tonight. ratings agency fitch says they're going to downgrade america's outlook from stable. stocks soared on wall street. because the markets closed before that action happened. the dow was up by nearly 300 points. the reason was a wow weekend for the american economy. retail sales surged. that's a fair word. they were up 16%. accord together national retail federation. it was the best kickoff to the holiday shopping season ever. topping off, today the federal reserve said household debt in this country fell $60 billion. the outfront strike team called this optimism, 85% of them said they were not going to go into recession. when the pundits were sure of just that. they ended up being right. can this optimism really last? peter, what's your take of this market rally? will it last? especially because after the markets closed, we got the hit from fitch, the ratings agency, which was expected but is another reminder of the failure in washington. >> it is about the failure in washington. but the real story and the real reason why this fuse was lit this morning is for the very reasons you started off with, by talking about the strength of the american consumer. markets closed up 3% on the day. really taking back much of the weakness we've seen the last three or four weeks. we closed at the high of the day, they didn't sell off midday, they closed at the high of the day. the news on fitch was not good, but it was largely expected, and i don't think it's going to have a terrible downdraft on the markets tomorrow. >> okay, is this going to be a whip wlalash thing that hits th 401(k)s of the country. >> it's not so much about aggregate numbers. profit margins are important. aggregate numbers do play a role. given the fact that volume has a lot to do with this shopping season, and volume is being delivered by the american consumer, we do have legs. gdp is positive. housing has largely stabilized. consumer confidence has definitely been rising over the last two months or so. there's a lot of positive work going on within the economy. i think there's legs. i think we could see more on this, we opened this morning very oversold. there's some buoyancy left market. >> peter kenny, thank you very much. in dallas today, the federal reserve bank released a survey of businesses in the reenchen. and a plastics company said we wish we could receive some encouragement from the stalemate in congress. it's hurting the u.s. economy and it could affect the president's chances for re-election. john avlon, leslie sanchez and paul begala are with us. good to have all of you with us. john, let me start with you. a few good economic headlines, they come amidst an overall picture which is grim. they change sentiment, are headlines like this good holl day, not great jobs creation, but some jobs creation, enough to deliver him this election on a silver platter? >> not to deliver anyone on a silver platter. the trend -- if you look at overall, that's the important thing, the trend. when reagan, leading up to his landslide in 18984 had 8.5% unemployment at this dime. that's why it felt like morning in america. the fact that the economy seems to be stabilizing is a positive sign. this is not over until it's over. it's going to be a squeaker. >> one thing that could help the president, today, this afternoon, on wolf blitzer, you saw it, a woman accusing herman cain of having a 13-year extra-marital affair is speaking out. here's what she told atlanta station waga about the affair and why she decided to speak out. >> he made it very intriguing. it was fun. it was something that took me away from my sort of hum drum life at the time. and it was exciting. i didn't want to do this but it was something that i felt at the end of the day was the right thing to do. and is it going to hurt a lot of people? yes. i'm sure i will be one of them. >> all right. so there she was and her background so you're aware in this piece to this investigative reporter, she talked about admitted she filed a sexual harassment claim in 2001. which of course, and there's a libel order right now on her, which of course, may not palestinian anything but it's background we wanted to share with you. cain was on "the situation room" earlier, he denied the affair and he also said this. >> as long as my wife is behind me and as long as my wife believes that i should stay in this race, i'm staying in this race. >> all right. cain as a lawyer issued a statement, this appears to be an accusation of private alleged is consensual conduct between adults. mr. cain alerted his wife and discussed it with her. he has no obligation to discuss these types of accusations publicly with the media." paul, true? >> yes, in my opinion. lin wood is a respected attorney. if i were advising mr. cain, i would tell him to listen to his attorney. mr. wood said in the statement basically none of your business. this is not an allegation of harassment, not an allegation of assault. it is an allegation of a consensual adult affair and mr. wood says that's none of your business. and you know what? i think he's got a good point. the problem is mr. cain didn't say that. he didn't stick to his lawyer's line. he said no, no, it's not true. so now we are in that he said, she said. i have to say i think none of your business is a perfectly good answer for an allegation of an adult consensual relationship. but mr. cain has deviated from that and i this i that's going to cause him political problems. >> he actually came out with wolf blitzer on the situation room and said, hey, i know this story is going to come out somewhere else, and i want to break it to you first and give my side of it. >> you're absolutely right. it was a really, paul and i were talking about that. it was a very uncomfortable interview to watch, because he was so personal, because he was trying to do that. he was equivocating there. i think it was unfortunate that wolf blitzer had to be so direct about these questions because he wasn't direct in his response at the beginning of that, denying everything. and then he kind of eventually came to that. the point being i think many voters are going to look at this and say where there's smoke, there's fire. this casts additional doubt. and i think politically as republicans are looking at who is best set to go into a general election it's