Transcripts For CNN American Morning 20101117

>> well, obviously i would have loved to have met her. and obviously she's an inspiration for women to look up to. obviously to this day and, you know, going forward and things. it's a wonderful family, the members i've met have achieved a lot. and they're very inspirational. so yeah, i do. >> there's no pressure. there's no pressure. like kate said, it's about carving our own future. no one's trying to fill my mother's shoes and what she did is fantastic. it's about makie ining your own future and destiny and kate will do a good job of that. >> people are bound to ask. children, do you want children, lots of children? see what comes? >> we'll take it one step at a time. we'll sort of get over the marriage first and then look at kids. but obviously we want a family. we'll have to start thinking about that. >> no date's been set yet, but there's already a big buzz about a possible spring wedding for the two. >> and everyone's talking about the ring. and how it ended up on kate middleton's finger. live in front of buckingham palace this morning. that sapphire and diamond daz e dazzler might be the most photographed piece in history. >> reporter: it definitely is. everyone's been talking about it. i want to show you some of the headlines here. really this news. this is one of the souvenir supplements in the papers today showing william and kate queen of his heart in the headline. and just to show you how much of the spotlight she'll be in, this media supplement focuses on kate and her childhood. like her first memory of a marshmallow cake. and the close-up photo of the sapphire and diamond ring. the estimated value now is about $130,000. and prince william specifically said he chose to propose with this ring in order to honor his mother's memory. she figured very prominently in his decision, clearly. and that's why he chose the ring. here's a little bit more of how he proposed to her from their interview. >> we'd been talking about marriage for a while. so it wasn't massively a big surprise. but i took her somewhere nice in kenya and proposed. >> it was very romantic. >> reporter: you know, one of the interesting things is we learn more about this love story between them is how when they broke up a few years ago when they finally got back together, prince william basically told her, look, i do want to marry you, i want to be committed, i just don't want to do it right now. so they sort of made a pact that she would wait and he would some years later propose. and this probably is why in some of the tabloids she earned the nickname "waity katie." sh is wa she is waiting no longer, she is a bride to be. >> we'll keep waiting on that one. how lavish, though, do they expect the wedding to be? >> reporter: well, this is the big question. it is as they say the age of austerity in britain right now in the midst of an economic recession. so people are saying it needs to be a little bit more frugal, can't be quite as lavish as princess diana and prince charles', but at the same time, people want to see a spectacle, a celebration. so there's a lot of speculation. what we do know the estimated cost of prince charles' wedding in 1981 was about -- excuse me about $40 million. so that's about the ballpark range that they're going with now. we'll have to see what the estimates will be going forward. also interesting to note that the person expected to foot the bill would be the royal family. prince charles will be footing most of the bill for the wedding itself. security and so forth will be paid by the metropolitan police here in london. >> atika, thanks so much. prince william's bride to be kate middleton has been dubbed waity katie in the past, but waits no longer. >> alina cho joins us now. at one point they asked or were teasing about whether she had posters of him up when she was younger, which probably would be not that out of the realm given that everyone dreams of marrying a prince. >> she said no, it was actually the levies guy. prince william says, no, of course, there were pictures of me up there. everyone is excited about this. it's all anyone is talking about. the public habit been this excited about a royal wedding since charles and diana. that was dubbed the wedding of the century. this could be too. so we wanted to know who is this woman in line to be queen? who is kate middleton? >> reporter: she's a media darling, a household name, but until now, the rest of the world has not seen much of her. all of that is changing now that prince william has asked kate middleton to marry him. >> it was a total shock when it came and very excited. >> reporter: a rare chance to hear her speak. >> i went bright red and scuttle off. >> reporter: that's how she described the first time she met prince william. it was 2001, while both studied art history at st. andrews in scotland. a year later, they were flat mates, and then a couple. >> she's thoroughly charming, fun, sporty, very, very down to earth, comes from a family that is incredibly close and tight knit. and she is middle class. >> reporter: the daughter of a former pilot and flight attendant. parents who now own a party supply business, self-made millionaires. she's 28, the eldest of three, and grew up outside london. >> she's incredibly private, discreet, and loyal. these are all reasons why prince william has chosen to be with her. >> reporter: today the london tabloids document her every outfit. women watch and copy what she wears. a lot like princess diana before her. the comparisons are inevitable. >> i would have loved to have met her. and she's obviously -- she's an inspirational woman to look up to. >> reporter: middleton wears the same ring diana wore as her engagement ring. within a year, she too will join the most famous royal family in the world. >> it's obviously nerve-wrackinnerve-wrack i ing, because i don't know the ropes. but now i'm willing to learn quickly and work hard. >> in fact, prince william says he waited so long, he said jokingly a bit, because he wanted to give kate middleton some time to back out. if she wanted to. but truthfully, living within those walls and with the royal family, obviously, is a unique experience. and something that prince william clearly wanted his bride to be to get used to. he wanted to meet the family and so forth and have all of that first. of course, now that the engagement has been announced, let the guessing game begin about the gown and wedding and so forth. >> she seems very, very nice. >> she does. she does. remember, princess diana was called the people's princess. and kate middleton is a commoner as they say in england. the first time a commoner has married into the royal family in modern times. so it's interesting to note. having said that, what is interesting about the wedding, we're talking about next spring possibly next summer, 2011 is an important year for the royal family. it would have been princess diana's 50th birthday, it would have been the 30th anniversary of charles and diana. this is going to be a big deal too. >> sure is. a lot of history there, as well. and to really know kate middleton, you have to know her hometown, buckleberry, england. we'll take you there this morning. a real hollywood who done it? police are searching for a suspect in the shooting death of publicist to the star ronnie chasen. she was shot while driving home from a party to celebrate the premiere of the movie "bu "burlesque." police say they have no suspect or motive for the shooting. well, it could be a major break in the natalee hal wollow case. holloway was last seen on the island back in 2005. joran van der sloot was arrested twice in connection with holloway's disappearance but never charged. it's last call for caffeinated alcohol in a can. the food and drug administration could move to ban the beverages as early as today. doctors say drinks like four loko are dangerous because caffeine covers up some of the effects of alcohol. we're going to have more from our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen coming up on this important story at 7:15 eastern. time to get a chance of this morning's weather headlines. hey, rob. >> good morning, guys. some rough weather moving across the northeast right now. and last night and yesterday afternoon, it was across the delmarva in our nation's capital and baltimore. we had over 70 reports of winds that created some damage, and there you go. power lines down, even some roofs collapsed. we had some injuries across the northeast part of baltimore. serious situation there, no confirmed reports of tornadoes, but certainly winds strong enough to do damage. who cares what form they came in. over 40,000 customers at one point without power. here's where the storm is now, rotating as it spins up toward the great lakes and the rainfall is heading into the northeast. and with this rain, some wind, as well. most of the rain heading into new england, about to get into hartford, providence, and boston. but the winds behind this system, in front and behind very, very strong. a windy day from boston back through hartford, new york, winds will gust at times over 40 miles an hour. it will continue to be quite breezy when advisories are in effect. hold on to your hats today as this storm rips through. john and kiran, back up to you. >> about midnight last night, i hear this -- every couple of minutes or so. why are neighbors moving furniture at midnight? no idea. >> storm knocking at your door. >> it was loud. thanks so much, rob. there's a lot ahead this morning. the slurpee summit, the big meeting between the president and republican leaders. and now sniping back and forth about why it's not happening any time soon. what do you get when you cross alaska with the jersey shore? bristol palin and the situation talking safe sex? what's that all about? we'll show you. also live in buckleberry, england, a look at the life of the princess before she met prince william. we fill them with extraordinary craftsmanship. we fill them with amazing technology. and we fill them with inspired design. and now your chevy dealer wants to fill them with as much good will as we can. come see how chevy is giving more: right now, chevy's giving you no monthly payments till spring plus 0% apr financing. see how your dealer is giving at facebook.com/chevrolet. across the country when the economy tumbled, jpmorgan chase set up new offices to work one-on-one with homeowners. since 2009, we've helped over 200,000 americans keep their homes. and we're reaching out to small businesses too, increasing our lending commitment this year to $10 billion and giving businesses the opportunity to ask for a second review if they feel their loan should have been approved. this is how recoveries happen. everyone doing their part. this is the way forward. ♪ well, ever since the midterm shellacking as the president put it, he's talked about having republican and democratic leaders over to the white house for a dinner. it was a meeting dubbed the slurpee summit. >> it was supposed to happen tomorrow, but now it's been put off until the end of the month. as to why it's postponed, both sides are pointing fingers. is it a sign of more political gridlock? and is it a slap in the president's face? brianna keilar live in washington this morning. and i guess the slurpees will be put on ice for a little bit. >> yeah, this is so sad. if not just for the fact that the slurpees we were going to have to mark the occasion are going to have to wait here. this is a meeting to discuss policy, areas for agreement for republicans and democrats in congress. this is due to scheduling conflicts, they've rescheduled it for november 30th. and congressional republicans say they are too busy right now setting up the new congress, finishing up business with the old one. but check this out, an anonymous -- some anonymous democratic officials saying this is a sign of things. that they can't even work it out to get together when they were supposed to. >> so both house republicans and democrats are holding their leadership elections today. is there drama on both sides of the aisle? >> it is. and for democrats it centers around pelosi. she's running to be minority leader. and she's likely to prevail, but not without some opposition. some liberal members have not endorsed her, and conservative members, there are some of them who think she shouldn't stay. yesterday she met with democrats for the first time since the midterms. this was a four-hour caucus and several defeated members confronted her and said it's time for new blood. they really felt their losses had to do with her. so she now has a direct challenge from heath shuler, a democrat from north carolina. he is not expected to win, but this is about him making quite the point. and then let's talk about republicans. we just learned there'll not be just one, but two new spots at the leadership table for freshman republicans. this is a nod to the importance of this huge incoming class. and presumably as we heard about the tea party candidates, this is a nod to the tea party, as well. republicans trying to say, hey, we hear you, we think you're important and giving these two positions is part of that. >> the other big story on capitol hill, congressman charlie rangel. they threw the book at him yesterday. guilty on 11 of 12 possible ethics violations. what happens now? >> the ethics committee is going to meet tomorrow on sanctions. if this were a court trial, it would kind of be the sentencing phase. so what they're going to come up with, we're not exactly sure. but there are a number of options. there's expulsion, of course. that's the worst sanction. it's really seen as unlikely here. there are some more minor rebukes, but serious. censure, reprimand, charles rangel could pay a fine. but this is a once very powerful chairman of the house, ways, and means committee. he's been elected to a 21st term. he was the head of that tax writing committee ways and means. and now he's in the twilight of his career in this ethics process is not going his way, guys. >> yep, tough times for charlie rangel certainly. brianna keilar, thanks. coming up next -- you have to see it. bristol palin and the situation in a public service announcement. the acting is just unbelievable. here's a little snippet. >> but i'm worried about you and you practicing safe sex. >> i actually practice a whole lot, i mean a whole lot. >> okay. we'll show you more coming up. and a very different look for former vice president dick cheney. we'll tell you how he lost so much weight. stay with us. it's 18 minutes after the hour. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] here's hoping you find something special in your driveway this holiday. ♪ [ santa ] ho ho ho! [ male announcer ] get an exceptional offer on the mercedes-benz you've always wanted at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends soon. and while it can never be fully answered, it helps to have a financial partner like northern trust. by gaining a keen understanding of your financial needs, we're able to tailor a plan using a full suite... of sophisticated investment strategies and solutions. so whatever's around the corner can be faced with confidence. ♪ northern trust. look ahead with us at northerntrust.com. 22 minutes now after the hour. and here are some of the stories that got us talking in the newsroom this morning. they have broken ground on the george w. bush presidential center on the campus of smu. it's going to include that library, museum, and a policy institute. it should be done by the year 2013. and have a look at this. a slimmed down dick cheney was on hand. he says he lost the weight during his last hospitalization. he says he believes the public is starting to recognize all of the accomplishments of the bush administration. got a lot of laughs when he called the library ground breaking, "the only shovel ready project in america." a rockland county, new york, boy and his three friends decided they were going to sell cup cakes and made over $100 the first day. but then the local councilman spotted the kids the following weekend, called the cops to close them down because they didn't have a permit. >> this sounds -- remember the kids selling lemonade? >> you always hear about this. the kids are looking for a friendlier community to hold their next bake sale. >> talk about the death of common sense. a reality odd couple to tell you about. teen mom bristol palin and the situation from mtv's "jersey shore," which i'm proud to say i've never watched. >> you're missing out. it's good. >> there are some things worth missing. the one-time co-stars of "dancing with the stars" taped this public service announcement on, of all things, safe sex. have a look. >> i hope you're as committed to safe sex as you are to those abs. >> i know you're all about that abstinence thing, but come on, b. palin, are you serious? you're not going to hook up before you're married? for real? >> for real. but i'm worried about you and you practicing safe sex. >> i actually practice a whole lot. i mean a whole lot. >> i'm talking about the safe part of that. >> the safe part. we've got the safe part down pat. magnums. you know what? i might be able to spare one, give you one. >> it's fine, i avoid situations. >> yeah. okay. jaw-dropping, right? when i saw -- >> i'm stunned. >> it's painful to watch, i have to say. that's why i wanted to bring it to you guys. >> thank you so much for that. >> you're welcome. coming up next, the commoner who won the heart of the prince, kate middleton's life will never be the same. 25 minutes past the hour. dermatd aveeno has an oat formula, now proven to build a moisture reserve, so skin can replenish itself. that's healthy skin for life. only from aveeno. ♪ well, it's 27 1/2 minutes after the hour. every hometown girl dreams of marrying a prince and living in a palace. but this morning, there's only one hometown where that improbable fairy tale has come true. reporters from all over the world are swarming the leafy village of buckleberry, england. childhood home of kate, prince william's bride to be. tell us about buckleberry. what's it like there, dan? >> reporter: it's pretty quiet. it must be said. this is a very small, sleepy little village in the english country side. it's the home of carol and michael middleton, kate's parents. they came out and spoke yesterday about how thrilled they were. they're not saying much today. people here, i think, were pleasantly surprised. it's been a long time in the making, this engagement. they've been going out for about seven years. but i think everyone was pleasantly surprised yesterday. i think there's a general feeling here in the uk this is going to give a bit of a lift to the country next year in the midst of a very tough recession in the middle of a kind of time of austerity when the government's cutting everything left, right, and center. something everyone to look forward to next spring or summer. >> well, on that point too -- if people have got something to look forward to in these times of austerity, what about the size of the wedding? we all remember back in 1981, the enormity of charles and diana's wedding. are they going to repeat that? or will they have to scale it down a bit so it doesn't look so ostentatious? >> reporter: there's a bit of debate about that. i don't think it'll be held here, that'd be a bit too modest, but i don't think it'll be on the quite lavish scale that charles and diana's wedding was in 1981. as you say, this is a different time now. i think there's a feeling that wouldn't quite be appropriate in these tough economic times. show there's -- they're kind of weighing up where the venue will be. more likely it might be in westminster abby, which is a slightly more intimate location and one known to be favored by prince william. so we don't know yet for sure. we don't know the date. but i think it's fair to say it's not going to be a repeat of charles and di's very lavish, very fairy tale-esque wedding, something slightly more modest. it is a royal wedding, it'll be big. but it'll be tempered. >> what are the people in the leafy hamlet of bucklebury saying about kate this morning? >> reporter: well, i think, you know, the people that we've spoken here, you know, have been pleased, thrilled obviously. it's sort of local girl made good. the thing about this, as well, she is from a very middle class normal background. her parents live in a very nice home, but it's certainly not a stately home or anything like that. they run their own business, which supplies toys to children's parties. she went to a very good school, but by no means has she been exposed to the royal family before this engagement and before getting to know william. you know, she comes from a normal background. and it's for that reason here that everyone's delighted because obviously everyone can identify it could have been them or their daughter instead of kate. >> and it's not like she grew up in a box in the middle of the road. dan rivers for us this morning in bucklebury. thanks so much. >> right. because the term commoner just sounds bad. but it's not. it is what it is there. >> in england, it is what it is. no question about that. don't go anywhere. in about ten minutes, we're going to be talking to tom bradby, the one who interviewed the royal couple. their first interview, and we're going to play some of it, as well. crossing the half hour, or top stories. haiti's cholera epidemic, angry protesters burning tires and cars and setting a police station on fire. they're accusing the united nations peace keepers of bringing the disease into the city. u.n. officials, of course, deny that claim. aid workers are urging them to stop the violence so they can deliver supplies to the affected areas. cholera has killed more than 1,000 people in the area. army staff sergeant salvadore giunta saved members of his platoon. he is the first living recipient of the medal of honor during an ongoing conflict since vietnam. and a former television producer accused of killing his wife is due in a los angeles courtroom today. bruce redman was taken into custody yesterday. he was charged in mexico with killing his wife while on vacation. her body was found back in april in a sewer. brandy's out, bristol palin advanced to the next week's finals in the "dancing with the stars" competition. >> why the judges may not exactly love her moves, the television audience keeps pushing her through, leaving some people to wonder if maybe we're witnessing a vast conservative conspiracy. really, they're talking about it. carol costello with a gut check this morning. she's joining us from washington. is there any walk of life that politics is not permeated? >> that's the question we're asking this morning. if bristol palin's presence on "dancing with the stars" proves anything, it proves just how partisan we've become as a nation. i'm sure you've heard this. some believe the only reason bristol palin remains on "dancing with the stars" is because of a tea party republican conspiracy. seneca doane wrote this in the post. she, bristol palin is inferior, but sarah palin fans keep voting her in as a tribute to her grifter mom. evidently they're making a political point. bristol palin and her dance partner insist that's not true. >> i've had loads of people come out to me in l.a. saying, you know what? i'm 100% democrat, but i vote for you every week because i have a normal life, a normal family, i come home to my normal tv set, and that's exactly how i would be. and i enjoy watching the journey and it's inspiring. >> some people say the funny thing or the sad thing is just how much we've politicized everything in this country. take a look at this headline in the hollywood reporter. the reign of the right-wing prime time. a media research company came up with a list of shows republicans like and those democrats like. and i'll name a few in case you're interested. republicans watch, you guessed it, "dancing with the stars," "modern family," "big bang theory." democrats watch shows about damaged characters like "madmen," "30 rock," "dexter," republicans are more devoted and watch in greater numbers. this supposed divide in tv viewing habits has erupted over bristol palin. here's kim serafin who worked in politics with rudy giuliani and is now senior editor of "in touch weekly." >> it's kind of funny, but not entirely surprising because people do politicize everything. they politicize tv shows, movies, celebrities, everything that people do these days is politicized. and when you're dealing with someone like bristol palin, the daughter of sarah palin, it's obviously going to be really amplified. >> and it's become really amplified. kim says the saddest thing about this, we're fighting over alleged partisan shows don't even delve into real social issues. "dancing with the stars" making a political point? so our gut check this morning, many of us expect our politicians to reach across the aisle, but do we really mean that? are we so partisan that there are republican shows and democratic shows? can't we just sit back and enjoy da"dancing with the stars" as o nation? write to me on my blog this morning cnn.com/amfix. interested to hear what you have to say about that this morning. >> yeah. can't we all just get along? it's a tv show. >> apparently not. >> wow, come on. looking forward to your responses on that. >> were people this angry about "american idol"? i think they were at times with the voting. >> at times with voting, especially when i think adam lambert was one of the contestants and he didn't win. it turned into a blue state/red state thing. >> they said the same thing about clay aiken, there was a conspiracy there, as well. >> i know. i know. >> that's why i'm sticking with nickelodeon. >> safe choice. >> now, wait a minute, i'm not quite sure what the political symbol -- yo gabba -- prince william finally pops the question. we're going to talk to tom bradby, he conducted the first interview. we'll hear from them. mmmm. you don't love me anymore do you billy? what? i didn't buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds it's for my heart health. good speech dad. [ whimper ] [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and its whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healthy. 40 minutes past the hour. prince william and kate middleton's engagement making headlines around the world. and now a chance to hear from them. the prince revealed more details about how he proposed to his now fiancee. >> it was about three weeks ago on a holiday in kenya. we had that little private time away together with some friends and i decided it was the right time really. >> and did you produce the ring there and then? >> i did. i've been carrying it around with me for about three weeks before that. everywhere i went, i was keeping ahold of it because i knew if it disappeared, i would be in a lot of trouble. >> i hope i look after it. it's very, very special. >> itv's tom bradby joins us this morning. good morning. thanks for being with us. >> reporter: good morning. >> tell us a little bit what it was like when you sat down with them. were they excited? were they nervous with you? >> reporter: they were very nervous. and what they did quite cleverly was to give me quite a long time. we had about an hour and a half together. we spent a half an hour upstairs, talked a little bit about the interview, but also having a laugh really quite honestly and relaxing altogether. that was quite helpful. and i said to them very simply, look, this is your day, your happy day, i'm not going to muck it up. i normally cover politics. this is a conversation, it's a chance. people are hugely curious about you, it's a chance for you to talk about yourselves and my job is to effectively lead that conversation. but what we all had in our minds was, of course, the fact when william's parents got engaged, they did a toe-curling awful interview. so we were all pretty key to get out of this without mucking it up like that. >> well, i hear you. they definitely seemed comfortable around each other. relaxed, they were laughing. what's your back and forth joke about how long she was possibly in love with him. >> the story that goes around that you had a picture of him on your wall as a -- >> there wasn't just one, there was like ten or 20. >> he wishes. no, i had the levis guy on my wall, not a picture of william. sorry. >> it was me and levis. >> so that was a joking moment, but you said there's a story going around. it would seem it would be every little girl's dream to marry a prince, so the possibility of her having a poster of him wouldn't be that out of the realm. >> reporter: i'm really sorry, would you mind repeating that question? >> oh, it's fine. i thought you were choosing not to answer it. no, i'm teasing. i was just asking about the whole notion that there was a story going around that she would have a picture of him on her wall. when you think about it, it really is every little girl's dream to marry a prince. and the way they met is so pedestrian. they met at school. >> reporter: one of the things i really noticed over the