Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
North & South Korea Exchange Fire; William And Kate Set The Date; Winter Weather in Seattle
Aired November 23, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Live from studio 7 at CNN World Headquarters. The news and information you need for this Tuesday, November 23rd.
North Korea lobs heavy artillery at South Korea, and the South Korea (INAUDIBLE) the hostility is perhaps the most serious since the 1953 Korean truce.
Twenty-eight million fliers, 700 complaints. The government says the fuss over full body scans and pat downs is hyped. Some passengers aren't buying it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's ridiculous. And I think the pat downs have gotten -- if he did it to me, he'd go to jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And a Tennessee soldier returns from the war in Afghanistan astonishing his shocked family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A surprise two-week leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The surprise homecoming goes down at an NFL game.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
But we begin with breaking news. We are standing by now awaiting news out of Aruba. As you know, there was a jawbone fragment found on the island. That bone fragment was sent to the Netherlands for analysis. We are waiting for a determination from the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office to tell us what the results of the testing have indicated, and this is the critical question.
Is that jawbone linked to the Natalee Holloway case? Our Martin Savidge is on the island, and when we get any indication of any news when this press release, this statement is released, we will, of course, get to Marty, and we will bring you that information as soon as we get it. And we begin with the escalating tension between North and South Korea, two countries technically at war. This latest flashpoint comes on the hills of North Korea showing off its nuclear facilities. According to South Korea's defense ministry, the north fired artillery toward its disputed sea boarder, shelling an island in the yellow sea. South Korea was conducting military exercises at the time.
Officials say the attack killed two South Korean troops and wounded 15 others. South Korea fired back and deployed fighter jets in response. The U.S. has more than 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea. Let's do this. Let's bring in our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence. And Chris, let me get the story here correct. North Korea says its territorial waters were violated by South Korean shells which landed essentially in their pond? Is that why it attacked?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Sort of. The South Koreans, Tony, were in the middle of a training exercise. I spoke with a defense official here at the Pentagon who said this exercise has been planned for some time and the South Koreans informed North Korea before they fired the first artillery shell. So, he says, you know, the firing of this artillery should not have come as a surprise to North Korea.
But again, as the south started to conduct this drill, that angered the north, and the north with three separate barrages started shelling this island in South Korea. You mentioned, South Korea then responded. Now, hundreds of rounds were fired between the two of them over the course of about an hour, hour and a half, and again, I was told that Defense Secretary Robert Gates just got back from an overseas trip around midnight.
He was briefed on the situation, and he was scheduled to speak with his counterpart in South Korea by the end of this morning. The reason Americans would be, you know, worried or concerned about this is because the war between the two Koreas never officially ended. They signed the armistice, but the U.S. is still pledged to defend South Korea, and there are tens of thousands of American troops there, more than 50 U.S. naval vessels there. So, that's why, obviously, the American people have a stake in what happens over in that area.
HARRIS: OK. So, Secretary Gates is getting briefed on this. Aside from that, has there been an official response to all of this from the Pentagon as of yet?
LAWRENCE: No. If you're talking about any sort of escalation of force or moving more naval vessels to that area, nothing like that. They're talking with their South Korean counterparts of this toll. The phrase is "taking stock of the situation."
HARRIS: Yes.
LAWRENCE: Again, you know, they were saying, look, this just happened. They're still trying to fit the pieces together in like that, but as of right now, nothing that would escalate the situation any further.
HARRIS: Got you. OK. Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon for us. Chris, appreciate it. Thank you.
A quick reminder here for those of you who don't necessarily remember your Korean War history. Here's a bit of reminder. Korea was divided into the north and south at the end of World War II. Five years later, in 1950, North Korea invaded the south hoping to unite the entire peninsula under communist rule. Two days later, President Truman, authorized U.S. forces to defend the south and stop the spread of communism.
Three years later, in 1953, an armistice was signed ending the fighting, but there was no peace treaty, and technically, the Korean War is still not over.
OK. Let's get back to Aruba now. And our Martin Savidge is there on the phone with us. And Marty, my understanding is, we may be close to getting some kind of a statement from the prosecutor's office?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): That's correct, Tony. Yes, we've been told that it could be momentarily, that there is a statement that's going to be coming from the prosecutor's office. We understand that it will come in two ways. One, it could be transmitted electronically by e-mail. We'll also get a hard copy of some sort, and then we anticipate that the solicitor general will then come out for Aruba and deliver that statement, and also, perhaps, take some questions from reporters.
