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Polls Shows Gingrich Weak against Obama; Showdown Looms over Payroll Taxes; Ban on Cell Phone Use; Inside Look at Troops Leaving Iraq; Interview with Steve Forbes; Stocks Set to Open Lower; Operation Christmas Child; Fighter Pilot Reflects on Iraq War; Syracuse Sex Abuse Accusers Sue; Nolte's Naughty Night
Aired December 14, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I think that little baby Hudson there, he needed a little Dippidee doo. That's the talk of the town right there.
Thank you, ladies.
Good morning, everybody. It's the top of the hour. Newt Gingrich, well, he's surging in the polls and he's racking up the endorsements but there may be a bit of a dark cloud on the horizon. More on that in just a moment, but first his fight for the GOP nomination.
A new NBC News and "Wall Street Journal" poll actually shows him with a commanding lead over Mitt Romney, 40 percent to 23, with the other candidates trailing far behind.
Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is in Washington.
So, Paul, the same poll actually shows Gingrich struggling in a head- to-head race against President Obama. Tell us about that.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, I guess it's good news/bad news as you just showed that horse race poll and two others, Pew and Reuters/Ipsos, indicate the same thing. Way ahead in the horse race. But look at this. Here's a hypothetical matchups next November. President Obama versus Gingrich and President Obama against Mitt Romney.
And look at this. President Obama 11 points ahead of Gingrich, according to NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll among all voters. But, basically, dead even with Romney. So the NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll indicating as we have at hours and others maybe an electability problem for Newt Gingrich.
You know, Kyra, you've seen the Obama re-election team, you've seen the Democratic National Committee really go after Romney left and right over everything. Not so much about Gingrich. But yesterday, this is interesting, Jessica Yellin and I were at a briefing, some of the top Obama re-election advisors are right here in Washington giving us their briefing. And this is what David Axelrod, the senior, the senior strategist, said about Newt Gingrich. He talked a little -- he said a little story, he said, the higher a monkey climbs on a poll, the more you can see his butt. So, you know, the speaker is very high right now on the pole and we'll see how people like the view. David Axelrod there, taking a little jab at Newt Gingrich. Interesting stuff.
PHILLIPS: Well, what do you think? How worried is the Obama camp about Gingrich?
STEINHAUSER: They're concerned. They're still directing most of their fire, more of their fire at Romney, but, listen, they, just like the rest of us, has seen Newt Gingrich surge in the polls and they're prepared, they say, to deal with Newt Gingrich if he eventually becomes the nominee.
But for now it seems they're still directing more of their fire at Romney rather than Gingrich even if Axelrod used some colorful language there, I think to say the least, against Gingrich.
Hey, talking about Gingrich, Kyra, his top new guy in Iowa is no longer on the team. This just happened last night. The -- this gentleman had to resign his post as the political director for Gingrich in Iowa after he made comments earlier in the week before he joined the campaign that -- suggesting that Mormonism was cult, at least in the eyes of a lot of Iowa evangelicals.
And that is troublesome for Newt Gingrich because remember it was yesterday that Newt Gingrich sent out an edict to all his campaign staffers that hey, no more going on the attack, we're not doing that any more. We're not going to go negative.
This is what the campaign said, and I quote, "Craig Bergman agreed to step away from his role with Newt 2012 today. He made a comment to a focus group prior to becoming an employee that is inconsistent with Gingrich's pledge to run a positive campaign."
There you go, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much.
And a reminder for all the latest political news, you can go to our Web site, CNNPolitics.com.
Well, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are racing the clock to extend the payroll tax cut which saves the average American about $1,000 a year. The White House's countdown clock continues to tick towards the January 1st deadline. House Republicans say that now they passed their extension, President Obama needs to rally his Democrats in the Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: You know, in recent days, the White House Web site has had this helpful countdown clock to highlight the need to extend payroll tax relief. Well, now I think the White House needs to update their clock because it's now time for the Senate to act.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What the president is not willing to do is leave town or allow Congress to leave town without ensuring that 160 million Americans do not see their taxes go up next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Congressional correspondent Kate Bolduan on Cap Hill.
So, why are Democrats lining up against the House bill, Kate?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, well, it's not because of the payroll tax extension provision, Democrats very much support extending the payroll tax for, they estimate, 160 million Americans next year.
It has to do with some of the central elements of -- the other central elements of the bill that the House passed last night. One major obstacle that Democrats are definitely opposed has to do with the provision that Republican leaders added that would speed up approval of the Keystone Oil Pipeline.
The White House had put off approval of that pipeline saying it needed further environmental study. It's not related to the payroll tax or any of the year-end issues that we're dealing up here. House Republican leaders added this to their bill in order to win over -- win over more support from conservatives who had really been lukewarm to the idea of extending the payroll tax cut really until last week or just the week before.
