chocolate milk. if you have the new menu as a result of the act you'll see this, whole wheat cheese pizza, baked sweet potato fries, grape toes, apple sauce, low-fat milk, and low-fat ranch. that gives you an idea of what might has been. the usda is planning on working with states locally as well as school districts and neighborhoods to implement all of these various provisions of the bill. be sure to check out my podcast. as always, thanks for watching. i'm dr. sanjay gupta. more news on cnn starts right now. hey there, good morning, everybody. 8:00 eastern time. here in atlanta, the cnn center. this is your "cnn saturday

morning." a lot of things we're keeping our eye on. moving, breaking stories this morning. extreme weather, one thing we're keeping an eye on. california could blow up travel plans for people making an early holiday get away. also treacherous in europe of all places where travel is snarled there, as well. also this morning, 141 criminals are on the loose right now. many of them dangerous criminals after they broke out of prison. allegedly with the help of guards. also, the man in charge of the prison is missing. we'll tell you about that this morning. kind of bizarre. also, it is the fight before christmas. this weekend, two major things going on on capitol hill. the president, still sticking around right now in washington, d.c. even though his family's about to head out for the holiday vacation. he's still got work to do, the senate has work to do, and they are doing it this weekend. yes, they are in session, and two major votes could take place. we could see the repeal of don't ask, don't tell this weekend. all of that to get into this

morning, but again, some of the stories that are making headlines. one that really jumps out. the former u.s. ambassador to the u.n. bill richardson is in north korea, trying to ease tensions on the korean peninsula. bad weather has actually played a role in this. it canceled because of bad weather. south korea canceled planned military drills. north korea has threatened to launch a military strike against the south if those drills take place. richardson is there, he's trying to urge restraint on both sides. >> i'm concerned because there's a potential for a miscalculation. i've raised with the north koreans the importance of being extremely restrained, to cool down, to not overreact. we started these discussions yesterday. this morning, we're going to meet with a top adviser to kim jong-il, head of the military tomorrow. but i am concerned because these routine exercises o of the south

koreans could cause a miscalculation. my sense from talking to the north koreans is they want to tamp things down a bit. >> now, he is on this trip. he is not an official u.s. envoy. but still, an envoy there unofficially or not. trying to keep the peace, literally, there. on this trip is wolf blitzer, the television correspondent who is reporting. only one traveling with richardson, only one reporting life from there. wolf joins me now on the phone. hello to you. i know that bill richardson has been having meetings with the north. he has some proposals, apparently, he put out on the table. are we learning any more about those proposals yet? >> they're designed, t.j., mostly to see if they can restore some dialogue between north and south korea, some dialogue, if you will, between the north and the united states. they're aggressively seeking china's involvement, china's got enormous influence in north

korea, and they'd like china to play a much more positive role. so far they say that hasn't happened. but there's a whole series of steps apparently richardson's putting forward in his meeting with one of the senior foreign ministry officials on friday. in charge of u.s. affairs for north korea. he put -- he started to put some of these proposals earlier today he met with the chief nuclear negotiator and they elaborated. those meetings are going to continue. now, sunday morning, local time, he's going to meet with the top military official in charge of the dmz. and that's going to be a critically important meeting because richardson is aggressively pushing for some serious restraint on the part of the north koreans. i know they're going to be very happy that the weather has delayed any south korean military maneuvers at this

point, which the north koreans have threatened they would retaliate if the south koreans went forward, at least it's not happening this weekend. it's going to be delayed. and what richardson's trying to do is urge restraint on all sides to calm things down because he's pointed out repeatedly this is like a tinderbox. one miscalculation, t.j., this whole situation here on the korean peninsula could explode. he's really worried about it. we'll see what happens. but that's a very, very sensitive moment. >> well, wolf, back to those military drills. it is amazing that weather is playing a part right now. the weather is going to, you know, it's going to go away at some point. do we know yet what's going to happen? and is richardson urging south korea to not go forward with those drills once the weather does subside in the next few days or wherever it may be? >> the fear is that the north koreans would retaliate. the north koreans have publicly said they will retaliate if the south koreans engage in these live fire exercises around this

island yeonpyeong, that was the island the north koreans shelled back on november 23rd, killing four south koreans. two military, two civilian. it's a sensitive moment because the north koreans say they were provoked, the south koreans deny that. and the south koreans have been criticized back home for the south korean government not doing enough, especially after the north koreans -- they knocked out this south korean warship. north koreans deny they did it, but almost everybody else accused the north koreans of doing it back in march, 46 south korean sailors died in that incident. and there was a big uproar that the south korean government wasn't responding tough enough. and then after the shelling of the island, they didn't respond tough enough. they got a new defense minister in place right now. so under domestic political pressure, the south koreans have to show some determination. and there's concern, richardson i know is concerned that if the

south koreans go ahead with these exercises at this sensitive moment, that will provoke the north koreans and who knows what will happen. so they're trying to calm things down. but it's -- it's by no means easy. it's a lot easily said than done. >> wolf blitzer traveling with former u.n. ambassador bill richardson right now in north korea trying to calm things down. wolf, we appreciate you being able to hop on the phone and report there from -- for us. wolf blitzer, the only tv reporter there traveling and reporting from north korea. thank you so much. we'll continue to check in with him. now, we'll turn back to washington, d.c. now. washington is abuzz right now. and washington is busy today because the senate is in session. some key votes are taking place today, expected within the next couple of hours, we could see some movement on the dream act and also on don't ask, don't tell. our congressional correspondent brianna keilar is on the hill

for us. brianna, always good to see you. i believe the first vote is going to be on the dream act. but a lot of people, not so optimistic about what will happen with it. but a lot of optimism from some, at least with supporters of don't ask, don't tell, about what this day or this weekend could mean for them. >> that's right. we're going to be seeing two key votes, key procedural votes because they require that all important 60-vote threshold. and the first one is going to be on the dream act, which, of course, is that act that would give the children of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship if they were to go to college here in the u.s. or join the military. it's a controversial measure. and that is expected to fail. but today, we're expecting to be a very big day for advocates of don't ask, don't tell. if that dream act vote fails, and this is going to be here in about a couple of hours, maybe two or three hours, they move -- the senate moves on to don't ask, don't tell. and from what we understand, we

