the end and the beginning. iraq holding its ceremony this morning honoring u.s. soldiers who are leaving after more than eight years of war. rally on. can world markets keep it going after the dow has its biggest day of the year? >> u.s. students pick up china's nuclear secrets. what's the country hiding behind an underground great wall? on this "american morning." good morning, everyone. it is thursday, december 1. al si off today.

i'm christine romans along with my friend, carol costello. >> happy day before friday. up first this hour, iraqi officials honoring the service and sacrifice of u.s. and coalition troops as well as their own. special ceremony at camp victory overnight. vice president biden was on hand. the event coming just weeks before american troops complete their withdrawal from iraq. cnn's martin savidge live in baghdad. we were hoping you could attend that ceremony but you could not. >> reporter: good morning to you, carol. you are right. we were told about 12 hours before that ceremony was to begin that members of the media were not allowed to attend. even though the buildup a week and a half we were told absolutely we would be there. the explanation that was given was security. does not appear we were the primary security threat but the concern was that they honl limited space. this is going to be held indoors for security reasons at a palace out there at camp victory because they needed to get the soldiers in and needed goat the

dignitaries in and iraqi media in, there wasn't enough room for the western media. that's why we weren't there. that ceremony is wrapping up now. you had prime minister al maliki, vice president joe biden there. a little bit of a discrepancy what this was about. iraqis says this commemorates the end of the u.s. involvement or the withdrawal of u.s. forces from iraq. they are saying no, service to commemorate the sacrifice made by u.s. service sxhebs iraqi military forces. that's exactly what the vice president was addressing, too. but he did say it marks the end of the war. that's a significant statement. in iraq or the united states. this morning, overseas markets are riding the wave of wall street's rallies. stocks closed up in asia and markets are mixed right now in europe. all of this coming after a wild day for your investments. dow posting its biggest day in

more than 2 1/2 years yesterday. 490-point rally. that's rare, folks. nasdaq, s&p 500 also up more than 4%. why? the fed teamed up with other central banks around the world to shore up the global financial system. again, another very rare move. something we haven't seen since the bad old days of 2008. good morning. the question for everyone now is can it keep going or is the fed's move -- global central bank's move, a band-aid on a pretty bad wound? >> hi there. that's exactly what many investors are asking themselves today because as you say, we had that massive bounce in world markets. the united states markets closing up to 2 to 4.25%. similar situation here in europe. what we are already seeing the doubts entering the market. particular there zeuro markets.

showing signs of weakness today. and that's basically because many economists are concerned that even though we did see this super-important concerted effort for the world's central banks to step in when the euro zone policymakers haven't stepped in is still perhaps might not be enough in that and absolutely followed up with some kind of concerns concerted -- concerted leadership, let's say, from the euro zone. 17 heads of state. >> so it is -- basically the world's central bank saying look, we are too -- too close to the brink here and the -- cost of dollar funding too alarming, we are going to try to -- we are going to try to put salve on the wound. there's still a lot of work to be done in europe. >> yeah. plenty of work to be done. we already had an indication from some of the really senior policymakers in the european unions saying that we have only got about ten days to solve this crisis. otherwise currency could fail. this could bring down not just the single currency 17 nations

but the other 10 part of the european union as well. this is sobering messages comesing out of the heads of the european state and also talking about a day when big countries in the euro zone like, for instance, france, spain, tested the bond markets raising about $11 billion worth of funding. as we know, each time they do so, christine, they have to pay more money out because it is getting more and more risky. >> watch the credit markets to see how this will fare. 3 1/2 hours when the stock market opens here. we will watch futures. thank you, nina. to politics now. donations may be drying up but perfectman cain is not giving up yet. he says he's still reassessing his presidential campaign and will make a decision about what weather to press on by friday. if he is throwing in the towel, it is hard to tell, cain is getting ready to launch a new tv ad in iowa. paul steinhauser is live in washington. the big test for cain will come friday when he meets face to

face. >> two messages from her man can cain. >> yesterday he sounded forceful, determined to march on. talking to reporters he said yes, it is going to come down to a meeting with his family starting friday. take a listen to what he told reporters last night in new hampshire. >> number one, since i have been campaigning all week i haven't had an opportunity sit down with her and walk through this with my wife and my family. i will do that when i get back home on friday. secondly, re-evaluate the support of my supporters. it has been overwhelming so far. thirdly, re-evaluate the impact that this has on fund-raising. >> fund-raising is very, very important here. cain in a news conference acknowledged his fund-raising took a hit earlier this week after a georgia businesswoman came out and alleged she had a 13-year affair with cain but he said the numbers are starting to rebound and also said some of

his fair weather or warm weather supporters started to drop off. again, all eyes will be on cain starting next week as ghees back on the campaign trail and things back to normal and holds a news conference in atlanta, his home base, maybe that's a signal it is the beginning of the end. >> he is releasing this new ad in iowa. that will be released today or tomorrow. >> yes. coming up tomorrow, second ad in iowa. it is not a very big one, about $80,000. the ad touts for cain's business credentials. that's one signal maybe he is continuing on. also campaign says they expect the candidate to be the next presidential debate which is in iowa december 10. but of course, that could all be very different if he comes out next week and announces he is stop thing campaign. >> paul steinhauser, thanks to you. cnn exclusive. piers morgan goes one on one with herman cain's attorney, lynwood, 10:00 eastern only on

cnn. first lawsuit now has been filed in the penn state sex abuse scandal. it is coming from a new accuser not included in criminal charges. the lawsuit claims that jerry sandusky abused this boy more than 100 times and threatened the boy's family into keeping quiet. the victim who is now 29 years old also claims that sandusky's abuse began well before authorities think it began and the suit also names sandusky's second mile charity and penn state university. we could learn the first initial results from egypt's parliame parliamentary elections today. once the lawmakers selected they will have to draft a new constitution. >> secretary of state hillary clinton is meeting with myanmar opposition leader suu kyi today. it comes one day after the nobel peace prize winner announced she intends to run for parliament.

today president obama will mark world aids day. former presidents bill clinton and george w. bush will join via satellite moderated by dr. sanjay gupta. cnn welcomes bon onto the newsroom at noon. >> here? >> he might be in atlanta. >> darn. >> maybe he's in new york. i don't know. but he will be on cnn, i know that. he will be joined by dr. gupta to discuss a.i.d.s. day and what needs to be done in the fight of hiv today in the cnn newsroom at noon. music's biggest night. grammys, kanye west scored the most nominations, seven. she was shut out of the album of the year category. the real showstopper is adele. british singer came away with knicks nods including record, song and album of the year. she is a clear favorite to take home the most awards this year. bruno mars and fu fighters.

she came out of nowhere. she can come out -- that voice, you know. amazing. absolutely. >> she is like the amy winehouse. china hiding nuclear secrets deep underground. thousands of miles of tunnels. what u.s. students uncovered on the web about china's military secrets. college cheerleader hospitalized after her stunt goes very wrong. that video straight ahead. santa is stuck on a rope. he can't get down. this mall santa could have used a sleigh and reindeer to avoid a major malfunction. ten minutes past the hour. nyquil (stuffy): hey, tylenol. you know we're kinda like twins.

tylenol: we are? nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

welcome back. china's underground great wall. the country may be hiding a major secret about the nuclear capability and enormous network of secret tunnels. pentagon correspondent chris lawrence has the story.

>> reporter: while the chinese were building these tunnels a georgetown professor is digging into china. >> students downloaded 200 hours of chinese video. >> reporter: dr. philip carver and his team of students produced the world's largest report on china's tunnels. china admits they were dug by a secret branch of its military responsible for deploying ballistic missiles. >> they had 3,000 miles of these tunnels. 3,000 miles. >> reporter: can you put that in any perspective? >> imagine a tunnel 30 feet by 20 feet high running from nova scotia to tijuana. >> reporter: he used to look for weaknesses in the old soviet union. based on the size of the tunnels he says china could have as many as 3,000 nuclear warheads. >> the problem with the study and the way it comes to this estimate is that the students

and professor made the assumption because the -- because china's working on this system of underground tunnels, this must automatically mean that they have -- working on new nuclear weapons. >> reporter: policy analyst lacy olson and others working on arms control question the georgetown team's methods. suggesting china has 3,000 weapons is a huge jump from the current estimate of a few hundred warheads could lead rival asia nations to start an arms race. >> all lead to sthamestimates t could impact foreign policy in a very negative way. >> reporter: students with 2,000 hours of video and translated more than a million words disagree. >> hundreds of thousands of chinese men who worked to build these things and hearing the stories, see how much after they put into this, it is another issue and shows how it is important to the chinese military. >> they may provoke an arms race. even unintentionally.

>> reporter: no matter how many nuclear weapons you believe china has, the team's research yields fascinating revelations including how china reduced the size rail cars to transport some of its long-range missiles in secret. chris lawrence, cnn, the pentagon. >> day would of hearings set for the man who shot president reagan. lawyers for john hinckley jr. fighting for his freedom saying he is not dangerous and should eventually be released from a government mental hospital. one psychiatrist said that may depend on whether he is taking his meds. >> if he's on medication, mr. hinckley could move in next door to me as far as i'm concerned. if he's not on medication, i would do everything i could to block him from moving in next door. >> government lawyers say hing sly still capable of great violence and went to a bookstore to look up information on presidential assassination. that happened during a visit at his mother's home in virginia. terrifying moments during a

college cheerleading routine. a michigan cheerleader takes a nasty tumble during a performance at the michigan state/florida state basketball game last night. she fell hard, face first. medics took her away. you can see the video now on a stretcher. she flashed thumbs up and a smile on her way out. she is doing okay, we are told. believe it or not, it is a very dangerous sport. you can't go into high because just you have a hard basketball court floor, nothing in between to stop you. it is very dangerous. >> good for her though. that's a brave woman. here is one for the santa. santa trying to make a grand entrance ends up getting stuck halfway down. turns out his beard got caught in the propelling gear and eventually he had to rip off that fake beard. painful. >> santa has a fake beard? devastating for the children watching this. >> i know. he had to take it down to make

it down all the way to the floor. looking at the bright side, could be a teachable moment for kids. i don't know what it might. >> i'm told by one of our producers this is one of santa's helpers. not the actual santa who is too busy right now overseeing the elves. >> that's why he had a fake beard because he was a santa helper. there you go. >> rob marciano. >> if we show that again i think it might be wise to give our viewers a warning to get the children out of the room eliminate all of this confusion. good morning, guys. it is december 1st. 24, 25 more days until santa's big trip. you wouldn't mind the temperatures across the east coast. chilly in some cases cold enough for snow. frost on the windshields across the south. 38 degrees in new york. 38 degrees in d.c. things get back to normal throughout the day today. temperatures will get -- breezy, will be cool like they should be

this time of year. other big story out west. big storm coupled with a deep arctic air mass. moving into the rockies. we had winds last night in some parts of l.a., gusting over 100 miles an hour. mammoth mountain, sustained about 130, 140 miles an hour. this is not just through the canyons. this is up on the mountains as well. back through nevada and parts of salt lake city and utah. also getting this. today we will see this again. dying down in the afternoon. picking back up at night. winds gusting 60 to 90 miles per hour. we will probably see more today until the event tapers off tomorrow afternoon. daytime highs 55 degrees. 50 degrees in new york city. if you want to travel today there will be delays. because of gusty winds and probably see similar event today at least an hour in some spots and at some point today los angeles and san francisco as well to a lesser extent in new york and boston. also to a lesser extent winds across parts of lake erie and

