washington, d.c. talking about a -- some of kind of amnesty. that in the general election is a good thing but in the primaries it could be trouble. hala? tie polls conducted before the cnn debate. >> yes. >> thanks very much, paul steinhauser. next political update next hour. that's going to do it for me for now. i'm hala gorani. >> good to see you. have a great weekend unless i see you here this weekend. >> you won't. >> have a good thanksgiving weekend, hala. appreciate that. >> you, too. i'm fredericka whitfield. let's get you up to speed. black friday shoppers are swarming stores today for deals and some are going to the competitive brink for a deal. a woman at walmart squirted pepper spray on other people waiting in line for an xbox video game console. the line quickly cleared. she paid and then left. paramedics treated 15 people for

pepper spray burns. and a shopper shot in the foot outside of a walmart in myrtle beach, south carolina, early today. police say two men robbed a group of bargain hunters and cross creek mall in fayetteville, north carolina. the shooting began outside and then moved inside. no one was hit. police are looking for two suspects. pro and anti-government demonstrations held across egypt today. protesters paused for friday prayers. this ghon stra demonstration is dubbed last chance rally. a former prime minister has been renamed to the post by military leaders and asked to form a government of national salvation. egypt's interior ministry is responding to claims by a

journ journalist who says that she was beaten and sexually assaulted by riot police. a spokesman says its police do not treat journalists or females in that manner and if she claims took place it may have been a quote isolated incident. her left arm and right hand are broken. she spoke to us live from egypt yesterday and then talked about the assault to cnn in cairo again. >> there's only one way to describe it. it's like a wild beasts kind of finding their prey because, i mean, these riot police guys were out of control. and it was extremely -- it was horrifying and traumatic. >> this week's violence in egypt left 41 people dead and more than 3,200 injured. a los angeles judge will sentence dr. conrad murray tuesday for causing the death of legendary pop icon michael jackson. prosecutors say murray has shown

no remorse. they're asking for the maximum penalty. four years in prison and want him to pay jackson's children more than $100 million. murray's defense team wants probation. a new zealand pilot is talking about this incredible escape from a helicopter crash. take a look. greg gribble setting up a christmas tree when the blades appeared to get caught on cables causing it to crash to the ground. he explains what happened next. >> because it happened so quick, it was like a dream really. it was just like bang and then the next thing a couple of guys undoing my belt. a bit of blood on the back. i don't know whether that was my head that hit that or a seat. a graze here. >> is that a -- >> no. my left leg's got a bit of those. that's your main belt attached

to the floor of the aircraft. okay? and that basically -- i've just -- i must have just slid around inside of it. and then backwards. you know? if i wasn't wearing that, it would have been all over. >> gribble walked away from the accident with a few scratches. and here's stateside, it's beginning to look a lot like christmas at the white house with the official christmas tree arriving. first lady michelle obama is receiving the special delivery of wisconsin and we'll take you to the white house live in a few moneys for a closer look. all right. let's get back now to egypt. prayer and protests in tahrir square today. demonstrators are calling it the last chance protest. cnn's ivan watson joins us from the square in cairo. ivan, what's the situation today? >> reporter: hi there, fredericka. hundreds of thousands of egyptians have turned out in to the streets in cairo today.

so far, peacefully. at two rival demonstrations. the one here in tahrir square, after days of bloody violence, teargas canisters, rubber bullets. we're seeing fireworks and cheers from the people and in another part of town another rally in support of the ruling military council that the people here seem to hate so much. it's good that we haven't seen any bloodshed thus far here in cairo. and the ruling military council has issued a decree saying due to the big turnout, the unprecedented turnout in the two rallies they have decided to suspend voting on monday and the first phase of parliamentary elections and extra day so the people can have more time to cast their ballots. they're planning on going ahead with elections even though at least 41 people were killed in the last five, six days of violence here. fredericka? >> ivan, you have spoken with a

journalist, who says he's been beaten and sexually assaulted and groped by riot police. how's she doing now as best you know? >> reporter: she's been in tahrir square meeting with supporters and fellow so-called revolutionaries and they have been signing her cast. she's been very proud of that. posting that on her twitter feed. take a listen, an excerpt of her interview with us late last night shortly after she had been released from the hospital. >> i was surrounded by four or five riot police who just beat the heck out of me with their sticks. and then they dragged me to the side, inside the barricade now in to no man's land and sexual assaulted, groped my breasts, putt their hands between my legs. i lost count of the number of hands trying to get in to my belt and i was saying no, no,

trying to push them away but the beatings continued as i was trying to push them away, as i was trying to push their hands away and they were dragging me by my hair to the ministry because it's a few minutes away. it was like a bunch of wild beasts kind of finding their prey because, i mean, these riot police guys were out of control. and it was extremely -- it was horrifying and traumatic and it didn't stop when they took me just outside of the interior ministry because they continued groping me all the way. it was like i was fair game. anyone i passed would grope me. >> reporter: now, fredericka, the spokesman for the ministry says the police do not attack or sexually assault egyptian citizens though he said there may have been an isolated incident here. >> meantime, ivan, what about the three american students who were arrested for allegedly

throwing molotov cocktails at police? they were released but what's their status right now? >> reporter: well, it turns out that the prosecutors' office here ordered their release and they're still in police custody since they were arrested on monday. i just got off the phone with a spokesman for the u.s. embassy here in cairo. he says that part of the hold-up is there appear to be some kind of administrative procedures to allow them to be released from the police. their friends and family denying accusations from the egyptian security forces that the three american students were involved in throwing molotov cocktails at the police. the friends and family say that was not possible. these are not violent people. but as of yet, they're still not free men, fredericka. >> all right. ivan watson, thanks so much for those updates. appreciate that. meantime, here's run down of

the stories straight ahead. a woman in pakistan allegedly kills and then tries to cook her husband. we are live with details. then a psychologist is asked to break down the mentality that comes along every black friday. plus, mama mia. a cnn hero. a california chef inspired by his mother hands out free pasta dinners to underprivileged kids every day. and then at&t may be not be adding another "t" after all. how a merger with t-mobile may be in jeopardy. firefighters, police officers and volunteers spent eight frustrating hours trying to get a kitten out of a pipe. . a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion.

