george howell is in chicago. george, take it away. >> don, so, look, a few hours ago, we saw that strong line of storms push through shif can goe. people got out of the way of the storm. play has resumed, as you see. the winds are very strong out here. in fact, we're under a high-wind warning. and that's the thing. we're just not out of the clear yet. these winds continue to push through. earlier today, interstate 80, just about 80 miles west of chicago. you could see these big semis that were tipped over. you get a sents of how strong they are coming through the chicago area. that continues to happen and people are certainly continuing to be cautious. >> george, we are able sto see those big riggings. there we are just looking at live pictures. and we also saw the traffic there in chicago. traffic backed up as they tried to deal with the damage and deal with the repercussions of the very high winds that have hit the upper midwest. we have just been listening to our george howell who is in s chicago reporting as a

. >> george howell also there in chicago. so george, last we spoke you were there in soldier field, where are you now? >> we can get a live signal now. again, just about an hour ago, the storm clouds were so thick we weren't able to do that. you can see the skyline again and that is good news. during the storm you couldn't even see that. as far as the game we know that the bears and ravens will be back on the field in minutes. the fans were told to go to lower ground. you have so many people who come into town for tailgating. everyone got out of the way of the storm system fred as it moved here into the chicago land area. >> thank you so much. george howell, keep us posted there. we heard from the one patron who talked about how dark and ominous it was. hopefully things will clear up soon. we are going to return to our coverage of the severe weather impacting 26 states across this country. in the meantime you know about the typhoon in the pill fehilip. now video of the storm surge. here is some of that right now. >> all right

george howell in detroit. also, in detroit, the season finale of "parts unknown."er anthony's visit to detroit, he'll host a live, one-hour post-season show called "last bite" from las vegas at 10:00 p.m. tonight. >>> we have much more in "the newsroom" and it all begins right now. >> looking at the top stories we're following this hour, see the horrible conditions on the ground and find out why the government response hasn't been faster. >>> the lineman accused of bullying, hear what rich incog knee tee has to say. and a bizarre bet between husband and wife. the loser gets shocked by stun gun. the winner? goes to jail. around this breaking news right now concerning that typhoon,

let's check in with george howell who is there. from where in chicago are you coming. >> reporter: we are on the ground here south of soldier field. we were trying to get a live signal. the cloud is too thick. we are not able to get that life picture to you. that is how intense the storm is. here in this location we are seeing the storm edge into the chicago land area. we are feeling the heavy rain come down. up north we can see the globe of soldier field. the fans have been told to leave the stadium. when big games happen here tailgating is a big thing. that is a concern. but we do understand that people are taking shelter. i'm looking at a live picture from one of our affiliates right now. people are waiting and watching as the storm is passes through. >> george howell thank you as people are taking he'd. chicago right now in the bull's eye according to the weather radar as well as detroit and indianapolis and many cities in between. >> all right, now, let's talk about some nasty weather and nasty results overseas. brand new vide

i'm alison kosik. >> and i'm george howell.hanks for waking up with us this morning. 6:00 on the east. we have a lot to cover this morning. >> there is a lot going on. >> let's start with the developing story, a helicopter that crashed through the roof of a backed bar. people are trapped inside. search and rescue teams are desperately working to pull them out. the chopper crashed into a building just as people were inside watching a band perform. cnn's rich art quest joins us by phone from glass cow, scotland. richard, we heard several unconfirmed reports of the fa fatalities. >> reporter: good morning. it's been the police commander says he's concerned that at least one fatality, but he has also warned that that number is likely to get higher. we know that more than 30 people have been taken to hospital. and although they're still saying it is a rescue operation, it's believed there are also other bodies still inside the pub. many were regulars from last night. -- into the morning, search and rescue efforts continued after a p

george howell was in chicago. where are you? what's the experience?tarting to see blue skies again, sunshine? what's happening. just that quickly, we lost the signal. i don't know if that's an indication of the weather they're experiencing. we'll have much more on "the news room" right after this. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] more room in economy plus. more comfort, more of what you need. ♪ that's... built around you friendly. ♪ we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. and we're here to help start yours. turning dreamers into business owners. life with crohn's disease ois a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps end our night before it even starts? what if i eat the wrong thing? what if? what if i suddenly have to go? what if

