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President Obama Bets On LNG; Gas And Oil From The Gulf; Fighting For Florida; Stay Strong, Spend Less; Aussie Prime Minister After Melee; Final Farewell To Paterno; Snow Collapses Ice Rink Roof; Oral Roberts' Gay Grandson; Obama Speaks In Vegas; Florida Debate Could Help Thin GOP Candidate Field

Aired January 26, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It's 1:00, we've got a busy hour ahead, so let's get straight to the new.

President Obama is in Vegas this hour doubling down on natural gas, these are live pictures there where the president is preparing to speak. On the second day of his post-State of the Union re-election road trip, he's showing off a UPS fuel depot like none other, built in part with stimulus money, it services a brand new fleet of LNG powered trucks.

That is liquefied natural gas, cleaner than regular gas or diesel, and plentiful right here at home. Promoters say this one facility allows UPS to move packages from Long Beach, California to Salt Lake City, Utah purely on alternative energy. The president is due to speak at any moment now, and we'll listen in for just a bit when he comes to the microphone.

To make sure natural gas stays plentiful, the administration is planning to auction off the last unclaimed drillable parts off the Gulf of Mexico. We're talking 38 million acres off Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, ranging from three to 230 miles offshore. The Interior Department says there could be a billion barrels of oil and four trillion cubic feet of natural gas under there. Bids for drilling leases start at $100 an acre.

Newt Gingrich is fighting for the veteran vote in Florida this hour. He's due to speak here in Jacksonville any moment now, another podium there to show you. The biggest Republican presidential contest to date is just five days away and still a two-man race.

A new "CNN TIME" ORC Poll shows Gingrich and Mitt Romney essentially neck and neck with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul far behind, essentially tied there for third. But nothing, of course, is set in stone.

Our numbers from Sunday give a six-point lead to Gingrich. On Monday and Tuesday, there's a nine-point lead for Romney. One thing's for sure, the final Florida debate takes place tonight, 8:00 p.m. in Jacksonville. It is sponsored by CNN, the Florida GOP, and Hispanic Leadership Network.

The Gingrich camp is correcting a comment from last week's CNN debate in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm sure you remember the indignant response to John king's question about interviews Gingrich's second ex-wife gave to ABC and "The Washington Post." Marianne Gingrich said, Newt wanted an open marriage so he could keep seeing the mistress who's now wife number three. Here's part of his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This story is false. Every personal friend that I have who knew us in that period says the story was false. We offered several them to ABC to prove it was false. They weren't interested because they would like to attack any Republican.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: ABC says no such witnesses were ever put forward and though Gingrich called that baloney in a CNN interview Tuesday, his spokesman now says he was wrong. The aide says the only people the campaign offered up was Gingrich's daughter.

In about an hour, we expect to hear the details behind the Pentagon's plans for a less expensive but combat-ready military. Half a trillion dollars is being cut for military budgets over the coming decade and that was reflected in a rewrite of a military doctrine President Obama unveiled earlier this month. Now come the numbers and sources tell CNN to expect, among other things, fewer troops. The Army is said to shrink by at least 38,000. The Marines will see cuts as well. The full story comes out at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

To Australia now where the prime minister says she's fine after a hasty departure from a pretty scary situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That was Julia Gillard basically being dumped into her car by police after the restaurant where she was handing out awards to emergency service workers was attacked by protesters. Here's the moment just before all hell broke loose.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel that -- we feel that the situation is deteriorating and can't stay to much longer.

JULIA GILLARD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: OK, all right. What about Mr. Abbott? Where have you got him? We'd better help him through too, hadn't we?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Mr. Abbott is the opposition leader who also was caught in the melee. No one was hurt and no one was arrested either. A day after Joe Paterno's private funeral and burial, thousands friends and fans of the Penn State football legend are paying their final respects. A public memorial starts next hour on the Penn State campus, capping three days of honors for the winningest major college football coach of all time. Paterno died last Sunday at 85 just weeks after coaching his final game.

Now, you've got to see what happens when snow hits ice at a very wrong time and place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(INAUDIBLE.)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Well, that used to be an ice rink in Slovakia. Hockey star was training young players at the time, incredibly, no one was hurt from that.