great lakes yesterday. what are you doing, cleveland? you have the board out. yeah. big waves as well. 39-knot winds. water temperatures there, probably in the 50s about now. hey, listen. you are in the air. you are not in the water too much. >> wow. >> i will bet. >> that water has to be cold, though, rob. >> yeah. it is chilly. like i said, it is in the 50s now and the air temperature was no laughing matter either. we have winds at 30 miles an hour. and temperatures in the 40s. that was -- that will wake you up in the morning for sure. >> so will the fear of sxhits going into the rocks. all the other things that are -- who cares about the cold water. i care about the whole thing looks scary to me. >> exactly. >> looked cool. up next, a billionaire investor, warren buffett, putting his money someplace you may not expect. we are going to tell you about his latest investment. >> shark sighting turns a routine fishing trip into

something special and terrifying. congratulations. congratulations. congratulations. today, the city of charlotte can use verizon technology to inspire businesses to conserve energy and monitor costs. making communities greener... congratulations. ... and buildings as valuable to the bottom line... whoa ! ... as the people inside them. congratulations. because when you add verizon to your company, you don't just add, you multiply. ♪ discover something new... verizon. putting his money someplace you

welcome back. will wall street's raleigh lose

steam this morning? european markets are mixed now. u.s. futures are slightly lower. it was a huge move yesterday. little pullback. not much surprise. look at this. dow rocketed 490 points higher yesterday. that's about 4.5%. that makes the dow now positive for the year. it is the biggest gain since march of 2009. no question. not your average triple-digit rally. the nasdaq and s&p 500 also closing up more than 4%. all of this because of a major move by central banks to ease the flow of dollars into the global financial system. very rare intervention to make sure the banking system stays healthy in europe. the global rally pushing commodity prices up across board. oil is now over $100 a barrel but second time in almost six months. experts tell cnn money this time prices may actually keep climbing because of this global economic intervention. two hours from now a fresh read on the employment situation in

the country. initial jobless claims to report is expected to show 390,000 unemployment claims filed the first time last week. if that's true, might be seen as good sign for the labor market. more than 99,000 americans could get a nice check in time for the holidays. the irs says it is sitting on, get, this, $153 million in unclaimed tax refund checks because people didn't update their addresses. if you think you may be entitled to a refund head to irs.gov and click on where is my refund. blackberry looking into hackers able to break the tablet. research in motion's reputation for making devices and tough security. apple and google's operating systems routinely are attacked by users that run unauthorized programs. breaches of blackberry software are more rare. warren buffett betting on newspapers. that's right. berkshire hathaway announced plans to purchase the omaha world herald company which owns his hometown newspaper and

several other papers in nebraska and iowa. buffett firm already owns "the buffalo news and has a stake in "the washington post" company. usa prime credit... this peggy... hi, i'm cashing in my points... peggy? no more points - coupons now. coupons? coupons. coupons? next, you convert coupons to tokens. tokens? then you trade tokens for credits. and then i get the cash? then you call back. bye bye.

peggy? hello? what just happened? want rewards that make sense? switch to discover. america's #1 cash rewards program. it pays to discover. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness.

get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ male announcer ] enbrel. the #1 biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. [ male announcer ] enbrel. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift

of a pain free holiday. ♪ this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. the establishment does not want herman cain to get this nomination. >> herman cain trying to put the brakes on new accusations that he cheated on his wife for 13 years and we are waiting to hear about the future of his campaign on this "american morning." welcome back. it is about 30 minutes after the hour. time for this morning's top stories. just weeks before u.s. troop withdrawal is complete, iraq holds a tribute ceremony at camp victory honoring american troops and those from other countries that fought alongside iraqi

forces during the last eight years. first lawsuit filed in the penn state sex abuse scandal and coming from a new accuser who is not included in criminal charges. lawsuit claims the jerry sandusky abused the boy more than 100 times and threatened his family to keep him quiet. >> initial results from egypt as first parliamentary election since the fall of president hosni mubarak. those results could be released as early as today. the lawmakers elected will be in charge of drafting a new constitution. we could be witnessing the final hours of herman cain's roller coaster campaign. he says he will decide whether to continue his pursuit for the white house on friday. and he is conceding a georgia woman's claim she had an affair with him has shaken his organization. >> the day that this latest one hit, fund-raising went way down. i admit that. because a lot of people were in doubt. that's not unusual.

but here's the good news. as the week has gone on, and this woman who has made these accusations is basically starting to -- herself, our fund-raising started to go back up. it is not up to the level where it was but a lot of people are saying you know what, they don't believe it. >> all right. herman cain about to call it quits, there are no appear ensigns of surrender yesterday when the candidate barn stormed across ohio with jim acosta on his trail. >> reporter: when asked by cnn whether he's staying in this race herman cain did not give a direct response. it is a sign that at this point his campaign is up in the air. >> we want cain! >> reporter: the crowd was about that a fighting food and so was the candidate. >> they want you to believe that with enough character assassination on me that i will drop out.

they -- >> reporter: within a fiery speech that was as close as herman cain came talking about the accusations of mayor tannin fidel that threaten his campaign and conservative businessman did not deny the allegations as he has this week and made no promises to stay in the race. >> one of the reasons that they want to try and shoot me down and tear me down is because of the strength of my message that's resonating to the american people. >> reporter: he accused unnamed political forces of trying to block the quest for the gop nomination. >> the establishment does not want herman cain to get this nomination. the liberals do not want herman cain to get this nomination. but i happen to believe that the american people have a different idea. >> reporter: after the speech the man behind the 9-9-9 tax plan sounded 50/50 whether he will remain a candidate. >> mr. cain, jim acosta with cnn. are you vowing to stay in this

race? >> we are reassessing and re-evaluating. >> reporter: how soon until we have a final answer on your future plans? >> in the next several days. >> reporter: supporters at the event were still lining up for yard signs long after the candidate was gone. diane phillips questioned whether the allegations dogging cain's campaign are true. >> what is a woman in his background compared to all the socialists and communists and whatever that are in obama's background? they elected him. i don't worry about that woman, theology and ideology. >> reporter: either way carla said it won't change her vote. >> i don't know whether it is true or not but i still hope he keeps on fighting. >> reporter: cain's campaign strategy is as mysterious as his future. he spent a full day barnstorming through ohio. a state that does not hold the primary until june 12. a full six months after the iowa

caucuses. >> jim acosta, thanks to you. republicans now pushing a new way to keep the payroll tax cut on the books. senate republican leaders introduce ad bill and will keep the payroll tax rate as current level for another year by freezing the pay of federal employees through 2015. the gop plan also invites billionaires and millionaires like warren buffett to voluntarily pay more taxes if they feel they aren't being taxed enough. democrats making more than a million dollars to pay for the payroll tax cuts could cost the average family $1,000 if congress lets it expire. >> this is a fight happening now that affects literally every working family in america. what happens to the payroll tax holiday and what interesting thing the republicanas well. they also said that they wanted to stop millionaires from getting food stamps and unemployment benefits. they could raise millions of dollars that way. more on that in the next hour. >> millionaires are actually --

>> that's what the gop says. that's their -- way of saying look, you know, there is a lot of excess in the system. start to bring out some of that, waste and fraud and abuse, get more money. and medicare. we will talk about it next hour. sheriff of the year behind bars this morning. 68-year-old patrick sullivan jr. is accused of dealing meth in return for sex from another man. police began investigating sullivan in october. he is being held on a half million dollar bond in a jail the that's named after him. stunning images of a plane crash at boeing field in seattle. small aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff. an unmanned parked plane. that means it was empty. then flipped over. both planes cut fire. two people were inside the cockpit but they managed to walk away with only minor injuries. >> a rare and stunning sight off the north carolina coast. april gre-- a great white shark.

about 25 miles out when they spotted the shark. he said it swam around them for some 20 minutes, even slapping the boat with his tail. >> glad that's the only thing it slapped the boat with. let the bidding wars begin. larry king joining in on the effort to buy the los angeles dodgers. he is part after group of investors interested in taking over the franchise. king says he has been a dodgers fan since he was a kid. it would be a thrill of a lifetime to become a partial owner. >> ahead on "american morning," are you ready for some nba basketball? i mean, nba team facilities are finally going to be open today for players to work out. we are going to talk to a former pro-athlete about what the players and fans can expect after such a long lockout. reverend billy graham hospitalized again. we will have the latest on the 93-year-old's condition. 36 minutes past the hour. ation, not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing.

you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪

hey... there's mom! hey, let mom try. ready, go! ♪ yeah, rock on, mom! [ male announcer ] sometimes a hint is all the wrapping a gift needs. wait a minute...i... [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer for exclusive lease offers on the 2012 rx 350 and, as a gift from lexus, we'll make your first month's payment.

39 minutes past the hour. welcome back. they are back. nba players can begin using team practice facilities today as they prepare for the start of training camp in just eight days. the lockout shortened season begins christmas day. the impact of the nba lockout on its players and especially on its fans. former major league baseball player joining us now. thank you for coming in so early. do you think the excitement is still there for basketball? >> i think people don't know what to expect. certainly christmas brings a lot of central attention to the game. definitely excited to finally get it going. there's uncertainty. you don't know who is even going to be on what roster this time. so a lot of things have to be worked out. >> supposedly on christmas day, there are going to be like three different games or something showing. do you think that people will

really take time out to watch all of those basketball games? >> they also -- there are discussions of adding a couple more. up to five games. it is definitely a cram job. they have to get everything in and start it off with a bang. it will be interesting to see how the fans respond to that. all of a sudden out of nowhere the games are start. >> when baseball went on strike fans got so angry. ways one of them, frankly. i couldn't watch a baseball game for a long time just because it is like what are you doing? you are ignoring the person that's most important in this scenario and that would be the fan. do basketball fans feel the same way? >> well, they have a different experience from 1999 to the last lockout. they didn't lose the final major league baseball lost the world series. that's the golden goose and people are insulted and carried that with them a long time. basketball lost a little bit of attendance in 1k3998 and 1999. not a huge drop like in baseball. >> conditioning of the players now, there's not -- like you

write in your article, there's nothing quite like practicing with a bunch of pros. you can work out on your own or with your brother or something. but it is just not the same. that might mean more injuries for the nba players who have been sitting, waiting for this thing to be over. >> absolutely. that's a huge concern. i mean, getting involved all of a sudden now you have to get 16 days to try to be ready important this christmas extravaganza. guys are getting hurt. free agents that haven't sign yet scrambling to find out what's next. rookie players unfamiliar with training camp routine. they don't have a lot of time. that usually makes players susceptible to more injury. >> i have heard that because it is a shortened season it might actually be better. i have heard that theory. do you agree with that? >> well, it is -- the frequency of games. it depends on the perspective. if you are a player and trying to get yourself oriented, signing with a new team and move your family halfway across country, that's a huge

challenge. you are not sure about your health. the fans may see more games more often but there are matchups that will be lost because they used to play every city, every team in the league. now a couple they will drop off. maybe you don't see kobe bryant in charlotte or you are see lebron james in new york. this's going to be games lost that are going to be great matchup. >> i was going to ask you that. what do you think will be -- what team do you think will be hurt most? >> veteran teams. teams that are older and have that experience and rely on the timeline to get ready for the season. those teams are going to suffer because endurance at the end of the year, patrick ewing in 1998, 1999. the finals, before the finals. attrition will affect these veteran teams. that may abhuge factor this year. >> will you be watching every game on christmas day? >> with eggnog. >> lots of eggnog. thank you for coming in. we appreciate it. >> thank you. christine? >> next list in the new cnn

programming focusing on some of america's most creative minds. each sunday dr. sanjay gupta will profile people on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. this week sanjay advice at this time whacky world of robots. >> from the beginning i have always gotten to be able to create robots people cared about and that were installed in places where i could watch that interaction. when you see people laugh, when you see their eyes light up, that definitely mix you want to keep doing what you are doing. that was awesome. >> thank you, everybody. >> he loves an audience. >> you can catch "the next list" each sunday at 2:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. still to come on "american morning," unsolved murders on long island. police with new revelations about who may have dumped ten bodies along the remote beach.

