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Wounded Warriors Versus Ex-NFL Players; Source: Trump To Endorse Romney; Romney's "Very Poor" Choice Of Words; Obama At National Prayer Breakfast; U.S. Shift In Afghan Combat Mission; American Airlines Plan: Cut 13,000 Jobs; Egypt's Soccer Riot Fuels Concerns; Activists: 70 Killed Across Syria; Congress Threatens Holder Over Gun Sting; New Face Of The Working Poor
Aired February 02, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get straight to Mark Preston. It's the top of the hour, and we're talking presidential politics and a possible endorsement coming from Donald Trump. Mark, what are you hearing?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, you know, just in the last 12 hours, there's been a lot of talk that Donald Trump would endorse Newt Gingrich today in just a couple of hours in Las Vegas.
However, CNN has learned the endorsement is going to be going to Mitt Romney, a big endorsement for Mitt Romney, just two days before the Nevada caucuses.
Not a big surprise though, Kyra. They do have a lot in common. They're both businessmen. They both have done very well in the private sector, and in the last couple of weeks, we've seen Mitt Romney turn a leaf.
He's become very, very aggressive in these debates and on the campaign trail, and as our viewers will recall Donald Trump said that he wanted to endorse a fighter. So in just a couple of hours Donald Trump will be in Las Vegas. His endorsement will go to Mitt Romney -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Mitt Romney also fighting a little bit, trying to, I guess, carry out some serious damage control, and it all came from these comments that he said about the poor. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: To myself, if I'm willing to give something --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Sorry about that, Mark. We actually went to the president of the United States at the prayer breakfast. Quite a different scenario than what I actually wanted to ask you about. Looks like we've got Mitt Romney cued up now. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. Thanks, guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right, so instead of locking down this big lead in Nevada, you know, he's defending a poor choice of words. So taking that into account and now you're getting the word that Donald Trump is going to come out and endorse him.
He's also in a state where there are a lot of Mormons that are backing him. What is the overall impact here as we head into the Nevada caucus?
PRESTON: Well, you know, it's been a roller coaster ride for Mitt Romney. He has had some very high highs and some lows and, of course, that's exactly what we saw yesterday when he made that comment about the poor.
We should put it in context though. It's not as if Mitt Romney was saying I don't care about the poor, but words are very powerful, and they can be taken out of context. And quite frankly perception is reality.
So when he says something like that, somebody who has done very well, is a millionaire many times over, to come out and say something along those lines, it is very, very hurtful to him. Now what he was saying in those comments, Kyra, is in fact that the poor have a safety net.
And he is very, very concerned about the middle class and, of course, we've heard a lot about the middle class on the campaign trail both from Republicans and Democrats. However, he has said something that I'm sure he wishes he has taken back.
However, heading into Saturday, he will have this big endorsement today from Donald Trump, but heading into Saturday, he's expected to win the Nevada caucuses.
As you said, there are a high percentage of Mormons who vote in the Republican Nevada caucuses, and that's going to be a big boon for him. If he were to win the Nevada caucuses on Saturday as we expect. That would be two wins in a row and we have yet to see that in this contest -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And we saw obviously the president pop up just a second ago. Last hour, we were watching or listening to his speech at the 60th U.S. National Prayer Breakfast there at the Washington Hilton.
We were paying attention to this for a number of reasons. One being, you know, there's tremendous amount of influential GOP voters that attend that breakfast.
He really didn't say anything controversial. I know a lot of people were looking to see what he was going to say about health care in particular.
PRESTON: Yes, you know in, fact, if we can roll that tape, if we have a second here, there was an interesting moment that came out of that talk at the prayer breakfast. Let's just take a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I think to myself if I'm willing to give something up as somebody who has been extraordinarily blessed, give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy. I actually think that's going to make economic sense.
But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus' teaching that from to whom much is given, much shall be required. It mirrors the Islamic belief, that those who have been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON: And there you have President Obama just moments ago talking to the prayer breakfast. To the take away from that sound bite, Kyra, two things that really stood out, one, he emphasized that he is a Christian.
There is still doubt out there amongst Americans, amongst some Americans that he is not Christian and he emphasized that in that speech.
He also married faith and public policy together, and he said that people need to take care of each other, two important things as we head into the November election -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Mark, thanks so much. CNN's Saturday it's Nevada's turn to weigh in on the Republican nominee. Coverage begins at 6:00 Eastern with a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer. And then of course, CNN will have live coverage of the caucus results so join us for all that live coverage on CNN.
