university sports program. a coach is faced on leave and we will hear from a friend of the accuser. it's called 821. you probably haven't heard about it. a united nations development program has become a code word for conservatives and newt gingrich is taking full advantage. >> i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the "situation room." first, herman cain. he certainly has become the first of the 2012 republican presidential candidates to get protection from the secret service. there are some questions about the timing and reasons why. herman cain himself is due to meet with reporters live this hour. we will hear the q&a. we will go to joe johns looking into this story. what do we know? >> reporter: cain is the first to get this protection but not going to be the last. we all know that. frankly it is to be expected, doing well in the polls and qualifies as a major candidate. when and why certain presidential candidates get secret service protection may seem like a big mystery. it's not supposed to be. sources inside the government confirm herman cain has gotten a number of unspecified threats, apparently some online. author ronald castler has written about the secret service, just a suggestion of harm that doesn't have to be specific is enough to get the service involved. >> generally, it's a matter of threats. the secret service doesn't like to say that. i'm quite sure in this case there were threats, just as there were with barack obama when he got protection early on in march of 2007. there were not specific credible threats but there were threats on the internet white supremacist websites ins the case of obama. >> we found derisive comments about cain but no throats on the white supremacist websites. they were far more critical of obama than herman cain. the secretary of homeland security can authorizes it after talking to the speaker of the house and top party leaders of congress. we reached out to four of them. nancy pelosi and mitch mcconnell's office responded saying they don't discuss any aspects of security period which is probably how chicane program should have handled the program but didn't by telling the "washington post" cain was getting a secret service detail because of his intense media coverage. they quickly changed his story and sources strongly deny media coverage had anything to do with secret service protection. the service again would not comment. kesler says that doesn't even sound right. >> they're not glorified security guards, they're there to prevent assassinations. i'm sure the secret service was a little chagrinned to hear them describe this protection in that wa way. >> it's taxpayers who pay for this, not the campaign. there are benefits to the candidate, of course. it makes it's easier to get through airports, find parking places and certainly a lot more security, but on the other hand, a lot of candidates try to wait as long as possible before getting protection because of the privacy issues involved, wolf. >> i know you've been looking into this, joe. the element of race, he's the only black candidate on the republican part. has that been a factor? hasn't been a factor? what do you think? >> reporter: there certainly have been questions raised whether it's a factor. as you know, there's a bit of skepticism out there about herman cain, african-american candidates in general in some quarters and certainly the fact that he is an african-american republican running for the office of president of the united states. so we'd like to hear more from him about where these threats come from, but beyond that, it's not a simple answer, at least for right now. >> not simple, but my theory and all of us who have worked with the secret service and presidential candidates over the years, better to be safe rather than sorry if there's any doubt at all, any question of a candidate's security, get the secret service involved early and often. >> absolutely right. >> thanks very much. a war over e-mails has now broken out between mitt romney and democrats including a successor as the massachusetts governor. each side wants to see the other's records. in romney's case, those records may -- may have been destroyed. jessica is here in the "situation room" and ready to explain what's going on. go ahead and explain. >> reporter: first of all, no one in this case is accused of breaking the law. who considers a fight over computer hard drives sexy? but that's what we're talking about. it's a scuffle over e-mails among the romney campaign, president obama's top political aides and the current general of massachusetts. really, it's a potential general election fight taking shape. >> reporter: mitt romney launched the first attack blasting off a warning to governor duval patrick. it's clear this office has become an opposition research arm of the obama re-election campaign, requesting copies of all e-mail correspondence, phone logs and contacts between the president's top political aides and the governor's office since 2007. the chair of the democratic national committee scoffed. >> that's an interesting distraction. >> reporter: her group fired back with a request for all electronic correspondence from the romney administration with these carefully chosen words. delete e-mails, destroy records, flip-flop, change position, ranked 47th in job creation. to the romney campaign, that's a sign of fear. >> the last thing they want to do is run against mitt romney in the general election. >> reporter: it all started with this "boston globe" article revealing at the end of romney's term as massachusetts governor, 11 of his top aides purchased their state issued computer hard drives and the romney administration's e-mails were all wiped from a server. the current democratic governor, duval patrick has been bombarded with inquiries for records from the romney era and has no electronic record ofny romney administration e-mails. governor patrick is a friend of president obama and expected to campaign for him in 2012. democrats say the romney wipe is unprecedented. >> mitt romney was planning to run for president towards the end of his administration and the public has the right to know what kinds of communication were going on while he was beginning to plan that campaign. it is absolutely unkconscionabl, inexcusable that records from -- of those conversations or of any conversations would have been wiped clean from servers. >> reporter: but the romney campaign says it was all legal and -- >> the obama administration is a very large organization and they're going to spend millions of dollars, if not a billion dollars in order to hold on to power. they will say and do anything to hold onto their power. in this case, they have deployed or activated the patrick administration to do their dirty wor work. >> all this plays into a larger dynamic on the political scene, which is that the obama campaign team is focusing heavily on mitt romney, trying to define him early as a candidate, with in their words, no core value, a flip-flopper, you heard the words the dnc included in their legal information request. the romney campaign, they're fighting a primary battle and rarely engage with the obama folks. when they do, as in this instance, it gives you a taste just how nasty a general election fight between obama and romney would be. >> it could be brutal, probably a lot more intense than the obama-mccain fight was given the stakes involved. >> no question about it. it will be brutal. >> if romney gets this. >> if. that would be a brutal fight. >> thank you. the congressional all-star team assigned to find a fix for the nation's debt problems may be heading for failure right now. the so-called super committee has just five day left to come up with a plan of trimming the deficit by 1$1.2 trillion over 0 years, otherwise, painful spending cuts are scheduled to go into effect. kate joins us. it's not necessarily looking all that promising right now. what do you know about the latest in these intense negotiations? >> reporter: hey there, wolf, things are beginning to look grim on capitol hill. it does appear as if the super committee is headed toward failure, a big if, if negotiations do not shift dramatically in the final few days. as evidence of that, we learned recently negotiations between republicans and democratic leaders but those negotiations seem to have also fallen apart. republicans pitched a much smaller package of spending cuts with very little revenue and democrats dismissed that as saying more revenue would be needed in that package for the deal to go through. that really shows where things have fallen apart all along and deadlocked this committee largely over the issue of taxes. democrats say more revenue, tax increases need to be part of any package for it to be part of the quote-unquote balanced approach they're calling for. republicans remain just as firmly against tax increases unless they are part of a much broader process of tax reform that would lower overall rates. listen to the republican and democratic co-chairs of the super committee for the latest, wol wolf. >> we are painfully, painfully aware of the deadline staring us in the face. we have 12 good people who have worked hard since this committee has been created to try to find sufficient common ground for an agreement that would simultaneously address both our nation's job crisis and the debt crisis. >> clearly, there is a major concession on our part to meet them dollar for dollar on entitlements and spending cuts, not policy for policy but dollar for dollar on those issues. where the divide is right now is on taxes and whether or not the weal wealthiest americans should star in the sacrifice all of us have to make. that's the decision. it's what we're waiting for. i