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La Guardia Sees Delays; Firefighter Injured in Atlanta Blaze; Venezuelan President Makes Good on Oil Promise; Behind the Scenes of Marines' Three-Block War; World's Largest Aquarium Opens in Atlanta

Aired November 23, 2005 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN's world headquarters here in Atlanta, Georgia, I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's the stories that we're working on for you right now.
Holiday hurdles: snow, snarled traffic and airport lines. And millions of travelers are still hitting the road.

Up in flames. A firefighter injured, and the blaze is still raging. We're live on that story.

And from belugas to blowfish, the world's largest aquarium has it all. We're going to take you there live. The grand opening, right here in the ATL.

All that and more straight ahead. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Planes, trains, and automobiles. If you're not in one, packing for one, waiting for one, trying to carry your turkey in one, you may be extra thankful on this Thanksgiving eve.

Whether or not it's really the busiest travel day of the whole year, it's busy enough. AAA estimates 37 million of us will get to grandmother's House or wherever by road, even though the hotels, rental cars, and especially gasoline, that all cost more now than it did a year ago.

Airfares have taken off, too. But 22 million of us are flying this week, or trying to. The Air Transport Association expects to slightly outdo the all-time record for Thanksgiving volume set in 2004.

Amtrak expects to almost double its usual mid-week train traffic. Dozens of extra trains are online in the northeast alone, and all of those, plus the Surfliner trains in southern California, guess what, all sold out.

And I haven't even mentioned one vital ingredient in all of this, the weather. CNN meteorologists Dave Hennen and Bonnie Schneider watching that and how it affects the trip from point A to point B. We've got to double up on the weather today.

Hi, guys.

(WEATHER REPORT) DAVE HENNEN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: If we can take a look at our real-time traffic delays that we're looking at. This is flight explorer, showing you all the planes in the air. Over 6,000 airlines are in the air at the present time. There are currently some airport delays in effect, as well.

If we can go back to camera now, let me show you a couple of the things that we're looking at. Back through the Midwest, these are our problem areas at the present time.

Let me zoom you into a couple problem areas that we have seen through the morning hours. This takes us into the Chicago area. There's a problem, I-94. That is the Tristate Tollway north of U.S. 14, problems there.

Seeing some problems in Denver on I-70, westbound, in the metro area. If you're heading into Denver that accident really slowing things down at the present time. And one more stop for you as well, is further out to the west.

Actually, let me show you airport delays, because we do presently have some delays. Into the northeast, La Guardia, over an hour at the present time. We also have some other specific delays I can talk about as well. Back through the southeast. A few delays here.

And in the west, delays Seattle, delays also in Phoenix, 15 to 30 minutes, 15 to 30 minutes in Seattle. We'll be tracking these all afternoon, Kyra.

So not the best of days if you're traveling through the Great Lakes. We'll have more on that coming up in the next half hour.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Dave. Well, perfect segue. You mentioned La Guardia. We know of one airline actually offering free massages in the VIP lounge at La Guardia today. CNN's Alina Cho can tell us how everyone else is coping.

Are you really serious? Is that happening? What airline is this?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what? If it is happening, we're not there and we should be.

PHILLIPS: You don't know about it.

CHO: You know -- no, I do now, and we'll be heading there after this live shot, I assure you.

PHILLIPS: All right. I'll work on finding out which airline it is. OK.

CHO: Yes, that's right. What I can tell you, Kyra, is that it is unbelievably quiet here at La Guardia Airport. And that's surprising considering this is traditionally the busiest travel day of the year. I am assured, however, that this is simply a lull in the activity here. Things are expected to pick up in a couple of hours, two to be exact, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, and will stay busy until about 9 tonight.

Now, there was a minor glitch to report. One of the two runways was closed for a short time this morning, due to the high winds that were reported earlier. But both runways are back open. And the good news is, Kyra, no major delays to report here.

PHILLIPS: That's great. All right. Well, Dave Hennen was saying something about possibly an hour delay with some -- is that considered not major, I guess?

CHO: Well, you know there were 15- to 30-minute delays reported earlier due to the high winds. And it could simply be that there are some backups due to that single runway situation earlier. But nothing major to report. We just spoke to the Port Authority.

PHILLIPS: Good.

