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American Morning
Holiday Conflicts; '90-Second Pop'
Aired November 24, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, 9:30 here in New York City. Millions are on the move today, we know that. And many of you are not going to be moving very fast either. A look at the holiday travel schedule in a moment, what the weather looks like out there, especially in the central part of the country and in the south. So we'll check out the airport delays, too, what you need to know.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And you know, the holidays bring out the best in people, I think it's fair to say, and sometimes not so much. We're going to talk this morning with Joseph Grenny. He really wrote the book on holiday bickering. He's going to tell you how you can avoid confrontations, or do them productively.
HEMMER: I love big families. We both have one -- you've got yours, I've mine, and, Heidi, you have yours.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: My husband's side is large. My side is four little people.
HEMMER: Yes? You all get along?
COLLINS: Yes.
HEMMER: All right.
O'BRIEN: That's the right answer, no matter what the answer really is.
COLLINS: Yes, we do.
O'BRIEN: I love everyone equally.
Moving on to the headlines. Good morning, again, Heidi.
Good morning to you guys, and good morning, everyone. A major new offensive under way now in Iraq to talk about. About 5,000 U.S. Marines, British troops and Iraqi forces taking part in what's being called operation Plymouth Rock. It's happening in the Babil province, south of Baghdad. A Marine spokesman says, it is a, quote, "focused mission involving precision raids and house-to-house searches." It's the third large-scale military offensive this month, aimed at securing the region ahead of January elections.
Some different opinions on what went down in that deadly shooting incident in Wisconsin over the weekend. The suspect in the shootings, Chai Vang, told investigators he fired at the hunters because they shot at him first. But a survivor claims the suspect fired without warning. A news conference from family members of the victims is set for a little later today.
In other news now, President Bush and the first lady getting ready to spread some holiday cheer. The White House Christmas card has been unveiled. There it is, highlights the Red Room and was designed by Cindy Holt (ph) of Fort Worth, Texas. The president and Mrs. Bush are expected to send out some two million Christmas cards this season, and I'm sure he'll help address those.
And drivers on the Pennsylvania turnpike have something to be thankful for on this buddy travel day. They're getting a free ride. That's because turnpike workers went on strike today. There's nobody in the booth to collect tolls. Non-union employees will staff toll booths starting tomorrow. So if you are going to driving tomorrow, maybe you want to go today.
O'BRIEN: Back to the go-early theme right, at this time for another reason.
COLLINS: Who knows.
O'BRIEN: All right, Heidi, thanks.
HEMMER: Your in-laws was just e-mailed. They're OK with you, too.
COLLINS: Really? Are we good? OK, great.
HEMMER: Thanks, Heidi.
Getaway day today for millions, one of the busiest travel days of the year for the roads, and the rails and the airports.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: You mentioned it. I want to show you some pictures now a bit earlier today, and also live now at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, getting ready for their flights there. Also a look live in St. Louis today. Our affiliate KTVI, traffic moving, but it is wet, and as Chad says, it could get wetter throughout the day. I want to get you to one of the busiest airports on the East Coast, New York's, too. That's New York's LaGuardia, and that's where Deb Feyerick is there this morning.
How are things, Deb? Good morning.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Bill. Well, things not too bad. There are three things you really want to bring to the airport today if you're traveling -- patience, a sense of humor and enough books or magazines to at least escape a little while you wait.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice over): When it comes to holiday travel, the only guarantee is there are no guarantees. Just ask Mr. and Mrs. Black. Each are taking extra days off work.
NAARA BLACK, AIR TRAVELER: The last time we flew back, the whole day was pushed to the next traveling day. So just in case.
FEYERICK: The Waldmoes from northern Virginia learned what waiting around feels like.
ANGELA WALDMOE, AIR TRAVELER: We started at 5:30 this morning at United Airways, and we were supposed to go in to Charlotte, North Carolina. And then we were going to go to the Virgin Islands. But all of that got backed up because the Norfolk International Airport lost fuel.
FEYERICK: Excuse me, what?
TODD WALDMOE, AIR TRAVELER: None of the airlines in Norfolk had any fuel. Imagine that. I think a guy was on vacation and somehow they missed a fuel status report or whatever, and they had no fuel.
FEYERICK: The Norfolk Airport confirmed airlines there did run out. A spokesperson saying it's never happened before.
Back in New York, college senior Chris Petrosino was busy strategizing how to make a challenging day a little less challenging.
CHRIS PETROSINO, AIR TRAVELER: Well, I'm here three hours early. My flight isn't until 3:00. So I was dreading the rush. But I guess I beat it.
FEYERICK: Though Kansas resident Pat Bolin and his daughter, Daisy, made it to New York OK, Mrs. Bolin wasn't as lucky.
PAT BOLIN, AIR TRAVELER: My wife's flight comes in three hours late, so we're going to be spending a little time here at the airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: The line behind me, people waiting to go through the TSA screening. First of course they are showing the agents there tickets. There's a new procedure in place. Women now will be subjected, or will have to undergo an upper-body search. Screeners supposed to use the back of their hands as they do that, and that's certainly likely to be a very eye-opening experience for many women who haven't had to do it before -- Bill.
HEMMER: Certain about that. Deborah, thanks. Deborah Feyerick, at LaGuardia -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Family, friends, a whole lot of food, that should be a recipe for holiday harmony, but those occasions can sometimes be a blessing and a curse. Joseph Grenny is co-author of the book "Crucial Confrontations." He joins us with some advice on how to handle those holiday conflicts, if and when they arise.
Nice to see you.
JOSEPH GRENNY, AUTHOR, "CRUCIAL CONFRONTATIONS": Good to see you, too. O'BRIEN: You know, I guess the best advice is don't, if you can avoid confrontations, but sometimes, you know, you get everybody together, it's fertile ground for revisiting old injuries and old disputes. Is their advice for the best time and place to have some of these discussions?
