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YThe New Year Begins with More Suspicious Car Fires in the Los Angeles Area; Park Ranger Fatally Shot in Mt. Rainer National Park; Following the Candidates in the GOP Race

Aired January 01, 2012 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Let's get right to the news now.

In the newsroom, this New Year begins with more suspicious car fires in the Los Angeles area. Officials said today the number of fires has risen to 39. Someone or a group is torching vehicles and in some cases those fires spread to buildings and homes, including one once occupied by singer Jim Morrison of the doors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK BUTLER, ASSISTANT CHIEF, LOS ANGELES FIRE: The acts we have seen over the last 72 hours here in these communities have kept these public safety professionals up at night and working tirelessly. Since December 30th, the Los Angeles fire department alone has responded to over 3,300 calls for service in the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police and fire officials are asking the public for information or surveillance videos that may help them catch those responsible. A $60,000 reward is being offered in the case.

And four Republican presidential candidates left off the Virginia primary ballot are joining rival Rick Perry by suing the state election board. They're disputing laws they say are unconstitutional. Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich joined the suit yesterday. Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are on the Virginia ballot.

And Iranian scientists have reportedly produced and tested a nuclear fuel rod containing natural uranium. That's according to an announcement posted on Iran's atomic energy agency Web site. If true, it is first time Iran has progressed so far in its nuclear program. The state-run news service also said today the military test fired medium range anti-radar missiles today.

The arrival the new year did not ease tension on the streets in Syria. An activist group says at least ten people died today in violent clashes between riot police and anti-government protester. That's despite the presence of an Arab league monitoring mission. People filled public spaces across Syria again today, optimistic that this year will mark the fall of President Bashar Al-Assad. A huge blow for the handful of owners of the high end hybrid vehicle known as Fisker Karma. The 239 vehicles on the road have been recalled because of a fire hazard under the hood. The maker Fisker automotive wants to replace the batteries. This picture is of an older model. Sticker prices start at about $100,000.

In just two days, first real test of the Republican presidential candidates unfolds in Iowa. Ahead of Tuesday's caucuses, the Des Moines register's poll has Rick Santorum in third place behind Mitt Romney and Ron Paul in first and second. Still, the poll shows a large number of Iowa voters undecided.

CNN's Joe Johns is live in Atlantic, Iowa, with the latest for us right now. So, we know that Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have to feel pretty galvanized by the latest poll.

JOE JOHNS, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think so. I mean, it is pretty clear that Mitt Romney is feeling confident. He's not the saying he's going to win here in Iowa, but he's expecting to do pretty well. The Ron Paul campaign certainly very confident too, Fred, simply because they know their supporters are very reliable. They expect them to show up. They think their supporters are very fervent and so that makes the difference for them as well.

But Rick Santorum is probably most interesting story happening here in Iowa right now. And that's because he's surging. If you look at that poll you referred to, he's in third place. It is all, you know, fairly tightly bunched, not within the statistical margin of error, fairly tightly bunched. But if you look at just the last two days, he is closer to second, maybe one or two points out there.

So, this is a guy who has been all over this state, you know, he's been here about 100 different days in Iowa. He's done something like 350 town halls here in Iowa. And he's been to 99, all 9 counties in the state. So people know him and he's a pretty good fit for them as well because of his conservative views. And the way he talks to the voters is a way that they understand, if you will, a lot of social conservatives and evangelicals in this state vote in the Iowa caucuses.

So there is a lot of hope there, in their campaign, that the surge means they're going to do very well and that they will in fact get one of the tickets out of here to move on and expect some real momentum going into, say, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And talk about hope, Joe. Michele Bachmann is still talking that she is seeing victory because she says she won that Iowa straw poll and despite what the polls are saying overnight, she still feels very confident that Iowa is going to bode well for her.

