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CNN Sunday Morning

Midwest Winter Storm; Georgia State of Emergency; British Troops Hand Over Basra; Presidential Endorsements; Yankees Pitcher Apologizes; Joe Namath Graduates; Snowy Campaign Trail; Bush Ignores Congressional Pleas; Florida Jail Roof Collapse

Aired December 16, 2007 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Horrible. Absolutely ridiculous, they've known this storm was coming, you think they'd be out salting by now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Snow-covered roads and power outages and of course delayed and canceled airline flights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm very lucky because a lot of people have missed their flights and I'm one of the lucky ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Yeah he is. Heavy fog, freezing rain and plenty of snow. Look at it come down. A winter storm heading into the Northeast this morning we have the pictures and weather predictions that you need before you head out the door.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Also, it's cold in Iowa. With some key endorsements of the 2008 presidential race really, really heating up.

From Des Moines, Iowa, good morning to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes. I'm quite aboard the bus, where I wish I was, but right here with the CNN election express bus. We're covering all the new as the three- week countdown to the Iowa caucus begins, it's all part of the best political team and the best political coverage on television.

Hey there, Betty.

NGUYEN: Hey, good morning, T.J. And I'm Betty Nguyen, it is Sunday, December 16, and we are bringing you news from around the nation and the world.

So first up, million of people wake up to extreme weather this morning. Another winter storm is barrelling from the Plains and the Midwest into the Northeast. These are pictures just in from the Detroit area. Slippery road conditions are blamed for two deaths in the Midwest. At least a foot of snow is expected in the Northeast a little bit later today. All of New England has been under a winter storm warning. This is the second major storm in a week to hit the Midwest and move north. Many places are trying to thaw out and waiting for power to be restored after last week's big storm. We'll get back to the weather in just a moment, but first we want to take you to T.J. Holmes who is on the road with the CNN Election Express bus parked near the state capital in Des Moines, Iowa.

How's it going -- T.J.

NGUYEN: How's it going? It's cold, Betty. That's how it's going. You know how it's going.

The light -- a little daylight coming out now, so it's warming up a bit to around 20. So, that's a big deal for us. But yes, the political campaign, the political trail, politics a hot, hot topic here, right now. It will be for the next three weeks until January 3 caucus time. And the big news we have to talk about this morning came out late last night, big news endorsements. The "Des Moines Register" choosing senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Here's what the paper had to say about McCain, first.

It says, "Time after time, McCain has stuck to his beliefs in the face of opposition from other elected leaders and the public. He has criticized crop and ethanol subsidies during his two presidential campaigns in Iowa. He bucked his part and president by opposing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts."

That's what he had to say about senator McCain. Also, on Hillary Clinton, here's what they had to say:

"Readiness to lead sets her apart from a consolation of possible stars in her party, particularly Barack Obama, who also demonstrates the potential to be a fine president."

They also went on to say that actually Obama inspires them and their imagination, but she was the one who inspired their convent (ph). So, Clinton gets that endorsement, but Obama, as well, he's getting a bit of a boost here, he doesn't have anything to be crying about this morning, because Obama and his campaign getting the good news from the "Boston Globe." Obama is that newspaper choice. This is, again, from the "Boston Globe."

Also, "It's true that all the other Democratic contenders have conventional resumes and have spent more time in Washington, but that exposure has tended to give them a sense of government's restraints. Obama is more open to its possibilities."

So, they took kind of a different approach from the "Des Moines Register."

Also, getting the "Globe's" endorsement is Senator John McCain. He's doing well with these endorsements. Pretty much an endorsement sweep, if you will, for McCain who got the support of the "Manchester Union Leader" earlier in the month. And the New Hampshire primary also just 23 days away.

Well, some more political news, here. We'll turn to Iowa and with the big announcement there from their top election officials. The electronic voting machines, there in that state, have critical security flaws. You do not want to hear that. A new report by experts studying voting in the influential state says items like a magnet or even a Blackberry are all you need to tamper with the voting results. And the secretary of state there wants the voting system fixed before the '08 presidential elections.

One of the best political team on television has much more ahead, this morning. The leaders of both political parties in Iowa, some of the big dogs, will be joining me live here, right here at the Election Express bus.

Also, you folks out there, if you're away from the television and you want to stay up to date, you can still get the most up to the minute political news, cnnpolitics.com, your one-stop shop, it's the Internet's premier destination for political new, cnnpolitics.com. So, a whole lot to come here, Betty, in Iowa, where, yes, we've been talking about it all morning. Yes, it's cold, it's very cold, but it is as hot as you can get when you talk about politics.

NGUYEN: No doubt with the endorsement today, and of course, that possible glitch that could affect the election. You don't want to hear that. I'll have much more on that. Thank you T.J.

