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Florida A&M Band Members in Court; Torture Chamber in Pakistan; Sandusky Waives Hearing; Music Exec Atterberry Killed In Hollywood Shooting; Preventing and Reporting Child Sex Abuse; Gingrich Vows To "Stay Positive"; Millions With Nowhere To Go; 19 Days Until Higher Taxes

Aired December 13, 2011 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

As always, let's get you caught up on everything making news at the top of the hour. We call it "Rapid Fire."

Let's begin with this. Former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky shocks a packed courtroom this morning in Pennsylvania. Why? Because Sandusky waived his right to a preliminary hearing on child sex abuse charges. His attorney announced Sandusky will not be facing his accusers today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE AMENDOLA, JERRY SANDUSKY'S ATTORNEY: We anticipated nothing new coming out of this case by way of our defense and not being able to realistically present a defense or attack any witness' credibility today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What does this move do? It sends the case on to trial. Sandusky's attorney says this is "the fight of Jerry Sandusky's life."

Developing right now, at least four people dead, 75 others hurt. All of this, this grenade and gun attack. This is Belgium.

According to officials there, a 33-year-old man acted alone in this attack. This happened in a busy square, where crowds of people were visiting in a Christmas market. The dead include two teenagers and a woman. The prosecutor says the attacker then shot himself.

Back here at home, let's take a quick peak at the Big Board here. The Dow, up just a smidgen, 91 points here. But just in a couple of minutes here we're going to be watching the Fed. The Federal Reserve expected to announce whether it's keeping interest rates close to zero. We're monitoring that. Obviously, we'll bring you the announcement as soon as we have it here, live on CNN.

Also this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have asked for it back, and we'll see how the Iranians respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Ask for this back. And Iran is now responding in this back- and-forth over this American drone. The Iranians call it a spy plane, and they claim they can control it. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he does not expect Iran to give it back.

Border arrests are down this year. Way down, in fact. The number, dropping 53 percent over the past three years. This is according to the government.

Also, more than 340,000 people taken into custody for being in the U.S. illegally. We are told 8,000 of those arrests dealing with serious crimes like murder, rape and assault.

Newt Gingrich is pledging to uphold the institution of marriage through personal fidelity if is he in fact elected president. The former House Speaker making that promise in a letter he's written to the Family Leader, a socially conservative group in Iowa. Gingrich has been married three times.

A Minnesota school board is considering changing it's so-called neutrality policy that requires teachers in the state's largest district to remain neutral if the topic of homosexuality ever arises in class. At a meeting just last night, board members heard from supporters and critics of this neutrality rule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMMY AABERG, MOTHER OF TEEN SUICIDE VICTIM: Mark (ph) went from neutral on sexual orientation to labeling LGBT people as controversial.

BARB ANDERSON, PARENT ACTION LEAGUE: We were a model for the nation in protecting kids from classroom homosexual propaganda. The sexual orientation curriculum policy is an excellent policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Two civil rights groups have sued the board, trying to force it to repeal this neutrality policy.

And did you check your cell phone today? Officials at Verizon had some explaining to do after accidentally sending an emergency message to wireless customers in three different counties in New Jersey. The text message warned of a civil emergency and advised people to "take shelter now." It turns out, that message, just a test. It wasn't labeled as one though, and hundreds of people called 911 asking what was going on.

Verizon saying, whoops.

And now this -- nice tiara. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, after all. Would you like this? It could be yours, or the perfect gift for that lady who has everything. You can bid on this and much more when Elizabeth Taylor's dazzling multimillion-dollar jewelry collection goes on auction at Christie's tonight. The sale, they're estimating, could rake in as much as $30 million.

And from that kind of change to this. You know those $1 coins? Well, they are not going to be produced anymore. Vice President Joe Biden made that announcement today. This is part of the administration's efforts to eliminate misspent tax dollars. So, did you realize killing out these little coins will save taxpayers $50 million?

And we are just getting started here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We have got a lot more for you in the next two hours. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: (INAUDIBLE). Police say band members beat a young college student in this violent hazing attack, and this news comes just weeks after a member of the same band died of suspecting hazing.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

SHELDON KENNEDY, FMR. PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY PLAYER: It took me over 10 years to come forward.