are expecting -- and we have been serving senators who are onboard with repealing don't ask, don't tell. it appears it's going to pass. there are four republicans. susan collins of maine as well as olympia snowe of maine, and also scott brown of massachusetts. and lisa murkowski of alaska who have said that they support this appeal. you do the math, add those four to the 57 democrats in the senate, also independents who caucus with the democrats, and this thing looks like it's going to be moving through pretty closely, obviously, there through the senate. and it's been a really long time, t.j. because this effort failed last week when it was attached to a big defense bill that also had some other controversial items involving guantanamo bay detainees. if it clears this hurdle today, then it's basically smooth sailing through the senate and through congress. >> all right. one other thing i want to remind our viewers of right now. we were told tonight was the

deadline -- the government was going to run out of money. you have to fund this government and there are specific times and things you have to do. but at midnight, we're supposed to run out of money. but they came out of the rescue and continued to fund the government, but just through the weekend essentially. explain this right quick. >> yeah, barely. this kind of cracks me up a little bit. were we going to be talking later and the lights would go up later, right? they were supposed to run out of funding at midnight tonight. last night, the senate passed funding at the current level for a few more days. it gets them through tuesday. the whole point, it buys them a little time so they can then pass another bill or they can pass, yeah, another bill later that will get them probably through february when the new congress comes in. lights aren't going out, t.j. >> good to hear. good to see you. we're going to talk to brianna plenty throughout the morning. things will be wrapped up in two or three hours and could be a monumental vote on don't ask, don't tell. always good to have her with us. also, these new tax cuts,

the new bill has everybody talking about taxes right now. and that's just around the corner when you're going to have to be filing your taxes again. so with taxes on your mind, we are asking you to send us your questions. and we will ask them specifically to a tax consultant that we have coming in at 9:00 eastern time. send those questions to weekends@cnn.com or send them to facebook or twitter at tj holmes cnn on both. we'll be asking your specific questions to our tax consultant. want to turn now to some severe weather i was telling you about a short time ago. severe weather's hitting a lot of places right now, including here at home, but also across the pond. we'll start in california where 100 inches of snow -- have you done this calculation for me yet, reynolds? 100 inches of snow divided by -- >> how many times does 8 go into 100. 8 times 12 is 46, just over 8 feet of snow. >> reynolds was telling me this

morning, 8 feet of snow -- we're talking about california, but we need to put this in perspective when we say 8 feet of snow. >> we said eight feet of snowfall in california. you're not going to be getting the heavy snowfall. snow is going to be especially heavy and, yes, possibly in excess of 100 inches, that would be just over 8 feet of snow. and the heaviest right along parts of the sierra nevada, in reno and sacramento, you're going to see the transformation, especially going on 80. the high-mountain passes, it's going to be intense, but down to the lower elevations, it'll all be a rain event. the reason california's getting pummelled is simple. an area of low pressure kicking up off the west coast. and it's drawing in all of that moisture from the pacific ocean, heavy rainfall, very possible in the san joaquin valley, but high aloft is going to be the story of the snow and it will be heavy at times. in terms of the rain first, some

locations may see rainfall in excess of 8 inches, especially in the way of kerrville, rain very heavy there, towards big bear also. but in terms of the snow, that's something that boggles the mind. especially in places like reno, southward. it's going to be really high. and when you have this wind that's going to be going with the snow, that's going to limit visibility. some locations in the sierra informed, you can have wind gusts in excess of 70 miles an hour. possibly a little stronger. and that with the snow will limit visibility. so be careful out there. as we wrap things up. here's a snapshot. temperaturewise, portland oregon, 44 degrees your expected high. 68 in phoenix, 36 in new york, and atlanta with some scattered showers, 44. also, look for delays in atlanta, delays out towards san francisco, portland, phoenix, you should be fine, it's sky harbor airport. back to you, t.j. >> we'll be checking in with reynolds plenty throughout this morning. he talked about the travel.

a lot of people traveling right now. you need to see that forecast. and a lot of people are traveling home for the holidays, including america's servicemen and women. they are streaming through u.s. airports right now and getting the welcome that so many of them deserve. we're going to be going live to one airport that's certainly rolling out the red carpet. also, usher. usher gets kicked in the face, but he wasn't in a fight. we'll explain this overly excited fan. 13 minutes past the hour. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter. and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual action listerine® whitening® rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth. to london starts with arthritis pain... and a choice. take tylenol now, and maybe up to 8 in a day. or...choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. enjoy the flight.

♪ not a big fan of christmas music, love that one, though. mariah carey. 15 minutes past the hour. the next story is the kind we like to see more often. take a look. >> it's mr. brian champagne.

>> okay. what you see happening here. three little guys, those brothers, they thought they were going to a school play, they saw san santa. santa turned out to be pops, dad surprised them. he was serving a second deployment in iraq. lieutenant colonel brian champaigne came home a week early, was able to pull off that surprise. well, a lot of reunions like that are taking place around the country. and they will be for the next week as a lot of america's young men and women are coming home for the holidays. about 2,000 marines and sailors stationed in pakistan and somalia arrived in camp pendleton, california, yesterday. we love seeing these scenes. a lot of them, of course, coming home, a lot of them not ending deployment. a lot of them have to go back to basic training or whatever it may be, but at least they get the holidays. catherine callaway has been talking to a lot of the troops

coming through. hello again, catherine. >> reporter: hello, yeah. we are here right at the top of the escalator where the military personnel have been coming up this escalator and greeting their families and it has been just heartwarming to see the reunions. and behind me now is the wood family. this is megan wood. she's waiting on beloved michael wood who has been in afghanistan. tell us about michael. >> he's been gone for six months, with the second striker cavalry regiment and i can't wait to see him. >> she's actually shaking. i'll tell you why. she's been talking to him on her cell phone and he's one train stop away, which is why she can't stand still. we may get this reunion live in just a minute. behind megan is her mom who has been in tears just talking about how much they have missed him and what you're planning on

doing this christmas. >> i cannot wait just to have him with us. this is a gift from god. this surf christmas. >> and you said the best part of this is not just being with him but knowing he's safe at least for two weeks. >> yeah, for two weeks, at least, i know nothing's going to happen. >> you haven't seen him in six months? >> no. >> and after two weeks, he's gone again. >> yes, ma'am. >> back to afghanistan? >> yes, ma'am. >> she's not being able to complete her sentences she's so nervous at this point. we do expect him in the next couple of minutes. but i want to show you this line here of people. members of the uso here. tell us what you do when you see a soldier coming, you say -- where's michael? there he is. he's coming! all right. this is what we've been waiting for.

