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American Morning

North/South Korea Exchange Fire; TSA Selling Security; Tips for Passengers This Thanksgiving; TSA Facts Vs. Myths, Breakthrough in Holloway Case?;

Aired November 23, 2010 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Sorry. The new music, I'm still getting used to it. Not sure if it's us.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: You just got to get the beat going. That's all it is. You just got to move to the beat.

CHETRY: Welcome. Thanks so much for being with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. It's Tuesday, November 23rd. I'm Kiran Chetry.

ROBERTS: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us. A lot going on today. Let's get you started.

Crowds are building and tempers are flaring at America's airports. Passengers are fed up with pat-downs. And TSA agents are asking for protection from the public. Not exactly a fun week to fly. What you need to know before you travel for Thanksgiving just ahead.

CHETRY: And another challenge for holiday travelers, extreme weather in some part of the country. Winter storm watches and warnings are stretching across several northern tier states. Already there's heavy snow in Fargo, North Dakota, and the area surrounding it. Add to that a band of tornadoes that slammed parts of Illinois and Wisconsin. More ahead on just how all of this could affect your trip.

ROBERTS: And it could potentially be the first piece of concrete evidence in the death of Natalee Holloway. The teenager disappeared in a beach in Aruba more than five years ago. Prosecutors plan to reveal test results on a jawbone and whether it belongs to Holloway. We should get those results today. And we're live in Aruba just ahead.

CHETRY: First, though, we start with breaking news. South Korea's military is on high alert this morning after a major escalation of tensions with the North overnight. It reportedly began with North Korea firing some 200 artillery rounds. South Korea then responded with 80 rounds and scrambled F-16 fighter jets.

ROBERTS: The initial target was the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea. Reports say two soldiers were killed. More than a dozen people injured by artillery fire.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is following developments for us live in Washington. Jill, this is not the first time that this island has been a flash point between the two nations. JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right, John, because it's right along that maritime border. It's called the northern limit line between North Korea and South Korea. And just back in March, you had that sinking of the Cheonan ship. It's really a flash point. But this is a very serious provocation. After all, it's not just a few little gun shots. This is artillery shells being lobbed from the North into the South.

Now the United States had a very quick reaction. And I'll read it here. The U.S. strongly condemns this attack, calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action and to fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement. The United States is firmly committed to the defense of our ally, the Republic of Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability.

There already was, by the way, a team that was sent from the State Department just over the weekend in connection with another development with North Korea. And that was a revelation of a nuclear facility, or uranium enrichment facility. So that team now, I understand, is supposed to be in China today. It's a very apt time for them to be there. They're consulting with the allies. The Chinese are very cautiously talking about this, wanting more clarification. The Russians are saying that they are hoping that this will not escalate. So there's a lot of concern about this, John. It's quite serious.

CHETRY: All right, Jill Dougherty for us this morning. We'll continue to follow the developments as they happen throughout the day. Thank you.

ROBERTS: Well, it's getting very tense and a little bit strange at America's airports. More and more travelers are taking exception to enhanced security techniques and they are taking it out on the TSA screeners.

CHETRY: Yes. The screeners are now demanding enhanced security of their own. The union representing TSA workers says its members have reported instances in which some passengers have actually gotten physical with the screeners. Now they claim they also need protection from the flying public.

Meantime, a "Washington Post"/ABC News poll out says nearly two-thirds of Americans approve of the airport scanners, but it's the enhanced pat-downs that many don't really like. Half of those polled believe that they go too far.

ROBERTS: Well, the day before Thanksgiving, tomorrow, is the single busiest travel day of the year. It also happens to be "national opt out day." That's an Internet movement calling on passengers to boycott body scans and ask for pat-downs tomorrow at airport security checkpoints.

CHETRY: Right. To ask for the pat-down and ask for witnesses to have it happen in front of other passengers. So Deb Feyerick is with us this morning. The TSA is trying to, you know, sell, I guess you could say the public on these enhanced measures. Just in terms of a reality check, what is this going to do to airports today?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's interesting.

CHETRY: Or tomorrow?

