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Clashes of Two Koreas; Huge Student Protests Rock London
Aired November 24, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
HARRIS: I'm walking in with facts on the fabulous Spectrum in Philadelphia.
PHILLIPS: And people are wondering why are we playing "Rocky" music?
HARRIS: It's Philadelphia.
PHILLIPS: It's Philadelphia. Exactly.
HARRIS: It's the spectrum, and coming down the wrecking ball.
PHILLIPS: That's right, that's right. And you know, a lot of history in that place, especially with you and pop.
HARRIS: My dad lived for a lot of years in Philadelphia, right?
PHILLIPS: Yes.
HARRIS: And my dad would take me to the Spectrum and take me to see - ready for this? Roller derby, right, to see the great Little Richard Brown, right? And he would also take me to see wrestling. And this is the wrecking ball yesterday. So the Spectrum is coming down, open for 42 years. Concerts. Sporting events. Julius Erving was there. I see Doc at the Spectrum. In think at the Great Dave, Zincoff. The public just (INAUDIBLE)
PHILLIPS: Is that the (INAUDIBLE).
HARRIS: Yes, you see a shot of him.
PHILLIPS: Really?
HARRIS: There he is.
PHILLIPS: Dave Zincoff would announce the doctor's arrival. Number 6, Julius Erving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Julius, "The Doctor" Erving.
PHILLIPS: Love it. You've got it down. Oh, he was such a stud. HARRIS: Yes, yes.
PHILLIPS: Still is.
HARRIS: He really is.
PHILLIPS: That's when, you know, that's when athletics had a whole different kind of tone and attitude. You know.
HARRIS: Shorts.
PHILLIPS: And a big afro.
HARRIS: And a big afro, absolutely. So, yes, so the spectrum is saying bye-bye, I'll tell you, a lot of memories going with it.
PHILLIPS: It just kills me you used to go watch wrestling and roller derby.
HARRIS: The Great Bruno San Martino. OK.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.
HARRIS: Bo-bo Brazil.
PHILLIPS: These are the oldies.
HARRIS: Andre the Giant.
PHILLIPS: No Hulk Hogan at this time.
HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE)
PHILLIPS: Happy Turkey day. Give us the walk.
Tony Harris, ladies and gentlemen.
HARRIS: Something like that?
PHILLIPS: Oh, lord.
10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. out west. The following breaking news at London right now where the streets are basically being over run by students. They're demonstrating against a planned university tuition hike. They're disrupting traffic, they're shouting. They're holding signs (INAUDIBLE) unite and fight education, not segregation. Dozens of those students have been arrested. They're protesting the government plan to let universities triple tuition fees. We're talking about U$5,000 to U$15,000.
All right. Dangerous situation unfolding in Korea following yesterday's surprise artillery shelling of a South Korean island. The South is threatening enormous retaliation after that attack that left four people dead. The North says it was provoked. And the U.S. is about to be in the middle of it all. Confirming today that we will start military drills with South Korea in the Yellow Sea. And first comes travel. Then turkey. Then shopping. This year, some shoppers have a secret weapon. Smart Phone Apps. Big deals, special coupons and loyalty perks sent right to your phone.
Well, it's crunch time for Thanksgiving travel. And whether you're heading up by car, by plane or waiting for loved ones to get to you we've got you covered. Here's the situation in the air right now. Each one of the dots, you're about to see is a plane, and thousands of them are airborne right now making their way to airports across the country. But it's catching that flight that's making a lot of Americans nervous.
With the planned body-scan protests, protesters are threatening to create security line gridlock. Jeanne Meserve is at Reagan National Airport talking to passengers there. Jacqui Jeras is manning the travel desk. And out Reynolds Wolf, keeping an eye on all the treacherous winter weather. But let's go ahead and start with the airport.
If you're flying, you've got to get through security before you get on that plane. And you may want to keep your eye on the clock because protesters are pretty upset about the new full body scanners planning to opt out, going for those TSA pat downs instead. But that could get frustrating for every one in line. The full-body scan takes about 20 seconds, the pat down, two minutes.
Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve live at Reagan National. Jeanne, it was calm about an hour ago, what do you think now?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: No frustration here. I mean, look behind me, just a handful of people waiting to get through security. You have on the monitoring the administrator of the TSA telling people you can opt out of the scanning machines, you can get a patdown. You have this online movement encouraging people to opt out. But there's no indication they're doing it in large numbers here or at other airports. We spoke to a couple. Their viewpoints typical of what we've heard.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the end of the day, I think that security's security. It's their jobs to protect our lives. And as a passenger, you know, I'm susceptible to it as well as anybody else. So I want my life to be safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd rather get to my gate and get on the plane and get home. Yes, they're doing their jobs. It might be misguided but they're doing their jobs. I don't want to make it harder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: And we have talked to arriving passengers from other airports. We've talked to the TSA. Nobody is talking about big waits or big protests at any of these airports. The snarls that we anticipated today because of the opt-out protests at this point, at least, don't appear to be materializing. Back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. That's good news. Jeanne, thanks so much.
