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American Morning
Hundreds of Travelers Still Stranded At Denver Airport; Ripple Effect Causing Holiday Travel Delays Throughout the Nation
Aired December 22, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: You'll remember this particular airport was dubbed the "all-weather airport" when it was built. It's been closed since Wednesday. And the travel nightmare extends well beyond Denver, of course there's the ripple effect of the ground and rerouted planes, and that could take several days to straighten out.
And then, overseas it's not much better for some. Heavy fog, for a third day, at London's Heathrow airport means that only some international flights are coming and going. And of course, flights within England, in many cases have been canceled.
Two feet of snow in 24 hours, so they're digging out now, and even by Denver standards, this was a very, very big storm. Let's get right to Pattie Logan; she's live for us in Denver this morning.
Good morning, Pattie.
PATTIE LOGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning.
It is a big storm. And it's going to take a long time to untangle everything.
We have hundreds of DIA travelers that did make it here to downtown Denver yesterday. They bussed hundreds of them down here. They got at least a warm night, the majority of them, in a hotel room, much more comfortable than the airport.
But the airport says it's going to be a long time before they really untangle this mess. They're asking passengers to call first, before they head out to the airport, even people that have tickets for today. So they may not get everybody out today that is hoping to get out. That's pretty much for certain. It certainly has been a rough couple of days for the holiday travelers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOGAN (voice over): Stuck, grounded, trapped. Call it what you will, but thousands are spending the final days before Christmas, the last place they expected to, Denver.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'd say the younger people are fairly positive. The older people, I'm seeing, like, old ladies crying.
LOGAN: Of the nearly 5,000 still stranded in the city, about 1500 spent a second night at the airport, the longest closure in its history. While it may open Friday, this stuck hub is causing delays all over the country. For many folks Denver is where you change flights on the way to grandma's house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We pretty much found boxes and just put them on the ground and put them -- kind of made a fort area, and found blankets and just used our clothes to make it a little more comfortable, a little more homey, I guess.
LOGAN: Thousands were stuck on the roads all over the front range, where there were 12-foot high drifts in some places. But folks here are resourceful, one group using the snow to help put out a fire. The rest did their best to dig out, or just made the most of it.
Friday promises relief, high around 40 and sun. City and state agencies should reopen by mid-morning. The interstates in and out of Colorado are clearing one by one, but the governor is asking everyone to stay off the roads for at least another day, just three shopping days before Christmas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOGAN: The malls are expected to open today, several of them have said they're opening as early as 8:00 this morning to get some of the shoppers back in there, and spending money again.
They've had more than 800 plows between the city and state getting out here, getting the roads cleared. We've seen a number of plows and private plows as well, getting the parking lots cleared so people can get back to business.
Again, you heard in the package, though, that the governor is asking people not to come out on the roads if they don't have to, but a lot of people are going to want to get back to work and back to the malls.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I bet they will. All right, Pattie Logan, for us with an update. Thanks, Pattie.
In just a few minutes we'll take you live to Denver International Airport and also Chicago O'Hare Airport and see how travelers there are faring -- John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Thanks, Soledad.
Eight Marines, including four officers, facing charges this morning in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians. The killings, 13 months ago, in the western Iraqi town of Haditha. Four Marines are charged with murder. They're battalion commander and three other officers are accused of failing to properly investigate and report the deaths. The murder charges carry possible life sentences. The officers face punishment ranging from loss of rank and pay to five years in prison.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the war in Iraq is, quote, "worth the investment in American lives and dollars."
Rice says she believes America can win the war, but it's been more difficult than she expected. Her comments came in an interview with the Associated Press. The war in Iraq has claimed the lives of 2,962 American troops, and cost more than $350 billion. Rice says victory in Iraq would help transform the Middle East.
Underwater train tunnels between New York and New Jersey may be even more vulnerable to terrorist attacks than officials had first believed. A preliminary report, done for the government by outside experts was leaked to "The New York Times".
The analysis of the PATH Train system shows that any of the four cast-iron train tunnels would flood within six minutes if a fairly large bomb went off. Doesn't have to be a massive bomb, though. A 50- foot hole from a blast would let in more than a million gallons of water each minute. About 230,000 people ride those PATH Trains every weekday -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Travel situation in the U.S. is a mess, as we've been talking about all morning. It's not a lot better, though, across the Atlantic, in London. For a third day, fog is trapping thousands of travelers at Heathrow. And of course, it's all connected. We're feeling the impact here in the U.S. a well. CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh is live for us at Heathrow with an update.
