alarming study showing that so many people don't know how to treat or protect themselves. this is your a.m. "wake-up call." and good morning to you. this is your "am wake-up call" for thursday, december 1st from the time warner center in new york. i'm carol costello. here are your top stories. stocks around the world surging after the federal reserve and other central banks make a move to stop a global financial meltdown. the dow had its biggest one-day point jump of the year. talking to his wife, checking the cash flow, herman cain getting close to making a decision on the future of his presidential campaign with new allegations of an affair threatening to tear it down. marking the end and the beginning. iraq holding a ceremony this morning honoring u.s. soldiers who are leaving after more than eight years of war. let's head to atlanta now for a check of today's weather. rob marciano is here. good morning, rob. >> good morning, carol. things at least on the eastern half of the country trying to get back to normal with colder air moving into the northeast as it has been down across the south, but still a little bit of a flip-flop happening. 30 degrees with frost on the windshield this morning in atlanta, 38 degrees in new york city, 41 degrees in boston. that's still a lot colder than it was yesterday, and we'll be warming up as we go on through the next couple days, but the big story's going to be the winds out west. we've seen tremendous amounts of winds across southern california, power out, flights diverted at l.a.x. talk more about that in a second. if you are traveling today, that's going to be an issue. again, traveling to l.a. or san francisco, also some wind, new york metros, boston and denver. winds some spots are over 100 miles an hour, strongest santa ana winds in years. more in about 15. >> thank you, rob. what a difference a day makes. stocks around the worrell surld after a move to stabilize the financial system. global markets following wall street's lead, keeping the rally going. markets in japan, hong kong and london all higher. the dow gained 490 points yesterday. that is the biggest rally of 2011 and the best percentage gain since march of 2009. yesterday, we were talking about europe dragging the world into a financial meltdown. and there was talk of another 2008. so, what will this new action do? christine romans will join us in a few minutes to explain it all. a tribute ceremony in iraq. it happened in baghdad just a short time ago. troops from the united states and coalition forces were honored for their service. this as the u.s. mission winds down and the last american soldiers are set to return home in just a few weeks. cnn's martin savidge is live in baghdad. did you attend the ceremony? >> reporter: you know -- good morning, carol, by the way. no, we didn't. in fact, western media was barred from attending this ceremony put on by the iraqi government, and there's some real dispute here as to exactly what this ceremony was all about. the iraqis say this was a ceremony to commemorate the departure, the withdrawal of u.s. forces from iraq. talk to the u.s. military, and they say, oh, no, this is not what this ceremony is about, this ceremony is about dedicating or commemorating the sacrifice that has been made by both u.s. forces and iraqi forces bringing this country to where it is today. so, a big difference here. the iraqis saying, hey, this is the marking of the end, whereas the americans are saying, no, it is nothing like that of the kind. and in fact, u.s. forces will remain in control of camp victory, where this is taking place, at least for the foreseeable future. so, that's one of the great debates. the other thing we should point out is that it is going on now. however, it's not being broadcast live for pretty obvious reasons, security. you have vice president joe biden from the united states out there, you've got the prime minister of iraq and the president of iraq all in one place, all inside, by the way, for security reasons. so naturally, you don't broadcast what's happening because, well, there are people who would want to target it and could easily lob mortars or rockets in that direction. they're trying to prevent that from happening, carol. >> so, martin, is that why the iraqi government kept western journalists out? i mean, why keep all journalists out? >> reporter: you know, it's interesting that as we talk about this fledgling democracy, that of course, the united states has wanted to encourage and foster here, not to mention with the loss of american lives, that one of the first things the new democracy does is ban western media. now, they say it is not because of where we are from but because of logistics -- number one, security, and number two, they say because it is indoors, it's a very limited venue, there isn't a lot of room, there is a lot of interest from american media. they simply decided to limit it to iraqi media. however, there is a pool of u.s. reporters that are following the vice president, and we expect to hear from them later in the day. still, we weren't told this until about midnight last night, in other words, not until the very day of this event were we suddenly told, oh, no, you can't go, after we were told you'll definitely thereby. >> martin savidge reporting live from baghdad this morning. thank you. we now know when we could hear a decision on whether herman cain will go on. it could be just hours away. the two big factors, how mrs. cain feels and whether the growing sex scandal has derailed the cain money train. cnn political correspondent jim acosta is following the candidate for us this morning. >> reporter: carol, when we asked herman cain whether