about, the gift of generosity in your heart. thank you for that. >> and to everyone, lots to be thankful fwor this yeor this ye. >> i'm thankful for you and you. >> on most days. >> and for you. time to get to you carol costello, happy thanksgiving to you. >> i was getting a lull nauseated there. >> carol! >> no, it's nice to see the love. >> the ghost of christmas future. >> and santa's watching, too. thanks to all of you, have a great day and great thanksgiving. "newsroom" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening now in "the newsroom," norester nightmare. >> at the end of the day, no one can control mother nature. >> reporter: welcome to the busiest travel day of the year. >> i get on the highway, next thing i know i'm spinning is. >> there's a point there's nothing you can do.

it's glare his and you're a passenger in your own car. also breaking this morning, a new cnn poll saying the majority of americans still have an open mind about obama care. the big question, though, will the government make its november deadline? plus -- shoving, screaming and sales. ahh, yes, the black friday bargain battle blast has begun, online or in the store, where is the better deal. and trick shot. alex tanny scoring a contract with the cleveland browns. after the browns saw his youtube videos. we have one word for alex this morning. goal! you're live in the "cnn newsroom." good morning, i'm carol costello. thanks for joining me.

brace yourself, more than 40 million people traveling for thanksgiving, could be bombarded with heavy rain, strong winds, snow and possibly flooding. you're looking live at buffalo, new york this powerful storm slamming the east coast. for millions of people driving home the roads are slick and dangerous. you're looking live at pittsburgh now. that's nasty. by tomorrow, every state in the u.s. except hawaii are reach below freezing temperatures, and up to a foot of snow could fall in some areas like buffalo, syracuse, and pittsburgh. cnn's team of correspondents and meteorologists are stationed all over the place this morning, but let's start in pittsburgh, shall we? shannon travis is there, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. we're not seeing any significant snowfall right now, we're seeing a little few flakes starting to fall but that doesn't mean that we're in the clear, the temperatures are low here,

transportation officials tell me that they're worried about all the rain that fell yesterday, actually slicking a lot of the roads as you mentioned, a lot of millions of people are going to be traveling, a lot of them going to be traveling throughout pennsylvania on some of these roads behind me. carol, we've been watching these interstates that kind of intersect right here all morning, they have cleared, they have traveling, but it seems that people are driving pretty slow. i want to give you a little information that i obtained, steve cowan at the pennsylvania department of transportation tells me that although they didn't get much snowfall last night and this morning, they have 64 trucks out there covering the bridges and overpasses and beaver and lawrence counties no the fa that are from here there was more significant snowfall, 8 to 12 inches and they have about 24 trucks there and a lot of people

want to know what about air conditions, travel conditions for the airports, we're not that far from pittsburgh international. i spoke with joanne jenny, she tells me all operations are pretty normal there right now, no significant delays or cancellations due to weather. >> all right, so far so good. shannon travis, thanks so much. here is a look at what those of you in the northeast will battle on the roads today. snow from charleston, west virginia, up to syracuse, new york, that's in new york state, and the east coast of course will continue to be slammed by cold rain and the winds are going to pick up later this afternoon and that may cause real problems. cnn's pamela brown is traveling on one of the busiest interstates in the nation, if not the busiest i-95. sounds like big time fun, pamela. >> that's right, carol. we've been on the road since 5:0 this morning and seen traffic snarls, we've seen flooding, we've seen pooling on the roads, right now we're on 95 south in

new jersey and it's smooth sailing at this point but don't let this deceive you. there are expected to be 39 million americans hitting the road for this holiday season, and this is the busiest travel day of the year, in fact, there have been some accidents this morning, we've passed some stents and also we've learned that the westbound lane on i-76 in philadelphia is closed due to an accident there, where one person was killed and there's only one lane open on the other side, due to flooding there. so we're seeing these issues all over, carol, and it's expected to get worse. the rain is expected to pick up, later this morning, and that's when a lot of people will likely hit the road, so people need to really just exercise patience. it's pretty miserable traveling the day before thanksgiving and the weather is just compounding the situation. carol? >> all right, we'll be careful. thanks, pamela. the storm is moving slowly across the country, very slowly. many of us will feel its full effects later on today. cnn meteorologist jennifer gray

live in new york to tell us what to expect. good morning. >> good morning to you, carol. that's right, we are seeing mainly a rainmaker right now. we have seen a lot of snow in interior sections, but right along the coast, it's been mainly rain, we're seeing rain anywhere from d.c., newark, all the way to boston, and so while we've seen anywhere from 8 to 10 inches of snow interior, we've seen rain along the coast and even severe weather along the coast. we even had a possible ef2 tornado reported around atlantic beach touring the overnight hours, and so we've seen a severe component to this, we've seen an icy component to this, anywhere from ten inches of snow in portions of pennsylvania, 6 to 7 inches of snow from new york, ohio, and snow continues to come down. we're going to see an additional three to eight inches of snow possible, in upstate new york, two to four inches of additional snowfall in west virginia, and that's during the next 48 hours, as far as the rain is concerned, a lot of you are traveling along the i-95 corridor, one to two

inches of rain across southern sections, two to four across northern and this low will continue to push out. good news, carol, the worst of it should be over by tonight. we should dry out here in new york city. tomorrow the winds is what will be a factor. >> all right, jennifer, we'll keep a lookout, thanks so much. some of the bigge and busiest airports in the world are in the storm's path and people across the country are trying to get home for thanks giving dinner before they get stuck. >> nothing will keep me from that table, not from thanksgiving table. >> we're very happy. >> reporter: why? >> because as much as we love o'hare, we'd like to not spend thanksgiving here. >> just looking at the weather, the big green, pink slop coming our direction, time to get out of the way. >> we're taking a look at airports up and down the coast, so let's start in atlanta, with cnn's alina machado. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. it is a windy and cold day here in atlanta, but that is not causing any real problems here. we did see some sleet a few hours ago, crews spent time

deicing planes this morning, also keeping an eye on the weather, but so far, thankfully there are no widespread delays or cancellations to report. even traffic here at the north terminal departure area seems to be moving smoothly, all in all, things are looking great. now let's go to rene marsh in d.c. at reagan national airport. >> reporter: that's right, we could tell you that the delays and the cancellations are stacking up here at reagan national. we're starting to see cancellations pop up for places like laguardia, in new york, also chicago o'hare and we're seeing delays between 20 minutes to an hour and a half. looking at the full picture nationwide we know that they're about more than 500 delays, but not all of those are necessarily having to do with weather. getting to some specific airports for you, fuly, we know they're seeing delays on some arriving flights, averaging about an hour and 55 minutes, also laguardia, also seeing some delays on arriving flights, 59

