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American Morning
Suspicious Packages Found in Various Embassies in Rome; Stranded by Holiday Blizzard: Snow Emergencies Across Northeast; : Snowed-in at the Airport; Hugh Hefner Engagement; Going to Disney World; Weekend Box Office; Retail Spending Boom; Miller Won't Block Murkowski; "Tell All" Book
Aired December 27, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Not a whole lot to smile about this morning. Yes.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It's so hard to get in here.
ACOSTA: Exactly.
CHETRY: And now we are speechless.
ACOSTA: We're on the air. Good morning. It's Monday, December 27th. I'm Jim Acosta.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry. And you know if you're living along the east coast --
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: -- or at least up the entire up and down this whole entire eastern seaboard, boy, what a whopper of a storm this morning.
ACOSTA: We're calling it snowmageddon, snowpocalypse.
CHETRY: You call it the burricane.
ACOSTA: I like burricane.
CHETRY: It's a miracle. We have about six people here in the building.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: And we're going to try our best to bring you the news because hey, someone's got to this morning.
ACOSTA: Somebody's got to do it and we're all here. So let's get started. And it is a monster storm this morning.
CHETRY: It really is. It's 30 inches of snow, they say, already on the ground in some areas. It's brought travel to a standstill. Thousands of holiday travelers stuck. Airlines canceling flights throughout the northeast, all the way to Chicago, the Carolinas, and even the west coast is not immune to this. We've just got a few updates for you this morning about the New York airports. They are going to be reopening, but not for several hours. And we'll have more on that in just a moment.
ACOSTA: And many people are camping out at the airport this morning. You may be listening to us and yes, that's me right now. And there are no guarantees you'll be taking off today or tomorrow. So what can you do if your travel plans fall victim to the storm? And what are you entitled to? Some tips that can save you money and get you home, coming up.
CHETRY: And despite a lot of snow and frigid weather, it was a huge holiday shopping season. The first estimates are now out and it looks like Americans are ready to spend their money again. But what did everyone buy? And does this mean the economy may be turning a corner?
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ACOSTA: But first up, some breaking news out of Europe this morning. Reuters is reporting Italian authorities are on alert after suspicious packages were found at various embassies in Rome.
CHETRY: Yes. Authorities say that a suspicious package was discovered at the Greek embassy. That has since been defused. They say there were three other packages found at embassies in Venezuela, Monaco and Denmark that those threats have now been declared false alarms. But you may remember just last week bombs exploded at the Chilean and Swiss embassies in Rome. An anarchist group claimed responsibility for last week's attacks. Again, one bomb defused this morning. Three others false alarms, but we'll keep you posted on this story.
ACOSTA: And, yes, we'll be following that. But our other big story this morning, it is an absolute holiday travel mess. Has nothing to do with whether you were naughty or nice this Christmas. Thousands of fliers are stranded this morning as a blizzard, a monster blizzard, continues to pounds the northeast.
CHETRY: Snow emergencies declared in at least four states and several major cities including Philadelphia and Boston. Some places expecting almost 2 1/2 feet of snow by the time it's all over. Rob Marciano is live for us now in Stamford, Connecticut. They're waking up to almost two feet of snow on the ground. And as we can see, it's still blowing. I mean, it's still blowing out there this morning.
Hey, Rob.
ACOSTA: Wow.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi. Good morning, guys. Yes, when we first woke up, there was a brief break in the actual snow, but now it's coming down again. And you're right, the bigger issue is the amount of snow that's been blowing around. The snowplows have been at work all night long. As a matter of fact, we've been fairly impressed with how the roads are. It's still completely snow-covered. But considering how much snow they've gotten and how fierce this wind has been, they're keeping up on it as best as they can.
We are standing outside of city hall. And I am in the midst of easily over a foot of snow. We'll get the yardstick out a little bit later and take some samples, but the drifting of the snow certainly is the larger issue. We've got winds that are blowing well over 40 miles an hour. That has caused power outages across Connecticut. At last check, about 14,000 or so from Connecticut Light and Power. Our friends just up the road in Massachusetts having an even greater issue. Some of the winds gusting there on the cape. Over 79 miles an hour, 80 miles an hour, a record at Barnstable (ph). And last check from the emergency managers up there in Massachusetts, over 30,000 people are without power. And they have some coastal flood issues because of those strong winds that are blowing off of the harbor there. Quincy and (INAUDIBLE) are two towns that are being at least partially evacuated. So this storm is far from over for sure. And this snow is going to continue to pile up.
As far as what your travel is concerned, I'm told Logan and Windsor locks are still open. But the rail service from Boston to New York, the civil service has been shut down. They're trying to get that going later on today. And metro north, which certainly feeds this community here in Stamford to New York City, this is probably the largest city outside of New York as far as what would be considered a bedroom or suburb of New York City, but it's one of the many along the line here on I-95 that have been somewhat paralyzed by the snowstorm. Certainly one of the larger ones that they have seen in quite some time.
You remember last year, a lot of the focus, the bull's eye seemed to be across Baltimore and D.C. And New York and this area didn't seem to get a whole lot of snow. But you know, they're pretty storm ready out here. Even Dunkin' Donuts has opened up just down the street. So one thing about New England, guys, no matter how bad the snowstorm is DD (ph) is going to be open. But I can't say that for all of the other offices and businesses that are buried in snow right now. Back to you guys.
