Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Busiest Travel Day of the Year; President Bush Heading to Middle East Next Week to Meet With Iraq's Prime Minister

Aired November 22, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody, Wednesday, November 22nd.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

Thanks for being with us.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin about -- talking about travel. Some people, of course, are going by air, some by train, some by car. This is Thanksgiving eve. It's one of the busiest travel days of the year, with millions of Americans heading off to visit friends or make it home for turkey and mashed potatoes.

So we're watching the skies and the rails and the highways for you this morning. And the weather, too. That might help in some cases or delay in other cases travelers.

Reporters all across the country this morning to bring you information you need as you begin heading out the door on your journey.

First up, the airports. CNN has special flight tracker software to give you a better idea of just how the air traffic is looking right now.

Take a look. There it is.

See all the green dots? Wow. So many more planes in the air when you were doing this in the last hour, Miles. These are all the planes in the air as we speak.

Now let's give you the view down below.

Jonathan Freed is live for us at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

Hey, Jonathan. Good morning.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

We're outside here. It's 7:00 in the morning in Chicago. Over the last couple of hours we have seen the traffic just begin to become increasingly intense.

Multiple lanes of traffic here. Skycaps being very busy. We'll go inside and show you how busy it is. But before I do, please, please bear in mind this zone is for loading and unloading only.

All right, let's go inside.

Come on over here.

Hi, how are you? Have a good travel day. Thank you very much.

OK. So over here, this is what we've been seeing today, lots of lines. People here wondering whether or not they're going to have any trouble getting through security because of these quart bags that everybody is supposed to have.

And I just happen to have mine here. It's the 3-1-1 rule, Soledad. You're talking about a one-quart bag, inside of which you can have containers not more than three ounces, and it's one bag per person. That's for liquids, gels, creams, that kind of thing. That's since August, when we've had these increased rules.

About a quarter of a million people, Soledad, are expected to pass through O'Hare Airport alone at its peak Thanksgiving week.

Back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: And how is everybody's mood? They so far look all right.

FREED: Yes, so far right now you can move around a little bit. But, you know, it's 7:00 in the morning, and it looks like it does at noon on average day here at O'Hare.

And people here -- there's a lot of rushing. They get inside, and depending on where they're going, you know, the line is either insane or moderately insane. If it's only moderately insane, you see a brief look of relief from over people's faces.

S. O'BRIEN: That's right, moderately insane is the new good.

Jonathan Freed for us this morning.

Thanks, Jonathan.

FREED: Thanks.

S. O'BRIEN: If you want the latest travel conditions, you can stay with us. In addition to our team of our reporters across the country this morning, we also want to draw your attention to the side and bottom of your screen. Look right there, stream of real travel time updates all day right here on CNN -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: And on the roads, AAA estimates more than 37 million people will drive at least 50 miles from home during the Thanksgiving holiday. Along the more than 2,500 miles of Interstate 40, a special treat for you. If you're a lead foot, you might want to avoid this one. There'll be a trooper just about ever 10 miles along the 2,500- mile stretch of that highway.

Let's go to CNN's Ed Lavandera, who's along I-40 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Good morning, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Well, I think a lot of people, as they're heading out this morning, might like to hear what's going on Interstate 40. These people gassing up, presumably heading either east or west here.

We're just on the outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. And this is a gas station just along Interstate 40. The Smoky Mountains that way, California that way.

As you mentioned, Miles, 2,500 miles. This interstate crosses eight states.

And every 10 miles there will be a trooper. And this isn't just patrol on the ground. We're also told that state agencies will put up air patrols over this interstate throughout the weekend.

Almost 460 people died on U.S. -- in U.S. highway accidents last year, this Thanksgiving weekend. And the troopers who are going to be out here this weekend hope that what they're doing here goes a long way in dropping those number and the number of fatalities along the roadways.

And because of that, they say we'll have a no-tolerance policy as to what will be happening on the roadways. So if you've got a busted taillight, if you're speeding, not wearing a seat belt, anything that is out of the ordinary is the kinds of things the troopers will be on the lookout for this weekend.

