making news on this thursday, november 18th. >> turning point. it is the talk of wall street. the iconic general motors, hot again. and today's taxpayers get a multibillion-dollar thank you. ready to run. a confident sarah palin tells barbara walters she could beat barack obama. and facebook's foe. a pastor tells his flock to log off for good or leave his church. good morning. and thanks for being with us. general motors sheds the nickname government motors today. gm is becoming a public company once again. >> its initial public offering slashed the government's stake

in half, dropping it well below 50%. but gm still has a long road ahead if taxpayers are going to break even on their $50 billion bailout. >> emily schmidt joins us from washington with more. good morning, emily. >> reporter: good morning to you. a recently bumpy road for gm takes a record-breaking turn for the better today. shares of gm going to open up on wall street this morning $33 apiece. when the opening bell rings at the new york stock exchange this morning, two betters, gm, could translate to huge numbers. >> it's incredible levels of demand. we're seeing almost increases daily and how many shares are going to be selling. >> reporter: general motors emerges as a public company less than two years after bankruptcy and a $50 billion government bailout. it's an initial public stock offering, the largest in u.s. history, for a company making money for the first time in six years. >> general motors would break even in the united states if

they sold 4 million cars a year. >> reporter: gm unveiled its newest cars at an autoshow this week. car buyers said they never would consider gm during the bailout, now give the company a chance. >> they're an unstable company. i would be worried about my investment in a vehicle. >> and now? >> now, i'm here shopping. so, i'm not worried about it. >> reporter: the government will make more than $13 billion selling some shares today. it will sell more in coming years. but this three-generation au autoworker family is now buying stock, investing once again in their livelihood. >> a year and a half ago, it was a sad day for me. but things are on the upside. and i'm excited. >> reporter: gm's ipo may be record-breaking. but analysts say the u.s. may need to sell the remaining third of its shares at about $53 apiece just to break even on that bailout investment. rob and vinita? >> emily schmidt, thank you. the first guantanamo detainee to face a civilian

trial has now been cleared of all but 1 of nearly 300 charges. and that's turning into a political problem for the administration. a new york jury convicted ahmed ghailani of conspiracy, a charge that carries a minimum of 20 years behind bars for his role in the embassy bombings in africa that killed more than 200 people. that trial was seen as a test for the obama's administration's preference for civilian courts as opposed to military tribunals. harry reid said he will take another stab at passing the reveal of the don't ask, don't tell policy, during the lame duck session of congress. reid says the vote will come after the thanksgiving break. and today, a group of senators led by joe lieberman, is expected to push for passage. alaska senator lisa murkowski is celebrating a rare victory this morning. she is the first senator to win a write-in campaign in more than five decades. the republican incumbent returned to anchorage last night to claim victory.

her challenger, joe miller, has yet to concede. there's an aerial search for a missing air force pilot. the wreckage of his f-22 was spotted about 100 miles north of anchorage. searchers are looking for a parachute or a campfire, that might indicate that the pilot ejected. the nation's top administration transportation official is not buckling under pressure from those who say airport screenings have simply become a little too intrusive. he says security procedures will remain in place over the thanksgiving holiday, no matter what. the reason why, now, from our john hendren. >> reporter: the fog now says there's good reason for heightened airport security. in government tests, transportation security administration chief john pistole told congress, federal agents have been to smuggle banned items on planes. >> the intelligence, coupled with the repeated covert testing led me to conclude that we

needed to be more thorough. >> reporter: that explains the rise in the use of those full-body scanners, which some critics call an electronic strip-search, and patdown, that pilots equate with sexual molestation. that prompted passenger protests like this one. >> you can do that out here. but if you touch my junk, i'm going to have you arrested. >> reporter: one group won't have to undergo the searchs. >> children 12 and under are exempted from the tsa patdowns. >> reporter: pilots already undergo extensive security commence asked if patdowns make him uncomfortable, pistole said -- >> it was more invasive than what i was used to. >> reporter: but he added, they're necessary. almost 400 body-scanning machines have been deployed in u.s. airports. magnetometers can find metal. but bombs can be make of liquid and other hard-to-detect materials. and terrorists are intent on smuggling bomb components to the

u.s. the heighten security could hardly come as a worse time for the travel season. john hendren, abc news, washington. the cholera crisis in haiti has claimed its first american victim. a woman from florida who visited haiti has been the first confirmed case in the u.s. meanwhile, a third demonstrator was killed in the haitian protests against u.n. peacekeepers that they blame for spreading the disease. more than 1,000 people in haiti have died of cholera. 15 winners of the nation's highest award. those chosen for the medal of freedom, former president george h.w. bush, warren buffett, bill russell, poet may ya angelou, and cellist yo-yo ma. president obama will make the medal presentation next year. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. rain in seattle, portland and northern florida. rain and mountain snow in

northern idaho and western montana. thunderstorms from south florida from miami to west palm beach. showers around cleveland, pittsburgh and buffalo. >> 54 here in new york. 60s in atlanta and new orleans. just 30 in the twin cities. and 40s in chicago, indianapolis and omaha. meanwhile, 44 in seattle. 55 in boise. 76 in phoenix. and when we come back, sarah palin answers the question that has hounded her for months now. will she consider a run for the white house? and one pastor's extreme stance on social networking. dump facebook or get out of my church.

