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Ukrainian Election in Dispute; Holiday Traffic Returns to Pre- 9/11 Levels; Traffic Moving Smoothly at Airports; Operation Plymouth Rock Nabs Insurgents in Iraq
Aired November 24, 2004 - 12:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: We'd go like to go live to Secretary of State Colin Powell, who's speaking right now to reporters.
COLIN POWELL, SECY. OF STATE: Good morning, everyone.
A dozen years ago, Ukrainians chose freedom and independence, setting their country on a path of democracy and prosperity. The United States has been a consistent partner with Ukraine in this journey.
Today, the United States stands with the people of Ukraine in their effort to ensure their democratic choice. Indeed, this is a critical moment. It is time for Ukrainian leaders to decide whether they are on the side of democracy or not, whether they respect the will of the people or not.
If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine's hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud.
The Central Election Commission has just announced official results and declared the current prime minister the winner. We cannot accept this result as legitimate, because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse.
We have been following developments very closely and are deeply disturbed by the extensive and credible reports of fraud in the election. We call for a full review of the conduct of the election and the tallying of election results.
During the election campaign, the Ukrainian authorities at the highest level repeatedly sent a message about the importance of free and fair elections. We deeply regret that they did not take the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to democracy and to be a model for the region and the world.
POWELL: It is still not too late for Ukrainian authorities to find a solution that respects the will of the Ukrainian people. Countries around the world are watching the actions of Ukrainian leaders. We urge them to seize the moment.
Both Mr. Yushchenko and Mr. Yanukovych have suggested today that there may be a way to resolve this. Hopefully, this will give us an opening to find a solution.
I have spoken this morning with President Kuchma to press him to take advantage of these kinds of openings and also to caution him against the use of any kind of force against the demonstrators. And also encouraged him to use the legitimate means available to him to examine these election results and these allegations of fraud and abuse.
Also this morning I have spoken with E.U. Commission Chairman Barroso and High Representative Javier Solana about the situation in Ukraine, and I can assure you that we share a common goal and perspective of the situation.
We have also been in touch with the Polish government and support the offer of President Kwasniewski to mediate.
I have also spoken this morning to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov about the situation. I underscored our strong support for a fair investigation of the election and the absolute importance that no violence is used against the Ukrainian people.
Tomorrow is the E.U.-Russian summit in Europe, and I'm confident this will be a subject of discussion between the E.U. leadership and the Russians. We call on all sides to work to achieve a fair and just outcome without the use of force. We remind the Ukrainian authorities that they bear a special responsibility not to use or incite violence.
Thank you.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, given the Russian role in the election process, do you see any negative consequences for U.S.-Russian relations in view of the fact that they have overtly supported Yanukovych?
POWELL: Well, I had a good conversation with Minister Lavrov.
POWELL: What we are both interested in right now is finding a solution to this problem, a solution that is based on the law and using legal procedures to resolve these allegations of fraud; well- substantiated allegations from Senator Lugar and OSCE monitors and other monitors. What we are trying to do now is to use diplomacy and use political actions to resolve this.
We're not looking for a contest with the Russians over this. We're looking for a way to make sure that the will of the Ukrainian people is respected and then we get an outcome that will truly reflect the desires of the Ukrainian people for who their next leader should be.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you talk about a solution. Do you think that the election was so tainted -- the result -- so compromised that there should be a new vote?
And when you talk about consequences to the bilateral relationship, are you talking about reducing some of the about $150 million that the United States gives to Ukraine each year? POWELL: At the moment, we're not taking any actions. We want to see what the ultimate results are. So I would not get into any specifics.
One suggestion that has been made is another election, but there are other suggestions out there. This is the time for all alternatives to be examined, to be examined carefully, to be examined in light of the law, and hopefully the parties, acting reasonably and doing everything to avoid any use of force, can find a way forward.
They'll get a lot of assistance from the European community, from the Untied States, from President Kwasniewski of Poland, who's playing an important role.
And right now we're looking at a way to move forward, not a way to punish or to do anything else, but move forward peacefully to get a result that reflects the will of the Ukrainian people in a fair and free manner so that it can be accepted by the Ukrainian people and by the international community.
ARENA: That was Secretary of State Colin Powell, saying that the United States cannot accept as legitimate the victory of Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine's elections, saying that the election did not meet international standards.
He is urging Ukraine to do a full review and is also urging the government of Ukraine not to use violence against the many protesters that are out in the square, in Independence Square, protesting results of that election.
We'll have more on that story throughout the day. I'm handing over the reins to my colleague, Kyra Phillips, with LIVE FROM.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Kelly. Millions of motorists hitting the road and running into some nasty weather as they head home for the holidays. We've got your travel forecast.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, busy, busy, busy, but not crowded. We'll explain why, coming up.
PHILLIPS: All right, that's good news.
