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CNN Saturday Morning News
No Gingrich, No Perry; Ron Paul Mailer Predicted Race War; CNN Weather Update; One-on-One With President Clinton; Gingrich, Perry Fail to Qualify in Virginia Primary; 2011: Headline & Highlights; Most Embarrassing Moments of 2011
Aired December 24, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well good Saturday morning to you all on this Christmas Eve. 6:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm T.J. Holmes.
And some bad news on this Christmas Eve for the presidential campaigns of Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. Their names will not be on the ballot in a key state after these two failed to qualify. We'll explain.
Also, look at these scenes. This is just a mess. Near riots at stores across the country yesterday. Violence breaking out. Police officers injured. Why? Because all of these people are after a particular pair of tennis shoes. What would you go this crazy for? We want to hear from you this morning.
Also, Reynolds Wolf is here. He'll be along. Wait a minute, that car is going the wrong direction. The white one's going downhill, the black one's going uphill. There are going to be some nasty moments for some of you folks trying to travel for the holiday season. We do not recommend that on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe, live from Studio 7, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING with T.J. Holmes.
HOLMES: All right. Well, when the folks in Virginia go to the polls this March to vote for a Republican candidate, they will not see these two names -- Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry. Both of them have now failed to come up with enough valid signatures to qualify.
Let me bring in our Athena Jones on the line with me now.
Athena, how could this happen?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, as the Republican Party from Virginia has said that after verification -- we got this overnight T.J., the Virginia Republican Party has determined that Newt Gingrich did not submit the required 10,000 signatures and does not qualify for the Virginia primary.
Now, it was only a couple of days ago that Gingrich was in Virginia, holding rallies, trying to make sure he got those 10,000 signatures. It's clear his campaign thought that they got the signatures they need, but it turns out they didn't. Neither did Perry. This is important because even though Virginia doesn't hold its primary until March 6th, Newt Gingrich was ahead in the latest Quinnipiac poll there by about five points above Romney. And 49 delegates are at stake. So this could be a big loss for him. It's impossible to know what state his campaign will be in at that point in March. But certainly 49 delegates is nothing to shrug at, T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Athena, with the quick update. We're going to talk to Athena again next hour throughout the morning on this still developing story. Again, information just coming out overnight.
But here, just past the top of the hour now, let's turn to President Obama. His re-election campaign is saying no thank you to money from former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. The campaign returned more than $70,000 in campaign contributions following the collapse of Corzine's financial firm, MF Global. The FBI is now investigating that firm and the more than $1 billion in client money that just went missing.
Also, South Carolina's newly passed voter I.D. law already being blocked now by the Justice Department. In a letter to South Carolina's government, the DOJ says allowing the new photo I.D. requirements to go into effect would create, quote, significant racial disparities. South Carolina's governor calls the decision outrageous.
And a lot of people going crazy trying to get their last-minute shopping done. But you know what these folks are after? This is not necessarily Christmas shopping, last-minute gifts they're getting. They're after a pair of shoes. The newest model of Air Jordan shoes sparked scenes like this all over the country. You see people just trampling each other. There are several reports of violence in Indianapolis, Seattle, Kansas City, Atlanta, you name it. Really, stores across the country, these are just the updated pair of retro Jordan tennis shoes. This is version 11 everybody was after. There are even reports of police officers being injured at some places around the country. Crowds of crazed shoppers fighting each other off. Police even had to use pepper spray in one case to try to get the crowds under control. Again, shoes. Tennis shoes. Air Jordans. They were out like, what, 20 years ago almost.
Let's turn now to Moscow, where more than 10,000 people, protesters you're seeing, they're gathering there now. This is a live picture we can show you. We've seen many protests of tens of thousands over the past couple of weeks. Many people upset about the elections that took place in early December. They called them rigged elections. This is also seen as a challenge to the domination of Vladimir Putin over Russia. Security is tight in Moscow right now where Russian media is reporting busloads of riot police lining up along streets. Similar protests are taking place all across Russia.
Also, the Cuban government will pardon and set free nearly 3,000 prisoners. The Castro administration published an announcement saying prisoners over age 60, women and sick inmates are among those being released. The president, Raul Castro, you're seeing there, cited the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI as the reason for the mass pardon. Meanwhile, an American contractor, who has been in prison there since 2009, is not among those to be freed.
Well, Britain's Prince Phillip was -- will spend Christmas, rather, Christmas Eve at least, in the hospital. This, of course, is Queen Elizabeth's husband. He underwent a procedure yesterday to unblock a coronary artery. Prince Phillip is 90 years old.
