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Al Qaeda Threat Level Higher During Holidays, Even As Multiple Attacks Strike The Indian City Of Mumbai, Hospital, Hotels, Train Station, Targeting Westerners
Aired November 26, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Millions of you have to travel through your turkey. Flying or driving, you'll likely see a crowd. We'll check the holiday congestion and the weather conditions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVEN BARNES, WRONG CONVICTED OF RAPE AND MURDER: This is the happiest day of my life. I waited for this for 20 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: He spent most of his adult life behind bars for nothing. Wrongly convicted, now rightly freed. Steven Barnes will tell us about it live.
And after the Dems convention, more reason for celebration. Millions of dollars of computer equipment donated to Denver schools.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. And you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And from the CNN security watch, a possible plot, the feds call it plausible, but unsubstantiated, to bomb the New York transit system. Let's get straight to CNN Justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, in Washington.
Kelli, what do you know?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, New York City, which is already on high alert, is deploying even more resources to keep passengers secure. That's because the FBI is warning it has intelligence that indicates al Qaeda terrorists recently discussed a plan to attack subway and rail systems in and around the city.
It sent out an internal law enforcement bulletin, to the law enforcement partners, state and locally. And it goes on to say that the talks reportedly involved the use of suicide bombers or explosives.
The FBI does point out there are no specific details to confirm that this plot moved forward, but it does say that such an attack could be possibly conducted during the holiday season. And experts point out, Kyra, that al Qaeda does have the means to pull off such an attack and did so both in London and Madrid, as you may remember.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Well, and couldn't this be a plot by al Qaeda and couldn't they plant -- or a ploy, rather, by al Qaeda and just plant false information?
ARENA: Absolutely, absolutely. The experts say yes, al Qaeda does have the means to put false information into the system. But counterterrorism officials say that this intelligence, which they got back in September came from a source that has been reliable in the past, and so they are working hard to developed a additional information to see if there is anything there. In the meantime, transportation officials in New York are asking customers to remain alert and to report anything suspicious and we have heard that before.
PHILLIPS: Well, there have been various attempts by alleged terrorists obviously to plot, or to plant bombs, or plan attacks in the systems, but is this the first of a kind, you know, we are guard to al Qaeda?
ARENA: Well, no, I mean -- well, globally, no.
PHILLIPS: We know not globally, but here in the U.S.?
ARENA: Here in the United States. There have been suggestions that al Qaeda operatives have spoke about this before. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that it wouldn't be difficult. I mean, experts say, look, we have an open system. It is a soft target. We have heard that term before, shopping malls, transportation systems. There is very little to stop someone, a suicide bomber, from entering, you know, a train station and blowing himself up. Unfortunately, I mean, we just have a very open system.
So, it is not something that would be very difficult. Al Qaeda does have the means to do it. We have heard about it before and this is one more piece of intelligence suggesting that at least they talked about it again. Now, whether they moved forward is another question. Again from A to B is not easy especially when you have increased security.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Kelli, thanks.
ARENA: You're welcome, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Breaking news this hour, also, out of India, mass shootings in Mumbai, attacks on at least two hotels and a railway station. Two people now confirmed dead and possibly many more. CNN's Andrew Stevens is there. We have him on the phone.
Andrew, what do you know?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: We are watching, at the moment, the local media reports. Everything is shutdown pretty in Mumbai now. The police are advising everybody to stay off of the streets and the situation is still very fluid. This has not been contained yet. Now what I can tell you at this stage, and a lot of this is still unconfirmed, but there have been attacks in the last 90 minutes on two hotels. The Taj Palace and the Oberoi Hotel. they are all five-star hotels, very popular with Western tourists and Western businessmen. In central train station has also been attacked. A hospital in south Mumbai, these are all attacks that are all coming in an area known as South Mumbai, which is one of the wealthier parts of the city. It is where the better hotels are. All of the -- in the same area, and it looks and certainly feels like a coordinated attack.
As I said, an attack on a hospital, attack on a very well known restaurant, again, which is popular with Western tourists, and also reports of maybe a bomb around or nearby the domestic airport. These local -
PHILLIPS: But at this -
STEVENS: Sorry. Go on, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: No, that's OK, Andrew. So no one is claiming responsibility at this point?
STEVENS: Certainly not at this stage. This is still very much ongoing. We don't know how far spread this is going to spread. There are new reports coming in every few minutes of some other target that has been attacked.
