we'll talk with the head of the transportation security administration, john pistole. >> the bottom line is we need to provide for the best possible security. >>> and tsa critic congressman john micah. >> i'm going after reforming tsa. i can tell you that. >> 'm candy crowley and this is "state of the union." >>> nato set 2014 as the year they want to turn over all security in afghanistan to the afghan government. not soon enough for some but too soon for others for the risky politics and violence in afghanistan may defy a solution for years to come. 655 coalition troops including 451 americans have been killed in afghanistan so far this year. now the deadliest year since the war began in 2001. joining me to discuss the way forward in afghanistan and more admiral mike mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. thank you, admiral mullen for being here. >> good morning. >> preern it. 2014, vice president joe biden was on "larry king" and called it a drop dead date. what does 2014 mean to you? what does that mean? >> i'm encouraged by what happened in lisbon over the weekend. nato, 28 n

with us now from washington is the head of the t.s.a., john pistole. mr. pistole, all patdowns, even those considered standard, are now more invasive than they were before october 29th. why the change in procedure? >> well, katie, we are dealing with the current threat environment that we're aware of that we face a determined and innovative terrorist group in al qaeda and the peninsula, which has proven that concealment and design of bombs that can bring down both passenger airlines and cargo airlines. so we're trying to provide the best possible security while balancing the privacy issues that are eke actually important, and how we do that in a blended fashion. >> couric: i know t.s.a. screeners are now having to deal with some very sensitive issues, as we just heard, cancer patients, people who may have prosthetic glands. have they been required to go through additional training as a result of this? >> each security officer is held to the highest level of professionalism. and our goal is to treat each and every passenger with dignity and respect. now, obv

head john pistole urging passengers at airports nationwide to support tougher new security measures. >> we very much appreciate your involvement, cooperation and assistance in ensuring the safety of you, the traveling public. >> reporter: his message comes amid back lash over the government's use of full body scanners and pat-downs some say are too aggressive. >> at one point the agent had his hands actually in the top of my pants, my jeans. and i was a bit taken aback by that. >> reporter: protesters are calling for national opt-out day tomorrow. urging flyers to opt out of body scans forcing extra pat-downs. experts say even if just a few people participate, dozens of airports could experience huge delays. >> we hope people will not opt out. we hope people will appreciate and understand the goal, the purpose, and the need for what is being done. >> reporter: homeland security secretary janet napolitano defended the stepped-up measures monday, along with several travelers. >> i like it. i figure i have nothing to hide. so i'd rather everybody be searched and everybody be safe. >> re

john pistole is his name.ng to change at the airports. then a couple hours later, he said that apparently screening procedures will be adapted as conditions warrant. so was he backing down off of that hard line approach? here is what he said just about half hour ago. >> well, what i agreed to do is to look at how we can do this type of screening, if we can do it less invasively as has been the request, then i'm open to that. i would like to work with the gao and inspector general and say, you're the ones that have done the covert testing, are there less intrusive means that still provide good screening. >> gretchen: he's in a difficult situation. i asked him the profiling question because so many have been talking about why don't you just profile because we know who is trying to attack us. he didn't really answer that question. so i guess we'll have to stay tuned to see if there will be any change. >> brian: my hope is if they're doing it but not telling us because they know it's politically a time bomb. i hop

joining me now, john pistole. thank you so much for joining us in "the situation room." house this afternoon. tell us why. >> well, the whole purpose is to address the current threat environment that we're dealing with and the security protocols that we have in place to address the security threats, trying to make sure that we are doing everything we can while respecting the privacy of the traveling public so that blending of privacy and security and how best do we calibrate that? >> who did you talk to? >> just senior advisers at the white house and other agencies. >> is there -- was the president involved in these conversations? >> the president was involved in conversations about this, but i was not in that conversation. >> is the president happy with the job that you've been doing, in communicating these kind of screening measures and why they're necessary? >> well, i would defer to the president on that. but what's been related to me is that we are doing everything we can, again, to provide the best possible security, to make sure that people have a high level of co

