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CNN Sunday Morning
Iowa Voters Prepare to Caucus; Benazir Bhutto's Successor Named
Aired December 30, 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: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's December 30th. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
ROB MARCIANO, HOST: And I'm Rob Marciano. T.J. Holmes has the day off. It's 7:00 a.m. in the east coast, 6:00 a.m. in Iowa where it is a tight three-way race leading into the Democratic caucus this week.
NGUYEN: And on the Republican side, some candidates are already looking elsewhere for votes. We had the best political team on television live for you this morning.
MARCIANO: And take a look at this man. He's Benazir Bhutto's son. And in a meeting happening right now, he could be named her successor. CNN is inside the meeting, bringing you the news from around the world.
NGUYEN: Plus: The New England Patriots are just perfect. Yes, it's plays like this that puts them in the record books.
MARCIANO: I fell asleep last night watching that game.
NGUYEN: I can't believe you stayed up to watch it and you fell asleep.
MARCIANO: Well, I felt like they were coming back and beside, I didn't want to see that.
NGUYEN: Yes, exactly. Hey, we do want to start with the countdown in Iowa. It is hard to believe, but there are just four days until the caucus votes are cast.
MARCIANO: And the best political team in television is keeping an eye on all the angles in Iowa. You'll be hearing from them throughout the day.
NGUYEN: Right now, we want to watch a three-way or we're looking at a three-way tie among the Democrats. Each candidate is trying to find a way to stand out in the end. And CNN's Jessica Yellin joins us from Des Moines, Iowa this morning with the latest on this tie. Hey, Jessica.
JESSICA YELIN, DES MOINES, IOWA: Good morning, Betty. Yes, these three leading candidates on this side, the Democratic race, really are doing everything they can to sort of differentiate themselves from one another. In some instances, it's taken the form of sharpening their attacks. In other instances, it's taken the form of putting out new platforms, the new promises for what they'll do if they win the Oval Office. From John Edwards, a new promise that he will ban lobbyists for at least six years in his term or five years in his term I should say if he becomes president. It's his effort to show that he will be the toughest on special interests. Let's hear what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN EDWARDS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm proud of the fact that I have never taken money from a Washington lobbyist or special interest pocket (ph) the entire time I've been in public life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: His message there, unlike the others, he's the man who is free of special interest's influence and yet, he's being accused of allowing special interests to run ads for him in this state. So, some are calling him out on that. On the other side, Senator Barack Obama making the point that he is electable. At event after event you attend, some Republicans stand up for Barack Obama and say, I've been a Republican my whole life but sir, I'm going to change sides and vote for you. And he's driving home the message that he can unite America and then also, that he has been consistent on this issue of special interests and on fighting for the working guy (ph) when perhaps John Edwards has not. Let's hear what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are less likely to win an election. That starts off with half the country not wanting to vote for that candidate. We are less likely, also, to win an election with somebody who had one set of positions four years ago and has almost entirely different positions four years later. We've been through that. It's a problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Now, those - without naming names, he's indirectly critiquing Senator Clinton and Senator John Edwards. For her part, Senator Clinton really drove home to seem of electability yesterday. On the road over and over, she told audiences that whoever the Democratic nominee is, they will get pummeled by the Republican Party and the Republican nominee. And as she said repeatedly, she has withstood in her words, the Republican attack machine and can survive it. So, those are the messages. We will fight special interests, we will be electable. Democrats here have to decide who they believe fits both bills the most. Betty?
NGUYEN: And the race is very tight. All right, Jessica, thank you.
MARCIANO: All right. From the Democrats, let's go to the Republican race in Iowa, which may be boiling down to just Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. We've got a new poll for you, it's from the American Research Group and it shows Romney now out in front.
NGUYEN: And it is the first Iowa poll that about to show that. The other recent polls that had Huckabee number one. But the perception of a two-way race in Iowa has shifted the focus for others to New Hampshire. Our Jim Acosta is following the Republicans today. He joins us live from Lincoln, New Hampshire. And what Giuliani and McCain have decided, you know what? I'm going to focus my eyes on New Hampshire.
JIM ACOSTA, LINCOLN, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Yes. For those two guys, this is where the action is. You know, over in Iowa, you're right; it is pretty much shaping up. It's a two-person contest. According to the polls between Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, one poll might show Mike Huckabee up. The next might show Mitt Romney up. But over here in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, thought he had his neighboring state all locked up. But surprise, John McCain, who is pulling off a bit of a political resurrection here, has pulled even in some polls with Mitt Romney. And because of that, McCain took his straight talk express across the granite state yesterday. And while he is sticking to his big issues, like cutting ways for spending and foreign policy, he is taking time to take jabs at his rivals or respond to jabs from his opponents. Just recently, McCain accused Rudy Giuliani of lacking foreign policy experience saying that 9/11 was really a profile in crisis management. Yesterday in Iowa, Giuliani responded, defending his record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of us have our different experiences that we rely on. I would say that my experience goes back well before September 11th. I was the third ranking official in the Justice Department, dealt with foreign governments in that context. I was a United States attorney, also had dealings with foreign governments in that context, have a tremendous amount of experience dealing with the safety and responsibility of other people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now, in this state, the other big story has been the ad wars going on between Mitt Romney and John McCain. First, Romney ran an ad accusing McCain of being soft on immigration and taxes. And then, McCain went right for the jugular responding with the spot that quoted that famous conquered monitor anti-endorsement of Mitt Romney, that anti-endorsement labeling Mitt Romney as a phony. Yesterday in Iowa, Romney was asked whether he runs simply too many negative ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They're not negative. They talk about my positions on issues and the other guy's position on issues. And by virtue of doing that, people can decide where they line up. If you like his views by the way, then you vote for him. If you like mine, then you vote for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: Now, a conquered monitor actually ran its actual endorsement and it was John McCain. So, it's another endorsement for John McCain. I asked John McCain on straight talk express yesterday: Aren't you supposed to be out of this race? And he said, you know, we've been counted out. We've been dead many times before. He jokingly said, he feels like the character in the movie "I am legend," who, of course, was the last man on earth. Betty.
NGUYEN: It's definitely on the race on now. All right. Jim Acosta joining us live. Thank you, Jim. And be sure to catch our own extravaganza on New Year's Day. We are calling it the Ballot Bowl. I was truly excited about this one. It's where the presidential candidates get their shots to discuss the issues important to you in their own words. Our coverage begins at 9:00 a.m. eastern.
MARCIANO: With all those X's and O's on the chalkboards. (INAUDIBLE) strategy out. We're looking forward to that.
All right. Now to the crisis in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto's political party is meeting right now to decide its future even as we get these new images of the grim assassination.
