In a surprising vote, the House Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security subcommittee voted down the TSA request for more more funds for purchase more scanners and train more TSA officers to staff them. This is a watershed moment. For the first time, those who control the purse strings have said, "Enough."

Chicago's tony North Michigan Avenue is the most popular destination for Memorial Day 2011, according to priceline.com's annual survey of the 50 top destinations for the holiday that traditionally kicks off the summer travel season.