remain hopeful. >> you hear senator patty murray say right there she is hopeful. i will caution both sides say they are talking, both sides say they are still working and will work right up to the deadline. as you well know, wolf, congress loves a deadline and these big congressional negotiations often go into the 11th hour before there is that magical break through. it's not worthy a lot of thing stalk has largely shifted from, how can we get a deal? can we get a deal a minimum of 1.2 trillion in deficit savings shifting more to how can we lessen the blow, if at all of that trigger, when it sets in if the committee does not meet its deadline wednesday. wolf. >> we will stay closely in touch with you throughout the weekend monday and tuesday. thanks. we're standing by. >> herm: sta standing by herm d ing bherman meet with authorities and talk about the decision to put him under secret service protection. get ready for that. a new twist in the penn state university child sex abuse scandal and huge implication. a similar scandal erupted at another major university, syracuse university with the coach put on leave. a lot more coming up on the "situation room." tltltltle emotional here? aren't you getting a little industrial? okay, there's enough energy right here in america. yeah, over 100 years worth. okay, so you mean you just ignore the environment. actually, it's cleaner. and, it provides jobs. and it helps our economy. okay, i'm listening. [announcer] at conoco phillips we're helping power america's economy with cleaner affordable natural gas... more jobs, less emissions, a good answer for everyone. so, by reducing the impact of production... and protecting our land and water... i might get a job once we graduate. it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? let's go back to drawing. ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you and your money deserve. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, that means taking a close look at you tdd# 1-800-345-2550 as well as your portfolio. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 we ask the right questions, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 then we actually listen to the answers tdd# 1-800-345-2550 before giving you practical ideas you can act on. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck online, on the phone, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 or come in and pull up a chair. and last chance at medicare open enrollment, too. what do you mean? it ends december 7th. if you haven't reviewed your medicare plan choices yet, well, it's getting late. medicare gives you free cancer screenings and wellness visits, and 50% off brand name prescription drugs when you're in the donut hole... it's all part of the health care law. december 7th? i better get goin'! [ male announcer ] medicare open enrollment ends soon. call 1-800-medicare or visit medicare.gov to learn more. 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. the ncaa just informed penn state university it will evaluate the accountability swirling around jerry sandusky. working this new development for us, in pennsylvania, what are you finding out, mike? >> reporter: wolf, i'm pouring over this three page letter sent out by the ncaa and there are four questions at the end penn state has to answer by december 16th. let me read you one passage that directly deals with the head coach, joe paterno. it shall be the responsibility of an institution's head coach to promote an atmosphere for comply ens within a program, supervised by the coach and monitor activities of compliance by all assistant coaches and administers involved with the program who report directly or indirectly with the coach. joe paterno is in the eye of that passage. it talks about moral values. you have to do more than avoid improper conduct or questionable acts. i mention the four at the end. penn state, did they exercise institutional control. the fourth question, what policies and do they have to monitor and identify with the grand jury report and wraps up with the convicting line saying we need to encourage behaviors that lift up young people, rather than making them victims. that from the ncaa is how they launched the investigation and those questions need to be answered by the 16th. there is a statement from penn state saying this, president erickson said it will be important for penn state to co-op rate fully with the ncaa and the university is perfectly in line to prevent anything similar from happening again. penn state here as i stand in the midst of it, turning into a ghost town, get out of here thanksgiving break and that's the reaction. >> are they saying anything in that letter for possible punishment for penn state university if they find at the highest levels of the football program or others were derelict? >> no specific punishments mentioned, wolf, you know what those could be? ban from bowl game, loss of scholarships and there was a talk of a potential death penalty, a media term not ana term, basically, penn state could not play football for up to a year. being in and around penn state, couldn't imagine, look this way and this way, five to ten penn state stores already rocked but already rocked with this scandal. >> with the fans at every home game, it has been going on for years and years. we'll stay in touch. thank you. a similar scandal is now exploding at syracuse university. the assistant basketball coach, bernie fine has been put on administrative leave after accusations that he inproechtly touched two boys starting two decades ago. aeryn burnett, you spoke to a close friend of one of those accusers. what did he say and why now? >> actually, spoke to a close friend of bernie fein, someone who knew him for 25 years and what kind of person he was. and the college football hall of fame er knew fein well and spent most of his life as an advocate for things such as child sexual abuse in male sports. he said he would be shocked and thought he would be exonerated and never heard anything like this. i take to others that said no other men have come forward about associate coach fine since this came out last night. it is interesting as we start to think how prevalent this might be on one hand and the other hand, potential and fear of false accusations out there. syracuse university, as you know, one of these boys had come forward now men in 2005. the school spent four months interviewing people around coach fine to see if anything happened. they came to the conclusion nothing unto ward had occurred. only in the past few days, a second man came forward actually related to the first man to allege he was also abused by coach fine. that was when coach fine was put on administrative leave. it's unclear what happened here and they will be looking into it from the police perspective. the background is interesting. curious to think about what more we will hear from other schools across the country. >> aeryierin, hold on a second. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> cnn has now confirmed the news that the former head football coach of penn state university, joe paterno is now suffering from what is being described as a treatable form of lung cancer. we just got that information from our contributor. mike galanos is still an over at penn state for us. he's 84 years old. all of us with coach paterno only the best. this is a dramatic development and might explain some of the stuff going on lately. a treatable form of lung cancer. we're not exactly sure what that means. maybe it means he will get surgery or something like that. do we know anything else, mike? >> reporter: no. that's it, wolf. we just got that information as i stand right in front of penn state university and to many, a beloved joe paterno, as you mentioned, a treatable form of lung cancer. this community still rocks. i had a chance to be on a radio program. it's a weary community and not sure how they're taking this news. they want to be sure to thank joe paterno for all the years he has done besides a scandal. one person got on the phone and said he's done more for penn state than any coach in the country. >> give us a little perspective. you've covered penn state football over the years. so have i. i don't think we can overexaggerate how significant joe paterno's legacy at penn state has been and why this whole development in recent days, tragedy, sexual abuse scandal and resignation, how that has tarnished arguably the most stellar football coach record in american history. >> reporter: again, scandal aside, wolf, to add to your perspective on this, these students i talked to, were so saddened. they love joe paterno. in a sense, he's a father or grandfather figure. i walked in front of that stadium. there's a statute of joe paterno. the basic sentiment is i want to be remembered who made penn state a better place and wasn't just a football coach, the direct quote there. this community takes a hit as a man they revered for so long will now battle a treatable form of lung cancer. >> we wish him the best. we go to sources close to joe paterno. cnn has confirmed former penn state football coach, joe paterno has been diagnosed with what has been described as a treatable form of lung cancer. we'll stay on top of this story. newt gingrich and something called agenda 21, why he keeps mentioning it and why tea party activist, among others, they are paying close attention. lots of news happening right here on the "situation room." [ male announcer ] juice drink too watery? ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for unsurpassed fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion. could've had a v8. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ it's called 821, ysunited nations plan for conservative development and thrown out by presidential candidate newt gingrich and we are taking a closer look. what are we watching? >> it may have slipped past some viewers in south carolina but it did not catch everybody off guard in the tea party movement who heard newt gingrich talk about something called 821. if you weren't listening closely to newt gingrich at the last governor palin debate in south carolina, you might have missed it. >> i would explicitly repudiate what obama's done on agenda 21 as the kind of inference from the united nations. >> reporter: agenda 21, a hot topic in tea party cirklings and newt gingrich is vowing to stop it. >> one of the things popping up is agenda 21. that's probably one of the first executive orders cease all federal funding of activity that relates to united nations agenda 21? >> reporter: what is agenda 21, enacted in 1992 as part of a global initiative to combat climate change to be combat globally nationally governments and major groups in every area in which human beings impact the environment. in his pitch to tea party groups, gingrich warns it could some day be used to seize the private property of american citizens. >> the united nations proposal to provide a series of planning provisions because your city government can't do something because of some agreement they signed with some private group all committed basically to taking control of your private property and turning it into a publicly controlled property. >> i think they're out of their minds. >> reporter: bill stoddard, mayor of miami says agenda 21 is no u.n. conspiracicy says his city adopted to program to promote growth ideas and ease trav congestion and cut down on pollution. >> this is a way to share information how we're combatting climate change and promoting systemic development. >> you looking in the mirror -- >> reporter: across the country, tea party groups have afield to city and county governments to vote down agenda 21 programs. >> people come to me and are concerned about it. >> reporter: in iowa this week, gingrich acknowledged agenda 21 is not even binding. >> part of the treaty never endorsed by the senate and i don't think the federal government should be in the process of helping implement things the senate has not approved. >> reporter: why raise that as an issue on the campaign trail that would not conceivably get passed by the congress? >> it's now being implemented at the local level. >> reporter: it is a touchy subject. three years ago he appeared in an ad with nancy pell lo say endor endorsing that effort and now calls it a mistake. >> he calls it an embarrassment. why did he do that ad? does he explain? it's it from dramatic. we've all seen that ad. >> he said it's the worst mistake he's made in years. he says he, too, believes that climate change is a real problem that has to be solved, he just doesn't agree with proposals coming from the obama administration to solve it. he is starting to walk some of that back. that is part of the reason perhaps he is talking about 821 because it goes right to tea party groups that don't like hearing about climate change. >> he has emerged as a top tier candidate. let's talk about newt gingrich in our strategy session. joining us pauling begala, democratic strategist, paul begala and republican strategist, mary matlin. do you have a good explanation why he's talking about agenda 21? the obvious is it's something a lot of conservatives, tea party activists encouraged to hear? i think jim's reporting was solid and interesting. sort of a dog whistle issue. you ask a normal person should we try to do what we can at the local level to cut down on trav, have smart growth or sustain the environment so we can leave or children and grandchildren a cleaner neighborhood or community, they would say yes. for that conspiratorial fringe, even though it's not binding and newt gingrich said it's a local matter. he's not running for local office. it's a dog whistle he can use for conspiracy theorists being a guy processed of a magnificent brain knew global warming is a problem. >> he is a very intelligent guy as 0 those of white house have covered him, knows a lot about everything. why do you believe he's an gaged in what critics are calling this conspiracy theory? >> the critics are grassy knollers who tend to find conspiracies everywhere. this is a 21-year-old u.n. program clearing up trav at the local level is note depth and breathed of what's inside of agenda 21. any u.n. program that existed over 20 years has a growth and a spread that should be looked at. the u.n. is a big issue for conservatives and republicans. climate change is a big -- man made climate change really is a conspiracy, big issue for conservatives. you can say a lot of things about newt. what you can't say is he doesn't know what he's talking about when he gets into something. >> let me make a turn to the "washington post." i'll let you discuss it first. the other day, we learned newt gingrich made nearly $2 million doing consulting work for freddie mac, the troubled morg giant all the taxpayers had to bail out to the tune of more than $100 billion. we're learning in recent years he took in another 30 to $40 million, $35 million, according to the "washington post," from health care industry businesses. is there anything wrong with that? >> not per se. our viewers should know i was a communications pr consultant for freddie mac. >> did you make $1.8 million. >> i can't disclose mat i made but i don't think i was in newt's league. i didn't advise on lobbying but there is nothing immoral or illegal about it. he needs to own up to it. politically the health problem he has, when he was advocating for those health industry, he was also advocating for an individual mandate requiring everybody who makes more than $50,000 a year to buy health insuran insurance. that's very much like mitt romney's individual mandate in romney care and very much like bo's mandate in obama-care. newt will have a political problem because he was a strong supporter of health care. >> if he was pate $37 million from health care, mary, is that a political problem he has to worry about in his bid for the republican nomination? >> i don't think so. i remember when he started that transitional health care, he was ahead of the curve in bringing health care and costs to the 21st century. the thing about newt's activity, people lined up to pick his big brain, not be an influence peddler, have an impact on policies. he's been out of office, 12 years, don't know anybody smarter, didn't in congress, don't today. voters, particularly conservatives have come to the conclusion, newt looks like he's able to consolidate the 75%, he's already ahead in new hampshire. that's why you said at the top, all of these -- everything will come out on newt right now. and be viewed through this critical prism. i think he will be able to stand up to it. >> hold on for a minute. you can see on the right hand part of your screen, hermain cain is in orlando and take questions from reporters. the first presidential republican candidate to get secret service protection. we'll go there live once the republican candidate shows up and getting new information on the former football coach of penn state university, joe paterno, we've now confirmed he's diagnosed with what's called a treatable form of lung cancer. we're also getting from syracuse university, bernie fine, assistant basketball coach also accused of sexual abuse. so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. hermain cain is taking questions in orlando right now. let's listen in. >> because of the popularity of my campaign, it was time to go to that next step. i'm just glad that, you know, we were given that opportunity. so we're delight to have it. the thing about secret service is that things are secret, so we don't discuss any details about it because that would not be appropriate. >> [ asking questions ]. >> that is not true. it will not cost a family of four making $50,000 a year. i went through the calculations myself. they end up with more money left over. so what i invite people to do, sit down and do the calculation, because you have to take into account that the 9-9-9 plan replaces the payroll tax, the personal income tax, corporate income tax, death tax and capital gain tax, just with the payroll tax every worker is paying off the top, 7.65%, the employer is paying another 7.65%. it may not be going through their check, it's that money because if that employee wasn't working there, the employer wouldn't have to pay it. that's 15% right there. if they're making $50,000 a year, they're probably in the 15% bracket. most people -- they're in the 15% bracket. now, you're up to 30% of your money gone. now, you're down to 9% tax on your income and the 9% sales tax of the second and the third 9. even on the third 9, you come out ahead, because in everything we buy, there are embedded taxes. they come out, because of the first 9. so when you go to the store to buy that loaf of bread, you have a visible 9%, but 30% or more has been pulled out. the farmer has to make a profit. he pays taxes. the miller has to make a profit and pay taxes. the baker who bakes the bread, the truck driver who drives it to the grocery store and the grocery store. you have at least five embedded taxes. they come out because of the way the first 9 works. then you have a visible 9. i personally went through that scenario of a 55,0$55,000 famil four, they end up with money left over. yes. thank you. >> [ asking a question ]. >> this -- this was not my decision. no. i wanted to respect our hosts who invited me in to speak at this particular event, so that was the main reason. and, yes, we had private security for a while before