HOLMES: Yeah.

NGUYEN: Let's get you more now on the powerful winter storm barreling from the Midwest into the Northeast. It is expected to bring two feet of snow to parts of New England and in some places the snow will change to sleet and freezing rain, that's what you don't want. And to add to all of that, high winds. Yes, these pictures from the Boston area. The entire New England region is under a winter storm warning.

CNN meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf is in Syracuse, New York.

And Reynolds, I understand this is just the beginning, things are going to get a lot worse out there today.

WOLF: No question about it. I've got to tell you, though, Betty right here in Syracuse, right on Marshall Street, right near the university, we haven't seen much in terms of precipitation for the last hour or so, but that doesn't mean by any stretch of the imagination that things are -- wouldn't you know it, just as soon as I started speaking I see a snow flake come by. And that's exactly what we're going to be seeing as we make our way through the midday hours into the afternoon.

We have a winter storm warning that will remain in effect for the Syracuse area until 7:00 in the morning on Monday and we do anticipate anywhere from say five to even 10 inches of snowfall, much of it not really from the nor'easter, but rather from a northwesterly breeze, it's really going to pick up. In fact, right now, as we're speaking, I'm feeling it and trust me, it is cold.

All ready, we've had a lot of activity here in the city, mostly snow plows. Take a look at this video, people going out and about, these guys are working around the clock and they plan on it. Coffee is very, very essential for these fellows and these ladies that out and about and doing these jobs, keeping these roads clean. And for the most part, they've done a heck of a job, but they know that as we get to the nighttime hours, they we may be fighting an uphill battle. And then we compound all that snow with the cold temperatures we're expecting into tomorrow. A lot of that is going to just really freeze together almost like a rock. So, that's going to be a struggle for people in the morning.

That's one thing about the Northeast, the folks that live up here are hearty individuals. They're used to the cold conditions. That is the climate, what you have here, but still that first big snowfall of the year, it still chills you to the bone and no questions it's going to be an obstacle for them to deal with tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow, again with the winds picking up, we're going to see delays throughout Northeast, millions are going to be affected and we're going to give you, of course, detail by detail through the hours and help everyone get their week started and of course, let you know how the weekend is going to round out weather-wise.

Betty, let's send it back to in the nice warm studio.

NGUYEN: It's so important, though, especially on a Sunday like today, people trying to get home or maybe starting their Christmas holiday early and plus, we haven't even mentioned the holiday shopping. So, people are going to be out and about, despite the weather, but you want to be safe out there.

I mentioned those flight delays and cancellations, well Karen MacGinnis has our "Flight Tracker" this morning, from the CNN Severe Weather Center. What are you seeing?

KAREN MACGINNIS, METEOROLOGIST: Oh Betty, it is just really gone from bad to worse. Boston kind of went bad early. They saw blowing snow, continue to see blowing. Snow is coming down heavily. We have seen some freezing fog, as well. There are no flights right now in our "Travel Tacker," looking at arrivals or departures, I just checked one of the departures from Boston going into London. Imagine you had that schedule for sometime canceled. Flights going to Washington, D.C. out of Boston, some of those have been canceled, as well.

We looked at Newark and La Guardia, also JFK. Flights are taking off and they're landing, but there are significant departure delays and there are some minor ground delays. So, you might anticipate that and check with your airline before you head off to the airport.

Let's go ahead and take a look at Chicago. Chicago looking pretty good right now. There are arrivals and departures, but look at Detroit. Now, Detroit has been very iffy all morning and it is extraordinarily cold, they've seen reduced visibility there, and it looks like the eastern lower peninsula, Betty, of Michigan could see some wind gusts up around 50 or 60 miles-an-hour. Coming up at the bottom of the hour, some forecasts coming up for you -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Fifty or 60 miles-per-hour? That's near hurricane force strength. All right, Karen, thank you for that. We'll stay on top of all of this for you.

In the meantime, though, a different kind of weather situation in South Georgia. Late last night, Ashburn, Georgia issued a state of emergency after a possible tornado and severe thunderstorms just ripped throughout area. The roof of a fire station collapsed, injuring a firefighter. And then there were reports of cars in ditches, trees blocking roads, power lines down.

Well, with the stroke of a pen and a handshake, things changed in one region of Iraq. We have the details ahead.

HOLMES: Also Ron Paul, his grassroots campaign sure know how to send out the message and bring in that cash. We will check in with Mary Snow, who is in Boston, all part of the best political team and the best political coverage on TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We've been talking about, let's show you a little bit. The Northeast, it braces for a powerful winter storm, that tops our "Quick Hits." Icy roads, air travel delays. This is new video coming in to CNN. At least two deaths are blamed for the winter storm that hit the Midwest and the Plains, now that storm is pushing toward the Northeast. Up to a foot of snow is expected in some areas.