JOHNS: And, look, I mean, you can have surprises happen here in Iowa. This is a very auto authoritative poll. You know, it is very trustworthy and done by great people. That said there are something like 41 percent of the people who are expected to go and vote say they could change their minds. So, it is not written in stone that they're going to vote for the people who they are supporting at this moment. Four years ago, there is some suggestion that something like17 percent of the caucus goers actually decided who they were going to choose on the day of the caucuses. So there is room for, you know, some change here, and who knows what is going to happen at the end of the day. It depends a lot of times on the person who shows up and speaks for the individual candidate and, you know, things can happen at these caucuses that don't necessarily happen in a primary, so never say never for Michele Bachmann or anything else.

WHITFIELD: Alright. Exactly what she wants people to say, right? Alright, Joe Johns, thanks so much in Atlantic, Iowa.

Alright, so let's talk more about why Iowa is so pivotal in the Republican race or is it? Carol Hunter, the politics editor for the Des Moines Register joining me right now.

So Carol, let's begin, you know, with your paper's polling showing a surge for Rick Santorum in third, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul leading one and two. How was that poll conducted?

CAROL HUNTER, POLITICS EDITOR, DES MOINES REGISTER: Well, we polled independents and Republicans and asked if they're going to go to the precincts on caucus night. So it is a poll just of likely Republican caucus goers. We polled 602 individuals, so it is a big sample size. But, still, our pollster will tell you there are all sorts of factors that make polling for the caucuses very tricky.

WHITFIELD: And there are all sorts of factors that come into whether people show up for that caucus. We can see there, it is extremely windy. There have been some pretty severe winds throughout today. Now, let's look at the forecast. What does Tuesday hold and how might the big winds or cold temperatures impact who shows up for the caucuses?

HUNTER: Well, all of a sudden it feels like January in Iowa. Had some fairly warm weather, but now it does come down to getting those caucus goers out on Tuesday night. The general rule of thumb is thought that if it is really bad weather, that Ron Paul might benefit because he has this very loyal group of followers.

But you can bet that all of the campaigns are out making their final touches. We liked to have said that the final week here is the sprint. Well, this day and caucus day is the launch. It is about touching caucus goers, calling them, having another Iowan call them, and ask them to get there on caucus night.

WHITFIELD: Well, you and I spoke earlier and you talked about how this caucus traditionally is one that kind whittles the field. Is that still the feeling that this will go as conventional wisdom has gone for Iowa caucuses?

HUNTER: Yes, I think it is very tough if you fall out of that top three or especially four to go forward with much confidence. The money dries up for one thing. The money starts flowing to the people who do the best. So, as much as confidence as someone like a Michele Bachmann does express, and as they say, you don't rule anything out with a caucus until caucus night and the votes are counted. It is hard to foresee her doing well if she comes in sixth place.

WHITFIELD: Wow, all right. Carol Hunter, thanks so much for braving the conditions out there from the Des Moines Register as politics editor. Appreciate that. All the best come Tuesday for the big caucus day.

Alright, a dangerous start to the New Year. Cars are being torched in the Los Angeles area. Who is to blame and why? We talk live to the city's supervisor next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A dangerous arson spree is sweeping the Los Angeles area. Someone or a group is setting parked cars on fire. Today city officials said the number of fires has risen to 39 since Friday. But, not just cars have burned, buildings and homes, including one once occupied by singer Jim Morrison of the doors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUTLER: In a general sense, most of the fires have started as a result of something that ignites a vehicle fire next to a structure in certain cases. So we are seeing auto fires as one of the primary incendiary items that happen first. So that's what we're looking for. But that doesn't mean that's the only thing out there. Just like we're keeping our eyes on these communities there is other communities out there that are watching for us. So, mostly it has been auto fires that have led or exposed on to an apartment building. And that's where there is a lot of our biggest threat.

ANDREW SMITH, COMMANDER, L.A.P.D. PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER: They are working on hundreds of clues, interviewing dozens of witnesses, picking up countless pieces of evidence and working together in a coordinated effort to try to solve this problem and work with the arson investigators who are our lead, to solve this problem and to catch this guy and put him in custody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A frightening situation. Joining me right now, Los Angeles county supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky. So, Zev, is there surveillance video anywhere that just might help you find a suspect or two?