last ten years is about 99% of all stuff written in the papers about them is complete and utter rubbish. so, you know, i always take things with a pinch of salt. it's quite a funny story. they're quite funny about it, you know. she gives him a ribbing, you know, on the grounds of you think i had a picture of you on my wall, you must be incredibly sad is her sort of line. but they're nice together, and, you know, does everyone dream of marrying a prince? do they really in this day in age? we know it's a very strange life, it's a very weird life. i don't think it's something a lot of people in their right mind would really choose. and that's one of the reasons it's taken them so long to get here. they're well aware they're stepping into a goldfish bowl. they're private people, i don't think they enormously enjoy the limelight. they're going to be happiest this week when they get up to an island in the middle of nowhere. and they don't have anyone up there except sheep. and a few protection officers. and they'll be happy like that. and they're going to live their life as far as possible like that. they'll do these big moments, and then they'll retreat. and domestic happiness is what william wants more than anything else. i don't doubt that at all, and so does she. >> and that's interesting because he gave her his mother's wedding ring, the diamonds and sapphires. and she was asked about her feelings about princess diana who famously did not have a happy domestic life with his father. let's listen to what kate said about princess diana. >> she's an inspirational woman to look up to. obviously on the -- to this day and, you know, going forward and things. you know, it is -- it's a wonderful family. the members i've met have achieved a lot. and they're very inspirational. so yeah, i do. >> there's no pressure there. there's no pressure because like kate said, it's about carving your own future. and no one's going to try to -- no one's trying to fill my mother's shoes. >> seemed like a tender moment, as well. he put his hand -- he sort of put his hand on her lap for a second there on her knee and said there's no pressure. but is there pressure for her to be like diana? >> reporter: i think what is going to be pressure is the wave of attention that's going to come at her from all over the world. i suspect they will tour america, incidentally after they get married fairly shortly. i think they're going to go around the world at some point. and i think the pressure to live up to maybe diana's glamor is going to be there. let's not be naive about it. that will be a real pressure. but what the long wait has been about in terms of getting to this point has been about getting their heads straight about the kind of people they want to be and the kind of life they want to have. and it sure isn't the kind of life his parents had. that was a mad, mad world, crazy, briefing journalists all the time, the war, the kind of constant front pages. they just don't want that. and, you know, maybe i'll eat my hat, but i would bet a great deal of money that they'll never get divorced. and i know that's been a subject that they've much discussed. they will be like william's grandparents. whether they're happy or not, i can't say. i hope they are. i'm sure they will be. but i can't predict that. what i am pretty certain about is they understand the importance of their marriage to the institution for better or worse, and they will stick it out. and so they've been -- i think they've been pretty thoughtful about the way they've approached this quite honestly. and i think they know what they're getting into it and now how they want to handle it. and one of the things i've noticed about william over the years is he wants to do it his way. he's prepared to meet the world, do the media, what's expected of him, and all the rest of it, but in his own way. even this wedding announcement is quite an interesting example of that. they got engaged three weeks ago. i knew they got engaged a long time ago, but he didn't want to announce it until he wanted to announce it and she wanted to announce it, and that's what they did. >> they seem like that lovely couple. we all wish them the best. tom bradby, itv media director, thanks so much. coming up next, rob will be up after the break. plus, it used to be something that would get you fired. we'll tell you why more companies are actually letting their employees nap at work. prn called the humana walmart-. it's a new plan that covers both brand ans and has the lowest-pricednatioy of only $14.80 per month and in-store copays as . when you could save over, you can focus on the things . ♪ go to walmart.com for details. ♪ [ upbeat instrumental ] [ rattling ] [ gasps ] [ rattling ] [ laughing ] [ announcer ] close enough just isn't good enough. - if your car is in an accident, - [ laughing continues ] make sure it's repaired with the right replacement parts. take the scary out of life with travelers. call or click now for an agent or quote. let's get a quick check of this morning's weather headlines. boy, we had thunder overnight, rob. >> not honorable thunder, but winds with that thunder down across baltimore and d.c. damaging stuff. and this was the storm that did it. down across the south yesterday. and we're not done with it yet by any means. even though most of the rain is done across parts of the new york city area, the heaviest parts are moving in through eastern new england, but the winds ahead and behind this system are fairly significant. and we're seeing sustained winds right now in boston and new york and even d.c. at 20 miles an hour, and those will gust higher, potentially over 40 miles per hour, and that will cause air travel delays. drying out across the south, also stormy across the midsection of the country. and another storm rolling into the pacific northwest. if you are traveling today, boston and new york are going to have travel issues. well, man's best friend is going bionic. some vets in britain are giving some dogs a new lease on life. check it out. walking again after being trampled by a horse in june, her owner was left with a tough decision. >> the options were euthanasia or giving her a chance to walk. and we wanted to give her a chance to walk. >> reporter: one of the few dogs in the world to be labeled bionic. on this day, the doctor is taking off her bulky leg brace and replacing it with a sleek prosthetic foot. he did this using a revolutionary device called an itap. a metal rod placed inside her leg. >> it's part of the dog's body. the dog gets on with life. >> before there was no way to give an animal a prosthetic. >> reporter: he says traditional prosthetic devices for humans can sometimes be painful and difficult to use. he says itap could be a remarkable alternative for people and their pets. >> if what i do by helping my patients in their needs help other patients that are animals or human, excellent. i think it is the future, yes. >> how about that for an edge of discovery? mittsy, guys is walking with normalized gate, healing well, and dr. fitzpatrick is performing these procedures fairly regularly. pretty amazing stuff. >> good for mitsy, that's great. napping on the job is becoming a lot more common, but it's being encouraged by more employers. we'll explain coming up. ice 1) we've detected an anomaly... (voice 2) how bad is it? (voice 1) traffic's off the chart... (voice 2) they're pinging more targets... (voice 3) isolate... prevent damage... (voice 2) got 'em. (voice 3) great exercise guys. let's run it again. one month, five years after you do retire? ♪ client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize i better start doing something. we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think, "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. minding your business this morning. the raw power of nap time. maybe those kids in kindergarten are on to something. because a growing number of companies are offering designated nap or renewal rooms. research has shown that a quick, 30-minute snooze can increase alertness and result in fewer sick days. >> edison used to take them. and there's a guy here at cnn, i won't say who it is or what he does, but sometimes you'll pass him at 3:00 in the morning, and he's perfected the ability to fall asleep with his hand on the computer mouse. and when i walk by, he just goes -- >> that's not a nap. >> he doesn't startle awake, he sort of slowly opens his eyes and almost like he continues with exactly what he's doing. >> are you talking about yourself? >> not me, somebody else. i'm like this. top stories coming your way after the break. stay with us. this morning, both sides of the atlantic buzzing over the wedding of prince william and kate middleton. ahead this hour, the royal event, the ring, and the couple everyone's talking about. we're going to hear from them. good morning, thanks for being with us on this wednesday, november 17th, i'm kiran chetry. >> thanks for being with us. more on that royal engagement in a moment, but first, let's get you caught up on this morning's top stories. the food and drug administration taking aim at caffeinated alcoholic drinks. the maker of one of those drinks, four loko promises to remove the caffeine from the mix. more ahead on why caffeine and alcohol combined are a recipe for disaster. outrage over airport security spilling into the courtroom. now getting sued over the scanners and pat-downs. who is filing the complaints and what they're demanding straight ahead. and new developments in a murder mystery. a former reality television producer accused of killing his wife in mexico is now in custody. details of his arrest just ahead for you this morning. we begin this morning with a royal engagement of prince william and kate middleton. if yesterday morning was all about the announcement, today is about how it went down, where the ceremony will be, the ring, and of course, hearing from the couple. the headlines say it all this morning in the "london times." "diana's ring seals the engagement." and the daily mail, "kate finally announced the engagement after eight years." a look at who kate middleton is. few of us know much about her. we'll also go across the pond to check in with our correspondents at buckingham palace and middleton's hometown. but first the couple, william and kate, in their own words. >> william, where did you propose? when, how, and kate, what did you say? >> about three weeks ago on a holiday in kenya. we had a little private time away together with some friends. and i just decided that it was the right time really. we've been talking about marriage for a while. so it wasn't a massively big surprise. but i took her up somewhere nice in kenya and proposed. >> it was very romantic. >> and you said yes, obviously? >> of course. yes. >> and you knew you were going to do this from day one of the whole day? you waited until the end? >> i'd been planning it for a while. but as every guy out there knows, it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going. i was planning it and it felt right in africa and it was beautiful at the time. i'd done a bit of planning to show my romantic side. >> kate, you'd been on holiday for a while. did you see this coming? was he getting nervous and jumpy? >> no, not at all. i really didn't expect it at all. i thought he might have sort of maybe thought about it, but no. it was a total shock when it came, and very excited. >> and did you produce a ring there and then? >> yes, i'd been carrying it around for three weeks before that and i would not let it go. i knew if it disappeared, i'd be in a lot of trouble. yeah, i planned it -- it went fine as, you know, you hear a lot of horror stories about proposing, it went really, really well and i was very pleased she said yes. >> and it's a family ring? >> yes, my mother's engagement ring. i thought it was nice. obviously she's not going to be around to share in the fun and excitement, but this is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all. >> well, i guess we better have a look at it. what kind of ring is it? are you an expert? >> i'm not an expert at all. i'm informed it's a sapphire with some diamonds, but i'm sure everybody recognizes it. >> it's beautiful. >> and kate, you'll be an envy of many. >> well, i hope i look after it. >> she loses it, she'll be in trouble. >> it has to be said, you both look incredibly happy and relaxed. >> we are, we are. we're like sort of ducks, very calm on the surface, but little feet going under the water. no, it's very exciting. we've been talking about it for a long time. so for us it's a real relief to tell everybody. the last two or three weeks have been difficult keeping it to ourselves. for reasons we had to. and it's really nice to finally be able to share it with everyone. >> it's a massive thing you're going into now. but it's in such a public way excited, a little bit terrified? >> massively excited. quite happy when the interview's over. but we're hugely excited. and we're looking forward to spending the rest of the time, the better of our lives together and seeing what the future holds. >> kate, for you, you've had a long time to sort of contemplate that moment -- >> let's not -- >> no, it is obviously nerve-wracking because i don't know what i am -- sort of i don't know the ropes really. but no, i'm willing to learn quickly and work hard. >> she'll do really well. >> a lot of opportunities, obviously, within the family. huge ability to change people's lives for the better. and i guess that's something you must have contemplated, as well. >> yes. well, i really hope i can make a difference, even in the smallest way. yeah, i'm looking forward to helping as much as i can. >> those were among the first words that many had ever heard kate middleton speak. >> they're so adorable. they really seem to like each other and support each other. >> and she's going to have to learn quickly too. because the wedding is now right around the corner. kate's remained a very private person even as their eight-yearlong romance blossomed on to the front pages. alina cho with more on the woman who one day could be queen. >> that's right. you talk about her voice and it is rare we ever hear her speak. and it's that discretion that the royal family is said to like. it's one of the many things that they've said to like. you know, i think it's clear by now the public has not been this excited about a royal wedding since charles and diana. that was dubbed the wedding of the century. this could be too. so we wanted to know who is the woman in line to be queen? who is kate middleton? >> reporter: in england, she's that media darling, a household name. but until now, the rest of the world has not seen much of her. all of that is changing now that prince william has asked kate middleton to marry him. >> it was a total shock when it came and very excited. >> a rare chance to hear her speak. >> i went bright red and scuttled off. >> reporter: that's how she described the first time she met prince william. it was 2001 while both studied art history at st. andrews in scotland. a year later they were flat mates and then a couple. >> she's thoroughly charming, good fun, very sporty, very, very down to earth. she comes from a family that is incredibly close and tight knit. and she is middle class. >> reporter: the daughter of a former pilot and a flight attendant. parents who now own a party supply business, self-made millionaires. she's 28, the eldest of three, and grew up outside london. >> she's incredibly private. she's incredibly discreet, and she's incredibly loyal. these are all reasons why prince william has chosen to be with her. >> reporter: today the london tabloids document her every outfit. women watch and copy what she wears. a lot like princess diana before her. the comparisons are inevitable. >> i would have loved to have met her. and -- and she's obviously -- she's an inspirational woman to look up to. >> reporter: middleton wears the same ring diana wore as her engagement ring. within a year, she too will join the most famous royal family in the world. >> it's obviously nerve-wracking because i don't know what i'm -- sort of -- i don't know the ropes really. but no, i'm willing to learn quickly and work hard. and i -- >> she'll do really well. we'll do really well. >> i'm sure she will. she is exceedingly elegant, for one. now that the announcement has been made about the engagement, of course, let the relentless obsessing begin about the gown, all of the wedding details. one thing that we do no according to royal watchers is that, of course, it will happen in 2011, spring or summer. 