the 2014 order cup soccer games next summer. that's all the news from me now. i'll be back at 5:00 eastern on the situation room". news reply" continues right now with brooke baldwin. >> jim sciutto, demonstrate to be with you. i'm brooke baldwin. got to talk about cold and snow and ice and arena and wind. combine all these farcs with one of the busiest travel days of this entire year and you might imagine chaos on the highways and airports this thanksgiving holiday. guess what, at least for now, most places are in much better shape than anticipated. airports are reporting relatively few delays or cancellations. that's great news for you today. millions of air travelers are getting in, getting out, getting on with their lives. and of course, there are plenty of challenges out there. just take a look at some of these pictures, this is akron, ohio, drivers in this neck of the country here have to deal with several inches of fresh

snow. same story across western pennsylvania up into upstate new york. where up to ten inches of snow has fallen there and we're being told more snow is possible later on this evening. that could all change quickly especially if those winds pick up. that's part of the story here today. our correspondents there standing out there in it for us strategically placed to keep on top of it on this wednesday. shannon travis is watching the interstates near pittsburgh. alexandra field is at pep station in new york and alina ma cha da in atlanta. left to right we go. shannon travis, let's begin with you in pennsylvania. it looks cold, snowy. tell me how the interstates are looking. >> brook, i have to be honest and tell you that i'm one of those nervous travelers who's hoping they make it home in time for stuffing and some turkey and in time for thanksgiving. look at this. i mean, it's snowing. it's been snowing here on and off in pittsburgh. all day since we've been out

here. it doesn't seem to be sticking that much. the road we're on right now and the roads we've been watching have been pretty clear, but that's in part due to the crews that have been out salting the roads, clearing the snow pretty quickly. it is accumulating though. take a look at just some of the snow on the grass behind me. we've been kind of playing with it a little bit all day. it is wet and it's sticking. obviously a concern for many reasons, not just on the roads but on the power lines weighing down. take a look at the roads i just mentioned behind me. we've monitoring them all day. they've been moving pretty steadily although the cars seem to be driving slower because there is some concern for ice. everybody obviously wants to make sure they travel safely. transportation officials i've spoken with in allegheny county have told me they've pretty much doned a bullet here but there are other counties, brooke, not doing, as well. beaver county, lawrence county

in pennsylvania, as well have been seeing some up to 12 inches of snow. crews are out in full force there but here, as you mentioned off top, it's been pretty smooth going. not only all the travelers on the road but certainly this traveler. we hope we get out of here. >> knocking on wood for you in studio 7. we'll check back with you. here is hoping smooth sailing for folks in pennsylvania. to the rail system. people at new york's penn station are praying it will not be a repeat of yesterday. i mean, just look at this wall of humanity, massive delays for most of the evening because of a disabled train. that's the picture i'm talking about. look at that, all the crowds there waving. alexandra field, penn station is a tough place to maneuver on a normal day. it's tough. tell me how today looks. >> absolutely. you would expect the same today, and penn station is full of people. but no one should be stuck waiting too long.

140,000 people arepected to ride amtrak trains today. amtrak says that service is running well in the northeast. there have been mo major interruptions. there were weather reed delays earlier today but when we talk to people traveling today, they say they knew there would be holdups along the way and they're trying to take it all in stride. here's what they said. >> what were you thinking when you decided to head out on the day before thanksgiving? >> i didn't want to head out the day before thanksgiving but had i classes and stuff so i had to leave today. >> have any reservations about heading out on one of the busiest travel days of the year? >> absolutely. >> did you have any concerns about weather or delay, crowds in. >> it's an a holiday. you just expect it. >> we've been keeping our eyes on the big board here at penn station all day long with a lot of other people. there are 15 or 16 trains currently scheduled to leave the station. right now only three are running late or delayed. have you pretty good odds it seems of getting out of here on

time. >> i like what that woman said, listen, you're traveling the day before thanksgiving. you roll with it. alexandra field thank you very much at penn station. airlines are still recovering after all the bad weather caused thousands of flights to be delayed or cancelled. let's go straight to the busiest airport in the world. an lynnal machado outside the airport. set the scene for me. >> yeah, brooke, definitely windy. you can see by the way my hair looks right now, it's cold. good news. the sun's actually coming out. delays here are minimal. we were inside a little earlier and saw some departure delays popping up on flights heading to philadelphia or new jersey. but overall, things are looking really good here. it's busy. it's busiest travel day of the year. you can see that walking through the terminal here. you can see that out here cars lining up to drop people off. to head wherever they're heading for the thanksgiving holiday.

brooke, overall, good news here in atlanta. >> good, alina, thank you very much. thanks to all three correspondents. we'll keep close tabs on all three of them. but some airports do expect a surge of passengers this afternoon. and if the winds, that's the big story, if they continue to pick up along the east coast, we could see a lot of delays, a lot of cancellations and a lot of stranded people hungry for turkey. chad meyers talk to me in the cnn weather center. i see the map behind you. >> it's called the in isry map. flight aware makes this is map for us so we can talk to you one-on-one here. 457 flights delayed right now. there are 6,547 planes in the sky right now. i went dark? >> you're going dark. >> i do my best work in the dark with my microphone off. you can't imagine how good i am with my microphone off. there you go. in atlanta right now you have 48 flights delayed. philadelphia the longest delays,

two lawyehours. you don't have to worry about getting there exactly on time. there's what's left of the delays. all into the warnings. and here you go into the rainfall. it's still raining in new york city, but i would say the snow is picking up in parts of maryland, also parts of western virginia and pennsylvania because the cold air is working its way back into the system but it's almost done. d.c. one to two-hour delays. philadelphia two hours. we're already there. here are the winds for tonight. 38 miles per hour. the winds are not too bad in new york city or boston right now. you're almost in the eye of this thing. you think about the eye of a hurricane not very windy. you're almost in the eye of this low. the winds will pick back up again tonight and even for tonight and tomorrow. tomorrow morning, wind gusts could be 36 miles per hour. brooke, because we've talked to you about these balloons out there, the threshold is 34.

we can't have 36. it has to be below 34. >> flirting with it, thank you. we'll check back with you momentarily. meantime, three of our other cnn correspondents are racing as i speak from new york to washington, d.c. one by train, another by air. and one by car. who will win? we will check in. this looks like live pictures. had this is brian todd's camera. brian todd and crew heading somewhere on an interstate down to d.c. also ahead a chilling story out of arizona. sisters held captive for two years inside their home. all that time, they never saw one another. you will hear what the neighbors are saying as this news has broken and who is suspected of keeping hem prisoners in the first place. you're watching cnn. stay right here.