And Jacqui, you're over there at the CNN Travel wall/desk. A lot of people getting on the road today. How is the travel weather looking?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, it's not great. You know, Reynolds has been talking about the nation's midsection. That's where we've had all the showers and thunderstorms and snow conditions. It's causing a lot of problems the interstates and a few things in the airwaves as well.
I want to show you our live pictures that we have from Cincinnati, from our affiliate WLTT TV, 32 degrees right now and the rain is coming down. Cincinnati, you've got a flood watch in effect. We're expecting some very heavy rain to move in. So travel conditions are going to get worse as you've already had a really slow commute so far this morning.
All right. Let's check some other areas. The nation's midsection. This is from traffic.com. And this is in Kansas City, Missouri. We just found an accident on interstate 70. This is eastbound, at this point, just past 38th Street and Park Drive, there's an accident there blocking the left lane. Police, tow trucks all on the scene.
So you use a lot of caution if you try to go through that area. And we're checking with our affiliates today, too, KSDK TV, out of St. Louis, Missouri, showing you all the wet weather that you've had in St. Louis. There you can see the wet cam from highway 40 and to 70. Traffic has been moving pretty smoothly right now in St. Louis but there are some backups there as well.
Let's go out west. We've been talking the last two days about the blizzard-type conditions in Salt Lake City. Well, that blizzard warning finally expired. That's some good news. But we've got some problems. There's a road closure here. State route 143 at Bryant Head to Mammoth Creek. That's closed right now. Also, take a look at all the red here around the downtown area. That means things are slow going.
We're monitoring things, by the way, at cnn.com/holidaytravel. You can find out all kinds of weather information there. And Marnie Hunter from CNN.com, by the way, is checking things on Twitter. And we just heard from Jeanne, Kyra, about things are going smoothly there. Everything on Twitter, we've seen have all been good news as people are breezing through the security lines today. But we'll continue to watch it for you.
PHILLIPS: OK. Great. Thanks, Jacqui. Reynolds Wolf as Jacqui mentioned, he's watching all that frigid weather and snowy weather. I guess out west is where we're seeing some action, yes?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Parts of the West Coast are going to be picture perfect plus the eastern seaboard is going to be great. And if you happen to be say tuning in from (INAUDIBLE) California or maybe the outer banks of North Carolina, life is beautiful for you. But as your fellow Americans right smack dab in the middle of the country, they're dealing with some terrible weather, rain, sleet, snow, possibly some isolated flooding around St. Louis and then back to the Central Rockies.
We're talking about not only snowfall. But snow coupled with wind gusts of 60 perhaps even 70 miles per hour. So we're looking in a very rough day and this will continue into tomorrow. But first, let's talk about the snow. We're seeing some of that develop up in the northern plains. That will ramp up later on tonight. The snow, at least when you have blizzard condition, blizzards believe it or not are primarily a wind event.
No blizzards in parts of the northeast but still the wind is going to cause major problems and delays in Bangor, back to Portland, even in Boston, at Logan. Your smaller airports are going to have issues there as Jacqui has been talking about throughout the morning.
But then when you head on towards the west again, we're going to see that transformation of not only the wind but the moisture and that cold air coming in behind it. In Fargo, since snow over across the river and Morehead, on the other side (INAUDIBLE) these problems. In St. Louis, we've had some scattered showers, we could see some flooding there as we talked about earlier. And it looks like that may continue into tomorrow as well. The rain really beginning to pick up on 70. Very quickly as we wrap things up, this area of low pressure, this frontal boundary all goes eastward, the eastern third of the country getting socked with it. A bit of a break in the central planes still beautiful out towards the west. Let's send it back to you.
PHILLIPS: A little snap in there.
WOLF: A snap in the forecast.
PHILLIPS: OK. Right on. Thanks, Reynolds.
All right. We take you live to London. You know, we've talked about this at the beginning of November, I think it was around November 10th that first week. There were protests on behalf of students because of tuition hikes. And it got pretty hairy. They had broken into the conservative part of Parliament. And broken windows and set off fires outside that building.
Well, this is what it looks like today. Pretty chaotic, just like we saw last time. But so far it hasn't gotten too out of control. There have been some arrests. And we're just seeing this video in actually down on the street. The live pictures are there down on the streets.
