that's it for me. brooke baldwin continues now with "newsroom." >> thank you, sir. we have breaking news now from capitol hill. here's what we know. nancy pelosi has just been elected house minority leader of course by the democrats. the vote we're getting is 150-43. we're going to pay close attention to that 43, who voted against her and what does that say programs about her power and her effectiveness going forward here? cnn's senior congressional correspondent dana bash all over that breaking story here on capitol hill. dana, huge win for the california congresswoman. >> reporter: there's no question it is a huge win. not unexpected but it is important to note and give her props so to speak for this win. having said that, you nailed it in the way you introduced that, brooke, the fact that 43 of "in the loop's" fell-- the democrat voted against her. not just the conservative democrats because there aren't

many left. many were defeated, not just those who voted for opponent. it's clearly more broad in the caucus. about a quarter of the caucus who voted against her. it really does speak to the fact that there is concern that maybe it is time now to change what many say is the face of the party. actually, i spoke with somebody who did not get a voted to because he was defeated in the elections earlier this month. his name is allen boyd, a democrat from florida. he made it very clear to me in public as he did in private to pelosi face to face yesterday in a big group that he thinks this is the wrong way to go. listen to what he said. >> the truth is that she is the face that defeated us in this last election. and it seems to me at some point in time you have to put your personality agenda and ambitions aside for the good of the country. and search of the party.

and i don't know how we go into these districts like the one i represented, do 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 they lost that majority. >> reporter: do you feel that your defeat is in part because of nancy pelosi? >> well, absolutely. that is 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. >> dana, you spoke about the changing face of the democratic party but i also want to talk about the changing face of really the house of representatives. as we know come january we'll have a republican majority. i've been handed another urgent.

john boehner unanimously elected as the leader of the republican house coming wednesday. that's just about a done deal for speaker? how does it work? >> reporter: just about a done deal is exactly right. the republicans are holding their leadership elections right now. it was always very clear that john boehner would be the speaker. now his own conference has made it clear but when they actually come back into session and the new congress is sworn in, then the full house is going to have to vote for the speaker. but it's, i think, effectively a fait accompli. just a little color, today is john boehner's 61st birthday. >> great job today. all over the breaking news on the hill as normal. also another story we're all over, a lot of moving parts on this one. right now in southern california police are mobilizing area searching for suspects, clues and motives, anything that could break open a high profile

hollywood murder case. what we have right now is veteran publicist who is dead. her murder scene looking like a scene out of a movie that went horribly wrong. here is what police have to go on. you have a mercedes-benz all shot up. inside that car was a woman with multiple gun shots to her chest. emergency responders rushed her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. the woman was 64-year-old ronni chasen. here she was. had just left a hollywood premiere party from the new movie have you heard of this "burlesque." cher was there, christina ago la aguilera. this is still very fresh. today many in hollywood are really struggling with a real life murder mystery, who killed publicist ronni chasen and really why. one of her longtime friends and hollywood insider will join me in a moment to talk about why

she was targeted and how popular she was. first let's talk about the investigation. with that i want to go to cnn entertainment correspondent kareen wynter. just from what i've read, people in hollywood are devastated. but in terms of the investigation, what do you know? >> reporter: that's right. one of those stories that's just so sad, tragic and absolutely unbelievable. there's a sense all over town by those who loved this woman and worked with her for so many years that this out of the bluff killing is beyond comprehension. how could they have happened and who would have wanted her dead. this is what we know so far. we've been in constant contact with the hollywood police. they're feeling open about the possibility of surveillance camera video. the part of the city where this happened is in a very afluntd, very well-to-do part of beverly hills. because of the value of the homes there officers are hopeful that not just one but programs

many security cameras recorded the murder. police are working closely with businesses and homeowners everywhere chasen may have driven just to try to get clues as to who killed her, who would have wanted her dead. >> you mentioned the surveillance vosurvei surveillance video and hope a computer may provide additional clues in the case. >> that's right. police confiscated computers both from chasen's workplace and also her home yesterday. they're looking for clues as to who may have had a motive to hurt her. also, this is huge. we've just learned that phone records and a recorded voicemail left by chasen just minutes before her death. she left it on her office line just before the incident. they've been retrieved by police and authorities say she seemed perfectly normal. this would perhaps indicate that she was maybe unaware of anything out of the ordinary just prior to her death which, again, can be an important clue for police.

>> thank you for the latest on the investigation pb what you're hearing from police. bring in michael levine, publicist and longtime friend of ronni chasen. if i can begin coming off what kareen was talking about. police have no idea of a motive. they're basically baffled. is there any reason to believe ronni chasen would have been targeted? >> none that i can think of. i am like most people in this community shocked and horrified. i actually just could he incidentally drove right by -- the exact street she was murdered on about 2 1/2 hours earlier that night. so it's incomprehensible. >> incomprehensible. i don't know how familiar you were with her client roster. might there have been some unhappy clibt

unhappy client or something totally out of the ballpark? >> it's inconceivable to my way of thinking. she was exceedingly well liked, very iconic figure in town. she would go very frequently to lunches and dinners with clients. so her clients were almost like family members to her. and i would see her frequently. i knew her 30 years. and it just -- it's a shocking, shocking crime. >> you mentioned the word iconic. michael, for people outside of what you know in hollywood, i'm hearing she was this widely respected publicist. explain how widely respected. explain her role for us. >> yeah. i mean, first of all, she was very immersed in the movie industry. she wasn't very involved in either television or music. it was movies that were her love and passion. so she had been very eventrench

in the movie industry for years and years. she was always beautifully dressed, stylish, iconic. seen around town almost like a kind of politician that you might imagine, someone that knew three or four people in every restaurant she went. we would see each other frequently in some of the finer restaurants around southern california, l.a. particularly. >> i want to go to the twitter board if we can real quickly. we're reading some of the tweeting just in terms of people who really respected her, michael. there was a tweet from roger ebert. just one from roger ebert, guys, if we can pull that up. do we have that one? we're looking for it, looking for it. looking for the particular tweet. it's clear -- steve martin also tweeting about this. hollywood is very much devastated. i read some of the studios are canceling their meetings right now. i hear that you've set up a funds. >> i have. >> tell me about the fund and

why have you done that? >> yesterday, in the midst of my horror and shock, i thought it would be a good idea to create a reward fund because i knew the police had no leads at this point. so we're trying to ask some people in the entertainment industry to gather together to put a $25,000 reward fund. good news. in palm springs, the film festival that schlee was actively involved in, they've come up with a $100,000 reward fund. so there's going to be a lot of interest and a lot of -- there's a lot of broken hearts right now. >> a lot of broken hearts. huge, huge interest and of course police are digging and lacking for possibly some voicemail she left minutes before this happened. we'll stay all over it. i'm sorry for the loss of your friend. thank you for talking woo me about it and kareen wynter. now listen to this. >> we had a wonderful holiday in

afri africa. >> now that the royal engagement is official, who is the commoner known as kate -- really i guess i should be saying catherine that the prin will marry? when is the big wedding day? the latest chatter and speculation on the anticipated wedding of prince william and catherine middleton ahead. an accused international arms dealer. this guy known as the merchant of death. he appears in a u.s. court and extradited to the u.s. to face charges. why he's still dangerous even in custody. i love winter. with my subaru forester and its all-wheel drive... ... handling even the toughest conditions... is just another day at the beach.