tsa director john pistole saying only one percent of passengers going through the full-body scanners are opted out and refusing to pass through them, at which point they are subjected to these new patdowns that are the source of such controversy. in terms of what changes and when, those are questions we don't have answers to just a couple of days before what's usually the busiest travel day of the year, the wednesday before thanksgiving. >> no kidding. mark sayre in san jose, thank you. >>> tobacco retailers plan to rally this afternoon against two proposed license fees in silicon valley. tomorrow santa clara county supervisors will consider a $425 annual fee for businesses to sell tobacco products. san jose is already moving forward with a $450 annual fee. city council members could vote on that as early as next month. >>> all right. 6:05. let get another check on our weather and traffic. tracy is checking out the rain out there. how are y doing. >> >> good. we are going to talk about snowfall in the sierra. they got pounded over the course of the weekend a thick blanket of snow jus

what would you say to the tsa and john pistole about what they should do about this security proceduret believe the pat-down should go on as they are going on right now. they have to be -- these new pat-downs have to be stopped until these people are trained and are comfortable doing what they need to do. i'm a good american, i know why we're doing this and i understand it. but this was extremely embarrassing and it didn't have to happen. with educated tsa workers it wouldn't have happened. >> do you think that's key to all of this? >> i don't want to the happen to anybody else. pardon? >> you think that's the key to this? >> a half a million to a million people in america with ostomies. >> you are a great spokesman for your condition and for what people are going through at the airports these days with the security procedures. and we appreciate you coming on because obviously as you mentioned earlier this is not something that you want to advertise or folks in your condition want to advertise so. appreciate you having the courage of coming on and talking about it and giving the folks

in a congressional hearing this week, the tsa's top man, john pistole, admitted that he was uncomfortable when patted down just recently, but he says, it's necessary to make sure the planes are safe. so what is really necessary for safety's sake is what some are questioning now. especially in the case of one flight attendant in charlotte, north carolina. molly grampum of affiliate wb-tv has that story. >> no reason to have somebody's hands touching your body parts. >> reporter: in early august, kathy bossy was xa asked to go through a body scanner on her way to work, they were just being rolled out in charlotte. from there she was told to go into a private room with two female tsa agents. when one of them started touching her, kathy asked why she, a us airways flight attendant just trying to get to work was being given such treatment. >> they had told me that they had gotten a memo from the tsa saying that flight crew members were the most obvious potential terrorists out there. >> reporter: thursday night, kathy told her story to wbtv. she says when the agent got her right breast, the on

. >>> on this morning's "early show" tsa administrator john pistole on the new airport screening proceduresen. this is the "cbs morning news." [ female announcer ] treat yourself to something special for lunch at red lobster. how about a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad combination? or maybe skewers of wood-grilled shrimp. seafood lunches starting at just $6.99 at red lobster. [ male announcer ] new one a day vitacraves gummies hello. plus immunity support. a complete adult multivitamin in a great-tasting gummy. hello? with more vitamin c for extra immune support for you and your inner child. one a day vitacraves. gummies for grown-ups. ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeah, it happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. >>> this morning the british newspape

we mentioned the tsa chief john pistole, he's going to be a guest of candy crowley. and representative john mica has been out front and center. he is the one who sent a letter to the airports around the country, the largest, telling them maybe they should get rid of the tsa and opt for the private companies to do the screening. you can see all that at 9:00 eastern right here on cnn, candy crowley. we're going to be talking to her a little later as well. >>> a lot of people out here love magazines. you got "time," "travel and l e leisure," you name it. a new magazine called "inspire" magazine. but the name of the magazine belies the content in its pages. it's published by al qaeda. the magazine is calling last month's bomb plot in yemen, the one with the bombs reportedly on those cargo planes. they're calling it a success. according to this, "inspire" magazine said the operation was called operation hemorrhage. also said the attacks cost $4,200 in all. just a few of the details given out. also praised the destructiveness and death toll from the september 11th attacks.