44 minutes past the hour. a single invention promises to make driving green, and cheaper. >> a lot of people. >> scott created solar roadways, a company that's developing glass road panels embedded with solar cells. so where we see asphalt and concrete, he sees opportunity. >> if you could replace all of the asphalt and concrete surfaces in the lower 48 states, the road could provide electricity to the nation, surrounding buildings or homes. >> wondering if the glass will break, the developers say each 12 by 12 foot panel can support at least 80 tons. the solar roadway could light up, let you know there is an accident ahead, or heat up to melt snow in the winter. >> that's the fun part. coming up with more and more ideas and realizing that this is

actually a wonderful thing. >> it is early. solar road sway still working on the prototype. up next, building a solar parking lot to test in all weather conditions. brooke baldwin, cnn, atlanta.

welcome back. 48 minutes past the hour. here's what you need to know to start your day. iraq giving thanks in a camp victory ceremony. iraqi leaders pay tribute to the foreign troops who fought there over the past eight years. the u.s. troop withdrawal from iraq is scheduled to be complete by the end of the month. herman cain says he will have a decision by the future of his presidential campaign in next several days. the embattled candidate admits a georgia woman's claim that denies that she had an affair with him but admits it has taken

a toll on his wife and campaign contributions. police in new york now believe that a single serial killer may be responsible for the ten human remains found along a long island beach. officials initially suspected multiple killers were involved. police also say that theed abouty of a woman who triggered that investigation is still missing. today president obama will mark world a.i.d.s. day by taking part in a panel discussion at george washington university and what needs to be done in the fight against hiv. former president bill clinton and george w. bush will also join via satellite. the reverend billy graham is in a north carolina hospital. the 93-year-old evangel cyst being monitored and treated for possible pneumonia. graham met with 12 presidents dating back to harry truman. two, one. >> wow. new york officially ready for christmas. rockefeller christmas tree lit up at a ceremony last night. 30,000 lights decorate the 74-foot norway spruce. the tree came from a small town

in pennsylvania. that's the news you need to start your day.

welcome back. anything could happen on live television. trust me. brian williams found it out the other night when a fire alarm went off and continued most of his nightly newscast. >> he was pretty come under fire. it got us thinking about other alarming television moments. jeanne moos. >> reporter: no cause for alarm. >> uh-oh. >> reporter: fire alarms go off

everywhere. the u.n. to church. >> no play -- >> reporter: but the one that went off at the beginning of the "nbc nightly news" made news. >> for all the bankruptcies we have covered in this grim u.s. economy, this one gets your attention. you will forgive us. >> reporter: the alarm was unforgiving. >> perhaps not something special anymore. >> reporter: it went on. >> andrea, thanks. the fire alarm, we assured everybody, we have been given the all clear and is become on. >> reporter: and on. >> thanks for bearing with us here. >> reporter: not totally stopping until 23 minutes into the newscast. >> we continue to be under no danger. it is just clearing the electronics. >> reporter: poor brian williams is not alone. >> especially in some -- already close -- in the northeast. fire alarm. >> reporter: the fire alarm has been alarming anchors regularly. >> trying to sneak into the u.s. now facing -- >> oh, my goodness.

>> reporter: connie chung was chore toured by one during her first show at cnn. >> uh-oh. there it goes again. >> reporter: there is one sure fire tv strategy when the fire alarm goes off when you are live on the air. go to break. even that -- >> take break and we will be right back. >> reporter: didn't help brian williams. his workers changing ventilation filters in the new studio triggered the alarm but sometimes it is the real thing. >> florida became the first state to allow citizens -- excuse me we are having technical problems in the studio. >> we are going to have to go to a break, guys. we have a fire in the studio. >> reporter: abandon set, popped light was shooting sparks. the award for best impersonation of a fire alarm goes to -- calling chef smith at fox news. >> they go off and in just a

minute some dude on the 50th floor will come on and go hello, this is the fire warden, nothing bad has happened. there is a lady stuck in toilet. >> reporter: the most zen reaction goes to stevie wonder. >> i'm trying to figure out a new melody. >> reporter: the alarm. jeanne moos, cnn. go to break. >> there may be a fire on this floor. >> reporter: new york. >> excellent. good for him. herman cain fighting to stay in the presidential race and the voice of late nighter really hoping he hangs around. take a look. >> interesting fact. listen to this. i read the nypd stopped and frisked more than 500,000 people this year. which means if they frisked just 1,000 more they will tie herman cain. are you keeping up with the

herman cain mistress thing? everybody is talking about it. the latest, herman cain's mistress is a woman named ginger white. yeah. when i heard this i was startled because ginger white is my nickname. >> still to come this morning, cnn exclusive. we are taking you inside the occupy wall street operation. cameras have not been allowed in until now. you would be surprised where it is. ♪ it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. the new spark card from capital one.

spark miles gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. the spark card earns double miles... so we really had to up our game. with spark, the boss earns double miles on every purchase, every day. that's setting the bar pretty high. owning my own business has never been more rewarding. coming through! [ male announcer ] introducing spark the small business credit cards from capital one. get more by choosing unlimited double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet?

. it is okay to look at your 401(k) today. the biggest rally on wall street of the year after the federal reserve makes a move to save the world from financial doom. >> the establishment does not want herman cain to get this nomination. >> checking the cash flow, herman cain is closer to making a decision on the future of his presidential campaign with new allegations of an affair threatening to tear it down. marking the end and beginning of iraq holding a ceremony this morning honoring u.s. soldiers leaving after more

than eight years of war. wall street protesters inside cubicles. a cnn exclusive. the first look inside occupy headquarters on this "american morning." good morning to you. it is thursday. yes, it is december, december 1st. it is crazy. ali has the day off. i'm carol costello along with christine romans on "american morning." >> let's start with markets watching and wait to see if the rally holds a second day. stocks closed up in asia. markets are mixed in europe. u.s. stock futures are trading a little built lower. all of this coming after a milestone day for your investments. the dow posted its best day in more than 2 1/2 years yesterday. up 490 points. nasdaq and broader s&p 500 up more than 4% each after the fed

teamed up with other on central banks around the world to shore up the global financial system. nina, good morning. i mean, it was an important day yesterday but all eyes this morning are on what happens next and whether europe can really get its act together to make sure we don't go to the brink with these funding markets again. >> yes. that's the trillion dollar question. it is becoming more and more ex-eex expensive question to answer every day. this is one of the reasons why the markets although central bankers have their act together to try to act where the euro zone politicians can't, if they do not see some kind of concerted followup action coming within the next ten days, while things could start to unravel again. we had one very senior member of the european union, economic affairs commissioner, the entire european union saying that basically we only have ten days to solve the euro zone crisis or

we could see a collapse of the single kur sentsy and could have huge ramifications. the other ten countries inside the union are are not members that are part of the eu. that's one of the reasons people are particularly concerned today and one of the reasons the mark receipts. >> talking about the 17 countries and the other ten countries. and then from where i sit here in new york, it is the concern about how that spreads around the world if the -- if the euro zone does continue to unravel. lo we are going to con talking about your money now. specifically how much more you can be paying in taxes next year to the tune of a thousand dollars. we are talking about the payroll tax. it is meant to be a holiday. payroll holiday tax. last year congress cut the amount of money pulls from its paycheck to pay for social security. average worker takes home about $1,000 more because of it this year. this morning republicans are pushing a new way to keep the

tax cut on the books. for now. the big have you been how to pay for it. the president put the pressure on congress not to take money away from working americans. >> this cannot be about who wins and loses in washington. this is about delivering a win for the american people. >> the end of the day, there is a lot of sentiment in our congress. clearly majority sentiment for continuing the payroll tax relief we enacted a year ago in these tough times. we believe with this kind of deficit. >> so let's take a look at both plans. senate republican leaders introduced a bill that would keep the payroll tax rate at the current level another year. in part by freezing the pay of federal employees through 2015. the gop plan also invites millionaires and billionaires like warren buffett to voluntarily pay more taxes if they feel they are not being taxed enough. >> here is the democrats plan. they want to cut the payroll tax adding extra $500 hon to your take-home salary. they would pay for it by adding an additional tax on all

millionaires. herman cain, let's talk about him. he is not waving the white flag yet p embattled candidate says he's still reassessing his presidential campaign and will make a decision whether to press on or drop out over the next several days. if he is throwing in the towel, he's willing to launch his new campaign ad in iowa while barnstorming in ohio. cnn's deputy political director paul steinhauser live in washington for us opinion i guess his decision may come friday when cain sits down with mrs. cain. >> yes. i guess it could come or be in the hands of his family. that's when he says. he says come friday he will meet with his wife and talk about this. take a listen to what herman cain said last night to reporters. >> number one, since i have been campaigning all week, i haven't had an opportunity to sit down with her and walk through this with my wife and my family. i will do that when i get back home on friday. secondly, re-evaluate the support of my supporters.