FEYERICK: And you know, you have to think about this. People want this "national opt out day," at least a small group of people want it. But really, is it going to happen? A lot of these people are traveling. A lot of these people simply want to get to where they're going. And so whether they're going to push back, but there is an element of hostility at the airport these days, with the TSA screeners now wanting their own protection, with people already on edge. They have gotten so many terror warnings, so many terror threats, that there's already an anxiety. Add to that all of this screening, this touching, this prying, this invasion of privacy as some people are calling it. And that simply escalates the situation.

John Pistole, the head of the agency of the TSA, he has gone on the offensive really or the defensive, I should say, thanking people for their patience, for their understanding during this difficult time. He's releasing an announcement at the airports today. And I think we have a small clip of that. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN PISTOLE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: You have important options that we want you to be aware of. You have the option to request that the pat- down be conducted in a private room and you have the option to have that pat-down witnessed by a person of your choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Now, it's so interesting, because when he says you can go into a private room, for many people that just doesn't make it all right. That doesn't make it any better. The whole issue is whether or not they want to be touched. But again, is there going to be a significant backlash at the airports today and tomorrow? That has yet to be determined. But again, the TSA is really stressing the reason these rules are in place is because of the threats that we're seeing. The cargo threats. Also, we're seeing, you know, the underwear bomber threat. Will these devices stop it? It always seems that America is finding the last attack, and that's another I fighting the last attack. And that's another issue that people sort of have on their minds as they go to the airport.

ROBERTS: Yes, what about that? Because, you know, we had the shoe bomber, so you have to take off your shoes. You have the liquid bomber, so now you can't bring liquids on board. The underwear bomber -- were subject to pat-downs. You can't bring toner cartridges onboard. Are we always securing for the last attack as opposed to the next one?

FEYERICK: Security experts will tell you that. And as a matter of fact, a number of the security experts say is that there's not a forward-thinking plan. Is this really going to work? Or is this really just going to stop those attacks that we've seen in the past? I was reading something recently that said basically Al Qaeda tells its members if you're ever captured, just stall for three days. Try not to confess anything, because within three days they can completely revamp. They can go back and make sure that they're safe doing what they're doing. That's how fast that they're thinking.

ROBERTS: Wow.

FEYERICK: To stay ahead of the game. So there really is that element.

CHETRY: And the other point, you know, today and we were talking about a lot in the newsroom today. So you're either going through the scanners or you're getting the enhanced screenings or pat-downs at certain airports, just the ones that have it.

FEYERICK: Right.

CHETRY: And all the other airports, are they then making the inference that we're less safe at those airport since they're not doing those?

FEYERICK: Well, they're not doing those. They're doing the routine screening. Now the routine screening has worked.

CHETRY: It couldn't stop against --

FEYERICK: But it may not stop against certain things. I went through one of those x-rays. OK. And what was fascinating is that they detected a credit card that I'd kept in my pocket. They could see that level of detail. But again, it has you thinking. So I have a credit card in my pocket, I can take the credit card out of my pocket, but it wouldn't have triggered the alarm. So there is a dynamic.

I spoke to a behavioral expert. He was interesting. He said look, this is the beginning of a learning curve that we have for this kind of security. Initially when we went through those original pat-downs, those seemed invasive. Now the stakes are higher. It's all been ratcheted up. Again, it's just getting used to this whole process. You know, in five years' time, we may be sitting here. There may be something even more that they're doing and we'll be going, boy, do you remember the days when they had those good old x-rays? So, you know, you really have to think about that.

ROBERTS: Well, in all fairness, we know the damage you can do with a credit card.

FEYERICK: (INAUDIBLE) advantage. As a matter of fact, just let me go.

ROBERTS: Deb, thanks so much.

Well, this morning, we want to get down to the facts. There's still a lot of confusion out there about airport security. And a lot of you have questions about what you need to know before catching that holiday flight. CHETRY: Our Jacqui Jeras is live at the new CNN travel desk.

Good morning, Jacqui. Good to see you. One question that a lot of travelers have, what tips should I know before I go through security? And this is interesting because you're even talking about what you decide to wear and how important that may be.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes, it can make a huge difference, you know. And unless you're a really seasoned traveler, the whole process can be really, really intimidating. So knowing what to do to get you through security can certainly take a lot less time and make things a lot easier for your trip.

