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Egypt Officials: Kidnappers Found; Protests Escalate In Egypt: Three Dead; Panetta: Israel May Hit Iran Soon; Jobless Rate Falls To 8.3 Percent; Obama To Unveil Veterans' Jobs Plan; Nevada Caucuses: What To Expect; Komen Controversy: The Backlash; 21,000 People On U.S. "No Fly" List; Winter Storm Blasts Denver; Patriots Playing For Myra Kraft; Gingrich to Challenge Result of Florida Primary

Aired February 03, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips this morning. We have a number of stories developing on this busy morning, but we begin with a story unfolding right now in Egypt.

We have information on two American tourists kidnapped in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt's government released news of the women's abduction a few hours ago.

CNN foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty is working her sources at the State Department. Jill, what do we know about this alleged abduction?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the latest just came into CNN, actually from the Ministry of Tourism in Egypt. And they are saying that they have located those -- the people who are holding these maybe Americans.

That actually hasn't been confirmed by the State Department yet, but that they have located them in the South Sinai and that negotiations are continuing so this unfolding very quickly.

I mean, here at the State Department, all we know is that Egyptian authorities told the U.S., the embassy in Cairo that there were two Americans who were kidnapped. The embassy is trying to confirm that they, indeed, are Americans and also trying to work for their security so obviously happening very quickly.

You know, Fred, you have to point out that the context of this is right now, you have a lot of developments in Egypt after the fall of Hosni Mubarak and questions about the control that the government of Egypt has on various parts of the country. So, that's one of the elements playing into this.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jill Dougherty, thanks so much from Washington.

So there has been more violent, by the way, in Egypt today, just as we get reports now of this kidnap -- these abductions that have allegedly taken place as well.

So you're looking at pictures right now of protesters taking to the streets over the way security has handled that recent soccer match, where 79 people were killed.

Our Ivan Watson is in Cairo and we will get the latest from him in just a moment.

So turning now to a new concern that Israel will attack Iran's nuclear program, maybe by the spring. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta thinks it is a growing possibility, according to a top official.

And just this morning, Iran's supreme leader said any attack on Iran would be detrimental to America. Here's former CIA officer Robert Baer on what he thinks an Israeli strike would mean for the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BAER, FORMER CIA OFFICER: I think it would be a significant blowback. The Iranians, who could count on them hitting us in Iraq, hitting our embassy there, probably in Bahrain, where we've got the fleet and I think undoubtedly inside the borders of this country.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC 360": Do you think they would strike back at the United States?

BAER: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, Chris Lawrence is at the Pentagon. So Chris, why is Leon Panetta tipping his hand on all of this?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, there's thinking among some officials here in the building that he is simply being honest. This is what he believes, that Israel may take this step sometime this spring.

Look, an official told me, there's always this idea that Israel goes through cycles, where they make very aggressive statements about their intentions on Iran in order to push the west into getting tougher.

But there is a thinking among U.S. officials that to Israel's belief, they believe, Israel believes that Iran has already made that final step and decided to go after nuclear when pop and they are getting very close to what Israel calls an immunity zone, where even if you wanted to stop their program, it would be too late.

So, all of that is factoring in here. On the U.S. side, publicly, the U.S. does not believe Iran has made that decision. They think they have got all the materials there, but have not come to the conclusion internally that it's in their best interest to pursue the bomb.

WHITFIELD: And then, you know, Chris, how difficult would it be to destroy or interrupt Iran's program?

LAWRENCE: I was talking to a couple sources last night who said no doubt, that Israel could inflict major damage on Iran, but some of the problems that are inherent when strikes on nuclear facilities have worked, it's usually been in countries were the facilities were very concentrated.

You take out one or two buildings and you have eliminated the program. Iran's is dispersed all over the country and also a likelihood it has been going on so long, there are secret sites neither the U.S. or Israel know about.

Another problem is the knowledge. Even if you knock out the facilities, you don't take out the know-how because Iran has the knowledge of how to enrich the uranium.

WHITFIELD: All right, Chris Lawrence, thanks so much from the Pentagon.

LAWRENCE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right now, to a story involving your pocketbook, here at home, this morning, we learned that the jobless rate has fallen to 8.3 percent. It's a big surprise considering some economists expect it had to tick up slightly.

Let's get some perspective from Christine Romans in New York. Christine, what does the last time we have seen this kind of dip?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: February 2009, it was a month after President Obama took office and it was in the midst of a really terrible time for the American economy when you had massive job losses and the unemployment rate going up.

