Transcripts For CNN CNN Newsroom 20111205

the former house speaker. they are both from georgia. it was interesting on saturday. soon after cain suspended his campaign, gingrich at an event in new york city said some very, very nice things about herman cain. a lot of the candidates would like that support. here is the drama. late last night, gingrich adds a news conference today in new york city at 1:45. there's speculation, will cain be there or not? cain aides and gingrich aides saying no to that one. gingrich's people tell us at 1:45, gingrich will outline his 50-state strategy. a lot of the candidates would like cain's backing. no doubt about that >> we saw michele bachmann and ron paul yesterday on candy crawley's "state of the union" saying nice things about herman cain. we'll keep an eye out all week to see when and if he endorses someone. >> what do you make of donald trump? he has been with gingrich this morning and now wants to moderate a debate. >> and gingrich is the fifth republican presidential candidate to go to trump tower and heat with donald trump. remember donald trump himself was flirting with a bid for the nomination earlier this year. he is teaming up with newsmax, a conservative website to try and host a debate on december 27. ron paul wants nothing to do with that. listen to what he told our candy crawley. >> i don't quite understand it. i don't understand the marching to his office. i mean, i didn't know that he had an ability to lay on hands, you know, and anoint people. >> a little bit of bad blood there i guess between ron paul and donald trump. what do you think, kyra? >> i just had visions of donald trump in a robe, you know, putting his hands on these candidates, yeah. ok. well, it's definitely going to be interesting to watch for sure. paul, thanks so much. for all the latest political news, you can also go to our website 24/7, cnnpolitics.com. another big story, iran claiming it shot down a u.s. drone. pentagon confirming that a drone is missing. what have you heard so far, barbara? >> well, no surprise, conflicting accounts from iran and the united states. over the weekend, iranian authorities said they shot down a drone, and it was an rq-170 drone. why is that important? this is a stealth drone. one of the most secret weapons in the u.s. arsenal, developed for the u.s. air force. it can fly undetected by radars, and pick up targeting and intelligence information. the iranians say they shot it down. the u.s. has a bit of a different story. it says it was flying a drone over that border region, but on the afghan side. the u.s. issued a statement through nato in afghanistan saying the following. let me read it to you. the uav to which the iranians are referring may be a u.s. unarmed reconnaissance aircraft that had been flying a mission over western afghanistan late last week. the operators of the uav lost control of the aircraft and had been working to determine its status. so it's what the u.s. doesn't say. it doesn't say that it's an rq-170, that secret stealth drone. it doesn't say that it was shot down. it does say that the u.s. has a drone that is lost. in fact, operators had said they lost control of a drone. they lost flight control. critical question now, kyra, what do the iranians really, if anything, have their hands on? is there a wreckage? do they now have any kind of access to that stealth technology or the highly classified sensors that were onboard that drone? if they do, the u.s. knows it's not getting it back. kyra? >> what are their options? does they have any? >> that is the key question. what do you do? typically in the past in iraq or afghanistan, when a drone has gone down or some sensitive piece of technology is lost on the battlefield, the u.s. has called in air strikes to bomb a wreckage to make sure that militants or insurgents don't get it. you are not going to see a u.s. air strike inside iran. that's just not possible. so it's a problem now. do they have it? what do they have their hands on, if anything? and what is still really contained in that wreckage that the iranians could make use of or possibly even try and get the chinese or the north koreans or other countries, experts, in to help them take a look at it. kyra? >> all right, barbara starr from the pentagon. thanks. we are getting word that the u.s. post office is about to take a drastic step to deal with its epic money problems. karina, what's the plan? >> reporter: well, the latest plan is that the u.s. postal service wants to limit its next day service. you know, currently the postal service guarantees first class mail delivery in one to three days. what it is proposing is to change that delivery time to two to five days. now, why this is important is because it would help them in their plan to cut more than half of their mail processing facilities across the country. the bad news, this could mean further job losses and problems for anyone who still pays bills by actual snail mail. we'll get more details later today when the u.s. postal service is expected to make its proposal. kyra? >> so that's -- hopefully we'll find out when that will take effect. it's interesting, because christmas is just less than three weeks away. the timing here seems a bit odd. >> right. the timing is off. and it's unlikely that any changes will take effect anytime soon. we have no details yet on when exactly it would take effect, because any major changes do need congressional approval, and postal cutbacks are unpopular, which means they are hard to push through in congress as well. any changes to labor contracts need union approval, so it could take some time. that's good news for us, but of course these are problems that really need to be rectified in the u.s. postal service. southern california is in for another day of hurricane force winds. rob marciano following those santa ana winds that are back. >> they are back. and this is what we have seen so far, kyra. a 50 mile an hour winds. they will increase throughout the morning, decrease this afternoon, and increase tonight, just like they did last week with the exception of the fact they won't be as strong as they were wednesday into thursday. but the problem is with all of the debris that's on the ground still, anything that blows 40 to 60 miles an hour will be dangerous. any trees or branches that are weakened already may come down. and this will go on for the next two days. and with this also comes the risk for fire. and we have critical fire danger in effect for much of southern california for the next -- for today and tomorrow, pretty much the same conditions exist for both days. then we break down the pattern just a little bit. the difference with this -- between this one and last week this is an incredibly cold air mass driving down into the intermountain west. temperatures will be down to 40 degrees tonight in los angeles. wind-chills will feel like they are below 0. near blizzard conditions across parts of new mexico with the northern side of this system. with the eastern side of the system, 14-20 inches of snow potentially with this system as it moves off towards the east and that cold air drives down to the south. parts of the texas panhandle as well, just west and north of dallas, reports of one to two inches of snow at least on the grassy surfaces. this isn't cold enough to stick on the ground. but some moisture will head up towards the east as well, and we are looking at flood watches from the great lakes, also all the way down to just east of dallas. so a smorgasbord of weather across the entire u.s. back to you. coming up, herman cain's out, but he's not down. more on his big announcement and what it means with our political contributor. and after months of peaceful protests, things get pretty tense at occupy d.c. we'll check the news cross country next. brad, where we going? 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[ male announcer ] the epa estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco. from spending time together, to spending your lives together, chevy runs deep. all right. let's check news cross the country now. washington police have hauled off dozens of occupy d.c. protesters after a standoff at base camp. the demonstrators refused orders to dismantle their new wooden shelter and had to be wrestled from the roof. 31 arrests in all. the folks at occupy buffalo have a roof over their heads just in time for winter. they are staying in a protective dome now, donated by an anonymous supporter. the city is cool with it for now. quite the opposite in denver. occupy protesters already sleeping in the snow. they are relying on tarps, blankets, and body heat. they'll need plenty of it too. today's high temp, 13 degrees. well, in the end, herman cain said it was too much for his family and the country. all those allegations of sexual misconduct, too hurtful, too distracting, so he's out of the race for the white house. cnn's political contributor mary matalin is joining us from new orleans. one thing that stood out to me on saturday is how cain looked into the eyes of all of his supporters and said this. >> i am at peace with my god. i am at peace with my wife. and she is at peace with me. >> mary, what did you make of that? do you believe him? >> yes. he's very powerful. he answered that -- or that was that