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Bad Weather in Store for Travelers; Amtrak Offering Cheaper Travel Rates; Scientists Create Stem Cells from Skin Cells; Supreme Court to Review D.C. Handgun Ban; California Takes Action Against Dangerous Toys
Aired November 20, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: New stem cells without political fights or ethical debates. A medical breakthrough to share with you today.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, what's safe, what's not. The Senate's bag of toys loaded down with lead. What you really need to know before you hit the stores.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: First off this hour, if you're on the go this holiday week, beware of what's to come, from L.A. to New York and way too many places in between. Snow, rain, fog, all delaying flights at some of the biggest airports for a second straight day.
Now a big storm system is expected to brew and linger and leave a pretty big mess. That could make things much worse for travelers as much as planes as they fill the sky, more cars hit the road.
Let's get to CNN weather center. Chad Myers and Jacqui Jeras are teaming up to bring you the latest.
Guys, we're lucky to be here this week. That's for sure. It's OK that we're working.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I am happy to have 17 people coming to my house rather than me going to someone else's house. Jacqui, you staying or coming?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm staying.
MYERS: She's staying. She's staying, too. Exactly. That's what you wish you should do. Try to plan your travel on some kind of off time if you can, because it is just ugly out there. The airports across the northeast -- Jacqui's going to get into that -- have been bad all day. Because of low cloud cover. It's around.
And even light rain now, like some snow in Boston. All the temperatures now are above 40 degrees, so we're not seeing that snow stick. Forty-one in Boston. There were flakes in the air earlier, but now it is basically not melting on the way down. Tomorrow is not going to be much better, either. There's going to be a storm system for your drive to Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati all the way down I-95, I-65, and then you go 80, 70, 40, 20, 10. You're going to get rain no matter if you're going east or west on those roadways tomorrow.
Look what happens to New York. It was a nice day in New York yesterday. And you get to 61 on Thursday, but back into the 30s for lows by the weekend.
Denver, yesterday you were 76. Pueblo, you were 82. For Friday morning, 21. Tomorrow morning, 21. So you go from 76 to 21. Now that's great news for skiers, because they want the cold air and they want the cold weather. But it's pneumonia weather. Even in Atlanta. Atlanta today, will probably make a run -- I was just in the car. The car said 76, to go for a high of 74. But look what happens by the weekend. Lows in the 30s.
Jacqui, I know this has been an ugly couple of days for people that have been traveling. I have people in cars and planes, and they're frustrated. It's not any better today, is it?
JERAS: They're happy now to see you and your beautiful sun.
MYERS: Thanks.
JERAS: Yes. When things get started early, unfortunately, with delays, you know they can get worse throughout the day, even if the weather does clear out.
So let's go ahead and we'll start out by showing you our flight explorer and show you just how many planes are in the air. This is the highest number I've ever seen, by the way. It's about 6,200 planes which are in the air right now.
Let's go ahead and take a look at that. Just look at all of them, just really concentrated, especially all the way up and down the eastern seaboard. You see a few more gaps as you head towards the southwest.
One of the worst airports in the nation right now is Chicago- O'Hare. We also have a ground stop, which is in effect for Midway. And there you can see all of the plane traffic, trying to get in and out of there.
We also have delays to rival that right now at New York LaGuardia. Take a look at a live picture over Central Park right now. And it will show you some of the light rain showers which have been coming down and continuing to come down. We've got some rain and some mist and a haze visibility about five miles. So you know when you see that you got a little bit of trouble.
All right. Let's run down the airports, each an individual one, and show you the delays that we have at this hour as we go back to our map and show you what we've got there. We're looking at over an hour now at O'Hare, New York City LaGuardia, about an hour and a half, an hour and 20 minutes at Newark, those delays on the upward trend there for you.
And Richmond, Virginia, we've got to use two pages of delays, unfortunately today. You can see Baltimore, about 45 minutes. Boston, a ground delay at Logan, Las Vegas, New York City, and Philadelphia. That is a lot of airports to get on through.
Stick around, guys, because when I see you again, we're going to talk about how you can access some of this information on the Web. We'll have some detailed instructions for you in case you can't watch CNN at every given moment throughout the rest of the holiday.
PHILLIPS: Why wouldn't anybody want to watch CNN any given minute throughout the holiday? What else is there to do? The best way to avoid the in-laws.
JERAS: Not much, yes. Read a book, hide out in the bedroom while everybody is downstairs.
PHILLIPS: All right. Jacqui, thanks.
Chad, thanks. We'll be talking to you for the next couple of hours -- Don.
LEMON: Everybody wants to watch us. And you know, Jacqui Jeras and Chad mentioned the delays at Chicago's O'Hare, my old stomping ground. And Chicago's O'Hare International is one of the world's busiest airports. We know that it's expected to be packed -- packed -- through the holidays.
We check in now with CNN's Susan Roesgen at O'Hare.