BALDWIN (voice-over): A famous hockey player revealing his darkest secrets of abuse, what he says pedophiles are counting on. Sheldon Kennedy joins me live.

A new twist in the firestorm over a TV show about Muslims. After Lowe's yanked its ads, Russell Simmons makes a move. You will hear from him.

Plus, forget drones in war zones. How about in your neighborhood?

JANE HARMAN (D), FMR. U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN: And we're talking about drones being used over the homes of law-abiding Americans, potentially.

BALDWIN: Does this new way of fighting crime violate your privacy?

And stunning images. Dozens of men and children found chained together, underground, below a school for religion.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Locked up, chained up, placed behind bars.

BALDWIN: Now investigators are racing to find out why.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Three members of the Florida A&M marching band had to go to court this morning, all on charges related to the beating of a woman who is a fellow band member. The reason behind this alleged beating is familiar. Police say it was all part of a hazing ritual.

All three defendants here face hazing charges. Two of them also face charges of felony battery.

I want to bring in CNN's George Howell, live for me with some new information just within the last hour.

George, what are you learning about this?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, keep in mind, Bria Hunter filed her police report almost two weeks before Robert Champion's death here in Orlando. That, obviously another big investigation that is under way. But here, in the next 30 minutes, we are expecting to hear from Hunter's attorney, B.J. Bernstein.

I did get off the phone with her just a few minutes ago to kind of get a sense of what we will hear in that press conference. I want to read you some very strong statements regarding her client. Just listen to this.

"Florida A&M has failed this child, this family." She also goes on to say, "This has to stop." This school knew in 1998 that it was a problem. It knew when Bria reported it that it was a problem, and it knew when Champion died that they had a problem."

Again, now we see three people in court today. We've seen Shawn Hobson (ph), Aaron Goldson (ph) and James Harris (ph) in connection with this alleged hazing incident, and we've been able to learn that this might have been a several-week-long period of hazing at the university. Bria Hunter saying that it resulted in her broken leg and blood clots.

And again, we've also learned here just here in the last few minutes from Hunter's attorney that Bria will be leaving the university. She's leaving an $80,000-plus scholarship that she will be withdrawing from the university, concerned about retaliation -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Concerned about retaliation. I suppose we don't yet know the reasons behind the beating. I'm just going to throw that out there, as I also though read the statement from the school. Here's what we know.

This is from FAMU. "The Board of Trustees and President Ammons hope that through these arrests, all involved in perpetuating this culture, will really begin to view hazing as a serious matter."

So what has the university done, George, to discipline other band members?

HOWELL: Well, just at the beginning of November, the university did suspend some 20 -- I believe 26 students, and that's in connection with Hunter's case of alleged hazing. Then, after Champion's death, the university fired band director Julian White, and also suspended four more students.

But here in the last week, we've seen an about-face. The university went back on that decision, brought White and those four students back. That's all because of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The FDLE apparently contacting the school, asking them to hold on any disciplinary actions as this major investigation is under way into Robert Champion's death -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: George Howell, live in Orlando.

George, thank you.

And we just wanted to go a little deeper on this story and wanted to just talk more about Florida A&M and what's being described as really this culture. It's a culture of hazing within the school's band.

And Jarrett Carter has been following this incident, other incidents in the past. He is the founding editor of "HBCU Digest." HBCU, an acronym for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

And Jarrett, I appreciate you coming on.

We just heard from George -- the first time I heard this -- that this young woman is going to leave the university and leave this prestigious scholarship that she was on. I want to read this for you. When I read this, this morning, ,her injuries of this young woman, a cracked femur, deep bone bruising, and blood clots after being repeatedly beaten repeatedly on the thighs.

Jarrett, you've been covering this. What is happening at this school? What are band members telling you?

JARRETT CARTER, FOUNDING EDITOR, HBCUDIGEST.COM: I mean, it's a culture that's been prevalent at Florida A&M for a while. It's something that students coming into that band program, which is one of the more esteemed programs in the world, have become accustomed to.

And unfortunately, we've seen a death, we've seen a severe injury. And what we now know is that something has to be done beyond the individual punishment. Something has to be done where you say that this is a culture that has to be rooted out and not just perpetrators of a culture that have to be rooted out.

