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'Occupy' Confrontation Brewing in D.C.; Race Down & Dirty on Primary Eve; Connecticut Police Chief to Retire; Deadly Crashes on Florida Highway; Florida Polls Show Romney, But Gingrich Says He's Closing Gap; New Hampshire Bill Would Deny Wedding Services Based on Religious Beliefs; Obama Administration Still Plans to Pay for Birth Control; Identity Theft on the Rise

Aired January 30, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio Seven, I'm Isha Sesay. Let's get you up to speed for this Monday, January 30th. Happening right now: a news conference is about to begin with the mayor of East Haven, Connecticut. Sources tell our affiliate WFSB Mayor Joe Maturo will announce that the police chief plans to retire. Last week, the FBI arrested four of chief Leonard Gallo's officers for alleged racial profiling of Latinos.

Maturo came under fire for making a flippant comment about eating tacos when asked about improving the town's relationship with latinos.

We are just one day away from the biggest prize (ph) so far in the presidential race, and the closer we get to the Florida primaries, the hotter things get between the two frontrunners. On the campaign trail today, Newt Gingrich again accused Mitt Romney of dishonesty. Romney says Gingrich is making excuses for his performance in the last debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the real reason he hasn't done so well connecting with the people of Florida is the people actually saw him in those debates and listened to his background, his experience, and they learned, for instance, that he was paid $1.6 million dollars to be a lobbyist for Freddie Mac and they said 'that's not what we want in the White House.

NEWT GINGRICH (r), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, I'm very excited. I can feel it, in the last few days, it's began to close again. Just as we did in South Carolina, there was this huge wave of dishonest Romney ads. For a little bit, people backed up and went, wow, boy. If that -- I mean, frankly, if that stuff was true, I wouldn't vote for myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, the Occupy movement, as you see there, back in full force in Oakland, California. Police cracked down on protesters over the weekend, firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the massive crowd. About 400 people were taken into custody in what authorities call the biggest mass arrest in city history. And that's not the only place where protesters are standing their ground. We're going to take you live to Washington in just a few minutes.

In northern Florida, it looks like the aftermath of a bombing. Just look at these pictures. But these vehicles were actually incinerated by fire after a string of crashes on Interstate 75. Ten people lost their lives in the wreck. Drivers say they could barely see anything because of smoke from a nearby fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERT THOMAS, CRASH SURVIVOR: There was absolutely no warning whatsoever. It went from being just, I mean, literally, I don't know how far, whatever you could see as far as you could on the interstate to just nothing. Just like that. I rolled my window down and actually started hearing thuds and crashes, and it was so thick I couldn't even tell you where they were coming from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, almost nine months after the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he's convinced someone in Pakistan's government knew the terrorist leader was hiding in a huge compound near Pakistan's military academy. In a "CBS 60" minutes interview, Panetta also discussed a local doctor who played a key role in helping the U.S. verify Bin Laden's presence. Pakistan is considering putting the doctor on trial for treason.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I'm very concerned about what the Pakistanis did with this individual. This was an individual who, in fact, helped provide intelligence that was very helpful with regards to this operation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: A guilty verdict in the Canadian "Honor" murders trial. Fifty-eight-year-old Mohammad Shafia and his wife Tuba and their 21- year-old son all sentenced in life in prison for the murders of Shafia's first wife and his three teenage daughters, one as young as 13. Prosecutors say the girls were killed for becoming too westernized.

The world's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has sent its top officials to Iran. They're trying to clarify part of the country's nuclear programs. This comes amid increased western concerns that Tehran is using the program as a cover for developing weapons. Iran insists it needs the nuclear technology for power generation and medical research.

And the movie "The Help" was the big winner at the SAG Awards in Los Angeles last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD PITT, ACTOR: And the Actor (ph) goes to the cast of "The Help."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: I've already seen it. It's a great movie. The film is about the treatment of maids in Mississippi during the civil rights era. Viola Davis won best actress, beating out the likes of Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams. The Screen Actors Guild winners are chosen by their acting peers.

All right. Well, here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Do we need an anti- establishment president?

Carol Costello joins us from Washington with more.

Hi there, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Isha.

You hear it all the time, we need a president who is not part of the Washington establishment, a leader who is not swayed by lobbyists or special interests, a president who can change the way Washington works.