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get 50% off new brake pads and shoes. kudos today for a response to a vandal's racist and ignorant attack on one of its ads. let me show you the ad for the context. this features a sick american actor right before the gap logo, it says simply, make love. well, someone decided to spread hate instead. now you can take a look at what happened to a copy of the ad. this is posted in a new york city subway. the vandal changed make love to make bombs. but it doesn't stop here. adding insult to ignorance, the vandal also scribbled, please stop driving taxis. really? a picture of the defaced ad ended up on twitter, on facebook. the folks at the gap responded right away, asking for the location of said ad and the company went a stip further,

changing its twitter photo to the picture. he says the response has been overwhelming. >> we received tens of thousands of messages on twitter and facebook. you know, thanking us for pointing this out. you know, showing solidarity with the sick model who is actually an actor and a fashion designer. he's been in movies with luke and owen wilson. it's really been a wonderful, wonderful outpouring of support for the gap and for the social media campaign. i truly hope that whenever people see any sort of racist, homophobic, anti-semitic statements made anywhere on social media, that they'll share it with their friends to let people know what's going on out there so we can help make america a better place for all people. >> and let me add this. some members of the sikh

community have thanked them for their ad campaign. if you have not already started your holiday shopping, get out your comfortable shoes. get ready to join the fray. 10s of billions of people are expected to hit the stores the day after thanksgiving. this year, you might be able to snap up a great deal or two at a place you might not expect. christine romans has black friday tips for all of us. hey, christine. >> everybody knows that people like to shop at the mall or at the big box stores on black friday, but have you thought about buying a car? the automakers want to get into the black friday act. they're saving some of their best deals to lure shoppers into showrooms. this according to usa today. general motors, ford, and hyundai are hoping to drive you into buying what they have left of 2013 models so you can expect some aggressive deals. cadillac offering discounts on all models. gmc offering $5,000 off certain sierra models. also, don't feel like you have to get out to the mall in a frenzy this friday because prices are almost always better

in december. on clothing and seasonal items in particular, those can be priced lower in the second week of december. and if you decide you want to stay home, you're going to have a lot of company. forrester research says online holiday sales are expected to rise an astonishing 15% this year to nearly $80 billion in november and december. and consumer reports says 56% of americans won't even go to the mall at all over the next four days. one big important piece of advice, if you get a deal, if you decide to buy and get a deal, you've got to pay it off right away. if you keep it on a credit card, it won't be a deal. you'll be paying more in interest, late fees, and the knock on your credit score. be very careful that the deals don't go bad for you. brooke? >> christine romans, thank you very much. coming up next, a chilling story out of arizona where this couple is accused of holding three sisters captive for years and years. we will tell you how police

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headache for the president's signature law. small businesses looking to buy obama care for their employees online will not be able to do so for another year. that gives the administration a little bit more time here to fix the web feature. all of this said, businesses can still buy insurance through a broker and keep in mind, what we learned just recently here, that the white house is promising that the vast majority, something like 80% or so of users will be able to have a smooth experience on

healthcare.gov by the end of this week. >> a nevada judge has denied o.j. simpson's request for a new trial on the kidnapping and robbery charges that put him in prison nearly five years ago. he argued his previous legal team didn't represent him well, but the judge disagreed with that, saying he failed to prove his claim. simpson was initially sentenced to up to 33 years in prison. a parole board reduced the sentence earlier this year. simpson still faces at least four more years behind bars. and a stepdad may have tried to stab two of his stepdaughters, and that is not even the worst allegation here facing this arizona man. fernando richter and his wife sophia are accused of keeping the children captive in their home to the point where the two younger girls say they had not seen their older sister for up to two years. the richters were in court this

afternoon. the daughters are 12, 13, and 17 years of age. our affiliate, kpho is reporting that the girls allegedly were fed once a day and deprived of much more than food. >> all three juveniles were extremely dirty, as i mentioned, and malnourished and stated they had not bathed within the last four to six months. they were kept in filthy living conditions separately and told patrol officers they had not seen each other in almost two years and were kept separate within the bedrooms within that house. >> awful. paul is working this one today. how did police learn about this? how did they find these sisters? >> well, it all started with they responded to the house with a story the father was then chasing the girls with a knife, and apparently, according to police, the girls were able to break out of the house, go through a window, and then went to a neighbor's to talk about what had happened to them in

detail. they said that they had been held captive for a long time, that they were fed once a day, and according to the neighbors and police reports, they were unkempt and they were filthy. more details emerging. the police chief saying just a short time ago that the girls were held psychologically and technologically, quite an extensive system. surveilled 24/7, according to the police chief. the house was extensively alarmed. the ducts were sealed off. towels were placed under the door, and loud music was piped in, ostensibly so you couldn't hear what they were saying. two were 12 and 13, and another, 17. apparently, according to the police chief, they were in adjoining rooms and did not see each other for a long time. when they were reunited, the remarks were they didn't see each other because there were remarks about appearances changing. the couple, fernando richter, and sophia, had been arraigned by video today. bail set for him at $100,000.

for her $75,000. a whole host of charges. ten again him, nine against her. including all sorts of forms of abuse, and police say, brooke, they expect more charges to be filed. >> let's listen to the police chief. >> medical evaluations were done for the children to make sure that there were no immediate medical needs that needed to be addressed. after all of the forensic evidence was obtained, photographs and the evaluation, they were allowed to clean up. obviously, they were fed. and then our highest priority was placing them in a safe, secure environment where they could remain together. we did not want to separate them again. >> and paul, who are these parents? what do you know about them? what charges are they now facing? >> well, what we know about the parents, according to police, they had been together for about ten years, and of course, he is the stepdad. we should also say a little bit

about where they had lived. they lived in this house, this house of horrors, they're alleging, since august of 2013. before that, they lived in catalina, arizona, and police are presuming that this sort of imprisonment went on for two years before that. one possible indication. the oldest daughter, the 17-year-old, had a satchel. they found in that satchel a journal. according to police, there is a year and a half of copious notes in there about her imprisonment. another aspect of this, they say they also heard that she had kept a picture of enrique iglesias in the journal, and it was taken away from her. when they gave her the picture back, she was overjoyed. all these details just unfolding right now. of course, police combing over the journal for any more evidence, brooke. >> my goodness. paul, let's stay in close touch with you as more of the details emerge there. appreciate you. and now this. right now, three cnn correspondents, they are racing through a messy mix of snow and

rain and wind. one's on a plaen, one's on a train, one's in a car, just to see who can make it from new york city to our nation's capital first. it's a pre-thanksgiving endurance test, if you will. a race agains time and one together. and so we have nic robertson. he hopped the plane. lisa is somewhere on a train, and brian todd and crew are on the highways in a car. so our fearless reporters may be battling snarling lines and cranky fellow travelers, slick roads, traffic, and a powerful winter storm. it is a long, a lonely slog. they left cnn's manhattan office at noon today, so here he is. golf clap for you, our senior international correspondent, nic robertson. i see you in washington, d.c. you know, taking your sweet time, talking to me here on tv, which i appreciate. how did it go? >> i have got to be the luckiest

traveler today. i didn't think i was going to make it. it was so slow getting up on the west side of central park. hitting all the red lights. we were about ten minutes to go before the flight closed, and we were still nowhere near the airport. i thought, this is it. no chance, no chance. we're lucky, there were no lines at security. i went straight through there, ran the length of the terminal, got on the plane just before the doors closed. now i'm looking at my flight arrive time here, showing 2:20 p.m. arriving. i have to tell you, the plane touched down about 15 minutes or more early. pushed back from the gate early. the flight, though, very bumpy. the storm still up there. too bumpy for beverages to be served. the flight crew stayed in their seats. seat belts on for the whole flight. but from where i stand right now, lucky and a clean, easy flight. no delays whatsoever. in fact, coming in ahead of time, brooke. >> hang on, nic. i aprod you, but let's not get

too cocky because this thing is not finished. you still have to, my friend, hop a cab -- >> not finished. >> hop a cab. which is quite a feat. >> do you want to feel my heart rate right now? >> if i could, i would, nic robertson. >> you're very funny. >> nic robertson. >> no, it could all be lost. >> it could all be lost. i feel the drama. i don't want to hold you too much longer. i want you in that cab. not that i'm, you know, i'm favoring you. i have love for brian and lisa as well. nic robertson, wish you love. >> i feel so sorry for them. >> nic, thank you very much. we're going to let him go. this thing is not finished. we'll talk to lisa. somewhere on a train, and brian todd is somewhere on the interstate in between both of them, in between new york and washington, d.c. who has the best chance? we're going to talk to the other two, lisa and brian, after this

