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GOP Presidential Candidates Fight for Florida; Brewer Calls Obama "Thin-Skinned"; Dad to Reunite with Freed America; Low Interest Rates until 2014; Mayor Sorry for "Tacos" Remark; Tornado Warning in Long Beach, Miss.; Gingrich and Romney Fight for Florida; Interview with Herman Cain; Nadal Beats Federer in Four Sets; Cross Town Rivalry Heats Up; Dirk Nowitzki, Courtside Reporter

Aired January 26, 2012 - 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: My gosh. That Roland Martin, you just can't believe when he throws things in a different direction every morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Yes.

MARTIN: Come on, white chocolate.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Yup. He can explain that one, Soledad. Bye, guys.

My goodness. All right. I'm going to try and compose myself here. It is top of the hour, 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Thanks so much for joining us, everyone.

We begin with five days until Florida's Republican presidential primary and just hours from the CNN debate there. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are locked in a dead heat in the polls. This debate could be a game changer. The votes that these candidates want right now, Latinos. And the ads prove it.

Joe Johns is live in Mount Dora.

Joe -- Joe, Gingrich already taking heat for airing this Spanish language ad that's calling Romney the most anti-immigration candidate.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Kyra. And it's very interesting to watch as that develops. Senator Marco Rubio, who's sort of the favorite son of Florida, actually chastised Gingrich for putting that radio ad out saying it was inaccurate. Gingrich saying last night in a press media availability here in Florida that he pulled the ad because he did it out of respect for Marco Rubio.

So that sort of gives you a sense of the dividing lines here in the state. Mitt Romney, you would think he's a guy who would have an uphill battle in Florida because of some of his statements, for example, on immigration, but the fact of the matter is Mitt Romney in many ways is better organized here on the ground. He spent four years cultivating a relationship with the Latino community, and he has a lot of really important endorsements from some of the Cuban American members of Congress, from farther down in south Florida.

That matters, too. So for Gingrich right now, an uphill battle making just a full play for the Latino vote. We'll have to see how it turns out. Perhaps debates tonight being the last debate could help turn the tide more in Gingrich's favor. We'll see -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes, indeed. We'll be talking again tomorrow and also throughout the morning and the afternoon with you, Joe. Thanks so much.

Don't forget, tonight, just days before the Florida primary, CNN and the Republican Party of Florida teaming up to host our next presidential debate in Jacksonville at CNN tonight 8:00 Eastern.

And we've got a former frontrunner coming to visit us here in Studio 7. Herman Cain joins me at 9:45 Eastern. We're going to ask him about the GOP race, Stephen Colbert, and his Tea Party response to the State of the Union.

Well, lawmakers greeting President Obama at the foot of Air Force One typically play nice, they shake hands, they hug, you know the drill. But this wasn't your typical face to face. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said that she got an ear full from Obama when he landed near Phoenix yesterday. You can kind of see the moment there. Apparently he's not a real fan of her book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: Bottom line is that I wanted to be there to welcome him, to come and see firsthand what Arizona has done in regards to our economic recovery. He wanted to talk about the book, and I thought that he was very thin skinned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dan Lothian live at the White House.

Dan, what's the White House saying about all this and this moment?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And that book, which the title of the book, by the way, is "Scorpions for Breakfast." It was published last year. Yes, interesting title.

The White House says that, look, when they -- when they met there on the tarmac, that she, the governor, said that she wanted to meet with the president again in the future. She invited the president to meet with her, that the president did say that he would like to do that, but that's when things got a little testy.

And a White House official describing what took place there and what the president told her, said, quote, "After their last meeting a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The president looks forward to continuing taking steps to help Arizona's economy grow." That book, by the way, focuses on border control and also immigration issues. She met with the president here at the White House in 2010, and in that book she writes of that meeting, quote, "We sat down and started with some chitchat, but after a few minutes the president's tone got serious and condescending. He proceeded to lecture me about everything he was doing to promote comprehensive immigration reform, which was code for encouraging more illegal immigration by letting those in the country illegally jump the line."

That's her description of that meeting that took place in 2010. And of course, according to the White House, the president doesn't quite see it that way.

PHILLIPS: Dan Lothian at the White House. Dan, thanks.

And this morning new developments in that daring rescue by U.S. Navy SEALs in Somalia. Just last hour freed American aid worker Jessica Buchanan landed safely at a U.S. military base in Sicily.

