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Showdown Looms Over Payroll Taxes; Gingrich Iowa Aide Ousted; Trump Won't Host GOP Debate; Three FAMU Band Members Arrested; NTSB Calls For Total Cellphone Ban; U.S. Troops Leaving Iraq; Obama Speaks to Troops at Ft. Bragg; Marine Corps' Ornament Mistake; Married Couples at Record Low; Romney Slams Gingrich's Credentials
Aired December 14, 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: Well, on Capitol Hill lawmakers are racing the clock to extend the payroll tax cut. It saves the average American about $1,000 a year.
And House Republicans say they've done their part passing their version of the bill and warning Democrats now who are threatening to kill it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPRESENTATIVE JEB HENSARLING (R), TEXAS: The president seems to have threatened to veto this bill one, because House Republicans don't want to raise taxes. Why would you want to raise taxes on anybody in this economy?
Why is taking more away from small business people and job creators going to be helpful to our economy? It isn't. Without spending discipline, it won't help on the deficit problem at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Congressional correspondent Kate Bolduan on Capitol Hill. So the bill is dead on arrival. What's next?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It really does seem, well, if you listen to the Senate majority leader, that it is absolutely dead on arrival in the Senate.
Because he says there is broad opposition to many of the provisions in the House-passed bill. Let's get to that in one second, but first, just to further the point. Listen here to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from last night right after the House vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR HARRY REID (D), 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. The sooner we demonstrate that, the sooner we can begin serious discussions how to keep taxes from going up on middle class Americans. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Now Senator Reid said very much the same thing today as he was speaking on the Senate floor even going as far to call it a useless partisan charade, Kyra. So there is likely to be a vote on this House-passed measure in the Senate today. Again, it's not likely to go anywhere. The main opposition, there are several things that Democrats are opposed to in the House bill.
One of the major obstacles is that House Republican leaders added a provision that would speed up approval of the Keystone oil pipeline project to this bill. It's not related to the payroll tax, but House Republicans added it in there.
So where do things go from here? Well, now it's looking like we are facing two deadlines. Not only have they not reached agreement on how to extend the payroll tax cut before the current payroll tax cut extension expires at the end of this year.
We're also facing a potential government shutdown come this Friday as a massive government funding bill that's been negotiated for months now has gotten thrown into the mix of this latest round of brinksmanship and we could be facing if they don't kind of break the log jam on payroll.
And potentially resolve some issues with this massive government funding bill, we could be facing another government shutdown even earlier even before we're facing deadline with this payroll tax extension. It's getting pretty contentious up here as you can see -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Kate Bolduan on the Hill. Kate, thanks and stay with us.
Next hour, President Obama expected to deliver remarks at Fort Bragg. That's schedule for 11:55 Eastern. We will carry it live.
Newt Gingrich is surging in the polls and racking up endorsements, but today his campaign is dealing with an embarrassing blunder by a staff member in Iowa. Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser has the scoop for us -- Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Kyra, with less than three weeks to go now until this Iowa caucuses, remember, that's the first contest in the primary caucus battle. This is probably not the storyline that Gingrich campaign wanted to deal with.
All right, the story itself though. Remember it was just a couple days ago that Gingrich and Mitt Romney have been going back and forth on the attack.
Well, yesterday, Gingrich puts out a letter, an e-mail to his campaign saying we will not go on the attack anymore against any Republican presidential candidates neither my staff or surrogates.
Well, here's what happened. Gingrich's brand new political director in Iowa had to step down because earlier in the week before he was even with the campaign, he was doing a focus group. And in that focus group, he talked about how Evangelicals in Iowa would not really consider or vote for Romney because, of course, Romney is a Mormon and he said that they believe Mormonism is a cult.
So here's the statement from the campaign last night. Craig Bergman agreed to step away from his role with Newt Gingrich 2012 today. He made a comment to the focus group prior to becoming an employee that is inconsistent with Newt 2012's pledge to run it positive and solutions orientated campaign.
That is from the spokesman, R.C. Hamon. Again, the story line, Gingrich does not want to have to deal with it, but he is dealing with it this morning -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, then this new poll that shows if Gingrich does, indeed, win the nomination, the tougher challenge may lie ahead -- Paul.
STEINHAUSER: Definitely. Four new polls out in the last 24 hours all show the same thing nationally. Gingrich the frontrunner for the battle for the GOP nomination.
But as you mentioned, let's take a look at this. NBC/"Wall Street Journal," this is a hypothetical, next year the general election.