yeah, we're going to give them a little moment here and then we're going to try to talk to them. but just give them a moment. how you doing, megan? >> hey, michael, we've been waiting on you. say hi to cnn. >> hey, cnn. >> reporter: how does it feel to be home? >> it's good. really good. >> really, really good. >> reporter: was it worth the wait? >> every minute. >> reporter: all right. well, we know you guys need a moment. there's a woman over there who is also going to be very happy to see you and that's megan's mom. oh, the tears are flowing. tears of joy. we've got the whole crowd involved in this, t.j., everybody's crying.

all right. everybody happy? >> yay, thank you! >> is that dad? your dad, your mom -- how are you feeling right now? >> i'm relieved. i'm so glad he's here. >> and safe? >> yeah. >> reporter: the whole family's here. >> he's a little dirty and dusty, but we'll get him cleaned up. >> reporter: right? >> yep. >> reporter: thank you for letting us butt in on your happy reunion. >> you know, that's going to be the highlight of our day here on cnn. unfortunately we have to report things happen around the world, unfortunately it's not always

pleasant news. but we're happy we're able to see a moment like that and bring it to you live. a lot of scenes like that playing out across the country. we hope to bring you more of that this morning. oh, my gosh. oh, my gosh. ♪ [ male announcer ] you know her. we know diamonds. together we'll make her holiday. that's why only zales is the diamond store. where you can get up to $1,000 off now through sunday.

all right. 22 minutes past the hour. usher, usher he's been around for a lock time, been in the game. still at the top of the game in r & b. and he's been kind of a sex symbol in some ways. ladies always throwing

themselves at him or throwing things at him on the stage during concerts. he's not used to any of the fans throwing a roundhouse kick towards his face. look at this -- usher serenading a young lady, inviting her on stage. she was happy as all get out. this was this week. now check out what happens -- ♪ oh, yes. in the face. yeah, she kicked him in the head. with her heel. now, he was fine, played it off, made light of it, just one of the hazards of his job. you know she's just mortified. she's up there, time of a lifetime and blows it by kicking the man in the head. let me turn now to another piece of video. this video. what would you say? is this too hot for tv?

is this too hot for country music tv? that's what the singer says, at least. that's julienne hough, she's telling people that the video for her song "is that so wrong" was too hot for cmt. and that's why they're shying away from the video, which has her dancing around a bit in a tank top. cmt, though, is saying there was a contract negotiation issue and that's why they pulled it. but either way, this is the only place you're going to see it right now. it's not on cmt. also, another piece of video that was awfully interesting. a party hosted by diddy -- you know tendency to get out of control. but just keep a close eye here on what's happening in the back. there's a girl in the tub. it's hard to be sexy when your hair's on fire, isn't it? that's kevin hart, actually, he's hilarious, he's a comedian. but as you can see, nobody came to the girl's rescue, everybody

ran away from her instead. but you've seen that sometimes in clubs, women in pools. have a few rose petals in there. i've heard about things like this taking place in clubs. but the young lady is apparently okay. she didn't realize she was having her pepsi moment there, if you will. but she's okay. all right, 24 minutes past the hour. a lot of people traveling for the holidays. you're traveling to visit family. you'll be one of more than 90 million people that are planning to get out and travel. we've got some tips. important stuff you need to hear. make sure you don't get slammed. make sure you're not in too much of a crunch. also, cracking the international dating code. it can be easy as complimentico the right body part. which body part is that? you're going to have to stick around for that one. [ female announcer ] it's red lobster's ultimate surf and turf event.

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♪

all right. taking a live picture of the white house there. got some snow on the ground, looks awfully ready for the christmas holiday. are you ready for the christmas holiday? you're running out of two things right now probably. certainly time, but also maybe money. so we're going to help you save both right now with our digital lifestyle expert who i see out of the corner of my eye getting suited up here. come on, man. we're trying to make you legitimate here. >> no, no, sir. >> we're trying to make you legitimate. >> no legitimacy. >> everybody wants tech, everybody wants some kind of tech gift. but you run out of time, run out of money, and are they going to have a hard time finding some of these things, as well? what's hot? >> what's hot is -- here's the deal. i'm playing digital santa. here's right off the top. it's very cold outside, t.j., a lot of people wearing gloves. these are gloves for the gadget generation. these gloves expose your thumb

and fingertip so you can use touch-screen devices, play games, they come in colors and sizes and fashion. they range from $16 to $80. it's made by a company called free hands. it's great, practical gift and inexpensive and affordable. also, for those devices, a big deal is for a good stocking stuffer, you want to cover those devices with a screen protector. so rapsol makes these screen protectors for your ipads, tablets, or handheld phones, inexpensive, like $24 for these, as well. really good. and lastly, customization is big to me. so when you think about mobile devices and good stocking stuffers, i look at a company called coveroo, which enables you to customize your own custom covers for your phones or tablet computer. you can upload your own family image and place a message on that so that could be the cover of the phone.

nice little personalization tip for about $20. >> that is cool. but are we out of time? if they like that gift, do you have time to get it personalized and get it to the house by christmas day? >> great question. yes, you do for that particular product. but you do need to pay attention to the shipping dates and delivery. i would suggest if you're shopping online, get your shopping done by the 22nd, but midnight of the 22nd to make sure that that package will get to you by the day before christmas. >> okay. still got time. still got a couple of days here at least. and a lot of people out, as well at the malls this weekend. but something else online. you shouldn't use your debit card. why not? >> no, no, no -- digital santa doesn't want you doing that. here's the deal, the debit cards do not have the same protections as your credit cards. number one, it's accessed directly to your checking account. don't use your debit card, use a pre-paid card if you do not have a debit card. if you order an item and it's not as advertised.

they already have your money from your checking account. if you purchase with a credit card, you have better protections for you for the online purchases. >> there are some many people at home, why didn't you do this segment last week? >> you know, they're saying, oh, my gosh. so check the receipts, check make sure everything's okay. now, banks have been very proactive about online fraud. so i don't want to scare people. but, let's be proactive about that. >> all right. digital santa, we appreciate you. really, thanks so much. mario, good to see you. you've had good segments over the past few weeks to help people out with gifts and what they need to do. i hope everyone appreciated your information. good to see you and happy holidays to you, buddy. >> to you, t.j., as well, and i hope everyone's having a safe holiday. >> appreciate that, as well. and you can join us every saturday at this time for our digital lifestyle expert mario armstrong. he'll give you the scoop on the latest technology. it's 32 minutes past the hour.