same behavior that he displayed when he was on with our own wolf blitzer when the second round of allegations broke. and wolf asked him flat out if he had had an affair, and he said no. when you are that definitive, that demonstrative, you have to believe it. what we -- and that's part of his attraction obviously. what we can't believe, and that's equally demonstrable, is that his campaign, whether or not the allegations are true, his campaign was not equipped to deal with that kind of onslaught that came through those series of allegations but also the debate preparation. so whatever -- the reason he is where he is today has less to do with the allegations and more to do with the way his campaign mishandled them. >> so why leave the race? >> well, kyra, you know, it takes more than having the right philosophy, the right policies, the right temperament. you really have to be able to run a campaign, which is perceived by voters rightly or wrongly to be a microcosm of what it takes to run a country to run a white house. they are not completely on point. i have been involved in both enterprises. but to the extent you're facing a lot of unpredictable problems and an ad ver sariial position, i think voters are right to expect a campaign to be able to run in a plausible way. and this one, he just couldn't get his campaign together. this is a good candidacy brought down by a bad campaign. >> so let me ask you this about all of these sexual -- allegations of sexual misconduct. if they're true, and indeed that's what brought him down, within as you say a campaign, a group of people that just didn't know how to handle it, what does this tell us about the moral compass of voters? >> i think voters -- well, i don't think. i know. you've seen plenty of examples of voters being very forgiving, and our country is about redemption. our culture is about forgiveness. our country is less tolerant of fabrication and being flat out lied to in that manner. but if he is -- if there is any evidence, documents, real documents, hard evidence, that he's lying then he won't have any future in politics. you can have -- you can fall. we are all sinners. we have all fallen. you have to make reparations. you have to seek forgiveness. and voters will give that. but that's not what this is at this point. >> final thought. the first thing that you actually heard was all the cheering for gloria. you didn't hear a bunch of people saying, herman, herman, herman. it was interesting. the first thing that you really heard loudly when his news conference began was the crowd cheering for gloria. shouting her name. >> right. people, voters, i don't care what your party is or your philosophy, the americans really have a sense of fairness. and it really is unfair the extent to which families get dragged into these campaigns. they do it willingly, wives and children. but it's been my experience that the candidates are always more pained by what their families are having to go through than the arrows that they have to take. and people do just cringe at the thought of poor gloria, who was offstage and doesn't seek to be in the limelight at all had to be subjected to that, what is the rough and tumble and the really ugly side of politics because her husband wants to serve. >> mary, appreciate your time this morning. >> thank you. gas prices falling, oil prices rising. why the disconnect? we'll explain. and eight ferraris in a colossal pileup. not on the raceway but the expressway. you'll see it next. ♪ [ female announcer ] we never forget the nearly 12 million cancer survivors in america today... and the countless lives lost. we owe it to them to protect funding for cancer research, prevention and access to care. congress, make cancer a priority and give millions of americans what they need most. 2011 is almost over, and we want to you help us pick the top 10 stories of the year. go to our website and take part in our online poll between now and december 15. then the top 10 stories of the year will be unveiled on air and online december 30. well, this will catch your attention. eight lamborghinis in one crash. jeff, it's probably got to be one of the most expensive crashes in history. >> yeah. you know, insurance companies are cringing after they see the video of this. what kind of a payout? >> not one, not two -- >> it happened yesterday in southwestern japan. highway wet from recent rain. police say one, yes, one of the ferraris, skidded and smashed into the median divider. that set off a 14-vehicle crash, including eight ferraris, a lamborghini, three mercedes-benz, hardly worth a mention, two toyotas. the big question, how were all of these great cars driving together? the drivers were part of a group of luxury car enthusiasts. no one was seriously injured, except for the tears shed overseeing their prized cars. >> we were told it was lamborghinis, which is what i said off the top there. eight lamborghinis. but we're talking about eight ferraris, a lamborghini, three mercedes-benz. what costs more, a lamborghini or a ferrari? do we know? >> you're pushing the limits of my luxury -- the ones i have at home, you know -- >> exactly. well, my lamborghini costs so much. we have to do a price check on that. i'd like totally that up. like how much? what do you think, scott? >> our director is chiming in. >> ok. scott things a lamborghini is more expensive. we'll price this out. >> directors make a lot of money. >> yeah, the big money guys. i think scott's got a ferrari. and we'll tally it up. what do you say? and when you come back -- >> in half an hour, i'll have the answer. eight ferraris would be more than one lamborghini. >> i want hard numbers. and also tiger woods's first win in two years. >> this was not the masters, all right? >> she won't give tiger a break. >> i will not. more later, i'm told. see you, jeff. something we will talk more about now, though, gas prices. they are dropping. but will they last? karina, at the new york stock exchange -- jeff, maybe i should ask karina how much a ferrari goes for it. you're a money gal. >> you know what? my hope is that with these cheaper gas prices maybe that will allow more people to go out and buy one of those lamborghinis or ferraris. my guess might be on the lam genie. i would say $100,000. that would be my guess. but here is the good news. we see that gas prices have dropped. the latest survey shows us that gas dropped 18 cents in about six weeks. that brings the national average to $3.28 a gallon. now the people who are the luckiest are those in albuquerque, new mexico. that's where gas is the cheapest right now. $2.84. but what's really surprising is we are seeing a drop in gas prices despite higher oil prices. you can see that oil rose 7% during the past month, while gasoline fell 4%. usually these prices move in tandem. what's happening right now is you have weak demand for gas because we drive less in the winter, and the economy still isn't fully revved up. at the same time, oil is used in a lot of other things like diesel and jet fuel. so that can push up oil prices. but analysts are saying if the oil prices stay high, we should expect gas prices to follow suit. there could be a pretty nice rally at the opening bell, right? >> yeah. that's what we're hoping for. and, again, the focus is on europe. and there's hope that the region will move forward on fixing its debt problems. there's a flurry of activity this week with sarkozy and merkel meeting today. and a proposal of budget cuts will be presented today. later in the week, eurozone leaders will meet with secretary geithner. and we could be on the cusp of really changes in policy when it comes to dealing with the crisis. because of that, the dow is up by about 140 points right now on the back of a really hot rally last week, when the major averages all rose more than 7%, giving it its biggest gain in more than two years. so lots to celebrate today. well, newt gingrich rising in the polls. we'll ask our contributors, lz granderson and will cain, if his blunt fuse has anything to do with that. and madonna has been picked to perform on football's biggest night. details coming up in show biz news. i'm good about washing my face. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? 