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National Opt Out Day; Airport Protest Yet to Take Off; Students Protest Tuition Hikes; Shrinking Paycheck; Hot Off The Political Ticker; What America Means To You; Trending on the Internet; Flying For Fun

Aired November 24, 2010 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk with the man behind today's planned protest of the enhanced airport security screenings. Brian Sodergren joining us now from Washington.

And Brian, if you would, from your perspective, has this been a success today?

BRIAN SODERGREN, NATIONAL OPT OUT DAY: Oh, yes, absolutely. Look, I never expected to have disruption and chaos at the airports today. You know, my whole point in doing this was to educate people on what their options are, in my opinion, how grossly their rights were being violated, and to get the policy changed. Let's put the pressure on to get the policy changed.

So, I'm happy that we're having this national discussion, which I think is critical to have. And like I said, I think the weather is going to be more of a factor today than people opting out. I never expected some of the questions that I was asked about it to happen.

HARRIS: Well, Brian, honestly, you're telling me you didn't want to see some kind of disruption at the airports around the country?

SODERGREN: Look, I want people to follow the procedures and the law. I want people to follow the procedures of the TSA. But I want them to be educated about what they're consenting to when they're purchasing a plane ticket.

Purchasing a plane ticket is allowing the government to look under your clothes without any reasonable cause, or to submit to an enhanced pat-down as it touches you in places that you may want to be touched. So I want to educate the public, and I want the policy changed.

We have limited resources. Is there a way that we can do this that is better? So, that's the ultimate goal here, is let's change the policy, let's step back and be a little bit more rational about this, and let's have a discussion.

HARRIS: Well, Brian, what do you -- got you. But what do you want to have happen here?

If you take the TSA at its word, you set off an anomaly, so the TSA now has the responsibility to know what's going on here. Is there another course of action, something else you would suggest other than the body scan, other than the pat-down?

SODERGREN: Yes, look, I mean, you had -- as far as privacy concerns, you had scientists a couple of days ago that worked on the machines that said, I alerted the government to this issue years ago, four or five years ago, and said you can just change the algorithm in the machine, make it a fun house mirror sort of picture, and you wouldn't have these privacy concerns, you wouldn't have these explicit photos of passengers. So I think that's certainly one easy fix you can do.

And then you had the House of Representatives pass legislation that said, you know, these scanners shouldn't even be primary devices for detection. If you set off some bells and whistles, there's some suspicion, then certainly go through. And I think those types of positions are much more reasonable than sending everybody through these type of things.

But, again, I wasn't expecting chaos today. You have 80 percent of the security lines that don't even have these machines as it is. So, it was about awareness, educating people, making them aware of what the issue is. And if they don't like it, like me, let's put the pressure on, and let's put the pressure on Congress and the administration to change this, to take account of the privacy issues and the other concerns that people have.

HARRIS: Seven hundred-plus complaints so far since the new rules went into place. In that same period of time, 28 million people have passed through security.

Haven't you hyped this? Haven't you made this a much bigger deal than it deserves to be?

SODERGREN: No. Look, you know, I think there's a lot more people that are having problems with this as they go through it. You know, a lot of folks don't know that they can complain at the gate, you know, with TSA. There's a special phone number from TSA and an e- mail address that they can call and complain.

So, I think you have a lot more issues with this of people that just haven't actually complained and lodged a formal complaint with TSA. So, you know, we'll have to see what shakes out.

I'm confident that something will be done. I know the administration is starting to take a step back and look, is there another way that we can do this that maybe isn't quite so invasive? So I'm optimistic and I'm hopeful that something is going to change, whether it's in the short term, with the administration, or whether Congress takes action, perhaps in their next session starting in January.

HARRIS: OK. So you've accomplished your goal?

SODERGREN: I think so, yes. Absolutely. I'm thrilled at the response in that we've elevated this discussion and that we're now having it in the marketplace.

HARRIS: Got you.

SODERGREN: You know, I don't think, for instance, it was right for TSA to implement these enhanced pat-downs without informing the public first. So, I think we are -- we're more educated now, we understand the issues, and I think that's positive in terms of our privacy, but also in terms of our security and understanding, OK, what can we do better? Is this really working?

