retirement age. proposed cuts to sacred cows that have politicians howling. we'll tell you what it would mean for you. internet retailer amazon is getting blasted for selling a how-to book for pedophiles. >> i wanted to provide some guidelines for pedophiles so that they could avoid harming their victims. >> the story is developing as we speak. and, oops. sometimes the best plans don't always work out as planned. this demolition wasn't exactly a towering success. congressman gerald madler, alicia menendez, erin billings and retired army general billy mccaffrey and today is the day to honor america's military veterans. varterousesious events happening around the country and around the world. good thursday morning, i'm

chris jansing, this is "jansing & company." the nearly 4,500 passengers and crew aboard the carnival "splendor" can see land. you're looking at a live picture right now and just a couple hour away from docking allowing the vacation from hell to come to an end. stephanie is live in san diego for us and after a cold food, no hot showers, no air conditioning, you can only imagine how happily they'll be, stephanie, to get off that ship. >> yeah, they can't wait to escape this nightmare on the high seas, chris. here at the san diego harbor we understand the ship is about two and a half miles out but three hours from docking. the coast guard official explained the process to us. he said it will take about two hours for those tug boats, those escort ships to actually navigate and maneuver the 952-foot, 113,000 ton ship

through the channel. once that's done, it will take probably another couple of hours for the docking process. so at least three hours at this point before those passengers will be setting foot on land. once they come here to the port of san diego, they'll take shuttle buses about two hours north to the port of long beach. that's where this cruise from hell, as you called it, originated. it was supposed to be a seven-day cruise to the mexican riviera and the ship lost power on monday when a fire broke out in the engine room. they have been without no hot food, or cell phone service. some were able to get service yesterday and they were able to call family and friends and so far many said they are keeping a positive attitude about this whole thing. that the latest live here in sanny dsan diego. nasa experts now agree it was a plane, not a missile,

which caused a billowing contrail off the southern coast of california. the nasa folks looked at pictures and satellite images and say they agree with the military experts. president obama took a break from talking trade to spend part of veterans day in south korea. split the korean peninsula in two, the president said north korea's pursuit of weapons will only make that country more isolated. >> there is another path available to north korea. if they choose to fulfill their international obligations and commitments to the international community. they will have a chance to offer their people chance of opportunity. >> president obama is in korea for the g-o20 trade summit where negotiations between washington and seoul are contentious. savannah guthrie is traveling with the president. savannah? >> the president has wrapped up his first full day in seoul, south korea. but a setback here. the u.s. and south korea had been hoping to reach a deal on that free trade agreement but it

didn't come through. both sides sending their negotiators back to the talks hoping to get some kind of deal in the coming weeks. it wouldn't be month, it would be weeks. the other issue here, the president met with chinese president, once again, pressing him not to keep the value of china's currency artificially low which hurts u.s. businesses by keeping china's goods so cheap. this is savannah guthrie. >> thanks so much for that update. shock, outrage, anger, just some of the violent reactions this morning to the draft of a proposal to cut the federal deficit by nearly 4 trillion. the president's bipartisan commission laid out a sweeping plan. it's not pretty. here are the headlines. raising the age for social security from 67 to 69. eliminating one of the tax system and deductions for big mortgages, raising the gas tax by 15 cents and cutting $100 billion from defense spending. those just some of the ideas.

there are more. and virtually all of them seem to be sending lawmakers to the microphone. >> i think it's basically a disaster. when you talk about moving towards a balance budget, clearly, you don't punish working families. >> the problem that we have here, no one is standing up for these fundamental democratic principle s. >> luke, is anybody happy with this proposal? >> some folks think it is a serious proposal and definitely get the ball rolling. you'll hear that a lot from the white house that we have to be real with the american people, but nancy pelosi, the democratic, future democratic minority leader a very powerful democratic leader said this is unacceptable. this commission essentially was a waste of time because it's gutting social security and gutting medicare. you're also hearing flack from folks on the right that it will raise taxes on all americans and it can't be done. i have spoken to serious folks on both sides. some real policy ones that say this is a great starting point

because here's a proposal which both sides get a little bit what they want and both sides have to drink some really tough medicine and possibly that could be some partisan down the road for the american people, but, look, republicans have always talked about shrinking government, chris. here's a proposal much like what the president will look at which would do more to shrink government as a democrat than any president before barack obama if this were, in fact, to go forward. one republican said this is pretty good if we can get it from a republican president. remember, if anything comes to fruition it has to pass not only out of this deficit commission, but then has to pass the house and the senate, a long way to go. but you know you have effected some sort of change in washington when both sides and the special interest groups are extremely angry with this type of legislation. >> the question is, are they going to look for tweaks or take an ax to it? we shall see. >> happy veterans day, take care, be well. let's bring in our company.