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all right.

just got handed some information here just in to cnn. the investigating officer in the case against the shooter, the accused ft. hood shooter, has recommended that the military pursue the death penalty against major nidal hasan according to his lawyer. that officer also recommended a general court-martial who faces 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of premeditated attempted murder. his attorney says he was not surprised about the general court-martial but he was surprised about the capital referral. the final decision to pursue the death penalty will likely be made by the commander of ft. hood. also top scories we are keeping a close eye on. have you heard about the rowdy protest at san francisco today? see all these students. hundreds of students and faculty demonstrated. they set up picket lines and

knocked down bear kafdz outside the board of regents meeting. the students are protesting proposed fee hikes. faculty members protesting changes to the retirement plans. we're told a handful of protesters have been arrested. also this accused international arms dealer plefdz not guilty in a u.s. courtroom today. the man victor boots is known as the merchant of death. he could face life in prison for allegedly selling millions and millions of dollars of high-powered weaponry to a colombia narco terrorism organization. some of the weapons including surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launches and anti-personnel lands mines. yikes. also charged with conspiracy to kill u.s. nationals, officers and employees. he was arrested in a sting operation in thailand. the fda has a warning for

the makers of caffeinated energy drinks that the products are unsafe and could be seized under federal law. expecting such a move, the maker of four loko too the move of pulling products from the shelves. under the ruling other makers of caffeine yaetded alcoholic beverages like juice moon shot have two weeks to change the products or they have to yank them off the market. we're looking into more of this. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen will look at why these drinks are raising such a red flag. cholera worries from haiti have spread now. a woman in florida has been diagnosed with the highly contagious disease. she recently returned from a visit to her family's home in haiti. folks, this is the first reported case here in the states since that epidemic began spreading in haiti where cholera as you know is blamed for more than 1,000 deaths now. the woman is said to be

responding well to treatment at a u.s. hospital. the cdc you know they're all over that conducting tests. the tsa says it has no plans, zero plans to change its rules for screening all of us at

the airport. message to holiday fliers is this. be prepared for full body scans or invasive pat-downs. a live report ahead on that. and we're taking you to sunny san diego and the republican governors association. jessica yellin is there with the prospects for president. hello, ma'am. in 2012 along with some new faces. jessica is all over these gubernatorial races and these winners.

more breaking news. i tell you, we're rocking and rolling today. here's what we know. a.p. has called lisa murkowski the winner in that highly publicized alaska senate race. there she is on the top. her opponent joe miller there often the bottom. a 10,000 vote over miller. that's more than the challenge so far. we should hear from murkowski around 10:00 tonight from anchorage. we're looking for mill tor get a comment with regard to this declaration of her being a winner. miller so far has asked for a full recount and also continues legal challenges. just a little background. we've been telling you over and over but it's a nice bit of trivia. murkowski would be only the second person ever to win a write-in campaign for the senate along with strom thurmond in south carolina in 1954. murkowski declared the winner in alaska according to the a.p. also more on politics.

we have talked about two weeks now about the republicans winning control of the house. so a little bit less noticed and perhaps more important the party run huge in the dwov norris races. now republican party time. where the governors are starting a two-day meeting where we find jessica yellin as always in the thick of things, where the news is. i feel like you and i talked a whole lot during the lead-up to the midterms about why these governors races are so significant. we have republicans now controlling 29 of the 50 governorships. why is this important? >> reporter: okay, brooke. think about all those issues at the forefront of the campaign. implementation of health care reform. trimming government spending. infrastructure, stimulating growth. governors have more influence over those issues and how they directly affect your and my life than any other official, even more than the folks in

washington. then there's redistricting which we've talked about, drawing congressional lines. these governors will have a huge say in that next year. and this is the bench for the future of the republican party. these folks could be future faces of presidential contenders and in fact there are some here today, brooke. >> there are. let's get there in a moment here. first i have an article from the "washington post." the lead line there's nothing subtle about the goal of the republican governors association meeting that begins here on wednesday. nothing less than an effort to start rebranding a party long known as a bastion of white men. jessica. what's the game plan? how do they do that? >> reporter: okay. well, they are aggressively showing that this isn't just a party for white dudes anymore. that's how they're putting it around here. they're going to begin with a panel this afternoon of some new diverse faces including susanna martinez who we interviewed and talked about before, she's a republican from new mexico.

they also will have nikki haleh. the second indian governor after bobby jindal. south carolina. nikki haley, brian sandoval in nevada and mary fallin from oklahoma. the face of diversity in the republican party. they're showing and reminding americans that they are trying to include many, many, many different kinds of faces in this party now and have elected quite a variety of folks. we'll hear from them this afternoon. >> many, many different faces, some of whom are presidential contenders, right? >> reporter: yeah. yeah. so just some of the ones we have here. we have haley barbour, who is the governor of mississippi and the head of the rga, long time politico. he could run for president 2012. a lot of talk around him. then there is tim pawlenty, governor of minnesota. he's made a lot of headway with his pac raising money for some other people.

then mitch daniels from indiana, known for his budget-trimming ways. and he's very close to haley barbour so there's a lot of speculation if barbour runs. newt gingrich gingrich will mak appearance here. one person who will not be here, guess, former governor sarah palin. she's no longer governor so, yeah. >> real quickly, are they boo-hooing that sarah palin is no longer with them as part of the group or not so much? >> reporter: right. i think they all know if she's not here they'll get more air time and attention themselves and they can at least check her out of on tlc if they miss her. >> reality show star now. jessica yellin in san francisco. thank you, jess. speaking of some shows, another palin. if you didn't see "dancing with the stars" last night -- i know a lot of you out there were watching -- all the buzz today is over bristol palin going to

the finals and singer brandi getting the boot. there's evenly chatty a tea party movement conspiracy to keep palin in. what? the mid-atlantic gets slammed by a storm that leaves thousands of people without electricity. chad myers is next.