GRENNY: Eighty-three of people in a survey we just conducted said that they had a blowup in the past, and about 87 percent of those said it still hasn't been resolved. So if you're coming into the holidays expecting somebody to behave badly again, the best time to do it is to nip it in the bud, to try to catch somebody in advance, or at the beginning of the get-together, before they've had too many to drink, and try to get the problem solved.
O'BRIEN: You say a lot of the unhappiness and a lot of the disputes comes out of disappointment. What do you mean?
GRENNY: Yes, well, disappointment is when somebody breaks a promise or violates an expectation. So, for example, somebody that we interviewed recently said that, at grace, at the last Thanksgiving gathering, one of their brothers said that he was grateful that a certain sister-in-law wasn't part of the family anymore. That would have been bad enough, but her children are at the table. So this is where somebody's behaving badly, violating expectations, and if we don't learn to confront these problems, it carries on for years.
O'BRIEN: OK, then follow through that example. He's just said something incredibly inappropriate, and rude and disrespectful to, I'm assuming, young children who are there are at the table. What do you do?
GRENNY: Yes, many times in the moment is not the time to confront it, but definitely afterwards, because this particular individual said that the hard feelings continue to go on. It's driving a wedge in that family. So learning to have the crucial conversation even after the fact is a very important thing.
O'BRIEN: Here's some of the tips that you have from the book that you've written. The first one is work on me first, you second. That's sounds very psychobabbly -- what does it mean?
GRENNY: Yes, well, it's the opposite of what we tend to do. Our tendency is to want to fix the other person, when our emotions are probably the first thing that's going to ruin our effectiveness in this crucial confrontation. So if you come into somebody believing they're a jerk, an idiot, a moron, just thinking they're a loser you that want to fix, then you are the problem. So skill set No. 1 that we learned by watching people who are great at crucial confrontations, is how do you get your own emotions in check? How do come to see the other person as worthy of some respect and decency?
O'BRIEN: To do that, you have to make it safe. What does that mean?
GRENNY: Yes, the first thing to do during a crucial confrontation is to make it safe. If you can help the other person know, No. 1, that you care about their interests, and No. 2, that you respect them, during the first 30 seconds of a crucial confrontation, can you set them at ease, and then they'll give you permission to talk about almost anything that you need to confront.
O'BRIEN: You say just the facts, which is you shouldn't talk about almost anything; you really should stick to the argument at hand, right?
GRENNY: Yes, our tendency when we start to describe the problem is to accuse, to judge, to label other people...
O'BRIEN: And another thing did you two months ago...
GRENNY: Yes, absolutely. This is what we do. The best thing to do is to factually describe the concerning behavior. So if we're going back to that Thanksgiving gathering saying, you know what, in the Thanksgiving blessing, these are words you said, just quote them. That's all you've got to do to describe the problem.
O'BRIEN: End of the day, you say invite dialogue, it's a good thing. Why is it so important to have these discussions?
GRENNY: Well, because our tendency coming in to a crucial confrontation is to come in as though we have the truth to deliver to you, and your job is just to listen. What you've got to do is create dialogue. So at the end of describing the problem, the last thing you do before you begin the conversation is to encourage the other person even to disagree with you, to get their point of view.
O'BRIEN: Joseph Grenny, nice to see you. Thanks for coming in to talk with us -- Bill.
GRENNY: You, too. Thank you, too, Soledad.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad.
A new drug to treat multiple sclerosis has a green light now from the FDA, and Sanjay's been looking into this and is back with us on this now.
Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning again.
You know, MS, a pretty significant neurological disease; 350,000 people have it around the country. It can cause blindness, numbness, tired. The worst form of it is something known as relapsing MS. That's when it goes away and then comes back even worse than before. Scientists have been struggling for some time to try and treat this. They haven't found a cure. So a lot of excitement now, Bill.
Yesterday, late yesterday, the FDA approving a new drug, Tsabri (ph). Very interesting. Take a look at it. That's it there. I'm going to tell you how you take it here in a couple of minutes, but the results are pretty important to look at. The relapse frequency, preventing MS from coming back, the relapse frequency reduced by 66 percent if you take this medication. Also has some effectiveness if you actually combine it with another medication that's already out there, Avonex (ph), reducing the frequency by about 53 percent. All these numbers important because the best drugs right now reduce the frequency of coming back MS by about 30 to 35 percent.
For decades, there was no treatment for MS. You had it, there was nothing you could do about it. Over the last 11 years, six new drugs have been approved.
HEMMER: Very significant, too. I'm wondering, coming on the heels of the Vioxx story, the FDA in Washington a week ago, within the medical world, is there much of a cloud that hangs over the FDA now when they hear about a new drug coming online.
GUPTA: This is a drug that was fast-tracked. People recognize the importance of these MS drugs. Distinction should be drawn between a drug like this and Vioxx, for example, which is a very commonly taken drug for aches and pains. This is a drug that takes care of the devastating neurological illness. So I think, yes, I mean, I think the FDA is probably going to have a bit of a cloud over it, although I still think it hasn't taken away the excitement about this particular drug.
HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, thanks. You have a good Thanksgiving, too.
GUPTA: All right, you, too.
HEMMER: OK -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the "Seinfeld" gang reunites for Thanksgiving. Will viewers gobble it up? Plus, what's on the holiday table at Martha Stewart's prison? We've got the menu, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: As we head into the holiday, it is time for our Wednesday edition of "90-Second Pop." The gang is all here this morning. Andy Borowitz, humorist, the big cheese over at BorowitzReport.com.
Hello, big cheese. Nice to see you.
Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine.
Good morning to you.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly."
Hello, hello, hello.
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the "Seinfeld" reunion. It's not a reunion.
BERNARD: It's more like a clip show. It's true. But we haven't seen these guys on primetime in a long time on NBC. The thing that's funny about this is everyone's talking about how we're going to get to revisit them. They are on TV four times a day.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Eighteen. It's like 18.
