immigration. we'll show you the old clip making new headlines. wolf blitzer is off. i'm joe johns. you're in "the situation room." we begin with breaking news. american students caught up in the bloody cairo protest are finally on their way out of a nightmare experience in egypt. let's go straight to cnn's senior international correspondent, ben wedeman in cairo. earlier today we heard the three american students would be released on saturday. now we're hearing it's already happened. why? >> what we understand is that yesterday the prosecutors ordered their release but it took for today to get released. they have been released and they are on their way to the airport. they were attending the american university in cairo and according to the egyptian police, they were involved in attacks on security forces during the demonstrations. of course, their lawyers and their parents deny that they could have done that sort of thing and clearly the fact that the egyptians who shadly said that they were going to attack charge them for attacking the police have let them go. joe? >> now, what's the word on the ground there? fill us? >> reporter: every night is it s long here in cryo these days. it is 11:00 p.m. and tahrir square is crowded with tens and thousands of people. some people will spend the tight night here. there was another demonstration, a counter demonstration. people who support the military council here. they say they are the silent majority here in egypt to have watched from their homes and on television as tahrir square has become a political stage in which they are calling for the military to leave power. they are attacking the interior ministry. these are the other egyptians worried about the country's economy, which is in very bad shape since the revolution. they are worried about the lack of law & order in the streets and they want to see the elections go on and they support the government. there are people here in egypt who actually do support this government. joe? >> so you're saying honest disappointment on point of view and not necessarily a counter demonstration that's been put out there by the generals? >> reporter: no, it would appear that it was in fact a sincere demonstration of those egyptians who don't sympathize, don't agree with the tahrir square demonstrations. in the past, of course, under mubarak, staged demonstrations in favor of the government, in favor of the president were quite common but it was clear that these people do sincerely believe that there is another side that they need to be heard, that it's not just tahrir. joe? >> thanks for your reporting, ben. stay safe in cairo. now let's get ted simon on the front. he's the attorney for gregory porter, one of the attorneys for the free students. he's a drexle university student. what do you know about his return to the united states? >> yes. fortunately, we were able to arrange a phone call yesterday as well as today i'm pleased to report that it was a good call. greg demonstrated an unusual calm and a common measured demeanor. i think he really showed and demonstrated a maturity well beyond his 19 years given the extraordinary challenges that he was facing. he's a fine young man. >> has he boarded a plane to the united states or do you know when he's going to do that? >> well, what we do know is that -- and we're extremely thankful and appreciative of, we were able to object to the prosecution's request to extend detention for 15 days and the court ultimately agreed and later agreed not to appeal and we're thankful and appreciative of that and provided an unrestrictive court order. a few steps had to be taken place, hurdles that had to be overcome and that left the opportunity for them to be released from the police station and that's what has happened. >> we've within hearing a variety reports of people, american dissent of people being detained there and facing rough treatment. what kind of treatment has your client gotten? do you know? >> well, i can tell you, i have spoken to my client and he was very he wanted to be very clear to say that he was okay and we certainly communicated that. he was thankful again for all of our efforts and thankful for the unconditional support and we're also very appreciative of the court's ruling that required and issued the order of relief as well as we're thankful to my counterparts in agreeing not to appeal. there's much to be thankful for at this time of year and we've taken all possible steps to secure their release since tuesday and we look forward for all of this to continue in the positive course that this has taken. >> what is next for him? do you think he'll want to return to egypt after this experience? >> you know, these are issues that we have not discussed. he is a very academically-oriented individual, extremely well-read, very interested in international relations and culture and we know for sure his education will continue but where he will continue his studies is something for him to decide. >> i want to try one more time on the issue of whether he's left the country. do you know whether he has left the country or are you just not able to tell us? >> well, i know exactly where he is and he has left the police station. one of the reasons that i was unable to go to your studio, i continue to monitor this with various individuals over in egypt and that's why i'm on the phone. but we're very pleased with the place that he is at now and i'm happy to report that he has left the police station. >> do you know if the united states government has exerted a lot of pressure on this or were they in the background waiting to see how it plays out? >> i would give the highest marks to the counselor officials in cairo. they have demonstrated what they frequently do, appropriate care for americans that have problems abroad. however, they will tell you and i will tell you it's never a substitute for being an advocate or an attorney and the family thought it wise to engage us as well as our counterparts and i think that was all very helpful. but the highest of marks should be given to the state department as well as the counselor's office and council general in cairo for ensuring the care of these young men. >> all right. ted simon, thanks so much. an attorney for gregory porter. when you're able to tell us where your client is, if he's in the air, please get back to us and we'll be checking with. >> you thank you. an official from the mubarak office took office as elections for parliament will begin soon. but after days of demonstrations and dozens of deaths, activists are demanding that the generals give up power now and in a new twist, the white house today is pretty much saying the same thing. let's turn to jill dougherty. >> it really feels like de ja vu. and the u.s. torn once again between the title wave of people power and security. the protesters on tahrir square are calling it last chance friday. and as the blackberry is checked for the latest news on the square, he believes it. >> the next 24-hour period could be crucial for that. >> the first since hosni mubarak is scheduled to take place monday. but the protesters are fed up they want the military to step aside and give real power to the civilian government. the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and exclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the egyptian people. the obama administration is watching the exploding tensions in egypt with alarm. less than two months ago, secretary of state hillary clinton was praising the military. >> i'd like to recognize the work of the supreme forces which has been an institution of stability and continuity. >> but the violence against demonstrators and the resignation that the egypt civilian government has changed that. >> we condemn the excessive force used by the police and discipline its forces and to protect the universal rights of all