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[ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. i'm an expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa. rx plan gives you the lowest plan premium in the country... so you can focus on what really matters. call humana at 1-800-808-4003. taking top stories now, the u.s. military says one of its drones is missing but not confirming iranian media reporting that it shot it down. today, democrats plan to unveil what they call a compromise plan to extend payroll tax cuts. republicans don't want the cuts paid for by raising taxes on the rich. and bishop eddie long told his parishioners he is taking time off from his megachurch to work on his family. long's wife, vanessa, filed for divorce last week. newt gingrich is surging in the polls, but he is continuing to get criticism about these remarks. >> really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who works. so they literally have no habit of showing up on monday. they have no habit of staying all day. they have no habit of i do this and you give me cash. unless it's illegal. >> well, donald trump defended him this morning. he says gingrich is just telling the truth, and that's why he's, quote, skyrocketing. cnn contributors will cain and lz granderson with their takes this morning. let's start there. politically incorrect or just telling the truth? lz. >> newt's a jerk. ok? he is a jerk. and i'm just cutting straight to the chase. >> you're going to lay it out. >> well, you know, we were all wondering, right, if the benevolent newt we saw the last two debates had really been a changed newt, the newt that we hated was the one who said that if you were under 18 and pregnant, you were not eligible to receive any sort of welfare or assistance. we were wondering if that heartless newt from the '90s was still here. well, yes, yes, he is. he is still here. he doesn't like poor people. and of the 10 poorest states in the country, they also happen to be red. so he's not talking about just people in the hood, if you will. he's talking about the poor that are in the poorest regions of mississippi and alabamas as well. if you're a republican, he is talking about your kids too. >> lz, he is surging in the polls. >> i know. it's idiotic, right? it's absolutely crazy. i don't understand how we got to this point, right, where the republicans had three years to find someone that they can hold up against president obama as a significant challenger. and here we are, we're going up and down, up and down with all of these ridiculous candidates. and now we're back to newt, you know, heartless newt. to me, that is the saddest commentary of it all, is that the leadership in the republican party has failed to present the american people with a sound alternative. >> will? >> couple of things here. first of all, it's possible it's politically incorrect and true at the same time. i lament this fact, but it appears i'm going to be on the same side as donald trump on an issue. i think that lz's emotional outrage muscle is overdeveloped in his logical conclusion muscles are being underutilized. all you have to do is draw a series of simply logical conclusions. let me ask you this. is unemployment higher in poor neighborhoods? i think we all know the answer to that. do children emulate the behavior of their parents? we all know the answer to that. would children in poor neighborhoods be deprived of work habits they might be seeing in their parents? there are many things, many things which i have gone on tv and written about newt gingrich which are sub constantly very problematic. and should deanaheiny him the presidential candidate. but this isn't one of them. this is an attempt to correct a problem that he sees. whether or not you think the solution is a good one, lowering child labor laws, is besides the point as far as the debate is concerned right now. the question is, has he identified a problem and is he seeking a solution? he is not trying to divide people or saying he hates poor people. lz, i don't know how you got to that conclusion. >> i got to that conclusion based upon the things that we've seen from him over the last 20 years. and let me tell you something, work ethic, that's not bound to how much money your parents make. that's about the values that your parents teach you. >> nobody said that. nobody said that. it's not -- >> let me finish, will. let me finish. there are a lot of rich kids who have very, very poor work habits and a very poor work ethic. so to make it about poor kids, that's why i said it's class warfare. >> you're right. but nobody is dealing in absolutes. but i don't think that's what newt gingrich is doing. he is saying there is a higher proportion of unemployment in poorer areas. and so therefore work habits are deprived of children in poorer areas. he didn't say rich people have good work habits and poor people have bad work habits. that's not what he said. >> let me tell you something, i was a poor kid in those poor neighborhoods. i worked my butt off. i had good examples. so he did make a blanket statement. he didn't say some. he just said poor. >> we're going to have to leave it there, guys. i had to let you go and have the discussion. i wanted to talk about sexual misconduct and herman cain and newt gingrich. i'll have to save those. >> haven't we covered those bases? >> it's old school. ok. i got you. guys, thanks. it's always great to listen to you guys. that's for sure. well, we know he can sing, but can he dance? stevie wonders he wants to be on the next season of "dancing with the stars." but there's one thing that the soul legend says he has to do before going on that show. we'll tell you in showbiz headlines next. and what a relief for tiger woods? his reaction is priceless after he sinks a birdie putt for the win. his first win in more than two years. that story and nfl highlights, next. i see it in last year's pictures. i hear it in their plans for tomorrow. it makes me miss a couple of things. but i have a way to keep them close, even when they're far away. [ male announcer ] the inspiron one 2320 with the second gen intel® core™ i5 or i7 processors. performance for your unique lifestyle. for a limited time purchase select dell pc's and receive our holiday photo solution. our gift to you. wife we've had the black eyed peas and even janet jackson and a wardrobe malfunction. aj hammer has the details. >> madonna will be the next star to perform at the super bowl, and this has been floating around as a rumor for months. but the nfl confirmed the news just last night. now the halftime show is about the biggest audience a performer can attract at one time. according to the nfl, last year's super bowl halftime show was watched by more than 162 million viewers, and that was just here in the united states alone. the super bowl this year is going to air on nbc. it's on february 5. and madonna, ever the smart businesswoman, well, let's just say she's not doing this simply for the love of the game. she's got a new album expected to release early next year, and her movie "w.e." is supposed to open just days after the super bowl. so, kyra, it will be a madonnarama to kick off the new year. >> she just keeps reinventing herself. stevie wonders he wants to compete on "dancing with the stars." what do you know? >> yeah. this is really cool. the news started to get out last week after stevie appeared on the "ellen degeneres show." >> you have to tell me, is there any truth to the rumor, are you thinking about doing "dancing with the stars"? >> i'm losing weight. when i get to where i feel like i'm going to look good enough for what i want to do, i'll do that. [ applause ] >> and the audience goes wild. they love the idea. i love the idea. stevie would be the first-ever blind contestant on the show. kyra, i think he would impress us all. as you know in addition to just be a genius in what he does best, he is a fun, funny man. i think he'd be great on "dancing." >> and he has a great heart. apparently he has been on this special diet and meditation and it's working. he's looking good. >> yeah. >> all right, aj. you'll be back with us next hour with more showbiz headlines. coming up at 10:00, aj will talk about the president side-by-side with five stars on the stage, screen, and music at the kennedy center honors last night in d.c. and we're actually going to take you there with aj. all right. u.s. troops home from iraq and not going back. coming up, we'll go in depth on the last days of the iraq war and meet some very happy families. ♪ [ slap! slap! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's surf & turf. 3 grilled combinations all under $20. like our maine lobster with peppercorn sirloin, or our new bacon-wrapped shrimp with blue cheese sirloin for $14.99. i'm john mazany and i sea food differently. okay... uhh. the bad news, it's probably totaled. the good news is, you don't have to pay your deductible. with vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance, you got $100 off for every year of safe driving, so now your deductible is zero. the other good news ? i held on to your coffee. wow. ♪ nationwide is on your side ( laughing ) it's actually a pretty good day when you consider. that's great. an 84-year-old woman plans to sue the tsa after she says she was not only hurt, but humiliated during a strip search. >> i have a defibrillator. so i don't go through the machines. i ask them to pat me down or use the wand. don't i look like a terrorist? i'm going to be 85 years old and i weigh 103 pounds. and they strip-searched me. well, here is the tsa response. while we regret that the passenger feels she had abunpleasant screening experience, the tsa does not include strip searches as part of our security protocols and one was not conducted in this case. jury deliberations begin today for the second man convicted in a brutal home invasion that ended with the death of a connecticut woman and her daughters. he could get the death penalty. in utah, first powerful winds, now heavy snow. the national guard has been called in to help with preparations for another storm moving into that area. well, all this week, cnn is going in depth on the final hours of the iraq war. thousands of u.s. military men and women are going home to spend the holidays with their loved ones. and they're not going back to iraq. cnn's chris