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or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. shouldn't it be given in an amazing way? ♪ the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer. it's a great hd tv. shh. don't speak. i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. more electronics start at midnight. and we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. walmart. [ male announcer ]n shopping for medicare coverage? the annual enrollment period ends december 7th. now is the time to take action. call unitedhealthcare medicare solutions today.

countdown to christmas begins at the white house. the official white house christmas tree arriving there. right outside the white house. beautiful. right there on the carriage. first lady michelle obama receiving the special delivery of wisconsin at the north portico and her daughters with her. here's the pictures taken moments ago as they're surveying the tree. making it a real family affair there with the dog. the 19-foot balsam fir is from wisconsin. it was selected in early october and harvested this month. and ready to be personaled in the place. now that thanksgiving is over, americans are embracing another holiday tradition. black friday when retailers

slash prices to entice the crowds like these. >> three, two, one! >> okay. well at least they weren't storming through and running. some are starting to pick up the pace. most walking, though. this taking place at macy's at the flagship store in manhattan. it opened at midnight in new york. and target, best buy and kohl's opened the doors at midnight while savvy shoppers get a rush out of bagging some early bargains, not everyone is as thrilled. george howell is at a best buy in atlanta. he's thrilled to be there. but who is unhappy? >> reporter: fredericka, as far as customers, they're satisfied with what we're seeing. this store opened at midnight. customers started to camp out 6:00 p.m. wednesday. i don't know if there's such a thing as black wednesday but a

lot of people in here now and certainly a busy time for the employees here. many of them started their shift at 10:00 p.m. thanksgiving day. they will be ending that shift this hour. 11:00 eastern so 12-hour shift, a long day for them. you get a mix. you get some worker who is are fine with it who take it in stride and you also find some that we focused on that we talked to who have a problem with these big stores opening on black friday early. >> i have a notebook for $79 but i didn't get soon enough for that one. >> reporter: 6:00 a.m., the doors are open at k-mart. but this is thursday, thanksgiving day. we found customers like elaine and carlos gonzalez putting turkey dinner on the back burner in search of bargains we got him a kinecf for his birthday and my oldest son a big tv and a camera for the family. >> reporter: from macy's to walmart, customers are finding good deals when stores open early for black friday but what

about the employees who give up their thanksgiving? >> we are retail workers and expected to work odd hours. this is the first year that best buy as a whole asked us to miss our thanksgiving. >> reporter: rick started an online petition against best buy for asking employees to work thanksgiving day. he's gotten more than 15,000 signatures. >> i understand there's money to be made and we need to make that money, but family should always come above any form of money. >> reporter: another petition started by a target employee in omaha, nebraska, gotten some 200,000 signatures. anthony hardwick explained via skype. >> the store management is very friendly. think about the people who are having an issue with this petition are up in minneapolis. >> reporter: both minneapolis-based retailers responded. from target, we have heard from our guests that they want to shop target following their thanksgiving celebrations rather than only having the option of getting up in the middle of the night. and from best buy, we have

customers who have told us that they'd like to shop best buy on thanksgiving day, and that's why we're opening at midnight. elaine davis with the national retail federation says stores opened early to stay competitive. >> for the last several years black friday has been the biggest shopping day of the year. and retailers know that they need to do everything they can in order to maximize the sales on that day when were while some choose to enjoy the holiday at home, others give thanks for those giving up their holiday. >> they're giving up their family time and they need to -- everybody should just say thank you for being here today. >> reporter: i want to come back to a live picture here in georgia just to show you how busy this best buy is. it's been consistent since midnight through the morning. and just here in the last few minutes, fredericka, starting to see a change of faces as these employees who have been working since 10:00 p.m. are starting to go home and new employees are coming in. >> oh hi goodness. they're tuckered out.

all right, george howell. thank you for that view of black friday. with all the black friday hype you'd think every american might be in a store today. well, apparently not the case. a new cnn/orc poll finds just 23% of americans, fewer than 1 in 4, will actually hit the stores today. whopping 76% say no thanks. they'll happily sit out black friday. a lot of people working the cash registers today are part-timers who can't find full-time work. before the recession, 4 million americans were working as part-timers. for that reason, how many are there now? 9 million? or is it 5 million. or 3 million? the answer in a moment. long-lasting, too. yeah, i could really use this silverado. i'm a big hunter. oh, what do you hunt? deer. fish. fantastic. ♪ this holiday, chevy's giving more. now qualified buyers can get 0% apr for 72 months

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♪ working for a living all right. so a lot more americans working part-time jobs these days because they can't find full-time work. there were 4 million of those part-timers before the recession back in 2007. how many are there now? more than double, the labor department says about 9 million americans working part-time jobs because they have no full-time

options. all year we have been introducing you to every day people who are changing the world. we call them cnn heroes. well now, i went to introduce you to one of the top ten cnn heroes for 2011. since 2005, chef bruno has been serving free pasta dinners to more than 300 children through his charity katerina's club. many kids from families strugen and live in motels. bruno joins me now from los angeles. congratulations for the amazing work you have been doing. >> thank you. bonjourno to you. how are you? >> great. since being named one of the top cnn heroes what's happened to katerina's club? >> well, first of all, i have to take a second to calm down. i was so impressed to be one of the ten honorees. katerina is doing what it's been doing for seven years. feeding 300 children every day.

it's beautiful. in fact, last night watching the cnn hero of the last past five years i enjoy to be part of this great, unbelievable, great human beings. katerina's club has been -- it's planning to expand. that's what cnn is doing to us is making us worldwide recognition and hopefully i hope it can go to around the world. this is my goal. >> so just looking at the videotape of you, you know, handing out plates of pasta to kids, looks like it's so gratifying to you. >> part of the -- >> yeah. you started this to help out the families but in the end, do you feel like you are getting a big gift, as well, in return? >> well, you know what? i think you cannot even ask -- you cannot even ask for a bigger gift. you see a child smiling at you, when you see a kid give you a hug, when you see a kid eat your own pasta, you just cook for it, this is the most rewarding part

of my life. and that's my favorite part of the day between 4:00 and 5:00 when i go there serving the kids. >> your mom gets a lot of credit, too, because she gave you this idea? is that true? >> well, mama deserved all the credit because when i went with her the first time to the boys and girls club, she find out with me the moment and a little boy was not eating dinner that night because he was a motel kid. she look at me and said, bruno, you must do pasta for him. good son, i listen to my mama and that was first night, the first night was seven. 70 children. and we went happy and in the last four years, the children triple from 70 as we start. now we are over 300. sometimes 350. maybe even more some days. it is all thanks to mama. mama deserve the credit. >> oh. >> mama cat ri in. >> that's fantastic. you have served so many people

and been a great gift for them and congratulate you, as well. congratulations on being a cnn top ten hero. all the best to you. good luck. >> grazi. all right. bruno serato go. to cnnheroes.com. now online and on your mobile device to vote for the cnn hero who inspires you the most. all ten will be honored live at the cnn heroes, all-star tribute hosted by anderson cooper sunday, december 11th. straight ahead on the run down, next the psychology of black friday. what makes some people go just a tad bit and sometimes over the top crazy for bargains? then a bizarre crime out of pakistan. a woman accused of killing, cutting up and then trying to cook her husband. a little kitten in big trouble. firefighters give up the holiday to help it out. ♪