it has been overwhelming so far. thirdly, re-evaluate the impact that this has on fund-raising. >> former businessman said when it comes to fund-raising, he said his numbers started to take a dip earlier this week after that atlanta businesswoman claims she had a 13-year affair with herman cain. hay says since then the numbers have started to -- fund-raising started to come back. he also said some of his warm weather supporters have jumped ship on the so-called cain train. he bheets the family whether to continue to press on. on friday, tomorrow, in iowa, herman cain goes up with a new television ad. take a listen. >> the engine of economic growth is the business sector. now this is good. >> it is a very small bye. not much money. put into running this on tv. he will take part in a debate in

iowa in a week and a half. that could all change with an announcement maybe next week. he could possibly be dropping his bid for the white house. >> paul steinhauser live in washington. also tonight a cnn exclusive. piers morgan goes one-on-one with herman cain's attorney lynwood. 9:00 eastern on cnn. we are about to take you now where cameras haven't been allowed before, inside the new occupy wall street operation. >> after getting kicked out of zuccotti park, chosen two new york city locations to set up shop. choices that are practically dripping with irony. poppy harlow, a cnn exclusive. >> reporter: zuccotti park is nearly all cleared out buttock pie has moved to places that you probably wouldn't expect. including an office right off of wall street. >> you walk in and get a name tag like this. >> reporter: occupy headquarters? >> not at all. this is one of our offices. because we closed zuccotti park we are spreading out our resources so we can have people

join us. continuing to work and plan. >> reporter: show us around. >> this is some of our working spaces. see lots of occupiers working here. we have some offices. to help people staying in the park who are now homeless. >> reporter: copy machines. >> as every office positive needs. >> reporter: rent is not cheap. how are you paying for this? >> we are not. it is donations. office furniture was donated. food, water donated. >> reporter: this really stands out to be -- walking in here. print media is say being the movement today. posting all the stuff that we, the media, are putting out there. you are keeping an eye on us. >> of course. >> reporter: is it a more professional movement now? you have an office. is it different now? >> i don't think so. one of the things we are trying to reconcile here is we are trying to show the world a different way of doing things. and though we may be in an office space, we want to stay

true to exactly who we are. >> reporter: there is no boss on this office floor? >> absolutely not. we are a movement without leadership. people -- bunch of an arkists can't run anything, they will do whatever they want. nothing could be further from the truth. we have layer upon layer upon layer of structure, regulations, guidelines. the difference is that we as a people came up with those rules. >> reporter: here right next to the new york stock exchange and trump building is another public meeting area for occupy wall street where a lot of them have gone since zuccotti park got evicted. >> it is ironic, this is actually the lobby of a bank but that actually makes it so much more important to us. >> reporter: is this as important as your office is? we were -- >> this space is much more important than the office. >> reporter: why? >> because what you are seeing right here is decisionmaking. i can't tell you what we are going to look like in a year. what i can say is what you see

around here is what is going to determine what we look like. >> this was an amazingly surprising experience to see how the movement has transformed. also want to be candid to tell you when we brought our cameras to the first location, i was yelled at by some occupiers who said we don't want you hear. we don't want cnn here but the majority of them let news and wanted us there. they wanted us to see how they are operating now. it is a movement where no one is the boss. the majority wanted us there and so we were allowed in to see it. it is fascinating to see how much it has changed from no tents to cubicles. >> they say they are paying for this from donations. where are they coming from? >> that's the key question. i asked a number of times who donated the office space, it is expensive, right off of wall street, they said we don't know. we don't know who did. some people knew but didn't want to tell us. one joked around and said george sor soros. a big joke. they don't know where a lot of it is coming from. what you didn't see we have

online, we went to two other places, community center, wall street where they are gathering as well. and the storage facility. fascinating to see. up to the ceiling with pillows, blankets, clothing, hand warmers, food, they are getting hundreds of boxes of dough nations sent every day. i think the -- key here is should the people that have imposed the movement or naysayers that are saying they are not organized. >> make sure they don't turn into a run of the mill think tank. they want to have that special thing about them that isn't just office buildings and people who are sending out mass e-mails for donation. >> they don't want to become a corporation. >> poppy her low, thanks. still to come honoring the sacrifices and accomplishments of u.s. and iraqi troops more than eight years of war. a live report from baghdad just ahead. we will take you inside the secret classroom of freedom university. a place where undocumented students get a chance at higher

education. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

12 minutes past the hour. welcome back. iraq giving thanks in an overnight ceremony at camp victory. iraqi officials paid tribute to troops for service through more than eight years of war. vice president biden is in attendance. tribute coming weeks before american troops completely complete their withdrawal. cnn's martin savidge live in baghdad. martin, i guess the western media was invited and then was disinvited. why? >> reporter: you know, it is still a point of serious contention. the explanation we were given is security. however, that really does not seem to fly too well. this is a fledgling democracy, we planted the seeds of this whole idea of freedoms given to people and freedom of the press. and this is the start of the first series of events to mark the end of the u.s. military presence in iraq. and the western maid yeah is disinvited. up until 12 hours ago we were

going to be there. we were told what to expect. midnight last night we get a phone call saying no, don't bother coming to the checkpoint, you will not be allowed in. we are told security because they just didn't have enough room for everybody inside where they were holding this event at camp victory. western media was not wanted. we are expecting to see pool coverage. vice president joe biden was there, prime minister of iraq was there. security was on the mind of many people because we have them all in one place. why just the western media, we don't know. we will still report the news as we get it. >> martin savidge reporting live from baghdad. with u.s. troops leaving iraq face as significant security challenge. brett has advised three american ambassadors to iraq. he joins us now. welcome to the program. these are -- i mean, exciting days for people who have been working on this transition for so long. what do you think about

reporting from there that western media was disinvited to this first big ceremony? >> that's the first i heard about that since i have been in iraq every day, sometimes it takes a while to figure out what's going on. it is an interesting time. iraq, as we said with problems but some real opportunity. there's always a question of how is this going to end? >> yeah. >> troops are now leaving under an agreement negotiated and signed by one president and implemented by another. and by the end of next month we will have very few troops left in iraq. >> is iraq ready? >> it is as ready as it is going to be. now is the right time. remember, negotiated agreement in 2008 which two-thirds of iraqi parliament ratified and said all of the troops would be gone by the end of 2011. security is at the lowest level we have ever seen. it will be a challenge but we are going to keep working very closely with the iraqis. >> this isn't as if there will be no one from the united states in this country going forward. we are going to have a huge presence there. >> yes. we have another agreement.

strategic framework agreement between cooperation among a number of areas, security, at our embassy. it has been our military headquarters since april of 2003. as of next month we don't have a military headquarters. it is called an office of security cooperation in the u.s. embassy. similar to offices we have with friendly countries around the world. there's an awful lot we can do and we will do forward. >> krit you can have said that we are leaving iraq vulnerable, big opening for iran. american enterprises, they wrote the "l.a. times," i wanted to read this -- iran just defeated the united states in iraq, iraq sovereignty is hollow because of the continued activities of iranian-backed militias in its territory. its stay built fragile, since the fundamental disputes among ethn ethnic and sectarian groups remain unresolved. you make the point that yes,

iran has a presence in the country. so does the united states and we will con to. >> iran has a great influence in iraq. it is just -- little simplistic to say everything alook does is because iranian influence. it is much more complicated than th that. they fought them for hundreds of years. even most iraqis are shia. the school of thought in iraq conflicts fundamentally if they underthree entire iranian regime. in terms of foreign assistance, they need that and will have it. we will do an awful lot with the iraqis. based u.s. troops in iraq became a destabilizing factor. determining whether should we eggs tend the deadline or not and determine better not to complete the withdrawal. to mark the end of the war. which is very important for the iraqi population and american population. >> you are right. american population, too, tired of war. this has been a long war. many people know people's families have been personally

affected by loss in this country. and at the end as we mark the end of the war. was it all worth it? >> i worked in the operation eight years in washington, many years in baghdad and lost friends and known people that lost their lives, iraqis and americans. the most important things are going forward, involved in the iraqi government and iraqi people. iraq's population is so young. half of its population is younger than 19. a quarter of the population was born after the u.s. invasion. those kids know nothing about the united states except for the war phase of this relationship. we are now transitioning to something new. there's a real opportunity there. for everybody that served in iraq, almost a million americans have served in iraq, and they want to see it work out well and we want to see it work out well. there is a lot we can still do and will do. the military phase is winding down. now we will be engaging in all sorts of different areas

including security forces. we will be helping them with security and other areas. >> thanks so much. nice to see. >> did you thanks for having me. >> let's head to atlanta to check in with rob. >> widespread event. show you video, carol, of what happened last tonight. really was still -- what's still going on across parts of southern california. around los angeles and into n through the canyons and higher peaks of the coastline. everywhere seeing winds and some cases damaging with power outages. power outage briefly at l.a.x. before the backup power kicked in. divert flights out of that area. here is a live picture now of what's going on in downtown l.a. thanks to our ktla affiliate there. tower camera is shaking in the breeze. this will continue throughout the day today. maybe calm down a bit. briefly. then kick up back again tonight and it will probably be worse tonight than it was last night. here are numbers as far as the official wind gust in and around the los angeles area. 97 miles an hour. you go higher in the sierras and

mammoth mountain reporting winds over 140 miles an hour at times this morning. incredible stuff there. high pressure in the basin. what makes this situation unique is we have a little storm that's also developing across southern california and it will be heading through the rockies and getting that right now. air moves high to low. gets squeezed through the canyons and forced down the mountains and heats up and it cruises and that's why we have those winds. as mentioned, a big event getting into the nevada, utah. winds gusting over 80 miles an hour. snow now falling as the conditions start to take shape across parts. east of the mississippi we are looking good after a topsyture -- turvy whirl. 30s across parts of the northeast. rebound nicely and get back to normal. 58 degrees in new york city. 61 degrees and 55 degrees in memphis. winds will continue to blow across southern california. >> that does sound better for

our friends down south. still to come this morning, college cheerleader hospitalized after her stunt goes very, very wrong. pictures. that's just ahead. war of words and tweets erupting between two senators after senator john mccain disses long island. usa prime credit... this peggy... hi, i'm cashing in my points... peggy? no more points - coupons now. coupons? coupons. coupons? next, you convert coupons to tokens. tokens? then you trade tokens for credits. and then i get the cash? then you call back. bye bye. peggy? hello? what just happened? want rewards that make sense? switch to discover. america's #1 cash rewards program. it pays to discover. [ indistinct conversations ] [ hissing ] agents, what did we learn here today? after senator john mccain disses a !

well, yeah. and that 15,000 dryer fires happen every year! that's why it's important to regularly clean and inspect your vents! correct. where did you get that?! i built it. [ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪ it's like having portable navigation. a bluetooth connection. a stolen vehicle locator. roadside assistance. and something that could help save your life - automatic help in a crash. it's the technology of five devices in one hard-working mirror. because life happens while you drive. this holiday, give someone you love an onstar fmv mirror for only 199. visit onstar.com for retailers.

welcome back. wall street's rally losing maybe a little steam. european markets mixed. u.s. stock futures are slightly lower. the dow, though, rocketed 490 points higher yesterday. that's about 4.5%. puts it in positive territory for the year. biggest gain since march of

2009. nasdaq and s&p 500 closed up more than 4%. all because of a big intervention by major central banks around the world stepping in to ease the flow of dollars into the global financial system. there's skepticism this morning that this move by the central banks is an important step. it is positive but it might not be enough. a new report from standard & poors warns another recession is drawing near because of a drop in manufacturing and cut in the region's predicted gdp for next year. europe, of course, is america's number one trading partner and widely expected if in a region dives into another recession the u.s. would most likely follow. we will get a fresh read on the employment situation this n this country. the initial jobless claims report. it is the -- how many people lining up for unemployment benefits every week. 3 390,000 claims were filed for first time last week. it would be a good sign for the market because it is below

400,000. two recalls to tell you about this morning p you own an iphone. folks are being urged to stop using the rocket fish battery case for 3g. the problem is the battery case can be -- can overheat while it is charging. and the rechargeable battery case for the iphone/ipod touch is being recalled because it can overheat, too. so far there have been about nine reports of people suffering minor burns after touching that case. good news. young americans are finding work again. according to the labor department, some -- 65,000 people between the ages of 16 and 24 landed jobs in the past three months. that's the biggest fight of that age group since the recession began. congratulations. congratulations. congratulations. today, the city of charlotte can use verizon technology to inspire businesses to conserve energy

and monitor costs. making communities greener... congratulations. ... and buildings as valuable to the bottom line... whoa ! ... as the people inside them. congratulations. because when you add verizon to your company, you don't just add, you multiply. ♪ discover something new... verizon. [ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing.