Coming up next, he's the grandson of a preacher, this preacher, the televangelist Oral Roberts. But Randy Roberts Potts has a different story to share and he's tracking across the country to tell it. Randy joins me next on his decision to come out as a gay man and what he thinks of his grandfather's legacy. You do not want to miss this interview.

But first, today's Rock Star. As a New York firefighter, James Wilds, was already a hero but that wasn't how he saved the life of this little six-year-old girl, Elise. You see, Wilds donated his bone marrow to Elise three years ago. She has a rare, genetic blood disorder. The donation was anonymous but that all changed this week when the two met each other for the very first time. And we think you are both Rock Stars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: For years, my next guest was running away, running away from his identity, from away from his sexuality, running away from his family name. But that was then and this is now. Meet Randy Roberts Potts, the grandson of one of the nation's most popular televangelists, the late Oral Roberts -- the gay grandson of Oral Roberts.

Potts just opened up the "Details" magazine, and a fascinating look at his life both then and now. He joins me now from Dallas to talk about this. Randy, thank you so much for being here, nice to have you on the show.

Let's talk about this. I read that article in detail and was really moved by your story. You've known actually that you were gay for many years but only in the last few years have you really gone public and it pretty much it all started with this, "It Gets Better" video. So first, tell me about the video and why you felt so compelled to make it? RANDY ROBERTS POTTS: Yes. Well, about a year and a half ago, there were a lot of news reports about young gay kids killing themselves, and it really started to weigh me down. And in response to that, Dan Savage started the "It Gets Better" project.

And watching those videos, I think I cried through the first 10 or 20 of them, I just was bawling my eyes out. And I kept thinking, you know, what if I had seen one of these when I was a teenager, or what if my uncle had seen one of these. And so, I felt like it was time to come out of the closet, not just as a gay man but as a member of the Roberts family and subsequently made a "It Gets Better" video dedicated to my uncle who was also gay but who killed himself when he was in his late 30s.

KAYE: Yes, I want to talk about that more with you in just a moment. But your grandfather, let's talk about him, because he actually knew you were gay, right? And tell me what happened the last time you saw him. What did he say to you?

ROBERTS POTTS: Well, it was really -- you know, he knew I was gay. But the last time I saw him, it was about six months before he passed. I took my children out to L.A. to go to Disney Land, and we went to see him for a couple hours, and it was really just a grandfather, grandson visit. We just talked for a couple hours, not about anything, you know, deep or life changing. But it was just a really friendly, warm visit. And you know, he never saw fit to bring up the fact that I was gay. And that to me was just really comforting. It was like, we didn't have to talk about it, but he was loving and treated me like a grandson.

KAYE: I know that you were married at 20 and then you had this moment years after that, after -- you were married still and had three children. And you had this moment in the kitchen where you finally said it out loud. What was that moment like?

ROBERTS POTTS: It was one of the most amazing moments of my life. It -- I had known since I was, you know, five or six years old that I was attracted to men, but I had always been told that it was wrong and I really ran from the label gay. I did not want to be gay. I had heard horror stories about what being gay meant. And so, I did everything I could to not be gay. And finally using that word openly with myself, even though I was alone it, it was like -- it was like stepping into my own skin for the first time. It was -- it was the most liberating, wonderful feeling and it was probably the most amazing moment of my life, or one of them, beyond having my three children.

KAYE: And how did your mother treat you after that? I understand she had some pretty strong words at one point.

ROBERTS POTTS: It's been -- I guess I would call it an ongoing discussion. My mother does say she loves me, but she always -- the few times that we've spoken since, she always makes sure to remind me that homosexuality leads to death and that the "Bible" condemns it. So, I think you could call it a tense relationship at best. KAYE: And tell me about this project. You're traveling around the country and the project is called "The Gay Agenda." Tell me about the concept behind it, and what you are hoping to accomplish.

ROBERTS POTTS: Yes, well, one thing that a lot of people in conservative communities have is a visual of gay life that I think is a little skewed. When a lot of people in conservative towns think of a gay couple, they jump immediately to sex or something like that.

And they don't think of a couple, you know, watching television or, you know, having friends over for dinner or making coffee. And so, my project is going to be taking through the bible belt and all we will do is simply exactly what I described, just domestic activities that any couple does. And hopefully when we leave each town, there will be a new visual of what it means to be gay which is what it means to be human to just enjoy each other's company in your home.