ZEV YAROSLAVSKY, COUNTY SUPERVISOR, LOS ANGELES: My understanding is there is a surveillance video. I don't know how much it helped. It can't hurt. There are a lot of leads being processed by the arson task force which made up of the county sheriff's department and the L.A. police department and the alcohol-tobacco farms folks. They're going to catch this guy or these people. There is no question in my mind about it. It is a matter of time and the sooner the better. This guy right now has been an arsonist, but if somebody gets hurt or killed, suddenly that becomes attempted murder or murder. So, this arsonist or arsonist would be well advised to knock it off and turn himself in because he's going to do some hard time, very hard time.

WHITFIELD: So, beside the fact that there are cars being targeted, is there a common thread here, types of vehicles, the way in which they're parked, the types of neighborhoods?

YAROSLAVSKY: Well, I don't want to get into any detail, but I think it is common knowledge that the most common detail is that these cars are parked. Most of them are parked in ground level parking garages with an apartment building that overhangs the garage. So they light the fire in the car and the flames then rise to the second floor and in several cases have engulfed the apartment buildings involved. Fortunately, no one has been hurt or killed to this point. But I think that's just a matter of luck.

People are being very vigilant in the communities and communities in question are very dense communities, apartment houses. Not a lot of room. So the fire gets through the car and into the building and you're in a conflagration. But people are being very vigilant and we're asking people to be vigilant. If they see any suspicious activity around a car or parking garage to call 911 immediately. And if anyone has any information that they want to share with law enforcement, the arson task force, to call 1-800-222-8477. It is 222- tips. They'll take your information anonymously and process it. Again, I say I think they're making progress. And I have no doubt in my mind that the person or persons involved in this are going to be apprehended soon enough.

WHITFIELD: OK. So one more time, that tip line, 1-800-222-8477. Are there at least any eye witnesses that have given you any general descriptions of who may be behind this?

YAROSLAVSKY: I'm not aware personally of that. But the arson task force I'm sure is, I know is processing every lead. They have an unprecedented number of detective and investigators working on this now. The volume of calls from the fire department over the last 72 hours increased 17 percent over the same period last year. It gives you an idea of what the work load is. They're working 24 hours and they're going to break this case. These are the best in the business.

WHITFIELD: All right. Los Angeles county supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky, thanks so much for your time and all the best and best of luck in the investigation.

YAROSLAVSKY: Happy New Year.

WHITFIELD: Happy new year to you too.

So, from California to Hawaii, the New Year begins with new laws that could affect the way all of us vote. We'll highlight some of them next.

And, taking you to the biggest New Year's festivities from New York and other cities around the world, that's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Alright, Happy New Year. 2012 entered in with a big bang from New York to Rio De Janeiro. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WHITFIELD: Alright, happy New Year. Hopefully it was festive. How did you ring in the New Year of the family tradition or perhaps keeping with a superstition or two? Some people actually eat certain foods like blacked eyed peas for good luck or make sure to have money in their pocket at midnight. So, write me at twitter or facebook and we'll read some of your responses, coming up a little bit later.

Alright, the first political race of the New Year kicking off Tuesday. So today, the big push by the candidates on the airwaves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: And this just in to CNN. We want to bring you -- CNN confirmed that a U.S. forest ranger at Mt. Rainier in Washington state has been shot and killed. Still unclear the circumstances of what took place. According to the park spokesperson, however, the gunman is still at large. We'll bring you up to date when we get more information about that investigation unfolding right now.

Meantime, the Sunday talk shows where wall to wall with the Republican candidates giving their final pitches before Tuesday's Iowa caucuses. Take a listen and look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good to see you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: What do you think the appeal is there with Rick Santorum? Why, is he suddenly become kind of the person to watch?

RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Maybe it is the people who just got frustrated with the other ones and they're shifting their views. That's one thing you can say about my supporters, they don't shift their views.

MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm the strongest core conservative in this race. There is no comparison with all of the other candidates and my credentials. No other candidate has current national security experience in the race. I sit on the house intelligence committee. I am daily involved with the issue of national security. No other candidate is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Why should those voters caucus for you Tuesday night and not for Rick Santorum?

