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American Morning
Gas Pain: Gas Prices Soar for the Holidays, Hannah Montana Mania: Parents Go Crazy To get Concert Tickets
Aired November 19, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Jump at the pump. Gas prices at near record highs. How you'll feel the pinch on your ride home for the holiday.
Made in the USA. The search for safer toys and what the label really means.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A Made in USA label does not equal a safety certification.
ROBERTS: Plus giving thanks.
KEVIN EVERETT, FOOTBALL PLAYER: I just want to say thank you to all of my teammates.
ROBERTS: An NFL player's dramatic turnaround on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: A very nice message from Kevin Everett last night. Good news about him today. Good morning. Thanks for joining us on this Monday, November 19th. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Just in time for one of the busiest getaway weeks for the entire year, gas prices are now making a run at a new all-time high. There's also snow and fog blanketing parts of the country, and the government is telling you how to pack your bags. We're all over the holiday travel madness. Bonnie Schneider keeping an eye on the Thanksgiving week's forecast for us.
First, though, to Alina Cho on gas prices and as we said, making a run for a new record. Good morning, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kiran, good morning. If you're one of the 31 million Americans who will drive to your destination for the Thanksgiving holiday, get out your wallet. The Lundberg survey says the average price of a gallon of gas is now $3.09. That's close to the all-time high set back in May. It's 86 cents higher than last year, and 13 cents higher than just two weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE MOORE, CONCERNED OVER GAS PRICES: I'm fairly concerned. I don't drive that often but, you know, when I do, it's definitely a basic huge impact on the budget.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not that concerned. Personally, I don't pay for gas money. It's mom's credit card, but you know, it's something that you got to think about every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Somebody's paying for it, and that's mom in that case. The nation's cheapest and most expensive gas, by the way, are both out west. If you're looking to save a couple of pennies, head to Tucson, Arizona, where the average price is $2.91. San Francisco has the highest gas prices. A gallon will cost you $3.48 there. And unfortunately, it's going to get worse before it gets better.
The people at Lundberg say when it comes to gas prices, don't be surprised if we break another record soon with the price of oil climbing toward $100 a barrel. Kiran, those who watch this very closely say we could easily see another dime at the pump, and around the holidays that is not what we want to hear.
CHETRY: No, not at all. Alina, thanks.
ROBERTS: Guess what you have to kick off your holiday week in parts of the northeast? Snow. You can see it all over the radar here. It's coming down in parts of New England and New Jersey. Our Bonnie Schneider in for Rob Marciano at our weather update desk tracking the extreme weather this morning.
Bonnie and, you know, it looks lovely on the ground. But when you're trying to get from here to there, it's a nightmare.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. And it was even snowing in Central Park this morning. Not really sticking to the ground but definitely some snow. We've had snow in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and that's going to continue as we work our way through the morning hours.
Let's take a look at some of the radar pictures now. We can show you that we do have the snow continuing across the northeast. There's actually snow advisories in place because we're likely to see another one to three inches of snow in northern sections of New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania.
That's right. The winter weather advisories continue just until 10:00 this morning. But as you can see, it's not over yet. I want to talk about airports because already we're getting some reports of airport delays even at this early hour of the morning. We have an airport delay in Los Angeles, increasing 45 minutes, and this is just the beginning. It's going to get very, very busy.
Looking ahead to Wednesday, the busiest travel day of the year, we've got some travel troubles. Unfortunately, a front that's slicing through right through the nation's midsection, will bring rain for cities like Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, down through Little Rock and even into Shreveport.
So this rain and snow and it's going to make a little bit of trouble if you're driving. We may see airport delays in Minneapolis and Chicago on Thanksgiving as well. So we'll be watching this closely.
ROBERTS: I saw also saw this morning, Bonnie, that there were some delays at La Guardia and Newark as well.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, and I think those delays will continue into the afternoon, unfortunately get worse due to the poor visibility with that snow and rain mix happening in New York right now.
ROBERTS: Oh, it's going to be difficult to get to grandma's house.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
ROBERTS: All right.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
ROBERTS: Bonnie Schneider for us this morning. Bonnie, thanks. We'll check back with you real soon -- Kiran.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
CHETRY: Well, 35 tons of relief supplies from America will soon be on their way to Bangladesh as the number of dead continues to rise from last week's devastating cyclone. More than 3,000 people are now dead with thousands more desperately waiting help in areas that are cut off by the flooding.
We have a strike update for you. Talks between Hollywood producers and writers are off until next Monday. Several TV talk shows are already in repeats, and now it's hitting movies, too.
Colombia Pictures says it's stopping production on "The Da Vinci Code" sequel, and Broadway will remain dark during one of its busiest weeks of the year. Talks broke down late last night in resolving the stagehand strike.
There's breaking news out of South Carolina this morning. A terrible bus crash. It happened overnight on Interstate-26. It's about 20 miles west of Charleston.