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all right. at 34 minutes past the hour, we'll take a look at some of the stories making headlines. how does this make you sleep at night? knowing that 141 inmates have escaped from prison. this was a mexican state prison according to mexican news agencies that they escaped from. this happened, though n the border town of nuevo loredo, just across the river from loredo, texas. inmates escaped through a service entrance last night. the inmates probably got help from prison employees. in fact, the prison director is missing right about now. also, the food and drug administration wants to phase out the use of avastin. but the fda says the drug's dangerous side effects may outweigh the benefits. also, recognize that purse? yes, some call it the most

famous purse in america right now. it was on the auction block for a short time. it was put up on ebay. but it's not there anymore. the panama city florida school board member who swung it at the government -- excuse me, not the government -- the gunman. she was trying to disarm him. she wanted to put it up for sale for a charity. ginger littleton would've given the money to a security guard -- the one who shot it out with the gunman. he fixes bikes and toys for less fortunate children. but ebay says littleton still has to meet some legal requirements. bids, though, reached $1,200 at one point. well, this is the direct quote. this is a tinderbox. that's the word from new mexico governor bill richardson in north korea trying to calm down tensions between the north and the south. would you believe of all things weather is playing a factor in this right now? bad weather. canceled today's south korean military drills that are raising tensions in that region. north korea threatened to launch a military strike against the south if those live fire drills

go through. richardson concerned, cnn's wolf blitzer is traveling with the former u.n. ambassador. >> it's a very, very tense situation by all accounts. and he basically told richardson he didn't sleep last night because of the tensions on the korean peninsula. it's a very serious situation. richardson just told me that even though he had what he called a good meeting with the chief nuclear negotiator, he said the situation is extremely tense. richardson said he urged maximum self-restraint on all sides. he says everyone has to show maximum restraint right now. he also said to richardson, he provided with a series of proposals. his proposals to try to calm things down. i asked him what those proposals were, he wouldn't say what they were. he said, but there are a bunch of serious proposals that he

thinks that if implemented could ease is crisis, which by all accounts right now is the most serious crisis on the korean peninsula since 1953. >> richardson arrived in north korea on thursday on a four-day trip. he's not there as an official u.s. envoy. the government is urging both sides of the peninsula to use maximum restraint. we don't know if and when they'll go forward. canceled again for the time being because of bad weather. turn to washington now. that tax cut extension. it's a done deal at this point. seemed to split some republicans who are thinking ahead. our deputy political director paul steinhauser standing by for me in d.c. it's amazing. they learned, they know this game well. what they say right now -- their words -- are going to come back and bite them if they want to

run for president in 2012. so they're being very careful here. >> very careful. and this is a tough one, a tricky one for some of the republicans who want to run. we don't have candidates yet, but potential candidates. why is this one tricky? well, because this compromise that the president signed into law yesterday, it extends tax cut rates for all americans. but this deal also puts the country deeper and deeper into the red. and that's bad when you want to trim the deficit. and of course, tea party activists, fiscal conservatives are going to play a huge role in the primaries about a year from now. take a look at this. we put a little list together. sarah palin, one of those who came out against the plan. and she's not alone. mitt romney also very vocal against the plan. mike pence, the congressman from indiana, and rick santorum were all vocal against it. people who accepted it, newt gingrich, the former house speaker, tim pawlenty, the minnesota governor. senator thune of south dakota is

thinking of running. he spoke out saying it's very easy for you on the sidelines, but i have to vote on this. and mitchell daniels, the indiana governor saying it's better than nothing. t.j.? >> they are certainly thinking ahead. cnn thinking ahead, as well, to 2012. what do we got going here? cooking at this network? >> yeah, we're thinking ahead, as well. and made some announcements this past week, t.j. yesterday we announced that cnn is going to be holding, maybe the first tea party debate. we're teaming up with the tea party express, one of the larger tea party organizations. you know them from their bus tours across the country. and we're going to hold it in florida, next labor day, early september. and why florida? because florida is a very influential state, a must-win state for any republican who wins the nomination. so it should be a fascinating debate. we also this past week, t.j., announced a debate in june in new hampshire. of course, new hampshire is the first state in the nation to hold a primary.

and we're going to be teaming up with wmtr. we are getting in the game and let it begin. >> let it begin. can we just -- give us a couple of months. we just got past the midterms. i know how y'all get down there in washington, d.c. that's all right. that's what we pay you guys to -- i say we like i'm paying you. paul, we'll check in with you again. we're talking a lot about the new tax cut deal this week. the president signing it into bill. that's got people talking about taxes and tax changes and what they need to be doing beginning next year because it is that tax season again. so we've been taking your questions and we have some lined up. we're going to be asking your specific questions. if you have any more, get them in to us. we're going to be asking your questions to a tax consultant to help you out. that's coming up at 9:00 eastern. send your questions weekends@cnn.com or facebook and twitter at t.j. holmes cnn. quick break and we are right back. yday moment can turn romantic anytime.

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and receive the gift of asphalt. experience the cadillac of crossovers, the striking srx. it's the one gift you can open up all year long. see your cadillac dealer for this attractive offer. backed by the peace of mind that only comes from cadillac premium care maintenance. the season's best sales event. from cadillac. well, 42 minutes past the hour. you plan on traveling this holiday season? you are not alone. 92 million people. that's how many aaa's predicting. and they're going to be traveling between december 23rd and january 2nd. sounds like that blast. doesn't it? well, can you really avoid the headaches of holiday travel? genevieve brown thinks so. she's the senior editor at travelocity. good morning to you. and we pose that question -- but can you really avoid the

