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CNN Sunday Morning
Happy New Year; Counting Down Iowa; Iran's Nuclear Future; Voluntary Lettuce Recall; "Grail" Spacecraft Orbiting Moon; Take Care of Your Temple; The Evangelical Christian Vote; Best and Worst of 2011
Aired January 01, 2012 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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 SUNDAY MORNING.
(MUSIC)
E.D. HILL, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. This is Sunday morning, the New Year. I'm E.D. Hill. Happy New Year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Five, four, three, two, one!
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: And there it was, the countdown in New York's Times Square last night. Coming up, fireworks from around the world.
Also this morning: Iran says it has produced and tested nuclear fuel rods. What does that mean for the U.S.? A live report from Tehran coming up.
And Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum seems to have the momentum the last few days before the Iowa caucuses Tuesday. We'll take you live to Des Moines.
But right now we get back to the New Year celebrations. You were probably enjoying your own party so we wanted to show you how other folks celebrated. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Five, four, three, two, one.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: That was the scene in Times Square. The ball dropped as it always does but this year there was something new. I think see if you see this in it. Show that video. But it was the mayor, oh, there's mayor and there's Lady Gaga. No, cut away. They kissed. Enough said. I wonder what his girlfriend thought about that.
Anyway. Nashville, that is what was happening there. The big twang, the big guitar, the music note dropping. It was the third annual Music City New Year's celebration. First one though for the big note drop.
And in London, London hosts the 2012 Summer Games and there were about a quarter of a million people there for the fireworks. Police say 77 of them were arrested during the event.
And, finally, New Year's at the Vatican. Pope Benedict delivered the traditional holiday from St. Peters. In his address, the Pope said that young people will fill the future with hope and will become, quote, "builders of peace."
And that was just a taste of how New Year's was celebrated. We'll have much more on how the world lit up to ring in 2012 coming up in about 40 minutes.
(MUSIC)
HILL: We move to politics and the countdown to Iowa. We are just now two days away from the Iowa caucuses. The first official votes in the Republican presidential race.
And a new poll out of Iowa shows a dead heat right at the top. "The Des Moines Register" poll has Mitt Romney at 24 percent, Ron Paul at 22 percent, and Rick Santorum at 15 percent.
But check this out. Here's what it looks like if you just use the last two days of the polling. On Thursday and Friday, take out Wednesday. That's Santorum in second place, definitely surging at what most people say is the right time to do that.
Meanwhile, Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann was one of the early leaders in Iowa, the state she was born in. But now, she's near the bottom of the polls. Bachmann claims she's not done. She says no matter how she finishes in Iowa, she says she will press on to the next two contests in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
As the candidates crisscrossed Iowa yesterday, CNN crews followed them along the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Of this country, I don't want to become more like Europe. Europe isn't working in Europe. I want America to remain quintessentially American with people coming here from all over the world seeking our freedoms.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we're faced with problems much bigger than we understand. We have enemies out there who are much more serious than we realize and we have not yet developed a strategy the size of the problem. I mean, I think we have two different challenges.
One is China but that's primarily an American challenge. If we fix our school, if we fix our manufacturing base, if we fix our science and technology, the Chinese won't catch up with us for 100 years. So, that's about us.
The other is radical Islamism and I think neither of Bush nor Obama has realized how deep the problem is and how serious the threat is.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I feel very, very good that, you know, the people of Iowa have seen us out there. They've kicked the tires, done 360 town hall meetings. And they know the vision I laid out, that I'm a strong full spectrum consistent conservative and someone who will make the kind of changes that American needs, and that they don't need to settle for nothing less.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, Tuesday, we tend to win here in Iowa. That's our plan. And we think we're going to do extremely here in Iowa. And that's going to be the cannon shot. That's the cannon shot that's going to launch us across the country, and we'll be heading out and taking on state after state after state because the ultimate victory is to defeat Barack Obama, make him a one-term president, so that the country has a chance to grow again.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HILL: Political analyst Patricia Murphy is in Des Moines, Iowa. She's the founder and editor of "Citizen Jane Politics".
So we've taken a look at these polls. And we saw this Santorum surge right now. Traditionally, does that continue on or does --should Mitt Romney as he's been either at the top or near the top for, you know, basically the whole time, should he feel pretty confident?
PATRICIA MURPHY, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: I think Mitt Romney has every reason to feel confident.
Rick Santorum, even though he really is surging. You can feel that surge when you go to his events, he's still almost 10 points behind Mitt Romney. So, Mitt Romney really is exactly where he wants to be.
The one wild card out here really is Ron Paul. He is basically in a dead heat with Mitt Romney. So that is who Romney really needs to worry about.