KAYE: And with "The Gay Agenda," are you, in a way, trying to undo your grandfather's agenda of some sort?

ROBERTS POTTS: I think -- you know, there are wonderful things he did. He actually -- he doesn't get a lot of credit for this, but he was a leader in civil rights. His television programming was beamed mostly into the south, and in the 70s, he had a mixed-race choir which for that time was very unusual. He was a pioneer of sorts in that way. And I really think that if he were still around and in his prime, this might be a cause that he would take up. I know that he had a lot of fear about homosexuality, but I'm not so sure that he wouldn't have, perhaps, been more accepting if he were younger.

KAYE: And before I let you go, I want to ask you about your upcoming marriage.

ROBERTS POTTS: Yes, I'm excited. My fiance and I will be getting in May -- married in May and, you know, in front of family and friends. And we're just really, really -- I couldn't be -- I've waited I think for this for my whole life, in some sense.

KAYE: Randy Roberts Potts, great to have you on the show. Thank you for coming on. And we will talk about you soon, I hope. Thank you.

ROBERTS POTTS: Thanks, Randi.

KAYE: And now, I want to bring you some live pictures out of Las Vegas. As we said, the president is speaking there and has a message about energy. Let's listen in a little bit.

(BEGIN LIVE SPEECH)

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARRACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's the American dream. That's what most American people are looking for. They don't expect a handout. They don't expect anything to come easy. They do expect if they are willing to work hard to try to get ahead, if they are doing the right thing, then they can have a sense of security and dignity and help make sure that their family is moving forward. That's what Americans are looking for. That's what Americans deserve.

And today, three years after the worst economic storm in three generations, our economy is growing again. Our businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, businesses created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again and creating jobs for the first time since the 1990s. Now, we've got more work to do, but we can't do is go back to the very same policies that got us in a mess in the first place.

We can't go backwards. We have to move forward.

I said on Tuesday, and I will repeat today, we will not, we cannot go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing and bad debt and phony financial profits. So on Tuesday, at the State of the Union, I laid out my vision for how we move forward. I laid out a blueprint for an economy that is built to last, that has a firm foundation. Where we're making stuff and selling stuff and moving it around and UPS drivers are dropping things off everywhere.

That's the economy we want. An economy built on American manufacturing with more good jobs and more products made here in the United States of America. An economy built on American energy, fueled by homegrown and alternative sources that make us more secure and less dependent on foreign oil. An economy built on the skills of American workers getting people the education and the training that they need to prepare for the jobs of today, but also to compete for the jobs of tomorrow. And most importantly, I talked about an economy that's built on a renewal of American values, hard work, responsibility, and the same set of rules for everybody, from Wall Street to main street. That has to be our future. That's how we restore that basic American promise.

Now, part of my blueprint and what I want to focus on a little bit today is for an economy built to last with American energy. That's why we're here. For decades, Americans have been talking about how do we decrease our dependence on foreign oil? Well, my administration has actually begun to do something about it. Over the last three years, we negotiated the toughest new efficiency standards for cars and trucks in history. We've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration.

Right now, American oil production is the highest than it's been in eight years. Eight years. Last year we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the last 16 years. That hasn't gotten a lot of attention, but that's important. We're moving in the right direction when it comes to oil and gas production. And today I'm announcing that my administration will soon open up around 38 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for additional exploration and development, which could result in a lot more production of domestic energy.

But as I said on Tuesday, and as the folks here at UPS understand, even with all this oil production, we only have about 2 percent of the world's oil reserves. So we've got to have an all-out, all-in, all of the above strategy that develops every source of American energy. A strategy that is cleaner and cheaper and full of new jobs.

Now, a great place to start is with natural gas. Some of you may not have been following this, but because of new technologies, because we can now access natural gas that we couldn't access before in an economic way, we've got a supply of natural gas under our feet that can last America nearly a hundred years. Nearly 100 years.

Now, when I say under our feet, I don't know that there's actually gas right here. I mean in all of the United States. And developing it could power our cars and our homes and our factories in a cleaner and cheaper way. The experts believe it could support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade.