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and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? little interesting for some of our cnn crews. we're calling it cnn's great race home. we have plucked three correspondents and placed each of them in different forms of travel, so you have nic robertson in the middle of the screen. he's on a plane. you have brian todd.

he's in a car. and lisa desjardins is on a train. i just talked to nic robertson. he's off the plane. he hopped a shuttle. they began about 2 1/2 hours ago, and nic somehow miraculously got on the shuffle, has landed at regan international in washington, d.c., but now has to face the arduous jurj journey that is t taxi cab line. that's where nic stands right now. we have brian todd and lisa desjardins standing by. we want to check on their status. here he is, brian todd, grooving along. looks like you're moving. where are you, brian todd? >> we're just north of the delaware memorial bridge, ability to get off the new jersey turnpike. my colleagues and i have been on the road now for 2 1/2 hours. have gone through two cups of coffee, one almond power bar, one subway lemonade. two sticks of gum, a couple lady gaga songs, a couple macklemore songs. we're going a little crazy here,

but the traffic is now moving, thankfully. the rain is very steady, so we don't know exactly what's up ahead. we have gone through two traffic jams, but we're moving now. still, i think my competition is successfully smoking me. >> oh, i hope we still have you. yeah, they might be smoking you a little bit, but you know, listen, nic robertson is not there yet, and mentioning the songs, it sounds like julian's sp spotify play list. you can tell him i said that. what's been the worst part of driving for you? when were you really in the thick of it? i knew you hit some traffic. >> as the lanes merge going south, we just -- you know, that slowed us down. but that's the most frustrating part. the traffic jams where you don't know what the cause is. you can't see an accident. you can't see, you know, anything that's gong wrong with a disabled vehicle.

>> okay. got to leave you, brian todd. keep your eyes on the road for us. brian todd and crew, they're en route to washington via car. lisa desjardins on a train. you can follow her on twitter. we'll check in with lisa and see how that food car is treating her as she's in route to the nation's capital as well, and again, we're watching and waiting to see who officially wins. you can tune in on "the situation room" at 5:00 eastern to see the official winner in washington, d.c. and now to this. you know what some workers are doing today. they are not prepping the big meal but protesting the big boss. specifically, whole foods. one company trying to cash in on a consumer shopping wave as more stores are opening on thanksgiving. these protesters against whole foods sayworkers deserve a whole thanksgiving. it turned out zain asher, and when we're talking about the protests, how big are they, zain? >> pretty small right now.

roughly around 12 workers so far at two whole foods in the chicago area. now, part of the problem is there's been this trend of black friday sales happening earlier and earlier and beginning to encroach on thanksgiving. you have to understand, part of the problem for the retailers is black friday really is the moment of truth. this is the time where a lot of retailers depend on this. the economy is still weak right now. a lot of the retailers see the holiday shopping season as their life line, and also the period this year between thanksgiving and christmas is a lot shorter because thanksgiving starts later. so they're trying to make up for it on the back end. but on the other hand, a lot of workers actually want to work on thanksgiving. why? because they make time and a half. when you talk to the organization that's arranging this protest, they're called fight for 15 on facebook, they're saying, listen, if you paid workers a living wage, roughly $15 is what they're asking for, they wouldn't have to work on thanksgiving. whole foods workers striking today for the right to spend thanksgiving with their families.

brooke. >> what about, zain, the store itself. what is whole foods saying? >> we reached out to whole foods. they're basically saying it's not their policy to stay open on thanksgiving. we did get a quote from them. they're saying their chicago store, i'm reading it to you now, decided to be open part of the day, closing early to allow for holiday celebrations. they're also saying that, listen, workers have the choice to work on thanksgiving. nobody is forcing them. they're also saying we will pay our workers time and a half, and get this, brooke, they did also say that they have more volunteers to work on thanksgiving than they know what to do with. brooke. two sides to every story. >> two sides to every story. glad we have both. zain, thank you very much. >> of course. now this. okay. >> when i saw my body, i will say that was the first time that i actually thought, well, i guess i am dead. i guess i really did die. >> in the book, you write about

dancing with them. were you celebrating? >> yes. >> a woman survives a brush with death, and she says she saw heaven. you will hear about her experience in a cnn special report next. hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn? yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief!

chicago's o'hare airport avoided the big storm that is messing up travel on the east coast, but they are certainly feeling the ripple effect of plane delays. ted rowlands is at the united airlines operation center in chicago. ted, how are things looking where you are? >> well, very busy day here, brooke. this is an amazing facility. we're in the sears tower, the willis tower. this is where united has all their operations and it's a massive operation. 1300 people work here 24/7. this is the atc coordination, air traffic control, folks. they deal with air traffic control. behind them, are the narrow body control. they deal with the smaller aircraft and they deal literally with everything. passenger issues, with flight

attendant issue, where are they going to to stay tonight and and they're monitoring every flight in the air. today, the focus on the eastern seaboard as you might imagine because of the weather. not too bad. about 20, 30 flights were canceled. this is jim deyoung, the operations manager here. all in all, you were bracing for a horrible day that turned out pretty good. >> it's all about planning. you know, we see these types of winter events before. we don't like them during the busiest travel season, but we plan days in advance. this room full of proefrlshs is here just to make sure it's a seamless experience for our customers. >> including a full weather department. they have a full weather department here, brooke, and they monitor the weather. would you say the weather is the biggest concern you come up against on a daily basis? >> i would say so, weather, and how it's going to play with the air traffic control. weather makes it difficult to route airlines around. >> right now, you're looking at washington, d.c. because you had icing issues.

how's that looking? >> for the washington dulles hub, it's rain right now, and we're going to demise and a minor bump in the road. >> anything you can think of as a passenger that could go wrong, they're monitoring it here in chicago with every flight that united has worldwide. so if your flight is delayed, they know about it. if you're sitting on the tarmac, they know about it and they're trying to deal with it. at one particular time, there could be up to 20 people working on one aircraft, dealing with gasoline, deicing, you name it, they're dealing with it here while you're dealing with it on the airplane. >> just to think what that place will look like come sunday when everyone is coming home. ted rowlands in chicago, thank you very much. crazy, with more than 43 million people expected to go somewhere today for the holidays, a glimpse now into a city of sorts that never sleeps. atlanta-hartsfield jackson international airport. folks, this is the nation's busiest and biggest airport.

