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Sandusky Waives Right To Hearing; Romney Goes After Gingrich; Gingrich, Huntsman Play Nice; Women Veterans Struggle With PTSD; Four Dead after Army Choppers Crash; Life After Libya; Airline Fights Back Against Baldwin
Aired December 13, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And we begin the top of the hour with Jerry Sandusky in court and out again, waiving his right to a preliminary hearing effectively silencing his accuser's testimony. Here is Sandusky as he left the courtroom and faced the stunned media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY SANDUSKY, ACCUSED CHILD MOLESTER: We stay the course to fight for court orders. We will wait the opportunity to present our side.
JOE AMENDOLA, ATTORNEYFOR JERRY SANDUSKY: We couldn't do that today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not sir.
AMENDOLA: I'll be back --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me why --
(CROSSTALK)
AMENDOLA: I'll come back and answer your questions.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Sandusky, are you looking forward to facing your accusers sir?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That was our Jason Carroll asking that question right there. He was inside the courtroom. He's joining us now live from Bellefonte. So Jason, pretty bold move.
CARROLL: Very bold. And in fact, Jerry Sandusky's attorney Joe Amendola is still speaking behind me right now. And let me (ph) sort of explain what he says are the reasons for why they decided to waive the right to this preliminary hearing two.
Two things are happening here. He said first of all, he said this was a tactical move. He said quite frankly there are two reasons behind me right now. Let me just sort of explain what he says are the reasons for why they decided to waive the right to this preliminary hearing.
Two things are happening here. He said, first of all, this was a tactical move. He said quite frankly there are two reasons behind this. First of all, they are not anticipating anything new, Kyra.
These are Joe Amendola's words, not anticipating anything new coming out of this preliminary hearing. Two, he says they made this decision because they felt as though they would not be able to challenge, really challenge, any of the testimony that would have been made here today by the alleged victims that were set to testify.
So that, he says, are his reasons for why they decided to, quote, "decided to waive the right to this preliminary hearing." I want you to take a listen to what he had to say just a little earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE AMENDOLA, SANDUSKY'S ATTORNEY: The commonwealth would have had an opportunity to basically recite the allegations contained in the resentment that's been presented and filed against Jerry Sandusky in this matter, which really would have left us with the worst of all worlds.
We would have heard a recitation of the allegations without realistically being able to cross examine the witnesses who testify as to their credibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: And this falls in line to what Joe Amendola told me on Sunday when I had the opportunity to meet with him. His thought is that much of the discussion in terms of what's being discussed in the public arena about Jerry Sandusky is all negative.
He felt as though during today's preliminary hearing more of that would have been coming out. In other words, Kyra, the headline would have been all about these alleged victims who were testifying.
Now because of the tactical move he feels that at the very least he'll be able to direct at least some of the headlines that are coming out. Again, he is still speaking. He's been speaking for the last 20 minutes.
And I think the legal analysts are really going to have a go at it in terms of whether or not this was the right decision or the wrong decision -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And we'll talk about more of the legal strategies here in just a second, but Jason, Sarah Ganim told me just a few minutes ago, a trial date has been set. Is that right? It looked like January 11th, right?
CARROLL: Well, that is going to actually be -- that's going to be a preliminary hearing.
PHILLIPS: OK. CARROLL: Excuse me, that's actually going to be -- yes, that's not going to be the actual trial. The trial date is going to come much later than that. Joe Amendola, in fact, saying just a little while ago, he was expecting that to be sometime around 2012.
What's going to happen on January 11th will be the formal arraignment. So you'll have the formal arraignment around that period of time, but that's, again, what we are hearing -- we'll see if some of that changes within the next few days in terms of how things go with court scheduling.
PHILLIPS: Got it. OK, Jason, thanks so much. The formal arraignment coming January 11th.
OK, Paul Callan is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. He's joining us now as a CNN legal contributor. You actually called this a Hail Mary move, and one you didn't necessarily agree with -- Paul.
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it is really an unorthodox defense tactic by Attorney Amendola who, by the way, has got a bag full of unorthodox tactics. I mean, he submitted his client in advance to press interviews in advance of trial, very, very rare and unusual.
And now to give up an opportunity to listen to the testimony of the 10 alleged victims and do at least some cross-examination of them in advance of trial is a very, very unusual defense tactic. Usually defense attorneys like to do a preliminary hearing because it gives them a snapshot of the case that they are going to be facing at the time of trial.
I do understand, I've been listening to his press conference, I understand what he's saying. I guess, he's saying we already know what the allegations are. We don't need to do this hearing. I don't think that's really the reason they waived the hearing.
