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American Morning

Pierre Gemayel Funeral; Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; Family Reunion for Soldier in Iraq; Bombings Across Sadr City, Iraq

Aired November 23, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Another martyr for Lebanon, a country in crisis. Thousands turn out in Beirut to pay tribute to a fallen leader.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And today, of course, it's all about eating. We'll all eat probably a ton.

Today, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at how to prepare your food safely so you can eat like a king.

M. O'BRIEN: It's cold, it's wet, it's miserable, it's windy. Perfect day for parade in New York City.

Those stories and more, just ahead.

Good morning to you. Happy Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23rd.

I'm Miles O'Brien.

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

Thanks for being with us.

Let's begin this morning in Lebanon. It's a nation in crisis now. And mourning is mixing with outrage at the funeral of a rising politician who dared to speak out against the Syrian influence in his country.

Thousands gathering for the funeral of Pierre Gemayel. He was cornered and gunned down on Tuesday as he left for church. He is the sixth anti-Syrian leader who's been killed in Lebanon in the last two years.

Brent Sadler is in Beirut this morning for us covering this event.

Brent, good morning.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Soledad.

A lot of noise coming out of Martyrs' Square here, the funeral procession of Pierre Gemayel coming to a close here. Let me recap.

The center of the town here has been paralyzed by heavy security, as tens of thousands of supporters and mourners gathered to express sorrow and outrage at the assassination Tuesday of a young Maronite Catholic cabinet minister gunned down in a professional hit with silence weapons in broad daylight. He was a leading member of the anti-Syrian majority here that backs the western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora that has been under intense pressure from the Syria and Iranian alliance that Hezbollah is a part of to topple the Siniora government.

That's been leading to intense political friction. And the killing of such a prominent anti-Syrian Christian has really triggered deep concerns that this country is continuing to spiral out of control, not only politically, but violently as well, with many people, Soledad, fearing that this kind of political meltdown could trigger the kind of sectarian violent rivalry we've seen in the past.

One of the most important moments came when Saad Hariri, the son and political heir of assassinated former prime minister Rafik Hariri, joined on the stage with the father of the slain minister, Amin Gemayel, himself a former president, to respond to the massive crowd. The funeral service both a time for sorrow, but more importantly in the political front, a real challenge to Hezbollah and its allies, Syria and Iran -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler for us this morning.

Thank you, Brent.

Happening this morning, a sobering new report to tell you about. Last month was the deadliest month in Iraq since the U.S. invasion three and a half years ago. The United Nations counts 3,700 civilian deaths in Iraq in the month of October alone.

The Iraqi government is disputing that number, says it's not based on any official reports. The U.N., though, says it got the number from the Iraqi Health Ministry and the Baghdad morgue.

The U.S. loosening up some copyright rules. It makes life a little easier for cell phone users who are trying to switch to a new company.

The Copyright Office is now allowing phone owners to break the software locks that restrict them from changing carriers. Left in place, though, strict rules that make it illegal for people to copy DVDs for use on their iPods.

Comedian Michael Richards is now in full damage control mode after that racist tirade in L.A. last week. He's apologizing.

Talked to both Jesse Jackson and the Reverend Al Sharpton. Did it on advice from his crisis management expert who's helping him deal with the public backlash. Jackson says Richards is embarrassed and remorseful and confused.

O.J. Simpson is confirming what many people were saying about his book and interview deal, that he did it for blood money. He told The Associated Press that he made it clear to his children before he went ahead with the "If I Did It" project. Both the book and interview is a hypothetical account of how he may have killed their mother and her friend Ron Goldman back in 1994, if he did it.

Simpson said he got paid in advance. Didn't say how much. He says the money is for his kids.

And if you're hitting the road this morning, you might want to get an early start. AAA is saying 38 million people will drive at least 50 miles on this Thanksgiving holiday. Five million people, it's estimated, will fly.

Roads and airports already backed up in the South and Northeast because of the rain, and other airports are reporting minor delays right now. Of course, that could change as the weather changes.

And take a look at these pictures. Yes, this is the -- where is this, Ramsey, New Jersey, train platform. And these are wild turkeys. Look at those little guys trying to get on a train and get out of town before the holiday so they don't get put on the dining room table.

M. O'BRIEN: I think somebody put some turkey feed out there.

S. O'BRIEN: You know, Miles doesn't think this is real, but actually, wild turkeys are not uncommon in that area. And some others had been -- they've reported some other turkeys similar to this group that had almost caused some accidents on the highway. So maybe -- I think it could be possible.

Trying to get out of town, man. Thanksgiving's coming.