All right. Let's talk about that what not to wear and what to wear. You know, any metal that you have on you is a no-no. Try and avoid things like, you know, studs on your clothing, any big zippers, think of big belt buckles and that kind of thing. That can be problem. Bras that have underwires, that can make the metal detectors go off. So that's something you want to think about and look at, as well. Baggy clothes. You know, it's harder to get the pat-down. It's harder to see what's going on there if you're wearing baggy clothes. If you wear tighter-fitting clothes, if you wear pants as opposed to a skirt, that might get you through security a little bit easier, as well. Also, you've got to follow the rules. Planning ahead by what you pack especially if you're bringing the carry-on through can make a huge difference as to whether or not you get through there.

Remember that 3-1-1 rule? Where you take that one quart bag, one of these bags per person and every liquid item that you have needs to go in here. It needs to be a see-through bag and all of these have to be 3.4 ounces or less. So that's a big thing to get those liquids going through there. And don't forget to take the liquids out of your purse, by the way, ladies, as well. Of course, your laptop, any electronic devices that you have, that needs to be taken out of the container and go through that security line, as well. And for those of your parents trying to bring your DVD players, that's an electronic too. So that needs to come out. And all those things put together can make a big difference.

Also, remember shoes. Everybody has to take their shoes off. So don't forget your booties if you're going without socks. You certainly don't want bare feet on that floor, guys. That's not good. And if your shoes are slip-ons, of course, that makes it a lot quicker too.

ROBERTS: You know, just make sure that everything can come off very quickly and get back on quickly. So we all know that you can opt for a pat-down if you don't want to go through the body scanner.

JERAS: Right.

ROBERTS: What options do you have if a pat-down is required?

JERAS: Well, you can actually ask to have somebody come with you. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can ask to be taken to a private room so this isn't done, you know, publicly in front of all the other people at the airport. And you can choose the person, by the way. So if you have a travel companion with you, you might feel a little more comfortable having them.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Jacqui.

JERAS: Sure.

CHETRY: We also want to hear from you if you have any questions or you think that all of this is just ridiculous. We'd like to get your thoughts on it. Go to CNN.com/amFIX. If you want to file an iReport, if you've experienced anything interesting, you can also put it on facebook.com/Americanmorning. Twitter we're amFIX.

ROBERTS: A bladder cancer survivor from Michigan says he has accepted an apology from the TSA after an enhanced pat-down left him crying and covered in urine. You heard Thomas Sawyer's story yesterday here on AMERICAN MORNING. The 61-year-old retired special education teacher told us that he was at Metro Airport in Detroit earlier this month when a TSA screener didn't want to hear about his medical condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS SAWYER, RETIRED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER: It was embarrassing, very embarrassing. It's been three years for me, so I'm used to my urostomy now. But it's not something I like to show the world. I think one of the biggest fears for all ostomy patients is that we'll have a leak in public let alone at an airport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: And once Thomas Sawyer's story went public, it didn't take TSA administrator John Pistole long before he picked up the phone and called him to apologize.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN PISTOLE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: I did reach out for him, Suzanne, because I was concerned when I heard this report. Because we -- our goal is to treat each and every traveler with dignity and respect. And if that doesn't happen, then obviously I want to take corrective action. I wanted to get all the facts about the matter. So I did reach out for him. And his concern was that he tried to explain his situation to the security officer who did not want to pry into his personal life. And so he actually offered at the end of the conversation to help provide training to our officers from the standpoint of just helping inform. If you encounter somebody like this with this type of external medical device, here's how you can best engage them. So it was a very helpful conversation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: And so how is Thomas Sawyer feeling about how he wants air travelers with medical conditions to be handled by the TSA? He's going to be joining us live at 8:10 Eastern to talk more about that.

ROBERTS: Yes, looking forward to that. CHETRY: Dreaming of a white Thanksgiving? Well, you should book a trip to Utah. There is a blizzard warning for Salt Lake City and beyond, but you've got to get there fast, of course, because the National Weather Service is warning that travel may be tough, even impossible by tonight.

