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Iraqi Security Forces Targeted by Insurgents; Army Secretary Discusses Iraq War; Two Injured in Balloon Collision in Macy's Parade; First Family Celebrates Thanksgiving in Crawford; Live Recipient Thanks Family of Young Officer; Thousands Evacuate as Colombia Volcano Threatens

Aired November 24, 2005 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: From CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's the stories that we're working on for you right now on this Thanksgiving Day.
A balloon tangle sends a couple of bystanders to the hospital. We've got the details.

And fryer fires: a holiday hazard burning out of control. We'll show you what happens.

And Thanksgiving with the troops in Iraq. My interview with the secretary of the Army for Mosul on morale, the mission and when American troops will come home.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. CNN'S LIVE FROM starts right now.

It's a fun and festive Thanksgiving tradition, but this year it ended on a more somber note. A short time ago, one of the big inflated balloons in New York's Macy's parade collided with a lamp post in Times Square. Part of the light fell to the ground. Two people were injured.

Police say an 11-year-old girl has been hospitalized with a head injury. A 26-year-old woman is being treated for her shoulder. We expect a news conference with New York City officials any time now. We'll bring that to you live as soon as it happens.

Evacuation centers have been opened following a freight train collision just south of Chicago today. We're just getting these pictures in. Authorities say that a Union Pacific train collided with a Norfolk Southern train at a crossing near Kankakee, Illinois. There are three reported injuries, apparently members of the train crew, and officials say that a car on one of the trains is leaking denatured alcohol, which is danger -- dangerous.

Also, they're evaluating the situation, and we'll bring you more on this story as soon as it becomes available.

Thanksgiving in Iraq. A momentary respite for most American troops, another day of violence, death and terror for many Iraqis. The dinners were a cut above average at the U.S. chow halls, but that's where the similarity with hearth and home begins and ends.

CNN's Nic Robertson has the latest on two deadly car bomb attacks, from his post in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The latest big attack coming in the town of Hilla, about 100 kilometers, 60 miles south of Baghdad. The attack occurring in a market, a car bomb going off when the market was crowded. Three people killed, 13 wounded.

Not exactly clear what the target was, but within 100 meters, 100 yards, of where the bomb exploded was an Iraqi police station. Possibly the police station, possibly the target, possibly the crowded market. Thirteen -- 13 wounded and three dead in that attack.

Another attack coming earlier in the day, about 10 to 11 in the morning in the town of Mahmoudiya, about 35 kilometers, 22 miles south of Baghdad. There, according to the U.S. military, a suicide bomber drove his car bomb full of explosives into the outer cordon, into the security cordon outside the hospital. Unable to get into the hospital.

It's not clear what he was targeting when he detonated the explosives but four U.S. Army personnel were injured in that blast. They were at the hospital doing a survey to see what assistance could be provided to the hospital.

Along with that attack, Iraqi police say that 30 people were killed, 23 wounded. Some of the wounded ferried to the hospital in Baghdad for treatment for their injuries. But again, not clear what the target was there. Most of the casualties, however, Iraqi civilians.

And then earlier in the morning in Baghdad, three officers in the security forces here targeted for assassinations, an Iraqi Army major shot dead in his car at 9 a.m. in the morning. Half an hour later, an Iraqi police officer shot dead in his car. Half an hour after that another Iraqi Army police officer shot dead close to his house. Targeted assassinations, it seems, of people in the security forces here.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, in the same vicinity, more violence. A U.S. soldier shot to death yesterday. Two more killed today in a roadside bombing. Those bring the American military death toll to 2,104 since this war started.

Well, no surprise visits by the president today, as you may recall from 2003. But the top brass are represented in part by Army Secretary Francis Harvey. I caught up with him via satellite on one of his many stops throughout Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANCIS HARVEY, ARMY SECRETARY: I'm in Mosul, Iraq. Happy Thanksgiving. And I'm in a dining facility about to have Thanksgiving dinner with folks (ph).

PHILLIPS: Tell me, you've been speaking a lot to the men and women there. What have you been telling the troops?

HARVEY: Well, I've been thanking them for their service to the United States and thanking them for answering the call to duty and defending and protecting our democracy and preserving our freedom.

On that note, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask all Americans on this Thanksgiving Day to offer a special thanks to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.

These individuals, as I said, are the individuals that selflessly serve this country. These are the individuals who answer the call to duty and protect and defend our democracy and preserve our freedom. And finally, these are the individuals whose actions resulted in the liberation of 50 million people who were living under a very ruthless and barbaric regime.

So I'd like all Americans to join me and to thank our soldiers, our sailors, our airmen and Marines for what they do for this country.

PHILLIPS: Well, no doubt, sir, especially on this day, a lot of people giving thanks for what those men and women are doing and staying so dedicated to the mission.

