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CNN Saturday Morning News
Police To Talk to Woods About Crash; CNN Honors its 'Heroes of the Year'; White House Party Crashers Get Visited By the Secret Service
Aired November 28, 2009 - 06:00 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, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for November the 28th. Hello to you all. I'm T.J.
And this is Brianna. Look who we got here.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, very good to be with you. I am in today for Betty, who is off this morning. Thanks, of course, for starting your day with us.
And we're following developments, new details...
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: ...on the Tiger Woods car accident. You may recall, he hit a fire hydrant as well as a tree yesterday very early in the morning. He's going to be talking to investigators today, and we're going to have more coming up on that.
HOLMES: Strange story. A lot of questions. But it's the -- the car accident heard round the world...
KEILAR: Yes.
HOLMES: ...for a lot of folks right now.
Also, a lot of you spent the day yesterday out at the malls. It was the big Black Friday. We're expecting some numbers today. You might have noticed how big the crowds are. Might have your own estimation of just how -- how well the stores did on Black Friday. But we do have some numbers that are going to be coming out, and we'll be able to know and tell you exactly how many shoppers were out there, where they were shopping and how much they spent.
But first, want to get -- the check of some of our top stories this morning that we'll be keeping an eye on.
Up first, Washington pointing a stern finger at Iran this morning, ready to push for significantly stronger economic sanctions on Tehran. This comes in the wake of an International Atomic Energy Commission resolution that demands Iran stop building a nuclear facility at Qom and stop uranium enrichment.
KEILAR: Now take a look at these pictures. It may be hard to make out, but it's actually a mangled train that is lying there on its side. At least 25 people were killed, about 100 injured, when several cars of a Russian express train derailed. This happened somewhere between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Investigators will be on scene today and they are look into the possibility that the accident may be terror related or a technical fault on the track.
HOLMES: All right. We've been talking about that couple for the last few days, the couple accused of crashing that White House state dinner. Take a look at that picture. They actually met the president. We are getting a look at more of the pictures of them from Tuesday night. And now the Secret Service admits it messed up by letting the couple in in the first place.
The pair now could be facing some criminal charges. And this is our topic this morning, on Twitter, on Facebook. You know how to reach us. But what do you think? Do you think the couple needs to be charged? They went in; they wanted to have a good time. They crashed the party. A lot of you out there would probably jump at the opportunity to crash that party if you knew you'd get to meet the president.
But what do you think? Send us your comments. We'll be reading some of those later this morning.
KEILAR: Really good question there.
HOLMES: Mmm.
KEILAR: And a lot of answers we're going to get.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: Now in that bizarre car accident involving pro golfer Tiger Woods, we're told that he's doing fine after suffering some minor injuries. Investigators are planning to speak with him today to find out what happened.
HOLMES: Now, our Gary Tuchman has been searching for some of these answers. He filed this report from Windermere, Florida. That's just outside the estate where Tiger Woods lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: ...Woods, the most famous golfer in the world, one of the most famous people in the world. One car accident -- here's what we know about it: Happened here in Windermere, Florida, a small community north of Orlando. He hit a fire hydrant. He hit a tree. He was semiconscious or unconscious for a number of minutes. His wife used a golf club to bash in the back window to rescue him.
So those are the things we do know. But there's an awful lot we don't know. And we interviewed the chief of police here in Windermere, Florida, to get his take on what happened.
DANIEL SAYLOR, WINDERMERE, FLORIDA, POLICE CHIEF: He was on the ground, semi-unconscious, and had lacerations to his upper and lower lip. So our first response was to render first aid to him.
TUCHMAN: We certainly don't know what happened here. The hospital says it was a minor injury. The injuries were just seen on his mouth.
I mean, why do you think he was semiconscious or unconscious?
SAYLOR: You know, I don't know. The -- the officers that were there say he was semi-unconscious, in and out of it for several minutes. He did have blood coming out of his mouth. But the officers also said it did not look life-threatening, his injuries.
TUCHMAN: The car was drivable. So why did his wife have to bash it in with a golf club, the back window?
SAYLOR: From our understanding, she explained to my officers that the doors were locked and she could not gain entry. So she used a gold club to smash the window out to gain entry to unlock the door.
TUCHMAN: Did she have a golf club with her at the time?
SAYLOR: I don't know where the golf club came from.
TUCHMAN: I mean, she -- if she went back to get it, she could have gotten the keys and opened the door maybe.
SAYLOR: It sounds like that's probably what you would do.
TUCHMAN: I mean, does this sound -- I certainly don't want to put words in your mouth, but does this sound a little unusual and suspicious, this case?
SAYLOR: It sounds unusual. But like I said, we're not the investigating agency. So, you know, we were first-responders under mutual aid to help him out. And we didn't know it was Tiger Woods. We just knew that there was a male down.
TUCHMAN: There's certainly still a lot more investigating to do. In charge of the investigation now is the Florida Highway Patrol because this happened in an unincorporated part of Orange County, Florida, not actually within the town limits of Windermere.
There's also a 911 call that's not being released right now by the police.
Tiger Woods is scheduled to play next week in the Chevron World Challenge Golf Tournament. That's in Thousand Oaks, California. He's won it four times before. It's an important tournament because proceeds go to his foundation. But it's not clear if he'll be able to play.
This is Gary Tuchman, CNN, in Windermere, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Like we said, a lot of questions. Our Gary Tuchman was after them, but we will see if he shows up next week at that tournament.
KEILAR: Very curious.
HOLMES: All right.
Well, let's turn to another curious situation that we were keeping an eye on. That Northwest Airlines flight, that one that overshot its destination by 150 miles last month. Well, the FAA has now released recordings of air-traffic controllers talking to the cockpit.
KEILAR: Yes, the pilots, they missed landing in Minneapolis. They were out of radio contact for more than an hour.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Minneapolis, Northwest 188.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Minneapolis Center, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roger. We got distracted and we have overflown Minneapolis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Northwest Flight 188, do you have time to give a brief explanation on what happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just cockpit distractions. That's all I can say.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KEILAR: Cockpit distractions. What does that mean exactly? Well, that's what they say.
So the FAA -- you know, they revoked the licenses of the two pilots. The pilots appealing at this moment.
HOLMES: A lot of questions we have for you this morning.
KEILAR: Yes.
HOLMES: It's an odd story.
KEILAR: Oh, a very odd story. Yes, a lot of questions.
And, of course, a lot of people are trying to get home this weekend. And they have the question of will they run into delays.
Our Reynolds Wolf keeping an eye on the travel conditions.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Renny. We will see you shortly.
Also shortly, you're going to be hearing from the CNN Hero of the Year. There he is. We got a chance to talk to him. You'll hear from him shortly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, BRENDA LEE, "ROCKIN AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE")
HOLMES: It's -- it's Christmastime already.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Is it really?
HOLMES: Yes, as soon as the turkey's done, it's time to go Christmas shopping for the gifts and the whole thing and to pull out the music and here we go.
WOLF: Yes. It's good stuff.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: You know, for me, it's like -- it's like times there's -- there's -- to me, it's football season and not football season.
HOLMES: OK.
WOLF: And -- but it is Christmas season. You know, you had a lot of people putting out all kinds of great things, I guess.