2011, very important year. it would have been the 50th birthday of princess diana and the 30th anniversary of the wedding of charles and diana. and remember, 750 million people watched on television as charles and diana got married. i remember waking up at 5:00 in the morning. >> she was just a teenager. she was 20 years old. >> with that massive gown -- >> people might be wondering, you know, not a great track record with royal weddings, they're 0 for 2 so far, but does this couple know each other? have they gone through more of a growth together? >> most certainly, they met in 2001, they were flat mates, they were friends before they became lovers, of course, but they lived as roommates. >> broke up for a time. >> they broke up for a time. and they called her waity katie because she stuck around for so long without that engagement ring. >> and it was still a surprise when she got it. >> and one of the things we talked about her discretion and keeping quiet. one of the things that the royal family is said to like about her is her discretion. when they broke up in 2007, it was splashed across the tabloids. she didn't say a word about it. >> good for her. >> that's right. and in short order, they got back together. look at them now. >> well, we wish them the best. they seem like a really good fit. >> they do. and he has a great sense of humor in that interview that came out. >> they seem like they can laugh at things and they're going to need to be able to laugh as they get scrutinized moving forward. speaking of that, talk about the ring. of course, looks familiar because as alina reported, it is the same ring that william's father gave to his mother. 18 carat sapphire and diamond ring valued at around $130,000, although, really, it's priceless. >> because it's family heirloom now. you're saying it came from the jeweler's catalog? >> yeah, it was not that expensive, i think it was about 30,000 pounds at the time that princess diana -- >> that's pretty expensive. >> well, for the future queen. >> kate showed off that stunning ring yesterday during an appearance at st. james palace. and apparently since the ring came back out on public display, demand for look-a-likes are skyrocketing. >> my mom has a look-a-like one from back in the day. yeah, it's popular. >> everyone wanted to be like her. we're just getting started this morning. in ten minutes we'll be talking with atika live on how the city's all abuzz this morning. and we'll take you live to kate's hometown of bucklebury, england. a real hollywood who done it that has police baffled. police are searching for a suspect in the brutal shooting of publicist to the stars ronnie chasen. she was shot multiple times in her car when driving home from a movie premiere party last night. she died later at the cedar sinai hospital. a former tv producer is due in los angeles today accused of killing his wife. bruce redman who at one time worked on "survivor" was taken into custody, charged with killing his wife while on vacation in mexico. her body was found in april in a hotel sewer. a civil liberties group is suing homeland security chief janet napolitano and tsa administrative john pistole. and a public interest group says it's suing homeland security to get their hands on medical records that the department used before proving the use of the scanners. >> this is going to continue for some time it looks like. 12 minutes past the hour. let's get a check of this morning's weather headlines. rob marciano in atlanta this morning. hey, rob. >> rough storm for you guys, wasn't it, last night? >> i didn't know it rained, i thought the neighbors were moving furniture. it was apparently thunder. >> you weren't the only one. it's moving to the east and left trail of damage across parts of baltimore and d.c. take a look at some of this video. lights are out for about 20,000 people, at least at one time. they're working hard to get the power back on especially the northeast side of baltimore. damaging winds there. 80 reports of wind reports from the storm prediction center. and obviously trees down and roof damage and injuries reported, as well. the storm right now moving across lake erie. it'll continue to roll its way across canada. but in its wake will be more in the way of wind. the heaviest rains have moved to the eastern part of new england. that's where the heavy rain is, but the wind will be with us for the rest of today. and that will certainly spawn some travel delays in boston and the typical spots in new york. a little storm rolling through there, actually blizzard conditions and another storm in the pacific northwest, both of those items we'll talk more about in the next half an hour. worst is over for you guys, although it will be breezy today. >> it's been a windy fall. we could use less of that. coming up, still time to get a great travel deal for thanksgiving weekend. tips for us coming up in about 15 or 20 minutes. >> the key here, flexibility. and after selling 50 million albums and winning 10 grammy awards, what's next for jay-z. why he felt he had to write "decoded." and looks like the party is over for four loko and other caffeinated alcoholic drinks. it's 13 minutes past the hour. this site has a should i try priceline instead? >> no it's a sale. nothing beats a sale! wrong move! you. you can save up to half off that sale when you name your own price on priceline. but this one's a deal...trust me. it's only pretending to be a deal. here, bid $79. got it. wow! you win this time good twin! there's no disguising the real deal. it's true. you never forget your first subaru. ♪ 17 minutes now after the hour. and minding your business this morning, mixed results on overseas markets following wall street's worst day in months. the dow jones index plunged 178 points yesterday closing just above the 11,000 mark. it's the dow's biggest one-day loss since august. the s&p, the nasdaq also down sharply highlighting concerns about the global economy. well, the timing couldn't be better for gm. they're unveiling the chevy volt today, named the car of the year for 2011. the plug-in hybrid gets about 73 miles to the gallon, 50 miles on electricity for a backup gas engine then kicks in. the volt goes on sale next month. it'll run you about $33,500. >> talked to somebody not long ago who drove one of those from washington to new york, he said he really liked it. it's the last call for caffeinated alcohol in a can. the food and drug administration could effectively ban the drinks as early as today. critics say four loko and others combine the punch of three cups of coffee and almost a six pack of beer in one can. doctors say that's a dangerous mix. elizabeth cohen joins us now from the cnn center in atlanta. what's up with the drinks? what's the faa expected to do? >> well the fda is expected to ban these drinks because they combine all that caffeine and all that alcohol. so if you take that look at these drinks, what's -- the thing that's going on here is that the caffeine is allowing people to drink more. so i mean, these things are quite large, but if you're heavily caffeinated, it means you don't pass out or fall asleep, and that's why some people call this a blackout in a can. in fact, sop kids who drank them out in washington state, some college cans who ended up at the hospital so drunk that authorities actually thought they had been drugged. and so the fda's expected to take these off the market. john, kiran? >> sorry i said faa instead of fda. >> they banned it too. >> they banned it, as well, maybe just how high these people are when they drink this stuff. faa does need to regulate them. one manufacturer already making changes, elizabeth. what are they doing? >> the folks who make four loko put out a press release saying we're going to take out the caffeine and the other stimulants. and it was interesting, they did note, all right, we're going to do it, we're going to take it out, but we do want to note that people have been drinking alcohol and caffeine for quite some time, whether it's an irish coffee or rum and coke. >> even without the caffeine, this is not like drinking a beer. >> i think that's an important thing for people to remember. even once the caffeine and the stimulants comes out of these drinks, you're still getting a six-pack worth of alcohol in one beverage. partly because they are so large, and partly because they're 12% alcohol by volume. sometimes they're 6%, but in many states they're 12%, like here in georgia, when we bought these, they're 12%. that is a lot of alcohol. and because they've got these fruit punch, lemon lime, blue raspberry kind of flavors, you might not realize how much alcohol you're getting. >> we'll keep watching. thanks so much. >> we had some of our own taste testers in the studio who said it was -- what did you say? >> really you tried snit. >> they tried it. johnny said it tasted horrible but he kept drinking it because it did the job. >> you've got to wonder, though, if they take the caffeine out, is there any reason to buy this anymore? you get a tall 45 -- >> there you go, you found the solution when they take this off the market. >> if it doesn't have the caffeine, why buy it? so, maybe they'll go out of business altogether. we'll see. well, americans love a good comeback story. do you think they'll love this one? michael vick, just 18 months ago, he was in prison, now he's dominating the nfl. could be a major award, as well, in his future. and you can blame reality tv for this odd couple. bristol palin and the situation join forces? see what they've teamed up to do just ahead. you don't want to miss this. [ k. tyrone ] i'm an engineer. my kids say i speak a different language. but i love math and math and science develop new ideas. we've used hydrogen in our plants for decades. the old hydrogen units were very large. recently, we've been able to reduce that. then our scientists said "what if we could make it small enough to produce and use hydrogen right on board a car, as part of a hydrogen system." this could significantly reduce emissions and increase fuel economy by as much as 80%. ♪ welcome back. it is 24 minutes past the hour right now. some of the stories that got us talking this morning in the newsroom. she is an arcade basketball machine. we were trying to figure out is there any way this could have been faked like the baskets in sidney. but no, she's really doing this. it's gone viral. she knocked down 128 consecutive shots in one minute. she did not miss one time. look at that. >> that's pretty amazing. >> people are coming and going, walking behind her, doesn't break her concentration. and there you go. >> unbelievable consistency. she's going to be a heart surgeon, hands like that. teen mom, bristol palin and the situation from jersey shore teaming up again. the one-time co-stars of "dancing with the stars" taped a public service announcement together. and the topic, safe sex. have a look. >> i hope you're as committed to safe sex as you are those abs. >> i know you're all about that abstinence thing, but you know, come on, b. palin, you're serious, you're not going to hook up before your married for real? >> for real. >> for real, for real? >> for real, for real, for real. but i'm worried about you and you practicing safe sex. >> i actually practice a whole lot. >> i'm talking about the safe part of that. >> we got the safe part down pat. magnums. you know what? i might be able to spare one. you know, give you one. >> it's fine, i avoid situations. >> cringe inducing -- >> jaw dropping? >> yeah. well, how about this one? it was just 18 months ago he was in a federal prison, convicted public enemy number one after the dog-fighting incident. well, now, michael vick is the talk of the nfl. record-breaking performance against the washington redskins monday night and some are hailing the philadelphia eagles quarterback as a possible league mvp. >> how things can change. america the land of second chances. have you seen dick cheney lately? he's slimmed down a whole lot. the weight loss occurred after his recovery in heart surgery over the summer. and the former vp is trying to keep the pounds he lost off. that would be good for his health. cheney was on hand for the ground-breaking of the new george w. bush center on the campus of southern university. he said this is the only shovel ready project in america. well, the house ethics panel finds clear and convincing evidence of charlie rangel's guilt. what kind of punishment does that mean for the 21-term new york congressman? and president obama's so-called slurpee summit has been postponed. all those slurpees could melt by the time they meet. was it a slap in the president's face? and rapper jay-z, his new book, and why he wrote it and how he felt when president obama admitted publicly that the rapper's music was on his ipod. he sat down with poppy harlow. we'll be checking in with her coming up. 27 minutes past the hour. [ advisor 1 ] what do you see yourself doing one week, one month, five years after you do retire? ♪ client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize i better start doing something. we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think, "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. 