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CNN Sunday Morning
Agent Asks to Postpone Woods Interview; Obama Set To Announce New Afghan Strategy; EBay Mobile Boutique Promotes Online Shopping; Rockette Shares Beloved Dance Troupe's Secrets
Aired November 29, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for the 29th of November. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Betty Nguyen. Thank you so much for starting your day with us.
HOLMES: All right. A lot of folks going to be out there maybe trying to escape from the relatives' house. A lot of you are out there doing that still after the holiday weekend.
We're trying to help you out with the screen here. You see the forecast. We're going to leave that up for a lot of folks. Millions of people out there going to be traveling today. You need that forecast. So by all means, keep your eye on the screen. Check out the bottom. We'll keep updating the forecast in different cities. And of course, our Reynolds Wolf is here as well. We'll be checking in with him in about 10 minutes. He's going to give us a full picture.
KEILAR: Plus, Tiger Woods still holding out. Police showed up at his door to talk about Friday's car crash, and he said, 'No thanks. Come back tomorrow.'
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: So we've got more details for you today. Also new pictures of his banged-up Escalade coming up.
HOLMES: Also another story with all kinds of twists. You know that couple accused of crashing the White House state dinner? You know they took the pictures with the president. They weren't supposed to be there. Secret Service is embarrassed and all that.
But would you believe now - everybody's waiting to hear from them, but they are demanding some cash for their interview. We will tell you how that is all going down.
But first, going to give you a check of some of our top stories.
We will start in Honduras. Election day in that troubled Central American country, with about 30,000 police officers and armed soldiers are lining the streets for security. Now, polls open in about two hours. Manuel Zelaya was ousted as president in a coup back in June, you may remember. Washington and many other countries around the world condemned that coup and refused to recognize interim President Roberto Micheletti.
Still, Washington says it will recognize the winner of today's vote. Zelaya was called - or has called for a boycott of today's election. Neither he nor Micheletti are actually on the ballot. Not running for president today.
KEILAR: U.S. marshals now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of this man here, 35-year-old Paul Michael Merhige. He is accused of shooting and killing four of his family members on Thanksgiving night, including his 6-year-old cousin, Mikayla Sitton.
Her father spoke with reporters and recalled tucking her into bed shortly before the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM SITTON, DAUGHTER KILLED IN SHOOTING: I just felt an urge, you know, 'Go give her a kiss.' And so I went in there and - and I - I was just telling her that - how much I love her, how special she is. Just what an honor it is to be her dad.
And we had a tender moment. And I kissed her goodnight. She was - I put her to sleep, and she woke up with Jesus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: A vigil was held for Mikayla in Jupiter last night. She was actually expected to dance in a production of "The Nutcracker" this weekend.
HOLMES: Well, a lifeline on the way for homeowners in danger of foreclosure. And tomorrow, the Obama administration expected to announce a new initiative to put more pressure on mortgage lenders.
The goal: Converting troubled loans into new loans with lower payments. This is all part of that $75 billion program that was announced earlier in the year.
KEILAR: Investigators still aren't any closer to getting answers in that sort of mysterious car crash involving Tiger Woods.
HOLMES: Yes, they're hoping to speak to Tiger Woods and his wife today. They were also hoping to speak to them yesterday and also the day before that.
Well, our Susan Candiotti is in Windermere, Florida, where investigators say they've already been turned away, hoping maybe the third time's a charm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J. and Brianna, good morning.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers say they're as surprised as anyone else why they haven't been able to hook up yet with Tiger Woods and his wife to take a statement after that traffic accident. They called it "very unusual."
(voice-over): The cracked-up front end of what's believed to be Tiger Woods' Cadillac SUV. Accident photos provided anonymously to CNN affiliate WFTV. The shots taken after police say the golfing phenom crashed into a fire hydrant at the end of his driveway and slammed into a neighbor's tree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was on the ground semi-unconscious and had lacerations to his upper and lower lip.
CANDIOTTI: Florida Highway Patrol investigators in two separate cars enter the gated upscale community on Saturday to hear firsthand from Woods about what caused him to apparently lose control of his car at 2:30 in the morning Thanksgiving night.
But on their way there, Woods' agent called and said, "Come back tomorrow." Police say it wasn't the first time they were turned away.
Just after the accident, the mother of two was described as "frantic," standing over her husband when police arrived. They said she bashed out a rear window with a golf club.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From what I understand, she explained to my officers that the doors were locked and she could not gain entry.
CANDIOTTI: Florida troopers released an initial report that said the accident was not alcohol-related. Woods has a squeaky-clean image and is known for keeping his private life private. Even his boat is called "Privacy."
Woods is not only golf's biggest draw and record-setting title holder; he's an endorsement powerhouse. Everything from Nike Golf, Gatorade and video-game titan EA Sports.
His wife and two children are only occasionally seen at tournaments. When his son was born last February, Woods released this rare but heartwarming family portrait.
(on camera): Under Florida law, Tiger Woods is not required to make a statement to police. All he really has to do is show that he has a valid driver's license, proof of registration and insurance. And perhaps today he'll do that -- T.J. and Brianna.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: President Obama is set to unveil the new strategy for Afghanistan, including an expected troop increase. This announcement coming Tuesday night at West Point.
HOLMES: Yes, CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in Afghanistan. He's embedded with American troops.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just days before the president is to announce his new strategy on Afghanistan, which could potentially put tens of thousand more soldiers here into this country, soldiers on the ground tell us those troops are badly needed.
What we did here is we revisited a unit that we followed into Afghanistan when they were first deployed earlier this year.
Here's what happened:
(voice-over): A little more than six months ago, we were with the 4th Engineer Battalion when they first touched down in Kandahar, air-lifted directly from Iraq to southern Afghanistan, to help bolster the war effort against a resurgent Taliban.
One of those making the move: Private First Class Kimble Han.
(on camera): What's your family say?
PFC. KIMBLE HAN, U.S. ARMY: My family? They're supportive. You know, when you make the decision to join the Army, especially at a time of war, they -- you know, they support it and they know that we're doing -- we're doing the right thing.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Kimble Han was killed on October 23rd when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle.
His was not the only casualty this unit has suffered.
(on camera): In all, the unit has already lost 11 men in just over six months here in Afghanistan, most of them to improvised explosive devices.
(voice-over): Seventeen soldiers have suffered so-called "life- changing injuries," like losing limbs.
PFC. MATTHEW STAMFORD, U.S. ARMY: Not only mentally but physically, it's a lot -- it's very exhausting to know that somebody that you were -were working with went down and there was nothing you could really do about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). Watch out.
PLEITGEN: One thing they can do: Train new arrivals on how to evacuate the wounded after an IED strike. The hidden devices are now the No. 1 killer of American soldiers in Afghanistan. And some of those in this unit that hunts IEDs say the only way to change that is by putting more boots on the ground.
SGT. BOBBY MARTIN, U.S. ARMY: I think we could use a lot more -- more presence makes to make sure that our routes are a lot safer.
Starts to (INAUDIBLE) don't have enough time to deploy big IEDs.
