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U.S. Resuming Operations with Kurds against ISIS in Syria; Food and Water Scarce, No Electricity in Makeshift Camps in Syria; Budget Official Warned Ukraine Aid Freeze May Be Illegal; New Revelations Counter Trump's Defense of Ukraine Aid Freeze; Labour Leader Skips Apology Over Anti- Semitism Claims; U.K. Prime Minister Under Pressure Over Islamophobia Claims; Historic Bomb Cyclone Hits U.S.; Storms Across the U.S. To Disrupt Thanksgiving Travel. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired November 27, 2019 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: A very warm welcome. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Your two hours news show live from our Middle Eastern

broadcasting hub near Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson for you.

First up -- American boots marching to the tune of a mercurial commander in chief. The U.S. resuming large-scale operations with Kurdish forces in

Syria against ISIS. This after President Trump ordered a full military withdrawal early last month. A move that I should remind you betrayed

allies, greenlighted Turkey's incursion, cost civilian lives and resulted in thousands of Kurds forced out of their homes.

CNN's international chief correspondent, Clarissa Ward, has just been in northern Syria. She is now standing by in Erbil in Iraq. And, Clarissa,

this feels like a case of foreign policy whiplash. What is going on?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly does. As you said, Becky, President Trump had said it's time for U.S.

troops to leave. I've always wanted them to leave. There's no reason for them to be there. ISIS has been defeated. Then there was the sudden

announcement that actually a certain contingency would remain to protect the oil, whatever that means. And now it appears from the U.S. military

that, in fact, patrols and operations between Kurdish and U.S. forces against ISIS, targeting sleeper cells across the country, are still in

effect. Really mixed messages coming from different sides of U.S. policy.

But one thing that we found, Becky, during the course of our near week inside northern Syria moving around is a sense of betrayal as you

mentioned. Of bitterness and a desperate humanitarian situation. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (voice-over): Class should be in session now, but here in Al-Hasakah, the school has become a temporary shelter for displaced people.

In one classroom, we met Ibrahim Hassan, the Kurdish father of five tells us he was forced to flee his home in Al-Rashidin with his children when the

Turkish military operation began.

In This is what remains of his house. Ibrahim says it is one of his Kurdish neighborhood that was deliberately ransacked by Turkish-backed

forces.

IBRAHIM HASSAN, DISPLACED SYRIAN KURD (through translator): They took everything, and after they took all our belongings, they set it on fire and

burned it all.

Just days before the offensive began, Ibrahim's children had posed smiling with U.S. troops patrolling the area. He says America's presence gave him

a false sense of security and then suddenly they were gone.

HASSAN (through translator): Since America betrayed us, every time I look at these photos of my children with the Americans, I want to erase them.

WARD (on camera): Do you feel that you trust the Americans still?

HASSAN: (Speaking in foreign language)

WARD: Definitely not.

HASSAN (through translator): Now we hear and we see on television America saying that they're only here for the oil. Why did Trump do this? You've

betrayed all the people.

WARD (voice-over): It's a sentiment we found shared by many here. Nearly 200,000 people have been displaced by Turkey's offensive. Hundreds of

their homes have been damaged or looted. Local authorities are now trying to move them out of the schools so that class can start again and into

hastily built camps like this one. Conditions are bleak and resources are scarce.

Because of the security situation, international aid agencies have had to pull out, leaving the Kurds with no one to rely on but themselves.

(on camera): So she is saying it's really difficult here because it's very cold, especially at night. They don't have enough food. They don't have

electricity and the water is not good.

(voice-over): Camp organizers say there are 3,000 people living here now, with more arriving every day.

(on camera): Almost everyone in this camp is from the town of Ras al-Ain, and Ras al-Ain used to be around 75 percent Kurdish.

[10:05:02]

Now, though, we're told there are just a handful of Kurds left. And the people here believe that the ultimate goal of this Turkish offensive is to

essentially push the Kurds out of this area completely and change the ethnic makeup of it forever.

(voice-over): Turkey has done little to alleviate their fears, as the Kurds have poured out of these areas, Arabs have been bussed in. Syrian

refugees who Turkish authorities claim are originally from these areas.

