Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
TSA Won't Back Down on Pat-Down Procedure; Moscow-Bound Jet Declares an Emergency; Bieber Fever Heats Up at AMAs; "The Kennedy Detail"; Harry Potter: $125M Wizard; Lower Carbon Emissions
Aired November 22, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us on AMERICAN MORNING on this Monday, it's November 22nd. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Acosta. John Roberts is on assignment this morning. It sounds a little different. It looks a little different.
CHETRY: Yes. We have new theme music, huh?
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: Nice and bright.
ACOSTA: Nice and bright.
CHETRY: And you're the inaugural male anchor. So congratulations.
ACOSTA: You know what? I think it just happened by accident. I had nothing to do with it.
CHETRY: As much of life does.
ACOSTA: I was in here all weekend with the rollers just, you know, working.
CHETRY: Looks great, Jim.
ACOSTA: Yes. All right. Very good.
Well, there's a lot to talk about this morning, so let's get right to it. It is the kickoff to one of the busiest travel weeks of the year and the TSA is sending some mixed signals when it comes to those controversial airport pat-downs. They say privacy takes a backseat to public safety, and that's making air travelers angry. Even the president and Secretary of State Clinton are weighing in this morning.
CHETRY: Well, former First Lady Barbara Bush weighing in, as well, and some choice words for Sarah Palin. Mrs. Bush appearing tonight with her husband on "LARRY KING LIVE." We have a bit of a preview of what the former first lady thinks about the former Alaska governor.
Well, here's a little bit of it. She thinks she should stay in Alaska. We'll tell you what else she had to say ahead. ACOSTA: And Bieber fever. The teen pop sensation heats up the American Music Awards scooping up more awards than any other artist.
Plus, a blast from the past. A performance from the ultimate boy band.
CHETRY: Up first, America on the move. There were more than 40 million people that are going to be traveling at least 50 miles or more on this, of course, Thanksgiving week. And that's why you should make CNN your holiday travel headquarters because all morning and every day until Thanksgiving, we're going to find you the up-to-the minute travel information and it will be actually right on the bottom of your screen all week.
ACOSTA: Right. That is helpful. And if you happen to be flying for the Thanksgiving holiday, prepare for the possibility of an enhanced pat-down at the airport. But according to the top man at the TSA, the agency is looking at refining its policies. Initially, John Pistole defended the invasive screening first telling CNN "STATE OF THE UNION" the pat-downs are a necessary precaution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN PISTOLE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: I think it really comes down to the person. I've talked to a number of people who said, hey, this is exactly what we need to be doing. It is thorough. And that's what I want. I want thoroughness when I get on a plane to know everybody has been screened properly. To some people, it is demeaning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, some mixed messages this morning from the TSA. So what can we expect? Carol Costello joining us live from Reagan National in Washington this morning. You have the president weighing in, the Secretary of State weighing in. And a lot of people very upset about the enhanced screenings.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, but Kiran, as far as what you can expect, you're going to go through that full-body scanner. I'm here at Reagan National. A full-body scanner is in full use right behind me. I've seen no one refused to go through it. Up go their arms. Maybe they're afraid of that intrusive pat-down they'll get if they refuse to go through that full-body scanner. It seems that every politician in the land is weighing in on this controversy, including President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I understand people's frustrations. And what I've said to the TSA is that you have to constantly refine and measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the American people's safety. And you also have to think through, are there ways of doing it that are less intrusive?
(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Oh, but right now, the TSA is not budging. They'll continue to use those full-body scanners and those intrusive pat- downs. Secretary of State Clinton also weighed in on this. And when asked if she would like a full-body pat-down, she said no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST, "FACE THE NATION": But would you submit to one of these pat-downs?
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Not if I could avoid it. No, I mean, who would?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That's right. I mean, who would? If it's any comfort to you at all, only 69 airports across the country have full-body scanners. And you only get that intrusive pat-down is if you refuse to go through the full-body scanner or if you set off an alarm. So it's very unlikely you're going to go through a full-body pat-down at the airport. I know that's small comfort, because there's still a possibility. But it's the best I can give you right now, Kiran.
CHETRY: Got you. All right.
ACOSTA: And, Carol, I could just hear the song being rewritten now, over the river and through the pat-down to grandmother's house we go.
COSTELLO: That's right. And if you don't get the pat-down and if you refuse, you could be arrested and you could face an $11,000 fine.
ACOSTA: I can feel the holiday spirit already.
COSTELLO: That's right.
CHETRY: Thanks, Carol.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Carol.
CHETRY: Well, TSA administrator, John Pistole, insists that he is trying to strike the right balance between privacy and security. We're going to ask him about that when he joins us live on AMERICAN MORNING at 7:15 Eastern.
ACOSTA: And leave it to the folks at "Saturday Night Live" to expose the sexy side of airport security.