And you can see right here, Barack Obama, the president versus Newt Gingrich, Obama with an 11-point lead. But Obama versus Mitt Romney, much, much closer contest.
This poll is indicating maybe an electability problem for Newt Gingrich. A long way away, but a troubling number for Gingrich -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much.
Donald Trump has pulled out of the GOP presidential debate. He was scheduled to moderate. Trump said that he wanted to avoid a potential conflict of interest because he could enter the race later as 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: But Trump says that most of the candidates declined to take part in the debate because of his potential candidacy. As of now, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are committed.
And a reminder, for all the latest political news, just head to our web site 24/7, cnnpolitics.com.
Well, this morning three Florida A&M band members are facing criminal charges. The three men appeared at a Tallahassee courtroom yesterday.
They're accused of beating an 18-year-old band member so badly that she suffered blood clots, deep bone bruising and a broken thigh.
George Howell has been following the story since it broke. This is the first time we're actually hearing from the victim's attorney, right?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are, but just keeping it in perspective. We are talking about two investigations at Florida A&M University. The first dealing with Robert champion, the band's drum major who died on November 19th.
This is the case of Bria Hunter. Now Hunter claims that -- rather, she filed her police report about two weeks before Champion's death. Hunter says that she was involved in several weeks' long hazing period where she had a broken leg, blood clots from those alleged hazing incidents.
We talked to Hunter's attorney, B.J. Bernstein who held a press conference and talked a bit about her client. Also talked about the three people arrested and alludes that more people could be involved. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
B.J. BERNSTEIN, BRIA HUNTER'S ATTORNEY: Bria talked to law enforcement and there were more than three people in attendance at this, up to 12 students involved.
Hopefully, these young people will come forward and tell the truth and hopefully they'll be able to move forward with their education eventually.
But accountability and responsibility is a critical part for any student who's a part of this. Even more so, Florida A&M has to change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: And now you see those three people there arrested, James Harris, Shawn Hobson and Aaron Goldson in this case. But again, this case still continuing and again, another case involving Robert Champion still underway -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now this young woman, she's actually withdrawn from school?
HOWELL: She is. In fact, she's leaving a full ride scholarship, an $80,000 year scholarship to be at Florida A&M University, to be in the band claiming that she and her family have received tweets from people threatening retaliation for her speaking out against this alleged hazing incident.
PHILLIPS: This is such a shame. It's going to be interesting to see how this all unfolds and if more people come forward.
HOWELL: And that's a possibility.
PHILLIPS: Yes, George, thanks.
Well, calling it the new DUI. The NTSB wants to ban you and every other driver on the road from talking or texting while behind the wheel.
The recommendation was laid out yesterday by the safety panel including a total ban nationwide. Yes, that means hands-free devices.
NTSB Chairwoman Debbie Hersman says that while it may not be a popular push, well, it's one that's necessary to combat a growing threat posed by distracted drivers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBBIE HERSMAN, CHAIRWOMAN, NTSB: There are a lot of distractions. Frankly, distractions have been around as long as the model "T" has been around. People are distracted, but this is a new type of distraction, and what we see is that people are bringing more and more electronic devices into the car.
There are devices that are in the car as part of their infotainment and they are creating more distractions. We're seeing more people texting behind the wheel and people being distracted by the cognitive conversations that they're having with people where it's taking their attention away from the driving task.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: While the NTSB can't actually change the law, the group hopes its recommendations will lead states to do so.
Overseas now, the drawdown of U.S. troops stationed in Iraq intensifies from a high water mark of 155,000 plus at the height of the conflict to where the number now hovers near 5,000.
CNN's Arwa Damon is live in Baghdad with an update -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. That's right. As of yesterday 5,000 troops in Iraq, presumably that number has decreased as U.S. has to meet that deadline of having all of its troops out by the end of the month.
For the military that is leaving and for the Iraqis that are staying behind, a lot of mixed emotions about America's war in Iraq coming to an end.
A lot of the soldiers who have spent so much of their lives here, many of them on multiple rotations, many of them have seen their friends die in front of them.
They have a lot of questions. They also to a certain degree uncertain about what Iraq's future is going to be and amongst the Iraqi population, a fair amount of uncertainty as well.
While the Iraqis did not want to see the U.S. military here forever, at the same time there are a lot of fears about the security vacuum that is potentially going to be left behind especially given all of the ongoing political uncertainty here -- Kyra.
Despite the fact that we heard from President Obama, Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, both of them talking about this national unity government, many Iraqis wouldn't really agree with that.
