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Carbon Monoxide Kills Five Teenagers in Florida; Digging Out from the Blizzard; Kindle is Amazon's Bestselling Product in Company's History; Feds Find Cocaine Stashed in Easter Eggs; Utter Chaos at JFK International Airport; Thousands of Passengers Stranded at Area Airports; Whistleblowing 'Patriot Pilot' Comes Forward; Another Injury for Actor Hugh Jackman; Proving the President's Nationality
Aired December 28, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Good morning. 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6 a.m. in the West.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho in for Kyra Phillips this week. Here's some of the stories that have us talking this morning.
Police near Miami, Florida, say carbon monoxide may have killed five teenagers in their hotel room. Their bodies were found yesterday. Apparently a car was running in a garage next door.
The man who dubbed himself the patriot pilot is now coming forward. His name is Chris Liu and he's a pilot for American Airlines. He posted a video online showing San Francisco Airport security which he described as a farce. Liu says he wanted to show the discrepancy in security checks for passengers and airport personnel.
And another piece of news that could be a boon for e-books. Amazon says the third generation Kindle is the bestselling product in the company's history. Kindle replaces "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows" which was at the top of the list.
Well, the holiday glow has faded. The beauty of a pillowy snowfall has turned downright ugly. Problems are stacked as high as the snow drifts in the northeast. The blizzard is gone. The horror stories are just coming to light.
Earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" we spoke to an angry airline passenger who was stuck on the tarmac at New York's JFK Airport for more than eight hours. And get this. The ordeal just ended a couple of hours ago, long after the worst of the storm had passed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRISTOBAL ALEX, STRANDED PASSENGER: It was terrible. Basically, what happened was we were running out of food and water and the pilot came on to say he was going to be -- he had been arguing with the folks at the airport to at least let the police come on board to deliver some food and water, and I guess he lost that fight.
Nobody came on and we've moved up to a gate and spent another couple of hours at the gate, thinking we were going to come off and never did. And apparently what happened was the customs folks went home at 1:00 a.m. and so everybody coming international kind of had to sit out there in the snow for, you know, all night.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Sounds fun, doesn't it? New York's Port Authority says the situation was unacceptable and it's investigating what went wrong.
And there are plenty of problems on the street. No surprise there. Here's a home video of what the northeast is dealing with as it digs out from as much as 30 inches of snow. Watch and listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god. Are you out of your mind?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Exactly what we thought. The New Yorker who shot that video from his apartment window says that was a city sanitation truck trying to free a snowbound front loader. The results, as you just saw there, were pretty disastrous for the parked SUV. The city calls the situation unfortunate but not unusual.
And here's the formal response. "An accident of that nature is generally followed up a supervisor who follows up by giving a comptroller's claim form to the damaged vehicle owner who completes it, returns it and the matter is generally settled in their favor. Again, this is unfortunate but not unusual during the snow season."
Try telling that to the owner of the SUV.
Here's the video of the storm -- a view of the storm, rather, as it descended on New Jersey. Keep an eye on the spinning hands of the clock there, hour by hour, inch by inch. This time lapsed photography captures the snow piling up. And watch this. Of course the real measure of the snow -- of the story is how the region is coping today.
Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is at New York's LaGuardia Airport where flights were still backed up from the regional shutdown. Chris Knowles has the view from the streets of New Jersey and meteorologist Jacqui Jeras of course looks at the big picture and what's ahead from our weather center.
But we begin with Allan Chernoff at LaGuardia Airport.
So, Allan, you were talking about how all the passengers were so patient yesterday. What's it like there at the airport today?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Patience turns to hopefulness. A lot of folks online behind me buying tickets, hoping to reschedule flights. Hoping that they may get out.
Here's the scenario at the airports. Not only right here at LaGuardia Airport but pretty much throughout the northeast. Let's just imagine a game board. It's been covered up with snow. Now the snow is just about cleared out. At least from the runways and the taxiways on the airport but the pieces for that game are still scattered all over the -- all over the place.
To play, we need to have those pieces on the board. Well, the pieces, of course, that I'm referring to are the airplanes. Right? Right here at LaGuardia Airport, we only have a small fraction of the number of planes that are usually at the gates and on the runways. Plane haves to come in and this is intentional. This is what the airlines did.
They wanted do get the planes away from the storm. Now they're going to be bringing them back in. It doesn't happen all at once. As a result, many of the people you see behind me are being disappointed. They're going to have to wait and some people have slept here overnight. May have to sleep here overnight yet again -- Alina.