CHETRY: You're right. In fact, our local Starbucks down the street was not, as Jim found out the hard way.
ACOSTA: Yes. Boy, that was not a welcome sign this morning. But, Rob, you're looking good out there, man. Hang in there. Appreciate it.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
ACOSTA: Thousands of fliers are stranded this morning as a blizzard continues to pound the northeast. And right now, things are at a standstill at all of New York City's major airports. Newark, LaGuardia and JFK are all closed right now. And the news does not look good for them.
CHETRY: No, it doesn't. And we just got updated opening times from the FAA. And here they are.
Newark is going to be opening at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time today. ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: LaGuardia at 2:00 p.m., and JFK not opening up until 4:00 p.m.
ACOSTA: 4:00.
CHETRY: This afternoon. And that's opening up. You know, obviously there's going to be so many people trying to get on flights after theirs were canceled.
ACOSTA: Amazing.
CHETRY: And I'm sure we're looking at a lot of backups. Allan Chernoff is at LaGuardia this morning, joining us by phone. So we just got those times, 2:00 p.m. What are the chances though, Allan, that you're actually going to take off today if your flight was canceled?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Not very good for many of the people who had to sleep here overnight. The fact is that LaGuardia airport has been turned into a dormitory. I counted 85 people who have slept overnight, 65 of them on cots. They were lined up on an overpass between the main terminal and the garage. It really is quite a sight. And some very, very sad stories among some of these folks.
I spoke to Sarah San (ph). She's trying to get home to Shanghai. She had to fly through Chicago. She was supposed to fly out at 6:00 p.m. yesterday. The flight was canceled. The American Airlines flight was canceled. She came to the airport, anyway, hoping to be able to buy another ticket. Now she's heading out, supposedly, tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. to Chicago. That means she's going to have to stay here another night. She told me I'm so tired I have no place to go. And keep in mind, once she gets to Chicago, she's got a 14-hour flight to get back home.
As you said, the airport is supposed to reopen at 2:00 this afternoon Eastern Time. There is one plane on the ground right now that I've counted. The plows are busy. They're still trying to clear the runways. But it clearly, even when the airport does in theory open at 2:00, it's going to be quite some time before we get back to a regular schedule. And even then, it's going to take much longer to get everybody, all the passengers who are supposed to fly out yesterday and today, for all of them to finally get where they want to go -- guys.
CHETRY: And, Allan, is it the conditions on the ground or the air that caused the airports to shut down? It was curious to see, you know, the three New York airports not having any incoming or outgoing traffic. Yet, there were some in Connecticut that were open, some of the regional airports.
CHERNOFF: Right. Well, it's not purely a function of all of that either. It's a combination of those two factors, but it's also the fact that the -- that the airlines actually want to keep their planes away. By late yesterday, there were absolutely no planes on the ground here.
I spoke to some of the guys who were out there for 14 hours yesterday de-icing the planes for American Airlines. They usually -- these guys usually handle cargo. And they told me they've gotten all the planes out exactly what American wanted. They want the planes away from the storm. Once the storm is over, that's when they'll bring them back in, reposition, and get the schedule back up and running. So it's going to take quite some time. So keep in mind this is also a function of the strategy that the airlines have to try to get back up and going as soon as they can.
CHETRY: All right.
ACOSTA: Allan Chernoff. And he was talking about, you know, some of the conditions at the local airports. We were getting some information from NOAA overnight that there were wind gusts at Islip Airport on Long Island in the 60s, wind gusts in the 40s at JFK and LaGuardia so --
CHETRY: Yes, and also up in Cape Cod, they were talking about 80- mile-per-hour wind gusts at times.
ACOSTA: Incredible.
CHETRY: So, yes, dangerous. I mean, obviously they don't want to take a chance.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: What a mess. The only thing, of course, worse than being stuck on the tarmac or in the terminal, what about being stuck on the runway, on the tarmac actually?
Earlier this morning, our sister network CNNI got in touch with the passenger. He was on an El Al flight from JFK trying to head back to Tel Aviv. They sat on the runway for almost eight hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So it must be miserable onboard. What are you people doing?
VOICE OF: ERIC SCHORR, STRANDED ON PLANE FOR 8 HOURS: People right now are actually sleeping. But for the first few hours, people were going in and out of sort of -- you know, they're on their laptops, they were reading, listening to music, and then people got up and started talking, you know, conversations. I got to tell you, the El Al crew has been absolutely fantastic. The captain has kept us appraised up until now about updates. There hasn't been one in the last few hours because of the conditions. But the El Al crew has kept -- they served us dinner and people have been in good spirits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And ironically he said that the flight was just seconds from taking off when the airport closed. ACOSTA: Oh, yes.
CHETRY: So they remained on the runway. And guys in the control room, was it 4:00 a.m., I think when they finally got the all clear and they got brought back to the terminal?
ACOSTA: Something like that, yes. Yes, because basically it was too dangerous to bring them back to the terminal that, you know, the only -- the only recourse that they had was to leave them stranded out there. But according to that passenger --
CHETRY: The bill of rights.
ACOSTA: -- the crew was just doing a great job. Well, yes.
CHETRY: I thought you were going to say the bill of rights. They were supposed to be back there in the couple of hours.
ACOSTA: I think the passenger bill of rights goes out the window during something like this. But we'll see.