Blast in Mosul and Operation Plymouth Rock under way in Iraq's Triangle of Death. What does that mean? Well, we're reporting live from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The dolphins have obviously picked up that there was a shark in the water somewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And what the dolphins did next amazed the human swimmers who were in danger of becoming a shark's lunch.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips. Miles O'Brien is off today. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Up first this hour, somewhere there's somebody who doesn't mind spending hours in airports or in their car, possibly in really bad weather, to go somewhere for what amounts to be one big meal. Well, we're yet to meet that person.
The other 37 million Americans making a Thanksgiving getaway are having to take it all in stride. It's shaping up to be the busiest travel holiday period since before 9/11.
And we're covering all the angles, starting with CNN's Chris Lawrence along Interstate 294 outside of Chicago. Probably a lot of people heading to Dor County (ph).
Hi, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. How are you?
The weather's definitely taken a turn for the worse here. We expect about 30 million of us will be driving by car to our destinations over the next few days, as you mentioned. AAA says they haven't seen that kind of volume since anytime since 9/11.
Now, of course, we're going to see a lot of people start to pick up gas and things like that over the next few minutes. And we're going to be doing all this driving, paying some of the highest gas prices ever for Thanksgiving.
The national average right now is at $1.97 a gallon. That's down about six cents over the last two weeks, but it's still 47 cents more than we're used to paying this time last year.
Now, as we take a live look outside at the roads, at some of the traffic, you can see how the weather has taken a turn for the worst here in the Midwest. We're getting some freezing rain, a lot of wind in this area. Traffic is light at this time of the day. But it is definitely moving a lot slower than it was even just an hour ago.
Now, one of the things that will definitely slow things down on this holiday weekend, as it does on a normal day, are tollbooths. You're moving along, traffic is moving. You hit the tollbooth and then you're backed up for half an hour.
Well, the state of Illinois is the first state to start tearing down their tollbooths and barricades. Under the new plan, anyone who has an electronic device, electronic pass, will be able to just keep driving right on through. A device mounted high above the road will read your pass so that it will keep traffic flowing on the normal highway.
Only cash customers will have to move over to the side to pay for the tolls.
And the good thing about that is other regions have already come into Illinois to study that plan. And a lot of people predict that within five to 10 years there won't be a tollbooth left standing as we know it today.
So although traffic may be a little bad now, perhaps in the years to come, holiday travel like this might be a little bit better off -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Chris Lawrence, thank you so much.
Four and a half million folks are flying this week. It might seem like they're all in the airport line in front of you.
You're looking at live pictures now of Reagan National, where lines actually started before dawn. Let's check in with Deborah Feyerick at New York's La Guardia Airport.
Deb, you were saying it's actually not so bad.
FEYERICK: Well, here's the thing. It's definitely busy. We've seen a number of people who are running for the gate. But surprisingly, the lines simply aren't there.
People have come very early. They're getting their tickets very quickly through these automatic machines, which one airline official says is one of the best things to ever happen to the industry. People just have to put in their credit card and out comes their ticket. Off they go through the gate, through the screening process, and there you are.
So as I said, while there are a lot of people, some 400,000, who are going to be leaving from La Guardia today alone, really, those lines that we are so accustomed to, at least right now, aren't here. Now it could be the honeymoon period which is always a possibility, the morning being pretty easy.
But right now joining me are Sarav and Avani Suraite.
Tell me, you guys, you're headed to Toronto. Why are you going? Do they celebrate Thanksgiving up there?
SARAV SARAITE, HOLIDAY TRAVELER: I have a lot of my friends there. And this is the time when we celebrate. Even though they do have Thanksgiving a month before, but this is the time we are going to celebrate.
FEYERICK: So do you guys know whether you're going to have turkey at all?
AVANI SURAITE, HOLIDAY TRAVELER: We don't know. It's a surprise menu.
FEYERICK: A surprise menu. What was the most surprising thing about arriving here at the airport?
A. SURAITE: No traffic. It's amazing. We thought that we'll be standing in line for the longest time. But we went through, one, two, three, and that's great.
FEYERICK: When you were strategizing how to get here, what sort of -- what did you take into account?
S. SURAITE: I thought that I was anticipating more traffic, so I thought that mass transit is the best way to get here. So I took a bus and then subway and then a bus, and it worked out.
FEYERICK: All right. Well, good for you. Listen, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We'll let you go through the gate.
S. SURAITE: Thank you very much.
FEYERICK: Again, like many people here, they're getting here. They're expecting to be bogged down in these lines. And right now, it's not happening.
Now, that's not to say that there aren't delays. There are. La Guardia experiencing half an hour delay; JFK, delays up to an hour. And some of the arrival flights have long delays.
But interestingly, the planes are making up time in the air. They always budget in a little extra time when they're scheduling people -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Deb Feyerick, thanks so much. We'll track you throughout the day.
And if you're one of those in the huddled masses waiting for a flight, we want to hear from you. E-mail us at LiveFrom@CNN.com. Get on that Blackberry, and let us now how it's going out there. We're going to read some of your responses later in the newscast.
Whether you're headed across the country or just across town to the supermarket, chances are you're dealing with some really nasty weather.