and recapping our top story this morning. general motors shares begin trading again today, capping what appears to be the biggest initial public offering in history. that could give wall street a much-needed boost, along with surging overseas markets. tokyo's nikkei average jumped 2% today. hong kong's hang seng is sharply higher. and in london, the ftse opened higher. and on wall street, the dow fell 15 points yesterday. meanwhile, the nasdaq rose six points. about 1.4 million people have extra reasons to celebrate today's ipo. a new report estimates that it's roughly the number of jobs saved by the government bailout of gm, chrysler and other auto giants. if one of detroit's big three had failed, it might have driven many suppliers right out of business. there is more fallout from that blownout engine aboard a qantas airline flight earlier this month.

the company's ceo says the airbus may have to replace half the rolls-royce engines on its a-380 superjumbo jet. there are currently 20 of them in service. best buy doesn't want to be left out in the cold this season. it's the latest retailer that's jumping into the free shipping wars. best buy will not charge to send hundreds of thousands of items, including cds and dvds. last week, wall street said it is also offering free shipping on thousands of its items. google wants to help you buy your next belt or pair of pants. it has launched boutiques.com. that's a search engine for apparel and accessories. users can create their own boutique or view collections by celebrities, stylists and designers. the site is only for women. but it's expected to expand. >> and some celebrity women have created their own boutiques, including the olsen twins,

who are sort of fashion mavins and vivica fox. >> i'll run out as soon as the show gets up. coming up on this thursday, backlash against bristol palin's performance. rage that even put one man in jail. and all-but silent for months. tiger woods talks before next week's anniversary of that incrash. at walgreens every day? because we're big on sharing. our pens... our snacks... everything... [ coughing ] [ female announcer ] and getting a flu shot at your local walgreens is one of the best ways to protect you and your coworkers from sharing anything else. so what are you waiting for? get your flu shot at walgreens or a take care clinic today. walgreens. there's a way to stay well.

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america's number 1 cash rewards program. it pays to discover. of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. it's the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. [ female announcer ] choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. a much calmer day is on tap for the northeast, after winds blew in topping 65 miles per hour. severe storms ripped through a shopping mall in philadelphia, peeling back the roof and knocking out windows and walls. the wind also damaged several small planes at a hangar at a new jersey airport. and now, for a look at your morning road conditions. wet on i-70 from pittsburgh to columbus. also on i-90 from cleveland to buffalo. and on i-95, in south florida. a slick ride on i-5, from northern california to seattle. snow-covered on i-15, from montana to idaho. and on part of 84, from portland to boise.

>> if you are flying today, expect airport delays only in seattle and miami. well, you're about to see a lot more of sarah palin. she hits the road next week on a nationwide tour to promote her new book. >> but could this be the beginning of a campaign for the white house? in several new interviews, she admits she is thinking about it. >> alaska. i love this state like i love my family. this is spectacular, todd. >> reporter: sarah palin might just be the queen of all media. cable news commentary. >> if given a choice, of course, i'm going to support the conservative in that. >> reporter: a new reality tv show. more than 300,000 followers on twitter. and next week, a new book. so much exposure, leading some to wonder if the 2012 campaign has begun. in new interviews with abc news and "the new york times," sarah palin admits she is considering a run for the white house. >> i'm looking at the lay of the land now. and trying to figure that out,

if it's a good thing for the country, for the discord, for my family. if it's a good thing. >> reporter: she tells "the times" she has to work harder to prove her record because of the media focus on her personal life. but is she feeding that fire?hee just-leaked pages of her new book deal more with personal issues than policy. she knocks levi johnston and contestants on "american idol." >> she has to decide. is she going to make her life something of a celebrity and take that path? or is she going to get serious about politics and government? >> reporter: in the latest abc news poll, just 39% of voters see her favorably. 27% see her qualified for the presidency. can the new show and the new book turn those numbers around? palin seems to think so. barbara walters put it this way. >> if you ran for president, could you beat barack obama? >> i believe so. >> and we will have more on sarah palin's possible run later on "good morning america." and you can see barbara walters' entire fascinating interview. barbara's ten-most fascinating people.

it's a special, airing december 9th. and some people are complaining that palin's growing popularity seems to be paying off big for her eldest daughter. the shock has yet to wear off after bristol palin advanced to the "dancing with the stars" finale, despite a string of less-than-impressive performances, and high-scoring brandy got the boot. a wisconsin man was so upset over the results of the show, that he blasted his television with a shotgun, saying he was simply fed up with politics. his wife, though, says he is mentally ill. anger over possible tuition hikes on university of california campuses have boiled over into violence. student protesters clashed with police in san francisco, as they tried to enter a u.c. board of regents meeting. under consideration, a plan to increase student fees by more than $800. 13 people were arrested and officers were injured. a new jersey pastor is calling on his congregation to log off facebook for good.

