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Party Crashers Met President: Secret Service Says it's Embarrassed; Police Want to Talk to Tiger Woods about Crash; Senate Health Care Debate Could Begin Next Week
Aired November 28, 2009 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hello there, everybody. From the CNN Center, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM for this Saturday, November 28th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen. It is 11:00 a.m. in the East, 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast.
HOLMES: All right. And the Virginia couple, they got past security at the White House Dinner, well, they even met the president as you can see in that picture right there. Now the Secret Service is admitting fault saying it's embarrassed by this breach. CNN's Kate Bolduan, who does have permission to be at the White House right now, she is there with the latest on this bizarre story.
Kate, what in the world is the White House saying about this one?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, T.J. Well, the White House -- though Secret Service insist that the president was never in danger in this circumstance. But because the Salahis, Tareq and Michaela Salahi, like all other guests had to go through security. But in a statement released Friday, the Director of the Secret Service, Mark Sullivan, he says, "The agency is deeply concerned and embarrassed."
He goes on in this statement to say, "Although these individuals went through magnetometers and other levels of screening, they should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely. That failing is ours."
Clearly, this is not over, that an investigation is going to continue. Fran Townsend, Former Homeland Security Adviser to President Bush, says she expects fallout. Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCES FRAGOS TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: At best the uniformed division Secret Service agents who let them onto the property will be disciplined, and at worst they could potentially be fired. I will tell you, it is a very serious security breach because after all, bad people will watch this and watch how they did it and learn, and they may test the Secret Service in other circumstances if not at the White House as a result of this. And so it is a very, very serious case.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: And the Secret Service is not ruling out the possibility of criminal charges here. T.J., the White House continues to describe these individuals, this couple as uninvited guests. But we must say that it's still unclear really what the circumstances were surrounding Tuesday's event and really how the Salahis got into the state dinner.
HOLMES: Yes, and even though their attorney is coming up and saying that they did not crash the party. We did hear that from a statement. And also a lot of people, like you're saying there, even though they did have to go through some screening and, you know, did have to go through metal detectors and what not, if they had ill intent, they could have picked up anything in that room -- a knife, a fork or something and done some damage to a lot of people in that room.
But the couple themselves, besides that attorney's statement -- are we hearing anything else from them? When are we going to hear more from this couple?
BOLDUAN: A very good question. And you really pointed out, the couple's attorney is coming out to say that they did not, quote, unquote, crash this event, and also saying that this couple, which we should point out are aspiring reality TV show stars, that they'll look forward to setting the record straight soon, T.J.
So I'm sure this will not be the last that we'll be hearing from this couple. But it does raise all of those questions that you're talking about. I mean, I am standing in a building that's supposed to be one of the most secure buildings in the world and it's really just a shocking thing to hear.
HOLMES: Yes. Reality TV stars. They aspire to be. "Real Housewives of D.C.?" Is that it? She's trying out for?
BOLDUAN: That's what I'm hearing.
HOLMES: That's the one.
BOLDUAN: And I'm not trying out for that.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: All right. Thank you so much. Again, she does have clearance to be there. Thanks so much this morning, Kate.
KEILAR: Now to a pressing topic, more pressing topic for the president now, what to do in Afghanistan.
President Obama is set to reveal his long-awaited decision on a new Afghan war strategy Tuesday night. He's expected to send an additional 34,000 U.S. Troops primarily for greater security and training. Retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt says. "A more secure Afghanistan won't happen overnight."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RET. BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: I don't think we're going to need hundreds of thousands of troops there for a decade or more but we are going to have to take the time to do this right to give the Afghan National Security Forces, the training and the capability and the experience for them to do this themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: On CNN Tuesday night, President Obama will announce his decision on U.S. Troops heading to Afghanistan. Our special coverage with the best political team on television begins at 7:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: A suspected act of terror destroyed Russia's fastest train. The train was headed from Moscow to St. Petersburg this morning when it derailed. Dozens of people were trapped in the twisted metal. Investigators say elements of an explosive device were found at the scene. They found a crater under the tracks. At least 26 people killed, 100 more injured.
KEILAR: The U.S. Embassy in Beijing confirms three Americans were killed this morning when a cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Shanghai International Airport. According to the main Chinese news agency, the plane bound for Kyrgyzstan caught fire soon after takeoff. Thick plumes of smoke, as you can see there, rising from the crash site. Four surviving crew members were taken to the hospital. One of those said to be American. Their conditions are not known at this time. We'll be bringing you more information as we get it.
Remember that Northwest Airlines flight that overshot its destination by 150 miles last month? Well, the Federal Aviation Administration has now released recordings of air-traffic controllers talking to the cockpit.