The students had bombarded a police van. And I think that's where this live shot is right now where you can see the broken glass on the front of that windshield. I think that's a police van that the students had been throwing rocks at and pushing and trying to overturn.
We're talking about thousands and thousands. Yes, it sure is. That is the same police van. So now they've locked arms around that specifically. And why are they so upset? Tuition there in London at the universities, $5,000. That was the cap. Now, they're talking about raising it to $15,000. So tripling the tuition there.
And listen to this - OK. I thought maybe there would be some interviews but we don't have very much sound there. The video is just getting fed into us. So this is what it looks like from the ground where those students are protesting. Anyway, we're keeping an eye on the story for you. And we'll bring you details as we get new information.
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PHILLIPS: You know the Cookie Monster? He's blue, furry, has an insatiable sweet tooth and he keeps the keebler elves very busy. Now, he wants to expand his horizon from cookies to comedy.
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COOKIE MONSTER: Me think it's time to branch out beyond cookie-eating career. Yes. Next for the next logical step. Hosting "Saturday Night Live."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the grassroots efforts actually got Betty White on to "SNL." Let's see it if it works for the monster.
The star of the movie "Dirty Dancing" wins "Dancing with the Stars," Sounds pretty fitting, right? Nobody backs baby into a corner. But Jennifer Grey wasn't a lock to take home the championship even though most consider her the best dancer. "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer joins me now with more on this show's finale. You and I have talked about this, you're probably happy about this win?
A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: It's over.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it's over.
HAMMER: And by the way, and far be it from me, I loathe to correct anybody, isn't the line "nobody puts baby in the corner?" I could be wrong. I'm not calling anybody out here but I've heard that line quite a few times and I'm just saying.
PHILLIPS: No, you're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. It's "nobody puts baby into the corner." That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
HAMMER: Let's settle this once and for all, Kyra. Because yes, it is done. We have had weeks of twists and turns and controversies and conspiracy theories and now the winner of "Dancing with the Stars" did end up, in fact, being the one contestant that everyone assumed would win the whole thing back when the season started. As you mentioned, it's former "Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey who out danced Disney actor Kyle Massey and sent teen mom Bristol Palin back to Alaska. Grey and partner, Derek Hough, are taking that championship mirror ball trophy after last night's grand finale.
And of course, "Showbiz Tonight" was right there backstage after the show. Bristol told us she is relieved it's over. I can understand that. She had one last message for the fans that kept on voting for her.
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BRISTOL PALIN, "DANCING WITH THE STARS" FINALIST: I'm very grateful for the people out there that did support us and voted for us and kept us through this whole time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: All right. Well, the one step that keeps getting a lot of attention today, Kyra, is the fact that Jennifer Grey is 50 years old. Her two closest competitors, Kyle was 19, Bristol was 20. So good for Jennifer and I think everybody who is really a fan of the show is happy to see that in the end, it ended up being about who danced the best.
Again, as I said to you yesterday, we can give Bristol a lot of credit for how far she came in this competition, how she came out of her shell, but the best dancer won.
PHILLIPS: There you go. And 50 is the new 20, A.J., you know that.
HAMMER: Yes, exactly.
PHILLIPS: Let's talk about the Travoltas welcoming a new member to their family.
HAMMER: Yes, this is great news for John Travolta and his family. We have just confirmed that John and his wife, Kelly Preston, have welcomed a brand new baby boy named Benjamin. Benjamin weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz, he was born Tuesday at a Florida hospital. The rep tells "Showbiz Tonight" that "John, Kelly and daughter Ella Bleu are ecstatic about the newest member of the family, both mother and baby are healthy and doing beautifully."
The couple's daughter, Ella Bleu is 10 years old. We all remember that tragic time when their son, Jett, died after seizure at age 16. That was in early last year. So good news for the Travoltas. And we congratulate them this morning.
PHILLIPS: A.J., thanks. If you want information, everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J.'s got it for you. "Showbiz Tonight" 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
"Star Wars," has action, explosions, light sabers, what kid wouldn't like that. But when a seven-year-old girl expressed her love for the flick, well, the insults weren't far behind. Luckily, the force is with Katie and now she's redefining cool in her classroom.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luke, we're going to hit somebody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little short for a storm trooper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huh? Oh, uniform. I'm Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: One girl is at the center of the "Star Wars" universe right now. And if you thing it's Princess Leia, think again. Thousands of fans from around the world are rallying around a seven-year-old Chicago girl. Katie Goldman is in love with the franchise. But when she expressed that love at school with a "Star Wars" water bottle she was bullied. Her classmates said "Star Wars" was for boys only.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE GOLDMAN, "STAR WARS" FAN: It's really cool because you press this button and then it flips up. When I first brought it, some boys at school teased me. And they said that only boys like "Star Wars," not girls. I felt really bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, that is so not true. Girls love it, too. A number of us loved it, Katie. That's when Katie's mom stepped in. Taking it to her blog to stand up for her little girl. Carrie Goldman is joining us live from Chicago. So Carrie, when did you know it was so bad you that you had to do something about the bullying?
