cruise liner is suspended. rescue diver face new difficulties while the captain may face years of prison. i'm wolf blitzern charleston, south carolina. you're in "the situation room." just releasing right now, a latest poll showing a tightening race. newt gingrich is charging ahead, trying to keep the fight for the republican nomination going, and the new cnn/time/orc poll shows him closing the gap here in south carolina. mitt romney remains the front-runner with 33%. gingrich up now, though, to 23%. rick santorum third at, and rick perry 6%. joining us now our chief political analyst gloria borger and "time" columnist joe klein. gloria, let me say, the gap seems to be narrowing in these recent days. what evidence do we see? >> take a look at this, wolf. in the poll we did january 4th to 5th there was a 19-point difference. now, in our current poll there's a ten-point gap. i think we can explain that by the fact that quite honestly mitt romney hasn't had a good week. and they're throwing it at him, not only newt gingrich, but rick santorum. i think he's been really under attack here. >> you see a narrows of the gap in you've been oregon he for a while. i think people think it's closer than this. mitt romney is behaving as if it's closer than this. he's putting up an ad, the romney campaign itself is putting up an ad attacking new gingrich today. >> not from the super pac, but from his own campaign. i've only been here a little while. you can't turn on a tv without seeing it get rough and tough. >> and also john sununu is coming down from new hampshire, because he's a very excellent attack dog, and they're going to go after gingrich. >> he supports romney, used to be a co-host of "crossfire." we know how he can talk. >> when he was mr. positive in iowa, i was scratching my head, thinking is this the newt gingrich i covered all those years, but there's no better attack politician for lack of a better phrase, than newt gingrich. he's managing to cull out things about mitt romney, whether it's the question of release your taxings, i'm going to release my taxes, you pay the 15%, i pay the 31% rate. so it's clear that he's getting under mitt romney's skin. >> let's take a closer look rick perry, 9%, then be asked tea party supporters. ron paul 13, 5 for rick perry. what do the number say to you. ? >> first the born-again christian vote is split, but it seems that romney is doing well among them. >> i think there's a significant battle going on the in the hearts and minds of santorum supporters. they see newt creeping ahead, they want to beat romney. the question is whether they take that final leap in the next two, three days. taken together, santorum and gingrich sporters equal or might even beat romney. >> you think under pressure mitt romney will, in the coming days release his tax returns? >> i know, wolf, i can't say definitively, that there are internal discussions going on in that campaign about what they ought to do. there are a couple things. i think mitt romney wanted to put it off as long as he could, first of all, he's uncomfortable talking about his own great personal wealth, but secondly i was told by a source involved with the campaign that they wanted to put it off, because you would see in the tax returns the large sums of money he's given to the mormon church. the question is, would that play well in the so-called southern primaries, you know, would that play well here in south carolina, how would it play in florida is it so just wait maybe until april. >> we should also point out there's a new poll, in florida mitt romney is doing excellent right now, way ahead in florida. even if newt gingrich were to surprise a lot of people and win here this saturday, that's a pretty expensesive market down in florida, a little different electorate as well. >> but a lot of it happens in places like this. and when the people down in florida see there's a viable alternative to romney, they may move. these things move very quickly, as you know. >> a lot of undecided voters, even right now. we have a huge debate right here in charleston, south carolina. that could move that needle as well. don't go too far away. a surging newt gingrich is going for broke here in south carolina, but the front-runner mitt romney is fighting just as hard. it all makes for a nasty slugging match. cnn's joe johns is in warrenville, south carolina. >> reporter: in the homestretch to the first and the south primary, the urgency of the moment finally starts to show. newt gingrich looking strong, was back to making bold predictions again. >> if we carry saturday, i think i will become the nominee. >> reporter: then this prediction that the race in south carolina was about to take a turn for the worst. >> i fully expect the romney campaign to be unendingly dirty and dishonest for the next four days. they are desperate. they thought they could buy this. >> reporter: to get the nomination he has to go through mitt romney, hammering away at gingrich's leadership skills both in new web ads and a telephone call, features members of congress who served with gingrich back in the day. the former governor went after him on the stump, too. he said gingrich should stop claiming he helped create millions of jobs when he was on capitol hill. >> a congress mean taking credit foal helping create jobs is like al gore taking credit for the internet. >> reporter: gingrich returned fire. he said romney would lose the debate with the president, because romney ace plan wasn't that different from obama's. >> they both have terrible versus mediocre. >> reporter: one of the main flash points this day was about taxes. both candidates now expected to release their tax returns, even given previews. gingrich said he paid taxes at a 31%ry. mitt romney said said he almost made $400,000 in speaking fees, to a guy who's worth something like $200 million, it doesn't seem like much. >> my goal is to let everybody pay mitt romney's rate. >> reporter: that may sound like a bill deal especially sin warren buffett argues rich people should pay more, but kevin hasset disagreed. >> he has a low rate, but really economists all disagree with warren. the fact is that everyone who studies it understands if you have low taxes on dividends and capital gains, then it attracts capital and increases economic growth. >> reporter: gingrich continues to make the claim that he is the conservative alternative to mitt romney, though at least two other candidates in the race, rick perry and rick santorum can make that claim as well. neither one is saying they're planning to get out of the race anytime soon. >> well, there's three days to go between now and saturday. thank you very much. joe johns report -- i give him a chance to respond to mitt romney. we also talk about sarah palin. for all practical purposes she's now endorsed him. she said if she lived here in south carolina, she would vote for him. what does he say? you might be surprised to hear what he actually has in mind if -- and it's a huge if -- if he were president of the united states. meanwhile, in a politically charged move, the obama administration has rejected, at least for now, a bid to expand the keystone pipeline. it would have carried crude from canada's oilsands to the texas gulf coast. the state department says there was not enough time to determine if the project, quote, is in it is national interests. let's go live to our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin. jessica, what happened today? >> both the state department and the of the have issued statements on this decision, saying they're not supporting the pipeline extension for now, the statement said the arbitrary deadline insisted on republicans -- this announcements is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, he said, quote, i'm disappointed that republicans in congress forced this sdipgs. in other words, wolf, the president is saying he's open to reconsideration the application for the pipeline at another time. so now let's talk for a minute on why this decision now. the politics are one. with people in communities along the pipeline's path, whether they're in red or blue states, but the main point on the politics, the sense is the president already took the political heat last fall, so the white house knew they were going to say no to the extension eventually. they decided they may as well do it now and get it over with. wolf? >> as you know, though, republicans, a lot of other