HOLMES: Yes, and the pilots, you may remember, they missed landing in Minneapolis and were out of radio contact for more than an hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PILOT: Minneapolis, Northwest one eighty eight.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Minneapolis Center, go ahead.
PILOT: Roger, we got distracted and we have overflown Minneapolis.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Northwest one eighty eight, do you have time to give a brief explanation on what happened?
PILOT: Just cockpit distraction, that's all I can say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Hmm. Well, the FAA revoked the licenses of those two pilots. The pilots have appealed. KEILAR: The Florida Highway Patrol wants to talk to Tiger Woods. They are trying to find out more details about the late-night car crash that sent him to the hospital.
CNN's Susan Candiotti joining us live now from Windermere, Florida, near Orlando. What can you tell us, Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now we're outside the gate of the lovely community in Windermere where Tiger Woods and his family lives. It's a gated community, secure to anyone from the outside if you're not invited. Here are the facts as we know them. This crash happened at about 2:00 in the morning late Thanksgiving night in the Friday morning. As we said, very, very early.
And the police say that Tiger Woods was coming down his driveway, banged into a fire hydrant, and then hit a neighbor's tree. From there his wife told police that she heard the crash from inside the house, came outside and wound up using a golf club to bang in the rear window in order to get her husband out of the car.
Here's in part what the Police Chief told our Gary Tuchman about that last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why did his wife have to bash it in with a golf club?
CHIEF DANIEL SAYLOR, WINDERMERE POLICE DEPARTMENT: From what I understand, she explained to my office, the doors were locked and she could not gain entry, so she used the golf club to smash to gain entry and unlocked the door.
TUCHMAN: Did she have a golf club with her at that time?
SAYLOR: I don't know where the golf club came from.
TUCHMAN: I mean, she could have gone back and gotten the keys and open the door maybe.
SAYLOR: It sounds like a (INAUDIBLE) when you do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, the local police are rather be authorities as well from the Local Police Department and the Paramedics treated Tiger Woods at the scene. They say, he was lying on the ground, had some cuts on his lips and his face, had some blood in his mouth and that they tried to ask him some questions but they said he was slipping in and out of consciousness. He was rushed to the hospital, and Tiger Woods' representative said he was later released during the day yesterday in good condition.
That's all they will say about it at this time although they're certainly thankful for all the people that are writing messages to their website to talk about it. The Florida highway patrol is investigating this accident. So far they issued a report that says alcohol was not involved, not involved.
However, when they went to interview Mr. Woods later on in the day Friday night, last night, his wife turned them away, saying that he was sleeping so they've arranged to come back this afternoon. But as we know, Tiger Woods is a golf champion that does a lot of charity work and guards his privacy jealously and that of his family, as well. So it is not clear whether we will learn any more information about this from him or from the police.
Brianna, back to you.
KEILAR: Yes, Susan, he is very press shy, and the representative for the Woods family issued a brief statement really just talking about his condition. I mean, it was very short. A lot of unanswered questions about the circumstances, obviously, of this accident. Do we know when we might see him next?
CANDIOTTI: We don't, although he has a golf tournament scheduled. One of his own charity events for one of his foundations. That is taking place in California starting on Monday. So, of course, we're wondering whether he will still be attending that, whether he's well enough to do so, and of course at this point we'll have to wait and see.
KEILAR: Yes. We'll certainly be looking for that. Susan Candiotti outside of Orlando, thanks for that.
HOLMES: We're going inside the health care debate. The senate gets started next week, facing some serious stumbling blocks like the controversial public option.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Let's get to Reynolds Wolf now, arguably the most important person on CNN this weekend.
HOLMES: Clearly the most important.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What?
HOLMES: Day in and day out.
WOLF: What are you talking about? You guys are weirdos. On a day like today, weather is certainly a big story, no question about it. I'll tell you one of the big issues we're having is in parts of the northeast where the wind is just roaring.
We do have some precipitation in the forecast so, most of that is limited to places like Maine, just outside Boston where we have an area of low pressure and we got some scattered showers there. But we've got this low set up right here and if you're a weather geek like me you're going to know that wind spins around an area of low pressure in a counterclockwise fashion. So, what is happening with that low, you've got winds coming into the north and the northwest; it's going to be strong at times, anywhere from 20 to 30 miles per hour. And when you have that, well, you're going to have some breezy pictures to show. Well, we don't have -- of course you can't see the wind but you can see the camera here in New York and you see the shot of the Statue of Liberty being buffeted by those wind gusts. They could get pretty strong into the afternoon.
And let me tell you, that's one of the things that could cause some delays. Take a look at this. We've got New York and Boston, there's the culprit, there's the issue, the wind we'll going to be dealing with could see an hour to maybe 30 minutes of a delay. Not quite as bad in Seattle and Portland. Low clouds and rain. And then when you get to Phoenix, we have a chance of thunderstorms into the afternoon hours. Those thunder boomers could cause a wait at Sky Harbor Airport.