lawrence was at ft. hood, texas, over the weekend when soldiers and their families finally reunited. >> dismissed. >> reporter: at the first glimpse of her father in nearly a year, alrex andra frey showed just how fast a 14-year-old can move. her mom had to do everything alone. >> it has been a very long 10 months. glad it's over. >> reporter: is there any way to describe what it feels like to have your dad back after so long? >> no. it's good. >> reporter: what did you miss most about it? >> he was like my best friend. yeah. >> reporter: now you've got your best friend back? >> yeah. i have more of a bond with him than anything. so yeah. >> reporter: go enjoy your time. the last few hours of waiting were the toughest. then the planeful of soldiers finally landed, and the troops got a welcome home fit for rock stars. christmas wishes were answered, their time in iraq finished. for sergeant major erik frey, it's bittersweet. >> i guess in one sense, i feel happy that it's over with and that we're getting all of our service members out. but then you kind of look back at the sacrifices that our soldiers have made, and our family members have made. >> reporter: both in blood and nony. -- money. at one point, the u.s. was spending $5,000 per second in iraq. the war took nearly 4,500 american lives. and 32,000 troops came home wounded. but these are some of the last americans to leave iraq, and they won't be going back. >> this is my third deployment. first one with both of these guys. and it was a lot harder, but it just makes it that much sweeter coming home. >> i was watching chris there in the monitor and we both got a little teary eyed when i saw you interview that teenaged gal, chris. >> pretty fast, huh, kyra? >> exactly. it really -- boy, it hits home. it's been a long war. that's for sure. and it's been a long haul for these families. well, the troops that you had a chance to speak with, do they feel a sense of history in any way being the last men and women to leave iraq? >> yeah. more than one of them, kyra, told me, you know, they felt really honored in a way to sort of be the troops that ushered the u.s. out of iraq. but a lot of them say, you know, that the men and women who really deserve a lot of the credit are those that were there in 2006, 2007, 2008, who really saw some of the fierce fighting. a lot of the soldiers i talked to had lost friends during some of that fierce fighting in iraq. and their memory was really on their minds as they came home for the final time. >> and did you get a sense that most of these soldiers are going to stay in the army or get out now? >> really wide range. you know, the thing about it is, some of these soldiers joined after the war in afghanistan had started. so they joined wanting to go into combat. and some of them were saying they hope to get an afghanistan deployment before that war winds down. others were thinking, you know, the deployment schedule has been really tough with multiple deployments. one wife said, look, i've got to be the taxi driver. i have to be the good cop, the bad cop. i'm sort of a solo mom while he's gone. and so it's gone really tough on some of the families with the multiple deployments. but some of the soldiers say they may have to put off getting out because the economy is so bad right now. they say it may be better to try to re-up for another four years or so and wait and see if the civilian economy is any better at that point. >> yeah. a lot to see. chris, thanks. so here is a question for the iraqis now that u.s. troops are leaving. what to do with all of saddam's palaces. he loved to build opleulent shrines to himself. but now with the dictator gone, what happens to all of the fancy real estate? that question next hour. gestational diabetes is a condition that develops in women during pregnancy, and can be treated safely for mother and baby. but there are still reasons to be concerned. elizabeth cohen explains in today's "health for her" report. >> reporter: when she was pregnant with her first child, sarah wallace learned she had gestational diabetes. >> i was surprised. and kind of worried. >> reporter: dr. michael randell says the condition which develops during pregnancy can be treated and usually goes away when the baby is born. >> somewhere between 14% to 17% of all pregnant women develop this. >> reporter: they need to be concerned for several reasons. >> the risks for the mother include high blood pressure and a risk forry isser issian delivery. >> reporter: certain increase the risk for it. those include, a family history of diabetes, being overweight or obese, older age, and race. american indian, african-american, and hispanic women are at a higher risk. wallace improved her diet and gave birth to a c section for a healthy baby boy. wallace says the diagnosis was a warning sign. >> to know that i am at higher risk to develop diabetes later in life and to be aware of that and to make the right choices in food and exercise and diet, to try and prevent it. >> reporter: this week's health for her, i'm elizabeth cohen. let's checking stories making news later today. at 11:00 nasa will announce the discovery of another planet. at 1:30 president obama will meet with college students at the white house. at 6:30 eastern an antihazing forum at florida a&m university. every student will be asked to sign an antihazing pleng. in response to a student band member, robert champion. we're following lots of other developments with you next hour. let's start with mark preston. >> hi, kyra. herman cain's rise came crashing down this weekend but will his fall provide more fuel for newt gingrich's rise to the top of the leaderboard for the gop nomination? >> i'm rob marciano. flood watches and warnings are posted. bitterly cold air diving into the west. the santa ana winds are coming back. >> i'm careen in a huber. it's the season of giving and taking apparently. what are the most shop lifted items this year? i'm counting them down in the next hour. thanks, guys. also coming up we're going to look at the controversy that erupted over carrier iq, a stealth program installed on many smart foens that critics blast as spyware. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? big piece of potato. 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[ female announcer ] the travelocity guarantee. if your booking's not right, we'll help make it right, right away. from the price to the room to the trip you'll never roam alone. how about those packers. that's all i have to say. >> i know you're a fan. they keep on winning. after sunday's game against the giants they are 12-0. this one was as tough as it comes. eli manning, touchdown pass with 15 seconds left. it looks like we're going to overtime. the pacioretty has aaron rodgers he was 4-4 on the final drive. as time runs out the field goal from mason crosby, 38-35. packers four games away from a perfect regular season. tim tebow and the denver broncos. they find a way to do it again. 1-4 before he became a starter. 6-1 with him starting. look at an escape and then gets this done. he also ran in a two-point conversion. broncos, it comes down to the final play in this game as well. a field goal as time runs out. they've won five straight. they lead the a.f.c. west. dan bailey can win one as time runs out. the coach calls a time-out. bailey made it. garrett called a time-out. he iced his own kicker. we go to overtime after bailey ends up missing his second chance. in overtime kevin kob for the cardinals. they come out of the backfield. little man takes it all the way for the 52-yard touchdown. garrett has some explaining to do after the time-out call. cardinals win 19-13. college football. is anyone outside of sec land excited? lsu will play aburn january 9th in new orleans. lsu beat bama 9-6 last month. alabama beat out oklahoma state. both teams had one loss. oklahoma state will play stanford in the fiesta bowl. golf, tiger woods did something he hasn't done in more than two years. he won a tournament. he did it like tiger in old fashion. he birdied 17, 18 to win it. it's his fifth chevron challenge. he's donated $1.2 million to his foundation. >> move on. have a great monday. sorry. he lost my respect, among many others, a long time ago. i'm rooting for macalwey and a younger generation. >> understand. beer and space in a pretty novel idea. it would make one heck of a commercial. jeanne moos looks at a video that could be both. >> reporter: forget 99 bottles of beer on the wall. how about one can of beer in space? >> how are you doing in we're going to shoot a beer into space. >> reporter: attached to a weather balloon? that is what danny burns and rich toma claim. >> welcome to mission control, aka, my parents' garage. >> reporter: they saw u 2 videos of people sending stuff up into space like an iphone. why not the first beer in space? >> we happened to be drinking a couple of nati lights at the time. we were like, duh. >> reporter: some say you'd have to be duh to believe this story. the guys say they contacted the makers of nati light. >> they were like, held, yeah. >> reporter: it's not known for being out of this world. beer advocate website gives it a d minus. reviews range from this is a great beer for the money to perfect to clean your toilet with. danny and rich say they