CHO: Not welcomed news for all the people watching at the airport. All right. Allan Chernoff, thank you so much.
And across the northeast there are two kinds of people. Those are who are snowed in and staying in and those who are actually outside and digging out.
Chris Knowles in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, this morning with a look from there.
Pretty snowy. Chris, good morning. Nice to see you. So exactly how much snow did you get there and what's it like right now?
CHRIS KNOWLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Twenty-nine inches, Alina. Good morning to you. Twenty-nine inches and they are still digging out as you can see. This sidewalk here was untouched when we arrived. Gentleman's out here now. It's about knee high. A couple of feet out there, for sure.
The side streets are still an issue. Take a look down here. This is pretty typical of what we see. Mounds of snow and then on the ground, a very slick and slushy and somewhat icy situation. It's going to be a while before they get to these streets and get them cleaned up.
As we mentioned, that 29 inches of snow, that makes it one of the top 10 worse snowstorms ever here and with the temperatures right now still on the wrong side of freezing, the back roads if you will are still a problem but swing on out here now if you will and take a look at the main roads and they're looking pretty good.
The salt has been down in this area. This little town of 20,000 people. They've dumped 150 tons of salt on the road. They've done an excellent job of that. For the past 48 hours, they have cleaned up a lot of snow but still plenty more to go.
The issue with the weather this week, as Jacqui is going to tell you, the temperatures slowly creep up a little bit but it's going to be a while before these streets are completely bare of snow.
With no snow in the forecast, it's certainly good news for the guys who are still digging out from mounds and mounds of snow -- Alina.
CHO: Well, stay warm out there, Chris. And I have to tell you, those streets in Lyndhurst look better than some of the side streets in Manhattan. So I mean, you know, good job on their part there in your neck of the woods. Thank you so much.
You know, the same ferocious storm unleashed a different kind of problem on parts of Massachusetts -- flooding. The stiff winds whipping up the ocean helped push high tide into low-lying coastal areas. In fact fire crews in Scituate, Massachusetts, had to use inflatable boats to rescue several people from a row of burning beach front homes.
The winds pushed flames from one home to another and the flooded streets cost firefighters valuable time. Incredibly, nobody was hurt.
So the worse may be over but the storm is still lingering in one way at least. Jacqui Jeras here in the Weather Center with a take -- with a look at that.
And so there are still some high winds there, right?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It's causing a lot of issues still because, you know, you talk about a couple of feet of snow on the ground and then you get the winds blowing over the top of it, and you've got some blowing and drifting problems, not to mention, when you're talking about airports and runways that need to be cleared.
And also, which wind direction is going to work out with which runway so a lot of different issues still ongoing.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JERAS: Let's talk about travel now. OK, the good news is all the airports are open. Teterboro and Islip are closed earlier this morning. Both are operational anyway. JFK's reporting delays of five hours and five minutes. So that's really due to those runways getting covered up by snowfall.
So that's going to be a problem and we do expect to see delays not just at JFK but all the New York City metros, as well as Boston, into Philadelphia so lots of problems expected still today. And of course not to mention that we're playing catch up. Right?
Want to show you -- whoops. Our iReport. Wanted to run away from me. Maybe didn't want to be seen today. Beautiful picture. I love this, Alina. Check it out. This is in from the iReporter Scott from Long Beach, New York. He says the storm was deceptively beautiful. Even though the sun is shining, the winds have been gusting he says 30 to 40 miles per hour and there you can see that woman. You can hardly even see her. Just a little vision. A little shadow in the snow.
Gorgeous, isn't it?
CHO: Brave for being outside of that snow.
JERAS: I know. I was thinking, she looks like she's carrying groceries? I don't know what she's doing out there.
CHO: You mentioned those five-hour delays at JFK, Jacqui. On any other day, that would be awful but, you know, they'll take it. Right? They're stuck --
JERAS: Any flight they could get, I think, at this point --
CHO: That's right. That's right.
JERAS: They're going to take it.
CHO: Jacqui Jeras, thank you so much.
After a controversial delay, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings will finally play tonight after their Sunday night game was postponed due to the bad weather. Crews have been clearing out the snow from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, as you see there, and there's lots of snow to clear out.
