>> don't go anywhere. your top stories are next in the "cnn newsroom." have a great weekend. hello, everybody, from the cnn center, this is cnn saturday morning. it is november 21st. i can't believe thanksgiving is just a few days away. >> it is. right upon us. ready to do it right. >> this year has flown by. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. >> i'm richard lui in for t.j. holmes. hope you're having a good one. >> u.s. senate in session, folks. they are working on a saturday for the debate over the debate on the democrats' health care plan. we'll get right to that in just a second. and here it goes. here's the breakdown for you. the magic number for the day -- 60 votes. senate democratic leaders are going for their own holy grail tonight. a recession-proof vote on moving forward with debate on a health care plan. 60 votes is needed to stop a filibust filibuster. cnn's dana bash joins us from capitol hill where the senate is already in session. dana, where do things stand right now with that magic number of 60 votes? >> reporter: well, betty, they have just begun, as you said, ten hours of debate on whether to continue debate. when you stop and think about it, it does make you scratch your head. but welcome to the united states senate. but you really said it right, that this is the democrats' attempt to break a republican filibuster. and you said that magic number is 60, and what that means for the democrats, since they have 60 senators who align with them, there is no room for error. if one democrat says you know what, i don't think this is the right thing to do, i don't want to move forward for debate, this whole thing could go down before it even starts. i want to put up two pictures for you. mary landrieu of louisiana and blanche lincoln arkansas, these are the two remaining holdouts who have not said whether or not they will proceed with debate. despite that, betty, the fact that the democratic leadership is going ahead with this gives us a pretty good indication combined with what we're hearing from our sources that they feel pretty confident they'll be okay with all 60 of these senators. we're expecting statements from both of them sometime later today to confirm that is right. if not, this could be a surprising day. >> give us a little more detail, if you would, about what's actually in that bill, what they are debating over what to debate over. >> reporter: absolutely. this bill, i'll give you some detail, it's about 2,000 pages, so it is very vast, but some of the key points, just like the house bill, this would say that if you have a pre-existing condition, no longer can an insurance company discriminate against you. that would put that into effect. and it would also pretty much tell every american they are minute day-to-dayed to get insurance coverage and if not, most americans would have to pay a fine for not getting it. then there is that controversial public option. in the senate bill, there is a government-run health insurance option. it does allow states to opt out of it. the democratic leadership was hoping that would be a carrot for some of the conservative democrats who simply don't like this, but that is part of the problem in luring enough democrats, betty, is this public option. you have known a lot of democrats who say they just don't like the idea of a government-run plan. some of them are saying start debate and we'll fix it on the floor. you can almost bet that changes going forward. >> and people are saying follow the money. how do the democrats plan on paying for this? >> reporter: well, it's an $848 billion plan, which they do say is paid for. i'll go through some of the ways that they're taxing people to pay for this. first of all, a 40% tax on high-cost insurance plans, so-called cadillac plans. that is something that is in here. it is not in the house bill. a lot of democrats don't like it because they say it hits union members. also, the medicare payroll tax will be slightly increased for families making over $250,000. and lastly, this is something that has gotten a lot of buzz, betty a-5% tax on cosmetic surgery, elective surgery. that is going to generate about $5 billion or $6 billion. it does include things like botox and it's certainly gotten a lot of attention because that is a new -- >> 5% tax on botox? say it isn't so. >> reporter: it is so. it is so. >> dana, thanks so much. breaking it down for us. dana bash. >> good stuff. more on what she was talking about, that plastic surgery, that cosmetic surgery tax, you know, the american society of plastic surgeons argues here that it's a discriminatory tax against women because they account for 86% here of all cosmetic procedures. also, the senate democrats say the new tax, though, would bring in nearly $6 billion, as dana was telling us there. stay with cnn throughout the morning for the full coverage of the senate's health care session going on right now. we'll look at the political stakes for democratic leaders in our next half hour. president obama is using his weekly address to defend his recent trip to asia. critic say he returned home without any concrete results. but the president says he made crucial steps for the u.s. economy. >> i spoke with leaders in every nation i visited about what we can do to sustain this economic recovery and bring back jobs and prosperity for our people, a task i will continue to focus on relentlessly in the weeks and months ahead. increasing our exports is one way to create new jobs and new prosperity, but as we emerge from a recession that has left millions without work, we have an obligation to consider every additional, responsible