Good morning, Alphonso.
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: That's right. It's not necessarily a good morning here where, as you mentioned, thousands of travelers are absolutely stranded, trying to get home for the holidays.
The reason is very simple. It's due to the weather. It's fog. Air traffic controllers are significantly reducing the number of slots for taking off and landing, because they want pilots to be able to see in front of them. To be able to see who else could be on the runway. It's purely a safety measure.
As a result, as I mentioned, you have hundreds of flights canceled. You can see behind me over here. You have -- for example, you've got Father Christmas, even he's waiting to get home. You have hundreds of travelers kind of going into this heated tent where they're offering coffee and sandwiches, whatever it takes to help people feel a little more comfortable -- in what are at best, trying, trying circumstances.
In fact, on this AMERICAN MORNING, I want you to meet folks here, Tom and Lisa Bileau (ph). He is an American national, she is a British national. They just spent a little bit of time with their relatives here.
You're trying to get to Seattle, I understand. Tell me a little bit more about your experience today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we've been waiting for about an hour and a half at this point. It's pretty chilly, but we're excited to get to our family, my family anyway, in Seattle.
VAN MARSH: Lisa, for you, how has it been standing in this line, these long lines outside the terminal? How's it been for you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am very cold, actually. As you can see, I've got maybe five layers on. We actually live in Los Angeles, so we're definitely not used to this weather, even though I'm from London, it's been a while. So, I mean, this is the coldest I've felt for a good few years.
VAN MARSH: And aside from the cold weather, are you feeling like you're getting the information that you need, that you're being guided the way that you should be in order to catch your flights?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I have to say it's not been too bad. And the news coverage here has been excellent. It's been all over the news, what's happening. To check your flight, we called BA. There was a bit of a wait to get through to an operator, but they told us our flight was on time, and what terminal to come to. Not been too bad.
VAN MARSH: And that's the details from here. Again, people trying to get home in time for Christmas. BA and other airlines saying they're doing what they can to make people comfortable. Again, everybody trying to get home, trying to get on a flight, hoping the weather clears up soon. Back to you, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yeah, sounds like they're trying to make the best of what's a bad situation. Alphonso Van Marsh for us this morning. Thanks. He's at Heathrow.
Ahead, Chad will have his eye on the holiday travel trouble spots, which are all over the place. We'll take you live to the airports in Denver and Chicago, too.
And the emotional true story behind the movie "W Are Marshall". Those stories straight ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning. That big blizzard is still causing big travel delays across the country. Denver's airport plans to reopen with limited operations, around 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, noon their time, of course. And it's all connected and that closing has had a ripple effect across the country for this holiday travel weekend.
That means one-hour delay, already, at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Kelly Kraft is with our affiliate, WFLD, live for us this morning.
It seems, though, people are holding in there so far?
KELLY KRAFT, REPORTER, WFLD TV: Good morning, Soledad.
People are pretty calm this morning, and that's quite a surprise, considering many of them just woke up just after spending the night here at O'Hare.
I want you to look at the security line. It's pretty long. Earlier, it opened up about 5 o'clock this morning. It was only taking about a half hour for people to get through it then. Now I think it's going to be more like an hour.
Let's bring in Craig. Craig has had quite the night at the airport.
Craig, tell me your situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I arrived here last night from Wisconsin. I go to school there. And I was hoping to go to Los Angeles, but that flight got canceled. Luckily a friend was here. I crashed the night in his hotel room, and now I'm just trying to get home.
KRAFT: Where did you say you wanted to go? To the Cabo, St. Thomas?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to go to Cabo, Mexico, with some friends. Hopefully it works out. I've got an hour window. I have to go to L.A. to pick up my passport first.
KRAFT: All right, Craig. Thank you so much. Good luck, happy holidays.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. You, too.
KRAFT: Over the next few days nearly 3 million travelers are expected between here, at O'Hare, and Midway. So that is a lot of people. Today, of course, the busiest, travel day. Nearly 240,000 passengers are expected to make their way through O'Hare. Again, delays anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes.
But as you said, Soledad, people are pretty calm. I think a lot of people are in the holiday spirit, so that's a good thing. We'll send it back to you in the studio.
S. O'BRIEN: And it's early yet. Thanks, Kelly Kraft for us this morning.
KRAFT: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Kelly.
