>> i was in here all weekend with the rollers just working. >> looks great, jim. >> very good. well, there's a lot to talk about this morning, let's get to it. it is the kioff to one of the busiest travel weeks of the year and the tsa is sending mixed si signals. they say privacy takes a backseat to public safety. and that's making air travelers angry, even the president and secretary of state clinton are weighing in this morning. well, former first lady barbara bush weighing in, as well, with choice words for sarah palin. appearing tonight on "larry king live." we have a bit of a preview of what the former first lady thinks about the former alaska governor. here's a little bit of it. she thinks she should stay in alaska. we'll tell you what else she had to say ahead. and bieber fever. the teen pop sensation scooping up more awards than any other artist. plus, a blast from the past. a performance from the ultimate boy band. up first, america on the move. there were more than 40 million people that are going to be

traveling at least 50 miles or more on this thanksgiving week. it's why you should make cnn your holiday travel headquarters. because all morning every day until thanksgiving we'll find you the up-to-the minute travel information and it'll be on the bottom of your screen all week. >> and prepare for the possibility of an enhanced pat-down at the airport. but according to the top man at the tsa, the agency is looking at refining its policies. initially john pistole telling cnn the pat-downs are a necessary precaution. >> i think it comes down to the person. i've talked to a number of people who said, hey, this is exactly what we need to be doing. it is thorough. and i want thoroughness when i get on a plane to know everybody has been screened properly. to some peoples, it is demeaning. >> well, mixed messages this morning from the tsa. what can we expect? carol costello joining us live from reagan national in washington this morning. you have the president weighing in, the secretary of state

weighing in. and a lot of people very upset about the enhanced screenings. >> reporter: oh, but kiran, as far as what you can expect, you're going to go through that full-body scanner. here at reagan national, a full-body scanner in use behind me. up go their arms, maybe they're afraid of that intrusive pat-down they'll get if they refuse to go through that full-body scanner. seems every politician in the land is weighing in on this controversy, including president obama. >> i understand people's frustratio frustrations. and what i've said to the tsa is you have to constantly refine and measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the american people's safety. and you also have to think through, are there ways of doing it that are less intrusive? >> reporter: oh, but right now, the tsa is not budging. they'll continue to use those

full-body scanners and those intrusive pat-downs. secretary of state clinton weighed in on this. and when asked if she would like a full-body pat-down, she said no. >> but would you submit to one of these pat-downs? >> not if i could avoid it. i mean, who would? >> reporter: that's right. i mean, who would? if it's any comfort to you at all, only 69 airports across the country have full-body scanners. and you only get that intrusive pat-down if you refuse to go through the full-body scanner and set off an alarm. it's very unlikely you're going to go through a full-body pat-down at the airport. i know that's small comfort, because there's still a possibility. but it's the best i can give you right now, kiran. >> all right. >> and carol, i could hear the song being rewritten now, over the river and through the pat-down to grandmother's house we go. >> reporter: that's right.

and if you don't get the pat-down and you're con -- refuse, you could be arrested. tsa administrator, john pistole insists he's trying to strike the right balance between privacy and security. and we'll discuss that with him at 7:15 eastern. and leave it to the folks at saturday night live to expose the sexy side of airport security. >> in case you missed it, here's their twisted take on tsa pat-downs. >> spending time with the tsa agent couldn't be easier. simply book a flight departing from any american airport. when selected for a full-body scanner, say no. you'll be pulled aside by a tsa agent and that's when the fun begins. and you never know who your agent will be. >> it could be me. >> or me. >> or even me. >> but it's probably going to be us.

>> oh, it helps to laugh, doesn't it? >> sometimes you've got to laugh or you're going to cry. >> it makes it hurt a little less. well, a serious scare for passengers aboard a moscow-bound jet out of new york's jfk airport last night. this is serious, but luckily ended okay. minutes into the flight, the pilot radioed the tower about trouble with the left engine. >> delta 30, declared an emergency. >> did you see anything smoke come out of the engine? >> yeah, we saw some kind of flash on the departing aircraft. >> the boeing 747 made it back to jfk with one engine dumping fuel over the atlantic ocean. no injuries to the 193 passengers and 11 crew members aboard. some knew right away something was critically wrong. >> we heard a noise, like we hit something. and then some people saw flashes -- some people thought it was a bird, some people thought it was fire. we weren't quite sure what was going on. and then probably like three

minutes later, the pilot announced that we had an engine failure. >> the faa is investigating the incident. passengers boarded another jet to moscow. so it all worked out for those passengers in the end. but my goodness -- >> what a scare. it makes you want to drive if you can. but if you are thinking of taking the car instead of flying, you may get sticker shock at the gas pump. americans might want to say thanks, but no thanks to the numbers at the gas pumps. days from thanksgiving, a huge travel holiday for drivers, gas prices are now at a six-month high. the lumberg survey puts the national average of $2.87 a gallon for regular if you pump it yourself. and that's up close to a nickel per gallon over the past two weeks. thanksgiving travelers will be getting a taste of weather in some parts of the country. in minnesota, freezing rain, causing hundreds of crashes and at least one death in minneapolis. the national weather service issued another freezing rain advisory for today. and then in california,

heavy snow and high winds causing white-out conditions in the sierra nevada mountain range. the storm forcing drivers to put chains on their tires in order to travel in the mountain areas. and a messy commute for people in salt lake city. caused slick roads and numerous accidents this weekend. forecasters expect snow to continue through tomorrow. what can you expect as you head out this week? let's check in with rob marciano in the extreme weather center. is this early? when i lived in california, you remember when you have to start putting chains on the tires. is this early for that? or right around the normal time? >> right around the normal time. but they rarely see this much. i mean, we've really seen a ton pile up in the last week. and there's more to come this week. so it is awfully early to be getting this much winter weat r weather, and in such a widespread fashion. really everywhere in the western half of the country is seeing a little bit of the wintery weather. you mentioned places in minnesota. fresh video coming into us last night with more in the way of

slick roads and making it impossible to get around. now, haven't seen a tremendous amount of power outage because the ice hasn't been that, that thick. but it's been obviously thick enough to make it impossible to get around. still freezing rain advisories out today. and we've got a couple of storms we need to get through. let's get to the maps and show you snow across parts of the upper midwest, and then rain heading into parts of wisconsin and iowa, and where that air is cold enough, in places like southeast minnesota, just southeast of minneapolis-st. paul. it will be freezing there. southwest of omaha in through, lincoln, nebraska. looking to the east, we're okay at least for today. temperatures in the 30s and 40s and we'll rebound nicely into the lower 50s to lower 60s. and the eastern half of the country is nice and toasty and warm. look at the northwest, though. billings, montana, high of 5 degrees, 33 degrees in seattle. they do get snow in seattle. but typically in december,

january, or february, not typically in november. and they've already seen some snow accumulate all the way down to the valley floor in the puget sound area. how many air is filtering in from canada, that i can tell you is unusual for this time of year. last year for thanksgiving holiday travel, we had a fairly tranquil go of it. this year, i don't think it's going to be that way. we'll have updates, obviously, throughout the week. back to you guys in new york. >> let's get those skis out, rob. >> that's a good way to look at it. >> snow shoeing to grandma's may be the best way to go. still to come this morning, barbara bush on "larry king live" last night. the show hasn't even aired and the former first lady is making headlines with her choice words for sarah palin. and a bit of a shocking confession from the pastor who ordered all of his church leaders to log off of facebook forever. a little bit of his past coming

back to haunt him. and justin bieber had a big night at the american music awards. we will tell you why. join the jaguar platinum celebration ! come celebrate exciting cars that are stunning to look at, exhilarating to drive and worry free to own. celebrate this holiday season with the gift of platinum. jaguar platinum coverage: five years or 50,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance, and no cost replacement of wear and tear items. visit your jaguar dealer during the platinum celebration for a $599 lease offer on the 2011 xf. we asked people all over america where the best potatoes come the best potatoes? idaho. idaho! idaho. and how do you know you're getting idaho potatoes? well...uh...

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♪ a little mash-up of musical things there. >> it is monday. >> very nice, awesome. welcome back. rescue efforts for a group of 29 trapped miners continue in new zealand this morning. but officials are preparing for a worst-case scenario. they are testing a robot that could find out if the air is too dangerous for a rescue attempt. officials hope the miners found a safe area of the mine and avoided a partial collapse. there was some better news about another group of miners trapped in china. 29 of them are alive this morning after being trapped underground for more than 30 hours. rescuers were able to pull them out of the mine one after the other. all of it taking place on live state television in china. the pope says after all condoms may help in the fight

against aids. analysts say it's a significant move because the church has never before considered exceptions. and pope benedict xvi's comments could signal a positive step forward. and ash forcing thousands of people out of their homes in the philippines. experts say the activity is not yet quite an eruption. but the alert level remains low. in addition to the visible ash, there were loud rumbles coming from the volcano. villagers are expected to return home later today. well, if sarah palin runs for president in 2012, she should not bank on barbara bush's vote. the former first lady appears tonight on "larry king live" along with her husband, the former president. and we're going to have a preview of that. the former president says he finds the tea party confusing. and barbara bush pulled no punches when larry asked her take on the former alaskan governor. >> what's your read about sarah palin? >> well, i sat next to her once. thought she was beautiful. and i think she's very happy in

alaska. and i hope she'll stay there. >> well, you can catch the entire interview with george and barbara tonight at 9:00 eastern right here on cnn. >> interesting stuff there from the bushes. i mean, it's interesting that you would hear the former president bush talk about the tea party in that sort of way. and then at the same time, have barbara bush weigh in on sarah palin in that kind of fashion is sort of striking. >> it's also interesting because former president george w. bush doesn't like to really comment at all. he said many times that he's not going to judge the performance of the president as he's in office. he has enough hard work ahead of him. >> it should be a good interview tonight. that'll be good to watch. well, tonight is the big night. sarah palin's daughter bristol, also known as bristol the pistol. she's up against kyle massey and jennifer grey. the show has been shrouded in controversy ever since bristol beat brandy last week. and there was a lot of peek talking about that.

some are suggesting a tea party conspiracy is tilting the vote in palin's favor. >> however the show's creators said, you know what? we are actively stopping these votes that come in, and we're not counting them. intercepting them. if they come from bogus e-mail addresses, they're not letting it happen. >> we'll have to watch. his hair and his popularity grabbed headlines when he was on "american idol," and now we'll ask the former finalist what he thinks about bristol palin. sanjaya. >> what happened to the pony tail? >> his old air wouldn't have fit on the screen. >> nope. a shocking admission from a new jersey pastor, he ordered his church leaders you may remember last week to get off of facebook. he said it's a portal to infidelity. now he's claiming, at least, he's admitting something in his past that's coming back to haunt him. and bieber fever is out of

control. the 16-year-old sensation scoops up one of the biggest music awards. we are live with the details coming up. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro.

