we'll tell you where the winter storm is headed next. we're tracking your stimulus money, 50 million going to relocate tracks for the napa valley wine train. two senators are furious about it but locals say, wait a minute, you got your facts wrong. we'll talk about who's right and who's wrong. >> let's get you caught up. toyota's public relations nightmare threatening to spin out of control with millions of customers driving recalled cars that cannot be repaired. they have been summoned to a hearing on capitol hill next month. congress wants to find out more about the handling or mishandle of a serious safety issue. the competition is wasting no time capitalizing on the company's miss fortune, with sweep offers to toyota owners who make the switch. the company that makes the defective pedals say this is toyota's fault. toyota is in a bit of a tail spin and its image is eroding fast. toyota's new branding message moving forward. for right now they seem to be at the grinding halt. >> when you call to get answers you're really getting the bounce around. toyota says they are being open and honest. in effect what they are trying to do is answer questions without necessarily getting the information because they don't have it to give. >> reporter: as soon as he got word of the recall, maryland dealer went into high gear. figuring out which cars might have the faulty gas pedal. >> the cts pedals will have one inch by one inch silver tab on the top left hand side of the accelerator arm. all the way down right here is a silver plaque. it says cts. >> reporter: cts disputes a problem saying they were built to toyota's design specifications. he says the message from above was clear, protect toyota's reputation. toyota mentioned our first concern is safeguarding the brand, making sure they take care of the customers. >> reporter: now with millions of cars affected, dealers in new york and new jersey appear to have closed rank. we called more than a dozen toyota dealerships. all of them told us they were not authorized to speak about toyota's problems. and instead referred us to a central information number out of california. when we called a toyota spokesman described this as a customer satisfaction problem telling cnn, toyota's strategy has been to be transparent and truthful about an accelerator problem they don't know how to fix caused by an environmental problem. marketing specialist richard laermer. >> if you don't act fast in clearing up the mess, it gets bigger and bigger the they knew something was going on and didn't handle it as rapidly as they could have. >> the company is close to having a new pedal design. in the meantime american car dealers pounced on toyota's misfortunes gm is offering $1,000 if you trade in your toyota. >> it's a jungle out there. what do people do if they've got one of these cars? >> that's the issue. toyota is clear to say it's not all cars because it's happening to some cars and nobody knows how many cars. if it happens to you, you simply have to know how to break. you should probably practice it, floor the pedal as fast as you can and jump on with two feet and slide the car into neutral and turn it off. that's the way to stop the car. >> that's expecting a lot in accident waiting to happen if you're accelerating on a highway or something. >> you've got to get the car to the side of the road and be looking to see who's behind you or in back of you. we did it with an expert, he gunned that car. i was is driving slowly, when he did it the feeling was so much different, it caught us by surprise and we went flying forward. >> did they have a brake override? >> you have to put so much pressure on the brakes and don't pump the brakes to keep you safe. >> that's a lot to ask of the driver. >> it is. it happens in a split second. you've got to be thinking. >> great report this morning. with many showrooms quiet and so many toyota drivers angry and confused, how big of a hit could this be? we'll talk with two pr specialists at the bottom of the hour. a potential blow to the obama administration, the white house appears to be changing course on holding the trial of the 9/11 terror suspects just blocks from ground zero after losing its biggest supporter of that. new york city mayor michael bloomberg called eric holder saying he hoped the trial would be held elsewhere because of concerns about costs and also security. and new york governor david paterson told "the view", pretty much the same thing. >> it's going to cost an immense amount of money and will try up traffic and destroy the economic development in manhattan. every time there's a loud noise, it will frighten people. i think new yorkers have been through enough. >> peter king also introduced legislation to block funds for a 9/11 trial in lower manhattan. parts of oklahoma and texas are battered and bruised after getting hit by major snow and ice storm. the storm system moving into missouri now and arkansas and into the carolinas. a foot of snow fell across the texas panhandle. in ab lean the problem is rain and the problem is street flooding. in oklahoma heavy ice accumulations brought down tree limbs and power lines. emily wood with cnn affiliate kwtv has more from oklahoma city. >> reporter: it is still drizzling this morning and i've got to tell you, we are freezing cold here. conditions are only expected to grow worse today. we're just off interstate 44. one of main thorough fares here in town. i'll show you what type of road conditions morning commuters are dealing with. it is solid packed ice. city workers are out here working, but with conditions like this, there's not a lot they can do. we're on the side of the road and i am basically ice skating, that's how slippery it is. you can't walk, you sort of move around the best you can and hope you don't fall down. but again, not great conditions this morning and of course, here in oklahoma city we're asking if people don't have to be out that they just stay home. emily wood for cnn, now back to john and kiran. >> what can we expect today in terms of this extreme weather. let's check in with jackie? is it going to stay like this. >> they are going to improve in terms of not getting freezing rain in parts of oklahoma and texas but the temperatures will stay below freezing for the most part. so unfortunately the ice will stick around and blustery conditions today could bring more power lines down. we are seeing this wind down across western and central parts of oklahoma. the i-40 corridor will be a big focus of freezing rain. as it moves into little rock with freezing rain. memphis, it's right around the corner and nashville will be seeing freezing rain and sleet and snow. the heaviest accumulations right along those state lines, southern kentucky into virginia and north carolina and northern parts of tennessee could see 6 to 12 inches of snowfall. the storm won't wind down until sunday. the rest of the country looking at tranquil conditions for the most part. we still have a lot of wind in the northeastern corridor. that's why we're expecting to see significant airport delays there. >> we'll check back with you later on this morning. 