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CNN Saturday Morning News
New Hampshire Primary; Santorum States His Case; Homework Assignment Outrage; Teen Back Home with Family
Aired January 07, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's January 7th. Good morning. I'm Gary Tuchman.
An American teenager who was mistakenly deported is now back on U.S. soil. We'll tell you how the 15-year-old Dallas girl ended up in Colombia and how she was located.
Plus, we all imagine winning the lottery. But what if you really do win, but then your winning check bounces?
And, it's a new year. Gas prices going up and so much more. We'll give you a complete list of what you can expect to pay more for in 2012.
ANNOUNCER: From CNN's world headquarters, bringing you news an analysis from across the nation and around the globe, live from Studio 7, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
TUCHMAN: One teenager's stunning saga has ended with her return to the United States. This is exclusive video of Jakadrien Turner arriving at the airport in Dallas. She spent most of the past year in Colombia after being deported by the U.S. government. The problem is, she isn't Colombian. These an American teenager who ran away from home. After a shoplifting arrested in Houston, convinced American and Colombian officials that her name was Tika Cortez, a 21-year-old illegal immigrant. Her family wants answers from the federal government, but right now they're just happy to have her home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY JACKSON, TURNER FAMILY ATTORNEY: They want their daughter to be able to get some rest. They want to reunite the family. That's the purpose of this day. They're very happy that we were able to get them home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: What a story. Federal immigration officials are investigating. We'll have much more a little later in the show on the situation, including how her family finally found her.
Well, a two-ship convoy is making a first of its kind journey through the ice to Nome, Alaska, right now. An American ice breaking ship is leading way for a Russian fuel tanker. Bad weather cancelled a similar fuel shipment to Nome last fall. This is the first time fuel's been taken through ice-covered waters to western Alaska. Check out this video from the U.S. Navy. It shows 13 Iranian fishermen being held hostage by suspected pirates. An American destroyer rescued the men in the North Arabian Sea. The Iranians had been held for more than 40 days. Fifteen suspected pirates are now being held by the U.S. Navy. The Navy men are the hero.
Penn State is ready to introduce its permanent replacement for legendary coach Joe Paterno. It's New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. The official announcement expected this afternoon. You'll remember that Paterno was dismissed in the middle of a sex abuse scandal surrounding former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. He had been the head coach since the 1960s.
Well, it looks like we'll have to wait until at least Wednesday to hear a plea from Joran van der Sloot. He was expected to plead guilty to murder in the death of a 21-year-old woman in Peru. But instead, van der Sloot asked the judge for more time to consider this plea. You may remember that van der Sloot was also a suspect in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway back in 2005.
To politics now. The Iowa caucuses in the rearview mirror. That means it's time for New Hampshire. The New Hampshire primary, Tuesday. CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser previews al the action.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, good morning, Gary.
Three days to go until the big primary here and all of the major presidential candidates will be right here in New Hampshire for two debates this weekend. That's right, we've got one tonight and another one tomorrow morning.
So where do things stand in the battle for the grand state? Check this out. A brand new poll from WMUR and the University of New Hampshire. There at the top, a familiar figure in this state, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He's been the front-runner in all the polls here in New Hampshire going back for about two years now. You can see in this survey, Ron Paul, the congressman from Texas, is at 20 percent. And everybody else in single digits.
Now, when the debate is over tomorrow, you're going to see two of the candidates peel off and go down to South Carolina. That state holds its primary on January 21st. It's the third contest in the primary caucus calendar.
So, where do things stand in South Carolina? Take a look at this brand new CNN/"Time"/ORC poll that we just put out yesterday. And look at this. This is a surprise. Mitt Romney now on top in South Carolina. That's a big switch from about a month ago. Romney's surging in South Carolina. You can see Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, at 19 percent. His numbers also jumping in South Carolina. And Newt Gingrich at 18 percent. His numbers have plummeted over the last month in the palmetto state. Ron Paul at 12 percent. Everybody else in single digits.
That's where things stand in South Carolina and in New Hampshire.
Gary, back to you.
TUCHMAN: Paul, thank you.
The candidates aren't resting their voices in preparation for tonight's debate. They're on the trail all over New Hampshire. Mitt Romney is the first out of the gate with a rally in Derry, New Hampshire, about two hours from now. But Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum will be the busiest today. They've got a combined seven events. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, one each. Be sure to stick with CNN for complete coverage from the campaign trail all day today.
Well, meteorologist Alexandra Steele is in for Reynolds Wolf this weekend.
Alexandra.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning to you.