now, the heads of the commission alan simpson hit every sacred cow there is. here's what they had to say. >> witness protection program when this is over, so, look us up. >> the path we're on today is not sustainable. and i don't know a soul on this commission or anywhere else in the congress that believes it is. the arithmetic is compelling. its debt is like a cancer that will truly destroy this cancer from within if we don't fix it. >> erin, another piece of arithmetic that 14 of 18 members of the commission would have to agree. what are the chances of this, first of all, even getting through the commission in tact and then what happens in congress? >> i think we have a long way to go. i mean, you know, we already heard liberals on the commission saying that they can't stomach this. so, you know, i think this is the starting point. i think that's what everyone is

saying. but it hurts. i think for anybody to really, truly address the debt and the deficit, they'll have to give something up. this begins the conversation. i really don't think we'll get very far until the next presidential because the next two years will be even more partisan than the last two. so, attacking something this big and trying to do things that are this bold i just think it's going to be really tough to do. >> you mention it hurts. we've seen how much it hurt in europe where they try to do the same things yesterday because they wanted to triple tuition in the uk and massive, sometimes violent protests in london. we saw about a month ago similar kinds of protests that just about shut down major swats of transportation and other services in france. well, when you look at somebody like a president sarkozy and consider what they're asking politicians to do in the united states, are they brave or politically suicidal? >> they're brave. you know, britain isn't the first place we've seen this,

chris. we've seen it in france and we've seen it closer to home, in california. the political equivalent of throwing your belly on the ground and stomping your wrist and your feet. if anybody is serious about reducing these deficits, they'll have to address entitlements. if we want to avoid situations like they have in europe, we have to get our fiscal house in order now. >> let's hear what president obama had to say about this. he is on his trip in seoul and spoke about it very briefly. take a listen. >> the only way to make those choices is historically is if both parties are willing to move forward together. so, before anybody starts shooting down proposals, i think we need to listen. we need to gather up all the facts. i think we have to be straight with the american people. >> alicia, do you look at all of this as a serious proposal or an accomplishment maybe just to pick three or four to try to get through or some version of all

of it but watered down? >> i think we have to give a big what's up to president obama for calling this commission together and getting this on the table. i agree with erin, i don't think this is the final deal. i think we have a long road ahead of us. i think it is a big success to finally be having an honest conversation about the deficit and about where it fits along with our other priorities, chris. we don't want it lose focus on the fact that any economic plan we look at right now in addition to bringing down the deficit also needs to be able to help grow our economy and needs to make sure as we were hearing from democratic lawmakers that our middle class has an opportunity to grow and to expand. that is where you're hearing criticisms of this plan. >> a lot of political will comes from what the american people are saying. certainly the republicans said the message from the american people in this last election was that they wanted less spending, they wanted less government. the question is, do they want less spending and less government when it comes to

maybe higher taxes or paying more for their gas or getting rid of mortgage deductions? how much will do you think there is in the country for this? >> more than there ever has been in the past. you're right. historically americans want every entitlement to get their hands on and pay 10% in taxes. that's just not serious any more. this is a serious proposal for getting our deficits under control. if people like bernie standaran are calling it, we are off to a good start. >> alicia, i see you're reacting to that. >> i have to disagree with will. if you look at most of the polling. 15% of americans really, really care about this. they tend to be conservative republicans. while it is an issue, i don't think it is the biggest issue for most americans. when you talk about something like the mortgage rates, that may be a good plan for down the line but when you have people worrying about staying in their homes and all the structural elements of our economy and

pushing it down and making it hard for the economy to grow, most people would rather tackle these problems after we know our economy is back on track. >> just a little taste of the debate going forward. will, erin and alicia. we will be talking washington power plays in our next half hour. thanks. how close we were to having a cargo bomb explode over the u.s. christmas is coming early for walmart shoppers. plus, check this out. it's a slippery slide as house democrats jockey for diminished leadership roles. thomas roberts is here with more on that. >> what is that old phrase that you always -- dance with the one that you came with. isn't that it? however in d.c. the synchronized solo is taking precedent. >> look at those moves, thomas roberts. >> all right, anyway, so, where is my video? i was supposed to show you some really good video. >> they don't want to show you the video now that you're doing it.