reverend cedric miller says the website is igniting old flames and breaking up marriages and families. he's now asking members of his church to delete their facebook accounts. and married church officers who do not comply will be asked to resign. >> a connection is made. and it starts out platonic. hi, how are you? how are you doing? you know, i really used to like you in high school or college. hey. why did we break up? and so forth and so on. what are you doing? and before you know it, connections are being made. and sooner or later, the other spouse finds out. and it ends up in my office. >> as for that reverend, he's been married for 30 years. he says he once had a facebook account. but now, he's determined to lead by example. week 11 in the nfl begins tonight when the chicago bears take on the miami dolphins. with last night's nba highlights, here's ducis rodgers at espn news. >> good morning. many are wondering if the miami heat are as good as advertised. last night against the phoenix suns, they certainly were.

miami's big three at home. doing big things. early second quarter action. chris bosh, criticized for not scoring as many points as he did last season in toronto, hits the jumper. heat up by four. second quarter, dwyane wade. sticky fingers. look what i found. he'll take it in himself. 17 for wade. heat up by ten. under three under three minutes to go in the first half. wade, cross. lebron james, cutting down low. 20 points for lbj. heat up by 15. third quarter, bosh. game-high 35 points. heat up by 22. later in the third, wade, deuce and the damage. the heat win with ease. 123-96. chris paul and the hornets with just one loss this season. that came monday night to the dallas mavericks. rematch here. late fourth quarter. paul, 20 points.

hornets up by six. 13 seconds to go. mavs down by three. dirk nowitzki, game-high 29. mavs within one with eight seconds to go. hornets inbounding. jason kidd comes up with the steal. he calls time-out with six seconds to go. mavs with the ball, looking to win this game. nowitzki, oh. david west forces the turnover. the hornets win it, 99-97. they are 9-1 on the year. that will do it for me. i'm ducis rodgers. well, it's been almost a year now since tiger woods' infamous car crash which eventually led to his, of course, stunning fall from grace. now, the golfer appears to be trying to repair his image. he's taken to tweeting fans and will talk this morning on espn radio. >> and in a "newsweek" op-ed piece, he writes about how his life was out of balance and his priorities were out of order a year ago. he ends the piece by writing, quote, i'm not the same man i was a year ago. and that is a good thing.

apparently, after his first tweet, within 4 hours, 40,000 followers. and immediately, hour after hour, thousands more people wanted to follow what he had to say. >> still popular. see if he can get back on his game. we'll see. coming up next, the stories we'll be following for you on this thursday. plus, new details of britain's royal wedding. including who may pick up the $75 million tab. but i was still taking a foolish risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more... and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol...stop. along with diet, lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39% to 60%. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems.

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rings the opening bell on wall street to celebrate the company's initial public offering. taxpayers stand to make about $14 billion on the stock sale. the house ethics committee discuss how congressman charlie rangel should be punished for violating ethics rules. the new york democrat could be censured, fined or even lose his house privileges. the president leaves tonight for europe to attend a summit in portugal. meetings with his russian counterparts could be tense, as congress delays ratifying an important u.s./russia nuclear arms treaty. also in washington, jurors in the chandra levy murder trial return to deliberations. ingmar guandique is charged with levy's disappearance and death nine years ago. and the morning papers are full of new details about the planned royal wedding between prince william and kate middleton. according to reports, prince charles and the queen will pay the $75 million tab. and the big event could happen in just a few months. the couple reportedly prefers the month of march. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after

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and finally this morning, the greening of american businesses, both big and small.

>> one man has turned the use and reuse trend into an unusual line of furniture. it is a way for companies to help the environment, as well as their own bottom line. t.j. winick explains. >> reporter: whether harnessing the power inherent in nature or just using recycled materials, going green has proved to be good for the environment and good for business. >> one of the important things about us is using as many reclaimed or recycled or sustainable materials as possible. >> reporter: at shake shack, that includes the furniture. before these tables held burgers and fries, you might say they faced some hard times. >> can always seem to put a smile on people's face when i would tell them what it was all about. >> reporter: today, jim malone is making the environmentally conscious smile with his line of furniture, made entirely of reclaimed wood from old bowling alleys. he noticed the excess lumber while building a cabin in upstate new york. >> i knew it was destined for landfill if i didn't get it. >> reporter: you can now find

jim's handywork at some starbucks locations, as well as the new york burger joint, shake shack. the long tables aren't just stylish. they send the message, we care about the environment. >> we try to put as much thought and time into sustainability of our products. and the experience of coming here. >> reporter: the first step for jim and his crew at counter revolution, is ripping up the old bowling lanes. back at his brooklyn workshop, the wood is cleaned of years of paint and polyurethane. each piece takes about 30 to 40 hours to make. when the furniture is complete, it's only water-based finishes and eco-friendly stains. but it's not only small businesses. even retail giant, walmart, sees value in going green. >> 100% renewable energy. >> when i got out there in the marketplace, i learned very quickly that people do care about this. and they want more of it. >> reporter: this desire for green is one jim and others are determined to meet, wasting as little time and resources as possible. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. and that is what is making news in america this morning. >> get more news anytime at