Democrats say it is going -- this bill is going no where in the Senate. They're very much against that provision. Just listen here to Senate majority leader Harry Reid following the House vote last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The bill just passed by House Republicans tonight is a pointless, partisan exercise. The bill is dead on arrival. It was dead before it got to the Senate. The Senate will not pass it. And the sooner we demonstrate that, the sooner we can begin serious discussions to keep taxes from going up for middle class Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: So today we could see a vote in the Senate on the House passed bill. Democratic leaders, as you heard right there from Senator Reid, they're confident it will not pass. So then the question is, what's next? And there is some thought that maybe once they put this bill aside, if you will, get through voting on this to show in the Senate that it cannot pass, then maybe leaders will sit down and really start negotiating.
But the battle continues, Kyra, and the -- and the clock obviously is -- is ticking down.
PHILLIPS: We'll follow the battle and the clock, Kate, thanks.
Well, if you talk on your cell phone while driving, you're not going to like this. The NTSB actually wants a nationwide ban on all cell phone use and, yes, that even means your hands-free devices.
Christine Romans, why make this push now?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, they've been investigating accidents, accidents related to distracted driving, Kyra, and one accident in particular in March 2010 that was a distracted teenage driver ran into a school bus, the driver and a student were killed. Lots of lots of people were injured.
And as they've investigated that crash and others, the NTSB says that they've come to the conclusion that driving while using a cell phone, even with the hands-free device or while texting is something that is simply too dangerous and they're making the recommendation, quite frankly, that this -- that this end right now.
It's just a recommendation. You know, it is a federal government making a recommendation. Some states have already been pushing back saying, no, it goes too far. Some libertarian groups have been saying, what's the difference between, you know, distracted driving and talking to your passenger?
But the NTSB says there is a difference. And I want you to listen to what the chairman of the NTSB told me earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBBIE HERSMAN, CHAIRWOMAN, NTSB: I used to talk on my phone, as well, until I understood the dangers of it. And two years ago we put a ban on all of our employees from talking and texting hand-held or hands-free.
Now I'll tell you, when I hung up my phone and I stopped talking on the phone while I was driving, it was like becoming sober and seeing that everyone around you was drinking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The NTSB says at any given time some 13.5 million people are on their phones talking or texting on the roads. And it's simply too dangerous and it's not a risk that people should take. No text, no text or tweet, as she said, is worth it.
The other thing here is there's a different kind of technology that they say is pervasive now in the car. You've got GPS, you've got texting on the phone, you've got talking on the phone, you've got different kinds of hands-free devices and they're not saying that the other distractions are better. Those are also distractions.
Thousands of people die every year because of different distractions inside the car. They're just saying this one, they hope, can be prevented if there is an overall ban on using the phone and texting while driving, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Christine Romans out of New York for us. Christine, thanks.
And coming up, the presidential race through the eyes of Steve Forbes. The business icon and two-time presidential candidate answers a critical question, which candidate can lead the nation out of its economic gloom? His answer might surprise you.
And when it comes to marriage, more people are saying, I don't. Find out why it's dropped to a record low, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, later this morning in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, President Obama talks to the troops about the U.S. military's drawdown in Iraq. You know this month nearly 40,000 men and women in uniform will come home from Iraq for good.
Our Martin Savidge is live in Kuwait. He's embedded with those existing troops. So how is the withdrawal going, Marty?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Let me just show you a picture here. You know we were here at Camp Virginia a couple of weeks ago for Thanksgiving and at that time this place was absolutely packed. And then it was the peak of rush hour of troops and equipment coming out of Iraq.
Take a look at it now. It is very quiet. In fact, that's the busiest spot you'll find in camp right now, the basketball court. Otherwise you start moving in this direction and you begin to see that this place is looking very, very quiet. Not deserted. There are still several thousand soldiers here, but nothing like it was when we were here a couple of weeks ago.
Take a look at that. They've added some decorations here. The holiday festive feel of course in this part of the world. You don't really get a sense of Christmas until you get on to a U.S. military base.
So the Christmas tree is up, a couple of live trees have set out there as well, so the soldiers can get a feel of the season that they're all heading back to. That's really what makes this place and makes this time a trifecta for the soldiers. Number one, their mission in Iraq ended quicker than they thought it would be. Two, they're on their way home, and three, they're going to make it home, for most of them at least, in time for Christmas -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You know, I'm curious, Martin, you have spent a lot of time in country and now, you know, these men and women are coming home for good. It's been a controversial eight years. What have you noticed? What have you -- what have you heard just within all the conversations you've had that's really sticking with you right now as you seen it from the beginning until now the end?