HOLMES: Speaking of trees, is ...
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: ...this picture we're showing here, the big Christmas tree arrived at the White House, the official tree. It's a -- it's a big sucker, 18 and a half feet.
WOLF: Good gosh almighty.
HOLMES: Twelve feet wide. It's a Douglas fir. It's from West Virginia. Going to be displayed in the Blue Room.
You got your tree up yet?
WOLF: Not yet. And, you know, that is one heck of a tree. It's not something that you can just throw on top of the minivan and take home with you.
HOLMES: You can't.
WOLF: You know, it's -- it's some serious doings when you have that.
And, you know, it is that time of the year where not only at the White House, but people up and down in the neighborhoods, all across America, are going to be putting up those Christmas lights, which is a great thing.
HOLMES: It's a great thing.
WOLF: The problem is, there's people who still have those same lights up in March and April. Not really a smooth move.
HOLMES: Every once in awhile, I'm guilty of that.
WOLF: Let's go right now and show you your forecast for the day.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, we just had a new CNN Hero to be crowned for this year. But Josh here telling us it's already time to be talking about CNN Heroes for next year.
Good morning to you, sir.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm not trying to get so much of a jump on it. But it's true, the nominations are already out there. I'm going to show you how you begin those nominations. Also, how to help some of the most inspirational organizations in the world at the holidays.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, JOHN LEGEND, "IF YOU'RE OUT THERE")
KEILAR: CNN has announced its 2009 Here of the Year.
HOLMES: Yes, and his name is Efren Penaflorida. He started a school on wheels, essentially giving pushcart education to children living in slums in the Philippines. That's exactly where he was from and what we -- he went through growing up.
His organization has taught 1,700 children to read and write. He was awarded $100,000 to continue his work during our CNN all-star tribute that aired on Saturday.
I talked to him, and you'll be interested to know he was very excited about the evening. But you'll also be interested to hear what was probably the highlight for him.
He's our conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EFREN PENAFLORIDA, CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: We're now in the process of our expansion. We have one in Manila and in (INAUDIBLE) and Sibonga in the Philippines.
And in as far as -- as Kenya and in Indonesia, there are people there who are expressing their -- their interest of duplicating the -- the pushcart system, or the pushcart technology.
And -- and we're -- we're also planning to -- to build our dream, like having our -- our center for learning, where -- where kids can -- can go and -- and where we have a big place for -- for a play center, a place for -- rooms for -- for literacy classes, and -- and a parking space for the pushcarts. HOLMES: Well -- well, Efren, for your pushcart system, again, you're -- you're literally in a pushcart, taking the classroom to these kids...
PENAFLORIDA: Yes.
HOLMES: ...who need this education, some of these really, really poor kids.
Now, you were in that same situation as a child.
PENAFLORIDA: Yes.
HOLMES: What is it when you work with these kids over -- all these years, what was it in your that you don't see in them? I guess, what was it in you as a kid, and you were able to dedicate yourself and make sure that you made it?
I guess, what do you see that's missing from these kids that you're trying to give to them?
PENAFLORIDA: Because a lot of kids back there are -- are -- are -- are deprived, left out, they're not given the opportunity to have proper education. So they could not go to school simply because of -of poverty, that they don't have money to -- to support them.
So what we do with the pushcart tool is, is we -- we bring the school to them. So if they can go to -- to school, so we bring it to them.
HOLMES: Mmm.
Well, Efren, really, congratulations on the honor. And I guess it -- it was pretty cool being in that room with all those celebrities, wasn't it?
PENAFLORIDA: Yes, it was. It's so surreal. I -- I just -- I've seen them in -- on TV, and -- but -- but last night, it's really, really -- I cannot explain.
HOLMES: Who -- who was your favorite that you got to maybe meet last night, your favorite celebrity?
PENAFLORIDA: It's Eva Mendes.
HOLMES: Oh.
PENAFLORIDA: She's the one -- she's the one who -- who presented me.
HOLMES: Well, I'm -- I'm with you there. I agree with you. That would be pretty cool.
All right, Efren.
Efren Penaflorida, sir, thank you so much for the time, and congratulations on being the CNN Hero of the Year.
PENAFLORIDA: Thank you very much, T.J..
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: He said all of his work and his efforts were worth it just for that moment, to meet Eva Mendes up on stage.
KEILAR: That is so funny. Not surprising though. Not surprising.
HOLMES: Not at all.
KEILAR: She is a beautiful, beautiful woman.
And you can get involved in Efren Penaflorida's organization or any of the other groups that are run by the CNN Heroes. Pretty amazing.
HOLMES: Yes, Josh Levs here to show us how.
Good morning again, sir.
LEVS: Good morning again to you guys.
Yes, because we actually have some video here we can show you of the top 10 heroes from this year. And it was great to see all of them up there, each of them with really interesting, really inspirational stories. I love how it's our viewers out there who are helping us discover these people and the projects that they're up to.
Really inspirational to learn what they're doing, sometimes in very, very tough conditions.
And at the screen behind me, check this out, CNN.com/heroes. What we do is we take you to them, and you're actually able to see what a day in their lives are like.
Here's one example.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY MAKONI, PROTECTING THE POWERLESS: After my mother died from domestic violence, I told myself that no girl or a woman could suffer the same again.
(SINGING)
I started villages to provide a safe place for girls to heal from abuse. When a girl gets to the villages, she is provided with the emergency medication, re-enlistment (ph) in school as well as counseling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: That's Betty Makoni in Zimbabwe. You're seeing her there. She's a leader in the fight to protect girls from sexual abuse. Her organization there, Girl Child Network, has helped rescue tens of thousands.
And I want to show you all what you can do to help. It's really easy. When you got to CNN.com/heroes -- we'll come back to the screen here -- all you need to do is take a look at our top 10 heroes, click on any one of them, and it says "How to help." And it will bring you directly to the organization.
For example, here's hers: The Girl Child Network.
Let's take a look at another one of the top 10 heroes, Jorge Munoz, a bus driver who cooks meals for hungry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORGE MUNOZ, CNN HERO: In the beginning, it was eight guys. Two weeks later, it was like 24, 110, 120, sometimes 140.
But thanks God...
Right now I want to -- everyone to know that my sister Luz (ph) is in Queens. She stay home, and thanks to her, no one hungry tonight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: There you go. You can see that he's at the award ceremony there. He was saying that day -- you know, he literally does this every night of his life, literally. And so on the night that he was at the award ceremony, his sister stayed home and was doing -- that -- was running it. So no one would be hungry.
Let me show you all how you can nominate -- we'll go back to the screen behind me. There's a big nomination tab here.
And by the way, you can send us your information there, CNN.com/josh. Also, Facebook and Twitter.
But come back to the screen with me here. "Nominate." It's at the very top. All you got to do is click on "Nominate." It will take you over here, and you can submit any name of any person in the world who you think should be considered a hero for 2010.
So indeed, not too early for next year.
And in the meantime, you can see it all -- millions voted this year -- you can see all the heroes. Tonight, join Anderson Cooper for "CNN HEROES." It's the all-star tribute to those changing our world. That'll be on tonight and tomorrow night at 8 p.m. Eastern.
