tonight on "world news," heading home. travelers swarm the skies and the roads, sparking a 30-mile traffic jam, showdowns at airport security. but it could have been a los worse. korean crisis. as the survivors regroup, the u.s. steps up the pressure on china. palin unplugged. she takes on not one, but two first ladies, as michelle obama ponders a second term. bouncing back. the michael vick go from prison to mvp? and, baby boy. bowen heads home for thanksgiving. his tiny heart has already touched thousands.

good evening. if you're watching us tonight, you've probably already settled in for thanks giving. good for you. there are millions of americans on the move this holiday weekend, more than 42 million in all, including 2 million at the airports today. look at this video from flight aware. the sky swelling with planes as the holiday draws closer. and with storms baring down across the country, and more severe security checks at pair ports, many travelers were bracing for grid lock. but that's not necessarily what they got. sharyn alfonsi starts us off at laguardia airport tonight. >> reporter: a lot of travelers got to the airport extra early. they were expecting problems. but only a few people actually opted out. they caused more of a scene than any kind of delay. across the country, millions of passengers didn't let this stand in the way of this. those fiery calls for passengers to opt out of the new full body

scans fizzled. >> this is one of the quickest days i've had. >> i don't think this is the day that we need to make our stand. >> reporter: opt out organizers encouraged passenger to refuse to go through those new scanners because they are, quote, too intrusive, and instead demand a more time consuming patdown. but of the more than 2 million passengers who flew today, only a few hospitaled out. in l.a. this woman, wore a bikini through security. in d.c., this placard set off an argument. >> you still have the right to fly or not fly. >> reporter: in phoenix and atlanta, other protesters showed up with signs, but in a few cities, passengers delivered their own messages of support. >> this is not the time or the place to stop people from enjoying the holidays. >> reporter: it didn't seem to stop anyone. >> compared to thanksgivings of year's past this year is actually going really well. security wait times are usually between 10 and 20 minutes which

is pretty standard on an average day and pretty good for thanksgiving. >> reporter: high winds caused some delays around new york and now the storm that blanketed seattle earlier in the week is making it way through the midwest. >> most of the delays in the midwest is because of rain around indianapolis, columbus, moving west to chicago. >> reporter: and then there were the delays no one saw coming. on the busiest travel day of the year, spirit airlines system crashed. >> an hour and 40 minutes. it is what it is. >> reporter: and the bad weather has moved into chicago tonight. we're told delays at o'hare are running about 90 minutes. those travelers are going to get home, they're just going to be a little late. george? >> thanks very much. and we have news today about another security measure that could be headed for the scrap heat. homeland security wants to do away with that color-coded terrorist level. it's become somewhat of a joke so they are considering a new system that would provide more

specifics on terror thefts and what the public can do about them. we're going to turn now to the crisis in korea, where tensions are high following that north korean artillery attack on an island in the south. with the death toll up to four, the obama administration is trying to figure out how to respond to north korea without sparking a wider war. alex marquardt reports. >> reporter: today, the scope of the damage, as seen from the air. the aftermath of a hail of artillery that killed not only south korean marines, but two civilians as well. an attack that one eyewitness called "a sea of fire." hundreds ran, fleeing their island homes. all day, korean coast guard boats have been coming into this port, bringing evacuees from the yeonpyeong islands. they'll stay here in seoul with friends and family until it's safe to go home. south cokorea is at

its highest alert level below all out war. it has promised "enormous retaliation" if further provoked. the north has threatened "merciless strikes." south korean tv has featured nonstop coverage of the devastated yeonpeyong island. u.s. navy ships including the aircraft carrier "george washington" are heading to the yellow sea for joint military exercises with south korea. a deployment that could prompt more hostilities from kim jong-il. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff expressed concern on "the view." >> he's a very dangerous guy. >> reporter: north korea, described by a former u.s. official as "the land of lousy options" has diplomats searching tonight to find the least lousy option possible. alex marquardt, abc news, south korea. >> for more on what that option might be, we bring in martha raddatz. and martha, one step the administration has taken is this joint training exercise with south korea. but they are tempering that.