SAVIDGE: Well, I think, Kyra, it's a sense of realism that these soldiers have. They know that they have done an excellent job to the best of their abilities and the best of their trainings. But they also realized that they leave behind a nation that still faces a gravely uncertain future. It's a nation divided politically, religiously, and their next-door neighbor is Iran.
So you have now, as the U.S. leaves, this great potential for a vacuum of problems. So these soldiers are aware of that, but most of them know that they've invested a lot of times, a lot of them have done multiple tours. They believe the time is right for the U.S. soldiers to leave. They believe the Iraqis have been trained to the best that the U.S. can do to get them ready, and that it's time for Iraq to basically stand up and for the people of Iraq to decide their own future.
But many of these soldiers are curious about what will be happening next and they'll be following, but following from home -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Martin Savidge in Kuwait. Martin, thanks.
And next hour we're actually going to talk with an F-14 pilot who was one of the first to take shock and awe to Iraq. I talked about it with Lt. Reid Wiseman aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln right after the war began. So at 10:15 Eastern today he's going to tell us how that war shaped his career and his life.
Plus, President Obama talking to the troops about the end of the war. That's just before noon at Ft. Bragg. You'll see that right here live on CNN.
Well, Donald Trump has pulled out of the GOP presidential debate that he was scheduled to moderate. Trump says that he wanted to avoid a potential conflict of interest because he could enter the race later than a third party candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: The Republican Party does not want me running as an independent. So they've made this debate pretty impossible, although it could be an interesting chat with Newt Gingrich and it could be an interesting time. They want me to announce that I won't run as an independent candidate and I won't do that. Because if the Republicans pick the wrong person, I would, in fact, seriously consider running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Trump says that most of the candidates declined to take part in the debate because of his potential candidacy. As of now, only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are committed.
Well, our next guest knows Donald Trump very well and has himself run for the White House, twice. Steve Forbes is the editor in chief of his namesake business magazine "Forbes."
So, Steve, polls show the election may be ripe for a third party election. With the economy still sputtering, what do you think? Is Donald Trump the right candidate for that role?
STEVE FORBES, CHMN. & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, FORBES MEDIA: Well, we'll have to see who the Republicans nominate and I do believe that after the process is completed, which is going to be a very tough one. In January and February, there will be a strong candidate who will have the united party behind him or her. So, I don't think there's going to be a real third party effort.
If you're going to do it, you have to do it fairly soon. It's a fairly arduous task to get on the 50 states, requires a lot of resources. I'm not sure at the end of the day, Donald will do it, and I don't think Mayor Bloomberg is going to do it either. I think it will be a two-person race.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, you're a business guy and you've been a loyal supporter of Rick Perry, even as he's sinking in the polls. So, if Perry is forced out of the race, what other Republican would you support?
FORBES: Well, ultimately, whoever wins the nomination, but winning the nomination I wouldn't count Rick Perry out yet because, as we've seen, this thing is extremely fluid.
Now, while Newt Gingrich is the latest one to lead in the polls and in Iowa he's beginning to show a little bit of faltering. Ron Paul has run some devastating ads against Gingrich. You have, really, a five-person race in Iowa right now coalescing, Bachmann's coming up, Perry's coming up, you have the top three there. So, that's very fluid.
So, about 70 percent of the Republican voters haven't really made up a firm choice yet -- made a firm choice. So, you could see somebody come up in the middle as Romney and Gingrich should go at each other as they're starting to do in Iowa. That opens it up for another person to come up the middle. People say, I don't like these two fighters. I'm going to go with somebody else. We've seen that happen before.
PHILLIPS: Well, why is Rick Perry still your guy, Steve?
FORBES: I'd like his flat tax proposal. Full disclosure, I have some input on that. I like his record in terms of tort reform in Texas. I like his belief in that a dollar should be as good as gold, a strong dollar. He had a strong record on spending in Texas.
And with that kind of executive ability, I think he could be able to execute once he got into the Oval Office. It's one thing to have ideas, quite another to bring them into reality.
PHILLIPS: And we know he's not doing so well and you mentioned Romney and Newt. Between those two, who is your pick?
FORBES: I haven't focused on that one yet. I enjoyed the debate on Saturday night. I think Newt's got -- I think Newt's got a very good tax plan.
And one thing Romney has to do or really two things, Kyra. One is, he's got to come up with a better tax plan than he has now and not have this 59-point plan. You know, God only had ten points.
And he's also got to deal more effectively with health care, especially the individual mandate in Massachusetts. He's got to find a way to walk away from that idea or else the base is not going to really go with him.
But if he deals with those two issues, he could still win the nomination.
