Evening Buzz: What full body scanners really show

Cate Vojdik
AC360° Writer

Tonight on 360, we’ll show you exactly what TSA officials are looking for – and what they actually see – when they use full body scanners to screen airline passengers. The TSA is planning to install hundreds more of the devices in airports. In theory, the machines would have been able to detect the explosives the alleged Christmas Day bomber hid in his underwear. But some people are arguing the images the scanners produce are too invasive, even indecent, and an invasion of privacy. We’re arranged for a demonstration. Anderson is going to see for himself just how much detail the screeners capture. Will he be able to detect a weapon when it shows up on the screen?

Fallout from the failed Christmas Day attack continues. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the man accused of trying to blow up the Northwest Airlines jet over Detroit was arraigned today and pleaded not guilty to all six charges. There are also new developments in the investigation. We’ll get you caught up on the latest.

In politics, Sarah Palin is making news again with a new power play. She spurned an invitation to speak at next month’s annual Conservative Political Action Conference, considered a must-attend event for the conservative establishment. Instead, she’ll be speaking at the first-ever National Tea Party Convention, where she’ll reportedly collect a big speaking fee. But the convention’s pricey registration fee is raising questions about whether the Tea Party movement is in danger of losing its grass-roots identity. What’s driving Palin’s decision? The raw politics tonight.

In our “What’s Next” series, Suze Orman tells us what she sees coming down the pike in personal finance. Will 2010 be kinder to Americans’ financial security?

See you at 10 p.m. eastern!