accommodate passengers who may not want to remove head gear for religious or other reasons. the ironic thing of course is that the airport personnel are deploying stricter security procedures largely in response to the 9/11 attacks and things that have happened since. a terrorist attack by the way that didn't involve a single member of the sikh faith in this country or any other in the world. it's an event that continues to scar that faith nonetheless. that's my "xyz." brooke baldwin takes it away from here. we have breaking news just in. we're going to get to that in a moment. we're gathering last-minute details. first i want you to watch this. thousands of angry students hitting the streets of london. vandalizing, chanting, and breaking into the offices of politicians. so what are they so mad about?

>> higher education is so important to our entire society. >> the tirade over tuition. it's certainly not a bird. >> it's clearly an airplane contrail. >> it could be a plane, but could it also be a missile? >> it could be a test firing. >> you'll hear about the mystery that's even stumping the pentagon. rumblings of a royal wedding. will we see a blushing bride in buckingham soon? a royal watcher joins me with the scoop. i'm brooke baldwin. welcome back to the "cnn newsroom." breaking news right now. in france today the government announced the arrest of five terror suspects who french authorities believe were recently trained in pakistan and planning a deadly strike in paris. these arrests come weeks after osama bin laden says france's ban on the full face islamic veil will cause attacks on the country and listen to this, a

frightening disclosure for us in the u.s. today. that package bomb sent from yemen last month, that was timed to explode in a plane over the east coast of the united states. this revelation comes from scotland yard. let's get right to cnn susan candiotti in new york on the latest bomb plot development. susan, not only does this further confirm what a lot of authorities put out there. not only do we suppose that this would have exploded over the u.s., but this is also furthering the fact that this was a ticking time bomb. we now know when it would have detonated. >> reporter: that's right. and now we're getting more precise information, first of all from a u.s. counterterrorism official telling us -- telling cnn exclusively that this bomb was set to go off roughly six to seven hours or so once that plane took off bound for the united states. and we want to further tell you this. remember we're talking about a printer cartridge in which some

300 grams of petn, an explosive, was found in a package sent from yemen on to the uk and on to the united states. but then we have this statement from scotland yard and they said the activation -- this is a quote. the activation could have occurred over the eastern seaboard of the united states. now, what this means is we're talking about a timeline here. this package again originated in yemen, made a stop in germany, went on to the uk, then authorities there isolated the package, but it took them several hours before they actually first disrupted the package using careful language and then determined in fact what they had on their hands, this explosive. but once they isolated the package, that cargo plane that was supposed to have the package took off within a couple of hours and then headed to the united states. now, the route that it probably would have taken most likely would have been over

newfoundland, halifax, over cape cod and eventually that cargo plane was supposed to land in philadelphia and then go on to chicago. so that fits in with what the scotland yard statement is saying about the explosion would have occurred somewhere over the eastern seaboard of the united states. now, this chilling information prompted a statement from the white house. and we'll read that to you in part. it says, quote, the findings underscore the serious nature of the attempted aqap -- that's al qaeda in the arabian peninsula -- attack and the challenge we all face in trying to prevent or disrupt such attacks. and that is because, brooke, that authorities have acknowledged that if it had not been for an intelligence tip, they wouldn't have found this package. because it went through all the normal security, all the packages having been screened. but none of that security picked up the explosives inside that printer cartridge.

>> right. we've talked to so many people and terrorism experts and people in the know and say this is the perfect example of how intelligence sharing is supposed to work. didn't work so well with abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber over christmas day. quick point of clarification and then i want to follow up. when you say we're hearing from scotland yard this would have detonated six to seven hours after the plane took off, am i to assume the plane taking off in yemen or in the uk? >> reporter: the plane taking off from the uk and then continuing its journey on to philadelphia and then vaeptd actually on to chicago. so we really doesn't know, brooke, where it would have been when eventually that bomb could have exploded. would it be coming over land, over water, over a highly populated area, less populated area? so it would have been more likely than not than taking out just the plane and the crew, but, also could have resulted in the deaths of people on the ground as well depending on where it came down. >> maximizing casualties.

also, susan, as we've talked a lot about how every single attempt -- the bombs itself are increasingly sophisticated but then you also have to look at the timing of this. we've been reporting this you last week, the week before how there was a dry run in mid-september, the packages sent from yemen to chicago where these two planes were headed two fridays ago. so i imagine this programs would have been how they would have determined the timing in this most recent attempt. >> reporter: in fact -- that's right. in fact, officials have acknowledged that those flights in september they discovered were in fact meant to be dry runs. but, again, whenever you send a package -- and cnn has tested this as well. there are so many variables at play here. it's impossible to really nail down what plane the box would have gotten on, how many times it changes flights. and sometimes, as you're i'm sure well aware, if something doesn't fit on one plane, it gets put on another plane. >> sure. >> reporter: so one suspects

that even the bombmakers weren't exactly sure when it might have gone off. >> let's talk about the bombmaker. i know we've been saying this name a lot ibrahim hasan al asiri, the man believed to have essentially put his brother to death in an attempt to kill a saudi principles. that was unsuccessful behind the abdulmutallab christmas bombing. and this. are they any closer to finding him? i know he's hiding out somewhere in yemen. that's what they believe. what about him? >> reporter: that's what they believe and of course they're not only looking for him. he's 28 years old. not only looking for him for obvious reasons but also looking for anwar al awlaki, who is the american-born cleric, who they also believe has inspired so many of these plots. also believed to be hiding in yemen, yemen authorities say they're trying to find these people. they've also instituted additional security screenings at their airlines there. but so far, the people that are believed to be responsible and

behind these attacks are still in hiding somewhere. >> still in hiding, the motivation certainly does not change. susan candiotti, we thank you for getting some of that information confirmed for us just for cnn. thank you. let's talk about this big ship, shall we? forget lavish buffets. more than 3,000 cruise ship passengers feasting on wait for it spam, yum, not so much, pop tarts, as tugboats pull their ship to shore. this is one huge mess and we're now hearing from some passengers who could set foot on lands. plus i talked to a passenger on board this very second, told me a lot about the stink right now. that's bad news for them. that is ahead. plus students protesting over tuition hikes. look at this scene. this is what's been unfolding in london today. the students aren't going away quietly. we're going to get a live report straight from the battlefield if you will in the midst of these streets. rs after you do retire? ♪

client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize i better start doing something. we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think, "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. [ commearlier, she hady vonn! an all-over achy cold... what's her advantage? it's speedy alka-seltzer! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus rushes relief for all-over achy colds. the official cold medicine of the u.s. ski team. alka-seltzer plus.

thousands and thousands of students, they've taken to the streets. they're marching and chanting over proposed tuition hikes. sound familiar? yes. but this time i'm talking not about american students here. this story has been developing all day in london. essentially all in a show of resent mbt at the government's austerity plan. these are measures that will essentially triple tuition fees and cut education funding. so today you see these pictures. look at this. they're smashing glass and lighting fires, writing graffiti on some of the wall at the headquarters of the conservative party in london. unbelievable scene there.

atika shubert has been in the thick of things really for the better part of her day and she is now in london and joining me live. i can see atika still many, many students behind you. let's just begin by setting the scene for me and explain how this protest was essentially starting off peacefully and then it all went awry. >> reporter: that's right. it's pretty much over now. what you're seeing behind me here are really the last of the protesters are just being cleared by police, being interviewed. it's really just a handful now. it started earlier this morning with a massive protest. about 40,000 student demonstrators is the estimate. what they're protesting of course is that hike in tuition fees. tuition fees are due to triple. a lot of students say they simply can't afford it so there was a lot of anger on the streets but nobody expected it to turn as violent as it did. i'm going to quickly walk around here and show you what's happened, some of the destruction here. this is basically the building where the conservative party headquarters is.

and if you can look behind there, that's the main lobby. you can see they smashed right through the glass there. and it started with a small group of students. but eventually hundreds of students gaerdz in this kind of plaza here and actually lit a bonfire in the middle. they were lighting fire crackers. they eventually got inside the lobby, completely trashed it as you can see. even able to get up to the roof throwing out a fire extinguisher at one point. so it did get quite violent and a lot of students were actually upset at that because they felt it overshadowed their message they're trying to get out to the government protesting tuition hikes. so a lot of questions are being asked how did it get this violent, who's responsible. a lot of people asking also why there was minimal policing earlier. did they simply underestimate the amount of crowds that were coming out today. but this is the first sort of really large protest against the austerity measures that the government has been put into place. until now the british government has been quite reserved.