You know, of course, all of this dates back to the jawbone that was discovered on about the 12th of November by tourists. It was turned into a hotel front desk that was DeVry Phoenix Hotel (INAUDIBLE). And then, they turned it over to authorities, and authorities on the island then turned it over to the authorities in the Hague in the Netherlands.
And they have been putting it through forensic testing ever since, of course, trying to, one, determine if it's human. It's believed it is. And then the most important question, is it directly connected to the Natalee Holloway disappearance case and that's the information we're waiting on to announce (ph), Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Martin Savidge there. And Marty, when you get anything on this, just give us a heads up. Let's take a break. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. We are standing by for news out of the Aruba prosecutor's office. As you know, there was a jawbone found on the island. It's been sent to the Netherlands for an examination first to determine, as you heard from Marty Savidge, whether or not it is a human jawbone, and then, frankly whether or not it is Natalee Holloway's jawbone. That's the news we're waiting for right now. We expect that shortly in some kind of a statement.
Maybe the prosecutor will come out of his or her office to make that statement. Maybe it will be a written statement. But when we have it, we will, of course, share that with you.
You are packing your bags in many cases, heading out, or waiting for your loved ones to arrive. It is a big travel week across the country. Jacqui Jeras is watching the roads, let's see, the skies, from the CNN travel desk. Jacqui, it's good to be busy. And my guess is it's starting today. I know it really picks up in earnest tomorrow.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Tomorrow is the busiest, usually, of all of the days, and we've got a lot of weather-related travel problems expected. Today, a lot of the problems have been volume-related. In fact, we've got some delays right now in Teterboro, New Jersey, about 15-minute departure delays. So, they've got some volume and runway issues going on.
Two of the worst cities for travel today, take a look, at our tower camps (ph) here, Salt Lake City, Utah. There you can see a live picture. The temperature right now, 37 degrees. They got wind gusts around 36 miles per hour, but a blizzard warning kicks in at 3:00 this afternoon. If you have to be somewhere in Salt Lake City later tonight or tomorrow, you got to go now.
Get it over and done with because it will literally be impossible to travel later on today. We're also trying to get things in Nashville, Tennessee. Showers and thunder showers roll through there earlier this morning. Still very cloudy and overcast. Showers and storms expected in the forecast through your Thursday, and there are multiple accidents around town. Big accidents at I-24 and I-40 at this hour. We're tracking it all from the CNN Travel Desk.
HARRIS: Good stuff. Jacqui, good to see you. Thank you.
Britain's royal couple announced wedding details today. Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry April 29th Westminster Abbey. The day will be an official holiday. The royals will pick up the cost of the wedding reported to be -- listen to this -- $20 million. British taxpayers will cover security costs.
And making news around the nation right now, bed bugs in a Southern Indiana hospital. Health officials say the unwanted visitors have shown up in two patient rooms at Bloomington Hospital. They're using heaters to try to kill the tiny blood suckers and their eggs.
Warnings are out in Boca Raton, Florida, about an aggressive otter. It has already attacked two people and a dog. The animal control officers are worried the otter may be rabid, and they are trying to trap it.
Gulf Coast casino workers are demanding more from BP. They are picketing outside the claims facility in Bay St. Louis saying they're tired of being denied compensation for claims they insist are legitimate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have lost almost $9,000 for the year to date. And they want to say that it was because of the economy and not due to the fact that thousands of tourists during our best months did not come down to the Gulf Coast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, today is the last day to file an emergency payment claim for financial losses caused by the Gulf oil disaster. The head of the BP claims fund, Kenneth Feinberg, is promising lump sum checks to individuals and businesses who file by midnight tonight, but the deal comes with strings attached. People who accept the money give up their right to sue BP later.
And just how much has the BP fund paid out so far? About $2 billion to more than 125,000 individuals and businesses.
The Vikings head coach, Brad Childress, take a hike, and after all of the hype, the Miami Heat are an average team.
The great Michelle Beadle from ESPN Sports Nation Program joining us to tell us why the Heat is so average. Michelle, let's do this in a couple of minutes, all right?
MICHELLE BEADLE, COHOST, ESPN SPORTS NATION: All right.
