all right. live pictures of the vietnam war memorial. this veterans day, 2009. an estimated 23 million u.s. veterans around the world. and today we take you live to events honoring each of them this hour. plus, he gave prayers of healing, communicated the inspiring word of god on sundays but then this pastor also says he killed somebody 11 years ago but confessing now. we'll tell you why. and then, there's a story of a priest who had a baby with a stripper. and now those two are fighting over custody. and it's only wednesday. all this hour on "morning express." i'm richard lui.

first off it's veterans day. we're saluting members of the military for their service, some who have made that ultimate sacrifice. a live picture of the vietnam veterans memorial war, where people have been paying personal tributes, stopping by, leaving flowers at the base, also scratching the names, rubbing them on to pieces of paper as they are watching. many others going by. this is the tomb of the unknown soldier. and meanwhile in about an hour, we're expecting president obama to go there to lay a wreath at this location. many other countries are also honoring their veterans as well. for them, the holiday primarily marks the signing of a truce to end world war i. and of course today being the end of world war i, that anniversary, which is veterans day here in the united states. there you see angela merkle, the chancellor of germany in that picture. a u.s. pilot yanked off a flight minutes before taking off because a co-worker thought he was drunk. irving lamont washington was set

to fly a united jet from london to chicago on monday. british police arrested him when he flunked a breathalyzer test, though. washington is now grounded. there have been several incidents for the airlines industry recently. this morning on our sister network a former ntsb official said flyers should be concerned. >> the whole structure of flying has changed. the airline had industry has been in a profound downturn for a number of years and not getting any better. pilots, they -- flight crews are the key component. they're being worked harder. they're being paid less. they're under more stress. and i think there is an issue. and i think you're going to see the ntsb and the faa looking at the whole issue of pilot fatigue, pilot work rules. how do we optimize people's attention in these cockpits? i think that's going to come up in the next few months. >> washington is now the third

u.s. pilot and the second from united to be busted at heathrow on alcohol charges in just over a year. an airline spokeswoman says -- the mastermind behind the sniper attacks that terrorized the nation in 2002 said nothing before his execution last night. john allen muhammad died by lethal injection at 9:11 eastern. he refused to make a final statement last night. this is an ambulance taking away his remains. some victims' relatives witnessed this excuse. so did the prosecutor who won the death penalty conviction. >> he died very peacefully, much more than most of his victims. i felt a sense of closure, and i hope that they did, too. i think that they looked forward to that and i hope they have some solace by virtue of his execution. >> muhammad got the death sentence for the shooting death

of dean harold meyers but he left ten people dead. his accomplice, lee boyd malvo is serving life in prison. the senate could finish their health care bill by the who will case. that's what senate majority leader harry reid said yesterday according to the "new york times." recently he said he would not give a timetable on passing health care reform. there's been speculation he cannot get enough votes for a public option, which was included in the house bill that passed on saturday. well, the man accused of trying to extort $2 million from david letterman says he was just trying to sell him a screenplay. joe halderman asked a judge to throw the case out saying this is all a misunderstanding. letterman's lawyer says the move was blackmail no matter how halderman's lawyer tries to dress it up. police affidavits suggest comments made toward a woman apparently led to the stabbing death of a university of cold front football player. larry smith has more on that. >> reporter: john lomax iii will appear in court on friday

accused of murdering jasper howard. the document reveals one of his had teammates disrespected a woman at a school-sponsored dance. that's what authorities believe sparked a fight broken up by police. however, a second fight started outside the building several minutes later. that is when howard was stabbed. three others face lesser charges for their role in the incident. none of the football players involved in either fight, though, have been charged. back to you. more details still coming out. president obama considering four options for the war in afghanistan. sources telling us he's expected to discuss them at a meeting with his war council today. they include a possible deployment of about 34,000 more u.s. troops. in a new cnn opinion research poll, 42% of folks across the country support sending more troops. only 32% think afghanistan will eventually have a stable democratic government. imagine you're driving on a mountain highway when you see this.

almost out of a movie, a local news crew was covering one rock slide in polk county, tennessee and then caught this second one on tape. and listen to this. a geologist had warned people there that there might be a second slide and moved everyone out of the way. u.s. highway 64 may be closed for a week. at least a week. this thing is totally destroyed. >> take a long tile to get tonnage of rock. >> deserve an award. when i see pictures like that behind you, it looks like the entire western united states is covered. >> with clouds. it's a good point because there's a lot of energy coming in across the pacific. mostly it's not reaching the ground when it comes to rain or snow, but some of it is. northern parts of california, in towards northern parts of oregon back out in toward idaho and montana. but the cloud, richard is right, it goes all the way to the rocky mountains. that's front number one. front number two drops in on friday and both of them are going to generate snow for the

northern rockies. let me show you the radar picture now. the green shade and blue green shade is the rain. the white shaded re johns where it's picking up snow mainly above 5,000 feet in elevation. near portland, getting near seattle, too. the next couple of days that snow will continue to transfer energy to the east to the rockies. that dark shade of purple about a foot of snow. northwest wyoming, parts of montana in towards idaho. skiers are loving this. more of the natural stuff through the weekend. something to look forward to. as for the rest of the weekend, it's still tropical depression ida's remnants, a lot of rain south carolina into north carolina. behind it beginning to dry out a touch but look at that solid shield of rain from south carolina to the north, getting to virginia, maryland, delaware, lower parts of jersey, too. what happens in the next couple of days is interesting. that low moves off the coast. a lot of wind and rain in the northeast and mid-atlantic.

that could be a big problem. we'll get to this in a bit. the black friday frenzy is just around the corner. you know the day after thanksgiving, that's what it's called. walmart is making some major changes you'll want to know about to prepare. plus, it's unusual enough to hear about a stripper having a relationship with a priest. but wait till you hear why they've been dragged into court.

hi, i'm cheryl. i'm from new york. and i'm giving a shout out for all the ones serving our country. right now we're thinking about you and we love you. take care, god be with you. >> of course, good veterans day to all veterans out there, some 23 million both alive and those who have passed away. could be flikting reports whether the suspect in the shooting rampage at ft. hood was under investigation months ago. a federal law enforcement official told cnn terrorism investigators intercepted communications between major nidal malik hasan and a radical muslim cleric.

they decided they were not significant and dropped the investigation. but a senior defense department official now says the military was not aware of it. the senate is launching its own investigation. also, hasan's attorney says he is coherent but not talking about last week's attack right now. he's under guard in intensive care at the hospital. investigators struggle to explain the shooting and president obama joined 15,000 people at the army post for a solemn memorial yesterday. 12 soldiers and one retired soldier were shot to death thursday. 42 others were wounded. president obama promised justice. >> your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. >> after the president's speech, he and the first lady placed presidential coins in front of the victims' battlefield crosses. michael jackson's funeral cost more than a million dollars and jackson was buried in a

$35,000 suit. that's from court documents unsealed during jackson's estate hearing. the singer's mother, catherine jackson, shocked her husband, joe by dropping the challenge against the state's two executors. the judge then told jackson he had no right to the assets of his son's estate. you might remember the walmart employee trampled to death by a huge crowd when a store opened on black friday last year. there are new protections that may keep you safer this year if you head to a walmart. jennifer westhoven is looking out for us. >> as you can imagine, walmart don't want you to have one shred of concern about your safety. they want that totally handled so you can focus on having black friday be fun. to do that, they have to make sure it never happens again. "the new york times" reports walmart hired crowd experts who have done events like the olympics and the super bowl, mega events to get this under control.

now, the biggest change -- and this is important if you're somebody who really likes to strat jie, who is up and out on line at 4:00 a.m. those hot, hot door busters, the tvs and pcs, the ones everybody runs for, instead of waiting outside in the cold and stampeding in when the doors suddenly open on friday morning. walmart will be open thursday night overnight, meaning you can come in whenever you want and get online inside the store. plus, the line is going to be supervised. that means no cutting in line, which is actually a really important element because people can get very aggressive. you get mad when somebody cuts in front of you. then when everybody is suddenly mad you have different emotions going on. 5:00 a.m. when the bell rings and the big sales start, you're already going to be standing in line in a calm supervised line, no need for anybody to run anywhere. >> shopping can get very emotional, yeah. >> it is especially when people saved up and thinking i really want to get this for somebody. you kind of forget the people on

line with you there is also a human being. all right. shoplifting. you know that it's a problem for stores but probably think, i don't steal, it doesn't have to do with me. but all those thieves are costing you. how much? $435 a year? that is the estimate from a global retail group that says that's what stores charge to make up for the loss. they say that shoplifting in the u.s. spiked almost 9% in the latest year. what thieves run off with? you can guess, perfume, razor blades, small electronics brand names but also meat and cheese. >> everything. >> in grocery stores. >> everything is possible. >> i wouldn't have thought cheese. >> anything goes, i guess, when it comes to shoplifting. you ought to see these pictures. a student's outfit caused a huge uproar at a university. what a woman wore to make fellow students so upset. a lot of people taking a second look at slugger sammy sosa. >> he looks like michael jackson.

a former astronaut is getting probation for her attack on a romantic rival. lisa nowak pleaded guilty yesterday to reduced charges for confronting a woman in an airport parking lot. police say she drove from houston to orlando and followed colleen shipman to her car. shipman says she's haunted by what happened then. >> i knew in my heart when lisa nowak attacked me that she was going to kill me. it was in her eyes. a blood-chilling expression of limitless rage and glee. >> in the plea, lisa nowak cannot have any contact with shipman, but she did apologize to her in court. a private u.s. security firm allegedly wanted to bribe its

way out of a controversy after its guards shot 17 iraqi civilians. this is video from that shooting. "the new york times" quoting former blackwater executives saying the company had $1 million to buy iraqi officials' silence. the story says it's unclear if any money was paid. a u.s. investigation called those shootings unjustified. the firm now called xe services calls this report baseless. five blackwater guards are now facing manslaughter charges, but they say they were just defending themselves. some players look different after they retire. so what's the fuss over sam why sosa's new look? larry smith is here with more. >> you get older, maybe put on a couple more pounds. >> get gray. >> this is altogether different here. >> not like this guy at all. the former slugger says he's been using a cosmetic cream to soften his skin for years. okay. why is it in the last six months this happened? six months ago.

