>> without question, i'd be taking a bullet for the president and be dead. >> reporter: and you think that would be a happier ending if you weren't here to talk to us? >> it would be a happier ending 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 had you a certain responsibility and you failed in that responsibility, so you have to accept it and live with it the best you can. >> reporter: he still goes through periods where he is almost able to talk about the assassination and brushes it off when people call him a hero. heroes are people who can do extraordinary things, and unfortunately i was unable to do that. >> wow. that does it for us. back here tomorrow. i remember when mike wallace interviewed clint hill, and he was smoking and real nervous.

it was a very powerful interview. that haunted him ever since that day that he could not save the president's life. >> you feel it. that's part of their creed, part of the oath they take. it's powerful stuff. what is story, huh? >> from a great day. >> you look great, by the way. live from studio 7, cnn headquarters, the news and information you need. holiday travel is picking up. the government's new buzzword for pat-downs, minimally invasive. >> the safety of everyone, you have to find out what people have on them. >> yeah, absolutely. if you drive to avoid airport security hassles, get ready to shell out more money at the pump. gas prices are up over last year. never leave home without them. germs follow you on your holiday travels. we look at ways to dodge bugs that could wreck the holiday season for you. those stories and your comments right here, right now

in the cnn newsroom. let's get to the holiday travel rush is on. don't expect any major changes to the new enhanced airport security despite the backlash. the head of the tsa says the agency is trying to strike a delicate balance between privacy and security. in a statement john pistole says we welcome feedback and comments on the screening procedures from the traveling public and we work to make them as minimally invasive as possible while still providing the security that the american people want and deserve. new incidents are adding to the backlash over the pat-down searches. a cancer survivor in north carolina says she was forced to show her prosthetic breasts and calls the incident embarrassing and degrading. a machine gann man says he was humiliated by a pat-down surge. thomas sawyer is a bladder cancer patient and wears a bag attached to his kidneys.

he says a tsa screener ruptured the bag spilling urine on him. >> 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 at what he had done as i was, and that's why he didn't respond at pull. he doesn't apologize, didn't offer me help. i don't think he was trained. he didn't know what a urostomy was. these people need to be trained on medical conditions and emotional conditions of some patients. >> there is a viral video of a little boy with no search receiving a pat-down search. to clarify, the officials say the father removed the shirt to speed up the screening process after he set off a metal detector in salt lake city. the tsa administrator was asked about complaints particular people who feel violated, and the incident involving the young boy in particular. he told us this morning this.

>> what i understand is that when the boy walked through the metal detector, his father decided to take matters into this own hands, took his shirt off. there is no issue there, and so the father and the screening 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 provide the best possible security while working with the traveling public as a partnership. >> ho w do you make sure this going smoothly and don't have more situations where people feel violated? >> sure. we have millions of people traveli traveling, specially tuesday and wednesday, the busiest traveling day, and the advancing technology is our best technology that will detect the plots that we saw, flex, on christmas day, with the nonmetallic device that would

not be picked up on a walk-through metal detector. people can opt out of that, and we just ask for a thorough pat-down to make sure there is not a christmas day bomber. >> most travellers won't be subjected to the more intense screening. so what can you expect when you get to the airport? cnn's carol costello joining us now with the view from reagan national in washington, d.c. carol, let's do this. let's put this into real perspective. what is the experience going to be like for folks traveling this week? >> reporter: well, you have to keep in mind, tony, that there are only, what, 70 full-body scanners -- no, full-body scanners in 70 airports out of the hundreds of airports. so most people won't have to endure that. you won't have to endure the pat-downs unless you opt out of the full-body scanner. here in reagan national in washington, d.c., passengers

seem kind of resigned by it all. there is a full-body scanner behind me. people have been going through all morning. i have been here since 5:00 a.m. eastern time. passengers aren't opting out. they say i have to get where i'm going. i know it's intrusive but maybe better safe than sorry. i talked to a few passengers. >> i'm going to opt for the pat-down. >> reporter: even though some people say it's intrusive. >> can't be more intrusive than the full body scan. >> the body scan because i prefer them not to be touched by strangers, which i think many parents feel that way. >> reporter: and, tony, many parents do feel that way. what do you tell your kids when a stranger is you have toing them in ways that you tell them strangers ought not to touch them? so most parents going through opted to take their children through full-body scanners so strangers don't touch them. there is a teeny tiny bit of

good news. i'm going to throw it your way. ready for it, tony? >> absolutely. >> reporter: the tsa has modified its pat-down procedures for children 12 years old and under. we don't know exactly what that means, but we presume it means thatted groin area and other areas that are private are probably not patted down as intrusively. now, if your child sets the metal detector off, though, all bets are off, and your child will get the full-body pat-down invasive as it is. >> here's the thing. you have to respond to the threats that are known and what may be coming. so you get the christmas day bombing attempt, and you have to institute new rules, and then whenever you do that, there are unintended consequences, and it sounds like, with the modification that you just detailed, it is a response by the tsa to some unintended consequences and there are some ways that we can make this simpler and a better experience for folks.