And Brianna, T.J., I always like watching this. It really is great. Because, you know, celebrities are nice, but what's -- what's interesting there is to see these great stories of individuals who in very tough conditions are really helping people.
KEILAR: And also that you can help out, because sometimes you want to help but you don't really know a lot about a program. And in this way... LEVS: That's right.
KEILAR: ...you can be really invested in it.
LEVS: You got it.
HOLMES: And you can see exactly what they're about.
All right. Josh, thank you. We'll see you again.
LEVS: You got it. Thanks a lot.
KEILAR: So, you know, there are big babies. And then there's big baby. He was born on Thanksgiving at a whopping 15 pounds. That's like a -- like a large Thanksgiving turkey, right?
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: And you can hear what his mom when she heard his weight.
HOLMES: She probably said, "ouch."
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A check now of some of our top stories.
Investigators plan to question Tiger Woods today about his car accident. The pro golfer suffered minor injuries after crashing early yesterday near his home in Windermere, Florida, which is a suburb of Orlando. Police say Woods hit a fire hydrant, then a tree. His wife says she used a golf club to bash in the rear car window so she could pull him out.
Police say the accident was not alcohol related and no other cars were involved.
HOLMES: Well, retailers adding up their receipts from Black Friday. We should get some sales figures later on today. But overall, experts think sales will be up this year. About 57 million shoppers were expected to hit the stores yesterday.
KEILAR: Police in Florida are on the lookout for a man they say shot and killed four members of his own family Thanksgiving night, including a 6-year-old girl. The shooting in Jupiter left the man's aunt and his two twin sisters dead. One of the sisters was actually pregnant.
Police say after the shooting, Paul Michael Merhige took off in a 2007 blue Toyota Camry.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, NO DOUBT, "HEY BABY")
KEILAR: Yes, "hey baby" is right...
HOLMES: A big baby.
KEILAR: ...on this one.
A Minnesota woman gave birth to a 15-pound, six-ounce baby boy, born by Caesarean ...
HOLMES: Of course.
KEILAR: ...thank goodness.
And if you can believe this, three weeks early. Isn't that crazy?
HOLMES: So he had some more cooking to be done in the oven.
KEILAR: Yes.
HOLMES: So could have been a 20-pound baby if it had stayed in there.
Let's listen to mom here first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WENDI DOLTON, NEWBORN WEIGHTS 15 LBS., 6 OZ.: They said "15-6," and I thought -- I didn't know if -- I was kind of groggy and I was on the painkillers. I don't know if it was 15-6, the time.
He goes, 'Weight.' And I said, 'Wait for what? What are we waiting for?' And he goes, 'No, the weight.'
And I said, you know -- I'm like, 'Get that curtain down.' I'm like, 'Are you kidding me?'
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: She must have thought that she was still under or something when she heard that.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: You know, she must have thought she was dreaming. But...
HOLMES: Look at that kid.
KEILAR: But yes, that's little Axel LaVerne.
HOLMES: Little guy.
KEILAR: He's expected to go home in a couple of days.
HOLMES: Fifteen pounds, folks, six ounces. More than twice the average birth weight in Minnesota, shy of the world record.
KEILAR: Uh. HOLMES: There is a world record out there for this.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: And that was a baby that was born in 1879, coming in at a whopping 23 pounds, 12 ounces. So it makes little Axel actually look little.
KEILAR: That's just wrong.
HOLMES: It is.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: All right. We're talking about little Axel this morning.
A lot of stuff, also -- and a lot of stuff that's on your mind this morning. And a story a lot of people are talking about, the two crashers to the party at the statehouse (sic), the state -- state dinner at the White House earlier this week. Two folks who allegedly crashed, weren't supposed to be there.
We asked if you think they should be punished. They could be facing some charges here.
Let's take a look. I've got -- got the screen up over there. A lot of you sending some comments already on Twitter. And so far, a lot of people are saying, yes, they should be punished.
One at the very top there saying, "To the fullest extent of the law. They chose one of the most elite events to make a mockery of our highest level of national security."
And the one right under that says, "Absolutely they should be punished. This is not a house party. This is the president of the United States. They were trespassing, period."
But go down a little further, and still there at the top now, it says, "The people that allowed it to happen should be punished. It lets me know POTUS and his family aren't as safe as we thought."
And then one more. It says, no, that they shouldn't be punished: "The careless folks working the door and those tasked with protecting our president should be dealt with for letting this slip by."
So actually coming in on both sides. Some people think -- you know what? They didn't do any harm. The people who let them in should be the ones really punished for this.
So please, keep those coming in. Keep that debate going. We appreciate it. You know where to find us on our blog, on Facebook and Twitter this morning.
KEILAR: But we will be surprised if people on either side are punished?
HOLMES: Somebody's going to be -- have to be punished for this.
KEILAR: Certainly.
HOLMES: Especially if you got a picture now of this woman who was not supposed to be in the White House shaking the hand of the president of the United States? Somebody's going to...
KEILAR: Definitely.
HOLMES: ...get punished for that.
Well, every weekend, 6:45, Reynolds Wolf joins us with his list of weekend events.
KEILAR: Yes, he has a little something for everybody.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: Something to get us in the Christmas spirit, and an event just in case you didn't eat enough this week.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, hey there, everybody. Welcome back to this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is 6:30 on the East Coast. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.
HOLMES: Up first here, a story that has everybody scratching their heads right now. Investigators as well, scratching their heads and they are heading back to Tiger Woods' home today to question him about a car crash that happened early yesterday. He hit a fire hydrant and tree near his home in Orlando.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHIEF DANIEL SAYLOR, WINDERMERE POLICE: He was on the ground semi unconscious and had lacerations to his upper and lower lip.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: This happened at Woods' home, again, in a suburb outside Orlando. Police say the accident was not alcohol related. No other cars were involved. We'll be talking about this a lot more this morning.
KEILAR: Washington ready to push for significantly stronger economic sanctions against Tehran. This coming in the wake of an International Atomic Energy commission resolution that demands Iran stop building a nuclear facility at Qom and stop uranium enrichment.
HOLMES: And in Russia, officials there looking at possible terrorism as a cause of a high-speed train wreck that killed some 25 people. This happened Friday night, another 100 folks were injured. Three trains, three cars of that train, actually flipped over. It was carrying 680 people from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Again, they are also looking at possible terrorism, also possibly a technical fault for the cause of this thing. This is the fastest train in Russia. It is the equivalent of what we would normally know as a bullet train.
Now, one of the vice presidents -- one was the vice president, the other wanted to be. Now their names are coming up again as the GOP looks to 2012.
KEILAR: Still, though, very early to be speculating as CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser reminds us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, Brianna, T.J.
A busy week ahead for Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor continues her cross-country tour for her new book "Going Rogue in American Life". But last year's Republican vice presidential nominee also speaks Wednesday in front of what could be a socially conservative crowd at the College of the Ozarks. The school is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Missouri.
Palin talks to a very different crowd here in Washington, next Saturday, one week from today when she'll attend the Gridiron Dinner, here in the nation's capital. The Gridiron Club is the oldest and considered the most prestigious journalistic organization in this town.