RICK PERRY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not just focused on that set of voter. We're reaching out to everyone who wants to see America back working again I've got a track record of doing it.

SANTORUM: My surge is going to come on January 3rd after the people of Iowa do what they do which is actually analyze the candidates, figure out where their positions are, find out who is the right leader, who has got what it takes to defeat Barack Obama and to lead this country.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm wondering if some of these attacks on you that have been out there for the past ten days have given you any pause about staying inside the Republican party.

PAUL: I haven't even thought about it, except people like you keep asking me about it because I have a race to win. I'm essentially tied for first place and why would I even consider doing anything like that? So I don't like absolutes, I don't say I will never do so and so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Your Iowa state chair Kent Sorenson, a state senator here jumped ship, went to work at -- last Wednesday for Ron Paul. You claim that he told you that it was about money. But then when your deputy campaign manager (inaudible) said no, that's not true it wasn't about money, he was let go, is your campaign in disarray?

BACHMANN: Absolutely not. You know, the other part you failed to report is that there are other people outside of the campaign who said that he also told them that he received money. So this is pretty clear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And, remember, this Tuesday night the Iowa caucuses, watch it all unfold live with the best political team on television. America's choice 2012, coverage of the Iowa caucuses beginning Tuesday night, January 3rd, 7:00 p.m. Eastern time right here on CNN.

And as we count down to the Iowa caucuses, Anderson Cooper takes a closer look at what each of the candidates is doing to win last minute support in countdown to Iowa, final 48 hours, that's tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time here on CNN.

Alright, the number two New Year's resolution behind your health, usually number one, your financial health, eliminating debt. We have got help for you from our financial expert Karen Lee up next.

Plus, the New Year is ushering in new voter laws that could affect you. We'll run through some of them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories now. A mild earthquake shook eastern Ohio yesterday. It registered about 4.0 and struck about a week after a smaller quake rattled the same area. Residents said they saw houses moving. State officials are exploring a theory that a large scale well project might be contributing to seismic activity.

And despite intense GOP opposition, new light bulb standards are being phased in starting today. Conservatives have blasted the rules as a classic case of unnecessary federal regulation. Congress passed the 2007 energy law requiring traditional incandescent bulbs to be 30 percent more efficient in 2012. Critics argue that the rules would greatly restrict consumer choices by pushing out traditional incandescent bulbs in favor of more expensive L.E.D. bulbs.

And some new voter laws are hitting the books this New Year. Athena Jones, who is live in Washington, with the look at this some of the new laws taking effect -- Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hello. We thought we would give you a sampling of a wide range of laws coming on to the books today.

Let's start with North Carolina. There, people who live overseas are going to have an easier time registering to vote and voting, whether they're service members or civilians. Let's move on to California, interesting new law there, joins the state to the national popular vote compact. Now, that is the agreement among several states to give all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the nationwide popular vote. Now, of course, it doesn't go into effect until states that hold 270 electoral votes, that's what it takes to win the presidency have passed the law. They're about halfway there. Several more states have to pass before it goes into effect.

Another interesting California law will allow new citizens to register to vote and to vote all the way up to and through Election Day. Now, one big thing that has been a trend this past year with state legislatures across the country has been voter I.D. laws. As of right now, some 31 states require some form of identification to vote, whether a photo or without a photo. And starting today, voters in Tennessee and Kansas will be required to present a photo I.D. in order to vote.

I should mention that Texas has also passed a voter I.D. law, but under the voting rights act, it has been to be pre-cleared by the department of justice before it can go into effect. And I should note also that the DOJ just denied preclearance to South Carolina for its photo I.D. law.

One more thing I want to mention, one interesting new law in Tennessee. State officials there say the election officials will now be required to go through the state voter role and compare those to a database to make sure no noncitizens are registered to vote. And if there is any evidence that might be the case, those folks will be contacted and asked to prove that they are citizens.

So, a lot of new laws coming into effect this year. Of course, with the voter identification laws, proponents say they're trying to fight fraud, critics on the other hand argue they're going to end up disenfranchising some voter, especially poor and minority voters. But, one thing to be pretty sure of this year is as we approach November, more and more states will begin to roll out more laws affecting the election.

