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CNN Sunday Morning
Trouble Brewing for Travelers; Iowa Attracts GOP Candidates; NATO Blamed for Deadly Air Strike; Cyber Monday Tips; Payroll Tax Break Fight
Aired November 27, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good Sunday morning to you all on this November 27th. And a special good morning to our military men and women watching us right now on the American Forces Network. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for being with us.
Back here in the states, though, folks, today, one of the busiest travel days of the year. And look at the mess you're going to have to contend with. A lot of people are going to find it pretty tricky trying to get back home. We've got a major weather system that's about to cause all kinds of fits for you travelers out there on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe, live from Studio 7, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING with T.J. Holmes.
HOLMES: So, yes, 6:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia. Let's get you caught up on the headlines of the day.
One of three American students arrested in Egypt says they were hit repeatedly just after their arrest. But the news, and the good news certainly for their families, you're seeing in the pictures there, all three are now back on American soil. The last of them got back just a few hours ago. They were accused of throwing Molotov cocktails during anti-government protests in Tahrir Square. We'll hear from them in just a few moments.
Also, NATO now saying it's highly likely that they carried out air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan. This incident has led to strong protests by the Pakistani government, plus the closing of key NATO supply routes in Afghanistan. Pakistan is also telling the U.S. that they have two weeks to leave an air base there that's used for drones. They said the same thing just after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. We'll have a live report from Pakistan in just a bit.
Also, it was a record haul for retailers on Black Friday. All those big deals and long lines apparently paid off for the stores to the tune of about $11.4 billion. That's about $1 billion more than last year.
Also, police in Buckeye, Arizona, are taking a closer look at the bloody arrest of a shopper at one of those chaotic Black Friday sales. It was caught on video by one of our i-Reporter. It's a 54-year-old man on the ground there. He was thrown apparently face first into the floor by police officers. He was accused of shoplifting and resisting arrest, but the man's family says he had put a video game under his shirt because other shoppers were trying to grab it out of his hands.
And police haven't yet decided what to do with the woman who has now admitted she sprayed pepper spray into a crowd at a Wal-Mart in Los Angeles. She turned herself in on Friday, but she was released. Investigators are trying to figure out if she did it to get ahead of other shoppers in line or if she felt threatened by the huge crowd.
We're just three minutes past the hour now. Let me turn to our Bonnie Schneider, an all-important person for you to be hearing from today.
Bonnie, this is one of the busiest travel days of the year. People trying to get back home. It's going to be a problem.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. We have so many travel trouble spots for today. All weather related.
You know, we had a great Thanksgiving. A nice Black Friday. Really trouble free. Today, oh, boy, it's a different story.
Take a look at the radar and you'll see what I'm talking about. Heavy rain. A large swath of rain from Chicago all the way to Detroit and then southward through areas into Missouri and Arkansas, where we're even getting some flurries mixing in at this hour. That's right, snow flurries in the heart of the south. So it's a big change from the mild temperatures we've been seeing across much of the region.
Memphis, you started off with some rain this morning. And on the back side later on today, it's possible you may see some flurries as well into the overnight hours mixing with snow showers. It's unusual to get this so early in the season.
We're also looking at more rain for areas along the Gulf Coast. We had stormy conditions yesterday in Louisiana. More of that is expected. And a surge of warm air in advance of this front will bring temperatures, very, very warm actually down in Florida and to the 80s, but that's even going to change. We're going to see some cooler air coming in behind the front.
I say some of the biggest news is the drop in temperatures, though, in the northern plains and the Great Lakes. That's where you're going to see big change today. Highs will only be in the 30s in Minneapolis. So you're going to be below freezing most of the day. Bundle up for those of you shopping. Chicago, too, a high of only 44. And the wind, of course, will make it feel colder.
Right now, of course, it's early, so we don't have airport delays, but we are anticipating some major ones. Even in Atlanta, because we're going to see wind and low clouds. It probably won't be pouring here. But we are looking at delays. And a lot of people connect through Atlanta, if it's not your final destination. Chicago, wind. Washington, D.C., Detroit, low clouds, wind and rain. So, unfortunately, the busiest travel day and some of the biggest airports facing weather related delays. If you can get there early, get on an earlier flight. I highly recommend it.
T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Bonnie Schneider, thank you for that advice. And we'll be checking in with Bonnie plenty throughout the day.
And we're talking about air travel there. About 23 million people, according to the air Transport Association, 23 million will be taking to the air. They will be air traveling over this Thanksgiving holiday. Around about a 12-day period surrounding this holiday. That's a lot of folks in the skies. Certainly the busiest airport in the country, and maybe even in the world, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson going to see some issues today. And our George Howell is out there for us.
I know it's early right now, but are you getting a sense of what the day's going to be like?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., so far all eyes on this storm system moving in from the west. I can tell you, as of this morning, not a sprinkle. Great news for people who will be passing through. Also inside, we went to check the big board and couldn't find any delays, which, again, great news for people who got out here to start the travel day early.
Again, when you go inside, you find that the lines are building. But so far, no major delays, especially through security. Smooth sailing through security.
So, again, a good story for people that are traveling early. However, maybe it's a different story if you're traveling with small kids. We talked to a family traveling from Atlanta to Syracuse this morning. Their situation, T.J., possibly a little more complicated. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TESSA BROWN, PASSENGER: It's been difficult at times. It's been arduous, actually. My grandmother said that it would be an arduous trip, and she was not all completely altogether right, but just the traveling part has been a little rough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it was worth it.
BROWN: She's three. She's, you know, she cries a lot. But it is what it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Some good news, though, for families traveling with kids. TSA officials not requiring kids to take their shoes off. So for the experience with that family at least, they were able to move through pretty quickly, T.J. HOLMES: All right, our George Howell. We'll certainly continue to check in with him throughout the morning as things get busier. But at seven minutes past the hour now a lot of people -- maybe you're not flying. You might be traveling by car. You had to deal with these gas prices. The national average is $3.30 for regular, the mid grade stuff, $3.45, you see there, and then premium, $3.58. Last year around this time, regular gas was $2.85 a gallon.
Well, it was a pretty emotional homecoming, and why wouldn't it be for these three American students?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just so happy to have him home. I'm just really happy to have him home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we're just thrilled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry I'm such a crybaby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: It's already to be a crybaby on this one. Their family's happy to have them out of an Egyptian jail and back home. You'll hear from the students themselves. Stay with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, nine minutes passed the hour and good morning Washington, D.C. A gorgeous shot of the nation's Capitol. And President Obama decided to get out of town just for a little while yesterday. Check out -- this is always pretty cool and what a treat for folks at Towson University. This is in nearby Baltimore. The president and the first family, they were there sitting courtside to see the Towson-Oregon State game. Yes, there's a really good reason to go see this game. It might not sound like a great match-up or anything to you, but, of course, Oregon State coached by the first lady's brother, Craig. So, they won by 20 points. You see the whole first family hanging out there. Also in the crowd, actor Bill Murray. His son is an assistant coach at Towson.
