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CNN Sunday Morning
Police Battle Occupy Protesters; Cain Backs Gingrich
Aired January 29, 2012 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe, live from Studio 7, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: I hope your Sunday morning has been good to you so far on the January 29th. I'm Christi Paul. Thanks for keeping me company.
Boy, we have lots to talk about this morning with you. First of all, tear gas, smoke, protesters on the ground. Overnight occupiers in Oakland engaged in a violent standoff with police, violence that could escalate even more throughout today.
And Herman Cain is finally endorsing a candidate. Is it going to make a difference in Florida? It's what people are asking at this point.
But let's get back to the volley of rocks, bottles, tear gas and gunfire we just showed you. Here's more.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
PAUL: What you're looking at is what happened in Oakland, California, last night as Occupy Oakland protesters faced off with police. We know as many as 200 people were arrested.
We'll get more on the classes and controversy now from Patti Lee of CNN affiliate KTVU there in Oakland.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATTI LEE, KTVU REPORTER (voice-over): Tear gas and flash bombs filled this plaza where occupiers faced off with police. One of multiple clashes in Oakland.
FEMALE PROTESTER: They tear gassed us multiple times all day today. All we were doing was marching. Nothing. There wasn't -- we didn't throw anything.
LEE: Occupiers claimed innocence, but our cameras caught protesters throwing rocks, bottles, and bleach bombs. At least two officers were hurt.
DEP. CHIEF JEFF ISRAEL, OAKLAND POLICE: Their intent is to commit acts of violence and vandalism and break into something that doesn't belong to them. And so, their intent is clear. We give dispersal orders. They don't disburse. Unlawful assembly, failure to disperse. I suspect everybody we arrest tonight is going to be charged.
LEE: Police spent most of the night corralling this crowd of hundreds of protesters who had declared their intent to take over an unused space and turn it into the new center for the movement.
FEMALE PROTESTER: There are cops on one end. We turned around. There are cops on the other end. There's essentially no way out.
LEE: The plan fizzled around 7:00 when police surrounded the crowd on Broadway and 25th and warned of imminent arrests. Hundreds of protesters ran towards a nearby YMCA to escape. A few made it out the back, but the majority were arrested while YMCA members watched.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The cop said al the protesters or the occupiers lined up in the front against the wall.
LEE: But the night was far from over. While mass arrests took place at the Y, 10 blocks away a small group of protesters entered Oakland City Hall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one broke in. The door was -- the doors were unlocked. People started tipping over stuff and as soon as I left because I didn't think that was right.
LEE: Police barricaded the entrance to the building where a crowd was starting to gather. City hall is ground zero for Occupy Oakland.
MAYOR JEAN QUAN, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: They burned some of the flags. They're usually in the center. That they threw trash on the ground, that they broke into one of our electrical boxes, and quite -- we don't quite get. They turned over the historic model of city hall and the ground floor, and they destroyed the children's art exhibit on recycled art.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: There will most likely be a solid police presence in Oakland again today because occupied activists are planning a big rally in just a few hours at this point. So, we're going to keep an eye on that and keep you posted as the hours we're on here today.
Meanwhile, Occupy protesters in Washington, D.C., targeted a big event held for politicians and dignitaries. Here they are lining up outside the entrance to the Alfalfa Club Dinner. People inside were celebrating the 99th year of the annual dinner.
Protesters outside chanted "We are the 99 percent." There weren't any arrests, but take a look at this. Let's see if we've got it here. That is -- there he is. Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman all glittery.
See all that glitter? Protesters hit him and a couple other people, in fact, with glitter bombs.
The guest list for that dinner included President Obama and former President George H.W. Bush.
(MUSIC)
PAUL: All right. Let's travel into the political arena together, shall we? A possible boost for Newt Gingrich in the presidential race. Joining Gingrich on stage in West Palm Beach, Florida, last night was Herman Cain. He came to Florida to throw his support behind the former speaker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hereby officially and enthusiastically endorse Newt Gingrich for president of the United States!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Cain went on to say that backing Gingrich had been in his heart for a long time. Here's how he explained his thinking to our Don Lemon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAIN (via telephone): In some instances, endorsements may not make a difference. But I don't endorse based upon where somebody stands in polls. I make my endorsement based upon my belief in this individual as one of the people still in the primary process that I happen to believe embraced most of the ideals and most of the ideologies that I represented.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: We're going to talk more about that endorsement and what it could mean to the Florida race. That's coming up in about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile I want to let you know about something going on in the Rick Santorum camp. Some sad news here right now. He's canceled all his campaign events so he can be by his daughter's bedside in the hospital. Three-year-old Bella Santorum was admitted to children's hospital in Philadelphia last night.
Now, the Santorums aren't really saying why. We do Bella Santorum suffers from a genetic defect called Trisomy 18. Only around half of all; the children with Trisomy 18 survive past the first week of life. And she is 3-years-old. Look at that sweet little thing there.
Certainly, our thoughts are with that family today.
Well, the clock is certainly ticking, isn't it, as the candidates get ready to take their last shots before Tuesday's primary in Florida? CNN political reporter Peter Hamby has more on what the frontrunners candidates are doing today to get the word out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: The two Republican frontrunners, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, are blitzing the state. Romney is visiting Naples and Pompano Beach, in an appeal to seniors and elderly. He's also going to visit the Miami area to try to shore up support among Hispanics, a group that he lost badly to John McCain in the 2008 Florida primary.
Newt Gingrich, meanwhile, is trying to shore up support among conservatives. He is running to Romney's right. He is hitting two Baptists churches today as he tries to appeal to evangelicals. He's also going to visit the Villages, a sprawling retirement community near Orlando.
All of this is unfolding amid a blitz of negative TV ads. The Romney campaign is running most of them. They think that if they deliver one more knockout blow against Gingrich, that will get them the nomination.
But Gingrich is brushing all that aside. He said yesterday that he is in this race all the way until the convention in Tampa this fall.
In Plantation, Florida, Peter Hamby, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: I want to give you a program reminder here, too. Keep it here on CNN for the Florida primary on Tuesday night. Our special coverage begins at 6:00 Eastern.
So, maybe a little bumpy for a couple of the candidates maybe there in Florida. But meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is looking at the weather map.
And I understand the Florida map is a little dicey, too, today, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.
South Florida could see scattered showers and thunderstorms. Out to the West, the story is very different. Not rain but very dry conditions. And with that, the red flag warnings -- fire dangers a prospect in southern California. But for the Great Lakes to the Ohio Valley, it's all snow.
We'll let you know how much coming up in just a few minutes.
PAUL: Excellent. Thank you.
When Mitt Romney talks education, he keeps mentioning a certain Florida school. But how did Full Sail University make the stump speech? We're going to follow the money trail a little later this hour.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
PAUL: That and prayers, tears, and deep emotion at Etta James' funeral. Christina Aguilera singing "At Last," beautifully, as you all sees, in tribute to the music legend. We're going to bring you some of the other unforgettable moments.
Stay close.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: All right. What's happening cross country?
Well, let's start you off in Gardenia, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL (voice-over): About 300 mourners attended the funeral of Etta James. Reverend Al Sharpton presided, and musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera paid tribute to the legendary singer.
But it was James' son that really struck a cord.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to say right now, mama, I love you. Lord, have mercy.
PAUL: James died earlier this month of complications from leukemia. She was 73.
In Pottstown, Pennsylvania, starting Monday a middle school is banning students from wearing boots with fur to class. School administrators say students having been tugging their cell phone inside their ugg style boots. Cell phones aren't allowed. Students can wear the boots to school. Just not to class.
And some fun news from Dighton, Massachusetts. As part of Super Bowl week, some wounded warriors in the area will be playing flag football with current and former NFLers. The event is part of the Wounded Warrior Project. The game will take place Wednesday in Indianapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: Well, meanwhile, thousands of people in Maryland went for a dip in the cold waters of the Chesapeake Bay. It's the annual polar bear plunge charity event sponsored by Maryland state police to support Special Olympics.
Last year's event raised nearly $3 million. You go, people, as you jump. No word yet on how much organizers pulled in this year.
But I love this picture. I keep saying it, Reynolds, but I can't help it. It's like a mad dash. They're getting in, you see them -- they're all getting out. They're clashing trying to get from one end to the other end passing each other by.
WOLF: To be honest, I wonder if even polar bears would do that. I mean, seriously. I mean, if the polar bears had their druthers, would they rather swim in the Arctic Ocean or they'd rather in, you know, off of St. John in the Virgin Islands.
PAUL: But good people. You know, they have a purpose.
WOLF: Absolutely. A wonderful cause, no question about it.
The cause for some of the delays we're going to se around the country is going to be very easy. It's going to be due to the snow we're going to see across parts of the Great Lakes, in Chicago and in Detroit and in Cleveland. There you go, delays just under an hour because we're not expecting a great deal of snow. Light dusting at best.
In Miami, the situation is going to be the showers. Maybe a thunder boom or two. That's going to give you some delays there also.