And you know, I have to ask you, back here at home, Congressman John Murtha creating quite a war of words, wanting the soldiers, the men and the women, to come home. How do you feel about Congressman Murtha and what he's been saying?

HARVEY: Well, I happen to know Congressman Murtha very well. I've known him well for the last 15 years. He actually represents my mother's district. And I have a great deal of respect for the congressman. But with all due respect, I think he's wrong in this case.

I've talked to a number of soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division and the 101st. Their morale is very high. For example, the 3rd Infantry, the retention or reenlistment rates are the highest they've been in the history of the division. They've exceeded their goals by 135 percent.

So the morale of the soldiers is high. When you ask them why they reenlisted, they tell me that's because they know their mission is important to this country. They know they're making a difference here in Iraq, and they're very proud to serve.

So I have a very slightly different viewpoint, and I think the soldiers are the best reference to tell us that. And so I respectfully disagree with the Congressman.

PHILLIPS: Well, Secretary Harvey, have the men and women, your soldiers, said anything to you specifically about Congressman Murtha's comments? Are they asking you, "Why is he saying that?" Or "Let's talk about what he's saying in a more in-depth way"? HARVEY: No. When I asked them what their feelings are, and again, why their morale is so high, they say, and I quote, "I know that the American people are supporting us. I know that American people down deep appreciate what we're doing here and that they have a great deal of respect for and support for our courageous actions, our professionalism and our discipline."

So they don't directly respond to it. You know, as we like to say, a little bit outside the beltway, people have a little different view of the world.

So they have a marvelous attitude. And I might note that I see a tremendous amount of progress since the last time I was here in March. I see it across the spectrum. I see it economically, politically and, most important, militarily.

The Iraqi security forces are being stood up. When I was here in March, there was only 140,000 of them. Now there's about 215,000, which is an increase of almost 50 percent.

And most importantly, when I was here, there was no battalions of the Iraqi army that could operate on their own. Now there's 36 that can operate with our support, and they're making a difference.

So I see a tremendous amount of progress. The commanders and the soldiers are very positive. They tell me that the Iraqi soldiers have the raw courage it takes. They have some good leaders. They're participating; they're making a difference. They're finding intelligence.

The hotlines are as active that they've ever been. We get more calls from ordinary Iraqi citizens, telling us where we need to go to get the IEDs, where we need to go to get the insurgents.

So it's a very, very, very positive situation here from the soldiers' point of view and again, a progress across the board.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Coming up next hour, another interview or another chunk of that interview with the secretary of the Army, talking about the protesters at the president's ranch today, what he has to say to them.

And also, I talked with him about IEDs, the fact that the highest percentage of deaths are caused by IEDs. And I asked him what exactly he's doing to tackle that overseas. So we'll talk more about him next hour.

Now we've got video just in, out from the Macy's Day Parade. You know, we've been telling you about, of course, this tradition every year. We just got this video in of one of the balloons in the parade that collided with a lamp post in Times Square. You can see that part of the light had fallen to the ground.

Two people were injured in the situation. An 11-year-old -- 11- year-old girl was hospitalized. A 26-year-old woman is being treated for a hurt shoulder. There's the lamppost right there, and you actually see the -- it looks like the 26-year-old woman. I'm not quite sure if it's the 11-year-old girl that crews went directly to. It looks like the 26-year-old woman that has the hurt shoulder.

But these pictures just in via -- is this from CNN crew or one of our affiliates?

It is -- it's from a stringer. So this is stringer video that we got just in. An amateur photographer brought us this videotape.

We do expect a news conference with New York City officials any time. We'll bring it to you live when it happens. Once again, the mishap you saw there with the inflatable balloons in New York City's Macy's parade colliding with the lamp post. Two injured, one an 11- year-old girl and this woman, we believe, is the 26-year-old woman that suffered the hurt shoulder.

We'll bring you more on it as soon as that news conference happens.

Now, let's go to the president's holiday. Turkey and trimmings, of course, family and football, protests and probably more arrests. Those last items not on Mr. Bush's schedule, but hard to miss on the outskirts of the Texas ranch.

CNN's Elaine Quijano is keeping tabs on all of it -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra.

That's right. President Bush arrived here in Texas a couple of days ago, accompanied by the first family, Laura Bush, of course, the first lady, and their twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush. Now the family pets, apparently, were also on board Air Force One, as well, Barney, Miss Beasley and the other cat, India. And joining the Bushes at the Prairie Chapel Ranch, the president's parents, George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, as well as Laura Bush's mother, Jenna Welch.

And we are told it will be a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, complete with all the trimmings, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Talk a little bit more about that menu.