We're seeing a lot of internal turmoil when it comes to governance. That of course many people worry given the fact that it is Iraq, it could possibly lead to more violence.
PHILLIPS: Now talking about the violence and troops leaving. Arwa, thanks so much.
We're also going to talk about remembering how the war started with shock and awe.
F-14 pilot, Reid Wiseman was one of the first Americans to take a shock and awe into Iraq. He's joining me live after the break. We're going to find out what he thinks about the war now and how it shaped his career and his life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: President Obama speaks to the troops next hour about the ends of the Iraq war. A war that began more than eight years ago with "shock and awe," and I was there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our mission objectives, hit the target.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven aircrafts did drop bombs over Iraq.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Eight years ago, I was there when the Iraq war began.
(on camera): The campaign is being called "shock and awe."
PHILLIPS: From the air, land, and sea.
(on camera): There are five weapon stations on this special operations craft.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): I met some of the bravest men and women I've ever known.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: And one of those guys dropping the first bombs on Iraq, Lieutenant Reid Weissman, an F-14 pilot. I actually talked to him aboard the Abraham Lincoln right after President Bush declared war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: When you heard the president of the United States say, this is it, we're at war, what was going through your head.
LT. REID (TONTO) WEISMAN, F-14 PILOT, U.S. NAVY: First and foremost, surprise because I didn't expect it to happen the way it started.
I didn't expect that I would wake up and see the president talking about we are at war without us being airborne at the time. I thought for sure that's the way it was going to start.
So at first surprise and then a little bit of nervousness and then after that just a whole lot of motivation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, I've kept up with Reid Weisman over the years. He always told me about his ultimate goal after the war ended, and he did it.
He's now Lieutenant Commander Weisman and he's a NASA astronaut. He joins me from Moscow where he's training for a 2014 launch from Russia. Reid, great to see you.
WEISMAN: Kyra, great to see you. It's always great to talk to you.
PHILLIPS: Well, you heard a little bit about what you told me as soon as the Iraq war began. You know, how is that moment and that war changed you professionally and personally?
WEISMAN: Without a doubt, Kyra, I think that war made me grow up awfully, awfully fast. Very quickly I realized that war can be ugly. It's fast.
It hits hard and it's for real, and I think that single thing really, really made me into an adult probably a little bit younger than I would have been. I think that's helped me throughout my career.
PHILLIPS: Now the war began. You landed on the carrier. I tracked you down and I asked you, what does this mission mean to you? Here's what you told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Why do you think this war is the right thing to do?
WEISMAN: That's a great question. This war is a very right thing to do because of Saddam Hussein and in my opinion more importantly, his sons, who are far more vicious than he is. For the Iraqi people, it's going to be tough. This next year is going to be very tough for the whole world, especially when we didn't get basically the U.N. to pass a resolution for this to happen.
But we needed to do it right now because if a terrorist gets hold of any of the things that Saddam Hussein has or if his sons are terrorists and they get to the United States, think about what would happen if they unleashed something in Manhattan.
That wasn't an airplane hitting a building, but it was a weapon of mass destruction, the X-Gas nerve agent on an unprepared city. I mean, now we have tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Americans who don't get to wake up and smell the fresh cut lawn and the mist on the grass. We can't have that. The president's doing the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So, Reid, as you listen to that, did we do the right thing? What do you think about what you told me at that time?
WEISMAN: Well, Kyra, of course I think we did the right thing. I think we were fighting for freedom and we were fighting for the defense of our nation at the time. I'll always think that was the right decision for us.
I think it's funny that I said it's going to be a tough year for the world really and it turned out that I don't think anybody could predict really what came. Instead of a tough year, it turned into a tough eight years.
PHILLIPS: How does that sit with you when we see all the men and women that have died and how controversial this war has become? How do you stomach that at night?
WEISMAN: Well, Kyra, it's hard to justify the human cost of any war, but I think fundamentally that war was worth our fight and fighting for freedom was absolutely worth it.
Sure, I wish it had been quicker. I wish it had been much cleaner and the cost of civilian and military lives was high, but in the end I think that was the right thing to do.
PHILLIPS: Reid Weisman. Stay with me. We're going to take a quick break. We're going to talk about his new gig, the one at NASA. Before did you into space, well, you've got to go underwater.
Coming up, we'll talk more about Lieutenant Commander Weisman's new adventure.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, as we told you, Lieutenant Reid Weisman was one of the first pilots to bring "Shock and Awe" to Iraq. Today, Lieutenant Commander Weisman is exactly where he wants to be, with NASA, training for a mission to space. It's training for a mission to space. He's training for a Russian -- He's with us live from Moscow and his training for a Russian launch.