>> atika, we've been watching with you here throughout the course of our day and sort of seen the evolution of the size of the crowds. and i know you're saying it died down. how effective -- you mentioned the police force. you said programs it wasn't as strong as programs it should have been. were they able to kind of quell the protests? and how long has the scene kind of been dying down? >> reporter: well, it's been dying down now for some time. but basically it went on for a few hours. we were actually walking with the protesters here when they managed to get into that first lobby of the building over there. and literally they just walked right in through the revolving doors. they initially seemed almost taken aback they were able to get in so easily. that's when they began smashing the windows and so forth. a lot of people are asking why didn't the police anticipate -- this is after all conservative party headquarters -- that at least some protesters would try to get in. what happened then is when all the hundreds of students were attracted by this basically set

up shop. it almost became a rave. music going and fire crackers. almost like a big party until the police were able to get better control of the situation. >> almost like a mob mentality. atika, answer me this because we've been talking and see the pictures where they crashed through the conservative party headquarters but correct me. it was the liberal democrats led by nick clegg who signed the pledges not to raise the fees if elected. why are they attacking conservative party headquarters? >> reporter: well, i mean, this was basically on the route for the protest. it's one of the reasons why the protest was organized. went past the prime minister's office and conservative party headquarters. the point was to make a statement. but nobody anticipated that it would turn as violent as it did. and you make a good point. the anger wasn't directed just at the conservative party. a lot was at the liberal democrats. they campaigned not to raise tuition fees during the elections and a lot of the students feel betrayed by that. so there is an equal amount of anger directed at the liberal democrats but it just so happens

that this conservative party headquarters was right on their route and they simply smashed their way in to make a violent statement. >> they smashed through and made a violent statement. it looks for now looking over your shoulder -- looks pretty clear so i'm assuming the students are out of there for now. final question, where do we go from here? they've left a lot of destruction in their wake through the protesting over these proposed tuition hikes. so when do we know if the proposal actually might go into effect and what about -- what about the students and what about the government here? how do they respond? >> reporter: well, this is the question. how is the government going to respond to this? i mean, the government is s. has essentially said that it cannot afford the kind of funding that it had in the past, that it's inevitable that these kind of tuition hikes are going to happen. they slash university budgets by as much as 40%. it's a recession. this is a result of it. that's what they say. but what the students say is that there are better ways to do that. they understand that these cuts need to be made eventually but

it just can't happen as suddenly and as quickly as it did. that's what the students are saying. how will the government responds to this? we'll have to wait and see. david cameron the prime minister is actually away on a trip to china at the moment so he's missed all of this excitement from the students back home. >> wow. atika shubert, now he it's been a long, long day and 9:16 your time at night. really appreciate you sticking around and showing us the scene in the evening. thanks. wouldn't it be nice if you have and your favorite co-worker suddenly got a 10% raise? yeah, i'm thinking that's kind of nice. this is actually happening at a mega-mega-company. wait until executives said, sure, take the raise. that's ahead. you know this race, miller versus murkowski. this is the senate race still going. hanging in the balance. now election officials are starting the counting process for the write-in balths. could a winner be declared soon? shannon travis standing by in alaska.

welt come back today "cnn newsroom." you know things are finally coming to a climax in alaska in that senate race that still, still has not been decided. just a couple of hours ago they began the big process counting those write-in votes in the race between two republicans. here they are. you have write-in republican lisa murkowski on the left who has to be the incumbent and tea party republican joe miller. miller has a big beef with how the counting is being conducted and he has just filed suit in federal court. cnn political producer shannon travis live for us in juneau. shannon, help me out here. is the tea party movement's joe miller asking the feds to tell

his state of alaska how it can and can't count votes? am i hearing that right? >> reporter: not exactly. let's kind of set this up here. you explained a lot of the backgrounds. let's explain what's going on in this room behind me. behind me you have election workers counting 80,000 write-in bids. some might say lisa murkowski and some say someone else and some might try to spell out murkowski but be misspelled. these are the guidelines that the alaska division of election has set up that governs how those votes will be evaluated. one of the top things here, it says the ballots will be initially sorted and the voter's intent evaluated. that basically means if someone wrote on the ballot, filled in the old one and wrote in lisa mokowski or said lisa m. it will evaluate whether they intended to vote for the incumbent senator. this right here is the lawsuit from her opponent joe miller

saying no way. saying basically that alaska law does not allow for voter intent to be evaluated, that it must be spelled correctly and that the person on the candidate's certificate form must also be actually on the ballot. these two things they have to reconcile. as you mentioned earlier, joe miller has got this lawsuit basically saying, hey, we want an injunction against this and don't want voter intent evaluated and says it's unconstituti unconstitutional. >> he's saying it's unconstitutional and saying no way filing suit in federal court. what about lisa murkowski? what are you hearing from her side and how do they feel about what they've done in the race? >> reporter: understand going on right behind me you have a representative from both camps evaluating how the votes are -- the write-in ballots are being weighed. murkowski's campaign issued a statement basically saying that miller's campaign wants to disenfranchise votes. so this is going to be a rough

battle. they're expecting possibly for this thing to be decided by friday for all the votes to be counted but it will be unofficial and likely lots of legal challenges. >> so i think you just answered my next question which was when may we have a final count. so we're saying maybe, big maybe italicized ends of the week. and in terms of a winner or i should say really a loser going away quietly probably not so much. >> reporter: yeah. i mean, we may -- and stress -- i like that you stress the word maybe have a final count on friday. in terms of when a winner will be officially declared, it's really up to how many legal challenges both sides might actually mount. >> shannon travis, enjoy your time in juneau and we'll be seeing you later this week, that is for sure. thank you. we know that a teenager -- here he was -- beaten to death at a georgia house party just over this weekend just because he walked by a group of guys at the wrong time. here's what we don't know. is what led up to that attack

and really who was the ringleader, who was responsible. coming up next, the men accused of this awful crime are speaking out from jail for the first time.

new details here in that stomping death of a georgia teenager. 18-year-old bobby tillman, he was killed early sunday morning in what started off as just a small house party for just a few teenagers. so suddenly, though, it grew out of control when dozens of kids showed up. so three of the suspects now charged with tillman's murder are now talking on camera. in fact, one young man tells a very different version of what happened than what we're hearing from police. they say dozens of witnesses

told them tillman didn't do anything to provoke that attack. he was just jumped at random when he walked past a fight. but i want you to listen extra carefully. i'm giving au heads up here. to what suspect emanuel boykins says in these jail house interviews. this is mark willie from our affiliate wsb in atlanta. >> you didn't mean to even if you did do in your heart? >> no, sir. >> didn't mean to -- >> no, i did not. >> you made one mistake? >> going to that party. and not listened to my mom. >> bigger than me. i've got younger brothers and siblings and i wouldn't want nobody to hurt them for looking at them. >> emanuel boykins maintains he's innocent of bobby tillman's murder. >> did you kill him? >> no, sir. >> did you help kill him? >> no, sir. >> i'm saying i'm innocent.