Police say that the bus went off the road in Dorchester County, hitting several trees. The driver was killed and 30 passengers were injured. Earlier, we spoke to a state trooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD FRANCO, CNN AFFILIATE REPORTER: Now, there is no idea exactly what happened. The weather was suspect. There was a light drizzle at the time, but you're talking about an area of I-26 that is heavily wooded on either side. And at that time of day, I think right now, what the highway patrol is investigating is whether or not the driver fell asleep or something that is a wooded area, a deer could have very easily run out in front of him. But right now, they're not going to speculate on anything. The investigation is ongoing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: That was our local affiliate reporter, actually, Brad Franco (ph), giving us an update from the scene. Again, they don't really know what the cause was. But he was talking what the conditions were like out there on the roads and exactly where it is.
Also, an employee with the bus company told CNN that the passengers were a group of friends who were on their way to Miami to catch a holiday cruise.
The motor city, the most dangerous city in America yet again. It took the top spot in this year's list. That's Detroit, leaping over St. Louis, last year's crime leader, which fell to number two. Followed by Flint, Michigan, Oakland, California, and Camden, New Jersey, which is just across the river from Philadelphia.
A private research group releases these rankings. They're based on FBI statistics. But critics, including Detroit's police chief denounced this report. They complained that the numbers are taken out of context. They also questioned the group's motives since the full report is only available if you buy it -- John.
ROBERTS: New this morning, a dramatic drop in violence in Iraq. The U.S. commander say attacks are down 55 percent since the beginning of the American troop buildup. But they warn, the fight has not gone away. Iraqi police say insurgents killed three of their officers today, and a car bomber killed at least nine people in Baghdad yesterday.
The Pentagon is planning to take on Al Qaeda inside Pakistan. A new and classified proposal revealed in today's "New York Times" says the military will send U.S. trainers money to Pakistani tribes, which are willing to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The new proposal is modeled after the successive similar tactic in Iraq's Anbar province.
There is new urgency to put the plan in action because of the political turmoil in Pakistan and fear that Islamic militants will grow stronger. If the proposal is accepted, it might expand the presence of American military trainers in Pakistan.
Pakistan Supreme Court, meanwhile, cleared legal challenges to the government of President Pervez Musharraf this morning. The court, by the way, is handpicked by the Pakistani leader. And in his first public comment since the sit-down with Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Musharraf defended the state of emergency. U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, met with opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, today in Karachi -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, there's some encouraging news this morning about injured NFL player, Kevin Everett, after being hurt and feared possibly even paralyzed in the season opener. Everett had a special message for fans last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN EVERETT, INJURED FOOTBALL PLAYER: How are you doing, Buffalo? This is Kevin Everett. I'm out here in Houston working hard, out here rehabbing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Everett told fans the good news that he was home from the hospital and would have outpatient therapy for a fractured spinal cord.
CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is following this from our medical update desk for us in Atlanta this morning. It's amazing to see him. He looks great.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: He does look great. Kiran, what an incredible two months it's been for Kevin Everett. When he had that injury on the game September 9th, doctors feared that he would never walk again. But now, doctors say that he can sit in a wheelchair and push himself around with his feet. He can hold himself up for short periods of time in a walker, but he still has a long way to go.
He's spending about four to five hours a day in physical and occupational therapy. And, you know, Everett himself perhaps put it best. He said "I have a long journey to a full recovery." Kiran.
CHETRY: And so, what is the prognosis? Is it -- does it look like he's going to walk again?
COHEN: You know, it is very dicey, making a prognosis in a case like this. In fact, there was one doctor who said on September 11th, two days after the accident, Kevin Everett will walk out of this hospital, and that didn't turn out to be true is you want to be careful.
His injuries were at the C3 and C4 vertebrae. Those are up near the neck, and it's very difficult to tell because each case is different. But doctors have said that they've seen people with injuries just like this or similar to this who have made a full recovery.
CHETRY: Oh, we're all pulling for him so we hope that's the case with Kevin. Thanks a lot, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
ROBERTS: It looks like reading is not so fundamental these days. Time for your "Quick Hits." A new report says young people are spending more time talking than reading from chatting online or on cell phones. Almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds say they never read for pleasure, and only about one in three high school seniors is reading at a proficient level. And drivers are getting a failing grade, too. A new report says one in six people on the road, about 36 million American drivers would flunk a driving test if they had to take it. The two questions that tripped up the drivers the most, what a solid yellow light means. It means stop if it's safe, by the way, and the state where drivers did the worst? New York.
With so many toys from China being recalled, some parents are turning to toys made right here at home. We'll show you some Made in the USA toys. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up on 14 minutes after the hour, and some of the shots that you just have to see. In our "Quick Hits" now, this one sent in to us by I-Reporter Ben Berger (ph).
The Texas Chipper, floating no more. The World War Two ship sunk off the coast of Texas on Saturday. Officials plan to use the 7,000- ton vessel as an artificial reef and diving destination. The ship had been used as a floating classroom for students of Texas A&M University from 1965, all the way until 1994.
