[Carol Costello, Cnn Anchor:] On the ground and in the air, the blizzard of 2005 has left behind one big mess. We'll dig through it Straight ahead on
[Daybreak.  Unidentified Male:] And now, here's Johnny!
[Costello:] Oh, he walked through that curtain for nearly 30 years. Now, Johnny Carson takes his final curtain. We'll remember him. And Florida, here they come the Eagles and the Patriots will head south for a super showdown. It is Monday, January 24. You are watching DAYBREAK. And good morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. Now in the news, a suicide car bomb attack in western Baghdad leaves 10 Iraqi police officers wounded. The attack took place near the headquarters of Interim President Ayad Allawi's political party. Actually, he's the interim prime minister. Asa Hutchinson is expected to announce his resignation today from the Department of Homeland Security. Hutchinson, an undersecretary in the department, told an Arkansas newspaper he was disappointed that he was passed over twice as Tom Ridge's replacement. It'll be the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 39 on February 6 in Jacksonville. The Patriots won the AFC championship by beating Pittsburgh, ooh, they whomped them, 41-24. The Eagles took the NFC title with a 27-10 win over Atlanta. And parts of Massachusetts have been slammed with two to three feet of snow. Some colleges and schools closed this morning. The governor asks non-essential state workers in the eastern part of the state to stay at home. And they're still under a state of emergency there. Chad Myers is out playing in the Northeast snow. We'll check in with him at the bottom of the hour. Right now, though, Rob Marciano joins us from the forecast center in kind of warm Atlanta, I mean, you know, if you compare it to other parts of the country.
[Rob Marciano, Cnn Meteorologist:] Hey, it was 19 this morning and we had wind chills below that.
[Costello:] That's pretty cold for Atlanta.
[Marciano:] Yes. It felt good, actually.
[Costello:] There's a whole lot of digging going on this morning, as people try to get out from the blizzard that blasted the Northeast. Forecasters like Rob and Chad say the snowstorm of 2005 is one for the record books. The governors of Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island have declared states of emergency. Thirty-eight inches of snow on the ground in Plymouth and Salem, Massachusetts. And at least 14 deaths are being blamed on this huge storm. You can bet there will be flight delays this morning across the region, so if you're planning to head out to the airport, be sure to call ahead to see if your flight is on schedule. Boston's Logan International Airport due to reopen in just about two hours, at least we hope so. That's what they're saying right now. Nearly 1,300 flights out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Midway were canceled this weekend. A spokeswoman for the city's aviation department, oh, she's sounding positive.
[Annette Martinez, Chicago Aviation Department:] I think the good thing about this storm is that so many people have had enough of a warning that this was coming down and they've made other travel plans or other arrangements and have rescheduled. So, so far, so good.
[Costello:] Chicago has pretty well dug out from the weekend storm. Not so with Boston and other parts of Massachusetts, and also here in New York City. We are remembering a legend this morning. Johnny Carson dead of emphysema. The long time host of "The Tonight Show" died yesterday at the age of 79. He is remembered for refining the talk show format with a monologue and skits, as well as launching the careers of dozens of entertainers. Many of his friends are talking about their most memorable Carson moments. [Begin Video Clip From "the Tonight Show"]
[Joan Rivers, Comedienne:] Johnny, could I have time to say...
[Carson:] Yes?
[Rivers:] Because I always, I always thank you in abstentia because you're never there. Thank you for my first appearance on the show. Thank you for my career. Thank you for letting me guest host for you, because I would not be sitting here ever. They all thought I stank and you were the first one to say you're funny.
[Carson:] Oh, thank you.
[Rivers:] Thank you for that.
[Carson:] Thank you. We'll be back in a moment.
[Begin Video Clip From "the Tonight Show") Carson:] Let's get on with this. Mount Saint Helens, Three Mile Island and the Love Canal. Where can you still buy a house for less than $100,000? And I hope that I find something that I want to do and I think you will like and come back that you'll be as gracious in inviting me into your home as you have been. I bid you a very heartfelt good night.
[Costello:] It still gives you chills, doesn't it? Millions of us went to bed with Johnny Carson every night for 30 years. He was the undisputed king of late night. Live now to CNN's Chris Wolfe. He's in Hollywood this morning good morning.
[Chris Wolfe, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Carol. We are on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just a few feet from Johnny Carson's star. I don't know if you can see behind me. It's been turned into a makeshift shrine. Fans have been bringing flowers and cards and setting candles down by the star. The notes read things like, "God bless you, Johnny," "We love and miss you very, very much," "You were the absolute best." I can tell you in talking to a lot of people here in Hollywood, they say they haven't seen this kind of outpouring of emotion for quite some time. Fans, viewers across the country, as well as colleagues in the entertainment industry, truly loved Johnny Carson.
[Begin Video Clip From "the Tonight Show") Unidentified Male:] Here's Johnny!
[Wolfe:] He was an enormous TV personality because he was just an average guy easy to watch, funny and entertaining. Friends of the legendary comedian say he made it all look so easy.
[Unidentified Male:] History is going to say he was the best at what he did, the very best.
[Wolfe:] CBS "Late Show" host David Letterman says, "All of us who came after are pretenders. We will not see the likes of him again." Johnny Carson was born in Iowa and raised in Nebraska. He began his show business career as a teenaged magician and ventriloquist before serving in the Navy during World War 2. He later became a radio personality and eventually made the jump to television, hosting a number of variety and game shows. Then Carson snagged "The Tonight Show" gig in October of 1962. He held court over celebrities as well as every day people with special stories to tell, and even acted out in zany stunts and skits until May of 1992.