Zain Verjee has all the details for us and how the story is playing out.

Zain, fill us in.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Kyra.

Jessica Buchanan is there now in Sicily. So what's going to happen is that she's going to undergo some important medical screenings and evaluations. And what we're hearing that as soon as possible, even in the next few days, she's going to be on a plane headed back home to the United States. Her dad is also likely to have met her at the naval base on the island of Sicily.

Let me just give you an idea of some of the things that her dad, John Buchanan, said. First of all he was -- said he was completely flabbergasted when he picked up the phone and President Obama was on the other line. And this is how he described what was said to him. He said the president said, John, this is Barack Obama. I'm calling you because I have great news for you. Your daughter has been rescued by our military.

And he said that he never felt so patriotic before in his life and that he was proud to be an American.

Let me just give you an idea, Kyra, of what one newspaper headliner is saying today. This is "USA Today." I picked this one because it really does echo a lot of thoughts from around the world, too. Navy SEALs have become lucky charm for Obama." It goes on to say, "Obama hasn't been adverse to the high risk, high reward operation that have led to some of his greatest national security successes. He has managed to roll the dice and has succeeded."

I talked to some maritime security analysts today, Kyra, who said that going in with guns like this is sometimes, you know, a short-term success, but in the long term it doesn't necessarily deter the Somali pirates from increasing their own violence, both on shore and on land, and from continuing to do this anyway -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Zain Verjee for us out of London. Zain, thanks.

Well, the government's top money men say that the economy here in the U.S. is recovering but it still needs a boost. So it looks like our interest rates near historic lows will happen for another two or three years.

Christine Romans in New York.

So, Christine, what does this mean to you and me?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Wow. It means we know more about what the Fed is going to do on interest rates now than we really ever have in history quite frankly. It means they're going to keep interest rates near zero through at least the year 2014.

You know the Fed is concerned about the pace of this recovery, just like you and I are. They want to keep interest rates low so that borrowing money is very cheap as some kind of a stimulus or a boost to the overall economy. And so that's what they're looking for, keeping interest rates low. Kind of to keep their foot on the gas peddle of the American economy.

They're concerned about unemployment, they're concerned about long-term unemployment becoming some kind of a structural problem for the U.S. economy. That people have been out of work for six months or longer. That number is too high for the Fed's taste and they want to learn -- they want to get that down.

They want to spur growth. They want to entice and invite investment and low interest rates is how they want to do that. And also there's an interesting thing that the Fed chief said. He said, "There is a case for additional policy action," and that's something that got a lot of people's attention because that -- in particular that line signals to them that the Fed has interest rates so low right now that they might even try to find some other ways to stimulate the economy if growth doesn't get a little more robust -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right. Christine Romans. We will track it. Thank you so much.

Straight ahead after the break, a mayor says that he's sorry for his tacos remark. And now his police force and its relationship with Latinos is being questioned. The FBI says four cops were more like bullies than badges. Talk about that next.

And Australia's leader needs police protection to escape from angry protesters. We'll tell you what protesters got from the prime minister and --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News "Cross Country" now.

In Pennsylvania a public tribute to legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno. Thousands of people will attend an on-campus memorial today. Paterno was buried yesterday at a private funeral. He died Sunday from lung cancer. Paterno was 85 years old.

Mississippi cops have no idea where a convicted murderer is more than two weeks after he was pardoned by then Governor Haley Barbour. This is Joseph Ozment. He didn't show up for a court hearing on Monday challenging his pardon. A reward is being offered now for any information on his location.

And it's cleanup time in parts of Texas after a hammering of severe storms, up to seven inches of rain fell. Flooding on many roads. And a suspected tornado hit Austin damaging several homes and buildings and uprooting trees there.

Well, the FBI calls four cops bullies with badges. It started when the feds arrested four East Haven, Connecticut, police officers and charged them with racial profiling including harassment of Latinos.

Listen to how the mayor responded to a reporter's question about the lack of Latinos on the police force.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What are you doing for the Latino community today?

MAYOR JOSEPH MATURO, JR., EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: I might have tacos when I go home. I'm not quite sure yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Those comments later forced the mayor to issue this apology.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATURO: I created something that went viral. It was something that the media says, gotcha. And ran with it. I accept full responsibility. I have apologized profusely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Our Ashleigh Banfield following this story for us.