[ male announcer ] from our nation's networks... ♪ ...to our city streets... ♪ ...to skies around the world... ♪ ...northrop grumman's security solutions are invisibly at work, protecting people's lives... [ soldier ] move out! [ male announcer ] ...without their even knowing it. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman.

i felt so horrible. >> undocumented students treated as academic outcasts cut off from georgia's top five public universities. now they have a chance at higher learning. we will take you inside freedom university on this "american morning." welcome back. it is 30 minutes past the hour. top stories for you. markets in asia up overnight after stocks here in the u.s., wow. rallied big time. dow posting its best day in more than 2 1/2 years yesterday. up more than 490 points. this morning futures are slightly lower. herman cain says he will make a decision about the future of his campaign in the next several days. embattled candidate says fund-raising has taken a serious hit. a his life suffered ever since a georgia woman went public that

she had an affair with him. both muslim brotherhood claim to be leading in the initial count. the lawmakers who are elected will be in charge of drafting a new constitution. forced to study in secret, banned from the five premier public universities in georgia, all because of their illegal immigration status. now a group of young men and women have a chance of higher education. all because of a program called freedom university. it is a place where no cameras have ever gone before until now. our thelma gutierrez brings us inside. good morning, thelma. >> good morning, carol. it was quite a journey. we traveled across the country to georgia because we heard about a group of professors that taught at some of the most prestigious institutions in the country and refused to turn their backs on undocumented students who were banned from several public universities. now they created freedom university to teach these

students for free. athens, georgia, an hour and a half outside of atlanta, is home to the university of georgia. it is also home to another school -- where cole enstudents have to study in secret. it is called freedom university. no television cameras have gone before. that's because the students are undocumented, many of them fear being found out and arrested and deported. since they have no driver's license, they are brought here every sunday by this team of volunteers. >> each of them has a flag. >> reporter: freedom university has one classroom. it is packed but we can only show you half of the students who consented to be on camera. >> i graduated as an a.p. scholar. >> reporter: aspiring doctors and lawyers, but in the state of georgia they are outcasted banned by the board of regions attending any of the top five public universities in the state until this group of professors from the you don't know of georgia decided to teach them on

their own time, on sundays before hours and without pay. you all have children, you all have full-time jobs. did you have money? did you have resources? >> no. >> reporter: books? freedom university co-founder dr. garcia said that they have students who are hungry to learn. so why the ban? a spokesman for the region told cnn the main reason isn't money. he said before the ban undocumented students paid out-of-state tuition, three times more than georgia residents. and it isn't because they were flooding the university. out of 310,000 students, 27 were undocumented. the major reason, tightened admissions so every open slot goes to a legal georgia resident. meet kate, her parents brought her from south korea as a child. she grew up in atlanta and became captain of her high school debate team. now since she can't go to college, she works at the flea market with her father. >> there are many people who

would say why should we as taxpayers pay for you guys to go to school? >> my parents have been paying taxes. >> reporter: we looked at the family's tax returns for the past ten years and they indeed pay taxes. since she is banned from public university, her dreams faded. >> maybe i should have listened to my parents and maybe i should have gotten 4.0, then maybe i would have gotten into one of those prestigious ivy league schools and maybe i would be in school. >> reporter: this year for the first time, they are able to return to school because of freedom university. ironically the professors cite it is they who are learning the most. and so the donated classroom space called freedom university exists without a budget and thrives only on professors' passion to teach and the students longing to learn. today professors and members of

the student government from the university of georgia will be asking the university's council to go on record opposing the board of regents ban. the so the fight isn't over yet, carol. >> freedom university can be -- can the students get -- i mean, do they graduate from it? and does it mean anything? i know they are learning. do they have that certificate in their hand? >> well, you know, the thing is, carol, that they are going to school because of their desire to learn. and it is important to note that the school is not accredited and started a month ago. they are not going to get credit but that's not what this is really about. students want to learn. they want to continue going to school and after they get out of school, there is no prospect for a job because of their legal status. so -- their battle continues but what this is all about is that ability to continue to study. >> thelma gutierrez reporting for us live this morning.

thank you. secretary of state hillary clinton is planning historic dinner meeting with the myanmar opposition leader suu kyi and comes one day after the nobel peace prize winner announces she intends to run for parliament in the southeast asian nation. clinton visits there, the first in five decade by secretary of state. terrifying moments during a college cheerleading routine. taylor young takes a nasty tumble during a performance at the michigan state/florida state basketball game last night. she fell hard and face first. medics took her away on a stretcher and flashed thumbs up sign at and a smile on her way out. she is doing okay. dissing long island. senator john mccain spark ad twitter war yesterday after he took a cheap shot at long island on the senate floor. listen. >> is it true that justice o'connor was specifically referring to a case a person captured on long island? last i checked long island was part albeit sometimes regrettably part of the united

states of america. >> well, new york senator chuck schumer was having none of that. he tweeted all of america saw how heroic long islanders were on 9/11. long island deserves an apology. that's what long island got, sort of, from senator mccain minutes later. >> i made a joke. i'm sorry that there's at least one of my colleagues that can't take a joke. and so i apologize if i offended him and hope that some day he will have a sense of humor. >> it wasn't good enough for senator schumer or billy joel or debbie gibson or mariah carey or other long islanders. schumer fighting back. nnyers can take a joke but if senator john mccain wants to mock parts of america, stick to arizona. is the federal reserve's coordinated effort enough to stop the european union from

unraveling before our very eyes? we will talk about it with matt mccaw who is president of the financial group. >> grammys, we will tell you who is up for the show's top honors ahead. capital one's new cash rewards card

gives you a 50 percent annual bonus. so you earn 50 percent more cash. if you're not satisfied with 50% more cash, send it back! i'll be right here, waiting for it. who wouldn't want more cash? [ insects chirping ] i'll take it. i'll make it rain up in here. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? sorry i'll clean this up. shouldn't have made it rain.

welcome back. dramatic moment that got the markets moving big time. we broke the news here on "american morning" yesterday. federal reserve teaming up with other central banks to keep the money flowing between european banks. overnight lending is the life blood of the financial system and all of these big central banks around the world saying we are going to keep the blood pumping. joining me now to talk about

what it means for your money, your investments, global economy, matt mccall. we relied a lot over the past few years. big day for the dow. i will some wall street insiders yesterday were telling me what a great day to sell stocks. what do you think they meant by that? >> they men that this is a very large profit. and what happened is the central banks, including fed here in the united states, came out and saw that problem for the short term. we have had this -- borrow banks can't borrow money but we said here's money just for now, kind of -- put you on the side lines and put a smile our face and market rallies. the smart people out there know that we haven't fixed anything yet. pushed it. we are kicking the can down the alley we have been doing a long time. yes, if you have nearly 500 point rally, stock market like this, i understand where they are coming from. >> what are you telling your clients? what do you think -- for the

average investor watching the market go up and down and actually has in a teague like major crisis fatigue three years into this, should people be, you know, buying stocks as if the market will continue to go up or should people be getting more neutral and conservative? >> you have to be more conservative in this type of market. you look at it in two ways. one way, so far this year, we have -- a crazy 11 months we had. market hasn't moved much. >> crazy three years. >> yes. exactly. sure. it is tough to be in this market. but in this year alone snapshot 2011 we are only down 2% in the s&p after all of that. how can you convince the person at home saying you have to weather this news every day for nothing. you are going nowhere. it is you have to tough to tell people to judgment in stocks now. long, long term. 15, 20 years. great values now. but until this mess in europe is taken care of and until the mess in the united states, figure out our own budget taken care of, it is very difficult to have positive outlook for next two years because we have so many issues out there now.

how do stocks go higher? >> it is debt and dealing with too much debt in europe, dealing with political acrimony in europe. too much debt in the united states. it is the same kind of story that's playing out around the world. and there are no real signs of resolution yet. >> no. that's the problem. because you go back to 2011 and 2008, financial crisis. and i mean, in my mind these -- really we didn't fix it. we threw a lot of money at and it printed a lot of money. now we are in the same situation again. the countries that print their money and save banks, now we are running out of money. who saves the big countries? at this point they keep spendinspend ing you. we don't have money to pay our bills. they are in trouble. until the politicians learn that they -- keep spending which -- i know that's -- >> until the politicians learn, if i had a nickel every time you said that i wouldn't need to be in the stock market. you like gold, tell me about gold and why you like gold.

any scenario, gold is an investment that you want to have. >> we look at gold as a safe haven. the world is falling apart or perceived as falling apart gold has treated us very well. hard asset that has a currency value. as we flood the economy with u.s. dollars, we saw yesterday, everything went up except for the u.s. dollar fell. at the same time if the euro falls apart, the eu falls apart, that turns wayside. you look at gold as a currency alternative. if things fall apart gold should do well. even if things do good, we con to flood the market and stock market goes up, currencies fold rng gold should do as well. we got a little lucky. and i think right now probably my -- number one investment option right now if hi anything. >> you think stocks could go up. you think stocks could go up and be very careful. >> i do. i think we can see higher prices into the year early next year just because i think we will

have an artificial rally propped up by the government. you want to be inside stocks but you have to create a nickel. it is a very difficult market. >> nice to see you. carol? >> thanks, christine. still to come this morning, the effort to educate an and eradicate hiv on this world a.i.d.s. day. 240,000 americans have hiv and don't know it. why are so many people having difficulty controlling the disease? senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen will join with us some answers. >> today's roman numerals, 2,360. it has to do with benefits for those making big bucks. it is also part of an issue that affects every single american. stick around for that.

here is what you need to know to start your day. herman cain re-evaluatining whether to press on with his campaign. he says he will have a decision within the next couple of days. his fund-raising efforts have taken a big hit since a georgia woman claimed she had a 13-year affair with him. marking a milestone in iraq. overnight ceremony at camp victory honoring u.s. and iraqi troops for their service and sacrifice during more than eight years of war. vice president biden attended ceremony but western media was not invited. iraqi officials cite security concerns. 54th annual grammys almost here. kanye west scored seven

nominations. adele is expected to take home the most awards. one for record, song and album of the year. grammys air in february. starting today, no more toys for kids who order happy meals at mcdonald's restaurants in san francisco. a new law bans trinkets and action figures in children's meals that do not meet new nutritional requirements. you are now caught up on the day's headlines. i am on the road a lot. three months out of the year. with all of the fantastic beautiful places i have been, i have to say that i really probably haven't seen a lot of them. oh, come on in. because i'm usually working the entire time i'm there. one of the things i have to have when i'm traveling is a very small suitcase. i can pack for a week to ten

days in that one suitcase. keep it simple because sooner or later when you get home, you are going to have to unpack it all. i love to travel and don't leave home without it is moroccan oil. great when you are flying and get dehydrated. i go like this and rub it and just put my hands in my hair like this. it will take the dryness out th out of it. if you girls don't like to iron, use the dry cleaner bags. fold the bag up and you won't have iron when you get there. oh, my gosh, can you believe this, i'm running, always running for the next plane. see you tomorrow on "days of our lives." capital one's new cash rewards card gives you a 50 percent annual bonus. so you earn 50 percent more cash. if you're not satisfied with 50% more cash, send it back! i'll be right here, waiting for it. who wouldn't want more cash? [ insects chirping ] i'll take it. i'll make it rain up in here.

[ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? sorry i'll clean this up. shouldn't have made it rain. 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. good morning. i've got a roman's numeral for you. a number in the news. that number is 2,360. it's the number of people with gross incomes over a million dollars, millionaires who received unemployment checks in 2009. that's according to the gop. altogether, they received $20.8 million in jobless checks. why is this number in the news? it has to do with proposals to extend the payroll tax cut. that's the tax cut that every working american is getting in their paycheck.

it was enacted last year and set to expire at the end of this year. republicans want to pay for the extension of the payroll tax holiday for the rest of us by prohibiting millionaires or food stamps. the gop says some millionaires who are receiving some food stamps, as well. they also want to among other things freeze the pay of federal workers for three years. they want to pay for the extension of payroll tax holiday for the rest of us by imposing a sir tax on millionaires. >> your employer pays into that fund and if you get fired or lose your job, you have a right to collect that, no matter how much money you make. like social security, right? but the welfare thing, is that really true? >> i would not be surprised if there were cases of it and i'll tell you whythrop there were provisions under stimulus where you would automatically qualified for food stamp physical you were getting unemployment checks. you technically do qualify for food stamps in some cases. >> don't you have to show

income? >> you don't have the come any more because you just lost your job. i know, it's nutty, isn't it? it's nutty. >> i would like to look into that further. i am intrigued. it's been 30 years since the first documented case of aids and today the giant red ribbon hanging from the white house marks world's aids day 2011. dignitaries like president obama and former presidents george w. bush and bill clinton and bono are coming together today to announce the beginning of the end of the disease. our medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us live to tell us more about this. it's been 30 years and we have, we have come a long way. >> oh, absolutely. we've come a long way because about 15 years ago, so about 15 years into the epidemic. they came up with these incredible drugs to fight the virus that actually kills the virus. and those drugs, anti-retroviral

therapy have saved countless lives. that's the good news. but here's the bad news. the bad news is that a new cdc report out just this week says that most people with hiv don't have their infection under control. and, so, in other words, we have these great drugs, but most people still do not have the infection under control. >> why are so many people having difficulty controlling it? >> you know, there's a whole lot of reasons and it really starts with the fact that many people with hiv don't even know that they have the infection. and, so, when you start from there, the numbers just get even worse. so, let's take a look at these numbers. if you take 100 people living with hiv, 80 are aware of their infection. that means 20 are unaware that they have hiv and, therefore, can't even get care. out of those 80 that know they have hiv, only 62 are linked to any kind of care for their disease. out of those 62, only 41 stay in that care. so, you can see these numbers are getting smaller and smaller.

out of the 41 who are getting good hiv care, only 36 are getting this anti-retroviral therapy and out of those 36 that are getting the therapy, only 28 have a very low amount of the virus in their blood. so, only 28 out of 100 have that low amount. the rest do not have that virus under control. >> this isn't just about helping out the people who are sick, it's about protecting other people, as well. >> what happens is if you have that virus under control, you have a very small chance of passing it on to somebody else compared to someone who doesn't. if you don't have that virus under control, you can pass it on to someone through sexual contact. so, that's the problem. we want people to get the virus under control because then it means that there is a much lower chance they will pass it on to somebody else. if you don't get it under control, no way to stop the epidemic. >> what is the solution then? >> the big solution here. the first part of the solution is that people need to get tested. and a lot of people wonder,

should i get tested. if you're in any of the high risk groups, you need to get tested and that includes people with multiple sexual partners and that includes gay and by sexual men and women who have sex with gay and bisexual men. so, if you have any questions if whether you should be tested go to cnn.com/empower patient and we have a spot where you can look for a test near where you live and there's even free testing. >> today at noon cnn welcomes bono to the newsroom. he is going to be joined by dr. sanjay gupta to discuss world's aids day and what is going to be done. today in the cnn newsroom at noon eastern. two of my favorite people. >> i know y can't wait to watch. still to come this morning, it was a milestone day for the markets and your money, but is there enough momentum to keep wall street's rally alive? this is not a movie. it is a thing in the water circling a boat. fishermen have a close encounter with a great white shark.

we'll tell you how that turned out. you're watching "american morning." 57 minutes after the hour. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk.

i'm christine romans. wall street and financial markets overseas rejoice after a plan gives europe more time to deal with its crisis. but can the markets keep up this rally? herman cain still holding on. he will decide whether to remain in the race in the next several days, but one powerful ally said it's time to get out, now, on this "american morning." and good morning, everyone.

thursday, december 1st. welcome back to "american morning." nice to see you. >> good morning, everyone. first, let's start with investors cheering after the federal reserve joined forces with other central banks to make it harder to borrow u.s. dollars. exactly 24 hours ago when that big, emergency move was announced. the dow soared 490 points yesterday. the best day for the dow in more than 2 1/2 years. that rally spilled over into asia, where stock markets there also closed higher, but in europe, stocks are mixed this morning. and while the markets for the most part are reacting positively to the fed's news, earlier on "american morning," matt mccall, president of penn financial group, a wall street guy warned us we're not out of the woods just yet. >> this is a very large problem and what happened is the central banks, including the fed here in the united states came out and solved that problem for the very short term. we still had this, banks can't really borrow money. you look at the countries in

europe, they can't really borrow money but we said, you know what, here's some money for now. put a smile on your face and the markets rallied. the smart people out there know that we haven't fixed anything yet. we are kicking the can down the alley that we've been doing for a long time. >> nina, i hate to always be looking for the dark cloud that goes with that silver lining, this is really a big problem that europe still has. it's why a lot of insiders why matt mccall are saying, be careful of this stock market rally. doesn't mean everything is hunkydory, again. >> we often call this a dead cat bounce. because, christine, we see these markets bounce one day after a statement like this, even a statement as monumentally important as the one we got about 24 hours from now yesterday. but it seems we're seeing a little bit of that in the market here in europe. notably in the euro zone. the frankfurt and also those two

markets are trading down. they are the two markets that are most representative of the euro zone area, let's say. on the other hand, we have other countries that are part of the european union but don't share the euro as a single currency like the uk. our markets over here in london where i am bouncing still for a second day on the back of that concerted effort. having said that, we do have countries like france and spain going back to the bond markets raising $11 billion. but as we know, every time they do go back to the bond markets and these situations are not resolved. they have to spend even more money to try to convince investors to buy those bonds that they're issuing. it is a problem and will continue to be a problem until we have some kind of concerted political leadership to follow on from what the central banks have done just 24 hours ago. >> certainly leadership from the central banks and not the leadership from politicians just yet. imagine winds as strong as hurricane force winds tearing through parts of los angeles.

well, that's exactly what's happening this morning. powerful santa ana winds are battling southern california and causing quite a bit of damage. trees are down, power is out for more than 80,000 customers. this is a live picture we have, actually, of the los angeles international airport. parts of the airport lost electricity overnight and you know what that means. more than 20 inbound flights had to be diverted to other airports. near semi valley, one wind gust registered a whopping 97 miles per hour. so, let's get the latest on this and head to atlanta and rob m marcia marciano. >> good morning, guys. most people who live in l.a. will tell you this is not your typical santa ana wind event and shaping up to be a historic one. reporting over 200,000 people now without power. 97-mile-per-hour wind gusts near semi valley but now expand to ut utah. 69-mile-per-hour wind gusts in salt lake city and at the highest peaks of the southern

sierras mammoth mountain one wind gauge has been consistently reporting sustained winds. this is a widespread event that incompasses several states. not just the santa anas typically that cruise through the canyons, although that's where you're going to find most of your winds. wind gusts 60 to 90 miles per hour and the same setup continues today, if anything, winds might be stronger tonight. downed trees and powerlines and we've seen that and probably see that continue. the other threat is critical fire danger. it's pretty dry, but the winds when you get them cooking 70, 80 miles per hour, impossible to contain any sort of fire and a small college in los angeles was evacuated briefly because of a grass fire there. a big storm, not just a high pressure, cold air over the mountains. an area of low pressure here that is getting up into the mountains and that's causing all sorts of problems in the way of snow across the utah and wasatch and the rocky mountains of colorado and denver reporting snow right now. this is a pretty big deal. everywhere east of the

mississippi and finally things are getting back to normal as far as colder air across the northeast, but still chilly across the south. 32 degrees right now in atlanta and some spots closer to the gulf of mexico were below freezing this morning. so, a crazy day weatherwise. the worse of which is out west. >> that is crazy. hopefully it will calm down later today. thank you, rob. it's about six minutes past the hour, here's what's new. secretary of state hillary clinton has delivered a letter from president obama to aung san suu kyi. intends to run for parliament in that southeast asian nation. clinton also delivered a letter from mr. obama to myanmar president and called on him to sever military ties with north korea. stunning images of a plane crash in boeing field in seattle. the small aircraft began to take off but crash back down hitting a parked plane and then flipping over. both planes caught fire and two

people were inside one of the cockpits, but they managed to walk away with only minor injuries. day two of hearings set for the man who shot president reagan. lawyers for john hinckley jr. fighting for his freedom. should eventually be releases from a government mental hospital. lawyers say he is still "capable of great violence" he went to a book store to look up information on presidential assassins. a judge four suspects in the amish hair cutting case. the leader of an amish breakaway case have been charged with hate crimes and they'll stay in jail. the judge calling them a danger to the amish community. three other suspects will head to court tomorrow. the men are accused of shaving the beards and hair of former group members. it's a small, but significant first step in getting nba players back on the court after the long lockout. team practice facilities are working for voluntary workouts

and training camps begin in eight days. earlier on "american morning," we asked epsn analyst about the injury risk from rushing players back. >> that's a huge concern. i mean, december 9th they're getting involved. all of a sudden now, you have to get 16 days to try to be ready for this christmas extravaganza and guys are getting hurt. free agents who haven't signed yet and rookie players who are unfamiliar with training camp routines. they don't have a lot of time and that usually makes players susceptible to more injuries. >> the shortened nba regular season is scheduled to start on christmas day. >> it will be like five games played on christmas day. it's crazy. >> extravaganza. still to come, herman cain hanging on. he's still in the race for now, but one powerful republican and close friend says it's time for cain to step aside. and china hiding nuclear secrets deep under ground. thousands of miles of hidden

tunnels. what u.s. students uncovered on the web about china's growing military and its secrets. and santa stuck on a rope and he can't get down. the mall santa could have used a sleigh and some reindeer to avoid this major malfunction. nine minutes past the hour. we're america's natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now.

