>> just a half hour, connect 24-7 at abc 7 news.com. tonight on "world news" from new york, holiday showdown. those personal patdowns versus thanksgiving travelers. what will you encounter next week? bonanza. after engines roar at the opening bell, gm stock soars. the president heralds all the jobs saved. answers. we tackle your e-mails about human rights in china, and the one-child policy creating the shortage of girls. and, the wedding. kate middleton seems to be scouting a location. we look back at the bride whose wedding united a country in its darkest days. good evening. it's good to be back home tonight, where americans are preparing for thanksgiving holiday travel.

and as of tonight, 60 airports have those full body scanning machines. and every airport is using the personal full body patdown if you set off an alarm on a regular screener. tomorrow, 24 million of us will begin a week and a half of holiday flying, so, what's going to happen? what choice do you make and how does the security here in this country compare to the most celebrated security system on earth? sharyn alfonsi has been looking into all of this today. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. a florida congressman sent a letter to the nation's busiest airports, urging them to consider using contractors. now, officials at one orlando airport say they will, announcing today they want to replace the tsa with a private security firm. those contractors will have to follow tsa procedures, but airport officials believe private firms may handle it better. for some travelers, thanksgiving will be their first taste of this. new measures some call intrusive, others, ineffective.

but tsa officials say it is working. body scanners have already captured passengers trying to smuggle marijuana, whiskey, even knives. as for the patdowns -- >> i am sensitive to and concerned about people's privacy concerns. the bottom line is, we need to provide for the best possible security. >> reporter: but look at this. is this really the best possible security? are patdowns and scanners the best way? >> no. >> reporter: this man ran security for the israeli airline el al. the tel aviv airport is a constant target of terrorists, but they haven't had a breach of security in eight years. how do they do it? >> what we do, we interview every passenger. >> reporter: every passenger? >> every passenger, no exception. >> reporter: first, at road side blocks as they approach the airport. then, questioning everyone again inside. assessing their risk based on how they act, look and where

they're from. critics say you can't do this in the united states because it's profiling. what would you say? >> if i'm interviewing every passenger with no exception, what's wrong with it? >> reporter: he says an interview would have red flagged shoe bomber richard reid. he got a british passport in belgium. flew to paris. bought a one-way ticket to florida. paid cash. and came to the airport with no luggage. the tsa responded by making passengers take their shoes off. in israel, security officers are college educated, trained for months and speak at least two languages. and they are routinely tested by undercover agents carrying fake explosives. if an agent misses one of the fake bombs -- >> he is going home. there is no mercy. >> reporter: they are fired on the spot. the tsa conducts similar tests, but if an agent fails those, they're normally not fired, just retrained. >> how long does all of that take in israel? >> reporter: they say it only takes 30 minutes from door to gate. >> so disciplined. so highly trained. thank you, sharyn alfonsi.

and also today, an iconic american company roared into the future. general motors celebrated its return to wall street after a life support of bankruptcy and government bailouts. as we saw, the recovery was fueled, in part, by sales in china, 30% of total profits. and investors are seeing something they like. chris bury on the investor stampede. >> reporter: today, the president took a victory lap. >> there were plenty of doubters and nay sayers who said it couldn't be done. >> reporter: but from the very moment gm's new boss rang the opening bell to the sound of a revving engine, his company's stock took off like a camaro. >> it looked like the company was busted, but now it's back. >> reporter: now, gm is no longer government motors. the treasury's share shrinking from 61% to 33%. and that $50 billion loan from taxpayers? nearly half is paid back. the rest, to come, as more stock is sold. >> i think general motors owes a

great debt of gratitude, and i know the employees feel that way, to the american taxpayer. >> reporter: gm is on a roll. its new electric volt, just named motor trend's "car of the year." overall, sales are so strong, gm is raising prices, making money for the first time in six years. the remarkable turn around comes less than two years after the government saved a broke and bloated gm and chrysler from certain collapse. >> to be able to save the american auto industry, save millions of jobs and really create the groundwork for the rebirth of the american auto industry. >> reporter: the new gm is a shadow of the old. instead of eight brands, only four. chevrolet, cadillac, buick and gmc. it slashed payroll in half, shutting more than a dozen factories and closing more than 1,000 dealerships. now, a leaner, greener gm is back on the path to prosperity, and american taxpayers can take a bow. chris bury, abc news, chicago.