a big storm along the mid-atlantic seaboard left quite a mess in its wake. some of the worst damage in the baltimore area. here's a look at it. where the storm at one point left 25,000 customers in the dark. you know that's never fun. chad myers tracking the storm from the beginning. yikes, baltimore. not the place to be. >> no. and we don't know whether it was

actually a tornado yet. people were there witnessing and said we saw something come out of sky. it could have been a down burst or collapsing thunderstorm. but some of that stuff requires winds gusts over 70, 80, 90 miles an hour. what is really the difference if you have lose the roof on your house whether it was a tornado or some gigantic wind that lifted it off. >> not just some storm sweeping through koof done that? >> not just a regular thunderstorm with a gust. and the problem with roofs and hip roofs in general is that you can actually get a lift on a roof with the wind coming over a lot like the wing of an airplane. if the air goes over the wij you wing and back down the other side, you lift the plane and the plane flies away. that's how planes fly. when you get it over the roof you can get that lift as well. >> and that kind of lift is not a good thing. >> no. we want them to be down. we did this story about how wind could damage homes. but if the straps are on the houses now, the new laws, the new florida laws, that house

would have been just fine. so even with the -- >> in the clear? they fine now? >> they were. >> except for the people out of power. except for those 25,000 people. >> exactly. they're putting up the power lines now but we're still getting winds of 50 miles per hour. the airports -- laguardia, newark, jfk -- although not all of them have major delays, many of them have missing flights because they've been canceled. 62 the high today in new york city, 64 d.c. but i can assure you if you step outside in the city right now or d.c., baltimore, it doesn't feel anything like 60 anything because of that almost a windchill factor going on out there. a little snow in parts of kansas that will continue throughout the night. then the biggest chance of snow back out here in the pacific northwest. it has been a stormy couple of days. seattle, you're picking up rain. but if you have go up through the passes you will see snow and there has been some snow, significant snow in the colorado rockies and utah as well. and the skiers are still happy about this.

we could have like an easter base for thanks giving. we could have 90 inches of know in some spots. wouldn't that be great for ski sners. >> you mentioned oregon. am i going to have snow in oregon for turkey day? >> where are you going? >> portland. >> no. but you can finds snow with an hour drive. >> a lot of people like this who have already been on tv this week, won't do it again. take a look at this. so it was more invasive than what i was used to. of course what is in my mind from -- >> the head of the tsa john pies o pistole. invasive pat-downs, going through security. are you more likely to go through that extra screening? we're going to take you -- talk about that, take you through it in a live report that's coming up. . also the story so many are talking about. the prince and his soon-to-be princess, harry and catherine, not kate.

we will have the skinny on their nuptials. ♪ [ upbeat instrumental ] [ rattling ] [ gasps ] [ rattling ] [ laughing ] [ announcer ] close enough just isn't good enough. - if your car is in an accident, - [ laughing continues ] make sure it's repaired with the right replacement parts. take the scary out of life with travelers. call or click now for an agent or quote.

something borrowed, something blue. those are the words of the british tabloid talking about you know what today. let's all look at it again. ah, there it is, the royal engagement ring. those are all the london papers. all these headlines blaring about prince william and his bride-to-be. they've got the headlines, but we've got the scoop. we've got the man who landed that highly coveted interview with the king and queen-to-be. tom bradley. there he is. busy busy the last 24 hours with the british network itv. first let's revisit his

interview right here, just a part of it p. >> you obviously kept it a secret. did you ask kate's dad and what did he say? what did your respective parents tell you? >> i was torn between asking kate's dad first and then the realization he might actually say no. so i thought if i ask kate first he can't say no. so i did that way around and managed to speak to mike soon after it happened really. and then it sort of happened from there. >> kate, what did your mum say? >> well, as any mother would be. she was absolutely over the moon and actually had quite an awkward situation because i knew and i knew that william had asked my father but i didn't know if my mother knew. so i came back from scotland and my mother made it sort of -- didn't make it clear to me whether she knew or not. sort of looking at each other and feeling quite awkward about it.

it was amazing to tell her. obviously, she was very happy for us. >> tom bradby scored this interview in london. this thing has been seen around and around and around the world. i read about you. i know you cover harder news and took a bit of a turn with the new royal couple. who was more nervous? was it you or was it them? >> that's a good question actually. i've been doing this business for 20 years and not much makes me nervous anymore. but i've known for some weeks if they got engaged i'd get the call to come talk to them. everybody remembers william's parents, that sort of terrible first interview where he said "whatever love is" and it kind of haunted him for years. we were aware we didn't want that to happen again. we wanted it to be relaxed. they wanted it to be relaxed. yeah, i was nervous. this is going to be watched by hundreds of millions of people and replayed over the years

many, many times. no doubt my children will be watching it and i don't want them to be embarrassed. so it was tricky. everyone was nervous. she's never done anything like this and suddenly addressing hundreds of millions of people. >> i think i would be a little nervous as well. >> we had a long chat about it beforehand. we had half an air upstairs in their apartment. we didn't talk much about the interview but had a joke and laugh about all kinds of things. as i say, it helps that i've known them quite a long time so we didn't have to sit and be awkward. >> made them feel comfortable as a good interviewee does. what about the ring? of course we've all talked about the ring but this of course diana's engagement ring he gave to kate. i heard it was a perfect fit, that they didn't have to resize it. is that right? >> it is right. it was quite weird because my producer was in the corridor and about to get married and said, oh, kate, i have to look at the

ring. i said to william kind of casually that seems like quite a ring. it was a family ring? he said oh, yes, it was my mother's actually. >> my mother, the princess. >> thankfully i did that before the interview so that i asked the right question. >> let's talk about her life from here on out, kate or catherine, how it will be different and the dwrooming of a princess will begin. i want to listen to a portion of the interview and then we'll talk on the other side. >> it's obviously nerve-racking because i don't know what i'm sort of -- i don't know the ropes really. but now i'm wanting to learn quickly and work hard. >> surely she will. >> a lot of opportunities obviously 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. i really hope i can make a difference in the smallest way. >> hoping to make a difference

in the smallest way. tom, really, in terms of becoming a princess, you have to deal with cooks and butlers and lots of hands shaking and gowns and jewelry. gee, it sounds like a tough job, being slightly facetious. but how does one prepare for that? >> actually, that's a funny thing. that life for a while won't be like that. he's a serving military officer up in a remote part of the uk where there's some people but lots of sheep and not a lot else. so they will live -- he's going to spend most of his time flying coastal rescue on the base. and when he's not, he's going to come home to her. there are no servants there. they're going to be living together and that's it. so it will be a while. listen, they'll get to the royal bit and she'll have to learn how to cope with that and it will have its moments i'm sure. for a while and i think this is the bit they'll like. probably a long while, number of years it will be just the two of them. >> and perhaps as you have mentioned with some sheep in the

nearestfuture. it was a bit uncomfortable between charles and diana where it was the awkward "whatever love is." you were sitting a couple of feet from this couple. do you agree -- it appeared to me that they know what love is. would you agree? >> i would. i think they do know what love is. i think their relationship is a very conventional, if i can put it that way, kinds of hollywood story. i think one of the fascinating things about the interview they were pretty open about the split-up. kate was pretty clear that she was upset about it and upset with him. actually, there was quite a real moment. but said, it made it stronger. so i thought there was a lot of -- and i thought it was interesting the way they it were actually really prepared to talk about each other. can you imagine the royals doing that 20 years ago? it's sort of inconceivable. it's a real love story.