After more than 8 years of civil war, this part of Syria is full of stories of people forcibly displaced. In the Christian village of Tel Nasri, we

find more families from Ras al-Ain sheltering in the ruins of a destroyed church.

Will you try to go home, I ask these women. There is no home to go to, they reply.

ISIS cleansed this area of Christians when it was in control. They have yet to return. Now, the village provides refuge for another people, forced

from their homes with no sense of a possible return.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: And of course, Becky, as everyone probably remembers, the stated goal of Turkey's military incursion is to create a safe zone. A 30-

kilometer deep safe zone along the Turkish/Syrian border. But from our experiences on the ground in tracking this story for the past two months,

it really doesn't seem that that has been achieved yet. There is supposed to be a cease-fire in place but there are regular violations. And, of

course, there is the very troubling proliferation of car bombs. No one knows who exactly is responsible for those. Certainly, they are killing

Kurdish and Arab civilians. But from what we've heard, from people on the ground, it doesn't feel very safe in the safe zone -- Becky.

ANDERSON: And that deserves some response from the Turks which we will, of course, pursue. Clarissa, I am sure many of our viewers will remember this

video from just about a month ago. Syrian Kurds pelting American troops with rotten vegetables as they rolled out of Syria. And this anger

translating into tactical changes during that Turkish incursion. The Syrian Kurds, of course, pivoting towards Assad's government which is

backed by the Russians. Where does that relationship stand now?

WARD: That is still a strong relationship. The Kurds have had a sort of de facto agreement with the regime of Bashar al-Assad for quite some time

and, obviously, that was only strengthened when President Trump announced the abrupt withdrawal of those U.S. troops. Certainly you see in the city

of Qamishli where we were staying for much of our trip, there is a significant regime presence. You see also Russian patrols going through

these Kurdish areas.

So I think the Kurds are really trying to have as good a relationship with as many people as possible, including still the Americans. I don't think

they've fully given up hope on that relationship yet. But they are in need of benevolent and powerful supporters if they are to stand a chance against

a formidable, what they would see as adversary, like Turkey -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Clarissa, thank you. Clarissa Ward is in Erbil in Iraq, having been in northern Syria over the past week or so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want nothing. This is a quote. I want no quid pro quo. I want nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well U.S. President Donald Trump repeating his familiar refrain of his July phone call to Ukraine's President. That was at a campaign

rally in Florida on Tuesday night. But that narrative severely challenged today. We now know that the military aid freeze he ordered went into

effect the same day as that phone call. And the biggest revelation, a timeline showing what the President knew when he finally decided to free up

that aid.

"The New York Times" reports President Trump had already been briefed on a whistleblower's complaint about his dealings with Ukraine when he unfroze

military aid for the country in September. That is according to two people familiar with the matter.

[10:10:00]

Lawyers from the White House counsel's office told Mr. Trump in late August about the complaint explaining that they were trying to determine whether

they were legally required to give it to Congress. There is also a newly released transcript from the closed-door House impeachment hearings showing

the former White House budget official who initially signed off on the aid freeze deemed the request so unusual he feared it could violate federal

law.

Now next week, shaping up to be another big one in this impeachment probe. Democrats on the House intelligence committee, which held weeks of hearings

will likely deliver their report on impeachment to the Judiciary Committee. And the chairman of that committee has announced it will hold its first

public hearings one week from today. He has even invited the U.S. President, Donald Trump, to testify. All this potentially leading to an

impeachment vote on the House floor. And if that passes, a trial in the Senate.

I want to bring in CNN's Congressional reporter Phil Mattingly who is in Washington and there is something about Harry. You know it's CNN's senior

politics writer Harry Enten in the House from New York with some new polling. First up to you, Phil. Given what we're relating to our viewers

from "The New York Times", a timeline showing what the President knew when he finally decided to free up that aid. And also, what we are learning in

addition from these closed-door hearings on the budget official who feared this aid freeze could violate federal law. What's the bottom line here?