minutes right now we're seeing the most delays at o'hare, atlanta's hartsfield, charlotte as well as fulphilly. if you're flying you need to check with your aural and be prepared to know that things may not go as they were originally scheduled. we're going to send it over to marchly connolly, live at laguardia airport. >> reporter: laguardia put out an e-mail alert saying that weather conditions have caused disruptions to flights. representative said there are scattered delays and cancellations. check the airlines before you come to the airport. most flights are on time out of laguardia but there have been at least 50 cancellations so far and the airport says they are doing everything possible to prepare for the worst in case people do get stuck here overnight. carol? >> thanks, margaret. whether you're hitting the road for thanksgiving dinner or lighting the menorah at home because tonight is the first night of hanukkah, so happy

thanksgivukkah. your weather and travel is on your screen all day long. despite the disastrous rollout of the obama care website the majority of americans still believe the law can work, a new cnn/orc poll shows 5 % of americans say it's too soon to call it a success or failure. 39% say it is a failure, while just 8% declare it a success. when asked if the problems with the new health care law will eventually be solved, 54% said yes, h45% said no. still to come, while you're at home making that stuffing, walmart workers are busy stocking the shelves, getting ready for thousands of frenzied black friday shoppers. christine romans is on that story. >> reporter: last year on thanksgiving, walmart sold 5,000 items every single second on thanksgiving day. this year, it is even bigger, bigger holiday push, i'm going to show you what it takes to keep walmart running on black friday.

just by talking to a helmet. it grabbed the patient's record before we even picked him up. it found out the doctor we needed was at st. anne's. wiggle your toes. [ driver ] and it got his okay on treatment from miles away. it even pulled strings with the stoplights. my ambulance talks with smoke alarms and pilots and stadiums. but, of course, it's a good listener too. [ female announcer ] today cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everything works like never before.

checking our top stories at 14 monies past the hour, china's move to declare a new air defense zone over part of the east china sea is prompting a swift response from the united states, which sent two unarmed b-52 bombers to fly through the area. the action came despite china's previous warning that it could take mull tear action against planes that don't identify themselves or their flight planes. david mckenzie is in beijing. >> reporter: the message from beijing is we're watching you. the defense ministry saying they closely monitored the two u.s. b-52 bombers, which flew through

china's unilaterally declared air defense identification zone. the chinese said they were aware of the tune of plane, where it went and how long it was through that disputed area. this comes just days after they announced this plan to monitor this part of the ocean east of china to try and protect their sovereignty, according to china, though, the u.s. says that this is a dangerous move that could escalate tensions in an already tense region. carol? >> david mckenzie. tensions by the way have been on the rise ever since japan purchased this string of islands from a private owner in the east china sea last year, and that angered many chinese officials. a hazmat putting an ohio town of willard on edge. tanker car derailed last nugt and a highly flammable chemical started flowing from a hole in the car. more than 400 homes have been

evacuated. officials say the spill is contained and being cleaned up. people are expected to be allowed back in their homes over the next few hours. scary moments in new york this morning, two people injured when a small building collapsed in the bronx. they were treated at a local hospital. the collapse just before 8:00 during the morning commute. the fire department is investigating. popen from sis issuing a stinging credit is imof the free market this week, slamming capital uchl as "the new tyranny." the remarks part of an 84-page report bit as the pope's platform and writes "how could it be it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure but it is news when the stock market loses two points?" the pope who held an audience today in saunt peter's square went on to call for greater action to help the poor. ufl for the pope, these next few days are all about the doorbuster, all about capitolism. scenes like this one in stores across the country, the hot holiday toys like the furby boom

at touzys "r" us, best buy a fl screen tv for $169. target is getting buzz for the ipad air for $479 plus a $100 gift card and walmart the ipad mini for just $299. making sure thousands of walmart shoppers get what they want, well, as you know, they're opening really, really early this holiday season. christine romans has that sued of the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. millions of people, tens of millions of people will be going to the stores black friday and these retailers are doing everything they can to lure you in. we go behind the scenes of the nation's largest retailer. >> welcome to walmart. >> reporter: 1. million workers in 4,000 stores around the country building up to one event, black friday. the world's buggest retailer says it's the most important shopping day of the year.

>> we call it the super bowl of retail. >> reporter: say good-bye to tomatoes and hello to toys and televisions. >> you go into a supercenter 2:00 thanksgiving day it looks luke a food store. two to three hours later the largest food store to the largest gm store. >> reporter: walmart is buying more to keep up with demand. >> we bought 65% more tvs, five times as many sheet sets, two times as many tablets. >> reporter: customers won't need to wait for the deals. thanksgiving thursday is the new black friday. kk mart, best buy, target and walmart start early. walmart 6:00 p.m. on thanksgiving. walmart says its customers bought nearly 5,000 items a second during its four hours of thanksgiving day sales last year. >> we did over 10 million transactions, about 1.3 million tvs, 1.8 million towels, 1.3 million toys. >> reporter: keeping the product flowing will take all 600 of this store's employees.

>> so it's a simple seamless move from off the truck to the back room. every store is mapped out for an exact location of where all the products are going to be. >> reporter: when it's all over it starts again. >> black friday is actually a 52-week planning process for us. we literally start the dau after black friday one year and start planning for the next year. >> and that, carol, is the retall trick all the retailers have for a year been planning on these sales and doorbusters today so it's all uncredibly uncredibly choreographed and strategized. there are six days fewer days to shop in between thanksgiving and christmas so they're really pulling out all the stops to make sure they have big, big shopping days to make up for the extra six days of revenue. this is very big business for the companies. >> i can't believe how many people are willing to shop thanks gufg day. it seems that americans say they care but they really don't. >> they vote with their wallets every year, carol, by going out. last year the retailers tried a

few hours and you saw in the case of walmart, 5,000 items every single second. people left the dinner table, went right to the mall and so this year retailers are saying, consumers have spoken, they want to shop on thanksgiving and on friday and on saturday and sunday and on monday, all the way through the holidays. the question is, are the best deals today, carol or are they in two weeks when strapped consumers haven't lived up to the expectations of the retailers, they have to cut prices some more? >> well, i never shop until the day before christmas, so for me the deals are there whatever. >> that's why you always forget my present. >> i know. this year i'm not going to forget, i have something special planned. thanks, happy thanks giving. >> you, too. it is decision day for president owe pa ma, not talking about obama care or executive orders, we're talking about turk yus. specifically caramel and popcorn, which turkey will he pardon today? this has to be bun of the dumbest washington traditions ever, sorry, i just have to be

honest with you but the public has voted on facebook, both birds will actually live on into retirement at mt. vernon. it sounds nice, but you know, after the president barrepardon turkeys he'll go into the white house and eat a turkey. watch the pardoning ceremony about four hours from now right here on cnn. still to come in "the newsroom," concerns about concussion, bullying and intentional injuries in nl but americans still love them some football. surprising new poll results for you next. hi honey, did you get the toaster cozy? yep. got all the cozies. [ grandma ] with new fedex one rate, i could fill a box and ship it for one flat rate. so i knit until it was full.