Heavy winds are making this whole situation even tougher to deal with as we mentioned just a few moments ago. Reynolds Wolf is in the extreme weather center.
And, Reynolds, I mean, these are just some -- you're just looking at the data from this storm. It's just unbelievable. Staggering information to look at.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. You know, when you look at the nuts and bolts of the storm system, the thing is, there have been stronger storms. In fact, last year in February, we had two of them that struck the northeast corridor, hit Washington, D.C., hit New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, up and down the eastern seaboard two times, like I think in an 11-day span. So we've had stronger issues. The problem with this one is that it is a potent storm, but it's also the timing. The sheer timing when you have all these people trying to get to the airport and trying to get home.
Let's go right to the computer and take a look at it. The bird's eye view, well, it's easy to spy. You've got a little few spits and drizzles out to the west, but nothing compares with what we have up in New England. As you zoom in, you can see the snow showers still coming in along the jersey shore. Yesterday, a lot of it was coming in from the coast now. You see everything drifting from the top to the bottom near the screen indicating that we get that cold air convection coming in from north to south, with it plenty of moisture and with that plenty of snow. You see white plains. White plains certainly living up to its billing this morning.
Over at New Haven, we see more of the same. The snow coming down. And even up towards Boston, out towards Cape Cod, you've got the rainfall where you have temperatures on the other side of the freezing point. But when you get back into Boston common itself and then if you take the turnpike back into the Berkshires, it is all snow business for the time being. What we're going to have is that blizzard warning in effect through much of the region through about noon today. And that's a combination of not just snow, but you also have those strong wind gusts, wind gusts topping 50 miles per hour at times. It's going to be a real hassle for a lot of people. Of course on the roadways, definitely, of course, on the airports.
Some of the rainfall totals, rather snow totals that we have for you over the past 24 hours. You see Cape May with 18 inches of snow, Philadelphia 4.8. We're going to see more of that, no question about it.
Something else you're going to be seeing. More delays very quickly at the airport. We've talked about New York. We've all talked about the issues at JFK, LaGuardia. At Newark, you've got some problems too. Airports closed in Atlantic City. Even the regional airports over at Bedford and in New Haven, no business for you today.
Coming up, I know you're going to be just flummoxed when I share this with you. We've got more information to share about the storm. More snow totals that are coming as we speak. Trying to give you a better idea of what you can expect with the storm and when it's going to be moving deeper into the Atlantic and out of harm's way -- guys.
ACOSTA: It's going to be a long day for a lot of people. Thanks, Reynolds.
CHETRY: Oh, yes, I'm looking at some of the cars along the sides of the road even here in New York.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: If you didn't get out yesterday once the plows come through, I don't think you're getting out.
ACOSTA: Yes. And you know I saw --
CHETRY: Maybe St. Patrick's Day. Maybe you'll get out by then.
ACOSTA: And you and I saw that firsthand.
CHETRY: We lived it.
ACOSTA: We lived through it. And we made it. At least we made it to work.
It was even a rare white Christmas in the south before the nor'easter turned up the coast and gave places like Atlanta and Nashville more than a dusting. It was the first time -- get this, Atlanta got snow on Christmas day in 129 years.
CHETRY: Wow.
ACOSTA: I'm sure they enjoyed it.
CHETRY: Yes, white Christmas.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. CHETRY: For Atlanta. Unbelievable.
Well, the Ravens felt like they were on fire yesterday after clinching the playoffs spot. And the problem is one of them really was on fire.
ACOSTA: Oh, my goodness.
CHETRY: Yes, check that out. That's Baltimore safety Ed Reed. He sat a little bit too close to the heater on the sideline. There you see he's smoking.
ACOSTA: Hello.
CHETRY: You could see him sort of react when it begins to ignite. But he was not hurt. He did, by the way, have two interceptions yesterday, including the game-winner. Walk it off, walk it off.
ACOSTA: Use a couple of those warmers in here.
The blizzard --
CHETRY: I don't know. Does it make it worse? I almost feel when you're sitting there warming up on the sidelines and then you have to rip off the jacket and go back out there again, I mean, that's got to be tough.
ACOSTA: I mean, I can only judge from my days playing high school football, which a lot of it was on the bench, and it's pretty darn cold down there. So any warmers would do a lot of good in those kinds of situations.
CHETRY: Yes.
ACOSTA: So hats off to them.
Well, the blizzard forced the NFL to shift yesterday's scheduled Eagles/Vikings game, get this, to tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Forget the frozen tundra, Philadelphia just couldn't make it happen last night. The move means the Vikings will be stuck in Philadelphia for a couple of extra days. And the Vikings were already forced to play a home game in Detroit, you may remember, after 17 inches of snow collapsed the Metrodome's roof.
CHETRY: Right.
ACOSTA: So the Vikings can't get any luck here. The Vikings hosted the Bears outdoors at the University of Minnesota's new stadium. We all remember that. So wherever the Vikings go, there are weather troubles.
CHETRY: Right. So their home stadium is covered.
ACOSTA: Caput (ph). Yes.
CHETRY: It was covered.
ACOSTA: It was covered.
CHETRY: Until -- until it got 17 inches of snow and collapsed.
ACOSTA: That's right. Yes.