Also new this morning, a changing of the guard in Iraq. British troops formally hand over control of Basra, their last region in Iraq. The Brit's mission now, training security forces and helping rebuild Iraq's economy. The handover means half of Iraq's 18 provinces are under the control of Iraqi forces.

Well, New York Yankees pitcher, Andy Pettitte is apologizing for using human growth hormones. He was one of the players named in the Mitchell report on drugs and sports. Pettitte says he used HGH while recovering from an injury back in 2002 and he adds, "everything else written or said about me knowingly using illegal drugs is nonsense, wrong, and hurtful." Pettitte signed a new $16 million contract the day before the Mitchell report was released.

You know that guy right there, Joe Namath, once again a fan favorite at the University of Alabama. More than 40 years after he left school for stardom in the NFL, "Broadway Joe" returned to receive his diploma. Namath completed a 30 hour program over the last five years to earn his diploma. He admits it was pretty tough to buckle down and study, but congratulations to him.

HOLMES: Well, back here in Iowa, now, pretty cold. It's been pretty cold, it will be pretty cold for a while and the weather is impacting the campaigns, actually. Senator Hillary Clinton already making changes to her Iowa appearances, today, she actually planned on kicking off a "Hillacopter Tour." Yeah, she has a helicopter, the "Hillacopter," she was going to take it around, but weather keeping it grounded at least for today with the campaigns in New Hampshire.

Also, other campaigns also dealing with weather, as well, around the country, even. Our Mary Snow is live in Boston right now.

And Mary, I guess we spoke too soon, yesterday. I was congratulating you on getting that plush assignment of covering Giuliani in nice Florida, now you are in Boston, Massachusetts. Quite a change of temperature for you. Hello there.

MARY SNOW, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. I think that they call this payback, T.J. You know, I was the envy yesterday in Florida, not so much today. Their nor'easter, here in New England and Mike Huckabee was supposed to be on the campaign trail today in New Hampshire. His events were canceled today as Mike Huckabee has been surging in the polls among presidential -- Republican presidential candidates and he's still getting to know voters.

He was on the campaign trail yesterday bringing along with him Chuck Norris, the actor, who's also conservative. And Mike Huckabee has been also making some waves. He came out in an article where he had some sharp criticism of the Bush administration and his foreign policy saying that the Bush administration had what he called an arrogant bunker mentality that he said is counterproductive both at home and abroad. Now, those comments were seized upon by the Romney campaign. There's a lot of back and forth between these two candidates. And Governor Mitt Romney saying that Mike Huckabee's comments made him sound more like a Democrat. We asked Mike Huckabee about that yesterday on the campaign trail, here's what he had to say:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not going to worry a whole lot about what he says. He's obviously in a very desperate position in this campaign. He spent millions and millions and millions of dollars, he's hired an enormous number of people and he's behind. What else is he going to do?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: And T.J., while Mike Huckabee is not on the campaign trail in New Hampshire today, he will be on LATE EDITION, later this morning with Wolf Blitzer, so you'll want to catch that -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, we certainly will and of course, we've been talking about issues in Iowa with the weather that is causing for some campaigns and you're talking about it there, as well, in Massachusetts. Well, the Ron Paul supporters, they're not letting weather or pretty much anything else get in their way. What are they up to?

SNOW: Well, they are determined, T.J. They have declared this day, as what they called, "money bomb days." Where they really try to galvanize and raise money on the Internet, they're hoping to break some records, but they chose today because it's the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party and there are several events going on around the country. But of course, some grassroots supporters plan to rally here this afternoon in Boston. There was also a party last night in New York. Ron Paul's party is also sending out a blimp to kind of gain some momentum for his campaign -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Ron Paul and his supporters, they found a way to get it done. Mary Snow in Boston this time around. Let's meet in Florida sometime, Mary. Good to see you this morning.

SNOW: Absolutely, good to see you.

HOLMES: All right, well while Mary and I are out and about, Betty, what are you up to?

NGUYEN: Well, you know, we're working on a couple of stories and I don't want to hear you complain about the cold because you know what, you're not in Boston where Mary is and that snow is just coming down. We got some new video to show you, T.J., out of Boston.

Look at this, snowplows out and in this particular shot you don't see anyone on the roadways for a good reason. Man, the snow is just piling up there in Boston.

And I know you mentioned about meeting Mary in Florida. I don't want if you want to do it in Land O' Lakes, Florida, because let me show you what has happened there overnight. Look at that. That is the minimum security annex jail there and they're not sure exactly if it was a tornado, but definitely a lot of storm damage, there. And that jail there, apparently, the roof has collapse. It held about 100 female inmates.