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do you want lots of children? you know, see what comes? what's your -- >> i think we'll take it one step at a time. we'll get over the marriage thing first then look at the kid. but obviously we want a family. so we'll have to start thinking about that. >> well, we've got the royal engagement covered like no other network can. we've got dan rivers in kate middleton's hometown of bucklebury, england. we'll start with atika shubert live at buckingham palace. >> reporter: as you would imagine, this is the talk of the whole country. it's the top headline on all of the papers. i want to show you some of them now. the new romantics is the headline of the times. something borrowed, something blue. diana's ring still royal engagement. also here we have "the daily mail" with the headline "we got there in the end, darling." perhaps a reference to the many years that kate middleton was waiting for that engagement. and then we have a lot of these sort of souvenir supplements put out by some of the papers. this is from the daily mirror and focuses on kate as a little girl going into her childhood, her kind of favorite birthday cakes and so forth. and of course, how she met william. and i want to show you actually at the back of it is sort of a comparison of the two families of the working class middleton family and, of course, the royal family. and it charts both families there. her parents and their siblings. so a lot of scrutiny on kate middleton right now. she, of course, is very much in the spotlight. what the couple will be doing today is meeting with royal advisers, going over some of the details, trying to pick a date. there's a lot of speculation as to whether it'll be a spring wedding and a summer wedding and, of course, all of those other details people are looking forward to such as -- who will be designing the wedding dress, what the venue will be. will it be westminster abby where the queen herself was married. this could be one of the favorite venues by prince william. all of these details have yet to come out and that's what they'll be discussing with royal advisers today. >> atika for us this morning, the royal advisers come into the picture. that's what it's like when you're royalty. >> exactly. so many people to listen to. well, now to commoner kate's hometown, reporters from all over the world swarming the leafy hamlet of bucklebury, england. and our own dan rivers is there too. are they talking about the engagement there in bucklebury or the wedding? >> reporter: they are very excited here. clearly this is the biggest thing to happen in bucklebury ever i would imagine. so it's very much put this sleepy village in the spotlight. people are thrilled. they've had a lot of time to get used to the idea, though. the couple have been going out for about seven years now. so obviously speculation has been growing and growing as time has gone by. but yeah, they're thrilled. clearly it's not going to take place in the small village church behind me. we're talking about westminster abby. people are delighted. they're saying it's going to give something for the country to look forward to next year. in a time when there are cuts, where there is this sort of age of austerity, job losses, and the economy is in a terrible state. this is one bright beacon everyone can look forward to next summer. >> what are they saying about kate there in bucklebury? is she a favorite daughter of the town? >> reporter: she's pretty well known, yeah. and, you know, comes from a well-known family here. but by no means from a sort of aristocratic family. she comes from a middle class family, her parents michael and carol live in a nice house down the road. but they run their own business, they sell children's toys, you know, for children's parties. they are very well off, but by no means big sort of aristocr aristocratic landowners here at all. i think that's part of this enchantment with this engagement that she is someone from a fairly normal background who, you know, is going through this dramatic transformation. the name kate will be dropped for katherine, we're told. we don't know what her formal title will be once they're married. normally she would get a title of a dutchess. but certainly life is about to change forever for her as she becomes a princess after marrying william. >> and when you look at the background of her parents, dad was a pilot, mom was a flight attendant and they pulled themselves up by the boot straps to do very well with that business that they've got. so i'll tell you, it's all very exciting. and we'll be watching this anxiously awaiting the wedding bells. dan rivers for us in bucklebury, thanks. >> got to go back to katherine now from kate. >> princess kate. that's good. katherine's -- >> it's more royal. >> it certainly is royal. coming up, still haven't booked that trip for thanksgiving? well, it's not too late to get a real deal. the senior editor of travelocity joins us. ♪ express yourself ♪ [ female announcer ] the newest seasonal flavors are here. ♪ express yourself ♪ [ female announcer ] because coffee is like the holidays. it's better when you add your flavor. coffee-mate. from nestle. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 now they get it for less-- tdd# 1-800-345-2550 with online equity trades just $8.95. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 tdd# 1-800-345-2550 make one trade or a hundred. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 $8.95. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 trade ten shares or ten thousand. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 $8.95. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 put everything schwab has to work for you-- tdd# 1-800-345-2550 extensive research, live access tdd# 1-800-345-2550 to active trading specialists, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and our 24-hour support. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you get it all, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and you get it all for $8.95 a trade. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 then trade with some serious tools-- tdd# 1-800-345-2550 from our advanced charting tdd# 1-800-345-2550 to trailing stops and everything in between. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you can even help give your trading an edge tdd# 1-800-345-2550 with free seminars on topics like risk management, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 etf strategies, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and much more. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 just $8.95 per trade. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no matter your account balance, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 how often you trade tdd# 1-800-345-2550 or how many shares. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 switch to schwab today and get one more thing tdd# 1-800-345-2550 that sets schwab apart-- tdd# 1-800-345-2550 250 commission-free trades. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so start getting more. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 for less. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 visit schwab.com/activetrader tdd# 1-800-345-2550 or call 1-800-790-3808 today. ♪ well, the big day is just about upon us. just about a week away from thanksgiving now. we are a week and a day away. aaa is forecasting a double digit increase in thanksgiving holiday travel from last year. and can you still get a great deal if you've waited this long before planning your thanksgiving travel? well, let's find out. genevieve is a senior editor at travelocity is joining us now. can you get a deal out there? >> you can. but you have to know what a deal is and be flexible to get it. the average cost of a round-trip domestic ticket over thanksgiving weekend is $378. consider that the price to beat. if you're getting something in that price range right now, you're doing pretty well. be as flexible as possible, avoid sunday and monday returns, they'll be by far the most expensive days. if you can travel on thanksgiving, that'll save you a bundle, as well. and connecting flights, not as convenient, but generally a lot cheaper. >> because nobody travels on thanksgiving morning. everybody wants to be in place for thanksgiving morning. so there are probably flights that go wanting that day. >> especially if you can fly early in the morning and still get to your destination in time for turkey dinner at grandma's house or wherever you're going to end up, the airports are generally quiet, you may find an empty seat next to you to stretch out. something we haven't seen in recent months at all. >> i used to fly a lot on christmas eve from new york to washington and the flight was empty. >> and that will still be the case this year. >> when you see $378 as an average, i assume that the distance traveled will also depend on -- the price of your ticket will also depend on the distance traveled. >> definitely, definitely. so if flights from new york to l.a. are probably going to be a little bit more than that, going from atlanta to orlando, a little less than that. that's a good gauge to know if you're getting a decent price. >> i have relatives in san diego. and just for fun, i checked it out and i found a ticket for $333 all the way to san diego. my daughter goes to school in charleston and lives in washington, that same -- that little flight, $650. >> and that has to do with the -- >> you can go across the country for $330. >> that has to do with the number of flights. when there are not a great deal of flights between two cities, washington and charleston in that case, there's more demand, prices go up. >> so, one of the other things we're looking at is a potential backlash over these body scanners. there's a group called opt out, which is encouraging people to not go for the body scan or to insist on the pat-down. what are we expecting next week? >> first of all, security will be slower because of the larger number of people traveling. but it's possible that people opting out of the scanner will also slow security down. so people need to get to the airport at least 90 minutes before their flight. your flight is not going to wait for you. you want to leave yourself plenty of time to get through security and get to the flight. and the truth of the matter is most travelers will not go through a body scanner. there are about 385 scanners compared to 2,300 security lanes in the country. most of us will go through business as usual. but if you don't want to go through the scanner, opt for that pat-down. >> i should have asked you, if you're looking for a deal, what's the best way to find one? do you go on your website or a number of websites? there's you, orbitz, priceline. >> of course, i always shop on travelocity, but people want to shop around. they're still very conscious of their travel dollars. so shop around, see where you're going to get the best price. but the most important thing no matter where you purchase is to be flexible. be flexible about not only your dates but the airports you're willing to fly into it. don't forget to check out west palm beach and ft. a little, very close by and cheaper fares. >> everyone goes shopping on black friday. on the internet i'm told there's going to be some hotel days for future day. >> travelocity is having a sale, a one-day sale. so expect to find things like hotels in the caribbean turks and caicos with free nights. hotels in hawaii, 50%. chicago, 40% off. but it's not just travelocity, there'll be a lot of travel sales. so people who want to travel into december and well into 2011. by booking early, you're going to lock in the lowest price. >> the bad economy, that makes it more difficult, at least there may be some deals out there. >> definitely. >> thanks for coming in this morning. >> thanks, guys. coming up, the gop in 2012, one potential candidate says he's not running for the white house. who's the front-runner now? also a super soaker for the entire east coast this morning. rob will have the travel forecast coming up after the break. 44 minutes past the hour. ♪ [ ted ] for years, i was just a brewer. until one of the guys brought in some fresh bread that he'd made from our pale ale. and from that first bite, i knew my business would never be the same. 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[ male announcer ] see how the hartford helps businesses at achievewhatsahead.com. 48 minutes past the hour. time for a check of the weather headlines. we need rob to help us sort this all out because there's rough weather going on. that terrible fog in the south that caused that accident, unbelievable. >> yeah, it's all part of the same system. a decent amount of moisture with this thing. we had heavy rain across the south. and now we have this storm that's moving across the northeast, had some damaging winds across parts of d.c. and baltimore, as well. strong thunderstorms moving through new york city. the bulk of the heaviest weather moving east into eastern new england where we're seeing heavy rains from portland, maine, down to boston. but behind the rain, the low still has to go through. that'll take all day today and as it does so, cranking up big-time winds. new york right now, you're pretty much drying out, i don't think you'll see a whole lot of rain throughout the day today, the winds will crank up. windy conditions and wind advisories posted across the northeast. right now, they're clocked at 21 miles an hour out of the south/southwest. 