Right now, everything moving rather smoothly and swiftly on Interstate 40. An overcast day here in Tennessee. And traffic moving smoothly -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Ed Lavandera, along Interstate 40.

Thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: You know, just fewer than one percent of those traveling this weekend are going to be taking to the rails. We are, of course, a car-crazy country. That doesn't mean, though, on Amtrak you're going to be able to spread out and take up a couple of seats.

CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff went inside Amtrak's command center. He's at New York's Penn Station this morning.

Hey, Allan. Good morning.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad. That command center is going to be very busy later today. Right now you can see Penn Station is busy mainly with commuters, but there certainly are some early birds getting on board Amtrak trains.

Today is going to be the busiest day of the year for Amtrak -- 125,000 passengers expected. That's 80 percent more than on a typical weekday.

We do have one passenger over here who's heading home for the holidays, Cassandra Young (ph).

Cassandra (ph), where are you heading?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Plattsburgh, New York.

CHERNOFF: Now, that's how far from here by train?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two hours from here by train, and then another two hours to go where I actually live.

CHERNOFF: That's a nice haul. I hope your parents are making a nice Thanksgiving dinner.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes. I actually have two Thanksgivings with my family for both sides. So...

CHERNOFF: You know, if you do decide, you can actually have Thanksgiving dinner also on board the train.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh really?

CHERNOFF: They serve turkey and cranberry sauce.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I didn't know that.

CHERNOFF: Are you going to order some?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe. We'll see. I just ate breakfast, so, yes.

CHERNOFF: It sounds like you're going to wait for mom's turkey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CHERNOFF: Good idea.

Well, Soledad, there is the option for those who do want to eat on board the train. In fact, those heading to Miami later today, that's a 30-hour trip. I would order some Thanksgiving dinner right on board.

S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely. With a side dish of M&Ms. Why not?

Allan Chernoff for us this morning.

Thanks, Allan -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: It sounds good, actually.

For a check of the latest travel forecast, we will go to CNN Center right now. Rob Marciano is there, in for Chad Myers, who is off for the holiday.

Hello, Chad. I mean Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Miles. Chad actually may be playing golf today.

M. O'BRIEN: He's probably doing it outside, too, which is a good idea. Outside.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Passport, we will need a stinking passport if we are planning a flight to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas anytime soon. Starting January 23rd, U.S. citizens who fly back from those locations will need a passport to get back in the U.S., instead of the driver's license that is currently required. Rules are still the same for those traveling by road into Canada and Mexico, but passports will be required for those trips by 2008.

Now, if you want travel tips any time of the day or night, we invite you to go to our Web site, cnn.com/holidaytravel. Real-time information there. We set up a special page with all the information you need to get you through the holiday rush -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: New this morning in the fight for Iraq, the White House is announcing that President Bush is going to head to the Middle East next week to meet with Iraq's prime minister.

Let's get right to CNN's White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux. She's live at the White House for us this morning.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, Soledad.

This certainly is a significant development for these leaders to meet face to face. You may recall the first time President Bush met the Iraqi leader, his surprise trip to Baghdad, he said he looked him in the eye, and this was a man that he thought he could work with and who he could trust. Since then, of course, both these men's leadership has been questioned to whether or not they can actually turn things around and make things successful inside of that country.

Now, we are told the two leaders are going to focus on a number of priorities. First and foremost, is increasing the training of Iraqi security forces, also facilitating reconciliation between the warring factions inside of Iraq, cracking down on these militia groups, and also trying to establish a way for Iraq's neighbors to get involved in some sort of constructive way. Now, this is going to be held on neutral territory. That is in Amman, Jordan. It is going to be a brief meeting, we're told. But, of course, as you know, Soledad, this really comes at a critical time for both leaders here.

Their leadership questioned on this issue. And President Bush under increasing pressure to try to turn things around.

You have a bipartisan commission that's going to release a study in a couple of weeks, an internal investigation, as well, as the Pentagon. All of these different groups trying to work on some sort of way to end the violence in Iraq and see if they can make some significant changes -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House for us this morning.

Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, investigators on the scene of that school bus crash in Alabama the other day. A fourth student has died from that crash. Investigators say the car that hit the bus before it fell off the overpass had two flat tires.

The bus dragged the car about a hundred feet along the guardrail before going over the edge. So unclear when those tires were flattened.

Lebanon beginning three days of mourning for the anti-Syrian cabinet minister shot down in Beirut. President Bush has called the killing an act of terrorism. And the U.N. Security Council is condemning the act as well.

U.S. military officials at the Pentagon say they will wait until after next week's NATO summit before deciding whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. They agree more boots are needed on the ground there, but they first want to see how many troops NATO will send.

And the safest place to hit a golf ball is in space, not on our set. That will happen today on the International Space Station, so it is planned, when a Russian man is doing a golf club promotion for a Canadian company. If it all goes well, it will be an all-universe record for a six iron shot. Trillions and trillions of yards, literally.

S. O'BRIEN: That's a good shot.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Heading out the door, on the roads today, we hope you don't have to call AAA for any help. Instead, we have AAA coming to us. We'll preview what you can expect in your drive today. Plus, developments from the arrest of those Muslim clerics who were pulled off an airplane. Were they the threat or were they the victims of ethnic profiling?

We'll take a look straight ahead. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: A beautiful morning in Dallas, Texas. Thank you, WFAA, for that wonderful shot. Sunny, high of 72. There won't be any weather-related delays at DFW. But that doesn't mean you won't be delayed, however.

If you are traveling today or this weekend, most likely you are going by car. About nine out of 10 Americans on the move this weekend will be traveling that way. And that will make for some wild scenes on the nation's highways.

AAA spokesman Mantill Williams joins us now from Alexandria, Virginia, with more.

Mantill, good morning. Good to have you with us on the program.

MANTILL WILLIAMS, AAA SPOKESMAN: Good morning, Miles. Thanks for having me.

M. O'BRIEN: Tell us about the trends in travel on the roads this year.

WILLIAMS: Well, right now, overall, we're expecting almost 32 million people will be traveling by car. And as you said, that's about nine out of 10 people. So about 83 percent of people will be traveling by car. But it's the strongest growth we've seen, actually, in holiday travel so far this year.

M. O'BRIEN: And that comes despite a little bit of an uptick in gas prices. People just aren't bothered by gas prices, are they?

WILLIAMS: Exactly. If you look at where we were this summer, Miles, we were almost at the record high, at $3.03 a gallon. Right now, we're about at $2.23 for self-serve regular unleaded.

So I think those lower gas prices, compared to the other travel holidays, that sort of motorists are welcoming that. And I think that might be encouraging more people to be traveling this time.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, we talk a lot about today being one of the busiest days for travel. I think a lot of people will be surprised by this next graphic. We found it on the Department of Transportation site.

It turns out that really the busiest day -- there's a lot of graphs there -- the busiest day is Thanksgiving Day. The blue graph on Thanksgiving day are auto trips, 50 to 99 miles. The orange is for trips of 100 miles or plus. So it makes sense that on the day of Thanksgiving you'd have the shorter trips. But nevertheless, a lot of people would tell you, oh, you know, Thursday is a good day to travel. Not necessarily so, is it?

WILLIAMS: Well, actually, Thursday is a pretty good day to travel. The difference in today and Thursday is travel is going to be highly concentrated in the afternoon. But Thursday travel is pretty much spread out throughout the day. So Thursday really isn't a bad day to travel, but, yes, you're right, more people travel by car on Thursday than any day during this holiday period.

M. O'BRIEN: But as you say, because people have dinner at various times, that makes it spread out and so it's not as much of a problem. That makes sense.

Tell us about this Interstate 40. We've been talking to Ed Lavandera. He's in Knoxville, Tennessee, along Interstate 40.

There's going to be a trooper there every 10 miles. They're going to be looking for people with broken taillights and all that. It doesn't seem like it's in the spirit of the holiday, but nevertheless, trying to keep people safe.

At there any other places that people should beware of added enforcement?