NGUYEN: Yes, photographs from GO TV show blood stains inside Bhutto's SUV and the government says she died Thursday after hitting her head on a sun roof lever. But many supporters insist she was shot to death. There's a look at the lever. And thousands are gathered outside Bhutto's home this morning waiting for her party to choose a successor. CNN Zain Verjee joins us via broadband from Karachi, Pakistan for in-depth coverage. A lot to be decided today, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, KARACHI, PAKISTAN: Yes. Today is a critical day here for Pakistan and for Benazir Bhutto's party, the Pakistan People's Party. They are going to decide who will replace her. She has left a major political vacuum for the party and for the country. Her shoes are going to be really hard to fill. It's basically coming down to two names. Will it be her husband, Asif Ali Zardari or will it be her 19-year-old son, Bilawal? Bilawal is right now in a place called Nadaru (ph) and what he's doing is reading out her will to the party leadership. We're going to know very shortly who is the successor is going to be. The question is will they be accepted by the party? There is a crash of people waiting outside to see exactly what happens. So, the decision is really going to impact the future of this country and the future of one of the most prominent and popular parties in this country. Betty?
NGUYEN: Well, there's also some speculations, Zain, that the person who may succeed Bhutto could possibly be either her niece or her nephew, both who have the Bhutto name and both who have held active party politics in the past.
VERJEE: There is that speculation. But her niece and her sister have not necessarily been active in politics and has not necessarily shown an interest. This could have changed the political landscape for them personally, as well. But the bottom line is, whoever succeeds her has to be a Bhutto. You know, Betty, in this part of the world, domestic politics goes like this. If you pay a blood price in search of high office, then they expect that naturally the leadership will pull towards the bloodline. So, everyone is expecting it to be a Bhutto. It's just not clear which one. Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Zain Verjee joining us live as we wait and see who will succeed Benazir Bhutto. Thank you for that. And we'll, of course, have much more on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and we'll look at why she was buried so fast. The Islamic faith and its position on death and burials, that's coming up.
MARCIANO: Also, word of the assassination brought a New York restaurant to a stand still. How her death is affecting Americans.
Plus: Jacqui Jeras is in the severe weather center looking at a lot of stuff this morning. Hi, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Rob. You know, there's not a lot going on in the northeast right now. But this time tomorrow, millions will be waking up to heavy snowfall. Find out who's going to be impacted the greatest, coming up in your forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, we do want to talk about this story and it's a sad one. Because, a neighborhood argument turned violent and that just top our morning news. Because Washington police are searching for a suspect accused of shooting and wounding six of his neighbors.
MARCIANO: Yes, police say they responded to a call about a disturbance last night and exchanged fire with the suspect. None of those officers was hurt, but the suspect did get away. We now have a photo of the Washington man who admitted killing six members of his girlfriend's family on Christmas Eve including two young children. John McEnroe and his girlfriend, Michelle Anderson are both charged with six counts of first degree murder. Police say Anderson has also confessed to the shootings. Oddly enough, the victims include her parents, her brother and his wife and her niece and nephew.
NGUYEN: Well, the two brothers who survived a Christmas day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo are out of the hospital. Meanwhile, and about 100 people gathered in San Jose for a vigil for their friend, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa who was killed in that attack.
MARCIANO: And a major landslide keeps a road closed in Oregon today. It happened yesterday on Highway 26, near Vernonia. The slide covered about 300 yards and stopped traffic in both lanes. That's a major right at coast. No homes or cars were damaged and there were no reports of injury.
Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center, you talked about this storm being a dozy, Jacqui. This is a same spot so they got flooded just a few weeks ago from that last one.
JERAS: Yes, I know. Things are really unstable out there. Yes and they're also concerned about avalanches by the way in the Pacific Northwest with all the unstable conditions and the heavy snow continuing to come down. If we could get more of that moisture right here, it would make more people happy. Although, we are happy waking up with a lot of rain across the southeastern corridor. We just need a whole heck of a lot more than this. Showers and thunder showers are pushing through the New Orleans area. That's starting to clear out a little bit at this hour. We're seeing some heavier showers and thunderstorms from Montgomery up towards Birmingham. You head eastward along I-20, over towards Atlanta; it's going to be a wet go along this entire stretch. Rain in Columbia this morning, as well. Here is our area of low pressure coming off the coast as we head through the day today and it's going to be moving up over towards Cape Cod. As it does so, it's going to intensify a little bit and bring in some very heavy snowfall into interior parts of the northeast. So, the watches and warnings are already in place, but most of this isn't going to happen until late this afternoon into the early evening hours. Boston, you've got a live picture to show there. You're under a winter storm warning right now, though nothing's coming down. A nice shot there from WHDH TV. Looking for maybe five to seven inches of snowfall by this time tomorrow morning. To northeast, get ready for it. New York City, probably just a half of an inch and we'll see rain down towards Philadelphia. Rob and Betty?
MARCIANO: You know, Jacqui, Betty has never been to Boston.
NGUYEN: Never been.
JERAS: Never?
MARCIANO: Can you believe that?
NGUYEN: I hear it's a great city to go and visit.
MARCIANO: That's bordering on un-American.
NGUYEN: No, it's not.
MARCIANO: We got to go to update.
NGUYEN: I just haven't made it there just yet.
MARCIANO: All right. A little snow in there, we just happy to see. Thanks, Jacqui.
NGUYEN: Right now, a scene out of the movie "Titanic." What caused a scary moment for passengers on a cruise ship? Can you imagine?
MARCIANO: Yes, you know, I'll stick around for this. This is like the second time this has happened in a cruise running into an iceberg. Anyway, what they're about, we'll tell you more about that story.
Another top story that made news on CNN in 2007.
NGUYEN: The deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. On the tragedy of Virginia Tech to the fascination with celebrities.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New Year's resolution? To quit this job I have, find a better job and graduate college.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't lose weight. Tried that. It ain't happening. Peace. Peace around the whole world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drink less and eat more healthy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To drink more and eat more junk food, basically. Whatever he's doing, I do the opposite.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like a yin and yang.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: What kind of resolution is that? All right, you party people out there, are you ready for 2008? Our Anderson Cooper will be in New York's Times Square on New Year's Eve and you can help make the party even better. Go to CNN.com/iparty. Send us your photo or tell us your memories of 2007. Maybe yours will be shown on New Year's Eve. Our live coverage begins at 11:00 p.m. eastern.
MARCIANO: Well, let's talk more about 2007. From Britney Spears to Tony Soprano, 2007 was filled with some highs, some lows and often laughable. So, who deserves top billing in the theater of the absurd? Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO (voice over): Nowak, a mother of three, is accused of attacking Shipman in the airport parking lot, burning her face with pepper spray.
NOWAK: would like her to know how very sorry I am about having frightened her in any way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): The events, based on the extensive review of the evidence, that this case is an accidental overdose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope you guys give the kid the right shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just happy to, you know, have this behind me and just to be able to start a life with my daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): The hood with a shaved head that launched a million headlines.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's in the nervous breakdown and all of America is witnessing it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Gunfire reverberating across the university campus of the state of Virginia. NGUYEN (voice over): The deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were two shootings were occurred on campus. In each case, there are fatalities.
NGUYEN: At least 22 people killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can feel that I can move on with my life now and I don't want to be afraid to go back to class.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): She vowed to never again drink and drive, which, of course, is what led to her incarceration.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): It is, of course, a media circus. Paris Hilton exiting now after serving 23 days behind bars.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She talked about being a changed person. I'm sure what she's going through has changed her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I congratulate him on his remarkable achievement of being prime minister for 10 years.
TONY BLAIR, FMR BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I wish everyone, friend or foe, well. That is it.
