takes on the other gator and both slide back into the pond. what an end for the alligators there. >> the guy at the boat justst a other day a. couple of alligators. see you later. nothing to worry about. must be nice and tame. domesticated alligators. not hungry. >> they're wild. kitty cat should be careful. the next encounter might end up differently. >> we'll see you back here tomorrow. >> the news continues on cnn with kyra phillips. good morning, kyra. >> good morning, guys. 9:00 a.m. on the east coast. 6:00 a.m. out west now. here's the stories that have us talking now. one of the world's most eligible bachelors off the market. britain's prince william engaged to long-time girlfriend kate midd middleton. word is wedding bells will ring in the spring or summer of 2011. president obama awards the first medal of honor to the first living service member since the vietnam war. army staff sergeant giunta

rescued two fellow soldiers. the 25-year-old iowan say it is honor should go to the comrades that didn't survive. beatles' fans, you have been waiting for this news. "wall street journal" reporting that apple won the rights to sell the fab four songs on itunes. but we begin across the pond this morning where the royal rumor mill has been churning furiously on the future of prince william and kaend kate e middleton. the two are engaged. and a royal weding in the works for next year. something that brits haven't seen in nearly three decades. ♪ boy, who can forget that? july 29th, 1981. charles and lady diana spencer

married at st. paul's cathedral and watched by a global audience of 700 million plus. cnn's royal watcher richard quest live in london already planning to offer up his services to do the flowers. that's so nice of you, richard. >> reporter: and indeed. what magnificent celebrations there are at the mere thought of a royal wedding in the spring or summer of next year. my bet if you like to know and what to think when to book the tickets, more july and august than earlier in the year but they're looking at that. let's go through it. the proposal took place in kenya in africa when the two of them were on holiday. since then and since she said yes after an eight-year wait, they used to call her waity katie because, of course, taken him so long to pop the question. but now, the queen said, yes. charles has said, yes. everybody this needs to say yes seems to have said yes and now we know it will be next summer for the wedding.

>> so richard, he apparently, the prince, popped the question on holiday in kenya. tell us about that. >> reporter: well, they look -- let's look at the history of this couple. they have been together since they shared a house together when he was a student. they weren't if you like together-together in that sense when they first -- you know what i'm talking about, kyra. anyway, they then became girlfriend and boyfriend after university. they've been together except for a period in 2007. now, if you think they got together in 2003, that gives you an idea, this has been a romance that can hardly be described as fast and furious and a shotgun type. it's slow, it's serious. it's very much in keeping with the way william views his role and his life and future and now, of course, after this holiday that they had in kenya, the decision to get married. >> and richard, you know, you bring up an interesting point

about their relationship. you know, when we watched prince charles and lady di and that fairytale wedding and you thought that they had the perfect relationship and it ended up being such a tragic relationship in so many ways, how do we know or do we even know that this relationship is very different and if both of these young individuals sort of looked at that as an example how they don't want to be? >> reporter: kyra, i cannot emphasize this more strongly. this relationship is world's, poles, galaxies, universes apart from the relationship that existed between william's parents. first of all, charles and diana had barely met. there was a vast age difference. a vast experience difference. they'd only been together 14, 15 times before they popped the question and got married. it was -- she was aristocratic.

she was the simperring girl. he was the older prince. take this relationship. think eve known each other for years. they're living together defact to as man and wife in north wales at the moment. they've had a break-up. she's gone to the law to protect her privacy and, and crucially the royal family itself knows they made some terrible mistakes when they were grooming diana. they left her alone in the buckingham palace or clarence house where she became depressed and miserable even before her wedding. they will not make that mistake again. and i think finally, kyra, tonight when we see that interview with william and kate, you'll see it's poles apart from the one of charles and diana. >> points well made. richard quest, thanks so much. well, two weeks ago today angry voters went to the poles demanded change and, boy, did they get it. republicans seized on the message and captured the house.

today, more evidence that gop lawmakers will change the way business is done in washington. the first casualty may be the pork-filled pet projects known as earmarks. the senate republican leader says he hears the public outcry and will abandon his long-time support. >> nearly every day that the senate's been in session for the last two years i have come down to this very spot and said that democrats were ignoring the wishes of the american people. when it comes to earmarks, i won't be guilty of the same thing. earlier this month, voters across the country said they're counting on republicans to make tough decisions. they gave us a second chance. with this decision, i'm telling them that they were right to put their trust in us. >> but the ripples extend far beyond the lawmakers. cnn congressional correspondent brianna keilar on capitol hill. how significant of a shift is this for lawmakers, brianna. >> reporter: good morning.

this is a significant shift, especially for mitch mcconnell. take a look at the hill rag headlines this morning. mcconnell u-turn says one of them. here's another one that says mcconnell flips, backs earmark ban. this is significant because, obvious, him throwing his weight behind this is an indication of where it goes. this is a vote about 5:00 p.m. eastern time and this is within just the republican conference in the senate. and it's sort of something that's garnered momentum, especially among the more conservative senators in the republican party, in the senate. this was something that a lot of them took away from the election from the midterm election from voters who were saying, you know what? we want to rein in spending and so earmarks which, of course, are coloek we'lly known as pork and known on the hill as congressionally directed spending, they're the target

here and we're going to be seeing the vote in a little while here, kyra. >> will this ultimately pass with all republicans support? >> reporter: this statement by mitch mcconnell is seen as sort of laying down the law, and there could have been a bit of a showdown between some really prolific republican earmarkers who make no apologies for requesting earmarks. they see these are pet project that is are needed in their states and so this is really seen as kind of bringing the republicans together in the senate. that said, is this a full earmark ban? no. even though some democrats said they support this, democrats including harry reid who are throwing cold water on the idea of a full earmark ban. this is a non-binding resolution for senate moneys. >> thanks, brianna. i wonder if the drama will continue. talking about the ethics trial of congressman rangel. you know, this morning the panel sits in judgment.

the defiant democrat stands by his refusal to take the part. remember this? >> i object to the proceeding, and i with all due respect since i don't have counsel to advise me i'm going to have to excuse myself from these proceedings because i have no idea what this man has put together over two years that was given to me last week. >> well, we definitely weren't expecting that. we know this poll sirn is pretty dramatic at times. he walked out and the deliberations moved behind doors. this morning, keeping close tabs on this and waiting to see if a decision is made. we'll pass along any announcement that comes forward. lights are out in seattle. more than 150,000 customers without pow they are morning after a storm blew through last night. winds brought down power lines

across the seattle-tacoma area. about 54,000 customers without power and winds toppled big clinton administrations and blocked streets. minneapolis yesterday and now seattle. they're used to this. they rebound very quickly. >> october, november, they typically get the wind storms and seattle through portland, the middle part of fall when they extend these things kind of tend to crank up. as does the rainy season. looking at strong onshore flow here. valley rains and mountain snows and piling up not only along the cascades and olympic mountains but the tetons and the wasatch of utah, the colorado rockies, as well. we could see anywhere from six to 18 inches of snowfall in some of the areas and continuing to see that pile up. and we have already seen similar numbers like that. san juan with four inches and other parts seeing more than that.

