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CNN Saturday Morning News

Times Square Prepares for New Year's Celebration; New Laws to Take Effect in the New Year; Political Analysts Examine Iowa Caucuses; Primary Process for Presidential Nomination Reviewed; Brock Lesnar Retires from UFC; Monkey Missing from San Francisco Zoo

Aired December 31, 2011 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

E.D. HILL, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN World Headquarters, bringing you news and analysis live from around the globe. Live from Studio Seven, this is CNN Saturday Morning.

And good morning. Thank you so much for joining us this Saturday. At this hour, Seoul, South Korea rings in the New Year with the striking of a bell. And about a million people are expected to crowd Times Square tonight. What's being done to keep them all safe? We have a live report with preparations.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, 21 fires and a $61,000 reward. People are scared, authorities are desperate.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, this is CNN Saturday morning. I'm E.D. Hill. We start this hour in Iowa. It is hard to believe, there are only three days left until the first votes are cast in the Republican presidential race. It seems like we've been waiting for a year or so. So, of course, all the candidates are in Iowa. Try and shake every last hand or are they? CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser joins us now from Des Moines. So is Mitt Romney there?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: He's on his way back, E.D. He's right now in New Hampshire. This morning, he was in Hampton, New Hampshire, a breakfast that he was reaching out to voters in the first primary state. Remember, New Hampshire goes one week after Iowa. Iowa goes on Tuesday. New Hampshire goes one week later with the first in the nation primary state.

Romney was here earlier yesterday, and when he left, he left the keys of the bus in good hands with Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor. Remember, a lot of Republicans wanted Christie to run for the White House on his own. He didn't, and back in October he endorsed Mitt Romney. So Christie and Mitt Romney's wife campaigned all day yesterday. Romney coming right back here this afternoon to Iowa.

And let's talk about New Gingrich. We've got live pictures right now. Gingrich is going to be on the campaign trail in Iowa today. This is Tish's restaurant and bus stop. E.D., we've seen his poll numbers come down. Back at the beginning of the month, he was the front- runner in Iowa and in national polls as well. But a lot of that negative advertising in Iowa has brought his numbers down.

Let's talk about somebody's whose numbers are surging and that is Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania. He was almost an afterthought in this battle for the GOP nomination until a few weeks ago. Now he is in third place in two new polls that came out in the last couple days. Now he's coming under attack. That's what happens when you rise in the polls. One of those people attacking him is Texas governor Rick Perry.

HILL: Who dares to skip Iowa? You mentioned Mitt Romney is coming back, but I heard Ron Paul said family is more important, I'm taking a break.

STEINHAUSER: Ron Paul was here all day yesterday for the last three days nonstop campaigning across the state. But you're right, he's not here today. He's back in Texas. And he's going to be spending New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with his wife. Campaign says Ron Paul will be right back here Monday morning and he will be campaign, his son, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. One thing about this, it is odd. Why wait just two or three days before the caucuses? But you know, you've seen these, E.D. Ron Paul's supporters here in Iowa and across the country, they are very energetic and enthusiastic. These are the types of people that will show up at the caucus site even if Ron Paul is not in the state, E.D.

HILL: Thanks so much for joining us.

Later this hour, I'll break down the Iowa caucuses with Republican strategist Lenny McAllister and "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" editorial columnist and political blogger Jay Bookman. So be sure to join us.

And do you want to hear the candidates? Sound bites you can get anywhere. You can flip the channels, get them anyplace. However, if you really want to hear their positions, how they think, what they've got to say in total, join CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley. She is live in Iowa, and her show is going to be called "The Contenders 2012." It comes your way at 2:00 eastern. If you're interested in the political process, this is something you really shouldn't miss.

Then tomorrow night, join Anderson Cooper at the last minute push for Iowa vote. It's "countdown to Iowa, The Final 48 Hours." Check it out tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. eastern.

International news, a New Year perhaps changes for the better. Iran says it will not close the Strait of Hormuz. The country had threatened to block oil shipments through the key in the area if sanctions on Iranian oil were enforced. Iran's Navy is conducting exercises in the region this weekend. Reportedly they test-fired a long range missile during the training today. Now a senior commander says, nope, we didn't, but we will in the next couple days.

