Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Terrorist Plot In Portland, Oregon, Foiled By FBI; Frantic Shoppers Leave One Man Injured; Protests Break Out In South Korea Over Recent North Korean Aggression; Financial Experts Give Advice On Travel; Salman Rushdie Discusses His New Book; Woman Seeks Out Restorative Breast Surgery After Mastectomy
Aired November 27, 2010 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A controversial author is back in a big way. This hour my face to face conversation with Salman Rushdie, who has a message for your kids.
And coming up at 3:00 eastern time, an Australian Thanksgiving, one man mistakenly included in one family's dinner plans makes the 26-hour trip to the table. He'll join us live.
And we're serving up a counterfeit Christmas in our 4:00 eastern hour to see just how many fakes are flooding into the country, and they might end up under your tree.
You're in the CNN newsroom where the news unfolds live this Saturday, November 27th. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Our top story. We're getting new information now about the Somali born teenager accused of trying to explode a bomb during a crowded tree lighting ceremony in Portland. The suspect is identified as Mohamed Osman Mohamud. The FBI says the 19-year-old wanted to kill or injure as many people at a holiday gathering as possible.
But officials say the public was never in danger. The explosives were fake thanks to an undercover operation designed to undermine the plotter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. PETE SIMPSON, PORTLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT: There was no danger to the public at all last night. The device was an inert or fake device. The suspect only believed it was real. Nobody was around the area when it happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Let's bring in Tom Fuentes, a CNN contributor and former assistant director of the FBI. He's joining me on the phone from Fairfax, Virginia. Tom, according to new details released in an FBI affidavit, Mohammad specifically mentioned Oregonians not being worried about terror attacks in their own backyard. Is this a new terror dynamic?
TOM FUENTES, FORMER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FBI (via telephone): Certainly it's different than what we have seen in most of the major plans before, although we have had other plans including Dallas, Texas, Springfield, Illinois, other areas, so this is not the first of its kind in a smaller area that's not New York City or Washington, D.C.
WHITFIELD: So the key, tom, here was this operative, this FBI undercover agent or perhaps even more than one, mentioned that in this affidavit, it claims that according to this FBI operative that Mohammad said he was looking for a, quote, "huge mass that will be attacked in their own element with their families celebrating the holidays."
And apparently he went on to say, "It's in Oregon. And in Oregon, like you know, nobody ever thinks about it." So this kind of eyewitness account, or this operative saying this is exactly what Mohammad said, this will be used against him clearly in the court of law, but how might this kind of information help in trying to foil the attack?
FUENTES: It helps in that it indicates for sure that that's where he wanted to attack and what his plan was, that he did not actually deviate from that plan from the beginning. So starting with his e- mails to Pakistan last December, his first contacts with undercover agents in July and continuing until last night, from the beginning he indicates that he wants to attack that event, a particular tree lighting ceremony.
And even when undercover agents tell him that there will be children there with their families, he's undeterred, that that's fine with him. He says let's go ahead and kill and injure as many as possible at that event.
WHITFIELD: And this allegedly being said by a 19-year-old. So what does this tell you about the use of teenagers or going or pursuing, you know, young people to now be part of these potential terror plots?
FUENTES: Well, that's not unusual. We have 19-year-olds in our military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. So I think that the age in this context is not a problem.
WHITFIELD: Tom Fuentes, former assistant director of the FBI, thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.
FUENTES: You're welcome Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right now to the growing tensions on the Korean peninsula. The flash point, a South Korean island shelled by North Korean artillery this week. The focus today shifting to South Korea's capital of Seoul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: What's happening here? An angry group of South Korean military veterans clashed with riot police. They're demanding a stronger response to the shelling that killed four South Koreans.
U.S. security officials are bracing for the worst. The whistle blowing website WikiLeaks plans to publish thousands of confidential documents cables that could reveal U.S. negotiating positions and secret intelligence.