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man who had a heart attack and flew him safely to a local hospital. what a story to tell. i was saved by the future king. >> and i guess he's not taking any break before the wedding. he's staying busy. tigers threatened with extinction. it could happen in just 12 years by 2022 due to loss of habitat and poaching. they say only about 3,200 tigers, that's unbelievable, actually remain in the wild. that's down from 100,000 a century ago. >> that's sad. hopefully they'll be able to turn it around. meantime, a touchdown celebration that led to some on-field violence in pittsburgh. >> did you see this? >> no. richard seymour using an open hand to hit steelers' ben roethlisberger. he was ejected from the game. it's not clear what led to the punch. but it may have been the steelers' domination of the game. because they went on to win 35-3. you've got to save your frustration for off the field. >> talk about roughing the passer. and then he gets ejected from

the game and he's out of there. >> better luck next week, guys. yikes. well, and remember the new jersey pastor who made national headlines last week when he ordered his church leaders to get off facebook because it fosters infidelity? well, cue the hypocrisy. he is admitting he engaged in a three-way sexual relationship with his own wife and another man back in 2003 despite the revelation, miller says it will not detract from his mission to save as many marriages as he can, including his own. >> maybe that's why he wanted people to get off of facebook because he learned from his own mistakes. >> i mean, my goodness, practice what you preach, don't throw stones in glass houses. that sounds more like a sermon than a life lesson for this guy. meanwhile, the boys are back in town. new kids on the block, backstreet boys at the american music awards. we've got the video coming up. we'll be back. >> can't wait.

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♪ all right. welcome back. i get all the justin bieber scripts this morning. >> you love the biebs. you had your hair like that earlier. >> i did. i just thought, you know, if i just comb it forward -- >> oh, you'll be a heart throb. >> that would be just swell. >> it's got to come up on to your cheekbones to have the biebs. >> would that be the full bieber? >> yeah. it ain't bad being 16 if you're justin bieber. >> he's the teen whose hair is

about as popular as his music. every time he goes on stage, people start sobbing hysterically, screaming. >> if he goes to a mall, a riot breaks out. >> he swept the american music awards last night. actually the bieber's a little shorter than it has been in the past. >> don't act like the biebs like you're really familiar -- >> a little bieber buzz. >> you know you're old when you don't know the music of the winners. >> when your nieces have to tell you about it, right? >> apparently justin bieber's hot. >> so i've heard. >> he certainly cleaned house at the american music awards last night. it makes sense. this is really a popularity contest. the winners, by the way, are determined by fan vote, radio play, and record sales. so it's no wonder the teen idol who continues to rule the pop music scene walked away with some serious hardware. >> reporter: teen sensation

justin bieber wasn't kidding when he named his album "my world 2.0." the 16-year-old dominated the american music awards last night. >> i like to stay calm and collected, but inside i'm like -- >> reporter: bieber picked up four awards, including breakthrough artist and artist of the year. >> wow. >> reporter: the youngest person ever to win that award. and he shared the moment with the man who helped launch his career. usher. >> and it would be only right if invited him up here to share it with me. not only my mentor, but my best friend and my big brother, i love you, man. >> reporter: speaking of usher -- ♪ he picked up two awards, including favorite male r & b artist. >> can't call it a comeback, i've been doing it 18 years, y'all. >> reporter: rihanna won for best female r & b artist.

>> wow, this is amazing. ♪ >> reporter: taylor swift who was last year's big winner with five awards was named best country artist. and the black eyed peas were named favorite pop or rock band. >> here we are 30 million records and traveling the world. >> reporter: the show ended with a blast from boy band past. ♪ oh, my god, we're back again >> reporter: chart-topping new kids on the block, and the backstreet boys. ♪ i want that way >> reporter: teaming up to show they still have the right stuff. ♪ that makes you larger than life ♪ >> wow. >> that's right. did you see the crowd? >> still gives me goosebumps and shivers. that was when we were coming up. so this is this generation,

justin bieber was our new kids, backstreet, n'sync. >> and good old vanilla ice. >> that's right. in case you were wondering, there was no kanye/taylor swift moment last night. thank goodness for that. the closest thing was rapper nicki minaj interrupted rihanna while she was accepting an award and said -- and gave a shout out about her album release coming on monday today. that would be today. but that was the closest thing. and rihanna responded graciously, i might add by saying that she really liked nicki minaj's hair which was blond with green tips. nice. >> but, you know, have a little class, have some manners. don't interrupt people while they're receiving an award. >> i happen to agree with that. >> thanks, alina. great. the tsa not backing down

when it comes to the aggressive airport pat-downs. they say privacy must take a backseat to public safety, but air travelers are growing angrier as we begin one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. and the trial for the two american hikers spying in iran has been moved to some time in february. josh fattal and shane bauer were supposed to be tried earlier this month. even though they're currently jailed and it's the government's responsibility to bring them to court. well, for the first time, north korea admits to enriching uranium. even showing off a brand new nuclear plant to an american scientist. the scientist says the plant appears designed by nuclear power production or for nuclear power production. but u.s. officials worry it could be used to make nuclear bombs. the north might look to use the revolution as a bargaining chip to get economic aid. and this is an incredible story coming up here. 47 years ago today, president john f. kennedy was

assassinated. and much has been written and said about what really happened on november 22nd, 1963 in dallas, texas. >> yeah, and we're hearing now for the first time that from some of the people that were closest to president kennedy -- we're talking about his secret service detail. cnn's brian todd has the story. >> reporter: a pair of stoic 78-year-old grandfathers, gerald blaine and clint hill still carry themselves in the upright position, still have that bond that only secret service agents know. and still have vivid memories of that clear, crisp day in november nearly half a century ago. >> we couldn't help it. we felt like we failed. we all had the same mission and it was a terrible feeling. >> blaine gives riveting new accounts of that period in his just released book "the kennedy detail." he reveals how less than 24 hours after john kennedy's assassination, he almost caused another unspeakable tragedy. blaine stood guard outside lyndon johnson's house in the

early morning darkness, exhausted, on edge, he heard approaching footsteps and readied his submachine gun. >> put it to my shoulder and steadied my feet. and around the house, i recognized right away it was president johnson by his profile. >> johnson had just come out to get some air. >> how close did you come to shooting him? >> well, my finger was on the trigger. i -- i had nightmares about this for months afterwards. >> johnson, he says, turned white, said nothing, and went back in the house. i spoke with blaine and clint hill. hill wrote the forward to blaine's book but has rarely spoken about that day. >> you had a tough time in the years after the assassination after your resignation. can you talk about what you went through? >> i had nightmares and seemed like every time i turned around, there was something that reminded me of what had happened.

and so i just clammed up and went in my basement with some alcohol and some cigarettes and stayed there for a few years. >> reporter: clint hill was the first secret service agent to get to kennedy's car in dallas. he broke into a sprint after the initial shot was fired. he says if he could relive those moments, jump on the back maybe two seconds earlier. >> without a question, i'd be taking a bullet for the president, be dead. >> reporter: you think that would be a happier ending if you weren't here to talk to us? >> it would be for the country and for everybody. >> reporter: how do you feel about that? that's a tough thing to live with for a number of years. >> well, it's just one of those things you do live with it. you have to accept the fact that you had a certain responsibility and you failed in that responsibility. so you just have to accept it and live with it the best you can. >> reporter: hill says he still goes through periods where he's almost unable to talk about the

assassination. he brushes it off when people call him a hero. heroes, he says, are people who are able to do extraordinary things, and "unfortunately, i was unable to do that." brian todd cnn, arlington, virginia. and still to come this morning, live pictures from reagan national airport as the holiday travel week gets underway. and rob has the conditions for weather across the country coming up. also, do you remember sanjaya from "american idol"? people sobbed when he sang. >> they did? >> yes, they did. young girls did. >> there's the hair. >> he managed to get into seventh place on the show even though some were tough on him, including simon, saying he wasn't that great a singer. he joins us to talk about bristol palin coming up. ♪

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new music comes on, sometimes i forget it's our show. this is the first day of our new music and our new look. so welcome. 37 minutes past the hour right now. bristol palin will be dancing for the title tonight. if you follow "dancing with the stars," you know it's not without controversy. some say viewers are voting for her because of her mother, sarah palin's popularity and the tea party movement. there are some who have been questioning the legitimacy of some of the voting and the voting process. well, if there's one person who knows how bristol is feeling it's former "american idol" contestant sanjaya. he had the famous hair, the fabulous smile. but he was far from the best singer in the competition, but

he was so popular with fans, see that little girl crying. we saw that a lot. he got to seventh place on the show. and he faced a similar backlash. sanjaya joins us from seattle. thanks for being with us this morning, getting up early with us. >> no problem. thank you. >> you know what it's like when people question whether you really deserve to make it as far as you did. this is obviously what bristol palin's going through right now. and last week was the big gasp when brandy who was clearly the better dancer was eliminated. what do you think? >> well, it's hard. in a situation like that, you're judged on your skill, you're judged on your popularity, judged on kind of the whole package. so it's hard to say -- like whether someone should be where they are, you know? >> right. you went through this, as well. you remember, first of all, the judges like simon would be especially harsh on you. there was that whole joking campaign, vote for the worst and you were one of the people that were part of that campaign where

people voted for you. what was it like knowing that you were out there, you were giving it your heart and soul, and there were people who thought you didn't deserve to be there? >> well, you're always going to have haters. so for me, i kind of took it all with a grain of salt. there's always going to be people that think that you shouldn't be doing what you're doing or think you're not good enough to be there, but as long as you put your full capacity into it, and your heart into it, then you can't change what other people think. >> does it surprise you -- at the end of the day, this is a dancing competition on a show. "american idol" is a talent show. people get so upset. you hear about one man in wisconsin shooting the tv set. do you feel that as contestants how much of a pressure cooker you were in for a tv show? >> yeah. and it's -- it's crazy how passionate people get about something like this. but, like, i guess when you're

investing your time and energy in voting and dialing all this time, it's -- it definitely takes a toll, i guess. but it's -- it was weird seeing the impact and the effect it had on people. >> and ultimately, do you think the way that "american idol" and "dancing with the stars" has tried to bring the audience in. do you think the voting is fair? that the best person wins? >> well, i think that definitely it has its -- like, advantages and disadvantages. i think it also kind of depends on the show. like "american idol," it's really the audience choosing their next pop star. so it's kind of cool to have that to bring those people in and have them have a little bit of control. something like "dancing with the stars," it's about how -- like how well you can do as not a dancer doing technical dancing. >> no, i agree with you, actually. and we're going to show a little

clip of you singing your songs. and i love the audience's reaction, especially the little girl. let's take a look. ♪ girl, you got me now ♪ girl, you really got me now, you got me so i don't know what i'm doing ♪ >> i'm sorry, the girl with the pigtails is sobbing. the audience is extremely excited. and you took a lot of heat from the judges. like simon said you're not the best singer. but what i always came back to and i bumped into you that year at the white house correspondent's dinner. you were the hot ticket at that, as well. as you said, it's picking the next pop singer. as you said, it's about the technical moves. and bristol, no offense, is giving it a go, but she is not clearly the best dancer. >> well, and she never claimed to be a technical dancer. so when you're looking at it on that side of it, it's like, how well is she doing based on

herself? and based on like how much is she progressing and stuff? so it's hard to judge her against someone else who may have some dance background or may just naturally have a little more dance ability. >> right. but do you think this whole tea party manipulation allegation as one conservative blogger says he's trying to get people to vote for her because of her mother's politics. do you think when they bring in certain characters like this one they're asking for trouble on the show? >> you're always going to have that little trouble, that controversy. but it makes the show. it's reality television in the long run, and they're looking for the voting and all that. but they're also looking for a show and they're looking for entertainment and they're looking for controversy. because the more people are talking about it, the more they're going to get people watching. >> right, would we be talking about "dancing with the stars" here on "american morning" without the palin controversy?

