>> tonight airport backlash. the transportation security chief signals he's open to change as protests increase over invasive screening methods. even the secretary of state wants to side step the procedure. >> not if i could avoid it. no, i mean, who would? >> mitchell: i'm russ mitchell. also tonight, no relief at the gas pump. prices are up more than 25 cents a gallon since the summer. recently ambulance workers have taken advantage of female patients at their most vulnerable. and v.i.p. -- very important poultry. the pardoned captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with russ mitchell.

>> mitchell: and good evening. the thanksgiving travel rush is gearing up. between tightened airport security and higher gasoline price, holiday travelers may feel they're facing an obstacle course. a hint late today that the government may consider easing some of the security measures that have triggered so much public protest. sharyl atkisson has the latest. >>. >> reporter: at airports like large national in washington, d.c.,, the patience of flyers is being put to the test. >> what do you think of that? >> it's like exposing yourself. >> . >> reporter: for many it's their first exposure to the patdowns. >> would you submit to one of these patdowns? >> not if i could avoid it. no, who would? >> reporter: those patdowns are for those who refuse body scanning, some but some passengers like thomas sawyer get both. he says his pat down at detroit's airport earlier this month was so aggressive it

spilled his urine bag, which he got after cancer surgery. he had to travel in a are you awarein soaked shirt and pants. the s.s.a. says it's looking into it. the t.s.a. is working overtime to reassure passengers, promising that images aren't sure and the scans have safe levels of radiation. a cbs news poll finds 81% of americans are okay with that. >> i'd rather have a body scan than being pat down. >> this weekend president obama seemed to indicate the furor over privacy would lead to changes down the road. >> what i've said to the t.s.a. is you have to constantly refine and measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the american people's safety. >> reporter: yet t.s.a.'s administrator appeared dug in, in this interview today. >> we're not going to change anything. >> no, not going to change. >> reporter: but within hours, t.s.a. issued statement clarifying the door is open to

changes. it says security procedures "will be adapted as conditions warrant to be as minimally invasive as possible." t.s.a. says 99% of passengers are consenting to the full body imaging. interestingly, while we were observing today, most of the passengers were being sent only through the metal detectors and not through the body scanners. russ? >> >> mitchell: cheryl sharyl atki, thank you. in a new online threat this weekend, al qaeda is openly boast l of the effectiveness of its new strategy. it's vowing to strike again in small-scale ways. we have more from london. >> al qaeda and the arabian peninsula's pop gann that are proving to be as innovative askers bombmaking. a new web-based magazine is called "inspire," and it has now threatened more of the same sort of bomb a, the that caused a major security scare last month. those bombs were hidden in

printer cart rajs at shipments addressed to two synagogues in chicago but were intercepted because of an intelligence tip and diffused in dubai and the united kingdom. al qaeda's new magazine, published in english for maximum effect in the u.s., now proudly cites the bombs as bargains for the disruption they caused, the costs they say, two cell phones at $150. two printers at $300 a throw, plus shipping and other costs for a total of $4,200. it is such a good bargain for us, says the magazine, to spread fear among the enemy and keep him on his toes in exchange of a few months of work and a few thousand bucks. the use of american slang may well show the hand of a.q.a.p.'s foreign propaganda's john lackey -- anway al-awlak and the threat of more such attacks is being taken seriously. >> you bet it worries me.

i give credit to a lot of people in this point in time that they haven't been able to pull something like this off because it's a very serious threat. >> al qaeda calls its small bomb policy operation hemorrhage, a death of 1,000 cuts that will bleed the u.s. and increase what it calls the security phobia that is sweeping america. >> if one of their attacks succeeds, it's not going to have the impact of 9/11, but if five or ten or 15 attacks of theirs succeed, then cumulatively it's going to have a much greater effect on the country. >> sophisticated bombs and a slick web site seem to be terror's new weapons of choice. mark phillips, cbs news, london. >> back home the 42 million americans planning to drive this week may get a shock at the pump. the price of gas has gone up 5 cents in two weeks to an average of $2.87 a gallon. manuel gallegus has more on the higher prices and their impact on consumers. >> reporter: this thanksgiving, the number of

people hitting the road is expected to rise more than 11% over last year. but they won't be celebrating prices at the pump. >> they're ridiculous i think. i mean, it takes... i spend over $100 a week in gas. >> wholesale gasoline prices are up 27 cents a gallon since september 1, a period when the price usually drops, but oil prices have risen because of a declining dollar. >> it's really inexspins -- inexpensive. >> reporter: in many places drivers are already paying well over $3. >> someone who is just starting out with a low paycheck, that's a decent cut of the budget. >> a rise in gas prices could also mean less money available to spend on holiday shopping, a big negative for the economy. >> nothing affects the consumer psyche more than the ups and downs in gasoline prices. you drive down the street and that price is in your face. that has a big hit on people. >> i don't see an end to it and i'm worried.