CHETRY: In case you missed it, here's their twisted take on TSA pat- downs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spending time with the TSA agent couldn't be easier. Simply book a flight departing from any American airport. When selected for a full-body scanner, say no. You'll be pulled aside by a TSA agent and that's when the fun begins. And you never know who your agent will be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could be me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or even me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it's probably going to be us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Oh, it helps to laugh, doesn't it?
CHETRY: Sometimes you've got to laugh or you're going to cry.
ACOSTA: It makes it hurt a little less.
Well, a serious scare for passengers aboard a Moscow-bound jet out of New York's JFK airport last night. This is serious, but luckily ended OK. Just minutes into the flight, the pilot radioed the tower about trouble with the left engine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DELTA FLIGHT: Delta 30, we're declaring an emergency. Did you see anything smoke come out of the number one engine?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we did see some kind of flash on the departing aircraft.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The Boeing 767 made it back to JFK with just one engine dumping fuel over the Atlantic Ocean on its emergency approach. No injuries to the 193 passengers and 11 crew members aboard. Some knew right away something was critically wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard a noise, like we hit something. And then some people saw flashes -- some people thought it was a bird. Some people thought it was fire. We weren't quite sure what was going on. And then probably like three minutes later, the pilot announced that we had an engine failure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The FAA is investigating the incident. Passengers boarded another jet to Moscow. So it all worked out for those passengers in the end. But my goodness, what a scare.
CHETRY: I know, what a scare.
Well, it makes you want to drive if you can if you're not going too far.
ACOSTA: Yes, it does.
CHETRY: But if you are thinking of taking the car instead of flying, you may get sticker shock at the gas pump. Americans might want to say thanks, but no thanks to the numbers that are posted at the gas pumps. Just days from Thanksgiving, a huge travel holiday for drivers. Gas prices are now at a six-month high. The Lundberg Survey and service stations puts the national average of $2.87 a gallon for regular if you pump it yourself. And that's up close to a nickel per gallon over the past two weeks.
ACOSTA: And Thanksgiving travelers are beginning a real taste of winter in some parts of the country. In Minnesota, freezing rain turn roads into skating rinks. The treacherous conditions causing hundreds and crashes and at least one death in Minneapolis. The National Weather Service issued another freezing rain advisory for today.
CHETRY: And then in California, heavy snow and high winds causing white-out conditions in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The storm forcing drivers to put chains on their tires in order to travel in the mountain areas.
ACOSTA: And a messy commute in store this morning for people in Salt Lake City. A mix of snow and freezing rain caused slick roads and led to numerous accidents this weekend. Forecasters expect snow to continue through tomorrow.
CHETRY: So what can you expect as you head out this week? Let's check in with Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center.
Is this early? When I lived in California, you always remember when you have to start putting chains on the tires.
ACOSTA: Oh, my gosh. Is this early for that? Or right around the normal time?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right around the normal time but they rarely see this much. I mean, we've really seen a ton pile up just in the last week. And there's more to come this week. So it is awfully early to be getting this much winter weather and in such a widespread fashion. Really everywhere in the western half of the country is seeing a little bit of the wintery weather.
You mentioned places in Minnesota. Some fresh video coming into us last night with more in the way of slick roads and just making it impossible to get around. Now, haven't seen a tremendous amount of power outage because the ice hasn't been that, that thick. But it's been obviously thick enough to make it impossible to get around. Still freezing rain advisories out today. And we've got a couple of storms that we need to get through.
All right. Let's get to the maps and show you some snow across parts of the upper Midwest, and then some rain heading into parts of Wisconsin and Iowa, and where that air is cold enough, in places like southeast Minnesota, just southeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul, it will be freezing to the roadways. So freezing rain advisories from there southwest down to just west of Omaha in through maybe Lincoln, Nebraska.
Looking towards the east, we're OK at least for today. Temperatures in the 30s and 40s and we'll rebound nicely into the lower 50s to lower 60s. And the eastern half of the country is nice and toasty and warm.
Look at the northwest, though. Billings, Montana, high of five degrees. Thirty-three degrees in Seattle. They do get snow in Seattle but typically in December, January or February, not typically in November. And they've already seen some snow accumulate all the way down to the valley floor in the Puget Sound area and there's more cold air coming in. That's going to be the ongoing story as well, Jim and Kiran, is that how much cold air there's going to be filtering in from Canada. That I can tell you is unusual for this time of year. Last year for Thanksgiving holiday travel, we had a fairly tranquil go of it. This year, I don't think it's going to be that way. And we'll have updates, obviously, throughout the week. Back to you guys in New York.
ACOSTA: Let's get those skis out, Rob. That's a good way to look at it.
CHETRY: Snow shoeing to grandma's may be the best way to go. All right, Rob. Thanks.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Rob.
Still to come this morning, Barbara Bush on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night. The show hasn't even aired and the former first lady is already making headlines with her choice words for Sarah Palin.
CHETRY: And a bit of a shocking confession from the pastor who ordered all of his church leaders to log off of Facebook forever. A little bit of his past coming back to haunt him.