And an attempt to set a new world record in dominoes falls short in the Netherlands. More than 85 domino builders from 12 European countries worked around the clock for eight weeks to try to break the record.
Organizers say more than 3,670,000 dominos fell during the two- hour show. It was pretty creative and pretty colorful as well. The record was set last year with more than 4 million dominoes were knocked down. So a little short of that record.
And hundreds of people in Spain held a demonstration in Madrid over the weekend. It comes a week after a 16-year-old man was stabbed to death in the city by a Neonazi. Protesters threw objects at riot police. Officers responded by hitting the demonstrators. Several protesters and one police officer were injured -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, bigger than Bruce Springsteen, hotter than the police or Bon Jovi. There are some parents doing some really nutty thing to get their hands on Hannah Montana tickets. She's a Disney star with her own TV show. Her real name, Miley Cyrus. She's actually the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, the famous country singer. Her singing alter ego on the show is Hannah Montana.
Of course, Lola, we don't have to explain that to all the tweens out there. We don't need to explain that to Lola Ogunnaike either. But you need to tell us what is it with this Hannah Montana that has sparked madness. I mean, this is like Michael Jackson "Thriller" type madness.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's true. You know, Kiran, she's only 14 and already she is a huge, huge star. Her last album sold over 1 million copies. It was just released this summer. Her concert sold out in a matter of minutes. You've got tickets on the black market going for upwards of $1,000 and more, and you've got parents clamoring to get their kids tickets and to actually buy her doll, which is selling for close to $30. It's the hottest doll on the market right now.
Barbie who? It's flying off the shelves. Expect that in other Hannah Montana paraphernalia to be the big, big gets for the Christmas holiday season. Big stocking stuffer favorites.
You know, she's a really wholesome girl. And at a time when the Amanda Bynes and the Hillary Duff's of the world are all grown up and you don't really have any boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, is actually the hottest game in town right now. So she's got no real competition and she has definitely cornered the tween and kid market.
CHETRY: I don't see her doing interviews that her dad glued her side. Maybe that has something to do with it. But, you know, he's making sure his kid stays a kid.
The interesting thing about what these parents are doing. OK. So one dad clung to a 12-foot Hannah Montana statue for six days to win sold out tickets for his family. We have another woman. She was a housewife. I can't remember what state she was in. They basically paid a year's college tuition, 13 grand to get these tickets in Indiana.
OGUNNAIKE: Yes. These parents are going to great lengths to get these tickets for their kids. And again, it sounds insane to us, but when you've got these kids who are like, mom, mom. Dad, dad, please. I want to see Hannah Montana. This is who I live for. You've got kids going and you've got these parents going to great lengths to just put a smile on their kids' faces.
CHETRY: Yes. Have you seen anything like this in a long time?
OGUNNAIKE: Not in a long time. Not since the 'N Sync, Backstreet Boys, you know, and the emergency, Britney Spears. Not since then has a young act hit this big.
CHETRY: All right. Well, in fact, it's sparking a lot of controversy as well because coming up, we're going to be speaking, well, actually, with a mom and a daughter. They filed a lawsuit against Hannah Montana Fan Club online. They felt they were led to believe they could get tickets and can't, so the controversy thickens over this poor little girl.
OGUNNAIKE: Only 14, but sparking headlines.
CHETRY: She is. Thanks, Lola.
ROBERTS: Our Homeland Security duty stretching the coast guard too thin. Your "Quick Hits" now. A House subcommittee will hold a hearing in San Francisco today focusing on the response to the oil spill in the Bay two weeks ago. The Coast Guard initially misreported the size of the spill and then were slow in telling officials and the public how big it really was. The Congress wants to know if the Coast Guard has lost its effectiveness in dealing with such emergencies because of its new mandate to protect ports and coastal waters against terrorism.
Rescuers, update in the mine rescue in Eastern Ukraine. Workers are trying to get to 23 trapped miners. Seventy-seven people were killed in Sunday's methane explosion, 360 of them got out alive. The blast occurred more than 3,000 feet underground. Government officials say there is a slim chance of finding the missing miners alive.
What's the real reason that gasoline prices are so high? Just ahead, how you can save 20 percent off your energy bill.
In some states, workers are calling New Jersey Governor, Jon Corzine the grinch who stole Thanksgiving. We'll tell you why Corzine took their holiday weekend away. Where's the turkey here? Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A food shortage topping your "Quick Hits" now. Food banks across the country say they're running short on supplies because of more demand and less supply. The energy and health care costs going up and more people are visiting food banks at a time when food manufacturers say they have less food to donate.
President Bush visits the site of the first Thanksgiving today. He'll be stopping by Berkeley's plantation in Virginia. That's where English settlers had a Thanksgiving meal two years before the dinner in Massachusetts, which was widely known or considered the start of the holiday.