and, while president obama got to herald the good news about gm, he also faced a number of thorny political and national security issues today, from treaties with russia to that trial of the prisoner from guantanamo. and jake tapper has more on all of this from the white house tonight. good evening, jake. >> reporter: good evening, diane, and welcome back. president obama is in a showdown with republicans over two major national security issues. one of which today the president called a national security imperative. in a room full of national security officials, from his own secretary of state, hillary clinton, to president nixon's, henry kissinger, the president pushed the senate to act, saying only with a treatmenty can the u.s. keep tabs on the russian nuclear stockpile. >> as ronald reagan said, we have to trust, but we also have to verify, in order for us to verify, we've got to have a treaty. >> reporter: 67 senate votes are needed for treaty ratification. and as of now, the president can only count on 60.

only one republican is committed to vote for it. republicans say language in the treaty ties the hands of the u.s. when it comes to missile defense, though defense secretary gates and other military leaders say that concern is not based in fact. incoming republican senator roy blunt says the process should be slowed down until the new senate is seated. >> this is a critically important issue for the country. if it was so important it should have gotten done, they should have gotten it done. >> reporter: republicans are also confronting the president over his efforts to try detainees in civilian courts instead of military commissions. prompted by the verdict last night of ahmed ghailani, accused of taking part in the 1998 u.s. embassy bombings in africa, killing 224. of the 285 charges, ghailani was found guilty of just one, conspiring to destroy government buildings, which carries a minimum of 20 years in prison. >> he could well have been acquitted on all counts. that's obvious. and the trial, military combatant, an enemy soldier combatant who is at war with the

united states, in the civilian courts is not correct. >> reporter: but democrats argue the case against ghailani was compromised because the defendant was interrogated by cia officers using techniques commonly considered torture. sanctioned by the bush administration. >> despite the fact that torture went on, this skillful prosecution was able to get a jury to come to guilty. that's the important thing. >> reporter: and diane, sentencing for ghailani will take place in january and the justice department will seek a life sentence. an administration official tells abc news that the judge can and likely will take into account things that the jury did not, and he can and will consider conduct that the jury found him not guilty of, such as 224 counts of murder. diane? >> to ensure that he says in even longer. thank you, jake tapper. and another note from washington tonight. the house ethics committee recommended late today that new york congressman charlie rangel be censured after being found guilty of 11 rules violations. it's the most serious punishment short of expulsion.

and before the panel deliberated, the 20-term democrat insisted he did nothing wrong in his fund-raising and finances. >> it was no intent for me, ever, to go beyond what has been given to me as a salary. i never attempted to enrich myself. and two years, almost two years after the bernie madoff ponzi scheme broke wide open, two new arrests in the scandal today. of two long-time madoff secretaries. they were arrested on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud and falsifying records. prosecutors say the two women lined their own pockets while helping him sell phony investments, even buying multimillion dollar beach houses with cash. and, overseas, tension and danger growing tonight in haiti. the cholera outbreak is spreading and enflaming civil unrest.

demonstrations have broke out, aimed at the united nations. 1,100 people have died from cholera, and abc's matt gutman is in port-au-prince tonight. >> reporter: tonight, it's not just cholera that is spreading here. it's anger. the target of this rage? the hapless haitian government and the united nations, here to help. the haitian people are angry. they've been suffering from this rapidly spreading disease and the government is not providing enough clinics. this man says, "we need a solution to this cholera problem." add to this rumors that cholera was brought here by u.n. soldiers from nepal, and now the disease is ripping through haiti's capital. this person died 15 minutes ago. he's now being disinfected, because cholera patients who died can still infect others. and this is what people in the city are so concerned about today. so concerned that people let this woman's son die in the middle of the street.