M. O'BRIEN: So they're either trying to get out of town or just throw themselves in front of the train and get it over with.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, no.

M. O'BRIEN: One or the other.

S. O'BRIEN: No. I think they were trying to get out. It wasn't clear where they were trying to go. It wasn't clear if anybody ever let them on a train.

It was clear if they were charged for the ride. We don't know. But those are turkeys, and those are the pictures from a Web cam.

Now there are traveling turkey to tell you about. Take a look at this. That's President Bush, who had just pardoned this little guy here. They named him Flyer, from Fryer and Flyer. Those are the names that one yesterday.

That was the -- the Rose Garden.

M. O'BRIEN: My choices.

S. O'BRIEN: Your choices, not mine.

He's going to serve as grand marshal, that little turkey -- big turkey -- in the Disney Thanksgiving Day Parade, and then he's going to head to the Big Thunder Ranch to live out his days as a saved turkey tourist attraction.

That's a happy ending to what could have been a very bad ending for him.

M. O'BRIEN: What happened to Flyer and Fryer.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: As for those taking the train, that's another story.

In New York, the balloons are inflated and tied down like Gulliver. Now the question is, will the weather blow up in the faces of the parade organizers?

To give you a hint of which way the wind is blowing on this story, our own Jason Carroll is out there in his official CNN-issued hurricane gear.

Jason, how are things going?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's wet. It's wet. And the parade's about to sort of get under way. That's why you have got all of these band members sort of rushing through right now, getting ready to head out to get into position. Everyone paying attention to the wind conditions, not the rain, but the wind.

What now parade officials are doing, a final walk-through of the parade route, checking all of the wind stations. There are seven of them along the parade route to see how things are going.

Right now, it's a go, but we're still going to wait. They tell us it will be a few (ph) minutes or so before they make the final decision.

What we've got right now -- very quickly, I've got to get them in because they've got to go get into position -- four members of Macy's Great American Marching Band.

How are you guys doing? You look so cold. I feel so sorry for you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, it's great to be here. It's a great experience. Thanks for having us today.

CARROLL: Where you from?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from LaGrange, Georgia.

CARROLL: And how about you? Where are you from?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From Tomball, Texas.

CARROLL: And you, I want to get you in very quickly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Acworth, Georgia.

CARROLL: Georgia.

And you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm from Woodbridge, Virginia.

CARROLL: OK, you guys. Go, get into position. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much!

CARROLL: Thank you. Thank you.

Once again, they're doing a quick run-through. You can see all the optimism that's going on out here, Miles. Everyone seems to be optimistic that those balloons that you see right over there are going to be a go.

So far, wind has not been a real problem. It's been the rain. We'll keep you posted.

Back to you.

M. O'BRIEN: She was just a frozen Popsicle and it hasn't even started.

Tell me, Jason, we keep talking about how the balloon handlers have been training for all this. How do they get them ready to do this? How do they train them?

CARROLL: You know what they do? They take them out to a field outside of the city, and they -- they blow up balloons, much bigger than the ones that just hit me.

And they have them out there. And they actually run them through different scenarios with these -- with a very large balloon, teaching them how to handle the balloon, how to get slack when you need slack, how to tighten it if it needs to be tightened. And so they go through sort of training sessions like that before they come out to do the big event.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a very unusual skill to put on the resume. Balloon handler. You know? You can go work for the Goodyear blimp or something.

All right, Jason. Be careful out there, and stay warm.

Let's get a check of the forecast now.

He said so far it's a go, Rob. I mean, once again, those numbers are 23 miles an hour sustained winds. Anything above that -- and then gusts exceeding 34 miles an hour.

We're right on the bubble, aren't we?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, a heartwarming holiday get-together via satellite. We'll reunite a U.S. soldier in Iraq with his wife and baby daughter that he's never met.

Plus, a Thanksgiving "House Call" from Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He'll tell us how to make sure your feast is properly cooked and safe to eat.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: It's the holiday season, which means a time for families to be together. But that is not the case for the thousands of families who have soldiers who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Specialist Craig Victorino is spending his Thanksgiving in Mosul with the 3rd Stryker Brigade. And his family is right next to me here in New York, his wife Ashlei Victorino, and their new baby, Caitlin (ph), Rose and Al Victorino, his mom and dad.

Good morning to all of you.

Craig, we're going to talk to you in just a second. I want to check in, though, with your mom and dad and your wife and your new baby first.

Ashlei, how does it look seeing him?

Want to pop him up again, you guys?

How does it look seeing him? How does he look to you when you see him on the monitor?

ASHLEI VICTORINO, CRAIG'S WIFE: Great. I just want you home.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh. Oh. It's got to be tough. New baby. She's four months old.