PLEITGEN: The bomb that killed Kimble Han was a charge packed with several hundred pounds of explosives. HAN: I think we've been prepared. I think we've all done the training that's necessary to accomplish the mission at hand.
PLEITGEN: But making that mission less treacherous will be a challenge, one of the most critical challenges in this eight-year-long war.
(on camera): Now of course, the potential troop increase is the main topic on the bases in Kandahar, but really, in all of southern Afghanistan.
But one thing that's also an interesting topic is that many of the soldiers wonder where all these troops are going to go. What we can say is that a lot of the bases here in southern Afghanistan are really bursting with so many soldiers on them, and it's really unclear how the infrastructure is going to sustain more troops.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Zabul Province, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And a reminder that CNN on Tuesday night, President Obama announcing his decision on U.S. troops heading to Afghanistan. Our special coverage with the best political team on TV begins Tuesday night, 7:00 Eastern time.
KEILAR: A lot of people, of course, heading home today to get back to work, of course...
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: ...after the holiday, keeping your eye on the bottom of the screen if you are going to travel today. You're going to see the forecast for your city, plus Reynolds Wolf is in the Travel Headquarters this morning keeping an eye on all of it. REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Guys, let's be completely honest here.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: I mean, after days of eating holiday food, people are not just leaving Grandma's house; they're running for their lives.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: They're getting out of there as fast as they possibly can, going to the roads, going to the airports. And the thing is, you don't need the headache of delays. But chances are, there are going to be some out there.
We're going to let you know who's going to expect what and where you might have some holdups in the airports. That's coming up in just a few moments.
HOLMES: You know, some people like their grandmothers, Reynolds.
KEILAR: I like mine.
WOLF: Oh, I love Grandma, too. But eating 80 pounds of turkey, that can do something to a guy.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: Just throwing that out there for you.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds. We'll see you in a second, buddy.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: Well, a lot of people out there - everybody knows Alicia Keys. Everybody knows that voice. But do you know this Alicia Keys?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, she is talking to us about her new project to help kids just like those in Africa.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, THIN LIZZY, "THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN")
WOLF: The boys are back. Yes.
HOLMES: That's what we should play every time Betty's gone.
WOLF: You think so?
HOLMES: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: But see, I - I wouldn't want her to misconstrue that. I would not want her to think that we're trying to convey some message through song that might be detrimental to Betty and...
HOLMES: To Betty.
WOLF: ..(INAUDIBLE) for us. Yes.
HOLMES: We love our Betty. Good morning...
WOLF: We do.
HOLMES: ...Betty. We know you're watching out there. Doubt it.
All right. There was a lot of football yesterday, but also there was a basketball game this weekend that the president decided to take in. Did you catch this, folks?
Yes, the president snuck into a game. This is the Oregon State- George Washington basketball game. Now why would he pick this game to go to, along with his family? Well, because his brother-in-law is - there he is right there - the head coach - yes, that is Michelle's, the first lady's, brother....
WOLF: Wow.
HOLMES: ...who is the head coach there. Who is - his first year on the job. They did win the game. They're off to kind of a rough start, 2-3. But still, they won this game in particular.
But that's a nice little holiday-weekend family outing, to go check out the - the uncle and brother-in-law.
WOLF: Can you imagine you're playing that game, and you're like the third-string point guard and it's a tied game, and you go to the - to the foul line for a one and one, and - and they're like, 'Hey Melvin (ph), you got to hit these two shots. Oh, and by the way, the president of the United States...'
HOLMES: The president.
WOLF: '...is sitting up there watching you. So no pressure.'
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: No pressure whatsoever.
HOLMES: But that had to be a treat for those guys. They got jerseys from the George Washington team. But a treat for them to - to have the - the first family in attendance.
WOLF: Very, very cool. (INAUDIBLE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, we got some new details this morning about those accused party crashers. Yes, we're still talking about them.
The new detail is that a lot of people waiting to hear from them, waiting for them to show up in an interview. Well, they want some cash before...
KEILAR: Not just a little.
HOLMES: Yes, not this (INAUDIBLE). I don't even know why I'm doing that. It's...
KEILAR: That's like chump change, right?
HOLMES: Yes, that's nothing.
KEILAR: No. (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES: We'll tell you how much they're actually asking for, and even how much they were asking CNN to fork over.
KEILAR: Plus, online retailers are trying all sorts of new things to try to win your business for Cyber Monday. And our Josh Levs is here to explain that.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, guys.
The - the - you saw it before. I think you've seen it, this giant mobile unit from eBay. It's traveling all over the country. Will this change how online businesses are competing? You are going to watch us climb onboard.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, BEATLES, "CAN'T BUY ME LOVE")
KEILAR: Well, a lot of buying going to be going on tomorrow though.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: And stores are taking all sorts of new steps to compete for your holiday spending in this economy.
Also, online sites are doing the same thing.
HOLMES: Our Josh Levs took a tour of the eBay Mobile Boutique. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: So as we look at how retailers are competing in this season, eBay is doing something brand new. They have this mobile boutique and Karen Bard, eBay's pop-culture expert is here to tell us about it.
Thanks, Karen.
KAREN BARD, EBAY MOBILE BOUTIQUE: Good morning. How are you?
LEVS: Good morning to you.
All right, what are we looking at here? What is this?
BARD: We are looking at the eBay mobile boutique. It is a virtual eBay marketplace. Step inside and get over 200 million gift ideas for the holidays.
So it's rolling into your town. Get inspired for the holidays and shop online.
LEVS: All right. So this is traveling to major cities across the country?
BARD: Major cities across the country, popping up everywhere, really highlighting the eBay marketplace and the entrepreneurs and the people that make the marketplace run.
LEVS: All right. And the idea here behind what you're doing is that you need to compete, right? You have all these different stores out there that are selling.
BARD: Absolutely.
LEVS: You want people to remember, if you buy something from eBay, you can bargain for a price and then eBay gets a chunk of that.
BARD: Well, absolutely.
But the greatest thing is that we're highlighting the great merchandise available on eBay, the selection and, of course, the value. Everyone needs a deal this holiday season, and eBay has them for you. Plus, the hottest products.
LEVS: All right. Now let's take a look at some of those deals.
BARD: Absolutely.
LEVS: This is one of the most popular things, right?
BARD: One of the most popular things, the Zhu Zhu pet. So for the parent who does not want to get your kid a pet hamster, this is the perfect...
LEVS: This is what everyone wants.
BARD: ...thing. These are little electronic robotic hamster that come with environments. They scoot around on the floor. These are the hottest things.
LEVS: Does it do something? (INAUDIBLE)
BARD: It does.
When - you know, when you put it on the floor it can go -- it does all kinds of things.
But these are sold out in stores. The only place you're going to be able to find these available is on eBay.
LEVS: Right. Yes.
BARD: We have over 20,000 of them listed on eBay right now.
LEVS: OK.
BARD: They're sold out in stores. Limits in the stores. Not on eBay.
LEVS: All right.
Now we know that one reason a lot of people turn to eBay is for electronics, right? BARD: Absolutely.
LEVS: They hope to get better deals. Also they hope to get things they can't get in stores anymore.
