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North Korea's Future After Kim Jong-il; Congress Fights Over Payroll Tax Cut; Candidates Focus On Iowa; Florida A&M Trustees Meet; Czechs Mourn Anti-Communism Hero; Doors Closed At Manning Hearing; Boehner Tells Senators to Cut Vacations Short; North Korea to Become New Campaign Issue?

Aired December 19, 2011 - 13:00   ET

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

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Natalie Allen, in for Randi Kaye. It's time to get right to the news, so let's do it. The death of North Korea's Kim Jong-il and its impact are far-reaching and go beyond just the man. The 69-year-old reclusive dictator reportedly died of a heart attack Saturday. But now, questions revolve around North Korea's future and the region's security. North Korea fired a short-range missile today but officials say it was just routine.

Meantime, South Korea's cabinet held an emergency meeting and put its forces on high alert. We are keeping our eye on that developing situation. More on that and North Korea's new potential successor in a few minutes with former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Ruben. You don't miss that. We'll talk with him.

Secretary of state Hillary Clinton will be making a statement at any moment now about North Korea and Kim Jong-il's death. This is a live picture from the State department. Clinton is just wrapping up a meeting with the Japanese foreign minister at the Department of State. A joint statement is expected to follow shortly. Earlier, President Obama called South Korea's president to re-affirm his commitment to Korea's security and stability.

Well, when it comes to the payroll tax cut, it's one step forward and two steps back in Congress. The House is expected to reject the Senate's two-month extension of the payroll tax cut. House Speaker John Boehner says the House will be pushing a one-year extension.

The idea of a tax policy can be done two months at a time is a -- is a kind of activity we see here in Washington that's really put our economy off its tracks.

The payroll tax cut along with emergency men fits will all expire at the end of this month if Congress does not act.

The Supreme Court says it will set aside three days next spring to hear oral arguments on the federal health care law. Proceedings will start March 26th with jurisdictional argument. On March 27th, they'll discuss the individual mandate requiring people to purchase health insurance. On March 28th, they'll look at the issue of severability. In other words, whether eliminating the individual mandate would invalidate the entire health care law. They'll also hear arguments that same day on whether states can be forced to spend more on Medicaid. The court is expected to rule in June.

Well, with the Iowa caucuses just over two weeks away, four Republican presidential candidates are campaigning there today. You're looking at live pictures from Manchester, Iowa where Rick Perry has a meet-and-greet. Michele Bachmann is making a stop in Allison, Iowa this hour. Also stumping in the Hawkeye Stake today, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

Well, Florida A&M University's Board of Trustees says it will wait until all the facts are in before it considers the future of University president, James Ammons. The Board today defied Governor Rick Scott who wanted Ammons suspended because of the hazing allegations involving the school's marching band. Trustee's chairman, Solomon Badger, said, quote, "We will stand firm against outside influences which hinder the viability of the university." End quote. Drum major Robert D. Champion died last month after an alleged hazing incident. There's been no arrests in that case but three band members were arrested last week in connection with another alleged hazing incident.

Czechs also mourning the death of a beloved leader today, thousands said good-bye to the former Czech president, Vaclav Havel, whose coffin was put on display at a church in central Prague. The 75-year-old died Sunday. Havel was a well-known playwright who helped bring down communism in eastern Europe with the power of his words. He once wrote, truth and love triumph over lies and hate. Havel went on to become president of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic when the country split in 1992.

The preliminary hearing of Army private Bradley Manning went into a closed session today so that the military court could hear classified testimony. Manning is accused of providing government secrets to WikiLeaks. Before the courtroom was closed this morning, Manning's lawyers cross examined an Army computer expert. Yesterday, the expert's testimony appeared to link documents Manning downloaded to documents that turned up on the WikiLeaks' Web site. Today, however, the expert conceded he had found no match between the diplomatic cables he examined and the diplomatic cables on WikiLeaks.

Britain's Prince Harry is no stranger to the royal court but he could become the first member of the royal family ever to testify in a criminal court. The 27-year-old prince was talking on the phone with a friend recently when a robber came up to the friend and stole his cell phone. Harry heard the whole thing. He even jumped in the car with his protection officer and drove to the scene of the crime. Now that police have made an arrest, a spokesman says Harry is willing to testify against the suspect if asked.

