headquarters, the news and chings in you need for this wednesday, november 17th. an earthquake, a hurricane, and now riots in haiti. angry protesters blame u.n. peacekeepers for cholera in the country. gm unwrappings the chevy volt at the auto show, and the new stork gets a giddy welcome on wall street. jay-z talks to cnn's poppy harlow. >> getting involved in things that you love, and also have a standard for yourself and have some sort of integrity and try to find some sort of truth in what you're doing. good morning, i'm tony harris. those stories and your comments right here right now in the cnn newsroom. first, big stories happening live right now, the transportation security administration's top man on enhanced body scans and

patdowns -- you refuse, you don't fly. john pistole answering to a senate committee try now as privacy concerns grow. president obama behind closed doors for an update on the war in afghanistan, the administration's report card on the president's surge strategy expected in december. in new york, federal prosecutor prosecutors say that viktor bout will be arraigned today after extradition from thailand. the epidemic in haiti sparking violence. aid workers accuse u.n. peacekeepers of bringing the airborne disease to the nation. ivan watson is on the phone. ivan, what is the situation today? >> reporter: well, parts of the city seem calmer. we are seeing peacekeepers, u.n. peacekeepers sweeping up some of

the debris from the fighting over the last two days. there are still barricades in the roads and cars are not able to move freely through the streets. i'm right now at a cholera treatment center. it's a gym turned into a coholea treatment center. doctors without borders say people are bringing in urgent cases of cholera, victims who are quite sick. he systems maybe 150 people just since last night, and they're trying to treat them now. part of the problem was during the riots, people couldn't bring deathly sick cholera patients to the hospitals to get treated. >> ivan, to be clear, you are in cape haitian, the second largest city in haiti, and my understand is there is no vehicle traffic

being allowed where you are right now. why is that? >> reporter: well, this explosion of anger that began on monday directed against the united nations peacekeepers, against the government, against the police, succeeded in locking down the city. the united nations has accused political groups of trying to destabilize the country ahead of presidential elections that are less than two weeks away. but some of the protesters we've talked to say they're angry because there hasn't been enough help to deal with the cholera epidemic. more than 1100 people dead in haiti in a month's time. first time they've seen cholera in more than 50 years, and many patients accused the united nations, a nepalese contingent of bringing cholera to this country. what is an allegation that the u.n. uneequivocally denies. ivan watson with us, and the

latest figures show 1,110 people have died of cholera since the outbreak started last month. 18,383 people are hospitalized. the country is struggling to get back on its feet after the january earthquake killed 230,000 people and left more than 1 million homeless. we are on line just like you are right now. here's what's getting a lot of buzz on the internet. brandy, singer brandy, getting kicked off "dancing with the stars" despite the second highest scores for the season. she had a perfect score monday night and still got the boot. people are pointing out that bristol palin who has remained at the bottom of the leaderboard including this week is still very much in the running. patient: and that's why yellow makes me sad. i tnk. sarge: that's interesting. you know what makes me sad?

you do! maybe we should chug on over to mambie pambie land sawhere maybe can find some yoself-confidence for you.? ya jackwagon! tissue? crybaby. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. my professor at berkeley asked me if i wanted to change the world. i said "sure." "well, let's grow some algae." and that's what started it. exxonmobil and synthetic genomics have built a new facility to identify the most productive strains of algae. algae are amazing little critters. they secrete oil, which we could turn into biofuels. they also absorb co2. we're hoping to supplement the fuels that we use in our vehicles, and to do this at a large enough scale to someday help meet the world's energy demands. i've been looking at the numbers, and i think our campus is spending too much money on printing. i'd like to put you in charge of cutting costs. calm down. i know that it is not your job. what i'm saying...

excuse me? alright, fine. no, you don't have to do it. ok? [ male announcer ] notre dame knows it's better for xerox to control its printing costs. so they can focus on winning on and off the field. [ manager ] are you sure i can't talk -- ok, no, i get it. [ male announcer ] with xerox, you're ready for real business. time to go around the country for a look at news around the nation. a mother in indianapolis outraged after a principal's reprimand of her son gets physical. the boy and another student were

caught defacing a bus seat. video surveillance showing the principal grabbing the boy, shaking him and forcing him down in the seat. a fire destroyed a his stole irhotel in logan, virginia. the fourth floor of the hotel was destroyed and the rest of the building has extensive smoke and water damage. rapper jay-z gets down to business, talking about his life in a new book. poppy harlow sat down with the music mogul. tell us about the interview. >> you never know what to expect going into an interview like this. he was very candid, open, thoughtful in his answers. you'll see what i'm talking about when we play part of the interview for you. he just came out with his first book called "decode," and he explains how the lyrics of 36 of his songs tell his life story. it's a fascinating read looking

at how he was raised in the projects in brooklyn to where he is now, successful in music and business. i asked why did you write the book now? why did you wait until you were 40 years old? he says it has to do with where our country is and with president obama. >> i wanted to make the case that rap is poetry, one, and some of the decisions we made, to give the decisions context. why the songs are the way they are. why there is a gangsta rap. why this is taking place in america. and it just felt like the perfect time to write it. >> you've 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's on his way to delivering that, but 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. i think he's moving in the right direction, yes. >> you insist that rap is poetry, and you wrote chuck d. famously called hip-hop the art of the get toe. does get toe have the obligation to take it further, more than entertaining? >> yes, of course. rap is entertaining, it's informative. it's provocative. it's funny. it's silly. 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 are all -- >> 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. >> tony, he went on to say, of course, i don't condone life on the streets selling drugs but that was his situation. he says, i didn't have any other choice, and he says the lesson of following your instincts, he realized what he had in common with warren buffett. he had lunch with him a few months ago, and that was his advice, follow your instincts and have trust in any business deal you do. >> boy, i hope folks take the message in that. you have to trust and it's hard sometimes. you are faced with some circumstances, and it's hard to trust and have faith, but that is well said, mr. jay-z. poppy, appreciate it. let's get a mark check here. is that mr. jay-z? we are, let's see, better than 90 minutes into the trading day. look at the new york stock exchange. we are selling a bit. off of session lows, however.

down 9. the nasdaq is up. we have a mixed day going for stocks. ryan stewart is in the house. it is time to talk flaps up. big plays, cabbage patch. c'mon now. are you go wing to do the snake here? is that next? let's talk michael vick, and the heat i'm taking over our reporting on the michael vick story yesterday. >> back in a moment. you're in the cnn newsroom.