Susan, it's going to be 74 degrees here today. Probably not that warm in Chicago, and I'm sure there are some delays going on.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I wish it were that warm, but we're starting to get that cold front coming through, so it's a little bit nippy outside.
Yes, Jacqui did tell you about the delays. That's the bad news. But look behind me, Don. It's really not that crowded in the security lines. I'm here at the American Airlines terminal, and it has been almost empty several times today. The lines are moving really quickly. Not that many people trying to get through. That's the good news.
The bad news is I just checked the departure board, and as Jacqui mentioned, nearly every single flight displayed on that board is delayed.
But there is a more reliable way to get where you're going to on time, a more civilized way, I think, to travel. And that's not here at O'Hare. It's at Union Station in Chicago. The Amtrak station.
Yes, Amtrak is expecting more passengers this week, as well, but there always seems to be room, and there's something else to consider about this, Don. And that's how much you would pay for a ticket. You know, every time the price of oil goes up, you pay more at the gas pump, and the airlines add a fuel surcharge to your ticket. That is not the case with Amtrak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC MAGLIARI, AMTRAK SPOKESMAN: Cheap mode of transportation. With Amtrak, we use fewer BTUs to move passengers than several other modes of transportation, so we're more efficient than some other modes.
And we also aren't as quite vulnerable to some of these huge swings in gasoline prices, because primarily we're diesel or electric. And the diesel prices are negotiated pretty far in advance.
So whether you traveling at Thanksgiving or coming up in the December holidays, you buy a ticket now you know what you're going to pay for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Now, you know they say at Amtrak, that they are expecting 70 percent more passengers this week. But they say what they do is just what Burger King does. They super-size their trains. They actually use that phrase, Don. They say they super-size the trains. They put more cars on to handle more passengers.
LEMON: And it's more filling. I think there's something -- some play on words there.
Listen, so Amtrak, 70 percent more passenger, and we know Amtrak huge in the Northeast Corridor. What security measures are they taking for the holiday?
ROESGEN: Well, you know, they say that they are actually increasing both the foot patrols, the two-legged kind and the four- legged kind. They have police dogs that sniff for explosives on board the train cars and in passengers' luggage. So they say that they are absolutely just as prepared to sniff out anything suspicious as the folks are here at O'Hare Airport.
LEMON: And Susan, I see it looks like the line is actually moving behind you. I know there are delays, but I saw some folks just going right through.
ROESGEN: And you know, when I start seeing the TSA workers playing Solitaire back there, you know that it's not -- but here's the thing. You want those lines to be short.
LEMON: Right.
ROESGEN: But you really need them to be short when your plane is on time. When your plane is delayed by more than an hour, you've got the time to go through security. But again, there's not that many people going through yet.
LEMON: All right, Susan. Thank you. We'll check back with you. Thanks a lot.
ROESGEN: OK.
PHILLIPS: The joys of holiday travel -- not. Crowded airports, packed planes are not something to look forward to, obviously. Ed Lavandera is on a cross-country mission this Thanksgiving to find out just what air travelers are going through. He started his journey this morning at fogged-in Los Angeles Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Los Angeles International Airport is the launching pad for what will be a long week of traveling for myself. We're traveling 2,868 miles from L.A. to Denver, Denver to Dallas, Dallas to New York, hopefully making it in time before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
But here in Los Angeles, things off to a little bit of a slow start. A heavy blanket of fog here over the airport. But the planes are starting to take off and move and passengers moving through this airport.
This holiday season, 27 million people expected to fly. And aviation experts say that, even though it's only a 4 percent increase from last year, really what you need to look at is the type of people flying. That normally, what will happen is that, even though it's not as many people, it's people who don't fly a slot. So a lot of novice air travelers are the ones that can tend to slow up the security lines and making your way onto the airport.
So that's why they're urging people to give yourselves lots of time as you make your way to the airport this holiday weekend. So for myself, we'll see how it works out. We'll be taking off from L.A. here in just a few hours.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And if you're hitting the road or flying the skies, make CNN.com one of your first destinations. Check it out: special report. Get an online travel kit with tips on where to go, how to -- how best to get there. That and more, CNN.com/HolidayTravel.
And we want to know how your trip is going on the road or in the air. Send us your I-Reports. Just log on to CNN.com and click on I- Report.
LEMON: A scientific milestone could open the door for a whole new era of medicine. Researchers are transforming common skin cells into cells which could someday be turned into virtually any kind of human tissue.
Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us here with the very latest on this. This is definitely a huge breakthrough.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a huge breakthrough in terms of medicine.
LEMON: Right.
COHEN: And it's also a huge breakthrough in terms of ethics, which is crucial. And I'll explain right now why.
People probably remember the great controversy over embryonic stem cells. Scientists were taking embryos and turning them into stem cells that could potentially be used to make medical treatments. But not everyone loves the idea of destroying an embryo, so funding really came down to very, very low levels.