How does all of this play into the bigger, wider story of impeachment here?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, everything needs to be looked through a different -- or seen through a

different lens. I think it this point time. And look, this has long been a theory of House Democrats investigating the President, that he must have

known about the whistleblower complaint in advance of lifting the hold on the aid. But when he found out -- at least according to "The New York

Times" in late August is what they reported -- it shifts the entire timeline and frankly, the entire dynamic of what they've been investigating

up to this point.

Because the President's rationale for why he doesn't believe he did anything wrong, the phone call to the EU ambassador saying no quid pro quo.

Another phone call with the U.S. Senator where he made clear in late August that in a very profane way, according to the Senator, that there was no

quid pro quo in place. Both of those calls occurred after -- at least according to "The New York Times" -- he was aware of the whistleblower

complaint.

You also mentioned the closed-door deposition with the budget official from the White House. Where he testified that throughout the months of July and

August, they were given no rationale for why the hold was put in place. An unprecedented hold, a hold that people inside the OMB had never seen before

related to one specific tranche of foreign aid. And as you noted, a hold that they feared ran afoul of U.S. law.

It wasn't until September that they were told the official rationale was the President wanted to see who else from European countries was

contributing to the aid. So when you look at things through the lens of the President being aware of a whistleblower complaint that explicitly lays

out the beliefs there was a quid pro quo in place, it starts to appear like those phone calls with the U.N. ambassador and the Senator. The rationale

given very belatedly to White House budget officials who up to that point had been out of the loop. Looks like to some degree they're trying to make

up or cover up or give a cover story of some sort to the real problems that had been exposed related to this aid. So that's the investigative piece of

this.

And the other piece of this as well is the process going forward. You said it looks likely that the President is going to be impeached by the U.S.

House. At this point it's a near certainty. When they start the House Judiciary Committee hearings next week, that makes clear. They're done

with the investigations piece of this. They are moving forward. Those hearings will lead to drafted articles of impeachment. Those articles of

impeachment will end up on the House floor and, Becky, likely before Christmas. The U.S. House of Representatives will vote to impeach the

President of the United States.

ANDERSON: Right and the big question is then what happens next? Right? Because that impeachment inquiry could end up literally on the floor when

it gets to the Senate.

MATTINGLY: Yes, and I think, look, the reality is, if you look at the numbers and Harry can give you the poll numbers which are obviously very

important here. But if you look at just the dynamics of the United State Senate, it's controlled by Republicans. They control 53 seats. You need

two-thirds of the United States Senate, 100 Senators. You need two-thirds of them to vote to actually remove the President.

The idea that Republicans who up to this point -- at least in the House, certainly mostly in the Senate -- have been in lockstep with the President

and his defense are suddenly going to lose 20 of their members to join the 47 Democratic Senators and vote to remove the President seems exceedingly

unlikely. And I think everybody kind of went into this knowing that was likely going to be the case.

I think the bigger question now is, what -- how the public responds as this continues to move forward. And frankly, how the public responds if new

information like what came out in "The New York Times" continues to trickle out.

[10:15:00]

And up to this point -- and again, Harry is the expert on this stuff -- but polls have seemed static. If that starts to shift, it will be an

interesting thing as this continues to play out and play out in a very public manner in the weeks ahead.

ANDERSON: President Trump keeping up his strategy of utter, total defiance. Have a listen to this from that same campaign rally in Florida

last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They are pushing that impeachment witch hunt, and a lot of bad things are happening to them. Because you see what's happening in the

polls. Everybody said, that's really (BEEP).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: So you heard the language bleeped out there. Finally, Phil, before I get to Harry. He's wrong, though. Isn't he? New polls do show

opinions on impeachment haven't budged at all. And certainly not in the President's favor at this point.

MATTINGLY: Yes, I leave this stuff to Harry because he's the expert. He's better looking than me, and he's smarter than me.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICS WRITER: You're very kind.

MATTINGLY: But one of the things going into impeachment is the recognition this is a political process. Yes, it's in the Constitution. Yes,

obviously, it's an enormous deal to try and remove a President from office. But Democrats went into this hoping that they could swing polls in their

favor. Obviously, everybody is keenly aware of what happened to Bill Clinton where the polls sharply went against Republicans who were pursuing

impeachment.