I think they were afraid that the testimony of the alleged victims would be so absolutely gut-wrenching and that it would be public revulsion and that the atmosphere would turn even more hostile to Jerry Sandusky than it already is.
PHILLIPS: Well, Paul, let's take a listen to what Sandusky's attorney said about the alleged victims. Here you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMENDOLA: Do you realize that many of these young men already have civil attorneys for the lawsuits that are being filed, have been filed and will be filed? What greater motivation? And I hate to say it, but it is going to be part of our case and we are checking on it now.
What greater motivation could there be than money? I have seen money break up families. I have seen siblings become enemies fighting over their parents' assets after their parents passed away. So what greater motivation can there be than the financial gain that could come out of this by saying I'm a victim?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: What do you make of that, Paul?
CALLAN: Well, this is, you know, one of the opening salvo's attacking the credibility, the believability of the alleged victims. This is, by the way, a customary tactic in sexual abuse cases because wherever you have a sex abuse case there's almost always a civil case that follows.
If the person who committed the crime allegedly committed the crime has money. So no surprise here, but what is surprising is if Amendola really believes that then why not listen to the testimony in court under oath today and see how strong the story is. See if it is consistent with the grand jury presentment.
See if there are flaws in the story. Why not subject the witness to at least a little bit of cross-examination. You can't do a full cross. He's right about that. He said, you know, you can't attack their credibility if they were a drug addict or something, you couldn't bring that up.
But you certainly could go after them on the story and whether the story is consistent. He gave that opportunity up today and I'm very, very surprised at that strategic maneuver.
PHILLIPS: Paul Callan, we'll be talking a lot as this continues. Thank so much.
CALLAN: Nice to be with you, Kyra. Take care.
PHILLIPS: Pleasure.
Happening right now on Capitol Hill, lawmakers ready to grill Jon Corzine, the former governor of New Jersey. He was the CEO of MF Global, a commodities trading firm that went belly-up, the nation's eighth largest bankruptcy.
By the way, more than a billion dollars in client history is now missing. Lawmakers want to hear from some of the victims. Also mid-Western farmers were now unable to buy seed or equipment to keep their businesses growing. We may hear from them as well.
All right, three weeks until the first votes in Iowa. Mitt Romney says that Newt is the man to beat in the GOP race for the White House, but Romney says he's ready for a fight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, is Newt Gingrich the frontrunner in this race?
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is that? ROMNEY: I've watched over the last year and you have seen various people go from very low numbers to very high numbers and back down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, a direct question, a direct answer. But now the two men at the top of the polls are sparring over how they made their millions of dollars.
Jim Acosta is live in Manchester. So Jim, Gingrich pledged to run a positive campaign, but it seems like things are getting kind of ugly.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. Good luck with that, right, Kyra? We are just a few weeks away from the voting in Iowa and New Hampshire, and it has been anything, but a positive campaign in the last 48 hours.
We've seen Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney go after each other. Consider the issue of how they made their money in the private sector. First, Romney went after Gingrich saying that he should return some of that money he made advising the housing giant, Freddie Mac.
And then Gingrich fired right back. It didn't take for just a couple of hours for the former speaker to fire back saying that perhaps Mitt Romney should compensate some of the people he downsized when he was the head of a private investment firm. Let's listen to both candidates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: If he was working as a spokesman for Fannie Mae, excuse me, Freddie Mac, if he was there because of his political connections and then Freddie Mac fails, I think a fair question is asked, why did he profit as Freddie Mac failed?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would just say that if Governor Romney would like to give back all the money he's earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years, then I would be glad to listen to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So this morning, the Gingrich campaign put out this letter from the former speaker to his supporters. I'll just read a couple quotes from it. It says, quote, "We will run a positive campaign focused on our country's future. We will not be running any negative advertising."
Then he goes on to say, "Therefore, I am instructing all members of my campaign staff to avoid initiating attacks on other Republican candidates. It is my hope that my Republican opponents will join me in this commitment."
So that's basically a challenge to Mitt Romney there to run a positive campaign. But, Kyra, yesterday at an event here in New Hampshire, Romney told a crowd that he is basically ready to run negative advertising aimed at Newt Gingrich saying there is no whining in politics -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, talk about the Gingrich/Huntsman debate. That was quite a different story. This was more of a love fest. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I agree with Newt completely.
GINGRICH: I strongly concur with the governor.
HUNTSMAN: I agree with a lot of what the speaker has put forward on Iran. You can't force history. I mean, the speaker knows that. He's a great historian.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Why play so nice? It kind of sounds like that they're going to be on the ticket together.