ACOSTA: And Justin Bieber had a big night at the American Music Awards. We will tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: A little mash-up of musical things there.
CHETRY: It is Monday.
ACOSTA: Very nice, awesome.
All right. Welcome back. Rescue efforts for a group of 29 trapped miners continue in New Zealand this morning. But officials are preparing for a worst-case scenario. Rescuers are testing a robot that could find out if the air in the mine is too dangerous for a man- rescue attempt. No one has heard from the men since Friday afternoon. Officials hope the miners found a safe area of the mine and avoided a partial collapse.
CHETRY: There was some better news about another group of miners trapped in China. Twenty-nine of them are alive this morning after being trapped underground for more than 30 hours. Rescuers were able to pull them out of the mine one after the other. All of it taking place on live state television in China.
ACOSTA: The pope says after all condoms may help in the fight against the spread of AIDS. Keep in mind the Roman Catholic Church firmly opposes artificial birth control. Analysts say it's a significant move because the church has never before considered exceptions. And Pope Benedict XVI's comments could signal a positive step forward.
CHETRY: And a powerful ash explosion forcing thousands of people out of their homes in the Philippines. Experts say the activity is not yet quite an eruption, but the alert level remains low. In addition to the visible ash, there were loud rumbles coming from the volcano. Villagers are expected to return home later today.
Well, if Sarah Palin runs for president in 2012, she probably should not bank on Barbara Bush's vote. The former first lady appears tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE" along with her husband, the former president. And we're going to have a preview of that. The former president says he finds the Tea Party confusing. And Barbara Bush pulled no punches when Larry asked for her take on the former Alaskan governor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": What's your read about Sarah Palin?
BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I sat next to her once. Thought she was beautiful. And I think she's very happy in Alaska. And I hope she'll stay there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, you can catch the entire interview with George and Barbara tonight at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
ACOSTA: Interesting stuff there from the Bushes. I mean, it's interesting that you would hear the former President Bush talk about the Tea Party in that sort of way. And then at the same time have Barbara Bush weigh in on Sarah Palin in that kind of fashion, is sort of striking. I mean, yes.
CHETRY: It's also interesting because former President George W. Bush doesn't like to really comment at all.
ACOSTA: Right. That's true.
CHETRY: I mean, he said many times that he's not going to judge the performance of the president as he's in office.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: He has enough hard work ahead of him.
ACOSTA: It should be a good interview tonight. That'll be - that'll be good to watch.
Well, tonight is the big night. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, also known as "Bristol the Pistol", competing in the final round of "Dancing with the Stars". She's up against Kyle Massey and Jennifer Grey. The show's been shrouded in controversy ever since Bristol beat Brandy last week and there was a lot of - a lot of - a lot of people talking about that.
Some are suggesting a Tea Party conspiracy is tilting the vote in Palin's favor.
CHETRY: Yes. However the show's creators said, you know what, we are actively stopping these votes that come in, and we're not counting them.
ACOSTA: They're watching that.
CHETRY: We're intercepting them, as they put it. If they come from bogus e-mail addresses, they're not letting it happen.
ACOSTA: Wow. OK. Well, we'll have to watch -
CHETRY: To be continued.
ACOSTA: Yes.
His hair and his popularity grabbed headlines when he was on "American Idol," and now we'll ask the former finalist what he thinks about Bristol Palin's popularity. He is joining us at the bottom of the hour - Sanjaya.
CHETRY: Went out (ph) the pony hawk. Out (ph) the pony hawk.
ACOSTA: Whoa! What happened to the hair there? Is that a current picture?
CHETRY: Yes. I guess he - he's had a new look.
ACOSTA: My goodness.
CHETRY: We're going to talk to him, coming up.
ACOSTA: And his old hair wouldn't have fit on the screen there, so -
CHETRY: No.
6:40 by the way. We're a (INAUDIBLE).
A shocking admission from a New Jersey pastor. He ordered his church leaders, as you may remember last week, to get off Facebook.
ACOSTA: Right.
CHETRY: He says it's really a portal to infidelity. Well, now he's - he's claiming, at least, he's admitting something in his past that's coming back to haunt him. ACOSTA: And Bieber fever is out of control. The 16-year-old sensation scoops up one of the biggest music awards. We are live with the details, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. "Morning Talker" time now. These are the stories that got us talking in the newsroom this morning, at least the ones we can actually air on television.
ACOSTA: That's right.
CHETRY: Well, like a royal action hero, Prince William saved a man's life. It was just two days after his announcement of, of course, engagement to Kate Middleton. Flight Lieutenant Wales, as he's called in the Royal Air Force, landed this helicopter on the side of a mountain in bad weather and he was able to rescue a man who had had a heart attack and then flew him safely to a local hospital.
He's doing fine now, and what a story to tell.
ACOSTA: That's good.
CHETRY: I was saved by the future king.