ryan stewart, co-host of the "two live stews," the number one talk show in the country. how did i end up in the mill of this hotness of michael vick? >> because it was hot yesterday. >> it was hot in the kitchen, okay, and i'm not talking about the back of my neck. it was hot in the kitchen. here's the thing. i'm trying to explain what an amazing performance michael vick turned in on monday night football, the premier stage short of the super bowl. you have to consider this

performance in the kons text of a guy who 18 months ago was in prison, right? >> right. >> amazing story, okay, and, ryan, i was lit up. >> i agree, it's one of those dynamics you have a job to do. >> i think it's fascinating. >> exactly, and talking about how great he has become, sometimes you have to be deterred to the demise that dropped him from glory six, seven years ago. >> yes. >> so i understand where you're coming from in talking about the dog fighting but the problem is that a lot of people didn't talk about the greatness we saw on monday night football. >> we did. so why did i get lit up? >> because there are protectors of michael vick, and a lot of people don't feel he has been justly treated since the dog fighting situation. people don't feel he was justly treated prior to the dog fighting situation. that will come along racial lines. >> okay. okay. it's what's in the room when you

have this discussion. >> the conversation is totally different at my barbershop than where i get my morning paper. >> totally different. where you get your morning paper, it's about what? >> about michael vick and how bad he is. >> at the barbershop, it is? >> he's an mvp. no interceptions, no fumbles. every game he started his team won he's playing incredible football. >> you and your brother have taken an interesting position on how you will report the michael vick story. tell everybody what your position is on this? >> we decided that we are not going to talk about the 18-month stint he spent in jail for dog fighting. >> why are you taking that position? >> that's in the past. we're moving forward. this guy is incredible on the field. he's studying as a professional. he is a true leader. so we decided we will talk about

the success story of michael vick and what he's doing for the philadelphia eagles to get them to the super bowl instead of talking about the demise at the roughest point of his life. >> and don't you believe as he continues to stack up accolades, the story of, and i'm going to say it again, and i'm going to get hit again, the story of the demise moves farther and farther down in the story of michael vick. it is no longer the third paragraph. maybe the tenth. >> as the book continues to be written, we will move away from the situation that he was a part of. but, that all depends on him continuing to do the right thing and staying out of trouble. >> wow. so i was lit up! i was called everything but -- >> you were the devil. >> i was the devil. cam newton, the outstanding quarterback for the auburn tigers. what is happening with the story? what do you see happening down the road?

>> everything is still alleged but the latest thing, john bond the snitch/narc that spilled the beans on cam and his father's situation sat down with the fbi recently. we don't know what was said. in my personal opinion, tony, i think it is a matter of time before he is deemed ineligible. where there's smoke, there's fire. it is still all alleged. if i was the auburn tigers or administration, i would continue to let him play. maybe they won't find anything. >> win the national title, apologize later and give it back later. >> take it back in five years or two years, but i want it for now. >> right. good to see you. leave me alone, america! ordinary rubs don't always work on my arthritis.

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a tell-all interview. mel gibson's ex, gg gg is larry king's guest tonight. she speaks for the first time publicly about her birt custody dispute with the actor and father of her daughter. here's a quick look. >> all of the phone calls that were recorded were recorded on the same night of 18 february and 18th to the 19th. he started calling me early in the evening. >> what was he angry about? >> because i left him because i thought he was going to hit us again that evening. >> you forgave him for the first instance? >> i forgave him in a couple weeks time after the first, you know, severe beating that he struck me twice with a fist and was choking me whilst i was oldly lucia and not protecting myself. my son saw it, and he was running towards us screaming and yelling and told us to get the f out, and went to get the gun.

i asked my son to get in the car, and we left on the 6th of january. >> mel gibson has not responded to cnn's request for a response. however, a legal filing in connection with the custody dispute, gibson states he slapped oksana once, not hard, with an open hand, not a closed fist as she has claimed. you can see that interview tonight on "larry king live." hollywood is shaken after veteran movie plubl cyst is shot to death in her mercedes in beverly hills. police say they have no suspect. ronni chasen has worked with many actors in her career. thousands in the washington metro area are waiting for their electricity to come back on. severe storms socked the mid-atlantic over night. trees are down, and billings have their roofs ripped off. the day after the president awarded him the medal of honor,

the pentagon inducts salvatore giunta into its hall of heroes. he is the first medal of honor recipient since the vietnam war.

if you are clicking on it, posting about it, digital expert derek dodge is tracking it for us. derek, here is something trending this hour. it's natural unfriend day on facebook. >> this is something that jimmy kimmel has thought up, kind of a comedic bit, publicity stunt. the whole problem is people have tom friends on facebook. how many friends do you have on facebook? >> i had a lot, and many weren't

friends, so i started to unfriend them. i literally have 19 friends. because they're really friends. what a concept. >> that would make jimmy kimmel happy because he thinks if you have more than 120 friends you should start unfriending people. i don't know if i agree with it, but he got help from sunt music superstars, brad paisley and darius rucker. take a look at the video. >> we have had a couple -- we go to rochester new york where brad paisley and darius rucker are with us to ring in a new day of unfriendship. take it away, fellows. ♪ to all of the friends i've earned before ♪

♪ who sent me quizzes about jersey shore ♪ >> so i don't know if i agree. i have 200 friends on facebook. he are actually all my friends. i don't think that's too many. this is what people are talking about. >> i love that people are talking about it. 200 friends, and they're not all your close friends? >> but they are? >> they are? >> if i ran into them on the street, i would totally be happy to see them. >> you don't run into close friends on the street. you arrange to meet close friends. >> that's what facebook is for, to keep in touch with your high school friends. >> my high school friends? putting hard times in the rear view mirror and driving into the future, live to los angeles for the los angeles auto show. back in a moment.

let's check live pictures from our tower cams. a white house meeting between president obama and top democratic and republicans leers has been postponed. it is now set for november 30 nl, and here's the reason. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell and john boehner said they had scheduling conflicts. leadership elections in the

house for the incoming congress. a lot of eyes will be on nancy policesy who is hoping to be elected minority leader in the new congress. on the west coast, car lovers' delight. the los angeles auto show is under way. a lot of concept cars you might see on the highway in a few years and a lot of environmentally friendly vehicles. a family business that survived 96 years and four generations is closing its doors, the victim of a sagging economy. the home furnishing store has been selling furniture for the past 17 years. owner dave staufer says the economy forced his hand. >> i do care about my employees. they're staying with me until the end. they're going to be looking for work. i'm concerned about that em. my son is going to be looking for work. i'm concerned ability him and his family. >> they plan to close the doors

for good before christmas. >> general motors does about to go public again, and because of a change today, the automakers ipo could be the biggest in history. alison kosik has the details. >> yeah. investors really want in on this action. gm's ipo first priced out at $10 billion and then rose to $13 billion. today's estimate sitting at $20 billion. expect gm to sell more shares than originally announced. many shares are owned by the government but once they are sold, taxpayers are expected to rerup $11 billion of the $50 billion bailout. >> will investors like me, like you, be able to get some gm shares? >> you know, that's a great question. think about it. it's going to be really tough if you want to go ahead and buy a share or two tomorrow. the fact of the matter is

millions of shares have already been allocated over the past few months to big banks, institutional investors and fund managers. taxpayers whant the gam shares to sell. the more successful it is, the more money we the taxpayers make back. we are looking for the shares to sell and at a higher price. >> where are the people who bailed them out and we're the last in line to buy them. if you would, give us a quick market check, please. >> you got it. a bit flat today. investors on edge, not moving a lot in the market, holding positions. investors worried about european debt issues spreading here to the u.s., and also new worries about the housing market. we found the that home builders shares are falling. nasdaq up 12. >> see you next hour. no doubt about it, gm is riding high as the los angeles auto