john pistole defended them insisting they're necessary to keep people safe. here's the latest from oakland international airport. >> reporter: yeah, lawmakers are getting a lot of calls from people concerned about the new screening procedures. but with an estimated 1.6 million americans travel buying air next week, it's unlikely anything will change. for millions of travelers like janet who just arrived at oakland international airport and those in congress, the issue of airport security is taking a personal turn. >> there's parts of you that are just yours. so it's nicer to feel that they understand that. >> i wouldn't want my wife to be touched in the way that these folks are being touched. >> reporter: at a hearing on capitol hill, tsa chief john pistole said he and homeland security secretary janet napolitano have themselves undergone the new, more invasive patdowns. >> do i understand the sensitivity of people? yes. if you're asking am i going to change the policies, no. >> reporter: pointing to the christmas day underwear bomb he maintained the searches

i'm tsa administrator john pistole. as you travel this holiday season, i want to remind you tsa's mission is to ensure the safety of you the traveling public. if you are directed to pass through an ait you may opt out. if you choose to opt out you will receive a thorough pat-down by someone of the same gender. if you alarm the metal detector or the ait you would receive a pat-down. in either case where a pat-down is required you have important options that we want you to be aware of. you have the option to request that the pat-down be conducted in private room, and you have the option to have that pat-down witnessed by a person of your choice. >> it should be pointed out again that less than two 2% of air travelers actually go through these pat-downs. meanwhile a new "washington post"/abc news poll shedding a little light on how americans feel about these procedures. the majority, 68%, believe it's more important for the government to investigate threats than to invade privacy. interesting. but when asked specifically o

tsa director john pistole saying only one percent of passengers going through the full-body scanners are opted out and refusing to pass through them, at which point they are subjected to these new patdowns that are the source of such controversy. so a very small number but, of course, they very concerned on wednesday juliette the day before thanksgiving about the possibility of this protest that people are calling for where people are being asked to opt0. the tsa director says it's not fair to make your political statement and inconvenience people. so they are trying to wave people off from that if they can. >> thank you, mark sayre in san jose. >>> the political rangeling over who will be the next mayor of san francisco will continue tomorrow at a meeting of the board of supervisors. the board may pick an interim mayor to replace gavin newsom although is about to become lieutenant governor but more likely discussions will concentrate on how candidates are nominated. board members will vote where each supervisor can nominate one candidate. >>> well, a northern california man a prison

tsa chief john pistole called him yesterday to say he was sorry.s he has accepted the apology. >>> tension between the koreas has escalated again after the north bombarded a south korean island today. buildings were set on fire after north korea warned the south to halt military drills in the area. two south korean marines were killed in the attack. the south says it returned fire and scrambled fighter jets in response. the white house has condemned the attack and called on north korea to, quote, halt its belligerent action. so far, the north isn't backing down. it's threatening to continue launching strikes. >>> new zealand's prime minister is warning the country there is likely no way to rescue 29 coal miners. they have been missing since a powerful explosion last friday. this closed circuit tv footage of the blast was just released after it was shown to the miners' families first. the area is considered too unstable to send in rescuers. a robot send in to check on the miners and conditions short- circuited today after it hit water. >>> the death

john pistole, the tsa chief will be a guest on the show as well as respective john micah, the rankingrtation committee, again 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific, "state of the union" can jill carroll here on cnn. hey, did you ever finish last month's invoices? sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resorts knows it's better for xerox to automate their global invoice process so they can focus on serving their customers. with xerox, you're ready for real business. happening right now at red lobster. choose one of three premium seafood-and-steak combinations... all under $20. get succulent lobster... paired with our eight-ounce wood-grilled sirloin... tender snow crab legs and sirloin... or new chardonnay grilled shrimp and