ACOSTA: Yes. Exactly. And I guess he's not taking any break before the wedding. So, he's staying busy.
Tigers threatened with extinction. Say it isn't so. Wildlife experts fear it could happen in just 12 years, by 2022, due to loss of habitat and poaching. They say only about 3,200 tigers - that's - that's unbelievable - actually remain in the wild. That's down from 100,000 a century ago.
CHETRY: That's sad.
ACOSTA: That's just incredible. What a -
CHETRY: Hopefully they'll be able to turn it around.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: Meantime, a touchdown celebration that led to some on-field violence in Pittsburgh yesterday.
ACOSTA: Did you see this? This is incredible.
CHETRY: No. I didn't see these highlights.
Raiders' Richard Seymour using an open hand to hit Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger after a Steelers touchdown. He was ejected from the game.
It's not clear what led to the punch, but it may have been the Steelers' domination of the game because they went on to win, 35 to three.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: You've got to save your frustration, though, for off the field.
ACOSTA: Talk about roughing the passer. I mean, my goodness. That's - and then he gets ejected from the game, and he's out of there. So -
CHETRY: Better luck next week, guys.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: Yikes.
ACOSTA: Well, and remember the New Jersey pastor who made national headlines last week when he ordered his church leaders to get off Facebook because it fosters infidelity? Well, cue the hypocrisy. Reverend Cedric Miller is now admitting he engaged in a three-way sexual relationship with his own wife and another man back in 2003.
Despite the revelation, Miller says it will not detract from his mission to save as many marriages as he can, including his own.
CHETRY: Maybe that's why he wanted people to get off of Facebook, because he learned from his own mistakes.
ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, my goodness. I mean, practice what you preach, don't throw stones in glass houses. That sounds more like a sermon than a life lesson for this guy. But, my goodness.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, the boys are back in town. New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, they come together to form the ultimate boy band. This is at the "American Music Awards." We've got the video, coming up.
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: We'll be right back.
ACOSTA: Can't wait.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: All right. Welcome back. I get all the Justin Bieber scripts this morning.
CHETRY: The Biebs.
ACOSTA: I don't know if you notice that, but -
CHETRY: You love the Biebs, right? You had your hair like that earlier.
ACOSTA: I did. I - I just thought, you know, if I just, you know, comb it forward - CHETRY: Oh, you'll be a heartthrob.
ACOSTA: A thousand percent more that I would be would just swell. All right.
CHETRY: It's got to - it's got to come up on to your cheekbones to really have the Biebs.
ACOSTA: The full - would that be the full Bieber?
CHETRY: Yes.
ACOSTA: That would be the full Bieber.
All right. It isn't bad being 16 if you're Justin Bieber. Yes.
CHETRY: Well, he's the teen whose hair is just about as popular as his music. Every time he goes on stage, people start sobbing hysterically, screaming.
ACOSTA: If he goes to a mall, a riot breaks out.
CHETRY: Absolutely. Well, he swept the American Music Awards last night.
Our Alina Cho joins us live. A big night for the singing sensation, actually the Bieber's a little shorter than it has been in the past.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don't act like -
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHO: Don't act like you really know (ph) the Biebs like you're really familiar -
CHETRY: The Biebs -
ACOSTA: A little Bieber buzz.
CHO: You know you're old when you don't know the music of the winners.
ACOSTA: That's true.
CHETRY: You know you're old when your nieces have to tell you about it, right?
CHO: Exactly. Apparently Justin Bieber's hot.
ACOSTA: Apparently he is.
CHO: Very hot.
ACOSTA: Yes. So I've heard.
CHO: Yes. Well, he certainly cleaned house at the American Music Awards last night. You know, it makes sense. This is really a popularity contest. The winners, by the way, are determined by fan vote, radio play, and record sales. So it's no wonder the teen idol who continues to rule the pop music scene walked away with some serious hardware.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): Teen sensation Justin Bieber wasn't kidding when he named his album "My World 2.0." The 16-year-old dominated the American Music Awards last night.
JUSTIN BIEBER, TEEN SINGING SENSATION: I like to stay calm and collected, but inside I'm like -
CHO: Bieber picked up four awards -
BIEBER: Thank you so much.
CHO: -- including Breakthrough Artist and Artist of the Year.
BIEBER: Wow.
CHO: The youngest person ever to win that award. And he shared the moment with the man who helped launch his career - Usher.
BIEBER: ... and it would be only right if I invited him up here to share it with me. Not only my mentor, but my best friend and my big brother. I love you, man.
CHO: Speaking of Usher -
USHER, SINGER: (SINGING "DJ GOT US FALLIN' IN LOVE").
CHO: -- he picked up two awards, including Favorite Male R&B Artist.
USHER: Can't call it a comeback, I've been doing it 18 years, y'all.
RIHANNA, SINGER: (SINGING)
CHO: Rihanna won for best Female R&B artist.
RIHANNA: Wow. This is amazing.
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: (SINGING "BACK TO DECEMBER").