many people had stories they simply had to share with cnn. >> i'm coming from san jose, california. i'm headed to memphis, tennessee. >> columbia, south carolina. >> new jersey. >> des moines, iowa. >> edmonton, canada. >> boston via london, via ireland. >> coming from frankfurt, to baton rouge. >> i'm coming from washington, d.c. i'm heading to minneapolis. i'm going to go see my brand new grandson. who was born just 36 hours ago to my little boy, and we're on our way to see him. >> the most shocking thing i've ever seen. >> i had somebody try to get in the cockpit. i was able to calm her down and bring her away from the front door of the cockpit. >> someone tried going through security with a fully oiled and fueled chain saw. >> i saw someone coming through the airport in their wedding dress. complete wedding party. >> i just saw a small child

wander around a few gates with a large suitcase, and no one claimed him. >> ever caught someone doing the mile-high? i knocked on the door and said that's not allowed. >> i never have anything eventful happen. speaking to cnn has been the most eventful thing to happen to me in the airport. >> in the airport, looking at all the different people. >> kind of like people watching. >> i enjoy going through all the duty-free shops. >> i kind of like how they're like a little microcosm of an independent city. >> i actually love coming to the airport. we always meet new people. >> that's about it. >> this is really for all you airport nerds, and you know who you are. you will love this. go to cnn.com/atl24. coming up here, as the nfl gets ready for a big, big football day tomorrow, the hits keep coming. surprising poll numbers as football fans reveal whether

concussions and alleged bullying at all impact the love of the game. dr. sanjay gupta joins me next. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills.

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for the national football league, the hits keep on coming. viewers are tuning in to the nfl in lofty numbers this season. a cnn poll taken last week found 60% of americans call themselves fans, 59% to be precise, and those fans don't care too much at all with the on-going problems with concussions. 60% say it doesn't at all temper their zeal for the game. how to explain that? our chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta, asked andy scholes to take a look. >> we have been covering this issue for a long time. >> just concussions in sports. i do this from a neurosurgery perspective. it doesn't seem to affect the fans' love for the game.

there was polling data that s w view the nfl any less favorably. as a sports reporter, what have you sensed? has this affected how you report? >> it seems like no matter what, the nfl is untouchable when it comes to these scandals. this is two of the worst years ever for pr for the nfl, including the concussions, bounty gate, the lockout, and the aaron hernandez trial, yet the numbers are higher than ever when it comes to tv ratings. 19 of the top 20 watched shows have been nfl games. it goes to show it seems like we're trained, no matter what happens outside the game of football or even inside the game of football, we're still going to want to watch the game. >> i know you don't report on middle school and high school, obviously, but there seems to be more of a concern there. 80% of people polled say they worry more about kids at that level. is this just a question of these are adults when they're in the nfl, they're making their own

decisions? >> well, i think that's part of it. you know, they know what they're getting into. they're paid millions of dollars and make the choice to play that game. i think the nfl and at the college level, they're trying to institute, we're not going to hit with the head anymore. they're trying to lessen these kind of injuries, but the nfl players strugm with it every week. every week in the news, a player is fined and suspended. in the college game, if you hit someone head to head, you're flagged and suspended for the next game. that's a targeting rule this year, but the players right now aren't trained to play that way. >> they have to play through it. that's their job. although that culture does seem to be changing. and especially in players who are retired but very well known players. brett favre, tony dorsett, both coming out and telling their stories. brett said he could not remember a soccer season for his daughter. as a father of three daughters myself, that's a huge loss in terms of his memory. what about that in. >> you're right. there's actually a couple players who have walked away from the game recently after now

these guys weren't high-profile players, weren't making the tens of millions of dollars a year some of the guys were, but they said, i don't want to have this life that some of these guys are having, like the tony dorsett, brett favre, earl campbell. i don't want to be like that. a couple guys have walked away. it's going to be an interesting question that people deal with near year to year, if they want to keep playing this violent game. >> tune in to watch more of sanjay's conversation with andy this weekend, saturday at 4:30 p.m. eastern and sunday at 7:30 in the morning right here on cnn. sgmd. >> every now and then, you perhaps have heard about someone who survived a brush with death and then told of returning from a place that they couldn't quite explain. heaven? i don't know. this sunday, anderson cooper brings us the fascinating stories of these three people who came close to clinical death and say they actually went somewhere or at least something profound and otherworldly

happened to them. mary neal is one of these people. here she is with cnn's randi kaye. >> i could see the scene on the riverbank. i could see them pull my body to the shore. i could see them start cpr. i had no pulse, and i wasn't breathing. one fellow was yelling at me to come back. >> you were unconscious so how do you know all this was happening? >> i felt my body break free, and i felt my spirit break free. and i was greeted by these people or these spirits. i could be with them and be going down this incredible pathway. and simultaneously look back at the river. when i saw my body, i will say that was the first time that i actually thought, well, i guess i am dead. i guess i really did die.

>> in the book, you write about dancing with them. were you celebrating? >> yes. >> what? what were you celebrating? you had just died? >> it was a great homecoming. and i was really surprised by the fact that i had no intention of going back. >> you didn't want to return? >> no. and i had all the reasons to return. i had a great life. i had a great job. i had a great husband. my children are wonderful. and i love them more than i could ever imagine loving something on earth. but the love that i felt for them in comparison to god's love that was absolutely flowing through everything was just pale in comparison. and then at a certain point, one of the people or the spirits told me that it wasn't my time and i had more work to do on earth and i had to go back to my body.

>> that is just one of those stories we invite you to watch. anderson cooper's special report, to heaven and back. sunday at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. right here. coming up, three cnn correspondents in a race to get home for the holiday from new york to washington. they have come, one of them, it looks like, may soon be hitting the finish line at the washington, d.c. bureau. we have cameras on standby, tracking their progress. one by car, one by plane, one by train. the leader, very, very close to the finish line. we're watching the great race home. stay tuned.

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if you thought tiny unmanned vehicles buzzing through the sky were only for sci-fi movies, think again. we have technovations that may leave your head spinning. >> they navigate through windows, fly in formation, and take off and land with ease, and these tiny unmanned aerial vehicles called quad rotors are doing it on their own. >> this is a robot that is completely autonomous. there's no remote control in the back grnld. >> most of the test flights are done here at the university of pennsylvania's lab, decked out with a state of the art motion capture system. and students give the quad rotor simple commands via computer, but the vehicles decide how they'll go from point a to point b on their own. >> we have the bike-on system or the red lights, which allow us to figure out where the robot is. then we're able to send it commands about what we would

like it do and group behaviors you'll see. >> other quad rotors at the lab have worked toort to carry kaurgo, build structures, and have been equipped with lasers and cameras to create 3-d images inside buildings. with bigger batteries and a bugger pay load capacity, they could be used in the real world for surveillance and search and rescue. >> ewe can send them in ahead o people, and this is potentially life saving for first responders. >> for now, most of the research on the remarkable robots is still done in inlab, but you could say their potential is sky high. >> mike galanos, thank you. top of the hour, i'm brooke baldwin. 24 hours ago, we expected to see jammed highways, chaotic airports as millions of thanksgiving travelers face this massive wintry storm. all up and down the east coast, it has been cold, snowy, rainy. you can see these pictures,