ROBERTS: North Dakota getting a taste of that right now. Almost 13 inches of snow there, stacking up at a pace at almost an inch an hour. And that's almost twice what was predicted for the Fargo area. And another storm moving in tomorrow could bring four to six more inches.

CHETRY: Also, a rare November tornado caught on camera near Rockford, Illinois. Several homes were wrecked. The storm tipped over a school bus. In fact, six kids had to go to the hospital with minor injuries. As many as seven twisters were reported in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. No report so far of anyone seriously hurt.

ROBERTS: Let's get a quick check of the morning's headlines. See how it's going to be today. Rob Marciano is in the extreme weather center.

Rob, a lot of people will be traveling today. What's it looking like?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, today's going to kind of be the day where we take a bit of a breather, I suppose, because we've got that storm out west that's going to replace the storm that came through the Midwest yesterday, that produced that tornado and record high temperatures. So very volatile atmosphere. And usually when we get one large system or volatile system moving through, that kind of calms things out and the atmosphere needs some time to recharge. But what's coming in behind this Midwest system is even stronger.

All right. Let's deal with this one first. The front itself that produced those tornadoes across parts of Wisconsin and Illinois has pushed off to the east. We don't expect severe weather, although the thunderstorms down to the south across the Tennessee valley are on the rough side. Nashville, specifically, into Lexington and that's all heading east towards Knoxville and northern parts of Georgia. Heavy rains, some gusty winds, and some thunder and lightning.

Back to the west we go. This is a storm of note that is really starting to intensify quite rapidly. And we have blizzard warnings up for a number of states here. We're going to see winds gusting at least over 40 to 50 miles an hour, but the sustained winds and that blowing snow in populated areas like Salt Lake City is what's going to be a problem. There are 12 states right now that under a winter storm warnings, watches or advisories. And those are large states encompassing about a third of the country out there out west. We'll see a couple of feet in the mountains and snow in places that don't typically get snow. Seattle and Portland notably, and you're going to see travel delays for sure. And this is all sliding off towards the east to replace a system that's pushing off to the east, as well.

We'll talk more details about what's going to happen tomorrow and on Thursday for places like New York City, like Chicago, in about 30 minutes -- John and Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Rob Marciano for us this morning. You're busy today. Thanks so much.

MARCIANO: All right, guys.

CHETRY: Still ahead, what really happened to Natalee Holloway? We could find out in a matter of hours when test results on a jawbone found in a beach in Aruba are released. We're going to be getting a live report just ahead.

ROBERTS: She is everywhere. And yes, she is going to Iowa. Is she already running? A closer look at Sarah Palin's all-out media blitz and whether she even needs the so-called mainstream media to be a force in 2012.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Coming up now on 18 minutes after the hour, and hope is fading this morning for 29 New Zealand coal miners who've been trapped underground since Friday. There's been no communication with the miners since last week's explosion. A volatile mix of gases is making it too risky for rescuers to enter the mine.

CHETRY: Well, it's small comfort to the family of Chandra Levy, but a Washington, D.C. jury has returned a guilty verdict in her death. Ingmar Guandique, convicted of murdering the Washington intern in 2001 when she was jogging in a park. He now faces life in prison when he's sentenced in February.

ROBERTS: And the New York developers behind the controversial Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero are reportedly seeking a $5 million federal grant to help pay for the project. That money has been set aside for redeveloping Lower Manhattan after 9/11.

Critics have fought the Islamic center, saying its close proximity to Ground Zero would be an insult to the 9/11 victims.

CHETRY: Well, she became the face of disappointed Americans this past fall. You may remember Velma Hart, a passionate Obama supporter who, at a town hall meeting in Washington, D.C., got national attention when she told the president that she was exhausted from defending him, and that she feared for her financial future and expected more from him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELMA HART, LOST HER JOB: Quite frankly, I'm exhausted. I'm exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for -

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Right.

HART: -- and deeply disappointed with where we are right now.

My husband and I joked for years that we thought we were well beyond the hotdogs and beans era of our lives.

OBAMA: Right.