CHO: Taylor Swift, who was last year's big winner with five awards, was named Best Country Artist. And the Black Eyed Peas were named Favorite Pop or Rock Band.
WILL.I.AM, SINGER, BLACK EYED PEAS: Years later, here we are selling 30 million records and traveling the world. Thank you.
CHO: The show ended with a blast from boy band past.
BACKSTREET BOYS, BOY BAND: (SINGING "BACKSTREET'S BACK").
CHO: Chart-topping New Kids on the Block -
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, BOY BAND: (SINGING "THE RIGHT STUFF").
CHO: -- and the Backstreet Boys -
BACKSTREET BOYS: (SINGING "I WANT IT THAT WAY").
CHO: -- teaming up to show they still have the right stuff.
BACKSTREET BOYS: (SINGING "LARGER THAN LIFE").
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHO: That's right. Did you see the crowd?
CHETRY: Still gives me goose bumps and shivers. That was when we were coming up.
CHO: That's - absolutely.
CHETRY: So this is our - this is this generation, Justin Bieber was our New Kids, Backstreet -
CHO: On the Block.
CHETRY: That's right.
CHO: N'Sync.
CHETRY: And Good old Vanilla Ice.
CHO: That's right.
OK. By the way, guys. In case you were wondering, there was no Kanye/Swift - Kanye/Taylor Swift moment last night. The closest thing -
ACOSTA: Thank goodness.
CHO: Well, thank goodness for that. The closest thing was rapper Nicki Minaj apparently also very huge, interrupted Rihanna while she was accepting an award and said - and gave a shout out about her album release coming on Monday today. That would be today. But that was the closest thing. And Rihanna responded graciously, I might add, by saying that she really liked Nicki Minaj's hair, which was blond with green tips. Nice.
CHETRY: But, you know, a little class, have some manners. Don't interrupt people when they're actually receiving an award.
CHO: I happen to agree with that.
CHETRY: Alina Cho, thank you.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Alina. Great.
CHETRY: Well, no, it's crossing the half hour. Time for a look at our top stories this morning.
The TSA's not backing down when it comes to those aggressive airport pat-downs. They say that privacy must take a backseat to public safety, but air travelers are growing angrier as we begin, of course, one of the busiest travel weeks of the year as we head into Thanksgiving.
ACOSTA: Yes. And the trial for the two American hikers accused of spying in Iran has been moved to sometime in February. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were supposed to be tried earlier this month. Their attorney says he was told his clients fail to show up in court even though they're currently jailed and it's the government's responsibility to bring them to court.
CHETRY: Well, for the first time, North Korea admits to enriching Uranium, even showing off a brand new nuclear plant to American scientist. The scientist says that the plant appears designed by a nuclear power production or for nuclear power production, rather. But U.S. officials worry that it could be used to make nuclear bombs. Analysts say that the North might look to use the revelation as a bargaining chip to get economic aid.
ACOSTA: And this is an incredible story coming up here.
Forty-seven years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. And much has been written and said about what really happened on November 22nd, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.
CHETRY: Yes, and we're hearing now for the first time that from some of the people who were closest to President Kennedy -- we're talking about his secret service detail.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: CNN's Brian Todd has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're a pair of stoic 78-year-old grandfathers, Gerald Blaine and Clint Hill still carry themselves in the upright position, still have that bond that only Secret Service agents know. And still have vivid memories of that clear, crisp day in November nearly half a century ago.
GERALD BLAINE, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: We couldn't help it. We felt like we failed. We all had the same mission and it was a terrible feeling.
TODD: Blaine gives riveting new accounts of that period in his just released book "The Kennedy Detail." He reveals how less than 24 hours after John Kennedy's assassination, he almost caused another unspeakable tragedy. Blaine stood guard outside Lyndon Johnson's house in the early morning darkness, exhausted, on edge, he heard approaching footsteps and readied his submachine gun.
BLAINE: Put it to my shoulder and steadied my feet. And around the house, I recognized right away it was President Johnson by his profile.
TODD: Johnson had just come out to get some air.
(on camera): How close did you come to shooting him?
BLAINE: Well, my finger was on the trigger. I had nightmares about this for months afterwards.
TODD (voice-over): Johnson, he says, turned white, said nothing, and went back in the house.
I spoke with Blaine and Clint Hill just a few feet from John Kennedy's grave. Hill wrote the foreword to Blaine's book but has rarely spoken about that day.
(on camera): You had a tough time in the years after the assassination after your resignation. Can you talk about what you went through?
CLINT HILL, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: I had nightmares and seemed like every time I turned around, there was something that reminded me of what had happened. And so, I just clammed up and went in my basement with some alcohol and some cigarettes and stayed there for a few years.
TODD (voice-over): Clint Hill was the first Secret Service agent to get to Kennedy's car in Dallas. He broke into a sprint after the initial shot was fired. He says if he could relive those moments, if he could jump on the back maybe two seconds earlier --
HILL: Without a question, I'd be taking a bullet for the president and be dead.