Democrats thought that man was Barack Obama. Herman Cain thinks that man is Newt Gingrich.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Speaker Gingrich is a patriot. Speaker Gingrich is not afraid of bold ideas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Cain and other conservatives say despite Gingrich's decades in Congress, his post as Speaker of the House and his consultant work in D.C., Gingrich is more into change than candidate Obama ever was.

Sarah Palin put it this way on Fox --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. ALASKA GOVERNOR: We need somebody who is engaged in sudden and relentless reform and isn't afraid to shake it up, shake up that establishment. So, if for no other reason, rage against the machine, vote for Newt. Annoy a liberal, vote Newt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: As political opinion contributor Keith Koffler puts it, he, Gingrich, has weird ideas, and he's unpredictable. "The conservative figures while Romney, who is the establishment candidate, will do a modest job reining in the budget, Gingrich might just whack the thing until it begs for mercy and releases all its wasteful programs." But perhaps the real question is, does the country really need an anti-establishment president to get things done? How many times have you heard Democrats wish Hillary Clinton had been elected president? Could she, they wonder, as a Washington insider have more effectively dealt with a hostile Congress?

So, the "Talk Back" question today: Do we need an anti-establishment president?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

SESAY: Yes, I'm looking forward to hearing what people have to say.

Carol, thank you. We'll check back with you later.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Call it a resurgence of the Occupy movement. Well, more than 400 protesters arrested in a massive police crackdown over the weekend in Oakland, California. And on the other side of the country, a deadline is looming for protesters camped out in the nation's capital.

Our own Brian Todd is live in Washington for us.

Brian, as we say, there's a deadline rapidly approaching. What's going on there?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isha, a lot of buzz around here. People are anticipating the police moving in, as you mentioned, maybe in less than an hour.

What we're told is that they're going to come through here and look for signs of camping. That's the ordinance that they're going to be enforcing, the ordinance against camping. If you have bedding here, if you have some personal effects that in your tent, you may be targeted for arrest, your tent may be taken down.

We're told that some tents that may have signage on them which would indicate kind of a 24-hour vigil status may be left alone. But again, if you have bedding out or personal effects out, that's not going to exempt you, even if you have signage.

So, you have got a lot of people around here kind of buzzing around, anticipating the police, moving into this area in a short time.

I've got one of the protesters here, John Zangas. He's been here since October, one of the original protesters here.

John, what are you going to do if and when the police move in, in less than an hour?

JOHN ZANGAS, OCCUPY D.C. PROTESTER: We've been talking about that. Many of us have packed up our things so we're not in disagreement with the order to decamp. However, some of the protesters have decided to challenge the status quo and set up tents and camping equipment around McPherson Statue.

TODD: So -- and one of the things that we've heard is that the reason they're moving in here is that the local businesses, the D.C. government have complained about petty crime in this area, about unsanitary conditions in this area, and that's the reason that you guys are being targeted.

How do you respond to that?

ZANGAS: Well, that may be true. However, I've worked on K Street for a good 15 years at one of the businesses, and petty crime has always been a problem here in downtown Washington.

Also, there's been complaints about rat problems. Rats have been in this park as well since before then.

There's also been complaints about health conditions and the destruction of grass and the property. However, the grass will grow back, the park can be repaired, but Occupy stands for economic issues in the country. Some of the lives of people who have been damaged by losing homes and losing jobs are not going to be easily repaired.

TODD: All right, John. Well, thank you for talking to us and good luck to you.

Isha, so that's kind of the mood around here. There are a lot of people moving around now with signs, they're getting ready. It looks like there's a confrontation possibly brewing here.

The police came through here a short time ago, did a walkthrough, and when that happened, there were some protesters blowing whistles, taunting the police. The police didn't really take the bait at all, but they were taking pictures, kind of getting the lay of the land and some of the places they may be targeting, Isha. So we should have a confrontation brewing here in less than an hour.

SESAY: And Brian, from your shot, it's not entirely clear how large that encampment actually is. I mean, give us your sense of how big it is, how many people there have been camped out.

TODD: I mean, you've got at least probably three dozen tents erected here -- at least. I mean, that's just a rough estimate.

Some of them had been removed, but a lot of them are still here. And you've got people just determined to stay here and resist, and just do whatever they have to do, they say, to maintain their vigil here, to maintain their protests. They really seem to be undaunted by this.