Well, no long weekend for state workers in New Jersey. Governor Jon Corzine changing decades' old policy saying the state will be open for business. That the Friday after Thanksgiving is no longer a paid holiday for state workers. Corzine's office said they got 5,000 complaints about the change, people calling him the Thanksgiving grinch.
Well, it brings us to our "Quick Vote" question of the day. Should it be business as usual the day after Thanksgiving? Cast your vote at CNN.com/AM.
Right now it's split 50/50. I bet it's the people that (A) Have to show up versus those who would say they didn't. Fifty-one percent saying yes, 49 percent saying no.
We're going to continue the tally votes throughout the morning. And don't worry, John and I will be here. We'll be here on Thanksgiving.
ROBERTS: We will.
CHETRY: And the day after that. ROBERTS: And the day after that. Yes, we'll be here Christmas as well, so see you there.
Just in time for the holidays. Gasoline prices are nearing an all-time high. The average price at the pump now more than $3 a gallon. It could get worse as we approach one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
Peter Beutel is an oil analyst and the author of "Surviving Energy Prices." He joins us now live from Stamford, Connecticut.
Peter, good to see you. Gas, 80 cents a gallon more than it was this time last year. How far away do you think we are, I mean, in real terms from hitting that $4 a gallon mark?
PETER BEUTEL, OIL ANALYST, PRES., CAMERON HANOVER: Well, it certainly isn't going to happen before the end of the year., but it is possible that we could see $4 in April or May. Traditionally, the highest prices we see every year are in April or in May.
ROBERTS: Yes.
BEUTEL: So that's when I'd be worried about it, not right now.
ROBERTS: Yes, something else to look forward to there. Thanks a lot for that, by the way. Two main factors driving up oil prices you say. What are they?
BEUTEL: Well, the first one is the fact that the fed cut interest rates just as it looked like the oil markets were about to make an important top. Had they not done that, the dollar wouldn't have dropped. If the dollar hadn't dropped, we probably would not have seen such strength in commodities that are denominated in dollars.
The second one is, a year ago, OPEC cut 1.2 million barrels a day, then it cut another 500,000 on February 1st in '07. It's given us back that second 500,000, but it still hasn't given us back the 1.2 million barrels a day that it cut a year ago. If it were to do that, we wouldn't have a surplus of demand over supply of 1.6 million barrels a day. It would be only about 400,000 barrels a day and that would mean prices about $10 or $15 a barrel lower.
Are we at the price, Peter, where it starts to affect people's behavior and how do you expect that might impact this week's holiday?
BEUTEL: Well, it does. Let me give you an example, over the last 11 weeks. American consumers have spent $18.5 billion more on gasoline than they did in the same 11-week period that ended this past Friday. So that comes at a particularly bad time with holidays coming up.
Eventually, I think, people are going to have to start thinking about ways they can cut it and there are a number of ways they can do it. Telecommuting, working from home or car pooling are two ways that people could use to cut their gasoline expenses. ROBERTS: And, of course, you know, you're going to feel the impact to this up there in Connecticut, people all over New England, and much of the eastern part of the United States. In terms of the impact of high heating oil prices, there is a little bit of good news, though. You say you got some tips that can help people save 20 percent on their home heating bills. What are those?
BEUTEL: Well, what we need to do, of course, are do things like take the plastic wrap and duct tape it around the outside and possibly even around the inside, using caulking, using ways of insulating the home, wearing a sweater, turning down the thermostat just a degree or two. All of those can help you save money.
But really, the biggest, the biggest savings can be had in gasoline, again by, if people were to telecommute once a month or carpool with just one other person twice a month, you could save about 5 percent on your gasoline bill. It would drive gasoline demand down, and that would push prices lower for all of us.
ROBERTS: Peter, our Ali Velshi insists that oil should really be about $60 a barrel. Do you think it's ever going to go back down?
BEUTEL: Oh, yes, I do. I think it will even get lower than that eventually. About a week and a half ago, we had this huge discovery in Brazil that made it jump from being about the 22nd largest country in terms of reserves to the ninth.
We are going to be finding oil in a lot of places over the next five years. Really at $50 and more, you can find oil anywhere in the world that the geology supports it. So it's just a matter, unfortunately, of us having a recession first.
ROBERTS: Right.
BEUTEL: When that happens, demand will drop but supply is going to keep rising for years, for five or six years from now.
ROBERTS: Right. Well, a lot of people would certainly like to see oil prices drop. Peter Beutel, "Surviving Energy Prices" is the name of the book, oil industry analyst talking to us this morning about that.
Good to see you. Thanks very much for being with us.
BEUTEL: Thank you.
ROBERTS: A look now at the story coming up in the next half hour that you just can't miss. The holiday shopping season about to kick off, Black Friday now, just four days away.
CHETRY: That's right. And public state workers working. Is there anyone going to be at the retail stores? We'll see. But, you know, the recalls this year, you can bet a lot of those made in China toys, parents are going to be giving you the second look.
