nenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenenene making news in america this morning. >> royal chair. prince charles and his wife caught up in a mob of demonstrators. anger, sweeping across britain this morning. so much to do. so little time. one week until congress adjourns with gridlock over tax cuts as well as repealing, don't ask, don't tell. and sarah palin's overseas travel plans. the latest sign of a possible presidential run. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us on this friday morning. security surrounding britain's royal family is now being called into question after angry protesters mobbed prince charles and his wife. >> students chanting, off with their heads, got close enough to

shatter a window of the car. and this morning, the couple's stunned faces are splashed across british tabloids calling it a shameful attack. jeffrey kofman has more from london. >> reporter: this video shows the royal rolls-royce under attack from an angry crowd. >> prince charles and princess cornwall. >> reporter: inside a shocked prince charles and camilla. the heir to the british throne and the duchess of cornwall were seen here, when the violence of london streets reached them. >> prince charles was driving past. people were kicking the door. he got terrified and drove on. police came. >> did you see them do the graffiti. >> i didn't see them smash the window. but the car was attacked. i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: this was the aftermath, shattered windows and a canister of paint that exploded on the car. the couple were unharmed.

the car driving close to a protest that roiled the city. students occupied parliament square. some extremists damaging the supreme co buildings. all of them raging at the government, from tripling tuition, from $5,000 to almost $15,000 a year. while many students condemned the violence it continued into the night. the government appears to have won the battle to raise tuition fees. but in the process, it seems to have started a war. jeffrey kofman, abc news london. >> now, camilla reportedly brushed off the incident saying there's a first time for everything. jeffrey kofman will have much more later today on "good morning america." on capitol hill, there is so much to do and so little time before lawmakers head home for their holiday break. >> and with the clock ticking down, the question is will they adjourn with critical issues like tax cuts and don't ask, don't tell still in limbo. emily schmidt joins us now from washington with the latest.

hi emily. >> reporte >> reporter: rob and vinita, good morning to you. you're right. the time left for tax cuts, now is getting starter. the road to extending them looks a little longer. that's because house democrats have taken their strongest stand yet against this deal. with three weeks until the bush-era tax cuts expire the presidential pull has congressional pushback. >> there'si think most of you bate, i think most of you are aware of, on capitol hill, that will determine, in part, whether our economy moves forward or backward. >> if it's take it or leave it, we'll leave it. >> reporter: the house democratic caucus voted to reject the bill as it looks now. even as senate majority leader, harry reid, says senators will begin debating the negotiated bill monday. >> in the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the house democratic caucus. it's as simple as that. >> then, to add insult to injury, they added the estate for manyidge too far for many of our members. >> if someone could figure out

how to get, to make the agreement better for everybody, as bob barker would say, come on down. >> reporter: the white house says the plan is the best realistic option. without it, the president's top economic adviser says we could enter another recession. senate republicans say they will block other bills until taxes are dealt with. that means repealing don't ask, don't tell, is on hold for now. >> parliamentary procedures won over the policies. and as a result, we have suffered a setback. >> i would also note the amount of time that we have wasted just today, when we could have been debating the tax bill. >> reporter: today, president obama may get some advice on how to deal with this divided government. he is hosting former president bill clinton at the white house. we're told they will discuss political strategy. vinita and rob? >> emily, the president says this tax deal could save millions of jobs. would that sway any democrats about this?

>> reporter: you know, the white house continues to insist that if democrats read this deal, get acquainted with it, they will get behind it. but the real critical key may be republicans. usually we talk to them as a roadblock to obama-backed legislation. this time, they may be the key to passing it. the democrats are well aware if nothing is done, everyone's taxes goes up. that's not an appealing political thought. vinita? >> not to any of us. emily schmidt live in washington. thank you. new clues this morning about sarah palin's possible presidential aspirations. "the daily beast" has learned the former alaskan governor is planning trips to israel and england next summer, which could beef up her foreign policy credentials. and this weekend, palin ventures to haiti, despite a new travel warning by the state department. the country is in chaos, over its disputed presidential election, the recent cholera outbreak and january's devastating earthquake. palin's visit is part of a charity mission with reverend franklin graham. the federal aviation administration literally has no