Reid, you told me at the start of the war in 2003 that you wanted to be an astronaut. You did it. So what does the future hold for you with the end of the shuttle program?
Well, Kyra, the human space flight program in America is still going strong. We have a lot of work ahead. The international space station has had a human on it since 2001.
We're continuing that. We're doing research every day. Like you said, I'm two years away from a launch. One week from today we're going to launch two astronauts and a cosmonaut to a station. S o we're alive and well.
PHILLIPS: OK, you know, you've missing the serious read Weisman, but I know the serious Reid Weisman. But I know inside the minute you found out you made it to the program it was a pretty exciting moment, wasn't it?
WEISMAN: It was an exciting moment. I was actually underway on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. There's no better place to be I think to find out that you're going to be an astronaut and train with NASA and fly in space. You remember what those halls look like. It's hard to run through them, but I ran quick.
PHILLIPS: And I'll never forget the e-mail I received telling me you got it. All right, you mentioned the science. Tell me what's exciting right now on the space station science wise.
HOWELL: Well, right now, Kyra, I think it's looking very positive that we may have just found a vaccine for salmonella and we flew some virus up to the space station intentionally.
We looked at what happened. We found out they got stronger when they were up in that weightless environment. We've reverse engineered them. We've sent a drug to the FDA and we'll see if it works then we may have a vaccine against salmonella would that would be fantastic to save thousands of lives.
PHILLIPS: What a pleasure to talk to you today. As we wrap up, a couple other personal things that changed in your life. You got married to your sweetheart since the war, Carol. You had two beautiful daughters.
It seems like everything is working out the way you planned, but I know you keep close to your heart what's taking place in Iraq. I know that means a lot to you.
But you're finally pursuing what you've always wanted and that's becoming an astronaut. It was so great to look back with you today, Reid. Thank you so much for joining me from Moscow.
WEISMAN: It was a real pleasure, Kyra. Always great to talk to you. Thanks for the opportunity.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
All right, let's check stories cross-country now. You don't see this every day. Police officer driving his cruiser up a utility poll, that's right.
One of Miami's finest got distracted while reaching for a pen that he dropped. That's when his cruiser drove over some wire and was pulled upward. He walked away without a scratch, even laughing.
Deep-fried twiggies, now available all year long at an Oklahoma restaurant. The name's pretty easy to remember, too. Yes, you guessed it, the fair.
And this snowstorm that hit northern Arizona expected to clear out today. The storm dumped two feet of snow in one area. It was much lighter in other parts, but enough for students to get a snow day.
That system dumped so much snow in the dessert southwest. It's moving east ward into the central planes is a by the giving plenty of rain with it. Rob Marciano tracking it all for us -- Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLIST: This is the second strong south western snow system, one that got down into Mexico as far as the snow is concerned.
Still have snow advisories and winter snow warnings posted for Mexico and Colorado, but as you mentioned. The rain and energy with this system is heading into the plains. We do have a threat for seeing severe today from awesome backup through Dallas and across the Red River. Isolated tornadoes, large hail possible.
These haven't formulated, but in the afternoon they'll become a little bit better chance of that happening. Chicago up through Milwaukee, you've been getting rain all day and this is now stretching east to Cleveland up to buffalo.
Eventually, it will get up towards the northeast, but until then we're talking about mild conditions, fog this morning. Temperatures may very well top out at 70 degrees in some spots today, including Atlanta, 70 for a high there.
It's 46 degrees in New York City and 52 degrees with that rain in Chicago. We do have travel delays because of the rain in Chicago, both at midway and O'Hare. Phoenix, Sky harbor, 25 minutes delays. We'll keep track of the potential for severe weather across north Texas. Newsroom is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Put down the remote. Those really loud TV commercial will soon be history. The FCC ruled Tuesday to ban commercials that blast their volume louder than programming. The new rules take effect next December. ROMANS: On Capitol Hill, lawmakers racing to extend the clock to extend the payroll tax cut. It saves the average American about $1,000 a year.
House Republicans say they've done their part passing their version of the bill and warning Democrats are threatening to kill it. The senate is now taking up the bill passed by House Republicans.
It's being called the new DUI. The NTSB wants to ban you and every other driver on the road from talking or texting while behind the wheel. Yes, that means hands-free devices too. The NTSB can't change the law, the group hopes its recommendations will lead states to do so.
