making news on this wednesday, november 24th. >> new fallout overnight from the military battle in korea. a u.s. aircraft carrier is now rushing to the region. what could that increase tensions even more? opt-out day. preparing for gridlock at airport checkpoints, as the tsa makes changes to the controversial patdown policy. and two finalists, one winner. jennifer grey plays through extreme pain to take home the trophy. good morning. we begin with the tension on the korean peninsula. we have learned that there are two more civilian deaths from yesterday's clash. >> diplomacy, of course, is being preached. but a major piece of american muscle is now moving closer to that region.

our alex marquardt is in south korea. and joins us now by the phone with the very latest. hi, alex. >> reporter: good morning. news came just a short while ago that the bodies of two civilians were found. that brings the death toll to four now. and for the second day in a row, south korea is at its highest alert level short of war. the president has vowed to on a retaliate on a large scale if north korea attacks again. a white house spokesman said the president was outraged about the attack on yeonpyeong island. in a phone call, he told south korea president, lee myung-bak. he spoke with abc news' barbara walters. >> i'm not going to speculate on military actions at this point. i want to consult with president lee. but as i said before, in is one of our most important alliances. >> reporter: it was also announced by the white house that the u.s. and south korea will be holding joint naval exercises starting on sunday. "the uss george washington" and

four other naval ships will be in the yellow sea, where yesterday's attack on the island occurred, a short distance from south korea. families of the two marines that were killed gathered at a military hospital to pay anywhere respects. in addition to the civilians that were killed, dozens or injured by the rockets that north korea had fired. that's raised the tensions to the highest level in years. residents of the island and neighboring islands are being evacuated to the mainland, on the focus on preventing escalation. rob and vinita? >> what exactly is happening to those evacuees right now? >> reporter: the evacuees are coming off of boats to the port we're at right now. the port of incheon, just outside of seoul. they've been loaded on to buses. many will be spending time with family or in temporary housing, as things play out. one person we saw come off a boat was on a stretcher. he went into an ambulance. so, despite the relative calm,

it's clear that they're preparing for the worst. >> all eyes on the korean peninsula. alex marquardt in south korea this morning. thank you. and you can see barbara walters' interview with the president and the first lady on friday night, at 10:00 eastern. many of us are packing up and heading out this morning for the big thanksgiving holiday tomorrow. and it's too early to tell if the planned protests over airport security measures will have an effect. one of the organizers of the protests says he's not flying today. on the roads, it is another matter with a massive storm causing dangerous conditions out west. interstates have been forced to close there due to blizzard conditions. ava dinges of accuweather.com, has the travel forecast. >> good morning, rob and vinita. the busiest travel day of the year has arrived. but the weather may not be cooperating. we're expecting treacherous travels anywhere from colorado to wyoming, north dakota, as well. it's the winds that are going to cause the biggest of concern. light, fluffy snow, with wind gusts as high as

40 miles per hour. that's allowing for low visibility, along i-70, in western colorado. i-80, through wyoming. and i-94, in north dakota. bismarck, expecting major delays at the airport. the snow will be heading into minnesota, minneapolis/st. paul, in the afternoon. that's where they could pick up delays. down toward the south, it's a little warmer. but we're expecting some chilly rain, through missouri, into illinois. the heaviest in the southern tier of illinois. but even chicago o'hare and midway, could pick up delays throughout the day. gusty winds may cause problems in new york city. even into boston. much of the northeast looking for a dry day. that will change thanksgiving. rain arrives in new york by thanksgiving afternoon. now, back to you, rob and vinita. >> all right, ava dinges. thank you, ava. later in this half hour, we'll have a life update on the travel headaches expected today. we also learned overnight that all 29 workers missing in a new zealand coal mine are dead. police say no one could have survived the second explosion inside the coal mine today. explosive and poisonous gases had prevented rescuers from

entering the mine to search for those missing men. they had been trapped underground since the first explosion on friday. the vatican is confirming what has been called a seismic shift in a long-standing policy about condom use. it's contained in a new book, based on interviews with pope benedict. in the book, the pope says condoms are the lesser of two evils hen they are used to curb the spread of aids. catholic insiders are calling it nothing less than a game-changer. >> this is a big deal. it's the first time the vatican has talked about condoms in a positive way, as a way to prevent aids. >> not changing the vatican's belief that condom use is immoral. and the teaching that the use of artificial birth control is forbidden. after three years in prison, amanda knox has returned to court for a second chance at freedom. an appeals hearing has wrapped up in italy for the american student, who was convicted of murdering her roommate. her lawyers now want to review the entire case and introduce some new witnesses, as well. the next court date is in mid-december.

we'll have a live report later on "good morning america." and the search resumes in upstate new york, for a college student who vanished last friday. 20-year-old jenni-lyn watson, was home on school break from syracuse, when she was last seen by her family. searchers have been concentrating on a large, wooded area, based on data from watson's cell phone. investigators in aruba say a jawbone found on the island does not belong to natalee holloway. this, after experts compared the bone to the missing teenager's dental records. holloway, of course, disappeared on a class trip to aruba back in 2005. president obama's senior adviser is leaving the white house after the state of the union address, months earlier than expected. a white house source says david axelrod moved up the date so he could have enough time to recharge and spend time with his family, before preparing for the president's 2012 re-election campaign. and at least one lucky bird is escaping the dinner table this thanksgiving. president obama plans to pardon the national turkey in the rose garden this morning.