What I can tell you is that I spoke to an Indian man who was in the Oberoi Hotel and he said he heard what sounded like four explosions while he was there. He spoke to a man who had seen gunman driving into the main - up the main entrance, going into the lobby and opening fire. We have no idea at this stage who may be behind this, and it is just -- at the moment, we just don't know the extent, the scale of the attacks, just how widespread this is. We understand that the Oberoi Hotel is still an ongoing situation. There are gunmen still believed to be in the hotel. There is also a gunman still believed to be in the central railway station. So at this stage it is pretty much watching this develop at the moment, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it with you. Appreciate it, Andrew Stevens. Once again, we have been to confirmed two people dead. Our sister network, IBN, is reporting actually 11 people dead now. So we will keep following up on that story.
Well, the economy looks to be crimping lots of Thanksgiving plans this year. AAA expects about 600,000 fewer travelers than last year. And if that pans out it would be the first decline since Thanksgiving 2002. Still, 41 million people are likely to hit the road or the airport, and with airlines cutting back on flights lately, most planes will be full. Stores, maybe not so full this year. Retailers are trying to head off a bleak black Friday with tons of sales and promotions.
Heavy rains bring new fears of mud slides in Southern California. Flash flood warnings are in effect in Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino and Orange counties. Wildfires earlier this month wiped out vegetation in many of those areas leaving them vulnerable to mudslides. Several thousand residents in Yorba Linda have been ordered to evacuate.
Well, let's see how the weather is playing into holiday travel plans. Jacqui, has an update for us, Jac?
(WEATER FORECAST)
PHILLIPS: For the third day in a row, the president-elect introduced key new players on his economic team. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is in New York.
Suzanne, why three Obama press conferences in a row, and will there be yet another one tomorrow? And do you think this tradition will carry on?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's hope he takes a holiday.
PHILLIPS: Yeah, take a break already.
MALVEAUX: Take Thanksgiving off, so we don't have to work.
But part of the reason he's doing this is to signal to Americans that he is on top of his game. But another reason is that they want to influence the markets. They want people to see the team, become confident in investing and buying again. So Obama announced his new economic advisory board, which he says is going to help him hit the ground running. The board is led by 81-year-old former Fed Chair Paul Volcker. Now he is widely credited with helping the economy recover from inflation and Obama now turning to business experts, academics, as well as Washington insiders for ideas on how to fix the economy.
But, now, Kyra, he is also getting some questions about whether or not he is really true to his message of change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: Word that the government would be held accountable for delivering results, who had had no connection with the last Democratic administration. Because, that would mean that the person had no experience in Washington whatsoever. And I suspect that you would be troubled and the American people would be troubled if I selected a Treasury secretary or a chairman of the National Economic Council, at one of the most critical economic times in our history, who had no experience in government whatsoever. What we are going to do is to combine experience with fresh thinking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So that is the idea, Kyra. Next week, Obama will be meeting with the nation's governors who are dealing with their own budget shortfalls and cutbacks. He is also going to unveil his national security team. The current Defense Secretary Robert Gates will stay on for at least another year. Senator Hillary Clinton expected to be named secretary of State, and retired General Jim Jones is expected to become the national security adviser. So, this week it is about the economy and next week, it is national security -Kyra.
PHILLIPS: He is not wasting any time, is he, Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: No. A day -- we just want a day off.
PHILLIPS: Well, it is good. He knows he has got to act fast, that's for sure, especially when it comes to our economy. Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Kyra. Have a great Thanksgiving.
PHILLIPS: Same to you.
On Wall Street more tough economic news. The housing market takings another hit, shoppers pull back even further, and a troubling number of people are in the unemployment line. Investors, however, are taking it all in stride. We go the Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with a little more on that - Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: One the reasons, Kyra, why the president-elect is holding these daily news conferences about the economy is because we continue to get very grim signs that the U.S. economy, the biggest in the world, continues to slow down.
Case in point, today's reports, consumer spending down 1 percent in October, that is the biggest decline since September. Orders for big- ticket items, called durable goods, fell more than 6 percent. That was the biggest in two years. New home sales fell to a near 18-year low.