>> too soft. >> it's faster than the late michael jackson, if i could say so. i'll get e-mails i'm sure. the soon-to-be 41-year-old says the cream combined with the bright lights at the grammy awards which is where the picture was taken a few days ago made his skin look lighter. he wouldn't give the name of the cream when asked. from a college dropout to a multimillionaire, 21-year-old joe cada, the youngest winner of the world series of poker. a purse worth $8.5 million. he entered the tournament with a backer paying the $10,000 entry fee in exchange for half his winnings. maybe the best investment ever. >> what's that? i can't do the calculation. >> not that fast. special veterans day salute tonight in chicago. the blackhawks will wear special camouflage jerseys during warm-ups prior to the game. the jerseys will be auctioned online with the proceeds going to the uso of illinois. this house, richard, can be yours for $4 million.

former san francisco 49ers quarterback joe montana set the price for his 500-acre property in sonoma county, california. here's the math on this. i have figured this out, richard. now, you have got a good bank. if you put 20% down, go to the bank and get a 6%, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for the balance of $39.2 million. your monthly payment would come to $235,000 and change. >> just get me a house at that price, please. >> sure, absolutely. >> joe was well loved, made a lot of money, so -- >> going to make a lot of money on this, too. >> and will make a lot on that sonoma property. woman expelled from school for had wearing a short dress will be back in class evidently. it all started at a university in brazil when people with mobile phones filmed her going to class. students heckled and harassed her. now, the incident caused an uproar on campus with protests and counter protests. the school finally reversed its

decision to expel her, all though administrators deny any wrongdoing. all in a little red dress there. a common grocery debate, which is best, fresh or frozen? we're going beyond the surface to ice some conventional wisdom. >> fresh versus frozen produce, which is better? if you think fresh, think again. it turns out that frozen produce is just as nutritious as fresh produce because frozen vegetables and fruit are harvested at their peak. the nutrition is preserved throughout the freezing process. you can lose those vitamins to water if you cook them in large amounts. i would suggest that you cook them always in small amounts by steaming. canned vegetables are usually very high in sodium. canned fruit, unless you get it packed in its own juice or in water, skip it. you want to get as many colorful

vegetables and fruit in your diet as possible to protect you from chronic disease. > a teenager spent two nights trapped on a floating chunk of ice and rescuers were able to reach him, but not before something went dangerously wrong. @@@@@@@@@@@@@

in about 30 minutes, president obama will lay a ceremonial wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. yesterday he was at a memorial service for the soldiers and civilians that were killed in the shootings at ft. hood. a marine who was injured in iraq has a message for fellow service members at ft. hood. >> stay strong and take the battles on a day-to-day basis. sometimes we find ourselves, i think, kind of caught up in the long run. of course, we have our objectives and we have our missions. but to remember who we are as americans, our history and our

legacy and we just celebrated 234 years in the marine corps. and that's something that we can look on and be, i think, proud about where we've been and where we're going. >> one of the so strong veterans, though some 23 million estimated from the united states. we'll have live coverage of the president at arlington right here on hln. we're watching of course some live pictures here of where the president will be soon. a u.s. pilot was pulled out of the cockpit minutes before takeoff because a co-worker thought he was drunk. irving lamont washington scheduled to fly a united jet london to chicago on monday. british police say he failed a breathalyzer test and now he's grounded. those are some of the stories we're watching for you on this wednesday. hope you're having a good day. the attorney for the alleged suspect in the ft. hood shooting says he's not newer major nidal hasan can get a fair trial in texas but told our sister

network cnn this morning it's his job to make sure that does happen. >> first and foremost, i share and extend my sympathies to all of the victims were involved in this case, but i'd also caution and remind everyone how important it is that we insure that as we go through a pretrial and trial process, whether it's within the military, outside of the military, that we remember why we all wear the uniform and the important rights that we seek to protect. and that is the right to a fair trial. >> fbi agents showed up yesterday at the texas mosque where hasan worshiped. they would not say what they were looking for, but they sifted through a trash bin outside the islamic community center of greater killeen. mosque leaders have condemned the attack from last week. a pastor and father of four reportedly has made a shocking confession. jose figueroa told police he killed a teenage they are 1 98. the cold case unit in buffalo,

new york, got a tip that he might have been involved. then minutes after detectives started talking with figueroa, they say he confessed to the shooting. police say they think it could have been drug-related. the pastor is being held without bond and faces 15 years to life on a second degree murder charge. an amber alert has been issued for a 5-year-old in north carolina. shaniya davis's mother says she last saw her early yesterday morning. police say they found no evidence of foul play. investigators had been searching nearby wooded areas. the woman who fell on to the train tracks and was saved at the last second is grateful for the people who helped her. we told you about the story yesterday. here's the video of her falling. people on the platform got the train driver's attention. she stopped just in time. >> the people were waving, but they were waving a little bit too much and they were really, really close to the yellow line, which they're not supposed to be. so that's obviously telling me slow your train down, slow your train down. >> i kept yelling at her to just

get up but -- >> reporter: what were you saying? >> just get up, get up. >> the woman who fell said she did not think she was drunk when she got to the station, but she did admit she had four 22-ounce beers. bob, you and i were doing the math -- >> if she wasn't drunk off of that. >> 88 ounces, right? that's a lot of beer. you were telling us about the weather in the east. i want to give you the heads up what's going to happen the next two to three days because we still have the remnants of old ida yesterday getting a lot of rain across areas like south carolina and north carolina. it's pulling out of georgia now, but here's your low pressure region. that's the energy. that transfers off the coast over the next day, day and a half and actually merges with this little energy packet. basically a swirl in the clouds but something we're watching. south of bermuda. that energy gets absorbed into this cold front as well. turns into a pretty potent coastal storm off the south carolina coast, moves over to cape hatteras the next couple of

days. a slow mover. the rain will pile up. heavy rain over eastern north carolina as well. that will be here today and recycle off the ocean tomorrow. tomorrow through friday, the next due days, get a load of this, this is how much rain will accumulate the next 48 hours. the white-shaded areas, ten inches of rain, chesapeake getting in toward washington, d.c. the purple-shaded areas, that's eight inches of rain. that is a huge chunk of eastern parts of virginia and eastern parts of north carolina. so it's something we're really concerned with, especially today through thursday into friday. what about the flash flood watches and warnings? the watches are out there in green, the warnings include atlanta and charlotte. more details on that coming up tomorrow morning. >> that's kind of a switch. snow -- ten inches is what you're saying. but the midwest kind of warm, huh? >> it's warm and dry out there, but the west coast has that storm coming in with snow and that's going to get snow going across that region later. live shots out of the vinings area in georgia. this is just outside of atlanta northwest. this is the area that flooded

bigtime about six weeks ago with the chattahoochee river flowing up. you can see flooding already drp -- >> that's water around that building. >> absolutely. there we go. >> unbelievable. already overflowing its banks once again. that's the area that got slammed a couple of weeks ago. the moisture still cannot hold that much water in the atlanta area between four and five inches of rain since yesterday morning. >> wgcl in the copper cam is looking for us. they pulled out for us. >> we appreciate it. that's west of atlanta. >> thanks, bob. a former stripper in miami accused a priest of threatening to have her killed if she told the catholic church they had a baby together. media reports say she testified yesterday that the priest told her he'd send monks to, quote, disappear her. and she says he tried to choke her. the priest denied all of this and the judge ordered them to stay away from each other. the relationship was, note, secret, though. local media report the archdiocese tried to end it three years ago by paying her

off. what could be better than a raise or holiday bonus from your boss? one guy has his manager to thank for saving his life.

