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New Sandusky Accuser Steps Forward; Syracuse Ex-Coach Won't be Charged; 'Occupy' Protester Gets Wall Street Job; Firefighters Watch Home Burn; Saadi Gadhafi in Mexico; How Is Romney Fighting Gingrich's Lead?
Aired December 07, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: So it's news out of the White House, and then there's Lady Gaga. You know? I mean, you've got to cover all of that. Right?
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: When you saw it, they flipped the script. I was, like, wait a minute, that's not what we're talking about.
MALVEAUX: The White House attracts all kinds.
LEMON: All kinds.
(CROSSTALK)
MALVEAUX: You've got to love it. And the fact that she snuck in. What? Really? Not bad.
LEMON: Thank you. Good to see you.
MALVEAUX: Good to see you, too.
Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
Want to get you up to speed for this Wednesday, December 7th.
It is judgment day for Rod Blagojevich. It's the final day of his sentencing hearing. It begins this hour in Chicago.
Now, the former Illinois governor is going to have an opportunity to speak before the federal judge announces the sentence. Prosecutors want Blagojevich to get at least 15 years for his conviction on corruption charges.
Well, a 19-year-old man says that Jerry Sandusky gave him whiskey when he was 12, then sexually abused him. Sandusky's latest accuser claims it happened once inside an office inside the Penn State football building. Now, the man says he was a member of The Second Mile. That is Sandusky's charity for disadvantaged kids.
CNN contributor Sarah Ganim broke the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA GANIM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: There's a lot of new things in this allegation. First of all, we've never heard before that Sandusky gave one of his victims alcohol. In this situation, this man alleges it was in an office in this building, and he was given whiskey while Jerry Sandusky talked to him about his life and how he ended up with The Second Mile, and then he was assaulted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So I'm going to speak live with Sara Ganim in a few minutes.
Sandusky's preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday. And his attorney says, "We will, for the very first time, have the opportunity to face Jerry's accusers and question them under oath."
Well, Newt Gingrich, on the rise less than a month to go before the Iowa caucuses. There's a new Gallup poll that shows the former House Speaker's double-digit lead over all his rivals, including Mitt Romney. Thirty-seven percent of Republicans across the country now say that Gingrich is their guy.
Syrian opposition groups are reporting more fighting today with government security forces. Now, the U.N. estimates more than 4,000 people have been killed in the uprisings inspired by the Arab Spring. Syria's president denies ordering his troops to crack down on protesters. He spoke with ABC's Barbara Walters in his first American interview since the uprising.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA WALTERS, ABC: Do you think that your forces cracked down too hard?
BASHAR AL-ASSAD, SYRIAN PRESIDENT: They are not my forces. They are military forces that belong to the government.
WALTERS: OK, but --
AL-ASSAD: I don't own them. I'm president. I don't own the country.
WALTERS: No, but you have to give the order.
AL-ASSAD: No, no, no.
WALTERS: Not by your command?
AL-ASSAD: No, no, no. We don't have -- no one's command. There was no command to kill or to be brutal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Well, the Arab League and Turkey have both criticized and sanctioned Syria for that violent crackdown.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai cancels a visit to London, rushing home after double suicide attacks rocked his country. This was the scene after a suicide bombing at a Shiite shrine in Kabul -- that just happened yesterday. At least 60 people were killed throughout Afghanistan on that holy day. An American was also killed.
Today, at least 19 people, including women and children, were killed when their bus hid a roadside mine. A group with links to al Qaeda and the Pakistan Taliban claiming responsibility.
So, if you are on Medicare, today is the last day that you can change your health and your prescription drug plans. Open enrollment is ending at midnight now. It was moved up from December 31st.
And you know Medicare covers Americans 65 and older, as well as those with physical disabilities. If you want more information on how to change your plans, want you to check out this Web site, Medicare.gov.
Well, today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Survivors are gathering in Hawaii for ceremonies at the USS Arizona Memorial. It is estimated that 8,000 survivors are still alive.
Among today's events, a moment of silence and a fly-over in missing man formation. We're going to have live coverage of the Pearl Harbor ceremonies just in the next hour.