We heard from the retailers. Tiffany's said it is impossible to know when the consumer confidence will be restored. It will cut jobs and slow store expansion. It is bringing down its forecast for the year. And so is J. Crewe, slashing its full-year earnings forecast. But the market is rallying, and among the reasons why is not only because the president-elect has been out talking to America every single day. We have had some huge programs announced yesterday, more than -- or up to, I should say -- $800 billion in additional aid to try to unfreeze the credit market. We are seeing U.S. automakers rally. GM is up 33 percent, GM shares. Ford shares are up 24 percent. Some analysts say that it is looking increasingly likely that there is some sort of aid, some sort of rescue when the Big Three come to Capitol Hill for a second time, next week. So you are seeing those shares rally. And overall, the market is rallying, too. Blue chips up 46 points or half a percent and the Nasdaq up 2 percent and the broader S&P 500 is up 1 percent.
We have less than two hours to go, Kyra and maybe a four-day rally and we haven't seen one of those since April.
PHILLIPS: All right. Good news.
LISOVICZ: So -- that is kind of festive, on Thanksgiving eve.
PHILLIPS: Yes it is. As you said earlier on, woo-hoo!
LISOVICZ: Woo-hoo!
PHILLIPS: There you go. All right. I want to woo-hoo into the next story. See you again. Thank you, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Well, former first lady undergoes surgery in Houston. We will have the latest on the condition of Barbara Bush.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: You are looking at a one big, lucky turkey. Thank goodness Sarah Palin wasn't there. Instead of ending up on a dinner table tomorrow, this bird named Pumpkin, is going to be strutting around as the honorary grand marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day Parade. President Bush saved the turkey's neck by granting the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon. His last one, by the way.
PHILLIPS: Well, the president's mother, Barbara Bush, is resting at a Houston hospital today. The former first lady checked in last night complaining of stomach pain. A hospital statement came out saying that she had routine surgery for a perforated ulcer. While she will remain in the hospital several days, First Lady Laura Bush says that her 83- year-old mother-in-law is doing very well. She said the president spoke with his parents last night.
A home invasion in California ends up killing two people. It happened yesterday. A man called 911 telling the police that his wife and two young children were being held at gunpoint at their home. A SWAT team arrived and tried to talk the gunman into surrendering, and the mom had barricaded herself and the children into the bedroom and at one point she was able to talk to the police on the phone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEPUTY CHIEF MIKE CALLAGY, SAN MATEO POLICE: The victim barricaded herself in the bedroom with the two small children. The officers were in telephone contact with the victim, and she reported that the suspect was trying to gain entry into the room, and she wanted to lower the children out of the bedroom window.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the police say that as the mom was lowering the children out of the window, the gunman opened fire and police returned fire and at the same time other officers ran out of the house with the one-year-old and the three-year-old. They weren't hurt, by the way, but their mom had been shot and died later at the hospital. The suspect was shot and killed right there at the scene.
Another home invasion, and this one in Fort Worth, Texas. With his dad at work, his mom stepping out for a quick errand, nine-year-old Jovani Frias (ph), was in a back bedroom watching TV. Suddenly he heard a suspicious noise. He was scared, to be sure, but he didn't panic. Not wasting a second he called 911.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPERATOR: Who's at your house?
CALLER: I don't know. He's a like robber.
OPERATOR: Where are you at?
CALLER: I'm at my house. I'm scared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the police arrive at the house within six minutes of the 911 call and nabbed the crooks. Jovani (ph) says that he's seen a lot of TV shows where people call 911, so he knew just what to do.
Well, talk about tech support. Aging computers in Denver public schools are in for a major upgrade courtesy of a convention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, the election is over and the inauguration is around the corner, the conventions feel like a lifetime ago, but the Democratic bash is still paying off for the city that hosted it, especially for Denver schools. Reporter Nelson Garcia, from CNN affiliate KUSA has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NELSON GARCIA, REPORTER, WKSA (voice over): Behind closed door, it looks like a tangle of wires and boxes to most.
JAN STRAND, GOLDEN HIGH SCHOOL: This is where you see all the switches.
GARCIA: But Jan Strand sees the backbone of a system designed to give students a path to the Worldwide Web.
STRAND: This one is already on its way out.
GARCIA: She is trying to keep systems running as the technological coordinator for Golden High School.
STRAND: Our server right now is very old. Teachers didn't have enough space.
GARCIA: And what she doesn't know is that when crews packed up their gear from Democratic National Convention, phones, printers, servers, switchers, about $5 million worth of that stuff will be donated by Cisco Systems to local schools, including Strand's.
