people are "an invented people." we're going to have reaction to his controversial remarks. plus, look at this live picture from arlington national cemetery. hundreds of volunteers are laying wreaths on the graves of american's fallen warriors. and if you think it's just too cold to get out of bed and go to work, it may change your mind. a total eclipse of the moon. you're looking at live images there right now. we want to start this hour with controversial comments from a republican presidential candidate, newt gingrich. take a listen to what he said. >> i believe with the jewish people have the right to have a state. i believe that the commitments that were made at a time, remember, there were -- there was no palestine as a state. and i think that we've had an invented palestinian people who are arabs and historically part of the arab community. >> now he said the palestinians are an invented people. he made those comments during that interview as you saw there on the jewish channel. he also said the middle east peace process was "delusional." you know there is reaction coming here. the palestinian authority itself haven't commented on gingrich's remark. here's what one of the top members of the palestinian executive committee has said. they called it "the most racist statement i've ever seen." he went on to say, "how really despicable things can get in american politics." in the meantime, one of mitt romney's key surrogates said comments like these are "one of the things that i think makes me a little bit nervous about speaker gingrich." coming up in 30 minutes, our political insiders will be along to talk about how this kind of statement might play in iowa. only three will sway there, and whether this will be a big topic in tonight's presidential debate as well. next hour, too, we're taking a close look at the jewish vote and the role it may play in the 2012 elections. so stick around here. meanwhile, an army of volunteers on duty at arlington national cemetery this morning there to lay wreaths. we're talking about a lot of wreaths. cnn's athena jones is at arlington right now. she's in section 60. that is the section set aside tore troops killed in iraq and afghanistan. fill us in. what's happening? >> reporter: well today they're going to have more than 10,000 volunteers laying 100,000 wreaths on head stones here at arlington national cemetery. it's part of wreaths across america day. they won't be just laying wreaths here, they'll be laying wreaths at 500 cemeteries where service members are laid to rest in all auto state50 states. the organization behind us has been laying wreaths for 20 years. and so their mission is to remember, honor, and teach everyone about the nation's service members and the sacrifice that they have given to the country. the organization was started by a businessman in maine who owned a wreath company back in 1992. towards the end of the holiday season, they had a surplus. he decided to donate 5,000 wreaths to arlington national cemetery. they laid them on a section that wasn't getting a lot of visitors, unlike the section behind me where a lot of people are here because these are the two most recent wars that the u.s. has been involved in. so back in 1992, they laid wreaths in a section that not many people were visiting and the tradition carried on. we're going to see a convoy of 20 trucks that left maine six days ago on their way here to arlington. it's going to be a big day. lots of people out laying wreaths on the head stones to honor our service members. >> i wonder if some of the volunteers family members who have people there in that cemetery? >> reporter: well certainly. certainly. we spoke with a woman. there is a football team arriving. one of the members of this football team was killed in one of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. they come each year as part of wreaths across america to lay a wreath to honor that fallen soldier that they know. many of the people here that we're going to see today are not just volunteers, they're people who have lost someone in one of these wars. it will be interesting to see who comes around. it's early here. >> i bet finding comfort in each other as well as we are in the middle of this holiday season. thank you so much, athena jones. appreciate it. they are handing out two nobel peace prize awards today. actually, they're handing out three of them. the ceremony is going on as we speak. the winners being honored for their commitment to women and their safety in the region. and let me introduce you to them. lema boley, a leading peace and women's rights activist. ellen johnson surlis and talafel herman. >> i'm particularly honored to be a successor to several sons and one daughter of africa who have stood on this stage. kofi annan, an war al sa dat, mohammed albarati as well as barack obama, martin luther king jr. and ralph bunch, americans of african dissent. >> a lot of grace in that woman, couldn't you tell? protests, meanwhile, as we switch gears here, are under way in russia this morning. demonstrators are angry over alleged voter fraud in last week's parliamentary elections. the anger aims squarely at vladimir putt in. so phil black is with us now. and i'm sure, phil, we're wondering how peaceful the protests have been up to this point. give us a sense of the situation there right now. >> reporter: there is still a crowd of certainly tens of thousands in protests. it is beginning to drop off slightly. there had a is a huge turnout here. this is everything the organizers hoped for. tens of thousands of people filled the square in central moscow. it has been loud and passionate. but it has throughout, been peaceful. as i said, a very passionate crowd here. they're protesting the parliamentary election results from the vote held last weekend. that vote was unfair, there were procedures and rigging as vladimir putin drew in the party. they feel that their vote was stolen. many russians are not active or political in any real sense but they feel strongly enough about this to come out here on this very cold moscow day and chant protests, send a message to the president. >> phil, i was reading they were hoping for upwards of 25,000 people. are the protests in moscow alone? >> reporter: no. we understand -- we haven't seen pictures of this today. we're here in the square. we have heard reports that other protests had taken place across the country in other areas. this is the flag ship rally, if you like. they were hoping for upwards of 20,000. they certainly seem to have done that. we don't know about the signs of protest across the country. we're told they have taken place not at