Now, we are told that the inmates were moved into a hardened building shortly before that storm his, so there no injuries. But, not only has the roof collapsed, and you're seeing the damage right there, but power lines are down in Land O' Lakes, Florida that are leading up to the jail, and that's causing some traffic jams. On top of that, at least two cars have flipped over in the parking lot, along with trees being down. So, they're dealing with quite a bit there in Land O' Lakes, Florida.

So, we go a little bit of everything for you. And this, jailed for doing their jobs. You heard me. Two border patrol agents are behind bars after they caught a drug smuggler. Now Congress is putting President Bush on notice for not granting a pardon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Hello again everyone from Des Moines, Iowa. Here in Iowa, immigration is a key issue with Republicans promising they have the answer. Meanwhile in Washington, there is another fight over immigration that's happening. CNN's Casey Wian has that story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush was in a forgiving mood Tuesday night, either pardoning or commuting the sentences of nine drug dealers, eight thieves, and 13 assorted moonshiners, tax cheats and other criminals, but he again failed to pardon imprisoned border patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, despite a request he do so by 102 members of Congress.

REP. STEVE KING (R), IOWA: To watch the Thanksgiving turkey be pardoned and know that Ramos and Compean are in solitary confinement.

WIAN: For nearly a year the president has ignored congressional pleas to free Ramos and Compean. They're serving 11 and 12-year sentences mostly in solitary for their own protection for shooting and wounding illegal alien drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Davila in 2005.

BILL DELAHUNT (D), MASSACHUSETTS: This sentence is entirely disproportionate. And it has created a significant miscarriage of justice that reflects poorly on our judicial system. You have the opportunity to redress that miscarriage.

REP. VIRGIL GOODE (R), VIRGINIA: It's a travesty that two men who are standing up for America fighting for the integrity of our border and fighting against drug smugglers are still in prison system.

WIAN: The White House says it won't consider pardoning the agents while their case is being heard by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, there's processes in place for pardons and those two individuals, if they want to seek a pardon, they can go through the process as well.

WIAN: The Justice Department requires applicants to wait five years after their sentence before applying for a presidential pardon, but lawmakers say it's well within the president's power to release the agents now.

REP. DANA ROHRABACHER (R), CALIFORNIA: Yeah, I think the president has been lying about this from day one. Got that lying, not telling the truth and that was fully exposed when he let "Scooter" Libby go in a millisecond.

WIAN: This month Rohrabacher and Delahunt introduced a new bipartisan resolution, asking President Bush to immediately commute the sentences of the former agents.

(on camera): But, it appears likely Ramos and Compean they will spend the holidays in prison away from their families. In fact Nachos Ramos' wife, Monica, says she's been told she won't even be allowed a phone call or visit with her husband on Christmas day.

Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, certainly still we have much more to come here about the issues in Iowa. We're going to be speaking to the executive director of the state Republican Party, also the chair of the state Democratic Party, see just what those issues are that the two sides are most concerned about now, and also, which of the two sides, Democrats or Republicans are more excited about their crop of candidates right now -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, well I don't have to you this, T.J. There is a winter storm warning out there affecting millions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to take my time getting home, that's for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Good advice, no matter what you're doing today. Interstates, highways and city streets are slick from Kansas all the way to New York. What a nightmare for the morning commute. Plus, countdown to the caucus. We will take you back to Iowa to talk about the next three weeks in the Hawkeye State.

In the meantime, though, things always change. So, can it be difficult to stay on top? Of course it can. So, hear how one CEO manages it in today's tips from the top.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FAROOQ KATHWARI, CEO, ETHAN ALLEN, INC: You cannot make people accept change if they do not think it's going to benefit them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Farooq Kathwari is remodeling Ethan Allen. Under his leadership, the business when from being just a furniture company, to also providing interior design service. As CEO, Kathwari focused on modernizing the design of the furniture as well as the stores themselves. These changes are affecting Ethan Allen's bottom line with sales last year of over $1 billion.

KATHWARI: The responsibility of leadership is to manage expectations. They've got to have courage, they got to have wisdom, they got to have knowledge, but they also have to make sure they maintain their egos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Good morning and welcome back everybody on this Sunday. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes live this morning in Des Moines, Iowa with the CNN "Election Express" bus. The 2008 presidential election is front and center here with one newspaper releasing its endorsements. The "Des Moines Register" endorsing senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton for the Iowa caucuses. That is a big deal this morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, it is. And I want to tell you about this big deal in southern Iraq. The province of Basra is once again under Iraqi control. British forces formally handed over the region to Iraqi officials in a televised ceremony today. Also, air travel delays to tell you about. No problems yet this morning, but check with your airline if you are flying because a major winter storm is moving from the Midwest to the Northeast and you know what that would mean.