And so, what happened was that now the big news today is that scientists managed to make cells that they say are just as good as the ones that come from embryos, but they come from skin, just normal old common adult skin.
And so, some of this controversy then goes away and, hopefully, scientists say that means more funding for this type of research, which everyone says looks so promising.
LEMON: OK. So then what does this mean for patients right now?
COHEN: It means actually nothing for patients right now at this moment. You cannot go to your friendly family physician and say, "Hey, could you please give me that stem cell special. I've got, you know, diabetes and I'd like to treat it." That won't work.
However, in the future these show -- these stem cells show promise for treating a whole host of diseases. And, if these ones that don't have all of the ethical issues pan out, you're sure to see more funding. And funding is a huge issue. If you don't have funding, you can't turn these things into medicine. And when they're made from embryos, that funding really was at very low levels.
LEMON: OK. So it's promising, right?
COHEN: Right.
LEMON: But it certainly does not mean that the stem cell controversy is over.
COHEN: It doesn't mean that it's over. One researcher put it this way. He said it's the beginning of the end of the controversy. So, hopefully what this means is that the controversy, over time, will go away.
Now, there are still going to be some people who want to use these embryonic stem cells, but at least there will be this option that doesn't have all the ethical issues.
LEMON: All right. Progress. OK.
COHEN: Progress.
LEMON: Thank you very much. Elizabeth Cohen. PHILLIPS: More women under 45 stalked by a predator, and it's a real killer. News you must take to heart.
LEMON: Millions of toys recalled, but the danger is far from over.
PHILLIPS: And more flyers at the airport, more drivers on the road, more rough weather on the way. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Fifteen minutes past the hour. We're getting word now about a case that could produce the most in-depth examination of the constitutional right to keep and bear arms in nearly 70 years. The Supreme Court about to make a huge decision.
Supreme Court producer Bill Mears is on the phone with us now -- Bill.
BILL MEARS, CNN PRODUCER: Hi. The Supreme Court just a few minutes ago decided it will review a handgun ban that the city of Washington, D.C., has had in place for 30 years. It could be the biggest constitutional showdown on individual gun rights, as you said, in more than 70 years.
PHILLIPS: So, what does this mean for gun owners?
MEARS: Well, it's a puzzling question over the Second Amendment for many legal scholars and politicians over exactly what does this mean? Is the right to bear arms an individual right, or is it something that is reserved, really, for state militias and, therefore, subject to heavy government control?
PHILLIPS: Why is it coming up now? Obviously, it will be a hot issue in the 2008 presidential race. Is that what we can owe the timing to?
MEARS: Yes, well, a lot of this will probably be held in February and March next year. And we can expect a ruling by late June, just in time for the presidential race when it heats up.
And it really comes down to the handgun ban that the city has had for 30 years. Some citizens have challenged it. They want to have the right to keep guns, handguns in their home and to carry them as protection.
PHILLIPS: And you're...
MEARS: Yes. The city's had a record number of murders this year. It's -- the crime rates have been going up, and many have said that, for their own protection, they would like these handguns.
PHILLIPS: Well, are -- can they -- is there -- are there stats out there? Is there a case out there? Is that what we're going to hear, is now these individuals fighting for that right will say, "Look, crime is up. If we have our own handguns, that can just only prove that crime will -- will drop"?
MEARS: Exactly. And the city makes the opposite argument, saying that it needs the handgun controls to kind of keep crime rates down. They were imposed back in the mid-1970s when crime rates were going up. And they said it's actually helped prevent a lot of violent crime over the years, and it needs those, and the city said it needs those tools to kind of -- to keep those crime rates down.
PHILLIPS: Supreme Court producer Bill Mears, keep us posted on that debate. Appreciate it.
LEMON: Seventeen past the hour. Three of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM: big crowds, long lines. A second day of weather delays at some of the nation's busiest airports. Now forecasters warn a brewing system could make things even worse for much of the nation.
Transforming common skin cells so they imitate embryonic -- embryonic stem cells. Researchers say they figured out how to do it, but they warn it's too soon to use the method to treat diseases.
Who is she? We still don't know. Now the FBI is offering a $20,000 reward if anyone can help identify this little girl. She is dubbed Baby Grace. Her body washed up in a storage container last month near Galveston, Texas.
Before you head to the stores, take note. There's more trouble in Toyland. Researchers find there are still toys throughout that can harm your child, and one state, well, they said they have simply had enough.
CNN's Allan Chernoff has it all for us, and he joins us now from New York.
Hey, Allan, they've had it?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don, not easy shopping for toys this season. Certainly not. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is putting out its annual ABCs of toy safety today, telling consumers with young children beware of toys with small parts and magnets, which of course, if swallowed, can be fatal.