>> slide to the left, slide to the right or just get the heck out of my way if you're a democrat. dancing with the dems right ahead. hi. i just wanted to let you know that military personnel can preboard at the gate. we are ready to invite our first class passengers and uniformed military personnel to board at this time.

to those who put our country first, we're honored to do the same for you. ♪ [ upbeat instrumental ] our country first, [ rattling ] [ gasps ] [ rattling ] [ laughing ] [ announcer ] close enough just isn't good enough. - if your car is in an accident, - [ laughing continues ] make sure it's repaired with the right replacement parts. take the scary out of life with travelers. call or click now for an agent or quote. everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your rich and hearty soups

have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes... you're really, rich and happy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

the harbor in san diego that there are people who are singing, who are laughing, who are dancing. they are out on deck. they cannot wait to get off that boat after almost four days of being stranded without any air conditioning, without hot food, without hot showers. they are about to make their way home very shortly. we'll keep our eye on "splendor" as it heads into port there. scotland yard now says one of the cargo bombs discovered by

the brits before it got here could have exploded in air off the east coast of the u.s. that's a demonstration. it shows you how powerful that bomb was, enough to take down a plane. uk investigators say the bomb was timed for maximum damage in the air and from falling debris on the ground, although flight data shows the plane was actually off the canadian coast at the time. bill gavin former assistant director of the new york fbi, nbc terrorism analyst andy hayman. you know, we're hearing a lot about this bill, the white house says the findings show just how serious the attack was. what does it tell us about the capabilities of al qaeda and the arabian peninsula? >> it just tells us how far they have developed themselves in doing stuff like this. one of the first attempts was to

blow planes out of the sky all at the same time and he did it by taking a casio watch and now it's even more than that. they're teaching electronically. for instance, you take your cell phone and it has a calendar on it and you tell the calendar to let me know, give me a signal when the certain date and time comes up. you now do that by placing it and making that to be the explosive device. it's very, very frightening. >> it was uncomfortably close, wasn't it, bill? >> it really was. it just showed you that they're constantly thinking and constantly trying to bypass ways that we have determined to bypass all the systems in order to make that explosive go off on a plane and cause a real tragic reaction. >> andy, i'm sure you've seen this new report that this was all planned by osama bin laden's new commander to lead terror operations against the west. what do we know about him?

>> well, he's a very dangerous man and the news that we've just been hearing, we half expected it, but we didn't really want to hear it. as my colleague there just commented, the ingenuity of the other side led by this vim is scary in itself. they're finding ways of duping the system. what we're trying to do is advise a new way of screening cargo or that cargo is going on passenger flights. then you have to think about the devastation whether it was over water or whether it was over land, you know, it could have been a mass loss of life and casualties and the chances of trying to retrieve evidence and forensic opportunities would be even more complicated. we should never underestimate the threat that we're facing here. >> they're looking at new ways to make it safer here in the uk. here in the u.s., as i'm sure you know, bill, the department of homeland security announced new safety measures including a

continued ban on air cargo from yemen and now somali. no high-risk cargo on passenger planes. tony and ink cartridges weighing more than 16 ounces banned from luggage. is there something else we should be doing and are these useful? one of the criticisms is we are reactive instead of proactive. >> chris, it is reactive to a degree, but the bottom line is that no matter what comes up the united states has to find a way to thwart it. if this is the way to do it, that's fine. but i can assure you that the terrorists are planning ways to get around that right now. even as we speak. it's going, we've said it 100 times, chris. it's not if, it's when. the constant vigilance of both intelligence and law enforcement authorities and the constant plotting of the terrorists just bump into each other all the

time. it's a terrible, terrible thing. >> to answer that, i think to answer that is there is always a feeling that we are trying to catch up. my guess is that they moved on now from that plot and as my colleague said, they have another one being hatched and yet the authorities here. we don't seem to be so creative in thinking the unthinkable like the terrorist does. that's why it's so scary. >> thanks to both of you. >> thanks, chris. meantime in london, the cleanup is under way after tens of thousands of people protested plans to triple college tuition. part of a massive budget cutting move in the uk and it's not over yet. today a new radical welfare reform is being unveiled. for example, nearly 1.5 million brits have been on what they call out of work benefits for at least nine out of the last ten years. president bush open and candid about waterboarding during his administration. next, meet the congressman who said those remarks were an investigation by the attorney general.