The NFL postponed the game out of concern for fan safety, but some critics including Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, said the game should have gone on. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Insane. We've become a nation of wusses. Chinese are kicking our butt in everything. And Will bunch is right. Did you read what Will Bunch wrote?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I think --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will Bunch is full of crap. I read that story today.
RENDELL: I think it's a Pulitzer-Prize winning story. If this was in China, do you think the Chinese would have called off the game? He's right. The people would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: All right. Philadelphia's Mayor Michael Nutter told CNN's Jessica Yellin last night that he stands by the decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL NUTTER (D), PHILADELPHIA MAYOR: Three to six inches of snow going on during the height of the game on -- would be out on the field, 35 to 40-mile-a-hour gusting winds. It is a quite dangerous situation for fans and players. And certainly, for fans who have to then go home at 11:30, 12:00 at night after that game and dig themselves out.
So it was the right decision. It's a game. Whether you fight on Sunday night or Tuesday night, ultimately what difference does it make?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Kickoff, by the way, is at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time tonight.
And coming up, the $800,000 mistake. But whose mistake was it? This couple you're about to see lost $800,000 on a FOX game show for an answer they ultimately got right. But it was too late. So now what? They'll join me live from Los Angeles next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back. Helping wildlife from above. That tops our look across the country this morning, and we begin on this frozen pond in Watonga, Oklahoma. Take a look at that. That is where the pilot of a local TV chopper found that calf there, slip sliding away. Now, with the help of a friend, the helicopter pilot used the downdraft from the chopper blades to actually push the little guy out of harm's way. Isn't he cute?
Meet Bubba, a pit bull terrier that is constantly reaching new heights, if you will, for a Phoenix area roofing company by taking things, well, one step at a time. Yes, this dog is a self-taught ladder climber. Bubba's owner says his house-scaling dog is a good rooftop foreman.
And out west in Los Angeles, a suspected drug smuggler may want to consider the holiday, as in which one, before trying to hide the drugs. Get this. Border agents say they found a Florida man trying to conceal more than 14 pounds of cocaine in Easter egg candy two days before Christmas. He now faces a possible sentence of life in prison.
Well, to quote Al Gore, "You win some, you lose some." And then, there's that little-known third category. On the game show "Million Dollar Money Drop," contestants work in reverse. They start with the prize money, that's a million dollars, and then they lose money when they get a question wrong.
Now, contestant Gabe Okoye and his girlfriend, Brittany Mayti, got this question. "Which came first, the Sony Walkman or the Post-it Note?" They waged $800,000. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABE OKOYE, GAME SHOW CONTESTANT, "MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP": You know what? I'm going to go with the Post-it Note.
KEVIN POLLAK, HOST, "MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP": Post-it Note. Gabe seemed to know almost the entire history of the Post-it Note.
(LAUGHTER)
POLLAK: And so, therefore, $800,000 sits on Post-it Note.
AUDIENCE: Oh!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Yes, that's right. The couple lost that $800,000. And then, to make matters worse, they lost the remaining $80,000 they had left.
But guess what? It turns out they didn't get that Sony Walkman/Post- it Note question wrong. So, what do they think about that? Joining me now from Los Angeles, Gabe Okoye and Brittany Mayti. The couple who smile -- who are still smiling, despite the adversity they've had to endure. Listen. Thank you for joining us. I've got to ask you this question first.
OKOYE: Thank you.
CHO: I just read this about an hour ago, that the host of "Million Dollar Money Drop," Kevin Pollak, spoke to "The Hollywood Reporter," and he said that all of this is moot because you would have lost anyway because you got the last question wrong. What do you think about that?
MAYTI: Well, you can't recreate that situation. So, it was very traumatizing, and it took us about 15 minutes to recover to even get back into the game.
OKOYE: Right.
MAYTI: Like, if you actually watch the game, we're kind of like, OK. Like we didn't take it -- we were just so devastated because he was so confident and passionate about his answer. The Post-it Note.
CHO: Yes, that's right. Gabe, in fact, how sure were you at that moment that you waged that $800,000? I would guess pretty sure if you're going to bet that kind of money.
OKOYE: Yes. I was very, very sure.
MAYTI: Yes.
OKOYE: I could have put my whole life on it, honestly. I was just thinking about all the facts that I knew previously. And just, looking at the other remaining, you know, possible answers, and then just made the best one that I could. And ended up being the right answer after all.
CHO: Yes, that's right. In fact, you went home, and you logged on to the internet, right? You did a little research yourself. What did you find out?
