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American Morning
Rescue at Sea; Shedding Extra Baby Weight
Aired November 23, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry.
And we start with breaking news that we've been following this morning of a rescue at sea. A cruise ship hitting ice in an Antarctic water south of Argentina. And we actually have a new picture.
This is the MS Explorer listing to its side. British coast guard saying it looks like it is going to sink. There's new information coming into us just now as well. There were 100 people on board -- earlier, they had thought there was as many as 150 -- 80 passengers, 15 crew members.
Joining us now with the very latest is Captain Juan Carlos Munita, the operation chief of the Chilean navy. He joins us on the phone right now from the search and rescue operation center.
Thanks for being with us this morning, Captain. What can you tell us so far about how this rescue took place?
CAPTAIN JUAN CARLOS MUNITA, CHILEAN NAVY: Hi, good morning. Well, as you said, we received this morning an emergency call from the Explorer, a Liberian ship, passenger ship, who was -- who got collision with an iceberg in the Antarctic territory close to the George Island. This is about 26 miles off the Chilean base in the Antarctic President Frei.
So as soon as we received that information, we activate our search and rescue operations going on and, fortunately, we already had some civilian passenger ships and we deployed the Chilean navy ship to the scene and while this was going on, the captain of the Explorer, about 2:00 in the morning, got the order to abandon the ship because the flooding situation that they was experiencing. And then the people get on the lifeboat of the same ship.
CHETRY: Yes.
MUNITA: And after that, we deploy, as I said, a passenger vessel that was in the vicinity and about 3:00 in the morning, started rescue the people. So we're at...
CHETRY: Wow. So it was only about -- it only took, Captain, about an hour for all of that to happen, for the passengers to be able to get on those lifeboats and then get brought to safety from another ship.
Is it just luck that there was another passenger ship so close? Or is this a common and a popular area for them to be?
MUNITA: Well, but this time of the year, it's a little common that passenger ships sails on the Antarctic territory. So that was a good thing. We had in the vicinity passenger vessels from Norway who attended that emergency. We called the captain of that ship and as I said, at 6:00, that ship was on the scene, get the survivors of -- the people, I mean, on board that ship. There were 54 crew members and 100 passengers. Of the 54...
CHETRY: Oh, OK. Because we were getting a little bit of different information. There were less people on board. But you're saying there were 54 crew members and a hundred passengers on that ship?
MUNITA: Exactly. That's the right information.
CHETRY: Oh, OK. And let me ask you this. They say that this area does have a lot of ice, Captain, but that these boats are built to withstand ice, do we know what may have caused this -- the boat to take on water when it did hit the ice?
MUNITA: Well, we already are investigating that situation. We have the Chilean Navy vessels on the scene making investigation on that situation. But nowadays, the older people on board that ship are rescued and we are working to transport the people to the Chilean base in the Antarctic so that we can transport from there to the Punta Arenas in the southern part of Chile.
CHETRY: OK.
MUNITA: That's one thing. On the other hand, we are working on a -- an eventual solution situation on that area. So far, we don't have any information -- I mean there is no contamination on that area.
CHETRY: OK.
MUNITA: So we are monitoring that problem, so we are sending barriers and materials in order to avoid any pollution that the ship may make there.
CHETRY: I got you. All right. We are out of time with this, but you guys did a great job. No one hurt, everyone brought to safety on to another ship, and as you said, you guys are dealing with a potential environmental situation, making sure there's no contamination as well.
Captain Juan Carlos Munita with the Chilean navy, thanks for being with us.
ROBERTS: Also new this morning. Emergency dispatch tapes revealed in the oil spill in San Francisco Bay that show a lack of communication between rescue agencies that may have made the disaster worse.
Our Ed Lavandera is at our national update desk. He's got more on this this morning. Exactly, what do those tapes show, Ed? LAVANDERA: Well, John, the four minutes of emergency transmissions were recorded about an hour after a cargo ship collided with the San Francisco Bay Bridge and started spilling 58,000 gallons of toxic shipping oil into the water.
San Francisco firefighters found out about the incident from a part-time employee with the Army Corps of Engineers, not the U.S. Coast Guard, which was already investigating the accident, when these calls were made.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP, SF EMERGENCY DISPATCH TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FIRE BOAT CREW: Listen, we just got a head up from the Army Corps of Engineers that a boat has collided with the tower of the Bay Bridge.
UNIDENTIFIED COAST GUARD OFFICIAL: Ah, yes. We've got -- we received reports at 8:30 about a ship making contact with the Delta tower of the Bay Bridge.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCH OFFICIAL: So that's an hour ago?
UNIDENTIFIED COAST GUARD OFFICIAL: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCH OFFICIAL: And did you investigate it?
UNIDENTIFIED COAST GUARD OFFICIAL: We are investigating it right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FIRE BOAT CREW: With regard to the report of a container ship hitting the Bay Bridge, that is confirmed by the Coast Guard, but they say they don't need us responding at this time.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: And that's something you hear repeatedly on the recordings where you hear the fire dispatch officials calling off the fire department's response to the spill scene because they said the Coast Guard was telling them they did not need the help.