BARD: Absolutely.
But the greatest thing about eBay -- iPhones, iPods -- whether you want last season's or this season's, we have them available on the site. E-readers are huge this year as well.
And of course, iPods, little shuffles, cameras to record your holiday season. And I love this great little TV. It's perfect for a kids' room or a kitchen. It's a great little size and a great value.
LEVS: All right.
Well, let's climb onboard the eBay mobile boutique. We're going to check it out. Let's go.
BARD: Five computer kiosks inside, screens showing the hottest gifts and, of course, the hottest gifts all laid out in front of you. So...
LEVS: We're going to emphasize, these aren't being for sale here. The way it works on eBay is, you buy from someone else via the Internet.
But these are here...
BARD: Exactly.
LEVS: ...to suggest items you might want to look for on eBay.
BARD: Right. Right.
LEVS: Right.
BARD: This is to inspire people.
LEVS: Inspire.
BARD: And we have shopping experts on hand at the mobile boutique to help you shop, get the correct search term so you can buy it right now, get it shipped to your house.
LEVS: So we're seeing a lot here, a lot of computer screens. There's a lot to this unit.
How much did eBay pay to make this happen?
BARD: You know, we don't detail our marketing commitment.
However, this is just a great program. We really want to get consumers in here. We want people to experience eBay and we want to highlight the sellers that make our marketplace run. And these are all the things that our sellers have to offer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. And that mobile boutique is traveling to some 11 cities.
KEILAR: Well, you know, it's the holiday season.
(MUSIC, BOBBY HELMS, "JINGLE BELL ROCK")
HOLMES: Whenever you hear that music go on.
KEILAR: You hear that. That's nice. I like that.
HOLMES: You like that?
KEILAR: And you know what reminds me of?
HOLMES: What is that?
KEILAR: The Rockettes.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE). Well, we got the Rockettes. We got some behind-the-scenes secrets on how these ladies stay in line.
And also, have you ever noticed - don't all those ladies look like they're exactly the same height? Well, they're not. We'll reveal that secret coming up as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A look now at some of the top stories we're following.
In Russia, workers are laying new track at the site of two possible terror-related blasts. Officials there say they found elements of an explosive device, including a large crater under the track where a train derailed on Friday, killing at least 26 people, injuring about 100 more.
Officials say a second device went off yesterday on a nearby track but no one was hurt in that explosion.
HOLMES: Five more bodies have been recovered after a ferry capsized in southern Bangladesh. That brings now the death toll to 36. Half of the victims are children. Official say the boat, which fits about 1,500 people, was carrying about 2,000 when it toppled Friday from just too much weight.
KEILAR: A pretty solid start to the holiday-shopping season. Retailers raked in almost $10.7 billion on Black Friday. That's according to Shopper Trak, which keeps an eye on these sales numbers. We're also seeing a half-percent increase over last year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (MUSIC, ZZ TOP, "LEGS")
HOLMES: Perfect song. Yes, she got legs. They got lots of legs.
We're talking about the Rockettes this morning. Six hours of rehearsals six days a week - the Rockettes work pretty hard to kick the holidays off right.
KEILAR: And the famous troupe is actually touring through 31 cities this year. And our Melissa Long has your backstage pass.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Three-quarters of a century and still kicking. The Rockettes' Christmas spectacular signals the holidays are here.
JOANNA RICHARDSON, ROCKETTE: We started in 1933, and, you know, we always try to reinvent and re-imagine and re-create the show.
LONG: Still, crowds are nostalgic. They expect the ladies with lovely legs to perform precision dance and eye-high kicks.
At a tour at Atlanta's Fox theater, 24-year-old Joanna Richardson invited us backstage to share some of the show's secrets, like how they trick your eye.
RICHARDSON: We have to create the illusion that we all are, you know, the same height so. We put the tallest girls in the center and then the shorter girls cascade out to the sides.
LONG: The Rockettes actually range from 5'6 to 5'10 and a half. And with eight costumes, they're just as choreographed backstage as on stage.
One quick change, just 90 seconds. And in the dance of the wooden soldiers, the ladies must wiggle into the white pants.
RICHARDSON: They're so incredibly starched that we actually can't sit down in them.
LONG: Another secret: a grid you can't see, but the dancers can.
RICHARDSON: We have numbers across the front of the stage, letters across the sides. And then at certain points going upstage, we have colored lines. And we have an exact position for every step we do.
LONG: And with all those steps and up to four grueling performances a day, how do the ladies pamper their tender feet? Ice baths.
RICHARDSON: We'll actually we put out feet in ice water for about 10 minutes after the show to help, you know, keep the swelling down.
LONG: Something they appreciate every time the curtain goes up.
Melissa Long, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. From kicks to kickbacks, if you will. The couple accused of crashing the White House state dinner - well, they say it's time to get paid. Michaele and Tareq Salahi - that's their names, this couple - they're demanding now hundreds of thousands of dollars for an interview.
CNN is one of the networks they asked for some of that money. We just don't have the budget for that kind of thing, so - or the ethics for it.
KEILAR: Yes.
HOLMES: We, of course, said no.
KEILAR: Yes, you know that as well, right?
HOLMES: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: That's really the issue.
And Michaele Salahi is trying to get on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of D.C." You know, that - that series...
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: ...that has been in many...
HOLMES: Many cities, yes.
KEILAR: ...cities, including Atlanta.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: And the Secret Service says the Salahis weren't on the guest list Tuesday night, but agents mistakenly let them through.
HOLMES: Yes, so a lot of folks out there have an opinion about this story one way or another. A lot of people weighing in on Facebook and Twitter. We have been asking you the question.
Let's go over to some of the comments. We've gotten a ton this weekend.
I will start with this Facebook something that somebody sent me here and - well, essentially asking the question, do you think they should be punished? And Norman says, "No, the White House couple should not be punished. The White House security goofed. They should and will be a lesson for the White House security to learn from." It says, in his opinion, "the White House couple should be commended. They were just ordinary people - OK, rich ordinary people - and that took a chance of a lifetime to enter the White House on this special occasion."
Vern, right under that, says, "Maybe the Secret Service will crash their Sunday brunch."
KEILAR: Maybe.
HOLMES: Maybe. Charges could be coming is what Vern is alluding to there.
You know where to find us now, Betty and I both. I don't know if Betty's checking hers this morning, but you can send them to me at Facebook and Twitter, and also our blog, and also weekends@CNN.com.
But thank you so much for weighing in. We'll continue to read some of those this morning. And a lot of people - you know, I don't know how to say it. Maybe even 50-50. Some people think it's more on the security, and they shouldn't be punished.
KEILAR: Clearly differing opinions here.
HOLMES: Yes, even you and I have different opinions about them.
Well, Afghanistan we'll turn to next. That's - isn't the only topic on the forefront in Washington this week, as you certainly would know, since you cover the Hill up there.
KEILAR: Big week in Washington...
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: ...on this. And a look at some of the big decisions on health care and the economy as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, hello there, everybody. Welcome back to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING for November 29th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar for Betty Nguyen. Thank you so much for starting your day with us.