>> reporter: right. it's just a tiny modification, but with christmas coming up, the tsa is not going to change things drastically. it may change things after the holiday season when they feel it's safer to do so but right now passengers are kind of stuck. >> that's a great point. care costello, thank you. secretary of state hillary clinton weighs in on the fire storm. she understands the importance of the screenings but on cbs's "face the nation" she admitted should would 53 personal reservations about the pat-downs. >> would you submit to a pat-down? >> not if i could avoid it. i mean, who would? >> yeah, who would? big stories, delta mechanics are trying to figure out why an engine shut down aboard a boeing 767 minutes after takeout. the controller who handled the plane said he saw a possible flame and a plume of smoke.

passengers aren't sure. >> we heard a noise like we hit something. 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 probably a few minutes later, the pilot announced that we had an engine failure. the u.s. calls it belligerent. japan says it's absolutely unacceptable. reaction to news north korea has quickly built a state of the art nuclear facility. a nuclear scientist says he was stunned by its sophistication and says it contained 2,000 uranium processing centrifuges. >> you know, all of this is consistent with belligerent behavior, the kind of instability creation in the part of the world that is very dangerous. boy, you are going to love this when you see this on thursday night.

chile's rescued miners are on their way home after a whirlwind visit to los angeles. the 33 men were honored at this weekend's taping of cnn hero's "all-star tribute." >> i don't feel like a rock star, but, of course, my life has changed, and i'm going back to chile with one of the best impressions of the united states. >> cnn's anderson cooper talked with several of the miners. you'll see that on tonight's 760 and cnn's hero of the year, that, we'll talk about a little later. stocks, now. a selloff going on here. we are just past 90 minutes are so into the trading day. we will continue to follow these numbers for you. there it is. there are the numbers. you're online like we are. we are checking out performances from the american music awards. look and listen.

wow. rihanna kicked off the show like she's the only girl in the world. what is she wearing there? she also took home an award. but the biggest winner, this guy. >> wow. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. justin bieber. he won four awards including artist of the year, and kicking it old school style for just a second here. ♪ here you say i want it that way ♪ >> that's a good moment, huh? the back street boys and new kidsen the block together bringing down the house in their show-closing performance. i was young, i was in shape, and i had a heart attack.

you need to do the preventative things that you need to do for your heart health. for me, it means an aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. speak to your doctor.

okay. making news around the nation this morning, a big sting on the north side of chicago.

two brothers under arrest for allegedly buying and selling millions of dollars worth of stolen goods. they are accused of removing security tags, identification labels and changes dates on products to sell them past their expiration. in los angeles, police to a rescue after a man's apparently jumped into a rain-swollen river. rescuers finally were able to pull him out four miles downstream. i'm trying to watch this with you. the man is hospitalized in stable condition. talk about impatient. one of oklahoma's newest residents couldn't wait for the doctors. he was born in the back seat of his parents' car with help from tulsa paramedics. mama and baby boy just fine. jimmie johnson revs into nascar history and michael vick, mv-7 looking like a bit of a lock for the nfl mvp.

we're talking to talk about the biggest plays from the weekend. jamaal anderson. are you ramped? >> ready to do this. >> back in a moment. jam mall anderson is here. [ 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, which could prevent co2 from entering the atmosphere.

we've just built a new plant to demonstrate how we can safely freeze out the co2 from natural gas. it looks like snow. it's one way that we're helping provide energy with fewer emissions. . i tell you, we just love talking sport the with jamaal anderson. eli manning, the latest star

quarterback to get burned by michael vick and the jets' narrow escape. they are good story. >> the jets came back yesterday after playing houston. >> they had the lead, lost the lead. >> you had a 16-point fourth quarter deficit. they had the lead. sanchez does a great job in the last quarter. fantastic shot. the key here on this play, everybody is talking about fantastic pass from sanchez. santonio holmes does an excellent job of using hands. >> is it a pick? >> no. >> is it a rob? no. a pick is illegal. >> if they don't call it, it's a touchdown. >> is it possible for michael vick to win comeback player of the year and mvp? talk to me about how this guy is playing from a bit of a football perspective from a man who

played the game. >> and played with michael vick. >> yes, that's right, that's right. >> she completely focused and has an understanding of where he is trying to go with the ball. he is a fantastic athlete and will be one of the top four runners on the football field regardless of the team they're playing, and then he has a fantastic arm. he understands where he's going with the ball and is surrounded by a level of continuity and coaching staff that he never had. four different coordinators in six seasons in atlanta. >> he says he could have been better, prepared better and been better to the sport that was loving him. >> no question about it. we did not get the full version of michael vick. he had to go through what he it ho go through, obviously, jail, and look at him now. >> you see the scenario, unavoidable. we could have the nfc championship game in atlanta, if the records stay the same, and the reports stay a game ahead of

philadelphia. there a lot of games to play, obviously. but can you imagine a scenario where the eagles come to atlanta to play the falcons, the eagles led by vick to take on his former team for a trip to the super bowl? >> tony, listen, it could easily be dirty birding all of the way to dallas. mike vick and the eagles are playing well. we saw kevin kolk. we want to be at home. nobody is talking about the falcons, and they are 8-2. first place, the best record in the nfc. you better wake up around the league. this is a team with matt ryan being comfortable. we prefer to keep home field advantage. >> take about the dominance of jimmie johnson, a nascar turn. fifth win. >> fifth win. >> he is the king of nascar. this is the most difficult road for him because he went into the

final race trailing at points. >> yep. >> talk about the dominance of this guy. >> the championship has been around for seven years, jimmie johnson has won five? five? we're not talking about people born differently, taller, jump faster. they all have the same car. tony, they all have the same car. >> right. >> and we're not talking about a guy always getting pole position. he came from behind. level playing field. three weeks ago in texas, benches the pit crew and switches pit crew with jeff gordon for the last two races and still ends up winning. >> good for the sport, this kind of dominance or bad for the sport year after year? >> interesting because dale earnhardt is popular. >> jeff gordon had a nice run. >> kevin harvick, carl edwards who won the race, is going to be very tough and popular. it's interesting. you know how it is when you win too much? people are like, i want to see

change, but his dominance is exceptional. >> all he does is win, win, win, is the song goes. good to see you. still to come, you might not be doing laps around a nascar track, right, but your trip to grandmas will cost more when the stop at the gas station. we'll explain in a moment.