San Francisco City officials say the firefighters could have helped the Coast Guard analyze the scene and possibly get the situation under control faster. When these calls were made, the Coast Guard did not know the magnitude of the spill. They initially thought it was only a minor incident. It took another seven hours to find out how much oil had been dumped into the bay and a Coast Guard acknowledges that in the early stages of the response, the agency, quote, "did not take advantage of the offer of help."
The admiral says the communication breakdown is being investigated to make sure it doesn't happen again -- John?
ROBERTS: My understanding of it, Ed, too, is that that fire boat wasn't the only assistance that was turned down. These fishing boats that are in the area have also been part of the operations to contain any kind of an oil spill and when they initially got to the scene they were turned away.
LAVANDERA: Initially -- and there's some - it was all that helping. And -- the fire department also sent out additional people as well. It just wasn't a fire boat but there are other members of that team as well. Apparently in the initial moments, the Coast Guard clearly didn't know exactly what kind of magnitude of a problem it had on its hands.
ROBERTS: No. Obviously, all of this is going to looked into very carefully so that it doesn't happen again or at least reduce the possibility of that.
Ed Lavandera with us this morning. Thanks. Now let's head over to Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, brave bargain shoppers hit the stores early this morning on this black Friday. Many stores opened at 5:00 a.m. or earlier to accommodate the bargain hunters.
We have our Ali Velshi, at Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, New York, and TJ Homes at a Wal-Mart.
Do I even want to look? Oh, goodness gracious. TJ, I'm sorry. You probably can't see this. Ali is on a merry-go-round right now and that's where we'll begin -- Ali?
VELSHI: Kiran, you - for weeks and weeks on end, you guys tell me that every time I get on the show in the morning, I got bad news for you. Bad news about interest rates and oil and the economy. Well, let me tell you, I thought I would give you some good news this morning.
This place is packed. It's been packed for hours. I don't know what these people are doing or why they got up in the middle of the night but they are here. This is -- we're on Long Island. Black Friday, as you know, is the day that retailers across America depend on people coming in and turning the tides, going from what used to recorded as a red ink, a loss, into a profit.
So this next four weeks is really, really important. And there are fears, that because of gas prices and because of low-home prices, that people will hold back on their shopping. Well, for now, we've talked to a lot of people this morning who say they are very happy to be here, they're into the vibe. they're into the hype. Not seeing as many bags as I would of thought but it's still early in the season.
For people out there shopping -- and I think TJ's going to tell you about this -- the beginning of black Friday, the early part of it, is about the sales on electronics and appliances. Clothing tends to come later in the season so that's not where the big deals are but today does seem to be a good chance for people to get out, have fun and do some shopping so I figured I'd join in on the party -- Kiran?
CHETRY: Yes. (INAUDIBLE) So you're on the merry-go-round and small children are standing in the sidelines staring at you shaking their head. VELSHI: Yes. In fact, we do have a couple of young kids here who are really waiting for this thing to be over so that they can take a ride.
CHETRY: All right. Well, enjoy it. Enjoy yourself, Ali. Thank you. John?
ROBERTS: Nine minutes now after the hour. New this morning an update in the Natalee Holloway case. A hearing today in Aruba is close to the public. Prosecutors are expected to present the new evidence against Deepak and Satish Kalpoe to a judge. A court date on the island has not yet been set for Joran Van Der Sloot, who was the other suspect under arrest.
Meantime, the father of the missing teen is sending a search teams to Aruba to look for more clues. Dave Holloway believes his daughter's body was thrown into the ocean, perhaps deeper than was initially believed. A private boat owner is providing divers with sonar equipment to search the ocean gloor.
Could Stacy Peterson, the missing wife of former police sergeant be alive and well somewhere in Peoria, Illinois? Her husband Drew Peterson says he received a letter from someone who claiming to see a possibly pregnant Stacy at a supermarket less than two weeks ago. Stacey's friend says she doubts that the story is true.
Stacey has been missing for more than three weeks now. Her husband has been changed a suspect as a disappearance.
Well, the Big Apple is seeing a big decline in murders. According to "The New York Times," as of last Sunday, 428 people were victims of homicide. The yearly rate hasn't been that low in New York since the 1960s.
Even more intriguing as well, of half of the killings that had been analyzed so far. Only 31 were committed by strangers. The vast majority were killed by someone they new. Back in 1990, New York City led the nation with 2,245 murders. So way, way down this year -- Kiran?
CHETRY: A little they are.
Well, another political challenge for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif reportedly plans a return from exile to challenge Musharraf. It's the head of parliamentary elections that are set for January. Sharif tried to return in September, was deported swiftly to Saudi Arabia. Musharraf's reign as president began in 1999 with a coup that ousted Sharif as prime minister.
Meanwhile, the 53-nation Commonwealth has suspended Pakistan's membership after Musharraf to lift emergency rule and step down as army chief.