But Romney is actually doing so much better now than anybody predicted he would in Iowa, that he's going to come out of here in a good position more than likely.
HILL: Yes. When Gingrich moved up, everybody was writing his death sentence out. It was pretty amazing.
MURPHY: Yes.
HILL: I couldn't understand it because if you go through enough political seasons, you see that these things go up and they down and people are, all of a sudden, the flavor of the minute and no one wants them the next.
Now, Iowa, traditionally isn't the place where, you know, you say, oh, whoever wins there, that's going to be the nominee. It's about 50/50 with their picks.
But what about the number two spot? Is there a sense that some people -- I heard this about Michele Bachmann, I don't know if it's true or not -- but that some people are sticking in the race and will continue for the next few because they want to increase their exposure to be number two?
MURPHY: Sure, absolutely. A lot of these candidates, when you hear people going really, really positive at this point in the race when it looks like they're going to lose, they're probably trying to get a cabinet position or a vice presidential nomination out of it.
So, we see somebody like Michele Bachmann. She's been very, very positive with the other candidates. Even Newt Gingrich has kept it clean with the other candidates.
So, if somebody is not going after their opponents, that means they might want to work for them some day. So I think if you hear them not taking shots at their opponents, that's probably what they're up to.
Somebody like Rick Perry is going very hard after all the other candidates. Even Rick Santorum. They're very aggressive.
So, it's not something that's consistent across the board. The nicer they are, probably the worst they're expecting to do.
HILL: Nice guys finishing not first.
(LAUGHTER)
HILL: All right. Patricia, thank you very much. We'll talk to you in just a little bit. Thanks.
MURPHY: All right. Sounds good.
HILL: OK.
Well, if you were here in Atlanta yesterday, you realize that the weather was pretty nice. And we're going to get a check on the weather for the rest of the week in just a little bit with Reynolds.
Meanwhile, tonight, join Anderson Cooper because he is going to take a look at the last minute push for Iowa votes. We've had some great specials on CNN where you've really gotten the chance to understand the candidates and their positions. You want to join Anderson for that last-minute look. "Countdown to Iowa" and you can see that at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Just 48 hours left.
Now, on to the other headlines this morning. Iran seems to be one step closer to being a nuclear nation. The country's news agency reports scientist successfully built and tested their first nuclear fuel rod.
Joining me now on the phone from Tehran is CNN producer Shirzad -- I'm going to mispronounce your last name. Can you say it for me?
SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): Sure. Bozorgmehr.
HILL: Bozorgmehr. Thank you very much for being with us.
What is this significance of these fuel rods?
BOZORGMEHR: One of the significance is that Iran has successfully enriched uranium from 3.5 percent to 20 percent which is needed for these fuel rods. And the other one is that it's a signal to the European group that is about to reportedly resume talks with Iran regarding its nuclear program, that Iran does not really need anybody for its nuclear program and can go it alone.
HILL: Did we know -- was there -- was there a belief in the United States that Tehran really had the capability to do this?
BOZORGMEHR: I'm sorry, what?
HILL: Did people in the United States -- scientists, politicians -- did they think that Iran could create these fuel rods successfully or did we feel like we had some time to buy?
BOZORGMEHR: Well, the last report that came out of United States when Iran said that it is capable of enriching uranium to 20 percent was a little bit doubtful, but then I think, as much as I remember, they admitted that Iran is capable of it.
So, the U.S. is convinced that Iran is capable of producing 20 percent uranium which could be used to manufacture these rods. And one of them has already been manufactured and tested and is being used at the Tehran University research reactor.
HILL: Now, the Iranian officials continue to say this is not for any kind of military use. What's the feeling on the ground in Iran? Do people believe that this is for peaceful purposes or do they think that this is a show of force or might?
BOZORGMEHR: Well, people in Iran, because of the pressures that have been put on Iran and its people by the United States and Europe, feel that they're strongly about this issue and they think that Iranians' right to develop peaceful nuclear program and Iran maintains or has maintained all along that it is peaceful. But the United States and Europe do not believe this.
HILL: All right. Shirzad Bozorgmehr, thank you very much for joining us.
Respective from people who are right there. They know what's going on on the street. They talk to people around them. Get a pretty clear view of how folks are reacting there.
Meanwhile, in North Korea, a new directive for the New Year. The country's annual New Year's message called on people in that country to defend the new supreme leader to the death. The message said the army, the ruling party, and people should, quote, "become human rifles and bombs" to defend that man, Kim Jong Un. He took over as North Korea's leader after the death of his father Kim Jong Il last month.