headaches of travel? it's just going to be a headache, is it not? >> good morning, t.j. you know, if you plan ahead, it can be less of a headache. certainly the busiest days around the holidays are going to be the most stressful, the most crowded at the airports. but, for example, there are a few things you can easily do to cut down on that stress. make sure you're checking in online at your carrier's website about 24 hours before your flight. that'll allow you to get a discount on your checked baggage. move through the airport more quickly. if you can, avoid checking bags altogether and carry on. that will help you if this bad weather continues and say your flight is delayed or canceled. it's much easier for the airline to reroute you on a different flight or different airline. >> genevieve, you said something very important there, as well. you talked about which days to travel on. now, which days should you absolutely avoid because they're going to be the worst travel days? and then what are some options for some other days it won't be so bad and maybe you should consider those? >> by far the most expensive and

busiest days are going to be sunday, december 26th, and sunday, january 2nd. the better days to travel are going to be december 24th and 25th if possible, not ideal for a lot of people. then december 31st and january 3rd. so those are the least busy. they're also the cheapest. so if there are people out there still shopping for their airfare, those are the days you want to concentrate on. those are the days where you're going to get the most bang for your buck, the better values. average round trip domestic airfare over the christmas and new year's holiday, $398. keep that price point in mind, use it as a gauge to know if you're getting a good deal. >> okay. that's the average now. is that up from last year? >> it is. it's up about 3% from last year. so not a dramatic increase at all. but use that price as your gauge. that's how you know at this late date if you see something in that price range, you're actually doing pretty well. keep in mind that this is one of the more expensive times of the year to travel. so you have to kind of adjust your idea of what a deal really

is. a deal right now is not the same as a deal, say the first two weeks in january, which the travel industry calls the dead weeks because nobody's traveling. if you're looking for a vacation, those are two great weeks to get away. >> at this point, though, it's a week from christmas. for the most part, though, are you going to find a deal? unless you want to travel on christmas day or christmas eve as you mentioned, are you going to be stuck paying higher prices? >> well, it's definitely going to cost you more at this late date. but there are a couple of tactics to employ to get a better deal. and these are things you should be doing all yearlong. but especially during a holiday season. so the first thing you want to do is book your trip as a vacation package. all that means is bundling your flight and hotel together and booking them at the same time. travelocity did a study and found a savings of $525 per booking. and that's a great chunk of change to save. if you're looking for a hotel between christmas and new year's, think about booking a top secret hotel. when you book a hotel without

actually knowing the name of the property until the booking process is complete. but you get up to 55% off published rates, great information, you get the location, star rating, list of amenities, but you don't know the name. >> that's a risk there. a little scary, genevieve. >> it's when -- it's when location and price are more important to you than brand. it's great option for a last-minute get away to a big city. >> that is great stuff this morning that people need to hear because a lot of people still trying to book flights and get out there. so thank you so much for that this morning. you enjoy your holiday. >> thanks, t.j. >> thanks so much. >> you too. need to talk to some of the single men and women out there, but don't change the channel if you're married right now. don't want you to do that. but still, listen up. talking about online not just dating, but flirting. what works and what does not? our nadia bilcheck is here next.

all right. let me bring in nadia now. you've got to hear this, folks. nadia always brings us something interesting here. and talking about online -- not just dating, but flirting, as well. and you have to know the right thing to say to the right woman or man but that can vary depending on where that man or woman may be in the world. >> now, the survey i'm going to talk about comes from bardu.com, which is a multilingual social website started in russia, headquartered in london, and owned by a company in turkey. >> we're going all over the world. >> and it's got 17 languages. but the survey was done in 11 of

the 17 languages. and they said what are the pick-up lines that were the worst? is there a response, is there a conversation? what do you think the most obvious one is? >> to compliment someone's eyes. >> exactly. i'm looking at your eyes. and for those of you who haven't seen t.j.'s eyes close up, they are rather beautiful so, yes, t.j., they are beautiful. that worked, but there is another line that worked across all language countries and what -- >> no matter what, this line worked? >> this line worked. and it was, you have beautiful lips. >> okay. i can see that. >> that worked. men and women have beautiful lips. now different women in different countries and different men in different countries responded to different things. so, for example, british and turkish women responded to compliments about their legs. women in spain responded to compliments about their hair. german and canadian women responded to compliments about their skin. dutch and portuguese women responded to compliments about their ears.

>> about their ears? >> about their ears. >> what is a good compliment for an ear? >> you just have the cutest ears. >> you have the cutest ears? all right. >> but getting back to lips. let's talk about lips. psychologists analyze this, what about you have beautiful lips works? and it was the fact that they weren't being wishy washy, they were being bold. think about adornment on lips. they've been painting them with roots and dyes and various things and how often do we do just do -- >> do that. >> yes. >> and there are some things -- i was surprised about the legs part. because sometimes you can't say things about certain parts of a woman. like you can say hair, that's safe. eyes, that's safe, but you can't really -- >> i suppose when it gets to online dating, though, how safe are you and what goes on? i mean this particular site is fascinating. they have over 89 million users. and i have been gauging this. literally people join to the second. if you're on, it goes 89

million, such a need for media and dating online. >> what did men like to be complimented on? >> they also liked their lips. what would you like to be complimented on? >> i'll tell you on the break. >> oh, nadia, she gets us in trouble sometimes, but we always enjoy the conversation. great stuff here. well, going to turn to one of the big questions of the morning. would you pay someone $40 million to just carry a clipboard for you? that's what's happening in washington, d.c. we'll explain. it's nine minutes till the top of the hour.

i'm hugh jidette and i'm running for president. i'll say a lot of things but do i really care about this baby's future? when he's 30 years old our $13 trillion debt will be $70 trillion eventually his taxes will double just to pay the interest. i'm hugh jidette and i say let's keep borrowing and stick our kids with the tab.

hi, may i help you? yes, i hear progressive has lots of discounts on car insurance. can i get in on that? are you a safe driver? yes. discount! do you own a home? yes. discount! are you going to buy online? yes! discount! isn't getting discounts great? yes! there's no discount for agreeing with me. yeah, i got carried away. happens to me all the time. helping you save money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. all right. we're about six minutes to the top of the hour. did you see what lebron did to new york? not just the knicks, but the whole city last night. joe carter joining me here with hln sports. and this is kind of the same way it played out in cleveland when he went back. this is what you're missing, folks. >> you know what?

really the only different feel for lebron being on that court was he was with a different team and a different jersey. every time he steps on madison square garden's floor, he elevates his game. and you could see from the video, new york fans still burned he didn't pick new york city, instead he took his talents to south beach. and 32 points last night, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, another triple-double for lebron. he is the difference maker. that's why new york fans are so upset when he's not with the knicks. miami's won 11 games in a row. i'm excited for this upcoming game saturday. that christmas day special. going to be able to gauge where these two teams are at this christmas season. >> they've got it going now. they start out 9 of 8 at one point. they seemed to finally have this -- >> they have got their groove. >> d.c. -- okay, washington redskins fans are some passionate folks who deserve better, quite frankly, that what they've been getting. it's been a whacky year, and now donovan mcnabb on the bench?