idea who owns one-third of the private and commercial aircraft here in the u.s. and that is something that could help terrorists and drug traffickers. an investigation has found that the faa is missing information on more than 100,000 aircraft. it also does not know if a plane is still in use. next year, the agency will start over, with a new registration system. jury deliberations will resume later this morning in salt lake city in the elizabeth smart case. brian david mitchell is accused of kidnapping and raping smart eight years ago. his attorneys -- attorneys don't dispute that but say he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. chemical fortune heir john dupont, has died in a pennsylvania prison, where he was serving time for murder. dupont shot and killed an olympic gold medal-winning wrestler on his estate 15 years ago. one of the wealthiest murder defendants in u.s. history. he was found guilty but mentally ill. john dupont was 72 years old.

demolition teams say an explosives-laden house near san diego that they destroyed intentionally will now smolder for the rest of the day. police say the bungalow contained the largest cache of homemade explosives ever assembled in this country. they decided that demolishing the house was the safest way to get rid of all of the explosives. the renter, meanwhile, is in custody. his motive is still very much a mystery. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. a blanket of white across the west and northern plains today. several inches of snow in the dakotas, from fargo to bismarck and sioux falls. up to a foot of snow in the rockies, cascades and sierras. rain in seattle, portland and san francisco. and snowshowers around upstate new york and northern new england. >> meanwhile, 29 in boston. 34 in the big apple. 74 in miami. 37 in chicago. 27 in the twin cities. and just 15 degrees in fargo. 40s from seattle to salt lake city. phoenix warms up to 75. when we come back, another recall from johnson & johnson this morning. and it is one of their most

popular products. then, was it murder? inside one of manhattan's trendiest hotels. a successful fashion designer found dead. and the president's nicotine habit. has he finally gone cold turkey? icic m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m

m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m

m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m the recession wiped out about $17 trillion in household wealth. but we are slowly recovering that. household net worth rose more than 2% last quarter, fueled by

a rally on wall street. that is raising hopes, of course, for the recovery because the more money households have, the more they are likely to spend. but wealth would still have to rise another 20% to get back to its prerecession peak. investors may not be feeling wealthier this morning. tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.7% today. hong kong's hang seng is slightly lower. and in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. and on wall street, the dow ticked down two points yesterday. meanwhile, the nasdaq added seven points. another recall for johnson & johnson to tell you about this morning. this time, it is pulling 13 million packages of rolaids off store shelves. customers reported finding metal and wood particles inside them. j&j has announced a string of recalls over the last year, including several children's medicines. the strengthening economy is delivering one thing no one wants for the holidays, higher gas prices. the nationwide average is at $2.98 a gallon. and that is up nearly 10 cents

in the last week and 34 cents from last year. analysts predict it will keep rising. in today's "usa today" tech review, putting verizon's faster, new wireless network to the test. verizon started rolling out its 4g service for laptops in 38 cities this week. "usa today's" ed baig says he was impressed by the speed. >> verizon delivered on its promise of very fast downloads and fast uploads, too, which is important. the down side, it might cost you at the higher speeds if you're consuming a lot of data. pricing plans are rather expensive. >> the 4g service is coming to smartphones next year. you can read ed's full review on usatoday.com. the self-proclaimed king of all media will be at xm radio for at least another five years. howard stern has renewed his

contract with the satellite radio provider. the deal would pay him $2,000 for every minute he's on the air. analysts say that's a slight pay cut. he's not commenting on it, though. >> how will he eat? oh, man. next on this friday morning, the latest look inside the nixon oval office. what he thought of a reagan presidency. and peyton manning in a thursday night battle with the titans. highlights from espn, coming up.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. depression is a serious medical condition. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq® a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, thoughts of suicide or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all