"he's the one who used to take care of me," she says. "now, he's dead. now i have nothing." she told me she lost her home in the quake. now, her only child to cholera. he had been in a clinic, but was sent away. she says, "the government does nothing." what do you do now? she says, "only god knows." amidst this desperation, it's an all too common answer. matt gutman, abc news, port-au-prince, haiti. and still ahead on "world news," a new wakeup call about high school kids in america and how 20 minutes a day could change a young life. and, take a look at the sky. where's the sun in china? we answer your e-mail questions. and, throwing a royal wedding in a recession and tough times. and remembering when all of england pitched in on a wedding cake.

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about taking care with vesicare. [ male announcer ] at ge capital, we're out there every day with clients like jetblue -- financing their fleet, sharing our expertise, and working with people who are changing the face of business in america. after 25 years in the aviation business, i kind of feel like if you're not having fun at what you do, then you've got the wrong job. my landing was better than yours. no, it wasn't. yes, it was. was not. yes, it was. what do you think? take one of the big ones out? nah. and now tonight, an alarm bell about education in america. we showed you the stunning full court press on education in china. well, today, a new report card on america's school children looks at how far american children have come tonight and how far they have to go. ron claiborne reports. >> reporter: this nation's

report card was not one that many parents would like to see brought home. the latest study showed that many high school seniors are graduating unable to read at grade level. 1 in 4, in fact, cannot read at almo the most basic level. >> this is an education electro cardiogram and what it says is, we're not making progress fast enough and this patient needs to be shocked back into life. >> reporter: still, the results were a slight improvement. >> i find it difficult to get excited about a two-point increase. i'm happy it didn't go down. but i don't see a reason to expect it should have gone down. >> reporter: but overall, the findings were alarming. 52,000 high school seniors nationwide took the reading exam last year. the average score was actually two points higher than 2005, but four points below 1992 levels. and math scores were also up slightly. education secretary arne duncan said today in a statement, today's report suggests that high school seniors' achievement in reading and math isn't rising fast enough to prepare them to succeed in college and careers. and when you drill down into the

numbers, the picture is even more sobering. just 38% of 12th graders were proficient in reading. just 26% were proficient in math. the latest report also found that the scores of black and latino 12th graders lagged behind those of whites and asians. >> there's a long way to go. we've got, first of all, we have to worry about this gap, because even though some kids are performing well, whole groups of kids are not. >> reporter: earlier this month, another report found that just 12% of african-american boys in 4th grade were proficient in math or reading. that compared to 38% of their white counterparts proficient in reading and 44% in math. >> that gap is a big gap and these numbers suggest that gap has not changed. >> reporter: and the report suggests that what is needed is more intensive exposure to reading and writing. students who regular wrote long answers to questions about their reading in class scored much higher than those who didn't. also key, experts say, continuing to teach reading well

into middle and high school, diane. >> and we just saw in china, they go to school an average 41 more days every year. >> reporter: and it is how you spend that time, because there was an interesting finding in west virginia. students who read in class at least 20 minutes did much better on these tests than students who read less than 20, less than five minutes. >> so making the time count. >> reporter: exactly. >> okay, thanks, ron. coming up, it was one of your burning questions and e-mails about china. we give you the answer. games with my grandchildren. so now,d great news! for people with copd, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other copd medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day.

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you wrote us such great e-mails, great questions, in our trip to china. tonight, david muir and clarissa ward tackle the one-child policy and the shortage of girls. but we begin with david muir tackling the question of freedom and human rights. >> reporter: adam from pennsylvania e-mailed us saying, "i'd like to know more about the human rights violations in china." and we know the human rights risk atlas ranked china the 12th worst country out of the 196 that it studies when it comes to human rights violations. of course the nobel peace prize winner liu xiaobo remains behind bars here. an 11-year sentence. and we took note of this number when it comes to freedom of the press. it's estimated that 80% of the relevant information that we get on the internet back home, on tv, in the newspaper, is never published here in china. the next e-mail from patrick in california -- "i'd love to see the current conditions of the polluted environment." and we just wanted to show you the sun. this is right in the middle of the day here, and you can see the haze over the sun. >> ni hao.