the same scale but there is anger over those election results is not confined to moscow. it is said to be felt across this country. >> all right. phil black, thank you so much for the update. keep us posted. we appreciate it very much. we'll continue obviously to watch what's happening there and keep you informed throughout the day. remember the school principal who suspended a boy for calling his teacher cute? well, the principal is spending time at home now, too. also ahead, a lunar eclipse. it's happening right now. don't go too far. for those of you on the west coast, you can get ready for one spectacular show. nc ncht. police in south florida, they arrest people for stealing christmas orange amounts from their neighbor's lawn. and the iphone 4 is number four on the list of ten most shoplifted items. next, we're going to tell what you three items beat it. here's a hint, see if you figure this one out. you can eat the winner, wash it down with the runner up after you step on your shirt, of course. 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[ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! we gave you a tease about the most shoplifted items. i told but iphone 4. it comes in at number four. conveniently. men apparently tend to reach for electric toothbrushes and power tools. making them number three on the list. number two, i guess they need the toothbrush for the jameson whiskey. and the number one most shoplifted item, filet mignon, the grocery store! checking stories across the country, there are new allegations this morning that the head of the amateur athletic union sexually abused two boys years ago, two men tell espn that robby bobby daub arrested them in the 1908's. no comment yet from dodd who is battling colon cancer. and from sweet water, florida, two people have been arrested and charged with aldly stealing christmas ornaments from the neighbor's yard earlier this week. the incident was caught, look at that, on a surveillance camera. the victim claim she saw the stolen ornaments in a nearby yard. >> city officials in washington, d.c., say they're owed more than $350 million in unpaid parking tickets. they say they're going to go after a suburban computers from neighboring maryland and virginia who the city says own a large share of that short fall there. and i'm thinking you remember this story. a 9-year-old boy in north carolina suspended for three days for saying this about his teacher. >> i was talking to my friend. i said miss terry was cute. and that's all i said. >> can i say he's cute? he's cute. he called his teacher cute. and he was punished for it. the school principal said it was sexual harassment and against school policy. well here's the update. the principal is being told to stay home now. he was forced into early retirement after a 44-year career. the principal admits he made some errors. he says he believes he was treated unfairly. the school district has apologized to the student and his parents, by the way. all right. don't go too far. if you have a chance, go look out your window. you might see something spectacular going on in the sky this morning. bonnie schneider is here to tell us more about it. particularly you and i, we're getting the gyp here. the people on west coast, they have the best seat in the house. >> they do. it's not the sun but the moon. it's a lunar eclipse. it's happening around the world. the best place to see it, as you can see, is the western part of the u.s. as well as alaska, hawaii, northwestern canada. those are the regions where you'll get gay showing. so at 6:06 to 6:57 pacific time is the best time to see that. for the rest of you traveling to day, watch out for fog out west as well. maybe that will prevent from you seeing the eclipse perfectly. we have fog in san diego and seattle. we're also looking at snow showers in cleveland and detroit. just rain showers in miami. many people traveling, of course, this time of year. we had quite a bit of snow from the lake effect storm system in upstate new york. look for more lake-effect snow to pop-up in the forecast today. the air goes over the warmer watt iers of the great lakes. most of it is occurring in a small area of upstate new york. we have a lot more ahead of us for this season. a freezing fog advisory in parts of texas and new mexico. otherwise, high pressure bringing clear conditions to the country. cold temperatures. sunshine but chilly conditions in minneapolis and chicago today. high there's only in the upper 20s. the gulf coast is looking nice with temperatures in the 50s. and if you're in florida, looking at highs in the mid to upper 70s. the northeast really enjoyed a very mild december thus far. temperatures in the 40s today for highs. usually it's much colder this time of year. some folks in new england are saying we're ready for the cold, bring it on. >> am i wrong to be jealous of my friends in cleveland that are getting snow? it's christmas. >> no. >> it's supposed to snow. >> they're going to get snow. we saw the first snow of the season in chicago as well. >> i love it. all right. thank you so much. >> sure. saving the planet has been on the to do list of one of the most powerful men in the world for years. >> powers combined, i am captain planet. >> he's got the voice for it, too. you know who that is. last night ted turner joined forces with a super hero in a fund-raiser to help spread awareness about global warming. we have details in just two minutes. stay close. . plus, by the way, newt gingrich riding high in the republican presidential race. could his past come back to haunt him in the chase for conservative voters? we'll take a look at that as well. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." 