joining us from washington, tsa administrator john pistole.y much for being on the show this morning. >> you're welcome. that's quite a lead-in. >> yes, it is: it's certainly been the source of a lot of joking. i'll start off with a dead serious question for you. these new rules or guidelines have been put in place for the past couple weeks. have they proven effective? have they found anything? are they worth snit. >> let me start with the advanced imaging technology machines, we can go back several years with those. we have found all types of things that we would not have picked up through the walk-through metal dedeck tors. the whole purpose of the enhanced pat-downs is to address the challenges we see from the christmas day bomber last year, using a nonmetallic device which would not have been picked up, a bomb that would have killed all the people on the aircraft, of course. so the enhanced pat-downs are designed to identify and disrupt that type of plot. so that's the challenge. how do we best balance the security that everybody wants, ev

john pistole, the head of the agency of the tsa, he has gone on the offensive really or the defensive i should say thanking people for their patience, for their understanding during this difficult time. he's releasing an announcement at the airports today. and i think we have a small clip of that. let's listen. >> you have important options that we want you to be aware of. you have the option to request that the pat down be conducted in a private room and have that witnessed by the person o of your choice. >> it's so interesting, because when he says you can go into a private room, for many people that doesn't make the it right. but again, is there going to be a significant backlash at the airports today and tomorrow? that has yet to be determined. but again, the tsa is stressing the reason these rules are in place is because of the threats that we're seeing. the cargo threats. also, we're seeing the underwear bomber threat. will these devices stop it? it always seems that america's findi i fighting the last attack. and that's another issue on the minds of people as they go to the air

is there anything that john pistole can say today to calm all this outrage?in the white house in the prior administration, when you are trying to catch up to the story, you have lost it. the problem government typically has is they institute these measures after there's been some attempted attack, and the american people sort of think that the government fails the common sense test. if this was necessary, why weren't you doing it before, and if you're going to do it, why don't you explain to me how this reduces the threat and protects me before you institute it? so here we are. they instituted the procedures and used the back scatter and now they're trying to catch up to the story and explain it to people after we see the horror story like you showed. there is a real aviation threat. al qaeda is obsessed with using airplanes as a means of attack. they do need to use the measures. it the people standing at the checkpoints aren't reviewing the images. they have done what they can with the back scatter to protect your privacy. it's invasive, yes, but while it wa

but john pistol says the tsa has no plans to change the policy because there is still a current threat. and he told cnn, if you don't set off the regular metal detector you won't be subjected to the new body scanners or the very personal patdowns that some passengers describe as a groping. secretary of state hillary clinton says while she would personally try to avoid a patdown search, homeland security officials think these are necessary and she will not second-guess their opinions. >> i think everyone, including our security experts are looking for ways to diminish the impact on the travelling public. but let's not kid ourselves, the terrorists are adaptable. >> reporter: critics in congress say treating every passenger like a criminal is in efficient. they want improved intelligence, more behavioral observations and better checking of documents and using body scanning machines that don't reveal quite so much of your figure. >> a box will show up on the screen instead of all of this personal intrusion. and we can do a better job than this and protect people without it destroying the

now, the transportation security administration john pistole says he knows some passengers are uncomfortable but at this point, they have no plan to change the screening procedures. >> they had me hold my hands over my head for a little while and to step forward. i didn't realize they were going to do something else. they said you need to hold your hands up because we're going to pat you down and then she started to pat me down. >> you know, go through the machine, get scanned and go on your way. it is ridiculous. people making such a big deal out of this. >> reporter: the tsa has said they will try to make sure these procedures are minimally invasive as possible. although there are still some critics in congress who say that this is really an inefficient way to go. they are pushing for more behavioral observations, also looking more closely at scanning some of the documents. but the president has come out and said that the tsa tells him that these techniques are really the only ones that are going to prevent another christmas day bomber attempt like we had last year. live at reagan national

that brings us to john roberts making news this morning, you got administrator john pistole to admit es could change forpy lotds, john. >> they could. the tsa has come under heat by the pilot unions. late yesterday chesley sully sullen berg here flight the flight down in the hudson river said why are we screening pilots. the two unions said they were concerned about radiation but sully said it doesn't make sense. particularly when you consider that if a pilot wants to commit an act of terror he or her would have the greatest weapon and that is the aircraft. so john pistole saying that they may be looking at revisions to see what makes sense because they are a trusted employee and maybe they don't need to. he didn't say this but the suggestion is maybe they don't need to go through the full screening all of the other passengers do. >> let's get back to the passenger in san diego. i've been through that airport. i've said that i have not wanted the body scan. they have taken me aside and done the wand. it wasn't an issue. but he recorded this whole process and it's gone viral on youtube

. >> john pistole says a planned protest over those new security measures will only tie up people when they want to get home and see their loved ones. john hendren is joining us now from washington with the very latest. >> reporter: the transportation security administration says just 3% of travelers are getting those aggressive new pat-downs. but at airports across the nation, frustration is mounting. the airport screening horror stories are also mounting. in florida, a bladder cancer survivor says he was left crying, humiliated, and covered in his own urine after a tsa worker checked a medical bag that collects it. >> i was so embarrassed and so petrified of going out into the airport, thinking people would see me and, quote-unquote, smell me. >> reporter: then there's the breast cancer survivor who says the tsa agent made her remove her prosthetic breast. >> she goes, you'll need to show me that. >> reporter: as americans take to the skies for the busiest travel week of the year, not everyone minds. a new abc news poll says half of americans think aggressive new pat-downs go too far

john pistole, head of the transportation security administration, the tsa, who has had a patdown testified about it in a hearing this week, defends them saying patdowns are needed to keep the flying public safe. the tsa blog says of the nearly 2 million passengers a day who are screened, very few actually get a patdown but it's not the primary screening procedure, it's a secondary one. some are also raising safety questions about the full body scanners, about the radiation that may be used. medical and science professors at the university of california san francisco even wrote to the bam bam administration expressing concerns. we're writing to call your attention to serious concerns about the potential health effects of the back scatter x-ray security scanners. this is an urgent situation as these x-ray scanners are rapidly being implemented as a primary screening step for all air travel passengers. they're concerned about the effects of the radiation, especially people over 65, cancer patients, kids, teens and pregnant women. it's important to point out many in the scientific community do

the tsa, john pistole, the head of tsa called him to apologize. we herd about the stories but this is just absolutely unacceptable. >> the tsa saw him on "american morning" yesterday and said how do we get in touch with him? you can imagine what he went through. he was trying to explain to the screener, i have a medical condition. you need to know about it before you pat me down knowing that the appliance was there and the guy just didn't seem to care too much about it. but the tsa administrator john pistole did care about it, to his credit. telephoned thomas yesterday. they talked at length and shared some light banter back and forth. how's your day been? not too busy. mine either. then they got down to the nuts and boltsof it. he was very apologetic and thomas even suggested maybe he had something to teach to the tsa. let's listen to a little of what he told me this morning. >> he went on to apologize to me on behalf of the tsa and had some things to say. i had to do a little correcting. he had a part of the story mixed up which a lot of people

joining us now from washington is the administrator of the tsa, john pistole. mr. pistole, thank you very much for joining us. in addition to what brian ross is just reporting, are there any specific, credible recent threats that are causing what is believed to be invasive screening tactics? >> robin, we know the threats are real and we have seen the latest article coming out of al qaeda with the magazine describing the detail they went into in terms of concealing, disguising and shipping the two cargo packages out of yemen last month. >> i don't want to tell you how upset people are and some people saying that tsa agents are even going into their underwear as part of the screening process. is there any circumstance where that is warranted? >> no, no, there should never be a situation where that happens. >> so what happens, what kind of recourse do they have if they do the things that people are saying? >> again, the security officers are there to protect the traveling public. and there are specific operating protocols in which they're to follow. with the technology