your medications including those for migraine to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq. three, two, one. [ cheers ] >> another touch of shimmering holiday cheer in the nation's capital. president obama and the rest of the first family huddled together last night to flip the switch on the national christmas tree. the crowd bundled up in the cold as the 42-foot colorado blue spruce brightened the sky just south of the white house. and now, here's a look at your morning road conditions. wet on i-5, from san francisco north, with flooding around portland and seattle. icy and snow-covered on parts of

i-15, 70, 80, 84 and 90 in the rockies. snow also makes for a pretty slippery ride on i-94 and 90 in the dakotas. >> if you are flying today, you can expect some airport delays in seattle, san francisco, salt lake city and detroit. this morning, police are investigating the death of a successful, young fashion designer inside one of new york's trendiest hotels. >> they are questioning her boyfriend, the 24-year-old son of an oscar-winning composer. this is where 33-year-old fashion designer sylvie cachay was found dead, the sojo house, once featured on "sex and the city." cachay's body was found in an overflowing bathtub yesterday. she had marked on her neck. her boyfriend of six months, nicholas brooks, was seen leaving the hotel a few hours before. he returned to find police investigating the crime. he's being questioned but has not been charged. nicholas brooks is the son of famed songwriter joseph brooks,

who won an oscar for his ballad "you light up my life." joseph brooks is awaiting trial. accused of assaulting 11 women he lured to his apartment with the promise of movie roles. cachay's swimsuit designs were internationally known, selling for up to $400 apiece. and appearing in "vogue," "o," and "elle" magazines. and her friends say the world has lost a beautiful soul. nicholas brooks has not been charged. police are waiting for the coroner's report before proceeding with the case. we'll have much more later on "good morning america." a former new orleans cop convicted of shooting an unarmed man in the aftermath of hurricane katrina says he will appeal. a federal jury yesterday also convicted two other former officers. one for burning the victim's body. the other for falsifying a report about the incident. the justice department this year has charged 20 current or former big easy cops with civil rights violations. newly-declassified records are shedding new light on the nixon white house.

the nixon presidential library just released 265 hours of taped white house recordings from february and march of 1973. plus, 2,500 pages of documents. in one conversation, nixon and a top aide laugh about the possibiliting for president.an running for president. nixon says he could imagine anyone sitting there but reagan. the white house says president obama is making progress in his struggle to quit smoking. but stops short of saying he's completely kicked the habit. spokesman robert gibbs says he thinks the president is relying on nicotine gum to get him over the tough times. a collection of historic john f. kennedy photographs brought in more than $150,000 at auction last night. some, of course, are very well known, like the one with lyndon johnson taking the oath of office after kennedy's assassination. but the picture of john and robert kennedy and marilyn monroe together is very rare. the secret service confiscated all the other photos of that

trio. the heisman trophy ceremony takes place tomorrow night right here in new york. those players certainly bound for the nfl, which had one game last night. here's espn news. >> good morning. some nfl football on thursday. peyton manning, and the indianapolis colts have been struggling. trying to turn things around, against the equally struggling tennessee titans. second quarter, 7-0, colts. kerry collins. quick pass to kenny brent. he runs along the sideline. but stripped. and the colts pick up the fumble. later on the drive, second and goal. manning, complete to pierre garcon. touchdown. 14-0, colts. titans punting now. over the head of brett kerns. and the colts recover, taking over deep in titans' territory. ensuing drive. manning. garcon. first two-touchdown game of garcon's career. colts win, 30-28. nba action, let's hug it out.

doc rivers, doug collins. fourth quarter. under 11 seconds to go. sixers down one. iguodala, finishing with the running hook. the sixers are up by one. 6.6 left on the clock. rajon rondo, lob pass kevin garnet. easy lay-in. the big ticket, celebrating a 102-101 win for the cs. temple taking on georgetown. second half. less than six minutes to play. game tied at 56-56. ramone moore, buries the three. temple up by three. hollis thompson driving. tries to go up and under by misses. temple would make two free throws of g-town fouls. austin freeman, misses a long three from half-court. temple, upsets georgetown with a 68-65 victory. that does it for your sports update. back to you in new york. >> our thanks to espn. coming up next the stories set to make news today, including that disabled cruise ship, finally coming into port.