WHITFIELD: OK. Athena Jones, thanks so much for that update.

And there are a few other unique laws that take effect today by the way. Utah is banning happy hour. California and Oregon are prohibiting the sale of shark fins and shark fin soup. Coming up, staying financially healthy in 2012. Reduce your debt, cut spending. We have tips to keep your resolutions intact in the New Year.

And as long as we're talking about New Year's Day, it was this day in 1962 that the fab four, the Beatles, auditioned for Decca records. And you know what, they were rejected. Decca made one of the biggest mistakes in music history on this day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Alright, bye-bye 2011, hello, 2012. But it may go down 2011, by the way, as one of the safest years on record for flyers. According to the consulting firm ascend, this year there has been just one fatality for every 7.1 million passengers worldwide. That's the best safety level on record. The previous best was in 2004. Travel experts say better technology and better crew training has helped make flying less hazardous. So let's hope 2012 even safer.

So it is the number one issue in American homes, getting your financial house in order. Well today, in our weekly financial fix, how to keep your new year's financial resolutions as it is by tradition the number two resolution that we make, that after taking care of our health matters. Let's talk about our financial health. Let's bring in author of "it's just money so why does it cause so many problems," financial consultant Karen Lee. Alright. Good to see you.

KAREN LEE, FINANCIAL CONSULTANT: You too.

WHITFIELD: Happy New Year.

LEE: Happy New Year.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, folks always want to say, you know what, I'm going to get myself in shape and also get financially in shape as well. Get rid of debt, save more money. So, let's help us tackle getting rid of debt first. That's the toughest, isn't it?

LEE: It is tough. The first thing I want to talk about is you got the little bit of debt where you spend a little too much over the holidays or you've got the massive debt from three really tough economic years. So, let's first tackle the small amount of debt.

WHITFIELD: OK.

LEE: OK. So what we want you to do with that is first, go back to the budget and figure out how much you actually can pay towards debt monthly. The minimum amount you can pay. And then I'd like to see you set it up as an automatic payment from your online banking right to the credit card.

WHITFIELD: That way, no excuses, you know?

LEE: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Overspending, can't write out the check. LEE: That's right, if we wait until the end of the month, there is usually nothing left. So, if you can, automate it and during that time, of course, freeze your credit. Do the math, figure out how many months it is going to take, plan a little reward at the end and hopefully you'll could that.

WHITFIELD: When you say freeze your credit, you are just talking about self-discipline or actually --

LEE: Self-discipline. If you don't have self-discipline, enlist your friend to take your cards away from you. But, juts don't add anything more to that.

WHITFIELD: OK.

LEE: But now let's talk about --

WHITFIELD: -- the big stuff.

LEE: Probably more Americans because it has been three really --

WHITFIELD: Yes. A lot of people have been out of work so they have borrowed, borrowed. They've overspent just to survive. They have massive debt.

LEE: What I say to those people is if you have massive amounts of weight to lose, let's make a realistic goal. If this happened over a period of years, don't think you're going to pay it off in six months. So, the first thing we want to do is again go back to the math, figure out how much monthly you can free up to put towards debt and then figure out how long it is going to take and make the goal realistic. If it is going to be a couple of years --

WHITFIELD: That's the hard part, isn't it? Folks trying to figure out how do I calculate, how do I do that?

LEE: So, that's another point I want to say. For people that have lots of cards, lots of high interest rates, get some help, seek a consumer credit counsel type firm. Often they can negotiate with the credit card companies for lower interest rates for you as long as you're partnering with someone like that.

WHITFIELD: OK. And now you want to save money. And you want to do this simultaneously if you can.

LEE: It would be nice if you could.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, say you tackled the debt problem there. Not doing it simultaneously. How do you save?

LEE: Well, let's talk about first there is two things people want to save for, one, especially now, it's just having the emergency money for that stuff that just comes up. So, let's talk about short-term savings first.