Meanwhile, it is not just the wind, it's not just the chance of thunderstorms you're seeing around the nation, we're also some snowfall, especially into the central and southern Rockies, places like the mountains in New Mexico, in Taos, some snowfall, but then when you get back over Sierra Nevada, all that moisture will coming in, and it's going to interact with cold air aloft and that means snowfall for people up in Lake Tahoe, maybe even George, Truckee.
So, get ready for that. If you have any travel plans that will take you on the freeway going from Sacramento back up through the mountains near Donner Pass, you could have some issues. California highway patrol is going to be up there to help you steer clear. So, just be advised on that. Temperature wise, easy doings along parts of the Southeast and the Eastern seaboard, it looks beautiful, 40s and 50s for many people, 60 and 80 degrees and 71 in Dallas. Salt Lake City, 45 degrees, and 64 in San Francisco.
All right. There you go. I'm feeling pretty important. Let's send it back to you guys for some important stuff, too.
KEILAR: You are important, Reynolds.
HOLMES: You are.
WOLF: Building up that ego.
KEILAR: And apparently we're just weirdos, right?
HOLMES: Yes, but you're good weirdos and I love you both. Little terms of endearment.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: See you soon buddy.
Well, next week it's the senate's turn to debate health care reform.
KEILAR: And CNN's Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser is in Washington to talk about what we can expect.
And Paul, the first question for you is about the public option, this government-run insurance plan, the Democratic leaders say would compete with private insurers. What do Americans, regular Americans think about the public option?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN'S DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I just want to know if Reynolds is the most important person. Do I make the top ten, at least?
KEILAR: You're like top three.
STEINHAUSER: That's way too kind.
HOLMES: Oh, wow. You are so sweet to him.
STEINHAUSER: All right. I pay her good money, T.J. But the public option. This could be one of the stumbling blocks. And I'm glad that you mention, yes it's a government plan that would compete with private health insurance. Most Democrats but not all favor it, and Republicans are debt set against it. So, what do Americans think?
Take a look at this, our CNN research corporation. It's a national survey. And the way we phrase it, public plan, compete with private insurance. A majority -- our poll indicates favor the plan 56 percent, 42 percent oppose it. But T.J. and Brianne what's interesting is when you -- we asked also about the senate plan. The senate plan has a public option which would allow states to opt out. Well, approval for that definitely plummets.
HOLMES: All right. So -- but we talk about these plans, we've got one in the house, of course, we've got another one they agreed to debate this next one. So, what's in the one they'll be talking about? I guess, what are some of the highlights of it that will be a big debating points.
STEINHAUSER: Let's take a look. We've got some graphics we can use to break it down. One thing off the bat is the cost. Senate bill, $848 billion over ten years. That sounds like a lot of money, do you know what it's less than the house bill which is over trillion dollars. What about those that would be insured if this becomes law? Thirty one million now uninsured. It would cover 31 million. Twenty four million would stay uninsured and that's a little, you know, this bill costs less than the house bill, it would insure less people.
What about this individual mandate which would, you know, basically tell people you have to get insurance or pay a fine? The house bill has it, the senate bill has it, as well. It would also be a mandate for businesses with 50 people or more, 50 employees or more to offer coverage and if they didn't, they would pay a fine. That's the senate bill. The house bill has a little stricter employee mandate, T.J.
And one thing for sure though, this senate debate will going to probably go right up until Christmas and maybe even New Year's, which means Brianna covers Capitol Hill for us T.J. is probably going to be working the holidays. That is my prediction.
KEILAR: I would not be surprised, Paul. It could be a busy time for all of us in Washington no doubt. Paul Steinhauser, our Deputy Political Director from Washington, thanks so much for that Paul.
HOLMES: Thanks so much Paul.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks, guys.
KEILAR: Moving around Iraq could be a challenging 24/7, 365 job for the soldiers at Camp Victory trying to keep their fellow troops equipped with all the essentials.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Our top stories now. A cargo plane crashes shortly after takeoff this morning in Shanghai killing at least three crew members. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing confirms the three were Americans. We're also told there are four survivors, one identified as an American. They're all being treated at a hospital.
KEILAR: Police in South Florida are on the lookout for this guy right there. He's accused of fatally gunning down four of his own relatives after Thanksgiving dinner. Among the dead, his pregnant sister, her twin, a 6-year-old cousin, and a 79-year-old aunt.
HOLMES: Iran's illicit nuclear program drawing more rebuke and renewed threats of economic sanctions. The U.N. is demanding Iran stop building its recently revealed underground facility near Qom.