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oh, i ask you, what is thanksgiving without turkey and football? the nfl has a schedule to fit with your feast, early birds can get the lions traditional holiday home game, detroit hosts green bay and detroit better win. your second pigskin course served from dallas versus the raiders and for dessert dig into the steelers and the ravens, that's what i'm going to do all day. >> me as well. >> standing here with andy schole scholes, concussions and football are certainly the talk of the nfl this season. fans may say they want fixes for the league's troubles but they really don't care. they love their football. andy schoals is here to show us the numbers. >> that's right, when we asked people these questions whether concussions or the bullying scandal made them think less facial about the nfl, about 30% yes but an overwhelming 70% said

know. another question asked to fans that we polled, were players intentionally causing injuries to other players, did that make you feel less facial toward the nfl? you would think that would be a no brainer, yes, but 50% of the people we asked said no. so -- >> i don't know why that surprises you. >> it surprises me because that's how much people love the nfl. and the intentional part of it. if someone was intentionally going after someone no brainer, of course that would mach me think less favorable. no, 50% say i love my football that much and it seems no matter what happens in the nfl, the concussions, bullying scandal, the lockouts, bounty gate, no matter what, people are going to watch their football. tomorrow, thanksgiving, we'll eat turkey and watch football. >> the concussion number surprised me the most. people care about concussions and want the nfl to fix that problem but concussions won't stop them from watching football. >> exactly and this year that's been a big issue, it's been in the news nearly every day.

half way through the season, carol, 19 out of the 20 most watched programs, nfl football. >> it's all i watch. i know we have this conflicted, because i think that we look at most players and their faces are covered, right, so we know a few players that are famous, the quarterbacks and the running backs but the rest of the players are kind of anonymous like hurting machines and we like that in our culture. >> that's exact will you what we want them to do. what do we want our defensive linemen to do, go kill the quarterback. when we're watching the gaum we don't think about the repercussions that come from being hit in the head. >> you'll try to be a gentler fan just for you but the lions better win. still to come, buffalo, new york, bracing up for a foot of snow. george howell is the lucky one today, he's there. >> reporter: snow is on the ground, the roads are slushy, it's a mess out here. you'll have a live report from

buffalo, new york, next as "the newsroom" continues. 1ñp ♪ it's an extremely simple tool. but also extremely powerful. it could be used to start a poem. or finish a symphony. it's been to classrooms, boardrooms, even to space. and we can't wait to see where you'll take it next. introducing the thinner, lighter, more powerful ipad air.

good morning. i'm carol costello, thank you so much for joining me. brace yourself. more than 40 million people traveling for thanksgiving could be bombarded with heavy rain, strong wind, snow and possibly flooding.

you're looking live at buffalo, looks mugty cold there, doesn't it? this powerful storm is slamming the east coast right now, causing a ripple effect of travel problems. it's already delayed more than,000 flights and canceled hundreds more, and for millions of people driving home, the roads are slick and dangerous. this is what pittsburgh looks like right now. by tomorrow, every state in the united states except hawaii will reach below freezing temperatures, and up to a foot of snow could fall in some areas, like buffalo, syracuse, and pittsburgh. cnn's team of correspondents and meteorologists are all over the place this morning, we're in cities up and down the east coast to get you up on the latest potential travel nightmare but let's start in buffalo. that's where george howell is and i bet that's where it's the coldest, too. good morning, george. >> reporter: carol, good morning. you mentioned hawaii, sounds kind of good than where we are now. here in buffalo flirting with the freezing mark and you see the snow here behind me, plenty of it on the ground.

no big deal for buffalo residents but again for people who are traveling, it could be treacherous because again, on the roads you can find black ice, also it's a wet, slushy snow, it's hard to shovel and move out of the way, and we do know of some power outages, people that are being restored after the storm came through. now i want to go to my colleague, alexandra field, live in new york at penn station, to talk about what she's seeing with the travel situation there. >> reporter: george, holiday travelers are usually prepared for the worst but if they're arriving at penn station they will be pleasantly surprised, no major delays to were roh, one traun delayed in the northeast. and no major delays there. if you are taking a train, be prepared, 140,000 people are expected to ride the train today, double the volume of a normal wednesday. every available train in the system will be in service, extra seats have been added along some routes to accommodate all of those holiday travelers, still if you're looking for a way to make it to your holiday feast,

amtrak has a few seats available. now out to chicago to ted rowlands. >> reporter: we are in the united command center, what an awesome operation here. if you're traveling by air, you're not alone. this is all of the united flights up in the air right now. talk a look at this. this is a taxi monitor, these are people that are trapped on the tarmac. you think my fwogosh they've forgotten about us. they haven't. there are deicing problems in houston, figuring it out. alex marin is senior vice president, bottom line will people get home for thanksgiving? >> you bet, ted. we're in great shape despite a little bit of weather from mother nature, we are looking good to get our 400,000 travelers home for thanksgiving. >> reporter: big problems carolen othe east coast but you heard it from alex, they're getting home for thanksgiving. >> she has a lot of hope, i like that, glass half full. hope she's right. even if you plan on staying at home and kicking pack on the couch, this nasty weather system could muck thunings up. strong winds could mean grounded

balloons for tomorrow's macy's thanksgiving day parade in new york city which is bound to disappoint the millions of fans who will be watching it on television and of course the hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets of new york freezing waiting to see those balloons. jason carroll is in new york standing along the parade route and keeping my fungers crossed. >> reporter: a lot of fingers are crossed. basically what it comes down to is this, it's going to be a close call if the weather forecasts turn out to be true, it could be very close to some of the balloons being grounded, but for now, everything is a go. up, up and away. maybe. >> i-95 corridor. >> very powerful winds. >> this is the wund that could affect the balloons. >> reporter: macy's thanksgiving day pa raud's giant balloons, will they fly or won't they? jose ramirez and his family are hoping to see them soar. >> we came all the way from puerto rico to see the parade so it will be a tis appointment if we can't see the balloons.

>> reporter: same sentiments from the mastandona family. >> they have to fly, somebody has to make them fly. >> reporter: parade organizers aren't concerned about rain or snow, it's wind. giant plans like the all new toothless from "how to train your dragon" measuring 72 feet long and 36 feet ride, could be grounded, if some forecasts are true and sustained winds reach at least 23 miles per hour thursday, or wind gusts top 34 miles per hour. macy's saying regarding the giant balloons a determination is made on their inclusion based on real time weather data parade morning and not forecasts. so it's not helpful to discuss it now." it was a topic of discussion and concern for new york city police. >> we've had several meetings, we have a meeting today on it. we have instruments that give us cross-wind measurements. we've done a lot of training on this. >> reporter: both city and pa

raud officials learn from past wind related balloon accidents in 1997 a woman spent more than three weeks in a coma after the cat in the hat balloon struck a light pole which hit her. in 005, two more were hurt in a similar accident involving the m&m's balloon. now improved weather monitoring devices are along the parade route, and a police sergeant asu assigned to each balloon. protocols are in place and balloons like snoopy and woodstock and updated spongebob are ready to fly. even if they don't, the finley family will not be disappointed. >> the balloons aren't about thanksgiving. it's about fellowship and family and just being thankful. >> reporter: and carol, we're told that some of the smaller balloons still might make it into the parade, even if some of the larger balloons end up becoming grounded. a final decision will not be made by parade organizers until tomorrow morning. until then, as you say, fungers

are crossed. >> toes, too, jason carroll, thanks so much. i love the elves at the end of your story, they made me smile. whether you're watching the thanks gufg dgiving day parade television, get forecasts all day long, i'm back after a break. ♪ as your life and career change, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust your retirement plan along the way, rethink how you're invested, and refocus as your career moves forward. wherever you are today, a fidelity i.r.a. has a wide range of investment choices to help you fine-tune your personal economy. call today, and we'll make it easy to move that old 401(k) to a fidelity i.r.a.