Miami Dolphins star running back Reggie Bush won't be in the lineup for today's final game against the New York Jets. But you won't believe the gift he got for his entire offensive line. It may make you wish you had decided to play pro football for a career.
And he's back. We're talking about Banana Sam. The San Francisco Zoo welcoming back the missing monkey. Where was he, who found him, and how did he get back there? We've got details.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'll tell you, our weather has been going bananas in parts of Michigan. Where we're going to see the rain come first and later on, the snow will begin to pile up. Some parts in northern Michigan, possibly over a foot of snow before the day is out. All of that coming up.
You're watching CNN SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: From college bowl games to a botched up NBA layup, 2011 ends with a bang, not a whimper.
We got at the HLN sports anchor here Ray D'Alessio to talk about these stories and much more.
RAY D'ALESSIO, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. And we were talking about it. It's kind of a weird day not to have college football.
HILL: It's been so good.
D'ALESSIO: During January 1st on New Year's Day. But, of course, you got the NFL and you got Tim Tebow. Huge game for him.
HILL: Yes.
D'ALESSIO: He has to be the quarterback who actually used to play for the Broncos who started the season and Denver. Kyle Orton is what I'm talking about, of course. And a win by the Broncos would put them in the playoffs. It would also mean a division title.
However, Orton, who was released by the Broncos back in November. He comes to Denver with the Kansas City Chiefs. And for Tebow, this would certainly mean redemption after last week's disaster when he threw four interceptions at 40-14 loss at Buffalo. Two of which were returned for touchdowns.
So, this is certainly doing to be a big game for the Broncos. Broncos nation and for Tebow and that little robbery there with Kyle Orton.
HILL: What's going on with Reggie Bush?
D'ALESSIO: Well, good stuff. I love this guy.
HILL: I love watching him run.
D'ALESSIO: Of course, he was traded in the off season from the Saints to the Miami Dolphins.
HILL: Yes.
D'ALESSIO: He wanted more of a role with the team. And he got this year with the Miami Dolphins.
HILL: Yes, 1,000 yards?
D'ALESSIO: Right. First time he ran forever 1,000 yards now.
Reynolds, you know this -- normally when a professional running back eclipses the century mark, he usually goes out and gets his offensive lineman some kind of gift showing his appreciation. In the past, guys have received Rolex watches, maybe a trip to Hawaii.
No, what did Bush do? He went out and bought each and every one of his offense lineman a Segway scooter.
WOLF: What a great move.
D'ALESSIO: Is that a great move?
HILL: So, Reynolds, what do you do here?
WOLF: In my situation?
HILL: Yes.
WOLF: What would I give my offensive line?
(CROSSTALK)
D'ALESSIO: Give your co-anchors, I mean, for making me look good at times.
HILL: Yes.
WOLF: We're still waiting for breakfast.
D'ALESSIO: Oh, we get biscuits and they get Segways.
HILL: Shake me down for breakfast. Everybody else who comes to Atlanta and fills in here brings us food.
D'ALESSIO: Yes, we get biscuits and they get Segways. But those things, and they are not cheap, you know? They can range anywhere from $1,000 to $8,000.
HILL: Right.
D'ALESSIO: So, you know, he did not spare any expenses with this. So, good for Reggie Bush.
HILL: And what other games are you excited about today?
D'ALESSIO: I got to show you this from last night, before we get to some other games.
HILL: Sure. What happened?
D'ALESSIO: Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets, he had a chance to win this game, or actually tie this game against the L.A. Lakers. And what does he do, E.D.? Yes. He had a wide open layup and he actually misses it. Watch it here again.
How embarrassing is this?
He claims he was fouled but I didn't see a foul there. It was more like a --
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Pretty --
D'ALESSIO: So, Gallinari, no doubt, he's going to be the talk of the town today. And definitely going to receive some ripping by, you know, by his teammates.
But obviously the big story today, NFL, you get your NFL forecast.
HILL: Yes.
WOLF: Yes. It's a game that's meant to be played outside. No offense to those who play the dome. But, you know --
D'ALESSIO: Careful because I'm a Colts fan.
WOLF: I know. Let's look at the forecast here. Tailgating should be outside. Can we --
HILL: Absolutely.
D'ALESSIO: There you go.
WOLF: All right. Let's rock and roll. Here it is, the Chiefs and Broncos in Denver. It's going to be sunny, it's going to be cold, 37 degrees. Winds southeast at five miles per hour.
HILL: Go Tebow.
D'ALESSIO: Well, I will say this, Broncos have won nine of the last 10 home games against the Chiefs. I have to go with the Broncos as well.
WOLF: OK. What about this one, Chargers and Raiders. Oakland, temperatures, 60 degrees, mostly sunny.