So I'm happy we're having this discussion.

HARRIS: And I think the flying public is pretty happy that things seem to be going smoothly at the airports around the country.

Brian, appreciate the conversation. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Thanks for your time today.

Let's get you to our David Mattingly. He is at the Tampa airport. We put him on a flight from Atlanta to Tampa.

David, tell us about your trip.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, so far, when it comes to problems with security, we have seen no sign of a protest, no sign of any delays, and no sign of any problems.

I have talked personally to about 20 to 30 people who have been through the full-body scans, had that option to actually get the pat- down, and only one couple opted for the pat-down. And they were telling me they did that for personal reasons, not for wanting to go through the radiation. So, at this point, a lot of people supportive, very understanding, and very easygoing when it comes to going through that new enhanced security.

We did talk to one couple, though. It was a man who had a broken arm, and he had a brace on his arm. When he went through the full- body scan, TSA then asked him to remove his sweater, which caused a little bit of pain for him. They didn't let his wife help him, so they were a little upset about that.

And that couple says they will be sending a letter to their congressman, complaining about there should be some sort of special treatment for people with injuries going through this. But otherwise, the regular travelers today, families, people who normally travel for business, you name it, all going through this with a smile on their face, just anxious to get where they're going -- Tony.

HARRIS: And David, that's really what we need at this point. The issues certainly have been raised.

All right. David Mattingly for us at the Tampa airport.

David, thank you.

Let's get a big-picture view at how this busy travel day is shaping up for a lot of you right now. Jacqui Jeras is at the Travel Desk checking for, let's see, flight delays, highway issues. Jacqui, what are you following?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've got all of them, Tony. There's a lot of things being impacted at this hour.

Very busy conditions. A lot of volume just causing problems in and of itself. And, of course, weather a big factor.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: She came in third, but she is number one online. People are talking, tweeting, blogging about Bristol Palin on "Dancing With the Stars." Fifty-year-old Jennifer Grey beat out the 20-year-old.

We will have more on this story later this hour. But first, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. A pipe dream comes true. That's why this kid is the "Random Moment of the Day."

(MUSIC)

HARRIS: How good is that? Kent Jenkins (ph), a college freshman, making music with his homemade PVC pipe organ. You know those plastic pipes used in home construction? Kent (ph) can do anything from Mozart to Madonna.

He points to the Blue Man Group as the inspiration for today's "Random Moment."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: They are angry and noisy in London today. I should have said really news.

Thousands of students are on the streets across England protesting large tuition increases. A similar protest two weeks ago turned violent when students stormed Conservative Party headquarters.

CNN's Atika Shubert in London.

Atika, if you would, describe the scene around you now.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, it's less of a protest and more like a rave that's slowly winding down at this point.

I'm actually right in front of Parliament Square, and behind you can see lit up there is Westminster. And police have cordoned off the area and they've sent in all of these hundreds of protesters into this area.

I'm going to turn around here to show you a little bit more of what's happening. As you can see behind me there, they've got music pumping, they're dancing. And that's where the party, clearly, is still going. But others really just want to go home at this point, and they started little fires.

They've actually started burning their signs and placards. It's just getting so cold here, and they're tired, and they're cold, and they just want to go home. And they're sort of waiting for the police to let them go.

What they've been protesting all day, of course, is this hike in tuition fees that have just about tripled. They say that's too much and there'll be too much debt to take on to go to university. And what's interesting is a lot of these students are high school students, and they say that they're here with the support of their parents and the permission of their teachers to show that all their families and communities are against these tuition hikes.

So, the question is, is the government going to listen now?

HARRIS: Yes, that is the question.

And Atika, do you get a sense that there are more protests to come on this issue?

SHUBERT: Yes. The students say that there will be more protests. And it's important to point out it's not just London where we've seen protests -- Manchester, Liverpool. A lot of these cities have also had protests.

There's occupation of university buildings, so there's all kind of protests happening. And the students have said they are still planning for more to come in this month and in the next, and they'll continue to have these protests until the government changes its policies on tuition fees.