and this tower demolition was a real knockout, just not the one that engineers have planned. but, first -- ♪ because i'm country strong hard to breathe ♪ >> yes, that is academy award winning gwyneth paltrow who made her country singing debut last night. she sang, as you heard, "country strong" with vince gill. she said she was so nervous about last night she couldn't eat or sleep. maybe she got some tips from her husband who is the lead singer, of course, for cold play. she felt lost...

until the combination of three good probiotics in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

to bring you a low-price medicare prescription drug plan that has the lowest national premium in the country of only $14.80 per month. so you can focus on the things that really matter. go to walmart.com for details. heartburn that keeps coming back ? then you're ready for zegerid otc. zegerid otc is the first 24-hour treatment ever with two active ingredients: prescription-strength medicine plus a protective ingredient that shields the medicine from stomach acid so it's effectively absorbed. just one zegerid otc capsule a day can relieve your heartburn all day and all night. if you have frequent heartburn, try dual-ingredient zegerid otc.

heartburn solved. i said to our team, are the techniques legal? and the legal team said, yes, they are. i said, use them. >> why is waterboarding legal. >> it did not fall within the antitorture act. i'm not a lawyer. but you have to trust the

judgment of people around you and i do. >> a democratic congressman heard that and now wants a full investigation into president's war-time policies. good to see you, congressman. thanks for being here. >> good morning. >> why this, why now? why do you think there needs to be an investigation? >> now that the former president bush has announced that he personally authorized waterboarding, waterboard has always been considered by the united states as torture. prosecuted japanese generals and we prosecuted american soldiered a couple decades ago. now, the law says that torture is criminal and must be investigated. we've signed the anti-torture convention which is a treaty which says we will investigate and prosecute wherever there is evidence of torture. here the president and former president announced that he

authorized what has universally been considered as torture and therefore there must be an investigation if we are to adhere to the law. >> we did say he asked his lawyers, his lawyers said it was legal. >> you can't evade the law simply by getting a lawyer to tell you it's legal. if i asked a lawyer and the lawyer said it's okay to go into fao schwarz and steal some toys, it doesn't mean it's okay for me to do that. >> in 2008 he vetoed a ban on waterboarding have an abandoned track record of keeping america safe. he has spoken about i openly. we waterboarded khalid shaikh mohammed and i did it to save lives. is this the place for democrats to go. and a two-part question now when it seems that americans really want the focus to be on jobs and

the economy and, number two, critics who say this is in response to republicans who have said they're going to do some investigations of their own. >> well, this has nothing to do with that. i have been quoting investigations of this for years, as i said. and there's nothing to do with democrats or republicans. the united states is a country of law. we must, we must enforce our own laws. the laws say that torture is a crime and the administration says that can waterboarding is torture. we always considered it that. we prosecuted people for that before. there is no reason to change that now. in addition to that, former president bush said that this saved lives. no evidence of this whatsoever. plenty of fbi and cia interrogators come before the subcommittee that i chair to say that you have no actionable intelligence from these kind of torture and more psychological techniques work much better. >> good of you to come in, thank you very much. safe travels back to d.c. next week. >> thank you.

i literally gasped when i saw these images. bodies in a mosque, bodies in coffins. can it scare even addicts into kicking the habit? and the power play on capitol hill. on the republican side, things are falling into place, but for the democrats, maybe a little bit more of a slippery slide. and if you're a veteran, grab your proof of service card and head to one of these chains for some great discounts and free stuff this veterans day. outback steakhouse is offering a free bloomin' onion and nonalcoholic beverages golden c corral has a free thank you dinner. if you see a veteran today, thank you for their service. naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors

than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ plus the choice of every etf, 5-star service, and unmatched trading tools. there's price. there's value. don't confuse the two. e-trade. investing unleashed.

to cover up flaws and make skin look pretty but there's one that's so clever, it makes your skin look better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% of women saw improvement in their skin's natural texture, tone, or clarity. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics recommended most by dermatologists.