ACOSTA: Yes. Well, you know, and after the event was over, Jon Huntsman gave a brief media availability where he tell reporters that he would consider Gingrich as his running mate should he win the nomination. Now that was a pretty optimistic statement from Jon Huntsman who is trailing in the polls and has to win New Hampshire basically to even have a shot at any of this.
But this was a gentlemen's conversation more than it was a debate, Kyra. I have to tell you there was one moment in the campaign that had really the whole audience laughing and that is when Huntsman indicated to the crowd that his own daughter was nodding off during the one-on-one debate.
And then Gingrich sort of came to his rescue and said, well, to be honest here, she was nodding off when I was talking. So this could not have been more of a love fest.
More a love fest than Lincoln/Douglas I would have to say. There's probably a reason why this style of debate went out of fashion in the 19th Century.
PHILLIPS: Yes, well, a boring love fest indeed if his daughter really fell asleep. Jim Acosta, thank you so much.
Well, turning now to international news, the unrest in Syria. The latest U.N. report says that over 5,000 people have now been killed in the government's crackdown in pro-democracy protesters. Zain Verjee is following that for us. Zain, what do you know?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT, CNNI: Hi, Kyra. A Syrian activist group I was just looking at is now saying at least 13 people have died today. CNN cannot independently confirm those reports because the Syrian government doesn't allow us in the country. Let me just show you what some of the newspaper headlines around the world are saying, Kyra. "The National" from the U.A.E. says this, neighbors start to feel the threat of Syrian unrest. It says for nine months the world has been watching Syrians be killed at the hands of the Assad regime.
For neighbors and former allies of Damascus, this had been an obvious human rights issue. Now, very quickly, we are seeing it become a fundamental regional security concern. Today's Zaman, this is the newspaper from Turkey and this is kind of important because it's a big player in the region.
It's headline, "Turkey's risky brinkmanship with Syria." It says it's not a question of if, but rather a question of how long Bashar Al-Assad can hang on to power. When his regime will fold under mounting regional and international pressure is still unknown. But one thing is clear, it says, his days are numbered.
Right now, Kyra, a lot of focus on the Syrian town of Homs. Residents there are saying that they're bracing their troops in that city and fear that there could be a possible bombardment. Many don't have water, electricity and fuel.
They are forced to get fuel from the black market in order to survive. So the situation there is really tense and one human rights activist saying the word that everybody has on their minds is fear in homes -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Zain Verjee out of London. Zain, thanks.
Straight ahead, the Iraq war is coming to a close. Thousands of men and women could be combing home with PTSD. June Moss knows what it is like when the war follows you home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I do know this, when I'm stressing out, then I start having dreams about what I saw and the fear and just all around experiences come back to haunt you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: June is coping, but it is not easy. Coming up, we go in- depth on our women in uniform and PTSD.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, CNN is going in-depth on the Iraq war as it draws to a close and thousands of our men and women come home for good. But many of them might bring the battles home with them.
We are talking about the rising rates of post-traumatic dress disorder, especially among women. The V.A. says 8 percent of the population will develop PTSD. Women are more likely than men to get it.
In fact, one of every five women fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan will come home with PTSD. Now we'll put a face with the numbers.
June Moss came back from Iraq several years ago with severe PTSD. I had a chance to check in with her and her daughter to see how they are coping now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): June Moss and her 15-year-old daughter, Brianna are tight, laughing, dancing, healthy competition. But just five years ago, this almost ended.
(on camera): When you attempted suicide by cutting your wrists and what you told me about your kids and what they said to you --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember the ambulance came and my kids asked me, Mommy, why did you do that? And the only thing I could say at the time was I had a bad day. That was, one, a stupid mistake, two, I thank God I wasn't successful.
PHILLIPS: What do you do now when you have a bad day?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I try to limit those bad days for one.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): When we first met, retired Staff Sergeant June Moss two years ago, she was confronting PTSD head-on. As a U.S. Army vehicle mechanic, June went into Baghdad in 2003, the start of "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
She had an incredible attitude. She wanted to win this war. But after a few months of doing checkpoint security and driving in country, a patriotic June Moss went from this to this. She had become a soldier, mentally battling the brutal realities of war.
JUNE MOSS, VETERAN WITH PTSD: Decapitations, you saw the charred bodies from the explosions and from seeing all the debris.
PHILLIPS (on camera): Does that still come back?
MOSS: It comes back, but only when my stress level is high. So I try to minimize as much stress as possible, but I do know when I'm stressing out then I start having dreams about what I saw in the fear and just the all-around experience. It does come back as if to haunt you.
