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Tom DeLay: From Dancing Star to Convicted Criminal; Holidays on the Front Lines; Let's Have a Parade!; A Healthier Thanksgiving; Annual Thanksgiving Parade; Flyers Go Out of the Way for Miles

Aired November 25, 2010 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. It is 10 a.m. in the east and 7 a.m. out west. And right now, we're watching holiday weather as well. There are some pretty nasty storms brewing today in the Midwest. That is coupled with snow, rain, freezing temperatures in other parts of the country as well, we'll have a complete look in less than a minute.

And some stores are actually open today on Thanksgiving, a holiday, so that you can get a jump-start on your holiday shopping. But if you just want to relax at home, you can always go online and shop. Several retailers are offering pre-black Friday deals today.

And the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is under way right now. Those huge balloons are making their way through Manhattan to the delights of thousands, maybe even millions. We'll take you there live in just a few moments.

So, it's another holiday away from home for U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. There are around 100,000 right now, all no doubt thinking of their loved ones back home. So CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is embedded with troops in Kandahar. What is today shaping up to be like so far, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, if you were here just a little while ago, you would have seen the lines outside the chow hall here, full of people. It's the end of the day here. Night's fallen. They were being served turkey, ham, beef, potatoes, yams, sweet corn, beets, shrimp, you have it, they have it. The staff sergeant who runs the kitchen here just signed up again for six more years.

But that is not to underestimate the heat (ph) and the toughness of this battle her. This is Arghandab district, outside of Kandahar City, key strategic territory. For the troops here it's been a very tough battle since they arrived in August. They've faced some tough fights with the Taliban here, particularly with IEDs, but nevertheless today has been the day where they can still do their job and have some fun at the end of the day.

WHITFIELD: Oh -

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): It's Thanksgiving, soldiers far from home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess I like to say hi to my parents in Louisville, Kentucky.

PFC. JACOB HAWKINS, U.S. ARMY: I would like to say hi to my parents and my little brother Ethan and Hanna. Of course my girlfriend, Heidi. She's at school right now. But I want to say that I love them and I miss them.

ROBERTSON: Messages from Arghandab Valley, Kandahar, no easy assignment.

LT. COL. RODGER LEMONS, BATTALION CMDR., U.S. ARMY: That's the helicopter landing zone right there. And literally, we had a rocket come within 50 meters and hit the aircraft.

ROBERTSON: Better now but dense orchards made a Taliban stronghold.

LEMONS: The first month we were here, typically, we saw about 50 attacks a week in the battalion's area of operation. That's everything from IEDs to direct fire engagements.

SSG LIZABETH GARCIA, TASK FORCE 1-66: Yes, I want to say hi to my family. I want to say hi to my husband and to my two kids, my sister, everybody over there. I just want to say thank you for your prayers. We're doing well. It's kind of rough up here but we're making it.

ROBERTSON: Families will be missed but not the turkey. That's Garcia's responsibility.

GARCIA: It's going to be great. We're going to have four different meats. We're going to have turkey. We're going to have ham, shrimp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to regulations and the uniform code of the military justice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help me god?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help me god.

(APPLAUSE)

ROBERTSON: Spirits raised, too. Awards for combat bravery. A soldier who saved a child. Three others who dove into freezing water to rescue injured buddies.

(on camera): The meaning of medal pinning ceremonies like this can't be underestimated. Morale is key to keeping troops motivated. This battalion has had six soldiers killed, eight have lost limbs. 48 Purple Hearts have been awarded for injuries during combat. One year, it almost had 30 percent casualties.

SPC. MATT GRAY, U.S. ARMY: I'd like to say hello to my wife, Tabitha and my son, Hunter. See you soon.

SGT. MARTIN ELIZONDO, U.S. ARMY: Mom, dad, my sister, Rachel, Carla. Just hope everything is well back home. And look forward to seeing you soon.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): They won't be home until July next year. Families missed, so, too, fallen comrades.

LEMONS: I think about that a lot. The sacrifices that the soldiers have made. And I always look for ways to make sure that we continue to move forward and we take the gains that we've made because of their sacrifices and make it just that much better.

ROBERTSON: Much to give thanks for, and much work still to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: And part of that work is going to be focusing on not letting their guard down. That's what Col. Lemons told me a little while, using this time while they feel they've taken the initiative away from the Taliban to win over local support, to build up the Afghan security forces so that eventually they can, the troops here, can pull out.

But they know that the real test is going to come in spring and summer next year when the Taliban try to take control of this key strategic area again. But as I say, Fredricka, today and tonight, everyone's taking it easy.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nic Robertson in Kandahar. Happy Thanksgiving day everyone and thanks to all our troops for their service.

All right. Back home, now, it's time for another holiday tradition already under way. You see right there. The Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, of course! It wouldn't be the holidays without the giant balloons there and the marching bands.

CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is watching the parade there. How's it going?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Oh, just fantastic, Fredricka. We've got a Guatemalan band right behind us over here. And in the background you can see Buzz Lightyear getting ready to head off to infinity and beyond! Got some good commentators here as well. As you can hear, my little kids are with me. This is Alana. Alana, what is your favorite thing so far?

ALANA: So far my favorite thing is the Panda, also I like the Kool-Aid.

CHERNOFF: Oh, OK. Let's see. This is Caroline, she's not mine. She's my producer's, Laura. Caroline, what have you enjoyed so far? What's your favorite? Can you decide? Right here, huh? The young American? OK. And Betsy, and this one is mine. Betsy, which balloon did you like most?

BETSY: I liked all of them.

CHERNOFF: All of them?

BETSY: And the bears were really good.

CHERNOFF: Wow. Well, do you know what, this parade is not just for the little ones. Stephanie over here has been coming for 40 years.

STEPHANIE: Oh!

CHERNOFF: Maybe forever she says. I don't think so. You're not that old.

STEPHANIE: Well, keep talking.

CHERNOFF: Stephanie, tell me, you were describing to me what this parade means to you as a New Yorker.

STEPHANIE: It makes me feel very proud to be an American, actually. I want to tell you, nothing like America.

CHERNOFF: There is nothing like this parade, right?

STEPHANIE: Nothing like this parade and nothing like America and New York City, there's always so much to do here. It's - it's really great.

CHERNOFF: It is just a fantastic beginning to the holiday season. Fredricka, I remember coming down here as a little kid standing on the shoulders of my dad -

WHITFIELD: Oh.

CHERNOFF: In weather much, much colder than today. Today is a wonderful day for the parade, and just fantastic stuff coming. Buzz Lightyear, ready to take over Central Park West. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's fantastic. You carried on the family tradition in a different way with your producers there and your co- commentators right there at your side. Allan Chernoff, thanks so much, have fun there at the parade. We'll check back with you throughout the morning.

All right. Let's talk about some weather headlines. New York looked pretty good for that parade, right? Well, this doesn't look so good. El Dorado, California, a small tornado touched down there. Luckily there was only minor damage. And then on to Idaho where it is cold and it is snowy. Dozens of drivers got caught in the mess near Idaho Falls.

Oh, my goodness, that looked dangerous there. The major highway there was slowed to a crawl because of that snow and ice. Certainly, not easy to get around. It always seems like the holidays are going to be marred by something like that, Reynolds?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Timing is usually bad this time of year. You have a real transformation going from the summer, really feeling the full brunt of fall out. And winter officially begins on December 21st. Try telling that to people who are going to be digging out from the snow. Exactly.

Let's show you what we've got. This is the big weather machine for the day. We've got this area of low pressure, this boundary that extends all the way down to the Ohio Valley, in fact, all the way going into the plains of Texas. It is a combination of rain, sleet, and, yes, even some snowfall. Now, we already have some snow that's popping up across the keystone state of Pennsylvania and back into New York, before all's said and done, Buffalo you might have up to a foot of snow in the next 24 to 36 hours.

New York, you're fine in midtown Manhattan, temperatures right now into the low 40s. But I'd say into the afternoon you may have a few stray showers. The temperatures should remain above freezing for you. Meanwhile, take a look at this really big line of storms. Just south of St. Louis, St. Louis with some heavy rainfall yesterday. Most of it's to your south for the rest of the day.

Back in Oklahoma City, you've got some freezing precipitation, that's beginning to move in and with that cold air and with that moisture, we've got some winter storm advisories that are in effect. Mainly a light glazing on trees and roadways came expecting into parts of northeast into the Midwest and into parts of Oklahoma City also.

But when you look at the national perspective, you see watches, warnings, advisories, scattered up and down throughout the country, but in parts of the northern plains, Fredricka, it is not really just precipitation we're dealing with. Wow. It's the temperatures. Check it out.

WHITFIELD: Brrr.

WOLF: Five degrees, your current temperature near Great Falls. It is zero just to the northeast of Salt Lake City and six just northwest of Sioux Falls, at this point. High temperatures very quickly, 18 in Billings. 41 in Seattle, 13 in Minneapolis, 66 in Dallas, 82 in Houston, New York now at 43, the expected high for the day.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

WOLF: Cold day in parts of the nation.