CHO: And he said smooth sailing or smooth flying, I should say.

PHILLIPS: That's great news. Alina Cho, thank you so much.

And we're going to get right to Fredricka Whitfield, working a story right now, developing here in Atlanta, a raging fire. Fred, what do you know?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, here it is the day before Thanksgiving, and this raging fire is involving an apartment complex in downtown Atlanta. Here's a live picture right now of the blaze. It's -- that they are trying to put out. Taking place at the corner of Pine Street and Boulevard, if you known downtown Atlanta.

Fortunately, all the residents of the 36 units of that building have been evacuated. And no injuries of the residents have been reported.

However, while fighting the blaze -- we'll show you some videotape that was taken a little bit earlier -- an injury was reported, that involving a firefighter, trying to battle this -- what was considered a four alarm fire taking place there in downtown Atlanta. You see those pictures of an injured firefighter being taken out.

Now, the winds apparently might be hampering this firefighting efforts, because a neighboring structure, according to some of the aerial views of the firefighting that we've been seeing, looks like it might be in trouble. But we have no official confirmation of what that neighboring structure just might be.

Again, this video -- that video you were seeing of them administering some first aid to that injured firefighter. Meantime, the cause of this blaze is still unknown at this time -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Fred -- Fred, did you say we don't know how that firefighter is doing as of right now?

WHITFIELD: We don't know. We just know that he has been transported to the hospital. He is being treated and hospitalized there. But of course, when we get his condition and the extent of his injuries, we'll be able to pass that on to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll check in with you for the update. Fred, thanks so much.

Meanwhile, it's a good cause, but not everyone thinks it's a good idea. At issue, a pair of deals that some House Democrats had cut with Venezuela's controversial president, Hugo Chavez. Venezuela will ship home heating oil to low-income Americans at a discount. In return, Chavez gets a chance to, well, embarrass his nemesis, George W. Bush.

Here's CNN's Christine Romans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a gift from Venezuela, and we're having a party.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Venezuela's president is making good on a promise to bring cheap heating oil to poor Americans. And in the process, thumbing his nose at President George Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's Venezuelan oil, pal.

ROMANS: Massachusetts Democrats and Venezuela's ambassador, with much fanfare, gathered on the lawn of a residence south of Boston to celebrate.

REP. WILLIAM DELAHUNT (D), MASSACHUSETTS: To Citgo, to the people of Venezuela, our debt.

REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: This is a singular gesture, which will translate into real help for real people.

ROMANS: Real help from a Latin American leader prone to outrageous insults of President Bush, who's called the United States the largest terrorist organization in the world.

At a State Department press briefing...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What type of message does this send when a foreign government comes in and is helping Americans in the time of need?

SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Well, again, we haven't seen -- seen -- we've seen the rhetoric; we've seen the press reports. I don't think that we have seen any sort -- we don't have any further details with regard to these news reports. We haven't seen any concrete -- concrete steps on the part of Citgo Corporation.

ROMANS: But Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano is seeing concrete steps on the part of Venezuela's Citgo.

REP. JOSE SERRANO (D), NEW YORK: Citgo Corporation will sell, set aside, eight million gallons of home heating oil to be sold at a 40 percent discount. With the full understanding, signed understanding, that this 40 percent savings has to be passed on to the community.

ROMANS: In the Bronx and in Boston, Democrats say Venezuela is doing what the Bush administration, Congress, and oil companies can't or won't.

Citizens Energy president Joe Kennedy.

JOSEPH KENNEDY, PRESIDENT, CITIZENS ENERGY CORPORATION: When it comes to saying whether there's enough money to increase just a little bit for the fuel assistance program, what do we hear from Washington? "Sorry, boys, there's no money in the till."

ROMANS: No money in the till, critics say, unless it's handouts for oil companies.

TYSON SLOCUM, PUBLIC CITIZEN'S ENERGY PROGRAM: The recent energy bill prioritized oil companies with $6 billion in subsidies. There wasn't a dime in that energy bill for lower-income people, to help them out with their utility bills, or for middle American -- for middle income people.

ROMANS: That leaves a big opening for the man would called the president "Mr. Danger" to playing "Santa Chavez."

Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We'll have more on this issue next hour. Former congressman Bob Barr and Larry Crecin (ph) of the Massachusetts energy nonprofit will go head to head over Hugo Chavez and his oil offer. That's this hour right here on LIVE FROM.

Compelling pictures from the front lines in Iraq. Troops searching for dangerous insurgents, yet in the midst, families holed up, trying to protect their property and their loved ones. It's called the three-block war. You'll see it next on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Back here live in "B" control. We're talking about the latest Iraq violence right now. A senior Sunni leader and four members of his family are killed in a home invasion in western Baghdad. Neighbors say that the assailants drove up to the house in Iraqi army vehicles, wearing Iraqi uniforms. But the government denies that Iraqi troops were even involved.

One official suggested the attackers were insurgents who stole the military vehicles and purchased those uniforms. Some of the bloodiest fighting in Iraq has been in towns near the Syrian border controlled by the insurgents. U.S. Marines call it the three-block war. And CNN's Arwa Damon reports that the grim reality of urban combat is very real.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Break to the left on the R-2 long ones. Reloading! Reloading!

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunny Jeff Cullen and his platoon, in the thick of battle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cease fire.

DAMON: With a front line that is never really clear, from combat to confronting civilians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's one. One was shot. Another hit. Hands up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands up!

DAMON: It's the reality of war in Iraq and of this particular mission: to clear Husaybah (ph) of insurgents who operate among the civilians who have no way to flee the fighting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cover your ears. It's going to be a little loud. Eyes up. Eyes up.

SGT. JEFF CULLEN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: It's kind of difficult. You shoot a rocket at one building because you have an insurgent inside and then you go to the next block up, and you've got a family with six kids running around.

DAMON: The Marines call this a three-block war.

LT. COL. DALE ALFORD, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Three-block war is the ability for that young corporal to go from block three back to block one in a very short time.

DAMON: Block three, full urban combat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the corner, right there underneath you.

DAMON: Block two, expose and searching for bombs. Block one, facing off innocents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay right there.

ALFORD: You go back and forth between those blocks. It takes a unique mindset. And we train to that, the Marine Corps specialists.

DAMON: Cullen and his men, now moving toward their target house.

(on camera) The target building is right behind this pile of rubble. U.S. Marines have spotted an individual carrying an AK-47 running around the bottom floor of the building, and the windows are sandbagged.

(voice-over) But they really have no idea what's inside these buildings. There could be insurgents. There could be IEDs. Or there could be a family who couldn't escape the fighting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell them to come out to the grass.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)

DAMON: The training is vital, the difference between life and death, for Cullen and his men and for the civilians.

CULLEN: It gets kind of nerve-racking. But you just -- you got to do it, deal with it and move on.

DAMON: There is little time to contemplate...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right there. Hold the wall, right there, go.

DAMON: ... when fighting a three block war.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Husaybah (ph), Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The trial of Saddam Hussein set to resume Monday despite a threatened boycott by defense lawyers. The deposed Iraqi president and his seven co-defendants are facing charges stemming from that 1982 massacre.

Two defense lawyers have been murdered since the trial began in October. And their colleagues have threatened to boycott proceedings until they get more protection. A U.S. official says that those concerns will be addressed when that trial resumes.

Shifting gears a bit and going under the sea. Live pictures now of the world's largest aquarium, opened to the public today in Atlanta, George. Whale sharks, penguins, fish, and as far as you can see them. We're going to take you there live.

The news keeps coming. We're going to bring it to you all afternoon. More LIVE FROM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: Now open to lots of visitors and even more "oohs" and "ahs" and really cool reggae music, the new Georgia Aquarium is the hottest ticket in town here in Atlanta.

And Chad Myers, when you hear people say it keeps kids interested minutes on end, you know you've really hit something special. I want to know what you think is so cool. Can you hear me OK? Too much music?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST/CORRESPONDENT: It is -- it's too much music and not enough you. It is so great to be here, in fact. But there's never enough you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I love you, Chad.

MYERS: The penguins behind me -- I know. Flattery will get me nowhere, I know.

The penguins behind me. These are South African penguins. Not the giant ones that you might expect from Antarctica. But this is one of the more popular exhibits. It's hard to even get an inch of glass space around here.