step we can take to encourage and accelerate job creation in this country. that's why i've announced in the next few weeks we'll be holding a forum at the white house on jobs and economic growth. i want to hear from ceos and small business owners, economists and financial experts as well as representatives from labor unions and nonprofit groups about what they think we can do to spur hiring and get this economy moving again. still, there's no form or policy that can bring back all the jobs we've lost overnight. i wish there were, because so many americans -- friends, neighbors, family members -- are desperately looking for work. but even though it will take time, i can promise you this -- we are moving in the right direction, that the steps we are taking are helping, and i will not let up until businesses start hiring again, unemployed americans start working again, and we rebuild this economy stronger and more prosperous than it was before. >> and the jobs forum the president is talking about happens december 3rd. happening today, a magistrate and attorneys are meeting at a hospital room of the ft. hood accused shooter. the hearing is to determine whether nidal malik hasan's pretrial confinement at the army medical center is appropriate. hasan's attorney says his client is paralyzed from the waist down. he was shot by officers during the november 5th shooting spree at the post. he is accused of killing 13. we'll get a check of the weather. it's a saturday. you want to get out and about. reynolds wolf is watching severe weather. stay tuned to find out where that is. >> that's right. >> actually, here he is now. >> hey, guys. we have two things we're keeping a sharp eye on, one, the heavy rainfall on parts of the gulf coast. the second part of the story will be another storm hitting parts of the pacific northwest. the question is what is that going to mean for your holiday travel? for millions of you it will mean quite a bit. we'll show you what coming up in just a few moments. >> looking forward to that. >> definitely. what's the penalty for cull cutting in line at walmart? pretty steep for a woman in missouri. minute phenomenonten from nice 'n easy. rich color stunning high gloss and flawless gray coverage all in just 10 minutes a breakthrough so big, it won the most awards from beauty editors. they even say... "...perfect 10 has forever changed our opinion of at-home color" has it changed yours yet? perfect 10. the 10 minute, high gloss color that changes everything. from clairol. all right. a lot of folks planning -- actually some of them may already be on the road. >> take the whole week off. >> why not? we should have thought about that. reynolds, you should have thought about that as well p looks like some folks may not be doing so well if they're traveling especially in the area behind you. >> absolutely. right here in the cnn center, this is not exactly the best place to travel. >> get out of here. >> you mean on the roads. >> by new orleans, yeah. >> i was thinking about a minivan filled with kids. you're right. people who are going to be out and about on the roadways, trying to fly around the country, are going to run into a few trouble spots, and one is going to be right here in the big easy of new orleans. i mean, from lake pontchartrain to the french quarter it's going to be a rainy time for you. we have a live image that will show you the situation first hand. we have the showers coming down first hand, this shot compliments of wdsu. you see the superdome in the background, home of the saints. rain is going to continue. as we go back to the magic wall, you're going to notice we'll see some of the rain eventually spilling into parts of alabama, right around 65, south of montgomery, detroit, auburn a few scattered showers today, atlanta dry for the time being but in the afternoon maybe a thunderstorm. the second big storm system we're watching, right here, and this thing has been giving a big wallop to parts of the pacific northwest. we're talking about some rain in the valleys, puget sound, rough morning for you, if you're going to pike's, you'll need the umbrella and the winds will be strong. something else to be dealing with snowfall on parts of the i-5 corridor, not so bad but in the high mountain passes, it could get very rough. high-profile vehicles will have issues. another issue, the snowfall. great if you're a skier but not if you're a driver. the snow could later on today total anywhere from a foot of snow maybe up to 18 inches from now through sunday evening. certainly rough times there. no issues back into parts of michigan, ann arbor for the ohio state/michigan wolverine game. yeah. should be okay for you. for all you wolverines and buckeyes. not sure who many of you are pulling for, but i hope the game ends well for both of you, but someone will be sad by the end of the afternoon. for new orleans and houston, delays there. dallas, atlanta, thunderstorms and rain. nothing severe but certainly enough to keep the pavement wet. in seattle, portland, we mentioned the snow, the rain, and the winds. temperatures for you outside in, say, chicago, 54, 60 in washington, great day in both miami and tampa, making that dry from miami going along alligator alley, great conditions for you and a1-a southward into the florida keys, some 80s, keep the windows down. 63 in las vegas, pierre, 39, and 57 in boston. that is a look at your forecast coast to coast. >> that was a lot. >> any doubt who i'm voting for in that big game? >> let me think. michigan? >> i am guessing the bears. >> the bears? >> no. i'm guessing -- i would say ohio state. >> get out of here. go blue, my