OKOYE: Correct. I did find out that the Post-it Note was launched in 1977 and --
CHO: But you doubted yourself, right? Why?
OKOYE: Because I just thought that, you know what? Maybe there might be some information that Fox actually knew that I was not aware of or that just wasn't posted on internet or something.
CHO: Now --
OKOYE: So, I just thought, you know what? Maybe, maybe I'm wrong. I don't want to come off like a disgruntled loser or a contestant, so I just kind of just kept to myself about it.
CHO: I would say you guys are far from disgruntled losers. I want to read a statement that Fox released. "Unfortunately, the information our research department originally obtained was incomplete. We feel it is only fair our contestants, Gabe and Brittany, get another shot to play "Million Dollar Money Drop."
So, let me ask you this. Under what circumstances would you consider going back on the show, or have you decided?
MAYTI: Do you want to take that one?
OKOYE: Yes. We haven't really decided on whether or not we're going to go back onto the show just yet. We don't even know what kind of circumstances we actually have --
CHO: Let's say they let you start right at the $800,000 mark again. Would you go back on?
MAYTI: Well, we're not even sure, honestly, if the show -- they haven't informed us or not if the show is even picked up for a second season. So that's just -- we just were given one option, so, we're still undecided and still trying to take this day by day to see what we can do.
CHO: Well, no surprise here. Lots of lawyers have contacted you. Have you decided whether you're going to take legal action?
MAYTI: No. We have not.
OKOYE: Not yet, as well.
CHO: I'm sure you're mulling over your options. Meanwhile, Gabe, I have to ask you, and Brittany, too. You've got to be a little mad about this, aren't you? You're saving up for a wedding.
MAYTI: That and among other things, just -- there's some family issues that came up with me. I was all at home in Cleveland, Ohio and watching the game. And people are like, "Oh, my goodness," we could have really helped us out. My aunt just passed away. So it's very -- a very sad, bittersweet time for me. And it's like, "Oh, my goodness." And just to find out that it was wrong, you always think, what could have happened?
CHO: Sure.
MAYTI: If the research was correct and we finished the game.
CHO: Right, right.
OKOYE: The right way.
CHO: Right. Right. Well, I know it has made your relationship stronger, so that's one good thing --
OKOYE: Definitely. Definitely.
CHO: That has come out of this, no matter, $800,000 or not. And we wish you all the very best. And please do keep us posted. Gabe Okoye and Brittany Mayti, thanks for waking up early in Los Angeles and joining us live.
OKOYE: No problem.
MAYTI: Thank you for having us.
OKOYE: Thank you.
CHO: Best of luck to you both.
MAYTI: Thank you.
CHO: They have got a good attitude about this. And we want to know what you think about the $800,000 question. What should happen next? Should Gabe and Brittany go back on the show? Should they sue? Tell us what you think at cnn.com/kyra. I'm going to read some of your responses later on in the show.
It was that made for TV publicity stunt seen around the world. Who could forget the "Balloon Boy" hoax? It's been more than a year now after their plan unraveled, if you will. We're going to take a look back to see where they are now.
(MUSIC - "What's On Your Mind")
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Well, it was the made-for-TV publicity stunt seen around the world. Who could forget the "Balloon Boy" hoax? Courtesy of the Heene family. Well, it's been more than a year since it happened and, now, CNN's Brooke Baldwin takes a look back as well as forward to see, Where Are They Now?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TEXT: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): October 15th, 2009.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look, we don't know what to do.
BALDWIN (voice-over): If you were awake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: NORAD says it's just monitoring the situation.
BALDWIN (voice-over): And near a television set.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe the boy had already fallen out of that craft.
BALDWIN (voice-over): You probably stopped whatever you were doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Figure out the altitude of this child or this balloon is.
BALDWIN (voice-over): And just watched, anxiously.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know for sure that a 6-year-old boy is inside that balloon?
BALDWIN (voice-over): Authorities had a good reason to believe that an out-of-control mylar balloon had a passenger on board, a little boy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The son is the one that came in and told them that his brother had climbed in the basket when it took off and watched it go up.
BALDWIN (voice-over): For two hours, covering three Colorado counties, that balloon spun and listed, rose and fell through the air. News networks around the world carried this image live. The phrase "Balloon Boy" was born.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, it's come down. We've all been holding our breath.
BALDWIN (voice-over): By now, you know how the flight ended. Balloon, yes. Boy? No. The subject of worldwide anxiety, 6-year-old Falcon Heene was never in danger. He was hiding in the attic of his family home the whole time.