So for Democrats it's kind of a double-edged sword. They haven't seen a massive outpouring of folks moving in their direction. But they also

haven't seen major losses to the degree that the President thinks have occurred up to this point -- at least from what we've seen.

Everything has remained static and I think it underscores that we've seen in the House. Everybody has kind of moved to their respective teams -- red

teams and blue teams. It's very, very partisan process. And what that means going forward, particularly electorally in 2020, I think is still an

open question. But obviously, everybody's eyes very closely trained on what the numbers say going forward.

ANDERSON: Yes, all right. So Harry, I'm bringing you in. Let's talk about 2020. We've got some new polling when it comes to Donald Trump's

2020 challenges. What have you got?

ENTEN: Yes, I mean look, we have a new 2020 Democratic primary poll. And I'll tell you, it's the same story that we've been seeing all along. Joe

Biden leading the Democratic field with 28 percent in our latest poll. And that is basically the same, if you take an average of September and

October, the last two polls. Where is he? Always right around 30 percent.

I think, though, the other big story in this poll is that Pete Buttigieg is moving up in this poll. He's at 11 percent. That's the highest he has

ever been in any CNN national poll. While Elizabeth Warren is dropping a little bit. She was in the high teens. Now she's down towards 14 percent

and that's seen across polls.

But one thing very clearly, look at this slide about Pete Buttigieg which I think is so important here in America. And that is in the Democratic

Party, if you are not winning among nonwhite voters, your path to the nomination is very limited. And although we saw a big bump from October to

now among white voters, 9 percent to 17 percent among nonwhite voters, he's only jumped from 2 percent to 4 percent. That is a huge racial gap. And

if that sustained itself, it's simply put, he won't win the nomination.

ANDERSON: It's all about the economy, stupid. We've heard that before. I'm not clearly suggesting, look, I'm not speaking to you when I say that.

But that's a common phrase, right? We've heard it a million times before and we certainly have seen some pretty impressive numbers when it comes to

economic growth in the U.S. today. Is that at the forefront? Is it the economy at the forefront of people's minds this time around?

ENTEN: If you look at our poll and what the most important issue is. We say what's extremely or very important to your vote in 2020. And in fact,

the economy does rank number one. Of course, health care is there as well. But I think what's so interesting in our poll is we also asked about the

impeachment inquiry and take a look here. Only 46 percent of registered voters said that it would be extremely or very important to their 2020

vote. That is the lowest by far and that I think is part of the reason why the polls haven't been moving. Is that voters don't really care all that

much about the impeachment inquiry. At least when it comes to their votes.

So it's something that, obviously, Phil with his good looks will be discussing in Washington. But here, me with my decent looks, I'm going to

be discussing the economy and health care because those are the important issues, at least in the voter's minds when it comes to the 2020 vote.

ANDERSON: I love having you two on. This is fabulous. Final question to you, Harry. If there were only four candidates, because this slew of

candidates for the Democrats is as long as your arm, isn't it? And there's a new player in town in Michael Bloomberg. If there were only four

candidates, Biden, Sanders, Warren and Buttigieg, who would be at the top of this?

ENTEN: Yes, I think this is a fascinating question because there's this whole idea that, oh, as soon as the other candidates get away from the

field, Biden is going to lose. Right.

[10:20:05]

Oh, he's a fragile front-runner. But in fact, if you limit it just to the top four, what you see. You see Biden still out in front with 35 percent

and the relative order of the top four stays the same. So to me, unless something needs to change nationally. Otherwise, even as the field

shrinks, Biden's lead is going to hold steady, and his percentage of the vote will expand and he'll be on his way to winning the Democratic

nomination.

ANDERSON: Thank you. And to our equally handsome and brilliant Phil, thank you. To both of you, keep on the story for us.

Well the forefront of this impeachment inquiry, U.S. military aid, of course, to Ukraine. But Ukraine not the only place that's had its aid

frozen by the United States. So has Lebanon. And people there are angry about all manner of issues. Next hour we get you to Beirut where we will

speak to Lebanon's former interior minister about these massive demonstrations against the country's ruling elite.

Up next, though, U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn under fresh pressure over anti-Semitism claims after what could only be described as a difficult TV

interview.