But while the commission is trying to warn parents, it is coming in for a whole lot of criticism, particularly on that issue of lead in toys. A consumer advocate group called the Center for Environmental Health says, after testing toys that are on the store shelves right now, it has found dozens of items for children that have high levels of lead, including bibs for babies.
Also, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group is putting out its annual report, "Trouble in Toyland." It says there are more toys on the shelves that do have lead paint. Consumers, the group says, are not being adequately protected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ED MIERZWINSKI, PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP: The best holiday gift Congress could give children, America's littlest consumers, is to pass a toy safety law that will protect them from dangerous toys.
How did we get here? We got here because the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, is a little agency with a big job that it simply cannot do with the resources that it has available.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: So, the state of California is taking on toymakers and retailers. It has filed suit against 20 companies, including Mattel, which is based in California, and Toys "R" Us. Both of the companies say that safety is their top priority and they're hoping to actually work hand-in-hand with the California attorney general to improve product safety -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Allan.
PHILLIPS: Well, if you haven't left home yet on your Thanksgiving trip, get ready for crowded skies and packed highways. We're going to get some advice from the founder of a popular Internet travel site, JohnnyJet.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Mortgage financier Freddie Mac's stock is in a freefall. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the latest on that company and what it means for the broader market.
Susan, not good news.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is terrible, Don. Freddie Mac indirectly finances one out of every six homes in the U.S. And the loans it touches are not the risky sub-prime mortgages that have sparked the recent mortgage woes.
Still, the government-backed mortgage financier has not been insulated from the fallout. Freddie Mac recording a wider than expected third-quarter loss. The company says it needs more capital and might need to cut its dividend in half.
Freddie Mac saw a more than $8 billion drop in the value of its assets, and its net loss was $2 billion for the quarter. Its shares are down 32 percent right now.
And another big lender, Fannie Mae, is along for the ride. Its shares right now are falling 25 percent -- Don.
LEMON: When it comes to the mortgage market, it seems that there is an endless supply of bad news with really no solutions. Are there any solutions?
LISOVICZ: Right. And I mean, we actually had government data this morning an hour before the opening bell, Don. A report on housing permits, which is considered a pretty reliable predictor of future groundbreaking, fell last month to a 14-year low.
But Commerce is talking about this, and one way to ease the situation, according to proponents, is a new bill, the early stages in Congress. The measure would let bankruptcy judges rewrite loans for those who could lose their homes. Judges could lower the interest rate, extend the life of the loan, or forgive part of the debt.
Proponents say hundreds of thousands of people could stay in their homes as a result. A similar law, by the way, is already in place for farms, vacation homes and investment properties. Sponsors say that it could save, actually, 600,000 people from losing their homes to foreclosure.
But opponents say that some could abuse the system, essentially allowing them to use the bankruptcy court as a cheap way to refinance.
So, it's by no means a done deal, but at least it is working its way through Congress.
(STOCK REPORT)
LISOVICZ: There's also some caution this afternoon as investors await the minutes from the last Federal Reserve meeting. That's due out at the top of the hour. I'll have details in the next hour of NEWSROOM, and we'll see if investors react.
In the meantime, Don and Kyra, back to you.
LEMON: Yes, we look forward to that.
You're not getting sick just before the holidays, are you? I hear a scratchy throat.
LISOVICZ: I'm -- I'm playing hurt.
LEMON: OK. All right.
PHILLIPS: I think that sexy raspy voice goes with her whole look today.
LISOVICZ: I...
LEMON: We were just commenting, Susan. Can we get a two-shot here? We were just commenting on how good you look. Let's get her up full screen.
LISOVICZ: I should be sick more often.
LEMON: You look really great.
LISOVICZ: Yes, you know, the cough drops suit me and the chicken noodle soup. And...
LEMON: Well, take care. You're here tomorrow, right?
LISOVICZ: I'll be here tomorrow and Friday, and I'm here for the rest of the trading session. I'm not going anywhere.
LEMON: I just wanted to wish you happy Thanksgiving in case you weren't here tomorrow. We'll see you tomorrow.
LISOVICZ: I'll be here for all of that.
LEMON: All right. Thanks, Susan.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk about the fog, rain, snow. It's already messing up Thanksgiving travel for a lot of you, but there could be worse to come. We've got everything you need to know on how you're going to get there and if it's going to be OK. Chad Myers, Jacqui Jeras working it all for us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, if you're on the go this holiday week, beware of what's to come from L.A. to New York and way too many places in between.
LEMON: That's right, snow, rain and fog are delaying flights at some of the nation's biggest and busiest airports for a second straight day. Now, a big storm system's expected to brew and linger and leave a big mess.
Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
That can make things much worse for travelers as more planes fill the sky and more cars hit the road. Let's get straight to the CNN weather center once again where Chad Myers and Jacqui Jeras are teaming up to bring you all the latest.
Hey, guys.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Kyra. Yes, just take one big, very big deep breath.
PHILLIPS: I do that every day I come to work, Chad. Yes, Jacqui and I go over there and meditate in the weather center.