D'ALESSIO: E.D.? HILL: I don't know.
D'ALESSIO: Raiders were hot. They won three straight. Today, I think they get fourth in a row.
WOLF: OK. Ravens and Bengals, 42 degrees, partly cloudy skies. Wind west, 25 to 30, wind very strong by the end of the game. Possibly 40 miles an hour.
D'ALESSIO: E.D., ladies first?
HILL: Ravens.
D'ALESSIO: Well, consider this, they're 3-4 on the road this year, plus they lost five of the last six at Cincinnati, who do you go with?
HILL: Ravens.
D'ALESSIO: Bengals.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: Hey, you're a former college kicker, what do you think those wins try to kick it, tight game?
D'ALESSIO: Very tight -- very tight -- very windy stadium, too there in Cincinnati. And you mentioned the fact former place kicker at eastern Illinois, also the former college and home of Tony Romo who played quarterback at east Illinois. Much later than I've played, 10 years to be exact, huge game tonight. It's going to be the Cowboys and the Giants in the Giants stadium, prime time.
HILL: Cowboys.
D'ALESSIO: I got to go with the Cowboys.
HILL: Betcha.
D'ALESSIO: I can't go against my boy, Romo. Sorry. Tony.
HILL: What about Arizona, Larry Fitzgerald?
D'ALESSIO: I like Arizona in that game. I do. I like Arizona.
WOLF: See, the pressure is on. Let's put the pressure on her. No, no, no.
In other words, let's see her picks from yesterday.
HILL: Word, perfect. Here we go. I went A&M. Yes, got A&M. OK.
And then I went auburn.
WOLF: War eagle.
HILL: I was concerned about your big guy there. WOLF: There you go. Next pick.
HILL: I oops, I went Vandy because, you know, I just felt for them. I wanted Vandy to win this one. Clearly they didn't.
And then we got Illinois and UCLA and I went with the UCLA. That was not -- that was not a good choice.
WOLF: One thing really fascinating -- Ray, what do you think about UCLA being in a bowl game with a losing season. I mean, it seems like there's nothing wrong with that.
HILL: I know. But it happens. It happens.
D'ALESSIO: Do you really want to hear my --
WOLF: Bring it on.
D'ALESSIO: I mean, there are so many bowl games now you completely lose track.
HILL: Those ridiculous names.
D'ALESSIO: The card care bowl, you know, the grass bowl, you know, there are so many --
HILL: Do we need the playoff system?
D'ALESSIO: Absolutely. I still think there's some way --
HILL: And I think the president's on board with this, too. Doesn't he have some clout? Can't he get --
D'ALESSIO: I played college football which at the time was 1AA. It was a playoff system. We went to the playoffs my junior year. We beat the fourth ranked team in the country, we were 16th. So, it just means something to me when you can go in there and beat a team that is ranked higher than you.
HILL: Yes, college playoffs.
D'ALESSIO: I think you can incorporate the bowls in there as well.
HILL: Banana Sam, that's the other hot story. He's back home at the San Francisco Zoo and we tracked his adventure on Twitter. We got an update and a few more monkey tweets, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back. I'm E.D. Hill.
It is a New Year for us all, but the stories, the news, important update. It was a tragic day for the Atlanta Braves family yesterday. The wife of the team's trainer Jeff Porter was killed after being hit by a Georgia state patrol cruiser. According to our affiliate WSB, the trooper was responding to a local chase and was supposed to assist when he struck the SUV instead. Three others in the vehicle including Porter were taken to the hospital with injuries.
Officials are now offering a $60,000 reward leading to the arrest involving the arson fires in California. One mayor is using some strong words, calling this, quote, "a new form of domestic terrorism." There have been more than three dozen fires so far. Most of the fires started with cars and then quickly spread to nearby buildings and homes.
A report from the New York Police Department indicates one officer was injured last night during a dispute with Occupy protesters. One person was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct in Zuccotti Park.
And it is happy New Year for one little mischievous monkey. After a day of freedom from the San Francisco Zoo, the missing monkey Banana Sam is back home. He was returned safe and sound last night. Someone spotted him hanging around in a park about ten miles from the zoo. They lured him in with a backpack and then called the authorities.
Anonymous user had created a mock Twitter account with frequent updates about Banana Sam's adventures. Santa even made the feed. Here is one of the tweets, "I was excited about being on CNN until I found out it doesn't stand for Capuchin News Network."
And just this morning writes, "Just telling the other monkeys what it's like out there. We all prefer the free prix fixe dinners in here."
Zoo officials say Banana Sam was in good physical condition but physically hungry, trembling and thirsty. Good news he's back though.