I mean, if I had to give you an estimate, I'd say a couple hundred protesters have been here for four months straight, through some of the worst weather that this city has to offer. It's been a fairly mild winter so far, but we've got a little bit of it left, and they're determined to stay here throughout. We're going to see what happens later today.

SESAY: All right. Brian Todd, we're going to continue to follow the situation. We'll check back in with you a little bit later on.

Brian, appreciate it. Thank you.

(NEWSBREAK)

SESAY: Well, the fight for Florida has gotten down and dirty with just one day to go before Florida's primary. Front-runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are accusing one another of dishonesty. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are trailing, but staying in the race.

Joining us to talk about the Republican battle and what it means for President Obama is Democratic strategist and CNN contributor James Carville.

James, always great to see you. Thank you for joining us.

JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you, Isha.

SESAY: All the latest polls show Mitt Romney with a double-digit lead over Newt Gingrich. What is your sense? What was the key to turning around Romney's fortunes in Florida? Because they were flagging badly just a week and a half ago.

CARVILLE: Well, I think there are three keys.

First is, he was aggressive in the debate. It looks like Gingrich was aggressive in South Carolina, he took his foot off the pedal, as my colleague Alex Castellanos said. Republicans tend to reward that kind of thing.

Equally important, he outspent Gingrich by a huge amount of money.

And third, we don't like to admit it, but we saw it again in Iowa, negatives work. And so the combination of his being aggressive in the debates, of having superior financial resources, and going after Gingrich in a very aggressive, negative way paid off. And that's been a lesson of this campaign.

SESAY: How are you reading the fact -- to shift to Gingrich for a moment -- that in the face of all of that, the endorsement by Herman Cain, who was once part of this Republican race, still wasn't enough to kind of, like, shift that momentum for Gingrich?

CARVILLE: You know, Romney's had a gazillion endorsements, and he had the governor in South Carolina, and it didn't do a lot of good. I think that's one of the lessons that we're sort of taking away here, is endorsements probably don't count that much. If you line up when they've had these endorsements and how they've done after them, I think it would be pretty hard to discern if they're particularly meaningful.

SESAY: Well, you're talking about -- well, a lot of people are saying that Romney has this wrapped up. You're looking at the polls, it looks good for him right now.

So let me ask you what it would mean for Newt Gingrich to lose in Florida just how damaging it is going forward.

CARVILLE: Well, first of all, my position has always been that the only person in this field that has any chance to be the nominee is Mitt Romney. Now, that doesn't mean that they're not going to stay around.

Obviously, if Romney wins, it will affect Gingrich's fund-raising and stuff, but he's mad and he's spitting nails now. And my sense is that he'll keep going on.

And, you know, he'll have a chance to come back somewhere else. I remember in 1992, we lost Connecticut to Jerry Brown, and that was fairly deep in the process.

(AUDIO GAP) strategy accumulating delegates. So this thing could go on a little bit longer. I hope it does. It's kind of fun to watch.

SESAY: But what does that mean for the eventual nominee, this thing going on and on and on? Does the nominee on the Republican side come out stronger or weaker?

CARVILLE: I would say that most Republicans are not happy with the way this process is going now. But as it gets deeper into it, Gingrich will not have the kind of resources that he has now, and will probably turn into being more of a nuisance than somebody that's really challenging. And Paul is bringing in kinds of people that don't normally participate in the Republican caucuses or the primary. So, my sense is that Romney's probably going to have a little bit clearer sailing ahead, but he'll still have some patchy seas to deal with.

SESAY: Well, you described how you're enjoying the theater of all of this. Let's talk about President Obama and his strategy.

I want to show our viewers this cartoon on the cover of "The New Yorker" kind of, I suppose, echoing what you were saying, James. It shows the president watching Romney and Gingrich fighting it out on a football field while, as you see there, he's sitting back, smiling, clutching a football and a beer.

I mean, is this really the best-case scenario for the president, to see this long, drawn-out race?

CARVILLE: Well, you know, I think it's helpful. But remember that once this stops, and the gun starts on the general, people will tend to forget this.

They'll carry some impressions in of Romney that he'll have to deal with. There'll be some changes in that, but then the president's going to be sort of mano a mano, if you will.