i think they have a strong friendship and emotional bond and a lot of chemistry i have to say. >> if you get an invite to the wedding, need a date, i'm your gal. john bradby itv in london. excellent get. a celebrity publicist gunned down in beverly hills after leaving this movie premiere, moments after she leaves the movie premiere. police have little to go on now. we'll update you on this murders mystery. at airports. going through headed to grand mother's house. get ready to get scanned and patted down. there are new procedures affecting all of our lives. we'll talk about why the government is not about to back down. [ beeping ]

♪ my country ♪ 'tis of thee ♪ sweet land ♪ of liberty ♪ of thee i sing [ laughs ] ♪ oh, land

♪ where my fathers died ♪ land of the pilgrims' pride ♪ from every mountainside ♪ let freedom ring ♪ before we move on, we want to show you a live picture. we're waiting and in a few

minutes will bring you live the newly elected house minority leader nancy pelosi. as soon as she steps in front of that podium any minute now we'll bring that to you live. meantime let's talk airport security. next time you're in line at the airport, what awaits you? are you ready to be scanned head to toe? what about the pat-down? some people call it a rubdown. today we're talking safety in the air starting at the airport. the guy running the security programs talking about it as well. bring in jeanne meserve, homeland security correspondent. the head of the tsa told senators today that these pat-downs, body scanners are very much so needed and he says, yes, indeed they worked. >> yes. he's one he said. so has janet napolitano and other top security officials. yes, they're invasive and they're a little uncomfortable but this is what it takes to keep us safe.

he said given the intelligence they've gotten and given the fact that study after study that shows the old pat-down procedures were not finding threat objects, this is what he said we have to do and he is not changing the procedures despite the current joup roar. >> we're also hearing from senator claire mccaskill. i think we have sounds. we'll react on the other side. where she says she loves the pat-downs. >> i have had my love pats every single flight i have taken which is at least twice a week for the last four years of my life because i have a knee replacement. so i am wildly excited about the notion that i can walk through a machine instead of getting my dose of love pats. so i think we've got to work on this, make sure that the traveling public has choices. make sure they understand the risks that we're trying to address. then i think we can -- the majority of americans, i think -- i hope will become

supportive of the measures tsa is trying to do to keep us safe. >> allow me. i stand corrected. she does not love the love pats. she's okay with the scanner. >>. >> reporter: that's right. she said travelers have a choice. but there are some pe who don't like either of those choices. i was looking at a lawsuit filed today on behalf of two pilots who said we don't want to go through the scanning machines and don't want intrusive pat-downs and they're not going to fly. they say the tsa is violating the fourth amendment right against unreasonable search. very controversial subject. one man's privacy isn't another man's privacy. one woman's privacy isn't another woman's privacy. different people have different points of view. the big question is this big opt-out movement that's under way. a number of grassroots groups are calling for people either not to fly next wednesday, which is a busy travel day, or opt out of the scanning machines and say

we want a private scan or with a witness. the organizers claim they're getting a huge response. there are a lot of things on the internet indicating a lot of people are interested but we don't know how many will choose that and what impact it will have on travel. >> i'm flying next week like everyone else. curious when my time will come. >> reporter: stay in touch. let us know what you see. >> i will. thank you from d.c. a double mystery for police in colorado. how were identical twin sisters shot almost simultaneously at the shooting range? now we have one sister who's dead. the other is hospitalized. and police can't tell them apart. can you imagine? that bizarre story developing. alaska's most popular daughter bristol palin stole the show last night on "dancing with the stars" and brandi is out of there, knocked out of the competition.

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brandy is out and bristol palin is still in. a lot of people are wondering if politics has perhaps invaded television. every week the votes are combined to determine who is voted off the show. last night there was shock. brandy danced to a perfect score on monday night and bristol conditions on despite her lack

of experience and often lower scores from the judges. now she's allegedly made it to the finals. here is this report, and there are political conspiracy theories. >> brooke, in bristol's appearance proves anything, it's proves how innocent our nation has become. some say she's only stayed on because of a right-wing conspiracy or a tea party conservative conspiracy. conservatives for palin are urging people to vote for bristol. on the site today, liberal heads are exploding all over the place because bristol palin advanced. here's what bristol palin, her partner, told us. >> i've had hundreds of people

say, tune in, and think to myself, and i am enjoying the journey and it's inspiring. >> i work my butt off here. i come in every day, rehearse every day, i'm totally out of my element here and i think i deserve to be here. when people say it's just because of the tea party, i always think of, think of all of the people that hate my mom. why don't we talk about that? why not that be a topic of conversation? it can work both ways, people either love me or hate me. >> if you think "dancing with the stars" has become a partisan nightmare, all of primetime tv has, too. a media research company came up with a list of shows that republicans like and the democrats like. i'll name a few. republicans watch, you guessed it, dancing with the stars, modern family, the big bang

theory. democrats watch shows about damaged characters, like madman, 30 rock, and dexter. all shows with lower ratings. republicans, it seems, are more very voted to their favorites and watch in numbers. maybe that's why bristol palin is cleaning up in fewer votes. we're taking you live to capitol hill. this is connecticut democratic congressman, john larson, about to introduce the newly elected house minority leader. you can see her in the back left, nancy pelosi. let's listen. >> fighting on behalf of the american people. that's what brings us together and unifies us behind out great leader, nancy pelosi. nancy? >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. i wish all of america could have seen our caucus today. and yesterday, to hear the commitment to fighting with the middle class, saving social security, honoring the men and

women in uniform, and build a universe for our great country. we're going to speak briefly, each of us, but i'm glad to be part of this leadership team. our consensus is that it's about jobs, about reducing the deficit, and it's about fighting for the middle class. i want to make one special mention because we have a new position for chris, who was nominated to be chosen the ranking member on the budget committee. the budget, many expect to be a statement of our national values. i know that chris will make that fight based on values, based on reducing deficit, based on fighting for the middle class. i want to congratulate him on his new position. >> i wanted to make sure that we brought that to you live. as we were reporting earlier, not a huge surprise.

nancy pelosi may attend some sort of leadership house position but it was by no means unanimous. 150-43. 43 of whom voted for a north carolina congressman. it gave her a little bit of run for her money. nancy pelosi elected as house minority leader. stay there. cnn "newsroom" will be right back. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil.