windy. but for the most part, i am happy to report on this thanksgiving eve, it has not stopped people from getting to their thanksgiving destinations thus far. airports reporting relatively few delays and cancellations today. highway traffic seems to me moving in most places. chad myers is in the cnn weather center. let's just begin with the worst of the worst. where is that? >> probably driving up and down i-95 is still pretty bad. anywhere here where it's raining, and even in some spots here, the snow kind of encroaching from the west. that's right at sunset. we're going to start to see the roads ice up, maybe even i-95, close to washington, d.c., around the beltway as well. back out here, we're beginning to see the first signs of lake effect snow that we knew would come through as the snow and the cold air come across the lakes like that, and you get these lake effect snow bands to come through. the wind hasn't yet developed for the big cities yet because we're almost in the eye of the low. the low has to go by, and then

those winds really shift from -- to the northwest from the northwest, and right here, and that's what we'll again slow down the airports. i don't think the airport delays are done just yet. over 400 delays right now out of the 6,000 planes in the sky. only about 20 to 25 cancellations system wide. so d.c., one to two hours. already seeing that. new york metro, one hour to two hours. they're about 35 to 45 minutes behind. that's not a real problem. at this point in time, if your connection is one to two hours late, and you're one to two hours late, you make the next plane. when one plane gets there too early or leaves too early, and your plane doesn't get to on time, that's when people stack up at the airports. i know it hasn't been as bad as people thought, but it's stull not over yet. still not a big deal. i don't think this is going to strand hundreds of thousands of people at airports. it's just going to strand them for two or three hours longer

than they hoped. >> chad myers, we'll check back with you. there's a special race through snow, wind, and rain in a train, car, plane, just to see who could make it from manhattan to washington, d.c., first, you see them racing out of our new york bureau. i can tell you that nic robertson officially landed in washington, d.c. just a short time ago. there he is running. we appreciate that. in the airport, lagging behind. lisa desjardins is on a train as i speak. brian todd, driving in a car. last check with brian todd, i can tell you, he was pounding coffee and to be precise, he let us know he has been rocking out with his crew to a little lady gaga on the highways somewhere between manhattan and washington. now we're hearing, we may have a

winner. tom foreman, there in washington at the finish line. tracking the progress. do i see -- >> yes, yes. >> the weary traveler has arrived. now, nic, you get to officially tag in. >> okay. >> there you go. the winner. look at this. the official winner in the whole thing here. >> 3:15. you left at noon. how did it go? you had real breaks. >> first, let's talk about my sister and my brother colleagues who are still out there. i feel sorry for them. i didn't want to walk in the building until they were coming in, too. i was so lucky. that i got on the flight. purely, there was no one in line. we were ten minutes away from the airport and i didn't think i would get there. i thought the doors were closing. i ran to get on the flight. i couldn't even find my boarding

pass. i am the luckiest, the luckiest traveler today. the flight arrived early. so bumpy. can i get a drink now? >> you know where they are right now? brooke, take a look. this is brian todd driving here. he looked so bad at the beginning because he was creeping out of new york and creeping through new jersey. but he is now down here moving right along south of philly. it parallels the path. she's a little behind right now. the overall trip, just to remind you, about 227 miles driving. so if you hadn't made the plane, a lot tighter then, huh? >> a lot tighter. i would probably still be here waiting for the next flight. i'm not sure that there was another one coming up, yeah, so

very lucky. very lucky. >> a winner, brooke. a winner. a bumpy ride. >> official clap for esteemed colleague nic robertson. >> waiting for my colleagues to come home. i'm going to welcome them with open arms. a great race. i was lucky, and i feel so sad they're still out there. >> you were lucky. we were watching you on twitter, nic robertson. the fact they let you on the plane. >> the upper west side, it almost killed me. the traffic, 72nd. i don't know these streets. 83rd, 96th, 103rd. still have to cross the park. i had 20 minutes to get there. >> even in d.c., if you look, you know this, brooke. when you get into d.c., he had to cover the ground from the airport over here across the bridge, up in here, all the way up to the finish line. when lisa gets here, she is actually going to finish right there. union station is right across the street from us. >> let's go to lisa. speaking of. lisa desjardins is on this train. lisa d., you're on the phone with me. where are you? >> i cannot believe nic made

that flight, first of all. but i am in elekten maryland, which is really a fancy name for in the woods of maryland, traveling add about 100 miles per hour on amtrak. i think brian todd may be just a little ahead of me, but i'm about to pass him. i feel very certain. i have a hot cheese burger here from the amtrak bar car. i have my frniends, a whole tea train with me at the lovely table. it's a very relaxing and beautiful experience, frankly. >> i'm impressed. you're a lady, no trash talking of your colleague who miraculously made this plane and landed at regan and beat you. nothing? >> okay, i don't know who he paid. i should have checked his wallet before he left. >> there's nothing in it now, that's for sure. >> i'm suspicious of the situation. all i know is it is a very good situation. just two of my new friends

toasting each other with a cup of wine. something i know didn't happen on nic's flight. >> very good. >> and i have a ton of leg room, by the way. so it's a great experience. >> you enjoy that train ride and your new friends. we'll check back in with you. brian todd, speaking of beverages. drinking a lot of coffee on the interstate. so your colleague, nic robertson, smoked you, if i may. there's the coffee. tell me where you are. >> well, we're just south of newark, delaware. i think lisa did just pass us, brooke. i know they're all in good spirits. i can be the curmudgeony and bitter driver dealing with the elements. i'll accuse them of cheating. this is a cool drive. we're in the cnn roving coverage vehicle. we have three cameras here, one motion to the camera that leads us to the front. you can see the traffic in front of me. a steady stream of traffic, moving well, but we're dealing

with a steady rain and have been for at least a couple hours. to the camera to the side, the northbound traffic on i-95 heading into new jersey and northern delaware here. they're having a pretty good go of it. no backups. we have been pretty fortunate considering the weather. three traffic jams, none have lasted too long. we have baltimore and washington, d.c. but i think my chances of winning this race are slipping fast. >> slipping fast, but you know, who knows? something could happen on the amtrak train. heaven forbid she might have to slow down and you could wave at her. we'll keep tabs on you. thank you very much. drive safely, drive slowly. keep the wind cheeld wipers rolling. we've had so much fun and continue to have fun with this great race today. brian and lisa, they're still en route to washington, d.c. make sure you tune in to "the situation room" for an update and the great race final

results. healthy competition. we're okay with that on cnn otthanksgiving eve. tune in right here. we are tracking other stories making headlines today's. coming up next, a hitman for a mexican drug cartel is walking the streets right here in the united states. folks, he's an american teenager. find out why he is suddenly free. plus, the star of malcolm in the middle just suffered his second stroke in a year. he is 27 years young. we'll talk about why this could be happening coming up. you are watching cnn.