The only thing is the government says it cannot afford to continue paying the way it has, that it's going to press ahead with these budget cuts despite these protests.

HARRIS: And that's what austerity looks like, budget cuts and protests.

Atika Shubert for us in London.

Atika, good to see you. Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you.

Let's go "Cross Country" right now, stories our affiliates are covering today.

Authorities in Riverside County, California, ripped down a makeshift homeless camp. A group of homeless people had built the shelter in a dry creek bed. County officials say that's dangerous because a little rain can turn the creek bed into a raging river.

A man walks into Antonio's Pizza in Amherst, Massachusetts -- have you heard this? -- and orders 148 pies. That's $4,000 in pizza.

He claimed he was with Bob Dylan's tour, not that farfetched because Dylan had played in town the night before. The prankster never came back for the pizzas. Nobody got the phone number or a deposit.

And the FBI raids three investment firms in Connecticut and Massachusetts this week. Lawyers with knowledge of the investigation say the sweeps are a precursor to a massive insider trading case against hedge funds. They say charges are expected to be filed by the end of the year.

The CNN Help Desk tackles investing for folks who have never done it, and what to do if you lost money when Lehman Brothers went bankrupt.

Here's Stephanie Elam.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Time now for the Help Desk, where we get answers to your financial questions.

Joining me this hour, Carmen Wong Ulrich is a personal finance author, and Ryan Mack is the president of Optimum Capital Management.

Thanks for being here today, guys.

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Thank you.

ELAM: All right. The first question is coming to us from Latoya in Illinois, who writes, "After identifying the company I want to invest in, what are the procedures for actually investing my money in them? Do I invest through a bank, Web site, person, et cetera?"

She's, like, what do I do here, Carmen?

CARMEN WONG ULRICH, PERSONAL FINANCE AUTHOR: OK. First of all, please promise me that this is play money, this is at least five percent or less of your overall investment when you're talking about an individual stock.

This is a really high-risk thing to do, but if you do want to do that, and you want to do a little research, too, but you don't want to pay too much online, you have to balance the research and how deep the research is that you want access to, versus the costs. There are a lot of low-cost sites. I want her to go to an online broker, basically.

Now, like, Fidelity.com, lots of great research, but very expensive. So, if you're going to trade often, very pricey.

But sites like eTrade or Schwab have a lot of research and lower prices. And if you really are looking for a discount broker, something like TradeKing can help, especially if she's just looking to invest in this one company and not trade very often. So, do your research, go to all these sites, and basically see which one is going to work best for you.

ELAM: For what you want to do.

ULRICH: What you want to do.

ELAM: All right. Good.

Our next question coming to us from Hank, who writes, "I have Lehman Brothers bonds. Will I ever get any of my money back?"

Brian, this is a question because Lehman Brothers is no longer with us.

MACK: Right. Well, there are people trying to sue right now in order to get the values of those bonds right now from individuals who sold them those bonds. So, most likely, no. But you have to understand how -- (VIDEO GAP).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines the concussion crisis in football from the pros on down. In the final part of his special series, "Head Games," Sanjay interviews a former NFL star paying a severe price for years of hard hits.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, the long-term impact that people are talking about is this sort of dementia problem, and almost an Alzheimer's-like disease.

Look, there's about one concussion per game on average in the NFL. And the question that a lot of researchers have been asking is, what is it doing to the brain over the long run?

And what they find is some players develop a sort of constellation of symptoms. They have memory problems, they have depression, they have rage. But then it progresses for some of them into this dementia state.

We learned about this through the story of one particular player.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice play there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh! He got drilled in the thigh.

GUPTA (voice-over): They are thrilling --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Delivered the blow. Came in with a stinger.

GUPTA: -- and terrifying. Watch a football game and you can't miss them -- the hits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, dropped.

GUPTA: But what is the real impact? What is happening to the players' brains?

(on camera): How many times did you take a hard hit playing football?

FRED MCNEILL, FORMER NFL LINEBACKER: There was one time when I had a real serious concussion. And it was so serious, that I was dizzy for, like, you know -- for, like, two or three weeks.