Well, the world is watching as Kim Jong-il's son takes the reins as the great successor. What is the biggest concern during this transition of power? We'll talk about that next with former Assistant Secretary of State, James Ruben.

But first, some holiday cheer. Some people hit by the recession who's been buying gifts on lay-away are discovering Santa has a lot of helpers indeed. Across the country, there are reports of anonymous donors going to Kmarts and Wal-Marts to pay off strangers' lay-away bills. They're being called lay-away angels, and they are today's "Rock Stars."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Well, the death of North Korea's Kim Jong-il has sharply focused our attention here to the Korean Peninsula. Two words can describe the situation right now -- uncertainty and anxiety. North Korea's future, its successor, its stability and its nuclear weapons, all remain in big question marks, all of which have South Korea on alert over its security.

Keep in mind, for 66 years, North Koreans have only known two leaders from one family. Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-il. But all eyes are all on Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong-Un, right there, who is already deemed dubbed the great successor by the ruling workers' party. Kim Jong-Un was virtually unknown, that is until last year when he was promoted to a four-star general and what was seen as a calculated move by his father, remember, he is just in his 20s, we believe. But all of this only raises more questions than it answers about North Korea, the region and its stability.

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Jamie Ruben, joins us from New York to give us a better understanding. And Jamie, Kim Jong- Un is young, he remains a mystery with no proven track record as either political or military leaders. So, it is a big concern right now as people try to figure out about him and what his next moves could be.

JAMES RUBIN, FORMER U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: I think the biggest concern right now is whether indeed he controls the levels -- excuse me -- the levers of power that his father did. There's a party bureaucracy, there's a secret service, there's the military, and then there's other family members, all four of those factions were controlled by first, Kim Il-Sung, the founder leader, then his son Kim Jong-il. Now it is very hard to imagine that a young man who hasn't had the decades of behind-the-scenes work that his father did before factions were controlled by, first Kim Il-Sung, the founder leader, then his son Kim Jong-il.

Now, it is very hard to imagine that a young man who hasn't had the decades of behind-the-scenes work that his father did before he took over can manage all that smoothly. So, there are sure to be some people who feel left out, some people whose futures have been destroyed by this transition, some family members who are bitter and jealous, and those are the kind of dynamics that are worrisome, because North Korea, let's face it, is not only a dangerous place for the people who live there, but because they've shown a willingness to sell dangerous technology, dangerous weaponry to other countries and perhaps someday the groups that would be of concern, we have to keep our eyes on this very, very closely, watch this transition, and see whether maybe it can turn out for the best.

ALLEN: Right. Try to see if there will be power struggles, as you say, within the family and what his alliance will be with the military. We do know that South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said that North Korea did fire a short-range missile test today. Do you think this is a coincidence or is this part of what we know North Korea can do, which is they like to send messages?

RUBIN: I think had it been a test of a missile, a long-range missile, say, over Japan or a missile of significance, a bigger missile, I might have suspected it was tied to the death of Kim Jong- il. But because of the type of missile involved and the fact that this has been going on -- on and off, for some time, I suspect it is just following the schedule that they chose not to cancel because of the death of the leader.

So, I don't see a big message here. But that kind of thing could happen in the coming weeks in a much more dangerous way. There are many, many places where South Korea's Navy and North Korea's navy come into conflict. There's the DMZ where they stare eyeball to eyeball, dozens, if not hundreds, of troops armed to the teeth against each other along this 38th Parallel that's been the scene of terrible fighting during the Korean War and the standoff ever since.

ALLEN: An considering this young and untested leader and the control and power that he will have, is there a danger that there could be some miscalculations that could have some serious reactions with the world watching and you never know what someone like Kim Jong- Un is up to?

RUBIN: Well, I think it's possible that if there were some sort of power struggle, if there were some sort of split within North Korea where one faction was trying to upset a smooth transition, they could try to take an action, perhaps a military action of some kind that could be generating concern in the South. It could be very dangerous, it could even be deadly.