WHITFIELD: Cold day. But with the temperatures that low, you get the beautiful smell in the air, with the burning fireplaces, that I love.

WOLF: There you go. We're going to have the positive side of things, you got to love.

WHITFIELD: Yes, the glass half full. All right. Reynolds, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

WOLF: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right, where politics and law come together. Tom Delay was on "Dancing with the Stars" just one year ago and then the next year he's facing a possible life sentence. A jury convicted the former Texas congressman and House majority leader of money laundering and conspiracy. Prosecutors claim Delay used his political action committee to funnel corporate money back into Texas to get Republicans elected. That happened back in 2002. Delay was indicted in 2005, and left Congress the next year.

Here's what he had to say about yesterday's verdict -

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM DELAY, FMR. HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: This is an abuse of power. It's a miscarriage of justice. And - and I still maintain that I am innocent, but the criminalization of politics undermines our very system, and I am very disappointed in the outcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Delay's lawyers plan to appeal. He will be sentenced on December 20th. He could get more than 100 years in prison.

And now to a developing story that we continue to follow. North Korea today, warned it will launch more attacks if provoked. The warning follows the north's shelling of an island Tuesday that killed four South Koreans. South Korea responded with its own artillery fire to warn the north. The island's fishing village is now a virtual ghost town with most residents having gone to the mainland and saying they're too scared to go back.

South Korea's president today accepted the resignation of the nation's defense minister. He had come under fire, not just for the island shelling, but for the sinking of a South Korean warship back in March.

And authorities say they have found the largest number of homemade explosives ever in one location in the U.S., the rent - the center of southern California - the renter, rather, of a Southern California home is jailed on $5 million bail. He's a computer software consultant and a naturalized U.S. citizen from Serbia. The explosives found include HMTD, a powder that suicide bombers are known to use. Police believe there's also PETN in the house, another type of explosive, that one was used in the 2001 shoe bomber plot.

Rapper Kanye West goes on another rant, and he takes aim at yet again Taylor Swift. Hear what he said in his latest attack on the country/pop singer, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING) WHITFIELD: That a new song off rapper Kanye West's new CD "Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." It sold more than a half million copies when it was released Monday, and it's expected to be number one when the next music chart is released.

But the rapper is making headlines for a different reason this morning. During a concert this week Kanye talked about his comments about George Bush after Hurricane Katrina and then it led into another attack on pop singer Taylor Swift.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANYE WEST, SINGER: I was emotional. That was not exactly the way I wanted to word it. But I wrote it. I wrote it. Just as Taylor never came to my defense in any interview and rode the rage and rode it and rode it. That's the way I rode the wave of the Bush comments!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, VH-1 news host Janell Snowden joins us now with more on the top entertainment stories, this being one of them. Janelle, what's going on between Kanye and Taylor?

JANELL SNOWDEN, VH-1 NEWS HOST: I got to tell you, I'm confused, Fredricka. I don't know if you'll recall, but a month ago Kanye went on Twitter and apologized to Taylor. He said that she had nothing to do with his award show rant and she's just a little girl with dreams like the rest of us and that she deserved an apology.

And then as you just played at the Valerie (ph) Hall, Tuesday night, Kanye performed a show and afterwards he went on this rant and said that she never defended him. Kanye is nothing but if not passionate. I've interviewed him many, many times. In fact, the night of his Twitter rant, I saw him at Beyonce's birthday party and I commended him on what I thought was a brave way to finally address the topic. So I'm confused just like you but like I said, you know, he's nothing if not passionate. He's an artist and I guess this is how he's feeling today.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, he's very emotional or as he put it, you know, he - he kind of would ride the wave, and so I'm wondering how about his people? You know, his advisers, is anyone talking publicly about his public displays?

SNOWDEN: Not yet. I think that everyone who worked with Kanye kind of knows to let things simmer for a bit and let him - he might change his mind and he might come forward on Twitter and again apologize, who knows. Kanye is a bit volatile but you know, I was there at the VMAs when he first, Kanye'd the stage, as we now say (INAUDIBLE).

It's become a verb, right? I know. And I thought that it was a joke, just like many people sitting next to me. I was sitting with a bunch of record execs and we were all like, OK, where is the punch line? MTV is known to, like, try to trick the viewers and then the punch line never came. We were all like "Oh!" you know. WHITFIELD: Oh no.