then george howell, do i see any snowflakes where you are there in buffalo yet? >> reporter: well, we're starting to see that light snow coming down. we know things will get substantially worse hour by hour. here in the city of buffalo, anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of snow. and in the south towns and what they call the southern tier in northwestern pennsylvania, they could see anywhere from 6 to 8 inches of snow. this situation will certainly change as the day goes on. worst in the overnight hours. keep this in mind. all of this is happening, as you said in the setup, during one of the busiest, if not the busiest, travel day of the year. a lot of people will be on the roads, but here in the city of buffalo, we spent some time with the officials here. they know how to do this. they do know like miami does sun. they've got all the snowplows ready to go. some 20 to 30 snowplows. they know how to clear these streets well. again, the worst will be overnight, brooke. buffalo is bracing for the snow. >> i suppose you are correct, my friend. if there is snow, you want to

because people were able to get out of the way as the big storm system passed through. >> all right, george howells and get help when they needed. it could have been a disaster hutch much worse. thank you, george. appreciate it. we're waiting for the city council hearing to take place. this is out of toronto. mayor rob ford in the hot seat. we expect potentially to see him in this hearing and potentially talk, as well. he's admitted to smoking crack and getting drunk. and he says he is not stepping down. more after the break. [ paper rustles, outdoor sounds ] ♪ [ male announcer ] laura's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. yep. got all the cozies. [ grandma ] with new fedex one rate, i could fill a box and ship it for one flat rate. so i knit until it was full. you'd be crazy not to. is that nana? [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. waiting for your

george howell in buffalo, welcome to both of you. pretty rough in both places. let me start with you, if i can, george howell, what is the situation in buffalo? >> reporter: piers, so we are just now starting to see the beginning. earlier, it was light snow. now as you can see now the snow is heavier, just starting to stick on the ground and anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of snow in the city of buffalo and then in the south towns and the southern area here. we know that they could see anywhere from 6 to 8 inches, even a foot. this plays out over night into wednesday, which could be potentially one of the busiest travel days of the year. there is concern about drivers on the road. we do know that here in the city of buffalo, though, they do have a snow plan. they are prepared to make sure that the streets are cleared to keep traffic moving. >> shannon travis, you're down in pittsburgh. what's the situation with flights? many will be flying off tonight or tomorrow. is the airport operating properly? >> reporter: well, piers, just a short while ago i actually got off

george howell has the story. >> reporter: flying in formation some 12,000 feet in the air, two planeshey've targeted altitude carrying nearly a dozen sky divers when something went wrong. one of the pilots remembered hearing a loud bang. then the windshield shattered. according to one of the men who was on board the plane, it turned out to be a jump for their lives. >> four jumpers in the lead plane get out of the airplane and on the step hangingen on to the strap. then they leave. meanwhile, the jumpers on the trail plane have done the same thing, they're on the step. so when they see these jumpers leave, then they leave. year not sure why they collided, but they did. >> reporter: you can see from the pictures how the lead plane was left mangled. >> the wings came off. the pilot got out safely used his emergency parachute and landed. >> the pilot of the trail plane also survived. firefighters say when they arrived on scene, jumpers were still making their way to the ground. amazingly, everyone made it off the planes safely. for something that's so routine for these sky divers, at hun

you'll hear from george howell in upstate new york, alina machado at the world's busiest airport. >> george, let's kick ito with you. clearly going to be a white thanksgiving for folks in the buffalo area. what are conditions like? are they getting worse? are they holding steady? >> michael, suzanne, good afternoon. so yeah, the situation now we do expect lake-effect snow showers later today. that's a possibility. overnight, we got about 3 to 4 inches. if you talk to any buffalo resident, they're used to that sort of thing. many of them are happy to see the snow back on the ground. they like that sort of thing, but the concern is for people who are traveling millions of people on the roads this wednesday trying to get in position, trying to get in place for thanksgiving. and the big concern is on the roads as things get slick and icy. for instance, here in buffalo right now, i want to go to this other camera we have set up where you can see travelers on this road. the road is clear. the plows have done their job. but we are below freezing. and where things may have gotten above freezi

george howell is in buffalo. and david mattingly is at atlanta's hartsfield-jackson international airport. george, i want to start with you. you have the prettiest picture there. you're in buffalo. it snows every now and then in buffalo. still, we're on like thanksgiving eve here. how's it going up there? >> reporter: well, look, we've seen the snow come down light through most of the day, but as chad said, it is starting to come down heavier. just now starting to stick to the ground. and, john, this is just the beginning. we do understand that here in the city of buffalo they are preparing for anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of snow, and then in the south towns and what the call the southern tier and northwestern pennsylvania. the could see anywhere from 6 to 8 inches, even a foot of snow. that's great news out there for the ski resorts. but like we've been saying throughout the program, bad news considering that this plays out overnight into wednesday, which is the busiest if not one of the busiest travel days of th