STRAND: I had no idea. Oh, my gosh, would you like to get a shot of me doing a cartwheel?
GARCIA: Golden will get about $150,000 in hardware and services.
BRENT MILLER, Yes, it is a big gift. It is something that we would not have been able to afford just on that. GARCIA: Brent Miller is in charge of technology infrastructure for the district. He was hoping to create faster computers with more storage district-wide by using money from a bond issue and mill levy, but voters did not approve it on election day.
(On camera): Even though district leaders do appreciate this gift, they say it does not come close to fulfilling the technology needs all across Jeff Co. ones they are trying to fulfill under the failed ballot measures.
MILLER: Well, the fact that (AUDIO GAP)
GARCIA: (AUDIO GAP) ...for Strand, this news is worth dancing over.
STRAND: It is great. I had no idea.
(AUDIO GAP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Apparently jurors have reached verdicts on three of four counts against the Missouri mother who is -- accused of conspiring to harass a 13-year-old girl with Internet messages that allegedly prompted her suicide. Video here of Lori Drew; she is the one who allegedly devised this Internet ruse conspiring with her daughter, Sarah, that was good friends with the young gal, Megan Meier, who allegedly suffered because of this, and she committed suicide. Jeffrey Toobin is on the phone with us now.
Jeffrey, you have been following this. I was just looking at the counts. If you could explain to me, count one of conspiracy has been decided a mistrial, however, count two, not guilty, but guilty of a lesser included. Count three, not guilty, but guilty of lesser included accessing computer to obtain info (AUDIO GAP) offense. And tell us in layman's terms what that means.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: In simple terms, she has been convicted of three misdemeanors, no felonies. I think that this verdict underlines what a difficult case this was from a legal perspective. For people familiar with the facts of the case, morally, it is really a very reprehensible situation what this woman, Lori Drew, did. Eventually harassing this young woman, and in effect driving her to suicide.
But, the legal system, frankly, was not set up very well for this case. And the charges didn't really fit the crime very well. I think that the verdict in this case, the obvious compromise verdict that went on here, reflects the difficulty that the jurors had with the case.
PHILLIPS: Well, and - there were not a lot of lies (AUDIO GAP)
TOOBIN: ...state authorities who investigated it initially did not file charges at all. They simply said, there were no laws in Missouri that they could find that were violated here. But the federal government took up the case, and the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, where MySpace is based, designed the case to say that what Lori Drew had done was violate the agreement that all MySpace customers have with the MySpace company; in effect, defrauded MySpace by engaging in this pattern of harassment of the young woman.
As you can see, that's a complicated and not very simple scenario. That's why I think that the jury had trouble with the case.
PHILLIPS: All right. Of course, people are probably wondering how does this case affect MySpace? And how people operate on MySpace and I guess the behavior that can take place of MySpace and also what happens to Lori Drew now?
TOOBIN: Well, given the way federal courts work, it is extremely, extremely unlikely she will get prison time. People convicted of misdemeanors, though they are, in theory, a potentially face prison time, they almost never get it. She will almost certainly get a sentence of probation.
As for MySpace, and FaceBook and all these similar types of services, this case is so weird, frankly, fortunately, and this doesn't happen very often. I think it underlines the need for parents to play an active role in kids' online lives, but it suggests that the law has not really figured out a good way to deal with these sorts of problems. So it is really better dealt with at a family and local level than through law enforcement.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Jeffrey Toobin, thanks.
TOOBIN: OK, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, a New York man gets ready to spend his first Thanksgiving with his family since 1988. Steve Barnes spent nearly 20 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He is going to tell his story, live in the NEWSROOM.
Johnny Appleseed must surely be green with envy, there is a kid in Connecticut who we are going to tell you about, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Johnny Appleseed must be green with envy, because there is a kid in Connecticut who has gotten into apples in a big way and he has green thumb to boot. Rob Marciano has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN LOMBARDI, OWNER, BENJAMIN'S ORCHARD: And here we are.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is not everyday an 11-year-old gives you a tour of his apple orchard business. Two years in biz, and Ben grows and delivers apples that schools and local grocers eat up.
B. LOMBARDI: Good morning. How are you doing today?
MARCIANO: Ben helped plant the trees with his parents when he was three. When he was nine, he turned the orchard into a business keeping the environment in mind. The apples are not organic, but Ben uses a variety of methods to ward off pets.