Take a look at these mug-shots. These two people will not get parent of the year awards. They're in jail on child abuse charges. What did they do? Investigators say they used duct tape to tie up their two kids, even covering the kids' mouth, and then posted pictures on Facebook. The mom says, oh, it was just a joke. The kids thought it was funny. What? Police aren't laughing. They're keeping the pictures under wraps. The kids, who thought it was so funny, a 10- month-old girl and a two-year-old boy. They are now with their grandparents and their parents are spending time behind bars.

And if you need $60,000 it could be yours if you have information about a string of suspected arson fires in Hollywood. There was another one last night. Now law enforcement hopes the rewards will help solve the crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZEV YAROSLAVSKY, SUPERVISOR, LOS ANGELES: We are dead serious about trying to apprehend the individual or individuals who are responsible for this. We want to get these SOBs before they hurt somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: All of the fires started with cars and trucks on fire. Some of those fires spread to nearby houses. So far police are investigating 21 fires.

An important update for parents with small kids. Enfamil, a lot of parents tossed it out because there were problems with a couple of children. The government tests show deaths of the two babies and the infection of two others may not be linked to any specific brand of formula. Some parents dropped Enfamil with the case surfaced, but another of the cases developed a completely different brand of baby formula. All four babies were infected by a rare, deadly bacteria that can multiply in deadly baby formula and water. The tests shows they were not related to a common source.

Verizon customers are asking customers, can you hear me now? Numerous complaints pushed Verizon to drop the plan to start charging a fee to pay some bills. They wanted to charge $2 extra for one time payments online or by phone. Their customers had a fuss, and now the nation's largest cellular company is listening.

A rare treat for some lucky visitors at Yosemite Park. Take a look at this. It is Lake Tania? How do you pronounce that?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Works for me.

HILL: Look at that. Low snowfall making it possible for visitors to travel in skis. Amazing. Most people have never seen the lake frozen. Isn't that pretty?

WOLF: It's a beautiful thing to see. When you go to Yosemite, you have that incredible, beautiful valley. There's so many incredible sights. What is not to love?

HILL: I've been to a lot of places in America. That's one I haven't gotten to. Gorgeous. What's the rest of the country looking like?

(WEATHER BREAK)

HILL: Who is going to be performing in Times Square tonight? We will find the answers and head to New York's party central live to Times Square, next.

And it is now 2012 in two more countries. Here are the pictures from is Seoul, South Korean, and Tokyo, Japan, both ringing in the New Year just moments ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: As the new year rolls in, thousands of new laws are going to hit the books. Here's Josh Levs to tell us about them.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Earlier we talked about some of the contentious ones. You get new laws about immigration and abortion. A lot of people find some laws more surprising, or let's just say unexpected. One of them is about mixing alcohol with caffeine. There's a new law in California that's banning beer with caffeine added. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said caffeine and alcohol is a public health concern.

HILL: What's that drink at the bar they mix? It's a big thing when you're 22, and it's alcohol and coffee and you get the buzz and hyper.

LEVS: They're saying you can't sell beer in which caffeine has been added as another ingredient.

HILL: There goes the fun.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL: No, go ahead.

LEVS: In California, we mentioned earlier about cough syrup. This is an over the counter cough medicine that contains what's called DXM will no longer be sold to minors in California. There are some young people who have been using it as a recreational drug. In order to try to avoid that, they're making it prescription only for minors now.

HILL: Some pharmacies have all that stuff now behind the counters. Even if they could have it out, they're keeping it back there.

LEVS: And I've got two more to show you. We're looking at west coast laws because a lot of our west coast folks are waking up now. All these take effect tomorrow, January 1st. They're among the thousands of new laws.

HILL: There are 40,000.

LEVS: Yes, 40,000 passed this year and a bunch of them go into effect tomorrow. Out of Oregon, they're going to required computerized breathalyzers for DUI convicts.

One more out of Oregon that I think is interesting is that state colleges are waving tuition for foster children up to age 25. If you're a foster child 25 years or younger, no college tuition and no fees for state colleges and universities.

HILL: Good. LEVS: You want to give them a fighting chance, you know?

HILL: Well, you do. And if you're in states illegally, there are a lot of benefits states give you. Why not at least give it to foster kids who are here? I like that. Anything to help the kids who have already had a pretty rough time of it.

LEVS: If it works out well in Oregon, we'll see maybe other states approving those laws.