BALDWIN: Jarrett, you and I were tweeting this morning, because I would love to talk to someone -- they don't have to show their face -- someone who is part of this hazing, or perhaps a victim who hasn't come forward. You've talked to these people. It's tough to get them to speak out.

Why is this happening? Who is fostering the culture?

CARTER: I think it's -- there are a couple ways you can look at it.

One, you can't reasonably ask young people, 18, 19, 20-year-olds, to go against what has been a longstanding culture in the band, in the tradition of the band, to then betray the good principles -- normally good principles of loyalty and brotherhood and sisterhood and then say, reverse all of that, reverse what you've known from people who have come before you and have instructed you in the ways of becoming a bona fide member of this band or any organization. When you throw in the cultural elements that, we don't want dirty laundry to be public, we don't want it to be something for digestion by the whole nation or the whole world to take into account.

So there are a number of elements at work here. But the bottom line is, we can't afford to have another serious injury, we can't afford to have another loss of life, because we are unafraid or unwilling to reverse course on some of the things that have been legacy or tradition for us.

BALDWIN: But then what can be done? I know we have tried to reach out. I would love to talk to the president of the university. Thus far, he hasn't gotten back to us. I know you interviewed him, Dr. Ammons.

I mean, is there any indication that he might take any action with regard to the band?

CARTER: Well, I think the first thing that we have to make clear is that Florida A&M did do a lot to try to eradicate hazing, as you mentioned earlier in the program. Twenty-six people were kicked out of the band, and that's not the first or the last step that the university and the band has tried to take to end hazing.

So, I think the first thing you have to establish, that you took this very seriously and worked diligently to end it. Unfortunately, the ultimate move that the institution could have taken was saying the band has to take a break for a while.

We have to be independent of the ambassadorship that it serves the university with, we have to be independent of the money it rakes, and the goodwill that it spreads for Florida A&M everywhere it goes, and we have to recognize that this is a culture that has gotten really deep, has long been far too dangerous. And we have to say that this band has to take a break.

And everybody that's associated with the culture of hazing, whether it's participating in it or being silent partners by not reporting it, has to be cycled out either by graduation or by discipline, and we have to start over the educational process of, when you come into this organization, you know FAMU prosecutes people that haze. Not only people that do it, but want to participate in it. And we throw people out of school and we will not tolerate it. This is not a culture we'll accept.

BALDWIN: Zero tolerance.

Jarrett Carter with "HSBCU Digest."

Jarrett, I appreciate it. Thank you.

CARTER: Thank you very much for having me.

Want to get this in. This is just into us here at CNN.

Donald Trump will not moderate a Republican presidential debate. He has now pulled out as the moderator of the "Newsmax" debate. But you will never guess why.

In a statement, Trump says he's pulling out to avoid a conflict of interest for the Republican Party because he won't rule out Independent run. Let me get to the statement. Here's what we're hearing from Donald Trump.

"I would like to thank Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum for having the courage, conviction, and confidence to immediately accept being part of the Newsmax debate. I believe this would not only have been the most watched debate, but also the most substantive and interesting debate."

So, once again, let me underline this. Donald Trump will not be moderating that "Newsmax" Republican presidential debate at the end of this month.

Fourteen children, 54 men found chained in a religious school and drug rehab facility in Pakistan. Find out why they were chained, coming up.

Plus, remember this, this scary scene in Hollywood?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The madman just shot people!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We now have new information on this one about one of the victims in the incident.

And yesterday we told you about Lowe's home improvement store pulling out their advertising in this TLC show, "All-American Muslim." Well, all the ads have now been sold. Find out who is now calling for a boycott of the big box home improvement store.

Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: An Islamic cleric has now fled a school he led in Pakistan just as police swooped in and found an underground torture chamber. There were dozens of men, even children, crammed inside, bound by chains.

Why? Here is CNN's Reza Sayah.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, just an awful seen in the southern port city of Karachi, Pakistan. Roughly 70 individuals, some of them teenagers, some as young as 8 years old, locked up, chained up, living behind bars in dreadful conditions.

Pakistani police say they found these captives in a place that's part madrassa, or religious school, and part drug rehabilitation center. They say they raided the place after receiving the tip. The raid taking place during the overnight hours. So a scary situation for some of these captives, especially the younger ones, who were crying during the operation. But certainly a lot of relief and then celebration after the raid was over.