the national turkey federation has given presidents turkeys since 1947, when harry truman was in office. the first president bush was the first to issue a pardon. now, don't worry. if anything goes wrong, a backup bird is waiting in the wings. i wonder what that means. i guess it means, if that bird acts up or goes a little nuts, they have another one that can come out. >> that's good. everything can be at peace now. when we come back this morning, a new cash infusion means thousands of new jobs for the auto industry. plus age and injuries didn't sideline jennifer grey, the newest star to win the mirrorball trophy. we'll hear from her. and we'll hear from sarah palin about the dance war drama, surrounding her daughter, bristol.

the federal reserve is growing a little more cautious about the nation's economic recovery. minutes from its meeting earlier this month, showed the fed lowered its outlook for growth for this year as well as next. and also expects unemployment to remain above 8% for two more years and not return to normal for at least five years. home sales slumped again in october, after picking up the two previous months. the 2.2% drop in sales of previously-owned homes was bigger than expected. tight lending standards and high unemployment are mainly to blame. stock markets have stabilized this morning, as jitters ease over the conflict between north and south korea. tokyo's nikkei average dropped 0.8% today.

hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow tumbled 142 points yesterday. the nasdaq fell 37. there are new signs the american auto industry is roaring back to life. chrysler is investing more than $840 million in 3 factories in indiana, helping to retain more than 2,200 jobs. and today, gm is announcing plans to invest $160 million in 2 plants in michigan and 1 in ohio, retaining nearly 200 jobs. scientists are celebrating what they're calling a major breakthrough in the fight against aids. a new study finds that taking a drug called truvada before exposure to hiv reduces the risk of infection by up to 73%. the pill is used to treat hiv infection. but all that protection is pricey. the pills cost as much as $14,000 a year. the ftc says it is looking to ways to modernize 911. one possible change would be allowing people to text for help. texting could be particularly

helpful in circumstances where a call would jeopardize someone's safety. people would also be able to snap pictures with their phones and send them to 911. well, you may be off from work tomorrow. but chances are, you won't be taking a vacation from e-mail. a new survey finds nearly 60% of employed people check their e-mail on holidays. it gets even worse. 22% of people do it multiple times on the holiday. >> i'm guilty of that. it's bad. it's bad. totally addicted. coming up next this morning, a new arrival overnight for a celebrity couple. plus this -- >> and up in the air. millions of passengers wonder what these new security regulations will mean for them flying today. i'm emily schmidt, live in washington. we'll take a look, coming up. [ male announcer ] introducing listerine® zero™.

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and upper midwest. temperatures in some areas have already dipped below zero. and gusty winds causing whiteout conditions, making it tough for drivers to get around. >> that blowing snow spells trouble for the morning commute on parts of i-70, 80 and 90 in the rockies. also snow-covered on i-17, from salt lake city to helena. and wet from des moines to oklahoma city. flooding on i-70, from kansas city to st. louis. >> if you're flying today, like so many people, you can expect some airport delays in salt lake city, denver, minneapolis, chicago, kansas city, memphis and dallas. of course, that dangerous winter storm is going to be a challenge for those driving and, of course, flying. >> but there's also the question of, of course, the planned protests against new airport security measures. is it anything more than just a lot of talk? emily schmidt is joining us now from washington, with a preview. good morning, emily. >> reporter: rob and vinita, good morning to you. you know that people are upset about airport security when some

of them are willing to stand in line longer, willing to miss their flights all to prove a point to the tsa. but could those planned protests stop those people that just want to get to their celebrations? millions of people will soon find out. for more than 2 million people flying today, the holiday travel tradition could have a new look and feel, with just-added security measures. >> well, you know, they're definitely going to places they've never gone before. you know, is it what they have to do? i don't know. you wish they didn't have to do it. >> reporter: the tsa's enhanced patdowns, along with more body-scanners, as travel season hits its peak. an abc news/"washington post" poll finds that 50% of people think that patdowns go too far. >> you block that out. and you do your job. >> reporter: the tsa tweaked its policy, exempting working pilots and flight attendants from the new procedure. protesters say, it's not enough. they want passengers to request the more time-consuming patdowns

today, to intentionally slow the system. >> i think it should be emphasized that the delays are because of the protocol that the tsa is refusing to revise. >> there's no guarantee that people will get on that flight, if there's a large number of people protesting. >> little frustrated. i'm traveling with my family and don't want a lot of delays. >> reporter: in the past, flying meant avoiding the troubles of hitting the roads with 40 million other drivers, often in less-than-perfect conditions. now, now, passengers worry airport security could prove its own perfect storm. travellers may hear directly from tsa's administrator today. he's recorded a message that's going to air over airline p.a. systems, thanking people for being, what he calls, partners in security. rob and vinita. >> i can hear you. the calming music in the background already. you heard so much grumbling. but have there been a lot of formal complaints about the patdowns? >> reporter: the tsa says in the first couple of weeks of this

