stop shop, that's premier destination for political news at CNNPolitics.com. So, a lot more still to come out here. Betty, we are just getting warmed up, if you will. Back to you.
NGUYEN: Key words, if you will. Okay, T.J. Well, while T.J. is in Iowa; Reynolds is braving the cold temperatures in New York. CNN meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf is in Syracuse and I understand, Reynolds that the worst is still yet to come for the northeast.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, you're absolutely right, Betty. Right now, I am in Syracuse right on Marshall Street. We had around can say, anywhere from one to three inches of snowfall last night. Much of that now switching over to freezing rain and sleet and it's coming down at a pretty decent rate. Now, what we can expect is as we make our way through the mid-day hours, we're going to see much of this switch back over to snow again and then more lake-effect activity into the evening and the overnight. Some areas could see up to a foot of snow. This is going to be still a major storm for many people, millions of people in the northeast. It's going to be affecting travel, no doubt, later today and into tomorrow, as well. You know, although for the most part, the city in Syracuse is relatively quiet, that doesn't mean there hasn't been a lot of activity. In fact, take a look at this video, this video that we have of people making their way in the snowplows as they're scraping off the back roads, going through the parking lots. You know, they plan on doing a lot of work today, there's no question. They're trying to stay ahead of the game because more snow, as I mentioned, is going to be on the way.
These guys are going to work around the clock, not just through today but for tomorrow. And they also have a lot of issues tomorrow not just with the snow itself, but with the strong winds that are expected. Some winds gushed up in 35, maybe 40 miles an hour is going to push a lot of the snow where they cleared the parking lots, they may be going back over and over the same spot. So, no doubt, people will be drinking a lot of that coffee and trying to stay awake and doing their very best around the clock. And take a look at what we have right now, Betty. Temperatures right around 22 degrees or so. So, it is certainly a very, very chilly morning. Temperatures are not going to get much warmer than this, I can guarantee you. And with that wind, it is going to be absolutely brutal. If you don't have to go outside today, by all means, don't do so. We've got some of Syracuse' finest that are about to pass us right now. And so far, they said no issues to report. That no doubt will change later on today. Let's send it back to you in the warm studios. You look toasty warm. T.J., not so much.
NGUYEN: Not so much. I feel for you both today. But yes, it's a balmy one, 70 here. Just wanted to throw that out at you. All right, Reynolds. We'll talk to you later. So, I wanted you to see this video. I-reporter Max Codaxe sent this in from Boston. Look at this, he was looking at his apartment window and saw this man pushing a van stuck in the snow. Apparently, there was so much traffic, the plows couldn't get through. Well, this man finally gets the van going again. And in the rush of the moment, the driver takes off without his passenger. Poor guy, he went to push the van and couldn't get a ride. All right. Check out these pictures from I-reporter, Jan Greenfield. These are photos from here home in Chandler, Oklahoma. Several trees game down, doing lots of damage. Look at that. She says, hundreds of people were without power this week.
And definitely, it was a night of wicked weather in parts of South Georgia. A possible tornado and severe thunderstorms just ripped through the area.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY SMITH, STORM VICTIM: I got the girls in the bathroom and it was like a freight train that you always have been told about. I mean, it was on.
REPORTER: Even with the roof gone, it could have been a heck of a lot worse.
TREY SMITH, STORM VICTIM: Oh, yes. Very lucky. Nobody got hurt. We're very fortunate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: No doubt. In early county, the roof of a fire station collapsed, injuring a firefighter. And there were reports of cars and ditches, trees and locking roads, also power lines down, but no severe injuries to tell you about.
Also new this morning, a changing of the guard in Iraq. British troops formally handed over control of their last region in Iraq. The Brits' mission now? Train security forces and help rebuild Iraq's economy. The handover means half of Iraq's 18 provinces are now under the control of Iraqi forces.
Well, from the plains to the northeast, the snowy mess outside is creating problems inside, too. Now, the wintry weather is affecting travelers at airports. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis has a look at flight tracker that is next.
HOLMES: Also, he's been getting a lot of buzz lately. A whole lot of buzz. And he is moving up in the polls, even leading many of them. Huckabee. If you don't know that name yet, you will soon. Our profile of candidates continues with the look at the former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Take a look at this live picture right now. Snowy weather is a few stressed out travelers. You're looking at pictures from Chicago. More than 200 flights were canceled yesterday at O'Hare International Airport because of all that bad weather out there. But some people did manage to get where they were going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We went to London and Dublin and now over here. And it's late getting out of Dublin. So, we missed the flight here, but they end up canceled it because of the weather. And now, we're trying to get home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm very lucky because a lot of people have missed their flights. So, I'm one of the lucky ones.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes, he is. And you maybe lucky today because so far this morning, there are no major delays at O'Hare. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is in the while Reynolds is out in the snow. Karen, we want to know how those flights are looking this morning because a lot of folks probably traveling home on this Sunday.
KAREN MAGINNIS, METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Well, we've got the latest information on our sky tracker for you. We are traveling some of the airports at Detroit - actually have a live picture out of WGIV. Take a look at this; it's covered with a blanket of snow. Right now, they're reporting snow and freezing fog. If you look at the very bottom left edge of your screen, you can almost see the wind blowing the snow through the lights there, it looks rather spectacular. Well, as we look across O'Hare, also into midway, we've got flights going in and out. There is the ice, so that could delay you just a bit. Moving further towards the east, we want to show you what's happening as we move back towards at New York and also in Philadelphia. I did see canceled flights out of Philadelphia, but we mostly have a rain event there. Although there is reduced visibility inbound and outbound. I slip Newark and New York, Kennedy and LaGuardia, all reporting inbound and outbound. But they, too, have some canceled flights. Let's head more towards the northeast in New England and for Boston, inbound and outbound right now, but we're mainly seeing a rain event. It will be some of these cities along the eastern edge of the great lakes that we might expect some delays later on today. We'll keep you updated. Betty?
NGUYEN: All right, Karen, thank you. It is beginning to look a lot more like Christmas in Missouri. I-reporter Jason Roddick sent these pictures in. He says it was quite in his neighborhood, no accidents or power outages. As Jason's dog, Ginger, playing out there in the snow. Jason was pretty excited. It's the first snowfall of the year. But, he says he is not looking forward to shoveling all those sidewalks.
Indiana says farewell to a U.S. congresswoman who made history. And T.J. Holmes is in Iowa with us for the latest on that. Hey, T.J.