show gets rolling this week. cnn's ted rowlands at the l.a. convention center. good to see you. good morning to you. the chevy volt just named car of the year by "motor trend." the ipo is being priced today and starts tomorrow. gm appears to be on a roll. >> reporter: absolutely. talked to gm folks. they're very excited not only about the ipo but very, very excited about this vehicle, the volt, the first real, full electric vehicle in production. it will start shipping in the next few weeks. this is where you plug in your cord, if you will. you get about 25 to 60 miles per charge. there's a gas generator that kicks in after that. runs about $40,000. gm says when things were going south, this was not ever on the chopping block. they say this is the future. this is jessica caldwell from

edmunds financial. >> they have come back a long way. they are coming out with products like the volt that people are liking and they're selling it without inventives. >> reporter: 50 different alternative fuel vehicles here at the auto show. you go around and look at the concept cars. take a look at this doozy from jaguar, a concept car. this is an alternative fuel vehicle. the cx-75 micro turbines powers two generators with an extended range and they claim it can do 2 205 miles an hour. >> we're a sports car company. we can't compromise that wp so we have to develop alternative fuel cars that maintains the performance we're used to. >> reporter: bottom line, concept cars are the most enjoyable thing about the auto shows but usually are never

produced. the folks say maybe this thing will be made for sale some day. every single manufacturer has something they're displaying in the alternative fuel category and are pushing it here in l.a. one note, we were here a couple years ago during the height of the downward spiral of the auto industry, and it was like a morgue here. in fact, see the big lights here that chevy has now. two years ago, they didn't have lights or personnel. it was really depressing. things have changed and you can definitely feel it in the industry, the energy moving forward. >> we're still making cars. we need that sector to bounce back and bounce back big time. storms rolled across the atlantic coast we need to check in with our weather team. we'll do that in just a minute. . choose one of three premium seafood-and-steak combinations... all under $20. get succulent lobster... paired with our eight-ounce wood-grilled sirloin...

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i want to see the volt up close. >> would you get one? >> why not? my uncle used to work for gm. i would support the cause. if it rides nice. i'd pimp out the wheels with spinners. >> hydraulics and lifts?

let's look at this together. hey, rob, look at this. homes, businesses damaged.

>> you probably know this area, park veil or park dale. >> i do know that area. i got to call home. trees and power out to a lot of folks? was it mainly the mid-atlantic? >> it was pretty isolated as far as these strong winds. baltimore saw the worst damage. d.c. got some damage. at first, we didn't think there was a tornado, but getting these aerials in about an hour ago, they are rethinking it. when you see roofs torn off like that, you need substantial winds if not a small tornado. >> look at that blob of a system moving. >> these are the official reports of winds that we saw last night in through delaware and pennsylvania, and parts of maryland. so you get winds anywhere from 48 to 65 miles an hour, that will take down trees and tree limbs and power lines but doing

that sort of structural damage to roofs, i think you need a little more than that. it probably was a tornado. we will get official word later. this is the storm as it continues to crank up and swirl, make its way into ontario. it is continuing to strengthen and will continue to bring not so much rain anymore. we are looking for continued winds around this, not thunderstorm winds that came through baltimore last night but the winds whipping around the area of low pressure. that's the area go are forward. it's cranking up through parts of the northeast. over 20-mile-an-hour wind gusts across parts of boston. center part of the country seeing storms. snow in colorado. silver thorn got hit heavily yesterday. i-70 was closed because of the heavy snow. ski resorts loving this. this could be a historic year

for them. the northwest continues to get beat up. seattle with damages winds two nights ago, another storm coming into this area. we have windy conditions with wind warnings up and winter storm warnings posted for the oregon and washington cascades. many parts of the country getting into it with some weather that's a little bit on the november side. >> we have wacky video for you. >> i have seen the santa stuff. >> let's start with this. it seemed like a good idea at the time. the just married couple making a grand entrance. how about this. marble floor. >> they are not going to do well in the chicken fight contest. >> that had the potential to be concussive. >> head gear needed. >> can we watch it again. >> they are a handsome bride and groom.

>> seemed like a good idea. dude's upper body strength. >> good have been the tuxedo being taylored to tightly. >> what is going on here? >> this is bad santa somewhere in a parking garage. >> what's he doing? >> he's taking care of business, as we like to say. >> he's wobbly. >> oh. >> oh, i didn't see that part. he, too, needs a helmet under the santa hat. >> recue it! >> that is santa going to see a man about a reindeer. >> that might have been a judicious edit there. these are the last days from tony and rob here in the cnn newsroom. that first job launched my career. since i've been with the company, i've been promoted ten times over the span of 11 years. today, i'm a divisional learning and development manager. we can actually help people develop in their own careers.

my job allows me to make a difference in the lives of almost 100,000 associates in the northeast. if you think about it, that's almost 8 times the size of my hometown. my name is nick and i work at walmart. ♪

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as we mentioned, democratic representatives are meeting to elect their leadership. let's go to senior congressional correspondent dana bash. dana, my goodness, you had an interesting conversation just moments ago, didn't you? >> reporter: that's right. what's going on behind me is the leadership elections for the democrats in the house. it's been quite controversial that nancy pelosi wanteds to remains a the house top democrat. allen boyd was defeated in elections earlier this month, and he is here, even though he doesn't get a vote, he is here to make it clear that he thinks nancy pelosi running is the wrong thing to do.

>> the truth is that she is the face that defeated us in this last election. and it seems to me that at some point in time, you have to put your personal agenda and ambitions aside for the good of the country and certainly of the party. and i don't know how we go into these districts, like the one i represented, due represent now, will be giving up in january, and recruit good, moderate, democratic candidates if you have the same leadership team, exact same leadership team, headed by the same person, that you had in place when he lost that majority. >> reporter: do you feel that your defeat is in part because of nancy pelosi? >> well, absolutely. i mean, that's not anything that should be in great question because of the tactic that was used by the other side was basically to run against nancy

pelosi. so i don't think there's any doubt about that. >> reporter: now what's interesting is that boyd is actually saying this publicly, but we first heard yesterday that he had this sentiment because he made this clear in closed-door session to nancy pelosi herself and every other member of the house democratic caucus when they had a long session yesterday. because he was defeated, he does not get a vote in the elections but he is a so-called blue dog democratic moderate. heath shuler is opposing nancy pelosi. it is unlikely he will get the votes but interesting that is the sentiment out there. we should make it very clear that pelosi is very likely to get the house minority leader spot because not everybody believes wa allen boyd believes. a lot of people are behind her is says she's the right person for the job because of her spirit and energy and was in a large part responsible for getting democrats into the

majority in 2006. >> dana, is representative boyd in what we call a swing district, a district that is always prone to going one way or another given the facts on the ground in any given election cycle? >> reporter: he is from a conservative district in the state of florida. there is no question about that, and that is why for the most part he has sort of voted by way of his district. i will tell you that he actually voted for health care, and he told us in this interview moments ago that he doesn't regret that. he says that's what democrats are supposed to do, vote for the health and well being of people in this country but it's interesting to see how outspoken he is about his concerns about nancy pelosi remaining the head of the house democrats. >> the conversations dana is having on the hill these days. thank you. a former soviet military officer known as the merchant of death facing a judge in new york today. u.s. officials have spent years pursuing viktor bout accuse of

supplying weapons to war zones around the world. he denies it. san francisco and malibu did it, now l.a. county has banned plastic bags. it forces grocery stores and pharmacies to charge 10 crepts for plastic bags. a dramatic rescue. a 3-year-old girl fell down a dried up well some 78 feet deep. rescue workers lowered a net and pulled her out to safety. pain . it blocks pain signals for deep relief precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol.