And it could be the beginning of the end of our 10-year war in Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says there's a new goal, end combat next year and switch the role of U.S. and NATO troops from fighting to training. As expected, presidential candidates already weighing in. Here's Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: Why in the world do you go to the people that you're fighting with and tell them the day you're pulling out your troops? It makes absolutely no sense. His naivety is putting in jeopardy the mission of the United States of America and our commitments to freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. That's not all. The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee calls the shift premature. Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon.
So Barbara, let's go and start with the 89,000 American troops there on the ground in Afghanistan. Let's talk about the impact on them.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, this is a good piece of news for them. They can see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel about when they are going to be coming home, but also, let's have a reality check here.
NATO had already decided and the U.S. is part of NATO that troops, foreign troops would be out of Afghanistan by 2014. Nobody is saying that they are pulling the troops out all that early. This will be a phased situation where you will begin to see the shift next year towards ending combat.
That's what Panetta is talking about, that sometime towards the middle of next year until the end of the year, you're going to see more training of Afghan forces, less combat. You'll reach that tipping point and eventually sometime before that 2014 when everybody leaves, you will see the end of combat.
Is there a hard date on the calendar? Not yet. But that's not to say that Romney doesn't have a point that a lot of other people are raising, which is even talking about this is giving the Taliban some sense of just how long they have to wait for the U.S. to go home, and will they simply sit back and wait out the U.S.? That's one of the key questions -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Barbara Starr, we'll follow it. Appreciate it so much, and tonight at 6:00 former Defense Secretary Robert Gates is going to share his thoughts with John King on the announcement the U.S. forces will end their combat role in Afghanistan next year, CNN tonight, 6:00 Eastern.
Thirteen thousand jobs are on the line at American Airlines now, and it's trying to reshape itself while in bankruptcy. CNN's new aviation and regulation correspondent, is joining us now from Washington.
Lizzie, welcome aboard. And let's go ahead and take a look at the jobs that are on the chopping block. We put together the numbers here, 4,600 maintenance operation workers, 4,000 ground workers, 2,300 flight attendants and 400 pilots. What does this mean for travelers like you and me and everybody else?
LIZZIE O'LEARY, CNN AVIATION AND REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly means that immediately there's some nervousness about flying American. There probably shouldn't be. This is a long-term process.
Remember, American is now going through what the other big airlines have already gone through. Essentially, they have the leverage of being in bankruptcy to say, OK, unions. Remember, these are union jobs. You must now be forced to negotiate with us because we have the idea of a bankruptcy court behind us.
So what it means for travelers is eventually could you see some routes be reduced. You could see some planes basically gotten rid of. That's something that American has always said they wanted. The maintenance things, that's something you zoomed in on.
American has actually done in-house maintenance. It's the only major airline that was still doing that. They are going to stop doing that some ways. That may mean we see fewer union workers doing maintenance.
It may we see fewer workers in America doing maintenance or you see workers kind of moved around to states that have looser union rules. That's certainly something the airline would like to see because for them it's cheaper -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And there's this huge fight brewing over who may end up having to pay American Airlines the pensions as well, right?
O'LEARY: Yes, because we're not just talking about the jobs they are cutting now, but people who for years were sort of contributing to their pensions and expecting that would pay out. American wants to get rid of those in bankruptcy.
They're running into a fight with the federal government that says if you try to do that, American, we'll do the federal equivalent of repossessing your home. They went out and said, all right, we've got our eyes on 76 pieces of Americans' property.
That means planes, building, even some in Latin America that if American doesn't make good on those obligations, the U.S. government will essentially foreclose on their stuff.
PHILLIPS: Lizzie, we will follow how this makes an impact on all of us and, of course, the other airlines as well. Thank you so much.
Well, politics or just passionate soccer fans? We're talking about that deadly riot at a soccer game in Egypt. At least 79 people were killed in the deadliest violence since the government was toppled one year ago.
CNN national correspondent, Ben Wedeman in Cairo joining us by phone. So Ben, you've been there on the streets. What's going on?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): There are thousands of people, tens of thousands of people, who have come out on to the streets into Tahrir Square and around and in front of the headquarters of the football team that was from Cairo that was involved in this violence in Port Said yesterday,
And is the case, what started as a football incident quickly becomes a political demonstration. These tens of thousands of people are demanding that the military, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the military body that took over from Hosni Mubarak a year ago step down and hand over power to civilians.
What, you know, they are blaming the military for failing to provide proper security, not just at the Port Said football match, but also in the country in general. We've seen a dramatic decline in law and order over the last year.