continuing to build the base for the ski resorts yet to open. severe weather in the south. no tornado warnings past couple of hours but a watch in effect until 11:00 officially for the florida panhandle. what's of note is northern alabama right now and the center part of tennessee. these are little bit more rough and tumble. little rock, starting to crank up the strong thunderstorms, as well. lighter amounts of rain in the northeast and that's on the increase as this very, very large storm system continues to wind itself up. so the rains will be increasing across parts of the northeast today and isolated areas with flooding. generally speaking, should be okay. the rains falling right now, kyra, across the mid south, ohio river valley needed it. a bit of a drought and dreary and damp. that fall-type of weather and good coming out of this. >> will be good. good for everyone that loves the snow, as well.

>> coyotes. >> you remember the cartoons? we grew up with that. this isn't really a warner broerls production, shall we say? we'll tell you where the coyote is enjoying a bit of a stroll through the streets of chicago. the city blessed this, as well. >> only in chicago. all right. viewers didn't exactly refute yate sarah palin's new reality show. the one with todd, trigg, willow and state of oklahoma. the show's a hit and the star's star seems to keep rising. we'll talk about that next. in 1968, as whaling continued worldwide,

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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. let's head cross country. starting in chicago where we're hot on the trail of a coyote running wild in the streets. city officials apparently aren't worried. it's working for them. the job, hunt down vermin like

rats and mice. how do you keep tabs on a kiee tee? well, officials i guess got him a tracking collar, as well. no tracking technology to find this vehicle. it was in a miami post office yesterday. when the driver lost control of her car. a woman and her 9-month-old grandson in front and sent both into the glass and then to the hospital. so far everybody's okay. nominated for "time" person's of the year in 2008 when no one really knew who she was. coined the word of the year for a word that never existed. a record-setting reality tv star and maybe future president of the united states. boy, have the standards and expectations of americans changed or have they? talking about sarah pali refeud ya refeudiate. a hybrid. yeah, the new oxford american dictionary made it the word of

the year. as for palin, the tv reality star, mama grizzly's tearing up the ratings. >> get's get the fish before the bear gets the fish. >> roar. >> piper, don't. a bear's coming towards us. we're going to back up. look at the claws. >> let's back up. >> yeah, you know, i'm looking around to todd going, are you feeling what i'm feeling? it could think that we are the lunch instead of the little tiny salmon. >> about 5 million people watched sarah palin's alaska sunday on the learning channel. the best premier show that tlc has ever done. but about half the number that watched "jon and kate plus eight" when they got separated. palin is a candidate for "time" magazine's 2010 person of the year. all of this is why she's our talker today. eric daggen's is a media critic. sarah palin is everywhere. it seems like becoming president

would be a step down for her. >> certainly would be a step down in pay, i think. definitely. you know, everyone's talking about sarah palin. we love to talk about her in media because as tlc found out to its great delight, you know, people are attracted to her story. we -- even people that don't like her like to talk about her and think about her and criticize her. and i think that's something that we've seen in the ratings for this show. >> if she were, though, really gearing up for the presidency, wouldn't we see her at the desk, maybing phone calls, campaigning with people, working, reading, studying? she doesn't do any of that. >> there you're talking about your book learning there, you know? she seems to have taken an unorthodox path to everything she is doing and seems the series right now aimed to speak to the base and humanize her in a way to control.

so we get to see the family the way she wants them seen and the way she wants to be seen in alaska and the way of sort of addressing the tougher coverage she's gotten from journalistic outlets she can't control. we have two years to try to look serious. i think this show proves that perhaps she shouldn't run for president and she is better as someone that funnels a very powerful niche of supporters to somebody else with a broader base of support. >> spends time with the family, outside having fun and doesn't completely disconnect. listen to daughter bristol. >> my mom is super busy. she is addicted to the blackberry. she's like -- hang on, piper. i'll be there in a second. >> actually, i meant to say piper. the one with no problems speaking her mind. >> the same mistake david letterman did. >> hard to keep track of all of

these kids. i have to keep the names right. it is interesting, okay. so she's not completely disconnected here. she is obviously still working that blackberry according to her daughter. but you say that this show might actually keep her from running for president. >> yeah. you know, cable is a sort of niche-oriented environment. i'm sure i don't have to tell you that. i think what this show proved is she has a powerful niche of followers interested in what she's doing. 5 million is great in the cable world. >> it doesn't prove she has the substance to govern a nation, right? >> well, she has to appeal to a broad base to win the presidency. i think that's something that folks like karl rove can see very clearly in the poll numbers. there was a gallup poll recently released that showed as popular has she is with republicans, 80%, 52% of the people polled didn't like her and among independent voters which are

certainly the determining force now, she is at 50% unfavorable so she has a very powerful appeal to a very strong segment of society. does that add up to the presidency? i don't think so. but it's certainly adds up to media rolety and tv riches. >> yeah. you pointed out, 3.9 million of palin's viewership 35 and up and a senior crowd for cable television. we'll track it, definitely. eric, appreciate your time. >> i'm in that demographic. >> i was going to say, we're way past 35. feeling young today. >> thanks a lot, kyra. thank you for reminding me. >> thanks. you made my day. mel gibson's former love interest speaks out on the night that she alleges that the movie star physically assaulted her. you'll hear what she has to say coming up next. and like that, we had a new side to our business.