CARRIE GOLDMAN, DAUGHTER BULLIED FOR LOVE OF "STAR WARS": Well, really, when my daughter decided to change her behavior and stop carrying something that she loved, that told me something was happening that was affecting how she felt to the point that she no longer felt comfortable being herself. And it was the anti-bullying week at the schools. And I decided, hey, here's an opportunity for me to write about this. And really teach people that if we can have some early intervention while it's still teasing, it can prevent us getting down that slippery slope to bullying that's so dangerous that we keep hearing about with the older children.
PHILLIPS: So true. And you don't want to get it to the point where your child thinks about the worst possible thing and that's taking their own life. I mean, we've had way too many stories about that lately. I'm curious, when you said her behavior started changing, did she say "Mom, I don't think I like this thermos anymore. Can I have a different one?" What did she say where you knew uh-oh, something's up.
CARRIE GOLDMAN: Well, the two of us usually pack her lunch together in the morning. She's always been very excited about filling that "Star Wars" water bottle. One morning, a few weeks ago, she said, you know, my "Star Wars" water bottle is too small. And she picked a different one, a pink one that was incidentally smaller.
So my mommy radar went off. And I thought, I'm not going to let this just sit. I want to see what she isn't saying. You know, she's saying it's too small. But what is she not saying. So I pushed her on it a little bit and she started to cry. And she told me that the boys at school were teasing her at lunch and again they were following her at recess and telling her "Star Wars" is for boys and not for girls. And she wanted them to stop so she decided to change her water bottle. And that's when I realized, OK, wait a minute, "Star Wars" is for everyone. And let's sit down and talk about this.
PHILLIPS: And you have been just been amazing for stepping in and handling this quickly, Carrie. And you wrote on your blog, you said "Katie cannot control the fact that she's different due to adoption or poor eyesight but she can control what accessories she carries to school. She has learned that there are degrees of being different and she wants to minimize how different she is." What type of response -
CARRIE GOLDMAN: Right.
PHILLIPS: - did you get for that? And is it true at that cast of "Star Wars" actually reached out to you guys?
CARRIE GOLDMAN: It's been nothing short of astonishing and incredible. Katie's a fabulous little girl. And she has had to learn that she's different. She's had to accept the fact that she has amblyopia, it's an eye condition that causes her to wear a patch instead of glasses. That's been hard, the patch. The glasses she's pretty much OK with. She is adopted. You know, there are things that make her different that she cannot control.
And the final straw was that she was being teased for liking "Star Wars," she thought, well, here's something I can control. OK. I won't carry my "Star Wars" water bottle. And the "Star Wars" world stood up and said, "oh, no, no, no, the force is with Katie. We are behind you. You can be yourself. You can be different. You're fabulous the way you are." And what has been so heartwarming for me has been seeing that in this time where we keep hearing about cyber bullying and the internet tearing children down, I have a child that's been boosted by the internet. Because we've received thousands of e-mails and letters and comments and yes, we got a private message from Obi-Wan Kenobi. And we've received e-mail from Tom Kean who does the voice of Yoda. And the woman, Cat Taber who does Queen Amidala.
You know, we've just had -
PHILLIPS: That's just amazing.
CARRIE GOLDMAN: Really, and outpouring of support.
PHILLIPS: And I understand it's pretty incredible. And I understand the bullying has stopped, right? CARRIE GOLDMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: These kids are definitely (INAUDIBLE) and they're probably really jealous?
CARRIE GOLDMAN: Yes. It's funny, at her school we're actually trying to keep a lot of this part of it quiet because I don't want the wrong message to go out. It's not about hey, "Star Wars" cast and crew are now standing up for Katie so Katie's cool. The real point of the article was, let's start talking now to children about kids who are different.
And I think what happened is, Katie's school was phenomenal, and they sent out my article long before it became such a popular thing. So I think there were dialogues takes place in the houses with these young children. And I really think the teasing stopped because parents have been talking to their kids about kids who are different. And to me, that's actually even more exciting than the outpouring of the "Star Wars" love.
PHILLIPS: Absolutely.