>> reporter: they are. now, they're sending the aircraft carrier there. the administration says this is a show of force and demonstration of solidarity with south korea. but this was a pre-planned exercise. and if you look on a map where the exercise will take place, you can see it is hundreds of miles from the border between north and south korea, and the island that was attacked. in fact, it is about the same distance as san francisco is from los angeles. so, i doubt north korea will feel threatened by the presence. but you never know with north korea. >> they are not expecting another attack right now, correct? >> reporter: they're not. the u.s. sees no evidence of that right now. the military is not on alert. satellites show no buildup to war. but if there is another attack, things could get very dangerous. a senior u.s. official told me today, south korea has shown tremendous restraint but we're pretty confident that if north korea does something else, south korea would respond massively, they would probably put

airplanes in the air and strike a variety of targets. the officials said the south koreans just can't threaten enormous retaliation and not do something if attacked again. >> martha, thank you. back here at home, some good economic news. the number of americans timing for unemployment for the first time dropped off significantly. 407,000 filed for benefits last week. but if many americans, this holiday will be a lean one. and as ron claiborne reports, why they're struggling, others are living large. >> reporter: the party is back on wall street. corporate broke records this year. and with the whiff of mega-million bonuses, some top executives celebrated like they did before the recession, like the american banker in hong kong throwing a lavish party with the women dressed like playboy play playmates. and then, there's fred clark. he lost his job last year for united technologies. he is still unemployed.

what are your expectations for 2011? >> get a job. >> reporter: you think you will? >> i have to. >> reporter: but while millions are still reeling and out of work, with the fed predicting no relief any time soon, for the richest americans, the good times are once again rolling. posh restaurants are crowded, and christie's auction house says bids for expensive items are pouring in again. >> a rising tide lifts all boats. but in this current economic period it looks more like a rising tide only lifts yachts. >> reporter: fred clark's old company, united technologies, posted a $1.2 billion profit in the third quarter, up 13% from the year before. united technologies has $5.7 billion in cash. >> corporate america is sitting on peoples of cash and not hiring, basically because it is concerned about the future. it is concerned about whether or not there's going to be sustained consumer demand. >> reporter: feed the hungry in

atlanta expects to serve twice as many as last year. >> i still have a lot to be thankful for. family, friends, are the most important thing. >> reporter: for these americans, reasons still to be grateful. ron claiborne, abc news, new york. there is a verdict tonight in an infamous political trial. tom delay was found guilty of money laundering. he could face years in prison. now, sarah palin doesn't need to speak out to get attention. she is everywhere this week. book tour, reality show and "dancing with the stars." but today she spoke out anyway, calling into a radio show and uncorking a couple of brush-back pitches at two of america's most admired women. jon karl was listening. >> reporter: sarah palin today took a shot at a popular first lady from her own party. >> the ma yourty of americans

don't want to put up with the blue bloods, and i say it with all due respect to the bushes, but the blue bloods what want to pick and choose their winners instead of allowing competition, to pick and choose the winners. >> reporter: she blamed the bushes for the current state of the economy. >> they kind of do some of this with the economic policies that were in place that got us into these economic woeful times. >> reporter: all a response to what barbara bush said on "larry king live." >> i sat next to her once. thought she was beautiful. and i think she's very happy in alaska and i hope she'll stay there. >> reporter: palin also picked a fight with the current first lady, and her anti-obesity campaign. >> she is telling us that she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, instead of a government thinking they need to take over, make decisions for us, according to some politician or politician's wife's priorities. just leave us alone, get off our backs. >> reporter: then, there was

"dancing with the stars." though daughter bristol came in third, she's looking at the bright side. >> she's going to say, mom, it was a great experience. >> reporter: it all adds up to an unconventional way to explore running for president. but as palin has proven time and time again, she'll never be a typical candidate. jonathan karl, abc news, washington. still ahead, once the most hated man in sports, michael vick talks to us about his crimes and his comeback. and michelle obama talks to barber walters about a second term for her husband. what does she really want? and the young boy with a fragile heart, coming home for a thanksgiving one family will never forget. (announcer) no matter what life throws at you, you can take the heat. 'til it turns into heartburn, you've got what it takes: zantac. it's strong, fast lasting relief. so let them turn up the heat.

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wrong. >> reporter: you didn't at all? >> not at all. >> reporter: what vick was doing in 2007 was running a dog fighting ring. hem was convicted for training dogs in death matches and then killing those who underperformed. he was imprisoned for 19 months. one of the most reviled individuals in america. you said, my life was a lie. what does that mean? >> you know, i just wasn't honest with a lot of people. i was blessed with so much that i took it all for granted. you don't realize what you done wrong until you are actually in the prison. i learned my lesson after an hour of being in there. i wanted out. >> reporter: did you assume your nfl career was over? >> well, at the time, my nfl career was over. >> reporter: but it is not over. viewed as toxic, but still, just as talented. >> touchdown! >> reporter: the philadelphia eagles took the risk, and it has paid off. >> i've never seen this guy play better. >> reporter: it was not just the eagles. vick was unexpectedly accepted