We, it turns out, are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. We've got a lot of it. We've got a lot of it. Now, removing that natural gas obviously has to be done carefully. And I know that there are families that are worried about the impact this could have on our environment and on the health of our communities. And I share that concern. So that's why I'm requiring, for the first time ever, that all companies drilling for gas on public lands disclose the chemicals they use. We want to make sure that this is done properly and safely. America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.

But we've got to keep at it. We've got to take advantage of this incredible natural resource.

KAYE: And you've been listening to President Obama there in Las Vegas, certainly telling us that he's got a lot more work to do and talked about his blueprint for an economy built to last with American energy. And he was quick to point out that American's dependence on oil, foreign oil, has certainly dropped quite a bit. And when he's done, he will head to -- from Las Vegas off to Colorado to speak there as well.

At least 16 people died after a cruise ship capsized off the Italian coast and divers are still searching for bodies. But what if this tragedy happened here in the U.S. Coming up, we are live with two underwater rescue crews as they train in the port of Long Beach, California.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Almost two weeks later, rescuers are still searching the Costa Concordia for 16 missing people. At least 16 others died when the cruise ship hit rocks off the Italian coast. There were 4,200 people on board. In an accident of this magnitude, it's a tough job looking for victims underwater, especially if the ship is unstable. So, how prepared are we if this were to happen here in the U.S.? The Coast Guard is on a training mission off the coast of Long Beach, California. And our Casey Wian is there with them today.

Casey, what are the divers practicing?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're in the Port of Long Beach here in California, Randi. And this is one of the busiest port complexes in the world. The busiest in the United States. And what they -- we are on a dive boat that is part of the Long Beach harbor patrol. It's a very specialized dive boat where these divers are able to go under water for hours and hours at a time versus a scuba diver that can only maybe be under the water for 30 to 40 minutes.

This is just one of the many different agencies who would respond to a maritime disaster. You can see if we get a wider shot behind me, we've got vessels from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Long Beach Fire Department. We've got the Long Beach Police Department.

Now, at the top of all of that, running the disaster, the response to this disaster would be the U.S. Coast Guard. And joining me now is the captain for this entire port, Captain Roger Laferriere.

What does it take to sort of coordinate more than a dozen or perhaps even more agencies to respond to a significant disaster at sea?

CAPT. ROGER LAFERRIERE, UNITED STATES COAST GUARD: Well, it takes a lot of practice, a lot of team work, a lot of planning, meeting on a mutual basis continuously, working together as a team.

WIAN: And because this port is so busy, you've got big giant cargo containers and you've got commercial cruise ships. What is the difference in the response to something like that? How is it different responding to a cargo ship disaster versus a cruise ship disaster? What are the different concerns?

LAFERRIERE: Well, there's -- first of all, in a cruise ship, you're obviously concerned of life safety, as you are on a cargo ship, but there's obviously more lives involved in a cruise ship incident. So that's your number one concern. In the port here, what we have to do is we work with a system of systems so that we all work together unified in responding to either one of those crisis.

WIAN: Do you think that the response from what you've seen in Italy, that you would be better equipped here to handle something like what happened there?

LAFERRIERE: Absolutely. There's no question in my mind that the Port of Las Angeles and Long Beach is the most equipped ports in the world.

WIAN: And we'll go inside. We can actually see -- thank you, Captain Laferriere -- we can go actually see some of these training exercises that are actually going on right now, Randi. And what we've got here is an underwater camera that is down at a depth of 80, 85 feet. Something like that.

We've got a couple of Long Beach Harbor patrol divers who are down there. And what they've got is an actual welding torch. You can believe it. You can actually weld or you use heat to cut into steel underwater. The reason that they use this is, for example, a ship that is -- has been run aground or is at shore and they need to stabilize it, empty water out of part of it, bring water into others, they can actually take these torches and cut holes into the ship. They can also use these underwater torches to repair holes in these ships. Now these obviously different types of responses for different types of disaster. You wouldn't be using flames, for example, if it was a cargo ship that was leaking oil or flammables. They do have other devices where they can go in and get to the cargo or even the passengers. They can go in with these cutting devices and perhaps rescue stranded passengers.

Now, we can talk to actually some of these divers under water and they can tell us what they're doing.