>> boykins says he's an innocent victim. >> very innocent standing up to the side. >> i don't think he's the type of guy to just try to come at somebody and start something with him. >> bobby looked at me and i was just like what you looking at? it was like nothing, what you looking at? >> boykins told us he died because he looked at somebody the wrong way. >> a friend of mine came and said we got a problem. i said he ain't talking about nothing. he ran across the street or whatever and he punched him and he fell on top of the car. so while i was trying to pull my friends off of him you know what i'm saying more people came in and jumped in. i don't know who those people was. >> attacking bobby? >> yeah. >> do you have any idea why? >> no i don't. >> quantez mallory says he's innocent but didn't want to interview on camera. >> sends my condolences out to bobby's family. >> mark winfrney from wsb.

>> his mother's best friends is dead because of a lock on his face that was perceived of disrespect. i spoke with bobby tillman's mother right here just yesterday and her message to parents is this. it is time to step up, intervene, time to stop the rage that can make young men and young women spiral out of control. >> my son died from bullying. if we can stop it before it gets there and help these children -- it was rage. it was jealousy. it was pride. all these things in these boys to make them want to stomp my son and kill him? that's outrageous. how can someone have so much of that inside of them especially someone that's not even 21 yet? so they've lived only that long and have so much of that built up that they had to stomp my child. it has to be stopped before -- not once they're caught, because we can put everyone in jail but before. you know what i mean? >> she was good enough to speak with me two days after she lost

her son. talk about a strong woman. that was monique rivarde. she has set up a bobby tillman memorial fund to fight bullying and abuse. she will bury her son this saturday. so this is the life for the stranded cruise passengers. no air conditioning, minimal electric power. sounds like paradise, right? no. let's not even talk about the toilet situation. but, hey, at least they got spam. not talking about your e-mail spam. talking spam like what is that fried ham? more on efforts to help those passengers. that is next. also, a woman fired after trashing her boss on facebook? she's getting a little help from a federal watchdog group but don't go updating your page with workplace complaints just yet. hold on. ♪ client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize i better start doing something. we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions.

we really are here to help you. they look back and think, "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach.

got a couple other stories that are unfolding right now. here's the latest on that crippled cruise ship off the coast of mexico. three tugboats are helping tow carnival's "smrenldzor." it's expected to arrive they hope in san diego tomorrow. the u.s. navy dropping off food and supplies to the more than 4500 people on board that thing. the ship lost power after fire in the engine room monday and definitely stick around. i actually got a passenger on the phone on his cell phone from that cruise ship. that is coming up. meantime, police in florida in a massive lockdown of an entire school system. here's what we know. a woman calls up a radio station, warns that her husband planned to shoot up a school. police say they then got an e-mail warning. here's what it said, quote, something big will happen at a government building, end quote. so that sparked a massive full-scale lockdown across a

huge area. listen to this. 250,000 students go to that -- go to schools in that particular county. there are more than 230 schools in centers. but now lockdown over, the threat quote diminished. kids are being let out at normal times. president obama in south korea right now for the g-20 summit. he is expected to catch some flak. you see several economic superpowers at that summit aren't exactly pleased with the fed pumping $600 billion into the u.s. economy. earlier on his trip to indonesia the president renewed his promise to improve u.s. relations with muslims all around the world. >> i've made it clear that america is not and never will be at war with islam. instead, all of us must work together to defeat al qaeda and its affiliates. we have no claim to be leaders of any religion. >> the president had to cut his trip short indonesia. we told you all about the mt. merapi spewing ash, threatening

to ground air force one, so he got out of there a little earlier. also just in attorney general eric holder says the obama administration is close to making a decision about where to hold the terror trials for the 9/11 suspects. so that includes the alleged mastermind here. remember khalid shaikh mohammed? critics blasted the administration for at one point considering holding those trials in new york city. of course as soon as we get that information we will pass it right along to you. and there is some breaking news out of washington state. the state liquor board just announcing it is banning these alcoholic energy drinks. you're looking at the big can that's called four loco. it comes after several college students went to the hospital last month. they apparently had been drinking four loco at this off campus party. some nicknamed this blackout in a can. the ban goes into effect next week. all right, ladies, listen up. the government recently rejected a drug designed to help boost

your sex drive. well, scientists, they're not giving up. they may have found someone with the answer. hmm. stay tuned.

okay. in the sake of being equal, you know that for the men there have been a lot of stories already out on this but ladies this is for you. if you're suffering from low sex drive, there may be hope. after the fda rejected a drug this past summer, scientists are now taking note on what some women in other countries are doing now. they're turning to untested, unproven natural aphrodisiacs.

cnn correspondent elizabeth cohen went all the way to lima, peru and has a look at one herb and its effect on women. >> reporter: when a woman in the united states is having problems with sex, she goes to a doctor or to a therapist. but here in peru, she goes shopping. what do we have here that can help a woman who is suffering from sex problems? >> we have maca. and this is really the sexual power herb of the andes. >> reporter: chris travels the world. he calls himself a medicine hunter. one of the herbs he's found maca used by women in peru and other parts of the world to get their sex lives going. >> reporter: so if i took a scoop of this maca powder every morning, what would it do to me sexually. >> >> sexually, it might cause chinese new year's fireworks in your pants. >> it works like a charm. >> reporter: diana morebeck grew up in peru and now lives in the united states. she's been taking maca for a

year. >> it increases your sexual drive. i would say from 30% before to a good 95%. >> reporter: how high up are we? >> i figure right now we're probably at about 10,500, 11,000 feet to grow. >> reporter: it needs altitude to grow so he's taking me up into the andes mountains to see the origins, peru's maca fields. there it is. >> this is a fresh maca root. >> reporter: who would think something so ugly could lead to such pleasure? really it's not so beautiful. some of my studies have found that maca is an aphrodisiac but there's no major human studies, no strong scientific evidence that it works in women. the products earn $5 million in u.s. sales last year. supplements like maca don't require approval by the food and drug administration. chris, i have to say some people

say this is hooey. nobody has done big studies on macca and women had how do we know it works? >> people who take it get a sexual effect. non-peruvian women eat maca and say, wow, this has made a huge difference in my sex life and that's what tters to me. >> elizabeth cohen with the big story in peru. i'm going to keep my mouth closed. let's talk wedding. is a british royal close to popping the question? there are rumors. prince williams and his girlfriend kate middleton could announce they'll be walking down the aisle. we'll be getting the scoop from royal watcher katie nicole next hour. don't miss that. which company could it be giving employees a whopping 10% raise? we'll tell you why executives are doing this. it's "trending" and it's next. which is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest

to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better about my son playing football. [ male announcer ] how would you use toyota technology to make a better world? learn how to share your ideas at toyota.com/ideasforgood. one month, five years after you do retire? ♪ client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize i better start doing something.

we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think, "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach.

before we talk about what's "trending" today, a lot of you right now have been talking to me and tweeting me about those pictures we showed you that live report out of london all those students, thousands of students pro testing tripling the tuition. i want to go to the twitter board and show you just a couple of tweets. as always thank you so much for sending them in. first matt tweets me media will obsess about the greed of drug or finance companies but completely ignore the greed of college faculty and staff. liz tweets, sad that the student protests in london against cuts resulted in violence. they did indeed. matthew johnson, violence will not get you guys anywhere. idiots. if you want education at least show you're worthy of it. one final tweet from the ruby kid. what's worse, a few broken windows or working class kids being priced out of education?