So the mayor, on one hand, Ashleigh, is apologizing, and then on the other calling this a media gotcha moment. So is his apology having the desired effect?

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, that's a great question, Kyra. You know when your apology goes viral, too, I'm not so sure that's the desired effect. I can tell you this, though, a lot of the criticism of this mayor's behavior and about what's going on in that community is apparently coming from outside of that community.

And while this can definitely be, you know, political capitalization, too, where his opponents and Democrats, et cetera, can come in and really rail on this mayor, you would think there would be more of an uproar inside the community. And that's not necessarily what's happening. But then again, look at us. We're the national media and we're highlighting something that's extraordinarily serious, and that is targeting a certain community and roughing them up if you're on a squad.

So it's kind of a message to all police forces out there, watch it because the feds might be watching you.

PHILLIPS: So what do you think could be the legal fallout here?

BANFIELD: Well, what's really interesting is that there are four officers who've been arrested, and there are sources who are working this story real seriously in East Haven who say that it's entirely possible that this is just the first wave, that we could possibly see more arrests coming as well.

And these are really serious charges. These are federal charges. They're civil rights violations. They're violations of your constitutional rights, so while they are serious charges, it's kind of interesting what they could face if guilty.

PHILLIPS: Ashleigh Banfield for us out of New York. Ashleigh, thanks so much.

BANFIELD: Sure.

PHILLIPS: And coming up next, it sounded like a line right out of a movie. Well, it was. A politician caught red-handed.

Also ahead, JCPenney gets a makeover -- lower prices, designer deals, and a star spokeswoman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We're following some severe weather with our Rob Marciano.

Mississippi?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Mississippi, it was New Orleans and Plaquemines Parish which came in with a little bit of damage, just north of Venice. Now, that line of cells has moved to the north and east towards -- just to the east of Bay St. Louis. Now, Long Beach under a tornado warning, eventually getting to the north and east at about 35 to 40 miles an hour.

But it has some rotation with it. We have no confirmation of a tornado on the ground. It looks pretty good on radar.

Regardless of that, it's going to have some damaging winds. So, anywhere from Long Beach and north and eastward is where that tornado warning in effect now for the next 45 minutes, until 9:00 later this morning Central Time, all with a larger system that brought tremendous amount of rain and severe weather to eastern Texas, beginning to quiet down there just a little bit right now.

PHILLIPS: OK. We'll track it. Thanks so much, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, rough week for Aussie politicians. One goes Hollywood. Two others trapped by protesters.

Zain Verjee, let's go ahead and start with the prime minister. She needed a police escort out of a restaurant?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. She was pretty scared and shaken up here. Take a look at this video.

This is what happened -- the prime minister, Julia Gillard, was actually at a ceremony at a restaurant along with the opposition leader, Tony Abbott. This is what happened. There was an angry mob that totally surrounded the building. They were throwing sticks, rocks, smashing windows.

This is aboriginal group. It's a rights group that was nearby. It broke out into the protests. They were shouting shame, racist. You can see this is the scene.

They were throwing themselves even in front of the convoy of cars as they were leaving. The prime minister lost a shoe. She was dragged to her car by her security forces.

And then what this group of protesters did, Kyra, they belong to this group called Tent Embassy, they put on their Facebook page, "What's losing a shoe compared to losing an entire continent."

So, they're making a political point here, but it definitely shook up the prime minister. And she was nervous in this situation -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: A bit of a different story involving an Aussie politician. He sure shook things up when I guess you could say he kind of showed folks he's a big fan of Michael Douglas.

VERJEE: Well, yes, he did, right? And then he had to defend himself because of it.

This guy is the transport minister. His name's Anthony Albanese. He gave a speech to the national press club in Australia and then created a complete kerfuffle because he gave the speech, because it sounds exactly like these lines were ripped off by some of his staff writers in a very famous American movie.

Listen. Judge for yourself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIA'S TRANSPORT SECRETARY: In Australia, we have serious challenges to solve and we need serious people to solve them. Unfortunately, Tony Abbott is not the least bit interested in fixing anything. He's only interested in two things, making Australians afraid of it and telling them who's to blame for it.

MICHAEL DOUGLAS, "THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT": We have serious problems to solve and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only, making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

VERJEE: Kyra, can you believe that?

PHILLIPS: Oh, my God. No!

VERJEE: "American President," Michael Douglas.