it is thanksgiving week and

that means jam-packed highways, but drivers are in for a rude awakening. gas prices are up significantly. alison kosic is on the floor of the new york stock exchange with the details. how bad is it? >> hi, tony. it's bad enough where if you drive by the gas station, you probably say this, gosh, when did gas prices get so high? they are sitting at six-month highs. about 2.87 a gallon, 20 cents more than we were last year. chalk it up to bad timing. it's thanksgiving, 40 million people are hitting the roads and going to grandma's for thanksgiving. >> any sign of relief anywhere at the pump? >> analysts are saying that the high levels are going to be holding right where they are throughout the rest of the year. there were temporary refinery

shutdowns and that pushed up the pry as well. >> a market check, if you don't mind? >> the dow up about 80 points, the typical pattern we see during a holiday shortened week. less traders equals more volatility, and a little more exaggeration in the markets. expect this pretty much all week. >> all right. appreciate it. see you next hour. taking a look at top stories, authorities have named a person of interest in the shooting of a utah park ranger. he is believed to be armed and dangerous and seeking medical attention. the ranger was shot in an arm leg and stomach. he is in stable condition. a federal judge in oklahoma will here arguments over a voter passed ban on islamic sharia law. the judge issued a restraint on the order. a town in poland has unveiled a giant statue of

jesus. it is more than 170 feet tall including the mount it sits on, which means it could set a world record.

we are on line just like you, keeping an eye on some of the trending stories. sandra endo joining me from washington. good morning. good to see you. >> trending today, all of the talk is about the tsa pat-downs, as you know, and usually the subject sparks heated debate and anger, pitting security over privacy rights. leave it to saturday night live to have their own take on the matter with a lot of humor. >> feeling lonely this holiday season? looking for a little human

interaction? >> do you want to feel contact in certain special places? >> why not go through security at an airport. >> the tsa. oh, that's good. >> yeah, and that video is trending on cnn.com. you want to look at the fuller length of the clip. remember whether we didn't have associate media. >> yeah, i do. >> the hash tag remember when is trending on twitter and getting a huge response from people with a little nostalgia. they are tweeting and reminiscing about their past. remember when following people you didn't know was called stalking, not twitter. this guy writes, remember one 99 cent a gallon gasoline. >> you're so young? you don't remember that? >> i remember this, though, remember when cassette tapes were awesome to have in your car. >> i remember eight tracks. >> back in the day.

>> sandy, good to see you. >> you got it. >> such a baby. you never leave home without them. we're talking about germs. steer clear of bugs that can wreck your holiday. elizabeth cohen will show you how. pair xpress. repairs are fast and they're guaranteed for as long as you is thisyyourcphone?ey, th! gecko: yeah, 'course. sswhere do you po you...carry... for as long as you is thisyyourcphone?ey, th! waitress: here you go. boss: thanks gecko: no, no i got it, sir. ncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

a view of what's being called america's most dangerous

city, st. louis, missouri, based solely on a study comparing the latest crime data. we are swinging around the country with our tower cams. a representative for st. louis police called that irresponsible. new york ranked 269th. feels unfair to have a picture of st. louis that beautiful and throw that stat up. chicago, another great day to be in the audience for the oprah winfrey show. again, today, she is giving the audience, elizabeth, tons of goodies. how about the ipad. people tell me that is going to be the gift of the holiday season. she is giving them away. what about adding a lovely coach purse, maybe silk and cashmere. >> why am i here, not there? >> why, yeah, chicago on a great day? you want to get to your thanksgiving destination and you want to fly. how do you avoid getting sick

when someone on your plane is sneezing up a storm. great question. so elizabeth cohen is here, and you have some empowered patient tips for the holiday season. >> i want to start by saying this is not an urban myth. diseases do travel on planes. it's documented in medical journals. there was a lady who flew in the '90s with tuberculosis and gave it to six patients. someone traveled with sars in 2003, and 23 people got sars from that. >> i want to give you an animation of what happens when someone sneezes on plane. there is the sneezer, the person in red. see the germs. they could figure out where germs are going. the people next to you, behind you. >> what about ten rows or so? i'm ten rows away from the sneeze episode, do i need to be concerned? >> not really. i know people talk about the

lack of circulating air, but there is circulating air, and if it is ten rose away from you, it probably won't get to you. >> what are the empowered patients of keeping the jerps away from you when you travel? >> number one, you can sanitize after you are on the effect later or afms. they are incredibly busy. >> i never think of that. >> look at the escalator. also, if you have an option, opt for the front of the plane because there generally is better circulation there and germs aren't hanging around. turn away from a sneezer. i have been on long flights sitting neck to someone who looks like they should have stayed at home. even if you position your body a bit away, it can help. here's another one. you know that air thing, send

the air away from you, so the air is going away from you. >> send it to the other direction? >> exactly. you're going to reach up and turn it off, but, no, it's smart it you can get away with it. do it when they're sleeping. good tips as always. the fastest gun on two feet. unless you see the video, you have no idea of what we're about to show you, but we will. we will tease it a bit more and make you wait until after the break. [ woman ] alright, so this tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. but aleve can last 12 hours. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. ♪ when it's planes in the sky ♪

♪ for a chain of supply, that's logistics ♪ ♪ when the parts for the line ♪ ♪ come precisely on time ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ a continuous link, that is always in sync ♪ ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ there will be no more stress ♪ ♪ cause you've called ups, that's logistics ♪ can he we see that? >> let's bring love to the kids.