TODD (on camera): Would be -- you think that would be a happier ending if you weren't here to talk to us?
HILL: It would be a happier ending for the country and for everybody.
TODD: How do you feel about that? I mean, that's a tough thing to live with for a number of years.
HILL: Well, it's just one of those things you do live with it. You have to accept the fact that you had a certain responsibility and you failed in that responsibility. So, you just have to accept it and live with it the best you can.
TODD: Hill says he still goes through periods where he's almost unable to talk about the assassination. He brushes it off when people call him a hero. Heroes, he says, are people who are able to do extraordinary things, and, quote, "unfortunately, I was unable to do that."
Brian Todd CNN, Arlington, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Great piece.
And still to come this morning, live pictures from Reagan National Airport as the holiday travel week gets underway. We are your holiday travel headquarters and Rob has the conditions for weather across the country coming up.
CHETRY: Also, do you remember Sanjaya from "American Idol"?
ACOSTA: Of course.
CHETRY: He had the great hair, the fabulous smile, people sobbed when he sang.
ACOSTA: They did?
CHETRY: Yes, they did. Young girls did. Well, he --
ACOSTA: There's the hair.
CHETRY: -- managed to get into seventh place on the show, even though some said, including Simon, were pretty tough on him, saying he was not the best singer. So, what does Sanjaya think about Bristol Palin's run to the finals on "Dancing with the Stars"? He joins us to talk about it coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: New music comes on, sometimes I forget it's our show. This is the first day of our new music and our new look. So, welcome. Thirty-seven minutes past the hour right now.
Bristol Palin will be dancing for the title tonight. If you follow "Dancing with the Stars," you know it has not been without controversy. Critics say that viewers aren't voting for her because of her dancing skills, but rather because of her mother, Sarah Palin's popularity, and the Tea Party movement. There are some who have been questioning the legitimacy of some of the voting and the voting process.
Well, if there's one person who may know how Bristol is feeling right now, it's former "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar. You remember Sanjaya. He had the great hair, the fabulous smile. But he was far from -- at least according to judges, like Simon -- the best singer in the competition, but he was so popular with fans -- that was the little girl crying. We saw that a lot.
He got to seventh place on the show. And he faced a similar backlash.
Sanjaya joins us right now from Seattle.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning, getting up early with us. SANJAYA: No problem. Thank you.
CHETRY: So, you know a little bit of what it's like, you know, when people question whether you really deserve a seat, whether you deserve to make it as far as you did. This is obviously what Bristol Palin's going through right now. And last week was the big gasp when Brandy, who was clearly the better dancer, was eliminated.
What do you think?
SANJAYA MALAKAR, FORMER "AMERICAN IDOL" FINALIST: Well, it's hard. In a situation like that, you're judged on your skill, you're judged on your popularity, you're judged on kind of the whole package. So, it's hard to say -- like whether someone should be where they are, you know?
CHETRY: Right. I mean, you went through this, as well. I mean, you remember, first of all, the judges, like Simon, would be especially harsh on you. There was that whole joking campaign, vote for the worst, and you were one of the people that were part of that campaign where people voted for you.
What was it like knowing that you were out there, you were giving it your heart and soul, and there were people who thought you didn't deserve to be there?
MALAKAR: Well, you're always going to have haters. So, for me, I kind of took it all with a grain of salt. There's always going to be people that think that you shouldn't be doing what you're doing or think you're not good enough to be there. But as long as you put your full capacity into it, and you put your heart into it, then you can't really change what other people think. So --
CHETRY: Does it surprise you that -- I mean, at the end of the day, this is a dancing competition on a show. "American Idol" ultimately is a talent show -- that people get so upset. I mean, you heard about one man in Wisconsin shooting the TV screen, because he didn't like the way Bristol was dancing.
I mean, did you guys feel that as contestants of just how much of a pressure cooker you were in for a TV show?
MALAKAR: Yes. And it's -- it's crazy how passionate people get about something like this. But, like, I guess when you're investing your time and energy in voting and dialing all this time, it's -- it definitely takes a toll, I guess. But it's -- it was -- it was weird seeing the impact and the effect it had on people.
CHETRY: Right. And ultimately, do you think the way that "American Idol" and also "Dancing with the Stars" has tried to bring the audience in -- and do you think the voting ultimately is fair, that the best person wins?
MALAKAR: Well, I think that definitely it has its -- like, advantages and disadvantages. I think it also kind of depends on the show. Like "American Idol," it's really the audience choosing their next pop star. So, it's kind of cool to have that -- to bring those people in and have them have a little bit of control. Something like "Dancing with the Stars," it's about how -- like how well you can do as not a dancer doing technical dancing.