(LAUGHTER)

VERJEE: That's where it came from. And, naturally, as any politician in hot water like that will do, he blamed the staff, said he had no idea that this was the case. He had never even seen the movie. He took responsibility for giving the speech.

PHILLIPS: He should hire the screenwriter maybe to write his speeches if he wants to go that route. That's pretty funny. And seeing the two side by side, classic.

Zain, thanks.

VERJEE: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: We've got a major overhaul at one of the nation's biggest retailers. Talk about JCPenney.

Felicia Taylor has all the new details, live from the New York Stock Exchange.

What are we going to see, Felicia?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, JCPenney is redesigning its stores hoping to improve its image. It wants to develop a more clear brand identity. People aren't really quite sure what JCPenney represents.

Wal-Mart, we know, is known for low prices. Target is sort of cheap, cheap. JCPenney is kind of somewhere lost in the middle.

But now, the company has a new CEO that comes from Apple. That's good sign. His name is Ron Johnson. He's credited with creating Apple's bright and innovative retail stores.

Taking a page from Apple, Johnson wants to simplify everything. And, right now, JCPenney has hundreds of sales a year and merchandise prices change constantly. Johnson said that's confusing and makes JCP seem almost desperate.

So, he's moving to a three-tier strategy. Everyday prices are being cut by 40 percent and then there will be monthly sales on in season merchandise and two clearance sales a month.

So, hopefully, Johnson will be able to sort of create some kind of an image that gives JCPenney more of an identity for the public that is similar to what we have for Wal-Mart and other stores. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Seven minutes away from the opening bell. How are things looking so far?

TAYLOR: We're going to have somewhat of a flat open. We've got a couple of earnings that have come out that have been somewhat mixed. And also, we have the jobless numbers which was actually increased a little worse than expectations.

But nevertheless, Wall Street is still very happy with what it heard from the Federal Reserve. So, we could see an uptick because the European markets are up sharply. But we have investors diving into gold which is traditionally the safe haven because the dollar is getting hampered by the idea that there could be further stimulus down the road. So, a little bit of a mixed picture, though.

PHILLIPS: Felicia, thanks.

Well, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney neck in neck in the Florida polls. Face to face tonight for a debate on CNN. What to watch for that could change the race.

And a man who was the leader in that race for a bit of time. He's on his way here. Herman Cain drops by Studio 7 in just about 20 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now.

An American aid worker rescued from kidnappers in Somalia has arrived at a U.S. military base in Sicily. Jessica Buchanan and a Danish aid worker were rescued by U.S. forces during a raid Tuesday night. Buchanan's father says that he hopes to reunite with his daughter today.

The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is giving $750 million to the global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The Microsoft co-founder made that announcement at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Gates hopes the money will change the fortunes of the poorest countries in the world.

Take a look at this -- the earth like you've never seen it before. This high definition photo just released by NASA was taken aboard a new generation of satellites launched to observe our planet.

All right. We're just about ten hours from tonight's Republican presidential debate on CNN. The last one before Florida's primary on Tuesday.

And it's looking like a two-man fight between Gingrich and Romney for that top spot. Things have been getting pretty heated between the two of them on the campaign trail.

CNN's political editor Paul Steinhauser live in Jacksonville.

So, let's talk about why this debate is so important. It could truly be a game changer, Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Kyra, all cycle long, we've seen these debates have an outsized influence on the cycle, on the polls, on the results. No doubt tonight could be the same. And remember, this is a last showdown. The last time these four candidates will be on the same stage before Tuesday's crucial primary. You've got 50 delegates at stake. Winner take all on Tuesday.

So, look at this, you got the overall number, let's break down our CNN/"TIME"/ORC poll. It was conducted Sunday through Tuesday. So, Sunday alone, look at the left side there. That was the day after Gingrich's double digit victory in South Carolina's primary. Look at that, Gingrich leading among people likely to vote in the primary here in Florida.

But on the right side, look at that, Monday and Tuesday, a different story. Maybe Newt Gingrich's big mo coming out of South Carolina is starting to fizzle a little bit.

One more number, Kyra, from our poll. Go to this next screen and you can see right here, 25 percent of the people we questioned say, you know what, I'm backing this candidate or that candidate but I could change my mind. Well, they're going to be watching tonight seeing what the candidates say. And maybe that's why they'll change their mind.