we asked for secret service protecti protection. we wanted to move to that next level because of my ranking in the polls and the additional scrutiny that i have been getting. mike. >> was it just- >> mike. >> you know about the war in libya. >> yes. >> you know spanish is spoken. what is it about these gases? >> the libya question is the question was too broad. i do admit i was a bit fatigued, but the question was too broad, so i paused. what they didn't show was i asked the reporter to be more specif specific. well, he didn't get more specific. his question was, and i hope you all show this or write about it, do you agree or disagree with president obama on libya? what part? do i agree with the part where we intervene with rockets and missiles? do i agree with siding with the opposition? do i agree with saying that gadhafi should go? i do agree that they now have a country where you've got taliban and al qaeda that's going to be part of the government? do i agree with not knowing the government -- which part was he asking me about? i was trying to get him to be specific and he wouldn't be specific. then, i went on to say -- they didn't show this -- if it were me, as president, i would have wanted to know more about the opposition because now we see that not all the people in the opposition are our friends. i would have wanted to know more about, well, what was the resulting government going to look like. now, we have a country in chaos. here's the biggest question i would have asked. why should we spend a billion dollars and lead from behind when the countries that had the most to gain would have been the countries in europe? most of libya's oil goes to europe. but they spent the least amount of money. so it gets back to something i have said from time-to-time. before i commit u.s. troops, military or any of our resources, what's in the -- how is it in the interest of the united states of america? so i was trying to narrow it down. now, when i asked -- when i was in front of a cuban restaurant, i was in front of a cuban restaurant. i was raised in this country, fol folks, i think i know that the language of the cuban people is spanish, but when you move up in the polls, every word, every pause gets fly specked. let me tell you about the american people. they don't care about that stuff! they care about jobs, jobs, j s jobs, 9-9-9. that's what the people care about. [ applause ] >> i had another question over here. >> across the street, you were very comfortable talking to that group about the fact that you're a man of faith. >> yes. >> i believe you said you intend to be the people's president and a defending father posed to a founding father. explain that a little bit. >> well, first of all, because it was in that setting, i shared with them the experience that i had dealing with stage 4 cancer. they appreciated it because a lot of the people there were, you know, people of faith. when i say, i'm going to be the people's president, i believe that congress and most of the people inside the beltway view themself, even though they don't say it, as the political class. they treat the people like surfs. and so when i say that i'm going to be a people's president, i have been listening to the people. and it's people that are propelling me in the polls. as president, i am going to be the president, not the politician's president, the people's president. the difference is, when i ask congress to propose legislation, i'm going to ask for it to be simple. understandable. if it's simple, understandable and transparent, guess what? the people can get behind it. and if the people get behind it and they want it, if they understand it, they will demand it. so that's what i meant by being a people's president. my first question with any issue is going to be, what do the people want, not how do we get it passed through congress? >> do you consider yourse yourself -- with people who aren't necessarily christian? >> yes. i will represent all people in this country because i respect all religions. >> we are americans! >> yes, we are all americans. yes, i will represent all the people but i won't be afraid to express my religion just like everybody can express theirs. we are americans first. i want to put united back into united states of america as the people's president. [ applause ] >> your popularity and rise in numbers, is that why you have the secret service? do you have any problems beyond being pressed by media? >> it wasn't being pressed by media, trust me. we're not scared of you guys and gals, come on, okay. that had nothing to do with it. we went through an evaluation of a lot of factors and made the request. to be honest with you, they could have turned us down. they didn't. that's all we're going to say about that because it wouldn't be appropriate to go into any other detail. >> there were a number of factors, okay, i am not at liberty to go into and it wouldn't be wise to go into some of those factors. >> thanks, everybody. >> thank you. thank you very much. thanks, folks, thank you! 9-9-9, jobs, job, jobs. >> there he is, hermain cain. he's in a good mood today. he's obviously very energetic, asked a few questions on his request. he has now confirmed it was hermain cain and his campaign that asked the united states secret service for protection and the secret service agreed. he's the first presidential candidate to get formal secret service protection. mary, let me go to you. the whole notion of secret service protection, he's not explaining why. originally one of his aides said it was to protect him from the news media, he acknowledges is ridiculous. there must be some other bona fide reason he doesn't want to explain. he thinks he needs secret service protection and it's appropriate the secret service said, yes, i assume will agree. >> paul will say, too, the candidates don't really control. the secret service decides if the threat is commensurate to their service. they obviously thought that it was. i think it's good that he doesn't reveal what it is. there's a lot of crazy people out there. >> yeah. if there are threats out there, the secret service always paul used to work in the white house, just like mary, the secret service always says, you know what, we'll deal with it. you don't have to go public with this information. you totally understand, paul, why he will be the first candidate to get secret service protection just as barack obama was the first democratic candidate four years ago to get secret service protection. >> god bless those folks. i know mary agrees with us that were privileged to work with those folks. i wear a secret service lapel and embedded in there is the secret service logo. i saw them do extraordinary things to protect our president and the first family, as mary did. they're just the best. there's no doubt. if they decide mr. cain needs it, he needs it. i as a taxpayer am glad he is getting that protection. in time, other candidates will probably require it as well. they have an extraordinary group of men and women out there to risk their lives to protect our democracy. >> what did you think, mary, of his answer, why did you apparently get confused when you were asked in milwaukee the other day about the u.s. policy towards libya and there was that long, very very painful pause, he seemed to be confused. at one point, he said, i have so much twirling around in his head right now, what do you think of his explanation today? >> as you noted, wolf, he was strong on everything, the regressivity of consumption part of 9-9-9. and good on the answer, i still don't understand as operative why he was at the milwaukee sentinel in the first place and we're seven weeks out from iowa, wisconsin is not on the primary calendar. i thought he was strong on all the answers. think about if these debates are doing a disservice to these candidates, when they get some time to explain themselves, they seem to get a little bit more traction. >> mary makes a fair point. why was he at the mark key journal sentinel or sentinel journal, i forgot what i's called, the sentinel journal newspapers in milwaukee, why did he go meet with the editorial board there, paul, opposed to turn down the new hampshire union leader this week, new hampshire has a big contest, i believe, coming up a lot earlier than wisconsin? >> absolutely unbelievable, to dis the union leader that way legendary for its power and influence and respect among the conservatives, one of the most conservative editorial pages in america and when they're for you, they're for you. he made a huge mistake. one part i did not like, mr. cain is good, charming, engaging, a very appealing guy. he talked way too much about that libya gaffe. he encouraged people to go to the journal to see that for themself. that was a disaster. mr. cain would be well served, i give him free advice, use my favorite punctuation mark, the period, stop talking about the libya thing and talk about the other things. >> i give you that, paul. >> i think the milwaukee sentinel probably didn't get as many hits than with that video. it went viral. thanks very much. we have a lot more breaking news coming up, including this. let me tell our viewers what's going on with joe paterno. as you know, we've been reporting for a while he has been diagnosed with what his family calls a treatable form of lung cancer. we just got a statement from his son, scott paterno. last week my father was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer during a follow-up from bronchial illness. he is currently undergoing treatment and his doctors are optimistic and that he will make a full recovery. as everyone can appreciate, this is a deeply personal matter for my parents and we simply ask that his privacy be respected as he