Plus, the Thanksgiving travel headache in the U.S. expected to be a big one this year. What some 30 million people are up against as they make their

way home for the holiday period.

And the death toll in Albania has risen again following a devastating earthquake near the country's capital. We're going to take you there after

this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: More political fallout in the United Kingdom. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn under fresh pressure over anti-Semitism claims within his own

party. That is after he failed to apologize to the Jewish community no less than four times in a BBC interview. Here is part of that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW NEIL, BBC: 80 percent of Jews think you're anti-Semitic. That's quite a lot of British Jews. Wouldn't you like to take this opportunity

tonight to apologize to the British Jewish community for what's happened?

JEREMY CORBYN, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: What I'll say is this. I am determined that our society will be safe for people of all faiths. I don't

want anyone to be feeling insecure in our society, and our government will protect every community --

NEIL: So no apology?

CORBYN: -- against the abuse they receive on the streets, on the trains or in any other --

NEIL: So no apology for --

CORBYN: -- any other form of life.

NEIL: I'll try one more time. No apology.

CORBYN: No, hang on a minute, Andrew. Can I explain what we're trying to do?

CORBYN: Andrew, I don't want anyone to go through what anyone has gone through.

[10:25:00]

NEIL: And you said that several times. I understand that, Mr. Corbyn. I was asking about an apology. Let's move on to Brexit.

CORBYN: Well hang on. Can I just make it clear, racism in our society is a total poison.

NEIL: You've said that several times. So we get that. I'm not arguing about that.

CORBYN: Debate is Islamophobia, anti-Semitism or --

NEIL: You said that too. Let's move on to Brexit.

CORBYN: -- any form of racism. And I want to work with every community to make sure it's eliminated. That is what my whole life has been about.

NEIL: You've made that clear and people will make up their own minds.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, that was the leader of the opposition Labour Party which has been trying to shift focus onto the special health service in Prime

Minister Boris Johnson's conservatives facing claims of Islamophobia within their ranks. Phil Black has more from London for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, anti-Semitism has been one of the defining issues of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party. And it

now seems to have become one of the defining issues of this general election campaign as well.

As it's been for more than three years now, the key criticism, the focus of that anger against Corbyn and Labour is over the party's failure, its

inadequacy to deal with anti-Semitism amongst its own ranks. That was the damning judgment of the chief rabbi when he argued in an op-ed piece in a

national newspaper yesterday that Corbyn is not fit to be Prime Minister.

And the criticism of Corbyn has only really exploded following that interview where he failed to apologize or dismiss the opportunity to

apologize on four separate occasions. Here's a sample of how it's being reported by some of the British newspapers here. And it's all bad press

for Corbyn.

This is the "Daily Express." No friend of Corbyn and Labour, but perhaps no surprise. But the very big headline here says, has Corbyn's horror show

gifted Boris keys to Number 10? Even from the "Guardian" -- often more sympathetic to Corbyn and Labour. It says, Corbyn struggles to rebuff

anti-Semitism accusations. With a big image of Corbyn struggling to enter a campaign event yesterday as he was being mobbed by protesters and

journalists demanding answers to questions on the whole anti-Semitism answer.

Now the statement from the chief rabbi has been supported by various faith leaders and faith groups, including the Muslim Council of Britain. It's

also used the opportunity, though, to highlight its criticisms of the Conservative Party. Over what it says are the Conservative Party's

failings in dealing with another form of prejudice, Islamophobia among its own membership. The Muslim council says the Conservative Party does not

have the systems in place to deal with it. It says that Islamophobia is tolerated and it's been allowed to fester within the party.

Now the Conservative Party denies this. Says there is no place within its organization for any form of prejudice. But it has promised to hold an

investigation into Islamophobia and other forms of prejudice among his membership as well as looking at the systems it has in place for dealing

with complaints on those issues -- Becky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well important points there. And just in, the Labour Party responding saying Jeremy Corbyn is a, quote, life-long campaigner against

anti-Semitism. And a Labour government will guarantee the security of the Jewish community. Defend and support the Jewish way of life and combat

rising anti-Semitism in our country and across Europe. That from a party spokesman.