seen as another distraction, something else that chips away at our viability in terms of winning the white house in 2012. >> and, of course, extra-marital affairs, john avlon, personal? sure. some people may say they are. they always come out and do affect some voters. newt gingrich has been open about he's had affairs. >> that's right. and given enough time he can transcend them. >> this isn't just smoke in a fire, this is a forest fire. and this is a sad side show at this point. herman cain was going down in the polls. this won't help him with anybody. his numbers will continue to implode among women and evangelicals in particular. this is sort of sad. this isn't an allegation of harassment. this is a deeply personal and it's something he has to work out with his family. >> i want to get each of your views on this. 17% was his rating in the latest poll. where does his support? >> going down. >> who's going to get it? gingrich and evangelicals? >> anything that pushes cain down probably goes to gingrich. >> absolutely. what you'll see is the rise of evangelicals moving over to gingrich. >> paul i would imagine that is something that barack obama likes too, having a go at gingrich, not mitt. >> i would think so. i don't talk to the president about these things or about anything for that matter. but the president -- i mean the democrats want the most extreme candidate to be nominated. and you know, i actually think other people col benefit from this could can be congresswoman bachmann and rick santorum, who is the only person in the race so far who hasn't gotten a bump. >> he's waiting for his turn. >> no, you know, the truth be told, we like especially for these high level kind of candidates, people like to narrow it down to one or two choices. that's what this invisible primary is supposed to do. i think we've pretty much run the course in this set. it's gravitating toward romney and gingrich. that's where a lot of the battle is going to be right now. >> there could be that independent dark horse galloping like a knight in shining armor. >> who is going to be the knight in shining armor? thanks so much to all three. appreciate it. up next, the latest details from the syracuse abuse scandal. the wife of the assistant coach accused of molestation claims that incriminating tapes were tampered with. and then barney frank, his days in congress are numbered. what are we going to do without being able to spar with barney frank on television. and an ally america dislikes. but can't seem to live without. a nato strike accidentally kills pakistan soldiers. the country's prime minister fighting back against the u.s. i habe a cohd. yeah, i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] it has an hd webcam, killer audio, and lids that switch to start every semester fresh. but mostly it helps me try new moves on and off the court. ♪ [ male announcer ] powered by the 2nd gen intel core i5 processor: not just smart, visibly smart. nobody does cyber monday like dell.com. visit dell.com through monday for instant savings on some of our most popular products. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 there are atm fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and the most dreaded fees of all, hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, you won't pay fees on top of fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no monthly account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and we rebate every atm fee. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck tdd# 1-800-345-2550 because when it comes to talking, there is no fee. the number tonight, 16. that's how many terms representative barney frank has served. earlier today, the 71-year-old from massachusetts announced he won't seek another term. he's retiring in part because his district was recently changed to include more conservative areas. frank is the top democrat on the powerful house financial services committee. but unlike many former congressmen, says he's not going to become a lobbyist. >> there's no way i would be a lobbyist. look, i'll miss this job, and have regret when the new congress is signed up. but i will tell you this and maybe you're going to laugh but one of the advantages to me of not running for office is, i don't even have to pretend to try to be nice to people i don't like. now, some of you may not think i've been good at it, but i've been trying. >> that's what we like about barney frank, just that curmudgeonly no b.s. sort of attitude. i think everyone's going to miss him. i have to say from experience as he did financial reform, even people who detested what he was doing really respected his acumen and his ability. well, there are a couple more 16s about mr. frank. he's tied for 16th in the length of time served among current house members and that is actually the number of people on our staff who were not born when he took office in 1981. that's frightening. let's bring in keith ablow, one of the leading psychiatrists in the field. he's outfront tonight to help us get a better understanding of the case in syracuse. thanks for being with us. appreciate it. >> anytime. >> and let me just ask you, obviously the background here is that there was a conversation that was taped between bernie fine who is the man who was accused of molesting now potentially three your honor boys. there was a conversation between his wife and the first of those boys, now a nearly 40-year-old man. i believe we have the sound byte, don't we, andrew zm? okay. here it is. >> go to a place where there's gay boys. find yourself a gay boy, you know, get your rocks off, have it be over with. >> yeah. >> you know, he needs a -- that male companionship that i can't give him. nor is he interested in me, and vice versa. >> what do you make of this, keith? >> well, i know that laurie fine, his wife is maintaining that this tape has been doctored. if it hasn't been, then what you have is rare insight into just how toxic child sexual abuse can be. and how people who look quite normal can be engaged in it. here's a woman with her head in the sand if things are what they seem to be, literally allowing her husband to continue sexually abusing a boy. why? i don't know. did she like the money from his basketball salary? i don't know. but the bottom line is it's going to be very