guys, thank you all so much for your tweets. now as promised, it is "trending" time. and people are talking about a connecticut company that fired an employee after she posted some critical comments about her boss on facebook. plus tom hanks and his soggy appearance. hysterical if you saw it. talking conan last night. it's this time of year to start giving and giving. what google has done. what did they give? sand ra endo. i have been to mountainview. that's been an incredible campus. not all kinds of cool stuff out there, they're getting more money. >> early christmas it seems. it's definitely "trending" today. a surprise for employees at google. 23,000 employees worldwide get a 10% raise starting at the beginning of next year. and they also get a thousand dollars tax free christmas bonus and merit increases as well. and google says it's an effort to lure and keep top talent and boost morale. get this, 10% of facebook employees are all google

veterans. and other silicon valley companies aggressively poach from the search engine giant. and google's total cost for this for next year will be $400 million. but a lot of happy employees. >> they do. they just kind of say come in to work whenever you want, leave when you want. these are some smart people over there. there they get their raise. also today you mentioned facebook. and one woman did a little something that was a no no with regard to her boss. >> oh, yeah, this is also "trending" today. a case that could set a precedent when it comes to the use of social media. dawn marie sosa alleges her employer american medical response fired her last year because she wrote unflattering things about her supervisor on her facebook page. her company says she was fired for multiple serious complaints about her behavior, not because of her social networking activities. but then the national labor relations board is for the first time issuing a complaint and getting involved. it issued a complaint against amr for what it calls illegally firing sosa and denying her

union representation during an investigatory review. now, the labor relations board argues that workers' criticism of their bosses on social networking sites like facebook is generally a, quote, protected concerted activity. and a lawyer for amr insists the firing was because of sosa's, quote, rude and discourteous behavior with patients. so two sides of the story there of course and a labor board hearing is set for january about the case. and when contacted by cnn, brooke, sosa declined comment. but she is seeking full reinstatement to her job. >> got it. they're saying it's not what she was posting on her facebook. it's how she was behaving. finally this is hilarious. i'm a huge tom hanks fan. this was a little something you don't get to see very often. >> yeah. it was funny last night. conan o'brien's buddy actor tom hanks. he was on the show admiring the ocean backdrop on his set when he was joking about watching out for breached whales. take a look at what happened.

>> no, they're not breaching. they are lunging. if they were to breach, actually 40% of them would come out of the water. >> oh, and there it goes. >> all right. a big splash. and a big splash for the audience too. a lot of people liked that. i'm sure they're tweeting you about that and the reaction has been pretty funny today. conan credits hanks obviously for giving him the name coco. it's a nickname that stuck over time. of course we know the new show debuted monday to good ratings of more than 4 million viewers. >> it was tom hanks who came up with the coco name and that's what stuck? >> yeah. they're good friends. they're buddies, so he can take a joke. >> i like that. he seemed like a very good sport. sandra endo, thank you. take a look at what a surveillance camera caught. a deer in a bar? maybe he was thirsty.

okay. tell me if you heard this one before. a deer walks into a bar. no, really, a deer walks into a bar. we have got the video. take a look. you've got to see this. in ohio, a deer, bam, bursts through the front window of luke's bar and grill. surveillance cameras on vutly caught the whole thing in action. this deer in the headlights could not keep his footing, smashing into tables and chairs but wasn't the only one scared. get a load of the guy, there is a guy, back right, two guys, getting out of there, running for his life. i probably would have as well. there he goes. next, plymouth township, pennsylvania two guys thought they had the perfect bank robbery plan, get in, grab the loot, get out.

almost perfect until the dye packs in the money bags exploded. cameras were rolling as they made their getaway trailing red smoke and all at large now, wishing they had gotten the green. see the smoke? pink smoke? there we go. british columbia, the good samaritan in a wheelchair wasted no time using his best wrestling moves to defend his female clerk from being attacked. around and around they go. he tried to pay the cashier with a counterfeit $50 bill, she wasn't going for it, customers started attacking the clerk, needless to say, no way to treat a lady. her hero with the help some of bystanders put the unruly man in a choke hold until police arrived. next, an i-report, listen to this -- >> little girl. >> hey, sweetie. >> good morning. good morning. >> was that the deer that was in the bar? i don't know. the i-report comes to us from

oak ridge, north carolina. you got to see this. you see the deer, it walked into the house, oh, my goodness, she's feeding it. apparently this is back in april this woman named amy here found this abandoned baby deer in her yard. she helped care for it until the deer was big enough to be released. but here's the hitch. this deer, i guess he just had so much good milk and tender loving care, didn't want to go away. likes to be bottle fed. amy says she will continue to feed the little girl until she stops coming by. how endearing. it is a grippaling mystery. not even the pentagon can give us answers. look at this picture. we talked about this yesterday. what is that? what flew through the sky near the california coastline? was it a missile, a plane, or one big cover-up? we're digging, that is ahead. also, look at who is standing by. oh, it is the man who didn't have a voice for forever, mark preston. can we get a hello?

>> hey, brooke, how are you? >> you sound better, mark and paul with breaking news from the world of politics. we have your cnn political ticker. that is next. out of the very best america had to offer. ingenuity. integrity. optimism. and a belief that the finest things are the most thoughtfully made -- not the most expensive. today, the american character is no less strong. and chevrolet continues as an expression of the best of it. bringing more technology to more people than ever in our history. inventing new ways to get around our planet while preserving it at the same time. exploring new horizons of design and power. and making our vehicles amongst the safest on earth. this isn't just any car company. this is chevrolet. and the strength of our nation can be found in every car and truck we make. it's why, today, tomorrow, and on into a bright future, we can proudly say...

...chevy runs deep. ♪ ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ my only sunshine ♪ you makes me happy ♪ when skies are grey ♪ you'll never know, dear ♪ how much i love you ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ [ male announcer ] as long as there are babies,

they'll be chevy's to bring them home. ♪ all right, as you know, cnn equals politics. time to get a check of the latest political news coming into our cnn political ticker. let's check in with mark preston, paul stein houser. good to see you. mark preston, if i may, it is nice to hear your voice. i heard you lost it on election day. so on super bowl day, you lose it. you feeling better? >> i feel a little better. i think my children, brooke, were very happy i lost my voice because it was gone for about a week. so they got away with a lot. my poor wife had to do all the disciplining. >> the wife. all right, so voice aside, let's talk politics, gentlemen. what do you have? >> let's talk about what is said behind closed door and what exactly is true and what's not true. in president bush's new book "decision points", he says he was given the personal assurance

by the former german chancellor gerhard schroeder that he would back him if he decided to invade iraq. well, of course, gerhard schroeder came out and publicly denounced the invasion of iraq a few months after this meeting supposedly took place. in fact, mr. bush kind of lays it out in his book that he had gotten this assurance. well, mr. schroeder has said in an interview that the former american president is not telling the truth. so, clearly, somebody is telling the truth and somebody is not telling the truth. maybe there was a little misconstruing of what was said, but we're still litigating the iraq war even to this day. let's focus in on congress. john boehner, he'll be the incoming house speaker, we much expect him to be. but who really knows him? four in ten americans don't even know him, don't know enough about him to form an opinion. as our viewers know, if you look back at the midterm elections, americans had an opinion of

nancy pelosi, a very low opinion of nancy pelosi and some people think that helped lead to this historic 60-seat loss in the house of representatives. so, john boehner, has a favorable ability rating of 34% and unfavorable of 26%. so this is a new gallup poll. there is a lot of room for john baner to g er boehner to get a lot of fans or enemies. >> interesting numbers about the democrats and the republicans. we know a lame duck congress is coming back next week, the big topic, the big discussion, extending the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. they don't see eye to eye. check the numbers out, mark was talking about that gallup poll. we asked what is more important, for politicians to stick to their beliefs or compromise. check this out. republicans and democrats don't see eye to eye. six out of ten democrats say it is more important to compromise, only less than one in five say stick to your beliefs. republicans, four in ten say stick to your beliefs.