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oksana greg ra on "larry king live" talking about the bitter custody dispute with mel gibson and describing what she calls the beating at his hands. >> well, january 6th -- >> larry: this year? >> this year, the beating took place. mel actually assaulted me while

i was holding the baby in my arms. >> larry: whose house? >> my house. our house at the time. i ran into my son's bedroom. told him to hide. i said he is crazy, violent. my son was getting ready for bed, jumped around the bed and kind of behind the bed and i was standing in the middle of the room with the baby, like -- like, you know, mother protecting her cubs and i was standing in the middle of the room holding the baby as mel proceeded into the room and -- >> larry: struck you? >> struck me twice are. >> larry: in front of your boy? >> in front of my boy. >> larry: was he drunk? >> no. he wasn't. he doesn't drunk. >> larry: how did that lead to the subsequent phone call and that being released? >> well, he hit me and choked me in front of my son and then, you know, brandished the gun at me and i left him on the 6th of january and the very following morning, the very following day

he was already apologetic. asking for apologies, asking for a chance. for us to be together. that he will be cured. he will be treated. he will be evaluated. all those words and i was coveredi covercove covering up for him. >> larry: you didn't report it? >> i believed him. someone asking for you chance you give it to them. >> gibson states that he slapped oksana once, not hard with an open hard and not with a closed fist as she alleged. mel gibson nor representatives answered the request for a response. you can see the interview with her on "larry king live" wednesday night at 9:00 here on cnn. seems like two minutes longer than to lose your house. florida is speeding it along with a rocket docket. more on that in a moment.

we've used hydrogen in our plants for decades. the old hydrogen units were very large. recently, we've been able to reduce that. then our scientists said "what if we could make it small enough to produce and use hydrogen right on board a car, as part of a hydrogen system." this could significantly reduce emissions and increase fuel economy by as much as 80%.

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all right. breaking news out of ohio right now. this is what i can tell you. ohio state university. i'm looking at the website here. for one of our affiliates wbns where the live picture is coming from. apparently police there at ohio state university told students to stay away from some campus buildings, including the thompson library, because of a bomb threat. four buildings have been evacuated and closed now.

police had sent text messages to the students just shortly before 9:00 a.m. and warned about the bomb threat and to please stay away from the library, along with the mcpherson, scott and smith lab boirs. the buildings evacuated as a precaution. i don't know exactly according to police any additional information about that threat. so far, no injuries reported. but i can tell you that our affiliate is all over the story and we'll follow it and let you know what's taking place at ohio state. let's talk about wall street. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange with a look at what's happening today. hey, alison. >> hi, kyra. a bit of a rough start following what happened overnight. markets fell 4%. european markets are falling, too. there are fears about debt problems in ireland that those problems by the way are going to be front and center when euro zone finance ministers meet today to try to find a way to

end ireland's debt crisis. the big worry is to have a domino affect, an impact on other economies. inflation and possible interest rate hike, the worry is as china tries to cool the hot economy, it could limit the global recovery. investors looking past upbeat earnings of walmart and home depot. and you know, kyra, we are expecting a big, big anounment from apple. aping in about a half hour. company known for secrecy and big announcements but looking at the web page, splashed all over it, it says it is just another day that you 'll never forget. ah, do you recognize the lyrics? rumor is apple may announce a deal to sell beatles' songs on itunes. for apple, you know, beatles deal is talked about for years. you know, but beatles, their songs, albums haven't been

available on itunes. this is big because you're a big fan. >> i it's true. many more fans bigger than i am and they have been waiting for this for a long time. so, we'll stay on top of it. >> this is a big deal. >> yeah. hopefully flaying beatles music today. we'll have a shout out. >> great idea. >> thanks, alison. 9:30 in the eastern. sun's just up in l.a.. three stories for you. a medal of honor ceremony this afternoon in washington for the time since the vietnam era. recipient will be there to accept. sal giunta will receive the medal. in 2007, he fought off taliban fighters dragging away one of his wounded cam rads. a dog helped save soldiers from a suicide bomber in afghanistan. couldn't survive animal control in arizona. target was loose somehow and ended up at a shelter and put to sleep by mistake.

that worker responsible is now on leave. and executives with bank of america, jp morgan chase and other banks go before the senate banking committee today. lawmakers want the know more about the problems of foreclosure documents and if any of the banks improperly seized peoples' homes. well, while that foreclosure hearing is going on today, in florida judges ripping through foreclosure paperwork at record speeds. our poppy harlow had an exclusive behind the scenes look at exactly how it worked. so poppy, they're literally spending about two minutes per case. how's that even possible? >> reporter: yeah. some cases even one minute. this is sort of an anomaly in the country right now. only happening in the state of florida. they decided this summer that they had 460,000 foreclosure cases to get through, a backlog so the state legislator allocated $4.6 million to hire the retired judges. see some playing here on the monitor. those retired judges go in

monday through thursday, four hours a day trying to get through say, 44 foreclosures. some took 20 minutes, some took one minute but the issue here is that this takes the concern of robo signing to another level. they're concerned that the judges like judge mitch tlel in the courtroom aren't paying enough attention to the documents, they're just looking at what the lawyers give them, they're representing the banks. the homeowners often don't show up and people lose their homes. jaclyn, the woman there, a woman we talked to. i want you to take a listen to what we asked judge sow, the head of florida's 4th circuit court in jacksonville. we pressed him on the issue. take a listen. >> we will try to schedule as many foreclosures on the average of 25 an hour. >> reporter: are two or three minutes, is that enough time to look at a foreclosure case and make that final judgment? >> most of the cases where you

see a property owner not there, that means that property owner has defaulted. so, when that is the case, then three minutes if the lawyers who we know say that everything is in order, then we feel like that's adequate time. >> reporter: the lawyers represent the banks. doesn't the judge need to look for -- >> no. we do not. i'm not there to -- i am not there to check every exhibit. >> i am not there to check every exhibit. the judge saying that is not their responsible. the aclu disagrees, i can yeah. just yesterday they sent a letter to the florida supreme court and 4th circuit arguing the public doesn't have full access to the hearings. in response, i want to read you what the chief justice of florida's supreme court said. he said, i have received the letter. i'm departmentally concerned about the allegations it makes. today i am directing the office

of the state court administrator to make recommendations concerning appropriate corrective actions. so this is really just the beginning of this story, kyra. we'll keep on top of it for you. >> thanks, poppy. a revealing, full body scan at the airport or an up close and personal patdown? it's a choice that a lot of people don't want to make an now frustration over security hassles is ballooning beyond passengers to pilots and crew members. just ask sully sullenberger, the pilot that landed that plane on the hudson river last year. he feels the frustration, simmering, pointing out on "american morning" that pilots are the last line of defense in the air and that brings us to this morning's "a.m. extra." >> we have the technology now to avoid much of this waste of time and delay. we have the means now to through bio metrics identify pilots and flight attendants as working crew members and verify the current employment status.