Now in just a few moments President Obama aboard Air Force One and travels to Fort Bragg North Carolina. He's going to address the troops. About the final days of withdrawing the last U.S. troops from Iraq. Athena Jones at the White House. So Athena, tell us more about the trip.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, this is an important milestone for this president. He sees this as a campaign promise capped. They've been using every opportunity to mark this. They've been talking about it all week.
Of course, we had the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki coming to the White House on Monday. Yesterday, the president gave local interviews to TV Stations separate states across the country talking about this Iraq drawdown.
Today they want to travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to talk to some of the troops. We've been told a couple hundred troops returned just yesterday so it really is kind of a welcome home. Both the president and the first lady, who spent a lot of time on issues dealing with military families, will be speaking to the troops.
The idea is to thank them for their service, sacrifice, and honor their achievements. We know that more than a million Americans served in Iraq and 4,500 troops lost their lives.
So the idea is to thank them for that sacrifice and say that the U.S. is going to take care of these returning veterans. One more thing that senior administration officials have indicated is that, we can probably expect to hear something of an economic message here as well.
The White House has been saying for several months now as we're winding down Iraq, it's officially coming to an end, they're also beginning to wind down the war in Afghanistan in terms of transferring more responsibility to Afghans. The idea now more than ever is to focus on the economy here at home; on rebuilding, on building up America here at home.
And so we can probably expect to hear a little bit of that today as well -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Athena Jones at the White House. Athena thanks.
JONES: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: And stay with us next hour President Obama is going to deliver those remarks at Fort Bragg; 11:55 Eastern. We will carry it live.
All right, "Political Buzz". You're rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day, three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. And playing today: CNN contributor, Maria Cardona; Sirius XM talk show host, and a funny guy Pete Dominick. And Professor Chris Metzler of Georgetown -- Georgetown University.
First question, guys. Christine O'Donnell, the former senate candidate from Delaware. You know her. She endorsed Mitt Romney for president. Good thing for Romney or not? Maria?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think it's a great thing for Romney, Kyra. We know that he's had trouble with the conservative vote and Christine O'Donnell's endorsement is going to really help him shore up the all important conservative Tea Party we can vote. We know those are the ones that actually decide this election Kyra and he clearly -- he clearly convinced Christine O'Donnell that he would be a good witch and not a bad witch if he was -- if he were to win for president. So good for him.
PHILLIPS: Chris?
CHRIS METZLER, PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: No, actually, I really think it's irrelevant. So we have someone who can't spell. We have someone who is, who, what's her name again? I think probably the more important news would be whether or not Pete and Maria right now right here will commit to endorsing Romney. I think that would make a huge difference.
So I'm waiting for that endorsement. So Pete and Maria, come on, guys.
CARDONA: You want my endorsement, Chris?
PHILLIPS: Oh go ahead, Pete.
METZLER: Well, for Romney, yes.
PETE DOMINICK, COMEDIAN: Sadly, I actually believe people would care more about what Maria and I think than Christine O'Donnell. And -- and I'll take over from there because this -- this endorsement, and Chris is absolutely right, totally irrelevant I think.
I mean -- but can you imagine, maybe she's making a run for VP, Kyra. Can you imagine a moderate Republican chooses a social conservative, fairly unvetted, fairly attractive female to run on the VP ticket and get all those female Evangelical right votes? Wait, I was just having a bit of a flashback to 2008.
PHILLIPS: Boy, I'd love to see Pete on a date with her. All right, "The New Yorker" runs 40 nice things about Newt Gingrich and it asked readers for their input. So here's a look at just a few of the cleaner ones shall we say. He's taller than James Madison. He's never divorced me. He's the one to get Obama re-elected. Ok, guys, add one nice comment about Newt to the list. Chris?
METZLER: Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Because who thought at this point in the race we would be talking about Newt as the front-runner? You know what I would have to say is that for those folks who have actually been saying for Newt we'd like to run against Newt, I have two words for you, Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan. How'd that end up for you? So keep -- that's Newt. Never underestimate him.
PHILLIPS: Maria?
CARDONA: I was actually very impressed and happy to hear when I heard the news that he is a very avid zoo visitor. And he likes aquariums too so in all seriousness I think that that is a huge positive for him. I never would have thought of somebody like him because zoos, aquariums, that's sort of warm and fuzzy.
That and -- and he actually looks like the burl eyed (ph) snow man. So during Christmas I think that's a great thing for him.
PHILLIPS: Pete? You should see Pete's face right now.