until this system passes through, don. >> george howell. thank you very much. meteorologist karen maginnis will join us after a very quick break to update us on the storm's path, and who might be in danger right now. i got this. [thinking] is it that time? the son picks up the check? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there. >>> karen maginnis watching it from the cnn weather center. the big question right now, where is the danger zone? >> we have watching over the next 12 hours an area pretty much from a portion of the eastern great lakes into the upper ohio river valley. where you see this orange shaded area all the way from buffalo to pittsburgh to columbus. that's where we've got a moderate risk for severe storms. this goes until 8:00 in the morning. we started the day out with a high risk ri

that's where george howell is and i bet that's where it's the coldest, too. morning, george. >> reporter: carol, good morning. you mentioned hawaii, sounds kind of good than where we are now. here in buffalo flirting with the freezing mark and you see the snow here behind me, plenty of it on the ground. no big deal for buffalo residents but again for people who are traveling, it could be treacherous because again, on the roads you can find black ice, also it's a wet, slushy snow, it's hard to shovel and move out of the way, and we do know of some power outages, people that are being restored after the storm came through. now i want to go to my colleague, alexandra field, live in new york at penn station, to talk about what she's seeing with the travel situation there. >> reporter: george, holiday travelers are usually prepared for the worst but if they're arriving at penn station they will be pleasantly surprised, no major delays to were roh, one traun delayed in the northeast. and no major delays there. if you are taking a train, be prepared, 140,000 people

ok that was george howell thomas from the general competition of greek workers sharing his views with us on the situation in greece up next we hear from former inmates of one of the world's most notorious jails don't go away. what's happened is law enforcement and the national security agency has gone behind our collective backs and tried to accomplish this using the courts in secret and that's truly what the issue is a broken whatever trust and violated whatever trust we may have had and that's the real issue and they're going to have to earn that back the hard way. the olympic torch is on its epic journey to shut. one hundred twenty three days. through two hundred cities of russia. relayed by fourteen thousand people or sixty five thousand killings. in a record setting trip by land air sea and others face. olympic torch relay. on r t two dot com. flights. the president did not keep his promise. two years later one time tomorrow is still operating. could shutting the door on that detention center really end the trama one time. and can the closing of a prison really liberate those it

cnn's george howell has more for you. >> reporter: flying in formation some 12,000 feet in the air, two planes had just reached their targeted altitude carrying nearly a dozen skydivers when something went wrong. one of the pilots remembered hearing a lot bang. then the windshield shattered. both planes collided in midair. according to one of men on board, it turned out to be a jump for their lives. >> four jumpers in the lead plane get out of the airplane, they're on the step hanging on to the strap. then they leave. meanwhile the jumpers in the trail plane have done the same thing, they're on the step. so when they see these jumpers leave, then they leave. we're not sure exactly why they collided yet. but they did. >> reporter: you can see from these pictures how the lead plane was left mangled. >> wings came off, they were on fire. pilot got out safely, used his emergency parachute and landed. >> reporter: pilot of the fratr plane also survived landing his aircraft safely. when firefighters arrived, jumpers were still making their way to the ground. amazingly everyone made it off the

let's bring in george howell, he's outside buffalo, new york. buffalo is one of the snowiest cities in the country. george, thanks for being out there. i hope you have family or friends in the area, pal, because it will be tough to get out of there. >> reporter: yeah, chris, here is the thing. you talk to any grizzled buffalo resident who knows the snow, they say this is no big deal. but you this area got substantial snowfall if you take a look here. i mean, that's anywhere from, what, i don't know, 3 to 4 inches of snow. a lot of snow that fell. and when you look out at the roads, that's the big concern. the type of snow we're looking at, it's sort of a wet heavy they can snow. slushy on the roads. however, we have seen the plows out, the city of buffalo has anywhere from 25 to 30 plows, they are making sure the roads are clear and safe for travel. and that's the thing. especially for people who are not accustomed to this weather who may be traveling through the region. >> all right, george, thanks so much. keep an eye on it. and if you're trave