And a newly released poll of likely Republican caucus-goers in Iowa shows Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in a statistical tie for the lead. But Ron Paul, still feeling the heat over newsletters written on his behalf some 20 years ago. Now there's a new wrinkle to this story. A solicitation for those newsletters has come to light and it describes a race war, a gay cover-up and a government conspiracy theory. Brian Todd gets us caught up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As he surges in the polls before Iowa, Ron Paul is again having to defend himself over language in a letter written on his behalf. We've reported recently, and in previously campaigns, how Ron Paul has disavowed newsletters with his names on them. Newsletters from the 1980s and '90s with racial insults towards African-Americans and others. With those newsletters, Paul said he didn't write them, didn't know who did, and that he rarely read them.
Now we're learning of a solicitation letter for those newsletters, not only written on Paul's behalf, but with what appears to be his signature on them. And the language is incendiary. In the direct mail letter, it warns of, quote, "the coming race war in our big cities." It mentions, quote, "the federal-homosexual cover-up on AIDS." Then says in brackets, "my training as a physician helps me see through this one." It references, "the Israeli lobby, which plays Congress like a cheap harmonica." The letter is an effort to get people to send in money to subscribe to three newsletters put out by Paul, including one called "surviving the new money," where they lay out what they say is a government conspiracy so track people through new currency.
But unlike those letters, there's one item worth mentioning with this solicitation letter. This letter has Ron Paul's signature, indicating possibly a closer connection. The Reuters news agency, which first reported on this and obtained a copy of the letter, says this solicitation was written around 1993. Reuters says it got the letter from James Kercheck (ph), contributing editor of the "New Republic" magazine.
We contacted Ron Paul's campaign. In an e-mail to CNN, campaign chairman Jessie Benton said, quote, "Dr. Paul did not write that solicitation, and the signature is an auto pen. It does not reflect his thoughts and is out of step with the message he has espoused for 40 years." The campaign says Paul disavows the letter, abhors that content. They say there were multiple ghostwriters involved in writing all these letters and that Paul does not know who wrote the offensive material. But the campaign also says that because they appeared under his name, quote, "he should have better policed it" and that he has assumed responsibility and apologized.
We also tried to find out whether Ron Paul's campaign is going to try to find out who wrote the letter and maybe admonish that person. We didn't hear back.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And you can join CNN Tuesday night for the Iowa caucuses. Votes finally starting to be cast here. It's a special for you live, "America's Choice 2012" coverage of the Iowa caucuses Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
Let's turn to some weather here now. And, I know, you want a white Christmas, some of you do, but it can get a little ridiculous here. Look at this scene here. Texas is going to have some issues. These are the roads in El Paso. A lot of the streets are glazed over, sending people on quite a ride, as you see there. Three to six inches of snow expected to accumulate in El Paso before it moves on a little later this morning.
And let us say good morning to -- who is that? Is that Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know, hard to believe. I thought we said good-bye like two weekends in a row, didn't we?
HOLMES: OK. Yes. Let's be honest here. Because there was some confusion about the schedule --
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: A little confusion about scheduling.
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: I thought my last newscast with Reynolds was going to be last weekend. But look at this. Look at this little Christmas gift he gives me.
WOLF: You know, I'm like toenail fungus. I mean you work as hard as you can to get rid of it, but it always comes back. That's me. Hello, Mr. T.F. Yes.
HOLMES: Good to have you another weekend. You're off tomorrow. So today will actually be our last day. But a lot of people, again, we're talking weather here. A lot of people still traveling.
WOLF: Absolutely.
HOLMES: White Christmas? Everybody says they want one, but not that much of a white Christmas.
WOLF: You know, the day for a white Christmas was actually yesterday, T.J., because they had plenty of snowfall in parts of New Mexico. Even the day before, in Denver, up had some of the (INAUDIBLE) areas that had up to three feet of snow. Today we're not going to see anything that heavy, but there are a few spots that will get a little bit of a white Christmas. We'll tell you what's what coming up in just a few moments, T.J. HOLMES: All right, Reyni, good to see you.
WOLF: You bet. Back at you, man.
HOLMES: See you back here shortly.
We're 10 minutes past the hour now and these just never get old. Love to see these homecomings. We're going to see a lot more. And isn't it just ideal that these come right in time for Christmas? Stay with us on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): I see trees of green, red roses too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: I see trees that are like blinking and stuff. I tend to disagree just a bit with his statements there.
HOLMES: You want to go in with just -- we were having a moment there. It's a beautiful song. Beautiful scenery here in Atlanta. You just --
WOLF: And I have to criticize a legend.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: I don't mean it in a negative way. I mean it was just -- it was a stemperanous (ph) kind of thing (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: It just (INAUDIBLE).
What's going on, my man, huh?