Hello, diver, it's CNN. Can you hear me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you doing, sir?

WIAN: Yes, can you tell us what you're doing down there underwater right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. Right now I'm trying to make a cut using a -- with a torch (INAUDIBLE) a cutting torch. (INAUDIBLE). (INAUDIBLE) as it burns at 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This material being burned right now is a free agent steel pipe.

WIAN: Have you ever had to actually (INAUDIBLE) in an emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have. We've had to cut away anchors, anchor chains, clear debris, various (INAUDIBLE) here in the port.

WIAN: There you have it, Randi, you can see there are a lot of training that's going on here right now. They're very prepared, they say, to handle any kind of a disaster that could happen in this port. And, of course, you're not just worried about ships crashing into something, you're worried about the potential of even, you know, a nuclear terrorist threat. There's all kinds of contingencies that they are prepared for.

So that's what we have for you from here, Randi.

KAYE: Casey, I've got tell you, that was some incredible television. Thank you so much. And our thanks to all the photographers and producers and the Coast Guard, of course, for helping us bring that to our viewers today. Thanks again.

Newt Gingrich keeps comparing himself to Ronald Reagan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 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 he believed in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Is it a legitimate comparison and will it even matter really come Election Day? That is "Fair Game" and it's next. But first, a political junkie question. What percentage of voters identified themselves as conservatives in the 2008 Florida GOP primary? Was it 55 percent, 61 percent, or 68 percent? I'll give a shout-out to the first person who tweets me the right answer to @randikayecnn.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Before the break, I asked what percentage of Florida voters in the 2008 primary identified themselves as conservatives. Your choices were 55 percent, 61 percent, and 68 percent. The correct answer is 61 percent. Congratulations to Kenzie from North Carolina. Nice job.

We're 6.5 hours away before the last debate in Florida before the Florida Republican primary. The showdown in the Sunshine State is always "Fair Game."

Joining me from Miami is Republican strategist, Ana Navarro; and in New York, Democratic strategist, Robert Zimmerman.

Ana, I'm going to start with you on this one

We're seeing more and more conservatives speaking out, criticizing Newt Gingrich. You had Tom DeLay, the "American Spectator" magazine, even Ann Coulter. One conservative tells "Politico" that conservatives are realizing he might actually win. And out of fear, they're coming out against him. Do you see the political right uniting to stop Gingrich?

ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: What I see is the establishment trying to stop Gingrich. And I'm not sure that makes that much of a difference with the Republican base in Florida. When you go to Newt Gingrich, you see them on TV, they are gigantic, 4,000, 5,000-people crowd. So I don't know the supporters of the establishment wanting to stop Newt Gingrich is really on the ground.

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL STRATEGIST: That's a very important point, Ana, you bring up. Because when you watch these incredible crowds, Newt Gingrich is attracting -- every time he's caught in a lie or hypocrisy, everything that happens, he yells at the moderator for asking that question and the crowd cheers. His great strength is, you can't embarrass him. And ultimately he really is speaking to a Republican Party that's not motivated by philosophy or policy but motivated by revenge and they are better off getting therapy to deal with revenge because you don't win elections having a vengeful strategy.

KAYE: One thing you've been hearing a lot about is, is Newt Gingrich comparing himself to Ronald Reagan. Elliott Abrams, a Reagan administration veteran, had this to say. He writes in the "National Review," he says, "Gingrich has often criticized Reagan's policies," writing "Gingrich was voluble and certain in predicting that Reagan's policies would fail, and in all of this he was dead wrong."

Ana, do you think the Reagan comparisons even matter? NAVARRO: I think the Reagan comparisons are very useful. There is a tremendous amount of reservoir of goodwill and love and respect towards Reagan. Anything that you can do to hitch yourself up with Ronald Reagan is a smart thing in a Republican primary. Again, I'm not sure that anybody in the Republican base in Florida has any idea who Elliott Abrams is. And nobody is reading the "National Review." It's just things that are not done in a Republican base. And that's who Newt Gingrich is appealing to, the base.

KAYE: Robert?