HOLMES: And many of you, as Reynolds said, are trying to run from Grandma's house this morning. A lot of people still trying to make it back home after the holiday weekend. Well, millions of people, in fact, are doing that today, and that's why we're helping out by showing the forecast, underneath here, for cities around the country. Keep your eyes on the bottom of the screen and it'll rotate, like I said, through various cities. And Reynolds will be joining us in just a few minutes with the full travel forecast. Coming up in about six minutes from now.
Let's go to some top stories, here, first. State investigators in Florida planning to try, at least, to interview golfer Tiger Woods and his wife today about Tiger's early Friday morning accident. Investigators went to the couple's Orlando- area home yesterday to talk with the couple but were told they were not available. That's the same thing they were told when they went on Friday, as well, to try to talk to Tiger.
KEILAR: U.S. marshals are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of this man, here, 35-year-old Paul Michael Merhige, He is accused of shooting and killing four of his family members, Thanksgiving night, including his six-year-old cousin, Mikayla Sitton. Her father spoke with reporters and recalled tucking her in to bed just before the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM SITTON, DAUGHTER KILLED IN SHOOTING: I just felt an urge, you know, go give her a kiss. So I went in there, and I was telling her how much I love her, how special she is. What an honor it is to be her dad. We had a tender moment and I kissed her good night. She went -- I put her to sleep, and she woke up with Jesus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: A vigil was held for Mikayla in Jupiter last night. She was expected to dance in a production of "The Nutcracker" this weekend.
HOLMES: It is election day in the troubled Central American country of Honduras. About 30,000 police officers and armed soldiers lining the streets for security there today. Polls open in about 90 minutes. Manuel Zelaya was ousted as president in a coup back in June, you may remember. Washington and many countries around the world condemned the coup and refused to recognize the interim President Roberto Micheletti. But still Washington says it will recognize the winner of today's vote. Zelaya has called for a boycott of the election. Neither he nor Micheletti are actually running for president. Neither are on the ballot today.
President Obama, meanwhile, unveiling his strategy for Afghanistan, That is coming up on Tuesday night.
KEILAR: Yes, the president is expected to announce plans to send more troops into the country. He'll make that announcement during a visit to the U.S. military academy at West Point. And here on CNN, coverage of the president's speech begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Well, December, getting off to a busy start in the world of politics. That's the president's speech Tuesday, there is some more to be done.
KEILAR: That's right. There's also going to be movement on two top domestic issues, health care reform and unemployment. And CNN's Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, Brianna, T.J.
The battle over health care reform resumes tomorrow on Capitol Hill. As congressional lawmakers return from a week off, the full Senate begins to deliberate, and argue, over the Democrats' bill.
Some of the potential stumbling blocks? The public option, a provision to prevent public funding of abortions, and how to pay for the bill. The debate could go on for weeks. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he hopes to have a final vote before Christmas.
The economy's still by far issue number one with Americans and it is with Barack Obama, as well. Thursday, the president holds a job forum at the White House. The next day he hits the road, heading to Allentown, Pennsylvania to talk about jobs. With the nation's unemployment rate above 10 percent finding jobs for Americans is job number one for the administration.
But former House Speaker Newt Gingrich may be beating President Obama to the punch. Gingrich, who may be considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, will hold what he calls a Real Job Summit in Cincinnati on Wednesday. That's one day before the president's forum. Gingrich is expected to hold a second summit the next day in Mississippi.
As we move towards next year's crucial midterm elections, the economy is by far the most important issue on the minds Americans. And both political parties can't do enough to remind voters they're looking for solutions to help get people back to work, Brianna, T.J.?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: We're calling this the Weather Bar, right there. Pull up a seat to the Weather Bar, get your forecast.
HOLMES: That usually means something different when we're talking about Reynolds.
Reynolds, huh?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I resemble that remark. I have no idea what you could have possibly meant by that. What you were referring to.
KEILAR: Pull up a seat to our Weather Bar.
HOLMES: Yeah.
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: But sometimes that is not enough and you have to go see the man. And that's what we're doing now. We're checking in with you, Reynolds. What do we have going on?
(WEATHER REPORT) HOLMES: Thank you. If that wasn't enough for you, we've got more Reynolds coming up. He'll be back in a few minutes. Of course, the ever popular list of weekend events, he'll be doing it at 6:45, so just a few minutes from now. So come on back.
KEILAR: He really does have a little something for everybody.
HOLMES: Yes, he does.
KEILAR: It's pretty interesting. Something to get us in the Christmas spirit, as well. And an event just in case you didn't get enough to eat last week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Checking your top stories now.
A new way to guard against the flu this season. The FDA fast tracked approval for the Agriflu vaccine. It is supposed to protect against seasonal flu, but not the H1N1 virus, and it's not for kids, just patients 18 and older.
HOLMES: Washington is warning Tehran it could be facing significantly stronger economic sanctions. The warning comes after the U.N.'s watchdog nuclear agency demanded Iran stop construction of its previously secret nuclear facility at Qom. The agency also is demanding Iran stop uranium enrichment which can be used to make a nuclear bomb.
U.S. banks will probably feel the ripples from Dubai's debt problems. The company that helped build the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai says it needs more time to repay its debt. Dubai World owes $60 billion, some of it to U.S. banks. Citigroup alone has nearly $2 billion tied up in the project.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Guys, got all kinds of wacky weekend events to share with you. The first one is based on Charles Dickens.
Excuse me for a moment. I always have to drink when I discuss Dickens. Always do.
It's going to be in Holly, Michigan. It is actually the first of three weekends, because one weekend, to be completely honest, is not enough. You have to have three weekends for the great works of Charles Dickens. It is in Holly, Michigan. Get out there and enjoy yourself.
In Stuttgart, Arkansas, they are hosting the 74th Annual Duck Calling Contest. We're not talking like, you pick up the phone and you call the duck. You actually have to have an instrument, or you can just do it, just with your hands, or something and call ducks.
The contest starts after the big Duck Gumbo Cook-off. You celebrate the duck and then you eat it. Last weekend they crowned the Queen Mallard, which I'm sure is a tremendous honor.
In South Carolina, they have the Chitlin Strut, in Salley, South Carolina. Which is a great thing. They have a chitlin eating contest. They actually feature stars of some of the competitive eating circuits, Kobayashi, those kind of guys. So what they do is take about 50 pounds of raw entrails and they eat them as fast as they possibly can -- no, they're cleaned and breaded and all of that stuff and you eat them.
HOLMES: Put people off, if people think --
KEILAR: So, they're fried?
WOLF: They are fried.
HOLMES: They fry them here.
WOLF: What's amazing -- I've heard chitlins are quite good. But when you have an opportunity to have bacon, or maybe some ribs or maybe a ham or something, who was that guy in history that said, no, no, intestines, that's what I want. That's going to be a key thing for me, load up the plate. But that is what you have.
HOLMES: We'll get the history for you.
WOLF: That's what I'm saying.