egyptians to peacefully express themselves. >> reporter: the white house still wants monday's elections to go forward without violence or intimidation. but he says egypt is in no condition to hold elections right now. he says the obama administration should stop being cautious and come out and say that. >> there's a failure to see that it's the only future and the united states government, as are most governments should support whatever the egyptian people should like to see. >> and now many egyptians are saying, first things first. get rid of military rule, stop it, and then go to elections. the white house seems to think that they can do both. but at this point, of course, it's the egyptian people running this. joe? >> jill, is this impatience on the part of the administration or -- >> egypt is a big country. it's very significant what is going on there and also one big factor is the economy is getting worst and worst. when you see things like that on the street, very few people are going to go and be tourists in egypt and that's where they get a lot of their money. the economy is very, very bad and that just exacerbates things. >> jill doherty at the state department, thanks so much. >> uh-huh. violence erupts at one of the busiest shopping days of the year. fist fights, pepper spray, and shootings on black friday. plus, the football player and the cheerleader. what happened after they collided in an nfl game? 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[ laughs ] [ 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 rx 350 and, as a gift from lexus, we'll make your first month's payment. i've tried it. and, as a gift from lexus, but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. deficit reducing budget cuts. they are scheduled to take effect in over a year and doctors treating low-income patients could bear the brunt. let's get more with lisa sylvester. >> hi, joe. the supercommittee had a task of coming up with more than a trillion dollars in deficit cuts. these are automatic cuts that will have an impact on the defense industry but it will also affect medicare. >> what's going on with this lady? >> reporter: a neighborhood hospital with a patient base of the elderly and working poor. >> about 70% of the patients that come through our door rely on medicare and medicaid. >> reporter: but payments to hospitals and other medical providers are slated for a 2% cut over the next 9 years starting in 2013. this is after the congressional committee failed to reach a deal on $1.2 tril kren in spending cuts. the doctor says it will have an impact on access to medical care. >> a 2% cut is $1.5 million. we're talking about a margin that is very, very thin for that hospital to survive. $1.5 million pays for a lot of nurses, pays for a the llot of doctors and patients. >> reporter: they estimate a $43 billion cuts in hospitals going forward. >> that comes on top of 155 billion that has already been legislated and cuts that have occurred at state level through medicaid. it means fewer nurses, longer waiting times in emergency departments, and less access to the newest treatments. >> reporter: the cuts will happen unless congress intervenes. the american hospital association is lobbying to stop the scheduled medicare payment cuts but pete with the national taxpayer union argues lawmakers need to make good on the promise to fix the deficit. >> renigging now would almost certainly result in a downgrade of the u.s. credit rating. >> reporter: he says medicare spending is out of control and even with the 2% cut the program's overall budget will continue to grow. but the doctor says other hospitals with more privately insured patients can shift costs around. his facility doesn't have that option. that means tough choices ahead. >> we'd have to make some decisions and unfortunately that would affect patient care. that would affect the elderly patients in this neighborhood, the people that go to work every day, the working core. >> now, doctors could face a double whammy. physicians are slated for a 30% cut under the medicare program on january 1st of next year unless congress acts. congress are you teenly addresses each year but with all of the partisan division and bickering going on, there is a real concern in the medical community that this could become a political football, joe. >> and a political year, too. because you expect the congress and presidential candidates are going to have to weigh in and talk about this. the voters can kind of decide what they want done. >> yeah. and we're going to see this on the defense side, what is going to happen next year. are they going to roll back some of the cuts that have been proposed? same thing with medicare? and you're right. it all happens in the climate of it being an election year, joe. >> congress has tried to do this and every time they run into trouble. coming up, my interview with an egyptian american beaten and assaulted by police in cairo. ni-i-i-ck. oh... i thought those were put out for me. i did it again. no worries, nick. 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[ male announcer ] on at&t, blackberry® torch moves at the speed of 4g. ♪ like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. a well-known egyptian american columnist blogger suffered a brutal beating and sexual assault by police at tahrir square, and said it was like being set upon by a bunch of wild beasts. could you set the view for our viewers, what you were doing in tahrir square and what happened? >> well, on wednesday night i spent a few hours in tahrir square and then decided to go to one of the streets that leads into the square. it was the scene, the frontline between protesters who were trying to protect the square from being invaded as it was last week by security forces and the two sides were kept apart by a small no man's land. i made my way there up until basically the beginning of that no man's land and as the security forces started firing, i took cover with other people in an area right next to that edge of no man's land and i didn't see the riot police had infiltrated on to our side basically. and those around me who could get away got away. they arrested it one guy. i didn't see what happened to him. and they clobbered me because i wasn't able to get out. i was surrounded by four to five riot police who rained down these blows with their big sticks and then they dragged me on to -- into that no man's land that basically leads towards the interior ministry. as they were dragging me, they subjected me to the worst kind of sexual assault that i've ever experienced. their hands were all over my body, groping my breasts, hands in between my legs, so many hands i lost count were put in between my belt and trying to get into my trousers. it was horrendous. they pulled my hair, called me all kinds of curses and dragged me all the way into the interior ministry where finally -- the groping continued all the way. where finally someone from the army told them to take me inside and i was put in a room where i basically spent the next five or six hours. there i was not physically abused but i kept telling them my hand and my arm are broken. i need to see a doctor. no one came to give me medical care. they kept saying, you don't have your i.d. i left my passport with my friends in the square. the pretext they took me there was to determine my identity. but it doesn't take five hours to determine someone's identity. >> so what was their excuse for arresting you? >> they said, what was i doing there? i told them, i'm a journalist. i'm taking pictures and basically recording the scene for my writing. they said, how do we know that you're not a spy? i said obviously i'm not a spy but i don't have any papers with me because they are with my friends in the square. that was the pretext that they said was keeping me there in the ministry of the