Are there other alternatives? Is the Made in the USA label your safest bet?
ROBERTS: Oh, wouldn't that be a great thing. Our consumer reporter Greg Hunter is going to take a look at that. We'll also head the day's headlines when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: Is that a gorgeous winter wonderland or what? This picture comes to us from WBRE in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Just that little shape of the house and the snow on the roof. It's 31 degrees in Scranton, PA, right now, feels like 24, and they are getting snow all morning, 60% chance that they say that accumulation is probably under an inch. Hey, this is just right outside of our building, a little bit of snow coming down there.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: Oh my goodness. You know what that means. That means it's just about six miles away in that shot over the back of those buildings on the other side of Central Park, La Guardia Airport is just madness.
CHETRY: You're always thinking about the travel troubles. You know what I was thinking, I was thinking that it's going to be such a pretty backdrop for all the tourists in town to check out the storefront windows all decorated, a couple of the trees up already. Lincoln Center has their tree lit. So.
ROBERTS: With the Broadway shows dark, too, you got to do something, so maybe window shopping is in the offing.
CHETRY: Yes, how about that. Welcome, it's Monday, November 19th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: Good morning to you, I'm John Roberts.
New this morning, 35 tons of relief supplies from the U.S. are about to be shipped out to Bangladesh, and the death toll there is rising from the devastating cyclone, more than 3,000 people have been killed. Rescue crews say thousands are also trapped in remote villages without food and water.
Pakistan's supreme court this morning has paved the way for President Musharraf to serve another five years in office. We should point out that the court was hand-picked by Musharraf himself. Political opponents say the court's rulings do not have a shred of credibility. Musharraf says he plans to leave the Pakistani Army and serve only as a civilian president. The U.S. is still pushing Musharraf to restore the constitution and end the military crackdown but the Musharraf says the crackdown is necessary to keep the peace.
Some possible good news coming out of Iraq today, a drop in violence to report there. U.S. commanders say attacks are down 55% since the beginning of the American troop buildup but they warned the situation on the ground is still very serious. Iraqi police say insurgents killed three of their officers today, and a car bomber killed at least nine people in Baghdad yesterday. CHETRY: A deadly bus crash overnight in South Carolina, the driver killed and 30 passengers injured, when a tour bus ran off the road. It happened on interstate 26, Dorchester County, South Carolina. An employee of the bus company says the passengers were a group of friends headed to Miami for a Thanksgiving cruise.
And there will be no Broadway shows heading into what one of the biggest money-making weeks of the year for Broadway. The latest round of talks to end the stagehand strike broke off late last night, and there are no new talks currently scheduled.
The first snow of the season hits northern New Jersey. Flakes even flying in New York City as we just saw. But the snowfalling right now. There's a snow advisory in effect for some counties, Suffolk, Warren and Morris. They say the snow is falling and it's slowing traffic on some of the busier places like interstate 80 and 78. They got a couple of inches overnight and it looks like they are due to get a couple more possible today.
33 minutes past the hour. Bonnie Schneider in for Rob Marciano in the CNN weather center tracking the severe weather. And that picture we had from Scranton. It looks like a Christmas card, didn't.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: It does.
CHETRY: Just check that out.
SCHNEIDER: A beautiful picture in Scranton but you know they're not done. The snow has not stopped in Scranton. We're seeing live pictures now courtesy of affiliate WBRE. And as snow continues to fall, in fact, advisories will continue as we go straight into the next hour or two. Take a look at the radar, you can see the rain/snow line as we get the variants in temperatures. In and around New York City, we have snow falling right now, light snow reported at Central Park up towards the Bronx and further north towards Rockland and west Chester counties. As you travel to the south, it's all rain, into the New Jersey area, south of areas where we're getting the snow and the snow advisory zone you mentioned Warren, Sussex, Morris county. The advisory continues there until 10:00. We also have snow advisories in effect for parts of Pennsylvania, and this will go from Monroe and Carbon county until 10:00 a.m.. Airport delays, well we got them. It may be early in the morning, that doesn't matter. If you're flying today and many of you are, there is a ground delay at La Guardia Airport, one hour and five minutes. Now, that means flights that are traveling to La Guardia will be delayed. So, anywhere in the country if you're heading in that direction there will be a delay there. Delays are on the rise as well for Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. This is just the beginning, Kiran. We're going to get a lot more delays as we go through the day today and certainly for tomorrow.
CHETRY: Bonnie Schneider, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Not going to be a lot of fun flying today.
CHETRY: No, not at all. ROBERTS: 35 minutes after the hour. To London now, the marking of the diamond anniversary of the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Earlier this morning, the queen arrived at Westminster Abby for a public ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of their wedding. Our Emily Chang is live in London monitoring the celebration. She joins us now and a big one this is. Emily.