HOLMES: Hey, there, Betty. We're going to talk about that, of course that story, that congresswoman out of Indianapolis. Also, we're talking about presidential politics here. He's half the man he used to be. One of these candidates we're talking about. That would sound like an insult in many circles, but actually, that's a good thing. We're talking about Mike Huckabee. The guy lost a lot of weight from his days as Arkansas governor. But how does his size now size up? And his political rivals, that's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello again, everybody. From a cold Iowa and for the past several weeks, we've been telling you about the candidate calculator at Vajoe.com. It's a useful tool to help sort out who stands for what on the variety of important issues. Of course, there are a lot of candidates out there, a lot of issues. So, if you need help, trying to sort through it, to figure out who is your guy, it can help. For example, if you support the death penalty but you also opposed federally-funded stem cell research, you support gun background checks, you are against citizenship for illegal immigrants and you want the country to adopt the fair tax, then according to this candidate calculator, your guy -- is Republican, Mike Huckabee from Arkansas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice over): Mike Huckabee is only a fraction of the man he used to be. The former Arkansas governor has lost over 100 pounds in the past two years. But in the past couple of months, he's also shed the label of second tier candidate.
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to tell you what's right about America. I want to talk about what we can do if we quit fighting each other and see this nonsense going on Washington. Real leadership has to be about taking this country up, not down; instead of just taking it left or right.
HOLMES: The married father of three is an ordained Baptist minister. He first step from the pulpit into politics in an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 1992. In '96, he won a special election to replace disgraced governor Jim Guy Tucker. He went on to win two four-year terms and now says, he's uniquely equipped to beat Hillary Clinton.
HUCKABEE: From the local standpoint, I've done something nobody else is done. I actually have had to run against the Clinton political machine and I beat it four times. So, I understand what I'd be up against if Hillary is the nominee.
HOLMES: He opposes abortion rights and same-sex marriage and backs President Bush on immigration and the war in Iraq. He supports private retirement accounts, market-based health care and the fair tax. The national sales tax that would replace the income tax. And one more thing. He plays bass in a band called Capital Offense (ph).
HUCKABEE: The country definitely needs sound of band. And I can assure you one thing we could do is save money on the inaugural ball. I have a band and they'll work for free.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Yes, it's back. Mike Huckabee, a cowboy boot wearing bass playing, a former governor of Arkansas and a Baptist minister. That's quite a combination and he is making some in roads in this campaign now. And yes, he is not quite the man he used to be, lost a whole lot of weight. I certainly notice from my days of working with him in Arkansas. When he was governor there, one I think you could always do, when you hook up with the one campaign trail, he could name every good barbecue place in the state of Arkansas. He is staying certainly away from the barbecue more these days, lost a whole lot of weight. We'll have a lot more from Mike Huckabee later this morning. He's going to be sitting down with Wolf Blitzer on LATE EDITION, that's coming your way at 11 o'clock eastern. We will also talk to John Edwards, as well as Joe Biden and other Democratic presidential candidates. And tomorrow night, Mike Huckabee is going to be sitting down with Larry King. That's coming your way at 9:00 eastern, that's on LARRY KING LIVE. Another political profile is going to be coming up next hour; we're going to take a closer look at Democrat, Barack Obama. And I'll back from CNN Election Express in just a few minutes. Betty, I'm going to go and get warmed up. See you back here shortly.
NGUYEN: Definitely. And Obama got a major endorsement and we'll be talking about that this morning, too. Thank you, T.J. While T.J is braving the cold in Iowa, Reynolds Wolf is in New York also freezing. Reynolds, where are your gloves?
WOLF: You know what? I actually left them at the hotel. Can you believe that? I'm the weather guy left the gloves at the hotel. Something that Mother Nature is not going to leave us is with a little bit of snow. Mother Nature is going to bring some heavier snowfall, not just to Syracuse, but for much of the region. Some places can see over a foot. It's a major winter storm that we're going to be talking about coming up next.
NGUYEN: You could hear it coming down right now. I also want to turn to Josh Levs. He is KEEPING THEM HONEST on the campaign trail. What do you working on?
JOSH LEVS, CNN'S KEEPING THEM HONEST: You know, my hands are freezing just like curiously for him. That's been saying, hey, everybody, so the endorsements in Iowa, we're talking about lot today, right? Well, they're coming during a very tight race. The polls are leaving just about everyone nervous. But have the caucus results actually already been predicted? I'll have that coming up, right here CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody. On this cold, Sunday morning for much of the country, I'm Betty Nguyen here at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
HOLMES: Betty, what do you know about cold this morning? I don't want to hear it. I'm T.J. Holmes here aboard the CNN Election Express in a cold Des Moines, Iowa, about 20 degrees here for us this morning. Of course, the first of the nation Iowa caucuses now less than three weeks away. And some candidates have just gotten what may be a major, major boost. CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser who has been operating this bus -- I don't know how you do it out here, man. But here's out here operating this bus. Good to see you. Good to be here with you. Big endorsement. Everybody wants this endorsement. Explain to people out there, people here in this state know all about it. But how big of a deal is this endorsement?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It is a big deal. Here it is right here, the "Des Moines Register" - tested, ready to lead, the "Des Moines Register," T.J. is the big paper out here in Iowa, the most influential paper in the state. And last night, well, this morning when we found about it last night, on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton which was a surprise. A lot of us were at dinner last night speculating it could be Barack Obama or somebody else. But it is Hillary Clinton because of her experience and that is one of the big parts of her campaign. She keeps saying that she is tested and ready to lead and she's ready jump into the White House at a moments notice.
HOLMES: Was McCain a surprise?
STEINHAUSER: John McCain was a surprise. John McCain has not been - not really been actively campaigning out here. He's spending most of his time now in New Hampshire and that's where he thinks he can do better. He is not on Iowa very much, but the newspaper, for the same reason they went for Hillary Clinton, they went for McCain because of his long service both in the military and the U.S. Congress, that he is tested and experienced and ready to lead.
HOLMES: What will this mean? Will this necessarily translate into votes or necessarily translate to a victory for either one of them?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, you know, for Hillary Clinton, it may mean more. She's out here, she is fighting. It's tooth and tooth, nail and nail, everyone will say it, between her, John Edwards and Barack Obama. It's a real dog fight on the Democratic side. This could help her. On the Republican side, it will be interesting to see if John McCain now comes back to Iowa in the remaining18 days before the caucus and spends more time here and campaigns here.
HOLMES: Has he been polling?
STEINHAUSER: He's been polling pretty low here. In New Hampshire though, he's actually now in second place in those polls and that leads to something else. I guess another big endorsement.