CARRIE GOLDMAN: Because that's what it's really all about. My blog is called "Portrait of an Adoption." I right for "Chicago Now." And I try to write about parenting issues, issues such as teasing or being different. So if that message is what's internalized by everyone, that's what's going make me really happy.
PHILLIPS: Well, I think there will be a lot more of people listening now. Carrie Goldman, you're an incredible mom. And you're right. Katie is one dynamic little girl. We lift you both up today. Thanks for joining us.
CARRIE GOLDMAN: Thank you, Kyra for having me. I really appreciate it.
PHILLIPS: Oh, you bet.
Let's take a look at some live pictures now from the White House, shall we? Two California turkeys getting special attention from President Obama today. Yes, you know the drill. It's the famous national Thanksgiving turkey pardoning. Do you know what the names are? We'll tell you when we come back.
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PHILLIPS: Stock market opening bell ran just about an hour ago. Checking the numbers, the Dow is up 122 points.
Well, this just in. We've got the new numbers on new home sales.
CNN's Alison Kosik joins from us the New York Stock Exchange. Alison?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
You know, right now, we are in the middle of a nice rally. We got a strong jobs report. But the reality is these housing numbers aren't great. Investors aren't thrilled about it. They found that new home sales plunged 8 percent in October. If you compare the numbers to September and then if you compare the numbers to last year, it's even worse, down 28 percent.
And this is just building on an incredibly weak summer of a housing sales. You know, not only this week housing report came out today, then we had one yesterday, on existing home sales, we found out that those fell as well.
So bottom line here, Kyra, the housing market is still extremely sluggish. It really is what's keeping our recovery as a whole from moving a lot faster -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And maybe we should talk about the overall impact on the economy?
KOSIK: Sure. I mean, think about it. Housing problems are really what started this entire recession. And now housing is really one of the main reasons the recovery has been so sluggish.
And housing, if you think about it, it has a big ripple effect throughout the economy. When a new home is sold, it creates jobs. In fact, one estimate says that each new home that gets built leads to three new jobs. That helps to grow construction as well as retail, and manufacturing because, think about it, buyers of new homes also buy stuff to furnish your home and things to just build up your home around it.
And if you don't have these new homes being built, you're not going to have the rest of the economy moving forward -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Alison Kosik, thanks so much.
It's 10:33 on the East Coast, 7:33 out West. Here's some stories that have us talking this morning.
If you're one of the millions of travelers flying today, you may want to get to the airport extra early. Protesters upset about the new full-body scanners planning to opt out. Going for the more time- consuming TSA pat-downs instead. That could snarl security lines and lead to nationwide airport delays.
First comes that travel, then the turkey, then the holiday shopping. This year, some shoppers have a secret weapon. Smartphone apps. Big deals, special coupons and loyalty perks sent right to your phone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BERGERON, HOST, "DANCING WITH THE STARS": Your 10 weeks of hard- fought competition, the winners and new champions of "Dancing with the Stars" are Jennifer and Derek.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That's right. Jennifer Grey bringing home that mirror ball trophy. The 50-year-old "Dirty Dancing" star beat out Kyle Matthew and Bristol Palin and take the title in "Dancing with the Stars."
And live pictures from the White House. You know what today is. It's the big "Pardoning the turkeys." Little sound effects for us.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: That's not the real deal. They're going to get a lot of special attention from Obama today. They are 21 week-old-birds. And guess what their names are? Apple and Cider.
Well, that means no one will be gobbling them up on Thanksgiving day since the president is going to pardon them. That's the good news. Instead, they're going to head to George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate. They'll be part of the year's Christmas display and will live their lives out there.
It was Harry Truman, by the way, who began the tradition of receiving the National Thanksgiving Turkey back in 1947. But it was President George H.W. Bush who issues the first official pardon in 1989.
All right, so if you're traveling today, how bad is it, really?
Our David Mattingly just got off a flight in Tampa.
All right, David, how did it go?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, you know, we always have these bad things to talk about. When we got on the flight today, everything is going great. There was no delay through security. No delays on the flight.
We actually got here about 12 minutes early. So if you're a Thanksgiving traveler, that couldn't get any better. That was a great flight for us. So while we've been going through this entire -- the entire way, every step of the way, we're talking to passengers about the experience they're having.
Everyone wants to talk about security. The time of the year when normally they're talking about turkey and football. Now they're talking pat-downs and full-body scans. We're talking to people who've had to go through that. No one we talked to is actually opting out in a form of protest.
But they are making decisions as they go through. And there's one couple that we talked to. Most everybody we've run into has decided to go through the machine. But this couple -- you're on your way to Indianapolis from Tampa. You had the choice of going through the full body scan or the pat-down but you selected the pat-down.