And assume there's not a third party, which I'm really not ready to assume yet, but let's take that issue and put it to the side. And it is going to obviously -- the biggest factor is going to be the economy. I think the president is in sufficiently good position now that Romney would have difficult beating him. I think events could beat this president. And the sort of feeling I'm getting coming out of the White House is that they might be a touch too confident right now. If I were them, I would run a little bit scared of --

(CROSSTALK)

SESAY: Why do you say that?

CARVILLE: Well, just with some of the comments that I've seen, and just the whole sort of general thing that -- and there's some reason for this confidence. I just believe you should run, you know, 25 percent scareder (ph) than you really should be. And that's maybe just kind of a Catholic thing with me. We have a prejudice toward bad news or something.

But you talk to people and they're riding high and they feel sky high. The economy going into 2012 -- look, in 2011, we showed some improvement. If we continue to do the same thing in 2012, they'll probably be just fine.

But there are a lot of things that could go wrong here. I'm always perpetually nervous. But right now, if you are President Obama, you certainly can be a lot happier than you were three months ago.

SESAY: All right. James Carville, always great to talk to you and get your perspective. Appreciate it. Thank you.

CARVILLE: Appreciate it. Thank you very much.

SESAY: Now, picture yourself behind the wheel when, all of a sudden, you can barely see a thing. That is what happened on this stretch of Florida highway. The cause, smoke from a nearby fire. Survivors of the deadly wreck tell us they are lucky to be alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: We have some new developments in a story we've been following for you involving accusations of discrimination by the East Haven, Connecticut, Police Department. Four police officers were arrested for alleged mistreatment of Latinos. There's been some movement in the story.

Jason Carroll joins me live from Time Warner Center in New York. Jason's been working the story for us.

Jason, bring us up to speed.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's another bad day for officials in East Haven.

You'll remember, Isha, last week it was East Haven's mayor. Today it's East Haven's police chief, Len Gallo.

An announcement just coming down just a few minutes ago that the police chief of 14 years will be retiring. That is what his attorney is saying, "retiring." He's saying that he has not been charged in any way. This is not some sort of admission of guilt in terms of announcing his retirement at this point.

And you'll recall that the East Haven Police Department has been under incredible scrutiny because of this federal probe into civil rights violations. And so now we've got the police chief of 14 years stepping down.

I want you to listen to what the mayor had to say about this just a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JOSEPH MATURO, JR., EAST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: -- forward with the new leadership, an opportunity for the town to move forward with the healing that is necessary given recent events and, most importantly --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So, again, you've got the mayor saying that the police chief has decided to step aside at this point because the community needs to go through a process of healing. His attorney saying that the police chief is an unnamed co-conspirator in this federal investigation, and that the police chief, simply, Isha, did not want to be a distraction. That is why he is stepping down at this point.

So, just to backtrack in terms of what we've got going on here, there's a federal investigation going on into the East Haven police that's been going on since 2009. So far, four officers have been charged with allegations such as targeting Latinos, assault, things like covering up evidence, harassing Latino businessmen in the community. So a lot of serious charges that's going on here.

And then, just last week, you had the incident with the mayor, because the mayor was asked what he was doing for the Latino community. His answer got him into a lot of hot water. I want you to listen what happened during that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

MATURO: I might have tacos when I go home. I'm not quite sure yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So you can see there he said he might have tacos when he goes home. That caused quite a stir.

A number of critics stepping forward and saying he should, in fact, retire. And in retaliation for that, a number of tacos -- some 400 tacos delivered to the mayor's office last week. That was the response to that. You can see some of those tacos being delivered to his office right there. The mayor apologized for those comments, saying that it was taken out of context. He is saying at this point he wants to move forward, wants to help the citizens of East Haven move forward and go through a process of healing. We'll see if he's now able to do that now that the police chief has stepped aside and he has apologized -- Isha.

SESAY: We'll continue to follow this story.

Jason Carroll there joining us from New York.

Jason, thank you.

A New Hampshire bill would give anyone the right to deny wedding services to a couple based on his or her beliefs. We'll look at how far this could go.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Well, in Florida right now, a lot of questions and even more grief. Investigators are trying to figure out what caused these deadly crashes in the predawn hours Sunday.

Just look at those pictures. Look at the carnage. Ten people were killed in all of that. A police officer who helped with rescue efforts says visibility was about zero because of smoke from a nearby fire.