WILLIAMS: Yes. I think people need to keep in mind that although they are on vacation, it's time for holiday and fun, state troopers and law enforcement officials, they will not be on vacation. So if you speed, if you drink and drive, if you don't wear a seat belt, more than likely you're probably going to get a ticket.

So people need to keep in mind that they need to take their time, don't break any speed records. Make sure you buckle up before you go out. And definitely don't drink and drive when you're on the road.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Those are good words to end it with.

Mantill Williams, with AAA in Alexandria.

Thanks. And have a happy Thanksgiving.

WILLIAMS: All right. Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: All right -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Seventeen minutes past the hour. If you're heading out the door, let's get a quick check of the traveler's forecast for you.

Rob Marciano is in for Chad this morning.

Hey, Rob.

MARCIANO: Hi, Soledad. (WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, "Forbes" is out with a ranking of the rich and famous. And the question is, who is richer, Lex Luthor or Scrooge McDuck? This is for real, folks. Well, kind of real. We'll tell you about that.

And nothing better than talking turkey with your rabidly political brother-in-law, or maybe you're a red-stater and you're going into blue state territory. Lots to talk about around the divided dinner table, along with the turkey, giblets and gravy.

Stay with us and we'll tell you how to keep it peaceful.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Got cooking questions? If you're the chef the family, tomorrow morning, of course, is all about cooking your turkey.

That thing scares me every time it runs across the screen.

E-mail us with any of your cooking concerns at turkey@cnn.com.

I don't have the answers, but we'll be checking with the experts at Butterball.

Some questions already coming in, like this one: Rick in Maryland asks this: "What's the best way to thaw your 12-pound turkey?"

M. O'BRIEN: A lot of thawing questions about turkeys, right?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why are we just -- why don't we just -- be able to directly e-mail Butterball? Why are they sending us the question and then we're sending them to Butterball?

S. O'BRIEN: Because people have this sense that I'm such a great cook.

M. O'BRIEN: Because they like this.

VELSHI: Is this an advertising deal?

M. O'BRIEN: I don't believe there's any...

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, for god's sake, what's your problem? The best way -- stop -- to thaw your turkey is...

VELSHI: I'm "Minding Your Business".

S. O'BRIEN: ... to stick it in hot water and keep changing the hot water every 30 minutes.

VELSHI: OK.

S. O'BRIEN: It will take you about five to nine hours.

M. O'BRIEN: Just don't be in the bathtub at the same time.

VELSHI: It will take five to nine hours to thaw your turkey like that?

S. O'BRIEN: Is that right? I don't know. Let me look it up.

Is that right?

M. O'BRIEN: What do you know? You've never cooked a turkey. You don't know anything about...

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: Cold water. Not hot water, cold water.

Will you stop? What's up with you?

M. O'BRIEN: "Forbes" is out with a list of rich people. And we're not talking about Bill Gates.

VELSHI: We're talking about the "Forbes" 15 list of fictional rich people. This is kind of funny.

I'm not going to go through 15. I want to tell you the one that I like almost the best is number nine, Prince Abakaliki of Nigeria. You may have never heard of him -- actually, you probably have.

He sends e-mails to all of us. Prince Abakaliki is apparently in confinement, but despite his confinement, he has a broadband connection and he sends e-mails to everybody asking him -- asking you to help him get your hands on his father's $50 million U.S.

M. O'BRIEN: Right.

VELSHI: And if you were just simply to help him do that, he'll give you 30 percent of it. He apparently...

M. O'BRIEN: I'm sorry, is that a scam?

VELSHI: You've been helping Prince Abakaliki?

M. O'BRIEN: I've been helping him out, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: We don't have a picture of Prince Abakaliki, but, yes, he's coming up with a lot of money for you.

Jed Clampett number five. That's pretty obvious. Jed Clampett is in the oil business.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, he's doing well.

VELSHI: Beverly Hills. So he's back on the list.

And number two is C. Montgomery Burns, Charles Montgomery Burns. He's the owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in "The Simpsons," made a deal with Kim Jong-Il. Says here that he's also a collector of priceless historical artifacts, including the only existing nude photo of Mark Twain.