DOMINICK: The only, I can only give you one thing. I mean, I'm a comedian and a writer. I've got 15. So just buzz me here. I'll tell you one -- Newt Gingrich.
Newt Gingrich has a great -- he's got a great head of hair. He's -- I'm going to read them, he's written four times as many books as Dan Brown but they're less factual. He's made an honest woman out of both of his mistresses. He's the only thing that Chuck Norris fears, the only thing Chuck Norris fears Newt Gingrich as president. And he's not Herman Cain.
METZLER: Pete.
PHILLIPS: Whoa, Pete.
CARDONA: Wow.
DOMINICK: Come on that was --
PHILLIPS: No that was pretty stellar. I have to admit.
METZLER: That was great.
PHILLIPS: For a funny guy, Pete Dominick.
CARDONA: That was great.
PHILLIPS: All right, "Buzzer Beater", 20 seconds each. Guys "Time Magazine" as you know named "The Protester" its person of the year for 2012. So in a big political year, who's your person of the year? Maria?
CARDONA: Well, I think I have two. The first one is Seal Team 6 but I understand that the one who -- the person who headed that was one of the runners up. But I think I would also say and because of the protester of the year was person of the year that it should go to actually Muhammad Bousi (ph) who was the Tunisian street vendor who lit himself on fire and actually lit the match for the -- for the Arab spring.
PHILLIPS: Chris?
METZLER: I'm actually going to go overseas and go with Angela Merkel because I think in fact she's doing an excellent job trying to save the Euro and, thus, the U.S. currency. So I'm going to go with Merkel. And no, Pete, she does not have to be American. I would, of course, go with Margaret who is always my default position.
DOMINICK: Why -- why do you hate the French so much? No Sarkozy, I think -- I think Bobby Ghosh and "Time" magazine made a great choice with "The Protester". Maria just said it first about the guy in Tunisia who started this all. But then Egypt, and then the rest of North Africa and look at what happened in America, first in Wisconsin, then Ohio, and then the occupy movements so it's a great choice the protester.
But I would also say for person of the year Grover Norquist who has really helped, held the budget frankly hostage.
PHILLIPS: Always a pleasure, guys. Thank you.
CARDONA: Thanks Kyra.
METZLER: Thanks.
DOMINICK: Thanks Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Coming up the Screen Actors Guild singles out some of its favorite performances. Here you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The nominees are Diane --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That was a tease. We'll take a look at some of the lucky people next in "Showbiz".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Screen Actors Guild has just announced its nominees for the 2012 SAG Awards. Their list along with some other Golden Globe nods recognized as best performances on television and film. A.J. Hammer, of course, has all the details. All right, A.J., let's name the names. A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": All right, Kyra. Well, we talked about the film nominees last hour. Let's look -- run through now some of the nominees on the television side, another big year for HBO. Man, there is no stopping them. They had several actors nominated. Two of their big shows, "Boardwalk Empire" and "Game of Thrones" could actually win in the category of outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.
That's basically the SAG equivalent of best drama at the Golden Globes. Those two shows up against Dexter from "Showtime", breaking bad from AMC, and the good wife from CBS.
Now, the networks did better in the comedy categories. All five nominees for outstanding performance by an ensemble in the comedy series are from broadcast networks. Nominees here: "30 Rock", "The Office" from NBC, "The Big Bang Theory" from CBS, "Glee" from Fox, and yes Kyra, one of our favorites, "Modern Family".
PHILLIPS: "Modern Family".
HAMMER: I'm very disappointed because it just dawned on me we don't get a new "Modern Family" tonight. Not that you shouldn't watch -- I believe it's the Great Dude Ranch episode.
PHILLIPS: Which is pretty funny.
HAMMER: But they had the big Christmas episode which was unbelievable last week.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it was. I'm so bummed out. I didn't know we were going to get a repeat.
Who would ever want to skip out on Ellen DeGeneres? That's is the -- I mean when I was on maternity leave, I never missed Ellen, not one day, A.J.
HAMMER: Yes. I don't think Lindsay Lohan wanted to miss her appearance on "The Ellen Show". But she says she got stuck in Hawaii which forced her to miss the taping. Now a rep tells showbiz tonight, she did offer to tape an episode tomorrow, but the show couldn't just work everything out to work around Lindsay's schedule.
It was a pretty tough trip to Hawaii for Lindsay. She reported that her purse was stolen while she was there. She did get the purse back but she apparently lost all the cash from it. Reportedly around $10,000 because you now, that's what you roll around with in your purse when you're on vacation.