ZIMMERMAN: Well, I still assume, Ana, the base is literate and the base is going to care about issues and that's the real question because it is not just that Elliott Abrams is commenting about Newt Gingrich's references to Reagan. Newt Gingrich was even trashing Reagan's speeches, which inspired a generation from both parties. But this is just one more example of this "ABC News" situation -- the "ABC News" flip-flops, of course, regarding his witnesses, the Reagan speeches, his support of climate change, his being on the payroll at Freddie Mac. His campaign is based upon opposing everything that is defining Newt Gingrich's career. Let's see how far he can run with it. It's kind of fun to watch.

KAYE: Sticking with the Reagan issue, Newt Gingrich himself commented on this earlier today, saying he actually received the Reagan mantel from Nancy Reagan. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH, (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 1995, at the Goldwater Institute, Nancy Reagan said that Ronald Reagan's torch should have been passed to me as speaker of the House, and that I was carrying out the values that he believed in.

(APPLAUSE)

GINGRICH: During that entire period, Mitt Romney was a money- making independent -- there's nothing wrong with being money-making, but he had no interest in politics. He wasn't involved in helping save the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: It really is a battle to be more conservative.

So, Ana, who is more like Reagan in this race, would you say?

NAVARRO: I thin New Gingrich has some things that are Reaganesque. He emotes. He communicates well. He can reach the masses with his speaking abilities. He's very able in that sense. I think that's part of what the crowd is responding to. Newt Gingrich is very good at defending himself. He's very good at angry indignation. So I think when he gets accused of things or saying things that aren't true, it's almost when he's at his best.

ZIMMERMAN: You know, it's funny, if you want to look at who is most like Ronald Reagan, who's the leader that can bring the country back from a very severe recession, a leader who knows how to negotiate with adversaries, a leader to raise the debt ceiling, a leader who recognizes the need for businesses to expand, I would compare Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama.

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: Ronald Reagan would turn over on his grave.

(CROSSTALK)

ZIMMERMAN: Go ahead.

KAYE: Before we run out of time, I want to quickly hit on this ABC interview with Gingrich's second ex-wife that was featured, the claim that he wanted an open marriage. Our John King asked him about it at the debate. He said that his team offered up witnesses to ABC and that they didn't want to hear from those witnesses. And now ABC is coming out and saying, you know what, there were no witnesses. None.

So, Robert, to you. What does this say about Newt Gingrich now?

ZIMMERMAN: What's your point? He got caught in a lie. And of course, he'll move on to the next topic. And that's really the beauty of Newt to sound very Zen-like for a moment. He cannot be embarrassed. Although, I'll tell you something, when Ann Coulter calls him an arrogant hot head, she only says that as a compliment. But even she's criticizing. It's time to reflect upon the Republican Party and what they truly stand for.

KAYE: Ana, I'll give you the final word on this one?

NAVARRO: I'm hoping and praying he gets asked about this ABC interview again. Surely, it will turn into boos and hisses from the audience. And, again, he's best when he's expressing indignation, when he is emoting, and the emotional Newt Gingrich is what the crowd and the base likes.

KAYE: Robert Zimmerman, Ana Navarro, thank you.

That is "Fair Game" today.

ZIMMERMAN: Great to be with you.

KAYE: Nice to see you.

NAVARRO: Thank you.

KAYE: Don't miss the Florida Republican debate tonight live on CNN at 8:00 p.m. eastern.

It turns out that guys are not the only ones getting concussions while playing impact sports. Girls are too. Do they face an even bigger risk? Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here and he will explain next.

Nice to see you.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: Think sports concussions, and the image that comes to mind is guys playing football. What I have to tell you may surprise you.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here to explain.

Sanjay, when parents think of concussions, their daughters don't come to mind but you say otherwise, that they should think about that.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They should. I have three daughters. This was surprising to me as well but there are more girls playing sports than ever before. The number has increased significantly over the last two careers. They are also playing sports that can cause concussions, like basketball, volleyball.

Girls are more susceptible to concussions than boys. They have a higher incident rate of concussions. That's the headline. Female high school athletes have more concussions than do males. Surprising, as you say, Randi, for a lot of reasons. If you look at soccer, girls playing soccer, boys playing soccer, girls are 68 percent more likely to have a condition discussion. In basketball, three times more likely. Part of the reason is, you think about the brain and the anatomy, there may be less fluid in girls' brains. We've got to may more attention to that.