HARRIS: We'll see you. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Let's see here. The Minnesota Vikings fire head coach, Brad Childress, and when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined D- Wade in South Beach, taking our talents to South Beach, the Miami Heat was supposed to be an instant championship contender, right? But so far, they are an average ballclub. ESPN's Michelle Beadle. Hey, Michelle, don't they know you're a big star and to get the air- conditioning and everything else going up there for you. Where are you, in Buffalo?
(LAUGHTER)
BEADLE: Yes. I'm in Buffalo. I'm in Buffalo. Matt said he was going to help fan me off, but I don't know when that's starting.
HARRIS: Well, yes, you need these handlers. Hey, Michelle, first of all, good to see you. You do a terrific job on that show. What's the story --
BEADLE: Thanks.
HARRIS: What's the story with the Heat? The record is 8-6. LeBron says they're not having a whole lot of fun right now. What's going on?
BEADLE: It has been an interesting project, so far. You know, I was a LeBron fan before this decision last summer. So, for me, it's been one of those 180s that I've had in the sports world. I'm leading the hate wagon right now against the Heat. It's fun to watch because they were supposed to challenge the whole 72 win season, and at 8-6, it doesn't -- they don't have a big man.
(INAUDIBLE) is down now. They're not playing like a team. The bench had four points last night. Dwyane Wade hit one shot.
HARRIS: Yes.
BEADLE: This isn't what everyone had in mind when they said big three down in South Beach, and if you're a big fan of karma, this is kind of what we're seeing happen right now.
HARRIS: So, who takes the hit for this? I mean, come on, they're going to get a beat down tonight. Aren't they playing Orlando in Orlando?
BEADLE: Yes. I mean, they handed it to Orlando the last time they played each other. I think 22 points they beat them by, but I don't see this being the same Miami team. I don't know who takes the hit because Derek Bolster (ph) is doing what he is supposed to be doing, but what you're seeing on the court, I don't think is what he's putting on the boards.
I think they go out and they want to put one-on-one ball and that's not what going to happen here. This could be a great game, Magic playing them, I believe tomorrow night. So, we'll see. I think Orlando is looking for some serious revenge at this point.
HARRIS: OK. Let's shift gears here and talk about Brad Childress, the Minnesota Vikings lost season. You are getting all kinds of reports from insiders in the camp talking about how the team just didn't like Childress, that he had lost the locker room. Any surprise here? Should it have come earlier?
BEADLE: I think maybe that's the surprise, that it didn't come earlier. It feels as though he's been a dead man walking for quite a few weeks now. It's weird because he was one of the guys who wanted Brett Favre there. And Brett Favre seemed to have saved his job, for nothing else, and at least, another season. And now, it looks like Bret Favre's part of the reason why he's out.
And then, of course, all the anonymous players who don't want to put their names on their hate for Coach Childress. But, you know, it's too late this season. I'm sure, Brett Favre is done. Although, never say never with all number four. But we'll see. It's been rough. It's hard to walk into a locker room knowing that half of those guys hate you, but you don't know who it is. It's a tough gig. You have to feel bad for the guy, at some point.
HARRIS: So, here's my moment from the weekend. So, Ben Roethlisberger decides, hey, hey, hey, let me jump in here. Let me jump in here. And Richard Seymour says, you know what, big kids play here. This is where the men play, all right? Sit down. Children are seen and not heard. Have some ground. Come on, you loved this moment, Beadle, come on. BEADLE: I love this moment. Look, I'm not fooling anyone when I'm saying I'm an unbiased journalist. I'm not. I'm a sports fan. So, for me, Ben Roethlisberger getting slapped in the face was a great moment over the weekend. He got $25,000 fine. Seymour did. He's 11- year vet. It was his second fight, and for that, it's black and white. You get $25,000.
I know some people are calling for, he should be suspended. James Harrison being one of them since he's been writing checks all season long. But, you know, if you're a dad out there and you don't like what Roethlisberger's accused of doing off the field, it was a pretty good moment as far as the week was concerned.
HARRIS: Hey, tell everyone when your show is on the air. You do a terrific job. You and that Cowherd guy.
BEADLE: That Cowherd guy. Who is he? You know what, around 4:00 eastern time every day except for this week because mama got to get fat and that's what Thanksgiving is all about for me. So, we're off for the week, but yes, we'll be back next week. Going to Bahamas. It should be an interesting rest of the year for us. We'll see.