Tornadoes plowed through the deep South early this morning, killing four people and ripping up a number of homes. Folks elsewhere are dealing with snow, blinding rain, even flooding. And for many people, the worst could be yet to come.
And for more on what travelers can expect, let's bring in meteorologist Jacqui Jeras at the CNN -- no, it's not Jacqui Jeras today, quite a switch.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's a different turkey.
PHILLIPS: Oh!
SIDNEY: It's me.
PHILLIPS: You're no turkey; it's nice to see you.
SIDNEY: Nice to see you, too.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right, Orelon, thanks so much. We'll see you a little later.
Well, it's called Iraq's Triangle of Death. And ahead, we're going to talk with General Shepperd about the coalition strategy to conquer it.
Also, thousands of protesters taking to the streets of Ukraine after an election, they say, was rigged.
Compassionate dolphins. Wait until you hear what they did when a shark threatened a group of swimmers.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Overseas now to Iraq, where the effort to hunt down thugs and terrorists has moved to an area known as the Triangle of Death.
CNN's Karl Penhaul has an update.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A total of around 5,000 troops, including Iraqi commandos, U.S. Marines and British soldiers, are taking part in this campaign, dubbed Operation Plymouth Rock.
The area of operations is around 50 kilometers south of Baghdad, in an area commonly known here as the Triangle of Death. U.S. commanders on the ground have said that the enemy that they are facing there of insurgents, some of whom may have filtered down from Falluja, once the offensive got under way there. But also, insurgents, allied with criminal gangs that are operating in that region.
Now, U.S. commanders so far say they've arrested 32 insurgent suspects. The operations will be going on for the next few days, they say. But we shouldn't expect a Falluja-type operation, they say. This will be surgical, not sweeping, and the three keys to this operation will be patience, precision, and persistence.
This won't be a mass assault like Falluja and they say, U.S. commanders say, we shouldn't expect a lot of heavy fighting. These will be raids on key targets, including the insurgent quartermasters and also their financiers.
Obviously, one of the main aims of operations like this, south of Baghdad, and also ongoing counterinsurgency operations in cities like Mosul, is to create a climate of stability ahead of the January 30 elections.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Violence also spiked today in Mosul, where insurgents reportedly try to assassinate a pair of Iraqi officials and where U.S. troops found more bodies today, 20 in all over the past week. That mystery yet to be solved.
No stability inside the now so-called Triangle of Death. Joining us for some analysis, retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd.
Don -- General Shepperd, let's talk about this Triangle of Death. Do you think that's too harsh of a description?
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: Well, we're overusing the word triangle. It is a triangle, but it's not the Sunni Triangle. That's the important thing to talk about here, Kyra.
It is a triangle that goes from Falluja, down south, down the Euphrates River, 60 to 80 kilometers, 60 to 80 miles south of Baghdad, and it's the area through which a lot of the supply convoys come.
The roads follow the rivers. And you've got the Euphrates and Tigris rivers paralleling each other. And the convoys are regularly attacked with IEDs. Some of it is insurgents and some of it, as Karl Penhaul just said, is basically gangs and criminals.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Let's talk -- we've heard thieves, killers, terrorists. Now, we're hearing a lot of crime families.
Now, back when we were talking about Saddam Hussein and his network, it was compared to being somewhat of a crime family. That analogy was used a lot. Talk more about these crime families, what that means, and how that's affecting or disrupting this region.
SHEPPERD: Well, first of all, you're going to shoot it back at anybody that's shooting at you. And you don't care whether they're insurgents or whether they're crime gangs.
But basically, Saddam did something that was very smart. He released all the criminals in his prisons, almost 60,000 of them, reportedly, just before the fall of Baghdad. These people are now back in society. They're back in business.
And the idea that they're doing with these convoys is to hijack the convoys and steal the supplies that are in the convoys and then market them. So it's just like a mafia operation, if you will.
It's different than the insurgency, but they're still very dangerous. They still use IEDs to blow up and stop the convoys. And so you have to treat them just like insurgents, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. So the U.S. now took over Falluja, now infiltrating this area they're calling the Triangle of Death. What's next? I mean, where does it stop? You infiltrate one area, the insurgents, the terrorists, the killers, the crime families, move to another area.
SHEPPERD: Yes, exactly. But some encouraging things are happening here. Knocking out Falluja as a base for the insurgents where they could operate freely, resupply, was a very big step. Now these other operations are smaller operations, and the government, the interim government is getting -- is getting stronger. Hopefully, it is gaining the confidence of the people as you move toward the elections.
And the whole idea behind this is to give the Iraqi police, the Iraqi National Guard, the Iraqi military, time to get better.
You notice in this Falluja operation, they did a lot better than previous operations. They didn't cut and run. They're gaining confidence. All of this is working, hopefully, to provide an atmosphere that will allow the elections to take place in January and then a slow movement toward confidence in the new government that will lessen the attacks across the country and drive the insurgents out.
That's what we're hoping for, but we're not there yet.