Well, the countdown, as we turn to politics now, is on to the first votes in Iowa. January 3rd date acting like a magnet, really, drawing those candidates to Iowa this week. Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, tells us what else to expect this week in politics.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, good morning, T.J.
You know, Tuesday marks five weeks till those first votes in the Iowa caucuses, which is the first contest in the primary and caucus calendar. Now with the clock ticking, most of the Republican presidential candidates spend this week campaigning in the Hawkeye state, as well as New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. The first four states to vote in the race for the GOP nomination. What about the man they hope to replace in the White House? Well, President Barack Obama heads to Pennsylvania Wednesday to push his plan to extend the payroll tax cut to help stimulate jobs. But the location is politically interesting. Mr. Obama seems to be a frequent visitor to Pennsylvania. It's one of those crucial states he won in 2008 and that he hopes to hold on to next year in order to win re- election.
Friday, arguably the most important economic number in politics, the nation's jobless rate. The Labor Department releases the November unemployment report.
T.J.
HOLMES: All right, thanks as always to our Paul Steinhauser.
Also, we told you a little earlier about the three American students arrested in Egypt. Well, they are now back home this morning. While you were sleeping, the last two of them were being greeted by friends and family at an airport. Here's how all three described the chaos in Cairo and the emotions of being back home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUKE GATES, STUDENT ARRESTED IN EGYPT: It's really nice. It's really nice. It's a really good feeling. I'm glad to be with my family. I want to go home and have Thanksgiving.
GREG PORTER, STUDENT ARRESTED IN EGYPT: I'm just so thankful to be back and I'd love to be in Philadelphia right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The last to arrive was Derrik Sweeney. Listen to him describe the ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DERRIK SWEENEY, STUDENT ARRESTED IN EGYPT: There was teargas everywhere. And there were cops and tanks shooting bullets. People claimed to take us -- that they were taking us to a safe place. That night we were hit a bunch. The three of us Americans never helped (ph), prepared, or threw any bombs or even rocks or did anything to harm anyone or anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So where did those come from? These Molotov cocktails?
SWEENEY: They had taken our bags away when we got in there. And then when they came back, they had those. And they put them in the picture with us. That was the scariest moment of my life, actually, I think, maybe, when I was in that room. I fainted, I think. But -- I did faint. I don't know if it was right before or after the picture was taken. They didn't have any sort of evidence connecting us to any crime. And that's the case. And so they finally let us go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: I'm going to be talking with Derrik Sweeney a little later this morning. They'll hear about what he was doing there and how this all happened in Egypt. Stay tuned for that.
We're at 13 minutes past the hour now. Vending machines, they don't just have Coca-Cola and chips in them anymore. Imagine this, you're at the airport and there's a vending machine that can help you welcome home your loved one in a very imaginative way. I'll explain next. Stay with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, 16 minutes past the hour. Let's say good morning to Nadia Bilchik for our "Morning Passport."
And vending machines. It's not just for Cokes and chips and whatnot, right?
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Yes, but this is not just Coke -- this is a world's first. We're talking about one at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: And this is a world first in terms of making banners. So you're coming from the airport and it says "welcome home, T.J.," personalized banner-making machine. For around $20, there it is, you can get it to say whatever you want it to say. Will you marry me? Hello Sweetie. Whatever it is. Because happened was the founder said he was so tired of seeing tacky signs on big sheets is what he said that he thought this would be so much more attractive. And there it is, in a couple of minutes, your own customized banner.
HOLMES: This would be great. You know there are plenty of military families looking at this and saying -- it comes out that large?
BILCHIK: It comes out that large. Now, "welcome home" is a bit generic, but they can be customized.
HOLMES: Yes.
BILCHIK: And he's thinking of putting them at games and various other things. So I can see that this is certainly innovative, isn't it?
HOLMES: And you said $20.
BILCHIK: It's around $20.
HOLMES: Not so bad. Certainly worth it for a loved one coming home.
BILCHIK: I think so, especially if you make it original. One that you couldn't just get in a store with the person's name on it. HOLMES: Now, why Amsterdam? Why -- is it something about that particular airport or she's just in that area?
BILCHIK: He just happens to be in the area. And hopefully if he's going to roll it out, who knows, we may have one right here at CNN Center.
HOLMES: That's cool.
BILCHIK: Now, in Italy, this is my favorite because they have a pizza vending machine. And it is not just ordinary pizza, like frozen pizza, that gets heated up. No, no, no. You get to see the pizza being made. It's by a company called Let's Pizza and it took about 10 years to develop. And you actually see the machine rolling the dough, putting on the toppings, all in a matter of three to four minutes.
HOLMES: They spent 10 years on this. Was there not something else they could do with their time? I'm --
BILCHIK: Well, I like the idea of -- actually, can you imagine, little mini oven in the machine. And that's for about $4.50. And it's like having the real thing. You can have thin crust, you can have medium crust.
HOLMES: It's not just a slice?
BILCHIK: It's not just a slice. It's a little pizza. But you see the dough being rolled and you see the toppings being poured on.
HOLMES: Wow.
BILCHIK: So it's like homemade pizza out of a vending machine.
HOLMES: How many minutes did you say this takes?
BILCHIK: Three minutes.
HOLMES: Oh, wow.
BILCHIK: Three minutes. Some of the machines are hoping to get to two minutes.
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: Now, in Abu Dhabi you can get gold bars out of a vending machine.
HOLMES: My goodness, yes. Always over the top in Abu Dhabi.
BILCHIK: This is the ultimate vending machine. There's one in Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace hotel. It's called Go Gold To Go brand and millionaires frequent this hotel. You can get small bars of up to ten grams. And what it does is monitor the price of gold. You can also get gold coins.
HOLMES: There's a market for this? BILCHIK: There is a market for this.
HOLMES: I'm running in the wrong circles. I don't know anybody who's going to get a gold bar out of a vending machine.
BILCHIK: Now you can even get bicycles in the Netherlands out of a vending machine. Now what you do, if you have a card --
HOLMES: Oh, stop it, Nadia.
BILCHIK: Oh, yes you can, bicycles.
HOLMES: Stop.
BILCHIK: Now you'll have a card. So you obviously take the bicycles and then you will return it. So you have a whole system and that works really well. An entire bicycle, yes --
HOMES: Comes out of the machine?
BILCHIK: Comes out of the machine. And particularly in a city like Amsterdam, people ride bicycles around a lot and then they don't have to worry about the safety of the bicycle because they just put it back in another machine. There it is. The bicycle out of the vending machine.
HOLMES: OK, now that one's my favorite. I didn't -- wow, that's my favorite. You got anything that's going to top that ever?
BILCHIK: Well, fresh eggs. Fresh eggs. OK. Shoes. We did one a while back on flat shoes because --
HOLMES: IN the clubs, right, yes.
BILCHIK: Because if you have a night of dancing in the clubs in England, there's also one in Germany, where if you've had a night in high heels, you can go into flat shoes. But I must tell you, I was at the Hudson Hotel, opposite Time Warner Center recently, and there they have the fanciest vending machine I've ever seen.