Now the unemployment rate has been creeping down and you can see from this chart that is it slowly drifting lower after spiking up the end of 2008, 2009, and peaking at 10 percent.

It's pretty interesting because last year now, we know there were some revisions about 1.82 million jobs were created in the American economy last year, more than we had expected.

The White House likes to point out that now you have got 23 consecutive months of private sector jobs growth. We have seen the government laying workers off. That's been a trend we have seen for some time, we are expecting that to continue, but the private sector for some reason is starting to hire again.

I'm going to tell you the words that economists have been e- mailing about this -- about this report today, widespread jobs gains they saying. One calling it monster, it's a game changer, showing a rapidly improving labor market.

So you got stocks up 138 points, overall, people are pretty optimistic about this number. I want to look at the numbers by race as well. We talked about this last week. In recent months, when we have seen the job market improvement, we haven't seen the unemployment rate declining for black.

We did see that this time. The unemployment rate for African- Americans is now 13.6 percent, down from 15.8 percent last month. So that's a pretty big drop there. For Latinos, it's mostly steady, at 10.5 percent and for whites, it's 7.4 percent.

I bring these numbers up because it is important to note that we talk about jobs were created and the average unemployment rate in this country, but it really depends on where you live. It depends on a lot of different demographics and these numbers are pretty complicated. That's the overall picture -- Frederica.

WHITFIELD: All right, Christine Romans, thanks so much from New York. Appreciate that.

President Obama lifts the curtain this morning on his plan to put thousands of U.S. veterans back to work, but it's not cheap, think somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 billion. So you better believe Capitol Hill is bracing for a fight.

Brianna Keilar is at the White House. So Brianna, how confident is the White House feeling about its plan?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think when it comes to veterans, Fredricka, compared to other jobs proposals they put forward, they are more confident about it because it tends to have bipartisan support.

In the early read off the Hill at this point is that Republicans are open to it although they feel like the White House may be overselling this as a big deal. But first, let's tell you what the president will propose today.

And it is for veterans. It is to increase the hiring of veterans because their unemployment rate, especially post- 9/11 vets, much higher than the national average.

The president wants to increase grants for first responders, police officers, fire fighters, et cetera. And also to create a veterans jobs core, the idea to create tens of thousands of jobs for veterans in the next five years to work on, for instance, local lands, federal lands, national parks, working on things like roads, levees, recreational areas.

There is $5 billion price tag, but some of these -- a lot of these are already existent, existent programs that put vets at the front of the line -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And -- so the job numbers, the White House has to be very encouraged that the job numbers have dipped to 8.3, any official reaction?

KEILAR: Yes, there has been official reaction from the White House and you're expecting official reaction, I think the president will talk about this when he talks at this fire house to announce his vets' jobs plan in the 11:00 hour. Positive, of course, very welcomed. The White House saying this is proof that there is sort of everything going in the right direction, that there is a continued recovery in the economy. You know what's interesting as well, Fredricka, normally when these jobs numbers come out.

It was expected to be kind of maybe not such a great report this go-around, you see responses coming from Capitol Hill within minutes saying, you know, maybe it is an uptick in job because lot more needs to be done.

There was this sort of very loud silence for quite a while before we got those written statements we normally get from top Republicans in the House. It was 40 minutes before House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor sent out their press releases.

It turns out and this is not surprising, they had to be rewritten because normally they have them in the can ahead of time and they're expecting jobs numbers of a certain type and they were much better than expected.

It caught them off guard and they had to basically trim some of what they were saying and temper down some of that criticism. Of course, saying more needs to be done though -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, all right. As you said, Brianna, we will be hearing from the president, firsthand, 11:30 Eastern Time, of course, we will be carrying those comments live as the president announces his veterans jobs plan at that fire house in Arlington, Virginia. Of course, we will keep you posted on that.

All right, tomorrow is caucus day in Nevada and that means it is the last full day for the Republican presidential candidates to stump for votes there.

CNN political editor, Paul Steinhauser back with us now from Washington. So Paul, Romney is the odds-on favorite to win, so, how is he and the rest of the pack spending their final hours before that caucusing begins?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, Fred, most people are excited about the Super Bowl this weekend, but no, I'm all about Nevada and the caucuses there. Yes, three of the four candidates are in Nevada today.

The only one who isn't, Rick Santorum, he's moved on to Missouri. He's campaigning there today. They hold a primary on Tuesday. Where does it stand in Nevada right now with just a day to go?