In Las Vegas they've got the Auto Show. And then we're going across the pond to Switzerland, in the high mountains, where they have the Santa Clause World Championship. In Switzerland the events include, chimney climbing, gingerbread decorating, also sledding and Santa ski races. Who knew that he could ski? I had no idea. The sleigh, sure, but skiing, I guess when you live in the North Pole, you have that one down, right?
KEILAR: These are important skills, though, Reynolds.
WOLF: I guess they are.
KEILAR: They need to be honed. They need to know who is the best.
WOLF: I mean, downhill, you know, North Pole kind of flat. It's not really competitive stuff. So, he goes up there and it's in the high mountains and it's going vertical. It's scary stuff.
KEILAR: Out of his element.
WOLF: Did I mention the Charles Dickens Festival is this weekend?
KEILAR: Have a drink.
WOLF: Thank you, guys, for that.
HOLMES: Reynolds, thanks, buddy. We'll see you in a minute.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Officers are trying to get Tiger Woods' side of the story about his car accident and they were turned away actually.
HOLMES: Yes, and a lot of people are wondering, of course, reports are he hit a fire hydrant and then hit a tree. A lot of people wondering just how bad was the damage to his SUV? Well, we've got some pictures.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, that voice, unmistakable, that song "Unbreakable", you may remember from her "Unplugged" album. Her music, of course, Alicia Keys is known across the globe. And this morning we're talking about her effort to make a world of difference. World AIDS Day coming up on Tuesday and Keys is drawing attention to that with a benefit concert for her charity, Keep a Child Alive. Caught up with her recently in New York to talk about her work in Africa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALICIA KEYS, SINGER: It's crazy when you think about it how you can change the lives of people forever, for the price of a pair of shoes.
HOLMES (voice over): Alicia Keys didn't set out to do humanitarian work in Africa. In a way, Africa came to her. It was 2002, her first album was climbing the charts, she won Grammys for best new artist and song of the year. But she never expected an invitation to perform in Africa.
KEYS: I was wowed that people that far away would know my music.
HOLMES: Maybe she knew that 40 percent of the population there was infected with HIV/AIDS, but those numbers didn't really hit home until she came face to face with the people there.
KEYS: I started to meet kids my age and younger who were personally dealing with it, lost their parents, watched their parents die, then had to raise their younger brothers and sisters if they're 14, and they're raising their seven-year-old and six-year-old brother and sister.
HOLMES: The people she met changed her life.
KEYS (SINGING): Can you send an angel?
HOLMES: And ever since, this 12-time Grammy award-winning singer has been working to change theirs.
KEYS: All they kept saying when I was leaving, don't forget us. Please don't forget us.
HOLMES: Within a year, Keys co-founded the Keep A Child Alive organization with filmmaker and activist Lee Blake. Their mission is to build clinics and provide kids and their families with medicine that will save their lives.
KEYS: Picture your brother, picture your mother, picture your daughter, picture your son, and picture them suffering greatly. You would not tolerate it. You wouldn't. You would say whatever I have to do to change it, I'm going to do it.
HOLMES: On December 15th, Alicia Keys will release her fourth CD, "The Element of Freedom". She says it will show a different side of her music.
KEYS: I'm renewed and I'm reborn. So, you will feel a different side of me, definitely. A freer side of me, more confident side of me, stronger side.
HOLMES: The first single, "Doesn't Mean Anything," is already out and getting plenty of play. You see her here performing on "Regis & Kelly."
(On camera): Everybody knows what you do behind the piano. But what do you want to be known for years, maybe years down the road?
KEYS: I want to be known as an incredible global citizen and a person who has made their mark in inspiring positively.
I'll tell you one thing, though, they're going to make it through. They're going to have something serious to say. They're going to change the world. We're going to change the world. I felt proud that that was my generation. This is my generation. We're about to do something really big.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. You're hearing that song there from the new album. It was supposed to come out. She wanted to coordinate it and have it come out on World AIDS Day, December 1st. But she delayed it, it's not coming out until the 15th. Do you know why? Well, she wanted to add a song with Beyonce. They have a duet that they're adding to that album. So that might be worth delaying your album for.
KEILAR: Yeah, definitely.
HOLMES: But also the work there, she's doing in Africa, she's going to expand to India next. She calls that the next natural progression of her work. Look for her to help out in India, as well.
KEILAR: That was a great piece, T.J.
HOLMES: Enjoyed it.
KEILAR: Well, in Russia, a second explosion near the site of Friday's deadly train wreck.
HOLMES: Investigators are now calling this an act of terrorism. We're going to be going live to Moscow. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: You know that couple accused of crashing the White House state dinner? Well, they want to make a buck off of it. They are actually demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars for an interview. And CNN is one of the networks that said no to that.
HOLMES: We actually laughed when they asked.
Also, our Kate Bolduan, now, she is telling us that the Secret Service is admits it slipped up by letting this whole thing happen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Secret Service insists President Obama was never in any danger as this Virginia couple, Tareq and Michaela Salahi, like all other guests attending Tuesday's state dinner, had to go through levels of security screening to get in.
But in a statement released Friday, the director of the Secret Service Mark Sullivan says the agency is deeply concerned and embarrassed. The statement goes on to say they should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely. That failing, he says, is ours. Clearly the review of the security breach continues. Fran Townsend, former Homeland Security advisor to President Bush, says she expects to see fallout.
FRAN TOWNSEND, FMR. HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISOR: At best, the uniform division Secret Service agents who let them on to the property will be disciplined, and at worse they could potentially be fired.
I will tell you, it is a very serious security breach. Because after all, bad people will watch this and watch how they did it and learn. And they may test the Secret Service in other circumstances, if not at the White House, as a result of this. So it is a very, very serious case.
BOLDUAN: The White House has requested a full review of the circumstances surrounding this incident, but White House spokesperson Nick Shapiro made a point of saying the U.S. Secret Service still has the full confidence of President Obama. Now, the Secret Service has not ruled out the possibility of criminal charges in this incident.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Yes, criminal charges.
Whoa, what was that music there for a second?
We are asking you to weigh in on this story. A lot of your comments have been coming in. Let's go right to them here. Let's go with some of the Twitter folks this morning. And some of these are short, sweet, and to the point. Asking about them getting money now, or wanting money for it.
First person here responding. "Is that surprising?"
Another one saying, "Of course they do."
Another person saying, "How dumb is that?"
The next person say, "Oh, hell no!"
And then after that, another person saying, "They are a hot mess!"
And then the last one on the screen here says, "I hope they need cash for being bailed out of jail. Stupid stunt which could've endangered our president, they should be prosecuted."
It's one thing, a lot of people were back and forth on whether or not they should get in trouble. Now people hearing they want money, has taken people over the edge in their opinions right now.
KEILAR: And they may have some legal bills it's sounding like.
HOLMES: YES.
KEILAR: As they possibly face criminal charges.
HOLMES: It sounded like they already had some issues with money, with bankruptcy, with the business they were in, and all kinds of financial issues already. So there you go.
Please, continue to send your comments into us, Facebook, Twitter, on our blog, as well, you know where to find us.