And powerful typhoon churning westward toward the Philippines. Tropical storm Mitag with sustained winds of 105 miles per hour poised to hit the northern and most part of the Philippines by the weekend. Flood ravaged regions were struggling there to recover from a typhoon that hit four days earlier. The Filipino president has ordered massive evacuations - John?
(WEATHER REPORT) \
CHETRY: Well, if you're a new mom and you're trying to shed that extra baby weight, doctors say get some sleep. Easier said than done.
Elizabeth Cohen at our medical update desk in Atlanta. Is this a cruel joke? You're up breastfeeding every 45 minutes but you need to get sleep to lose weight?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Exactly. It does seem like a cruel joke. We're telling moms, "We know you're having trouble getting sleep, but you need to get sleep because you're going to get fat if you don't." Right. It's terrible. It's like a double whammy.
But this study is so interesting. It gives women yet another reason that they really need to do whatever they can to get sleep when they have a little baby. The researchers looked at a thousand women who had babies who were about 6 months old. The moms who got less than five hours of sleep were three times more likely to be at least 11 pounds heavier than they were before they got pregnant.
So, got to get that sleep or you'll get fat. And other studies have found that when you're sleep deprived you're also more likely to get heart disease and diabetes. Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. So what are the suggestions, Elizabeth? I know you have four. I have one and one on the way. How do you get sleep?
COHEN: All right. I have two suggestions. And I try to follow both of these and I don't always succeed. But the first suggestion is when your kid sleeps, you should be sleeping. Leave the dirty dishes in the sink, don't do laundry, just go to sleep. The other suggestion is when the baby wakes up in the middle of the night, let your husband take care of her.
CHETRY: All right. And those are good ideas and theory. By the way, what is it about not sleeping that actually makes you gain weight?
COHEN: You know, there are a couple of theories out there, Kiran, and the prevailing one is that when you're sleep deprived, it triggers some hormones that also happens to increase appetites. And some people say that it's a hormonal thing. Other people say that just when you're that tired, your body starts to crave sugar. Instead of your body's way of saying, "No, this will keep me up." Almost like they're craving caffeine.
But whatever it is, study after study has shown that it really is true. When you don't get enough sleep, new mom or not, it makes you more hungry. CHETRY: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.
COHEN: Thanks.
ROBERTS: What to get your favorite candidate for Christmas from Rudy to Romney, to Clinton and Obama? What they might be wishing for this holiday season? An insider's look at that, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Eighteen minutes after the hour now. A new sweater for Hillary Clinton? Maybe a flat screen TV for Rudy Giuliani? What should be at the top of each candidate's holiday wish list?
Mark Halperin is a political analyst for "Time" magazine. He's also the author of the "Undecided Voter's Guide to the Next President." This morning, we asked him to put together a buying guide for the candidates.
What'd you come up with?
MARK HALPERIN, SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, TIME: John, it's a hard group to buy for. They're almost all millionaires. They got a lot going on. But for each of these candidates, I tried to think what do they really wanna want. If you want to get them something that they need, what should you get? For Hillary Clinton, pretty obvious to me. She needs a big suit or armor. The press is coming after her. The Republicans are coming after. The Democrats are coming after.
She's the most likely next president of the United States, but she needs hard shell for the next few weeks.
ROBERTS: Right. Either that or a bicycle pump to, you know, sort of reinflate that error of inevitability that she had.
What about Barack Obama?
HALPERIN: You know, he's got a lot going for him. He's doing pretty well the last few weeks. What he needs, though, is that side- by-side comparison ith Hillary Clinton. I think he needs to win a debate.
You need to somebody to come in, give him that magic fairy dust and say, the next time he's on the stage with Hillary Clinton three or for more dates this year, he needs to just flat out beat her in that debate to get some grades. And he's let voters say, "You know what? He'd be a better choice than she would."
ROBERTS: At a recent Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Iowa, he was on fire and we also have -- well, this is a prelude to what he's going to do in the debate that we hosted in Las Vegas. I just imagine.
HALPERIN: Didn't do. He's been on canned debates. He's not had any great debates. I mean, yes, you know, I think he needs that side- by-side comparison. That dinner, they were sequential. He needs to be on the stage with her and beat her in one of these debates, I think.
ROBERTS: Now John Edwards may be getting what you think he needs for Christmas. What is that?
HALPERIN: He just might. John Edwards needs the other two people - Clinton and Obama - to have a big fight. So he needs to be able to stand back, let them go at it, and kind of sneak up the middle to use the cliche. He needs the two frontrunners to knock each other out and he can walk to the nominations.
ROBERTS: Well, how much more of a fight could he possibly hope for than the one that's going on now?
HALPERIN: Well, it's gone on at a, I think, low level. Let's see if there were negative ads against each other. Iowans sometimes react badly when candidates attack each other.
John Edwards has been on the attack but he's got to hope that it's kind of like Godzilla and King Kong go at it, and he can just walk right up and be the nominee with the two disqualifying themselves.
