[John Roberts, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning on this Friday, December 18th. Thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. Good to have you with us today. I'm John Roberts.
[Kiran Chetry, Cnn Anchor:] And I'm Kiran Chetry. Here are the big stories we'll be telling you about in the next 15 minutes. First, the clock is ticking on climate change, and President Obama certainly knows it. He just spoke in Copenhagen as the conference is winding down, but will he be able to give these stalled talks a new jolt of momentum? We're live in Copenhagen.
[Roberts:] A new jersey dad barred by Brazil's highest court from bringing his kidnapped son home. David Goldman's international custody battle now threatening the stretching to year six. The next move for a desperate father who says he's not done fighting.
[Chetry:] Also, an innocent man set free after 35 years behind bars. James Bayne spent most of his life locked up for a rape he did not commit. DNA evidence proved his innocence, and we will follow him as he takes his first steps as a free man.
[Roberts:] But first, President Obama putting his political capital on the line this morning. Right now, he's joining other world leaders at the Global Climate Summit in Copenhagen. You just heard the president speak a few minutes ago. He's hoping to be able to hammer out a compromise. However, that's not looking particularly likely this morning. Our Ed Henry is traveling with the president. He joins us live this morning from Copenhagen. It's about 1:00 there now, the president scheduled to depart in a little more than five or six hours, Ed. Can he get anything done before he wheels up back home?
[Ed Henry, Cnn White House Correspondent:] John, the clock is ticking, as you note. And people close to these talks are telling me it's very rocky right now, and that's why I think we saw just in the last few moments the president of the United States try to step up and really prod his fellow leaders and say, look, time is running out. The time is now, because this whole deal is hanging in the balance. He also laid out a clear path to a deal with three key points. First of all, mitigation, which basically means a deal to cut carbon emissions, a global deal. Secondly he talked about accountability and transparency, that nations like China need to step up and show they'll live up to these commitments. And finally, money, saying the U.S. and other big powers are willing to help pay the cost that smaller nations will have to pay to help to deal with global warming. And the president in this speech was very tough in saying it's time to stop posturing, it's time to act.
[Barack Obama, President Of The United States Of America:] For while the reality of climate change is not in doubt, I have to be honest, as the world watches us today, I think our ability to take collective action is in doubt right now. And it hangs in the balance. I believe we can act boldly and decisively in the face of a common threat. That's why I come here today, not to talk, but to act.
[Henry:] Now, very interesting that while the president was giving that speech, I was getting e-mails from people on the U.S. side basically saying, look, look at this juxtaposition where the president of the United States is trying to step up a call for action, where the Chinese are basically not pushing for a deal. And I think that what's going on behind the scenes based on that and many other conversations I'm having with U.S. officials is they're setting this up to suggest that the Chinese are the ones blocking a deal, so that if this falls apart, they're going to say the president did all he could. It's the Chinese fault John.
[Roberts:] Ed Henry for us this morning from Copenhagen. Ed, thanks.
[Chetry:] A New Jersey dad says he is appealing a ruling by a Brazilian Supreme Court justice that's barring him from bringing home his kidnapped son. David Goldman was hoping the international custody battle would finally end after a court ruled in his favor this week. But instead a painful five-year separation from his little boy is now going to be lasting a little longer. Susan Candiotti joins us live this morning. So a curious ruling from Brazil's highest court, and of course it means more anguish for Mr. Goldman. What's the next step?
[Susan Candiotti, Cnn Correspondent:] That's what we're all waiting to see, what's the next step and when will it happen. And wait until you hear what the Brazilian judge had to say. More on that in a moment. But first, David Goldman is still in Rio de Janeiro with his attorney this morning. He says he's appealing the Supreme Court ruling. It's not clear how long that process might take. He calls yesterday's decision "ridiculous." And he seems resigned to the fact that his five-year battle to be reunited with his son is not over.
[Goldman:] I've been down this road for five years. It's another setback, and it's very sad.
[Candiotti:] Not exactly the happy home for the holidays ending David Goldman hoped for. Instead, more heartbreak for the New Jersey dad, who arrived in Rio de Janeiro hoping to finally bring home his son.
[Goldman:] It's very discouraging.
[Candiotti:] Only to learn a Brazilian Supreme Court justice had blocked the transfer of Sean to his only surviving parent, ruling the child had to first be heard from in court.
[Goldman:] I honestly believe that the justice system does not want to be looked at as a country that is a safe haven for kidnappers that will allow a child to remain separated from their only parent and try to turn that child against that parent, and then demand a nine- year-old, innocent, vulnerable, psychologically-damaged child to speak in a court is beyond cruel.
[Candiotti:] And it sends a message no court wants to send, according to CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
[Toobin:] They introduce the idea of, well, we need the feelings of the child. We need to interview the child. Well, if that's the rule, then the lesson to be learned is you should kidnap a child as young as possible so that they identify with their captors and ask to stay.
[Candiotti:] A lawyer for the family in Brazil says Sean is happy where he is and wants to stay there. But New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, who's been helping Goldman in his bid to reunite with his son, believes the Brazilian courts will ultimately rule in his favor.
[Unidentified Male:] This justice could have done the right thing. He chose poorly and unwisely. This has become a major embarrassment to the Brazilian government, and I do believe the Supreme Court of Brazil is Hague literate. They understand the Hague convention and will appropriately apply its provisions, and Sean will be on a plane home.
[Candiotti:] Now, Goldman's son Sean has been living with his stepfather after Goldman's ex-wife died in childbirth. Brazilian Supreme Court judge Marcus Aurelio is defending his decision in a written statement saying, nine-year-old Sean is old enough to decide where he wants to live. And that's raising eyebrows among most legal observers over whether a child abducted by his mother when he was only four should be the final arbiter in this. And how long is this going to go? Will he be there a few more days, or will he be coming home? Some are saying this might drag on until February. We don't know for sure yet.
[Chetry:] Susan Candiotti for us, thanks.
[Roberts:] Thanks, Susan. Also new this morning, the Senate still one vote short of the 60 needed to pass health care reform. The lone holdout, Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson wants stricter limits on abortion. Nelson says the latest compromise language on abortion drafted to try to win him over is not good enough.
[Chetry:] Police say the husband of a missing Utah woman is now a person of interest in the case. Susan Powell was reported missing December 7th when she did not show up for work. Her husband Josh claims that he took their two young sons on a camping trip the night before. Police say Josh has refused to cooperate and they are calling his behavior "not normal."
[Roberts:] A Canadian doctor who treated Tiger Woods and many other pro athletes will be in court in Toronto today to face drug charges. Dr. Michael Galea is the subject of a joint U.S.-Canadian investigation for allegedly providing performance-enhancing drugs. Galea's attorney denies that his client did anything wrong.
[Chetry:] And this is the first-ever images of a volcanic eruption 4,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. This video was captured thanks to a submersible robot, which amazingly was actually just a few feet from the active eruption. One scientist described the event as an "underwater Fourth of July." They say it could provide new clues on how the earth's crust was formed.
[Roberts:] The deepest undersea volcano ever observed. That's fascinating.
[Chetry:] We brought you first part of the story about U.S. spy drones being able to be hacked by Iraqi insurgents with software that only costs about $25. This morning the U.S. military is saying that they have known about this, possibly for at least a decade. Some are asking why things were not fixed sooner. We're live at the Pentagon with more.
[Roberts:] And some amazing pictures from Pacifica, California. Take a look at this an apartment complex hanging in the balance on the edge of the precipice. Wait until you find out what's going on there. It's nine minutes after the hour.