>> reporter: you want to see my passport? yes. this is, when it comes to flee dom of the press -- right here -- checking my passport outside tiananmen square. so they've given our passports back. so we'll get back to this pollution question. i showed you the sun a moment ago. that haze you see in the sky here. that's a daily occurrence. and the u.s. embassy here actually tweets the air quality here on a scale of 0 to 500. we checked it for this question. it's at 478. anything above 300 is considered hazardous. >> reporter: tammy from florida asked about china's one child policy. and when the government might think about changing it. well, the policy has been in practice now for 30 years. the government says the program has helped to prevent 400 million additional births in this already incredibly crowded country. but while this policy may have helped curb the effects of explosive population growth, it has brought about some problems with it.

for every 100 baby girls born here, 119 baby boys. china has an incredibly high abortion rate. and that's a result of the preference here for boys. and we're looking at the possibility that in the next decade, there could be 20 million to 40 million more men in china than women. now, there has been a lot of speculation in the last weeks and months that china might be getting ready to change, or at least ease, this policy slightly. but, still no word on when exactly that might happen. >> and we thank clarissa. but a note now about the nobel prize and that dissident mentioned by david muir. we learned today for the first time in the 109-year history of the nobel peace prize, there may not be an award ceremony, because the winner is behind bars. his wife is under arrest. and only the winner or a close family member can accept the award. keep your questions coming to us, we'll read them. and, coming up, something

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wherever you need it! [ both ] ♪ oh what a relief it is! and finally tonight, the new engaged couple in england are looking at how they'll throw a royal wedding in a recession. they need only look back to someone who threw a wedding during a recession and a war. jim sciutto reports. >> reporter: the world's most famous fiance has her sights set on england's most famous church, westminster abbey. but her fairytale wedding will come in the middle of a severe economic crisis here. it's a challenge britain has faced and overcome before. in 1947 then princess elizabeth planned a wedding with britain still buried under rubble and

nationwide rationing. >> rationing would give everyone an equal share. >> reporter: but instead of skimping, the british people chipped in. citizens donated ingredients for the wedding cake and silk for the dress. and soldiers lined the royal route in their wartime uniforms. instead of expensive formal dress. >> london still smelt as a bombed city. and it was austere. >> reporter: but in the end, it was a wedding fit for a queen. a flowing silk gown, millimeters watching. a wedding cake nine feet tall. in 1981, britain faced 3 million jobless and riots, but the protests gave way to street parties for charles and diana. and again, today, even at an estimated cost of $50 million, money is no object. there's already talk that prince charles will pick up most of the bill, with queen elizabeth also making a contribution. but since the government gives the royals tens of millions of dollars every year, no matter how you divide it, taxpayers

will also be the hosts. >> somehow people seem so rally around these occasions. they enjoy them. and those who don't are in such a small minority that you probably find that they go along and have a look anyway. >> reporter: to make sure everyone gets a look, today, the royals endorsed giving a gift back, making the wedding day a national holiday. jim sciutto, abc news, london. >> and may there always be an england. for "world news," we wish you a good night. as we said, it's great to be back, and we'll see you right here tomorrow night. good night. sa devastating news for hundreds of bay area families. layoffs coming to wuchbt country's best places to work. >> better news, a candy store opens doors and hopes recovery will bring a sweet smell of success to the neighborhood.

>> and a north beach restaurant where opera is on the menu. why they've been forced to fight for a permit. >> and in sacramento, do you have have a ppo? you're probably dissatisfied with service you're getting. a report shows you're not alone. >> good evening, we're going to begin with a series of discouraging indicators of the health of the bay area economy. >> today genentechs confirmed it's cutting 150 jobs from south san francisco headquarters. comcast letting 150 people go in livermore a day after state farm announced it's closing its office. but there are some positive signs as well. >> we'll get to that. mark matthews starts with layoffs. mark? >> those 450 jobs, their manufacturing jobs.