All right, we've talked so much about the record heat this past week. Eleven hundred records broken, of course, because of all this heat. But where's the heat today and through the weekend? We'll talk about it. You can see it's in the southeast. Is there rain on the way? Much more. And where will we see the cold and when will we see the snow? All that's coming up, Gary, in just a little bit.
TUCHMAN: OK. We'll wait and see, Alexandra.
You, you've been to the gas station lately? Then you know it's costing you more to fill up your car. But wait until you hear the prediction for the summer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: A little U2, their great song, "Beautiful Day," and Washington, D.C., because it is going to be a beautiful day. Unseasonably warm in the nation's capital and all over the Northeast here on January 7th. Wonderful news, I think. Warm winter in much of the country.
It's now seven minutes past the hour. Meteorologist Alexandra Steele, she's in for Reynolds Wolf to check our weekend weather forecast.
And, Alexandra, it's been a warm winter, hasn't it?
STEELE: Oh, unseasonably warm. You know, last week alone, 1,100 records around the country. And places like Minnesota had highness in the 60s since records began for the first time in history. So, really, notably warm.
So where's the heat and where's it going? Well, here's what we saw yesterday where all this heat was, from Minnesota down through Wichita and all the way south. Temperatures there, 15 to 25 degrees above average.
We're watching this cold front, although I use that term loosely because not a lot of cold air behind this. Cooler air coming down, but certainly not record cool by any means. And barely even climatologically average.
But ahead of it, Boston, Washington, all the way down through the mid- Atlantic and into the deep South, temperatures there today still holding on to 15 to 25 degrees above average. So the warmth is still on.
A little caveat, though, here in the Southeast. From Charlotte to Atlanta, to Memphis, New Orleans, we have some moisture coming in. You can see on these surface winds coming up from the Gulf. So warm air, yes, but clouds and a few showers. Not a total washout by any mean, but a few rain showers.
Here we've got some windy conditions in the Midwest. We will see some winds coming in. Maybe a little bit of lake-effect snow coming in, but very little. High pressure in control. High and dry through the Plains. Beautiful conditions, though, along the West Coast. Sunny skies. Gorgeous conditions from Phoenix all the way to Los Angeles. Enjoy the weather today in the Northwest. Some clouds and rain coming in tomorrow.
So, in terms of some temperatures, look at where we should be. You saw a beautiful, live picture this morning from Washington, D.C. How about 63 in January in Washington? You know we're a little off the mark. Fifty-three in Boston. New York seeing 56. So, incredibly mild, again, ahead of this front. Temperatures will begin to cool down, but really slightly.
There we are out west. The only places really, Gary, going to see any snow are the mountains of Colorado. So the mountaintops will get into some snow. So the Rockies are pretty good for a little bit of snow. But places like Tahoe, really barren. So, in desperate need for snow. But, you know, snow begets snow. That cold air comes over the snow and kind of aids and abets in making more. And we don't have much. So we're really not going to see much in the short term.
We'll talk more about the heat coming up in just a few moments with some really incredible numbers.
TUCHMAN: Snow begets snow. I like that, Alexandra.
STEELE: And snow begets snow. Oh, I've got lots more in my pocket, so I'll see you a little bit later.
TUCHMAN: OK. Thank you very much.
Well, just a week into the new year, gas prices are on the rise again. Look at today's average price in the U.S. $3.37 for regular unleaded. Up to $3.85 for diesel. A year ago, $3.08 for regular, $3.33 for diesel. And by summer, experts predict gasoline could hit, wait until you hear this, $4.25 a gallon. Right now Utah has the cheapest prices. The only place still below $3 a gallon.
Well, dealnews.com compiled a list of some other items that will most likely cost you more money this year. First up, airfare. American Express predicting the price for an economy seat will rise about 5 percent in 2012. Next, food prices are going up. They rose 6 percent last year on higher whole sale prices. Next, municipal fees. That's what you pay for everything from dog licenses to vehicle registration, even local police may be writing more tickets. Finally, shipping. The U.S. Postal Service will raises race nearly 5 percent this year. And FedEx and UPS expected to do the same.
But it's not all bad news. After the break, I've got a list of five items that will cost you less this year. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Before the break we showed you a list of items with prices on the rise in 2012 from dealnews.com. The good news, prices will be falling on some items this year. Take a look with me. First up, wine, vino. Retailers are slashing prices on bottles priced over $30. Next, car rentals. Don't drink wine while you're getting the car rentals. But plenty of vehicles still sitting idle on rental agency lots for deep discounts this year. Next, the iPad 2. IPad 3 is rumored to hit the store shelves this year, so watch for some price cuts on the popular iPad 2, especially refurbished models. 3-D TVs. Slow sales, coupled with new designs and more makers mean prices on these fancy TVs will plummet in 2012. And, finally, homes. With home prices falling nearly 3 percent last year, don't expect that to change in 2012. Expect prices to stay low this new year.