ROBERTS: On the Republican side, what about Mitt Romney? What would you suggest he ask for for Christmas?
HALPERIN: Boy, Mitt Romney has got to be frustrated because Rudy Giuliani has so far really kept control of his public image. He's got all of these scandals in his past. I think what Mitt Romney needs is for Rudy Giuliani either to have a new scandal or have some of these old scandals come front and center. The mayor has done things like wear a dress, fight with his children, get divorced twice.
He needs -- Mitt Romney needs some of that stuff to start attaching to Giuliani. It's going to be hard for him to overtake him.
ROBERTS: What else could possibly be out there that we don't already know about?
And what about Giuliani himself? HALPERIN: Well, Rudy Giuliani, a surprise story of this campaign so far, had done so well. What I think he needs is little softing. Maybe a puppy. You give Rudy Giuliani a puppy, he's -- people think of him as tough, they think of him as a guy that they can rely on. I think when the times get tough in the next few weeks, when they come after him, he wants people to think of him as a soft and cuddly guy. No better way to do that than a puppy.
ROBERTS: And what about Huckabee?
HALPERIN: Mike Huckabee, probably the second biggest surprise so far. He needs that thing you give somebody when you can't think of what you to give him, cold hard cash, maybe a gift certificate for some television commercials. But he needs more resources. He's going up against guys with tens of millions of dollars. He's not raised very much and needs more spending money.
ROBERTS: A great gift list selection there. Mark Halperin, as always, thanks very much.
HALPERIN: Thank you, John.
ROBERTS: So, Kiran, a puppy for Giuliani. Just don't give it Romney because he'll put it on the roof and it's the next thing that went through.
CHETRY: That's one of your favorite political stories of the year, I got to tell you.
Well, CNN is getting ready to do it again. Speaking of politics, the YouTube debate, taking place next Wednesday night and you get to ask the question. This time it's the Republicans' turn to answer them.
We've been going through the submissions. Here's one from a fellow American.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CNN/YOUTUBE REPUBLICAN DEBATE QUESTION)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My questions is, if you were president, would you join with the Pope, the European Union, Turkmenistan, Cambodia and 68 other nations and support a culture of life by abolishing the death penalty?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, you can submit your questions like those logging on to CNN.com/politics. You can catch the CNN/YouTube debate next Wednesday night, 9:00 Eastern, live from Tampa, Florida. It's hosted by Anderson Cooper.
Are you addicted to exercise? Why a rigid schedule of intense exercise may not be good for your health. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us right now -- actually, when we come back from the break, with a look at the warning signs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Time for this morning's "Hot Shot." An update on Thanksgiving with a 72-pound turkey. We told you about Rich Portnoy of Minneapolis. The family has a competition every year to find the biggest bird. Rich won. He bought the 72-pounder which he named Barry Bonds for $30.
CHETRY: This is so mean. We're seeing the live turkey again.
ROBERTS: Then after he got rid of his buddy it was time to roast it. Seventy-two pounds, 15 hours in the oven, it took three men to pull it up. Apparently, it didn't quite stay intact. There was a minor explosion in the oven while they were cooking it. But Rich says it tasted pretty good. The Portnoys had 26 people over for Thanksgiving dinner. So about three pounds of turkey per person.
If you've got a "Hot Shot" send it to us. The address is AMHOTSHOTS@CNN.com. Be sure to include your name, where you're from, a little about the picture or video, and one more thing, make sure the image is yours and not someone else's.
CHETRY: All right.
ROBERTS: I hate to tell you but that's where Thanksgiving turkey comes from.
CHETRY: I know where it comes from. I just -- I don't always pose with my food before I eat it. You know? I mean, I understand that. Maybe it's hypocritical but the poor turkey had no idea what was coming.
Time now to check in with Betty Nguyen for a look on what's ahead. CNN Saturday and Sunday.
Betty, doesn't that freak you out a little bit?
BETTY NGUYEN: It's disgusting.
CHETRY: The turkey is, like, smiling in the side and the next thing you know he's blowing up in the oven?
NGUYEN: Exactly. Have no idea. But you know what? Here's the thing. They're going to be eating on that until, what, New Year's? That thing is huge.
CHETRY: That's true. That's true. A lot of protein, though.
NGUYEN: And 50 pounds of stuffing to go with.
Hey, let me ask you this. If you haven't gone to the stores just yet, you're going to be going in the next few weeks? Of course, you are. But before you go out, you want to go online.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You really have to do the research before you go shopping.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Many parents will be searching the toy aisles looking for the "Made in the USA" label. That's because millions and millions of toys are being recalled this holiday.
Our special report, "Trouble in Toyland," is this weekend.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eggs, cheese, another dumpster where I usually get bread.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Say what? Going to dumpsters to get food? Well, you heard it right. What you might not believe is more people are doing this and we're not talking about the homeless.
CNN Saturday and Sunday morning, beginning tomorrow at 7:00 Eastern. See if you would just went to the dumpster, you wouldn't have to kill a 72-pound turkey.