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is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. u.s.a.a. we know what it means to serve. for some, black friday is getting out of hand. new video in right now. take a look at the youtube video a customer shot of a police officer in a walmart in kinston, north carolina. trying to make an arrest. apparently pepper spray was used. one customer says many people had to be taken to the hospital because of reactions to the spray. and then in los angeles, a woman at a walmart pepper sprayed other shoppers while trying to cut ahead in line. police say that she was somehow able to pay for her purchases and then leave the store before they got there. and then on to fayetteville, north carolina. someone fired shots outside a mall entrance around 2:00 this

morning. as shoppers were gathering for sales there. no injuries were reported. and in kissimmee, florida, police had to wrestle a man to the ground to stop a fight. so what makes otherwise civil, respectful people push and shove, especially on black friday? let's ask a psychologist. joining me is jeff gardere. good to see you. happy thanksgiving and post thanksgiving and happy black friday but not so happy in some places. people are out of control and losing their minds as we saw in those examples. >> yes. >> what's happening? what's the explanation behind this kind of behavior? >> well, i think part of it is you look at the economy. people are really desperate and now you throw in this mix of black friday and all of the hype and the brainwashing and i think people are whipped in to a frenzy. psychological psychologically, physically. it is a major event. an opportunity to hoard, perhaps, some product that is they really don't actually need

and some that they have to have. and it becomes really a deadly mix and then you have that mob mentality with the anonymity and lack of a conscious. >> so this mob mentality or the competitive nature, is it in all of us? >> it is in all of us but we're also civilized human beings and we know when it's time to turn it on and when it's time to turn it off. but what happens is when we have this kind of advertising and the retailers use these incredible sales, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% off, people can't help themselves at times and this is a competitive nature. people get together. because they're with other people and they're fighting to get the products, they become even more competitive and then they actually begin to become inappropriate, very rude or even some criminal very aggressive behaviors. >> and no one can forget what happened back in 2008 when at a

walmart a worker was actually tramibled to death by people that rushed through the doors and so anxious to get to those sales and it took a long time before anyone realized somebody was on the ground injured which ultimately led to his death. so, when you see examples like this and even examples that we talked about earlier that have happened today since midnight, for example, do you feel that it's time for the retailers to take more responsibility and say, you know what? maybe people can't behave responsibly and we shouldn't have these sort of, you know, black friday or midnight or 6:00 a.m. rush for a bargain or two hours to take advantage of a particular bargain? >> fredericka, i think you're absolutely right. the retailers do have to take responsibility. they really do need to understand that in this particular economy, people are very, very desperate. they still can make the money. maybe not as much as they want to make but you also have to be responsible for your fellow human beings, especially in a

society where people have a lot of desperation. so therefore, they shouldn't be pushing them so much and using all sorts of psychological tactics to get them to feed in to the desperation and competitive spirit. they should work with them, have better crowd control and if they need to, teach them a better ways to shop where at the same time they can be kind to their fellow shoppers. >> shoppers need to be responsible, as well. how do you avoid getting hooked up in to that trap of, hey, everybody else is doing it so i'm going to do it, too? >> don't buy in to the hype. yes, there are incredible sales on black fridays and cyber mondays and the fact of the matter is a lot of people do know who are seasoned shoppers that you can go on the net. you can go to different places on the internet, shopping guides and so on, where you can find some of those sales. don't get in to the hoarding mentality but at the end of the

day be responsible for your own behavior. in other words, practice as much as you can control no matter how much you may want a particular product. it is not worth it if you end up getting hurt or hurting somebody else. >> absolutely. jeff gardere, thanks so much. good to see you. happy holiday. >> my pleasure. thank you. a gruesome and disturbing story out of pakistan. a woman accused of killing her husband, chopping up the body and then trying to cook the pieces. and she says why in a television interview. [ beep ] [ mom ] scooter?

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we're following a bizarre and disturbing story out of pakistan of a gruesome murder of a man allegedly by his wife. resa, seems like something out of a horror move have you but it's very real. a woman trying to cook her husband's body parts. what happened? >> reporter: yeah. well, oftentimes we use the word

"shocking" in tv news and overused but this time it fits the bill. doesn't get more grizzly than this. 32-year-old zana bebe of pakistan drugged her husband and then hanged him. then proceeded with the help of her 22-year-old nephew to cut up his body to 51 separate pieces. but it doesn't end there. according to police, then she proceeded to cook her husband's body parts. police say she didn't want to consume her husband's body parts. she wanted to get rid of it without being caught and thought this was the way to do it. it didn't work. according to police, neighbors smelled a foul odor. they called police. police arrived at her home. we spoke to an investigator who was on the scene. he said he walked in and saw zana bebe with a bunch of pots and pans on the stove cooking up her husband's body parts. fredericka, they took her away

to jail. they took her nephew away, as well. she is awaiting murder charges along with some other charges, as well. >> and why, resa, is she believed to have done this? >> reporter: yeah, pakistani television station did a jailhouse interview with her and she told this television station that this was her second husband. she had a daughter from her first marriage and apparently the husband wanted to divorce her and marry this teenage daughter. obviously, she was incensed. in that television interview she wasn't remorseful or sorry. she said he deserved it. she said that i killed him before he could get his hands on my daughter, fredericka. >> thanks so much for islamabad. all right. imagine being born partially deaf and then choosing to become a rock star. it's the path kiss guitarist and singer paul stanley took. find out what he's doing to help

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so it happens every year. somebody starts talking politics at the thanksgiving dinner table

and everything goes haywire. this spoof courtesy of jimmy kimmel live. >> you mihired illegals in your home, mitt, and you knew about it for a year and the idea you stand here and talk about being strong on immigration is on its face the height of hypocrisy. >> rick, i don't think i have ever hired an illegal in my life. i'm afraid -- i'm looking forward to finding your facts of then. >> i'll tell you the facts. >> rick, i'm speaking. i'm speaking. i'm speaking. i'm speaking. >> you five seconds. >> this is the way the rules work is i get 60 seconds. >> the american people want the truth. >> you get time to respond. right? >> in case you couldn't tell those were the voices of republican presidential candidates mitt romney and rick perry dubbed over the holiday classic "a charlie brown thanksgiving." all right. newt gingrich is leading the republican pack in the polls but he's catching a lot of heat for

his stance on illegal immigration. take a listen to gingrich talking about that at the cnn debate on tuesday night. >> i don't see how the parties that says it's party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century and i'm prepared to take the heat for saying let's be humane and enforcing the law without giving them citizenship but by finding a way to create legality so they're not separated from their families. >> all right, paul steinhauser live from washington at the political desk to talk about this. paul, we are certainly seeing a new newt here. meaning he's really way out front. are some calling him, i guess, revealing a different side of newt? >> and the immigration stuff that you played just there plus the stuff from the peanuts spoof of a moment ago, it really is amazing, fred. when's the top issue with americans? by far, the economy and jobs and creating jobs and seems in the

debates immigration is the flashpoint and we saw it. you played the clip of our debate, tuesday night here in washington, d.c. listen. illegal immigration and what to do with sit a reason that rick perry drstarted to drop in the polls because of the stance on it and now because of what gingrich said the other night, how will that play in iowa? for the general election, that's a great, great theme but in the republican primaries amnesty is a four-letter word for some conservatives and interesting to see how it plays in iowa and south carolina. two of the early states. look at the polls in iowa. you talked about gingrich being the front-runner. american research group of the other day, now a front-runner in iowa. 27%. mitt romney at 20%. ron paul the congressman of texas at 16%. fred, we are just five and a half weeks away from the first votes in iowa. the state that kicks off the primary and caucus calendar. >> paul, mitt romney is out in front for a long time now. what's the explanation as to why he might be dropping in the polls there?