I want to bring in our own Chad Myers.

Chad, this is a really tough story to tell looking at those pictures. So much grief.

Take us back. What do we know about the conditions that were around when this accident happened?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Unlike the fire we just looked at in California, where the smoke was going up and then blowing away, this smoke was trapped near the surface due to what's called an inversion. The inversion in Florida is actually air that's cooler at the surface, warmer just a little bit aloft, that will not allow the smoke to go away.

This smoke from the fire went right over I-75, and it was in the middle of the night. It was already dark.

People were driving into smoke that they couldn't see until their highlights were right there. As they drove into the smoke, there were already cars crashed inside the smoke screen. So cars continued to pile in one after another with these now more fires involved as these vehicles caught on fire.

SESAY: And people I've spoken to on the team for the show are saying this interstate, people drive really fast on it. What do you know? Or was it driving on any interstate in the U.S.?

MYERS: I would drive back and forth from Lady Lake, which are the villages where my parents lived, and back here to Atlanta, and I wouldn't say they go more than 80 -- 75 or 80. But there's an area right there near Gainesville that's very low and it's almost swampy at the time. Some of this fire is in the swamp. Although the fire is 100 percent contained, the wind is blowing 15 to 20 miles per hour. Some of those sparks, some of those embers could catch back on fire today. So tonight, we could have the same type of problem.

Even this morning, temperatures were very cold at the surface. The smoke didn't go away and, for a while, I-75 was closed and could be closed again tonight in the overnight hours, when some of that smoke that's still coming out of the forest fire and the swampy fire. You have to remember, Gainesville is 14 inches below normal for rainfall for the past, you know, 12 months, so it's already a drought. When it catches on fire, it continues to burn.

SESAY: And the wind passes as we look forward?

MYERS: Good today, blowing the smoke away. But when the night falls, winds go down, they go off in Florida. They almost stop. And the smoke will hang right near the surface again.

SESAY: We're going to continue to follow this as I know you are, Chad, appreciate it. Thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

SESAY: Really tough story. Thank you.

Well, Newt Gingrich says don't count him out in Florida. We are live from the campaign trail with just one day to go before the Florida primary.

And retirees living well in Florida. What they want to hear from the candidates and the advice they have for the rest of us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: We are counting down until tomorrow's Florida primary. It's the biggest prize so far in the Republican race. Poll after poll show Mitt Romney leading Newt Gingrich by double digits. But Gingrich says he's closing the gap.

Joe Johns live from Tampa, the next stop for the Gingrich campaign.

Joe, Gingrich has been stepping up his attacks on Romney, calling him dishonest, labeling him a liberal. What are we hearing on the campaign trail?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: He's trying to remain optimistic, but the polls show Romney has a double-digit lead, which was a big problem for Gingrich in this state.

He talked about that optimism just a little while ago. Let's listen to the sound bite and I'll come back to you on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH, (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I think this race is going to be very clear. And we need your -- we need people power today. We're closing -- insiders said last night we have closed the gap. despite all of the ads and all the falsehoods, we're within five points.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Now, most of the polls out there clearly show that Gingrich is behind Romney in double digits. So trying to remain optimistic. He's got five stops here today. It's clear he does have some support here in the state. Just a little while ago, Tea Party Patriots basically reported the results of their straw poll that shows, in their subgroup here in Florida, Gingrich is certainly leading with something like 30 percent of the vote, 35 percent over the other Republican contenders. Nonetheless, Isha, uphill battle for him here. And we'll have to see what happens tomorrow.

SESAY: Yes, he's battling it out, that's for sure.

We want to let our viewers know that his Pensacola event has started. And let's send up a picture of him. There he is there, addressing those that have attended that event. We're going to keep an eye on it to see if anything comes out of it. Listen to his message that he's delivering today.

Joe, let me ask you this. We have seen this dip in the fortune of the Gingrich campaign. Is it simply a case of the negative ads he's been subjected to from the Romney campaign? Or are we really being exposed to a structural problem in the Gingrich campaign itself? Is it something deeper, is what I'm asking?

JOHNS: I think the best guess, Isha, to that question is all of the above. Gingrich himself has said the ads are a huge problem. He calls it carpet bombing. But we also know that Gingrich did not have good organization on the ground here in Florida compared to Mitt Romney.