we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. try bayer advanced aspirin. it's not the bayer aspirin you know. it's different. first, it's been re-engineered with micro-particles. second, it enters the bloodstream fast, and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. the best part? it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before.

bayer advanced aspirin. test how fast it works for you. love it, or get your money back. did you hear sam... ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte, with speeds up to 10x faster than 3g. ♪

welcome back to "american morning." the end may be near for herman cain's presidential campaign. the embattled candidate said he will decide whether to drop out of the race in the next several

days. our next guest says cain should not wait that long. joining us live from cincinnati is ken blackwell, executive vice president of the national republican assemblies and a friend of herman cain's. thanks for joining us this morning. >> good to be with you, carol. >> you support rick perry, is that right? >> that is absolutely correct. >> okay. i just want to read what you said earlier about herman cain. and this is a quote from you. you say herman is a friend. i pray that he will sacrifice his ambition for the family that he loves. he should be humbled, state his case and exit the stage. high character leaders are compelled by wisdom, integrity and an operative conscious to sacrifice for others. in this case, his family. you do believe that herman cain should step aside now. >> i think he should have a singular focus on the welfare of his family. i was encouraged yesterday when he said that he was going to

step down off of the campaign stage and focus on his family and talk with gloria and map out his course going forward. look, herman cain has a lot to offer in terms of advancing policy reforms in this country and getting our economy growing again. the campaign stage is not the only stage from which he can advance those reforms. i also think that he has to understand that by traditional measures, whether that be campaign cash, campaign organization or the forcefulness of this message, all of these things have been impacted by this tremendous distraction. >> do you think that some voters are more angry at the allegations that continue to come out against herman cain or are they more angry about his inability to deal with those things effectively? >> i think that there are a lot

of folks who believe that the case, he deserves his day in the court of public opinion. that he should not admit guilt if there is no guilt, but that he must forcefully answer this on a sustained and clear basis. right now he is conflicting messages from his campaign, managers and advisors and himself. and, so, getting that clarity of message consistency of message and he can go out and make his case that this, these charges are not true. if, in fact, they are true, he has a lot of mending to do. and, so, i say let's get on with the care of his family and getting him back on a track

where he can advance economic growth and tax reform. >> when herman cain says there was no sexual affair with ginger white, do you believe him? >> i have no reason not to believe him. but i think that he has a pattern of allegations now from multiple sources that actually require transparency and a forceful defense and advance of his position on this. he cannot, he cannot side step the issue. he cannot talk about conspiracy theories. he cannot play the victim card. he, in fact, has to come out and deal with full disclosure and let the truth fall where it may. >> i want to talk a little bit about his wife because you know her, as well. she has come out and said, you know, if what these women are

saying about herman cain are true, he would have to have a split personality. when you hear these allegations, do you feel the same way? >> well, i would just say that that is, there has been nothing in my relationship with herman over the last almost 15 years that would suggest that gives me any indication to say, boy, that's consistent with what i've seen. this guy has been a stand-up fellow. he's been an advocate of the moral traditions that have made our country great. but these are, these are serious charges by multiple sources and they have to be addressed. so, you know, i'm not going to play psychiatrist. i'm not going to be the sitting and hanging judge. i am like millions of other americans. i want to have herman focus on

these charges and i want him to put the accusations behind him. >> just, again, you still believe that herman cain should step down now for the good of the republican party? >> well, again, i think herman should have a singular focus on his family and getting these accusations behind him. he has to have that singular focus. i believe that his campaign is at a point now where he has to make a choice. between his family and getting these issues behind him or staying on the campaign stage and watch his campaign die a slow death. that is, that is a problem. that is a choice that he has to make. as i indicated. i was encouraged by his comments yesterday in ohio where he said

that he was going to go home, he was going to talk with his family, most notably with gloria, and they would, together, as they have done so many times over their 43 years of marriage, they will map out their future path together. >> ken blackwell, thanks so much for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. >> good to be with you, carol. meantime this morning, congresswoman michele bachmann is naming names on her short list of vice president if she were to win the white house and donald trump is one of them. trump is a lpick that a lot of people would be intrigued with. also named fellow candidate rick santorum as a possible vp pick and marco rubio. >> i can't imagine donald trump being number two on a ticket. just saying. santa on a rope. not a gift idea. check out what happened to this mall santa. so embarrassing. he was trying to repel down to

meet the kids at a south florida mall when his fake beard got caught up. he's just stuck about halfway down. eventually he had to rip his beard off to free himself and then he dropped not so gracefully to the mall floor. >> i mean, repelling and santa are two things you don't normally see together and that's probably why. china hiding military secrets deep under ground. missiles and war heads. allegedly in a hidden web of tunnels and how one group of american students uncovered it.

good morning. 24 minutes after the hour. minding your business this morning. right now u.s. stock futures are trading slightly higher following on that big rally yesterday. the dow was up 490 points or nearly 4.5%, putting the dow in the plus column for the year. all because of that big intervention, the move by major central banks around the world to ease the flow of dollars into the global financial system. we're standing by, also, in about six minutes for the latest initial jobless claims report. it's expected to show maybe 390,000 people filed for the first time for unemployment benefits last week. if that's true, that would be seen as a good sign for the labor market and anything under 400,000 is seen as a good sign and, of course, the big november jobs report tomorrow. republicans now are pushing a new proposal to extend the payroll tax holiday. in order to cover the $200

billion price tag, though, republicans want to freeze federal worker pay, reduce the federal workforce by attrition and prohibit millionaires from receiving unemployment benefits and food stamps. the gop says some 2,300 millionaires in 2009 actually were getting jobless checks. long-time talk show host larry king joins the long list of people interested in buying the l.a. dodgers. king says he's been a dodgers fan since he was a kid and it would be a thrill of a lifetime to become a partial owner. you have just 31 days to use them or lose them. we're talking about your vacation days. according to a new survey by expedia, the average worker uses 12 out of their 14 vacation days. that means americans are giving up $34 billion worth of their time. the reason, most folks say they can't afford to get away. a cnn exclusive inside the "occupy wall street" operation.

cameras have not been allowed inside their offices until now. you're watching "american morning." it's about 26 minutes after the hour. ♪ [ electronic beeping ] [ male announcer ] still getting dandruff? neutrogena® t/gel shampoo defeats dandruff after just one use. t/gel shampoo. it works. neutrogena®.

>> imagine a tunnel 30 feet by 20 feet high running from nova scotia to tijuana. >> yeah, u.s. students dig up china's nuclear secrets. what is the country hiding behind an underground great wall on this "american morning." welcome back to "american morning." top stories. right now u.s. stock futures trading slightly higher after the dow's huge rally yesterday. that rally was because of the big intervention by major central banks around the world stepping in to ease the flow of dollars into global financial system to keep the blood pumping to the banks as the european debt crisis urges.

herman cain will make a decision about the future of his campaign over the next several days. fund-raising has taken a serious hit and his wife is suffering emotionally ever since that georgia woman went public with claims that she had an extra marital affair with him. hurricane force winds ripping through parts of los angeles overnight. trees are down. power knocked out to 80,000 customers. parts of los angeles international airport lost power, too, with more than 20 inbound flights diverted to other airports. near semi valley one wind gust registered at an unbelievable 97 miles per hour. now to iraq and a special ceremony overnight honoring the service and sacrifice of iraqi soldiers just weeks before u.s. troops will be out of iraq. martin savidge live in baghdad this morning. good morning, martin. >> good morning, carol. this was a meeting that was really supposed to be open to everyone, especially the western media, which, of course, like the iraqi media wanted to cover

this event. but we were told last night around midnight, no, you will not be coming and we asked, what is the reason for that? they said security. it was a very odd description that was given to us. initially wu were told we would be allowed to come cover this service which was meant to commemorate the sacrifice made by u.s. and iraqi forces in the conflict that will be coming to an end but then we got that notification. the reason they say security is the event has to be held indoors and that means limited space and once you have the dignitaries in there and the soldiers in there and iraqipedia in there, no room for the western media, don't bother showing up. the real question is, who made that call? in other words, whose decision. the iraqis said the u.s. made the decision and the u.s. says no the iraqis made the decision. we filed formal protests and we haven't heard anw answer yet. >> as for the u.s. soldiers attending this ceremony, you'll get a chance to talk with them, or maybe you have already.

>> you know, a couple ways to look at this story. for the american service members that are leaving iraq, number one, they're happy because they're leaving and their tour of duty has been cut short and they're going home and home in time for the holidays and feel very proud about the mission they have accomplished and they believe security much better than it was in the dark days during the sectarian violence and that's a result of the surge and cooperation with iraqi officials. the iraqi people on the other hand, they have a very different view. they believe it is good ridens u.s. soldiers are leaving and they believe now their nation will have to pick up and do on its own. how well it can succeed, excuse me, that remains to be seen, carol. >> martin savidge reporting live from baghdad this morning. china may be hiding a major secret about its nuclear capability. a secret deep underground. pentagon correspondent chris lawrence joins us now with this story. >> reporter: while the chinese were building these tunnels, a

georgetown professor was digging into china. >> the students downloaded 200 hours of chinese video. >> reporter: dr. philip carver produced the world's largest reports on china's tunnels. a secretive branch of its military responsible for deploying nuclear missiles in nuclear warheads. >> they had 3,000 miles of these tunnels. 3,000 miles. >> can you put that in any perspective? >> imagine a tunnel 30 feet by 20 feet high running from nova scotia to tijuana. >> reporter: harbor is a former pentagon strategist who used to look for weakness. based on the size of these tunnels, china could have as many as 3,000 nuclear warheads. >> the problem with the study and the way that it comes to this estimate is that the students and the professor make the assumption that because, because china is working on this

system of underground tunnels, this must automatically mean that they have a far, they're working on new nuclear weapons. >> policy analyst lacy olsen and others working on arms control questioned the georgetown teen's methods suggesting that china has 3,000 weapons is a huge jump from the current estimate of a few hundred warheads and could lead rival asian nations to start an arm's race. >> these lead us to estimates that could potentially impact foreign policy in a very negative way. >> reporter: students who slogged through 200 vhours of video disagrooe. >> seeing hundreds of thousands of chinese men who worked to build these things and hearing their stories and hearing how much effort they put into this and show how important it is to the chinese military. >> they may provoke an arm's race. >> no matter how many weapons

you believe they have, including how china would use disguise rail cars to transport some of its long-range missiles in secret. chris lawrence, cnn, the pentagon. all right, some numbers just in about your jobs and the job market. the latest report on jobless claims is out. it's how many people every week are filing for the very first time for an unemployment check. last week it was 402,000 people for the very first time filing for benefits. that's more than economists had expected and it's above that 400,000 sign which is, frankly, signaling weakness still in the labor market. the big job's report for the month, the really big important read of what's happening in the job's market, that comes tomorrow at this time. we'll have it for you then, carol. the first lawsuit filed in the penn state sex abuse scandal and coming from a new accuser who is not included in the criminal charges. the lawsuit claims that jerry sandusky abused the boy more

than 100 times and threatened the boy's family so he would keep quiet. the victim who is now 29 years old, also claims that sandusky's abuse began well before authorities think it began and the suit names second mile charity and penn state university. terrifying moments during a college cheerleading routine. michigan cheerleader taylor young takes a nasty tumble. she fell hard, face first. medics took her away on a stretcher, but she did flash a thumbs up sign and a smile on her way out and we're told this morning she's doing okay. it's music's biggest night. the 54th annual grammies. kanye west scored seven nominations but the real showstopper is adele. she came away with six nods, including for the album of the year. also up for that title, foo fighters, lady gaga, bruno mars and rihanna. an international custody

fight. we'll talk to a man who can't bring the two sons he's adopted back to the u.s. because he's gay. a cnn exclusive. inside the new offices of "occupy wall street." it's a real upgrade from zuccotti park, we must say. cameras have never been allowed in until now. you're watching "american morning." it's 36 minutes past the hour. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk.

the original 100% lactose-free milk. [ knock on door ] cool. you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate shipping at usps.com. a simpler way to ship. gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet?

woah! [ giggles ] [ male announcer ] it has an hd webcam, killer audio, and lids that switch to start every semester fresh. but mostly it helps me try new moves on and off the court. ♪ [ male announcer ] powered by the 2nd gen intel core i5 processor: not just smart, visibly smart. for a limited time purchase select dell pc's and receive our holiday photo solution. our gift to you.