MYERS: As soon as you get into your car -- you know, if you could do yoga in the car, that might be good because you're going to need some patience at this. This -- it's been very foggy from Boston to all the way down through Philly and New York City.
And the driving is slow. The Cross Bronx Expressway is slow. You can go on to Google and you can click on traffic on Google Maps now and you can actually get the real time traffic for many cities all over the country. That may help you plan whether you want to leave at 3:00, 5:00 or even 6:00 tonight, trying to lose some of the rush-hour traffic. Although I did notice yesterday that a lot of the rush hour was gone. The really -- people weren't rushing at 4:00 or 5:00, they were just rushing all day.
The problem you were talking about it is going to be tomorrow. A lot of people on the road tomorrow, the busiest travel day probably of the roadways of the season here so far and it's going to be wet from Chicago all they down to New Orleans. And even white a little bit farther to the back of there.
4.1 million or so people are going to be traveling and are going to be flying and Jacqui, it's been a little bit ugly today. But you have all the ways people can actually check this out at home.
JERAS: Yes, it's been a lot ugly. And of course, we're bringing you that information. And tomorrow, we're going to do our squeeze back so we'll have that up all day long for you to get that information.
But if you want to do it at home, if you need to get your laptop, one good way is www.fly.faa.gov. And that's going to get all your air delays, so you can see it pulls up a map of the United States and then you can see the orange buttons, that means there's a delay. So, you click on it and there you can see due to weather and low ceilings, departure traffic that is destined to Chicago is subject to a ground delay program. So click on any of those and that's what you get.
Now, what about on the highways? If you travel along the interstates, we've seen a lot of areas that have been really slow going. One quick, easy way to get real time traffic information is go to maps.google.com and it'll pull up something like this. You can hit the traffic button. Right up there, you'll see traffic, and then all these little stop lights will show up.
Click on the stop light that you care about, we're going to check in at San Francisco, and it will tell you to zoom in, click on the zoom in function right there, and it will pop up a map which will show you green is good, yellow is moderate. When you start to see some of those reds on there, that's where you know there's going to a significant slowdown.
MYERS: Isn't that awesome?
JERAS: Isn't that great?
MYERS: That is so new, that is brand new on Google Earth. And that is just great.
JERAS: And you can do it for any city in the country. Good stuff, guys. Happy traveling.
MYERS: If there is such a thing.
PHILLIPS: Who are you talking to -- yes, I was just going to say. I know you're not talking to us. We're all here working, but it's true.
JERAS: Yes. My two pieces of advice are portable DVDs for the kids ... MYERS: Yes.
JERAS: ...and books for the adults.
LEMON: Yes, happy travel to us. We're just going down the interstate, we're going nowhere, man.
MYERS: Fantastic.
LEMON: All right.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys, see you in a little bit.
MYERS: See you.
PHILLIPS: Well, if you're hitting the road or flying the skies, make CNN.com your first destination. You can check out our Special Report, you can get an online travel kit with tips on where to go and how best to get there, that and more. CNN.com/holidaytraveler or just watch Jacqui and Chad.
We want to know how your trip is going on the road or in the air. Send us your i-Reports. Just log on to CNN.com and click on i-Report.
LEMON: Three young boys accused of raping an 11-year-old girl in suburban Atlanta. Community shocked and its justice system is grappling with how to handle the case. The eight and nine-year-old boys appeared yesterday before a judge who ordered they continue to be held in a detention center. They also issued a gag order in this sensational case which had already seen the mom and the alleged victim and the dad of one of the suspects talk to the media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The way she started telling me is like I didn't know how to react. I was -- I don't know, I was just shocked, I really was because I did not expect this to happen to my daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: One of the boys' dads said yesterday any sexual activity was consensual and the girls -- the girl made up the rape story so she wouldn't get in trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's only 45 inches, 40 pounds in the third grade. This girl is in the fifth grade, she's 11-years-old, two foot taller than him. How can my boy with a broken wrist be accused of any kind of kidnapping charge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Actually, the Cobb County district attorney has cleared things up. The boys can't be charged as adults or with felonies. Suspects under 13 are only legally charged with delinquent acts. Grab a pen and a piece of paper, we're going to give you some information at the end of this next story that you might need. For weeks, her name and origins have remained a mystery. Now, the FBI is offering a $20,000 reward. You can help identify the little girl dubbed "baby Grace." Texas authorities have been following hundreds of tips in the case, but so far, they've found nothing.
Baby Grace's body was found stuffed in a plastic storage container that washed up on a Galveston Beach late last month. An autopsy showed she had at least one skull fracture. She's believed to be two or three-years-old. If you know anything about who this little girl might be, please call the Galveston County sheriff's office. Their phone number right there on your screen: 409-766-2222 or there's a toll-free number for you. It is 1-866-248-8477.
