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Decision Day in Iowa; Iowa's Democrats; Iran's Warning to U.S; Tribal Clashes In South Sudan Cause Doubt About Country's Future; Super PACs' Influence Being Felt In Republican Primary; Suspect Detained In L.A. Arson Spree

Aired January 03, 2012 - 00:08   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

And we begin in the U.S. state of Iowa and the start of the long process that will end with the U.S. presidential election in November.

We will also take a closer look at Iran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz.

And an Indian cricket legend falls short again in his bid for history.

Six solid months of campaigning, 13 Republican debates, and millions of advertising dollars spent. And now it is decision day in Iowa, the first state where U.S. voters get to make their voices heard.

Now, Iowa matters mostly because it is first. And the result does not necessarily determine the eventual Republican presidential nominee, but nine out of 15 Iowa caucus winners have clinched the nomination since 1972. That's 60 percent. And critics say the small Midwestern state holds too much influence over the race for the White House.

A good showing in Iowa can boost a candidate. A bad night can end a campaign.

CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser joins us now live from Des Moines, Iowa.

Paul, it's good to see you. And just how confident should Mitt Romney be going into the caucuses today?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, it's fascinating, because he is at the top of the most recent polls here, but Mitt Romney hasn't spent a lot of time in this state. This is only his ninth swing through the Hawkeye State since he started campaigning back in April and May, and that is not a lot compared to some of the other candidates.

Kristie, you'll remember it was four years ago when Mitt Romney was running for the White House for the first time. He spent a lot of time and a lot of money here in Iowa, but he ended up getting upset by former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. That was the beginning of the end of his bid for the White House four years ago.

A different story this time. Hasn't spent a lot of time here, but he is confident now. In fact, on the campaign trail about 12 hours ago, for the first time, he said, "I think we can win here in Iowa." So the confidence building for Mitt Romney -- Kristie.

STOUT: Now, Rick Santorum, he is suddenly popular there. Even Rupert Murdoch is hailing him on Twitter again just a few hours ago. He wrote this: "Can't resist this tweet, but all Iowans think about Rick Santorum. Only candidate with genuine big vision for country."

But Paul, let's get your analysis here. Can Rick Santorum and the so- called Santorum surge beyond Iowa?

STEINHAUSER: It is challenging, but Rick Santorum is such a terrific story. The former senator from Pennsylvania, for most of this campaign, for most of 2011, he was an afterthought here in Iowa and across the country. In the low single digits in the polling here in Iowa, nationally, and in other states as well, but other candidates, Kristie, have gone up and down, I guess Santorum waited his turn and now he is surging in the polls here. But you make a very good point.

Santorum has got a very small campaign. His fund-raising, up until the last week, has not been very impressive. So if he does win here, if he pulls the upset and he wins, a lot of attention on him. But does he have the organization to continue on and do well in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida, and so on? This is a long battle for the nomination -- Kristie.

STOUT: Yes. Talk about candidates going up and down, Newt Gingrich, he has been pretty down in Iowa, but is he out? If Gingrich fares poorly today in the caucuses, what do you think is next for his campaign?

STEINHAUSER: He says no, he will continue on. He says he will go to New Hampshire, where he's going to try to highlight Romney's health care plan, which, when Romney was governor of neighboring Massachusetts, he passed. And a lot of Republicans dub it "Romneycare" because they feel it was the inspiration for the president's national health care plan here in the U.S. which is much hated by Republicans. So he will battle him there.

He says he thinks he can still do well in South Carolina and Florida. Gingrich was on the top of those polls, but it's been a couple weeks. We haven't seen any new numbers.

He's lowered expectations here, Kristie. At one time he was talking about maybe winning Iowa. Now he talks about finishing fourth as his poll numbers continue to crumble.

STOUT: Now, we have to talk about Ron Paul. He is a front-runner there. He could make it to the top there in Iowa, but he is a libertarian, he's not a conservative. So explain why all this appeal among Republicans in Iowa towards Ron Paul.

STEINHAUSER: Ron Paul, as you mentioned, yes, tied basically within the sampling error with Mitt Romney in the last three major polls here. So it's anybody's guess who's going to win the top spot.

Paul is a fascinating story -- a longtime congressman from Texas, this is his third run for the presidency. You're right, libertarian. He ran -- the first time he ran as a libertarian. People say he was the Tea Party movement before the Tea Party.