HART: But, quite frankly, it's starting to knock on our door and - and ring true that that might be where we're headed again. And, quite frankly, Mr. President, I need you to answer this honestly. Is this my new reality?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Very eloquent, the way that she put it. And, unfortunately, Hart's fears were well-founded. She has been laid off now from her job. She was the Chief Financial Officer for AmVets, which is a nonprofit veterans services organization in Maryland.

Hart's boss called her a good employee who had to be cut because of hard times.

ROBERTS: Yes. This story's repeated thousands of times across the country as well.

Well, it looks like David Plouffe is joining the White House staff. The president is reportedly planning to bring his former campaign manager onboard starting in January. Plouffe will work alongside Senior Adviser David Axelrod before Axelrod moves on to help run the reelection campaign.

CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry is reporting that Axelrod may leave his post in late January. That's a little bit ahead of schedule.

CHETRY: And Joe Miller's not going down without a fight, the wannabe senator from Alaska. His campaign filed a lawsuit yesterday, challenging the write-in votes in Alaska's Senate race. Miller claims that his state's laws are clear that voters who misspelled write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski's name should not be counted.

Murkowski's victory is scheduled to be certified next week. Miller's suit, though, could push that date back.

ROBERTS: And - and it's only 13 months until 2012, so we might as well talk about this. Sarah Palin may not be able to beat Barack Obama in 2012, but Mitt Romney can. There's just one problem. You see, Mitt Romney can't beat Sarah Palin for the nomination right now.

That's all according to a new Quinnipiac poll. If you're a little confused, we'll break it all down for you here. It found that voters favor President Obama over Sarah Palin, 48 percent to 40 percent. They prefer Romney, though, over President Obama, 45 to 44 percent.

But here's the rub for Romney. Palin remains the choice of Republicans, with a slim one-point lead over Romney, so if they were to have -

CHETRY: So -

ROBERTS: -- the primaries today, she'd become the nominee.

CHETRY: Yes. Well, really, it's a draw, though, because the margin of error's plus or minus two. So everybody's still in the running.

ROBERTS: Oh, there you go, getting all technical. Come on.

Oprah's favorite things. Paramedics report on one hand for one huge surprise. Did I say that correctly? No. Reporters on hand for one huge surprise. We've got it for you, coming up.

Paramedics! Oh, whatever.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back. "Morning Talker" time, some of the stories we were chatting about in the newsroom.

Forget Fairy Godmother, all you need is Oprah if you're lucky enough to get on her show. Her "Favorite Things" episode, and she certainly did not disappoint. She gave her entire studio audience a brand new Volkswagen Beetle. This thing is not even out yet. That was part two of her final things show. And the crowds reacted like they were seeing the Beatles for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": They said we cannot give you this Beetle, but how about if we give each person in your audience the brand new totally redesigned 2012 Volkswagen Beetle?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: You think they were a little excited about that?

CHETRY: A little excited. Unlike in years past where there was controversy over having to pay taxes on any of those goodies including the car, that was all taken care of this year.

ROBERTS: Amazing. And it's Oprah giveth and the audience receiveth.

Bristol Palin might win "Dancing with the Stars" tonight. She had her last dance last night, didn't impress the judges. But even when she comes up short with the judges, the fans have kept her on the show. She's up against "Dirty Dancing's" Jennifer Grey and Disney star Kyle Massey.

CHETRY: And the new Disney movie "Tangled" comes out tomorrow. It's like a play on Rapunzel. If a report in the "L.A. Times" is right, it may be the company's final fairy tale at least for a little while. The paper said that Disney is finished with fairy tales and princesses because they think the girls these days think they're too cool for that and the boys don't really care about them anyway.

But on Disney's official Facebook page, it says that fairy tales are alive and well.

ROBERTS: Fairy tales are alive and well.

To fly or not to fly, that's the question for people afraid and outraged over airport security. Before you cancel your trip, because some airlines are allowing you to do that, get the truth about what it really means for you.

Also, test results on a jawbone found on a beach in Aruba are about to be released. Could it give more insight into what happened to teen Natalee Holloway five years ago? We're going to be live in Aruba just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Coming up on the half hour now. CNN is your travel headquarters. Forget for a second what you might have heard. It's time for a TSA reality check. The truth is not every airport runs you through a full body scan or not every passenger gets a full pat down.