PHILLIPS: Real quickly, General, Black Watch. We saw U.S. troops and Iraqi troops working close together in Falluja. Now we've got the British infantry Black Watch. Tell us about how this is helping.
SHEPPERD: Well, basically, this -- the British infantry is part of the coalition forces that are there. And everybody now, across the country is starting to work more and more with the Iraqi forces, as they get stronger.
It takes time, not only to train but to equip these forces. And then to give them the confidence where they've got confidence in themselves and their leadership.
And it's starting to work. It's very slow. We're at the beginning stages. But I'm hopeful that this is going to -- this is going to end up in basically a force run by the Iraqis, because they are the key. Not us providing security, but the Iraqis themselves, providing intelligence and security across the country.
And I see indications that it is starting to happen. It's encouraging. And, again, I'm not -- I'm not optimistic, but I am certainly hopeful.
PHILLIPS: General Don Shepperd, thanks for your time today.
SHEPPERD: Pleasure.
PHILLIPS: Let's turn our attention now to the Ukraine and that former Soviet state's hotly disputed presidential election.
After three days of growing uncertainty, rising public tension and accusations now of fraud and thievery, Ukraine's election commission has announced the official winner and next president. So which Viktor is deemed victorious? Straight to Kiev with Jill Dougherty -- Jill. JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you, the Central Election Commission said it is not the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko. And he is the one who has had all of those tens of thousands of supporters on the streets of Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.
The Central Election Commission today in this watershed move has now officially said the election is over and the person who won is the government-backed candidate, Viktor Yanukovych.
That is not going to be good news to the people who have been standing in the cold and the snow for several days in support of their opposition candidate.
Now, the opposition has said all along that it believes, and, indeed, has told CNN, that it has proof of those violations. It presented them to the Central Election Commission. But the Central Election Commission decided not to launch an investigation.
So where do we go from here? Certainly, the opposition leader, Mr. Yushchenko, would want an investigation. And that is, indeed, what the United States has been pushing for.
Just shortly after the CEC report came out in a raucous session, I should add, a lot of screaming, and yelling, the secretary of state from the United States, Colin Powell, said that -- was very, very critical, issuing a very strong statement that the United States simply can't accept those elections as being carried out the way they should have been.
So could there be an investigation? What steps? Nobody quite knows at this point. But the whole thing that people are worried about is what has been very peaceful on these streets, will it continue -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jim Dougherty, live from Kiev, thank you. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next, on LIVE FROM: special delivery. How did this cuddly cargo survive being shipped to a warehouse?
Later on LIVE FROM: what's great and not so great about "Alexander"? We'll separate fact from film fiction about one of history's greatest warriors.
Tomorrow, a "CNN PRESENT" special report. Join Miles O'Brien as he asks the burning question, is anybody out there? Spend part of your Thanksgiving with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Lifeguards training off the coast of New Zealand's North Island found themselves in need of a rescue. The trouble? Well, they were unaware that a huge shark was lurking in the waters nearby.
Wait until you hear who came to their rescue, in their own words.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really weird for dolphins like that, circling us really, really tightly. With their fins out, slapping the water, like, you know? They'd be swimming along the surface. And then they'd slap the water with their tail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just jumped on her, I was like, "Sharks, no, dolphins, man-eating dolphins."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw this big gray object cruise past about two meters away. The dolphins had obviously picked up that there was a shark in the water somewhere, which would -- which would be-- the indicator there would be the heightened agitation with the dolphins, the way they circled, slapped the water.
I would say the large dolphin that approached me, submerged. And then my subsequent turn, then identified the shark, would indicate that that dolphin gad picked up where the shark was coming from and where it was going to and may have attempted to cut it off.
But the shark had continued an arc towards the girls. And that's why the other dolphins surrounded Nicola (ph) and Karena (ph) and just basically bored (ph) the water to just create confusion.
NICCY HOWES, SWIMMER: I think that the dolphins really were just engaging in a protective sort of behavior. They were probably protecting themselves as much.
There were no calves in the group. So usually, they would direct this behavior looking after themselves and their calves. But in this case, they just decided to look after the people, for want of a better description.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Other news across America this hour.
Remember the Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich? Well, that's so yesterday. The latest in divine food sightings. That's right, a fish stick featuring the likeness of Jesus.
A Kingston, Ohio, man has held on to this once frozen fillet for a year now. He sees the face of Jesus. You may see lunch. Either way, in the wake of the sacred sandwich last week, this breaded and blessed item enters the national consciousness. Who are we to judge?
Take a look at these little guys, so young, and so well traveled. Four newborn kitties made a trip from Atlanta to Charlotte in the box they were probably born in. All were well and looking for homes. The mother cat in Atlanta unavailable for comment. And coming to a mailbox near you -- no, not four black kittens, a Christmas greeting card from the Bush family. This is this year's presidential Christmas card. Inside, a psalm and holiday greetings from the Bushes.
You could soon be spending more to mail out those holiday greeting cards. Rhonda Schaffler join us LIVE FROM the New York Stock Exchange to tell us why.
Hi, Rhonda.
(STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired November 24, 2004 - 12:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: We'd go like to go live to Secretary of State Colin Powell, who's speaking right now to reporters.
COLIN POWELL, SECY. OF STATE: Good morning, everyone.
A dozen years ago, Ukrainians chose freedom and independence, setting their country on a path of democracy and prosperity. The United States has been a consistent partner with Ukraine in this journey.
Today, the United States stands with the people of Ukraine in their effort to ensure their democratic choice. Indeed, this is a critical moment. It is time for Ukrainian leaders to decide whether they are on the side of democracy or not, whether they respect the will of the people or not.
If the Ukrainian government does not act immediately and responsibly there will be consequences for our relationship, for Ukraine's hopes for a Euro-Atlantic integration and for individuals responsible for perpetrating fraud.
The Central Election Commission has just announced official results and declared the current prime minister the winner. We cannot accept this result as legitimate, because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse.
We have been following developments very closely and are deeply disturbed by the extensive and credible reports of fraud in the election. We call for a full review of the conduct of the election and the tallying of election results.
During the election campaign, the Ukrainian authorities at the highest level repeatedly sent a message about the importance of free and fair elections. We deeply regret that they did not take the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to democracy and to be a model for the region and the world.
POWELL: It is still not too late for Ukrainian authorities to find a solution that respects the will of the Ukrainian people. Countries around the world are watching the actions of Ukrainian leaders. We urge them to seize the moment.
Both Mr. Yushchenko and Mr. Yanukovych have suggested today that there may be a way to resolve this. Hopefully, this will give us an opening to find a solution.
I have spoken this morning with President Kuchma to press him to take advantage of these kinds of openings and also to caution him against the use of any kind of force against the demonstrators. And also encouraged him to use the legitimate means available to him to examine these election results and these allegations of fraud and abuse.
Also this morning I have spoken with E.U. Commission Chairman Barroso and High Representative Javier Solana about the situation in Ukraine, and I can assure you that we share a common goal and perspective of the situation.
We have also been in touch with the Polish government and support the offer of President Kwasniewski to mediate.
I have also spoken this morning to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov about the situation. I underscored our strong support for a fair investigation of the election and the absolute importance that no violence is used against the Ukrainian people.
Tomorrow is the E.U.-Russian summit in Europe, and I'm confident this will be a subject of discussion between the E.U. leadership and the Russians. We call on all sides to work to achieve a fair and just outcome without the use of force. We remind the Ukrainian authorities that they bear a special responsibility not to use or incite violence.
Thank you.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, given the Russian role in the election process, do you see any negative consequences for U.S.-Russian relations in view of the fact that they have overtly supported Yanukovych?
POWELL: Well, I had a good conversation with Minister Lavrov.
POWELL: What we are both interested in right now is finding a solution to this problem, a solution that is based on the law and using legal procedures to resolve these allegations of fraud; well- substantiated allegations from Senator Lugar and OSCE monitors and other monitors. What we are trying to do now is to use diplomacy and use political actions to resolve this.
We're not looking for a contest with the Russians over this. We're looking for a way to make sure that the will of the Ukrainian people is respected and then we get an outcome that will truly reflect the desires of the Ukrainian people for who their next leader should be.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you talk about a solution. Do you think that the election was so tainted -- the result -- so compromised that there should be a new vote?
And when you talk about consequences to the bilateral relationship, are you talking about reducing some of the about $150 million that the United States gives to Ukraine each year? POWELL: At the moment, we're not taking any actions. We want to see what the ultimate results are. So I would not get into any specifics.
One suggestion that has been made is another election, but there are other suggestions out there. This is the time for all alternatives to be examined, to be examined carefully, to be examined in light of the law, and hopefully the parties, acting reasonably and doing everything to avoid any use of force, can find a way forward.
They'll get a lot of assistance from the European community, from the Untied States, from President Kwasniewski of Poland, who's playing an important role.
And right now we're looking at a way to move forward, not a way to punish or to do anything else, but move forward peacefully to get a result that reflects the will of the Ukrainian people in a fair and free manner so that it can be accepted by the Ukrainian people and by the international community.
ARENA: That was Secretary of State Colin Powell, saying that the United States cannot accept as legitimate the victory of Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine's elections, saying that the election did not meet international standards.
He is urging Ukraine to do a full review and is also urging the government of Ukraine not to use violence against the many protesters that are out in the square, in Independence Square, protesting results of that election.
We'll have more on that story throughout the day. I'm handing over the reins to my colleague, Kyra Phillips, with LIVE FROM.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Kelly. Millions of motorists hitting the road and running into some nasty weather as they head home for the holidays. We've got your travel forecast.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, busy, busy, busy, but not crowded. We'll explain why, coming up.
PHILLIPS: All right, that's good news.
Blast in Mosul and Operation Plymouth Rock under way in Iraq's Triangle of Death. What does that mean? Well, we're reporting live from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The dolphins have obviously picked up that there was a shark in the water somewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And what the dolphins did next amazed the human swimmers who were in danger of becoming a shark's lunch.