And on the other story that Phil mentioned. When pressed on the campaign trail earlier today, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier that he

was sorry for the quote, hurt and offense caused by Islamophobia within his Conservative Party. You are bang up to date.

Some 30 million people. That's about the population of Canada, are on the move in North America this weekend. And in their wake, a bomb cyclone of

historic strength ripping through the northwestern U.S.

[10:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: We are following a likely holiday travel mess in the United States. This year nearly 32 million people, some 10 percent of the

country's population are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, which is on Thursday. More than 20 million people are under some kind of winter

weather advisory from California to Michigan. In fact, Oregon and California already getting pounded by an historic bomb cyclone. Officials

warning people there not to travel. Not yet at least.

Well another storm pushing through the Great Lakes region dropping snow over the states of Minnesota and Michigan. Very high winds are expected in

several cities bringing airport delays.

We've got CNN teams on the ground in major travel hubs across the U.S. Ryan Young is in Minneapolis in Minnesota. Jean Casarez is at New York's

LaGuardia airport and Chad Myers is at our world weather center in Atlanta. Let's start with you, Ryan, in Minneapolis. What's the story there?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: You know what, right now it's a sideways breeze blowing some of the snow back in our face. Look, when we

went to sleep last night, there was no snow on the ground. And now more than nine inches have fallen so far. And of course, that could be some

treacherous conditions for the folks driving across this country trying to get from point a to point b. The good news so far though is because most

of the snow fell overnight.

We're told the airport is only seeing minor delays. In fact, maybe just 100 delays so far. That's good news for travelers trying to hit the skies.

We did see some accidents overnight on the roadway. But crews have been actively trying to clear the roads, even the one we're right in front of

right now. As we talk to people, they are surprised this is some of the first major snow they got in this area this season so far. But they're

actively trying to clear it. In fact, one of the things we've been told is this is what they're worried about. As this snow settles, whether or not

it has a chance to freeze on the ground could make it worse for drivers. But so far so good. Pack your patience and make sure you fill up that gas

tank make sure you get from point a, like I said, to point b.

ANDERSON: And listen, Ryan, Minnesotans are pretty hearty lot, aren't they? It is not an unfamiliar story that Thanksgiving would be cold,

right? What's the mood?

YOUNG: You know, that's an absolutely great point. One of the thing that people talk -- especially in Minnesota -- is Minnesota nice. And most of

the people who are walking by us have been smiling. One of the things they've been saying is they were surprised that winter started so late for

them this year. But they did get almost a foot last night. The good news is the crews are ready for it. They pushed most of the snow out of the

way. That so far, you see a couple of cars struggling to get through some of the conditions here but no major accidents so far. So of course, that

is the good news when you deal with something like this in terms of winter weather hitting all at once.

ANDERSON: Bless you. Stay warm. Thank you, Ryan. Thanksgiving travel is often a headache. Hopefully there won't be too many people stranded like

this guy. Remember what happened to Steve Martin's character in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE MARTIN, ACTOR, PLANS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, PARAMOUNT PICTURES: I was on my way home to spend a nice holiday with my family. Instead I'm in

a motel bed with a stranger.

[10:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So instead of Thanksgiving with his family, he's spending three days with the turkey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Jean, what chance that movie re-enacted this Thanksgiving for people?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're right here at LaGuardia Airport. And it's not like that, but it's very busy. The hustle and the

bustle. There's just excitement in the air because people are leaving for this major holiday here in the United States, Thanksgiving Day and

Thanksgiving Day weekend.

Now AAA is saying that across the United States, 55 million travelers will be out and about this weekend. And as far as air travelers, about 4.5

million. Which is a pretty big increase from last year. Now here's the good news. Here at LaGuardia -- this is one of the major airport in the

country -- that flights are going to all parts of the country. And I can tell you there are no deviations in departures and arrivals at this point.

Everything is on time. Every single flight. That is a good point.

Now it's 10:30 in the morning. Things can change as the weather patterns change and things go on. But if your flight is delayed anywhere in the

country or coming into the country, what, according to the United States government, there is no requirement on the airline to do anything. They

are not legally required to get you there on time because things can get in the way. They will get you on the next flight that is available.