proceeds with treatment. joe paterno has been diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer. ♪ [ male announcer ] we're not employers or employees. not white collar or blue collar or no collars. we are business in america. and every day we awake to the same challenges. but at prudential we're helping companies everywhere find new solutions to manage risk, capital and employee benefits, so american business can get on with business. ♪ lisa is monitoring some of the other stories going on. >> the mayor says the city of detroit is cutting 1,000 jobs with layoff notice coming just around the holidays. the motor city is face inging a million cash shortfall and could run out of money by april and possibly face bankruptcy. oklahoma state university is mourning the loss of two coaches killed in a plane crash in arkansas. the women's basketball coach and assistant basketball coach are among four people who died. the school has canceled this weekend's games and making grief counselors available to athletes and staff. . >> a two year prison sentence for a self-help expert who presided over a sweat therapy was convicted in the tragedy and two people died in extreme temperatures. prosecutors say he didn't monitor the temperature or seek help for those who needed help. preparing for a bold attack in a luxury hotel in kabul, afghanistan. >> reporter: one of the most brazen attacks to hit kabul in june, a government conference at the inter-continental hotel was attacked by a suicide squad who killed 11 others. it took special forces, helicopters and a drone to suppress it six hours later. president karzai this week gathered tribal leaders to gath gather for a meeting about america's presence here and now, america has gained insight of that raid, the taliban posted online a lengthy propaganda video about the seven men behind that attack. this is a display what they want us to see of their skills and planning. cnn can't prove it's genuine, only that it shows how sophisticated their message and media are after a decade of war. ambush somewhere else seems to have insurgents still in military uniforms. one hotel attacker speaks with his wish to die. >> my message is life is too short, he says. you can die of cancer or car accidents. if you wanted to go's blessing, be a suicide attacker. the preparations are elaborate. we think only the faces of the dead visible in front of a model of the hotel, discussing tactics. f those with machine guns and rocket grenade get on the roof and control tower so the enemy can't enter easily. then, there's footage of the attack itself. in a war about perception and victory, the taliban have an increasingly sophisticated voice. nick peyton walsh, cnn, kabul. you're in the "situation room." a water pump in the united states potentially shut down by hackers using rush shipping and handling computers. a shocking government investigation into an alleged cybe cyber-attack, the likes of which this country, the united states of america, may never have seen. stand by, new information coming in. plus, the independent senator critical of president obama's battle for re-election, senator bernie sanders of vermont, not telling me he isn't yet ready to campaign for president obama's re-election. we will find out. what bernie sanders says the president needs to do to win his support coming up this hour. embarrassing new questions emerging about the president's security during his trip to australia this week, how did secret details about the visit apparently end up in the street? we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the "situation room." the breaking news out of penn state university now, we're learning joe paterno the former penn state football coach fired amidst a sexual abuse scandal and accusations against a colleague has now developed lung cancer. we're also hearing julian assange below jerry sandusky's charity is folding. let's go to sarah, watching the story for us, a reporter for the patriot news in pennsylvania. all right, sarah, first, on joe paterno, what exactly do we know? >> reporter: we know joe paterno has been diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer, according to his family. this is a statement they released. last weekend my father was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer during a follow-up visit for bronchial illness. he is currently undergoing treatment and doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery. as everyone can imagine, this is a deeply personal matter for my parents. we simply ask that his privacy be respected as he proceeds with treatment. there is motion around his house and watching spots on campus where students usually gather to offer support. we'll keep you updated on that one. that's the official word that we can expect on this. >> what about the center of jerry sandusky's chaircy and been accused going back decades and information it is now folding? >> reporter: yes. the information we have is they're disbanding, farming out their programs to other charities that do similar things. this comes a few days after the new president and ceo of that charity said they would take a few days to talk to their donors and people they hope and schools and other programs they work with volunteers to see if it was viable to keep the second mile going in the wake of this scandal. apparently, this is the decision that came from that short investigation. >> getting back to joe paterno and being diagnosed with what his family calls treatable lung cancer, what did we know before this about his health? he's what, 84 years old, right? >> reporter: yes. he's been the subject of rumors about health for a while. last year, during the season, he had some kind of intestinal thing going on and we weren't sure what that was. there was rumors then. and he's 84 years old, there are always rumors about joe paterno's health. an inevitable thing. he was hit a few times and on the sidelines in practice and hit again this year with minor fractures. this time is the first time they've come out and said, he's going forward with his treatment. this is what it is. like i said, probably as much detail we will get on this at this point. >> the family says we should respect privacy we want to do. thanks very much. let's bring in our senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen. you've done a lot of reporting on cancer and lung cancer. when they say it's a treatable form of lung cancer, what does that mean? >> interesting. i ran that by a lung cancer doctor. he said the word "treatable" doesn't mean anything. you can treat anything, and will that treatment be successful. when it comes to lung cancer, it is such a difficult cancer to beat. it's often pretty late. you look at all white men diagnosed with lung cancer, five years later, only 15% of them are still alive. as i said, it depends to a large extent when it's caught. if you catch it early, you have a 50-50 chance of being alive five years later, if you catch it late, you have only about a 4% chance of being alive five years later. >> if it's early enough, they can do surgery and follow up that way with radiation and chemo. if it's too late, it's too late. is that the sense as well? >> that's absolutely correct. 85% of the time, they can do surgery, one, if they caught it early enough and if the patient is well enough to have a chunk of their lung re-moved. they remove 20% of the person's lungs. you have to be in pretty good respiratory health to withstand that kind of surgery. follow-up with chemo and radiation. if they can't do that, they will do the other. this is not easy to endure. >> what about his age? >> different 84 year-olds have different health status. they can do tests to see. the older you get, the more difficult to withstand that kind of surgery. >> we wish joe paterno a speedy recovery and wish only the best for him. we're praying for him and his family. thanks, elizabeth cohen. meanwhile, the ncaa will launch an investigation into penn state university and how they reacted to allegations of assistant coach jerry sandusky. mark emmerick said, if true, officials in a position to monitor upon learning of abuses appear to have been acting starkly contrary to the values of higher education as well as the ncaa. the ncaa will examine penn state's exercise of institutional control over its int intercollegiate athletics program as well as the actions and inactions of relevant responsible personnel. another breaking news story, another revered college sports program in the spotlight right now, due to other sexual allegations. we just got a statement from syracuse university basketball coach, bernie fine, now on administrative leave by the university. ed lav vandera is on the campus. >> tell our viewers not familiar of the sexual abuse allegations on the campus of syracuse university what's going on? >> these are allegations that surfaced last night coming from two former ball boys, that worked for the syracuse university basketball team during the '80s and '90s. one now 85 years old said bernie fine in his words molested him during a 16 year period in the 1980s, fine a well-known basketball coach at syracuse university, released a statement saying, sadly, we live in an allegation based society and internet age where in a matter of minutes, one's life and long reputation can be severely damaged. i am confident a re-view of these allegations will be discredited and restore my reputation. i hope the late rest view of these allegations will be conducted expeditiously. the coach jo bayhine is to syracuse what joe paterno is to penn state. the allegations were made by this former ball boy that with worked with the syracuse basketball team and aired in an espn report last night. you can listen to a little