8 minutes after the hour. also new this morning, the obama administration is moving quickly on the promise to end the 17-year ban on gays serving openly in the military. cnn learned during senate hearings next week, robert gates and joint chief of staff chairman mike mullen will announce steps the pentagon will have to take before they repeal don't ask-don't tell. scrubbing the next mission to the moon. when president obama releases his budget next week, there will be no money to fund the program aimed at returning astronauts to the moon by 2020. nasa will be getting more money. an additional $6 billion over the next five years. some of that will go toward developing rockets that will take astronauts into orbit after the aging shuttle fleet is finally retired. >> a lot of people will be disappointed. >> about the mission to the moon? >> yeah. still ahead in the most news in the morning. what did he know and when did he know it? tony blair set to answer tough questions about the iraq war and whether he knew saddam hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix. protection that helps save lives. people with stomach ulcers or other conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, may affect how plavix works. tell your doctor all the medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. let's go with the ah... basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose your service, choose your savings. like an oil change for just $19.95. meineke. 12 minutes past the hour. another flare up on the korean peninsula. south korean president said he's ready to meet with king jong il if it helps promote peace. they have been exchanging artillery shots. hillary clinton saying it is necessary to engage with enemies in order to peace to afghanistan. jill dougherty caught up to get more on the talks. >> you don't make peace with your friends, you make peace with your enemies. there are very clear conditions, you must renounce violence and lay down arms and renounce al qaeda and be willing to live by the laws and the constitution of afghanistan. >> secretary clinton is in l london along with representatives from 60 other countries. london is center stage for the iraq war inquiry. taking the lead is former prime minister tony blair. may explain why and when he committed troops to the iraq war. phil, blair's appearance was expected to be met with massive protest, those who oppose british involvement. was happened so far? >> reporter: there have been some vocal protests so far but not particularly large in number. around 100 or so gathered here in the morning to meet tony blair as he arrived for this inquiry. he snuck in the back through a side entrance, didn't have to confront a waiting army, if you combine the protesters and media and the police who are guarding today. this is a highly anticipated climax of the hearing so far. it has a big scope, going back to 2001 to look at the decisions britain made and the thinking back then. looking at just why it decided to go to war with the united states in iraq. we heard tony blair talking about the importance of the role that september 11th played in shifting the international environment when it comes to tolerating potential threats like iraq. let's hear a little bit from tony blair on that now. -- we don't have sound there. he was also spoken this morning and being questioned at length on a key meeting with president george bush april 2002 at the bush crawford ranch in texas. at that meeting it was speculated that was where he committed britain to war there secretly. as he said at the time publicly that was absolutely not the case. they agreed that saddam hussein and iraq was a threat but that they would pursue a diplomatic option through the united nations and only use force if necessary. they were committed to dealing with iraq but now by going to war, kiran. >> phil black in london. thank you. coming up on the most news in the morning, christine romans goes one on one with tim geithner about the bailout of aig, why he says there was just no other choice. ♪ >> 18 minutes after the hour. that means it's time for "minding your business." there will be a second term for ben bernanke, 70-30 margin yesterday. president obama lobbied hard to keep the chairman in office. several democrats and republicans blamed bernanke and the federal reserve for the faltering economy. >> the president thinks a $8 billion high speed rail system will get the economy back on track and create jobs at the same time. he spent yesterday pitching the idea in tampa florida, 13 corridors are being targeted for bullet trains, that includes a line from tampa to orlando. they call it the largest investment in america's infrastructure since the interstate highway system was created. >> all this week cnn is following the money trail as part of the stimulus project. is uncle sam spending your dollars wisely. a brand-new cnn research corporation poll shows most people seem to approve of how washington is spending the money. 