BERNARD: Well, 18 in many places. So, I don't really feel like they've ever left. But for people who, you know, want to see what they look like now or whatever, it could be fun. We all know that there is an ulterior motive here going on that is actually to sell the DVD, which comes this week, and for November sweeps for NBC, of course.
SIGESMUND: Now, this DVD is going to be the biggest DVD of all time, certainly.
BERNARD: It will.
SIGESMUND: It has the first three seasons are coming out this week. They have something like 24 hours of behind-the-scenes commentary all on these DVDs. They're expecting the sales to be incredible. And why wouldn't they be, you know?
BERNARD: I feel like "Seinfeld" is the new "Star Trek." You know, they're like -- like instead of Trekkies, there are these people that are obsessed with "Seinfeld." They know all of the dialogue. They recite them to each other. So for them, this is going to be the biggest week. And it's funny, because that was just six years ago that the show went off the air. but TV was so different. It was no reality show. It was, like, the sitcom reigned. And it was kind of a -- it's like a quaint little look back into what TV was like.
BOROWITZ: Well, that show is out on repeat so much I'm sort of wondering what you need the DVDs for. But I'm thinking, like, what if the cable goes out? You want to have something for backup.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
BOROWITZ: You need to have that.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. Let's talk about "Friends." We've got Lisa Kudrow, who is making a comeback, literally, because her show is called "Comeback." It's on HBO, right?
BOROWITZ: Yes. She's doing this. It's a 13-episode commitment on HBO, and it's going to be produced by one of the guys who did "Sex and the City."
O'BRIEN: What's "Comeback" about?
BOROWITZ: It's sort of autobiographical in a way. It's about she's playing a sitcom star who is now trying to make a comeback. So sort of the show is kind of what it is.
SIGESMUND: And, you know, HBO really needs a comeback, too, because they've lost "Sex and the City." They're losing "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under." And their current shows, like "Deadwood" and "Carnival" and "Entourage," are just not generating the kind of buzz that HBO is used to. And this is the first half an hour series that they have bought since "Sex and the City."
BOROWITZ: Well, I think what's really going to generate the buzz is that this marks Lisa Kudrow's return to serious television after six months here.
BERNARD: Thank god!
BOROWITZ: So the wait is over. This is maybe even more exciting than those "Seinfeld" DVDs.
O'BRIEN: What's the early buzz on it? I mean, I think she's very funny.
BOROWITZ: She is brilliant.
O'BRIEN: So...
BOROWITZ: She is brilliant.
BERNARD: I mean, I think this is a fantastic pairing. I mean, this is almost as good as Donald Trump and Mark Burnett, the two of them together.
BOROWITZ: Right.
BERNARD: Michael Patrick King, the mastermind behind "Sex and the City."
SIGESMUND: And she also she wrote it with Michael Patrick King. And she's a producer. And, you know, she's been wanting to produce shows. She has tried to produce like something five shows in the last year or so.
BERNARD: And she has. She has one CBS and one on UPN. I mean, she is really, I think, the friend that's done the most behind the scenes since the show.
O'BRIEN: Well, good for her. It will be nice to see something replacing "Sex and the City" now.
BERNARD: Oh!
O'BRIEN: All right, Paul McCartney.
SIGESMUND: Yes. O'BRIEN: So, if he has a wardrobe malfunction...
BERNARD: Oh, goodness!
SIGESMUND: I don't think we'll be seeing any...
BERNARD: My! My!
SIGESMUND: Yes. We're not going to see any...
O'BRIEN: That might be worse.
SIGESMUND: No nipple guards for Paul McCartney. No, we have dealt with the fallout from the Super Bowl scandal all year long.
Oh, really?
SIGESMUND: CBS...
O'BRIEN: Gee, that's all we talk about all the time.
SIGESMUND: Fox was fined for showing pixilated nudity in "Married By America." ABC had that thing last week with "Desperate Housewives." A few weeks back ABC's affiliates, some of them didn't want to show "Saving Private Ryan" even.
So, but this decision to have Paul McCartney, the company man for the music industry do the Super Bowl, it's practically a joke, like that you would have this 62-year-old...
BOROWITZ: Because the Muppets weren't available. I'm sure we were going to see "Rainbow Connection." You know, I thought that was...
O'BRIEN: OK, I love that song.
BERNARD: You just spoiled the surprise guest, Andy.
SIGESMUND: Sorry.
O'BRIEN: But as much as you laugh about it, I mean, come on. Paul McCartney, that's huge. I mean, he's...
(CROSSTALK)
SIGESMUND: He did it once before. He did the pre-show just two years ago.
BOROWITZ: Right.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
SIGESMUND: But...
BERNARD: His comeback!
SIGESMUND: Oh, another comeback.
BOROWITZ: I'm going to wait for the DVD.
SIGESMUND: How much older is he than the average CD buyer out there? He's got to be 40 years older than people actually buying and downloading CDs.
O'BRIEN: Well, we wish him luck. So keep your clothes on, Paul. That will be better for all of us.
BOROWITZ: I'll bet he does not perform "Why Don't We do it in the Road," that's my guess. That will not be on the playlist.
O'BRIEN: Oh, I'm so embarrassed.
We're out of time, you guys, as always, thanks.
Bill, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: All right, Soledad.
Break here in a moment. What's on the menu at Thanksgiving for Martha Stewart this year? Andy has that. Back in a moment, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: That's the Baker High School Marching Band from Mobile, Alabama. I'm guessing that they're in town for the parade. Thank you, I can read a sign. And you want to know how I knew that? That's nice.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Intuition.
HEMMER: Nasty weather today, it's going to be even nastier tomorrow. So we'll see if it even goes off. Some people think the winds may be too high. And we saw what happened a few years ago.
SERWER: Oh, really, you mean, cancel it?
