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Santorum Climbs to Third in Iowa; U.S. Warns Iran over Oil Channel; Syria's Violent Crackdown; 911 Call Reveals Shooter; Economy Bright Spots for 2012; Economic Bright Spots For 2012; Afghan Teen Bride Tortured; Santorum's Personal Reflections; New Calendar Idea
Aired December 29, 2011 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Randi Kaye. Let's get you up to speed.
The political landscape is shifting for the Republican presidential candidates just five days before the Iowa caucuses. A new CNN/"Time"/ORC poll shows Rick Santorum's political fortunes rising, while support for Newt Gingrich is falling. Mitt Romney leads the poll. 25 percent of likely caucus goers say they support him. He's followed by Ron Paul at 22 percent. Santorum is now third with 16 percent. Newt Gingrich is at 14 percent.
He may be the frontrunner but Mitt Romney isn't predicting how he'll do in the Iowa caucuses. Romney started the day in Cedar Falls talking about jobs and the economy. In an interview CNN's Wolf Blitzer, he responded to complaints from Newt Gingrich about attack ads from political action committees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know why he's so angry.
(LAUGHTER)
Look, this is a campaign about the things we believe in. I believe the country's being led in a very unfortunate and destructive way by a president that doesn't really understand our economy or understand America. I can get America working again. That's why I'm running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Activists say this video posted on YouTube shows Syrian security forces firing on protesters in a Damascus suburb today. CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video. Syria is keeping international journalist out of the country but we spoke with one journalist there who we are not naming for his own safety who says Syrian cities have been under military siege for days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They are trying to randomly put fear into the people and to this neighborhood in order to get them quiet and not getting out of the streets to demonstrate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The Arab League tells CNN it has at least 75 monitors already in Syria and more are expected in the coming days.
Somber music played over loud speakers as thousands gathered to memorialize North Korea's Kim Jong-Il for a second day in Pyongyang. A state orchestrated ceremony once again proclaimed his 20-something son, Kim Jong-Un, the Supreme Leader. Kim ruled the secretive nation for 17 years. He reportedly died of a heart attack two weeks ago.
The U.S. is warning Iran not to disrupt a key oil shipping channel. The Obama administration describes Iran's threat to block the Strait of Hormuz as saber-rattling. An administration official says the U.S. will do what it must to keep the Strait open.
In 2009 15 million barrels of oil passed through the strait every day. Any disruption could affect how much you pay for gasoline.
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the first time went up just before Christmas. Fifteen thousand more filed for unemployment last week than the previous week. That's when claims has fallen to their levels since April of 2008. Last week 368,000 total filed for jobless benefits.
These are priests fighting each other in church. About 60 priests from rival denominations started hitting each other with broomsticks Wednesday while they claim the site where Christians believe Jesus was born, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Palestinian police quickly broke up the fight and no one was seriously injured.
Hard work pays off. That's how Rick Santorum explains his sudden surge in the polls in Iowa just five days before the caucuses. Santorum has been pounding the pavement for months visiting all 99 counties in Iowa. He has stops in three cities today alone.
CNN's Joe Johns is headed to Santorum's next stop in Muscatine, Iowa, and he joins us now in the telephone.
So, Joe, is Santorum right? I mean he's visited all these counties. Is it all about the hard work and pounding the pavement?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a lot of it, Randi. It certainly is. Like you said, we're in Muscatine right now waiting on Santorum. He has another event in Davenport tonight. He's engaged in a lot of hard work but it also helps of course that the competition has collapsed anew, a bunch of runners stumbled out here.
Mitt Romney still standing certainly. Newt Gingrich, though, has collapsed in the polls and Santorum, frankly, was due for a surge. He talked about it a little bit in Coralville earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Iowa provides the spark. There's plenty of tinder on the ground that will start burning in these other states. And if we become the clear alternative as I hope we will be in the caucus, the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, there will be a lot of folks who will rally to our -- to our side in New Hampshire.
We'll have I believe a strong showing there. I'm not suggesting with -- we'll win New Hampshire. I haven't run one television ad in New Hampshire but I think we'll have -- we'll get quite a bump and get a strong showing there and then go down to South Carolina and do even better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So as you can see, he's thinking about it. A lot of people are thinking about it. The question is, how does he capitalize on this surge. Clearly trying to build organization as he goes. We always ask, what is a candidate's past out of Iowa and onward. That's what he's thinking about now.