The president's making a big push for the middle class on the campaign trail right now, but is this new message going to make a difference to the voters?
Well, Carol Costello, she's joining us from New York with the "Talk Back" question.
Carol, you know, he used it the last time, go-around. What do we think about this time?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a little different this time, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Yes, absolutely.
COSTELLO: It is.
Occupy Wall Street has given birth to Obama 2012. "Yes, we can" has morphed into "Income inequality and what's fair."
This is the president in Kansas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Fewer and fewer of the folks who contributed to the success of our economy actually benefited from that success. Those at the very top grew wealthier from their incomes and their investments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Many analysts say expect to hear Mr. Obama say that a lot in 2012. And while most analysts say the president's speech echoed Teddy Roosevelt's, it also echoed Occupy Wall Street. And why not? If anger over income inequality can draw thousands of Americans to protest across the country, why wouldn't President Obama occupy their message?
That said, income inequality is real in America. And many Americans feel the middle class is disappearing. But how to bridge the gap?
President Obama suggests in part making the rich pay their fair share. Republicans call that class warfare and a knockout punch to those who create jobs.
So the "Talk Back" question for you: Can Mr. Obama win by attacking the rich?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.
Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are covering.
First, another young man accuses Penn State's former coach of sexual abuse. Hear how his case is actually different from the other Sandusky accusers.
And from protesting Wall Street to now working on Wall Street.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have been accused of being a traitor to both sides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Then, the DEA is accused of laundering drug money, but one source says it is only to catch the bad guys.
Also, believe it or not, a home in Tennessee burns to the ground while firefighters watch from the sidelines. Hear directly from county officials why they let that happen.
And later, tired of the dropped calls, irritating customer service? Customers name the worst cell phone providers in the country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: So, yet another man has stepped up to say that Jerry Sandusky sexually abused him. The new allegations stand out because they are actually different from some of the others in the Penn State sex abuse investigation.
Our CNN contributor Sara Ganim broke the story, and she writes for "The Patriot News."
So, Sara, tell us what we know about the latest accuser. What does he claim happened?
SARA GANIM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: He's a 19-year-old man who was 12 years old in 2004 and says he was staying at The Second Mile facility when he attended a swimming function with other kids and Jerry Sandusky, was then separated from the other kids, taken on a tour of the football building, and then taken to an office, where he says Sandusky gave him whiskey, started talking to him about his life, about his involvement with The Second Mile, and then assaulted him.
MALVEAUX: And Sara, tell us about this alleged approach or procedure, if you will, with this young man. How was it any different from the allegations that we heard from the eight others outlined in the grand jury report?
GANIM: There are some similarities, but there are also some things that we haven't heard before.
Number one, we've heard that assaults have been alleged to have happened in the football building, that Lasch Building on Penn State's campus. However, all of the ones that we heard about up until this point had to do with the showers in the locker room.
This one involves an office, and we're not sure which office it was, who it belonged to. Jerry Sandusky did have an office on campus. It was something given to him as part of his retirement plan, but it's not clear where that was. And the other thing that's new is this allegation that he gave this child alcohol.
Now, in the grand jury report, there is an allegation and a mention that victim four came forward and said that at some point when he was pulling away from Jerry, that he had given him some money and drove him to buy marijuana. That's the only similarity to the grand jury report. We've never heard alcohol mentioned before.
MALVEAUX: And Sara, we know that he has a preliminary hearing coming up on Tuesday, and we know that a number of his accusers are going to have to testify.
What about these new allegations? Are they going to also be a part of that as well?
GANIM: You know, that's not clear. There's always the potential because it's an ongoing investigation that the attorney general's office could file charges before next Tuesday. However, at this point, that hasn't happened.
By my count, there are five people who have come forward and made public statements against Jerry Sandusky in addition to those eight outlined in that grand jury report. But none of them have had charges filed by the attorney general's office. So I think we have to wait and see what happens after that preliminary hearing.
Sandusky's attorney has vowed it will happen, but I guess the question moving forward then is, if more charges are filed, are they going to have another one and potentially another one? How many times are they going to do this?
MALVEAUX: All right. Sara Ganim, thank you so much. Excellent reporting, as always. All right. So, if you're not satisfied with your cell phone carrier, you've probably got a lot of company, a lot of us. So we're going to fill you in on which company ranks at the bottom in new a customer satisfaction survey, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We've got some breaking news here. This is news on the former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, who has been accused of sexually abusing young boys and was let go of that team.
We are now getting news from the Onondaga County district attorney, Bill Fitzpatrick, stating that he cannot -- cannot bring charges against Bernie Fine as the statute of limitations has expired. Now, he goes on to say, the district attorney, that he finds the ball boys, Bobby Davis and Mike Lang, who accused Fine of sexual abuse, to be credible, but that the charges are just too old.
You may recall this is a story, three men, including those two former ball boys for the team, they have accused Fine of molesting them at his home or on the road with the team in facilities there. Fitzpatrick, the district attorney, says that the third man's allegations do not relate to Onondaga County.
So the accusations from these two men, they happened too long ago, he says, to be prosecuted. The claims of the third man, however, do fall within the federal statutes of limitations. They are being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.
So, this developing story, this breaking news in the case of Bernie Fine, with at least two of the accused and their accusations that they were sexually molested by this coach, they have to be thrown out because of the statute of limitations. The charges are just too old.
We're going to have more details on this story as it warrants.
Well, a young woman fed up with wealth inequality, she joins the Wall Street protesters. Right? Well, then she got tired of folks asking her, why doesn't she have a job?
Well, now she does have one. Guess where. Wall Street.
Joining us from New York is Chris Knowles, who talked with the young woman about her new gig.
And Chris, she sounds to me like she can't get a break either way.
CHRIS KNOWLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Some are accusing her of being a hypocrite. Some are all right with it.
But, anyway, the occupiers of Wall Street, as you know, have been portrayed by some as radicals, young kids without focus, ne'er-do- wells who do anything but get a job. But one woman used her time in Zuccotti Park differently and finds herself occupying a different space on Wall Street.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: We are the 99 percent!
KNOWLES (voice-over): Somewhere in this gathering of the so-called 99 percent, there is one who would soon join the one. She just didn't know it yet.
TRACY POSTERT, FORMER OCCUPY WALL STREET MEMBER: There were some days when it was a carnival, or lots of music, drumming, costumes, marching, protesting.
KNOWLES: Tracy Postert says she jumped right into the Occupy Wall Street movement, all in, banging drums and washing paint and dirt- covered sidewalks. In the past few years, the biochemist says she's found herself at times unemployed and underemployed until a few weeks ago, when she says she decided to change her protest sign to a job wanted sign and bunkered down in Zuccotti Park with a handful of resumes.
POSTERT: Passersby would say, "Get a job." And I wouldn't have, like, a really good response to that. I wanted to say, well, I'm trying to get a job, but you can't really prove it. So I just said, "Why don't I make a sign and hand out my resume at Occupy Wall Street." That is proving that I am actively looking for a job.
KNOWLES: In two days, she says someone spotted her, exchanged e- mails, and a job offer followed. That someone, a top executive at a Wall Street financial firm. In other words, the enemy.
WAYNE KAUFMAN, ANALYST, JOHN THOMAS FINANCIAL: It might sound like it's a fish out of water story or a square peg in a round hole, but it's really not.
KNOWLES (on camera): Tracy, how is your new boss?
POSTERT: I like him.
KNOWLES (voice-over): For now, Tracy is researching early stage biotech companies for the firm. She says she plans to take a test that will allow her to become a broker and a full-fledged member of the one percent.
So, what are her former occupiers saying?
POSTERT: I have been accused of being a traitor to both sides. Some people are saying that the whole time I was at Occupy Wall Street, I was really a Wall Street insider.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KNOWLES: Tracy says she'll keep that sign of hers and promises to protest again when she finds something, well, worth protesting -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Well, good to see she got a job, she's employed. That's a good thing. Thank you.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
MALVEAUX: Hey, there's also something on Facebook you might want to check out. It might cause you a little bit of concern here if you're a Facebook user, because there's this glitch that actually allowed folks to snoop the private pictures of everybody, any member, regardless of your privacy settings. And Facebook says it was caused by this bug in the new computer code.
So, the company, it shut down the code system until the bug was fixed. The tech blog -- this is called ZDNet -- was able to actually see several photos from the Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckeberg's private account. But this is not so bad, because one of the pictures was with President Obama. So, it's nothing R-rated or anything like that.
But again, it just proves there's nothing private anymore, Alison, even in your private account.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Tell me about it. And it seems like there's always something new with Facebook as far as those privacy controls. I don't know about you, but I can't keep track of t. I can't keep it going.
I honestly go on as little as possible, I hate to say. Twitter's for me.
MALVEAUX: Yes, it's really tough. But, you know, I just keep everything rated G. I think that's probably the best thing to do, huh, just in case?
KOSIK: There you go. Good advice.
MALVEAUX: OK. Thanks, Alison.
Well, next, a home in Tennessee burns to the ground while firefighters watch from the sidelines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you could look out my mom's trailer and see the truck sitting at a distance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: We're going to ask county officials why they let that happen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on.
Firefighters do nothing as a house burns down. It all boils down to a fee that amounts to 21 cents a day. Allegations that the DEA laundered drug money for Mexican cartels. Congress now investigating.
And later, Mitt Romney says he is now changing his strategy. Find out what's going on in the political update. That's at 11:45 Eastern.
All right. So, in a small town in Tennessee, a story that's outraged a lot of people here.
Firefighters stood by and watched as a family's home burned to the ground. It happened outside South Fulton, Tennessee. And it's actually happened there before. The family did not pay a fee that's required for fire service outside the town limits.
Reporter Jason Hibbs with our affiliate WPSD has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICKY BELL, HOMEOWNER: In an emergency, that's the first thing you think of, call 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now the city of South Fulton, they come out.
JASON HIBBS, REPORTER, WPSD (voice-over): And so did firefighters.
BELL: Because 911 said they were in fact dispatched and that they were on scene.
HIBBS: But once here, they only watched.
BELL: You could look out my mom's trailer and see the truck sitting at a distance.
HIBBS: For Vicky Bell, that sight was almost as disturbing as the fire itself.
BELL: We just wished we could have gotten more out.
HIBBS (on camera): It's a controversial policy we've dealt with before -- people in the city have fire protection, but those in the county do not unless they pay a $75 annual fee. And with this policy, the city makes no exceptions.
MAYOR DAVID CROCKER, SOUTH FULTON, TENNESSEE: There's no way to go to every fire and be able to keep up the manpower, the equipment, and just the funding for the fire department.
HIBBS (voice-over): And Mayor David Crocker says by now, everyone should know about the city's fire policy.
CROCKER: After the last situation, I would hope that everybody would have been well aware of the rural fire fees.
HIBBS: Bell and her boyfriend admit they were aware, but thought this would never happen to them. For tonight, this hotel is home and these two are just happy to be alive. BELL: We're glad we're alive and everybody's OK.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: With us on the phone, Obion County, Tennessee's mayor, Benny McGuire.
So, thank you very much for being with us, first of all.
You know, you look at this story, and it's just tragic. It's really tragic here.
How do you explain having firefighters just stand by and watch these people's home burn?
MAYOR BENNY MCGUIRE, OBION COUNTY, TENNESSEE: Well, that is a policy that's in the cities. And we live in rural America, and our county commission has agreed with the cities to collect a subscription fee and then return the money to the cities. And it's in their policies in each community or each city to respond or not.
MALVEAUX: Yes, Mayor, I get that. I understand the policy here, but where's the compassion?
MCGUIRE: Well, it's still up to the cities to respond or not. And this is the agreement that we made between the county and the cities, and this is up to them.
MALVEAUX: Can you understand how people would look at this and find this hard to believe, that they would get angry by this?
MCGUIRE: I can understand that. I sure can.
MALVEAUX: Do you have any exceptions to this?
MCGUIRE: The only exception to this would be if there's life- threatening situations and then they would respond.
MALVEAUX: Let me ask you this. Why not work out a different kind of deal here, right, so they don't pay the fee. Why not have the firefighters put out the fire while the house is burning, bill the family later and sort it out afterwards, after the fire is out and the house is saved?
MCGUIRE: That would be the policy of the city, not the county.
MALVEAUX: And why not change the county policy so that you could accommodate that so people wouldn't lose their homes?
MCGUIRE: That would require a lot more revenue from the county and our county commissioners are not willing to increase the taxes to the rate they need to support this.
MALVEAUX: What happens if a family can't pay this fee? Is there any kind of program to help out the poor?
MCGUIRE: There is no program to help out the poor in the Obion County.
MALVEAUX: There are some firefighters, I understand, who really have a hard time with this. I mean, you imagine it's their job to help save property and save lives. How do you keep a fire department, their morale, their purpose here, when you have this kind of policy?
MCGUIRE: You've got to understand, we're rural America. And 90 percent of the firefighters in our county are strictly volunteer. They all have full-time jobs.
MALVEAUX: Mayor, I want to thank you for your time, Mayor Benny McGuire, for trying to explain this to us. Obviously, there is a financial burden and a situation that is taking place where you are, but a lot of families, too, that are suffering when they look at their homes burning to the ground. Hopefully, there can be some sort of resolution to that situation there. It really is quite a tragic story when you look at it.
Mayor, we appreciate your coming on to explain this.
I want to go to a breaking news story. The district attorney just announcing now that there are no charges against the former Syracuse basketball coach, Bernie Fine. There is a statute of limitations that has run out on at least two of the young men who have accused him of sexual molestation.
I want to go to Gary Tuchman. He was at that news conference that was held by the district attorney in Syracuse.
Gary, tell us what the D.A. said and what's the future now.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, what the district attorney says is the statute of limitations had expired. If it hadn't -- and this is the big news -- there's no doubt whatsoever that criminal charges would have been filed against Bernie Fine. He would have asked a grand jury to indict Bernie Fine.
He says that these first two accusers, Bobby Davis, Mike Lang, step- brothers -- and we've interviewed Mike Lang -- he said they're very credible. It' believed that there's probable cause they were molested by Bernie Fine, the former associate coach at Syracuse University.
This distribute attorney made a point to say Bobby, referring to the first accuser, I'm so sorry it took so long.
He also says something else that's very interesting. You may have heard of another accuser has come forward, a man by the name of Zach Tomaselli. The district attorney in that particular case doubts his credibility. He's not saying that he wasn't molested but he doubts Zach Tomaselli's credibility.
There's been talk of an accuser number four. That accuser number four, they completely doubt his credibility as a man who is serving a life sentence in prison. According to the district attorney, there's no accuser number four. So no more accusers have come forward. But they totally respect the credibility of the first two accusers. And the top story is criminal charges would have been filed if the statute of limitations hadn't expired. But the district attorney says nothing can be done now unless -- and this is a big unless -- unless another victim has come forward. That hasn't happened.
MALVEAUX: Is there any recourse that those two individuals can take, like a civil suit or anything like that? Is this just over?
TUCHMAN: No, there's certainly civil suits that can be filed. We don't know if that's going to happen. But there are no criminal charges that can be filed on behalf of these two men who the district attorney says their claims are very credible.
He also says, by the way Suzanne -- we've heard this audio tape that has Laurie Fine, Bernie's wife on it. He says the statute of limitations expired for Laurie Fine too. But if it hadn't, they would investigate her for the possible endangering the welfare of a child. They have a lot of blame for Bernie and Laurie and a lot of sympathy for these two accusers, Bobby Davis and Mike Lang.
MALVEAUX: Who was actually there at this hearing? Were the Fines there? Was Bernie Fine there?
TUCHMAN: No, this was simply a news conference. It is not known right now where Bernie Fine is. I can tell you last week I had a chance to talk to Laurie Fine for a short amount of time. She's still in her house with their children. I was really surprised. She's gotten a lot of scorn since this audiotape was released. I went to her door and she was smiling when I talked to her but she ultimately slammed the door in my face. But, no, Bernie Fine and Laurie Fine are not getting a lot of sympathy from the district attorney's office.
MALVEAUX: Gary, real quickly here, you said Bobby Davis, what was his response? Obviously, the judge says he is so, so sorry. Do we know how the alleged victims are taking this now?
TUCHMAN: Yes. I think they feel like people are finally listening to them. Bobby Davis came forward in 2002. The local New Hampshire paper acknowledges he was going to make a tape with Laurie Fine. The newspaper heard the tape but made the decision not to go to the police or district attorney to ask them about it.
Syracuse University conducted an investigation in 2005. The district attorney said today their intentions were good but it wasn't a thorough enough investigation.
What is interesting is the district attorney says he didn't know about this tape or this case until two weeks ago. He wishes people had come forward and talked to him about it. Either way, the statute of limitations has expired. As of now, if there's no other victim that comes forward or no other accuser that comes forward, Bernie Fine will not suffer any criminal punishment from this case.
MALVEAUX: Amazing development there. Gary Tuchman, thank you very much.
We'll have more on this after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Taking a look at stories and video across the country making news.
We begin in Washington State, which had the last big homecoming of military men and women who served in Iraq. There were lots of hugs and kisses, well wishes. 170 Army troops touched down at McCord Field (ph) yesterday. Nice reunion.
To Dublin, California, where the TV show, "Myth Busters" -- this is crazy -- busted up somebody's van and the front door of a house after reportedly launching a cannonball.
(LAUGHTER)
Amazing. The owner of the van says he feels lucky nobody was inside.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASBIR GIL, VAN HIT BY CANNONBALL: I looked inside. There was a big cannonball. It was about this big. It was about 10 inches. I was scared. I'm lucky that my kids weren't inside the van. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Hitting the road has been risky in parts of Arkansas. Earlier this week, several 18-wheelers jack-knifed on ice-slicked roads. That happened in La Flora (ph) County. And several accidents were also reported. Thankfully, no injuries.
Newt Gingrich says that Mitt Romney should be thanking him for making him rich. What did he mean by that? Hear him in his own words, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right. So Newt Gingrich holds a PhD in history. One comedian says his education and viewpoints make him the perfect president to lead the country into the 18th century. That's right. Another spin on Gingrich in today's "Punch Line."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, CONAN: Latest news, Newt Gingrich is riding very high in the polls. He's the frontrunner now, I believe. Some polls have him as the front-runner by a large margin. I'm surprised that Newt's doing so well because, if you see him, his campaign ads, his message isn't very positive.
(MUSIC)
NEWT GINGRICH, (R), FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The America we know and love is a thing of the past.
AD NARRATOR: America. It's over.
(LAUGHTER)
Newt Gingrich, 2012, it's over.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right. So a new Gallup poll shows that Newt Gingrich was way out in front of the other Republicans. The former House speaker has now a double-digit lead over all his rivals, including Mitt Romney. 37 percent of Republicans now say that Gingrich is their guy. What is Romney going to do to fight back?
Joe Johns live from the political desk in Washington.
Hey, Joe. The Romney campaign, how are they responding to all of this?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: It sounds like Mitt Romney's going to scale back the fundraising trips, get down to business in the early voting states. He's also been criticized quite a bit for seemingly shying away from TV interviews. He says he's going to step up the interviews. We're being told to expect more retail politicking from Mitt Romney, especially in the early voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida.
We're told his message, Suzanne, is essentially going to stay the same. The campaign has said it will draw contrasts, if you will, between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich when it's appropriate.
He's got to do something. This is all a reflection of the campaign schedule, the fact that they're a month out from the Iowa caucuses. Also a reflection of the fact that Newt Gingrich is really just started surging in what would appear to be the right time for the Gingrich campaign. You know, do it now or forget about it.
MALVEAUX: Timing is everything in the caucuses. The primaries right around the corner. Newt Gingrich said something interesting. He said Romney should be thanking him now. What does he mean by that?
JOHNS: That's pretty interesting, isn't it? Newt Gingrich takes credit and he also takes blame for a lot of things that happened while he was in public life, especially when he was speaker of the House of Representatives.
He can even lay claim for giving Republicans control of the House for the first time in 40 years. But this time, he's taking credit for something else. It's about the days when he, along with some others, including people like Jack Kemp, the Congressman, were pushing supply- side economics, dating all the way back to the Reagan administration.
Gingrich said he was part of that small group of Republicans that sort of changed the direction of the U.S. Economy, if you will, in the 1980s. He argues that he was part of the decision-making process that allowed guys like Mitt Romney to amass personal wealth.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRICH: You could make an argument that I helped Mitt Romney get to be rich. He should be thanking me because I did the macro-economic things necessary to make his career possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: He should be thanking me. So now Mitt Romney apparently owes Newt Gingrich a favor. Who knew?
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: I don't think Romney's thanking him much now.
Thank you, Joe.
CNN has the best political coverage on TV. Stay with us for all of these interviews. Check up this line up. This is absolutely amazing. You have Congressman Ron Paul. He's going to be in the CNN NEWSROOM at 3:00 p.m. eastern. You have Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry joining Wolf Blitzer in "The Situation Room." Then Michele Bachmann will be John King's guest. That is happening at 7:00 p.m. eastern. Then you have the real estate mogul, TV reality star and now debate moderator, Donald Trump, joining Piers Morgan at 9:00 eastern.
So, Joe, are you still there?
JOHNS: I am, in fact.
(LAUGHER)
Indeed. Hi, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Hi.
We have another story --
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNS: Are you going to make fun of me?
MALVEAUX: No, no, no. We have another story here. We know commander-in-chief is a tough job. It takes its toll. We covered Bush, Obama, all these guys. Even Obama likes to joke, right, that the White House is turning him gray. I want you to listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have a lot more gray hair than I did last year. (LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So we saw that, right? It's not just Obama. You have Clinton. You have Bush. Everybody has a touch of gray living in the White House.
It certainly looks like these guys are aging faster in office. We have now found out that there's a professor from the University of Illinois who says that presidents actually tend to live longer than the rest of us. Two-thirds of the presidents actually live past their projected life spans. They talk about wealth, education, access to health care, big factors in how long they live. So, I don't know. What's with all the gray? Research says that it's stress, Joe, that makes you gray faster.
JOHNS: Well --
MALVEAUX: Touch of gray, kind of suits him, don't you think? Are you a little gray, Joe?
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: I know. From stress, right? But I come from the Ali Velshi school of hair styling.
(LAUGHTER)
When people go to the White House, they should think about that. At some point, just cut it off.
MALVEAUX: Just shave it all off.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: That's right.
MALVEAUX: Makes you look 10 years younger.
(CROSSTALK)
MALVEAUX: No stress in this business, right, Joe?
JOHN: Exactly. None at all. Who's laughing right now? Ha!
MALVEAUX: I've got a few grays myself.
Thanks, Joe.
JOHNS: Yes. Where? Not one.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Joe. President Obama, he's been talking tough on the campaign trail when it comes to the economic inequality. But can he actually win by attacking the rich? We're letting you join the conversation in "Talk Back" up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We're getting a lot of responses to today's "Talk Back" question: Can President Obama win by attacking the rich.
Carol Costello is in New York.
So, Carol, do people think this is a working strategy?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some people do. What is clear, a lot of people have a strong opinion on this one.
This from Carla. "If asking someone to pay their fair share for the services provided is attacking, then yes."
This from Lynn. "No. I'm so sick and tired of hearing 'fair share.' The so-called rich pay for the tax laws. If Congress wants more money, fix the laws that have created loopholes."
This from Britney. "Same question needs to be asked about the Republicans. Can they win by attacking the majority, the working class"?
And this from Brian. "I voted for Mr. Obama and he has done a horrible job. Now he's just trying to get moderate and Occupy voters and Independents on board but doesn't realize that he is part of the problem that they are protesting."
Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolcnn. I will be back with you in about 20 minutes.
MALVEAUX: All right, thanks Carol.
We have an interesting story about folks who are tweeting all the time. Facebook and Twitter, they tweet anywhere.
(LAUGHTER)
This is interesting. Next time you check something out ballet, an opera, you can ask now for tweet seats.
COSTELLO: Oh.
MALVEAUX: "USA Today" says more people at more places are reserving seats for social networking folks. So if you want to enjoy the show without somebody tweeting in front of you, you don't have to worry, the tweet seats are usually in the back or the last row.
Carol, I don't know if you do this during events, but I am guilty of it. I was tweeting at the Kennedy Center and my sister thought I was crazy. She was just like, what are you doing? (LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: You weren't paying attention?
MALVEAUX: I was paying attention, but it's a four and a half hour show. I was updating my Twitter followers. We were sharing it together.
COSTELLO: You know what I'm hearing? You know what I am really hearing? It was a four-hour show? It was boring, so you needed something to do so you were tweeting.
MALVEAUX: No, it was not boring at all. I was just bringing everyone into the fold.
(LAUGHTER)
That was my idea behind it. Now they will make me sit in the back. Tweet seats for those of us who tweet.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: That's what I have to say.
MALVEAUX: Really? You're the one who tweets all the time.
COSTELLO: I don't tweet when I'm, like, at a show or a movie or at an opera. Who could afford an opera anyway? But if I were able to afford going to an opera, I would not be tweeting.
MALVEAUX: OK. Big one on my head. Loser, OK. I got it, Carol.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I'll forgive you.
MALVEAUX: Thanks.
Cracking down on the drug cartels. A new investigation questions just how far U.S. agents are going to go to be a part of the inner workings.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: So the son of deposed Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi, tried to secretly come south of the U.S. border. That's right. Mexico's interior minister says that Saadi Gadhafi was planning to sneak into the country with false documents. Four people were arrested last month in connection with this plot. Moammar Gadhafi was killed in October in Libya. Another of his sons, Saif al Islam Gadhafi, was captured in Libya just a few weeks ago.
Well, Lawmakers on both sides of the border are calling for an investigation into the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's possible use of questionable tactics. This report claims that the agents used money laundering while trying to infiltrate Mexican drug cartels. Rafael Romo has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mexican lawmakers say they're furious. They're demanding an investigation after learning the DEA might have allowed its agents to launder money, possibly even on Mexican soil, as part of an investigation into the inner workings of Mexican drug cartels.
FELIPE GONZALEZ, MEXICAN FEDERAL SENATOR (through translation): Really, really bad. This is not increasing the trust among countries to work together to fight crime. Further more, you can't fight crime amid criminal acts and violating the law.
ROMO: Last weekend, "the New York Times" said that Drug Enforcement Administration agents have handled shipments of hundreds of thousands of dollars of illegal cash across borders.
SAMUEL GONZALEZ, SECURITY ANALYST (through translation): Of course, there is a jurisdiction problem and, in the end, may be a violation of sovereignty. That has to be determined and find out where the operations were carried out.
ROMO: A former DEA agent said infiltration is not only happening but it's essential in investigations aimed at dismantling Mexican criminal organizations by targeting their finances.
ROBERT STRANG, FORMER DEA AGENT: There is only one way really to catch these major drug cartels, the leaders of these cartels, and that's to follow the money, because these leaders don't go anywhere near the drugs themselves. They hire people to do that.
ROMO: In an e-mail statement, the DEA said it would not, quote, "discuss the operational aspects of law enforcement activities." It added, "We have been working with the Mexican government to fight money laundering for years. As a result, we have seized illicit transnational criminal organization money all around the world through our partnership with law enforcement."
STRANG: The real question here is whether or not undercover agents need to sell drugs, buy drugs, launder money. I have got tell you, there is no way to make these kinds of great international sophisticated conspiracy cases unless you will do that.
ROMO (on camera): Last month, the Mexican government requested extradition of ATF agents involved in Fast and Furious. This operation allowed the legal smuggling of firearms from the United States to Mexico to learn about smugglers. But many weapons were lost and possibly ended up in criminal hands.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