bit about what told espn. >> probably in 6th grade, 11, 10 years old, he started trying to touch me and things like that. honestly, i don't even remember if i thought that was what was supposed to happen, you know. i know i cringed up and didn't want it to happen, i was like, what's going upon? i just remember being disgusted in a sense. that's when everything -- when he started trying to touch me, my private. >> wolf, the syracuse basketball coach vehemently supporting his assistant coach because the syracuse police department reopened this investigation. the university said they looked into these allegations in 2005. according to them, syracuse police didn't pursue charges because the statute of limitations had passed. the university said their own investigation didn't turn up any corrobora corroborating evidence at this and left it at that. now, these allegations re-surfacing, the syracuse police department re-opening the investigation. the man you just heard from, his stepbrother has also come forward with similar allegations. we're talking about two people leveling these accusations against the basketball keep here, all swirling around and a much bigger deal in the wake of the penn state scandal. >> we'll check back with you on the campus of syracuse university. it's been called a wake-up call, could be the first successful cyber-attack on infrastructure, apparently ties to russia. plus, presidential hopeful newt gingrich says he never lobbied congress but a new report shows his think tank racked in tens of millions of dollars from the health company. what is going on? and antioxidants. lines, wrinkles, and sun damage will fade. roc multi-correxion. correct what ages you. [ tires squeal ] an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? shocking government investigation raising new questions about the safety of water and power systems right here in the united states. officials are trying to figure out if the failure of an illinois public water system may be the work of a computer attack launched by hackers outside the united states. brine todd. what you're finding out? >> raising eyebrows from experts. what happened from a water station at illinois is the subject of an investigation by homeland security. if water pumping station was hacked, could this hearn to other key facilities like electrical grid and oil and gas stations? is there any way we can protect ourselves from this? >> reporter: it's been unheard of inside the u.s., hackers compromising infrastructure. now, officials confirm they're investigating whether a cybe cyber-attack may have led to the failure of a water pump at a public system in springfield, illinois earlier this month. an official discussed the incident. >> there is some indication there was a breach of some sort into a software program. >> reporter: cybersecurity expert, joe wise disclosed it on his blog after a report to the intelligence and terrorism center. and he was asked about the incident when hackers breached the system from the water systems. >> when the system was showing abnormal problems, they called in an it company to check out the customer. in the process of checking out the computer, in other words, the computer logs of the computer, they found ip addresses that were located in russia. >> reporter: contacted by cnn, the department of homeland security said it's looking into all of this but dh srdhs srkhas it knows whether it was launched by hackers or someone else and there is not a credible corroborated data that indicates a risk to critical infrastructure entities or a threat to public safety. i spoke with michelle kwan. how badly can it damage a water pump. >> before you turn the pump on, you have to prime the pump and have water going through it. if your machine skips the function and goes right to turn the pump on, it will burn the pump out. >> reporter: kwon says this should be a wake-up call for cities to protect theirselves against hacking and if they don't, they run the risk of the entire water system compromised or a dam opening up not immediately but in the future. i asked kwon how cities can combat this with the infrastructure? >> the hard part is getting the dollars needed to take systems created not with security in mind and secure them. >> kwon says that's difficult because these are municipalities and the computer system depends whether they can get officials to support funding needed to upgrade technology and means putting it up for public vote and asking taxpayers to shell out money. >> there was a high profile hacking incident outsidet unite states not that long ago. >> that was the computer worm, you know it well. it wiped out a pretty large percentage, up to a fifth of iran's centrifuges and may have delayed it from making alleged anywhere wen the iaea believes it is doing. >> cyber-warfare, huge huge issue. thanks. meanwhile, there's another investigation raising serious concerns about the safety of the u.s. infrastructures, involving cell phones and other technology made by chinese telecom companies operating right here in the united states. now, the u.s. congress is investigating. jill doherty is joining us with the latest on this story. what do we know about this story? >> reporter: this investigation is looking at a couple of companies. one is a very big high-tech international company based in china and creating a dilemma because they also create jobs in the united states. >> could the phones we use be a trojan horse for china or a way for the chinese government to access united states critical infrastructure and carry out economic and military esspy on onnage? >> the 800 pound gorilla in the room is hua, we i. >> they have 120,000 world employees worldwide is one of the biggest communications technology providers in the world. congressman mike rogers is suspicious. the head of the house investigations has launched investigations into huawi. >> and they are wonder what is in the code? would it enhance their ability to steal information? yes. would it enhance their ability to conduct attacks on networks? absolutely. >> reporter: huaeyi says their fou founding was in the chinese army three decades ago but denies a connection with global intelligence. >> they currently serve over 500 operators in over 140 countries including 45 of the world's top 50 telecommunications service providers and hasn't experienced a single security incident. >> reporter: plus, huaeyi creates jobs in the u.s. 550 in the u.s. alone and it means tens of thousands of additional direct u.s. jobs. but do you ignore security because americans need jobs? we ask tech expert, allen. >> reporter: what's the risk? >> there's a major risk, called a supply chain problem, wherever we buy technology here or abroad, somebody nefarious could put something into it, big risk. deciding not to do business with one company who might do that is cutting off your nose to spite your face. they create jobs. >> not just china. companies all of the world are trying to monitor tell communications in the united states. trying to go after each one of them is like playing a game of wacamole. the best situation is create high-tech protection for those systems so attempts like this will not succeed. >> what a complicated world this is becoming. thank you. in syria, graphic new video showing a crisis out of control. 19 people killed today by security forces, among them, four children, this as another defector group formed issuing new threats to the embattled president assad. we will continue to monitor this story for our viewers. syria sure to be on the agenda when candidates take part in cnn's republican national security debate this tuesday, 8:00 p.m. eastern. i'd love to get your input. tweet your questions for the candidates at wolf blitzer cnn,@wo cnn,@wolfbl cnn,@wolfblitz cnn,@wolfblitzercnn. or hashtag or post them on our blog. one year to go before the next presidential election, how excited are liberals about president obama. bernie sanders in the "situation room." 30 years after what was believed to be an accidental drowning, was the actress, natalie wood murdered? police re-opening their investigation. here in washington on capitol hill, another sign of tense partisan gridlock. they reject ed an amendment and democrats saying it forces the government into a spiral of massive spending cuts and none of this inspiring confidence the congressional super committee it's called will be able to meet the deadline by wednesday, only five days from now. let's talk to gloria. what happened here. >> there were lots of high expectation last july. you remember, you covered the debt ceiling along with the rest of us. republicans and democrats both felt they're going to get something done on this super committee. take a look at this interview i did with any republican leader, michelle mcconnell just as they were working out the deal to set up the committee. okay. the next big area is this debt committee you call it. the question is, how do they guarantee absolutely you get kind of deficit reduction you are looking for, because we have had, with all due respect, committees in the past. they haven't done so well, one very recently. how do you hold their feet to the fire? >> we haven't had anything like this before. this is a joint committee of congress, not a commission that consists of outsiders. joint committee of congress with equal number of republicans and democrats under enormous pressure from the american peop people, from the markets, foreign countries looking at us to see if we're going to get our house in order, to come up with significant additional savings over and above the initial ones we will approve before the end of this year, and entitlement reform is absolutely critical. >> how do you absolutely guarantee that