he is staying in this race, he did not give us a direct response. it is a sign that his campaign at this point is up in the air. >> we want cain! [ chanting ] >> reporter: the crowd was in a fighting mood and so was the candidate. >> they want you to believe that with enough character assassination on me that i will drop out. they -- >> reporter: but in a fiery speech, that was as close as herman cain came to talking about the accusations of marital infidelity that now threaten his campaign. the conservative businessman did not deny the allegations as he has this week, and he made no promises to stay in the race. >> one of the reasons that they want to try and shoot me down and tear me down is because of the strength of my message that's resonating with the american people. >> reporter: but he accused unnamed political forces of trying to block his quest for the gop nomination. >> the establishment does not want herman cain to get this nomination. the liberals do not want herman cain to get this nomination. but i happen to believe that the american people have a different idea. >> reporter: after the speech, the man behind the 9-9-9 tax plan sounded 50/50 on whether he will remain a candidate. >> mr. cain, jim acosta with cnn. are you vowing to stay in this race? is that your message? >> we are assessing, re-evaluating. >> reporter: are you staying in the race? >> we re-evaluating and reassessing. >> reporter: how soon will have a final answer on your future plans? >> we'll be making a decision in the next several days. >> reporter: supporters at the event were still lining up for yard signs long after the candidate was gone. diane phillips questioned whether the allegations dogging the campaign are true. >> what is a woman in his background compared to all the socialists and communists and whatever that in obama's background? they elected him, so i don't worry about that woman as much as i do the theology and the ideology of the man. i want him in there. >> reporter: either way, karla kreider said it won't change her vote. >> i don't know whether it's true or not, but i still hope he keeps on fighting. >> reporter: cain's campaign strategy is as mysterious as his future. he spent a full day barn-storming through ohio, a state that doesn't hold its primary until june 12th, a full six months after the iowa caucuses. carol? >> jim acosta reporting. the first lawsuit has now been filed in the penn state sex abuse scandal, and it's coming from a new accuser who is not included in the criminal charges. the lawsuit claims that jerry sandusky abused the boy more than 100 times and threatened to harm the boy's family if he didn't keep quiet. the victim, who is now 29 years old, also claims that sandusky's abuse began well before authorities think it began. and the suit also names sandusky's second mile charity and penn state university. hundreds of family and friends crowding a church near atlanta for the funeral of a florida a&m drum major. the pastor urging the crowd to stop the foolish hazing that may have killed him. robert champion, a 26-year-old junior, was found dead on a bus after one of the school's football games in orlando. the school fired the director of the marching 100, one of the most well-known marching bands in the nation. champion's family is now suing the school, saying it wants to end the culture of the cover-up of hazing there. republicans now pushing a new way to keep the payroll tax cut on the books. senate republican leaders introduced a bill that would keep the payroll tax rate at its current level for another year by freezing the pay of federal employees through 2015. the gop plan also invites millionaires and billionaires like warren buffett to voluntarily pay more taxes if they feel they aren't being taxed enough. democrats want to tax everyone making more than $1 million to pay for the payroll tax cut. it could cost the average family $1,000 a year if congress lets the payroll tax cut expire. day two of hearings set for the man who shot president reagan. lawyers for john hinckley jr. fighting for his freedom, saying he's not dangerous and should eventually be released from a government mental hospital, but government lawyers say he's still capable of great violence and recently went to a book store to look up information on presidential assassinations during a visit to his mother's home in virginia. the pastor to presidents, the reverend billy graham, is in a north carolina hospital. the 93-year-old evangelist is being monitored and treated for possible pneumonia. graham has met with 12 presidents dating back to harry truman. he's also preached the gospel to more than 250 million people in more than 185 countries. his last crusade in 2005 drew 230,000 people. a new, alarming study out on this world aids day. the cdc reports three out of every four hiv-positive patients in the united states does not have their infection under control. one reason, they don't even know they have it. that's why health officials say testing is so important. today, president obama will mark world aids day by taking part in a panel discussion on the disease at george washington university. former presidents bill clinton and george w. bush will join via satellite. it will be moderated by our own dr. sanjay gupta. still to come, what really happened inside that hotel room? dominique strauss-kahn now sharing his version of what happened in a new tell-all book. a fall from grace for an ex-sheriff of the year. he's now behind bars in a jail named after him, accused of trading meth for sex! and americans already get less vacation time, and we're not even using it. a new report on a nation of people who are giving up their free time and free money. ok, e the best way to design a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. the new spark card from capital one. spark miles gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. the spark card earns double miles... so we really had to up our game. with spark, the boss earns double miles on every purchase, every day. that's setting the bar pretty high. owning my own business has never been more rewarding. coming through! 