Let's get to Jim Hooley, he's with our affiliate KMGH. He's live inside the Denver airport terminal, where people have been sleeping for up to two days.
How are they doing, Jim? Good morning.
JIM HOOLEY, REPORTER, KMGH TV: Soledad, this wasn't the holiday getaway a lot of these people were planning for. We've had about 5,000 people stranded here at this airport since Tuesday night. That number dwindled down last night to about 1,500 or so, when the city came in and took a lot of people to the hotels in the Greater Denver area, on big public transportation buses.
That was quite a sight when those big buses pulled in and evacuated those people, if you will, down into the downtown Denver area. But for the most part, it's been a holiday trip of people sleeping on the floors here, on blankets. Some people were lucky enough that they had cots. They brought in pizza, some food, some sanitary packages with toothpaste and the like for a lot of people.
But again, a lot of families have been stranded here since Tuesday evening, and it's just been a long haul, as we had about three feet of snow on the ground here. And crews have worked now to clear that off the runways.
We understand the latest word is that the airport will open at noontime today, and that is when they'll hopefully be able to get the flights, and the families, up in the air once again. The gates and the ticket windows open right now. They opened up at 4 o'clock this morning. So, again, a lot of frustrated people here just hoping to be able to get on a standby flight, and get out of here by noontime today. Soledad, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: Jim Hooley for us this morning. Thank you, Jim.
Coming up on a quarter past the hour, time to check the "Traveler's Forecast" with Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: The movie "We Are Marshall" tells the true story about the 1970 plane crash that killed the entire Marshall University football team, and the community's struggle to recover from it. It's a deeply personal story for the people of Huntington, West Virginia, including our own Sean Callebs, who is from Huntington. Whose father worked at Marshall University, he's live in Huntington now.
And, Sean, how are people there reacting to the movie?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Well, John, it's interesting. I think the one thing I'm hearing from so many people here, cathartic. They're saying it's not helping them get over it, but it is helping them cope with what happened back in 1970, when the plane went down, 75 people died. It also cast a pall over this Ohio River town that really lingered for decades.
And "We Are Marshall" chronicles the efforts to rebuild a program at the time when many people in this community said, not right now. It's simply too soon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice over): This is Hollywood's recreation of the 1970 Marshall plane crash.
This is the real thing.
You know, the damn plane crash took a lot out of everybody.
CALLEBS: Brent Dawson would know, an assistant coach on the '70 team. He skipped the flight on that November night. Instead, driving home from North Carolina so he could visit a recruit. Matthew Fox portrays how country tough Red Dawson had to cope with survivor's guilt.
(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I promised mothers that I'd look after their sons. There's not one of them left.
(END MOVIE CLIP)
CALLEBS: Seventy-five players, coaches, supporters and flight crew died. The town of Huntington also lost a portion of it's soul.
I know. I was a kid growing up here then. My father was the administrator at Marshall, who spent that evening calling families. I've known Keith Moorehouse (ph), a Huntington sports caster nearly 30 years. His father, Gene, the voice of Marshall, died in the crash. He says family members are fiercely protective of the legacy of their loved ones.
RED DAWSON, FORMER ASSISTANT COACH: It's a personal thing. You maybe pushed the outsiders away. You know, don't come in here and exploit the story. Don't come in and read something into it that's not there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Invade our privacy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CALLEBS: Debbie and Keith got married after graduating from Marshall. What makes their story more amazing, Debbie's parents also died in the crash. And 36 years after the fatal accident, they say it's OK to show a town that's struggled to rebuild a program, a community, and lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's an unbelievable story of perseverance, and fortitude and dealing with adversity. That doesn't have to be just about football. That's about how you live your life.
CALLEBS: Red has always refused to talk about the crash until helping out with this film.
DAWSON: It's a sad movie.
CALLEBS (on camera): But is it uplifting, too?
DAWSON: Yes, it is. It's helped me release a lot of demons and snakes and spiders that have been in my head for years, I guess.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: And the university has really seen a change of fortune on the football field over the years. In the 1970s, they lost more football games than any other team in the nation. 1990s, the winningest Division I team in the nation. Red Dawson left football in 1971. He said he simply couldn't look parents in the eye anymore, and say, I'll take care of your son. But he's doing well. He's had a successful construction company here in Huntington for the past 35 years -- John.