erin bilks, national review online bill cain and kelly wallace. we're looking at what's going on in san diego bay. a tug that's pulling that long stranded "splendor" cruise ship. it has been out since monday out floating without power. now they're saying even though they're bringing it into port, a couple hours before they're able to get people off of that. they cannot wait but they're said to be in very good spirits and, frankly, can't get off soon enough. here's some other stories we're watching for you today. home foreclosures in october dropped by their sharpest margin this year but it's because several major lenders put a stop to foreclosures after accusations that they were handled improperly. walmart using its weight to squeeze its competitors because starting today the world's largest retailer plans to offer

free shipping for many of the items they off oron the website. the barefoot bandit has been indicted by a grand jury. he is accused in a two-year string of thefts. that stretched from washington state to the caribbean. >> get out of here! that tower in springfield, ohio, was supposed to fall in the opposite direction, but, instead, it took out power lines and left more than 4,000 customers in the it dark. and a sign of the times. several states have granted requested by verizon and at&t to stop printing residential phone books. it helps their bottom line, as well as the environment. the campaign ads and attack to history but the voting continues on capitol hill where veteran lawmakers try to make their own power plays before the 112th congress kicks into gear. thomas roberts is here to get us up to date on exactly what is

going on in that struggal for positions at the top. >> it's a lot going on, chris. >> the lawmakers that survive the anti-incumbent waiver back in washington and way under way. the voters decided on the most turnover. here's a snapshot so you can see what's taking place. representative john boehner that will fall into that new leadership role to be speaker of the house and then eric canter, the likely majority leader and mccarthy and pete sessions, probably staying on. now, the lack of leadership roles for women at the top, it's really evident and made even more definitive by michele bachmann's decision to drop out of conference chair making way for hencerling to take control of the number four spot. when it comes to the democrats, not so cut and dry out there. after her successful but scrutinized rein as majority leader, most people thought nancy pelosi would exit stage

left after big republican gains. think again. but not all democrats are happy to see pelosi return and "new york times" says at least a dozen in the lower chamber have raised concerns about her next move. keith schuller said he went so far to stand in the speaker's way but kept relatively quiet and then illinois congressman mike quigley who didn't mince words. she said the reality is that she is politically toxic. a notch below her on the political ladder. there is steny hoyer, right there. you can go on to see james clyburn right there in happier days as they were tearing it up at a fish fry in south carolina. this was just in april. yeah, what a difference seven months and a mid-term election will make. anyway, both put the second splaut behind pelosi as the next congress and the battle for the

support for each one has been raging behind the scenes. chris, now that we're all caught up and especially on their dance moves and that was the video that i wanted to show you before, showing them -- >> but we were treated, instead, to yours. >> my dance moves which were a little bad. >> that would be a little cash payment to the director back there. >> yeah, thank you for that one. but, anyway, you can see how it's all ramping up but that was just back in april at that fris fry and not come november. >> what a difference a few months make. let's talk about nancy pelosi. erin, let me start with you. nancy pelosi as minority leader, is that a done deal? >> pretty much. there are some blue dog moderates that don't want her in that position, but, look, a liberal caulks and she has the support of the bulk of those members. she's still making her case and still touting her success as speaker and constituency groups and the seniors came out yesterday and are talking about what she's done for them and she's not resting on ler lher.

she deserves this position. what is interesting next week when we have this vote or the caucus tries to reorganize how many of those moderates actually vote for her. some have already said they're not going to. so, that's what i'm going to be watching. >> in fact, alicia, as you know, two house democrats sent a letter asking for more time to make leadership decisions. does that have to do with nancy pelosi and could there be a ground swell of anti-pelosi sentiment building? >> i think it has to do with the fact that the democratic party is trying to make sense of this election, trying to figure out where they go from here. it must be frustrating for them that nancy pelosi actually turned a do nothing congress into a do something congress. this house passed so many pieces of legislation that because of the senate never saw the light of day. so, for them, they have to recalibrate and think, okay, we've been incredibly effective and efficient and is this, in fact, the measure of our success or do we want to be more

obsessed with our political viability? if you ask me, nancy pelosi had very little to do with last tuesday's losses. she's been a very effective leader and she'll clearly stay in that position. >> if nancy pelosi stays on as a leader, given what alicia just said she was successful in getting legislation through, does her value to republicans as a target outweigh what she means to the democratic party? not just in terms of legislation but tremendously successful fund-raiser? >> i think as a minority leader she outweighs it. i'm happy for nancy pelosi she is very responsible for the political losses last week. >> why? >> because i think despite all the successes they had and because of the successes they had that massive liberal agenda the voters then turned and punished democrats for that in these mid-term elections.