our veterans of course are serving around the world, thanks to all of you on this day. feeling generous this holiday season? uncle sam would be happy to accept your donations under a

little known 1961 law. you can donate money to help pay down the national debt. it's about $12 trillion, so you better dig deep if you want to make a dent in that. the bureau of the public debt says the largest single debt they received was $3.5 million. not a big number, though, when you look at that overall debt number. >> 3.5 dollars. give money to that. thank you everyone who did. >> we appreciate every little bit. move this. a senator came out swinging with a sweeping plan to keep our money safe with tougher regulations. christopher dodd saying it's been a long time coming. jen, what's he talking about here? >> i'm really going to boil it down because i want you to get the gist of the argument going on in washington. basically, what chris dodd thinks is after seeing what we saw -- the economic clams, the bailout, et cetera -- that banks cannot be trusted to oversee themselves. and that's basically what the federal reserve is, a coalition

of banks. he's saying the fed didn't fulfill its responsibilities so he says, forget it, you're not up to the job. he wants to take the job away from the fed and instead give it to a bunch of new government agencies. that's from this morning's "washington post." dodd says he thinks that's what's necessary to do to protect the economy. >> we saw over the last number of years when they took on consumer protection responsibilities and the regulation of bank holding companies. it was an abysmal failure. >> but this is not like the democrat plan. he is at odds with the white house. the president still wants the fed in the lead of banking reform, just wants the fed to kind of step up the job a little bit. how about this for a brazen electronic bank heist. 12 hours, a ring of thieves stationed in 280 cities around the world with phony atm cards and they get away with $9 million in those 12 hours. i think it sounds like ocean's 11 or something. but those are the allegations from the acting u.s. attorney in

atlanta. eight indicted from russia and eastern europe on allegations of computer hacking. only one suspect arrested. the other seven are still at large. if you have a home, you'll like this story. now, look, we've talked a lot about some of these economic reports that have shown that things are stabilizing. this one makes it look like maybe it's really true, maybe we've seen the bottom and we're slowly coming out of it. got some good news in a bad economy. what it shows aor the group of realtors found the median price of a home is up two quarters in a row. so six months where prices are rising back up to about $180,000 for a single-family home and even some signs in the hardest-hit neighborhoods. >> that's really good news. jen, i know you play video games and know about them quite well. there's a lot of hoopla that you'll see here about a new video game called "call of duty: modern warfare 2." just went on sale in britain and

expected to be this year's top seller. openings like this one usually reserved for movies but notice that was not a red carpet but camouflage. some video games are selling so well they can do huge openings. there's a camouflage red carpet. that's what they're doing. i was reading on pc world there's plenty of copies out there. so you can go get that for your husband now. he'll like that. >> he's a pacifist. as we celebrate veterans day, some people are asking the question, should women in the military be allowed to go into combat? chuck, you and i were talking off air before we were starting to talk about the subject. there are a lot of female veterans. 1.8 million, according to the va. so this is not necessarily a small number. >> not at all. there are 10,000 serving in iraq, 4,000 in afghanistan. so if -- and kimberly munley, this cop hero, the police sergeant who literally took down the shooter at ft. hood, i mean,

if women can defend ft. hood, can't they defend america? that's the question of the day. i mean, they can't -- the pro-hicks extends from preventing them from infantry, training as armor drivers, being assigned to medics in combat roles. is it time, given her heroism, to end this ban? what do you think about this? we'd love to hear your views. 16 have died in afghanistan. do you think the military should finally lift its ban on women in combat? toll free 1-877-tell-hln. you can e-mail at cnn.com/hln. you can add a comment on my facebook page. search chuck roberts hln. dive into the discussion. we'll put the comments on. they're an in dispensable part of the show from noon to 5:00. >> talk straight with chuck on this. quite a discussion on this day, too, being veterans day. >> it's predicated on a slate article and the fact had kimberly munley, this cop, will

be on oprah today. what a woman, huh? >> absolutely. the man accused of killing 13 people at ft. hood is probably one of the most hated men in america right now. so why would an army veteran try to send flowers to major nidal hassan?

an army veteran tried to send flowers to the alleged ft. hood shooter. both of dan ross's children are in the military as well, but he says his christian faith inspired him to show some kindness to major nidal hasan. he also called hasan a hero. >> the fbi were the ones that actually killed those 13 people because they were well informed that this guy was against the united states of america. and that's part of christianity is you're supposed to love your enemies and do good to them. >> the florist refused to fill the order and called the fbi. ross said agents questioned him, but the fbi would not confirm or deny that. michael vick is millions of dollars richer, sort of. larry smith is here to tell us more about this. what are you talking about? >> certainly not millions

poorer, right? big court decision for the former pro bowl quarterback as an appeals judge backs up and earlier decision that vick would be allowed to keep more than $16 million paid in bonus money by the atlanta falcons. the appeals judge saying he earned the money before the conviction on dogfighting a couple of years ago. an nfl spokesman says the decision will likely change the way the league writes bonuses into player contracts. shaquille o'neal had a rocky marriage that seems to be coming to an end again. hills wife shaunie right there on the left has filed for divorce from the cleveland cavaliers all-star center. the couple married almost seven years and have four children together. shaq filed for divorce in 2007 but the two apparently reconciled since. you know, guys, league officials read your blogs, too. did you realize that? orlando magic center dwight howard fined $15,000 for his disparaging comment about the officiating. he wrote these on hills blog. he was complaining after he fouled out of the game in detroit last week after playing

just 15 minutes. an ole miss pep song being banned for being divisive. the school's pep band played "from kixy with love" a couple of decades but in the past few years some fans began chanting "the south will rise again" at the end of the song. the first-year chancellor has the backing of the alumni association though some consider it a limitation on free speech. ole miss long struggled with some things some people describe as racially divisive. are we alone in the universe? is there alien life out there? questions you heard before. but the catholic church wants to know the answer to those. the vatican called in several extraterrestrial experts to discuss the possibility of other life forms in the universe. the group discussed astro biology, which discusses the origin of life and if it els in the cosmos. an army reservist says some muggers returned his wallet when they saw he was in the military. he was walking home when four men forced him to lay down, put a gun to his neck.

but when they saw his military i.d., they apologized and thanked him for his service. on this veterans day, we're taking time now to honor the men and women who serve in the in the u.s. military. in this leaders with heart, our own robin meade tells us about a woman who honors wounded troops every day. >> your letters, yeah. >> peggy baker is the founder of operation first response, a volunteer organization that helps wounded u.s. soldiers and their families. >> some of the serious injuries they have and they are still smiling, working hard to continue. >> the group assists with everything from financial aid, visiting the injured. it started with inspiration from peggy's son. >> my son joined the army after 9/11. i was put in position that my child was going to go and defend our country. it opened eyes. >> after a friend's son was wounded peggy met him at the army hospital to offer support and that's when she found her

mission. >> at first i didn't really is a lot of personal support besides my family back at home. to have somebody there that actually cared, that meant a lot. >> more than 5,000 families have been helped by the group since it started in 2004. >> it's an emotional but wonderful experience to be part of their lives. they are incredible heroes. >> a janitor who barely earned enough money to feed his own family is is now called a hero. what he did to save the lives of hundreds of girls. >> service men overseas in afghanistan and iraq, great job, keep up the good work.

what is the most provocative entertainment news on television? it is "showbiz tonight." it's next so stay tuned. and then tomorrow morning be sure to watch morning express with me, robin meade. right now on "showbiz tonight." carrie's sex tape confessions. carrie prejean admits that yep, she made a solo sex tape. >> it was the biggest mistake of my life. >> carrie's explosive response to people calling her a hypocrite. >> no one's perfect. no one's perfect. >> why she is comparing herself to sarah palin. >> there'sen extreme double standard that conservative women are under attack. >> "showbiz tonight" with the fired up carrie sex tape debate.

has she now lost all credibility? j low's sex tape chock shocker. her fight to stop her ex-husband from releasing a tape. tonight the steamy story behind the tape that could devastate j.lo. the outrageous jon and kate legal circus. jon's bizarre brand new multi-million-dollar court fixt whooep why even lindsay lohan's dad is part of it. i am a.j. hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. i'm brooke anderson reporting from hollywood. carrie's sex tape confession. >> carrie prejean confirmed it herself on national television.

the conservative family fals former beauty queen admitted this morning on the "today" show that she did indeed make a sex tape. of herself. >> you can call it what you want to call it. if you want to call it a sex tape, that's fine. >> what do you call it? >> me by myself, there was no one else with me, i was not having sex. >> carrie prejean did say she made a sex tape but not having sex. "showbiz tonight" has all of the news breaking. carrie prejean went on a confession tour all morning long from the "today" show to a feisty face-off with the ladies of "the view." she calls the tape the biggest mistake of her life but she's not apologizing. prejean came out swinging today claiming she is the target of the same people who have attacked sarah palin. and it's the beauty versus the donald. wait till you hear prejean's startling claims about how she says donald trump absolutely humiliated beauty queens like herself. joining me in hollywood is

carlos diaz for extra, in new york megan alexander who is a correspondent for inside edition. seems all we're hearing is carrie, carrie, carrie. she was on the "today" show, the view, she made the cable news circuit and admits that she made the biggest mistake of her life with this sex tape that's not really a sex tape. carlos, you first. she did own up to it but she certainly did not apologize. considering she is the face of family values these days, should she have said i'm sorry? >> i'm just counting her 15 minutes, by the way. yes, she should have. tick, tick, tick. she should have said she's sorry. she didn't. you said in the open, her virtual apology. she didn't say she was sorry, the biggest mistake but the words i'm sorry never came out of her mouth. you can't call for family values and then have a tape of you where you're doing unspeakable things. things that -- and i talked to

inside sources about what's on the tape. it's pretty bad. and you can't have it both ways. >> she is on a media tour and does have to stick to her talking points. let's keep that in mind. the whole point of this media blitz carrie is on is to defend her good name so to speak. i got to say some of the things she said today on the tv appearances made us go huh? she tells meredith vieira it's not a sex tape. don't you need a partner to have a sex tape? take a look. >> you can call it whatever you want to call it. if you want to call it a sex tape that's fine. >> what do you call it? >> it was me by myself, there was no one with me, i was not having sex. i sent it to my boyft at the time. i was a teenager. i cared about him, i trusted him and you know, but the main point is that there has been a campaign against me to try and silence me for the past seven months for the answer that i gave at the pageant. >> that answer she's talking about is when she spoke out against same-sex marriage during the miss u.s.a. pageant.