Former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is the latest Republican to emerge as a possible front-runner for his party's presidential nomination. But where does he stand on the issues? The good place to start, just to listen to what he's saying.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Losing by just eight votes to Mitt Romney has certainly invigorated Rick Santorum.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's going to be a rematch. And we're going to -- we're going to go to New Hampshire and take him on. And, you know, we're going to run a campaign talking about my vision for this country.
TUCHMAN: But we can already tell you quite a bit about his vision for this country. Santorum, after two terms as a congressman and two terms as a U.S. senator, has established a reputation as a conservative in every sense of the word. Just this past Sunday in Iowa, Santorum was talking about entitlement programs.
SANTORUM: I don't want to make people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.
TUCHMAN: Santorum's comment came in a state where by far most of the public aid recipients are white. Although he says he was tongue tied and didn't mean to say the word black. But he did mention the word black in another situation. It was from January of last year regarding comments President Obama made as a candidate on abortion, saying it was above his, quote, pay grade to say when a baby is entitled to human rights. SANTORUM: The question is, and this is what Barack Obama didn't want to answer, is that, is that human life a person under the Constitution? And Barack Obama says, no. Well, if that person, human life, is not a person, then I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, now we are going to decide who are people and who are not people.
TUCHMAN: Santorum received significant attention when he gave a quote to the Associated Press in 2003 about the Supreme Court and homosexuality. "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sexual within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue, yes, it does." And he continued, "in every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be." Santorum has said he wasn't equating homosexuality with all those other activities, but was trying to make a larger point about morality.
SANTORUM: I think (INAUDIBLE) Christian teaching on the subject that one can have desires to do things, which we believe are wrong, but it's when you act out those things that that is a problem. And I was simply reflecting that opinion and that belief structure that I happen to hold as a catholic.
TUCHMAN: Santorum is a staunch supporter of Vatican policy when it comes to contraception. He said this to an evangelical blog site. "One of the thing I will talk about that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country. It's not OK. It's a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be." It's a belief that may play well with many in the far right, but might be a harder sell among other conservatives.
And regarding national defense, he is certainly the antithesis of a candidate like Ron Paul. If elected as president, Santorum says he would tell the Iranians to dismantle their nuclear facilities and make them available to inspectors. And if not --
SANTORUM: We will degrade those facilities through air strikes and make it very public that we are doing that.
TUCHMAN: Many critics thought Rick Santorum's political career was over after he lost his U.S. Senate re-election in Pennsylvania by 18 percentage points. But his star is once again rising. He hopes his Iowa showing helps him broad his reach in New Hampshire and beyond.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: For all the latest on Rick Santorum's views, as well as those of all the other candidates running for president, go to cnn.com/politics.
Well, using slavery to teach a lesson about Math. Ahead, you'll hear from some parents who are outraged about their children's homework assignment.
And imagine hitting the lottery, but the check bounces. Yes, bounces. Those stories straight ahead.
But first, a new study shows which college degrees make it harder to find jobs. According to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, recent college graduates with engineering degrees have a 7.5 percent unemployment rate. Humanities and liberal arts degrees have a 9.4 percent. The third highest. We'll look at the two with the worst job prospects in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: If you're looking for a job, you may find it tougher with these college degrees. Art majors have an unemployment rate of 11.1 percent. That's according to a study by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce. Graduates with architecture degrees have the highest rate of unemployment at 13.9 percent. That's way above the national average. Lower rates of home building and other construction are to blame.
Well, good morning. It's now 21 minutes past the hour. Let's take a look at news across the country.
We will start in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Nothing ruins a robbery like a trooper in the store.
JOHN MACKINNON, MASSACHUSETTS STATE TROOPER: There was a man behind the counter. He had a hood up. It definitely didn't look right.
TUCHMAN: Massachusetts State Trooper John Mackinnon walked into the CVS when a clerk told him something strange was happening by the pharmacy.
MACKINNON: I pulled my handgun and I said, you know, let me see your hands. He turned and looked at me real quick and then he ran out. And the chase was on.
TUCHMAN: Mackinnon caught up with this man and blasted him twice in the face with pepper spray. The man now faces numerous charges after investigators say he demanded pharmacists give him painkillers.