what are you up to? >> i'm working on my album. writing and recording it now. i've been keeping in the grind of everything. back and forth between here and l.a. doing a lot of, just, gigs here and there and meetings. and just keeping it -- keeping the ball rolling. >> well, good for you. thanks for getting up with us this morning. it was great to talk to you, sanjaya. jim? >> thanks, kiran. still to come this morning, the recession is taking its toll on everything, but it has helped in one department, the environment. we'll explain how coming up. but first, we've got all your holiday travel info. rob will be here after the break with your travel forecast. stay with us. we asked people all over america where the best potatoes come from. the best potatoes? idaho. idaho! idaho. and how do you know you're getting idaho potatoes? well...uh... uhm... heh.. (sighs) not all potatoes come from idaho. so if you want the best, you have to do one important thing. always look for the grown in idaho seal.

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♪ well, at chicago's fabled wrigley field over the weekend -- did you see this? there was only one way to go. >> they knew this was going to happen when they set it up like this. >> let's go to the videotape. the home of the cubs hosted football for the first time in decades. even though the gridiron didn't fit the baseball diamond. with one end zone dangerously too close to wrigley's ivy-covered brick wall, the team with the ball had to switch

sides driving east to west. that's right, field to third base for your baseball fans. so they could only go in one direction, they couldn't use the other half of the football field. a sell-out crowd watched northwestern win 38-27. they actually had a turnover in one point in the game. and instead of the guy turning around, he ran it across the football field and scored the touchdown in the other end zone they weren't supposed to be using. and it just made the game so much fun to watch because -- >> it counted, right? >> it counted. >> but the thing is, why use a baseball field for this game when clearly it didn't fit, the game didn't fit in the field? >> because playing at wrigley field, there's nothing like it. i don't know if you've ever been to a baseball game at wrigley field. it's one of the most unbelievable classic sports venues in america. and why not have a football game there? >> because it doesn't fit. you can't even have two goal posts. >> i know, but it's given us something to talk about. and, you know, it's one of those games these guys will never

forget because it was so quirky. >> are you starting the campaign to get the super bowl there, as well? >> i think we should do it. why have the super bowl in california or in warm climates? that ain't football. >> exactly. >> frozen tundra is where it should be. time for the weather headlines. rob, i know you're a yankee fan, but do you think that's weird it couldn't fit? >> yeah, it's weird. and to have the super bowl there, i can't guarantee the ivy would be green. that's the other issue. when you have ivy on the brick walls, that tells you baseball, you're out there in the bleachers, it's sunny, it's warm. i don't know. but why not? everybody needs a gimmick sometimes. and last year at this time, we were struggling to talk about whether that would be significant to trouble you for your thanksgiving travel. this year, we're definitely paying the piper. and it's going to be a week-long event. already this past weekend we had issues. check out minnesota. boy, and this is just the first of a couple of punches these people are going to have to deal with. hundreds of accidents because of

icy roads there. i don't care how good of driver you are, if it's ice on the road, you've got absolutely no chance when it's that slick and that thick. all right. we're going to look for more ice across parts of the northern midwest again today. this map looks ugly and gets uglier as the days progress. east of the mississippi, it's much more tranquil, much warmer, not so bad. but there's a little bit of wind across the new york metros and boston. some fog in philadelphia. and detroit and chicago, we'll see some delays and still some snow and ice around minneapolis. so delays there if you're traveling today and count those as money in the bank. some snow totals for you. almost a 1 in bruno, minnesota. and again. we have significant watches in the inner mountain west. several storms coming through, obviously what came through this past weekend. in some cases, a couple feet of

snowfall, a bit of a break, and unseasonably cold air drops down. meanwhile, we've got freezing rain warnings up and advisories up for eastern parts of nebraska to parts of iowa and southern minnesota. for this system, which is beginning to wind down, we've got some heavier rains heading into chicago later on today. again, it's not quite cold enough for snow there. check out some of the temperatures. it's 61 right now in chicago. and 31 degrees in minneapolis. wonder where the cold front is? that's where it is. but some of these temperatures over the weekend -- not over the weekend, over the next couple of days, are going to be driving down to the south. 33 in seattle. that's cold any time of the year regardless of it being the middle part of november. back up to you. >> back up to that wrigley field thing. there's an article in the "wall street journal" i pulled up. we were talking about, why would they put this game in a strange venue? but this is the trend in sports. they're having ice hockey at fenway park -- >> they should do -- they should

do the super bowl on an ice rink? that would be make for some fun. >> that would be frozen tundra. >> the yankee stadium has had heavy weight fights -- >> they probably had a justin bieber concert. we could go on. >> just pack them in and make them pay. >> let's cancel the show, do a little flag football just to get it going. >> don't make me call hr, your two-hand touch -- >> one man's touchdown is another man's -- okay, thanks, rob. we'll see you in a few. >> i didn't go there, but he did. so there you go. penalty on him. rob marciano, 15 yards. this morning's top stories a few minutes away. travelers running into new security rules as they head home for the thanksgiving holiday. but many folks don't like it one bit. find out why secretary of state hillary clinton says she understands why people are getting so angry. also, it appears that former first lady barbara bush may not be a big fan of sarah palin.

we'll let you judge. and the nfl's concussion crisis after a player's hard hit to the head. who should come out of the game? and who should keep playing? our dr. sanjay gupta investigates those stories and more at the top of the hour. ons innovative design into revolutionary performance. one word makes the difference between defining the mission and accomplishing the mission. one word makes the difference in defending our nation and the cause of freedom. how... is the word that makes all the difference. ♪ [ male announcer ] they've been tested, built and driven like no other. and now they're being offered like no other. come to the winter event and get an exceptional offer

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the 8:00 hour. >> exactly. "harry potter" is casting his box-office magic this weekend. the debut of "harry potter and the deathly hallows" took in $125 million in the u.s. and $330 million worldwide. >> wow. >> good lord, people. >> t"megamind" finished second with $15 million and unstoppable in third place. >> my daughter says who's the guy with the big blue head every time we go through the mcdonald's drive-thru. a study published in the journal nature geoscience. first decline since the late '90s. of course the amount of carbon emissions will grow.

we're going to take a quick break. your top stories coming up.

good morning to you. thanks so much for being with us, it's monday, november 22nd. glad you're with us on this "american morning," i'm kiran chetry. >> and i'm jim acosta. lots to talk about this morning. another dramatic mine rescue this morning. this time in china. 29 miners were trapped underground in a flooded mine for more than 24 hours. just hours ago, live tv pictures captured the emotional scene as rescuers pulled the chinese miners out of the shaft one-by-one. >> what does former first lady barbara bush think about sarah palin making a run for the white house in 2012? well, mrs. bush told cnn's larry king i think she's happy in alaska and i hope she'll stay there. you can see larry king's entire

interview of barbara bush and her husband tonight on cnn. ireland is getting a bailout. they struck a deal with the european union. the deal involves tens of billions of dollars to stabilize the country's banks. ireland will use the money to pay off the current $26 billion debt and shore up banks that have been reeling since the housing market crashed two years ago. scary moments for nearly 200 passengers on a delta flight from new york to moscow when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from jfk. the left engine on the boeing 767 shut down. the plane landed without incident. delta says it's still not sure, though, what caused the engine to fail. up first this hour, the pat-down showdown. mixed signals this morning from the head of the tsa. first the agency announced enhanced pat-downs at airports will continue as is during this busy holiday travel week. even though air travelers are growing angrier by the day. >> no, we're not changing the policy because of that because

of the risk that have been identified because of the current threat. >> but then this morning, the tsa administrator appears to be leaving a little bit more wiggle room in that policy. he's now insisting his agency will work to make screening methods as "minimally invasive" as possible and adapting security measures, as well. what does that mean if you're traveling this busy thanksgiving season? well, carol costello joins us live from washington. so we even saw images this weekend of children who set the metal detector off and in one instance, the dad decided to take the shirt off of the kid during an enhanced pat-down. had a lot of people upset. what is the tsa saying about this, carol? >> reporter: well, for children 12 years old and under, a modified pat-down is in order. what is a modified pat-down? we're not sure.

apparently it means no touching in the groin area, but i can't say 100% sure. let's take a look at the youtube video you've referred to because this makes airline passengers even more anxious. this was taken at a salt lake city airport. you see the father in front of his child. you can see the child whip his shirt off. apparently the child took the shirt off to get the process rolling so the two wouldn't miss their flight. right? but still the father was visibly upset. this was taken by another passenger standing by him on a cell phone. he posted on youtube. and what this all has meant -- this combined with, you know, all of the complaints from passengers we heard in the previous two weeks that the tsa says it will now have a modified pat-down procedure for children 12 years old and under, which apparently won't be as intrusive. but if the child sets off the metal detector, it doesn't matter the age. they're going to get the full pat-down. so that's exactly what that means. and if you refuse, you could be

fined $11,000 or kept off your flight. >> seems like a big public relations nightmare, though. spoofed on "saturday night live." you hear these horror stories. and in the days of video and youtube and people are, you know, sharing their stories, and showing, you know, what they're experiencing. and it doesn't seem to bode well for the tsa right now. >> and in this age of cell phone cameras, you're going to get one of these clips a day now it seems. >> reporter: although i must say, i've talked with a number of passengers here, and they don't seem all that upset. they're anxious, yes. but they're more than willing to go through the full body scanners saying it's for safety sake. i did talk to one mother with three young children all below the age of 12. she had a conversation with them before they went through the full-body scanner. but she said she was going to make her kids go through the full-body scanner so that nobody touched her children. so that was the choice she made, but she had to explain that to her children before they went

through that even if they went through the full-body scanner, pretty much somebody was seeing everything. >> yeah. very unsettling. and after all of these years we've been traveling through the airports. all these years and all of a sudden, you know, this controversy has the potential to just grind down air travel. that must be very nerve-wracking for passengers this holiday season. >> reporter: although, to put things in perspective. i've been standing here since 5:00 this morning eastern time, and -- >> so far, so good? >> reporter: it's smooth sailing. nobody's fighting, nobody's taking pictures with their cell phones, people are going through the full-body scanners or submitting to the pat-downs. there isn't a huge outcry at reagan international. >> good. that's why flying early is always good, as well. things start to get hairy in the afternoon with the line. thanks so much. meanwhile, something that could cause more problems air travelers, national opt out day. it's an internet-based campaign.