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips. Miles O'Brien is off today. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Up first this hour, somewhere there's somebody who doesn't mind spending hours in airports or in their car, possibly in really bad weather, to go somewhere for what amounts to be one big meal. Well, we're yet to meet that person.
The other 37 million Americans making a Thanksgiving getaway are having to take it all in stride. It's shaping up to be the busiest travel holiday period since before 9/11.
And we're covering all the angles, starting with CNN's Chris Lawrence along Interstate 294 outside of Chicago. Probably a lot of people heading to Dor County (ph).
Hi, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. How are you?
The weather's definitely taken a turn for the worse here. We expect about 30 million of us will be driving by car to our destinations over the next few days, as you mentioned. AAA says they haven't seen that kind of volume since anytime since 9/11.
Now, of course, we're going to see a lot of people start to pick up gas and things like that over the next few minutes. And we're going to be doing all this driving, paying some of the highest gas prices ever for Thanksgiving.
The national average right now is at $1.97 a gallon. That's down about six cents over the last two weeks, but it's still 47 cents more than we're used to paying this time last year.
Now, as we take a live look outside at the roads, at some of the traffic, you can see how the weather has taken a turn for the worst here in the Midwest. We're getting some freezing rain, a lot of wind in this area. Traffic is light at this time of the day. But it is definitely moving a lot slower than it was even just an hour ago.
Now, one of the things that will definitely slow things down on this holiday weekend, as it does on a normal day, are tollbooths. You're moving along, traffic is moving. You hit the tollbooth and then you're backed up for half an hour.
Well, the state of Illinois is the first state to start tearing down their tollbooths and barricades. Under the new plan, anyone who has an electronic device, electronic pass, will be able to just keep driving right on through. A device mounted high above the road will read your pass so that it will keep traffic flowing on the normal highway.
Only cash customers will have to move over to the side to pay for the tolls.
And the good thing about that is other regions have already come into Illinois to study that plan. And a lot of people predict that within five to 10 years there won't be a tollbooth left standing as we know it today.
So although traffic may be a little bad now, perhaps in the years to come, holiday travel like this might be a little bit better off -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Chris Lawrence, thank you so much.
Four and a half million folks are flying this week. It might seem like they're all in the airport line in front of you.
You're looking at live pictures now of Reagan National, where lines actually started before dawn. Let's check in with Deborah Feyerick at New York's La Guardia Airport.
Deb, you were saying it's actually not so bad.
FEYERICK: Well, here's the thing. It's definitely busy. We've seen a number of people who are running for the gate. But surprisingly, the lines simply aren't there.
People have come very early. They're getting their tickets very quickly through these automatic machines, which one airline official says is one of the best things to ever happen to the industry. People just have to put in their credit card and out comes their ticket. Off they go through the gate, through the screening process, and there you are.
So as I said, while there are a lot of people, some 400,000, who are going to be leaving from La Guardia today alone, really, those lines that we are so accustomed to, at least right now, aren't here. Now it could be the honeymoon period which is always a possibility, the morning being pretty easy.
But right now joining me are Sarav and Avani Suraite.
Tell me, you guys, you're headed to Toronto. Why are you going? Do they celebrate Thanksgiving up there?
SARAV SARAITE, HOLIDAY TRAVELER: I have a lot of my friends there. And this is the time when we celebrate. Even though they do have Thanksgiving a month before, but this is the time we are going to celebrate.
FEYERICK: So do you guys know whether you're going to have turkey at all?
AVANI SURAITE, HOLIDAY TRAVELER: We don't know. It's a surprise menu.
FEYERICK: A surprise menu. What was the most surprising thing about arriving here at the airport?
A. SURAITE: No traffic. It's amazing. We thought that we'll be standing in line for the longest time. But we went through, one, two, three, and that's great.
FEYERICK: When you were strategizing how to get here, what sort of -- what did you take into account?
S. SURAITE: I thought that I was anticipating more traffic, so I thought that mass transit is the best way to get here. So I took a bus and then subway and then a bus, and it worked out.
FEYERICK: All right. Well, good for you. Listen, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We'll let you go through the gate.
S. SURAITE: Thank you very much.
FEYERICK: Again, like many people here, they're getting here. They're expecting to be bogged down in these lines. And right now, it's not happening.
Now, that's not to say that there aren't delays. There are. La Guardia experiencing half an hour delay; JFK, delays up to an hour. And some of the arrival flights have long delays.
But interestingly, the planes are making up time in the air. They always budget in a little extra time when they're scheduling people -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Deb Feyerick, thanks so much. We'll track you throughout the day.
And if you're one of those in the huddled masses waiting for a flight, we want to hear from you. E-mail us at LiveFrom@CNN.com. Get on that Blackberry, and let us now how it's going out there. We're going to read some of your responses later in the newscast.
Whether you're headed across the country or just across town to the supermarket, chances are you're dealing with some really nasty weather.