Check this out. This is the most recent polling here of people likely to partake in those caucuses tomorrow. You can see it is almost like home field advantage for Romney. Remember, he won the caucus four years ago. There's a large Mormon population, all that helping Romney.

You can see from this poll, from the "Las Vegas Journal Review" and News 8 now, he's got a largely 20 points over Newt Gingrich with Santorum and Paul pretty far down.

Fred, one other number I want to share with you, 28. There are 28 delegates at stake tomorrow in the caucuses. Unlike Florida, which had its primary on Tuesday, it is not winner take all in Nevada. This is proportional. That's why all the candidates think they may come out with some delegates -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much.

All right, CNN Saturday, it is Nevada's turn to join the heated contest to decide the Republican presidential nominee. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. Eastern Time with a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM," with Wolf Blitzer.

And that's followed by CNN's complete live coverage of the caucus results, 7:00 with Wolf, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, John King, Candy Crowley and more.

Also this morning, violent protests are reigniting in Egypt where a riot at a soccer game killed at least 79 people Wednesday. Now, outrage is building as many Egyptians blame the police and the military government.

CNN's Ivan Watson joining us now from Cairo. So, Ivan, what is the latest on these conflicts that continue there?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are tens of thousands of people streaming into this square, Tahrir Square behind me and just few blocks behind that is the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior and that's where a running battle has been taking place since yesterday, Fredricka.

That has claimed the lives of at least one person as well as a military officer, who was crushed by an army truck there. The rage resulting from the deaths of all those people at that soccer match Wednesday night, spilling over into the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities.

And many of these soccer fans are now directing their anger at the military council that rules Egypt and at the security forces. We have seen violence. We have seen the Ministry of Interior attacked, just last November, a lot of people kill there had by protesters.

The difference now, a lot of these demonstrators are carrying the flags of their favorite soccer teams as they chant "down with the military ruling council," -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Ivan Watson, for that update coming out of Cairo.

All right, all those pink breast cancer ribbons in this country suddenly controversial after the Komen Foundation cut funds to Planned Parenthood. Now you several senators are getting involved. We are live on Capitol Hill right after this.

And the Central U.S. braces for a huge snowstorm. We will show you which states are getting hit the hardest. That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Money, controversy and a breast cancer charity. Ever since the Susan G. Komen Foundation decided to end most of its funding to Planned Parenthood, there has been an all out uproar across social media to Hollywood, to Capitol Hill and beyond.

Even New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has weighed in. He is giving a quarter million dollars to Planned Parenthood and he is not the only one. Both sides of the issue say they have seen spikes in donations, but the big question is why did Komen pull the funding?

The higher ups at the organization say, it doesn't give money to any group under investigation. Right now, Congress is looking at whether Planned Parenthood used federal money for abortions. Some say Komen is playing politics, but the founder of the organization says that's just not true.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBASSADOR NANCY G. BRINKER, FOUNDER AND CEO OF SUSAN G. KOMEN: We will never bow to political pressure. We will always stand firm in our goal to end breast cancer forever. We will never turn our backs on the women who need us the most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's bring in Kate Bolduan live on Capitol Hill. So, Kate, more than two dozen lawmakers have actually written a letter urging Komen to change its mind, what is going on here?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, it really seems that the fallout over this decision, by this announcement by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation is really just continuing.

As you mentioned this letter, just yesterday, 26 Democratic senators, more than two dozen senators, penned this letter to the foundation. Both criticizing its decision to pull future funding from Planned Parenthood and also asking the foundation to simply reverse its decision.

I will read you part of the strongly worded letter. It said it would be tragic if any woman lost access to these potentially life- saving screenings because of, in this letter's -- in their words, a politically motivated attack.

Now you what we are talking about here is I spoke with one of the really driving forces behind this letter, Senator Patty Murray, the Democratic senator from Washington.

She was very critical of this new policy that you mentioned, Fredricka, that the Susan G. Komen Foundation would not be giving funding, future funding to any group that is under investigation. Listen here to Senator Patty Murray.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR PATTY MURRAY (D), WASHINGTON: We are asking the members of Susan G. Komen to take this decision back and to fund as they have in the past the bipartisan efforts that women across this country support to make sure that women's health is protected.

No matter whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, or you're young or you're old that's what we all support and that's what we want them to support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Now, the Susan G. Komen Foundation is under investigation by a House committee. It has been under investigation since September. This committee really wants to know how the group is using its money, if the group using federal money to fund abortions.