WOLF: Well, this is one of the times where everyone wants a Christmas that has the beautiful snow, it has a great backdrop, like we just saw moments ago.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: But it looks like it's going to be one of those things where there are a lot of people that have snow on the ground, but not so many people in the form of precipitation. I mean look out the window and there it goes.
HOLMES: What do people want? People still want a white Christmas?
WOLF: I think so.
HOLMES: It can be annoying if you're traveling. But do people still -- that idea's still there that a white Christmas --
WOLF: I'm a stickler, T.J. I think it depends on where you happen to be. Because, I mean, if you happen to be in Phoenix, Arizona, you look out and you see snow, you're thinking, what is in this eggnog? You know it's one of those kind of things. If you're in Colorado, it's what you would expect.
HOLMES: It's different.
WOLF: Absolutely.
HOLMES: All right.
WOLF: Let's show you who's got what. Let's hop on over here and take a peek at the big, big picture. Take a look at this.
Snow depth. All right, the heavy snowfall that we've had. A lot of this fell just over the last say 72 hours or so, especially around Boulder, Colorado, where they had up to three feet -- not three inches, but three feet of snowfall. You can see that snowpack is especially deep in parts of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the central Rockies, even northern Rockies, in the bitter roots of Montana, along parts of the Cascades. You better believe it. In the Sierra, Nevada, not so heavy as of yet, but up near Donner Summit. That's going to change, I would imagine, especially over the next several weeks.
No, that is what we have on the ground right now. What we're going to be seeing is some of that additional snowfall in places like -- well, surprisingly Texas this morning. We have a combination of some rain. We even have some of the sleet and snow that's forming in parts of there -- of the areas just towards El Paso and right between Texas and Gerab (ph). I'd say back in Dowharb (ph), you may have some of the heavier snowfall forming in those parts too.
Lubbock and other points a little bit farther to the south, (INAUDIBLE), Apache Mountains, the snow is going to be coupled with some strong winds. So, don't be surprised at all if along parts of 20 you have some issues with visibility. Be careful out there.
Let's advance the screen a bit more. If you look out towards parts of the Pacific Northwest, again, mainly rain. But in the highest elevations, we have mostly some snow. And then when you get back towards the Great Lakes, especially near spots of like Jamestown and near Ashtabula and north of East Lake, all this lake effect snowfall, that's going to continue through a good part of the day.
In terms of your national forecast, the big snowmaker that we have, at least in parts of the Northeast for the lake effect snowfall, is going to be the prevailing wind coming in from the northwest. Breezy and cool for you across the central and southern Plains. But at the same time, you have at least some of the mugginess in spots like Houston, where highs are going to be going up to about 51 degrees. Forty-six in Dallas, 41 in Denver, 34 in Salt Lake City, 50 in Seattle, 42 in Kansas City, 61 in Atlanta, 81 in Tampa and Miami, 38 in New York.
But the scene in Albuquerque yesterday, primarily, wow, it was just that ice, that snow, what a mess. And, thankfully, things should be a little bit better today, T.J.
HOLMES: A little bit better today.
WOLF: A little bit better.
HOLMES: Where are these scenes from here I'm seeing? OK, this is --
WOLF: That's what you're seeing right there. You know, they -- it's not unusual to get some of that snowfall --
HOLMES: Albuquerque, OK.
WOLF: But it's the combination of that ice forming on the roadways that is really the stickler. T.J., if you have a choice -- and we don't have choices when it comes to weather -- of just, say, three feet of -- if you have three inches of snowfall or a light coating of ice, you'd take the snow every single time.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes.
WOLF: Because the ice can be a real killer. Tough stuff to drive on, obviously. And, you know, when it's dark, you really can't see it. So that's a wrap on your forecast now.
HOLMES: All right, Reyni, thanks.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: A lot of people interested in the forecast on this holiday weekend. Reynolds is going to be around a lot. We'll go to him often this morning, make sure you get the updates.
We're a quarter past the hour now and he's left the White House, but he's touched millions of lives since he left.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I love this work. Anybody that had the life I've had, anybody that was given the gift that I was given by the American people, you'd be crazy not to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, one-on-one with President Clinton and some of his efforts since leaving the White House. That's coming your way in a moment.
But first, a lot of gifts are going to be exchanged over the Christmas holiday. Some of them you may not use. But is it OK to re-gift your Christmas gifts?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL FERRELL, ACTOR, "OLD SCHOOL": To new beginnings.
LUKE WILSON, ACTOR, "OLD SCHOOL": Thanks. Uh, actually, I gave this to you for your wedding.
FERRELL: This model?
WILSON: No, this exact one. Yes.
FERRELL: I'm sorry. I'm embarrassed. Sorry.
WILSON: It's OK. I hope you like it.