A source tells CNN the State Department is reviewing every diplomatic document sent between 2006 and 2009. A top Pentagon official says WikiLeaks is creating an extremely dangerous situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: What I don't think those who are in charge WikiLeaks understand is we live in a world where just a little bitty piece of information can be added to a network of information and really open up an understanding that just wasn't there before.
So it continues to be extremely dangerous, and I would hope that those who are responsible for this would at some point in time think about the responsibility they have for lives that they're exposing and the potential that's there and stop leaking this information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The material could be released at any time, and the United States has already begun alerting nations around the world about the possible leak. You can watch the entire interview with Admiral Mike Mullen on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. eastern and pacific.
Some early bird shoppers got more than they bargained for on black Friday. A man had to be rushed to the hospital after getting trampled trying to enter a Target store in Buffalo, New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Keith Krantz, he's down on the ground there, you can see him pinned against a door support. Shoppers are stepping all over him. They're saying that he ended up with a herniated disc.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH KRANTZ, INJURED SHOPPER: At that moment, I was thinking I don't want to die here on the ground. That's exactly what I thought. I see it as a little absurd. I don't think it's worth standing out there all night to get trampled or trample somebody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Target officials said in response they planned well in advance of black Friday, continually analyzing and finalizing those plans and will do so in this case.
So if you still do have to go shopping, don't worry, there are plenty of deals out there and a lot of people say they plan to take advantage of them in a very safe manner. Our Sandra Endo is with shoppers in Virginia. Are the stores full of people?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's pretty busy here, Fred. At the Macy's people are opening up their wallets. And take a look at these deals. Right here in the men's clothing section, 65 percent of the original price with an extra 20 percent off for jeans, $40 with an extra 20 percent off, right here, another shirt for $19.99.
There are a lot of deals, that's what's luring out shoppers this Saturday after black Friday. But yesterday, throngs of people came out to shop and a national retail federation is anticipating that this year there will be a 2.3 percent increase in retail sales. So clearly, they are optimistic out here at the stores.
But shoppers, I have to say are eager to spend, but they're a little cautious about how they do things. So clearly we'll see the bottom line figures a little later on.
WHITFIELD: "Cautious" meaning they're trying to avoid using their credit cards or cash, or "cautious" meaning they don't want to overspend? What do you mean?
ENDO: We know that the recession was so painful for so many people. We're slowly seeing the economy turn around a little bit. A lot of people are saying they saved money so they have some spend. But they want to be careful about it, they paid down a lot of their debt, they're going to pay with cash instead of credit.
A huge a lot of people are online, comparison shopping, shopping online those deals. We know that cyber Monday is coming up, retailers could slash their prices again. And we understand there's going to be a nine percent to 16 percent increase in online shoppers this season as well.
WHITFIELD: Retailers are happy to hear their figures. Sandra Endo, thank you so much from Virginia, shopping there.
Perhaps you are going shopping this weekend or you're still thinking about it. If you do, you need to try to avoid being a Target for thieves. Keep your receipts in your wallet or purse, not in the bags apparently as well.
And here's some more tips -- spread your shopping over several days if you can so your car won't be unattended for long periods of time with all your newly purchased things inside. So if you want to unload your packages, try to lock them in the trunk of your vehicle, don't put them in your back seats. And if you have a lot more shopping to do, move your car to a different spot.
State Farm says it will be less of a target that way because onlookers will be thinking that you have simply left.
So do your holiday plans include airline travel perhaps? There are some things you need to know. Our personal finance experts the Dolans, Ken and Daria, right there from West Palm. They're going to be joining us to talk about flying, good ways and good deals for you to fly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, in addition to shopping for all those gifts, maybe you're shopping for a great airfare. You might go somewhere for the holiday season. If you have already made your reservations, there are things to do before you head to the airport just like there's things to do to find the best deal.
Our personal finance experts the Dolans are in West Palm Beach, Florida, with some advice. Good to see you. Happy Thanksgiving weekend.