CHETRY: Right. No, I agree with you, actually and that's the interesting part. We're going to show a little clip of you singing your songs. And I love the audience's reaction, especially the little girl. Let's take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: I'm sorry, the girl with the pigtails is sobbing. The audience is extremely excited. And you took a lot of heat from the judges, like Simon who said you're not the best singer. But what I always came back to and I bumped into you that year at the White House Correspondent's Dinner and people were just going crazy to get your photograph. I mean, you were the hot ticket at that, as well.
I mean, as you said, it's to pick the next pop singer, not necessarily the best singer. So, do you think that this is a different standard by which they measured "Dancing with the Stars"? Because as you said, it's about the technical moves, and Bristol -- no offense -- is giving it a go, but she is not clearly the best dancer.
MALAKAR: Well, and she never claimed to be a technical dancer. So, when you're looking at it on that side of it, it's like, how well is she doing based on herself and based on like how much is she progressing and stuff? So, it's hard to judge her against someone else who may have some dance background or may just naturally have a little more dance ability.
CHETRY: Right. But do you think that this whole Tea Party manipulation allegation as one conservative blogger said he's trying to get people to vote for her because of her mother's politics -- I mean, do you think when they bring in certain characters like they did with this one that they -- they're just asking for trouble on the show?
MALAKAR: You're always going to have that little trouble, that controversy. But it makes the show. It's reality television in the long run, and they're looking for the voting and all that. But they're also looking for a show and they're looking for entertainment, and they're looking for controversy, because the more that people are talking about it, the more that they're going to get people watching.
CHETRY: Right, would we be talking about "Dancing with the Stars" here on AMERICAN MORNING if it weren't for this Palin controversy?
By the way, for all the Sanjaya fans out there, what are you up to?
MALAKAR: I'm working on my album. I'm writing and recording it now. I've been just keeping in the grind of everything, back and forth between here and L.A., doing a lot of, just, gigs here and there and meetings. And just keeping it -- keeping the ball rolling.
CHETRY: Well, good for you. Thanks for getting up with us this morning. It was great to talk to you, Sanjaya.
MALAKAR: No problem. Thank you.
CHETRY: Sanjaya Malakar, everyone. Thanks.
Jim?
ACOSTA: Thanks, Kiran.
Still to come this morning, the recession is taking its toll on everything, but it has helped in one department: the environment. We'll explain how coming up.
But first, we've got all your holiday travel info. Rob will be here just after the break with this morning's travel forecast.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Well, at Chicago's fabled Wrigley Field over the weekend -- did you see this? There was only one way to go.
CHETRY: They knew this was going to happen when they set it up like this.
ACOSTA: Yes. But this is incredible. Let's go to the videotape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA (voice-over): The home of the Cubs hosted football for the first time in decades. Even though, the gridiron didn't quite fit the baseball diamond with one end zone dangerously too close to Wrigley's ivy-covered brick wall. Officials changed the rules. The team with the ball had to switch sides driving east to west. That's right. Field to third base for you, baseball fans, so they could only go in one direction. They couldn't use the other half of the football field.
A sell-out crowd watched Illinois beaten Northwestern 48-27. And that's the play I was referencing. They actually had a turnover at one point in the game. And instead of the guy turning around and using the only (INAUDIBLE), he ran it all the way across the football field and scored the touchdown in the other end zone that they weren't supposed to be using.
CHETRY (voice-over): Right.
ACOSTA: And it just made the game, I mean, just so much fun to watch because --
CHETRY: It counted, right?
ACOSTA: It counted.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY (on-camera): But the thing is, why use a baseball field for this game when clearly it didn't fit, the game didn't fit in the field?
ACOSTA (on-camera): Because playing, you know, playing at Wrigley Field, there's just nothing like it. I don't know if you've ever been to a baseball game at Wrigley Field, but it's just one of the -- you know, just most unbelievable classic sports venues in America. And why not have a football game there?
CHETRY: Because it doesn't fit. Because you can't even have two goal posts.
ACOSTA: I know, but it's given us something to talk about. And, you know, I mean, it's one of those games that these guys will never forget because it was just so quirky, but --
CHETRY: Are you starting the campaign to get the Super Bowl there, as well?
ACOSTA: I think we should do it. I mean, why have the Super Bowl in California or in warm climates? That ain't football.
CHETRY: Exactly.
ACOSTA: Frozen tundra is where it should be.
CHETRY: Forty-eight minutes past the hour right now. Time to get a check of the weather headlines. Rob, I know you're a bit Yankee fan, I mean, but do you think that's weird that they had this game there and it couldn't even really fit?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes it's weird. And to have the Super Bowl there, I can't guarantee that the ivy would still be green. That's the other issue, you know?
ACOSTA: That's the point.
MARCIANO: When you have ivy on the brick walls, that just tells you baseball, you're out there in the bleachers, it's sunny, it's warm. I don't know. But, you know, why not? Everybody needs a gimmick sometimes. And last year at this time, we were struggling to talk about whether that would be significant to trouble you for your Thanksgiving travel. This year, we're definitely paying the piper. And it's going to be a week-long event.