PHILLIPS: We've been talking about this story for the past week and a half. It's a suicidal Christian sect preparing for the end of the world. They're still holed up in a cave in Russia. Matthew Chance brings us the latest details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Deep in Russia's Christian heartland, the faithful pray for salvation. But outside the official Orthodox church, is growing concern for a bizarre splinter group. A suicidal Christian sect predicting the end of the world with dozens of its members holed up in a dark cave.
"It's so sad," says Olga. "I think it would have been better if they'd gone to church and prayed like the rest of us."
"It's wrong to hide in the cave," says Maria. "They can't escape the apocalypse in there," she told us.
Nor escape fascination with their fate. Police are guarding the snow-covered ravine near the cave's hidden entrance. Smoke rises from makeshift chimneys on the surface. Cult members say they're deep in prayer and will blow themselves up if their retreat is stormed.
(on camera): Well, this is the freezing hillside where this bizarre standoff is taking place. In the ridge behind me in a cave they hollowed out themselves, dozens of cult members are hiding, praying and waiting for the end of the world. But they have children with them, one known to be only 18-months-old. And that's placing a lot of pressure on the authorities to act.
(voice-over): Already, the self-styled leader of the sect who ordered his followers into the cave is in police custody undergoing psychological tests. Pyotr Kuznetsov, or Father Pyotr as he's known, told Russian television he hadn't gone inside himself because he was waiting for more people to save.
The dooms day drama has shaken the remote village of Nikolskoye in central Russia where the cult houses and makeshift churches were abandoned. Residents told us they're shocked their neighbors have gone underground and taken at least four children with them. "I only worry about the kids," says Nicolai (ph). Adults can decide for themselves."
And the authorities must decide to wait it out or risk storming the cave, and those inside making good on their suicidal threat.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Nikolskoye, in central Russia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, if you haven't left home yet on your Thanksgiving trip, get ready for crowded skies and packed highways. We've got some advice from the founder of a popular Internet travel site, JohnnyJet.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: President Bush is praising new scientific advance that could change the way we think about medicine. Researchers have figured out how to transform common skin cells so they mimic embryonic stem cells. Traditional methods for retrieving embryonic stem cells destroy human embryos and have stirred continued debate. But the new method alters skin cells by adding four genes. The altered cells have the power to change into any kind of human tissue. Researchers caution it's too soon to use this method to treat diseases.
And we're getting some encouraging news in the battle against AIDS. A World Health Organization and the United Nations say the number of AIDS cases is down dramatically by more than six million this year. But the decline is mostly on paper. Global health officials say they've been overestimating the size of the epidemic and newer surveys are giving them more accurate numbers. Even so, the number of new HIV infections is dropping after peaking in 2000. An estimated 33.2 million people have the virus that causes AIDS.
PHILLIPS: Well, if you're under 45 and female, we've got some pretty troubling news for you today. A new study shows that while heart disease is dropping for older adults, for younger women it's rising. Deaths for women age 35 to 44 have increased by about 100 per year. Heart disease killed some 8,200 women in that age group in 2002. Increasing obesity rates are the suspected culprit.
How can you tell if you're having a heart attack? Well, here's a few of the warning signs: chest pain, nausea, fatigue and palpitations.
Attention allergy sufferers, you'll no longer need to visit your doctor for those commonly prescribed allergy medicine. The FDA has approved over the counter sales of Zyrtec. Zyrtec and Zyrtec-D, which contains a nasal decongestant should be in stores in late January and are expected to cost up to one third less than Zyrtec by prescription.
LEMON: Well, here's one bird you certainly won't see on any Thanksgiving table. It's cute, though, right? But you just might see it on TV on Thursday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, crowded skies and packed roads. Get used to it as the holiday travel season shifts into, can we say very high gear. Let's check in now with Chad Myers, he's in the CNN weather and travel center. And he's checking on all of it for us.
Hey, Chad.
MYERS: Hey, you ever heard of a guy named Johnny Jet?
LEMON: I have heard of Johnny Jet.
MYERS: Really?
LEMON: You know, I just saw him there on the monitor. I think he's ready to talk to you, right?
MYERS: He is, and he has a great Web site, Johnnyjet.com. His name is John Discala and John has put this Web site together, John, Johnnyjet.com. And I'm on it right now looking at all of the links and the things you can do.
John, tell us exactly what you're expecting here and how people are using your Web site.
JOHN DISCALA, FOUNDER, JOHNNYJET.COM: Well, this year it's going to be kind of crowded out there. It's supposed to be 39 million people taking the skies the next five days, according to AAA. And they're going to travel 50 miles or more.
MYERS: Thirty-nine million taking the skies?
DISCALA: No, actually, not taking the skies, only 80 percent are taking the sky.
MYERS: OK.
DISCALA: About 4.7 million are going to take the skies in the next five days.
MYERS: Whoo, wow.
DISCALA: Thank goodness.