>> the kids on the tour are suited and booted. do it, do it, do it! can you see them? >> hi, guys. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> we may have a new tradition. >> air tight, butter fresh, suited booty.

you know, they're putting on the snow chains right now in spok spoken, washington. a big storm moved in bringing that area the season's first major snowfall, and giving commuters a really slippery drive into work today. good to see you. >> they do get snow in seattle,

and those areas. >> salem. >> but it's pretty rare as it is to get it in the middle of november, a couple days before thanksgiving is rare. snowing in seattle, temperatures 28, 29 degrees. some of this probably sticking to at least the sidewalks and some of the less traveled roadways. i think tony just showed video. we continue to get some raw video in from time to time and can show that whenever you want. portland, mostly snow above 00 to 1000 feet. this video is daytime stuff. when it snows in seattle or portland, they shut it down. they have a tough time traveling. winter weather advisories winner storm watches and warnings up for the cascade and sierra. they have had a couple of storms come through. this is yet another one coming

through. this is the strongest one and it's got the most cold air behind it, and that's going to drive south into places like the roy satch of utah, and blizzard conditions coming tomorrow and in through wednesday, and this thing kind of launches its way into the midwest. the midwest is into their second of three snow and ice storms right now, mostly minneapolis where we have freezing rain advisories out right now with moisture and temperatures at least at the surface of subfreezing, and north and west of minneapolis, and we're looking at temperatures that are top to bottom subfreezing, more in the way of snow. thunderstorms meantime rolled through chicago. yeah, thorps, because temperatures there 61 degrees. how about that? 30 degrees, meantime, in minneapolis. the rains are through chicago for the most part tapering off now. the mild weather will continue there for another day or two, but then this cold air starts to wind itself up and eject out of the mountains.

once that winter storm is done there, it goes back over the same spots getting snow and ice right now. this is your thanksgiving travel. doesn't look good for the midwest. east coast, i think will stay warm although not entirely dry. how do you like that turkey. he has no idea what's coming, does he? you sure are cute. >> i wish you were out there in los angeles with us for the taping of the big cnn show. >> i was jealous. i was watching the tweets. >> i'm looking at a picture of halle berry right now. ridiculous. she looks stunning. >> is she with you? >> of course. >> now you're really upsetting me. i will put some of the pictures up. the show airs on thursday, by the way. let's look at amazing video. look at this. if you need six arms to help out with one back flip, maybe you shouldn't bother, right? take a look.

>> yeah, this guy is not going to make it in the sticirque de soleil oaudition. >> the man has no arms but he can definitely defend himself. he's going to fire that thing. >> that is a skilled sportsman right there. fantastic. >> got to go. we're so long in the segment. 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, which could prevent co2 from entering the atmosphere. we've just built a new plant to demonstrate how we can safely freeze out the co2 from natural gas. it looks like snow. it's one way that we're helping provide energy with fewer emissions.

this is norma. who's inundated with all the information coming at her concerning the medicare part d changes this year. so she went to her walgreens pharmacist for guidance and a free personalized report that looks at her prescriptions and highlights easy ways for her to save. because norma prefers her painting to paperwork. see how much you can save. get your free report today. expertise -- find it everywhere there's a walgreens.

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let's get you caught up on top stories now. germany is sealing off the top of its parliament building. a weekend media report claiming al qaeda was planning an attack. tourists now need reservations to get into the rooftop restaurant. mark saidwell says kids in kabul are probably safer than those in new york or london. he says he was trying to make british children understand violence in afghanistan is uneven and there are safe spots. an objectface for the pope. he says it may be okay for male sex workers to use condoms. a year ago benedict says you can't prevent hiv with condoms, and in fact, it increases the problem. sarah palin gives us a sneak peek at her new book.

mark preston live from the white house. you want to talk about a brand, an industry. good to see you talk about sarah palin, please. >> sarah palin, inc., i guess you are suggesting. interesting how someone like sarah palin is using social media, which you were talking to sandy about, which is interesting because she is carefully putting out what she wants. a gawker put out excerpts from her new book, unflattering excerpts, how she was beating up on "american idol" contestants, and she made sure that a judge stopped gawker from moving forward with the excerpts and put out her on on her website and they are glowing. she has a place where ronald reagan says it was a challenge and, i take this challenge very seriously. certainly sounding like a republican presidential candidate there.

someone not sounding like a presidential candidate is bobby jindal, the governor of louisiana. he was on nbc's "meet the press" yesterday and says he's focused on running for re-elect of governor in 2011 and is not really entertaining talk of running for president bust interestingly, when he was asked if he might be a vice presidential candidate in 2012, he kept the door opening say i'm not going to turn down something offered to me. >> help folks watching remember the 1970s, and we're not talking about the big afros and bell bottoms, the carter administration and the alleged bunny killer. >> former president jimmy carter has a book out, "white house dia diary" and one thing he done talk about was the story behind the so-called killer rabbit, and we have him on reliable sources, and president carter explained

what happened. this is an incident where a rabbit got close to the boat and the president splashed him with water and the rabbit ran away. there was a photo of the rabbit near the president and it was a one-week story and a headline in "the washington post" saying, killer rabbit. jimmy carter says this all started with his press secretary, jody powell, after this innocuous incident had told a reporter or multiple reporters about it in a bar late at night after some drinking had gone on, so the story got blown out of proportion. some people think the moral of the story is it that the media may sometimes blow things out of proportion. i think it's good that things never change. white house press secretary still giving out late information late in bars, maybe alcohol or not being consumed. >> we can make some assumptions there. good to see you, sir. thank you. your next political update in an hour. for the latest news, go to cnnpolitics.com.

this week, cnn is celebrating heroes from all over the world. what a show for you on thursday. can you guess how many nominations we received this year?