PHILLIPS: PTSD doesn't go away, does it?
MOSS: Unfortunately, no, PTSD does not go away. It is not that simple. You are always one incident from spiralling out of control back to where you were, being depressed.
PHILLIPS: You know, I remember from our last interview, you talked about anger being a problem.
MOSS: Sometimes when you have PTSD you just lash out. I was an angry ball mess back then.
VERJEE: Is anger still a problem now?
MOSS: Anger is still an issue. Yes, anger is still an issue --
PHILLIPS: Why?
MOSS: That's funny, just a year ago, I punched somebody in the face.
PHILLIPS: You punched somebody in the face, at work?
MOSS: At work, yes, because of my anger and I'm not proud of that.
PHILLIPS: What happened?
MOSS: I let them push my buttons and they pushed one too many buttons.
PHILLIPS: Was that a gut-check for you?
MOSS: Definitely. That even, I, too, have to keep my anger in check and keep me mind fold.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): She was suspended for three days without pay, but now committed to weekly therapy and thanks to her employer the chaplain at the Palo Alto California V.A., she's embracing her faith and her family in a whole new way.
(on camera): How do you remember your mom when she first got back from war?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: She was overly protective. She said she had nightmares about, like, people taking us away or her at war.
PHILLIPS: So what is your mom like now?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Mommy is just wild and just my mother. She's always --
PHILLIPS: She's back?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: She's back. She's back.
PHILLIPS: Back, but continuing to fight her fears.
MOSS: I just couldn't do crowds. It reminded me of being in the marketplace and we didn't know if somebody was out there to kill us. I know, I'm back home and not to worry about a suicide bomber. But I still felt as if it could happen at the mall or the grocery store.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): But just over a month ago, June took a huge step. She took her daughter to a concert.
(on camera): You were afraid of crowds, noises.
MOSS: Yes. PHILLIPS: And you took your daughter to see Chris Brown.
MOSS: Yes, we went to the concert and it was amazing. And I am so glad that I am in my therapy now and was able to do something like that because that crowd was massive because those kids love them some Chris Brown.
PHILLIPS: So would you say your mom is better, healthier, happier?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: All of that. She's just how she used to be and I like it.
MOSS: It's a big deal to know that from then and now I have come a long way.
PHILLIPS: Are you a better mom?
MOSS: I am a better mom, a better person. I'm a better me. You know, from head to toe, I'm a better me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, roughly 40,000 men and women are coming back from Iraq for good this month. And the Veterans Administration faces an influx of new veteran who is may be in June Moss' shoes with the battles following them home.
So the question is, will the V.A.'s new program to deal with PTSD be enough? Tomorrow, we continue our in depth look at the end of the Iraq war.
You're going to meet this veteran, Reed Wiseman. He was one of the first pilots to attack Iraq back in 2003. Today, he's an astronaut at NASA. He'll share his experiences with us and tell us how he feels about the Iraq war now.
Well, straight ahead, big talk from Iran's president on that downed U.S. drone. He says he controls it and is not giving it back.
Plus, innovative info for dynamic job hunters. We'll find out which words are so common you may as well leave them off your resume.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, many job seekers describe themselves as motivated or innovative, but remove unique from the list because apparently a million other people are saying the exact same thing.
Alison Kosik, I guess, you don't want to use the overused resume word. I'm sure there are many more to add to that list.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, many, many more. Yes, it is all those tired, overused phrases that you really have to kick out if you want to make your resume standout.
Professional networking site LinkedIn scoured millions of user profiles and resumes to come up with the year's top ten most overused buzz words. So topping the list, Creative followed by organizational and Effective.
Other popular phrases include extensive experience, communications skills and dynamic. Yes, we have all heard the words before, but the most popular buzz words, believe it or not are different from country to country. So where creative is a big word that we like to use here in the U.S. Spain likes to use the word managerial. Brazilians call themselves multi-national. Kyra, what do you call yourself?
PHILLIPS: Cooperative.
KOSIK: That's nice.
PHILLIPS: My entire team is going, yes, right, she's a tough one. All right, tell me the words that we should you, OK? You told us what not to use, what catches the attention of employers, which will now become overused because we are talking about it.
KOSIK: Right, exactly. Next year we'll say something different. So, yes, if you want to put some staff back in your resume, get rid of the cliche though it suggested that you go ahead and be specific and be direct.
So for example, instead of saying extensive experience, go ahead and list out exactly what the experiences are even if you have a limited amount of space.