To Newport Beach, California, and a cheating scandal at a school there. Several students at Corona del Mar High are accused of prepping for a history test by buying test materials for teachers on amazon.com. The students apparently found the book they were reading, which included questions and answers. School officials say at least one student even tried to sell the material to classmates. By the way, these test documents are not on Amazon anymore.
And in Chicago, 85 lotto winners cashed in their checks around Christmas, and they bounced. Illinois lottery officials say the checks totaling about $159,000 did not have the proper security authorization. They blame short staffing because of the holidays. But they do plan to pay the winners, plus they'll be reimbursed for any bank fees.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Some Georgia parents are outraged about their children's homework assignment. They say an elementary school used examples of slavery and beatings to teach about math. Kerry Kavanaugh with CNN affiliate WSB has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRANCE BARNETT, PARENT: I had to explain to him why daddy was upset, because of the words that were used in that problem.
KERRY KAVANAUGH, WSB/CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The problem appeared on a third grader's math assignment. Terrence Barnett was outraged when he read his son's homework. One problem said, "each tree had 56 oranges. If eight salves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?" Then there was another. "If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in one week?"
BARNETT: I'm having to explain to my 8-year-old why slavery or slaves or beatings isn't a math problem. So, that's hurts.
KAVANAUGH: Dad Christopher Braxton had the same reaction.
CHRISTOPHER BRAXTON, FATHER: It kind of blew me away. Frederick -- if anyone got any beatings, you don't put that into the homework of any source.
KAVANAUGH: Both fathers contacted the principal in Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Norcross. Then they called us. They wanted to know how these questions ended up on child's homework. I brought that question to Gwinnett School District officials.
SLOAN ROACH, SCHOOL DISTRICT SPOKESWOMAN: In this one, the teachers were trying to do a cross-curricular activity.
KAVANAUGH: Spokesperson Sloan Roach says the third grade teachers were attempting to cross curriculums, adding some social studies lessons into math problems. But the problem with these questions, there's no historical context.
ROACH: We understand that there are concerns about these questions, and we agree that these questions were not appropriate.
BRAXTON: Whoever put together this paperwork and everything else, the schools and everything, shouldn't teach it this way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: You bet there are concerns about those questions. That was WSB's Kerry Kavanaugh reporting. The school acknowledged its mistake and shredded the assignment. We want to hear from you about this. Did the school do enough to handle the situation. Tweet me @garytuchmancnn and we'll read some of your comments.
$3.50 a gallon. We've gotten used to gas prices like that. But in one country, it's leading to rights.
Plus, a teen deported to Colombia is now back home. Her family want to know why the U.S. government did not know she wasn't an illegal immigrant. Her amazing story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: It's 28 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm Gary Tuchman. Thanks for starting your day with us.
It's a nearly unbelievable scenario. A teenage runaway convinces two governments of a false identity and ends up being deported to a country she's never been to, all the while her family searches. CNN's Ed Lavandera fills us in on the latest chapter of this story, the return.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
: We're so happy and we're ready to get her home. We're happy to have her back.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The stunning and embarrassing saga involving 15-year-old Jakadrien Turner culminated Friday night here at the Dallas airport with Turner walking out of the airport, walking hand in hand with her mother and grandmother. It was her grandmother who spent months and months scouring the Internet trying to find any kind of signs of her granddaughter, who had run away from home back in November of 2010. And that was when this story all began to unravel.
When Turner was arrested in Houston, in April of last year, gave authorities the fake name of Tika Cortez, and said she was an illegal immigrant from Colombia. Essentially, the teenage runaway got herself deported and now, almost 15 months later, she is back in Dallas.
There are still a great number of questions that remain unanswered as to how she could have fooled so many people in so many different ways. And her attorney says that someone will have to pay for that.
RAY JACKSON, TURNER FAMILY ATTORNEY: Make the people who are responsible pay for the civil rights violations that Ms. Turner had had to go through.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Jakadrien Turner walked out of the airport here visibly emotional and overwhelmed by the amount of attention that her story has received here. Her mother and grandmother left without saying anything. They were very quiet. But one person close to the family says that all she wants to do is sit around and watch television with her family and try to reconnect after so much time.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Among the morning's other top stories, people are protesting in the streets of Nigeria as gasoline prices doubled, literally, overnight. The government removed the fuel subsidy on January 1st. It had kept gasoline prices artificially low. Nigerians reacted angrily staging mass demonstrations. Police responding with force, killing at least one protester.