CHETRY: Well, thousands of airplane and train passengers stranded this morning. As we talked about, Allan Chernoff said LaGuardia and many other places they're stuck, can't get out of town. So what can passengers do if their flight was canceled? What are some of the tips? And how should airlines handle the situation? We're going to be talking more about that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Picture this morning of Philadelphia, very snowy Philadelphia. It's 25 degrees right now, but with the snow and wind, the feels like temperature in the single digits for much of the east coast this morning.
A little bit later there expecting more snow, showers, wind, 27 degrees for a high, but again with the wind chill out there if you're out there shoveling, throw on a few more layers because it is going to be nippy out today.
Air travel, by the way, at a virtual standstill this morning. Holiday travelers are stuck. Thousands of flights grounded as this monster blizzard barrels up the east coast. About 2,000 flights in all canceled. In New York alone, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark Airports have suspended all air traffic.
Almost every hotel room in New York is booked and we know that firsthand because we tried to get some of these rooms for our people trying to come in from the burbs. It's certainly affecting a lot of people far away from the northeast, as well.
And joining us now is Genevieve Shaw-Brown. She is the senior editor at "Travelocity." Thanks for being with us this morning.
GENEVIEVE SHAW-BROWN, SENIOR EDITOR, TRAVELOCITY: Thanks for having me.
CHETRY: So first of all, we did get news about the New York area airports. I think that they're opening up Newark at noon, JFK at 4:00 p.m., and LaGuardia at 2:00?
BROWN: Exactly.
CHETRY: What's going on right now? What's your best bet if you're stuck at an airport trying to get a flight out when your flight has been canceled?
BROWN: If you're already at the airport, I can't lie to you, it's going to be a difficult situation. You want to make yourself as comfortable as possible. You want to see if you can talk to someone live at the airport. If there aren't that many employees around to talk to, you want to make sure you get on the phone, call your carrier, call the 1-800 number. See what they can do for you about getting you rescheduled on the quickest flight home.
CHETRY: Right. Do you have priority? Meaning that if you are already stuck at an airport -- let's say you missed your connection or whatever. You have no place to go. Do they try to place you first as opposed to the people at home or no? They don't do that?
BROWN: They won't place you ahead of people who are ticketed to fly out today or tomorrow. Those people will go out as usual on their flights if their flights do, in fact, leave. The people who are stranded will be put on any available seats over the next few days.
But as you said, 2,000 flights canceled yesterday. That translates into tens of thousands of people now competing for very few available seats. This is the time to be as flexible as possible.
If you're supposed to go to New York, but you find a seat open on a flight to Philadelphia, start making your way home. It's better to move in the right direction than to be stuck in one place.
CHETRY: In some cases, the tough part is that you'd think, OK, I'll grab the Amtrak at that point or take a local bus, but they're not running either right now.
BROWN: They're not running either, but they will be. They will be running. Rest assured everyone you will get home. This will end and you will get home eventually. Be as patient as you can and try move in the right direction whenever you can.
CHETRY: The other question, it happened at the absolute worst time because it was the day after Christmas, you know, and a lot of people are traveling at that time, obviously.
What are the airports game plan? What the airlines game plan when this happens? You know, it seems -- obviously there's nothing you can do. You can't compete against the weather. You don't want to be unsafe, but are there things certain airports and airlines do right that maybe is a lesson for the future?
BROWN: Yes, you know, some airports will distribute things like food vouchers and cots and blankets and pillows to make people as comfortable as they possibly can be when they wait.
But for people who have not gotten to the airport, who have not left for the airport yet, I would strongly recommend that you do not go to the airport.
There's very little you can accomplish at the airport right now that you can't accomplish from the comfort of your home or your hotel room over the phone. It's in your best interest to stay home.
CHETRY: What about the refunds? Are people getting their money in these cases or what's happening? BROWN: You can get a refund. So all the airlines have instituted flexible travel policies and waived all change fees. So for people who want to postpone their trip to a later date, they can do that. For people who want to get a full refund, if your flight was canceled, you are eligible for a refund, as well.
CHETRY: I know it's not easy especially if you're already stuck at the airport or if you had big plans and find yourself stuck. But you have to try to be flexible as everybody works pretty quickly to try to get this taken care of.
BROWN: Right.
CHETRY: Can't fight mother nature, though. Genevieve Shaw-Brown, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
BROWN: Thanks.
ACOSTA: And a little travel update. Apparently Amtrak has restarted service.
CHETRY: On the northeast corridor.
ACOSTA: On the northeast corridor so that is good news. I can relate to the story you're just talking about. I was trying like mad to get here yesterday and on the phones and at the train stations was not easy.
Well, a little changed of phase here. Hugh Heffner, you know who is. The twice divorced founder of "Playboy" magazine. He's taking the marriage plunge once again and his bride-to-be a 24-year-old play mate. I'm not making a comment.
CHETRY: There's 60 year's difference.
ACOSTA: I cannot believe that. The happy couple up next in our morning talkers. We'll be talking about that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Well, this news ought to warm you up, at least some of us.
CHETRY: So cute.
ACOSTA: I know.
CHETRY: The happy couple.
ACOSTA: It is. The world's number one playboy - you know, he's a romantic about this sort of thing. He's tying the knot again. Hugh Hefner says he proposed to his fiancee on Christmas eve. The bride- to-be just 24 years old. Crystal Harris, as you may know, she is Ms. December 2009.