Now, we spoke with the chairman of this investigative subcommittee, Republican Congressman Cliff Stearns. He says simply that any allegation that his investigation is politically motivated or really any connection between their investigation and the decision by Susan G. Komen is just not true. Listen here to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE CLIFF STEARNS (R), FLORIDA: Well, that's not true, it's not one particular member, it's really the entire oversight investigation committee is asking Planned Parenthood to give some fiscal responsibility on over half a billion dollars every year that taxpayers give them.

And we are just asking for an audit over the last 10 years of their 88 affiliates, a reasonable request and I think they are trying to make it partisan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Now Stearns was adamant he has never been contacted by the Komen Foundation on this decision and that this decision to pull funding for Planned Parenthood has been completely up to them.

We have to note, Fredricka, you have as well that the Komen Foundation has adamantly denied that any of the changes that they made that involved Planned Parenthood specifically in mind, but many questions continue.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kate Bolduan, thanks so much. So Congress investigating the Planned Parenthood, not Susan G. Komen, but that still is unsettled and no findings have been released from that investigation.

All right, checking stories cross country now, the feds say they have busted a human smuggling ring. Illegal immigrants were being driven cross the border from Mexico by allegedly Americans. Investigators estimate about 1,000 people made it into the U.S.

And 21,000 people are now on the U.S. no-fly list. That's more than double from last year. Changes made to the rules bumped up the numbers. Only about 500 people now on the list are Americans.

And forget the swanky South Beach hangouts. "Forbes" magazine says Miami is the most miserable city in the U.S. The survey was based on several factors including violent crime, jobless rates, foreclosures, home prices and commute times.

And Denver may not be on that list, but the misery factor there is pretty high right now, as the region gets pounded by a major winter storm. More than a foot of snow could fall by tomorrow.

Schools are closed. Hundreds of flights have been canceled. Meteorologist Rob Marciano joins us now for a city that loves snow, a few people disgruntled by this?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is a lot for even Denver. By the way, Denver and Miami, two of my favorite city so I disagree with both of those studies.

Let's run it down. You saw some of the pictures coming out of Denver and Boulder. We've had some impressive amounts so far. This thing got going early and got going furiously. Jamestown and Pine Cliff, these are two that in the front range so a little higher elevation.

But look at Boulder and Denver, both at 10 and 12 inches of snow. How about that? That is amazing stuff. We do have problems at the airport. Denver now reporting an hour and 45-minute delay, not only winter storm watches or warnings, but we've got a blizzard warning for Eastern Colorado into western parts of Kansas and Nebraska, blinding snow, low visibility.

They have shutdown I-70 from about where the Denver airport is all the way to Limon, until further notice because we have a tremendous amount of snow falling right now. So on top of what we have seen, some of these darker areas could be as much as 20 inches of snow.

So, there it is, not only the snow, which is falling pretty heavily from Denver over to Nebraska, but we have got rainfall with this, flash flooding in Houston and severe thunderstorms to the south. So it's affecting millions of people in several states.

WHITFIELD: Boy, OK, that's a big impact. All right, thanks so much, Rob.

MARCIANO: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right, the Patriots believe they will have an angel watching over them in the Super Bowl. We are going to explain the initials MHK, next.

COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, the New England Patriots are playing for the NFL title Sunday, but they are also playing for a woman who was like a mom to them. Our Mark McKay is covering the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. So, Mark, tell us about Myra Kraft.

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I will be happy to do so. Hello, Fredricka. Inspiration, it's something that every team uses going into any Super Bowl, no matter where it is. This year, the New England Patriots are inspired by a woman who meant so much to so many.

Myra Kraft, the late wife of Patriot's owner Robert Kraft, has been an inspiration for this New England team all season long following her death in July of cancer. Players wore a patch, a special remembrance patch on their uniforms dedicated to a woman who dedicated her life to do good for others.

When her husband bought the team in 1994, Mrs. Kraft lent her support, if not necessarily her understanding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN KRAFT, PRESIDENT, THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Somebody like my mom who wasn't rabid about football, but got the importance of it to other people and their lives. And I think -- I think that's what -- once she became involved with the NFL and she understood the power, she wanted to make sure that that power was used for good.

MATT LIGHT, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOT: We knew that, you know, this was a special place for her and this organization meant a lot, but you always get the sense that it was not -- not because of so much what we did on the field, but what we did off the field.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKAY: Many New England players called Myra Kraft, mama. They even had a painting commissioned for the Kraft family, a beautiful painting here that was presented during an emotional postgame ceremony after they beat the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Eve.