>> reporter: sustained high gas prices are a concern for economists. >> every penny that we get above $3, every penny takes $4 million per penny per day out of the american consumer. >> rising energy prices act like a tax on both consumers and business. >> i have to work harder. that's how i do it. the only way for me because i work for myself is to simply work harder, work longer. >> as more people drive and demand increase, gas price could continue to rise. >> every single recession that this economy has suffered since world war ii has been proceeded by a spike in energy prices and gasoline price, so we need to watch this very carefully. >> economic recovery could have some bumps in the road. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new york. >> mitchell: the european union and international monetary fund agreed tonight to bail out ireland to the tune of more than $100 billion. the package will help cover ireland's massive deficit and prop up banks. the latest revelation about north korea's nuclear program is

raising concerns in the west this weekend. the alarm is being sounded by an american expert who got an inside look at a north korean nuclear plant. >> it was a rare chance for an american to see north korea's new nuclear plant, shown here under construction just weeks ago. u.s. nuclear scientist siegfried hacker was shocked by what he saw when he toured north korea's nuclear facilities on november 12th. instead of seeing a few small cascades of centrifuge, which i believe to exist in north korea, he wrote in a post-trip report, we saw a modern, clean senly the new jersey plant of more than 1,000 centrifuges. the north koreans boast the new plant has been in the works since april 2009. it's intended for civilian use. hecker says it could easily be converted to make weapons-grade uranium. the plant's unveiling could be an attempt to prop up north korea while the state is in a

power transition from ailing dictator kim jong-il to his youngest son kim jon un. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. >> it also continues to validate a country that is led by a dictator and constantly desires to destabilize the region. >> reporter: or this revelation could be a bid to secure more food and fuel aid for the impoverished north in exchange for promises to shut the plant. but one thing is clear: strict sanctions pressuring north korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program are not working, and as siegfried hecker suggest, once again kim jong-il is creating a political firestorm in the region. seal yacht -- celia hatton, cbs news, beijing. >> mitchell: and e.m.t. workers who violate their patients' trust next on "cbs evening news."

>> mitchell: of course emergency medical technicians are trained to stabilize people as they are rushed to the

hospital, but a number of reports have surfaced of technicians who have taken advantage of helpless patients. susan koeppen investigates. >> rosyshekka herring, a young mom from portland, oregon, says the day a ambulance came for her turned out to be the worst day of her life. >> 911. >> i need a ambulance to my house. my mom just passed out on the floor. > reporter: her tears are not because of the illness that left her bleeding internally and drifting in and out of consciousness. it was what this paramedic named lannie haszard did to her in the black of the ambulance. >> next thing i remember is his hands over my private area. i tried to move my arm away and i couldn't. >> reporter: haszard was arrested. in this police video, he admits to his crime. >> okay. i probably did do what has been

alleged. why i did it i do not know. >> do you feel bad for what you did? >> well, yes, i do. i mean, you know, i don't... like i've said, i don't study my patients. >> reporter: as it turns out, several womens had complained to haszard's employer, american medical response, that he victimized them, too. >> it's a disgusting, horrible crime. >> this man is a veteran sex crimes investigator and women's safety advocate. what type of person becomes this predator that would do this to somebody? >> the first thing that pops into my head is a sociopath because of the lack of esmny shown towards the victim. >> reporter: though rare, the crimes committed by lannie haszard are not isolated. over the past four years, more than 100 ambulance attendants have been accused of sexual misconduct both on and off the job. >> i could say with a high degree of probability that there are a lot more cases out there not being reported, discovered or found out.

>> reporter: as for lannie haszard, he pleaded guilty to mow molesting four women and is now serving a fife-year prison sentence. >> we give these people our trust, and i think they should be held accountable. >> reporter: rosyshekka herring is now pushing for a new law to increase penalties for caregivers who take advantage of their patients. susan koeppen, cbs news, new york. >> mitchell: and just ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," as thanksgiving approaches, we meet with an artist.

>> mitchell: great chefs are

often referred to as masters of the culinary arts. for one chef we know, the phrase takes on a uniquely personal meeting. that's tonight's sunday cover. a celebrated chef who is equally at home in the kitchen or the studio. >> come on, guys, fast. the food should be out. >> reporter: if you think shopping for your thanksgiving meal is tough, give thanks you're not michel richard. >> congratulations. >> mitchell: his new restaurant in suburban virginia, michel, opened less than three weeks ago. his recipes are now being served at the garden cafe francais in the national gallery of art in washington. and he's got two other places to keep tabs on in the nation's capital. clearly he's a big hit with customers. >> on the way out, thank you, michel, thank you very much. >> mitchell: he's run restaurants around the country and won a stock pot's worth of awards, one from the james beard foundation for outstanding chef. he also received wine