folks are saying it will cost american says tens of thousands of jobs. >> it depends on who you asked. transcanada said 20,000 jobs if you include construction jobs. the u.s. state department says no, more like 5,000 or 6,000 jobs action and an independent study said it was closer to 2500 to 4500 jobs. according to the bureau of labor statistics, since president obama has taken office, 66,000 jobs have been created in the oil and gas industry overall. the american petroleum industry, they say if the keystone pipeline were built there had be more jobs created. this will continue probably over the election year, wolf. >> yes, it's going to be a huge battle. thanks, jessica. new developments in the cruise ship disaster. why the search for about two dozen missing people was suspended. also one of mitt romney's major supporters, chris christie has blunt advice for the white house hopeful about issuing his tax returns. plus what former president jimmy carter is saying about newt gingrich and, quote, the subtlety of racism. there is a platform built for the purpose of driving innovation. one that's transforming how companies from every industry-- and of every size-- are doing business. a platform built for now. and for what's next. this...is the cisco intelligent network. cisco. but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. jack cafferty has "the cafferty file." >> wolf, a wednesday without wikipedia and other major web sites as they go dark to protest two antipiracy bills in congress. while google hasn't shut down today, a black rectangle covers the famous logo, and urges people to tell congress please don't censor the web. the webwide protest is in response to the stop online pyrery act, sopa, in the house, and the protect ip act in the senate. the battle lines are drawn with silicon valley on the other. if passed, copyright holders could seek a court order to remove sites that are offering illegal contents, movies, tv shows, the main targets are mostly foreign web sides, but internet companies say they could be punished. google says youtube would have to go dark immediately, saying it couldn't function. on the other side, supporters say that online piracy leads to job losses in the united states, since content creators lose income. they dismiss accusations of censor say, saying the bills are meant to fix a broken system that doesn't prevent piracy. supporters say this will not hurt the average internet user. many in the tech world agreed piracy is a problem, but worried about the implications of this legislation, that it could be a foot in the door that mild one day lead to further government controls. meanwhile, the bills once expected to sail through congress they have hit rough waters. one senate aide told cnn because of the growing protests, the bill in the senate may not even make it to the floor for the vote. here's the question -- should the u.s. government censor the internet? post a comment on my blog on tore to the post on "the situation room's" facebook page. wolf? >> a huge story today, jack. good question. thanks very very much. other news, the often frigid waters on the italian coast are making it even more unlikely that additional survivors will be found in the capsized "costa concordia." the search was suspended after sensor showed the cruise ship had in fact shifted. these underwater picture show the dangerous jobs they face in the ship. 11 people are known decent. take a look at this. an extraordinary new satellite image taken from shape showing the massive liner lying on its side. let's go live to dan rivers. he's on the scene for you in italy. what else is going on today? what's the very latest, dan? >> wolf, they've really been hampered by the danger of this wreck, shifting in the water. apparently she shifted about a foot today, which might not seem like given the size of the vessel, but they're very right, that because she's so precariously balanced on some rocked, on a shelf of rocks, it wouldn't take much to tip the ship over into much deeper water, and possibly leading to the rep further of the fuel tanks, which contains about 2 tonz of heavy fuel and more diesel. everyone is concerned the weather will deteriorate over the next few days, the wind is forecast to pick up. they are worried this situation is going to get worse while they're still tries to establish what has happened to 23 missing passengers and crew. wolf? >> as far as the investigation is concerned, what about the ship's captain? let's go over the latest with him. >> he remains under house arrest south of naples with details emerging for and against his claim that he did everything he could to help passengers in the frantic minutes after the ship hit rocks. this is being disputed from a number of corners. he's being absolutely lambasted in the italian press, one paper accusing him of driving the cruise liner like it was a ferrari, and more evidence from the shipping magazine in london with data showing that the it went back even closer just 230 meters from the coastline during a festival last summer. so suggesting this wasn't the first time he sailed way too close for this island. >> dan, we'll stay in close tough. thank you. what is the job really like? what kind of training do they go? we'll take you inside their life at sea. one of mitt romney's top supporters, chris christie now telling the candidate what to do about the controversy over releasing his income tax returns. . you know when i grow up, i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. i want to fall in love again. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. major american city is now facing a possible state takeover and bankruptcy. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and the other top stories in the "the situation room." what's going on? >> that's right, wolf. detroit is closer than tefr to disaster. it's facing a $45 million budget shortfall, in part because of the a shrinking population and tax base. a state panel is reviewing finances, and could appoint a interim manager. o.j. simpson is said to be facing foreclosure on his south florida home. a source familiar with the matter tells cnn he's under water on the 4,000 square foot home near miami and hasn't made a payment since 2010. simpson is currently serving a sentence up to 33 years in nevada for armed robbery and kidnapping. he was acquitted in 1995 for murdering his ex-wife and her friend. railroad officials in jakar jakarta, indonesia are trying a new molest for stopping people from riding on -- they are hanging concrete walls, element guaranteed to knock off any train surfers. so far officials say no one has dared to test them. and quite a scare for passengers on a british airways flight from miami to london. the plane was over the atlantic when the pilot apparently hit the wrong button, triggering an automated recording saying, quote, this is an emergency announcement, we may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water. passengers say there was screaming and panic, but the crew scrambled to assure everyone it was just a mistake. i can only imagine hearing that kind of announcement. >> and didn't it happen twice? >> yeah, i don't know if it happened more than once, but i know the crew quickly came in and tried to tell passengers, look, false alarm, nothing to work about, go back to business as usual. that have wouldn't be fun at all. >> no, you hear something like that that's amazing. a town under siege crying out for help as blood spills into its streets. our own nic robertson is on the ground inside syria. he's got some exclusive reporting. we'll share it with you. also a key supporter of mitt romney is now telling the candidate to make his tax returns public. we'll have the details coming up in our strategy session. here are some of the stories we're working on for our next hour. my interview with newt gingrich, talking about closing the gap in south carolina, the increasingly ugly campaign here, and what he wants sarah palin to do in a gingrich administration. stand by. plus one of the bort maritime disasters in recent years, but an almost 100-year-old law that may keep the cruise line off the financial hook when it comes to the victims' families. stand by. you're in "the situation room." the syrian opposition group reports at least 13 people killed today in the brutal government crackdown on democracy protesters. our senior international correspondent nic robertson is on the ground in