Again, automate it. If you wait until you've paid your other bills, there will not be anything left at the end of the month. So, many companies will allow you to set up from your paycheck, just like for your 401(k), an automatic draft into a credit union or money market, whether it is $5, $10, $50 each check, get it started and you can't touch it unless it is really an emergency.

WHITFIELD: Do try and come up with the percentage on that or just what you can afford?

LEE: Really, what you can afford initially. You could also start with the goal in mind and then work back monthly as to what you need to reach that goal.

WHITFIELD: Right.

LEE: Second one is longer term savings. And we have talked about this before. But, of course, the easiest way to save long-term for retirement is if your company has 401(k), comes of pretax, before that check even hits your bank and that is a good thing. So --

WHITFIELD: That's a little tax break too.

LEE: If you're not investing in your company's 401(k), start. If you're already investing but not maxing out, raise that percentage. And keep raising it until you get to that maximum. Another fun idea is to buy a stock or a couple of shares of stock in a company that pays dividends and set up with investment plan. As that dividend comes in, don't take the cash, let it buy more stock and then set it aside and forget about it.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

LEE: 15, 20 years later, it is a big surprise.

WHITFIELD: You're making it sound so easy.

LEE: It is easy. And for those already maxing out their 401(k) but they still want to save, and you know I love those people.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEE: Open up a Roth I.R.A. if you're eligible. If you're looking for --

WHITFIELD: Isn't everyone eligible now? Didn't they change the rules on that?

LEE: No, there is converting a regular to a Roth is where they changed the rules. The other thing is 529s for college savings, but either way automate it. You got to set it up that it's an automatic draft coming out --

WHITFIELD: And you don't miss it. You don't touch easily.

LEE: And you don't think it (inaudible)

WHITFIELD: That's right. LEE: So, hopefully 2012, things are looking up and it will be a year that people make the financial goals happen.

WHITFIELD: All right, al about being financially fit too.

LEE: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Karen Lee, that's what you're all about. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Happy New Year.

LEE: Happy new year to you.

WHITFIELD: Alright, earlier I asked you to tell me about your New Year's Day traditions, superstitions, you have any? Superstitions, things you have to eat or have to do.

LEE: I make jambalaya every New Year's Eve.

WHITFIELD: OK. That's good. Well, a lot of folks responded. Sometimes people doing a black eyed peas. I did that today. I hope that it would work too.

OK, so, Angela on facebook writing this, saying "my mother's family believes that eating cabbage, turnips, collard greens and black eyed peas on New Year's Day will bring you good luck for the rest of the year."

And, what about your New Year's rituals and superstitions perhaps? I want to hear from you. Either send me via twitter or facebook and we'll share more of your comments coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Alright, we're following this breaking story. This involving the shooting of a U.S. forest service ranger at Mt. Rainier in national park in Washington state. Want to get more information about this investigation and the circumstances leading to this shooting.

Lee Taylor is a spokesperson with us now. So, Lee, tell me what you can about this.

LEE TAYLOR, SPOKESPERSON, MOUNT RAINER NATIONAL PARK: Well, what I can say is that a national park service ranger Margaret Anderson, 34 years old, was shot today by a gunman in the park. It began as just a normal traffic stop. When he failed to pull over, another ranger radioed ahead and Margaret Anderson set up a blockade with her patrol vehicle to intercept him and when he arrived at that spot, he got out and shot fatally shot her. He then fled into the woods. So the situation that we have now is an armed gunman who is in the park somewhere, has not yet been apprehended.

WHITFIELD: And it's closely of this coming on foot when you say pled into the woods.

TAYLOR: That's correct. He's on foot. He left his car behind and is on foot somewhere in the park.

WHITFIELD: OK. And so by way of checking the registration of the car, et cetera, does that any way match up with the identity of who you believe the suspect is?

TAYLOR: Well, we have no way of knowing that because we don't know if he is the registered owner of the vehicle. We have information about the owner of the vehicle, but we're not sure if it is the same person or not. We don't have a description of the person since there was nobody else at the scene when he stopped and shot the park ranger.