We do know that there's some talk about buying ads, for example, in New Hampshire. And trying to get into the primary in South Carolina, which is a place where a lot of social conservatives speak the same language as the evangelical voters here in Iowa. So he's got a lot to think about right now but things are looking good for Rick Santorum -- Randi.
KAYE: Yes. And Joe, really, that's what he's -- what he's counting on, right, the support from the evangelicals? I mean that's a crucial voting bloc for him.
JOHNS: Absolutely, very crucial voting bloc. And those voters go to the caucuses here in Iowa. There's something like 60 percent of the people who -- when we went to caucuses last time around -- self- identified as evangelicals or social conservatives. So this is a group that has been looking for someone and they bounced around and that is one of the things that you can say has led to some of the volatility in the polls over the last several weeks and months.
It looks like Rick Santorum, given how close we are to the caucuses, could end up the last candidate standing for those conservatives.
KAYE: And so who does this hurt? I mean when you look at Bachmann or maybe even Perry, I mean, do his numbers going up possibly hurt those who are also going after that social conservative vote?
JOHNS: Well, that's the thing. I mean he's been very aware of it and some of the others have been very aware of it, too. Santorum has for a long time been mostly competing with Rick Perry, with Michele Bachmann. They've all been sort of going after that same bloc of social conservative votes and the question was, who among them was going to emerge as the favorite for these voters who turned out in droves and also contribute a lot of money.
So it's good for him if he ends up at the top of that heap and then the second question is, what does he do about Mitt Romney who, you know, has so much money and so much organization that, you know, it's certainly not insurmountable for Santorum at this stage but it is something to think about.
KAYE: Yes. Joe Johns, on the road for us there in Iowa. Joe, thank you.
And this reminder, tune in next week for the country's first vote in the presidential race. "AMERICA'S CHOICE 2012." Live coverage of the Iowa caucuses begins Tuesday night, January 3rd, at 7:00 Eastern.
Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering over the next hour.
First, Iran threatens to close a key route for oil in the Persian Gulf. What it could mean for gas prices here.
Then, activists say snipers are firing on people in Syria despite the presence of Arab League monitors.
Then, the 911 tapes are released from a shooting that killed members of a Texas family on Christmas Day.
Also despite today's reported increase in jobless claims, there have been some signs the economy will be a bit better next year.
And later, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter always fell on the very same day of the week every year? Well, two guys are looking forward to making that happen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The U.S. issues a stern warning to Iran over its threats to block a key oil shipping channel. An Obama administration official says the U.S. will do whatever is necessary to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. This has the potential to turn into a big conflict over a small but crucial waterway.
Details now from foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just 34 miles wide, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most strategically important choke points. One-third of oil carried by sea is shipped through it. Now Iran is threatening that not one drop of oil will pass through if the U.S. follows through on tough new sanctions aimed at stopping its nuclear program. But the U.S. is warning Iran, any disruption will not be tolerated. GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Any miscalculation could mean that we're drawn in to conflict and that would be -- that would be a tragedy for the region and the world.
DOUGHERTY: World oil prices are spiking. Upping the tension, Iranian naval vessels lurk nearby in the North Iranian Sea holding a 10-day military exercise.
MATTHEW KROENIG, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Having the straits closed would be disastrous for the global economy. I don't think any U.S. president could let that stand.
DOUGHERTY: Matthew Kroenig served as special advisor on Iran at the Pentagon. He says any attempt by Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz could mean war.
KROENIG: I think the United States would be compelled to re-open the straits. That's something that we can do. Our military is obviously much stronger than Iran's but it would mean attacking the Iranian Navy, attacking Iranian ballistic missile and rocket sites. So that -- that's war.
DOUGHERTY: Kroenig thinks it's likely Iran is bluffing, trying to stop President Obama from carrying out the new sanctions. The State Department, too, is downplaying Iran's threat, calling it an attempt to distract the world's attention from the nuclear program. But Iran has been increasingly belligerent and unpredictable, including allegedly hatching a plot to kill a Saudi diplomat on U.S. soil.
But just their threat alone to shut the Strait of Hormuz is making Washington and the world nervous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And Jill Dougherty joins us live now from the State Department.
Jill, the U.S. calls this saber-rattling by Iran. I mean is this just bluster or something more?
DOUGHERTY: At this point you would have to say it appears, according to everyone that we're speaking with, government and experts alike, that it's an attempt to intimidate the president from carrying out these sanctions. Because after all, oil is a huge part of the Iranian economy. You know their revenues, 80 percent roughly, comes from oil so this could be very, very harmful to them if the sanctions -- not only by the United States, but by Europe were carried out.