On the other hand, I think the United States and South Korea have become very skilled over the years at maintaining vigilance along this border, at watching North Korea's military for signs of danger and reacting to that. And I suspect that all eyes will be on the North Korean military for many weeks to come and those resources of South Korea, the United States, and others will ensure that at least there's no miscalculation. There could be danger, but at least you want to avoid misunderstanding one of these actions and responding accordingly.

ALLEN: Well, certainly outside of North Korea, Kim Jong-il was seen as a brutal dictator, but we want to show people the scenes that we say on the streets there in North Korea as the people learned about his death. Perhaps, the grieving says a lot about the control and power, Jamie, that Kim Jong-il had over the public. Any chance this could be any kind of turning point or opportunity for the people in North Korea?

RUBIN: Well, yes, I think it's possible. I wouldn't put a huge percentage bet on it, but it is certainly possible that a younger leader who speaks English, who grew up in the era of globalization and is aware of the fact that North Korea's an isolated, backward place where most of its people struggle to eat and survive, who've seen the rest of the world and recognizes how backward his country is, that slowly, slowly he could make some changes. It's certainly possible.

One of the aspects of a one-person dictatorship like this is that if that one person has a change of heart, things really can change. And so, we know that the father and the -- his grandfather, the founding leader, carried with them enormous power to control the lives of the Korean people.

But it is certainly not impossible that the United States could find itself negotiating seriously with the North Koreans again if the new leadership wants to take this opportunity to move in a positive direction. It is not impossible.

ALLEN: That's a good note to end on.

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin -- James, thanks very much for your perspective.

RUBIN: You're welcome.

ALLEN: All right.

Listen to this number. One out of every 45 children in the United States is now homeless. Up next here, we will talk with a sixth-grader about life on the streets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Rumi Khan is a sixth-grader in Pennsylvania.

What makes him different from most kids is this disturbing fact. Rumi is one of more than 1.5 million kids who are homeless in the United States. That's one in every 45. According to a new study by the National Center on Family Homelessness, that's a 33 percent increase from 2007.

The center blames the recession for that huge increase. And now take a look at this map showing the top 10 states that the center says are doing the best job in helping homeless kids and the 10 worst -- among the best Vermont, Minnesota, and Nebraska, among the worst, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

Well, Rumi joins us from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he lives in a shelter with his mom.

We are so happy to have you with us, Rumi.

And also joining me is Diane Nilan, founder and president of HEAR US, a nonprofit advocacy group for homeless children.

Well, Rumi, I want to start with you, because you spoke at a congressional hearing on child homelessness last week. That is quite a forum. I want you to tell us a little bit about that. What was it that you wanted the people to hear about the struggles that you and your mom have had being homeless?

RUMI KHAN, HOMELESS SIXTH GRADER: Well, we... ALLEN: OK, Rumi, we can't hear you right now so we're going to try to fix that and come back to you in just a second.

And we will go to Diane Nilan. I want to read a little bit since we couldn't hear Rumi, Diane, what he did say in front of Congress.

He said that: "Staying with other people was tough, adjusting to the families and different lifestyles. If we cross the line for some reason, boom, we're out," he said. "I don't want to cross the line because they would take it as disrespect. Then, boom, we have to leave."

But he talked so much about having to move and move again and move again, and the exhaustion and just not knowing if he and his mom were going to be able to be safe and what was going to happen to their lives.

And I'm certain that this is something that you are used to hearing, especially in this day and age, since we have seen so many children become homeless.

DIANE NILAN, DIRECTOR, HEAR US: Well, certainly, kids are traumatized by homelessness. And it is many different forms.

And it is a matter of really understanding that kids are the victims of poverty and lack of housing resources, and kids like Rumi are the collateral damage of our economy today.

ALLEN: And you have an interesting story, I believe, about how you got interested in the issue of homelessness. Tell us about that.

NILAN: Well, I ran a shelter in Illinois for many years and then, after that, worked with schools to try to get them to understand homelessness.

And, in 2005, I decided that I wanted to make a documentary film about kids talking about what it is like to be homeless. So I sold my townhouse and got rid of everything and bought a motor home and started traveling around the country, and have made some documentary films on this.