KEN DOLAN, FINANCIAL ADVISER: Fredricka, speaking of travel, we're sending all of the extra turkey to your house.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Turkey sandwiches forever. Great to see you all. All right, so let's talk about gifts.
DARIA DOLAN, FINANCIAL ADVISER: He keeps saying I'm making a chicken salad sandwich.
WHITFIELD: Darn, so hard to please, huh?
(LAUGHTER)
KEN DOLAN: Fred, you were talking about people traveling, and a lot of people have already booked their airfare for the holidays, which is great. But keep in mind one thing which is critically important so you don't get disappointed when you're traveling with all of that stuff, and that is you can book 330 days in advance. However, the problem is --
DARIA DOLAN: So you can start planning for next Thanksgiving and Christmas.
KEN DOLAN: But the problem is, though, Fred, in that 330 day period, and even between now and Christmas, the airlines can make literally thousands and thousands of schedule changes. So don't say, I got my ticket, I'm OK, let's go to the airport.
DARIA DOLAN: You've got to keep tabs. Don't assume they're going to notify you.
KEN DOLAN: No.
WHITFIELD: Before you even get that far, how about when you're looking to find the best fare, you say there's actually a time of the week where you're going to get the best price?
KEN DOLAN: Yes.
DARIA DOLAN: Yes. You know 80 percent of all fare decreases, the fare sales, begin on a Tuesday morning.
WHITFIELD: Interesting.
DARIA DOLAN: But you should really wait until about 3:00 p.m. to check on a Tuesday.
KEN DOLAN: You are so sneaky.
DARIA DOLAN: Well, because 98 percent of all these fare discounts get matched by other airlines, but it takes them a few hours to get it under the gun. So consequently, you don't want to be too quick on that Tuesday morning fare sale because there may be a better airline for you.
A good way to check is a good friend of ours runs bestfares.com and it's a terrific Web site for that.
KEN DOLAN: Bestfares.com, very good, yes.
WHITFIELD: Wow. So then, say you are not just traveling alone, you're taking the whole family. You say there is some strategy that comes with buying airfare for more than one passenger. Tell us how that works.
KEN DOLAN: This is so -- this is something you won't hear anywhere else, and I'm so glad we have a chance to tell everybody, Fred. When you go on one of these online services, you say I'm traveling with my family, I've got four people. Very often that booking machine will go to the highest fare for that fourth person.
DARIA DOLAN: Because there may be only three cheaper seats available. So it's going to bypass the cheap seats and put you in the more expensive ones.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: But can't that happen where you're down to buying three individual tickets and now there isn't a fourth seat available on the plane?
KEN DOLAN: Sorry, see ya!
DARIA DOLAN: That's why you need to plan a little bit.
KEN DOLAN: That's why you need to plan in advance.
WHITFIELD: OK, now let's talk about family emergencies. A, you can't plan for them really, stuff happens. So what do you put in place as you embark upon your going out of town travels and at the same time build a safety net? DARIA DOLAN: Back before the TSA engaged in the proctological exams, you used to be able to find bereavement fares. But unfortunately that went the way of the do-do bird as well. Now they don't accommodate grieving or people that are rushing for a family emergency.
So be careful about even if you don't need a hotel, you may want to check not just airfares, because for example if you had to go from Dallas to San Francisco with two days notice, it's almost $1,100. But a package with a hotel would be $301 per person for the airfare. So check packages even though you may not need that hotel room.
KEN DOLAN: It may be worth checking.
WHITFIELD: And you say always keep that 1-800 number handy. It can come in handy so many different ways.
KEN DOLAN: We're sorry, the flight has been cancelled because of mechanical difficulties. Everybody line up, all 300 of you.
DARIA DOLAN: Put the airline number in your cell phone so that if there is a delay you don't have to stand in line with everybody else.
WHITFIELD: I have done that before. I see the line and folks are lining up, so you can get on the phone and you can make those changes and you're secure in your seat.
KEN DOLAN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: We have some people who have questions about their holiday travel. We'll see Ken and Daria Dolan right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The financial dynamic duo the Dolans will be right back answering your questions about travel and other questions. But first a quick look at the headlines.
