>> let's keep the conversation going online. find in my book ohio how to speak money." i wrote it with my friend, ali velshi. it's about saving money, helping you learn how to speak the language of globalization, on the job, how to save money. back to cnn saturday for the latest stories making news. have a great weekend. >> announcer: live from studio 7, this is cnn saturday morning with t.j. holmes. and we are t minus 1:40 from liftoff. yes, that is a live picture you are seeing. this is from florida. kennedy space center today, they are awaiting to launch "curiosity" is the name. the latest rover.

where is it going inspect it's headed to mars. this is one of the latest and the most ambitious missions by mars. it will be looking for life on the red planet. john zarrella will be joining me here in just a moment. we're only a minute away here, john. i want our viewers to be able to hear mission control here in a second. we're just a minute away and, actually, i'm going to go ahead. john, you stand by for me. when this takes off, we'll be talking about this ambitious mission. over the top of this atlas rocket, it will travel some 350 million plus miles, over eight months to get to the red planet. we were just about 40 seconds away. i'm going to go ahead and be quiet and i'll let mission control take over as we watch nasa history about to take place on this mission to mars. >> step three.

>> t minus 30 seconds and counting. >> 28. >> for launch. >> status check. >> go atlas. >> go santar. >> t-minus 15 seconds. t-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, five, four, three, two, one, main engine start. zero and liftoff of the atlas 5 with "curiosity." seeking clues to the planetary puzzle about life on marchs. >> it is in right on time. 180. thrust. inspected. down 76% opini.

program complete. and the cell is now breaking the sound barrier. chamber features following the nominal curve. and we've passed through max cue. on closed loop lcu. signatures as expected. srb profile continues to look nominal. throttling back up to 100% theft on the rd-180. engine parameters looking good. flight control disturbances as expected. srb pressures running right as expected.

map and burnout, we have burnout of the srbs. everything is looking good. ten seconds to srb jest. and we have first pair and second pair, both srbs have jetsons the vehicles. we are reenabled guidance. everything is looking good. >> this is rob beganon, our united launch telemetry manager we're hearing. >> vehicle is now 32 nautical miles in altitude, 54 miles down range, traveling at 4900 miles per hour. and we've throttled down to hold

a constant 2.5 g level for payload faring jetison. and we've fired the pyro valve pressurizing the isc bottle. pressure krez increasing in the loop as expected. now we're hitting our 2.5 g limit coming up on payload faring. >> let me bring you in as we continue to keep an eye on this rove he, the "curiosity." and, john, you can't help it. i'm looking in our studio right

now, grown men standing around staring at the screen with their mouths open and smiling. my sister just sent me a text message, calm down, little brother, you seem excited. you can't help it, but this is cool stuff they're doing right now. >> yeah. and you know wa inspect they're not out of the woods yet. there's still a ways to go. it will be 40 plus minutes before the upper stage boosters, you know, finish their job. they've got to kick in, give it another boost to the -- you know, to the actual spacecraft itself that will go to mars. and by the time they finish all of that, about 42, 43 minutes in, the spacecraft will be traveling at about 22,000 miles an hour. and then and only then will they be getting on their way to the red planet. and as, you know, we've discussed, t.j., that's going to take until about august 6. so, you know, for the next 30 minutes, still, they're going to be watching very closely. there's still a lot of stuff

that has to go on for this to be a successful liftoff. t.j. >> help me on that a little bit there. you say we still have a danger window here of another 30 minutes -- >> absolutely. >> where, of course, anything can always go wrong. why is this such a sensitive time over this next 30 minutes? >> well, because you're shutting down main engines. then you're re-igniting a second stage centar rocket. then you're shutting that off, coasting again, re i-igniting tt again for another boost. there are several shutdowns and starts of the boosters in order to get the rocket, to get the spacecraft, the mars science lab in position to that then it's heading in the trajectory towards the red planet. so there's still a lot of things that have to go right as far as rocketry goes before they're in that 22,000 miles an hour cruise