ROBERTS: It's interesting, Sean, as you say, that some people there in Huntington, say it's too soon. The wounds are still too raw, even this long after, but people like Red Dawson did cooperate with the filmmakers in trying to get the story told in an appropriate fashion.
CALLEBS: Exactly. Warner Brothers came to this community and said, you know, this is public domain. We can make this movie with or without you, but if we do not have your help, we're not going to make it. Even though they had the funding in place.
And over the years, since I was a kid, people always came here and said, hey, we're toying with the idea of making a movie. They've heard it dozens of times. This time it was more serious. They had a script. And Red Dawson, many people who cooperated, it worked well. And, they said, really helped them purge those horrible feelings they've had over the years.
ROBERTS: Right, and well it's a really compelling story. Thanks very much for your personal take on that, Sean. Really appreciate it.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: In fact, we're going to be talking, later this morning, to Matthew McConaughey. He stars in the movie. And talk to about just how important it was for him, personally, to make sure he got the story right, as well. And they felt very committed to that community. We're going to talk about that straight ahead this morning.
Also we continue to monitor the travel delays across the country. And Toyota plans to overtake GM as the world's number one automaker. We'll tell you what they're doing.
Donald Trump not letting it go. He's got more choice words for Rosie O'Donnell. We'll bring you up to date on that story, too.
Back in just a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, the gloves are still off. That angry exchange between Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump, alive and well. Keeps going because The Donald will just not let it go. "Showbiz Tonight" anchor A.J. Hammer joins us this morning with more on the saga. High drama.
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Entertaining, for sure.
HAMMER: Oh, it is entertaining for sure. This he said/she said battle that's going on between the two of them, it's starting to look like a little schoolyard brawl. If you thought this was going to go away any time soon, you might want to buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER (voice over): It's Donald Trump:
DONALD TRUMP: Rosie is a loser. She's always been a loser.
HAMMER: Versus Rosie O'Donnell.
ROSIE O'DONNELL: I don't enjoy him, no.
HAMMER: And it's getting personal.
TRUMP: She's unattractive in every sense of the word. From a physical standpoint, she looks like hell. Inside, she's far worse than she is on the outside.
O'DONNELL: He annoys me on a multitude of levels.
JO PIAZZA, COLUMNIST, "THE DAILY NEWS": The next thing we know, Rosie is going to tell Donald to meet her out by the bike racks after school.
HAMMER: It's a schoolyard brawl that everybody's watching. It all started with Donald Trump's highly publicized press conference, where he proudly told the world that he was not firing Miss USA Tara Conner for her reported heavy partying and underage drinking.
The next morning on "The View," Rosie went after Donald.
O'DONNELL: He's the moral authority? Left his wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair. Had kids both times. But he's the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America.
Donald, sit and spin, my friend. He's going to sue me, but he'll be bankrupt by that time, so I won't have to worry.
HAMMER: Rosie was right. Donald wasted no time going after Rosie O'Donnell. He's now calling her fat. He's jokingly threatening to send someone to steal Rosie partner, Kelly Carpenter. And, yes, he is threatening to sue Rosie.
HAMMER (on camera): Plan to follow through with your threat to sue her?
TRUMP: Well, you know, taking money out of her big fat ass would be probably something that is very easy. And we probably will follow through with it, yes.
HAMMER (voice over): And what does Queen Barbara, AKA, "View" co-host and co-executive producers, Barbara Walters have to say about this latest "View" controversy, which all took place while she's on vacation? Walters, along with "The View" Executive Producer Bill Getty says, quote, "Both Rosie and Donald are high-spirited, opinionated people. Donald has been a friend of "The View," for many yeas, and Rosie, of course, is our enormously popular moderator. We cherish with them both. And hope the New Year brings calm and peace."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Unlikely.
HAMMER: What happened to goodwill towards all mankind this time of year? I'm not feeling the holiday love from these two.
S. O'BRIEN: Out the window. Not at all.
HAMMER: What really fascinates me, though, is what Donald Trump is saying -- that Barbara Walters is saying about Rosie. Because we're getting two different stories here. Rosie has always been supported by Barbara. Barbara has told me in the past, they love Rosie. She is wonderful for the show. And she put out a statement to "Showbiz Tonight," yesterday saying she has no regrets, whatsoever about hiring her. And they fully support her.
Donald is saying to me, if you talk to Barbara Walters, and ask her what she's really thinking about Rosie, she doesn't like her. And she's embarrassed by her.