While the current tour is all about selling books, everyone wants to know if there's more to it. Does Palin want to run for the next Republican presidential nomination? She's says she is not ruling anything out at this very, very early date.
How about Dick Cheney for president? Well, a new group called Draft Cheney 2012, says they want to convince the former vice president to make a bid for the White House. They're now up with a web site and say they claim grassroots efforts. Polls suggests Cheney is still popular with conservatives and Republicans. But there is one problem, and that's Cheney himself. He was recently asked about running and his answer was, fat chance -- Brianna, T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Many of you are hitting the road this weekend; heading back home after Thanksgiving. Triple A is saying more than 31 million people are taking long car trips this weekend.
HOLMES: So, of course, that means a lot of people will be stopping by the gas station, a lot of people going to be making pretty big charges on those gas cards. Software designer Matthias Shapiro takes a closer look at what's driving gas prices. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHIAS SHAPIRO, SOFTWARE DESIGNER (voice over): As we turn to the holidays filling our tanks for the big family road trip, we may stop and wonder why do gas prices fluctuate so drastically?
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, gas prices can be broken down this way. If a gallon of gas costs $2.50, it costs $1.50 to get the oil, 18 cents to turn into gas, 32 cents to move the gas and show commercials about gas, and 40 cents in taxes. The fluctuations in these prices is driven like most things, by fluctuations in demand.
Despite the common misconception, we don't drive more during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Peak driving season is really June, July and August. Why? Experts say the reason is daylight. As a rule, people don't drive as much after the sun goes down because of things like safety issues, visibility and vampires. More daylight, more driving, and more demand for gas, so we see the gas prices spike.
Sunlight drives us to drive, but the amount of sunlight in the year is a pretty concept. Unless you pass the 2005 Energy Policy Act, which gave us five more weeks of Daylight Savings, starting in 2007. Presto. More sunlight during peak hours, more driving, more demand and higher prices.
Add in reduced supply from natural disasters, the growing thirst for oil in China and other emerging markets, and other contributing factors and you can get a huge gasoline fueled explosion! In prices, pretty soon $4 gas.
So, why did prices go back down? When pump prices skyrocketed, there was less demand for gas, because we started driving less. Couple that with massive job losses, that means fewer commuters, and people buying less stuff, which means fewer big trucks on the road, and the demand for gasoline dropped, so did prices.
Prices will creep back up as demand increases in emerging markets around the world. But according to market research company Lundberg Survey, the driving factor in price swings? Speculators? OPEC? It turns out the culprit may just be a sunny commute.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: That cracked me up and yet I feel smarter.
HOLMES: Do you, after that? Is that all it took, Brianna?
KEILAR: Yes.
HOLMES: I'm teasing.
KEILAR: Thanks, man.
HOLMES: Reynolds Wolf always makes us feel -- not really smarter, because he's a pretty sharp guy. He uses some big words over there, makes us really, brings us down to our level.
KEILAR: I feel smarter when I see Reynolds.
WOLF: You are a lying dog! You're funning, me, and big time.
Great, great stuff that we have out there, we have some great video to share with you. We've been talking about holiday lights. Take a look at these lights we have for you. Some meteors, or meteorites, that were captured on a police dashboard camera.
Look at that! Off there on the right. Isn't that amazing? Just incredible stuff. This is in actually over the skies of Grand Junction, Colorado. A police officer was driving around when that meteor streaked across the sky. These meteors are actually part of the Leonid Meteor Shower.
Now, when these things move through the atmosphere, get this, many of them are about the size of a grain of sand. Just microscopic, teeny, tiny things, but still when they interact with the extreme heat, the friction, if you will, in the Earth's atmosphere, you see the results. It is an amazing light show.
HOLMES: What you are telling me that thing right there, might have just been a speck of sand?
WOLF: Can you believe that? A tiny, the size of one grain of sand. Amazing stuff. Yes.
KEILAR: It looks so alarming and yet it's really just an amazing show, right?
WOLF: Any time that you see something that's a giant ball of flame that is moving in any direction, usually does cause -- cause a little bit of harm, especially if you're underneath it. I would say so. Yes, basically.
Hey, let me show you something else. If you happen to be heading out to the Jersey Shore today, maybe even Long Island, you might get sandblasted out there because we'll have strong wind gusts. But you can't tell from this picture. Great shot we have there.
In the background, we've got one building in the foreground, I'm not too familiar with, but the one there, right toward the center, it is a little farther back from the screen, that is the Empire State Building. It looks pretty good there. See the clouds moving by.
Another great shot, we have right up the Hudson River. Looks pretty good. West Point way, way, way off in the distance. And of course, in the foreground you've got the Upper Westside of Manhattan. Good morning to you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: There's a difference, meteor and meteorite?
WOLF: Meteor is in something that is moving through space, when it moves through the Earth's atmosphere, then it is classified as a meteorite.
KEILAR: When it ends up on the police cruisers camera then it is a meteorite.
HOLMES: It is a meteorite.
WOLF: When it's moving right for your toward your skull, yes, it tends to be a meteorite. And something else we're not allowed to say on the air. But there's a shot of it again. There you go.
HOLMES: Reynolds, always informative. Always good to talk to you. We always learn something.
WOLF: Thanks, man.
KEILAR: Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: See you again guys.
HOLMES: Thank you, sir.
KEILAR: New details about that couple accused of crashing President Obama's first state dinner.
HOLMES: Yeah. It turns out they got a lot closer to the president than we first thought. So close, how about a handshake? Yes. This is one of the things people are talking about on Facebook and Twitter. We want to know what you think. Should they be charged for getting into that party, for allegedly crashing that party? Or did they not do anything wrong, really? They are just trying to have a good time? E-mail us, send us your comments to Twitter, Facebook, you know where to find us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: So it turns out the couple accused of crashing the White House state dinner did actually meet the president. We're getting a look at more pictures of them from Tuesday night's event. You can see there. Now the Secret Service admits it messed up by letting them in. The pair could face criminal charges.
HOLMES: That is simply amazing to get that close.
KEILAR: Amazing.
HOLMES: Well, also expecting or hoping for some amazing numbers, retailers are going to be adding up their receipts from Black Friday. We should get some of the sales figures later today. Overall, experts, they think the sales will be up this year. About 57 million shoppers were expected to hit the stores.
KEILAR: The search is on for a Florida man police say shot and killed four members of his own family Thanksgiving night. The shooting in Jupiter left the man's six-year-old cousin, an aunt, and his two twin sisters dead. One of the sisters was pregnant. Police say after the shooting, Paul Michael Merhige took off in a 2007 blue Toyota Camry.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: That's actually me singing that.
HOLMES: You have a song this weekend.
WOLF: Brianna, is on keyboards and ...
KEILAR: I like your shirt.
WOLF: T.J. on drums. Yes, that is good stuff. You do like that, don't you?
KEILAR: I was background vocs.
WOLF: Were you really?
KEILAR: Yes.
WOLF: I couldn't remember. It has been a long time.
Guys, we have a lot of things to celebrate. You know so many people have been out there celebrating the holidays. Celebrating great football games. Well we have some great festivals around the nation, starting off in Holly, Michigan, where it is the first of three weekends it is going to be an incredible event out there in Michigan, a little bit on the cold side. If you get out there for the Dickens Festival, I guarantee you are going to have a great time enjoying the works of Charles Dickens. How about that? It was the best of times, the worst of times.