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if you're like me, you wake up on thanksgiving morning and part of your tradition involved watching the macy's day parade. they might be grounded because of the strong winds on thanksgiving morning. because of these winds, it may have to ground all the large, those giant helium balloons set to fly tomorrow in manhattan. disappointing millions across the nation. and this is about keeping people safe because back in the 1990s, one woman spent weeks in a coma after strong winds sent this cat in the hat balloon flying into a metal lamp post, so pieces of that post actually fell onto this woman's head. i want to bring in jason carroll. he's reporting live from the ground, among some of those balloons there in new york. and jason, when do parade officials make that call whether or not they fly? >> that's not going to start

until noon, but things are moving ahead as you can see. the balloons are lined up. some are already blown up. the giant pumpkins behind the pumpkins. the big balloon you see, sonic the hedge hog. we have him, all 76 feet. >> she's the parade organizer, much of this is resting on your shoulders tomorrow. what can you tell us? we spoke to the incident commander from the nypd, who is going to be making the decision. he feels as though tomorrow the balloons are going to go. what do you think? >> i think i'm going to depend on him to make that decision. you know, i have been through so many of these parades where we had really bad weather on a wednesday and thursday has just been magnificent and i have a feeling that's going to be like this again. >> the threshold is 23-34. 23-mile-per-hour sustained wind,

34 gusts. >> we're going to work with the city of new york. tomorrow morning, we're going to hear from them, monitor the weather all night, and we're not going to worry about it until then. >> i know you're worrying about it before then. i know you are. i am. >> why? >> i'm a balloon fan. i want to see the balloons go. i also know it's got to be safe. safe for the handlers and the people coming out to watch. >> without question, safety is our first concern. i will tell you that the parade has 16 of these giant balloons, but it also has 30 magnificent floats with incredible talent on each one. we have over 900 clowns in the parade. 11 marching bands coming from across the country, and very often, it's the first time these kids are in new york city. and then we've got about 1800 cheer leeld eleaders. >> it's not just about the bl balloons, but the balloons are iconic. one thing you told me about, there's actually balloon handling school. >> there is. >> there is, so those coming out

handling the balloons are trained. >> no way. >> yes, they go through training, they go through a skrool. >> there's a six-member team under each balloon responsible solely for the safe flight of the balloon. each balloon is tethered to time-o two vehicles. under each balloon, from 60 to 90 balloon handlers depending on the size of the balloon and they go through various types of balloon training. the most intense is classroom study and required of the six-member team. if you're going to be a balloon handler, we recommend on site training as well as video training. >> and also, a minimum of 125 pounds in order to handle one of these bad boys. >> can you participate? >> now, amy, i am a strapping buck underneath this, amy, i'm telling you. >> all right. heavy shoes. >> heavy shoes. also, another point. another point that a lot of people don't realize as well is even though the balloons may not be able to go all the way up, you might be able to keep them lower to ground depending on how

the testing goes in terms of the wind gust. if the wind is very high, and we're still able to fly the balloons. there are ropes that extend to 50 feet. the winds will determine how high we can know. if it's a perfectly sunny, still day, we'll have them at full flight. if it's a bit windy, we'll lower them accordingly. we're excited about the balloons. everyone is going to come see them. we'll get probably over a million people between now and 10:00 p.m. to see the balloons come to life. they're gorgeous. they were in the parade last year. we have five new ones that are going to debut this year. i'm hoping that everybody gets to see them tomorrow. >> a lot of hard work has gone into this one. thank you for joining us. brooke thanks you as well. get back to your good work. happy thanksgiving. once again, the balloons are out here. they're lined up. the decision is going to be made before the parade starts at 9:00 a.m. they have wind testing devices

all along the parade route to help them make that final decision. >> jason carroll, as a balloon fan, maybe next year since you get that gig every year, we send you to balloon handling school. what do you think about that? >> sounds like an idea. as long as i don't have to deal with clowns. >> a teenager will soon be running the streets here in the united states. people are absolutely furious because he is a hitman for a mexican drug cartel. he killed his first person, as i say, at the age of 11. why is he free? that answer is next. [ paper rustles, outdoor sounds ] ♪ [ male announcer ] laura's heart attack

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the triple choice sale ends sunday, thanksgiving weekend. ♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ listen to this story, this american teenager who admits he was a hitman for mexican drug lords is now walking as a

freeman today and he's in the city streets today. first, i want you to watch this. this is from ed lavendera reporting from san antonio, texas. >> even in a country ravaged by years of drug cartel violence, it was a shocking scene. a baby faced american teenager accused of working as an assa assassin for the south pacific drug cartel was paraded in front of reporters. he was just 14 years old when this video was filmed. he said he's known by a nickname. he laid out gruesome details of his life in organized crime. he said he was 11 years old when he started killing and slit the throats of four victims himself. they picked him off the street and forced him into carrying out

the assassinations and he was high on drugs when he killed cartel rivals, and he was convicted as a juvenile and sentenced to three years in prison. now he's 17 and was released from prison tuesday in mexico. news cameras captured the release. he was quickly deported back to the united states, flown to san antonio, texas, where he disappeared back into american society. u.s. customs and border protection officials say they helped facilitate his return but say privacy laws prohibit the agency from releasing more details. 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 this violent world. cnn told the notorious stories of two american drug cartel assassins in exclusive jailhouse interviews a few months ago. >> in all, how many people did

you kill? >> no idea. >> no idea? you lost track? >> i guess so. >> gabriel is serving a life sentence in texas. he and a childhood buddy worked as assassined for the drug c cartel as teenagers. their stories highlighted the frightening trend of cartel leaders luring young kids with the promise of money and power to carry out the cartel's dirty work. after he was arrested, the teenager told a laredo police detective that killing made him feel like superman. today, he knows his life is wasting away in prison. >> the first day i had to take somebody's life, that's a day i'll never be able to forget. after that, i had no life. >> 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. >> he and cardona are locked away for life. but the kid known as el ponches

is getting a second chance. >> let's talk about this kid known as el ponches. he's a child who committed murder. he spent a good chunk of his life in prison in mexico. now he's deported to the united states and basically dropped off in texas. janet johnson joins me, criminal attorney, jacksonville, florida. my apologies. let's talk about this young man because i don't know if this criminal life is behind him, but under the eyes of the law in the u.s., should he be walking here free? >> yeah, i mean, even the mexical authorities said, look, we can't say we can't say he's rehabilitated. i think if they could find a crime to charge him with in the u.s., they would. he just hasn't committed a crime in the u.s. it just shows the disparity between the treatment of juveniles in america where they

can be direct filed as an adult and get life in prison, and a few miles away, you can only get three years as a juvenile so he's free at 17. >> clearly, had he committed a crime of the same nature, he would have been facing a much, much harsher sentence. let me ask you this because here he is in the united states, yet to commit a crime that we know of. can u.s. authorities keep an eye on him? can they follow him legally speaking? >> well, you know, they can. what they're saying right now is he may go into sort of an assisted home where he will be reintroduced, but he would have to cooperate. they can follow him if he's in public, but they would need a search war nlt to go into his home, to tap his phones, to do things they wouldn't have access to, that the public couldn't see. and i don't know that they're going to have probable cause to do that because he hasn't committed a crime in three years. he is done with his sentence, and he's a juvenile, so we can't even access a lot of this information because of privacy

concerns. >> hopefully he is turning the page, that's the hope in the united states. janet johnson, thank you very much. coming up next, a chilling look inside the mind of a killer. 18-year-old austin sigg was committed of murdering 10-year-old jessica ridgeway along with an attack on a female jogger. now we're hearing from him about the day of the murder. prosecutors just released the video of his interrogation and confession. that's next. what you wear to bed is your business. so, if you're sleeping in your contact lenses, ask about the air optix® contacts so breathable they're approved for up to 30 nights of continuous wear. serious eye problems may occur.