Some peace has returned to Rio de Janeiro after a week of fighting turned that city into a warzone. At least 35 people died in the Brazilian city scheduled to host the 2016 summer Olympic Games. The fighting began when drug traffickers launched an attack to protest a government crackdown.
A marine reserve helping in a toys-for-tots drive was stabbed when he struggled with a shoplifting suspect. The marine was stabbed in the back, but is recovering from the wound. The accused shoplifter is accused of assault and armed robbery.
The staff of a Salvation Army thrift store helped rescue people after a roof collapsed. There was a frantic search for possible victims, but it turns everyone actually managed to escape.
All right, just as promised, our personal financial experts Ken and Daria Dolan are back to answer your questions. Victor asks this, he says "How far in advance must one make reservations in order to get the best deal?" We're talking about that airline travel. DARIA DOLAN: It's interesting because you can start searching around 330 days before your departure, but it really behooves you, even with that, keep checking as you get closer to the date, because there are some last-minute sales and such, you may find that by remaking a reservation, taking a penalty, it nets out to be cheaper in the long run.
WHITFIELD: Oh, really?
DARIA DOLAN: So when you're sure of your travel arrangements, for example, if you're going to make next summer vacation plans now, go ahead and book it if you're absolutely firm. But be aware there could be a price cut.
KEN DOLAN: Fred, before I forget, there's a big scandal going on, it's so hard to use your points. I've got a bunch of points but I can't get a seat. There's a very good website called seatguru.com where you can check the exact availability of seats on flights.
WHITFIELD: Really? So when you're paying for your flights, do you still have 24 hours to make a change? Some airline also let you use your credit card and pay for it and then you're able to change it within 24 hours?
KEN DOLAN: It depends on the airline. We have been on both sides of that. We do a fair amount of business travel, we speak all over the country, et cetera. I find that when you make it, it's made, and I have seen others where there's a little bit of a grace period.
DARIA DOLAN: I think that's going away as well. After all if they're charging you for each piece of luggage you check. They want the money. Next up, pay lavatories.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Everyone is worried about their debt, credit card debt or, you know, what their credit scores are, and all that good stuff. He is asking, "Is it always better to settle a delinquent debt, but does settle in full rate the same as paid in full on a credit report?"
KEN DOLAN: That's a great question. They are slightly different. Paid in full means that you -- it depends exactly how it's fully done. If in fact you have to do a settlement. And by the way, if you are forgiven more than $600 in debt by a credit card company, the credit card company must now file a 1099c with the IRS.
DARIA DOLAN: Which means you need to report it as income even though no money changed hands.
KEN DOLAN: Whether you settle the debt or pay off the debt late, it's still going to be on your credit report. But pay it off. The last thing you need is either the credit card company or the IRS tracing it.
DARIA DOLAN: Because you need to get that information closed on your credit report, which will then start to fall and then your credit score to rise again.
KEN DOLAN: It hits zero and then starts rebuilding.
WHITFIELD: And then one last bit of advice as people plan their holiday getaways, that was great on holiday travel, now as it pertains to hotels, you say finding the best rate means doing what?
DARIA DOLAN: Call the local hotel where you want to stay. Don't call the 800-number. The national number will give you the rack rate, whatever the universe of that hotel chain's rooms are selling for. It's the individual hotel that has the need to fill those beds and knows best what's full and what isn't.
KEN DOLAN: Don't forget, Fred, it's like an airplane. When that airplane takes off with that seat unsold, that seat can never be sold again. Once the sun comes up on that room where there was nobody sleeping in that bed, there's no selling that bed. Topeka has a special promotion, special for the holidays, call the local hotel and negotiate.
WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Ken and Daria Dolan, thanks so much, always so smart, making us all feel better about our money and our planning.
(LAUGHTER)
Happy thanksgiving weekend to you.
KEN DOLAN: Shopping next week, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Who's shopping?