So the understanding is that that's what they're trying to do, stop the president, intimidate him. But the problem is, it's a very unpredictable and unstable situation and that's where the danger comes in.
KAYE: Yes, and when you look at the whole big picture here, I mean it's possible that the very sanctions designed to prevent the war may end up causing it actually. DOUGHERTY: Yes, but you know when we speak of that, there is another side to this, which is, if you look at it rationally, this does not make a lot of sense for Iran to do, because it would be, as experts have been saying, shooting itself in the foot, because that oil that comes from Iran goes through the Strait of Hormuz, goes to countries like China and China is a crucial client of Iran. So by doing that, by cutting off the oil, it could really hurt itself.
KAYE: Yes. Jill Dougherty for us. Jill, thank you very much.
In Syria, activists say this video posted on YouTube shows security forces firing on protesters in a Damascus suburb while the city is being visited by Arab League monitors. The monitors have been working in the opposition epicenter of Homs but have spread out to other Syrian cities plagued with violence.
CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of this video. Syria is keeping international journalist out of the country but we spoke with one journalist there who we are not naming for security reasons who got inside and described what it's like for people living in the middle of that war zone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Been traveling to Syria in the last six months for four times already, and this time I think a lot of things change because people and the free Syrian army is getting very well organized and people stopped just to demonstrate peacefully. The people know that the point of no return has crossed and this is not able to do peacefully anymore. They will fight to fight for their victory and for their security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Opposition activists say Syrian security forces continue to fire on people despite the presence of Arab League monitors.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is monitoring the situation from Cairo.
Mohammed, what is the latest?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, again and again we hear more reports from inside Syria of cities where these observers are going to where we're still hearing that crackdown are ensuing. You referenced some video earlier that we saw posted online purporting to show a crackdown going on in the Damascus suburb of Douma, as those Arab League observers were arriving.
In this video you hear heavy gunfire in the distance, you see what appears to be Syrian security forces. And we've heard of multiple deaths, activists told us multiple deaths that occurred in Douma today. And we know from the observers, from the Arab League officials, that observers did go to Douma today. Also the city of Homs, which is a real flashpoint. Homs, yesterday we kept seeing video even though monitors were there. We kept seeing video purporting to show monitors walking around, and you would hear gunfire in the distance. And it just really bolsters these claims by the opposition activists and the residents that we've been speaking with saying that no matter the fact that these observers are in the country, they're fanning out across country to different cities, this crackdown, this brutal crackdown by Bashar al-Assad continues and the activists and residents that we speak with would say, if this is still going on while these monitors are here, when is it ever going to stop?
And they've been calling increasingly for international protection, possibly even the intervention in some way of the U.N. -- Randi.
KAYE: So it doesn't sound like the people there have much faith that anything will change. And some of the neighborhoods, Mohammed, they -- some have been hit very hard. Others seem like they have been really untouched. I mean so is this turning into a bit of a sectarian battle?
JAMJOOM: The fear from day one is that if this turned into all-out civil war, it would take this nasty sectarian bend. More and more it seems to be being drawing along those lines. When you're talking about Homs, Homs is a predominantly Sunni city. Bashar al-Assad comes from a minority Alawite sect. And so these battle lines have been drawn.
In Homs you have more and more military defectors. These military defectors are predominantly from the Sunni sect, and so that's the fear. Will this erupt along sectarian lines? The indications right now, the signs are that it is being drawn along sectarian lines, and once that -- if that continues to happen despite the presence of these monitors, where does that go? It doesn't look good for Syria and that's why there is so much concern about what's going on there -- Randi.
KAYE: Terrible situation. Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you.
And we are just hours away from a critical deadline that could make someone a multi-millionaire. A $16.5 million Iowa lottery jackpot will expire at 4:00 today if the winner does not come forward. If no one produces the winning ticket, it would be the second multi-million dollar lotto jackpot to go unclaimed this week.
A $77 million Powerball prize expired in Georgia on Monday. The Iowa ticket was sold at a Des Moines convenient store and the numbers were drawn exactly one year ago.
So we want to know what would you do with $16.5 million since we know that you would not let that ticket go unclaimed. I am having some technical problems with my Facebook page so do us a favor, post your thoughts on Suzanne Malveaux's Facebook page, that is facebook.com/suzanneCNN. And we'll have some of your comments later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Seven family members were found dead in an apartment Christmas Day in Grapevine, Texas. Police believe this man, Aziz Yazdanpanah, was the shooter. He was also dead at the scene. You can hear the shooter on newly released 911 tapes.