Let me mention, coming up at 11:00 eastern we're going to talk about new laws on abortion and immigration. And one state is now requiring that students be education about the contributions of gay and transgender Americans.

HILL: Thank you very much.

LEVS: You got it.

HILL: It's time to say goodbye to 2011. Do you have any big plans? CNN does. Be sure to ring in the New Year with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. That starts at 11:00 p.m. tonight. They're live in Times Square. Great entertainment tonight.

And if you smoke, you won't get a job, at least from one employer. We'll tell you who it is and how they're screening potential employees.

Plus, for all you procrastinators out there, there are three simple things you can do today to save yourself money at tax time. We'll have them for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: We're not sheep. We just like to be careful with your money. If you can save money on taxes, more power to you. Three simple things you can do. Give donations to charities in the mail. Go online, make a contribution today. Also, clean out the clutter, you know? If you're one of those hoarders, get rid of it. Take it to a donation center and get that tax receipt. If you have extra cash, we all want that, you could pay your January mortgage early. That means you could deduct that extra interest in 2011. You can pay property taxes due early and deduct it this year if you have the extra money. You could also stash cash in a 529 college savings plan by the end of the year.

And for more tips on cutting your tax Bill, go to Forbes.com. Great ideas.

Severe weather to talk about, also. There's a giant cloud of ash hanging over last rights now. It comes from the Cleveland Volcano around the southwest of Anchorage. There was an explosion at the volcano this week. The ash went 15,000 feet into the air prompting warnings for airplanes. This morning, though, the threat level has dropped.

(WEATHER BREAK)

WOLF: Hey, something else is going to be kind of bad, not necessarily in terms of weather, but bad for smokers. In fact we're going to talk about this for just a moment. If you smoke, it may be harder for you to get your fix and to get a job in 2012. Take a hospital, for example, in Danville, Pennsylvania, where they announced it will stop hiring smokers. That's right. If you apply for a job there and you happen to smoke, it may be very tough. They plan to start screening job applicants starting February 1st. Those that test positive, you're going to be offered help to quit. The reaction, as you can expect, has been very, very mixed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL METROKA, GEISINGER HEALTH PLAN: We're a health care organization. We're trying to make you better. If we have that lifestyle, maybe it incents you to be like that, as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's not fair. Everybody chooses to do what they want to. So if you smoke, why can't you have a job? I think that's discriminatory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They test for just drugs, marijuana, cocaine, and all that stuff. But tobacco? I don't see the big deal. I think they have the right to use tobacco products and everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Take a look at this. I asked this earlier on Facebook. What do you think about training job applicants for nicotine? Crystal says, "I am a nonsmoker. Even I think it's a bad idea." Here is another one we had. George says, "I disagree with this. What you do away from work is your own business." And here is another one. "I recently applied for a job here in central Texas with a hospital that had a total no smoking policy. They definitely have the right to hire the people they want, and if they want nonsmokers, then more power to them." That came from Chris Wilkinson on Facebook.

All right, kind of interesting. As I mentioned, everyone has an opinion. Before the morning is out, we're probably going to have a few more of those.

HILL: You bet. Thank you very much.

Putting it into a dangerous New Year's Eve activity, one mother's crusade could help save lives tonight. We'll tell you about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: What goes up must come down. If that object is a bullet, the outcome can become deadly. Around New Year's Eve, we hear of a lot of celebratory gunfire and the damage that it does. George Howell hopes one mother who is doing something right now, a crusade, may help stop the shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see the sparks. I see the sparks.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a dangerous tradition that plays out across the country each year with deadly consequences.

NATHALEE PETERS, SON KILLED BY CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE: We were over here on this right-hand side, exactly where that bucket is. That's where both of us were sitting next to each other.

HOWELL: Something Nathalee Peters knows all too well since her son was killed two years ago inside this church at a New Year's watch party.

(on camera): You can still see?

PETERS: Yes, right there. It pierced the room.

HOWELL: That's where it came down?

PETERS: Yes. I didn't really know what happened and I picked him up because he was bleeding so much. Others were saying it was a bullet.

HOWELL (voice-over): The victim of celebratory gunfire. A stray bullet struck Markel Peters head. His mother may never know who fired the fatal shot. But the tragedy has sparked a movement. Officials are asking people to take Markel's pledge online, a promise not to fire off weapons.