EMILY CHANG, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, John. Right now, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip retracing their steps down the aisle, the ceremony happening at Westminster Abby, the same church where they got married in 1947. 2,000 people are there, including Prince Charles and Camilla, Princes William and Harry, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. They've also invited ten couples from the public who got married that same day 60 years ago. Princess Elizabeth as she was called then was just 21 years old, Philip a 26-year-old naval officer. It was a time of great austerity for the British people. The country was recovering from the second World War. Princess Elizabeth had to save up clothing coupons just to buy their wedding dress so this wedding certainly gave the country a big boost and it has meant a lot to the British people. Since then, Queen Elizabeth, the only British monarch ever to celebrate a diamond anniversary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an incredible milestone, it's a great achievement, something to be celebrated, particularly these who people lived in the spotlight, in the full glare of the media attention for the last 60 years. And I think, that in itself is quite remarkable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANG: And to celebrate personally tomorrow, the couple will be traveling to Malta, where they lived for several years as a young married couple before Elizabeth became queen in 1952.
ROBERTS: A lovely celebration there this morning, thanks for bringing that to us. Emily Chang today in London.
Scared off by millions of toys from China being recalled. Some American consumers are turning to toys made here at home. Our Greg Hunter takes to us a toy factory in Ohio. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Wow, it's another shot this morning of New York City, and there you can see in that shot, it's pretty cloudy, and a little foggy out there, but there is snow and it's not sticking here, but just west of us in New Jersey, boy, they're in a snow advisory, two inches so far and possibly two more. We'll continue to follow the weather situations, probably making for one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, making it a little bit worse because of the weather, at least here the northeast.
Meanwhile, 26 million toys recalled so far this year and the vast majority of them made in China. So, are toys made in the U.S.A. any safer? Our Greg Hunter is looking out for you and he has a list here. There are also some anecdotal reports when they ask people a bigger majority than usual said they are going to think twice about where these toys are made when they buy them this holiday season.
GREG HUNTER, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: The Made in the U.S.A. today has some cache. The Federal Trade Commission in order to tag an item made in the U.S.A., all or virtually all of that product must be made in the United States but does the made in the U.S.A. label actually help when it comes to sales? Here's one company that says most definitely.
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HUNTER (voice-over): The assembly line is running 24/7 at this Little Tikes toy plant in Hudson, Ohio, churning out its most popular toy, the Cozy Coupe or what Little Tykes Executive Vice-President Tom Prichard calls.
TOM PRICHARD, EVP, LITTLE TIKES: One of the best selling cars in America that's made in America.
HUNTER: Instead of in China, where 80% of the toys sold in the U.S. are made.
PRICHARD: We got some of the best people right here in Hudson, Ohio, that know how to make the product and they're experts at doing it.
HUNTER: Workers here earn between $15 and $25 an hour, far more than most of their Asian counterparts. Still the company says those higher wages pay off. By creating a product with unique appeal, with $600 million in sales expected this year, Little Tikes is trumpeting the made in the U.S.A. pedigree.
PRICHARDS: Made in America with Little Tikes means quality, it means safety and it means durability. And hopefully it means trust and mom understands it's safe.
HUNTER: Marketing experts say the made in the U.S.A. cache goes far beyond Little Tikes.
DENNIS DUNLOP, CEO, AMERICAN MARKETING ASSN.: Consumers right now in particular equate equality with made in America.
HUNTER: Other popular toys like Slinky and Crayola crayons are also still made in the U.S.. Consumer advocates say while U.S.-made products are more likely to comply with regulations than toys made abroad.
RACHEL WEINTRAUB, CONSUMER FED. OF AMERICA: A made in the U.S.A. label does not equal a safety certification.
HUNTER: Weintraub wants the government to test all toys no matter where they're made, instead of relying on the companies to do so. Little Tikes conducts its own safety tests beginning with design. All products are first created in wood or foam, and then put to the test.
PRICHARD: It's more stable.
HUNTER: The slide set started out a little shaky so they tacked on a foot and on every item made here, Little Tikes is adding this label, made in the U.S.A.
Is this just a sales ploy? Or are you proud of this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, this is more than anything to help mom find the product that they're looking for easier.
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HUNTER: Little Tikes makes some toys overseas but the majority, nearly 70% are made in Ohio and they don't have any plans to change that any time soon. And one more thing, if you have a story about fraud waste or abuse please contact me at lookingout@cnn.com.
And Kiran, there are toys made right here in the U.S.A. and one of them is the slinky, the good old slinky. A lot of cache to this and this is mostly made in the U.S.A.. Crayola crayons has some factories abroad as pointed out during the story but mostly made in the U.S.A, Crayola crayons. And one thing that's a big, big hot seller these days are labels. This company says it's made in the U.S.A. labels are up 23% over last year.
CHETRY: They need more toys to stick them on since 80% of the toys are made overseas. But it's interesting because you said Little Tikes, they haven't had a recall in two years.