Falcon's parents were accused of staging an emergency to get a little attention, maybe drum up a little reality show interest. No, they said, no hoax. But then this happened during a live interview on that night's "Larry King Live."
FALCON HEENE, BOY BELIEVED TO BE IN BALLOON: You said that we did this for a show.
RICHARD HEENE, FALCON'S FATHER: Yes.
FALCON HEENE: So?
BALDWIN (voice-over): It was a hoax, and it unraveled. Fast forward, prosecutors charged that the Heenes wasted public money and manpower for this publicity stunt, and the judge approves a plea deal.
RICHARD HEENE: I'm very, very sorry.
BALDWIN (voice-over): Falcon's father, Richard Heene, and his mom, Mayumi Heene, both get jail sentences, community service, a hefty fine, years of probation, and they're not allowed to make any money from the story for at least four years.
In August, the family moves from Colorado to Florida to get a fresh start, settling outside Tampa.
HEENE: Hi, I'm inventor Richard Heene.
BALDWIN: But it appears he is an eye-on-the money kind of guy.
HEENE: The patent-pending Bear Scratch.
BALDWIN (voice-over): He is pitching, not phony, terrifying stories about kids in balloons, but a got-to-have-it product he invented.
HEENE: Bear Scratch is fun for the whole family.
GROUP: Bear Scratch!
BALDWIN (voice-over): And young Falcon Heene, now 7 years old, he and his brother still being home schooled by their parents and helping Dad move some of that product.
HEENE: Now that's a Bear Scratch. That is a Bear Scratch. Rawr!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
CHO: And at the half hour, here are some stories that have us talking this morning. A heart wrenching tragedy in New Orleans. Fire crews pulled eight bodies from this abandoned building. The victims were apparently homeless and had gathered inside to stay warm.
The man who dubbed himself the patriot pilot is now coming forward. His name is Chris Lui and he's a pilot for American Airlines. He posted that video online showing San Francisco airport security, which he described as a farce. Liu says he wanted to show the discrepancy in security checks for passengers and airport personnel.
And, ouch. Listen to this story. Actor Hugh Jackman takes a cricket ball to the groin while playing in Australia. And this isn't the first time. Just two weeks ago, Jackman was hurt doing a zip line stunt for Oprah Winfrey's show, also in Australia. So good we got to see it twice.
Digging out from under all of that snow. Analysts say it's days before those who are stranded all get home. What if this is happening to you, right now? What if you're watching CNN stuck in an airport? What can you do and what exactly can you demand of the airline? We have a travel expert who will have answers, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back, 35 minutes after the hour. The snow has stopped. The winds have died. But the aftereffects of the year-end blizzard are lingering. Thousands of airline passengers still stranded this morning and may have to wait several more days before the airlines can whittle down that huge log jam of canceled flights. More than 4,100 flights in all were canceled just yesterday because of the weekend storm.
New York City's three major airports were all closed for nearly 24 hours. They finally reopened last night. Here's a tally of how ferocious the storm was. As much as 32 inches of snow fell in areas of the northeast. Wind gusts were measured as high as 80 miles per hour.
Meanwhile, grounded for hours. Up to eight flights were stuck on the tarmac at New York's JFK airport overnight all night, trying to get off the plane. Now one of them was an Aero Mexico flight from Mexico City. It sat waiting for about seven hours, stranded after arriving at 10:40 last night.
Passenger Cristobal Alex was on that flight. He joins me now by phone. So, Cristobal, I have to tell you, you know, they have said -- Port Authority has said it is not acceptable. They're investigating. But quote "We don't know if the airlines contacted the airport for help. If they did, we could have sent in buses to move people."
So, tell me exactly what happened. How did you finally get off the plane?
CRISTOBAL ALEX, STRANDED PASSENGER: Well, you know, we landed. And as soon as we landed, the pilot came on and said, we've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is we finally landed, we were delayed. The bad news is, it could be up to several hours before we get off the plane because there were no terminals available for us to park at.
CHO: And what was the explain?
ALEX: Well, the first was that there was just not enough people working. And secondly, a bit later on he came on and said that the customs folks had closed shop at 1:00 a.m. We just landed shortly before or just after 1:00 a.m., so we couldn't go to the normal gate where the customs terminal is because I guess they had shut down for the day. And then we ended up spending a good -- well I'm still at the airport. I mean, we finally got off the plane, but now there's no baggage. So --
CHO: There's no baggage?