Kyra, we got the bus over here. Right there, that's the debate hall where they're going to be today with Wolf Blitzer. We are ready to go.

PHILLIPS: What are you going to be watching for?

STEINHAUSER: Three things. Three things. Mitt Romney, he had a big debate on Monday night. He went on the offense. Will he continue to do that? Will he continue to go after Newt Gingrich? Maybe more over Fannie Mae -- or Freddie Mac and Gingrich's contracts with Freddie Mac.

Number two, Newt Gingrich, he seemed a little more sedate on Monday night, a little role reversal there. He didn't go on the attack. He's very good at that. He needs to step it up tonight.

Number three, the guys on the side, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul. They weren't that much of a factor on Monday night. Are they going to be more so tonight? Three things I'm looking for, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. I'm paying attention. Thanks, Paul.

Don't forget tonight, just days before the Florida primary, as we've mentioned, CNN and the Republican Party of Florida team up hosting the next presidential debate in Jacksonville. That's right here on CNN tonight, 8:00 Eastern.

Next up, "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak makes a pretty shocking confession about his early days on the show. What he said after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, surprising confession from "Wheel of Fortune's" Pat Sajak.

"Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer joining us live from New York.

A little too much tipping of the flask, A.J.?

A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I'd like to buy a vowel, Kyra. No.

To be fair, here's the deal. Pat Sajak was asked if he ever hosted his show, "Wheel of Frtune," a little drunk. Pat said yes. He's being honest.

It turns out that back in the day when the show was in its early years, Pat and Vanna White would have a couple of margaritas on their dinner break.

It was on ESPN show "Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable" when he made these incredible revelations. Let's watch a bit of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT SAJAK, "WHEEL OF FORTUNE" HOST: Vanna and I would go across and have two or three or six and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet. They're really good tapes to get ahold of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Yes, I'm sure they're really good tapes to get ahold of. He says he has no idea if the shows were any good. As far as he knows, there were.

There was that one time I remember that he told a contestant they smelled funny. No, no, that never actually happened. But, you know, Pat being honest, two or three or six margaritas on a break.

You know, back in the day, you remember, Kyra, when you used to go shopping with the money that you won on that show in the very early days. So, if they were taping more than a show in the day. It took a long time to reset all that stuff. So, what are you going to do, have a drink?

PHILLIPS: A.J., that is playing with fire, indeed.

All right. We just learned that country singer Glenn Campbell is going to be performing at this year's Grammys despite his Alzheimer's. What do you know about this and what do you think?

HAMMER: Yes. This is such a powerful, powerful story. I think it's going to inspire a lot of people. Glenn Campbell launched his good-bye tour last year. And he will be honored with a special tribute at the Grammy Awards next month.

And the plan is for him to perform live. He'll do that with Grammy nominees Blake Shelton and the Band Perry. The country legend is now 75 years old.

He revealed last June that he's battling Alzheimer's but that hasn't stopped him from continuing with his tour. In fact, he's got several of his children backing him up.

Now, Kyra, I understand there are few young'ins on your staff who weren't quite sure who Campbell is. And I can't even believe I'm saying.

So, let me give you a little bit of a primer here. He played, of course with the Beach Boys. He won five Grammy Awards. He starred in the original "True Grit" with John Wayne, but if for nothing else, most people know him for his iconic songs "Southern Nights" and "Rhinestone Cowboy."

PHILLIPS: "Rhinestone Cowboy."

HAMMER: "Rhinestone Cowboy."

PHILLIPS: Yes.

HAMMER: That was 37 years ago. So, if you're not familiar with it off the top of your head, punch it up on the YouTube today. Everybody will say, oh, that's right. "Rhinestone Cowboy." Come on.

PHILLIPS: All right. I'm going to be, for full disclosure. Yes, I used to lip sync, OK? All time favorite song. I'm not ashamed.

HAMMER: Of course.

PHILLIPS: A.J., thanks so much. I sure can't wait to see his performance. Appreciate it.

HAMMER: Yes.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, actor Brad Pitt is opening up about his past battle with depression and his relationship with Angelina Jolie. A.J. is going to be back with us next hour with that story and other showbiz headlines.

Coming up after the break, Herman Cain right here in Studio 7. He's not seeking the presidency anymore, so what is he looking for? I've got so much to ask him.