Some of his proposals extremely popular with conservative Republicans, especially his fiscal proposals. He wants to really reduce the size of the federal government. But when it comes to foreign policy, that's where a lot of Republicans have an issue with him, and you've seen a lot of the rival candidates really attack him for his stances on Iran and some other major foreign policy and national security issues -- Kristie.

STOUT: And Paul, we've got to talk about the weather. We've talked about how the weather could be a determining factor in voter turnout and which candidate would fare well. This was our discussion last week here on NEWS STREAM.

How is the weather this morning? And what is the political forecast?

STEINHAUSER: It's very cold today. But you know what? It's supposed to be cold.

We're in Iowa, it's the beginning of January. That's normal. But, Kristie, there's no snow on the ground in virtually the entire state. None is predicted for caucus night about 12 hours from now, and that could help build turnout.

You had about 120,000 people here four years ago on the Republican side. Fair weather like we have today could encourage more people to come out, and that could help candidates like a Romney or a Santorum. You know, if the weather was bad, you'd think Ron Paul would have the advantage because his supporters would come out with two feet of snow on the ground -- Kristie.

STOUT: Paul Steinhauser, joining us live from Des Moines.

Thank you so much and take care.

Now, Iowa's Democrats don't get the night off. They will not be voting at their caucuses. But as Jessica Yellin tells us, they have another important purpose.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Iowa's Republican caucuses, President Obama is a favorite target on the stump --

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: For the president's staff to announce he's now going to govern without Congress, well that means he's not going to govern.

YELLIN: -- and over the airwaves.

NARRATOR: -- as a community organizer, as a law professor. Maybe now you see the problem.

YELLIN: Democrats estimate in this state alone, Republican super PACs have spent $7.4 million on ads. Many attack the president.

PAT WALTERS (ph), OBAMA GRASSROOTS TEAM: Pat Walters (ph) with the Obama Grassroots Team.

YELLIN: So the Obama campaign is up and running.

WALTERS: There are some people that don't even know there's a Democratic caucus. When they learn, they're more than willing to come out.

YELLIN: They say they're using the caucus as an organizing tool to prepare for a fierce general election fight.

LYNNE LAGRONE, OBAMA IOWA CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEER: We've been bombarded with ads from the Republican side, and people tend to forget that there are two sides to this.

YELLIN: The Republicans have a contest. The Obama campaign boasts they have a larger presence in the state, with eight offices across Iowa, 20 paid staffers, and more phone calls than you'd care to hear about.

Tom Miller has been the state's attorney general for almost 30 years.

TOM MILLER, IOWA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Come Wednesday, they all pack up and go to New Hampshire and elsewhere around the country, whereas our organization that's been here since April will stay here and keep working and keep organizing. We will have by far the strongest organization of any presidential candidate in Iowa come Wednesday morning.

YELLIN: This state first made President Obama a contender in 2008, and the campaign plans to fight headwinds to win here again in November.

(on camera): How important is this state for November? I mean --

SUE DVORSKY, IOWA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRWOMAN: Oh, you know, every list I see. There's some lists as short as six and there are some as long as 12 battleground states. We're on it.

YELLIN: President Bush won Iowa in 2004. President Obama won in 2008. So expect that this state and its six electoral votes will be hotly contested in this year's general election.

Jessica Yellin, CNN, Des Moines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, you heard about something called super PACs in that piece, and we will explain what they are and their effect in this election.

And don't forget, CNN will have special coverage of the Iowa caucuses. Tune in starting at 8:00 a.m. here in Hong Kong. We'll have results and analysis of the first real test in the U.S. presidential race.

Now, ahead on NEWS STREAM, Iran completes its controversial missile test near the Strait of Hormuz, and now it's issuing a warning to the United States. We'll tell you what Iran's army commander general says.

In Los Angeles, police charge a man after a spate of arson attacks that terrorized a city. We'll have the latest on the arrest and any possible motive.

And new information sparks an urgent review of faulty breast implants in Britain. We'll look at the global spread of the PIP implant scandal when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, Syria's state-run news agency says a terrorist group has attacked a gas pipeline near the flash point city of Homs, but activists blame the government, calling the attack a ploy to try to distract Arab League monitors. The head of the Arab League has released some of the findings of that observer mission, and he says government tanks have pulled back from residential areas, but says snipers remain a threat and people are still being killed. About 70 Arab League monitors are in six Syrian cities right now.

And Iran has just wrapped up a provocative round of war games near the Strait of Hormuz, and its semiofficial news agency says the army chief also warned a U.S. aircraft carrier not to return to its former location in the Persian Gulf.