just this year, 2010 only,c 10,000 hero nominations from 100 countries. thanks giving means travel, family food and of course the cnn hero of the year. this is the fourth year recognizing people who unselfishly take on huge problems. brooke anderson brings us the all star tribute for the top ten heroes of the year.

are changing the world. >> they are warriors against injustice doing battle for all of us. >> cnn's top ten heroes include a cam bodian man dedicating to clearing the land mines he was forced to plant and a scottsman whose program feeds hundreds of thousands of children. >> every child should be able to receive one good meal every day. >> an excon and former drug addict who helps other women just out of prison stay out and stay clean and a grandmother whose house is an oasis in that violent city. >> do not be afraid. and never, never, never, never give up. >> seeing it through, that commitment with no fear. >> a host of celebrities were on hand to pay tribute to each hero. >> inspiring for our young children. for me and all the people who want to do good for the world. ♪

>> there was great music and nearly 2 million online votes provided the hero of the year. >> anuradha koirala. >> she was awarded an additional monetary award for her work in nepal rescuing girls from sexual slavery. >> all ten heroes received 25,000 each but the examples they set are priceless. brooke anderson, cnn los angeles. >> and you can watch the entire special event here on cnn on thanks giving night at 8:00 eastern. you will be stunned. amazing television you will see this night. and watch for the star studded tribute on shoeb shoeb, the preshow at 7:00 eastern. that's 4:00 pacific. here on cnn and on our sister

network hln straight from the red carpet. that's going be amazing. of course the american music awards is all the rage right now in the entertainment world from bieber fever to the blast from the past. a.j. hammer has everything you want to know live next hour.

okay. we are getting news that the jury has reached a verdict in the trial of the man accused of the slaying of chandra levy.

we do not know what that verdict is at this point. y has to be reassembled for the reading of the verdict. when we have the verdict we will bring it to you right here in the newsroom. do you remember where you were, what you were doing when president kennedy was assassinated? for those assigned to protect him, the memories are painfully clear. former nfl quarterback talks about all the hard knocks he took and how he is still suffering the effects of those concussi concussions. .. and it goes out into the world like fuel for the economy. one opportunity leading to another... and another. we all have a hand in it. because opportunity can start anywhere,

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once again we understand that the jury has reached a verdict in the trial of a map accused of the slaying of chandra levy. that is a murder that took place nearly a decade ago now. jeffrey is on the line with me. jeffrey we understand that the jury has reached a verdict. maybe you can remind us how this trial has played out, the evidence presented. direct evidence? >> it certainly played out under a much less of a media spotlight. >> you are abts lawsuitly right. >> than the investigation when gary condit was under so much police attention. it was the signature story in the period right before 9/11.

for many years it was a cold case. then at last her body was discovered in rock creek park. >> that's it. >> the immigrant had been convicted earlier of assaulting two women in almost exactly the same place. the case against him is almost entirely circumstantial. confession to a cell mate. but those kind of confessions are highly questionable. that's the heart of a case, he has a pattern. but there is no confession to poli

police. >> let's leave it there until we get the verdict in this process we have a period of time once the jury has announced that it has reached a verdict and then everyone has to be assembled. >> let's do that and we will talk a little later. lined up and camping out, really? for the big holiday sales. will bargain shoppers give the economy a big enough boost this year? we are digging deeper on that. assassination -- just how raw nerves were that fateful day. >> how close did you come to shooting it? >> my finger was on the trigger. i had nightmares about this for months afterwards. >> the paralyzed bride, a

horrible accident delays her wedding butt doesn't dampen her thankful spirit. holiday shoppers always ready to go and excited about black friday things can get a little crazy. americans have to laugh at themselves. >> this is the shortest craziest sale in history. 12 minutes to rush in and get all the deals you can carry. >> with the recovery at lukewarm at best, the brand new survey says americans will spend a tiny bit more on holiday gifts this year. good to see you. increase is an increase and we are happy for that but this one just barely registers. >> it does. we will take what we can get. the survey just came out from the consumer federation of america.

>> okay. i'm going to increase the holiday spending this year. here is the key. 41% say they will spend less than they did last year. and over all the numbers are okay. but overall the take away here is they are all better than they were last year. we are improving just a little bit. we will take that. what the survey finds interest something people are managing their debt better. they are saving more. it shows and we could all guess this, people are very concerned about the overall economy. the impact it has on their overall economy. that's really key. how you feel when you go to the store and pull out your credit card, that will determine how much you will spend. major economic implications are evident. that number we get every three months is made up of consumer spending. that's really key here. we have been seeing favorable

trends. four months in a row we have seen spending tick up. that is a sign the consumer may be coming back. the results show us just a little bit. >> we will take it. are the stores doing anything differently? are they working harder to lure us in? >> of course they are. seems like every year they come up with some new tricks and traps to get us in the door especially on black friday. that's what makes black friday so popular. take a look at the numbers. 138 million americans are going to hit the stores the day after thanks giving. that's a 3% increase from last year. some stores are not waiting until then. sears, toys are us, they are opening their stores on thanks giving. aren't stores supposed to be closed on thanks giving? and a lot of online deels. there are some things you need

to be aware of. some little tricks and secrets about black friday. the door buster deals, waiting in line, generally what we have seen like the big ticket items, they have a very limited supply. four or six per store. if you are 20 in line and waiting for that, you need to know about that. tony, i will be awake at about 3:00 in the morning to be at macy's. >> you will not. >> they started this season way too early. >> way too early. >> i am out the week before halloween and a lot of these stores already have their christmas displays. this thing is ridiculous. we will be talking about christmas when the leaves are changing in september. good to see you. thank you. the thanksgiving travel rush

is on. more intense pat downs and body scans. there is this video of a little boy with no shirt on receiving a pat down shirt. officials say the father eremoved the shirt to speed up the screening. a michigan man says he was absolutely humiliated. thomas sawyer is a bladder cancer survivor. he warned the screener to be very careful. >> i said at that point you need to go slower and softer or you are going to pull my bag off and he said what's that? i said it doesn't matter, go softer and low and behold he got down to the bag and pulled the seal half off it. and once that happened, it was kind of like pulling the seal half of a bottle of orange juice and tipping it upside down.