HOLMES: Yes, across from the elevators.
BILCHIK: Have you seen that one?
HOLMES: Yes.
BILCHIK: Exactly. You can get sunglasses.
HOLMES: Yes.
BILCHIK: You can buy a little fur jacket for around $450. Now, I was fascinated that that vending machine was right near the bar because, think about it, when you were sober, well when I was sober, put it this way, nothing (ph) -- but, you know, in that moment after a few glasses of wine, (INAUDIBLE) that fur jacket for $450 impulse buying. HOLMES: Looks good.
BILCHIK: Not that I bought it, but the sunglasses looked particularly good.
HOLMES: They know what they're doing there. Nadia, good stuff. I love the bicycle vending machine.
Nadia Bilchik, we'll see here again this morning on "Morning Passport." Thank you so much for that.
Twenty minutes past the hour. We're going to turn back to this case of missing baby Lisa. You remember this story? Well, the search continues. And they're getting something help in the search. But would you believe they're getting help from a psychic. We'll explain.
Also, a man loses his job and then he turns to a chainsaw. We'll explain this a little more. Stay with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 23 minutes past the hour now and Occupy L.A. Protesters there have until midnight to leave camp tonight. Also, a psychic helps the search for baby Lisa. And a jobless man gets busy with chainsaws. Let's go cross country.
Cops close in on Occupy L.A. they're breaking down tents. The crowds face a deadline of midnight tonight to get out. The mayor says he supports their message of economic justice but says the camp has to be shut down for health and safety reasons.
A new search for baby Lisa is underway in Missouri. This time the leads come from a psychic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She dreamed that there was a well and some metal back in through here. A we found the metal here and then, of course, our well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The volunteers called police after finding the well.
A man in Washington state turns to wood carving after getting laid off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a good job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: His works now so good he's back on his feet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You feel like -- like this miracle just happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And now the official international chainsaw king.
Ah, that familiar sound. Those familiar sights. The bells and the red kettles around the holiday season. They've been a staple across the country for more than a century. But now the Salvation Army is changing things up, finding a new way to get you to give. Now, they're not going to do away with the red kettles and the bells, but they are going to add now virtual bell ringers who are using social media to get the message out. I talked with Major George Hood, he's with the Salvation Army. I asked him about these new efforts to go high tech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEORGE HOOD, THE SALVATION ARMY: As important as technology is introduced that we are at a point where we can communicate with consumers and donors who want to make contributions. And more and more we're finding people don't want to be carrying money in their pocket when they're out shopping. So we've created some online opportunities not only to make contributions, but also to select angels to provide Christmas presents for needy children. So we've really gone to the online environment, the digital age, and we're finding that many people, particularly the emerging generations, love these options as they want to become loyal donors.
HOLMES: So, is it a matter of -- say if I was a virtual bell ringer, if you will, am I actively seeking people out online?
HOOD: It's a viral relationship where you volunteer to be an online bell ringer and you send e-mail blasts to all of your friends, people you work with, your neighbors, your relatives, and you ask them to donate to your red kettle. There's a thermometer there in the software package. It allows you to set a goal and then track how much contributions you're receiving and see if you can reach your goal before Christmas Day.
HOLMES: Oh, OK. That's pretty cool.
Now tell me about the traditional bell ringers. Do you finds that that still works? You mentioned that a lot of people just not carrying a lot of cash these days. But does that still work and you still are able to pull in a good number of contributions during the holiday season?
HOOD: Well, I tell you, about eight years ago, I forecasted that we were looking at the end of the red kettle. How much did I know? Last year we recognized $142 million in those red kettles across America.
HOLMES: Wow. So that still is going to be what gets it done for you. Can you imagine a day, though, when online -- the online, virtual red kettles will be pulling in more than those out in the streets? HOOD: Well, we think that that may happen over a period of time. It's not going to happen in the next couple of years.
HOLMES: Yes.
HOOD: But the idea is, let's be accessible where the donor wants to find us. And that's what the technical world and the digital world is all about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: If you want more information on the virtual bell ringer program, you can check out the Salvation Army's website. They're at salvationarmyusa.org.
And as we get close to the bottom of the hour, police certainly have a warning to anyone who might be looking for a job and checking some of the listings on Craigslist. We'll tell you why. A serious investigation and manhunt is now going on. Stay with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, we are at the bottom of the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Welcome back to you all. Thank you for being here. I'm T.J. Holmes.
Turning to a still developing story we were telling you about yesterday out of Pakistan. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got an angry call in the middle of the night from her counterpart in Pakistan saying the U.S. has no regard for human life. The call was in response to what Pakistan says were NATO air strikes that killed 24 soldiers near the border with Afghanistan.
Our Reza Sayah is live for us again this morning in Islamabad. And things, Reza, were not necessarily all hunky-dory between the two countries. But now it seems like this relationship is on a downward spiral.
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're right. And I think that phone call really underscores the anger here that has been sparked after this incident.
A lot happening a day after this deadly NATO air strike that killed at least 24 Pakistani soldiers. I think all sides involved here, Washington, Pakistan, NATO trying to figure out their next move in a very complicated situation. An incident that's already damaging U.S.-Pakistani relations.
Today, funeral services for some of those 24 Pakistani soldiers killed in the City of Peshawar in Northwest Pakistan. The flag-draped coffins of some of these Pakistani soldiers being walked into the venue. Obviously, a very somber environment at that event.
There have been some protests throughout Pakistan in (INAUDIBLE) agency, the district where this incident happened according to Pakistani officials, also protest in the City of Lahore on Saturday.
The Pakistani government also not very happy. The prime minister delivering a scorching condemnation. The government here also taking some measures in response to this incident, shutting down the two NATO supply routes to go from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Also asking the U.S. to vacate an air base in Southwestern Pakistan.
NATO and U.S. have responded with conciliatory message. The NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen delivered this message, "The deaths of Pakistani personnel are as unacceptable and deplorable as the deaths of Afghan and international personnel. This was a tragic and unintended incident."
So, T.J., some remorse and regret, but not exactly an apology from NATO and U.S. officials. They're still trying to figure out what happened on their end. They haven't corroborated Pakistan's account that NATO air strikes killed these Pakistani soldiers on Pakistani soil. They say they're still investigating, that's what NATO officials and U.S. officials are saying at this moment.
HOLMES: All right. Reza Sayah for us in Islamabad, we thank you as always.
And as we're just a couple of minutes past the bottom of the hour, we'll give you a look at some of the stories making headlines.
And three American college students grateful to be back home with their families after a pretty frightening ordeal over in Egypt. Derrik Sweeney, Gregory Porter and Luke Gates, they were all toss in jail in Egypt and accused of throwing Molotov cocktails during last week's protest. Sweeney says he was even hit a bunch of times, as he says. An Egyptian court ordered their release Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUKE GATES, FREED STUDENT: It's really nice. It's really nice. It's a really good feeling. I'm glad to be with my family. I want to go home and have a Thanksgiving.