Number one on the list -- Santa Claus has been bumped, by the way.

M. O'BRIEN: No, Santa Claus was taken off the list because, first of all, people get very upset when he's called a fictional character.

VELSHI: Right, because he's real.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Secondly, it's a limitless amount of wealth...

VELSHI: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: ... because he can go everywhere and give everybody presents.

S. O'BRIEN: And he doesn't measure it in money.

M. O'BRIEN: Impossible to quantify. Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: It's in love and happiness.

VELSHI: It's love. Love and happiness.

However, Daddy Warbucks does measure it in money. And he's number one on the list because he's a defense contractor, he's an ex- U.S. Army general. And he has -- you know, defense contractors doing very well because there's a lot of, you know, stuff to sell.

So Daddy Warbucks is there, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Warbucks separated at birth? There he is. He's your uncle. It's your Uncle -- Uncle...

VELSHI: Uncle Daddy.

M. O'BRIEN: ... Daddy.

S. O'BRIEN: Take your glasses off for a second.

VELSHI: Should I take the glasses off?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, that's about -- there you go.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's pretty good.

S. O'BRIEN: Chin up a little, chin up a little.

M. O'BRIEN: Chin up. Chin up. That's it.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, there you go.

M. O'BRIEN: You are it.

VELSHI: There we go.

S. O'BRIEN: Congratulations.

VELSHI: Once again, I'm not anywhere close to being -- I'm not fictionally rich or really rich.

M. O'BRIEN: Buy Google.

All right.

Coming up on the program...

VELSHI: I'm going to be tuning in for more of that turkey information.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. All right.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. We'll talk about that later.

VELSHI: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you for ruining my segment. I appreciate that.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, new information out this morning about troop levels in Iraq. Are there enough Marines on the ground to get the job done?

And blatant discrimination or a real threat? Some new details coming out on the arrests of six Muslim clerics yanked off of a plane.

We'll have details for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: The great escape. Millions of Americans are making their holiday getaway today. Some wet weather, though, is already raising stress levels and slowing travel.

M. O'BRIEN: Fiery blast. An early-morning propane explosion tortures homes and businesses just North of Boston.

S. O'BRIEN: And fighting back. Those Muslim religious leaders who were pulled off a plane after praying are calling for a boycott of one airline.

Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Wednesday November 22nd, Thanksgiving eve.

I'm Miles O'Brien. S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.

Thanks for being with us.

Let's begin with what's happening this morning.

Investigators are on the scene of that school bus crash in Alabama yet again today. A fourth student has died from her injuries. Investigators say the car that hit the bus was found with two flat tires and the bus dragged the car about 100 feet along the guardrail before the bus finally went over the edge.

In Lebanon, they're beginning three days of mourning for the anti-Syrian cabinet minister who was shot down in Beirut. President Bush has called the killing an act of terrorism, and the U.N. Security Council has also condemned the act.

President Bush is to meet with Iraq's minister, Nouri al-Maliki, next week in Jordan amid a lot of talk about a change of strategy in the war in Iraq. The White House, though, playing down expectations, saying they expect no big announcement.

News from the Pentagon this morning. The Marine Corps is concerned with maintaining troop levels in Iraq. Are there enough Marines to get the job done?

CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon for us this morning with more.

Hey, Jamie. Good morning.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, something's got to give. That was the message from the brand new commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Conway. Conway sat down for a breakfast meeting with a small group of reporters here at the Pentagon. His concern -- Marines are supposed to be deployed for about seven months at a time and then get about 14 months off, but he said, given the current commitments in Iraq, the marines who are going over for seven-month tours are going back after only seven or eight months. And that, he says, is putting too much strain on the force and preventing the Marines from doing some of the other things they're supposed to be doing, in order to be ready for other contingencies.

But here's the other surprising part, Soledad, General Conway, who's a member of the joint chiefs, has no idea if the new strategy in Iraq is going to call for even more troops, a surge of troops. He's waiting to hear what comes out of those various strategy reviews before he makes any recommendations. But he's thinking one of two ways - either the demand on the Marines is going to have to be lessened somewhat or the Marine Corps of about 180,000 troops is going to have to be increased so he can meet the demand.