Some of the captives on Pakistani TV acknowledged that they were sent there by their families because they were recovering drug addicts. But police say it didn't look like there was much rehabilitation going on there. They say this place looked like a dungeon. The captives, locked up overnight, apparently made to get up very early, signs that they were beaten and not fed.

Authorities say at least three people who worked at this facility are in custody. Police still looking for the cleric who ran the place.

Because of Pakistan's poor education system, there are thousands of madrassas, or religious schools, who are not registered with the government, not monitored by the government, and oftentimes there is Taliban or militant activity at these places. The police say there is no evidence that there was any militant activity at this particular facility -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Reza, thank you so much, there in Pakistan.

Also today, some new developments on the shooting in the middle of this massive intersection in Hollywood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a madman in the street! Oh, my God!

You all right?

There's a madman that just shot people!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, we've got some brand-new information about one of those people that man shot. That story is coming up.

Plus, the new reality show "All-American Muslim." We have now learned that despite Lowe's pulling its commercials, the show actually sold out its advertising.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this one. Send me a tweet as you did yesterday, @BrookeBCNN.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The music executive shot during the Hollywood gunman rampage has now died. John Atterberry was one of the random victims who just so happened to be at the wrong place, wrong time, caught up in that violent outburst by 26-year-old Tyler Brehm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's shooting people! He's shooting people at will! There's a madman. There's a madman!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: John Atterberry was in his Mercedes near this intersection -- this was Sunset and Vine -- when Brehm's bullet hit him in the face and his neck. Atterberry had worked with Michael Jackson, Christine Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, just to name a few.

Police still trying to figure out what prompted this man to open fire there on Sunset Boulevard. But coroner's investigators say he was despondent over a breakup with his longtime girlfriend. The rampage ultimately ended when Brehm was shot to death by police.

And controversy over commercials for the show "All-American Muslim." Lowe's pulled their ad space from the show, as we've been reporting. Now we've learned that celebrity mogul Russell Simmons may be buying the leftover commercial ad space.

Simmons sent out this tweet earlier. Let me read it for you. "Just purchased remaining spots for "All-American Muslim" for next week. The show is now sold out. Keep your money and we will keep ours."

Simmons reportedly plans to advertise his prepaid credit cards in the commercials. And coming up next hour, we'll talk to him. We'll talk to Russell Simmons live on the show. He's now calling for a boycott of Lowe's if they don't apologize. He wants a public mea culpa from the CEO.

Don't miss that conversation with Russell Simmons coming up next hour, 3:10 Eastern Time.

Switching gears, with all the child abuse sex stories in the news all too much lately, we cannot talk enough about how to make sure that you're own children are safe. And coming up in just two minutes, we're going to talk to a hockey player who says he was abused by a coach when he was young, and he has warning signs for you and your kids.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Just today we have learned ex-Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky didn't want to face his accusers. He did show up at a court for that preliminary hearing this morning, but he waived his right to that prelim on child sex abuse charges.

Several of Sandusky's accusers were among the 11 witnesses who were scheduled to testify today. And that Sandusky case really served as the catalyst for a congressional hearing today on Capitol Hill breaking the silence on child sexual abuse.

And I am thrilled to have former pro-hockey player Sheldon Kennedy on the show here. He testified this morning on the Hill. He was a victim of child sexual abuse. He says in his testimony a child has to tell on average seven people before being taken seriously. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNEDY: We have to give people the tools so they can report it. These issues carry fear. So if we can eliminate that fear and give people confidence to act on their gut feeling, we're going to get a lot more of these parents and these coaches and these leaders and these teachers reporting and listening to our kids.

Our kids are telling. We're not acting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That was Sheldon this morning on the Hill. And now here he is from our Washington bureau.

Sheldon, thanks again for coming on.

I read your testimony, and your abuser was your coach. At one point he was the International Hockey Man of the Year in Canada. I imagine that makes him a bit of a hero.

I guess he didn't really fit the profile that we would imagine the abuser would be, would look like.

SHELDON KENNEDY, VICTIM OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE: No. And that's the situation in most cases, I believe, Brooke. You know, if it's an individual on the street corner with a sleeping bag and you know, a homeless person, we wouldn't have a problem at pointing the finger.

But most of the time, they are trusted adults in their life, whether they be parents, grandparents, uncles, coaches, teachers, et cetera. So it's a very difficult and sensitive issue to address and discuss.