Fredricka, the word "emotion," it's been a constant for the Patriots all season long. They will certainly be feeling it's Super Bowl Sunday here at Lucas Royal Stadium.

WHITFIELD: Yes, so many incredible stories to tell, stories of inspiration. OK, halftime show, many might argue, Madonna inspires quite a few. And she will be doing so this halftime show what do we know about what to expect? What is she revealing?

MCKAY: Well, she met the press yesterday, did a little salsa dancing on stage as well, Fredricka, keeping with the theme, I guess, of what the Giants, Victor Cruz has done for all of us this season.

Raised up in Michigan, she says it is a mid-western girl's honor to be able to perform on the big stage come Super Bowl Sunday. She says she has really never worked so hard or been so, in her words so freaked out over a 12-minute performance.

She said she will have a mix of old and new during this cirque de soleil-type inspired performance, center on the 50-yard line and she promises, Fred, there won't be a wardrobe malfunction.

WHITFIELD: OK, but cirque de soleil, that means acrobatic and all that, so some real risk taking that we are going to see. All right, well that is quintessential Madonna, is it not? Risk taking? All right, Mark McKay, thanks so much. Good to see you.

All right, coming up in 20 minutes, you are going to meet a Giants super fan and she is only 11 years old, but already, she is a vet.

But first, Newt Gingrich says he will challenge the Florida primary results. "Political Buzz" is next and I'm going to ask the panel if they think this is just sour grapes or savvy political strategy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Checking stories right now. In Egypt, authorities say two U.S. tourists have been abducted but in the last few minutes the Egyptian Minister of Tourism said the kidnappers now have been located and negotiations are actually ongoing.

Meanwhile, Egyptian police and protesters battled in Cairo today. The protestors are enraged over reports of lax security at a soccer match this week; 79 people died in that soccer match riot.

And U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he fears Israel could attack Iran sometime this spring. Panetta believes the mission would target Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program.

And President Barack Obama is unveiling a jobs program for veterans today. Grant money would be given to towns that train and hire vets. The program has a $5 billion price tag.

All right, "Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day, three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing today: Sirius XM political talk show host and comedian Pete Dominick, good to see you; Chris Moody, Yahoo News political reporter, good to see you as well; and Crystal Wright, editor of ConservativeBlackChick.com. Good see all of you.

CRYSTAL WRIGHT, EDITOR, CONSERVATIVEBLACKCHICK.COM: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's jump ring into the first question. Newt Gingrich says he is challenging the results of the Florida primary arguing the RNC rules don't allow for winner-take-all primaries before April 1st. Is this smart strategy or sour grapes? Pete, you first?

PETE DOMINICK, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST, SIRIUS XM: Well, Fred, you know Newt Gingrich is a historian, I think he has mentioned that.

WHITFIELD: He is.

DOMINICK: And as any historian -- as any historian should know, you never, ever challenge the results of a Florida election. But listen, I mean everybody, everybody knows Newt Gingrich wouldn't be making a peep if he had won this election. Florida gets penalized for moving up their primary, they are trying to make money with the media and the campaign.

So yes, Newt, I'd say he sour's grapes, but he doesn't seem like such a fruit guy to me, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Chris?

CHRIS MOODY, POLITICAL REPORTER, YAHOO NEWS: You know I disagree. What better place than to challenge an election than Florida. You might do better than the last guy that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Of course, he didn't win. I think Newt should focus on the future states, like Virginia. Oh, wait, he's not on the ballot there. Well how about Missouri, oh he's not there either.

Actually you know what, on second thought, maybe this is really a good idea for him, could be all he's got. With Mitt Romney showing strong in the next couple of states, this could be his chance. You never know.

WHITFIELD: Crystal, smart or sour grapes?

WRIGHT: Sour grapes, sour grapes. Newt needs to stop whining, he sounds like a spoiled brat. And as Chris pointed out he couldn't even get on the ballot in Virginia, he lost in Florida, the RNC settled this.

Newt, it's time for you to get your political act together and as Pete pointed out, we didn't have any hanging Chads this time in Florida ok, so get organized, Newt, get it together. Stop complaining.

WHITFIELD: Ok. All right.

We have better-than-expected jobs numbers this morning. In about an hour from now, President Obama is unveiling a new plan to help unemployed veterans. Can he change the jobs message enough to really save his own job, Crystal?