CHETRY: How about that? And I love how you sent TJ to Wal-Mart. He's like a lost puppy pushing the cart to here in the studio.
NGUYEN: You should see the e-mails I've been getting from TJ. He is having a blast.
CHETRY: All right, Betty, we look forward to your show. Thanks a lot.
NGUYEN: Yes.
ROBERTS: A look now on a story coming up here in our next half- hour that you just can't miss. They are the hottest tickets to get your hands on. How one family's Hannah Montana dream came true.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were just about to leave and this nice man over here gave me and my sister two free tickets so I'm very happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: That's right. We're going to meet the dad with a heart of gold and a family who just happen to be in the right place at the right time. That story and the headlines when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
We were just about to leave and this nice man over here gave me and my sister two free tickets and I'm very happy.
That's right. We're going to meet the dad with a heart of gold and a family who just happened to be at the right place at the right time. That story and the headlines when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: And welcome back. We've been following breaking news all morning here. It's Friday, November 23rd. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts.
The latest now on that breaking story that we've been keeping an eye on all morning. A rescue at sea after a cruise ship hits ice in Antarctic waters south of Argentina. Here's a new picture of the "MS Explorer" listing to the side and sinking. The tour company says there were a hundred people on board, 85 passengers and 15 crew. Different numbers though coming to us the Chilean Navy, they say that there are saying 154 people on board, 100 passengers, 54 crew. We're trying to get those numbers straightened out. This picture just came in to us just a shot of the boat from a different angle there. You can see the hull there listing well to the starboard side. The U.K. versions of the Coast Guard says it expects that the ship is going to sink after it hit a rather large piece of ice. Unusual too, as the ship, in effect, is an ice-breaker. We're going to keep following the story. We'll bring you the latest as we get it.
CHETRY: And also following breaking news out of India this morning where police in New Delhi are stepping up security checks at bus (inaudible), shopping areas and railway stations after three near simultaneous explosions ripped through courthouse buildings in northern cities of India. Police say the three blasts all taking place within a span of five minutes. At least two of the bombs were attached to bicycles. Local media reporting at least eight were killed. The government is blaming militants trying to spark unrest between the country's Hindu majority and Muslim minority.
Well, we're learning more today about the roadside confrontation that you've been seeing on youtube in Utah. A driver pulled over for speeding and the trooper uses a taser after he gets out of the car. All of it caught on the trooper's dashboard camera. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I with the driver as well the spokesman from the Utah Highway Patrol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED MASSEY, TASERED BY UTAH STATE TROOPER: When I saw him pull a gun on me, you got to realize at the time, I thought it was a gun. I was scared to death. I was scared for my life. I had my 6 1/2- month pregnant wife in the car, 15-month-old baby. You know, those panic thoughts start going through my mind.
SGT. JEFF NIGBUR, UTAH HIGHWAY PATROL: I think a lot of emotion involved in this situation. I think there is a lot of, I would even go as far as seeing a little bit of ego involved on both sides. And you know, we want to look at this, every taser deployment from our troops of the highway patrol as a serious matter and we look into each and every one of those.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Nigbur said that an investigation into the incident is open and that the patrol has a nine-page deployment policy for tasers, which troopers are trained on every year but because the investigation is still open, he couldn't say whether the trooper violated that policy.
ROBERTS: An update now in the Natalee Holloway case. A hearing today for two suspects arrested on Wednesday in Aruba. Prosecutors are expected to present the new evidence against Deepak and Sateesh Kalpoe to a judge. A court date on the island has not yet been set for Joran van der Sloot. He is the third suspect in the case. Meantime, Natalee Holloway's father is sending a search team to Aruba. Dave Holloway believes his daughter body was thrown into the ocean, perhaps in a deeper area than what was initially believed. A private boat owner is providing divers with sonar equipment to search the ocean floor.