this wednesday, one of the busiest travel days of the year. right now, well over 7,000 people have endorsed the movement on facebook. and it could slow travel down to a crawl. and the tsa is reminder people that boycotting security procedures could lead to an $11,000 fine and civil action. may want to keep that in mind. tsa administrator john pistole insists he's trying to strike the right balance between privacy and security. we'll ask him what that means when he joins us live in less than ten minutes. we know many of you are getting an early start to your thanksgiving travel. we wanted to make sure you were up to date with the weather delays and the forecasts that are going to be affecting your travel throughout the week. along the bottom of the screen all morning long, we'll be cycling through conditions at major airports across the country. >> and that's good information to have. to politics now. sarah palin runs for president in 2012, she better not count on barbara bush's vote. the former first lady appears

tonight on "larry king live." along with her husband, the former president, says he finds the tea party confusing. and she pulls no punches on her feelings of the former alaska governor. >> what's your read about sarah palin? >> well, i sat next to her once. thought she was beautiful. and i think she's very happy in alaska. and i hope she'll stay there. >> ouch. you can catch the entire interview with george and barbara bush tonight on "larry king live" at 9:00 eastern right here on cnn. >> barbara bush has never been one to mince words. >> that's true. new nuclear fears surrounding north korea this morning. for the first time, the north admits to enriching uranium. showing off a brand new nuclear plant to american scientists. north korea insists that the plant is for nuclear power production. but u.s. officials worry it could be used to make nuclear bombs. also, some surprising comments from the pope over the weekend. he says that condoms may help in the fight against the spread of

aids. keep in mind the church opposes birth control. it's a significant move because the church has never before considered exceptions. in this case, the exception they're referring to is hiv positive male prostitutes. in st. louis, missouri, topping the list of the most dangerous cities in america, dubious distinction in a new study, st. louis beat out last year's top-ranked city camden, new jersey. as for the rest of the top five, flint, michigan, as well as oakland, california, they're based on violent crimes by population. some drinking glasses being marketed to children contain dangerous levels of led and cadmium. a follow-up to a discovery earlier this summer involving the shrek glasses. the enamel can get on children's hands and get in their mouth. among the brands tested, coca-cola, walt disney, burger king, and mcdonald's.

>> wow. well, it's beginning of the end for the "harry potter" film franchise. no glasses to worry about here. going out with a bang at the box office. part one debuted making $125 million in the u.s. and $330 million worldwide. that's the best opening of any "harry potter" film and not a bad idea, right, kiran, split these movies into two? >> part one. >> you can make $125 million each opening weekend. why not? >> and we'll bring you back in for part two. >> they don't call it showbiz for nothing. >> exactly. rob marciano is in the extreme weather center. rob knows all about show business, right? >> that's what we're trying to do here every morning. combination of show business and weather. just trying to ring the register. take a look at some of this

video coming in to us from minnesota. not all the country's going to see snow and ice like this, but certainly the midwest has already seen some. and that -- those same spots will probably continue to see more of it. and hundreds of accidents on the roadways there throughout minnesota throughout the weekend. here's some of the snow totals. a little bit farther to the north where it's cold enough from bottom to top in the atmosphere, up to a foot in some spots and this will seem like small potatoes when we talk about what's going on in some of the mountains out west. freezing rain advisory still up. eastern nebraska, iowa, southeastern parts of minnesota through today, pretty light precip rolling through here. but the air is cold enough, at least at the surface to create some freezing rain. snow, the air cold enough for snow across the dakotas and just plain old rain, i think, east of chicago, especially. detroit, cleveland, temperatures here actually fairly mild. so we're not worried too much about any sort of freezing precip today. but here's a mess weather map for today and only gets worse as we go through the holiday travel

period. everyone east of the mississippi right now will be breezy or wet, but it will be warm. check out some of these temperatures for highs today. 72 in st. louis. meanwhile, 31 in minneapolis, and 5 in billings. so there's some cold air bottled up there in the northwest. 33 and snow in seattle today. and this was all driving down to the south. so we'll be tracking this as it develops a storm across the midwest just in time for wednesday and thursday. east coast for the most part, at least, will be spared from this cold air, but the rest of the country ain't going to be pretty. jim and kiran, back up to you. >> thanks, rob. well, hard hits, dangerous game, that's the nfl these days. and our dr. sanjay gupta begins a special series on pro football's concussion crisis. hooe e he's been talking a lot about this and has more information on it. important subject. also the man in the middle of the airport pat-down showdown, john pistole will be joining us live on "american morning" as we get ready to deal with a busy, busy thanksgiving

travel week. >> over the river and through the pat-down. >> that's right. what does he say? he's going to join us coming up. 12 minutes past the hour. we know why we're here. ♪ to design the future of flight, inside and out. ♪ to build tomorrow's technology in amazing ways. ♪ and reshape the science of aerospace -- forever. [ female announcer ] around the globe, the people of boeing are working together -- for the dreams of generations to come.

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♪ welcome back to the most news in the morning. 15 minutes past the hour now. more than 1 million of you will be flying this holiday week for thanksgiving. and you're probably hearing a lot about these enhanced pat-downs and getting prepared, wondering what you'll do if you're in that situation. well, the head of the tsa has been saying that they're here to stay, at least for now. and with the busy travel day approaching, a mini revolt over the new enhanced imaging scanners and that could mean long lines at the airports across the country. even secretary of state hillary clinton seemed to be sympathetic about the whole thing. here's what she said when asked. >> would you submit to one of these pat-downs? >> not if i could avoid it. no, i mean, who would? >> well, we're getting some new statements this morning also from the top man at the tsa. statements that may suggest a

softening in the procedures. john pistole live from washington now. thanks so much for being with us. >> good morning, kiran. >> what do you think when the secretary of state says she'd like to avoid it if possible? >> well, i think she was reflecting the views of some people who are concerned about how we best blend security with privacy while recognizing, i think, all of her statement was played, she clearly sees the importance and the focus on security. so how do we best balance those two? the bottom line is, everybody wants to arrive safely at their destination. how can we work with the traveling public in partnership to assure that? >> so you in your most recent statement said the screenings would be adapted as conditions warrant to make them as minimally invasive as possible. will passengers be seeing a change in the screening techniques? >> we're always looking at ways that we can evolve our technology and our protocols for how we go about doing this.

in the short-term, there will not be any changes, but what i'm looking at is how can we best use the information we have, both the intelligence from overseas such as what we saw this weekend about how they design and conceal the toner cartridge bombs and target flights out of yemen. that coupled with the thoroughness that we believe is appropriate. but how can we best be informed by, for example, gao or inspector general who has been successful many, many times at getting through security because we weren't thorough enough. so we're looking through that and seeing if there is any basis or any way that we can modify and yet provide that level of security that everybody wants. >> well, i want to show you some video that's online right now. it was apparently shot this past friday at salt lake city airport. the person who shot the video was in the line behind them. the clearly frustrated father because the boy set off the metal detector.

and they're continuing this pat-down. and finally, i guess the boy's father pulled his shirt off because they were delayed for so long. he was afraid he wasn't going to make the flight. a lot of people who see this would ask, where's the common sense here? with the pat-down of a little boy. >> well, as i understand, i don't have all the facts. what i understand is when the boy walked through the metal detector and alarms, his father decided to take matters into his own hands and took his shirt off, saw there was no issue there, and so the father and the security officer helped the boy get the shirt back on. and they went along. so that's the information i have now. so clearly common sense has to play a role in this. but we also have to remember, how can we best provide the best possible security while working with the traveling public as a partnership? >> right. so you have 400 machines right now in 70 airports. if you go through the machines and everything's clear, you don't have to go through the enhanced pat-downs. you're going to have 1.5 million people flying over the thanksgiving holiday, which

obviously means there's not going to be enough of those machines for all of the flying public. so how do you, you know, make sure this goes smoothly and that you don't have more situations where people feel violated? >> sure. and actually we're having over 2 million people a day travel, especially tuesday and wednesday and next sunday, the busiest travel days. so the technology is simply our best technology that will detect the plot that we saw, for example, on christmas day with the non-metallic device that would not be picked up on a walk-through metal detector. people can opt out of that. and if they do opt out, we ask that they have a thorough pat-down to make sure there's not a christmas day bomb. >> i understand, but abdulmutallab, the christmas day bomber, would that have been found during an enhanced pat-down? >> well, we believe it would. and that gives us the best opportunity that would detect that. without the enhanced pat-down,

it obviously would not be found. and so we have vulnerabilities there we've tried to address in light of that intelligence and also in light of the covert testing we've done by gao and the inspector general. >> i'm not trying to be graphic, but i'm wondering, how would that have been found? it was hidden, sewn into his underwear. how would that have been found during an enhanced pat-down? >> well, advance imaging of technologies, first, it would show up as an anomaly. then it would be detected by the enhanced pat-down procedure we have. that's exactly the reason we put these into place to make sure we don't have other people like this christmas day bomber trying to kill hundreds of people on passenger airlines. >> yeah, as far as we know, no explosives have ever been found on a person traveling domestically from the u.s. to another u.s. location. you know, overall, a lot of people say is this the best use of resources domestically when

they've never stopped -- they've never had a problem? >> well, we know, of course, there have been terrorists here in the u.s. it's a question of whether it's a timothy mcveigh or ted kaczynski. so we have people who want to cause the government harm and other things. the fact that we have not had an instance here domestically, i think we're very fortunate. and look, our job is to try to make sure that everybody gets home safely. so how can we work with the traveling public in a partnership to accomplish that? >> john pistole, tsa administrator, thanks for joining us this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you, kiran. and coming up, the nfl has a superstar this year. >> sure, an unlikely superstar. >> hasn't always been a superstar. he's gone from zero to hero to put it mildly. that's michael vick leading his team to first place a little more than a year after doing time in prison for dog fighting. we will talk to a former nfl great for his take on vick's

remarkable turn around. also, teen heart throb justin bieber makes history. boy band reunion, as well. highlights coming up at 22 minutes past the hour.