>> the head coach brought him to d.c. they gave up two draft picks. and ever since he's come to the redski redskins, he's quite frankly been a bust for them. guy's thrown 15 interceptions, 14 touchdowns, the redskins are 5-8. so shanahan made a huge move this week and said you know what, donovan, you're going to the bench for the last three games of the season. people are scratching their heads and d.c. saying, wait a second, didn't we sign this guy to a $78 million contract? well, that $78 million contract is full of incentives and full of, you know, different stipulations, and apparently he's only going to get $3 million of that $78 million if he stays on the team this year he gets none of that money if he's on the team this time next year. he's going to be 35 next year, not having a good season. he's clearly not happy with the way mike shanahan's been running the offense and the decisions being made, but his agent said this is the most disrespected he's ever been in his entire career. and this was a guy who was booed

on draft day by philadelphia fans. >> that's just philly. but no, he had -- they learned to love him and had great years in philly. a weird situation for a two-minute drill for rex grossman. no offense, rex, but rex ain't an all-star we're talking about here. >> donovan mcnabb has been in the league a lot of times, the pro bowl six times, been to a super bowl, he is a potential hall of famer. and you have to be wondering if you're a redskins fan what's going on there? why rex grossman not to stick with donovan mcnabb. >> no disrespect to rex. and i've been a fan of rex for a long time. but, yeah. >> questionable. >> mike shanahan's digging his feet in the sand, though. >> good to see you as always. >> good to see you. >> joe carter, hln sports. good stuff this morning. well, getting close to the top of the hour here. just ahead, a lot of people have questions about their taxes right now. the new tax bill that was passed

up in congress. the white house, the president did sign it. now, that's not necessarily going to have some big effect on you filing your taxes this coming year. but it's got a lot of people thinking about taxes at this point. so we're taking your questions. we've gotten several. got a tax consultant coming in, going to answer your specific questions this morning. that's coming up shortly. quick break, and we're right back.

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well, hello there. top of the hour on this cnn saturday morning. give you a look at some of the stories making headlines, including tough talk coming from both sides in the demilitarized zone. bill richardson is there trying to ease things, ease those tensions on the korean peninsula. this comes weeks after both sides traded fire over disputed island off the korean coast. bad weather has canceled south korea's planned military exercises for today, which north korea had threatened to respond to with force. richardson, america's unofficial envoy to north korea described the meeting as productive, but the whole situation he described as a tinderbox to our wolf blitzer who is traveling with richardson. >> i'm concerned because there's a potential for miscalculation.

i've raised with the north koreans the importance of being extremely restrained, to cool down, to not overreact. we started these discussions yesterday. this morning we're going to meet with a top adviser to kim jong-il. the head of the military tomorrow, but i am concerned because these routine exercises of the south koreans could cause a miscalculation. my sense from talking to the north koreans is they want to tamp things down a bit. i urged them to be restrained, that they've caused a lot of international damage to themselves with the killing of the civilians on the island, the sinking of the ship, the increased uranium production that is causing enough alarm that the time has come to come back to negotiations and to cool things down. i think we've had a little bit of success. but i'm really concerned about these potential exercises causing a provocation.

>> also, take a look at this. we've seen scenes like this play out around the country this week. we'll see some more next week all before christmas. they're being greeted, our men and women the hugs and the handshakes and tears from family. again, these scenes playing out at airports across the country. a lot of them getting leave, getting chance to come home. a lot of them coming home and will get to stay home. but some of them will have to go back out. but still, so many of them pleased to be home for the holidays and be with their families. also, how would this sit with you? help you sleep? knowing that 141 inmates escaped from a prison that's near you. well, they escaped from a prison in mexico. they are still on the run now. they might have had some help from the guards to get out of this prison. state and federal mexican officials blaming each other for the security breakdown. also among the missing right now, the prison director. again, this prison is in mexico, but it's right across the border

from loredo, texas. just across the river. turn to some weather now. and it is severe. many parts of this country, but also in much of europe. snowplows are among the only vehicles moving right now. again, this is northern ireland to bulgaria. they've had blizzard-like conditions, they've delayed, canceled hundreds of flights. some parts recorded almost 40 inches of snow already. reynolds wolf here with more as always. you want to do weather, though. >> every time i go to bulgaria, you know, we often deal with that heavy snowfall. it just happened this time of year. >> you go in the wrong season. you should go in the summertime. >> absolutely. it's always beautiful, especially this time of year. but i will tell you that the snowfall out towards the west is intense. especially the sierra nevada where they could see several feet of snowfall. some places, especially the highest mountain peaks could get up to 8 feet of snow before the day is out. let's go to the west. as we zoom in on the location, the snow is so easy to see. the highs here, nevada, from

reno southward to about devil's post pile, the snow is going to be piling in. there's another big part of the story, the big component. and that is going to be the wind. the wind really beginning to pick up, especially into the late afternoon hours. we could have some gusts topping 60 to 70 miles per hour. so with that and the snow, visibility could be minimal. especially along parts of 80 near lake tahoe. so please be careful on the roadways. we can show you these computer images, but the graphics are one part of the story. maybe video does an even better job. let's show you the footage that is just from the west of tahoe area. looks pretty good there for the skiers. got a few kids, moms and dads out there. few snowboarders out there too. if you're trying to get from one point to the other, it's going to be a difficult time for you. the chp will be out there in force. they're out there to make sure you're safe. and they're going to try to keep them as clean as they can.