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[ electronic beeping ] [ male announcer ] still getting dandruff? neutrogena® t/gel shampoo defeats dandruff after just one use. t/gel shampoo. it works. neutrogena®. guess who's joining me now? she is with us after this star studded gala last night. she looks gorgeous. she emceeing, by the way, the captain planet foundation's 20th anniversary. he is the world's, in case you don't know, the first eco hero created by none other than ted turner. we kind of know him here at cnn, too. >> he is the originator of captain planet. he came up with the idea. i said to him last night, ted, what gave you the idea to come up with the world's first eco friendly super hero? and guess what he said? >> we were running cartoons and children's programming. i looked at a lot of it. i said gee, there is no environmental messages in any of these programs. and, you know, cartoons are great teaching mechanism. television is entertainment medium but it's also an informational medium where you can be educated by watching it. >> and he really lives for this. people will tell you when he goes for a walk and there is trash, he will pick it up. can you imagine? being on the side of the road and just driving by and seeing ted turner picking up trash. >> he lives it and breathes this. this event last night, the money goes to giving grants to educate youth in terms of the environment. but the whole concept of global warming, some people are skeptical. but it is a huge issue. durbin just finish aid two-week summit on the concept of climate. so i said to ted, what do you say to people who are skeptical? let's hear from ted. >> you have said that global warming is one of the most serious if not the most serious environmental issue we have. what do you, ted turner, say to skeptics about global warming? >> well, all you do is show them the evidence and read what the scientific reports say. the overwhelming majority of the scientists and climaatologists say we're in trouble with that. and the naysayers say some people say the world was flat. >> and, of course, he said this for years. he is a visionary. one things i loved is the fashion. somebody actually wore a recycled world war ii parra chute. >> what? >> yes. >> do we have video? >> we do. kristina stevens in her parachute which was delightful. i have to show you that. >> that is a parachute? >> even the lining comes from the inside of the tent. and i wore earrings made from a salad dressing bottle. take a look at those. >> are you kidding? >> and this necklace that i'm wearing is what they call eco vintage. it is recycled coin and chain. so we are -- >> could you buy it? >> there was an auction. all the money goes to educating a wonderful cause. just a wonderful event. >> thank you so much. you wore it well. so did she. not a lot of people can wear a parachute dress. next, we're going to see lady gaga in it. check this one out, nadia. this poor woman waited hours, more than three, for the plane to arrive. a u.s. army specialist gave his girlfriend the surprise of a lifetime. look at that. what a gentleman. popping the question on bended knee. >> oh, my god. >> i love you. >> we're on tv, do you know that? >> yeah. i'm kind of figure that's what the cameras are for. >> she thought she was surprising him with a welcome back party. a glorious moment. >> isn't that awesome? all you skeptics of love. that's too good. she said yes, of course, by the way. delta airlines airport officials and the tsa, by the way, all in on it. good for them. congratulations. newt gingrich makes some harsh comments about peace in israel saying the palestinians shouldn't even be there. we're going to take a look at that. fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink thank you for keeping us company here on cnn. let's get talking about what everybody else is talking about today so far. here why your top stories. the russian state news agency reports 25,000 people are protesting parliamentary elections in russia. they're doing that at this hour. demonstrators upset over alleged voter fraud in last week's elections. their anger aimed squarely at prime minister vladimir putin. and in boston, at least 46 people have been arrested at the occupy boston campsite. police say the demonstrators were demonstrating a it is sit refused to leave. city workers have been taking down demonstrators tents, we understand. you know, this has been a record setter for money spent on gasoline. you're probably thinking i don't need you to tell me that. let me give you the big picture. u.s. drivers spent more than $448 billion on gas. to put that in perspective, $100 billion more than last year. the oil price information service points to consistently high oil prices as the main reason there. >> well, newt gingrich says palestinians are an invented people. he made this strong statement in an interview on the jewish channel. here it is for you in case you missed it. >> well, i believe that the jewish people have the right to have a state. i believe that the commitments that were made at a time, remember, there was no palestine as a state. part of the empire. i think that we've had an invented palestinian people who are arabs and who are historically part of the arab community. >> gingrich went on to say it's tragic that palestinians didn't leave the area when they had the chance. rather sustaining a war against israel. and he also called the middle east peace process "delusional." so you know there is reaction to. this here's what one of the top members of the palestinian executive dmt said. i called mr. gingrich's assertion "the most racist statement i've ever seen." newt gingrich tops the polls at the end of the day with just over three weeks to go until the iowa caucuses. what does this mean? mitt romney may not be his biggest challenger, too. newt's biggest problem some say may be newt himself. here with me, matt cowry, former adviser to newt gingrich and lee may from atlanta. gingrich's comments on the palestinians, you have to wonder now that you heard it for yourself, i want to ask you, matt, since you worked with him, this has to give pause to people when they consider what they would vote for and how he would handle foreign policy, would it not? >> i had a chance to see the entire thing. the part that i think is being left out in the overall headline is that gingrich is getting a very accurate, historical review. he used some bad craziology in my opinion and saying that in essence people that don't exist or who were invented, that wasn't a good phrase. but what he is explaining is very accurate. it's why we still have the problem going on that we have. that doesn't mean that i necessarily agree or disagree with him. but i think in terms of the republican primary, tsz not going to be a big problem for him. you're really not going to have a whole lot of folks involved from either the arab world or from any area that might be affected by these comments that are going to be voting in any of these primaries any time soon. >> okay, so for them it's not a problem necessarily. but for the american people, is this even a blip on our radar whether it comes down to it, so to speak? aren't people watching in the preliminary months wondering who's going to fix our economy? >> well, yeah. i think you're right. i think for the grand scheme of things, america is really concerned about that unemployment number. they're concerned about jobs. they're concerned about the cost of goods, gas, prices to eat. but in reality, what newt is doing is trying to show he is a strong