B. LOMBARDI: They are not that harsh. And this is Frank's Red Hot Sauce and this is garlic oil. And we use these to keep the deer away.
MARCIANO: He also has an audio scarecrow. Ben's mom is an accountant and has taught him that profits and losses are not the only bottom line.
MARY BETH LOMBARDI, BEN'S MOTHER: He does realize that this is the only Earth that we have, and he does make decisions based on that.
B. LOMBARDI: There you go, Dad.
MARCIANO: It is obvious this apple does not fall far from the tree. Ben's dad, John, planted the seeds for this orchard project and now ...
JOHN LOMBARDI, BEN'S FATHER: I learn from Ben as often as he learns from me.
MARCIANO: A problem solver, already plotting his next solution.
B. LOMBARDI: I'm going to figure out a way to make the jet engine run without using any fossil fuels.
B. LOMBARDI: I'm going to figure out a way to make the jet engine run without using any fossil fuels so it will fly.
MARCIANO: Rob Marciano, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Breaking news this hour out of India. Mass shootings in Mumbai, attacks on at least two hotels and a railway station. Two people confirmed dead, possibly more. Our sister network, IBN, is reporting 18 people are dead. We have been able to confirm two dead.
Dozens of people wounded, we are told, as well. Apparently these gunmen targeted two -- a number of luxury hotels, a popular tourist attraction in the financial district, also a crowded train station. Seven attacks so far in total. Police were apparently battling with the gunmen. We don't know if they were able to take out all those gunmen, if that is still taking place at this point.
Apparently the gunmen have automatic weapons, in some places they tossed grenades into these areas. Two of the hotels -- luxury hotels -- we are seeing that have been attacked -- the Taj Mahal and also the Oberoi Hotel there in Mumbai.
Not immediately clear on the motive for these attacks. But we are following this, getting in as much information as possible. We'll continue to bring it to you as I get updated. Now, a plausible but unsubstantiated plot to bomb the New York transit lines. Homeland and Security and the FBI say that back in September, al Qaeda may have been planning or at least discussing attacks on New York's subways or commuter trains. Authorities stress that they have no specific details to confirm this plot has developed. The NYPD says that reports like these are not uncommon and police adjust resources accordingly.
2:33 Eastern time right now. Here are some other stories that we are working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Gunmen still on the rampage in India. Police reporting now multiple deaths, as we just told you, after those gunmen targeted seven locations, including the two luxury hotels that I mentioned. They are in Mumbai. There is conflicting death tolls. We are saying at least two people we have been able to confirm dead, IBN reporting 18.
And his third news conference in as many days. President-elect Barack Obama says help is on the way for the nation's economy. He says that he will have an economic plan ready for action on his first day in office.
And holiday travel is expected to be down this year. AAA predicts about 600,000 fewer travelers than last year.
Are you traveling for Thanksgiving? Yes, you and about 41 million other people. Hopefully everybody gets there in time to gobble up some of that turkey. We've got a number of people working all angles of this story. Obviously Jacqui in the severe weather center, Chad is checking things at over at the magic wall. He has been tracking the flights for us.
Hey, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Love this magic wall. Love it, love it, love it.
Here is L.A. We have rain in L.A. This is always a problem. When it rains in L.A., you get an inch of water around any of these freeways and this traffic is going to come to a standstill. So here we go with L.A., and we do have some delays there.
We have a groundstop in San Francisco because of the rain. Now what that means is that little localized planes coming in from small airports are not allowed right now to take off. So maybe you're sitting on the jetway going, how come we can't go? Well, because there are too many planes on the way to San Francisco right now. And so they are not allowing any more planes in the air.
Baltimore, you're an hour, Teeterborough (ph) you're an hour. And Newark, Washington and Phoenix all under one hour. And I think that is a good number. If you keep under an hour, you're going to have just a fine time. But this is the problem that we are looking at.
Kyra, we talk about models. The models are showing this, the models are showing that, but we never show you a model. This is the forecast jet stream for Sunday going home. And let me tell you, that is ugly.
Here is California. Here is Florida. Here is Maine. This is a trough of low pressure. This could be a giant low pressure system. This could be snow. This could be severe weather.
I say could. This is still 4 1/2 days out. We don't always believe all of the models all of the time that far out. And that is going to be the problem at this point in time.