the urine started coming out of the bag and on my shirt and down my pants. i am used to it now but it is not something i like to show the world. one of the biggest fears for all ostomy patients is that we will have a leak in public, let alone an airport. >> tsa officials say they are trying to balance security and privacy concerns and make the process minimally invasive. we have a reality check on what you can expect. >> kyle whitney could hop on a plane and be home for the holidays in just one hour but this season he is opting for what he considers the hassel free option. a seven-hour train raid. >> i don't like the practices that i have seen.

>> the new measures from the transportation security administration have set off a wave of criticism and frustration among passengers. shone here in photos from denver post.com are the pat downs some call extreme and there is also the revealing full body scanner machines. so what can air travelers expect this holiday season? most will walk through metal deck tors. only 69 airports in the country, about 12% have full body scanners. for those who do go through the full body scanners, the tsa says they are safe. the exposure to radiation is less than you would receive in two minutes of flight. and passengers will only receive the enhanced pat down if they refuse the full body scanner, set off the alarms or are randomly selected. the tsa says children under 12 who require extra screening will receive a modified pat down.

tsa administrator told cnn the challenge is finding a balance between privacy and doing their job to keep those passengers safe. >> clearly if we are to detect terrorists who have proven innovative and creative in the design and imp limitation of bombs that will blow up bombs in airplanes and kill people then we have to do something that prevents that. >> kate is here. it's good to see you. with all the criticism tsa is taking, the push back and everything else on this, is the tsa responding to this? maybe modifying this? >> at least for now, the administrator has said they are not changing the procedures but looking at ways of evolving the technology. that doesn't mean anything for the short term. it seems like we may be entering

a new reality of air travel. >> maybe you re-evaluate after the holidays and see how things went maybe in. >> i traveled this morning. >> how was it? >> i went through the good old fashioned metal detector. we are hearing extreme stories. >> it is a small number of peop people. >> and the small number of people going through the revealing body scanners. >> we don't have that many in the country. >> bigger airports, of course. >> there was an announcement of a bit of a modification with respect to kids. >> i think, they say they also don't say what exactly is involved in the enhanced pat down. they don't want to tell potential terrorists exactly where they will be patting but for children under 12 there is a modified pat down. >> kate, if you.

>> you can let it happen in the open space. probably the fastest way. but you can request a private area to have this pat down happen. but of course you are just trying to get to your plane so you have to balance it yourself dochl i go to this room or just get on with it and get on with your flight. >> you are coming up at the top of the hour. >> thanks. >> good to see you. >> we are standing by. awaiting a verdict in the chandra levy murder case. we understand the jury has reached a verdict. everyone has to be assembled back into the krrm. then we will have a reading of the verdict. boy, this is a murder that took place almost a decade ago.

we won't talk about closure for the family at this point. that seems a little silly. we will get that information on the verdict to you as soon as we get it right here in the newsroom. right now a break. back in a moment.

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keep your eye on the highlighted circle. you will see a rescued helicopter pulling a man from a river. it appears he jumped into the river. he is now in the hospital. we understand he is now in stable condition. in idaho these folks lit up smokes mirn in the streets calling for it to be legalized. it was a global smoke out. speaking of global, here is one for the record books.

the world's largest cup stacking event. these kids took part. take a look at this for a second. want to talk about coordination? man, that's the stuff. when it comes to the struggling economy, we all want to know what lies ahead for us. a new economic forecast is out. economists are calling it sub par growth coming up talking about the health of the economy. what is normal is about 3%. we need better than normal.

we are on this big spending spree and then we hold back quite a bit. we are spending less now. we are almost being too careful about the way we spend. on the other hand it's not so great for the economy. and this is true for businesses and individuals. gets the economy moving. we are not seeing enough spending going on. >> this specific report not having an impact. but the whole idea of some growth has been a huge weight on the economy on wall street as well. it is rearing its ugly head, the dow down 96 points. the s&p 500 down about 8. another one of those yuck days. >> looks like it. good to see you. we are awaiting a jury verdict.

we understand the jury in the chandra levy case has reached a verdict. the man on trial right now. as soon as we get the information we will bring it to you. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 it's beach homes or it's starting a vineyard. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 come on! tdd# 1-800-345-2550 just help me figure it out in a practical, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 let's-make-this-happen kind of way. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 a vineyard? give me a break. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 [ male announcer ] looking for real-life answers tdd# 1-800-345-2550 to your retirement questions? tdd# 1-800-345-2550 get real. get started. talk to chuck. tdd# 1-800-345-2550

>> look at these live pictures. that is san francisco. if you are traveling, lucky you. but expect to shell out cash for gas. san francisco getting pummelled right now. $3.20 on average. where is the cheapest gas? try the mile high city. $2.63 in denver. chad, we got to get folks to these destinations. >> the only problem is that the octane is not as high so you can't be. >> you don't get the 93 octane? >> premium is 87. i drove up to the pump and saw 82 octane. i can't use that. but actually it does work. don't worry about it. when you get above 5,000 feet. it has nothing to do with the car it has to do with how much oxygen is in the car.