Why was that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it just -- it didn't seem like any big deal. And it just -- the machines made me feel a little bit uncomfortable. So I just wanted to go through the pat-down and it was just really straightforward, really well explained. MATTINGLY: And this is all by random. You're just chosen by random. But you say your entire line in security had to go through the machine, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It seemed as if the entire line that we went through went through either the pat-down or the X-ray machine.
MATTINGLY: Did you feel like it slowed you down any?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not at all. It took about a minute or so. And it was thorough but it was not invasive. And it was no issue at all.
MATTINGLY: OK. Thanks a lot. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. You too.
MATTINGLY: Have a good trip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
MATTINGLY: Well, what we're seeing right now, pretty much the same thing we're hearing from them. Nothing really causing any delays. No signs of any real protests of people opting out and clogging the system up as they go through these pat-downs.
PHILLIPS: Well, as you can see David Mattingly was actually on our began which sometimes doesn't hold up very well especially when you're in the middle of all that airport chaos and all those signals. But the good news was he had just flown in , he was flying from Atlanta into Florida. He's been checking out the flights and the traffic, and so far so good. So that's good news.
All right. Live pictures once again from the White House. We are waiting for the annual turkey pardon. Apple and Cider, they get blessed today. They get to live out their lives over at Mount Vernon. We'll take it live as soon as it happens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, the TSA is not just doing that new pat-down procedure at the airports. They've actually taken to Capitol Hill.
And that's where our senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash has the story from Washington.
Now we're going to talk pat-downs in a second -- oh, you're not at the Hill. You're actually in the bureau. But that's OK.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am.
PHILLIPS: We also want to let you know, Dana, at any moment now, our president is going to pardon Apple and Cider. And you know what a big deal that is. We're going to have to take folks live --
BASH: Huge. PHILLIPS: That's right. To the pardoning of the turkeys. Gosh, we're moving into 60-plus years of doing this. And, of course, taking it live. It's a part of our -- actually, they're coming out right now.
So -- well, Dana, you want to -- let's play a little bit with this, shall we? Or do you think there will be some formalities before the actual pardon happens? What do you think, Dana?
BASH: I don't know. I mean I haven't covered of the turkey pardon for a couple of years since I left the White House. And I'm guessing that they might get right to it.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Right down to business? All right. Well, let's -- some of the special guests are coming out. So this is what we'll do. Bring us up to date on what's going on with the pat-downs. And as soon as we see the little birds and the president --
BASH: Yes.
PHILLIPS: We'll have some fun.
BASH: OK. Sounds good. Well, on the pat-downs, very interesting. Staffers on Capitol Hill this week actually got a behind-closed-doors, firsthand look at what the TSA pat-down really is like.
And TSA officials actually, Kyra, came up for two briefings for House and Senate aides, and they demonstrated the invasive pat-downs. Now why the demo? Well, the reason is because of the TSA -- well, you know what? I'm going to stop and finish that later.
Kyra, here's the president.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Hold that thought. Let's listen to the president of the United States with his girls by his side.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One duty I carry out as president. Before everybody heads home for Thanksgiving, there is one official duty. I am sworn to uphold as the leader of the most powerful nation on earth.
Today, I have the awesome responsibility of granting a presidential pardon to a pair of turkeys. Now, for the record, let me say that it feels pretty good to stop at least one shellacking this November.
This year's national turkey goes by the name of Apple. And his feathered understudy is appropriately named Cider. They are being presented today by the chairman of the National Turkey Federation, Hubert Envyia. And I want to just point out that Hubert seems very comfortable with that turkey.
(LAUGHTER) OBAMA: As well as the man who helped raise and handle them since birth, Ira Bristol. Where is Ira? There's Ira. Give Ira a big round of applause for raising such outstanding turkeys.
I want to thank you both for joining us here at the White House.
Now, Apple and Cider came to us from the Foster Farms Wellsford Ranch just outside of Modesto, California. Out of about 20,000 turkeys born at Foster Farm this summer, 45 was selected for a final competition that involved strutting their stuff before a panel of judges with an eclectic mix of music playing in the background.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: It's kind of like a turkey version of "Dancing with the Stars." Except the stakes for the contestants was much higher.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Only one pair would survive and win the big prize -- life. And an all-expenses paid trip to Washington where they've been living it up on corn feed at the W Hotel. The W Hotel really has been putting them up.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: It's great advertising. Makes you want to stay at the W. And after today, Apple and Cider will spend their retirement at the same beautiful place our first president spent his, Mount Vernon, Virginia.