Federal officials are quietly asking cell phone companies to provide real-time tracking so they can keep track on criminals. Today's "Washington Post" says in some cases, judges granted warrants without probable cause. Advocacies say cell phone tracking could expose Americans to more government scrutiny but officials say they have no interest in attracting law abiding citizens and that the data will be only used to find people like drug traffickers and fugitives. Last year, real-time tracking helped find a serial killer who was linked to six murders, including a University of Virginia student. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, some black Friday shoppers already back in bed from their early morning shopping trips. A lot of the stores on the East Coast opened more than 3 1/2 hours ago. T.J. Holmes is at one of those stores, a Wal-Mart in Woodstock, Georgia. You look just as thrilled as you did when we checked in with you at 6:00.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Well, you said some of those people are back in bed. I'm not. That might be my problem. No. We talked to you a little earlier. We didn't have much in the basket. We got it now. We did our shopping. These are the hottest items you will find, the hottest toys you will find this holiday season. This here, this Squawker McCall is what it's called. It's parrot that you can teach to say specific phrases. This thing is so hot, that it is actually the last one in the store. And we've got it right now. We've been having to fight off a few mothers here and there trying to get their hands on this and we're going to have to reprogram it. We've kind of taught it some things that are not probably appropriate for a child to wake up to on Christmas morning. So we'll get that straightened out. Elmo always a big deal. And once again they have another Elmo out. There you go. It always talks and always does something. Of course, Spiderman, a big thing as well. This will be huge the whole season. The electric guitar is another big one. But Wal-mart has a top 12 list if you will and pretty much all of those items are in here. This Havoc helicopter thing here, that's going to be pretty hot as well. And this thing here, it's supposed to be the new craze. This Ripstik, as they call it, it's some kind of a surfboard, kind of a snowboard, cross between. It has some wheels underneath, looks like you can hurt yourself on but they say it's catching on and real popular now. People want the hot items but of course the parents are concerned with so many recalls we've seen lately of items for whatever reasons. Toys being recalled, certainly plenty of them from China being recalled. Well, Wal-mart has done something, implemented certain programs where they put some extra safety measures in place. They started this back in August when some recalls started to happen, even though we've seen more here recently. They had this in place since August. Five steps extra. Extra measures they take really to make sure the toys you have are safe. They have a plan as well to make sure they get their toys from different areas and more diverse group of suppliers that come into them. And also another thing here, each if you happen to go into a Wal-mart store and say a recall item slips through and happens to be still on the shelf, if you get up to the front and the item is recalled, it will lock up the register, you won't be able to buy it. So, there are some things certainly retailers know they have to do to make people, and make parents feel a little better about some of the stuff they're having to buy, Kiran, but these are the hot items. Hopefully parents don't have to worry about any of them being recalled. You just have to worry about your kid breaking something on this thing. Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes, right, it's a skateboard with two wheels. I don't even know how to use the one with four. So, good luck, wear a helmet.
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: T.J.
HOLMES: Sure thing. Yes. All right.
ROBERTS: T.J. covered a lot of items but not all of the big items. What else is hot in the toy department this season? We put that question to the man who should know best, the chairman and CEO of Toys "R" Us. Here is what he had to say earlier on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY STORCH, CHAIRMAN & CEO, TOYS 'R US: Well, Hannah Montana is hot as a pistol and all you have to do is pick up a newspaper and hear about how kids are waiting in line for concert tickets. We have Hannah Montana dolls, Hannah Montana dance mat, Hannah Montana tour van and Hannah Montana's guitar. All these products are selling like crazy, even the blond wig kids to love on and pretend like they're Hannah Montana. Also, "High School Musical" is very hot and to continue with that rock star craze, Guitar Hero 3, which is a video game that you play guitar along with the video game. That's incredibly hot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And speaking of Hannah Montana, coming up a little bit later on here this morning, we have got a great story for you about a dad giving up some very valuable concert tickets to a lucky stranger. You'll meet all of them just ahead. But right now, let's go over to Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, do you feel grumpy without your run or guilty if you don't go to the gym or maybe you prefer your iPod and bike to dinner with friends. We may have a diagnosis for you. We're paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He joins us from Atlanta. Sanjay, what is this about because you're always trying to get people to exercise?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and you know it's funny. It's one of those things a lot of people say if I don't get my exercise in, if I don't get to the gym, I feel grumpy. And, you know, a lot of times it's just sort of anecdotal evidence. But there's not a lot of studies actually looking at this idea of addiction to exercise, lot of addiction to different things but could that sort of feeling of a runner's high, that feeling of the feel good hormones, if you will, become addictive? A lot of evidence that, in fact, it might be. And so much so as with other addictions that it could be a problem. You know, for example, I trained for the marathon. As you know, I didn't end up being able to run it because of this broken hand but I was running a lot. And there are cardiologists, for example, who say that maybe running is not always the best thing and long amounts of gym fix. A lot of people know that, and they ended up dying of a heart attack in their early 50s. He had chest pain for years while he was running. At some point, Kiran, it can get to be too much. You know, I preach exercise. I preach fitness as you know, but you got to listen to your body as well and you got to watch out for that addiction.
CHETRY: You know, it's interesting because I've also heard the term being used exercise bulimia where people feel like they have to burn a certain amount of calories. Is that also, is that a disorder?
GUPTA: Yes, we talked to experts on this and they say they're not quite ready to classify exercise overall as an addiction but put in the same realm potentially one day as things like bulimia or as you said, the sort of blaming, if you're not exercising, or even this idea that, you know, you're so addicted to the way you look after you exercise that it becomes more of an addiction overall. So, yes, it's probably best not to throw terms at it necessarily, but it can be a problem for some people.
CHETRY: So, how do you gauge this? What are some signs that you might be an exercise junkie?
GUPTA: Well, there are some good signs. I think, if you're someone who's concerned about this, pay attention to this. You know, first of all, if you're someone who starts to interfere with your way of life, if you're not able to do the things you normally want to do and you can't even quit for a day without getting that exercise in. You know, I like to take a day off from exercise, a lot of people do but if you simply can't, that might be a problem. If you started missing important events because you need to get your run or hit the gym, or you become defensive when people ask you about it, that can be a problem. The biggest one I think, Kiran, here is you continue to work out even when you're injured. Again, not listening to your body. That's a real concern.