you got that interview for a new job. if you haven't been getting raises where you are now, you might be tempted to tell a perspective employer you make more than you actually do. stephanie elam joining us from

new york. stephanie, is this really going to help you get more money? >> its a tricky one. is that why you're making eyebrows out there? >> yeah. >> think about the people who for the last couple years haven't gotten a raise because of the poor economy and maybe took a pay cut because of the situation. a lot of people may seekers adm they've lied or would lie during the interview process according to a survey from vault.com. for some positions like government positions it is downright illegal to lie about your salary. other employers may fire you if they find out you fibbed. it is recommended you treat your relationship with your boss the way you would treat any other relationship you respect. you don't want to start the relationship based on a lie. >> right. >> now, don't overshare. offering too much information about your salary to a potential employer could be to your detriment. play it safe and hint at a range rather than revealing your exact

salary if possible. that is what aol small business tells us. in most cases the hiring manager already has a pretty good idea what you make and if they don't they'll probably find out by calling your references or the hr department at your old company. >> if you choose to inflate, not suggesting that you should, but you just can't pull a number out of thin air. is there a fair way to inflate your salary if you choose to inflate your salary? >> yeah, in some cases you might just tell on yourself by doing that. clearly, you didn't do your research. you don't want to inflate your salary for the sake of making yourself seem more valuable or in the hope you will get more compensation from a new employer. you can, however, this is the sneaky one here, talk total compensation rather than salary. in your total compensation that's your salary, your bonus, any upcoming bonuss you may have, the value of the company stock options and your 401(k) match. that's completely fair. that's what matt woller tells us. and keep the number in the ballpark range. remember that wording is important. you're no longer talking about salary here.

you're talking about total compensation. >> nice. >> this may make it seem like you are worth a bit more, tony. >> love that. if you would, stick around. when we come back after the break let's talk about how to tactfully negotiate what you should be paid in that new job. >> sounds good.

let's rock on. stephanie is back with us to talk about how your current salary can be negotiated with a prospective employer so you can get more money going forward. how do we do this, stephanie? >> the first thing you have to do, you thought when you got done with college you were done researching. not the case. you have to research salaries

from similar positions at comparison sites. get raised.com, pay scale.com and salary.com and head into the negotiation with a number. after you have set the bar, you can talk about previous experience, education, or why you think you're a good fit at that particular company and it never hurts to negotiate upwards after an offer has been made. if an employer isn't willing to budge on salary, which may happen, this is the point where you can start discussing bonuses or extra vacation days to pick up the slack. that's what aol small business tells us. in the end it never hurts to ask. all they can do is tell you no. >> all they can do is say no. very good. great advice. stephanie, good to see you. thank you. >> you, too. take care. >> okay. everyone is talking about bristol palin. everyone. and not just because she made the final rounds of "dancing with the stars." we'll tell you why the teen parent teamed up with a "jersey shore" star. that's in the next hour of the cnn newsroom. and burger king's famous for

its, you know, old have it your way motto. now one of bk's california restaurants is getting some attention for what this receipt had printed on it and it wasn't "thank you" and it wasn't very nice. [ k. tyrone ] i'm an engineer. my kids say i speak a different language. but i love math and math and science develop new ideas. 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,

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because opportunity can start anywhere, and go everywhere. let's keep it moving. ♪ aspercreme breaks the grip, with maximum-strength medicine and no embarrassing odor. break the grip of pain with aspercreme. prince william and fiance kate middleton are talking about their upcoming wedding. kate now wears the same engagement ring william's late mother diana wore when she married prince charles. >> a massive thing you're going into now. marriage is a big thing for everyone but it's in such a public way. excited? a little bit terrified? >> mostly excited. quite happy.

we're excited and looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together. and seeing what the future holds. >> kate, you've had a long time to sort of contemplate this moment. >> let's not over -- >> i don't know what i'm sort of -- i don't know the ropes really but, no, i'm willing to learn quickly and work hard. >> do really well together. >> a lot of opportunities within the family, a huge ability to change people's lives for the better. i guess that's something you must have contemplated as well. >> yes. well, i can make a difference even in the smallest way, if i can, i'm looking forward to helping as much as i can. >> people are bound to ask, you know, this question, but children?

do you want to see what comes? what is your -- >> i think we'll take it one step at a time. we'll sort of get over the marriage thing first and then look at the kids but obviously we want a family so we'll have to start thinking about that. >> hello everyone. i'm tony harris. top of the hour in the cnn newsroom where anything can happen. here are some of the people behind today's top stories. tsa, body scans under fire from some airline passengers and on capitol hill we will break down the elements today in the security measure raising concerns about privacy when you fly. republicans divided as a lame duck session of congress marches on. how serious is the rift between high profile congressional leaders and tea party candidates? and you don't expect this with your burger combo. a message on a fast food receipt that would make you blush. let's get started now with our lead story. we are just trying to stay ahead of the threat and keep you safe. those words from the head of the

transportation security administration just a short time ago. john pistol testified before a senate committee. his testimony comes amid a public back lash over a full body scan and more invasive patdown searches. pistole was asked whether he had undergone the new patdown himself. >> absolutely, mr. chairman. i insisted that i receive that patdown before we -- before i ordered that it be deployed nationwide. also secretary napolitano, deputy secretary lute, other senior members of homeland security received that patdown to see, to experience, not see but experience what that involved so we would know before we put -- rolled that out. >> and your impression? >> that it is thorough. >> i understand that but your impression beyond the fact that it was thorough? >> well, the whole purpose was to -- >> did it make you uncomfortable? >> yes. >> what was your impression as a person? >> yes. it was more invasive than what i was used to. of course what is in my mind

from 27 years with the fbi and the counterterrorism work since 9/11 what are the plots out there and how are we informed about the latest intelligence and the latest technology and what do we need to do to assure the american people that as they travel we are being thorough? yes, it is clearly more invasive. the purpose of that is to obviously detect this type of device that we had not seen before, for example, last christmas. i am very sensitive to and concerned about people's privacy concerns and i wanted to work through that as best we can. the bottom line is we need to provide for the best possible security. >> okay. critics of the enhanced security say the searches go too far. a texas man says he felt violated at a florida airport. >> put his hand in between my underwear and my skin. you know, dan a 3and did a 360 way around touching certain sensitive points in the back and the front. >> wow. despite the loud chorus of

criticism most americans support the enhanced security measures and a cbs news poll, 81% say airports should useful body x-ray machine. only 15% say airports should not use the machines. airline passengers who favor the searches say it is better to be safe than sorry. some say they haven't had any trouble. >> i've been through the scanner and i've been through the patdowns and i haven't had any problem with it. >> the person that they don't patdown or don't search thoroughly could be the person that takes the plane down. >> let's talk about who is subject to the enhanced screening that critics are complaining about. according to the tsa, these are the reasons for someone being subjected to the new patdown search. if an alarm goes off at the metal detector, if there is some kind of anomaly during the screening or if someone opts out of the advanced imaging body scan. now, here is what some of you

are saying about the controversy. from grandmother five, there are ways to avoid all of this. drive. take a bus. or hope the passenger trains come back. technobie fires back, grandmother five these are the arguments i'm getting weary of. flying used to be a luxury that only the privileged few could afford. today it is a huge part of global commerce and the cost to fly enables just about everyone to enjoy it. to say that you now only have one choice, give up your freedoms or drive/boat/walk is silly. okay. let's do this. let's go live to the west coast now. los angeles. the l.a. auto show gets under way this week. the first big car show of the season. the buzz, though, is general motors. gm's big ipo about to hit. in fact, they increased it again this morning. now it could bring in as much as $20 billion. the u.s. treasury, that is you

and me, we own about 60% of the company after the big bailout. that will probably drop to about 30% after this, the ipo, and we get some of our money back. an accused russian arms trafficker makes his first u.s. court appearance in new york today. cnn's susan candiotti is covering the case of the man known as the merchant of death. susan? >> in fact, some people even say, tony, that a movie that was made starring nicholas cage a few years back was actually built around this man's real life. but his name is victor boot. he's a former russian air force officer, speaks six languages including english, and he was flown by the dea to the united states overnight from thailand, arriving in new york in the dead of night. these photographs provided by the u.s. drug enforcement administration and now he is scheduled to make a court appearance this afternoon. what are the charges against him?

well, this is a man who has about a half dozen aliases, and the u.s. government says that starting in 2007 for several months thereafter he met with two confidential sources working for the dea and is alleged to have set up deals to buy a ton of arms and weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles and rocket launchers and 5,000 ak-47s and all kinds of ammo and c-4 explosives. in order to be used, he thought, to be used against the u.s. and u.s. specifically citizens working with the colombian military against the guerrilla group called farc in colombia. that's what the government says he was after. i'm going to let you hear from the u.s. attorney right now who held a news conference a short time ago talking about victor boot. >> in a series of recorded meetings and telephone calls, in south america, in europe, and in

asia, boot and his associate allegedly made clear that they were ready, willing, and able to provide a substantial arsenal to the farc for use against the united states. according to unsealed documents, here is just some of the deadly arsenal that victor boot allegedly offered up. more than 700 surface-to-air missiles, 5,000 ak-47 assault rifles, antipersonnel land mines, c-4 explosives, and literally millions of rounds of ammunition. >> now, victor boot has been around four years and back in 2002 cnn's own jill doherty caught up with him in moscow and did a rare interview with him. this is what he said at that time back in 2002, denying that he had ever done anything wrong. >> i'm not afraid.

>> now, russia is not said to be happy at all about this. within the last 24 hours they issued statements and spoke publicly including a statement from the foreign minister saying they called this extradition from thailand to the united states in their words deplorable and they're calling it illegal. nevertheless, they will be trying to meet with viktor bout of course while he is in custody here and viktor bout will be making his first appearance in court this afternoon. he is charged with several counts of conspiring to kill u.s. citizens, providing -- conspiring to provide help to a foreign terrorist organization, in this case farc out of colombia, and if he is found guilty, stands to spend the rest of his life in prison, tony. >> susan candiotti for us in new york. good to see you. appreciate it. thank you. a company decaffeinates its alcoholic energy drinks just as the fda questions the safety of

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an expletive was printed at the top and bottom of his receipt. also on the receipt, the cashier's name. somebody has some explaining to do for this random moment of the day.

time to go across country for a look at news around the nation. first up, michigan, where police say a convenience store clerk thought his friend was punking him by trying to hold him up. the clerk insisted the gun wasn't real and refused to open the register. the robber fired a few shots off then gave up and left without any money. in cass county, indiana, a 6-year-old girl kills her first deer on the opening day of hunting season. grace says she read a book about white tailed deer the night before and learned about shot placement and hunting safety. okay. so they will boost your energy and give you something of a buzz. these energy drinks that mix caffeine and alcohol are under the gun across the country. today the fda could decide to ban those drinks. our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen is here. what's the issue? first of all, hi. >> hi. good to see you.

>> i remember we had this living loka drink up here not that long ago. what is the issue? >> four loka. you almost had it. okay. here is the issue. huge amounts of alcohol, 12%, much more than in a beer let's say, combined with tons of caffeine. you know what happens when you drink alcohol and caffeine together? >> it doesn't feel like a good combination. >> a lot of people think it's fabulous. you know what happens though? you can stay awake longer and drink longer. you don't get the annoying alcohol headache. >> right. >> having all that caffeine allows you to stay awake, drink more, you don't vomit, you don't pass out, but you become so sick eventually that in some places officials when they've had these kids in the e.r., they think these kids have been drugged. >> i got you. that's right. so a couple manufacturers are maybe trying to get ahead of what's likely to happen from the fda and already making some changes? >> right. the folks who made four loko say they're taking the caffeine and other stimulants out. >> okay.

that's what's happening now. is it like drinking a beer? isn't it sort of like drinking a beer? >> you mean once they take the caffeine and stimulants out? >> yes. >> it still has more power than a beer, because it's 12% alcohol by volume whereas a beer is more like 5%. >> okay. >> plus, look at the size of those things. okay? that's another factor. plus, this is like fruit punch and green apple and watermelon and things like that. it doesn't feel like you're drinking alcohol as much. it feels fruity. >> so the fda is going to set out new rules and the manufacturer is probably getting ahead of this. >> right. >> and changes are likely to come. >> because they'll probably be forced to do it anyway. >> thank you. >> thanks. a winter is still what, more than a month away officially. not even thanksgiving yet. but parts of colorado blasted by a snowstorm, that is pretty nice. these scenes in denver from our affiliate kusa and along the mid-atlantic seaboard, high winds damaged homes and businesses and knocked down trees and power lines.

we've got some shots here of roofs off of what looked to be an apartment building. we need to check in with our meteorologist chad myers and we'll do that right after the break. you're in the cnn newsroom. [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in your engine, it can feel like something's holding your car back. let me guess, 16. [laughing] yeeah. that's why there's castrol gtx... with our most powerful deposit fighting ingredient ever. castrol gtx exceeds the toughest new industry standard. don't let deposits hold your car back. get castrol gtx. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering.

let's go to chad now. some pretty frightening pictures in the mid-atlantic. the one apartment buildings with the roof -- you lived there right? >> this is parkville. kind of on -- you know parkville? >> absolutely. >> kind of the northeast part there.

the storms blew through last night between midnight and 1:30 and by 1:30 this is what parkville part of baltimore looked like. >> wow. >> trees down, roofs gone. literally gone. i think they were probably the flat tops in some spots but apartment buildings completely leveled here. and the tops completely off. there you see trees on top of buildings there. but the other aerial shots you can literally look right straight down to some of these apartments. >> look at that. >> people woke up and went, what in the world? i can see the sky. and they were laying in bed and they go, that shouldn't be there. i should be seeing a ceiling fan right now and unfortunately i can see gray skies out there. that's what it looked like yesterday. they're cleaning up now. still almost 10,000 people without power. for a while 25,000 were without power. so kind of an ugly day there. and the winds continue. the winds are going here. in most of baltimore, all the way up toward new england, massachusetts, vermont, new hampshire, wind gusts almost 50 miles per hour today. now i'm going to shift you back out a little farther to the west where it's raining.

wichita, but snowing in parts of kansas and snowing back out here to the pacific northwest and seattle and portland. take you to a shot where the snow has stopped but at least the damage is done last night. trucks were stuck. you know, when tractor trailers get stuck these guys are professional drivers. >> right. >> when they can't go you know it's bad. >> it's bad. >> there is the road on up to the eisenhower tunnel. and this ski resort is up above. i think that's probably a basin from what i can tell. kausa our affiliate out of denver, colorado. one more thing to tell you about. as the wind continues to blow we have lost most of the leaves in the northeast. here's a picture from new york city. you can kind of look down and see some of the leaves out of our tower cam in new york city proper and it's just -- >> yeah. >> it's getting there. getting kind of thin. >> yeah it is. >> you can see more branches than color though the color is still good in atlanta but the winds will probably blow a lot of those leaves around. be careful. wet leaves are as slick as snow

going so when it rains on some of those leaves and you can really, you can't walk. >> true. >> you put your brakes on in the car and you can slide right through a stop sign. make sure there are not children in that walk way as well. >> thanks, sir. >> thank you. >> let's get you caught up on top stories now. violence in haiti as the cholera outbreak spreads. riots broke out in the northern part of the country with protesters accusing the united nations peacekeepers of starting the outbreak. the cholera death toll in haiti has topped 1100. one case is now reported across the border in the dominican republic. police in l.a. are looking for the person who gunned down long-time hollywood publicist ronni khasen shot to death on hollywood boulevard minutes after she left a party to celebrate the opening of a movie burlesque. members of the house are voting on new party leaders for the incoming congress. nancy pelosi is fighting for a job as house minority leader. the greater los angeles auto

show will open to the public later this week. energy-efficient vehicles are the buzz. 50 alternative energy cars and suvs will be on display. can you name just a couple of them?

the l.a. auto show, hot, hot, hot. 50 alternative energy vehicles on display to be exact.

they include the chevy volt, nissan leaf, concept cars, kia pop, wave ii, and wheego life. okay. new fault lines between establishment republicans and tea party republicans. listen to senator john mccain talking about kentucky senator-elect rand paul. >> i think there are going to be some tensions within our party. i don't know the incoming senator rand paul. i respect him and admire his victory but already he has talked about withdrawals from, or cuts in defense, etcetera, and a number of others. there is no doubt that this new group of republicans have come in with a commitment to take a meat ax to spending. i'm not sure that you could say, okay. everything in defense is sa sacrosanct while the rest of these cuts in education, social programs, are taking place. so i worry a lot about the rise

of protectionism and isolationism in the republican party. >> wow. a lot there. deputy political director paul ste steinhauser is here. now that these republicans have to govern, which is more than simply standing in opposition, what can we expect? >> right, tony. you know, when you're running for office and running against something like the republicans were it's a little easier than actually running the shop. now they're going to run the shop in the house of representatives and in the senate republicans have a much larger minority than they had last time. you saw the comments there from senator john mccain of arizona. i think it's fair to say that senator mccain and the incoming senator rand paul of kentucky don't see eye to eye on some international issues. i think rand paul gets a little bit of a libertarian streak from his father, ron paul. but, also, there are some disagreements. you saw them play out this week on earmarks. >> yes. >> between senator mcconnell the top republican in the senate and senator jim demint who is kind of the leader of the tea party conservative wing of the party

there. and mcconnell had a kind of backdown on his stance on earmarks. we know republicans agree on health care reform. they want to try to repeal the new law. >> right. >> we know they agree on tax cuts and want to extend the tax cuts for all americans including the wealthiest. but on some other issues there is going to be disagreement. and some of those issues include maybe raising the debt ceiling. that's going to be a big issue for the new congress, what to do on that. also deficit reduction, we'll have this new report next month on ways to reduce the u.s. government's massive budget deficit so we'll see some disagreements between republicans. no doubt about it. >> speaking of which, did you hear the kind of broad side taken by alaska senator lisa murkowski for and directed at senator jim demint? what was that all about? >> well, there is a splint going on here because i guess more established republicans feel if some of the tea party candidates had not won senate nominations like sharron angle in nevada, christine o'donnell in delaware,

there was the thought that maybe the republicans could have won back the chamber. they didn't. of course they'll have a larger minority but still in the minority. so there is some pushback against demint, who was a backer of a lot of these tea party-backed candidates and against some others as well in some of the tea party groups for doing this. and murkowski as you know lost her primary to joe miller who was backed by the tea party, backed by sarah palin. but it looks like murkowski now, she ran as a write-in candidate and may actually pull it off. >> paul steinhauser for us. good stuff. thank you. fast track to foreclosure. complaints about the so-called rocket docket for clearing the backlog of cases. ich one? 10 invisible. you can't e it, with zero daily hassle. no batteries to change. noaking off and putting on everyday. in their report, a nleading nepaper sange.

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okay. let's look at, get a quick market check here. boy, we're almost on three hours into the trading day and we started out in negative territory. we bounced back just a bit. we were doing pretty well and now we're pretty much flat for the day. we're also in positive territory for the nasdaq. up 12. foreclosures on the fast track. florida's plan for dealing with a backlog of foreclosures is really coming under fire right now. critics say judges are speeding through cases. the story from cnn money.com's poppy harlow. >> today i have approximately 40 cases on the calendar. >> judge charlesitchell was recently hired out of retirement to deal with jacksonville's

backlog of more than 21,000 foreclosure cases. critics call it a rocket docket. >> foreclosure courts throughout the state of florida have adopted a system of ramming foreclosure cases through to final judgment and sale with very little regard for the rule of law. >> reporter: lawyer after lawyer wait for their cases to be heard. parker's client jacqueline fitzhugh has a hearing on tomorrow's docket. after a divorce and losing her business she has been unable to make a mortgage payment in two years. >> i'm stuck with a loan i cannot afford to pay. now my american dream is like everybody else's -- sitting in front of a judge tomorrow waiting for my house to get foreclosed on. >> so this is the courthouse in downtown jacksonville, florida. it's one of the places where the so-called rocket docket is happening. judges signing off on up to 25 foreclosures an hour. that's one about every two

minutes. it's also this morning that jacqueline right inside here will learn whether or not she can keep her house. >> the case of dorch bank versus fitzhugh. >> the attorney refuses to let us film her hearing. it lasts 25 minutes. other cases are over in less than a minute and most of the time the homeowner doesn't show up. >> all right. >> thank you, judge. >> what i've seen now is an attack upon the citizens of the state of florida by retired judges. their job is to reduce the foreclosure backlog by 62%. >> is this a foreclosure mill? is this a factory? >> that's silly. >> this judge oversees this temporary foreclosure court. >> we will try to schedule as many foreclosures on the average of 25 an hour. >> but 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. >> those lawyers represent the banks. doesn't a judge need to look for his or herself? >> no. we do not. i am not there to -- i am not there to check every exhibit. >> at the end of our day in court judge mitchell ruled on 35 cases. in jacqueline's case he denied the foreclosure, ruling the plaintiff didn't submit paperwork on time. >> for now i keep my home but obviously there are some legal paperworks that are at issue. >> for now it buys jacqueline more time in her home until the bank requests another hearing.

>> poppy harlow joining us now from new york. poppy, what has been the response to all of this from florida supreme court? >> it's a good question. the aclu has been in touch with us. they're looking at this. just today, tony, florida supreme court chief responded to complaints that have come from across the state of florida, the florida press association, aclu, alleging these courts though we got our cameras in there you notice we weren't allowed to film the entire hearing. they're arguing that this court is not fully open to the public and i want to read you the response of florida's chief justice. this is what he wrote just today. he said the people of florida are entitled to know what takes place in the courts of this state. no crisis justifies the administrative suspension of the strong legal presumption. the state court proceedings are open to the public. he went on to say the chief judge shall ensure the judges are not violating the rights of floridians by improperly closing judicial proceedings to the public. what he is saying is these courts must be fully open to the

public and they've come under a lot of scrutiny as you've seen. we'll keep an eye on this and tell you where it goes. so far florida is the only state to deal with foreclosures in this way in this special court. >> okay. poppy, good to see you. thank you. bristol palin, we all know who she is. and the situation, who -- who or what is the situation? oh, he's a reality show star? oh, the two of them pairing up as you can see here. now, that's a situation in itself. i said "sure." "well, let's grow some algae." and that's what started it. exxonmobil and synthetic genomics have built a new facility to identify the most productive strains of algae. algae are amazing little critters. they secrete oil, which we could turn into biofuels. they also absorb co2. we're hoping to supplement the fuels that we use in our vehicles, and to do this at a large enough scale to someday help meet the world's energy demands.

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you want to talk about an odd couple teaming up for a public service announcement, have a look. >> the safe part. we got the safe part down pat. magnums. you know what? i might be able to spare one, i mean, you know, give you one. >> it's fine. i avoid situations. >> all right. >> "dancing with the stars"

contestants bristol palin and the situation talking safe sex. we've got more entertainment headlines coming up in our showbiz update.

bristol palin is the talk of tinsel town and the shocking murder of a long-time hollywood publicist. "showbiz tonight" cohost brooke anderson joining us from los angeles. good to see you. let's start with bristol palin making it to the "dancing with the stars" final. more than a few eyebrows being raised over this. >> yeah, you're right about that, tony. you know, a lot of people are stunned and they're stunned because a high scoring brandy

got the boot before low scoring bristol palin on last night's "dancing with the stars." it truly was a gigantic dancing shocker. but america voted and those were the results. bristol palin is still in and on her way to the "dancing with the stars" finals next week. last night's week night elimination episode of the show really brought audible gasps, some boos from the audience when brandy was sent packing. "showbiz tonight" was right there backstage after the show and bristol told us she is as stunned as anyone that she is still in the running. listen. >> i'm just blessed to still be around this competition. i never thought i'd make it this far and i'm thrilled to be here. >> all right. well, palin faces off against jennifer gray and kyle massey next monday in the 11th season final. i think you asked me, was it last week, can bristol palin actually win this thing? i said, no. don't be silly. you know, it's jennifer gray all

the way. but now i'm not so sure. she could take this whole thing home. >> yeah, massey may as well start packing his bags. it will be jennifer gray and bristol palin. >> yes. >> let's talk about what has turned out to be a shocking story here. >> yes. >> hollywood publicist ronni chasen shot to death minutes after leaving a premiere party. if you would, brooke, bring us up to date on the latest on this. >> it's very tragic, isn't it? >> yes. >> and also very strange. long-time hollywood publicist ronni chasen was killed, gunned down on sunset boulevard in beverly hills early tuesday. this was just minutes after she left a star-studded party to celebrate the premiere of the new film "burlesque." people -- police say multiple shots were fired into chasen's mercedes seconds after she drove past the beverly hills hotel. she was on her way home. we know that chasen was a very well known fixture on red carpets, always standing with her a-list clients. everybody in hollywood is just

blind sided by the news. take a look at some of the stunned reaction that "showbiz tonight" has been getting about this. okay. we actually don't have that sound. sorry. but everybody is just -- you know, at their wit's end. why did this happen? who did this? everybody wants answers and wants justice for ronni chasen. >> absolutely. >> and, tony, police are calling it an open investigation and say that they have no suspects and no motive right now for the attack. >> okay, brooke. if you would, keep us posted on that story. >> will do. >> brooke anderson with us from los angeles. good to see you as always. for information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, brooke's got it this evening on "showbiz tonight" at 5:00 and 11:00 eastern on hln. receiving the bronze star, that was definitely one of my proudest moments.

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i know it's a question you're asking yourself. what is the latest on the slurpy summit? ed henry part of the best political team on television live from the white house. ed, i'm hearing scheduling conflicts. >> yeah, tony. you know, so much for the slurpy summit, gettings things off on the right foot. i think the slurpy summit maybe has melted at least for now. the bottom line is robert gibbs, we just had an off camera briefing with him, new information. he was sort of trying to kind of tamp down any speculation that there is a battle here. you'll remember that right after the election the president invited republicans over for a

little summit. he was going to have them over for dinner. it was going to be an all day thing and he was saying it's going to be a big deal to get conversation going on tax cuts and other issues. it was scheduled for tomorrow, late last night republicans basically said, look. the date doesn't work. there had been apparently some behind-the-scenes negotiations and the republicans are saying we never agreed to that date. they've got all kinds of other stuff going on with the freshman orientation and the like. i was pressing robert gibson, look. when the republicans are saying they have class photos and freshman orientation to do, doesn't that suggest they're dising the president, they don't think this is important? robert gibbs really trying to downplay it saying, look. if anything, bipartisanship is prevailing because we've agreed to reschedule this meeting. they're now going to have the slurpy summit on november 30th but that's after thanksgiving, a couple weeks down the road. so we'll see whether or not this slows any momentum in some of those bipartisan talks. the other question here of course is we've already started to talk about 2012. >> oh, yes. >> and who is going to be running against the president and about a dozen republicans already looking at it. two of them traveling now and

looking a little bit closer at it. first of all, let's start in iowa, bottom line newt gingrich the former house speaker, one of his top advisers, joe guylord telling "the des moines register" he'd be surprised, very surprised if newt gingrich does not run. obviously "des moines register" in iowa, the key caucus state at the beginning. the other key state of course new hampshire, senator rick santorum making plans now to travel there at the end of the month. this is going to be his seventh visit to new hampshire. seven visits already to iowa for rick santorum, the former republican from pennsylvania. six trips to south carolina during the mid-term election season. bottom line is if you're making that many trips to iowa and new hampshire you're pretty much running, tony. >> you're going to have 25 republicans running for that nomination. can you imagine the stage? >> that's a good story to cover. >> it really is. what is it we're hearing about a famous actor returning to the white house again? >> well, you'll remember cal penn was here from the early days of the administration in

the office of public engagement working with valerie jarrett and other officials reaching out specifically focused on asian and pacific islander issues. he left back in june because he was going to make another one of those movies "harold in kumar" this series. i'm told by a colleague because i haven't seen the movies that it's sort of known as a stoner comedy would be the phrase. i won't mention which colleague told me that. i guess it's sort of what the kids are watching these days. he is very popular, cal penn, but you'll remember he was robbed at gun point last time he was here at the white house, lost his cell phone, lost his wallet but he was okay. he has obviously made the movie now. >> right. >> he's coming back to the white house for another tour of duty. >> good stuff,e. good to see you man. been a while. >> good to see you. your next political update in one hour. for the latest political news you know where to go at cnn politics.com. who is the sexiest man alive? we will tell you who earned this year's "people" magazine title. we're back in a moment. you're in the cnn newsroom.