syria and visited one town that's crying out for help. >> reporter: as the arab league monitors arrive. so antigovernment emerge from side streets and stores. a raucous bands of 100 or so besieging them with complaints of government brutality. this mother shouts at them "they killed my son, kept him in the morgue for a month. i plead to god and to you give me justice. give me my rights." this is kisway a small poor town about half an hour's drive from the capital. away from the protests, this man tells us why there are so few demonstrators. "this is a small town, 15,000 people," he says. it's isolated the arm can surround is in five minutes. you ask why no one is here in 500 men ran away, others are arrested. the army has 13 check temperature points, he says. we can't count them. but just down the street we see this. >> one checkpoint, another one here, a third over here. down here another checkpoint, sandbag bunkers, four army checkpoints to control this one small traffic intersection. that's how tight security is. impossible to verifies everything we hear. what's really interesting here, this is a bullet hole we're told was a shot fired by the army down the street at the protesters, but if you look at the other side of the box you can see the exit, but also the pepper marx, and it gives the impression that the protesters were firing back shotgun rounds firing back at the soldiers up the street. what is clear today is that tempers are frayed. this is a town on edge. a man is caught by the crowd. they turn on him with a vengeance. they're accusing that man of being a policeman. we chased them down the streets, and for a minute it looked like it would be mob justice. people were jumping on him, but he doesn't seem as if he was able to get away. >> the writing on the wall, a cry for help, from a town where they say no one is listening. nic robertson, cnn, syria. he calls it the subtlety of racism, the former president jimmy carter speaking out about a controversial remark by his fellow georgian, newt gingrich. details about what the former president is telling our own. part diplomat, even part policeman. one veteran captain reveals the challenges and the rewards. you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪ let's get right to our strategy session. joining us our cnn political contributor and democratic strategist donna brazile as well as republican strategist alice stewart. listen to what chris christie, a strong supporter of mitt romney said on "today" this morning about the governor releasing his tax returns. >> if you have tax returns to put out, you know, you should put them out and put them out sooner rather than later. it's always better in my view to have complete disclosure, especially when you're the front-runner. >> that got us from one ofs clips from one of the most ardent supporters. >> you agree with chris christie? >> given this has been dragging on for so long, i think the best absolute is to get it out there, get it over with and move on to the more pressing issues, having been all over this country, never did the electorate ask about income tax records or that type of information, but if the other candidates want to make an sure of it, get it out there and get it over with. this is something that's unfortunate that they're using this to try to leverage some point their way for this. simply they're basically giving the obama campaign talking points. so my advice would be to get it out there, get it over with and start focusing on garnering more support for south carolina. >> donna, it looks like it's heating up in south carolina, with only a few days left to go before saturday's primary, gingrich moving up in our new poll. the gap a week ago was 19 points, now it's only 10. there are some cases that it might even be tighter. it's not over with yet. >> wolf, as you well know, it won't be over with until they get enough delegates, but there's no question that newt gingrich has picked up momentum after another debate performance, but it still comes down to turning out your voters. you get people excited to go to the polls on saturday. one thing we have learned over the last two weeks is newt gingrich clearly doesn't have the kind of organization you need. mitt romney has been on the ground a lot longer, but hasn't had the organization perhaps to take vang of new poll numbers. in florida our new poll, alice, has mitt romney way, way ahead. romney 43%, santorum 19, gingrich 18, ron paul 9%, rick perry only 2%. look, thing can change pretty quickly, as we all know, but florida is a very different market, very expensive, a lot more people than south carolina, iowa or new hampshire, to be sure. >> no doubt. it's a very expensive state to campaign in. certainly romney has the upper hand in terms of the financial backing in order to place ads there, but he has has some strong organization on the ground in florida. on to donna's point, what's key also is despite the poll numbers, you have to have the organization to urn it the voters out on saturday. romney's got strong organization there in south carolina, but what we're seeing, peel back the numbers, you're seeing a lot of the support that gingrich has picked up has come from the tea party movement. that's something that romney didn't quite shore up like he thought he did. if the tea party can engage in that moment to turn out on saturday, that's going to be keep for gingrich. as we saw in iowa, santorum had the moment going into the caucuses. it appears right now that the numbers continue this way for gingrich, he has the momentum going into south carolina, so the key will be on saturday having that ground game and organization to turn your people out. >> that certainly would help newt gingrich here in south carolina. if rick perry, for example, took the advice of cnn contributor eric e. son of redstate.com, who cedric perry even at this late moment should do what huntsman did, dropping out. he writes this, donna. he could leave on an unexpected high note, helping conservatives unite around one not-romney in a way no one else has been able to. he could be the king maker so many people have been looking for. donna, you're a political strategist. it would certainly help someone like newt gingrich if someone like rick perry for ma matter were to drop out, because a lot his votes would probably go to newt gingrich. >> you know, wolf, i'm not a republican strategist. it looks like they are splitting their vote between three candidates at this point, especially when there's so many tea party republicans who would like to see one truly consistent conservative take on mitt romney, but i think if i was in the perry campaign, i would say, you know what? go ahead, complete this weekend, staying on the ground in. >> florida -- >> do you think there's any chance that will happen, alice? >> we'll see. a lot is determined by how much money he has after south carolina. i this i it's disturbing we see a lot of this campaign, faith leaders, evan yell cals, pundits, journalists encouraging candidates to get out. it's up to the candidate at the end of the day to make that decision. so, you know, let the candidate make those decisions. if he wants to stay in through south carolina, more power to him. >> our own piers morgan is celebrating his anniversary here at cnn, and a interview with former president jimmy carter. this had this exchange. listen to this. >> gingrich, in the south carolina debate i watched part of it, watched the first half, i think he has that subtlety of racism that i know quite well, and know quite well appeals to some people in georgia. >> you think he's deliberate? >> he knows as well that the words you use like welfare mamas and so forth that have been appealing in the past in those days with segregation of the races. i don't think it will pay off in the long run. >> that's a serious charge to level at gingrich that he's being racist. >> i wouldn't say he's racist, but he knows the subtle words to appeal -- >> very quickly, donna, what do you think? >> wolf, i've known newt gingrich and worked well with him in the district of columbia. i don't believe he's a racist, but i believe the words he's using and the paraphrasing he's using, it does stir racial resentment among people down in the south. he understands that, but newt ging also is something who knows how to talk to voters in the south. i'm surprised he's using this language, but at the end of the day, i believe that president