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CNN Saturday Morning News

New Hampshire Primary 3 Days Away; Five Ways You're Killing Your Score

Aired January 07, 2012 - 07:00   ET

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

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's 7:00 a.m., January 7th. I'm Gary Tuchman.

We'll give you a complete list of what you can expect to pay more for in 2012.

Plus, you may not know it, but you are killing your credit score with simple things, such as renting a car. We'll explain coming up.

And the amazing story of a man who quit his job to see the world. We'll share his two-and-a-half minute photo journal that shows the world from Morocco to Las Vegas to (INAUDIBLE).

You have to see these stunning images.

One teenager's stunning saga ended with her return to the United States. This is video of Jakadrien Turner arriving at the airport in Dallas, Texas. She spent most of the year in Colombia after being deported by the U.S. government. The problem, she is not Colombian. She's an American, an American teenager who ran away from home.

After a shoplifting in Houston, she convinced American and Colombian officials her name was Tika Cortez and she said she was 21-years-old and an illegal immigrant. Her family wants answers from the federal government. But right now, they are just happy to have her home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY JACKSON, TURNER FAMILY ATTORNEY: They want their daughter 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: Federal immigration officials are investigating the situation.

A two-ship convoy is making the first of its kind journey through the ice to Nome, Alaska, right now, western Alaska. An American icebreaking ship is leading the way for a Russian fuel tanker. Bad weather cancelled a similar shipment to Nome last fall. This is the first time fuel has been taken through the 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. And American destroyer rescued the Iranian men in the north Arabian Sea. They have been held for more than 40 days. Fifteen suspected pirates are now being held by the United States Navy who saved the Iranian men. An irony.

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 is expected this afternoon. O'Brien is taking over a program that is reeling from the sexual abuse scandal surrounding former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

The news was met by excitement from the team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT MCGLOIN, PENN STATE QUARTERBACK: Very excited about it. We heard the news late last night. I talked to a couple buddies on the team. They're excited as well. It's a fresh start for the Penn State program and I'm anxious to kick on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: You remember that Joe Paterno was dismissed as part of the cleanup from the Sandusky. He had been head coach since the 1960s. O'Brien won't be coming to Happy Valley right away though. He's going to stay with the Patriots as long as they stay alive in the playoffs. The playoff is this weekend.

Well, it looks like we have to wait until at least Wednesday to hear a plea from Joran van der Sloot. He was expected to plead guilty to murdering 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. He also yawned a lot in court.

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 battle for the Granite State, New Hampshire. The primary there, just three days away. The candidates are spreading out across the state again today. Rick Santorum hoping to capitalize on the momentum from a second-place finish in Iowa. He'll get his chance to face-off against front-runner Mitt Romney tonight in a debate in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Though as he told our Gloria Borger, he's got has a specific strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: You're not taking on Mitt Romney?

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, I'll take on Mitt Romney, rest assured. I'll take him on on the issues. I'm not going to make -- I'm not going to make judgment about his character. I'm not going to make judgments about whether he's going to be weak or strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: Well, here's a look at the latest numbers out of New Hampshire. This WMUR/University of New Hampshire poll shows Romney with a big lead, 44 percent to Ron Paul's 20 percent. Rick Santorum is still in single digits.

After New Hampshire comes South Carolina. That primary is two weeks from today on a Saturday. How's the race shaping up?

Our political reporter Peter Hamby takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Gary. With Mitt Romney looking like a sure-fire winner in New Hampshire, South Carolina is shaping up to be the last stand for conservatives to stop Mitt Romney before the Republican race heads to Florida and other expensive states on Super Tuesday.

But who is going to stop him? A new poll out Friday from CNN, "TIME" and ORC shows Romney with a commanding lead in South Carolina. He's on top getting 37 percent of the vote followed by Rick Santorum at 19 percent. Newt Gingrich at 18 percent and look at Rick Perry, who's taking his entire campaign on South Carolina. He's clocking in at 5 percent of the vote.