>> it's funny, isn't it? romney's been steady along there in the mid-20s. 20% to 25% in the polls. take a look at the national poll. cnn/orc. romney at 24%. gingrich now at 24% in the top spot so romney's kind of been consistent all year, either in the number one position or number two position and now gingrich is the latest republican candidate to be the anti-romney. the one to catch fire. we saw that with bachmann and mcand now gingrich's time to shine, i guess. five and a half weeks to go until the first votes and anything can happen. romney has a big, powerful campaign and a lot of money and may step it soon. >> anything can happen. cain and perry particularly used to be at the top of the heap, the front of the pack and now very much at the bottom showing in the latest poll. anything can happen with them, too, right? >> yes. with rick perry, he has a lot of campaign cash and buying commercial time. putting a lot of commercials up on television in iowa and new

hampshire. those two first states, so rick perry has the tool it is try to jump back in to it and needs to beef it up or step it up in the debate performances. herman cain seemed like the missing man on tuesday night. his campaign it seems to be fading. you see the poll numbers there. he is starting to drop. it's those sexual allegations, sexual harassment allegation that is hurt him over the last couple of weeks, fred. >> thanks so much, paul steinhauser from washington. and of course, if you want to know more politics and you go, go to cnnpolitics.com. all right d. you know that one out of every five americans has trouble hearing? one of those people is kiss singer and guitarist paul stanley. he became a rock star despite not being able to hear in one ear. chief medal correspondent dr. sanjay gupta brings us his story in this week's "the human

factor." >> everybody clap your hands! ♪ ♪ i want to rk and roll >> reporter: to rock and roll all night and party every day. that's always been paul stanley's dream. >> if somebody had told me at 58, 59, i would be running around on stage without a shirt and in tights and high legheels would have said, what drug are you taking? >> come on and love me! >> reporter: but the road to rock stardom as the front man for kiss was difficult. few people know it but stanley was born with a condition that should have steered him away from music. >> i had a physical deformity. >> reporter: one of stanley's inner ears that conveys sound to the brain never developed. figuring out the sound of was understanding and born with an underdeveloped outer ear. were you teased? >> it was horrible. i have to say that childhood was

not fun. >> reporter: grew your hair out and become a signature look of you and the band. was that in part because of wanting to hide your ears? >> absolutely. >> reporter: grew your hair out to do that? >> absolutely. >> reporter: strength and defiance got stanley through the taunting. >> something told me inside that i could do music and interestingly being deaf in one ear was not something that i saw as a hardship or something that was a hindrance at all. >> reporter: eventually offstage, hearing loss did become a hindrance so stanley had surgery. >> basically you take a power drill and aim in to the head. >> reporter: the surgery was successful. but it does not equal self acceptance. that stanley learned over time. and by working with kids. you talk to kids who have microcia. mr. stanley, i'm teased on the playground. >> how cool it is for them to hear somebody say, i was there,

and look what i did. you can get through this. you will find out how much something means to you by how hard you're willing to work to overcome it. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, los angeles. >> and a quick programming note, want to know the secret to preventing the heart attack? dr. sanjay gupta has the answer. watch "the last heart attack" tonight 7:00 and 11:00 eastern time. so one week in to retirement, what's regis philbin up to these days? who does he want to fill his spot next to kelly there? brooke baldwin will ask him live. tune in 2:00 eastern time here in the cnn newsroom. what's this? it's progresso's new loaded potato with bacon. it's good. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? big piece of potato. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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$39 billion merger planned between at&t and t-mobile has hit a major snag. but first, wall street opened for a short day this morning. alison kosik is live from the new york stock exchange. how are the markets performing? >> markets were doing much better earlier. right now they are mixed. the dow up 29 points. at this point investors, fredricka, have high hopes as to the way black friday sales are going to go today especially with some good weather across the country bringing everybody out to spend their money. also optimistic about cyber monday as well.

keep in mind that the market was closed yesterday. today the markets are going to be closed early, at 1:00. little more than an hour actually. investors are a little bit checked out though. anyone participating, very miniscule. i think everybody's out shopping at this point. so the volatility is a little heightened today because of that. >> now, let's talk more about that merger between at&t and t-mobile, merger not, that is. >> yeah. it is seeming that way but don't count your chickens yet. the signal true is not so strong on this one. at&t in fact is setting aside money just in case. it is setting aside $4 billion for a break-up fee that companies would typically pay. it is a penalty that they would pay if a deal that they've already agreed on goes through. at&t is preparing for this because what happened on monday, the fcc recommended that the deal go to an administrative hearing and that's pretty rare. the last time that that happened it was back in 2002 for a different deal that eventually fell through. so it does have the workings of

seeming like it may fall through but you never know when things like this. >> okay, alison kosik, thanks so much. how does a cat say -- get me out of here! meow! meow! >> meows really loudly. instead of thanksgiving turkey, a fire department must spend the holiday inn stead focused on a kitty in a jam. your core competency is...competency. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm getting an upgrade. [ male announcer ] as you wish, business pro. as you wish. go national. go like a pro. now through january earn a free day with every two rentals. find out more at nationalcar.com.

time to go cross-country for a few stories our affiliates are covering. congresswoman gabrielle giffords spent a part of her thanksgiving day serving meals to u.s. troops at a tucson military base. her husband retired astronaut mark kelly was at her side. giffords was only able to use her left hand. she is still recovering from a gunshot wound to the head back in january. what a joyous thanksgiving for military families in hawaii. about 300 marines and sailors returned to this marine base thanksgiving morning. they had been deployed to southern afghanistan and now they're back. and then on to southern california, an army of police officers, firefighters and volunteers spend thanksgiving day captivating by a little kitten. richard allen with san diego affiliate kfmb has the story.

>> meow! meow! >> reporter: the persistence and piercing cries for help began at about 4:00 thursday morning. a terrified kitten had managed to tumble several feet down this exposed plastic utility pipe on a sidewalk. initially a crew from emergency animal rescue attempted to save it. a tedious and intense rescue operation that ultimately included the police and fire. >> just trying every different way we could get down there and try to get something behind the kitten and drag him up or try to lasso him and pull him up. >> reporter: they created a catch pole out of wire and cable. >> this cable came from animal control. then with some duct tape we fashioned to get the cat out of the drain tool. >> reporter: trying to tempt the elusive feline with tuna. it took these crews dozens and dozens of tries.

>> he had the cat about a foot from the opening and the cat dropped off. >> hours and hours of effort, finally close enough to reach down and pull it up. >> poor guy. come on! >> this terrified ball of fur, apparently none the worse for wear. >> he looks great. he's a happy cat. >> happy and no doubt grateful. >> happy thanksgiving, little one. >> happy kitty, happy everybody there. that rescue, that operation took eight hours long. a police officer who helped save the kitten actually plans to adopt her. top of the hours now. i'm fredricka whitfield. let's get you up to speed. pro and anti-government demonstrations were held across egypt today.

this rally was in favor of the military. tens of thousands of people took part in competing demonstrations and they were peaceful. a former prime minister has been renamed to the post by military leaders and asked to form a government of national salvation. not everybody's excited about today's black friday deals here in the u.s. the occupy movement is taking on the big box stores. the site stopblackfriday.com is encouraging protesters to push their message of putting people before profits by calling for a boycott of major retailers. stock markets close in less than an hour. it is a shorter day today because of the long holiday weekend. it looks like the dow might gain a little ground, up 18 points right now. a live report from the new york stock exchange in about a half-an-hour from now. a new zealand pilot is talking about his incredible escape from a helicopter crash. take a look.