And David Mattingly has been following this for us and you have some more details about the call.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, police have had these 911 tapes for days, they've been listening to them over and over and over again. They were able to hear the very beginning where they hear someone whispering help but they weren't quite able to make out what came next until they got some new software in and that software gave them a whole new perspective on what was on that 911 tape.
It is the voice of the killer and it is disturbing to listen to. So if you want to not pay attention to this, this would be a good time to stop listening. But we have it to play for you right now and we've also written out the words because it's still very hard to follow so let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: Hello, Grapevine 911.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help me. Help me.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: Do you need help?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm shooting people.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: Are you sick?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm shooting people.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: What was that? You need an ambulance or police? Hello? One moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: And that's all you hear. I mean it's so quiet. Police believe he made that after he had gone through the apartment, killed his estranged wife, his teenage daughter, his teenage son, and then his brother-in-law, his sister-in-law, and their child as well.
KAYE: It almost sounds like maybe he had shot himself before he called as well. He sounds not well.
MATTINGLY: Well, he was shot in the head.
KAYE: OK.
MATTINGLY: Police believe it's possible he may have committed suicide after -- pulled the trigger after that -- after that call.
KAYE: But he did -- he didn't -- obviously he didn't want to tell them who he was or where he was calling from.
MATTINGLY: In fact, police are starting to believe that it's possible he was trying to cover up this crime because they believe he had -- well, they say that they went this and they found two handguns. They believe he brought two handguns with him to carry out these murders. When they got there they found one of these handguns in the hand of the slain brother-in-law but when they checked the ballistics they found bullets from both guns had killed the brother-in-law so you know that he wasn't the one doing the shooting.
So it's possible that this man decided somehow he was going to cover this up and make it look like his brother-in-law was either involved or responsible for the murders of this family.
KAYE: It's just so tragic and so creepy at the same time. David Mattingly, thank you.
It has been a tough year for the economy but there are some economic bright spots. Looking ahead to 2012, we'll talk to an economist about that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Stocks are in positive territory right now but where do they stand for the year that ends this weekend?
Alison Kosik joins me now from the New York Stock Exchange.
Hi, Alison. So where does the S&P 500 stand for 2011?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: : OK, Randi. So the S&P 500 is back in positive territory for the year but just barely. And you know what? It looks like it's really going to come right down to the wire on this one. But either way it goes, up or down, it's really likely to be the smallest yearly change for the S&P 500 since 1970.
Now as for the Dow, it's done better. It's up about 6 percent year- to-date, but we like to look at the S&P 500 because it's the broader index, Randi, the one that investors really should focus on because it's the index that most closely tracks our 401(k)s or our retirement accounts. So chances are those are looking pretty darn flat this year. So to peek or not to peek at that portfolio at the end of the year, that is the question -- Randi.
KAYE: Yes, I'm sure -- and I'm sure you're also keeping a close watch on the stock winners and losers?
KOSIK: Yes. So we put together some of the winners and losers. The best performer in the S&P 500 is actually Cabot Oil and Gas. Now that stock has more than doubled in price this year and here's why. Because the natural gas industry is booming in the U.S. El Paso Corporation, that's also a natural gas company. That came in at number two. MasterCard comes in at number four. And that's kind of an encouraging one because it shows that consumer spending is up as the economy recovers. You just hope that everybody is going to go ahead and pay their bills on time. All right. So you flip the coin over, we get the worst performers. First Solar. Solar stocks, they've taken a beating. Some solar companies have actually gone bankrupt as the price of solar panels essentially collapsed.
MEMC comes in fourth on that list. It also got caught up in the solar decline as well. And then who can forget Netflix. Yes, Netflix took quite the beating this year following its PR disasters over the summer. Netflix stock was trading above $300 in July. Guess how much it's trading today -- Randi.
KAYE: What? Do we even want to know?
KOSIK: Under 70 bucks, under 70 bucks. I know.
KAYE: Wow.
KOSIK: It's tough if you own that stock. It's tough to take, yes, it's trading under $70.
KAYE: Wow. Not good. How are the markets doing right now?
KOSIK: Markets are holding their own. The Dow is up 100 points. All the major averages are in the green. That's after of course the big sell-off from yesterday. But you know a lot of these moves are being accentuated by the fact that few people are trading so, you know, a lot of the trading right now is kind of -- kind of holiday time trading. But at least we're in the green in a strong way -- Randi.
KAYE: All right, well, here's to 2012, as we say good-bye to 2011.
