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CNN Saturday Morning News

Getting Ready for the New Hampshire Primary; Severe Weather in California; Search for Missing Georgia Hiker Continues

Aired January 05, 2008 - 09:00   ET

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

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: ...Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Stay tuned now for more news on CNN.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning everybody from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm T.J. Holmes.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, T.J. Glad to see you back. Happy New Year.

HOLMES: Glad to be back. Happy New Year to you.

NGUYEN: Yes, and happy New Year to you out there. Thanks for starting your day with us. I'm Betty Nguyen.

The battle ground has shifted east. That's right. All eyes are now on New Hampshire.

HOLMES: The presidential candidates are there and so is the best political team on television. I think they work for us. They were here actually. Live coverage of it this morning. But we're going to start with another big story. Big storm. Severe weather making life just miserable in otherwise pleasant California.

NGUYEN: Yes, there are reports of early morning flooding and mudslides in southern California. People there had been preparing with sandbags and hay bales and about 3,000 so far had been ordered to evacuate.

HOLMES: Yes, heavy rains, strong winds, made travel treacherous in the San Francisco area. Tree limbs are now all over the place and in some cases, they're falling on vehicles. At homes as well, more than half a million people still without power this morning in northern California.

NGUYEN: And up in the Sierras, there's a whole lot of snow. Look at this. Forecasters say as much as ten feet of snow could fall up there. Already, the main interstate through the area has been closed.

HOLMES: All right. And this just something into us here at CNN. Our affiliate KOVR in Sacramento is reporting that I-80 east and westbound into Nevada closed. Law enforcement is turning people around. There are some rescue efforts from travelers. We expect possibly, as we always do in situations like this, some of the best eyes on the ground are i-reporters. We actually requesting and soliciting any i-Reports you may have. Please send those to us at cnn.com/ireport. Head those over to us. We love to get those on but again, that information just coming to us that part of I-80 is shut down east and westbound. We're getting more information on those details and get those to you as we get them.

Meanwhile, one of the communities threatened by mudslides this morning is Malibu, California. Just weeks ago, you remember, families there were dealing with raging wildfires. Their homes, some of those homes survived that. Now, the mudslides could destroy their homes.

Kara Finnstrom in Malibu for us this morning. My goodness. If it ain't one thing, it's another.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly is, T.J., you can see some of the sandbags just behind me here, leading up to one of those Malibu canyons that was devastated by the wildfires that burned across southern California, much of it, during the past few months.

Now some of these families whose homes escaped the flames are facing the threat of potential mudslides and flooding. We've been seeing some rain here, steady rain, since about noon yesterday throughout southern California. And that has already started to trigger some minor mudslides and some street flooding.

But the real concern is what could happen as this rain accumulates because the storm is expected to continue dumping rain today as well as possibly into tomorrow.

Now, scientists with the U.S. geological survey say the real threat in some of these burn areas comes from the fact that these fires were so hot and intense they not only incinerated the trees and the shrubs above ground, they also destroyed a lot of the root system underneath. And that's what holds these hillsides in place.

So they say you get a rain event like this one and you could possibly see a major mudslide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CANNON, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: Sandbags and measures to that point can work for very small events, but given the forecast for rainfall for this weekend and what our modeling is showing us is that a sandbag wall would not be very effective.

LUCY JONES, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: Vans get picked up. Cars get picked up and carried with this. And they can travel up to 35 miles an hour. So, they are one of the most deadly phenomenon that we have seen in southern California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FINNSTROM: And they're really unable to predict whether these mudslides could be minor like the ones we've seen this morning or could be major and deadly like the type they are describing. They are very cautiously say about not over ordering evacuations. Because what they don't want to do is to start crying wolf, it's going to take between two and five years for these root systems to grow back. So, they're really trying to watch the weather and order the evacuations only when absolutely necessary.

But that said, further south down in Orange County, they have ordered 3,000 people to evacuate because they just deem the risk there too great for those people to stay in those communities. So far in those communities, again they've seen this type of minor mudslides and flooding that we've seeing here. But today will be a day of watching and waiting -- T.J.