So I'm on the road 24/7, 365 days a year.

ALLEN: That's dedication.

I think that we have Rumi back with us. Let's try again to hear from Rumi Khan, our sixth-grader.

OK, Rumi, sorry about that.

Tell us again what it felt like to talk before Congress and the points that you wanted to make.

KHAN: Well, it was a very -- like, I felt very important, because they are such special people, and I'm just one person. And they were willing to listen to me speak about homelessness and how it affects other people.

ALLEN: And I read a little bit about what you said, Rumi. But tell us -- let us all try to appreciate how hard it's been on you and your mom. I know there was a situation at home with violence, so you and your mom left and have just been moving and moving and moving. What is the hardest part been for you?

KHAN: The hardest part for me is losing all my friends and losing all of the relationships that we have had and the relationship with my father.

And school was really hard. I was transferring to schools and from place to place. That's pretty -- that's really hard.

ALLEN: And I know that it was hard to sleep because you were living in so many different places and you were always really tired at school as well. And I know that you even said to them that you miss your dog, Rocky. That's got to be a tough part about it, too.

KHAN: Yes.

ALLEN: Are you doing a little better now, now that you're situated in a shelter?

KHAN: Yes, we are.

We got -- we have a lot of new friends and we have a roof over our head. So that's pretty good.

ALLEN: And how's your mom doing? I know she's been struggling with work and taking care of you. How's she?

KHAN: She's been taking care of me very well. And she is doing very good. And I really appreciate what she's doing for me.

ALLEN: Well, we wish you well and we hope you have a nice holiday. And we will all be thinking about you, Rumi. And there are a lot of children like you as well that many people in this country are thinking about and concerned about and hope that you get help.

And we want to thank Diane Nilan for joining us as well.

All the best to both of you. And thank you for your time.

NILAN: Thank you very much.

KHAN: Thank you.

ALLEN: All right, thanks, Rumi.

Up next, hear why hundreds of suspected drunk drivers could go free in one county.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Well, drunken driving is a serious problem, we all know. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol- impaired driving leads to nearly a third of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

That's almost 30 people a day or a death every 48 minutes. But, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, about 600 suspected drunk drivers could go free. Why? Well, four officers with Metro Corrections worked for months without the proper credentials to administrator Breathalyzer tests.

Joining me for today's "Crime & Consequence," Jefferson County attorney Mike O'Connell.

Mike, your office prosecutes about 3,200 driving-under-the- influence cases a year, so this means almost one-fifth of the year's cases could be thrown out. How could this happen and who dropped the ball here?

MIKE O'CONNELL, JEFFERSON COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ATTORNEY: Well, we were notified last week by Corrections promptly when they discovered that four of the Breathalyzer operators had let their certification expire.

And we began to determine -- try to determine how many cases that affected. And our best estimate at this point is between 500 and 600. So they notified us, and we took prompt action as best we could, and we're trying to establish a protocol to deal with these cases.

ALLEN: Well, and what do you do? What are the chances that many of these cases could be thrown out?

O'CONNELL: Well, I think we have made a determination that the evidence of the Breathalyzer reading by a non-certified operator is inadmissible in evidence.

So we cannot rely on that type of scientific evidence. But we will look at each case on a case-by-case basis and look at other evidence that surrounds the case. We will be looking at whether or not the officer had a video in the car while he was making the stop, the field sobriety test, any other statements that the defendant may have made, any other evidence in terms of beer, drugs or something that might have been in the car.

Any other evidence other than B.A. test we will look at on case- by-case basis to see if we can make these cases. Now, there are some cases that have already been disposed of, where people have pled guilty to drunk driving. And they're being notified as well as those that are pending that we have discovered this discrepancy, and they can act accordingly.

ALLEN: Well, we have this from Mark Bolton, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.

He told us, "This occurred in part due to a practice that relied on individual technicians to track their own recertification."

I would think that that policy is going to change, and quickly. O'CONNELL: I think it's probably already been changed by Director Bolton. He does a fine job. And this is one of those human error matters that occurred and it's being corrected as quickly as possible as we go forward.

ALLEN: And you have a lot to do now, having to revisit all of these cases. I can't imagine the minutia now without the Breathalyzer and the difficulty it's going to be to prosecute.

Let's talk about the possible danger to citizens if many people who were driving under the influence are able just to go.

O'CONNELL: Well, it will take some positive steps on the person who's already pled guilty or been convicted to come back into court to set aside that conviction.

So we don't know how many people are going to do that. But that's certainly a real possibility. There are many, many cases still pending that were affected by these Breathalyzer operators. And we're going to -- we're on top of those now in terms of letting people know and trying to acquire, look at other evidence in order to try to achieve convictions.

We have a great conviction rate in this county. Last year, we prosecuted about 3,700 DUI cases, and fortunately we have a conviction rate of about 95 percent, which is very, very high compared to the rest of the nation. So we take them seriously, and we're going to take this problem seriously and try to correct it the best way we can.

ALLEN: Well, that's the good news. I guess the not-so-good news is that there were 3,700 cases, still, of drunk driving, certainly, as we know, a problem in this country.

We appreciate your time, Jefferson County attorney, Mike O'Connell. Thank you, Mike.

O'CONNELL: Thank you very much.

ALLEN: It is a $1,000 hit on millions of American families come January 1. So why is Congress still fighting over the payroll tax? We'll talk about that next.

And as many of us gear up for holiday vacations, some of us, like the U.S. Senate, may already be enjoying our time off. How do your vacation days stack up against Congress? How many weeks of down time did lawmakers get this year? Thank about it. We'll have the answer, next.

(SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: A moment ago, I asked if you knew how many vacation weeks Congress got a year. Let's see how your time off stacks up. Taking a look at this past year, Congress members got some pretty healthy "me" time. For about 11 weeks of 2011, Congress was not scheduled to be in session.

Now the Senate's vacation may play a big part today. It is time for "Fair Game," where we get to the meat of the political debate. And anyone spewing partisan talking points gets hit with something large and hard.

The two-month payroll tax extension passes in the Senate this weekend. But House Speaker John Boehner tells Senators to cut their vacation short because the House is about to kick it back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: You know, I've been around here for a while. I've seen Congress kick the can down the road, kick the can down the road. It is time to stop the nonsense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Joining me now, CNN contributor, Will Cain; and Democratic political consultant, Ed Espinoza.

Guys, it sounds like Boehner stunned some in Washington.

Ed, do you think this came out of left field or has this been brewing for some time?

ED ESPINOZA, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CONSULTANT: It's a larger issue. It's the difference between the things we say and the things we do. We've had similar debates in December, 2010, that had do with the Bush tax cuts and extending those for affluent Americans. A year later, we're faced with the issue to extend payroll tax cuts for middle class Americans, which basically comes out to about $100 a month, a utility bill for most people. And here we are haggling over that.

This is something we have to reconcile with ourselves, particularly the GOP, and how we move so quickly on a millionaire's tax cut, and yet so slowly on a middle class tax cut. I think that it is going to be a problem especially heading into these early primary states, like Iowa and New Hampshire, which are nice places but very middle class.

ALLEN: What do you say, Will?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR & REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think this is a tree falling far in the forest as far as the election and as far as strategy that Ed just talked about. I don't think it will have much of an effect.

If you want to play the blame game, yes, there's plenty to go around for everybody. By the way, we're not passing a tax cut today or having trouble passing one today, but only for a two-month extension into February, which means we'll have this fight again in two months. It is not we're fighting right now for some great victory. The larger question is, how do you pay for a payroll tax cut, right? Should it be paid for? How do you pay for it? We have to understand that payroll tax cut deprive Social Security of its revenue? Therefore, we have a disagreement over how do you pay for it. That's the core of the issue. That's the crux. How do you pay for the tax cut?

ALLEN: And sitting here talking about --

(CROSSTALK)

ESPINOZA: We don't have an issue of paying for the -- we didn't have an issue of paying for the tax cuts a year ago. So I feel like it is disingenuous to say we want to figure out how to pay for these tax cuts but we didn't want to figure out how to pay for the millionaire tax cuts a year ago.