HUNTER: According to the number two at the company, I also asked him about phthalates which are banned in California. That's the a compound that makes plastics malleable. And they did away with that a few years ago, several years ago as a matter of fact and they banned it overseas. And they're banning it in the state of California as of the first of this year. So they have none of that compound that could cause kids to have problems in any of their toys and of course they don't paint their toys. They extrude them out of plastic.
CHETRY: So bottom line, are the toys made in the U.S.A. "safer"?
HUNTER: Here's what some people say, some consumer advocates they say American companies that operate here are more likely to comply with existing laws. They know what they are and they know what they should do so you don't see the big recalls, for example, you know, Little Tikes hasn't had a recall in a couple of years. You don't see them spraying with lead paint. You don't see the same types of recalls that you have had these tons, millions and millions of recalls from overseas. They're just not up to speed to our standards.
CHETRY: Greg, thanks a lot.
HUNTER: All right.
ROBERTS: 44 minutes after the hour. Hannah Montana fan club members are hopping mad, claiming they were supposed to get priority for seats to her upcoming concert series. Instead of wishing upon a star, they're suing, a woman who is going to court for seats to the concert. That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.
And many Americans will be hitting the stores on Friday morning or staying home eating leftovers. But many states are open for business at usual. The debate over black Friday, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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ROBERTS: Coming up to 12 minutes to the top of the hour. If you're just joining us, here's a look at what's making headlines this morning. Thanksgiving travelers may have to tighten their belts this week because of high gas prices. $3.09 is the average price for a gallon of self-serve regular according to AAA. That is up 86 cents from this time a year ago. Usually prices peak in the summer, but come down by this time of year.
35 tons of relief supplies from the United States will soon be on their way to Bangladesh. The death toll continues to climb following a devastating cyclone. As of last count, 3,114 people were dead. Rescue crews say thousands are trapped in remote villages without food and water.
Pakistan's foreign ministry says nothing new came out of the high level talks with the U.S. State Department. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte traveled to Pakistan to urge President Pervez Musharraf to end emergency rule. A foreign ministry spokesman says Negroponte brought no new proposals and Musharraf received no assurances in return. Musharraf says he will only lift emergency rule if the security situation improves.
Broadway stagehands have broken off talks with producers, forcing them to cancel shows through Sunday. It could mean $20 million lost for the shows and millions more for businesses who depend on tourists coming to town for the Thanksgiving day period who usually stick around for a show.
The New England Patriots are still perfect. The Patriots didn't miss a step after a week off, demolished the Buffalo Bills 56-10 last night. The Patriots now 10-0, next, take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Kiran
CHETRY: Well, if you couldn't get a ticket to see Hannah Montana you're not alone. Now, some fans are now fighting in court claiming that the Hannah Montana fan club made a promise it couldn't keep. Joining us now live from Pittsburgh, Debbie Piazza. She is suing the website along with her 9-year-old daughter, Mia, and their attorney Rob Pierce. Thanks to all of you for being with us this morning.
ROB PEIRCE, PIAZZA'S ATTORNEY: Thank you.
CHETRY: We're reading all these stories just about what a huge craze this is and the lengths people are going to to try to get to this concert or this tour that Mylie Cyrus, Hannah Montana, is putting on. And Debbie, so you joined this web site mylieworld, in hopes that it would make your chances better of getting tickets for your little daughter, Mia. So, what happened?
DEBBIE PIAZZA: Well, I had left work early the day they went on sale for the pre-sale. I went home, I had a hard time getting on the site at 10:00, and when I got back on, it was maybe 10:02, and the tickets were gone. So within two minutes, they were gone.
CHETRY: Mia, what did you think when your mom said you know what I wasn't able to get tickets?
MIA PIAZZA: I cried. I was so sad, but I'm still hoping that we still have a chance to get them.
CHETRY: They're expensive right now, right Debbie. You said that they're not selling them all through the ticketing agents now, and you can't get them for under $500, in Pittsburgh.
DEBBIE PIAZZA: That's correct.
CHETRY: Rob, let me ask you a question about this. You're heading up this class action lawsuit on behalf of Miley fans. You say, about 1,000 contacted you after finding out about this lawsuit. And let me just read to you what the publicist says about this, the mylieworld website expressly states that mylieworld does not guarantee every member a concert ticket. Mileyworld members had far greater access to concert tickets than the general public. Now, they say they don't guarantee tickets, can they be held liable?
PEIRCE: We believe that the web site and what they said on the website is deceptive in nature. While they have made tickets available to the fan base, we believe the number of tickets is nowhere close to the members, the membership of it. There are according to one media report, over 1 million members that belong to this fan club and clearly the corresponding number of tickets is nowhere close to the membership itself.
CHETRY: You say about 70,000 people got tickets. Debbie, if they had a little disclaimer in the corner saying only about 7% of you have an actual chance of getting tickets, would you have changed your mind about joining that fan club site?