CHETRY: All right. Things to keep in mind. As you try to set the right balance, moderation always seems to be always the big key, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Always.
CHETRY: Thanks a lot.
GUPTA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: 19 minutes now to the top of the hour.
Two young Hannah Montana fans in the right place at the right time and the generous stranger who made their dreams come true and did he! We'll meet them all just ahead! CHETRY: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, a chance to tell your story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONALD RUIZ, RETIRED BUS DRIVER: She actually lit a spark in me to this day. I think about this woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Inside the project designed to tell the American story. Thousands have done it. Will you be next? Inside the story core ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We're back with the most news in the morning on CNN. And a beautiful shot of the George Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River, gorgeous in New York, a lot colder than it was yesterday. It is that time of year when families are getting together, making new memories, sharing stories of the good old days and now there's a way to save those stories forever. It's called the "Storycorps" Project that AMERICAN MORNING's Lola Ogunnaike recently met some people who are taking part.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My father worked there most of his life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm afraid if I held you I wouldn't be able to give you up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They would have checks of $600 to cash.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Everyone has a story. And the story core project is on a mission to record millions of them from coast-to-coast. A bus like this one in Grand Central station.
DAVE ISAY, FOUNDER, STORYCORPS PROJECT: It's about creating a culture of listening.
OGUNNAIKE: Dave Isay started "Storycorps." The concept is simple. Walk into a booth and record a story you must remember. One copy goes to you, the other to the Library of Congress. Bus driver Ronald Ruiz didn't want to forget the time he helped a lost elderly passenger to find her friend.
RONALD RUIZ, RETIRED BUS DRIVER: I wanted her to feel like the bus was like a limousine. A bus, nothing you can take away from it. I took her hand because I wanted her to feel special. And I walked her in and she looked over me with such a face and said I was diagnosed with cancer and this is the greatest thing of my life. What did I do? What did I do that I normally do with all of my passengers?
OGUNNAIKE: You still get emotional thinking about it. After all these years.
RUIZ: She actually lit a spark in me to this day. I think about this woman.
OGUNNAIKE: William Jacobs and his grandson shared their story about a woman they also can't forget, William's late wife, Claire. She battled Alzheimer's for years.
SETH FLEISCHAUER, STORYCORPS INTERVIEWEE: It was very inspiring for me to see him by her side through ten years of that, those ten years. It must have been really hard on you.
WILLIAM JACOBS, STORYCORPS INTERVIEWEE: Well, it was such a gradual thing that you learned to cope with it day-by-day. But I did maintain a contact with her and I communicated with her right till the very end.
ISAY: At its core, Storycorps tell us that we matter and we won't be forgotten and I think that's all any of us really want to know and I think that's why it's such an emotional experience for people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: AMERICAN MORNING'S Lola Ogunnaike with that story. You can hear and see more stories from the Storycorps project. It's a new book called "Listening is an act of love."
CHETRY: CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Tony Harris at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead. Good morning, Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN, ANCHOR: Kiran, good Friday to you. Good Friday everyone. Shopping madness in the NEWSROOM for you this morning. Deal hunters hitting the stores and maybe, perhaps, each other. They are snatching up holiday bargains today. One of the busiest days of the year for retailers.
A tour boat sinking off Antarctica after it hits ice. Dozens of passengers had to scramble to safety.
He was expecting a $15 refund from the state. Instead he got a check for $2 million plus! The temptation! Friday in the NEWSROOM, we get started at the top of the hour right here on CNN. Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: We'll be watching. You too, Tony, thanks.
Well, the results from our Quick Vote coming up. Are you going to be spending less, spending more, or the same this holiday season? We'll give you more results coming up.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Hannah Montana mania with a silver lining. KATIE ADAMS: This nice man over here gave me and my sister two free tickets so I'm very happy.
CHETRY (voice-over): A stranger gives two little girls tickets of a lifetime. Why he did it?
KATIE ADAMS: Thank you so much!
FINN WALLING: UNIDENTIFIED You're welcome.
CHETRY: How the girls feel about their dream come true. We'll meet them ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Parents everywhere are desperate to get their hands on tickets to see Hannah Montana. Disney's hit show starring Mylie Cyrus as Hannah. Well, her shows are hotter than Springsteen, sold out around the country. While some parents are paying thousands of dollars for tickets, one mom and her girls had the tickets come to them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FINN WALLING: I cannot think of two girls who are more deserving than you two to have two free tickets to Hannah Montana.
KATIE ADAMS: Thank you so much!
WALLING: You're welcome.
KATIE ADAMS: This nice man over here gave me and my sister two free tickets so I'm very happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: It just warms your heart to see that. Emily and Katie Adams got to go see Hannah Montana. They join us now with their mom, Lind, and also the hero of the day, the generous donor, Fin Walling. Thanks to all of you for being with us this morning.