WRIGHT: Absolutely not. Once again, here's a plan from Barack Obama that's too late, too much, too late. He wants to spend $6 billion to create jobs for veterans and veterans deserve jobs. They're fighting our wars but so do minorities like black Americans, unemployment for black Americans is 15.8 percent, we're in Black History Month and Barack -- this is a last-ditch effort for Barack Obama to save his own job and it's unacceptable.

If he was so concerned about job creation, he should have focused on that three years ago instead of creating job-killing regulations like Dodd-Frank and Obama Care.

WHITFIELD: Pete?

DOMINICK: Well, Crystal just added $1 billion to it, it's $5 billion.

(CROSSTALK)

WRIGHT: No it's $6 billion, actually.

DOMINICK: And listen, well CNN just reported $5 billion.

WRIGHT: Well, it's $6 billion. I've read it. That's right.

DOMINICK: Well -- all right.

WHITFIELD: We're going to hear from the President who is probably going to underscore $5 billion but go ahead, Pete.

DOMINICK: Well, listen the -- this is -- this is supporting the troops and supporting jobs. It's a bread and butter politics for -- for all the politicians but we saw the job numbers today, 243,000. The unemployment is 8.3 percent right now. Almost every number, wages are up, hours are up, this is good. Let's celebrate this. This is --

(CROSSTALK)

WRIGHT: Where are you living, Pete? On Pluto?

DOMINICK: -- as a result. No, no I'm living in a socialist country, apparently, where 243,000 jobs have been created. Exactly, well, it's a pretty good one, check out the DOW today.

WRIGHT: Oh wow.

DOMINICK: This is all good.

WRIGHT: Let's ask the 13 million people unemployed Pete --

WHITFIELD: We're going to have to start the clock, you guys.

DOMINICK: I got to finish. Crystal, I got to finish. And I got a great joke here, watch this. Short of President Obama whispering into candidate's ears while they're in an interview, I don't know if he's going to be able to convince some people who think these job numbers aren't good that they are.

WHITFIELD: Ok. All right, Chris?

MOODY: Look, given the government's record on spending, you're both probably wrong it's probably going to cost $10 billion by the time it's all over. But look, Obama campaigned on being a post- partisan president and he hasn't really been able to pass bipartisan legislation or very much of it over the past three years.

This is something that he can get past through Republicans even though it probably will have a very high price tag, it's something they can all agree on, but I do agree, it probably is too little too late to turn things around for his -- his presidency but we'll see coming November.

WRIGHT: Thank you Fred.

WHITFIELD: All your "Buzzer Beater", 20 seconds each. All right, this is your "Buzzer Beater" question, only 20 seconds ok, 20 seconds people.

WRIGHT: All right.

WHITFIELD: You may remember Roseanne Barr from such memorable performances as this one. Memorable or unforgettable?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(ROSEANNE BARR SINGING NATIONAL ANTHEM)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ok, maybe you wanted to forget. Well, now Roseanne has filed the paperwork to run for President on the Green Party ticket. Any other celebrities you want to see that you think stand a better chance of running for the job, Chris?

MOODY: Well, truly, we haven't made a mockery of the presidential process enough yet so I say it's time to put the nail in the coffin. Let's lower the age that's required to run for president to allow for the Snooki primary that we can have and it can stipulate that you must have your hair extensions pulled out on reality TV at least three times in order to be eligible. Only then will we truly be as the last celebrity president, Ronald Reagan said, morning in America.

WHITFIELD: Yikes. Crystal?

WRIGHT: I think Beyonce should run and I think her running mate should be Brad Pitt and I think that she would really -- that ticket would really shake up the Democrats and probably give Barack Obama a run for his money.

WHITFIELD: Ok. Pete?

DOMINICK: Well, I'm, of course, a comedian, so I'm biased toward comedians. Americans are sick and tired of politicians lying, there's no one more honest than comedians. The truth is funny. And the most honest comedian in the world is Howard Stern. Howard Stern for president. I am Pete Dominick and I approve of this message.

WHITFIELD: Oh yikes.

DOMINICK: And I'm sorry, Fred I didn't wear any red today. But to support heart disease --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: There you go. DOMINICK: I got a Snuggie here but I -- I'm the husband of the greatest woman in the world and the father of two beautiful daughters, I support the research. So here's my red. Sorry for CNN Snuggie.

WHITFIELD: All of our hearts are red so we're -- we're all in it right. All right.

WRIGHT: Right.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Pete, Crystal, Chris, you all have a great weekend. I know we'll be seeing, okay, very red now, Pete.

