airspace and also to make sure that its territory integrity, its sovereignty are safeguarded. this is a normal arrangement. >> reporter: the u.s. military has reason to worry about an incident escalating. back in 2001, a u.s. navy aircraft collided with a chinese jet. that navy plane then crashlanded into china. the 24-man crew on kar board the navy plane was held by the chinese for 11 days before they were released. jim, good reason bad feelings and history, good reason to potentially worry about this. >> thanks very much to barbara starr. we're going to bring in the former u.s. ambassador, also cnn military analyst spider marsh, former major general, also intel officer in asia. ambassador husbandman, if i can,

how quickly could this lead to miscalculation? a chance for misinterpretation of a move could lead to something bigger? >> jim, this is a difficult, tense and complicated situation. that's the biggest challenge of all. not that there is a war of words, but several countries in the region. the possibility of a miscalculation is very real. the problem is you escalate the tension and there's no real plan to de-escalate. we saw that before, as was pointed out in april of 2001, with the downing of the spy plane. it was very difficult to de-escalate. we just don't have the kinds of plans that would allow us to de-escalate. with korea japan, taiwan, russia, the united states, all snooping around in the area, it becomes a crowded flight zone and maritime zone. therefore, the possibility for miscalculation is very real. >> general marks, did the u.s. do the right thing? >> they absolutely did.

if the united states had not challenged this unilateral declaration of a change, a new standard would have been said and china would have declared a form of success. i think they challenged it very veld the b-52 was not armed. it's not going to penetrate into chinese beyond that -- it's not going to penetrate into the mainland, but i think it's very, very important. we have always had a large military presence in the region, so the escalation certainly -- the possibility of an escalation is always present, but we've this dance and we've handled it very well and ambassador, you've been a part of that very intimately. we've been able to do this dance pretty effectively. this was an act on the part of the chinese clearly to be provocative. what does the u.s. pivot to asia mean? i would argue that we have never

un-pivoted. it's always had a very clear focus for the united states to be there, to assert ourselves, and to really galvanize and put markers down. >> what was china trying to accomplish here? you've been through tough moments with the chinese. >> well, they're tremendous i to de-legitimatize the claim to the islands. same with the scarborough reef with the philippines, same thing in the south chinese with vietnam and other claimants. they're trying to drive a wedge, quite frankly, between the u.s. and japan, with respect to their security alliance. so we have to be particularly vigilant in terms of close -- i noticed the sound bites out of the tokyo were carefully coordinated with washington. the general is absolutely right. that rapid response to the air defense identification zone established by china, through a freedom of navigation maneuver,

was absolutely the right thing to do. if we had allowed any blue sky to prevail there, it could have been real trouble in terms of the chinese claiming that area theirs. >> he reminded people that the treaty which covers these islands. if in fact there was a confrontation, the u.s. would be obligated to take part. that's a big deal. >> if you look at what the chinese did, they cut a piece out of the adiz. so that clearly was confrontational. the backdrop is we're in an austere budget period, the united states military is trying to figure out what it will look like, specifically in that part of the world. what will the marines do in okinawa? what's our presence in japan? clearly this made perfect sense for the chinese to focus on the

islands. >> and then the back drop is also an interesting one. you're seeing the rise of new leaders in northeast asia. in japan, you have shinno abe, while his second tour as prime minister, you have -- you have a new president in south korea, a new leaders in north korea, so the whole region, sensitive as it is because of the geographic and -- sensitive because of history and how it's played out will be an interesting play to keep your oy on. the united states is going to have to establish its presence in the region, toss forthright in terms of our support, to speaking clearly, and make sure we're consistent in all that we do. >> vice president biden, is it good timing or bad, it turns out he'll be in china next week. i remember on a previous visit

he actually brought photographs from u.s. planes, showing how close chinese fighters got, within ten feet of the wing, to show the danger. what do you think his message will be? hopefully a voice of calm, but also resolution interest. we should view this as an opportunity for the united states to make sure it's crystal clear, we are here to stay. >> what would you say if you were if that room? >> it's always going to be an attempt to shore up and talk about those areas we have in common, us talking about the about the in the region. and how our relationship with our allies will be very, very important. in light of what's happened most recently, that kind of discussion will be extremely

important. they will listen for the clarity of the words that are spoken. this is not the time to equivocate. >> fantastic to have you both on. two experts on asia on a very important and tense time in those relations. as the nfl gears up, are fans concerned about a major controversy hanging over pro football? and they made it through cnn's great race all the way home. now they're live in "the situation room" to talk about our holiday travels in a train, a plane and an automobile. stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the flexcare platinum. new from philips sonicare.