interior. someone had to decide what to do with me. they sent me to military intelligence. >> the interior seems to deny that any of this has occurred, as far as i can tell. what is your response to that? >> well, the interior ministry has said that the sexual assault and beating was an isolated incident, which is just laughable. ask any egyptian what it's like to confront or to face the riot police and they will tell you how brutal they are. police brutality in egypt is legendary. this is one of the reasons that we started our revolution on january 25th and the riot police, especially, are known when it comes to women, whether it is female activists or journalists, they are known to use these tactics because it comes from the very top. in 2005, we had so many incidents during that year, female activists and journalists deliberately targeted, by the riot police and security services because they tried to use this to shame and humiliate women and scare them off the street. the fact that they are calling this an isolated incident is a sheer out right lie. if you've asked other journalists, just yesterday a female journalist was dragged by her hair by the riot police. my experience is by no means the and i'm speaking out because i have a voice. there are thousands of other egyptians who don't have a presence in media and who voices you don't here and who were treated worse than i was. i know if i was not the quote unquote respectable person that they thought that i was and they knew that i was a journalist, i would have been tried a million times worse. this is by no manieans isolated. >> what did does this experience say about the military rule in egypt? >> my experience is one of the examples of how it's failed. it's timed to step aside and hand over leadership to a civilian group, a body. one of the main demands of our revolution from the very beginning was the military took over and hand overrule in six months. they have not done that. they claim that it was the guardian of our military. they broke my hand, my arm, they have tortured and detained thousands of egyptians and again gives the lie to my incident that was isolated. it was from the riot police but subjected women to the military and how many are in jail? how many thousands of egyptians have faced military tribunals? what is going on in they have categorically failed in their ability to rule egypt and it's time to come under civilian leadership. and that's the message here today. >> my interview with mona continues in a moment with her take on how all of this is going to play out. and the kid without a country. why his passport is in the hands of the u.s. supreme court. how did i get here? 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[ male announcer ] medicare open enrollment ends soon. call 1-800-medicare or visit medicare.gov to learn more. let's get back to my interview with the american journalist who says that she was beaten and sexually assaulted by police at cairo's tahrir square. she suffered a broken arm and hand in the process but yet managed to tweet her ordeal to the outside world. >> how do you see this upprizing against the egyptian government playing out? where do you see this headed? >> well, what i see is that they counted on the fact that the revolution was running out of steam. that's where they are wrong. the revolution very much continues and being here in tahrir square, that's very clear. thousands upon thousands of people were touting. the head of the supreme council of the head forces, they were chanting, we won't leave, he must leave. that's what they were chanting during the 18 days that it took to topple hosni mu mar rack which says to me, the ruf lu revolution. we got rid of hosni mubarak in 18 days and being in the crowd in tahrir square today it is clear that the energy definitely continues and we will be freeing egypt. >> as i look at the tweets that you put out over a period of time here -- and there were a number of them -- you say, among other things, beaten and arrested inappropriate te arrested in interior ministry. how were you able to do this? >> well, the phone dropped out of my hand and i remember while the six were reining down on my head, i had this one thing in my head. get your phone. i tried to bend down and get it as they were beating me with their sticks because life without a phone, when you're out there on the streets, when there's a lot of police and you know that they are arresting people left, right, and center, your phone is your lifeline to the outside world. so when my phone was lost and they dragged me into the ministry of interior, you know, my main concern was, nobody knows where i am and nobody knows that i've been arrested. i sat there for three hours wishing that i still had my phone and then two activists not detained but who had come to speak to the interior of their own will, they came in with their own phones and i realized that was my chance. and i got on to twitter and that's when i put on my phone, beaten, arrested interior ministry. thank god i had a moment to do that. and then hi no connection with the outside world until the military intelligence people finally released me and it wasn't until i got back into my hotel, that i sent out a tweet to say to the world that i'm free because i know my sister is on twitter and follows me. i knew that they would be worried sick. i wrote, i am free. so that i can let them know that i am okay. >> any determination by you to stay there or to leave and how are you physically, considering the fact that both of your hand and your arm was broken? >> well, you know, after what happened, and i spoke to my family yesterday, they are all asking me to go back to the u.s. they say, we're very proud of you and glad that you're speaking out but please come home and let us take care of you. i really appreciate that and i don't want to worry them anymore. but i have to be here on friday because friday is always the highlight of the demonstrations in the square. it's the center of the universe but it's really i am practical for me to be here alone and try to move around with the casts. so even though i wanted to stay until at least the first week of december, i might have to cut my trip short. i haven't decided exactly when l i will be going back to the u.s., but in a couple of days i will go back home to new york. honestly, it's the practical teas, trying to brush my teeth and you would not believe how long it took me to wear this blouse. >> mona eltahawy, thank you for your time and for spending time in "the situation room." stunning claims by iran who says they have arrested a dozen cia spies and now washington may be weighing its next move coming up at the top of the hour. and newt gingrich says he's ready to take the heat on his stance of immigration. is it going to cost him his chance at the white house? not white collar or blue collar or no collars. we are business in america. and every day we awake to the same challenges. but at prudential we're helping companies everywhere find new solutions to manage risk, capital and employee benefits, so american business can get on with business. ♪ nice, huh? yeah. you know what else is nice is all the savings you can get on cruze and traverse over there. oh! that's my beard. [ chuckles ] it's amazing. ♪ [ male announcer ] this holiday, chevy's giving more. now very well qualified lessees can sign and drive a 2012 cruze ls for around $199 a month. ♪ a battle is heating up between newt gingrich and mitt romney. jim acosta has been looking into that. what do you know? >> joe, newt gingrich is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting and we'll be watching for what, if anything, he has to say. you'll recall at the cnn, national security date, some of the undocumented immigrants that have been in the country for a long period of time should be allowed to stay in the u.s. when