it seems republicans and democrats don't agree on agreeing, brooke. >> there we go. mark and paul, guys, both of you, big thank you. we'll get another political ticker update for you in 30 minutes. you can always get the latest political news, always working very, very hard to update it, go to cnnpolitics.com. and top of the hour, here we go, want to welcome in the people watching us on american forces network around the world. first up, a frightening disclosure for us here in the u.s. that package bomb sent from yemen last month, it was timed to explode in a plane over the east coast of the united states. this revelation coming in today from the scotland yard. the bomb was discovered in england and the timer indicated it would have detonated in six hours. that plane would have put -- that would have put the plane over the eastern seaboard. next, developing news out of france. the french government reporting that officials arrested five people suspected of plotting

terror attacks, specifically suicide attacks. we're told they were planning to strike paris and one was "prepared to die." we're following the updates. the lockdown of the broward county school system finally over. a woman called into a radio station, warned that her husband planned to shoot up a school. police say they then got an e-mail warning "something big will happen at a government building." so that sparked, as you can imagine, a massive full scale lockdown of hundreds of schools. but now we are hearing that lockdown is officially over. the threat is "diminished" but police are still trying to figure this one out. they're investigating. but kids are being let out at normal times. next, promising job numbers from the labor department today. take a look at these numbers with me. new jobless benefits claims, they are down to the lowest points since july 10th, 435,000 people filed first time claims last week.

that's down 24,000 over the previous week. next, remember the bill to raise that retirement age that drove hundreds of thousands of protests near the streets of france? remember that? that just became law. nick l nicolas sarkozy signed the bill today. it raises the age all the way from 60 to 62. the french public, they hate it. president sarkozy admits it is a difficult step, yes, but he says it is necessary in order to cut france's deficit. next, secretary of state hillary clinton today said that the united states is deeply disappointed with israel's decision to build new housing units in sensitive areas of east jerusalem. in fact, clinton went on to say that israel's announcement to build new homes is, "counterproductive to getting the two sides to resume peace negotiations." next, boeing has canceled test flights of its 787 dreamliner for now after one made an emergency landing in

south texas. the pilot reported some smoke way back in the back of the cabin during a test flight. fortunately no one was hurt. the company trying to track down the problem now. several dozen boeing employees did escape after the plane landed. the fuel efficient next generation plane has been plagued by production delays. check out this driver in north carolina. you see what she's doing? wait for it. see her left hand? that's a phone, folks. texting while driving a school bus. and she was caught on camera doing it three times in one day. in one case, it appears she's texting during the afternoon bus run with some 20 children on board. see the blawe're blacking out t faces. they're not sure if she was writing a text or reading one. does it matter? either way, she's been banned for bus drivers since 2007. the driver has been charged with a misdemeanor and resigned as a bus driver, but she is keeping

her part-time school nutrition job. there is no law against texting there. take a look at this. fire, graffiti, breaking glass here, massive protest. that is london. this is all over college tuition. some of them even broke into the headquarters of one of the political parties there. we'll take you to the scene in london. that's ahead. what would you do, imagine, you're on a cruise, you think you're headed to a seven-day vacation along the mexican riff air w riviera and you're stuck. coming up next, i talk to a passenger stuck on that ship. wait until you hear what he and his girlfriend told me. be right back. keup out there to cover up flaws and make skin look pretty but there's one that's so clever, it makes your skin look better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% of women saw improvement

in their skin's natural texture, tone, or clarity. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics recommended most by dermatologists.

we still have this crippled cruise ship. it is stranded off the coast of mexico. you know the one with nearly 4500 people on board. well, at least the good news here is it is on its way back to the united states. in fact, according to the u.s. coast guard, tug boats have been joining the ship here to tow it to san diego. expected to arrive sometime tomorrow. and as the ship is getting closer to the coast, passengers are increasingly able to receive intermittent cell service. so earlier today i was able to talk to intermittently a couple on board the ship. here is a piece of our conversation. how far out at sea were you when suddenly the power went out? >> we had been traveling for at least 12 or 14 hours overnight.

we had left, i believe, the port in long beach sometime around 6:00 p.m. on sunday night. we had traveled all night long and around 6:00 a.m. on monday morning is when we started smelling the smoke. >> so you did smell smoke? >> smell it and we saw it. it was toward the rear of the ship and we were able to see it coming out of the sides, kind of billowing out of the sides. it was very strong. >> were you frightened that the point in time? was the crew communicating with the passengers what was going on? were you in the loop? >> actually, they came on the air -- the public address system quite quickly in the morning. woke everybody up and said, you know, there is an issue, they said there was an electrical fire, but there were no flames is what they reported to us, there were no flames, just smoke. and they had stopped the ship in order to find out what the problem was. and it took them most of the day

to get rid of the smoke from the engine room. the supplies were delivered yesterday from the "uss ronald reagan." 20 pellets full of supplies on to the ship and they were distributed throughout the ship and they were giving them out as needed, but just water and cold things. >> you said for the most part it seemed organized. i'm sure the passengers have been talking, everyone has been mulling about, has there been a sense of panic, have people been angry? give me the flavor on the ship. >> people have mostly been disappointed, angry, a lot of first time cruisers were on this ship. a lot of people who have never been on a cruise before have come on this ship. and they were upset the fact that they -- that this is their experience. so a lot of them are just frustrated, frustrated with the whole process, just how they're going to get off the ship, what is going to happen now. a lot of times they go to the information desk, but the information desk doesn't have the information they need. they have to get that directly from the captain and from the

cruise director. so everyone is always waiting for the announcements, which come usually every hour or so and they fill us in. >> david, what about you personally? i guess, what was your -- if you can cite one moment or one thought you had that was like your most frustrating or lowest moment, what would that be? >> that was actually at the point when i first smelled the smoke early in the morning on monday morning. and i thought to myself, okay, i smell smoke, that's not good, the ship has stopped. i started grabbing a backpack that i had brought with me and started packing the essentials in that backpack because i thought if we had to go to the muster station to board the lifeboats, i wanted to be able to do that. my girlfriend and i were both kind of waiting, wondering where the smoke was coming from. and so i told her, i said you have to get all your things, whatever is important to you, ready. and so we started getting ready, but we didn't hear any general alarms, so we didn't -- we

thought we would wait until they came on the public address system, which they did. they came in the public address system in about 20 minutes after the smoke started coming out and they said there is nothing to worry about, nothing to be alarmed bah, thealarm ed about. the coast guard was here today testing all of the doors. >> what was worst part? >> i think the stench, the smell. and it is worse today than it was yesterday. and the people are throwing up. kids. >> all over the smell, because the toilets couldn't flush? >> yes. >> this whole boat really stinks. >> can you imagine the whole boat really stinks because for a while they couldn't flush the toilets. imagine having one of the rooms, you don't have a window, you just have to keep your door open. she said that is the worst part of it right now. final note on this couple, they were so good to join me, i also

asked if they were going to be taking advantage of carnival's offer of getting the refund for this would be trip along the mexican riviera but taking another cruise. they said, yes, they definitely will. the pentagon is now weighing in on the missile mystery. but it doesn't really clear anything up. coming up next, the latest on what didn't cause the plume and perhaps a clue about what did. there aren't any engraved invitations yet, but there are signs from buckingham palace that a royal wedding this way comes, perhaps. we'll tell you what prince william and kate middleton have been up to. stay there. save $345. 16 minutes could save you 16%. come on. isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers, more savings, and discounts up to 40%.