HOLMES: Yes, you don't want to cry wolf on those evacs. But better safe than sorry still for a lot of folks there going through another mess out there from mother nature. Kara Finnstrom for us out there in Malibu. Thank you so much.

NGUYEN: Well, speaking of the mess outside. In northern California, snow blankets the ground. The Red Cross even opened up a shelter in Truckee, California, to help travelers stranded. And look at this. CNN's Reynolds Wolf is live in Truckee where the snow continues to fall by the feet -- Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It really does. We got some good news here. We have some bad news. The good news is that the blizzard warning is no longer in effect for the Sierra Nevada. So, it's great news especially here in Truckee. Bad news is that the winter storm warning will remain in effect. Although the bulk of the snow, the heavy snowfall has moved farther off towards the east and it looks like we're going to have the easier side of it now.

We're still going to see some snowfall. It's not completely done yet. Some sporadic snow showers could bring anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of snowfall in Truckee which isn't really a big deal for this area. You do get the snowfall here in Truckee but still in higher elevations you see a lot of snow. Maybe another foot, maybe another 18 inches of snowfall. That's going to keep these guys, you see right behind me, working. We got a big earth movie there.

We even have some video for you that you can see. That shows people moving it not only by those big earth moving machines but also with snow plows and with snow blowers and with the good old-fashioned shovel. Sometimes that may be one of the best things. That's what you are seeing here on the streets. Many people around the area are going to be shoveling out this morning and they're going to get a little more action into the afternoon.

But again, thankfully, as I mentioned, looks like the worst is behind us. Southern California really treacherous with all the rainfall.

Let's send it back to you in the studio.

NGUYEN: So, I'm reading at the bottom of the screen, Reynolds, it says up to 10 feet of snow expected in the Sierras. Is that still the case? WOLF: In the highest peaks, absolutely. Thankfully in the highest peaks, no one lives there. Not way up on the mountains. Also, on these high peaks, yesterday, Betty, they had wind gusts topping 163 miles per hour. That's the equivalent of winds from a category, actually that's stronger than a category 5 storm. They do not get hurricanes in California, or at least from San Francisco northward. The reason why is because of the cold current.

But I'll tell you, this is about the closest they'll ever get to a hurricane. Hurricanes are obviously warm water storms that you deal with. They have to have that warm water to really, really power up. You don't have those issues in California but it's the closest you'll ever get to it. Certainly, a lot of snow and a lot of misery for a lot of people.

But I must tell you, it's also quite beautiful. The snow is just fantastic. If you happen to be a snowboarder or skier, this is certainly the place for you. I'd wait a couple of days until you come up here because the travel conditions are going to be awful. I-80, as you mentioned, is completely closed, but it will be certainly a sight to see by Monday and Tuesday.

NGUYEN: Yes, it does make for some good powder out there. Thank you, Reynolds. Stay warm.

WOLF: You bet.

HOLMES: And as always, our i-Reporters helping us cover the California storms.

NGUYEN: I-reporter Audrey Goodwater sent us these pictures from Davis, California. You can see a huge tree that's fallen on top of some cars. Here you see it from another angle. Goodwater said it had been raining nonstop when she took these pictures. Look at that.

HOLMES: I don't know if any of those are her car.

NGUYEN: Hopefully not.

HOLMES: Hopefully not. Well, she said there were reports of winds gusting up to 70 miles an hour. Again, these are from i- Reporter Audrey Goodwater in Davis. And we certainly do appreciate you.

NGUYEN: And regardless, whoever had those cars, hopefully they have good insurance dealing with that.

HOLMES: Do you want to get a check of the weather to find out not only on the California storm but what's happening across the nation. And for that, we go to Brad Huffines.

Good morning.

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

It's not often that you see a winter storm that comes out of the Sierras that you see the weather service have big banners on weather maps that say travel is discouraged. It could be life threatening. That has been the case through the Sierra Nevada.