KOSIK: Yes.
KAYE: Thank you, Alison.
Well, it's been a gloomy few years, we don't have to tell you that, for the economy. But will 2012 get any better? Here are some of the brighter economic signs.
Holiday online sales surged 16 percent over last year. Overall sales rose 4.5 percent. Twenty leading economists surveyed by CNN now say we have only a 20 percent chance of falling into a second recession next year, whereas three months ago they were estimating it was 30 percent.
And despite today's increase in first-time jobless claims, we've had several weeks of claims falling. In fact the week before or last jobless claims were at the lowest level since 2008.
Joining me now is the president of Optimum Capital Management, Ryan Mack.
Ryan, nice to see you. So what do you think? How will the economy fare in 2012?
RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: I think that 2012 is going to be defined by an economy of less risk projecting a small rate of growth in GDP. But you know what? I'll take a 2 to 3 percent growth rate in GDP as long as it's sustainable.
We've had for quite some time now an unsustainable norm that was essentially individuals over-borrowing, over leveraging themselves on a personal side and corporate side and the government, essentially not being able to pay that debt off so now it's less risk. Corporations are taking less risk and hiring individuals and they're doing it by keeping more capital reserves.
We had the -- even the government is trying to figure out ways to cut spending. And even individuals. I mean despite what we saw with the retail sales numbers, which did uptick a little bit, we still have a slightly higher savings rate than we've seen over the last few years. So I do think less risk and being able to mitigate these risks was going to lead a slower growth rate in the economy is going to be better for the long run but is going to lead to a slightly slower than what we're used to seeing.
KAYE: Let's talk about housing prices. A lot of people focused on that. Some economists are saying that housing prices will finally drop a few more percentage points than stabilize next year, maybe even hit the bottom. But others are saying it may be another two to five years. Where do your sources telling you.
MACK: Well, I definitely feel that housing -- we're in it for the long haul in terms of seeing any uptick in prices. We're seeing the level of shadow inventory is still relatively high.
We're seeing the excess in supply. We still have one out of four individuals that have homes under water. One out of five individuals essentially in 2007 have been over 90 days late on their payment so we still have a very dismal market in the economy.
But on the other side -- plus tighter credit requirements, look at Fannie and Freddie, they are still requiring individuals to have a about a 762 FICO score just to get into a piece of property.
But we're buying homes more responsibly. I think the days of that no zero money down on a piece property where we just think that we could just buys homes and flip homes and try to have capital appreciation getting in and out.
Those days are over. Those days are behind us. So it's going to lead to slower rate, but we're going to be more responsible and more people who purchase homes today are those individuals who more likely to be able to keep those homes for the long run.
KAYE: So when we look at, trying to get back on track, getting the economy back on track, I mean, what's the most important thing that you think needs to happen?
MACK: I think right now individuals need to try to retrain themselves into different industries that are hiring. In the optics industry, it is about 2.5 percent unemployment rate. Mathematics jobs are increasing four times the rate of unemployment. However, the U.S. is about -- out of the 29 developed countries, we're 27th in terms of bachelor's degrees that have been awarded to science, technology and math.
So if you've been laid off, now it's time for you to try to find a new industry that you can get re-trained and re-certify to get back into the job industry, create your own company, try to create your own business and create your own opportunity.
And then mitigate your risk in the most responsible way. It is going to be slower, but we will get back on track.
KAYE: Yes, we're chugging along. Ryan Mack, thank you very much.
MACK: Thank you.
KAYE: A war story of sorts from Afghanistan, but the victims are not on the battlefield. Why girls and women are being tortured and what some are doing to try and stop it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: In Afghanistan, police discovered a recently married 15-year- old girl beaten and locked in a basement. Her story is part of a disturbing trend in the country. CNN's Becky Anderson reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is 15-year-old Sahar. Afghan police say they found her badly beaten, her hair ripped from her head, her fingernails removed and starving.
She was found locked in the basement of her in laws' house, allegedly because she refused to be forced into prostitution. Police say they're waiting for her to fully recover to learn more.
The in-laws have been arrested, but police say the husband fled. Her story is just one of many cases of violence against women in Afghanistan.
ZAINAB SALBI, FOUNDER AND CEO, WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL: Women have actually made a lot of progress in Afghanistan in the last decade.
Since the discussions of the U.S. withdrawal and foreign troops' withdrawal, violence has started increasing. And we have to pay attention to that, not only as it impacts women, but as it tells us the story of what is happening in Afghanistan.