KAYE: And what about from sport to sport? Is there any difference between soccer and the other sports when it comes to girls being vulnerable?

GUPTA: Leaving aside gender differences, so much of it comes from the hitting of the ball and what I found interesting was that, on average, there's about 1300 headings of the ball per player per season. That's a lot. And the vast majority take place during practice. Where they are doing drill after drill. That's one area where an intervention has been made. An athlete learns the concept to keep pounding their head. That's 20 G's of force.

KAYE: Is there a difference between girls and boys?

GUPTA: There can be. It's very interesting. Also part of the reason why I think concussions can be under diagnosed in girls than boys. It's much more in terms of memory loss and cognitive problems, completing exams or doing exams. With girls it is more of an aversion to bright lights and loud sounds. Headaches are one of the cardinal symptoms. Girls return to play more quickly but they're often are not diagnosed as easily as boys are. Hopefully, that may change because the key with girls and with boys is to not get a second concussion after you've had a first. He has to be diagnosed.

KAYE: It is fascinating. I'm looking forward -- you're back on the show tomorrow to give more information about this as well.

GUPTA: Yes. We'll put you to the test tomorrow. KAYE: Oh, really?

GUPTA: Yes.

KAYE: I don't know about that.

GUPTA: That's a good tease, isn't it?

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: Oh, boy. Can't wait to see this.

All right, thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: At least I know if anything happens to me, you'll save me.

GUPTA: That's right.

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE: All right. Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you, Randi.

KAYE: A reminder, Sanjay's new documentary, "Big Hits, Broken Dreams," that's at 8:00 p.m. Sunday on CNN. Don't miss it.

A Connecticut town is taking some heat because police allegedly mistreated Latinos. And the mayor is slammed for making this racially insensitive comment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now the mayor is singing a different tune. You'll hear what they have to say, next.

But first, who let the cat out of the travel bag, and onto this plane? That's what passengers of an Air Canada flight wanted to know after this little guy escaped his crate while the plane was boarding. Ripples is the little kitty's name. The scaredy cat was so scared, he bee-lined it straight for the cockpit. He found a nice hiding spot and didn't want to come out. His adventure forced all of the passengers to deplane and the maintenance crew had to tear apart part of the cockpit to get to the compartment where he was hiding. So, Ripples, as much as I love cats, I have to say, your 15 minutes of flying, at least, is over. (SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Time now to go to stories making "Street Level."

A public memorial for Joe Paterno is getting under way just minutes from now. Folks are filing in. Organizers expect more than 12,000 people and won't attend. He died Sunday about three months after the board fired him in the wake of child sex abuse charges against a retired assistant coach. The board has not apologized despite fresh from students and alumni. A spokeswoman says none of the trustees were told to stay away from the service.

An unfortunate controversy tied to the service -- some people have been trying to sell the free tickets to today's event online. More than 10,000 tickets were distributed in seven minutes Tuesday. Offers to sell them quickly showed up on eBay with a pair going for as much as $500. Penn State's president called the action reprehensible.

An outrageous story we've told you about. Mayor of Easthaven, Connecticut denounced for making racist remarks about Latinos. His comments came after four of his officers were arrested for alleged anti-Latino bias. He's now saying he was a, quote, "jerk" for what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

MATURO: I might have the tacos when I go home. I'm not quite sure yet. I spent two years in Puerto Rico. I will probably do the same thing for the Latino community --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You realize that's not the comment to say today, you might have tacos tonight.

MATURO: I might have spaghetti tonight.

I take full responsibility for being a jerk when I made that statement.

I apologize profusely. I made an error.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The town's Democratic Party is demanding the Republican mayor resign.

A shocking story in Houston. A pet serial killer is taking aim at dogs and most of them pit bulls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED KPRC REPORTER: On Saturday evening, a dog was placed in a brand-new plastic crate in an empty field and he was shot to death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Our affiliate, KPRC, reports seven pit bulls were found dead last month, three fatally shot and the other suffered blunt trauma to the head. Dog rescue officials believe it might be the work of a dog fighting ring. Police have only found three dogs. One, which apparently died of puncture wounds, possibly from a dog fight. The other two were hit by cars.