not only the heavy snowfall, but that low that's going to bring in that pacific moisture is going to remain in place for the rest of the weekend. in fact, as you see out there on the west coast, it's going to keep that rain in places like san francisco where the high is going to be 61 as you come back to the weather maps, you're going to see it plain as day, 61 degrees, your high in san francisco. portland, 44, scattered showers, 58 in phoenix, 22 in chicago, 36 in new york, 44 in atlanta with the rainfall for tomorrow basically the same thing, 15 for minneapolis, 55 in denver, and 70 in san antonio for your sunday. all right, t.j., that's it for the forecast. >> looks good. thanks so much. we'll talk to him plenty throughout the morning. take a look now at washington, d.c. busy place this weekend. this is a live picture of the senate floor. yes, they are working on the weekend. they are in session because they have a couple of major things on the plate. it wasn't just that bush era tax cut deal they had to vote on,

that has been done. the president signed that. but still, a couple of major issues. one of them being don't ask, don't tell. they could vote today or this weekend and we could have a repeal of that 17-year policy that keeps gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. they could repeal it this weekend. ools something they're taking out is the dream act. now, that is a legislation that some opponents call amnesty. others say it has given people a chance who didn't have an option. those people are illegal immigrants who are here, young people brought here by their parents as children. the dream act allows them a path to citizenship if they either go to college or join the military. so the dream act, not -- the supporters not too optimistic about it today. but it looks like the votes are there, at least for don't ask, don't tell. both of those votes coming up are scheduled at least within the next hour and a half. we will keep you updated about what's happening there. meanwhile, this time, we're

in this 9:00 eastern hour and every saturday here on cnn saturday morning. we spent a little time in this half hour digging deeper on an issue that directly affects you. we are talking about your taxes today, you money. also some decisions you can make about that money. 2010 is winding down. you're going to be thinking about taxes next year, you have to do them. we've got experts here answering your questions about the tax, the taxes, also about your family finances. all of that coming up. one thing you can plan for now -- and everybody was waiting. what are you going to do with these bush-era tax cuts? you know now your taxes are not going to go up next year because that deal, that compromise ruz rea was reached. kate bolduan at the white house. there was a lot in this big bill. we're talking about $900 billion. the main part, yes, everybody heard was about the bush-era tax cuts. but there's more in there for people to know about, as well. >> reporter: that's absolutely right. and really quickly, let me run through those provisions that really were included in this

package. not only are we talking about extending the bush-era tax cuts for all americans and that's for that short period of time relatively. a two-year extension, but also an extension of unemployment benefits. something that democrats were pushing for saying that was kind of their marker. they weren't going to go anywhere in the negotiations if they didn't get that included in this deal. that also included a payroll tax reduction and a reduction in the level -- the level of the estate tax. a bit controversial there. but when signing the $858 billion tax deal, t.j., president obama called it a good deal for the american people. but it was a deal that neither democrats nor republicans were entirely happy with. regardless, both sides are touting victory. albeit with their own spin today. >> this package was the product of hard negotiations. like any negotiations, there was give and take on both sides. but i'm heartened by our ability

to come together to do what's best for middle class families across this country and for our economy as a whole. >> this bipartisan agreement was made possible because voters gave republicans much more leverage at the negotiating table. our leverage forced the white house to abandon its class warfare rhetoric, stop pandering to the president's left wing base, and do the right thing for american taxpayers and job creators. >> so not everyone -- no one really entirely happy with this deal, t.j. but i guess that is the art of compromise here in washington. you're not going to be happy with everything included in a compromise. but beyond the tax deal, president obama is still delaying his -- the start of his holiday vacation where he will be heading to hawaii. why? well, the white house says he is staying in town as long as congress is staying in town and in session. but also, the reality is there's always a bit of perception when it comes to this type of thing. it might not look so good if the president's off on vacation

while congress is still debating some of his top priorities, repealing don't ask, don't tell, as well as some of his campaign promises. so that's what's going on today. >> yeah. and certainly not a good look of all places he's going for his holiday vacation, hawaii. you don't want to see congress working and him in a hawaiian shirt. that's not a good look. >> reporter: vacations are always sensitive with any administration. when they take it and how they take it. >> all right. kate, good to see you as always. thanks so much. and as a reminder, she's there in d.c., work going on there today. the senate is set to vote on two initiatives, the dream act and don't ask, don't tell, could be repealed this weekend. we'll continue to monitor and let you know about that. but also, we are monitoring your money, taxes. everyone talking about this landmark tax deal signed into law. how does that exactly affect you? could that really affect your taxes as you file them, actually? coming up at the beginning of the year, we've got a tax specialist answering your

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all right. 14 minutes past the hour. so much action on capitol hill regarding taxes. bound to be some confusion as to what you need to be doing to prepare for 2011. this morning, we've been asking for your questions. so thank you to you all who sent them to us at our e-mail, also on facebook and twitter. we did get them, we picked out a few. we couldn't of course get to all of them. but thank you for sending them. joining us from dallas to answer some of those tax questions is tax consultant. good morning, we appreciate you and everybody has their mind on christmas right now. nobody wants to be thinking about taxes. but you think we should be right now and some things we need to be doing right now to get ready for next year's tax files? >> absolutely. taxes are very, very important. what i'm going to do -- i'm going to give you four key things to prepare for taxes. first of all, you need to get organized. i want you to get a folder and put 2010 tax information on that

folder and any tax information you get in the mail, put it in that folder and get it organized for your preparer. next i want to talk about charitable contributions. if you gave to a church, a salvation army or good will, be sure to put that information in the folder, as well, that'll do well for you and your tax preparer. and also, i want you to look at your 2009 tax return. i want you to do a reconciliation on what kind of documents you got. if you've got two w-2s, you should probably get two for 2010, as well. look at that return and do a reconciliation. and finally make an appointment with your accountant. say, you know what? i need to get on your schedule and find out a good time to get this tax return done early 2011. because a lot going to be busy in 2011 because all of the changes in the economy. >> that's pretty good. good stuff. it's stuff we should know, it's almost common sense in some ways, but you don't think to do it. and you're right, if you don't have one place you're putting all that stuff. it gets lost in the mail.

