MIDDAY UPDATE: Elizabeth Warren, trade deficit, Kinect

Today we were joined by Elizabeth Warren, special advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Warren has been tasked with serving as the interim chief of the Bureau, helping to get the project on its feet to protect and inform consumers. The Harvard professor has faced objections from Republicans for coming down too hard on financial institutions, but she stands by her cause.

We heard today that the U.S. trade deficit is down 3.2 percent in October. The number represents the difference between what the U.S. buys from other countries and what we sell to other countries. It shows that U.S. exports are “cranking up,” according to CBS MoneyWatch’s Jill Schlesinger.

And finally, Microsoft breaks into the world of motion gaming in November with its newest XBOX 360 gadget, Kinect. Sales are going through the roof, just in time for the holidays.