And here's the other thing he said. The investigation into the alleged killings of civilians in Haditha a year ago, those investigations have wrapped up and he's expecting that within a week or so, the Marines involved will find out if they'll be charged with any crimes, after more than ten months of investigation. It looks like we're going to get the final word on what prosecutors think should be done in terms of the allegations of wrongdoing there -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Many people waiting for that. Jamie McIntyre for us this morning. Thanks Jamie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: You want the latest travel conditions, stay with us. In addition to our team of reporters, we are running a stream of realtime travel updates right there at the bottom of your screen. Over there as well. Stay with us all day on the tube, but if you're in the car, don't forget us, XM radio channel 122 -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, nothing goes together better than turkey, family, and politics. I'm being sarcastic. For years, Republicans in the family have had reasons to crow -- Democrats plenty of reasons to argue back. Now this year the tables have turned. Just how do divided families plan to get along on Thanksgiving Day? CNN's Chris Lawrence has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet political consultant Matt Klink ...

MATT KLINK, REPUBLICAN SUPPORTER: I'm a conservative California Republican.

LAWRENCE: And his father-in-law, Dr. Irving Ackerman.

DR. IRVING ACKERMAN, DEMOCRATIC SUPPORTER: I'm what people would call a bleeding heart liberal.

LAWRENCE: Some families fight over turkey and stuffing, these guys -- stem cells and taxes.

KLINK: We are oil and water.

LAWRENCE: And it's all part of the holiday mix.

(on camera): Let's talk turkey, so to speak. President Bush.

KLINK: Good but having a rough go of it as of late.

ACKERMAN: A disaster from start to finish.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): This Thanksgiving it's the Republicans feeling a little blue.

(on camera): Let me throw out another topic, the midterm elections. ACKERMAN: Wonderful.

KLINK: Bad.

ACKERMAN: How sweet it is. It was just what I had hoped for but didn't think was going to happen.

KLINK: For me, it was worse than I could have even anticipated.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): United in love for Irving's daughter, Matt's wife and kids, but divided over the war in Iraq.

ACKERMAN: We should not have been in the war in the first place. Our management of it has been abysmal.

KLINK: I just get frustrated when I see what I consider the pacifist left. They're more interested in pulling out because they want another Vietnam to rally around than they are in finishing the job and getting out.

LAWRENCE: The one thing they do agree on -- Hillary Clinton.

ACKERMAN: I think she would make a fine president and an excellent first woman president.

KLINK: I would thoroughly endorse a Hillary Clinton run for president because it will mean four more years of Republicans.

LAWRENCE: Like millions of other families, they're a dinner table divided, but one that can teach a lesson in civility to both sides of Washington.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: So, what can a family do to keep politics from boiling over this Thanksgiving? Dr. Karen Binder-Brynes is a psychologist who specializes in family issues. She is with us this morning. Nice to see you. You look at these guys in this family, and they seem, even when they disagree, they're sort of jovial and friendly about it. Not all families are like that. Should there be a policy over Thanksgiving, just say no, no politics -- you know for families that are kind of divided -- no politics. You're not allowed to discuss it.

DR. KAREN BINDER-BRYNES, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, many families do create truces and they say that they're not going to discuss politics. One thing to think about is definitely not to discuss politics at the dinner table. And some people suggest even saying things like let's set a time aside over the weekend to talk politics. Uncle Joe, can I talk politics with you on Sunday afternoon?

S. O'BRIEN: Because you can't leave the dinner table. I mean, it makes a bigger -- just getting up and walking away, which might be sort of advice for what to do when you feel attacked, you can't really do that at the dinner table without suddenly complicating everything else.

BINDER-BRYNES: That's right. And one thing that I would say is that when people argue politics, they often don't listen to each other. What they do is they immediately mount their argument. So, one suggestion that I give to some of my patients is at least listen to the other person's opinion and don't try to argue. And if people agree that this year we're just going to listen to each other's opinion and not necessarily try to change each other's opinion, that might help.