[Unidentified Male:] He was an inspiration for me even to get into standup and then just to be on his show.
[Joan Rivers, Comedienne:] Every major name now in comedy, we all got our breaks due to him.
[Wolfe:] Johnny Carson's successor, Jay Leno, says, "No single individual has had as great an impact on television as Johnny. He was the gold standard." Now, Carson's family says he was an intensely private individual and for that reason they are not planning a public memorial service. For now, reporting live in Hollywood, I'm Chris Wolfe Carol, back to you.
[Costello:] You know, Chris, he was out of the limelight for such a long time, many people are wondering about his quality of life.
[Wolfe:] He said he had a great time in his retirement. He just, when he stepped down from "The Tonight Show" back in 1992, he said that was it for him. He wanted to just relax, enjoy his retirement. He was an active boater. He loved getting together with his old pals, playing poker every few weeks. He really enjoyed his retirement and said that he did. And, in fact, he turned down an appeal from the head of NBC Entertainment a little while ago to appear on a special on NBC celebrating the network's 75th anniversary. He simply said no thanks, I don't want to do that anymore. So he was quite an individual, had a lot of integrity, he knew what he wanted, hew knew what he didn't want to do and he is missed around the country.
[Costello:] He meant what he said. Chris Wolfe live in Hollywood this morning. Thank you. Johnny Carson's long time sidekick, Ed McMahon, will be a guest on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE." Do not miss the exclusive prime time interview on the amazing career of Johnny Carson. That's tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific time right here on CNN. Now for more news making news across America this morning, former President Richard Nixon's long time secretary, Rosemary Woods, died over the weekend at the age of 87. Woods was Nixon's secretary when she admitted to accidentally erasing part of the now infamous Oval Office audiotape. But Woods said she only erased about four minutes, not the full 18 12 that was missing. There may be a problem with some continuing stem cell research. A new study says the federally approved human embryonic stem cells are contaminated. The contamination could mean that the cells will be absolutely no help in research aimed at stopping diseases like Alzheimer's or diabetes. Sunday was a disastrous day for firefighters in New York City. Two firefighters were killed and four were seriously hurt while battling a fire in an apartment building in the Bronx. Later, a firefighter was fatally injured while fighting a basement fire here in Brooklyn. It was really cold. Police in Germany have arrested two suspected al Qaeda members. They're accused of plotting a suicide attack in Iraq and officials say one of the suspects tried to obtain nuclear materials and had contacts with Osama bin Laden. But there is a twist to the story. They're also suspected of insurance fraud. Prosecutors say the payoff would have funded al Qaeda activities. And this reminder, to stay tuned to CNN all day and all night for the most reliable news about your security. Six days and counting to the Iraqi election and the top Islamic militant in Iraq is declaring a war on democracy. On an audiotape, a man claiming to be Abu Musab al-Zarqawi says the candidates and the voters in Sunday's election are enemies of god. Al-Zarqawi declares what he calls "a bitter war against democracy and all those who seek to enact it." And there was more violence this morning in the run-up to Sunday's voting. But Iraqi and U.S. officials are still telling CNN they are committed to making the election safe and legitimate. Our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour live in Baghdad this morning good morning.
[Christiane Amanpour, Cnn Correspondent:] Carol, good morning. And Zarqawi has already claimed responsibility in a statement on a Web site for the big suicide car bomb attack in Baghdad earlier this morning. We heard the blast all the way over this side, at our office space here. What appears to have happened is that this suicide car bomb attack happened at a checkpoint near the offices of the political party headed by Ayad Allawi, who is the interim Iraqi prime minister and who heads a list going into these elections for next Sunday. Nobody was killed, but 12 people, we're told by Baghdad police, were wounded, including 10 policemen. Allawi, of course, was not in the building and nowhere near it. So that's the latest on that. In the meantime, American forces are stepping up their crackdown on insurgents and weapons caches ahead of these elections. We have been in Tikrit, for instance, over the weekend, where we were told by the commander there that hundreds of suspected insurgents have been rounded up. Dozens of weapons caches have been found and confiscated and there is a very, very intensive operation going on right now to train up as many Iraqi security forces, who will, we're told, take the front lines of polling and securing the polling stations on Sunday. So this is a very serious effort to make sure that people are safe enough to come out and that they feel safe enough to come out so that fear doesn't keep them away on Sunday Carol.
[Costello:] Christiane Amanpour live from Baghdad this morning. Thank you. Still to come on DAYBREAK this hour, don't call them enemy combatants, but you can still call them prisoners. We'll find out what's going on Iraqi election GITMO. Also, it's cold, it's icy, it's windy, it's the day after the blizzard of 2005. And the Patriots are looking for another Super Bowl ring, but the Eagles want some jewelry for themselves. Or should we say bling- bling? We'll preview a super showdown. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning, January 24. [Begin Video Clip From "the Tonight Show"]
[Unidentified Female:] You're very sexy, you know?
[Carson:] Excuse me?
[Unidentified Female:] You're very sexy.
[Carson:] Very sexy.
[Unidentified Female:] You have hair on your toes.
[Carson:] And a song in my heart.
[Unidentified Female:] You will marry again in course time.
[Carson:] I will what?
[Unidentified Female:] You will remarry.