packed a can of nati into a styrofoam cooler along with a camera positioning it to shoot the journey with an empty can on the outside as a decoration. next come the lovely images of the beer going up, up and away above the clouds to 90,000 feet. subtitles and music added. the balloon seemingly pops. and the cooler plummets down, slowed by a parachute until, splash down. gps on the cooler supposedly allows the guys to locate it. do i smell a rat? perhaps a gorilla of viral marketing campaign? the date when the guys say the launch took place is wrong. anheuser-busch now admits further opening a can of worms we believe at least one of the guys has a marketing company and may have done some event planning for anheuser-busch a few years back. anheuser-busch assured cnn that the video is real, not computer generated, and that danny and rich approached the company to do this and were not paid. >> that beer's intact. >> reporter: but is their story, as someone posted, one small step foreman, one giant leap for alcoholics? genie moose, cnn, new york. we begin this hour with iran claiming that it shot down a u.s. spy drone like this one over its air space. washington's account is a little bit given. government sources will only confirm that a drone is missing. chris lawrence is at the pept gone. what have you heard? >> i spoke with a couple of sources who say it is highly unlikely that iran shot down this drone, that more likely there was a problem with the satellite connection or some other sort of mechanical malfunction that would have caused it to go down. simply put, the u.s. officials are not confirming that a drone has been captured by iran. they will only say that one is missing. here's the official statement. the uav to which the iranians are referring may be a u.s. unarmed reconnaissance aircraft that had been flying a mission over western afghanistan late last week. the operators of the uav lost control of the aircraft and had been working to determine its status. key line in there is that they saw that they had lost control, which means they may, may have been able to activate a self-destruct sequence if one existed. >> what are the implications of losing this drone? >> well, if part of it is intact and if part of it is intact in iran, that poses a lot of complications. this isn't a reaper or a predator. this is an rq 170. it had special shape, special coatings to basically enable it to penetrate enemy defense that is would pick up on reepers or predators. the same type of drone that was flying overhead owe sam ma bin laden's compound earlier this year. for the iranians to get this technology could be hurtful to the u.s. down the road because this same sort of stealthy technology exists in some of the u.s. bombers, some of the newest u.s. fighter jets all of which could enable iran possibly to figure out ways to stop some of this technology in the future. when these drones go down in afghanistan, pakistan, the u.s. usually sends a bomber out to blow it up. that wouldn't be possible if the wreckage is in iran. >> thanks. herman cain is out, but he's got lots of supporters. one big endorsement that other republican candidates would love to have. listen to what cain said about that over the weekend in his exit speech. >> i will be making an endorsement in the near future. i will be making an endorsement, and i can tell you right now, it will not be the current occupant of the white house. that will not be my endorsement. >> newt gingrich might be getting some of the spoils of the cain campaign. let's bring in mark preston. what are you hearing about a possible endorsement today, mark? >> i mean, look, kyra, the fact of the matter is it's probably not going to happen today. there's been some chatter over the last 12, 15 hours overnight that he would make the endorsement today. i think that's probably not going to happen t. will probably happen within the next week or so. the reason why is it has to happen while he's still relevant. right now he's still relevant, but as we get farther and farther away from his exit from the white house race, then he's not as relevant. if you were to endorse somebody in the next week or so, it looks like it would be newt gingrich. they have strong ties. they're both from georgia. they have known each other for a long time. in fact, the fall of cain has led to the rise of newt gingrich. let's look at a couple of polls right now that shows you where newt is right now. let's first look at iowa right now. he's at 28% which is a huge number for gingrich because he did not -- there was no way that he had any organization in iowa. then if you switch over there, we saw new hampshire as well, he gained major traction up in new hampshire. newt gingrich with very little campaign staff right now, kyra, has got some traction that he didn't have that we never thought he would have had, say, two or three months ago. >> all right. gingrich is in new york this hour. we've been talking about this, to meet with shall we say a pretty famous new yorker, outspoken for sure. let's talk about what's going on with trump and gingrich. >> of course. these two gentlemen are going to meet today. this is one in a long line of republican hopefuls that have asked to sit down with donald trump. he loves to get the ask because he certainly loves the media attention. donald trump does have some sway certainly with independent voters and disaffected republicans. a lot of people are wondering who is donald trump going to endorse? he has said that endorsement could come in the next couple of weeks. he's also said he might run as an independent. i don't think that is going to happen. we should note donald trump does have a new book coming out. a lot of this attention helps him very, very much. as far as newt gingrich goes, will donald trump want to endorse somebody who's been a career politician or will he want to go with somebody who's a businessman? we're not really sure where donald trump is going to go. >> we'll follow t. thanks, mark. we're getting word that the u.s. post office is going to make a change. carina, tell us how the markets are looking right now and then follow up with how this plan is going to work out for the post office. >> all right. let's start with the markets. we have a nice little rally underway with the dow up by more than 130 points with the banks really shining. this adds to the dow's 800 point gain. europe is the market driver. a flurry of meetings all week between european leaders. the market is optimistic that structural changes will be put in place, optimistic for today. >> now tell us how this plan's going to work out for the post office and exactly how deep in the red it is in. >> all right. we're waiting for more details on the plan today, but essentially what we're expecting to hear is that there are going to be some changes to its next-day service. currently they guarantee first class mail delivery in one to three days. what we're expecting them to propose is a change in the delivery time, two to five days. bad news is further job losses and problems for anyone who still pays bills by snail mail. more details later today. >> thanks, karina. several days of santa ana winds have already downed power lines and left thousands of people without power. rob marciano is following i guess it's unusual this time of year? i was trying to figure out? >> this is the time of year, october, november, december, even january and february. to have them be basically three events in the row. the event that's happening now and will continue to happen through tomorrow is not going to be as bad as what we saw wednesday or thursday. that was historic. something we haven't seen in certainly over a decade. the winds are cranking up this morning and later last night. warm springs, california, 51 mile an hour winds. we'll see these crank up the next few hours and die down this afternoon and then crank up again later on tonight. all in all we'll see 40 to 60 mile an hour winds. downed power lines and trees possible. what didn't come down last week, certainly there will be some weakening trees and tree limbs. it might not take much to take them down. there's still 10 or 20,000 people without power in parts of la. critical fire danger as well with this system. it's been dry. winds, low humidity continue. that's going to have firefighters with their hands full if anything flares up. the other big story that's driving this wind is the extreme cold that's dropping down across the northern plains. temperatures will be well below zero in places like wyoming, monday tan nampt denver's high will be 10 degrees. temperatures in l.a. will get down to 40 degrees. we have blizzard conditions expected across parts of new mexico. look at the snow not only in new mexico but across parts of the texas panhandle. this is stretching back up across parts of arkansas. heavy rain falling in arkansas up through the mid-mississippi valley. flooding on top of the santa ana's and the bliz zard, certainly all sorts of weather going on. >> thanks, rob. could be your smart phone right now. secret software that tracks what you do that you can't opt out of. coming up we'll take a good, hard look at carrier iq and the controversy. after months of peaceful protests, things get tense at occupy d.c. we'll check the news cross-country next. ♪ [ male announcer ] fellas know that when you don't get your shave right, the irritation can be a problem. 