Tracking Money & Medicine: Join the Live Chat
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Tonight are your doctors pushing pills on you because the drug companies are paying them? For the first time, we're seeing how much some of these doctors are getting. We'll show you and we'll also hear from one doctor who says hey what's the big deal with doctors getting big bucks? We're keeping them honest. Plus, tonight's other headlines.
Scroll down to join the live chat during the program. It's your chance to share your thoughts on tonight's headlines. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
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Heroes 2010 Backstage Pass
Go behind the scenes of "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," airing Thanksgiving night, 8 ET/5 PT.
Behind the Scenes with the Chilean Miners: "The Rescue"
Editor's Note: Watch Anderson Cooper's visit with the Chilean miners in a "CNN: Heroes" exclusive. See more of the interview tonight on AC360° at 10pm ET. "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," airs Thanksgiving night, 8 ET/5 PT.
Ismael Estrada
AC360° Producer
There were 10 finalists in Los Angeles this past weekend for the CNN Hero of Year. There were also 38 other incredible people at this year's event, the 33 rescued Chilean miners and 5 of the rescuers who brought them to safety.
Early Saturday morning Anderson sat down with 5 of the miners and 2 of the rescuers. I produced that interview.
We took over the 2nd floor lobby at the Shrine Auditorium. The miners showed up in good spirits having enjoyed some of the sights in the Los Angeles area over the past few days, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Universal Studios.
As they sat down, I could tell a couple of the men were a little nervous. While some of the men, particularly Mario Supelveda, the 2nd miner to be rescued out of the mine, enjoy the massive media attention they’ve been getting, the majority of the men would prefer to get back to the life they knew before they were trapped in the San Jose mine for 69 days.
They started to get emotional as the men talked with Anderson, recounting what it was like to be trapped in the mine and how each of them reacted when they knew there was no way out. They talked about the importance of staying together and staying united while facing the reality they may not be found.
For many days they heard nothing but silence. I couldn’t help but think how I would react in that situation. What would I do if I were in such a dire situation, trapped with many of my colleagues in what could be my tomb? How would I get along with everyone? Who would be in charge? Who would listen? Just because a certain person is my boss at work, would I also let them take charge with my very survival at stake?
The miners spoke of wanting to change their lives, wanting to correct their wrongs in life. The men struggled with their emotions, shedding tears as they told us of their darkest moments.
The mood changed dramatically when the conversation turned to once they knew they’d be rescued. The described the moment when they saw Manuel Gonzales, the first rescuer, enter the mine through the capsule. They laughed and smiled as the rescuers spoke of their initial impressions of them men when they came down.
The miners say emphatically their heroes are the brave men who journeyed down the hole in a capsule to make sure the men all reached the top alive. They risked their lives taking on a mission with so many unknowns, anything could have happened, yet all were up for it.
I’ve heard and read many comments about whether the miners are heroes, just for getting trapped in a mine. After meeting all of the men and spending so much time with them, I have to say, they are alive today because of each other. They relied on each other to survive, to live a life that many of us could not. When some would break down, others would be there to pick them up. They rationed food when they felt a hunger many of us have never felt. Through all of this, as a unit, they never lost hope they would live and they all reached the top alive. To me, that is heroic.
Beat 360° 11/23/10
Ready for today's Beat 360°? Everyday we post a picture you provide the caption and our staff will join in too. Tune in tonight at 10pm to see if you are our favorite! Here is the 'Beat 360°' pic:
Cape Penguins wearing Christmas costumes take part in a Christmas event at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, on November 23, 2010. The aquariums Christmas activities run from November 13- December 25.
Have fun with it. We're looking forward to your captions! Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.
Update: Beat 360° Winners:
Staff
Devna Shukla
“Seal’s holiday back up singers.”
Viewer
Korree from Toronto, Canada
“Remember boys, cute and cuddly!”
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Dollars for Docs: What drug companies are paying your doctors
Editor's Note: Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes examines this controversy in tonight's Keeping Them Honest report.
Dan Nguyen, Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber
ProPublica
Drug companies have long kept secret details of the payments they make to doctors for promoting their drugs. But seven companies have begun posting names and compensation on the Web, some as the result of legal settlements. ProPublica compiled these disclosures, totaling $282 million, into a single database that allows patients to search for their doctor. Receiving payments isn’t necessarily wrong, but it does raise ethical issues.
Read the full story and search for your doctor here.
Sheen files suit against porn actress
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CNN
Charlie Sheen has filed a lawsuit against adult film actress Capri Anderson, claiming she tried to extort money from him following an October incident at New York's Plaza Hotel, a representative for the actor told CNN Monday.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, states that Anderson "fabricated a sensational tale about being assaulted, battered and held against her will, and used that fictional story as a basis for an extortion plot against Sheen."
Anderson, whose real name is Christina Walsh, appeared with her attorney on ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday to speak out about an alleged violent encounter she had with Sheen at the hotel. In the interview, Anderson said Sheen sent her an apology through a text message, and "offered money for her silence."
"Charlie Sheen has never offered her a dime to keep her quiet," Sheen's attorney, Yale Galanter said later Monday on CNN's "The Joy Behar Show."
After North Korean strike, South Korean leader threatens 'retaliation'
CNN
Hours after North Korea's deadly artillery attacks Tuesday, South Korea's president said "enormous retaliation" is needed to stop Pyongyang's incitement, but international diplomats urgently appealed for restraint.
"The provocation this time can be regarded as an invasion of South Korean territory," President Lee Myung-bak said at the headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff here, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
The incident - in which two South Korean marines died - is "the first direct artillery attack on South Korean territory since the Korean War ended in an armistice, not a formal peace treaty" in the 1950s, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
Scott Snyder, director of the Center for U.S.-Korea Policy, the Asia Foundation, called the act a "very serious provocation" and said it was "unprecedented in recent years [at least since the 1970s if not longer] in terms of artillery beyond the DMZ into civilian areas."
Utility offers to buy homes amid chemical plume concerns
Editor's Note: Watch Dan Simon's full report and hear what Erin Brockovich has to say tonight on AC360° at 10pm ET.
Dan Simon
CNN Correspondent
Hinkley, California (CNN) - Pacific Gas and Electric, the utility company at the center of a long standing water contamination problem in this small agricultural town, is trying to soothe growing unease by offering to buy homes located near a chemical plume.
In a letter to residents, which was also provided to CNN, the utility also said it will establish a community advisory group to "more consistently hear concerns and feedback from the community."
The town of Hinkley became famous from the Oscar winning film "Erin Brockovich" starring Julia Roberts.
The movie, released in 2000, chronicles how Brockovich, a paralegal, helped win a $333 million settlement from PG&E. Brockovich has been talking with residents about their renewed concerns.
"I'm thinking somebody somewhere has been asleep at the wheel," she told CNN.
The problem arose after a chemical known as chromium 6 seeped into the groundwater. Chromium 6 was used between 1952 and 1966 to prevent rust in machinery at a nearby PG&E plant.
The chemical has been proven to cause a number of life threatening illnesses, including cancer.
Bedding material triggers security scare at Boston airport
CNN
Authorities have "cleared" two suspicious duffel bags that triggered a security scare Tuesday at Boston's Logan International Airport after they were found to be harmless, according to Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman Phil Orlandella.
Authorities said the bags, which had mailing tags with Nigerian addresses, contained non-hazardous bedding material.
The evacuation was ordered after a search dog "hit" on the bags in the Delta cargo facility, Orlandella told CNN.
"During a routine inspection in the Delta Cargo Building at Logan International Airport, a TSA canine alerted on a cargo palette. Out of an abundance of caution and per standard protocol, the building was evacuated," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.
Explosives specialists investigated the package and discovered it to be harmless, the Massachusetts State Police said. State troopers and other law enforcement agencies responded to the scene initially.
No rush to jump into the 2012 race for White House
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Paul Steinhauser
CNN Deputy Political Director
Washington (CNN) – Since the midterm elections, at least four national polls in the next race for the White House have been released. But one thing's missing: Candidates.
Last time around, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani formed a presidential exploratory committee in November 2006, with Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore launching exploratory committees the following month. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California didn't even wait for the midterms that year, announcing his first formal steps towards a White House bid in the week before the election.
Fast forward four years and the sense of urgency's very different. While many of the potential contenders for the GOP presidential nomination are very active behind the scenes, and many are making stops in the crucial early voting states, none have taken any formal first steps in the long road to the White House.
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