HEMMER: Let's don't go there yet. But the weather could be tough.
Good morning.
SERWER: Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: They won't cancel the parade. They may not let the balloons fly, right?
SERWER: Yes. They'll let people get wet.
CAFFERTY: Right.
SERWER: Want to do some markets, a little business news, maybe.
HEMMER: Yes.
SERWER: OK. Stocks trading up this morning, let's go down to the Big Board. Dow is up 19 points, some more languid, supine trading. Things kind of sleepy on Wall Street, in other words. OK. Attention Google shareholders, fasten your seat belts again, analysts at Goldman Sachs put a $200 price target on the stock. That's why it's up $8 this morning to 176 -- 215 the price target, that is.
Half day of trading on Friday. Remember, they don't like to keep the market closed four days in a row. According to "The Wall Street Journal," the U.S. Postal Service is looking to raise rates by 10 percent in early 2005. That would make your first-class stamp go from 37 cents to 41 cents. Postal Service going to do it again and again like Charlie Daniels said.
Martha Stewart and Thanksgiving, I mean, we really feel for her. "Washington Post" has a wonderful story about what it's going to be like in Alderson. No sweet potato spoon bread or cornbread sourdough stuffing. Just regular mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, stuffing. And I like this, the prison officials say we utilize the most cost efficient purchasing options. We go onto the Internet to find the least expensive food stuffs. Of course, the inmates prepare the food, and no family is allowed to share in the celebration. Usually they do let family members eat, they charge each $1.75 for that cost efficient meal in prison. Very different life she's having.
HEMMER: March is right around the corner.
SERWER: That's what she's thinking.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Jack's got the question of the day.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Soledad. Whether or not Dan Rather's resignation will help or hurt CBS is the thing we've kind of been fiddling with here today. We got A nice note from Ken who is serving with the U.S. Navy in Japan. "CBS anchor Dan Rather hanging it up will mike no difference. I always watch AMERICAN MORNING on CNNJ every night here in Japan. Have a happy Thanksgiving to all of the CNN crew." And to you, Ken.
Linda in Lynchburg, Virginia: "This is the worst mistake CBS has ever made. With all the history of solid journalism he has had, I would think they would have given Rather a pass on this one."
And Brian in Pennsylvania writes: "It's not important that Dan Rather retires, some other self-important talking head will slant the news, present company excluded, of course."
CAFFERTY: Why thank you, Brian, I think.
HEMMER: Hey, we're going to Japan in December as a matter of fact.
CAFFERTY: We are?
HEMMER: Well, a couple of us are going.
CAFFERTY: I'm not going.
SERWER: Have fun.
HEMMER: Hey listen, here's the list. This is why we came to work today, for this. I'm going to do my best Jack Cafferty imitation. We took a collection over the last couple of weeks.
SERWER: Do you have your glasses? Is the mike on?
HEMMER: Mike's on. Soledad, did you steal my glasses again, come on, come on, woman. All right, here we go. I can't even see that darn prompter over there.
"He's a young, good-looking guy, let's see how long it takes before he's queen of the Friday night prom with the folks in San Quentin." Jack Cafferty talking about his favorite buddy, Scott Peterson. Did I really just read that on television?
All right, here's another. "Hemmer -- Jack, I can't wait to sleep this weekend.
"Jack says, I think I'll throw up."
SERWER: Why did that make him nauseous?
CAFFERTY: I think that was taken out of context.
HEMMER: Not at all. We've got the tape. Here's another one.
"It could grow hair on a billiard ball."
CAFFERTY: What was that in reference to?
HEMMER: That was in reference to -- I can tell you, the miracle pill that helps you lose weight and quit smoking at the same time.
"There has been someone in my house with PMS for 35 years." Jack Cafferty on his lovely wife Carol.
CAFFERTY: I have also -- I have raised four daughters. Which means that there are five women in the house. Mathematically...
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: I can't afford a divorce now.
HEMMER: Our favorite Jack Cafferty-ism: "We're all in this alone." Spoken not once but on a daily basis around here on AMERICAN MORNING.
SERWER: The title of his book, no doubt.
HEMMER: I like that.
And at 6:58 this morning, Soledad and I were telling Jack what we did yesterday. We had some big highfalutin meeting with the new boss...
CAFFERTY: We have another new president at CNN.
HEMMER: And Jack says, I wish I could have been there, Bill, but I was out buying a comb.
CAFFERTY: You know, it's the fifth president of CNN in the last five years. I mean, you've been to one of these, you've been to them all. There will be another one next year.
HEMMER: Listen, every two weeks I'm thinking. That is worth the wait.
O'BRIEN: That is worth weight. We'll do it again...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Jack likes to get up and leave in the middle of the segment or not quite before it's finished.
HEMMER: Happy Thanksgiving.
CAFFERTY: You, too.
O'BRIEN: Very funny.
Coming up on CNN, where are the biggest travel delays right now? Reports from around the country coming up in the next hour with Carol Lin and Rick Sanchez on CNN "LIVE TODAY." We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Guess what, we're out of time on this...
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Pull the turkey here.
O'BRIEN: I'm working tomorrow, are you working tomorrow?
Are you working tomorrow?
Are you working tomorrow?
Are you working tomorrow?
SERWER: No.
HEMMER: No. CAFFERTY: No.
O'BRIEN: I'm the big loser with the big "L" on my head this morning. But...
HEMMER: Happy Thanksgiving.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, likewise, have a nice, safe holiday. Let's go to Carol Lin. She's in Atlanta. Rick Sanchez is in New York this morning.
Good morning to you guys.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, I get to be the other guy with the "L" because I'm going to be sitting right there...
O'BRIEN: All right, let's do it.
(MAKES "L" SIGN ON FOREHEAD)
O'BRIEN: Working the holiday.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: You guys have a great holiday.
HEMMER: You do the same.
SANCHEZ: Thanks.