cnn has all of your political news. cnn equals politics. wolf blitzer is here. i don't know where to start. all kinds of breaking political stories today. sir, the floor is yours. where do you want to begin? >> there is a lot of news from alaska all the way here to washington. i know you've been reporting what is going on. in washington, a very significant meeting. we didn't know it was going to take place. we now know it's going to take place. the remaining democratic leader,

harry reid, met with john boehner of the house. they had a private meeting to talk about agenda issues, legislative calendar meetings. they found the time to get down and talk together. tomorrow, the bipartisan, democratic, leadership will go to the white house. that's been delayed until after thanksgiving. there's a little meeting going on today between the republican leader in the house and the democratic leader in the senate. another little light that is crossing the house in the political ticker. we've now concluded that there's a record amount of campaign advertising that was spent directly attacking the president in this most recent election cycle. $115 million during the midterm campaign. commercials trying to help the republicans, commercials that were critical of president obama trying to link the democratic candidates to president obama. $150 million spent by

republicans on tv ads in an effort to nationalize the 2010 election. that statement is coming in from evan tracy. and what is significant is that most of that money went in three states where republicans did really well. in florida, missouri, and pennsylvania. those are three battle ground states looking ahead to the 2012 presidential campaign. one nonpolitical story that i'm working on that i just want to let our viewers know, brooke, that they are going to be fascinated, this interview that i just did with the sod arabia's former ambassador in washington, he's very blunt. i'm talking about bin laden. this is a man, by the way, back in the 1980s who worked with bin laden. he's got new information that he is sharing with us and i think

our viewers in the 5:00 p.m. eastern hour will be fascinated in the hunt for ben laden and all of the control over the al qaeda leaders that they still have. i think you'll find that interesting. >> we will look for it. 5:00 eastern hour. wolf blitzer, thank you, sir. we'll see you then. also, i want to remind everyone, we'll get a political update in 30 minutes. you can get the latest political news. get your ticker online. upload a political ticker. there we go. chugging right along. looking at the numbers, if we can, the dow is down 17 points at 11,000. nasdaq up a couple. s&p sitting at 1,178. you can get the latest at cnn money.com. >> the so called merchant is accused of selling weapons to the bad guys, even hollywood has

made a movie out of him. who he is and what secrets could he spill? the news is now. she was a publicist to the mega stars and gunned down just hours after leaving the red carpet premier. who was she? remember four loko, the so-called blackout in a can? the fda issued a sweeping crackdown and went one step further. parents, this is one that you cannot miss. >> i look at the receipt and it says. [ bleep ] >> whatever happened to have it a nice day and have it your way? this is what you get on your receipt? >> is this common? >> you guys do this all the time? drinking and driving is always the first mistake. second mistake? shipping to reverse instead of park. hard to believe, but this

actually gets worse. you'll never guess house. here we go. welcome to hour two. we're going to move fast. let's go. beginning with this shocking murder mystery got everyone in hollywood talking. shortly after walking the red rar pet for the premier of the movie "burlesque," ronni chasen was shot to death. she was apparently on her way home. celebrity clients and friends are devastated. >> it's very tragic. >> she loved actors, that is for sure. you love the buzz and craziness of the nutty business that we're in. >> she's full of life and really energetic and great. and it's one of those things, i still haven't quite adjusted to like. that really happened here last

night? it seems impossible. >> police moving on that investigation. still no leads. powerful hollywood publicist michael le veen told me that he's started a reward fund. he hopes to raise $25,000 to help beverly hills police. next, a former reality show producer accused of killing his wife makes a court appearance. a short time ago, bruce was ato appear in los angeles and was picked up just yesterday by u.s. marshals. a former "survivor" producer was arrested. the mexican government is seeking to have him extra dieted to stand trial. next, we are getting more heartwrenching details of elizabeth smart's abduction and captivity. more witnesses are taking the stand. there is brian mitchell right there. jurors are hearing about numerous attempts to help the

14-year-old teen that failed. many attempts were thwarted by mitchell himself. he's been accused of kidnapping and raping smart. barsey is going to testify against her ex-husband tomorrow. next, california police are searching for three gunman who robbed, get this, a chuck e cheese restaurant. a gun was pointed at his head. you can see the mass men herding men, women, and other people into a room. the suspect and baltimore maryland today, a fierce storm blew the roofs off, downed tree, damaged cars overnight. also leaving thousands of people in the dark.

rescue crews going house to house to check on the victims so far. no serious injuries. next, great britain and royal watchers everywhere still basking in the globe of the big news. they have made it official. they are getting hitched. william made sure that the late mother wore. he popped the question during the trip to kenya. >> he's a true romantic and we had a wonderful holiday in africa. >> timing is right now. we are both very, very happy. >> many people are looking for middleton to follow in the fashionable foot steps of the late princess di. next, a high-speed chase came to an abrupt end. police were in hot pursuit of this armed robbery suspect. the suv sped through residential areas, weaving between lanes and

driving over sidewalks and ignores stop signs and red lights. the pursuit, you just saw how it ended. the vehicle slammed into the back of the tanker truck. the driver tried to make a run for it. there he goes. he was eventually captured. also, breakingi news out of alaska. senator lisa murkowski will declare her win against joe miller. this has been a hugely unusual race in which the incumbent lost her party's nomination, had to run as a write-in candidate. shannon, what are you hearing? >> obviously, murkowski losing the primary back in august, her conceding and then getting back in and we may see possibly see an end to this race tonight. she will declare victory in this

long and bruising run. will she declare victory, yes she will. they've always maintained that they wanted the ballots to be counted and today they will have the ballots counted centerally and she will declare victory. votes are being tallied and a little over 10,000 votes. some of them about 8,000 are contested, even if all of those in a wild scenario, if they are not counted for her, she would still win this race by just over 2,000 votes. she's coming out tonight and declaring victory. the associated press is already declaring this a win for her. >> here's the question, shannon. she's ready to declare victory. what about joe miller? will he accept defeat? >> we are trying to get reaction from the miller campaign. i've put out several calls to the campaign manager and the press secretary. they have not yet responded to cnn. we don't know what will happen tonight. they have those lawsuits

pending. we just last night learned that they want a hand recount of all of the ballots. the division of elections, the director got back to me and said that won't happen. if a recount happens, it will be done by machine and if that happens, joe miller will have to pay for it. and we'll keep you posted. >> how much of a black eye with this win for murkowski be on sarah palin? >> huge. huge. a huge black eye for sarah palin and for the tea party movement. consider this, sarah palin from alaska, a lot of people, her fans say, she's still popular in alaska. this might be something against that. she's not as popular. miller was her pick. she picked him before the tea party movement came on board. so this would be a huge black eye. and not only sarah palin's

endorsement of joe miller but the movement as well. >> let us know if you hear anything from the joe miller camp. >> you got it. >> thanks for the hustle. >> absolutely. the man accused of selling weapons to some of the most dangerous people in the whole world now in u.s. custody. what did he allegedly do so wrong and why is russia so concerned? that's next.