23-mile-an-hour winds reported in boston. those could be gusting at times over 45 or 50 miles an hour. that may bring down trees and power lines. windy across the northwest. in between those two storms is another storm. and right now we have some blizzard conditions across eastern colorado. this video coming into us from central colorado out of silver thorn. yeah, rough go there, a little bit in the high country. i-70 eastbound closed. they're trying to reopen it right now. they're having a tough go. obviously slow go getting around there. breckenridge reporting 20 inches of snow. so a hefty start to the ski season in some cases record-breaking. 61 degrees and breezy today in new york city, hold on to your hats, my friends. >> does this pretend a good ski season? or a flash in the pan? >> the last few years we've had record-breaking snow. we're hoping to continue that trend. >> an awesome year, about three years ago. >> and it's been good for the drought out there. it's good all around. >> thanks, rob. thanks, rob. jay-z, why he says dealing drugs prepared him to be one of the most successful entertainers in america. bristol palin, the final round of the "dancing with the stars." people are crying conspiracy. how much did politics envad reality tv? 50 minutes past the hour. your core competency... is competency. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i'm getting an upgrade. 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[ thunder rumbling ] [ thunder crashing ] and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable. ♪ and they danced. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. okay, now here's our holiday gift list. aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.90 only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. jay-z's written a book. it is on sale now and don't be surprised if it becomes a best seller because everything the rapper does over delivers. >> sold more than 50 million abums, 10 grammy awards and a net worth around $500,000,000. poppy harlow sat down to find out why he wrote his book? >> i wanted to make the case that rap is poetry for one and some of the decisions we made to give them context. why the songs are the way there is. why there's a certain gangster rap. you know, why this is taken place in america. and it just felt like the perfect time to write it. >> you've said president obama had the courage to tell the press that he had your songs on his ipod. you've been a big supporter of his the entire way through. has he followed through on the hope he promised? >> i think he has -- he has -- he's on his way to delivering that but it's impossible for someone to take eight years of our last administration and turn it around in two years. it's very difficult to deliver on everything. you know? i think he's moving in the right direction, yes. >> you insist that rap is poetry and you wrote chuck d. famously called hip hop the ghetto of cnn. does it have a responsibility to entertain? >> it's everything. rap is entertaining, informative, provocative. it's funny. it's silly. you know? it's all of these things so absolutely. >> what do you learn on the street? because you talk about being 13 and selling crack. did that teach you something of how to be a successful businessman or how we all are common? >> all the things that you apply in business, you know, you know, they say that he has great instincts and on the street it can be the difference between life and death, not just losing a deal. >> it's very interesting. >> yeah. >> that it can take that and apply in it a totally different direction. >> went on to say, i don't condone life on the streets and selling drugs but that was my reality. i had nothing else. his father walked out when he was 11 years old. his mother wasn't around much. that was his reality and he went on to say that some of the greatest business instincts he learned he realized were similar with warren buffett and he sat down for lunch a few months ago and said it's about the instinct and following who you are and what you know and that has made him successful in music, in clothing, in restaurants. owns part of a nba team. >> does he acknowledge he's within of the lucky ones? at times it's glorified -- >> all the time. all the time, yeah. >> and he is one of the lucky ones who made good. he came out of it. he's now successful person giving back. >> he is. he told a story about a friend of his that when they were both selling drugs, his friend was arrested about 13 years old and thrown in jail for more than a decade and said if i didn't have the lyrics and music to bring me out of this, not only could i have been dead or in jail, i would have been. he realizes that was the reality that could have been him and when i asked him about giving back, how important to give back money, he said very important but unlike bill gates with opportunity and computers, the people where i'm from and the projects, the marcy projects not far from here in brooklyn, they don't have that opportunity so i want to give directly to them. he does that through a scholarship program. you can see i think that he'll give more and more and more to them as time goes on. >> good work now and a far cry of when he was a teenager. >> absolutely. >> this morning, where do we see more? >> cnnmoney.com. i have to say very, very kind, generous man to spend 20 minutes with us. >> thanks so much. >> you got it. >> top stories coming your way after a quick break. [trumpet playing "reveille" throughout] let's support the small business owners getting our economy booming with the first ever small business saturday. on november 27th, shop small. it's going to be huge. [trumpet playing "reveille" fades to silence] good morning. we cross the 8:00 hour here in the east coast. thank you for joining us on this wednesday. the 17th of november. i'm jon roberts. >> i'm kiran chetry. let's get right to it. the royal wedding in the works. prince william and kate middleton engaged to be married and discussing it publicly for the first time. william talks about starting a family. kate about the late princess diana. a big interview and the story behind the engagement ring next. can't they all just get along? republican leaders in congress put the slurpee summit at the white house on ice for a little while, at least. is it a slap in the president's face? also, could bit a tea party conspiracy to keep bristol palin dancing on tv? carol costello with a gut check this morning. first, though, the whole world is waiting for royal wedding bells. prince william and kate middleton are tying the knot, talking about it for the first time. william says the prowess in the kitchen and sense of humor won the future princess over. >> as for the ring, it is a stunning sapphire. you've probably seen it before. surrounded by 14 diamonds. it is the very ring worn by william's late mother princess diana. >> well, obviously, it would be -- i would love to have met her. and she's obviously an inspirational woman to look up to. obviously, on the -- to this day and, you know, going forward and things. you know, just, you know, it's a wonderful family. the members i have met have achieved a lot and, you know, very inspiration also yeah. i do. >> there's no pressure there because like kate said, you know, it is about carving your own future. no one's going the try to -- no one's trying to fill my mother's shoes and what she did is fantastic. kate will do very good job of that. >> so no date is set yet but there is already buzz of a spring wedding. >> everybody's talking about that ring, where it came from and wound up on kate middleton's finger. atika shubert live from buckingham palace this morning. give us the history. >> reporter: which is the engagement ring that was chose by princess diana and it was about 30,000 pounds. in today's terms bought for $130,000. it, however, of course, is valued much, much more now simply because it has all of that history. and prince william said he chose to propose with this ring specifically in memory of his mother, a way for her to enjoy the fun of the day. there's actually been a lot of debate and discussion here. in all of the top headlines and i just talked to a group of women what they thought of this ring being used for the engagement. and they're a little split. one woman said, you know, i know it's tradition but does it bring back too much of the memory of princess diana? another saying she thought it was a warm and sentimental gesture and a beautiful ring at that. discussion of the ring itself. today the couple meeting with royal advisers to talk about other details, trying to set a specific date for the wedding whether it's a spring or a summer wedding. of course, the venue. discussion of westminster abbie where the queen herself was married and rumored to be a favorite place for prince william. a lot of details are still to set out in a few days and probably seeing confirmation of this, john. >> how is this wedding expected to be in terms of lavishness? >> reporter: well, this is the big question. people want to see a celebration. they want to see something big but at the same time britain is in the age of awe stairty. prince charles and princess diana's wedding expected to cost about $50 million. so, that was quite expensive. her wedding train alone cost about $30,000. not to mention the 27 wedding cakes that were available for guests so really there's a lot of discussion about whether it should be a much more paired down thing and whether they should respect the sort of economic times that are happening today. >> we'll see what happens. as you said, meeting with the royal advisers today and see what advice they have for them. atika shubert this morning. kate middleton, dubbed affectionately waity katie. >> affectionately for who? i'm sure she didn't like it. alina cho is here. >> she stuck it out and paid off. >> they were young. >> they were very young. she is still only 28 years old. will be 29 when she is married but you're right. they did call her waity katie. she waited eight years. she is not waiting anymore. kate middleton will be princess catherine. who is this woman in line to be queen? who is kate middleton? in england, she is a media darling, a household name. but until now, the rest of the world has not seen much of her. all of that is changing. now that prince william has asked kate middleton to marry him. >> it was a total shock when it came and very excited. >> reporter: a rare chance to hear her speak. >> i went bright red and scuttled off. >> reporter: that's how she describes the first time meeting prince william. it was 2001 studying art history in scotland. a year later, they were flat mates. and then a couple. >> she's thoroughly charming, good fun, very sporty. she's very, very down to effort. she comes from a family incredibly close and tight knit and she is middle class. >> reporter: the daughter of a former pilot and a flight attendant, parents who now own a party supply business, self-made millionaires. she's 28, the eldest of three. and grew up outside london. >> she's incredibly private. she's incredibly discrete and incredibly loyal. these are all reasons why prince william has chosen to be with her. >> reporter: today, the london tabloids document her every outfit, women watch and copy what she wears. a lot like princess diana before her. the comparisons are inevitable. >> i would love to have met her. and she's obviously an inspirational woman to look up to. >> reporter: middleton wears the same ring diana wore as her engagement ring. within a year, she, too, will join the most famous royal family in the world. >> it's obviously nerve wracking. i don't know what i'm sort of -- i don't know the ropes really. william's used to it but, no. i'm willing to learn quickly and work hard and i'm -- >> she'll do really well. we'll do really well. >> i'm sure she will and she will learn the ropes very quickly now that the announcement is made about the engagement, of course, the guessing game is beginning about the gown, the date of the wedding, the setting. by all accounts it will happen in spring or summer of next year. 2011. of course, a very important year in the royal family. would have been the 50th birthday of princess dina ya that and 30th anniversary of charles and diana's wedding, the last time a royal wedding got this much attention. it was called the wedding of the century back then and now people calling this the wedding of the century. >> of this cent. >> that's right. >> she will be a gorgeous bride, too. >> oh, i can only imagine. >> she hats really well. >> very, very well. i wish we did more of that here. >> we can't all pull it off. thank you. we'll be joined by john saunders live from london, a reporter and author of several biographies on the royal family. here at home, airport security outrage spilling into the court. homeland security chief janet napolitano is being sued and tsa administrator on behalf of two pilots who refused to submit to scans and pat downs and a group says it's suing the agency to get their hands on medical records that the department used before approving the use of these airport scanners. haiti's cholera epidemic triggering several riots. protesters burning tires and cars and setting a police station on fire. they're accusing united nations peacekeepers of bringing the disease into the city. aid workers are urging demonstrators to stop the violence to deliver supplies to the affected areas. the party's over for four loko and other calf nated drinks. the food and drug administration could ban it today. caffeine covers up some of the effects of the alcohol. some pack the punch of three cups of coffee and almost a six-pack of beer in some cases. >> wow. rob marciano is in the extreme weather center right now. we got some weather to talk about this morning, rob. >> yeah. pretty rough storm across the northeast. this is what it looks like. would look like last night in baltimore and d.c. area, hammered with the heavy wind and enough to take some down power lines, roof damage, as well. even some folks were trapped at one point. injuries. serious weather moving through the baltimore-d.c. and now the northeast and it will be coming through this area with a vengeance, as well. windy conditions and heavy rain and most of that has headed east now into eastern new england. springfield, mass, boston and heavy weather and continues for a couple of hours and the winds through the rest of today for a good chunk of real estate including almost all of new york state. 