BALDWIN: And you say, you know, asked yourself, why didn't I say anything? Why did it take you 10 years to report the abuse to the police?

KENNEDY: Well, I believe that's the probably the biggest question around these issues. Not only is that the biggest question that the victims ask themselves, but I believe it's the biggest question that happens over a coffee table.

And it's the biggest question that parents ask when their children come to them. So I think that the issues carry fear. I know they carry fear and the fear of not being believed.

And so, therefore, it's our responsibility as adults to educate ourselves so that when our kids do come and we witness abuse, that we take action.

BALDWIN: I want to ask you about the tools, the tools that people need here. But since it's timely and pertinent, I have to play you a sound.

I want to play you something that Jerry Sandusky's lawyer said just today. He is essentially questioning the motivation of Sandusky's alleged victims. Watch this and then I'm going to ask you about it on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE AMENDOLA, JERRY SANDUSKY'S ATTORNEY: What greater motivation -- and I hate to say it, but it's going to be part of our case. We're checking on it now. What motivation could there be than money. I've seen money break up families.

I've seen siblings become enemies fighting over their parents' assets after their parents passed away. So what greater motivation, folks, could there be than the financial gain that could come out of this by saying, I'm a victim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So financial gains. That's what he's saying with regard to these accusers. When you hear that, what do you think? Does that make you mad?

KENNEDY: Well, you know, that's the court systems. You know, I think that my thoughts are absolutely with the victims here and, you know, sometimes there's a process that has to happen and, you know, obviously Sandusky wants to fight this.

I think this is his last leg to stand on. But I think here the victims need to stand united, be strong and we need to support them through this whole process and be behind them and show them that we believe them.

BALDWIN: In your case, Sheldon, I know you say that there were people around who had the gut feeling, that's what you described, but didn't do anything about it.

And on this show, you know, we tend to report on horrific stories and they don't have to be happy endings. And it's something we say can we be better?

My question to you is, how we can do better? What are the tools that we can give people? So that when people see something, they say something?

KENNEDY: The way I look at it, Brooke, is that if we walk down in the campus of Penn State, we walk downtown Washington, you know, in Canada and on any street, we ask the adults, can you give me the description of abuse and your legal and moral responsibilities around that.

The odds of getting the right answers are not very good. So what we need to do is empower the bystander. We need to educate them. We need educate every adult that's with our youth and a youth service program and all sports school, et cetera.

So that we can create a platform for conversation to happen, it doesn't have to be complicated. It needs to be simple, but we need to somehow empower the 99 percent of good people, the well intentioned people to do the right thing because our kids are telling. As adults, we need to be able to act when they do tell us.

BALDWIN: As we empower people out on the streets, as you talk about that, you're on Capitol Hill. I mean, what role can Congress play and where has Congress failed, I guess, thus far, in this situation?

KENNEDY: Well, I think, you know, we had our own Penn State in Canada 14 years ago, Brooke and you know, sometimes as sad as it is, there needs to be something that shakes us to our core before change happens and I believe that this is a platform for change.

I think that today what I saw in Congress was people that want change. They want to move forward. These issues are important and I do believe that the majority of adults here in the United States want to do the right thing for our kids. And I think that that platform has been created and it's what we do with it from here.

BALDWIN: Sheldon Kennedy, I really appreciate you coming forward and sharing your story with us. Thank you.

KENNEDY: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Serious misconduct, gross mismanagement, that is some of the words being used from the U.S. Air Force investigators about the remains of hundreds of fallen military personnel. Service members' body parts incinerated and buried as medical waste. Find out more about today's hearing on Capitol Hill coming up.

Also, our own Wolf Blitzer looking into the race for the White House. He's going to join me live from Washington after this quick break with the latest on the Republican presidential candidates. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The remains of the American war dead, hundreds of them burned up and thrown in a landfill. The Air Force now says that happened and today a panel from Congress is acting upon it.

The investigation panel meeting today for the very first time, Air Force officials now acknowledged that some whistle blowers were right. That body parts linked to 274 military members who died in both Iraq and Afghanistan were cremated and disposed of as medical waste. At least one congressman is calling the practice insensitive and dishonorable.