DARIA DOLAN: See you next week, Fred.
KEN DOLAN: Bye, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, take care.
All right, after being fired from North Korea this week, guess who some veteran members of the South Korean military squared off with against today? Would you believe their own riot police? The details behind the irony next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The FBI says an attempted terrorist bombing in Oregon has been foiled. A 19-year-old U.S. naturalized citizen from Somalia is in an Oregon jail today. Mohamed Osman Mohamud has been charged with trying to blow up a van filled with explosives during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony last night in Portland.
The FBI says the explosives were fake thanks to an undercover operation designed to undermine the plotter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMPSON: There was no danger to the public at all last night, the device was an inert or fake decide the suspect believed was real. The arrest went down several blocks away, and nobody really was around the area when that happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The suspect is expected to appear in federal court in Portland on Monday.
Now to the rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. At issue, North Korea's deadly shelling of a South Korean island. The focus today shifted to South Korea's capital of Seoul.
An angry group of protesters, including some military veterans clashed with riot police. They're demanding a stronger response to that shelling that killed four South Koreans. CNN's Stan Grant was caught in the middle of a demonstration and then filed this report.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The protest has surged forward. They were hurling themselves at the police, and the police firing tear gas and charging back into the protesters. This is an indication of just how much tension there is on the streets of Seoul right now.
As you can see, they're starting to move behind me. We'll try to keep our distance here. As you can see, the pushing and shoving has started again. This is what the police have been guarding here to try to stop. We're in the middle and going to try to get out of here, because this can flare violently.
Let's try to get out of here. Let's try to get out of here. This is not going to be so for us. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
It's been quite confusing what has actually happened here today. Of course, violent scenes, lots of pushing and shoving, these protesters charging towards the police, the police charging back at them. Just look around here and you can see that we're talking about heavily armed riot squad.
These people are used to this type of protest, but this gives indication of just how much anger there is on the streets of Seoul right now. And just through in here, you can see the protesters themselves I think you can see one of them has taken his shirt off, the others wearing banners around their heads.
Now all the men have been pushed back up there against the wall and surrounded by police. All you can see are the heads, the black helmets of the police riot squad.
With the United States and South Korea about to begin this new war games in the Yellow Sea, and North Korea warning that that will take the whole Korean peninsula to the brink of war, and now that tension is spilling over onto the streets, more and more people angry, and more and more people demanding that the South Korean government take a tougher line and move in harder against North Korea. And here over here you can see the protest as they're starting to disperse. Calm is being restored right now, but as you can see this is a situation that is fluid and could always explode again at any minute.
Stan Grant, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about black Friday. And in more ways than one, that was very much the case in Dayton, Ohio. The power went out at a Dayton mall, turning black Friday into blackout Friday. Some stores operated on battery power. After about a half an hour, the power was back on and the frantic shopping resumed, much to the delight of folks who had been waiting. They finished their turkey and all that good stuff and the trimmings and they want to get out there.
(WEATHER BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Salman Rushdie's frightening new tale. Find out what it is and why it's thrilling readers around the world. That's coming u on "Face to Face" after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Renowned writer Salman Rushdie is now living a full and very public life. After he wrote "The Satanic Verses" in 1989, Iran put out a fatwa for his death. He spent nearly a decade in hiding. And during that period he wrote a children's book about the dangers of storytelling.
Now he's penned a sequel. "Luca and the Fire of Life" takes the reader on a dangerous journey into the world of magic. When I talked to the author, I asks why he chose to use such scary characters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: In this children's book, you talk about 12, 13, maybe that's the ideal age group that you were thinking of, but it does need to be a sophisticated young reader, the language, you've got these very imaginative characters. And they are kind of frightening in terms of, like, the jaguar man.
SALMAN RUSHDIE, AUTHOR: Yes, but frightening is good. There's no kids out there dressing up as Luke Skywalker. They're all dressing up as Darth Vader. I think it's a fun fairy tale.