S. O'BRIEN: It's your first tip -- keep an open mind. Your second tip is to keep it funny. What do you mean?

BINDER-BRYNES: Absolutely. Injecting humor, especially this year with all the political implications.

S. O'BRIEN: Drama, shall we say.

BINDER-BRYNES: Drama. That always injecting humor is funny. People bring sometimes political cartoons that they found that are funny. Kids can add humor, but definitely try to keep humor wherever you can. Laugh when you can. It always un-does stress.

S. O'BRIEN: Take a break. There is a value to just pushing away from wherever and say I'm out, I'm done. I don't want to have this conversation.

BINDER-BRYNES: Mental health breaks. When you're surrounded by family and you're feeling crowded and -- one thing I do want to say before that is that since 9/11, many, many national polls have shown that people actually like to spend more time with family than ever. And when families are together, it's very important, one of the things that people report they like to do is reminisce. So, rather than talk about politics all the time, talk about the past. Talk about ...

S. O'BRIEN: Take out the family album.

BINDER-BRYNES: Absolutely. It always counteracts this stress that occurs from politics.

S. O'BRIEN: Pick something else to argue about. Karen Binder- Brynes is a psychologist. Do you have an uptick in the number of patients visits you have during this time of year?

BINDER-BRYNES: I do have an uptick in the number of patient visits, but it's unbelievable. There was a Gallup poll done a couple of years ago that showed that 76 percent of people polled have sleep problems between Thanksgiving and New Years, and it's due to some of these family stressful vacations.

S. O'BRIEN: I find the holidays very stressful. I completely agree with that poll. Nice to see you, thank you.

BINDER-BRYNES: But it's good to be with family. It's a place where we feel connected and if people can just remember that, I think it will help. S. O'BRIEN: And eat a lot.

BINDER-BRYNES: That's right.

S. O'BRIEN: Nice to see you as always and thank you. And happy Thanksgiving, of course.

BINDER-BRYNES: You too.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: In New York, the lighter-than-air tribute to the holiday retail frenzy is taking shape today. Macy's parade workers will be inflating Kermit, Snoopy, Bullwinkle and Rocky with helium today. This, despite a world-wide helium shortage -- who knew? The parade team proved they're not lightweights though -- they bought their supply far in advance, well before the gas became scarce.

The turkey isn't even out of the freezer. Guess what? we're talking about Christmas. This afternoon in Leighton, Pennsylvania, they'll cut down one of the Christmas trees heading for the White House. This one headed for the Blue Room -- 18 and a half foot Douglas Fir.

And another holiday tradition, a presidential pardon for a pair of turkeys. This is one of last year's winners, Marshmallow, his alternate not seeing yam. At 10:30 eastern, Mr. Bush will enter the Rose Garden to spare another pair of gobblers from the axe as is presidential custom. After the ceremony, the lucky winners are flying first class to Disneyland to join the cast of the holiday show there. Now you have a few minutes left, about 20 minutes left to vote for a name for the winners this year. Whitehouse.gov is the site. The choices are: Ben and Franklin, Plymouth and Rock, Washington and Lincoln, Corn and Copia, Flyer and Frier. So vote now.

Coming up, new information on those Muslim clerics who say they were pulled off of a flight because they are Muslims. And all morning long, we're keeping an eye on your Thanksgiving travel forecast. The latest when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Was it a case of religious and ethnic profiling, or the investigation of a legitimate danger? New questions this morning about the arrest of six Islamic imams who were pulled off a U.S. airways flight.

CNN's Dan Simon has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm asking you to please leave our ticket counter right now.

OMAR SHAHIN, NORTH AMERICAN IMAMS FEDERATION: I am going to leave. I am... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I have given you a number that you can contact.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It had the look and feel of a reality television show...

SHAHIN: This is obvious discrimination. Nobody can argue with me on that.

SIMON: ... as this Muslim leaders clashes with a U.S. Airways ticket agent, less than 24 hours after being pulled off a plane. News cameras were there as the clerics demanded answers.