Our Kate Bolduan now separating fact from fiction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyle Whitney could hop on a plane and be home for the holidays in just one hour. But this season, he's opting for what he considers the hassle-free option - a seven-hour train ride to avoid new airport security measures.

KYLE WHITNEY, HOLIDAY TRAVELER: I don't like the practices that I've seen. And it's just one more reason not to go through with the ordeal of flying.

BOLDUAN: The new measures from the Transportation Security Administration have set off a wave of criticism and frustration among passengers. Shown here in photos from DenverPost.com are the pat downs some call extreme. And there's also the revealing full-body scanner machines.

So, what can air travelers expect this holiday season?

Most will walk through metal detectors. Only 69 airports in the country, about 12 percent, have full-body scanners. For those who do go through full-body scanners, the TSA says they're safe. The exposure to radiation is less than you'd receive in two minutes of flight.

And passengers will only receive the enhanced pat down if they refuse the full-body scanner, set off the scanner's alarm, set off the metal detector's alarm or are randomly selected.

The TSA says children under 12 who require extra screening will receive a modified pat down.

TSA Administrator John Pistole told CNN's Candy Crowley, the challenge is finding a balance between passenger's privacy and doing their job to keep those passengers safe. JOHN PISTOLE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: Clearly, if we are to detect terrorists who, again, have proven innovative and creative in their design and implementation of bombs that are going to blow up airplanes and kill people, then we have to do something that prevents that.

BOLDUAN (on camera): Despite the controversy, Pistole says the procedures are staying in place for now.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now we're crossing the half hour, and time for a look at our top stories.

A stunning military confrontation overnight between North and South Korea. Reports say that the North hit a South Korean island with some 200 artillery rounds. At least two soldiers were killed and a dozen more hurt. South Korea then fired back, scrambling F-16 fighter jets. The South has convened an emergency meeting of its security ministers.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Weather worries for one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, heavy snow across our nation's northern tier with more on the way. There's a blizzard warning for most of Utah, and tornadoes tore through parts of Wisconsin and Illinois, leaving a trail of destruction behind.

CHETRY: Anger in Ireland. About 100 protesters got into shoving matches with police and forced their way through gates of government buildings. They're angry over the decision to take a multibillion dollar bailout from the E.U. and the International Monetary Fund.

ROBERTS: Well, it's been five years now since Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba. And her family has had no answers.

CHETRY: Yes, that's right. It could change in a matter of hours, though, when Aruban prosecutors reveal whether a jawbone that they found on the island beach belongs to Holloway.

CNN's Martin Savidge is live for us in Aruba with the latest details.

Hi, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. Good morning, John.

Yes, this is the day where we could possibly see the resolution of what's been a 5 1/2-year mystery, as to what happened to Natalee Holloway -- although I underline the word "could." The information will come out of the Ministerio Publico, which is behind us here, the prosecutor's office.

The bone was discovered on November 12th, it was quickly looked at by a dentist on the island. The dentist ascertained that he believed it was a human jawbone and it came from a young female. OK, that's tantalizing enough.

Then it was sent overseas to The Hague where the experts took a look at it. And the first thing you're going to want to hear is whether or not that bone truly is human. If it is, that's significant.

But then, is there anything that possibly links it, either through dental records or DNA to Natalee Holloway? If there was a link, it would be huge. If there isn't, then it's going to chalk up as another one of those false leads and false hopes -- and there have been so many of those in this story over the years since I've been covering it.

We've been talking with Beth Twitty. At least those who know her, they say that she has not optimistic there will be a major answer today. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, then you have Dave Holloway, who is Natalee's father -- they're separated, by the way -- he says he is optimistic there will be some answer.

Whatever it is, it's going to come out of this building sometime this afternoon and we'll be here waiting for the information -- John and Kiran.

ROBERTS: Martin, is there anything significant about the location that the jawbone was found on that beach?