The escalating rivalry between GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich may be cooling down, maybe for now. Gingrich is asking staff and supporters to stay positive and stop attacking candidates.

In fact, that letter was released just today after this whole back and forth yesterday. In case you missed it, here you go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He was working as a spokesman for fanny -- excuse me, for Freddie Mac. If he was there because of his political connections and then if 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 like to say if Governor Romney would like to give back all of the money that he has made from bankrupt companies over his years of being, then I would be glad to listen to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's bring in Wolf Blitzer, shall we, with America's Choice 2012 politics update. Wolf Blitzer, so Gingrich says stay positive. Is that possible for both candidates?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": No, it won't be possible and you have to be very precise in appreciating, Brooke, the extent of what Newt Gingrich is saying in this memorandum to his staff, to his supporters.

Let me read the key word and what he is saying. He's saying, I am instructing all members of my campaign staff and respectfully urge anyone acting as a surrogate for our campaign to avoid and here's the key word, initiating attacks on other Republican candidates.

He then says they reserve the right, in his words, to respond when my record has been distorted. In short, he's taking a very lofty, nice position. You know what, let's try to make this about solutions and about policies and not try to get into any personal issues or anything like that.

But he's clearly leaving open the response. If somebody hits him, and you know they will, any of these Republican challengers, he's leaving open the option, as he should, if he's a candidate for president for the Republican nomination.

The ability to defend himself and respond in kind and so As much as this sounds like he's trying to be, you know, above the fray, if you will, I suspect it's not going to have a whole lot of meaning in practical terms because he's going to be hammered in upcoming debates and super pack ads.

And all the attacks that are going to go on and if you know Gingrich, and I've only known him for about 20 years or so, I've covered him for a long time. He's not the type of guy that says, well, you know what, I'm not going to respond.

They hit me, he says to himself, I'll hit right back so I wouldn't read too much into this.

BALDWIN: OK, so I appreciate you being precise. No initiating, but you can respond. What's he hoping to gain from this message?

BLITZER: Well, it's a popular message. You know, save your fire for the Democrats and for president Obama in a general election. I think in the early debates, it's helped Newt Gingrich a lot when you saw some of the fights between let's say Mitt Romney versus Rick Perry.

You saw some of those fights going on. He could step back and say, you know what? Let's not get into these kinds of personal attacks. And then he goes after the media from time to time saying, you're trying to instigate, inspire these kinds of personal attacks in terms of your questioning.

That sounds good to a lot of Republicans and a lot of conservatives out there who are really anxious to get into the general election campaign against President Obama. So it's helped him so far.

I think this memo to his staff would help him. It's been widely publicized already, but in terms of winding down the debate, I wouldn't hold my breath.

BALDWIN: OK, so three weeks away from Iowa, less than a year from the election. When it comes to personal jabs, we will see more personal jabs?

BLITZER: That's right. You'll see right hook, left hook. You've already reported the Donald Trump news, right?

BALDWIN: Right. What do you make of that? So he's not going to moderate?

BLITZER: Not a huge surprise, but what was interesting in the statement that he released, he is adamantly refusing to rule out the possibility after the next season of "Celebrity Apprentice" ends in mid-May.

He doesn't want to rule out the possibility that if he doesn't like the Republican nominee, he might still throw his hat into the ring as an independent presidential candidate. He says he owes that to the American people.

But the fact is that only since Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have agreed to the News Max debate that was scheduled for December 27th, it doesn't look like it's going to be much of a debate.

I don't know what News Max is going to do with Santorum and Gingrich. Maybe they are going to do what Gingrich did with Jon Huntsman yesterday, have a little Lincoln --

BALDWIN: A Lincoln-Douglas style debate?

BLITZER: Yes.

BALDWIN: Who knows? Who knows? Wolf Blitzer, thank you very much. We'll chat next hour as always.

The 1,200 women and men living in deplorable conditions in Iraq. These families are surrounded by filth and garbage in what was once a military base for Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a terrible existence. I want to read and write like other children, she tells me. I want to be a nurse. With no school to go to, it's likely to remain a dream only.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Look at that little face. These families have nowhere to go. We're going to take you live to Baghdad. More on them, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: In depth on CNN all week this week is Iraq. The end of the war and the men and women who fought it and the people who, for better and worse, are facing the future in the country forever changed.