ALEX: Six and a half, seven hours out there and now it's -- it's like mob rule down here in terminal 1. There's no bags coming out. People have been waiting for hours for it.
CHO: Oh my gosh. And when did you actually leave? How many hours ago did you leave Mexico City?
ALEX: We left Mexico City -- we were supposed to leave at 4:10 and I think we actually got in the air about 7:00 p.m. So, it's a long day.
CHO: How many hours has it been? It's been --
ALEX: Oh gosh. I don't know. What time is it now?
CHO: Lost track of time, I'm sure.
Tell me, when the pilot told you it might be a little bit of time before you get off the plane, I'm sure you didn't dream it would be seven hours. I mean, what went through your mind at that point?
ALEX: You know, he kept coming on and saying, a little longer, a little longer. And then eventually he came on and he said, literally, I just had a fight with the airport people saying that, can we at least get the police deliver some food and water? But that never happened.
So I don't know what's going on. Now there's a fight going on here in the terminal. I don't know. It's --
CHO: Oh my gosh.
ALEX: It is not pretty.
CHO: Explain to me what it was like to be on the plane for that long. You said there was no additional food or water?
ALEX: Well, you know, luckily they had -- I guess a couple of people had brought some bottled water on and the flight attendants were actually really composed. And for the most part, everybody on the plane was fine. It's just now everybody is kind of breaking down and they're literally kind of freaking out. I don't know what's going on. There's a big circle around a poor airline employee and it looks not pretty.
CHO: Now, what do you think the airline should do or the airport should do? I mean, is there any way that -- I mean, is there any recourse for you? Have you looked into that at all?
ALEX: You know, we haven't thought about it yet. We kind of just want to be home at this point and then we'll deal with that part later.
CHO: So you haven't gotten your baggage.
ALEX: Nope.
CHO: Do you live in New York?
ALEX: Yes, I do.
CHO: So, at least you're home. And perhaps if you can't your baggage immediately, maybe they'll deliver it to your house.
Well, I wish you the very best of luck. Boy, have you been through an ordeal. But at least you're home, which is a good thing. Cristobol Alex, a passenger on that Aero Mexico flight, stuck on the tarmac at New York's JFK airport for seven hours.
Cristobal, we thank you for spending some time with us.
ALEX: Take care. Bye-bye.
CHO: Bye-bye.
Now, this won't be the last time we do a news report about airline passengers trapped by bad weather or other circumstances, as you just heard. We could be talking about you next time. Or maybe you're sitting at the airport watching us right now and you're stuck.
So what exactly are your rights when your flight is suddenly canceled due to the weather? Or maybe worse stuck on the tarmac after you have arrived.
Travel expert Anne Banas joins us from Boston.
Ann, good morning. Thank you for joining us.
What would you tell that guy that we heard from? Is there any recourse for him?
ANNE BANAS, SMARTER TRAVEL MEDIA: You know, the rules for the tarmacs back in April are very clearly defined for domestic flights. Little fuzzier with the international flights mainly because of that customs issue. Also, what people need to understand is there are -- I guess -- exceptions or maybe even loopholes that state, if there are adverse conditions such as weather or safety concerns, the pilot or air traffic control can basically say, you know, hey, we can't get to the gate.
And airlines haven't fined anybody yet, so I think in this situation might be a little tough to actually fine the airlines because of the extenuating circumstances. What might be a problem is if there was no food or water administered. Then maybe we can see a little bit of, you know, maybe fines or problems going toward the airlines at this point.
CHO: Well, let me ask you this, because, you know, just from personal experience, I can tell you, I was -- I felt comparatively speaking that I was lucky because I found out a couple of days before I was scheduled to come to Atlanta from New York, that my Delta flight was canceled in advance of the storm. I rebooked on an American flight and got down here safely. One of the only flights to get down here.
But let's say your flight is canceled once you get to the airport or just before, or maybe you're at the airport. What is the best advice? I mean, I always hear get online right away, and also, get on the phone right away.
Is that your best advice?
BANAS: Yes. It really is the best advice.
If you're stuck at the airport, say you have a connection and they're not letting any planes fly after you're already at the airport, it's always best to have a fully charged cell phone, bring your charger with you to the airport. Get in the customer service line, by all means. But also, while you're standing in line, call the airline. Because either way, there might be wait times on the phone, there might be wait times in line. But you want to be served as quickly as possible. So that kind of gives you two options.