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Aired November 24, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, 9:30 here in New York City. Millions are on the move today, we know that. And many of you are not going to be moving very fast either. A look at the holiday travel schedule in a moment, what the weather looks like out there, especially in the central part of the country and in the south. So we'll check out the airport delays, too, what you need to know.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And you know, the holidays bring out the best in people, I think it's fair to say, and sometimes not so much. We're going to talk this morning with Joseph Grenny. He really wrote the book on holiday bickering. He's going to tell you how you can avoid confrontations, or do them productively.
HEMMER: I love big families. We both have one -- you've got yours, I've mine, and, Heidi, you have yours.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: My husband's side is large. My side is four little people.
HEMMER: Yes? You all get along?
COLLINS: Yes.
HEMMER: All right.
O'BRIEN: That's the right answer, no matter what the answer really is.
COLLINS: Yes, we do.
O'BRIEN: I love everyone equally.
Moving on to the headlines. Good morning, again, Heidi.
Good morning to you guys, and good morning, everyone. A major new offensive under way now in Iraq to talk about. About 5,000 U.S. Marines, British troops and Iraqi forces taking part in what's being called operation Plymouth Rock. It's happening in the Babil province, south of Baghdad. A Marine spokesman says, it is a, quote, "focused mission involving precision raids and house-to-house searches." It's the third large-scale military offensive this month, aimed at securing the region ahead of January elections.
Some different opinions on what went down in that deadly shooting incident in Wisconsin over the weekend. The suspect in the shootings, Chai Vang, told investigators he fired at the hunters because they shot at him first. But a survivor claims the suspect fired without warning. A news conference from family members of the victims is set for a little later today.
In other news now, President Bush and the first lady getting ready to spread some holiday cheer. The White House Christmas card has been unveiled. There it is, highlights the Red Room and was designed by Cindy Holt (ph) of Fort Worth, Texas. The president and Mrs. Bush are expected to send out some two million Christmas cards this season, and I'm sure he'll help address those.
And drivers on the Pennsylvania turnpike have something to be thankful for on this buddy travel day. They're getting a free ride. That's because turnpike workers went on strike today. There's nobody in the booth to collect tolls. Non-union employees will staff toll booths starting tomorrow. So if you are going to driving tomorrow, maybe you want to go today.
O'BRIEN: Back to the go-early theme right, at this time for another reason.
COLLINS: Who knows.
O'BRIEN: All right, Heidi, thanks.
HEMMER: Your in-laws was just e-mailed. They're OK with you, too.
COLLINS: Really? Are we good? OK, great.
HEMMER: Thanks, Heidi.
Getaway day today for millions, one of the busiest travel days of the year for the roads, and the rails and the airports.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: You mentioned it. I want to show you some pictures now a bit earlier today, and also live now at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, getting ready for their flights there. Also a look live in St. Louis today. Our affiliate KTVI, traffic moving, but it is wet, and as Chad says, it could get wetter throughout the day. I want to get you to one of the busiest airports on the East Coast, New York's, too. That's New York's LaGuardia, and that's where Deb Feyerick is there this morning.
How are things, Deb? Good morning.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Bill. Well, things not too bad. There are three things you really want to bring to the airport today if you're traveling -- patience, a sense of humor and enough books or magazines to at least escape a little while you wait.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice over): When it comes to holiday travel, the only guarantee is there are no guarantees. Just ask Mr. and Mrs. Black. Each are taking extra days off work.
NAARA BLACK, AIR TRAVELER: The last time we flew back, the whole day was pushed to the next traveling day. So just in case.
FEYERICK: The Waldmoes from northern Virginia learned what waiting around feels like.
ANGELA WALDMOE, AIR TRAVELER: We started at 5:30 this morning at United Airways, and we were supposed to go in to Charlotte, North Carolina. And then we were going to go to the Virgin Islands. But all of that got backed up because the Norfolk International Airport lost fuel.
FEYERICK: Excuse me, what?
TODD WALDMOE, AIR TRAVELER: None of the airlines in Norfolk had any fuel. Imagine that. I think a guy was on vacation and somehow they missed a fuel status report or whatever, and they had no fuel.
FEYERICK: The Norfolk Airport confirmed airlines there did run out. A spokesperson saying it's never happened before.
Back in New York, college senior Chris Petrosino was busy strategizing how to make a challenging day a little less challenging.
CHRIS PETROSINO, AIR TRAVELER: Well, I'm here three hours early. My flight isn't until 3:00. So I was dreading the rush. But I guess I beat it.
FEYERICK: Though Kansas resident Pat Bolin and his daughter, Daisy, made it to New York OK, Mrs. Bolin wasn't as lucky.
PAT BOLIN, AIR TRAVELER: My wife's flight comes in three hours late, so we're going to be spending a little time here at the airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: The line behind me, people waiting to go through the TSA screening. First of course they are showing the agents there tickets. There's a new procedure in place. Women now will be subjected, or will have to undergo an upper-body search. Screeners supposed to use the back of their hands as they do that, and that's certainly likely to be a very eye-opening experience for many women who haven't had to do it before -- Bill.
HEMMER: Certain about that. Deborah, thanks. Deborah Feyerick, at LaGuardia -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Family, friends, a whole lot of food, that should be a recipe for holiday harmony, but those occasions can sometimes be a blessing and a curse. Joseph Grenny is co-author of the book "Crucial Confrontations." He joins us with some advice on how to handle those holiday conflicts, if and when they arise.
Nice to see you.
JOSEPH GRENNY, AUTHOR, "CRUCIAL CONFRONTATIONS": Good to see you, too. O'BRIEN: You know, I guess the best advice is don't, if you can avoid confrontations, but sometimes, you know, you get everybody together, it's fertile ground for revisiting old injuries and old disputes. Is their advice for the best time and place to have some of these discussions?
