people are "an invented people." we're going to have reaction to his controversial remarks. plus, look at this live picture from arlington national cemetery. hundreds of volunteers are laying wreaths on the graves of american's fallen warriors. and if you think it's just too cold to get out of bed and go to work, it may change your mind. a total eclipse of the moon. you're looking at live images there right now. we want to start this hour with controversial comments from a republican presidential candidate, newt gingrich. take a listen to what he said. >> i believe with the jewish people have the right to have a state. i believe that the commitments that were made at a time, remember, there were -- there was no palestine as a state. and i think that we've had an invented palestinian people who are arabs and historically part of the arab community. >> now he said the palestinians are an invented people. he made those comments during that interview as you saw there on the jewish channel. he also said the middle east peace process was "delusional." you know there is reaction coming here. the palestinian authority itself haven't commented on gingrich's remark. here's what one of the top members of the palestinian executive committee has said. they called it "the most racist statement i've ever seen." he went on to say, "how really despicable things can get in american politics." in the meantime, one of mitt romney's key surrogates said comments like these are "one of the things that i think makes me a little bit nervous about speaker gingrich." coming up in 30 minutes, our political insiders will be along to talk about how this kind of statement might play in iowa. only three will sway there, and whether this will be a big topic in tonight's presidential debate as well. next hour, too, we're taking a close look at the jewish vote and the role it may play in the 2012 elections. so stick around here. meanwhile, an army of volunteers on duty at arlington national cemetery this morning there to lay wreaths. we're talking about a lot of wreaths. cnn's athena jones is at arlington right now. she's in section 60. that is the section set aside tore troops killed in iraq and afghanistan. fill us in. what's happening? >> reporter: well today they're going to have more than 10,000 volunteers laying 100,000 wreaths on head stones here at arlington national cemetery. it's part of wreaths across america day. they won't be just laying wreaths here, they'll be laying wreaths at 500 cemeteries where service members are laid to rest in all auto state50 states. the organization behind us has been laying wreaths for 20 years. and so their mission is to remember, honor, and teach everyone about the nation's service members and the sacrifice that they have given to the country. the organization was started by a businessman in maine who owned a wreath company back in 1992. towards the end of the holiday season, they had a surplus. he decided to donate 5,000 wreaths to arlington national cemetery. they laid them on a section that wasn't getting a lot of visitors, unlike the section behind me where a lot of people are here because these are the two most recent wars that the u.s. has been involved in. so back in 1992, they laid wreaths in a section that not many people were visiting and the tradition carried on. we're going to see a convoy of 20 trucks that left maine six days ago on their way here to arlington. it's going to be a big day. lots of people out laying wreaths on the head stones to honor our service members. >> i wonder if some of the volunteers family members who have people there in that cemetery? >> reporter: well certainly. certainly. we spoke with a woman. there is a football team arriving. one of the members of this football team was killed in one of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. they come each year as part of wreaths across america to lay a wreath to honor that fallen soldier that they know. many of the people here that we're going to see today are not just volunteers, they're people who have lost someone in one of these wars. it will be interesting to see who comes around. it's early here. >> i bet finding comfort in each other as well as we are in the middle of this holiday season. thank you so much, athena jones. appreciate it. they are handing out two nobel peace prize awards today. actually, they're handing out three of them. the ceremony is going on as we speak. the winners being honored for their commitment to women and their safety in the region. and let me introduce you to them. lema boley, a leading peace and women's rights activist. ellen johnson surlis and talafel herman. >> i'm particularly honored to be a successor to several sons and one daughter of africa who have stood on this stage. kofi annan, an war al sa dat, mohammed albarati as well as barack obama, martin luther king jr. and ralph bunch, americans of african dissent. >> a lot of grace in that woman, couldn't you tell? protests, meanwhile, as we switch gears here, are under way in russia this morning. demonstrators are angry over alleged voter fraud in last week's parliamentary elections. the anger aims squarely at vladimir putt in. so phil black is with us now. and i'm sure, phil, we're wondering how peaceful the protests have been up to this point. give us a sense of the situation there right now. >> reporter: there is still a crowd of certainly tens of thousands in protests. it is beginning to drop off slightly. there had a is a huge turnout here. this is everything the organizers hoped for. tens of thousands of people filled the square in central moscow. it has been loud and passionate. but it has throughout, been peaceful. as i said, a very passionate crowd here. they're protesting the parliamentary election results from the vote held last weekend. that vote was unfair, there were procedures and rigging as vladimir putin drew in the party. they feel that their vote was stolen. many russians are not active or political in any real sense but they feel strongly enough about this to come out here on this very cold moscow day and chant protests, send a message to the president. >> phil, i was reading they were hoping for upwards of 25,000 people. are the protests in moscow alone? >> reporter: no. we