QUIJANO: It's going to be some Thanksgiving favorites albeit a little bit more elaborate, perhaps, than what the rest of us are used to. For one thing, the turkey is going to be free range turkey. But not just any free range turkey. It will be herb-stuffed roasted free range turkey. And their potatoes, not just any potatoes: chipotle maple whipped sweet potatoes. And not one but two choices of dessert. It will be pumpkin pie or Texas pecan pie, among the other items that you see there.

PHILLIPS: Of course. You've got to have the Texan pecan pie. Right?

All right, now the twins, their 24th birthday tomorrow? Is that right?

QUIJANO: That's right. That's exactly right.

PHILLIPS: Any big plans?

QUIJANO: You know, we haven't heard of anything, Kyra. But of course, this is an opportunity for some much coveted down time for the first family to all be together. The twins, as you mentioned, will be celebrating their 24th birthday tomorrow. And we haven't heard of anything in the way of a big birthday bash.

But undoubtedly, this is a time that President Bush savors. He very much enjoys coming back here to Crawford and being on the ranch. We're not expecting to see the president for a few days. Monday he's off to Arizona to talk about border security and immigration issues. But until then this is some time to spend with the family, all of the family here in Texas, celebrating not only Thanksgiving but the twins' birthday, as well -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now Elaine, I know you ask these kinds of questions. Does the president ever get in the kitchen at all? Does he help at all with that dinner?

QUIJANO: You know, I haven't actually gotten an answer on that. And it's interesting to note that I think perhaps Mrs. Bush's office might have something to say on that. If it's any indication that she seems like they she could certainly press him into service if need be. But whether or not that's actually happened, we just don't know yet.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elaine Quijano, thanks so much. We'll check in with you next hour.

Saving lives. It's one of the jobs of a police officer, as we all know. And one officer saved a half dozen lives just in time for Thanksgiving, only he doesn't know it. We'll explain, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Video just in on a developing story that we've been following about two trains colliding in Illinois. We can tell you that evacuation centers have now been opened following this freight train collision that happened just south of Chicago.

What we can tell you is that a Union Pacific train collided with a Norfolk Southern train at a crossing near Kankakee, Illinois. There are three reported injuries, we're told at this point, apparently, members of the crew.

A car on one of the trains is also leaking denatured alcohol, which of course, is extremely dangerous. So you can see the fire crews and various rescue crews have responded to that threat right now.

We're told investigators are still evaluating the situation. We're going to bring you more on this story as soon as it becomes available. And of course, as we continue to get new video, we'll bring that to you, as well.

Well, this Thanksgiving, six people across the country are celebrating a new lease on life because of another family's decision. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen tells us how that one act of courage is also helping many hearts to heal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNETTOR MURPHY, LIVE TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT: Thank you.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Annettor Murphy traveled 400 miles to thank the parents of the man who saved her life. She will never be able to thank their son.

Craig McBride, a police officer, died in August. Just two years on the force, he'd been voted rookie of the year at his precinct in Washington, D.C. His parents had never seen him happier. He would have been married soon. Now Annettor Murphy has his liver.

(on camera) There are several others out there like you...

MURPHY: Sure there are.

COHEN: ... who have a part of Craig inside them.

MURPHY: Yes. Yes. I think I got the best part, and I'm so happy.

COHEN (voice-over): On August 9, Ken and Jeanne McBride were at home in Massachusetts when their phone rang. Their son was being taken to Washington Hospital Center.

JEANNE MCBRIDE, MOTHER: What I asked the doctor was, "Is this the kind of situation where we needed to be there yesterday?"

And he said yes. That's all he needed to say.

COHEN: The next day, with his parents and dozens of police officers by his side, Craig died. The reason, so shocking it was hard for them to believe it at first. He'd drunk too much water while on a bike patrol training ride. It led to a lethal sodium imbalance.

When the hospital asked his parents if they'd like to donate Craig's organs, they didn't hesitate.

KEN MCBRIDE, FATHER: That's consistent with who he was, the way he lived, helping people.

COHEN: Craig's heart saved one life, his lungs two more. And another two people are alive today because of his kidneys and pancreas.

K. MCBRIDE: The gift you unselfishly gave to others when you decided to donate Craig's organs was truly heroic.

COHEN: According to the Washington Regional Transplant Consortium, Craig saved six lives. Through tissue donation, he improved countless others.

(on camera) Without Craig's liver, what would have happened to you?

MURPHY: I would have died, simply died.

COHEN (voice-over): Of the six, only Annettor Murphy knows she owes her life to Craig. The hospital didn't tell her. For privacy reasons, they don't reveal the identity of an organ donor.