GUPTA (voice-over): Thirty years ago, Fred McNeill was a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings. He played for 12 seasons and in two Super Bowls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Takes a big shot!

GUPTA: Relentlessly hitting opponents was his job.

MCNEILL: You got to be able the move, right?

GUPTA (on camera): Right.

(voice-over): No question McNeill is robust physically.

MCNEILL: Then you can control it.

GUPTA: But you can tell his brain has paid a price.

(on camera): What has it done to you?

MCNEILL: Well, impact is on memory. I meet people, and they talk about the conversation that we had, you know, two weeks ago or three weeks ago, or a month ago, or whatever. And I don't remember.

GUPTA: If we saw each other again, would you remember me?

MCNEILL: Sanjay, I don't know. When I started out --

GUPTA (voice-over): The not knowing, it happens often.

There was also rage --

TIA MCNEILL, FRED MCNEILL'S WIFE: It got to where I would say things that really shouldn't upset him, and he would get angry really quick. His temper was very short.

GUPTA: -- followed by remorse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that was the biggest thing for my dad. He felt like it was all his fault.

GUPTA: It wasn't, but there was no doubt he was different.

T. MCNEILL: There was a moment where I realized I wasn't living with the person that I knew and married.

GUPTA: No one seemed to know what was happening to Fred McNeill until reports about other former NFL players who had been through similar issues. Like McNeill, they had memory problems, rage issues, and depression. Most disturbing, all died young.

Could concussions, the common denominator, be to blame?

(on camera): Is that a little bit different on this side?

(voice-over): Researchers at Boston University Medical School are looking deep into the brain and spinal cord of former athletes to find out. What they are seeing is startling.

This is a normal brain. This one, a 45-year-old former NFL player.

See the brown tangles? That's brain damage. It looks a lot like this 70-year-old brain with dementia.

DR. ANN MCKEE, NEUROLOGIST, BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: To see the kind of changes we are seeing in 45-year-olds is basically unheard of.

GUPTA: It's called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. And here's the kicker -- those changes are directly associated with rage, memory problems and depression.

MCNEILL: I was actually considering not living. I was actually considering that.

GUPTA (on camera): You wanted to end your life?

MCNEILL: Yes. I was just thinking it would be so much easier.

And then it's coming back --

GUPTA (voice-over): Today is better.

MCNEILL: I feel really good. I mean, I could run around this park right now.

GUPTA: But McNeill is still worried about himself and other players.

MCNEILL: It's happened to me and it's happened to other players, and it's coming from the concussions and the impact that players have had playing football.

GUPTA: An impact that may be lasting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Well, Tony, it is hard to see Fred McNeill like that. We've checked back in on him and he is doing better today, but all the symptoms he was just describing, he believes, are due to concussions. We did reach out to the NFL, as well, about Mr. McNeill and other players like him. They released this statement, saying, "What we're trying to prevent is multiple concussions without recovery. We know there are long-term effects of concussion, but they have not yet been fully characterized. The whole goal of the NFL is when in doubt, sit them out and let them recover so there are no long-term effects."

Look, this is an emerging science, Tony. In fact, that particular lab, they've examined 16 brains so far, 15 of them have shown the changes you just saw there. One of them in someone as young as 18 years old. So, a lot more, Tony, in the years to come on this particular issue.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Terrific stuff. Sanjay, appreciate it. Thank you.

You know, your paycheck is likely to shrink a bit in 2011, thanks to an expiring tax credit. Our CNN Money folks will tell you how much you could actually lose. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Why don't we do this? Let's get a market check, three hours into the trading day and we've got a nice rally. I think we might be slightly off session highs, but not by much.

Look at this -- triple-digit gains we're looking at right now, the Dow up 136 points. I'll check this with Carter in a second, and I believe the NASDAQ is up by about 40, 45 points.

What is a way of tax credit that actually boosts most of your paychecks is expiring at the end of the year. CNNMoney.com's Carter Evans is joining me from the NASDAQ in New York.

Carter, good to see you. What does that mean for you and me?