spectator's award of excellence and national order of merit from the french government. at 62, he's got a lifetime of cooking under his chef's hat. >> i killed a rabbit when i was eight years old. >> mitchell: but cooking is not his only passion. he's also an artist. on a good day he'll paint for six hours. >> mitchell: is the fact you're an art artist, does that help you in the kitchen? >> oh, yes. >> mitchell: how so? >> the colors and texture. >> mitchell: his talent is on display in his new cookbook, "sweet magic." they're not just his recipes. they're his drawings, too. >> when i was creating the recipe, it was easier for me to design the chicken and some carrots. >> mitchell: it made it easier for you. >> i was adding a little tomato

here. >> mitchell: few chefs paint as much as he does, but he says all chefs are artists. >> the way to bring the plate in front of you, and the plate sends you a message. hey, look how beautiful. eat me. >> mitchell: he loves his job. chef michel richard's cuisine is also featured on the rails. amtrak acela first-class cars and in the skies on open sky airline. we'll be right back. >> mitchell: the seventh harry

potter movie has outdone all its

predecessors. "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 1" raked in more than $125 million at the weekend box office. the franchise's biggest opening yet, and it's close to surpassing another enormously popular series as we hear from elaine quijano. >> from california to london and taipei, harry potter has cast his spell on the box office yet again. in the latest and second-to-last movie, ""harry potter and the deathly hallows" part 1" is taking on some of hollywood's biggest block bursters. >> it's just remarkable that seven movies in they're still doing over $100 million on their opening weekend. >> with a domestic gross of $1.8 billion, the potter series has surpassed the 23 james bond flicks and is likely to swoop past six "star wars" movies which launched in the 1970s. >> i guess i'm more of harry potter fan because star wars a

different generation. >> both are coming of age stories, potter and skywalker are orphans on a mission to fight evil. >> they imagine these worlds of fantasy that are very complicated, but at the heart, there is a story of a hero who i think a lot of people can identify with and relate to. >> and both have devoted fans. >> we are so excited. we're so excited. >> we've read all the books three times, no joke, saw the movies maybe 15 times each and we'll never get sick of it. >> reporter: after nearly a decade of magical adventures, it's not just the fans who are bracing for the end. >> we're all really kind of emotional. ten years came down to one shot and it was over. it's sad. >> reporter: sad, but fans can find some solace. the potter finale hits theaters in july. elaine quijano, cbs news, new york. >> mitchell: in sports, driver jimmie johnson finished second in today's race, the

homestead-miami speedway, but that gave johnson enough points to win a record fifth consecutive nascar championship. and just ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," thanksgiving turkeys with nothing to fear.

>> mitchell: finally this sunday, of all of our thanksgiving rituals, it's the most recent and generous. we speak of the presidential pardon of the official white house turkey. john blackstone has the story of poultry spared. >> reporter: it is task facing millions of americans right now, choosing the perfect turkey for thanksgiving. but the bird named "just right" but the folks at california'sfo foster farms is going to wind up at a very special table at the white house. and they're proud of it. >> and they're proud of it. >> reporter: for four months foster farms has been nursing the presidential flock. one of those bird will be presented to the president.

those deemed too ugly -- >> don't like his tail feathers. >> -- or too exciteable. >> you don't want it to to be jumping around the table. >> after president ration accepted a bird named liberty, it tried to reach liberty. last year the president was tempted to send it to the white house kitchen, but the bird was spared. >> thanks to the intervention of malia and sash, yeah because i was planning to eat this sucker. >> this year the national turkey will stay in a high-end hotel near the white house. with congress in lame duck session, he won't be the only bird in town, but he's undoubtedly the luckiest. the tradition of pardoning the presidential turkey, however, doesn't go back all that far. >> up until george h.w. bush, the president pretty much ate the turkey for dinner.

>> america's turkey farmers had been presenting the president with turkeys since president truman, who said he would greet and then eat the bird. but since the first president bush, the turkey pardon has grown into a holiday tradition, however, turkey growers depend on americans consuming 46 million turkeys over thanksgiving. wouldn't it be better for you if the president ate the turkey like everybody else does? sorry about that. >> obviously these two behind me don't think so. >> two bird, a national turkey and an alternate national turkey just in case were packed up today to be put on a plane to washington. not only do these turkeys get to live, they get to fly. john blackstone, cbs news, livingston, california. >> mitchell: and this is the "cbs evening news." i'm russ mitchell in new york. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

the sexual assault of girl. a quiet berkeley neighborhood, rocked by a horrible crime. the man police are seeking for the sexual assault of a young girl. would you submit to one of these pat-downs? >> not if i could avoid it, no! i mean, who would! questioning security tactics, even at the top. what holiday travelers can expect after the outcry over personal screening procedures. and a rat rescue brings hundreds of the creatures to the bay area. what kind of rodent relocation effort? cbs 5 eyewitness news is next. ,,