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I will try my utmost. This is my promise to all of the people of Britain.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Cut to black in the middle of that song by Journey made for a cliffhanger. A cliff hanger that left folks hanging forever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My brother and I were on the phone together and we had a collective -- ahhh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I did not cause (BLEEP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I made a huge error in judgment in using the word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Well, Don Imus, the Jena six and dancing Karl Rove? Keep watching CNN for more of the year in review. Can you believe all that stuff happened just in the past year, Betty?
NGUYEN: I was just sitting here watching and thinking, man, what a year it has been. The ups and boy, did we have a lot of downs.
MARCIANO: I'm almost afraid of 2008.
NGUYEN: Don't say that. It will be great in 2008. Be positive. You have to claim it, Rob. All right. Just four more days until the Iowa caucuses. We do want to talk about that.
MARCIANO: Yes, the candidates, they're not taking out any chances of pulling out all the stops to get votes.
NGUYEN: And an essay wins a little girl tickets to see Hannah Montana. That's fantastic, right? Well, now it turns out the essay was not true. So, will she be punished?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everyone. On this last Sunday of 2007 -
MARCIANO: I can't believe it.
NGUYEN: Are you ready to let it go?
MARCIANO: Not quite, you know. I'll hold on for another day and a half and I'll let it go. I'm Rob Marciano in today for T.J. Holmes. Good morning.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. We are talking politics this morning and the Iowa caucuses of course. The voters in the Hawkeye state are ready in to guessing and pick up a couple of winners and the few losers.
MARCIANO: The pressure is on. With just four days left to make an impression, CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser in Des Moines, Iowa. Paul, you are managing editorial operations practically on the ground there I know. I'd bet you're in hog heaven. Break it down for us. What are the candidates doing these last few days? It seems at least from this point of view they're getting more aggressive.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You are absolutely right. You heard Jessica Yellin just said a few minutes ago, on the Democratic side, they're definitely sharpening the knives, sharpening the attacks to top three candidates -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and former Senator John Edwards, definitely increasing the rhetoric against each other. And there's a reason why. You just said that we're four days away. On the Democratic side, the polls show this is anybody's race, it's a dead heat among the top three. Every vote counts out here and one of the keys for the Democrats and the Republican side as well though is getting out the vote turnout. And all three of the top Democratic campaigns as well as the others are right now, the game plan now for the last couple of days is keep the candidates out as much as possible. They're going to see Hillary Clinton on a plane flying across the state. John Edwards is going to go 36 straight hours the last day and a half. Barack Obama is going to be everywhere, as well. And their machines out here, you know, their campaigns, their camps are going to be trying to get as many supporters as they can out to the caucuses on Thursday night because that is the key. Get your voters out, get them to the caucus site.
MARCIANO: Talk about Mr. and Mr. Nice guy, we've got Barack Obama, we've got Mr. Huckabee, two you know, guys, they seem to be getting a little bit more feisty, feeling the heat I supposed. Is that working for them?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, you're right. On the Republican side exactly. The Democrats are going after each other and on the Republicans side, the top two candidates out here, former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney. They have definitely picked up the pace in going after each other. You know, going negative, they say it turns off Iowa voters. But at this late date, that's really what they need to do to get their message out. Mike Huckabee, who is trying to stay positive yesterday for the first time, we heard him directly mention Mitt Romney's name and criticize him. As our Mary Snow learned, Mike Huckabee will have a new ad tomorrow starting here on the state of Iowa that attacks Mitt Romney. The Romney campaign has been doing the same against Huckabee. These two guys, it is almost neck to neck now on the polls. One new poll that came out yesterday showed Romney on top. Most of the recent polls before that showed Huckabee on top. So, it is getting really I guess we could say, down and dirty between these two guys. And getting out the vote also crucial. Mitt Romney's been here all year, his got a big machine out here. Huckabee has not spent as much money here. His campaign doesn't have as much money. He's hoping that his message will bring the voters out to the caucus sites. It's interesting to see how it plays out.
MARCIANO: Help me out here. Because I'm a little bit ignorant and I'm trying to understand this over the years of my life. What is a caucus? How does it differ from a primary? Paul, are you still there? Oh, man.
NGUYEN: Hey, the question was just too much. I mean, he figured you already knew it by now.
MARCIANO: I know, I envision these people gathering together, talking about it, you know. I'm going to call Paul on the phone. I'll follow up on that.
NGUYEN: We're going to get to the bottom of this, folks.
MARCIANO: Well, more from Iowa coming up at the bottom of the hour. Our Mary Snow is talking about the increasingly bitter battle between Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney that Paul talked about. And if you want the most up to the minute political news anywhere, cnnpolitics.com is your one-stop shop.
NGUYEN: Yes, it is. And you can hear the presidential candidates discussing the issues in their own words on CNN's Ballot Bowl, our New Year's Day political event gets underway at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Right now, though, we want to get a quick look at the morning headlines.
MARCIANO: Some scary moments for a cruise ship passengers in the Antarctic. The Norway-based MS Fran struck a glacier Friday near Brown Bluff Penguin Rookery. A journalist was among the 250 people on the penguin sighting expedition. He says no one was hurt, but a life boat was heavily damaged. Thankfully, it was never needed.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes, definitely Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki has flown to London for medical treatment. A U.S. military source tells CNN Al Maliki felt ill during a high level meeting with American officials last week. A senior official with the Bush administration says the White House has been told it is not an emergency.
MARCIANO: Thwart America's mission in Iraq. That's the message from a new audio tape, reportedly from Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. The 56-minute tape appeared yesterday on radical Islamic web sites. U.S. officials are working to confirm the tape's authenticity.
NGUYEN: And a crucial meeting is taking place right now in Pakistan. A nuclear arm nation in crisis.
MARCIANO: Members of Benazir Bhutto's political party are meeting to choose her successor. They're also deciding whether to boycott upcoming elections. Thousands of Bhutto supporters converged on the ground surrounding her ancestral home. The crowd pushed back security and flooded into the courtyard to hear the party's decision. We expect that announcement soon. Stay with CNN for the latest on that story.
NGUYEN: We also want to show you some new photographs showing what could be the actual gunman at the scene of Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
MARCIANO: Check out these still photos aired on Pakistani television. Look closely and you can see a man wearing sunglasses, possibly holding a gun. It's important for us to note that CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of these photographs, but they are airing on Pakistani television. We anticipate many photos will surface in the coming days.
NGUYEN: Well, Benazir Bhutto's assassination stunned Pakistani immigrants living in the U.S. and now many are worried about the future of their homeland. CNN's Allan Chernoff has reactions from Pakistani-Americans in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: When news of Benazir Bhutto's assassination flashed across the TV at Haandi Restaurant in Manhattan, owner Artaza Ali says the place went silent.
ARTAZA ALI, OWNER, HAANDI RESTAURANT: Everybody was just shocked and most of them, most of the customers even didn't order and just kept watching the TV. It was just so shocking. And, you know, the images were really bad.
CHERNOFF: Ali, who has family back in Pakistan, says his patrons are now worried about the future of the place they once called home.
ALI: While the country is on the way for democracy, you know, it's just really, really shocking news that, you know, something is happening terrible like that. And I was just worrying about my family.