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[ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! check news cross-country now. washington's police have hauled off dozens of occupy d.c. protesters after standoff at their base camp. demonstrators refused orders to dismantle their new wooden shelter and had to be wrestled from the roof. 31 arrests in all. folks at occupy buffalo have a roof over their heads just in time for win tow. the city is cool with it for now. they could use a dome in denver. occupy protesters there already sleeping in the snow. they're relying on tarps, blankets and body heat. today's high temp, 13 degrees. tech world's all fired up over some stealth tracking software discovered on many smartphones. it's called carrier iq and once a day it sends reams of information about the phone's activities back to the wireless provider. so here's the thing, you can't opt out and choose to keep your data private. here's the other thing, there are conflicting claims about what kind of info is being collected and how big of a deal this even is. let's try and get the low-down from christina warren of mashable.com. christina, let's talk about which wireless companies are definitely using this. >> okay. so the companies that are definitely using carrier ik are t. mobile, at&t, sprint, and rogers in canada. verizon has come out publicly and said they are not using carrier iq. the general thought is that they're probably using something similar. they are not using carrier iq. >> why are these companies using this. >> the point of the software is supposed to be for diagnostic purposes. if i'm making a phone call on my iphone and i keep getting a drop signal in a certain place, i can't send a message, i have an error, that information can be sent to my phone carrier and they can analyze information and say, the tower near knoxville's offices isn't working correctly. so the point is really supposed to try to be to diagnose problems while people are having poor service. but it's the amount of information that is being collected or can be potentially collected has a lot of people really concerned. >> that's private information so we think i guess the next question is is this even legal? >> i think that it is legal. the various -- there is some discussion and some class action lawsuit says as far as whether or not this breaks wire tapping rules. carrier iq says they don't take anything about certain phone call data, they don't log key strokes although there is some conflicting information about whether or not certain keys being pressed is recorded. and the carrier iq says that they handle all the information to your wireless carrier so the wireless carrier's ultimately responsible for that information. your wireless carrier has access to all of your call logs and your sos messages anyway. it appears that it is legal. it's still pretty creepy. >> it is. my next question is, final question, how can i find out if it's on my phone and can i get rid of it? >> it depends. ios 5 has a setting that you can turn off the diagnostic and they have said in the future they will be removing carrier iq completely. there are a few apps for android that will let you know if carrier iq is on your phone. all windows devices don't have carrier iq. blackberry says that they don't install it on their devices but that your carrier might. if it is installed on your device and you don't have an iphone, chances are it's going to be difficult to disable t. i think the hope right now a lot of people have is that all of the negative attention that's hitting all the wireless carriers will force them to do something like allow it to be opted out or be more explicit about what information they collect and how it's being stored. >> christine and i are going back to writing letters and using the telephone. christina warren, thanks for the info. appreciate it. the iphone 4 is number 4 in the list of ten most shop lifted items. up next we'll tell you what three items beat it. here's a hint. you can eat the winner and watch it down with the runner up after you stuff them under your shirt. wh what do you do with the nine palaces that have saddam hussein's name engraved in them? do more faster. n so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your baby acting adorable. baby. on it. matt, ignore me and keep updating your fantasy team. huh? jeff, play a game. turbo-boosting now, sir. dennis, check in everywhere you go on foursquare. that's mayor dennis... of the water cooler. you're the best. liz, rock out to pandora. oh, no i'm an only child. and nick, you shouldn't even be here, you can do everything from the golf course. good? good. [ male announcer ] on at&t, blackberry® torch moves at the speed of 4g. ♪ at bank of america, we're lending and investing in communities across the country, from helping to revitalize a neighborhood in brooklyn to financing industries that are creating jobs in boston or providing funding for the expansion of a local business serving a diverse seattle community and supporting training programs for tomorrow's workforce in los angeles. because the more we can do in local neighborhoods and communities, the more we can help make opportunity possible. growing number of americans are taking advantage of the five-finger discount. that's right. shoplifting, getting more and more popular. carina huber at the new york stock exchange. what are they stealing? >> kyra, some surprising things. the bottom line is it seems to be all about eat, drink and be merry. topping the list, filet mignon. i'm not sure how someone sneaks out of the store discretely with a hunk of meat. that's the number one stolen item. number two, jameson whisky. power tools. electric toothbrushes. four on the list, the iphone. experts say gadgets are the most stolen items. number 5, gillette raise or blades. some other interesting things include axe body spray. chanel number 5 perfume. clothes and toys are also always hot for some people to not be able to resist. kyra? >> we've seen food and drink at the top of the list. can you say this is tied to the bad economy? >> well, yes and no. according to ad week, they say some is due to desperation. as we're seeing this high unemployment rate. people are taking what they need or what they can to sell to make money. at the same time we have old-fashioned temptation. statistically most shop lifters actually have jobs. retailers aren't the ones who are going to suffer among the statistics because according to the data, they'll lose nearly $120 billion. >> quick check on the markets. it was looking pretty good a little while ago. >> still is. still looking pretty good. up about 150 points on the dow. it is because of some optimism about all of these meetings happening in europe. investors are hoping to come up with a plan to tackle the debt crisis there. when it comes to manufacturing, it was disappointing. that brought things down a little bit. nice gains today. >> thanks. well, this week cnn is going in depth on the final hours of the iraq war. here's a question for the iraqis now that u.s. troops are leaving. what do you do with all of saddam's palaces? with the dictator gone, what happens to all the fancy real estate? here's cnn martin savage. >> reporter: inside what was america's largest military base in iraq, the war room is dark. the 40,000 u.s. service members that once made it an american city are gone. the keys to victory have been passed. the victory base complex was the hub of america's war in iraq since 2003. now in iraqi hands there's just one nagging question, what to do with all the palaces. >> good morning, welcome to the el fa palace. >> reporter: there are nine palaces here full of arrogance, extravagance, and as you might expect, bathrooms with gold fixtures. the grandest of them all is this palace. it took 11 years to build and it was a gift saddam gave himself for his 64th birthday. >> in case you're wondering, this palace is 450,000 square feet. it has 62 rooms and 29 bathrooms. >> reporter: just in case anyone might forget whose palace it was, saddam put his mark everywhere. >> behind you you'll see here, again, saddam's initials. >> reporter: his initials are also on the chandeliers, the walls, even looking outside you aren't spared. >> on the exterior window, again, you'll see saddam's initials. >> reporter: so what does that say about the man? >> for me it says somebody who puts his initials on everything borders on the meglamania. >> reporter: like most palaces there's another secret. in this case, there's another palace bombed at the start of the war and left looking deserted only it wasn't. >> the exterior was left bombed out so people wouldn't know what was going on inside. >> reporter: inside contractors secretly built a maximum security prison. >> there were two prisoners held here. one was saddam hussein. the other was ali. >> reporter: there, of course, is the eye ronnie. the man whom all of this was built became a prisoner in his own palace. but that brings us back to what should the iraqis do with them? have some suggested using them as an iraqi base. others would like museums or cultural centers. there's even talk of a hotel yet to be named hopefully with the initials s.h. donald trump going to host a gop presidential debate. why are some of the candidates taking a rain check? political buzz right after the break. 