Chris Lawrence has been following the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iran test-fired a new radar-evading missile Monday and announced a step forward in its nuclear program. Some say it's Iran's way of firing back at President Obama's new sanctions which could make it virtually impossible for Iran to sell its crude oil.

KARIM SADJADPOUR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT: Iran is trying to say that outside pressure isn't going to soften its behavior.

LAWRENCE: Analyst Karim Sadjadpour has interviewed dozens of senior Iranian officials and clerics. The missile test followed Iran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 percent of the world's oil passes. It also announced that it produced its own uranium fuel rods, all as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prepares to visit Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Cuba.

Some Republican contenders see a direct threat in Iran and its surrogates forging ties in the United States back yard.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm very concerned about the militant socialists and the radical Islamists joining together, bonding together.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now, Hezbollah, which is working throughout Latin America -- in Venezuela, in Mexico -- throughout Latin America, which poses a very significant and imminent threat to the United States of America.

LAWRENCE: But some analysts say there's little appetite for Iranian ideology in South America.

SADJADPOUR: We unnecessarily exaggerate the extent of Iran's global influence.

LAWRENCE: Sadjadpour says Iran doesn't have the naval ships needed to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, and it needs those shipping lanes as much as anyone. He sees Iran as more bluster than battle ready.

SADJADPOUR: But there is a concern that the hard-liners in Tehran will try to provoke some type of military attack on themselves for domestic and political expediency, and that's a trap which the United States and Israel should be careful about walking into.

LAWRENCE (on camera): Iran has put so much work into its nuclear program, it will be difficult to just abandon it altogether. It would be equally as hard for President Obama or any American president to live with a nuclear- armed Iran given what's been said from the U.S. side. The question for 2012 and going forward may be, is there any scenario the two sides can live with?

Chris Lawrence, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, Iran describes the Qader missile as a long-rage shore-to-sea missile. And according to Iranian media, it has a range of just 200 kilometers. That doesn't sound like much, but it is enough to cover the Strait of Hormuz.

At its narrowest point, the strait is less than 50 kilometers wide. The missile almost has enough range to reach Bahrain, which is where the U.S. 5th Fleet is based.

You're watching NEWS STREAM. And coming up next, it was a four-day spree of arson that sent shivers down the spines of people in Los Angeles, and now L.A. police think they may have the culprit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching NEWS STREAM.

Now, police in Los Angeles have charged a man with arson after a string of fires. It is the city's worst outbreak of fires since the L.A. riots in 1992. Investigators counted 52 incidents over some four days, but none since police arrested this man on Monday.

He is 24-year-old Harry Burkhart, and he is believed to be a German national. So far, police have charged him with one count of arson of an inhabited dwelling, but the mayor of L.A. says more charges could follow.

Now, for more on this story, let's go to Casey Wian, live in Los Angeles. And he joins us now.

And Casey, this arrest, it came pretty quickly. So do you happen to know how the LAPD were able to find him and track him down?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a very complicated and involved process, Kristie, involving many different people. They credit the State Department with giving them the name and description of this suspect who was arrested, because apparently the State Department was aware that he had had some sort of dispute with U.S. immigration authorities over a relative who is possibly facing deportation. Also, there was a surveillance video that was released over the weekend that showed the suspect emerging from an underground parking structure not far from where I'm standing.

Also, city officials are crediting tips from the public, who were very, very vigilant over the previous four days, because, in fact, a lot of them were very scared. They didn't know which apartment structure in the Hollywood area, the West Hollywood area, Burbank, just north of here, would be hit next.

Now, police are refusing to say that this man who was arrested, 24-year-old Harry Burkhart, is the only suspect. They're saying it's still a possibility that others are involved. City leaders, however, are saying that L.A.'s four-day arson nightmare is now over.

They've tallied the damage so far. They expect $3 million in damage from these arson fires, and they're saying it's just very fortunate that no one was killed, no one was seriously injured in this rash of arson fires that now appears to be over -- Kristie.

STOUT: Yes, very fortunate there was no loss of life.

Do we know anything about motive, about why cars were targeted, and also why so many fires were set?

WIAN: The Los Angeles police chief saying in a news conference last night it's way too early to speculate about motive. Of course that immigration issue has been talked about as a potential motive. The police chief saying it's too early to speculate, the investigation is continuing.

Because there were dozens of sites where these arson fires were set -- and they were set using vehicles as an accelerant, according to police investigators -- they don't know for sure what the motive was. All they know is that they say that they have found fire starter sticks in the van that this suspect was driving when he was detained near here last night -- Kristie.

STOUT: And as you pointed out, no more fires since the arrest was made. So are police and residents in Los Angeles, are they staying vigilant, however? Are they still on the lookout for any more possible fires?

WIAN: Most residents seem to be breathing a big sigh of relief. Police say -- they're cautioning the public and saying that the police, themselves, the fire department, themselves, are going to remain vigilant over the next several days. One of the things that is always a concern in these types of cases is the potential for a copycat. So far, we've seen no evidence of that -- Kristie.

STOUT: All right.

Casey Wian, joining us live from Los Angeles.

Thank you very much for that update.

Now, the manhunt for the killer of a park ranger in the United States ended Monday with the discovery of a body lying in the snow at a national park. And Patrick Oppmann went to the place where the tragedy unfolded near the city of Seattle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing at the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. This is where Benjamin Colton Barnes arrived on Sunday, already a wanted man and armed to the teeth.

Police were looking for him after he allegedly shot up a party on New Year's Eve, got into an argument with people he was spending the night with, came back, shot and injured four people. When Barnes arrived here on Sunday, police said he had automatic weapons with him, body armor, and survival gear. He didn't get too far into the park though, running into a checkpoint that park rangers maintain to make sure that people have the proper equipment, snow tires, and chains on their tires, that they need to navigate around this park during the wintertime.

He blew through that checkpoint. Police said then, as rangers gave chase, he got out of the car, shot, killing Ranger Margaret Anderson, and then kept a running gun battle with police over the next 90 minutes. Then they say Barnes fled into these thick woods, woods that as you just step off the road, you can see are almost impassable. Very, very deep woods, one of the reasons that people come into this park.

He didn't get very far though. Police, on Monday, found his body in a riverbed. There were no signs though that he had been shot, committed suicide. It appeared that this man, an Army veteran, could not spend the night in the elements.

Police said despite the fact that they thought they were looking for a survivalist, somebody who might know how to spend a long period of time in the woods, Barnes had very little clothing with him. They said when they found him, he was only wearing a T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and one tennis shoe.

It was a very scary event though at this park, and the park remains closed as people mourn the loss of Ranger Margaret Anderson. They're also giving Anderson credit, though, for stopping potentially a much worse situation. Authorities said that as Barnes was traveling into this park, he was coming into the most populated area. They said if Ranger Anderson hadn't stopped him, a much worse tragedy could have taken place.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Mount Rainier National Park.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

STOUT: Now, things are heating up in the U.S. state of Iowa. We're not talking about the weather here, but the political landscape. And later today, voters will begin the process of choosing the Republican Party's presidential nominee.

And the PIP breast implant scandal is deepening. From London, we have the story of one woman who says her implants caused her years of pain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

You're watching NEWS STREAM, and these are your world headlines.

At least five people are dead after a suicide bomber on a motorcycle targeted a police checkpoint in the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar. The Afghan Interior Ministry says four children and a police officer are among the dead. Sixteen people were wounded.

A 24-year-old man has been charged with arson after a series of fires across Los Angeles. Now, Harry Burkhart was arrested in Hollywood on Monday morning. Investigators say 52 separate car and building fires were set over a four-day period. Burkhart is believed to be from Germany.

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was again wheeled into court earlier on Tuesday as prosecutors begin presenting their case in his murder and corruption trial. Mubarak has pleaded not guilty to ordering the killing of protesters during the Egyptian uprising last year. His lawyer tells CNN he expects a verdict by January 25.

And the first real test of the U.S. Republican presidential race is just hours away. Iowa will hold caucuses in schools and churches across the state. Registered Republicans vote for the candidate they want to run against President Barack Obama.

Now former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney tops most recent polls. He is sounding confident on the campaign trail, but don't forget Iowa was a bitter disappointment for him back in 2008.

Now Texas representative Ron Paul is running on Romney's heels. Analysts say Paul supporters are intensely loyal. And many Iowans are still undecided.

And then there is former senator Rick Santorum. He has visited all 99 of Iowa's counties and is riding a recent rise in the polls. But Jim Acosta finds that some in the state still are not sold on Santorum.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to Rick Santorum's moment. Just one day to go before the Iowa caucuses, the surging GOP contender noted the crush of cameras following his every move wasn't even there a week ago. That might explain why Iowans have their doubts whether any of this is real.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm one of those people here in Iowa that is sitting right on the edge trying to make up my mind...

RICK SANTORUM, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Come on over.

ACOSTA: Santorum's message, it's real all right.

SANTORUM: We've raised more money in the last few days than we have in the last few months. And going from zero to 60 in the polls, if you will, will help those resources a lot.

ACOSTA: Now, when GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney punches.

MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I like Speaker Gingrich, Senator Santorum has spent his career in the government in Washington.

ACOSTA: Santorum punches back.

SANTORUM: We are not looking for a chief executive officer for this country, we are looking for a commander-in-chief.

He is a fine man. And he'll do a fine job for Pennsylvania.

ACOSTA: But Santorum has some convincing to do. Republicans remember how he lost his senate seat five years ago by an astounding 18 points.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say to those voters who were concerned about that loss you had in 2006 and whether you're viable in a general election.

SANTORUM: I lost an election in the worst election year for Republicans in the history of our state.

ACOSTA: A key factor in Santorum's loss was his controversial vote to have the courts intervene in the case of Terry Schiavo, a woman in a vegetative state whose family was at war over whether to remove her feeding tube. Santorum has no regrets.

SANTORUM: What I cared about with Terry Schiavo was to make sure that a judge looked fairly at the case. They did. And they made their decision.

ACOSTA: Santorum outraged gay rights activists when he seemed to compared homosexuality to bestiality to an Associated Press reporter in 2003. "In every society," Santorum said, "the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality, it's not, you know man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."

ANNOUNCER: Who has the best chance to beat Obama? Rick Santorum.

ACOSTA: Santorum isn't running from those comments. In fact, he boasts he's a full spectrum conservative in his new ad. He also has the support of Christian conservative reality TV star Jim Bob Duggar who's driving the Santorum bus across Iowa. Duggar backed caucus winner Mike Huckabee in '08. He's urging evangelical voters to rally behind Santorum now.

JIM BOB DUGGAR, REALITY TV SHOW STAR: He has a proven track record. He's a Christian conservative that has just always stood for what's right.

ACOSTA: Santorum doesn't ride in the Duggar bus, he does his campaigning in a pick-up truck, a better fit for Santorum's down to earth pitch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do us proud Rick!

ACOSTA: Jim Acosta, CNN, Boone, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: In 2008, Barack Obama's campaign used social media effectively, so we wanted to see how the Republican candidates are faring on social media. Now CNN.com produced an extensive look. And on Twitter, it's easy to see which candidate is in the lead. Newt Gingrich's following on Twitter dwarfs all the others. Now Gingrich has more followers than all the other candidates combined.

But, it is worth noting that his numbers on Twitter have come under scrutiny before. In fact, in August a former staffer told reporters that the campaign hired an agency to inflate his follower account with phony accounts. Now Gingrich later denied that.

And if we look at how many times a page has been liked on Facebook, well Mitt Romney is comfortably in the lead. Romney has almost twice as many likes as the next candidate Ron Paul.

You'll find much more on the candidates' digital footprints, including an analysis of how they tweet and what they say at CNN.com.

Now there is something new in play in this year's presidential election. It is called the super PAC. Now PAC stands for political action committee. They've been around for decades, but the super version only came about in 2010 when the Supreme Court lifted many limits on corporate donations. And Brian Todd examines the super PACs super powers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: His warp speed slide from the top of the polls has been the story in Iowa. And Newt Gingrich's fall has coincided with an onslaught of negative ads like this one.

NEWT GINGRICH, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I made a big mistake in the spring.

ANNOUNCER: Haven't we had enough mistakes? Restore Our Future is responsible for the content of this message.

TODD: Restore Our Future, a so-called super PAC, a political action committee that supports Mitt Romney. It spent more than $3 million on ads in Iowa, many of them blistering Gingrich.

Super PACs like this can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on behalf of a candidate. And all the candidates are benefiting.

ANNOUNCER: Decades ago, Gingrich goes to Washington.

TODD: Even though campaign rules say super PACs have to be independent from the campaigns and the candidates aren't allowed to communicate with them, in reality.

How close are the relationships between these super PACs like Restore Our Future and campaigns like Romney's?

SHEILA KRUMHOLTZ, CENTER FOR RESPONSIBLE POLITICS: Technically super PACs are unaffiliated with the campaign. They're not authorized by the campaign. However, in reality they are very much an extension of the campaign. They're run by the former senior advisers.