Both of those candidates, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry, will be in South Carolina on Sunday to start campaigning hard before the January 21st primary, but they've got a lot of work to do.

From Greenville, South Carolina, Peter Hamby, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: Meteorologist Alexandra Steele is in for Reynolds Wolf this weekend.

So, how is the weekend looking, Alexandra?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi. A thousand record highs around the country this past week alone. Is more heat in store or are we in for a cold shot of January reality? I'm going to let you look at the forecast coming up right after the break.

TUCHMAN: Well, if you think pumping gas is already painful, wait until the summer. We'll look at the rising price of gasoline, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: Good morning, Boston, Massachusetts, where it's also expected to be a balmy January 7th winter day. Boston only a short drive from the border of New Hampshire and maybe wondering how the primary weather going to be.

Right now it is seven minutes past the hour.

Meteorologist Alexandra Steele is back with another check on the forecast.

And, Alexandra, what I want to ask you, I think I'm going to turn back to see you. But I'll just turn forward to see you, you know? Either way, I know you're there.

And I do want to ask you, New Hampshire primary. Usually it's really, really, really, really, really cold.

STEELE: All right. So, it's going to be really cold, but not really, really, really, really cold.

TUCHMAN: OK.

STEELE: About 15 degrees warmer than you would think it would be. So, we got a detailed forecast of New England and especially Manchester, New Hampshire.

So, here's a look. This is the satellite radar composite moving forward, where the expectation is for clouds and rain. So, let's show you where we are. Of course, nothing, meaning we're seeing clear skies, as we head from today into tomorrow, into Tuesday. You can see clear skies.

So, we're going to see partly sunny conditions, so, pretty nice. No question about that.

You can see the rain is well south. South of St. Louis, even.

So, all of New England and the Northeast, dry skies for the next few days. In terms of low temperatures, what we're going to see for that Tuesday, 24 degrees. That will be the temperature in the morning on Tuesday in New Hampshire. It should be at 11 in Manchester.

So, temperature certainly on the warm side, to start the day relatively speaking. And on the high side, 42 degrees. It should be 32. So, temperatures, if you're heading there, certainly will be nice. And for locals, it certainly will be much warmer than the way it should be this time of year typically.

Big picture forecast, what we're going to see and what we've seen is this cold front moving through. Cold front is kind of a generation in terms of what we're going to see temperatures not nearly as chilly as where we should be. So, this cold front will cool things down. Record heat, we have temperatures in the 40s through the Dakotas -- won't see that again. We're going to see some cooler air begins to work in.

What we'll see here in the Southeast, though, this is where temperatures are still 10 to 25 degrees above average, right along the Eastern Seaboard into the Southeast. But a little rain will work into the mix for today, just a few showers, by no means a major washout at all. Temperatures pretty mild there.

On the West Coast, warm as well. Look at some of these temperatures in the Southwest, very warm. We'll see temperatures.

You can see in Los Angeles, it's 68. Dallas in the 60s, Atlanta, Georgia, it should be at 52 this time of year, 65 for you. It should be in 30s in Boston, in the 50s. It should be in the 40s in New York, in the mid-50s. It should be in the 50s in Washington, 63 degrees.

So temperatures right along the Eastern Seaboard staying well warmer than they should be this time of year. So, we're looking at the cold weather and how cold it is or how cold it is not. It's certainly been so warm.

Remember last year at this time? This is all snow cover. Look where all the purple is, showing how much snow we had this year. Last year at this time, 45 percent of the country covered in snow. This year, not so much, how about 16 percent of the country? So, well less.

So, not a lot of snow cover out there and, of course, we're talking about how snow begets snow, Gary, and we're not having snow on the ground. So, we're not seeing that cold blanket of snow helping to cool the air that comes across it. So, not a lot of snow in the forecast either for the next few weeks.

TUCHMAN: And alas, Alexandra, it is just the beginning of winter.

STEELE: That's right. A lot of winter left. So, we could cool down.