And the list is out for the most literate city. Did anybody knock D.C. off its thrown? We'll tell you. We're going to go cross- country after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Yes, we are going to talk live with Herman Cain in just a minute.

But, first, Newt Gingrich speaking at a Tea Party event in Mount Dora, Florida. Let's take a listen.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The choice, I can live with the American people's decision. If the American people have all the information, I can live with whatever they decide.

I just had a good friend call me from Tampa who watched 12 negative ads last night, all of them paid for with special interest money, all of them dishonest.

Let me give you an example. This person wearing, "I Really Miss Reagan" -- stand up and let them all see it.

(APPLAUSE)

GINGRICH: And she has a Ronald Regan aircraft carrier hat. It gets better and better.

I mention, Michael Reagan, who has endorsed me, tries to go out and visit the Ronald Regan aircraft carrier every time it comes back to home port.

Now let me take the example about Reagan. I first met with Ronald Regan in 1974. I was a candidate for Congress. He came to Georgia. I was allowed it take him to the airport because they were so grateful anybody would run as a Republican in Georgia in 1974.

His plane was late. We chatted for a little while. He finally got bored listening to me and said, how would you like to see how I give speeches? I thought, this would be good. And it was.

I was on his side in the Panama Canal fight. I helped develop supply side economics. I worked with the campaign and actually put together the first capital steps in history in September of 1980.

I worked with him as a member of Congress for eight years. In 1995, at the Goldwater Institute, Nancy Reagan said that Ronald Reagan's torch had been passed to me as speaker of the House and that I was carrying out the values that he believed in.

PHILLIPS: Newt Gingrich there live. His wife by his side speaking at a Tea Party event in Mount Dora, Florida.

We'll continue to follow all of the live events of course as they happen throughout the morning and throughout the afternoon.

Herman Cain, he's the former GOP presidential front-runner, Mr. 9-9-9. The guy who gave the Tea Party's response to the president's State of the Union address. And he's Stephen Colbert's new BFF.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: The more mature people watch other things, but the more immature youth vote watches this show, which is why tonight I'm endorsing Senator Doody Von Poopinpants. Von Poopinpants, you can depends on him.

For the record, I also endorse Herman Cain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And here he is. Mr. Herman Cain.

All right. We all laugh.

HERMAN CAIN (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hello, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Hello. Good to see you.

CAIN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: You and I both going to try not to get into trouble here, but we're going to have a very good conversation.

Colbert, he makes his living off of making fun of people, all right?

CAIN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Are you worried that he's using you as a punch line? Hey, are you using him for his audience? You know he's got it.

CAIN: It's a mutual use because he reaches the youth vote, which I happen to believe is going to be very critical to winning the election in November. So, one of the things that I'm focusing on is helping to keep the youth vote inspired. You have to go where they are. They are watching Colbert. They are watching Jon Stewart.

I'm going to go to college campuses. That's going to be one of the things that I'm going to do.

And so, I want to keep the youth vote. I want to keep some of the disgruntled Democrats. I want to keep some of the Republicans and conservatives that might be losing interest because of all of the negativity. We've got to keep them inspired.

So, Colbert represents an outreach to the youth vote, and that's why I enjoy doing things with him.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I can see you enjoy each other.

That negativity, let's talk about the debate tonight, the CNN debate.

CAIN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Romney expected to go after Gingrich, of course, again. Do you think that these attacks are divisive for the party or are they good because they vet the candidates?

CAIN: Yes, they are divisive because they're not divisive over solutions. This is what the American people want to hear. And secondly, the negative attacks on each other, in the media at the debate, discourage people from wanting to be a part of the process.

It's OK to be at opposite ends over tax policy, how we should have an energy independence policy, how we should deal with the issue of the debt -- fine. Let that be what the debate is about and the American people and the many voters, that's what they want to hear about, but they're not hearing about it, quite frankly.

PHILLIPS: You're a businessman.

CAIN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Very successful businessman. When you entered the race --

CAIN: OK.

PHILLIPS: OK. When you entered the race you said, look, it's a business person that's the right person to lead America.

So given the choice between a career politician and a good business person running the country, who would you choose?

CAIN: I could choose either for the following reasons. Right now you have Governor Romney and Speaker Gingrich are the two top contenders. I believe that each of them can win and beat President Obama because they have a different set of ifs.

There are some things that I believe Governor Romney needs to do differently. He needs to be more specific with a very clear economic growth and jobs plan. That's missing. In all honesty, his 59-point plan isn't cutting it.