Tomorrow will mark the first anniversary of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords' shooting. The tributes already started. A trailhead outside Tucson now bears the name of Giffords' aide, Gabe Zimmerman. He and five others died in the shooting that seriously wounded the congresswoman. Giffords will attend a vigil tomorrow at the University of Arizona, one of several events planned.
Forty people had to be rescued from a sinking boat off Oahu, Hawaii. The boat is a University of Hawaii research vessel that started taking on water through a baseball-size hole in the hull. The Coast Guard cutter arrived in time, delivering pumps keeping the 180-foot vessel afloat.
Newt Gingrich's lawyers are threatening to sue TV stations if they don't stop airing and ad they say is false and misleading. The ad produced by a Super Pac called "Restore Our Future" which supports the Mitt Romney campaign, claims Gingrich was fined $300,000 for ethics violations during his time as House speaker. Gingrich says the money was a reimbursement for some expenses, it was not a fine.
This morning, the Republicans running for president are concentrating on New Hampshire, but South Carolina is not far from their minds. A new CNN/TIME/ORC poll shows Mitt Romney with a solid lead in South Carolina; 37 percent of likely GOP primary voters say Romney is their choice. Rick Santorum second at 19 percent, that is up from just 4 percent in December. New Gingrich is third at 18 percent, that is a drop of 25 points since last month. Ron Paul is fourth at 12 percent and Rick Perry who stayed in the race to concentrate on South Carolina is still in single digits.
Joining me now to talk about how it's all playing out, Matt Towery, syndicated columnist, and former campaign advisor to New Gingrich, and Lee May, Democratic county commissioner in suburban Atlanta's DeKalb County.
Gentlemen, thanks for joining me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Great to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Appreciate it.
TUCHMAN: All eyes, right, now Matt, are on Rick Santorum.
MATT TOWERY, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Yes.
TUCHMAN: Rick Santorum had this big-I mean, he could have won if he got nine more votes!
TOWERY: Yes, exactly. It was a tight one.
TUCHMAN: It was a tight one. How do you think his momentum will carry over in New Hampshire and South Carolina?
TOWERY: I'll tell you, Gary, I think that rick Santorum's momentum probably would have stalled out had New Gingrich gone to South Carolina. That's where he made his big mistake. Gingrich needed to leave New Hampshire, go to South Carolina and claim his ground there. Instead, probably going to lose South Carolina pretty big, and now he is going to be low in the polls in South Carolina.
As a result, if Rick Santorum can even survive this, he has a shot to go to South Carolina and really be a play again. He's not out of the race, no matter what happens in New Hampshire.
TUCHMAN: Lee, social conservatives, what does this mean for Santorum in South Carolina? Do they need to band together in big numbers for him to have an even decent showing?
LEE MAY, DEMOCRATIC COUNTY COMMISSIONER: Yes, they do. Rick Santorum finds himself in the same position Mike Huckabee was, back in the 2008 election. He has this momentum, and he's really counting on the conservative evangelical vote, really to push him forward. But he really has to focus, again, on his organization. He's bringing in more money now than he ever has. But can he translate that into an organization that can really get out and touch people, expand his message in a clear way that voters can understand, and that they can move forward with in this election.
TUCHMAN: I was with New Gingrich last week in Iowa. He was angry. I mean, he was really angry at Mitt Romney. And he was saying all of this negative advertising, its untrue and it has hurt him. But isn't he doing some of that himself now?
TOWERY: Yes, he has. And, also, he's letting, I think, in my judgment, he is letting his emotions override his good political sense. And one of the thing I want to mention about South Carolina, that most don't realize. I have polled South Carolina for many, many years. South Carolina is an evangelical state, but not overwhelmingly evangelical state. People have too much of a religious right wing view of that state.
These candidates are going to realize that it was John McCain who carried it last time, hardly evangelical.
TUCHMAN: Right. Exactly right.
TOWERY: You have a senator in Lindsey Graham. I don't think Lindsay thinks of himself as evangelical in the sense, he's a little moderate sometimes. So South Carolina is a very unusual state. Newt needs to get a hold of his emotions if he is going to have any chance in South Carolina. Just having this rage, that you clearly saw yourself, that is not going to do him any good.
TUCHMAN: Lee, what about Rick Perry? The governor of Texas? What happens to him at this point?
MAY: Rick Perry, after South Carolina, if he doesn't get over the 5 percentage points or so that he seems to be polling at, he'll be out of this race. You'll probably see Jon Huntsman out of the race as well; and you'll see the field narrow in a manner that I think benefits Mitt Romney even more. So -- but South Carolina is key. It's really contingent on how rick Santorum fares come January the 21st.