PHILLIPS: Look, you know, you're a powerful money guy and here we are in a horrible economy. Joblessness, joblessness is at its all- time low. How would you advise your presidential pick, whomever it is going to be and, if, indeed, it's not Rick Perry and you choose to support somebody else, how would you advise that pick on the economy?
FORBES: Well, you have to have several bold points. One is stabilize the dollar. I know monetary policy is the most boring subject in the world, but a weak dollar always means a weak recovery. The American people instinctively understand that.
Radical simplification of the tax code. Newt Gingrich understands it, Rick Perry does, others have proposals. Hammer those the way Ronald Reagan did tax cuts over 30 years ago, and then reforming health care where the patient is in charge, not the government.
And, of course, everyone agrees on ending the bench spending. You hit those four things. A stable dollar, simplifying the tax code, health care and stop the bench spending. I think you've got a winning platform. That's what's need right now to get the economy moving.
PHILLIPS: I'm listening to you and I'm wondering, why aren't you running for president?
FORBES: Well, I tried it twice and -- so, I'm an agitator now and that's more of a fun role and my kids like that their inheritance is not going into bumper stickers and radio and TV ads and the like. So --
PHILLIPS: Steve Forbes, good to see you this morning.
FORBES: Makes for a happier holiday.
PHILLIPS: Happy holidays to you.
FORBES: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Well, he's a whiz when it comes to computers. Now, about commercial space travel? Well, we're going to tell you Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen's newest business venture.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, as NASA pulls out, entrepreneurs want in on the impending commercial space race and now you can add Microsoft co- founder Paul Allen to the mix.
Rob Marciano has more on the industry's newest entrance Stratolaunch system -- Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Come on. Stratolaunch, if that's not a great name for --
PHILLIPS: That sounds pretty serious.
MARCIANO: Yes, it's space airline. You can just see it on the vehicle itself.
You ask how they're going to do this. You know, Paul Allen had a little adventure like this a few years ago. He spent $20 million on it. This go around, $200 million. And who knows? It may work.
This is the vehicle, this isn't going to go into space, this is going to be the carrier of the rocket to about 30,000 feet and from there we launch it into space. It has six jumbo jet airplane jets to get it up to that altitude and to carry the rocket, $20 million. The goal here is to have the first test flight in 2015 and then first commercial flight in 2016.
So, here's a run down of how it's going to work. Goes to about 30,000 feet and it's going to need a couple miles of runway to take off and land. Once it gets to 30,000 feet, the rocket itself will be launched. They're actually going to tilt it up and accelerate for a bit and get it at the proper trajectory. They'll launch that rocket and goes wherever you need.
Their motto is: any orbit, any time. I love it.
Here's what Paul Allen had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL ALLEN, FOUNDER, STRATOLAUNCH SYSTEMS: By the end of this decade, Stratolaunch will be putting spacecraft into orbit. It will keep America at the forefront of space exploration and give tomorrow's children something to search for in the night sky and dream about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: I love it. Sir Richard Branson is the main competitor. He's got about 500 reservations in what's called Virgin Galactic. So, it's going to be across the pond competition for the next few years. Exciting stuff.
PHILLIPS: A lot of kids dreaming. That's for sure. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right, you bet.
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: Well, stocks on Wall Street, on the other hand, not quite ready to take flight this morning.
Alison Kosik at New York Stock Exchange of what investors will be keeping an eye on today.
Hey, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.
Yes, you're exactly right. Stocks are going to be going the opposite direction. The Dow looking at a 40-point dip at the open. Investors are still a bit bothered by that Fed statement from yesterday afternoon and they weren't necessarily expecting any new stimulus measures to come out of the meeting.
But you know how it is. They're always that bit of disappointment that comes when nothing is announced. It's what I like to call a disappointment.
But there is a big announcement from the National Association of realtors. That's the group that compiles those existing home sales figures and what it said is that it's going to do, it's going to revise down the numbers from 2007 all the way to now. So, what it essentially means is that the housing picture was actually worse than first thought.
Why this big error? The National Association of Realtors says that some home sales may have been double counted. Yikes. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: What's the deal with people not getting married?
(LAUGHTER)
KOSIK: You know what? There's a study showing that marriage, Kyra, it's just not the priority that it used to be. The Pew Research Center broke down the latest census statistics showing that the number of people getting hitched is at a record low now. In fact, just 51 percent of adults had a ring on their finger last year. That's down sharply from 10 years ago and an even bigger plunge from 1960 when almost three-quarters of Americans were married.
Now, if the current trend continues, the number will drop below half in just a couple of years. There you go, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, got to have faith in love, right? It's around the holidays, especially now.
KOSIK: Of course.
PHILLIPS: Alison, thanks.