HOLMES: Is he just the man when it comes to newspaper endorsements? He's got the "Union Leader" of New Hampshire, he's now got this, he's got the "Boston Globe," does he just does well with these editorial boards?
STEINHAUSER: It seems so. It seems he's service, he's record is really shining through. As you mentioned, the "Boston Globe" also endorsed last night. Why the "Boston Globe"? Why is that matter? It is a big paper in New Hampshire, especially in southern New Hampshire where a lot of people commute to Boston. So it will make a difference maybe in the southern part of the state, which is very populous. HOLMES: In Iowa, folks are getting sick of seeing these candidates. There are a lot of candidates of course, everything is heating up. Are they getting sick? What is your sense, you all being here as long as you have been?
STEINHAUSER: Actually, no. They love this. They are in the spotlight right now. Eighteen days from now, the national media and the candidates are going to pack up and they're not going to be back here much. Though in the summertime, you will see some of them come through. Iowa is one of those battlegrounds spaces, we call it. They could go either way in the general election. So, they get some attention but not like this.
HOLMES: I'll come back in the summer. I would be glad to be here in the summer. The weather, really this -- we talk about it, it's cold and whatnot, but still, the weather is affecting some of this campaigning. Can this come to the point where this weather really affects the voter turnout? And how much campaigning these candidates can do?
STEINHAUSER: Exactly. We were here earlier this week on Tuesday. We had an ice storm in the morning. They can deal a snow out here but when you get an inch of ice on the ground, that will shut a lot of things down. It shut down the campaign for the day and it made a difference. What happens on caucus night if there is some horrible weather? And a lot of people say, you know what? As much as I want to get out there and vote, I'm not going to do it. It's too dangerous. That could really affect the results here in Iowa.
HOLMES: And we know as well that a big tour for Hillary Clinton was supposed to start today. It's still starting but it's not getting to the start that she hoped because there are some weather issues.
STEINHAUSER: Exactly. They were going to call it the hilla- copter tour. You get it hilla-copter. But the helicopter for whatever reason, maybe because of the weather. We got some snow here yesterday. The helicopter didn't make it. As you said though, the tour will continue. Our Suzanne Malveaux will be with Hillary Clinton today and we'll get some reports later.
HOLMES: All right. Paul Steinhauser. Good to finally be with you, guys.
STEINHAUSER: Good to see you, my friend.
HOLMES: Joining the joy that is Iowa weather around caucus times. Betty, we're going to have a whole lot more from the Election Express. We'll hand it back over to you so we can get back inside.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN, ANCHOR: All right. Stay warm, T.J.
We've been telling you about that big winter storm. It all started yesterday in the plains and the Midwest, up to a foot of snow fell in some places. Two deaths are blamed on that storm. In some places like Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, what they are still thawing out and waiting for power to be restored after last week's big storm. Right now, that storm is rolling into the northeast. I want to give you some live pictures of Hartford, Connecticut. Look at all that snow on the ground. You can expect that there's going to be more rain, ice and blustery winds in that area. A lot more in the next few days, in fact. The storm has predicted to dump at least a foot of snow in upstate New York.
Well, a lot of people are embracing this snow. Why not? It comes, you know, this time of year, just having fun with the winter weather. CNN Reynolds Wolf joins us now from Syracuse, New York. You were having fun yesterday playing out in it, but today it seems like some icy precipitation is coming down.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Not so much in terms of fun today. That's going to be the story for many people across the northeast. Millions of people are going be experiencing a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. I'm going to step a little bit closer to the camera. I got some great gloves here, compliments of Frank, our photo journalist. You can see what's falling. Let me get rid of this tape here. Oww. What the heck. Look at this side. There we go. You can see just a little bit of sleet that's coming down. I'll tell you, as the stuff comes down as our producer Kelly Marshal noticed, it kind of stings your face. It's kind of like little tiny rocks that comes down. That's what we're going to be seeing through much of the morning and through the mid-day hours, but then this sleet is going to switch over to snow. At times, it could be very, very heavy, especially overnight and into tomorrow morning. Some places around Syracuse could see upwards of a foot of snow, not necessarily due to the nor'easter but from winds on the backside, creating lake-effect snowfall which is pretty much par for the course here.
Take a look at this video that we've got. This video showing that we got snowplows that are still out and about all over Syracuse. And the game plan is to stay ahead of mother nature. We're going to be seeing the snow come down. As it comes down, these trucks, these plows are out there trying to keep the roadways clear because they know that more snow, more sleet is going to keep coming down. So it's just going to be a repeating process, kind of "Groundhog Day," the movie, where you see the same thing over and over and over again. That's what they're going to be doing now through possible Monday or even into late Monday and into Tuesday.
So it certainly is a busy, busy time in Syracuse. It is going to be very interesting to see what happens. No doubt, this would affect lots of travel for millions throughout parts of the northeast and, of course, many people around the country in other spots. That is what we have here. It's going to be a busy day here at Syracuse. We're going to give you the very latest on your weather forecast across the nation here at CNN. Let's send it back to you, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
And you know, that weather is affecting air travel today. If you are traveling, you might want to check on that flight. The weather winter weather could affect it. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis is here with a look at flight delays. Yesterday, Chicago was down by some two hours. What's it looking like today? KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Actually, Chicago looks better. But the weather situation is still evolving. We thought it would be further along than it really is now. But here is a view of CLTV from Chicago. Those roads are very, very slick. Now, it doesn't look like heavy amounts of snowfall. You have to remember a lot of these places, they got snow, freezing rain, just like we saw from Reynolds Wolf where there is this icy mixture taking place. So, these cars are not racing along on the roads. They are just king of taking their time. That's the way it is across many of the roads, across the Great Lakes into the Midwest.
I want to give you a kind of a compact view of the airports. Here's Newark, La Guardia, JFK. Inbound, outbound flights. Philadelphia, you don't see a lot of activity here. Let's go further towards the north and in Boston. Boston, the temperature right now, 30 degrees. They're anticipating some lengthy delays later on this afternoon. And I don't really see any inbound or outbound. Let's move on towards the eastern great lakes. There is actually one flight. It's way over here. This one was outbound from JFK, headed towards Anchorage, Alaska, where the temperature is a mere 7 degrees. So Betty, it could be a whole lot worse. We'll keep you updated.
NGUYEN: Yes, it could. Speaking of the cold outside, let's take you over to my partner, T.J. Holmes. I saw you running in place there for a minute trying to shake the cold off, T.J..
HOLMES: And it is not working. Nothing is working when it's 20 degrees outside, but it doesn't matter.