Meanwhile, the associated press quotes an Iranian lawmaker is saying, "His nation's parliament can consider withdrawing from the nuclear nonproliferation pact." Another check of your top stories in 20 minutes.
KEILAR: There are about 115,000 troops still in Iraq, and they celebrated Thanksgiving with truckloads of turkeys, 465,000 pounds of turkey, to be exact.
HOLMES: And also 61,000 pounds of stuffing, nearly 9,000 cans of cranberry sauce and, as our Mohammed Jamjoon reports, all that food and all the other equipment need in Iraq funnels through one very busy base.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMED JAMJOON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Packing up and moving out. This is one of the U.S. Military's most challenging missions in Iraq because the drawdown isn't just for troops. Most of the equipment's got to go, too.
COL. C.J. READ, U.S. ARMY: It's like any household. You know, if you stay there long enough you're going to accumulate all kinds of things thinking that maybe the next unit might need it. And of course the last one out the door is stuck with what's here. JAMJOON: From humvees to generators, the U.S. Military's 17,000 logistical soldiers in Iraq handle anything and everything. But they don't just deal with the hardware moving out. They also distribute the supplies coming in.
BRIG. GEN. PAUL WENTZ, U.S. ARMY: They do, you know, the water production, distribution, fuel, ammunition, parts, and move it around throughout Iraq. About 4,000 trucks a day are moving around, pushing things to the soldiers here in Iraq.
JAMJOON: At camp victory, it all starts here, at the central receiving and shipping point yard.
IST LT. ELIZABETH CAL, U.S. ARMY: Pretty much anything with the motor will come through here, including generators, light sets. You name it, we get it. We run 24-hour ops, 365 so on Christmas day, New Year's Eve, we're here.
JAMJOON: The wheels roll mostly at night because it's tougher for insurgents to carry out attacks then. It's a colossal operation. On an average night more than 120 convoys move throughout the country. Many of these vehicles will leave Iraq within days, bound for Afghanistan.
(on camera) This is the SSA or Supply Support Activities yard. This is where all the materials come that need to be distributed to the remainder of the troops that are still in Iraq. Now, we visited other yards today that included pieces of the military equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Here are the items are more mundane, everyday things like critter cartridges or water coolers.
(voice-over) U.S. Forces have been here from more than six years and moving this amount of equipment makes it the largest effort of its kind since the Vietnam War. It's a daunting job, but General Wentz (ph) feels they've mastered all the moving parts.
GENERAL WENTZ: This process has been going on for a while. We've refined them. We've been deploying and redeploying forces through at about six years.
JAMJOON: And his soldiers, they know their job is crucial. And it's what keeps them going.
CAL: Awesome. When they get excited on the phone and they hear it's coming to them, that's good stuff.
JAMJOON: A few bright moments in an otherwise routine but sometimes dangerous operation.
Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, the White House has arguably the best security in the world. Arguably? So how in the world did two party crashers manage to walk right in and meet the president? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A couple of reality shows hopefuls are dodging the cameras this weekend, but the fallout over their crashing of a White House Dinner Party and meeting the president and vice president is mounting.
HOLMES: Secret Service admitting they dropped the ball on this one now. But the couple could be facing some criminal charges. Our Tom Foreman looks at how they got to the party in the first place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The stunning image of the Salahis meeting President Obama after slipping into the White House State Dinner only reinforces the seriousness of the questions surrounding them. The Secret Service Director now admits, "They should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely. That failing is ours."
ANNOUNCER: Mr. and Mrs. Salahi.
FOREMAN: How the couple made it so far is under investigation. And more clues are emerging about the run-up. At a D.C. Hair Salon, witnesses say Michaela Salahi showed up for a last-minute appointment excited about her invitation.
PEGGY EDAKIM, ERWIN GOMEZ SALON AND SPA: I asked her, do you have it with you? And she said yes. She tried looking for it and didn't find the invitation. So I never saw it. She didn't have it. She thought it was in the car or something.
FOREMAN: The Cable Network Bravo says the D.C. socialites were being considered for a new Reality Show and a TV crew was following them. NBC anchor man Brian Williams, another guest at the dinner, says he saw their car turned away by security but then the Salahis hopped out with the cameraman and makeup person and walked to the entrance.
(on camera): And keeping them honest, the real question is what happened there? This is where witnesses say guests were checked off of a list, they were checked out by the Secret Service, and walked through metal detectors. Then it was on up here to the east entrance. This is apparently where Michaela posed for that photograph with the marines that she later posted on facebook, and then on inside down in this hall into the White House proper and to the introduction point where that video was shot that we've seen so very much of.
Sometime around this point all indications are with the White House staff and security people all around the couple joined the line going up to the blue room to actually meet the president. And then, after that is when they would have gone back outside here to meet many other White House dignitaries, including Vice President Joe Biden.