WHITFIELD: And is the park closed? What about other people, members of the public who may be in that park?

TAYLOR: The park is closed. And we have been evacuating visitors but we do still have people in the park, there are people who are out snowshoeing or skiing who are still, you know, coming back in from their afternoon and we also have about 85 park visitors who are in our main park visitors center and we're holding them there until we believe that it is safe for them to drive out of the park.

WHITFIELD: So typically on a day like this you do have a lot of snows hoers and skiers there?

TAYLOR: Yes, we do. It is a nice day. It is a holiday weekend and we would typically have hundreds of people in the park who would be out enjoying the beautiful scenery and the weather.

WHITFIELD: And what about searchers in the air by helicopter? What are the weather conditions there for that?

TAYLOR: The weather conditions are good but it is three hours -- it is just a few hours now until darkness. So, you know, the end of daylight will be the limiting factor in terms of being able to continue searching.

WHITFIELD: And what more might you be able to tell me about Margaret Anderson, 34 years old who was shot and killed?

TAYLOR: She is a -- a dedicated public servant, very committed to visitors to the park and to helping to protect park resources. Her husband is also a ranger at Mt. Rainier. And they have two small children, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. So it is a horrible tragedy. It is a terrible loss of life of somebody who had dedicated herself to serving the public.

WHITFIELD: Terribly sad. Our hearts go out to her, her family and entire national park service family. Thanks so much, Lee Taylor, for your time.

TAYLOR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Alright, other stories, we continue to check across country now, some Chicago area pizza shops are refusing to deliver to customers ordering by cell phone. That's because of a recent rash of robberies. Police say the robbers are using their cell phones to target pizza delivery drivers. The restaurants could see their bottom line suffer since many people don't have land line phones anymore.

In a town in western Pennsylvania is cracking down on shredding in two local parks. Beaver Borough officials are banning it all together in one park following an accident. In another park, it is still OK to sled, but it is restricted to just residents, which means their family and friends cannot take part in that kind of fun if they don't live there. Children under 12 must also wear helmets.

On the San Francisco now, Banana-Sam has been safely returned to the city zoo. Police say a passerby spotted the 17-year-old squirrel monkey peeking out through some Bushes at a park yesterday, one day after it was allegedly stolen. The man was able to coax the primate into a backpack apparently. The zoo workers say Banana-Sam is doing just fine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORINNE MACDONALD, SAN FRANCISCO ZOO: He looks pretty good. He's -- he was thirsty. He was hungry, trembling a little bit, but we did a quick physical exam on him and he looks pretty good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Is it easy to coax a monkey into a backpack?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would venture to say it is not. Yes. A monkey would be placed into a backpack forcibly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: My goodness. Zoo officials are still trying to figure out how Banana-Sam was stolen and why. That's a strange mystery, isn't it? Alright, we're glad that Banana-Sam is back home.

Alright, the NEWSROOM continues straight ahead. Natalie Allen in for Don Lemon. Happy New Year.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Happy New Year to you. We're also happy about Banana-Sam.

WHITFIELD: Yes, for sure.

ALLEN: More on the big stories coming up that you've been following today. The Iowa caucuses have plenty of coverage including reports from the state plus our Sunday analysis with Will Cain and Ellie Granderson.

And more fires overnight in Los Angeles to tell you about seven suspected arson fires were reported in the L.A. area. That brings the total to 39. A task force continues to investigate, so far, no arrests. Also, a look back at the big cases this year that changed the legal landscape. Holly Hughes will be here to talk Casey Anthony, Conrad Murray and the Connecticut home invasion trial. All coming up a little bit.

WHITFIELD: Alright, very good. You had a great ringing in of the New Year? ALLEN: Yes, I did.

WHITFIELD: Some of it was here.

ALLEN: We were all kind of here, a lot of us here. I'm going to bring it here tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: That's good. But meantime, any superstitions or traditions, anything you like to I inhere too? I'm going to lose the five pounds.

ALLEN: That's the number one resolution in America.

WHITFIELD: And I'll forget January 8th that that was my resolution.

ALLEN: OK.