SHAHIN: We are American. Our loyalty to this country. And they are -- discriminate us.

SIMON: The trouble started in Minneapolis last night, when a passenger passed a note to a flight attendant, expressing concern about the behavior of six Muslim clerics bound for Phoenix.

The clerics were in town for a meeting of the North American Imams Federation. Police boarded the plan prior to takeoff, and took them into custody. The men say they were handcuffed and humiliated.

SHAHIN: They make us stand there for 45 minutes, have no right to talk, no -- don't do this. Don't do that. And they brought dogs to search for -- if we have anything suspicious.

SIMON: The imams say the only thing they could have done to draw attention was conduct their normal evening prayers in the terminal prior to boarding, and, today, say they are victims of blatant religious discrimination.

SHAHIN: It's worst moment in my life, when I see six imams being taken off the plane without any reason, any. There is no reason to do that.

SIMON: But the Department of Homeland Security tells CNN, the concerned passenger claimed to have heard the group making anti-U.S. statements. All six imams said they simply did nothing wrong.

MOHAMMED ABUHANNOUD, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: They were humiliated, and in the view of other passengers, which is very, very inappropriate, to treat religious leaders that way.

SIMON: The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for congressional hearings on religious and ethnic profiling in the wake of the incident.

BUSHRA KHAN, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: We are concerned that crew members, passengers, and security personnel may have succumb to fear and prejudice, based on stereotyping of Muslims and Islam.

SIMON: U.S. Airways released a statement, saying -- quote -- "We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, and will continue to exhaust our internal investigation, until we know the facts of this case and can provide answers for the employees and customers involved in this incident."

As for imams, they eventually got home to Phoenix today on another airline. Surrounded by friends and family, they say we haven't heard the last of them.

SHAHIN: I will never allow ignorance to destroy my beloved America.

SIMON: Although they say it is no consolation, the group says they have been promised a refund from U.S. Airways.

(on camera): We're getting a better understanding in terms of why the airline did what it did. The Associated Press got its hands on a police report. That report says three of the clerics had one-way tickets to Phoenix and no checked luggage. It also says that some of them asked for seatbelt extensions, and the flight attendant felt like it wasn't necessary. Even so, the clerics say they may file a lawsuit.

Dan Simon, CNN, Tempe, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(NEWSBREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: CNN NEWSROOM just moments away. Heidi Collins at the CNN Center with a look at ahead.

Hello, Heidi.

COLLINS: Hello there, Miles.

That's right. We have several stories we're working on for NEWSROOM this morning. Travel crunch, millions of people heading to their Thanksgiving meal, hoping it won't be a cold play once they arrive.

And strategies for Friday shopping. Gerri Willis will be live in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, Mideast mourning: Our guests tell how a political murder in Lebanon could impact American troops in Iraq.

Also, tee time. A space traveler about to hit a golf ball around the world. The stunt earning Russia a few rubles. Tony Harris and I will be talking about that.

And, Miles, we're going to reenact a little event that we saw happen on AMERICAN MORNING. By the way, my 5-year-old, Riley, has several tips for you. He says that was a slice.

M. O'BRIEN: The first tip is never play golf indoors, which his mom probably told him about.

COLLINS: Or maybe whiffle ball. You know, they make those whiffle balls.

M. O'BRIEN: And a good idea, all good ideas.

S. O'BRIEN: The 5-year-old has the tips.

M. O'BRIEN: The 5-year-old knows all these things, are quite evident now.

Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, you're welcome.

M. O'BRIEN: Play it over and over again. Go ahead. Might as well go down big.

"ANDERSON COOPER 360" airs weeknights at 10:00 Eastern. John Roberts is in for Anderson with a look at what's ahead on the program tonight -- John.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Miles, tonight black boxes, not just in airliners, in your car, too, keeping track of your driving. They help after accidents, but do they also put Big Brother in the passenger seat along with you? "360," tonight, 10:00 Eastern -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, John. Before you head home for the holiday, we have got one last check of your travel forecast. What you can expect out there today and tomorrow ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: That's all from us on this AMERICAN MORNING. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com