(voice-over) Secret Service agents visited the Salahi's winery South of Washington telling the staff, according to a manager, quote, "If they do not sit down with us and talk we will take whatever action is necessary. Faced with possible criminal charges, the Salahis' are not talking publicly, although their publicist insists they did not crash the party and are eager to explain the events around this extraordinary and for the white unwelcome picture.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, the legal guys are going to be taking up the case with Fredricka in the noon hour. We've been asking the question this morning as well.
KEILAR: Yes and we've been asking a lot of people about what you think about this uninvited couple who got into the president's state dinner. And what are they saying?
HOLMES: We've got a few here. Let's start with some of the comments we've been getting on Twitter. Let's go with the person right at the top saying, "No, I don't think the couple should be punished. I think the Secret Service should be punished." Another says "Only if you believe it is criminal to be cunning. I'm appalled at the ineptitude of the Secret Service. This is dangerous."
Person under that disagreeing saying, "The audacity. Yes, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." One more saying, "Reality show auditions. What will people think of next? First balloon boy, now crashing the White House."
I want to turn to Facebook and read one here from Karl saying, "No, they did the nation an invaluable service by pointing out the weaknesses of the agency that is charged with protecting the president and clearly neither intended nor caused any harm in doing so. That kind of makes an interesting point there."
KEILAR: That is an interesting point.
HOLMES: Did a service to the country they think, maybe. Some disagree.
KEILAR: But they may still get in trouble. I would not be surprised.
HOLMES: Yes, this is our topic, we appreciate, continue, keep the debate going. A lot of people have been commenting this morning. You know where to find us now. We have our e-mail up there, but you can also find us Facebook, also Twitter. I think it's TJ Holmes CNN, maybe that's it, possibly.
KEILAR: Just look for T.J. Holmes, you will definitely find it.
Now there are a lot of questions surrounding as well Tiger Woods' late-night car accident right outside of his Florida home. We do know that police want to talk to Woods today. The Florida Highway Patrol leading this investigation. HOLMES: The initial police report says alcohol was not a factor in the accident. Woods apparently hit a fire hydrant and a tree at about 2:25 a.m. Friday morning. He suffered some cuts on his face. His publicist however says the golfer is in good condition. As we know, Tiger Woods, one of the most recognizable figures in sports, one of the most recognized figures, period, around the world.
KEILAR: And as CNN's Joe Johns reports, he not only has fans lined up to get a look, he also has big business knocking on his door.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether you like professional golf or not, in some ways, we're all at least followers of the career of Tiger Woods. We watch him, some obsessively, not only because of his continued world dominance of his sport, but because he is probably the best known athlete from any sport in the world.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: This is Tiger Woods. Everything he does is upheld the utmost scrutiny worldwide. He is a golfing icon. But he transcends the sport. There's no doubt about it.
JOHNS: Though he is still a few wins away from the consensus claim of greatest pro golfer ever...
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he sneaks it in, Tiger Woods.
JOHNS: ... he is currently the highest paid, $110 million in winnings last year, an unprecedented $1 billion in his career, including endorsements, appearances, business relationships with companies like Nike.
He gets an estimated $20 million a year just from Nike for adding his brand to their line of golf equipment. He got $10 million apiece for three golf courses he's helped develop in Dubai, North Carolina, and Mexico. He's also attached his name to Gatorade, and Gillette, American Express, because they want to be associated with what he's best known for.
SNELL: Wins everything. He keeps winning. He's a winning machine. And he settles for nothing but the best.
JOHNS: He has single-handedly re-branded and expanded the game, bringing in countless fans who probably would never have picked up a golf club if they hadn't seen Tiger do what he does. His personal story is compelling. He married a Swedish model. They have two beautiful children. He's a mixed-race kid, son of a mother from Thailand, his late father an elite American Green Beret soldier, said to have nicknamed Tiger after a man who saved his life in Vietnam.
And beyond all this, there is the charity, the giving-back that makes him so popular. The Chevron World Challenge golf tournament in Thousand Oaks, California, just days away, is a benefit for his Tiger Woods Foundation and other charities.
Attention will be paid to Tiger's appearance or non-appearance at that event, which just goes to show how watching Tiger and what he does on and off the golf course is now an international pastime.
Joe Johns, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: From the cyber highway to America's roads. Why eBay may be driving to a town near you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Losing weight for a good cause and not just to better your own health.
HOLMES: The program is called Lose for Good. It comes from Weight Watchers and it challenges participants to donate a pound of food for each pound of flab they lose.
Here now, CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rosemary Barresi never considered herself obese.
ROSEMARY BARRESI, LOSE FOR GOOD LEAD VOLUNTEER: I always battle weight but not -- I never thought it was a significant amount of weight. Maybe, five, ten.