How are you holding up? I mean, just having a new baby is hard enough, but with him gone and so far away, how are you doing?

ASHLEI VICTORINO: I'm getting through it. It's hard, but I love him, so...

S. O'BRIEN: It's tough. It's tough.

ASHLEI VICTORINO: ... it's worth it.

S. O'BRIEN: And the baby grows, and they get a little bit easier as they get older.

ASHLEI VICTORINO: And she looks just like him, so it's like... S. O'BRIEN: You know, she really does, I've got to tell you, Craig.

Now, Craig can't see you guys, but we can see him.

And I will attest to that, Craig, this baby looks absolutely like you. Has about as much hair as you have, too, apparently, at this point.

Caitlin was born, Craig, after -- after you left, 12 days after you left. How tough has that been for you to not be here, you know, and having a wife who's young with a new baby?

SPEC. CRAIG VICTORINO, MOSUL, IRAQ: It's very tough. You know, unfortunately in this job you have to make a lot of sacrifices. And that's probably the second biggest sacrifice you can make.

So it's been tough. But I just, you know, know that my wife is taking care of my daughter the best she can and that we'll get through it. I'll be home as soon as I can and we'll get back on with our lives and our family.

S. O'BRIEN: Your mom and dad are here, too, Al and Rose.

Al, you were in the service, so you know to some degree what he's going through. Did you support his decision to join up?

AL VICTORINO, CRAIG'S DAD: Absolutely. It's something he had wanted to do, and I guess for, you know, a few years. And he finally decided to make the move.

Gave up a good job, did what he felt was right in his heart. And you have to support it. Politics aside, if somebody wants to stand up for their country, how can you not support a soldier, male, woman, whatever? You've got to support them.

As a father, I fear it a little bit, you know, because of the job he took on. But definitely supported him all the way.

S. O'BRIEN: How about you, Rose? You know, as a mother, you've just got to worry, worry, worry every minute of every day.

ROSE VICTORINO, CRAIG'S MOM: I do. The concern for his safety is always our top worry. And yes, it's 24 hours a day worry.

S. O'BRIEN: And have you been able to over the last four months, since Craig's been gone and the baby's been born, do you get to e-mail and talk a lot and keep in contact and talk by phone?

ASHLEI VICTORINO: He calls when he can. So -- we don't get to talk that long or that often. But it's nice to hear his voice.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, let's hear his voice again then.

Craig, go ahead. What do you want to tell -- tell your wife and your new baby and your mom and your dad? Anything you want to say to them?

C. VICTORINO: Just that I love everybody. And hopefully I'll be home next month, hopefully on leave, and be home for Christmas.

So, you know, it's a tough time, but it's a one-time deal, and I'll be home after that. And then we just go on from there. And, you know, like I said, it's just sacrifices that some people have to make.

S. O'BRIEN: Caitlin is talking up a storm.

C. VICTORINO: Apparently she has a different opinion on that.

S. O'BRIEN: No, I think she was saying, I can't wait to see you, daddy.

Now, you hold this baby? Can we get her face this way? If we can get a tight shot of Caitlin and a tight shot of dad.

There we go. She's so cute.

We're going to send you a copy of this tape. Yes, she looks just like him. Look at that.

ASHLEI VICTORINO: Hi, daddy.

AL VICTORINO: Poor kid..

S. O'BRIEN: Oh.

Happy holidays to all of you.

Craig, thank you so much for talking with us. Please stay safe where you are. I know you're in the Mosul area.

C. VICTORINO: Thank you. I will.

S. O'BRIEN: And Ashlei and Rose and Al, thanks for coming in to talk to us as well.

And baby Caitlin. You've got a big smile. You got to see daddy. That's nice, right?

Yes. You like that?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

She's so cute. We wish, of course, the whole Victorino family and all the families who have loved ones who are serving overseas or who are just not home with them today a very happy and a very safe holiday.

We had a few extra minutes on the satellite. So they were able to talk for a few minutes when we did that interview. It was really nice.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's got to be tough for them to have this reunion kind of in such a public way, but it's also -- it's a great opportunity for them, too.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it was great. It was really nice.

Coming up on this Thanksgiving Day, tips on cooking the perfect turkey. The dean of Butterball University will join us live to answer some of your questions.

That is straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's the main event, the Super Bowl, if you will, if you're a turkey producer.

Ali Velshi is here with word on how the turkey industry is doing.

This is the one time of year we check in on the turkey business.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, totally. Between now and Christmas, they do spectacularly.