In Massachusetts, retiring Democratic Congressman Barney Frank plans to marry his long-time partner, Jim Ready (ph). His spokesman isn't saying when the two will tie the knot. The couple met about six years ago in Ready's (ph) home state of Maine. In an interview with Charlie Rose a few weeks ago, Frank said he was in love for the first time in his life. Frank first won his seat in Congress back in 1980.

In, Kentucky, a loving but sad sorry. This couple, Presley and Ethyl Bradshaw were married for 73 years. A friend who knew them well said they were a true epitome of the word love. They were married in 1938 and spent their lives in Louisville. On Monday, Presley and Ethyl Bradshaw died just hours apart.

Only four GOP candidates remain. Tonight's CNN debate could help thin out the field. What do the candidates need to say in order to push ahead? We'll have a live hit from our Florida debate headquarters next.

But first, a question for all our "Political Junkies." As we get ready for tonight's CNN debate, let's keep in mind what happened four years ago. Mitt Romney lost the 2008 Florida primary to John McCain. What was McCain's margin of victory? Did he beat Romney by three points, five points, or seven points? Be the first person to tweet me the right answer to @randikayeCNN and you'll get a shout out right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Before the break, I asked about John McCain's victory over Mitt Romney in the 2008 Florida primary. Did McCain beat Romney by three points, five points or seven points? The answer for you, five points, 36 percent to 31 percent. And a big congratulations to Mike from Massachusetts for tweeting us the right answer.

Well, we are now just hours tonight from tonight's presidential debate. Peter Hamby is standing by at the debate site in Jacksonville, Florida.

Peter, all eyes are on the front-runners, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich. What do you think they have to accomplish tonight?

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, the Romney people are pretty confident right now. They think they stopped the bleeding after the Gingrich surge coming out of South Carolina. Tellingly Romney at a campaign event here this morning did not attack Newt Gingrich after doing so on the campaign trail for several days here. That tells you that they think they don't actually need to attack him. But they will, I think tonight, try to remind Florida voters again, as they have been on television airways, that Gingrich work for Freddie Mac, which played a role in the national housing mortgage collapse beginning in 2007, try to paint him as a Washington insider. Remind voters of those things they find uncomfortable about Newt Gingrich. You will see that tonight. The Romney people also want to project an air of confidence and an air of competence supposed to Gingrich, who they've been trying to portray as sort of undisciplined and irrational.

Gingrich, however, this is his last chance before the Florida primary. He hasn't been on -- running television ads here to hit his sweet spot again. His performance in the debate on Monday in Tampa was ho-hum. He didn't have that energy to feed off in the crowd and kind of played to the conservative base. He's been getting very big crowds on the ground here. But in a state as large as Florida, it's not like Iowa or New Hampshire. There are two million voters expected to participate in this primary. Crowds aren't really a good sign of what's going to happen. He's got to use these television airwaves to get across one more time, hey, I'm the real conservative in this race. Mitt Romney is a Massachusetts moderate. Vote with your heart, not your head, and go with Newt Gingrich -- Randi?

KAYE: A lot of territory, a lot of ground there to cover. What about immigration? Do you think that will be the one of the major topics that they'll have to debate tonight?

HAMBY: Absolutely. Hispanics make up about 13 percent of the Republican voter. They did in the 2008 primary. They've been going back and forth, Romney and Gingrich, about this issue the last couple days.

Romney has staked out a harder line on immigration than most of the candidates in the field with the exception of possibly Rick Santorum. Romney, in 2008, actually did really well here among really conservative anti-legal immigration voters, grassroots voters here. But Newt Gingrich is trying to say that Romney's positions are irrational. Romney said he thinks, under a Romney administration, illegal immigrants will self-deport. Newt Gingrich scoffed at that during the week down here. That will be a main topic of debate -- Randi?

KAYE: I understand that our audience tonight on the CNN debate will be able to participate. So it should be interesting when we hear the crowd's react to their comments.

Peter Hamby, thank you very much.

Don't miss the Florida Republican debate tonight live on CNN at 8:00 p.m. eastern. This is going to be some good TV.

Thanks for watch. As always, I'd love to hear what you think of the show. Continue the conversation with me online on Facebook or Twitter @randikayeCNN.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Brooke Baldwin.

Hi, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Randi. Thank you so much.