S. O'BRIEN: Stirring the pot.
HAMMER: Yeah.
S. O'BRIEN: It continues. All right, A.J., of course, host of "Showbiz Tonight", which you can catch on week nights, at 11 on CNN Headline Prime.
Thank you, A.J.
HAMMER: You got it.
S. O'BRIEN: John.
ROBERTS: We can only hope it continues, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: He loves this story.
ROBERTS: Because I can't think of two people who are better at going at each other. The consensus here in Washington is, cage fight. That's what we want this to elevate to. Forget the mud wrestling, cage fight.
S. O'BRIEN: Please.
ROBERTS: That would be perfect.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Our top story this morning is the travel nightmare set off by the blizzard that shut down Denver's airport for two-and-a-half days. Denver snow plows are out today as they were all day yesterday. But two feet of snow in 24 hours is an awful lot to handle.
Our Gerri Willis reports now on how the city is coping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the worst snowstorm Denver has seen in three years. For a city used to snowy winters, Denver residents citizens were surprised when this storm brought a bustling city to a halt. For kids, it was a holiday, playing in the streets, even on the roof of the museum. With stores, offices and schools closed, the city's residents had to turn to each other for a helping hand.
BRUCE GLAZER, DENVER RESIDENT: Everybody is in this together. And we just want to make sure everybody's safe and can get out. And if they need to get to the grocery store, or get down here to get some gas or get milk or bread, we just want to make sure people are taken care of.
WILLIS: Across the city, it was neighbors helping neighbors, some a little more reluctantly than others.
Kathy Whelen is a 7-Eleven clerk who works thirty one straight hours because others couldn't make it in.
KATHY WHELAN, 7-11 EMPLOYEE: Even if I got off and someone came here, my car is totally snowed over, and there's no busses running, so I'm stuck anyway. So this is probably the best place to be.
WILLIS: This 7-11 was one of the few places in Denver that stayed open throughout the blizzard.
CHRIS TENOPOIR, DENVER RESIDENT: There ain't a lot of places open. Wal-Mart and stuff is closed and everything.
WHELAN: They keep on saying, oh, you're still here, you're still here, that's kind of how it happened, a couple couples came in and spread the word, and said I can't believe that girl's still here.
All right, good night, I'll call you.
WILLIS: Finally one of Kathy's customers helped her get home, and they arranged for a tow truck to get her car out from under the snow.
Gerri Willis, CNN, Denver, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Well, Denver airport is getting plowed out and should be running, at least in a limited way, some time this afternoon. But the traveling nightmare caused by this storm is not going to be over for days.
Bill Partridge is Orbitz.com air traffic analyst. He's at Chicago's O'Hare airport, which has seen quite a few delays already and joins us live. What's the status at Denver? When is it expected to be open? And can they clear out this backlog of passengers waiting to go?
BILL PARTRIDGE, ORBITZ.COM, AIR TRAFFIC ANALYST: Well, John, as you mentioned, the snow crews have been working overnight. It is anticipated that Denver International will reopen some time between 12:00 and 2:00 this afternoon. As far as the backlog, that is unfortunately something that is going to take days to get rid of.
ROBERTS: Across the country as well, from the West Coast to the East Coast, I read this morning in a Seattle newspaper the story of a Naval petty officer trying to get back to Kansas City, Missouri to see his wife, the first time since August. She's suffering from lymphoma. He wanted to get back for Christmas, but he found himself at the back end of a line of 100 people in Seattle-Tacoma Airport.
PARTRIDGE: Seattle definitely one of the airports that is seeing a lot of congestion. The best thing I can tell people is get to the airport as early as you possibly can. And particularly for people trying to get on a standby flight because they're original flight was canceled out of Denver, get on the earliest standby flight that you possibly can. If you try to get on a standby flight later in the day, the congestion is just going to get worse as the day wears on.
ROBERTS: You know, we mentioned this ripple effect across the country. Let's take a quick look live at the picture from Flight Watch. This is an organization that tracks every plane in the air over the United States. You can see how congested the eastern part of the country is. Of course, that will move west as dawn starts to break there. These planes aren't to scale, by the way. There is a little more room in the sky than what it shows.
But, Bill, when we're talking about delays in places where there could be trouble spots later today. We mentioned that O'Hare is already experiencing some delays.
PARTRIDGE: That's a very good point. Unfortunately, the closure in Denver is just the least of the problems. O'Hare, one of the busiest airports in the country, is already seeing weather delays due to fog, in excess of 90 minutes, and that's for all-inbound flights to O'Hare. Active delays exceeding 90 minutes this morning.