And many of the people in the streets believe or say or claim that the military is intentionally allowing the country slowly into anarchy simply to justify the conditioning --
PHILLIPS: And you can hear from Ben Wedeman there the thousands of people he says they're still on the streets. We are going to monitor what's happening there through Ben as he calls in.
And it's the same concern in Syria where opposition activists there say that 70 people were killed yesterday and today, state-run media is reporting five military officers and a soldier there were killed in battles that they are calling are among armed terrorist groups.
Now this video reportedly shows the Free Syria Army taking over a small neighborhood and raising the rebel flag. You can see shelling in residential areas in this video from the city and then in other home video that we've received, you can see protesters here singing anti-government songs, dancing and mocking President Assad.
Now, it's important to note that CNN can't confirm the authenticity of these videos or reports because access to the country is limited. You know, we've been following the Arab spring, what had happened in Egypt, seeing what happened to the fallout of the soccer game.
Now we're monitoring what's happening in Syria trying to get the truth out of there through people that are sending in video like this. As you know, the U.N. still debating on how to draft this resolution calling for President Assad's ouster. We're following everything in the Middle East for you this morning.
Guns bought illegally ending up in the hands of the Mexican drug cartels. That was the controversial government sting called "Operation Fast and Furious." Well, this hour, the attorney general has answers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking stories cross country now. A severe stomach bug identified as a Nora virus is spreading across North Carolina. At least 135 people have gotten sick in one outbreak alone. Officials though say they still don't know the source of this illness.
Then in New Jersey, a dramatic rescue is all caught on camera. Take a look at this, two police officers pulling a man out of a burning car.
They say that he fell asleep with the car still running, his foot on the gas, and that caused the car to overheat and catch fire. The man was treated for smoke inhalation and released from the hospital.
Here's something you don't see very often, a possible meteor soaring through the sky over Texas and Oklahoma. The fire ball was captured by police car DASH cam.
Right now on Capitol Hill, the attorney general is getting grilled about the controversial gun sting called "Operation Fast and Furious." It was set up to watch the flow of weapons to and from the Mexican border and let guns bought illegally in the U.S. get into the hands of drug cartels.
It was hopefully going to prevent that, but hundreds of weapons were actually lost and two were found near a border patrol agent. Two were found near a border patrol agent that was killed in the process.
Now Congress is demanding documents from the Justice Department right now and things are getting pretty ugly. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPRESENTATIVE DAN BURTON (R), INDIANA: You're saying, well, the separation of powers prohibits you from doing that. That's baloney. That is just baloney. And I've worked with you since years, I wouldn't say with you, I've worked for six years when you were the deputy attorney general.
So why don't you give us those documents. The conclusion that I come to is there's some things in there that's being hidden that you don't want us to see. I don't know if it involves you or some other ATF agents or other members of the Justice Department, but this committee is the oversight committee, and we have every right under the constitution to check on what you're doing.
We're supposed to oversee the executive branch, and you are part of that branch. So for you to deny this committee anything like that is just dead wrong and I don't think you're going to find any way that you can do it. And would I urge the chairman to move a contempt citation against you if you don't give them to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Wow, a contempt citation. Brian Todd, you're following this. What do you think of the outcome will be here?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think they are building up to a contempt citation, Kyra. It seems that maybe almost nothing that Eric Holder or the Justice Department will do at this point is going to satisfy Republicans on that committee.
You saw that excerpt just now. They are slamming Eric Holder. They have been doing it now for about an hour. He has been kind of fending them off as best as he can, but essentially this has been brewing not only for the last few days in letters exchanged by the committee and Holder's office.
But really over the past year, but in the last few days building up to this, the chairman of that Oversight and Government Reform Committee Darrell Issa has threatened to hold Eric Holder and the Justice Department in contempt of Congress.
He is essentially accused them of obstructing his investigation and of deceiving the public. Justice has countered by saying that Issa does not really understand the significance of the documents that they have already given him.
And that they cannot comply with his deadline to give them even more documents by February 9th, so we are building to a confrontation here. Here's a little excerpt from Darrell Issa's opening statement and Eric Holder's.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPRESENTATIVE DARRELL ISSA (R), CHAIRMAN, OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTE: Today is Groundhog Day again. This committee has lost its patience to wait longer. We will not wait until next Groundhog Day to get answers for the American people.