CHERNOFF: New York City is home to roughly 70,000 Pakistani- Americans, a community that is now saddened and outraged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are in tremendous shock and are really upset and, you know, in this situation, it's very easy for people to overreact and do something wrong, which will be bad for the people for sure.
CHERNOFF: In Queens, New York, Bhutto's assassination has some calling for the government in Pakistan to step down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Pakistani government has failed to provide security to political leaders and Mr. Pervez Musharraf immediately resign from his post. He should leave the power.
CHERNOFF: Even Pakistani Americans who have an opposing political viewpoints now share a unifying sentiment.
SHEMAS BUTT, PAKISTANI AMERICAN: That's a big loss for our country. Anyway, we can just only pray for those people and pray for this country.
CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Remember the childhood scolding, cheaters never prosper? I don't, either.
NGUYEN: Rob.
MARCIANO: I'm kidding.
Well, a 6-year-old in Dallas learned a painful lesson and won't be going to a Hannah Montana concert. She had won tickets with essay that claimed her father was killed in Iraq. That turned out to be a lie. The contest gave the tickets to another contestant.
Well, cars made a big splash in the San Diego Bay. Take a look at this. The driver of a semi carrying a load of brand new cars blacked out and accidentally dumped the whole load into the water. It's painful to look at, isn't. When he came to, his truck was submerged and he had to swim out.
NGUYEN: Can you imagine what was going through his mind? Where am I? His truck is submerged and then you realize, oh, my goodness, look at all those cars?
MARCIANO: How much money do I owe? Does insurance covered this?
NGUYEN: Exactly. Am I covered.
All right. In today's faces of faith, how do you want to be laid to rest? Well, we're going to discuss what Muslims believe and how it affects the investigation to Benazir Bhutto's death.
MARCIANO: And Jacqui Jeras is in the severe weather center tracking storms rolling across the country. Hi, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Isn't this is a beautiful picture this morning, guys? MARCIANO: They love it down there.
JERAS: Take a look at this. Wow, what a way toned the end of 2007, right, guys? But as we get towards 2008, a lot of people are going to be waking up to snow. Not here but I'll tell you where. Coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The violent death of Benazir Bhutto has raised many questions about the Islamic region, especially among westerners. So, why was she burial so quick? And why did her family refused an autopsy after an assassination? Akbar Ahmed is chair of Islamic Studies at the American University in Washington. He is also the author of "Islam Under Siege." Professor Ahmed joins us now to provide some insight. We do appreciate your time and let's tackle those questions if you would please. Why was she buried to quickly without an autopsy?
AKBAR AHMED, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Because Islamic burial rituals derive from tradition, from common sense and from the need to have dignity and respect for the deceased. So when Islam came in the 7th century to Arabia, desert conditions, 24 hours is the time within which a body begins to decompose. So the need is to bury the body quickly. And secondly, to treat it with respect, with dignity, which is not to dig it out or chop it up, et cetera. So the family would be reluctant to any such show of indignity to Benazir's body. At the same time, she's now a national figure. You may have a demand to clarify once and for all how she died.
NGUYEN: Exactly. And that's what a lot of people are asking, how did she die? Because there's an aide to Benazir Bhutto who says she prepared the body for burial and there was a bullet wound. And so that goes against what the government is saying but the government says, you know what, hey, if you want, you can exhume the body, but that is up to you. But you don't think the family is going to want to do this as they've already denied an autopsy, do you?
AHMED: Exactly. And of course, things are moving very fast. The leader of the Pakistan People's Party will be decided shortly, in a couple of hours. Maybe her son, maybe her husband. And that person alone will decide what to do with her body. So it will have to wait for a couple of hours.
NGUYEN: Do you think politics are being played here with the government even offering for the body to be exhumed if they expect the family to say no, we're not going to do that?
AHMED: Politics certainly are being played. The politics are being played by Benazir Bhutto herself. Remember that with her death, she becomes "Shaheed" which is martyred, martyred for the cause of Islam. She dies giving up her life in a sacrifice. This is, of course, the classic martyr in Islamic history. Her father was martyred in a sense. She lost two brothers and he herself when I asked her last year for my book, new book "Journey into Islam," who her role model was? Said Fatamah, the daughter of the prophet. Fatamah lost her husband Ali and two sons. One of her sons was Hussein who died at Karbala in Iraq in 1986. So once again, the theme of martyrdom, of sacrifice, of death a cause, to stand up to tyranny, to stand up to oppression, all meet in Benazir Bhutto's death.
NGUYEN: And that's all very religious. At the same time as well and I have to ask you as there has been so many theories. One, that it was a bullet. Two, that it was shrapnel. And the latest, the last one by the government saying that she fell and hit her head on a sunroof lever. By hitting her head and not being shot to death, or not dying in a bomb blast, does that affect her becoming a martyr at all? Is that a technicality?
AHMED: No, it isn't. She's given her life. In a sense, you see the last minutes of her life when she's smiling. She has a kind of serene look about her. I was very, very moved by that. Almost as if though she's embracing this martyrdom that's to come. Remember she lives under the shadow of her father. She adored the father and she lives under the shadow of his death all her life. That's what motivated her in own career. And she believes she was standing up for ordinary people. Standing up and fighting for justice, fighting against tyranny, against injustice. And that of course will be remembered by ordinary people in Pakistan, who had already had seen her as a "Shaheed." The assassins did not achieve what they had set out to do which is to kill her legacy. They, in fact, elevated her into the realms of martyrdom for ordinary people in Pakistan.
NGUYEN: That's a very good point. Professor Akbar on the chair of Islamic studies at American University. We appreciate your time and helping us understand this.
AHMED: Thank you, Betty
MARCIANO: Well, from one religion to another on this Sunday. Miracle, you think? You be the judge. A Christmas miracle, perhaps. A New Mexico family says a construction mishap has created an imagine on the wall that looks like the Virgin Mary. They discovered it Christmas eve and are calling it a miracle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONNA QUINTANA, SEES VIRGIN MARY ON WALL: He noticed an image there. He says, that looks like the image of the Virgin Mary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've seen the Virgin Mary with the baby.
QUINTANA: Her hands. And it seems that she's kneeling down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: The family doesn't plan on repainting that wall. They say it's a message from god.
Well, Joshua Levs is tracking the political activity at the cnn.com desk this morning. Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean some major morning. The election season officially begins this week. We're there. This is it Iowa caucus is just a few days away. Now, and everything that you need to know is just a click away. So, what you want to know to understand the first date contest is coming up. Plus, we have got this..
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:: .... blow the fields away
MARCIANO: All right. Politicians don't usually mix with theatre but one play does quite musically in fact. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JACQUI JERAS, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: I'm Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center with today's cold and flu report. Four states are now reporting regional activity, so we're getting many more cases of the cold and flu here in the west from Texas down into the southwest and also into Hawaii. If you're seeing yellow on the map, that's good news for you. No activity from Idaho and also across much of the deep south, into the Ohio valley, and we're getting cases of local activity in Montana. Have a healthy weekend!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You know, we have spent the past several weeks profiling all of the major presidential candidates for you. And now they're about to face their first test in the Iowa caucuses.