really, there's no need to go through these things. >> the argument suspected just with the body scanners. are you suggesting why are flight crews going through scening at all? >> well, there certainly needs to be an acknowledgment we are trusted partners. you know, many of us are former military officers who formally had top-secret clearances. we have been though roly screened and vetted throughout the years and we continue to be. we're among the most scrutinized professional groups in the country, even more than doctors. it is not 'efficient use of the resources to put us through this. there's much better ways that exist if we choose to use them to solve these issues. >> we asked your idea. this is about our common security. why all the fuss about it? if you're not comfortable about the scan or search, take a train or bus. those opting out are just fueling the ego of al qaeda.

they're causing chaos in our society. mike says i welcome the scan erps as an acceptable subs tutd for the pat downs employed by tsa personnel. scanners are a good option and i'm willing to they can that small concession considering the war that terrorists are waging against us and our loved ones. barbara writes, i don't understand why anyone would resist the full body scanner. all you can see is a body outline. i don't think anyone would know who was being scanned if they didn't see them scanning them. i fly a lot. i want my family, myself and everyone else to fly safely. remember, we want to hear from you. log on. share your comments. appreciate you weighing in. well, as you can imagine, late-night comics having a heck of a good time with tsa's more intimate inspections. guys like conan o'brien. >> just checking. >> okay. >> soft, luxurious hair. >> murray, is that next to --

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all right. our political ticker, let's check in on it. cnn congressional correspondent brianna keilar on capitol hill. what do you have for us? >> reporter: an intraparty feud and continuing here on capitol hill. this has to do with the democratic races going on in the house right now. congressional black caucus decided it is not going to support the spate of democratic house members who are running for the leadership positions. as you know, with the democrats going into the minority, they lose a leadership position. so they have said the cbc, pretty powerful, 42 members, only going to support jim clyburn who's one of their members. he is currently going to be going for the number three leadership spot created for him, assistant or -- pardon me. yeah, assistant lead eer saying they want it to be more than a ceremonial position before they weigh in. we have some news on the ticker. take a look at this. lisa murkowski, she is the

incumbent senator in alaska and right now she is pulling ahead in the race. this is the only undecided senate race in the country. she lost her primary to republican joe miller. she went with a write-in candidacy. we knew at this point or we have known that the write-in ballots were ahead or more than what joe miller was seeing and that she is getting 89% and we can say that the write-in ballots with her name on them surpassed joe miller. good news for senator murkowski. >> what's the story of the tea party going high-tech? >> reporter: this is interesting because, i mean we think of them as somewhat high-tech using the internet in the last midterm elections and make such a difference. well, they're trying to go further. freedom works, a conservative group which is headed by former republican majority leader in the senate dick armey, they're trying to -- they're trying to really create a network. so you have all the

decentralized tea party groups in states trying to build a network so that they can talk to each other and they're hoping that, kyra, making even more of a difference in coming elections than they made in the last one. can you imagine that that? >> i think we can imagine anything after those midterm elections. brianna, thanks. >> reporter: exactly. >> next political up dmat an hour and reminder for the political news, go to cnnpolitics.com. wedding bells soon will be ringing for britain's prince william and his soon to be princess. royal family's biographer talks to us live about the nuptials. first, flashback. november 16th, 1978. the movie version of "sergeant pepp pepper's lonely hearts club band." look at peter. wow. he has no hair now by the way. totally bald. you think with the big names the movie would have done great. sadly, as a viewer said, it was

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well, new video just coming into the cnn newsroom on the royal announcement of prince williams's engagement to kate middleton. kasim reid may be the person to talk to. he is in england visiting prince william and his community. it's a brain child a dozen or so years in the making. let's talk more about the upcoming wedding with the royal biographer mark saunders. he's joining us by phone from london. were you expecting this? is this the buzz in the world right now? >> reporter: it's been the buzz for sometime now. the announcement, as always with the royal family, it came unexpectedly. and very thankfully, actually.

everybody at the windsor castle and here at buckingham palace are so excited. they always seem to know exactly when to make these announcements. >> this couple has definitely broken the rules so to speak in many ways, from living together prior to marriage, dating, breaking up, taking a time off, getting back together, doing certain events together, being more open and candid at times. so do you think that there is just a complete difference, shall we say, between where they're going, and where prince charles and lady di were going at this point? >> i do think so, but i that's a natural evolution. the royal family have always adapted to the times. i mean, it's so easy for us to look back on charles and diana. you were probably a bit young, but back in 1981, people were saying exactly the same thing

about charles and diana. this young couple. they're doing it their own way. yeah, william and kate have done it their own way, but i think what you've just described is just a very normal relationship between a man and woman who are in love and now want to get married. >> but prince charles and lady di didn't even know each other. >> this is it. this is the way were we did things back in those days. prince sighian in a was from the upper drawer of the aristocracy. she was born on the queen's estate. her family was one of the oldest in england, had a relationship with the royal family for hundreds of years. it was a good move. in terms of computer dating, if you were looking for a bride for the future king of england in 1981, princess diana was perfect. this is a tribute, really, to diana and charles and the way

they decided to bring the children up, which was not a normal royal upbringing. they were aware of the world they lived in. they were aware they were privileged and there were people who weren't quite like them, and also they were aware of the media, that the media was always going to be there, that you can't leave them, and it's best to work with them. that is why, i think, this has been such a success, and why there is such a wonderful feeling in london today. >> well, the world will definitely be watching that wedding, and i know you will, too, and we'll talk to you when the time comes. thank you so much. lots of developments in the next hour of cnn newsroom. kyra, in the next few hours, a 25-year-old american soldier will stand next to the president of the united states and step into history. we'll have that story for you next. i'm stephanie elam in new york. so, for thanksgiving, are the roads going to be crowded? are you going to have free

sailing on the streets? we'll have the aaa forecast for you. i'm rob marciano. cnn severe weather center, severe weather on the west coast and severe rain across the east coast. also head, jay z. you don't have to be a rap fan to get wrapped up in his story. next hour, he talks to poppy parol low about his old life selling drugs on the street prepared him for his new life. what can i get ya?

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if you are not hanging in the clubs, right, really, if you are not hanging in the clubs -- >> so you are straight in from the clubs, hanging out with michael vick? >> yeah, yeah. >> in a much different light, though. we're talking michael vick. >> we're talking michael vick. 18 months ago, he was in prison because he did something horrible. >> thought his career was over. >> absolutely. >> thought he wasn't going to get a job, and if he did, not a great team, not a lot of money. everybody was like, whatever, he's a jerk, killed dogs.