SNOWDEN: It's Kanye, what do you want from him?

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, let's move overseas now with a Hollywood starlet and Angelina Jolie. She's overseas right now, but she says, you know what, you got to explain this one, even if she were back state side she wouldn't be celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving anyway, what's meant by that?

SNOWDEN: Yes, she reportedly talked to a friend of hers, reportedly talked to popeater.com's Rob Shooter and said that Angelina believes that the holiday is one that celebrates murders or murdering. So naturally she doesn't think it's a good thing to celebrate and she's in Bosnia working on her directorial debut.

And interestingly enough, I just interviewed Brad Pitt at the "Megamind" red carpet. That's his newest animated film. And I asked him what their Thanksgiving plans were and he told me that the family was indeed going to be overseas, and I asked if he was going to cook, he said they haven't quite figured out the food situation but he had breakfast down. He said it was a tough eat to tackle breakfast for that many kids. so I don't know. Maybe they're having a Thanksgiving breakfast, if not dinner. I can't say.

WHITFIELD: And the most important meal of the day, get the breakfast in.

All right. Let's talk about the Soul Train Music Awards, highly anticipated that it will be aired this weekend, why? Because our own Wolf Blitzer is a big old star in the Soul Train Music Awards.

SNOWDEN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Explain. We've seen a little bit of a clip here and there, but tell me more.

SNOWDEN: Wolf Blitzer is the breakout star of the 2010 Soul Train Awards, who knew? On the show, you will see Wolf Blitzer getting a lesson in the Dougie, the hottest craze in the country, by the dance of Dougie's namesake, Dougie, himself. And I got to tell you Fredricka, I saw it and Wolf has soul. Who knew?

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: I do. Remember we saw him on "Ellen" and he was displaying his soulful side.

SNOWDEN: Yes, on "Ellen" he did a little two-step, but nothing quite like the Dougie. I saw him do it in person. And I've spoken to him since then and I told him he shall forever be known from this point on as Wolf B.. That's his new hip-hop moniker, you heard it here first.

WHITFIELD: Wolf B. I like it.

SNOWDEN: You know, Dougie, fresh.

WHITFIELD: Yes, Dougie has actually named him Wolf E.. I prefer Wolf B but take your pick, either way he's got soul.

I love it. I love it. Wolf is in the House.

All right. Thanks so much.

SNOWDEN: And the show airs on Sunday.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's right. Sunday.

SNOWDEN: The show airs this Sunday.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Have a great Thanksgiving also.

SNOWDEN: Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. Thanks a lot.

WHITFIELD: I appreciate it. Thanks so much.

All right. Coming up after the break, we'll have the 30-second pitch, we'll try to help the young lady and her very long jobless streak. Maybe she'll remember this Thanksgiving as a day that she actually got a full-time job! Wouldn't that be nice?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. MAURICE HORSTEAD, U.S. ARMY: Hi, my name is Sergeant Maurice Horstead, and I'd like to wish a happy thanksgiving to all my friends and family in Enterprise, Alabama, hope you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

On this day of thanks, Kolaco Acqui would be thankful to land a full-time job. She joins us now from New York to make her "30 second pitch." Yes, we're still doing that even on the holiday. Kolaco, good to see you. How long have you been out of work?

KOLACO ACQUI, JOB SEEKER: Good morning, good to see you. I've been out of work for one year and nine months, about 22 days, and maybe, let's say, 10 hours and counting.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. It has been hard, hasn't it? What kind of employment are you looking for?

ACQUI: Basically I'm looking for anything with an opportunity with a company where I can continue to grow and be challenged, while being a valid contributor while excelling on my analytical skills which I have a strong background in. I more recently worked in the retail manufacturing industry where I was laid off from, and I have a strong background domestically and internationally as well as in banking and insurance industries as well. WHITFIELD: So it's clear you've got those good analytical skills, because you've got it down to the hours, the minutes, the days, the year that you've been looking for work. So, here's your opportunity. You got 30 seconds to make your best pitch to land that job on this Thanksgiving day.

ACQUI: Good morning. My name is Kolaco Acqui. I have an MBA in finance with 15-plus years of experience in operations, planning, finance, and sales within the retail manufacturing industry, both domestically and internationally, banking and insurance industries as well. I'm a strong communicator and creative thinker with excellent analytical problem-solving, interpersonal and negotiation skills.