the cars are going into a tunnel so you don't have to drive over this huge mountain which is a basin. the best place to be driving right now? seattle washington. it is snowing there. it's 30 degrees and the morning low temperature on tuesday morning could be down to about 16. it doesn't get that cold in seattle. not in november. but oh is it a mess there today. they are saying because of the winds in the higher elevations just to the east of the city. i haven't seen that in a weather service office print out in a long time. chicago, some airport delays. low cloud cover. 166 planes right now trying to

get into chicago o'hare so you get what you get when you get that many planes. cold out west. rainy to the east. stormy out here. this is the biggest story i believe. snow in seattle. 37 in portland. you only have to go up about 500 feet. i saw skidding all over the place out of spokane. have you ever been there? have you ever driven i-90? the concrete is so used up because of people having chains. the roads have grooves and the car stays in the grooves. it is icy. >> let's get caught up on top stories now. a new security threat in germany. police think terrorists may be planning an attack on the parliament building. so its top is now closed to the

public. the cholera epidemic has killed many and sickened many others. u.n. officials are holding a briefing this hour. we will monitor that for you. expecting it to exceed initial estimates of 200,000 coming months. and saudi arabian king is on his way to the united states for a hit-and-run herniated disk. start chipping away at credit card debt.

advice now for many of you

who are deep in debt. christine talks to a non-profit credit counselor about tackling credit card bills. >> you are on the ropes, right? you have got rent or mortgage. a car loan. you have got groceries. you got a student loan. student loan -- >> they usually have lower interest rates? >> they usually do. but yes. putting these into deferment or fore bearance. on the rent or mortgage. long term do you see your situation changing? >> you might need to downsize.

>> a lot of times when it comes to rent, downsizing an apartment people don't want to do that. if their situation is a long term not a short term. >> $13,000 of credit card debt at 29% interest it would take 35 years to pay off. they just don't know that. that is a lifetime. >> right. so if you can afford to make the minimum payment, great. but if you can't afford the minimum payment, that interest rate is a lot. get that interest rate down to maybe a 10% interest rate, a 6% interest rate. something manageable oso you can pay thauf debt without shelling out a ton of extra money. >> one of the toughest parts is getting started. realizing what that number, the balance is. he says once you come to terms

with it, start paying down your debt in manageable chunks little by little. that is how most people get themselves into debt to begin with. the financial game has certainly changed. christine roman's new book entitled "smart is the new rich." and more hard nfl hits. kurt warner talks about the hits he took on the field. we are back in a moment. [ advisor 1 ] what do you see yourself doing one week,

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we understand that the jury has reached a verdict. we are expecting word on that verdict shortly. this, of course, deliberations entering a fourth day today. we get word of a verdict in the trial of the man accused in the slaying. almost a decade ago now. he is charged with murder in the death of chandra levy. when we get word we will bring it to you. week after week, hard hit

after hard hit on the nfl football field. there is real concern mounlting over what many see as a concussion crisis. an interesting paradox. people watch the game of football in part because they want to see the big hits but they also cringe because of them. you may have seen this, tony. eagles ellis hobbs takes a helmet to helmet hit. he is on the field for ten minutes. you see hits like this all the time and what's unsettling is what's happening inside the brain. we know more about this than ever before and a second concussion is more likely after a big hit like that. it is unsettling that there is ignorance about exactly what concussion is and how best to treelt it.

i spoke to kurt warner about this issue something he knows about both personally and professionally and here is what he told me. >> snap. blitz coming. warner steps up. >> it's a chilling moment in football. >> warner is down. >> a player is hit and does not get up. >> january 16, 2010, former nfl quarterback kurt warner was that player. >> the players race up. >> he got up and later he returned to the game. >> do you feel like now did you ever stay in the game or pushed to stay in a game when you shouldn't have? >> yeah. fl is no question that has happened. i they okay. i am going play through it here for the short term and it will get better. >> playing through it is part of football says warner. a big part.

>> many guys have been there. for a long time it was like if you didn't get up dizzy or no memory then you really didn't suffer a concussion. >> what does it feel like? >> like a mental fogginess. you seem like you are separated from the situation. you are in it, but you are 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. but there is no di fintive answer to the most important question. who should continue playing and who should come out of the game. >> how many of you have had a concussion? >> a former pittsburgh steelers trainer studies concussions impact on the brain in high school player.

>> this is showing moderate levels of atrophy. >> player who have had three or more concussions get mris. >> i'm going say three words. >> and memory tests. >> apple, penny, table. >> apple, penny table. >> good. what were the three words i asked you to remember earlier? >> penny, that's all i remember. >> 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. >> did you retire because of concussions? >> no. not because of concussions. but there is no question 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 decide to play

through it. >> as i mentioned that kurt warner knows about this, he had at least five documented concussions himself. he says there is a two pronged issue. a lot of players want to minimize their symptoms so they can continue to play. second is that teams want to win. he said look, i was never told that i had to play despite my symptoms but he worries about the culture overall as he describes. we did talk to the nfl about this. they released a statement about this. also, if you are curious, ellis hobbs did get up in a stretcher, wheeled off giving the thumbs up sign. didn't show any evidence of fracture. tomorrow we will be talking about high school football.

3 million players, still developing brains. hard hits. we will see what can happen with second impact syndrome. tony, back to you. >> appreciate it. thank you. top story straight ahead. first our news quiz. smart phones are taking over our lives. even in the bedroom. how many of you answer your phone during sex? what's disturbing here is that a minimum of 12% of you will take a call during sex. how does that work? what do you say? the answer when we come back. ♪ ♪ but i really love my bank ♪ i hate-- didn't quite catch that last bit. i said i really love my bank. right... is there a problem ? it's not really raging, man. uh, we were hoping for more raging ? well, you said write from the heart. yeah... don't do that.