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if you are chicking on it, posting about it, digital expert, there he is, drick dodge is tracking it. you going to start with the leonid shower? >> every mid november, the peak showers. the peak time was this morning but if you missed it tomorrow morning as well. in the predawn hours look to the east. you're looking at the constellation leo and you should be able to get around they're saying 20 meteors an hour. >> really. >> it's not the busiest it's been. we're in sort of an off-season but if you are a space geek like i am you probably want to check it out and if you're a photography nut take some photos and send them to ireport.com.

trending on twitter all day has been the actor ryan reynolds. you may remember him from "the proposal." it is a really good day for ryan reynolds because "people" magazine named him the sexiest man alive. >> oh, isn't that a lovely pose? >> that's one of those titles that very few get. not only was he named sexiest man alive but the full length trailer for the movie "the green lantern" came out. >> nice. >> this is probably a cool movie. it looks promising. >> tony, i have to jump in. we just received advance news about the sexiest man alive for 2011. okay? you hear it here first on cnn on your show. give me tony "old spice" harris. i want to see him. >> you're up to your old reindeer games again. elizabeth cohen. >> there he is. 2011. you're the winner. >> and everybody just loves that. everyone is cackling about that. it's the funniest thing ever. show it again. where is it?

those look like my pecs. i think those are. >> that's our next segment. >> devastatingly handsome. >> can i first congratulate you? >> thank you. >> very exciting. you and ryan reynolds. >> i'm going to have words with you. all of you. in just moments. it's time to go. there is no tease. we're beak in a moment here in the cnn newsroom. thank you, elizabeth. >> thank you. congratulations. >> thank you. high in vitamins d, e, and b12. a good source of vitamin a and b2. plus omega 3's. and, 25% less saturated fat than ordinary eggs. but there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. better taste. better taste. yum! [ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste -- and now even better nutrition -- make the better egg.

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viktor bout the international arms dealer known as the merchant of death due in court this afternoon following extradition from thailand is accused of supplying arms to terror groups. some facebook groups found themselves cut off yesterday. the company says its system to detect fake accounts had a glitch and disabled some real ones. it also looks like it may have affected only female users. the u.s. army staff sergeant yesterday receiving the medal of honor from president obama today being inducted into the hall of heroes at the pentagon. he is honored for his bravery in battle in afghanistan. royal watchers around the world are all talking about britain's prince william and his bride-to-be kate middleton. they have a lot on their plate, planning a wedding of royal proportions. prince william recounts how he popped the question. >> william, where did you propose? when, how? kate, what did you say?

>> it was about three weeks ago in kenya. we had a little private time away together with some friends and i just decided that it was the right time really. we had been talking about marriage for a while. so it wasn't massively a big surprise but i took her out somewhere nice in kenya and i proposed. >> very romantic. a true romantic. >> and you said yes obviously. >> of course, yes. >> and you knew you were going to do this from day one of the whole day? or you waited until the end? >> i had been planning it for a while but as every guy out there will know it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going so i was planning it and then it just felt really right to us and africa is beautiful and i just had done a bit of planning to share my romantic side. >> okay. you'd been on holiday a while. did you see this coming? >> no. >> was he getting nervous? >> no. we were out there with friends and things so i didn't really expect it at all. i thought he might have sort of

maybe thought about it but, you know, it was a total shock when it came and very excited. >> and produced the ring there and then? >> yes. >> i did, yes. i had been carrying it around with me in my rock sack for about three weeks before that and i literally would not let it go wherever i went i was keeping hold of it because i knew if this thing disappeared i'd be in a lot of trouble. yeah. i planned it, it went fine, you know, you hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things go wrong but it went really well. >> it's the family ring? >> it is a family ring, yes. it is my mother's engagement ring so i thought it was quite nice because obviously she is not going to be around to share in the fun and excitement of all of this and this is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all. >> we bet ver a look. what kind of ring is it? are you an expert? >> i am not at all. i've been reliably informed it is a sapphire and diamonds. i'm sure everyone recognizes it from previous times. >> it is beautiful. >> you're going to be the envy of many. >> i just hope i can look after

it. it's very, very special. >> it has to be said you both look incredibly happy and relaxed. >> we are. we are. we're like sort of ducks, very calm on the surface but a little under the water. but it's been really exciting. we've been talking about it for a long time so for us it's a real relief and nice to tell everybody because especially the last two or three weeks have been quite difficult not telling you all and keeping it to ourselves for reasons we had to. it's nice to finally tell. >> it is a massive thing you're going into. marriage is a big thing for everyone but in such a public way. excited? a little bit terrified? >> mostly excited. quite happy when it's all over but we're hugely excited and looking forward to spending the rest of the time, the rest of our lives together. and seeing what the future holds. >> okay. for you, you've had a long time to sort of contemplate this moment. >> let's not over rate. >> it is obviously nerve-racking

because i don't know what i'm sort of, i don't know the ropes really. but, no. i'm willing to learn quickly and work hard. >> she will do really well. >> a lot of opportunities within the family. obviously a huge ability to change people's lives for the better. i guess that's something you must have contemplated as well. >> yes, well, i really hope i can make a difference even in the smallest way. i'm looking forward to helping as much as i can. >> a tell-all interview. mel gibson's ex, oksana, is larry king's guest tonight. she speaks for the first time publicly about her bitter custody dispute with the actor and father of her daughter. here is a quick look. >> all of the phone calls that were recorded were record owned the same night of 18 february, 18th to the 19th. he started calling me early in the evening. >> what was he angry about? >> because i left him.

because i thought he was going to hit us again that evening. >> so you got back, you forgave him for the first incident. >> i forgave him in a couple weeks' time. after the first, you know, severe beating that, you know, he struck me twice with a fist and then was choking me and while i was holding lucia and not protecting myself. and my son witnessed everything. then we ran toward the pool and he's been screaming and yelling and then he told us, you know, to get the "f" out and went to get the gun and i asked my son to get in the car. that's how we left the 6th of january. from then on every day he was apologizing. >> mel gibson has not responded to cnn's request for a response. however, in a legal filing in connection with the custody dispute, gibson stated that he slapped oksana once, not hard, with an open hand, and not with a closed fist as she alleged. see the full exclusive with oksana grigorieva tonight, 9:00 p.m. eastern on "l