ANDERSON: In another case, a 21-year-old Afghan woman identified only as Golnaz for her protection was sentenced to 12 years in prison for adultery after she reported being raped by her cousin's husband.
It was reported that she had agreed to marry her attacker to be released from prison. Her story attracted international attention. She was later freed after President Hamid Karzai intervened.
The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission reported 1,026 cases of violence against women in the second quarter of this year, and more than 2,700 cases reported in 2010.
And according to a recent Oxfam report, 87 percent of Afghan women reported being abused physically, sexually, psychologically or being forced into marriage. Becky Anderson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: So what is behind this resurgence of violence against women in Afghanistan? Zainab Salbi is founder of Women for Women International.
It's an organization that helps Afghan women recover from effects of war. Tales of violence against women in Afghanistan are so disturbing, Zainab. I mean, we just heard that one girl's story. How common is this?
SALBI: Well, this particular story really tells a larger story of what happens to trafficking or trafficking of women and girls into prostitution. This is a part of her symptoms.
In Muslim countries it happens usually through marriage. A girl is being married off and it is her husband and his family who prostitute her. In western countries this usually happens through boyfriends or friends or promise of employment.
Now the torture process is part of a breaking of a woman or of a girl, as it is called. Every woman -- every person is broken in different ways. Sometimes by threats, sometimes by deprivation of food and sometimes and in this case it is a very severe case of torture.
And this is usually a pattern of what happens to women and girls who are kidnapped into trafficking and to being prostituted, in other words. The issue in Afghanistan is the future of Afghan women and girls when we are in the process of negotiating peace agreement with the Taliban.
Violence against women is always happening in all over the world from western countries to non-western countries. It is the deterrent against it that stops it. It is legal punishments. It is any kind of punitive actually that deterrent that stops a man from -- or woman from doing such violence against women.
And so that's the scary part of what's happening to Afghan women, that we are at the risk, serious risk, of losing all that has been accomplished in the last 10 years in terms of legal protection of women, in terms of political representation of women, in terms of freedom to be in the street and their ability to work.
Rather than seeing that as only dangerous vis-a-vis Afghan women we need to see that as seriously dangerous in terms of the future of Afghanistan.
KAYE: It sounds as though almost that the women, of course, don't know their rights so they don't know that they can protect themselves.
SALBI: Well, I mean remember, Afghan women came from literally one of the worst regimes in history vis-a-vis the Taliban, during the Taliban times. So when I say a lot has been accomplished in the last 10 years, actually they came from under zero of status with women being forced.
We have to remember, women were forced to actually stay in their rooms in their homes with even their windows were painted and not allowed to go to school or anything like that. Now a lot has been progress since them.
You know, in my experience with Women for Women International, we worked with about 100,000 women. I've seen women promised to be married at 6, widowed at the age of 15, single mothers at the age of 16 and they actually now have $30,000 in their bank account works in businesses and things like that. There is progress. It's just we are at risk of losing that progress.
KAYE: So what can be done really in the end for these women?
SALBI: Not compromising women's rights as we are in the process of negotiating with the Taliban. There are a lot of comments that has been both by U.S. and Afghan official that suggesting that it maybe irreconcilable to protect women's right in Afghanistan.
It is almost a giving up on the possibilities of protecting women and honestly, except for Secretary Clinton who has been the only adamant supporter of protecting women's rights in terms of a governmental level, there is a serious, serious worry about women not being included in the negotiating table with the Taliban.
They are not being included at protecting the legal rights as we are about to in the process of negotiating peace agreement and in the process of withdrawing U.S. troops.
And so we need to look at the protection of Afghan women as not only a responsibility, but a must for actually a long-lasting peace in Afghanistan. This is not a luxury. This is a necessity to protect the future and peace in Afghanistan.
KAYE: Zainab Salbi, nice to have you on the program. Thank you.
SALBI: Pleasure. Thank you.
KAYE: From losing an eighth grade election to losing a child. Rick Santorum shares personal reflections in a red chair interview with CNN.
And "USA Today"/Gallup poll released its annual list of the most admired men, Newt Gingrich has dropped in the polls with many Americans think that he is admirable even enough for sixth place.
That's a tie with Donald Trump. Number five, Warren Buffett. Number four on the list is 93-year-old Evangelist Billy Graham. Graham has been on the list since the poll started back in 1946. We'll tell you the top two most admired men right after the break.