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new york to d.c. >> here are our brave travelers, who did a fine job, going from new york down here to d.c., a distance of about 227 miles if you drive it. that is precisely what brian todd did, coming in with the slowest time of all, 5:15. >> thank you, tom. >> tell you about your trip. >> even when it goes smoothly, the drive from new york or d.c. or vice versa cuss tedious, frustrating, so we decided to break it up, by putting video to vine. that's where you can take short videos, just short lighthearted moments we can say, from our tip. take a listen. >> one power back, lemonade, two rihanna songs, great race home. >> we just have to stop and use the bathroom. >> saddle up, we've got to go. let's go!

>> you have to take a bathroom break. >> and you were saying must have helicopter. >> i was so exasperated. these two kicked my butt getting here, and i couldn't take it anymore. >> lisa, you have the most similar experience. >> i think it's possible that brian saved the most money, nick had the fastest time, but i think i would have had the best time. >> 4:31 was the clock time, but you're talking about all the other stuff. >> this caused me a problem from the beginning. am track was delayed today. >> and then you got on the train. >> who are these people? >> we had a team train. everyone in my car got fully involved. this was one of the many couples. shannon and tim were dilateful, on their way to raleigh. they just sent out their wedding invitations last night. so the whole car was full of

people that i became close with. this is my train car doing the wave, because they knew -- at this point we knew that nick had beat us. many people were disappointed, but i want, c'mon, guys, let's pull together. >> i forced maybe one of them to do it. even though the train was much slower than i expected and this was the fastest version of the train that you could take, i will say the seats were lovely. wide seeds. i had a full table, power outlets, wifi the whole time. had a club car where i could get food, drink, and the company was delightful. >> nick, you won on time, a little over three hours, actually, stopping to do live shots, you came in under three hours. tell us about this experience. >> this was coming out of new york. i thought upper west side. we seed to hit every red light.

i could see if you could just read the road, he was a nice guy, i thought if you could read the road, and i was just -- the clock was ticking. look here, 37, my flight 59, and i'm -- on the 23rd. there's no way. we got right next to the runway and it was 12 minutes before the plane was set to go. >> i thought he's not going to maybe it, but i took my belt off inside the car, undid my shoes and there was nobody at security. i ran done the hall. they were announcing my name. they pushed back with about a minute and a half ahead of time, take a listen to this. this was my moment of relief when i realized i had made it. >> i can't believe i made the plane. >> i don't think i can hear that

enough times, either, but my heart was still racing. then when we got off here, the traffic was backed up. i knew in theory i had time, but everyone knows the story of the tortoise and the hear. you think no more traffic. what it was was a little accident on the highway and got past that -- >> so all of you had some luck, some good, some bad, but overall, even with the weather we talked about -- one more thing, the cost. brian's trip today -- wrong sequence. let me go back to this. brian's trip today, look at that, $120. lisa's trip today, tax and train, $279, a lot more expensive for that civil experience. nick, you got here fasters, but it can add up fast. >> and we got these tickets in the last couple days. >> but they made it for

thanksgiving. >> one last note, happy thanksgiving for my coach companions. >> west time i've had at work in a long time. >> we're glad to have them all back for thanksgiving. we're going to go back to chad myers for a quick update. is it going to be a tough night? >> i think so. people will be delayed at least an hour, the road are getting icy, because the rain is turning over to snow. philadelphia just cleared its delay, saying we're okay, we're in good shape, until i looked at the flight board that you can get on your app., and it just says delayed, delayed, delayed, so i don't know where those delays are going, but obviously you're going to sit there for a while. it's snowing up there as well,

probably up into maine back into new york city, and it's the snow changing over from the rain to the snow that's going to make some glaze on the roadways, probably the bridges first. there's enough that the roads are already wet. we'll get some ice on the roadways. the went is 38, the gusts in new york city, but the big question is, whether the balloons fly tomorrow? the gusts have to be less than 34 for snoopy to get up in the air. 31 is the forecast. all day yesterday, the forecast was 34. maybe they'll fly after all. >> the parade wouldn't be the same without them. here's a quick look at the other top stories. two records had investors celebrating. the dow closed as an all-time high. the s&p 500 also set a report, and the nasdaq hilt its highest level in 13 years. the world's new largest

airline is one step closer to reality the the federal bankruptcy court is clearing the way for american airlines and us airways to merge -- a final objection by a passengers group, the merger is slated to take place december et. o.j. simpson loses his latest legal fight. a nevada judge is upholding his conviction stemming from his attempt to re-claim sports memorabilia. his lawyers were asks for a new trial. the judge said no, citing what she called overwhelming evidence against the former football star. he's serving a sentence of up to 33 years. talk about an all-star lineup. that's prince william sinces with bon jovi and taylor swift, in line to the throne for a

benefit to help the homeless. ahead, john berman explains why something will be missing for a famous power couple on this thanksgiving. >> they've gone from southern fried to fennel. from serving up political red meat to serving up no meat. no fish, no dairy. m a manager. my employer matches my charitable giving. really. i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. 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.