In the case of Speaker Gingrich, Speaker Gingrich isn't afraid to be bold with some of his solutions, but sometimes he's been accused of being a bit extreme. So it will depend upon how they hone their message when they get into the general election.

I said that I would be a better candidate and a better president because of all of my business experience. Romney has some. Newt, the thing that I like about Newt, that -- yes, he's a career politician, but he got out of politics for a while so his head could clear. And I think that's a positive.

PHILLIPS: But you definitely said, look, it's a business person that should lead this country. And I, Herman Cain, have that background. We know Romney's business background. If you had to choose today, is Romney the one that convinces you he's the one that can lead this country?

CAIN: The American people are going to choose. When I said that a businessman could lead this country, yes, but also you've got to be able to win in the general election. Electability is still a big factor.

So I wouldn't say that the only requirement is someone who's a businessman, but I'm just simply saying electability has to be considered. And that's what the voters in South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Georgia, and the Super Tuesday states, that's what they're going to sort out.

PHILLIPS: You said last week because I wanted to ask you who do you endorse, but you said last week I endorse the American people.

CAIN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Ok. It was unconventional. No surprise.

CAIN: Right.

PHILLIPS: You're an unconventional man, but when it comes to an actual candidate, who do you prefer?

CAIN: I prefer the American people. Now here's why. I'm not dodging your question.

PHILLIPS: You're dodging my question.

CAIN: It's just quite simply, look at some of the other endorsements. One of the main reasons that I did not want to endorse a person at this point in the race, I want my supporters to stay focused on the ultimate mission, solving problems. I want them to stay focused on 9-9-9 the revolution and the other solutions that we're putting on the table.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: But there isn't a candidate out there that supporting your 9-9-9.

CAIN: Not yet, but we never know what's in the works. But my point is, the solutions to problems is much more important than who I personally endorse. I will eventually do it.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Let me ask you this. Do you think there's a candidate -- do you think there is a candidate that could benefit from your endorsement? CAIN: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Who?

CAIN: Both Romney could benefit from my endorsement and both Speaker Gingrich could benefit from my endorsement. But see I'm about the solutions. Now they are coming around.

I have actually heard Speaker Gingrich say we need to draw out the tax code. That's a good first step, but I want to see something bolder and more specific about the biggest domestic problem we have, job growth, economic growth, and creating jobs.

PHILLIPS: Let me get to the State of the Union. You gave the Tea Party response. You said that the President had no big ideas. What about this idea to reward companies that keep manufacturing here in the United States? Is that not a big idea?

CAIN: That's not a big idea.

PHILLIPS: That's not?

CAIN: That's an old idea. And secondly, there the government goes again, picking winners and losers. I don't believe government should be in the business of trying to pick winners and losers.

Secondly, if he's going to reward manufacturing companies for a, b, c, and d, that's the government trying to determine who they want to reward.

PHILLIPS: But don't we want jobs?

CAIN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Don't we want jobs, don't we want more people here in the United States to be employed?

CAIN: Kyra, what about the entire economy? Why not reward the entire economy by throwing out the current tax code and putting in 9- 9-9? Yes, I'm going to continue to promote it. So that's why it's not a big idea.

PHILLIPS: There's not one candidate that's supporting that.

CAIN: If only -- well, you just never know. My point is, when the President is focusing in on the manufacturing sector, when he wants to focus in on the automobile industry, he's trying to pick winners and losers. Let the marketplace do it. The tax code is unfair and it's too complex and I am going to continue to hammer that point home until the American people start to demand that we get rid of the tax code and get government out of the business of picking winners and losers.

PHILLIPS: What about President Obama talking about this trade enforcement unit? I was reading more about this. It would investigate illegal trade practices by countries like China. Bold idea, big idea?

CAIN: Little idea. We already know what they're doing. We don't need another agency. We've got all these agencies up there already that all the President has to do is say put this on your to do list.

Secondly, we're not going to be able to make China do anything. What we need to do is to have more competitive products. How do we get more competitive products? Get rid of the tax code. I know that many people say he keeps coming back to the same thing. The reason is it solves so many other problems. We need to level the playing field with China and other countries.

Do you know how my plan helps to do that? In that first nine, it does not put embedded taxes in U.S. goods. It helps to level the playing field. Having another agency creates more bureaucracy and worst it makes government bigger. Government doesn't need to get bigger.