GREGORY PORTER, FREED STUDENT: I'm just so thankful to be back and would love to be in Philadelphia right now.
DERRIK SWEENEY, FREED STUDENT: There's a lot of - there's a lot of fervor for the revolution out there and for change. And I learned that - from watching TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, another story here and a terrifying one for anybody who might have been looking for a job on Craigslist. Three men answered an ad to work on a cattle farm including the man you're seeing there. His name is Timothy Kern. All three men have now been found shot to death. Bodies were buried in shallow graves in Eastern Ohio. Police now have two suspects in custody. One of the suspects, a 16-year-old high school student. Well, Dr. Conrad Murray will find out this week if he will spend the next four years in prison or get probation for Michael Jackson's death. A judge will announce his decision Tuesday at Murray's sentencing hearing. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors are now pushing for jail time. They want Murray to pay Jackson's children more than $100 million in restitution.
And Catholic mass will sound a little different today to millions of English-speaking churchgoers around the world. For the first time in 40 years, the Book of Texts and Prayers used in the mass has been revised. The changes are intended to better capture the meaning of the original Latin mass.
We'll turn back to some politics at 35 minutes past the hour now. And the latest news in the hunt for the Republican presidential nomination, just over five weeks to go now until it's time to vote.
Patricia Murphy, are you excited?
PATRICIA MURPHY, FOUNDER, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: I'm so excited. I can't handle it.
HOLMES: Are you, really?
MURPHY: I am bubbling with excitement.
HOLMES: Yes, we can tell. Well, Patricia Murphy is with us.
MURPHY: It's just how exciting my life is.
HOLMES: OK. Founder and editor of Citizen Jane Politics, friend of our show here as well on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
All right. It was what everybody was talking about after the CNN debate last week, and that is what - what Newt Gingrich said. If you didn't hear it and you probably have by now, we'll play it for you again and then we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't see - the party that says it's the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century. And I'm prepared to take the heat for saying let's be humane in enforcing the law without giving them citizenship, but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their families.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Governor Perry?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Patricia, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, all rise and fall. Gingrich the next to rise and fall, or can he make it through this? MURPHY: Well, we're going to see that as going to be really the big storyline this week. And this was another one of these moments where Newt Gingrich is running afoul of the conservative base, but the conservative base at the moment still seems to be with him. But he said this on Tuesday night, then we rolled into the Thanksgiving holiday and we don't know exactly how it's going to play out.
But this will be a huge test. This is a position that is totally anathema to conservatives. George Bush couldn't pull it off when he was president, to have a more humane immigration policy. John McCain couldn't pull it off when he was a presidential nominee. He backed away from that.
So if Gingrich can pull this off, it would be a huge, huge change for the Republican Party, and I don't know if he can do it.
HOLMES: OK. Calculated or did he have an honest moment?
MURPHY: Well, I think it was both. I think it was an honest moment. This is - but this is a position that he's had for a long time. He actually said almost the exact same thing at a debate in September. Nobody noticed because he was at five percent in the polls.
HOLMES: Right.
MURPHY: And this time it caught people's attention. For one thing it is so different from the other candidates on the stage and then also he's the front-runner. So now he's the front-runner, guess what, you're going to get more attention for statements like this.
HOLMES: OK. Front-runners come and go.
MURPHY: Yes.
HOLMES: But Romney has been the consistent front-runner -
MURPHY: Yes.
HOLMES: -- and he stays at the top of a lot of those polls. And something that gets talk about here and there, but is it going to be a bigger issue than we realize? His religion once you start getting into the social conservatives and dealing with the folks in Iowa. And then it has to go to South Carolina. I mean, New Hampshire, he's doing really well there. But is this going to be a bigger deal than we're talking about?
MURPHY: Well, Romney has two elections to run. He, right now, is trying to run a primary election and a general election. And the primary election, it will be a problem for him. A lot of these early states, Iowa and South Carolina in particular, dominated by Christian Evangelical conservatives. And 17 - only 17 percent of those conservatives support Mitt Romney, and they are the most likely to say that his religion is a problem for them.
But here's the big "but" for Mitt Romney and it's the good news for Mitt Romney. When he gets to a general election, Evangelical conservatives are on the Romney train. They have a lot fewer problems with his Mormonism than they have with Barack Obama generally.
So if he can get through the primary, the religion factor is out - out the door. It doesn't matter anymore.
HOLMES: OK. I think you and I even talked about this. But it's been talked about, some thought that Newt Gingrich maybe peaked too early.
MURPHY: Yes.
HOLMES: I mean, you want to peak on Election Day.
MURPHY: Yes.
HOLMES: But still, he's here now and has all this time. He needs to keep this momentum up. But if you're at the top right now and doing really well in the polls and now people are in the holiday, they're not paying as much attention, Christmas is coming up, people got other issues, are you in a pretty good position now? Because you're not at the top of mind for people anymore.
MURPHY: Yes. Well, five weeks is more than enough time to blow it for Newt Gingrich. He's gotten more than enough time with consistent statements like this for conservatives to hop off the bandwagon.
But the good news for him is that voters really start to pay attention to other things instead of just what's happening in the Republican primary like what's on sale at Best Buy? Where's my 52- inch TV?
You know, they are not like, what is - what is Newt Gingrich saying about immigration today, you know? So people have lives. And they start to really live those lives in the holiday season.
All these other candidates now, they are doubling down. Especially Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, they're not just doing debates anymore. They are knocking on doors. They are doing mailers. Everyone in Iowa is getting a mail box full of stuff from these candidates this weekend.
So it's sort of like dieting during Thanksgiving. It's possible, but you have to double down to get people's attention.
HOLMES: Are you really doubling down? Governor Perry, he is doing a campaign event now with the Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the infamous sheriff out in Arizona.
MURPHY: Yes.
HOLMES: I mean, can he pull off a comeback? What does it mean to have him and Arpaio together?
MURPHY: It means almost nothing. I mean, I think that Rick Perry, he doesn't have - I don't know if he has enough time to get it back together. He never had real support. He was one of these people who popped up, popped out, number one in the polls immediately, but did not - was not able to maintain that support.
And his immigration position, for example, just clabbered him. There's no way he can get past that.
Newt Gingrich is more of a known quantity. Everybody knows who he is, what he's for. Can he hold on? You know, that's going to be the question this week.
HOLMES: What if Governor Perry had never done a debate or maybe just did three of them? I mean, were the debates really his downfall?
MURPHY: They were devastating. They were devastating. And his - again, he has several positions that conservatives don't like. But then they see him on stage, many of them for the very first time. They've only ever heard of Rick Perry. Then they see him on stage. He can't complete sentences. He's falling apart, sort of unwinds, can't remember what he's going to say.
Could he do that as a president? Can he be on stage with the Russian president and forget things? He just doesn't -
HOLMES: Incomplete sentences, oh, that sounds horrible.
MURPHY: - look presidential. I'm sorry. Just didn't do it.
HOLMES: OK. And Herman Cain is actually going to be in the building here in a few hours.