All right, look at these live pictures that we are getting in right now, just into CNN from BAY-9 News in Pasco County, Florida. This is at the minimum security annex, a jail there, which has the roof has apparently collapsed. It looks like a little bit more, in fact. That jail held about 100 female inmates, but before that arrived, those inmates were moved to a hardened building, so there were no injury. But we're also being told that not only are there power lines and trees down, but you see right there, at the bottom of your screen, that a car that's been turned over, in fact a couple of them have flipped over in the parking lot.

Some of the power lines are out, which is causing traffic jams, again trees are down, fences are knocked down. But, back to that jail for a second, again it is the minimum security annex, this in Land O' Lakes Florida at the Pasco County Jail. That specific portion, the minimum security annex, the roof of it has collapse and 100 inmates had to be moved before the storm rolled in to keep them from being injured in it.

Of course, we'll stay on top of the storm damage in Florida and we'll stay on top of the weather around the nation this morning, so you want to be sure to stay here with us.

Also, we want to ask you to send your photos and videos of the winter weather where you live to iReports at ccn.com. I want to show you some images now, that came to us from Jan in Greenfield, Oklahoma. The pictures captured both the beauty and the awesome destructive power of the ice storm. Jan says power was knocked out for most of last week, so they huddled at her sister's house where there was enough water and firewood. She says there are still several hundred people without power and clean up is going slowly.

For the past week, folks in Chandler have been relying on battery powered radios and TVs to get the news. Jan tell us that she sent along these pictures so other people could see what they have been dealing with.

Well parts of upstate New York are dealing with blanketed snow, deep snow, fresh snow this morning and our Reynolds Wolf is in Syracuse.

So Reynolds, how are people coping? I mean, they're pretty use to this, but definitely is going to cause some problems as people get out and about this morning.

WOLF: Yes, and there's no doubt about that. But, you know, what's funny, Betty, on a Sunday morning in Syracuse, you'd would figure it would be a very quiet, kind of a sedate atmosphere and it is to some extent, but we do have a lot of snow on the ground. Last night, Mother Nature dumped anywhere from say one to four inches of snowfall, at least four here along Marshall Street near Syracuse University. But, even though it is kind of a quiet morning for many people, that doesn't mean that the city is still, by any stretch of the imagination. We've had a lot of snowplows out, a lot of people cleaning out the roadways, the sidewalk. It certainly has been an eventful morning for many and a lot of folks have certainly had their work cut out for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM MANDARA, SYRACUSE RESIDENT: Well, got to work around 7:00, you just grab a shovel and you just start shoveling until it's gone. That's it. Got to clear the walkways and garage for the patrons and it's a full time job on a day like today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF: That was Adam. He is certainly going to be working hard, especially through the midday hours. As we get to even later in the day, we're expecting that wind to really begin to pick up and that's going to make things feels even colder with temperatures by tomorrow morning feeling right near zero. That wind chill factor is going to make a world of difference for so many people, so we're definitely getting ready to brave the cold.

Now, in terms of snowfall, we still have that winter storm watch that's going to remain in effect through Monday morning at 7:00 a.m. We could still see around 10 inches of snowfall for the Syracuse area. Some places you could see a bit more, other places maybe a little bit less. But no doubt it's still going to cause a lot of problems and we're going to give you the very latest of the forecast and what's happening here in parts of the Northeast. That's all coming up throughout the morning, throughout the day and into the evening. Let's send it back to you.

NGUYEN: All right, Reynolds, we'll stay on top of that, as you will too. Well, the wenter storm that socked the upper Midwest has moved east, but snow drifts on the roads are now a serious problem due to those high winds. This is a live picture of snowy Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Looks awfully beautiful at a distance, but if you're dealing with it, it could be a little stressful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Michael PICARDI, COMMISSIONER OF STREETS & SANITATION: I will handle over 400 vehicles on the streets. So, that's salt spreaders, that's garbage trucks with plows, that's snow tigers that are smaller salt spreaders, and pickup trucks with salt spreader inserts in them, those work the very small streets. You know, that's everything we have and it's all out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, big moves to tell you about this morning in Iowa. Well, besides me shivering, this morning, of course. Key endorsements coming from the "Des Moines Register," the paper giving support to senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Iowa caucuses now less than three weeks away and joining me here at the CNN "Election Express," Scott Brennan, of the Iowa Democratic Party, the chair of the Democratic Party, here. And also Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Iowa Republican Party.

Gentlemen, good morning and how appropriate I got the Republican on my right and Democrat on my left, so we're off to a good start this morning. So, you all tell me, which of the two of you, which party is more excited about their candidates, right now?