(on camera) Has Markel's pledge made a difference in DeKalb County when it comes to celebratory gunfire?

BURRELL ELLIS, CEO, DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA: Well, I think we can make headway and slow it down. We saw a 47 decline in celebratory gunfire from one year to the next as a result of our awareness campaign.

HOWELL: Many other cities are taking similar stands. From Los Angeles to Birmingham, Alabama, police are using technology called shot spotter, microphones placed in neighborhoods that can capture the sound of gunfire and pinpoint its origin. And in Miami, city officials are promoting a campaign called "One bullet kills the party" to prevent death and injury seen in recent years.

AUDREY EDMUNDSON, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSIONER: When you hear the gunshots, when you see someone out there this holiday season, when you see them out there celebrating with gunfire, please, stop, pick up the phone, dial 911.

HOWELL: Other people don't think about it or they don't realize it at the time, you fire a bullet in the air, it can travel great lengths and it must come down somewhere. And in this case, two years ago, it came down through the roof of this church and changed a family's life forever.

PETERS: They took my only child away.

HOWELL (on camera): Do you think people realize what they're doing?

PETERS: That person probably didn't know what he did, but probably didn't know what happened.

HOWELL (voice-over): George Howell, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Good luck to that movement.

In New York City, police are now beefing up security for tonight's big New Year's Eve bash. A million people are expected to watch the ball drop tonight in Times Square. CNN's David Ariosto joins us now. So can you sense a heightened police presence this early?

DAVID ARIOSTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's tough to tell. There's certainly a number of plain clothed security officer here, NYPD, federal authorities. About 10,000 of them have fanned out across the city protecting areas such as the Hudson area where ships will be, they can be cruise ships enjoying dinner cruises and as well as several other officers here in the city.

But, you know, it's also a party. So when we have people coming down to New York city, there's not going to be alcohol or any kind of backpacks allowed right here in Times Square. They'll be put in these pens, about 65 of them. Once they're inside, they won't be allowed. So no coffee, no bathroom breaks. People have to stick it out and wait until 11:59 when that ball drops.

Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin will be right behind me on that platform there. You can see now people are starting to congregate here. Earlier this morning, we had a mix of a number of individuals. There's a sentiment of New Year's. You can feel it in Times Square taking hold. For this reporter, it's taken hold, as well. So happy New Year.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL: Well, now you're ready. Thank you very much.

ARIOSTO: Yes.

HILL: It is time to say goodbye to 2011. Do you have any big plans? CNN does. You can ring in the New Year with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. You'll see all the action, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Bieber fever. It's all going on there. And you can catch it from the comfort of your own home.

Ron Paul looking pretty good in Iowa. But what would a Ron Paul win really mean for the Republican party? We'll check that out, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: It is 30 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm E.D. Hill. And thank you for starting your day with us here at CNN. Checking the top stories, Iran changing its mind, now saying it won't close the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran had threatened to block oil shipments if western sanctions against Iranian oil were enforced. Iran's Navy is conducting exercises in the region this weekend. Iranian senior commanders say they will test-fire a long range missile in the next few days.

Also, Iran is proposing a new round of its controversial program with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany. A recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, raises concerns Iran might be developing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies that.

And a last minute agreement this morning avoiding a strike by 22,000 office cleaners in New York City. According to Crane's New York Business, workers would get raises of 5.6 percent over the years plus $1,111 bonuses. Union members still have to ratify the agreement.

Now to politics. The latest CNN-"TIME" magazine-ORC poll shows Mitt Romney as the top choice for those likely to take part in Tuesday's Iowa Republican caucuses. Ron Paul running second with Rick Santorum in third just ahead of Newt Gingrich. A new NBC poll shows similar numbers.

In Iowa, it's all about the expectations game. The winner will be the one who does the best job exceeding those expectations. Joining me now, Lenny McAllister in Chicago, and here with me in the studio filling in for Maria Cardona this week is "Atlanta Journal- Constitution" editorial page columnist and political blogger Jay Bookman.

Let me start with you, Jay. For the most part I think the preview to this whole thing, we've been watching poll after poll, it keeps changing. First it's Romney, then it's Newt Gingrich, no, it's Ron Paul. Why do you think the voters flip-flop around so much?