FERRELL: I love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's a bit awkward. That was Will Farrell, of course, the movie "Old School." He was giving a gift back that his friend actually gave to him. Now, we don't recommend you make that mistake, but how many Americans out there do you think actually say it's OK to re-gift what they get for Christmas? Are you one of them? Is it 39, 59, or even 79 percent of the folks? I'm curious about this myself. The answer for you when we come back on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: So, 19 minutes past the hour now and I'm just shocked by the answer to this question I posed to you right before the break. We asked, how many Americans say it's socially acceptable to re-gift what they get for Christmas? 39 percent, 59 percent, or 79 percent? Would you believe the answer is, "c"? Almost 80 percent of us, according to the American Express spending and saving tracker, say it's OK to re- gift? Are you kidding me? I've been in a little battle here with my director. We were arguing over whether or not it's OK. And it's not OK. Come on, now.
Well, at 20 minutes past the hour, we'll continue on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. And he's not a Hollywood star, but he is one of the best- known names on the planet. Bill Clinton, former president, U.N. special envoy to Haiti and founder of the Clinton Foundation. And for a decade as a private citizen now, he's been using his influence to change the world. The thing is, he says it's changed his life as well. Our Alina Cho reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No matter where he goes, President Bill Clinton is greeted like a rock star. The man many Democrats call the best president in modern times is working to make the modern world a better place to live.
CHO (on camera): You had it in your mind that you didn't want to spend the rest of your life wishing you were still president.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes, that I was still president. I enjoy talking about what happened when I was president. I don't mind telling those stories. But you just need to keep doing something new.
CHO (voice-over): That urge to do something new inspired the former president to open an office in Harlem and create the William J. Clinton Foundation. Today, the Clinton Foundation celebrates what it calls a decade of difference.
CHO (on camera): Four hundred million people impacted in 180 countries. When you hear that, do you think to yourself, wow, that's incredible, or, oh, boy, there's a lot more to be done?
CLINTON: Both.
This little pill, because of the discount, will save about 200,000 lives in the world, sir (ph).
Driving down the price of AIDS medicine, driving down the price of malaria medicine, building up health care systems that countries can afford to run. People ask me all the time, are you doing more good now? I say, well, I have to live a long time to do as much for as many people as when I'm in government, when I was in government.
CHO (on camera): But you can go places.
CLINTON: But I can go places and do things.
How many sites should we have in Port-au-Prince?
CHO (voice-over): As the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, he's visited the country 20 times since 2009. His foundation has raised $23 million toward the rebuilding effort, helped fund programs to fight childhood obesity in 13,000 U.S. schools, established a mentoring program for entrepreneurs. Then there's the Clinton Global Initiative.
CLINTON: We wanted to be better.
CHO: Since 2005, the annual meeting has drawn a wide range of people. One hundred fifty heads of state, 20 noble laureates. Everyone from Bill Gates to actors like Matt Damon.
CLINTON: I try to bring people together who know things I don't, who can do things I can't.
CHO: Twenty-one hundred commitments have come out of the Clinton Global Initiative. When fully funded, they'll be valued at $69.2 billion.
CLINTON: You are so beautiful.
CHO: Working tirelessly to make a difference. Traveling all over the world.
CHO (on camera): One hundred and fifty countries. More than that.
CLINTON: And some.
CHO: What keeps you going?
CLINTON: I love this work. Anybody that had the life I've had, anybody that was given the gift that I was given by the American people, you would be crazy not to do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And don't miss our holiday special. "Big Stars Big Giving" airs later today, 2:00 Eastern Time, and again tomorrow, Christmas Day, at 4:00 Eastern Time.
And 22 minutes past the hour. Fist fights breaking out. Police having to use pepper spray. Smashing glass. What could cause this? This is not some angry riot, necessarily. These people are shopping for one item in particular. A pair of shoes. I'll tell you -- there they are. Actually, I'll tell you -- well, we're showing them to you there, another new pair of Air Jordans that actually came out back in 1996. But now they're being re-released and it has people fighting over them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, we're getting close to the bottom of the hour now. And it's been almost nine years now since Michael Jordan retired. He's been out of the game. But Air Jordan shoes still make the news, are a big deal every single year. And it's always a big deal when they do a new spin on an old version. So what you're seeing there is Air Jordan 11. Classic shoes. Well, Nike just released a new version. Went on sale Friday.
And now take a look at what happened at stores across the country. Not just long lines. Let's start in Indianapolis. Look at this. Three hundred shoppers. They rushed into the mall, ripped the doors off the hinges. And you see underneath some of that? They're just trampling over each other trying to get to these shoes. In Georgia, four people arrested trying to get their hands on some tennis shoes. CNN affiliate also reporting that a mother actually left her two young children in the car when she went into the mall to buy the shoes. Also in Seattle, police there say they had to use pepper spray after a crowd of about 2,000 shoppers got rowdy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JALEN PSOMOS, SHOPPER: I got burnt, man. Look -- it came all over my face. Felt like my mouth was on fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at him, you can see --
PSOMOS: My eye. Look. I can't even -- if I lick my lips, my mouth will burn.
