Airport Security Concerns: Join the Live Chat
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Tonight, we're gonna tell you about a security gap at the airport involving those TSA checkpoints.
But it's not the scanners or the pat downs that are the problem. It's all the people who simply do not have to go through the checkpoints at all. People who can get just as close to your plane as you do. Plus, tonight's other headlines.
Want more details on what covering? Read EVENING BUZZ
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.
Here are some of them:
1) Keep it short (we don't have time to read a "book")
2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (there's no need to yell)
3) Use your real name (first name only is fine)
4) No links
5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated; PG at worst - and that includes $#&*)
Evening Buzz: Airport Security Loophole?
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Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Hopefully by now you've reached your Thanksgiving destination. If you flew, how were the security lines? Did you encounter any problems? Tonight on 360°, after the biggest flying day of the year, we're tracking a weak spot in airport security. The folks with the most access to planes face the least security measures. We're Keeping Them Honest. You'll hear from a pilot who's written extensively about this very issue.
You probably also heard that today was dubbed "Opt-Out Day" - a nationwide call for air travelers to refuse to go through those new full-body scanners and instead go for a pat down by TSA agents. Wait 'till you see how one woman dressed for her pat down. She said it had nothing to do with "Opt-Out Day", but her actions attracted TV cameras. You'll understand why when you see the video.
You'll also hear from the 'Naked Chef' Jamie Oliver. Anderson talked with him about his crusade against childhood obesity. It’s a serious problem. Federal government statistics show childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Is the government doing enough to ensure your child has healthy lunch options at school? We'll talk it over with Chef Jamie Oliver.
And, in Crime and Punishment tonight, American Amanda Knox gets a second chance to clear her name in the murder of her roommate in Italy. We'll talk with a reporter who was in the courtroom today.
Join us for these stories and much more starting at 10 p.m. ET. See you then.
Beat 360° 11/24/10
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:
President Barack Obama pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey, named Apple, in a ceremony with daughters Sasha, 2nd right, and Malia, right, and National Turkey Federation Chairman Yubert Envia, left, in the Rose Garden November 24, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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
Ben Finley
"Unfortunately for Tom Delay, President Obama chose to pardon Apple the Turkey instead."
Viewer
Jerry Kings
"Yeah this is how I will get the red neck vote."
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Opt-outs largely no-shows at airports
CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) - The controversy over new security measures at airport checkpoints - which some feared would boil over Wednesday, one of the year's busiest travel days - instead didn't even reach a simmer.
Related: Despite attention, it's not all grab and scan at airports
Critics had declared the day before Thanksgiving "National Opt-Out Day" and urged travelers selected to undergo full body scans to refuse to subject themselves to the advanced imaging technology.
Anyone who refuses a scan is checked instead by the more time-consuming "enhanced" pat-down procedure. Security lines at busy airports nationwide could be snarled if a large number of people opt for the pat downs, and the Transportation Security Administration said it was as prepared as possible to deal with any resulting delays.
On Wednesday, however, no major problems or delays were reported at airports because of the protest. Many air travelers took to Twitter to say they experienced no security problems.
Organizers of the protest said their goal was never to delay travelers, but merely to urge them to stay home - or to begin a dialogue about security procedures.
Updated: 4:35 p.m.
Amanda Knox murder appeal opens in Italy
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CNN Wire Staff
Perugia, Italy (CNN) - Former American student Amanda Knox went back to court Wednesday to appeal her conviction for murdering her British roommate.
She is tense and has lost weight, her lawyer, Luciano Ghirga, told reporters.
And she is facing a difficult legal battle, he said.
Rather than prosecutors having to prove she is guilty, "we have to prove her innocence, which is more difficult to do," Ghirga said.
Her stepfather, Chris Mellas, said she had a "a very strong appeal" and there were "ample grounds for Amanda's release."
He said he experienced deja vu walking back in the court where she was convicted nearly a year ago and seeing "a new jury, new judge - new judges. Unfortunately the old prosecutor, still, but you can't get everything."
The hearing lasted about 15 minutes before the judge adjourned it until December 11 because one of the lawyers was not present.
Knox, 23, was sentenced last December to 26 years in prison for the killing of Meredith Kercher at the villa they shared in Perugia, the central Italian town where both were students.
Kercher, 21, was found in November 2007, semi-naked with her throat slashed. Knox and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were both found guilty of the murder.
Letters to the President: #674 'The importance of playing fair'
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Reporter's Note: The president says we should never give up on the spirit of the American people. Fair enough.
Dear Mr. President,
I read your comments at that auto transmission plant in Indiana, and I have to say congratulations. Anything that helps put people back to work these days is a positive step in my book. Well, I guess I’m going a little too far; wholesale expansion of drug empires or kidnapping rings could presumably have some negative impact even if they did create jobs, but as long as we don’t head down that path, I say good on you.
I was, however, struck by your return to this theme that we will all have to suffer during our efforts to rebuild the entire economy and tame the deficit. I, for one, am a big believer in the power of shared sacrifice. When everyone faces a common problem, it seems only right and fair that everyone pitches in to pay for the solution.
But that is where it gets tricky. Because time and again, you keep arguing for a variable scale of suffering, in which some Americans give a little, some a lot, and some not at all. I’m not going to side with your Republican foes, nor am I going to tell you that you are right, because that is the very nature of the debate you DC political types are waging.
What I will say is that exceptions to any rule, in my experience, often create at least a perception of unfairness.
FULL POST
San Francisco overrides mayoral veto, bans Happy Meals with toys
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Michael Martinez
CNN
(CNN) - The San Francisco, California, Board of Supervisors banned most McDonald's Happy Meals with toys Tuesday. Despite objections and ridicule from opponents, the vote overrode the mayor's veto and officially approved the ban.
The new ordinance, which requires Happy Meals and other fast food with toys to meet new nutritional standards or else be removed from menus, goes into effect December 1, 2011.
The law is the first of its kind for a major American city, and San Francisco officials said they hope other cities would follow. The ordinance seeks to battle a child obesity epidemic by forcing fast-food chains to make any meal with a toy more nutritious for kids.
McDonald's and the restaurant industry contended the government regulation was unwanted by parents. Supporters of the measure, however, said the use of free toys, often tied to characters or themes in new movies, pandered to kids, to get them to buy meals high in fat and calories.
If restaurants want to offer toys as incentives, the meals must meet new nutrition standards, officials said.
Top producer takes you behind the scenes of 'Larry King Live'
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Editor's note: Wendy Walker is the senior executive producer of CNN's "Larry King Live." Her new book is "Producer: Lessons Shared from 30 Years in Television" (Center Street).
(CNN) - Wendy Walker, the Emmy-winning senior executive producer of "Larry King Live," knows what it takes to make a great story.
Walker's book, "Producer," takes readers behind the scenes.
With anecdotes, provocative e-mails, scandals, show transcripts and insights into her long working relationship with Larry King, Walker divulges what it takes to get "Larry King Live" on the air every night while providing insightful, empowering advice to readers. Walker spoke to CNN.com about her book and her amazing career.