♪ 25 minutes past the hour. it's sweet being 16, especially if you're justin bieber. >> the teen swept the american music awards last night. our alina cho joins us now. and alina, this was a big night for justin bieber, not unexpected, i guess. >> apparently he's a very hot guy. good morning. good morning, everyone. you know, justin bieber did clean house at the american music awards last night. it really makes sense. it's a popularity contest after all. the winners are determined in part by fan votes. so it's no wonder that the teen idol who continues to rule the pop music scene walked away with some serious hardware. teen sensation justin bieber

wasn't kidding when he named his album "my world 2.0." the 16-year-old dominated the american music awards last night. >> i like to stay calm and collected. >> reporter: bieber picked up four awards, including breakthrough artist and artist of the year. >> wow. >> reporter: the youngest person ever to win that award. and he shared the moment with the man who helped launch his career. usher. >> and it would be only right if i invited him up here to share it with me. not only my mentor, but my best friend and my big brother, i love you, man. >> speaking of usher -- ♪ >> reporter: he picked up two awards, including favorite male r & b artist. >> can't call it a comeback, i've been doing it 18 years, y'all. >> reporter: rihanna won for best female artist. >> wow, this is amazing.

>> reporter: taylor swift who was last year's big winner with five awards was named best country artist. and the black eyed peas were named favorite pop or rock band. >> years later here we are selling 30 million records and traveling the world. thank you. >> reporter: the show ended with a blast from boy band past. ♪ oh, my god we're back again >> reporter: chart-topping new kids on the block -- and the backstreet boys. ♪ i want that way >> reporter: teaming up to show they still have the right stuff. ♪ that makes you larger than life ♪ >> of course, this is our favorite part of the evening. you should have seen kiran dancing before. so, in case you all were wondering, there was no kanye west/taylor swift moment. there always seems to be, but

there was none of that. the closest thing was when rapper nicki minaj interrupted rihanna during the acceptance of one of her awards. and tried to do a plug for her upcoming album release. rihanna very graciously complimented her on her green hair because, of course, we all know you're nothing without green hair. >> all's well that ends well. >> thanks, alina. your top stories coming up straight ahead. cash or charge, salvation army volunteers will be carrying more than their silver bell and red bucket this holiday season. coming up, more than 42 million americans will travel more than 50 miles for home at the thanksgiving dinner table this year. >> easy for you to say. >> most of them won't be -- i think i've had too much turkey already. it is 28 minutes after the hour. hi. you know, if we had let fedex office print our presentation, they could have shipped it too. saved ourselves the hassle. i'm not too sure about this. look at this. [ security agent ] right. you never kick off with sales figures.

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♪ half past the hour right now. thanks for being with us this morning. a look at our top stories. and we're kicking off the busiest travel week of the year. aaa estimating more than 42 million americans will be traveling more than 50 miles from home this week. that's 11% more than last year. so with so many people on the move this week, be sure to make cnn your holiday travel headquarters. if you're getting to your thanksgiving destination by car, prices at the gas pump won't make you happy. gas prices have reached a six-month high. the lumberg survey puts the national average at $2.87 per gallon. salvation army taking donations to a new level this holiday season. volunteers will be carrying mobile credit card readers with them. salvation army calls them cashless kettles and insist they'll be secure. the organization also has an iphone donation application. and in just a few hours, mel gibson will be face-to-face with

his ex-girlfriend in a los angeles courtroom. fighting over custody of their 1-year-old daughter. gibson's pretty much been shunned in hollywood after reports of his obscene and racist rants turned up online. another big weekend in pro football, including this one in the philadelphia eagles -- i know, everyone held their breath as he was carried away. a stretcher after suffering a neck injury. >> this morning, we begin a special series, hard hits, dangerous game. looking at what many say is a concussion crisis in pro football. dr. sanjay gupta joins us now from atlanta. and sanjay, you've had candid conversations with professional football players over the years and in the preparation of this story, and it just seems like more and more evidence is coming in that we do have a concussion crisis. what are they telling us? >> there's no question. we know a lot more now about the science, as well, than we did even just a few years ago. what they tell you is they acknowledge there's a paradox. people want to watch football

because of the big hits but also cringe because of them. what's unsettling is how much we know about these hits, what exactly is happening in the brain when you watch something like that, jim and kiran. what's also unsettling is sort of this culture that's pervasive that encourages players to sort of play and maybe minimizing the risk of concussions. we talk quite a bit about that. i sat down and talked to the quarterback, former super bowl mvp kurt warner about these issues trying to figure out exactly what he thinks is happening to the game as a whole, but also what happened to him personally. take a look. >> warner steps up -- >> it's a chilling moment in football. >> and warner is down. >> reporter: a player is hit and does not get up. >> kurt warner is on his back. >> reporter: january 16th, 2010, former nfl quarterback kurt warner was that player. >> and the trainers race out --

>> reporter: he got up and later he returned to the game. >> do you feel like now in retrospect you ever stayed in the game or was sort of pushed to stay in the game when you shouldn't have? >> yeah, there's no question that's happened. a lot of guys when they get those hits or those concussions, they think, okay, i'm going to play through it here for the short-term and it's going to get better. >> he was just lifted up and deposited -- >> reporter: playing through it is part of football says warner. a big part. >> probably 100% of the guys that played my sport in the nfl have been there. and i think for a long time it was felt like, well, if you didn't get up dizzy or with no memory, then you really didn't suffer a concussion. >> what does a concussion feel like? >> it's like a mental fogginess where you almost feel like you're separated from the situation. you're in it, but you're kind of looking at it from the outside looking in. >> reporter: according to the nfl, there are more than 100 documented concussions every season.

after a big hit, doctors on the sidelines test players for signs of concussion, memory problems, confusion, dizziness. but there is no definitive answer the to the most important question, who should continue playing and who should come out of the game? >> how many of you have -- by show of hands -- had a concussion? >> reporter: kevin, formally a pittsburgh steelers trainer studies concussions impact on the brain in high school players. >> this is showing moderate levels of atrophy. >> reporter: in his study, players with three or more concussions get mris. and memory tests. >> i'm going to say three words, apple, penny, table. now you say those. >> apple, penny, table. >> what were the three words i asked you to remember earlier. >> i don't remember. penny -- i don't remember. >> okay. >> reporter: memory problems are not the only thing they are

finding. >> the brain has shrunk. >> reporter: they may be shrinking memory centers in the brain. >> did you retire because of concussions? >> no, not because of concussions. but there's no question, you know, as i contemplated the big picture. and, you know, thought about life after football. do i want to put myself at risk for another concussion? or for a worse concussion? >> reporter: many players, of course, decide to play through it. kurt warner had five documented concussions himself. he said really there's a two-prong sort of thing going on here. first of all, a lot of players just want to play. they'll minimize the subjective complaints or symptoms of concussion and also there's this culture of wanting to win. so you have both of those things going on. he was very careful to say very explicitly that no one told him to play despite his symptoms,

but he worries about the culture. we talked to the nfl about this, as well. and they released a statement to us. they said if anything, we're going in the other direction where people sit out until they are totally symptom free. there are so many protocols now if a guy gets pulled out in a game, he cannot go in until he's cleared by the team doctor. incidentally that video you were showing at the beginning from the eagles/giants, that hit was extraordinary. but he was taken off the field. got x-rays, which were all normal. you see him giving the thumbs up sign, moving his extremities. these are exactly the sort of hits that have more attention than ever before. >> especially the ten agonizing minutes he was down. and you never know what's going to happen. but you also mentioned in the piece that some other former nfl members are suffering from learning areas to the brain after suffering multiple concussions. we've seen this with boxers and

other people who take blows to the head. is this inevitable in games like this? >> first of all, i do talk to some players and you're going to see some of those pieces on "american morning" about how profound their memory loss is. they're physically robust, look terrific, but their memory centers are profoundly affected by this. i don't think it's inevitable. i think the best way to think about it is a first concussion is bad, but a second concussion can be much worse if the brain does not heal in between. you really have to allow that time for the brain to heal. if the brain is still recovering, it can be really problematic and really make that second -- the second impact syndrome they call it so much worse. it's that gray area in between. potentially a second concussion that has a lot of doctors' attention. >> sanjay for us this morning. you know, a lot of people worrying about this right now. tomorrow sanjay's going to be looking at the case of 17-year-old max conradt whose life took a tragic turn

following a series of violent hits during a high school game. sanjay, thanks so much. we'll see you tomorrow. >> all right. and speaking of football, love them or hate them, you can't deny michael vick's comeback on the football field. is vick's season of redemption for real? it's 38 minutes after the hour. [ s. greenlee ] i would love to have been a musician but i knew that i was going to need a day job. we actually have a lot of scientists that play music. the creativity, the innovation, there's definitely a tie there. one thing our scientists are working on is carbon capture and storage,

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42 minutes past the hour. >> and you can add another chapter to the remarkable comeback story of michael vick. last night with first place on the line, vick led the philadelphia eagles to a come-from-behind victory over the new york giants. i don't know why i'm so excited,

i'm a redskins fans. >> i used to be a redskins fans, but i married into a philadelphia eagles household. so i had no choice but to cheer. vick has the media buzzing about him. >> the super bowl is a possibility with this team. >> and because of that -- not only for the eagles, but michael vick himself, it's a stunning turn around. this is a man who did time for staging these dog fights and then, of course, he had trouble finding a team who would even take him. >> that's right. and let's talk about that now. joining us from atlanta, jamal anderson, former all-pro running back with the atlanta falcons. good to see you this morning. >> great to see you this morning. how are you doing? >> we're doing great. not as great as michael vick. >> right. >> what an unbelievable season. this is a guy who a lot of teams didn't want anymore. we were talking about the redskins. it was donovan mcnabb, the former eagles quarterback who was instrumental in bringing vick to the nfl and vick takes

his job. this is an incredible turn around for a guy who really -- if things had gone a different way might not even be there this season. >> there's no question about it, it's a remarkable story. he was picked up by the philadelphia eagles last season, he gets there, and people are wondering, does he still have it? can he still move the way he did before? will his talent ever come back particularly with a two-year layoff? and what has he done this year? because remember before this season started, kevin cobb was the starting quarterback for the philadelphia eagles. so people didn't even expect michael vick to contribute in the manner he has thus far. and it has been amazing. he missed three games this year, but he's played fantastic. >> yeah, and interestingly enough, that sort of gave the eagles cover when this first happened. look, he's a backup guy, we don't know how much he's going to play. because there was a lot of outrage. a lot of my family members said

we're not going to watch anymore because of this. and now all of a sudden he's in the top spot, they're winning, and it seems this past with the dog fighting and how angry people were is largely forgotten. does that surprise you? >> you know, it doesn't surprise me. obviously i've heard this so many times when you talk about different stars and people who have the ability to prove they have the talent they can do what they did before. britney spears, mike tyson, people who get an opportunity again to prove themselves. you're looking at michael vick who last year -- even when he was on the football field at times for the philadelphia eagles, wasn't necessarily spectacul spectacular. he commits himself fully to football. admitly mi ltedly michael says didn't give his entire effort with the sixth season with the falcons. but he had a number of constant coaches changes in the philadelphia eagles' coaching system. he's got the same number of