Meanwhile, it's coming up at the top of the hour now. So, once again, we want to welcome you all, from the CNN Center here in Atlanta, Georgia, to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this November 29. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen. So good to see you this morning. Thanks for joining us.
HOLMES: A lot of folks out there, you are wrapping up your holiday weekend. If you are heading home this morning, millions of you will be doing that. A long holiday weekend, you are trying to get away from those relatives finally now. Trying to high-tail it out of there. We are trying help out by at the bottom of the screen putting up the forecast for many cities, weather updates across the country, and also our Reynolds Wolf is going to be helping out. We're going to hear from him a full forecast in about eight minutes right now.
KEILAR: And also Tiger Woods is holding out. Police showed up at his door, they wanted to talk to him about Friday's car crash. And he said no thanks, come back tomorrow. I'm sure they will. But we have also, more details on that. We also have new pictures of his banged up Escalade, coming up.
HOLMES: We also want to tell you about some of the top stories we're keeping an eye on this morning. A lifeline possibly on the way for homeowners endangered of foreclosure. Tomorrow, the Obama administration is expected to announce a new initiative to put more pressure on mortgage lenders. The goal here is to convert troubled loans into new loans with lower payments. Part of a $57 billion program announced earlier in the year.
KEILAR: A solid start to the holiday shopping season. Retailers raked in almost $10.7 billion on Black Friday. That's according to Shopper Track, which keeps an eye on these sales. We're seeing a half percent increase over last year.
HOLMES: And five more bodies have been recovered after a ferry capsized in southern Bangladesh. This now brings the death toll to 36. Half of those victims are children. Officials say the boat, which fits about 1,500 people, was carrying about 2,000 people when it toppled Friday from just too much weight.
KEILAR: Russian investigators say a train derailment Friday night was an act of terrorism. An explosion on the tracks derailed the train, killing at least 26 people and injuring 100 others.
And our Matthew Chance is in Moscow.
Matthew -- so, what is the latest you can tell us about this investigation?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, even the victims at this stage, Brianna, haven't all been identified. What the Russian authorities are saying is that they can confirm at this point that at least 25 people, passengers on board that bomb train are confirmed as dead. More than 100 injured, some of them in quite serious condition. But there are more than a dozen people who are still unaccounted for who are believed to have been on the train.
So, obviously, there's a good potential for that death toll to rise in the hours ahead as family members go and identify the bodies that are -- that are in the morgue.
And the train services, though, have been restored, but just in Russia's two main cities, Moscow (INAUDIBLE) St. Petersburg, where the train was heading to and when it was bombed at about 9:30 local time on Friday night. Investigators on the ground are still sifting through the wreckage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE (voice-over): Daylight reveals the horrifying extent of this Russian train disaster. Rescue workers are at the twisted wreckage of the Nevsky Express. Casualties are high, and relatives of those on board desperate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My brother and nephew are on the train. I've tried getting some information over the phone and Web, but couldn't, so I came here. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I know my daughter's alive and well. She sent me a text message on my mobile phone. She said she managed to get out of the carriage and she's intact. That was all the information she could give. She couldn't call me for some reason.
CHANCE: At the scene, prosecutors have opened a criminal case, a small crater has been found beneath the tracks. Railway officials say it was sabotage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): As far as leads are concerned, the main theory behind the accident is the blast of an unidentified explosive device conducted by unidentified persons -- simply speaking, a terrorist attack.
CHANCE: Russian President Medvedev has appeared on state television being briefed by government officials and urging calm. "We need no chaos," he told the country. "The situation is tense enough."
(on camera): But if it was a bomb that derailed the train causing such horrific casualties, it would be the deadliest attack outside Russia's volatile North Caucuses for many years. And that's immensely worrying many Russians who may have hoped they'd seen the last of these kinds of acts.
(voice-over): Not since 2004 with the suicide bombings of two Russian airliners by Chechen separatist killing 80 people that Russians suffered so much. In fact, the Nevsky Express was bombed once before in 2007, but there were only injuries. This time, the impact has been far greater.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: Brianna, Russian prosecutors say they've launched the nationwide investigation attempt to try to bring those responsible for this train bombing to justice -- back to you.
KEILAR: And, Matthew, is there any sense of who might be the culprit here?
CHANCEN: Well, I think in cases like this, in Russia, the finger of blame inevitably points to Islamist militants from Russia's very volatile North Caucuses region where bombings and shootings are almost weekly occurrence. But in this case, there's also speculation that it may have been the work of some kind of ultranationalist skinhead gang.
And so, the investigators still have not given any official confirmation of who they believe is responsible, Brianna.
KEILAR: That is interesting. All right, we know that you will follow up on that, Matthew. Thank you very much -- Matthew chance from Moscow.
HOLMES: Investigators out there, still, are not any closer to getting answers to that mysterious car crash involving Tiger Woods.
KEILAR: And they're actually hoping to speak with him and his wife today.
And our Susan Candiotti is in Windermere, Florida, where investigators say they've already been turned away two times.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: T.J. and Brianna, good morning.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers say they're as surprised as anyone else why they haven't been able to hook up yet with Tiger Woods and his wife to take a statement after that traffic accident. They called it very unusual.
(voice-over): A cracked up front end of what's believed to be Tiger Woods' Cadillac SUV. Accident photos provided anonymously to CNN affiliate WFTV. The shots taken after the golfing phenom crashed into a fire hydrant at the end of his driveway and slammed into a neighbor's tree.
CHIEF DANIEL SAYLOR, WINDERMERE, FLORIDA POLICE: He was on the ground, semi-unconscious, and had lacerations with his upper and lower lips.
CANDIOTTI: Florida Highway Patrol investigators, in two separate cars, entered the gated upscale community on Saturday to hear firsthand from Woods about what caused him to apparently lose control of his car at 2:30 in the morning Thanksgiving night. But on their way there, Woods' agent called and said, "Come back tomorrow." Police say it wasn't the first time they were turned away.
Just after the accident, the mother of two was described as frantic, standing over her husband when police arrived. They said she bashed out a rear window with a golf club.
SAYLOR: From what I understand, she explained to my officers that the doors were locked and she could not gain entry.
CANDIOTTI: Florida troopers released an initial report that said the accident was not alcohol-related.
Woods has a squeaky clean image and is known for keeping his private life private, even his boat is called Privacy. Woods is not only golf's biggest draw and record-setting titleholder, he's an endorsement power house -- everything from Nike Golf, Gatorade, and video game titan, EA Sports.
His wife and two children are only occasionally seen at tournaments. When his son was born last February, Woods released this rare, but heartwarming family portrait.
(voice-over): Under Florida law, Tiger Woods is not required to make a statement to police, all he really has to do is show that he has a valid driver's license, proof of registration, and insurance. And perhaps today he'll do that -- T.J. and Brianna.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Susan Candiotti for us in Windermere.
So, a lot of questions about this case here. Our Don Lemon talked with Mike Brooks last night. He's a law enforcement analyst with our sister network HLN and In Session. And here's his take on the Tiger Woods' investigation and how the police are handling it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST (via telephone): Florida Highway Patrol needs to go ahead and close out this -- you know, they've even said, there's an investigation. Plus, he hit a hydrant. We've seen pictures from the scene there, Don. The fire hydrant was cordoned off, apparently not be able to use.