because they come at different times. you've got to have a place to put them all. we talked about, we took questions this morning from viewers. so let's get right to them. here's one from my facebook page. we appreciate it from benita gay. and it says i assume because the tax cut deal was approved, there'll be no major changes when filing taxes this year. is this a correct assumption? or have there been changes implemented that have not made the headlines? yes, we're talking about taxes for next year with this new deal. is that going to affect people's filing for 2010? >> well, right now, the answer is no. there could some adjustments. 2010 is already done. so the tax law's already done. we're already paying what we need to pay. the bush tax cuts expire december 31st at the end of this year. what we were doing was trying to get that bill passed so we could have new tax laws for 2011. the big concern is 2011. you should not see too many changes for 2010. >> let me move on to a.m. cane

who sent one in, i'm a full-time college student. and due to the nature of my studies, i've been unable to work. will i have to file taxes on the grant money i've received? and will i be able to use the tax credit for college students even though i have not worked this year? kind of a complicated one and very specific. >> very specific, very good question. now, as far as the grant money, in most situations you do have to pay taxes on your grant money. but i want you to talk to your accountant about that. but also, there are tax credits out there. the hope tax credit and the lifetime credit, as well. talk to your accountant to see if you qualify and you will be able to get a credit for your tax return. >> another from andre in maryland saying is there a tax credit for parents who pay college tuition for their kids? >> absolutely. the same credit we talked about. the hope tax credit and the lifetime learning credit. you can take those as a parent if the child is your dependent. of course, you have to do the dependency test to make sure you qualify. but if the child is your

dependent, you should be able to use those, as well. >> don in honolulu, there'd been mention of extra payment to social security recipients, will this be happening? >> what i really want to talk about is the payroll tax cuts what's happening. and that's where you'll see it more in your paycheck. it's gone from 6.2% to 4.2%. and you'll probably start seeing that in your paycheck prior to second and third week in january. that's where you'll see more money in your paycheck, and that's where you'll get the most bang for your buck in these tax cuts. >> everyone's thinking about santa claus right now and the gifts. but this is something we need to have on our minds. very simple common sense basic stuff everybody can do. eric, that's the kind of breakdown we like. thanks so much, buddy. we appreciate you coming in. enjoy the rest of your weekend. >> thank you too. thank you. coming up, you also need to be thinking about your family budget for next year. maybe you need to do some things differently than you did this year. 20 minutes past the hour. ♪

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all right. 22 minutes past the hour now. we've looked at some of the things you can do to get your taxes in order next year. something else you need to be paying attention to is that family budget. you need to set one for the new year. you might want to get on that

now. also your medical insurance coverage. have you thought about that? joining us with some help, the author of "it's just money, so why does it cause so much trouble?" thank you for being with us. can we get past the holidays yet? or we need to do this before the holidays? >> the thing i see is a lot of people have some down time during the holidays. number one people don't get around to their budgets and financial issues is procrastination. i just don't have enough time, i'm so busy. so if you've got a couple of easy weeks, that's a great time to do some financial housekeeping. >> why do we need to do it in the first place? because we might end up making the same mistakes next year. it's important to do it. >> of course. when my book comes out, a lot of times it's behavioral things that are the problem. but what you want to do with our first tip is take a look at the family budget. if you've got some time, i remembered cai recommend callin as many vendors as possible. can i get a different package? the cell phone companies have lower packages they don't tell

us about as an existing customer unless we call them. so if you'll do some of those things and then lay out the budget and then have a family conversation concerning the parts of the budget that are applicable. if you're the one working and your spouse is the one that does the groceries and you write the budg budget, you've got to let them know this is how much i plan to spend. >> if you go take a survey of most people and ask them how much their cable bill is a month, they probably have no idea. that's a very good one. insurance, why is it important to review that? >> very important. and property and casualty as well as life, disability, health. let's talk about property/casualty first. i've got a great example. last week i got an appraisal on my engagement ring, which, by the way, congratulations on yours -- >> congratulations to you, as well. >> thank you, i've been married 21 years. i had this ring appraised. i haven't had it appraised since 20 years ago, it's worth double what it's insured for. if i lost it, i would only get half the value. i wouldn't be able to replace

it. make sure you keep up to date on your insurance, including your house. you just assume if you've been in that house every year, usually the insurance company ratchets up the amount it's covered a little bit every year, but it might not be adequate to actually replace your house. >> now that you've told us your ring is worth double, we'll get you an escort out of here. >> let's talk about health and life and disability. a lot of people assume disability insurance, i can't work because i'm sick. so my company's going to pay some amount of money to me. check and see if you even have that kind of coverage. you do. >> and sometimes it's short-term or long-term. >> both. and how much is it? it's usually around 60%. if you do have it, could you live on 60% of your income? if you couldn't, you might want to get a little bit extra. life insurance, so inexpensive to go out and buy term life. so many people come to me and say, need more, need more. while you're reviewing it, check all your beneficiary designations. >> i've got three more. got to get through these fairly quickly. retirement savings. >> just take a look at what level you're at. a lot of people in the past year

or so have cut back because of hard times. make sure you're at least doing up to the company match. try to go up 2% or 3% each year. >> the retirement investment allegations there, as well. >> check your asset allocation. what percentage should you have in stocks? what percentage in bonds? is it out of whack? if so, rebalance it back to that original allocation. reduces risk and kicks up your return a little. >> another one people probably don't think about enough, you need to set some goals. but you they need to attainable. >> i worry about people who say i've got $20,000 in credit card debt, my goal is to pay it off. what about paying $5,000 of it or $7,000 of it? make attainable goal, but do make goals, very important. >> we shouldn't shoot for the moon necessarily? >> make sure it's reasonable. >> okay. karen lee. you're really helping me out. you and also the guest we had on taxes. common sense stuff we all know but need to be reminded about

and hear it. >> and these are housekeeping things you should do every year. >> every year. >> thank you so much. >> congratulations on the 21 years. >> yes. >> thank you so much. all right. 26 past the hour. quick break. we're right back. i have asthma. and when my symptoms came back

i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again. we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms all day and night. [ man ] symbicort improves my lung function, starting within 15 minutes. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. it is a combination of two medicines and should not be taken more often than prescribed. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems, and children and adolescents may have an increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems. symbicort is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like inhaled corticosteroids. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop symbicort without loss of control, and prescribe a long-term asthma control medicine. be sure to see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. symbicort is a good choice to help control my asthma all day and night. [ inhales ] [ exhales ]

ask your doctor if symbicort is a good choice for you. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. taking a look now at some stories making headlines. congress working as we speak. and we could see a major vote coming up that could lead to the repeal of don't ask, don't tell. they're taking that up as well as the dream act. but yes, the senate is in session. both of those votes expected some time over the next hour or so. we are monitoring that closely. also, i don't know how i go from that to marijuana, necessarily, but i'm going to give it a