HARRIS: When mama is happy, everybody's happy. So eat up.
BEADLE: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Happy Thanksgiving. Come on back and visit us again.
BEADLE: You too.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, that was fun.
BEADLE: Anytime.
HARRIS: Still to come, contestants on "Dancing With The Stars" perform their final numbers. Tonight, Bristol Palin scored her highest points of the season in the first part of the finale last night, but Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey had higher scores. Still, one judge is saying it is pretty much anyone's guess who will win that ball thingy tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, we understand that the analysis is in on the jawbone that was found on the island of Aruba on or about the 12th of this month. Our Marty Savidge is standing outside the prosecutor's office and waiting for the results to be made public. When we get that information, of course, it goes without saying, we'll share that with you.
Stocks all around the world are selling off today, in Asia, Europe and here at home. Carter Evans is on the floor of New York Stock Exchange with details. And Carter, how much of this goes back to what's happening on the Korean Peninsula?
CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, certainly a lot of it goes back to what happened in South Korea today, North Korea's attack on South Korea. You know, Wall Street hates uncertainty, and there is a lot of uncertainty there right now, and you can certainly clearly see it reflected in the numbers. Check it out right now.
The Dow down about 152 points. Not a good thing today, but we did get some good news today, Tony. We did find out that the second revision on our third quarter Gross Domestic Product is higher. Our economy grew at a rate of 2.5 percent in the third quarter, and that's good news.
HARRIS: OK. So, that's good news. Is it where we thought it would be? You would think if it's a good number, we would see a little pop in the positive direction on the Dow? Was it baked in?
EVANS: Well, you know, it's all relative. Yes, it's where we thought it would be. No, it's not good enough. But let me show you how bad it got, and it got at its worse in the fourth quarter of 2008. You can see it there on the chart. Our economy, our GDP down 6.8 percent. That was why we were in a recession. Our economy was receding. Analysts are saying, we need to see a Gross Domestic Product growth rate of approximately 5 percent to see the unemployment rate go down.
HARRIS: Wow. All right. Carter, so with the trend lines here, this is obviously a good thing. What's working well in the economy right now?
EVANS: OK. What's working well is we're seeing people spending more, but we need to see more of that. We're seeing bigger exports, but we need to see more of that. Bottom line, three words, bigger, faster, stronger.
HARRIS: Yes.
EVANS: That's what we need for this economy right now.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Absolutely. All right. Carter, good to see you as always. Thank you, sir. See you next hour.
EVANS: All right.
HARRIS: A rare sight in November. Tornadoes. We will show you which states took a pretty big hit and face a really significant cleanup right now. We're back in a moment. You're on the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Just like you, we are online looking out for trending stories to get them on the air. To do that, Sandra Endo covering that angle of what's hot right now, what's trending. Sandra, what are you finding?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot is trending today, Tony, but, check this out, this guy, especially. Eagles quarterback, Michael Vick, yes, on a redemption tour of sorts and first (ph) crazy huge numbers on the field, right? Well, now, he's going back into the communities, and he's going to two schools in Connecticut to talk to high school students about the brutality of dog fighting and animal cruelty.
It's a joint event with the humane society. And as you know, Tony, you talked about it a lot on your show, he was suspended in 2007 and thrown into prison to serve a nearly two-year sentence for bank rolling a Virginia dog fighting ring. Well, he was released in May last year. He was picked up by the Eagles, as you know, and vowed to turn his life around. So, clearly, some good news for the guy today, and that's trending on CNN.com.
HARRIS: That's terrific. And, you know, he is in this conversation for most valuable player of the NFL. So, we'll se where that goes. All right. Is that the number one item or is there something else for me?
ENDO: Well, yes, Michael Vick cleaning up his image. This guy also has image problem. We all know, actor, Charlie Sheen. Well, he's getting sued, and now, he's countersuing, and it all stems from his wild night last month at a New York City hotel when he was with a porn actress, Capri Anderson. And Anderson says she was hired by the actor to go and escort him to a dinner that night.
She said that he was heavily drinking and using a white powdery substance, and then she claims, he later put his hands around her neck, and she was fearing for her life. So, she slapped the actor with a lawsuit for damages. But Sheen's lawyer denies all those claims and says Anderson is just trying to cash in on his celebrity. So, Sheen is countersuing for extortion claiming the porn actress asked for a seven-figure sum to keep her silence, Tony. That's also trending on CNN.com if you want to check it out.