JAY BOOKMAN, COLUMNIST, "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: I think they're -- well, Mitt Romney is the front-runner. People aren't comfortable with him yet. It will be interesting to see how long that takes. But I think what's really interesting is the fact that, you're right, it's gone back and forth. But if you were to have looked at the field six months ago and said, what is the likely outcome, you would probably have guessed an outcome similar to what is being produced now. So with all of the ups and downs, it's actually playing out as conventional wisdom would have it.

HILL: Lenny, many people say Ron Paul is not electable. What impact does he have on this race?

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: He dictated the conversation. Think about it, he is one of the two grandfathers of the tea party movement. The other would be antagonist, which he would be Barack Obama. The bottom line is he is able to dictate what this platform is going to look like for the Republicans in 2012. Fiscal responsibility, the Federal Reserve, these are not things that were in the national lexicon four years ago, nowhere near as much as it is now. When he's able to impact how candidates talk, what the message is going to be, that's the impact he's going to have, and it's going to be that much more if he comes in first or second place on Tuesday.

HILL: Jay, let me ask you about the process here. We go through the primaries and I'm a Texas resident. By the time it gets to me, basically, it doesn't matter what I vote because it's already been done.

BOOKMAN: Probably.

MCALLISTER: Does it still make sense -- excuse me, Iowa, excuse me, New Hampshire, but does it make sense for states like that to be first and whittling out the candidates ahead of states like Florida, Ohio, Michigan?

BOOKMAN: I think it does because, again, it's part of the process. There will be fewer candidates coming out of Iowa than went in. But the ones who drop out will be those who should drop out. The system will work. Iowa will not decide who the nominee is. Iowa will help decide who the nominee shouldn't be. And those people will fall away and a week later we'll have New Hampshire and more people will fall away. So the weaker candidates, so to speak, are being culled. That's the process that we're seeing today.

HILL: That is very interesting. Everybody focuses on the winners, and you're saying, no, what's more important is who the losers are, who is taking out of this field. Lenny, do you think has Republicans around the country are watching this, they are changing their mind about the candidates? Because we frequently see one person win, such as George Bush in Iowa or Ronald Reagan back here in New Hampshire.

MCALLISTER: I think they are changing their mine. Either they're being very judicious, and I wrote an article about this on "Politics 365" today, they're either judiciously selecting their presidential candidate or they're just looking scattered. This will be something that Tuesday and the next couple of contests will really dictate. If the Republicans are being judicious in picking a candidate, they're going to pick someone who is highly qualified to go against President Obama one on one in the debates, campaign trail, and having the discipline it's going to take to beat this incumbent.

At the same time, if we continue to see this yo-yoing effect going back and forth, it's going to look as though the Republican field is more interested in beating the president than they are about turning around the fortunes of the country. And if that's the case, the independent voter will either stay home or slide back into the Obama camp in time for the fall. It will be very interesting to see what Tuesday and the Republicans do to shape their message into something that they can rally people behind versus rallying people against.

HILL: Jay, do you think after Iowa and New Hampshire, a lot of candidates are playing for second place? There was a report out today that Michele Bachmann had been holding off on criticizing Mitt Romney because they wanted to be number two.

BOOKMAN: I think a lot of the candidates are in a position where they have to make that calculation.

HILL: They never admit it.

(LAUGHTER)

BOOKMAN: No. But they know they're not going to get the brass ring, so they're playing for second. Second is not a bad thing to have in politics.

HILL: That's right. It frequently leads to first down the line. Thank you very much.

Stay with us here at CNN for all the latest on the race for the presidency. At 2:00 p.m. eastern today and tomorrow join us for "The Contenders." It is your chance to hear the candidates in their own words. Tuesday night, CNN's special live "America's Choice 2012" coverage of the Iowa caucuses begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern.

Now, you may have seen the rodeo riding monkey. You may have even heard about pocket ticking monkeys. But have you ever heard of a tweeting monkey? There is one. We'll explain. San Francisco's zoo curator joins me now -- or joins me coming up, with more details about a missing monkey there and they would like to get him back. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Two NASA satellites are set to orbit the moon, the first one as early as today. Reynolds Wolf is here with the details. What is this mission all about?