CHETRY: She's basically 34 years older than his daughter -- ACOSTA: Is that right? I did not do that math. I wasn't thinking about that math. I was thinking about the age difference between the Hef and the bride to be. He's 84 now.
CHETRY: That's right, 60 years apart.
ACOSTA: Sixty years apart. That's incredible.
CHETRY: Well, congrats to them. The funny thing on top of that, he tweeted the news so he's hip and with it.
ACOSTA: He can hang.
CHETRY: Age is only a number.
ACOSTA: That's right.
CHETRY: What do you do after surviving 69 days trapped in a mine? Well, you go to Disneyworld. The 33 miners will head down to Orlando at the end of January.
Disney's going to be hosting them and their families for a six-night stay. The group will also serve as the honorary grand marshals of the parade taking place at the resort.
ACOSTA: Yes, just make sure you don't get stuck in Space Mountain, guys.
Those "Little Fockers" are back on top again. The third edition to the "Meet the Parents" franchise raked in about $34 million this weekend at the box office. The slapstick comedy stars Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro.
The remake of the John Wayne western "True Grit" landed in the number two spot. I got to see that one.
CHETRY: Yes, a lot of people said it's great.
ACOSTA: I love Jeff Bridges and love the Cohen brothers everything that they touch is like --
CHETRY: They didn't do "The Hangover," did they?
ACOSTA: They didn't do the "The Hangover," no. "The Big Lebowski," though, a classic.
CHETRY: Well, Bristol Palin is a homeowner this morning. She's moving to Phoenix. "Arizona Republic" reports that Sarah Palin's daughter bought a house in an Arizona suburb Maricopa County for $172,000. It's not clear why Bristol bought the house. TMZ reporting, though, that she may attend Arizona State University next year.
ACOSTA: So Bristol Palin's Arizona is coming to TLC, perhaps, somewhere down the line. We can look forward to that.
Has President Obama finally kicked the smoking habit for good? White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs weighs in. That's coming up next.
CHETRY: Also, 2,000 flights canceled at the nation's busiest airports. Still states of emergencies declared in several states. We have the latest live developments as the blizzard blasts the northeast next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, we want to get you caught up on the top stories this morning.
ACOSTA: It's a mess out there.
CHETRY: It's the burricane.
ACOSTA: Burricane.
CHETRY: They're calling it this morning.
Two thousand flights canceled, La Guardia, JFK and Newark, New York City's major airports, all shut down. We did just get word, though, the Amtrak's northeast corridor service between New York and Boston is going to be resuming. This will be on a limited schedule, though. They suspended service last evening.
Many holiday travelers spent the night at the airport with nowhere else to go and no other way out by car or by train. It's pretty amazing that you made it up here, because you took the -- you took the regular train?
ACOSTA: The Acela -- I took the Acela. And true story, the train was sold out. And I went to the train station anyway and was literally swiping my credit card over and over again in the kiosk until I got a ticket.
CHETRY: How did that --
ACOSTA: Well, essentially, they were releasing tickets minutes before the train arrived. And I just happened to get a ticket at the last second. So, I was able to hop on the train and beat the storm. But I was, you know, basically biting my nails about whether or not I was going to get here.
So, I did. I made. Obviously, I'm here.
CHETRY: You made it.
ACOSTA: Other developing news this morning in Europe, we want to report to you that "Reuters" is saying that Italian bomb experts have defused an explosive package found at the Greek embassy in Rome. Suspicious packages at other embassies have been proven to be false alarms. And just last week, we were reporting bombs exploded at the Chilean embassies and the Swiss embassies in Rome. And anarchist group has claimed responsibility for those attacks.
CHETRY: So, this could have been another potential -- potentially serious situation. They were able to defuse it on time, though.
ACOSTA: Yes, absolutely.
CHETRY: Well, an Arizona state lawmaker is recovering this morning after police say he was beaten and left unconscious in his own pool store. It happened on Christmas Day. Representative Frank Pratt, 68- year-old Republican, found by his wife more than four hours after the attack. A sheriff's spokesman said the attacker took off in Pratt's SUV. He's now listed in stable condition at a Phoenix area hospital.
ACOSTA: And he may have really kicked the habit this time. On "STATE OF THE UNION" yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says President Obama quit smoking months ago. He didn't even light up on election night. And it may really stick this time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can report that it's been probably about nine months since he last smoked a cigarette. He has done enormously well in quitting. It was a commitment that I think he made to himself at the end of health care, and with his two daughters in mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Gibbs said this is the longest period in almost eight years that he's known the president that he's gone without a cigarette. So --
CHETRY: Good for him.
ACOSTA: -- no longer the first smoker.
CHETRY: Good for him.
Well, we want to get the latest now on a blizzard that's buried the Northeast. Some major cities from Philadelphia, all the way to Boston, when all is said and done, could get up to two of snow.
ACOSTA: Unbelievable. It is blinding. It is crippling. Air travel is just a mess this morning. Two thousand flights have been grounded across the country.
And Rob Marciano is live for us this morning in Stanford, Connecticut.