MIKE MURPHY, TUKWILA POLICE DEPARTMENT: It was just too hostile, too dangerous. So some pepper spray was used because that definitely gets people's attention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Must be the shoes, as they say.
So we're asking you this morning, is there anything that you would stand in line for hours to get and maybe go a little crazy? Well, send us your comments. I've been talking to some of you already on Twitter. I keep that up here on the desk, as always. But you can find us on the blog and on FaceBook as well. We're starting to get some comments, at least one, give you an idea, saying -- one lady says, she'd stand in line for a free car. Others saying, I wouldn't stand in line for anything. And then another that I commented back to saying, I would actually stand in line and go crazy over free health insurance. Let me know when they start giving that away, all right.
As we get close to the bottom of the hour, depending on where you live, you might be getting a raise. The minimum wage is going up. We'll tell you how many states and which states will see a bump in the new year.
Also, we're talking politics this morning. And Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, ah, not the best Christmas gift out there. Their names will not be on the ballot for the Virginia primary. Why? And how big a deal this is. We are talking politics with two of our friends on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. They're coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The bottom of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING on this Christmas Eve. Thanks for spending part of your weekend here with us.
Here's a look at some stories that are making headlines right now. A federal judge is barring an Arizona sheriff from detaining people for being in the country illegal. The judge also impose legal sanctions against, yes, Sheriff Joe Arpaio over destroyed records and e-mails. The ruling stems from a 2007 civil rights lawsuit accusing him and his department of racially profiling Latinos.
Also on the heels of the payroll tax cut extension, close to one and a half million people will get a raise at the start of 2012. That is because minimum wage rates will go up in eight states starting January 1. Now, the raise is anywhere between 28 to 37 cents an hour. Now, it may not sound like a lot, but it could add up to several hundred dollars per workers on these states. You can think state laws are required the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation and the states we're talking about, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, as well as Washington State.
This can't be good news for Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. Neither candidate is going to be on the ballot for the Virginia primary.
Let me bring in Matt Towery, syndicated columnist and former campaign adviser to Newt Gingrich, if you're working for him surely this never going to happen, right? Also, Lee May, Democratic County Commissioner in suburban DeKalb County here outside of Atlanta. Thank you both for being here.
How big of a deal is it first to not be on the ballot in that state?
MATT TOWERY, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: It's not - well, if the thing goes really long, it could be a big deal.
HOLMES: OK. TOWERY: I think Virginia became important in the Democratic contest in 2008. And quite frankly, more important for Newt is he lives in Virginia. He doesn't live in Georgia anymore. So now he has to become a Georgian again because he's got to have a home state that votes for him. So I think he's got to have to shift, don't you think?
HOLMES: So it just looks bad is what you're saying, more than anything else.
TOWERY: I think it's an indication that the Gingrich campaign, although I think they will perform better in Iowa than people think, they are green, disorganized and there are very few people involved in that campaign who have ever been involved in a presidential campaign and those of us who have are sitting here talking instead of helping him.
HOLMES: Same thing, is it just an indication of just how disorganized the campaign must be if you can't even - I mean, come on, you're running for president.
LEE MAY, DEMOCRATIC COUNTY COMMISSIONER IN DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA: It shows poor infrastructure. Even in Iowa, I think as recent as last week, Newt Gingrich didn't even have someone to speak on his behalf at all of the caucuses in Iowa and it just shows that, look, they're in it, but, you know, the infrastructure really needed to - to really get to the victory line is poorly situated.
HOLMES: But let me stay with you here, Lee. We saw this. We're finally done with the fight over the payroll tax cut extension. It sounds like everybody is saying depending on what happens after the two months and the battle that ensues to extend it for the full year, depending on what happens there, the beginning of next year, we'll find out who's going to be held responsible by voters.
MAY: Yes. Well, you know, this really just show, again, a failure of being able to get along. You know, Congress all along from the deficit reduction to, you know, all of these committees that have been put forward, you know, this is something that's dealing with the real lives of people. I think the president really did well with this $40 campaign. What would you do with $40?
And it really took the conversation from this political kind of construct to really daily peoples lives and how it affects them.
HOLMES: And, Matt, are they going to be able to, I guess, limit the damage to just maybe either John Boehner, the Speaker, or maybe just to the House or are they not going to be able to keep it away from the entire Republican Party?