joining us from washington is tsa administrator john pistole. virtually every newspaper in the country quotes you as saying you wouldn't change these procedures and then as backtracking a bit to say this is an evolving process. so many people will be traveling this week. i want them to know exactly what to expect. could you please be as clear as possible. will you change these security procedures before the holiday? >> maggie, of course we're always evaluating and trying to assess what is the best possible way of conducting our security operations to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public. we know the weekend that al qaeda in the arabian peninsula issued new information that went into great detail about how they constructed these cargo bombs out of yemen at the end of last month. very aware of the concerns raised by the american people, members of congress reflecting their constituents views and those of the general traveling public concerned about what does this mean? what i'm doing is working with security experts both within n

john pistol went on tv this morning and -- john pistole went on tv this morning and said -- >> in the short-term there will not be any changes. >> members of congress are c alling for changes. texas republican ron paul wants a traveler dignity act to protect against what he calls the physical and emotional abuse of the tsa. california democrat senator barbara boxer wants to revisit the trusted traveler program to exempt prescreened passengers from the process. reporting live from washington, d.c., allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, alison. >>> 8:16. >>> a passenger at san diego's airport upset about the new tsa screening procedures stripped down to his underwear, he says, to show that he's not a danger to anyone. when he refused to put his clothing back on, though, to go through the pat-down procedure, he was arrested. police also confiscated the iphone used to record the incident and a video camera used by a person talking -- traveling with him. some of those who are opposing this are calling for a national opt out day this wednesday, the day before thanksgiving and a

it seems to be a change in tone from what john pistole said about security, there's been wide outcry over the tsa screening measures. body screeners that can see through the clothing and pat downs and many call invasive and they want them scaled back. take a listen this morning when he was asked about changing the procedures. and i'm very an i tuned, given all the concerns that have been raised to answer the question directly, no, we're not changing the policies, because of that, because of the risks that are-- have been identified because of the current threat. >> all right. so that was a few hours ago, now, a short time pistole issued a new statement, saying the policies are being refined. what does that mean in malini wilkes is in washington to explain, hi. >> hi, harris. >> as you heard this morning on one of the sunday shows, tsa says the agency is not changing the policies of new screening techniques, there's a continuing threat, but later saushd a statement indicating he's not slamming the door on security in the future. saying, quote, we are constantly evaluating and adapting

coming up in about seven minutes we'll talk about all of this with the tsa administrator john pistolenberger. why are they screening pilots. >> 3 say if you go through the machine the radiation is hurting you, but like john hopkins said there is no health risk. it's this big huge thing. >> the government also told tus air at ground zero was safe. people are skepticalle. >> your conversation with mr. pistole will be interesting. pistole. >> mr. postal runs the post office. >> maybe you didn't realize they were gone but congress is back in session this morning and if you're hoping to see your elected officials rolling up their sleeves and taking on the tough issues, you might need to lower your expectations. >> this is a lame duck session, a lot of lawmakers already have one foot out the door. and dana bash live on capitol hill where the incoming crop of freshmen members of congress arrived on the buses you see. >> just arrived. you can probably see them departing there. one bus just showed up. a sixth bus, that's how many came because that's how large this freshman class is. needed six

that the agency's new pat down procedures are more invasive than what most people are used tox john pistol says he understands concerns being raised now but says the government needs to provide the best security. >> it is clearly more invasive. the purpose of that is to detect devices that we'd not seen before. i'm sensitive ask concerned about peoples' privacy concerns. >> he says he gets a pat down at the airport when he flies and offered to have senators experience what those pat downs are like. >> san francisco's nancy pelosi will remain top democrat in the how fast representatives, outdistancing moderate heath shuler of north carolina. to win election as minority leader. the victory came in secret ballotting during a lengthy closed dr door gathering. >> proud to be part of the team. our consensus is that this is about jobs and reducing did he have it and fighting for middle class. >> some democrats wanted pelosi replaced seeing her as partly responsible for rbi republican sweeps of power. and republicans elected ohio's john boehner as speaker of the house. >> president obama honored a