All right. Going from there, the 74th Annual Duck Calling Contest. Now, where in the world would that take place?
HOLMES: That is in Stuttgart, Arkansas.
WOLF: And whom do we know?
KEILAR: Who is an Arkansasen?
HOLMES: This is a big deal in Stuttgart, Arkansas. You see the name of the town? They call it Sugar Town. Because if you remove all the Ts from Stuttgart, it spells sugar.
WOLF: That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in the entire -- that is ...
HOLMES: They call it Sugar Town. It is a big deal there. It is a big deal.
WOLF: Well, if you remove some of the letters out of my first name it is OLD. Never mind.
All right. Let's go on from there. We go from Stuttgart, you can even try hog calling at the Chitlin' Strut in Salley, South Carolina. They've got chitlin' eating; it is a contest that features stars in the competitive eating circuit.
HOLMES: I'm surprised it is not in Arkansas.
WOLF: You know where did they come from, though? I mean, years ago when you're back there and you are slaughtering pigs, you see the pork shoulder, you hold on to that. You hold onto, maybe the ham, but then you see the intestines, for those who don't know chitlins are big intestines and they ...
KEILAR: Oh!
HOLMES: They're not that bad. They're hard to clean and they smell up the house, but I grew up eating this stuff.
WOLF: Have at'em, T.J.
HOLMES: Yeah.
KEILAR: Pounds of it.
WOLF: Yes.
You know we are going to go a little bit farther south, and if you happened to be a pirate or you like that kind of thing, go to the 10th Annual Pirates in Paradise Fest in Key West. It is a great place to go. Certainly a great time there, har-har-har. Then they have all kinds of cool things, not only are they celebrating the history of the Keys, Walk the Plank competition, they also have the Jolly Roger Dingy Race. It sounds great.
And if you like another mode of transportation Las Vegas, they've got the Auto Show. Also they have the worldwide, the Santa Claus World Championships in Switzerland, which is great for this time of year. They've got chimney climbing, gingerbread decorating, and also sledding and Santa's ski races.
KEILAR: Chimney climbing?
WOLF: Chimney climbing.
HOLMES: Good stuff this weekend, a lot of good stuff this weekend.
WOLF: Yes, going from one extreme to the other, from duck calling to chitlins, to Santa, and pirates, you name it.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: Well, thank you for the roundup, Reynolds.
HOLMES: Thank, Reynolds.
WOLF: Thank you, I guess. Good stuff.
HOLMES: We've been talking about CNN Heroes, we've got another hero to show you. What's happening here is that there was a school where most of the students, actually homeless and where the children were so hungry they'd eat ketchup packets for lunch.
KEILAR: Now students are getting their basic needs from their school, and we will introduce you to the woman who's making it all happen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYS, MILEY CYRUS, "PARTY IN THE USA")
HOLMES: I'm not scared to say it, I love that song. It still hasn't played out of to me.
KEILAR: It is a good one.
HOLMES: It is.
Now a lot of folks, everyone, we've all been to parties before, even clubs and things like that. Where they have bouncers working. There's one place that is supposed to have the best bouncers in the business. That is a state dinner at the White House. Those bouncers? The Secret Service.
KEILAR: Yes, but our Dan Lothian tells us the agency is doing a whole lot of explaining after that uninvited couple got some face time with the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): White House now admits President Obama met the uninvited guests in the receiving line at his first state dinner, and it's apparently not the first time. This undated photo on the couple's Facebook page shows them with Mr. Obama and the pop group, Black-Eyed Peas. Another bizarre development in a scandal the U.S. Secret Service is now taking full responsibility for.
In a statement, Director Mark Sullivan says, "They should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely. That failing is ours."
He adds that the agency is "Deeply concerned and embarrassed."
Earlier in the day, Secret Service agents paid a visit to the Oasis Winery in Virginia, the couple's mailing address. The manager confirms two agents indicated they were not there to arrest Tariq and Michaele Salahi, but said, "It is imperative that we speak with them. If they do not sit down with us and talk, we will take whatever action necessary."
The Secret Service won't confirm that account, but says it wants to interview everybody, including the Salahis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. and Mrs. Salahi.
LOTHIAN: The reality show wannabes certainly looked the part and played up their visit on Facebook, posting photos with the vice president, White House chief of staff and Marines. Representative Peter King who is the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee is calling for a congressional investigation.
REP. PETER KING, (R-NY) HOMELAND SECURITY CMTE.: I mean, this could have been a national tragedy. If these were terrorists, if these were pathological murders, they could have done a lot of damage in that brief period of time.
LOTHIAN: We don't know all the details of how the couple got into one of the most secure compounds in the world. But a stylist who worked on Michaele's hair just hours before the state dinner says she claimed they were invited.
PEGGY IDAKIM, ERWIN GOMEZ SALON, & SPA: She said that, in the mail she got an invitation. And I asked her, do have you 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.
LOTHIAN (On camera): In a statement, a publicist for the couple says they did not crash the event, and that they look forward to setting the record straight very soon.
Dan Lothian, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. This is what people are talking about on Facebook and Twitter this morning. What do you think? Should the couple be punished for what some would say just was the security guys' failings? E-mail us, or send us your thoughts. Facebook, Twitter, you know where to find us by now.
KEILAR: And there are also a whole lot of questions this morning about Tiger Woods' car wreck.
HOLMES: Yes, a Florida state trooper will be heading back to Tiger Woods' home today trying to get some answers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Providing food and clothing, also hair cuts, dental work, and money for the occasional utility bill, a Nevada school principal redefines her job description, and CNN's Dan Simon has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They are chefs from some of the fanciest hotels in Las Vegas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go, kiddo.
SIMON: But today they're serving breakfast at Whitney Elementary, part of a non-profit initiative to eliminate malnutrition and hunger. SHERRIE GAHN, PRINCIPAL, WHITNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: So what do we say when we're very grateful and very fortunate?
STUDENTS: Thank you!
SIMON: School Principal Sherry Gahn says it is a healthy and memorable meal for students who don't have much.
GAHN: What's wrong?
SIMON: That's because the school estimates that as much as 85 percent of the 600 or so students are homeless; living in cheap motels, with friends, or in shelters.
GAHN: Literally, my every waking moment I think about, what else do I need to do?
SIMON: When Gahn arrived here seven years ago, she says children were devouring ketchup packets to fill empty stomachs. Clearly they weren't getting enough food. So she set out to do something about it, a mission that came from personal pain.
GAHN: I was raised in poverty. My mother went to a local organization, at one point. My mother actually asked for food and clothes, and they turned us down. And I saw how devastated she was.
GAHN: Get your food, honey.
SIMON: Gahn vowed her families at Whitney would never be turned down. She twisted arms and begged for donations; opening a one-of-a- kind school supply closet, part food bank, part clothing supply.
JAMES ICENOGLE, 4th GRADE STUDENT: I got some pants, some shirts, some new shoes and some new socks.