>> he was responsible for financing a dog fighting ring on one of his properties in virginia. bad, horrible thing. he has paid the debt to society. he was in prison for almost two years. 18 months ago, he was in prison. look at what he has done in terms of bringing back -- going to work, going to work, focusing on the job. apparently not hanging in the clubs the way he was when he was here in atlanta, right? not hosting parties after the game, all right. getting to his job and looked like a man playing among boys last night. >> so this is the ultimate story of redemption, so you say, in the sports world. >> do we carry about redemptions? >> people love redemption stories. >> by all accounts, michael vick is a good citizen in the philadelphia area, doing community service work. >> will people still forget what he did, though? that's the question. >> that's the question. >> he took a big bite of humble

pie, playing well, stayed focused on doing what's right. but will everyone come around and support this story. >> it is, what do you think of this story? i think it's important. this guy is in the conversation for mvp of the league. he has outplayed two really, really good quarterbacks. one a hall of famer in peyton manning. that was last week, and then he comes back and outplays a really good, really credentialed quarterback in donovan mcnabb, a man who went to bat for michael vick. >> michael vick is playing for a contract right now. that's the other story. if donovan mcnabb signs a new deal with 40 million of the money in the deal is guaranteed. after a performance like this, what is this kid looks at? >> we'll see you at the top of the hour. >> top of the hour? >> go get ready for that 11:00.

>> here we go. >> all right. it's 9:00 a.m. on the east coast, 6:00 a.m. out west. here's some of the stories that have us talking. president obama awards the medal of honor to the first living service member since the vietnam war. salvatore giunta rescued people and he says that honor should go to his comrades who didn't survive. >> one of the world's most eligible bachelors off the market. prince william engaged to long-time girlfriend kate middleton. they were probably mary in 2011 spring or summer. beatles fans, apple is announcing it will now sell beatles songs on itunes. they were one of the last holdouts on the popular music selling site. well, if you're planning on

flying this thanksgiving holiday, get ready for the big crowds at the airport. aaa just released the travel forecast moments ago. more than 1.5 million americans expected to hop on a plane right along with you. that's way up from last year by the way. stephanie elam standing by in new york. what does that mean? are they spending more money? are they feeling more confident about our security? i mean, this is right among the whole controversy with this full-body scans that everybody is talking about boycotting. >> it could be a problem but for people who it means a lot to them to be with their family on thanksgiving. for a lot of those people, they are willing to go with the patdown to have their favorite sweet potato pie and turkey. you're talking about the travel. most people are not going to ply for thanksgiving because we just got out the new report from aaa, the thanksgiving holiday

forecast. 94% of the people are hopping in the car and driving to wherever thanksgiving dinner is going to be. that's the option for 39.7 million americans, up from last year. train, bus or boat. i don't know where you are when you take a boat and call it commuting. >> you can take a boat to martha apgs vineyard, i guess. is that closed down in the wintertime? >> that's true. it's still going. those are the people who are very comfortable on their little ferry ride or boat ride across water, wherever they're going. if you look at it overall, 42.2 million travellers are expected to travel 50 miles or more from thanksgiving. anywhere from wednesday through sunday. and this is going up. this is good news. this is saying people feeling better about their situation right now. they can spend a little more.

so you have 2010 travel up 11.4%. 2009 it was only 0.2%, and in 2008, down 25%. people were not traveling in the thick of the recession there. aaa is saying of these 42 million travellers, that's still less than half of the volume for the travellers that were just lost, no longer hitting the roads between 2007 and 2009, and they also point out this is still 30% below the 2005 people when 58.6 million travellers hit the road for thanksgiving. we're moving in the right direction. >> where are you going to be moving to? >> i'm going to st. louis. got to take the baby to see grand mom and grand pop. >> absolutely. >> you know what, i'm going to go before thanksgiving, though, because i just can't handle all of those people with a baby. that's too much. that's the way we're getting

around it. >> i'll talk to you tomorrow and get the update. maybe we can bring the grandparents on. >> exactly, sure. boy was there a lot of drama yesterday. it was the ethics trial of congressman charlie rangel. this morning the subcommittee resumes deliberations behind closed doors. he was accused of 13 violations of house rules, most of it related to taxes and fund-raising, none criminal. he walked out of the trial in its opening moments when the panel refused his request to delay the proceedings. he said he didn't have enough time or money to actually put together a new legal team. we'll keep you updated on what happens today. here's an example of lawmakers listening to angry voters. senate republican leader mitch mcconnell has been a long-time supporter of earmarks. in a remarkable reversal, he now

says he'll support a ban. the senate did due to take that vote today. there's only one undecided senate race in the country. we may be getting closer. incumbent lisa murkowski has taken the lead. you may remember she launched a write-in campaign after losing the republican nomination to joe miller, the tea party back candidate. he's filed a legal challenge that could dismiss write-in votes that are misspelled or smudged. colin powell is offering tough love for president obama this morning. you may remember that the republican's endorsement of candidate obama was considered a critical movement in his presidential campaign, but even powell now concedes that the first two years of the obama administration have struggled. last night powell said that the president has overreached, and that's costing him supporters. >> the american people are losing some focus on president obama, what he's trying to do, and when you look at the election results, as he said --

i mean, he got shellacked. i think it was more than a shellacking. it was a real body blow that he has to reflect on and figure out how to come back. >> powell says he talks regularly with president obama and other administration officials but knocked down reports that he could become the next chief of staff. the retired general has said no one has contacted him, and he's not interested in returning to public service. today at the white house, a recognition of heroism and courage under fire. u.s. army staff sergeant sal giunta ran into a ferocious fight with taliban forces to rescue one of his wounded buddies. today, president obama will award him the medal of honor despite his protests that he doesn't deserve it. barbara starr joining us with a remarkable story. >> reporter: absolutely, kyra. this is a young man, a unit battle company that was in an ambush in afghanistan in october

2007. it became a night of honor and heart break. sal giunta running into a hail of gun fire to try and save his friend sergeant joshua brennan who was being dragged away by the taliban. every man in that unit, on that mountain that night got hit. it was dreadful business out there. sal giunta now being recognized for his heroism, his valor, character and courage. this was a young man when he met him a few weeks ago told us he didn't feel he deserved. at that. >> it's very bittersweet. it's such a huge honor. it's a great thing, but it is a great thing that has come at a personal loss to myself and so many other families. >> reporter: that is what you want people to know? >> absolute his. >> reporter: sergeant giunta and all of the men from battle company want americans to remember sergeant joshua brennan

and specialist hugo mendoza, two men who fought that night and didn't make it home. he says the medal of honor is on behalf of all of them. >> there seems to be a sense of history being made even at the highest levels in the military? >> reporter: absolutely. you know general david petraeus. he's a man who chooses his words very carefully. i spoke to him in afghanistan a few days ago and asked him about sal giunta and his modesty, here's what petraeus had to say. >> he's going to say it was not his actions, it was what anyone would have done, it was the team. let me tell you, it was his actions. they were incredible, and he is so very deserving of it. >> reporter: so why sergeant giunta is modest about the whole thing, the president of the united states, general petraeus, and secretary of defense gates all beg to differ and say this is a remarkable young man.