here's george howell on the thanksgiving shopping backlash. >> there's more to thanksgiving now thaney. walmart, kmart, and target. all open for early bird shoppers this holiday, just like last year. joining them this year, jcpenney, kohl's and macy's. but not everybody is buying into this. more than 370,000 people petitioned target to save thanksgiving for its employees and customers. and kmart was blasted for its decision to stay open 41 hours straight, starting at 6:00 a.m. thursday. >> we know last year, 35 million shoppers were out in stores and shopping online on thanksgiving day. and we're fully expecting to see just as many people this year. >> but for those steadfast employees who have to work their thanksgiving day, shoppers on chicago's busy michigan avenue have some sympathy. >> sometimes we have to work when we don't want to work. it's just the reality of it. in the same note, i feel like people do need to be with their families. it's more of a choice than, you know, it's to each his own. >> in fact, several stores are choosing to give their workers the day off. closed o

cnn's george howell is live in kokomo. you drove more than 150 miles from chicago to kokomo, must have been quite a sight, that long drive. >> reporter: on the road, and i apologize for the noise, you see a lot of work happening back here but on the road down here, the traffic driving in to chicago, you could see it backed up for five, six miles at one point. several backups along the way so driving was not easy for a lot of people last night. what we see today right here, we know that the state of emergency has been lifted in kokomo. that's good news, and also the other thing, no reported serious injuries, no one died in this storm, and when you consider what came through here, whether it was a tornado or straight line winds, the damage is substantial. it is an important point of fact that no one was killed because when you look at this, it's hard to believe. it's hard to imagine how this all came down. if you look at that roof, the roof on top of the fire truck, and we're watching as even the firefighters need a little h

decision, certainly, the vantage point here is spectacular and a landmark here in chicago. >> so, george howellor the coolest interview location of all time and the scariest. george, you know, what do they think about this whole spire thing? the fact it is putting a spire one world trade center over the top. do people in chicago think this is a technicality? >> look, there are some who are hung up on that technicality and, look, there has always been, john, a friendly rivalry between these two major cities. the bears beat the giants just last month, you get that in. aside from all of that, i think people here in chicago when you talk to them and really anywhere you go, when you see what's happening there in new york and rebuilding that iconic structure, you know, you can tell people here are proud to see it. really anywhere you go. >> zoraida was trying to convince me that midwesterners are friendly. >> such good people, they are taking it well. but they still have the cool ledge at the willis tower. >> sears tower. i hold on to the past. >> thank you for being with us, we appreciate it. >> tha

george howell new guy on the block, that's why you got this assignment.ty bad? >> reporter: you framed it well. because they are used to this sort of thing. it takes about a foots of snow before they get concerned. they've got about 3 to 4 inches here. so buffalo residents, they get it. the big concern is you have so many millions of people on the road this wednesday, people traveling to many different places the worry is about the situation on the roads. i want to show you right now here in buffalo, 30 degrees. so it's below freezing. and that's where the concern is with drivers out there. let's go to the other camera that we have set up looking down the road. you can see the situation right now, the roads are clear here in buffalo for the most part. plows have done their job. plows working all through the night to make sure the roads are clear. the worry is about black ice. consider as things melt if it gets above freezing and goes back below tonight, that's the worry as people get on the roads. and there's also a possibility of lake-effect showers snow

george howell is in the middle of it. tell us what you're thinking. >> another bright spot here. when you consider what was setting up here, when you consider we're talking about one of the busiest, if thought the busiest travel day of the year. and the storm system is coming in with anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of snow expected here. this city certainly did dodge a bullet in that regard. it's very cold here. no rain showers. that's good news because it's still below freezing. i want to take you to another camera down the street here, and you can see, this is what travelers are dealing with right now. good news here on the streets of buffalo. there is snow here. three to four inches of snow. they're used to that sort of thing. again, everybody is watching. as long as the temperature is low, the concern of black ice, that's what drivers are expected to watch out for. >> buffalo, new york, not as bad as it could be. >>> coming up next, cnn's great race from new york to "the situation room." two down, one to go. brian todd is in the car, still trying to get here. tom foreman is there

here's cnn's george howell. >> reporter: there's more to thanksgiving now than just turkey.art and target all open for early bird shoppers this holiday, just like last year. joining them this year, jcpenney, kohl's and macy's. but more than 370,000 people petitioned target to save thanksgiving for its employees and their families and customers. and kmart was blasted on its facebook page for its decision to stay open 41 hours straight starting at 6:00 a.m. thursday. >> we know last year 35 million shoppers were out in stores and shopping online on thanksgiving day. and we're fully expecting to see just as many people this year. >> reporter: but for those, steadfast employees who have to work their thanksgiving day, shoppers on chicago's busy michigan avenue have some sympathy. >> sometimes we got to work when we don't want to work. it's just the reality of it. so on the same note, i do feel like people need to be with their families, so it's more of a choice than, you know, to each his own. >> reporter: in fact, several stores are choosing to give their workers are the day of

>> and our george howell in detroit for us.y are working on. >> that was a great thing the guy said, in terms of switching your brain around, and said, instead of seeing that building as something that's just a complete mess, see it as what you can make it. >> be optimistic about a it. >>> hey, talk about optimism, something good coming up in detroit. his second season finale, "parts unknown," anthony bourdain takes us to the motor city to see how the failing economy has changed the landscape and the lives of the people there. >> you can get more insight into the decline of detroit at 9:00 p.m. eastern. and anthony is also hosting a live one-hour show after the finale from las vegas. you know you don't want to that miss that. >>> all righty, coming up on "new day." sometimes playing for a team means going above and beyond what others ask of you. >> that's exactly what a boy did for his team and you won't believe what he did to give his teammates a boost of motivation. >>> let's check in with dr. sanjay gupta to see what's comin

. >> reporter: george howell, cnn, chicago. >>> still to come in "the newsroom" hollywood's plan to keepason. >> it's completely frozen. >> cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold. >> a real howler in july, huh? >> we'll look at the long awaited release of disney's and a few other award worthy films right now. ♪ the voices to the heavens, clap your hands and give thanks ♪ ♪ ♪ no two people have the same financial goals. pnc works with you to understand yours and help plan for your retirement. visit a branch or call now for your personal retirement review. because you can't beat zero heartburn. woo hoo! [ male announcer ] prilosec otc is the number one doctor recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 8 straight years. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. >>> holiday season is here and hollywood had lots of new films to keep you coming back into the theaters. >> talk about a problem, i sell ice for a living. >> that's a rough business to be in right now. that is really -- that's unfortunate. >> disney's animated musical "frozen" follows thee adventure of a young

. >> bizarre and creepy cnn george howell live in chicago for us. >> reporter: so by count we understandmission, and he stated quite flatly as you heard there, was to start a race war. from 1977 to 1980, that's when he basically committed a lot of murders during this time. we know that thinks targets were interracial couples, men, women, two boys. we know that he shot and seriously injured vernon jordan and he also shot and paralyzed larry flynt. it wasn't, though, until the murder of gerald gordon that he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. in an unexpected turn, it was flynt who filed a legal motion to stop the constitution. the supreme court stepped in and overturned the appeals and he was pronounced dead this morning at 6:17. >> such a bizarre story. and larry flynt trying to, until the very end, trying to stop that. that's an interesting twist on that. >> checking other top stories. toronto mayor rob ford, now known as toronto's crack-smoking mayor, has found out it's not easy to make it on a small screen. the much hyped "ford nation" has been canceled. >> do you think t

george howell is a couple hundred miles away from me in kokomo, indiana, to explain why. george, set the scene for me and tell me why they're feeling thankful today. >> brooke, thankful because when you consider what happened here, when you consider the strong winds or maybe it was a tornado. still yet to be determined. you consider what came through here, it is amazing to realize that no one was seriously injured. no one was killed in this storm. you know, just about an hour ago, i drove down the road here where you saw some storm damage, and look, there are businesses that are gone. they're leveled. there are homes that are destroyed. and today, just as you're seeing there in illinois, people are picking up the pieces and starting over. i'm not sure how it is there for you right now as far as the winds, brooke, but here on this side in indiana, the winds are picking up. you have to keep your eye on debris like that, that used to be a fire station, by the way. when the winds kicks in, the debris does pick up. there's concern about debris flying around here. the governor c

george howell has been looking into this from chicago thorn. >> reporter: good morning.s? 11 people jump for their lives, everyone survives, only a few scrapes and bruises. it is an incredible story of survival here. here is a look at how it played out. flying in formation some 12,000 feet in the air, two planes e s just reached their targeted altitude carrying nearly a dozen skydivers when something went wrong. one of the pilots remembered hearing a loud ban og and the wd shield shattered. according to one of the men on board the plane, it turned out to be a jump for their lives. >> when they see these jumpers leave, then they leave. we're not sure exactly why they collided yet, but they did. >> reporter: you can see from these pictures how the lead plane was left mangled. >> wings came off, they were in fire. pilot got out safely, used his emergency parachute and landed. >> reporter: the pilot of the trail plane also survived, landing his aircraft safely. firefighters say when they arrived on scene, jumpers were still making their way to the ground. amazingly, every ma