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm determined to ensure that our shared concerns about these flawed law enforcement operations lead to more than just worn out Washington gotcha games and cynical finger- pointing. The Department of Justice stands ready to work with you, not only to correct the mistakes of the past, but also to strengthen our law enforcement capacity in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So what happens after today, Brian?
TODD: Well, I think if you had to handicap this, I think that Darrell Issa will probably move for contempt of Congress citation against Eric Holder. Now legally and politically what that means for Mr. Holder is not clear right now.
He is under significant pressure by Republicans in Congress to resign over this matter. He's given no indication that's going to do that and there's been no one terminated for actions in this situation at the Justice Department.
So, again, this showdown has been kind of building incrementally, but it's really smoldering right now, and it could come to a head in the next weeks and months ahead as Darrell Issa continues his pursuit of Eric Holder in this case.
PHILLIPS: Brian, thanks so much. Keep us posted on what happens today.
TODD: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Coming up, a breathtaking reversal of fortune. All it took was bad timing and a terrible economy for a middle class family to lose everything.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 401(k) savings plan, money here and there. We were doing fine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have teenage salaries, both of us. We have teenage salaries running a home and a family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, they are the new face of the working poor. You'll hear their story straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Millions of American families the bad economy has delivered blow after blow. Jobs disappear, savings drying up and homes losing value, and now there's a new class of working poor.
Families who once enjoyed six-figure incomes now to lose their homes. Poppy Harlow of CNN Money has one such story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Had 401(k)s, savings plan, money here and there. We were doing fine.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: And how dramatic was the decline?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was almost instantaneous.
HARLOW (voice-over): Unwilling to show their faces on camera, but wanting to share their story, this New Jersey family went on living on $130,000 a year to just about $15,000 now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we went completely off the charts. You know, our decision is do we go out for a date or do we pay the electric bill?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't have our home phone anymore. It's definitely cooler in the house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quicker showers. It's amazing that this is dinner, something wrong with that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Macaroni and cheese.
HARLOW: This father watched as his six-figure telecom job of 20 years went to India.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember the first time they told us about the situation.
HARLOW: Then the unemployment ran out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like the first thing they talked about is food how we were going to eat more macaroni and cheese.
HARLOW: And the savings went. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trying to make everything last a little bit long longer.
HARLOW (on camera): Do you wake up in the morning and wonder if today is going to be the day that you're going to get evicted?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HARLOW (voice-over): Unable to sell their house, they stopped paying the mortgage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where I came out of was, you know, a white collar world, and the white collar world for two years or two and a half years that I banged my head against it doesn't want me back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After a while when you keep getting all the news, you feel like -- you feel like what can you do? What good am I?
HARLOW: Now, mom works part-time in a bakery for $9 an hour. Dad sells shoes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have teenage salaries, both of us. We have teenage salaries running a home and a family.
HARLOW: United Way calls it Alice, Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed, in other words, the working poor.
JOHN FRANKLIN, CEO, UNITED WAY OF NORTHERN NEW JERSEY: The people we know. The guy that works across the street and behind the meat counter, they are the mechanic that works on your car, the folks that take care of your kids. Middle class families are more and more falling into this category of I can't make it.
HARLOW (on camera): Here in Morris County, New Jersey, about a quarter of the population falls somewhere between the poverty line and just getting by, and United Way says it costs roughly $60,000 for a family of four here just to make it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Only one box really feeds like maybe two, three people.
HARLOW (voice-over): Wednesday evening at the food pantry, they have been coming for two years.
ROSEMARY GILMARTIN, DIRECTOR, INTERFAITH FOOD PANTRY: It's never occurred to them that this could possibly happen to them. If I put a sticker on the forehead of every client that comes here that works within a 10-mile radius you would be walking around and seeing people with purple stickers on their forehead.
HARLOW: They are certainly not alone, but they are also not without hope.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. The upside is that our family is stronger, you know, we're stronger. You have to as a result of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Poppy Harlow, I'll tell you what. I noticed right away they didn't want to show their faces. This has got to be so hard for them on so many levels, and their kids, too. I mean, they must have told you they have a -- a desire or a wish for their parents.
HARLOW: Yes, they do. I've got to tell you how unbelievably impressed I was with these children. If only all teenagers could act like these kids, have it together, understand what their folks are going through.
Two out of three of them are working and paying their own way, and they said to me, if we could give our folks one thing, Kyra, it would be a vacation. I guess they have always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon. They want one last family vacation together.
It sort of breaks your heart and also gives you hope that they get back on their feet. Here's the deal. The long-term implications, if and when they do get back on their feet, no savings, no money for college.