Another thing to do if you have a Smartphone or a laptop computer and you can get on the airline's Wi-Fi, try to rebook online. Some of the airlines will actually let you do that.
CHO: Yes. One thing I do is I always keep a BlackBerry charger in my purse, on my body. So just in case. You never know.
Listen. You know, with situations like this with the weather, the airlines often revert to the excuse of, well, it's an act of God, so we're really not on the hook for anything. But are they? I mean, is there any recourse for passengers who get their flight cancelled at the last minute? Maybe they're stuck on a cot for days on end.
Is there anything they can ask for?
BANAS: Unfortunately, there's no government regulation that states what an airline has to do in these situations. So if you look into the airline's individual contract of carriage, there will be a line that ways, if there's a force -- what's called a force majeure event, or like you said, an act of God, the airlines aren't obligated to give you anything but a refund --
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: But it doesn't hurt to ask, right, Anne?
BANAS: That is really true. I think, you know, you can ask for food vouchers, you can ask for a hotel voucher. You know, maybe even some extra compensation. Just be specific with what you are asking for and be calm. Keep in mind, a lot of these agents at the airport, they're also very stressed. They're dealing with lot of passengers who are in the same boat as you are. Don't make any demands. Just ask politely, explain your situation and you might get lucky. They do have some discretion.
CHO: And finally, let's say you're headed on a vacation, your flight is canceled and ultimately you decide it's just not worth it and I'm just going to stay home.
Are you eligible for a refund?
BANAS: You should be in that case. And the other thing to keep in mind is that lot of airlines have laxed their change waiver policy. A lot of times if you change a ticket it could cost you upwards of $100 or $150 per ticket. In this case, a lot of the airlines are extending it. So you can actually postpone your trip and not have to pay any extra charges.
CHO: All right. Anne Banas, joining us from Boston. Our travel expert. Thank you so much for those great tips, which are very needed at this time of year, as people are stuck there in the airports, trying to get out to their destination.
We thank you for joining us.
BANAS: Thanks for having me.
CHO: Coming up, Hawaii's governor wants to end the birther controversy surrounding President Obama's nationality and where he was born. Could we see a birth certificate? The governor spoke exclusive to CNN. He says he'll do whatever it takes to prove the president was born in Hawaii.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back.
Hawaii's governor is looking for a legal way to put an end to the so- called birther controversy surrounding President Obama's nationality. CNN's senior White House correspondent Ed Henry has the story from Honolulu.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Alina, what's really interesting here is that Governor Abercrombie told me in this exclusive interview that he's motivated in part by trying to clear the stain that he believes in now on the name of the deceased parents of Barack Obama because the Governor Abercrombie got to know Barack Senior and Ann Dunham here at the University of Hawaii in the early '60s.
And he said the birthers are basically accusing them of lying about Barack Obama's birth, alleging that somehow he was born somewhere else and that they covered it up and lied and said he was born here in Hawaii.
Governor Abercrombie was here at the time. He said he knows that Barack Obama was born here in Hawaii that summer and basically he now has some cabinet officials investigating what legally he can do, what more documentation he can release as governor to clear this up once and for all.
And he basically told me he doesn't care if the White House doesn't want this subject to come up. That basically when I asked is it up to President Obama to waive his privacy rights and let you release the actual birth certificate.
The governor said, no, this is up to me. It's not a matter of the president jumping in he's trying to figure out what legally he can do as governor.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. NEIL ABERCROBIE (D), HAWAII: It's not up to the President. It has nothing to do with the President. This has to do with the people in Hawaii who love him, people who loved his mom and dad. This has to do with the respect that the office of the President is entitled to do. It has to do with the respect that every single person's mother and father are --
(CROSSTALK)
HENRY (on camera): So do you envision the possibility that you could release the birth certificate without his permission as governor? ABERCROMBIE: Obviously I'm going to do what is legally possible. I have the attorney general and the director of the Department of Health looking at what we can do to try and see what we can do in turn for -- for an open process that will put those who want to disrespect the President and his parents in the proper light which is to say they have a political agenda not worthy of any good American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Fascinating because White House officials are not commenting on my interview with Governor Abercrombie. It appears they don't want to give more attention to the birthers, if you will, but Governor Abercrombie told me, look, "I haven't spoken on the White House at all," and if they do want to put any pressure on him, he doesn't care because he said, this is a matter of principle.