CARTER EVANS, CNNMONEY.COM: OK. Well, what it means for a lot of people is that they're going to see less money in their paychecks starting next year. This is called the making work pay tax credit. This has nothing to do, by the way, with the Bush tax cuts that everyone has been talking about for so long.

HARRIS: Right.

EVANS: This was part of the stimulus. And what it did was it allowed for a little less money to be withheld from each paycheck. About 90 percent of Americans benefitted from this tax credit.

HARRIS: So, who will be hit the hardest, Carter?

EVANS: OK. All right, let me break this down for you.

HARRIS: OK. EVANS: Here's how it goes. This was a $400 tax credit if you're single, $800 if you're married.

Here's how it kind of all breaks down, though. It was a monthly tax credit. These were money that was not taken out of your paycheck. It broke down to about $37 a month if you're single, about $67 if you're married.

But here's how it all breaks down -- it impacts the middle class most of all. Take a look at this -- if you're making $50,000 and you're single, you're going to get $400 less in your paycheck next year. For instance, I mean, basically what's going to happen is Uncle Sam is going to take $400 more out.

HARRIS: Right.

EVANS: If you're married, it's going to cost you even more. It's going to cost you about $800.

Now, the tax credit kind of phases out when you get up into the six-figure area.

HARRIS: Right.

EVANS: It phases out completely after $150,000. But a lot of people are not going to be hurt by this, Tony, and again, it has nothing to do with the Bush tax cuts everybody is talking about.

HARRIS: Right.

EVANS: This will, kind of, slip right under the radar. There is an effort by some in Congress to extend it right now. But, you know, they're all going to go on break soon, it's not looking so good.

HARRIS: Wow. I think you're right. That -- folks are going to feel that and let's see if we can gin up a little conversation about that in the days to come.

Carter, good to see you. Thank you, sir. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

EVANS: Happy Thanksgiving to you.

HARRIS: Appreciate it.

One of the hottest toys of the season make you sound and look like a rock star even if you don't know how to play an instrument. Is that right, Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Closest how I ever get to being a rock star, Tony.

HARRIS: Are you going to do this right here?

LEVS: I'm going to show you how it works.

HARRIS: OK.

LEVS: Plus, the best toys for kids of all ages, including us, that's just seconds away.

HARRIS: Stand by for craziness.

LEVS: I love this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK, Josh. So what is it exactly that you're wielding there? And don't hurt yourself.

LEVS: Check this out. Check my finger next here. Not bad, huh? It kind of slightly seems like I'm actually doing this.

HARRIS: Wait, you're playing "Sweet Home Alabama" on that thing?

LEVS: See --

HARRIS: Really?

LEVS: You know, if I had any idea what I was doing with my fingers right now --

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: Some might believe you're actually playing that, but you're not.

LEVS: This is one of the hottest toys of the season and we have a whole spread for you up at CNN.com/holidayshopping. I got some video for you up there as well. And choose through all these fun toys.

We've got these things called thingamajigs this year. This is Princess Dolls (ph). I talked with an expert there about what's good for people of different ages and it's all up on the blog at CNN.com/Josh.

We have a very short break coming up right now, which means I can bring this to Tony and let's see what he does with it when we get back.

HARRIS: Let's work it out. Thank you very much.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Was that OK? Was that OK?

LEVS: That was really -- you're nailing "Sweet Home Alabama."

HARRIS: That was good.

LEVS: I know.

HARRIS: I like this.

LEVS: For $25.

HARRIS: And this is one of the hottest selling toys?

LEVS: One of the hottest selling toys of the year. Black Friday, they're going to go like crazy. (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: All right. I made it looked like something, huh?

LEVS: Yes. You did. Yes. We took some videos and we'll put them on the blog.

HARRIS: No, we won't.

LEVS: All right.

HARRIS: OK. Let's get to Brooke -- a new dancing star and a star's new baby, two big stories in the world of entertainment.

Brooke Anderson, host of HLN's --

BROOKE ANDERSON, HOST, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I think you have some skills, Tony, on the guitar.

HARRIS: Was that OK? Was that OK?

ANDERSON: Yes. I heard you during the commercial break. It sounded great.