Now that storm continues to spill from the west coast into the inter mountain west. And that's what we're seeing now is some wind advisories, high wind warnings scattered across parts of Utah and Montana and down towards sections of Colorado, where we're seeing high-profile vehicles now that could be next affected. Those driving on the roadways.

Here are some local storm reports -- Point Mugu to the north, northwest of there, 80-mile-per-hour gusts of the storm. Just southeast of Pearlbloosoms, California, up to 70-mile-per-hour wind gusts even Catalina Airport around 56 miles an hour. So, as Reynolds have said, we have had hurricane force wind gusts. Tropical storm force winds common across the region.

Here's where the winter storm threat continues. Of course, across the Sierra Nevada, we're still expecting to see snowfall totals anywhere from 3 to 5 inches in the mid elevations, above that, we're looking at some of the snow tail observations which are snowfall telemetry estimates. And that's showing that we are already seeing snowfall estimates anywhere from 6 to 8 feet of new snow up across the Sierra Nevada. And then as that storm again moves into portions of Utah and Colorado, heavy storm warnings, winter weather warnings, advisories being issued.

Of course, the other story, the rains now in southern California. Flash flood warnings have come and gone across parts of southern California, watching this situation and this is going to be one to follow. Mudslides there could be a real problem this weekend. As we mentioned earlier, mud slides there could be a real problem this weekend. Guys...

NGUYEN: It's just getting started. Thank you, Brad.

HOLMES: We got a disturbing new information now on the death two of American soldiers killed in Iraq. It happened the day after Christmas. U.S. military said they were killed by an Iraqi army soldier during a joint operation near Mosul. The military says they don't know why the Iraqi soldier opened fire on U.S. troops. The Iraqi soldier is now in custody with two other Iraqi troops. Three U.S. soldiers were also wounded in that attack.

NGUYEN; Let's get to politics now. Senator Hillary Clinton trying to recover from a third place finish in Iowa, but is there enough time before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary? CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live in Penacook, New Hampshire where Senator Clinton is holding an event this morning.

Suzanne, will we see a change in Clinton's strategy coming off of Iowa?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What you are going to see, Betty, is really the hope here is to kind of break from the momentum that Senator Barack Obama has and try to attract some of the folks, those independents he's reached out to as well as those young voters.

You'll see more of a concerted effort but make no mistake the Clinton campaign feels that this is just the beginning of the fight here. They've got a lot of money. They got a lot of resources, a lot of good will from former President Clinton back in their days here in New Hampshire. So they feel they're going to be able to really improve on those numbers coming out of Iowa.

Now what you are hearing from Senator Clinton, she is talking about change, just as Barack Obama is. But she's saying that it takes experience to bring about that change that she's been vetted. She's been tested. The message here behind that is that she believes that Obama has not and, therefore, is not electable. So that is really what she is trying to push for.

You may recall back in '92, former president -- well, Bill Clinton, he lost in Iowa, but he came back as the comeback kid in New Hampshire. A strong second here. And that really kind of catapulted him forward. That is certainly what they are hoping as well. Kind of discounting what happened in Iowa.

And now, as far as Barack Obama is concerned, he has a lot of momentum, a lot of strength. Particularly among the young people. He is trying to build on that, capitalize off of that. His message has been very consistent, and that is about bringing change and moving forward. So we've heard that message. He continues to talk about that.

And the third candidate, Senator John Edwards, he is almost discounting Hillary Clinton, almost ignoring her saying, I'm the guy for change. Obama is the guy for change. Iowans have spoken out about it so look at the two of us. He is beginning to sharpen his attack against Obama. So very interesting to see how they are squeaking their messages and who they are going after. Not a lot of differences along these top three candidates. Their health care plans are very similar.

Some differences there. They all want to get out of Iraq as quickly as possible. But there are some differences as well in terms of the pace of that. But for the most part, their platforms are very similar. So they are all emphasizing change but also who they think is most electable -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Suzanne Malveaux joining us live. Thank you, Suzanne.