MYERS: OK, so now, what can we get from your Web site that is new? Are there any new TSA no-nos?
DISCALA: Oh, for sure. I mean, on johnnyjet.com, we have links to 5,000 Web sites, but there's some really good Web sites out there. There's -- the DHS has a good Web site. It'll show you the wait times for each airport. So, you can find out what the security wait's going to be like.
MYERS: Now, that's live -- those are live wait times or after?
DISCALA: It's not live. It's actually historical data. MYERS: OK.
DISCALA: So, what you want to do is you can just look at the maximum and figure that's probably what it's going to be.
MYERS: So, let's figure out -- how long should people be getting -- how early should they get to the airport this year?
DISCALA: OK, domestic travelers, you should leave two hours in advance, international three hours.
MYERS: Three hours, really?
DISCALA: But if you're smart, you want to check in online at home. Print your boarding pass, and don't bring so much luggage. You don't need to check luggage, carry it on.
MYERS: If you're carrying on, John, can you go and try to get on the earlier flight? You know, there's a flight every hour from LaGuardia to Atlanta. Should you go try to get on the earlier one?
DISCALA: You can try. But you know what, just get to the airport. If you don't check baggage, you can get to the airport later than normal. You don't have to be there two hours in advance. You can get there an hour and a half, an hour and 15 minutes. And it'll make your experience so much better because most people -- they get so aggravated waiting in line, and then they have to lug bags all around. And a lot of the times, you're sitting there waiting for your bag to come out and it doesn't come out. I lost my bag twice this year. So, I ship my bags now.
MYERS: What do you think of the new kiosks?
DISCALA: I'm a big fan of them. You know what, one problem is people just stand around and they don't go right to them. If you see an open kiosk, go right to it. Don't wait for someone to tell you. Keep the line moving.
MYERS: The kiosks we're talking about, they have self-service kiosks out there where you can actually go check in, swipe a credit card, whatever your sky miles card, whatever, and you actually get your ticket right there without actually having to talk to anyone. But there are two types. One carry-on only and one you go to that you can check bags ...
DISCALA: Right.
MYERS: ...then you get help later on. Right, it's still faster?
DISCALA: It is, but why do that when you can do it at home? You can do it 24 hours in advance at home. You can print your boarding pass, you get your seat assignment. That eliminates the chances of getting kicked off the plane anyway or bumped off it's overcrowded because you already have your seat assignment.
MYERS: You said something that I kind of skipped over, but I really think it's important. I'm telling people to do this all the time. You ship your bags ahead of time. You put it in a box and give it to what, UPS or something?
DISCALA: No, actually I bring it to FedEx Ground, I think it's cheaper. And it takes about five days. I actually ship my bag two days ago to go back home to California. I'm leaving on Friday. And my bag will be there. I don't ...
MYERS: You do have like change of, you know, underwear and stuff, right, with you?
DISCALA: Of course. I bring -- you know, you're going away for the weekend. It's Thanksgiving.
MYERS: Oh come on, I know, I know. I'm getting moans (ph) here.
DISCALA: You don't need that much stuff. People bring so much clothes with them. It's for a weekend, you don't need shampoo, you don't need any liquids, so don't bother even bringing that through security. Your family's going to have it or the hotel.
MYERS: Absolutely. That's one thing. You know, I do, I check my shampoo, and I got all this stuff and I get there and it's sitting there in the bathroom waiting for me when I get to my destination anyway.
DISCALA: Good, good.
MYERS: So, think about that. When you're going to a hotel, if it's a decent hotel, they're going to have shampoo, don't pack it. The three ounce thing -- tell me about this last thing, 1-3-3 thing, what about the ounces in a bag?
DISCALA: The 3-1-1?
MYERS: Yes, yes.
DISCALA: OK, you have to have -- everything has to be under three ounces. So if you are bringing liquids, it's got to be under three ounces, it has to be in a one single quart bag. And it can only be one bag total.
MYERS: And you know what, I got busted for a 3.1 ounce deodorant. (INAUDIBLE) bring it.
DISCALA: They are -- hey, that's -- you don't need deodorant.
MYERS: Yes, I do, sir. All right, Johnny Jet, John Discala from Johnnyjet.com, if you want some information on how to get around, how to get around faster and maybe even cheaper, Johnnyjet.com is the place to be.
Thanks, John.
DISCALA: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: You know what?
MYERS: Yes, Don?
PHILLIPS: Chad just took travel segments to a whole other level.
MYERS: Is it a whole new low?
LEMON: Oh, well, you said it. You said it. But anyway, that's -- even though I mean, you know, I've heard people that do the UPS and that's not even guaranteed as well because you've had UPS, FedEx, the United Mail Service, they all lose things as well. So, we don't want to say give commercial for them. It's smart. No one's that organized. I don't do it online even though you should.
PHILLIPS: Just don't take anything. Travel with nothing and bear all.