TUCHMAN: The big news yesterday was the favorable jobs report. The president, he's claiming credit for it. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The economy's moving in the right direction. We're creating jobs on a consistent basis. We're not going to let up. Not until everybody who wants to find a good job can find one.
RICK SANTORUM, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm very gratified to see that in spite of President Obama's policies the job market is beginning to pick up a little bit. I think there might just be optimism that maybe Republicans are going to take the White House and maybe that's spurring people to start taking some risks, and I'll take that as a reason.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Matt, Lee, I am going to asked each of you this. What does this mean for the presidential race, that unemployment number, coming down? Will they continue to come down and will this hurt Republicans?
TOWERY: I don't know whether they'll continue to come down. I can say this. If the election were held today, swing states, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, probably would switch to Republican. Mitt Romney. But if the economy continues to improve in those states, which have been really hard hit, then Barack Obama could be re- elected. He's really got to ride the wave and hope this continues. If it does, he could easily be re-elected president.
TUCHMAN: Lee?
MAY: Yes, well the economy is going in the right direction. And it will continue, 8.5 percent unemployment rate, 200,000 new jobs created in December, I think is in the right direction. I think you'll continue to see that. What you're seeing from Republicans, though, they're looking to nitpick anything --
TUCHMAN: What they are saying is it would be even better if Obama was doing things right, that is their allegation.
MAY: Absolutely. The key for the president, is how quickly the economy does turn, and you really need to see that unemployment rate under 8 percent by November. That's what you really need to see.
TUCHMAN: Matt Towery, Lee May, I thank you very much for joining us today. Good talking to both of you very much for joining us. Good talking to you both.
Thank you.
TUCHMAN: I hope you'll stay with CNN for complete coverage of the New Hampshire primary, only three days away, Tuesday. Our special primary night coverage begins Tuesday night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
So here's the question: What happened to the season of winter? Don't be fooled by this. As these workers we're about to show you, can't seem to finish their new attraction, because there is not enough snow. Are we in for a warm winter the whole way through?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Good morning to you in Miami, Florida, Miami, Dade County. Biscayne Bay I believe we're looking at. This is from WPLG TV. It's supposed to be beautiful and warm in South Florida beginning of January. But it is beautiful and warm in much of the country right now.
Businesses across Canada are suffering from a lack of something usually plentiful this time of year, snow. Here's a prime example. Work on Montreal's newest cold weather attraction, this snow village, way behind schedule. It is just too warm to make the snow that sculptures need to build it. Alexandra Steele is here to tell us much of the United States of America faces the same unusually mild winter.
Alexandra, what is up?
ALEXANDRA STEELE, CNN AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, Special Olympics Idaho, yesterday announced their cancelling their games that were supposed to be the first weekend in March. Deciding now to cancel for them because of the cold. They'll still have some, not Special Olympics in Idaho, the Winter Games.
All right. Here's deal. Remember last year at this time, this what the country looked like. This is all-this is the country, this is the snow cover, purple and blue. 45 percent of the country last year at this time had snow cover. Fast forward one year, take a look, 17 percent of the country, that's it, has the snow cover.
Look at this. No accumulation. Just a very little bit. And of course, ski resort from Tahoe, to Strattan and Brown Leaf (ph), and the green and white mountains, in the Northeast, of course, really paltry. We have some major problems in terms of that.
Where's winter? The least snowiest December on record for Utah, Nevada and Michigan. In just the last seven days alone, 1,100 record highs. Predominantly west of the Mississippi. But here is another interesting stat: Since records have begun, places like Minnesota, in first week of January, they have never had high temperatures in the '60s. That's what they had.
Big-time temperatures around the country, much warmer than normal. It is all because of the jet stream. Well higher than it normally is. Not allowing the cold air from Canada to drain south. (WEATHER FORECAST)
TUCHMAN: What I think, we're going to pay for this big time in February.
STEELE: Right. We certainly could. Global warming is kind of a misnomer. It is not that all temperature are warm. It is just that what we see is major global climate change. The warm get warmer. The cold colder and things are really more incredible. The highs are higher. The lows are lower. Extreme is really kind of what it should be called rather than global warming. So there's where the cool air will be again. Much cooler than what we should be this time of year in some areas.
As we look towards the next three months, here is the prognostication for December through February. You can see where it should be cooler and where the projection is cooler. Right along the northern tier of the country. Here along the Mid-Atlantic, in the Northeast, Southeast, equal chances so not really dramatically cooler or warmer. Again, this is just the expectation, using computer models to kind of look out for the next couple of months.