They real very to start from scratch and start over. A lot of families like this are deeply in debt. So if they get back on their feet they are starting with ground zero.
PHILLIPS: Well, with humbled and incredible kids like that I bet they will. What a testament to other kids that just don't realize how lucky they are. Thank you so much, Poppy.
HARLOW: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Well, our sources are telling us that Mitt Romney is going to get an endorsement from Donald Trump. Our political panel is straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. "Political Buzz": your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock and playing today: Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman; Patricia Murphy, founder and editor of Citizen Jane Politics; and CNN Contributor, Will Cain.
First questions guys, sources telling our Mark Preston Donald Trump will endorse Mitt Romney. Will this help or hurt the GOP front- runner, Robert?
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's totally irrelevant. I mean, the bottom line is, this is -- this is the political answer to Groundhog Day. Every time Donald Trump has got a TV series to hawk or a book to promote he makes another artificial political announcement.
And the reality is as long as the Republican Party is going to let themselves be defined by characters like Trump who couldn't get through a senate confirmation hearing or pass a citizenship test with his lack of knowledge they will continue to dumb down the conversation and hurt their own credibility.
PHILLIPS: Will?
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes but he's a genius at this, Kyra. I mean, first he says Gingrich and now he says Romney. How do you avoid talking about it? The man is a publicity and marketing genius.
I've got to tell you Twitter is the place to go along with CNN for this right now, and there's wonderful lines, there's wonderful lines like "Is David Axelrod behind this endorsement for Romney?" And "Wouldn't it be awesome if Mitt Romney said thank you, but no thank you, Donald, I won't be accepting your endorsement."
PHILLIPS: Ooh that could be interesting. Patricia?
PATRICIA MURPHY, FOUNDER/EDITOR, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: I would if I were advising Mitt Romney, he needs to take Will Cain's advice. Do not get on a stage with Donald Trump, billionaire, weird guy developer the day after you said you really don't care much about poor people. I cannot think of a worse series of events.
And you know what; Donald Trump cares only about Donald Trump. Whatever he needs to do he's going to do. He doesn't care if it hurts Mitt Romney, he doesn't care what it does to Newt Gingrich. If I were Mitt Romney I would run, go volunteer at a soup kitchen, skip Donald Trump.
PHILLIPS: "Weird guy developer". I'm going to have to write that one down. Patricia, you've always got the one-liners.
ZIMMERMAN: Kyra -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Yes, Robert.
ZIMMERMAN: Kyra, maybe it's not that Donald Trump is such a genius like Will says or maybe we're kind of suckered into playing than to discussing him. Maybe it's more of a reflection on us than on Trump.
PHILLIPS: Ok well guess what, I'm going to move on then.
The White House has set a time table for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. What do you think? Is this military strategy or election year strategy? Will?
CAIN: Substantively I don't have a lot of complaints about this. We have to ask ourselves, why are we in Afghanistan, what's been the goal? How long are you going to stay? The answer you keep coming back with is, I don't know but it can't be forever.
But politically, why announce this so publicly? Why tell the Taliban or all of our enemies in that region we're going to be leaving in "X" amounts of day? Why can't you just tell the Afghans behind the scenes to make it very clear this will be when we leave. I don't know the need for such a public announcement other than for political gain.
PHILLIPS: Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, Will, this whole issue is being driven by the need to keep the NATO coalition together and it was prompted by Sarkozy's comments about withdrawing from Afghanistan. But the reality is there's no question that the Taliban knew that we are going to be phasing out our efforts. And in fact that's already been announced, accelerating it -- accelerating it only puts more pressure on the Afghanistanis to step up after 10 years. But we'll still be there to assist and to advice and that's I think more than sufficient.
PHILLIPS: Patricia?
MURPHY: I don't really think this reflects politics now as much as it reflects reality. To Robert's point, the French have already said they are leaving Afghanistan sooner than they had planned. The coalition itself is fraying. We cannot be there forever.
And this wasn't done really all that publicly. Secretary Panetta mentioned it to some reporters on their press plane which I actually thought that was an unusual way to announce this.
And to the point that why are we telling our enemies when we're leaving? We have such an enormous footprint in Afghanistan, when we start to withdraw it will take many, many months and it's not like no one is going to know about it. So I think to have an orderly transition -- transition to a role of support instead of combat is the right thing to do.
PHILLIPS: All right, "Buzzer Beater" now 20 seconds each on this one.