As many as two million people in Iraq are still living like this. Look at these pictures, sprawling camps, no utilities, no schools, no medical care, afraid for their lives to return to the homes that they fled.

I'm about to talk about this with one of our anchors correspondents, Michael Holmes who is live in Baghdad. But first, I want you to watch his report. This is on the Iraqi people with nowhere to go.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are a persistent stain on the new Iraq and legacy of the war here. Squalor camps for those who fled Iraq's violence and they have not gone back home.

JAMHURRIYYA MUSA, DISPLACED IRAQI (through translator): I don't sleep at night. Ever since my husband died, I don't sleep. I wake up at 4:00 a.m. I pray and keep checking on my children.

HOLMES: The lives of those children changed forever in 2004 when masked men came to their neighborhood and started shooting. The family fled and ever since this has been home.

MUSA: What do I do? I'm a widow with children and I live here. I have no one.

HOLMES: This place is home to 1,200 men, women, and children, lots of children living in appalling conditions on the grounds of what was a Saddam Hussein military base on the outskirts of Baghdad. It is a terrible existence.

How should we feel, says Mahmood Muttasher, we have nowhere to go. Mahmood also fled sectarian violence in his home town. Today, his family of 10 struggles just to survive. His 10-year-old daughter holds her baby sister and dreams.

I want to read and write like other children, she tells me. I want to be a nurse. With no school near enough to go to, it's likely to remain a dream only. Numbers vary, but the best estimate is there are between 1.2 and nearly 2 million Iraqis internally displaced. Outside the country, another 1.5 to 2 million people who got out of Iraq altogether.

(on camera): Several hundreds of Iraqis have returned home in recent years and that's a positive thing to be sure, but of course, the ongoing tragedy is those that have not and feel that they cannot go back despite this being the alternative. And there are dozens and dozens of places like this all over Iraq.

(voice-over): Though the residents of this place disagree, the Iraqi government says it is doing its best.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The ministry plans are not just to achieve a return, but to integrate these families and help them restore their normal life.

HOLMES: People here are saying with security still the biggest fear, that's a case of promises, promises.

The government isn't taking care of these people, says a community spokesman. They just come and make promises they don't fulfill.

There will be no future for these people unless that changes. For people like Jamhurriyya Musa, until going home isn't akin to risking your life, this is home.

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BALDWIN: I want to bring in Michael Holmes who is now live for us in Baghdad. You hinted at this in your report. All the people we saw especially that mother really struck me, the mother who can't read and can't write, but wants to be a nurse.

I mean, what has to change, Michael, for these people to be able to feel safe enough to go home?

HOLMES: I've been coming here every year since 2003 and the one thing that actually makes me angry, Brooke, I've been to those camps several times over the recent years. Nothing has changed. It's gotten worse, if anything.

Some of those kids that you saw in that piece, by the way, were born there. These people aren't going to go back to their homes because things are still too dangerous for them in the sectarian sect.

Some of them, their houses have been taken over by other people. They are not wanted back in those communities because they might be Shiite or Sunni and the other side has taken over those communities.

So they really don't have anywhere to go and there is nothing there for them where they live. It's a terrible situation and not a lot seems to be being done about it. BALDWIN: So if some of these people, these kids were born there, Michael Holmes, they look like now these established communities, are not just a temporary fix. Dozens of them across the country, how are these people shaping these communities?

HOLMES: Yes, you have two angles to that question, Brooke. They're reshaping the communities in which they are living now, and these camps, which are inside in many cases in suburban areas.

So those communities are being shaped by having these inside and the locals not happy. The communities that have left are being reshaped because of the sectarian angle.

If the people of Shiite in these camps who are forced to flee because of Sunni militias or death squads who came in to those suburbs and that drove out the other sect, if you'd like, then those communities have now changed on the face.

And it depends on whether you are Shiite, Sunni or which community you left. But entire communities here in the city are different now and those demographics are changed probably forever.

BALDWIN: How does this then change Iraq? The future of Iraq, the culture of Iraq, these people are not in school, they don't have homes, what does the next generation of Iraq look like?

HOLMES: Yes. There are no real social services for them either. These people -- and, you know, that was a camp for 1,200 people. There are hundreds of these camps around the country.