But the funny thing is, Kyra, many of these job seekers. They point out that employers actually use these overused words to describe the actual employee they are looking for. Ironic, if you ask me -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Alison, thank you. By the way, how would you describe yourself?
KOSIK: Smart and sassy. There you go. That will get me a job, right?
PHILLIPS: There you go. You already have a great job. We know you are smart and sassy. Thanks, Alison.
Well, straight ahead, Mitt Romney admits that Newt Gingrich is the man to beat. We're going to talk to our "Political Buzz" panelist right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now. Ex-Penn State football Coach Jerry Sandusky has entered a not guilty plea and waived arraignment. That means that he won't be attending an hearing on January 11th that has been schedule.
And it means his accusers won't be able to testify for now. Sandusky faces more than 50 counts involving the sexual molestation of 10 boys.
Four soldiers are dead after two Army choppers went down during a training exercise in Washington State. The military says it happened on the training grounds just inside Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It's not clear yet if those helicopters collided.
And Speaker John Boehner says that the House could vote today on a tax relief and job creation bill. There is no deal yet on extending the payroll tax cut. Lawmakers go on their holiday break Friday.
Ok. "Political Buzz": your rapid-fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. And playing today: founder and editor of Citizen Jane Politics, Patricia Murphy; Republican strategist and columnist for "The Hill" newspaper, Cheri Jacobus; and Democratic strategist, Robert Zimmerman.
Ok guys, first question, this letter from Newt Gingrich. It's pledging to uphold the institution rather of marriage to personal fidelity quote, "To my spouse in respect for the marital bonds of others," end quote. So is this an admission by his campaign that he's a little worried about his past? Cheri?
CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think what this is, is them not wanting to spend any more time on this issue than they have to. It does keep coming up for Republican in the media and Democrats like to nudge just behind the scenes and stir up a little bit of trouble. But the truth is Newt Gingrich is a serious man who wants to move on to the serious issues and he doesn't want this to take up too many more news cycles.
So addressing it on his own terms and getting it out there helps free up some time, hopefully, so that he can address the horrible record of President Barack Obama and what he's doing in this country and why Obama needs to go. And it's a smart thing for Gingrich to be doing.
PHILLIPS: Robert?
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Only Cheri could turn a discussion about Newt Gingrich's marriage into talking points against Democrats. You've got to give her credit.
Of course, he's worried about his past, but we all should be worried about the hypocrisy and deceit that the extreme right wing represents and their dominance in the Republican Party.
This letter he signed is not about marriage, it is about dictating to all the rest of us, the small government Republicans, telling all the rest of us who we are allowed to love, what defines a proper relationship and a proper -- proper conduct with our spouses. And that ultimately speaks to their own hypocrisy of small government of Republicans.
If they were serious about marriage, their vows and the Ten Commandments would cover that.
PHILLIPS: Oh Patricia?
PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: Well, I think this is an admission by the Gingrich campaign that they are at least aware that this is a situation. They are aware that other candidates are going to come after Gingrich on this and they already have. Mitt Romney has an ad about his own marriage that's clearly a reference to Gingrich's several marriages.
Rick Perry went after Newt Gingrich's marriages in the last debate. So they know this is out there. They are doing a pre-emptive strike before more comes at them. And it's a smart thing to do.
They are going into Iowa and South Carolina, those are values voters. They want to know they can trust the candidate that they are going to put into the White House if the person goes all the way to the White House. So I think it is smart to do. They know it's a problem.
PHILLIPS: Ok guys second question. Even Mitt Romney admits Newt Gingrich is the man to beat. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE ALLEN, POLITICO, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Governor, is Newt Gingrich the frontrunner in this race?
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is, right now.
ALLEN: Why is that?
ROMNEY: Got me. I have watched over the last year and you've seen various people go from very low numbers to very high numbers back down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So what do you think? Is Romney feeling a little campaign fatigue? Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: Well I think he -- I think the campaign is certainly is off message. I think they have been thrown off their game, but in many ways that can also be will be very liberating and help them refocus.
I remember in 2000 when in the early stages of the campaign Al Gore was losing ground to Bill Brawley (ph) in a lot of polls. Then when Al acknowledged he was the underdog and refocused his campaign in Nashville. He went on under Donna Brazile's leadership to win every caucus and every primary in the country.
First time it's ever happened for a challenger. And so I think this could help Romney in fact refocus his campaign and reenergize it.
PHILLIPS: Cheri?
JACOBUS: Romney has known all along where each candidate was and how they matched up against him. We saw him in the debates pretty much treating the blip on the screen as people that rose and fell. He seemed to be aware of that. He also knows that Newt Gingrich is a serious threat. And that's why we've seen a turn in his campaign; they pivoted somewhat. But what he and Newt Gingrich both need to do is make sure to keep their eye on the ball, and that is on President Obama and to get him out of office as soon as possible so we can start creating jobs, so we can start moving forward, so we can stop dividing the country along with class warfare and start getting on with a serious business of moving forward.
So if both men stay focused on that it'll help both of their campaigns be best for the country.
PHILLIPS: All right, Patricia.
MURPY: You know I think that Romney is not feeling fatigued. I think he's feeling the heat from Newt Gingrich, Gingrich is a runaway favorite in all of these polls. And I actually agree with Robert. Romney needs a fire lit under his fanny to wake up and start running for president. He hasn't done a Sunday show in more than two years and now he's going to do one this Sunday. He needs to be more aggressive.
These Republican voters want somebody who's going to take the fight to Obama. And Romney has not been showing them that side of himself, so I think this is actually a good thing. I think he needs to get more aggressive, more assertive and more focused and there's nothing like being an underdog that will focus you on the task.
PHILLIPS: All right guys your "Buzzer Beater" now; 20 seconds each on this one, what is it about Huntsman's daughters? Ok, they are getting a lot of attention during this campaign they're pumping up their dad, but this time it looks like the quote, debate in Manchester, well, the joke was on them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I can see my daughter nodding off over there.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In her defense, she was nodding off while I spoke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So what do you think, guys? Does this boring love fest or lack of attack mean that these guys would actually be the perfect match on the 2012 ticket? Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, first, I've got to -- I've got to give a shout out to the Huntsman daughters it's like -- to all the kids, certainly to Mitt Romney's family too, they all work so hard in this process. And I feel for them getting caught taking a nap that's deserved.
But I think what -- I don't see them running together, but I do see them using each other. Remember in the early contest it's not about who wins it's about momentum. Who gets the momentum out of these contests? So obviously, Newt Gingrich wants to use Jon Huntsman to take away some of the numbers from Mitt Romney in New Hampshire and likewise in Iowa you see Mitt Romney wanting to use Ron Paul and also Rick Perry to undercut Newt Gingrich's numbers.
PHILLIPS: Cheri?
JACOBUS: The Huntsman daughters are sadly the most exciting thing about the Huntsman campaign, which is unfortunate because he's a good man. He's done great work for his country. And I think that for the most part the Republican field shows a lot of future leaders if not in the White House. You see cabinet members, you see people that are going to be around for a long time.
Jon huntsman I think will have a real impact. Whether or not he'll be a vice president to Gingrich, I don't know. But he could certainly serve in the cabinet and this also shows Newt Gingrich natural affinity to want to help and support other Republicans, which he has done his whole career.
PHILLIPS: All right Patricia, bring us home.
MURPHY: Yes, I think that Jon Huntsman could be an interesting VP pick. He is one of those people who is perfect on paper and just so boring to watch. And his girls get a lot more press than he does because they are more interesting than he is.
And talk about somebody who needs a fire lit under him. He needs to show some fight, show some focus and maybe hang out with his daughters more so that he get more press and is a little more lively, or else he not going to get out of New Hampshire.
PHILLIPS: So strange to hear all of you say this about Huntsman because the guy was in a band. I mean, he knows how to be exciting and dynamic.
MURPHY: Was he the front man? I don't know.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Oh maybe we should have talked about that. All right, we'll talk about wizard in the next hit. Thanks guys.
MURPHY: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Appreciate it.
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, Iran says that its military brought it down and the U.S. says it malfunctioned. Either way, the American spy drone fell out of the sky recently and into the Iranian hands. And the White House well wants it back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With respect to the drone inside of Iran, I'm not going to comment on intelligence matters that are classified. As has already been indicated, we have asked for it back. We'll see how the Iranians respond.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, no surprise Iran says that the drone is now property of the Islamic republic.
CNN's Athena Jones is joining us from the White House. So Athena, is there a sense of concern over what Iran might learn from this drone?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly no one is pleased that this incident happened; no one at the White House, no one at the State Department or the Defense Department. So there is some level of concern. But while you have this Iranian military commander telling one of their news agencies that this find is a very valuable thing for Iran it represents a victory for them and a defeat for their enemies, meaning the U.S., you have U.S. officials who are raising questions really about how much Iran is going to be able to gleam from this. They don't know what state it is in, they are not sure they are going to be really able to exploit that technology. We heard that line of thinking from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta yesterday.
But, of course, you should take this a little bit with a grain of salt. Because it isn't as though U.S. officials are going run around and screaming at the top of their lungs about how horrible this is. And there is no way to know what's going on behind closed doors, but that is certainly what they're saying in public. We also won't know for sometime if ever just what Iran is able to get from this device, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: The President is definitely taking some heat for how he's handled this. Here's what former Vice President Dick Cheney said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are going to respond by not giving it back to us, I would assume.
DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I would assume that's the case or they'll send it back in pieces after they have gotten all the intelligence they can out of it. The right response to that would have been to go in immediately after it gone down and destroy it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So what's the White House reaction to that line of thinking?
JONES: Well, certainly, first of all Secretary Clinton and Secretary Panetta both of them say we don't really expect Iran to return this. But you know allies of the White House would say that it's not surprising to hear Dick Cheney criticizing this President. He's been a vocal critic for a long time of pretty much everything that this White House does.
And so they would say that this is political posturing and it's not -- not at all unexpected -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Athena Jones at the White House. Athena thanks.
Selling a lifetime of glamour and beauty; and tonight, more than 250 jewels and other personal items from Elizabeth Taylor's legendary collection go on the auction block. We've got the details coming in "Showbiz".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, the only thing to shine brighter than Elizabeth Taylor was her jewelry. Now you can have a piece of her legendary life, but it's not going to be cheap.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" Kareen Wynter joining me now with all the details -- hi, Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Hi, Kyra. Wouldn't that be great, an early Christmas present? Who knows? Maybe it will be in your stocking this year.
PHILLIPS: That's probably a little flashy, Kareen. Let's be honest. I don't know if I can wear that diamond tiara.
WYNTER: Look at that. If that were on your head right now, lady, oh, my gosh. It would just be spectacular. Don't even get me started. I love diamonds.
Anyway in a few hours you could own some of Hollywood's most treasured jewels. Christie's auction house, they're putting up a big collection of Taylor's jewelry together; we're talking about everything from necklaces -- look how gorgeous that is -- earrings, pendants, rings bracelets, all of that. The estimates -- the entire collection will sell for more than $30 million and that's a whole lot of bling.
Some of the more famous pieces include that Elizabeth Taylor diamond, a 33-karat gift from her then-husband Richard Burton. Burton -- it was known as the Crop Diamond, that ring we're talking about -- and Burton bought it in 1968 for a reported $305,000. Guess what, it is expected to fetch a whole lot more between $2.5 million to $3.5 million today. I would just love on piece, like any piece -- just give me one. I'd be happy with it.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll see what Santa brings your way, mom.
Another chapter in Alec Baldwin's American Airlines saga.
WYNTER: Oh, yes. Absolutely. You know, it's like we talked about this story last week. We're still talking about it now. We just cannot get enough. And I get the feeling Alec, he may not be getting the royal treatment next time he flies.
According to the "New York Post", the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Kyra they were not too impressed with Baldwin's "Saturday Night Live" skit. So they are asking American Airlines to pull -- that's right -- pull Baldwin's show from "30 Rock" -- "30 Rock" show off the air on all American Airlines flights.
This all stems from Baldwin being kicked off a flight last week for refusing to end his "Words with Friends" game when the time came for everyone on the plane to turn off their electronic devices. Alec said, "No way, not me."
Well, Baldwin he took a shot at some of the flight attendants online and he played that pilot character for big laughs on SNL. So you know, I can understand here why the flight attendants are ticked at him, but I'm not sure getting "30 Rock" pulled from the flights is really going to hit Baldwin where he hurts. He doesn't care. He's just going to keep talking about this and bashing them more, I think.
PHILLIPS: And my guess is the show will get even more viewers. They are all going to want to be a part of the drama, Kareen.
WYNTER: Isn't that how it works.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly.
WYNTER: The whole publicity. Yes.
PHILLIPS: Kareen Wynter, thanks so much. And if you want all the information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, you can watch "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", 11 p.m. on HLN.
Secret Santas hit layaway counters across the country paying off presents for strangers. We'll have details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Michigan was really hit hard by the bad economy. So some Secret Santas are stepping in to spread some unexpected love. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with more. Alison, love stories like this.
KOSIK: Yes, finally a nice story to talk about, right? This is one of these stories that really reaffirms the holiday spirit, especially in Michigan that's really had such a tough go of it. So the "Detroit News" is reporting that there are these secret donors that are going into Kmart stores there pay for other shoppers' layaway items.