TUCHMAN: OK. Groundhog Day, February 2nd, I believe. Then we'll really know how much winter is left. That's what I base my forecast.

STEELE: All right. Not me.

TUCHMAN: OK. Of course not.

Well, get ready for a shock at the gas pump. Prices up nearly 30 cents from a year ago, a look at today's average price only tells part ever the story -- $3.37 for regular unleaded, up to $3.85 for diesel. One year ago, $3.08 for regular, $3.33 for diesel. And by summer, experts predict gasoline could hit $4.25 a gallon in most spots.

If you look at prices cross individual states, you see the drivers at n Hawaii pay the most. Average, $4.03 for regular unleaded. I can tell you, in Maui, I was just there, I paid $4.40 just a week and a half ago. $3.67 in California.

And right now, Utah, cheapest prices now. It's the only place in the United States below $3 a gallon.

Dealnews.com compiled a list of some other items that were likely to cost you more money this year. First up, airfare. American Express predicting the price for an economy seat will rise about 5 percent this year.

Next, food prices, going up. They rose 6 percent last year on higher wholesale prices.

And next, municipal fees. That's what you pay for everything, from dog licenses to registration for your car. Even local police may be writing more tickets to raise money.

And finally, shipping. U.S. Postal Service will raise rates nearly 5 percent this year. UPS, FedEx, expected to do the same thing.

But it's not all bad news. After the break, I got a list of five items that will cost you less this year.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: Before the break, we showed 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 also.

So, take a look with me. First up, wine. Retailers are slashing prices on bottles priced over $30.

Next, car rentals. With plenty of vehicles sitting idle on rental agency lots, you can look for deep discounts in 2012.

Next, the iPad 2, because the iPad 3 is rumored to hit store shelves this year. So, watch for some price cuts, big price cuts on the popular iPad 2, especially refurbished models.

Also, 3D TV. Slow sales coupled with new designs and more makers mean prices on this fancy TVs will plummet this year also.

And finally, unfortunately if you're selling, homes. Home prices fall 3 percent last year. Don't expect that to change in 2012. Expect prices to stay low this New Year.

Now, if you're thinking about paying off your debt with a holiday bonus or upcoming tax refund you may want to find another use for that money. Believe it or not, I did not know this and I'm sure a lot of you didn't, although some may have, but this is interesting -- paying off your bills can actually hurt your credit score.

Our financial expect Clyde Anderson is here.

You aren't supposed to pay off your bills and payoff your debt completely, Clyde.

CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Yes.

TUCHMAN: What should you do? I mean, why wouldn't you get your bill and pay it off to zero?

ANDERSON: What you have to understand, it's a game. It's a credit system has been set up and start to weigh in. If you understand the credit system, then you know how to work the credit system. And generally, if you pay down a zero, it will hurt your credit score. What they want to see is you keep some sort of balance in there, if you think about it.

That's why it actually benefits the creditors, if you're paying a little bit of interest in those costs. You're now playing into their game.

TUCHMAN: What do you mean a little of balance?

ANDERSON: You need 30 percent. For example, if you have a car, that you have a $1,000 balance, you want to keep about $300 on there. You want to be able to pay it down but you want to control it, but also keep a little bit of balance. If your goal is to increase your credit score and not damage your credit score.

TUCHMAN: Can you do that?

ANDERSON: Yes, definitely.

TUCHMAN: OK. I want to make sure you practice what you preach.

ANDERSON: I do. I play the game.

TUCHMAN: OK. So, what else can unwittingly cause our credit rating to suffer?

ANDERSON: Well, I think there are several things. One is I think a lot of people don't realize is rental cars. You know, if you go and buy, to rent a rental car and you use a debit card, it can hurt your credit card because they're pulling credit and it's considered to be a hard pull. When you have a hard pull, those are dings on your credit score. So, people don't realize that a lot of times.

TUCHMAN: Is ding the scientific term by the way?

ANDERSON: Yes, that's the scientific term -- the term I coined.