SAVIDGE: Actually, John, there is, yes. It was found outside the Divi Phoenix Hotel, which is one of many that line the strip here along the beach front. But behind that hotel is a bird sanctuary. It's an area that's overgrown and it is one of the areas that has been theorized over the years as a possible place where if you wanted to dispose of a body you would do that.

So, that's why this isn't just looked at as kind of a random event. If the bone actually showed up near that bird sanctuary, it could prove that one of the earlier theories is correct. But, still, there's a long way to go and scientific evidence yet to come out. We'll find out later today.

CHETRY: All right. Martin Savidge, we'll check in with you again. Thanks so much.

Well, it's never too soon to start your holiday online shopping, of course. Some of the great deals out there. Also, a lot of traps, though. So, we're going to break down what you need to look out for this holiday.

ROBERTS: And a closer look at Sarah Palin's all-out media blitz. A new book, Facebook, Twitter and reality television -- does she even need the mainstream media to make a run for the big prize? We'll find out.

It's 37 minutes -- 36 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC) CHETRY: Thirty-nine minutes past the hour right now.

Christine Romans joins us. She's "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Of course, it's the holiday shopping season and retailers are hoping that consumers are opening their wallets more than they have in years past.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the hype machine has been in full swing for a while now. In fact, the marketing has begun early -- even a couple of weeks ago, you had online marketing begin. Just in time for Veterans Day really. Santa was out here in full force.

So, what are we thinking? We do think people are going to spend more money this year. And a new survey shows 57 percent of people to spend -- plan to spend the same amount or more this year than last. Look, I mean, people are tired of being frugal, right? Forty-one percent plan to spend less.

One thing about these surveys, you guys, is that in the past, people would always say, oh, I'm going to cut back this year and then they didn't because it's easy to get -- you know, it's easy to get caught up in the sales of the impulse buys and alike. But this year, it might be more difficult because you might not have that limit on your credit card.

So, a few things, I wanted to give you some tips -- really important stuff to remember if you are one of those people spending more this year, especially if you are shopping online, because we are seeing a surge in interest in online shopping.

First, look out for restocking fees. This started last year. I've personally been slammed with this. This means you buy something, particularly in electronics, it's not what you wanted, you found a better price somewhere, you send it back, you pay 20 percent sometimes. So, be careful about that.

Also, one-of-a-kind type items, or, you know, interesting gift items, sometimes this can happen.

Don't shop using public Wi-Fi. There are people out there who are salivating this time of the year to get your financial information and get your financial information by using public Wi-Fi. So, don't do any shopping on public Wi-Fi. That's at the airport, the library. Don't wire money to pay for something on eBay. Remember, use your PayPal account or secure credit card, do not wire money.

And beware of the social network URLs. This is interesting. You know how Twitter and Facebook, someone will send you a link to something.

CHETRY: Right.

ROMANS: And you click on it, and it might even have a tantalizing little -- you know, little --

CHETRY: Review.

ROMANS: -- review. Right.

CHETRY: Yes.

ROMANS: Be careful because there are hackers, bad guys, who are out there sending these things out with a URL. You can't see if it's been shortened what you're going to click on. You could be clicking on to something that's going to do bad things to your computer or it might be a scam. So, be careful about that.

ROBERTS: All right.

CHETRY: Wow.

ROBERTS: Christine Romans with good tips this morning, thank you.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

ROBERTS: Still to come this morning, we're your holiday travel headquarters. Rob Marciano has got this morning's travel forecast. He'll be up right after the break. Don't go away.

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ROBERTS: Good morning, New York. Well, right now, it's 52 degrees, got some clouds out there. Later on today, 62 degrees, and unfortunately, it's going to be a rainy day.

CHETRY: At least it's a little warmer.

Well, in a city south of Boston where the Red Sox, of course, are a source of pride, so now are red hats. Brockton, Massachusetts broke the record for most Santa hats worn at the same time. They first set the record two years ago, but then last year a town in Ireland topped them. But, you know, of course, Sox fans hate to lose. So, this year, the final count, 872 Santas. Congrats.

ROBERTS: That's a lot of Santas in one place.

Let's get a quick check on the morning's weather headlines. Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center for us.

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ROBERTS: Rob, thanks so much. We'll see you again soon for the forecast.