LEMON: There you go. Buy it when you get there.
MYERS: Take a credit card. That's what my wife would say.
LEMON: There you go.
MYERS: That's all you need is a credit card.
PHILLIPS: Charge it up.
LEMON: All right, thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, lucky birds indeed. This healthy little gobbler and a buddy have been spared the carving knife as -- well, you know the tradition. The president delivers a full pardon to the national Thanksgiving turkey and its alternate, then he reveals the names chosen by people who voted online.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm pleased to announce the winning names. They are May and Flower. They are certainly better than the names of ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, from now on, nothing but first class for these turkeys. They're on their way to Disney World where they're going to be grand marshals at the Thanksgiving Day Parade. They'll spend the rest of their days in Magic Kingdom Park.
LEMON: Gobble, gobble. Speaking of that, get ready to pay. Thanksgiving dinner can be a pricey affair. Our Greg Hunter adds it up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Manhattan's Garden of Eden Supermarket, manager Nicholas Kotsianas says the mood among this year's Thanksgiving shoppers has changed.
(on camera): Last year, this year. What's the difference?
NICHOLAS KOTSIANAS, GARDEN OF EDEN SUPERMARKET: In terms of perception in how they're feeling. They're feeling far more frugal this year, far more cautious. They want to get more bite for their dollar.
HUNTER (voice-over): And that will be much tougher this year because prices have gone up on many Thanksgiving staples. The biggest increase: the bird.
KOTSIANAS: The prices have gone up about 15 to 18 percent depending on the brand.
HUNTER: Other must haves, yams and cranberries. Both ...
KOTSIANAS: About 10 percent increase definitely compared to last year.
HUNTER: Kotsianas says food prices are climbing right along with fuel prices.
(on camera): You're saying that without question the price of fuel and shipping of whether it's turkeys or vegetables.
KOTSIANAS: Anything, anything.
HUNTER: It's more expensive?
KOTSIANAS: Absolutely.
HUNTER (voice-over): Some good news. Root vegetables like potatoes and carrots are about the same as last year. Overall, Kotsianas says the cost of Thanksgiving dinner will far outpace inflation.
(on camera): What do you think people are going to pay across America on average for Thanksgiving?
KOTSIANAS: Ten percent more than last year.
HUNTER: That grocer's estimate is amazingly close to the American Farm Bureau's national survey of how much more it'll cost you for a Thanksgiving dinner. It's about 11 percent. But prices aren't only going up because of fuel. Some weather conditions. For example, yams from North Carolina, big drought down there. Yams this year have gone up because of weather.
Greg Hunter, CNN, Hunts Point, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The holiday season's not looking very bright for people in need. Food banks nationwide already are seeing their cupboards and warehouses empty a lot faster these days. One social worker says that four out of five people dropping by a Salvation Army Office are first timers. They're mostly working people who just aren't able to make ends meet anymore. Food bank operators say that unfortunately, they aren't able to help everyone because their donations are down.
LEMON: Members of a suburban Atlanta church find out a deep dark secret. Their leader's nephew turns out to be his son.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So Kyra Phillips, what do you say we see what's clicking with all the CNN.comers today. You think so, all right.
Some of our most popular stories this hour. Those allegations of child-on-child rape outside Atlanta. A judge ordered the three suspects ages eight and nine held over in a detention center. He also issued a gag order in that sensational case.
Police are looking for three grandchildren of California Congressman Gary Miller. The boys were reported missing yesterday and may be with their mother who doesn't have legal custody.
And scientists make a stem cell breakthrough. Two different teams release papers today detailing a technique that makes regular human skin cells behave like embryonic stem cells.
PHILLIPS: You're looking at live pictures now from Iowa and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney making a little political hey before the long weekend. Today, he's talking healthcare reform. Romney has good reasons to spend time in the Hawkeye State. The latest poll shows that he still has the Republican lead but Mike Huckabee is gaining ground, especially among Evangelical voters.
Now, in just a little while, Romney sits down for a one-on-one with CNN's Dana Bash. You're going to see it just ahead in "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer.
LEMON: The lawsuit over lead. California takes on the toy makers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: They call him Captain Hook, the notoriously lazy sea lion who loves to feast near fishing boats. Hence, the fish hook below his lip. He showed up yesterday near a California beach, refusing to swim back to sea. So, rescuers lured him in with -- you guessed it -- fish. They plan (ph) to remove the hook, then take him back out to sea. It's the second time they've had to help the captain. Last month, he showed up at the beach with about 40 hooks in him. Poor guy.
Next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
Up first this hour, if you're on the go this holiday week, beware of what's to come from L.A. to New York and way too many places in between. LEMON: Oh, that's right. Snow, rain and fog are delaying flights at some of the nation's biggest airports for a second straight day. Now, a big storm system's expected to brew and linger and leave behind a big mess. We're only the bearers here of the news. We don't make it.
Hello everyone, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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