are you buying that all of this has been a smear campaign against her? >> i think what's difficult is there are several different issues going on here. there's the gay marriage question at miss usa, sometimes her speaking out about women, conservative women in the media and then this explicit sex tape if you will. so i agree sometimes these tend to blur, specifically on the tape it was nice to see her finally say you know, i made a huge mistake, and as i've said always, she needs to move forward. i do think she needs to stay on topic and not continuually bring it back to people are against her due to miss ua because that was made when she was 17 before any of this miss usa controversy. i do think it's important to stay on topic. >> you make a good point, it's about several things. i've said it's not right for anybody to viciously attack her for what she believes in. but at the same time if she is waving the flag for free speech, people criticizing her are waving the same flag.

if this alleged smear campaign wasn't enough carrie also claimed today that she, along with other conservative women as you mentioned megan, are being, and this is her word, palinized. she got more than tepsy with meredith about the whole thing. watch this. >> you say you have been palinized referencing sarah palin. what do you mean by that? >> you know of the attacks sarah palin has been under. >> don't you think -- >> do you think sarah palin has been attacked? >> i think sarah palin has been criticized as have many. >> there is a double standard out there. there is an extreme double standard that conservative women are under attack. why is there this double standard? >> carlos, what do you think. is carrie prejean being palinized? would that be a bad thing? >> sure if sarah palin made sex tapes. no, you're being prejeanized if you will. you're talking about family values and you made a sex tape. you're talking about family values and there are topless

photos of you out there. as i said before you can't have it both ways, you can't talk about family values, then do things that most families find despicable. >> i want to bring in brooke anderson. i want to get your take. we sat there and watched prejean on show after show explain herself and the sex tape. do you think she did a good job and to the point we should let her off the hook at this point? >> no, we shouldn't, a.j., i mean i applaud her, sure, for owning up to the tapend a being honest about what she says is the biggest mistake of her life. but this girl is in no way in any position to be any sort of family values spokesperson. how many families would want their daughters emulating carrie prejean. enough said. >> indeed. by the way, just coincidentally perhaps, carrie prejean has a new book out and she is taking on donald trump in this. she claims that donald trump humiliated the beauty queens at the pageant by picking out the ones he thought were hot. well, today in a prickly

interview on "the view" barbara walters said and she speaks from experience, prejean is picking on the wrong man. watch. >> we understand that he feels that this -- that this never happened, and that he may even sue you for saying this. that he did meet all of the women but he never said you're hot, you're not, you're in, you're out. >> he didn't say you're hot, you're not. in my book i talk specifically about what happened. >> in the book -- if you say -- if you say you know, who do you think and that's perhaps a way of getting to understand people. but what you suggested was that it was a little, let's say -- >> how ever you want to take it but there are 50 other girls that will testify. >> donald trump of the miss usa organization fired her. i'm thinking not a great idea taking on donald trump. carlos, you and the guys at extra spoke with the donald about this. how is he feeling about what she's saying? >> i had a lengthy conversation with donald trump and he was actually completely classy.

i mean, i asked him leading questions for him to take shots at carrie prejean. he did not. he says he is disgusted by the way he is portraying him in the book. he says he never separated the women in a pageant by hot and not hot. it makes sense, they are all pageant contestants. how do you say one is hot and one's not. they are all attractive. but he denies that. he says it never ever happened. >> in a terrific moment on "the view" today barbara walters grabbed carrie's hand and said you know, this is the best thing that happened to you. would you agree? >> i think there is a point you need to move forward. you need to move for ward t. pageant was what it was. she should move forward again. where does she see her future? if she wants to be a spokesperson for conservative values she needs to start thinking about is she indeed making a change. i think you got to move forward. don't bash the donald, the pageant, go forward. >> there are better ways of putting this behind her. i don't think she accomplished

that today. thank you, guys. that is not the only sex tape scandal making for news breaking tonight. jennifer lopez in a sex tape shocker of her own. well, in a few minutes we'll tell you the pain she's taking to make this nightmare go away. i want to turn it over to you. carrie prejean's sex tape confession. has she lost credibility? you can e-mail us. step right up, get ready for the outrageous jon and kate legal circus. tonight, the unbelievable story behind jon gosselin's bazaar new multi-million-dollar court fight. why even lindsay lohan's train wreck dad is part of it. i've got your ring side seat for the circus. levi johnston is making a shocking legal move of his own. he's launching a new fight today against sarah palin.

this is going to be ugly. and also this. >> that's incredible. she not think anybody would notice? that's outrageous. >> what video did "showbiz tonight" show that woman that left her speechless? >> these are more stories from the "showbiz tonight" newsroom.

welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i am brooke anderson with a.j. hammer. rooting for rihanna. rihanna should be feeling great being honored as one of glamour magazine's women of the year. "showbiz tonight" was talking to rihanna for the first time since her explosive abuse tell-all interview on abc. with us tonight in new york is

janelle snoweden, just sat down with rihanna who told her a haunting revelation how her tragedy may have changed women's lives forever. rihanna was very reluctant to answer our questions about her emotional abc interview about the night chris brown beat her up. rihanna didtell "showbiz tonight" that she feels immense pressure now that she is standing up and calling herself a role model. watch. >> how does it feel to be a role model? >> great. >> especially now. >> great. i mean, it's a lot of pressure being a role model, but in any way you can help people i think that's what life is about, learning and teaching. >> janelle, when you spoke with rihanna, didyou get the sense she still is having a hard time dealing with being a role model? >> she said that she embraces it now and i think it's because of the outpouring of support and because who doesn't want to be called a role model.

it is pressure but she's ready to receive it. >> i'm sure it will take time for her to adjust, embrace it more and more. and rihanna told you exclusively a truly remarkable story how her tell-all on abc may have saved one woman's life who was innen abusive relationship. >> i had a fan who wrote in a letter, she was contemplating suicide, and after the 20/20 interview she was in an abusive relationship, so she called the hot line and she wanted them to help. she wanted them to hide her and her daughter and get out of that relationship which was inspiring for me that she went from thinking about killing herself to moving on with a new life. >> janelle, truly remarkable. when you think about how rihanna was widely criticized for not speaking out sooner, now look at the effect she's having. >> i know. i tell you, it's like a tough situation for her to be in. this is a painful memory, one

she doesn't want to have to relive. by the time the album comes out many would have said i'm sick of hearing about it. so now you know she's trying to talk about it, do it in a blanket way and hoping that she can sort of stop talking about it so much by forcing people to go and buy the album where she addresses it. >> she wasn't in the same place eight, nine months ago, obviously. right there cheering on rihanna, some really big stars last night. serena williams and actress kerry washington told "showbiz tonight" they have nothing but love for rihanna. >> very excited to see ri and congratulate her on changing the face of the planet with her you know, her interview to look at the statistics on what's happened with women calling hot lines saying this is what's happening to me because rihanna did that. it's amazing. she's a rock star, in more ways than one. >> i think when you're in a position and things happen to you, it's tough to talk about and sometimes when you do talk

about it it makes you a hero. >> janelle, rihanna, it's very clear she is a very, very strong woman, and inspiration to everyone. >> all of us. >> thank you for sharing your interview with her. >> thank you. you can catch janelle's interview with rihanna this saturday morning on vh 1 news. >> people are taking sides about chris brown speaking out after rihanna did her first interview since he beat her up. >> that's right. the showbiz on call lines are ringing nonstop. we got a call from erica. she says that chris has a right to speak out. >> i understand everybody's mad at chris brown but he has the right to to talk, too, and i think he accepts responsibility for what he did. so people should also try to accept his apology. >> thank you, erica. >> we heard from shanese. >> i think chris brown should be quiet and let rihanna speak out. just starting to feel

comfortable to speak out about it and i don't blame her, so i think he should be quiet and let her do her thing. >> i agree. you can call speak out on this or anything else that is on your mind. >> showbiz on call lines always open. give us a ring. leave a voice mail. we'll play some of your calls right here on "showbiz tonight." there are big breaking developments today about two stars and their sex tapes. first, jennifer lopez's shocker. j.lo caught up in a fight to stop her ex-husband from releasing a very intimate tape. if this thing comes out, you can toss that whole jennifer from block thing out of the window. also carrie prejean with new confessions about her solo sex tape today. >> you have been called absolutely terrible names but there are people who say they want to call you on the carpet when they feel you are being a hypocrite. >> tough questions from meredith vieira. is carrie a hypocrite because

she's been preaching conservative family values, just as this sex tape surfaces. the startling results of our poll. also, the surprising just revealed thing that ellen and oprah have in common. plus, ellen's wife opens up with details how they met. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. now the "showbiz news ticker." >> you eat these healthy foods you are going to grow up big and strong just like me. >> well, and me. i'm still growing. >> i can't wait to eat the food we grow.