WHITFIELD: Where did you get these darks from? I mean the Bear, you know, named "Dog" and the dog named "Bear," and they talk?
RUSHDIE: This is just the crazy stuff in my head, I'm afraid. That's the truthful answer. And although I came originally from end India, and grew up in India, you are surrounded by the black tales, so you grow up in a world of fabulous stories. And that gave me a kind, if you like of a heritage to draw on. And there's wonderful animal stories for instance. WHITFIELD: And you have a great love or respect for animals because the animals play a very significant role.
RUSHDIE: One of the things you have in India is a whole storehouse of fantastic animal tales. In this case there's a dog and a bear and a coyote who plays an important role. There's shape-shifting dragons and there's a lot of creatures, and it was great fun to do.
WHITFIELD: Do you mind reading a little bit?
RUSHDIE: This is one of the bad guys.
WHITFIELD: That's when I thought. This is kind of scary for a kid, isn't it?
RUSHDIE: Scary is good. "He was a man of hair and anger, his locks stood out from his head like wrathful orange serpents. His beard stuck out in all directions like the rays of an ill-tempered sun. A man of eyebrows which curled upwards and outwards above a pair of glaring black eyes, and a man also of ear hair -- long stiff, crimson strands of ear hair that corkscrewed out from both those fleshy organs of hearing."
WHITFIELD: I can almost hear the chorus of kids saying ewe.
RUSHDIE: That's comedy writing, whoever you're writing it for. These days there's a lot of very interesting fiction being written which has what double effect. The most famous example is the Harry potter books. And books like "The Golden Compass" are also like that.
WHITFIELD: So are you hoping for similar journey, a second book, a movie?
RUSHDIE: A video game, the whole thing. They're having conversations about both things right now. And you know what Hollywood is like, now that they're two books, they're more interested than when there was one, because they also want a property that can be extended.
WHITFIELD: Did you find this was a cathartic experience for you, because you're thinking about a different audience, even through some of your other books have that magical realism.
RUSHDIE: I don't know about cathartic, but it was really fun. It's a bit like letting your hair down, such hair as remains. But it was a very enjoyable experience and sometimes writing adult fiction is a little less enjoyable.
But also what happened with the first one and I know what will happen with this is the response from readers, what you get back from younger readers is just wonderful because they're very originally truthful. I remember getting a letter from a girl last time around who asked me various questions and then says, "Please write back at once, because when I grow up I'm going to be a world leader."
And I wrote right back to this girl because I felt she was going to be president any second. (END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A very comedic Salman Rushdie. He also opens up about that fatwa against his life and all those years he spent in hiding. My face to face conversation with the author continues next hour after 3:00 eastern time.
Next week I talk to Katherine Schwarzenegger face to face. She's the 20-year-old daughter of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver. Her new book is called "Rock what you've Got, Secrets to Loving your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone who's been there and back." The book gives young women advice on how to develop a healthy self-image. I asked her about her advice for kids today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: What's your advice for people in middle school, high school, even in college who are dealing with this whole new element of bullying, cyber bullying, and they feel they can't get away from it because the minute they get to their dorms or their rooms at home, they log on and it's there, it's followed them home.
KATHERINE SCHWARZENEGGER, DAUGHTER OF GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: I know when I was in high school, it was my first experience be Facebook, it was when it came on to the scene and I noticed that when I was on Facebook, I would always get in arguments with someone, and if I had a picture where I had my arm around someone, someone would get mad. So I got rid of Facebook in high school because it really wasn't worth all the fighting I was getting into. I was like a weird alien that I didn't have Facebook.
WHITFIELD: That didn't make you feel excluded?
SCHWARZENEGGER: No, because I realized I wasn't getting in as many arguments and fights with people as when I had Facebook.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Face to face next weekend right here in the CNN newsroom.
All right, tracking tornadoes is far more than just the thrill of the chase. CNN's Gary Tuchman has more in his "Edge of Discovery" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One-hundred-mile-per-hour winds, flying debris, and hail bigger than golf balls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shield your eyes.