TOWERY: Well, you know, having been a reformed Republican, now that I'm nonpartisan and I know a lot about them -
HOLMES: Right.
TOWERY: -- they can't - they can't stand - hey, Bill Clinton loves me. Seriously. In all seriousness, in this case, the Republicans cannot stand not to fight each other. They love it. It's in their body and blood.
HOLMES: Fighting each other?
TOWERY: Oh, sure. They love to fight each other. And right now, what you have is a situation in which you have a young (INAUDIBLE) group in the House, who are very upset with Speaker Boehner because they feel like he should have just, you know, stood his ground. And that's the old sort of Republican response.
And there is going to be a fight for the speakership, I think. And that's going to in turn confuse the public. I mean, the Republicans did a terrible PR job on this issue. At first, they started out and said this is the only tax break we don't like. Then in the end, they said it's a tax break we like and we want it to last for a year.
MAY: And it's a tax break that helps every-day lives, you know? I mean, people they can say they can -
HOLMES: Speaker Boehner admitted they have played this with - maybe poorly. Last thing here, quickly, give the viewers something to feel good about politically going into next year. You have anything?
MAY: Well, I think your previous clip just says it, minimum wage going up. You know, I think that's just little things, you know? I mean, this two-month extension. They'll eventually, with the payroll tax, they'll eventually make it for a full year.
HOLMES: OK.
MAY: And I think people can feel good about that.
HOLMES: What do you have?
TOWERY: I'll give you something good. Sure. I think that we have political candidates on both sides who are extremely bright, good leaders, from the president on the Democratic side to the Republicans on the other side. This country is not in bad hands. And I think we can be optimistic about seeing some good leadership.
HOLMES: Wow.
MAY: Coming from the republican.
HOLMES: Whoa. Let me just - don't say another word.
TOWERY: Merry Christmas (ph).
HOLMES: Just leave it there. Let's leave it at that. Fellows, good to see you as always. Really appreciate that you all have been helping us out on the show -
TOWERY: And congratulations.
HOLMES: -- for several months already.
TOWERY: We're going to miss you. MAY: Congratulations.
HOLMES: Thanks so much, fellows.
TOWERY: And we're going to miss you.
HOLMES: It's been - it's been great.
MAY: (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: Thanks so much, guys. Thanks so much.
Well, you can join CNN, Tuesday, January 3rd, the caucuses of course coming up there. Finally people are going to start voting here. But Special CNN Coverage "America's Choice 2012," Tuesday, 7:00 Eastern Time, of course. You can get that right here on CNN.
Well, in a hail of bullets he was gone. The death of the word's most wanted terrorist just one of the stories that made it a year to remember. We're turning back the calendar to January. We'll start from the beginning. Stay with us.
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HOLMES: Thirty-nine minutes past the hour now.
And we saw notorious criminals captured or killed, natural disasters and nuclear meltdowns. In 2012, we have that to look forward to. But right now, we're going to look back on 2011 and a big, busy year in news that it was.
Our Joe Johns takes us on this journey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Martin Savidge here at CNN Center in Atlanta. We're following Breaking News, a story out of Tucson, Arizona at this hour. Several people have been shot -
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): January 8th, tragedy in Tucson, as accused gunman Jared Lee Loughner goes on a shooting rampage killing six, wounding 13, including Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): ... the crackdown on anti-government raids. Police in Egypt are clashing with protesters -
JOHNS: January 25th, Egypt's Tahrir Square becomes the staging ground for massive anti-government demonstrations, protesters demand President Hosni Mubarak give up power.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're chanting "Mussah Hora" (ph), which in Arabic means "Free Egypt!", and certainly that's what they are celebrating here tonight. DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Libyan State Television there basically warning the people of Libya saying, "This is not Tunisia. This is not Egypt. Things will go in a much different direction."
JOHNS: February 16th, all eyes on Libya as anti-Gadhafi protesters take to the streets in Bengahzi. A bloody crackdown followed. It would take months before Gadhafi was captured and killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God, the building is going to fall.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A massive wall of water, this devastating tsunami is swept ashore along Japan's northeastern coast, surging well in land, sweeping away cars, boats, homes, almost anything in its past.
JOHNS: March 11th, scenes of utter devastation as an earthquake measuring 9.0 spawn a tsunami off Japan's coast. The walls of water heavily damage nearby nuclear reactors. And for weeks the Japan government and its people feared the worst - massive radiation leaks.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I tell you, it's now abandoned. These - these people are very resilient. They've been working very hard, but there's a lot to deal with. In fact just to see what they've been dealing with over the past couple of days is complete destruction -
JOHNS: April 25th, a tornado outbreak across the southeast leaves more than 300 dead.