stage for the next eight months. >> and once it starts on that cruise stage, and you said that trajectory, is it essentially just cruising on its own? is there much navigating that know that's done back here on earth? how does that work? >> yeah. they'll adjust the course through course corrections if necessary, but primarily, you know, once you leave the earth's atmosphere, whatever speed you're traveling at is the speed you're going to continue traveling at until you get to where you want to go. which is then, of course, marchs in this case. and then they will do some braking and aero braking as they get into the atmosphere. they'll be cruising 354 million miles at that speed to catch up and rendezvous with the red planet on august 6th. >> what's next? people love these launches. we have to wait until eight months before we get some news about this rover. so in the meantime, in the coming years, when do we look forward to another type of

ambitious launch like this? i mean, we in the public, kids, they're inspired when they see these liftoffs. >> yeah, we do. we certainly do. but the reality is money. $2.5 billion for this mission. you know, there are no other rovers that are actually on the books now. nasa is talking with the europeans about, you know, a combo mission with the europeans where they send another rover, perhaps. but the cost of these things are so prohibitive, i think what you're going to have to see is major success from this mission. in other words, when they get there, if they do find organic materials, the building blocks of life, they may not and probably won't find life itself, but if they can find those building blocks, that may reinvigorate and hasten efforts to get more vehicles to mars more quickly before we ultimately send humans around the 2030 time frame.

but right now, the problem is, t.j., money. and this is really one of the last really big planetary missions on nasa's books right now. they are hoping this goes well, this proves some valuable information that can prove a jump start for planetary exploration. >> and i want to remind your viewers what you're seeing here. you're seeing a replay. this just happened minutes ago. but the mars rover "curiosity" is on its way to mars. but my one last question, and i'm asking this because of our viewers. i am getting a lot of response, messages coming in via twitter which is right here in front of me now. people are wondering, during these economic times, and i know nasa gets this question all the time, at what cost? $2.5 billion for this, is this what we need to be spending

money on right now? what does nasa, who gets that question all the time, what is their response when people are critical of is this the west use of our money at this time? >> you know, the reality is that nasa's intujt like, you know, pennies on the dollar is how much nasa gets out of the federal budget. literally like 5 cents on the dollar if that goes to nasa's budget. but the fact of the matter is, the way nasa will tell you is it's exploration. do we want to answer the questions is there other life in the universe? it's a basic question that people have been skl asking since the dawn of time. those are the kinds of things that, you know, it doesn't put bread on your table, it doesn't put milk on the table. but for a lot of people out there, those questions -- you know, the answers to those questions will change forever how we think of ourselves and

our place in the universe. are we alone? are there other species out there? and these are the first steps, going to a place like marchs that may well have had life at one point before answering those questions. before you go, t.j., there's an interesting theory that says back when mars was a wet possibly habitual planet that an asteroid hit mars, threw off debris from mars, that debris landed on earth and actually planted the seeds of life here. so that in essence, we are descendants of martians. that's a theory. but, you know, we may have come from mars. >> just a theory though, right, folks? and one other thing -- >> just a theory. >> my ep, my executive producer just reminded me of this, because it was pretty cool, just the size of this rover. it's a huge sucker. this isn't the size of most of the smaller rovers. do you still have that wheel

next to you? >> no, i don't. i wish i could have kept it. but it's about yay big. they made me give it back. >> but you're right. that sucker is a huge wheel. it's about the size of a mini cooper is about the size of this rover? >> yes, yep, 2,000 pounds bp. about the size of a mini cooper, a volkswagen bug. and compared to those early rovers that were about this big, you know, literally sojournor, this one is the size of a small car. >> john zarrella, we're going to check back in with you. but always good to have you and your expertise covering all things space. but again, the marchs "curiosity" rover is on its way. we're at about 13 minutes past

the hour right now. another breaking story from overnight, b we could have nba basketball in about a month. apparently there is a handshake deal in place. nothing on paper just yet between the players and the owners. let's bring in joe carter, our friends from hln sports. the first question whb might we see nba basketball? >> christmas day is going to be the big day. the season is going to tip off. both sides, the owners and players absolutely clearly feeling the pressure. they spent 17 hours between friday and early saturday morning hammering out this tentative deal. it's not official yet. the season has been reduced to 66 games. that's 14 less than we're typically used to seeing. the plan, though, to start training camp december 9th, the season december 25th. between now and then, a lot has to happen. commissioner david stern says he's optimistic that a final deal will get done and it will get finalized soon. >> we've reached a tentative

understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex macination. but we're optimistic that that will all come to pass and that the nba season will begin on december 25th, christmas day. >> all right. so the start to that season is about 30 days away and a lot has to happen between now and then. obviously, the players' union has to recertify the deal. the lawyers got together and drafted it on paper. then both sides have to agree on this deal. 5 of the 29 owners have to agree to it and a majority of the players have to agree to it. let's say they both agree to it. then you have free agent and training camps will kick in at the same time. then you're going to have, obviously, the season starting on december 25th with marquis mega matchups because you have

that national television audience all watching on christmas day. >> they're into the crazy. >> no. i like the 66-game season. i think it's nice. a lot of people are saying that, too. the 82 games, too much. >> maybe it should start every year on christmas day. >> great idea. we're a quarter past the hour now. we're going to turn to politics. don't you hate it when people are talking about mitt romney behind your backs? a secret meeting, all about him. with the capital one venture card we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a mace, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day.

go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet? but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. ♪ ooh baby, (what) can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis, a patented probiotic that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance. try align to help retain a balanced digestive system.

try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. u.s.a.a. auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation, because it offers a superior level of protection and because u.s.a.a.'s commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. u.s.a.a. we know what it means to serve.

we're 8 18 minutes past the hour. we'll turn to politics and a secret meeting in iowa. a gathering of social conservatives unhappy with mitt romney. they don't want him to be the guy, the possible republican nominee for president. let me bring in shannon traffic advice. he's in chicago for us this morning. shannon, this can't feel good. it's almost like a conspiracy going on to make sure he is not the candidate. >> yeah. it sounds a little bit like a conspiracy, t.j. it's no secret that social conservatives don't like mitt romney for a lot of different reasons. but what was a secret was that they were holding a meeting, at least social conservatives in iowa, to try and stop him there and to try and find another candidate, an anti-romney candidate, essentially, to stop him in iowa and to take him on in other states. there are a lot of reasons why these social conservatives don't like him. they feel like he has no core.

some people tell me that he's a flip-flopper. some people don't like the fact that he instituted the massachusetts health care plan which has the individual mandate like the one in the nation's health care law as well as romney used to be for abortion rights in the past. now he's staunchly against it. so these social conservatives are trying to band together and see if they can rally around a candidate. let me say as a point of note, i talked to the romney campaign and they say, you know what? governor romney is run ago 50-state campaign. he's going to be looking towards all the voter pes. >> shan job, let's say they stop him in iowa. he wasn't necessarily putting all of his eggs in the iowa basket, necessarily. he's been way out in front of the polls in new hampshire. even if they manage to get around another candidate there, is it going to make a difference?

>> it may tt not. it may make a difference in the sense that if someone other than romney win tess iowa caucuses, it could launch them into some of these early nominating caucuses. it's probably a safe bet that romney does well in new hampshire. but let's say in south carolina, florida, beyond, let's say an anti-romney candidate does well. on the other hand, governor romney has a lot of money. he has a lot of support in iowa and nationwide. so money and support equals an uphill struggle for might be who might try and take him on, t.j. hard to say whether it will have an impact or not. i can tell you that the social conservatives, they're looking at michele bachmann, newt gingerich and rick perry as potential anti-romney candidates. >> all right. shannon, thanks so much. we're at 21 memberships past the hour. and an important story this morning still developing, nato is being blamed for two attacks on checkpoints in pakistan.

this apparently happened all near the afghan border. according to pakistan, at least 24 soldiers were killed. nato now looking into it. they have ammed that an incident took place, but not necessarily angi inin ining acknowledging t circumstances surrounding it. we have our reporters in the region. we'll be checking in with them in just a bit. back here in the u.s. now, what's killing christmas trees? thousands of christmas trees dying in the american west. those details, just ahead. stay with us. everyone knows ids taste great. but did you know they're good for you too? they're high in vitamins and potassium. and idaho potatoes are now certified to carry the heart checkmark from the american heart association for foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. so they're good for my family, and for yours. heart smart idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal.

[♪...] >> announcer: now get a $250 airfare credit, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. certain restrictions apply.