we will bring you the white house ceremony at 2 p.m. today. coming up in our home and away segment later this hour, a special tribute to the fallen hero that sal giunta actually helped bring home. we will lift up sergeant joshua brennan. all right, a tornado watch out for parts of florida this hour. what do we know about that? >> it's starting to weaken. we saw a tremendous amount of wind damage yesterday across seattle, west seattle, and the olympic mountain range in through this area. 50 to 60-mile-an-hour winds. scaffolding down, trees down. as a matter of fact, i-5 going south was closed for sometime yesterday because a tree that was on the ground there. a lot of the energy going into the inner mountain west, a number of high winter storm warnings. you see snow falling and piling up across utah, idaho, manhattan, and colorado as well.

we could see a couple of feet at higher elevations. 15 inches at the red mountain pass. telluride got into it and a lot of the places will be seeing more as we go through time. if you are doing travel via air, we have issues on the east coast because of the rain. philadelphia and new york have delays, philly on the tighter side because of this storm system rolling up the east coast. a good eastern third of the country is seeing wet weather now, and we do have that tornado watch just about to expire across the florida panhandle, and luckily so far we haven't seen too much so far as severe weather. day time highs, not terribly cold air behind the system. it's a big one, so a lot of people enduring the cold, wet nastiness of november. >> november weather. the timing is perfect. it's going to get better.

do you listen to jay-z? >> here and there. how can you not? >> can you imagine poppy harlow sitting down with jay-z. >> really? >> one on one, jay-z decoded. take a listen. >> on the streets, having great instincts can be the difference between life and death, not just losing a deal. >> the rapper opens up to poppy harlow about his new book and his life as a drug dealer. the beatles and itunes finally worked it out after a long and winding road of obstacles. apple's big announcement next. ♪ could switching to geico really save you

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♪ come together right now over me ♪ it's now official. just moments ago, apple announced it, the beatles and itunes have finally come together for the first time ever. you can buy and download the fab four's catalog from itunes. a.j. hammer joining me. what took so long? >> part of the deal is that they didn't think it was going to sound good enough. over the years, they've said that the sound quality didn't do their catalog of music justice. obviously they moved past that, and quite frankly, it's how most of us listen to music. we are getting details of what is involved. we do know that the beatles' surviving members along with the widows have been among the music industry's last major holdouts against making their songing

available on line. this is the band that also resisted putting its band on compact disc for several years, until 1987, which was a little bait late in the game. in the 40 years thins the beatles have broken up, they sold 177 million albums in the united states alone. there is an expectation within the music industry that the beatles songs will become available a la carte, and there will be a device integration, beatles branded ipod or iphone or ipad. it means you have to go out and buy one because it will become a collector's item. it will be easier to get beatles music. >> larry king got a big interview with mel gibson's ex, but that may get her in trouble with the law. what's going on there? >> the judge doesn't want anybody talking here, kyra. it seems that somebody other than mel's ex-, oksana

grigorieva, involved in the case may be talking too much. the judge is ordering a probe into sealed court documents that were leaked in published on tmz. she did discuss these leaks with larry king that will air on wednesday. oksana did the interview despite the judge saying, if you do media, you might pay when it comes to awarding custody. tmz is citing sources connected with oksana but she did the interview because she feels she's been silent too long and feels bad for other battered women if she stays silent. we can see it on wednesday night on "larry king live." if the judge says, you shouldn't be talking, it may not be the best thing. obviously it was her decision but it could end up hurting her in the end here. if you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, a.j. has it

every eng "showbiz tonight" 5:00 p.m. on hln. jay-z was a big supporter of president obama during this campaign. what does he think about the president's progress two years later? >> it's impossible for someone to take eight years of our last administration and turn it around in two years. it's very difficult to deliver on everything. >> his interview with poppy harlow next.

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well, if you guys don't know who jay-z is, he's great. if you don't, you're in really good company.

>> who wouldn't want to go see jay-z. he's fabulous, an amazing performer. >> i like jay-z. i don't know any of his songs except for the new york song. i don't know if that's the name of it but it's something to do with new york. >> the real house wives of beverly hills had no idea who jay-z was but they knew he was worth hearing. whether you or your kids are rap fans or not, jay-z has a story worth hearing or reading in his new book. poppy harlow interviewed the man who went from a life selling crack on the streets to being a music mogul philanthropist and husband. >> this is a guy at 13 years old lived in bed-stuy, brooklyn, had nothing, his father walked out. talk about a turnaround. his book is called "decode ed" and he breaks down the lyrics of

36 of his song and tell the life of this story. we sat down with him one on one last night and talked about why he wrote the book now. it hulactually has to do with president obama. >> i wanted to make the case that rap is poetry, and some of the decisions we made to give the songs contest. why there is a certain gangsta rap, and why this is taking place in america. and it just felt like the perfect time to write it. >> you said president obama had the courage to tell the press that he had your songs on his ipod. you have been a big supporter of his the entire way through. has he followed through on the hope that he promised? >> i think he has -- he is on his way to delivering that, but it's impossible to are someone to take eight years of our last

administration and turn it around in two years. it's very difficult to deliver on everything, you know. i think he's moving in the try direction, yes. >> you've spent hours meeting with him, and you write in the book about that meeting. you say i wish i could remember one thing, but it was more what president obama represents for you, the people you grew up with, black children, black adults across this country. >> yeah, and which means all children across this country, you know. you know, us first because it gives us another face, the hope of, okay, maybe i can be president of the united states. it takes for someone to do it for you to believe that you can achieve such lofty goals. >> does hip hop and rap have a responsibility to report, not just entertain, to take it one step further? >> yes, of course. you can entertain.

it's everything. rap is entertaining, informative, provocative, funny. it's silly. you know, it's all of these things, so absolutely. >> what did you learn on the street, because you talk about being 13 and selling crack. did that teach you something of how to be a successful businessman or how we all overcome -- >> all of the things that you apply in business, you know. they say that he has great instincts, but while on the streets, having great instincts can be the difference between life and death, not just losing a deal. >> after that, kyra, he says, obviously he doesn't condone selling drugs or life on the street but for him that was the riyal of his childhood. he also said his most valuable possession still today is his words because it was his music and lyrics that brought him out, that give him a new life, and when he talked about giving back to others, he said it's all

about giving them that opportunity. in the marcy projects here in new york, not far from where i'm standing now, it's the opportunity that brought him out and brought him up. >> talk about not forgetting your roots and moving everything in such a better direction. a pretty awesome story of redemption. >> he was amazing. >> i can just imagine. wedding bells soon will ring for prince william and kate middleton. will this be a lower budget affair than the last royal wedding? we'll go across the pond for some answers. ♪ after i got the job at walmart, things started changing immediately. then i wrote a letter to the food stamp office. "thank you very much, i don't need your help any more." you know now, i can actually say i bought my home. i knew that the more i dedicated... the harder i worked, the more it was going to benefit my family. this my son, mario and he now works at walmart. i believe mario is following in my footsteps.

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it's 10:30 in the east, and the morning commute is getting in full swing out west. heerd some of the stories we're following now. the ethics trial of charlie rangel. he is accused of 13 violation of house rules, most of related to taxes and fund-raising, none criminal. a man called the merchant of death on his way to the u.s. to face terrorism charges. he was arrested in thailand and been indicted for allegedly buying american combat planes to take weapons into combat zones in the middle east and africa. ladies, there's always prince harry, older brother ril yam now off the market. the british prince is now formally engaged to his long-time girlfriend kate middleton. the royal family says they will

ma marry in the spring or summer of 2011. cholera, street violence in haiti. misery piled on top of misery. there is hope and there are a number of ways to help. first, let's take stock of the situation, shall we? nearly 1,000 people have died of cholera, thousands more of sick ten months after the devastating earthquake, and the disease has moved into the capital city, and now protesters are turning against u.n. workers in violent street fights, and there's rumors that the disease outbreak originated with peacekeepers, a story flatly denied by u.n. spokespeople. about a million people are homeless after the january quake and many are still living in the make shift tent cities, limited access to clean water, sanitation is horrible and all of that is a breeding ground for cholera, but critics like this one are definitely savings.

this medical team just opened a second treatment clinic in a crowded port-au-prince community. reverend franklin graham is the minister in chart of that and the head of samaritan's purse. frank clin, so great to see you. bring us to the speed on what your teams are doing right now to tackle this outbreak. >> kyra, this is a huge problem, and, of course, it's going to take the entire international community. we have two sites. each site has about 200by beds, and we put more than two people in a bed, especially children, but you can only treat so many. we're a small organization, but we are going to continue to treat as manies we can. this outbreak is growing. there is a great problem down in

that country with just trash, and that has probably precipitated a lot of this problem with the cholera. the people are living in a trash dump, and we've got to find a way to address this trash dump, and i'm going to be meeting with some people later this week, and hopefully we can make a program to collect some of this trash, clean up the country and improve the life and the health of these people. we're doing all that we can. we're going to do more, and i hope we can save lives. this is what we want to do is try to save the lives of these people. we've already got 15,000 people in temporary sheller, 15,000 families, that is, and we're going to build more shelters in the coming weeks. people have to have a place to live. this is the christmas season. we're going to be taking gifts down to the children. so many people are hopeless, lost their family and loved ones. we are going to take a quarter of a million gifts and

distribute them this christmas season. we are trying to do something for the children to give them hope and let them mow that god loves them and god hasn't for gotten about them. >> i want to talk about operation christmas child because that's where you are and it's one of my favorite programs. i know you are going to be taking a lot of those shoe boxes to the folks in haiti. one more question about haiti before we talk about operation christmas child. i was reading about this mass messaging campaign that you have been doing as well, because a lot of these folks are getting mixed messages on what's safe and what's not safe and where they should go, and, you know, how to get there. explain what you're doing to try and get lieu to sothrough to so folks in the outlying areas that may not know what you're bringing in and what's available to them. >> well, first of all, there's a lot of confusion with the population. they think that people that have

cholera are spreading the cholera, so they don't want sick people coming into their community. they want to push them out. what they don't realize is that the cholera, they're not going to get it from the person that has it. we are treating them, and they're okay. but the people in the community don't realize that if you come to our clinic, we can take care of you. they're afraid by coming to the clinic, there's going to be a stigma attached to them, and they're going to be thrown out of the community. so we have to go in with the information and let them know to come to the clinic, and we have to deal with the misinformation that the clinic is spreading the disease. it's a tragic swaying. people think the clinic is spreading the disease. it's not. we're treating the disease. it's a tough thing. >> no, i understand, and it's so frustrating, too, when you see all of the money that was raised to go into this area and help these people, and you're

wondering, okay, where is it, there's got to be more. let's get back to the holidays and what you're going to be doing. this program goes to more than 130 countries but i know you're going to be sending a lot of to haiti. his is operation christmas child. i'm going to have you start talking about it, and i'm going to take our viewers over to our u-touch where i can show them your website samaritan's pur purse.org. at my church, they had a bunch of your boxes, and we assembled them, and we're moving them through to donate this week. tell our viewers how they can get involveds with this. i'm going to take them through the website, too, so they will know what to put exactly in those boxes. >> we just take an empty box and put gifts in it for a child. if it's a girl, but a doll.

if it's a boy, put a, soar ball or baseball. put candy, school supplies, but, kyra, the most important thing you can put in a box. we ask people to pray. we know god will hear the prayer of one righteous person. we will select nearly 8 million boxes, and if we have have 8 people praying to god for 8 million children, i believe god will hear the prayers and answer the prayers and these little children will know that there's a god who loves them, and we want the comfort and joy of knowing god to come into the lives of these little kids. >> you were describing what you can do. you can click on the website down there on the bottom that giving you exactly the details. you have the operation christmas child boxes, but you can take any shoe box and stuff it, correct? >> any shoe box, and if you have a boot box, that's better. they're bigger. fill them up with toys for children and candy.

every gift is different, like snowflakes. there's no two boxes that are alike. when you give a gift to a child that never had a gift. a kid that's living in a garbage dump, and you give them a gift, the scroi that comes into that little child's heart. >> amen. i have seen it. you can go to the dropoff, number five there on the website, and put in your zip code and find out where you can drop off that box, and you can follow your box, if you go down and see, print the label, but the label on there, and then the last part will tell you once you do that, how can you actually follow that box. operation christmas child. just go onto samaritan's purse.org. it was a real blessing to have you with us today. you do something wonderful things around the world. >> thank you and god bless you. many days we can't wait to

get out of the office and breathe fresh air, right? buts a sanjay gupta is going to point out, it's not always healthy. he's talking about toxic air dangers right after the break. tr and has 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon. use it almost anywhere you use sugar. even in cooking and baking. sweet! [ female announcer ] splenda® granulated with fiber.