The penguins, having a good time around here. It is, though, it is funny. The life of a penguin. When one jumps in, the rest of them jump in. When one gets out, the rest of them get out. So I'm not sure who the leader is here, but they obviously don't have a mind their own. They're all jumping in one after the other.

And then they'll be out for awhile and then they'll jump in and all swim around. It almost looks, when they're swimming, like they have some place to go, but we know that they don't, because they're not being fed here yet.

But there's a whole bunch of stuff here. We have the whale sharks. Big tank there, 6.1 million gallons in the whale tank, in the whale shark tank. It isn't really a whale; it actually is a fish. But anyway, that is the biggest fish here in the aquarium.

One hundred thousand (ph) other fish in there. And they don't eat each other, which I don't understand that, but they don't -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: They don't eat each other. All right. Tell me what has been your favorite so far?

MYERS: You know, I think my favorite is the jellyfish.

PHILLIPS: Really, why?

MYERS: Because I found out today, they're only called jellies. They're not called jellyfish, because they're not a fish at all.

The jellies are so cool, because they're back lit. The water is dark, but the light is from behind it. So it's almost like you're looking at a negative or a picture on a glass. And you've got your little loop on and you're trying to find the best picture. You're seeing all the light coming through this transparent jelly, and some of the tentacles on these things are eight feet long.

PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.

MYERS: They could sting each other, but it doesn't matter. They get fed later on today. They just swim around without a brain. They bump into each other. In the one tank, there might be 1,000 of them. They're little, but there might be 1,000.

PHILLIPS: All right. So you can -- you can cruise this aquarium, see a lot of cool whales and penguins and jellyfish. What kind of -- let's say we want to bring, you know, our kids. The educational part, are there a lot of explanations? Are there things that you can read about, what's in the various tanks?

MYERS: No. That's not what this park is about.

PHILLIPS: It's all visual. It's all visual.

MYERS: It's all visual. It's all visual. And that's the way the Marcuses wanted it. If you want to go to the information booth and grab the information and walk around with it, you can do that. But you're not bombarded by big signs getting in the way of everything. The signs and the information is on the pamphlet. You walk around with it.

But what you're not seeing here -- we can pan over here, because you can see some of the people. They're looking at the exhibit. It's kind of packed in. But could you imagine now 70 or 100 first graders now running through the exhibit?

Well, in fact, that's not how it happens here. There's a second floor. The second floor is where all the classes come through. They expect 70,000 children to come through every month.

So yes, you don't really want them running through and getting lost with your 1-year-old, do you? So they're on the next floor above. They get a completely special view, and that's where the learning goes on.

PHILLIPS: What...

MYERS: One thing...

PHILLIPS: Yes?

MYERS: I'll tell you one more thing. There is someone -- there is a volunteer at every single exhibit. If you want to know something -- and they are experts at this. If you want to know something, you walk up there and ask, and they'll tell you anything you want to know about the exhibit. So that's how you learn; you have to ask.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, speaking of asking, what about that little boy to your left? Has he named that little stuffed penguin yet?

MYERS: Have you named that penguin yet?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pengie.

MYERS: His name is Pengie. PHILLIPS: Aww.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pengu.

MYERS: Pengu.

PHILLIPS: Pengu.

MYERS: Well, that's -- Pengu.

PHILLIPS: All right, very good.

MYERS: Today's the official opening today. A couple days ago, they were open but only for annual pass holders. Now anybody can get in here. They let me in.

Five thousand people at a time, though. And after 5,000, they put the line up outside. Kind of like getting into a very busy bar or nightclub. They say, "Wait, you've got to have one in, one out," because they don't want more than 5,000 in the place at a time. It's big, but you know, it's not any fun if you're all packed in.

PHILLIPS: Chad, we're married with families. We don't know what it's like to go to a nightclub anymore. Come on. We were 23 when we did that. OK? Chad...

MYERS: I have memories, though.

PHILLIPS: Great, fond memories. All right, Chad, we'll see you, of course, throughout the next couple of hours. Thank you so much. Well, the number...

MYERS: I'll be right here.

PHILLIPS: OK, great.

Well, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose sharply last week. Susan Lisovicz has more from the New York Stock Exchange on the numbers.

Hi, Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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