program, that began on november 1st, they logged 700 formal complaints. in the same amount of time, 30 million people flied. the number has been relatively low. the catch is, over the next five days, we'll have the three busiest travel days the entire year. this system is really going to be put to the test. we'll keep you posted. rob and vinita? >> thanks for that report. we have one more thing to tell you about if you're heading to the airport today. it's a new iphone app. it's called mytsa.com. you can ask it, what can you bring? if you're not sure if you can bring soda, you type it in. and it gives you a detailed response if you can bring it or not. the best thing about the my tsa app is that it's free. >> it can save you a lot of time when you need to save time. she had 30 years on her fellow finalists. but she showed the world, everyone to this day, nobody puts baby in the corner. >> of a string of perfect scores, the viewers agreed with the judges.

and jennifer grey reigned supreme in the ballroom. diana alvear is live in los angeles. >> reporter: after the tootsie roll, the jive, and the paso doble, there were three left. in the end, it was jennifer grey, whose impeccable moves made her the champ in this season's "dancing with the stars." this time around, most of the drama happened after dancing was done. week after week, bristol palin was in the bottom two. but always managed to get enough votes to survive. in contrast, disney star, kyle massey, got consistent praise from the sxwrujs and jennifer grey, one perfect score after another. bristol's presence in the final three prompted accusations, the voting must be rigged. and that supporters of her famous mother, sarah, were behind it all. >> jennifer and derek. >> i don't know. it couldn't be much sweeter. i don't know how thing feels

sweeter than this. >> reporter: more than 23 million americans watched monday's show. and so many people voted. abc's system was temporarily overwhelmed. during the finale, all the contestants got one last chance to twirl and tango. of course, the last dance belonged to jennifer grey, the new champion of "dancing with the stars." and one more interesting thing to note. of course, on the dance floor, it was all fine. but behind the scenes, it was a whole different matter. reports against bristol palin prompted the biggest security presence ever at a season finale. vinita? rob? how did sarah palin think her daughter did? we caught up with her in arizona, after the big announcement last night. >> are you disappointed? >> not at she's had the journey of -- you know, the challenge. and the improvement. and the work ethic. and it's all about work ethic and perseverance. no. i couldn't be prouder.

she's happy. she's very happy. >> palin was in phoenix to kick off her national book tour. hundreds of folks turned out for her to sign a copy of her latest book. it's called "america by heart." the event did not start until 6:00 in the evening. but some fans started camping out as early as 1:00 in the morning. it is an especially joyous thanksgiving for john travolta and kelly preston. they are welcoming a new baby boy named benjamin. the boy was born in florida on tuesday. this is the third child for travolta and preston. their eldest son died last year. >> good news for that couple. coming up next, we'll update the extreme tensions in korea, as the u.s. military gets even more involved. as the u.s. military gets even male announcer ] imagine the possibilities with stelara® for adults. stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated

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next at 4:30 a new mess for the mayor-elect. and polls what the frosty overnight cot mean cold temperatures. >> tomorrow morning and possibly friday morning and then we finally from us this morning, this is certainly not the best time of year if you're a turkey. but there's a special bird in washington who will still be

walking tall after thanksgiving. >> this morning, he'swhite housp the white house, where president obama is expected to cut him a break. jake tapper has more. >> reporter: this turkey has reason to give thanks. hey, buddy. how are you? guess what? you're going to have a much better week than a lot of your friends. brought to washington by the national turkey federation, this bird will receive a presidential pardon. this turkey has no political connections that is enabling it to get a pardon? he didn't put on retainer any of, either of hilary clinton's brothers or anything like that? right? >> not to my knowledge. >> reporter: scooter libby is not his attorney? >> no. >> reporter: the national turkey federation first presented a holiday bird to a president in 1947 and for decades, these birds were generally eaten. the full tradition of the presidential turkey pardon began with president george h.w. bush in 1989. the turkeys are largely selected for their looks. and here he is, the winner of this year's beauty contest,

picked from 20,000 birds. i can't tell you his name. that's for the president to announce. he was picked because of his beautiful plumage, his large snood, his thick, lustrous beard and also because he is so well behaved. you don't want a repeat of that mishap when the bird went after president bush. >> yeah, i've got a picture of that, that somebody sent to me not too long ago. and they said, make sure this doesn't happen again. >> reporter: this is a thanksgiving tradition that even officials at people for the ethical treatment of animals can support. >> it's not just the president who can pardon a turkey. all of us can pardon many turkeys. >> reporter: after his pardon, the turkey will come to mt. vernon to live out the remainder of his life. >> we're actually getting two birds. presidential and vice presidential bird. >> reporter: that's right. there's a back-up bird just in case something happens. >> you never know. >> reporter: the vice turkey is being kept in an undisclosed location. jake tapper, abc news, the white house. >> vice turkey. coming up on "gma," the dancing finalists and their