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okay. you just can't believe this. how many of you watching us from wherever you are, how many of you put sex on hold to answer your phone? look around at the people next to you? ask the question. a british phone company surveyed its customers and found 25% of people paused sex to take a call! men, by far, are the worst offenders. why am i not surprised by that? launched my career. b since i've been with the company, i've been promoted ten times over the span of 11 years.

today, i'm a divisional learning and development manager. we can actually help people develop in their own careers. my job allows me to make a difference in the lives of almost 100,000 associates in the northeast. if you think about it, that's almost 8 times the size of my hometown. my name is nick and i work at walmart. ♪ 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, which could prevent co2 from entering the atmosphere. we've just built a new plant to demonstrate how we can safely freeze out the co2 from natural gas. it looks like snow. it's one way that we're helping provide energy with fewer emissions.

so the fans have spoken. one thing is clear, bieber fever rules and of course i am talking about the american music awards. a.j. hammer joining us now. i know the team was all over this story this weekend. did you guys get an opportunity to catch up with bieber backstage? >> of course we did. it was a bieberific night. justin bieber was having his

first ever american music awards. >> a.j., i apologize. we have got -- i apologize. we have got a verdict in the chandra levy case and we promised that as soon as we got the verdict we would get the information to you. we understand the defendant has been found guilty of both counts in this case. that would be the important one here is first degree murder. so, again,.

more than a year until her body was found. for those of us who know washington, rock creek park, particularly the area where she was found is not an enormous park. it is not a place where a body in a notorious murder case should have gone undiscovered for a year. but it was. and in fact not by the police, by a passing dog walker. so that was a big part of the defense. the defense here was really a classic reasonable doubt defense. there is just not enough

evidence. >> jeffrey, appreciate it. thank you again the jury has come back with a conviction, a guilty verdict in connection with the death, the murder of chandra levy. we are back. 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.

once again we have a verdict in the chandra lev case. the defendant in the case has been found guilty on two couns.s he now facts life in prison without the possibility of parole. amazing investigation and a sensational murder case when it broke in 2001. and now all these years later we have a verdict, a conviction in this case. ingmar guandique facing life in prison without the possibility

of parole. top brass fall in line in regard to gays in the military. joining us live from capitol hill what are you following on this story? >> reporter: very interesting comment that the chairman of the join chiefs made yesterday about the marine corps. it is no secret that the commandant is opposed to repealing the don't ask don't tell policy. i can tell you just on capitol hill it is very interesting that the pentagon announced late last night that they will move up the report that they are going release. much anticipated report year long review of this. some senators who support the repeal say they hope that just that one day will help them in their push to get some of the undecided senators off the fence and at least to start the debate on the defense bill.

second on the political ticker, now it is early, very early. there is a poll out that shows what would happen in a match up between sarah palin and barack obama. president obama does lead by eight points. that is just interesting to look at. another number that really did fascinate me was about president obama himself. nearly half of the people who responded does not think he deserves a second term and that is because of the independents. a majority of independents said that was the case. independents really drove away from the democrats. >> yeah. they didn't walk, they ran in some cases. speaking of 2012, and it is early, there is another expected gop contender talking debate conditions. what is this all about? >> reporter: you got to love

newt, reyou really does. newt gingrich said if he were a contender he would not participate in any debate that involves msnbc hosts chris matthews or keith olbermann. newt gingrich who has not formally jumped in said he won't participate in that. already newt is setting ground rules on something that he is not formally a part of. >> just boggles the mind. >> maybe it is a hint as to where his thinking is? >> appreciate it, thank you. your next political update coming up in an hour. you know where to go. and we're learning that what happens in one part of it affects all of us. we're chevrolet. and with the all-new plug-in volt and other energy-saving vehicles,

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to the internet now. sandra from washington. why is sandy? what is trending right now, sandy? >> reporter: all right this story always seems to be trending. charlie sheen is in trouble again. the porn starwas with the night he allegedly trashed his room says now she is pressing charges against the actor. in an interview, capri anderson said she was paid $3500 to be sheen's escort that night. he was heavily drinking and using a white powdery substance.

it was after that that the actor became violent and put his hands around her neck. sheen's lawyer denies all of those claims. and a heartbreaking but inspiring story of a bride to be who was paralyzed after her best friend jokingly pushed her into a swimming pool. now the pool only had a few feet of water in it and that is when michelle heard a snap and became paralyzed from the chest down. it has been six months since the accident and she is in a wheelchair but she has a totally good outlook on life. she is playing sports and still plans to get married. they just delayed the date a little bit. she is being touted as quite an inspiration. that is what is trending on cnn.com. >> good to see you. thank you, lady. what was it like to be a secret service agent the date that kennedy was assassinated?

never before told details from that fateful day 47 years ago in dallas.

47 years ago today, president john f. kennedy was

assassinated in dallas. secret service agents who were protecting him have said very little until now. they are telling extraordinary details. >> they are a pair of toic 78-year-old grandfathers. gerald and clint still carry themselves in that upright tradition. still the have that bond that only secret service agents know and still have the memories of the clear crisp day in november. >> we couldn't help it. we felt like we failed. we all had that terrible feeling. >> blain reveals that feeling and reveals how less than 24 hours after the assassination, he almost caused another unspeakable tragedy. he stood guard outside lyndon johnson's house exhausted on edge. he heard approaching footsteps and lowered his gun.

>> 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 air. >> how close did you come to shooting him? >> my finger was on the trigger. i had nightmares about this for months afterwards. >> johnson, he says, turned white. said nothing and went back in the house. i spoke with blain and clint hill just a few feet from kennedy's grave. >> you had a tough time there in those years after the asa assassination after your resignati resignation. >> i suffered from nightmares. seemed like every time i turned around there was something that reminded me of what had happened. so i clammed up and went in my basement with alcohol and