now on "showbiz tonight," j.lo's sex tape shocker. tonight, jennifer lopez's fight to keep her ex-husband from releasing a video of her. and speaking of sex tapes, carrie prejean in the hot seat. >> you have been called absolutely terrible names but there are people who say they want to call you on the carpet when they feel you're being a hypocrite. >> the controversial beauty queen answers the tough questions about her sex tape, why she made it and why she calls it the biggest mistake of her life. and jon and kate plus lohan? bizarre details about jon gosselin's court fight featuring a train wreck cast of characters including lindsay lohan's dad.

more stories breaking from the "showbiz news ticker." welcome back to "showbiz tonight." it is 30 minutes past the hour. i'm a.j. hammer broadcasting tonight and every night from new york city. >> and i'm brooke anderson coming to you from hollywood and tonight, is there a j.lo sex tape? that's one of two sex tape showbiz shockers making for big news breaking today. jennifer lopez file add $10 million lawsuit against her ex-husband. lopez is trying to stop him from releasing a very intimate tape of her that he shot during their honeymoon. he says he wants to use the tapes in a movie about j.lo. also breaking, carrie prejean's confession tour. carrie confirmed she made a solo sex tape but is not apologizing. does that make the conservative

former beauty queen a hypocrite? >> wait until you hear the results we got in of our showbiz poll asking that very question. joining me in carlos diaz, in new york is megan alexander. i want to begin with this j.lo sex tape. jennifer lopez's ex-husband says he wants to use a sex tape of jennifer for a movie he is doing all about their relationship. should j.lo be worried? >> you know, what people will do for a buck, a.j., and there is an audience out there for it. i mean, it seems just disappointing that somebody that you once cared deeply about would reveal something so private, so personal. you know, i don't even know what to say necessarily. i think she should attempt to fight it. she did it in the first place so it comes back the 0 haunt you, i suppose. >> i just continue to not understand why anybody would put anything on tape they wouldn't want to get out one day. let me tell you what the video

reportedly includes. lopez wearing skimpy underwear, there are scenes reportedly of an embarrassing and ugly argument between j.lo and her mom. this was a private tape that they shot on their honeymoon in 1997. they were married less than a year. he reportedly signed a confidentiality agreement when they got divorced. brooke anderson, do you think that he could actually get away with using a tape like this? >> anything is possible, a.j., but he is going up against a really heavy hitter in his ex-wife, jennifer lopez. i agree with megan, i think it's disgusting that he's trying to make money off of this private footage and betray a woman he once loved. they were married. lesson here is put the video camera down, people, for crying out loud. put it down. >> and you bring up a good point. j.lo is a heavy hitter, a lot of resources, big lawyers. the fact he's moving forward and thinking he can get away with it says to me that maybe he can get

away with it. i don't know. you're not the only one that think this is is disgusting. the ladies of the view view going off on jennifer's ex-husband. sherri shepherd let him have it >> you get married it's a trust factor. the fact he's trying to sell this you should be ashamed. plus she gave you money to shut up because you didn't spend your money right. ridiculous. >> megan, i'm thinking a lot of people are going to agree. >> i agree. what is sacred, that trust that they did have for their marriage. unfortunately it did not work out but to keep the moments private and to honor that time that you did have with your partner, i think it's just despicable that he would not honor her and try to go public with this and unfortunately what people want to do for some money is very unfortunate. >> our next shocker then. carrie prejean's new confession tour, after a sex tape of her was leaked. she sat down on the "today" show. meredith asked the conservative former beauty queen being called

a hypocrite. in her new book that she's promoting now she wrote this. our bodies are temples of the lord. yet, she also shot a sex tape when she was 17. watch how carrie responded. she thinks that the criticism is tied to her slamming same-sex marriage at the miss usa pageant seven months ago. >> i'm a model. i was in a beauty pageant. if people want to call me a hypocrite, that's their prerogative. but you know what, i've learned from my mistakes, no one's perfect. you're not, i'm not, no one's perfect. everybody makes mistakes. i think it's about taking responsibility for your mistakes and it so happens that seven months since i gave that answer, and they have done nothing but attack me and try and silence me and keep me from spreading that message that free speech still exists. >> as somebody who does interviews for a living i listen carefully to see if people answer the questions they are asked. she never really answered that

question. she said that if people want to call her a hypocrite that's their prerogative but that's not an answer to whether or not she's a hypocrite. megan, i think she did herself a disservice dancing around it and not addressing it. >> i completely agree. it's so important to address things head on, stay to topic. brooke brought up something interesting, too, when she said that young girls are looking at carrie as a role model. it's so important that she address it, say she made a mistake, move forward. but keep the issue separate. going back to that people are against her ever since the miss u.s.a. pageant, that tape supposedly was shot at 17. stick to topic. if you're going to apologize, do it and move forward and accept the consequences for that mistake. >> people get media training before they go on and are interviewed on big shows. sometimes you can be a little overtrained. i think that may have been the case. the media tour did roll on for carrie went she went on the view the view.

wom whoopi goldberg asked her. >> if you have presented yourself and can make edicts about others' way of life, are you surprised that you're getting the same sort of backlash? >> i think that's the biggest thing is that i express my view, i was in front of millions of people, and as -- and people weren't happy with that. >> she keeps bringing it back to when she answered the question about gay marriage. but this controversy now really has nothing to do with it. >> not at all. i think whommy nailed it right there. because she voiced her opinion about something, you know, that she doesn't agree with, and people said -- she's like it's freedom of speech. you know what, you did something, carrie, you did something that a lot of people don't agree with, which is make a sex tape. it's not alleged. it's there. from the sources i've talked to, there's not just one, all right. so there are sex tapes involved

here. so, you cannot fault us for calling you a hypocrite because you're judging people when you need to look in the mirror yourself. >> of course "showbiz tonight" cannot confirm or deny whether or not there is another sex tape. carlos, i'll leave that on your page. we did ask something in our question of the day, which really i think shows how people are feeling generally. she didn't do herself favors. carrie prejean sex tape, is he is a hypocrite? 80% said yes. only 20% no. let me get to a couple of e-mails. everyone makes mistakes when they are young. i truly believe in her. so 80% of the voters say she's a hypocrite. ethel is the 20% who says she is not. now megan, regardless of what people think of carrie prejean she says out there selling that book, right? it's working for her one way or another. >> true. that's where i think you really need to think about what you want to talk about, move forward, and direct it, you know, address it head on.

in my interview i did with her i said how do you feel when people say you are hypocritical. it's an opportunity for her to say, look, i make mistakes, we all make mistakes. she did say that. but then i think you need to move forward. i can't say it enough. >> megan, carlos, thank you both. and this just in about the j.lo sex tape a. judge extended a restraining order preventing release of the tape until at least december. levi johnston won't go away. he has brand new shocking revelations just out today about the new legal fight he is about to launch against sarah palin and her family. and other shocking legal news, the stage is set for the most bizarre courtroom drama ever featuring a train wreck cast including not only jon and kate gosselin but lindsay lohan's father michael. what is that about? i have the juicy details. also this. >> that's incredible. did she not think anybody would notice?