The eastern portion of the country is going to be really bad for weather this morning. The Northeast and down south in Atlanta are going to see a lot of bad weather that will definitely lead to weather-related delays.
The New York metro area airports, Philadelphia, Boston, Logan, all seeing a lot of low-hanging clouds and fog this morning, and that's only going to get worse as the day wears on. New York metro area airports, Philadelphia, Boston, Logan, all seeing low-hanging clouds and fog this morning, and that's only going to get worse as the day wears on. Down in Atlanta some thunderstorms in the afternoon are also going to lead to delays that will approach 60 to 90 minutes in the late evening hours.
ROBERTS: Bill, you've got tips for travelers. And the first tip for travelers is don't fly standby. Now you mentioned that perhaps the situation at Denver Airport is a little bit unique, in that people might have to try to get on standby. But why shouldn't people fly standby at this particular time of year?
PARTRIDGE: Well, right now it's just a numbers game. The vast majority of the flights are already oversold. If people are trying to go standby, they will not get a seat. Couple of the other really good useful tips that I can give people, especially this, just a few days before Christmas, people traveling home for the big get-together with their friends and family, if you're taking a gift home, do not wrap the gift. The gifts have to get through the security lines in an unwrapped fashion. The security screeners have to see firsthand what the contents of the gift is. So make sure you don't wrap your gifts. Another thing that there's been a lot of confusion over lately is the liquids, gels, shampoos, things of that nature, thing that back in August the TSA actually banned.
Well, the good news is you are allowed to get those things on the airport with you, but there are some very strict guidelines. It's actually a lot easier than people are realizing. If you just think in terms of 3-1-1. All of your liquids and gels have to be placed in a three-ounce or smaller-sized container. A lot of people aren't sure what three ounces looks like. This red deodorant container that I have is exactly three ounces. So you want to get your containers smaller than this, and all of the containers have to be placed in a single one-quart-sized bag. Again, this is a one-quart size bag that I have.
ROBERTS: You know, Bill, I went through the Washington airport, Reagan Airport, not too long ago. My bag was too big, and they gave me another bag and I had to put everything in that.
Bill Patridge, thanks very much for the tips and for the news about air traffic today. Appreciate it.
PARTRIDGE: Thank you, John.
ROBERTS: Orbitz.com's air traffic analyst. All right -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Members of the U.N. Security Council will meet this morning to discuss possible sanctions against Iran for refusing to stop its nuclear program.
Senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth is with us this morning.
Good morning.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. The Security Council in Europe and here have been wrestling for months now with what to do about Iran. They want to stop Iran's uranium enrichment program. But Russia and China have been balking. Even yesterday, Russia saying there can't be a vote today, that there has to be more time given to this measure. Condoleezza Rice, U.S. secretary of state, still insisting there needs to be a resolution on Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE SECY. OF STATE: I am quite satisfied and quite certain that the resolution that will be adopted will be one that both says to Iran, you cannot defy the international community, and imposes penalty on Iran for that defiance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: The idea of this resolution is to start limiting some of the material technology that goes into Iran that could be used for its uranium-enrichment program.
The lone Arab country on the Security Council, Qatar, is very reluctant to press sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASSIR ABDULAZIZ AL-NASSER, QATAR AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We kept saying and pushing this matter need political dialogue, not, you know, sanction or resolution. That will create more problems than solving the problems. Its uranium enrichment program.
We kept saying and pushing this matter need political dialogue, not, you know, sanction or resolution. That will create more problems, solving the problems. See how they are going to engage other countries that have influence and see what we can do. But I don't know. I mean, it's too late now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: There were some concessions made to Russia. A travel ban on Iranian officials connected to this uranium-enrichment program has been dropped -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, well, we'll see what happens, if Russia gets the extra day that they want or not.
Richard Roth for us this morning. Thank you.
Ahead this morning, politicians, are they the new rock stars? we'll tell you why name recognition is giving some presidential hopefuls superstar status.
And more on top story, the terrible holiday weather delays. A short break and we're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: The 2008 election will be the first time in 150 years that there's not an incumbent president or vice president running, and that means that anyone can jump into the presidential race. But rock star-like name recognition just might be what keeps them in the race.
AMERICAN MORNING's Dan Lothian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Our sidewalk survey isn't scientific, but it proves a point.