TODD: Gingrich calls Restore Our Future a phony super PAC, saying this to Romney.

GINGRICH: That's your staff and that's your organization. Those are your millionaire friends paying for it.

TODD: We called and emailed Romney's campaign for a response. We didn't hear back.

Contacted by CNN, an official at Restore Our Future, which is run out of this building in Washington wouldn't comment on Gingrich's criticism, would not discuss strategy, but at least two people who are on the board of that super PAC are former Romney campaign advisers.

As for its donors, federal disclosure records show hotel magnates J.W. and Richard Marriott each gave at least $500,000 to Restore Our Future this election cycle. Hedge fund manager John Paulson was among the big donors giving a million dollars. A Paulson spokesman declined to comment. And we didn't hear back from Marriott possibly because of the federal holiday.

The tactics used by the super PACs are legal. And analysts say they work.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The television ad attack on Newt Gingrich has had a huge effect on this race. There's no question that it enormously eroded his support here in Iowa after he had surged nationally.

TODD: And analysts say because of the results from the negative ads in Iowa this is only going to intensify.

ANNOUNCER: Newt Gingrich supports amnesty.

TODD: Restore Our Future is already using negative ads against Gingrich in South Carolina which holds its primary on January 21.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And ahead on News Stream, as the UK government studies the risks of faulty breast implants, you'll meet one patient who says her symptoms are related to her implants. You have her story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now the latest violence between rival tribes in South Sudan has sent another wave of families fleeing from their homes. And the worst of the fighting is taking place in and around the town of Pibor in the country's southeast.

Jim Clancy has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An armed youth brandishing a gun, one of thousands from one local tribe in conflict with another in South Sudan. Their fighting over grazing lands and water rights, the spoils of battle: kidnapped women and children, stolen livestock. Scores of aid workers joined thousands of civilians who have fled the fighting in recent days.

The most recent clashes are happening near the town of Pibor. A military officials reports the government has now regained control of that town with roughly 4,000 army and police reinforcements.

The humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders fears for the safety of more than 100 of its workers in the region. And the group says doctors and nurses escaped into the bush with villagers.

SARATHI RAJENDRAN, AID WORKER: We are concerned for their safety. Also (inaudible) people in town has been damaged and all the (inaudible) that looted. So MSF is a (inaudible) with two clinics in (inaudible) and (inaudible) and a hospital in (inaudible).

CLANCY: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has urged the groups to work with the government of South Sudan to end the fighting. The latest violence only added the fears of the future of South Sudan which became the world's newest country last July.

Jim Clancy reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now it's almost one year since Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power in Egypt. And his fall from grace remains a spectacle the whole world can see. Earlier on Tuesday, the former Egyptian president was once again wheeled into a courtroom on a stretcher, draped in a green blanket. Prosecutors now presenting their case in his murder and corruption trial. He's accused or ordering the killing of protesters during the Egyptian uprising last year. Mubarak has pleaded not guilty. A lawyer tells CNN he expects a verdict by the end of the month.

Now meanwhile, the first political leader ousted in the Arab Spring uprisings is also on trial this Tuesday. Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, a Tunisian ex-president, is being tried in absentia for his alleged role in the deaths of protesters in January last year. Now Ben Ali who fled Tunisia after being forced from power has already been found guilty of other charges. The defense plans to appeal that conviction and the five year prison sentence.

Now the British government has ordered an urgent review into the rupture rate of PIP breast implants. France is recommending women there had the implants removed because of the perceived health risks, but the UK stopped short of issuing the same warning.

Atika Schubert reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SCHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amanda Harrison shows us the breast implant she had removed last year, ruptured and oozing industrial grade silicon, the same material used to stuff mattresses. This, she believes, is what led to years of kidney infection and excruciating pain.

AMANDA HARRISON, PATIENT: My back and my neck are excruciating, that they hurt. I'm on painkillers all the time. I don't sleep, so I have to take sleeping tablets. I'm on antidepressants. It's just, just awful. And my doctor is 90 percent sure that all of my symptoms are related to silicon poisoning, basically.

SCHUBERT: Amanda is just one of an estimated 300,000 women in 65 countries to receive breast implants from PIP, a French company now shut down by health authorities.

The faulty implants were first discovered in 2010. And they were taken off the market. Now the argument is about who pays to have them removed.