If your top New Year's resolution is to get in shape, my next guest says the answers are in the Bible. Share some of the verses that he claims will help you get fit. Health evangelist Jerry Anderson just ahead on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Almost half past the hour. Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm E.D. Hill.
And we have a lot of news to catch you up on, checking the top stories.
Police in Midland, Texas, arresting a man on federal charges of trying to carry explosives through a security checkpoint. They were found in his carry-on during X-ray screening. The airport was evacuated but later reopened. Investigators did not identify the type of explosives.
Still no word from the FDA about a lettuce recall. Growers Express of Utah is voluntarily recalling iceberg lettuce because of concerns it might be contaminated with salmonella.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Well, it's half past the hour. Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm E.D. Hill.
And we have a lot of news to catch you up on, checking the top stories. Police in Midland, Texas arresting a man on federal charges of trying to carry explosives through a security checkpoint; they were found in his carry-on during x-ray screening. The airport was evacuated but later reopened. Investigators did not identify the type of explosives.
Still no word from the FDA about a lettuce recall. Growers Express of Utah is voluntarily recalling iceberg lettuce because of concerns it might be contaminated with salmonella from a nearby field owned by another grower. Kroger insists grocery stores in 10 Western and southern states are taking Growers Express lettuce off their shelves.
One of two twin spacecraft launched by NASA is now in orbit around the moon. The mission: to figure out how it and other terrestrial bodies were formed. They're called "Grail A and Grail B". What does it stand for? Gravity, Recovery and Interior Laboratory.
I don't know if you're normal like me, but you get Thanksgiving and you gobble down the turkey and then it just rolls right into the cookies and Christmas baking and Christmas dinner and all that. And all of a sudden you find yourself this morning, the first day of the New Year, a little heavy and going, how can I take care of my body better in 2012?
So according to my next guest, a lot of good tips are found in the Bible. Jerry Anderson is a health evangelist and fitness guru he holds the title of Mr. Natural Universe and has taken his message to many churches and conferences across the country.
So Jerry, you have five health tips based on bible verses and you say this is the way to honor your body and be in shape. Tell me about it.
JERRY ANDERSON, CHRISTIAN HEALTH EVANGELIST: Well, most definitely. You've got to honor your body. You know studies show that 70 percent to 80 percent of church-goers are overweight or obese. But 1st Corinthian Chapter 6 verse 20 says "You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God your body."
Now, here's an easy way if you haven't been honoring God with your body. This is what you do, if ladies, if your waistline is over 35 inches and if you're guys, over 40 inches, you haven't been honoring God with your body.
But here's how you can honoring with your body. Just what you do is cut your calories 500 calories a day and every seven days you'll lose one pound and every seven days you will have a five pounds off and voila, and in less than three weeks you will be at a healthy body weight. So honor God with your body by reducing your waistline. That's 1st Corinthian Chapter 6:20. HILL: I was -- I was looking at your five tips yesterday. And my -- my third grader goes to a Catholic girls' school. And she was very concerned when I read the part that said, you know, you don't eat fat. And she said, "Oh, my goodness, am I not doing the right thing by the Bible if I'm eating fat as she was digging into a rib."
ANDERSON: Right. It's important to not eat fat. In Leviticus 3:17 says, "This is the lasting ordinance for the generations to come, no matter where you live, don't eat any fat or any blood." You see the fat is causing a lot of problems. We need to cut back on that.
Here's how you reduce your fat intake. Remove the skin and fat from these before eating. Unbelievable eating but listen to this; that if you remove eight ounces of fat from meat a week that's two pounds a month, that's 24 pounds a fat a year that's 240 pounds in a ten-year time frame.
But listen to this. This is a really big point. In Leviticus 3:16 says, "Decrease your burning fat (INAUDIBLE) offering made by fire pleasing -- all the fat is the lord's. Why are we eating it?"
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Hold on but you -- in that --
ANDERSON: So honor God with your body and don't eat fat.
HILL: But in the last thing you said, you said, no -- no fat and no blood. Well, that means I'm not eating my steak and I love my steak. So are you saying that people should be eating only vegetables and, I mean, I guess, no blood, you're even taking out fish.
ANDERSON: Well, there's another point is, that we should be eating seed-bearing foods. Genesis 1:29 says, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it." See what we're doing, we're eating too much of man food and not enough God food. So we need to change that around. And that's why we have the major problem that we have in this country. It's very important.
And you know what Exodus 16:12 it tells you that at twilight he give you manna -- during the day or at twilight he give you quail and during the day he give you manna.