GUPTA: But when a neighbor mistakenly called her pregnant, she immediately decided to join Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member. Now 12 years later, 31 pounds lighter and Weight Watchers meeting leader herself, Rosemary and the entire weight watcher family are starting to give back in a meaningful but somewhat ironic way.
BARRESI: We ask our members, if you have lost a pound, you bring in a pound of food to symbolize that weight loss. And what we do in turn is turn it over to city harvest which in turn donates to the ten or 12 groups in our local area.
GUPTA: The Lose for Good campaign as it is being called is now in the second year and delivering some remarkable results.
DAVID KIRCHHOFF, CEO, WEIGHT WATCHERS: This year in seven weeks members have lost over 400 million pounds of weight. They've contributed over two million pounds of food.
GUPTA: It's an astounding amount of food but for Rosemary it is just simply makes sense.
BARRESI: We have opposite ends of the same rainbow. We're be dealing with obesity and these people are dealing with oh my, how will I going to pull a meal together with what I have in the cabinets. GUPTA: And for the organizations receiving the food, it's a very welcome helping hand in a difficult economy.
JILLY STEPHENS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CITY HARVEST: We can pick it up in the morning and it will be on someone's table this evening so really that's an immediate result and we can't ask for anything better during this time.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Checking your top stories at this hour, the U.S. Embassy says a fiery plane crash in China has killed three Americans. They were among a seven-member crew that was on board the cargo plane that crashed. It was taking off from Shanghai's Pudong International Airport when it caught fire.
HOLMES: Police in Florida are searching for a man who allegedly opened fire on his family after Thanksgiving dinner. Police say he killed his pregnant sister, her twin, also a 6-year-old cousin, and an elderly aunt at a home in Jupiter. The investigators say there had been ongoing resentment in that family.
Turns out the Virginia couple who attended a White House state dinner without an invitation got pretty close to the president. You can see this picture right here. Michaele Salahi, she actually shook the president's hand. Meantime, the Secret Service now says the security breach is their fault.
HOLMES: All right. Not the busiest travel day today. Busier tomorrow and I think Monday as well. But Reynolds Wolf keeping an eye on your travel weather. Reynolds, how is it looking over there, my man?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well the online auction house eBay is actually hitting the highway now.
KEILAR: And our resident budget-minded elf, Josh Levs, telling us why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, as we look at how retailers are competing in this season, eBay is doing something brand new. They have this mobile boutique and Karen Bard, the pop culture expert is here to tell us about it. Thanks, Karen.
KAREN BARD, EBAY MOBILE BOUTIQUE: Good morning. How are you?
LEVS: Good morning to you. All right, what are we looking at here?
BARD: We are looking at the eBay mobile boutique, it is a virtual eBay marketplace. Step inside and get over 200 million gift ideas for the holidays. So it's rolling into your town, get inspired for holidays and shop online.
LEVS: All right, so this is traveling to major cities across the country.
BARD: Major cities across the country, popping up everywhere, really highlighting the eBay marketplace and the entrepreneurs and the people that make the marketplace run.
LEVS: All right and the idea behind what you're doing is that you need to compete, right? You have all these different stores out there that are selling.
BARD: Absolutely.
LEVS: You want people to remember, if you buy something from eBay, you can bargain for a price and then eBay gets a chunk of that.
BARD: Well, absolutely. But the greatest thing is that we're highlighting the great merchandise available on eBay, the selection and of course the value. Everyone needs a deal this holiday season and eBay has them for you and plus, the hottest products.
LEVS: All right, now let's take a look at some of those deals.
BARD: Absolutely.
LEVS: This is one of the most popular things, right?
BARD: One of the most popular things, the Zhu Zhu pet. For the parent who does not want to get your kid a pet hamster, this is the perfect --
LEVS: This is what everyone wants.
BARD: These are little electronic, robotic hamsters that come with environments, they scoot around on the floor. These are the hottest things.
LEVS: Does it do something?
BARD: It does. When you put it on the floor it can go, it does all kinds of things. But these are sold out in stores. The only place you are going to be able to find these available is on eBay. We have over 20,000 of them listed on eBay right now, sold out in stores, limits in the story, not eBay.
LEVS: All right, we know one reason a lot of people turn to eBay is for electronics.
BARD: Absolutely.
LEVS: They hope to get better deals, also they hope to get things they can't get in stores anymore. BARD: Absolutely. But the greatest thing about eBay, iPhones, iPods, whether you want last season's or this season's, we have them available on the site. E-readers are huge this year as well. And of course, iPods, little shuffles, cameras to record your holiday season. And I love this great little TV, it's perfect for a kids' room or a kitchen, it's a great little size and a great value.
LEVS: All right, well let's climb onboard the eBay mobile boutique. We're going to check it out, let's go.