I'm looking for an opportunity with a company where I can continue to grow and be challenged by being a valued contributor. Certainly I will welcome the opportunity with CNN to support any of your programs.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic, Kolaco. So, now, I also understand on the side, you are quite adventurous in the kitchen. You come up with some sort of pepper sauce, and you already have quite the audience for it. Tell me about this pepper sauce.

ACQUI: Well, this pepper sauce, I actually was working along with a friend who, you know, I'm originally from Liberia, West Africa, and most Liberians cook, and cook very, very well. That's something we do. We do have very good food. And I was talking to a friend randomly. We always normally share recipes. We talked about this recipe, and then I remembered this was something my mother used to make. She passed away, actually, almost four years ago to date, a couple of days after Thanksgiving.

And I decided, maybe I should go into this business as something on the side to do while I'm still pursuing a career opportunity. And I started, and I launched this product, which is called Singa's Pepper Sauce. And it's been selling and I'm about to launch a web site which is see by the waterside.com. If you want to check out the web site, we're ready to take orders for the holiday season. Go ahead, we're waiting for you.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic.

ACQUI: I was hoping to give some of the sauce to General Colin Powell. He happened to be in my neighborhood in Bronx, New York for the ribbon cutting ceremony of his all green building and I was able to give him a jar of my pepper sauce. So he was able to try it as well. I'm still waiting for some feedback from him.

WHITFIELD: I know there are some opportunities just waiting for you, Kolaco, because you make it happen. You're innovative as well. All right, your e-mail address we have at the bottom of the screen. Hopefully you get some positive feedback. Happy thanksgiving to you and all the best.

ACQUI: Thank you very much, Fredricka. Happy thanksgiving to you, too. WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.

And if you, too, are out of work and you want to sell yourself to prospective employers, just let us know, send us a resume and a letter to 30secondpitch@CNN.com. Also, if you want to hire our 30 second pitchers, go to our blog, CNN.com/Kyra. Their information and e-mails will be there as well.

All right. Unless you fry your turkey, it's one of the healthier things on the table today, yes, the bird. Thanksgiving doesn't have to be a diet disaster. Tips from an expert, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. It is 10:30 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:30 out West. Here's some of the stories we're following right now.

South Korea's defense minister resigned this morning in the wake of the attack by North Korea. Lawmakers in the South blame the government for being dangerously unprepared for the attack.

We're also getting a new look this morning at some of the damage on the South Korean island hit in that attack.

Back in this country, the hammer has been nailed by a Texas jury. Former House majority leader Tom DeLay is facing life in prison after being found guilty in his money laundering case. He says it's a miscarriage of justice.

And many retailers aren't waiting until Black Friday to start selling. They're offering special deals online today. There are also a few retail giants who are actually open today to get a jump on the holiday shopping season.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": It's one of the many things I love about New York City. Everybody gets into the spirit of whatever else is going on, like Thanksgiving.

And the -- Mayor Bloomberg, this guy has done a tremendous job, Mayor Bloomberg. For Thanksgiving, all the potholes are full of gravy.

(LAUGHTER)

LETTERMAN: Isn't that lovely?

(APPLAUSE)

LETTERMAN: Thanksgiving in New York City is a little bit different than other parts of the country. Here, the turkey is killed and nobody saw nothing. Nothing.

(LAUGHTER) (END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. I think it's fair to say the pilgrims wouldn't recognize today's Thanksgiving bounty, so chew on this. The average meal eaten today will contain 2,500 calories and 130 grams of fat. That's like five Big Macs.

All Thanksgiving foods are not created equal, of course. Four ounces of dark turkey meat is about 260 calories. A cup of cranberry sauce, just a little less than that, and a cup of mashed potatoes 122 calories. But whoa, one piece of pecan pie, over 500 calories, all by itself.

And who can stop at just one slice?

So there is a way to celebrate this food-centric holiday with less diet stress.

Mitzi Dulan is a registered dietician known as America's nutrition expert.

Good to see you, happy Thanksgiving.

MITZI DULAN, REGISTERED DIETICIAN: Happy Thanksgiving to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. Please don't ruin it for me because I was planning on having maybe two, maybe even three, you know, platefuls of food today. So how should I go about my Thanksgiving meal?

DULAN: Well, first of all, it sounds like you're like me. Food is one of the best things in life, I think, and we can all enjoy the flavors of the season. The problem is, often one day of overeating --

WHITFIELD: Yes?

DULAN: -- turns into five weeks of overeating.

WHITFIELD: How so? What do you mean?

DULAN: So the first thing you -- well, this one day of overeating today, we keep overeating until -- until it's New Year's resolution time.