A lot warmer than average here, through the Southern U.S. So really right along the northern tier of country, right along the Canadian border, Gary, that is where we have the best chance to continue to be just a little cooler. A lot of country is warmer.
TUCHMAN: That 44 degrees in Fargo next month, may be 44 below.
STEELE: We'll see, right.
TUCHMAN: Fargo is a great city, but it is a cold city.
STEELE: Right. Some of those ice contests barely can go on they have there. Coldest spot, the ice box of the nation?
TUCHMAN: Right. Alex, thank you. Appreciate it.
Ever wonder how some people stay so fit? Look so good all the time? We get the secret, really funny, but really interesting, from a guy who says, you need to think gay. We'll explain in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Great shot of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty; between New York City Manhattan and New Jersey on the other side of the Hudson River. It is going to be a beautiful day in New York, New York. High 50s and sunny, on this very unusual winter.
How are the New Year's resolutions coming along? That's what we thought, time to reassess already, six days of a New Year's Day. Take a good look at your clothes, your job and your diet. Because the next guest will have you rethinking all of it.
I spoke with Simon Doonan, creative director of Barney's New York. He wrote, "Gay Men Don't Get Fat." That is the title. That is what the book is about. This isn't exactly your usual how-to diet and exercise book.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON DOONAN, AUTHOR, "GAY MEN DON'T GET FAT": It's a humor book. So it's absolutely full of insane exaggerations and all kinds of wild claims, but it's primarily a humor book. I mean, as you saw from the cover, Joan Rivers said she split her Spanx when she was reading it.
TUCHMAN: Do gay men really not get fat?
DOONAN: I think gay men in general tend to be very focused on looking trim and fit, and presenting themselves a certain way. But, you know, it's a rift on the book "French Women Don't Get Fat." So, my thesis is that it's not French women who know all about style, and how to live, it's actually gay men. I'm taking all of my nuances and nuggets of gay wisdom and hurling them at straight people like you.
TUCHMAN: Well, is it fair to presume that you're a gay man? I should ask you that. I'm a newsman, so-
DOONAN: How dare you?
(LAUGHTER)
TUCHMAN: OK.
DOONAN: No. I'm a proud gay man, and 60 years old, you know, and trim.
TUCHMAN: OK, now are we in danger of stereotyping here, talking about gay men not getting fat and gay men not eating the wrong kind of food?
DOONAN: Well, as I say, my book is a humor book, so it is full of all kinds of generalizations and stereotyping. So I think it's more -- it's more an entertainment read. I mean, will you lose weight if you follow my tips? Maybe. I encourage people to weigh themselves before they read the book and then after. I have a theory that people lose -- people burn calories when they laugh, but I don't have any research yet. So I'm hoping that people who buy the book will -- will weigh themselves before and after and send me some detailed research on that.
TUCHMAN: OK, we all hope to laugh a lot. Particularly during this interview, so let me ask you about some tips. What does a gay man eat compared to a heterosexual man, that makes the gay man slimmer and some heterosexual men not slimmer?
DOONAN: You know the traditional idea that food is divided into four groups. Right? Well, I divide it into two groups. There's gay food and straight food. For example -- if you go into a restaurant, you order a big Angus steak. That's obviously straight food. Correct? And then you order with it, as a side a huge bowl of mashed potatoes. Those are two very straight foods together, and that's probably too many calories.
So what you need to do is order the steak and then order, like, a fluffy, gay salad to go with it, and then you balance your gay food and your straight food.
TUCHMAN: Let me ask you this. My wife is always after me to eat healthier. So, I do my best, and I travel a lot on this job, covering stories. I do my best to eat a lot of salads and not eat a lot of red meat or fried foods. So am I eating gay food? Because of the tips from my wife?
DOONAN: Well, I would advise you, because you travel around a lot, you know, if ever you get kidnapped, then, like, tell your kidnappers, not guacamole. Because you're stuck in a confined space. If you ate guacamole all the time, you would become rather chubby. Maybe you can apply it topically, because it's very good for your skin.
TUCHMAN: That's right. Good for your skin. I thought guacamole was a good fat? It's not a good fat?
DOONAN: Guacamole is a good fat but not when you have it with like, tons of deep fried chips.
TUCHMAN: Simon Doonan, you are a very talented and funny writer. And I wish you a lot of luck wit this book. And thank you so much for joining us, OK?
DOONAN: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: I never heard of a fluffy gay salad before.