he said that, his rivals, including mitt romney, pounced calling that amnesty. newt gingrich tweeted this. he invited his followers to take a tweet down memory lane and then there was a clip from a 2007 romney interview on "meet the press." here's that clip. >> my own view, consistent with what you said, those people that have come here illegally and in this country, the 12 million or so here illegally, should be able to sign up for permanent residency or citizenship. >> now, we asked the romney campaign for a response to that and they sent out a more complete quote from that interview. let's put that up on the screen so we can read that to you. right after that clip that you just saw, romney goes on to say in that same interview, but they should not be given a special path way, a special guarantee that all of them get to stay here for the rest of their lives, merely by virtue of coming here illegally. it appears that they took romney's quote out of context but when asked if gingrich did just that, the romney campaign did not want to go there because they admitted that they took the president's words out of context for their own tv ad. >> now we know that new candidate has expressed knew wants views but romney has seemed to drift to the right? >> that's right. it really sets up a choice for republican voters in places like iowa where this is a big issue and the choice is this. either you go with newt gingrich, who basically will speak his mind on this issue and we know that he's not afraid to that, or mitt romney, as you said, had a knew wantsed view on illegal immigration but is now tieing himself to essentially a hard line conservative stance on the issue of illegal immigration now. >> very interesting to watch and i guess romney has to be pretty careful, given the fact that he kind of juped out there. >> and up don't want another issue to come up for the romney campaign where they have to go back and explain a position that he took four or five years ago that is different than the one he is taking now. >> whenever you're explaining, you're always on defense. >> that's right. >> thank you so much, jim acosta. >> you bet. tuesday night's republican debate moderated by cnn's wolf blitzer. >> i do not believe that the people of the united states are going to take people who have been here a quarter century, who have children and grandchildren, who are members of the community, who may have done something 25 years ago separate them from their families and expel them. i do believe if you've been here recently and you have no ties to the u.s., we should deport you and i'm prepared to take the heat for saying, let's be human and enforcing the law without giving them citizenship but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their families. >> joining me to talk about that is hillary and david frohm. hillary, does it look like he's moving into the -- >> this story has something for everyone in it, because it has multifacets. let's focus on two of them. the first is, it highlights how much mitt romney as started to pander to the american conservatives to try to gain their support, voters that have historically not been very enthusiastic about him. the second thing it's done, it's given a ride birth between mitt romney and newt gingrich that inevitably in a general election you're going to have to move to the center on it. romney is going to have to hammer gingrich and when they have all of that footage and if he wins the nomination, we're going to have an awful lot of good stuff to go against mitt romney with. so this is kind of a gift with for democrats all around. >> has he hurt himself, his ability to move towards the d m nomination? >> newt gingrich? >> yes. >> i think it has hurt him. what are we talking about? two things. it's been a tremendous wage on pressure and has been for ten years. this is a way that within the limits of the republican debate, candidates can talk about middle class wages and also deteriorating public services. in places like north carolina, for example, where there's been a rapid increase in the illegal population, situations in which classrooms will have no or one english language and classes having one-third of their students being english as second language communities. it's a way to talk about what urgently needs to be talked about. this cannot be the sum and substance of your middle-class wage program. but i think that it's something that needs more respect. >> let's not forget, john mccain had the most liberal review and he won the nomination any way. that's not necessarily a deal killer. and let's remember, we have ten million people in this country. we are not going to lift them all up and kick them out of the country. for any republicans to go out there and start sort of throwing the refor cal bombs on this is useless. gingrich, david is right, has created a realistic conversation. >> >> i think mitt romney is enforcement is the way that you begin to persuade people not to be deported because the downward presh pressure on the wages of american workers continues. >> people who are settled in this country, many people who have jobs and members of the community have families to simply leave. it's not just realistic. >> bear in mind during the expansion period we were getting about a million, million and a half illegal immigrants a year. if you're getting a million a year, that means a million a year for less than 12 months. >> rick perry waded into this area and took a lot of heat for it and now newt gingrich, in spite of that, has gone the very same route. does newt gingrich know something that rick perry doesn't? >> newt gingrich knows the 15i78 thing. which is the donor base of the republican party is in favor of guest worker status, of amnesty of various kins. it's the few issues where you can get applauded for your centerist humanen sentiments. that's why rick perry has taken it. >> it it is unbelievably obvious that each candidate has take answer position, not because they believe it, but they are searching for money or votes and it's not comporting with the reality that president obama is trying to solve this problem. which is easier to defend, if you will? mitt romney's allege flip-flopping, or newt gingrich's position on immigration? which one is easier to defend? >> well, i think there's kind of a dense pack that mitt romney has, which is a lot of flip-flops. and after a while this accusation balances itself out. >> i think a more centerist position on immigration is the only right position for this country. romney just can't figure out what he believes, ever. >> thank you both very much. happy holidays. >> same to you, joe. those airline baggage fees. we'll tell you about a new effort under way on capitol hill that is aimed at helping passengers. low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. it's 4g, so you can do more faster. so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your baby acting adorable. baby. on it. matt, ignore me and keep updating your fantasy team. huh? jeff, play a game. turbo-boosting now, sir. dennis, check in everywhere you go on foursquare. that's mayor dennis... of the water cooler. you're the best. liz, rock out to pandora. oh, no i'm an only child. and nick, you shouldn't even be here, you can do everything from the golf course. good? good. [ male announcer ] on at&t, blackberry® torch moves at the speed of 4g. ♪ outhwash,blackberry® torch moves atoothpaste and 4g. mouth wetting lonzenges - guaranteed effective on all types of bad breath and dry mouth. nothing works faster than therabreath. visit therabreathforfree.com the supreme court is being drawn into the legal battle over the birth place of a 9-year-old boy. cnn's kate bouldan explains. >> reporter: this is shy 9-year-old boy, without country, so to speak. >> we moved to israel and then we're very proud that our third child was born there and we wanted the documents to say that. >> reporter: potentially pitting one family's wish against the future of the mid-east peace process, all over a u.s. passport. >> there have been 50,000 americans and many of them would like to have israel indicated as their place of birth in the passports. but this is also an extremely important issue. >> reporter: the united nations and most of the world community do not recognize the capital of israel. american citizens when their son was born in jerusalem they requested his u.s. passport list israel as the place of birth which is the normal process and they requested to only list jerusalem on the boy's passport, sparking this decade long battle. what is at stake is their and they have a right to express that and both the bush and obama administrations have ignored the law, saying it interferes with the president's power over foreign policy. and the request is a simple one, where can their son call home? >> we're requesting just exactly what the lawsuit says, implement the law and write in the passport that he was born in israel. >> reporter: the justice hags questions for both families but also seem to struggle with the larger question of where does congressional authority begin and end with regard to foreign policy issues? >> they will reconvene on monday and they could here in the counter protest on egypt plus, the surprise release of three american students. also, counterfeit computer chips made in china and unknowingly used by the u.s. military. one expert calls them a ticking time bomb for national security. welcome to our viewers. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm joe johns. you're in "the situation room." we're following a disturbing report out of iran that could have huge implications for u.s. efforts to stop that country from building nuclear weapons. a dozen people have been arrested and one iranian official says they are all spies for the u.s. brian todd has the story for us. what are you finding out? >> reporter: the u.s. could have lost key assets in it's effort to legislator says iranian intelligence has arrested 12 u.s. spies. and they say that they are trying to cripple them in the security areas and wouldn't say who they were or their nationalities. if this is true, they were probably iranians. >> they may not have known that they were workinging for the u.s. often you recruit someone. >> reporter: they call it a virtual ci acha station. their intelligence handlers could encrypt the information. >> once you determine why things have gone badly, you can start up again. >> reporter: the cia would not comment on any of this. >> reporter: it's a ratcheted up intelligence war. and they deny plotting in the u.s. this comes days after the militant group hezbollah. the united states does not want to bomb iran. it could send the price of oil sky high. >> they could use the intelligence networks to hit the iranians, sabotaging the nuclear program with computer viruses like that worm that targeted the centrifuges. >> but whoever did it, it worked? >> exactly. and it crippled then a year and a half ago. >> thank you for that story. >> sure. three american students arrested in egypt have been released and are heading back to the u.s. they were accused of throwing cocktails earlier this week. >> a dual major and went to not just learn the language, he's fluent in arabic and wanted to learn the culture. he will not go back to egypt. one way or another this semester is over for him. and he doesn't want to be in egypt with all of the chaos going on here. >> ben, you have new information about when they are going to be leaving egypt? >> reporter: we heard earlier from their lawyer that they were on their way to the airport. one of them will leave tomorrow morning flying to frankfurt. we heard yesterday that the prosecutor general had ordered their release and took about 24 hours, not unusual, in fact, to get from the judge to the police officer who were holding these young men. so now they are free. no charges were made against them. and the local media made a big deal about it. and this is an attempt to blame foreigners for the trouble here. and it's purely an egyptian matter and they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. ohio? >> that's not surprising at all. >> you actually witnessed something that was a little different. let's talk about it. >> reporter: yeah, that was radically different, joe. that was pro military government demonstration about three miles from here in a neighborhood that is predominantly inhabltded by police officers and they came out here to support the government and condemn the people in tahrir square. their feeling is that they have monopolized the scene, certainly since last saturday. that they don't reflect the real feeling of egyptians. the people at this pro government demonstration said that they are the silent majority and decided that it's time for them to come out and express their voices. just to reassure you, what you are hearing in the background is not gunfire, those are fireworks. joe? >> just to sort of reiterate a point that we made earlier, from your reporting and what you can tell, these are authentic government? >> reporter: i can tell you from my many years in egypt, i know what a planned organized government sponsored demonstration looks like. there's not a high level of even thus yachl and it goes quiet again. these people seemed absolutely sincere in their support for the government and i must stress that tahrir does represent a significant part of egyptian society but there are many people who are simply worried that this country is becoming immeshed in demonstrations. there are some people that would like a little peace and quiet, joe? >> concern that there may be something that is worse than having a stable egypt. the violence in egypt is targeting a significant change in tone from the obama administration. they are calling on the military to give up power. cnn's foreign affairs correspondent, jill dougherty, working that story for us. what do you have? >> there's a feeling over here really of de ja vu. looking at those pictures within, people back on tahrir square, demanding democracy, and then the administration here in washington really torn between wanting to support the people that title wave of of people power and then concern about stability. and then, of course, then as now, they are viewing the administration as being far too cautious. the protests on tahrir square are calling it last chance friday. and as an egyptian american checks his blackberry, he believes it. >> the next 24 hours could be crucial for that. >> reporter: protesters are fed up and want the military to step aside and give real power to the civilian government that. cry is being held at the white house. the white house press sect said just that, an immediate change. the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the egyptian people as soon as possible. less than two months ago, secretary of state, hillary clinton, was praising the military. >> i'd like to recognize the supreme forces and the violence against demonstrations and the resignation of the government has changed that. >> we condemn the excessive force used by the police and strongly urge to discipline its forces and to protect the universal rights of all egyptians peacefully express themselves. >> the white house still wants monday's elections to go forward without violence or intimidation but egypt is in no condition to hold elections right now. he says the obama administration should stop being cautious and come out and say that. >> there is a failure to say that it's really the only determine nant of the future and the united states government, as most governments should support whatever the egyptian people would like to see. >> and many egyptians are saying, first things first. get rid of military rule and then go to elections. the white house seems to think that they can do both. but at this point it's really the egyptian people who are running this. joe? >> that's for sure. thanks so much, jill doherty at the state department. the pentagon potentially facing $600 billion in cuts over the next ten years. after the supercommittee failed to reach a deficit deal, are military salaries on the chopping block? plus, it's being called the ticking time bomb of national security. ahead, how counterfeit military parts made in china end up in the united states. 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visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? huge budget cuts could be on the way and huge benefits could be on the chopping block. chris lawrence has the details. what is next for the defense department? joe, everybody is going to be skrak belg to protect their own projects and intense lobbying as well. the chair of the armed services committee introduced legislation that will block these defense cuts. president obama says he will veto any such bill like that that comes across his desk. costs $150 billion more than what the pentagon projected ten years ago, even though it can fly faster than the speed of sound, the fighter jet cannot outrun its critics who kill the program outright. it's just one target and everything is on the table battle to cut the defense budget. >> they will have to cancel some programs, cut back on the number of items that they are buying. >> reporter: the pentagon may have to cut another $600 billion over the next ten years, starting in 2013. certain cuts can't be made that quickly. >> like closing bases, reducing personnel costs, the number of personnel, those are things that take time to implement. >> reporter: but the average soldier could see lower pay increases, even adjustments to co combat pay. >> so the average military family will experience some decrease to that or decrease in the benefit per se. >> reporter: treen na is the former comptroller and agreed with newt gingrich when he criticized the military taking 10 to 15 years to buy and build new weapons. and it can lead to systems like where the program estimates it will spend $1 trillion. >> so more careful management of costs and they have to do a better job at that. >> they do not go down without a fight. nearly 50 members of congress, republicans and democrats alike have already formed a caucus whose sole purpose is so save the f-35. that's a huge shock to you but an example of how much of a fight there is going to be with members of the pentagon lobbying to keep some of these programs and some of these systems in tact. >> and you'd have to assume that those are the members of congress whose districts are most affected by that. thanks so much. appreciate it. the counterfeit military technology could have dire implications for thoses here in the united states. we first brought you the story a couple weeks back. now unis has gone inside china to uncover where these fake parts are coming from. >> this market in southern china may not look like a place where you can buy military hardware but it is. in video shot by a private investigator for, vendors confirm that they are selling components often used for systems for american armed forces. these chips were found destined for the military and cost about a tenth of the price of new ones. and now the sale of these components is becoming a major point of contention between the united states and china. that's because in the u.s., they are considered counterfeit and a study of more than one million similar parts have found their way into the pentagon supply chain. >> it's a ticking time bomb of national security and our citizen's health and safety. >> reporter: china's government insists it's trying to stamp out the trade and the government refused to track visas. and environmentalists as the electronic race capital of the world and the most valuable parts end up in stacks as tal as i am. we quickly found this factory, where disregarded electronics are processed. here they strip chips from computer circuit boards. the components are cleaned up and relabeled. this staffer explains. >> wonts the chips are ready for retail, they end up in markets like this one and investigator ted, a former new york cop, often goes undercover looking for counterfeit goods. today, military grade computer chips. >> nomplly we can tell what is good or not but by the price differential. and some say you can't tell the difference. another is candid about his frempbs in customers. if the customer complains about us, the market will punish us, he says, so we are more willing to trade with foreigners who take the products and never come back. and the products often end up online where procurement officers in the u.s. order them. it turns out a broker in florida was convicted of passing 100,000 chips for f-16 and navy warships. >> it's a constant battle. >> it has to be fought on both sides of the pacific. >> i think that's been weakened by budget cuts. it's not china. china is not the problem. it's reduced budgets and carelessness in the u.s. >> reporter: whatever the cause, and it's thriving in china, shows no sign of going away. eunice, cnn. senator carl levin who chairs the armed services committee investigating these parts has issued this statement. if china does not act promptly to end counterfeiting, then we will have no choice to treat all electronic parts coming in from china, whether for military or civilian use and require shipments of all chinese parts to ensure that they are legitimate. huge protests and counterprotests in cairo. what's driving the tens of thousands of people taking part? we'll hear from some of them on what is being called last chance friday. and 23 million people flying in the u.s. this holiday week. should the tsa be profiling some of them by race? details of the controversy and what sparked it. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about the personal attention tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you and your money deserve. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, that means taking a close look at you tdd# 1-800-345-2550 as well as your portfolio. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 we ask the right questions, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 then we actually listen to the answers tdd# 1-800-345-2550 before giving you practical ideas you can act on. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck online, on the phone, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 or come in and pull up a chair. what's vanishing deductible all about ? guys, it's demonstration time. let's blow carl's mind. okay, let's say i'm your insurance deductible. every year you don't have an accident, $100 vanishes. the next year, another $100. where am i going, carl ? the next year... that was weird. but awesome ! ♪ nationwide is on your side the holidays are in full swing at the white house but behind all of the official good cheer, the truth is, there's not so much for the president to celebrate at the moment. white house correspondent dan lothian has more. dan? >> holiday blues up there at 1600 pennsylvania? >> you know, aides are always quick to list the many accomplishments but the white house is facing challenges and the president is battling members of congress to extend the tax cut and it's something the biggest question asking you can hear the band playing in the background and a christmas tree is carried to the reception by the first lady. behind these festive atmosphere, the white house is grappling with domestic and foreign policy challenges but aren't taking a break during the holidays. despite black friday deals and shoppers rushing out on black friday, the economy is still struggling. >> we will solve them. all it takes is for each of us to do our