>> i think voters punished us because it was not as effective as it could have been not because it was too liberal. >> thanks to you very much. >> thanks, chris. amazon under fire for an ebook about pedophiphelia they selling on their website.

to make a better world? learn how to share your ideas at toyota.com/ideasforgood.

you should get some custom fit orthotics. dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center. it recommends the custom fit orthotic that's best for your feet. and footcare scientists are behind it. you'll get immediate comfort... ... and, you could save a couple hundred bucks. for locations see drscholls.com everybody has somebody to go heart healthy for. who's your somebody?

eating campbell's healthy request can help. 25 delicious soups with low cholesterol, zero grams trans fat, and a healthy level of sodium. because heart healthy is good for your life... and the people in it. healthy request from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. the national institutes of health is reminding parents of infants of the dangers of sids in the winter months. parents and caregivers can avoid sudden infant death syndrome by overheating babies. heavy clothing, blankets and a warm room temperature increase the risk of sids.

the carnival cruise ship "slender" heading into san diego bay. a few hours before more than 4,500 passengers and crew aboard that ship will be able to disembark. this has been, really, a horrible vacation for these folks who really for the last three and a half days have been without hot water and air conditioning and they had to get food dropped in including spam and pop tarts and canned sea food. we will, of course, continue to watch this for you and we'll get great shots of people rushing off that ship. >> this is veterans day, live pictures from arlington national cemetery. next hour vice president joe biden will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. we will go live to afghanistan, as well, for veterans day with the troops just a short while from now. pictures of diseased organs, corpses, rotting teeth, cancer patients on their death beds. if it sounds shocking, it is and

that's exactly what the fda intended. the government is getting graphic in its push to cut the number of american smokers. under a new plan, images of toe tags, tombstones and even babies surrounded by smoke would all be placed on cigarette packages. if the tobacco companies refuse, their products would be pulled from the shelves. a new chapter in the ongoing debate about health, choice and the role of government. a professor of medicine and director of center of tobacco control research. good morning, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> we all know smoking is a serious problem. i think about 21% of the nation's population smokes. it is still the leading cause of preventable death with something like 443,000 americans dying each year. but given that this is an addiction, is it going to work? will putting pictures on packages of cigarettes help

people quit? >> yes. many countries have already done this starting with canada 10 or 15 years ago. when you put these strong warning labels on packages it makes smokers think about quitting and discourages kids from smoking. these labels are so effective that in brazil, which has had them now for several years, the tobacco companies were giving away cigarette cases that would cover up the warning label until the government stopped them from doing it. >> in a lot of the places where cigarette smoking is rampant, the prices are low. is maybe part of the answer making them more expensive? obviously, not just the pictures alone that are going to do the job because if someone is addicted and they've tried and they used the patch and they tried or if you're a teenager thinking about smoking and

you're thinking you're invincible. i'm just trying to figure out how a picture of a corpse on a package of cigarettes is going to stop you. >> i mean, raising the price of cigarettes to increase cigarette taxation is a very good idea. getting smoking out of youth-rated films is a very good idea. just the same day yesterday that the warning labels were announced, the secretary sebelius, the secretary of health and human services released a comprehensive plan for reducing tobacco use that includes all of these things. but there's just no question but that these warning labels work. smoking is an addiction, nicotine is an addictive drug, but the best predictor of success and quitting is how many times you've tried and the evidence from around the world shows that these strong graphic warning labels stimulate quit attempts. there is an international treaty called the framework convention

for tobacco control. 172 countries have now ratified it. and it also called for large, strong warning labels. so, the united states right now has the weakest warning labels in the world. when the scientistic studies were often used as the control of what happens when you have weak labels. i think the fda did a great job here. i think these warning labels are going to make a substantial contribution to public health and i think the real challenge is going to be to sustain this effort in the face of the new republican majority in the house. john boehner's largest campaign contributors, the tobacco industry, the tobacco companies are going to go berserk over these labels because they work. you know, if they didn't work, you'd see the tobacco companies urging that we use them. just like they try to focus anti-smoking campaigns, just nonkids. >> thanks so much for being with

us. >> thank you. we have a big hour coming up. retired four-star army general jerry mccaffrey, ed shultz, congresswoman loretta sanchez and vera gibbons, plus, the mother of bobby tillman. the georgia teenager literally stomped to death by other teens will join me to talk about her son. some of the suspects sent the family condolences from behind bars. we'll get her reaction to that and more. that's breakfast with two pills. the morning is over, it's time for two more pills. the day marches on, back to more pills. and when he's finally home... but hang on; just two aleve can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is steven, who chose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t and blackberry have teamed up to keep your business moving. blackberry torch now just $99.99. only from at&t. rethink possible.