So we should have our food, vegetable and grains during the day then our proteins at night. That's how we do it, the one who created the body created the diet, too. Follow wisdom and watch the results.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: How successful -- when you have people follow this, how successful are they? Because you hear about a lot of people who go on diets and the second they stop doing it, they're getting their fat again.
ANDERSON: Yes, right. Well you know what E.D., I've been doing to churches and conferences all over the country and I had a lady who came to one of the pastor's appreciation brunch that I was speaking out. And she said, Jerry, I heard you speak three times and then she finally followed the program. She said Jerry, in one year she lost 105 pounds. You don't need lap band when you have God's health plan.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: What are the last --
ANDERSON: See that's how you take care of your temple.
HILL: You've got two more tips for us. What are they?
ANDERSON: And the next one is stay strong. Deuteronomy 34:17, "Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone." And Joshua said, in Joshua 14, verse 11, he said, "I'm 85 years old now, I'm stronger now than the day Moses sent me out 45 years ago." We should all be able to say that.
But here's the biggie, E.D., this is the one that really makes it work. Renew your mind daily. Romans 12:2, says, "Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
And Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, "That man shall not live by bread alone but every word that comes from the mouth of God." In Psalm 1:19:105 said, "My word is the light to your feet and a light to your path".
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: All right.
ANDERSON: And I'll tell you what, this is the most awesome presentation, E.D., and any of you listeners, viewers who want to come and hear this program, give me a call at JerryAndersonChristianSpeaker.com. And I'll be at your church or your conference. This is going to be totally awesome.
HILL: All right.
ANDERSON: And E.D., you know what, God loves you and I do, too. And you can't do nothing about it, happy New Year.
HILL: Jerry, thank you very much.
ANDERSON: My pleasure.
HILL: For more on the issues of faith, you can go to our belief blog at cnn.com/belief. And you can also share your thoughts there.
Religion and the 2012 presidential vote, Evangelical Christians may hold the key to the first contest but why? We'll break that down, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: We are just two days away from the Iowa caucuses and the first official vote in the Republican presidential race. A new poll out of Iowa shows a dead heat at the top. The Des Moines Register poll has Mitt Romney at 24 percent; Ron Paul at 22 percent; and Rick Santorum at 15 percent.
But this is what's really interesting. If you just use the last two days of polling, Thursday and Friday, that is Santorum in second place; definitely surging at the right time.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was one of the early leaders in her home state, the state she was born in, Iowa. But she's not now. She's near the bottom, she says she's not done, no matter how she finishes, she claims she'll press on to the next two contests in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Well, the fortunes and failures in Iowa may rest and fall with one group, Evangelical Christians. Lisa Sylvester has more on the group's growing influence in Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Evangelical Christians make up 26 percent of the nation's population. But in the Iowa caucuses, Evangelicals wield much more clout. Bob Vander Plaats is the president of one of the most important Christian groups in the state.
BOB VANDER PLAATS, PRESIDENT, THE FAMILY LEADER: Well, the reason I think they're such a power player in Iowa is that they're very concerned about the issues. And since Iowa goes first in, in the country in selecting the next President of the United States, what they want to be able to identify is what the core values, the characters, the integrity of the candidate.
SYLVESTER: Those conservative values: opposing abortion and gay marriage and protecting the family and freedom of religious expression.
PAT ROBERTSON (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: By God's grace, little children can once again pray in the public schools of America.
SYLVESTER: In 1987 Tele-Evangelist Pat Robertson came out of nowhere to place second in Iowa. Evangelicals have since been a mainstay in Iowa politics. This year a slate of GOP candidates are vying for the Christian vote. Newt Gingrich now on his third marriage signed a personal fidelity pledge. Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum heavily courted Evangelical leaders and Rick Perry even preached from the pulpit at the Point of Grace Church in Des Moines.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I stand before you today as a flawed man. I'm sinner who has been saved by the grace of God.
SYLVESTER: Why do Evangelicals have so much influence in Iowa? Because they represent an overwhelming number of caucus goers. In 2008, 119,000 Iowans participated in the GOP caucuses. A full 60 percent of them identified as Evangelical Christians. They helped propel Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and also former Baptist preacher to win in the Hawkeye state.
MIKE HUCKABEE, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I love Iowa a whole lot.
SYLVESTER: Drake University political professor Dennis Goldford says for years Evangelicals sat on the political sidelines but issues like prayer in schools led to a new activism.
DENNIS GOLDFORD, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, DRAKE UNIVERSITY: The belief by the late 1970s that much of modern society and particularly with regard to the federal government and the federal courts were assaulting or challenging the traditional ways of life that conservative Evangelicals had enjoyed.
SYLVESTER: Evangelicals have used their numbers to gain political influence but this year there isn't one Mike Huckabee.
PLAATS: This time we have -- the dilemma is we have a lot of good candidates with Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Speaker Gingrich, even Ron Paul. So if we fragment that support we're going the launch Mitt Romney.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Evangelical Christian voters have been splitting their support pretty much among Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. Let's talk more about how big a role they may play in Tuesday's caucuses and the campaign ahead.
Political analyst Patricia Murphy is in Des Moines, Iowa, the founder and editor of Citizen Jane Politics. So Patricia, some of the biggest names in the Evangelical community have been declaring support for Rick Santorum recently. What is it about him that makes these folks gravitate toward him rather than the others who have been getting some of the votes?
PATRICIA MURPHY, FOUNDER/EDITOR, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: Rick Santorum is one of several of these candidates who have been going very, very hard after these Evangelicals but he's also a devout Catholic, he's a father of seven. He's aggressively pro life and he has a very strong pro life record.
So I think the entire package of Rick Santorum is what's drawing these Evangelicals to him. Somebody like Newt Gingrich as we heard him in that package certainly is now a converted Catholic but he has a really pock-marked record on his own marriages. There are people here with their own personal problems so the Evangelicals I think are mostly drawing to Santorum because of his positions on the issues and really just the way he lives his life right now.
HILL: You know speaking about religion, I'm very curious about this. Mitt Romney's Mormonism and it was such a big deal in 2008. There's still been talk about that. Are people ready for a Mormon? Yet you've Harry Reid who is a Mormon. Jon Huntsman, who is a Mormon and also running. Is Mormonism still seeming to be a factor that people are really disturbed by? MURPHY: You know, actually I have to tell you I was at a Mitt Romney event last night and I talked to a bunch of Evangelical from a Baptist church locally in Sioux City who were there; they'd come out to see Romney. And they're going to caucus for Romney.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Good.
MURPHY: They are much more worried really about the economy than they are about Mitt Romney's Mormonism and they also want to win this race. They believe that Mitt Romney can win. They don't know if these other candidates could actually beat Barack Obama.
And so you see these Evangelicals in addition to being regular church goers, they're also business owners, they're doctors, they're people; they're Republicans who want to win in 2012.
HILL: Yes.
MURPHY: So this Evangelical is getting really, really sliced and diced and even Mitt Romney is seeing some success in those groups.
HILL: Yes it always struck me as strange. We've had Catholics; we've had, you know, people who are Jewish, we've had all sorts of things and then people kept on getting hung up on Mormons. We've got Mormons in office. It was just very odd.
MURPHY: Absolutely.
HILL: All right, Patricia, thank you very much.
MURPHY: Thank you.
HILL: And be sure to stay with us for much more in Iowa. Coming up at the top of the hour, it's "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley live from Des Moines.
And on the show today an interview with Ron Paul; he'll talk about the dead heat in the polls, his own prospects for winning Iowa. Also the governor of Iowa talks about the state's importance in the process. All that at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
And then tonight, join Anderson Cooper for a special look at the last- minute push for Iowa votes. It's "COUNTDOWN TO IOWA: THE FINAL 48 HOURS". Check that out tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Coming up, the sights, the sounds, the spectacle of New Year's Eve. Buckle up. We're about to whisk you around the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Celebrating New Year's around the world. Take a look at the images; this one for the bottom of the globe. Research scientists at the U.S. South Pole station ringing in the New Year. It's the peak of summer down there; temperature, a balmy 12 degrees below zero. You know.
Now, let's hopscotch around the globe with the stroke of midnight being celebrated from New Zealand to New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Three, two, one.
(NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Wonderful. Wonderful. Hopefully you had a great New Year's, too.
2012 is just getting started. We'll take a look back on what 2011 looked close up. We have the best and the worse, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back. I'm E.D. Hill.
Checking our top stories. More fires burning across the city of Los Angeles last night; extra firefighters and police hitting the streets to deal with the recent rash of arson fires across the city. More than three dozen so far. A $60,000 reward is being offered for the capture of the arsonist.
Iran seems to be one step closer becoming a nuclear nation. The country's semi-official news agency report scientists successfully built and tested their first nuclear fuel rod. Naturally uranium fuel rods are normally used to fill nuclear reactors.
Some New Year's Eve partiers in Florida ran into problems last night. A pirate-themed party ship ran aground off Clearwater. Fog apparently contributing to the problem and then to make matters worse another pirate ship sent to retrieve some of the stranded people also ran aground. Stop laughing. Police and fire boats had to ferry about 100 people back to shore but both (INAUDIBLE) were safe.