PIAZZA: Quite possibly, yes, if I knew that my chances were that slim, I would have just went on the regular sale date and not spent the $30 on the fan club.
CHETRY: In this situation, Debbie, you're saying all you want is your $30 back because you feel you were misled?
PIAZZA: Yes.
CHETRY: And rob, you guys aren't seeking any other monetary reward?
PEIRCE: Well, under the law, the consumer protection law, the consumers would be entitled to damages if the judge and the court feels it's appropriate. But the vast majority of the people that contacted our firm have wanted to get their $30 back and if the company is willing to meet with us we certainly will discuss that with them.
CHETRY: Right. Well, Mia, let me show you, you have a picture of you in your Miley Cyrus costume, you look very cute by the way. Are you still a fan?
MIA PIAZZA: Yes, I'll always be a fan.
CHETRY: What is this situation taught you when it comes to trying to go see your favorite singer?
MIA PIAZZA: Well, sometimes what you want doesn't always happen.
CHETRY: Yes. That's a tough lesson, Debbie, for a 9-year-old. You want to do what you can. We're hearing reports that some parents spent as much as spending $13,000 for four tickets. In one case, a dad hung on a Hannah Montana statue for six days. What is the crazed appeal for Hannah Montana?
DEBBIE PIAZZA: I think just because she's just a down-to-earth regular girl. I mean, at this day and age with Britney and Lindsay, and all these people that are kind of go astray. It's nice to have somebody for the kids to look up to.
CHETRY: Yes, for sure. And you know, of course, you don't want to disappoint your kids if money wasn't a factor you'd do what you could to get them tickets. You know, Rob, is this just one of those situations where supply doesn't meet demand? And there's really no one to blame?
PEIRCE: Well, I don't think so. Again, the web site indicates that members of the fan base will have an opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public. But the other thing to remember is, there are parts of the country where the fan base tried to logon and get tickets but geographically were prohibited from doing such a thing and that just isn't right. What we're trying to do is get the membership fee, the $30 back to these members and hopefully in the future, the fan club and other fan clubs will change the way they do business.
CHETRY: Yes, you know it's a tough situation when you have brokers able to buy up all these tickets in the pre-sale before people like, you know, little Mia have a chance to get them. Sorry that you didn't get these tickets, Mia, and good luck to you. Maybe something will happen, maybe there will be a stroke of luck and you'll get to see her after all. But thanks for showing up and talking to us today, all of you.
PEIRCE: Thank you.
DEBBIE PIAZZA: Thank you.
MIA PIAZZA: You're welcome. ROBERTS: Six minutes now to the top of the hour. A couple of business headlines for you now. The trouble with the housing market could leak over into the driveway. Some major auto industry insiders this weekend offered grim forecasts on U.S. car sales saying 2008 could be the worst year since 1993, and later on this morning, we're going to get a report on the housing sector, the National Association of Home Builders will release its November forecast. Economists expect the index to hold its October level after eight straight months of declines. It looks as though it could be a down day on Wall Street, Dow futures pointing down earlier this morning.
State workers in New Jersey will be back at work the day after Thanksgiving. Governor Jon Corzine changed the decades old policy and said the day after Thanksgiving would no longer be a paid holiday for state workers. Corzine's office say it's received 5,000 complaints about the change. Some even calling him the Thanksgiving grinch. New Jersey joins 18 other states already open for business on so-called black Friday. One of the biggest shopping days of the year. Louisiana, by comparison, is forcing, forcing state workers to take the four-day weekend.
CHETRY: I thought that language was funny. I think you normally have to twist my arm too much. I'll take it off.
ROBERTS: Force me, please.
Which brings us to today's quick vote question. Should it be business as usual the day after Thanksgiving? Cast your vote at cnn.com/am. 52% of people say it should be business as usual, 48% who want the day off say no. We'll continue to tally the votes throughout the morning.
CHETRY: Hey, I just thought of one bright spot on your travel woes angle. All right, so these people can't get off, they have to work, maybe there will be less people crowding the airports?
ROBERTS: You mean, they won't be able to go to grandma's house for a few days?
CHETRY: Yes, and it will be off the road ways, just staying at home.
ROBERTS: Family, though, family time is very important.
CHETRY: It is. It is.
ROBERTS: And we don't have enough of it in this country.
CHETRY: That's right. We should get that movement going. Just in time for Thanksgiving.
ROBERTS: Turn it back at the other 18 states.
CHETRY: Well, still ahead your "Quick Hits" and the new 80-gig Microsoft Zune, it's you know, the mp3 player, already in short supply less than a week after it's release. Microsoft said it made more of the smaller version and it plans to have more 80-gig versions in the next couple of weeks.
Recycling your old electronics might not be as helpful to the environment as you may think. An environmental group based in Seattle estimates that most pf them end up overseas and workers there take out the metal and glass but expose themselves to toxic chemicals in the process.
Taking a tough stand on vaccines in Maryland. What one county is ordering parents to do and the trouble they could face, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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