understand -- we haven't seen pictures of this today. we're here in the square. we have heard reports that other protests had taken place across the country in other areas. this is the flag ship rally, if you like. they were hoping for upwards of 20,000. they certainly seem to have done that. we don't know about the signs of protest across the country. we're told they have taken place not at the same scale but there is anger over those election results is not confined to moscow. it is said to be felt across this country. >> all right. phil black, thank you so much for the update. keep us posted. we appreciate it very much. we'll continue obviously to watch what's happening there and keep you informed throughout the day. remember the school principal who suspended a boy for calling his teacher cute? well, the principal is spending time at home now, too. also ahead, a lunar eclipse. it's happening right now. don't go too far. for those of you on the west coast, you can get ready for one spectacular show. nc ncht. police in south florida, they arrest people for stealing christmas orange amounts from their neighbor's lawn. and the iphone 4 is number four on the list of ten most shoplifted items. next, we're going to tell what you three items beat it. here's a hint, see if you figure this one out. you can eat the winner, wash it down with the runner up after you step on your shirt, of course. 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[ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! we gave you a tease about the most shoplifted items. i told but iphone 4. it comes in at number four. conveniently. men apparently tend to reach for electric toothbrushes and power tools. making them number three on the list. number two, i guess they need the toothbrush for the jameson whiskey. and the number one most shoplifted item, filet mignon, the grocery store! checking stories across the country, there are new allegations this morning that the head of the amateur athletic union sexually abused two boys years ago, two men tell espn that robby bobby daub arrested them in the 1908's. no comment yet from dodd who is battling colon cancer. and from sweet water, florida, two people have been arrested and charged with aldly stealing christmas ornaments from the neighbor's yard earlier this week. the incident was caught, look at that, on a surveillance camera. the victim claim she saw the stolen ornaments in a nearby yard. >> city officials in washington, d.c., say they're owed more than $350 million in unpaid parking tickets. they say they're going to go after a suburban computers from neighboring maryland and virginia who the city says own a large share of that short fall there. and i'm thinking you remember this story. a 9-year-old boy in north carolina suspended for three days for saying this about his teacher. >> i was talking to my friend. i said miss terry was cute. and that's all i said. >> can i say he's cute? he's cute. he called his teacher cute. and he was punished for it. the school principal said it was sexual harassment and against school policy. well here's the update. the principal is being told to stay home now. he was forced into early retirement after a 44-year career. the principal admits he made some errors. he says he believes he was treated unfairly. the school district has apologized to the student and his parents, by the way. all right. don't go too far. if you have a chance, go look out your window. you might see something spectacular going on in the sky this morning. bonnie schneider is here to tell us more about it. particularly you and i, we're getting the gyp here. the people on west coast, they have the best seat in the house. >> they do. it's not the sun but the moon. it's a lunar eclipse. it's happening around the world. the best place to see it, as you can see, is the western part of the u.s. as well as alaska, hawaii, northwestern canada. those are the regions where you'll get gay showing. so at 6:06 to 6:57 pacific time is the best time to see that. for the rest of you traveling to day, watch out for fog out west as well. maybe that will prevent from you seeing the eclipse perfectly. we have fog in san diego and seattle. we're also looking at snow showers in cleveland and detroit. just rain showers in miami. many people traveling, of course, this time of year. we had quite a bit of snow from the lake effect storm system in upstate new york. look for more lake-effect snow to pop-up in the forecast today. the air goes over the warmer watt iers of the great lakes. most of it is occurring in a small area of upstate new york. we have a lot more ahead of us for this season. a freezing fog advisory in parts of texas and new mexico. otherwise, high pressure bringing clear conditions to the country. cold temperatures. sunshine but chilly conditions in minneapolis and chicago today. high there's only in the upper 20s. the gulf coast is looking nice with temperatures in the 50s. and if you're in florida, looking at highs in the mid to upper 70s. the northeast really enjoyed a very mild december thus far. temperatures in the 40s today for highs. usually it's much colder this time of year. some folks in new england are saying we're ready for the cold, bring it on. >> am i wrong to be jealous of my friends in cleveland that are getting snow? it's christmas. >> no. >> it's supposed to snow. >> they're going to get snow. we saw the first snow of the season in chicago as well. >> i love it. all right. thank you so much. >> sure. saving the planet has been on the to do list of one of the most powerful men in the world for years. >> powers combined, i am captain planet. >> he's got the voice for it, too. you know who that is. last night ted turner joined forces with a super hero in a fund-raiser to help spread awareness about global warming. we have details in just two minutes. stay close. . plus, by the way, newt gingrich riding high in the republican presidential race. could his past come back to haunt him in the chase for conservative voters? we'll take a look at that as well. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." 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[ electronic beeping ] [ male announcer ] still getting dandruff? neutrogena® t/gel shampoo defeats dandruff after just one use. t/gel shampoo. it works. neutrogena®. guess who's joining me now? she is with us after this star studded gala last night. she looks gorgeous. she emceeing, by the way, the captain planet foundation's 20th anniversary. he is the world's, in case you don't know, the first eco hero created by none other than ted turner. we kind of know him here at cnn, too. >> he is the originator of captain planet. he came up with the idea. i said to him last night, ted, what gave you the idea to come up with the world's first eco friendly super hero? and guess what he said? >> we were running cartoons and children's programming. i looked at a lot of it. i said gee, there is no environmental messages in any of these programs. and, you know, cartoons are great teaching mechanism. television is entertainment medium but it's also an informational medium where you can be educated by watching it. >> and he really lives for this. people will tell you when he goes for a walk and there is trash, he will pick it up. can you imagine? being on the side of the road and just driving by and seeing ted turner picking up trash. >> he lives it and breathes this. this event last night, the money goes to giving grants to educate youth in terms of the environment. but the whole concept of global warming, some people are skeptical. but it is a huge issue. durbin just finish aid two-week summit on the concept of climate. so i said to ted, what do you say to people who are skeptical? let's hear from ted. >> you have said that global warming is one of the most serious if not the most serious environmental issue we have. what do you, ted turner, say to skeptics about global warming? >> well, all you do is show them the evidence and read what the scientific reports say. the overwhelming majority of the scientists and climaatologists say we're in trouble with that. and the naysayers say some people say the world was flat. >> and, of course, he said this for years. he is a visionary. one things i loved is the fashion. somebody actually wore a recycled world war ii parra chute. >> what? >> yes. >> do we have video? >> we do. kristina stevens in her parachute which was delightful. i have to show you that. >> that is a parachute? >> even the lining comes from the inside of the tent. and i wore earrings made from a salad dressing bottle. take a look at those. >> are you kidding? >> and this necklace that i'm wearing is what they call eco vintage. it is recycled coin and chain. so we are -- >> could you buy it? >> there was an auction. all the money goes to educating a wonderful cause. just a wonderful event. >> thank you so much. you wore it well. so did she. not a lot of people can wear a parachute dress. next, we're going to see lady gaga in it. check this one out, nadia. this poor woman waited hours, more than three, for the plane to arrive. a u.s. army specialist gave his girlfriend the surprise of a lifetime. look at that. what a gentleman. popping the question on bended knee. >> oh, my god. >> i love you. >> we're on tv, do you know that? >> yeah. i'm kind of figure that's what the cameras are for. >> she thought she was surprising him with a welcome back party. a glorious moment. >> isn't that awesome? all you skeptics of love. that's too good. she said yes, of course, by the way. delta airlines airport officials and the tsa, by the way, all in on it. good for them. congratulations. newt gingrich makes some harsh comments about peace in israel saying the palestinians shouldn't even be there. we're going to take a look at that. fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink thank you for keeping us company here on cnn. let's get talking about what everybody else is talking about today so far. here why your top stories. the russian state news agency reports 25,000 people are protesting parliamentary elections in russia. they're doing that at this hour. demonstrators upset over alleged voter fraud in last week's elections. their anger aimed squarely at prime minister vladimir putin. and in boston, at least 46 people have been arrested at the occupy boston campsite. police say the demonstrators were demonstrating a it is sit refused to leave. city workers have been taking down demonstrators tents, we understand. you know, this has been a record setter for money spent on gasoline. you're probably thinking i don't need you to tell me that. let me give you the big picture. u.s. drivers spent more than $448 billion on gas. to put that in perspective, $100 billion more than last year. the oil price information service points to consistently high oil prices as the main reason there. >> well, newt gingrich says palestinians are an invented people. he made this strong statement in an interview on the jewish channel. here it is for you in case you missed it. >> well, i believe that the jewish people have the right to have a state. i believe that the commitments that were made at a time, remember, there was no palestine as a state. part of the empire. i think that we've had an invented palestinian people who are arabs and who are historically part of the arab community. >> gingrich went on to say it's tragic that palestinians didn't leave the area when they had the chance. rather sustaining a war against israel. and he also called the middle east peace process "delusional." so you know there is reaction to. this here's what one of the top members of the palestinian executive dmt said. i called mr. gingrich's assertion "the most racist statement i've ever seen." newt gingrich tops the polls at the end of the day with just over three weeks to go until the iowa caucuses. what does this mean? mitt romney may not be his biggest challenger, too. newt's biggest problem some say may be newt himself. here with me, matt cowry, former adviser to newt gingrich and lee may from atlanta. gingrich's comments on the palestinians, you have to wonder now that you heard it for yourself, i want to ask you, matt, since you worked with him, this has to give pause to people when they consider what they would vote for and how he would handle foreign policy, would it not? >> i had a chance to see the entire thing. the part that i think is being left out in the overall headline is that gingrich is getting a very accurate, hi