WHITFIELD: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, maybe we can just indulge for the day or refrain from, you know, indulging every day until, you know, the next holiday season.

DULAN: Exactly. So the first thing you want to do is enjoy the food.

WHITFIELD: Yes. DULAN: Thanksgiving happens once a year. So it is OK to break the rules. Enjoy the food. But watch your portion sizes. So, as you're seeing all that wonderful-looking food --

WHITFIELD: Yes?

DULAN: -- take a little bit less on your plate, and that's a great way for you to slash your calorie intake.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, OK. So I take a little bit less. Put a little bit less on my plate, but then I'm not quite full or I'm not that, you know, that overstuffed kind of feeling that you kind of want on Thanksgiving so I --

(CROSSTALK)

DULAN: And naturally you get it all go back.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

DULAN: Yes, you can go back, but take your time. Drink a lot of water with your meal because that's going to help you to feel fuller. And do you know what, on Thanksgiving, we want to all get out and try to get a little activity in. More than just scooping your fork to your mouth, and more than just the clicker with the remote control.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, you're killing me. That's Thanksgiving.

DULAN: You know, go for a walk before --

WHITFIELD: That's what it's all about.

DULAN: Go for a walk before -- you can do it before, you can do it after with your family. My sister-in-law called me yesterday and told me to bring my running shoes today because we're going to go for a walk after we eat.

WHITFIELD: OK. Sounds good.

DULAN: So it's a great way to burn some calories. Make sure you're getting that water in. Take less like I said on your plate so that you can stop eating closer to being satisfied.

Now on Thanksgiving, as you said, more often we go to that full, stuffed, or feeling-sick point of --

WHITFIELD: That is good.

DULAN: -- feeling where you've just eaten too much.

WHITFIELD: It's kind of part of the fun. I don't know why we think that, but we do. So now I wonder --

DULAN: You are right. WHITFIELD: We showed that that slice of pecan pie which I cannot believe is 500 calories for that one slice. If there is any one thing kind of on that -- you know, Thanksgiving Day table traditionally that you say just simply stay away from, don't indulge at all, what would that item be?

DULAN: I -- well, eggnog. Eggnog is 350 calories in one cup. And most people --

WHITFIELD: Darn.

DULAN: -- want more than one cup of eggnog. But, again, you can do a very small portion. If you just cut back those portions, you can enjoy all the flavors. I do tell people, Fredricka, that if you don't love it, don't eat it.

So if it's food that you typically eat throughout the year.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

DULAN: Or you don't really like it, don't eat it. Eat your favorites that really give you pleasure and that you enjoy so much.

WHITFIELD: That's good. I like that. And I really like the idea of bring your running shoes, just do a little run afterwards or a nice little walk, then you won't feel so bad about all that you ate.

DULAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Of course we're taking your advice, Mitzi Dulan.

DULAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.

DULAN: It's a day -- you bet. Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: I'll be a lot more judicious about how I pile it on my plate today, just because of what you told me.

DULAN: Well, that's good. Just being mindful is really what we want to do, and when you're more mindful -- but again, it's a day that we want to enjoy all the delicious flavors and enjoy family and then get back on board tomorrow. That's the thing. You don't want it to spread out over five weeks of overeating during the --

WHITFIELD: That's right.

DULAN: -- entire holiday season.

WHITFIELD: All right, we won't fall off the wagon. All right, Mitzi, thanks so much. Happy Thanksgiving.

DULAN: Thanks for having me. You, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, it has been her style, not overindulging, but a style for decades, but Queen Elizabeth is mixing things up a little bit on this foreign trip. Picture her barefoot and in a headdress.

We'll show you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Time to take that "Morning Passport." And we're starting things off in London where they're cleaning up after another round of student protests. The issue bringing everybody into the streets a planned college tuition hike.

To help battle its budget deficit, the government plans to lift the current cap of about $5,000 a year to as much as $14,500 a year. Student groups are planning another so-called day of action for Tuesday.

And finally, we dip over to Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab Emirates, where Britain's Queen Elizabeth is visiting, and she showed deference to Muslim tradition by showing off the royal feet at the Emirates' largest mosque.

Shows are not allowed inside the prayer areas of mosques. And this particular building has something extra special. A 35-ton carpet that took more than 1,000 people two years to stitch by hand.

And we've been checking in all morning on one of our favorite holiday traditions. There's a Smurf right there. Live pictures of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It's the 84th year for this parade.

And CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is watching the parade route and getting everybody involved there.