MURPHY: Yes.
HOLMES: He's going to be a guest on - with Candy Crowley at 9:00 Eastern Time. I mean, he - and what we hear about him is usually nothing about policy, nothing about can he win, it's usually something controversial here or there. I mean, where is he going these days?
MURPHY: He's going to Iowa. He needs to make a big, heavy play in Iowa. The good news for him is that people who meet him tend to love him. And Iowa rewards people who come to Iowa and meet them.
He is very good at these retail politics. Everything else has gotten him way off track. It's not too late for him. But if he doesn't do well in Iowa, it's over for him.
HOLMES: All right. Patricia Murphy on this holiday weekend, always good to have you with us.
MURPHY: What a pleasure.
HOLMES: I told you we'd call you every week.
MURPHY: And you sure have, and I'm back.
HOLMES: Thank you so much. Good to see you. MURPHY: Thank you.
HOLMES: We're 41 minutes past the hour now and today's the day that millions of people are hitting the roads, the airports, as well, trying to get back home after this holiday weekend.
But we've got rain and even snow that's going to cause some problems for you folks today. We'll tell you what you need to hear before you head out this morning. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Forty-three minutes past the hour now. Take a look, and hello. Good morning, Atlanta, Georgia downtown. Right outside of our window here at the CNN Center on the left side of your screen. On the right, the Hartsfield Jackson going to be a busy, busy place, one of the busiest - or the busiest airport in the country.
Millions of people are going to be traveling over this holiday trying to get back home.
And Bonnie Schneider, who's keeping an eye on things for us, you don't have to be a meteorologist necessarily, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No.
HOLMES: When you see that map and you see that big storm system right in the midsection of the country, you know it's going to cause some problems.
SCHNEIDER: It absolutely it's going to cause some problems. But as a meteorologist, T.J., I can tell you, the weather will be changing. In fact, some places that are seeing rain right now will see snow later on tonight. And I'm talking about cities that we don't really think of as big snow areas like Memphis, Tennessee or Little Rock, Arkansas. Snow showers could pop up in your forecast later on this evening.
A big swath of rain and some of it's really heavy, is working its way through the Midwest and then down through the south, as well. So this is going to be - really a mess for those of you that are driving.
Look what's happening in Birmingham, you're just about to get hit with some really heavy downpours. And we've seen snow flurries pop up already in areas of Missouri and Arkansas. So as we go through the day, that's where we're anticipating some more travel troubles with this powerful storm system that will produce some snow flurries.
Especially as that cold air comes in behind the strong cold front that's working its way through, it's triggering some milder temperatures in advance of it. But as we go through today, tomorrow, and Tuesday, I zoomed in right here in the mid south, because this is going to be big news. Snow across Tennessee is possible, even in the mountains of North Georgia, north of Atlanta. I don't think Atlanta itself will see snow. But we are likely to see some snow showers possibly in Alabama, as well. So the heart of the south getting hit with some early wintry weather before winter even gets started.
All right. For those of you that are traveling, no delays, of course. It's early right now, but we are anticipating quite a few. And so many people, millions of people will be flying today. So in Atlanta, look for low clouds and winds. The delays will likely accumulate more towards the afternoon. We also have delays through the Midwest and the Deep South, as well as St. Louis, low clouds and some showers.
It's really going to be tricky as we go through because, T.J., we're talking about changing conditions throughout the day, and that's going to be troublesome for drivers especially.
HOLMES: All right. On this busy, busy day. Really, it's one of the busiest days, everybody trying to get back home.
Bonnie, good to have you here with us this weekend. Thank so much.
We're about a quarter off the top of the hour now.
A little snow? Well, that's not a little snow. This is in Canada, folks. You don't have to deal with this just yet. But this is in Eastern Newfoundland where they are seeing about a foot of snow. Low-pressure system hit the region this past week. Damp snow, gusty winds, closed most schools and businesses. And of course, traveling out there on the roads, you know that was not a good time.
We told you about these Black Friday shoppers incidents all over the country. At least nine states where we saw some type of violence break out. Well this crowd of shoppers in L.A., they were trying to get a deal on Black Friday. They got - what? A face full of pepper spray, and nobody seems to really know why. But we do know who. We'll explain. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're about 12 minutes off the top of the hour.
And it was a record haul for retailers on Black Friday. All of these big deals and long lines seem to pay off for the stores to the tune of $11.4 billion. That's about $1 billion more than retailers took in last year.
Meanwhile, police in Buckeye, Arizona, taking a closer look at this arrest. It was a bloody arrest of a shopper at one of those chaotic Black Friday sales. This was caught on camera, as you're seeing here, by one of our iReporters. Fifty-four-year-old man is on the ground there. He was thrown to the ground face first by police on to the floor.
Now we're not showing you the bloodiest part of this, but he was pretty bloodied by this. He's accused of shoplifting and resisting arrest. The man's family, though, says he put a video game under his shirt because other shoppers were trying to grab it out of his hands.
And this is one of the uglier scenes from Black Friday. And now police haven't decided what to do with the woman who's accused of shooting pepper spray into this crowd at the Walmart Store in Los Angeles. She has now turned herself in.
She's also been released, and investigators are trying to figure out if she did it to get ahead of other shoppers in line or if she felt threatened by the huge crowd of people. So there have not been any charges filed just yet. The woman bought her stuff, left the store before police got there. But, again, she ended up turning herself in later.
Well, if you didn't get that holiday bargain you were looking for on Black Friday, maybe you wanted to avoid a melee out in one of the stores, you're going to get another chance. You don't have to leave your house to do this.
Cyber Monday is right around the corner, and our Katie Linendoll filled me on the place to be online and what to look out for.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH EXPERT: And according to shop.org, 8 out of 10 retailers are going to be offering special deals on Monday. So you can bet that all retailers online will be ramping up. And the best part about this, T.J., is over half of people that will be shopping Monday will be doing it naturally from their work computers.
HOLMES: Yes. Of course they will.
Now, will you miss something - if you don't jump on it on Monday, are you actually going to be missing out on an opportunity?
LINENDOLL: Yes. I think there's a lot of opportunities out there. And just to give you some of those sites that I'm keeping my eye on.
First off, let's go to cybermonday.com. It's a great site to aggregate a number of the ads and the number of the deals. It's a subsidiary of shop.org, a really great site to look at for - to make sure that you're staying in touch with everything that's going to be on sale.
Also, if you're really into a big brand, what I recommend doing is going on to their Facebook page and hitting that "Like" button. Because now more than ever, online retailers are using social media site to make sure they are rewarding their loyal fans.
And also two sites that I use year-round, T.J., retailmenot.com and also savings.com. They typically will always have a promotional code, at the least for free shipping. But sometimes you get about 10 - 20 percent off.
So this is definitely a day that you want to stay tuned. And, again, big bonus - you don't have to be fighting with people in the store over a $2 waffle iron.
HOLMES: Yes. OK. But if everybody knows that we're going to be online on Monday, you know, you got some criminals out there who are pretty smart and they're getting ready for Monday, as well.