TUCHMAN: OK. I thought I'd heard that. Well, maybe because you coined it.

ANDERSON: There you go.

TUCHMAN: It gets all over the place. OK. Ding your score. I like that term.

ANDERSON: Yes, you like that.

TUCHMAN: It doesn't sound that bad like ruins your score.

ANDERSON: Right, ding it. But also, APR. You know, a lot of people go and say, we want to reduce the APR. They call the credit card company and say, I need a lower interest rate.

TUCHMAN: Lower rate.

ANDERSON: And so, when they do a lot of times, what happens is sometimes they reduce your limit as well. So, now, when you're limit is reduced on a credit card, it can hurt your credit score also. TUCHMAN: So, if you want your APR reduced, which is I would think a good thing, a great thing. You got to make sure that they don't reduce your limit.

ANDERSON: Do not reduce your limit, because what happens a lot of times, and we've seen in the last year or so with the economy shifting, is that some of the credit card companies are unknowing to the customers reducing those limits and saying you had a $5,000, reduced it to $2,500. So, it reduces your rick but it hurts your credit score.

TUCHMAN: OK. Now, what should we do to improve our credit scores?

ANDERSON: Several things you can do to improve your credit score. One is paying your bills on time. I think that's the first one, is pay your bills on time. But also monitor it. Make sure things aren't going on they don't know about. So, sometimes, people said put a fraud alert. I think you always need to have an alert to alert you before people use your credit or credit is extended.

So, understanding credit is one of the big pieces and leveraging. Making sure you know how to leverage the credit.

TUCHMAN: I mean, that's the thing is that people just really don't understand what's going on in the background with credit. They find out their credit scores but they have no idea, right?

ANDERSON: Right. And they do, and pull your credit score at least twice a year. Pull your credit score.

TUCHMAN: How do you that by the way? Let's remind our viewers.

ANDERSON: Annualcreditreport.com is the best place to do it. Annualcreditreport.com, that's the best place to pull your credit score and do it at least twice a year.

TUCHMAN: And is it free?

ANDERSON: It's free. That's really the only free site.

TUCHMAN: When you call one of these, and I don't want to use anybody's name, lots of commercials. But when you call one of these companies and they want money from you, is that a bad sign?

ANDERSON: Don't pay money to get your credit report. Now, to get the credit score, FICO.com generally charges you to get that score. So, I mean, those are the reputable places that I would look if you need the score.

But a lot of times, once you have your credit pulled by a mortgage or auto car company, they'll give you that score. So, it's good to kind of know and do that first and try the free route before you go the pay route.

TUCHMAN: Clyde Anderson, thanks for the tips.

ANDERSON: My pleasure.

TUCHMAN: I'm going to start implementing them immediately.

ANDERSON: Sounds good. I'll check on you.

TUCHMAN: All right. Thank you.

Well, why are some saying not so fast to political experts who are predicting Mitt Romney is a shoo-in to win the Granite State. Stick around. You may be surprised.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: Good morning, Washington, D.C. You are looking at the White House listening to Led Zeppelin.

(MUSIC)

TUCHMAN: And many of us are hoping Led Zeppelin tours again someday, by the way.

Most polls show Republican Mitt Romney is the clear front-runner in the New Hampshire primary. He holds a strong 2-1 lead over other candidates, but some in the Granite State warn it's still too early to predict who they'll vote for on Tuesday.

Here's Dan Lothian to explain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the Republican presidential hopefuls, New Hampshire is the second stop on the road to the White House. But unlike the first stop in Iowa, independent voters who make up about 40 percent of the electorate are in the driver's seat

And most come to the table with strong partisan views, according to the University of New Hampshire's Andrew Smith.

ANDREW SMITH, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: Some of them are Democrats. Some of them are true independents. And most of them are really Republicans.

LOTHIAN: But Elizabeth Ossoff from New Hampshire's Institute of Politics says don't call them renegades.