Now if you want to try to go to another airline and to change, make sure the airline you are originally on will endorse that change. Now if your

flight is out and out cancelled, the United States government says that the airline has a requirement they need to put you on the next flight that is

available. If they can. There is no compensation that is afforded anyone unless you are literally bumped off a flight and then they are. But every

airline is different.

But I think the main thing for this weekend is, if you are flying LaGuardia says as other airports, get here early. Two hours before your flight is

what they are recommending to all air travelers.

ANDERSON: Good advice. Thank you, Jean.

The bomb cyclone then moving over the West Coast is of historic proportions. Sounds like things at LaGuardia are at least are sort of

under control. But have a look at this. It almost looks like a hurricane. Doesn't it. What exactly is a bomb cyclone? And why is it so powerful? I

know a man who knows his stuff. Chad is in the house. How about that? Tell us what you know. What is this about?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is a low-pressure center that changes pressure from high to low of 24 millibars or more in 24 hours. And this

one was 35 millibars before it crashed on shore just to the north of San Francisco. With 120 centimeters of snow in the mountains. Roads there are

closed. Impassable. Cars are stuck with people in them. This is truly a mess with that bomb cyclone.

What I will tell you, if you are getting on an airplane in Europe tonight and heading to the U.S., what I would love for you to do is get everything

down into a carry-on bag. Why? Because once that bag is checked in the belly of that plane, you're stuck on that plane and you're stuck on your

connection. But if you get to LaGuardia and you're going someplace else and you have everything you need in a carry-on bag. You can walk on to the

next flight if there is a seat. If there's not a seat, you can't get on, but if your bag is just sitting there waiting for your plane and the plane

is cancelled, then you're stuck. It's not a matter of losing your stuff. It's a matter of your immobility to get on the next available flight. Keep

that in mind.

There's your bomb cyclone. There's 120 centimeters of snow in the mountains. Skiers love it. I mean, this is amazing for skiers. If you're

already there. If you haven't arrived yet, you're not going to be getting there for a couple days. Winds to 100 kilometers per hour. And that's the

same story in Chicago, in Cleveland. And that's why these airplanes are going to be slow.

So, Becky, even though your plane may be on time or your airport may be Atlanta, which is basically in the sunshine later today. If your plane

started in San Francisco, it may not be here. So you can't go because you don't have a plane to get on. So it's going to be this domino effect that

we see every time millions of people try to get on airplanes all at the same time -- Becky.

ANDERSON: What are you doing for Thanksgiving, sir?

MYERS: I'm working. What are you doing?

ANDERSON: Excellent. I'm working. But then we don't really celebrate Thanksgiving in Abu Dhabi, although some of our American staff will be

provided with a Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow here, Abu Dhabi style.

[10:40:00]

You are more than welcome any year, sir.

MYERS: Love to.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

Last year's Premier League champions now firmly established as one of the world's most valuable sports clubs. We will tell you about the deal that

has pushed their owner's value into the stratosphere. That story is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: High-flying Manchester City make plenty of fireworks on the pitch, don't they? Now its owners are doing the same off the pitch.

Private equity firm Silver Lake investing $500 million in a 10 percent stake of City football club. It's an organization-based right near Abu

Dhabi. That values CFG at a whopping $4.8 billion.

Of course, the real football magic today comes from the antics of a quick- thinking ball boy. Alex Thomas, fill us in, sir.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, life under Jose Mourinho for Tottenham fans is not going to be boring. That's for sure. They've now scored 11

goals in his first two games in charge. We'll tell you in "WORLD SPORT" why the ball boy got the most praise.

ANDERSON: Well he's a good lad. More on that in a moment as Alex says. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

[10:56:47]

THOMAS: -- Nicki Shields on the Formula E season. We're also going to have the results of Wednesday's Champions League matches in later "WORLD

SPORT" shows -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Excellent, looking forward to it. Thank you.

Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD -- has the impeachment inquiry backfired for the Democrats? We speak to Congresswoman Debbie Dingell.

Plus -- the U.S. hold on military aid not to Ukraine but Lebanon. We dig into that for you after this short break. Important stories. Stay with

us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]

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