SCOTT BRENNAN, IOWA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR: Oh, I think it's pretty clear that the Democrats are very excited about our field and, you know, we're going to have a great caucus. People are enthuse and going to come out in droves.

HOLMES: Now, would you agree you're just as excited about your candidates?

CHUCK LAUDNER, EXEC DIR IOWA REPUBLICAN PARTY: Well, we are, but it seems that at least on the Democrat's side that it's more make or break here in Iowa, so maybe there's a little more activity for them than on the Republican side.

LAUDNER: Why do you says make or break, here?

BRENNAN: Well, they've gone through a front-loaded process before and they've learned that when Kerry won in 2004 that it carried throughout the nominating process, this time I expect more of the same and so I think that's why the Democrats are here much more often.

HOLMES: Now, do you agree with that? Is it make or break? Does the person leaves here, the Democrat that leaves here, really a huge advantage moving forward?

BRENNAN: It's an advantage. I mean, clearly you know, the campaigns have focused a lot of resources and time here, so clearly they think that Iowa is incredibly important, at least on the Democratic side of the process, but it's not make or break. I mean, you know, these campaigns they're running in other places, too. But, you know they focused here, I mean, they're -- it's a big deal.

HOLMES: I'll ask you both this question, on both sides, what has been the biggest surprise, the biggest shake-up, if you will -- start with you -- for the Republicans during this process? Is it Mike Huckabee?

LAUDNER: Well, I think so. It starts at the Straw Poll as an organizational tool. Huckabee came out the surprise winner, finished second, exceed expectations and has caught fire on the grassroots in Iowa.

HOLMES: What about the Democratic side? What's been a surprise, there?

BRENNAN: I don't know there have been any major surprises other than the number of people who have come to events. I mean, when I go to events you just see so many people at these events, I mean, the enthusiasm is just something that I've not experienced in the time I've been around politics in Iowa.

HOLMES: What do you attribute that to, the enthusiasm on the Democratic side? BRENNAN: One, they are ready for someone other than George Bush and two, I think they're just enthused about the candidates. I mean, the Democratic field is very, very deep.

HOLMES: Now, the enthusiasm, we've heard several times, and I'm sure you heard as well, that the enthusiasm hasn't been there on the Republican side and that was really what gave Mike Huckabee an opening when he got here and he really started to make some inroads. Did you agree with that? I'm sure you probably wouldn't, you said you're enthused about your candidates, but sure you have to recognize that many voters, at least, they weren't so excited about the Republicans they were seeing.

LAUDNER: They're not sold, but on the Republican side, the field hasn't been set until just the last few months. The Iowa caucus goer was forced to sit on their hands because we didn't know who was running for president. Was Newt Gingrich going to run, was Rudy Giuliani going to run, then Fred Thompson? And only until recently was the field set and I think that's when you saw people start lining up behind candidates like Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

HOLMES: Last couple of things, here. Do Iowans, Democrats and Republicans agree on what the major issue that's affecting them? I mean, what's the big issue for Republican voters and would that be the same major issue for the Democratic voters?

LAUDNER: Well, on the Republican side immigration is always at the top, here in Iowa. But, there's also tax reform, the war on terror, healthcare. Those issues are there. Immigration would be No. 1.

BRENNAN: And I think on the Democratic side, I mean, universal healthcare is a big issue and certainly the war in Iraq and what we're going to do to get ourselves out of that mess.

HOLMES: Are Iowans just loving this attention? Do they love this time of year, knowing that we'll be here and all eyes will be on Iowa at least until January 3?

BRENNAN: I think we take it as a great responsibility. I mean, Iowans are very careful in their selection and you know, they really have spent a lot of time meeting the candidates and talking to the candidates and you know, it's a privilege, but it's also a big responsibility.

HOLMES: Are we going to expect another surprise? You can seem to never really predict, because of the caucus system, what's going to happen here. We got the "Des Moines Register" with the endorsement of McCain and Hillary Clinton. The endorsement hasn't always and doesn't often mean that that person's going to win Iowa, at least. I mean, even with the frontrunners in the polls we see now, do you all expect a huge surprise on election night?

LAUDNER: I think you need to.

HOLMES: Yeah, you better, huh? (LAUGHTER)

LAUDNER: And we've had surprises all the way through because we've seen conventional wisdoms and prognostications that have already proved to be false. You do need to watch it play all the way out. That's the golden rule, here in Iowa.

HOLMES: The golden rule, if there are rules in Iowa. All right, to my right, Chuck Launder with the Republican Party and to my left, that's Scott Brennan the Democratic Party, here. Gentleman, thank you so much for coming out and spending some time with us. They've been staying warm in the "Election Express" bus, they stepped out to do the interview. And watch them run as soon as the camera gets off them. All right, gentlemen, thank you so much for being here this morning.