SIMON (On camera): A lot of these kids come from such challenging circumstances, that there is no money at home to even celebrate birthdays. So once a month the school throws a giant birthday party for all the kids who had birthdays that month. There's pizza, there's cake and even some presents to take home.
(Voice over): Hairstylists donate hair cuts and dentists donate dental care. When a family comes up short for something like a utility bill, the school, through donations, can help with that, too.
SHIRLEY HERNANDEZ, GRANDMOTHER: Last year, we didn't have Christmas. They gave us Christmas. This year, we are hardly going to have Christmas, but they are going to give us Christmas. They have helped us a lot. So I've got to donate my time here to, you know, show how much I appreciate the people here.
SIMON: That's what Gahn expects, that parents give something back by volunteering.
(On camera): At the end of the day, what is it that you wish for these children? GAHN: I want them to have that sense of norm, that a lot of families grow up in America having what they don't get.
SIMON: : On this morning they do get attention from the city's best chefs. For many, it will be the best meal they've had in a while. For Sherrie Gahn its another small victory for her students.
Dan Simon, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)'
HOLMES: Well, hello there, everybody, from the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for November the 28th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Betty Nguyen this morning. Thank you for starting your day with us.
It's a relationship that some people never get out of, even if it's not good for them.
HOLMES: Huh?
KEILAR: We're talking about your relationship with your bank.
HOLMES: Oh, OK.
KEILAR: You walk around with their cards in your wallet, you give them your business but are they treating you well? Are you getting what you want and need? Coming up, reasons why you should break up with your bank.
HOLMES: Do we need to bring in Dr. Phil or an financial expert?
KEILAR: Kind of like, "I'm just not into you" bank.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Also we have been hearing a lot of stories lately about people getting in trouble at work for what they're posting on the Internet, those social media web sites. So, how do you keep your information private, online? We'll take a closer look there.
KEILAR: First a check of the stories we're following overnight.
Washington pointing a stern finger at Iran this morning. It is ready to push for significantly stronger economic sanctions on Tehran. This coming in the wake of an International Atomic Energy Commission resolution that demands Iran to stop building a nuclear facility at Qom and to start uranium enrichment.
HOLMES: And President Obama, of course, is getting ready to reveal his new strategy for Afghanistan. Tuesday's announcement is also expected to include a call for a sizeable troop increase. As many as 34,000 more troops could be deployed.
CNN will, of course, have special coverage of Tuesday's announcement. That starts 7:00 Eastern, again, on Tuesday.
KEILAR: And we're also following the Tiger Woods' car accident. So many questions that remained unanswered here. Investigators are planning to question the golf star today about this crash, very early yesterday in the morning, 2:25 a.m. in the morning.
Woods hit a fire high hydrant, and then he hit a tree near his home in an Orlando suburb, just a couple doors down from his home. His wife says she heard the crash, that she used a golf club to break open the back window and get him out.
And here's what police say they found when they arrived on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF DANIEL SAYLOR, WINDERMERE POLICE: He was on the ground semi-unconscious and had lacerations to his upper and lower lip.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And police are saying this is not an alcohol-related accident, even though they do have a lot more questions. Tiger Woods, of course, as we know, one of the most recognizable, not just sports figures, recognizable people around the world.
KEILAR: Yes. 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 CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether you like professional golf or not, in some ways, we are all at least followers of the career of Tiger Woods. We watch him, some obsessively -- not only because of his continued world dominance of the sport, but because he is probably the best-known athlete from any sport in the world.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS: 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 -- he is currently the highest pay: $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 rebranded 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 nonappearance 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)
HOLMES: All right. We will turn now to that Northwest Airlines flight that overshot its destination by 150 miles last month. You will probably remember that story. Well, the FAA has now released recordings of air traffic controllers talking to the cockpit.
KEILAR: The pilots -- they missed landing in Minneapolis. They were out of contact -- out of radio contact for more than an hour.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP, SOURCE: FAA, NWA FLIGHT 188/OCTOBER 22)
PILOT: Minneapolis, Northwest 188.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Minneapolis Center, go ahead.
PILOT: Roger, we got distracted and we have overflown Minneapolis.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Northwest Flight 188, do you have time to give a brief explanation on what happened?
PILOT: Just cockpit distractions. That's all I can say.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KEILAR: What does that mean, cockpit distractions? Well, the FAA revoked the licenses of the two pilots, the pilots now appealing.
You know, the White House is hosting a job summit this coming week. President Obama is inviting business leaders and others to attend. And in his weekly address, he says he knows Americans are struggling but he also says there's plenty to be thankful for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's why we passed the Recovery Act that cut taxes for 95 percent of working people and for small businesses -- and that extended unemployment benefits and health coverage for millions of Americans who lost their jobs in this turmoil.
That's why we're reforming the health care system so that middle- class families have affordable insurance that cannot be deny because of a pre-existing condition or taken away because you happen to get sick. We've worked to stem the tide of foreclosures and stop the decline of home values. We're making it easier to save for retirement, and more affordable to send a son or daughter to college.
The investments we've made and tough steps we've taken have helped to break the back of the recession and now, our economy is finally growing again. But as I said when I took office, job recovery from this crisis will not come easily or quickly.
Though the job losses we were experiencing earlier this year have slowed dramatically, we're still not creating enough new jobs each month to make up for the ones we're losing. And no matter what the economists say, for families and communities across this country, this recession will not end until we completely turn that tide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Also in his address, the president praised the servicemen and women who could not make it home for the holiday.
KEILAR: A lot of people are trying to get home this weekend and they're wondering, are they going to be running into delays? So Reynolds Wolf, of course, is keeping an eye on the travel conditions.
WOLF: You know, on one of those days where there are going to be millions of Americans going to have to travel -- I mean, you'd want perfect weather, right? Well, of course, it's not going to happen. We've got two storm systems, one in the eastern half of the nation, the other out towards the west. And it's going to affect millions of Americans this weekend.
Coming up in a few moments, we'll give you an idea of what these storm systems are going to do and what they're going to mean for all of us, in just a few minutes.
HOLMES: All right. Reynie, thanks. We'll see you shortly, buddy.
A lot of people out there maybe not satisfied with their bank, but you can actually break up with your bank. Some things you need to know if you want to fire the old one and maybe hire a new one.
Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC) HOLMES: Mountain mama?
WOLF: What exactly would be a mountain mama? Does he say mountain mama?
HOLMES: I don't know that he says mountain mama.
WOLF: I don't know. Mama is going to be shoveling some snow up in West Virginia.
HOLMES: Yes. What you're seeing here, folks, a lot of this happening on the roads and the mountains of West Virginia, had a lot of snow.
Reynolds, apparently, you would know better than I. But it's sticking in the higher elevations and the drivers, of course, are dealing with a lot of these slick roads, and ton of crashes reported. But this is in West Virginia.
How much of a mess that people are going to have to deal with, a lot of people are trying to travel. Well, she's making the best of it.
WOLF: That's my mama.
HOLMES: She's a mountain mama.
WOLF: That's right. She sure is -- country roads, take me home. She's going to be going up some snow today -- although most of the snow is gone from West Virginia at this point. The big issue that we have now is wind. That the wind, although it's going to look great in places like New York, the wind is going to keep a lot of the plains stacking up on the runways, which means delays for a lot of people. So, it's on the holidays.