PHILLIPS: What do you want to hear in the debate tonight? What are you looking for?

CAIN: I want to hear specifics on how we're going to grow the economy. I don't want to just hear the words we need to grow the economy. I want to hear specifics on how growing the economy in their plans are going to create jobs.

Excuse me, I don't want to just hear, we need to create jobs. How are we going to put people back to work? How are we going to reduce the burden of regulations on businesses, how are we going to inspire the business community to start creating jobs. And the way you do that is you get government out of the way rather than more stuff like the President talked about in his speech that puts government in the way. That's what I would like to hear about what the candidates are going to do.

PHILLIPS: Herman Cain, thanks for stopping by.

CAIN: It's my pleasure.

PHILLIPS: I appreciate it.

CNN and the Republican Party of Florida as you know team up to host the next presidential debate tonight in Jacksonville. Watch the sparks fly; tonight, 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's "Fast Forward" to stories ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

At 1:00 Eastern, President Obama is talking about American energy at a UPS facility in Las Vegas.

At 5:00 the Hispanic Leadership Network holds its annual conference and a pre-debate. Former Governor Jeb Bush expected to speak.

And tonight at 8:00, CNN and the Republican Party of Florida team up to host our next presidential debate in Jacksonville.

All right, we're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Joe Johns in Mount Dora, Florida. Hey, Joe.

GINGRICH: -- this will be --

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Newt Gingrich at the mike right now reaching out to the Tea Party crowd here in Florida. Also slamming Mitt Romney for his connections to Wall Street. I'll have that coming up at the top of the hour.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Jason Carroll in New York. East Haven's Mayor found himself in hot water after making an insensitive remark about Latinos. How does he explain what he said? Well, I'm going to have the answer for you coming up at the top of the hour.

CASEY WIAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: I'm Casey Wian at the port of Long Beach, in California. If you've ever wondered what would happen if a disaster like the "Costa Concordia" happened here in the United States. Well, we're going to show you, we're going to be out with a very specialized dive team training on just how to deal with these types of maritime disasters under water. We'll have more coming up next hour.

PHILLIPS: Guys, thanks so much.

"Big Hits and Broken Dreams"; ahead in our next hour, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at the devastating effects of concussions in sports. There's a risk to boys, but he's going to also tell us what we need to know about girls getting concussions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Got to love the time change for sports -- fresh stuff.

JEFF FISCHEL, HLN HOST: That's right. I mean while most of you were probably sleeping I was glued to the television watching Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer play again semi at the Australian Open. It is truly the best match-up every one tennis fan wants to see it.

Novak Djokovic is a great number one player. But tennis fans love Federer versus Nadal. Here we go.

The 27th meeting. There's Federer walking on the center court at the Australian Open, facing his long-time rival. Federer takes the early lead.

Look at Nadal just covering the court as always. This one goes to first-set tiebreaker but look at that. Federer was just perfect in the first set and he won it.

Second set, this is when Nadal's court coverage takes over. Look at him get that. He wins the second set. Wins the third in a tiebreaker.

Then in the fourth set, Federer, even when he thinks he's got it under control, he doesn't because Nadal chases everything down. You have to be perfect to beat him. Look at Nadal get that.

And then ready to close it out. Rafael Nadal heading to another grand slam final, beats Federer again in four sets. In their 27 meetings, Nadal has won 18 times including an 8 and 2 record in grand slams. Nadal could see Djokovic in the Australian Open final

NBA, the Clippers are actually good. The Lakers-Clippers rivalry getting heated. Look at Blake Griffin. That's because he's there; so is Chris Paul.

Kobe Bryant taking on the Clips and he can't stop Blake Griffin. That is a sweet move but Kobe, Pau Gasol combined for 47 points. The Lakers win this one in the end. But it got a little chippy too. Pau Gasol actually patted Chris Paul on the head. Paul didn't like that. That's getting heated. 96-91 the final.

Mavericks hosting the Timber Wolves. Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki sidelined but he was courtside as a color commentator. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, oh. Shut it down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISCHEL: They're going crazy. He loves his teammates. Sweet dunk. Dirk Nowitzki fired up. He'll be back on the court soon. That's sports.

PHILLIPS: Thank you. You were a little excited.

FISCHEL: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Great sound, Jeff. Thanks.