amazing moment right there. he was using his chopper to set up a seven-story christmas tree when the blades appeared to get caught in some cables there sending it crashing to the ground. the pilot explains what happens next. >> because it happened so quick it was like a dream really. it was just like, bang. the next thing i had a couple of guys undoing my belt. there is a bit of blood on the back there. i don't know if that was my head. my left leg's got about two of those. that's your main belt which is attach to the floor of the aircraft. okay? and that base there, i've just -- i must have just slid around inside it, it i went over backwards. if i wasn't wearing that, it would have been all over. >> amazing. close call there. he walked away from that accident with only a few scratches. it's beginning to look a lot

like christmas at the white house in particular. there it is making its way in with the official white house christmas tree at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. first lady michelle obama received the special delivery from wisconsin just about an hour ago, along with her daughters melalia and sasha. the tree is a 19-foot balsam fir. here is a rundown. some of the stories straight ahead. first, start your engines and hold on to those credit cards. >> the second that line hits, they say go in, it is like a stampede. >> shoppers lining up for black friday. then the that giving video that will melt your heart. a radiant gabrielle giffords spending her holiday feeding the troops and getting ready to see red, courtesy of the spacecraft. "curiosity." >> sets us up for the future of

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[♪...] >> announcer: now get a $250 airfare credit, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. certain restrictions apply. back to our lead story. the uprising in egypt. tens of thousands are spending a sixth evening in tahrir square. we want to bring you a perspective from some young professionals. >> police in any normal country would defend its people but police here defend the system. the system is not gaining for us. gaining for itself. >> are you angry?

>> of course. >> why? >> first all we had demand. not all of them -- and maybe all of them are not achieved yet. >> is this a revolution right now? >> yeah. this is like revolution. >> are you going to vote on monday? >> yeah. everyone here want to vote on monday. >> prominent egyptian-american journalist mona al tahawi has been on the front lines of the protest and has paid a high price for it. mona, we spoke yesterday and you revealed that your hand was broken, your arm was broken by riot police. how are you feeling the day after now our last conversation? >> hi, fredricka. well, my left arm is hurting a bit but i'm hanging in there and i've been at tahrir all day because there was no way i was going to be away. it is the center of the universe. >> i understand were you down at square and you had people signing your cast? >> that's right.

i've got what i call my love from tahrir. i asked people -- because it has been really incredible. as traumatic as my experience was at the hands of the riot police, every egyptian who has seen me and i was on egyptian television yesterday, every egyptian who's seen me in tahrir square today has stopped me and given me love and given me wishes saying get well soon and so i've asked them to sign my cast for me so thatky take their wishes and love from tahrir back to new york when i fly back. >> did you feel like it was a big risk to go back down to the square, the place in which your injuries and your arrest started? >> well, i wasn't hurt or arrested in tahrir square. i was hurt and arrested in mohammed mahmoud street which is just off tahrir square. it is a street that leads into the square. i'm perfectly fine in the square. my only concern today was to stay away from the middle of the throng because of my cast, because it was so many people today. they were really packed in. so i stayed on the edges of the

square. that's where i talked to a lot of people. that's where i stopped and took photographs with them, some of then wanted to take pictures of me. then i would ask well then in return would you sign my cast? i felt perfectly fine as long as i wasn't in the middle of it because i was just worried about the crowds and my cast. >> so egypt's interior ministry did respond after hearing your story, being told on many different occasions yesterday, different networks. they are now saying that what happened to you was an isolated incident, it must have been an isolated incident and they also said that the riot police wouldn't treat women the way in which you described you were treated. what's your response to them? >> that is absolutely laughable. it is outrageous that they would say that and they are living on a planet called denial. ask anybody who has been to tahrir square and has experienced any kind of interaction with the riot police and they will tell you, men and women, that they are extremely violent. ask the women especially what treatment has been like with the riot police? just yesterday the news broke of

another egyptian journalist who was dragged by her hair through the streets. so many activists and journalists for years have been sexually assaulted by the riot police. that statement that the ministry of of the interior made is laughable and is an i had case of how out of touch they are with why we're having a revolution in egypt. reason the revolution started on january 25th was to fight police brutality and clearly that brutality is still in place and clearly the minister of the interior is still a corrupt and brutal place that our revolution will continue to target until we are fully free of their brutality. >> mona, you just called this the revolution that began on january 25th. there are other people who have been interviewed there in tahrir square who say this is the second revolution. so is everyone kind of in concert as to whether this is a continuation of what transpired in january or if this is something separate, especially since we're now seeing a challenge from demonstrators of military rule looking for

civilian rule when the demands were different in january, weren't they? >> well, the demand were different in january because we were fighting another system. then we realized that the nine months later it is the same system. so in that sense the revolution continues. i say the revolution continues. i don't call this a second revolution. i say this is the continuation of the revolution that began on january 25th because the supreme council of armed forces for me is mubarak. i say we replace one mubarak with 18 mubaraks. these are all men from the military who are his friends. the man who currently runs egypt used to be mubarak's defense minister. he's 81 years old. mubarak is 83. so you replace one mubarak with 18 mubaraks. in that sense the revolution continues. one of the main demands of the revolution all along has been civilian leadership for egypt and we're still under a military junta. they said they would leave after six months. they did not. they kept prolonging their rule and they made so many promises

that they've broken so we don't trust them anymore. if you ask anybody in tahrir square today the majority of people will tell that you we want an end to ministry rule. all the chants today. the chants today were that the people want to topple the field marsh marshal. they want to get rid of the current ruler of egypt. the other chants were we're not going to lead, he will leave. they were also chanting we want to end military rule. it is clear egyptians realize supreme council of armed forces has made a mess of ruling egypt. >> mona, thanks so much. safely travels. i know you said you are heading back to the united states soon. safe travels on that. a family in virginia is saying thank you to men and women in uniform in a very special way. it's something they've been doing for years. we'll explain. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back.

they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. it's all crossed out... it's 'cause i got everything on it. boom! thank you! [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart.

now that thanksgiving is over, americans are embracing another holiday tradition. black friday. when retailers slash prices to entice crowds, like these. >> three, two, one --

>> some waltzes, some stormed. this is taking place at flagship macy's store opening at midnight in new york. so shoppers seem willing to spend their money even though a recent poll suggests that most folks still think the economy is in bad shape. less than a week before thanksgiving, a cnn/orc poll found 85% rate current economic conditions as poor. only 15% call conditions good. cnn's chris 'noles is standing by at macy's in new york where it looks like you still have a pretty significant crowd behind you. >> i think the crowd's even gotten bigger in the last few hours. it is a beautiful day. it is 53 degrees out. that's pretty nice for the day after thanksgiving. black friday started early this year. black thursday in some cases. here at macy's, as you mentioned, the doors opened at midnight. 10,000 people all lined up to spend money in this economy.