♪ every day you check the weather, check the time ♪ ♪ check the news online ♪heck the wife, eck the kids ♪ ♪ check your email messages ♪ check the money in the bank ♪ check the gas in the tank ♪ check the flava from your shirt ♪ ♪ make sure your pits don't stank ♪

♪ check the new hairdo, check the mic one two ♪ ♪ 'cause i'm about to drop some knowledge right on top of you ♪ ♪ you check a lot of things already why not add one more ♪ ♪ that can help your situation for sure ♪ ♪ check your credit score ♪ free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ free-credit-score ♪ you won't regret it at all! ♪ check the legal y'all. >>offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage.® he is known as the merchant of death. he's the alleged russian dealer who will go on trial for conspireing to kill americans. u.s. officials have been

fighting to get their hands on this guy, victor boot, for years. now they finally have him behind bars in new york. he arrived out of this special drug enforcement administration plane, a dea plane last night after thailand agreed to extradite him. so just a couple hours ago he appeared in federal court in new york. we'll have more on that in a minute. but, first, brian todd has more about the accused man. >> i didn't do anything wrong. >> reporter: he's believed to have cut widely acknowledged as the inspiration for the character in the movie "lord of war." >> the real money is in actual wars between countries. >> reporter: now he's in u.s. custody. extradited from thailand to face terrorism charges. u.s. officials in a sting operations he agreed to sell

planes to a fark. he's repeatedly denied breaking any laws but has agreed to funnel weapons from afghanistan. he's known as a devoted family man but also as a bully who would barge in on government meetings. >> if you look at the wars that were directly impacted, you can see that they escalate directly in proportion to the amount of weapons arriving. tens and thousands of people suffered, if not hundreds and thousands of people because of the weapons that he was able to deliver. >> reporter: my colleague interviewed him in 2002. at that time he denied allegations that he sold weapons to the al qaeda. >> unfortunately, i didn't have a chance to meet him. we had to do something to prevent what happened. >> destrike you as a fearsome figure? >> oddly, he didn't.

he said, i want to set the record straight. i'm innocent. he didn't get any vibes that he was mall leaf lant but it's impossible to judge. >> reporter: there was evidence that bout shipped arms to africa in exchange forever blood diamonds. but he denied it. now, the russian government is furious that bout has been extradited. >> why are the russians to angry? >> i think they feel so humiliated that one of there's was grabbed and i think he knows a lot that he would rather the world not fine out about. >> reporter: i asked an official at the russian embassy about that and he wouldn't comment. he said that the extradition is illegal and that he's innocent and that the russian government will do all that they can to assist him.

>> i want to bring in susan candiotti for developments in this case. susan, we just heard about boot's history. we know that he was in court a short time ago. what more can you tell us? >> the hearing didn't last very long and not surprisingly he pleaded not guilty. this is a man supposed to be worth billions and billions of dollars. and so in court today, the most interesting part about this was when the judge was asking about a financial form that asked him whether he had any assets and his written response was, well, not in the u.s. so with that we can tell you that today, yes, the dea and federal prosecutors finally announced the results of the sting that they've been working on for the last couple of years. he's charged with arranging to sell a ton of weapons, a mountain of them, to people secretly helping the dea. we're talking about ak-47s and

cargo planes to deliver it all at a cost of $5 million. the arms were supposed to be used to kill americans who were helping the columbia government battle fark. >> they stood to collect millions of dollars on the arms deal and both allegedly jumped at the chance to arm them for the terrorist fight against the united states. many believe bout did not care who his weapons killed but he did care, based on recorded conversations, he preferred murdering americans. when told that the arms would be used to destroy radar location and kill americans, he indicated that the united states was his enemy and if all else, fight against the united states was also his fight. >> now, a key witness against

bout is likely to be a british citizen, already in custody since 2008. russia is calling his extradition from thailand and russia's assistance in the war in afghanistan. if bout is found guilty, he faces up to life in prison. >> just looking at all of the weapons, this is obviously a huge deal, a huge victory for the law. russia has a bit of a take. the extradition allowing a lot of angry crowds in russia. they have called them his innocent businessman n a statement, i want to get to a statement and then we will talk, there's a much different picture. bout is considered one of the most prolific armed traffic holders. let's listen to this statement.

viktor bout has been arrested in the united states but the conflicts in africa has been a cause of concern around the world. holder goes on to say that the extradition is a victory for the rule of law worldwide and seems to be emphasizing, susan, that the idea that bout posed a worldwide problem, not just, by no means not just us here in the united states. >> that's right. for years and years there's been talk that bout has been helping to ship arms to the taliban, to al qaeda, to various groups in africa, being paid in blood diamonds and throughout this he has denied all of these charges and calls himself a legitimate businessman. you heard that in the setup piece as well from jill doherty who interviewed him back in 2002. so now obviously it will play out in court and there are russian journalisms really calling what happened to him a

kidnapping and not a viable and legal jurisdiction from thailand. >> how about that. fascinating story. thank you. coming up next, a driver crashes into not just any car but a police car. you can say that's a bad day but it gets worse. the story is two away. ouch. stay there. 16 minutes could save you 16%. come on. isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers, more savings, and discounts up to 40%. where else are you gonna get discounts like that? but first, talk to your neighbors. chances are, they're one of the 40 million. then call a state farm agent or go online for a free discount double-check. they'll find you discounts you didn't even know you deserved.

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the most outrageous video of the day, you're about to see the crazy police stop in california. let's watch it together. roger, hu this officer that pulls over this toyota prius in laguna beach. the driver forgets to put the

car in park, you hear the crunch. you hear it. and instead gets out of the car, goes forward, takes him a couple seconds to realize he's not the only one moving and he slams on the gas and runs into the gas station air and water dispenser rupturing the water line. are you kidding sne amazingly, you see him get out, no one is hurt. back and forth, back and forth. watch it again as it goes back, wait for it, bam. the officer is standing by, hanging out, pretty calm. in fact, one of his co-workers commented on that. here he is. >> i'm surprise at how calm he remained. he just kind of watched what was going on and i'm sure if i had been in that instance it would be more like, am i really seeing what i'm seeing? >> by the way, that driver going back and forth, he's now facing

charges of driving under the influence. yikes. coming up next, a report from haiti, a live report where desperation has led to even more misery. ivan watson joins us after the break. [ advisor 1 ] what do you see yourself doing one week, one month, five years after you do retire? ♪ client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize i better start doing something. we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you.