All right. Let's put on this flow web (ph) here. Here are the planes that are in the air, 6,500 planes as we fly around. Look at all those planes in the air. But that is not an unreasonable number for this time of day. About 300 or 400, probably, planes more than on a normal day this time of day.
So what am I seeing? Well, I just logged onto Delta, I just logged onto a few of the other ones, and I tried to buy a ticket. And I did buy a ticket -- well, I didn't pay for it -- but because there is nobody on those airplanes, they are half empty. So maybe that is why we're not getting so many volume delays -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Could we get last-minute good deals? What do you think?
MYERS: Sure could. I just tried. I tried to go to Cincinnati just now, and I can get a T-fare, which means tourist fare, 200 bucks, roundtrip, leaving today.
PHILLIPS: Oh my gosh.
MYERS: How about that?
PHILLIPS: Well there we go. We just buried the headlines. We can all start flying on really good deals now if we decide to go somewhere.
MYERS: That's right.
PHILLIPS: OK. Well, we can't call in sick. That's for sure.
MYERS: No, I have to be here.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Me, too.
Thanks, Chad.
MYERS: You bet.
PHILLIPS: Well, her story really struck a chord with us and with you. A teacher giving her students a life lesson they will never forget, sharing her battle with cancer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well it is a popular sport on a Cincinnati rink, especially this time of year -- turkey bowling. Contestants try to knock down as many pins as they can with those frozen birds. The winner of this year's contest got 19 of 30. All those turkeys used by the way were store discards, so no good turkeys were wasted.
So is everybody coming to your house this year for Thanksgiving? Cut your costs by having an energy efficient turkey day. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our Energy Fix from New York.
Hey, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm trying to get over the turkey bowling, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I know. I love that. You know, when you get bored, toss around a few discarded turkeys. What the heck?
HARLOW: Throw around a turkey for fun, why don't you?
OK. Here are some tips for a green, energy-efficient -- I love that -- Thanksgiving. You won't have to run up your power bill. Some advice comes to us from Butterball. They say keep the oven door shut. They tell us, no need to baste the bird, it is like putting water on a raincoat, folks, it is just going to slide right off. Keep the oven door shut, put in all of the other side dishes, the potatoes, the pies, in at the same time, that way you can turn the oven off sooner.
Also, keep this in mind, why not turn on the microwave? What we hear from Con Edison, that energy company, it says microwaves use half the energy of a traditional oven. They say you can even cook your turkey, if it is under 12 pounds, right in the microwave.
But if you can't really stomach nuking a turkey, at least you can try that for the side dishes -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. What about keeping your guests warm? After all it does get a little chilly in many places.
HARLOW: It does, it does.
I am going home to Minnesota. It is freezing there. All winter long, you're going to have a lot of people in the house, that will keep things warm. Cooking, that's going to keep the room warmer, as well.
Think twice, though, before you light your fire. When you actually burn a fire, it sucks the heat right out of the house because it needs that constant oxygen, pulls the warm air right up the chimney. So there are some other solutions.
You can put a vent in outside, that is going to make it a little bit more energy efficient. But you cannot do that before tomorrow, so think twice before lighting that fire.
Just some energy fixes for your Thanksgiving. And I think everyone should try out turkey bowling.
PHILLIPS: All right. I don't know if I'm going to --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. We will plug that. We'll have an update on who threw the most.
All right. Poppy, thanks.
We want to update you once again on what is happening in Mumbai, India, right now. We have been able to confirm at least two people dead. IBN, our sister network, reporting 18 people dead.
Apparently, gunmen targeted some luxury hotels, a popular tourist attraction in the financial district, also a crowded train station. Dozens of people wounded. Police were still battling the gunmen within the last hour, don't know if that is still going on or not. They've got automatic weapons, in some places they just lobbed grenades there in some of the areas that have been attacked. Seven attacks in all.
Andrew Stevens on the phone with us to bring us up to date.
What do you know, Andrew?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it doesn't look yet that (ph) this situation is contained, so at this stage we don't know the scale of these attacks.
Just in the last few minutes, the local media has been reporting that police say they have been firing from the J.W. Marriott hotel. These are all obviously very well known hotel chains. The J.W. Marriott in North Mumbai. Most of the attacks -- all of the attacks that we know about so far, except for this one, have been centered in the south of the city. This has now gone to the north.