The President's Google+ Hangout, a Texas woman sends her husband's resume to the White House and now the President says he's trying to get her husband a job. Here's his reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't believe that the President actually wanted to look at my resume.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. So here's the "Buzzer Beater" question. If you went to the President for a job, what would your dream job be -- Patricia?
MURPHY: Oh, I want to be Bo's dog walker. That is really all I really want to do. My second choice would be White House ocial secretary because I could go to their parties.
PHILLIPS: Oh ok Will?
CAIN: I don't need the President's help. I've got my dream job. I'm well on my way to where I want to be. I'm just happy. No thank you, Mr. President.
PHILLIPS: Oh you're such a kiss up. Oh, my God, whatever. Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: Look, first of all, I think Patricia would be an amazing Social secretary at the White House.
MURPHY: Thank you, Robert.
ZIMMERMAN: And on behalf, as a Democratic National Committee member I'll lead the movement forward. Although Jeremy Bernard is doing a great job now.
I'll tell you the truth I've always been inspired by the United Nations, with all of its problems and all the frustrations that institution brings, I find it an incredibly important organization. I would like to play a role there.
PHILLIPS: Oh, look how serious he gets. Patricia, I'll be your date to all the parties.
MURPHY: Yes, and I'll help Robert for that job that he wants.
PHILLIPS: Yes and Will can hang out at CNN and be Mr. -- Mr. Pro I love my job.
ZIMMERMAN: Exactly. He can have the food in the green room.
PHILLIPS: Exactly. We'll tell him all about the party the next day.
Thanks, guys.
MURPHY: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Saturday is Nevada's turn with the Republican presidential candidates. As you know the coverage is going to be begin at 6:00 Eastern with a special edition of "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer, followed by CNN complete live coverage, the caucus results at 7:00 with the whole entire gang.
All right, the investigation in Amy Winehouse's death may be reopened. We're going to tell you why next in showbiz headlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Tracy Morgan's mother says she desperately needs money but her son just won't give it to her. The comedian, well, has a difficult take on this family feud. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host A.J. Hammer joining us from New York with more. A.J., what's the deal?
A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": It's a messy family situation, Kyra. Tracy's sister spoke with "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" exclusively and said if their mom doesn't get help from Tracy in the form of $25,000 to pay up her mortgage, her home will go into foreclosure and she'll be out on the streets.
She says that Tracy is not willing to help his family out. And that's something that he takes exception to. Let me read to you what Tracy Morgan is telling "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."
He says "I am saddened that these untrue stories about me have people questioning my commitment to my family. For reasons that are between us I've not seen my mother in 11 years, and outside of a random call here and there, have had little to no contact with my sister.
We all have personal family issues that we have to deal with in life, but I choose to deal with mine in private and not through the media."
So Kyra, the debate that's going on today is should Tracy, with his reported net worth of around $18 million, help out his mom regardless of their history? Some say, yes, after all, she is his mom. Others say, you know what? We don't know the whole story here, and obviously it's not always that simple.
PHILLIPS: Also not simple. Looks like the investigation into Amy Winehouse's death.
HAMMER: Yes. This just came out of left field. The reports out today that suggest the investigation into Amy Winehouse's death may actually be reopened. The coroner who oversaw the autopsy of Winehouse resigned after questions arose about her qualifications. Now in October the coroner, Suzanne Greenaway had ruled that Amy died from accidental alcohol poisoning and she delivered a verdict of death by misadventure.
At the moment there hasn't been a decision made as to how to handle this but Amy's parents have been made aware and they said in the statement that they are taking advice on the implications of all this. They're going to decide if any further discussions with the authorities are needed. Amy's father Mitch however, is also tweeting "Don't worry about the coroner nonsense. We are all ok."
So surprising news this morning to hear that after we thought the story was put to bed and Amy Winehouse was resting in peace, maybe things aren't that simple there.
PHILLIPS: Usually never is, A.J. Thanks.
Well, you want information. Everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J.'s got it every night "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11:00 Eastern right there on HLN.
Well, every dog has his day. Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, much of the country seeing wintry weather. Rob Marciano with the truth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's go cross country.
The University of Nebraska is going to war with bedbugs. In just the last few weeks they have infested 27 rooms and several lungs. The university is now using chemicals to kill them.
And a Civic owner beats Honda in small claims court in L.A. The judge ruled that the automaker actually misled Heather Peters on its fuel economy claim. Honda plans to appeal. Heather gets $9,800.
And Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. You know what that means -- six more weeks of winter. Is that true, Rob Marciano? Do we need to believe him?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: If you believe a rodent, then, you know, I've got something else to sell you.