We're going to see you throughout the weekend as well with the Nevada caucuses. And you don't want to forget this. Of course, we've got coverage of the caucuses taking place in Nevada. How will that Republican presidential nominee be decided? Might it be this weekend, a pivotal race. Coverage begins 6:00 Eastern Time.

All right, next, divine intervention at Sunday's Super Bowl game? Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, reportedly wants just that and that request is being answered on late night television.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right.

Demi Moore is recovering at home after being hospitalized for alleged substance abuse and she is getting visits from two key people in her life. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" correspondent Nischelle Turner joins us live, again from Los Angeles with more details on this. Give us the scoop.

NISCHELLE TURNER, HLN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, Demi's two exes were actually photographed by paparazzi visiting her Los Angeles home this week. Bruce Willis, with whom Demi shares three daughters, was seen driving up to the house Wednesday morning. Later, Ashton Kutcher was reportedly seen arriving at the home.

Now Ashton, of course, was in Brazil when Demi was first hospitalized. And you know, he received some criticism on social media for not rushing to her side immediately. Regardless though, you know, it's just actually nice to see Demi receiving support from her family right now and, of course, we wish her the best, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely wish her the best.

All right. And now let's talk about a little Super Bowl madness, because supermodel Gisele Bundchen, you know, married to Tom Brady. You know, she went on late night to ask everyone to pray. Give us more on that.

TURNER: Yes, you know what; this request of hers is actually causing a whole bunch of laughs. Let's just call her poor sexy supermodel Gisele, she's become the target of late night jokes and all these tabloid headlines. You know, she sent an e-mail to friends and family asking them to pray for her husband, Tom Brady, on Super Bowl Sunday, and to send him the positive energy he needs to beat the Giants. Well, Conan O'Brien had his take on what God might have said to this prayer. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, TALK SHOW HOST: Supermodel Gisele Bundchen wants people to pray for her husband, Tom Brady, to win the Super Bowl. Yes, in response, God said, you know what I think I've done enough for Tom Brady.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TURNER: Yes. You know, we haven't talked prayer though, Fred, in football since Tim Tebow's season ended. I'm sure there are so many Giants fans out there hoping that those prayers are not answered.

But here's what I say Fred, I say, Gisele, pray for your man. I mean if your wife can't be your biggest cheerleader, then who can? Right?

WHITFIELD: Well, and she is his biggest cheerleader, indeed. Well, you know, she inadvertently made her way on late night television. She doesn't mind being a guest on it usually, but I don't think in this case, she really had it planned but, hey, good luck to both teams, right, this Sunday. Thanks so much, Nischelle.

TURNER: Exactly. Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right. Want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. and Nischelle have it all this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", 11:00 Eastern on HLN.

All right. Coming up, meet someone who might be the New York Giants' biggest fan. It's not a guy with his face painted blue. It's an 11-year-old girl who probably knows more about Eli Manning than Eli Manning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Just two more days until the Giants and Patriots meet up in the Super Bowl and we think we may have found the Giants biggest fan. The proof is all over her room at her house.

Maeve Plassche is 11 years old -- she's got the gear there and everything. Many girls her age have pictures of Justin Bieber or the cast of "Twilight" on their walls. Not Maeve, her walls are devoted to Eli Manning. Articles about the Giants as a whole and lots of Giants fans gear all over the place, including the big blue foam finger and, of course, the jerseys.

And there she is, pumped up about the Super Bowl. Maeve's with us right now, joining us from our New York studio. Good to see you.

MAEVE PLASSCHE, NEW YORK GIANTS FAN: Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: Ok. So how excited are you about this weekend and the big game?

PLASSCHE: Well, I'm really excited and I have a lot of confidence in the team.

WHITFIELD: You do? Ok. So, where are you going to be watching the game?

PLASSCHE: I'll be watching it in my house, parked right in front of the TV.

WHITFIELD: Now, how did this come to be? How did it come to be that you are such a Giants fan?

PLASSCHE: Well, my dad, he really got me started. He would, like, be watching the games and I would start staying home with him and be watching the games.

WHITFIELD: Oh, and so -- do you play a little ball, too?

PLASSCHE: No.

WHITFIELD: Any aspirations to do that?

PLASSCHE: Not really.

WHITFIELD: Ok. So you have written letters to the team and they acknowledge, they know that you are probably one of their biggest pint-sized fans out there, right? What do they say to you when they respond to those letters that you write?

PLASSCHE: Well, they say, like, thank you for your support, I'm going to try very hard this game or this season to do what you told us to do.

WHITFIELD: So, if there was one player that you -- if you had an opportunity to meet one player, who would be that be?