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cbs's "60 minutes" correspondent lara logan and her producer have now been placed on a leave of absence following the report on the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi in which the story's source was found to be lying. logan did offer an apology after news broke about the error, but

now she's, well on a paid leave of absence. nischelle turner is live in new york to tell us more about this story. good morning. >> good morning, carol. it's a little tough for us in the media to do this story because they are our contemporaries and people do make mistakes, when it's one of this magnitude, then there are going to be ramifications. lara logan was the face of the piece, she was the reporter doing the story so she is at the center of this discredited "60 minutes" report. it was the chairman of cbs news, jeff baker who suggested the correspondent and long time producer max mcclellan sake leaves as a pun tough measure. they agreed to this. cbs made the announcements tuesday, 30 days, a full month after the report aired on the network. this decision came after an internal standards review determined that she, lara logan's benghazi report never should have ended up on ten vision in the first place. the review found although parts of the story were true the fact that the main source was

discredited should have been caught in the editorial vetting process, and this piece really relied on the word of that security guard who said he fought off a mull tant inside the compound. this is the kind of thing that you see in any major news organization, when someone makes a big mistake and a report is found to be inaccurate but it's big news here because it's "60 minutes" and such a high profile show. logan has not talked publicly about this report since she apologized for it november 10th. cbs also declined to comment when she and her producer might return to work. >> she's a terrific correspondent and done amazing work in the field. she's risked her life many times. >> exactly. >> when you mach a mke a mistak the magnitude there have to be repercussions because you want people to trust what they say. in this case " 0 minutes" probably did the right thing. they did do the right thing. all right, nischelle turner, thanks so much. in the next hour of

"newsroom" the fight before the feast. >> we got a sweet turkey waiting for us. >> the thanksgiving rush from the aurpts irports to the highw the tips to get you home without ruffling feathers. also make or break time for retailers across the country. >> i think people are buying fwifts when i gifts again. >> reporter: it might not be enough. why some are expecting coal this christmas. and -- ♪ >>. ♪ living on a prayer. >> reporter: prince william's rockin' it as he belts out a tune with jon bon jovi and taylor swift, all in you in the next hour of "cnn newsroom."

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i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate. i manage produce. i work in logistics. there's more to walmart than you think. vo: opportunity. that's the real walmart. ♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track. the power tools introduce themselves. all the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked. and the doors even handle the checkout so we can work on that thing that's stuck in the thing. [ female announcer ] today, cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everyone goes home happy.

checking our top stories 47 minutes past the hour. recent search of george zimmerman's going turned up three handguns, a shotgun rifle and 106 rounds of ammunition. he was arrested at the home he shares with his girlfriend, he was accused of pointing a shot gunat her. he's out on bail. four months ago he was aquied of second degree murder in trayvon martin's death. a nevada judge denied o.j. simpson's request for a new trial on the kidnapping and robbery charges that put him in prison five yeerars ago. the judge said o.j. simpson failed to prove his claim. simpson was nusinitially servin three years from a previous sentence. a smell led to heartburn, asthma and nose pleads. now a judge ordered the plant to

partially shut down and figure out a way to reduce odors. the ruling could go into effect as early as today. a new conspiracy theory may be brewing in dallas. who put the "x" back on the street where president kennedy was shot 50 years ago? earlier this month the "x" disappeared during a repaving project. the city said the work was done to level the street before last week's observance of the assassination. the great race is on to get home in time for the holidays in one piece so what's the best way to get there? courtney scott, senior editor for travelocity joins me, she's at laguardia airport. christine romans is in new york at our travel desk. courtney, i want to start with you. i just got an e-mail from a viewer who is stuck in philadelphia. she left yesterday from puerto rico, she was trying to get into new york's laguardia airport, where you are, but the plane was delayed in charlotte. she spent three hours in the plane on the runway, pilot tried again today to get to laguardia, but then they got stuck in

philly, where she has remained. she doesn't know what to do. she's flying u.s. airways, they gave her a $5 voucher. what is your advice? >> reporter: that seems luke a pretty extreme case. here at lag ward why inbound flights are a little bit delayed. outbound, we're looking good. but my advice for people dealing with the delays is to really look for the voucher code online and that will allow you to rebook your flight without paying a cancelation fee. rely on maybe mass transit. it's a quick train trip. maybe she should abort her whole mission to get here by plane and go by train. >> catch an amtrak in new york city. it might be more expensive but at least you'll get there. christine romans you're at the

travel desk. anything you can tell us? >> i can show you just exactly how many people are in the air. this is live man from plane finder.net. the kwies are full. got more than 5,flights in the air. this has been getting thicker and denser all day long. and it's going to get worse. let me show you this, too. this is the misery map. it's from flight aware.com and it shows you just how miserable people are. in new york city, i've been watching the red take over all day. about 1/4 of the flights are either delayed or canceled, flights in and out. green means on time, red means canceled or delayed and it's getting bigger and bigger. a couple of big airports in texas, too, and that's where this all started with the ice a

couple of days ago. one quick thing i'll add, call the airline, check online on the flight status before you leave the house. things are changing pretty frequentry. leave plenty of time for travel. there will be lines. you don't want to miss your flight if it is on time or if it's delayed and going out on time. and i've got to say, it's frustrating when you're trying to call some of the airlines. wait in line and call them at the same time. >> courtney, i'm sure you would say ditto to that. but the winds will probably pick up even more, so it's probably just going to get worse. thanks to both of you. still to come in the "newsroom", kobe bryant takes heat for his $48 million deal. now the lakers' stars firing back.