PHILLIPS: Well, I believe you.
MARCIANO: There you go. There's other rodents out there. We're going to go over that here in just a little bit.
Punxsutawney has not shown much skill recently. And I listen closely to those top-hatters, and they said it's not necessarily whether we see the shadow, it's if the rodent sees the shadow, and he talks to the main guy there. Anyway, they are having fun there.
We had a lot of clouds in Philadelphia. Beauregard Lee in Georgia, we had low clouds there. He didn't see his shadow, so early spring and also Staten Island, I think they have their own guy. He didn't see his shadow either.
All right. In Europe they are arguing against that; it's definitely wintertime there. Across eastern Europe we're seeing a deadly cold in some cases. Across the Ukraine, 31 people died because of the cold. Over 700 injured and in the hospital because of cold there. Poland, through Turkey, some snow there. And the cold persists all through Germany and even through Italy as well. So this is a nasty, nasty cold snap for those folks, and it looks to continue.
A little bit closer to home we've got some cold air out to the West as well, and a storm is developing across the Four Concerns and Colorado. We're starting to see it now as far as the radar is concerned here. Lighter snow is in the mountain, but as time goes by here in the next 24 to 48 hours, we've got a storm that's going to dump at least 12 inches if not more snow across some of the high plains.
We've got blizzard warnings now that have been posted for eastern Colorado and parts of Kansas and western parts of Nebraska. And the impact for this will be later tonight and through the day tomorrow. It's a slow moving system. And not only are we going to we have persistent winds that could be over 40 and 50 miles an hour at times but because it's a slow mover the snow will pile up.
Certainly in Denver, you could a foot of snow there and then points off to the east. Some of these brighter colors here, 12 to 20 inches of snow expected here. So I-70 and I-80 are going to two interstates that will likely at least in spots, Kyra, be shut down with this winter storm.
I know it was record setting temperatures across the northeast yesterday, temperatures in the 60s. Certainly felt like spring was a- coming; haven't had much winter there, but obviously Mother Nature not done yet, at least for the plains.
PHILLIPS: Ok. Thanks Rob.
MARCIANO: All right.
PHILLIPS: Beating the Patriots should be nothing compared to beating cancer. A Giants linebacker wants his on-field play, not his off-field battle, to be the story. We're heading to the Super Bowl next.
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PHILLIPS: The players in Sunday's Super Bowl want the focus on the field, but their off-the-field stories can be as compelling as the game.
Our Mark McKay is in Indianapolis with a couple of those stories. Hey, Mark.
MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. You know, there are so many players on both teams that came here and touched down in the Super Bowl city wearing big smiles on their faces earlier this week.
One of the brightest smiles was on the face of New York Giants rookie linebacker Mark Herzlich. He tweeted upon arriving here in Indianapolis that two years ago doctors told him he might never walk again, yet there he was walking off the plane to play in the Super Bowl.
Herzlich was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer that could have cost him his leg and most possibly his life as well. He went through a risky treatment procedure that included painful chemotherapy, just to work his way back on to the football field.
On Sunday Herzlich could see playing time in the biggest game of any football player's career.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK HERZLICH, NEW YORK GIANTS: I don't want to be a feel-good story. I want to be, you know, I want to be a guy that's feared on the field. I want to see someone say, wow, that was a big hit. That guy crushed that guy. Oh, he's the one who had cancer, right? There are such things of dreams coming true and miracles, and I believe that this is one of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKAY: They may not want to be a feel-good story here at the Super Bowl but Herzlich has become an inspiration for cancer survivors all across this country.
PHILLIPS: And also, I guess, there's a Patriots player that has a long-term health concern as well? MCKAY: Yes, NFL nose guards. If you look at them, they are imposing gentlemen, Kyra. They are huge. New England Patriot nose guard Vince Wilfork is huge, and therein lies the potential problem. You see, Wilfork's dad spent years battling diabetes. He eventually passed away of the disease while Vince was in college. Weighing in at 325 pounds, Wilfork is hoping not to put himself at risk with the disease, and he has a plan to try and tackle diabetes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCE WILFORK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: You know, after I'm done playing football I'm going to lose as much weight as I possibly can because one thing I want to do is be around for my kids' kids. I want to be able to see my grandkids, and that was something that my mother and father never seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKAY: Wilfork's Foundation has raised some $350,000 towards diabetes research, and this season, Kyra, fans were urged to pledge money for every tackle that the nose guard took down, every player he took down on the field. He had 52 tackles in the regular season against -- 4 against the New York Giants, the team he and his team will play this Sunday here at the Super Bowl.