The estimates this year, 265 million turkeys will be sold and made. That's not just Thanksgiving, that's -- that's for the season. Worth $3.2 billion. But there is a problem on the horizon.

M. O'BRIEN: Uh-oh.

VELSHI: Do you know what turkeys eat?

M. O'BRIEN: They eat corn.

S. O'BRIEN: Grains.

VELSHI: They eat corn, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: And ethanol, which is driving up the cost of corn.

VELSHI: Right. This whole ethanol thing that we're on is causing the price of corn to go up. That's really increasing the cost of feeding turkeys.

And yesterday you talked about how to thaw a turkey.

S. O'BRIEN: The Butterball people, yes.

VELSHI: A Butterball, yes. And it takes eight to nine hours to thaw a turkey.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

VELSHI: Well, OK. So if you're watching this right now, you're probably too late. So you need to think about other options. And there are other options.

There's been an increase in number of people who buy pre-made or pre-catered or pre-done meals. I've got some examples of this.

In Boulder, Colorado, the Flagstaff House restaurant will overnight a meal for four for 178 bucks. In New York, Mrs. Green's Natural Market will give you a 20-pound fully cooked organic turkey for 120 bucks. Maybe you have to preorder that, though.

For 150 bucks in Virginia Beach, you can get a ready-to-assemble meal. So you've got to cook it all yourself...

M. O'BRIEN: Ready to assemble?

VELSHI: ... but they'll send you everything you possibly need.

And for 398 bucks, you can get a ready-to-reheat meal for 10 from Wally's Food (ph) in San Francisco.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. In San Francisco, the local Safeway used to sell it, too, in a big old thing.

VELSHI: Yes.

And here in New York, you know, these -- these diners have Thanksgiving dinners. I've actually done a Thanksgiving here.

S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely.

M. O'BRIEN: So how much is a Swanson's turkey dinner?

VELSHI: That I don't know.

M. O'BRIEN: That would be a deal.

VELSHI: I know that Boston Chicken, for 69 bucks you can get a meal for four for turkey. But yes, you know, listen...

M. O'BRIEN: All kinds of ways to skin that turkey.

VELSHI: Listen, it's not too late for you. But if you still want to try that thawing the turkey out for eight or nine hours, let us know how it goes.

S. O'BRIEN: I had sushi one Thanksgiving. I don't recommend it.

VELSHI: It doesn't work? Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. That doesn't sound good.

S. O'BRIEN: It wasn't good.

VELSHI: Did you carve it, or did you just...

S. O'BRIEN: Just ate it.

M. O'BRIEN: It's good with gravy.

All right. Thank you, Ali. VELSHI: All right.

S. O'BRIEN: If you've got some questions about your turkey this morning, you can e-mail us with any of your cooking concerns at turkey@cnn.com.

I don't know have the slightest idea what the answer will be, but we will check in with folks at the Butterball hotline in just a little bit.

And ahead this morning, your holiday travel forecast as well. We'll tell you what to expect if you're hitting the road today.

That's straight ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You never expect cancer. And when you hear it, you are frozen.

My father was diagnosed with lung cancer. They removed his lung and they decided that he didn't need any chemo or radiation. And they said, no, no, you're cancer free.

My dad was on top of the world. Then exactly one year later he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

I was angry. If they had detected the kidney cancer right after the lung cancer, maybe my 6-year-old daughter would know my dad now.

M. O'BRIEN: When it comes to fighting cancer, detection is crucial. This year alone, almost 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer. But with better detection methods on the way, the chances of survival are getting better all the time.

(voice-over): Dr. John Viator of the University of Missouri- Columbia says by listening to the noise some cancer cells make, we may be able to catch and treat it sooner.

DR. JOHN VIATOR, UNIV. OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA: We have found melanoma cells using this laser-induced ultrasound. Melanoma usually contains melanin, which is the color that the laser needs to be absorbed and create these ultrasonic waves.

M. O'BRIEN: But Viator says by adding color to the colorless cancer cells, this technique may also be effective in detecting other cancers.

VIATOR: This technology has the potential to impact oncology and cancer care across the board.

M. O'BRIEN: Today, in order for an MRI or CAT scan to detect cancer, a patient must already have about a million cancer cells in their body. But Viator says this technology could be used to detect as few as 10 cancer cells in the body and one day it could even identify a single cancer cell.

VIATOR: It takes away the waiting game. I want to know right now, am I still clear?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

Live pictures of the parade route for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Oh, yes, what's a parade if it's not windy and rainy and really, really cold?

M. O'BRIEN: That's a parade for you.

S. O'BRIEN: But look, you can see right there Tom Turkey. It looks like he's lining up. I think he's on a float, right?

Is he a balloon or is he a float? Do you know?