Here's how some different countries around the world have been dealing with the issue. In 2000, the U.S. actually banned PIP implants because they did not meet regulations there. In France, of course the country to first discover the problem they've said that these implants should be removed, but the state will only pay in those cases that PIP implants have been put in after mastectomies.

Now, in Venezuela they are offering free implant removal for anyone who has had PIP implants installed. The state, however, will not pay to replace those implants. And that's causing something of a debate in Venezuela.

Here in the UK, the government does not recommend removal at this point. And therefore the government will not be paying for any PIP implant removal. However, that may now be changing because of new evidence that has come to light here in Britain.

The risk of rupture has been estimated somewhere between 1 percent and 4 percent. And now the British government is investigating claims that the risk may be much higher.

ANDREW LANSLEY, BRITISH HEALTH SERVICES: We've seen conflicting evidence. And in particular yesterday we received information from one of the large private providers of cosmetic surgery that said they know had data that they had not previously disclosed to the regulator and which was inconsistent with the data they provided to the regulator previously. So I'm concerned. And I'm unhappy about the consistency and quality of data that has been provided.

SCHUBERT: Amanda paid for the removal herself. But even with the implants removed Amanda's doctors believe leaked silicon may still be in her body.

HARRISON: My advice for anyone that's worried about them is to just get them out before it's too late. If I had known about this before I started experiencing the symptoms I would have got them out straight away.

SCHUBERT: Thousands of women like Amanda are now wrestling with that difficult choice.

Atika Schubert, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now an Indian cricket legend is still waiting to make history. And just ahead, we'll look at how Sachin Tendulkar fell short again as he waits to get his 100th 100.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now he already has several cricketing records to his name, but Sachin Tendulkar will have to wait a little longer to achieve his moment memorable feat. Let's join Alex Thomas to find out why and more -- Alex.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kristie, it's been almost 10 months since Sanchin Tendulkar hit his 99th international century and we're still waiting for the record 100th 100. His latest chance came on the opening day of the second test in Syndey. India winning the coin toss and batting first.

They lost their first couple of wickets cheaply. So Tendulkar coming to the greens earlier than some would have expected. His innings began well, but again it was another frustrating day for the so-called little master as he was out for 41 playing the ball against his stunt of the bowling of James Pattinson. India eventually bowled out for 191, another failure really by their much vaunted batting line-up. India 116 for 3 in reply by stumps.

Arsenal is the latest football team to succumb to seasonal silliness in England's Premier League suffering a shock 2-1 defeat away to Fulham on Monday. A few hours earlier, Chelsea eased the pressure on their manager Andre Villas-Boas with a late 2-1 win over Wolves.

Arsenal, who only suffered one Premier League defeat since early October. And they took a first half lead at Craven Cottage through Laurent Koscielny before it all went badly wrong in the second half. The Gunners had Johan Djourou sent off and then conceded goals from Steve Sidwell and in the dying seconds Bobby Zemora (ph).

Tottenham and Manchester City were among the clubs who stumbled over an extraordinary new year period and both are back in action later on Tuesday. Spurs are hosting West Brom, while the Premier League leaders are at home to sixth place Liverpool.

Now it really is the perfect time of year in North America, one of the continents most popular sports to wind back the clock. The NFL holding its winter classic on Monday where the game's star players get to face off on an outdoor rink.

Take a look at the action at this annual event, which is hosted in different cities every year. And Monday's match was played at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia. Here's Claude Gireaux (ph) putting the Flyers 2-0 up against the New York Rangers. They did pull a goal back before equalizing in the third period here with Mike Rupp on the left flips the puck into the goal.

Later in the same period, Brandon Tavinski (ph) is stopped on the doorstep, but Brad Richards scores on the rebound to put New York ahead.

Although the Flyers would level the score when Bryan McDonough (ph) is penalized for covering the puck. Danny Brier (ph) skates in the on resulting penalty shot, but he can't beat Lumpis (ph) in the Rangers' goal. He had a terrific night.

Now York win the NHL's Winter Classic 3-2.

Meanwhile, back indoors on the hardwood the Miami Heat have been scorching to victory after victory in the NBA. On Monday night stateside, LeBron James and co. were going to 6-0. They're opponents, the Atlanta Hawks.

And the Heat surging into an early lead. Here's Dwayne Wade with the lob pass to LeBron for the dunk. James the game-high points scorer. Under the second quarter where the Hawks go on a 17-5 run and close the gap. Josh Smith alley-oops to Al Hawford for the dunk.