kobe bryant received plenty of criticism for his big, fat new contract and now he's firing back. andy scholes is here with "bleacher report." >> kobe was surprised to hear everyone bashing his new deal. he says, you shouldn't be mad at him. i'm worth it. you shouldn't be mad at him, you should be mad at the system. so kobe, here's the deal. the nba is the only league where the superstars are a limit on what they can make. it's the only league where it's like that. whereas the superstars in the nba they're the most important out of the any league. the system is the problem, kobe says. he says, you can't sit up there and say, hey, i'm going to take less money because all of a sudden if you take less, they say you don't give a rip about

winning and says that's total bull. [ bleep ]. and from a business standpoint, keeping him the highest player in the league is a no-brainer. >> the lakers have always been an organization that seem to make the right decisions. and lucky for me, this smart decision that they've made businesswise can't be revoked by the nba. so. >> that was a joke if you didn't check that. here's another deal. the st. louis cardinals signed jhonny peralta fresh off a season where he was -- we thought 50 games would be a deterrent. obviously it's not. so we are working on it again. pitcher david arizonaman treated apparently being suspended for

ph.d.ing means you get a raise. >> he's got a point, right? >> he does. he says he at admits to the wrongdoing and he served his penalty. and they're not about to appoint themselves the morality police. >> let's not be hypocrite cal. >> the braves are moving from downtown atlanta to the suburbs. the plans have been approved. taxpayers in the county are going to pay $300 million for the teams new digs. it 'going to be up and run for the 2017 season. are you going to go to the games there? >> no. what is it, the cobb county braves? come on. >> you might recognize this guy. he made an amazing trick shot video a few years ago. he on been signed to play quarterback for your hometown

cleveland browns. they've had a league high 20 different starting quarterbacks since 1999. he's expect the to black up brandon wheaten this weekend. >> my parents sit in their big recliners and say things like, stupid browns. >> it's depressing. >> it really is. >> today you'll see one of the biggest fish ever. check it out. >> wow. >> that's an 800 pound fish known as a hookskate. he caught it off the board of miami beach. and it took him four hours to reel that in. >> i can't believe it. >> can you imagine swimming out there in the middle of the atlantic ocean. >> what are they going to do with it? >> that thing is gigantic. >> they're going to put it on the living room on the wall.

the next hour of cnn "newsroom" starts now. happening now in the "newsroom", nor eastern nightmare. >> no one can control mother nature. >> welcome to the busiest travel day of the year. >> next thing i know i'm spinning. >> it's just glare ice and you're just a passenger in your own car. >> the huge storm slowing millions on their way home. also, breaking this morning. a new cnn poll saying the majority of americans still have an open mind about obama care. but the big question, will the government make its november deadline? plus, shopping. screaming. and sales. yes. the black friday bargain battle blast has begun. online or in the store? where is the better deal? you're live in the cnn

"newsroom." and good morning to you. i'm carol costello. brace yourself. more than 40 million people traveling for thanksgiving could be bombarded with heavy rain, strong winds, snow and possibly flooding. this is a live look at buffalo, new york. this powerful storm is slamming the east coast right now and causing a ripple effect of travel problems. it's delayed more than 6,000 flights and canceled hundreds more. for millions of people driving home, the roosds are wet, slick and dangerous. this is what it looks like in charlotte, north carolina this morning. by tomorrow, every state in the yates except hawaii will reach below freezing tenchs. and up to a foots of snow can fall if some areas. and cnn's team of correspondents and meteorologists are stations all over.

let's start in pittsburgh. >> reporter: good morning. i spoke with a pennsylvania transportation department of transportation, and he told me just this, we dodged a ball let here in allegheny county. but don't get a false sense of security. the rain that fell yesterday and the enduring temperatures today right now is causing ice on the road. they're concerned about that. he said that they've got about 63 trucks out in allegheny county clearing the roads, clearing the ice off overpasses, bridges, what have you. we're at the intersection of some roads. take a look behind me. the roads have been pretty clean and smooth. traffic has been moving. the cars moving slowly. some of the people concerned about the polish for ice or what not in term r terms of the airport here in the area, pittsburgh international, i spoke with a spokesman there. she told me that they're operating pretty normally. there aren't any major

cancellations or delays due to weather. but they are seeing a lot of people and except to see more. as you mentioned, today is the busiest travel day. they're expecting for not only for the traffic, but for the airport to see a lot of people. but they're ready and prepared. >> i hope you have somewhere warm to go. because your lips are frozen. i know how that feels. shannon travis reporting live from pittsburgh. we are seeing snow from charlton, west virginia, all the way up to syracuse, new york. and the east coast continues to be slammed by cold rain. cnn's pamela brown is on the one of the busiest interstates in the nation. i-95. i understand you're like near exit 8-a. >> reporter: last time we talked about an hour ago, it was smooth sailing for us on i-95 in new

jersey. and now the volume is picking up and it's bumper to bumper. and it's really no surprise. because 43 million people are expected to travel this holiday season, 90% hitting the road according to aaa. and a lot of these people are hitting the road today. and sort of compounding the misery of the traveling is the weather. and we're seeing the rain come down. pooling and flooding on highways. in fact, a major highway in philadelphia, i-76, westbound lane shut down. and the other side, only one lane open due to flooding. that's the scene all over the place. they're expected to get worse throughout the morning. more heavy rain the further east you go. and snow the further west you go. there's really causing headaches for travelers. they're just going to have to pack their patience. one person told told me that a typical drive from d.c. to

dayton takes ability hours. they said it took them 13 hours. >> that's awful. but there will be reward when they finally get to their destination, right? love and turkey and all that kind of stuff. >> reporter: that's right. >> pamela, thanks so much. the storm is slowly creeping across the country. so many of us will not even feel its full effects until later today. cnn meteorologist jennifer grey is in new york with that side of the story. good morning. >> good morning to you. that is right. we're going to see the rain continue throughout the day. should peak later today and start to taper off. but this storm is basically a rain maker. that's what we're seeing, from washington, to new york to boston. most of the snow has been in interior sections. we've seen anywhere from 10 inches in portions of pennsylvania and six to seven inches across portions of new york and two to four additional inches of rain in west virginia. and then as you climb up to the

north, 3 to 8 inches possible nasd to what's fallen in places in new york. and what we're expecting as for rain, 1 to 2 additional inches of rain. and boston, two to four more inches of rain. and this low is going to continue to spin and make its way up the east coast. we'll start to see this taper off by tonight. as we get into tonight and early tomorrow morning, most of the rain should be gone. but we'll be dealing with the winds. take a look at this. botch, 41 mile per hour wind gusts. as we get into tonight and this evening, we'll see the wind gusts about 36 in new york city. and finally starting to taper off as we get into tomorrow. through the day on thanksgiving, the winds should be dying down. but the big question will be the macy's balloons. now you the gusts are expected to be about 32 miles per hour. that's right on the cusp. we'll be watching that.