40 minutes past the hour. welcome back. he's fighting to get his two sons back. they were legally adopted in columbia, but chandler says authorities refused to let him bring the boys back to the united states once they found out he was gay. in a moment, we'll talk to him about his fight, but, first, a little more background on the story. chandler thought he achieved his life-long dream. a single gay men, he adopted two columbian young boys.

>> i was happier than i think i've ever been in my life in a sense. you're just, to have your sons, finally. >> reporter: it is legal for gay men to adopt in columbia, but with seldom allowed, the adoption went through. burr was on his way to get a passport when he told a social worker he was gay. >> i said it and i thought that we would have an intelligent conversation. some might debate it and this sort of thing. i never in my life expected them to do everything illegal that they possibly could taking my kids away. >> reporter: then the columbian government changed their mind. >> turned the children back into orphans and raise them in an institution rather than put them with their gay father, like me. >> reporter: burr's sons joseph and brian have been in legal limbo for six months. they canceled an interview with cnn, but a judge has upheld their right to review the

adoption, not because burr is gay, but because he didn't tell that to social workers reviewing the initial adoption. he did not present himself as the person he really is in the same way that chandler burr the right to learn about the minor children, the children had the right to know who in the reality was the person who was going to adopt them. >> chandler burr joins us now. thank you for coming in. we appreciate it. so, when did you first meet the boys. how long have you known them? >> 2009. they spent the summer with me here in new york city. >> they know you very well. >> very well. >> what did they think about all this? >> they were taken into a room by a lawyer and she interrogated them individually. my kids were abandoned at birth. they're illiterate and thshe sa to them, you know your father's

game. and he said, yeah, i know it. doesn't matter. >> so, you told the kids you were gay. i mean, it's common knowledge and they're accepting of that fact. >> absolutely. >> so, why would the columbia social service agents turn around and say it's not because you're gay we're not granting this adoption it's and they also claim you didn't tell the boys. >> are they claiming that? >> i think so. >> what they're doing is they're essentially, there's a legal fact which is that i'm an adoptive parent and why are they doing this? they're breaking the law. why are they doing this? they hate gay people. hate is not too strong a word. more than they love the children in their care? >> so, you didn't tell the social services workers in columbia that you were gay initially but somehow at some point down the line you brought this on yourself. >> i am going to help, help the

kids who need to be adopted. you went through this process and you see so many kids and you think, i'll take that one, i'll take that one. i don't have the money or the resources to do that and i will help those people and have a rational conversation and they freaked out and took the kids away and what is interesting is the supreme court decision, brought this on, the supreme court decision to 290 of 1995 specifically says that sexual orientation cannot be a criterion in adoption. so, everything they've done is illegal and everything they continue to do. it was very interesting because there was a memo and it says very clearly it is illegal in discrimination the basis of sexual orientation for purpose of adoption and places the columbian state in the situation of violating the human rights and violating the human rights of the children. >> so, the question is, where do you go from here? the kids are in columbia. very difficult fight since you're here in the united states. >> no, you know what's great.

it's astonishing. the columbian people in general don't feel this way. a group of crazy people. the woman who took them away was the head of the child welfare system, she was just, she just left the directorship last week and being indebted on corruption charges and implicated in the deaths of several children under her care because of her corruption. this is what is going on. it's crazy. >> but, again, what resources do you have here that might help you? >> we have a great team in columbia and they're wonderful. it's an organization and it's led by one of the main constitutional scholars in columbia whose name is rodrigo and they're terrific and they're fighting this battle and we're going to win because everything that the child welfare system of columbia is doing is illegal. it's against the law. i have a document here, actually. it's interesting, the woman who physically took them away, this is the memo right there and you can look it up. it's online and she asked the

lawyers at the child welfare system, can i take sexual orientation into account for this adoption? they said it is illegal according to the constitution of columbia to ask about sexual orientation or to use it. it is inviddious discrimination. that's the law. >> but, i guess in retrospect, do you regret every mentioning to these social service workers. >> i think about it all the time, yes. given all this, i regret it. i was there in march, we adopted, we were together. the video that we just saw was us. and it was wonderful and my kids. i talked to them and they say, daddy, how was the court case? they know what's going on. they're old enough. joe's 9 and brian's 13 now. and all the suffering that it has caused to them and to me, no, it wouldn't be worth it. i never imagined that the

columbians, the columbian authorities would break the law like this. i never imagined for an instant that they would violate a legal adoption where sexual orientation has no place. >> thank you so much for coming in. >> thank you. >> we appreciate it. christine? still to come, "occupy wall street" out of zuccotti park and in new digs. it's a cnn exclusive of where "occupy" is occupying this morning. ahead on "american morning." 47 minutes after the hour. 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? ♪ imagine me and you, i do ♪ i think about you day and night ♪ ♪ it's only right ♪ to think about the girl you love ♪ ♪ and hold her tight ♪ so happy together [ male announcer ] when life changes, so can your insurances needs. use travelers free guide to better coverage to stay prepared. is your auto and home insurance keeping up with you? contact your local travelers agent, or call 800-my-coverage.

time for your morning headlines. the labor department just announced that 402,000 jobless claims were filed for the first time last week. that is more than economists were expecting. any time this number comes in over 400,000, frankly, it shows weakness still in the labor market. stock markets open in 45 minutes and right now stock futures are flat after yesterday's huge 490-point rally for the dow. a lot of people want to see if they can hold on to those gains. herman cain still reassessing the viability of his campaign. the embattled candidate says fund-raising is dropped off and his wife is struggling ever since a georgia woman came forward and claimed she had a 13-year affair with him. we can learn the first initial results from egypt's parliamentary elections today. both the muslim brotherhood and

the muslim party claim that they're ahead in the ballot counting. once the lawmakers are selected, they'll have a draft a new constitution. that's the news you need to know to start your day. ar one. i didn't catch that. ar one. to speak to a representative, please say representative now. representative. goodbye! you don't like automated customer service, and neither do we. that's why, unlike other cards, no matter when you call chase sapphire preferred, you immediately get a person not a prompt. chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. (phone ringing) chase sapphire preferred, this is julie in springfield.

there's our picture of central park here in new york where it's 39 degrees. higher later this afternoon, maybe sunny and 50 for december 1st. >> not so bad for december 1st. cameras have never been allowed in before, but we're about to take you inside the new "occupy wall street" operation. >> after that famous eviction, movement organizers chose two manhattan locations to set up shop. the irony of those choices is inescapable. poppy harlow with a cnn exclusive. >> zuccotti park is nearly all cleared out, but "occupy" has moved to places that you probably wouldn't expect, including an office right off of wall street. >> you walk in and you get a name tag like this. >> is this "occupy" headquarters? >> not at all.

this is one of our offices. because we don't have zuccotti park, we are spreading out our resources so we can have people join us. working groups can continue to work and continue to plan. >> show us around. >> this is some of our working spaces. you can see lots of occupiers working here. wehave some offices, info hub to help people who were staying in the park that are now homeless. >> copy machine, fax. >> as everything office needs, we have a copy machine. >> how are you guys paying for this? >> we are not, it's donations. our office furniture was donated and our food still donated and our waters donated. >> this stands out to me. we walk in here. what print media is saying about the movement today. so, they're posting all the stuff that we, the media, are putting out there. you're keeping an eye on us. >> of course. >> is it a more professional movement now? is it different now? >> no, i don't think so. one of the things that we're trying to reconcile here is that

we're trying to show the world a different way of doing things and the way we may be in an office space, we want to stay true to exactly who we are. >> so, there's no boss on this office floor? >> absolutely not. we are a movement without leadership. people oftentimes say a bunch of anarchists can't run anything, they'll do what they want. nothing will be further from the truth in "occupy wall street." we have layer upon layer upon layer of regulations and guidelines. the difference is that we as a people came up with those. >> here right next to the new york stock exchange in the trump building is another public meeting area for "occupy wall street" where a lot of them have gone since zuccotti park got evicted. >> a little bit ironic. this is actually the lobby of a bank, but that makes it so much more important to us. >> is this space as important as your office is that we were in earlier? >> this space is much more important than the office. >> why? >> because what you're seeing

right here is decisionmaking. i can't tell you what we're going to look like in a year, but what i can say is what you see around here is what's going to determine what we look like. >> and i also want to show you some interesting video we caught that night. we have a much longer piece on cnnmoney.com. what we walked in to was a former bank, believe it or not that has been turned into their storage facility also right off wall street. they get hundreds and hundreds of boxes of donations, everything from medical equipment to blankets, jackets, hand warmers for the winter when they were in the park. so, that was an interesting thing for us to see, as well. one thing that stood out to me, carol and christine, in the office, i saw a handdrawn map of all the streets in lower manhattan with push pins and names for each meeting location on that day of action, november 17th. it was color coordinated. names of the leaders. that was organized. i said to one of the women we were with. should people believe this

movement is organized and not going anywhere? they don't really know what we are. it was much more organized than i thought. >> what is the goal? >> everyone i spoke with. your critics say you don't have a singular goal. what is your mission. some say it's money out of politics and some say it's pushing obama's jobs plan, what is it? they say, that's not what we're about. the media criticizes us for that. it's not what we are about. some people working in the office, did you quit your job to come here? two quit their jobs in technology making decent salaries and they told me that they're working there at the office commuting in from brooklyn, 13 to 19 hours a day. are you making any money? no salary right now. so, the question is, how sustainable is it? when you run out of savings what is going to happen? one woman said she'll have to get a part-time job. reality kicks in at some point here. >> wait a minute, somebody is paying for that office space, right? >> donated. >> donated money that, of

course, we're not really sure where that's coming from. but at some point you might think these people will get paid for doing work. >> if they get enough. they already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. if they get enough and set up a system, like a nonprofit. >> part of the system that they say isn't working. such an interesting conundrum. three minutes until the top of the hour. we'll be right back. it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work.

booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia.