but they're rather higher than the tsa is saying. >> reporter: sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >>> qantas airlines is putting two of its massive a-380 jumbo jets back in the air. all six of the carrier's a-380s had been grounded since that midair engine blowout three weeks ago. qantas has been checking and replacing the engines ever since. and they say now, they are good to go. >>> we told you yesterday morning about that delta airlines flight that had to return to new york's jfk airport. an engine failure forced that moscow-bound plane to turnaround. actor leonardo dicaprio and more than 200 others were onboard. investigators now say there's no evidence that a bird strike caused that failure. they're now looking into other causes. >>> and when we come back this morning, for some drivers it is a dream come true. the new car that gets nearly, get this, 100 miles per gallon. >>> and we continue to monitor breaking news from asia. south korean homes burning out of control, after an attack in retaliation from south by the north. >>> overseas markets are lower this morning. reacting to

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> a look back. our santa barbara affiliate keyt will have more of footage on their air and online, coming up tonight. have a great night, everyone. captioned by closed captioning services, inc.

sharyn alfonsi starts us off at laguardia airport tonight. >> reporter: a lot of travelers got to the airport extra early. they were expecting problems and protesters. 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 easiest, quickest travel days i've ever had. >> i'm not in agreement with the patdowns but i don't think this is, the day before the holidays, 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 opted out. in l.a., this woman wore a bikini through security. in d.c., this protester's pla card set off an argument. >> you still have the right to fly or not fly. >> reporter: in phoenix and atlanta, other protesters sh

thank you so much, sharyn alfonsi.ar from you tonight. >>> and coming up, king kong, romeo and juliet, conan the barbarian. they lost someone they all had in common. they lost someone they all had in common. but if you have arth, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or al

and now, the people doing the body searches are also starting to speak out and sharyn alfonsi is back on the story for us again tonight. >> reporter: finally, a little common sense tonight. pilots will be allowed to skip the scanners and patdowns. but now, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want the tsa to take a second look at the way the rest of us are scanned. and, they say, the tsa has to do a better job of telling the american public what to expect at those check points. >> reporter: they frisk, pat and feel the wrath of passengers on a daily basis. >> i understand the passengers concern, but our top priority is to protect the traveling public. >> reporter: valaria lewis is a tsa agent and a union official in memphis. >> every office their does a patdown has had a patdown. we've had that experience. we're comfortable with it. >> reporter: but many passengers don't like the experience. tsa agents have been questioned, screamed, even punched by passengers. now, late night comics are taking their shot. >> i get more action going through security than i did all of high school. >> w

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> hope it works with humans one day.ice. >>> that's what's making news in america this morning. >> get more later on "good

sharyn alfonsi, thank you. we'll of course cover all of this tomorrow as well. >>> we have some hopeful economic news this holiday season. there are strong new signs tonight that retail sales are america are rebounding from bargain hunters to luxury buyers. americans taking advantage of prices slashed early. online shopping is red hot. so what does this mean for permanent jobs to come in january? david muir is out with the shoppers tonight in new york. good evening, david. >> reporter: good evening to you, diane. you're absolutely right, sales up across the board this evening. economists tell me it's what's inside those gift bags you see people carrying that is most telling. all that leads to the larger question, will the shopping finally lead to more permanent jobs? tonight, retailers are tracking shoppers who are already spending more than they were this time last year. >> you can't scare the american consumers forever. >> reporter: new numbers out today track the first two weeks of this month. total apparel,

thank you, sharyn alfonsi. >>> and we move only other news now. president obama flying to portugal on air force one today for a nato summit. and already, there's a headline about american forces in afghanistan. the white house says the goal is that american combat troops will begin pulling out by next july, which we knew. but all combat troops will be out by 2014, and at the same time the u.s. is pouring on the fire power. so, let's bring in martha just a month ago. so, is this an official deadline of 2014. >> >> reporter: it is, diane. they're going to start drawing down next year, turning more and more of the country over to the afghan security forces. listen to what vice president biden said about this. >> we have to say, look, you got to step up, man. we're going to -- the training wheels off. in october, i mean, next july, so, you better practice riding. nato forces have been pounding the enemy. just look at these statistics. back in october 2008, there were 338 air strikes. that means missiles and bombs. last year, during october, 660 air st

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> a look back. our santa barbara affiliate keyt will have more of footage on their air and online, coming up tonight. have a great night, everyone. when i see people trying to sell and old camry, it makes me want to show 'em a new ford fusion. i can't help myself. i'm kinda ready to move up to get to the next level. fusion... yeah, i like it. ...i should probably brag about this a little bit. the projected resale value can't be beat by camry. 33 miles per gallon on the highway. wow. the sync system... gps correct. phone. yes. i love it. get our best deals. 0% financing and, as a holiday bonus, we'll give you $1500 to use toward your first three payments. holly has something she'd like to say. bye, camry.

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> a look back.ur santa barbara affiliate keyt will have more of footage on their air and online, coming up tonight. have a gre >>> close your zpoorz windows and stay inside. latest on a refinery shut down triggering a health warning. >> and in sacramento, there will be no honeymoon for jerry brown. a new report out shows he'll inherit a $25 billion budget deficit. >> details tonight in the oakland police shooting of an unarmed man and a promise of transparency from the police chief. >> announcement that is just moment as way who. will be oakland's next mayor? >> this is pictures from the tesoro refinery aichl shelter in place order is in effect right now. >> of course that means stay inside. keep doors and windows closed. shut off anything that brings in outside air. and this began after 4:00 this afternoon. there was a power failure in the afternoon this, is the result. you can see black smoke here, spewing as this fuel burns off. >> and initially, the concern was for people with breathing problems

here's sharyn alfonsi. >> i feel tremendous! >> reporter: in the movie "cocoon," it's a swimming pool that turns back the clock for a group of senior citizens. but now researchers have found a way not just to stop but reverse the aging process. the key is something called a telomere. we all have them. they're the tips or caps of your chromo sowns, seen here in yellow. this is what it looks like in a young adult. as you grow older, the telomeres become damaged and frayed. as they stop working, we start aging and experiencing things like hearing and memory loss. scientist took mice who were prematurely aged, added an enzyme and essentially turned their telomeres back on. you can see it. before the enzyme. after. >> their brain function improved. their fertility was restored. it was a remarkable reversal of the aging process. >> reporter: look at this picture. the mouse on the right has bad skin, gray hair and is balding. but the one on the left had its telomeres flipped back on. >> and you can see that essentially you now have a d

it's the middle of the night. >> okay, thank you, sharyn alfonsi. >>> and we'll move on now to the new terror tape issud today from a 39-year-old man, born in new mexico, who has joined osama bin laden on the list for the most wanted man in the world. anwar al awlaki. linked to multiple plots including those bombs on cargo planes. martha raddatz tells us his latest video is a polished production. >> reporter: he calls america satan -- but the video itself looks almost corporate. and today, investigators are examining the well-produced propaganda tape to see what clues it offers. first, compare it to the last time osama bin laden was seen on video. the awlaki image is sharp. the background is wood lattice. the glass topped desk, an executive leather chair and not one but two microphones. awlaki has made his name with recruiting videos. investigators from new york congressman anthony weiner's office found more than 700 videos on youtube with an alarming 3.5 million hits. weiner said the videos facilitated "the recruitment of homegrown terror." youtube took down some of the most offensive

sharyn alfonsi has been looking into all of this today. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. a florida congressman sent a letter to the nation's busiest airports, urging them to consider using contractors. now, officials at one orlando airport say they will, announcing today they want to replace the tsa with a private security firm. those contractors will have to follow tsa procedures, but airport officials believe private firms may handle it better. for some travelers, thanksgiving will be their first taste of this. new measures some call intrusive, others, ineffective. but tsa officials say it is working. body scanners have already captured passengers trying to smuggle marijuana, whiskey, even knives. as for the patdowns -- >> i am sensitive to and concerned about people's privacy concerns. the bottom line is, we need to provide for the best possible security. >> reporter: but look at this. is this really the best possible security? are patdowns and scanners the best way? >> no. >> reporter: this man ran security for the israeli airline el al. the tel aviv airport is a cons

want to head out to washington state now, all the way on the other side of the country, sharyn alfonsi is there, sharyn. >> reporter: well, diane, there is driving rain and wind here tonight, but it isn't expected to affect voter turnout tomorrow because most voters actually mail in their ballots. and that means it could be weeks before we know who wins the senate race here. we have incumbent patty murray and her republican challenger dino rossi going head to head in a very tight race. now, voters here actually only have to have their ballots postmarked by november 2nd so it could take weeks for all those ballots to roll in. you'll remember, in 2004, it took more than a month before they could officially name the governor here. because they had counts and recounts. they're hoping that doesn't happen tomorrow. but they're saying the drama here in washington state could extend well into december. diane. >> okay, sharyn, thanks. as we said, abc news will be out in force tomorrow night. but there is one person who's already gotten a surprise on this campaign, a famous actor. listen for a m

personal intense patdowns and it turns out to be commercial pilots who are up in arms tonight and sharyn alfonsi knows all about it. sharyn. >> reporter: this is a big deal. they're telling their members to avoid the body scanners, citing health concerns. but one goes further raising serious concerns saying the tsa path downs. some of those are so intrusive. it's left pilots feeling unfit to fly. the instructions are clear, avoid those full body scanners. that's what union leaders are telling pilots, citing concerns about radiation. >> the cumulative effect of additional radiation exposure, atop of what we do fly in the aircraft, over a 10, 20, 30-year career begins to mount up. >> reporter: one said they can opt to a patdown but one pie lost experienced a frisking that's left him unable to function as a crewmember. the words this pilot used to describe the incident was sexual molestation. reporting that afterwards he vomited in his own driveway while contemplating going back to work. he goes on to instruct pilots that another member of the crew should always witness the patdown and then the pil

thank you, sharyn alfonsi. and today, an iconic american company roar sboold the future. general motors celebrated its return to wall street after a life support of bankruptcy and government bailouts. as we saw, the recovery was fuelled, in part, by sales in china, 30% of total profits. and investors are seeing something they like. chris bury, on the investor stam people. >> reporter: today, the president took a victory lap. >> there were plenty of doubters who said it couldn't be done. >> reporter: but from the very moment gm's new boss rang the opening bell to the sound of a revving en. >>> his company's stock took off like a camaro. now, g.m. is no longer government motors. the treasury's share shrinking from 61 percent to 33 percent. and that 50 billion dollar loan from taxpayers? nearly half is paid back. the rest, to come, as more stock is sold. >> i think general motors owes a great debt of gratitude, and i know the employees feel that way, to the american taxpayer. >> reporter: gm is on a roll. it's new electric volt, just named motor trend's "car of the year," pa

flying over the holiday stretch, and we are out there with them on the move tonight, starting with sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: security scares in the middle of the thanksgiving travel rush. in boston, a cargo terminal was shut down after a bomb-sniffing dog pointed police to a suspicious bag. it turned out to be a false alarm. in phoenix today, passengers were removed from their flight and rescreened after someone discovered a loaded magazine clip for a gun on board. the clip, apparently accidentally dropped by a police officer. officials say the officer had permission to carry it. tensions are high at airports across the country. today, the tsa made this agent available to the media to talk about how agents are dealing with criticism of the new security measures. >> we almost kind of block that out and you do your job. we do what we're trained to do. >> reporter: the tsa announced today flight attend dances, like pilots, will no longer have to go through security lines. but tomorrow, more than 2 million passengers will. and tsa says delays are possible. >> there's no guarantees that people get

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >>> the u.s.ht up in an embarrassing situation involving afghan peace talks. turns out the top taliban leader, mullah achter mohammad mansour, who had been secretly meeting with afghan officials, wasn't mansour at all, it was an imposter. the "new york times" reports the fake leader even met with president hamid karzai, had been flown to kabul on a nato aircraft and ushered into the presidential palace. >>> the search is on for a second robot that can be sent into that mine in new zealand where 29 men remain trapped. the first robot that was sent to the mine shaft was damaged. but as time passes, of course, hopes begin to fade since nothing has been heard from those men since friday's explosion. phil mercer of the bbc has more. >> reporter: a new day brings fresh hope of a positive breakthrough in the search for the missing miners. for their families, the wait is agonizing. they've prayed for any sign that there's still life deep underground. so far, there's been only silence. a potentially catast

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> can't believe you like black friday. >> i love it.re insane. >>> a look at your weather across the country. thunderstorms could get severe at times around houston, dallas, oklahoma city, and kansas city. showers around the twin cities, des moines, and madison. light snow in western montana, idaho, and northwest wyoming. >> 40s across much of the 50 in seattle. and 52 in n rtland. 41 in omaha. 61 in chicago. 70s from dallas to atlanta. 57 in boston. 59 here in new york. and 81 in miami. >>> well, there likely won't be any flowers put in this particular chinese vase. >> it's just sold at a london auction for a stunning $69 million. that's about 40 times the presale estimate. fierce bidding drove the price up, actually, all before the hammer came down for a buyer from china. >> the vase was discovered in an ordinary english home that was being cleaned out. it probably dates back all the way to the 1740s. we'll be right back. >> the detail is exquisite on that, rob. [ male announcer ] a red, raw nose can feel really sore. achoo! [ male an

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >>> president obama is heading overseas this morning for two days of meetings with nato and european union leaders. this follows a meeting at the white house yesterday with top national security officials. all meant to rally support for that nuclear treaty with russia. the president has pushed republicans to vote on that treaty right away. >> as ronald reagan said, we have to trust but we also have to verify. in order for us to verify, we've got to have a treaty. >> this is a critically important issue for the country. if it was so important it should have gotten done, they should have gotten it done. >> republicans want to wait until the new congress is sworn in in january before debating that treaty. >>> two of disgraced financers bernie madoff's long-time office workers are waking up in jail this morning. annette bongiorno was arrested at her florida home yesterday. joann crupi was taken into custody in new jersey. both are charged with helping madoff dupe investors out of millions of dollars in the decades he master minded his ponzi scheme. they

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, , w york. >> a few days ago we did that story on the "life" magazine photosyears after his election. now we have footage of reagan emerging too. it's so interesting treasures found after being are gone, decades later. [ such a lucky find, too. they said the tv station, keyt, basically says they were digging through archives for a regular piece they produce, something they do in november. one of the reporters stumbled upon this and immediately knew what gold he had found, he or she. >> next year marks what would have been ronald reagan's 100th birthday and there will be two year-long tributes beginning in january. we'll be back with more right after this. hó oooh! you ruined mom's tablecloth. not this time. what's that? my get out of jail free card. no way. you're busted. [ chuckles ] [ male announcer ] tide stain release. an in-wash booster that works with any detergent, to target and remove tough stains the first time. see? hey, look who's home. huh. what's that? [ male announcer ] tide stain release. stains out. no doubt. now also available in a pre-treat s

. >> reporter: i'm sharyn alfonsi in washington state, where incumbent patty murray is in a tight race with her republican challenger, dino rossi. now murray started her career in politics here locally. she worked with education, trying to save a local preschool. she was dismissed by her critics as just a mom in tennis shoes. but she used that, and won a place in the senate in 1992. but now, after three terms and more than 18 years in d.c., rossi says she's part of the problem. incumbents, even junior members of congress, are having real problems this year. 55 freshman and sophomore democrats are in tough races. they were elected to shake things up in washington. now, they may be shaken out. >> well, we're going to be staying up late for those results. and it is an exciting night. we are just getting started. we'll be streaming a broadcast on facebook at 8:00 eastern. our full network coverage begins at 9:30 eastern. and you can follow minute by minute at abcnews.com. >>> but we do want to bring you some of the other news today. tonight, that terror plot involving cargo planes is raisi

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >>> well, cheating on a test isn't what it used to be.niversity of central florida is coming down hard on students after its biggest-ever cheating scandal there. someone at the school apparently found a business administration mid-term exam online and then passed it out to others. now 600 students are being forced to retake that exam no matter what. >> i don't care what you have planned. if you have to give birth, you're going to give birth in the exam room. because it's going to have to take a signed, hand-delivered note from god for you to get out of taking this mid-term exam. >> everyone's looking for an easy way out because everyone's so stressed with the workloads. >> the school is trying to root out cheaters by asking students with information to come forward, and those who admit to cheating with take an ethics class. those who don't and get caught could be suspended or expelled. >> i guess the logic is if you didn't cheat, why would it be so hard to take another exam? >> right, you did well the first time, do it again. >>> here's a

so much drama. >> thanks for that, sharyn alfonsi.t at 8:00, 7:00 central. >>> and coming up, one woman's wild cab ride. her frantic 911 call from a taxi, after a driver may have kidnapped his passenger. best ribs in nelson county, but i wasn't winning any ribbons managing my diabetes. it was so complicated. there was a lot of information out there. but it was frustrating trying to get the answers i needed. then my company partnered with unitedhealthcare. they provided onsite screenings, healthy cooking tips. that's a recipe i'm keeping. ( announcer ) turning complex data into easy tools. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. 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 ] to us the little things mean a lot. ♪ add up all our standard features and safetytec... ♪ how was it? [ male announcer ] and you've got something big. we'll take it. awesome!

sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> i can't believe that guy is not flying. >>> temperatures continueplunge in the rockies this morning as a winter storm roars through with heavy snow and powerful winds. the idaho falls area starting to clear out today. but drivers are having a tough time getting around as you can imagine. blizzard warnings also remain in effect and temperatures are hovering in the single digits. >>> parts of western colorado are bracing for another 6 to 12 inches of snow. get this, 6 feet of fresh powder have fallen in steamboat springs since late october. 4 1/2 feet of snow fell there in this month alone. conditions will be treacherous with winds expected to top 70 miles an hour. not good traveling weather at all. >> perfect skiing weather. that's my favorite place to ski. i lived in colorado, i went to all of them. that's the best. >> you good on the slopes? >> i'm not good but i go. >>> wintry weather is moving east, not good news for travelers. >> it could slow down drivers and those getting on the plane later today. here's accuweather meteorologist ava dinges wi

sharyn alfonsi reports from new york. >> reporter: across the country, millions of passengers didn'ttand 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 easiest, quickest travel days i've ever had. >> i'm not in agreement with the pat-downs but i don't think this is the day before the holidays when everybody's traveling that we need to make our stance. >> reporter: opt-out organizers encouraged passengers to refuse to go through those new scanners because they're too intrusive and demand a more time-consuming pat-down. for the more than 2 million passengers who flew today, only a few opted out. in l.a. this woman wore a bikini through security. in d.c., this protester's placard set off an argument. >> we 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. >> it's not the time or the place to stop people from enjoying the holidays. >> reporter: it didn't seem to stop anyone. >>

but abc's sharyn alfonsi reports it is a very real concern. >> reporter: president obama rejected thee. >> in 2010, trade between our countries is not just a one-way street of american jobs and companies moving to india. it is a dynamic two-way relationship. c two-way >> reporter: what about jobs? is it really a two-way relationship? no, not really. companies aren't required to keep or share statistics about the jobs they've outsourced. but experts believe by 2015, more than 3 million american jobs will have moved overseas. not just to india but places like china and russia among others. the president also urged americans to rethink its image of india. >> as a land of call centers and back offices that cost american jobs. >> reporter: but aren't those call centers taking the bulk of american jobs? no. india does have hundreds of them. answering phones for everyone from american express, accenture, hewlett-packard, ge and dell. but despite what it may feel like when you're trying to get help -- >> can you tell me where you're located? india? hi, katie. i was wondering, where am i calli

a behind-the-scenes look at her tour. >>> first, let's go upstairs to sharyn alfonsi, who has the morningppy thanksgiving, everyone. we begin overseas with the crisis on the korean peninsula. this morning, south korea's president is beefing up security, ordering more troops to the border islands, the site of north korea's deadly artillery attack on tuesday. the north is threatening for retaliation if the south carries out, quote, reckless military provocation. mr. obama is expected to call china's president and urge him to help calm tensions in the region. >>> turning to the economy now. a new move by ireland, whose debt crisis has threatened to derail the global economic recovery. the country has announced $20 billion in government spending cuts and tax increases to secure an international bailout. that bailout will consist of billions of dollars in loans to prop up irish banks. >>> and former house majority leader, tom delay, once one of the most powerful politicians in washington, has been convicted of money laundering, for funneling corporate money to candidates. delay insists he's do

let's begin with sharyn alfonsi here in new york. good morning, sharyn. >> reporter: good morning, robin. well, the airport is busy this morning, but honestly the line for coffee is longer than the line in security. some passengers say they are going to opt out. some are promising they're going to wear t-shirts saying don't touch my junk. another guy saying he will wear a kilt with nothing underneath it. but the question is, how many passengers will actually do this? and what about the rest of us that just want to get home? the thanksgiving rush is on. and so far all quiet on the opt-out front. organizers issued the national call to opt-out of the imaging scanners because they think they're "too invasive." they're calling on passengers to demand a more time-consuming pat-down instead. but the big question, will travelers put their travel plans in jeopardy just to prove a point? >> well, i've heard a bunch of people talking about how most people are going to opt out, and it's going to cause a lot of troubles. i'm all for more safety. y