>> so, what video did "showbiz tonight" show to get that kind of response? wait until you find out. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. it is time for the "showbiz news ticker."

welcome back to "showbiz tonight." i'm a.j. hammer in new york with brooke anderson in hollywood. did you see this? a woman in boston falls onto the subway tracks. now, obviously this story could have ended horribly, but the driver of the subway train slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt. this is amazing. people on the platform were frantically waving arms and the driver pulled the brake. she's hailed as a hero. the woman who fell got scrapes but is fine and told authorities she had been drinking. tonight get ready for what may become the biggest, most outrageous jon and kate legal

circus ever. featuring a train wreck cast including not only jon and kate but lindsay lohan's father. the stage is set for the showdown in court having to do with the breach of contract lawsuit tlc brought against jon for preventing them from shooting his kids for a see equal to "jon & kate plus 8." and tonight, levi johnston is jumping aboard the train wreck express with a revelation about how he's going to fight for the baby he had with sarah palin's daughter. with us tonight in new york is attorney b.j. bernstein and in hollywood kim serafin, senior editor for in touch weekly. let's set the scene for jon gosselin's upcoming court date. and it really is going to be quite a circus. listen to this. tlc has subpoenaed lindsay lohan's father michael lohan, jon's 22-year-old girlfriend, and his former fling kate major. what a crew. b.j., by my count that's two

friends, haley and michael lohan and one enemy. how are things looking for jon? >> not good. tlc is smart in making this move because they are trying to show that jon breached his contract with them. he's not supposed to make deals with other people, and the rumors are out that he was trying to shop another reality show with michael lohan, that and of course the women he's spending time with would overhear phone calls, perhaps see the e-mails and trying to do interviews or setting things up outside of the contract. so, as much of a circus it actually is legally relevant. >> it sure is. it's not looking good for jon as you say. so, we've got a reality show star, a father of a hollywood star, a former fling, and a current girlfriend, all expected to show up in court. kim, is it just me or does this sound like this courtroom showdown could be a reality show in and of itself? >> yeah, my gosh. who is missing the ball on this?

this is the show they should be doing. this is very exciting. i would tune in to this. plus, the tlcp.r. department, marketing, would have to do nothing, they could go home and play solitaire on the computer because michael lohan knows how to get publicity. jon gosselin we know, knows how to get publicity. he'll invite a camera crew to do yoga poses with him. you never know. but this is the reality show people want. if tlc wants ratings. >> they should just line the courtroom with cameras, catch all of the action, make a weekend special out of it. and as we like to say around here, but wait, there's more. jon reportedly planning on countersuing tlc for $5 million. claiming that tlc is keeping him from earning a living. b.j., you're the attorney. is he out of his mind? he's the one who shut down the show when he prevented tlc from

filming his eight kids with kate. >> he's going to have a difficult time. tlc responded saying listen, we're not stopping you from your original job, perhaps you should go to that, your pre-television day job. these are not people who have talent who are singers, who are actors, who had something. he is simply from this reality show. so, he's got a difficult, difficult row to hoe here and also the timing with this divorce, it's a mess. >> it's a mess. i think he's got a skewed sense of how much his image is worth. goodness gracious. moving now to another legal battle i want to get to that's getting ready to go down in court, it involves another train wreck, levi johnston. he has released his that he will fight for joint custody of the baby he had with sarah palin's daughter. he claims the family is making it difficult for him to see his son. kim, coming from the guy who is about to pose for "play girl"

heart felt move or cheap publicity stunt? >> yeah. i'm not sure levi would know how to spell publicity or custody, so let's put that out there. yeah. if levi was talking about wanting to be a good father, talking about what he's doing to try to be a good dad, that would be one thing. it seemings like he talks about sarah palin, about how they are mean to him, sarah palin being a hypocrite, talks about his play girl shoot. he's not talking about his son. he's not doing anything that would make anyone believe he is trying to be a good dad. >> if levi really is going to fight for his child, if he were really smart, b.j., i'm thinking he would clean up his act. i cannot imagine that posing nude for "play girl" is going to help him. >> no. a court is not going toest necessarily be happy with that. the bottom line we have somebody who is incredibly immature, thrown into the spotlight but left with the serious important

lifetime issue which is he and bristol share a child, will share that child forever. it's okay to seek joint custody but that's a solemn, serious legal obligation. that's going to give everybody reservation here. >> he needs to take that pont very seriously and needs to keep his pants on. who is advising him to pose for "play girl." thanks. tonight, the travoltas show up for the premier of their new movie, a family affair. john tra tropical ta and his wife kelly preston star in "old dog." and their daughter makes her debut. the travoltas have mostly been in seclusion since the death of their son. john travolta wants to promote this film because his daughter is in it but every day is still a struggle as they deal with their devastating loss. the co-stars had glowing things

to tell "showbiz tonight" about ella's performance and working with john. >> there is nothing i can say other than i love you and that he gives it back. he's an amazing man. he's always beenway. he just -- he's the equivalent of like a prozac. you see him and all of a sudden you feel good. >> all the personal stuff i need to say to him i've already said to him. i do think it's great because ellen, no kidding, their daughter, she's genuinely interested in being an actress. >> i think this is a wonderful opportunity for ella to make her film debut both of there parents. and i think it's so special for john and for kelly to have this forever on film with their daughter at, you know, such a preshl little age. >> you can see the whole family on film when "old dogs" hits theaters on november 259. caught on tape that has people outraged. >> that's incredible. did she not think anybody would notice? that's outrageous. >> what video did we show her to

get that reaction? just wait until you find out. this is "showbiz tonight" on hln. and now the news ticker making news right now. "showbiz tonight" newsroom making news right now.

the woman credited as the hero ine in the ft. hood massacre appear on the oprah winfrey show. and today of course we remember the brave men and women who are serving and those who gave their all. the ceremonies this veterans day. plus, workers clearing a rork slide on a tennessee highway get a scare from a second one. look at this thing caught on tape. we'll show you more. that's pretty frightening. welcome you to hln news and views. thanks for keeping us company here. welcome on this veterans day where we are remembering all of those who have served and are serving. thank you for your duty. we are hearing from the civilian police officer whose quick thinking meanwhile is credited with saving so many lives during

the shooting rampage at ft. hood, texas. she's being called a hero for bringing down the alleged gunman. she's in the hospital recovering from three gunshot wounds now. today, she tells talk show host oprah winfrey that she's doing well. she says, quote, the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic. many people outside pointing to the direction that this individual was apparently located. as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill is when things started getting pretty bad and we started encountering fire. munley is a former soldier. her full interview is being broadcast today. this brings us to your "your views" question today. do you think the military should lift its ban on women in combat? call us right now, 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or add your comment to my facebook page, cy

christipaul/hln. you can text us with your view, hlntv, views, a if you think, yes, women should be allowed into combat, or, b, if you think, no, shae they should not. just into hln as well. john o'connor, the husband of former supreme court justice sandra day o'connor has died. he had been suffering from alzheimer's disease. his wife is the first woman to serve on the high court. she retired in 2006 saying she needed to spend more time with her husband. the suspect in the ft. hood shootings is refusing to answer any questions about that day so far. his attorney says major hasan is coherent but isn't talking at last week's attack. he is under guard in intensive care. investigators are trying to figure out what provoked the attack. fbi agents showed up at the texas mosque though where hasan worshipped. they wouldn't say what they were looking for but they did search a trash bin outside the islamic

community center of greater killeen. the mosque president had to leave the memorial service to sign a search warrant. leaders at the mosque have condemned the attack. president obama is commander in chief and this veterans day, of course, also consoler in chief. he laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns today. it was poignant since the president led yesterday's memorial service yesterday. just moments ago he paid tribute to all who served and are currently serving this country. >> where so many acted in pursuit of narrow self interest, they've chosen the opposite. they chose to serve the cause that is greater than self. many after they knew they would be sent into harm's way. and for the better part of a decade they have endured tour after tour in distant and difficult places, they have protected us from danger and they have given others the

opportunity for a better place. so to all of them, to our veterans, to the fallen, and to their families there's no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice. >> this morning, democratic senator daniel akaka of hawaii marked veterans day by laying a wreath at the world war ii memorial in washington. he's a veteran and chairman of the veterans committee. other people are braving the rain to honor those who served during the voietnam war. in an hour, thousands will gather for a ceremony here at the vietnam veterans memorial. that includes active duty and retired service members who will gather there. again, you can see what that site looks like right now. jurors in arkansas could

begin deliberations today in the murder trial of curtis vance. prosecutors say he beat a little rock tv anchor to death last october and he could be executed if he's found guilty. yesterday a medical examiner testified anne pressly's face was crushed. her jaw was forced to the back of her head, cutting off blood to her brain. it's hard to hear. monday, jurors heard a tape of vance telling police he beat pressly with a piece of wood he found in her backyard. attorneys say he was tricked into confessing. 5-year-old girl missing in north carolina. authorities think foul play in her disappearance. shaniya davis disappeareded from her fayetteville home yesterday. please look at this beautiful little girl. police are searching wooded areas near her home but worried that heavy rain may delay efforts to find her. her family has a history with a social services department. but there she is. shaniya is three feet tall, 40

pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. last seen wearing a blue t-shirt and pink underwear. please keep your eyes open. if you have information, please contact the fayetteville police department. a united airlines pilot was pulled off a flight minutes before he was supposed to take off from london to chicago on monday. authorities were called by a co-worker who thought he was drunk. british police say his blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. the pilot has been removed from duty while the airline investigates. and airline spokeswoman says united policy is a i monk the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation of the well-established policy. there were no words of remorse from the so-called dc sniper before his execution. john allen mohammed died by lethal injection last night in virginia's death chamber. this is the last photo taken of him. police believed he was the mastermind behind the sniper attacks that terrorized the washington, d.c. area back in 2002. and ambulance took away his remains.

victims' relatives and the prosecutor witnessed this execution. >> he died very peacefully, much more than most of his victims. i felt a sense of closure and i hope that they did, too. i think that they look forward to that and i hope that they have solace by virtue of his execution. >> mohammed was executeford killing dean harold meyers. his accomplice, lee boyd malvo, is serving life in prison. several inches of rain fell overnight in the atlanta area and caused creeks and rivers to flood their banks, thanks to the remnants of tropical storm ida. forecasters say there's moderate floods along the chattahoochie river. nearly 4 1/2 inches of rain fell at hartsfield-jackson international airport. atlanta's official total yesterday, four inches of rain, nearly doubles the old record setback in 1966. a lot of people are taking a second look at slugger sammy

sosa. why he says his skin looks lighter these days. what do you think?