How's it going, Allan?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: OK. Well, Fredricka, the parade is still going on, but it's going on further downtown. We're on the upper west side, and the parade has already passed us by.

Maybe you can still see a couple of the balloons remaining, but we certainly do have a parade of tourists and of New Yorkers and a lot of people absolutely had a fantastic time.

We had a dozen marching bands, 15 giant balloons.

Let's get some expert commentary.

Carly, what was your favorite?

CARLY, PARADE GOER: I like seeing Miranda Cosgrove and I like the giant floats.

CHERNOFF: You know the big kids like the pop stars. The littler kids, they like -- what do you like, Jack?

JACK, PARADE GOER: I liked Kanye West.

CHERNOFF: Kanye West, all right, another star. Well, some of the big kids liked the balloons. Did you like one of the balloons?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CHERNOFF: Which one?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The elves.

CHERNOFF: The elves. The elves were very nice. Who else had a favorite balloon?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like the Santa Claus balloon.

CHERNOFF: The Santa Claus. Why not? Everybody loves that. And?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like the Hello Kitty one.

CHERNOFF: Hello Kitty. All right. The Smurfs, Elmo, Snoopy, on and on. I mean they were all fantastic.

Fredricka, next year, come on to New York.

WHITFIELD: I think I have to do that.

CHERNOFF: Be here live. Enjoy the parade with us. It was a great time.

WHITFIELD: I think I will have to do that. It seems that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade never disappoints. You got huge fans there.

Allan Chernoff, thanks so much. And of course with your daughters there with you, Alana and Betsy, your co-commentators of the day.

Nice live shot of New York City right there.

All right. A star-studded night honoring ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Ahead we'll take you behind the scenes of the "CNN HEROES, ALL-STAR TRIBUTE."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPC. DWIGHT BRUMMAGE, U.S. ARMY: Specialist Dwight Brummage, Miami, Florida, COB Company 703rd, I give a shout-out to my mom, Debra Perry and my daughter, Loren Brummage. Happy Thanksgiving.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Happy Thanksgiving.

Well, tonight CNN honors 10 people whose lives are marked by service and commitment. They are our heroes.

One woman founded a hospital in Juarez, Mexico, a city ravaged by drug violence. Another woman turned her own cycle of addiction and incarceration into a program to help women in prison in California. And one man brings hot meals to India's homeless and destitute every day of the year.

And tonight, we have the 2010 CNN hero -- we present to you the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year, but first, let's go backstage as the cast and crew prepare for the big night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Heroes.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Ten men and women with incomparable bravery, boundless spirit, although the heroes are figures of great compassion, make no mistake, they are fighters.

Later tonight, one of these honorees will be named the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year. We put together (INAUDIBLE) celebrities that want to meet them as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The biggest stars that we have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the center or the front row?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

JOEL GALLEN, DIRECTOR, CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE: Now of course, I'm always curious to see what you think of the one joke we were --

COOPER: I'm all for more jokes.

GALLEN: OK.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERT FERKLE, HEAD STAGE MANAGER: Hi, Robert.

Once you're walking up, he's going to have his hand and take it, it's the nice thing to do right now, present. He steps back. And you come up to the mike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

FERKLE: When you set this down, see, your name will actually be on here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More people will die. Simple thing can change lives.

FERKLE: Then you can do your speech and you don't have to hold it. It should be OK to be there.

HARMON PARKER, TOP 10 CNN HERO: OK. OK.

FERKLE: You roll with it. When you finish your speech, the audience applauds, and maybe a standing ovation before you start to (INAUDIBLE). OK.

PARKER: Yes.

FERKLE: All right. Stand by. And three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, are we ready?

FERKLE: Now I know what it feels like to be on reality TV.

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Likewise, yes. See you tomorrow night. Have fun.

FERKLE: When you're finished, the lights are off. All right. Don't forget the most important thing, thank you. And then you walk out, we're done.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, and now we know what it's like backstage for the rehearsals of that "CNN HERO, ALL-STAR TRIBUTE."

And by the way, all 33 Chilean miners and some of their rescuers were honored at this year's "CNN HEROES, ALL-STAR TRIBUTE." That was an amazing moment that you will not want to miss.

"CNN HEROES, AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE," tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

All right. You won't believe the extreme that some people will go to get those frequent flier miles. Further out of the way and the less convenient, the better. That story's up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Every day at this time we honor the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan for us, so we call it "Home and Away."