TUCHMAN: Just some of the everyday dangers of storm chasing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have been hit by debris, trees, one time I had my window blown out.
REED TIMMER: We're looking at different ways of using technology to track these storms and get data that's never been acquired before.
TUCHMAN: In hopes of better understanding how storms form and move, the team uses these radar probes that are equipped with GPS.
TIMMER: We basically get in the path of tornado, drop the unit on the ground, and then let the tornado go overhead.
TUCHMAN: Most cars would get crushed by any flying debris. That's why Timmer and team travel in a car that looks more like a tank. It's called "The Dominator" and it's got protective windows and a protective shell.
TIMMER: The whole goal from this research is to save lives.
TUCHMAN: Standing up to Mother Nature's fury, it's the team's hope we can learn to predict tornadoes in the future.
Gary Tuchman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, time for a "CNN = Politics" update. Here's what's crossing the Ticker right now.
President Barack Obama is sporting a fat lip today after catching an elbow during a post Thanksgiving Day basketball game. The president need 12 stitches to close the gash on his lower lip, as you see right there. They used more stitches than usual to make sure the president has a smaller scar, they said.
And Sarah Palin continues her book tour today with a stop in Des Moines. The inclusion of Iowa has some looking ahead to a possible 2012 run where Iowa is traditionally the first contest.
GOP strategist Karl Rove is marveling at that strategy. He says Palin's book tour is critical to winning over voters in places like Iowa who like to get up close and personal with their candidates.
How far would you travel for turkey and stuffing? How about 26 hours. Coming up in our next hour, you'll meet one Aussie who took this long distance road to get to dinner in time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Having a mastectomy can be a life saving treatment for breast cancer patients, but removing a woman's breast can also be devastating emotionally. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports on a relatively new procedure for patients who choose to have reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When Elizabeth Anderson was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in 2009, she had to act fast. She had both breasts removed the very next month.
ELIZABETH ANDERSON, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: This is two scars on your chest. This is absolutely nothing. To look in that mirror and not see anything, it just didn't feel right.
COHEN: Anderson says it's time to get her girls back.
ANDERSON: My goal is to reconstruct myself, to be a whole woman again.
COHEN: She's leaving her home in Florida and heading to a surgeon in New Orleans for a new type of surgery she found out about on her own. The doctor will take fat from Anderson's hips and form it into breasts. It's a procedure that's particularly helpful to her because she had radiation and therefore can't get implants.
COHEN (on camera): You don't need your breasts. You can live quite nicely without them. Why go through all of this?
DR. FRANK DELLACROCE, SURGEON, CENTER FOR RESTORATIVE BREAST SURGERY: Erasing some of the injury of what is a very devastating event, and that is the diagnosis of breast cancer and the devastating deformities that can occur.
COHEN (voice-over): I met up with Anderson the next day. For the first time in a year and a half, she has breasts.
COHEN (on camera): So you haven't seen them yet.
ANDERSON: I haven't seen them yet. I'm excited, yes.
COHEN (on camera): Go ahead.
ANDERSON: Wow. It's amazing.
COHEN (voice-over): What's really amazing is that Anderson got this surgery at all. Her cancer doctor never told her about it, and that's actually pretty common. Out of every ten women who have had their breasts removed and qualified for reconstructive surgery, only three are fully informed of their options.
COHEN (on camera): When a doctor says we need to remove your breasts, do they say let's try to reconstruct your breasts now.
DELLACROCE: What we've found is often not.
COHEN: Anderson had to do her own research in her quest for breasts.
ANDERSON: Gotcha, cancer. That's my first thought. You took them from me, I got them back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A plan to attack Christmas -- the FBI and police stop a car bomb plan aimed at a tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon.
Black Friday leaves one man black and blue as he gets trampled underfoot in the rush of bargain hunters.
And enjoying Thanksgiving a long way from home -- one man turned a wayward e-mail exchange into a long distance dinner date. We'll meet him a little later on in the hour.