john pistole stood firm on the recent changes made at airport security lines and when questioned by u.ssenators this morning, pistole admitted they are more invasive but says that's the point. >> i -- i think that is what being informed by the latest intelligence, the latest efforts by terrorists who kill our people in the air, no, i'm not going to change this policy. >> pistole says he has personally received that new patdown. today's senate hearing was scheduled before the most recent public outrage over the procedure. >>> ohio congressman john boehner is going to take over as speaker of the house. just about 30 minutes ago, house republicans elected him as their leader in congress. meanwhile, speaker nancy pelosi will remain the house top democrat. democrats easily reelected her to the post of house minority leader in a closed-door vote this morning. >>> it's called blackout in a can. coming up, how the feds are taking the juice out of a very controversial alcoholic energy drink. plus, britain gets ready for a royal wedding. what the queen had to say when she found out about prince w

the tsa administrator john pistole joins us from washington to explain what's going on. good morning, sir. >> good morning, harry. >> let's first talk about the new enhanced scanners that are in operation in some airports, spreading all over the country. and basically, what they do is you can kind of see everything, at least the person who is viewing the scan can. and a lot of folks are saying, i'm not so interested in having a tsa examiner look at everything there is to see of me. >> right, harry. the number of issues involved here and, of course, this is the latest technology, we believe, to deal with the latest threats as we saw both on christmas day and as we saw recently with the cargo plot, the way that the terrorists particularly al qaeda and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula are focused on devices that can cause catastrophic results, bringing down an airliner. this technology is designed to provide the best possible security and also addresses issues from the standpoint of having an examiner in a separate area and sees an image, not a photograph, i've seen all ki

. >> reporter: hours later, administrator john pistole seemed to back down, calling it an evolving program that will be adapted as conditions warrant. he said he's just trying to balance privacy with public safety. >> i've talked to a number of people who said, hey, this is exactly what we need to be doing. >> reporter: not this cancer survivor, she felt an agent handled her prosthetic breast without even asking. >> she wlifted it up and down and left and right and then she said, you're okay. >> reporter: four of five americans support aggressive screening but members of congress are demanding a review. >> i don't think the rollout was good and the application has even been worse. this does need to be refined. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton is one frequent flyer who doesn't have to worry about a pat-down. >> would you submit to one of these pat-downs? >> not if i -- not if i could avoid it. no, i mean, who would? >> reporter: brian moore, nbc news, washington. >> well, the u.s. special envoy to north korea says the country's claimed its built a new nuclear facility is disa

. >> director john pistol agrees %-invasive but said that the threats are rrel. he says new body scanners protect privacy, screeners are in a separate room, neeer seeing who they are scanning. >> the machines are specifically disabled, functions are disabled, in terms of any retention, storage, or ability to transmit the images. so the -- of coorss cell phones, camera anything like that are nootaalowed in the screening room. >> close to 400 scanners at airports nationwide w plans to have nearly 1000 ii place by the end of 2011. >> the relations between the u.s. and moscow are rowing tense. after the extradition of a suspected russian arms dealer to the u.s. peter dicey reports, state department is defending the tradition, and russia calls it illegal. >> dubbed the merchant of death. suspected russian arms dealer viccor boot arriving in new york, facing terrorism charges after extradited to the u.s. from thailand. a thai court ordered boot extradited to the u.s. for his allegee agreement to supply an arsenal of military grade representeddthe columbian terrorist gr