these cuts come? >> my view is there is a mathematical possibility the committee could deadlock. a mathematical possibility. i think it's highly unlikely that will happen. >> i guess he's wrong. right now, everybody's pessimistic about it, and the same old arguments between revenues and entitlement cuts. it seems like a deal is unattainable. >> looks like both sides are beginning to spin the failure. >> spinning and rationalizing. democrats saying it's not quite so bad because we don't have the entitlement cuts and we walled off the poor and they don't take effect until january of 2013. republicans saying, look, maybe we can undo the onerous defense cuts and it won't be that terrible. they lose credibility with the american people, american consumers, we're heading into a holiday spending season and it could very well affect that. b and affect their own re-election chances. >> if they don't reach agreement, how does it affect incumbents and the president? >> it will hurt incumbents and already have a 9% approval rating and the president gets an opportunity to run against the congress, which is exactly what he wants to do. >> listen to hermain cain, the presidential republican candidate. last hour, he was speaking to reporters in orlando, florida, answering questions and about the question when he had this long pause and seemed confused about libya. let me play the clip. >> why should we spend a billion dollars and lead from behind when the countries that had the most to gain would have been the countries in europe? most of libya's oil goes to europe but they spent the least amount of money. so it gets back to something i have said from time-to-time. before i commit u.s. troops, military, or any of our resources, what's -- how is interest the interest of the united states of america? >> that's the wrong sound bite we wanted to play. there's another one. we'll cue that one up. he basically suggests that the taliban, which is an indigenous group in afghanistan that got some elements of the taliban in pakistan, but now saying taliban is emerging in libya. al qaeda is in libya, there are al qaeda elements in libya. if he has new information the taliban is in libya, that's news. >> that would be news. maybe you can ask him about it at the foreign policy debate. >> i think he will be asked about it long before the debate in washington. if he's saying the taliban is emerging as a force in libya, that's significant. we'll get it for our viewers. while both sides of the super committee admitted they're scrambling for a deal, their colleagues are standing their ground. bernie sanders, the independent senator from vermont is here. thanks for coming in. you want this so-called super committee to reach a big deal by this coming week? >> want them to reach a good deal, a deal fair to the middle class and working families of this country that does what the american people want, which says no cuts in social security and medicare and medicaid, ask the wealthiest people in this country to pay their fair share of tax, do away with corporate loopholes so companies making billions of dollars a year start paying taxes. >> the compromise in the works has always been some tax increases, what you want, but at the same time, entitlement spending, including social security and medicare. >> think that position is way out of line with what the american people want. i just saw a poll today. 70% of republicans, of republicans say do not cut social security. numbers are higher for democrats and independents. in this economic moment when so many people are hurting, social security, medicare and medicaid are enormously important, life and death issues. >> are you open to reform, for example raising the retirement age? >> i'm open to re-forms by lifting the tax on taxable income so millionaires contribute more into social security to be solvent for 75 years. social security has not contributed to one nickel compared to the deficit. >> are you open to means testing for social security recipient, in other words, if you're a millionaire, do you still need to get a $2,000 a month check? >> no. you know why, the millionaire should contribute more into it. once you start with millionaire, then it's those making 100,000. >> you don't want to touch entitlement spending at all? >> i want to make sure in the midst of recession, when tens of millions of people desperately hanging on, you don't cut them at the knees. the issue, the richest people in this country doing phenomenally well, large corporation, record breaking profits. you do not balance the budget in a civilized society on those most vulnerable. you ask those doing well to start paying their fair share of taxes? even president obama is open to some changes on medicare and social security for example adjusting what's called the cost of living index so there's less of increase every year to deal with -- >> president obama is dead wrong on that issue. he should go back and listen to what he said during his campaign. you talk to senior citizens and you say, you know, the cola you're getting, it's too generous. >> the cost of living allowment. >> for two years in a row when prescription health care costs were soaring, we didn't get anything. the poll i just saw, 70% of republicans say do not go in that direction. >> based on if everyone took -- the democrats took your position, there would be no compromise with the republicans because they are adamant they don't want tax increases. >> then you go -- let's be clear, there is a situation there will be sequestration. >> automatic triggers. >> which do not begin until 2013. the american people can make a decision in this election which side are they on? do they believe and agree with republicans, that you give tax breaks to billionaires and cut social security. if i were a republican, believe me, i would not want to run on that proposal. >> you would rather have the sequestration, the trigger, automatic cuts beginning in 2013, half defense, half non-defense rather than some sort of compromise, which would deal with entitlement spending like social security? >> i would rather have no deal than a bad deal. the deals that i'm hearing, in all fairness, i'm not on the committee? what i'm hearing is revenue, maybe we get it from the middle class, maybe a little bit here and there. i'm not impressed by what i'm hearing so far. >> let's talk a little politics for a second. how enthusiastic or unenthusiastic is the liberal progressive base out there that helped president obama get elected in 2008 this time around? >> i will tell you, president obama said vote for me because john mccain wants to cut your social security. now, if obama comes forward and says, hey, i want to cut your social security, how enthusiastic do you think -- >> he doesn't want to cut, he wants to make changes. >> no. wolf, that is called a cut. it means $560 a year when you're 75, starting at 65. it means $1,000 a year when you get to be 85. that in plain language, in the real world, is called a cut. the president, if he were to support that proposal would be going back on his word. the problem that the president has is he ran a brilliant campaign. he inspired a lot of people. but people now are nervous. they're not quite sure where he is coming from. he needs to stand up for the working class, middle class of this country and say, i am going to protect you. >> having said that, luke at the republican field, those eight republican candidates out there, i'm sure you're not enthusiastic about any of them. >> i am not. here's the point to be made. i don't think it's made enough in the media. if you look at the ideology of right wing republicans, more tax breaks for rich, cut social security and medicare, deregulate wall street after wall street causes this horrendous recession we're in, more unfettered free trade to lose nor jobs to china. do you know how many people believe in that ideology? 15, 20% max. the real issue is why democrats aren't winning by 30 or 40%. >> why not? >> they are not clarifying, they have to make it clear they're on the side of the middle class and working class to differentiate themselves from republicans so when the president and others come across and says, we're thinking about cutting social security. the average person says -- >> do you think the president has been too wishy-washy? >> absolutely. i think the two previous agreements the democrats negotiated with the republicans have given the republicans almost everything they wanted. now is the time for the democrats to stand up and say we are on the side of working families and middle class, working people decide where you're coming from? >> as it stands right now, willing you go out in vermont and campaign for the president's re-election. >> i certainly hope i will. knew can't tell me you will? >> no, i can't. i want to hear this president tell me from his heart he will stand with families and working class and when he does that, he will have strong support. >> does he ever call you and invite you to the white house? >> not recently but i have been to the white house on a number of indicatiocatio occasions. >> thank you. let's get back to hermain cain and the comments he made in orlando, florida. did a quick k&a with reporters and asked about ro he made in milwaukee. on libya, seemed to be confused about u.s. policy. today, he had a chance to elaborate and he said this. >> what part? do i agree with the part where we intervene with rockets and missiles? do i agree with siding with the oppositi opposition? do i agree with saying that gadhafi should go? do i agree they now have a country where you've got taliban and al qaeda that's going be part of the government? do i agree with not knowing what the government was going to do? which part