Well, we are here talking about politics in Iowa and a lot of polls are coming out nowadays and they pretty much are the lifeblood of politics. One survey of voters can erase, the whole story can dash the dreams of a candidate and right now everybody is watching the polls that are coming out right here in Iowa. They have been all over the place, really. Can we really trust these numbers? Our own Josh Levs is here now to keep it real for us. Mr. Reality, kind sir. Tell us, do these numbers mean anything at this point?
JOSH LEVS, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I guess this is my job today. Nice hat by the way. I just want to let you guys know, I mean there you are "Election Express" working your way through Iowa so what I'm doing for you today is my best to present for you what we really know about the political landscape in Iowa heading into the caucuses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go.
LEVS (voice-over): The final weeks before the pivotal Iowa caucuses. Man, if you believe the latest polls, Mike Huckabee is in the lead on the republican side. While among democrats Barack Obama is neck and neck with Hillary Clinton.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I always knew it would be hard. There's no surprise about that. LEVS: Could we easily see a surprise? Such as John Edwards winning or do the polls, a few weeks out, accurately predict the results?
Let's look back, in 2004, just two weeks before the caucuses, Howard Dean led these polls followed by Dick Gephardt then John Kerry, who went on to win Iowa while Gephardt dropped out and Dean well.
But that doesn't mean the polls miss entirely. The week before the caucuses, these polls were showing Kerry having pulled up or edging ahead. The polls follow the trends as many undecided caucus goers picked their candidates. But this year's contenders face a whole new challenge. The caucuses are more than two weeks earlier than the last time. The January 3rd date means candidates have to contend with Christmas and New Year's. No one wants to be the grinch ruining the holidays by calling houses or knocking on doors during a respite Iowans are used to getting from the election onslaught.
So, if campaigning slows down days from now, do the feelings of caucus goers freeze in place? If so, the candidates know the latest polls might not be so far off.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And that actually explains why the December campaign crunch this time around is way more important, a lot more pressure on all the candidates in December than there has been in previous ones. So, T.J., let me ask you, there you are in Iowa. You're a having a look at what's going on. Are you seeing mud flying around everywhere or are things staying pretty clean there?
HOLMES: Man, I don't see anything but snow out here. All right. Not quite. Too much mud flying but still you see them every now and then, here and there taking more shots at each other. But It seemed there was one point or some points in the campaign where the candidates or actually the voters got turned off by that. We saw that in some of the debates that we were seeing, that some of the candidates were even getting hisses and boos when they start attacking each other. So, it kind of change the tone and they start going after each other so much and start having more of a positive message. So, I get more on the republican side with Romney and Huckabee, that part of the campaign has gotten a little nastier than we've seen from the other side. But I guess they're playing nice right about now. It's too cold to be slinging any mud right about now, Josh. But we appreciate it, Josh, with a reality check for us.
Religion, politics g hand in hand sometimes as we know in this campaign. Faith playing a big part in the presidential race this time around. But really, how is that affecting voters? We're going to get into that here with a member of an evangelical group here in Iowa. Betty.
NGUYEN: Plus, a tough week for the Atlanta Falcons, watching their star quarterback be sentenced to prison. Then, a shocker from the coach.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, faces of faith and presidential politics. Today, a look at Christian evangelicals. The voting power face a major test in less than three weeks - the Iowa caucuses. And our next guest now is the president of the Iowa Christian Alliance, Steve Scheffler. This group stands for integrity and Christian principals. Thank you for braving the temperatures. I think braving the temperatures, you're from here and I guess we're the ones that are struggling. You can handle it here. Well, good morning and thank you for coming out with us. Does your alliance have a candidate you're excited about? I know you don't endorse necessarily, but are you excited about the crop of candidates out there and them standing for what you believe in?
STEVE SCHEFFLER, IOWA CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE: I think by and large, the crop of candidates there is pretty solid, you know, maybe with one exception. Of course, we're not in the endorsing game. We just want to provide information and where this candidate stand on various issues and the impact (inaudible) families.
HOLMES: Now, how important is it to you all that these candidates come out there and make strong commitments to what you all want?
SCHEFFLER: Absolutely. In fact, we want our constituency to ask the tougher questions as opposed to the really simple, fluffy questions, kind of get below the service. In fact, there's 50 questions posted on our web site, the type of questions that we want people to post to these candidates, to kind of tie them down so we can help ensure that once they're elected, that they might help implement that kind of public policy.
HOLMES: Have they not been tied down enough yet? You sound like the fluffy questions, have they been tied down enough and the right questions been asked and have you gotten the right commitments? Are you hearing what you need to hear?
SCHEFFLER: I think to some degree but let's face it, you know, as an example, on immigration issue. Some of these candidates have catered their message to kind of fit what they think people want to hear and who's position in the past may be a little less solid. So there's still that process going on. But we think there still the needs (inaudible) as far as the true testing where they are coming from.
HOLMES: Were there lessons learned from George W. Bush, President Bush? Because many say he made the commitment and said what he needed to say to get the evangelicals on his side, and to get elected but once he got in the White House, he didn't really follow through with that. Were there disappointments in the president?
SCHEFFLER: Absolutely. I mean let's face it, the president delivered on the judicial appointments and delivered on the war on terror, but in terms of big government, he certainly was a big disappointment. Growth spending under his administration, under Lyndon Johnson and he helped implemented (inaudible) political blood for programs like no child left behind and prescription drugs which has been a big disappointment to the base.
HOLMES: Which are big disappointments to the base? How are you going to ensure? I know you talked about those tough questions, but can you really ensure that that doesn't happen to you again?
SCHEFFLER: Not absolutely. But I mean, I think this constituency is a lot more sophisticated and smarter than they were 10 or 15 years ago. So the candidates won't be able to get by as they had in the past, getting by with simple answers and simple rhetoric.
HOLMES: I know you mentioned you don't have an endorsement. You said you liked the crop of candidates, do you mind at least mentioning the one that you have a problem with?
SCHEFFLER: It's Rudy Giuliani, you know, its pretty opposite on the base issues, like the life issue, the marriage issue, (inaudible) So he caused the base consternation and some serious concerns.
HOLMES: We appreciate you coming out. And again like we said, we are braving the temperatures. He's from West Des Moines originally. He can handle it. He's out here laughing at us, no gloves. The man has taken care of his business. He knows the cold. So sir, we appreciate you taking the time out with us this morning.
SCHEFFLER: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right. Betty, we're just getting started this morning. We got a lot more to come from Iowa.