So later this afternoon, our family will also deliver two turkeys who didn't quite make the cut to Martha's Table which is an organization that does extraordinary work helping folks who are struggling here in D.C.
And I want to thank the good people at Gendale's Turkey Farm in Orefield, Pennsylvania, who have now donated these turkeys two years in a row.
This, of course, is what's truly meant by Thanksgiving. A holiday that asks us to be thankful for what we have and generous to those who have less. It's a time to spend with the ones we love and a chance to show compassion and concern to people we've never met.
It's a tradition that's brought us together as a community since before we were a nation. When the ground we're standing on was nothing but wilderness. Back then, the simple act of survival was often the greatest blessing of all. And later, President Lincoln declared the first National Day of Thanksgiving in the midst of civil war.
During the depths of the Great Depression, local businesses gave donations and charities opens their doors to families who didn't have a place to celebrate Thanksgiving. In times of war, our military has gone through great lengths to give our men and women on the frontlines a turkey dinner and a taste of home. So, America, we come together when times are hard. We don't give up. We don't complain. We don't turn our backs on one another. Instead, we look after one another, and we pitch in. And we give what we can.
And in the process, we reveal to the world what we love so much about this country. That's who we are. And that's who Thanksgiving reminds us to be. So I hope everyone takes some time during this holiday season to give back and serve their community in some way.
And I also want to take a moment to say how grateful I am to the men and women who are serving this country bravely and selflessly in places far and away from home right now.
You and your families are in our thoughts and in our prayers, and you make me so very proud to be your commander in chief.
So on behalf of Michelle, Sasha, Malia and myself, I want to wish everybody a wonderful and happy and safe Thanksgiving.
And now it is my great honor as well to give Apple and Cider a new lease on life. So as president of the United States, you are hereby pardoned from the Thanksgiving dinner table. May you have a wonderful and joyful life at Mount Vernon. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
All right.
PHILLIPS: And Happy Thanksgiving. We're going to take a quick break, but when we come back, we got to warn you. Things are about to get extremely nostalgic. Remember the '70s? Anybody?
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Colonel Steve Austin, quite a switch from the pardoning of the turkey. A little bionic and all iconic. That's right. We are talking with Lee Majors. Why? Well, you'll see. He's bringing the "Six Million Dollar Man" to the new generation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Time for a little "Daily Dose." Pretty disturbing prediction unless prevention strategies are implemented. More than half of Americans have diabetes or pre-diabetes by the year 2020. That's according to the United Health Group. The total cost in health care? More than $3 trillion.
OK. All you young whippersnappers out there who missed the 1970s, you're getting a chance to be as cool as the rest of us now. Most of us who know the decade was more than pet rocks, Watergate or The Village People. It was about bionics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive.
Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world's first Bionic Man.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Colonel Austin had me at barely alive. Even the opening credits of "The Six Million Dollar Man" were cool. And if you missed an episode, well, there's a problem. There was no VCR, no DVR, no cable, no YouTube to document Steve Austin's speed, strength or eagle eye.
He was bionic and iconic. Complete with toys, games and fan clubs. And in the interest of full disclosure, I was one of those fans. Never missed an episode. Was a card-carrying member of the fan club.
We actually have it for you. The bumper sticker, the certificate, the autographed picture. I'd have it right now if it weren't packed away in my mom's attic. But it's cool because right now I've got the real deal.
Lee Majors is joining me live today. He's helping us roll out "The Six Million Dollar Man" to a new generation and helping older kids reconnect with those fun nights we had.
Good to see you, Lee.
LEE MAJORS, ACTOR, "THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN": Good to see you. And thank you very much. I thought I was going get preempted by a couple of turkeys there for a minute.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: No way, are you kidding? I would never let this segment die.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Now, seriously, what do you -- I just had some almonds during the break. Excuse me. Actually you're getting me all choked up.
MAJORS: That's OK, I can talk about the DVD.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: There you go.
MAJORS: All right.
PHILLIPS: Taking us back to that time, Lee, you know, what was -- what was the best memories for you putting that show together? I mean, it was definitely revolutionary for the '70s.
MAJORS: Well, what I remember most about the show is what -- that families and kids of all ages could sit down and watch it with their family. You know, kids 5 years old and up. And, you know, it's not like the violent shows that we have on today and the violent videos that our kids are watching. You know, it was a whole different era back then. And it was more of a relationship show. And it was just -- you know, we didn't kill anybody. We didn't show any blood. We never -- it was just a clean show. And with some technology that gave you a chance to see how technology works.