and they're doing a lot of it. that poll by the national retail association, their survey, they are expecting 1 52 million people will participate in black friday activities. you came to us all the way from texas. first we'll start with peggy this morning. how are you, peggy? >> i'm fine. >> tell us about your black friday experience. >> had a great time. lots of people. >> any good deals? >> oh, lots of good deals. had them all shipped back to texas. >> i was wondering where all those bags were. zach is back here. i know you got your new york outfit. how is it going? >> good. >> good deals for you, too? >> um-hmm. >> finally, of course, we're at macy's. this is macy. >> hi. >> macy and -- sophie. >> sophie and macy are going to go ice skating. they're giving up on shopping, fredricka. they are going to head over to do some ice skating. really a big day here and it continues of course through the weekend. then we have cyber monday to

look forward as well. >> of course. what sorts of things are they buying, perhaps the young lady from texas, she mailed a lot of her things back or is having her things shipped back. what sort of things did she buy? electronics. clothes. what? >> the women's -- the women's shoes. okay? some of those are not presents. you know what i mean? they go home with the people. other one which i know you personally will be excited about is the justin bieber new fragrance. it is called sunday. you spend $65, you get the fragrance. it is a fruity citrus smell. you get his holiday cd and you get a free video camcorder, digital one, if you were here early enough. exciting stuff coming out of macy's. >> all that stuff is on my list. i hope there is still a few left in time for when i get a chance to get to a store. all right. thanks so much. thanks so much.

have fun there shopping. some people are pushing black friday madness way over the line. a woman at walmart in los angeles actually skwirtd peop le with pepper spray. other people waiting in line for the same game she wanted, the xbox console. paramedics treated 15 people for pepper spray burns. shoppers apparently started grabbing for cell phones at this walmart in north carolina. an off-duty police officer used pepper spray on the crowd hitting about 20 people. some people say the officer got it all wrong. someone fell and the officer thought it was a disturbance. a pair of walmart shoppers in the orlando area came to blows at a jewelry counter there today. police had to wrestle one of the men to the floor to hand cuff

him. is he charged with resisting arrest. the other man left the store. gunshots greeted early morning shoppers at cross creek mall in fayetteville, north carolina. the shooting began outside, then moved inside. no one was hit, thankfully. police are now looking for two suspects. and today and every day, we thank servicemen and women for all that they do. a family in virginia is taking it a step further by inviting soldiers who are away from home into their home for thanksgiving. >> it's always been open to anyone. you don't have somewhere to go? come and eat with us. >> judging by this game, you'd never know zachary and jacob are just guests for the day. >> finding out that it is just like being back at home with the kids and all that stuff. >> reporter: two new playmates that is. >> it is new people to play with and i love to watch their expresses when they eat the pie and the turkey and everything else we have.

>> we have gotten a lot of opportunities to spend time outside with people, regular people. >> zachary and jacob don't get a lot of days like this. >> hardest one for me is being away from my family. >> the two are battle buddies in the u.s. army. this family adopted them for thanksgiving. >> these boys eat with abandon. they are always hungry when they get here. >> janice and her daughter april have opened up their home for solids on thanksgiving for more than 20 years. >> i've actually gotten letters from moms saying thank you. >> we had eight soldiers one year. it was the year that i called mom and said, i can't fit them all in my car! >> they and other families across hampton roads make room for these men and women every year to say thanks. >> it's nice to be able to sort of get back in touch with reality for thanksgiving instead of just another military day. >> that's what thanksgiving is to us. it's sharing what you have.

>> we thank cnn affiliate wavy for that story. a kansas schoolgirl named nasa's newest rover "curiosity" is ready for lift-off and eager to make tracks and maybe a little history on mars. who ate my cookies and milk? oh, brother. hey, guys. ni-i-i-ck. oh... i thought those were put out for me. i did it again. no worries, nick. [ sighs ] say, nick, you must be busy this holiday. oh, yeah, with all the great savings we got going on, it's been crazy. ooh, i got to dash away. customers lining up. ♪ [ male announcer ] this holiday, chevy's giving more. ♪

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here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on. our next stop -- we'll take a look at the new nasa rover. it is not just the big box stores --dy get ahead of myself? are we talking about rover or shopping here? all right. well, there it is. it is called account curiosity" and folks are kind of excited about its potential on its journey to mars. then, it is not just the big box stores getting in on the holiday shopping mayhem this

weekend. later, gabeelle giffords takes out hope for her recovery for the troops. astronaut dan burbank shared his meal with his two russian roommates. here's a look at the tasty menu. irradiated smoked turkey. yummy smoked turkey. i wonder how theirs tasted. heat treated yams. nasa's special recipe for rehydrated cornbread dressing and cranberries. dehydrated food isn't all that bad. it's something, right? curiosity is what it is being called and it is ready for lift-off tomorrow morning, bound for -- where else? mars. it is set to become the fourth nasa rover to make tracks on the planet. cnn's john zarrella is at the kennedy space center. so john, give us kind of the purview of accou" curiosity's"

journey. >> reporter: first, we are here at the vehicle assembly building where saturn 5 rockets and the space shuttles were assembled. you can see behind me there, that's the space shuttle "endeavour" waiting here until its new home, the california science center, the museum, is ready for it. some of the people you see here looking at it, tours are now coming into the vab. these people are here to watch the launch tomorrow of "curiosity." and yes, it is the most sophisticated rover nasa has ever built, ever sent to mars with some ten different experiments that really could revolutionize our understanding of mars. mars. does life exist there? did it ever? nasa is poised to take its boldest step towards answering questions that could change forever our view of humanity's place in the universe. >> i think the best way of saying why we're so excited about this mission is that it sets us up for the future of finally answering that really

age-old question does life exist on other planets. >> reporter: the mission is called "the mars science laboratory," or "msl." the most sophisticated vehicle ever sent to mars, it has the capability to detect signs of life. if it works, come next august, after traveling 350 million miles, a 2,000-pound, six-wheel rover called "curiosity" will arrive at the red planet. using a tetter system never tried before, it will be lowered down to a place called the gale crater. the size of a small car, "curiosity" is the cadillac of rovers. >> we are choosing to make the rover is bigger and bigger because we want to cover more ground. we want to be able to put an arm out and drill a rock. >> reporter: drill a rock? why? >> on mars, if you -- if life exists as single cell organisms

or if it ever existed we believe it will be under the ground or inside rocks. >> reporter: inside gale crater sits what scientists believe is a layered mountain, in essence the history of mars told in the layers. and if water ever flowed on mars, it might have been in that crater. "curiosity's" arm will collect samples and place them in its on-board laboratory with the ability to detect organic material. >> now if we discover organic materials on mars, then it gets very exciting. the chances of it may be low, but the payoff is huge. organic materials are required for life as we know it. >> reporter: but it won't mean life exists, just the building blocks. >> if you go to the driest desert on earth, can you find life on your samples if you do a year robotic study? probably not. it is actually quite difficult. life has to stick up and make itself seen. >> reporter: finding life itself would be left to the next wave of explorers, robotic and

perhaps even human. now for the engineering teams out at the jep pt propulsion laboratory in california who built "curiosity," this is extremely important because they are really coming to the end of the line of the great planetary exploration missions. there aren't very many of them left right now. a couple that they are thinking about, fredricka. but for the most part this is pretty much the end of the line. >> this was attempted before on a different scale. talking about the "spirit" and "opportunity." but those rovers were powered by solar energy. what's different about "curiosity"? >> big difference. those rover is worked fine with solar power but they were a lot smaller. this one is working with what's called an rtg, radio isotoped thermal electric generators. it is nuclear powered basically

and that will allow it not to have to be relying on whether there is dust storms or anything that could interrupt the solar power that the others needed to collect in order to work. they've used them before on deep space missions. not the first time that they've used these rtgs. they say they are perfectly safe. >> all right. chad's here, too. he's as fascinated as i am. probably more so. you guys know a little bit more about it than i do. exciting stuff. >> this thing is like a million and 17 parts. there are so many things that could go wrong with this. why did nasa decide to do it this way? >> because of the size of the rover. they couldn't use the air bag system any longer for the viewers out there who don't know. what they did with the other rovers where they had these enormous air bags. when they would land on the surface of mars two bounce across mars. several stories high. with the vehicles inside.

but this rover is so immense, so big, the air bag system wouldn't work so they're going to go with this system which is like a sky crane. you saw in the piece how it comes down, then it is dropped down. they say that once the rover's on, the governing council this way, then it is ready to go. they can take right off and starts its expedition. that's the reason why they went with this system, they felt it was the best way -- and this system, chad and fredricka, could be something that's a precursor to the way humans would land on mars using something similar to this. >> maybe this one won't get lost. right? all right, john zarrella. thanks so much. they'll be able to keep an eye on it. >> i will put this -- there is a link and i'll put it on my chad meyers cnn twitter feed. the number of steps it is going to take to get this thing to the ground is probably more steps than it took to get the entire saturn 5 rocket from the earth to the moon and down. >> beginning with launch. how do things look for that? >> honestly. the criteria is different now

from where we were about the shuttle where you couldn't have a rain shower anywhere because the shuttle couldn't fly through it. human people on it, astronauts on it. this is a little bit less. the chance of showers 10% tomorrow, 76 degrees set about launch time. pleasant weather but there will be scattered showers around. that will be nasa's call to figure out all the differences. remember we couldn't have clouds with the shuttle. if the shuttle had clouds and it rolled up through it. they were too thick. they could get too cold. it could have cracked some of those heat shields, those little ceramic tiles on the shuttle. this is a whole different story. it does like like we should be in good shape. 70% chance after go on this launch for tomorrow. i think we will be okay. >> excellent. like that good news. thanks so much, chad. also tomorrow, major retailers are looking forward to it but guess what? this saturday is actually going to belong to the small businesses. mom and pop stores have some major muscle behind them. details on how the president and

american express are looking out for the little guys. and one week into retirement, so what is regis up to these days? huh? well, who perhaps might he want to fill his place to work alongside kelly? our brooke wald win is going to ask him that. tune in today for a conversation with regis philbin in the "cnn newsroom." act my age?

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saturday is a big day for the nation's small businesses. we'll get to that story in a moment. but first, alison kosik is keeping an eye on the markets on this short day, shorter day of trading. >> exactly. hi, fredricka. yes, stocks are now pretty flat, off the highs of the session. many investors at this point are kind of checked out because of the thanksgiving holiday. reason we are seeing some of the swings we are seeing today, market closing in about 20 minutes. closing bell ringing at 1:00 p.m. today. >> so help us understand the whole small business saturday what it is all about. >> so this is all about shopping locally. it is really meant to encourage people to shop at independent stores that are in their communities an not necessarily going to those big box stores to make all of their purchases. this small business saturday is being spearheaded by american express but even president obama is supporting it. he says small businesses are the backbone of our economy and that small business actually created

65% of all the new jobs in this country over the past 20 years so it goes with the fact that supporting local businesses keeps the money in your area because those businesses pay taxes and they hire workers as well. >> american express, what's the benefit for it? >> yeah, you can bet that am ex is going to benefit from this if you use your card of course. if you register your am ex card and then use it, you'll get a $25 credit from them. when you use your card, am ex makes money. you'll pay interest if you carry a balance. it is also good for branding as far as am ex goes which is why it is leading this cause as well. it really boosts its image. something many companies want these days to have a good reputation. >> everybody wants that. meantime, perhaps you were a fan of "american idol"? >> i did watch, yes. every now and then.

>> maybe you'll recognize this young lady. she was a runner-up and was invited to sing the national anthem at an nfl game but it was a little embarrassing. >> i caught it. ♪ what so proudly we hailed through the twit light's last gle gleaming ♪ ♪ who's broad stripes and bright stars ♪ >> not a bad recovery though. little pressure. imfeeling f i'm feeling for her. >> it can happen to anybody. how many times have you reversed the song? >> i think she's like 16 years old. come on, you got to feel for her. that's a scary moept. right? >> yes. and she has a very big voice. >> i think she sounds terrific. >> do i, too. lauren elena is her name. you probably recognize her. she was quite the contend er. >> even with her mess-up, she

sounds a lot better than me singing. >> i'm not going to try that. no kidding. i will give her props. she was very courageous, did a good job. this was the nfl game between detroit and green bay. everyone is there at attention. it looks like they were still pleased with her rendition, nonetheless. she did kind of recollect herself and she moved on and it's how you finish. right? but she did tweet later. >> exactly. >> she did say, you know what? i have no excuses. i messed up. but that's okay. she crossed the finish line. she finished. all's cool. >> we're all human. we mess up. >> that's right. you got a shorter day, perhaps, than usual today. maybe you get a chance to take advantage of some black friday specials. >> i'll have to think about that one, fredricka. >> thanks a lot, alison. how does a cat say "get me out of here! ". >> meow! meow!

meow! >> i think it's saying help! instead of thanksgiving day turkey, these firefighters spent the holiday focused on a little kitten in a jam. beauty, huh? it's dependable. long-lasting, too. yeah, i could really use this silverado. i'm a big hunter. oh, what do you hunt? deer. fish. fantastic. ♪ this holiday, chevy's giving more. now qualified buyers can get 0% apr for 72 months on a 2011 chevy silverado. or 0% apr financing for 60 months plus no monthly payments until spring. ♪ did you hear sam... ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago.

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let's go cross country now for a few stories our affiliates are covering. congresswoman gabrielle giffords spent a part of her thanksgiving day serving meals to u.s. troops at a tucson military base. her husband retired restaurant mark kelly was at her side. giffords was only able to use her left hand. she's still recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.

january. that is the sound of happiness on that thanksgiving for military families in hawaii. about 300 marines and sailors returned to this marine base thanksgiving morning. they had been deployed to southern afghanistan. and then to southern california, an army of police officers, firefighters and volunteers spent much of the thanksgiving day captivated by a little kitten who was in distress. richard allen with our san diego affiliate kfmb has the story. >> meow! meow! meow! >> reporter: the persistent and piercing cries for help began at about 4:00 thanksgiving morning. >> kitty, kitty, kitty! >> reporter: a terrified kitten had managed to tumble several feet down this exposed plastic utility pipe on a sidewalk. initially, a crew from emergency animal rescue attempted to save it. a tedious and intense rescue

operation that ultimately included the police and heartland fire. >> just try to figure out every way to get down there and get something behind the kitten and drag him up or lasso him and pull him up. >> reporter: emergency crews used old-fashioned ingenuity creating a catch pole out of wire and cable. >> this cable came from animal control, then with some duct tape we fashioned a get the cat out uft drof the drain tool. it took these crews dozens and dozens of tries. >> he had the cat about a foot from the opening and then the cat dropped off. >> reporter: and hours and hours of effort. finally close enough to reach down and pull it up. >> oh, poor guy. come on. whoa! >> reporter: this terrified ball of fur -- >> her heartbeat's going a mile a minute. >> reporter: apparently none the worse for wear.