And, Rob, we've been calling it a burricane this morning because at times, it felt like a hurricane out there. And we can see in your picture that the wind is still howling where you are in Stanford.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You know, the blizzard warning is still up. But I can tell you this, the buses here in Stanford are up and running. And we've got a little bit of foot traffic here and there. This is one of the busier spots downtown. But I might have to give this bus a push here. It's stuck in this snow bank. This is one of the bus stops we're at right outside of city hall. And we've got some issues. Anyway, they're trying to clear these roads, and, you know, when you've got snowfall rates of one to two feet an hour -- two inches an hour, what are my odds? What do you think my odds are of helping this thing? I mean, maybe a Volkswagen Beetle.
This guy maybe here for quite some time.
ACOSTA: Rob, could you give the bus a push? Can you get a couple of guys just behind the bus and start pushing? I think he's stuck.
MARCIANO: I tried. I've been -- well, there it goes. You know, I gave him a little nudge. I think I helped it quite a bit there.
CHETRY: Yes, you could have done that with one finger, you know, just got the bus right on its way.
ACOSTA: Wow, well, I guess this is breaking news.
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: As we're talking here, Rob.
CHETRY: No, but Jim was saying.
MARCIANO: No, anyway, Connecticut Transit, come on, guys, give it a shove. There's all of three people on the bus, so it's really not that weighted down.
CHETRY: But it's Murphy's Law of live shots --
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: I think he's going to make some progress.
ACOSTA: Yes, Rob, I was just saying --
MARCIANO: Come on, rock this baby back and forth. Bon Jovi here on the cover of the bus and they're not going to help much. Here we go.
CHETRY: He's out.
ACOSTA: There we go.
MARCIANO: These guys are experienced. Here comes another one. I've seen nothing but plows and buses on this corner.
ACOSTA: See you later, Rob.
MARCIANO: I'm not doing well.
ACOSTA: That was Rob Marciano live in Stanford for us this morning. The Murphy's Law of live shots, whenever you're trying to do a live shot, a bus or fire truck always goes behind you.
CHETRY: Or they'll start -- or a big truck would start backing up.
ACOSTA: Exactly. I've never seen a bus block, you know, the shot and stuck behind you.
CHETRY: In both direction you.
ACOSTA: I mean, that's a first.
CHETRY: That takes the cake. But I mean, that is just a perfect picture of what it's like out there. I mean, some places where I live, I live in the burbs too, not all the way up in Stanford, but, you know, somewhere between the two. And our side streets were not plowed any way, shape, or form. My driver this morning got stuck and we're both under there with the shovel.
ACOSTA: You were out there shoveling?
CHETRY: Three a.m. -- yes, I had to go in my garage and get bottled water for us because we were sweating in the midst of a burricane.
ACOSTA: And you were concerned about your driver doing the shoveling. So you personally got out of the car.
CHETRY: I wasn't in the car. I had to go back to the garage, get the shovel out. Then when I open the garage door, all that snow in, it wouldn't close, shovel that, too.
But, hey, it's good to get your cardio out of the way early. I've got the whole day now to just sit on the couch.
ACOSTA: And it's perfect because it's right after Christmas. So, we're burning off all that fruitcake and everything else. So there you go.
And speaking of the holidays, retailers are getting just what they wished for this Christmas season. After a rough couple of years, looks like shoppers are splurging again. So, what did everyone buy? We will find out in a few minutes.
It is 36 minutes after the hour.
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ACOSTA: A lot of Barbies under the Christmas tree this year.
Some holiday cheer in store for the economy. And the reason is because you, the American consumer, is spending once again. On Christmas Eve, the National Retail Federation predicted holiday spending would climb 3.3 percent from last year. The final numbers won't be in until later this week.
But what does that mean for the recovery? And what exactly did we spend all that money on? Marshal Cohen is the chief industry analyst for the NPD Group. And he is live via Skype this morning, because quite frankly, it was too dangerous to get him to a live camera to join us this morning.
Thanks, Marshal, for joining us. We appreciate it.
This was quite a surprise. I mean, to see holiday spending up this much. Apparently, Americans spent almost as much as the record in 2007. What do you make of these numbers? And what does it mean for our economy?
MARSHAL COHEN, NPD GROUP: Well, the real key here is recognizing that the consumer came out to spend this year. And they came out not only to spend on gifts, but they also had pent up demand, what I call frugal fatigue. And they bought for themselves, as well.
And that's really the big news that you have to kind of hang your hat on and recognize that the consumer coming out and spending on themselves means that that's going to carry some momentum into 2011. That's what's going to drive our economy back into a much healthier state.
ACOSTA: And, Marshal, you spent time going to the malls, department stores, observing shoppers. What did you pick up on?
COHEN: Well, what we really saw were consumers who were seeking bargains, and that was what the lure was that the retailers used to get them in. They were able to take advantage of a lot of those door buster deals and some, you know, classifications that were put on sale, items like small accessories.
You know, last year, it was all about the big handbags. This year, it was about designer brands in smaller price points and smaller bags. The sweater business did exceptionally well this year, because we went back to traditional gifts.
Keep in mind, a lot of new and exciting merchandise wasn't really all that available because the economy caused brands and designers to be more conservative. So, we found a lot of repeat items this holiday season. That meant consumers went back to traditional things. And even businesses like footwear did exceptionally well this holiday. Not something you would normally consider a holiday gift, but only were they given as gifts, but they were also bought as self-purchases.
A couple other key items were things like the digital readers, the e- readers. The consumer -- one of the few items out there, even though it was a repeat from last year, a lot of people finally said, all right, I'll break down and buy one. And that had too with the fact that price points came down.