KOSIK: I'm all for it.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Well, coming up, iPads in the cockpit. Pilots get clearance to use tablets even when you can't. Our favorite expert, shall we say, weighs in next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, an app album is a brand-new thing. The idea is to create a complete fully immersive interactive experience that involves visuals, music and interactivity.
You used to take an album home and you'd have to play it on a record player. I think there's something almost like spiritual the way we would kind of bond with an album. So, the app has the potential to bring that back. And the way it does is by demanding all of your senses at once.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now.
Those really loud TV commercials will soon be history. The FCC ruled Tuesday to ban commercials that blast their volume louder than other programming. The new rules take effect next December.
And the "TIME" person of the year is the protester. Runners up included Kate Middleton, Gabby Giffords and Admiral William McRaven, who led the mission to bring down Osama bin Laden.
And the Marine Corps is now apologizing for sending Purple Heart ornaments and a letter about athletic reconditioning to more than 1,000 families of the fallen. Package was meant for Marines wounded in action, but still alive.
Well, American Airline pilots are going to be packing lighter. Come Friday, they can leave their 40 pounds of paperwork at home in favor of iPads. The FAA has just cleared them in the cockpit from gate to gate. Meantime, Alec Baldwin and the rest of us still have to power down for big chunks of the flight.
Miles O'Brien, a pilot, aviation analyst, science correspondent for PBS, my former co-worker who I missed desperately.
And a lot of folks -- a lot of folks here pretty confused, Miles, and pretty ticked off by this.
MILES O'BRIEN, AVIATION ANALYST: I don't know how the airlines and the FAA will be able to stop an outright passenger uprising in the wake of all of this. Everybody will be chanting "Aleca, Aleca, Aleca." It's crazy for them to stand up there with a straight face and say, you must turn off your device. And airplane mode is not enough when the guys in the cockpit, you know, are playing Angry Birds on their iPad.
PHILLIPS: Oh, now, can you confirm that, Miles O'Brien? And when you've been flying, have you been flying angry birds?
O'BRIEN: I do fly with my iPad and here's the charts that I use, Kyra. It's a very useful device. It's a wonderful thing. I fly with my iPad on and my two iPhones going and I never have a problem.
PHILLIPS: All right, so, here's my question -- so, if pilots can do it, you do it, they've got their iPads. Then why can't everybody else use their iPads, their phones?
O'BRIEN: This, this is the important point to remember. The FAA doesn't care about us. The FAA, essentially, works for the airlines. If the airlines called them up and said, hey, we'd like to save a half million gallons of gas by putting iPads in the cockpit instead of these 40-pound binders filled with all the charts and approach plates and everything else, the FAA will take inaction and conduct some tests and, sure enough, the iPads are in the cockpit.
If we as poor, pitiful passengers want to fire up our Kindle, they just say, no. They say, we're erring on the side of caution.
Well, I think this is -- this is the wedge that will cause the whole myth to crumble.
PHILLIPS: All right. So, interesting, because the FAA says, look, this is OK because it's only a few pilots with iPads versus a plane full of passengers and devices so fewer signals to interfere. Do you buy that?
And bottom line, what do we know about these devices interfering with plane's electronics or communications? And has the FAA ever done comprehensive testing?
O'BRIEN: Wow. You ask a lot of questions, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You taught me well.
O'BRIEN: First of all, if you're on an airplane, think about it for a minute. If you're on an airplane and six passengers in 39B, 39C and 24D have Kindles. And if you really think that's going to bring down the airplane, we should all get off the airplane at that moment because it shouldn't be that fragile.
Secondly, there is in these devices, in the cell, if you use the cellular component on the iPad or the iPhones, the frequency is pretty close to the GPS signal. And there is a possibility of interference there. I should tell you, however that the airlines do not use GPS as their primary navigational tool.
So, you're not interfering with anything that helps them get from point A to point B. Has the FAA done tests on behalf of passengers? No. They have said all along we're just going to err on the side of caution here.
The bottom line is, if the airlines come to them and say, look, we want to save a few bucks, things happen very quickly. Passengers don't have any clout.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll see if any changes happen quickly with regard to --
O'BRIEN: Aleca. Aleca. Aleca. Everybody, keep your devices on.
PHILLIPS: Miles O'Brien, always starting trouble. Some things never change. Great to see you.
O'BRIEN: Good to see you.
PHILLIPS: Well, coming up, actors honor their own handing out nominations for this year's SAG Awards. We'll name the names, next.
Plus, millions of kids around the world about to be surprised with presents through "Operation Christmas Child." Franklin Graham's group runs the project. He's joining me live to talk about it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: OK. The Screen Actors Guild has just announced its nominee for the 2012 SAG Awards. Their list, with tomorrow's Golden Globe nods, widely seen as an Oscar preview.