john pistol said he's open to ideas but at this point there's no plans to change the pat downs. the pat downs are used on passengers who refuse the full body scan. the pat down was created after a man smuggled explosives on to a plane. >>> south korea returned fire, there is no word on the extent of north korean casualties. koreans living in the bay area express concern. >> they are divided with the united nations and the united states. to come up with a concession. >>> more than 28,000 u.s. troops are stationed in south korea. the white house said president obama was outraged by north korea's actions. >>> a city college of san francisco nursing student tonight is speaking publicly for the first time and thanking senate feinstein for sparing him at least for now from deportation. steve lee is back in the bay area after spending two months in arizona in a holding facility. lee was released on friday after feinstein introduced a bill to delay his deportation. lee and his family were arrested in september for overstaying a visa. >> i couldn't ask any question, they didn't tell me a

earlier i talked with the head of the tsa john pistole. received some comments from a senior department of homeland security official who said that, quote, the mood at dhs is anger over the way the media is playing the story. what do you think the media is getting wrong here? >> anderson, i think it's an issue about partnership and security and how best we can meld those two significant issues in a way that provides the best possible security for the traveling public. i wouldn't describe it as anger per se, i think it's just a matter of trying to do the best possible job we can to inform the traveling public that what the men and women of tsa are doing are proper security screening to ensure the best possible safety for every person, every member of the traveling public. >> the senior homeland security official also told us regarding the tsa screener in san diego, quote, he was accosted and verbally abused by a member of the traveling public. the fact that some in the media would hail the traveler as a folk hero is shameful. do you think h

. >>> the tsa admin separator john pistole is standing by the new pat-down procedures and he joins us live from washin ministtor piole, good morning, thanks for being with us. good rning, jenna. good to be here this morning. >> let me start with this. yove hea the backlash. passengers are calling some of these security measures humiliating, intrusive, others have likened it to a sexual assault. these are harsh words. do you understand the outrage here? >> yes, jenna. it's heard a lot in this past week. i would note that we are trying to deal with each person with dignity anrespect, and that is the goal while we provide the best possible security, recognizing that it is difficult to have the ultimate security and privacy blended in a precise manner. we know that the threats are real and the stakes are high, so how can we best work with e public to say, be prepared when you come to the airport, understand what the security procedures are, for your safety and for that of your loved ones that you're goi home to see. >> there's been some confusion over how this whole process works. does ev

john pistole testified before congress yesterday.sd that the pat-downs and new screening machines are necessary to keep travelers safe. but some tralers say the body scans and pat-downs are invasive. >> the question is, do i understand the sensitivities of people? yes. if you're asking am i going to change the policies? no. because, i think that is what is being informed by the latest intelligence, the latest forts, by terrorists to kill our people in the air. no i'm not going to change the policies. >> he also says it is irresponsible to suggest that some travelers have the option to opt out of the screening. >>> a los angeles-based photographer was nearly kicked off a flight because of his tattoos. adam pearson ha the words, adam bomb tattooed on his knuckles. he says it's a childhood nickname. but a passenger on a delta flight complained and said he seemed uspicious. pearson was asked to leave the flight but was allowed to stay after talking to security officials. pearson says he just wants an apology from delta. >> there you go.

. >> reporter: facing growing anger over probing pat-downs and x-rays, john pistole appealed for cooperation. >> this is for your safety security. work with us. this is a partnership here. >> reporter: but testifying before the senate commerce committee, pistole took a hard line, saying planes face an ongoing threat from hidden explosives, so travelers who refuse both body imaging scans and pat-downs woaptd be allowed to fly. >> do i understand the sensitivity, yes? are you asking am i going to change the policies? no? >> reporter: critics are calling fr a thanksgiving day holiday slow-down urging travelers to refuse the scan and checkpoints with pat-down requests receive privacy advocates calling for the t.s.a. to back off found some support on capitol hill. >> i wouldn't want my wife to be touched the way these folks are being touched. >> there has to be a way, however, for privacy concerns to be addressed. >> reporter: the enhanced pat-downs require t.s.a. officers to prisk even the most private areas of the boston, and pistole, who went through the procedure himself, called the pat-downs