LINENDOLL: Yes, absolutely. And some things to take precautions on Monday. First and foremost, phishing schemes. All those scammers are going to be trying to lure you with big ticket items and promises that are too good to be true. And it still amazes me how realistic these ads look like. Make sure you know what you're clicking on before you click on it.
Also, make sure that you're using credit cards instead of debit cards. You're going to be better protected from fraud and faceless liability in the event that your credit card number is stolen.
Also, when are you shopping online, look for the HTTPS up in that address bar. That's going to mean you're on a secure site before you're putting in you info. And this is kind of not so much a scamming thing, but something I just want to say, hey, heads up.
Look for restocking fees. People see a couple hundred dollars off, and those big-ticket electronic items. The impulse buy. But sometimes you get hit with a 25 percent restocking fee, especially when it comes to TVs, laptops, computers. You want to make sure that you absolutely do want that product. And make sure that you're not making any purchases on public Wi-Fi.
And last but not least, protect your smartphone. Fifty-three percent of consumers are planning to shop on their smartphones this holiday season. Download an app like Lookout. It will protect your smartphone and also wipe all your data should you happen to lose it.
HOLMES: Wow. That's a good one. I didn't think about it enough. Don't do it on the Wi-Fi. That's an important tip there.
Good stuff this morning. Katie Linendoll, haven't seen you in a while.
LINENDOLL: Yes. Me, too.
HOLMES: Good to see you. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. And I'm sure we'll talk to you again during this holiday. Thanks.
LINENDOLL: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Welcoming back the nation's heroes. Take a look. About 300 Marines and Sailors back from war arriving to a happy homecoming in Hawaii.
Just one of the wonderful scenes we saw over the holiday weekend. And we certainly will be seeing many more of these over the coming weeks and months.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Just a few minutes till the top of the hour on this Thanksgiving.
A lot of military families have been counting their blessings to be reunited with their loved ones. These never get old, do they? Just take a look and listen to this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, buddy. I missed you.
HOLMES (voice-over): Oh. These are just great.
We're going to see many, many more of these. This is out in Hawaii. Some 300 deployed Marines and Sailors returning home to a Marine Corps Base after months in Afghanistan and right around the holidays, as well. Just perfect.
(on camera): Now, virtually all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year, so a little more than a month from now. And many have to stop over in Kuwait first to drop off some equipment.
And our Martin Savidge stopped by Camp Virginia there to see how they are spending a little leisure time.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., these are pretty busy days here at Camp Virginia in Kuwait. They got a pickup basketball game going on over there. Volleyball going on over here. But there's a lot more to it than just fun and games.
First of all, this base is almost to capacity, at least for the time being. There are about 5,000 troops that are here, they could handle up to about 6,700. But then on top of that, there are all the vehicles, thousands and thousands of vehicles.
This is the main staging area for the convoys that have been coming out of Iraq and are in the process of going home. Most of these soldiers should spend about five to eight days here as they wait for the flights to return to the States. Time to decompress, time to do the paperwork and time to do a lot of packing.
Remember, the president said that he wants all U.S. troops out of Iraq by December 31st. Well, just three months ago there were 50,000 troops that were in Iraq. Right now, we're told that number is down to about 11,000.
But what it really means is that over the next two weeks, it's really going to be crunch time, not only at this base but at a number of other bases in Kuwait. And trying to keep everybody house, well, that's a real strain. Just about everyone camps being used and then the DFACs (ph), they're running 24 hours a day just to keep everybody fed.
Still, despite that, morale here is high because everyone knows that pretty soon they'll be on their way home, and home in time for the holidays - T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Martin Savidge.
And we are just a couple of minutes to the top of the hour. We're going to reset things for you and give you the very latest on some stories you may have missed overnight. Things that happened while you were sleeping.
Also, you travelers out there, I know a lot of you are getting ready to hit the road this morning or maybe head to the airport. There is trouble a brewing for you. There is a big storm system that will complicate things and absolutely frustrate some of you travelers out there. The very latest on what you need to know with the system.
Stay with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good Sunday morning to you all on this November 27th.
Today is one of the busiest travel days of the year, and getting home is going to be tricky for a lot of people because of what you see on your screen right there. Yes, the midsection of the country, a huge storm system is already starting to cause some fit for folks hitting the roads and certainly for folks getting to the airports.
Bonnie Schneider, our meteorologist, is just a couple of seconds away. She's going to tell you exactly what you need to know about that storm system.
Let me give you a quick check of some of this morning's headlines.
One of three American students arrested in Egypt says they were hit repeatedly just after their arrest. All three of these students, however, are now back home in the U.S. The last of them got back just a few hours ago, they were accused in Egypt of throwing Molotov cocktails during anti-government protests happening in Tahrir Square.
Also, another major story this weekend, still a developing story. NATO now saying it's highly likely they carried out air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan. This incident has led to strong protests by the Pakistani government. Plus, the closing of key NATO supply routes in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is also telling the U.S. that they have two weeks to leave an air base there that's used for drones. They said the same thing just after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden as well.
And Black Friday seems to have paid off for the retailers out there. Hope it paid off for some of you shoppers, too. All those big deals, long lines -- well, listen to what they took in on this one day, $11.4 billion. Yep, billion. And it also equates to more than a billion more than they took in last year.
Let's turn to Arizona for a moment and police there in Buckeye are taking a closer look at this video and this arrest. A bloody arrest of a shopper at one of those chaotic Black Friday sales. This was caught, as you see, on video here. The 54-year-old man who's on the ground there, taken down by police. He was taken down face first to the floor.
We're not showing you the bloodiest part of this video, but he was pretty bloodied by that hit to the floor. He was accused of shoplifting and resisting arrests. The man's family is telling a different story. They're saying he actually put a video game under his shirt because other shoppers were trying to grab it out of his hands, and he was not trying to steal it.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
HOLMES: This is another of those chaotic Black Friday scenes. This one was one that really had the country talking. Pepper spray is being used on unsuspecting shoppers. Police have now found the woman responsible, but they haven't decided what to do with her. This is at a Wal-Mart in Los Angeles.
The woman turned herself in. She's already been released. However, investigators are trying to figure out if she actually used the pepper spray to get some kind of advantage and get ahead of other shoppers in line, or if she actually felt threatened by the huge crowd of people.
Just a few minutes past the top of the hour, and let's waste no time getting to Bonnie Schneider, our meteorologist, who is going to be giving you the forecast that you need. So many people traveling today. And we've got a mess going, kind of.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We do. And so many big cities impacted by this one storm system.
Let's get right to it, and I'll show you on the radar picture, we have rain moving through Chicago and Detroit. And southward towards Memphis, even further south into Shreveport and down through Louisiana.
What's fascinating about this system is that it's not going to just be rain all day. Many locations will see a changeover from rain to some freezing rain and sleet to snow showers before it's said and done. And here's the reason why: you can see some very cold air starting to emerge this morning. Look how cold it is in Duluth, 28 degrees. It's 27 in Fargo. Bismarck, only 11. It's been a while since we've seen numbers like that.