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well, developments out of europe are expected to be the main driver for u.s. markets as we close out the year. cnn's nina dos santos joining us from paris nina, the president and chancellor merkel just emerged from a meeting. they gave a statement. any big announcements or surprises? >> reporter: yeah, five big announcements if you want to be precise. they've set out a blueprint, a framework for how to solve the eurozone debt crisis. they'll be putting forward the plan in a meeting in brus sells later on this week. just some of the salient points among the five issues. they'll have automatic sanctions for countries around this region that break a rule of having their deficit sas more than 3% of gdp. interestingly enough, those rules have been in place here in europe for the best part of ten years, kyra. they haven't been implemented with any strength and rigor. they'll change that. they'll also make the european bailout fund turn into a permanent vehicle which is being dubbed the esm. a strange bunches of two or three-ler words. that's going to become a permanent fund at least one year sooner than expected. that gives you an idea, kyra, how severe the crisis is. how important they get it right. nicolas sarkozy says they want to make sure it applies to all 27 members of the european union. ten members don't actually share the euro and aren't part of the eurozone. if they can't get all 27 people to agree, they'll put up with all 17 members as a plan b if you like. >> we'll, indeed, follow if there is a plan b. thanks. political buzz. your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. playing today, cnn's political talk show host and kmeetian pete dominic. will cain and radio host and tea party leader dana laush. >> michele bachmann wants to pick up some. take a listen. >> one thing that we've seen is that a lot of herman cain supporters have called our office and they've been coming over to our side. i think part of that is because people see that i'm the tea party candidate in the race. they saw herman cain as an outsider. they see that my voice will be the one that will be most reflective of his. >> so with no cain, who's the next best thing. will sfl. >> some people are going to think michele bachmann s. most polls show that newt gingrich is the first choice which we should stop and marvel at the absurdity of that. the ultimate washington outsider. it's the ultimate washington insider with character flaws. it makes a lot of sense. that being said, herman cain was capable of fostering this image of conservative purity. michele bachmann can do that as well. >> someone with no character flaws, dana laush. >> i am going to have to agree with will on this. yes, none. i'm going to have to agree with will on this. i think bachmann will pick up some. as we've seen with all of the polls, especially right now with iowa, newt gingrich is in the lead. he's doing exceptionally well. he's obviously picking up some herman cain supporters which is really, really ironic when you consider where we were with newt gingrich just a couple of years ago or even five years before that. it's kind of an amazing thing to behold. i think bachmann will pick off some. will she catch gingrich in the polls, i don't know? >> pete? >> kyra, rick santorum hasn't got his chance to be the front runner. how can rick santorum be the next best thing? bachmann was finished before she started. she's smart to say we're getting a lot of calls. what does that mean? when i say i get a lot of hate mail every time i'm on cnn when it's only a couple of tweets and e-mails, i don't think she's getting a lot. i think newt gingrich will be the flavor for the next four weeks. >> ron paul is still strong in the polls. here's what he tells our candy crowley about his standing. >> we've had the flavors of the month up and down so far in this campaign. i'd like to think of myself as the flavor of the decade so we keep plotting along on a couple of issues that are striking a chord with the people. >> guys, so how far will he go in this race? dana? >> i think that ron paul would do a lot better if more conservatives agreed with him on some of his foreign policy stances. that seems to me to be the big divide. i love ron paul on domestic issues. he is pretty much untouchable. when you look at some of his foreign policy stances, that's when i pull back and have questions. i know a lot of other conservatives to whom i've spoken feel the same way. he's doing really well. number two in iowa. anything could still happen. >> will? >> i want to build off what dana said. i think this is fascinating. have you ever heard of peratos principal. you can divide things in the world 80/20. tim ferries popularized it in the 40 hour work week. 20% is an insane deal killer. here's the deal. that 20% is different for everybody. for dana it's foreign policy issues. other people it's that he would legalize drugs. for me it's that he would shut down the fed. everyone has a different 20% with ron paul but it's always a deal killer. >> ron paul has more integrity than every other candidate, including the president, on almost every issue. he is consistent, he's honest, he doesn't change his opinions although that's not a bad thing except for when you're always changing to appease your supporters. ron paul has a tremendous amount of integrity and consistency. he doesn't take all kinds of special interest money. he has the support of young people but a lot of people don't agree with him for the reasons dana and will just articulated very well. the secret is that he is mitt romney's secret weapon. we've seen a lot of surprises. maybe he'll win in iowa. we'll see if the young people can come through. >> your buzzer beater, 20 seconds each on this one. donald trump is back again. this time to host a debate. ron paul and john huntsman said they're not going to play. why avoid it? what's the worst that can happen? >> let's see. you can stain your party, your political movement with the image of a clown. you could attach it to a bafoon and charletan. that ought to be self-explanatory. >> dana? >> i'm not quite sure how donald trump got to be the ultimate arbitrator of who's going to go forward in the republican primary. all i know is that if i'm going to watch this, i hope that he gives fire to one of them, maybe romney. >> pete? >> donald trump is the ring leader of a circus and these candidates most likely don't want to be associated by being called side show freaks. donald trump produces these awful pageants, beauty pageants which are terrible themselves. i'm looking forward to the candidates and their talent. rick santorum and the bathing suit with rick perry shining. >> you guys were harsh when it came to donald trump. you all agree on that one. >> is it hard? >> we should -- will was a wa tow polo player, pete, if you want to talk about bathing soouts. >> i was a sing crow niezed swimmer. >> that's scary. guys, thank you. coming up, madonna has been picked to perform on football's biggest night. we'll have the details next in "showbiz." the who, even janet jackson in a wardrobe malfunction. now it's madonna's turn. we're talking about the super bowl. a.j. hammer, what do you think? >> madonna is making her first-ever appearance. people will expect a wardrobe malfunction. it has been a rumor for months now. the nfl officially confirmed it last night during a spot they ran on sunday night football. it's a great way for madonna to become relevant to the masses. we know the audience is as big as it gets. last year it was watched by more than 162 million viewers just here in the u.s. madonna seizing the opportunity for the massive exposure as she promotes a new album out. her movie we which she directed, that's supposed to open right around the game. kyra, if you're starting to fill in your 2012 calendar, type it into your ical. the super bowl on february 5th. >> stevie wonder, if he did compete on "dancing with the stars." how cool is that? >> the news started to get o last week after he appeared on the ellen degeneres show. here's what stevie told ellen. >> you have to tell me, is there any truth to the rumor, are you thinking about doing danci"danc with the stars"? >> i'm losing weight. when i get to where i feel like i'm going to look good enough, i'll do that. >> really? >> how great would that be? i think it would be a terrific move for the show and for stevie. he would be the first blind contestant on "dancing with the stars." >> he sure would. the kennedy center honors were last night in d.c. president obama, he was in pretty good company. >> yeah, he was. it looked like a really fun night in washington, too. he had meryl streep, neil diamond, cellist yo-yo ma. sonny roll lins. one of the real highlights last night, i can't wait to see the highlights. rendition of sweet caroline led by smokey robinson. a crowd of boston red socks fans. caroline kennedy was singing along. it links back to her dad. kash row line is the name sake of that neil diamond classic. cbs will be broadcasting the entire show on december 27th. >> that sounds like fun. one of my favorite tunes, by the way, a.j. thanks so much. you want any information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, a.j.'s got it every night. "showbiz tonight," 11:00 p.m. on hln. is sexting out of control with teenagers? it happens far less than people think. we've got the details straight ahead. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some people just know how to build things well. give you and your loved ones an expertly engineered mercedes-benz... ho ho ho! ...at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends january 3rd. is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's surf & turf. 3 grilled combinations all under $20. like our maine lobster with peppercorn sirloin, or our new bacon-wrapped shrimp with blue cheese sirloin for $14.99. i'm john mazany and i sea food differently. check news cross-country now. an 84-year-old woman plans to sue the tsa after she says she was not only hurt but humiliated during a strip-search. >> i have a defibrillator so i don't go through the machines, i ask them to pat me down or use the wand. don't i look like a terrorist? i'm going to be 85 years old. i weigh 103 pounds and they strip-searched me. >> now here's the response from the tsa. quote, while we regret that the passenger feels she had an unpleasant screening experience, the tsa does not include strip-searches as part of our security protocols and one was not conducted in this case. jury deliberations begin today for the second man convict nd a brutal home invasion that ended with the death of a connecticut woman and her daughters. he could get the death penalty. bishop eddie long told his parishioners he's taking time off. long's wife vanessa filed for divorce next week. it's called sexting. some studies have shown it's pretty popular among our teens, but a new study now says that one in ten preten or teens have been involved with sexting photos. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen here to explain. you're saying that it's down or it's not as bad as we had thought? >> i don't want to go there, and i'll tell you why. this study looked to kids from 10 to 17. so the numbers are a little smaller than studies that only look at, say, 15 to 17 year olds because you're including the 10 year olds. it's hard to look at a trend or draw any conclusions bs a trend. i think as a parent if you look at 10 to 17 year olds and you see that one out of ten has either posed in, sent, or received an image, a sexual image via sexting, that's still a high number. that means if you have a school of 1,000 kids, 100 have either posed, sent or received a sexual image. we're talking about everything from where the child might be clothed but standing suggesttivelily to completely naked or even participating in a sexual act. >> my heart just stopped. you're a mom. i'm a mom. these kids don't realize what can happen to them. >> they don't realize it, right. a 16-year-old boy snaps a picture of his naked girlfriend, sends it to a buddy of his. he doesn't realize he's broken the law. his girlfriend is a minor. he's sending it to a minor. most of the time it doesn't rise to that level of breaking the law. usually they're not widely distributed. the minute they are, your kid could be arrested. kids don't realize that. parents i don't think realize that. >> the parents don't realize that. what do they need to do to prevent it? >> talk to your child about sexting. they don't see it necessarily as something big and bad. you need to talk to them about how in many cases they're actually breaking the law. then the second thing that you need to do, i know somebody's going to say you're invading your kid's privacy, look at their texts. they're kids, okay? you're the adult. you can look at their texts. the third thing if you go to cnn.com/empoweredpatient, information about how to talk to your kids about sexting. >> you turn 18, you get your privacy. >> exactly. mom's paying for the phone, mom should be able to look at those texts. >> thanks. tiger woods' two-year losing streak comes to an end. we'll show you the putt he dropped to go to the top. ♪ [ electronic beeping ] [ male announcer ] still getting dandruff? neutrogena® t/gel shampoo defeats dandruff after just one use. t/gel shampoo. it works. neutrogena®. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com 2011 almost over and we want you to help us pick the top 20 stories of the year. go to the website. take part in our online poll between now and december 15th. the top ten stories of the year will be unveiled on air and online december 30th. tiger woods did something he hasn't done in more than two years, win a tournament. cnn's don rajelle joins us with the story. >> kyra, how are you doing? tiger woods won his 95th career tournament. i bet he didn't think there would be a 25-month gap between his 94th trophy and his 95th. he rediscovered his winning ways in his own tournament in california on sunday. he needed a birdie on the 18th hole against zach johnson to win. critics would say perhaps it was an easy win. it was his own tournament. there were only 17 other players involved. a win's a win. tiger has been lacking the confidence of a win for more than two years. we know what happened in his private life and to his game after that. so it could well be that he's back. he, i think, would prefer to play next week and the week after to build on the momentum. he's going into the winter break. he won't play until next year. i think he'll at least spend the whole of the winter knowing that he can be a winner again. who knows what kind of tiger we'll see next year. tell us about this college student, another winner here. >> yeah. this really is quite a heart warming story. we're talking about a college student who goes to the university of nevada. on sunday in the sec championship game in atlanta, she had to perform a pretty difficult task against an alabama student. she had to throw as many balls as she could into the bucket in front of her. she had 30 seconds to do it. she won. she got 13 in. the prize from dr. pepper was $100,000 university scholarship. it meant the world to her. i think you're going to see now she was absolutely overwhelmed when she finally got there. >> that is incredible. you hear about a lot of great prizes, but this is it. let's hear from her, don. >> this is so important to me. dr. pepper is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me. >> she will satisfy be drinking a lot of dr. pepper in college. >> just incredible. she's going to spend money on her education. she'll study english and history, then law school. then she says she wants to be a federal judge, then make the supreme court. if she makes it, keep your eye on this girl. it all started with a can of soda. >> got to love it. what a great story. thanks so much. checking other stories making news later today. 11:00 eastern nasa holding a news conference to announce the discovery of a new planet. how often do you hear that? at 1:30 eastern president obama meets with college students. they'll talk about the high cost of going to college. an antihazing forum at florida a&m university. it's in response to the death of the student band member we talked about. coming up in the newsroom with suzanne malveaux, iran's government says it shot down a u.s. surveillance drone similar to this one. we'll ask a national security expert what information iran could learn and if it impacts national security. a new study says your ability to quit smoking may have something to do with your genes. ♪ it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year. senator john mccain telling cnn what he thinks is the key to winning the 2012 elections. our senior political editor mark preston here with that story. mark? >> kyra, you know, the way that the next president is going to win the election is going to win as many states as possible, including the state of arizona, which john mccain won by nine points in 2008. he says that president obama might have a shot at winning it this time. let's hear why. >> the demographics are clear. the demographics are clear that the hispanic vote will be a major factor in national elections. >> there you have john mccain of course talking about a key demographic, hispanics out in the west. he says that the hispanic vote is up for grabs. he says that the republican party, kyra, needs to be more humane when they're talking about how to deal with illegal immigration. kyra? >> mark, new hampshire newspaper has mitt romney's back. we saw that today. >> no doubt. last week we were talking about the "new hampshire union leader " and how they were backing newt gingrich. another paper is saying mitt romney has matured a lot. romney shouldn't have to be held to the positions that he once had in his former political life. he said that basically the paper said that these positions should not be written in blood. so mitt romney getting a big endorsement which was tauted by the campaign over the weekend. >> thanks so much. we'll have your next political update in just about an hour. a rinder for all the latest political news, go to the website. that does it for us here in atlanta. suzanne malveaux in washington, d.c., today. take it away. good to see you. >> good to see you, ra

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