HARRIS: I kind of stay away from that story. Good to see you. Thank you. See you next hour.
ENDO: You got it.
HARRIS: Just feel like you need a shower whenever you --
OK. The clock is ticking for one of the biggest travel days of the year. CNN, your travel headquarters, here to help you get where you're going with as few hassles as possible.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. Let's get to Marty Savidge. He's on the island of Aruba. And Marty, I understand you've got some information from the prosecutor's office, the long-awaited statement.
SAVIDGE: Correct, Tony. The information is that the bone that was discovered on the beach November 12th is not, I repeat, is not Natalee Holloway. That, of course, had been the speculation ever since the discovery had been found by tourists that have been turned over to authorities and then sent to the Hague in the Netherlands for forensic examination. The testing has come back and the results show that it does not belong in any way to Natalee Holloway who is the missing teenager from Alabama, whose case is not notorious on this (INAUDIBLE) getting back some 5 1/2 years when she disappear. Hopes were high that, perhaps, this would give some insight as to what may have happened to her, but authorities now say it is not Natalee Holloway.
They have done dental comparisons, and they have also done DNA comparisons, and apparently, through their studies, they have been able to determine that it's not the missing Alabama teenager. The question is, though, who is it and who does it connect to? And that is the next part of the investigation that authorities are working on.
SAVIDGE: -- does not belong in any way to Natalee Holloway, who was the missing teenager from Alabama, whose case is notorious on this island, dating back some five and a half years when she disappeared. Hopes were high that perhaps this would give some insight as to what may have happened to her, but authorities now say it is not Natalee Holloway.
They have done dental comparisons and they have also done DNA comparisons and apparently through their studies they have been able to determine that it's not the missing Alabama teenager. The question is, though, who does it connect to? And that is the next part of the investigation that authorities are working on. They are hoping that there is enough DNA still retained within the bone to try to determine who, exactly it is, because clearly we're talking about someone who is deceased.
So, that's the next effort that's underway. But the question mark was is it Natalee Holloway? And the answer is, no, it is not. That coming from the prosecutor's office just moments ago.
We'll, of course, continue to give you more details as they becomes available, Tony.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
All right. Marty Savidge. Marty, appreciate it. Thank you.
And let's do this. Let's get an update now on one of our other top stories, the escalation of tensions between North and South Korea. CNN's Stan Grant is following developments from South Korea.
And Stan, again, we're trying to assess what happens with this story next. Is there going to be some kind of an escalation in response to what has happened here?
What are you hearing?
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is really the unanswerable question right now, Tony. You talk about North Korea, it's difficult to predict at the best of times. This is a hermetic regime, as we know, it's a regime that has been paranoid, it has been concerned as what it sees as provocative measures coming from the United States and from South Korea.
If you just look at the language of North Korea at the moment, it's interesting. They're calling South Korea a puppet group, a puppet of the United States. They're saying that South Korea had been carrying out war exercises and that's why it retaliated today with shelling of this island that's about 70 kilometers from where time standing here at the Port of Incheon.
Now, North Korea also saying that it will respond to any more provocation with military might. It says it will be a merciless military confrontation. That gives the indication of just how they are ratcheting up the tensions here.
Now, the South Korean leadership has been bunkered down, trying to find a way forward, as well. What we're hearing from South Korea's president that they don't want to respond just with words, either. They want to take this to another level.
This has been simmering for a long time. Earlier this year there, Tony, there was an attack on a vessel here in the waters and 46 South Korean sailors were killed. But what makes this different, what makes this all the more frightening is that this was an attack on a civilian island. We're now seeing civilians brought into this, an already volatile place that is now really at knife's edge, Tony.
HARRIS: Stan, in this case, we're also talking about the deaths of two South Korean troops and 15 others wounded. That would seem to indicate some kind of response from the international community would be forthcoming. We've heard nothing concrete from the U.S. Pentagon at this point.
Are you hearing anything from other nations in terms of what might be a response to this?
GRANT: No. The United States, of course, doesn't want to relay its alert. It doesn't want to give away what it may do in response to this. But it's interesting that Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. Envoy, is in the region at the moment. He's in crucial talks with China.