ALLEN: The thing is, here we are at the end of the year, and people are hearing, yet again, Congress haggling over a big issue and it is about their paychecks. Isn't that on the tops of the minds of Congress? Do you think they will continue this and perhaps cut into their holiday vacations?

(CROSSTALK)

CAIN: I would have to think they will eventually come to some agreement in the next week or two before the New Year turns. But as far as you are talking about people's paychecks at home, there's also the greater economic impact of this. Conservatives often talk about uncertainty, that the economy, business owners, taxpayers, consumers out there need certainty. You need to know the economic environment you're playing in. Whether or not we pass -- if we have trouble passing the payroll tax extension or pass one for just two months, you're not solving that problem. We will still have a huge amount of certainty over what our tax bill will be.

ALLEN: Ed, final comment on this issue before we move on.

ESPINOZA: There are so many issues that play into the payroll tax cut. We don't have time to get into all of them. I put a bunch of them up on Twitter this morning. But the bottom line is, you're right Will, it is only a two-month extension. The problem is if we don't act now, the pay cut will take effect January 1st. We need some sort of bridge until we can get to a larger consensus.

ALLEN: Let's talk about another issue that will probably, perhaps, continue to come up in Iowa, and that is the death of Kim Jong-il and the story out of North Korea. Here's something that we heard on the campaign trail, Jon Huntsman calling him a tyrant. Mitt Romney says his death is an opportunity for the U.S. Perry had some of the most dire words, saying North Korea remains a nuclear power, and there is a great threat that those weapons might fall into the wrong hands.

Are we witnessing the birth of a new campaign issue here?

We're start with you, Will. CAIN: Well, yes. I mean this should be an issue. This should be an issue as an illustration. We often elect presidents assuming they're like our chief legislator. We think their platform on legislation that they'll champion or oppose is one of the most important things. It is important, but we neglect to understand that presidents need to be prepared for the unexpected. That's what we need to be vetting for. Whether or not it is a financial crisis or terrorist attacks on our soil, you always need to be prepared for the unexpected. Having a nuclear power in North Korea, now with a huge leadership vacuum, we have no idea whether or not his son will be able to consolidate power, is a huge unexpected world event. How President Obama handles it or a Republican presidential candidate handles it is a massive question we should be asking.

ALLEN: Ed, your thoughts?

ESPINOZA: I absolutely agree with Will. We're of like minds on this. That 3:00 a.m. phone call against a nuclear power is something you have to be prepared for. But in hindsight, the year 2011, a bad year to be a bad guy. Mubarak, Gadhafi, Kim Jong-il, Osama bin Laden -- the world is better off in that we're rid of some of these guys right now. We're not completely out of the woods yet but it is getting better.

ALLEN: Yes. But certainly another big issue on the plate of the candidates as they press on towards January 3rd.

Thanks so much, both of you, for your perspectives, Will Cain and Ed Espinoza.

That's "Fair Game."

We appreciate your joining us.

More on North Korea next when we go "Globe Trekking." We'll take an in-depth look at the reclusive dictator known to the masses as the "Dear Leader."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Today's "Globe Trekking" segment takes us back to North Korea and the death of Kim Jong-Il. Many North Koreans are mourning the death of the man they knew as the Dear Leader.

But as CNN's senior international correspondent, John Vause, reports, the outside world had a very different impression.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the bouffant hair, platform shoes, oversized sunglasses and trademark jump suit, Kim Jong-Il looked every bit the nutty tyrant.

RICHARD BUSH, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The appearance made it a little bit more difficult to treat him seriously, at least at first. VAUSE: He was the diminutive dictator with a reputation for indulging in fine wine, cognac and foreign prostitutes, who held total power over a failing state, developed nuclear weapons and forced the U.S. to negotiate.

DAVID SATTERWHITE, FULBRIGHT ASIA ANALYST: That is not necessarily the work of a womanizing, booze-swilling individual, drunk during the day.

VAUSE: Inside North Korea, it was all about Kim. Betrayed by his propaganda machine as a political, military, technological, artistic and cinematic genius, a renaissance man who's flown in fighter jets, been in operas, and shot a hole in one at his first try at golf. His public appearances were breathlessly reported on state media. He was hailed as "The Central Brain" and "The Morningstar."

(SINGING)_

VAUSE: He was a crazed ruler who loved to make people dance, a million of them all at once and all in step. He presided over a nation more cult than country.

(SINGING)

VAUSE: "You chase away fierce storms and give us faith," they sing. His official biography says he was born in a log cabin on a sacred Korean mountain under rainbows of stars. Western scholars say it was probably in Siberia at a Soviet camp where his father was training to fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN CONNERY, ACTOR: Bond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: He loved movies. James Bond was apparently among his favorites. But he reportedly was unhappy with North Korean's betrayal in "Die Another Day." No word on what he thought about "Team America."

(SINGING)

VAUSE: In the late 1970s, it is believed he personally ordered the kidnapping of a South Korean actress and her director husband. For eight years, until they escaped, forced them to make propaganda films. Kim did apologize for North Korea's kidnapping of 13 Japanese, and allegedly approved the bombing of a Korean Airlines flight which killed more than 100 people. The apparent motive was to disrupt the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. But U.S. officials dubbed North Korea the Soprano State for its role in organized crime, including the production and distribution of heroin and methamphetamines.

BUSH: His legacy will be that he actually made some pretty bad choices for his country. VAUSE: He was the man who, every day it seemed, had a bad hair day, who starved his people, threatened South Korea with the fourth- largest military in the world and built missiles that could reach Japan and possibly beyond.

(MUSIC)

VAUSE: The certainty of his brutality is gone. In its place, the terrifying uncertainty of what comes next.

John Vause, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Well here is a question. Would you give actor, James Franco, a "D" in the Directing the Actor class? One NYU professor did and he says he got canned because of it. More on that.

But first, from the basketball court to the divorce court, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 but he fouled out on the marriage front in 2011. His wife, Vanessa, stood by him eight years ago when he admitted to a tryst with a woman who had accused him of assault? Remember the apology? An eight-carat diamond? But now she's ending the 10-year marriage citing irreconcilable differences. So, Kobe, get ready to say good-bye to a chunk of that reported $34 million a year salary, not to mention your 15 minutes.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: You are looking at a live picture from the White House where Press Secretary Jay Carney is expected to take the podium. He will likely have some comments on the death of Kim Jong-Il, one of our top stories. We'll bring you his comments live when we see him.

For now, let's check stories making headlines at "Street Level."

First to Brooklyn, New York, where a disturbing crime took place.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said she was screaming at the top of her lungs and I didn't hear her. I just assume God didn't want me to intervene.

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ALLEN: Police say 73-year-old Dolores Gillespie was covered in a flammable liquid and set on fire right in her apartment building by this man here, 47-year-old Jerome Isaac, who faces charges of first and second degree murder along with arson, according to authorities. Isaac, who turned himself in last night, told police Gillespie owed him $2,000 for work he did for her. In Ventura, California, the case of another brutal murder is coming to an end. 17-year-old Brandon McInerney will be killing openly gay classmate, Lawrence King. He shot then-15-year-old twice at point-blank range in the back of the head while both were typing papers in a computer lab. McInerney pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter with use of a weapon. He will likely receive 21 years in state prison for the crime, setting him free just shy of his 39th birthday.

Next now to Pennsylvania, where the Jerry Sandusky controversy continues. Penn State lawyers rejecting a CNN public records request for a copy of the 1998 campus police report tied to allegations made against the former assistant football coach. Amy Elizabeth McCall, an assistant general counsel at the university, asserted in a letter to CNN that, "Because the 1998 investigation did not result in any criminal charges, it is not criminal history information. And the university's police are thus required by law to keep that information within the police department."

Now to the southwest, where a blizzard is roaring across several cities. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Some areas expected to see as much as two feet of snow. So stay with us for severe weather updates throughout the day here on CNN.