The other thing I think it's important to say is that South Carolina, where Gingrich did so well, is a very different state from Florida. South Carolina borders Georgia, which is where Newt Gingrich is basically from. He speaks the language of the people in South Carolina. Here in Florida is a completely different story with a lot of different subgroups and demographics that make it much harder for Newt Gingrich really to do well.

So it's a little bit of everything quite frankly. Plus, the Romney people have really just been in a full-court press to try to get back on track after South Carolina -- Isha?

SESAY: It appears to be working.

Joe Johns joining us there from Tampa, Florida. We appreciate it, Joe. thank you.

Well, retirees make up an important group of voters in Florida. And the presidential candidates know it.

Brooke Baldwin is live from Tampa.

Brooke, I know you've been talking to retirees about what's on their minds heading into tomorrow's primary. What have they been saying to you?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, first of all, Isha, twist my arm.

(LAUGHTER)

Made me spend an entire Sunday in beautiful, Tampa, Florida, on the golf course, because that's where you find the retirees, the 65 and older crowd. And it's so important to underline this point that the 65 and older crowd is an important voting block. You look at the population here in Florida, they make up 17 percent of the population. But when you look at how many voters, how many 65 year old and older voted in the 2008 Republican primary, one out of three. So they're here.

One name I never heard when I was out speaking with these men and women yesterday, they never mentioned Ron Paul, which is interesting. He's not really a player here. He's focusing on the caucus states, Maine, Colorado, Nevada.

Who these men and women like, and they seem pretty split, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So you're registered to vote?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

BALDWIN: Who are you liking?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Newt.

BALDWIN: And so with her talking about Newt Gingrich, were you cringing earlier?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I'm not cringing.

BALDWIN: You're not cringing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I think reality is that, because of the divisiveness in the party, I think Obama's unbeatable.

JAN MYERS, RETIRED PRINCIPAL: I would like them to say what they would do for our country, and then they're -- on different policies and how they would handle different things, and how they would run the country, instead of getting into each other's baggage. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, Isha, candidates decide -- when you talk to these men and women, I said, what are the issues, what is the number one, that's going to get you out to the polls tomorrow? Of course, we heard about health care. That's obvious. But we also heard about these are depression-era babies. They learned very early on to be frugal, very conservative financially. And so they want to make sure we pay down our nation's debt, talk about smaller government, and finally the economy.

And the reason we went to this particular retirement community, we wanted to highlight a number of retirees with very successful stories. I think it's putting it bluntly, they have a very nice nest egg. But they're concerned about the economy because they have kids, grandkids, and great grandkids, and these kids don't have jobs, some of them down here. Obviously, foreclosure a huge issue. They want the economy, the economic climate in the country to improve, and a candidate who can make that happen.

SESAY: Brooke Baldwin, joining us there from Tampa.

Enjoy the sunshine. I know it's hard, you know, the golf courses and all --

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Very hard.

SESAY: I know, but you're struggling admirably.

Brooke Baldwin joining us there. Thanks, Brooke.

Well, tomorrow join the best political team on television for live coverage of the Florida primary. Wolf Blitzer leads our coverage along with Erin Burnett, Candy Crowley, and John King. The whole team will be here tomorrow night at 6:00 eastern with "John King USA."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Well, now it's time for interesting legal news on our radar. First to New Hampshire, where a House bill would give anyone, anyone, the right to deny wedding services based on their beliefs. Quote, "This bill permits an individual to choose not to provide accommodations, goods or services for a marriage if doing so would violate his or her conscience or religious faith."

I'm pleased to say joining me now to help us make sense of this is CNN legal analyst, Sunny Hostin.

Sunny, help us understand this. It seems pretty broad to me. And some people are saying that it could be used specifically to target same-sex couples.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's extremely broad. And I had to pull it and take a look at it because it's so broad, but it's very deceiving in the simplicity. It doesn't specifically say same- sex marriages. It just says any marriages. You don't have to provide these services if you're a company or individual to any couple if they're getting married and that marriage sort of violates your religious belief.

Now, what does that tell me? That tells me it casts such a wide net, it's so broad, that people will be allowed to now discriminate on the basis of race, on the basis of faith, on the basis of sexual orientation, all of which are illegal right now because we're protected under federal law under the Civil Rights Act. So it's really something I think people need to be very, very concerned about. While targeted at same-sex marriages, which is wrong, it's illegal --

(CROSSTALK)

HOSTIN: -- it could be expanded. My parents, for example, could not be provided services under this bill if they wanted to get married in New Hampshire.