Yes, but let's talk about "Dancing with She stars."

HARRIS: Oh, perfect. Perfect.

ANDERSON: Because, Tony, we've been talking about this a lot. And, you know, common sense prevailed among the viewers last night.

After weeks of twists, turns, controversies and conspiracy theories, the winner of "Dancing with the Stars" is the superior dancer, Jennifer Grey, the former "Dirty Dancing" star -- really out danced Disney star Kyle Massey. He was quite the entertainer, I loved him. Jennifer also sent teen mom Bristol Palin back to Alaska.

"Showbiz Tonight" was right there backstage after the show. Bristol told us she's relieved it's all over and she had one last message for all those fans that kept voting for her. Listen to what she says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRISTOL PALIN, DANCING WITH THE STARS CONTESTANT: I'm very grateful for the people that did vote for us and kept us through this whole time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: All right, Tony, it should be noted that Jennifer Grey is 50 years old.

HARRIS: Oh, yes.

ANDERSON: Her two closest competitors are more than half her age. Kyle Massey, 19. Bristol, 20. And Jennifer Grey was also struggling with injuries, dancing through a whole lot of pain. So, congratulations to her. It's impressive.

HARRIS: Yes, yes. Nifty 50.

And one other item here, Brooke. John Travolta's baby -- some long-awaited good news for the Travolta family.

ANDERSON: Fantastic news for John Travolta and his family, Tony. "Showbiz Tonight" has just confirmed that 56-year-old John and his wife, 48-year-old Kelly Preston, have welcomed a brand new baby boy. His name is Benjamin. Benjamin weighed eight pounds, three ounces -- a very healthy, good size was born Tuesday in a Florida hospital.

Their rep tells "Showbiz Tonight" this: "John, Kelly and their daughter Ella Bleu are ecstatic and very happy about the newest member of the family. Both mother and baby are healthy and doing beautifully."

The couple's daughter Ella Bleu whom they mentioned is 10 years old. You may remember their son Jett died after a seizure at age 16. That was in early 2009. It was very tragic.

So, Tony, this family has been dealing with a whole lot of heartaches since Jett died. So, this is wonderful news.

HARRIS: Yes.

ANDERSON: Nothing like a new baby to bring happiness and healing.

HARRIS: Just in time for the holidays.

Brooke, good to see you. Speaking of which, happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

If you want information on anything breaking in the world of entertainment, Brooke's got it for you this evening on "Showbiz Tonight." That's at 5:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A lucky bird today at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As president of the United States, you are hereby pardoned -- (END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Two turkeys named Apple and Cider granted a presidential pardon from the chopping block. President Obama spared the birds at a ceremony held this morning in the Rose Garden. It's been a Thanksgiving tradition for how long at the White House -- well, since George H..W. Bush was in office. They'll spend the rest of the days at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens.

Congress gets ready to take up gays in the military.

Candy Crowley, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the political desk in Washington. What a treat this is.

Candy, good to see you. What's crossing right now?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple of things right now. "Don't ask, don't tell," as you mentioned. The repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" still very much in the hopper on Capitol Hill. The Pentagon expected to put out its report on how the military views this. Now, a lot of Republican critics have said this was not a study on whether it would harm the military to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, this was really a study on how to do it.

So what we now have is, we're going to get that report early next week and the Senate Armed Services Committee says that it will hold hearings about that report. They are bound to be really interesting hearings next week. We will have, among others, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen. He is for lifting "don't ask, don't tell." Also, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be there too, and he's also for it.

The other topic that I found really fascinating out there is, as you know, President Obama has given an interview to Barbara Walters over at ABC. It's going to show up on Friday. And in it she talked to him about Sarah Palin because Sarah Palin has said recently that she thinks she could beat President Obama, although she couldn't if the election were today because our polls all show she's about eight points behind.

So, Barbara Walters asked the president about Sarah Palin. And he said, listen, she obviously has a big base in the Republican Party, so I admire those skills. But I really don't think about her much. So that puts him in that group of people who don't. He said he's sort of concentrating on being the best president he can.

HARRIS: Yes.