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relatively few delays or cancellations. millions of air travelers, they are getting in. they're getting out, getting on with their lives there, heading closer to the turkey. alena machado has been keeping an eye on the airlines at the busiest airport in atlanta, hartsfield jackson. i see the sun out. that's a good thing. still a little windy. what's the status of the flights in atlanta? >> it's definitely a little windy, but as you mentioned, the weather has cleared up substantially. earlier today, we did see sleet. we know crews were out deicing planes. but overall, things are looking really good here. there is traffic. there is a lot -- there are a lot of people showing up here to catch flights. also people arriving here for the thanksgiving holiday. a few delays we have seen on flights headed to pennsylvania, also flights headed to new jersey, but overall, brooke, things are really looking good here. >> i hear the plane above you, so that's a good sign.

hopefully someone is heading home, getting a little closer. thanks to you. stay warm. >> chad myers, let's talk about so far looking pretty good. not to be negative nancy, but i know it can't be great everywhere. >> let's not jinx it, again, right? philadelphia, your delay is down from two hours to 1:25. laguardia, jfk, somewhere between 35 and 50 minutes there, and newark at 30 minutes. brooke, this is pretty good. i know we're having this great race. so you can go on to google and click on traffic. that may help you out because between bwi, baltimore, and also down to dca, washington, d.c., there's a couple different paths. one's the parkway, one is 95. if brian is listening, don't take the parkway. we're down to 15 miles per hour there. 95, all green. there you go, brian. trying to give you a heads up because i know you're behind and i always root for the underdog, as we know. there's the snow. new york city, you're almost there.

we're getting snow into parts of philadelphia. getting tweets back here into westchester county, seeing snow coming in, bucks county seeing snow. all the way down to the delaware water gap. so the problem is, i guess, if we get to 4:00 or 5:00 tonight and see snow start to stick on the ground, i think by that time, people knew they had to get out early and often and they're getting out there at least on time. if you leave three hours early and are delayed three hours, you get there on time. there are the expected delays. nothing now approaching the four-hour delay mark, so that's good news. that's where we thought some of the airports could be when the winds were gusting to 40. now winds are down, gusting only to 25. that's a little better. >> so far, so relatively good. chad myers, we'll take it. thank you very much. now to this. on the case today, what we are about to see is quite disturbing. not strictly because you're about to hear a murder confession, but also because the

teenage killer describes the crime, and it is a horrific crime. he describes it so calmly. take a look. that is confessed killer austin sigg, the video released this week. this was recorded 13 months ago, as austin sigg then 17, described the abduction, assault, murder, and dismemberment of 10-year-old jessica ridgeway. jessica was just walking on along to school that day, and the way the teen killer describes it, he hadn't planned the murder at all. he just happened to see her. >> i murdered jessica ridgeway. i was responsible for her abduction and her death. >> so that's what you told your mom? >> yeah, and her first question was immediately to ask me if i hurt her or did anything to her. and i didn't -- i didn't torture her or rape her or any of those

things before i strangled her. i just remember i wound up finding a place over in her neighborhood where i could park, where a car really wouldn't be noticed by anyone. and while i was driving, i was kind of looking. and i saw her, and i found a place to park. and i parked, and where waited. and she walked by, i grabbed her. made her change, and then when she came back out, i had her put all her stuff away. and then i asked her to turn away from me. and i used the zip ties and my hands to strangle her. >> austin sigg was sentenced last week to serve life plus 100

years. and were he ever to be paroled on the life sentence, he would still have to serve that 100 years. a nevada judge has denied o.j. simpson's request for a new trial on that kidnapping and robbery charge that put him in prison nearly five years ago. simpson argued that his previous legal team did not represent him well, but the judge disagreed, saying he failed to prove his claim. simpson was initially sentenced to up to 33 years in prison. a parole board reduced that sentence earlier this year. simpson still faces at least four more years behind bars. coming up, you have heard about these disturbing incidents of someone just randomly walking up to strangers on the street punching them. up next, mike tyson is weighing in on this so-called knakout game. >> plus, he's only 27 years young, but malcolm in the middle star franky munose suffered his second stroke in a year.

what could be causing him? what is his long-term prognosis? that's next. you're watching cnn.

a couple years ago, he was one of tv's hottest stars. you'll recognize him from "malcolm in the middle." >> my dad's company picnic is tomorrow. lori is going to be there. i've kind of had a crush on her since third grade. i haven't seen her since she moved across town last year. i've grown about four inches since then, but i can't just count on that. if i do about 10,000 of these

opportunities, i should have something to show tomorrow. >> he's all grown up and back in the spotlight after suffering a mini stroke. this is his second one in just a year. he is just 27. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen here with more on this. let's just begin with, what is a mini stroke, first of all? >> a mini stroke usually lasts for just a few minutes, and it doesn't cause any permanent damage, but it does make you more likely to get a real stroke later on. >> so then to hear muniz is in his 20s, he's young. how rare is that? >> it's not quite as rare as you would think. when you look add the most common stroke, about 10% of those strokes are children. and mimes they know why. sometimes they can say this person has a certain condition, but often they don't. >> is he a smoker, is he a drinker, does that affect it? >> he says he's not a smoker and not a drinker. sometimes as doctors tell us, we

just don't know. some people are just unlucky and it happens to them. >> if we're talking a mini keli especially in someone this young, it would be a full blown stroke? >> there's no question it makes it more likely, but hopefully they'll be able to figure out the why and avoid a stroke in the future. >> hopefully so, elizabeth cohen, thank you. another big headache for the president's signature law. small businesses looking to buy obama care for their employees online won't be able to do so for another year. that gives the administration even more time to fix the web feature. but all of that said, businesses can still buy insurance through a broker and keep in mind, the white house is promising that the vast majority of users will be able to get a smooth experience on healthcare.gov by the end of this week. and you know something is stupid when mike tyson says so. talking about what is being called this knockout game.

you have seen the videos. teenagers go up to complete strangers on the street, sucker punch them for zero reason. anyone can be a victim. a new york woman in her 70s was punched. so was phoebe connelly, who encountered a group of teenagers while riding her bike in washington, d.c. >> just as i was passing through the group, one of the kids in the group biked off and cut me off, cut my path of direction off. and turned his bike so he was going down the hill as i was going up it, and as we passed, he reached out and punched me in the face. and said, pow, as he hit me in the house, and the whole group of kids laughed. >> connelly is lucky. she wasn't seriously hurt. but if anyone knows about punch punches, it's mike tyson. he knows them, he's been thrown by them.