obama will be reelected, and all of this will be part of the retropast that we can put behind. >> i will say this -- >> i'm going to put it behind right now. very quickly, alice. >> it's not the first time he called them a racist because he didn't agree with what they were saying. simply what gingrich was is people to take ownership of, to get off government dependence. >> but he said it stirs racial resentment. that's different than calls someone a racist. he's talking about the language that's being used that often stirs racial resentment. >> i understand, but the way the question was asked and the issue was put out there, it's just unfortunate. the point he was trying to make is to make people more independent and not rely on government handouts, but you cannot -- we need a longer conversation, but i think african-americans and other minorities are tired of people denigrating them, confusing their economic status with being dependent on government. they just want a decent opportunity to make a living to support their family, to get their kids educated. there's no notion that gooismt is aiding one people, one part of the community when government is here to serve all the people. >> we'll have a decent conversation on this down the road. unfortunately the subject will not go away. donna, thank you. alice, thank you as well. how tough a job is it to be a cruise ship captain? our own brian todd talks with a veteran in the industry. sarah palin has all but endorsed newt gingrich. would he reward her with a key job in his administration? my interview is coming up in the next hour. [ mujahid ] there was a little bit of trepidation, not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪ ♪[music plays] when you're responsible for this much of the team... you need a car you can count on. ♪[music plays] the captain is now being called a coward, under house arrest right now. how difficult is it to be a cruise ship captain? our own brian todd has been looking into this part of the story for us. >> how tough a job is it? we came here to one of the busiest cruise ports in the world to find out. bill wright remembers the first time he took the helm of a major cruiseship. he calls it a humbling experience. >> as soon as we left the dock, a departure from miami, the ship was "the sovereign of the seas" immediately we had to go back to the dock to take on -- or to evacuate a medical emergency. >> reporter: wright is a captain with royal caribbean international, piloting at least half a dozen cruise ships in their line over 20 years. the average captain has four to five years of college-level training, then has to build up to ten years of hands-on sea time before being given command. he says most captains make between $125,000 and $225,000 a year in salary. they're pilots, he says, but also diplomats, policemen on what he calls a floating resort. your average shift as a captain. >> sometimes we're up at 4:00 in the morning for the pilot to arrive in a single port but there are other activities that take place. our training drills and also in the evening time, you obviously have departure. we call a one/one system, meaning the time you spend on board is the equal to the time you have off. in our case, ten weeks on board and ten weeks off. >> reporter: wright says it's not stressful, because you can build in rest time, especially on a sea day. others disagree with the stress. one maritime -- under paid, not given the support they need by the cruise lines, he says for the bottom line. jack hickey represented a cruise line for 17 years, now represents passengers. >> he says they basically work 24/7. on duty seven days a week, go out to seas months at a time. that's something capitalens around the world are faced with, and they're in charge of 4,000, 5,000, 6,000 people. >> i ran that by greg purdy, who monitors for caribbean. >> i think you have to consider the source. where i workday to day with the captains, this isn't the message i hear. >> reporter: one captain says most of his colleagues can manage the stress because of the trade-off. one of the best things about the job, he says, every day is different. wolf? >> brian, thank you. it looks like there may be room for sarah palin in a newt gingrich administration, what he says about the former vice presidential nominee. that's coming up in my one-on-one interview with newt gingrich. freak winter storms threatening the pacific northwest, they're calling it snowmageddon. when bp made a commitment to the gulf, we knew it would take time, but we were determined to see it through. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress: bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic and environmental recovery. we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years. thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy. and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home. golly, that is deep snow! yeah, can you get me out of it? of course. travelocity? that's how i got here! that's amazing! but i'm still stuck. come on man, dig it! [ female announcer ] travelocity. get great deals on all kinds of beach vacations. the pacific northwest is bracing for more snow, as winter storms deliver a one-two punch to the region. thelma gutierrez is joining us from seattle, where schools are closed, emergency shelters are open. how bad is the situation over there, thelma? rumsfeld wolf, things have been moving fairly smoothly today, but that's because the city was prepared this time around as compared to the huge snowstorm in 2008. this is an area used to lots of rain, not lots of snow. you take a look over here, you can see about four inches of snow has fallen. that is the most that's fallen so far this year. it's a pretty significant event because of the terrain. this is very steep terrain. we are here on pine street in c capitol hill. it looks more like a ski run than a busy street. we saw skiers, people with snowboards and sleds there today. as i said, city officials have told people stay at loam, they've closed schools in the whole western washington area and they've asked people not to go to work. they say that has been a contributing factor to making sure that these streets stay safe. wolf? >> someone who grew up in buffalo, new york, looks like a lovely day there in seattle. thelma, thanks very much. let's go to jack cafferty with "the cafferty file." four inches of snow? suck it up, that's no snowstorm. >> parts of washington state have 16 inches, seattle 4 inches, not so bad. >> 4 inch is no snowstorm. as you said, you're from buffalo. the question this hour, should the u.s. censor the internet. bonnie in new jersey writing -- the u.s. government is on so dysfunctional, i don't think it needs to be telling me what i can and cannot see on the internet. i mean, really, censors the internet, steroids in baseball, bullying what else can they find to makes it look like they're doing something when the country is falling apart. john says taking someone's creative work and selling it for a profit is wrong. movies and television productions are producted by case law, and legislative statut statutes, but the internet makes it easy to steal thinks cedive works for profit. that should be stop. pete in florida, absolutely not. once again some politicians are trying to control or lives. this country is supposed to be free, but it's becoming more like commie russia or preworld war ii germany every day. will the guess tappo kick in your door one night because you visited the wrong web sites? >> michael writes wikipedia's -- it isn't censorship to give the encyclopedia britannica and others their day in court. is the last i checked the internet evoefd from the need to keep communications infrastructure alive in times of nuclear war. and mark in oklahoma writing -- they already censor radio and television. can't they keep their sticky finger off my internet? i'm calling al gore. you want to read more, go to my blog, cnn.com/caffertyfile or ourport on the "the situation room" facebook page. wolf? >> jack, thank you. bitter weather conditions dimming hope that any survivors will be found. plus rivals in what could be his last stand. just how ugly is it going to get over the next three days? stand by for my interview with newt gingrich. there may be a big surprise in store. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states. all straight ahead. i'm wolf blitzer in charleston, south carolina, you're in "the situation room" you're looking at an amazing new satellite image showing that terrific disaster from the vantage point of space. approximately two dozen people are still missing, but some families adamantly refuse to give up. our senior international correspondent dan rivers is standing by. he's on the scene with the latest. the sister ship the costa concordia, the costa serena just sailed past, an extraordinary sight, and reminding us that that was the course the concordia should have taken. and that's why, as she's lying on her side forlorenly behind me, and this is now the fifth day that the search and rescue operation has been scouring the 2,000 cabins, hoping to find signs of life. once again the unstable nature of this wreck has halted the operation. around first light wejsz day, the ship shifted 36 centimeters, about a foot, forcing divers to pull out. about of they did, they took this video as they navy gated, strewn full of obstacle, dark claustrophobic and extremely dangerous. >> the costa concordia contains 2,000 tons of heavy fuel and some 300 tons of diesel. salvage experts won't pumped that out until the search for the missing is complete. they may have to wait until the end of the week. his brother was last seen helping passengers escape. are you beginning to come to terms with the possibility he may not have made it? >> it's 20%, it's only five days. everything is possible. miracles do happen, and let's keep hope. that's the only thing i can at the moment. i am not here to lose hope. i have hope, and i know something positive will come out of this. >> reporter: after we spoke he was taken for an update on the search, but so far there's no news on the fate of his brother. for relatives of those still missing, the agonizing wait for news shows no sign of ending. some have been meeting here with giglio's mayor, but with each passing today, the chances of finding anyone else alive are getting slimmer and slimmer. >> we are ought four days from the crash, from the disaster. he hope to find the people alive. the more time goes on, maybe there is no possibility to find people alive. >> posters asking for information on those still missing are springing up, poignant reminders of the tragedies still being played out. the rescue teams working here are still exhausted. four hours on, four hours off, hoping for a miracle, and praying that the calm weather continues to leave the precariously balanced ship where it is. while the weather is photograph to deteriorate later this week, wolf, they've got four vessels here, four more on standby to try to pump on the that 2,000 tons of heavy fuel, though it would take them two to three weeks to get them all out, and of course think still haven't finished searching the trip for those people. >> dan rivers doing an excellent job for us on the scene, thanks very much. the state it department is pushing back against new allegations it didn't do enough to help american passengers in the wake of the crash. jill dougherty is joining us with details. what's going on? >> reporter: if the first hours of this tragedy, many of the americans who were aboard were asking themselves the same question -- can i count on the u.s. embassy to help me? when the italian cruise ship capsized there were 120 americans aboard. the state department says it immediately set up a 24/7 operation to help them, including using twitter and facebook to help the search for gerald and barbara hale, still missing. one american tells cnn that she got little help from the embassy after losing her passports and documents. >> i called the embassy and told them the situation, they said come on down and get a new passport. i said we're here at the hotel, we have no transportation, no money. they said, well, grab a cab. we had no money. >> reporter: but the state department says it did everything it could to make sure the cruise line was assisting ship wrecked passengers with food, hotel rooms and transcription. >> we made a deal with the cruise line that they would transport all of the americans after accounting for them with us to a hotel in rome and to the embassy for those who needed documents. >> reporter: the embassy officials say they processed more than 100 emergency american passports, provided information, advice, and phones to contact family members back in the u.s. it gave some passengers a little money for a passport photos. joan fleecer says she got some of that money. last march, when japan was hit with a massive earthquake and nuclear disaster, the state department helped fly americans out of the country. in february last year, it hired a ferry to evacuate americans from libya. >> protecting the welfare of american citizens is a fundamental responsibility of our government and one that we take very seriously. >> so what does the state department do and not do for americans who are in trouble or in danger abroad? there are actually limits. for example, in some cases, they will buy you a tickets to get out of the that place and back to the united states, but you have to promise to reimburse the government. if you want details, check out their website. they have a lot of information under travel tips/emergencies. wolf? >> jill dougherty with the latest on that front, good story. thanks very much. mitt romney has been fending off fast and furious attacks from his rivals for the republican -- but they snow have new ammunition. jim acosta is joining us from rock hill in south carolina. he's got this part of the story. jim? >> reporter: mitt romney not only has to fend off his rivals, there's an old book on republican any that's just resurfaced, and not in a good way. >> so romney is taking more of a detear from his standard attacks on the president to slam gingrich's claim that he -- >> congressmen taking credit for helping create jobs is like al gore taking credit for the internet. >> reporter: even though that's not how romney put it on monday. >> i appreciate the speaker's work working in the reagan year and clinton years it assigns romney now worries that gingr h gingrigingrich his campaign surrogates are going after him in web videos, and on a conference call with reporters. >> the longer you stay in this primary, the focus is always newt. when you focus is newt, the republican party loses. >> reporter: it's all in response to gingrich, sending out this mailer that slams romney's past report in favor of abortion rights, and still having fun with the admission he playing approximately 15% in taxes. gingrich says he pays 31% now wants all americans what he calls the romney flat tax. >> i don't object him paying 15%, i want you to have the right to pay the same level. >> reporter: but gingrich and the field have picked up an component to the arsenal. obtained by the blog bus feed and k6r78d by cnn, the 200-page book goes into graphic detail lists his wife ann's contribution to planned parenthood in 1994. the book also hits romney's record of, quote, outsourcing american jobs at bain capital and lists eight pages of romney flip-flops flops. the book. >> hi, i'm nancy pelosi. >> and i'm newt gingrich. >> the question is whether any of it will turn romney voters over to gingrich, who is still under fire for sitting the couch with nancy pelosi. >> the only person i ever sat on a couch with is my wife. and that matters. judgment matters. >> for romney, president timing of the league there are roughly 20 copies of that book we asked for a response to this opposition research book, wolf, we got no response. >> look like that gap is narrowing in our new poll it was 19-point gap, now ten, and this could be potential a huge surprise on saturday. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. that's precisely why the romney campaign is stepping up attacks on newt gingrich. >> here at a speech here at winthrop university wolf, mitt romney was talking about how gingrich is going after his time at bain capital. he told the crowd here, he is proud of his time in the private sector. wolf? >> joe acosta? south carolina for us, thank you. the white house hopeful newt gingrich sat down with me today for a far-reaching interview. >> certainly she's one of the people i would call on for advice. i would ask her to consider taking a major role in the next administration if i'm president. >> you're going to hear who he's refer to in that little clip. my interview is coming up in a few minutes. also our own fareed zakaria just got an interview with president obama. i'll debrief him. that's next. when i grow up, i want to fix up old houses. ♪ [ woman ] when i grow up, i want to take him on his first flight. i want to run a marathon. i'm going to own my own restaurant. when i grow up, i'm going to start a band. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. thanks, mom. i just want to get my car back. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. we're here in charleston, south carolina, getting ready to cover tomorrow night's republican presidential debate and saturday's primary. thingser heating up. it's a lovely city, charleston, as you can see from this video. jack cafferty has "the cafferty file." >> a beautiful city, one of my favorites in the south. americans aren't getting any fatter, but they're not getting any thinner, either. new government reports show nearly 36% of u.s. adults, 17% of our children and teens are obese. it's terrible. although these rates are up dramatically from a decade ago, they have at least leveled off in the last few years, however, certainly racial and ethnic groups are still seeing increases in obiasity rates. for example, 59% of black women, 45% of mexican-american women are obese. also for children and teens obesity rates are higher among hispanics and blacks. health experience say the best way to lower rates is to stop people super getting fast in the first place. obesity is a national epidemic. it contributes to a range of illnesses from joint damage to certain cancers to hard disease and of course diabetes. we learned this week that cooking icon paula deen has type 2 diabetes. she is a well-known television personality who's overweight herself and whose southern recipes are full of fatty ingredien ingredients. isn't it interesting after being diagnosed three years ago, deen chose to tell the public about it only after mailing a deal with a danish pharmaceutical company that makes an injectable diabetes medication. fancy that. why can't the u.s. make any more progress in the fight against obesitobesity. wolf? all right. jack, thank you. president obama has faced some withering criticism from the republican presidential candidates who hope to defeat him in the fall. now he's nighting back. our own fareed zakaria had a chance to sit down with the president earlier. he's joining us right now. i got the gist of what the president told you. on foreign policy, he seems pretty confident he can handle himself in a debate against mitt romney or any of the other candidates. >> i think that's right, wolf. he said, he xlind they have to bash me right now, because they're appealing to their base, but let's have a serious conversation come the general election, and i'm very comfortable, he said, putting my record of the last three years against any criticism they have. i think he feels he's kept the country safe, he's dis mated al qaeda, gotten out of iraq, refocused the mission in afghanistan, and he's made this move to asia, to where america's future lies, and so far public opinion polls suggest that the public generally gives him positive marks for foreign policy. >> did he seem bitter for stalling some of the recommendation in terms of jobs creation or stimulating the economy? >> he was very relaxed, very calm, very confident. >> when we talked about deficit reduction, he got quite passionate and settist very important to understand i use the simpson bowels framework. and i used that framework and offer it to the republicans three times. he appointed out that he offered them many few attacks than simpson bowls so he said at one point, the problem is i was not younging it up with john boehner. the problem is he couldn't get his caucus to agree and he was unable to deliver i wouldn't say it was bitterness. he was unhappy that people didn't recognize he had really gone the extra mile on deficit reduction and 9 problem was the republicans wouldn't budge an inch. >> we're showing the cover of "time," "obama's world" your cover story and your interview with the president of the united states specifically mitt romney saying if president obama is reelected iran will have a nuclear weapon. if he's not reelected, and let me read a quote from your interview -- i have made myself clear since i began running for the president, we'll take every step available to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. can we guarantee that iran takes the smarter path? no, which is why i've repeatedly said we don't take any options off the table in preventing them from getting a nuclear weapon. >> did he say absolutely positively that the united states will not allow iran to have a nuclear weapon? >> he did not. the quote was about as definitive as he got. i thought it was pretty definitive. as president i think you want to be careful about making absolute blanket guarantees. the sense i got is that they have found ways to very effectively put pressure on iran. what they cannot figure out, though, is whether the iranian regime right now is even in a position to make a strategic decision about whether -- about making concessions, coming back to the negotiating table, finding some win/win formula, because the regime is divided, the supreme leaders seems unwilling to make those moves, they seem very conscious of that. at one point he said, this is a very hard problem, and anyone who says it isn't doesn't know what they're talking about. fareed, thanks very very much. the texas dongman ron paul left the campaign trail briefly today, returning to washington for a vote on the debt ceiling, but his soaring popularity in the presidential race may not amount to much on capitol hill. let's go to capitol hill. our senior congressional correspondent dana bash is standing by with more. dana? >> reporter: that vote to stop the president from raising the debt ceiling did pass the house, but it's not going to go any further. it was largely symbolic, but for paul in particular, it was important for him to come back here and put his vote where his mouth is. it was her first time here after doing well in iowa and new hampshire. i talked to many of his colleagues, and reviews were mixed. >> briefly back on capitol hill, doing his day job, ron paul signs copies of the constitution for students. and speaks out against raising the debt limit. >> i believe we're in denial here in the congress. if we had the vaguest idea, financially not only for us, but for the world, we would cut spending. >> reporter: a closed-door gathering of house republicans. the gop presidential contender never attention these meeting, bus his gop colleagues here have no shortage of opinion about his strong showing so far. some good. >> i think the public understands we have too many monty hall it is and bob barkers wanting to make a deal. they're yearning for leadership. >> some not so good. >> i don't have any personal dislike for the man, but i will say to you that he's really been essentially totally enaffective in congress. >> >> oy policy invites terrorist attacks. >> for decades hi nickname "doctor no." >> he voted no on absolutely everything. he was not a real player. we didn't count had him for anything. >> dr. no puts up his vote. if you want to know why, he tells you why. >> but some say his refusal to compromise often goes too far. >> he's less like a ronald reagan and more like somebody who is a great professor, but you wouldn't want to have him running your company. >> reporter: 64 members have endorsed mitt romney, three endorsed ron paul, one is his son rand. another is good friend walter jones, fellow anti-war republican. >> i like his independence. he nose we've got to fix the problems of the american people, we've got to fix the job situation, bring this debt down. he is exactly what americas needs right now. >> he also dismisses hi reputation as a loner, revealing a mock picture he displays of paul with congressional friends as the four tops. >> it's a great look for him. >> jones says regardless of what happens with ron paul and his presidential prospects, he says the republican party must show him respect and not do anything to alienate him. if they do, then they also risk alienating the new voters that ron paul is attracting. so that's why jones says, regardless of what happens, the gop ultimately, particularly the republican convention needs to show ron paul some respect. other republicans said even though they don't support him, agree, wolf. >> dana bash on capitol hill, thank you. newt gingrich certainly hasn't always had the friendliest relation-with some republicans in congress. >> newt gingrich had a leadership style that connell be described as leadership by chaos. >> some of his former republican colleagues are settling some scores. my interview with newt gingrich is coming up next. plus you probably noticed some of the world's most popular web sites shut down or blacked out. we'll explain what's going on. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. an joining us from warrenville, south carolina, the former speaker of the house, newt gingrich, the republican presidential candidate. mr. speaker, our new poll here in south carolina shows this gap between you and mitt romney narrowing. what's going to happen. what do you expect to have happen between now and saturday? >> i think as more an more conservatives decide i'm the only chance to beat a massachusetts moderate, they'll come to my, and as romney folks -- i think by saturday we'll be ahead, and depending on how many conservatives come home, we could be ahead by a pretty comfortable margin. >> here's what mitt romney said today in spartan burg, south carolina. he compared you to al gore. listen to this. >> actually, you know, the speaker at the debate was talking about how he created millions of jobs when he was working with the reagan administration. he had been in congress two years when ronald reagan came to office. that was like -- government doesn't create jobs. it's the private sector that creates jobs. congressmen taking credit for helping create jobs is like al gore taking credit for the internet. no exactly -- developing supply-side economics in the '70s, mitt romney wasn't in favor of any of it. later he said he was opposed to the reagan/bush policies. when i was campaigning with reagan in 1980, mitt romney wasn't in fave of any of it. a lot called reagan's program voodoo economics. in 1980 when i was in the house, mitt romney want doing anything about this. how would he know? the fact is 16 millions jobs were created. in the 1990s, after two tax increases, one by a democrat, one by republican, the economy had stalled. i became speaker, and worked with bill clinton to cut taxes, cut regulations, develop american energy. when he was governor of massachusetts, he raised taxes, passed romney care. >> susan molnari has a campaign against you. it starts off like this. >> i served with newt gingrich in congress. newt gingrich had a leadership style that can only be described leadership by chaos. >> that's just the beginning of it. some of your other colleagues are going after you. how ugly is it going to get between now and saturday? >> well, i think given the track record, if you real what senator john mccain said and what governor huckabee, fred thompson, what rick san tore said two days ago, i think the romney campaign will say and do anything. the fact is that leadership style she talked about lid to the first big entitlement reform. it led to four consecutive balanced budgets. only time in your lifetime we had balanced budgets. led to the first tax cuts in 16 years, steepest capital gains tax cuts in history. unemployment dropped to 4.2%. i would say that's pretty darn good leadership style. only the second time we actually cut domestic discretionary spending since world war ii was while i was speaking. i think that's pretty good leadership style. there's an article by reed wilson titled "gingrich's friends worry he's gone rogue." a sentence from the article -- none of his friends would agreed to be quoted by name, but they describe a candidate out for vengeance, rather than one working with a coherent strategy. quote, the sense is he's just lashing out i assume you've heard this. this is payback from you to romney for what his super pac did to you in iowa. >> well, first of all, the monday night debate, as you know, we talked about big ideas, big solutions, how to reestablished work in america, how to defend americans by defeating our opponents, and virtually everybody agrees that monday night i won the debate decisively. frank lund said it was the only standing ovation in a presidential debate since ronald reagan in 1980 in new hampshire. second, the rasmussen poll said i'm virtually tied with romney nationally. now, that doesn't strike me as lashing out. i have calmly and methodically drawn a difference between a reagan conservative and a massachusetts moderate, i think describing governor romney's report accurately as pro-aborti pro-abortion, pro-gun control, pro-tax increase seasonal lashing out. it's telling the truth. up next, the role sarah palin could play in a newt ging rich administration. you're going to want to see this, right after the break. to? i have to be a tree in the school play. good. you like trees. well, i like climbing them, but i've never been one. good point. ( captain ) this is your captain speaking. annie gets to be the princess. oh... but she has to kiss a boy. and he's dressed up like a big green frog ! ewww. ( announcer ) fly without putting your life on pause. be yourself nonstop. american airlines. here's part 2 of my interview. santorum is upset you suggested yesterday that maybe he and rick perry should drop out. >> the hubris, and i might go far so says the arrogance for newt gingrich to suggest i don't have the experience to run a national campaign, win a national campaign, having won four elections in four heavily democratic districts. with diversity being nonexistent in his electoral plans, that that makes him more qualified than me? >> do you really want him to drop out of the race? >> first of all, i didn't say anybody should do anything. i said it would be very, very helpful. i hope that every santorum and perry voter will decide in the end that the only way to stop a massachusetts moderate is to vote for newt gingrich. if you look at the polling data, that's a fact. i think in south carolina being a georgia conservative is a big advantage. i did make the point which is an objective fact. i worked in the '80 campaign with reagan, the '84 campaign, the '88 design, i helped design the '90 campaign, which got the largest one-party increase in american history. we won the house the first time in 40 years. i helped design a 1996 campaign. we kept the house for the first time since 1928. those are facts that i'm sorry if rick gets mad about them, but those are facts. to suggest i wasn't part of the contract with america campaign, that i didn't help design the '96 reelection campaign? he knows better. look, it's got to be a frustrating time. the fact is i think that having big solutions, being willing to talk about creating jobs, balancing the budget, defending america, reestablishing american exceptionalism, reforming the judiciary, these are the big ideas helping in south carolina. aisle going to stay focused, and that's what i spend most of my time talking about. >> a lot of us noticed last night that sarah palin virtually endorsed you. she said if she lived in south carolina, she would probably vote for you, which in my mind others probably raised the possibility if you were to get the nomination, could she be on your short list as a potential vice presidential running mate? >> well, look, i don't want to suggest anything. we haven't talked about anything at all. governor palin is somebody who i think was a very good reform governor. she was extraordinarily effective negotiating with big oil. she did a good job in the state of alaska. i think she's a very articulate leader of the tea party conservative movement. i was honored and delighted last night when she said if she were in south carolina she would vote for newt gingrich. i hope everybody who likes her decides she's right. certainly she's one i would call on advice, i would ask her to consider taking a major role in the next administration if i'm president, but nothing has been discussed of any kirsch and it wouldn't be appropriate at this time. i'm delighted she and todd both have been so supportive of my candidacy, and they recognize that, you know, i am a tea party reform conservative. i'm not part of the washington establishment, and i think that is the signal that her endorsement last night really sends. >> mr. speaker, good luck. we'll take in close talk. >> stay in touch. >> thank you for joining us. >> thanks, wolf. and don't forget tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. eastern, watch cnn for the southern republican presidential debate. you'll see it only here. join us saturday night, special "the situation room," 6:00 p.m. eastern, followed by our full coverage of the south carolina primary. that primary coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern. media companies on one side, internet sites on the other side. the world over an antipiracy internet law is growing ugly. the. captain of the costa concordia sailed into disaster and crashed into a worldwide infamy. you know the good folks over at prilosec otc have asked yours truly to teach you about treating frequent heartburn. 'cause i know a thing or two about eatin'. if you're one of those folks who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... well that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! [ male announcer ] treat your frequent heartburn by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. block the acid with prilosec otc, and don't get heartburn in the first place. available at walmart. beautiful here in charleston, south carolina. we're all gearing up for tomorrow night's cnn republican presidential debate, saturday's primary. extensive coverage obviously coming up. historic and beautiful, no doubt about that. if i went to google or wikipedia, you may have noticed something significantly different. they're trying to make a statement without saying a word. dan simon is joining us with more on what's going on. explain what's going on. a lot of internet users are a little confused. >> reporter: well, wolf, we're talking about a couple controversial bills in congress. they seem to be on life support right now. a couple key members have backed away from their support. this web blackout that we have seen all day seems to be working. take a look. >> thousands of people this very minute are downloading pirated videos from overseas web sites. movies still in the theaters like "war horse" december watched on a computer screen for free. deprives the film industry of millions of dollars. with web sites operating in europe, the u.s. has no authority to shut them down. that has prompted capitol hill legislation nope as sopa, stop online pyrery sacramento in the house, and pipa, protect intellectual property act in the senate. media companies like cnn's time warner are -- >> illegal conduct is what it is. it's stealing. that's at the heart of this legislative effort. >> former not chris dodd heads up the motion picture association and a huge backer of the legislation. >> this bill is sclufzly focused on the foreign criminal elements that are stealing. >> reporter: the bills would give washington unprecedented authority in regulating content. >> what would happen is copyright holders would come up with this list, and with a court order serve this on internet service provider. >> reporter: that's why sites have gone down today, using an internet megaphone to voice their disconnect. craigslist and readit are also down. google has blocked out is home pay logia, as a sign of protest. silicon valley has said no-go, in and out because they want piracy, but don't feel they should be the internet police. david ilovich runs a successful internet security company, which gives customers tools for block web sites in their own homes or businesses. >> we never wanted to be the editorial directors and certainly don't think the government is the people to be in that position, either. senator marco rubio of florida, a co-sponsor of the legislation, is pulling his support. on his facebook page, he said we've heard, quote, legitimate concerns. facebook ceo mark zuckerberg weighing in calling these poorly thought out bills and the white house also not on board. it looks like we'll be back to the drawing board to figure this out. >> it's going to continue, no doubt about that. dan simon, thank you. jack cafferty asked all of us, confide can't the u.s. make any progress in the fight against obesity? jack and your answers are coming up. rick perry hasn't held his fire out there on the campaign trail. our own john king interviews the republican candidate at the top of the hour for our north american viewers. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪ our driven for profit healthcare system is set up to treat disease, not prevent it. and our driven for good congress is in the pocket of the foodservices lobby. floyd in california," i lived in ecuador for three years. upon arriving i lost ten pounds and then about a pound a month without changing my diet and with less exercise. why? they don't add fat and hormones to their meat. and the altitude down the there increases your metabolism. in the united states what the united states puts on the food puts on the ponds. the only way to lose weight here is to staff. jerry writes no one these days wants to get up off the couch and exercise. most would rather sit, eat potato chips and watch such educational shows as jersey shore or the never-ending gop debates. need i say more? doug writes" i'm about 30 pounds overweight. it's killing me. every time i drop a few pounds i start feeling better and slip back into my own ways. winter is the hardest time for me. i find that smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and drinking five cups of coffee plus eating a bacon and friday egg sandwich every morning helps. hershey's -- chicken, potatoes and gravy. that's followed by foster's beer and good cheap red wine. i hope this helps, mr. cafferty. kevin in san diego writes" watch food inc. americans are fattened up on corn just like the pig, chickened, cows. paul in texas says it's the other oil addiction, jack. the one made from lard. ed in texas, white castle chocolate shakes? hello. you want to read more about this go to my blog cnn.com/cafferty file or by our facebook page. >> it's certainly not an overstatement right now to say the captain of the costa concordia is the most despised sailor in the world. his reputation is as tattered as the hull of his ship. that's coming up. an accident doesn't have to slow you down... with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car is 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? have asked yours truly to teach you about treating frequent heartburn. 'cause i know a thing or two about eatin'. if you're one of those folks who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... well that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! [ male announcer ] treat your frequent heartburn by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. block the acid with prilosec otc, and don't get heartburn in the first place. available at walmart. will be giving away passafree copies and don't get heartburn in the first place. of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. the costa concordia captain is probably the most despised sailor out there right now. here here's cnn's jeanne moos. >> reporter: he went from being captain of the concord yeah, to being called captain coward, captain not courageous, worst of all chicken of the sea. the tapes are what sealed his fate in the public's mind. berated by a coast guard officer. >> reporter: who'd want to leave home when you've been labelled the most hated man in italy? a taiwanese animation showed him abandoning the concordia, con forecasting him with the captain of the titanic going down with his ship. and metaphorically speculating whether the concordia's captain will have to walk the plank. ridiculed by cartoonists portrayed shouting "this is your captain speaking. remain calm" as he's rowed away from the sinking ship. the captain told the coast guard he didn't abandon ship. london's telegraph says the captain told investigating magistrate that is he tripped and fell into a life boat. >> he fell into the life raft. he fell in to the life raft. >> reporter: and while the captain is getting the chicken of the sea treatment, the coast guard officer who yelled at the captain is being celebrated. >> reporter: that last phrase "get back on board followed by an expletive, has become a facebook page in italy printed on t-shirts. captain scottino's lawyer defended him. quoted in the new dwrork post as saying you see if you could get back on a vessel in that condition. you need a helicopter. now the captain's reputation may be beyond rescue. >> see how the main sails set ♪ ♪ they called for the captain aboard but he took a boat and left them and went home ♪ >> why in the world would you abandon the ship? >> reporter: he may go down in history for not going down with the ship. jeanne moos, cnn, new york.