GRENNY: Eighty-three of people in a survey we just conducted said that they had a blowup in the past, and about 87 percent of those said it still hasn't been resolved. So if you're coming into the holidays expecting somebody to behave badly again, the best time to do it is to nip it in the bud, to try to catch somebody in advance, or at the beginning of the get-together, before they've had too many to drink, and try to get the problem solved.
O'BRIEN: You say a lot of the unhappiness and a lot of the disputes comes out of disappointment. What do you mean?
GRENNY: Yes, well, disappointment is when somebody breaks a promise or violates an expectation. So, for example, somebody that we interviewed recently said that, at grace, at the last Thanksgiving gathering, one of their brothers said that he was grateful that a certain sister-in-law wasn't part of the family anymore. That would have been bad enough, but her children are at the table. So this is where somebody's behaving badly, violating expectations, and if we don't learn to confront these problems, it carries on for years.
O'BRIEN: OK, then follow through that example. He's just said something incredibly inappropriate, and rude and disrespectful to, I'm assuming, young children who are there are at the table. What do you do?
GRENNY: Yes, many times in the moment is not the time to confront it, but definitely afterwards, because this particular individual said that the hard feelings continue to go on. It's driving a wedge in that family. So learning to have the crucial conversation even after the fact is a very important thing.
O'BRIEN: Here's some of the tips that you have from the book that you've written. The first one is work on me first, you second. That's sounds very psychobabbly -- what does it mean?
GRENNY: Yes, well, it's the opposite of what we tend to do. Our tendency is to want to fix the other person, when our emotions are probably the first thing that's going to ruin our effectiveness in this crucial confrontation. So if you come into somebody believing they're a jerk, an idiot, a moron, just thinking they're a loser you that want to fix, then you are the problem. So skill set No. 1 that we learned by watching people who are great at crucial confrontations, is how do you get your own emotions in check? How do come to see the other person as worthy of some respect and decency?
O'BRIEN: To do that, you have to make it safe. What does that mean?
GRENNY: Yes, the first thing to do during a crucial confrontation is to make it safe. If you can help the other person know, No. 1, that you care about their interests, and No. 2, that you respect them, during the first 30 seconds of a crucial confrontation, can you set them at ease, and then they'll give you permission to talk about almost anything that you need to confront.
O'BRIEN: You say just the facts, which is you shouldn't talk about almost anything; you really should stick to the argument at hand, right?
GRENNY: Yes, our tendency when we start to describe the problem is to accuse, to judge, to label other people...
O'BRIEN: And another thing did you two months ago...
GRENNY: Yes, absolutely. This is what we do. The best thing to do is to factually describe the concerning behavior. So if we're going back to that Thanksgiving gathering saying, you know what, in the Thanksgiving blessing, these are words you said, just quote them. That's all you've got to do to describe the problem.
O'BRIEN: End of the day, you say invite dialogue, it's a good thing. Why is it so important to have these discussions?
GRENNY: Well, because our tendency coming in to a crucial confrontation is to come in as though we have the truth to deliver to you, and your job is just to listen. What you've got to do is create dialogue. So at the end of describing the problem, the last thing you do before you begin the conversation is to encourage the other person even to disagree with you, to get their point of view.
O'BRIEN: Joseph Grenny, nice to see you. Thanks for coming in to talk with us -- Bill.
GRENNY: You, too. Thank you, too, Soledad.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad.
A new drug to treat multiple sclerosis has a green light now from the FDA, and Sanjay's been looking into this and is back with us on this now.
Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning again.
You know, MS, a pretty significant neurological disease; 350,000 people have it around the country. It can cause blindness, numbness, tired. The worst form of it is something known as relapsing MS. That's when it goes away and then comes back even worse than before. Scientists have been struggling for some time to try and treat this. They haven't found a cure. So a lot of excitement now, Bill.
Yesterday, late yesterday, the FDA approving a new drug, Tsabri (ph). Very interesting. Take a look at it. That's it there. I'm going to tell you how you take it here in a couple of minutes, but the results are pretty important to look at. The relapse frequency, preventing MS from coming back, the relapse frequency reduced by 66 percent if you take this medication. Also has some effectiveness if you actually combine it with another medication that's already out there, Avonex (ph), reducing the frequency by about 53 percent. All these numbers important because the best drugs right now reduce the frequency of coming back MS by about 30 to 35 percent.
For decades, there was no treatment for MS. You had it, there was nothing you could do about it. Over the last 11 years, six new drugs have been approved.
HEMMER: Very significant, too. I'm wondering, coming on the heels of the Vioxx story, the FDA in Washington a week ago, within the medical world, is there much of a cloud that hangs over the FDA now when they hear about a new drug coming online.
GUPTA: This is a drug that was fast-tracked. People recognize the importance of these MS drugs. Distinction should be drawn between a drug like this and Vioxx, for example, which is a very commonly taken drug for aches and pains. This is a drug that takes care of the devastating neurological illness. So I think, yes, I mean, I think the FDA is probably going to have a bit of a cloud over it, although I still think it hasn't taken away the excitement about this particular drug.
HEMMER: All right, Sanjay, thanks. You have a good Thanksgiving, too.
GUPTA: All right, you, too.
HEMMER: OK -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the "Seinfeld" gang reunites for Thanksgiving. Will viewers gobble it up? Plus, what's on the holiday table at Martha Stewart's prison? We've got the menu, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: As we head into the holiday, it is time for our Wednesday edition of "90-Second Pop." The gang is all here this morning. Andy Borowitz, humorist, the big cheese over at BorowitzReport.com.
Hello, big cheese. Nice to see you.
Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine.
Good morning to you.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly."
Hello, hello, hello.
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Good morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the "Seinfeld" reunion. It's not a reunion.
BERNARD: It's more like a clip show. It's true. But we haven't seen these guys on primetime in a long time on NBC. The thing that's funny about this is everyone's talking about how we're going to get to revisit them. They are on TV four times a day.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Eighteen. It's like 18.
