Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Rick Perry Speaks in Iowa; How Will Gadhafi's Death Play in 2012 Election?; Halloween Videogames
Aired October 22, 2011 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Veteran race car driver Dan Wheldon was laid to rest in St. Petersburg, Florida, today. He died last Sunday in a fiery crash during a race in Las Vegas. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner was remembered as a driver with the heart of a lion. Wheldon often likened himself to Richard the Lionheart and wore that image on his racing helmets.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is fairly well-known nationally but today it's voters in his home state who must decide if Jindal gets a second term. Voters are turning out right for Louisiana's gubernatorial primary. Republican Jindal faces little opposition and is expected to win easily.
Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry went hunting in Iowa this morning, but this pheasant hunt was also about politics. Perry took part in an annual hunt hosted by Iowa Republican Representative Steve King. King's endorsement is highly sought after since Iowa holds the country's first caucus.
The state of Nevada announcing just minutes ago that it has moved back the date of its caucus. It was scheduled for January 14th but Nevada will now hold the caucus February 4th. New Hampshire Republican leaders had encouraged Nevadan Republicans to make that change.
Cate Edwards, the oldest daughter of John and Elizabeth Edwards, got married just a short time ago in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. On hand to walk her down the aisle, her father, the disgraced two-time presidential candidate and former senator from North Carolina. Cate's mother Elizabeth died of breast cancer just two weeks after Cate became engaged to her college boyfriend.
A lot of military families are expected to be very excited to have their loved ones home for the holidays. President Obama's announcement that after nine years in Iraq, U.S. troops are leaving. That was music to the ears of so many military families. The president reiterated that message again in today's weekly address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In Iraq we've succeed in our strategy to end the war. Last year I announced the end of our combat mission in Iraq. We've already removed more than 100,000 troops and Iraqi forces have taken full responsibility for the security of their own country. Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, the Iraqi people have the chance to forge their own future. And now the rest of our troops will be home for the holidays.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Our CNN affiliates also spoke to some of the family members and friends excited about the return of troops from Iraq. Listen to what they are saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY SYMONDS, SON FOUGHT IN IRAQ: Not only is my son to come home safe and sound, to us, as a family, my family is whole again. And I'm very thankful for the job that him and all his fellow soldiers have done for us.
SGT. JERRY RUPPELT, U.S. ARMY: Time to bring our boys home. It's time for them to come home to their families. They shouldn't have to be over there.
SPC. TIM KOSTER, 362ND MOBILE PUBLIC AFFAIRS DETACHMENT: Especially coming home around the holiday times, it's going to be great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A Texas sign company is expected to be working overtime now that U.S. troops are heading home. Buildasign.com offers free "welcome home" banners to military families. Erin Cargile with CNN's Austin affiliate KXAM has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN CARGILE, KXAM REPORTER (voice-over): If anyone knows how to throw a homecoming celebration, it's the Williams family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome home, Michael. We're so proud. Proud of our brave hero.
CARGILE: This sign hung above their garage when their Caden (ph) and Colson's (ph) father came home from his third tour of duty in Iraq in 2009.
ROYANN WILLIAMS, MILITARY WIFE: Just to pull up into the driveway with our family and friends and then seeing the banner, he just -- he couldn't believe it.
CARGILE: This week his wife Royann learned her husband will be home early for Christmas after her husband's fourth tour in Iraq, and doesn't have to worry about buying a new banner. In fact, she didn't have to buy the first one. Buildasign.com made it for free.
The Austin company came up with the idea three years ago and originally decided to give away 10,000 "welcome home" signs for troops, thinking it would take a couple of years.
ANDY KNOPP, DIRECTOR, BUILDASIGN.COM: It really spread virally really quickly on the Internet. And a lot of military spouses and organizations kind of got a hold of it and ran with it. And we ended up getting the 10,000 orders in about three weeks.
CARGILE: They had to buy a bigger printer to keep up with demand. And still have their hands fulfilling about 200 orders a day just for troops, friends, and family. The customer only has to cover shipping and can add their own message, pictures, and backgrounds all online.
The company is well aware business will likely pick up in the next couple of months after President Obama said all U.S. troops will be home for the holidays.
KNOPP: We're ready for it. We love seeing the orders.
CARGILE: They will be printing Michael Williams's sign soon with one more name on it this time. His 1-year-old daughter Carlin (ph) gets to welcome her father home too.
WILLIAMS: I'm indebted to them and want to tell them thank you. So it really means a lot to everyone involved.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: But not everyone is overjoyed that the military is pulling out of Iraq. Senator Lindsey Graham released a statement saying this. "I feel all we have worked for, fought for, and sacrificed for is very much in jeopardy by today's announcement."
He added, quote: "I hope I am wrong and the president is right. But I fear this decision has set in motion events that will come back to haunt our country." End quote. That from Senator Lindsey Graham.
Meantime, on the road to White House, let's go Wilton, Iowa. There you see Republican candidate Texas Governor Perry there. He's talking before a group and apparently he just moments ago said that he, in trying to reiterate he is a conservative of conviction, working to lower taxes. Let's listen in to Rick Perry.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... without having to go to Congress, and as Jeff (ph) said, look, I know how to deal with Democrats and individuals who may not share my political philosophy because I've done it for the last decade as the governor of Texas.
But the fact is these are actions that can happen very quickly, and put Americans to work. As president that's what we need to do, is get America back working.
But, you know, our long-term growth strategy requires fundamental reform of our tax code. It requires fundamental spending culture changes. The way that business is done in Washington, D.C., fundamentally has to change.
On Tuesday -- this coming Tuesday I'm going to release the details of an economic growth package that will create jobs, create growth, create investor confidence in America again.
And it starts with scrapping that 3 million words of our current tax code. Throw it out. Get rid of it. Start over. With something simpler, something called a flat tax. I want to make the tax code so simple that you can...
WHITFIELD: All right. Texas Governor Rick Perry there in Wilton, Iowa, underscoring why he is the candidate who should win their support there. He and other Republican candidates are campaigning throughout the state of Iowa -- Wilton, Iowa, for Rick Perry today.
In other news now, Saudi Arabia's crown prince died earlier today. He was the half brother of the Saudi king and one of the top political figures in the kingdom. He died at a New York City hospital reportedly of cancer.
The president of Iran says the United States made the situation in Libya worse by getting involved. CNN's Fareed Zakaria talked to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about the death of Moammar Gadhafi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA: GPS": Moammar Gadhafi is dead. What is your reaction to the news of his death?
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): I wish everybody would respect justice, freedom, and there was no need for any conflict or clash. In the beginning we recommended a dialogue between the two sides and all parties. But they did not pay attention to our recommendations. And, of course, NATO intervention was effective in exacerbating the conflict.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: See more of Fareed's interview with Iranian President Ahmadinejad at a special time tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.
President Barack Obama racking up achievements overseas but we found out they don't factor much in the race for the White House. Or do they? I'll talk with that about -- I'll talk over that issue with TIME magazine's deputy international editor next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: How would the death of Moammar Gadhafi be remembered in next year's presidential election? A few days ago we asked more than a thousand Americans to tell us how important terrorism was to their choice for president, 72 percent feel terrorism is extremely important or very important.
Something else to consider, those top terror leaders taken down during the Obama administration: one time al Qaeda leader, Atiyah Abdul Rahman; Anwar al-Awlaki of al Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula, killed last month in a drone strike; and, of course, the number one most wanted man in the world, Osama bin Laden.
So how is this playing with American voters? That's my question for Bobby Ghosh. He is the deputy international editor at TIME magazine.
Bobby, good to see you. All right. Let's talk about what this administration is able to take credit for. A number of suspected terrorists and those who have been proven terrorists who have been either arrested or killed in just recent months, is this administration becoming, I guess, more noted for its foreign policy, things that were, I guess, criticized?
President Obama was greatly criticized for not having a strong foreign policy in the early stages of his administration, and now it appears as though this is becoming the hallmark of his administration, is it not?
BOBBY GHOSH, DEPUTY INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, TIME: Well, this is not so much foreign policy as an extension of military policy. But you're right. He has gotten and will continue to get enormous amount of credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and other top al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan and in Afghanistan.
In the case of Libya, probably he'll have to share the credit with the U.K. and France, who took the lead in some of the NATO bombing there. But in sort of -- as you pointed out, people in this country don't always vote on foreign policy.
A year before -- we have to remember what happened to George Bush Sr., who defeated Saddam Hussein quite comprehensively in an enormous military victory in the first Gulf War and then shortly thereafter lost a re-election.
So Americans, particularly now with their economic problems, with job problems in this country, are probably not going to give the president too much credit on foreign policy.
WHITFIELD: So what's the disconnect here? Is it this administration isn't tooting its own horn enough, isn't reminding people what has transpired as it pertains to national security, not talking about foreign policy, or is it the voices, the voices that are far more critical of this administration who seem to be getting the most attention?
GHOSH: I think it is what's happening in this country that is sort of coloring everything else. If the United States were not having the severe economic crisis, if it wasn't having enormous unemployment problems, then the successes abroad would get far more attention.
But when people are suffering in the pocketbook, as they say, when people are having difficulty particularly in the holiday season figuring out how they are going to get through the next couple of months, it's a little hard for them to pay attention.
The administration is doing everything it can, arguably a little more than it needs to in terms of trying to claim credit for what's happening abroad. But people have far too many problems much closer home to.
It's not about the -- it's not about what the Republicans are saying. It's not even really about what the White House is saying. It's about what people here are feeling right now. WHITFIELD: And now how is this potentially a defining moment for the Obama administration? The president announcing yesterday that the remaining -- the majority of the remaining 39,000 American troops will be pulling out of Iraq, that the end of the war is coming even sooner than he had promised when on the campaign trail.
GHOSH: It's an important -- it's an important milestone. He promised this would happen and it has happened. I think if he had his druthers he would have kept a certain number of troops as trainers and in Iraq, but the Iraqi government would have none of that.
But it is, I think, something that he can take to the election, to the people next year and say, I promised this and I delivered that. And I think he will get brownie points for it.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bobby Ghosh, TIME magazine, thanks so much for your insight. Appreciate it.
GHOSH: Any time.
WHITFIELD: All right. Are America's better days behind us? Not necessarily according to Thomas Friedman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times. Friedman is the co- author of a new book "That Used to be Us: How America Fell behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back."
CNN's chief business correspondent Ali Velshi has this week's "Fortune Brainstorm."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You argue that the United States is in decline. Here's the interesting part. For years now you have been the voice of globalization and why it's necessary and why to sort of flatten the world out, the rest of the world would have to do better and some say by definition the United States would have to slow down a little bit. Have you changed your argument?
THOMAS FRIEDMAN, AUTHOR, "THAT USED TO BE US": Well, you know, it really isn't that we have to slow down. Two things happen when the world gets flat, as it were. One was that there was always going to be a relative closing of the gap between the United States and the Indias and Chinas in the world. That's a great thing.
We would all move up but they're going to move up faster because they're coming from behind farther.
What we want to avoid, Ali, is absolute decline where they move up and we actually move back. And there's no reason that has to happen. It can happen. And what we've written our book about is how to avoid that in part.
VELSHI: So there's this thing that's around us that's globalization, and for many people you are the person who has defined that term because of all the writing you've done on it. Let's put that aside for just a second, this whole concept that we are each other's clients, we are each other's vendors, and the world is flattening out a little, whether we like it or not.
One of the other reasons why Americans feel that we're in decline is because we have lost some jobs, not just to outsourcing, but to this technological revolution where more is automated, it takes fewer people to do the same amount of work.
T. FRIEDMAN: Well, that's a very good point. You know, a friend of ours, David Rothkopf, always like to say that most jobs, always remember this, are not outsourced to China or Mexico, they are outsourced to the past.
We used to have a receptionist at The New York Times Washington Bureau. We don't have a receptionist any more. We don't have someone from Mexico there or China. We have a microchip. And that is true throughout the economy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Fortune magazine has named the world's hottest young stars in business in this year's "40 under 40." We're going to reveal who some of those names are. That's coming up in the next hour.
Next, in "Gaming and Gadgets," we'll have some scary video games to get you in the Halloween spirit, if you're not already. But first, just in time for the holiday, realtor.com released its list of America's spookiest cities based on supernatural happenings.
Coming in at number 10, Washington State, right? Oh, no. We're talking about the nation's capital city of Washington, D.C.? Nine, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I did say cities, didn't I? Eight, New Orleans. Seven, Savannah, Georgia. And at number six, Los Angeles. We'll have the top five after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. So before the break we named five of the top 10 spookiest cities in America. Rounding out the top five at number five, San Antonio, Texas. Philadelphia, number four. Three, Boston. Number two, Santa Fe, New Mexico. And the spookiest city in America, you may have guessed this one, Salem, Massachusetts, of course. It's the others that are a surprise to me.
OK. So with Halloween just around the corner, our "Gaming and Gadgets" expert, Marc Saltzman, is here with some rather scary video games for the holiday.
So, Marc, let's start with the "Rise of Nightmares" from Sega.
MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: Sure. Fred, I have to tell you, before we jump into the games, coincidentally enough, I'm obviously at a boardroom here in an office building and the lights keep turning off for some reason. So if it goes dark it's not part of -- I'm not planning this. But obviously it's very fitting with what we're talking about so I apologize in advance.
Yes. "Rise of Nightmares" from Sega. This is a very interesting horror game that's out now for the Xbox 360 because it uses the Kinect peripheral. Kinect with a "K" is where you get to control the action -- oh, there goes the lights.
You get to control the action...
WHITFIELD: No!
SALTZMAN: I have got like a backup plan here. OK. You control the game using your body in front of the TV. And you get to play in this haunted mansion looking for your wife. She was kidnapped. You're in Europe. You're a vacationer, trying to find your wife. A mad scientist has her. So you get to control it all using your body, using your arms to fight off these horrendous creatures. It's really a lot of fun. So that's "Rise of Nightmares" out now from Sega.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I'm laughing at how you have now created your own kind of live shot there with the use of your phone as your light.
SALTZMAN: That's right.
WHITFIELD: It reminds me of that movie. What's the movie with the flashlight? People have the flashlight on their faces? Forgetting what that name of the movie is. It will come to me.
Anyway, OK. Back to these crazy, you know, fun scary little video games. So now let's talk about Konami's "Silent Hill: Downpour." What's that?
SALTZMAN: Right. So this is coming out soon for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. "Silent Hill" is a well-known and respected survival horror game series, as it's called. It's played from a cinematic third person perspective.
In this sequel the town of Silent Hill is even bigger. You get to roam around these foggy streets. Take on these missions. Interact with very mysterious characters and ultimately unravel an epic mystery that haunts this town.
So this is coming out soon whether you're a PS3 gamer or an Xbox 360 fan. It's a single-player adventure. But it's going to be one of the biggest to date. And that's coming out soon. Something to save for.
WHITFIELD: OK. And something that maybe people don't want to wait, they want to load something on to their iPhone or iPad right now, or their iTouch, "The Dark Meadow." What's this all about?
SALTZMAN: Yes. This is, believe it or not, a scary game for your hand-held device. That's hard to do. But with amazing graphics and stellar voice acting and a decent story, "The Dark Meadow" pulls it off. This is now available at the iTunes app store. One of my favorite games this fall so far. Perfect for Halloween.
You wake up in this abandoned hospital, or so you think it's abandoned, you do come across an old man who warns you of some very creepy things going on. And it's a single-player game that you roam these halls of this abandoned hospital and you encounter some spiritual beast there. You're probably seeing some great visuals of it.
Believe it or not, this is on an iPhone or an iPad. So really amazing visuals. It has also got puzzle elements. You're going to find newspaper clippings and notes that help you unravel the story and you're going to find access to locked rooms. But really it's a lot of fun and perfect for some Halloween fun on the go as it's playable on Apple's portable devices.
WHITFIELD: OK. And a reminder to people who just now saw the shot where they see your phone glowing but they don't see you. You're in a room but the lights just someone keep going on and off. The ghouls are working there in the boardroom.
But we've got one more that I want you to tell me about. And this is I guess something that's coming up also in 2012. "Luigi's Mansion," and it's playable in 3D. Tell me more.
SALTZMAN: Sure. So, "Luigi's Mansion" is available for the Nintendo 3DS platform coming out in a few months from now. This is the sequel to a game that came out on the Nintendo Gamecube about a decade ago.
But once again you play as Luigi, Mario's brother. You're in a haunted castle, armed with a flashlight as well as a vacuum cleaner of sorts strapped to his back, kind of like "Ghostbusters," if you will. Perhaps they borrowed that.
And you have to solve puzzles and defeat ghouls to, you know, unravel the entire mystery. So it's a lot of fun. I played it at the E3 video game expo back in June in L.A. Again, it's not out for another few months but if you were a fan of the original game you'll really like what Nintendo has done with this upcoming sequel.
And keep in mind with the Nintendo 3DS, you don't need to wear glasses to get that 3D effect.
Again, Fred, I want to -- honestly this wasn't planned. I'm in a boardroom in an office building. This is where I had to do the Skype interview today. The lights have been coming in -- you know, on and off since I tested the connection to see if it...
WHITFIELD: Hey, that's the way it goes.
SALTZMAN: And I find it funny that it fits what we're talking about. It wasn't planned.
WHITFIELD: It really does. It's perfectly inappropriate, if you know what I mean. So hopefully the goblins turn on the lights for you in that secret boardroom that will for now remain secret. Marc Saltzman, thanks so much.
For more high-tech ideas and reviews just go to cnn.com/tech and look for "Gaming and Gadgets" tab, and hopefully the power stays on for you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Christmas just two months away, but that hasn't stopped Neiman Marcus from unveiling nine fantasy gifts for the holiday. The gifts range in price from 5,000 to up to a million.
We have the Johnny Walker Private Scotch Tasting for $5,000. And you and 20 guests can try out the five labels and each guest will take home a custom engraved bottle of Johnny's Premium Blend Blue Label. Of course, you want to find out what the other items are in that fantasy gift list. We're going to share them with you after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. So before the break we talked about some fantasy gifts that Neiman Marcus was making available for the 85th edition of the Neiman Marcus Christmas book.
All right. So here's a really nice fancy kind of thing if you like a nice ride. We're talk about a Ferrari, but not your ordinary Ferrari of, say, $152,000. But instead, this is a really nice upgraded version, Alexandra, of $395,000.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And by the way, one per customer. They are limiting it.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Yes.
STEELE: Just FYI.
WHITFIELD: All right. Just in case you were thinking about a his and hers.
STEELE: Just in case you wanted two.
WHITFIELD: Yes, you're not going to get two, you can only buy one. How about that?
STEELE: And the 5,000 scotch, I like that, 5,000.
WHITFIELD: You like that one.
STEELE: The scotch one, 5,000. That's pretty palatable...
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: Forty-five thousand, there's a painter named Tom Burr, he's a famous artist, $45,000 he created this table tennis and it's all black rubber. It's really kind of -- it's a piece of art in and of itself in that, too.
WHITFIELD: How much is that one?
STEELE: Forty-five thousand.
WHITFIELD: Forty-five thousand. Do I want that?
STEELE: What do you think?
WHITFIELD: OK. No.
STEELE: Yes...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: ... figure out a way to invest it or come up with some more money because I'd rather have the Ferrari.
STEELE: I'm just excited we're talking Christmas already. I just can't wait to get into enough.
WHITFIELD: I know, it's right around the corner.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. It is the message that U.S. military families have waited to hear for nearly a decade now. The war in Iraq, over? President Obama says 39,000 remaining U.S. troops will be home by the end the year.
The body of Moammar Gadhafi has yet to be buried and has been on public display inside a walk-in cooler in Misrata. Libyan people are lining up by the dozens view the long time leader's body. It is still not known when or where Gadhafi will be buried.
Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial takes a major turn next week when the defense presents its case to the jury. Prosecutors wrapped up their case this week with compelling and potentially damaging testimony from an anesthesiology expert who says Murray is responsible for pop star Michael Jackson's death.
GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry proclaimed his long love affair with guns today. He made his proclamation during a pheasant hunt in Iowa. Iowa just happens to be the country's first caucus state. And by this afternoon Perry had dropped the hunting attire all together and hit the more traditional campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERRY: We fed a few people some pheasants today. So it was awesome to be out there and getting to kind of just be with folks and doing what you're really excited about doing. And I was excited about getting out and shooting a shotgun and seeing if I had lost my touch, and I haven't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Peter Hamby is following Perry in Iowa. He is joining us right now on the phone.
So, Peter, who was Perry hunting with this morning before he had that discussion with everybody else?
PETER HAMBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Yes. That's an important question, Fredricka. He was hunting with Iowa Congressman Steve King, who is a native of Storm Lake, Iowa, and a very popular social and fiscal conservative, a popular tea party figure. And his endorsement would carry weight in this case even outside of his congressional district.
All of the Republican candidates sort of on the more conservative side of the field have been courting him. King is very close friends with Michele Bachmann, his fellow member of Congress. But Rick Perry went out in the field today to hunt pheasants, and really, as you just saw, came to a different part of the state this afternoon just to brag about his skills with the gun.
He was asked about Second Amendment rights and he is really making a cultural appeal to Iowa voters here -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: So I wonder if Perry or the Perry camp said anything about feeling any potential kind of conflict about the whole hunting scenario since he has gotten, I guess, a bit of flack most recently over the hunting facility in Texas, and the name, and I guess the real disparity over how Perry was separating himself from that Texas hunting lodge.
HAMBY: Yes. That's actually an interesting issue, the hunting ranch that his family leased was really a big topic, you know, and when you're in Washington and in the news media. I haven't heard it come up very often on the campaign trail.
And, again, you know, Rick Perry has got to recover his once formidable standing in the polls. And what he's signaling with this hunting event today and again with this second event at a farm here in Wilton, Iowa, where he talked about his small town values, he talked about abortion rights -- opposing abortion rights, I should clarify, and guns, he's really going after the cultural conservative, you know, just two days after Mitt Romney, who he views as his chief rival, came to Iowa and really just targeted business-minded voters, economic- minded Republicans.
So Perry has really got to shore up his right flank and that's what he's doing with this talk about hunting and farmland -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Peter, does Perry or even the Perry camp feel like that they want to try and kind of recover some ground, more person-to- person kind of town hall, get with the people kind of interaction since at some of the debates he has lost a little steam?
HAMBY: Yes. You are exactly right. These debates have been devastating for his campaign. He recovered some standing with his last debate -- our CNN debate out in Las Vegas with this really aggressive, punchy performance where he went after Mitt Romney.
But because of those debates, all of these candidates haven't had that much time on the campaign trail. And this is a state in Iowa where Rick Perry needs to do well. He needs to do well in South Carolina and Florida.
I mean, frankly, he hasn't had much time to actually campaign there. And he's very skilled at one-on-one interaction with voters, so-called retail politics, shaking hands. He remembers people's names. There's a lot of head-patting and back-slapping that we saw out here today.
So they are thankful for this little window they have of two or three weeks where they can really get on the ground in Iowa and talk to voters and introduce themselves so that voters in Iowa get to see a different side of Rick Perry than the one that they've seen on TV, a kind of underwhelming presence in some of these debates -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Peter Hamby, thanks so much, in Wilton, Iowa.
And, of course, join us every Sunday afternoon, 4:00 Eastern time, when we dedicate an entire hour to the presidential contenders in the 2012 election.
A top 10 "CNN Hero" who has built virtual families for hundreds of teens, you'll meet her next in this CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Lindsay Lohan is in trouble again. This time for violating probation. Earlier I spoke to our legal guys, Avery Friedman and Richard Herman, about Lohan's latest run-in with the law.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it brought her what she wanted. She's getting no publicity. She's not in any magazines these days. She can't make movies. She can't sing. She can't act. She can't do anything. So she has to thumb her nose at the law and that's what she did.
So now she's back in court again, in the limelight, new wardrobe, new everything here. And she's going to go to jail. I mean, that's what's going to happen right now. As crazy as it is in California, they are going to put her in jail for a little bit, probably like a day or two, and then let her out again.
It's the biggest, ridiculous thing I've seen. She just continues to ignore the law. She's out of control. She's in the morgue now supposedly doing community service. That's where she's going to end up obviously soon. It's just ridiculous.
WHITFIELD: So, Avery, this really does seem like a broken record. I feel like we have these conversations often about -- involving Lindsay Lohan. So how is it that this keeps going object and on and on? This is kind of a broken record. How come there isn't any change in whether it be the response or whether it be on her end or the law's end? What's going on here?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Yes, I think what you said is exactly right. I mean, any other normal person would be in jail right now. Her argument was that she showed up for her second form of community service, she screwed up her first at a women's center, to report to clean up at the morgue. That's an awful job but it's the appropriate one. And she showed up late, she claims the media blocked the way. And so now the judge has required her posting $100,000 bond to keep her out.
And you know, let me tell you something, I actually saw her in a movie recently with Robert De Niro, and she didn't do a bad job, to be honest with you. If someone can just get their hands on her to get her help, maybe something can be done.
But I think you're exactly right. Other people go to jail, for some reason she keeps beating the system. I think sooner or later the time is going to be up unless she gets some serious help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Telling it like it is, our legal guys, you can catch them every Saturday beginning at noon Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Each week we're focusing on one of the CNN top 10 "Heroes" of the year. And today we're highlighting Amy Stokes and her organization Infinite Family. Stokes is using computers to reach out to children who are orphaned by HIV and AIDS. The children are connected to volunteer mentors. It's a way to bring children and caring adults face-to-face to communicate every week. Amy Stokes joining us live now from Johannesburg, South Africa, via Skype.
Congratulations, Amy. So quickly how does a young lady from Yonkers by way of Detroit find her way in Johannesburg, South Africa, with this vision, this idea?
AMY STOKES, INFINITE FAMILY: Well, it all started in 2003 when my husband and I adopted our son from Johannesburg. And that's when we realized that there really were millions of children growing up without enough adults in their lives.
And so that's where Infinite Family was born. And through Infinite Family, we bring mentors from around the world via the Internet directly into the lives of these children by talking to them, discussing, teaching, motivating them.
They are filling the void left by the missing adults. And then by giving them the life and technology skills, we're hoping to prepare them to become the leaders that will rebuild their communities.
WHITFIELD: So you've helped about 300 children, if not more. And now you are a top 10 "CNN Hero." What are the assurances that you get, that you know this kind of virtual family is working, is filling a void for so many of these young kids?
STOKES: Well, actually we've been mentored over 500 children. And becoming a "CNN Hero" has really helped us prove how powerful video mentoring is. You're helping us inspire mentors worldwide to get involved. And they're already transforming the lives of these children. WHITFIELD: What are you hoping is the next step for your venture or your organization? How do you see it, say, five years from now?
STOKES: Oh, dear. We're adding children -- we have big plans. We're adding children every day. We are looking for mentors and support and we're building the relationships and the partnerships that will help us bring video mentoring to children in thousands of communities across Africa.
WHITFIELD: Amy Stokes, thanks so much and congratulations on Infinite Family, becoming a top 10 "CNN Hero." Of course, we're all rooting for you as well as the other nine as well.
It's going to be up to you at home, the viewer, to determine who should be the top 10 "CNN Hero" for 2011. Congratulations, Amy. Thanks so much for your time.
You can go to the Web site and click on your favorite "CNN Hero," the one that inspires you most. All 10 will be honored live at the "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" on December 11th, hosted by Anderson Cooper, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Lots of crazy video, always kind of gets us all going. It's fun, Alexandra. And now we're talking about another crazy, kind of basketball-themed viral video.
STEELE: Yes. All right. These guys are called "Dude Perfect." You probably heard of them. And there used to be four, now there's six. They're a group of boys from Texas A&M. They've gotten together with this other guy who is a Frisbee expert, throwing crazy Frisbee shots, named Brodie Smith.
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: OK. Watch this. That was a Frisbee. That's Brodie Smith. That was the Frisbee. He's the one -- OK, watch this one now. That's the basketball. It's unbelievable.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness.
STEELE: That's a basketball shot.
WHITFIELD: Look at that Frisbee shot more time.
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: Watch this one. Here he goes.
WHITFIELD: ... to go with that velocity.
STEELE: Look at -- and you know how hard -- I can't even throw a Frisbee normally. That's very hard.
WHITFIELD: That's very hard. STEELE: It's just incredible. This is one of the guys in Dude Perfect. They're called Dude Perfect and they -- look at this. But this is nothing. This guy has done it from a plane, through fog and rain, he put his hand out the -- it was like a prop plane.
WHITFIELD: They are off the charts.
STEELE: And he said it felt like pins and needles in his hands. And he threw it from a plane and it went into the basketball net.
WHITFIELD: OK. Then I have to know, you have to wonder, especially with a Frisbee shot, how many times do they try it before they nail the shot?
STEELE: OK. Thank you. The cropper duster shot, the plane, his second time, he got it in.
WHITFIELD: What?
STEELE: Yes. Like why doesn't he play for the Bulls or something, you know?
WHITFIELD: I'm impressed.
STEELE: Isn't it incredible?
WHITFIELD: It is incredible.
STEELE: And they're from Texas -- watch this.
WHITFIELD: It is a series of all these incredible...
STEELE: Look at, look, look, look.
WHITFIELD: ... crazy shots and...
STEELE: Too bad one of them...
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: ... with those half-court shots where you win a million bucks, you know?
WHITFIELD: That's fun. That's fun. Well, good for them.
STEELE: Anyway, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Oh, I like the shorts.
STEELE: Isn't that cool? They're all so cute, too.
WHITFIELD: Very fun. All right. Good stuff. We always love those crazy shots.
STEELE: We've got a cool new viral thing coming up next hour. You have to tune in too. A cat, a dog, a baby, it's interesting.
WHITFIELD: That's a winner!
STEELE: Yes!
WHITFIELD: All right. That too is a winner shot. All right. Alexandra, we will see you then.
STEELE: OK. Bye. See you soon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