coaches, guys together for several years on the staff prior to michael vick. that continuity, his efforts on the football field, and what he's doing and understanding the game. and then his speed and everything came back from working out. he's been absolutely fantastic. >> and jamal, one of the stories i think is incredible. last night on football night on america, tony dunngee was talking about how he spent time with vick in prison and talked about the dark days when the doors would slam shut and he realized i'm going to be here for a while. and i'm just curious, it seems like people inside the nfl have given michael vick a second chance. but what about the rest of the general public? i mean -- the football fans out there, maybe even their families who aren't into football quite as much. are we giving michael vick -- are we cutting him too much slack because he's a superstar because he wins football games? >> well, i think the reality is michael served his time. in fact, he went in early to serve his time. he got out early, he did all the

programs set forth. he has done everything that the commissioner's asked him to do. what more can you ask of him? i'm not telling -- i'm not advocating for people to like michael vick or root for michael vick. he admits what he did was atrocious. obviously it was very, very painful what he went through before. but he's done absolutely everything that's been asked of him to not only earn a second chance but make the most of his second chance. he's saying the right things. i was a teammate, what can you say? what more can you ask of him to do? in addition to him coming on the football field and do the things he's done for the eagles, he's done everything he said he would do, everything per the commissioner's request, and served his time. second chance, i think he certainly earned it. >> big question now, what happens? they've got him for a bargain, you know. $100,000 a game in 2009. he get -- is he getting a huge contract in philly, what do you

any? >> i think it would be something that people are talking about right now. kevin cobb did come in and play well. and the philadelphia eagles. i don't know, i'm not saying it's a slam dunk michael vick would be there. i think it would be intelligent for the eagles to try to sign them. >> if he takes them to the super bowl, he's probably going to be there next season. >> it's easy to say. but donovan mcnabb did it several times and obviously he just got a big contract with the -- >> you have to win a super bowl, you can't just get there. >> you can't go four or five times and we still love you. you better win it. >> jamal anderson, thank you. >> thank you, guys, pleasure. 48 minutes after the hour. we'll be right back.

i'm bob kearn, president of coit cleaning services. these pictures are the history of my family and they're also the history of coit. we've been in business for 60 years and our greatest asset has always been our people. we use the plum card from american express open to purchase everything we can and with the savings from the early pay discount, we were able to invest back into our business by hiring more great people like ruben here. how can the plum card's trade terms get your business booming? booming is a new employee named ruben.

>> it's 7:50. rob marciano is in the extreme weather center. rob, could be a little dicey this week. >> yeah, that's for sure. it's already dicing this morning, it's been over the weekend compared to last year's travel thanksgiving week, this is pretty much a nightmare. east coast okay, at least for now. west a little bit of a disaster as far as what kind of storms are lining up. feels more like the end of december or even the middle of january for some of these folks. we do have a little fog from d.c. to philly. not so much in new york but wind may slow you down. minneapolis, st. paul, you folks have seen the wintry weather over the weekend. this is rain, detroit, cleveland, ft. wayne through chicago, chicago you'll get hit with heavy rain here moving down

the i-80 corridor before long. and a little farther to the north and west we're looking at snow and freezing rain advisories. we have hundreds of accidents over the weekend in minnesota. look at the mess as far as the amount of snow and winter weather advisories up for the western third of the country, unseasonably cold air dropping down. and that will be the call here going forward. 45 inches of snow in truckee. the ski resorts are loving it, fantastic opening for just about everybody out west. and meanwhile, 63 in new york. not too bad for you. >> 45 inches of snow in truckee. i mean, that's snow. >> more to come. >> thanks, rob. >> well, the business travel season is under way, the crowds, the anger level in some cases growing. these new enhanced patdowns remain or will there be changes? we'll take a look. ♪

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four minutes till the top of the hour. 13,000 in credit card sounds like a lot but not that uncommon. it's possible to dig yourself out of that kind of debt in just three to five years. credit counselor david flores showed our christine romans how to do it. >> you're on the ropes. right. you've got rent or mortgage, you've got a car loan, you've got groceries. >> yes. >> you've got a student loan.

and you just lost your job. how do you prioritize the basics? student loan you get a deferment. >> i was going to say, where is there a assistance? student loan companies typically help with hardships. >> usually lower interest rates. >> they usually do. but yes, so putting these into deferment or forbearance can help so you eliminate even temporarily. >> tough on the groceries. >> you got to get tough on the groceries. on the rent or mortgage long term is your situation going to -- do you see it changes? you might need to downsize. >> yes. this is the hardest. when it comes to rent, downsizing an apartment, people don't want to do that but sometimes it needs to be done if their situation is a long term situation, not short-term. >> i think bottom line, $13,000 credit card bills, credit card debt, at 29% interest, if you paid only the minimum it would take 35 years to pay it off.

most don't know that. >> they don't. >> that is a long time. that's a lifetime. >> right. that's why if you can afford to make the minimum payment where you can pay off your debt sooner great. but if you can't afford to pay the minimum, you can't -- that interest rate, 30% is a lot of seeking credit counseling will help to try and get those payments, manageable, get that interest rate down to maybe 10% or a 6% raxt something so that you can pay off that debt without shelling out, you know, a ton of extra money. >> david flores says one of the toughest parts is getting started. realizing what that number, the balance is. he says once you come to terms, start paying down little by little. after all, little by little is how most people get in debt to begin with. christine romans, cnn, new york.

>> ( creature inhaling ) >> ( branches breaking ) >> ( creature growling ) >> ( horse hoofs beating ) >> ( horse nickering ) >> ( train whistle blowing )

>> ( engine revving ) >> man: experience the power of progress. take advantage of exceptional new and certified pre-owned values during the season of audi event. > good morning. it is monday, november 22nd. and it's sort after new look here at "american morning." >> the new music plays. >> you can look at the set there. we did a little painting over the weekend. >> that was a quick paint job. >> karen working the roller. >> i'm known for cornering. i don't hit the ceiling. >> we peeled off the blue tape minutes before the show.

>> good to have you with us. john is on assignment. i'm kiran chetry. we have a lot to talk about. it's the beginning of what will be one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. there is a lot of talk what's going on at airports, the tsa sending mixed signals when it comes to continuing the enhanced patdown procedures. for now passenger privacy is taking a back seattle to safety. >> freezing rain. hundreds of crashes reported at a dozen involving an injury and a death. a new freezing rain advisory. >> cindy lauper, lady gaga, they are selling lipsticks. we're going to talk to cindy lauper about her charity work and how you can get involved. >> we begin with a cnn security watch and breaking news from berlin, germany. officials have closed off part

of the parliament building to the public. over the building german police denied reports that terrorists might be planning a strike. >> police insist there is no specific threat that exists. right now the public is restricted from entering the parliament's rooftop terrace for security reasons. >> and if you happen to be flying this holiday week, prepare for the possibility of a body scan or enhanced patdown at the airport. we've been talking about this it seems for weeks. the tsa saying a passenger privacy is going to have to take a back seat to safety and folks have to be parent. >> earlier the top man ot the tsa, john pistole, seemed to be softening his position a bit. >> clearly common sense has to play a role in this. but we have to remember how can we best provide the best possible security while working with the traveling public as a partnership. >> carol costello is live from reagan national airport. we're kicking off one of the busiest travel weeks of the

year. because of cell phone video, et cetera, a lot of the nightmare scenarios are playing out there and going viral. what is it like for the average person trying to get through airport security today? >> reporter: actually here at reagan national, kyra, it's pretty calm. there are no meltdowns, no freak-outs. most people are pretty much resigned going through the full body scanner. you can see behind me they are going through, perhaps they are opting for the full body scanner knowing that if they opt out, they are in line for that full body intrusive patdown. most people do not want to go through that although i did talk to two women who said they would rather do the full body patdown than the scanner. they said come on, feel me up, it's for security, go ahead, do it. i'm sure they were joking. that's the attitude that passengers have. they have a sense of humor. people who have a little more anxiety are people with children. i talked to one family on the way to ft. lauderdale. this woman had three children, all under the age of 12.

she had to sort of explain to them what the full body scanner meant. here's what she had to say. >> do you have concerns bringing your kids through the full body scanner? >> well, i guess the radiation levels and all of that and the whole photograph thing, i'm not very excited about. i prefer that to being touched. >> reporter: she said better safe than sorry. you heard there was a little wiggle room from the tsa involving probably children 12 and under. if they opt out of the full body scanner, they will be subject to a modified patdown. we don't know exactly what that means but we assume that means no touching of sensitive areas, and of course you should never take off your child's clothes or your own clothes, the tsa says that is definitely not necessary. i'm sure you saw that youtube video where a father was at security at the salt lake city airport and took off his boy's

shirt so they wouldn't miss their flights. please don't do that. the tsa says do not do that. one caveat to that modified patdown for children 12 and under, though, kiran and jim, if the child sets off the alarm, that child no matter the age is subject to that full body invasive patdown. just so you know. >> and carol, we want to make sure that folks understand at home not everybody who goes through the airport is going to go through this, and not you know, it's not going to happen at every security checkpoint every time. i mean, we don't want to create a false impression. >> reporter: it's unlikely, right. it's very unlikely it will happen at all. only 69 airports have these full body scanners, not everybody will opt out. if you don't opt out you don't have to go through the full body scan. keep that in mind. but if you create a problem and you kind of go halfway flew the process you are subject to arrest and perhaps as much as an $11,000 fine. so you kind of have to follow the rules at least right now. >> as you've been saying, all

morning, things are going well at reagan national airport in washington, d.c. so it may be going well at yours as well. we don't want to, you know, completely alarm everybody. >> reporter: you either go through -- what are you going to do. you go through the process or you don't get on the plane and see your family. what are you going to do. >> let's listen to what hillary clinton said. >> final question, my time is up. but would you submit to one of these mat downs? >> not that i could avoid. who would. >> what did you think? >> reporter: absolutely right. who would want to subject themselves to a full body pat-down like that no. one would. right now the tsa is probably not going to change their procedures, not until after the holidays. it's a pretty dangerous time according to the tsa in america for flyers because of the christmas holiday, because of the thanksgiving day holiday so it's unlikely anything is going to be much modified that the

point in time. >> all right. carol costello live at washington airport. appreciate it. we'll be joined by tom as sawyer, retired special ed teacher from michigan. he says the tsa officers that he experienced left him humiliated and crying after a recent enhanced pat-down. it's really a horrendous story and we want to bring it to you. stick around for that. >> as a thanksgiving travel week begin, a repd flag for drivers in the minneapolis-st. paul area. more freezing rain in the forecast. >> icy roadways in minnesota are a blame for hundreds of accidents including at least one fatal crash, we get more from reporter jeff olson with cnn affiliate kare in bloomington, minnesota. >> reporter: bloomington, minnesota, the twin cities suburb home to the mall of america, we're a few miles from the mall. look at the commute here this morning. it's generally a smooth sail although some light

precipitation has started. the minnesota state parole is reporting two people died in separate weather-related crashes over the weekend. in the metro, 57 accidents caused injuries. in all there were hundreds of crashes late saturday and early sunday because of this weekend's ice that's called one for the ages. >> these ice storms are probably the worst to deal with just because it's not obvious like when a snow that the roads are going to be a problem. >> we had snow last week, so there's not a lot of residue of salt so we didn't have the head start like we usually do. so it's all from scratch. sometimes that salt lays on the roads and we're lucky enough to get the head start. >> reporter: walker is with the minnesota department of transportation, he says that mindot is out in front of the ice and expected snow in the twin cities.