MARCIANO: CNN.com/politics has everything you need to know to speed you up on the issues. Josh Levs at the dotcom desk to talk about this and walk us through that site.
LEVS: There you go. I'm also going to have the answer to a question you were asking a little bit earlier.
MARCIANO: Please.
LEVS: You know, the...
NGUYEN: The primary and the caucus.
MARCIANO: We're still arguing about it.
LEVS: Got you covered.
NGUYEN: There is a difference, a big difference.
MARCIANO: I know.
LEVS: When I heard that happen, I was like, I'm going to give him the answer. So, here's the deal. Let me just trace you guys through some amazing resources that we have because it's about to start. I mean, the whole country is about to start the voting process, especially you folks in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Wyoming, South Carolina. You need to know some of this information. Let me show you this page, it's called the cnn.com election center. And if you go right here, you see at the very top it says, the election center. It's the cnnpolitics.com. Now, every time you get here, a different candidate is in the big picture. No one is getting more attention than anyone else. You can click around to the different candidates and learn information about them.
But what I want to do here is scroll down to a different page that tells you about individual issues. For example, let's take taxes. This is when you click on one issue. All of a sudden, you can see where every single candidate stands on the different issues. So, it's going through the list. You got all the democrats, all the republicans. And we're getting you past the hype here. We're getting you basic information. There's a lot of claims going on. We're sticking to what is purely accurate, what we know they have actually said they would do on this issue. So, here, taxes, I'm going to scroll through. You can see there you go. You can sense that absolutely everyone is listed on there.
Now, let's talk for a minute about how you can understand what's going to happen this week in the Iowa caucuses. We're going to begin by showing you some of this video we got from Jeffrey Toobin. This video story online which will come up after that. There you go, it shows you how the caucuses work. It's called "Caucuses 101." Because keep in mind, a caucus is not the same as an election, especially on the democratic side in Iowa. I want you to understand the specifics of how people get into this room together, make the decision, talk about different ideas until finally they come together and the delegates are chosen. So, different from an election because people get into groups. Everything you need to know right there on cnn.com. Go to a story called "Caucuses 101." And from there, you can't miss it. See, that's something, easy resource for you. How is that, Rob?
MARCIANO: You still didn't answer the... I mean..
LEVS: They're telling me I don't have two more minutes to tell you everything, but you can do it at the break.
MARCIANO: I'm told that at 9:00 Jeffrey Toobin has this full prepared piece. We're going to see that's educational and hilarious.
NGUYEN: And hilarious.
LEVS: It is because it's so hard to find and it's important context to understand when you hear the results in Iowa, it's not the same as a normal election. It's people making decision as a group. You'll see. OK. I got to wrap. We'll see you.
NGUYEN: Yes, you got to go.
MARCIANO: Thanks, buddy.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Josh.
MARCIANO: Well enough about politics.
NGUYEN: More about politics?
MARCIANO: Let's talk some football. The "G" men almost did it. The crowd was into it. But in the end, the New England Patriots finished what they started. They beat the New York Giants 38-35 last night to finish the regular season undefeated, 16-0. The Pat's are the first team to have an undefeated regular season since the Miami Dolphins did it back in 1972.
NGUYEN: I thought you were going to talk about the ballot bowl because we're really excited about that, right here on CNN. Forget the real football game.
Hey, let's talk about some severe weather now. Check this out. Volunteers came out in Green Bay to help clear the snow out of Lambeau Field. The Packers host the Detroit Lions there this afternoon. It is the second time this week the volunteer shovel brigade had to be mobilized. That makes me pretty darn cold just watching that.
MARCIANO: You would think they would have better technology for that. But in the end, it takes a little bit manpower.
NGUYEN: Yes. Look at all of those people! And they're doing it because they want to, it's all volunteer.
MARCIANO: For the love of Lambeau.
JERAS: Dozens and dozens of them. I don't know if I'm that big of a fan, you know, if you could get me to do that.
MARCIANO: If you lived in green bay, you know.
JERAS: Well, you know I lived in Milwaukee for a while, so I know those crazy fans, I tell you that. Anyway, they had a good six inches of snow there, by the way, only about 28 degrees for game time today. So, they definitely have to be bundling up there. We got a lot of rain here across the southeastern corridor today. A lot of welcome news.
But for those of you who are trying to travel this holiday, we're looking at i-10, i-20, i-85, i-95 all being greatly impacted by that wet weather. The rainfall is going to be really heavy at times. In fact, you can see this come down half of an inch to an inch on the hour. And look at this beautiful growth swath. Do you love that? That's two inches plus of rainfall that our computer models are estimating. Now, this system is going to pull offshore. It's going to pull up the coast here and move towards Cape Cod. And it's going to be pulling in some cold air back behind it. So, we're looking at some heavy snow. This is going to come into play late tonight and into early tomorrow morning.
I think the worst of it between maybe midnight and 6:00 a.m., so say Boston up towards Portland, you folks are going to be waking up to a white last day of 2007. There you can see the warnings in place. Boston, looking to see maybe 4 to 7 inches of snow before all is said and done. But they might get a little mixing coming in there. So, it's going to be a tough holiday travel day. For tomorrow, if you need to get in here, if you're trying to go and see the ball drop, for example, the earlier you leave today, the better off you're going to be.
MARCIANO: And if you're vacationing up there in Vermont or New Hampshire, doing a little skiing, you may want to hang around a day or two.
JERAS: Yes, not bad. You just cut out. I didn't hear what you said. I'm sorry.
MARCIANO: Well, it was, you know...
JERAS: I'm sure it was very witty.
NGUYEN: Exhilarating, let me tell you.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Jacqui. Speaking of good TV, you may not think that's a good TV but political song and dance, it's happening in Iowa. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIEDENTIFIED FEMALE: (singing) Blow the fields away.
MARCIANO: It's a show you won't want to miss, or maybe not. You might want to stick around for that. CNN Sunday morning for live coverage in Iowa and New Hampshire. That's still to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. Do you want to see some people that take politics way too seriously? I mean, they're actually singing and dancing in Iowa.
MARCIANO: Yes, more seriously than CNN, in fact. We're not talking about the front-runners. This is "Caucus, the musical." CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(singing) Baby, why don't we go -
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Destination, Iowa for "Caucus, the musical." The play follows the four leading candidates determined to win. Senator Tate, the not-so-smart womanizer, described as a cross between Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush; the liberal, Senator Holiday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he could have a combination between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
MALVEAUX: The gay congressman Benjamin Goldman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This country is run by politicians whose average age is nearly 63. Do we really want our future decided by some old men who can't down load mp3?
MALVEAUX: And the conservative, Rev. Jensen who gets the thumbs up from the lord.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My character is a conservative moral majority candidate. I'm reminding myself more and more of Mike Huckabee.
MALVEAUX: The play centers around their fight to win the endorsement of Eldon Weiss and his family who personified the coveted average Iowa voters and the lengths they go through to capture it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember back in '84, I went to open up my door and there stood Walter Mondale in my yard. He had been there since the break of dawn that's when he mowed and raked my lawn and walked and fed my lazy St. Bernard.
MALVEAUX: Playwright Robert Ford.
ROBERT FORD, PLAYWRIGHT: I remember seeing someone kissing a pig at the state fair. Truly, that's one of the things we try to convey in the play is that these politicians, when it comes to Iowa, they will do anything to win a vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As they say, the family that votes together is one happy family!
MALVEAUX: Eldin's family quickly falls apart when they discover they've all chosen different candidates for different reasons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm gay!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, dear Jesus!
MALVEAUX: So the candidates decide to hold a mock caucus with the family to try to sway each member to come over to their side. It quickly turns ugly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are the bastard child of Rebecca Monzon of (inaudible) Arizona who was impregnated by her senior prom date, Benjamin Thomas Locke or Bin Laden for short.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No wonder you don't want to use your real last name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not only have you lied about your last name, you're pretending to be Jewish.
MALVEAUX: Notably, Eldin and his family abandoned all the lead candidates. They chose a fringe candidates with a simple message.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe, anything is possible, provided that we patiently take one step at a time.
MALVEAUX: And now that's settled, the family and their neighbors are eager to see the candidates go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goodbye, goodbye.
MALVEAUX: The actors, all Iowan voters, share their characters' sentiments.
JIM BENDA, BANK OF AMERICA: They're out there. They're at our doorsteps, right outside our windows.
JIM BENDA, BANK OF AMERICA: It's real current and it really hits home to a lot of people in the audience.
MALVEAUX: In the finale, the audience is left with a simple directive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's December 30th, the last Sunday of the year, 8:00 a.m. in CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, 7:00 a.m. in Iowa. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano. Good morning. T.J. Holmes has the day off. Well, four days and counting before the Iowa caucus and some nice guys are getting a bit nasty. Our best political team in television is bringing you live coverage this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It was a surprise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Twin sisters celebrate now and start planning another party later. We will explain that.
But we do want to start with this: The first race winding down. The Iowa caucuses just four days away now and here are some of the latest numbers for you to look at. A poll by American Research Group shows Mitt Romney ahead in Iowa by nine points. A late shift here. This is the first poll we've seen in over a month that had Huckabee behind in Iowa, but these two are not just battling out in the polls, CNN's Mary Snow joining us live from Des Moines, Iowa this morning. In fact, they are battling out verbally. Tell us what's going down, Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT, DES MOINES, IOWA: Good morning, Betty. It is crunch time here in Iowa and the gloves are coming off. Mike Huckabee who had said that he was going to lead a positive campaign yesterday took aim at Mitt Romney. This is really the first time that he's been using Mitt Romney's name on the campaign trail and he's criticized him before, but hasn't really been specifically mentioning his name. That all changed yesterday as he accused Romney of being dishonest in his ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he's being dishonest about my record and John McCain's and Rudy Giuliani's. And I think he's certainly being dishonest about his own record. When he says that he had the endorsement of the NRA, he did not. When he says he didn't raised taxes, in fact, there were $500 million of fees that were raised during his time. When he talks about my record or John McCain's, I mean, he's making up stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Mitt Romney on the campaign trail yesterday didn't directly respond to this latest comment, but he did release an ad on Friday that did question Huckabee's record. Romney's campaign said those ads are based in fact and shot back saying that Huckabee's record while he was governor of Arkansas was troubling. Main thing here is that this race is really heating up, Romney had been the front-runner here in Iowa, that all changed when Mike Huckabee began surging. One of the big issues that these candidates were trying to drive home is on legal immigration. It's a major issue among Republicans here. Both of these candidates are heating things up to try and win voters over on that issue. Mike Huckabee had supporters from Arkansas, his home state come here to Iowa. They followed Mitt Romney on the campaign trail yesterday. They were saying they were trying to make clear any kind of discrepancies that they heard. So, that is just a sign of how heated this race has become. Now, Mike Huckabee is saying, he doesn't think he's going negative. That he just trying to set the record straight and CNN has learned part of that, that his campaign plans to launch an ad tomorrow that will directly target Mitt Romney. This is in these final crucial days. Caucus goers are making up their minds. Betty?
NGUYEN: They are and it's only four days to go. Mary Snow joining us live. Thank you, Mary.
MARCIANO: Well, it seems that boil down to a three-way race in Iowa for the Democrats. Check out these new numbers for the American Research Group. Hillary Clinton now is now ahead with Barack Obama and John Edwards tied in second place. Recent polls have been showing a statistical dead heat among the three. We're going to go to CNN's Jessica Yellin in just a few minutes and try to get her up on the satellite. I wonder where she is right now. All right, Jessica. Good to see you, had you on the phone yesterday. We've got new poll numbers. What is the buzz in Des Moines this morning?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, DES MOINES, IOWA: Well, Rob, you were saying it. Right now it's so tight among the democrats that they are doing a little bit of what Mary said the Republicans are doing as well which is really starting to go at each other with the attacks. But unlike what Mary reported on the Republican side, while they are naming each other by name, the Democrats are being a little bit more coy about it. They don't say who exactly it is that they are going after but you can tell. One of the big issues right now is electability. Democrats in the state are eager to get back the White House and they want to pick a candidate they feel is strongest to take on the Republicans in the general election. Well, Barack Obama is now on the trail making the point that it doesn't seem to him like that would be Hillary Clinton for one reason and it wouldn't be John Edwards for another. Let's listen to what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are less likely to win an election that starts off with half the country not wanting to vote for that candidate. We are less likely also to win an election with somebody who had one set of positions four years ago and has almost entirely different positions four years later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Now, Senator Clinton heard about that and she took it on herself, making the case on the trail again as we heard in the past that she is the most likely to win in November. Let's listen to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm hoping that as you begin to look towards Thursday night that you will ask yourself who will be the best president from day one? Who can go into that Oval Office on January 20th, 2009 knowing all of the problems, challenges, threats and difficulties that await the next president and be ready to lead from day one? And who is tested and proven to be able to win against whatever the Republicans decide to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: We hear a lot about the Republican attack machine and how much she has survived it. So, a lot going back and forth on that account. And then Rob, also a new fight going on brewing now over special interest. Who is the one fighting most fiercely against them? John Edwards has really tried to make that an issue stood up in the final weeks, making the case that he is the guy who would, but folks on the other campaigns point out, well, he was quite his interest when he served in the Senate, this is a late conversion for him. A lot of barbs going back and forth but again, not naming names, really it's going to come down here in Iowa to who comes out on election night? Does it snow? Are people motivated? It's going to be so close that each side needs every last supporter they can get to actual caucus. Rob?
MARCIANO: Jessica, I've got to tell you, it looks cold enough to snow. Your breath we can see very clearly on the TV screen. You stay warm out there. Jessica Yellin for us, live for us in Des Moines. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Be sure to watch our extravaganza on New Year's Day, we are calling it the Ballot Bowl. Mark your calendars folks. It is where the presidential candidates get their shot to discuss the issues important to you in their own words. Our coverage begins at 9:00 a.m. eastern.
Also: A crucial meeting takes place right now in Pakistan which is a nuclear-armed nation in crisis.
MARCIANO: Yes, members of Benazir Bhutto's political party are meeting to choose her successor. CNN's Zain Verjee is following developments in Pakistan, we talked with her last hour about the significance of what's happening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, KARACHI, PAKISTAN: Today is a critical day for Pakistan and for Benazir Bhutto's party, the Pakistan People's Party. They are going to decide who will replace her. She left a major political vacuum for the party. Her shoes are going to be really hard to fill. It's basically coming down to two names. Will it be her husband, Asif Ali Zardari or will it be her 19-year-old son, Bilawal?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: A Pakistani officials say at least 44 people have been killed during the violence following Bhutto's assassination. Questions also persist about how she died. The government said she hit her head on the sun roof lever on her SUV, but many supporters believed she was shot.
NGUYEN: Well, we do want to show you some new photographs showing what could be the actual gunman at the scene of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. These still photographs aired on Pakistani television, take a look, you can see it very closely, there's a man wearing sunglasses possibly holding a gun. It is important for us to note that CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of these photographs, but they are airing on Pakistani television. And we do anticipate many photos to surface in the coming days.
Back here at home. The two brothers who survived a Christmas day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo are out of the hospital.
MARCIANO: Meanwhile, about 100 people gathered in San Jose for a vigil for their friend, 17-year-old, Carlos Sousa who was killed in the attack.
In Arizona, Phoenix police are searching for a suspect accused of shooting and wounding six of his neighbors. Police say, they responded to a call about a disturbance last night and exchanged fire with the suspect. None of those officers was hurt, but the suspect did get away.
NGUYEN: We also now have a photo of the Washington man who admitted killing six members of his girlfriend's family on Christmas Eve; there it is, including two young children. Joe McEnroe and his girlfriend Michelle Anderson are both charged with counts of first- degree murder. Police say, Anderson has also confessed of the shootings. The victims include her parents, her brother and his wife and her niece and nephew.
MARCIANO: We are getting through the holiday week here and a lot of folks have to work tomorrow. It's a Monday, you know, they might be traveling home to get to their jobs tomorrow.
NGUYEN: Or traveling to parties somewhere.
MARCIANO: Indeed. (INAUDIBLE) Jacqui Jeras is checking all the weather from the CNN weather center. What you got Jacqui?
JACQUI JERAS, METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys. We have travel trouble you know. It's going to be tough going across the southeast today, the northeast tonight and tomorrow and the west pretty much all the time. At least the pacific northwest. Anyway, I got a picture I want to show you right now at Raleigh, Durham, guys and this kind of tells it all. Can you see anything other than the raindrops and the fog on the camera? Not a whole heck of a lot. The visibility is very poor all across the southeast, really from South Florida all the way on up into the Carolinas. So, slow going, wet streets today up to an inch of rain can be expected in Raleigh. And look at the conveyor belt hereof all that moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. It's just streaming on in here for today and that's why we're going to see such heavy rainfall totals. Certainly, welcome news. I know you don't want it if you are traveling on a holiday, but we really not allow you to complain about it because it just so needed. Here's our area of low pressure, it's going to be moving on up to the north and east for today, it's going to pull off the coast and it's going to pull up towards the north eastern quarter. So, the rain and snow comes into play by this evening and will continue overnight into tomorrow morning. I think the worst of it probably while you're sleeping. So, you're going to be waking up to some heavy snow. Look at where we have the warnings in place across Massachusetts down towards Hartford, five to nine inches expected there; Boston, four to seven, we'll be see lesser amounts further west as you because you're not going to be seeing quite as much moisture coming in off the Atlantic. So, quite a big storm here, guys and we got quite a cool down to talk about. A lot of cold air coming in from Canada. We're going to see 23 today in Minneapolis. The real cold air will be arriving late Monday into Tuesday and Wednesday. This is really going to be affecting the entire eastern half of the country. So, say goodbye to these 50s and 60s and 40s that you've been having across the much of the east. It's more like maybe 30s for many of you.
MARCIANO: Not ready to say goodbye? You want to say goodbye?
NGUYEN: To 2007? I am ready for 2008. I am.
MARCIANO: Jacqui Jeras, thank you. We'll talk a bit later.
NGUYEN: Rob can't let it go.
MARCIANO: Well you are, the CNN viewers have made CNN a successful year. Especially with your I-reports and now, we need your help with the CNN I-Party.
NGUYEN: I-Party. What's an I party?
MARCIANO: They can only imagine.
NGUYEN: Exactly. We're going to explain it and actually how you can participate right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My New Year's resolution is to work towards more peace and tolerance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to finish school and move out to L,A. and become a movie star.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Same here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finish my university degree without failing anything. I know that's a terrible to be making, but I have to. I can't do something about it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Getting out of debt. Big debt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mine is to procrastinate less. I'm a college student and I procrastinate all the time and it sucks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I know how that is.
MARCIANO: You got any resolutions?
NGUYEN: Yes, I do. The problem is I can't keep them. I mean, I've been trying to work it out.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: You know, you're doing well.
NGUYEN: Get tight, yes.
MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: You want to sit next to me.
MARCIANO: All right. So, New Year's Eve is kind of overrated. So, a lot of people like just kind of hang out at home on the couch and watch TV. You know?
NGUYEN: No. What are you talking about? Get out of here.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: And Erica Hill of HEADLINE NEWS has the inside scoop.
ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS: I think it's much better than being in Time Square on New Year's Eve, that's exactly where I'm going to be down with the whole crowd. Of course, Anderson Cooper is going to be there, don't worry. He'll make it back from Pakistan in time. But what's really different about our party is that you can be part of it too. It's so important to us that you party with us live on New Year's Eve here on CNN. So, we want you to go to CNN.com/Iparty, send us pictures like this and of your little ones doing a little happy New Year's partying, send us your resolutions if you want, your revelations, your happy New Year's wishes for people. And you just don't have to do it with a picture, Betty. We'll also have something here that you can either go to the Web site again at CNN.com/i party and you have comments there, just fill up media message that you want to send to somebody or send a text message to I party at CNN.com. Those messages are going to be scrolled along the bottom of our screen. So, not only can your pictures make it on TV, Betty, but you could also get your message out there. So, maybe I want to send that said happy 2008 to my friend Betty Nguyen.
NGUYEN: That's awesome that people can not only send in their pictures but get their message out there for the New Year. It's very interactive, I'm getting that. But I know you have entertainment that's going to be a part of this big show on New Year's Eve. Who is in store?
HILL: Indeed, Betty. We have very special guest that's going to be spending the evening with Anderson. Kathy Griffin and you know.
NGUYEN: No telling what Kathy is going to say.
HILL: That's true. So Kathy Griffin is going to be with us all night.
NGUYEN: On a six-second delay, right? No, I'm kidding.
HILL: She's going to be with us all night, roughly checking with some musical acts from around the country. We're going to dip in to Las Vegas for Earth, Wind, and Fire playing a little show there. Here in Atlanta, we're going to be checking with Miranda Lambert and Widespread Panic. Just a couple of musical guest who will be checking out so we can see how some other folks are spending their New Year's Eve. Since, they're going to be on stage, they won't be available to send us their own I-party pictures at that point.
NGUYEN: Yes, I'll be on set. So, I'll send you a picture right here at CNN.
HILL: We will send them back and forth. There you go.
NGUYEN: Send me a message. I'll need it.