SESAY: It legitimizes or gives immunity to people who want to act discriminatorily --

(CROSSTALK)

HOSTIN: Many my view, it's a license to discriminate because it's so very broad. I don't think it will pass because you can't discriminate on the basis of race, sexual orientation. You can't discriminate on the basis of faith. So because it's so broad, I think that federal law preempts it and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 will likely prevail. But they're going to introduce it and they want it to be made into law, January 2013. So it's something I will watch, no question about it.

SESAY: Yes, We'll continue to watch that just as I conjugate new words. (LAUGHTER)

The Obama administration standing by a decision to require insurance plans to cover the cost of birth control. But Catholic groups, NGOs are unhappy about this. Explain this. This, too, is quite complicated.

HOSTIN: That's right. It's quite complicated. Apparently at masses across the country, a lot of the priest's read letters, open letters really trying to bring this to the body. I was in church at mass on Sunday, but I didn't hear about it.

Basically, the Obama administration wants religious-affiliated groups to provide medical coverage to female employees that include birth control. So, of course, the Catholic faith is against -- or it's a tenant of the Catholic faith not to provide birth control. But it doesn't apply to churches, Isha. It doesn't apply to elementary schools or secondary schools that are Catholic. It would apply to religious-affiliated organizations like Catholic hospitals, whose primary mission isn't necessarily to provide religious services to its members. And so I think, in that sense, it will likely pass. And the Obama administration's giving all, you know, Catholic organizations about a year to react and to institute this plan. But I think it will pass.

SESAY: Just allow them to vent so to speak?

HOSTIN: To sort of adjust, I think. And actually, yes, the right to vent. And I think we'll hear a lot of discussion. It's a very political year as you know. The Supreme Court -- there are a lot of challenges to the 2010, you know, Obama health bill, health law that are coming up. So we won't hear the end of this. But it's a time for the Catholic faith to sort of grapple with this issue.

SESAY: OK, I know you'll be following for us --

HOSTIN: I will. I will.

SESAY: Great to have you in the studio.

HOSTIN: I know, we never get to be onset together. You're either here or I'm in New York.

SESAY: We see you at social functions.

HOSTIN: Yes, we do.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

SESAY: We'll leave that. We won't talk any more about that.

(CROSSTALK)

HOSTIN: We won't talk about that.

SESAY: It's a pleasure. Thank you.

HOSTIN: See you.

SESAY: Well, as many as nine million Americans have their identities stolen each year. Yes, you heard right, nine million. That's according to the Federal Trade Commission. And everyone is at risk, even your kids.

Felicia Taylor is here with today's top tips on protecting your identity -- Felicia?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Isha, it's kind of a scary thing. It happened to my mother. It's not just adults. Children are also targeted for I.D. theft as well. With children's identity, such as their Social Security numbers, they are -- get this -- 51 times more likely to have that stolen than adults. That's according to a Carnegie Mellon University CyLab report.

Children are targets because often this goes undetected for a long time. Think about it. There's no track record like their credit cards or job applications or government benefits. So when they do go possibly to apply for a student loan, they might get denied, having racked up debt they didn't even know about because there was no record of them for them to check -- Isha?

SESAY: Felicia, when it comes to kids, adults, what's the best way to be proactive and to prevent this?

TAYLOR: Yes, first thing is open communication. Talk to your kids about sharing any kind of personal information when they're online or particularly on their cell phones and even in text messages.

Also, watch for mail in their name. They shouldn't be getting credit card applications, right? So if you begin getting pre-approved credit cards in their name or other offers, they may -- although it's not a guarantee, but they may have an open credit file, and certainly children shouldn't have that. Check with the credit bureaus if you might be concerned. But no matter what, if you get documents like this, shred them. They shouldn't be getting any kind of mail at all.

Even if there is incorrect data, it can still be used to obtain fake cards. Shred any financial statements, like your 401Ks, pay stubs, tax-specific documents more than seven years old. If they're more than seven years old, it's OK to get rid of them. This comes from the "Consumer Reports" "Shop Smart" magazine, and it's commonsense, really. But make sure to keep your recent year's tax information just in case -- and I hate this word -- that you could be audited -- Isha.