NGUYEN: All right. We're having a little bit of audio problems with you. We'll get that fixed. Maybe that's frozen, too. We'll talk to you shortly. A football team in a free fall to tell you about. The Atlanta Falcons having a very tough week and that is just off the field.
Plus, going before the judge. A woman in Florida with an apparent habit of heading down the aisle far too many times.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Bringing you more news in the morning, here are some "Quick Hits" for you.
A possible change in tactics for striking entertainment writers. The writers' union now says it will try to negotiate directly with the individual studios and production companies. The union had been dealing with negotiators representing all of the studios combined. The six week old strike has stopped production on several TV talk shows.
All her life, straight out of a Hollywood tearjerker. Julia Carson grow up in poverty and attended segregated schools but she went on to become the first woman and first African-American to represent Indianapolis in Congress. Carson railed against homelessness and the Iraq War. She did die though yesterday just after a month, after revealing that she lung cancer. Julia Carson was 69. New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte is apologizing for using human growth hormones. He is one of the players named in an initial report on drugs in sports. He says that he used HGH while recovering from an injury in 2002. Pettitte signed a new $16 million contract the day before the Mitchell report was released.
Was it a ring of deceit? Federal officials say Eunice Lopez was married to at least 10 men at the same time. They've charged her with none counts of bigamy. Investigators say Lopez smuggled illegal immigrants and by marrying them. Then, she allegedly extorted them for cash.
Did someone buy Michael Vick's house? That's coming up. And at 8:00, what is the number one complaint from troops at war? The length of deployment. So, is the army doing something about that? We'll tell you at 8:00 Eastern. And of course, my partner, T.J. Holmes, is in Des Moines, Iowa this morning with CNN's Election Express. He's actually inside the bus right now, trying to warm up a little bit. We'll have more from him, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Recognize that guy right there? Broadway Joe, college graduate, you can call him now. Joe Namath picked up his degree from the University of Alabama, 42 years after leaving school for the NFL. The 64-year-old Namath has spent the last five years working on his bachelor of arts degree. Good for him. Congratulations.
Well, no sale, nope. Michael Vick's real estate in Virginia fails to attract a high enough bid at auction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bid of $747,000.
NGUYEN (voice over): One taker at yesterday's auction did, but you know what? That wasn't even enough. The developer who bought the house for $450,000 says it's worth at least $1 million. Well, if the property fails to sell on the conventional market, the developer says he may turn it into a pet-friendly bed and breakfast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Larry Smith with CNN sports joins me now. Larry, it was a tough week for Michael Vick. Not a very good one for the week that he left behind either. Boy, lots of changes.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: Yes, tough week and tough year too betting for the Falcons. What they're saying about tomorrow was not to guarantee anyone. Well the Atlanta Falcons have learned that, the hard way. Just three years ago, the Atlanta Falcons were on the rise. A dome packed with fans, a trip to the NFC championship, and a star quarterback that signed a ten-year contract extension. Fast forward to this past week, and it all must seem like a distant memory.
TERRENCE MOORE, COLUMNIST, ATLANTA JOURNAL/CONSTITUTION: You would be hard pressed to find another NFL team ever to have a 48 hours like the Atlanta Falcons. Here you've got their franchise quarterback in black and white prison stripes standing before a judge, then they get hammered on Monday night football before a sparse crowd. Those there sleeping and then you got their first-year coach leaving with three games left to take a lesser job for lesser money in Arkansas. You can't get much worse than that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: The first domino to fall was Vick, suspended indefinitely from the NFL and sentenced to nearly two years in prison for his role in a dogfighting operation. The 27-year-old left behind friends, teammates and an organization without its star.
DON BANKS, SI.COM: It's an unprecedented blow to an organization. I don't think there's any blueprint or any map that they could follow.
ALGE CRUMPLER, FALCONS TIGHT END: I know it's going to be a tough road but he'll live through it. He'll come out of this still younger than I am right now. So, he's got a lot of life left to live.
SMITH: While many of the Falcons players still speak kindly of Vick, you would be hard pressed to find kind words for their former coach. Bobby Petrino resigned just 13 games into his first season with only a four sentence note as an explanation to his players.
JOEY HARRINGTON, FALCONS QUARTERBACK: Fr him to turn his back on us at this point in the year, when things are probably the toughest, it's cowardly.
WARRICK DUNN, FALCONS RUNNING BACK: It's a selfish act and it's a guy that has no class, only thinks about himself. So it's one of those things that I don't think we any longer respect him in this building.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: There is talent in Atlanta. The falcons have playmakers. Right now, they're kind of directionless. This season, I think, has played out beyond their worst nightmare.
Well, Falcons owner Arthur Blank says he is not disillusioned by the past year, but instead, more committed to bringing a championship to Atlanta. But his to-do list is a long one, a new head coach and new quarterback sit at the top and is trying to change the fortunes of this team. That boy, just a couple of years ago they were among the contenders. Not on tip of the world but certainly we're among the contenders.
NGUYEN: Well, not surprising Petrino sent his note out, he's gone with three games left. Who knew?
OK, so got to bring in our resident Arkansas, T.J. Holmes who is in Iowa today. T.J., I got to know how did you work this deal out. You've been traveling, how did you get him to your school? HOLMES: You know, we got to prioritize. I have a busy schedule, but my priorities are straight and the University of Arkansas and the football coach was high on the list.
Really, folks in Arkansas are excited about this. We hate that it comes with - I guess, comes with some of the baggage and some of the hard feelings that were left in Atlanta, but in Arkansas we've been through turmoil, as well. Larry, you know with our head coach there, the former head coach, we're just happy to have a good coach, a quality coach, a proven college coach, so we'll take him. I love Atlanta Falcons, as well, but as an Arkansas guy, happy to have him.
SMITH: But he didn't tell you this, hopefully in is a guy who signed a 10-year deal with Louisville, left them every year (inaudible), left them high and dry, didn't finish the season here. A character as big as a head coach, I wish you guys well over there.
HOLMES: OK. I don't appreciate your pessimism.
SMITH: No, no, no. It's out of love. I'm just saying, it's out of love.
NGUYEN: Just be prepared for that note in the locker room to say he's out in just a few days. All right.
HOLMES: I had to get you, man.
NGUYEN: Thank you, T.J. All right later.
Well, good morning everybody from the CNN center right here in Atlanta. This is CNN Sunday morning. It is December 16, welcome. I'm Betty Nguyen.
Millions of you are waking up to extreme weather today - lots of snow, eyes and oh yes travel delays. We are tracking all of this for you this morning.