>> looks great. he's a happy cat. >> reporter: happy and, no doubt, grateful. >> happy thanksgiving, little one. >> and lucky at that. that rescue operation really did take much of thanksgiving day. it took eight hours to rescue that kitty. a police officer who helped save the kitten actually plans to adopt her. bill clinton says he is lucky he didn't die of a heart attack back in 2004. now he's got a message for other americans and he's telling it to dr. sanjay gupta. but first, here's some free money advice from the cnn help desk. time for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. joining me this hour, jack otter, executive editor of cbs moneywatch.com. donna rosata, senior manager at "money" magazine. jack, this comes from jeff. jeff says we owe more on our house than it is worth and do not have any hope it will sell when it goes back on the market. should we car short sale or should we walk away? this is sort after moral

question, too. >> it is. we'll hit both components. first, if they have the cash flow to keep on paying that mortgage, it is very unfortunate that their investment isn't looking so good but they can keep on living there. it is shelter, they are paying for it and eventually prices will rise. we might have some inflation which would actually help them and they might be fine. number two, yeah, if they're going to sell i would go the short sale route. definitely hire an attorney because some people are getting hit with tax bills with the difference between the sale price and the mortgage. finally i would say, i actually don't think people should think of it as a moral question. the reason is this. financial companies would never think of it that way. the guy who lent you the money, it is purely a business transaction for them and if that bank was in a similar situation an they could walk away from an underperforming asset, they would do it. really people shouldn't get too hung up on this. i know it is tempting but just think of it as dollars and cents and do what is best for you. >> donna, your question comes from janice in richmond, virginia. janice says she has about 15

years left before retirement and she wants to elect her 401(k) contribution pre-tax or post-tax. what should dwo? we don't know much else about her financial situation but we know she's about 15 years out from retirement. >> it is interesting that not every 401(k) plan offers this option so not as many people know you can do pre-tax or post-tax. there is an advantage to doing post-tax. you pay the tax on it now, it means you won't have to pay it later on. but there is an advantage to doing it -- taking that money if you have after-tax money and putting it into something else. for example a roth i.r.a. we don't know, again, how much this person makes, but if she can put it into the roth i.r.a., later on she'll have a tax hit but she can also withdraw that money tax-free. but there is an advantage against doing it into your 401(k) because there's a higher limit. can you put almost $17,000 into your 401(k) versus a roth which is only 5,000. >> sure, thank you guys. good advice. if you have a question you want

answered, send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. accept it. you can't change the way banking works. just accept it, man. free ? doesn't close at five ? try nature. it's a bank. what do you want, a hug ? just accept it. hidden fees, fine print, or they'll stick it to you some other way. stay with the herd, son. accept it. just accept it. accept it. just accept it. accept it. if we miss this movie, you're dead. if you're stuck accepting banking nonsense, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. nice, huh? yeah. you know what else is nice is all the savings you can get on cruze and traverse over there.

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more tension in syria. the arab league gave the government there an ultimatum. allow international observers to monitor the crackdown on public protests, or face economic sanctions. but the deadline for decision passed this morning without a response from syrian leaders. the u.n. says more than 3,500 people have died in the country's ongoing political uprising. she was a nanny for the gadhafi family. then became a target of their brutality. and now she's making a comeback. a warning to our viewers, the images you are about to see are graphic. >> reporter: a new life in malta couldn't be further from the horrific torture she endured in gadhafi's libya. enjoying a stroll on a mild winter's day, she is trying to put her terrible past behind her. she's out of hospital and recovering fast. as an outpatient she needs to visit her doctor almost every day. it's here in the martyr day hospital that she has her

dressings changed. nurses also trim back her hair to stop the follicles getting infected. this delicate procedure might look grim but she doesn't find it painful. with the help of the maltese government, she is now getting the meticulous care that she needs. the doctors here say she is facing many more months of treatment. >> she's making very good progress. it was discharneling before and now it is getting dryer around dryer. but now it is good. very good. even her hair is growing. >> reporter: this is how we found her abandoned in a gadhafi family compound just after the liberation of tripoli. then she told me how she'd been scalded with boiling water poured over her head by moammar gadhafi's daughter-in-law. after our initial broadcast we were inundated with offers of help for her. it culminated in her being gloen to malta. a lot of people have given a lot

of money to help you. what would you like to say to them? she says a profound thank you to everyone around the world who's help her with the medical treatment and with the money they've sent. a huge thank you, she says. the small ethiopian community of malta is rallying around her despite all she's been through, her smile lights up her face. all the people here were migrant workers in gadhafi's regime but left libya before the war. her story has touched them all. when you heard her story, what was your reaction? >> my reaction was i feel very, very bad. in fact i was crying that night, it was night and i was crying. >> reporter: i asked her whether she wants to go back to ethiopia yet. she says she doesn't feel ready

to face the scrutiny of friends and the questions about what happened. her scars are just physical. dan rivers, cnn, malta. >> a word of warning from former president bill clinton. next. [ bells dinging ] ♪ hark how the bells, sweet silver bells ♪ ♪ all seem to say throw care away ♪ ♪ from everywhere, filling the air ♪ [ female announcer ] chex party mix. easy 15-minute homemade recipes you just pop in a microwave. like caramel chocolate drizzles. happier holidays. chex party mix.

bill clinton may be world's best known heart patient. after he left office, he had open heart surgery. and he admits he ignored warnings signs along the way. he opens up to our dr. sanjay

gupta in hopes that you won't make the same mistake. >> i was lucky i didn't die of a heart attack. >> reporter: former president bill clinton, like too many people, was "the biz." for years he ignored warning signs from his heart. but in 2004 during an exhausting book tour, there was something different. >> i had a real tightness in my chest when i was getting off the airplane and it was the only time i'd had it unrelated to exercise. >> reporter: we're here outside new york presbyterian hospital. in just a couple of hours former president bill clinton is scheduled to undergo surgery. >> so i immediately went down to our local hospital and they did a te a test. they said you got real problems. they hustled me down to

presbyterian and they confirmed the determination that i had serious blockage and needed the surgery. >> reporter: the doctors immediately knew. options were limited. the 58-year-old clinton needed to have his chest opened, his heart stopped, and surgery performed. >> there's no medical treatment for reversing the obstructions that have already formed in his blood vessels. >> got hillary and chelsea there. all i remember is it was happening fast. everybody who cared about me was scared and i felt rather serene. gosh, i didn't have a heart attack. >> reporter: on labor day in 2004 mr. clinton had two blood vessels bypassed. >> starting this morning around 8:00, he had a relatively routine quadruple bypass operation. we left the operating room around noon and he is recovering normally at this point. so i think right now everything looks