well, it's ugly. it smells. it's going into your lungs, and it can kill. chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta has today's daily dose on the dangers of air pollution. >> reporter: kyra, as things stand right now, there are about a billion people around the world subjected to toxic air, a lot of those people living in big cities, and if you look at health problems especially in developing countries, about a fifth of them can be contributed to environmental causes such as pollution. this has the attention of the world health organization, trying to define the problem and also some solutions. what you're looking at is urbanization or the consequences of it. big factories as your neighbors.

here in kobe, it's a big city but they suffer from pollution problems like so many cities do. they have 15 factories in this small area, and add to that the exhaust from cars, trucks and buses, and you get the smog that hangs over so many cities. the problem is the air is just too dirty to breathe. here's the most frightening part, you are likely to not even notice it. your body becomes accustomed to it after just four days of breathing did in. the particles are as small as a strand of hair, and it con striks the airways. it can impair your airway and cause increases in blood pressure, heart attack risk and the chances of heart disease. you may think health impacts from breathing in toxic air would take years to develop. that's not the case. on days with bad pollution in cities, emergency room visits spike over the next 24 hours. it's not just adults that are at risk, either. there are studies showing babies

are being born prepolluted with 323 chemicals in their system at birth. there are places in china that i vifed where they are starting to move the coal-fired power plants to rural areas, and in new york there are new laws on idling of buses and trucks. there are things we all can do to make our lives better, driving less, using public transportation. that can really help, and keeping in mind when pollution is at its worst. hot days, and midday. if you are exercising on these days, you are taking in seven to ten times more air and pollution as well. indoor air quality can often be worse than outdoor air quality. sometimes 50% worse. open a window or make sure you have good ventilation. urbanization is here to stay, no question about it, but these are

tips for society to try to make the civilization you live in a safe and healthy one. you are probably asking yourself after seeing something like this, what is the most polluted city in the planet. the dubious honor goes to listen china. they say it's like smoking three packs a cigarettes by spending a day, and los angeles and phoenix are the most polluted. there are stories of success. pittsburgh used to be a very polluted city and it's gotten better and residents can expect to live ten months lopger on average as a result of those improvements. from backing candidates to having their own candidates, should the tea party become a third party? americans are evenly split on that idea. [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day. ♪

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let's check in on our political ticker. not too early to throw out names for the 2012 white house race, white? paul steinhauser working that for us. hey, paul. >> never too early, kyra. we were talking about this before the election. let's talk about earmarks in the race for the white house. you were talking about all of that action on capitol hill. two former governors who may want to run for the white house in 2012 are weighing in on the issue. mitt romney, former governor of massachusetts, and mike huckabee, former governor of arkansas, who ran last time and may run again, both putting out petitions on line, urging people to sign the pet tigs to support that ban that republicans are going to vote on today in the senate, that ban on earmarks. you can see more, of course about that right here, cnn

political ticker. if you're running for republican, the ban is pretty well supported. not a bad idea to sign it. let's talk about another contender for the possible 2012 nomination, former house speaker newt gingrich. where is he today? iowa. when anyone goes to iowa, that sparks our interest because they lead the way in the presidential primary calendar. he is will to sign a new book called "valley forge" taking him to three stops, today in iowa. >> what's this about the tea party forming a third party to challenge the gop and the democrats? >> check out these numbers. should the tea party just do, in fact, that, and form a third party? americans are divided on the issue. 48%, say, yeah, that's a good idea, and 48% say, no, not a

good idea. there's a gender gap here. women do not like the idea of the tea party forming a third party, men, a majority do. >> interesting. all right, paul. we'll continue to follow it. thank you very much. >> thank you. well, wedding bells will soon be ringing for britain's prince will wram and his soon to be princess, but will the tough economy mean a more budget-minded affair compared to the last royal wedding? we're going across the pond for answers. but first, mayor kasim reed, the mayor of atlanta, georgia is hanging out with royals. working overseas, the news breaks, and he's calling in. can you hear me? >> i can hear you well. how is everybody at home? >> everything is going very well. did you seen see this coming? you were going over there to talk ecofriendly projects, and next thing you know, you're in the center of a huge

international story. >> exactly. i didn't think i was that popular with all of the cameras, so i figured it must be about the prince's announcement. we were over here working and looking at bringing some of their best practices back to atlanta. >> go ahead and why don't we led our viewers know about poundberry, and why there was an interest here between atlanta and london, england. >> sure. >> poundberry is an ecofriendly development developed by the prince's foundation, and they have an interest in helping atlanta as we move toward making the city one of the most sun stainable cities in the united states. so as a part of that, we spent about three hours with prince charles today, and it just happened to be on the day that we got very good news. >> so the news comes out that there's an engagement between his son and his long-time girlfriend.

did he talk to you about it? did you get to ask imhad about it? was there a moment when you were together when the news came out that you had some sort of discussion about it? >> no, we didn't. i extended my heartfelt congratulations, and he was very excited, but we were really focused on sustainability. we didn't discuss it there much at all. the press asked him about it a good bit, and he expressed his excitement but we were really focused on sustainability. it was very exciting to be here today. >> mayor kasim reed of atlanta, georgia. choose one of three prm seafood-and-steak combinations... all under $20. get succulent lobster... paired with our eight-ounce wood-grilled sirloin... tender snow crab legs and sirloin... or new chardonnay grilled shrimp and sirloin... all with salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits. three new surf and turf combinations... all under $20. only for a limited time, and only at red lobster.

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taliban fighters and later died from his injuries. these pictures from are the family memorial for josh in mcfarland, wisconsin. his final resting place is a few blocks away on the shaded edge of a small cemetery. wisc, an affiliate, is reporting that josh had plans to come home and join his dad mike on the madison police force. mike brennan will attend today's medal of honor ceremony, and we want to lift up the medic from the squadron. hugo mendoza was killed in the same battle. he was from arizona, and he dreamed of being a firefighter there after leaving the army. if you have a fallen hero that you'd like us to honor. here's all you have to do, go on line and send us your thoughts and pictures, and we promise to keep the memories of an hour ruved one alive. ♪ fiber one chewy bar.

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now in superfruit blends, naturally rich in vitamins and antioxidants. northland. the power of dark fruit. all right, well, one of the big stories we are talking about today, engagement of prince william and kate middleton. crossing from the pond, max foster joining us live from london. is there anyway this tough economy could impact a royal wedding like the one we saw many years ago? >> it's thewo