SESAY: Yes, indeed, a key point there. Shred those documents that you don't need. It's funny because I'm from England, and we don't do that. We don't shred. It's something that I'm trying to get accustomed to.

(LAUGHTER)

TAYLOR: Definitely.

SESAY: It' important.

Felicia, appreciate it. We'll check back with you.

Let's remind our viewers of today's "Talk Back" question: Do we need an anti-establishment president? Carol Costello has your responses ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: You've been sounding off with our "Talk Back" question. Carol Costello is here with your responses.

Carol, what are folks saying?

COSTELLO: Here it is. The "Talk Back" question, again: Do we need an anti-establishment president?

Ken says, "Isn't this the concept that got us into trouble in the first place with Obama? Although I am his supporter and admire many of the things he has done, he was a freshman with little inside experience and it seems to have been his major detriment. We need a politician with some guts and gumption and willing to make the change we need but that requires going up against the establishment. And one has to know how to manipulate that and have the clout to do it.

This from Earl, "While it sounds good, it isn't practical as there are nearly 500 people in the establishment, aka, the legislature, that would also have to change.

This from Jordan, "If Newt Gingrich is anti-establishment, they people who actually understand what that means and are going to have to make up a new phrase."

This from Elud, "All the candidates say they are anti- establishment before they get into bed with the establishment."

Keep the conversation going. Go to facebook.com/carolCNN. I'll be back with you in about 20 minutes.

SESAY: People have a lot to say.

Carol, appreciate it. Thank you.

Well, the political attack ads are hitting full force in Florida. We'll have your "Political Ticker" just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Just one day before the Florida primary and the Romney and Gingrich campaigns are stepping up the attacks. Now they are using members of their campaign teams in interesting ways.

CNN political director, Mark Preston, joins us in Atlanta.

Mark, great to have you in the studio. But what is going on?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: There has been a lot of acidness when we see the campaign ads no TV but now we're seeing the campaign send surrogates and supporters to the specific campaign rallies to try to rattle the other candidate. In fact, let's look at this exchange right here between the spokesman for Mr. Gingrich and one of the supporters for Mr. Romney, a congressman from Utah, Jason Chaffetz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSSTALK)

GINGRICH SPOKESMAN: Gingrich is more qualified to be president, and you're willing to follow him --

REP. JASON CHAFFETZ, (R), UTAH: No.

GINGRICH SPOKESMAN: Gingrich is more qualified to be president and that's why you are following him instead of Romney.

CHAFFETZ: No, I was just going to offer a little perspective.

GINGRICH SPOKESMAN: On why you think Gingrich should be president?

CHAFFETZ: On why I think Romney should be the president of the United States.

GINGRICH SPOKESMAN: OK, all right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: Usually, you would have a reporter asking those questions, but now you have Gingrich's spokesman asking one of the supporters to Mitt Romney, what are you doing here? But not to be outdone, just a couple of hours ago, a supporter of Newt Gingrich was at a Romney rally. Let's look at what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GINGRICH SUPPORTER: I was trying to tweet out the event. I couldn't keep up with the lies. I mean, Mitt Romney seems to have a congenital defect. He can't distinguish the truth from a lie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Wow.

PRESTON: As you can see, it's very loud and you can see at those campaign rallies there's a lot of background noise, but it just shows you that this is getting very nasty on the campaign trail.

SESAY: Yes. Social media and you want instant reaction and you push back immediately and they are not waiting. If you have your person there, they can push back, you can tweet it out and keep the momentum going. I guess that might be part of the strategy?

PRESTON: It absolutely is.

SESAY: And I want to shift gears and talk about Rick Santorum, because he's canceled all his events in Florida. This came with his daughter being hospitalized.

What happened?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, just very quickly, his 3- year-old daughter Bella was put in the hospital with pneumonia this weekend. She has a condition called Trisomy 18. It's very similar to Down syndrome.

You know, at this time when we're talking a lot about politics, we should probably stop and pause and give some prayers to the Santorum family. This is a very, very sad situation.

SESAY: Yes, it is. We're going to continue to follow the condition of little Bella and, of course, everything that's happening on the campaign trail.

Mark, thank you.

PRESTON: Thanks.

SESAY: Well, for the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.