where else are you gonna get discounts like that? but first, talk to your neighbors. chances are, they're one of the 40 million. then call a state farm agent or go online for a free discount double-check. they'll find you discounts you didn't even know you deserved. like discounts for having a safe car. so go ahead. check with your neighbors. then call a state farm agent at 1-877-699-8970 or go to discountdoublecheck.com.

welcome back to the

"newsroom." is it a missile, a plane? two days after the trail appeared over the skies of southern california, here it is, the pentagon says this is coming from a plane, but people are still asking what is it? what is it? let's ask chris lawrence. he has the latest explanation. what is it? do we have a definitive answer. >> i was afraid you were going to ask me that question, brooke. i've been staring at this thing now for two days straight like a lot of people here at the pentagon. and what really kicked all this off was the fact that no one, you know, up until just a few hours ago, no one could definitively give any answer as to what this was. some very respected people, professors of science and space exploration at mit thought for sure this was some sort of rocket or missile. looked at the weigh the contrail twisted and curved and said, well, that's very consistent with a missile. the pentagon now saying, no, it is just a condensation trail

from a plane. now, one of the people who caught this sort of early on with a very good initial guess was john pike, he's an analyst at global security. listen to what he said yesterday. >> it is clearly an airplane contrail. it is an optical illusion that it looks like it is going up where as in reality it is going towards the camera. the vehicle at the tip of the contrail is moving far too slowly to be a rocket. since the contrail is eliminated by the sunset you can see hundreds of miles of it all the way to the horizon. >> a lot of people with just as good of a qualification thought for sure this was some sort of rocket missile. something launched inadvertently if a sub. another theory, the u.s. military launching something as sort of a show of force to say, north korea, while president

obama travels in the region. >> i guess the long answer is we don't fully know for sure yet. and i think one of the criticisms including from john pike himself as you know is he said, look, some of the criticism has been very much so direct eed at the pentagon, how are we paying these people all this money, how can they not readily identify what the thing is in the sky. is the pentagon at all responding at all to that critici criticism? >> we take things to pentagon officials all the time. hey, i heard this about afghanistan, or we heard secretary gates is going to decide this, and when they want to shoot something down, they do so very forcefully. and a lot of people said, look, they could have just come out and said, look, that's a plane, you idiot. stop making such a big deal about this. but they didn't. they really left the door open for a lot of interpretations because they couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was. the faa had to go back and do radar replays, norad had to

check with a lot of systems to make sure no missile was actually fired. they eventually did that. but, again, you're talking almost 48 hours later. >> right. so finally, chris, we may never know definitively what that thing was. >> we have got a better chance of knowing what it was not more so than ever really exactly figuring out what it was. >> there you go. >> does that make sense? >> kind of, sort of. kind of, sort of. chris lawrence, good to see you. thank you. up next, a crime so senseless, police called it a pure thrill kill. the bizarre story. it involved a machete and a survivor who saved herself by playing dead.

[ male announcer ] nature is unique... ...authentic... ...pure... and also delicious. ♪ like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. because natural is not only good, it also tastes good. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious.

it was a brutal home invasion that shattered the sense of security in a new england community last year. it is not the one you're thinking of in connecticut. this is a separate one. this is a mother who was hacked to death with a machete while her daughter survived a brutal stabbing. now, a 19-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison for murder. deborah feyerick has the story of a senseless crime that officials called a thrill kill. >> reporter: the judge did not mince words, sentencing steven spader to life in prison with no parole for a horrific senseless murder that shocked a small new england town. >> i could go on for days and days and days about the depth of your depravity, but it is sufficient to say that you belong in a cage. >> reporter: it happened october 2009, on a dirt road as the leaves were changing. a thrill kill prosecutors called it for 18-year-old high school dropout steve spader and three friends. christopher gribl, quinn glover

and william marks who allegedly wanted to kill to see what it felt like. prosecutors described the teens as followers of the group insane clown posse and claimed they formed their own brotherhood, the disciples of destruction. court documents show they took a loyalty oath, gathering knives, a machete, ax and gloves to commit the crime. the accused attackers made their way up this dirt road in the dead of night, choosing a home that happened to belong to the kates family. it took them more than 30 minutes to find a way to break in. once inside, they made their way searching through the hall until they got to the last room where kimberly kates and her daughter jamie were sleeping. husband david was away on business. and the alarm system was broken. spader allegedly laid out the events of the grizzly night himself, in a handwritten note. prosecutors say he called a bed time story to impress fellow inmate chad landry. landry read it aloud in court.

>> swinging the machete down on the mom, she screamed, then kind of gargled, then made some other weird noises. i told gribl to stop her, just to be sure. he did. >> reporter:e refers to gribl, this man, chris, a co-defendant who was 19 at the time. >> they were all covered in blood. >> reporter: spader's two other accomplices cut deals testifying what they saw and heard as they stood outside the bedroom door. >> steve spader walked up to her and hit her in the head with the machete. >> i heard cries for help, begging, no, no. >> reporter: kimberly kates died in her bed. 11-year-old jamie stabbed 15 times fell near the sliding glass doors and lay still, pretending to be dead. >> she was on the floor, tangled in the curtains. >> reporter: after the attackers left, jamie crawled to the kitchen and called 911.

>> what's your emergency? >> hello? somebody robbed my -- somebody robbed our house. >> reporter: what makes this crime even more difficult to comprehend is how normal the accused teenagers appeared to behave in the hours following. prosecutors say gribl spent some time doing homework before leaving with spader to meet up with other friends at a nearby mall. the two accused thrill seekers seen here just hours after the murder selling jewelry taken from the kates' home. prosecutors say the crime was never about money, it was about the thrill. spader not only bragging to friends, but also writing about it, calling it "such an adrenaline rush." the verdict, little consolation for david kates and his daughter. >> kim and i had dreams, hopes and aspirations like any family and now all of those are shattered. >> reporter: deborah feyerick, cnn, nashua, new hampshire.

>> awful. nine months of hell, that's how ledelizabeth smart describe her kidnapping in court today. her testimony has been tough, defiant. today, day three for her on the stand, the most emotional day yet. we'll hear more from that and what she had to say coming up next half hour. meantime, dusty has been tracking the political news from washington all the way to her home state of the west coast in california. we'll get the latest when we come right back.

cnn has all your latest political news with the best political team on television. easy for me to say. jessica yellin is out in los angeles. jessica, to see you, what is crossing right now?

>> the big news today, brooke, is that the deficit commission that president obama convened has come out with its recommendations and they are leaping on to the third rail of politics suggesting the usually unthinkable, which is helping to reduce the deficit by reducing the growth of social security. it is one of those things politicians rarely like to take on. one of the proposals is to bring down the growth of social security by reducing the increase in the cost of living adjustment every year. that's when they adjust it for inflation. and also gradually increasing the retirement age to 69. they also suggest about $200 billion in cut to defense and domestic spending and changes to the tax code. as you might guess this is all being received with praise and criticism and it is a long way from this proposal to any kind of reality. so we'll see where that one goes. one of the big new changes, brooke, when the republicans take over control of the house next year, speaker boehner says he'll do one big thing differently, he says he will fly home to his district commercial.