Lindsay busy today with another court appearance in Los Angeles to monitor her probation. Her rep says she's not going to miss that. "The Ellen Show" was her one planned promotional stop to plug her appearance in the new issue of "Playboy" magazine.
And Kyra, I have the feeling, I mean going on Ellen, yes it's terrific. It will do great things for publicity. But I think that issue will do just fine without any added publicity. PHILLIPS: All right. Here's a blast from our past. The "Price is Right"?
HAMMER: Yes. And it's a big celebrity week. Are you ready for Snoop Dogg, Jenny McCarthy, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Daughtry and Heidi Klum, to all come on down. Kyra they're going to be bidding and spinning and showcase show-downing.
The legendary game show is celebrating its 40th season. They're doing a host of special episodes including celeb week. I think this is a great idea. But I'm thinking, Kyra, and tell me if you agree, if Snoop Dogg is up to win a new car, wow, it better be something pretty spectacular, don't you think?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Oh, my gosh. I'll tell you what, memories of that show, right? That's something else you and I never missed.
Now it's "Modern Family". Then it was "Price is Right".
A.J., you're always taking me back.
HAMMER: That's right.
PHILLIPS: All right. If you want any information on anything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J.'s got it every night. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
Well, it started as a nice idea for Purple Heart recipients. Send them Purple Heart ornaments. But the Marines actually sent them to the wrong people. Now the corps is apologizing for the mix-up. We'll have more from the Pentagon straight ahead.
And reigning Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers not only throws touchdowns he has a few photo bombs every once in a while.
You'll see him in sports.
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PHILLIPS: All right. Checking top stories now.
'Tis the season for fighting. Some folks in Pitman, New Jersey, are pretty angry over a town sign that says "Keep Christ in Christmas". The Freedom from Religion Foundation wants it removed saying it violates the constitution. Well, the town's mayor says it's on private property and it will stay put.
According to Facebook LAX is the nation's most social airport and most people tag themselves at LAX than any airport in the world. Coming up Number Two is Harts' Field Jackson right here in Atlanta. Followed by Chicago O'Hare.
And this Cartier necklace owned by the late Elizabeth Taylor sold at auction for $11.8 million. The highest ever recorded price for pearl jewelry sold at auction. A portion of the profits from the event will go to Elizabeth Taylor AIDS foundation. Well, the Marine Corps is apologizing for a mistake. Christmas ornaments meant for troops who survived war sent to families whose loved ones were killed. Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence is here. Wow, Chris, what the heck happened?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, here's where the mix-up happened. A charity group donated about 9,000 of these ornaments as a gesture of goodwill. The Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regimen sent them out intending to send them to living recipients of the Purple Heart but what happened was their list of Purple Heart recipients didn't distinguish between the living and the deceased.
So about 1,100 families who have had a marine or sailor fall in battle they got these ornaments addressed to their deceased loved one which obviously coming any time of the year is a hard thing to take. Coming so close to Christmas was really tough on a lot of these families.
Over 3 dozen families started calling the Marine Corps saying what's going on here. And the Marine Corps has been profusely apologizing saying basically flat out there's no excuse for this. We will make it right.
That's going to be in the form of a written apology and the head of the Wounded Warrior Program, the colonel who runs that program is also personally calling some of the families back who called in to the Marine Corps. So a really, really tough thing for these families to get this time of year, but there was no malicious intent behind it. It was a mistake.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's going to be a lot of apologies, no doubt. And you're right, Chris, tough time of year to receive something like that, a mistake like that. But they're doing everything they can. Thanks a lot, Chris.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Up next, when it comes to marriage, more people are saying "I don't". We're going to find out why it's dropped to a record low.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, stories making news later today.
Obama talks to the troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina just before noon Eastern time.
Then the following hour Lindsay Lohan has another court hearing in Los Angeles.
And later tonight in Des Moines, Iowa, four GOP presidential hopefuls slated to attend an anti-abortion-themed movie titled "The Gift of Life" Some surprising new numbers show that married couples here in the U.S. are on the path to becoming a minority. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. So Alison, well, you and I are doing our part in keeping the institution alive.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are. But you know what; marriage is just not the priority that it used to be, Kyra. Pew Research broke down the latest census data showing that the number of people getting hitched is at a record low. In fact just 51 percent of adults had a ring on their finger last year; it's down sharply from 10 years ago. And there are a few reasons behind the decline but big part of it Kyra is the economy. More couples, they're now living together without walking down the aisle first. And in many cases, one person has lost a job or they can't afford two separate places.