PLASSCHE: Well, I really couldn't pick, because they are all really great players. But like Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks and Eli Manning are like, my top.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness, fantastic. Now, you know, I understand that your school may have set up a big old jumbo screen to watch you on the air today. You have a little shout out for them?

PLASSCHE: I just want to say thank you for supporting me, especially my teacher, for, like, supporting me through this.

WHITFIELD: That's fantastic. Any guesses on what you think the final score just might be this weekend?

PLASSCHE: I think it's going to be the Giants, 34-31. WHITFIELD: Oh, ok. Maeve, we may have to do a little follow-up on that. All right. All the best. I think maybe you've got a career in sports commentary. Maybe you are going to be the next NFL sideline reporter, what do you think?

PLASSCHE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Maeve Plassche, thanks so much. All the best. Good luck to you and, you know, we are going to be rooting for you as you cheer on your team this weekend.

PLASSCHE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Maeve.

All right. Tim Tebow, well, he won't be playing in the Super Bowl but the Denver Broncos quarterback is in Indianapolis and he will be joining us live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Suzanne Malveaux interviews Tim Tebow in our noon Eastern hour. He went from being an NFL bench warmer to the most popular athlete in America. He is both revered and reviled for his play on the field and his very public expressions of faith. We will be asking him about all of that, noon Eastern, right here on CNN.

All right. Making their mark this week, students at White Station High School in Memphis, Tennessee. They are partnering up with a local charity to collect shoes for people in Haiti. The campaign called Soles 4 Souls ends today. The students hope to collect at least 500 pairs of gently worn shoes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. "Fast Forward" now to stories ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

At 11:30 Eastern time, President Obama talks about today's jobs report and the economy at a fire house in Arlington, Virginia.

Also at 11:30, a joint house armed services subcommittee hearing looks at accountability and record keeping problems at Arlington National Cemetery.

And at noon in New Orleans, there will be a memorial for Mike Ainsworth, the Good Samaritan who was shot last week trying to help a woman who was being carjacked.

In today's "Daily Dose", wearing red to save lives. That's what many people all across the U.S. Are doing today to mark National Wear Red Day; the campaign to raise awareness of the risks of heart disease in women.

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading killer of women in the U.S. They killed one quarter of all women who died in 2008. And doctors warn people with heart disease don't always have any symptoms.

And there's a battle for control of the House. 34 members of Congress are retiring. We will tell you the latest incumbent who is not running right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right.

Another member of Congress will not be running for re-election. Our Paul Steinhauser is here with more on that story.

STEINHAUSER: Good morning, Fred. You know, we talk all the time about the battle for the White House but there are two other very compelling stories this year. The battle for control of the Senate and the battle for control of the House of Representatives.

And we got some news yesterday: Heath Schuler, Democratic congressman from North Carolina, he announced he is not going to run for re-election in November. Three-term congressman but his district has been changed due to redistricting and he announced he will not be running.

So Fred here are the numbers with Schuler's announcement, you now have 34 members of the House who are not going to run for re- election. 20 Democrats, 14 Republicans, are either retiring or running for some other office like senate, governor, or something else.

And the other magic number here is 25. Those are the numbers pickups the Democrats need to win back the chamber. So yes, you know, we are talking to you all the time about the battle for the GOP nomination and then the battle for the White House but keep your eyes on Congress, two very compelling stories. Can the Republicans win control of the senate? Can the Democrats win control of the house? We got a lot to talk about this year, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right. That just might sideline that presidential race, or maybe not. All right Paul.

STEINHAUSER: Maybe not.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, appreciate that.

All right. So reminder, for all the latest political news go to our Web site, cnnpolitics.com.

All right. We've got a big day this weekend, a little football. Excited?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Are you a football fan? Are you a football fan?

WHITFIELD: I like the Super Bowl but you know, I'm not going to watch during the whole regular season.

MALVEAUX: We've got Tim Tebow in the house.

WHITFIELD: And that will make me watch especially today.

MALVEAUX: Very excited about it, yes. We will have his Super Bowl predictions and, you know, what he wants to --

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Are you kidding me? I have no idea.

Go to a Super Bowl party. I'm going to enjoy the game and the snacks. I have no idea who is going to win. That's funny. That's my day.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we'll look for Tim's prediction.

MALVEAUX: Yes, absolutely. We'll see what he says.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you.

MALVEAUX: Have a good weekend.

WHITFIELD: Have fun.

MALVEAUX: Thank you.