Tornadoes plowed through the deep South early this morning, killing four people and ripping up a number of homes. Folks elsewhere are dealing with snow, blinding rain, even flooding. And for many people, the worst could be yet to come.
And for more on what travelers can expect, let's bring in meteorologist Jacqui Jeras at the CNN -- no, it's not Jacqui Jeras today, quite a switch.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's a different turkey.
PHILLIPS: Oh!
SIDNEY: It's me.
PHILLIPS: You're no turkey; it's nice to see you.
SIDNEY: Nice to see you, too.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right, Orelon, thanks so much. We'll see you a little later.
Well, it's called Iraq's Triangle of Death. And ahead, we're going to talk with General Shepperd about the coalition strategy to conquer it.
Also, thousands of protesters taking to the streets of Ukraine after an election, they say, was rigged.
Compassionate dolphins. Wait until you hear what they did when a shark threatened a group of swimmers.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Overseas now to Iraq, where the effort to hunt down thugs and terrorists has moved to an area known as the Triangle of Death.
CNN's Karl Penhaul has an update.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A total of around 5,000 troops, including Iraqi commandos, U.S. Marines and British soldiers, are taking part in this campaign, dubbed Operation Plymouth Rock.
The area of operations is around 50 kilometers south of Baghdad, in an area commonly known here as the Triangle of Death. U.S. commanders on the ground have said that the enemy that they are facing there of insurgents, some of whom may have filtered down from Falluja, once the offensive got under way there. But also, insurgents, allied with criminal gangs that are operating in that region.
Now, U.S. commanders so far say they've arrested 32 insurgent suspects. The operations will be going on for the next few days, they say. But we shouldn't expect a Falluja-type operation, they say. This will be surgical, not sweeping, and the three keys to this operation will be patience, precision, and persistence.
This won't be a mass assault like Falluja and they say, U.S. commanders say, we shouldn't expect a lot of heavy fighting. These will be raids on key targets, including the insurgent quartermasters and also their financiers.
Obviously, one of the main aims of operations like this, south of Baghdad, and also ongoing counterinsurgency operations in cities like Mosul, is to create a climate of stability ahead of the January 30 elections.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Violence also spiked today in Mosul, where insurgents reportedly try to assassinate a pair of Iraqi officials and where U.S. troops found more bodies today, 20 in all over the past week. That mystery yet to be solved.
No stability inside the now so-called Triangle of Death. Joining us for some analysis, retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd.
Don -- General Shepperd, let's talk about this Triangle of Death. Do you think that's too harsh of a description?
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: Well, we're overusing the word triangle. It is a triangle, but it's not the Sunni Triangle. That's the important thing to talk about here, Kyra.
It is a triangle that goes from Falluja, down south, down the Euphrates River, 60 to 80 kilometers, 60 to 80 miles south of Baghdad, and it's the area through which a lot of the supply convoys come.
The roads follow the rivers. And you've got the Euphrates and Tigris rivers paralleling each other. And the convoys are regularly attacked with IEDs. Some of it is insurgents and some of it, as Karl Penhaul just said, is basically gangs and criminals.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Let's talk -- we've heard thieves, killers, terrorists. Now, we're hearing a lot of crime families.
Now, back when we were talking about Saddam Hussein and his network, it was compared to being somewhat of a crime family. That analogy was used a lot. Talk more about these crime families, what that means, and how that's affecting or disrupting this region.
SHEPPERD: Well, first of all, you're going to shoot it back at anybody that's shooting at you. And you don't care whether they're insurgents or whether they're crime gangs.
But basically, Saddam did something that was very smart. He released all the criminals in his prisons, almost 60,000 of them, reportedly, just before the fall of Baghdad. These people are now back in society. They're back in business.
And the idea that they're doing with these convoys is to hijack the convoys and steal the supplies that are in the convoys and then market them. So it's just like a mafia operation, if you will.
It's different than the insurgency, but they're still very dangerous. They still use IEDs to blow up and stop the convoys. And so you have to treat them just like insurgents, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. So the U.S. now took over Falluja, now infiltrating this area they're calling the Triangle of Death. What's next? I mean, where does it stop? You infiltrate one area, the insurgents, the terrorists, the killers, the crime families, move to another area.
SHEPPERD: Yes, exactly. But some encouraging things are happening here. Knocking out Falluja as a base for the insurgents where they could operate freely, resupply, was a very big step. Now these other operations are smaller operations, and the government, the interim government is getting -- is getting stronger. Hopefully, it is gaining the confidence of the people as you move toward the elections.
And the whole idea behind this is to give the Iraqi police, the Iraqi National Guard, the Iraqi military, time to get better.
You notice in this Falluja operation, they did a lot better than previous operations. They didn't cut and run. They're gaining confidence. All of this is working, hopefully, to provide an atmosphere that will allow the elections to take place in January and then a slow movement toward confidence in the new government that will lessen the attacks across the country and drive the insurgents out.
That's what we're hoping for, but we're not there yet.
PHILLIPS: Real quickly, General, Black Watch. We saw U.S. troops and Iraqi troops working close together in Falluja. Now we've got the British infantry Black Watch. Tell us about how this is helping.