And Joe Johnson, top points scorer for Atlanta with a buzzer beating three to end the half. Just three points behind at that stage.

And the then Hawks were four ahead by this time in the fourth quarter. Here's Tracy McGrady with an alley-oop to Josh Smith for the dunk. And then McGrady hits a 3-pointer on the wing as part of his 16 points on the night. And the Hawks give the Heat their first loss of the season 100-92 the final score in Atlanta's favor.

Onto Oklahoma City Thunder trying to stay unbeaten against the Dallas Mavericks. The NBA champions have made a woeful start to the season. Russel Westbrook with the steal. And Kevin Durant with a fastbreak dunk early on. The Mavs on a 9-2 run.

Towards the half, Jason Terry drains a three from the top.

And later, the Thunder cut the lead to eight points. And then Dirk Nowitzki hits a baseline jumper to stretch that lead.

Now two minutes left in the game and Shawn Merrian (ph) hits his first 3-pointer of the season from the corner. And the Mavericks hand the Thunder their first loss of the season. Better form from Dallas 100-87 they win. 26 points for Nowitzki.

Later on World Sport we'll tell you why David Beckham's proposed move to Paris St. Germain seems almost certainly off. But that's all for now, Kristie. Back to you in Hong Kong.

LU STOUT: All right. Alex Thomas, thank you.

Now from signing autographs on babies to posing with pooches, it has been strange, surreal and sometimes silly in Iowa. Republican presidential candidates have stumbled through a minefield of potential bloopers. And though they say politics is no laughing matter our Jeanne Moos found plenty to laugh about.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're unexcited about the Iowa caucuses, maybe this lady's enthusiasm will be contagious.

The candidates have been busy signing babies and signing cups that other candidates have already signed. The last minute tizzy even extends to posing with Tizzy the Coonhound. Newt Gingrich suggested Tizzy go to his web page, Pets With Newt where owners and pets like Flint pledge their support. Though critics have called it...

LARRY GATLIN, SINGER: Pandering to canine Americans.

MOOS: But there's one pet you don't see with Newt, that would be Newt the aquatic amphibian. And Newt the candidate isn't just lowering expectations, he's submerging them.

GINGRICH: Whatever I do tomorrow it will be a victory, because I'm still standing.

MOOS: Lately Michele Bachmann has been standing in someone else's shoes.

MICHELE BACHMANN, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the shoes and in the legacy of Ronald Reagan, or you might say of a Margaret Thatcher.

We are in need of an American iron lady.

MOOS: She even refers to herself that way in a last minute ad.

ANNOUNCER: ...and a consistent conservative fighter.

MOOS: America's iron lady not to be confused with America's ironing lady.

Coming soon to a primary state near you.

MERYL STREEP, ACTRES: ...you haven't got the courage.

ANNOUNCER: ...and she'll never back down.

MOOS: Michele Bachmann plays Maggie Tatcher who was played by Meryl Streep. She was an outsider who fought her way in.

BACHMANN: My favorite gun is an AR-15, because you can be so accurate with it.

STREEP: Gentlemen, shall we join the ladies?

ANNOUNCER: Michele Bachmann for president.

MOOS: And look how far Mitt Romney has come, to practically the same stage he stood on with his wife in Dubuque, Iowa four years ago.

ROMNEY: I standing here, she standing there, and suddenly her half of the stage collapsed.

MOOS: Flashback.

ROMNEY: Thank you sweety. Ouch. How are you? How are you?

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE: I'm good.

ROMNEY: A little later she said well I fell on da butt in Dubuque. So...

MOOS: There's nothing like Iowa caucus humor to soothe the sour coccyx.

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

A. ROMNEY: I ride horses, that was nothing.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And finally we have a story from a galaxy far, far away -- talking about Star Wars of course, and specifically the villain in the series, Darth Vader. Now Vader is known for his fighting skills, his prowess with the light saber, but few know who taught him how to fight. And I'm not talking about Yoda, I'm talking about Bob Anderson, a champion fencer from England. Not only did her choreograph the fights, he even performed some of the fights in two of the Star Wars films.

Now Bob was Hollywood's go-to man for sword fighting. He was the force behind the swashbuckling moves in a long list of films including the Princess Bride and the Three Musketeers. And sadly, Anderson he lost his last battle on New Year's Day. He passed away in England at the age of 89. Rest in peace, Bob, you were the father and the master of the sword.

And that is News Stream, but the news continues at CNN. World Business Today is next.

END