ouncer ] lately, there's been a lot of talk about fuel efficiency, hybrids and plug-in vehicles. and we've got cars like that. even trucks. but we can do more. starting today when you buy a chevrolet we'll invest in renewable-energy, energy-efficiency, and tree-planting programs across america -- reducing carbon emissions by up to eight million metric tons over the next few years. and just one more way we can proudly say: "chevy runs deep." ♪ ♪

[ female announcer ] experience dual action power with listerine® whitening® plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter. and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual action listerine® whitening® rinse. building whiter stronger teeth. ♪ [ keys jingle ] drop everything! shop the petsmart great gifts sale and save up to 40% on petholiday brnd products plus, select pet beds re only $7.99! hurry, friday through sunday. only at petsmart. and now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this friday. on capitol hill, the scramble is on to act on key issues, like extending those tax cuts and repealing don't ask, don't tell, before lawmakers take their holiday break next week. president obama and former president clinton are sitting down for a postelection chat in

the oval office this afternoon. they're expected to talk about moving forward, as the gop takes control of the house next month, a similar scenario to what clinton faced during his first term. today's nobel awards ceremony takes place without the peace prize winner. the activist is behind bars in china and is being represented by an empty chair. the cruise ship that got battered with gigantic waves on its way back from antarctica docked in argentina today. most of the 165 people onboard are americans. and they are all doing all right. the funeral for beloved chicago cubs third baseman and broadcaster, ron santo, will be held today, followed by processions at rigley field. hundreds of fans paid their respects yesterday at a public wake. santo died last week at the age of 70. coming up later on "good morning america," a modern-day game of cops and robbers. >> it's anything but child's play. but teens across the country are risking their lives in this fast and furious game that's still a mystery to most parents.

i can't believe i used to swing over those rocks... took some foolish risks as a teenager. but i was still taking a foolish risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself.er exercisi been eating healthier exercising more... and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol...stop. along with diet, lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39% to 60%. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients

who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's go, boy, go! whoo-whee! if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. for strong bones i take calcium. but my doctor told me that most calcium supplements... aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate soit can be absorbed ith or without food. citracal.

finally, barbara walters' list of this year's most fascinating people is an

eclectic list of characters. >> to say the least. most are a list of tabloid favorites like the cast of "the jersey shore," former v.p. candidate, sarah palin. and the future princess, kate middleton. >> but walters' pick for the top spot, might surprise you. >> our pick for the most fascinating person of the year, is an american hero. in life it seems there are people who break things and people who fix them. this man is a fixer. earlier this year, this consummate soldier, who was looking forward to fading away, got a call from the white house. and faster than you can say afghanistan, general david petraeus was back in harm's way. if you had to fight a war in afghanistan, a country which has defeated every foreign army that ever entered it, you would probably want the smartest, toughest, most rational, competent, and realistic leader you could find. in other words, general david petraeus. petraeus is a different kind of general. fighting a different kind of

war. >> in a counterinsurgency, the human terrain is the decisive terrain. >> reporter: he believes that wars like iraq and afghanistan, can't be won with bullets alone. their battles are fought for hearts and minds, by teaching farmers learn new techniques. opening schools. helping businesses grow. keeping the peace, so life can go on and people have something to fight for. after all, it's hard to win the hearts and minds of people you're shooting at. in the military, he's a kind of rock star. but afghanistan is the ultimate test. to succeed, he'll have to bring a measure of peace to this war-torn country, to keep it from becoming a launching pad for terrorists again. and make good the sacrifices so many have made and are still making. and that, for us, makes him the most fascinating person of 2010. >> unconventional pick. but a good one. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> get more from us anytime at