HOLMES: People are trying to get home today, but the bigger travel day would be tomorrow, right?
WOLF: It's going to be bigger tomorrow and then, of course, on Monday.
HOLMES: Monday as well.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: Absolutely.
Let's show you what we have out there. We're going to get things started -- we've got, of course, all your travel weather you're going to be dealing with.
And, of course, a great shot we have, I believe, in New York. It's going to show again, great skyline this time. Things look pretty good out there. The shot of the Hudson River looks just phenomenal at this time. What we're going to be seeing up in the Hudson River, a few more clouds here and there. But the wind is going to be the big factor. Some winds any where from, say, 20 to 30 miles an hour, gusts, however, could top 50 miles per hour. So strong wind gusts, to say the least.
Let's show you what else we've got. Take a look at this map behind me. If you'll notice, you see a little bit of rotation right up here. Right over parts of the I-95 corridor, we actually have an area of low pressure that's setting up right there. With that, you've got some strong wind gusts that are moving counterclockwise around this area of low pressure.
Now, those winds are really going to accelerate into the afternoon hours. However, the farther away you get from the center of circulation, the weaker the winds will become. So, the winds will be stronger, say, in places like Boston, down in New York, and then better for you, say, in places like Washington, farther south to the outer banks.
But, still, you're going to see some delays there, not just in New York but also in places like Boston. Seattle and Portland -- basically the same thing for you, too.
And take a look at what we have here. It's going to be this area of low pressure that's moving to the northeast and then it's going to be high pressure actually forming over parts of the Central Plains, but still cold air is going to give you some scattered snow showers in parts of the Northern Plains. But in the Rockies, (INAUDIBLE), highest elevations, you could see some snow, some places up to a foot of snow. In those high mountain passes, you could see wind gusts topping, say, 50 miles an hour.
Same deal for you in the Sierra Nevada. And I believe we've got some video also in parts of the Sierra Nevada. This, not too far from Donner Summit, where you have -- a lot of people happen to be in a hurry trying to make their way over to, say, Sacramento, or maybe even San Francisco or back over to Reno. When that happens, up in Placer County, people end up having some accidents.
You know, it's the first heavy snowfall in that part of the world and people aren't quite used to driving in it as of yet. But give it some time and the season will be -- will be upon us, that big winter season. You see the vehicle there on the left-hand side of the screen. The California Highway Patrol is going to be up there working -- they're working very hard today no doubt, do what they can to keep the roads clear.
Now, here's what we have, temperature-wise for you, 51 degrees in New York, 64 degrees in Atlanta. If you're going out shopping today in parts of south Florida, I know there's a lot of sales out there still. Yesterday was the big shopping day and many people will be out there, too, trying to get those good deals. Miami and Tampa, mainly in the 60s and 70s -- 71 in Dallas, 62 in Las Vegas, and 64 in San Francisco.
All right. You're up to speed. You're good to go. Le lets wrap it up and send it back to you guys at the news desk. KEILAR: Thank you so much, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: Thanks, Reynie.
KEILAR: You know, Facebook has 300 million active users and we keep hearing stories about people who face problems after posting information on Facebook.
HOLMES: So, a lot of people are wondering how in the world you can you keep your information private -- Josh Levs has some answers for you.
Hello, again, Josh.
LEVS: Hi again to you guys.
There are some tools that turn out inside Facebook and some of them are tricky to find. I have just found out about it. They might make you feel better about joining one of the biggest online social networks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
KEILAR: So, last weekend, we told you about a woman suffering from depression who says she lost her long-term disability benefits after posting her vacation pictures on Facebook.
HOLMES: Yes. Her insurance company saw her pictures, she didn't look like she was too depressed, looked like she was having a good time. So, they said, you're not depressed, go back to work.
Well, that got a lot of people talking, a lot of people asking: how to keep your post hidden from people who aren't your Facebook friends.
Josh Levs got some of these answers for us.
Hello, Josh.
(MUSIC)
LEVS: All right. You asked and we do have some answers for you.
But this, by the way, is the woman we were telling you about. Here she is. Natalie Blanchard. You can hear all about her and other stories at CNN.com. She says she lost the disability payments for depression after posting pictures that showed her apparently having a bunch of fun.
Well, you know, Facebook is getting bigger and bigger, 300 million current active users. It also has tools that let you control who can see what. And to find those, you really need to dig in. So, this week in the newsroom, I spoke with an expert, Ben Parr of Mashable.com about exactly what to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So, the first thing that you do is you go to this place that says "settings," and it brings you to these options here under privacy. Talk to me about this. The first thing you want to do is go to your profile, right?
BEN PARR, MASHABLE.COM (via telephone): Absolutely. You have a lot of control over what is shown to friends. So -- or to anyone in the world. So you can set it so just only your friends can see things.
LEVS: OK. So, I went to my profile here and under all these things, and the folks should e able to see this, in every single place now, for this segment, I put in only friends, only friends. So, everything that I want that I put on my Facebook, according to what I've set up here, is now only friends.
And there's something else that you showed me as well, too. In addition to that, you can also change what it's like when someone searches for you, privacy in the search process on Facebook. So, what do you do here?
PARR: So people can search for your profile on Facebook and on Google and can you set it so that they can't find it, if that's what you want. You can click on the public search listing and delist yourself.
LEVS: So, can you set something up on Facebook, but if someone out there doesn't know you're on Facebook, and they google you, it won't turn up. That's what you're saying, right?
PARR: Exactly.
LEVS: So, my -- so I do have it, so that you google me, you wound up on Facebook. This will show up and you'll see some basic information about you. But there is this trick within Facebook -- and, folks, you don't need to write any of this down, I'm going to show you at the end one place where you get all this stuff.
You can set up so if someone googles you, they won't even find out you're on Facebook and if they search within Facebook, they don't even have to find anything -- any information at all about you, right?
PARR: Absolutely.
LEVS: See, all these -- these are really important tricks along the way that a lot of people don't realize.
Now, one more thing I want to mention here, you can actually separate all your Facebook friends into different lists, where only some of your friends can access some information and other friends can access other information. How does that work? FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, my God. That's complicated.
LEVS: I know, but it could be worth it, right? Talk to me about it.
PARR: This is probably one of Facebook's best features. You can create different lists for your business contacts, your personal friends, and you can show different things to different people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And that was our Fredricka Whitfield that you could hear saying, that seems complicated." And that is why all these tools we were just showing you, we posted a link to Ben's advice right there. It's up at the blog, CNN.com/Josh. It's also up at Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN. And we talk you through how to do this, what to click on, how to give yourself maximum privacy online.
But keep in mind this, too, Ben also says, anything you post is never really private. Someone else could see your information and share it, no matter what you do.
And, Brianna and T.J., that guy I talked to there, Ben Parr, what they tell me, is he said, this is his rule of thumb -- don't put anything on Facebook that you wouldn't want your own mother to see.
HOLMES: That's pay basic rule you should always have, don't do anything you wouldn't want to tell your mom about it, don't post anything you wouldn't want your mom to see.
LEVS: I like that rule.
HOLMES: Basic rule.