hoeflgly they'll be able to fly. one other point to mention, we have seen a severe threat with the same storm system as well. tornado reports in the florida panhandle as well as north carolina. not only the rain in the northeast, we've seen snow and ice, and severe weather down in the south. >> a little something for everyone justice some of the biggest and busiest airports in the world are in the storm's path and passengers are trying to take it in stride. >> nothing will keep from me the thanksgiving table. >> we're happy. because schgs we love o'hare, we would not like spend thanksgiving here. >> looking a the weather, that big green, pink slop coming our direction. time to get out of the way. >> let's take a look at the airports up and down the kroeft. let's check with alina machado. she's live at atlanta's

hartsfield-jackson airport. >> reporter: we're live on the tarmac here. and i've got to tell you, this is where it all happens. there are bags here. these bags are getting ready to go to their final destination. this is also where workers work nonstop to make sure the planes are ready for all of the passengers going through this airport today. now, so far it is cold, it is windy, but no major problems to report here in atlanta. no major widespread cancellations or delays. so all in all, things are looking really good here even though it's very cold. now let's go to renee marsh over in reagan national airport in d.c. >> reporter: thank you. things not looking too bad here either. we're seeing some delays and a handful of cancellations. we are seeing travelers make their way here. we're starting to see the security lines start to fill up there. but everyone is not getting good news when they arrive at the airports. we do know overall nationwide

according to many of the flight tracking websites, there are roughly more than 500 delays. not all of them necessarily having to do with weather. these are the delays that we're seeing now in the hundreds. as far as airports go, we're seeing the most delays at charlotte's airport. also in philadelphia. we're seeing delays at o'hare as well as a few in atlanta as well. as far as cancellations go, we're seeing some in boston as well as newark and laguardia in new york. for more on what's happening in new york, let's send it over to margaret conley. >> reporter: thanks. >> here at laguardia there are scattered delays and cancellations. most flights have been on time. but about 50 flight cancellations. now the airport is preparing for the worst in case people are stuck here overnight. they've stocked up on pillows and blankets. >> that's reality nice.

but i hope the passengers don't have to use them. thanks so much. whether you're hifting the road for thanksgiving dinner or lighting the ma nora at home, so happy thanksgivukkah. the local conditions are on the screen all day long at the bottom of the screen. it's been a source of embarrassment for president obama. the problem plagued launch of the obama care website. and now to get the site up and running, the deadline approaches, and white house sfshs are encouraging allies not to drive people towards it in fear of a crash. >> reporter: i think you would have to add the word yet. they don't want them to drive it yet. we're getting this from a white house official who says that, yes, in a meeting wednesday, the

white house did meet with its allies unions and groups like that that conceivably would, of course, want to be part of health care. but they urged them, suggested that they not drive traffic to the site at least at this point in the first week. which would be next week. because they want to make sure, they say, how the site can handle a large number of people. the site,s you may know, was originally conceived to be able to handle 50,000 people at one time. and the white house says for the first time they will be able to do that. but what they're worried about is what happened back on october 1st when they had like 200,000 people overwhelming the system. they don't want to happen again. because if it does happen, people have to get into a virtual waiting line and they get a message, come back later when it's quieter. they're not quite sure what's

going to happen on december 1st and 2nd. and the best time, the white house is saying, to access this, they would say the worst time would be 2:00 p.m. the best time would be off-hours. early mornings, evenings, and on the weekends. >> so office there's a fairly good, i don't know, fix to this by the end of the nt mo, that would be a good thing. because according to a new cnn poll, americans are keeping an open mind on the law itself. they're waiting to see if things can be fixed. >> reporter: this new poll is interesting. it shows that there's kind of a jury is out approach among a lot of americans. in fact, if more than half of the people surveyed say that the current problems can be solved, almost four in ten say it's a failure. 53% say it's too soon to tell. and there are other interesting things in this cnn/orc poll.

will the current problems be eventually solved? 54% say they're optimistic and 45% say that it will never be fixed. and one more thing, when you look at younger people, they seem to be more accepting of this. 25% of 18 to 34 year olds believe that it's a failure. the overall picture of this, although there's been a lot of really bad problems connected with the health care site, you do have some people who are saying, give it a try and maybe it can work out. >> we'll see. jill daugherty reporting live from the white house. still to come in the "newsroom", a 14-year-old boy worked as a contract killer for a mexican drug cartel. and now he's a free man. guess where he is? right here in the united states of america. more on that after a break. [ male announcer ] if you can clear a crowd but not your nasal congestion,

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you're history. selsun blue itchy dry scalp. gets to the root of dandruff and hydrates the scalp. selsun blue itchy dry scalp. checking our top stories at 17 minutes past the hour. china has moved to declare a new air defense zone. it's prompting a swift response to the united states which sent two unarmed b-52 bombers to fly through the area. tensions have been on the rise ever since japan purchase the the string of islands from a private owner in the east china sea last year, angering chinese officials. a hazmat leak putting an ohio time on edge. a 26,000 pound tanker car derailed. more than 400 homes have been

evacuated. officials say that the spill is now contained and being cleaned up and people are expected to be allowed to go back into their homes over the next few hours. a tucson couple as been arrested after three girls were imprisoned in their homes for over two years. two of them escaped yesterday and rap to a neighbor's home to call 911. the girls were fed one meal per day and had not showered in more than four months. their mother and stepfather are facing child abuse charges. edward lugo was known as the cloak. he worked as a hit man for a mexican drug cartel when he was 14 years old. now he's bag on american soil and a free man. >> reporter: even in a country ravaged by years of drug

cartel-fuelled viems, it was a shocking scene. in mexico, three years ago, a babyfaced american teenager accused of workings a an assassin for a drug cartel was paraded in front of reporters. he was just 14 years old when this video was made. he laid out gruesome details in his life in organized crime. he said he was 11 years old when he started killing and slit the throats of four victims himself. he said that drug cartel leaders picked him off the street and forceth him into carrying out the assassinations and that he was high on drugs when he killed drug cartel rifles. he was convict ssds a juvenile and sentenced to three years in prison. now he's 17 and was released from prison tuesday in mexico. news camera captured the release. he was quickly deported back to

the united states and flown to san antonio, texas, where he disappeared back into american society. u.s. customs and border practice toll helped to facilitate the return. he was born in san diego. he's a u.s. citizen. he served his prison sentence and does not face any criminal charges in the united states. so he's free to move around like anyone else. he isn't the only american teenager lured into the violent world. there is a jailhouse interview that we did a few months ago. >> reporter: in all, how many people did you kill? >> i have no idea. >> reporter: he is serving a life sentence in texas. he worked as assassins for a drug cartel as teenagers. their stories highlight the

frightening trend of cartel leaders to lure the young kids to carry out their dirty work. after they were arrested, they told the police detective that killing made him feel like superman. today he knows his life is wasting away in prison. >> the first time i take somebody's life, that's a day i'll never be able to forget. after that, i have no life. >> reporter: but you kept on killing after that first time at that ranch. >> i had to. that's what a lot of people don't understand. >> reporter: they are locked away for life. but this kid is zbeti igetting d chance. >> still to come in the "newsroom", an annual preparation for the cnn heroes awards. we'll be right back . life with crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis

is a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps come back? what if the plane gets delayed? what if i can't hide my symptoms? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisinfo.com to get your complimentary q&a book, with information from experts on your condition.