So, if he damaged that, that's county property. That's not the, you know, the Isleworth Subdivision property. That is county property.
And the reason that the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating this, Don, is because it is not within the city of Windermere, Florida, it is unincorporated Windermere. So, that's why the state patrol is investigating this.
But I can guarantee you, when they were out there, they were looking for other things there on the scene, too. Skid marks, any shadowing, were any brakes applied?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: We'll continue to follow this case, of course, and bring you any updates as they happen.
HOLMES: We do have you covered this morning when it comes to your weather. A lot of people out there are interested in it because they're trying to travel. See if it's going to cause them any problems. That's why we've got the weather up on the bottom of the screen, and also while we have Reynolds Wolf just make sure you've got what you need to know.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Heavens help those people.
All right. Guys, seriously, we've got a -- we've got a big storm system. It's actually a frontal boundary that's going to extend over 1,000 miles to the Great Lakes down to the Gulf of Mexico and then curl back over to Four Corners. And what it's going to do is it's going to cause delays for millions of people around the country who are trying to get home. Not just for today, but also for tomorrow.
And coming up: we'll give you the latest on where this thing is headed and what it may do in some time -- back to you.
KEILAR: All right. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: Thank you, guys. KEILAR: And it looks like the only way that we'll hear from the couple accused of crashing the president's state dinner is if someone forks over six figures for an interview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
WOLF: Do you like that? Is that -- that's just for your iPod, isn't it?
KEILAR: BEP, I love it.
WOLF: Yes, some good stuff.
KEILAR: So, let's talk about my southern Californian people, because they have been -- they've had some tricky weather, right? Do you know?
WOLF: They really have. Yes, well, the thing you've got to remember is, a lot of people have this conception that California is always sunny. But this time of year, from now to about February is really the rainy season. And during the winter, that's what it means for parts of southern California. But in the high elevations, it also means some snow fall.
Take a look at this video from KGTV. From that point all the way up to the Grapevine, near the L.A. Basin, they've had some rainfall in the in valleys, but high elevations, I mentioned, they've had a little bit of a touch of snow. And this is really the time that they get all of their water. This is where they get the moisture, and this is the thing that's beneficial for many people in southern California.
And what's funny in this part of the world is, when you have this rain, especially back up towards central California, for a few months California looks like Ireland, it's so green and so pretty. And then when you get back into May and April and June, July, everything turns brown again.
KEILAR: And we Southern Californians, we're not the best at driving in the rain. There are a lot of car accidents because of that, right?
WOLF: Well, today, there could some car accidents due to the rough weather and of course, some delays in the travel. You know, in terms of people trying to fly. We're going to take a look at that.
Brianna, take a look at this shot. Here we are in Atlanta. Conditions are looking OK for the time being. We've got a shot that I believe is the downtown area. We see a mix of sunshine and clouds.
It should remain relatively dry for Atlanta today, but for tomorrow, we could see some scattered showers, maybe a few storms roll in. And especially into the afternoon hours, I think the chance of rain's going to be around 80 percent. We were talking earlier about a frontal boundary that extends over thousand miles from the Great Lakes down to -- that was my stomach or something, didn't it? Never mind.
All right. Take a look at what we have right here. We've got this area of low pressure. We've got this frontal boundary, and it goes right from the Great Lakes, bringing some scattered showers there.
But on the back half of the system, we're not talking rain, we're talking about a chance of some snowfall in places like Marquette, back into Milwaukee. You could have some snow there.
Madison, Wisconsin, yes, we're talking about you guys, too. You could get some snow before the day is out.
Heavy snowfall is not going to be in parts of the gulf coast, obviously, too warm for that. But when you get back over towards parts of New Mexico, the high mountain passes, we already have winter storm warnings there in effect.
Now, when you make your way back over to the Sierra Nevada, snow is not going to be an issue today, but you could have some 60-mile-an- hour wind gusts along parts of I-80, at near Donner Summit. So, be careful there.
Relatively dry for most of central and northern California today, but still, some patchy showers possible down south. We showed you that video just moments ago. And then back to the Pacific Northwest, some scattered showers possible in that part of the world.
Let's talk about delays very quickly. We're going to be more in depth with this in our next update. But the New York metro airports and Boston and Philly, wind and just sheer volume with people out there, are going to cause some delays
Also, look for some issues in places like St. Louis, Detroit, even into Memphis. And then back into Dallas and Houston -- not only chances of showers, but maybe a rumble of thunder into the afternoon. That rain will be headed again, as I mentioned, towards Atlanta as we get to tomorrow and tomorrow afternoon.
That is a quick wrap on your forecast. I'm going to be teamed up with Josh Levs coming up very, very soon. We're going to give you a much better view of what you can expect travel-wise around the nation. Plus, we're going to be talking more about this bar you see at the bottom of the screen.
We're chock-full of information this morning. We're CNN. Let's send it back to you, guys.
KEILAR: And we cannot get enough of you, Reynolds Wolf, today.
WOLF: Trust me, there's a limit.
KEILAR: I think we may hit that limit. WOLF: I think so.
HOLMES: No.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: We'll see you shortly, Reynie.
WOLF: All right, guys.
KEILAR: And, of course, if you're getting on a plane today, don't go anywhere because Reynolds is also going to be back with his flight tracker. Tell you if you're facing any delays and, really, just what things are going to look like throughout the day at airports.
HOLMES: And Josh Levs, as well, here helping out and going to show you how you can find out about those delays on your computer.
Good morning, again, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, again, to you, guys.
Exactly what Reynolds was just talking about, we're going to show you how to get up-to-the-minute information from airports all over the country, plus tips to help you plan out your trip and even minimize delays at security lines. It's all right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
KEILAR: Great music. Good music.
HOLMES: Yes. Greg Adriano (ph), our excellent producer, who is our music producer, as well. Good stuff this morning.
And that has to do with a lot of people flying today. Millions of people when you fly you always dread the possibility of flight delays.
KEILAR: And there are some Web sites to help you find out what things are like at airports all over the country. And our Josh Levs is on the lookout for those.
(MUSIC)
LEVS: Well, you're definitely not getting on a plane like that today. But millions of you are getting on planes at all.
What we want to do now is show you key some Web sites that you can use to check out any airport in America that you might be traveling through. And here's the deal, you don't need to write it down because I'm going to show you at the end one place where I've linked all of these things for you. Let's zoom into the screen. Check out this first one. This one comes to us from the FAA. And you can see these little tiny green dots giving you up-to-date information about any given airport. Just click on it, and you should be able to get it from there.
Take a look at this one, which I also like, flightstats.com. Same idea, a big map and every time they get new information about one of the airports in America, they put up a little green dot, and you can go, you can move around the map, and you can check it out.
Another one here: accuweather.com. They're mixing the latest from the airports with the latest from the weather. So, where you see this yellow right here, they're talking about expected weather delays. We'll get more on that from Reynolds in just a minute.