by the humane society. forgiven, but only if he agreed to talk to students and convince them not to be dog fighters. >> my daughter come to me every day asking me, can we get a dog. and i can't get a dog for my kids because of my ill-advised actions. >> when i talked with him, i sensed that he could become quite a remarkable ambassador for the end dog fighting campaign. >> reporter: vick says he will do these speeches twice a month for the rest of his life. there are those that think you're doing this not because you really believe it was wrong, but this is to save your reputation. >> i'm doing this because i want to do it. i can help myself, help more animals than i hurt, and, you know, try to be a model citizen. >> reporter: he's already convinced many of his fans. now, he needs to convince the rest of the world. bob woodruff, abc news, new haven, connecticut. when we come back, michelle obama. why she once talked to her was leaving politics, and what she

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now, a followup to a story we told you about this week. a new way teens are getting high. synthetic marijuana often disguises incense is legal in 37 states, but the dea declared it illegal for one year. and coming off that mid-term shellacking, as he put it, president obama signaled that he's starting to look at running for a second term. but we haven't heard what the first lady thinks until now. barbara walters sat down with the first couple. >> reporter: after your husband lost the democratic primary, campaign for congress in 2000, you wanted him to give up politics. >> ah, yes. >> reporter: yeah and you talked about it openly. it affected your marriage, you wanted him to get out of it. was there ever a moment when you said to yourself, one term is enough? >> you know, i think that it's important for him to finish what he started.

any ambivalence that i felt was all personal. it was all the sacrifice that this life requires of one's family. but if i had to pick the man i'd want to be in politics, the kind of person that we seek out in this country, somebody who's honest and sincere and smart as a whip, he would be the person that i would pick and that's always been why i followed him into these escapades is because i would feel guilty to think that because of me, that somebody like him didn't do what this country needed. and i still feel that way. and i'll feel that way until the job is done. but that's up to the american people. >> the whole barbara walters special, "a thanksgiving visit with president and mrs. obama" airs on abc on friday at 10:00 eastern. also at the white house,

that old thanksgiving tradition. >> i have the awesome responsibility to giving a presidential pardon to a pair of turkeys. now, for the record, let me say that it feels pretty good to stop at least one shellacking this november. >> reporter: as he patteded one of the turkeys on the way out, the president told him, have a good life, man. and still ahead, the baby who has already inspired so many people, home for his first thanksgiving. [ male announcer ] if you've had a heart attack caused by a completely blocked artery, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike.

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before we go tonight, here is our favorite thanksgiving story. it comes from matt hammitt and his wife sara. they've brought home their third child. baby bowen, born in september with a heart defect. they worried he would never survive. matt wrote a song for bowen. ♪ could i move on ♪ if you were torn away >> i had all kinds of questions and emotions, and the way for me to deal with that was writing music. ♪ i can't give you half my heart ♪ ♪ i pray he makes you whole ♪ you're gonna have all of me

♪ you're gonna have all of me 2:13 a.m., i'll never forget that time when we got the call that his heart stopped beating. they were doing compressions. after 40 minutes of that, they took us into another room, we thought for sure that he was gone. >> we were just waiting for them to call out the time. i kept on looking at the clock, like, when are they going to say it? just say it. and then they pulled us aside and said, they had one last attempt. >> his heart was beating, the lungs were working. the vitals were back. >> there's your brother. >> hold his hand. i had no clue the amount of people that would latch on to bowen's story. the day of his surgery, i think we got, like, 200,000 hits on our website. hundreds and hundreds of people come to the blog, they would all talk to each other and pray for one another. >> we did the blog to kind of give bowen purpose because we didn't know how long he was

going to survive. we immediately gave him a place and a purpose for as long as he's here. >> bowen's taking a big nap. getting ready for a big day tomorrow, right sara? >> yep. big day. >> what's happening tomorrow? >> we're going home. >> bye. >> thank you so much. ♪ afraid to love ♪ something that could break ♪ could i move on ♪ if you were torn away >> i'm happy and i praise god that he's home. i didn't know that would happen. and i'm scared, too. really scared. >> say, i'm home. i'm home. ♪ pray he makes you whole

>> you can either be angry or bitter when bad things come your way. or, you can let them shape you and mold you and teach you lessons about life. you can kind of trade your pain in for purpose. all bowen's pain will have a purpose. it will. we believe that with all of our hearts. ♪ giving you all of me ♪ is where i start >> what a thanksgiving. thanks to jim for sharing that story. that's our show for tonight. for diane sawyer and all of us at abc news, have a good night and a great holiday.

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