HOLMES: Everybody, of course, is working it in New Hampshire these days. The guy on the right is waiting for that guy to hand him the microphone. That's Mitt Romney over there. We've been keeping our eye on this event happening in Derry, New Hampshire.

Right now, waiting to hear what Mitt Romney has to say. He, of course, finished a, well not a distant second, but, you know I guess he took a pretty good whooping there in Iowa given what he invested in that state over so many months and so many millions of dollars. He came in second to Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. And he's from a neighboring state here, Mitt Romney. So, he has a lot riding on the line here in New Hampshire. So certainly, he, like many others, hoping to maybe get back on the right track, a strong showing in New Hampshire to continue the race. We're keeping an eye on all the candidates who are running around New Hampshire. We'll bring you more from this appearance and others throughout the morning. Stick around for that.

Also stick around for CNN's Ballot Bowl. It's back. We're doing it again this afternoon. It's all about the candidates in their own words. Ballot ball kickoff 2:00 Eastern.

NGUYEN: Well, some people think that the price of heating oil is just highway robbery and it looks like others will actually commit robbery to get their heating oil. We'll tell you about that next.

And here's Gerri Willis with a preview of today's "OPEN HOUSE."

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Coming up at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, the mortgage meltdown road to recovery. What it's going to take for housing to recover and how you can make the most of it. Plus, how to finally, finally get rid of all that debt this year. And some secrets on how to dress for success for less.

That's "OPEN HOUSE," the show that saves you money at 9:30 a.m. Eastern here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time to get you more news in less time. Here are a few of our quick hits today.

HOLMES: We'll start in Ohio, where a helicopters get a helping hand, a crane, to lift it. From the helicopter roof to the ground. Those things can fly, right?

NGUYEN: Supposedly.

HOLMES: Well, the chopper had been damaged during takeoff on New Year's day. That's why it needed a helping hand.

A possible sign of the times in Long Island, New York. Police say they're investigating the theft of three oil trucks. All three have been recovered. But a lot of the cargo is missing. More than 1,000 gallons of home heating oil was drained from the truck.

HOLMES. Well, you know -- well, here's another. Britney Spears. Behavior has cost her. Cost her big. It cost her her children. Yesterday, a court awarded her ex-husband Kevin Federline sole custody of their two children and suspended Spears' visitation rights. Remember all this going on when K-Fed was supposedly the troubled one.

Now he's supposedly the better parent, at least in the judge's eyes right now. The ruling came a day after paramedics took spears from her home following a custody dispute. This is a video of the aftermath you are seeing. She is now reportedly undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. NGUYEN: Well, the search for a hiker missing in the mountains of north Georgia resumed about an hour ago. 24-year-old Meredith Emerson, seen right here, disappeared after she went hiking on New Year's day. Family and friends have joined rescue teams combing a 400-square-mile area looking for Emerson.

This morning, police are questioning a man they are calling a person of interest in the case. 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton was taken into custody at a gas station in suburban Atlanta last night. Several witnesses report seeing Hilton with Emerson as they hiked a trail. Emerson's dog was found yesterday when it actually walked into a grocery store some 50 miles from where Emerson disappeared. The dog had been with Emerson on her hike.

HOLMES: A previously unheard of Islamic group is claiming responsibility for the killing of a U.S. diplomat. Jon Michael Granville was killed in Sudan. The group posted statements on several Islamic web sites, making the claim Granville was gunned down as he headed home from a New Year's party early on Tuesday. His body was flown back to the U.S. yesterday.

Granville's mom said she was always worried about her son. She recalled some of the conversations they had.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE GRANVILLE, MOTHER OF SLAIN DIPLOMAT: I did discuss his safety all the time, and he said, mom, I want you to listen to me. I am doing what I love every day of my life. How many people could ever say that? I get up. I go to work, and I try to make a little difference. And I love what I'm doing. So that was John's answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Granville's driver was also killed in that shooting.

NGUYEN: The holidays, they are over. Next up, all those nasty credit card bills. I know you've got them because we all do.