well, as we celebrate veterans day today, some people are asking the question, should women in the military be allowed to go into combat? you may remember civilian police officer sergeant kimberly m munley. she shot the ft. hood gunman. she's appearing on oprah today. the recent article on slate.com says the best way to on more her heroism one to drop the ban on women in combat. it prevents them from infantry positions and being assigned medics to combat units. there are 10,000 female personnel in iraq, 4,000 more in afghanistan. what they're doing is driving trucks, treating the wounded, shooting when attacked. more than 100 though have given their lives in iraq and another

15 have died in afghanistan. this article says the no combat policy pretends that women can't take such risks without harming overall military performance. do you believe that to be true? steve is joining us from louisville. do you think that that's true? why or why not? >> caller: i think women should be able to serve equally, as their male counter parts. there's a lot of women out there that could easily tear me apart in hand-to-hand combat. i'm sure they can handle a weapon a lot better than i can. but yet, because i'm male, if i so desire to be in infantry, they would let me as long as i could pass the required tests. i think if women can pass the required physical and mental tests, i really cannot think of a reason why they shouldn't be allowed. >> i guess the argument is that some people think they would compromise the cohesiveness of a unit. i kind of read that as maybe

they think there would be a distraction or something, i don't know. or that men, you know, just have this innate desire to protect women. what do you say to that? >> i think we -- all we have to do is turn a look backwards a couple days ago where it looked like a woman did a hell of a job protecting the men. >>louisville, thank you so much for calling. it was good to hear from you. i want to go to paul in tampa now. paul, what do you think? >> caller: how are you doing? i'm retired marine first sergeant. i served in two conflicts. as far as women serving in combat, historically women have served in combat if you look at the history of russia, germany. the problem with american women being in combat would break down the integrity of our units. additionally, though, i've seen men terribly mutilated in war and that's something that dads and husbands and sons wouldn't like the idea. i do believe women are capable of serving in combat and to do a

real good job. however, in continuity, i think that maybe they should have like an all-women organization, and i think they could kick as much as anybody. >> so you support the idea that perhaps if you had a mixed unit of men and women, that women might be a distraction for the men? is that safe to say? >> i think it's very safe to say, because look at the -- look at the -- today's society as america. i think if the breakdown would occur where a man would show favoritism to certain women or vice versa, and it could hurt the integrity of the overall unit operation. i think that's historically a fact. >> okay. >> if you look, israel tried that and it failed. that's why they no longer have it, either. >> paul, thank you so much for your perspective here. so let me pose the question to the rest of you watching and we hope that you will join the discussion here. do you think the military should lift its ban on women in combat? give us a call at 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln. you can add your comment to my

facebook page as well. i'd love to hear from you. go to christipaulhln. dive into the discussion. you can text us, too, with your view. send it to hlntv. text "views a" for yes, women should be allowed into combat, or "views b" if you think they should not. thank you for giving your perspective on this. all right. what does former baseball slugger sammy sosa have in common with the late king of pop michael jackson? well, take a look here. sosa is denying that he's trying to lighten his skin, as jackson did. but look at the two pictures side by side here. the soon to be 41-year-old he does look dramatically different than he did just six months ago. here's sosa's explanation. he says a skin cream he's used for years combined with a bright tv lights at the latin grammy awards made his skin look lighter. he declined to give a name of that cream. just has a lot of people talking. a rock slide closes a tennessee highway, but just as crews were trying to clear up

that mess, oh, you can see here what gave way. more of this in a moment.

hey, guys. hope you're having a good, safe trip and we're thinking about you. our prayers are with you. may god bless. >> we want to echo that sentiment as well on this veterans day. thank you to all of you who are serving and have served and to your families making the sacrifice by being away from you. we're thinking at you as well. a private u.s. security firm allegedly wanted to bribe its way out of a controversy after its guard shot 17 iraqi civilians. "the new york times" quotes former blackwater executives. they're saying blackwater sent $1 million to buy silence from iraqi officials. the times reports it's unclear whether anybody got paid. but the firm now called z services, calls the report

baseless. tampa police say a priest was attacked with a tire iron and the man accused of doing so is a marine corps. a greek orthodox priest visiting the united states was lost and he followed lance corp. wrath ral jason bruce into a garage to ask for help. they accuse bruce of beating the priest with a tire iron and calling him a terrorist. >> i think it's sad. i mean, this is a pius man, a soft-spoken person dedicated to god and the church. he got lost and asked for directions and someone assaulted him. >> now, here's the other side of this. bruce's attorney claims the reverend marakis groped the man and bruce was defending his. he is free on bond. the priest was taken to a hospital and then released. the sheriff who investigated the balloon boy case will not face criminal charges. the boy's family's attorney says the sheriff violated privacy laws when said child welfare services were involved.

the d.a. said the sheriff did not disclose any information he wasn't supposed to. the family's lawyer said this is typical law enforcement whitewash. remember, the boy's family publicly denied they falsely reported he was in that balloon. a story of survival near the arctic circle takes a dramatic twist. 17-year-old hunter got trapped on an ice floe in canada's hudson bay. there were three polar bear on the same patch of ice. he spent two nights adrift. one bear got too close and the hunter shot it. rescuers reached him by boat and helped get him to safety. the rescuers got trapped and had to spend the night on the ice. another rescue party reached them the next day. wow. a rock slide closed down a highway in southeastern tennessee as workers were trying to clear the roadway. well, they almost got hit by another rock slide, and that one was caught on video. take a look at this.

too close for comfort, isn't it? a local news crew is recovering the clean-up effort and managed to get the video of the second rock slide. they warned everyone that there might be a second slide and moved them out of the way. the highway, u.s. 64, may be closed for up to a week. you know there are some banks out there letting the customers spend as much as they want, but hln money expert clark howard warns it may cost you way more in bank fees than you're willing to pay. >> a lot of people because they've been burned by credit cards have switched in recent years to debit cards. that's where it has a visa or mastercard logo on it but when you use it it takes money directly from your checking account. well, get this. do you know that most banks will allow you to use your debit card even when it will cause you to overdraw your account? why would they do that?

because they want you to overdraw your account so that they can hit you with massive overage charges. what should you do? can 60 your bank or credit union to not permit overages, where you can't get hit with an overage if you would over draw your account. the other thing if you can't track your balance, do everything with cash instead. i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to keep your wallet shipshape, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark howard shows in the georgia state guard, in case you didn't know. in this weekend you'll see him serving our troops. clark and robin meade of "morning express" team up to help soldiers and you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. watch "operation clark smart" this weekend right here on hln. well, a woman went to lunch at mcdonald's and came home one very rich woman. hear how she turned a cup of sweet tea into a million bucks. @

we are hearing from the civilian police officer whose quick thinking is credited with saving so many lives during the shooting rampage at ft. hood, texas. sergeant kem bimberly munley is credited for bringing him down. she's in the hospital recovering from three gunshot wounds. but today she did tell oprah winfrey that she's doing well. she went on to say, quote, the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic. a lot of people outside pointing to the direction that this individual was apparently located. as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill is when things started getting pretty bad and we started encountering fire, unquote. munley is a former soldier. full interview is being

broadcast today. it does bring us though to our "your views" question of the day. do you think the military should lift its ban on women in combat? we'd love to hear from you. call us at 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or add your comment to my facebook page. go to christipaulhln and bring up the page. also, you can text your view, send it to hlntv. text "views a" if you think, yes, women should be allowed into combat, or "views b" if you think they should not. thank you for taking part. the suspect in the ft. hood shootings is refusing to answer questions about that day to far. his attorney says major hasan is coherent but isn't talking about last week's attack. >> they've been very limited. as you know it was only recently retained. and i've only had one opportunity to meet directly with him. and that was for a brief