part. >> republicans have been attacking the president for not doing enough to fix the economy and create jobs and presidential hopefuls have slammed mr. obama for the failure to reach a deficit reduction deal. >> he's done nothing. it's another example of failed leadership. there are problems overseas, too. medvedev is threatening to pull out of the committee and egypt where dozens of protesters have been killed and thousands injured, unrest threatens the transition to democracy. the white house, which is publicly condemned the violence -- >> we call for restraint on all sides -- >> has stepped up its pressure and jay carney saying, the united states strongly believes that the new egyptian government must be empowered with real authority immediately. >> also in that statement, carney expressed confidence that the egyptian people who have overcome some big challenges in the past will be successful again and also offered reassurance that the u.s. would stand with the egyptians on this transition to democracy. joe? >> you know, on the political side, though, i've talked to a lot of democratic strategists that say the white house can take solace in the fact that there is a lot of chaos, if you will, in the republican race for the nomination and also the low approval numbers of the congress. >> and you really touched on something that is very important and when you auk to aides here, they will focus our direction of that as well. when you talk to the people and look at the polls, americans are unhappy with both parties, certainly unhappy with the members of congress. the president has that on his side. >> dan load three general at the white house, thank you so much. three american students arrested in protests this week have been released and heading back now to the united states. the scene there is much more peaceful ahead of elections this monday. ivan watson is there for us. >> reporter: instead of selling gas masks like they were a few days ago when the bloody street battles were under way, now trinkets and colors for sale. many people are calling this an extension of the previous revolution that brought down hosni mubarak. the protests in van and february and it's directed against the ruling of the military council that replaced him. now, i've met alla, who is a psychologist here, why are you here with your family? >> i'm here to participate and add my voices to those who say, let's do a real change, instead of a cam mow flauj or smoke screen. >> reporter: what change do you want? >> well, simple change. people are waiting for someone to take command, to give the people what they need, to give the people some recognition, some dignity, some sense of dignity that the law is being applied to everyone. >> is this really applied against the generals? >> not really. i'm not here to protest against the generals themselves. i'm here to protest against the idea that the generals are not doing anything. the machine, the political machine or the military machine. whatever regime that is, they are not doing their job. >> there you have one of the people gathered here. at another part of town right now, there are tens of thousands of people gathering in support of the military council. so far this has been a peaceful expression of people power on two sides of the political power two days before they are expected to go to the polls in the first round of parliament tree elections. ivan watson, cnn, from tahrir square, in cairo. the push to cut airline baggage fees just as the holiday travel season gets under way. details of a new effort unfolding on capitol hill. plus, a government call to ban more than 1,000 words from text messages. we'll tell you where and why. a vacation on a 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[ tires squeal ] an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? it's a somewhat unusual topic but the subject of airport screening is in the spotlight after the cnn presidential debate. athena jones has the details. >> with so many people traveling, airport security is the top concern. and as we learned, rick santorum has controversial ideas about how to improve the way tsa screens for terrorists. airport security and who gets screened, the tsa is a spotlight once again. after rick santorum called for extra profiling. >> who will be profiling? >> the folks that are committing this crime. muslims would be looked at. they are the ones committing the crimes, by and large, males. >> reporter: criticism from advocates who say it's unconstitutional, and that it won't work. >> he completely threw equal protection out the window. >> reporter: congressman ron paul says that it's a bad idea. >> it's digging a hole for ourselves. what about timothy mcvey? >> reporter: with more than 23 million people expected to fly, airport screening is a hot topic. ever traveler we spoke with said muslims shouldn't be singled out. >> do i agree with racial profiling? no, i don't. it's a slippery slope and leads down a very bad path very quickly. the policies are not always the best or the most convenient but it's what we have in place right now. >> there are muslims everywhere. anyone can be a terrorist, not necessarily a muslim. >> now, the aclu has also weighed in, saying that profiling is a short cut based on bias rather than evidence. joe? >> yeah, that's for sure. thanks so much, athena. screening is not the only hassle. there are also the baggage fees. a new effort on capitol hill to do something about them. let's bring in lisa sylvester with that part of the story. >> joe, you know that many airlines are now charging travelers to check-in bags and if you are checking in a couple of bags, that can cost you more than $60. one senator says enough is enough and she's taking on the airlines. remember the days of flying on pan am, air travel has taken a decidedly different term and passengers are not happy about it. what's most annoying? being charged for a check bag. >> it takes forever to get on and off the plane because of the people that carry-on bags because they don't want to pay the checked bag fees. >> i think it would be great to not pay por bags. i'm always prone to take it because it's free. >> southwest is one of the exceptions. most airlines faced with rising fuel prices and slack travel demands started three years ago charging customers and typical fees are $25 for the first bag and $35 for a second bag. that means longer lines at the security and get precious overhead bin space. travelers are tired of being nickelled and dimed. she has introduced a bill that would let passengers check in one bag for free. >> they are tired of this travel experience which is getting to be more of a hassle. i believe when you purchase a ticket to fly anywhere, it should come with at least a seat, free water, access to a restroom, and at least one checked bag for free. >> reporter: more carry-on bags means more work for the transportation security administration. the department of homeland security says their costs have gone up 2$260 million a year since the fee but the airlines profit has gone up and say congress says that they should not butt in here. >> nobody tells a service what to offer for free. this should be up to the carrier and the airline should be able to decide who they think is the best option for them. >> reporter: these days, the flying experience is different. if you want preferred seating, you have to pay for that as well and there are the the long security lines that we're all fill with with all of this. >> i once got charged for paying with cash. >> are you kidding? that's the bottom of the barrel. >> thank you so much, lisa sylvester. growing concern of a possible bottleneck as tens and thousands of u.s. forces leave iraq in the coming weeks. plus, find out which reality show winner got a surprise call from the defense secretary. it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. aisle 2. good. aisle 8. nice. trick question. walmart doesn't sell your mother. you're ready. [ male announcer ] black friday's here. deals start thursday 10 pm. but we're open all day and night so you don't have to wait outside. the only place to go on black friday. walmart. lisa sylvester is here with other top stories. >> a senior diplomat risk sanctions. they could include freezing all dealings with syria's bank and to minimize the build-up triggered by the year-end build up. they are required to turn in equipment before heading back to the united states. and this season's dancing with the stars winner j.r. martinez received the congratulatory call. he received over 40% of burns over his body from stepping on a land mine. i was happy to oh see that he won. >> thanks, lisa. he's probably one of the best-known heart patients in the world. ahead, former president bill cloint opens up with his road to recovery from the quadruple surgery. in the power of a firm handshake. the cadillac cts-v. manual or automatic, that's entirely up to you. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs. okay... uhh. the bad news, it's probably totaled. the good news is, you don't have to pay your deductible. with vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance, you got $100 off for every year of safe driving, so now your deductible is zero. the other good news ? i held on to your coffee. wow. ♪ nationwide is on your side ( laughing ) it's actually a pretty good day when you consider. that's great. former president bill clinton has gained recognition for a number of political causes since leaving the white house, not the least of which, his own personal battle as a heart patient. now he's opening up to dr. sanjay gupta about the road to bypass surgery and the hopes that others can avoid it. >> i was lucky i didn't die of a heart attack. >> reporter: too many people, was busy. and for year his ignored warning signs from his heart. but in 2004, during an exhausting book tour, there was something different. >> i had a real tightness in my chest when i was getting off the airplane and the only time i had it unrelated to exercise. >> reporter: here outside new york presbyterian hospital and in a couple of hours president bill clinton, former president, scheduled to undergo surgery. >> so i immediately went down to our local hospital and they did a test. they said you've got real problems. they hustled me down to columbia presbyterian and they confirmed the determination that i had serious blockage and needed the surgeries. >> reporter: the doctors immediately knew options were limited. 58-year-old clinton needed to have his chest opened, his heart stopped, and surgery performed. >> there's no medical treatment for reversing the obstructions that have already formed in his blood vessels. >> they got hillary and chelsea there. all i remember it was happening fast and everybody who cared about me was scared, and i felt rather serene. i thought, gosh, we dodges a bullet, i didn't have a heart attack. >> reporter: labor day, 2004, mr. clinton had four blood vessels bypassed. >> starting this morning, around 8:00, he had a relatively routine quadruple bypass operation. we left the operating room around noon, and he's recovering normally at this point. right now everything looks straightforward. >> president clinton has made some dramatic life changes since then. and there are also things you can do right now to prevent having a heart attack. be sure to watch dr. sanjay gupta reports "the last heart attack" tonight at 7:00 and 11:00 here on cnn. taxi and show time ahead. what's behind one government's effort to ban these words and hundreds of others from all text messages. we'll have the details.d iv.. sir, can you hear me? just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! 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[♪...] >> announcer: now get a $250 airfare credit, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. certain restrictions apply. imagine if the government put out a list of 1700 words that you're not permitted to use in text messages. one government's doing just that. cnn's ressa sayah has a story from islamabad. >> reporter: in pakistan, it's the war on violent extremists that usually makes headline. but now the government is waging a new fight. a war on what the government has deemed obscene and offensive language in text messages. in a notice sent out to cell phone carriers, government has called for nearly 1700 words to be banned from text messages. the lengthy list includes the run of the mill expletives. >> f word was banned, i heard. >> some of the words should be banned. >> this is a muslim government. so muslim government should ban those words which are very abusing in the language. >> reporter: but it's hundreds of seemingly tame words and phrases on the banned list that have many pakistanis puzzled. >> i have no idea where this idea came from. >> it is confusing. >> reporter: words like taxi, a term sometimes used to refer to prostitutes. idiot. drunk. showtime. satan. and flatulence. >> probably many people don't know what it is. except for doctors maybe. >> i thought it was a stupid idea. >> some of the words are just weird, i mean, no sense of banning those words. >> they're basic major, major issues going on in this country and this is not something -- >> reporter: a spokesman for pab pakistan it's telecommunication wouldn't go on camera but he's banning the words, cutting down on spam and unsolicited mettages. for now you can text message the banned words. >> did you get it? >> reporter: including the medical term for excessive gas. >> flatulence. >> reporter: but perhaps not for long. the pakistani government wants cell phone carriers to block the banned words starting this week. ressa sayah, cnn, islamabad. >> they say boys will be boys. but this is ridiculous. cnn's jeanne moos has one michigan woman's story. >> reporter: momy's not feeling so well so she stays a little longer than usual in the bathroom and when she comes out, stay-at-home mom mary stayed eerily calm. >> oh boy. >> reporter: the boys, by the way, are 1 1/2 and 3 1/2. >> otto. what's the matter mommy. >> reporter: what could possibly be the matter with having flour all over your house? >> as soon as i stopped recording i sat on the middle of the floor in the living room and started crying. >> reporter: talk about flour power, the mess was caused by one five-pound bag. >> my gosh, i don't know what to do. ooh think i'm going to throw up. >> reporter: mary kept regurgitating one phrase -- >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: from the chair seat to the window ledge on the door. >> oh, my gosh. oh my gosh. >> reporter: we counted at least 27 oh my goshes. >> oh my gosh. not fair. >> reporter: mary had just gotten home from the grocery store and says she forgot to lock the cupboard. >> my god, it's like a snowman pukes all over my living room. >> reporter: reminds us of the dog gets in the trash. >> wonder if tank had anything to do with it. can you tell me what happened? >> reporter: the flour kids weren't talking either. >> what happened? zack? >> what? >> reporter: mary called her mother-in-law for help. by the way, those of you who say this video is fake or fakie mcfakeovitch you don't know how flour flies. mary and her mother -- mary and her mother-in-law used a shop vac to remove most of the flour but two items beyond salvaging. she had to throw away this rug and a light bulb, emitting a burning flour smell. hardest to clean, the couches. >> we haven't paid off those couches yet. >> reporter: during cleanup, zack slipped on the flour and cut his lip, so mary left the kitchen sink and came running. unfortunately, the faucet was also running, the sink overflowed and flooded the kitchen. so next time you think you've had a bad day, remember mary. >> i