25 minutes past the hour on this cnn saturday morning. there has been a devastating drought in the southwest and as a consequence now, among a number of consequences, it's now hitting christmas tree lots across the region. the drought has killed thousands of christmas trees in texas and oklahoma. they're literally dying of thirst. hundreds of other trees, they were burned in the wildfires. so some farms will be selling trees grown in north carolina now. but this, again, as i bring in bonnie schneider. we were bringing in doubt conditions. really record drought there and we're seeing the consequences. >> it's impacting so many industries. not surprised christmas trees are one of them. we are seeing, though, a lot of rain moving through other parts of the country right now. so for those of you on the road and maybe you're heading

somewhere to do some shopping or perhaps continue your holiday travel, let me show you with some of the trouble spots are right now. strong thunderstorms rolling into arkansas at this hour. little rock, it's just start to go rain there. expect more of that throughout much of the morning. and to shreveport, louisiana. northward, everything is changing. in chicago, for example, light rain is moving in. but by tomorrow night, you're looking at a chance of light snow showers in the chicago area. it's snowing in northern minnesota, b and that's where we have winter weather advisories. we are looking at wintry conditions in this region. snow and ice, a possible 2 to 4 inches. that's going to be a problem for those of you driving later tonight and through sunday. that's a shame because tomorrow is, rather, the busiest travel day. no delays right now for air travel. this is what we're anticipating throughout the afternoon. chicago, winds, low clouds, rains could all cause delays. as well as dallas, houston.

memphis, st. louis, minneapolis and even miami all facing delays this afternoon. so if you can get on that earlier flight or hit the road earlier, you'll probably be best off on this busy holiday travel weekend. >> we're about 26 minutes past the hour now. we're also just about three weeks away from picking a cnn hero of the year. i want to give you a chance to get to know some of the top ten. this morning, chef bruno cerato who has more on his mind than serving dinners at his popular restaurant. it's somebody we want to introduce you to now. >> hi. i'm nate berkus. as a member of the american red cross celebrity cabinet i am admitted to disaster response and lending a helping hand to those in need. now, i am thrilled to help introduce one of this year's top ten cnn heroes. >> i love to cook. but to be in the restaurant business one must love the

people. there's your lunch, ladies. in 200 5, my mom was on vacation from italy. i said, mom, let's go to the boys & girls club. this little boy, 5 years old, eating potato chips for his dinner. he was a motel kid. i i find a poor family who has nothing else, you live in a model. when they go back after school, there's no dinner. there's no money. mom said, bruno, you must feed them the pasta. my name is bruno serato. my mission is pasta and feeding hungry children. i don't give the kids leftovers. >> bruno brings the trays and all the kids expect to eat spa get the he. >> are you hungry? are you hungry? right now, we are between 150 to 200 kids. >> who likes the pasta? >> me! >> my mom, she made me start.

now i could never stop. they're our customers. my favorite customers. >> and you can actually still vote for the winner. log on to cnn heros.com and take part in our special all-star tribute, december 11th, 8:00 eastern right here on cnn. and newt gingerich, what is he doing? was it a bold step, a big idea or was it a mistake? his take on immigration raising some eyebrows and some concerns. but look at those two. they don't look concerned this morning. lenny and maria, we're talking all new when we come back. stay with us. what do you got? restrained driver... sir, can you hear me? just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse.

i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck. [ male announcer ] we're not employers or employees. not white collar or blue collar or no collars. we are business in america. and every day we awake to the same challenges. but at prudential we're helping companies everywhere find new solutions to manage risk, capital and employee benefits, so american business can get on with business. ♪

but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. how do you know which ones to follow? the equity summary score consolidates the ratings of up to 10 independent research providers

into a single score that's weighted based on how accurate they've been in the past. i'm howard spielberg of fidelity investments. the equity summary score is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. get 200 free trades today and explore your next investing idea. we're just past the bottom of the hour now. newt gingerich, he has been in the news a lot lately. he came to the top of the polls, had a surge there and now many analysts give him credit for a strong performance in this week's debate, but are questioning an apparent gamble he took on the issue of immigration. >> and i'm prepared to take the heat for saying, let's be humane

and enforcing the law without giving them citizenship, but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their -- >> governor -- >> let me bring in lenny and maria. that's the short version there, but cnn contributor maria cordona is with us from orlando this morning and lenny mccall sister, republican strategist, as well. we're going to get to newt, of course. but as we always do here, i need to ask you guys what your political highlight of the week was. s what was it for you, maria? >> as you said, talking about newt, it's newt gingerich's rooid rise, but to me, it was also mitt romney's lies. >> are you rhyming this morning, as well, lenny? >> no. i'm going a little math today. abr plus iowa equals newt plus g-o-p 2012. >> you know what? i actually got that. anybody but romney, we'll get into that in just a second.

maria, is this going to be the fall for newt gingerich? or did he stir something up and start aer serious debate in a conversation that needs to be had? >> i completely agree that he did start a debate and conversation that actually, you know, has been going on for quite some time among the general electric torat. i think it was very bold of him. i give him dudeos for having conviction and the courage to say that during a republican debate, especially when we know that the voters in iowa and the rest of the gop field in terms of the conservative voters are not going to like what he had to say. so i do have to give him kudoses. we'll see if those voter res going to punish him for that. we've seen some pushback and criticism from the voter necessary iowa, from the most conservative in the gop field in terms of what he's doing. michele bachmann has been attacking him as well as others. i think that he had the courage of conviction. we will see if this is going to come back to haunt him. >> lenny, you're probably in trouble if a democrat like maria

cardona is telling a dm republican that he did a good job and she's proud of him. is this going to mean trouble for him on the republican sight with those conservative voters? >> no. it sounds like apparently newt has won maria's vote. congratulations, newt. apparently you're able to sway some democrats over to your side. and this is why she's swayed over there. it was a genius move. listen, who is going to catch the anybody but romney wave right now? is it going to be paul? no. cain? no. bachmann? no. harry? no. basically, everybody that was going to catch that wave has caught it. now it's gingerich's to lose. he's not going to lose it. what do you have to do? you have to maintain a lead in iowa, which he has, but start speaking in the general election terms. so what does he do? he speaks in this term right now in order to have an opportunity to speak to moderates and independents and say, listen, i can work with you starting to move forward in 2013. i think it was a brilliant move. >> lenny, you sound sure.

you said he is not going to lose that wave like perry and bachmann and cain, like they did. what makes you so sure? >> number one, he's up by seven points in iowa. number two, he's always been the best on stage at these debates. he's always been the best on stage. now he has the success of the 90s working with divided government, working at the last time of economic prosperity. he got a balanced budgets passed. he got welfare reform passed. he has all those things going on. people will overlook his personal flaws in order to beat a flawed administration in president obama's administration. they're going to continue with him and he's going to continue to move forward. >> go ahead, maria. >> i'm not so sure about that, lenny. while i give limb kudos for showing an important conviction on immigration, i'm not a voter in iowa. the problem with gingerich right now is that you have all the opposition research folks

focusing on his record. and what he has said before. so you have immigration, which they're going to attack him on. you have cap and trade, which he has come out in support of. you have what he said about the bible for republicans and congress in terms of the economic plan that paul ryan had put out. in his words, right wing social engineering. those are all things that i think are going to come back and haunt him. plus, he is undisciplined. and i'm not so sure that the most conservative christian evangelical -- >> months ago. >> that was like six months ago, lenny, not so long ago. and in terms of the conservative voters, i don't know that they're going to forgive his personal flaws. three marriages, leaving his first wife when she had cancer. that is not something that the most conservative voters are going to give him credit for. >> we're not going to get into the personal stuff. he had his response to that. we know that will come up again

been but i have to give both of you 20 seconds on this last one. lenny, you start here. again, please, about 20 seconds each. can romney, is it going to hurt him if he -- you know, people are having secret meetings there saying we don't want romney. he's not really putting all of his eggs in the iowa basket. can it make a difference other than hurt his feelings that they're having secret meetings? >> it's going to hurt him because he's not going to win in iowa. he's not going on to be as strong in new hampshire. he's probably going to lose south carolina. if he doesn't have a lot of momentum going into florida, he's not going to win this nomination. i think it's gingerich's to lose, especially in iowa. >> wrap it for me, maria. >> i don't think it will hurt romney if he comes in first, but if you comes in fourth, i think it will hurt his momentum. he doesn't need to come in first. >> and a note to our viewers here.

lenny and maria, atlanta, watch out, they would be here in studio with me next weekend is the plan as of right now. so good to have you the whole family together for a change. the guys are really looking forward to that. >> looking forward to it. >> fantastic. >> thanks so much. >> god bless. >> we're at 38 minutes past the hour now. you saw it a short time ago. nasa launching a mission to mars. it has brought together astronauts and pop stars. we'll explain this duo in just a second and what they're up to. in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over

make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home.

it what the was just a few moments ago, nasa launched a new mission to mars. take a look. >> three, two, one, main engine start, zero. and liftoff of the atlas 5 with "curiosity" seeking clues to the planetary puzzle about life on mars. >> i love that. that's atlas 5. the rocket blasted off in cape ka 1/2 val in florida, expected to deploy the "curiosity" rover attached to it at the top. the rover will explore mars for

evidence of water and life. before the launch, though, i talked to will i am, yeah, from the black eyed peas. he was there on hand for launch. alongside him was nasa astronaut leyland melvin. i asked them if launching a rover to mars was a good way to get kids interested in science and math. >> we're all trying to inspire the next generation of kids into science, through whatever means, music, rovers, we'll take that and use that to get these kids motivated to do s.t.e.m. education. >> and will, we've been familiar and you've talked to cnn before about your interest in getting kids interested in science. but would you classify yourself as a space geek? >> a tech geek, a space geek, just curious like this rover here. yep, i'm a space geek. >> so you say just curious.

and i just mentioned this to leyland. what have you seen as you've been involved in trying to get kids more involved? have you been disappointed? have you been surprised at how much or -- it takes some time to get kids into those fields. >> i'm blown away and inspired by these kids, especially the kids that work within the u.s. box program. there's like 200,000 plus kids who are building robots, doing amazing things with their skill set and it's not like kids aren't. it's just that we haven't shined the light on the kids that are to inspire other kids to get involved, as well. so i'm, like, really, really inspired by these kids. >> leyland, you pick up that point for me there. i guess translate this for us. how do we get from launch today -- and how does that translate from getting some kid in a classroom somewhere in this country involved in a field of math and science and maybe even

a career? >> well, when i think about a kid seeing "curiosity" this rover going around the surface of mars, taking examples, doing things, i was a chemistry major and i mixed these two chemicals together and blew up this creative sdmroegz in my mom's living room. that got me fueled and energized. but maybe there will be a kid watching "curiosity" going around the surface of marchs and they may think, how do i become a science and engineer? how do i become a musician? if you know music, you know math. >> will i am has developed a system called s.t.e.m. to encourage kids to become involved in these types of careers. christmas may not come soon enough for nba fans. after months of dead lock, the league's owners and players finally getaway on a tentative

deal. this thing could still fall apart, though. stick around for the details.

about 11 minutes past the top of the hour now. the nba and its players have

finally reached an agreement. at least a handshake deal right now to end the lockout. this could mean you could see nba basketball by december 25th, yes, christmas day. a tentative deal was hammered out overnight to end this 149-day lockout. >> the most important key thing here is that, you know, our fans and the support from the people and the patience, you know, through a large part of this process. >> the league is reportedly going for a 66-game season now. players and owners still have to sign off on this handshake deal. joe carter is keeping an eye on this and some other things we're going to tell but here. you and i were just discussing, it's a shame that a lot of people were turned off by the nba after that season they had last year, which everybody was excited about. >> there was a lot of interest. tv ratings were at its highest since the jordan era. there were a lot of people that were into the nba, but i think they turned a lot of people off.

they want to get the season kicked off on christmas day. people are going to get excited about it and forget about what's happening in the last five months. i'm thinking into the negotiation room yesterday and into tomorrow morning, they might be feeling that prerve your from the fans and anybody that does business in the nba. they worked until 3:00 this morning eastern time. they announced they had the deal around 4:00 a.m. eastern. now the league from this point forward will need all three days to get it up and running. both sides are going to have to vote on the deal. they're going to have to pass the deal. they say if all of that happened in a timely fashion, they'll start training and free agency december 9th. the season will start on christmas day with three marquis matchups. >> there's a new jordan era, apparently now. >> that's called a segue and a very good one. central florida, marcus jordan, son of hall of famer michael jordan plays for central florida. there he is, kind of looks like dad, kind of.

his team pulled off a huge upset last night. they beat uconn, the school's biggest win ever. marcus jordan, a big part of that game, basically the star. he averages 17 points a game. he is a junior. perhaps he gets better this season, stays around next year and perhaps makes the jump to the nba. uconn coming in as the defending national champ. they had won 16 games straight coming into yesterday. so i'm sure they got upset. >> another jordan in the nba. it's coming soon, folks. and i was talking about this. i love david beckham, but a story like this just kind of makes you sick in the stomach sometimes. >> you know, i think a lot of folks might. david beckham, 36 years old by most sports franchises standards, he would be in the twilight of his career. but no, a french club wants to offer him an 18-month contract worth $17.9 million. that's about $1 million a month to go across the pond and play. he does have a contract with the l.a. galaxy currently.

it ends out in december. but according to the daily mail, which is a tabloid, says he is close to signing the deal, but he will keep his home in l.a. because posh like it. >> is this the same kind of a deal of him promoting the sport? >> it's 100% to promote. he's going to put butts in the seat. that's where they're going to make money, the merchandise. >> it's a good gig if you can get it. >> i wouldn't make a million a month. >> good luck with that contract negotiations. a lot of people are starting to head home after this long holiday weekend. you've got to get home within but you're going to have some issues. sorry, some travel delays possibly. our meteorologist bonnie schneider is next with the news you need to hear about your weather.

the nice thing about the tempur-pedic is that no matter which position i am in i wake up feeling good. it fits you so perfectly... it fits you. you wake up and you're revived and rejuvenated. it's just like wow! tempur-pedic the most highly recommended bed in america. tempur-pedic is rated #1 in comfort. sleep satisfaction. and back support. it fits the curvature of your body but you don't sink in and it is firm. proprietary tempur material suppresses motion transfer. this means that when you get in or out of bed, you won't disturb your partner. that's amazing. that's amazing. tempur-pedic, the most highly recommended bed in america.

call the number on your screen.

as we get close to the top of the hour, let's say hello again to bonnie schneider keeping an eye on -- wait a minute, i see on the bottom it says warm weather going away. but it's not just the doeld cold people will have to conten with while going home. >> though. i think they'll have a lot of

issues to deal with today and yesterday. we're looking at rain and wind sweeping across areas into chicago. some heavy storms working there way into st. louis right now. and that's something we're watching carefully because wind this system is much colder air. you're going to feel the difference. for example, in texas, there's a freeze watch from overnight tonight in supports of central and southern texas. it doesn't usually get that cold this early, but it will. we'll see temperatures teeter along the freezing mark into the overnight period. we're watching for some snow, as well. this air is much, much colder with frigid conditions. high pressure to the west and low pressure to the east. there's a tight pressure gradient and that will intensify the wind. today's high of 47 in minneapolis will feel much colder. we have snow in the forecast tonight for minneapolis as well as tomorrow night for chicago. light snow showers. temperatures will be cold enough to support that. look at the low. 29 degrees. chicago right at freezing. kansas city, bundle up if you're headed out this evening. 27 will feel even colder with

that windchill. and even though it will be comfortable in the east coast with lows in the 50s, it will get koet colder in new york and many places in the eastern half of the country, as well, as we start moving into december, slowly by surely. t.j. >> bonnie schneider, thank you so much. we're getting close to the top of the hour. we're going to reset, give you the latest on all the stories you may have missed overnight, including, still, a developing story, nato checkpoints opened fire on two checkpointer near the border with afghanistan. 24 soldiers are dead. we are live there after the break. stay with us. it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

your core competency is...competency. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm getting an upgrade. [ male announcer ] as you wish, business pro. as you wish. go national. go like a pro. now through january earn a free day with every two rentals. find out more at nationalcar.com. i habe a cohd. and i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] sorry, buddy. truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. really? [ male announcer ] you need a more complete cold formula, like alka-seltzer plus liquid gels. it's specially formulated to fight your worst cold symptoms, plus relieve your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