62% of those asked approve of spending dollars on mass transit, only 36% disapprove. >> tim geithner trying to set the record state about the stimulus. christine romans had a chance to sit down exclusively with tim geithner yesterday. >> he kept trying to push forward to job, get on the president's message. this was a very solid, solid performance by the treasury secretary trying to show that he is confident and that he is proud of the decisions he made. i asked him many times how can he be an effective steward of the president's policies and the president's agenda with so many still second guessing his moves during the bailouts. >> i will carry for my life the burdens and decisions we made in that context. as i said yesterday and said consistently, and i think the record will show this, we looked at all alternatives, there was no alternative except default and collapse, much greater expense to the pax payer than the one we chose. we think we did what was in the best interest in the public and taxpayer. >> so much anger about aig, so much anger about this. >> i think most people it is the hardest thing to understand. it's the basic symbol of unfairness. and people are outraged by it. they should be. it is just outrageous that this country let a bunch of institutions run without checks and balances and brought the economy to the edge of collapse then left the government with no tools to unwind them safely. it's an outrageous thing. people should be outraged and ask the leaders to make sure we reform the system. >> how do you move forward, move forward as you know as a gi steward of the policies while this hammering about aig swirls around? >> what was necessary, what were the alternatives? but our job now so to make sure we're creating jobs, growing businesses and growing the economy and growing exports. fixing the things broken in this country. we didn't have a worse financial crisis in generations but a long period where washington was not doing what it needed to do. businesses need better outcomes from education system and more ternt in rules of the game and more help expanding exports and more clarity on what is going to happen to health care reform. those are things businesses need. >> a lot of people are saying that american people got a raw deal. >> american people in the crisis got a very raw deal. but their deal would have been much worse if the government had stepped back and let the firm fail or try to default selectively in a time when the financial system was literally falling apart. the rif ets were coming off the submarine. people were saying i don't have confidence in anything. if you let that go on, it is perilous and causes grave danger. >> i asked about how he is holding up under the political heat, what it feels like after more than two years of very hard work by many people at the treasury trying to stabilize the system. look, i can take this political heat. we're in a very angry moment right now in america. we're in the second or third or fourth wave of anger about the bailouts, but he can take the political heat because nothing will ever compare with what we faced in september of 2008. we're talking about growth and not a system falling off the cliff. >> did he address that he understands and the leaders understand why we got to that point and know what to do to prevent it, when he talks about the wheels coming off the submarine? do they know how to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> that's what he's using this example, let's channel that into reforms. let's channel that into making sure the government has the tools to prevent this happening be able to unwind or see the institutions, he keeps try to push it forward. timothy geithner, his reputation, how will he shake off the questions? how can he move forward when he has become the face of the aig bailout. >> great interview and we have part two coming up in the next hour. perhaps we can talk about your experience flying out there where you paid extra for an aisle seat. >> i got charged an aisle seat, 20 bucks. can i expense that. >> now that you said it on air, yes. trying to restore electricity in haiti, there were problems to begin with. now you can imagine what's going on there. 24 minutes after the hour. now with extraordinary savings. ethan allen... always well worth it. looking for something extraordinary ? how about a new custom media cabinet from ethan allen ? with savings like these... it's never been easier. well made, well priced, well worth it. ethan allen... extraordinary savings. limited time. welcome back, it's 28 minutes after the hour. 17 days since the deadly earthquake in haiti. desperation is growing and aid is terribly slow getting into the capital. scenes like this have been playing out for days and security forces say they don't have the manpower to keep the peace. >> our cnn crews consider seen the spirit of the haitian people coming together in these extremely tough times. ♪ dozens of haitians flooded the streets singing, clapping and dancing. >> in port-au-prince, crews are working around the clock to turn the electric grid back on. as ivan watson tells us, haitians are forced to sit in the dark and wait. >> reporter: it's been two weeks since the lights went out in port-au-prince, this pastor is looking for a candle. >> we found one somewhere. >> reporter: night after night this is what familiar his face in a city that has no power. >> we live in haiti. >> reporter: after sunset it's pitch black. the darkness residents get ready to sleep out in the street often with little more than the ghoe of a cell phone to light their way. the moment the earthquake hit safeguards shut down the power grid. teams from the state electric company are trying to repair the damage. the earthquake destroyed 20% of the infrastructure at this distribution center all of port-au-prince gets electric from here. the team is trying to salvage some equipment. he hopes within a week the station may start working again. but no one seems to know when the diesel generations will go back on at this electric power station. the workers here don't even know if the generators have been damaged. and frequent aftershocks seem to be causing more problems. >> so this is new damage, they are just pointing out, didn't have this last night. a ruptured water pipe here in the basement of an electric power station. he says it's not good. experts say even before the disaster, haiti's poorly run electricity grid only supplied a fraction of the power needed to light the city. before the earthquake, he is telling me that these neighboring communities only got about eight hours of from the every 24 hours. by 6:00 p.m. the sunsets and port-au-prince is shrouded in darkness. pastor lights his candle. fortunately nature lends a helping hand. there's a full moon tonight shining over this shattered city. ivan watson, cnn, port-au-prin