tough to argue, hey those aren't my words and i didn't mean what i said. a lot of doctor would have to go on on that tape. >> it is pretty amazing. keith, let me paws for a second and bring inning ed lavandera in syracuse to get the latest. from what you understand, ed -- what is your understanding of the situation here with the t e tapes? which can i also want to add are tapes that go back to i believe 2003. at the time they were given over to espn, the network looked into them and didn't find enough to corroborate them. and actually put it on the air, report or report it at the time, right, ed? >> yeah, that was what they've been saying also the local newspaper here in syracuse as well saying they had that. we've reached out to the syracuse police department who said that there had been -- it's hard to say. they say there was no investigation into this case, that the initial accuser, bobby davis, had called them and said that he had kind of inquired as to whether or not charges could be filed against bernie fine. it was kind of left at that. syracuse police say they were not made aware of these phone recordings, as well. >> so, what is your understanding here about you know, the relationship between laurie fine and bobby davis, who have yours, is the man here allegedly who was both abused by bernie fine and then in a bizarre and very unpalatable twist also apparently when he turned 18 had an affair with bernie fine's wife laurie? >> you know, outside of just the tone of the way laurie fine was speaking with bobby davis went very much against the grain of the little bit of a glimpse that we've gotten of laurie fine in the last couple weeks. her demeanor on these calls if they haven't been doctored is anything different than i expected to hear, quite honestly. in the course of those tapes and the espn report as well, does make and bobby davis mentioned as well that he did have a sexual relationship with bernie fine's wife. clearly the relationship in laurie fine's words, the relationship between her and her husband seemed very strained at best. >> yeah. i mean, keith, let me ask you. the situation seems to be just utterly bizarre, right? a man accused of abuse and pretty much everyone who knew him, several of whom talked to this show and other shows thought it was shocking. now it comes out not only is there tape between his wife and the accuser but that the wife may have had an affair with the accuser. is this just utterly bizarre or are these twisted things not as uncommon as we wish they were? >> i wish they were uncommon, a husband and wife potentially abusing the same person even though he turned 18, rare, of course. i've got an office in massachusetts north of boston. i've had several people in their 30s and 40s come to me and are reach out to past abusers and get corroboration and a check that yes, it happened and they buried this for many, many years. if that's my one office, erin, imagine the whole country. this is rampant. and so it's not an exception in that regard. >> and keith, how in your experience, as you talk about your office, is it possible or how common is it for a spouse to not know their significant other has these types of tendencies? obviously, in this case laurie fine is saying, she was well aware. but in general, how often are spouses not aware? >> well, psychologically, it's very often the case that the women who marry these guys want to keep their heads in the sand. they're in denial to start with. that's why they picked someone they didn't know at all. very often the roots for that level of denial go back to their own childhoods and life experiences. so by nature, they keep their heads in the sand. if you listen to that tape, by the way, you'll hear something very disturbing in laurie fine's tone when she asks him, whether there was oral sex involved. there's a voyeuristic quality as though she's enjoying hearing the story. that's tremendously disturbing. >> i think that's a good word to use to describe it. keith, you're the author of a new book "inside the mind of casey anthony." as you look at these sorts of situations, i wanted to ask your view on everything you've learned now about casey anthony. do you think that she was abused? what kind of conclusions did you come to? >> well, when we talk about families where parents have their hides in the sand or one spouse does, casey grew up in a house where her parents utterly denied her existence. all of her pathology went unaddressed. her mom didn't know she was seven months pregnant. she delivered her baby in a suite with her father at the end of the bed looking at her. when people say how could it be she let her daughter go missing without reporting it, guess what, casey anthony had gone missing a long time before that, and her tattoo she got saying beautiful life, that wasn't for her winning hot body contest, that's saying good-bye to her daughter who had a short beautiful life without the abuse she suffered. >> thank you very much, keith. we appreciate it. of course, also to ed lavandera up in syracuse. coming up, an american college student released from an egyptian jail comes out front and we lighten up with a story we can't resist. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. agents, what did we learn here today? 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[ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪ and now a story we can't resist. with thanksgiving behind us, oh, we can finally focus on christmas. my favorite time of the year. for a lot of people, that means decorating the outside of the house. so every year there are amazing displays out front of the homes in this country. and when we asked our facebook followers about their favorites, we got a lot of great submissions. lots of him. but the craziest most over the top display is the oak dale street display in st. petersburg, florida. produced by the same family since 1977, it covers almost an acre, half an acre and includesage an 18-train railroad a tight rope walking bear, 70-foot christmas tree and 600,000 lights. just how big is it? well, the christmas tree display at rockefeller center in new york city has a tree roughly the same height but uses just 30,000 lights. the display in florida is a lot bigger than the largest one in the other st. petersburg, st. petersbu petersburg,