WOLF: They're going to find out more about the moon. Not just the moon itself but what's inside the moon. It's a pretty neat thing. We're going to show you how it's done. Here is an incredible video. This is going to be a series of two different satellites they're sending around the moon. The objective is to get a better understanding of how gravity works on different parts of the moon. The idea is that it will give us a better idea of what the moon is made of, how it was formed. That will in turn will give us a better idea how our planet was formed.

The amazing thing, too, it takes a -- when you think about let's say the Apollo missions, we had astronauts going to the moon. That process took about three days. These guys, these satellites up there took roughly three weeks. It's still an amazing thing. It shows you NASA is bringing in some cool information. There's still a lot going on.

This mission, by the way, is going to run. It begins tomorrow on New Year's and it will run all the way through June. So it's going to be very, very cool to see who gets some amazing information out of this. That's the latest we've got.

E.D., coming up soon, we're going to talk more about weather, what's happening on our planet, what's happening very soon travel-wise and what you can expect for the New Year. HILL: OK. I know on Twitter you've been following this whole monkey that's missing in San Francisco.

WOLF: It's captivated my life.

HILL: Twitter is down, shut down.

WOLF: The monkey did it.

HILL: I don't know if it was a monkey, but a lot of people clearly are tweeting right now. There you go. Twitter is over capacity. I don't know if it's the whole squirrel monkey thing or not, but he is sending funny messages. His name is "Banana Sam." Someone is tracking this monkey through Twitter tweeting things like, "Arrived at fisherman's Wharf. People still wear fanny packs?" And "Heading for something called the Rainforest Cafe. Sounds promising."

San Francisco zoo curator Corinne MacDonald joins me now on the phone. Corey, how did the zoo first discover that Banana Sam was gone?

CORINNE MACDONALD, SAN FRANCISCO ZOO PRIMATE CURATOR (via telephone): During a normal, routine morning check, keepers came in yesterday and discovered two large holes cut in the outdoor enclosure, the mesh enclosure. We quickly patched it up and did an immediate head count and discovered, of course, that Banana Sam was missing.

HILL: I look at the video and think, oh, he is so cute. I understand that monkeys are dangerous. If someone does spot this monkey, what's your advice?

MACDONALD: The best thing to do is to give either the San Francisco Police Department a call or the San Francisco Zoo. If the animal is in a safe, secure place, we'll be able to come retrieve it. Or if it's in a carrier or something, they could bring it back to the zoo. They're very cute little animals, but primates do not make good pets. They can bite and inflict injury.

HILL: It certainly looks like whoever has done this is having a field day with it. Did you see this Twitter account?

MACDONALD: I did see the Twitter account. To be honest, I wish it were true so I could go find him if it were really him.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL: Someone went to a lot of work, though, because apparently they were able to evade the surveillance video, as well?

MACDONALD: They were. It's a large facility, so it's hard to have eyes at every corner. We do have security that patrols zoo grounds throughout the evening. This definitely was planned.

HILL: And were there other monkeys in this with this monkey or does it appear from the hole that was cut that someone went in there and specifically targeted this one? MACDONALD: There's actually 18 monkeys -- well, 17 now -- in this enclosure. It's hard to see how many were out in that particular location. But the one hole that they cut is definitely large enough that a small person would have climbed through. I assume they probably just grabbed whatever monkey was sort of the easiest for them to get.

HILL: Do they have a special diet? So whoever has this monkey, will they be needing to go someplace to buy -- I don't know what it's called, monkey food?

MACDONALD: Well, they do. They basically do eat a monkey chow, much like a dog or cat food, but it's formulated for the primate. So, yes, it's pretty specialized. That's one of the reasons we need to get him back here. Not only that, but he's a highly social animal. He's older, on medication, and he needs to come back.

HILL: Hopefully whoever took him is listening now. Corrine MacDonald, thank you very much.

MACDONALD: Thank you.

HILL: Primaries and candidates and caucuses, oh my. It is the season to get them all straight. So what's the real difference? And why is it Iowa and then New Hampshire? Why do they get to go first, always? We'll check that out, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: The first contest in the Republican presidential race is just three days away, and it's the Iowa caucuses, the of course followed by the New Hampshire primary. So what is the difference between a caucus and a primary? CNN senior national correspondent John King explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Every four years, we have to pick a president. We have to pick a nominee based on the system we have. I think there's great value in it.