And one more I want to show you. I like this from Orbitz, which is a travel planning Web site. And what they do is they put the little code letters for the airports all over the country. You can get even more than these, but all you need to do is just click on any one of them and you get updated information from these airports.
Now, let's go to this graphic because this is where I have posted links to everything I just showed you. It's up in our blog CNN.com/Josh. It's also up at Facebook, JoshLevsCNN, and Twitter, as well.
Let me bring in Reynolds Wolf, because -- Reynolds, when we look right now at what's going on on these maps, not too much yet. Big picture for the travelers all over the country today -- how bad is it going to be?
WOLF: Well, it's going to be really interesting for I'd say mostly just the eastern seaboard because of the sheer volume of people. I mean, already, we're beginning to see a lot of flights out there that are leaving all the big three airports, of course, up towards New York, even in Boston, Logan, some planes are starting to stack up a little bit. No major delays in spots like D.C.
But just take a look where you have the big clusters. You've got O'Hare and, of course, you've got Midway in Chicago, Detroit is beginning to get busy. And, of course, here in Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, we've got a lot of folks out there, too.
But the big issue we're going to see, Josh, today, in terms of your weather, not really cooperating is going to be because of this area of low pressure and this frontal boundary that's going to be moving through one-third of the nation. With that, it's inevitable that we're going to see some issues today. In the key places, let's start to talk with those very quickly, it's going to be the New York metros, Boston and Philadelphia, wind and sheer volume could back you out about 15 to 30 minutes. And that, I hate to say, it may be a bit on the optimistic side. You may have delays that may exceed an hour or so, and that just happens.
LEVS: Right.
WOLF: Also, St. Louis, Detroit, Memphis, could have some issues, and Dallas and Houston, thunderstorms into the afternoon.
LEVS: OK.
WOLF: Josh, there you go, man.
LEVS: Thanks, Reynolds. Let me point out two things. First of all, you and I know that -- let's remind everyone -- the domino effect. The way that our air system works right now, you've got a problem in one area, it affects the whole country. But also, big picture, sounds like it's not going to be one of those nightmare days.
WOLF: It shouldn't be a nightmare day, but you bring up an excellent point. I mean, you could be, say, for example, in Denver, Colorado. You look outside, the skies look great, but your flight's delayed. Well, that's because you might have some issues taking place in Atlanta or Chicago. And as you mentioned, that domino effect.
LEVS: Yes.
WOLF: The domino effect, we have to keep that in mind. Don't yell at the gate, the counter and ticket people. They're doing the best they can and sometimes the news isn't always the best.
LEVS: All right. Well, thanks, Reynolds.
And I'll tell you all, that also at the links I showed you before, we also give you ideas on what to do in different airports, how to make the most of your time, even ways to speed your way through security -- all up there at the blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
So, Brianna and T.J., hopefully, people won't suffer too much today. We've seen the nightmare days in the past. We've all got our fingers crossed for today.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: Get to the airport early, get on the road early, have some patience.
HOLMES: Patience.
LEVS: Patience would be good. Easy for us to say we're not going there, or you are.
KEILAR: I am.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: I'm going home.
KEILAR: I'll be living it. We'll see. Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: See you.
HOLMES: People out there are still talking about the couple accused of crashing President Obama's state dinner. KEILAR: And the couple is not talking until they get paid.
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KEILAR: Checking your top stories now.
A new way to guard against the flu this season. The FDA has fast-tracked approval for the Agriflu vaccine. It's supposed to protect against seasonal flu, not H1N1. And it's not for kids, just patients 18 and older.
HOLMES: Washington is warning Tehran it could be facing significantly stronger economic sanctions. The warning comes after the U.N.'s watchdog, nuclear agency, demanded Iran stop construction of its previously secret nuclear facility at Qom. The agency also is demanding Iran stop uranium enrichment which can be used to make a nuclear bomb.
KEILAR: U.S. banks will probably feel the ripples from Dubai's debt problems. The company that helped build the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai says it needs more time to repay its debt. Dubai World owes $60 billion, some of it to U.S. banks, Citigroup, for instance, alone has nearly $2 billion tied up in the project.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA DAWN JOHNSON: What will mark today? Will it be positive and productive or slow and status quo? The choice is up to you. Let me let you in on a secret. You have the power to make your day whatever you desire.
So this morning, I challenge you to wake up and say, "Today is my day. Today, I will move past the pain of my past. Today, I will not accept "no" for an answer."
Whatever it is that you desire, get it in your head. Think it, speak it, but most importantly, mean it. And watch you turn your brand into your reality.
So when life gets a little challenging -- remember, you've got the power to brand your day.
This is Melissa Dawn Johnson with your "Motivational Minute," and always remember: make every day brand-tastic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Why didn't we air that at 6:00 a.m. when we started? I would have had a better newscast.
KEILAR: I like that.
HOLMES: I like that a lot. Melissa, thank you.
We're going to try to bring you those motivational minutes every Sunday morning.
Something else we also bring you on Sunday mornings is our "Faces of Faith." We've got for you, a doozy this morning. Something you don't see every day. An image of Jesus walking and talking with a Nazi.
Take a look at this picture we have here. Well, we had the picture up, but we'll explain it. Some people have a variety of thoughts when they see the image we're talking about.
KEILAR: Yes, an artist is drawing art that shows Jesus in some pretty tough scenarios -- with prostitutes, with Nazis. And we'll have some more on this provocative work of art in our "Faces of Faith." That's coming up at 8:30 Eastern.
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HOLMES: Well, it's like this this morning. The couple accused of crashing the White House state dinner now say it's time to get paid.
KEILAR: That's right. Michaele and Tareq Salahi are demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars for an interview. CNN, one of the networks that said no. Michaele Salahi is trying to get on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of D.C." The Secret Service says the Salahis were not on the guest list Tuesday night but agents mistakenly let them through.
HOLMES: Pretty big mistake.
KEILAR: It is.
HOLMES: Huge mistake.
KEILAR: It is. And out of character for the security of the White House, certainly.
HOLMES: Well, thank goodness it's out of character.
We've been asking you all about this this morning. I want to read some of the comments you've been sending to me, to us here on Twitter and whatnot. Let's start with this at the top.
The question I was asking is, what do you think now about the couple wanting to get paid? We'll start with Rob at the top here saying, "Well, isn't this America? If you were them, wouldn't you want to get paid? I'm sure they have bills to pay and the economy sucks right now."
That's one way to look at it, Brianna.
Well, another says, "I wouldn't pay them a dime. They should be in jail. And the Secret Service should be fired that allow them in." Right under that, Steve says, "The couple that crashed the White House state dinner now wants cash for an interview? So, is CNN Larry King broke?" He's making the reference, of course, the fact that we thought we would have an interview with them, but we quickly turned them down when we realized they wanted money. And yes, the economy is tough and it affects us all. Larry King not quite broke, but still, can't pay all that for an interview.
We don't pay for interviews.
KEILAR: It's against the rules.
HOLMES: It's against the rules, folks. We appreciate you sending those in. Continue to send those in, we'll continue to share them throughout the morning.
KEILAR: And CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in 30 minutes with a look at our top stories. But first, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