we found lots of trucks out overnight. in fact, more than 200 trucks are scheduled to be on the roads in the twin cities this morning to keep things from getting slippery. but the big worry is what could happen on wednesday, it could be a messy start to the holiday as some more snow is expected here in the twin cities metropolitan area and there could be blizzard conditions up in northern minnesota. reporting from bloomington, minnesota. jeff olson. back to you. >> thanks so much. rob marciano is in the weather center. more scenes like that play out throughout the week. >> it's unusual to see this happen back-to-back. really three pulses of cold air and moisture coming into the western third of the country. freezing rain advisories are up for southeast minnesota and right back through eastern parts of nebraska right now. actually right now it's 30 degrees and freezing rain in minneapolis-st. paul. so that advisory may have to be shifted a little farther to the north and west. as he mentioned another storm coming for wednesday but we have

to get through this storm which is much weaker than the one that's going to come through later in the week. chicago you're about to get rain. plain rain as the line of heavy rain heads toward lake michigan. then ft. wayne, indiana through detroit looking at light to moderate rain. on the east coast where temperatures are mild, we have an issue with fog from d.c. back through richmond, raleigh, charlotte and columbia. these areas will see limited visibilities over the next couple hours. temperatures will rebound eastern third. the western half of the country, unreal. barely staying at freezing in seattle. that is unusual in the middle of january. health wednesday and thursday, looks messy. >> guys. >> just in time for the holiday. thanks, rob. >> justin bieber and taylor swift. she debuted a sex i look. we have some of the big moments of the amas coming up.

>> he says it was a humiliating tsa screening, a retired teacher from michigan who has bladder cancer. he is filing complaints saying airport security disregarded his medical condition and wait till you hear what he went through at the airport when he went through security and a pat-down. it's horrific. you would not want this to happen to your loved ones. we'll let him speak about that. [ j. weissman ] it was 1975.

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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.

♪ turning to an airport horror story from a retired michigan teacher who says an encounter with airport screeners earlier this month left him feeling violated and humiliated. it happened at detroit's metropolitan airport. thomas sawyer is a bladder cancer survivor and wears equipment to recover. we thank mr. sawyer for joining us. thanks for your time. i wanted to ask you because i think this story more than a lot of others captures the controversy surrounding these enhanced pat-downs. i'm wondering if you could walk us through what happened. >> sure. i was at the detroit airport going to orlando, florida, and i went through the new x-ray

machine and it must have picked up on my bag. i'm a bladder cancer survivor, had to have a procedure called a radical cystectomy. had to have my bladder removed. it's a bag with a symptoma on the side of my symptom ac. it must have picked up on the bag. an agent said we'll need to do a pat-down. i did ask to go private. and they kind of -- he kind of said we don't really have any place. i said again i want to go private. he took me privately. when we got in this office, he started to talk about the pat-down. i said excuse me but i need to tell you about my medical condition. he said you don't need to tell me. i said i need to. he said you don't have to tell me about your medical condition. i said a third time i want to tell you about my medical condition. he proceeded just with the pat-down. i let him do the pat-down. more to the story.

but when he got to my chest area, he used his open palm and started going down my chest, quite hard. and i knew that if he got down near where my bag was there was a possibility of pulling the seal off it. and i said at that point you need to go slower or softer or you're going to pull my bag off. he said what's that? i said it doesn't matter. just go softer. and he got down to where the bag was, i happened to have one of the bags to show you and pulled the seal kind of half off it. and once that happened, it was kind of like pulling the seal off a bottle of orange juice and tipping it upside-down. the urine started coming out of my bag and on my shirt and down my pants. >> then it sounds like -- horrendous experience, tom. >> it was embarrassing. very embarrassing. it's been three years for me so i'm used to my condition but

it's noting? i like to show the world. i think one of the fears for all patients is that we'll have a leak in patient let alone an airport. >> this was your worst nightmare. >> he didn't apologize, didn't do anything. well, i probably, there are worse nightmares but it was a horrible nightmare. and i had to walk out in the airport, try to get cleaned up. >> this sounds like a text book case of a security screener just not being sympathetic to a person's medical condition, in one of these scenarios. just a classic case. disregarding your condition. >> right. it may abclassic case of that. i don't think he was trained to deal with me. as i reflect back on it now, i think maybe he was as much shock of what he has done than i was and that's why he didn't respond. he didn't apologize, didn't offer help. i don't think he was trained for -- he didn't know what it was.

these people need to be trained on medical conditions, and emotional conditions of some patients. >> tom, let me ask you this because earlier this morning john pistole, the administrator of the tsa came on the program and said despite all of this controversy that we're looking at ways that we can evolve the technology and protocols but for the time being there will not be changes to these enhanced pat-downs. what would you say to the tsa and john pistole about what they should do about this security procedure? >> i totally disagree with john. i haven't heard that quote. this is the first time i heard that. but no, i do not believe the pat-down should go on as they are going on right now. they have to be -- these new pat-downs have to be stopped until these people are trained and are comfortable doing what they need to do. i'm a good american, i know why we're doing this and i understand it. but this was extremely embarrassing and it didn't have to happen. with educated tsa workers it

wouldn't have happened. >> do you think that's key to all of this? >> i don't want to the happen to anybody else. pardon? >> you think that's the key to this? >> a half a million to a million people in america with ostomies. >> you are a great spokesman for your condition and for what people are going through at the airports these days with the security procedures. and we appreciate you coming on because obviously as you mentioned earlier this is not something that you want to advertise or folks in your condition want to advertise so. appreciate you having the courage of coming on and talking about it and giving the folks at the tsa something to think about. thank you, sir. >> thank you very much. >> tom sawyer in michigan. it is 19 minutes after the hour.

i'm bob kearn, president of coit cleaning services. these pictures are the history of my family and they're also the history of coit. we've been in business for 60 years and our greatest asset has always been our people. we use the plum card from american express open to purchase everything we can and with the savings from the early pay discount, we were able to invest back into our business by hiring more great people like ruben here. how can the plum card's trade terms get your business booming? booming is a new employee named ruben.

♪ >> if you were able to stay up late which we're not. >> no. >> there is always dvr. the american music awards. bieber fever. the singing sensation dominated

last night's american music awards, he took home four awards including the top honor. he's a shorter beeb e actually. >> comes almost to his nose. >> four awards, artist of the year and the show sfeatured a b from what some of us would consider bliss. the back street boys and new kids on the block. ♪ can't you see >> there you go. taylor swift debuted a sleek new look. gone were the dresses and the curls, instead she had long straight hair, beautiful bangs, swift by the way, who was last year's big winner with five awards, she won favorite country female artist. >> i think all girls should. bristol palin will be dancing for a title tonight on "dancing

with the stars." you might have heard there is a little controversy. >> a little. >> some say she is getting unfair support, viewers decided to keep bristol and dump brandy. some call at conspiracy. we talked to another reality star who faced criticism and it was "american idol" sanjaya malakar. he says doesn't matter what the critics say. >> you're always going to have haters. for me i kind of took it all with a grain of salt. there's always going to be people that think you shouldn't be doing what you're doing or think that you're not good enough to be there. but as long as you put your full capacity into it and your heart into it, you can't really change what other people think. you're always going to have, like that little trouble, that controversy. but it makes the show. it's reality television in the long run and they are looking for the voting and all of that but also looking for a show and looking for entertainment and

controversy because the more that people are talking about it the more that they are going to get people watching. >> sanjaya sporting a different do there. bristol the pistol, kyle massey or jennifer gray? tonight a winner will be tomorrow. >> we'll see what happens. if bristol palin's mom runs forment. she possibly will not get barbara bush's vote. the former first lady appears. they were talking. the former president said there are aspects of the tea party that could be good but could be confusing. barbara bushes pulled no punches. >> what's your read about sarah palin? >> i sat next to her once, thought she was beautiful and i think she's very happy in alaska and i hope she'll stay there. >> that does not sound like an endorsement. >> doesn't. she did say she was beautiful.

she's never one to mince words. she'll give it to you straight. you can catch the interview with george and barbara on "larry king live." >> look at this video. an on field punch leads to ejection in pittsburgh. wow. that is ben roethlisberger, the quarterback for the steelers going down. and talk about roughing the passer. the player on the other end of that, he was ejected from the game. it's not clear what led to the punch. steelers went on to win 35-3. >> kurt warner suffered five documented concussions in his career. probably a lot more than that. undocumented from tough hits. up next dr. sanjay gupta sits down to talk about what they felt like and if he thinks he is suffering lingering effects today. our series on pro football concussion crisis next. we asked people all over america where the best potatoes come from.

the best potatoes? idaho. idaho! idaho. and how do you know you're getting idaho potatoes? well...uh... uhm... heh.. (sighs) not all potatoes come from idaho. so if you want the best, you have to do one important thing. always look for the grown in idaho seal. i knew that. i knew that. look for the grown in idaho seal.

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time for a look at our top stories. a security threat forcing the german parliament to shut down a tourist hot spot. the move after german police denied reports that terrorists may be planning a strike on the building. >> if you are among the millions who are flying this week prepare for the possibility of a body scan or enhanced pat-down at the airport. all along the tsa has been insisting passenger privacy is going to have to come first and

public safety as well. but earlier on "american morning" the top man at the tsa conceded his agency is looking at refining policies in light of all of the passenger complaints. >> clearly common sense has to play a role in this. but we have to remember how can we best provide the best possible security while working with the traveling public as a partnership. >> president obama says he understands the frustration and is calling on the tsa to constantly refine its techniques and think of ways to keep people safe less intrusively. >> it was 47 years ago today that president john f. kennedy was assassinated. the secret service agents with the president in dallas have had little to say until now. gerald blaine and clint hill, two members of the kennedy detail tell brian todd they still have vivid memories of that day. >> we couldn't help but we felt like we failed. we all had the same mission and it was a terrible feeling. >> you had a tough time there in

those years after the assassination, after your resignation. can you talk about what you went through? >> i had nightmares and seemed like every time i turned around it was something that reminded me of what happened. and so i just clammed up and went in my basement with some alcohol and some cigarettes and stay there had for a few years. >> gerald blaine also reveals in his book "the kennedy detail" he almost shot lyndon johnson by accident. >> philadelphia eagles defensive back ellis hobbs was taken off the field on a stretcher after suffering a neck injury. >> this morning a special series about this, hard hits, dangerous game, looking at why many say there is a concussion crisis in pro football. chief medical correspondent dr.