Kim Taylor is the reason Annettor can thank Craig's family. She worked with Craig on the D.C. police force, and she's Annettor's niece. Kim put it all together: her aunt received a liver the day after Craig died, and her family had been told the liver was coming from a young person.

KIM TAYLOR, WORKED WITH CRAIG MCBRIDE: And I just ran into my commander's office, and I'm like, "My auntie, my auntie! Officer McBride!" That's all I could get out was "my auntie, Officer McBride" and "saved my aunt's life."

COHEN: A few weeks ago, Annettor and her family flew from Baltimore to Boston.

MURPHY: How are you?

J. MCBRIDE: Good. How about you?

COHEN: She wanted to learn more about the man who gave her a new lease on life. The McBrides shared family photos and stories.

J. MCBRIDE: This picture is growing up. He was an entrepreneur very early.

COHEN: And together, they celebrated Annettor's 62nd birthday.

K. MCBRIDE (singing): Happy birthday to you.

J. MCBRIDE (singing): Happy birthday to you.

COHEN: A birthday her doctors never thought she'd reach.

TAYLOR: Craig was a hero. He's a lot life to continue in someone else, and that's my aunt. He's just an awesome guy.

COHEN (on camera): How was it to meet the parents of man who gave you your liver?

MURPHY: I love them. I love them. They're angels. And he was an angel to give me his liver.

COHEN (voice-over): The McBrides gave Annettor this quilt...

J. MCBRIDE: The organ transplant symbol is a butterfly. So I put butterfly fabric in each corner.

COHEN: ... to symbolize that forever...

J. MCBRIDE: Our hearts to your hearts.

COHEN: ... because of Craig they're family.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Framingham, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead in Colombia, sleeping giant has awakened. A suddenly active volcano spewing lava. Amazing pictures coming to us. We'll have a live report.

The news keeps coming. We're going to keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Back here live in B Control on this Thanksgiving. While most American roast their turkeys, well, a growing number of families are turning to the deep fryer. But could your quest for a tastier turkey lead to a dangerous inferno? A LIVE FROM investigation coming up.

Well, a long smoldering volcano is again stirring up in South America. Thousands of people live on around the Galeras Mountain in southwest Colombia. Today, those people are being urged to get away.

On the phone from Bogota, CNN's Karl Penhaul.

Karl, I know there are a lot more people that were staying. How many more need to go?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now there's -- there's about 5,000 people who are being evacuated as we speak from the villages on the side of this volcano. And that after the volcano did erupt at 2:46 local time this morning, Kyra. That sent clouds of ashes and also minor tremors. It's listed as a small eruption at this stage, but authorities have upgraded the alert level to maximum red alert, level one alert, in fact. That means that an eruption is imminent or under way, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, a lot of the people that didn't want to leave were farmers. What type of farms are we talking about? And I know they didn't want to go, Karl, because this is their livelihood, and they're really worried about losing everything.

PENHAUL: Indeed, the crops typically that are in those areas are subsistence crops. They live off what they produce. It's a very high area. The volcano itself is almost 14,000 feet. And so the crops typically that you see in those areas are potatoes and cereal crops.

But these farmers, very poor farmers. They really have nothing else, apart the clothes on their back and the few possessions in their homes. And they really don't want to see all that destroyed, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, when is the last time this erupted? It was in the early '90s, right? What happened then?

PENHAUL: There had been ash clouds and smoke coming out of this volcano since 1993, but in 1993 was when Galeras really took world headlines, because six scientists and three tourists who were actually inside the crater died when there was an unexpected eruption. They were killed by rocks and by the deadly smoke inside, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So what happens now? Is this sort of a wait and see? Is there any type of testing that's going on, where scientists can say how long this could last and how long the evacuations need to be in place?

PENHAUL: Volcano eruptions are notoriously difficult to predict with any exactitude. There's obviously a number of monitoring stations around the base of this volcano. And on that basis, what volcanologists have told me this morning is that, yes, they noticed an increase in activity.

They monitored the eruption and explosion this morning that sent large clouds of ash across villages but also across the city of Pasto. That's a city of half a million people close to the border of Ecuador.

And what we can see now is the evacuation of the some 5,000 people. Another 5,000 may need to be evacuated in coming days. Commercial flights have also been closed to the city of Pasto, again because of the large ash clouds that are still hanging in the air, Kyra. And there could be an eruption at any time.

PHILLIPS: All right. Karl Penhaul, coming to us from Bogota, Colombia. We'll continue to follow up with you and the Galeras volcano taking place in that part of the country.

Well, as you're putting the finishing touches on your turkey -- I hope you are -- and popping that pie out of the oven, we've got a story that will give you and your Thanksgiving guests food for thought. Or at least make you feel like the smartest person at the table.

It's the story of the former slave that made the first Thanksgiving a reality. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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