But it turns out that people who have a college degree, they've got a higher likelihood of getting married than those with just a high school education. They have a harder time finding a job so they're more reluctant to take that vow.
Also, you know, the whole attitude about the institution of marriage. It's, poof, changing. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. All right. Well, let's take a look at the market, shall we? Stocks haven't been able to pick up much steam today.
KOSIK: Yes. We're seeing more downward momentum. A lot of it, Kyra, is reaction to the euro dropping below $1.30. That's the lowest level since January. What that essentially does is it makes our exports to Europe more expensive, meaning our products become more expensive to buy over there.
So it's good if you're a tourist. It's bad if you're a company. It's the reason we're seeing shares of Caterpillar, which are the biggest loser on the Dow right now. They're dropping over three percent because Caterpillar is an American company that does a ton of business overseas. The worries right now in the market about Caterpillar are how much exposure Caterpillar has to the troubles in the Euro Zone.
But we're seeing that red across the screen. The Dow down 99 points -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Alison, thanks.
Well, it's time now for a little college hoops. That's right. Time for sports. 16th ranked Mississippi State on the fence waiting for the inbounds play with their backs turned. Raymond Taylor of Florida Atlantic, right of the rump as you'll see here. Mississippi State player gets the easy lay-up, the back side, the derriere. I just learned that word by the way.
Mississippi state did win ninth in the row, 75-68 final.
Love this. There's an entire Web site devoted now to the Green Bay Packers and its quarterback, Aaron Rodgers photobombs the captain's picture before each game -- yes he does. You can see him right there I was peeking behind the other guy doing something silly. Making a goofy face, well, apparently Rodgers has been doing this back to the days when he was riding the bench behind Brett Favre. You can go to the Web site Rodgersphotobomb.com. you have to check it out.
Well, if you didn't see this earlier. Time magazine named its person of the year. It is Gabriel Giffords. Protesters around the world or Herman Cain. We'll have the answer after the break.
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PHILLIPS: Guess today's the D time. Magazine actually announced its person of the year and as they've done a handful of times before, editors chose to honor a group of people over an individual. This year it's the protester.
From the Arab Spring to Athens, from Occupy Wall Street to Moscow, the cover singles out some of the mass movements that have helped shape the world this year. "Time's" international editor talked the choice on American morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY GHOSH, DEPUTY INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, "TIME": The Arab Spring protester informed our choice quite substantially. But a year that began with the Arab Spring is ending with protests still in some parts of the Arab world like in Syria, protests in Russia, protests in downtown New York and protests around the world. And so the Arab Spring protester inspired protests around the world and so we decided in the end that rather than pick on any one individual or even any one small group we would go for the larger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Some of the runners up were pretty interesting too. Among them, the newly-wed Duchess Cate Middleton, Congressman Paul Ryan, and Chinese artists and activists.
Well, for GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, it's safe to say that the gloves are off when it comes to front-runner's Newt Gingrich. That is if Tuesday's "Washington Post" is any indicator. Let's get straight to CNN senior political editor, Mark Preston? Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, you know, Kyra, we've seen Mitt Romney be very restrained through this whole race for the Republican presidential nomination. We've seen the rise in Michele Bachmann and the fall of Michele Bachmann. The rise of Rick Perry, the fall of Rick Perry. The rise of Herman Cain and the fall of Herman Cain.
Throughout all of those rises we've never seen Mitt Romney attack any of those candidates, however, we are just weeks away from the Iowa caucuses and Newt Gingrich has risen to the top.
Mitt Romney, however, is starting to criticize him. In fact, let's look at what he told the "Washington Post" in an interview that appeared in today's paper. Very critical. He says of Newt Gingrich, he has been an extraordinarily unreliable leader in the conservative world. Not 16 or 17 years ago, but in the last two or three years. And even during the campaign the number of times he has moved from one spot to another has been remarkable.
I think he's shown a level of unreliability as a conservative leader today. The reason, Kyra, we're seeing Mitt Romney take it straight to Newt Gingrich specifically regarding his bona fides when it comes to conservatives, the fact of the matter is it it's going to be conservatives who will choose the next Republican presidential nomination in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Caroline all Florida. And they're on -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ok. Mark Preston, thanks so much. We'll have the next update in just about an hour. And a reminder: for all these political news you can always go to our website cnn politics.com.
That does it for us. Thanks so much for joining us. Fredricka Whitfield in for Suzanne. Hello there.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We'll have political update and much more.
Have a fabulous Wednesday.
PHILLIPS: You too.
Hump day.