And I'm a lot warmer here in the nice cozy studio than my partner who is braving the cold in Des Moines, Iowa but there was some pretty good for it, T.J.. You don't look like a popsicle just yet.
HOLMES: Just yet. It's only been an hour. And you give me way too much credit for braving these temperatures. There are plenty other reporters here, and yes the candidates even who have been dealing with this extreme weather a lot longer than I have. So, I guess I can handle a morning.
And good morning to you, all, from Iowa. I'm here with the CNN's election express bus in Des Moines, Iowa, where some candidates have collected a key endorsement with the "Des Moines Register" endorsing Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton for the Iowa caucuses. With that event, we have now less than three weeks away. Can you believe it? John McCain really made it an endorsement sweep. He was really done well in front of these editorial boards. He got the nod as well from the "Boston Globe" and also you might remember, he got the endorsement from the major paper in New Hampshire as well a few weeks ago.
That should play well in New Hampshire, just 23 days away from the first primary there. The "Globe" picked Senator Barack Obama on the Democratic side. We're going to have much more on Barack Obama coming up in about 10 minutes from CNN Election Express bus here in Des Moines. Also, I'll be here with CNN Election Express all morning with a whole lot to talk about these new endorsements, some of the impact on the voters in Iowa that they may have also in New Hampshire and across the country and candidates are out in full force today. It's a big day in CNN best political team in television covering it all for you from right here. Also for -- up to the minute political news anywhere, available, log on to CNNPolitics.com. It's your one- stop shop for political news -- CNNPolitics.com. Betty, I know you got some weather to be talking about. I guess I should be part of the weather coverage as well, but I'll just handle the politics from out here.
NGUYEN: Well, you are just on how cold outside and many places. Thank you, T.J. We'll be checking back in. Yes, cold, snow, rain, ice, even the wind is blowing out there. We're expecting a lot of -- little bit of everything in fact today. Another winter storm is just barreling from the midwest to the northeast. As much as a foot of snow fell in areas from the plains across the midwest in which two people in fact are dead in highway accidents blamed on this weather. It's the second major storm in a week to barrel through the midwest. Ohio, Wisconsin, Kansas all got snow. Now, the storm has sights set on the northeast and New England. I give you a live picture now from Chicago. Look at that snow all along the streets there. The weather triggered hundreds of cancellations at Chicago's O'Hare Airport yesterday. I'm going to get another update on these delayed flights in just a minute. But first, we want to take you live to CNN meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf who is braving the cold out there in Syracuse, New York where a little bit of sleet is falling early. Reynolds, what's in store for the northeast today?
WOLF: Here we go. This is Marshall Street in Syracuse University where this morning we got snow all over the ground and we had sleet earlier but that's long gone for the time being. It doesn't mean we are done with the weather yet. We've got a big nor'easter that is moving more into the northeast. We also have - we are going to see wrap around winds from the area of low pressure which is going to bring some lake effect snow. Now, the climate of Syracuse is normally during the winter, that's where you get the bulk of the snowfall, you have that northwest breath that picks up that moisture off the lakes and that's what usually gives us the heavy snow. That is what we're expecting in Syracuse over the next 12 to 24 hours. Some places could see up to a foot of snowfall here. Right now, we have maybe I'd say one to four inches of snow and the streets have been plowed and the plows will be working throughout much the day into the evening and into tomorrow too. Take a look at this video we have from some of the plows right here near the university at Syracuse They are going out and about trying to keep the roadways clear as can be. It's very important that they keep these streets clear because they are expecting more snowfall. They're expecting much to hit during the late afternoon, evening, overnight hours into tomorrow and they compound those problems. Winds are going to really pick up from 30 to 35, perhaps some gush upwards of 40 and even 45. And that's going to cause a lot of that snow to drift, to blow and cover some of the same street surfaces. Now, life has got to go. People are going to have to try to make their way around the city, they are trying to make their way around the country at airports not just here in Syracuse but throughout the northeast, and we have the nor'easter with these strong winds, the lake effect activity, all of that comes together to create a bevy of problems from millions of people not just here in the northeast but it's going to affect other airports with back ups around the country. So, this is going to be a major, major issue and much is going start right here in the northeast. Again, Betty right now getting a little bit of a break in the action but we're expecting a lot more late or today. We've got a great crew, great weather crew that's going to be keeping you up to speed. We've got Karen Maginnis, we've got Bunny Schneider later on the day too, the best meteorologists in the country and of course, we're going to keep you covered all the way around on the story throughout the day here on CNN. Let's send it back to you in the studio.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds. In fact, we are getting some really good video coming out at Detroit just want to give you an idea of what they are dealing with. Look at this. Folks still, like you said Reynolds, making their way; I mean life has to go on, making their ways through the freeways. But not many people out there for good reason as you can see -- the snow just coming down. Let's check in now with meteorologist, Karen Maginnis who joins us in the CNN severe weather center. And this is on severe weather today. Karen -
MAGINNIS: We have some updated information, Betty out of Boston. Now, officially the FFA is now closed, one way or the other, the Boston Airport - very busy airport, but what I am seeing as far as arrivals and delays, they have canceled numerous flights that will tell the conditions right now in Boston. Heavy snow, freezing rain, reduced visibility and the wind is blowing around. Right now the wind gusts are right around 30, 35 miles an hour. You take a look at the flight track and you don't see inbound or outbound. Actually, this flight is going someplace else. There are a lot of these flights have been international flights. If you see farther to the south, some of those New York area airports, they're looking good, lots of activity here. But boy, Boston is getting walloped in the snow. They could accumulate four to eight inches, could change over to rain this afternoon. So, you've got quite a mess that you can expect not just at the airport but on those interstates and the secondary roads are going to be very treacherous. A live picture out of Detroit I believe for this morning. Take a look at that. The blanket of snowfall. The Lower Peninsula, the southeastern quadrant is looking at blizzard potential for later this afternoon. Let's take a look at the forecast. The area of low pressure moves off towards the northeast and New England, moves up to the Canadian marathon by tomorrow but in its wake, Betty, a lot of problems we'll be talking about over the next 24 hours. Back to you.
NGUYEN: And speaking of problems, we want to take you back to some of that Detroit video that's coming in to CNN as you can see as we get if up for you in a sec, that snow in the area is just coming down. Again, folks, it's a Sunday. They want to make it to church, they other things, Christmas shopping, you name it that they need to get out to do it. But you have to be careful out there on the freeways because this is what they are facing in Detroit. And you know, it's really indicative of what a lot of people are facing today, as the snow is just flowing in some places in the northeast. So, stay careful out there, be safe when you're on the roadways and of course, we'll bring you up to date on what the weather is like around the country throughout the morning. In the meantime though, we want you to look at these pictures sent to us from I reporter, Annie Promen. They were taken at (INAUDIBLE) in Columbus, Ohio. She spotted the ducks covered in snow and thought, hey that was a good indicator of the mid-western snowy weather, right? Well, it is the second significant snowfall of the year. Well, cold out there for those ducks.
Hey, a different story in parts of South Georgia. A possible tornado and severe thunderstorms just ripped through the area last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY SMITH, STORM VICTIM: I got the girls in the bathroom and it was like the freight train that you always have been told about. I mean it was -
REPORTER: You know event with the roof gone it could have been heck of a lot worse?
TREY SMITH, STORM VICTIM: Yes, very lucky. Nobody got hurt and we're very fortunate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: In early (ph) county, the roof of a fire station collapsed and injured a firefighter and there were reports of cars and ditches, trees blocking roads and power lines down, but no serious injuries.
Other headlines to tell you about this morning. Tensions growing along the Turkish-Iraqi border. Early today, Turkish forces launched a three-hour assault on Kurdish militant in northern Iraq. No casualty figures are available at this point. The U.S. and Iraq are trying to convince Turkey not to launch a full scale assault against the Kurds.
In southern Iraq, the province of Basra is once again under Iraqi control. The British forces formally handed over the region to Iraqi officials in a televised ceremony today. Britain plans to cut in half its 5,000 troops in the area by next spring.
And condolences along with praise from the White House and Capitol Hill for Congresswoman Julia Carson. The Indiana Democrat died yesterday of cancer at the age of 69. She had represented Indianapolis and seven district in Congress since 1996. On Friday, her body will lie in state in the Indiana State Capitol.
Well, Alex Trebek is back home. The Jeopardy host was released from the hospital less than a week after suffering a minor heart attack. The 67-year-old Trebek will spend the holidays at home with his family but he has promised to be back at work in mid-January.
From a TV game show to the big show in politics following the for the White House.
HOLMES: Yes. As we follow it, we are watching one of its front- runners, a closer look at Barack Obama from the campaign trail here in Iowa, Betty.
NGUYEN: Then, on duty on the frontlines, the Pentagon wants to make it easier for U.S. troops and the families back on the home front. Details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello again everyone and welcome back to a meteorologically-speaking cold, but politically-speaking, hot Iowa. For the past several weeks, we've been telling you about the candidates and the candidate calculator of course at Vajoe.com. It can help you figure out who stands for what on a wide variety of important issues. For instance, let's say you oppose the death penalty, but you favor building a border fence, you support raising the minimum wage, you are against same-sex marriage and would like to see universal health care. Well, according to the candidate calculator, the candidate who best represents your views is Democrat, Barack Obama of Illinois.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice over): The symbolism was striking. Barack Obama on the steps of the old statehouse brings Illinois officially entering the race for the White House.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington, but I have been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.
HOLMES: Since joining the fray, the Illinois senator has given front-runner Hillary Clinton a run for her money. Beating her fund- raising totals at the second quarter and narrowing the gap in some recent polls. The 46-year-old Obama exploded on to the national stage three years ago at the Democratic national convention and as the first African-American with a real shot at the White House. An outspoken early opponent of the Iraq war, Obama supports a phased withdrawal from Iraq. But his sworn policy experience was questioned after he said that as president he would met with world leaders including dictators without preconditions. On domestic issues, he says, he would roll back the Bush tax cuts for those who make $250,000 or more per year as well as consider raising the cap on the payroll tax. The married father of two is the son of a Kenyan father and an American mother and was raised in Hawaii and Indonesia. A graduate of Columbia and Harvard where he was the first black editor of the "Harvard Law Review" and he's the first presidential candidate talk show host, Oprah Winfrey has endorsed for president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And the best political team on TV has much more ahead. This morning, coming up next hour, leaders of both political parties in Iowa will join us live right here on CNN Election Express. That ought to be fun. Betty -
NGUYEN: Looking forward to that. Thank you, T.J.
Marking the holidays at Arlington National Cemetery. About 3,000 volunteers laid wreaths at the head stones of U.S. military veterans for the 16th year. A company in Maine donated those wreaths for the 10,000 gravesites.
U.S. forces are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan for 15 months or even more. The Pentagon wants to cut back those missions. The strategy is important on the frontlines and the home front. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Here at the Army's war college, many officers are combat veterans. They, like so many are paying a high price, often measured in terms of what they've missed.
COL. ROB RISBERG, U.S. ARMY: I've got two boys, two teenage boys, I missed a lot of ball games and Boy Scout and Cub Scout events.
LT. COL. MIKE GIBLER, U.S. ARMY: First of lots of things. You know, first discussions, first talking, first walking. You know, first prom. You know, those types of things when you are off doing something else is what you miss out on.
STARR: It's one of the biggest worries for Admiral Michael Mullen, the joint chiefs chairman. He's meeting with troops around the country.
ADM. MUCHAEL MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: I don't want to just draw conclusions based on information that I read or briefs that I get in Washington.
STARR: Mullen knows that troops and their families are feeling the strain of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
MULLEN: They want to know somebody here from a senior position not just me, they want to know that somebody is actually listening to them.
STARR: And he's already heard the number one complaint.
MULLEN: They are pressed hard and they want to know when the 50- month deployments are going to be - are going to end.
STARR: So, it's surprising perhaps the army's own statistics don't show a clear trend that the troops are bailing out. Enlistees are staying on the job at the highest rate in five years - 74 percent of soldiers eligible to reenlist did so last year. But West Point graduates over the past eight years have left the Army at rates that commanders say are worrisome. These days the decision to stay on duty is made by the family, not just the individual soldier.
LT. COL. DAVE ACEVEDO, U.S. ARMY: The soldier feels like a soldier. His family is at home and is being taken care of and he can concentrate on the mission. That I think we're going to be OK.
STARR (on camera): Even with the progress in Iraq, these officers say, it's more critical than ever before for army families to feel they're being taken care of especially because the troops may be in Iraq for years to come. Barbara Starr, CNN at the Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: HOUSE CALL with Sanjay Gupta starts in about 10 minutes from now. And today, he talks about some of the most common medical mistakes. That's today, 8:30 eastern. But next, T.J. joins us live from Iowa. Good morning, T.J.
HOLMES: Hey, hello again there, Betty. The fight for Iowa is on. Next, we will talk to a reporter in the middle of that fight, this would be a rocky mountain news. He's going to tell us how he's in the thick of it all and what's happening here in Iowa. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Six degrees of John Edwards giving more just a helping hand at his Iowa town hall meeting.