SHEPPERD: Well, basically, this -- the British infantry is part of the coalition forces that are there. And everybody now, across the country is starting to work more and more with the Iraqi forces, as they get stronger.
It takes time, not only to train but to equip these forces. And then to give them the confidence where they've got confidence in themselves and their leadership.
And it's starting to work. It's very slow. We're at the beginning stages. But I'm hopeful that this is going to -- this is going to end up in basically a force run by the Iraqis, because they are the key. Not us providing security, but the Iraqis themselves, providing intelligence and security across the country.
And I see indications that it is starting to happen. It's encouraging. And, again, I'm not -- I'm not optimistic, but I am certainly hopeful.
PHILLIPS: General Don Shepperd, thanks for your time today.
SHEPPERD: Pleasure.
PHILLIPS: Let's turn our attention now to the Ukraine and that former Soviet state's hotly disputed presidential election.
After three days of growing uncertainty, rising public tension and accusations now of fraud and thievery, Ukraine's election commission has announced the official winner and next president. So which Viktor is deemed victorious? Straight to Kiev with Jill Dougherty -- Jill. JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you, the Central Election Commission said it is not the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko. And he is the one who has had all of those tens of thousands of supporters on the streets of Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.
The Central Election Commission today in this watershed move has now officially said the election is over and the person who won is the government-backed candidate, Viktor Yanukovych.
That is not going to be good news to the people who have been standing in the cold and the snow for several days in support of their opposition candidate.
Now, the opposition has said all along that it believes, and, indeed, has told CNN, that it has proof of those violations. It presented them to the Central Election Commission. But the Central Election Commission decided not to launch an investigation.
So where do we go from here? Certainly, the opposition leader, Mr. Yushchenko, would want an investigation. And that is, indeed, what the United States has been pushing for.
Just shortly after the CEC report came out in a raucous session, I should add, a lot of screaming, and yelling, the secretary of state from the United States, Colin Powell, said that -- was very, very critical, issuing a very strong statement that the United States simply can't accept those elections as being carried out the way they should have been.
So could there be an investigation? What steps? Nobody quite knows at this point. But the whole thing that people are worried about is what has been very peaceful on these streets, will it continue -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jim Dougherty, live from Kiev, thank you. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next, on LIVE FROM: special delivery. How did this cuddly cargo survive being shipped to a warehouse?
Later on LIVE FROM: what's great and not so great about "Alexander"? We'll separate fact from film fiction about one of history's greatest warriors.
Tomorrow, a "CNN PRESENT" special report. Join Miles O'Brien as he asks the burning question, is anybody out there? Spend part of your Thanksgiving with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Lifeguards training off the coast of New Zealand's North Island found themselves in need of a rescue. The trouble? Well, they were unaware that a huge shark was lurking in the waters nearby.
Wait until you hear who came to their rescue, in their own words.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really weird for dolphins like that, circling us really, really tightly. With their fins out, slapping the water, like, you know? They'd be swimming along the surface. And then they'd slap the water with their tail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just jumped on her, I was like, "Sharks, no, dolphins, man-eating dolphins."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw this big gray object cruise past about two meters away. The dolphins had obviously picked up that there was a shark in the water somewhere, which would -- which would be-- the indicator there would be the heightened agitation with the dolphins, the way they circled, slapped the water.
I would say the large dolphin that approached me, submerged. And then my subsequent turn, then identified the shark, would indicate that that dolphin gad picked up where the shark was coming from and where it was going to and may have attempted to cut it off.
But the shark had continued an arc towards the girls. And that's why the other dolphins surrounded Nicola (ph) and Karena (ph) and just basically bored (ph) the water to just create confusion.
NICCY HOWES, SWIMMER: I think that the dolphins really were just engaging in a protective sort of behavior. They were probably protecting themselves as much.
There were no calves in the group. So usually, they would direct this behavior looking after themselves and their calves. But in this case, they just decided to look after the people, for want of a better description.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Other news across America this hour.
Remember the Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich? Well, that's so yesterday. The latest in divine food sightings. That's right, a fish stick featuring the likeness of Jesus.
A Kingston, Ohio, man has held on to this once frozen fillet for a year now. He sees the face of Jesus. You may see lunch. Either way, in the wake of the sacred sandwich last week, this breaded and blessed item enters the national consciousness. Who are we to judge?
Take a look at these little guys, so young, and so well traveled. Four newborn kitties made a trip from Atlanta to Charlotte in the box they were probably born in. All were well and looking for homes. The mother cat in Atlanta unavailable for comment. And coming to a mailbox near you -- no, not four black kittens, a Christmas greeting card from the Bush family. This is this year's presidential Christmas card. Inside, a psalm and holiday greetings from the Bushes.
You could soon be spending more to mail out those holiday greeting cards. Rhonda Schaffler join us LIVE FROM the New York Stock Exchange to tell us why.
Hi, Rhonda.
(STOCK REPORT)
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