CHETRY: I love the turkey. Thanks, Rob.

CNN is your travel headquarters and everyone wants to know what they can expect when they go to the airport, especially with the growing controversy about security pat downs. So, if you have any questions about airport security or you have an iReport from the airport, head to our blog CNN.com/AMFix. You can also, of course, find us at facebook.com/AMERICANMORNING and on Twitter.com/AMFix. This morning's top stories just a few minutes away, including outrage at the airport. Holiday travelers angry, some of them appalled by the new TSA's scans and aggressive pat downs. Now, security is asking for its own security saying that some of the passengers are getting nasty. We're going to take a look at what you can expect if you're traveling tomorrow.

ROBERTS: And what could be the first real evidence of Natalee Holloway's death five years after she vanished in Aruba? We're live at Aruba waiting for forensic tests on a jawbone that was found on a beach. Those stories and more beginning at the top of the hour. Don't go away.

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CHETRY: Fifty-three minutes past the hour right now. She's not doing many interviews with the traditional media, but Sarah Palin's having no trouble getting herself out there. She's on Facebook, on Twitter. She has a new book out and what could be the longest ad campaign ever. Mary Snow has a closer look at Sarah Palin's media blitz.

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MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Of all things Sarah Palin, there's the reality show on TLC.

SARAH PALIN, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ALASKA: A couple of my girlfriends threw me my baby shower right here in this shooting range. My first baby shower. And I love to share that story because it gets the (INAUDIBLE)

SNOW: And then, there's her new book. Generating her own buzz, Palin releases an excerpt on Facebook just before it hits bookstores. Also keeping her in the spotlight, daughter, Bristol, going to the finals in "Dancing With The Stars" which potentially draws well above 10 million viewers. And in between, there are hints about 2012.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you ran for president, could you beat Barack Obama?

PALIN: I believe so.

SNOW: Politicians and pundits read the tea leaves trying to decipher whether Palin will run for president, Julian Zelizer, a professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton, ties the start of her campaign to the kickoff of her reality show.

JULIAN ZELIZER, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: It's not what we expected of presidents. And this has been something we've heard for a while when Bill Clinton played saxophone on late night TV when he was running for president. That's not presidential. And we keep seeing candidates appear where we don't expect them. So, I don't know what presidential is anymore.

SNOW: Adding to the speculation of presidential campaign ambitions, Palin's book tour will take her to Iowa and South Carolina, two states posing critical early tests for a political candidate. With more attention, more people are weighing in. Like former first lady Barbara Bush.

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: What's your read about Sarah Palin?

BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: well, I sat next to her once. Thought she was beautiful. And I think she's very happy in Alaska. And I hope she'll stay there.

SNOW: Media critic, Howie Kurtz, hosted CNN's "Reliable Sources" says for the most part, Palin's strategy right now is working. She's getting a lot of attention, and she's controlling her message.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCES: The second that Sarah Palin decides to run for president, if she does, then she steps out of this protective cocoon. Then she can't only go on Fox, and she can't only script her family's image through a TLC reality show. She may not want to put up for that kind of scrutiny, but even for Sarah Palin, that is going to be the price of admission to start campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire.

SNOW: But Palin is already indicating that she won't repeat something that she did in 2008, and that is to do an interview with CBS' Katie Couric. In 2008, she stumbled over a number of Couric's questions. Fast forward to today, speaking to Fox, Palin calls Couric bias and says she won't do another interview with her.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

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ROBERTS: Another thing to consider, as well, that analysts I talked to about this say that she's making a ton of money now. And is she going to want to give that up to run?

CHETRY: Sounds like it from all --

ROBERTS: Potentially.

CHETRY: Yes.

ROBERTS: My money's on her running.

CHETRY: Yes. And we'll see --

ROBERTS: I think she will.

CHETRY: It will be interesting, though. A lot of people say, look, if you're going to New Hampshire, if you're going to Iowa, and you're going to South Carolina, those voters want to meet you. They put you through the wringer. They ask you any question and expect an answer.

ROBERTS: It's call retail politics. And that's what so great about those primaries. Top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us.

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