And Athens, Texas, is becoming home to what some are calling the Fight for Christmas. Organizers estimated that 5,000 people gathered in downtown Athens this weekend to support a nativity scene outside an east Texas courthouse. Earlier this month, an atheist group asked county officials to remove the display. They say their request is a simple one, based on the First Amendment doctrine separating church and state. But the demonstrators made it clear they want the Christian icons to stay, some going as far as to call it a holy war. No one from the atheist group attended the rally.

Now to New York, where former Jets quarterback, Brett Favre, is being sued by two massage therapists for sexual harassment. The lawsuit also targets the New York Jets organization and its massage coordinator. The case centers around explicit text messages Favre reportedly sent the two women after a massage in 2008. There was a conference today to talk about the lawsuit but no other details were made public.

In Louisiana, a warning about neti pots and a deadly brain-eating amoeba. The state health department believes the neti pots, used by many to flush out their sinuses, is linked to two recent it deaths. If you're wondering about the connection, a deadly amoeba may have entered the brains of a 51-year-old woman and 2o-year-old mean after officials say they used neti pots filled with tap water. Health department experts emphasize you should only use sterilized or distilled water, and say it's important to properly clean the neti pot after each use.

And finally to New York. According to the "New York Post," former NYU professor, Jose Santana, says he was fired for giving actor, James Franco, a "D" and is suing for his job back. Santana tells the "Post" he gave the star the poor grade because he missed 12 of his 14 Directing the Actor II classes while pursuing a masters in fine art. I guess you can't just cut class no matter who you are.

Just two weeks to go to the Iowa caucuses and the race is still wide open. Our Paul Steinhauser has new poll numbers for you, next.

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ALLEN: Just two weeks before the Iowa caucuses and just-released poll numbers show it's still anyone's game in the race to be the Republican nominee.

Paul Steinhauser joins me from the political desk in Washington with more about the numbers.

What's the latest, Paul?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Natalie, if you don't like the poll numbers, just wait a couple of days.

(LAUGHTER)

It's going to change. Remember how we talked about Gingrich, the former House speaker, how he was peaking right at the right time, just before the caucuses and primaries started? Well, maybe speaking too soon.

Take a look. Brand new numbers, CNN/ORC, this is a national poll. This is among Republicans and Independents who lean toward the GOP. All knotted up again. If you go back a week or two, remember, Gingrich was way ahead in a lot of polls. But nationally now, all knotted up. According to our brand new numbers, CNN/ORC, 28 percents for him, 28 percents for former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney. Look at Ron Paul there at 14 percent. His numbers starting to go up nationally, of course, as well in Iowa. There's Michele Bachmann, the congressman from Minnesota, at 8 percent; Rick Perry at 7 percent, the Texas Governor; former Senator Rick Santorum, of Pennsylvania, at 4 percent; the former governor of Utah, Jon Huntsman, at 2 percent.

Go to the next board. This kind of explains why Romney is starting to jump up again and maybe Gingrich starting to fade. We asked the opinion of the candidates. You can see right here, who is the more likeable of the two? Romney, by far over Gingrich. Who's more trustworthy? By a two to one margin, Romney over Gingrich. But who would be the strongest leader? Republicans voters say Gingrich comes out on top on that one -- Natalie?

ALLEN: Very interesting how the campaign handled their candidate peaking too early, perhaps. What do you do about that?

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Historically, the top three out of Iowa go on and others fade away, Paul. But as you say, fickle as they go here to the very end. We still could see some changes, couldn't we, until January 3rd, in the numbers? STEINHAUSER: Isn't that crazy? Two weeks from now, you think people have made up their minds in Iowa and the other states across the country? Not really. Take a look at this from our poll. We asked the Republicans nationwide, are you basically set with the candidate you're supporting? 35 percent, yes, definitely supporting the person I'm backing. 56 percent, more than half of those we questioned said, you know what, I may change my mind. So stay tuned, Natalie. Who knows what will happen in January 3rd in Iowa, on January 10th in New Hampshire. Things will change, no doubt about it.

ALLEN: Absolutely. Down to the wire perhaps. and it will certainly make it interesting for us and for all of you watching it every day.

Paul Steinhauser. Thanks so much, Paul. We appreciate it, as always.

Thank you for watching today. CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Brooke Baldwin -- Brooke?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Natalie, thank you so much.