And you know what's also great? After a day of freedom the San Francisco Zoo's missing monkey Banana Sam is home safe and sound. Someone spotted him in a park about ten miles away, got him in their backpack and then told authorities. And then an anonymous user had created a mock Twitter account with frequent updates about Banana Sam's adventures. And there were some very funny ones on there. He talked about "fanny packs are still in style, I'm going back to the zoo".
A lot happened in 2011 that people will be talking about for years to come. Tom Foreman shows us some of the best and worst moments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The word "crazy" keeps coming to mind -- crazy year. CARSON KRESSLEY, "QUEER EYE": I think it was one of those rollercoaster years.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Talk about unexpected, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This year has been all over the place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The final liftoff of Atlantis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This year was weird, wasn't it?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: I think it's been a tough year for the country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I agree.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Iraq war is coming to an end.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's start with the biggest, best story of 2011: the wholesale return of American troops from Iraq after more than eight years of combat, more than 4,000 lives lost, tens of thousands wounded; whether you supported the war or not, this end was a long time coming. And even with Afghanistan still in play, it was welcome relief for many military families.
But some of the happy reunions may have been stifled by the biggest, baddest story confronting everyone once again.
DANA LOESCH: What was the number one concern that everybody had, jobs. Everyone knew someone who had lost their job.
GRANDERSON: We've been hovering between 9.2 and 9.1, you know, for the past couple years. That has made -- that has defined 2011.
FOREMAN: A late year dip into the 8 percent range helped a bit but despite a lot of ambitious talk from politicians about plans for recovering the millions of jobs lost in the recession, unemployment lines remain long and frustration levels high.
KRESSLEY: The retail slump continued.
CLORIS LEACHMAN, ACTRESS: It's horrible not on to be able to pay for yourself, to have a job, to work at what you're good at.
COOPER: It feels like I've been to a lot of people that the game is rigged or they just can't get ahead. And there are some very, you know, very severe imbalances in this country.
FOREMAN: At least there is this. If misery loves company, more Americans seem to be warming to the notion that the whole world is in this economic mess together.
LEACHMAN: We need each other. We need each other to buy each other's products and to make it all work.
FOREMAN: Biggest blow-up goes to the Middle East where the Arab Spring movement ignited passions across the region.
GRANDERSON: I don't think the Middle East went crazy. We're just starting to pay attention.
COOPER: I think what we're seeing happening in the Middle East is extraordinary.
LEACHMAN: It's quite thrilling. Where is it all going to end?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: We'll see what happens in 2012.
58 minutes past the top of the hour. And meteorologist Reynolds Wolf joins us with your Sunday forecast -- Reynolds.
WOLF: Yes, looks like it's going and interesting start to 2012 especially in parts of the Midwest. We're really keeping a sharp eye on this storm system that's going to bring rain, sleet, snow, and very strong winds to parts of the nation affecting millions of Americans. Let's first begin with a shot of the radar where you see plenty of that moisture making its way through Chicago, north from the Green Bay -- we're not talking rain drops, we're talking snow.
And we're also going to talk about back-ups. You can expect delays in Minneapolis, Chicago Detroit, and even into Cincinnati and Boston before the day is out. I would really keep an eye on Detroit because we're expecting that storm system to make its way into Southern Michigan and here is the result.
Take a look, up to 12 inches there near (INAUDIBLE) but farther in the southern half of Michigan, not the UP but up towards Travers City, highest elevations could see anywhere from 10 to 20 inches of snowfall; coupled with that some strong winds which could give you whiteout conditions. It's going to be very, very tough see up there. The UP you can see up to, say, a foot of snowfall in Green Bay, maybe two to four.
Even the eastern half of the Great Lakes can get in on the action. Wind gusts approaching 50 miles an hour through Sunday all the way to Tuesday. We've got warnings, watches, advisories in effect; several feet possible in Buffalo, Erie and in Syracuse.
Here are the morning gusts we were talking about -- anywhere from 55 to 60 miles per hour. We're talking tropical storm force winds if that low moves through eventually affecting all of the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes. Right behind it, though the Central Plains, although it's breezy, it will sunny, beautiful in Texas southward to Austin.
Meanwhile, the Four Corners, a mix of sun and clouds; Southern California looks spectacular with high temperatures in Los Angeles going to 79 degrees -- beautiful; 68 degrees in San Francisco; 44 in Salt Lake City; 35 in Billings; 28 in Minneapolis; 42 in Chicago; 63 in Atlanta; and a string of 40s, 50s, and 60s for the northeast. Back to you, E.D.
HILL: You know what; it was great starting the New Year with you.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: Back at you. It was a lot of fun.
HILL: Thank you all for joining us to start your New Year. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley starts right now.