PHILLIPS: We'll be watching. Thanks, Mark.
Well, Madonna is going to be the halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl. And it doesn't matter that she's a big pop superstar who has done hundreds of concerts. She actually tells our Anderson Cooper that this show is really different.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC 360": Are you nervous about doing the Super Bowl?
MADONNA, SINGER: Oh, my God. I'm so nervous. You have no idea. I am.
COOPER: Really?
MADONNA: Yes. Yes. I mean, first of all, it's the Super Bowl. I mean, the Super Bowl is kind of like the holy of holies in America, right?
COOPER: Right.
MADONNA: So like here I am. I'm going to come into like the halfway between like the -- the church, the church experience, and I'm going to have to deliver a sermon that's going to be -- have to be very impactful, right?
I have to put on the greatest show on earth in the middle of the greatest show on earth. I have eight minutes to set it up and seven minutes to take it down and 12 minutes to put on the greatest show on earth, ok, that's a lot of pressure, ok? Crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Madonna is nervous? Amazing. You can watch all of the interview, by the way, on Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show "Anderson". Just check your local listings.
All right. Let's fast forward to some stories that we'll have for you here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
11:00 Eastern, lawyers for the soldier accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood will seek a delay in his court martial. That hearing is set to begin in just about a month.
And 12:15, Congresswoman Judy Chu holds a news conference addressing hazing in the military. She's pushing for justice for victims.
And at 3:30 Donald Trump says he will make a, quote, "major announcement". Our sources telling us Mark Preston that Trump will endorse Mitt Romney for president.
All right. "Health for Her" now. A new study says that nearly half of breast cancer patients who had lumpectomies had unnecessary follow up operations for stray cancer cells. This is more troubling. 14 percent of those women who still had cancer cells did not have a second operation for unknown reasons. Well, researchers say that the findings show the need for clear guidelines now on breast cancer surgeries.
Coming up in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Susan Malveaux, it's been a decade of war. Now the White House says it's ready to bring the troops home, a year earlier than promised, but will pulling the plug on American support throw the region into a tailspin?
That and more when CNN NEWSROOM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Paul Steinhauser, your man Mark Preston telling us his sources say that Donald Trump is going to endorse Mitt Romney.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: He beat me to it, Kyra. He beat me to it. You know a lot us were making calls this morning. I was talking to my sources. He was talking to his. Dana Bash, a bunch of us, and some things, you know -- he beat us. Good for him. Good stuff.
Look at this. Kyra, let's talk about this. Do endorsements really matter? What do Americans think of Donald Trump? Our most recent CNN polling indicated 3 in 10 had a positive view. And look at this, this is Republicans only. Even among Republicans, Donald Trump, Republicans are split on him, Kyra. So, I don't know.
You know, a Pew poll came out just last month that also indicated a Trump endorsement, would it help or make a difference? 6 out of 10 said it wouldn't make a darn difference. And Kyra we've seen endorsements haven't really mattered a whole heck of a lot this cycle.
PHILLIPS: I guess sources just like Mark better than you, Paul.
STEINHAUSER: What is it with that? What is it with that.
PHILLIPS: See, Suzanne is agreeing with me. She's like -- you want to weigh in?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Just saying, Paul. I bet you guys are all talking to the same people.
STEINHAUSER: Well, maybe. I'm not going there though. I'm not going to touch that one.
PHILLIPS: You break plenty of stories anyway.
All right. Let's talk about how the race is looking in Nevada. We're all getting ready for Saturday night.
STEINHAUSER: You got it. Two days away. Take a look at this, a brand new poll out this morning from the Las Vegas Review Journal, it isn't news now. And you can see right here, who's on top, Mitt Romney. Remember, he won the state's caucus four years ago. Large Mormon population in the state; that helps him as well. 20 points ahead of Gingrich. Santorum and Paul further down. This poll was conducted Kyra even before Romney's big victory on Tuesday night -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Paul Steinhauser, see you soon.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, Suzanne, you and I --
MALVEAUX: He's got to do a better job of wining and dining his sources.
PHILLIPS: There you go. Come on, use that company credit card.
MALVEAUX: I know, we know how this works.
PHILLIPS: Well, a lot of it's luck, I guess, and timing.
MALVEAUX: Luck and timing, yes.
PHILLIPS: All right. Take it away Suzanne, great to see you.
MALVEAUX: Good to see you.