why does this matter? it is because the republicans were very outspoken critics of nancy pelosi, who has flown from d.c. to her district in san francisco using military aircraft. now, pelosi explained she does that because the speaker of the house is second in line to the presidency in a crisis and security has demanded private military planes. and you have to fly in the military, you know, fleet of planes to get that kind of protection. even the sergeant of arms defended her, a neutral person in congress, and speaker has territory, tert defended her. sarah palin, spoke against one -- last night, brooke, and she's been out and about commenting on so many things. and last night she once again flirted with the idea of running for president. here's how it came up. we always, you know, wonder about this one. she was introduced by a strong

by one of the students. after the song, she said, how would you like to sing at an inauguration? and she goes, well, not necessarily mine. and then the speaker asked her if she's going to run and she said she'll give it prayerful consideration, but if she does, she says, i'll be in it to win it. you know why that's meaningful, because that's how hillary clinton it introduced her bid for presidency when she said she's running, she said i'm in it to win it. she is borrowing that line from hillary clinton, we can only read the tea leaves and guess what that means. >> i love that, flirting with it. she would be first to have her own reality show, right? >> i think you're right. >> we'll be following it with you. we'll get another political update next half hour on cnn. this is kind of dorky, i woke up this morning, this is the first thing i thought about, this big interview i have coming up about this possible impending royal wedding.

might a royal wedding be on the horizon? we have a royal watcher talking to me live with all of the scoop. that is next.

before we talk about the royal wedding, i want to show you the pictures, just in to cnn. you're looking at a whole lot of smoke, a lot of firefighters fighting this one. this is rankin, pennsylvania, outside of pittsburgh. it is a bunch of homes, what they call row homes. this was taped from earlier. so you can see how fiery really this thing was. what we know is there are actually ten units part of this whole row. six of them on fire right now. one person has been taken to the hospital for some minor burns. two firefighters also treated on

the scene and as you can tell here, this fire is a multiple alarm fire. pictures out of pennsylvania. now to this, a secret pact, an invitation to join the queen for her annual christmas family lunch, a new wardrobe, royal watchers say add all these pieces up and that smells look a royal engagement, very soon, for britain's prince william and his long-time girlfriend kate middleton. want to bring in katy nicholls, a royal correspondent and author. we have the book cover, but i also got it yesterday and was flipping through it all last night. this is "william and harry: behind palace walls." ka katie, great to have you on. what are you hearing? will they or won't they? >> well, look, brooke, they are definitely going to get married, these two. all the signs are that it is going to happen. we have seen her at balmoral with her parents. we know she's probably going to be going to sandingham at

christmas. all of these things are saying engagement is imminent. it is either going to be just in time for christmas, or i'm thinking maybe new year, but it certainly looks like it is coming. that's the way it is looking to all of us. >> she's looking at all of us and that's amazing. we played the if game, if and when they get married. will this be a subdued thing like i think they want or will we see this massive wedding like we saw with diana? >> well, i mean, it is going to be all of that comparison with diana and charles, but william and kate is very different. you look at how they live their lives now, they like to be below the radar, they're very private, they go to such extreme lengths to keep away from the cameras. they certainly want a low key wedding. i think we'll see a compromise. i don't think it will be st. georges chapel in windsor which would keep them happy. i think england would be too

happy about that. >> we remember watching the big wedding, diana and charles' wedding. i'm curious if and when this happens would wear any of diana's jewels or her tiara. do we know? >> there has been a lost speculation on that. princess diana would have left heirlooms behind for prince william. there is speculation possibly she will have diana's wedding ring. you mentioned the tiara, it is not unheard of for the royal family to pass things down. i think she will certainly wear something and wherever she wears, she will look fantastic on her big day. >> in your book, you talk -- the relationship went up and down and in fact you write about november of 2006, before william graduated from sandhurst, she was invited for the royal family's traditional christmas lunch. that was a huge deal. and a huge sign for her. but then he in turn, last minute, pulled out from going to her home to celebrate christmas with her family. so this is not entirely a fairy

tale. >> no, you're right. it has been ups and downs. i think there were times when prince william was just feeling very claustrophobic. he just thought his focus needed to be on his military career and some they split up shortly after that. they got back together and i think they'll be very, very strong together. >> you wrote about how in august of '07, broke up, got back together and made a pact. tell me about the pact you write about under the moonlight. >> well, you're right. you'll remember we saw kate at the diana concert, she was standing, dancing and just after that, william whisked her away, they were on a private island and that's where he basically promised her she was going to be a part of his future. that she hadn't waited for nothing it was all going to end in a wedding, but he needed time, at that stage, he hadn't finished his military training, it was a case of waity katie but

she waited and she played it very well and it looks like it is going to work out for her. >> the waiting game, being patient, will he, won't he pop the question. and both of them, also, sort of tend to shy away from the spotlight. i imagine it must be difficult to a degree to be so public, so out there. you write how william has been seeking advice from queen elizabeth. >> yes, absolutely. prince william, this is something i talk about a lot in the book, has a close relationship with his grandmother and takes her counsel, her advice in so many different aspects of his life. and he does, you're right, he does like to keep a low profile. they're currently living pretty much as man and wife on an island just off of wales and they enjoy absolute peace and privacy. they can do their own thing. and they're really, really very happy. and people say to me why has it taken this long, why has he made her wait for so long? they would never have this level of freedom that they enjoy now if they were engaged as soon as this announcement happens for both of them, their lives will

change forever. >> how might we be waiting if we follow the royal family just as you do for this big announcement. we know queen elizabeth has a facebook page. tell me the world won't find out on facebook. >> well, wouldn't that be a wonderful way of announcing it. i don't think that's going to happen. let's hope that the new year brings with it a great announcement and i guess i'm putting my bets on a july wedding. watch this face. >> july, we'll be watching and waiting along with you. your book "william and harry: behind the palace walls." katie, thank you. >> you're welcome. take a look at this. just like americans, politicians, british leaders grappling with budget cuts. and this is how students are responding. you see them all chanting, protesting. they stormed a building today. it has been chaos in london. we'll bring you the highlights. some may say the low lights next. for important legal documents. so start your business,

protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. [ but aleve can last 12 hours. tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain.

thousands of students taking to the streets, marching, chanting, all of this over proposed tuition hikes. sound familiar? not talking about american students this time. this story, these pictures developing in london today. folks, this is all a show of resentment at the government's austerity plan. there are measures that would triple tuition fees and cut education funding. today, one group actually smashed glass they lit flares. there they go. and wrote graffiti. all of this, this is the headquarters of the conservative party in london. just last hour, i spoke with cnn's atika shubert in the thick of things in london. >> reporter: it started earlier this morning with a massive protest, about 40,000 student

demonstrators is the estimate. what they're protesting, of course, is the hike in tuition fees, tuition fees are due to triple. a lot of students say they simply can't afford it. there was a lot of anger on the streets. but nobody expected it to turn as violent as it did. >> i know we have been talking and we have seen these pictures where they crash through the conservative part headquarters. correct me, it was the liberal democrats led by nick clegg who signed the pledges not to raise the fees if elected. why are the students attacking conservative party headquarters? >> reporter: well, this was basically on the root for the protest. it is one of the reasons why the protest was organized around here, went past the prime minister's house, past the conservative party headquarters so the point was to make a statement. but nobody anticipated that it would turn as violent as it did. you make a good point, the anger wasn't directed just at the conservative party, a lot at the liberal democrats. they campaigned not to raise tuition fees during the elections and a lot of the students feel betrayed by that.