A.J. Hammer has got all the details.
All right, A.J., name the names. What's the scoop?
A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT HOST: All right. Here we go, Kyra, in the category of outstanding performance of a male actor in a leading role, we are going to see the expected faceoff between Brad Pitt, who's nominated for his role on "Money Ball" and George Clooney for his work in "The Descendants." They're going up against Leonardo DiCaprio nominated for "J. Edgar." Real star power there. And two lesser known actors, Demian Bichir and Jean Dujardin for their work in "A Better Life" and "The Artist" respectively. There's two smaller films, they have some passionate fans among the critics.
For outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, an old rivalry renewed between Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady," and Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs." In fact, they actually had dueling film premieres in New York City last night. They are right across the street from each other. They are up against the great Viola Davis who is just incredible "The Help," Tilda Swinton for "We Need to Talk about Kevin." Michelle Williams is nominated for "My Week with Marilyn."
Pretty tough decision there for voters to make. "The Artists," "The Bridesmaids," "The Descendants," and "Midnight in Paris" all nominated for having the outstanding performance by a cast. That's the SAG equivalent of best picture.
I love that "Bridesmaids" made it in there. SAG, by the way, also recognizes the work done in television. So, Kyra, that is certainly something we can talk about next hour.
PHILLIPS: Yes, "Bridesmaids" was pretty darn funny.
OK. Five words you probably never thought you'd hear, right? Snoop Dogg, come on down. Tell us about the "Price is Right" first ever celebrity week.
HAMMER: I love this as a huge "Price is Right" fan since I was a kid.
PHILLIPS: Me, too.
HAMMER: Celebrities coming on down. Oh, my God. Remember Johnny Olsen? Bob Barker is one of the reasons I wanted to be in television. I wanted to be Bob Barker.
Instead, I'm happy to be here with you, Kyra. Don't misunderstand me.
So, here's what's happening. It is going to be a celebrity week on "The Price is Right." The show is now celebrating its 40th season and they're going to do a bunch of special episodes. The celebrity contestants will include Snoop Dogg, Jenny McCarthy, Neil Patrick Harris is going t to be a part of this, so is Chris Daughtry, and Heidi Klum.
It should be a fun, fun week of shows.
And, Kyra, already reports that Snoop Dogg apparently, apparently knows more about the prices of grocery items than you might imagine he would. So, I'm imagining a pretty competitive week of shows. I would love to be on there as the announcer for just one week.
Do you remember Rod Ratty (ph)?. I mean, come on. Let's go back.
PHILLIPS: I was in college, a group of us lined up and we were actually in the audience and you try to act crazy or have some sort of funky t-shirt hoping they'll call you. But I never had the chance to jump over all the people and run down and kiss Bob Barker. It just never happened, A.J.
HAMMER: You might not have had the right shirt on that says Kyra loves Bob or something.
PHILLIPS: That's right. I knew I did it wrong.
A.J. -- I think it said I love A.J. Hammer, that must have been the problem. We'll see you back here with more headlines next half hour, A.J.
A.J. is actually going to tell us about Lindsay Lohan. Well, she actually stood up Ellen DeGeneres yesterday and we're also wondering if she's going to keep her court date today. A.J. has got all the scoop.
Also coming up, millions of needy kids about to get a big Christmas surprise. A shoe box full of presents donated by a stranger. Franklin Graham joins us to talk about Operation Christmas Child, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, for millions of needy children around the world, the holidays are just more of the same. They have nothing, they get nothing.
Well, the evangelical relief group Samaritan's Purse tries to spread a little Christmas cheer to these kids and share the Christmas message, as well. Every year, Operation Christmas Child collects shoe boxes full of gifts and sends them to more than 100 countries.
Franklin Graham is the president of Samaritan's Purse. He joins us from New York.
Great to see you, Franklin.
FRANKLIN GRAHAM, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: Good to see you and a merry Christmas to you.
PHILLIPS: Ditto.
Well, as we talk, if you don't mind, I'm going to show folks how to go to samaritanspurse.org and actually go through and build a box if they still want to do it and send it to your organization. But before I do that, tell folks about the impact of this project, what you witnessed over so many years and how it makes such an impact on these kids?
GRAHAM: You know, Kyra, we ask people to take a shoe box kind of like what I'm holding right here and fill it with items for a child. It can be -- if it's a girl, put a doll, if it's a boy you may want to put a car or baseball, or something like that. And then send it to us and we'll take it to a child and give it to them around the Christmas season.