BERNARD: Well, 18 in many places. So, I don't really feel like they've ever left. But for people who, you know, want to see what they look like now or whatever, it could be fun. We all know that there is an ulterior motive here going on that is actually to sell the DVD, which comes this week, and for November sweeps for NBC, of course.
SIGESMUND: Now, this DVD is going to be the biggest DVD of all time, certainly.
BERNARD: It will.
SIGESMUND: It has the first three seasons are coming out this week. They have something like 24 hours of behind-the-scenes commentary all on these DVDs. They're expecting the sales to be incredible. And why wouldn't they be, you know?
BERNARD: I feel like "Seinfeld" is the new "Star Trek." You know, they're like -- like instead of Trekkies, there are these people that are obsessed with "Seinfeld." They know all of the dialogue. They recite them to each other. So for them, this is going to be the biggest week. And it's funny, because that was just six years ago that the show went off the air. but TV was so different. It was no reality show. It was, like, the sitcom reigned. And it was kind of a -- it's like a quaint little look back into what TV was like.
BOROWITZ: Well, that show is out on repeat so much I'm sort of wondering what you need the DVDs for. But I'm thinking, like, what if the cable goes out? You want to have something for backup.
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
BOROWITZ: You need to have that.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. Let's talk about "Friends." We've got Lisa Kudrow, who is making a comeback, literally, because her show is called "Comeback." It's on HBO, right?
BOROWITZ: Yes. She's doing this. It's a 13-episode commitment on HBO, and it's going to be produced by one of the guys who did "Sex and the City."
O'BRIEN: What's "Comeback" about?
BOROWITZ: It's sort of autobiographical in a way. It's about she's playing a sitcom star who is now trying to make a comeback. So sort of the show is kind of what it is.
SIGESMUND: And, you know, HBO really needs a comeback, too, because they've lost "Sex and the City." They're losing "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under." And their current shows, like "Deadwood" and "Carnival" and "Entourage," are just not generating the kind of buzz that HBO is used to. And this is the first half an hour series that they have bought since "Sex and the City."
BOROWITZ: Well, I think what's really going to generate the buzz is that this marks Lisa Kudrow's return to serious television after six months here.
BERNARD: Thank god!
BOROWITZ: So the wait is over. This is maybe even more exciting than those "Seinfeld" DVDs.
O'BRIEN: What's the early buzz on it? I mean, I think she's very funny.
BOROWITZ: She is brilliant.
O'BRIEN: So...
BOROWITZ: She is brilliant.
BERNARD: I mean, I think this is a fantastic pairing. I mean, this is almost as good as Donald Trump and Mark Burnett, the two of them together.
BOROWITZ: Right.
BERNARD: Michael Patrick King, the mastermind behind "Sex and the City."
SIGESMUND: And she also she wrote it with Michael Patrick King. And she's a producer. And, you know, she's been wanting to produce shows. She has tried to produce like something five shows in the last year or so.
BERNARD: And she has. She has one CBS and one on UPN. I mean, she is really, I think, the friend that's done the most behind the scenes since the show.
O'BRIEN: Well, good for her. It will be nice to see something replacing "Sex and the City" now.
BERNARD: Oh!
O'BRIEN: All right, Paul McCartney.
SIGESMUND: Yes. O'BRIEN: So, if he has a wardrobe malfunction...
BERNARD: Oh, goodness!
SIGESMUND: I don't think we'll be seeing any...
BERNARD: My! My!
SIGESMUND: Yes. We're not going to see any...
O'BRIEN: That might be worse.
SIGESMUND: No nipple guards for Paul McCartney. No, we have dealt with the fallout from the Super Bowl scandal all year long.
Oh, really?
SIGESMUND: CBS...
O'BRIEN: Gee, that's all we talk about all the time.
SIGESMUND: Fox was fined for showing pixilated nudity in "Married By America." ABC had that thing last week with "Desperate Housewives." A few weeks back ABC's affiliates, some of them didn't want to show "Saving Private Ryan" even.
So, but this decision to have Paul McCartney, the company man for the music industry do the Super Bowl, it's practically a joke, like that you would have this 62-year-old...
BOROWITZ: Because the Muppets weren't available. I'm sure we were going to see "Rainbow Connection." You know, I thought that was...
O'BRIEN: OK, I love that song.
BERNARD: You just spoiled the surprise guest, Andy.
SIGESMUND: Sorry.
O'BRIEN: But as much as you laugh about it, I mean, come on. Paul McCartney, that's huge. I mean, he's...
(CROSSTALK)
SIGESMUND: He did it once before. He did the pre-show just two years ago.
BOROWITZ: Right.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
SIGESMUND: But...
BERNARD: His comeback!
SIGESMUND: Oh, another comeback.
BOROWITZ: I'm going to wait for the DVD.
SIGESMUND: How much older is he than the average CD buyer out there? He's got to be 40 years older than people actually buying and downloading CDs.
O'BRIEN: Well, we wish him luck. So keep your clothes on, Paul. That will be better for all of us.
BOROWITZ: I'll bet he does not perform "Why Don't We do it in the Road," that's my guess. That will not be on the playlist.
O'BRIEN: Oh, I'm so embarrassed.
We're out of time, you guys, as always, thanks.
Bill, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: All right, Soledad.
Break here in a moment. What's on the menu at Thanksgiving for Martha Stewart this year? Andy has that. Back in a moment, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: That's the Baker High School Marching Band from Mobile, Alabama. I'm guessing that they're in town for the parade. Thank you, I can read a sign. And you want to know how I knew that? That's nice.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Intuition.
HEMMER: Nasty weather today, it's going to be even nastier tomorrow. So we'll see if it even goes off. Some people think the winds may be too high. And we saw what happened a few years ago.
SERWER: Oh, really, you mean, cancel it?