CROWLEY: And finally, I wanted to point out to our folks a story that's on there by one of our senior producers, Kevin Bond. We spend so much time in the past couple of weeks talking about all of these new incoming freshmen and what they're going to do and Kevin takes a look at two of the departing congressmen who were defeated, James Oberstar from Minnesota, Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania. Kind of gets their take. So it's a nostalgic look. But also some kind of dire projections. Both of them saying they really don't see Congress working together as so many voters said they might want to do. They think, in fact, it's now more divided.

HARRIS: Well, Candy, what do you think of that? What do you see for the next Congress?

CROWLEY: Well, listen, I think there will be things that this Congress can, in fact, agree upon. But I think they'll be around the edges of things.

HARRIS: Right.

CROWLEY: I think both parties are looking for ways to cut some of the spending. I think there will be some spending cut, but it won't be the big, broad things we need because that's where all the divisions are. I think that they will find some things to do on alternative energy policy, because I think both parties can come together on something, but it won't be the big, broad energy reform. And I think they might be able to do something about immigration, but I think chances are quite small that a huge reform of the immigration system is going to happen in the next two years because, you know what, Tony, the presidential election of 2012 has already started.

HARRIS: Oh, yes.

Miss Candy Crowley, host of "State Of The Union." Boy, a terrific show. Weekends here on CNN.

Candy, good to see you. Thank you.

CROWLEY: Thanks.

HARRIS: Your next political update coming in one hour. For the latest political news, you know where to go, at cnnpolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: With the holiday season upon us, it is a great time to stop and give thanks for family, friends and for our country. As always, we're asking you what America means to you. It is a segment we call "My America Is." Here's what some of you are saying to us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My America is a melting pot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My America is very blessed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hope for the future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes you have to work for that a little bit harder than normal, but you still -- you know, you still have an opportunity to be yourself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they put the effort, they can make something of themselves. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For those of us that have resources and an imagination, you can do whatever you like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just staying (INAUDIBLE). You seen my (INAUDIBLE). You know, the economy is messed up and still out here looking for a job. You know that's how we got to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My America to me it looks real good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My America is a country with a lot of potential. I don't think we've peaked yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know people say it's hard times. But I don't really see it, you know, because I've been through hard times. These are easy times for me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: We want to hear you about your America. Hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. I'm really getting into this tweeting business here. About two years late, right? Or my blog at cnn.com/tony. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: If it is hot on the web, we are tracking it for you. Sandra Endo is in Washington with what's trending.

And, Sandy, a tough night, right, for Bristol Palin on "Dancing With The Stars" and a really hard-fought win for Jennifer Gray. Maybe you can share with us what some of the fans are saying about last night's results.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's hugely trending today, Tony. All of the talk is about the finale of "Dancing With The Stars." And as you mentioned, Bristol Palin did not win. She actually came in third. But the big winner of the night, Jennifer Gray. A crowd favorite early on and the 50-year-old star beat out her two young competitors and Twitter is all abuzz about her win. Let's take a look at some of the tweets today.

Coming from kellizinc (ph), of course, this famous phrase, "nobody puts baby in the corner. Congrats to Jennifer Gray."

Another one from toisfesoc (ph). "Of course Jennifer Gray would win "Dancing With The Stars. She did "Dirty Dancing" people. That alone guaranteed a win."

And a favorite of mine and some other people here. From chipbrock (ph). "Jennifer Gray edging out Bristol Palin in "Dancing With The Stars. I can see "Dirty Dancing" from my house." So people having fun with it today, yes.

HARRIS: Yes, that is a -- we all understand and get that reference. Good stuff, Sandy.

ENDO: Yes, that's right. And I think I heard you say, Tony, that you are just getting into Facebook?

HARRIS: No, no, it's Twitter.

ENDO: Oh, OK.

HARRIS: I've been on the Facebook for a while now, but the whole Twitter thing is starting -- yes, it's starting to really resonate with me.

ENDO: I was going to say, come join the party, OK.

HARRIS: Yes, I'm joining the party.