sanjay gupta is with us. what did players tell you about this? >> they acknowledge there is this paradox that in part people like to watch the game of football because they like to see those big hits. but also it's the same thing that makes us cringe. so when you watch a lot of these big hits on television what's unsettling for people is how much we know about the brain science, what is happening inside the brain and what happens to the brain if a second hit is also delivered. it's also unsettling that we -- there's a lot of ignorance still about what concussion is and how best to treat it. that's why i talked to former quarterback and super bowl mvp kurt warner about the culture of football specifically, and what he's learned professionally and personally about this topic. >> warner steps up. >> it's a chilling moment in football. >> kurt warner is hurt. warner is down. >> a player is hit. and does not get up. >> kurt warner who is on his

back. >> january 16, 2010, former nfl quarterback kurt warner was that player. >> trainers race out. >> he got up and later he returned to the game. >> you feel like now in retrospect you stayed in the game or sort of you know, pushed to stay in the game when you shouldn't have? >> yeah. there is no question that's happened. a lot of guys when they get those hits or those concussions, they think okay, i'm just going to play through it here for the short-term and it's going to get better. >> he was lifted up. >> playing through it is part of football, says warner. a big part. >> probably 100% of the guys that played my sport in the nfl have been there. i think for a long time it was felt like well, if you didn't get up dizzy or with no memory, then you really didn't suffer a concussion. >> what does a concussion feel like? >> it's like a mental fogginess. where you almost seem like you're separated from the

situation. you're in it but you're kind of looking at it from the outside looking in. >> according to the nfl, there are more than 100 documented concussions every season. after a big hit, doctors on the sidelines test players for signs of concussion, memory problems, confusion, dizziness. there is no definitive answer to the most important question. who should continue playing and who should come out of the game. >> how many of you have, by a show of hands, had a concussion? >> kevin, formerly a steelers trainer, studies concussions' impact on the brain in high school players. >> this shows moderate levels. >> and retired nfl athletes. in his study, players who had three or more concussions get mris and memory tests. >> apple, penny, table. you say those. >> apple, penny, table. >> good. what were those three words i

asked you to remember earlier? >> i don't remember. penny. that's all i remember. >> okay. >> memory problems are not the only thing they are finding. >> the brain has shrunk. >> concussions may be shrinking memory and learning centers in the brain. thwarting its ability to transmit signals. >> did you retire because of concussions? >> no. not because of concussions but there is no question you know, as i contemplated the big picture and thought about life after football, do i want to put myself at risk for another concussion? or for a worse concussion. >> many players, of course, decide to play through it. >> great defense. >> i'll tell you, cukurt warner has had five concussions documented, maybe more than that, he says. there are two-pronged problem. one is that a lot of players may continue too play despite their symptoms or minimize symptoms.

a lot of organizations want to win. he says he was never specifically told that he had to play despite his symptoms but that specifically is what he worries about as far as the culture goes. we talked to the nfl as well. i got a statement from them to address this point. they say if anything we're going in the other direction, where people sit out until they are totally symptom-free. there are so many protocols now. that's a little bit of the issue there. also ellis hobbs, you showed that video, a follow-up. he was taken out on a stretcher. he gave the thumbs up. we got x-rays we hear that did not show evidence of fwrak sora. a frightening hit to watch and there are so many hits like that. >> the other thing you were saying if they take the decision out of the hands of the player so it's not this pressure or you know, you couldn't have gone in to play. you could have won it but you chose not to. if it's a zero tolerance rule it

would relieve the pressure. >> i think you're right. i think because the players, because it is subjective sometimes as well, players may minimize their symptoms. if you take it out of their hands you have no choice. you can change the culture that waxt you are driven by the science that says a concussion is bad but if the brain is allowed to rst and heal, then a second concussion, the second impact may not be as devastating. you got to get the healing time in. that's the critical gray period that a lot of doctors are focusing on. >> and part two is tomorrow. thanks, sanjay. >> tomorrow part two of his series, sanjay looks at the case of 17-year-old max conrad a high school quarterback whose life took a turn. you're looking at one there. and sanjay will have that tomorrow. >> still ahead, pop music icon cindy lawmaker is on a mission to help with hiv and aids and doing it in time for the

holidays. she is live to tell us. looking as beautiful as always. she's putting on the very lipstick that is helping the cause. what are you looking at? logistics. ben? the ups guy? no, you see ben, i see logistics. logistics? think--ben is new markets. ben is global access-- china and beyond. ben is a smarter supply chain. ben is higher margins. happier customers... everybody wins. logistics. exactly. see you guys tomorrow.

♪ the second hand unwind ♪ time after time >> welcome back. cindy lauper is using her voice to help people with h.i.v.-aids. she will present a $175,000 check to the organization gods love, we deliver. >> it's part of the most

successful campaign by the fund and we're thrilled to have cyndi lauper with us to talk about it. great to see you. >> thank you. >> i live this time after time. i remember lip-syncing to it. great to have you. >> thank you. >> the campaign has been successful. you and lady gaga at the photo shoot. >> thank you so much for the opportunity. we're here for those of you who are just tuning in to this lipstick, it's 14.50, guiltless shopping. they have the gloss that goes over it. if you like it get it now. it's limited. it won't be around in january. we raised $32 million. come on, let's make it 35. it's still killing a lot of people and it's 100% preventible. but there is no cure. so, please, please.

100% goes to the mac aids fund. they support god's love we deliver. we're giving them that check so they can buy thanksgiving meals. this is the holiday season. it's only 14.50. give it to your sister, give it to your mother, to your best friend and remind them of aids. put it on and remember to protect yourself. everybody has the heat of the moment, but it's hard to live with aids. i have a friend who just went blind from it. it's a serious, serious disease. >> and why did you decide to get involved with this charity? >> well, i i've always been involved in aids prevention but mac cosmetics is one of the companies that has always been there, you know, from the 80s, supporting people with aids and trying to work in aids prevention. >> it goes hand in hand because you're glamorous, lady gaga is

glamorous. >> i love makeup. i have only one face to put it all on. >> so many lipsticks, so little time. >> right. this is a great utility kit color because you can put it over other colors. it looks great. >> you and lady gaga each have your own. >> this is mine. lady gaga seas a usable pink. and it's another great utility color. you put it over a lot of colors. i prefer putting it over amped which is another mac color. you can be creative when you go to work. >> jim's eyes are glazing over. we care about this. >> i'm going to let you talk. as long as i take mine off before i go home. >> i do want to say that aids is still, and i just learned this, it's the leading killer of african-american women from the ages of 18 to 34. and that's in this country.

not a foreign country. this country. tell your girlfriends, tell your friends, protect yourself. and you know, give them a lipstick, tell them about aids. tell them it's 100% preventible. but it's also 100% prevention. and you cannot, there is no cure. and it is hard to live with aids. i am friends that tell me they are dying of old aids. if the disease don't get you the medicine will because it's all a rough ride. you have to prevent it. you have to protect yourself. there are women at risk my age, that's why they chose me and lady gaga because the both of us are in those age brackets from 35 to 60, there's all these new numbers of people getting aids. and as far as being prevalent in

the bisexual male and gay male, the numbers are still rising. why is this? happy people don't self destruct. you need to take care of yourself. have the holiday spirit, be grateful, be thankful for life and give the gift of life of 14.50. 100% goes to help aids. >> quickly your thoughts on the american music awards, justin bieber fever. do you love that little kids crying over 16-year-old justin. >> you know, that is -- that is the -- there you go. that is the -- i didn't understand why they were screaming over me when that happened to me. i didn't understand. >> i was screaming too. >> i would kick off my shoes every time i did my "time after time." >> it's the best dancing bare foot. i didn't -- there were a lot of games. i'm in a guy house so there were a lot of games on.

>> you were first to watch football. thanks so much. it's the mac aids fund. you got to get gaga and cyndi lauper. >> you won't get them in january. >> thanks so much for being here. >> act now. >> cinsinlcindy says act now. >> speaking of this thanksgiving travel week we've got unseasonably warm temperatures in parts of the country but lots of cold temperatures across a big chunk of the country. plus a snowstorm, rob marciano is live with the holiday travel forecast.

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♪ >> a look at new york city, 55 degrees. a little later some sun, 62 degrees. you heading back to washington. >> i am. and you can tell paula to end there which is kind of sad to think about. >> the trees are bare. >> glad i don't have to rake that lawn. >> rob marciano is with us this morning where he's talking about 48 inches of snow in the higher elevations in california. >> what? >> ski season is upon us. >> it is. a lot of those places opening up

early. talk about that in a second. first off you may be looking like you are skiing through some winter storms across d.c. it's foggy in d.c., richmond, bad visibility. warm air across the east coast and will continue for the next couple. the down side is with the long nights of fog you tend to get fog. cold air is in place across the northwest and the upper midwest. this is where we've seen the freezing rain and ice over the weekend. this is where we're seeing it now. this is where we'll see it again come wednesday and thursday. right now light precip into minneapolis-st. paul, there are reports of more freezing rain on top of what they saw over the weekend. and heavy thunderstorms right now heading into chicago. so air warm enough here for plain rain. temperatures are well above average in this part of the country. chicago, you are under a ground stop at o'hare and midway and philadelphia you're under a ground stop because of the fog and the low ceilings until 9:45.

here is the snow out west, 45 inches in truckee. it's below lake tahoe. tahoe city seeing 36 inches, mammoth lake 24. a head start to what's to come not only this season but again this week. a number of winter weather watches and warnings up for the entire northwestern third of the country. unseasonably cold temperatures dropping in behind what's already fallen so it's not going to melt. that's for sure. as a matter of fact, snow levels are going to drop to about 1,000 feet in seattle down to san francisco. it's snowing now. it will be on the windy side ahead of this system. warm and above average, at least to start this week, look at the cold air bottled up across the northwest that's going to drive to the south. 61 right now in chicago, it's 30 with freezing rain in minneapolis. quite a contrast in temperatures. everybody in the east coast will get a piece at least of the cold come thanksgiving and friday. but i think most of the wintry

precip will stay across the great lakes. jim, kiran, back up to you. >> thank you, rob. appreciate it. a dramatic mine rescue overnight in china. the news is good. developments coming up. they look happy there.

new developments overnight as a dramatic rescue is documented on live television in china, this is good news. 29 miners are alive after being trapped underground for more than 30 hours. rescuers pulled them out of the mine one after another on live television. sounds like chile, what. >> condensed version since they were underground for 30 hours as opposed to 68 days. >> stay with cnn this holiday. a special event coming up thursday, all 33 chilean miners and some rescuers at the heroes all star tribute. nearly two million of you voted. we'll see who becomes this year's cnn hero -- at 5. this is america, man. home of the highway... last minute detours and spontaneous acts of freedom.

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♪ >> well, leave it to the cast of "saturday night live" to give us something to chuckle about after all that controversy at the airport security line. >> in case you missed it, here is their twisted take on tsa pat-downs. >> spending time with the tsa agent couldn't be easier. simply book a flight