And he knows that there are some state lawmakers in states like Arizona, Texas now trying to introduce legislation to keep Barack Obama off the presidential ballots in their states in 2012 if he doesn't produce an actual birth certificate. He so far has produced a certification of live birth which by the way is an official document here in the state of Hawaii.
And bottom line is Governor Abercrombie says he wants to settle this once and for all -- Alina.
CHO: All right, Ed, thank you. A tough assignment.
And you thought the northeast got a lot of snow. It's a pittance compared to what they're dealing with in Mongolia.
Your "Morning Passport" is next.
But first today's flashback: 65 years ago today, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.
We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Northeast take note, brutal winter storms are not just reserved for you. We've got proof in your "Morning Passport" which begins in snow-blown China. Just take a look at this video from Inner Mongolia, wow, where they are dealing with snowdrifts of unbelievable size and scope.
The storm began a couple of days before Christmas. At one point nearly 1,000 people and 700 vehicles were stuck on a snowbound highway for more than a day before their rescue.
More weather trouble down under to Queensland, Australia we go, where near record-breaking floods have left half the state declared as disaster area. Hundreds have been evacuated already and more may have to head for higher ground as more rain is in the forecast.
And we're going to wrap up down under in Melbourne, where it's been a December not to remember for actor Hugh Jackman. Ouch, take a look at that, actor -- the actor takes a cricket ball to the groin while playing in Australia.
Just two weeks ago, he was hurt while doing a zip line stunt for the "Oprah Winfrey Show" also in Australia. He didn't have any luck there.
Well, we're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Christine Romans live in New York -- Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina. How does $5 a gallon gasoline sound to you? Well, an energy industry insider says it's likely by 2012. I'll tell you why whether it's just the worst case scenario or something that could actually happen, $5 a gallon gas? That's coming up in the next hour.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: I'm Allan Chernoff at LaGuardia Airport. It is a game of chance for air travellers. Will they get their flights or not? I'll tell you all about it coming up.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras. The snow may be over, but the wind remains an issue. Plus, we've got some numbers now on how much crop damage the state of Florida has received since this cold snap. It's going to amaze you. We'll have the story coming up.
CHO: All right, Jacqui, thank you.
In the next hour, my guest will be Lorena Gallo but you may remember her better by her former married name, Lorena Bobbitt, her life after the headlines. I'm going to talk with her in the next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Just shy of the top of the hour.
In sports news now, there was a huge Monday night football game in Atlanta with the Falcons hosting the New Orleans Saints. Former Falcons running back Jamal Anderson is here with the highlights.
Good morning. So how did your former teammates do?
JAMAL ANDERSON, FORMER ATLANTA FALCONS RUNNING BACK: Alina, it was not the best game for us, one of the biggest games for the organization in the past 12 years on Monday night football. The Falcons had to win, win, beat defending Super Bowl champions and you clinch the NFC south at home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Let's hop to this game; we're watching Drew Brees. Falcons is 3 -- excuse me Saints up 3-0 in the first quarter when Todd McClure who's a center who usually does not fumble the ball turns it over. And turn, turns in to a Pierre Thomas (ph) touchdown and land right here on the goal line, the Falcons about to go in. Michael Turner, another guy who never puts the ball on the ground, shorthanded fumbles the ball in a tough situation there. You get a chance to watch Drew Brees right here in trouble throws it to Chauncey Davis (ph) who makes a fantastic interception and takes an import touchdown the momentum swinging back and forth in his huge Monday night game between the Falcons and Saints.
Then again, you watch number 9, Drew Brees throws a strike to Jimmy Graham in the double coverage for the Saints to take the lead.
Here's the big, big play that happened in this football game. Drew Brees, tough situation, tough game, was down most of this time, had a tough game and he came back and then the Saints go on to beat the Falcons 17-14.
Let's jump up over to the NHL ice. A milestone for the Detroit Red Wings goalie, Chris Osgood; Osgood notches his 400th career victory. Tenth person in the league history to ever reach that; he also tied the game with 46 career saves. He made some nifty stops there. The Detroit Red Wings end up winning this game here.
Alina, hockey -- NFL, the Falcons got another chance. Silver lining if they win next week at home, the Falcons will be back in first place and have home field again.
CHO: That's good. Really good news for you.
ANDERSON: Very good news.
CHO: All right. Well I'll cheer them on for you.
Thank you, Jamal. I appreciate it.