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the spread of a deadly disease is horrible news anywhere, but no country in our hemisphere is less prepared to deal with this outbreak than haiti. more than 1100 people are dead in the last few months. this is a full on outbreak for human catastrophe. the emergency is very real.

ivan watson is in the north coast of haiti. we keep reporting this death toll and it continues to rise. >> reporter: that's right. this epidemic according to the united nations is predicting that up to 200,000 people could be infected by the time it reaches its peak. this is the first month really of the outbreak. the first in 15 years to be discovered here in haiti. and it has definitely frightened significant portions of the population. we're reporting to you from the northern city and there have been three straight days of riots here, angry demonstrators attacking and in large part, many of them accused the united nations and the peace keepers of being the origin of this cholera outbreak in haiti. that is a claim that is completely denied by the united

nations itself. >> i can see the u.n. vehicles rolling in, people are running. i notice video of you driving through some of the smoke and burning tires. explain what i'm seeing here. >> reporter: well, what's been taking place here is that for three days now demonstrators have barricaded the streets of haiti's second largest city and they are stopping cars and buses from being able to move around so you can basically only get around on the back of motor bikes from here. now, whenever the united nations police rolled through, we witnessed today locals and residents hid in alleyways and then they jump out and start helping by throwing stones. we heard gun gunfire. at least one demonstrator was shot and killed by u.n. peace

keepers. there was more shooting today. and at least three people with apparent gunshot wounds showing up at a local hospital here. so tensions are still high. one of the challenges that this poses is it make it is difficult for people who are sick, who could literally die of acute dehydration from cholera. that is really making it much more difficult to save people on the ground here. also, medical workers telling us that they are having difficulties bringing in extra supplies. we went to one treatment center and about 200 people packed on cots next to each other in what was supposed to be a basketball stadium. they got more than 100 patients overnight and are affecting far more in the months to come. >> not only in haiti, you've been reporting the outbreak for

us there but cases turning up in the dominican republic. we heard about a case turning up in florida. what do you know about that? >> that's right. according to florida's health authorities, it was a woman traveling back from haiti who arrived in florida and was carrying this cholera bacteria, as well as one haitian construction worker found to be in neighbors dominican republic also infected with the illness. this is a highly contagious disease. it's transmitted fecal oral but is also very easy to treat what is crucial here is to get treatment within the first couple of hours when that nausea and acute diarrhea sets in and then doctors tell me it's very easy to treat it. all you need is to make sure that the person can -- their fluids are maintained. in some cases it's pills with salt and sugar in them. in some cases, iv bags. some of the patients that they've been treating here are

able to walk out after two days of treatment after coming in severely dehydrated. >> hopefully we can at least stop reporting this death toll number rising. we can at least curb it and continue treating it. nobody wants to see it grow more on that island. stay safe, ivan, from haiti. thank you, ivan. look at this storm. this is the mid-atlantic area. some of the damage -- a lot of the damage in the baltimore area where the storm has left 25,000 people in the dark. chad myers has been looking at this thing. i know we said the t-word, a tornado possibly. >> simply because of the small nature of this maximum damage, if we had widespread damage across the city and 300,000 people without power, every tree was knocked down, this was a

localized area and all of a sudden you see this type of damage where shingles are gone, rafters are gone. you can look down into the bedrooms. that's more than a wind gust. we're seeing gusts today, 30, 40 miles per hour. that's why the put back of the wires is so slow because the men, women are climbing up the lines and have to be very careful not to blow off while they are up there trying to put the one up there that is down. power lines take some time. it's the last one. if you're the last person on the line and it's your tree and your yard, that brought down your line to your house, forget about getting power. if you can put up one line and get up 50 people or houses, that's the line that gets a priority. if you have a line that puts two houses back on the line, low priority. >> exactly. hey temperatures today still quite mild.

64, d.c. 62 in new york. it does not feel like that anywhere across the northeast. simply because of the wind. it's cranking all the way up towards new finland. the storm damage that we showed you was 1:00 in the morning. still airports are delayed. it's not a big get away day but we're starting to get there, aren't we, as we get closer and closer to the holiday season. people are going to book flights because as you get closer to thank giving you get the prices going up. you book farther and farther away to save money. but you may not save a bunch of time. all well over one-hour delay. >> no fun. no fun at all. >> it gets less and less as the holiday season gets closer. >> i'll be traveling on thanksgiving day. >> i know you're going far. it's the threshold that i think becomes and you might as well just drive.

if you have to arrive two hours early and it's an hour to park and then an hour flight. >> i know it's a pain. sometimes you don't have the option or the time. thank you, chad. >> sure. makers of caffeine alcohol drinks. you know how we've been talking about these, so-called blackout in a can, a couple bucks to buy one of these. getting a big warning today from the fda. parents, we have been watching this story unfold all day. which drinks are targeted and which changes will be made and jessica yellen has the latest from the political ticker. we'll be right back.

all kinds of news popping up in the political world today. cnn has all of the latest news

with the best team on television. jessica yellin join us from sunny california. >> reporter: cold. >> cold? not good. but sunny san diego, nonetheless, perhaps. let's go to alaska and talk about some potentially big news out of that state. >> reporter: yes. senator lisa murkowski we've learned is going to declare victory. right now they is more than 10,000 votes ahead. that is larger than the number of contestants ballots in that state. so it does seem to reason that she has good faith to believe that she is going to walk away the victor in this case. she plans to declare victory tonight. cnn has not called this race, for the record. but that is one we're going to watch closely. okay. brooke, anybody waiting for

drama in the leadership races is going to be disappointed. john boehner will be the next speaker of the house. he won that position by unanimous vote. he'll be the next speaker when congress comes into session in the new year and nancy pelosi is the minority leader. even though some democrats said that their party needs a new face going forward, but she still prevailed and she will remain as leader of the democratic party in the congress. now, here's a story, brooke, of one of pelosi's reporters. bill clinton, the former president, was at a rally in ohio when boccieri's wife went into labor. clinton said whenever i'm around ladies go into labor. >> nice. >> reporter: well, he did not win his race but he's still up

on the hill for the rest of the race and says he did not think he lost because of nancy pelosi or that the democrats got their shalacking because of her or anyone else but because of the economy and he was all smiles today saying that he accepts what it is and he's going to go home spending time doing diapers. five kids is what he has. >> not a new dad. not so much. jessica yellin, nice clinton impression, by the way. jessica, thank you. >> reporter: thank you. i won't do it again. >> remember, you can always get the latest political news at cnn.com/political. have you heard of this bizarre mystery unfolding in colorado? here's what we know. identical twin sisters are gunned down at a shooting range. one dies and the other is in

coma but police can't tell them apart. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. princess of the powerpoint. your core competency... is competency. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i'm getting an upgrade. [ male announcer ] indeed, business pro. indeed. go national. go like a pro.