HOLMES: Yes, we all do. Don't worry, though. We'll tell you how you can pay them off quickly. Keep it right here. You want to hear that.

NGUYEN: I need a loan, T.J.

HOLMES: That's not the way they are talking about, Betty.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. No surprise. The holidays are over. And those bills, they have already started mounting. Well, yesterday, I spoke with CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis about how to become debt-free, if it's possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: What do people need to do to try to get out of debt now the new year is here?

WILLIS: Well, hey there, Betty.

You know, you don't want to wait until your credit card bill reaches you in the mail. Go online right now and see how much you owe. Go to the credit card company's Web site, and there you can check your balance to go ahead and pay your bill if you want to so you'll never be late again.

Next, figure out how long it will take you to pay this bill of. How much can you afford to pay each month. See if there's anything in your monthly budget that you can forgo to help you pay off that balance more quickly.

And the obvious here, you got to stop spending. Think carefully before you put anything on that credit card. Definitely no consumables. That means anything you eat like groceries, dinners out, they don't go on the credit card -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Really? So if you go to dinner, what, pay cash? Just make sure it ...

WILLIS: Pay cash. Look, if you have a very big credit card bill, now is not the time to be, you know, paying for really expensive dinners out with your credit card. If you absolutely have to go out, pay in cash.

NGUYEN: That will keep you from eating too much. Running up a bill there. OK, so if you want to pay off your bill but you don't have the money to pay large amounts, what can you do?

WILLIS: Get a lower credit card interest rate. Look, these companies are under pressure because of the credit crunch. They want to keep you as a client. Call your company to get a better rate on your card. You want to get below 14.5 percent because that's the average right now. And look, if you have a good credit score, 700 or above, you should be able to get an interest rate of 10 percent on a credit card or even less, according to Curtis Arnold of cardratings.com.

Now, you may not even realize how much money you are spending on interest alone. Let's say you have the average debt. That's $9,900. That's the average debt Americans have on their credit card. If you are paying 15 percent interest and making a minimum payment 3 percent. You'll end up making nearly $7,000 in interest payments alone. That will take you 20 years to get rid of that debt. And that's money you could be saving if you could pay off the card sooner.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. So that's good information. Ask for a lower rate. And if your credit score is above 700 you should be able to get at least 10 percent. I know you have a lot coming up on your show today. Tell us what's in store?

WILLIS: We'll be talking about the road to recovery from the mortgage meltdown. Plus more on getting out of debt and how you can save money this year. That's coming up on "Open House," 9:30 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: And you know we will be watching. Gerri Willis, as always, thank you.

WILLIS: Thanks, Betty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And coming up next hour, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both campaigning and campaigning hard in New Hampshire.

NGUYEN: We're going to bring you the latest from their stops as the best political team in television reports live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: To Derry, New Hampshire now. Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, there making his case to why he should come in number one in New Hampshire in the republican primary just coming up on Tuesday, instead of a second place finish as he just finished in the Iowa caucus. He just made a mention of that Iowa caucus and speaking to these folks in New Hampshire and talked about his second place finish. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was pleased to come in second. I could have come in third, fourth or fifth. I was happy to come in second because the people I beat included some household names. The ones I was worried about. John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson. I beat them all by better than two to one.

So I was pretty happy with what we were able to do there in Iowa and plan to do the same here. And there were a couple of people whose prospects coming out of that election, I think, took a big hit. And it was a message I read into those votes.

And that is Hillary Clinton, who has been around Washington forever and John McCain, whose been there even longer. Those two were handily rejected by people who have messages of change with new faces and new ideas. Governor Huckabee and myself, people from the outside. Barack Obama talking about change because the American people recognize we're not going to change Washington by sending back the same old faces and just have them change chairs. We have to have new people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Listening in to Governor Mitt Romney there, talk about, what is it, oh, yeah, spin.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HOLMES: Why second place is a good thing.

NGUYEN: Well, what's wrong with that. Because Iowa was huge for Barack Obama.

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