BARD: Five computer kiosks inside, screens showing the hottest gifts and of course the hottest gifts all laid out in front of you.
LEVS: We are going to emphasize, these aren't being for sale here. The way it works on eBay is you buy from someone else via the Internet, but these are here to suggest items you might want to look for on eBay.
BARD: Right, this is to inspire people.
LEVS: Inspire.
BARD: And we have shopping experts on hand at the mobile boutique to help you shop, get the correct search term so you can buy it right now, get it shipped to your house.
LEVS: So we're seeing a lot here, a lot of computer screens. There's a lot to this unit. How much did eBay pay to make this happen?
BARD: You know, we don't detail our marketing commitment. However, this is just a great program. We really want to get consumers in here. We want people to experience eBay and we want to highlight the sellers that make our marketplace run. And these are all the things that our sellers have to offer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Long lines, full shopping carts, bargain hunters looking for great deals.
HOLMES: But were Black Friday sales enough to give retailers the boost they need? Well, they're waiting to see the final figures from yesterday even as shoppers crowd back into the stores today. But early reports indicate bigger crowds from last year.
KEILAR: Budget-conscious shoppers are seeing some of the lowest prices of the season on electronics, appliances, clothes, toys as retailers extend their post-Thanksgiving sales.
And a new retail trend in Brooklyn, chain stores but they're not clones. Rather, they complement one another. Here's CNN's Jason Carroll to explain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've dominated American consumer culture. Wal-Mart, Target, Costco. Mega chain stores. But in one Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood, a phenomenon is taking hold, the local chains, small businesses linked by a common theme and unlike their big chain rivals, these little upstarts are located practically right next to each other.
PATRICK WATSON, LOCAL CHAIN OWNER: We're not cloning one thing and putting it somewhere else. We're trying to target a neighborhood that we know and love incredibly well and fill the gaps in. We did have to move about a block.
CARROLL: Patrick Watson and his wife, Michelle Pravda, first opened Smith and Vine, a wine shop. Then came their cheese stores, "Stinky Brooklyn," across the street.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is probably definitely the consistency of the cheese.
CARROLL: Finally, opening their bar "Jaywalk" about a block away, doing it just four months after Wall Street crashed.
(on camera): Any nervousness at all given the economy knowing what you guys are doing?
MICHELLE PRAVDA, LOCAL CHAIN OWNER: You know, I just think we were kind of young and let's just do it.
CARROLL (voice-over): The local chain concept is simple -- identify your customer, cater to their tastes and once successful, expand within a neighborhood where you've already established a following. The couple knew their Brooklyn neighborhood was gentrifying and opened businesses to reflect a hipper crowd.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can really trust the product if I go here. It's knowledgeable people. It's not everyday crowd.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, definitely, I go get my cheese over there and I come back here to get the wine. And then I'll have a little drink at the bar.
CARROLL (voice-over): Loretta Gendville gets the appeal. She owns seven stores, also in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, under the generic name "Area," ranging from a boutique spa to a toy store.
LORETTA GENDVILLE, LOCAL CHAIN OWNER: We have kind of a history with customers. We get to know our customers and they get to know us.
CARROLL: Experts say more local chains could be on the way.
RAY KEATING, SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNCIL: Entrepreneurs are innovators and once this word gets out that this is going on in certain areas, I think you'll have more entrepreneurs considering it, absolutely.
CARROLL: Patrick and Michelle say they've been rewarded not only with profits but something else they value, loyalty.
WATSON: You can never expect someone to care about your business as much as you do, but I find that that's sort of a contradiction around here.
CARROLL: Patrick and Michelle's businesses are doing well. Their bar "Jaywalk" only had one month in the red. Their cheese and wine store have never had a down month despite stiff competition from Trader Joe's, which is just a few blocks away. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: This is my song. I like it.
HOLMES: We'll keep it going here while we talk about the Christmas tree and show the picture now of the big Douglas fir as the official White House Christmas tree. It has arrived. You see in this picture here. Can't just load that up on top of the car. You need a trailer for this sucker. It's 18.5 feet fall, 12 feet wide, comes from a farm in West Virginia and they will keep with the tradition of being displayed in the blue room at the White House.
KEILAR: And, of course, NEWSROOM will continue at the top of the hour with Fredricka Whitfield.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello.
KEILAR: Hello there.
WHITFIELD: Good to see you both.
HOLMES: Hello.
WHITFIELD: All right, well we're going to stay with the theme of the White House. We're going to take a little different turn. It's not going to be so festive because those party crashers, well they may have had a little fun and there's new evidence to show, yeah, just how close they got to the president there.
HOLMES: It's amazing.
WHITFIELD: To the dismay of the White House and the social office. We will be talking with our legal guys, Avery and Richard, who are going to fill us in on how this fun may come to an end with some charges that this couple actually could face for trespassing in part and for I guess misrepresenting themselves.