(on camera): Do you know who this is?
LOTHIAN: There are so many superstar potential '08 presidential candidates that it seems everyone knows their names.
(on camera): OK, so this one. Do you know who this is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of looks like me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: McCain.
LOTHIAN: Do you know who this is?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Arizona senator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Romney, Mitt Romney.
LOTHIAN: One-hundred percent. Good job. You got them all right.
(voice-over): The potential high-profile roster is creating larger-than-usual hurdles for anyone lacking in name recognition.
DAVID KING, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: There are people who have been planning runs for the presidency their entire life, with the expectation that they might somehow win. But when you have the big names in the field, they're not going to win. The small guy is not going to win.
LOTHIAN: Consider Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, who recently dipped his toes in New Hampshire's presidential waters, but now says he won't jump in. "Long odds," he said, "for relatively unknown candidate like myself, a little like David and Goliath."
(on camera): If face recognition weren't already enough, experts say the likely super candidates will get the lion's share of the money, and raise a record amount of cash.
KING: There will be a tremendous amount of money spent. You'll need a lot of money to be able to compete in the early caucuses and in the primaries.
LOTHIAN: But don't be fooled. Even at this high altitude, there is always the possibility of an upset.
KING: People want to root for -- you know, people want to root for the underdog. So you don't want to go into the primary season looking like you're squashing the competition before there really is any competition.
LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're following for you this morning, dramatic rescue here Boston. SUV sinking into the Charles River. Folks jumped out and saved the guy who was inside. We'll tell you what happened.
Plus, a rainstorm gives New Orleans a chance to test its flood- protection system. Oh, and you can tell by these pictures just how they did. Straight ahead more on those stories.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Do you like to open your Christmas presents in front of a roaring fire, but you don't have a fireplace. Well, a Christmas morning tradition is now going high tech.
CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on the battle of the yule logs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Talk about fighting fire with fire. A televised yule log for those who don't have a real fireplace. The question is, which fire brings more joy to the world?
In this corner, the original, the WPIX yule log.
JULIE O'NEIL, WPIX PROGRAM DIRECTOR: You have to admit it's pretty mesmerizing.
MOOS: This blazing yule was dreamed up in 1966 by the general manager of New York City station WPIX.
O'NEIL: The world's first music video.
MOOS: It had some bizarre touches, like the creepy doing.
O'NEIL: I don't understand why you would hang a small child over a fireplace. MOOS: In 1999, the fire spread to the Internet. This log has its own fan Web site.
O'NEIL: Really sucks you in, doesn't it?
MOOS: But now it's being sucker punched.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On December 25th, the yule log is back.
MOOS: Say it ain't so, Santa. This yule log's in high- definition.
JASON PATTON, INHD: We are taking the yule log to a new level.
MOOS: This yule log even crackles. An all-HD network called INHD made what amounts to a designer yule log video.
PATTON: We went to Ron Roy in California. He does mood videos.
MOOS: But it hasn't blackened the mood of the original yule loggers.
O'NEIL: No one seems to get it right. I mean, honestly, they don't have the andirons.
PATTON: Theirs is like 30 years old. It's been the same thing over and over.
MOOS: The original yule log is a six-and-a-half-minute loop. The INHD version is a 45-minute loop, with shots from various angles.
PATTON: Here is your extreme close-up. Don't singe your hair.
MOOS: Don't burn yourself.
PATTON: We debuted this on our network in 2003.
MOOS: So which log is hotter? Well, if you can find INHD, way up in the nosebleed channels -- it's a 24-hour log.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Burning all Christmas day.
O'NEIL: Personally, I think that three hours is enough log.
MOOS: But you are the Grinch who stole the yule log.
PATTON: Maybe I stole it, but we made it better.
O'NEIL: I say thank you for trying to imitate the original.
MOOS: The folks at WPIX fear that since INHD is geared towards men, the competition's fire would be bigger.
(on camera): A big log?
O'NEIL: A really big log. MOOS (voice-over): So how do the logs stack up?
(on camera): It's about 13 and a half.
Yes, 23.
(voice-over): Yes, but it's the old flame you never forget.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: The yule duel, only in New York.
Some of the stories that we're following for you right now, hurricane damage chasing off insurers. Alabama is one of the southeastern states where Allstate is cutting back homeowners insurance.
And Congressman Virgil Goode isn't backing off from his inflammatory comments about Muslims.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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