And over the last, you know, 40 some years, the word "bionic" is in everything. And seeing our troops come back, our wounded warriors come back now and getting replacement parts, and the technology that they have today. And going back into the field. It's just -- that's what's wonderful to watch.
PHILLIPS: You know what, Lee, I'm so glad you mentioned that because I thought about bringing this up. I actually pulled some video of Army Specialist Ben Ballard. I met him this year. Have you met Ben? The young man who got --
MAJORS: No, but I have met -- yes.
PHILLIPS: OK. So we heard --
MAJORS: I've met many of them that have come back from battle and seen them be -- limbs replaced and how wonderful they receive it. And it makes them know they can have a full life.
PHILLIPS: Yes. And did you ever expect that 40 years ago, Lee? I mean I even asked Ballard about this. I said, you know, you're too young to remember the show. He said, no, no, I remember "The Six Million Dollar Man."
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Did you ever think at that time that, you know, decades later that we'd actually be seeing something like this for real?
MAJORS: Well, since I was doing the show, you know, I became more aware of -- and every time I would see something, I make sure I picked it up and read it. And I saw the progress being made throughout the years and the decades. And I was just quite pleased by it all.
PHILLIPS: Well, we've got to have some fun here, too. One of our favorite episodes, of course, "Big Foot." So we pulled one of our favorite clips. And we want to -- we want to take you back --
MAJORS: Oh, yes.
PHILLIPS: Yes. You remember. OK. Let's roll it, Scotty.
(VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right, now when you look back at episodes like these, Lee, what goes through your mind?
MAJORS: Well, I don't know how much time we got but I've got to tell you a quick one, Andre the Giant.
PHILLIPS: Please. Right. The wrestler.
MAJORS: The professional wrestler played Big Foot, 7'4", 400 pounds. And you put him in that outfit, he was pretty big. But he was sitting in his director's chair waiting to go to do the next shot. And he had a six pack of beer. And he would take that beer can and drink it down and crush the can. And he did it six times.
Then he said, OK, let's get the shot. And the shot was him picking me up and throwing me. And I figured he was going to throw me out of the forest but it was only about 10 yards. And then he was to come and dive on me, and I thought I was going to get crushed and -- but he never touched me.
That's how good these professional wrestlers are. But you know I never saw him go to the bathroom the whole day after all those beers.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you might want to look inside that Big Foot suit.
(LAUGHTER)
MAJORS: Yes. I know. I wouldn't want to clean that suit.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. We are really going retro today because Tony Harris was talking about the Spectrum getting knocked down today and he used to go see Andre the Giant wrestle in the Spectrum, Lee.
MAJORS: That's right. Yes.
PHILLIPS: Well, something else I wanted to ask you about, too. I mean you were one of the hottest things going there in the '70s, and so was our favorite "Charlie's Angel" Farrah Fawcett, and the two of you met and got married. And you were like -- you know, our -- you were the opposite of Archie and Edith.
And we -- and all of us fell in love with this beautiful couple, Lee. You had a special -- very special friendship, didn't you?
MAJORS: Yes, we did. We were together quite a while. And, of course, the only reason I think we divorced was that, you know, careers go different ways. And we were together maybe two weeks in one year. And so it wasn't quite working, spending enough time with each other.
So we amicably went our separate ways. But, you know, there was a joyful marriage at the time.
PHILLIPS: Yes. And the two of you always said such loving things about each other. Well, look, before we go we did a little something for you. We actually crunched your value. You know you were worth $6 million back in the '70s. But take a look at your value now, Lee.
If I would have invested in you, you are worth $26,617,971.60 now.
(LAUGHTER) MAJORS: Well, I hope you can take some of that money and buy this DVD package that's coming out. It's --
PHILLIPS: There you go.
MAJORS: It's a complete package. It has 100 episodes and has all six movies we did. We did six movies and then a bunch of 17 hours of bonus features. And probably weighs about 15 pounds. It's one of the nicest boxes I've ever seen.
But it'd make a nice Christmas gift and I hope the younger generation gets a chance to watch it.
PHILLIPS: Well --
MAJORS: And it can only be got on -- I'm sorry, you know, if you go to the stores, you're not going to find it.
PHILLIPS: You got to go online.
MAJORS: It's only available on sixmdm.com. And it won't be out on the stores for another year. So --
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, we'll plug it away. There you go. And it was great to reminisce a little bit.
MAJORS: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Lee, you're still looking great.
MAJORS: Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: Happy Thanksgiving.
MAJORS: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right.
MAJORS: Same to you. Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Well, that does it for us. We hope you have fun this Thanksgiving.
Tony Harris coming up next for the next two hours of (INAUDIBLE).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