M. O'BRIEN: I think he's a float. And...

S. O'BRIEN: So it looked like those are getting ready to go.

M. O'BRIEN: ... they won't run afoul.

S. O'BRIEN: But the parade still goes on, even if they can't hold up those big giant Helium balloons, they will still continue to march their way straight through Manhattan, 77th down to 34th street. But we are watching the weather for you this morning, because it is unclear what exactly is going to happen. They're going to make the call at the last minute, right before the start of the parade at 9:00 Eastern time.

M. O'BRIEN: That could have been the longest tease ever, just for the record. Also, eating healthy on this holiday. Dr. Sanjay Gupta makes a House Call to show us how.

S. O'BRIEN: And do you have an irrational fear of birds? Like this turkey here? We'll show you how to cook the perfect Thanksgiving meal. Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Thank you, Miles. Thank you so much.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, welcome, happy Thanksgiving to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you for joining us, everybody. Let's begin with our top story this morning, it's happening in Beirut, fiery speakers stirring anti-Syrian anger. Tens of thousands of mourners are now gathered at the funeral for the slain politician, Pierre Gemayel. Thousands of armed police and soldiers are also patrolling the emotional crowd. Gemayel is the sixth anti-Syrian leader who's been killed in Lebanon in just the last two years. Disagreement over an attack in Baghdad this morning. Iraqi police say U.S. forces fired on a mini bus, killing four Iraqis. The U.S. military says, though, it was the Iraqi troops who did the shooting. It happened while U.S. and Iraqi forces were searching houses in Sadr City. They're looking for that kidnapped U.S. soldier.

Iran will not get any technical aid for a nuclear reactor project. The United Nations nuclear watchdog's board of governors indefinitely blocking Iran from getting the help. The board is worried that the reactor could secretly be used to make bomb-grade plutonium.

And if you're hitting the road this morning, you might want to get a very early start. AAA says 38 million people are going to drive at least 50 miles this Thanksgiving holiday. Nearly five million of them will fly. The roads and the airports are already backed up in the south and in the northeast because of the weather. Other airports are reporting minor delays right now. It could change, of course, as the weather changes.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, of course, the weather the big concern for organizers of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And it's getting down to the moment when the rubber meets the road, or perhaps it will take flight. Right now, the wind is within limits. But any way you slice it, it is not a day fit for, say, a wildly popular singer from Miami. Oh, look, Jason Carroll has found such a person in the crowd there. Jason, how's it going?

CARROLL: Lucky me, lucky me. So far it's going pretty good. We just checked in with some of the parade organizers and they tell us that at this moment the balloons are still a go. They are scheduled to fly anywhere between 14 and 19 feet, a little lower than normal. But hey, at least they're going to be out there, 13 new balloons in this Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Again, things right now looking as if it's a go. Marching band already getting into place.

Also, we pulled aside a very special guest for you, Gloria Estefan and her lovely daughter Emily.

GLORIA ESTEFAN, SINGER: Yes, Emily. Hello, New York. Stop the rain, let's all concentrate together.

CARROLL: A very cold in New York. Maybe you could bring some of that Miami warmth up to us for this particular parade. You're going to be on the Animal Planet float. Tell us about that.

ESTEFAN: It's going to be great because my friends call me Doolittle. I love animals and I'm here to sing a song called See With Your Heart, which is from my second children's book, Noel's Treasure Tail By the Bulldog.

CARROLL: Here we go, Noel's Treasure Tail. This is about a Bulldog?

ESTEFAN: Yes, that' (INAUDIBLE) on the back cover right there. That was my bulldog on the back. She's one of my -- one of nine dogs. She's very special. That's whey she's got her own book. It's meant to inspire kids and plant some positive seeds in their little heads and always include a CD with a new song. And that's what I'm going to be singing today.

CARROLL: I love it. Emily, have you checked it out? What do you think?

EMILY ESTEFAN, DAUGHTER OF GLORIA: It think it's good.

G. ESTEFAN: She better say that. What's she going to do.

CARROLL: Well, you know, also this parade, you know, with these balloons and everything, what do you think?

G. ESTEFAN: I think it's fantastic. It's the 80th anniversary. I think we're going to get lucky. And if all New York and the whole world concentrates on blowing this way, we're going to be much more comfortable out here. But it's going, rain or shine. New balloons, it's going to be spectacular.

CARROLL: And it's great, you know, positive attitude, you've got one. Everyone who's been out here that I've talked to, lining up for the parade, lining up out here today, seems to feel the same way. Everyone's thinking, you know, it's going to happen.