advocate for israel and for a strong america and america-israel recommendationship. but in doing that, his words, and newt has -- >> it's a verbage choice. >> yeah, but his words. he has a way of doing this many times that he'll make certain statements that are very volatile. and will cause this kind of conversation. he met with the palestinian authority leaders as well. and there is such a -- such a volatile issue peace talks and everything. so you have to be very careful with these statements that we make as you move forward. >> does it make you wonder what he's going to say tonight. and i'm wondering from you, first of all, what question would you want to ask tonight in the debate and to who would you want to direct it? >> first of all, i think someone is going to want to ask the question of newt, do you think that was a smart statement to make? and i think what you'll see with newt is he'll come out with his fist as hard as possible and say i don't apologize for it. these are the reasons why. and you'll probably hear the room go wild with applause and that will be the end of it. that's the way he's been operating. that's the way he rolls this year. and so far, it's working for him. >> all righty. boy, i'm sorry reran out of try time. thank you for being here. newt gingrich, by the way, we've been talking about him, he is riding high even with the latest controversial comments. but with his surge in the polls comes renewed focus on his past. as our tom foreman reports, gingrich's personal life could be part of that discussion. >>. >> reporter: newt gingrich's private life has been seen as an achilles heel. strongly associated with the conservative base, he clearly relished that role when president clinton was caught having an affair with white house intern monica lewinsky and trying to hide it from investigators. gingrich called mr. clinton's actions -- >> the most systemic, deliberate obstruction of justice cover-up and avoid the truth. later, gingrich's own personal issues came to light. married three times, he was famously in the process of divorcing his first wife jackie while she was recovering from cancer. the couple had two dollars, the split bitter and contentious. he was married to his second wife marry ann for close to 19 years. they separated at one point, reconciled and then in the end that ended badly, too. moreover, that relationship was secretly under way even as he pushed for the president's impeachment in relation to the monica lewinsky affair. he later suggested that this and the other affairs were the outgrowth of overwork. >> there is no question that in times in my life partially driven by how passionately i felt about this country that i worked far too hard and the things happened in my life that were not appropriate. >> he eventually married that former aide, his third and current wife. they've been together for 11 years now and he has made some seemingly large accommodations to keep the union strong. he was raised luge rinne, was baptist for years. but he became a catholic for her. the question is has his troubled personal past been converted into the kind of history that conservative voters can forget or forgive? tom foreman, cnn, washington. up next, you are not going to believe how much it costs to sit next to this woman, kim kardashian, at a vegas new year's eve party. i'm going to give you hant here. it is five figures. five. entertainment headlines next. i'm an expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. 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[ male announcer ] enbrel. the #1 biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. avatar is an environmental themed science fiction movie. rider worked with cameron for two years and then the production company turned down his idea saying no one would be interested in an environmentally themed science fiction movie. rider claims he entered into an implied agreement with cameron. he would get paid if the company ever used his ideas. you know what happened here. avatar became the highest grossing film ever earning $760 million. and that's just in the u.s. okay. tom cruise is talking about another blockbuster. he spoke to mtv about reviving his role of maverick. remember? it's a good one, right? "top gun." well, "top gun ii" might be under way. he said what got him interested was how new technology would be used to make the film's aerial dog fights more dramatic. >> i hope we can figure this out to go do it again. if we can find a story that suits, you know, that we all want to do. we all want to make a film that is in the same kind of tone as the other one and shoot it in the same way that we shot "top gun." >> would you go see it? i admit i'd go see it. i liked the first one. kim kardashian, she is known to make thousands just to be seen at parties. but would you pay $20,000 to sit near the reality tv star, just near her? radaronline.com reports that the 30-year-old kardashian will be in las vegas to ring in the new year. tickets to the event cost $200. if you want to sit at a table near her, you heard me right, $20,000. it's cool to give electronic gizmos as holiday gifts, right? there's a lot of stuff out there to pick from. stick around. we're going to show you how to sort it all out. our digital lifestyle guru joining us next to plug you in. plus, reaching new heights in exercise and travel. are you ready for a sky ride? that's next. okay. i'm with you. help me out here. >> okay. >> all right. so first thing's first. it's cold now. i have what seems to be a regular pair of gloves. these are made by free hands. and basically, it reveals a little bit of your skin, your fingers, so that can you touch screen on all of your devices. now there are also different gloves that have the conducive tips on them as well. so there are different varieties. but these are inexpensive and a great gift for those that still want to text while it's cold outsi outside. >> nice. you don't have to get up out of your seat very much with technology. so what about the couch potatoes? what will make them happy? >> the couch potatoepotatoes. if you don't have an internent connected tv, you want to get a box called roku. it xekts to your internet connection at home and connects to your television. can you get content from netflix, podcasts and networks like this one right on to your tv. it brings the internet on to your television and it has a really easy to use remote. we're talking $79 for this and no monthly fees for it. so it's a great addition for the couch potato. >> nice. the kids might like that one, too. there's gotting to somebody that is really geared towards kids, right? >> yes. of course. there is a ton of stuff geared towards kids. i have a couple things. one may throw some folks off. tablets are absolutely big. a lot of people say mario do we do ipad or the kindle fire? i think for kids, the kindle fire, if can you swing it for $200, it's less expensive than buying a $500 tablet which is very expensive for a lot of pockets. but i think for kids to do educational things, to read books, do home work, have music videos, apps, all type of things from educationen to the takenment, i think for $200, this is a solid one. >> yeah, no kidding. you know, my mom, i think they kind of fought technology for a long time. but they love that ipad. what is out there for grandparents? >> well, you know, i think the ipad is great for grandparents because you can do everything from scrabble and word games. literally thousands of april and games out there. one way to go old school with it is something i'm holding here. it is called the i cave. it come to us from a really cool website. it is called thinkgeek.com. you put it in the i cave. i have a regular joystick and butto buttons. basically, download an app on to your ipad for $14 and then can you play with the joystick all old school classics. >> i love it! >> this is loads of fun. pac-man, tank. >> asteroids. i challenge you to asteroids, mario. >> there you go. >> you're on. done deal. >> let's do it. >> all righty. >> i know it's holidays and i should treat you nice. >> game on. thank you so much. join us every saturday, by the way, at this time as our digital lifestyle expert mario armstrong gives us the scoop on the latest technology. well, the moving force behind rollerblade is now setting sights on the sky bringing exercise and transportation to new heights. joe carter takes a ride in this start small, think big. >> scott olson is on a mission to get involved in education. the idea is simple. sky riders can pedal or roll themselves along a monorail. >> i love rolling. i wanted to take it to new heights and new speed. >> when i think of rowing, i think of being in a wall rowing and rowing and rowing and not going anywhere. this is opposite. >> that the beauty of the sky ride. that's why i built it to really give people another option. it's really up to me on how fast i want to go. it seems to be the beauty of this. because you want to go fast, just row harder. if you want to enjoy the ride, coast it out. end takenment and trngs. >> we're not going to sell millions of sky tracks, you know, millions of rollerblade. we may get millions of people using it, 100 sky tracks around the country. >> for a man not afraid of heights, it's a dream within reach. joe carter, cnn. the employee of the month is... spark card from capital one. spark cash gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. it's hard for my crew to keep up with 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. 2% cash back. that's setting the bar pretty high. thanks to spark, owning my own business has never been more rewarding. [ male announcer ] introducing spark the small business credit cards from capital one. get more by choosing unlimited double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? this guy's amazing. but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa. all right. let's talk about the top stories in the sports world. >> how are you doing? >> how are you doing? >> okay, so the father of the cleveland browns quarterback colt mccoy not so happy with the way the team handled his son's concussion the other night. explain. >> he went public speaking to the cleveland plain dealer telling them that he was very upset with the way that the team handled colt mccoy's c concussi. he suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter against the steelers. watch that huge hit by james harrison there. you see it again in slow motion. now brad mccoy, colt's father was saying you could clearly see him on the ground. he was briefly knocked unconscious. and colt even came up to him after the game and said i don't remember anything that happened after this hit. i don't remember how the game finished. i know we lost the game and i let my teammates down. i don't remember anything. brad mccoy telling the cleveland plain dealer he really did not see the browns staff going through the post concussion tests to make sure he was okay. so they sent him back in the game. but the browns head coach, pat shermer said we did everything we were supposed to do on the sidelines. he wooz cleared to play. he didn't start showing signs of a concussion until after the game. >> yeah. >> he was having problems with the lights, at justment to the lights in the media room. so they're defense is, look, we didn't know he had a concussion until after the game. he passed all the sideline tests. >> best of luck to him, certainly. >> yeah, huge hit. it really was. >> let's talk about this on again, off again, on again, mega trade in the nba involving a couple big name players. none of, which by the way, are related to me. >> we're talking chris paul of the hornets. again, no relation to you. lamar odom and pasal of the lakers. it was a three team trade involving the lakers, hornets and houston rockets. not to get so technical with this, but, you know, david stern, the commissioner, he looked at this and said this trade is not in the best interests of the new orleans hornets. okay? mind you, the league owns the new orleans hornets. so whether that had anything to do with it, nobody knows for sure. but stern said no to the trade. yesterday he came back out and said okay, you two -- you guys with start negotiating again, see if can you come up with some kind of a trade that is fair for everybody. so that's what they're in the process of doing. whether they're able to pull this thing off or not has yet to be seen. but it is pretty complicated. >> all right. what about blake griffin? he can pull this off? or is that yet to be determined? >> blake if, you're watching this, don't quit your day job. this is a good video. you know, during the nba lockout, he made a commercial for red bull. he was supposed think big ping-pong professional ping-pong player gearing up in his first match was against a champion ping-pong player in su yong lee. and, yeah. >> she's got some nice arms on her. >> that's what i said, ooh. and as can you see, he starts off really good. and then it just goes down hill from there. she pretty much embarrasses him. now i'm going to give blake the benefit of the doubt. because he is one heck of an athlete. i think this guy could excel in ping-pong but i believe the reason why he played so bad is because of her uniform and what she was wearing. that was clearly, clearly not policy for ping-pong uniform. >> you didn't seem to mind. >> i don't mind it. but if i was playing her, it's a distraction. >> yeah. okay. whatever. thank you so much. >> want me back on this show? >> all the time. thank you. forget black friday. green monday is a day online retailers are banking on here. we're going to tell you why in a couple minutes. stay close. ♪ when your chain of supply goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that hurry up no time flat that's logistics. ♪ ♪ all new technology ups brings to me, that's logistics. ♪ how do you know which ones to follow? the equity summary score consolidates the ratings of up to 10 independent research providers into a single score that's weighted based on how accurate they've been in the past. i'm howard spielberg of fidelity investments. the equity summary score is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. get 200 free trades today and explore your next investing idea. checking our top stories, the three winners of this year's nobel peace prize are receiving their awards this morning. they're all women and active in the peace and women's rights movements. we'll tell you more about that in a minute. police in boston cleared out the occupy boston campsite. dozens of people were arrested. this comes a day after the city gave demonstrators a deadline to move or face forcible eviction. and in case you haven't seen it, up in the sky, let me give you a live picture wherever you are. this is what somebody is seeing. an eclipse taking place this morning. visible across the country but all of you folks on the west coast, you've got the best seat in the house. it goes into total eclipse about a half hour from now. just so you know. so get your coat on and go outside. i don't know, make hot chocolate. it's cold out there in the morning. get a good old view. and on to politics we goment newt gingrich is making news this morning because of comments he made about israel and the palestinians. listen to this. >> well, i believe that the jewish people have the right to have a state. i believe the commitments were made in a time -- remember, there was no palestine as a state. i think we've had an invented palestinian people who are in fact are arabs and historically part of the arab community. so you know somebody has a reaction to this. what are people saying about these comments? here's what one of the top members of the palestinian executive committee said. she says her comments were a cheap way to win the pro israel vote. in the meantime, one of mitt romney's surrogates said comments like these are one of the things that i think makes me a little bit nervous about speaker gingrich. the jewish vote, it makes up about 4% of the nation's population. but as we learned from cnn white house correspondent, it's where those jewish voters live that has the incumbent president and the republican hopefuls courting their votes. >> welcome to the white house. thank you all for joining us tonight to celebrate hanukkah. >> reporter: a warm welcome for the president's jewish supporters. >> this hanukkah season we remember a story so powerful that we all know it by heart. even us gentiles. >> reporter: the overtours are part of president obama's strategy to shore up backing among jewish-american voters and stem the tide of criticism he's getting from republican presidential candidates. >> president obama has set back the prospect of peace. >> reporter: they hammer's obama's stance on israel one after another while addressing the republican jewish coalition this week. >> president obama must immediately end his doctrine of appeasement. >> this one sided continuing pressure that says it's always israel's fault no matter how bad the other side is has to stop. >> all the republican presidential conditioned dates are from washington, d.c. this week courting the jewish voters and while speaking to a prominent group of jewish republicans, newt gingrich promised to support israel, not give into the palestinians and promised his next wife would you jewish. >> the first woman to represent florida and congress. >> chairwoman debbie wasserman shultz. >> you know, unfortunately for the republicans, there isn't a single domestic policy issue that republicans are right on when it comes to the jewish community. so they have no other choice but to lie about the president's record on israel. >> the obama campaign hired a director of jewish outreach. the white house has a similar post and this week a pro obama pact defended the president in a mm yoe filled with praise from israeli leaders. it's a lot of fire power to court a voting block that makes up 4% of the population. but it's an important 4% says david harris. >> jews tend to concentrate in certain states. and some of those states tend to be very important. and the most obvious one is the state of florida. >> reporter: harris has been barraged by voters who care about israel. >> i'm getting e-mails from both sides. this is the best president in the history of the world and this is the worst president in the history of the world. >> reporter: the impact of this back and forth could be negligible. but the election provided a huge lesson. and that's that not a single vote can be taken for granted in a battleground state. brianna keeler, cnn, the white house. in other political news, president obama says he recognizes that our economy isn't doing well. he spoke to cbs newsmagazine's "60 minutes" comparing his position as a nation's chief executive to that of a ships captain. >> no matter how well we're steering the ship, if the boat is rocking back and forth and people are getting sick and they're being buffeted by the winds and the rain and -- at a certain point, if you ask them are you enjoying the ride right now, folks are going to say no. and are they going to say do you think the captain is doing a good job? people are going to say, you know what? a captain would have us in some smooth waters and sunny skies at this point. and i don't control the weather. what i can control are the policies we're put in place to make a difference in people's lives. >> did you overpromise? did you underestimate how difficult this was going to be? >> i didn't overpromise. and i didn't underestimate how tough this was going to be. i always believed that this was a long term project. this wasn't a short term project. and for individual americans who are struggling right now, they have every reason to be impatient. >> we're going to play more of the president's "60 minutes" interview in the 10:00 hour of cnn saturday morning. we hope you'll stick around for that. today at arlington national cemetery, volunteers laying holiday wreaths near the head stones of thousands of graves. the purpose, to remember, of course, the nation's fallen heroes which we do every day. athena jones joins us live at arlington national cemetery. it's such a hard thing to try to reconcile the loss of somebody in your life. probably even harder to be without them this time of year when their loss is so amplified in that absence. how many wreaths are we talking about here, athena? >> well, hi. it's been an incredible set. they've been handing out wreaths for the last 20 minutes. you see this line of volunteers lining up behind me. they're handing out wreaths, going and laying them on graves and coming back. they're laying 100,000 wreaths on the head stones, service members who have fallen in various wars here today. that's over 10,000 volunteers. several hundred behind me. it's part of wreaths across america day. it's no the just happening in arlington, but it's happening in more than 500 cemeteries across america in all 50 states. this organization has been laying wreaths for the past 20 years. this began in -- was begun by a main businessman who several years ago in 1992 had a surplus of wreaths for the holiday season and decided to donate 5,000 of them here to arlington national cemetery. it's grown and expanded. as you can see, you have all kinds of people out to lay these wreaths, young people. there is a boy scout troop here. i talked to a man who came from germantown. he said, you know, they've given so much. i've given so little. so it's important for me to be here. so it's going to be an interesting day. we're already seeing several hundred wreaths already laid. this is a process that's going to take several hours. it's all part of a wreaths across america day. the mission is remember, honor and teach. >> well, i'm amazed at how many people have shown up since we talked to you i think last hour. and we have to assume that there are a lot of family members there doing this for their families as well. you are in section 60, is that right? tell me about specifically what part of the cemetery you're in. >> that's right. behind me is section 60. this is the section where service members who were killed in iraq and afghanistan are laid to rest. i spoke a little earlier with a woman who is with a high school here, 20 minutes awayment they come every year to lay a wreath on the grave stone of a fallen soldier who was defensive end on their football team. so the football team comes and lays a wreath on his grave. he was killed in afghanistan in 2008. this is a way of making sure that the students continue to honor and remember from afar and taking part in an activity. this is something that happens every second saturday of december. it has been happening over the past 20 years. you have not just volunteers, you also have people who have lost family members or loved ones who have veterans and people in uniform. as i mentioned, there are boy scouts. i've seen children as young as 4 or 5. so it's a real family event herement and they're everywhere around us. you can't see everything off camera. we can see the truck station all over various sections. so it's going to be a big day here in arlington. >> i just think what a comfort it has to be to all of the people who are there and laying the wreath on the tombstone of somebody they know to see that many people come out for them. thank you so much, athena. great to get that story out there. thank you. thanks to all of our troops and your families and all the sacrifices you make. we always remember you. up next, well, i guess we can forget about black friday at this point, of course. you know what? you haven't missed green monday. this is the day online retailers are banking on. we'll tell you why. no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink this coming monday is believed to be a big day for the economy, particularly retail. in fact, it's right up there with cyber monday. it's called green monday. it doesn't have anything to do with the environment though. fill us in on what we're talking about. >> right. >> it sounds like it would be all about the environment. >> right. >> that's what you expect. this one in this case, the green refers to cash. and while cyber monday gets the attention, green monday is huge for online sales and for shipping companies. so we visited major carrier to give you a behind the scenes glimpse of owl the holiday shipments get to you. >> it is going to be heavy and expect the load to be heavy. does everyone understand? >> a lot of the people in the industry call it green monday. it is two mondays before christmas. it is a huge day for shipping. why is that? >> typically what we find is customers go shopping a couple weeks before christmas on the weekends. and they just give up. so then they go onlinement they order online. the packages get processed throughout the weekend. and the pickups are made, the deliveries are made on that monday. we increased the number of routes that we have on the streets by over 100 routes. we hired additional part time workers. >> we see the boxes travel along the conveyer belts. some things are shipped well, some is not. >> this is a perfect package. very solid material. good corrugation on here. so we definitely want to make sure that our customers are utilizing new boxes if at all possible. and also to strongest type of tape. don't use regular masking tape or cheap tape you may get at your local drug stores. >> so you see how all the packages get moved through here. but then to ultimately get to you, you are the person. you need a currier. that's why we have duron jones. do you have to do extra workouts? caffeine? >> i stopped by krispy kreme donuts to get that sugar. red bull. i'm ready to go. >> all right. so partly it's that -- these are heavy. but more is that they're just really big and bulky, too. i'm sure they're bigger than me. i'm trying to lift it up. i need your help with this. come on over. there you go. that's how it's done. we have been watching you this morning. you lift more by 8:00 a.m. than most body builders do in a week. you are the strongest one around here? >> i'm pretty sure i am. they call me popcorn around here. >> it's very gratifying knowing that a grandmother over in china is sending their grandchild their first christmas present. our curriers experience that on a daily basis. >> last year there were $954 million in online sales on green monday according to comscore and then add to that the people that bought things over the weekend and then have them shipped on monday. folks at dhl, they tell me every package is scanned 15 to 20 