through sunday, thanksgiving weekend,

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so you can take charge of your trading. as we enter the season of giving, we at cnn are preparing for a very special holiday tradition, cnn heroes. it's a celebration of the top ten heroes of the year voted on by you. the star-studied event airs on sunday, december 1st at 8:00 p.m. eastern. here is nischelle turner with a behind the scenes peek at preparations for the big night. >> reporter: i'm going to give you a backstage look at what it takes to put this whole awards show together. this is going to be cool.

come with me. ♪ this year, we're back in new york, baby, at the american museum of natural history where the very first "cnn heroes "took place seven years ago. >> we're thrilled to be back here. it's iconic and beautiful. >> and the first stop of the night, the red carpet. wow. look at it in here. look at all of these lights. work like this takes hundreds of people to set up working around the clock. and then the centerpiece of the evening. this year's cnn heroes will be honored in the whale room. this lady right here will be watching over us all night. but that's not all that has to be done. 51 tables to set up. nine cameras to put in place. and one giant video monitor. >> you wouldn't believe just really what it takes to put something like this on.

and we had two days to bring it in and set it all up. >> reporter: transformle this beautiful room from this, to this, all to honor ten everyday people who are changing the world. >> it's just a nice thing to honor these people. they don't get the limelight and get honored and celebrities saying their name and pradsing their work. it's a nice thing for them and a patton the back. >> reporter: a patton the back from cnn that becomes a very special night of inspiration. >> cnn heroes an all-star tribute premieres this sunday, december 1st, 8:00 p.m. eastern. mark your calendars. still to come in the "newsroom", the massive storm impacting 15 states is moving and causing quite the travel nightmare for some. we'll show you next. [ paper rustles, outdoor sounds ]

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good morning, i'm carol costello. thanks for joining me. brace yourself, more than 40 million people traveling for thanksgiving could be bombarded with heavy rain, strong winds, snow and possibly flooding. this is a live look at buffalo. it's very chilly there this morning. the powerful storm slammeding the east coast causing a ripple affect of travel problems.

and for millions of people driving home, the roads are slick and dangerous. here is what it looks like in pittsburgh. kind of grey and nasty. by tomorrow, every state in the united states except hawaii will see temperatures dropping below the freezing mark. and a foot of snow could fall in some places. cnn's george howell is in one of those places, buffalo. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. when you talk to a buffalo resident about what happened last night, they would say no big deal, they're used to this. but the concern is the people traveling through the region who might not be accustomed to it. now we're flirting with the freezing mark. so on the roads in some spots, you can find it slippery. that's a big concern. there are also power outages but many of the customers have been restored. now let's go across the state my colleague alexandra field at nyc

at pen station with the situation for travelers there. >> reporter: george, weather in the northeast hasn't stopped any train service. but it's starting to slow things down. there are delays running between new haven, connecticut, and boston. amtrak says the service in the northeast is good. the thanksgiving travel period was the busiest of the year last year. they set a record last year. they'll try and match it this year. they say that every available train in the system is running. and if the weather has derailed your plans to drive or fly somewhere, amtrak says check their website because there are some seats still available. let's go to ted role lins. >> reporter: we're at the united airlines operation center, we're in the sears tower on the 27th floor. this is an amazing facility here where they are literally tracking every flight that is in

the air around the world for united airlines. so far, so good. there are 1300 employees here. it's a 24/7 operation. and it's all hands on deck today. these are the frights in the air right now. these are united flights. 30 cancellations. not bad considering the weather issues on the east coast. and that's where most of the attention is focused right now. but they expect, that's what they say, that they will get everybody home for thanksgiving unless something changes. >> reporting live from chicago this morning. take a look at these two pictures. we just got these in. these are new images of tornado damage in north carolina. you can see homes -- some homes -- that looks like a hotel to me. that's in atlantic beach. i think it's on the outer banks. near wilmington. it's near wilmington, north

carolina. they say the tornado that hit here last night was an ef-2. officials say a hospital and community college were damaged. two people were hurt. in other news this morning, pope francis irning a stinging criticism of the free market slamming capitalism as, quote, the new tyranny. and he writes in part, quote, how can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure but it is news when the stock market loses two points? we have more on this from rome this morning. good morning, ben. >> reporter: good morning. the weather is better here, but pope francis is whipping up a bit of a storm with this. this is his [ speaking foreign language ] which is latin for the john f. kennedy the gospel. in which he lays out in 223 printed pages in english a variety of whoas that he sees as

afflicting the world. he's critical about the economic system prevalent in the united states and the west, which he says has become a new golden calf. an idol that's been worshipped. and he's highly critical of the church, obsession with tradition and what not. and he's saying that the church has to change, the economy has to change. and by and large what we're hearing from people who were out for the wednesday public address by the pope, people are very positive about this -- these statements and positions which interestingly enough, it is not that he just came up with this. this is a collection of his sayings, his interviews, his off the cuff remarks since he became pope last march. but the fact that they're now in a book which we can hold and see and read, really does send a message that he's not just talking, he wants things to

change. >> it's very jesuit. so it comes as no surprised with those familiar with those. but he talks about he wants things to change. how is he going to manage that? it takes the catholic church, i don't know, a long time to change. >> reporter: that's a very good point. let's keep in mind that the catholic church is the world's oldest continually functioning bureaucracy. but he's the guy in charge. but unlike most politicians, he doesn't have to worry about being re-elected and he does have a ground swell of support. we spoke to some people who said before i didn't listen to the pope. i would sigh him on tv and change the channel because he was dull. but they weren't talking about this poem pope. when this pope talks, and i hate to use a phrase used by the stock market, but people listen. >> especially after what the

pope just said. but we get it. ben, thanks so much. shoppers this year may be heeding the pope's call to cutback on the tyranny of capital limp. morgan stanley says this year may be the worst holiday shopping season since the height of the recession. >> consumers have to tighten their belts. there's a higher rate of pie roll tax. there's a lot of belt tightening going on. and what we're finding is that retailers are having to discount prices in order to drive sales this holiday season. >> good news for bargain hunters. analysts are saying that stores are dropping prices even lower to entice shol holiday shoppers through the doors. still to come, an ad gap and people are taking notice. how the company is responding. next.