ACOSTA: Yes.
COHEN: The toy business did very well this year, as well.
ACOSTA: And, Marshal, I mean, since we're talking about the weather so much this morning, I'm just curious -- I mean, it's a good thing that this major weather event did not happen before Christmas. But do some of these numbers get affected in terms of the post-Christmas shopping? Because -- I mean, that's also a big factor on holiday spending. And that will be impacted, I suppose, somewhat by this storm. COHEN: Yes, that's really the million-dollar question for the week. And the answer is, yes. It is very impactful on retail.
Keep in mind the day after Christmas is traditionally one of the top six busiest days for retailers. And across almost 30 percent of the country, those retailers lost that day.
Now, will they be able to get it back? The answer is yes, but it's going to take two to three weeks for them to get it back. Also, recognize next week, you know, you would think it would just roll over to the next weekend. Well, it's New Year's weekend. So that changes the shopping dynamic.
So, retailers are going to take a little bit of time in recouping that loss business that they get post-holiday. The consumer still has all of those gifts that they want to return. So, they're going to go out to stores.
ACOSTA: OK.
COHEN: It just may take them a little bit longer to do it over the course of the calendar year.
ACOSTA: All right. Well, shopping industry analyst, Marshal Cohen, from the NPD Group -- we appreciate your time this morning and hope you stay safe, sir. Thanks so much for your time.
COHEN: Pleasure to be here.
ACOSTA: Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, we're following the latest with the storm updates for you on the airports. They are reopening today in many parts of the Northeast that were shut down.
ACOSTA: We hope.
CHETRY: But, yes -- but if your flight's canceled and you're there, it's still going to be quite a tough one for you today as you try to get on another flight. But there's a look at the radar. Reynolds Wolf is coming up, let us know when this thing is finally going to blow offshore. And look at what the snow totals may be as well -- coming up.
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CHETRY: That is -- that's the sight. That's Columbus Circle this morning. You see one guy walking, and not a single car.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: Usually, we're seeing cars, taxis. There's one guy walking on the right-hand side of the screen.
ACOSTA: Good luck, buddy.
CHETRY: That was Jim three hours ago, right?
ACOSTA: It was.
CHETRY: You know, we -- we were along 58th Street here in New York between 8th and 9th. We couldn't actually get on to 58th Street because all of the parallel, the perpendicular roads were not passable this morning.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: So, we had to go all the way up to 72nd and come back down. It was just crazy today. Right now, 23 degrees is the temperature, but it feels way colder than that when it's blowing on you and blizzard-like conditions even throughout the day.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. The city that never sleeps is sleeping, and we hope this morning. But, unfortunately, for some of us, we had to get to work this morning. It was a fun walk to work for me. I had to make it just up the street from 7th Avenue.
CHETRY: From an undisclosed hotel.
ACOSTA: Yes, exactly. So, it wasn't that far. You had to come in from the suburbs.
CHETRY: Yes, it came in about 20 miles, 28, three miles or so northeast. But let's see yours first.
ACOSTA: Here's a look at our commute --
CHETRY: You tell us which one was worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: I'm walking up Broadway right now. And the great white way, it's all white. I'm almost to the building. So, this is good news. But the sidewalks are not cleared. The streets are barely plowed. This is New York like you rarely ever see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And anchors as you rarely see them without make-up --
CHETRY: You will just as cute as you always be.
ACOSTA: Lots of snow gear.
CHETRY: You're fine. Glad you wore a hat. I always laugh when people are out in blizzards no hat on.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE) and they got to throw the hat off.
ACOSTA: And how dumb do I look shooting that with my blackberry? CHETRY: You didn't look dumb. You looked great. OK. Here's mine. This was -- we had -- we were stopped. It took two hours, usually takes 25 minutes. Here's a look at us trying to get on to Interstate 95 this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We're waiting for this -- snowplow to plow the onramp to 95. So that we can actually get on the highway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Not exactly using your anchor voice there.
CHETRY: I was trying to talk softly because I didn't want to scare my poor driver who already literally was driving down the road like this, but yes, we couldn't even -- I mean, he was literally like this with the car.
ACOSTA: Wow.
CHETRY: I -- I can't even explain. I don't know how he did it. God bless you, Victor. But when we finally got here, he was like, well, we made it, by a miracle. But we had to actually wait for the plow. We couldn't see the onramp. We missed it. We circled back a few times. And once you -- if you miss a certain road and you don't get on it, you know, you need that inertia to get up in this weather.
ACOSTA: Oh, absolutely. Yes.
CHETRY: So, all's well that end well.
ACOSTA: Exactly. We made it. So, that's were counts (ph).
Whether you're stuck in the snow or out enjoying it, we want to hear from you. Log on to CNN.com/ireport and upload your pictures and videos and feel free to be as casual as Kiran and I were earlier this morning.
CHETRY: The crew's laughing at me. That's what I sound like pre-red bull.
ACOSTA: Yes, exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: I was talking like this (INAUDIBLE)
ACOSTA: That's like your golf voice.
CHETRY: He made the putt, oh, missed it.
ACOSTA: Exactly.