PIERS MORGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): One of the greatest days I can remember in my lifetime in this country. Quite remarkable.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We're going to bring you all the pomp and all the pageantry. The big moments from the wedding and the reception. The moment of the day -
JOHNS: April 29th, Prince William married his long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton, a commoner at Westminster Abbey. Following the nuptials, the two took a pageant-filled ride through the streets of London.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Tonight, the president of the United States saying almost 10 years after 9/11, justice has been done. Osama Bin Laden is dead. That is why you see that happening right there in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The political chattering classes were in hyper overdrive this morning. I can tell you that. This has come as a real bombshell. JOHNS: May 14th, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn is plucked from a flight minutes before takeoff. A hotel maid in New York accused him of sexual assault. The charges were later dropped.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It was really unbelievable to even hear this this morning. It's quite a bombshell this morning. They're breaking a story out of California that the former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, admitted -
JOHNS: May 17th, political bombshell. The former governor of California, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, confesses to fathering a child outside of his marriage to journalist Maria Shriver. The two later announced an end to the marriage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As to the charge of first degree murder, verdict as to count one, we the jury find the defendant not guilty.
NANCY GRACE, HLN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The devil is dancing tonight.
JOHNS: May 24th, Casey Anthony goes on trial for the murder of her little girl, Caylee, in Orlando. Shock and outrage when a jury clears her of the crime six weeks later.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We've got some breaking news. Let's get straight to the Hill. Dana Bash, I'm wondering if this has anything to do with Anthony Weiner?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I spoke to a Democratic source who is knowledgeable about Anthony Weiner's plan to tell CNN that he does plan to resign from Congress today.
JOHNS: May 27th, Congressman Anthony Weiner embroiled in a scandal after a lewd picture of himself was sent to a woman on Twitter, resigns weeks later.
REP. ANTHONY WEINER, (D), NEW YORK: I am announcing my resignation from Congress.
CROWD: Yes.
COOPER: Breaking News tonight, a major arrest of one of America's most wanted criminals after a sting operation -
JOHNS: June 22nd, fugitive no more, alleged organized crime figure James Whitey Bulger, wanted for at least 19 murders, is caught in California.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, one, zero, lift off. The final lift off of "Atlantis" on the shoulders of the space shuttle.
JOHNS: July 8th, the Shuttle "Atlantis" lifts off at Kennedy Space Center, the final shuttle launch of the program.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The flight of "Atlantis," space shuttle spreads its wings one final time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A scandal brings down a storied Sunday tabloid.
JOHNS: July 10th, after 168 years in existence, Rupert Murdoch's "News of the World" newspaper shuts down amid claims the paper hacked royals, politicians and even crime victims.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two explosions have rocked Central Oslo in the last hour, wounding at least eight people -
JOHNS: July 22nd, terror in Norway. In Oslo, a bombing kills eight people. On nearby Utoya Island, at least 70 people, many of them youngsters attending a political youth camp, are shot to death. The tragedy stuns the tiny nation. The accused attacker is later described as a right wing Christian extremist.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, that is just part of the year. Joe will wrap the rest of it straight ahead including the Penn State scandal.
Stay with us on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: About 13 minutes off the top of the hour.
Before the break we kicked off our year in review, stories we all remember. Some you probably like to forget. Joe Johns wraps the rest of 2011.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): It's a remarkable moment. This is a remarkably important vote for the country. It is also remarkably emotional moment for this Democratic Congresswoman to return to the House floor for the first time.
JOHNS (on camera): August 1st, a rare moment of bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.
KING: Breaking News that could impact your mortgage rate or what you pay for your credit card. The ratings agency Standard & Poor's served notice this afternoon that it plans to downgrade the government's AAA credit rating.
JOHNS: A big blow to the world's largest economy. America's credit rating is downgraded from AAA to AA Plus. Standard & Poor's blames it on the lack of cooperation between the White House and Congress to get a handle on America's debt problem.
JOHNS (on camera): Breaking News now. CNN just confirming that Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple Incorporated has resigned his position.
(voice-over): Jobs died October 5th. Flowers were left at many Apple Stores around the world.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: New York City this morning, they're regrouping from Occupy anarchy. There were a few bursts of violence, scuffles with police, some clashes got bloody. Protesters lifting barricades, blocking traffic and clogging subways -
JOHNS: September 17th, the Occupy Wall Street movement gains steam. Protesters take a stand against what they see as corporate greed. The movement grows over the next few months, even spreading to other countries.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Breaking News for you, the hikers have been released. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal having been in an Iranian jail since 2009 -
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, essentially the mood of anticipation throughout this week has now given rise to expectations. This is a people who are feeling that Mahmoud Abbas, their leader, has put them on the map.