A couple of things I need to tell you as well. Again, according to local media, the chief secretary of the Maharashtra state where -- Mumbai is in the Maharashtra state, is now saying that he understands that there are 40 people dead. Commandos are being called in, the military has been called in, both the Army and Navy. To what extent we are not aware of at this stage, but it obviously is a significant move bringing in the military in this.
And just on the Taj hotel. This was one of the first targets that we became aware of. The Taj hotel, the Taj Palace hotel, is a very well known landmark for anyone who has visited Mumbai. It is a grand old building, right on the sea front in southern Mumbai, next to probably the most famous landmark in the city, the India Gate. In the last 15 minutes there have been reports of an explosion inside that hotel.
We have someone inside the hotel. We have spoken to them since that explosion. They said they did feel an explosion. They are OK. They looked out -- they looked into the pool and there was a significant amount of debris in the pool, which suggests it was on one of the lower floors. He did say he was OK. But there has been an explosion there.
We also watched an eyewitness, a man who said he was an eyewitness in the Taj hotel, and he saw about 15 hostages being taken. He said half of those hostages had British or U.S. passports. And obviously, I cannot confirm that. So this is what he claims. He said two men gunmen came into the lobby where there were tourists and guest. They asked for people with U.S. or British passports. He said they rounded up some 15 people, half of them he understands to have had British or U.S. passports.
Again, I cannot confirm this. This is from an eyewitness being quoted on local television here. We watched that interview. We are obviously tracking it down as fast as we can to try and confirm if there is a hostage situation at the hotel.
And just to update you with what else we know, at this stage is that we understand that there is still a gunman in the Oberoi Hotel, which is another very well known chain, one of the five-star hotels here in India and in Mumbai. And also there has been shooting. And we believe there is still a situation at a big hospital, the Caam (ph) Hospital, which is also in south Mumbai.
So this was very politically staged. We don't know the scale. And we are just watching to see -- the police have warned everybody or ordered this city to stay indoors. We are talking about a city of 19 million people here. Police across roads, checking those motorists who are out and sending them home. So this city is in virtual lockdown now, and there is still ongoing reports of increasing numbers of attacks on very well known targets in this city, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Andrew Stevens there on the ground in Mumbai, India.
We are following these attacks and the wounded, those killed out of Mumbai. We will be working more information, trying to confirm those numbers and police still battling some of the gunmen, according to Andrew Stevens.
We will have more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And we are following that breaking news out of Mumbai, India, right now. Mass shootings there, attacks on at least two hotels and a railway station. Two people confirmed dead, many more -- we actually just heard from the police commissioner, A.N. Roy. This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
A.N. ROY, MUMBAI POLICE COMMISSIONER: The situation is absolutely -- a grave situation. But we need the cooperation from the people. They should keep calm and be at their home only. And police have take the position now, and we are (INAUDIBLE) from Delhi. So we are looking for the military to come in, and (INAUDIBLE) the fighting. And they are trying to get a hold of those terrorists.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) ... it has been going on now for more than two hours but the situation looks nowhere close to normal. It doesn't seem that the police have be able to get that situation back to normal.
What are your police officers telling you? Are this really -- is this really the same group that is going from location to location? What are the details that you have, Sir?
ROY: Well, (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ROY: The information I am getting, I am getting on the telephone. I am rushing back to Mumbai immediately. Prime minister and current (ph) president -- they just called me on my mobile, and I just apprised them about this grave situation in Mumbai. And they are all concerned, and they say that they will help (INAUDIBLE). They will leave me to supervise.
And some special commandos (INAUDIBLE). And they will be taking Mumbai by any time -- by plane from Mumbai.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. (INAUDIBLE), one question. We do believe the Army and the CRP of the paramilitary, as well as some officers of the Navy, are now being pressed into action.
Are you now going to get the Army on to the streets?
ROY: No, we are just telling them to -- told them to be on alert. Whenever we require it, we immediately call them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. What are your police officers telling you, Sir? Exactly how many locations are under a terror threat currently?
(CROSSTALK)
ROY: The report which I reviewed, there are about five to seven places.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
ROY: And they are all on the job. But first of all, we have to rescue the people who were injured, to be admitted in the hospital. And we will call all the doctors and everybody is on the job.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. (INAUDIBLE), what is the briefing that you have received from your police officials as far as those two hotels are concerned where we believe terrorists are inside and are still continuing to firing indiscriminantly?