G. ESTEFAN: Of course it's going to happen. You have to think that way about life. And even if it is, it's going to be something to tell our children, right Emily. I'm telling you right now, it will be something for you to tell your children. Look, the New Yorkers are tough. They're out here en masse. We're out here to celebrate a wonderful holiday, which is Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be thankful for.

CARROLL: That's right. We are tough out here, dropping books and surviving the rain.

G. ESTEFAN: You need a thicker jacket.

CARROLL: I know, I know. They made me wear the jacket today, Gloria.

G. ESTEFAN: OK, but wear another one underneath it. I'm a mommy. I'm a Floridian.

CARROLL: I know. I know. All right, Gloria Estefan. Gloria, she also sends love out to you, Soledad, back there in the Soledad.

G. ESTEFAN: Yes, Soledad, how about the first three letters of your name, Sol.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm praying hard for you this morning, come on, sun. I don't know, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. How about we just pray for lower winds. My kids, big fans of her book, you can tell her. Huge, huge fans of her book. They love the bulldog.

CARROLL: She's a huge, huge fan. G. ESTEFAN: Well we're all family. You know, all Cubans are family. Big kiss Soledad. We are having turkey, though.

S. O'BRIEN: But black beans and rice, right?

CARROLL: Wait, wait, wait, I couldn't hear that.

S. O'BRIEN: Ask her if she's having the black beans and rice, which everybody has who's Cuban for Thanksgiving?

G. ESTEFAN: That, yes, maybe. If you get the restaurant to cook it. Or I'll get back in the kitchen and do it myself.

CARROLL: All right, get back on your float. Thank you very much. Emily, have a good time today.

G. ESTEFAN: Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

M. O'BRIEN: Jason, quickly, did you ask the boss if you could get an Armani version of the CNN windbreaker? I was just curious about that. He's gone. Never mind.

CARROLL: No, no, I'm here, I'm back.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh you're back. Did you ask the boss if you could get an Armani version of that windbreaker?

CARROLL: I wish. You know something, Miles, when I get back, that's on my list of things to do.

M. O'BRIEN: You got to get working on that. All right, thank you, Jason.

All right, let's check the weather and see how things are in Manhattan and elsewhere.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: When it comes to Thanksgiving, most people do talk a big game, but in truth, they're pretty clue less about what to do to cook that Turkey golden brown and moist and all the trimmings.

S. O'BRIEN: Well not to fear, we've been taking your questions all morning. We're joined by somebody who wants to make sure that your Thanksgiving ends beautifully with the family scarfing down a beautiful looking turkey.

Shirleen Clausen is the dean of Butterball University. She is live for us in Naperville, Illinois this morning. Nice to see you. Let's get to our next question this morning. Let me get right to that. Here's the first one. Someone's barbecuing a turkey. Shirleen, have you ever barbecued a turkey?

SHIRLEEN CLAUSEN, DEAN, BUTTERBALL UNIVERSITY: Oh, I tell you, cooking a turkey on an outdoor grill probably is the best way of cooking the turkey if you really want to have something that tastes good.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow.

M. O'BRIEN: That sounds really hard.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, it does. Ok, well, this guy, Ron, is asking this. I'm barbecuing my 13-pound turkey. What should I use to baste it and can I stuff it? What do you think?

CLAUSEN: Well, the first thing is, do not stuff the turkey. When you're cooking it on the grill, the heat is just too unpredictable. It's not a constant temperature like in the oven. So we recommend doing the stuffing, if you want to, on the grill, do it in a foil pan or a foil packet along the side. But the real key to cooking a turkey on an outdoor grill is to use indirect heat.

So if you're doing a charcoal grill, you'll have the briquettes on the side, and the turkey over a drip pan. And we recommend counting out about 30 briquettes, putting it on each side. And then every 45 minutes, you want to add about six briquettes.

And that will help give you as even a temperature as possible. And as far as putting a glaze or anything on it, you know, they taste so wonderful, that you really don't need anything on it. But at Butterball.com, we do have a recipe for a honey spice glaze that works really well. And you put that on just about the last 30 minutes. Because anything sweet you wouldn't want to burn.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, well that's -- that just sounds so darn delicious. I wouldn't have predicted barbecuing would be the way to go. We tried the deep frying method one year. That was a disaster.

S. O'BRIEN: Really, ours was great last year.

M. O'BRIEN: It was raw. It was still walking across the table practically. So, what's the trick on that, Shirleen?

CLAUSEN: Well, the trick on that, of course, is doing it outside also. You know, with any method that you use, you really want to use the meat thermometer. And so even if you're deep frying, you want to take it out when you think it's done, put that thermometer in the thigh, make sure that it's at least 175 to 180 degrees in the thigh. And then you won't have that problem of it being undercooked.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. And do you recommend deep frying? Do you think that is a good way to go?