ENDO: OK. Well, Facebook is actually flexing its muscle. The widely popular social networking site is trade marking the term "face." So that means other websites or online communication platforms should stay away from trying to use the word "face" for their brand. For example, the first big fight over the name was back in 2005 when a British site wanted to put up faceparty.com. Well, Facebook had to buy them out. Yes.

HARRIS: You know what? I'd like to get in at 2.0. Let all the kids mess with 1.0 and let me get in at 2.0 when they've worked out all the bugs.

ENDO: That's right.

HARRIS: Sandy, good to see you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

ENDO: You, too.

HARRIS: As millions flood airports, many -- well, I don't know if it's many -- some certainly are grumbling. See why some frequent fliers actually go on runs to rack up the miles despite the hassles of flying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From Nashville to Atlanta. Atlanta to Seattle. Seattle to Detroit. Detroit to Houston. Houston to Atlanta. Atlanta to Seattle. Seattle to Detroit. Detroit to Nashville. And then I drive home from Nashville.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Frequent flyers rack up thousands of miles despite the hassles of air travel. Poppy Harlow shows us how the system actually works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How many miles have you flown in your life?

RANDY PETERSEN, FOUNDER, FLYERTALK: I raised my hand, 17 million. HARLOW: What?

PETERSEN: Yes, 17 million.

HARLOW: Didn't George Clooney fly like a million in "Up In The Air"?

PETERSEN: He's ain't got nothing on me.

HARLOW (voice-over): Imagine flying for fun. Sounds crazy to most given the delays, cancellations and security hassles. But to some, like Randy Peterson, it's well worth it to rack up the miles on so- called mileage runs.

PETERSEN: A mileage run is really just a mechanism to do one of two things, earn the most miles for the cheapest amount of money and then you take those miles and redeem them for something really valuable later on.

RICK SEANEY, CEO, FARECOMPARE.COM: You want to go from point a to point b, but you want to go in as most roundabout fashion as you possibly can, leave in the morning, hop all around, pick up 10 or 15 thousand miles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take Nashville to Atlanta. Atlanta to Seattle. Seattle to Detroit. Detroit to Houston. Houston to Atlanta. Atlanta to Seattle. Seattle to Detroit. Detroit to Nashville. And then I drive home from Nashville.

HARLOW: On flyertalk.com people post the search for the cheapest mileage runs with the most miles.

BARBARA KESSLER, FREQUENT FLIER: We are flyer talkers.

HARLOW: Barbara Kessler is a self-employed attorney who flies, well, just for the sake of flying and racks up hudnreds of thousands of miles a year.

KESSLER: Some people like to go shopping all day. I will go to California for lunch and meet friends. I went to Disneyland and met friends and spent the day at Disneyland.

HARLOW (on camera): One day?

KESSLER: Yes.

HARLOW (voice-over): Kessler even flies from New York City to Hawaii more than she goes on midtown Manhattan, just 20 blocks from her apartment. The key, experts say, is playing less than 2 cents per mile and redeeming them for much more.

But with hefty mileage bonuses from credit card offers, the currency of sorts is being devalued and award tickets can be harder to come by. But the perks are still here.

SEANEY: If you like to travel you know and get upgraded. If you want to be the first person to board the plane so you can have some bin space, that's where miles come in. Do you have to be rich to be a flyer talker?

UNIDENTIFIED TRAVELER: Not at all. I've seen places that I could not afford. I've stayed for weeks in Paris for less than seven Euros.

UNIDENTIFIED TRAVELER: I've been to the great wall of china. I've been to the ballet in Moscow. I've been on safari in South Africa, and I've eaten shrimp on the barbie in Australia all because of miles.

HARLOW: Not bad, if you don't mind the long journey getting there. In New York, Poppy Harlow reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Let's get you to 35,000 feet right now. CNN NEWSROOM continues with T.J. Holmes.

How was that? Was that alright?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: I don't even know what that means.

HARRIS: That was air tight and butter fresh.

HOLMES: I don't even know what to do now.

HARRIS: Oh, just rock it. Do you know what time, T.J.?

HOLMES: All right, we're eating tomorrow - 1:30

HARRIS: All right I'm there.