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in a new york subway, a couple of idiots thought it would be funny to vandalize an ad by the gap. someone replaced the make love with make bombs and other hateful phrases after the gap was informed about it, the gap decided to turn the tables and featured the ad ever more prominently on their twitter page. good for the gap. live in new york with more on this. >> reporter: the gap firing back at racism. all of this playing out on social media. score one for the good guys in this case. this all started when a gap ad on the subway station was defaced with racial slurs. the ad's part of the company,

make love this holiday season. but the vandals changed the slogan on the ad from "make love" to "make bombs." it also scribbled, please stop driving taxis across the poster. now word has started to spread on social media because of this. and the editor at the islamic monthly spotted the ad, snapped a photo of it and then shared it with his 35,000 followers on twitter. but it's gap's response that has everyone talking. after becoming aware of the tweet, they reached out and good this via twitter. they thanked him for alerting him and asked where they could find the ad. then they changed the company's background on after tar to the photo that was featured in the ad. and i have to tell you, i'm like you, whoever the idiots were that did this, i hope they see

this outpouring and realize, you know, i really did something stupid. maybe they can learn a lesson from this. >> times are changing and you better change with them. >> reporter: and the community is actually starting this whole facebook campaign, a thank you to gap campaign for featuring a model in their ads. they, like you just said, times are changing. and they're glad to see the diversity. >> and if the idiots new anything about them, it's mind boggling. at least do your research. okay? >> reporter: exactly. at least know your hateful speech and who you're giving it to before you give it. >> please target the right people, right? >> reporter: be smart racists. >> i don't think there's such a thing. nischelle turner, thanks so much. former fbi agent robert levinson was kidnapped back in

2007. since then his family have heard nothing about his condition and only have this picture that confirms he is still being held. on the heels of iran's nuclear agreement, levinson's family is pushed to get him released. we talked with his son and wife on "new day." >> he was last seen on the island. that's the only information that we have about his travels. as itds earlier, his passport has never been seen anywhere else. but six and a half years have passed and we don't know why he is now. >> when you ask the government for help, what do they tell you? >> they are working as hard as they can to get him home. unfortunately, he dispapd in the country of iran. and it is very hard to get anything done there. we need the officials in iran to help us and make sure that bob is safe and get him home to us. >> and that's where the

frustration comes in. certainly, dan for you, where right now we're negotiating with iran and discussing what should be on the table in tells of establishing trust. there's been news given to someone being held there supposedly for his practice of christianity. do you think he should be part of this negotiation? >> well, we've been told and the u.s. officials have been saying in recent days that he's brought up in every opportunity to have on the sidelines of these negotiations. and they -- they're going to continue to press this case. and we have no doubt that the u.s. government is doing everything they can. but we're focused on the new administration. they seem very willing to cooperate with the u.s. on a number of issues. >> since he's disappeared there have been numerous graduations, two daughters have gotten married, we have a new grandson

who was born just a month ago. another grandson will be born in february. we have a granddaughter who is going to be five years old in december and bob knows nothing about any of these children. it's extremely difficult for our family. this is something that can be he resolved. >> the family went on to say that they were encouraged to hear that president obama brought up the case in a recent session. and just in time for the busiest trafl day of the year, plane delays to ice and snow-covered roads. we'll talk about that next.

the day before thanksgiving is also a chaotic one for the

nation's airports and roads. a bunch of snow, rain, ice and wind and you have the makings of a travel nightmare for millions. joining me now a the public relations manager for aaa. good morning. >> good morning. >> i would assume most people traveling somewhere are already on the road. >> absolutely. most americans had their bags packed last night, airline tickets in hand and cars fueled up and they could just about taste the turkey and stuffing on the table. today many of them were out the door to get a little bit of a jump on the competition. wednesday is the single busiest travel day with 16 million people traveling. many of them like to start out early in the morning and allow for anything that happens on the road. so if you're sitting at home today or you got to work today, many people have already started out well ahead of you today. this is going to be a busy day. >> and it's been a busy day for, what, decades and ever since the

invention of the car, so to speak. i was curious about the history of driving on this day. >> you know, it's interesting. we were thinking a little bit about that history. and sorts of how driving has changed over the years. if you look back, going back to say the 1960s, and some of us may or may not recall that era, that was an era where, you know, a lot of the men really did the driving of that traditional american family vacation. they drove their wives and family to grandma's for thanksgiving. and in fact, we're seeing a little bit of an emerging issue there. because many of the women that didn't drive a lot during the 1960s who are outliving by a little bit their male count parts or spouses are now driving themes and or their husbands around. and they're encounting new cars and new technology. quite a bit as changed.

>> you say quite a bit has changed. but the superstar pitcher of the tampa bay rays tweeted this, driving conditions will be rough with these storms. ladies, let your man drive. are you kidding? i was just curious, who is the safer driver, men or women? >> i have to tell you, carol. i don't know that aaa will help solve the battle of the sexes. i'll tell you, my husband and i have this debate all the time. here is what i can tell you, there was appear article earlier this year that found psychologically the differences between men and women aren't so different. but here is what we suggest, let safety be your guide. so whoever really is the best person to drive your family for thanksgiving, let that be the deciding factor. the person that's well-rested and ready to go. because people are driving about 50 miles or more away from home.

you might want to stoch and switch up. >> you should be in congress. >> well, maybe, you know, after aaa. but, you know, certainly for some of the -- if you have older parents, maybe even a child or relative might be the best person to drive. maybe that will keep down the arguments. but at the event day with the ice and snow you've been talking about, we're expecting to rescue about 320,000 people stranded over the holiday weekend, it doesn't matter who drives. as long as you get there safely. >> thanks. i'll say for the record, i'm the safer driver in my family. >> okay. >> we'll be right back. thanks.

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there's a buzz around the white house this morning.

no, it doesn't have to do with the obama care website. it's been these guys, popcorn and caramel. today is the pardoning of the thanksgiving day turkey. it will be a live event from the white house at 1:20 eastern. a blog, i quite agree with this morning. it says the turkey pa don is the dumbest tradition. because the president will eat a turkey tomorrow. >> reporter: what did one clumsy turkey say to the other at a washington photo opportunity? par on me. there they were in the ballroom of the posh hotel amid dangling chandeliers. the perez tried to get them to talk. it's caramel versus popcorn. the white house is running a contest asking people to vote on which should be the national thanksgiving turkey.

some are comparing it to the "hunger games." but in this case, both come out alive. only one gets the presidential pardon yon publicly. >> you are here buy pardoned. >> and the other is an alternate. our money is on popcorn. with a morrow bust goingle. they join other duos. >> pumpkin and pecan. biscuits,graphy. >> copler and goingler. >> flier and fryer. >> reporter: they come from a minnesota farm. john burkele practiced lifting them onto this table so they wouldn't do this when their big day came. but popcorn and caramel seem more relaxed than their human owners. the kids taught the photographers to whistle to get the turkeys to goingle. they made the 1500 mile drive to

washington in 27 hours. they've already outlived most of the their come pat tree yots. >> truth is i've never raised them past 14 weeks because we eat them. >> reporter: occasionally they get peculiarish. >> thanks to the interventions of my daughters, i was planning to eat this sucker. >> reporter: and then it was the turkey that didn't get pardoned. the one that met his demise behind sarah palin's back. it happened after she was giving an interview. we'll spare you the grew some part. >> this was -- this was mean. >> reporter: the people will died whether popcorn or caramel gets the glory this year. at least this government website is working. it's no turkey. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> i don't know if that bolstered