HILL: Most importantly, we'll be checking to so many people in Time Square like we do every year, it's so much fun to find out where people are from. Some people come for years on end. They have to be there every single year and for others it's their first time to be there in Times Square to watch the ball drop and it's an incredible moment. So, I'm really excited to bring it to you again this year live right here on CNN Betty.
NGUYEN: And joining Erica, Anderson Cooper, you'll see live at Time Square tomorrow night starting 11:00 eastern right here on CNN. Don't forget; send in your I-reports. I will be working New Year's Eve. I am right here, Rob. So, when you are out partying all about, take pictures, send them in, take a shout out to the folks.
MARCIANO: I will be at home. I'll going to be watching CNN, I'll going to send in my I-reports and partying. NGUYEN: Come on, you are not partying at home by yourself. We all know that.
MARCIANO: Listen, I may be going to bed early. But if you went to bed early last night, you missed a big game. I missed the fourth quarter with the Patriots and Giants game. But we're going to show you how it ended. So, stay right there.
NGUYEN: And the Giants, they put up a big fight. You want to keep it here for those results and we might as well say good morning to Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN REPORTER: Hey, yes. Good morning to you, guys. OK. We're going to take a look at the biggest stories of the year. But this time, you get to tell us and time is running out. You can help leave a record for history. What were the biggest stories in 2007? Coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back. It's 22 minutes after the hour. Time for some Quick hits to your headlines this morning.
NGUYEN: Yes, President Bush signs off on a federally funded state one help insurance program for poor children. The extension through March of 2009 maintains the current funding levels of the S- chip plan. President Bush had earlier vetoed two attempts to expand it.
MARCIANO: An explosion rips apart a house in North Texas. Fire officials say, a propane gas leak is suspected. Seven people were inside the house. Four teens and a 20-year-old have been hospitalized with burns.
NGUYEN: Perfection for the New England Patriots. Watch it now Rob. I know you missed it last night, you fell asleep. They beat the New York Giants last night to finish the regular season undefeated. That's right, 16-0. The Pats are the first team to have an undefeated regular season since the Miami Dolphins back in 1972.
MARCIANO: You know, kudos to my G-men. They played all the starters, they gave it their best shoot and they didn't have to do that, the game meant nothing to them. And they covered the spread. If you bet on New York, you did well. All right. It's a pop quiz. What was the best news story of the past year?
NGUYEN: Yes, the best one. If you have a strong opinion about that, you go to CNN.com to cast your vote because Josh Levs of the dot-com desk is here to show us how all of that work. And when we talk the best, and that's not the one that made the most impact, it's just the one you thought was the best story of the year?
LEVS: Yes, it's up to the viewers, but what happened is we take the top 10 stories, got a lot of people turning, actually top 20 that a lot of people came to dot-com for. (INAUDIBLE). Take a look at this here. We've got a year in review page in 2007. When you get to that page, it's something that you can click on that allows you to rank what the top stories have been over the past year. Well, we have this drag and drop system in 2007. See the pictures there? Each one represents a major story of the year. Please tell me Anna Nicole Smith is not going to be number one. Michael Vicks up there. You've got the choices of Iran, Iraq, some real news people. The mortgage crisis is on there and the huge story about Pakistan is on there. (INAUDIBLE) I was kind of disappointed.
NGUYEN: Really? What's wrong with you, Josh?
LEVS: Everyone asks me that. Anyway. So, you have the drag and drop system, right? So, then, you can put it in whatever order you want and then, we can peek in where things in which helped because that will encourage people to get in and if you want to change stuff, so far, we get 115,000 votes. (INAUDIBLE) Top one right now is Virginia Tech. That's what you guys expected?
NGUYEN: That's what I expected. Yes.
LEVS: I'll tell you the next, the Minnesota bridge collapse and then the major fires in California and the mortgage crisis. So, you know, a lot of the international ones there, they are way further down, but right now, those are the one that are leading.
NGUYEN: So, that shows people are really noting the ones that had the most impact on there.
LEVS: Yes, I mean, it was a powerful story and I'm seeing some list in general about the people's most memorable stories of the year. A lot of people say the same thing, Virginia Tech really is the one that's going to stick in their minds for years.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. That's me, if not the biggest story of the year.
MARCIANO: And a lot of changes happening in universities across the country because of that story.
NGUYEN: Very true.
LEVS: When it comes as a shock and it's not something you see coming, it's not something you see every year, it's going to be a memorable thing for the year. But you still have time from midnight, December 31st. So, you got two days, almost.
NGUYEN: All right. Start clicking. Thank you, Josh.
Well, we do know it's almost the New Year, but we have one more great Christmas gift to tell you about.
MARCIANO: It's a good one. This woman gives her twin a gift that will keep on giving. Stay with us for the whole story.
NGUYEN: But first: Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a preview of today's HOUSE CALL. DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, guys. This morning in HOUSE CALL, the best of 2007. I had the privilege to have a one on one with first lady, Laura Bush. We talked about her passion to change the world one heart at a time. Then: Doctors and war. The emotional stories they brought home and what they shared with us from the battlefield.
And finally: Amanda Bags. She is an autistic woman who communicates through video. You've got to watch. It's all coming up on HOUSE CALL at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Just in to CNN. GOTV is reporting that the Pakistan People's Party has decided to participate in 2008 elections which are days away. Also, that 19-year-old, Bilawal Zardari will be Benazir Bhutto's successor. He is her 19-year-old son. Again, the Pakistan People's Party will participate in the 2008 election just days away and 19-year-old Bilawal Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's son will be her successor this those elections.
MARCIANO: Huge news there as they thought, speculations might go to her nephew or niece who share their name.
NGUYEN: The Bhutto last name, yes.
MARCIANO: Maybe they may boycott the votes.
NGUYEN: So, a lot of decisions have been made today and of course, we'll continue to follow that.
Taking you now to North Carolina. This is a great story. A woman gives birth to her twin sister's baby.
MARCIANO: Yes, a special surprise though that no one was counting on. Scott Mason of affiliate, WRAL has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MASON, WRAL (voice over): Casey and Melissa are identical twins. And when Melissa and Michael couldn't have a baby, Casey said, but I can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Said, absolutely. Out of the two embryos that they put inside my sister, Casey, one took and that was little Madeline.
MASON (on camera): I thought it was Matt - Matty. So, we're good.
(voice over): Madeline was born Christmas day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We couldn't ask for a better day or a better gift.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's awesome. I feel very blessed to have been able to do this for them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But seeing her deliver this baby just made me even more happier to have her as a sister.
MASON: In a story about identical sisters, things naturally come in twos. In six months, one baby will become two babies. Because Melissa, who doctors said couldn't have a baby, is going to have a baby, and baby, what a surprise.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. It was a surprise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're due in June, so they'll be six months apart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In six months, we'll have another one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Six months apart, twins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's all they wanted. You know, kids. Now they are going to be just bombarded with them.
MASON: What a bundle of joy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The best gift.
MASON: Scott Mason, WREL News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And coming up in the next hour here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, we are going to take you live to Pakistan for the latest on the naming of Benazir Bhutto's successor. It is her 19-year-old son.
MARCIANO: Big news there. But first, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
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