HOLMES: What time are they coming up? I want to catch they're take on this.
WHITFIELD: Noontime. Do I need to tell you specifically what minute because we want you to hang out.
HOLMES: We'll watch the whole hour to see it.
WHITFIELD: And hang out with us until they arrive. You have to start with us at noon. You have to invest in the program.
HOLMES: All right, I will invest.
WHITFIELD: To get the payoff.
KEILAR: It's so unprecedented. So it's really interesting to hear what they're going to say.
WHITFIELD: Isn't it remarkable? I know. And we're also going to stay in line with the White House where the president is very busy, talking about Afghanistan and, yes, there's a lot of talk about those party crashers, and, too, the president is very committed to jobs. So he's going to have a jobs forum coming up in December. We're going to give you an idea how you get a ticket to that to maybe get a job. Thanks to the president of the United States, if it all works out as planned.
HOLMES: If it all works out. We hope, right?
WHITFIELD: All that noon eastern time and beyond. So start at noon and just hang with us all day until at least 5:00.
HOLMES: All right, you're asking an awful lot.
WHITFIELD: I know.
KEILAR: I'll be watching for Richard and Avery in particular.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HOLMES: All right, we'll see you in a minute. Thank you.
KEILAR: Oil rich Dubai's once deep pockets now look empty. How it changed from a desert dream factory to debt-ridden financial mess and what it could mean for U.S. markets.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Many people think of it as the epitome of lavish and luxurious lifestyles, but Dubai and the United Arab Emirates is dealing with a financial crisis.
HOLMES: Yes, and that is making global investors a bit gun shy if you could imagine, and even banks in the U.S. could feel the impact. Our Morgan Neill looks at Dubai's debt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MORGAN NEILL, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The party to open Dubai's Atlantis Hotel just over a year ago now seems like a mirage. At an estimated cost of $20 million it boasted a guest list of the world's rich and famous. Just two months after the Lehman shock, the dazzling extravagance seemed to say Dubai is immune, but it never was.
Dubai World, which owns Nakheel, the developer of the manmade tree-shaped Palm Jumeirah Island, has now requested a suspension of debt payments. The move threatens to undermine confidence in a recent property recovery, and celebrities who bought homes there may find their property is suddenly worth a lot less. Author Jim Krane says that while established developments should be fine, Dubai's other artificial island projects, The World and Palm Derna (ph), could be in trouble.
JIM KRANE, AUTHOR, "DUBAI CITY OF GOLD": It will take a special kind of investor and probably you know more robust economy for anybody to really build on one of those places. I mean there is a lot more practical places to build than on one of these little islands in the world, so that could be a white elephant for a long time.
NEILL: One of the firms, which has bought into the World has confidence in Dubai's long-term story.
GILES BESWICK, SELECT PROPERTY: I would disagree that it would be a white elephant. I think it will be part of the continuing development of Dubai as a city, and a tourism center, and an investment center for many years to come.
NEILL: But in the short term, DubaiWorld announcement has brought uncertainty and the prospect of a fire sale of assets to raise cash.
(on camera): But just how far could the fallout spread? At this point analysts simply don't know how the news from DubaiWorld will affect the rest of the Dubai portfolio, which includes among other things Madam Tussaud's, a stake in the London Stock Exchange and the London Eye.
(voice-over): Whatever the fate of investments abroad, hopes that Dubai's inflated portfolio of luxury property was beginning to recover have been dashed.
Morgan Neill, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right, well it is that time to hand this thing over to Fredricka Whitfield. But first, thank you for being here filling in for Betty. You are going to be with us tomorrow as well.
KEILAR: It's been a pleasure.
HOLMES: We didn't run you away.
WHITFIELD: Please come back.
KEILAR: I will.
HOLMES: Because they have done that before. We've run off some people. All right, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: All right, you all have a great post-Thanksgiving Saturday. We'll see you again tomorrow. Appreciate that. Remember, T.J. talked about that investment. Well the investment begins right now. Let's talk about that Virginia couple that had so many people's attention. Yes, they got past that security at the White House dinner and yes, they actually met the president. Right there, you see that image, and now the Secret Service is admitting fault saying it is embarrassed by the breach.
CNN's Kate Bolduan is at the White House with the latest on this very bizarre story. So Kate, what is the White House saying about this now image?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fredricka. Well, the Secret Service has insisted that the president was never in any danger in this situation, that Tareq and Michale Salahi, like all other guests, had to go through several levels of security to get into the event although they are allegedly uninvited guests to this very high-profile state dinner. But in a statement released Friday, the director of the Secret Service, Mark Sullivan, said that the agency is deeply concerned and embarrassed.