One Secret Santa put $500 towards three layaways in a Grand Rapids store last week. And then a $2,000 gift came in to pay off 14 more layaways. They're also seeing similar payments up to $300 in some cases where you see these payments come into the stores almost every day since. It also happened at other Kmart locations in the area, too.
You know, it shows Kyra, Santa really does exist. He just has to pay one of my mortgage payments.
PHILLIPS: Oh, Alison. Well, let's take a look at the market, shall we? Stocks posting some nice gains right now.
KOSIK: I was kidding, by the way. I want to make sure I put that out.
Yes, stocks -- stocks are higher right now. Financial and energy shares, they are leading the charge. Investors seem to be shrugging off a mixed reading on retail sales. What they're really looking ahead to is fed announcement coming in about 3 1/2 hours. Though no policy change is expected Kyra, traders are going to be listening closely to what the Central Bank says about the economy -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. Thanks so much.
And if there's one thing you can't pack for your flight, it's heat. Coming up, we're going to tell you about the gun-toting grandpa busted by the TSA.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's check news across the country now.
An Ohio prosecutor is weighing criminal charges in this weekend's college basketball brawl. The fight between Cincinnati and Xavier players broke out with seconds to play in the annual cross-town shoot out. Four guys have now been suspended from each team.
And a 76-year-old man has been arrested at the Detroit Airport for packing a loaded gun. The 38 was concealed in an ankle holster. He told TSA officers he plain forgot that he was wearing it.
And a blanket of snow is making for pretty tricky travel there in parts of southern California; a winter storm warning actually remains in effect for mountain regions. Flooding rains could be a problem, too, in the lower elevations.
Her story made national headlines and became a symbol of cruelty in the Gadhafi regime. Eman al-Obeidy is the woman who burst into a crowded Tripoli hotel back in March screaming that she had been raped. Since then she's made a difficult journey here to the U.S. for asylum.
But life still has not been easy for her. Suzanne Malveaux met with the Libyan woman for this exclusive interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMAN AL OBEIDY, ALLEGED LIBYAN RAPE VICTIM: When I came I never imagined life would be this hard. There's nothing easy. You have to work. You have to work. I mean, as we say in Libya, you have to kill yourself working just to survive.
And I wish there even was work. The state I'm in seems cutoff. There are no work opportunities. I have been going to the employment office for four months.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you have any support from your family?
AL-OBEIDY: My family supports me. Without the aid they send me every month I could not have survived. $300 a month can do nothing.
MALVEAUX: What would you like to do? Would you like to go back to your family in Libya?
AL-OBEIDY: I'm sure everyone wants to return back to their own country, but I'm not mentally ready for that. I also feel personally, I'm not ready to integrate back into the society. I feel life for me is hard because everything is so different from culture to language.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Next hour you'll hear more from Eman al-Obeidy about her life here in the States and her struggles to recover from that he brutal attack that she says she suffered in Libya.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Mitt Romney says that he has the right plan to put the country back on track. It is 160 pages of very detailed information, but what does it mean for your taxes and your job? Christine Romans breaks it down.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mitt Romney is a former governor and a very successful and very rich businessman. His credentials as co-founder of Bain Capital are what attract Wall Street money plus his worth $202 million.
And his economic policy plan is by far the most detailed of all the candidates. 160 pages long, 50 different proposals and ten actions for day one of his presidency, should he get there.
Now Romney would cut the corporate income tax rate to 25 percent. He would slash government spending, regulations and federal programs. He would repeal president Obama's health care law and the Dodd-Frank banking rules. He would expand international trade policies and drill for more oil here at home.
On to taxes, no mention of a flat tax in Romney's plan as in some of his opponents, but instead he wants to keep individual taxes as they are now but then eliminate taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains for low and middle income families. He also wants to scrap estate taxes.
Romney also wants to make it easier for foreigners with advanced degrees in math, science and engineering to come to work in the U.S. That includes raising the visa caps for people with highly-skilled backgrounds giving many permanent residency in exchange.
Also on the list, he wants to increase re-training programs for jobless Americans with the help of states in the private sector. Now, special to his plan, no new regulations that would cost money for business; the cost of any new government rules or standards must be offset by savings elsewhere. In other words, treat every new regulation like a balanced budget.
Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
PHILLIPS: All right. That does it for us. We'll be back here bright and early at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time.
Now we're going to take you to D.C. where Suzanne Malveaux is still there and still on assignment. Interesting interviews Suzanne, great job; I look forward to seeing the entire interview.
MALVEAUX: Thank you. She's an amazing woman and it looks like she's going to be doing a little bit better now. Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
MALVEAUX: Sure.