But we ask people to pray. Pray for the child who is going to get the box. You know, I don't know who will get the box, but God does. If we know God will hear the prayer of one righteous person, can you imagine, 9 million people praying for 9 million children. That's how many boxes we will collect this year, about 9 million.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
GRAHAM: And it has a huge impact because every child that gets a box, most of these kids have never had a gift in their life and the hope that it gives them knowing that somebody cares about them and that somebody is praying for them. It means everything in the world, Kyra.
And the joy that these kids get, you know, just getting a gift and so much fun and every year we have the privilege of just handing these boxes out to millions of children around the world. PHILLIPS: And just to let folks know, that they can still do it. You're supposed to do it in November. And it's real easy. You just go up to the Web site samaritanspurse.org, you'll see how you build a box. And as you go through, you can choose the child, choose the age and choose everything that you want to put in that box and then you can actually track the package, which I think is so fantastic.
Tell our viewers, I mean, these go all over the world, right, Franklin? And you can actually see where it ends up and how your box makes an impact.
GRAHAM: Oh you can. And it is fantastic. You can actually track the box that you built into what country that it's going to. It's really a lot of fun and so you can go on every day and see the progress of your box.
So it's fun for the person who puts the box together, but the child that gets the box, Kyra. It makes a huge impact. We've had children that got boxes 10, 15 years ago that have now immigrated to this country and got adopted and they are now in school and university and they're packing boxes and giving boxes and so it's come full circle.
And it's just so much fun to see what God has done and what God can do in the life of a child through a simple gift, with just a simple box.
PHILLIPS: Well and that's why we talk about it every year.
All right, two things I've got to ask you about. Your dad, caught pneumonia. I think a lot of people around the world were pretty concerned about that. But he's doing well and I understand he didn't even want to leave the hospital. He was enjoying his time with the nurses and the doctors and probably talking about God with every single one of them.
GRAHAM: Absolutely. No, he's doing well, thank you for asking. He's back home getting ready for Christmas. He just finished a book called "Nearing Home". That book has done extremely well. He's been so encouraged about it that he's actually starting now another book.
So he's working, even though he's 93 years of age. He's still keeping busy and still working. And you know he wants everyone to know about God's son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins who raised -- was raised to light and who could come into any heart that is willing to accept him by faith.
And so this has been his message all of his life just telling people about God's love and he's still doing it.
PHILLIPS: You know when it comes to the Evangelical vote and we're coming up for a big political time -- as a matter of fact, it's already started -- a lot of people listen to who your father is talking about. A lot of people listen to you and who you're talking about.
Have you endorsed anybody yet? Are you thinking about endorsing someone? And if not, who's caught your attention, Franklin?
GRAHAM: Well, there's a lot of great candidates out there I think that are very capable. I think everybody agrees that our country is in trouble. And we've got to make some changes if we're going to survive as a nation.
And so I'm just praying that God would give us the man or woman that can lead this nation. We are in trouble, Kyra.
I haven't endorsed anybody. I don't have any intentions at this time of endorsing anybody, but there are some -- some great people out there that are running that have some great ideas. I think that can help this nation and maybe even turn this nation around.
PHILLIPS: Is there someone you respect?
GRAHAM: You know, I've met most of the candidates on the Republican and of course, I know the President and I have respect for all of them.
PHILLIPS: We will see what happens.
Franklin Graham, very careful with his words, good to see you and our best to your father; thanks so much, Franklin.
GRAHAM: Thank you, Merry Christmas.
PHILLIPS: We have a quick break.
Merry Christmas.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, stories making news later today.
Obama talks to the troops at Ft. Bragg North Carolina just before noon Eastern Time.
And the following hour Lindsay Lohan has another court hearing in Los Angeles.
And later tonight, Des Moines, Iowa four GOP presidential hopefuls slated to attend an anti-abortion themed movie titled "The Gift of Life".
We're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Paul Steinhauser -- Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Kyra, could it be a setback for the frontrunner in that battle for the GOP nomination. I'll tell you why Newt Gingrich's new top guy in Iowa is no longer with the campaign. Details at the top of the hour.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are following the arrest of three Florida A&M students in an alleged hazing incident. Today we're hearing more from the victim's attorney. That story coming up at the top of the hour.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Arwa Damon in Baghdad. Coming up as well, an update on the U.S. troop withdrawal and the type of Iraq the Americans are leaving behind.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.