Now, we want to share this with you as well. Democratic presidential hopeful, John Edwards is Wolf Blitzer's guest this LATE EDITION this morning, he'll also talk with Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Mike Huckabee. Everybody's talking to Mike Huckabee these days. All that coming your way 's 11:00 Eastern Time -- Betty.

NGUYEN: T.J., there's a lot of talk about this today in Florida. I want to show you just a little bit of storm damage coming to us from BAY-9 News. Check out what it hit, a jail. We'll have the details, next.

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NGUYEN: We do have breaking news coming to us out of Florida, Pasco County, to be exact. This, a picture from BAY-9 News, we understand a tornado has ripped through that area early this morning, taking out the roof of the Pasco County jail, at least part of a roof, there. You're seeing the damage. Let's go on the phone now to Ferdinand Zogbaum, he's with BAY News-9 to give us an indication of what the damage is on the ground. As we are seeing it, that portion of the jail, Ferdinand, was pretty much wiped out.

FERDINAND ZOGBAUM, BAY-9 NEWS: Yeah, you're exactly right. That was sort of a new holding facility that was just constructed not too long ago and it's completely wiped out. There's also a fair amount of damage around the jail, there's some of the transport vans flipped over. They already have inmates out and about, sort of chopping up trees, getting things back in order. But that building was totally destroyed. There were about 200 inmates in there. They got him out just in the knick of time before the strong winds hit and destroyed that building. We're being told those inmates will now be transported to a different county, sort of northeast of the Tampa area where we are.

There's a lot of clean up going on right now, outside of the jail up and down the roads in this area. Electric crews are out here trying to get the electricity restored to the residents here. Big, big trees down along the roads, (INAUDIBLE) down. They got crews out there with chainsaws, bobcats, you name it, trying to saw everything up and clean up the area here so life can get back to normal. But, we did talk to a number of residents here who live nearby and they said at about -- between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. a tremendous amount of, wind came through. We haven't had it confirmed a tornado yet, but it sure looks like one. It has the telltale signs of one, for sure. But, they said it lasted for about five minutes...

NGUYEN: That's what I wanted to ask you about Ferdinand, because we're hearing, according to the "Associated Press" that the National Weather Service says an early morning tornado is what caused all that damage. But, you haven't heard that indeed it was tornado on your end?

ZOGBAUM: Yeah, the last we heard it wasn't confirmed, but that was a little while ago, it could have very easily been confirmed by now, I've been sort of running around with my head cutoff, but it definitely looks like one. If it is -- definitely looks like one.

But residents, like I said, they heard this for about five minutes, it was very strong, very loud, then it was quiet. They went outside in the middle of the night and they were surrounded by the devastation.

NGUYEN: And you can see plenty of it. This morning, again, at between, you say, 3:00 and 5:00 a.m., this morning. Which is a difficult time for people at home, asleep, to hear those sirens, even if they were up, maybe watching some of the warnings. But the good news is, that they were able to get those inmates out of that portion of the jail that you're looking at right there, because that tornado, according to the National Weather Service, just ripped through the area and caused a lot of damage to the Pasco County Jail. In fact, that is the minimum security annex portion of the jail.

We'll stay on top of this and provide you with more information as soon as we get it. Ferdinand Zogbaum with BAY-9 News, we appreciate your time with us.

Karen MacGinnis is in the Severe Weather Center for us.

And Karen, I understand you have some radar of that storm when it hit.

MACGINNIS: We do, and we're looking at the entire peninsula of Florida. Take a look at this squall line that roared across the central portion of Florida. We'll zoom in a little bit more and give you a closer look. Now, the line of storms that spawned that tornado in Pasco County, well, Land O' Lakes is located just about here and it did occur with a warning issued at the time that the storm system was moving through.

Now, there are about 1,100 inmates reported at that jail. A portion of the jail and annex that held women. They evacuated the women into the main part of the facility. We don't have any reports of any injuries, so they got enough warning that they could take care of things.

Look at these temperatures in the Northeast and New England from the teens into the 20s. The forecast will bring an area of low pressure that's deepening now, through the Ohio River Valley towards the Northeast and into New England. Boston, there have been significant cancellations in and out of that airport, also some major delays out of Detroit as well as Chicago's O'Hare airport. We'll keep you updated on all the latest -- Betty.

NGUYEN: What a busy day. All right, thank you, Karen.

And busy here too on the political front, the Iowa caucus just three weeks away. We're going to take a closer look, that's next

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, as know now -- as we've been telling you this morning, the Iowa presidential caucuses about three weeks away, that's it, and our Josh Levs, Mr. Reality himself, here to show you how cnn.com provides the best source of political news from Iowa and beyond.