times. so they always know every step of the way where it is. >> okay. but we don't always know how to ship it fast. do you have some good advice for us? >> we saw doozies. there were boxes falling apart and holes. you could see what some of the products r they do their best to retape them back up. but throughout the day, i'll give you tips. here's a couple from the u.s. postal service. remove and wrap batteries. include card with address inside. you want to have both addresses in case something happens with the box you put it in. there are more tips on my blog. i want everyone to, you know, be empowered with knowledge. >> you spent the money on the gift, get it there. >> yeah. such a shame. >> don't let somebody think you forgot them. >> last thing you want to see. >> all right. you want to see something really cool right now? live pukt. look at that. that's the lunar eclipse. it's really there, i promise! we want to thank our friends at king in seattle, our affiliate there. the earth shadow completely covering the moon. that is not a black screen. that is what is happening. >> look at. that. >> okay. and that i understand is china. that's what they're seeing in china right now. >> that is incredible. >> we'll have more for you. # ♪ [ electronic beeping ] [ male announcer ] still getting dandruff? neutrogena® t/gel shampoo defeats dandruff after just one use. t/gel shampoo. it works. neutrogena®. we want to share something with our viewers from our friends at king in seattle. and what they're seeing right now in the sky. nada. big black hole there it looks like. actually, that is the lunar eclipse. it's when the earth is between the sun and moon directly in that shadow completely envelopes the moon. these are earlier pictures. so you can see a time line of when it happened. but the folks on west coast, they had the best chance to seeing this. i want to show you quickly though. this one is beijing. that's what they saw there. west coasters had the best seat in the house for this, right? we got gypped. >> timing is everything. we're going see most of the action occurring right now up to about 6:57 a.m. pacific time. on the east coast, the sun will be out. we won't be able to see it as much as other places did. it happens, for example, in the night time in hawaii and in northwestern canada and alaska. they're getting a better viewpoint than we do. if you missed it like everyone on the eastern u.s., there will be a partial eclipse in june of next year, 2012. but the next full total lunar ee lips won't occur until 2014. so we have to wait a few years. luckily we have our i-reporters around the world where we can get a little bit of a vantage point. >> it's beautiful. >> a beautiful picture when you get the full lunar eclipse. it's very pretty. >> we're going to keep watching and bring you whatever they send us. thank you bonnie. when we come back, comedian george lopez pays a surprise visit to a cnn hero and helps feed the hungry on the streets of new york. everyone in the nicu, all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. we're just hours away from tomorrow's live broadcast of cnn heroes, an all star tribute. we turn the tables on traditional award shows by bringing out celebrities to salute our top ten heroes. in 2009, george lopez helped honor a school bus driver from queens, new york, who feeds more than 120 people every night. here's the thing. lopez paid him a surprise visit recently. >> this is my buddy. i am coming to surprise him and to see what he does firsthand. >> smells delicious. >> yes? >> wow! george! >> how are you, man? i came to help you. >> come on in. >> what's going on? >> you make all the food in here? >> yeah. all the food here. >> smells delicious. >> what time do you start? >> in the morning, 5:15 in the morning. >> you're my hero, man. >> thanks. >> i got that from the president. >> that's beautiful. >> not many people have the honor to be invited with the president of the united states to the white house. and especially i receive this certificate and this medal. three or four pieces. >> beautiful. >> and that's it. >> that's it. we're done. >> in my opinion, this man is a star. >> all right. let's go. >> what time do you come, 9:30? >> 9:40. >> jorge lopez. [ speaking spanish ] >> want some food? >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> the fact that, you know, they get a hot meal on a cold night is great. >> okay? >> now he knows what i feel inside, why i do this. >> that's beautiful. >> seven years i miss one day, that's all. if i don't cook it -- >> even though it's freezing, i have such a nice glow inside of me. i'll see you again. glod bless you. >> you, too, man. >> bless his heart the reminder, too, tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. eastern, cnn heroes, an all star tribute, hosted by anderson cooper live from the shrine auditorium in los angeles. we hope you can watch it and be inspired. tristan eaton is a self described skate boarding punk, he says, who had several run ins with the law as a youth for a variety of crimes including painting graffiti on the streets. they gave him a second chance to improve his life. he did. eventually designing a toy for fisher price at the age of 18. now his art work is part of a permanent collection at the new york museum of modern art. can you learn more about tristan on the next list. it's with dr. sanjay gupta sunday at 2:00 p.m. eastern. ♪ [ male announcer ] sometimes, a hint is all the wrapping a gift needs. is that what i think it is? ♪ [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer for exclusive lease offers on the 2012 is 250 and, as a gift from lexus, we'll make your first month's payment. all right. i want to show that you on your screen right there, that big old black space. you're'looking at nothing. that's the lunar eclipse right now coming to us from our friends at king affiliate in seattle. that's what they saw just a few moments ago. of course, remember that is when the earth is directly between the moon and sun. and then here is a shot -- is this the shot from beijing? i don't think is -- this is from -- this is also from king. excuse me. this is also from seattle a few moments before it was directly covered. it will start out gray and orange and then end up being this bright red glowing color. there again is what we're seeing or did see just a while ago from beijing. those are the pictures that they're sending us. you can see this particularly in the west. so i know it is 6:30. it is early for you. throw your robe on and go outside and take a look up in the sky if you can. allgypped on the east. the sun is out, can't see it. have fun i