This cold air will be -- obviously it will be moderating as it pushes southward. But it is changing things and bringing about a surge of colder conditions, like 36 this morning in Kansas City. That will impact cities in the South. Now, it won't get down as cold, certainly, as -- at Memphis and Nashville, but it likely will be cold enough to mix with snow showers on Monday morning. That's right, snow showers in the forecast.
Nothing heavy will accumulate, but any time it snows down South, it's big news. So, snow showers will develop by Tuesday, early, across Tennessee. North Georgia may even see snow. I don't think we'll see it in Atlanta. But we're likely to see it to the north. Highs today will be mild just ahead of the front, 70 with temperatures falling in Atlanta in the 80s in Florida. But then we're going to see everything change for tomorrow. It will be much, much colder, and as I mentioned, the wintry mix that's working its way across the country will continue to impact travel.
I'll talk more about forecasts and airport delays in a few minutes.
HOLMES: All right. Thank you very much, Bonnie.
We'll check in with her plenty. She'll talk about some of those airport delays.
Let's check in with the busiest airport in the country right now, shall we? We're talking about Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, it's always a major hub, always a busy spot.
Over this whole holiday weekend and really the 12 days as calculated by the Air Transport Association, they're saying some 23 million people are going to travel around this entire thanksgiving holiday. That's a lot of folks in the air.
George Howell is keeping an eye on things for us at Hartsfield- Jackson. We know it's a little early. I know you're checking the boards. Is a theme starting to emerge just yet?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We just went inside, T.J., to check the board. And I can tell you as of this hour, no delays to speak of. In fact, even check the FAA Web site, and around the country, no delays that we can speak of at this hour. Good news for travelers.
But, again, here at Hartsfield, I know that there's a storm system moving in from the west. All eyes on that storm system, and that could obviously make for a different situation here throughout the day. But so far, so good for these early travelers.
We went inside and checked. When you go in, you find that the lines are building, but no major lines to speak of. In fact, people are getting through security quite quickly.
We did talk to some travelers, many know what to expect on a day like this. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSAY SIMPSON, PASSENGER: I travel every week, so I'm used to this whole process. But usually on days like today, the security lines are really slow, the baggage lines are really slow. You do a lot of standing and waiting.
HOWELL: We're starting to see it build a lot slower than you would expect. So far, so good, you think?
SIMPSON: So far, so good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: At this airport on any given day, some 240,000 people pass through these gates. So, what happens here in Atlanta clearly affects major airports across the country and around the world.
The story this morning, T.J., is that people are getting through A-OK. Back to you.
HOMLES: It's still early. But we appreciate you giving them hope. George, we'll be checking in with you plenty throughout the morning over at Hartsfield-Jackson. Thanks so much.
It's seven minutes past the hour now.
A lot of people flying, a lot of people driving -- most will be driving, of course. These are the gas prices you're having to deal with. The national average is $3.30 for regular. Midgrade stuff is $3.45. And you see $3.58 for premium.
However, and I probably shouldn't tell you this, last year this time, you were paying $2.85 for regular gas.
Well, your own personal tax break? Well, this year you got about 1,000 bucks, but that tax break you got is set to expire. And that is setting up, what else, another fight in Washington.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Nine minutes past the hour.
Showing a picture of the White House and Washington, D.C. And my director said in my ear, you got anything to say?
Yes, good morning, Washington. How about that? Is that OK this morning?
Again, just at 10 minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
And yes, Washington, another fight is a brewing. And you know you could use an extra $1,000, right? Well, that is what the president and Congress are now ready to fight over this week -- a tax break for the middle class.
Our Athena Jones has more on what this means to you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): T.J., President Obama is hitting the road again this week, traveling to Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday to continue to push for the payroll tax cut extension. It's the next big debate for Congress after the Thanksgiving break.
The payroll tax holiday has benefited about 120 million families this year, and it's set to expire on December 31st.
The president was in New Hampshire this week to urge lawmakers not to let that happen. Let's listen to what he had to say in Manchester.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now I know Republicans like to talk about, you know, we're the party of tax cuts. A lot of them have sworn an oath, we're never going to raise taxes on anybody for as long as we live -- even though they have already voted against these middle-class tax cuts once.
But the question they'll have to answer when they get back from Thanksgiving is this: are they really willing to break their oath to never raise taxes and raise taxes on the middle class just to play politics?
JONES: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to introduce legislation this week that would extend the tax cut for one more year. By reducing withholding for Social Security, the tax holiday has been an extra $934 for the average family this year, costing about $120 billion. But those billions represent one of the central sticking points for Congress, how to pay for it all.
Democrats are undecided on whether to propose a surtax for millionaires to fund the payroll tax cut extension. It's an idea the Republicans oppose. You also have some who argue that these are emergency steps to help the economy. And that the time to worry about paying for them is after we emerge from this rough spot.
Either way, passage in the Senate is far from certain, and the measures must also pass the House. Many economists agree that failure to extend these benefits would hurt the economy, slowing down already sluggish growth -- T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Athena Jones there, talking about your money -- money you're trying to hold on to. But there's some scammers out there trying to get your money as you try to shop on line this holiday weekend, and on Cyber Monday. Even trying to get your identity?
We'll tell you how to protect yourself. You need hear it. Stay with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A quarter past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
And you work hard for that money -- you don't want people to take it, do you? Scammers are after your cash this holiday season. They want your money, your credit card, and even your personal information. Money manager Ryan Mack stopped by, gives you tips, maybe common sense stuff, but still stuff you need to be reminded about and how to avoid getting scammed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MGMT: Right now, there's a 7 or 8-year-old giving their parent just pure heck making sure they get the new gift and come Christmastime, they want that new gift under the tree.
So, there are a lot of individuals who capitalize off of that. You can't find the Tickle Me Elmo. You can't find the new video game.
So, what they'll do is they'll create these fake Web sites. You go to these websites -- and, essentially, again, the Internet is still not necessarily the most regulated market out there. So, what they'll do is they create these Web sites.
You pay your money. You think you're paying three times the amount you're going to have to get that new gift. That new gift doesn't come. You go back to the Web site. It's not even there any longer.
So, you have to make sure we're buying things from the stores directly and make sure that we're doing enough research to know exactly where we're buying things from.
HOLMES: Are there any out there -- to follow up on these -- that are legit because a lot of times you can find and maybe can't find it at the Target or the Wal-Mart or whatever. And then you find some Web sites. Are there any out there that are legit that maybe have a special stash of stuff?
MACK: Well, there are a few legitimate ones. But, again, it's very easy for me right now to go on a Web site and create something that gives that new gift -- video games are especially very hot right now. I can create a Web site right now and collect all your credit card information. At worse, you want to get the toy, but at worse, you might also have identity theft, as well.
HOLMES: Wow.
MACK: So, they might steal your information and not only out of money, but now, you have your identity theft --
HOLMES: Gift cards always popular and they're easy, as well. What's the problem here?