30-minute period shortly after i was retained. i went down myself and together with the military detail defense counsel, and met with him. but it was primarily just to ensure that he was satisfied with the current composition of the defense team and then, because of his medicationsing and it was obvious that he was very tired, we terminated our interview at that time. >> hasah is under guard and in intensive care. they're trying to figure out what provoked that attack. meanwhile, fbi agents showed up at the texas mosque where hasan worshipped. they would not say what they were looking for, but they did search a trash bin outside the islamic community center of greater killeen. the mosque president had to leave the memorial service yesterday to sign what appeared to be a search warrant. leaders at the mosque have condemned that attack. now, hasan was not quiet about his opinions on muslims in the military. in 2007 he spoke to army doctors as part of a final project for

his residency in psychiatry. but a defense official says instead of a medical lecture, hasan talked about islam. the power point presentation which was published in the "washington post" frequently cited the koran and explained concepts like jihad. hasan recommended that muslims be allowed to claim conscientious objector status so they won't have to fight other muslims. president obama of course is commander in chief and this veterans day he's consoler in chief. he laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns today. it was poignant since the president led yesterday's memorial service for the victims at the ft. hood massacre. he paid tribute to all who serve and are currently serving this country. >> in an era where so many acted only in pursuit of narrow self interest, they've chosen the opposite. they chose to serve the cause that is greater than self, many

even after they knew they would be sent into harm's way. for the better part of a decade they have endured tour after tour in distant and difficult places. they have protected us from danger and they have given others the opportunity for a better life. so to all of them, to our veterans, to the fallen, and to their families, there's no tribute no, commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice. this morning, democratic senator daniel akaka of hawaii marked veterans day by laying a wreath in washington. he is a world war ii veteran and chairman of the veterans affairs committee. other people meanwhile braving the rain that we're seeing there. look at all those umbrellas. as they try to honor those who served during the vietnam war. in half an hour, thousands more

will gather for a sistceremony the vietnam veterans memorial, including active duty and retired service members there. we just learned a short time ago that the husband of former supreme court justis sandra day o'connor has died. general o'connor was 79 years old, suffering from alzheimer's disease. his wife, sandra day o'connor, is the first woman to serve on the high court. she retired in early 2006, saying she needed to spend more time with her husband. right now in little rock, arkansas, the case of a tv news anchor's death is about to go to a jury. curtis vance is charged with brutally beating ann pressly to death at her home last year. the case will likely be in the hands of a jury today. the judge told jurors this morning now is the time it gets tense, unquote. vance could be sentenced to death if convicted. a 5-year-old girl is missing from north carolina and authorities suspect foul play in

her disappearance. please take a look at her. she disappeared from her faye e fayetteville home around 5:30 local time in the morning. police are searching wooded areas near her home. they're worried heavy rain my delay efforts to find her. her family has a history with the socialer is is have department. loo please take a good look. three feet tall 40rks pounds, brown hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing a blue t-shirt and pink underwear. if you have any information, contact the fayetteville police department. breaking news tonight. nancy grace has the latest developments on the desperate search for shaniya right here on hln news and views. p. a 70-year-old woman in minnesota who ran an in-home day care admits to pinning toddlers to mattresses during nap time for eight years.

she is accused of using safety pins to restrain and disflynn a young child, now 7, who recently told her mother about meinhardt's actions. she's charged with gross misdemeanor, fls imprisonment. several inches of rain fell over night in the atlanta area. forecasters c eer say there's m flooding. 4 1/2 inches of rain fell at hartsville jackson international airport. i don't know about you but a lot of people are taking a second look at slugger sammy sosa and here's why. why he says his skin looks lighter these days.

i'm jane velez-mitchell. everything that happened to me accused cleveland strangeler case can be traced to drug use. it's underlying theme of this whole nightmare. think about it. what was the common denominator of the victims? most were drug users. according to his exgirlfriend, also a drug addict. couple that with the fact that attack survivor claims he told her you're just another crack from the street, no one will know you're missing. unfortunately that may be the truth. the victim's relative claim when she told police they laughed in her face and told her, don't worry, she'll return when the drugs run out. drugs ruin lives every day. this is just an extreme example. it is time our addict nation has a major intervention. i'm jane velez-mitchell and that's my issue.

>> find out what else jane has on her mind. watch "issues" every night at 7:00 eastern right here on hln. what is former baseball slugger sammy sosa seem to have in common now with the late king of pop, michael jackson? now, we want to point out sosa is sde de neying he's trying to lighten his skin, as jackson did. the soon to be 41-year-old, look at the side by side here. looks different than he did just six months ago. sosa claims that a skin cream he's used for years combine with the tv lights at the latin grammy awards made his skin look lighter. he did decline to give the name of the cream. cher rich investigating the bool loon boy case will not face criminal charges. the boy's family attorney said the sheriff violated prooi viva laws. but the d.a. says the sheriff didn't disclose any information he wasn't supposed to. the family's lawyer says this is typical law enforcement whitewash. remember the boy's family has publicly denied they falsely

reported he was in that balloon. the world's largest salvation army kettle has gone up in a city that really needs a lot of it. the kettle made up of 25,000 lights, mind you, is at a park in detroit. it will be lit november 20th to kick off the fund-raising campaign. the salvation army tells the "detroit free press" demand for services is up 60%. it hopes to raise $7.8 million. common grocery store debate, isn't it, which is best, fresh or frozen produce. we're going beyond the surface to ice some conventional wisdom. >> fresh versus frozen produce, which is better? if you think fresh, think again. it turns out that frozen produce is just as nutritious as fresh produce because frozen vegetables and fruit are harvested at their peak, the nutrition is preserved throughout the freezing process.

you can lose those vitamins to water if you put them in large amounts. i would suggest that you put them always in smal small amounts by steaming. canned vegetables are usually very high in sodium. canned fruit, unless you get it packed in its own juice or in water, skip it. you want to get as many colorful vegetables and fruit in your diet as is possible to protect you from climate disease. iraq a. rock slide closes a tennessee highway, but just as crews were trying to clear up that mess, look what else gave way. we'll show you more.

on this veterans day we're getting so many moving submissions from i-reporters such as this one who she says she was just brought to tears visiting the veterans memorial

park in west lake, california, recently. here's the thing. she said she stood by the grave site of a young man on his birthday. on his birthday, mind you. look at the inscription. i am not far. i am quite near. whisper softly and i will hear. it really makes you think. she said it was just heartbreaking. and also in the park was this traveling republic a of the vote noom call in washington. she said she watched as families there searched for the names of their loved one. ellerton talked to a vietnam veteran who said regardless of our personal views, u.s. troops in the war zone need and deserve our support. >> our leadership makes the decision to go to war against an enemy, right now it's these terrorists. whether we all believe that that's right or not, the men and women who are actually the ones going over there and doing that, they need to be supported. if our country makes that decision, it is ridiculous for

people in this country to run around screaming and yelling you can't do that and having rallies and all the rest of that. that's not right. >> ellerton dedicated her report for all the veterans who fought for freedom and died doing so, and their families who have lost so much as well. that's really quite an image there, too, isn't it? we want to send out our thank you to all of you for what you do every day and invite you to share your thoughts, video, and pictures on this veterans day. go to ireport.com, click on up load now link. there you will find complete instructions on how to submit your stories. know that you are certainly not forget ten on this day or any day. do you know our money expert clark howard serves in the georgia state guard? this weekend you're going to see him serving our trops. the morning express team up to help soldiers and you save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. >> she says, what's the best way to be debt free before

retirement. when are you going to be retiring? >> two years from the army reserve and two to five years from civil service. >> okay. so the question is, what kind of debts do you have that you're trying to get your arms around? >> i want to get around to paying off the house and having just house and utilities by the time i retire. >> all right. well, paying off your home mortgage is not always a priority. the big priority is paying off any unsecured debt, personal loans, credit cards, then next would be car loans. but home mortgage debt is not a high priority with me. it's more important that you beef up your savings than it is to be mortgage debt free. it's psychological for people to want to be mortgage debt free on the day they retire. i'm not that much into that. because your house isn't going to feed you money. you're going to feed yourself from the money that you have saved. >> clark, what about -- i've heard other financial analysts

who aren't half as good as you, may i just say, when they say, yeah, that you're paying off your mortgage should be a priority because that way you're never homeless. >> well, that is a good point, but i'm more concerned about people who retire, don't have enough money, don't have enough cash to pay for everyday things, and it's an empty victory that they own their house free and clear. >> you can watch "operation clark smart" right here on hln this weekend at 6:00 a.m., noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern. united airlines pilot was pulled off a flight just minutes before he was supposed to take off from london to chicago monday. authorities were called by a co-worker who thought he was drunk and british police say his blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. now, the pilot has been removed from duty while the airlines investigates. and airline spokeswoman says, united policy is among the strictest in the industry, and we have no tolerance for violation of this well-established policy.

the mastermind behind the d.c. area sniper attacks that terrorized the nation in 2002 said nothing before his execution. said nothing before execution. he died by lethal injection at 9:00 eastern last night and this is the last photo taken of him. an ambulance took away his remains and some victims' relatives witnessed that execution. muhammad got the death sentence for shooting death of a man but the d.c. area attacks left ten people dead. muhammad's accomplice, lee boyd malvo, is serving life in prison. a priest who was attacked with a tire iron and the man accused of doing it is a marine core reservist. police say that a greek orthodox priest visiting the united states was lost. he followed lance corporal jason bruce into a garage to ask for help and they accuse bruce of beating the priest with a tire iron and calling him a racist. >> i think it's sad.

this is a very soft-spoken person who is dedicated to serving god and serving church and from what it sounds like to me he got lost and asked for directions and someone assaulted him. >> allegedly called him a terrorist. bruce's attorney claims the priest groped bruce and he was defending himself. he's free on bond and the priest was tone aken to a hospital and released. workers almost got hit by another rock slide and that one was caught on video. look at this. it's awfully close. a local news crew was turning the cleanup effort and able to get the video of the second rock slide. we understand a state transportation department geologist warned everyone there might be a second slide so moved them out of the way. u.s. 64 could be closed up to a

week. a woman went to lunch at mcdonald's and came home a rich woman. hear how she turned a cup of sweet tea into a sweet million dollars. y8