traditionally veterans day is an occasion to honor all those who served in america's armed forces but it has, in recent years, become a sobering reminder, as well of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. 2.1 million soldiers have served in those two countries with a total of 3.6 million deployments overall. today troops in kabul are marking the holiday in their own way and they want folks back home to remember the good work

that they're doing. atia joins us live from kabul. good morning. >> good morning, chris. there are no days off or holidays for service members fighting a war overseas, but some of those troops today in afghanistan were able to pay tribute to veterans. a day to remember and a place they will never forget. u.s. service members along with their nato counterparts gathered to reflect on veterans day. >> this day calls to the mind the fallen in wars. >> veterans day has an added personal significance. >> four generations of my family have served in the united states military. and, so, first it's a personal thing and, second, i don't think that veterans get the respect that they should sometimes. >> reporter: since 2001, nearly

1,400 american lives have been lost in afghanistan. with 2010 proving to be the deadliest year so far. >> we pray that we work ourselves out of a job. >> reporter: many service members here have served on more than one deployment. they want the people back home to see past the bullets and bombs and concentrate, instead, on their accomplishments. >> we're making a lot of progress with this transition command. >> reporter: war veteran and former prisoner of war senator john mccain led a congressional delegation to salute those in uniform. >> it's an honor for all of us to spend this veterans day in afghanistan among what i believe to be the greatest generation of men and women serving in our military. today, we honor you. >> honoring and remembering the sacrifices of generations both past and present. there are millions of surviving veterans from the past wars, as

well as the two most recent in iraq and afghanistan. there is no doubt that these veterans will be reminiscing about their time of service and remembering their friends who paid the ultimate sacrifice. chris? >> atia, thank you so much. senator john mccain will be david gregory's guest this sunday on "meet the press." check your local listings for times. there is an op-ed piece and it has a headline that says veterans day reminds us that we owe more than just parades to the 22 million who served. this morning we want to give you a chance to give back to help military veterans their spouses and their children to help all of them have a more. what great projects these are. >> they are. so many of us want to do something and we don't want to do or take the time. we hear in our communities on our message boards, so many want to help and military families talk about how they appreciate

all the things these organizations do. cell phones for soldiers. started by two teenagers. a brother and sister outside boston. you donate your cell phone and cell phone parts and they sell to a recycling company and they take those proceeds to buy calling cards so the troops can stay in touch with their loved ones back home. >>tastic idea that is. what snels. >> when their loved ones are injured and men and women injured in iraq and afghanistan, they can stay in these homes nearby the hospitals. it provides travel accommodations to get to fisher homes and other support. another group called homes for our troops and this was started in response to all the men and women who have come back with physical disabilities. these are modified homes constructed for these men and women so that they can get around and move around in their homes. this other final group, soldiers angels. i love their motto. may no soldier go unloved. what they want to do is get care

packages, adopt a soldier, write a letter. homemade blankets, no sewing skills required. we can all do just a little bit how these military men and women and families can appreciate it. >> people can go to ivillage.com. >> for all the details on the website how to do more this holiday season. >> thanks for that. at the top of the hour, vice president joe biden will lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns and speak to veterans and their families. barry mccaffrey will join me live for coverage next on msnbc.

everyone has someone to go heart healthy for. who's your someone? campbell's healthy request can help. low cholesterol, zero grams trans fat, and a healthy level of sodium. it's amazing what soup can do. and word is people really love got our claims service.ffice gecko: 'specially the auto repair xpress. repairs are fast and they're guaranteed for as long as you own your car. boss: hey, that's great! is this your phone? gecko: yeah, 'course. boss: but...where do you put...i mean how do you...carry... waitress: here you go. boss: thanks! gecko: no, no i got it, sir. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering.