i'm erin burnett outfront tonight, chaos in cairo. three american college students are detained. one of their mothers comes out front tonight. we're going to talk to her in a few minutes. but first, we want to show you what it looks like right now in tahrir square. that is a live picture and it's relatively calm, it's 2:00 a.m. local time. the image is in stark contrast, though, what we saw throughout the day and into the evening tonight. rocks and tear gas flew through the air. riot police clashing with protesters who want the nation's military rulers to step down immediately. officials say 35 people are dead. 3,000 injured after five days of protests. now, tahrir square is the same spot where egyptian protesters forced the removal of their long time leader hosni mubarak back in february. i was there during those protests, they were mostly peaceful, it was a rather uplifting experience despite a couple of very bad episodes of violence. but very different than what we see right now. ben wedeman has been there through thick and thin through the very beginning and he's in cairo with the latest. ben, what happened today? what's happening now? >> well, today there was a brief spike in clashes that have been going on around the clock since saturday afternoon. for three hours, the army intervened, put themselves between the protesters and the hated security forces of the interior ministry and managed to calm things down. but as we were right in the middle of it, suddenly i saw a stick fly through the air, then rocks started to come in at the security forces who responded with tear gas, and it was back where we were earlier in the day, and we saw ambulances rushing from that place near the interior ministry to tahrir to these -- basically makeshift field hospitals that have been set up. so it appears that this hope of some sort of rest from the violence has simply gone away and the standoff continues. >> here behind you, there's still people walking, i know and on the streets behind you and chanting as it goes through the night. but let me ask you, i'm just curious, we keep seeing these imag images, it's gotten worse ahead of these elections. but is it cairo in any way starting to return to normal? or has it become a situation of people when they get frustrated they protest and you're not having people go to work and live their normal lives? >> reporter: well, you have to realize that this is just one part of a city of 18 million people. if you go just a couple blocks from here, shops are open, people are trying to go about their business. but, of course, this is the heart of the city through which many of the main roads pass. and so it does sort of change the way people have to go about their business. but you know, i think the nature of television and the media you're seeing these pictures of clashes. but the clashes are in a very small area. and, of course, yes, there's the elections coming up on monday. it's not even clear if they're going to take place. there are reports that some in the government are considering postponing them simply because this is sort of occupying the heart of the country. and it does have sort of a paralyzing effect on politics and everybody focuses on this relatively small piece of land behind me. erin? >> all right. well, ben wedeman, thank you very much. reporting from cairo. as i remember even in the heart of the revolution, a block or two away from tahrir square, there were shopkeepers frustrated by the inability to try to make a living. president barack obama is stuck in the 40s, we're not talking about the decade, his overall approval numbers. they've lingered there since mid june. and that's where he's staying at least for now. 44% say he's doing a good job and approve of him. when it comes to white collar blue democrats, the president has taken a big hit. cnn poll numbers show 50% don't want to see him on the ticket next year. that is a 24 percentage point drop since the question was asked back in october. what does it mean for the president as election season heats up? it's a stunning number. and fresh off the debate last night. well, who is he going to be running against? there's been big changes on that that today. david gergen joins us. jamal, let me start with you and ask you about that precipitous drop among white blue collar democrats. how -- why do you think that has happened so dramatically and so quickly among a group of voters he traditionally has owned? >> well, it's a problem, let's start there. this is not good news for the president. but it is also -- we have to distinguish between white blue collared democrats and white plu collar independents and republicans. most democratic -- white democratic swing voters, those reagan democrats everyone talks about, they've left the democratic party. this was true in the primaries in 2008. they typically end up voting for the democratic nominee or else they probably would've already left. they're satisfied, the president's got to try to energize them for the election. that's different than the population of the general election blue collar voter. >> they may be satisfied with him, but i mean, is there any alternative out there? if you look at the republican side where you could see a white republican democrat in pass saying we're going to go for this candidate. >> white noncollege voters are the most depressed, anxious, fearful demographic in the whole country. in fact, they are the group -- only group more likely to say that the future will be worse for them, worse for their children than more than will say it will be worse than it will be better. you don't find anything like that degree of pessimism among blacks and latinos even though those two groups have suffered more in this recession. so white democrats don't look very different from white blue collar nondemocrats. they are in economic pain. this will be the fourth consecutive thanksgiving of economic hardship. and really since the recession started in december of 2007. it's very nearly the fifth consecutive thanksgiving of severe economic hardship for millions and millions of people. and they see a political class, a political system that is just apparently indifferent to them. has nothing to offer them. and the president, of course, takes the blame. >> david gergen, what can he do about it? i would imagine that's a poll number -- very disturbing for his strategists. >> the answer very clear, create jobs. this is a group that barack obama has had trouble with since the beginning. this is a group that hillary clinton did very well with in the primaries. and john mccain did pretty well with. i'm in the state of pennsylvania, and i can tell you one of the top democratic pros in the state told me today that if the election were held today mitt romney has a very good chance of beating barack obama in a pivotal often considered safe democratic state. now, what's happening here is that, of course, is that the manufacturing base of the country is falling out from under. and that's where a lot of these folks were employed. and very, very importantly for political purposes, they're often employed in the swing industrial states, whether it's pennsylvania or across ohio and, you know the states. and that's why this is -- that's why this number is so critical for him and why tonight as you look at what's happening in europe, as you started the show, you know, the -- the momentum is growing in europe for an economic crisis there, which will reverberate here. when the germans have a hard time selling bonds, you know, as they did today, a turn out for the bond sale, that's news that president obama has to be paying attention to in the white house. >> erin, i want to pick up on david's important point there. one of the things that has happened this fall that makes the numbers different is we've had this tremendous rally in the dollar. the dollar has been rising in the fall because of the problems of europe. the dollar's back at its purchasing power of 1997, the external purchasing power. so if you're in industrial employment, looking to export markets, you are feeling pressure as compared to say five, six, seven months ago. >> that's right. >> we may be picking up here some early warning, there are layoffs, hours being cut or pay being cut in these industries, it's another warning that the economy may be on a downward trend. >> quickly before we go, david gergen. a pew poll on mormonism came out, something mitt romney's going to be paying close attention. americans still the same percentage of people, 52% know nothing about mormonism by their own admission. you've got republicans, conservative republicans in iowa now trying to ally against mitt romney. is the mormon issue going to hurt him again? >> well, you know, we've wondered why mitt romney has had a hard time breaking out as a front runner, which typically republican front runners do. and this poll suggests that in the mix -- i don't think the driving force, but in the mix, there is a question of mormonism, in addition to the other issues that are swirling around him. >> thanks very much to all three. appreciate it and happy thanksgiving. >> happy thanksgiving. >> thank you. thank you. all right. still outfront, we are going to continue to talk about the story in egypt as we told you. one of the mothers of the boys who has been arrested for throwing cocktails at police there supposedly is in jail. seven amish men charged with several hate crimes after cutting the beards and hair of other amish men and women. we have a look at that story and a world shrouded by secrecy where corruption reingns in the world of illegal arms trade. ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of a pain free holiday. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. 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"wall street journal" saying 152 million americans are going to be shopping on friday. that's a lot. how do we turn the fear into optimism? it can begin in washington with a deal. we know we didn't get one with the super committee and you know how we felt about that, passionately and upset. there's another chance coming up, the extension of the payroll tax cuts which saves americans $1,000 in taxes per year. can congress get it done? let's ask congressman, republican from new york. and hopefully not with a grim forecast here as we're talking about the markets. >> absolutely not. >> let me ask you, what happened this week? it was atrocious, it was offensive, it upset americans of both political parties. >> sure. >> you were a member of a republican who signed on to a letter saying everything should be on the table. revenues and cuts. >> that's correct. >> there were 140 of you guys, right? >> little bit more, over 150. >> the 12 guys on the super committee couldn't do a deal, why? >> well, in all sincerity i think it's because when the country is this polarized and you're trying to tackle as big of a job as they are. this is big, tax reform and things like this, these are not small issues. leadership from the top, and that's why we really need -- we needed the president to come in and lead a little bit. and that hasn't happened. and you've seen other presidents do it. president clinton did it, president reagan did it. >> he said he was asked to stay out. he was doing what he was asked. that's his side of it. >> true, true -- because he started from the very beginning saying, well, if there's certain things in it, i'll veto it. and that's why they said, you know, leave it to us. they kind of pushed him away, but if he would've started with leadership from the beginning, i think we would've had a different outcome. let's not panic yet. a lot of pressure on the leadership to bring that to the floor and hopefully go even bigger that what the super committee was going to do. >> you think there's still a way -- and by the way $4 trillion for people out there, that is a grand bargain, that is a number that would prevent more downgrades and last for a long time. >> you just hit on something that's extremely important. it's about preventing further downgrades and how do we really do that? by instilling confidence, not only in the people in the united states but throughout the world that says we understand we're in a debt crisis, but we do have a long-term plan, we're serious and going to start implementing it now. that's what the world is looking for, true leadership. >> when we look at the $4 trillion, we throw up this simple math. everyone wants fundamental tax reform, it'd be great if we could get it. bush tax cuts go away $2.8 trillion, you match it with $2.8 trillion in cuts -- >> that would be horrendous. >> but it gets you $5 trillion -- >> at a time where there's a constriction in the economy, we're trying to motivate those who create jobs. we take a step backwards. it's very delicate, very difficult, can we increase revenue? certainly, but through closing loopholes, through getting some of the 51% of americans who don't pay any taxes now, having them get in the game -- federal taxes having some skin in the game. yeah, there's ways we can increase revenue, but we don't want to start, you know, tax increases, tax hikes that would be job killing across the board. >> when they look at people over $1 million, and i go the $250,000 line, which is a different line. having your income be taxed at 39% now going up to 39.6%, it's not that much. >> i understand -- just keep in mind one thing, these are also the people that spend a lot of money out there at restaurants. they're the ones buying, you know, new cars, buying, you know, even -- i know it was under attack, the yacht boating industry was under attack. guess what? there's a lot of people that make $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 a year making those yachts. we don't want to put those industries under either. and i believe when the levels rise, all boats rise -- >> you think that a $4 trillion deal with the position you have on taxes is possible? that congress could surprise us? >> and like i said from the beginning, i'm willing for the purpose of the discussions to put everything on the table. i don't want any preconditions. i don't want to say well, i won't even discuss taxes -- everything is open for discussion. but let's start where we have common ground and work our way out. where i think the country's been going in the wrong direction as far as the congress is that we're working where we have problems. where we disagree and trying to work our way in. let's start with the common ground. i think that would be the best for america and instill some confidence. and also, it's very important that the people believe that our elected can get the job done. but that is going to take leadership at the top. >> it is. we get that confidence in congress and wall street and banks, it would make a huge difference. >> there are many of us believe that the economy is so bad that president obama doesn't want us to come to a consensus so this way he has somebody to blame for his policies. that is something that republicans think a lot about. and it certainly does appear that way. >> well, thank you very much, representative grim, appreciate your time being with us. it's a busy day at airports around the nation. hopefully you're not waiting in line or for a delayed flight. millions of people traveling. and for some, the weather has been bad. let's check in with our meteorologist chad myers. chad, trouble spots tonight. where are they? >> boston, new york, san francisco. erin, we have 5,500 airplanes in the sky right now. luckily they're not that big. but there are still a lot of people in the air or trying to get in the air. the problem was the low cloud cover across new york and into boston. a bunch of planes didn't go from new york to boston. say there are people in new york waiting for a flight to boston. there's no room on the next flight, no room on the next flight and vice versa. >> the next trouble spot is driving out of philadelphia going west on the turnpike or northeast on the northeast extension, an hour delay both delays. think about that if you're leaving philadelphia at this point in ti point. now two hours delay for you. it's a tough night for people even if you're going to hawaii. that's not fun even thoef you have a great destination in mind. >> except for, again, you're going to hawaii, and we just said your wait time is less than two minutes. i'm sorry, chad. >> i get it. >> thanks. two students jailed in cairo and the mother of one of them coming outfront tonight. and the case that captivated the country, former district attorney who prosecuted casey anthony comes outfront. the take on what went wrong, why he lost. it wouldn't be hump day without the camel report. it's kind of the friday of the week, but still. when you think of dubai, you probably think of maybe the tallest building in the world, rich people. one thing you probably don't think of, though, is probably ice hockey because it's usually 110 degrees. but with the founding of the emirates ice hockey league, it is becoming more and more popular. this week, the league's top two teams, the abu dhabi storms -- play for the capital cup. that's the logo at the abu dhabi sports club. they got off to a quick start, scoring quickly, they were up 2-1, but the storm fought back and by the end of the second, the camels were down 3-2. they had a huge hump to get over, but in the third period, camel magic. took a 6-3 lead if they could have just held on, the championship would be theirs. but then the storm scored once, twice, and all of