ROY: Yes, they are inside. And --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: More updates on the Mumbai story coming up, plus a New York man gets ready to spend his first Thanksgiving with his family since 1988. He spent nearly 20 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He will tell us his story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Steve Barnes spent most of his 20s, all of the 30s and the first two years of his 40s in prison for a crime he didn't commit. DNA evidence proved what Barnes and his family had been saying all along, he was innocent in the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl. And tomorrow, he will spend his first Thanksgiving at home with his family since 1988. Steve Barnes and his mom, Sylvia, who worked tirelessly for his freedom, join me live from Syracuse.
Good to see you both.
STEVEN BARNES: Thank you.
SYLVIA BOUCHARD, BARNES' MOTHER: Thank you. Thanks for having us.
PHILLIPS: Well my gosh, this must be just amazing for you, Steven. I will never forget that picture from June 2nd, 1989 when you were bowing your head and hearing that you were going to prison. You knew you were innocent. What was going through your mind?
BARNES: It was one of the saddest days of my life. I just -- but I never gave up hope. I knew this day would come eventually, you know.
PHILLIPS: Gosh. And Sylvia, you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and free your son. How did you get through this every single day when you knew he did not commit the crime?
BOUCHARD: Our faith and a lot of prayers. I have never been ashamed of my son, and I always believed in him. And DNA is God's signature, and God doesn't lie, and now everyone knows he is innocent. And we are just so thankful. We can't believe it has happened.
PHILLIPS: And Steven, how did you get through every day of prison knowing you were innocent?
BARNES: Well just -- I kept faith, hope and family support and friends and just stayed positive through the years. And I knew some day this day would come, you know.
PHILLIPS: And so, who approached you and said, Steven, I think we've got this new technology, I think it is going to do something really great for you? How did you find out? How did you respond? And were you nervous that day?
BARNES: Yes, yes. The Innocence Project took care of that with the new DNA testing. They put it -- put it all together for me because I had testing done back in the early '90s and it was not as advanced as it is now and -- being that -- modern technology at its finest cleared me. Because you need smaller amounts of evidence to get a DNA profile.
PHILLIPS: So what did you miss the most? What did you do as soon as you got out?
BARNES: I spent time at a restaurant with my family. I had a steak and shrimp dinner. And it was quite shocking, because you don't get real good food in prison. So it was very nice, you know.
PHILLIPS: I can only imagine.
And Sylvia, I know that you haven't had a Christmas tree for 20 years, because it just didn't feel right without your son.
BOUCHARD: No, no holiday was special without Steve.
PHILLIPS: Well, what are you doing now, Mom?
BOUCHARD: We are having a great Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. And we are very blessed with all the support we've had. The community has been phenomenal. At my house last night it was wall-to-wall people, you couldn't even move. The whole community -- the whole county has been phenomenal.
PHILLIPS: Steven, what is next for you besides readjusting?
BARNES: Just take one day at time a time. I'm going to go around and do a little work with the Innocence Project and speak for them. And you know, take one day at a time and take it from there, you know.
It is just a lot to get adjusted to and taking it slow, you know.
PHILLIPS: Understandable. You've had a rough 20 years, you remained strong, you're out. Bless you for that.
Steve Barnes, your amazing mom there by your side, never giving up on you.
BOUCHARD: Well, I will tell you when I got the news on Friday afternoon -- his attorney from the Innocence Project called and said, are you getting geared for Thanksgiving? And I said no, not really, we are really disappointed that the results didn't come back before the holiday. And she said set him a place at the Thanksgiving table because Steven is being released on Tuesday. And I couldn't believe it. I just didn't think I heard her right.
It was like a miracle. I was afraid to go to sleep that night because I thought and I would wake up and it had been a dream. But it's not and he is sitting here with me today. Thank you, God.
PHILLIPS: I know what you'll be giving thanks for this week when you're having that turkey together.
BOUCHARD: Steven is going to cook the turkey tomorrow and he is also going to carve it and give grace.
PHILLIPS: All right. Amen.
Sylvia and Steven, happy Thanksgiving.
BOUCHARD: We want to give a special thanks to the Innocence Project and Barry Sheck (ph) and Peter Neufield (ph). They have been phenomenal.
PHILLIPS: We give a shout out to them as well.
I apologize, guys, we've got to get to that latest out of Mumbai, India, the violence taking place there now.