Now, China, of course, the closest ally to North Korea. They've described that relationship in the past as being like lips and teeth, that's how close it is. If anyone can try to bring some influence to bear on North Korea, it would be China. Japan also watching this wearily. It have a tense relationship, itself, with North Korea. And North Korea in the past has talked about shelling Tokyo, saying it has missiles and it could fire -- that could reach Tokyo.
So this is very much an unknown situation. And when you get North Korea at the moment with Kim Jong-Il, its leader, who's had his own health problems, looking at a transition to his son, they're developing their nuclear program. They've tested nuclear weapons twice in the past, it gives you just an indication of just how fluid and volatile this is. And any reaction from the United States, from Japan, South Korea, will be seen by North Korea as a provocation.
HARRIS: Very good. All right, Stan Grant for us. Stan, good to see you. As always, thank you.
And let us circle back to the news from just moments ago. The jaw bone that was found on the island of Aruba, the 12th of this month. The testing has come back and from the Netherlands, and we received a statement from the prosecutor's office on the Island of Aruba just moments ago, that the jaw bone found is not that of Natalie Holloway.
Let's take a break. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get back to Aruba now and our Martin Savidge.
Marty, let's do this. My understanding is you have the statement from the prosecutor's office on the test results of this bone fragment. Why don't you work through that for us, if you wouldn't mind?
SAVIDGE: Well, it's going to be difficult only because it was electronically transmitted and I don't have a device right now that picks it up so I've been getting it from authorities.
We are anticipating that almost momentarily, that the solicitor general for Aruba will come out because this was the way it was planned, that once it was electronically transmitted, then he will come out and deliver the statement in person. So that's what we're waiting on. And also take our questions.
But I have reviewed the statement thoroughly and I can tell you that the way the identification process was made was through dental records. And that's how excluded that this bone belonged to Natalee Holloway. In other words, the jawbone is not that of Natalee Holloway.
You may remember that once that bone was discovered by tourists on the 12th shortly thereafter, it was sent off to the Hague in the Netherlands, and there it went through forensic testing by their best people. And now the results have come back. And there were also -- a request was made of the Holloway family for the dental records. And Dave Holloway, Natalee's father, supposedly made that happen and they were transmitted to the Hague.
So that's how they were able to essentially rule out that it was Natalee Holloway. They were looking at things like molars, and they were looking at things like wisdom teeth, and apparently they did not match up in any way and they quickly ruled it out. But, it is human and it clearly belongs to somebody, and the question is now, how did it happen. Do they have a missing person here? Or do they have a case of foul play? We don't know. It's far too early to speculate on that.
But, what they will do next is try to glean whatever DNA there is still remaining in that jawbone to make some sort of match to someone. But they say, this bone's been exposed to a lot of the weather and it's been greatly degraded over time. So it's not clear.
So right now we're waiting for the official announcement, that is someone to come out from the government, the solicitor general, and deliver the news directly to us. And when they do, we'll be here, Tony.
HARRIS: Marty, appreciate it. Thank you.
Martin Savidge on Aruba for us.
About 40 million people are heading out this Thanksgiving holiday. If your destination is Seattle, man, plan to take it easy. A big storm has slammed into that city and the roads are icy, at best, as we take a look at pictures from our tower cams around the country.
And let's get to Miami. Plenty of sunshine in Miami, and you can bet that airport is going to be packed. Don't forget to pack some patience along with the sun screen.
Government officials say the uproar over full body scans and enhanced pat-downs at airports is hyped. During the first two weeks of enhanced screenings, the TSA says it got about 700 complaints out of 28 million fliers. Seven hundred complaints out of 28 million fliers. Still, the debate rages as Americans head out for the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no problems doing it, as long as we are secure in America, it's fine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have not had a flight go down since 2001. We have not needed any of these procedures and I don't believe TSA has ever found a terrorist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go and get dental x-rays once a year. I understand it's similar to that. I fly probably 50,000 miles a year. So I wouldn't worry one second about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So all of the griping over full body scans and pat-downs leads to the question, are there other options?
Raffi Ron was director of security at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport in Israel from 1997 to 2001. He now works as an aviation security consultant in the Washington area. I mention El-Al because they are sort of widely recognized as having the best procedures for keeping fliers safe.
But, Raffi, are there alternatives that keep your privacy and your dignity in check?
RAFFI RON, AVIATION SECURITY CONSULTANT: Well, there are no perfect alternatives except a different approach that has been implemented in Israel for the last 40 years focused on the passenger himself, trying to realize the level of risk of each individual passenger. And only then, adjusting the level of search to the level of risk.