Today we're lifting up Sergeant 1st Class Robert James Fike from Pennsylvania. He was one of two soldiers killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan on June 11th of this year.

Matthew Gilbert sends in a tribute. Sergeant Fike was his first platoon sergeant.

Matthew wrote, quote, "I was new to my National Guard unit, and he made sure that my transition into the company was smooth. He was willing to listen to any concern or comment you had concerning not only training but he also liked to joke around with his Joes. He was a strong leader who would never let anyone down. I pray for him and everybody he left behind, and may his company never forget his ultimate sacrifice," end quote. Well, if you have a comrade or loved one that you'd like us to honor, this is what you have to do. Go to CNN.com/homeandaway. Type in your service member's name in the upper right search field and pull up the profile. Send us your thoughts and your pictures, and we'll keep the memory of your hero alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Of course, it's Thanksgiving Day, that means lots of planes up in the air right now. Each one of these little dots is actually a different flight. People trying to make it to the Thanksgiving dinner on time.

They probably chose the quickest, most direct route to the grandma's house, right? There are those dots right there. Well, after all, who wants to deal with any more security lines, delays or cancellations than they actually have to?

Well, you would be surprised. Some people actually go out of their way to get precious frequent flier miles.

Here's Poppy Harlow from CNNmoney.com.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: How many miles have you flown in your life?

RANDY PETERSEN, FOUNDER, FLYERTALK: I raise my hand, 17 million.

HARLOW: What?

PETERSEN: Yes, 17 million.

HARLOW: Didn't George Clooney fly like a million in "Up in the Air"?

PETERSEN: He ain't got nothing on me.

HARLOW (voice-over): Imagine flying for fun. Sounds crazy to most, given the delays, cancellations and security hassles, but to some like Randy Petersen, it's well worth it to rack up the miles on so-called mileage runs.

PETERSEN: Mileage run is really just a mechanism to do one of two things. Earn the most miles for the cheapest amount of money, and then you take those miles and redeem them for something really valuable later on.

RICK SEANEY, CEO, FARECOMPARE.COM: You want to go from point A to point B, but you want to go in as round-about fashion as you possibly can, leave in the morning, hop all around, pick up 10,000 or 15,000 miles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nashville to Atlanta, Atlanta to Seattle, Seattle to Detroit, Detroit to Houston, Houston to Atlanta, Atlanta to Seattle, Seattle to Detroit, Detroit to Nashville, and then I drive home from Nashville.

HARLOW: On flyertalk.com people post and search for the cheapest mileage runs with the most miles.

BARBARA KESSLER, FREQUENT FLIER: We are flier talkers.

HARLOW: Barbara Kessler is a self-employed attorney who flies -- well, just for the sake of flying and racks up hundreds of thousands of miles a year.

KESSLER: Some people like to go shopping all day. I will go to California for lunch and meet friends. I went to Disneyland and met friends, and spent the day at Disneyland.

HARLOW (on camera): One day?

KESSLER: Yes.

HARLOW (voice-over): Kessler even flies from New York City to Hawaii more than she goes to midtown Manhattan, just 20 blocks from her apartment.

The key, experts say, is paying less than two cents per mile and redeeming them for much more.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want anything else? Water?

HARLOW: But with hefty mileage bonuses from credit card offers, the currency of sorts is being devalued, and award tickets can be harder to come by, but the perks are still there.

SEANEY: If you like to travel, you know, and get upgraded, if you want to be the first person to board the plane so you can actually have some bin space, so that's where miles come in.

HARLOW (on camera): Do you have to be rich to be a flier talker?

KESSLER: Not at all. I have seen places that I could not afford. I've stayed for weeks in Paris for less than seven Euros.

PETERSEN: I've been to the Great Wall of China. I've been to the ballet in Moscow, I've been to on Safari in South Africa, and I've eaten shrimp on the Barbary in Australia. All because of miles.

HARLOW (voice-over): Not bad if you don't mind the long journey getting there.

In New York, Poppy Harlow, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. So lots of folks very thankful of those miles, giving them some nice vacations.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield in the NEWSROOM. Tony Harris coming up next. He's going to allow you to soar over the next two hours. TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Twenty-five thousand feet or so?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HARRIS: Come on. Fred, you have a happy Thanksgiving.

WHITFIELD: Happy Thanksgiving.

HARRIS: You and the Johns (ph) in your life.

WHITFIELD: Thank you very much.

HARRIS: Those men are so lucky -- everybody's lucky.

WHITFIELD: I keep telling them that.

HARRIS: Yes.