so there is an equal amount of anger directed at the liberal democrats but it just so happens this conservative party headquarters, right on their route and they simply smashed their way in to make a violent statement. >> they smashed through, made a violent statement, it looks like for now, looking over your shoulder, looks pretty clear. i'm sure the students are out of there for now. final question, where do we go from here? they left a lot of destruction in their wake here through the protesting over these proposed tuition hikes. so when do we know if the proposal actually might go into effect and what about, you know what about the students, what about the government here? how do they respond? >> reporter: well this is the question, how is the government going to respond to this? the government has essentially said it cannot afford the kind of funding it had in the past, it is inevitable that the kind of tuition hikes will happen. they slash university budgets by as much as 40%. it is a recession, this is a result of it, that's what they say. but what the students say is that there is a better way to do

that. they understand that these cuts need to be made eventually, but it just can't happen as suddenly and as quickly as it d that's wh what the students are saying. the prime minister is away on a trip to china at the moment. he's missed all of this excitement from the students back home. >> sorry, i'm laughing because of the guest who is about to walk in, we're very excited. here in atlanta, huge megastar, gracing our own set. it is the wolf blitzer in the house. so why is wolf making a trip down south? >> nice couch. >> please, take a seat. >> beautiful. >> mi casa es su casa. we'll be right back with this guy, next. [ woman ] you know, as a mom,

i worry about my son playing football. which is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better about my son playing football. [ male announcer ] how would you use toyota technology to make a better world? learn how to share your ideas at toyota.com/ideasforgood.

in a surprise move today, we got a look at a new proposal. one designed to curb growth in u.s. debt. the report recommends spending cuts as well as tax reforms among other things. all of those ways of reducing the deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade. wolf blitzer moved "the situation room" from d.c. to atlanta. how are we doing? >> this is great. >> we have nice digs. >> it is fabulous. i've been with cnn for 20 years plus. >> this is a far cry from that desk. >> this is a lot better. >> welcome to atlanta. >> thank you. >> before we explain to everyone, why you're here, we'll talk politics first. talk to me, is this thing, this proposal that we got a look at today, is it doa, dead on arrival? >> there are 18 members of the commission and you need 14 for them to get what they call a super majority so that they can

send it as a piece of legislation to the house and the senate and pass it. right now it doesn't look like they're going to get those 14. but they still have a few weeks to go and the two commissioners, the chief commissioners, they think they can negotiate something. look, to deal with the debt, the national debt of $14 trillion, you got to deal -- you can't just go around the edges and talk about earmarks. you got to talk about entitlements, which is social security and medicare and nobody wants to cut that. you got to talk about national security, the pentagon, a lot of people don't want to cut defense spending. you got to maybe potentially increase some taxes, a lot of people don't want to increase any taxes. so everybody wants to deal with the debt, the budget deficits, but don't want to make the painful decisions. >> tough to ask them how and what will you cut? >> waste, fraud and abuse. but that will be a minor part if you're going to really deal with $14 trillion of a national debt or a $1 trillion a year annual budget deficit.

so you need some political courage right now. i'm not sure there is a whole lot of political courage out there. >> big number, hard to wrap your head around that. also, lame duck congress, about to return to washington. what is, you know, priority number one for the president? what does he need to try to do while they're there. >> right now people forget, the defeated members and the members who are retiring, they're still coming back. they have a few more weeks of work to do before the new congress, all the new members are sworn in in early january. >> what do they do while they're -- >> they have to deal about what to do with the bush tax cuts that -- if they do nothing, we go back to the tax rates that existed during the clinton administration, which are higher. so that's the first thing they have to do and everybody wants to continue the bush tax rates for the middle class for people earning under $250,000 a year. the fight is what do you do with the richer people? and there is a big fight over that, will there be a compromise? that's one issue. unemployment benefits will expire for 2 million workers if they don't deal with that.

and that's another 30 or $40 billion. so they got to deal with that. and i know a lot of people want to deal with the don't ask, don't tell. do you deal with getting rid of the policy that bans openly gay people from serving openly in the united states military? and i don't know if that's going to come -- they're going to be able to deal with it. if they don't deal with it now, it will probably be more difficult in the new house and senate to deal with it. >> right, right. so you mention three things. maybe one. we'll have to wait and see. >> they got to deal with the bush tax cuts. >> they do. >> and the unemployment benefits, i think they'll figure out something. >> and let's reveal to everyone why you're here in atlanta and it is so funny, because i came in your office today and you said to me, you look at me and you think, soul train, right? >> tonight at the cobb energy center. it will not air until november 28th on b.e.t. a very good friend of mine, paxton baker in washington, he's

a big executive at centric and b.e.t. a year or so ago, paxton said to me, we're going to go do the soul train. i said, look, i love soul train. i grew up in buffalo watching soul train. don cornelius and all of the dancers and the stars and everything. he said, would you ever consider coming to the soul train awards and make a presentation? i said, of course. is there any doubt? and so we did a rehearsal, because i'm going to be doing something special. >> that's where you've been this morning. >> rehearsing. you're going to like it. i think our viewers will like it. the people who are there tonight will see it. >> we have to wait. >> november 28th on b.e.t. and centric. but it will be a lot of fun. >> i cannot wait. >> when you think of soul train, you think of -- >> wolf blitzer. >> that is the correct answer. >> no it's a sale. nothing beats a sale!

wrong move! you. you can save up to half off that sale when you name your own price on priceline. but this one's a deal...trust me. it's only pretending to be a deal. here, bid $79. got it. wow! you win this time good twin! there's no disguising the real deal.

we have just gotten new pictures in here of this cruise ship, the cruise ship carnival cruise line, going on that seven-day mexican riviera trip. we have gotten new pictures exclusive to us here at cnn. no other network here has gotten this close. this is video we just turned around for you. this came in from our cnn producer on board the "uss ronald reagan," that's the perspective we have of the cruise ship. thousands of passengers, like 3300 passengers, 1100 crew members, all on board. i talked to one of the guys on board, somehow, amazingly, his cell phone was able to work. and he said the worst part of the whole thing, the stench. imagine, they couldn't flush toilets for a while. they're trying to air this thing out and people are getting sick over the stench. also what we're watching today, elizabeth smart has taken the witness stand for the third and final day today, testifying against the street preacher who allegedly kidnapped her at knife point from her bedroom eight years ago.

and she was one very, very intelligent young woman. she testified today that her alleged kidnapper, he used religion to get what he wanted and that he claimed his revelations were divine and smart told us or told the jury how she used his ideas to turn things around to her own advantage. jean casarez following the trial for us on other sister network. talk to me about what elizabeth smart said outlining her kidnapper, mitchell, the fact that he was allegedly of the divine, yet that wasn't exactly his priority. >> right, the prosecution really went into this and, brooke, it was like they're anticipating what the defense is going to be and they want to show this jury that brian david mitchell knew every step of the way exactly what he was doing. that's a train behind me. >> we can hear you. we can hear you. keep going.

>> what she testified to was there was a question, did brian david mitchell tell you he was the prophet called from god? yes. did he tell you he was the king? yes. did he tell you that he was brought on earth to marry you and to have plural wives? yes. did he tell people in public this or just you? her response, it was just me. thus to show the manipulation. and she was asked the question, was he hypothetical, give us your lay opinion, was he hypothetical in his religious views? let me tell you what she said. she said that god is a great god, but god would not have delivered him to abduct me from my bedroom at knife point with my little sister sleeping right next to me and to put my parents through what they went through for nine months. a god would not do that and would not direct him to do that and did not direct the defendant to do those things to me. >> jean, i have more questions

about what she said on the stand today and also into yesterday, but i just wanted to pause and ask you, i know this happened many years ago, this is the kind of thing that affects her for the rest of her life, but she is now very much so a young woman and everything i've read, she is really kept her composure on the stand. >> she is so eloquent. she is so eloquent. and i went up to her after she completed her testimony, and i told her what our networks are saying about her today, that she is an image, that she is a symbol of a victim coming forward with the strength and courage and can be just examples to other victims in this entire country. she was so humble, brooke. she acted like nobody ever said that to her in the world before and i was the first one, obviously people have told her that. but there was a humbleness about her and i said, are you glad this is finished? she said, yes, and she walked away with her parents, not that she can't be recalled because she could hypothetically be recalled by the defense. >> quickly,