JOHNS: September 23rd, after years of failing to reach a peace deal with Israel, the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, asks the U.N. to recognize Palestine. The request fell on deaf ears in the Security Council.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Let's start this morning with Breaking News and it's pretty big. We have just learned that an American citizen linked to al Qaeda has been killed.
JOHNS: September 30th, a CIA drone strike in Yemen takes the life of Anwar al-Awlaki, the al Qaeda leader in the Arabian Peninsula. Al- Awlaki was an American citizen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is free after more than five years in captivity.
JOHNS: October 18th, Israel releases more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for just one, Corporal Gilad Shalit, held by Hamas for more than five years.
LEMON: The college sports world is reeling from child sex abuse accusations against an ex-coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions Football team.
JOHNS: November 6th, the former assistant football coach at Penn State, Jerry Sandusky, is charged with multiple counts of abusing as many as 10 young boys over the span of 15 years. The scandal brought shame to the school and ended the career of legendary coach Joe Paterno.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury in the above-entitled action, find the defendant, Conrad Robert Murray, guilty.
JOHNS: November 7th, Conrad Murray is convicted at his trial over the death of pop superstar, Michael Jackson. Murray got four years in prison for the crime. COSTELLO (voice-over): It's happened again. Another child sex scandal at a major university, a college basketball coach accused of abusing a ball boy for more than a decade.
JOHNS: November 17th, two men appear on ESPN, accusing former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Jerry Fine of sexually abusing them. Later a tape surfaced of Fine's wife in which Lori Fine appears to know about her husband's alleged abuse.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: : We're following a couple of breaking stories here in the CNN Newsroom. First, we want to tell you about the former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. He has been sentenced just moments ago to 14 years in prison. He was convicted on corruption charges including trying to sell President Obama's Senate seat.
LEMON: This is Breaking News, Hala, and it is history. The war in Iraq is officially over. U.S. troops are moving across the border into Kuwait now - Hala.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And what this means is that really the last vehicle and the last convoy of the last, last, last anything you can imagine in terms of the military is crossing into Kuwait.
JOHNS: December 17th, the final American combat troops in Iraq depart, ending America's long war there.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, at about eight minutes at the top of the hour now. Take a look at this piece of video. Is this something you remember? We showed this to you here on CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING.
This is a - the guy on the left, yes, the president of a country actually got some pretty sticky fingers there, trying to be slick. We saw that. We're going to look back at some of the most embarrassing videos of the year. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. As we get close to the top of the hour, let's say good morning to the dazzling and sparkly and also ready for Christmas -
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Especially for you, absolutely.
HOLMES: -- Nadia Bilchik with our "Morning Passport." We showed that video a seconds ago. You've got some more embarrassing moment.
BILCHIK: I do.
HOLMES: I remember that other one. BILCHIK: You do. Why don't we go to England -
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: -- and this week a woman was getting off a train at Barnsley Station in Yorkshire, England, and what happens is she literally falls off the train onto the tracks. Take a look at this one. She falls off. She's so inebriated. Yes, she does. She falls off. I'm happy to tell you that she is just slightly injured.
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: But the video was released as a warning to people about the dangers of being inebriated when you get off the train -
HOLMES: Yes. OK.
BILCHIK: -- especially at this time of the year, right?
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: Now, remember the woman at the Pennsylvania mall who was texting and then fell into the fountain and then proceeded to sue the mall? That one. Just a marvelous one, the dangers of texting, yes. Why didn't you put up a warning sign that I shouldn't text? And she was (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
BILCHIK: And then you show that one, the Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus, that was your absolute favorite -
HOLMES: I love it.
BILCHIK: -- when he stole the pen that have lapis lazuli, and says that's what we in the Czech Republic do. It is a custom to take the pens, the ceremonial pens.
HOLMES: To steal them?
BILCHIK: But that was that moment, yes. And there he is with Chilean Sebastian Pinera, and he slips the pen very surreptitiously into his pocket, yes.
And then remember that one, T.J., in the Maldives, where you had one of the hotel workers who conducted a wedding ceremony of a Swiss couple. It was a vow renewal ceremony. And there he is, the celebrant conducting the ceremony in the Divehi, which is the native tongue of the Maldives, but he's really cursing them.
HOLMES: Right. That's right.
BILCHIK: And then this week there was a FedEx worker who took his FedEx package and hauled it over the side of the railing.
HOLMES: We saw this as well. A lot of people were concerned about that, of course, with the holidays. Everybody having stuff delivered.
Nadia, thank you. We'll leave it there for our "Morning Passport." We'll see you again.
We're going to take a quick break. We're going to reset things for you at the top of the hour, get you caught up on this Christmas Eve on everything you need to know as you get out the door maybe to do some last-minute shopping. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