The caucus process is crazy, and it's fun. And in some ways, it's democracy as basic as you can get it. The Rick Perry people organize over there. The Mitt Romney people over there, the Ron Paul group, the Gingrich group, so on and so forth. You go into your corner and there's a captain appointed and the captain says, there are 200 people in the room. I have 40, you have 20, he has 12, he has two. You have to meet a certain threshold or else you don't count.

So what you will see in a caucus is people trading. I'll see people on the phone talking to people at the next caucus trading back and forth. At the statewide office they'll say we're short, can you get me a trade? Until you get to a point where everybody is organized and you have to then divvy up the votes.

In a primary, you go and drop your ballot in, one person one vote. Iowa and New Hampshire established their tradition as the first caucus state and the first voter state. There's no reason to believe that that is about to change. Iowa and New Hampshire are not like most of America. That's a fair statement in the sense that they are overwhelmingly white.

How does a lily-white state that is largely farms get to be so important? Or how does a state in the northeast where independents can vote -- why should independents get to influence the Republican or the Democratic primary? That's not fair.

But if you look at the participation, there is some value in candidates having to go to town halls and take questions from everyday Americans over the course of weeks and weeks and months and months. And that's part of the tradition, too.

Officially, the idea of all these races is to get enough delegates to have leverage at the national convention. And at the national convention, simple math. You have enough delegates, you win the nomination. Just in modern times it hasn't worked that way. Never in our lifetime have we been at a convention where we didn't know who the nominee was going to be. You get to the point where somebody starts winning and it becomes clear who the nominee is, and by the time you get to the convention, that deal is done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Thank you, John King.

Be sure to stay with us and hear the candidates in their own words, not just the sound bites. Join CNN's chief political correspondent Candy Crowley life in Iowa for "The Contenders 2012." It comes your way at 2:00 p.m. eastern.

And stand by for your close-up. Why were some Iowa football players a little camera shy last night? That is just ahead in sports.

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WOLF: It's been a weird morning, hasn't it?

HILL: We're on TV now.

WOLF: I know we're on TV, but we've been talking about weird kind of things. Who needs the Mayan calendar when we're talking about Banana Sam the tweeting monkey? It's a sign the apocalypse is close at hand.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL: You know what I say today, especially? The real sports action is not the political primary season. It is today. It has been the bowl season, which has been wonderful so far.

WOLF: That is very, very true. We're going to talk all about those bowls, especially the Auburn Tigers. We're going to talk about some ultimate fighting. To be more specific, we're going to talk about Brock Lesnar. It was not a good night for him last night. He was a pro wrestler at one point. This guy even tried out for the Minnesota Vikings. My point in telling you about his various jobs is that he needs to try something else. He got beaten up last night. He lost in about 30 seconds after the start during his big Ultimate Fighting Championship fight last night. Afterwards, he decided to tie him up. He decided to step away from the ring. He retired.

The guy who beat him, Alistair Overeem, was fighting in his very first UFC bout. Brock Lesnar was a huge pay-per-view draw. But now things look pretty bad. And he's stepping down. Wow, that looked painful, didn't it?

Here's something else that was kind of painful, some of the football we saw last night. This was a horrendous game. If you happened to be an Iowa State fan, it was not good at all. Iowa and the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners were all over the place, especially in the end zone. This was the inside bowl in Tempe, Arizona. Arizona jumped out to a 10-point lead and held on as Iowa tried to make a comeback. This was a tony down season for both teams. Oklahoma had a loss to Texas Tech, but, you know, to get away with the W. It is not a bad thing. And, again, one of many great things today. Auburn placed here in Atlanta, the eagles. The Virginia fans are all in center mass, but auburn fans should be there, too. Quite a great game today.

HILL: They certainly are. Thank you very much.

Huge crowds are lining up this year to see the latest Harry potter movie. But other movies weren't that popular. Why 2011 was a big disappointment at the box office. That's coming up.

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HILL: Checking your entertainment headlines, 2011, not a good one at the box office, attendance hitting a 16-year low. It costs so much to go. Is that surprising? About 1.28 billion people went to movies. It's the lowest number since 1995. Some films like Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" did draw a crowd. Not a lot of the others, though.

The former CBS news producer who tried to extort millions from late night host David Letterman has a job. Robert Halderman is now working for "Investigation Discoveries On the Case with Paula Zahn." He served four months behind bars for pleading guilty trying to blackmail Letterman.