watch what iron mike told piers morgan about this knockout game. >> it doesn't make any sense. it's a game to some people. i don't think it's cool. they're not hitting me -- i saw one guy hit a woman, a girl, from behind. >> when you grew up on the streets of brooklyn, would you have ever done something like that? >> if i'm on a robbing spree, when i was a young kid, i have done something like that, but this is just for fun, no prurps in doing it. i saw someone hit a woman. i would never hit a girl in the face. i just couldn't imagine. the only way i could imagine that being my daughter, my wife. >> why do people do it, do you think? >> i have no idea. i don't have no idea. maybe they're just evil. just some evil people. >> you can watch the full interview with mike tyson tonight, 9:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. >> finish your turkey and

stuffing early because something is happening tomorrow that is more than 4.5 billion years in the making. it formed and is headed to the sun, and my fellow space geeks, listen closely. you may actually be able to see it. chad myers is up next with the details. car insurance rates side-by-side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. that's one smart board -- what else does it do, reverse gravity? [ laughs ] split atoms? [ flo chuckles ] [ whirring ] hey, how's that atom-splitting thing going? oh! a smarter way to shop around -- now that's progressive. call or click today.

white house ceremonies are typically full of pomp and circumstance, except for today.

president obama flanked by first daughters sasha and malia, pardoned two turkeys from badger, minnesota. he named one of them america's national thanksgiving turkey. watch. >> the office of the presidency, the most powerful position in the world, brings with it many awesome and solemn responsibilities. this is not one of them. 80 turkeys on john's farm competed for the chance to make it to the white house and stay off the thanksgiving table. it was quite literally the hunger games. and then after weeks of vocal practice and prepping for the cameras, the two tributes, caramel and popcorn, went head-to-head together for america's vote as top gobbler. the competition was stiff, but we can officially declare that popcorn is the winner. proving -- there you go, proving that even a turkey with a funny

name can find a place in politics. >> holiday turkeys, such as popcorn, have been presented to presidents going all the way back to abraham lincoln, but it was president kennedy who was the first to spare one. none received an official pardon until president h.w. bush uttered the world in 1989. >> now, beyond the turkey, eating it, i mean, have you heard about comet ison. it has been coming our way for a million years now. it's here. this is time lapse video from nasa. tomorrow, while you're eating said turkey or whatever you so choose, it will fly perilously closely around the sun. ifsurvives, it could be an awesome cite for us, if it survives the encounter with the sun. >> blasts of dusts off these things. it's about the size of a shopping center, and it's made of ice and junk and then it's

flying around the sun. it's going to get bright. and it could be very close. it could be the coolest thing around christmas if it survives, but it's ice groing to the sun. >> not a good mix. >> not the best thing you can do. you want to go around maybe saturn. it's colder out there. as it goes by tomorrow morning, wake up before sunrise, look to the east, you may be able to see it. kind of looks like that. there's comet ison over there. it has to fly around the sun. if it makes its way around the sun and survives and comes out the other side, all of a sudden in december, it's going to be really, really amazing. we'll be able to see it at sunset, at sunrise, and it's going to be maybe the comet of the century, but some others are saying, i don't think it's going to make it. could be two or three breakups and a dud. >> tomorrow before sunrise, a little something. fingers crossed, we could see something spectacular around christmas. >> tomorrow and the next couple days could be great. after that, stunning.

>> chad, thank you very much. and now this, a nurse is remembered as a hero today for her actions inside a texas hospital. workers there said she gave up her own life to save patients when a man attacked with a knife. today, we're learning more about the victim and her heroic actions, next. a subaru... ...are the hands that do good things for the whole community: the environment, seniors, kids, and animals. that's why we created the share the love event. by the end of this year, the total donated by subaru could reach 35 million dollars. you get a great deal on a new subaru. we'll donate 250 dollars to a choice of charities that benefit your community. it feels good to be a helping hand. progressive direct and other car insurance companies? yes. but you're progressive, and they're them. yes. but they're here. yes. are you...? there? yes. no. are you them? i'm me.

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a stepdad may have tried to stab two of his step daughters, but that's far from the worst implication facing this arizona man. fernando richter and his wife sophia are accused of keeping the children captive in their home to the point where the two younger knirls said they haven't seen their older sister for up to two years. the richters were in court this afternoon. the daughters, 12, 13, and 17 years of age. according to the police report,

the girls allegedly were fed once a day and haven't bathed in months. police say the younger girls escaped after their stepfather went after them with a knife. they ran to the neighbors house. the neighbors didn't want to be identified when they spoke to our affiliate. >> they said that their stepfather had a knife and that they just escaped from their bedroom and ran over here. they didn't have any shoes on, and they looked like they just had gotten out of bed. so we brought them inside. that's when we called 911. no child should have to go experience what they experienced. and when they came to our home, i reassured them that they did the right thing by coming here and standing up for themselves. >> when the girls saw each other last night, to the detectives, it appeared they had not seen eacheter for quite some time.

comments to each other about the change in appearance and statements that they made, which gave indication they had not seen each other for a substantial period of time, substantiated their story as wem. >> as for the parents, they are facing kidnapping and child abuse charges. the stepfather has also been charged with one count of sex abuse. >> nurses, we love them. dedicate their lives to helping others. one nurse in texas was killed while protecting her patients. when screams rang out at her hospital, gale went toward the chaos and lost her life. now she's being called a hero. john zarrella is covering her story and joins us now. how did this attack begin? >> you know, brooke, this is just tragic no matter when it would have happened. but two days before thanksgiving, yesterday, longview, texas, about 100 miles east of dallas, at the good shepherd medical center, a man comes running in to the surgical

center. he's carrying what witnesses said looked like, appeared to be a hunting knife. he starts going after people that are patients, people that are visitors. and gale sandidgi, a nurse, haerts what's going on. she runs toward the commotion. she tries to intervene, and she's stabbed, and a few hours later, she's pronounced dead. >> a seameamstress, a sunday scl teacher of 2-year-olds, a huge ba baylor fan, a mother, grandmother, healer, trainer, nurturer, gale sandidge. nurses are nurtures by nature, and gale, she fit that profile. she was protecting her patients and an act of courage today, and in so doing, she lost her life. >> four other people were injured in the attack. it appears all of them are going

to be okay. police arrested ciron templeton just down the street from the hospital. he was arraigned yesterday afternoon, 1st degree murder charges. as well as aggravated assault. >> john, do we have any idea why? anything abiliout a motive? >> police say absolutely not, although witnesses said while he was running through the hospital, he was yelling out, you're not going to kill my mother. that's really all we have. >> awful, awful. john zarrella, thank you very mu much. we thank her. we thak nurses all over. appreciate you very much today. that's about it for me. just a quick reminder to all of you. hole y hope you have a happy thanksgiving. we'll be here tomorrow. keep it locked on cnn. if you miss an interview, you can go to cnn.com, and specific to the show, go to cnn.com/brooke. that's it for me today. i'm brooke baldwin, coming from

the cnn headquarters in atlanta. let's turn things over to john berman who is sitting in for jake tapper. "the lead" start right now. the white house never mentioned how many of the tur y turkeys it pardons go on to reoffend. i'm john berman, and this is "the lead." the national lead, a miserable storm on the busiest travel day of the year. it might have some of you asking just how much do i really want to see my alleged loved ones anyway? and could this weather ruin one of our most beloved holiday traditions and the only one with rated-pg inflatable dolls, the macy's day parade. >> president obama hoping americans will pardon the healthcare.gov web site the way he pardoned the turkey, but as they race a self-imposed deadline to fix the site, new word it's giving up on yet another part of the affordable a