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[ male announcer ] the same 117 elements do the fundamental work of chemistry. ♪ the difference, the one element that is the catalyst for innovation, the one element that changes everything is the human element. ♪ 15 minutes past the hour. here's what we're working on this morning. second thoughts for gop presidential hopeful herman cain. >> we are reassessing and re-evaluating. >> that's cain talking to cnn political correspondent jim acosta. cain says he will decide whether to move forward for his bid for the white house in a few days. a man once named national sheriff of the year is behind bars this morning. 68-year-old patrick sullivan jr. is accused of dealing meth in return for sex. he's being held on $500,000 bail in a colorado jail. it gets more ironic here. sullivan is sitting in a jail that's named after him. in money news, investors cheered on wall street after central banks made a move to support the global economy and contain the eurozone crisis. all three major indexes closed up more than 4%. the dow's 490-point gain is the largest this year. in sports, it's not quite business as usual for the nba, but it's a start. today, arenas are unlocking their doors, allowing players to take part in voluntary workouts. this after a tentative deal was reached to end the lockout last week. the regular season expected to begin on christmas day. let's get a check of today's weather. rob marciano is in atlanta. ooh, tell us about those high winds. >> last night, over 20 flights were actually diverted from l.a.x. because of the high winds, so not just at the canyons, not just along the peaks, but along the coast as well, and these are some of the official wind gusts, but we're looking at some other gauges and instruments out there that show winds over 150 miles an hour in some spots. but you get the idea. there are some spots that are seeing some power outages, and that should say for wednesday. today, winds gusting, same deal. it's not going to get any better. it will die down briefly during the day but pick up again at night. trees and power lines will likely be down. this is a widespread event, going up to northern california as well, even winds in nevada and utah. so, if you're traveling anywhere out there, obviously living out there, you know what i'm talking about. you're going to have to deal with this for the next 24 to 36 hours. east of the mississippi, we are looking at more tranquil conditions, although it will be breezy across the i-95 corridor, a little bit warmer down across the south, although right now, carol, it is below freezing in the atl. for us southerners, that's cold! >> that's like hell, isn't it? wow. thank you very much, rob. >> all right, see you in a few. new developments out of afghanistan involving a woman who was raped and then jailed. her story has garnered so much international attention, but now president karzai is calling hfo a high-level meeting today about the case. zain verjee join us from london. is there any hope for this woman now? >> reporter: there is, because there is a petition out with more than 5,000 signatures, and the afghan president, hamid karzai, is in a position to pardon her, is how they're looking at it, even though it's got so much international attention, and it's really outrageous. this woman's name is gulnaz, and a couple years ago, she was raped by a cousin's husband. then she went to the police to report it. they accused her of adultery and then jailed her for 12 years. the sentence was then reduced to three years. and now she's saying, look, even if i can get out of jail, i'll agree to marry my rapist to legitimize the daughter that she has and is bringing up in jail. so, there's so much pressure on hamid karzai right now to just, as president, just let her go and just meet with a judiciary and forget about any afghan tribal laws. >> okay, we'll be following that story to see what happens. let's switch gears and talk about the former imf chief, dominique strauss-khan. he's really written a book? >> reporter: he's got someone else to write his side for him. it's a biographer, and the book is out and it's called "dsk affairs: the counter investigation." and in it, it refers to the may 14th incident at the hotel in new york city. the book, a couple of things it calls his relationship with the chamber maid in the hotel consensual but stupid, and he also describes her as giving him a look when he hopped out naked from the shower. and then also, he says that he did participate in sex parties but that he appalls prostitution. carol. >> among other things, i'm sure. wow! zain verjee, thanks so much. still ahead on "am wake-up call," a reason to celebrate on wall street as the dow surges past the 10,000 mark. can we expect the same today and what sparked the rally? we'll talk about that on the other side of the break. and it's nearly the end of the year and millions of americans are leaving vacation days on the table. researchers reveal the most common answer on why americans are giving up free time. it's 20 minutes past the hour. this is your "am wake-up call." it's good. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? 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