Good morning to you, sir.

JOSH LEVS, CNN.COM DESK: Hey, good morning to you. Yeah, you know what? I'm mean, this is the part of the campaigns when more and more Americans really start to pay attention and we don't all have the opportunity to go turn into human icicles in Iowa like T.J. over there. We know you want the information, so let me tell you how you can get it most quickly.

Cnn.com, click on "Election Center," this is really cool, "Election Center" when you're at cnn.com, it's going to take you to photos of different candidates, all of them, all of the major candidates that remain. You click on a photo, it gives you more information about that person. also, there at the "Election Center," you can click on the issues, you can see what a lot of the top stories are. There's a time breakdown for you, showing when the voting will take place in the state that you live and also when the primaries and caucuses are before that.

So, you can really get a sense of how the nation is revving up politically, right now.

One more thing I want to show you here, too. That's called the CNN "Political Ticker." Here's what we do, all day long, we top the political ticker with breaking political news stories in real-time. It happens and we report it to you. You can see right there, some of the biggest political stories from today. You can sign up for an e- mail where twice a day you get an update from the CNN "Political Ticker," which means you will always be informed about the major things going on in the world of politics. And there you go, if you every miss something, obviously tune into CNN and if you're every not near a TV, grab the computer, cnn.com. How was that -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Josh again, like you said there, if you want to stay up on politics, and you can't make the trip to Iowa, then yes, that's a good place to get all that information.

Betty, hey there. NGUYEN: Hey there, T.J. We are going to turn to Howard Kurtz. Time to check in with him in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES.

Hello Howard.

HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Hello Betty. Boy, T.J. looks cold out there in Iowa.

NGUYEN: He's freezing out there.

KURTZ: Coming up on our show. Is the press turning on Hillary Clinton now that she's dropping in the polls and tearing down Mike Huckabee now that he's surging in the polls.

Baseball rocked by that steroids report. But some news organizations struck out by naming the wrong players.

Plus, paparazzi pictures of a movie star spark a debate about the media's definition of over weight women. That and much more, ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.

NGUYEN: We'll be watching, thank you Howard. We are following breaking news where a possible tornado hit a county jail.

We're also following breaking news out of Florida where a possible tornado hits a county jail, more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, kiddies, fear not. These are only Santa's helpers.

(MUSIC)

They're helping usher in the holidays and reinforce San Francisco's reputation for quirkiness. Hundreds turned out for the local tradition and when it ended, they didn't board sleighs bound for the North Pole, instead many climbed onto a fory and chugged it back to the East Bay. I will tell you, though, that my partner, T.J. Holmes, probably feels like he's somewhere in the North Pole, today. This from a guy who doesn't even own a pair of long johns.

T.J., what were you thinking?

HOLMES: I don't own johns -- you know, I lived in hot Atlanta now and I lived in California before that. So, I got a closet full of flip-flops, Betty.

NGUYEN: Not going to help you there in Iowa.

HOLMES: But that's all I know. But yes, not in Iowa. We have been watching this all morning and we are still, right now at about 22 degrees on the thermometer. So, it is cold, but like we've been seeing, the political season is hot, you learn here that folks here they take it seriously. They're not tired of seeing the candidates, they know what it's about this time of year, and they take it responsibility of choosing a candidate in this first caucus, they take it quite seriously.

And you see that all around, you see the campaign signs and you come and you assume people would be sick of it, they're tired of being inundated with so many of the candidates and whatnot, but they're not. They do take the responsibility seriously and that's something we learned here.

This was a good time for us to be here this weekend, Betty, because just last night, like we know, a major endorsement announced by the "Des Moines Register," the paper record really here in the state of Iowa, endorsing Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator John McCain. That new just came out last night, so a big deal this morning, we'll see where those endorsements takes them, but a good time to be in Iowa and we'll be here, of course. CNN, the best political team on the TV, be here for the next three weeks. Some of the crew kind of shutters when I say that. I get to go back home to Atlanta, some of them will be here a little longer.

NGUYEN: You just had to rub it in, didn't you? You better board that plane quickly before they come after you.

HOLMES: No, I'm not rubbing anything in.

NGUYEN: All right, T.J. well hopefully you will thaw out on the ride back home. Be safe.

NGUYEN: And RELIABLE SOURCES starts in just minutes. We're also going to give you a look at the top stories, today.

"Now in the News," an early morning tornado in Florida. No injuries reported, but the twister ripped the roof off of the Pasco County Jail. Look at this damage. Pasco County is north of Tampa Bay on Florida's gulf coast.

The storm that dumped snow on many parts of the Midwest, yesterday

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