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KAYE: We told you about some of the most admired men this year according to the "USA Today"/Gallup poll. Number two is former President George W. Bush. He lost the top spot in 2008 when President Obama took office. President Obama is the most admired man in 2011 for the fourth year in a row.
Rick Santorum attributes his rise in the polls to hard work. Santorum is now in third place less than a week before the Iowa caucuses. The presidential candidate recently shared some personal reflections and experiences from losing an eighth grade election to losing a child.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICH SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I was younger, ran for class officer, I lost. It was quite a scaring experience. I lost for eighth grade vice president. The girl I ran against was much nicer, much cuter than I was and so I -- and that scared me. And I never ran again for office until I ran for the United States Congress. So that tells you how deeply wounding that eighth grade experience was.
Hi. I'm Rick Santorum. I am a father of seven children with my wife, Karen. We are from western Pennsylvania. I served in the House of Representatives for four years and in the United States Senate for 12. And now I'm running for president of the United States.
My dad came to this country when he was seven years of age from Italy. My grandfather brought him over to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Right outside of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It was actually a little coal mining town owned by the company. My grandfather used to say that, you know, they lived in a company town, got paid with company stamps to shop in the company store. And I remember going back and visiting that house and they lived -- oh, it was at least a quarter of a mile walk for any fresh water, outhouse, the whole nine yards. And really grew up, obviously, very humble roots in the coal mines of western Pennsylvania.
Karen and I have been married 21 years. We have had eight children, seven of whom still survive. We lost a little boy who was our fourth child. Gabriel was born early in the morning, 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. Lived a couple of hours. And when the morning came, we brought him home to bury him. I mean he was buried that next day.
You know, our kids were very young when Gabriel was born. I think our oldest was five. And so most of the kids really don't remember Gabriel very much. One of the thinks that we thought was really important was to -- for them to see their brother, to know that he existed, to know that his life had meaning, that there is loss, and that, you know, that every life is precious.
Then we have a little three-year-old little girl who's our special child. She was born with a genetic disorder and is -- was told -- we were told that she would not live a few days. And she is now three and a half years old and it's just a miracle every day and really, in many respects, the center of family life.
My little girl, Isabella, three years old, had some surgery today. She's doing fine. But I just wanted to send to her a little, I love you, and I will take the red eye home to be with you tomorrow and make sure that you're feeling fine (ph).
She has a disorder Trisomy 18, which we were told is incompatible with life. Well, we're showing that that's not only not true, but it is really the center of our life. That every life, you know, is meant to accomplish great things in terms of economics, in terms of futility that some would see to our society, but the utility of these children in showing the dignity of human life and the pure love that they emit and how they -- how they really, at least I always say that Bella has gentled my condition, although I know some people say, you know, Santorum's so intense. You should have seen me before she was born.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And this reminder, tune in next week for the country's first vote in the presidential race. America's choice 2012. Live coverage of the Iowa caucuses begins Tuesday night, January 3rd, at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
Forget leap years, a short February and your birthday falling on a different day of the week each year. Researchers say they have a better way to mark time. A calendar consistent from year to year.
And we told you about the most admired men? Well, the "USA Today"/Gallup poll also released its annual list of the most admired women. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is listed at number five. At number four is Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor was third last year but got knocked out of the position by First Lady Michelle Obama, who is third on the list this year. We'll tell you who the top two are next.
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KAYE: We told you about some of the most admired women this year according to the "USA Today"/Gallup poll. Oprah Winfrey takes the number two spot. This is her 10th year in the runner-up spot. The most admired women this year, there you see it, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
How would you feel if your birthday fell on a Wednesday forever? Or if Halloween was always on a Saturday or a Tuesday? Well, two scientists are proposing a new calendar that keeps each date on the same day of the week from year to year. Chad Myers taking a look at this.
And can you explain how this is all going to work if it happens?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's not -- it's not part of the end of the world and the Mayan calendar.
KAYE: Well, that's good. MYERS: It has nothing to do with that and that's not why they did it. But do you know what day Christmas was on last year?
KAYE: Well, it was on a Saturday last year.
MYERS: And what about next year?
KAYE: I don't know. It would be nice to keep track.
MYERS: Tuesday, right, because there's a leap year. They put another day in there.
KAYE: Oh, OK.
MYERS: So next year it's going to be -- so two scientists said, let's try to end all this. How do we do this? How who do we make this so that Christmas is always on a weekend or always on a week day. How do we make the calendar different?