CLAUSEN: You know, it's everyone's choice. There are lots of different ways. Our staff here is busy talking at 1-800-Butterball. And we can answer whatever question you have about how to cook. So deep frying, on the grill, in the oven, the majority of people do their turkeys in the oven, so it's personal preference.

S. O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you, deep fried turkey was possibly the best turkey I've ever had. But you do, people burn down their homes by deep frying their turkeys. So Shirleen is exactly right, outdoors people, outdoors. Shirleen, thank you very much. She, of course, is the dean of Butterball University, with some great advice. You can also either e-mail us or just give a call to 1-800-Butterball and they will help you out.

M. O'BRIEN: Have a great day and great Thanksgiving. And I know you're going to be cooking tomorrow, so enjoy your time with your family.

CLAUSEN: Happy Thanksgiving.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, likewise.

Got more turkey tips for you coming up. Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us how to make sure that nobody gets sick from eating their undercooked bird. It's straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. FIRST CLASS KELVIN COOKE, U.S. ARMY: My name is Sargent First Class Kelvin Cooke and I'm stationed here in Balad, Iraq. I'd like to say hello and happy Thanksgiving to my lovely wife Keyshia, and to me team that said Verizon Wireless, thank you for all your support. And to my mother who is in New York. I love you. And tell everyone else that I love you and I'll be home soon. Take care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. This just in to CNN. You can see the pictures here. You're looking at Sadr City in Iraq. The violence this morning ripping through this city, 29 people reported dead. A string of attacks. Some of them mortar attacks, also three nearly simultaneous car bombings happening within a 30-minute period have left 25 people dead, 75 people wounded in some of those car bombing attacks as well, in a very brief period of time.

That's what some of the pictures look like, that looks like the aftermath of the car bombing. Not a lot of details on what exactly happened. Apparently took place, the blasts, in several different parts of the slum, which has about two million people who live there. It, of course, is a stronghold of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army Militia.

And, of course, this is the location where U.S. troops have been looking for their comrade who was kidnapped not long ago. So, lots of violence happening in Sadr City today. We're going to continue to update you on this story. These are new pictures just in to CNN. We'll follow what's happening there as we continue through the day. Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: In this morning's House Call, tips for preparing a healthy holiday feast. Our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some important advice for today's featured presentation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If food isn't handled properly, Thanksgiving dinner can be a disaster. Now there are 76 million cases of food-borne disease each year in the United States. That's according to the Centers for Disease Control. Furthermore, certain foods and practices, popular during the holiday season, can actually increase your risk of getting sick. So, I want to give you four simple steps to ensure a healthy holiday.

Number one, clean. Professional chef Samantha Enzmann teaches a class on how to properly prepare a Thanksgiving meal.

SAMANTHA ENZMANN, PROFESSIONAL CHEF: Before you handle raw poultry, what you want to make sure that you do is your hands are nice and clean.

GUPTA: Raw turkey can be a breeding ground for bacteria, which brings us to step number two, Separate. Enzmann warns her students not to cross-contaminate the work surfaces.

ENZMANN: As long as you don't use the same knife, and the same side of the cutting board, that you used for preparing raw food, you should be A-OK.

GUPTA: Step number three, cook. Cooking food to the proper internal temperature ensures harmful bacteria will be killed.

ENZMANN: Proper turkey temperature is anywhere from 165 degrees to 180, 180 is on the well-done side.

GUPTA: Using a meat thermometer is the only way to know if the turkey's done. This chef says what you cook inside the bird is very important and recommends only stuffing the turkey with vegetables, oranges and seasonings. Cook the dressings in a separate dish.

ENZMANN: Never cook stuffing in the bird. You run the risk of those raw poultry juices being absorbed into your stuffing.

GUPTA: And then, there's always leftovers, which is our final tip, chill. Foods that are not cooled and stored properly become breeding grounds for bacteria that could lead to food poisoning.

KATHLEEN ZELMAN, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: The important thing is to get those leftovers into smaller containers so that they can cool down. Put them into the refrigerator where air can circulate. Don't stack them all one on top of the other. Because otherwise, bacteria will continue to grow.

GUPTA: The American Dietetic Association recommends leftover turkey be refrigerated within two hours of cooking and be eaten within four days. These simple steps can make your holiday a healthier one.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE) M. O'BRIEN: And safe handling for food isn't limited to your Thanksgiving bird. Washing produce under running water is essential before preparing a side dish, even if you plan on discarding the peel, because when you cut your food on your table, you can cause bacteria to get on your food, if the skin or rind isn't properly cleaned.