So, most of the public, which does not represent the high risk level, is subjected to very standard, relatively low and less intrusive procedures while those that end up on the high end of the risk spectrum can expect to be subjected to even more intrusive procedures than those that we see here.
HARRIS: Hey, Raffi, those who end up on the high end, who get the additional screening, how do they get there? Are they -- we've had this discussion before. Are they profiled?
RON: Well, you can use the term profiling, but I want to make sure that we all understand that we're not talking about racial profiling or ethnic or religious profiling. Actually, all of those elements are not really essential in a good, professional, security profiling program.
And I will just show you a simple straightforward example. If we look at the printers that came out of Yemen a few weeks ago, and we just look at the information that was involved with those parcels as they were sent. First of all, we see printers being exported from Yemen to the United States, which already doesn't make a lot of sense to start with. But the red flag becomes much bigger when you realize that those parcels and printers have been addressed to a Jewish synagogue in Chicago, which doesn't make sense. And that, by itself, was enough to draw special attention to those parcels.
Same principle can be applied with people and we can pick up a lot. It has been done in the past successfully, many times. And it has proven to be an extremely strong deterring factor for bad guys.
HARRIS: You also say that an interview process should be added at the airport.
RON: Correct.
HARRIS: What would that entail and wouldn't that slow things down? You know, Americans and travellers don't like to be inconvenienced.
RON: Well I'm not suggesting that everybody would be interviewed, of course. What I do suggest, though, is that when we do decide to make somebody a selectee for one reason or another, and we find out that we're not satisfied just by the simple screening process, we need to have the ability to talk to this person at a professional level and find out if there's something else of interest to us.
That was -- that could have been the case with people like Abdulmutallab on Christmas Day, or Richard Reid eight years earlier. I'm sure a professional interview would have exposed these people as highly suspicious.
HARRIS: Yes. Raffi, it's great to see you. As always, good talking to you. Thank you for your time and happy holidays.
RON: Thank you, Tony. HARRIS: Snow in the Pacific Northwest, no big deal, right? Well, unless you live in Seattle. We will take a look at a city pretty much snowed in right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Violent storms in ? This Is, I guess, just one of a serious of tornadoes spotted yesterday. Witnesses say one touched down near Rockford causing a school bus to roll over; six children were injured in that accident. And another destroyed several buildings in Caledonia, ripped up transmission towers, knocked down power and knocked It out to about 40,000 homes and businesses.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: OK. Personnel changes for the Obama administration, Brianna Keilar, part of "The Best Political Team On Television" live from the White House.
Personnel changes. Tell us more, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. President Obama bringing in his former campaign manager, David Plouffe, to work alongside his senior adviser, David Axelrod, before Axelrod leaves the White House to go work on Obama's reelection.
This is coming to us from our chief White House correspondent Ed Henry who is telling us that Axelrod could be leaving sooner than expected, maybe as soon after the State of the Union in January and Ed's reporting that this could all be part of a spate of turnovers here at the White House. Maybe this is just one of them.
And also on the Ticker, let's head to Texas. The fate of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay now in the hands of a jury. Closing arguments held Monday in his trial. He's charged with illegally funneling corporate donations to help elect Republicans in the Texas legislature.
You'll recall, this has been a long time coming. He was indicted in 2005, he resigned in 2006. He's actually pleaded not guilty to both money laundering and conspiracy and has said that this trial is going to exonerate him. We'll certainly see there, Tony.
And to Chicago now. The mayoral race there. The first African- American woman to win a seat in the U.S. Senate, she's now thrown her hat into the ring for this race. She's joining a pretty crowded field with major contenders including the former chief of staff here at the White House, Rahm Emanuel, all of them jockeying now, Tony, to replace Richard Daley who has been the mayor of Chicago for more than 20 years.
All of that on the Ticker. HARRIS: Wow. That's Carol Moseley Brawn you're speaking of.
KEILAR: Yes, of course. I didn't say. I buried the lead.
HARRIS: All right, Brianna, appreciate it. Thank you.
Your next political update in an hour. For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com. Another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: One concussion is bad. Did you know two concussions can literally kill? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to a former all- pro quarterback whose life was forever changed on one play.
Also next hour, traveling with your pets, how you can make it a bit less stressful.
We're back in a moment.