CHETRY: All right. Well --
ACOSTA: Right in the lumber (ph) guard. Anyway, stay safe out there. >
Let's get to Reynolds Wolf this morning. And Reynolds, we want to -- we wanted to check in with you and see how things are looking on your end.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Things are looking pretty good and all things considered.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: Absolutely. Things are pretty good. You know, next time, maybe when you have those kind of conditions, maybe it's better to just get away from the car and take the dog sled and the full team of dogs in. I'm telling you, mush, mush, mush would have been a much more efficient way to go. Heavy snow there in parts there of New York. No question about it. Very difficult for a lot of people to get around as you guys have shown us.
Some places around a foot of snowfall in New York. Philadelphia actually lucked out. They've had under 5 inches of snowfall. Everything else, much heavier along the coast. But as you can see, we still have some snowfall right near Atlantic City. As we make our way up the coast, I bet you're going to see heavier snowfall in Long Island, White Plains, certainly some snow there. You're catching a break in Newark, but if you look a little bit out towards the west, you can see a few more bands that are going to come in. So, additional snowfall is on the way.
What's interesting is that in parts of the area, you could have snow forming pretty heavily along parts of 495 up in Massachusetts. But when you get out towards Cape Cod, it all switches over to rain very quickly, and it's all because the temperatures down the cape. Temperatures mainly in the 40s well above the freezing point. Everything farther back to the west and to the northern Boston. You've got temperatures right into the 30s at this time.
Let's show you what else we've got for you. At this point, we've got, again, blizzard warnings that will be in effect. These will all expire by noon. But even after today, the warnings expire. You're still going to have the breezy conditions which might cause some backups. Plenty of backups, obviously, because the closures we have at the airport. And again, here's the reasons why. The heavy snow at Newark, over 23 inches in some spots.
In Brooklyn, you had 17.5. Central Park 13 inches of snow, right over a foot. South Boston, 12, and the snow will still come again in Philadelphia. 4.8 is the total that we have for you at this time. The closures, read them and weep. At JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Atlantic City, all closed this hour. And Bedford and even in New Haven, things are closed. We're expecting some improvements later on today. It's going to be slow going, but as Jim mentioned earlier, once these things open up, you have to deal with that backlog of passengers.
Folks, it's going to be a very difficult day for a lot of folks. If you still don't have to get even when weather conditions improve, by all means don't. Many roads, many streets will still remain impassable. It's going to be a very frustrating day for a lot of folks. Just take it easy. Things will improve as we make way throughout the rest of the week. Let's get back to you in the studio.
CHETRY: Yes. All right. As we know, they are going to open these airports today. But whether or not, you actually can get a flight. That remains to be seen. I mean, if you don't have to be anywhere, I'd say just wait a day.
WOLF: Again, dog sled's an option, you know? That's always out there for you.
CHETRY: I know. Those huskies will keep going.
ACOSTA: Mush.
CHETRY: Thanks, Reynolds.
This morning's top stories just a couple minutes away, including forget the gift cards, the returns, and the after Christmas sales. It's a great time to be in the shovel business at the rock salt (ph). We'll take a look at the financial winners and losers of the big northeast blizzard.
ACOSTA: And the half getting hitch again. Do tell, what month is it this time? Find out in talkers.
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ACOSTA: All right. So, we do have some other news to talk about this morning. There are some new developments overnight in the Alaska Senate race. Remember that one? It may finally be over. Tea Party Republican, Joe Miller, says he'll no longer stand in the way of Lisa Murkowski being certified as the winner, but he says, he plans to file a federal lawsuit challenging the state's handling of the vote count. Murkowski launched a write-in campaign after losing to Miller and the Tea Party in the GOP primary out there.
CHETRY: Wow. So, in the end, what an amazing thing for her, right?
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
CHETRY: They have not been (ph) successful since Strom Thurman in 1964.
ACOSTA: Exactly. That's right.
CHETRY: Tell all about telling all. The man behind WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, says that he signed a $1.3 million book deal. He says he didn't want to write it, but he needs the money to keep his website afloat to pay legal fees and to cover lawsuits related to the site and to defend himself against sex charges in Sweden. Bank of America, Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal have already cut off donations to WikiLeaks.
ACOSTA: And I hear portions of the book may leak online? Is that sort of kidding about? CHETRY: Really to find it on WikiLeaks (ph).
ACOSTA: That's right.
And she was known as the ivory queen of soul. R&B singer, Teena Marie has died at the age of 54 years old. Her manager says she passed away in her sleep yesterday. Teena Marie was Motown's first white act and had worked with the likes of Smokey Robinson and her mentor, late funk legend, Rick James.
CHETRY: Sad.
Spider-man on the road to recovery. Christopher Tierney, he's the actor who fell 30 feet. There you see his fall while he's playing Spider-man a week ago. A preview showed he is walking again after back surgery. He is still in intensive care. Doctors reportedly told the family that he is lucky to be alive. His father says he can't wait to get back to playing the role. "Spider-man" is the most expensive Broadway production ever. It was shut down for two shows after the accident.
ACOSTA: All right. And more on the burricane coming up in just a few moments. We've got lots of live shots. Rob Marciano is stuck in Stanford, hopefully, out from behind that bus.
CHETRY: Exactly. You know, he was stuck behind the stuck bus. Allan Chernoff is at LaGuardia, and we're going to get the updates on all of the airports. They're opening today, many of them.
ACOSTA: They are. We hope.
CHETRY: Yes. We'll be right back.
ACOSTA: Right after the break.
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