how about this one for you? police have a tragedy on their hands. identical twin sisters were shot in their heads at a shooting range. this is outside the range. here's what we know so far. the two twin sisters from australia, they are just 29 years of age. they rented these handguns that they were firing, targets, when surveillance video shows them falling to the ground at the same time. both were shot in the head and one is dead. the other in critical condition. but that's not all.

because they are identical twins, police don't know which sister lived and which sister died. no idea also if this was some sort of double suicide attempt or an accident or something else. members of the family are traveling from australia to colorado to help investigators. the fda had four loko under scrutiny and now other popular drinks are targeted as well. there has been new developments all afternoon. we're all over that. stay right here.

have you ever bought something, looked at the receipt, and then thrown it away without looking at it. one conscious customer looked at the receipt and you've got to see what it said. a burger king is in hot water. there was a huge expletive printed on it. it felt kind of embarrassed when he saw what it said. you show the receipt to the cashier and the young man snickered at him. next to georgia. how about a drive-in? surveillance cameras were rolling as a car crashed into the front of this local bakery. the owners could hardly believe

when they got the call that the car was -- not outside the store but it was in the store. amazingly no one was hurt. there's a sweet ending to all of this. the store reopened for business yesterday. 15 hours after the crash. next, here's a tip we can all remember. if you're ever being robbed, don't tell the bad guy that you think his gun is fake. he might prove you wrong. here's a masked gunman demanding money and 22-year-old clerk said, wait a minute. that's a cap gun. i'm not opening this for you. not so much. the man shot the very real gun three times and then got out of there. police are searching for the would-be really armed robber. you remember the olive branch that president obama extended to the gop congressional leaders of the so-called slurpy summit? it turns out it might not happen. is that sign lack of a slurpy summit? the sign of tension ahead. we'll talk about that next with

wolf blitzer next.

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welcome back. after the republicans won control of the house, president obama planned a meeting with bipartisan congressional leaders. the president touted the meeting as an opportunity for a lengthy discussion regarding future priorities. the meeting was scheduled for tomorrow at the white house. in fact, it even had this informal name. remember, we were talking about this a couple of weeks ago. remember, the slurpy summit. well, days and days of negotiations broke down. apparently it's been postponed. for more on this and what this means, let's go to wolf blitzer. wolf, let's talk about outside of the beltway here. do you get the feeling that americans are saying, we're sending you guys to d.c. to work

together and you can't even get together and talk about the issues that are important to us and sent slurpys along with it? >> i think there are so many enormous issues fatsing the country, the national debt, annual budget deficit is skyrocketing and seemingly out of control right now. they've got to work together in dealing with the national security issues, the s.t.a.r. treaty. it's either going to be ratified by two-thirds of the senate or not. that's an important factor right there. there are all sorts of other issues in the lame-duck that they want to deal with, including the issue of don't ask, don't tell that doesn't allow gays to serve openly in the united states military right now. so they would like to see cooperation. the meeting was supposed to be at the white house tomorrow. right in the afternoon and then the leadership, the republican and democratic leadership would

stick around, go upstairs and have a private dinner with the president, vice president. they could get down to serious business. now it's been delayed to after thanksgiving, november 30th. and even right now, it's unclear to me why, although i understand what the republicans are saying and what the white house is saying, they've got other issues right now that they have to deal with. >> can you remind us why it was called a slurpy summit? >> because during the campaign, whenever the president went out, he would always say how he inherited a mess. the car was in a ditch. the democrats went down in a ditch and started to get the car out of the ditch. the republicans were standing on top of the ditch, slurping, having slurpies, if you will, watching and sort of cajoling and not doing anything. and then someone suggested that they should have a slurpy summit. republicans are not happy with

the name because they righted him throughout the campaign. >> some people are saying, why are we talking slurpies? what do you have coming up? a pretty good interview at 5:00. >> we do. we have prince turkey al faisal, former ambassador to the united states, he's going to talk about what is going on in the hunt for bin laden. this is a guy back in the '80s who worked for bin laden fighting in afghanistan. he's got good information on where bin laden is, what he's doing, his health right now. i think our viewers will be interested. we'll air our interview in the 5:00 p.m. hour coming up. >> wolf blitzer, we'll see you then. thank you, sir. coming up, a lot of parents have been talking about this. have you heard about the fda telling the makers of caffeine alcohol drinks their products cannot stay on the market in their current form. in fact, one drink maker, you

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. the fda is calling a certain group of energy drinks unsafe and there's a last call for alcohol caffeinated drinks in a can. elizabeth cohen is here to explain why. >> this just happened this afternoon. the fda said -- we have a couple of them right here. they said seven different products are problematic and they effectively banned them. you can still buy them in stores as we speak. it will take a while but they effectively said you've got to get these things off the market. >> and if you drink one of these, i talked to a lady that had a little. it's like six beers in a can? >> it's nearly that. it's several beers in one can plus several cups of coffee.

so what happens is, you can stay away and drink more. >> which is not a good thing. >> right. it's mother nature's way to continue drinking instead of passing out. they are up and drinking more and eventually do have these blackouts where they can't remember anything. and i think i was telling you during the break there's a website where you can tell your stories of what happened to you when you were drinking a four loko. >> yeah. >> this is on a blog. four loko caused me to jump out of a two-story window and grind strawberry cake into the hardwood foyer. another person said, deep into my blackout state i ran around in my underwear and made threats to people. i tried to light a cigarette on a gas stove and instead of lit my hair on fire and i cried because everyone was making fun

of me, which they probably were. >> why are we talking about this? it's not a new drink, is it? >> well, it's a relatively new drink to put that much caffeine and that much alcohol into one drink. but i was talking to margaret earlier today and she's the commissioner of the food and drug administration. i said that people have been drinking rum and cokes forever and irish coffees forever. they've been friendly partners, or maybe not so friendly but partners in drinking for a long time. i said, why are you banning this? here's what she had to say. >> i would be surprised if people consume as much alcohol and caffeine together in a rum and coke as the same body of liquids from these drinks because this is very concentrated. it's one thing if you make it on your own. it's another when it's packaged in this way and sold in this

formulation. >> so i imagine that's why the fda is getting involved? >> right. they said it's dangerous even though they are sold and considered under the right circumstance safe, putting them together in those volumes. this is 12% alcohol. look how big they are. >> you know, a lot of people think it's because women tend to be smaller than men and that's part of it but often the way that our bodies work, women don't have the enzyme that met tab bolize that alcohol. and then you're chugging. >> how long do you think it will take to get to these? >> i think it could