Also next hour, you're going to meet Reed Wiseman. He was one of the first pilots to attack Iraq back in 2003.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REED WISEMAN, FIGHTER PILOT: We are here to liberate the Iraqi people. So what is our goal? We've got to go out and do our job as professionally as we can. We've got to -- we've got execute 100 percent perfectly every time. Because there are civilian lives on the ground, there's fellow Americans fighting down there. We have to do our best and we have to be perfect pretty much 100 percent of the time. There's no room for error.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That was Lieutenant Wiseman more than eight years ago. Today Lieutenant Commander Wiseman is an astronaut at NASA. Coming up he'll tell us how he hideous the war now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, there's another lawsuit coming from the child sex abuse allegations out of Syracuse University. Two men who say former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine actually abused them when they were team ball boys. Jeff Fischel is following that for us this morning.
(CROSSTALK)
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Yes. They're not only upset with the school. They're taking on the head coach, long time Syracuse head coach, Jim Boeheim. Boeheim initially called Bobby Davis and his stepbrother Mike Lange liars who were only out for money.
Because of those comments, they're now suing for defamation. Since Boeheim said that more accusations have come out and Boeheim has softened his stance. Bernie Fine has not been charged and has denied the allegations.
College hoops last night, check this out. 16th rank, Mississippi State on defense, waiting for the inbounds play with their backs to Raymond Taylor from Florida Atlantic right off the backside of Mississippi State player and gets the easy lay-up right there. The derriere, the tuckus (ph) whatever you want to call it, Mississippi State did win its ninth in a row 75-68.
Football, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison likely will not be playing Monday night against San Francisco after his one game suspension for hitting Browns quarterback Colt McCoy last Thursday.
Here's why. A helmet to helmet hit, it left McCoy with a concussion. It's Harrison's fifth illegal hit on a quarterback in the past three seasons. He is appealing the suspension. He says he will not change the way he plays.
And Kyra, I know you'll love this. There's an entire Web site now devoted to how Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers photo bombs the captain's picture before each game. There he is. Yes, always peeking out behind the other guys doing something silly, making a goofy face.
Rodger's been doing this for years, all the way back to the days when he's Brett Favre's back up but he's still doing it now that he's arguably the best player in all of football. The Web site, by the way is rodgersphotobomb.com. All these pictures are actually from the Green Bay Packers themselves.
PHILLIPS: That's great.
FISCHEL: It's good to know when you're a star you're not taking yourself too seriously.
PHILLIPS: Got to keep a sense of humor.
FISCHEL: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Thank you very much, Jeff.
All right. Well, Nick Nolte says that he wants to clear up the truth about any episode that may be a little foggy. Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the Mona Lisa of mugshots enshrined on T-shirts. So famous, all it takes to recognize it is the outline. Ridiculed in song. Imitated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hair like this, Nick.
MOOS: Worn as a Halloween costume, as seen here in "People". Someone even put it on his credit card.
Almost a decade after its release, Letterman's still making jokes about Nick Nolte, like the one about how the U.S. didn't release a death photo of Osama bin Laden.
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: Right. Didn't release any pictures, so the White House released this instead; take a look at that.
MOOS: To mugshot connoisseurs at The Smoking Gun --
ANDREW GOLDBERG, TSG, MANAGING EDITOR: It's probably the best celebrity mugshot ever taken.
MOOS (on camera): But now Nolte is talking. He's saying a mugshot it was not.
(voice-over): In an interview with "GQ" magazine Nolte explains he was high on a drug called GHB, liquid ecstasy when he swerved off the Pacific Coast Highway.
At the hospital where Nolte was taken for a blood test a young officer asked him if he could take a Polaroid. I said, "Come on, you don't really want to ask that, do you?" Nolte recalls. But he did.
Nolte made him agree that if he posed, the young officer would share any proceeds with his colleagues. "And I let him shoot the Polaroid." The rest is history. It's the gold standard against which mothers compare their baby's hair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which reminds me a lot of Nick Nolte mugshot hair.
STEPHEN COLBERT, TALK SHOW HOST: He was 1992 sexiest man and look at him now, still sexy.
MOOS: One guy posted that on his local TV weather forecast, when we are expecting heavy wind, this picture of Nolte is what they use for a bad hair day. But police may be tearing out their hair because the California Highway Patrol spokesman who originally released this picture says it is a mugshot. One of several that they took, not a Polaroid taken at the hospital.
GOLDBERG: Maybe that's how he perceived it on GHB, that maybe they were saying please stand there for this picture. And he thought here's another fan that wants a picture of me. Maybe that's one of the things that GHB does to you.
MOOS (on camera): Makes you think that everybody is a fan.
GOLDBERG: Everybody's a fan. Who doesn't want my picture?
MOOS (voice-over): Mel Gibson has reportedly said that he made sure his hair was groomed in his mugshot so he wouldn't end up like Nolte.
(on camera): The moral of the mugshot or whatever it was, comb your hair.
(voice-over): But even if this kid didn't, at least he wasn't wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nick Nolte mugshot hair, Hudson's hair.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