MACK: Well, gift cards. If they don't have a scratch off code behind them, and if they're conveniently located. Many individuals will go into the store previously, they write down the code. They write down the 800 number. And then when you buy your gift card, as soon as that card is activated, those individuals are calling that 800 card to say, as soon as that card gets activated, they run to the store and say, "Hey, I lost my card, here's the code, I want to spend your money."
So, again, we have to make sure that the card, or behind of it, has that scratch off code, or just purchase gift cards online. But, again, gift cards -- again, sometimes we spend too much money on gift cards. Again, give a check, gift cash to individuals. It's a little bit more easy, a little bit more safe.
HOLMES: You would actually recommend that. It seems so convenient with the card. They can go in and spend it. But you are still saying, old-fashioned cash.
MACK: Exactly. I mean, sometimes gift cards have fees attached to them and we should never have to be spending money to use our own money.
HOLMES: And sometimes around the holidays, people want to pick up a little extra cash. Sometimes tens of thousands of jobs are out there, and maybe temporary. But you need to watch out for this. You can get scammed?
MACK: People try to make money and they see this new thing, post on Facebook and on Twitter. It's a new job, come down here and get this brand-new job. The next thing you know, you're giving up your Social Security information, you're giving up your address, you're giving up your telephone number. And there's no job available.
That's just someone on the other side saying, "I want to collect your information to make sure that I can steal your identity." And there's no job available.
You have to be very cautious about this.
HOLMES: So, it's not really in that case about necessarily getting your money. It's just getting your identity.
MACK: Information is key. You should never be willing to give out your information. Information is power. Information is money.
As soon as we give information up, somebody can use that to make a lot of money off of -- basically off of your own identity.
HOLMES: Are we getting better at this or are we still falling for this stuff?
MACK: We're definitely falling for the stuff. But the thing is, the crooks are getting better. There are things right now they can walk past your pocket and they magnetically steal your credit card information. So, there's a lot of new advents on this.
So, the crooks are getting better. And sometimes we're still not as up on making sure what is, I guess, savvy we're making sure we're aware of these different types of scams.
HOLMES: All right. I hope you listen, folks. Ryan Mack.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Eighteen minutes past the hour now.
We're talking about today being a busy travel day of the year. This is just Thanksgiving. We're just getting started with the holiday travel season.
We've still got the Christmas travel and New Year's travel to do. You better jump on those deals. Where should you go? We're checking it out for you, the travel expert next.
Stay with us on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. And good morning to you out there in Los Angeles.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-two minutes past the hour now.
And today is the day, one of the busiest travel days of the year. Millions of people trying to get back home after the holiday weekend and have to get back to work tomorrow. For those of you traveling today, we do have a travel tip that could be awfully helpful courtesy of David Letterman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
DAVID LETTERMAN, COMEDIAN: What we've done, we've put together for you some holiday air travel tips. Watch this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a thank you to overworked TSA agents, puts a piece of pie in your pants for the pat-down. We hope you enjoyed "holiday air travel tips."
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HOLMES: Maybe that's not the best idea. But still, this is an idea.
Let me bring in Laura Michonski. She's the deputy digital editor for "Budget Travel" magazine.
I assume you wouldn't recommend that, Laura?
LAURA MICHONSKI, BUDGET TRAVEL: Yes, not so much.
HOLMES: Not so much. All right.
And the main reasons -- I guess a lot of people are going to see family. We're just getting started with the travel season, just with Thanksgiving here. But you got Christmas, New Year's.
But what are the main reasons people are traveling over the holidays? And straight through New Year's? What are the main reasons people get for wanting to travel right now? MICHONSKI: Well, you now, you said it, T.J., the number-one reason people are traveling this holiday season is to see their family. Over 80 percent of people are going to be on the road, in the skies, to see their loved ones.
The second most popular reason, though, is to escape the cold -- also not that surprising. You know, it's winter, yes. People want to go someplace warm.
HOLMES: And also --
MICHONSKI: And the third reason --
HOLMES: Yes, I'm a New Year's guy. I'm the one who always -- I'll work Thanksgiving, I'll work Christmas. That means I'll get New Year's off. I didn't realize it was that high up on people's list of priorities.
Now, I was surprised because we have a list here, as well, of -- we're past Thanksgiving, we'll move past that and go to Christmas. And the top places people want to go around Christmas, I was surprised to see Orlando, Florida, at the top.
MICHONSKI: Yes. Believe it or not -- actually Florida is -- there are four Floridian destinations on that list. Orlando is number one. It's actually not that much of a surprise when you think about it. There are so many family-friendly activities down there. There are all the parks. People just love Orlando.
HOLMES: New York is still popular. I see number two on the list. Would you recommend -- I mean, how chaotic -- I mean, the city can be chaotic any time. But just how busy does it get up there for Christmastime?
MICHONSKI: Oh, it gets pretty crazy. You know what, it's worth it. You've got all of the amazing holiday displays, you've got great shopping. So New York is high on that list. But you'll find other cities on the list, too, like Los Angeles is up there, Miami is on there.
You know, people want to just go, they want to get out there and have a good time. They want to do some shopping. You know, get out there and celebrate.
HOLMES: New Year's destinations, as well. Once again, Orlando is at the top. And is it for the same reasons, it's just family friendly people have time off, let's go to Orlando?
MICHONSKI: Same exact reasons, that's right.
You know what? You'll also see New York is also number two for the New Year's destinations. Again, no surprise. It's a party city. There's so much to do here.
It's a little different on the New Year's list that Cancun is number three. Probably because there are so many options for partying down there, as well. But again people just -- they want to get down to the warm weather.
HOLMES: How can you -- and to wrap up here, how can people try to avoid these crowds? We know people want to go to warm places, and the Caribbean right now will be packed, everybody wants to get down there. I mean, how can you avoid -- should you avoid some of the cities, or what are the tips at least for avoid some of these crowds and some of the chaos and keeping yourself sane around this time?
MICHONSKI: No, I don't think avoiding the cities is the answer. I think the smartest thing that you can do is actually to be very strategic about when you travel. So I mean, if you have the option to travel on the holiday, that's obviously, you know, the smartest thing to do because there are the fewest people on the roads.
But alternatively, you could travel two days perfect or two days after the holiday, because most people are going to be traveling the day before or the day after. So you can just avoid all the crowds by doing that. Otherwise, try to leave as early as you possibly can in the morning.
You know, if you're flying, consider alternative airports. You know, instead of flying into Dulles in D.C., for example, you could try BWI in Baltimore. There are not only fewer people but you'll pay less on a ticket. It ends up being better for your wallet also.
When it comes to hotels, think about business hotels like all suite hotels, Homewood Suites, or, you know, extended stay hotels like residence inn. Fewer people this because they're business hotels and cheaper prices, too.
HOLMES: Good stuff as always. Laura Michonski, I know we'll be talking again over this holiday season. Thank you so much and enjoy your holiday, as well.
And to our viewers, I'll be back with you at the top of the hour with more live news. We're going to hand it over to the good doctor after the break.