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for many americans, thanksgiving is as much about football as turkey. our new cnn polling shows americans are divided on whether something needs to be done about a major and growing problem for the nfl, head injuries is and concussions. our chief medical correspondent, is dr. sanjay gupta, has done extensive reporting on that

subject and he talked about the new polls with andy scholls of cnn sports. >> we've been covering this issue for a long time, just concussions in sports. i do this from a neurosurgery perspective. what's interesting, it doesn't seem to affect the fans' love for the game. there was some polling data, 60% of people don't view the nfl any less favorably. as a spots reporter, what have you sensed? has this affected how you report? >> you know what? it seems like no matter what, the nfl is untouchable when it comes to these kind of scandals. this has been two of the worst pr years ever for the nfl when it comes to the concussion scandal, the aaron hernandez trial, yet the numbers are higher than ever when it comes to tv ratings. 19 out of the top 20-watch eed programs this year have all been nfl games. and it seems we're trained. no matter what happens outside the game of football or inside

the game of football, we're still going to want to watch the game. >> you can see more of sanjay's interview this weekend, it airs saturday at 430 p.m. and sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. eastern. al gore once tried to follow in bill clinton's footsteps and become president. now the former vice president is taking a cue from his ex-boss again. this time, it's not about power, it's about pork and beef and chicken. cnn's john berman explains. >> reporter: bill clinton, al gore, the 1992 democratic ticket. ♪ don't stop thinking about tomorrow ♪ >> reporter: but 21 years later, you might say the clinton/gore theme song has gone from fleetwood mac's "don't stop thinking about tomorrow" to, don't stop thinking about tofurkey. they've gone from serving up political red meat to serving up no meat, no fish, no dairy. the news now, according to

"forbes" magazine, al gore has joined his running meat, becoming a vegan a couple months ago. >> it's like playing the piano and deciding, i'm only going to use the white keys, not the black and white keys. it does take a little time to get used it. >> reporter: walter scheibe served as white house chef for several years. >> president clinton, a little bit more diverse in his dining, that's sort of a euphemism, saying he ate pretty much everything. >> president clinton described his updated diet to dr. sanjay gupta in 2011. >> i like the stuff i eat. i like the vegetables, fruits, the beans, the stuff i eat now, i like. >> reporter: but the vegan lifestyle isn't as new to the clinton/gore ticket as you might think. >> chelsea clinton became a vegan or pretty close to a vegan. she'll tell you that she didn't, but i was there her and she was actually a vegan by the time she reached her senior year of high school. she came down and worked in our kitchens the summer of her

senior year for a couple of weeks. >> reporter: it is a far cry from the fast food and short shorts that were such an indelible presence on her father's campaign in 1992. actually, maybe it makes the shorts short thing a little better now. but we digress. in this week of gleeful national gluttony, it is important to note that our high-level leadership has, for the most part, adopted high-level nutrition. >> they say diplomacy is a matter of carrots and sticks and since mrs. obama got to the white house, so is dinner. >> food at the white house didn't delineate along political lines. it delineated very much along gender lines. >> sure, he might sneak into five guys for a burger every once in a while, but it does seem president obama is mostly toeing the line. george w. bush with all his working out always seemed fit. the only food that gave him trouble, the pretzel that he choked on. >> when you're eating pretzels, chew before you swallow. >> the menu on the white house has always been a bit fickle.

george h.w. bush hated broccoli. ronald reagan loved his jelly beans. jimmy carter was a peanut farmer. >> we try to keep them on the straight and narrow in terms of a healthy diet, but he is the president and he chooses to eat what he chooses to eat. >> so as president obama gets deeper into his second term with sagging approval ratings, maybe he should consider the clinton vegan path. it may not help with actual human voters, but other constituencies, they'll love it. >> you have my blessing. >> john berman, cnn, new york. >> that is one high-powered diet. remember, you can follow us and what's going on in "the situation room" on twitter. just tweet me and tweet the show @cnnsitroom. we'd love to wish you a very happy thanksgiving and to all of our jewish viewers, a happy hanukkah. it's the first time the two holidays have overlapped since 1888. you're watching now down at the white house as the white house menorah was lit earlier tonight. it's the largest in the world. and with that picture, with that

thought, we're going to pass you on to "erin burnett outfront." "outfront" next, teenage assassins. >> in all, how many people did you kill? >> i have no idea. >> no idea? you lost track? >> yeah, some. >> one of the teens who beheaded at least four children, free in texas tonight. plus, a deadly storm wreaks havoc on holiday plans. >> i just missed my connection to albany and i'm hyperventilating. >> and tempers flare heading into black friday. >> we'll stab one of you [ bleep ]. >> reporter: an "outfront" special report tonight, let's go out front.