Snow very easy to see in Milwaukee. Our friends are tuning from there. You're seeing it this morning from Madison. It's about to leave the campus of the University of Wisconsin.
In Chicago, kind of hit or miss for the time being. When you get South, you're going to see a little bit of that warmer air which will result in not snow but a little bit of sleet mixed in with snowfall.
Now, let's show you what we can expect as we go from Sunday and fast forward into Monday, that one frontal boundaries moves through, the cold front. Warm front towards the west. And right along that boundary, you're going to see the contrast of warmer air in places like Omaha and Kansas City. But ahead of it, still some cold air -- cold enough to bring another round of snow showers to Green Bay.
Now, in terms of the wind, it is still roaring for you in the northern Rockies. Gusts up to 75 miles an hour, that is the equivalent of a tropical storm or rather category 1 hurricane. It's going to be the situation for a good part of today and also into tomorrow.
And into southern California, not only for southern California, from Los Angeles to spots like San Diego, even along parts of the Gulf Coast, we've got very, very low humidity with wind gusts that may get around to 45 miles an hour. That's your red flag warnings. So, that's certainly something to watch out for.
As we wrap things up, beautiful, pure bliss across the Great Basin. High pressure, giving you plenty of sunshine. Scattered showers along the Pacific Northwest. And the higher elevations in the Cascades, not rain, but snow. And then across the Great Lakes, as we mentioned, you can expect the scattered snow showers there.
The high in Chicago, 33 degrees; 44 in New York and Boston; 57 in Atlanta; 79 or rather 78 degrees in Miami. To be honest, if we get scattered showers, I doubt it's going to be that warm, 53 degrees in Albuquerque, 66 in San Francisco, and 48 in Seattle, and copy cat, Portland. How about that?
Back to you.
PAUL: All right. I just love the pure bliss part. We'll take it when we can get it.
WOLF: It should be nice.
PAUL: Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
PAUL: U.S. troops are out of Iraq now, of course. But for many who were injured on the front lines, the battle to heal is still continuing at home.
Retired Army Captain Matthew Staton was injured in Iraq in 2004. It didn't keep him from taking part in the Wounded Warriors ski weekend last year. This year he's back on the slopes as an instructor.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM BROWN, WINTERGREEN ADAPTIVE SPORTS: This is the eighth annual Wounded Warrior event at Wintergreen. The objective is to help these Wounded Warriors learn what's even possible in their lives. Many of them have sustained horrific injuries. And they're not sure what they can do.
We want to show them that skiing can be a part of their life. So we like to say that this is all about discovering new possibilities.
MATTHEW STATON, WOUNDED IN IRAQ: Last year, I was here as an actual Wounded Warrior. I was one of the soldiers or veterans here taking ski instruction from the staff and having a good time. This career, I'm back on staff as an instructor, assistant instructor this year, and working and really enjoying it.
ROBERT LEE SKALITSKY, WOUNDED IN AFGHANISTAN: I'm very much into any kind of recovery, you know, something that's going to help my brain. Anything that stimulates this is good. It keeps my mind off of other things. So, yes. I was invited and I said, yes, you know, I'm going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get the enjoyment out of it, for me, being able to get back out and do things like this outdoors. But at the same time, I get to show my peers who are here for maybe the first time that, hey, you can be seriously injured and come back out here and do this. Yes, it may take a little modified technique, but we're going to -- we're going to get you down the hill safely and you're going to have fun.
SKALITSKY: So, they've got me rigged up in this bike ski with the side riggers and the hand riggers. And I'm going to have people tethering, right? No, I really wasn't, wait up.
So, I know I'm not going down. I got five people with me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a bond that most civilians can't relate to. I may not have personally experienced every exact moment that they have through their recovery process or their exact injuries, but at the same time, we share that bond of we went down range and we've done our duty and we paid with blood but we're not going to trade it for a single day in the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: That is some inspiration. And thank you to all of those men and women who do this for us every day.
Now, there are die hard football fans, we know. And then there's this woman. She's postponing her own wedding for the Super Bowl. Why the sudden change of heart, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: All right. Let's talk sports with the one and only HLN's Joe Carter. All right. Before we get to next Sunday's game, though, we need to talk about Tiger Woods.
JOE CARTER, HLN: Yes.
PAUL: He's in the news.
CARTER: Yes.
PAUL: He's doing well?
CARTER: Well, he played pretty well, yeah. I mean, all things considered, it's definitely better than he played this time last year.
PAUL: Right.
CARTER: He's in a tournament in Abu Dhabi. He just wrapped there because there, it's about nine hours ahead of us. So, he just finished the final round about 20 minutes ago. And he finished tied for third place, two shots back.
Now, keep this mind -- two months ago, against an 18-man field in California, he finished first place. That was impressive. This weekend, he played against some of the best players in the world on the European Tour. And through three rounds going into today's final round, he was actually tied for the lead. But a couple of early bogeys, as they always do, really killed him.
He only had two bogeys going into today's final round. He had three early. He did show if you look at his overall body of work signs of consistency which is really bad for the rest of the field.
Now, finishing in third place is going to pay very well for the tournament. According to the Golf Channel, he got paid even better just for showing up. He got between $1.7 million and $2.7 million as an appearance fee.
PAUL: Are you kidding? At this event?
CARTER: In Abu Dhabi. They really wanted him there.
PAUL: Really?
CARTER: OK. No problem.
PAUL: So, would you say no? Come on.
CARTER: Exactly. Tied for third, two shots back of the winner, Robert Rock, the Englishman.
So, we got the Super Bowl coming up Sunday. People in and around the Indianapolis area are like, you know what? I'm going to cash in on this opportunity. They're actually renting their house for thousands of dollars to Super Bowl visitors.
Now, this house, it's pretty nice, about 2,200 square feet. It's got nice appliances. Obviously, nice furniture. Looks very comfortable. They're renting this house for $1,500 a night. And as a perk, they're throwing in their vehicle.
PAUL: Oh, my goodness! Don't you wonder where are they going?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know anyone that's done anything like this. So, it's just winner (ph).
JEFF BUCKLEY, RENTING FOR SUPER BOWL: We pretty much placed it in a price range of $1,000 to $1,500 a day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: The first thing that comes to mind is wet carpet, crayons on the walls, backed up toilets. The number of problems that can occur with letting anyone in for a short amount of time like that is just risky.
PAUL: Because you know it's a party time, too. Yes, you're right. When you said wet carpet, I wasn't sure where you were going with that. But now, I get it.
CARTER: So, final story here, again, big game coming up next Sunday -- Super Bowl Sunday. This woman, Sandy Jones, was set to get married next Saturday. So, the day before the Super Bowl. But then her brother calls and says, hey, I got some Super Bowl tickets.
She's a huge Patriots fan. She's also a huge Peyton Manning fan. So, she's going to the house that basically Peyton built to watch the Patriots play.
So, of course, she said, we're pushing this wedding back to late February -- definitely a dedicated fan. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDY JONES, POSTPONED WEDDING FOR SUPER BOWL: After the Patriots won, I got a text from S.J saying, are you ready for Indy? Let's roll. So, it is my 50th birthday present from him. And that's how I'm getting to go to the Super Bowl.
Now we're going to do it later in the month. And I'll get to go to the Super Bowl and have a honeymoon all at the same time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: Because nothing says honeymoon like Indianapolis in January.
PAUL: Good point. You know what? They're clearly made for each other. Because he knew what she wanted.
CARTER: Yes, he let her go.
PAUL: Yes, he let her go. That's right. Thank you, Joe.
CARTER: You bet. Good to see you.
PAUL: Sure. You, too, as always.
Hey, have you heard this? Newt Gingrich has a new theme song.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
PAUL: How did the former speaker of the House get a couple young rappers to give him a hand? Yes, we'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Well, Newt Gingrich may have a secret weapon to reach younger voters. And this might be it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAP MUSIC: Hoot! Hoot, hoot! Hey, everybody, vote for Newt! Yeah! N to the E to the W-T. Newt Gingrich takin' over these streets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: And listen to this. It's called "Hoot Newt." The song played before a Gingrich event in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The mother of one of the teens who did the song works for the Gingrich campaign. And Gingrich didn't hear the song at the time, but the teens were able to kind of slip him a CD of "Hoot Newt." You know you can find it on the web now, too.
We're just two days away from the Florida primary. Florida famously moved up their primary to January 31st so they'd have a bigger say in the Republican presidential race. Well, they can't be disappointed. Will the Florida vote really be that decisive, though?
Joining me now is Patricia Murphy, founder and editor of "Citizen Jane Politics" and contributor for "The Daily Beast."
So, let me ask you -- is Florida really a game changer this time around?
PATRICIA MURPHY, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: Florida is huge this time around. And they got in a lot of trouble with the Republican Party when they decided to move their primary up from March to late in January. Three other states had to change their calendars. They had to redo all of their ballots.
But Florida really played it perfectly, because now we've never seen this before where we've had three separate people win the first three separate contests. And now, Florida could really be the tie breaker. It doesn't mean you're going to win the nomination coming out of Florida, but we have a little quiet phase coming out of Florida.
So, every candidate wants the momentum coming out of Florida to rule into Super Tuesday which is a month from now.
PAUL: Well, I know Newt Gingrich was hoping this was going to give him momentum yesterday when Herman Cain came out and gave him the endorsement.
Do you really think that Cain's endorsement is going to be a spring board for him?
MURPHY: I think it could have been a spring board a week ago when Floridians started voting. But this comes a little late in the process, about half a million Floridians have already requested their early and absentee ballots and have already voted. So, if they were going to be influenced by Herman Cain, it's too late for them.
Newt Gingrich wanted this endorsement. He's glad he got this endorsement. But getting it late on a Saturday night, two days before the Florida primary is not exactly when he wanted it. He wanted it sooner.
PAUL: I know that the Latino vote is blaring, obviously, on the radar in Florida.
MURPHY: Yes.
PAUL: So, I'm wondering how you think that's going to play out. Here's what candidates are saying specifically about it as they try to talk about it and let people know, hey, we're paying attention to you, the Latino community. Here you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That we are very committed to having every American of every background come together. I talk about inclusion rather than outreach. And I remind people outreach is when five white guys hold a meeting and then, call you.
Inclusion is when you're part of that process. We are working with the Hispanic community across the country to develop policies and issues.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are not anti- immigrant. We are not anti-immigration. We are the pro-immigration, pro-legality, pro-citizenship nation and party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: All right. Amongst the candidates, who do you think has an advantage here in that arena?
(CROSSTALK)
MURPHY: We already -- we already know who has an advantage because of these early ballots. And it looks like Mitt Romney has the advantage. He actually has a 20-point advantage over Newt Gingrich.
PAUL: That's big.
MURPHY: It's big -- it's very big. And this is when Mitt Romney's money really starts to make a difference. He has -- he was the first person to start advertising in Florida, advertising in Spanish. And he has a huge field operation that has been getting out into the Latino community for months and months and months.
So he put in a lot of early work with the Latino community and it's really paying off for him right now.
PAUL: So you think that those early TV ads that he placed really helped primarily at this point, too, not just with Latinos but with those voters who cast early ballots?
MURPHY: Absolutely.
PAUL: Is there any way Gingrich can make up, you know, save some face and make up any of that gain?
MURPHY: He can make up some of that game. And you know these polls are so up and down. There are still an enormous number of undecided voters in Florida. He can make up some of that game. But more people -- a little fun fact -- more people have already voted in Florida than the entire state of New Hampshire and the entire state of Iowa.
PAUL: Wow.
MURPHY: So those votes are already in the bag. Newt Gingrich is going to do as much as he can to catch up with Mitt Romney. But those voters -- he didn't get that bounce. He didn't get the South Carolina bounce with these early voters. So he's going to try and do everything he can. He is behind in the polls but he is not out of this race no matter what happens in Florida. He is going on and on and on. This will be a very long primary battle. PAUL: All right. Yes. Hey, Patricia Murphy, thank you so much for your perspective.
MURPHY: Yes. Thanks for having me. Thank you.
PAUL: Yes, and I want to give you a programming reminder here. Keep it here on CNN for the Florida primary Tuesday night. Our special coverage begins at 6:00 Eastern.
You know, when you think about religion, humor and laughs probably aren't the first things that come to mind. Next, though, the man known as Stephen Colbert's chaplain shares his favorite one-liner from the Bible.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Up and at them, 33 minutes past the hour right now. I'm so glad to have your company.
Occupy Oakland protesters plan to rally again today despite violent clashes with police last night. Police say protesters broke into the Oakland city hall. They damaged displays, burned an American flag. Around 200 protesters were arrested.
And I know a lot of you have been watching this. I have, too, in Maine. Police say they now have found blood in the basement of a missing toddler's home. They're not sure yet whose blood it is. Ayla Reynolds' father reported the 20-month-old missing on December 17th. Police say accounts from adults in the house do not pass, quote, "the straight face test".
And a top level delegation to the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has arrived in Tehran. Tensions have risen over Iran's nuclear program with the U.S. and European Union imposing sanctions and Iran is threatening to close a key oil waterway in retaliation there -- Strait of Hormuz.
Do you ever wonder, did Jesus have a sense of humor? My husband always says yes. But laughter and religion are topics Father Jim Martin is very familiar with. He's the culture editor of "America Magazine" and is known to many television viewers as Stephen Colbert's chaplain as a result of his regular appearances on "The Colbert Report".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATHER JIM MARTIN, CULTURE EDITOR, AMERICA MAGAZINE: Someone once asked Pope John XXIII, "How many people work in the Vatican your Holiness?" And he said, "About half."
Hi I'm Father Jim Martin, and I'm Jesuit Priest, the culture editor of "America Magazine." And among my other ministries I am the official chaplain to "The Colbert Nation".
STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: What is God's job?
MARTIN: Sustaining the universe.
COLBERT: Can we judge him?
MARTIN: No.
I'm also the author of the new book "Between Heaven and Mirth". Why joy, humor and laughter are at the heart of the spiritual life.
Why don't we see more images of Jesus being joyful? Well, I think -- one of the reasons for that is that the gospel writers really had to concentrate on the passion and death and resurrection of Jesus to explain it to its followers because the idea that Jesus would have died and then crucified you know made no sense.
The problem is that that sort of overwhelms the rest of his story, you know, which is one of joy. There are two, however, I know. There's Jesus laughing which is a kind of 1970s picture you see around and the risen Christ by the sea. Neither of these are kind of great artists, not Caravaggio or Michelangelo but at least it's a start.
There's a great story of -- of an Apostle called Nathaniel who is told that Jesus is from Nazareth. And Nathaniel says in a great sort of offhand line can anything good come from Nazareth. And that's a little bit of a diss about Jesus' hometown which is kind of seen as a backwater.
And I think it show three things, number one Nathaniel has a sense of humor. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Number two the Gospel writer has a sense of humor. He preserves that story so we can laugh about it 2,000 years later.
And Jesus has a sense of humor. Because what would you imagine the dour or grumpy, gloomy depressed Jesus say? He would say don't make fun of my hometown. Instead he says, now there's a guy I can trust. And Nathaniel is invited to join the apostles. So that's my favorite one liner in the New Testament.
Pope John Paul had a great sense of humor. There's a story that Archbishop Timothy Dolan, another funny guy, told me recently on his radio show. He said that he went in to see Pope John Paul during one of his visits and Archbishop Dolan is a big guy and he went up to him as the Archbishop of Milwaukee and said, "Your holiness, I have good news to tell you. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is growing." And John Paul said, "So is the archbishop".
There's humor in religion and then there's humor about religion. I think making fun of another person's religion is kind of out of bounds. I also think making fun of religion in general can be very dicey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky.
MARTIN: Some religious humor is out of the idea that, you know, God doesn't exist or religion is always and everywhere evil. Obviously I don't believe either of those two things. However, you know a lot of religions do things that invite humor and invite people to poke fun at them. So I think religious people need to take themselves a little less seriously and maybe be a little more thick skinned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Good advise there. For more on what Father Martin has to say about religion and humor just go to our belief blog. It's at CNN.com/belief. And you can share your thoughts there as well.
Well, Florida's Republican primary two days away now. Ron Paul is skipping the state this weekend. Candy Crowley tells us where he's spending his campaign time, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley coming up right here at the top of the hour. Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is on their show today. Candy joins us now with a preview. Hi, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Hey, Christi. Good morning.
PAUL: Good morning.
So I'm wondering, why is Paul skipping Florida this weekend to be in Maine and what is he gaining in order to do so?
CROWLEY: He's gaining some time and he's gaining a leg up in Maine. Listen, Florida is winner take all. So whoever wins Florida statewide is taking 50 delegates toward winning the nomination. Ron Paul doesn't have the money to compete with Romney. He doesn't have the money to compete with Gingrich. Was not going to win the state of Florida; he looked at it as wasted time.
Why Maine? Maine has caucuses. And that's where you're going to see Ron Paul point his attention towards these caucus states. Colorado. That's where Ron Paul will be on Florida primary day. Because in those caucuses, which require a time commitment from voters, you go into a caucus and you talk politics. It's not as simple as pulling a lever.
So Ron Paul is betting that in those caucuses, he can pick up delegates because he has, one could certainly argue, some of the most passionate, devoted followers. The kinds of people who do show up and spend some time, invest some time in a caucus. So that's where he thinks his best chances are.
So he gains a little leg up in Maine while everybody's down in Florida and he looks ahead to those other caucus states to try to pick up delegates in the way that he thinks best suits the kind of voters that have been flocking to the poll campaign.
PAUL: All right. Well Herman Cain of course officially endorsing Gingrich. Sarah Palin sings his praises. Do you think any of this is going to spring board him?
CROWLEY: It's -- it's difficult to know. Listen, Tea Party voters in Florida were instrumental in electing Governor Rick Scott. They certainly are a force down there that would be -- the Tea Party voters who had backed Herman Cain earlier. Certainly Sarah Palin still holds considerable sway in the conservative side of the party.
But what we are seeing certainly in the poll numbers is a widening gap. Mitt Romney seems to have picked up some steam in Florida. I'm not huge on thinking that endorsements make that much difference. Maybe it puts somebody into the headlines saying, oh, Newt Gingrich got Herman Cain's endorsement. We're talking about it here.
So it puts the name out there of the candidate. I don't know that the endorsement per se of anybody for any candidate actually moves that many voters.
PAUL: Actually influences anyone. All right. Candy, thank you so much. I always love getting your perspective.
CROWLEY: Thank you.
PAUL: Sure.
Keep it here too for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. It starts in just about 15, 16 minutes at 9:00 a.m. Eastern; 6:00 a.m., of course, Pacific.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: So I'm wondering what you think about this. Should students and teachers be friends on Facebook? This is a debate that's getting louder and louder as more teachers and students join social media and as schools scramble to try to define their policies on it.
We're looking into this with CNN Student News anchor Carl Azuz. Let me ask you first and foremost Carl, why would a teacher want to be a friend with a student?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Well, a lot of teachers, they view it as a teaching tool and a relatively new one at that because when you and I were in school, let's say four years ago, Facebook wasn't utilized to the extent that it is now.
PAUL: Right. It didn't exist when I was in high school.
AZUZ: Shhh, shhh -- we're not telling about that. But, you know, a lot of teachers say, look, this is a way for me to engage students who won't raise their hands in class. I can talk to students via Twitter. Some teachers use Facebook so they can answer students' homework questions or to remind them, hey, just because today's a snow day doesn't mean you don't get to do your homework.
So a lot of teachers are saying this is a great thing. This is a tool we use in the classroom. Of course, it comes with downsides. What happens if a friend of the teacher who's not part of the school system posts a picture of that teacher maybe in a sexual situation or with alcohol that might violate a school policy.
And then police say there have been a couple of abuse cases -- sexual abuse cases between teachers and students that started with inappropriate electronic communication.
PAUL: Well, and when we talk about that -- we talk about that on the news. We have stories about some of these lines that have been crossed.
AZUZ: Oh, yes.
PAUL: What have states and districts done to try to give this some definition?
AZUZ: It's interesting that you mention definition specifically. Because last year the state of Missouri tried to put this law in place that would effectively ban electronic communications between teachers and students. Now, they pulled back from that law. But Missouri is one of at least 12 states that have directed its school systems to come up with some sort of social media policy defining what's appropriate between teachers and students so that teachers, students and, of course, parents know what's allowed and what's encouraged.
PAUL: What arguments have you heard from teachers specifically? Would students even want to be friends with their teachers on Facebook or some other social media?
AZUZ: You know, there's somebody who brought up confusion over why a teacher would want to be a friend with a student as you'll see in a moment. But, you know, we've got some comments for you this morning from CNN's New Schools of Thought blog; it's at cnn.com/schoolsofthought.
And the first one comes to us from Kay M, who's a teacher, saying, of course, you have possibilities for an inappropriate relationship; might cause ethical concerns. Listen to this.
She says "You see a picture on Facebook of a student drinking -- this goes both ways. What if a student's drinking or doing something illegal, does the teacher -- is the teacher then compelled to report it or act on it?"
Mamacita says on the other side, her students use all kinds of social networking. A teacher needs to help a student in whatever ways necessary using whatever means are within reach.
R.J. says, look, this world is changing. Teachers have to change with it or be left behind.
And then of course, there was one more comment from Bleak 81 where the person said kids post all sorts of garbage on Facebook. Why would adults want to be friends with them?
PAUL: Boy, something to talk about. Carl Azuz, thank you so much --
AZUZ: Thank you Christie.
PAUL: -- for bringing that up with us here.
And let me ask you this one. Should businesses be doing more in their communities to help the struggling U.S. economy get back on track? CNN's chief business correspondent Ali Velshi takes a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Two weeks ago, we began focusing on capitalism on trial here in this country. And on that show Arianna Huffington said one of the biggest problems with American capitalism was that the interests of business are misaligned with our social values. She also suggested that if we want the best ideas to fix the U.S. economy, we should speak to Roger Martin. He's a dean at the University of Toronto, Rothman School of Management. He's also the author of "Fixing the Game: Bubbles, crashes and what capitalism can learn from the NFL".
He joins us now. Roger, you say businesses have focused on maximizing shareholder value at the expense of their products and of their customers. Now, why do you think customers (SIC) should be focusing on their communities as well as their shareholders?
ROGER MARTIN, DEAN, ROTHMAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, UNIV. OF TORONTO: Well, I think those are the things that make a company succeed long term. And if they succeed long term in serving their customers well, being good to their employees and their communities, the shareholders will do just fine. But if they focus on the shareholders without thinking about the customers or their communities or employees, then shareholders won't do very well.
VELSHI: How far do you go with this? The issue right now in the United States is this competition between Washington and businesses about whose responsibility it is to be hiring people. To bring jobs back to America. To open factories. Is that a company's responsibility?
MARTIN: Well, I think the company's responsibility is to produce great products and services that get them customers. The great management guru Peter Drucker said the first job of a company is to acquire and keep a customer. And I think if they were doing that and focusing on that then the jobs would follow. They need to have employees to be able to do more of that.
VELSHI: All right. CNN Money's Poppy Harlow was in Davos for the week for the World Economic Forum. And she had a chance to speak to Cisco CEO John Chambers about this idea of aligning business goals with social responsibility. Here's what he said.
JOHN CHAMBERS, CEO, CISCO: You've got to be a company successful with your shareholders but you've also got to create jobs and give back. That's something I am deeply committed to and I think it's something that all American corporations have to do a better job of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: All right. Mitt Romney's educational message; is it shaped by his campaign donors? We're going to follow that money trail in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: Well, following the money on the campaign trail. Do donations change a candidate's message? Questions may be surrounding Mitt Romney right now and our Gary Tuchman takes a look at it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Encounters between candidates and voters are usually routine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you mean enough to take on Obama? And I know you are.
TUCHMAN: But once in a while, the encounters raise questions. Like when Mitt Romney was asked back in September about the cost of education.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, yes. You know Full Sail? You know Full Sail University in Orlando?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
TUCHMAN: What is Full Sail University? And why is Romney talking about it?
A week later --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to know what you would do to make higher education more affordable and thus more accessible to young people
ROMNEY: I was at one school called Full Sail University. It's in Florida. And they don't have summer vacation. They have you go right straight through from beginning to end so you can get through faster. And you can be working faster. There are things -- it's a for-profit institution, this Full Sail University is. They're trying to think about how to make it more affordable. We ought to do that. We ought to be thinking about that.
TUCHMAN: Once again, a shout out for Full Sail University; a school in Winter Park, Florida that specializes in media and entertainment. While it has top notch facilities and successful alumni it costs far more than many college options.
(on camera): What Mitt Romney did not say during his shout out was that the CEO of Full Sail University is a major donor to his campaign. (voice-over): James Bill Heavener has given the maximum $2,500 to Romney's campaign. So has his wife. But it's not only money he's donating. He's donating a considerable amount of time as a co- chairman of Romney's Florida finance team. In a written statement Heavener told us, "I believe Governor Romney is the best candidate for what America needs at this time. We have 25 million people out of work and I believe with his experience that he can get America back to work."
I asked Governor Romney about the school at a rally in Tampa.
(on camera): Why do you praise Full Sail University? Why did you single them out?
ROMNEY: I got a chance to tour the university. I was very impressed with the work they do.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): I then asked if Heavener's donation and loyalty had anything to do with his mentioning of Full Sail?
"No way", he says.
ROMNEY: Can you imagine $2,500 affecting what you're going to say.
TUCHMAN: The $2,500 is not the only money Heavener has donated. He's also given $45,000 to the super PAC that supports Romney.
Romney like all the candidates is not allowed to coordinate Super PACs. Gary Jones the president of Full Sail University; he says Romney visited the school and met with him this past summer.
(on camera): Is Full Sail endorsing Mitt Romney for president?
GARY JONES, PRESIDENT, FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY: No. Full Sail is not.
TUCHMAN: And so Full Sail does not take a position on the presidential election?
JONES: Correct.
TUCHMAN: So if an employee wants to donate to Barack Obama's campaign, that's ok?
JONES: Absolutely.
TUCHMAN: Or to Rick Santorum's campaign?
JONES: Sure. To anybody's campaign, yes. That would be the individual's right.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): But still, back in September with all the for-profit schools out there, why did Governor Romney single out Full Sail?
ROMNEY: I mentioned others as well, like the University of Phoenix and others.
TUCHMAN: Indeed, just a few weeks ago Mitt Romney did mention University of Phoenix and others.
ROMNEY: I know some hate the idea of these for-profit universities like University of Phoenix and Full Sail and others. I like the competition.
TUCHMAN: But once again he mentioned Full Sail. A school that all agree, Mitt Romney has sure taken a liking to.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Winter Haven, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: STATE OF THE UNION with Candy Crowley starts right now. Her guests: Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, Florida Governor Rick Scott, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Go out there and make some great memories and stay close. She's up with you next.