Despite the humorous tone, this does bring attention to a serious problem according to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, and for most ethnicities. Put it this way, based on the latest CDC numbers, one in every four people will die from heart disease, according to the CDC.
What happens when you run out of a building space in a crowded city? You start building skyscrapers underground. That's what one architect plans to do in Mexico.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: My friend Nadia Bilchik is joining us this morning, our "Passport."
Why would an architect plan a 65-story building that goes nearly 1,000 feet into the ground? That is the burning question, Nadia.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN PRODUCER: That is the burning question.
Stephane Suarez is a Mexican architect and what he did is he looked at this particular square in Mexico, known as Sokoloff Square, which is this historic square. And it is so dense and there no more space for any buildings, anywhere. So, he and his company came up with a plan.
They said the only solution for this is, let's build down. But he's being very ambitious, because he's not only saying let's build down, let's build down by 55 stories. Now, what you're seeing is the inverted pyramid, with steel and glass, and the idea of the inverted permit is to bring light into the building. He wants the first ten floors to be a museum in honor of Mexican history and the Aztecs, then the next 20 floors are going to be residential, and then you're going to have commercial and office space. So it is going to be very interesting. Whether it ever happens or not. It will cost around $800 million.
TUCHMAN: Holy cow. Now is this something we can expect to see in other parts of the world?
BILCHIK: It could. What happens when there's just density and no more space to build up? Let's build down. I think he is being rather ambitious in the 55 floors. If you go to New York you see the Apple Store, it goes down, but it is not quite 55 floors.
TUCHMAN: Right.
BILCHIK: But the idea is to live, to work, to have a space. This kind of centrifugal lighting, that happens with fiber optics. It is very fancy. I spoke to Stephan Suarez, and if you take a look at the pictures, what they want it to be one of those work-play-live spaces.
Again, in this particular area, but what I do need to stress is this is specific solution to a specific problem. He's not saying let's build down everywhere in the world. He's saying just in Sokoloff Square, which is home to the National Cathedral in Mexico and is one of the most sought-after spaces.
You're taking a look at the square now, and there's no more space.
You can only build up to eight stories there, anyway. He says, we're solving a problem. He's very passionate. I said to him, come on. Do you think this is ever really going to happen? He said, yes. What other solution do we have?
TUCHMAN: I think people would feel claustrophobic, so far underground?
BILCHIK: That is a problem.
TUCHMAN: I've been in the coal mines, OK?
BILCHIK: And?
TUCHMAN: It is the most claustrophobic feeling I've ever had. Just knowing you're underground.
BILCHIK: Exactly. But the idea behind this is the fiber optic lighting is going to give it enormous amounts of light. He is also suggesting eco friendly environment with all kind of trees. So, they have a grand vision. Whether the grand vision is realized or not, the Mexican mayor has not met with them at this point. But the idea is an interesting one and certainly it will be fascinating to see if something like this ever happens. TUCHMAN: One other thing, how did you find out about this? This is fascinating. I hadn't heard a thing about this. This is really something.
BILCHIK: Well, interestingly enough, Stephen Suarez, who is the architect, is one of my Facebook friends. We became friends on Facebook and he told me about the project. And when I spoke to him I was amazed our lucid and rational he sounds about this project. So thank you Facebook and Stephen Suarez.
TUCHMAN: Nadia, that is fascinating. Thank you very much. So interesting.
Well, two children clinging to an ice chest, were among four people rescued off the coast of Australia. A helicopter crew responded to their distress calls. Their boat sinking near the entrance to Sydney Harbor. The chopper crew dropped a life raft and a police boat quickly arrived on the scene. And we are happy to say all four are in good condition.
Paying off your credit cards sounds like a good thing to do. But ahead, why it could ding your credit record.
Plus, we have been asking you to weigh in on this story. A homework assignment used examples of slavery and beatings to teach math. Tell us what you think? Did the school do enough to handle the situation properly? Tweet me @GaryTuchmanCNN and we'll read your comments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Some parents in Georgia are outraged after an elementary school's homework assignment used examples of slavery and beatings in a math word problems. School officials are saying it was a cross curricular activity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRANCE BARNETT, PARENT: This ain't no math problem. So that hurts.
CHRISTOPHER BRAXTON, FATHER: Whoever put together this paperwork and everything else, the schools and everything, shouldn't teach it this way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: After the school acknowledged its mistake, the assignments were shredded. We want to hear from you about this. Did the school do enough to handle the situation properly? Tweet me @garytuchman.cnn. And we will read some of your comments a bit later.