Finn, let me ask you, first of all, you bought the tickets for your 9-year-old daughter, Madison. She got sick and so she wasn't able to attend the show so you had these two tickets. Tell us what was going through your mind.
FINN WALLING, GAVE AWAY HANNAH MONTANA TICKETS: You know, it was, I was on my way down to get the tickets when I found out she couldn't go and someone said you could sell these tickets for $300 apiece. I thought, wow, $600 but that would be nice. But halfway down, I kind of decided that you know it would be better serve to give them to somebody who is deserving of tickets who couldn't probably perhaps afford them.
CHETRY: How did you decide on Emily and Katie? WALLING: Well, I had ran into a couple of folks who had already seen Hannah Montana eight times in seven states. That didn't seem like the best opportunity to do something good. And when I bumped into Emily and Katie, you know, her mom told me they were on disability and they couldn't afford the tickets. And I asked them why they like Hannah Montana and one of them said I love her so much I stand on my coffee table and sing her songs all the time. Like I said before, I couldn't think of two more deserving kids.
CHETRY: And Emily, tell us about that because it moved you to tears when Fin gave you those tickets. Was it just so unbelievable when you were there outside of the concert hall, didn't expect to go see Hannah Montana and then this happened?
EMILY: Yes.
CHETRY: Tell us what was going through your head.
EMILY: Well, I thought I wasn't going to see here because our mom took us for the party thing (inaudible) and then we bumped into him and then he gave us the tickets.
CHETRY: It was wonderful. How was the show, Emily?
EMILY: It was really, really fun.
CHETRY: And Katie, did you have a great time, too?
KATIE: Yes.
CHETRY: You know all of the songs by heart, right?
KATIE: Uh-huh.
CHETRY: Mom, describe for us the looks on their faces when they were actually in there seeing the show.
LIND ADAMS, DAUGHER'S GIVEN HANNAH MONTANA TICKETS: Oh, it was, I can't describe it. I was so busy crying to just to see them so happy, just to be there.
CHETRY: Fin, you really did a wonderful thing, and we are sorry your little girl didn't get to see Hannah Montana. Is little Madison doing all right?
WALLING: She is on the recovery track right now so she is getting better and, you know, the only regret I had was she didn't get to see the show. It was her birthday and it was a big gift and I already set the expectation you do something good for somebody and someday, someone will do something good for you.
ROBERTS: Coming up now to five minutes to the top of the hour. Breaking news here on CNN. A high wind warning out in southern California. Our Bonnie Schneider is tracking the extreme weather at the CNN weather center. What are we looking at here today, Bonnie? BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Well, John, the high wind advisory continues for the afternoon but what is new is a wind warning has been issued for tonight starting around 10:00 p.m. and that does include the San Bernardino and Riverside County valleys. Taking a look at the are that's highlighted, you could see, it does include a good portion of southern California. What will happen later on tonight is we're looking at offshore winds developing once again. Critical fire danger for this region of southern California with winds as strong as 45 miles per hour but we could see gusts as strong as 60 to 70 miles per hour sometime late tonight, early tomorrow. We will keep you up-to-date on this changing situation. John.
ROBERTS: That would be the same type of danger that we saw a few weeks ago when all of those fires broke out. Bonnie Schneider is going to be keeping track of that as we go on throughout the morning.
Right now, here is a quick look at what CNN NEWSROOM is working on for the top of the hour.
HARRIS: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Shoppers jam stores this morning for after thanksgiving bargains.
Rescue off Antarctica when a tour boat hits ice.
A possible tornado hits the Florida panhandle.
Two suspects in Natalee Holloway's disappearance go to court in Aruba today.
And an unwanted resident moves into the neighborhood. NEWSROOM just minutes away, at the top of the hour, on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A final check of this morning's "Quick Vote" question. We asked will you spend more, less, or about the same on holiday gifts this year? 6% of you said more and 81% said less and 13% say bout the same. To all of those who voted, thank you. A lot of retailers are swallowing hard as a result of that.
CHETRY: Yes, I guess we'll find out when the numbers come in.
ROBERTS: Yes, not for a little while but we'll see. Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm off for a couple of days so I'll see you next Wednesday.
CHETRY: You enjoy yourself recuperate from your bike crash and see you Wednesday.
ROBERTS: All right.
CHETRY: Meanwhile CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Betty Nguyen starts right now.
HARRIS: Good morning everyone, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN, ANCHOE: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Heidi is off today.
Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on this Friday morning. It is November 23rd. Are you shopping? Because that's what is on the rundown. They've had the meal. Now they are hungry for the deal. Early morning shoppers scramble for holiday bargains.
HARRIS: You know they went to see penguins and they came close to swimming with them. A tour boat sinking today off Antarctica.
NGUYEN: Tasered over speeding ticket. The driver in this alarming video talked to CNN this morning. The interview in the NEWSROOM.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