(voice over): Yes, that's Kevin Bacon on stage. Stumping with the song for John Edwards. Bacon is making several appearances around the state with Edwards.
(on camera): Now, John Edwards is bringing out the celebrities in Iowa, the Iowa caucus less than three weeks away. The top spot here could carry a lot of weight heading into the primaries. M.E. Sprengelmeyer has been here, covering the Iowa political beat for the "Rocky Mountain News and he joins me here this morning, calling us all - you know, what was the line, Governor Schwarzenegger used girlie men because you've been here so long. We're the new guys. We're just adjusting to the temperature. You have been here adjusting for a while. So, tell us - first, thank you for being here with us. What has been the surprise do you think in Iowa? What is the story that has come out of Iowa in the past several months as you've been here?
M.E. SPRENGELMEYER, ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS: When I got here, Mike Huckabee was in the low single digits and he was tied (INAUDIBLE). He's kind of had over the last 10 months or nine months a gradual rise and all of a sudden, bam, he got that big infusion and support on the last just practically overnight.
HOLMES: Would that been the straw poll and then he started making inroads with the Evangelicals here in the state? SPRENGELMEYER: (INAUDIBLE) As soon as I got here, there was a block of socially conservative Republicans who were just waiting, waiting and waiting to find that this is the person who's going to go up against those three big national Republican candidates who are viewed as less traditional Conservatives. And then, they gave a look at Fred Thompson and sometime after that, they all moved in one direction.
HOLMES: You know, does it sound like they are excited about a candidate finally?
SPRENGELMEYER: A little bit more than we saw all year. I mean, these crowds for the Republicans have been smaller here in Iowa all year. Some of the attention shifted to New Hampshire. Finally, Huckabee's little movement; he's gotten more attention from both sides, people who want to attack him now, people that support him. And so, it is more interesting now all of a sudden.
HOLMES: And certainly things are more interesting because for so long, we saw Hillary Clinton out front in so many polls a little back and forth and then Edwards and I think it's been a three-person race for a while. But now, it seems like she's got a fight on her hands.
SPRENGELMEYER: Well, actually, when I got here, everyone presumed John Edwards, he was the guy that had all the built in advantages going back to 2004 in Iowa. And Senator Clinton over took him in the late summer, she looked like she was going to build a solid lead here as she has nationally and then Barack Obama took over the lead just in few weeks in the "Des Moines Register" poll. It is a fight to the finish. And it's not just a two-person race.
HOLMES: What about these endorsements now? What is going to do of her, from the "Des Moines Register"?
SPRENGELMEYER: Well, you know, endorsements are tricky thing. Sometimes may mean a lot. John Edwards won the endorsement last time and it did helped at the time, but he still only finished second in the caucus. This thing is down to the wire.
HOLMES: But for her now, already close to at the top of the polls, could this be the thing that propels her and gives her bit of a cushion?
SPRENGELMEYER: Well, we'll see. The most interesting thing of their endorsements is they focus on the very same issue that Bill Clinton used in looking at Barack Obama in the last few days. Their editorial mirrored the attack on Obama. That he's not ready. And so, I don't know, it's going to be interesting to see if there is - you know, the backlash. Sometimes that happens.
HOLMES: The backlash from the endorsement. What are Iowans understand - they like this attention. Everybody is here and the media will be here until January 3rd at least, but they eat it up.
SPRENGELMEYER: They do. There was a great statistic, best statistic I've seen since I've been here. The "Des Moines Register" poled people and seven percent of the people in the polls in Iowa had been interviewed by reporters and this was two months ago before the swarm got here. I was like thinking geez, why didn't I get to the other 93 percent.
HOLMES: Well, we will try to hit as many as we can before we get out of here. Three weeks away. You can believe it? M.E. Sprengelmeyer from the Rocky Mountain News, we appreciate you coming out with us here.
SPRENGELMEYER: Well, good to see you. Welcome to Iowa.
HOLMES: Thank you so much. We are starting to get a light - a little light out here, a little daylight but you don't know how much that's going to help us with the temperature. But the politics still rocking and rolling. We are still not quite done here yet this morning. Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. We'll be talking with you shortly, T.J. From the plains to the midwest, snow is blanketing the ground. And more ways than one shall we say. So, how will it affect you? Well, we will continue to follow the winter mess with live reports and pictures all morning long. But first: Getting in the holiday spirit -- San Francisco style. How about a ferryboat ride?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought I was going to pass out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He in essence expects to be rewarded for not stealing the money.
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NGUYEN: And that's what she says, the attorney that is. At stake, $182,000 in vintage currency now worth about a half million dollars. It has been stashed inside a bathroom wall in Cleveland until a remodeling contractor found it. The homeowner found him, offered him 10 percent but the contractor wasn't satisfied. He is suing for the whole thing. So, under the so-called finders keeper law. Maybe, he should have taken the offer because the homeowner's attorney thinks he'll end up with a big O say - nothing.
All right. So, what is wrong with this picture right here? Japanese scientists altered the mouse gene so it would not be afraid of cats. They say the experiment shows that fear of cats is hard wired in mice, not something learned through experience. The cats are normal and you're probably wondering, why don't they just kill the mouse? Well, the cats are specifically chosen because of their kind nature, shall we say. And check this one out. Someone in Britain got the brilliant idea that welding one car on top of another one would make racing twice as exciting. (INAUDIBLE) If they mean a strong tendency to tip over, well, then they're right. This is even trickier than it looks because there are two drivers in each vehicle. The guy in the car on tops steers and the guy on the bottom, handles the gas, brakes and then shifting. I don't really know how they communicate.
Fear not, these are only Santa's helpers. They're helping usher in the holidays and reinforce Santa's Cisco reputation for quirkiness. Hundreds turned out for the local tradition. And in the end, they didn't board sleighs bound for the North Pole - oh, no. Many climbed onto a ferry and then chugged it back to the East Bay.
We're going to take you back to CNN's T.J. Holmes, who is in Iowa today. Good morning.
HOLMES: Good morning to you. I hear they are genetically altering mice to not be afraid of cats. I wish they could genetically alter me to be immune to the cold. That's what I'm looking for from scientists. That would be nice.
Of course, we're here in Iowa, been here all morning, we'll be here for the next hour coming up, going to be here with the battle that's on for votes. Caucus just three weeks away. We'll have live reports and yes, all morning.
NGUYEN: All right. "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta is next.
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