It's already this past weekend we had issues. Check out Minnesota. Boy, and this is just the first of a couple of punches these people are going to have to deal with. Hundreds of accidents because of icy roadways there. I don't care how tough you are or how good of driver you are, if it's ice on the road, you've got absolutely no chance, at least, when it's that slick and that thick.
All right. We're going to look for more ice across parts of the Northern Midwest again today. And this map just looks ugly, and it only gets uglier as the days progress. East of the Mississippi, it's much more tranquil. It's much warmer. It's not so bad. But there's a little bit of wind across the New York metros and Boston. So, we might see some delays there. Some fog in Philadelphia. It comes with the warm air. And Detroit and Chicago, we'll see some delays and still some snow and ice around Minneapolis.
So, delays there if you're traveling today and just count those as money in the banks through the rest of the week as well. Some snow totals for you across the Midwest. Hawthorne, Wisconsin seeing 11 inches, almost a foot there, almost a foot in Bruno, Minnesota, and again, the ice is the bigger issue. We have significant watches and warnings across much of the in the Inner Mountain West. Several storms coming through, obviously, what came through this past weekend.
In some cases, a couple feet of snowfall, a bit of a break, and then unseasonably cold air drops down. Meanwhile, we've got freezing rain warnings that are up and advisories that are up for just eastern parts of Nebraska to parts of Iowa and Southern Minnesota. For this system, which is beginning to wind down, we've got some heavier rains that are heading into Chicago later on today. Again, it's not quite cold enough for snow there. Check out some of the temperatures.
It's 61 right now in Chicago and 31 degrees in Minneapolis. Wonder where the cold front is? That's where it is, but some of these temperatures over the weekend -- not over the weekend, over the next couple of days, are going to be driving down to the south. Highest today in (INAUDIBLE), five degrees, 33 in Seattle. That's cold any time of the year regardless of it being the middle part of November. Jim and Kiran, back up to you.
ACOSTA: And guys, back to that Wrigley Field thing. There's an article in the "Wall Street Journal" I just pulled up because, you know, we were talking about, why would they put this game in such a strange venue? But this is the trend in sports. You know, like, they're having ice hockey at Fenway Park --
MARCIANO: Hmm.
ACOSTA: They did it outside Buffalo --
CHETRY: So, they should do -- they should do the Super Bowl on an ice rink? That would make for some fun.
ACOSTA: That would be frozen tundra.
MARCIANO: And you know, the Yankee Stadium has had heavy weight fights. They've had football games there as well. It's OK.
CHETRY: They probably had a Justin Bieber concert. I mean, we could go on.
MARCIANO: Just pack them in and make them pay.
ACOSTA: Let's cancel the show, do a little two-hand touch in here. We will flag football just to get it going.
MARCIANO: Don't make me call HR, Jim. CHETRY: I know, seriously.
ACOSTA: Hello.
MARCIANO: Your two-hand touch --
CHETRY: That's right.
ACOSTA: Listen --
CHETRY: One man's touchdown is another man's -- OK. Thanks, Rob.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: See you.
CHETRY: We'll see you in a few.
ACOSTA: I didn't go there, but he did. OK. So, there you go. Penalty on him. Rob Marciano, 15 yards.
All right. This morning's top stories just minutes away, including travelers running into new security rules as they head home for the Thanksgiving holiday, but many folks don't like it one bit. Find out why Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she understands why people are getting so angry.
CHETRY: Also, it appears that former first lady Barbara Bush may not be a big fan of Sarah Palin. Judge for yourself. We'll let you hear what she said about the former Alaska governor.
ACOSTA: And the NFL's concussion crisis after a player's hard hit to the head. Who should come out of the game and who should keep playing? Our dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates. Those stories and more at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Busting out the 1980s. We're warming up to Cyndi Lauper in the 8:00 hour and get that feeling.
CHETRY: Yes.
ACOSTA: Get accurate (ph) warmers.
CHETRY: I will. (INAUDIBLE)
ACOSTA: Exactly.
"Harry Potter" is casting his box-office magic this weekend. The debut of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" set a record for the Potter film franchise in its opening weekend. Death Hallows took in $125 million in the U.S. and $330 million worldwide.
CHETRY: Wow.
ACOSTA: Good Lord, people.
CHETRY: The mightiest touch --
ACOSTA: I guess so. "Harry Potter" crashed the competition. "Megamind" finished second with $16 million and "Unstoppable" in third place with $13 million (ph).
CHETRY: My daughter says who's the guy with the big blue head every time we go through the McDonald's drive-thru which is only once a week, so don't write in.
OK. There is a silver lining to the recession that's helping slow down carbon emission. A study published in the journal nature Geoscience says that the economic slowdown is likely the first decline since the late 1990s. Carbon emissions are wildly considered a huge factor in global warming. The bad news from the study is that as the economy recovers, of course, the amount of carbon emissions will grow.
We're going to take a quick break. Your top stories coming up. Fifty-seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