ELIZABETH OSSOFF, NEW HAMPSHIRE'S INSTITUTE OF POLITICS: I wouldn't call them renegades as much as I would call them fiercely independent, in the sense that they're going to make up their own minds.

LOTHIAN: What happened in Iowa or what the pundits predict doesn't necessarily sell in New Hampshire. Voters here relish the vetting process. Large town hall meetings are a kind of appetizer to the real meal that up close encounter on Main Street.

But New Hampshire radio host Paul Wescott says some of his listeners feel like some contenders have tuned them out.

PAUL WESCOTT, RADIO HOST: The candidates, they came. And some of them candidates have come and spent a lot of time here.

LOTHIAN: Like Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney and early on Rick Santorum. But --

WESCOTT: It just didn't happen as much and the candidates kind of stayed away.

LOTHIAN: Their daily planners were packed with a lot of debates. This is to Iowa and national media interviews.

In an election cycle where Republicans are having a difficult time rallying behind one candidate, some independent voters here are still scratching their heads.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Republican field, not too impressed.

LOTHIAN: Mitt Romney, the former governor from neighboring Massachusetts, has consistently maintained a two to one lead over his closest opponents, the clear frontrunner in the Granite State. But Smith says it's not a warm embrace.

SMITH: Romney -- well, we may not like it too much, but probably the guy with the best chance. So, I think that's the kind of dynamic that is going on, as well.

LOTHIAN: Former Senator Rick Santorum is getting a second look after his near victory in Iowa. And Newt Gingrich is attacking the frontrunner who cost him his fortunes in Iowa.

OSSOFF: I think it's dangerous to make predictions in New Hampshire, I really do. I think you have to wait until the last possible minute.

LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: And don't forget, CNN's live coverage of New Hampshire primary begins in this very studio Tuesday night, 7:00 Eastern Time.

It's a rare look at one man's journey around the world. More than 6,000 pictures taken over 300 days and condensed in two minutes. The extraordinary scenes, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TUCHMAN: Checking top stories:

People are protesting in the streets of Nigeria over higher gasoline prices. The government removing the fuel subsidy on January 1st, six days ago, and had kept gasoline prices artificially low. Nigerians reacted angrily, staging mass demonstrations. Police responding with force. At least one person was killed. Forty people had to be rescued from a sinking vote off Oahu, Hawaii. That's where Honolulu is. The University of Hawaii research vessel started taking on water through a baseball-sized hole in the hull of the craft. A coast guard cutter arrived in time, delivering pumps, keeping the vessel afloat.

Police here in Georgia are expanding their search for a missing Atlanta area woman. Stacey Nicole English was last seen around Christmas. Her car found abandoned and still running a couple days ago. Police had named a man who was visiting English as a person of interest.

I want to show you an extraordinary look at the world through the eyes of one man. Kien Lam left his job to travel the world. It took him 343 days.

Stop what you're doing and watch. I promise, the next two minutes will be worth it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIEN LAN, CAPTURED IMAGES AROUND THE WORLD: After I left my company last year, I figured, you know, it was a good time to take off and do a bit of backpacking.

This came about because I wanted to capture my trip, but not have to subject my family and friends through, like, a massive slide show that would take days to finish. The trip was about 343 days from the first to the last shot that I took. During that time I took about 58 buses, 19 plane, 18 boats. I think eight trains and, you know, a few car rides here and there.

When I was in Marrakech in Morocco, Djemaa el Fna Square, they're like (INAUDIBLE) and street performers, vendors, shops, and sort of this elaborate bazaar.

The biggest part was actually compiling the clips, choosing which ones to leave out, because I ended up with about, you know, over 150 different scenes.

My brother is a musician and I wanted to have, like, an original composition to accompany the music, just to help convey the mood of some of the different scenes. So, you know, we kind of worked together and came up with this piece, "Places and Faces" for the video.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: From Morocco to Vegas. What a cool idea.

We'll have more stories at the top of hour when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues. But, first, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins now.