was he asking me about? >> those are the controversial comments, where he say there is a government now about to be formed in libya that will have al qaeda and taliban. there may be elements of al qaeda, experts have said, over these past many months on the ground in libya right now, probably no doubt about that. in the government, taliban in libya and afghanistan and neighboring pakistan. that would be huge news if the taliban were in libya right now, even be bigger news if al qaeda and the taliban would be part of this new government that would be emerging in post gadhafi. we will continue to monitor what was going on. that was hermain cain in orlando. other news we're following the gutter, where top documents involving president obama reportedly turned up. ] yeah. it's electric. i don't think so. it's got a gas tank right here. electric tank, right over here. an electric tank? really, stu? is that what you pour the electricity in? it's actually both, guys. i can plug in and go 35 miles gas free, or i can fill up and go a whole lot farther. is that my burger? oh. i just got bun. i didn't even bite any burger. that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. what are these guys doing? [ horn honks ] could you please not honk while this guy's telling me about his chevy volt? is that that new... is that the electric car? yeah. but it takes gas too. ask him how much he spends on gas. how much does he spend on gas? how much do you spend on gas? how much do i spend on gas? if i charge regularly, i fill up like once a month. he only has to fill up about once a month. [ woman ] wow. that's amazing. the alleged white house shooter compares himself to jesus. lisa siylvester monitors that i the "situation room." >> we have obtained video of the alleged white house shooter giving a rambling 20 minute address, in it, oscar ortega hernandez calls himself a modern day jesus. he pitched it to the oprah show. >> you see, oprah, there is still so much more that god needs me to express to the world. it's not just a co-ironcy dense i look like jesus, i am the have been waiting for. >> court documents shows ortega hernandez considers president obama the antichrist of the devil and charged with trying to assassinate the president. a record $21.7 billion bill for boeing. indonesia's air travel agreed, in the fourth largest country, president obama in bali for a summit says strong economic ties with asia means more jobs in the united states. an emotional send-off for regis philmfiphilbin. after 28 years of "regis live," he signed off today going out a pretty happy guy. wolf, he threw some love your way. >> we're going find out, i'll tell you that. not so sure how i will do. thanks for coming and my best to wolf blitzer. love him. love the wolf. >> i love regis, too. >> i saw that larry king tribute at the friar's club. we wish regis only the best. we want him one day to come in the "situation room." >> that would be great. >> congratulations to regis. newt gingrich on the defense again. new reports he was paid tens of millions of dollars by the health care industry. ♪ do you believe in magic? [ male announcer ] there's just something about werther's caramel that makes a chocolate so smooth and creamy, you don't just taste it, you feel it. ♪ magic [ male announcer ] werther's original caramel chocolate. what comfort tastes like. embarrassing and potentially dangerous security slip-up in australia. brianna is joining us in bali in indonesia. what happened? >> hi, wolf, the sidney herald is reporting the president's visit to australia's capitol the middle of this week, it was found lying on the street, obviously not where it was supposed to be by the paper's national security reporter. it included details, such as phone numbers for top administration officials, australian military officials and detailins even down to the seating arrangement of the president's motorcade and which door of his limousine he would be getting into and out of. it's unclear how significant this is, how much of a breach this would have been because of when it was found, which was after the fact but also where it was found. the paper initially said a top secret document was found in a kanbra gutter, and retracted that headline, attention grabbing and said the location was closer to parliament house, which was very much in lockdown on the day of the president's visit and normally doesn't see the kind of foot trav the u.s. capitol would see. the sun just came up in bali. we're still waiting to see if there's any response from the white house. we haven't had an official response from the secret service. this is something at least would be an embarrassment for the white house and you can be sure some people have been told to definitely keep a tighter hand on some sort of document like this, wolf. >> very good advice, thanks very much. brianna reporting from bali. safe trip home. $37 million. that's how much the health care industry reportedly gave to newt you name it. i've tried it. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. just days after learning that newt gingrich was paid nearly $2 million by freddie mac, there are now reports about controversial ties to the health care industry. lisa sylvester is joining us with the details. >> after leaving public office, gingrich set himself up as a consultant. and he has done very well. we know that freddie mac used his services. and so did a number of health care companies through his for-profit think tank. >> speaker newt gingrich. >> reporter: newt picking up steam in iowa. one of his main talking points, talking down president obama's health care reform. >> we have to repeal obamacare to get the economy growing again. >> reporter: gingrich has a hefty background in health care. he's ranked as the sixth most powerful person in the industry. in 2003, gingrich founded the center for health transformation, a for-profit washington think tank. its members includes bluecross blueshield. a "washington post" analysis tallies the amount gingrich has raked in at more than $37 million since 2003. in exchange, the health care companies gained access to the former house speaker. >> this is a common refrain in this city where groups are trying to gain access to find friends and allies so when push comes to shove, they have people on their side. >> house speaker newt gingrich. >> reporter: one position that gingrich has taken may hurt him in the presidential primary. gingrich has penned op eds like this one from june 2007 advocating an insurance mandate that would, quote, require anyone who earns more than $50,000 a year to purchase health insurance or post a bond. >> throughout the totality of his record, he's been in public life since the 1970s. and he's taken a number of positions that are going to be difficult for those tea party activists to swallow. >> reporter: gingrich has come under fire for privately taking between $1.6 million and $1.8 million from freddie mac for consulting work. publicly gingrich has railed against the federal-backed mortgage lender. gingrich has been moving up in the polls. with success comes scrutiny. >> newt has been the grumpy uncle when he's on offense. imagine how it's going to play now that he's on defense. the newt swing is in its infancy. >> gingrich relinquished ownership of the health transformation center earlier this year. we asked the center to provide more details about its membership roster and revenues. but we were told, quote, it is a private company and they don't disclose financial records. >> but newt gingrich knows he's been around washington way too long and knows fully well that news organizations and opposition research, they're digging into what's called newt, inc. right now. and more of this information is almost certainly going to come out. we'll stay on top of the story for our viewers. he wants to be president of the united states. it's been decades. but officials are looking into the drowning death of the actress. natalie wood. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer... with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. los angeles police say they have substantial new information about the death of natalie wood. cnn entertainment correspondent kareen winters joins us from los angeles with the latest. what do we know? >> reporter: while the los angeles county sheriff's department says wood's husband at the time, robert wagner who was on the yacht the night she died, is not a suspect but still this has not stopped investigators from taking a second look at this mysterious case. natalie wood was one of the most popular, sought-after actresses in hollywood, which made her death in 1981 at just 43 years old all the more shocking. and for some, inexplicable. sheriff's officials were vague today about what led to the reopening of the investigation after 30 years. >> recently we have received information which we felt was substantial, enough to make us take another look at this case. >> reporter: it was thanksgiving weekend, 1981, when wood and her actor husband, robert wagner, went sailing on their yacht "the splendour." they were joined by christopher joaquin. wagner and joaquin got into a heated argument. wagner notified the captain that wood was not on board. today, the captain told cnn he thought she might have taken the yacht's dinghy to shore. >> i said, let's turn on the search light to see if we can see her. and he said, no. >> reporter: natalie wood was discovered hours later dressed in a nightgown and socks floating a mile from the yacht. the autopsy revealed dozens of bruises on her body. still, the coroner saw to quash rumors wood was killed or committed suicide, insisting she died of accidental drowning. was alcohol to blame? wood had an alcohol blood lel