22-mile-a-hour winds in new york city. 18-mile-a-hour in d.c. and cranking up more in the day. could see gusts over 40 at times and cause some delays at boston and new york metros airports, philly and d.c. to a lesser extent. another storm in the mid section of the country with blizzards conditions in spots and the northwest, as well. november's a time at times for nasty weather and we're certainly enduring our share of it. back up to you. >> rob, thanks so much. ten minutes past the hour. so-called slurpee summit postponed because republican leaders are too busy. a sign of what things will be like in washington for two years? ed henry is live for us at the white house. during its first year, the humpback calf and its mother are almost inseparable. she lifts her calf to its first breath of air, then protects it on the long journey to their feeding grounds. one of the most important things you can do is help the next generation. at pacific life, we offer financial solutions to accomplish just that. ask a financial professional about pacific life. the power to help you succeed. thank you for calling usprime cred.my pey, yes, i'd for a gift card.points ll points please? 000. ll caating...ase? ooh! 000. sw: five fifty! 550 bucks?! do50ents.fifty! minus redeeming char leavin50 cents. say wh? happy time! what kind of pgram is this? ter rerds? itcho over. america'number 1 cash rds progr. it pays to discover. ♪ president obama called it the midterm shellacking and then moved to quickly get to key republicans like john boehner as well as others to try to find some middle ground for the white house and maybe perhaps meet for a dinner. >> yeah. they dubbed it the so-called slurpee summit. it was supposed to happen tomorrow but republican leaders say we can't make it. we have other things that we have to do, important business that we have to attend to. is it a slap in the president's face and a sign of the political gridlock ahead? cnn's ed henry is live at the white house for us. it seemed like a no-brainer. if you want to work together, you have to talk to each other. what happened? >> reporter: that's right. good morning, john. it is interesting. so much for getting things off on a bipartisan note. everyone said the slurpee sum schmidt mit is a chance to break bread. they wanted to spend several hours together. bottom line is that republicans say they had never agreed to do this on thursday. they have a whole crush of events. they have got fresh men orientation and there are a lot of republican fresh men because of that shellacking, retirement dinners for senators and those leaving and the president put it out there, robert gibbs put out a date and forced into this. the democratic side of it is wait a second. this is the president reaching out right after the election and even if there are dinners and photo-opes and other things going on, that republicans should clear their schedule when the president says come on down. let's meet. there's some big issues to get together on. i think the bottom line is democrats close to the white house wonder if the republicans sort of testing the president here and maybe saying, look, we have this other stuff going on. we might not have time for you. make it seem like he's a little bitter relevant right now, john. >> also, a new date set, supposed to be, what, november 30th. >> reporter: that's right. >> what if anything will they accomplish at the meeting trying to find things to agree on? >> reporter: that's the big question. it is going to be as you said tuesday after thanksgiving. we have a little by of time here. big issues still to be decided. trying to put together a defense bill, for example. and decide whether or not to overturn the don't ask, don't tell policy. that's a big issue to be dealt with. the big economic one, everyone's watching is the fact that at the end of the year, the bush tax cuts will expire and so this summit supposed to be the forum to try to figure out to extend them for the middle class, include the rich, as well. it peers that the president is leaning toward a compromise that would include extending even the tax cuts for the rich at least for a short term, one or two years. >> ed henry at the white house for us, keep watching that one, thanks. he was talked about as a possible white house contender. not gym. louisiana bobby jindal says he will not run for president in 2012. no ifs, ands or buts he said. the republican said he plans to run for election in louisiana saying there's more work to be done. who's first out of who's left for the gop? 2012? the answer is really no one. they did a gallup poll out finding no clear republican front-runner exists for the white house. mmp with 19%. sarah palin and mike huckabee, just close behind with 16%. all within the margin of error and too close to call. coming up next on "american morning," what everybody's talking about. william and kate's engagement. and the plans for the royal wedding. and when will william and kate produce an heir to the throne? these are the questions we're asking this morning. we'll have some answers coming up. we think it probably helps teachers be their best too. quaker instant oatmeal. does your breakfast make you amazing? quaker instant oatmeal. i'm bob kearn, president of coit cleaning services. these pictures are the history of my family and they're also the history of coit. we've been in business for 60 years and our greatest asset has always been our people. we use the plum card from american express open to purchase everything we can and with the savings from the early pay discount, we were able to invest back into our business by hiring more great people like ruben here. how can the plum card's trade terms get your business booming? booming is a new employee named ruben. 20 minutes after the hour. here's the stories got us talking this morning. first an odd couple. bristol palin and the situation from mtv's "jersey shore" teaming up again. they taped a public service announcement on of all things safe sex. >> i hope you're as committed to safe sex as you are those abs. >> i know you're all about that abstinence thing but, you know, come on. are you serious? you won't hook up before you're married for real? >> for real. >> for real for real? >> for real for real for real but i'm worried about you. >> i practice a whole lot. >> talk about the safe part. >> we got the safe part down pat. magnums. you know what? i might be able to spare one. you know. give you one. >> it's fine. i avoid situations. >> fine acting. >> i'm -- never seen the show and something in the last episode that -- >> just -- >> ran counter to that theme? >> hot tub incident, right, guys? i think people should practice what they speech about that. >> did you turn your microphone off? >> hold on. let me see if i can get it. she's an arcade basketball machine. maybe it was off for a while. check out this young lady knocking down 128 consecutive shots in just one minute and didn't miss one and yes, indeed, 128 because our wonderful writer mark freedman counted every single one to be sure. >> unbelievable. >> talking about this yesterday. the beatles being included in the itunes catalog. less than 24 hours they're making their mark, three of the albums abbie road, the white album and sergeant pepper's lonely heart club band among the top. >> they shouldn't have waited so long. look at this. >> analysts yesterday said why would anybody buy them because -- no. not saying you. >> no. if you're a huge beatles' fan, wouldn't you have already uploaded them? >> fans out there that didn't go to the record store. >> i guess not. everyone's asking when we can expect the pitter patter of little royal feet. say that five times fast. poor kate. can't get married yet and when are you having kids? they're speaking publicly ant the engagement and william asking for more time before embarking on fatherhood. >> people are bound to ask, you know, it's a bit of a question but, children, do you want lots of children? is -- you know, see what comes? what is your -- >> i think one step at a time. get over the marriage thing first and then maybe look at the kids but obviously we want a family so, you know, we'll have to start thinking about that. >> potentially a lot of pressure on him because there are many people that believe with the queen staying on as long as she has that the monarchy will pass or the throne, the crown will pass over charles to william so he may be under pressure for an heir. >> yes. i'm sure they'll feeling the pressure cooker yet and they haven't walked down the aisle. good luck to them. seem like a nice little couple. >> no pressure. the key to living in an ecofriendly home, not just how you build it. sometimes where you build it, as well. we'll explain coming right up. when you're responsible for this much of the team, you need a car you can count on. okay, now here's our holiday gift list. aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.90 only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. 26 minutes after the hour now. >> going green not only starts at home but within your home and at homes with your home. >> live in an ecofriendly energy saver building from scratch or ren nating the home you are in now. jason carroll continues the series this morning. good morning to you. >> easy whichever way you decide to do it. bigger is not always better. you know, the trend of buying the mcmansions is over. it's all about more energy efficient homes, even homes that come packaged and ready to go. >> i love this house. i love this house. >> reporter: it's a house that sandra and daughter carolyn hope will be the home of the future. ecofriendly from its bamboo floors. >> renewable resource and it grows so quickly. >> reporter: to its energy efficient windows. >> natural lighting was a major piece for me. >> reporter: even the water heater works on demand. >> just heats up the amount i need and not any extra. >> reporter: sandra's two-bedroom home is fab as in prefabricated in a factory translating to less waste in construction with the parts made in a factory and assembled on site. did you think to yourself, i have a folded house here in the front? >> i was so excited. i was so excited when it came. >> reporter: mara is co-founder of blue homes that built the home. >> we have a bamboo floor and feel the heat. >> reporter: she says saving both the environment and money with features like those bamboo heated floors and dual flush toilet. >> that means that you can, you know, choose the level of water you want to use based on whether you're going number one or number two. >> reporter: i see. but for most americans, living green is less about moving into a brand-new ecofriendly home and more about turning existing homes green. fall's house built in 1909 may lead the way. >> it is just a question of when we'll do it. >> reporter: it is modernized and retro fitted under the watchful eyes of researchers. >> seal that up around the entire house and then put on the residing. >> you want to block the air and water. >> reporter: like this one from dupont working with the department of energy. >> five-year program. the goal here is really to identify homes and get them to be cost neutral or net zero energy homes by 2030. and so, the way they want to do this is to make it easy and incremental. >> reporter: fixings like an attic, a special furnace eliminating chimney drafts and programmable thermostat. the hope being what's learned from paul's home turns houses green across the country. >> and the research team that you saw at paul's house, one of 15 working with the department of energy across the country. the hope as you heard there is that the information they learned will be passed on to builders so by 2030 some 116 million homes can somehow be retro fitted. >> it's smart, some of the things seem so obvious. they talked for a while about the cash for caulkers. doing some of this. >> exactly. maybe that's a way to happen but as you were discussing in the package, an easy fix in a home like yours or yours, change up the toilet. easy thing to do. we are talking potty humor earlier there and that dual flush toilet, easy fix. anyone can do that in the home. >> potty humor? we were just saying that those -- >> the way i was saying it was. >> a fixture if you will in europe for a long time. >> quite sometime. >> making their way over here. >> could be an easy fix here, as well. >> i loved that exercise on the bamboo floor. >> radiant heating from below' pretty cool. >> thanks, jason. coming up to the half hour now. 8:30 on the east coast and top story this is wednesday morning. germany on guard for a possible terror attack. a group of jihadists of hamburg believed to be at the center of a plt of later this month. berlin says it's concrete evidence, no word on possible targets but security is being tightened at airports and train stations until further notice. damage reports are still coming in from the baltimore area where powerful storms knocked out toer to some 20,000 homes and budses overnight. the wind ripped the roofs off of several buildings. rescue crews are going door to door. there's one confirmed report of a small tornado. tsa chief on the hot seat later on this morning set to testify before a senate committee on the agency's efforts to keep air travel safe. today's capitol hill appearance was scheduled before this week's uproar over the scans and pat downs. critics say it's too invasive. some people worry about the radiation. the agency maintains they're both safe and necessary. brandy is out. bristol palin advancing on "dancing with stars." >> some people are saying, wow. the judges may not love the moves, the audience pushes her through and wondering if we're witnessing a vast conservative conspiracy to keep her in. carol costello with a gut check on all of that. joining us live from washington. is there any walk of life, carol, in which politics has not utterly, totally and completely permeated it? >> i don't think so. everything's political these days. if the presence on "dancing with the stars" proved anything it is how partisan we are as a nation. i'm sure you heard this. some people believe the only reason she is on "dancing with the stars" because of a tea party republican conspiracy. this was written on the liberal blog daily kos. she bristol palin is inferior but sarah palin fans keep voting her in as a tribute to her grifter mom. evidently they're making a political point. you know, if you go to a conservative blog site, there is a conservative blog site, conservativists for palin and they have a phone number and urging people to vote for bristol palin on their blog site today it says liberal heads are exploding all over the place because bristol palin advanced. so, is there a conspiracy? is there not? we asked bristol palin and her dance partner. >> i've had loads of people come up to me, especially in l.a. i'm 100% democrat and vote for you guys every week because i have a normal life. i'm a normal family. i come home to the tv set and tune in and think to myself if i'm on that show, that's how i would be and enjoy watching the journey and it's inspiring. >> so there you have it. you have to decide for yourself. >> also doesn't matter whether it's conservatives supporting bristol. does everything have to be politicized? >> can't she have a fan base no matter where it comes from and fight about it or talk about in it a partisan way? can't bristol palin just dance? actually, the funny or sad thing is just how much we have politicized everything. i mean, if you take a look at this headline in the hollywood reporter, the reign of right-wing prime time. that's the headline. and this new study, came up with a list of shows republicans like and those democrats like. and i'll name a few. republicans watched -- you guessed it "dancing with the stars." "modern family." "the big bang theory." democrats watch about damaged characters like "mad men," "30 rock" and "dexter." this supposed partisan divide in tv viewing habits has erupted over bristol palin. here's kim serafin that worked in politics and now senior editor of "in touch weekly." >> funny but not entirely surprising because people do politicize everything. they politicize tv shows, movies, politicize celebrities, everything that people do these days is politicized and dealing with someone like bristol palin, the daughter of sarah palin, it's obviously going to be really amplified. >> and it has become really amplified. we put this on our blog early this morning and gotten quite a few responses. i would like to read what they think about this thing. from joshua, the controversy surrounding bristol palin goes to show that americans have turned politics into a pathetic popularity contest and merit has nothing to do with the elections or a televised dance-off. having watched president obama in india dance, i can say he might be the only dancer in america with less talent than bristol palin. this one from dawn. i'm not a political party person in any way, shape or form but having a political party behind a dancer is no different than the sports fans behind an athlete or music fans behind a performer. down to the end, that's what it's about. fan base. doesn't matter where the fans come from. this from no. facebook abuzz last night, calling for a boycott of abc. so many different comments this morning. >> i guess it's not really a bona fide talent contest like, you know, something like figure skating. politics in figure skating, as well. >> oh, yeah. >> who you like the most. if more people like her -- >> a little gold statue. not like a million bucks or anything. >> bragging rights forever if you win "dancing with the stars." >> that's right. exactly. >> all right. carol, thanks so much. well, a prince finds the princess. now england getting ready for a royal wedding. we'll talk about what's next for prince william and kate middleton coming right up. [ male announcer ] welcome to that one time of year when we all become doers. when our mittens double as work gloves. and we turn every room into a project. but this year, let's trim the budget. get some help from martha stewart that we can't get anywhere else. and spread our money as far as our cheer. ♪ more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of bright spirits. now get a 100 count light set for $2.28. well, there's finally another royal wedding in the works. we have been talking all morning about the engagement and the excitement around the engagement of prince william and long-time girlfriend kate soon to be catherine middleton. >> already people are talking about the dress, the venue, the royal offspring and even the chances that the couple will live happily ever after. joining us from london is mark saunders, reporter and author of several biographies on the royal family. let's tackle the last topic first, mark. the house of windsor in terms of high-profile royal weddings now 0 for 2. do we expect that this couple will fare a little better? >> yeah. i think -- i'm pretty confident that this is going to have a happy ending this one. remember, these two kate and william, have been together sometime. it's a pretty modern relationship. and it looks like it's going to be a very modern, royal marriage. but looking at both of them yesterday, the first real glimpse we got of them during the interview, i wasn't particularly interested in what they were saying it was because scripted to some extent but having spent time in this business, hiding up trees, i'm an expert of body language and you could see how well the body language worked. which bodes well for the future. i think -- i don't want to use the term they look like a great team but i'll use that term. they do look like a great team. it is looking good for them. >> you saw a comfort there and ease, you're right, with the body language and a support for one other and that was evident asked about princess diana and measuring up. let's look at that exchange. >> she's an inspirational woman to look up to. obviously, on the -- to this day and, you know, going forward and things, you know, just, you know, a wonderful family. the members who have i have met achieved a lot. and, you know, very inspirati inspirational so, yeah, i do. >> no pressure there. no pressure because like kate said, it is about carving your own future. no one's going to try to -- no one trying to fill my mother's shoes. >> you almost saw him come to her rescue. how much pressure is on kate to be a diana? >> i think tremendous pressure because the world is pretty much still in love with diana. an it's almost as if we're trying to find a replacement. i hope kate doesn't in any way attempt to emulate her or try to live up to her. she doesn't need to do that. she's her own girl. she's already very, very popular in this country. we keep using this word commoner but i wouldn't say she's a commoner. she's been introduced to america now and speaking to the -- particularly the american tourists yesterday, seemed to be she is a breath of fresh air within the royal family who is her own girl. and the press will obviously make comparisons. that will happen all the time. even today i was reading reports of the dress sense boring compared to diana. she had a blue dress on and to me looked absolutely lovely though i'm not an expert on this. she's not going to be able to escape the comparisons. >> she looked lovely, as well. i'm nothing of an expert. >> gorgeous. >> a question of children. they were asked about this and said let's get through the marriage first and then talk about it. but will there be great pressure on them to produce an heir? there's speculation with how long the queen maintained the crown it may pass over charles and land directly on william's head. >> first of all, the british will announce the pregnancy two years before having her first child but in terms of -- no. there's no skipping of generation. i don't want to go into this too deeply but the royal family, this is a blood line back to 1066. starting with william duke of normandy and they honestly believe they have a god-giving right to rule and if they break that blood line, they're basically going against god's will. now, obviously, to many of us that seems a little bit silly but that is the way they see things. there is no skipping of a generation. the queen is already handed down most of the work to prince charles. he's virtually the king concert now anyway and as charles gets older, william and kate will take over his role. so by time charles gets to the throne, remember, he will be a very old man and the vast majority of the hard work, the big royal tours of australia, new zealand, the one we're looking forward to is america. i can't wait to see william and catherine out there. we have to call her catherine now apparently but there won't be any skipping but they will be very prominent members, very senior members of the royal family and next dae kad iecade have children. the cliche of the heir and the spare is necessary. >> do you find it odd or fitting that he gave her his mother's ring? >> i was flabbergasted. like many people. i actually was quite emotional. it was such a magnificent statement and it allowed diana to take center stage on a celebration that william was obviously very keen for his mother to be involved. you can't really ask a question what would diana be doing today and be involved. i think she was probably looking down with tremendous pride. >> pretty king. no question about it. mark saunders, great to talk to you this morning. i'm sure we'll get together a lot between now and the royal nuptials. >> thanks a lot. we'll be right back. hey, did you ever finish last month's invoices? sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. 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[ male announcer ] get an exceptional offer on the mercedes-benz you've always wanted at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends soon. let's get a check of the weather headlines. rob marciano for us this morning. and have we gotten rid of the rainy here in new york at least? >> most of the rain. but the win's going to hang around. potent storm system around the great lakes. damaging winds last night to d.c. and baltimore, soaking rains and some severe weather in the south and it's bringing some rain heavy at times to eastern parts of new england but tapering off over the next couple of hours but in to replace it is a fair amount of wind. already sustained winds of 23 miles per hour in new york city. 22 up in boston. seeing higher gusts throughout the day today. making the way slowly up across the great lakes. and the st. lawrence river valleys. could see winds gusting to 50 miles per hour at times and enough to take some down limbs and maybe knock out some power in spotty areas and slow down the air travel. boston, new york areas seeing delays over an hour. philly and d.c. to a lesser extent. yet another one into the pacific northwest and southeast, southwest, looks relatively quiet. >> with the wind coming, the leaves raked up yesterday, you have to rake up more today. thanks so much. >> get back out there. all right, guys. well, still ahead, a rapper, record producer, entrepreneur. he is an all-around nice guy. everything jay-z touches turns to gold. now written about his life in a new book "decoded" and sits down with poppy harlow. we'll check in with her to hear what he had to say. ♪ 52 minutes past the hour. jay-z has written a new book and don't be surprised if it's a best seller because everything the rapper does turns to gold. >> has the midas touch. sold more than 50 millional lums, 10 grammy awards and a fortune with a net worth of $500 million. the book is called "decoded" and poppy harlow sat down with jay-z to find out why he wrote it. >> i wanted to make the case that rap is poetry, for one. and, you know, some of the decisions we made to give those decisions context. why these songs are the way they are. why there's this certain gangster rap. you know, why this is taken place in america. and it just felt like the perfect time to write it. >> you have said president obama had the courage to tell the press he had your songs on his ipod. you've been a big supporter of his the entire way through. has he followed through on the hope that he promised? >> i think he has -- he has -- he's on his way to delivering that but it's impossible for someone to take eight years of our last administration and turn it around in two years. it's very difficult to deliver on everything. you know? i think he's moving in the right direction, yes. >> you insist that rap is poetry and wrote chuck d. called hip hop the cnn of the ghetto. does hip hop and rap have a responsibility to inform and entertain? >> yes. it's entertainment. it's provocative. it's funny, silly. all of these things so absolutely. >> what do you learn on the street? because you talk about being 13 and selling crack. did that teach you something of how to be a successful businessman or how we all are common? >> all the things that you apply in business, you know, they say that he has great instincts. you know? but well on the streets having instincts can be the difference between life and death. not just losing a deal. >> it's so interesting, how he talks about rap and his words being his most valued possession. >> the story behind that, it's his mother gave him a three-ring binder as a child and used to write the lyrics down all over the page and hide that binder underneath his bed afraid to be stolen and writes in the book my words were my most valuable possession. i asked him, are they still today? he said, absolutely, because that is what brought me out of where i was. we were talking about this earlier. he had a friend when he was young with every single day who as a teenager thrown in jail for 12 years and he said that would have been me, that or death if i didn't have music. >> it's fascinating how some of the skills that he developed on the treats can be applied to a completely different thing. >> absolutely. and he doesn't condone selling drugs, life on the streets but he says, look, that was my reality. that is just the way that it was for me. i didn't have any other opportunities. but he says what he learned on the street was instincts, following your gut, learning to trust people. look them in the eye. make a deal. that's made him a wildly successful businessman. that was the only chance he had to learn was on the street. >> a genuinely nice guy. >> i was blown away. you think a rap star. beyond nice, kind, articulate, thoughtful in the answers. 20-minute interview at cnnmoney.com and nice when you interview someone and they surpass your expectations. >> thanks. coming up, we'll have our top stories. right now, four minutes until the top of the hour. public reaction led to international bans, and whale populations began to recover. at pacific life, the whale symbolizes what is possible when people stop and think about the future. help protect your future, with pacific life. the power to help you succeed. everything you need to stretch out on long trips. residence inn. ♪ everything you need to stay balanced on long trips. residence inn. okay, now here's our holiday gift list. aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.90 only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. ♪ well, that's going to wrap it up for us today. thanks so much for joining us. before we go, though, the contest of the day. people tweeting me to say, why aru

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