HEMMER: Let's don't go there yet. But the weather could be tough.
Good morning.
SERWER: Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: They won't cancel the parade. They may not let the balloons fly, right?
SERWER: Yes. They'll let people get wet.
CAFFERTY: Right.
SERWER: Want to do some markets, a little business news, maybe.
HEMMER: Yes.
SERWER: OK. Stocks trading up this morning, let's go down to the Big Board. Dow is up 19 points, some more languid, supine trading. Things kind of sleepy on Wall Street, in other words. OK. Attention Google shareholders, fasten your seat belts again, analysts at Goldman Sachs put a $200 price target on the stock. That's why it's up $8 this morning to 176 -- 215 the price target, that is.
Half day of trading on Friday. Remember, they don't like to keep the market closed four days in a row. According to "The Wall Street Journal," the U.S. Postal Service is looking to raise rates by 10 percent in early 2005. That would make your first-class stamp go from 37 cents to 41 cents. Postal Service going to do it again and again like Charlie Daniels said.
Martha Stewart and Thanksgiving, I mean, we really feel for her. "Washington Post" has a wonderful story about what it's going to be like in Alderson. No sweet potato spoon bread or cornbread sourdough stuffing. Just regular mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, stuffing. And I like this, the prison officials say we utilize the most cost efficient purchasing options. We go onto the Internet to find the least expensive food stuffs. Of course, the inmates prepare the food, and no family is allowed to share in the celebration. Usually they do let family members eat, they charge each $1.75 for that cost efficient meal in prison. Very different life she's having.
HEMMER: March is right around the corner.
SERWER: That's what she's thinking.
HEMMER: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Jack's got the question of the day.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Soledad. Whether or not Dan Rather's resignation will help or hurt CBS is the thing we've kind of been fiddling with here today. We got A nice note from Ken who is serving with the U.S. Navy in Japan. "CBS anchor Dan Rather hanging it up will mike no difference. I always watch AMERICAN MORNING on CNNJ every night here in Japan. Have a happy Thanksgiving to all of the CNN crew." And to you, Ken.
Linda in Lynchburg, Virginia: "This is the worst mistake CBS has ever made. With all the history of solid journalism he has had, I would think they would have given Rather a pass on this one."
And Brian in Pennsylvania writes: "It's not important that Dan Rather retires, some other self-important talking head will slant the news, present company excluded, of course."
CAFFERTY: Why thank you, Brian, I think.
HEMMER: Hey, we're going to Japan in December as a matter of fact.
CAFFERTY: We are?
HEMMER: Well, a couple of us are going.
CAFFERTY: I'm not going.
SERWER: Have fun.
HEMMER: Hey listen, here's the list. This is why we came to work today, for this. I'm going to do my best Jack Cafferty imitation. We took a collection over the last couple of weeks.
SERWER: Do you have your glasses? Is the mike on?
HEMMER: Mike's on. Soledad, did you steal my glasses again, come on, come on, woman. All right, here we go. I can't even see that darn prompter over there.
"He's a young, good-looking guy, let's see how long it takes before he's queen of the Friday night prom with the folks in San Quentin." Jack Cafferty talking about his favorite buddy, Scott Peterson. Did I really just read that on television?
All right, here's another. "Hemmer -- Jack, I can't wait to sleep this weekend.
"Jack says, I think I'll throw up."
SERWER: Why did that make him nauseous?
CAFFERTY: I think that was taken out of context.
HEMMER: Not at all. We've got the tape. Here's another one.
"It could grow hair on a billiard ball."
CAFFERTY: What was that in reference to?
HEMMER: That was in reference to -- I can tell you, the miracle pill that helps you lose weight and quit smoking at the same time.
"There has been someone in my house with PMS for 35 years." Jack Cafferty on his lovely wife Carol.
CAFFERTY: I have also -- I have raised four daughters. Which means that there are five women in the house. Mathematically...
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: I can't afford a divorce now.
HEMMER: Our favorite Jack Cafferty-ism: "We're all in this alone." Spoken not once but on a daily basis around here on AMERICAN MORNING.
SERWER: The title of his book, no doubt.
HEMMER: I like that.
And at 6:58 this morning, Soledad and I were telling Jack what we did yesterday. We had some big highfalutin meeting with the new boss...
CAFFERTY: We have another new president at CNN.
HEMMER: And Jack says, I wish I could have been there, Bill, but I was out buying a comb.
CAFFERTY: You know, it's the fifth president of CNN in the last five years. I mean, you've been to one of these, you've been to them all. There will be another one next year.
HEMMER: Listen, every two weeks I'm thinking. That is worth the wait.
O'BRIEN: That is worth weight. We'll do it again...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Jack likes to get up and leave in the middle of the segment or not quite before it's finished.
HEMMER: Happy Thanksgiving.
CAFFERTY: You, too.
O'BRIEN: Very funny.
Coming up on CNN, where are the biggest travel delays right now? Reports from around the country coming up in the next hour with Carol Lin and Rick Sanchez on CNN "LIVE TODAY." We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Guess what, we're out of time on this...
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Pull the turkey here.
O'BRIEN: I'm working tomorrow, are you working tomorrow?
Are you working tomorrow?
Are you working tomorrow?
Are you working tomorrow?
SERWER: No.
HEMMER: No. CAFFERTY: No.
O'BRIEN: I'm the big loser with the big "L" on my head this morning. But...
HEMMER: Happy Thanksgiving.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, likewise, have a nice, safe holiday. Let's go to Carol Lin. She's in Atlanta. Rick Sanchez is in New York this morning.
Good morning to you guys.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, I get to be the other guy with the "L" because I'm going to be sitting right there...
O'BRIEN: All right, let's do it.
(MAKES "L" SIGN ON FOREHEAD)
O'BRIEN: Working the holiday.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: You guys have a great holiday.
HEMMER: You do the same.
SANCHEZ: Thanks.
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