Well, they did it by taking out the leap year and taking out one day of the year. And you say, well, wait a minute, it's 365. How can it be 364. But if you take 364 and divide it by seven, you get an even number. So that date -- your Christmas, your Fourth of July, would always be on the same date. So eventually we'd kind of get out of whack by a little bit. But instead of putting a leap year in every four years, every once in a while, like five or six years, they'd put in a leap week. So you'd have to work an extra week and probably -- maybe you wouldn't even get paid for it. But that's irrelevant.
By doing that, you would always keep your Christmas Day on a Saturday or a Sunday, your New Year's on the same day, Saturday or a Sunday. They do that with a 364 day a week -- 365 day a year year. Still seven days a week, but no leap year. And every week in December, or once in a while, they'd give us maybe an extra week off and that would be the leap week. Is it ever going to happen? Probably not, to be honest.
KAYE: No, you don't think?
MYERS: I really don't think so. Randi, I really don't -- I really don't think there's ever going to get that done. What do you think?
KAYE: I don't know, but if they did, I would like my birthday to be on a Saturday.
MYERS: Exactly. At least this way you get to rotate it around every once in a while.
KAYE: Yes. All right, so if this isn't really going to happening, but if you look at what's happening in Samoa, they want to, what, just skip Friday?
MYERS: Yes, they're going to lose a day.
KAYE: How's that going to work?
MYERS: Well, it's going to work because of the -- what side of the date line they're on right now. They're on what they consider to be the wrong side of the date line to do business in New Zealand and Australia. So -- and not American Samoa, but Samoa the country right here.
This is how -- this is how the line goes now, back and forth. The date line is not an exact science. It's not a straight line. So they are going to move it again. Samoa's going to move it tonight. And by tomorrow, it will actually be Saturday. They're going to take this -- here's American Samoa, not included, but they're going to take their country and they're going to move themselves into the next day, into the next part of the year because the next day, because they want to be on the same day that all the business partners are doing work in Australia and New Zealand and whatever it might be. They want to be on the same day.
KAYE: You know, there are plenty of weeks, Chad, I'm sure that we all want to skip Fridays, don't we?
MYERS: Yes, I -- I don't know if anybody's going to get paid for tomorrow. That's the thing. We've just got to lose a day.
KAYE: Yes, well, that's really interesting. All right, thank you very much.
MYERS: You're welcome.
KAYE: Appreciate it.
MYERS: All right.
KAYE: A huge lottery prize has to be claimed in just a few hours in Iowa or, yes, you guessed it, it goes back into the pot. You're responding to our "Talk Back" question. What would you do with the $16.5 million if you held that winning ticket? Your responses are just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it were me, I'd know what to do with it. I'd invest it. That's what I would do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't want to work another day. At least not for somebody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Checking stories our affiliates are covering across the country.
A Marine who managed to avoid getting shot in Afghanistan and Iraq is shot three times in a robbery in south Florida. Karl Trenker actually took the bullets out with his own fingers. The good news -- he is doing OK now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KARL TRENKER, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I go into Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times and I haven't been shot or blown up. And I'm here at home in Florida and here I am riding away in an ambulance with a bunch of gunshot wounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And check out this crazy video out of Centennial, Colorado. This is not an accident. It's a guy going on a rampage trying to find cars to run into. He totaled this woman's car and then hit five others. He even tried to hit a few people. Luckily no one was hurt. The guy is now in jail on $50,000 bond.
So, a lot of you have been responding to our "Talk Back" question. In a few hours, the deadline will expire on claiming a $16.5 million lottery prize. The winning ticket was sold in Iowa one year ago today and so far it has gone unclaimed. We asked, what would you do with all those millions. Well, here's some of your responses.
Robert says, "I'd pay off my credit cards, student loans, buy a new car, remodel my house. The list goes on and on."
Zebadiah writes, "party everyday! Buy a bunch of stuff I don't need! Buy my family and friends stuff they don't need, and be broke again by the end of the year." Doesn't sound like a good idea there.
Judy says, "I'd do the obvious, pay bills, get the kids' future set in stone, give to some great organizations and colleges, then retire while seeing the world."
And Alex has a unique plan. He says, "I'd buy a McDonald's and a Wal- Mart, and save what is left over. That's the quickest way to rule a city!"
Henrick says, "I would buy an airplane company to keep money flowing through a successful business. Or buy stocks and move to a nice condo in Manhattan and start my dream job as a doctor."
And, finally, Scotty Scott says, "three words, re-ti-re."
Very nice. Thank you all for sharing your lottery dreams.
That will do it for me today. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Natalie Allen.
Hi, Natalie.
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Randi. Thanks so much.