And this just in, the balloons will, in fact, fly. Clearance to fly for the parade. So, very shortly when the parade begins, 9:00 Eastern, about ten minutes from now -- actually, are they starting to go now? They'll be moving very shortly.

In any case, they will -- it's like Gulliver. They'll get the ropes off the balloons and fly, they will, on this gusty, rainy day. But not too gusty, fortunately, here in New York City. CNN NEWSROOM just moments away. Tony Harris is at the CNN Center with the look ahead. Hello, Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello Miles, happy Thanksgiving to you and Soledad. The stories on the NEWSROOM rundown this morning. Armed guards, huge crowds, political tension in the streets of Lebanon. The backdrop, the funeral for an assassinated cabinet minister.

Also, fire danger. Tips on keeping your Thanksgiving feast from going up in flames.

And wicked weather, how will it affect a Thanksgiving day tradition. Join Heidi and me in the NEWSROOM. We get started at the top of the hour, right here on CNN. Miles, back to you.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much, Tony.

Coming up on our program, your holiday travel forecast. Find out if there are any delays in your future today. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, the weather outside is frightful, cold and wet. But there's good news, we just heard there is clearance to fly those balloons. The parade will be under way. The three-hour Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Let's check in with Jason Carroll, who's been down there, the picture of optimism all morning. Even though he's in that red windbreaker that he doesn't like so much. And he's been putting on a very sunny disposition. We've appreciated that. Maybe you're the one that brought the good Karma on, Jason.

CARROLL: You know, I'm just pretending about, because I know the bosses are listening. We don't want them to think we don't like the jackets, Miles. I love the jacket. I love the jacket.

I also love the fact that the balloons are going to be flying. You can see down there on the parade route, balloons already into position. At least the first one, giant helium balloon there. That's celebrating Macy's 80th anniversary. A lot of folks were -- it was touch and go for a little bit.

The last time the balloons didn't fly was 1973. No one out here wanted to see a repeat of that, especially not the Bonisons (ph) from New Jersey. They all came out. Even though Snoopy will be debuting, the new Snoopy will be debuting in this parade, giant Helium balloon. But it's really Sponge Bob that you guys want to check out, right? That's who you're looking forward to seeing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CARROLL: Yes, I know you are, how about you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CARROLL: Any others that you're looking forward to?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snoopy, is he going to be out?

CARROLL: Yes, Snoopy is my favorite. I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Charlie brown.

CARROLL: No, Charlie's not going to make an appearance, but Snoopy will be around. Well, you know, not too bad. So you guys really stuck it out, didn't you. I mean, it's rainy, it's cold. Mom and dad, how did you convince the kids to come out here? Or did you have to?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't have to convince them. They wanted to come, even if it was raining out. They didn't mind.

CARROLL: Really.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hard to get them out of bed this morning.

CARROLL: Did they really jump out of bed this morning? A little nudging from someone. Time to get up. Time to get up. But it's really kind of nice, isn't it, to be out here for those. How would you describe it for those who see it on television, like most of Americans do, you know, they watch it on TV. What's it like to actually be out here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's cold. It's great. This is the first time we've been here and we figured they're going to have it rain or shine, so we wanted to come out and I'm glad we're here, because it's just better live.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a lot of friends walking in the parade and dressed up as pieces of cake and Underdog, you know, with the hair spray. So, we're looking forward to trying to see some people we know.

CARROLL: Terrific, well we're glad you all came out. Thank you very much, again, from New Jersey. Parade, it's on, Miles and Soledad. It was touch and go for a little bit, but as you can see right down there, everyone's all lined up, ready to have a good time.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, great work Jason. Thank you for doing the Yeoman's duty out there. I know you're not done, but thank you for getting wet on our behalf.

We're going to take a break. When we come back, we'll tell you about that record-breaking golf shot in space. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: History was made in space yesterday. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Assume the position. The way it should be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Okay. The cosmonaut doesn't get many points for style. It was more like a -- Well, he's a hockey player and it looks a little more like a wrist shot for a hockey player, off the golf ball went, the longest six iron shot ever, we are told. A promotional stunt for a golf club company up in Canada. And my preview of it yesterday nearly lost my job because I broke the set a little bit..

S. O'BRIEN: His shot wasn't great, but yours was worse.

M. O'BRIEN: At least I got more form. OK, all right. Let's not relive that anymore, shall we?

That's all the time we have for this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: We shall, we shall.

M. O'BRIEN: Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Drive safely and no golf in doors today.

S. O'BRIEN: CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.

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