You are talking hundreds of thousands of people, 1.5 million people living in places like this. That's a lot of people. That's a lot of kids who are not getting educated, a lot of kids who are not getting fed well.

So you've got malnutrition issues as well. And the whole sort of social -- there's a lot of generation or part of a generation in many ways. That has impact down the line years from now.

BALDWIN: We appreciate you returning to these camps and telling their stories. Michael Holmes for us in Baghdad. Michael, thank you.

The end of the Iraqi war back here at home looks entirely different. I want you to watch the surprise reunion between an Iraq deployed Air Force captain and his children who were not expecting him to return home before Christmas.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm ecstatic. I'm so glad that he was able to make it home in time for our son's birthday and Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just excited. It's nice to be back with the family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to surprise our kids at school. They don't know that he's home yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, buddy? Ten years ago, I was deployed when he was born so I thought I was going to miss his 10th birthday so I get to come home for that. Hi, sweetheart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome home, dad. I was surprised and scared because like -- well, not scared but surprised that he got home early.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I was just surprised and I couldn't believe that he got home early. I was so excited that he got home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You miss them when you're away and it's nice to be back with them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's good to be a family again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Welcome home.

Payroll tax cut puts an average of, you know, a grand back into the paycheck this year. It's up for a vote today. There were last- minute holdups. We're going to take you live to Capitol Hill with more on this back and forth.

But first, are you looking for a job? Do you want your resume to stand out? I want to pass along a couple of words you may want to avoid in this resume.

LinkedIn just released a list of 2011's most overused resume buzz words. They looked 135 million member profiles worldwide. So take notes, shall we?

Fifth most overused phrase, track record. Don't use it. Fourth, extensive experience. Number three, effective. Maybe skip the word effective. What are the top two words that could make or break your resume? Next.

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BALDWIN: We're getting a list of words that will not distinguish your resume -- from LinkedIn's most overused resume buzz words of 2011 with a recap.

Number five, track record, don't use it. Number four, extensive experience. Number three, effective. Number two, the word organization and the number one most over used buzz word of 2011 is creative. Come on, be innovative, be hip, be inspired, come up with new words.

Major developments here as we're talking money in the fight over your money. Less than three weeks from now, the taxes in your paycheck will go up unless -- unless Congress agrees on extending that payroll tax cut. Let's go live to the Hill, to Kate Bolbuan.

Kate, we know how Speaker John Boehner said a vote would be coming tonight. Is that still the case?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is still the case. I will tell you. Today has been a day of a lot of moving parts and a lot of questions of really where things stand and where things go from here.

But that's a great starting point, Brooke. Tonight, there is a scheduled vote on the House Republicans proposal to extend the payroll tax for another year as well as other measures like extending the unemployment assistance for the long-term unemployed.

Republican leaders in the House, they are confident and they iterated that this morning. They are confident that they have the votes and it will pass but, of course, I always warn, we don't call a vote until the last vote has been cast.

So we will be watching that very closely. In the meantime, on the other side of the Capitol, Senator Harry Reid, he reiterated what he had said many times before as the Republicans unveil their plan that that proposal is wasting time, in his view, because he says it cannot pass in the Senate.

One of the major holdups, Brooke, as we've been talking about is, a controversial measure that Republicans put in their plan having to do with speeding up the approval of the Keystone oil pipeline as well as some other issues that Democrats have an issue with.

Add to that that the White House just issued a veto threat saying that the president would veto this Republican House measure if it came to his desk. So that is a major statement on where things stand there.

Meantime, and this is related, if you can follow me for one more second, House Republicans are -- they say that Senate Democrats as well as the president, that they are holding up related issue, a massive government funding bill that is set to fund the government through fiscal year 2012 that had been worked out behind the scenes.

They say that Senate Democrats are holding that up until House Republicans come to the table to give more on the payroll tax extension issue. Democrats reject that. They say there are still outstanding issues that need to be dealt with, that it does not have to do with the payroll tax issue.

I tell you this because it just shows how things have really stepped up here in terms of how contentious this issue has become and how kind of bitter this fight has become on this end -- on these end of year issues and we're watching it unfold as we speak, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Well, we are hours away from that vote on the House side and as you mentioned, this is sort of the latest iteration of that. We'll see and we'll be watching those final vote is cast. Kate Bolduan, thank you so much for us on Capitol Hill. And now this.