KEILAR: It's a great rule -- or your boss, that you wouldn't want your boss to see. That's also an important one.
LEVS: Yes.
KEILAR: You need to check your inbox, Josh Levs. You have 983 unread messages.
LEVS: I know. I know. I totally exposed myself to ridicule for that.
KEILAR: Goodness.
LEVS: I'll spend some time this afternoon.
KEILAR: All right. Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: All right. A lot of people would agree, there are too many fees out there and not enough service when it comes to your bank. KEILAR: Bank that just don't get it and what you can do about it.
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HOLMES: A look now at some of the stories we are following today.
First here, retailers are adding up their receipts from Black Friday. We should get some sales numbers a little later on today. Overall, experts think that the sales will be up this year. About 57 million shoppers were expected to hit the stores yesterday.
KEILAR: Police in Florida are on the lookout for a man they say shot and killed four members of his own family on Thanksgiving night, including a 6-year-old girl. The shooting in Jupiter left the man's young cousin and aunt and his two twin sisters dead. One of the sisters actually was pregnant. And police say after the shooting, Paul Michael Merhige took off in a 2007 blue Toyota Camry.
And we're following another story right now, Zimbabwean cargo plane we hear has crashed at the Shanghai airport, three are dead, four are injured. And according to Chinese television, the plane's tail struck the ground on takeoff. There are reports of Americans on board.
At this moment, producers in our D.C. bureau are making calls to try to confirm that.
HOLMES: Well, and it turns out that that couple, a lot of people have been talking, that crashed the White House party, state dinner, you see them there in photos with Rahm Emanuel, also the vice president, they also got to meet President Obama. We're getting a look more and more of their pictures from that Tuesday night event where, again, the White House says these two were not invited. However, they say through their attorney that they did not crash the party.
The Secret Service admitting it messed up by letting them in in the first place. The pair could now face criminal charges.
Again, you're seeing the pictures here but there is another photo we will be showing you this morning of them actually standing right next to the president and the lady there shaking the president's hand. This is one of the topics we've been asking you about online. You know where to reach us.
A lot of people wondering: should these two people be punished for what they did? Which is essentially walked into a party they weren't invited to. Is that a crime? Well, maybe it's a federal offense when it's the president's house you're crashing.
But here are some of your comments. From Colacola3 says, "First, punish the Secret Service and then, think about what grounds would you punish someone for crashing a party." Also, one under that, Donna saying, "I think whoever let them in should be punished." But someone else saying, "Yes, if not, it will set a bad precedent for other not so friendly people to try it. There must be consequences." Another under saying there's no reason to punish them if they didn't break any laws, clearly though, some security procedures need review.
So, Brianna, that is the debate. No, they didn't mean any harm to the president, maybe, they went in, they had to go through and be screened, through the metal detectors. But still, there was plenty of things in that room they could have picked up and tried to harm the president.
So, it might seem -- the big smile that you see the picture behind us, the lady actually met the president. It seems like an innocent thing in some ways crashing a party. Some people, oh, congratulations, you got in. But this is a very serious security issue.
KEILAR: Yes. And everyone has an opinion. So, of course, we want to hear what everyone's opinions are. It's very, what, they are very interesting.
HOLMES: And keep those coming in. Quick break, we'll be reading some more of those throughout the morning.
Be right back.
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HOLMES: You know, breaking up can be hard to do, especially when you're talking about breaking up with someone who's got your money and, yes, you give them your money. They have their name plastered all over your credit cards but you remain loyal, even when it costs you. And yet, most of us do refuse to break up with our banks.
According to a new study, only 11 percent of the public actually changes banks annually. So, our home school, our finance specialist, Clyde Anderson, is here.
Clyde, good morning to you. People are always looking for a good reason to break up.
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCE SPECIALIST: Good morning.
HOLMES: We've got some reasons here. We're going to go through a list here...
ANDERSON: All right.
HOLMES: ... of things we need to consider here in banks. So, first of all, reason number one, or item number one, is what do they have to offer? So, what's the first one we've got here?
ANDERSON: The first one we have, T.J., is that they help manage your money. That's key.
HOLMES: OK.
ANDERSON: That's what people are looking for right now, a bank that helps you manage your money. And Bank of America gets this. They also have on their Web site, where you can manage all of your accounts, even if they're not from Bank of America and you can manage them.
PNC also has the tool we can separate your money in the pocket, like your spending, your reserves and also, your growth accounts. And I think that's key.
Everybody wants the convenience. That's key right now for a lot of people.
HOLMES: All right. You got to make sure your bank is offering that to you.
All right. Reason number one to possibly break up, and that is you've got to make sure the bank is offering innovative ways to save. What are we talking about here?
ANDERSON: Innovative ways to save. And you want a bank that gets it. ING definitely gets this, when we're talking about innovative ways to save, they have sub accounts where you can have different pockets where you can have an emergency savings; you can have your college tuition fund. You're also going to have that trip fund.
And you don't have to set up individual accounts somewhere else or different ones, they just let you set these separate pockets. That's convenient.
One I really love is smart piggy. Smart piggy is very innovative because they let you set up accounts but they let people see the accounts. For example, if you're trying to save for that car, your daughter is trying to save for a car, they can see that and you can contribute. I can set up an account today so that you can contribute. I could set up a Facebook icon either. And you can contribute to that.
HOLMES: All right. That kind of cool.
Let's go to reason number three here. Prioritize customer service rather than prioritizing nice couches and a lounging area when you walk into the bank.
ANDERSON: Exactly. Customers, they come a little bit savvy and they want more than the nice-looking lobby. We want things that, you know, that can provide great service. Credit unions get this. Credit unions provide great service but they also give higher rates. And I think that's very key.
You want to look at that and everybody can't belong to a credit union, but look into it. Credit unions have opened up those barriers some to let different organizations or institutions in. So, you want to look at that. And they also offer seminars and things to manage money.
I found one credit union in San Francisco that allows you to enter a check -- when a check is entered online, it's posted immediately. And that's something I've heard a lot of recently -- checks not being posted immediately.
HOLMES: All right. Last couple here, four and five, but four, accessible anywhere, and five, no excessive fees -- but go with the accessible anywhere.
ANDERSON: Accessible anywhere. Wells Fargo let's you send short text messages to find out your balance. Bank of America uses a smart phone technique, and I think that's key. You can you instantly locate ATMs anywhere in the country, wherever you are, and then with no excessive fees. You know, that's key. A lot of people have been talking about that.
Every bank has had a policy where they will not charge you overdraft fees for your checking account because they're going to link it to an equity line of credit. And so, you also got a backing there, you always got some money that will help.
Also in the Charles Schwab, they have cut down and also eliminate those fees that you get, those pesky fees you when you go to different ATMs, they'll eliminate up to $3 to $10, and some do eliminate all of them and it's unlimited depending on the minimum of the certain amount. Well, look at that.
HOLMES: Clyde, good advice, so maybe we need to add the title of relationship expert as well, talking about people's relationship with their banks, those folks.
ANDERSON: Yes.
HOLMES: Clyde, we appreciate as always.
Quick break. We'll be right back.
ANDERSON: All right.
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KEILAR: More top stories at the top of the hour when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues, but first, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta begins now.