friend. go, blue. all right. thanks, reynolds. >> you bet. >> thanks, reynolds. a question of courtesy that turned into a debate over race. it all started with a woman cutting in line at a walmart. >> yeah. now a plea deal has ended the trial in kennett, missouri, but as our david matlin tells us, the case has many riled up. >> reporter: an 11th-hour plea deal helped heather ellis avoid serious jail time and a permanent felony record. but the attention generated by allegations of racial bias surrounding the case means kennett, missouri, may have a more long-term problem. >> kennett is a town where it's just like anywhere else in the united states. this is not a racist environment. as i said in closing argument -- >> boo! >> reporter: there are clearly people around in this crowd, supporters of her, that do not believe that. >> well, i think a lot of the people are not residents of this area, they came here from other parts of the country hoping to find racism that wasn't here. >> reporter: nearly three years after heather ellis was accused of cutting in line at the local walmart, caught on tape, shoving away another customer's items, questions remain over why the moment escalated into such a high-profile arrest. ellis pleads guilty to resisting arrest and disturbing the peace, charges of assaulting two police officers were dropped. >> i was responsible for my actions, and i was able to say what i did wrong, and i think that it's important that everybody else step up to the plate and admit their wrong, too. >> reporter: ellis testified she was taunted by one police officer who told her, "go back to the ghetto." it was the only racially charged moment of the three-day trial. but witnesses from the scene, customers, police, employees described ellis as the one who was offensive. so all the people who testified that you were cursing, that you were abusive, that you were threatening, they were not telling the truth? >> they were not telling the truth. when cross-examined they were coming up with things that were not in their reports. there were even -- that they wrote freshly when the event happened three years ago. they had all been schooled on what to say. >> reporter: but in closing arguments, the prosecutor told the jury it was ellis who was telling a lie, a lie that dug her deeply into a hole when the case attracted so much attention. the plea deal punishment includes probation, four days in county jail, and anger management classes. david mattingly, cnn, kennett, missouri. >> quite a case there. what a difference a year can make in the life of one cnn hero. >> her story and the star who was calling her devotion to others amazing and inspirational when we come back. the ammunition she needs: omnaris. 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(general) remember omnaris! ask your doctor. in the battle against nasal allergy symptoms, omnaris combats the cause. what heals me? girls' night out. and for damage from acid reflux disease, my nexium. announcer: for many, one prescription nexium pill a day can heal damage to the esophagus that acid reflux disease may cause over time. and nexium can provide 24-hour heartburn relief. headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are possible side effects of nexium and other serious stomach conditions may still exist. announcer: ask your doctor about the healing purple pill. learn how you can save online. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. i that shot right outside of cnn center in downtown atlanta, georgia. in just five days we will announce the cnn hero of the year. y we've introduced you to our top ten finalists and after more than 2.5 million votes, we have a winner. >> a lot of folks. good to see folks piping in on that. but you'll have to wait until thanksgiving night to learn who the winner is. in the meantime, actor terence howard talks with last year's winner about what it means to hold that title. >> hello. i'm terence howard. during last year's "cnn heroes: an all-star tribute," i had the honor of recognizing cnn's hero of the year, liz mccartney, for her extraordinary work in helping survivors of hurricane katrina. since then, her organization has built 50 more homes in new orleans and nearly enough 60 are under construction. as we approach this year's tribute show, thanksgiving night, let us look back at last year's cnn hero of the year, liz mccartney. >> the heroes award was like a shot in the arm for the region. it reinvigorated people. it made them feel like across the world and the country people still scared. volunteers, clients, donors. i think every week people say, i heard about the st. bernard project on "cnn heroes." in the greater new orleans area, there are over 10,000 households that are still struggling to secure permanent, stable housing. to date, we've had over 16,000 volunteers. we are going to be celebrating the 240th home that we've completed. we have expanded our capacity. we're also building homes in new orleans, but it also helped us start our center for wellness and mental health, so it helped us rebuild homes and also people's lives. we're getting there, but still more work to be done. couple more years and we'll be there. i went to the heroes event last year in los angeles. i will tell you what, especially doing the news, we have so much bad news out there, to see folks that are doing good in the world and just amazing stories, it just is such an inspiration. >> always a great show. >> yeah. absolutely. our 2009 cnn hero of the year and all of our amazing top ten cnn heroes, they will be honored at that all-star tribute. >> don't miss it. that will come to you from the kodak theatre in hollywood on thanksgiving night. your host, cnn's anderson cooper, as in the past. don't miss it. so, who are some of the toughest people to please on your holiday list? probably those gadget lovers, right, betty? >> yeah, true, or the folks that have everything, which they probably have lots of gadgets, too. but those gadget lovers, they want, you know, the latest, the greatest stuff. this morning, you are in luck. we have a preview of the season's top tech gifts straight ahead. 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(backbeat swells) there, now that sounds perfect. an unusual saturday session for lawmakers leads our top stories this morning. the senate in session right now. you're looking at it right there. what they'ring to is debating a motion on the democratic health care plan, a procedural vote set tonight, get this, to determine whether they'll continue to debate the bill. all right. democratic leaders, well, they are working to be sure they have those 60 votes needed to head off a filibuster. there's a search on right now for at least 66 people feared trapped after an explosion at a coal mine. it happened in northern china earlier this morning. 42 other miners were killed in this. officials were saying more than 500 workers were inside the mine when the explosion occurred. all right. so, what is going on here? well, nearly 100 protesters have been arrested over the last two days at university of california campuses. students and others are protesting a 32% tuition hike. police arrested 41 people at uc, berkeley, for trespassing. before you know it, the busiest shopping season is upon you. folks are scoping out the deals. >> get ready for the day after thanksgiving. >> you're salivating yourself. >> i done really like the long lines. it's a madhouse. have you seen the video on the day after? people pushing and pulling. >> bruises, broken arms and things like that, unfortunately. people getting trampled. >> it's crazy. you don't have to go out there and scour the latest things because we're going to bring them right into your home because we have them on the show. who has that? mario armstrong. he's got the hottest things of the season when it comes to gadgets. you said you were going to wow us, mario. >> yes. >> bring it, my friend. >> bring it. already broughten. >> okay. let's see. >> i have a whole assortment here of different gadgets for the holiday season for different people. right off the bat i want to jump into the must haves. one is the amazon kindle. you have to have this. this is an e-book reader. and what is this allows you to do is carry newspapers, textbooks -- there's david lui's buddy, robin meade. so, you can read blogs, newspapers, books, up to 1,500 books on these devices. they're wireless. you don't need a pc to down load books. and you carry one item with you as opposed to carrying, say, a ton -- i'm going to pick it up here. if i wanted to, this could be like what i would have to carry. who wants to walk around with all this stuff? >> all those books. has the kindle changed in any way? it's been out far little while, mario. >> yeah, it has. this is the upgraded one, dx, a little slimmer, about a third of an inch. it's a great device, though. i've been happy with the battery life. it's really lasted long on this device, and the wireless features are great. you can down load books in about 60 seconds. >> cool. keep the wows coming. what have you got? >> all right. the live scribe. for you people that take notes, we showed this on a health segment before, but quickly, it's called the pulse pen. this is great for students or people in business that take -- >> journalists. >> -- a lot of notes. journalists would love this. >> what you do is get in focus. there you go. we can see you now. >> use special pap we are this pen that's like a computer that records the audio while you write, and then you can go back at any given time and play back that audio by just touching the sentence, and then it will actually play the audio from the pen for you. so this device is really fantastic for those big note takers on the go. >> i'm not hearing any audio right now. >> oh, i didn't play it. i'm sorry. i didn't go to play the audio because i want to move on to the next thing. >> we only have so much time. >> what else you got? >> water never mixes well with electronics. right? >> no. >> a waterproof, shock proof, dust-proof camera by pentax. i'm going to pour water onto these electronic devices so you can see. these cameras made by pentax, w-80, can go into 16 feet of water. 16 feet and actually shoot images. underwater, 16 feet, can take falls from 3 1/2 feet dropped. so they're really ruggedized. >> it doesn't look like those water-proof cameras that's encapsulated in all that plastic. it looks like a regular camera. >> looks like a regular camera, feels great. i've used this quite a bit. i'm happy with how easily it works. >> good for snorkeling. >> and snowmobiling or skiing our going to a frigid football game where sometimes technology can lack up on you. >> or having an accident-prone owner. >> that's right. the other real quick hot thing that's happening in cameras is there's a a cram with a projector built into the camera. you can take photos now -- i don't know if that will show up too well. >> kind of hard to see. >> but basically what it does is it projects the image. n netbooks are huge this year, smaller devices. but be wary, you want to go to the store and feel these out to make sure they're good for you. you have great headphones and a new touch screen all in one computer is the hot thing this holiday season. pull this up on the blog and people can secret gete the updates. >> wrap all that stuff and send it to me. >> i'll gift wrap it to you. >> all for $1.99. >> there you go. >> i'll pay the shipping. >> thank you. great stuff. >> appreciate it. you have to stick around. i don't know what you're doing this morning, but if you have a few minutes, stick around for this story because, you know, if it's every beauty queen's nightmare, getting her wig pulled off at the end of a competition during an interview. >> yes, that's right. >> who would have thought? it has happened. a moment that has everyone laughing and stunned. >> we have the video. and we're following developments on capitol hill where senators are just hours away. you see live debate on the left-hand side. they are debating their bill. it's a key milestone here. and collaboration is good-- no one has a monopoly on good ideas. we have at least half a dozen relationships, 50 percent of my time is spent outside our company, collaborating with other companies, finding the next cure for the most serious diseases. the global opportunity is a fantastic one. we're able to reach audiences, connect with them in their local cultures and take our brands around the world. nyse euronext. powering the exchanging world. welcome to the now network, population 49 million. right now 1.2 million people are on sprint mobile broadband. 31 are streaming a sales conference from the road. 154 are tracking shipments on a train. 33 are iming on a ferry. and 1300 are secretly checking email on a vacation. that's happening now. america's most dependable 3g network. bringing you the first and only wireless 4g network. right now get a free 3g/4g device for your laptop. sprint. the now network. deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com all right. the senate working today. i know, it's a saturday, but it's an important vote. they need 60, in fact, the democrats do, to move an $848 billion health care reform bill onto the floor for debate. and essentially what they're doing is they're debating whether to debate. >> that's right. >> voting on it tonight. got all that? >> that's right. they're going to debate about this issue for about ten hours. they're about half an hour in right now. the question question is can they agree to start the debate and eventually, hopefully, have a senate version of what they think should be health reform? and they get together with the house and get that to the president and get that signed. >> a long way to go, no doubt. by they're debating over the debate right now. there's a live look. last wednesday, the senate, after weeks of closed-door bargaining, unveiled its health care reform plan. here's the breakdown for you. the estimated cost, as i mentioned, $848 billion over the first ten years. >> and it would expand health insurance coverage to 30 million more u.s. citizens. that means it would provide health insurance to 96% of the eligible population. >> according to the congressional budget office, the senate plan would reduce the federal deficit by $130 billion over ten years. it would require individuals to buy health insurance, but it would not mandate that all employers offer that health care insurance. >> all right. for more on the political ramifications, cnn's deputy political director, paul steinhauser. we gave lot of details, paul. before we get into the question of 60 votes or not, why should we care what is happening today if we're at home and watching this debate go on and wondering what happens at 8:00 p.m.? why should we care? >> because eventually this is going to affect you. if they pass health care reform, it will affect the kind of health insurance all americans get, whether they will be covered even with pre-existing conditions, how much they pay in taxes, their access to coverage. this affects just about every single american, richard. >> it is huge. the 60 votes, if the democrats get it, and that's a question you describe to us, what does happen next then? >> if they get it and this moves on, as betty and you say, they begin debate. when do they begin? not on monday. no. because they have the whole week off for thanksgiving holiday. the debate would begin most likely on monday, november 30th, for about three weeks. and we'll see something like we saw in the house. there will be a floor debate, deliberations on the bill, amendments will be voted on, then eventually, eventually, maybe, before christmas, there would be a final vote on whatever senate health care bill finally emerges after all those votes on amendments. so that is kind of the game plan, richard. >> so, paul, folks are sitting at home right now saying that's great, they may get that far. when will people be able to actually see the result of this health care overhaul? >> it's going to be a while. say the senate does do a vote before the end of this year. then you have to take the senate bill, the house bill. they're going to be different. you have to try to merge them together. another vote, a final vote, if that finally gets to the president maybe before the state of the union address in late january and it is eventually signed into law, a lot of ifs here, you're going to get a health care law but will it kick in immediately? no. most of these provisions actually don't kick in for a couple of years. it's going to take some time here. >> be patient is what paul steinhauser is saying. be patient. and he'll lead us along to tell us what to watch. paul steinhauser, our deputy political director, thanks for filling us in on what's happening today. >> all right. it's been hard enough for senate democrats to formally start the debate, but the battle over health care could only get uglier on the floor. republicans are making it clear where they stand in their weekly address. take a listen. >> what americans really want is the kind of step-by-step reforms that republicans have been advocating for years, commonsense ideas, like the ability to purchase insurance across state lines, allowing small businesses to pool together to offer more affordable health insurance to their employees. changing the incentives in our system from numbers of procedures to quality of outcomes. eliminating pre-existing condition limitations. equalizing the tax treatment of insurance. eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. and promoting wellness and prevention programs that encourage people to make healthy choices. these are the kinds of reform that make sense and would really make a difference for all americans. >> and the senator also urges people to get online and read the bill. hopefully off lot of time on your hands because that thing is -- >> 2,000 pages. >> like four reams of paper. about this big. >> exactly. that's only just the senate bill. right? >> yeah. traveling this week for thanksgiving? probably. we've got you covered with the holiday forecast. and the keo ress-free fligh. for new orleans, a lot of showers and thunderstorms. nothing severe right now. i don't think we'll see much in terps of tornadoes or anything like that but certainly rough times if you're on i-10. the other spot for issues is taking place in the pacific northwest, especially for seattle and even into portland. it's going to be this area of low pressure we have right up here, drifting its way inland. and it's going to be bringing not only some rain to the valleys but possibly some heavy snow, some locations up into the wasatch rain, back into the rockies, northern rockies, even of course into the olympic mountains and parts of the cascades could see over foot of snow. and that's through the weekend. so rough time to say the very least. for the rest of the nation, it looks pretty good for you. we'll see a beautiful day along the eastern sea bood, 57 in boston, 58 in new york, 61 in atlanta. the rest of the forecast coming up soon. back to you guys. >> thanks, reynolds. if you're flying for thanksgiving, you can almost count on delays as we were talking about. but there are some things you can do to make the trip a little bit more enjoyable. here's asia tegbar. >> reporter: bypass the hustle and bustle of thanksgiving travel with a few simple strategies. >> try to use technology to your advantage. all the airlines allow you to check in for your flight 24 hours ahead of time. you can sign up with e-mail and text alerts from the airlines themselves. it's an easy, quick way of knowing what to expect before getting to the airport. >> reporter: recent airline cutbacks may affect your trip, like reduced flights and smaller planes and what you pack could slow you down. >> airlines, they're going to be on the lookout for luggage that is simply too big to fit on the plane. if you overstuff your carry-on bag, that will cause a delay. they'll take your bag off the airplane. >> save some headaches by arriving early. >> there's always a list of the popular airports that serve the most people and during the holiday season they'll be the most packed. you have to almost expect and build in 30, perhaps 90 minutes of a delay. just two minutes away from a check of the top stories. and just in time for the holidays, a call for men to be better fathers. award-winning journalist ed gordon is here. dad, here-look at this- your p.a.d. isn't just poor circulation in your legs causing you pain. ok-what is it? dad, it more than doubles your risk of a heart attack or stroke! you better read about plavix. if you have p.a.d., plavix can help protect you from a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots- the cause of most heart attacks and strokes. talk to your doctor about plavix? (announcer) if you have a stomach ulcer or other condition that causes bleeding, you should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor before planning surgery or taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. some medicines that are used to treat heartburn or stomach ulcers, like prilosec, may affect how plavix works, so tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. our top story this hour, senators are resuming the battle over health care reform. they just began a saturday debate 40 minutes ago, and it's leading to a procedural vote tonight on whether the debate will go forward after the thanksgiving break. a lot of details, i know. democratic leaders, though, are lobbying to get the 60 votes needed to block a filibuster. more on that later. onto the story we were talking about earlier. this beauty contestant's worst nightmare, folks. you know, just ask the winner of this year's miss gay brazil contest. the victim, check it out, of a wig snatching. oh, my goodness. caught on tape. the horror of it! >> during an interview, too. look at that. all on tape. >> who does that? that is so sad. yeah, it said that a jealous rival actually tore the winner's -- can you hear them in the background? the whole newsroom is roaring with laughter over this. what happened is a jealous rival, we're being told, took the winner's hair with her and part of the tiara that you see right there. showing it over and over again. it's on a loop. the popular contest features drag queens from across the country. >> one more time. like working with a supplier in china and a manufacturer in germany to reach new customers in the u.s. well, ups can help bring it all together with efficient solutions like paperless invoice that can help make customs a breeze. hey, the opportunities are out there. seize them with ups. you know, it's hard drawing those perfect circles. and when my symptoms-the coughing, wheezing, tightness in my chest came back- i knew i had to see my doctor. he told me i had choices in controller medicines. we chose symbicort. symbicort starts to improve my lung function within 15 minutes. that's important to me because i know the two medicines in symbicort are beginning to treat my symptoms and helping me take control of my asthma. and that makes symbicort a good choice for me. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. and should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol may increase the chance of asthma-related death. so, it is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on other asthma medicines. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. i know symbicort won't replace a rescue inhaler. within 15 minutes symbicort starts to improve my lung function and begins to treat my symptoms. that makes symbicort a good choice for me. you have choices. ask your doctor if symbicort is right for you. (announcer) if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. well, many of you know gor gor ed gordon as an award-winning journalist, but he's also a dad very passionate about encouraging other african-american father s to be actively involved in their daughters' lives, so much he's created a national initiative called daddy's promise. ed gordon is here to talk about his story and why you started this. this is something that is near and dear to you. why is that? >> it is, because i have a 15-year-old daughter. i always thought i would have kids, but i always three-manndr i dreamt of having children, i'd have a boy. then this little package in pink came along and changed my life entirely. >> yes, it did. >> i wrote an article about two years ago about my relationship with my daughter and the response was so overwhelming that we created this national initiative. >> and for those who aren't familiar with it, what is daddy's promise, and how did it come about, i mean, just structurally? >> it simply came about because, as i said, the response from the community was overwhelming after the article in "essence." so we created a website, we asked people to go on dad daddyspromise.com. we have a pledge there we ask you to recruit to your daughter. >> we have that for screen. why is it important to get fathers to make that pledge? >> i think what happens often is, particularly in the african-american community, we hear so much about the absentee father and fathers not being around. and while that is a problem and a huge problem within the community, there are a number of men, many, many more than are given credit for, for actually being involved. and we wanted to also give them a spotlight and a way to shine. and we had an annual -- our first annual dance in new york city in june. sold out in two hours. it was a phenomenal success, and we're building for a new event. we're also working in conjunction with disney and "princess and the frog," and one of the reasons i'm in atlanta is i'll be at one of the churches today at what we call the father experience. and we'll give the little princesses an opportunity to see what's coming up on that big screen. >> how has daddy's promise changed lives? you had to have seen it. >> yeah. i tell you what i've seen and have heard this from a number of men. i had a gentleman stop me on the street that said, i saw you on television. i heard about your initiative. and i got up the nerve to talk to my daughter, who i had not talked to in 15 years. >> my goodness. >> he said we've arranged a lunch date. he said i don't know if anything's going to change, but it gave me the courage to reach out. and also for fathers who are there every day, it gives them an opportunity to kind of shine the light on their relationships with their daughters and show -- often we talk about nurturing and we think about mothers being nurturing, but fathers are nurturing, too. it's really important if you can to have both parents very involved in your life. >> no doubt. while you're here, because you are such an award-winning journalist, i want to get your take on some of the things in the news. >> sure. >> of course today we're looking at the senate voting on whether to continue debating. >> right. >> what do you think about the whole health care reform bill? is this something we're going to be able to pass, and will it be viable? >> i think it's going to pass eventually. i think too many people have so much at stake, particularly the obama administration. whether we see it in '09 is very doubtful, quite frankly. i was looking at you guys this morning, and we know just debating about the debates -- >> time is running out. >> time is running out. in 2010 it will pass, whether it has the public option or not, whether it covers the majority of americans or not we don't know yet. it will pass in some way, shape, or form, but i don't think that washington gets it. i was just there last week. the idea of the debate about the debate is really what voers are turned off about. >> it's procedural, though. >> it is procedural but you and i know that if it's this partisan and you can't find one person to move over to your side, then it becomes far more than procedural. >> exactly. well, you know what, we appreciate your time. i wish we had so much more to sit here and chat. daddy's promise, a wonderful organization, doing a lot of good with that. thank for your time today. >> i appreciate it. thanks for letting me follow that wig snatcher. high point of my career. >> we both still have our hair. we're pretty good to go so far. man: there are millions of colours in this world. but in business, only two matter: red and black. red, well, no one wants that. black, on the other hand, has strength. black is always in style. it's what business looks best in. black is where growth and success happen, and it's easier to get there and stay there in ontario, canada. especially with our competitive tax rate. ontario, canada. the world works here. a shocking announcement from oprah. she is stepping down from her talk show. >> the last year will be 2010. cnn looks back at oprah's influence and what the future may hold. >> reporter: it was a farewell to remember. >> i love this show. this show has been my life. and i love it enough to know when it's time to say good-bye. >> reporter: choking back tears, an emotional oprah winfrey announcing next season will be her last. >> 25 years feels right in my bones, and it feels right in my spirit. it's the perfect number, the exact right time. so i hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show. >> reporter: a quarter century of highs, lows, and plenty of headlines. from oprah's struggles with her weight to the celebrity interviews impossible to forget to the power of her political support. she's also launched careers. dr. phil and dr. oz. and turned little-known authors into household names. >> you could argue that she is the most popular woman ever on television. in terms of a media entrepreneur, more successful than anyone has ever been. and she's been really careful. she's controlled her assets. >> reporter: it is a global empire. the show is seen in 145 countries by 42 million people a week. there are also magazines, internet, radio and film ventures as well as her many philanthropic causes. nearly everything oprah touches seems to shine. and she's not done yet. >> she is creating a 24-hour-a-day cable channel that is about empowerment and life purpose. this is a new and big and very risky thing for her. and she's putting her reputation on the line. >> reporter: the oprah winfrey network, or "o," is a 50/50 venture with diskoefer communications, but oprah will have control. "o" will replace the diskoefer health channel in 2011, a channel that now has 70 million subscribers. >> this is her act two. women -- powerful women, successful women often live their lives in chapters. and she's on to her next chapter. >> these years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measure. and you all have graciously invited me into your living rooms, into your kitchens, and into your lives. and for some of you, longtime oprah viewers, you have literally grown up with me. we've grown together. >> reporter: and for her fans, a very personal thank you. >> i want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that i hold very dear. and your trust in me, the sharing of your precious time every day with me, has brought me the greatest joy i have ever known. >> reporter: erica hill, cnn, new york. >> and she promises that last season, that 25th season, will knock our socks off, her words. i bet it will. >> and look at her network after that. >> her own network. as we check back on the senate, which we want to do right now, because it is a rare saturday session, take a look, a reminder we will have another live update on this critical health care vote at the top of the hour. woman: there's an easier way. create your own business site with intuit websites. just choose a style, then customize, publish, and get found. ( register bell dings ) sweet. get a 30-day free trial at intuit.com. so, you know, we've been answering your questions about the new mammogram guidelines this morning. but that was not only health question for women this week. >> there are also new guidelines on cervical cancer screenings saying you need them less often and not until you're 21. brook baldwin has more on these controversies. >> reporter: in a single week, two sweeping changes recommended for women and health care, two medical panels calling for a delayed start and reduced frequency of screenings for both breast and cervical cancer. >> actually, i was kind of relieved to see these new guidelines. >> reporter: while some patients and doctors may think fewer tests are counterintuitive to good health, one says it's time for a tul chur change. >> i tried to tell patients you don't need to come in every year, two years, and they don't like that. >> they don't buy it. >> it makes them nervous. >> reporter: she agrees that less is more for cervical cancer screenings. the american cancer society estimates there will be 11,270 new cases of cervical cancer this year, but of that number, a tiny fraction will be girls younger than 21. that is good news, according to the society's chief medical officer and a reason for doctors to start testing more conservatively. >> cancer control is a relatively new science. as that science evolves, doctors are going to become much more aware that the science exists and perhaps a little bit more conservative in their use of screenings. >> reporter: while dr. otis brawley says some doctors may test less for cervical cancer, he disagrees with reducing the frequency of mammograms and emphasizes the need for additional screenings for colon cancer in men and women. >> the major problem in the united states is really more than half of people who should be getting that screening for which there's no question that it reduces risk of death. more than half the people should be getting that screening aren't getting any kind of screening. >> reporter: meanwhile,