WHITFIELD: OK, hopefully you won't be among the what, 51 percent of Americans who break their new year's resolutions within the month of January.

ALLEN: I will be. I'll be there.

WHITFIELD: No, no. We want you to keep that resolution. But you don't need to lose five pounds by the way.

ALLEN: Well, thank you, but --

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. We have much more on people and their resolutions or their traditions as it pertains to the New Year. And kissing at midnight, well that apparently is a very common New Year's Eve tradition.

So what are some of your superstitions? Send me some via twitter or facebook and I'll read some of your comments straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right, a new year brings new expectations in the financial markets. Poppy Harlow gets us up to speed with the look ahead on Wall Street.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. U.S. markets will be closed Monday for the New Year's holiday but when they re-open Tuesday, Wall Street kicks off 2012 with a host of economic news.

Coming up, key reports on construction spending, car and truck sales, we could actually see some strength there and factory orders, all leading up to the critical December jobs report. That comes Friday morning. Investors, of course, eagerly anticipating that number and hoping for an upside surprise. We'll track it all on CNN money.

WHITFIELD: Alright, thanks so much Poppy. Alright, the ball dropping in Times Square, it's America's New Year's tradition but you probably have some new year's rituals and superstitions of your own, maybe some of which have been passed down through the family. I asked you to send them to me and you did via twitter and facebook.

So, Melissa writes. "It's supposed to be good luck for a man to be the first to walk through the door in your house on New Year's Day."

And here's another New Year's Day superstition. "Black-eyed peas are supposed to be lucky if you put a few dry ones in your purse." Well, that part I didn't do today.

And Melody writes. "It's supposed to be bad luck to wash clothes on New Year's Day. It's said to lead to a death in your family during the year."

Bonnie Schneider is with us now. Bonnie, you have any traditions? Those are great, aren't they?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm going to make sure to not do laundry today. It's going to be a real (inaudible).

WHITFIELD: I know. I already send a message to my husband. When I heard about that I was like, don't do any laundry today.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHNEIDER: I can wait. I've heard about eating black-eyed peas. I didn't hear about putting them in your purse. That's unusual. I'm going to go grab some.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHNEIDER: Well, you know, we are looking at unfortunately, Fredricka, some snow that's going to be troublesome for travelers. A lot are getting back to it from a long week off or went somewhere for New Year's Eve. And now, you're heading home.

Well, travel conditions across parts of Michigan are going to down- right dangerous. That's right. We have blizzard warnings in effect that go straight until tomorrow night. You are looking at a radar picture of heavy snow working its way across the great lakes.

The numbers are incredible because you can see 12 inches plus across parts of Michigan. That includes the Travers city area. That's where the blizzard warning is right and it's right in the northern part of Michigan. That's where we are going to see some of those lake-effect snow bands really be fierce and along with the heavy snow, of course, comes the gusty winds when you are talking about the lake-effect snowmaker. And what that means is you'll have blowing and drifting snow. That will create snow drifts that could be higher than the highest snowfall total accumulation to travel in northern Michigan is just dangerous. If you can avoid it, I would recommend it.

Notice the lake-effect snow, those stretching all the way into upstate New York. These advisories for winds, show that we are looking at pierce winds, again, that will pile the snow that's falling. So, even though the accumulation might be a burst of sudden snow in some areas and dry in others, which is so random the way it is, for the localization of lake-effect snow. We are going to see those snow, pile up a little more.

This is a forecast radar picture, not actual radar. Just want to show you over the next 48 hours. The weather does improve. We get a little bit better conditions but the immediate threat is for danger for danger for Michigan and even into parts of upstate New York but we have advisories, as well.

The heaviest snow, and it will die, you can see that pink dot in the northern Michigan. That's where we are looking at a foot of snow plus, again, it will be even more pierce as we go through the day when we get some more wind blowing in and the reason we're getting so much snow with this lake-effect snow machine is a couple different factors. We have very cold air coming over warmer waters of the great lakes and the water temperatures are still pretty warm, it's in the 40s over the lakes. It may not seem very warm but it's warmer than the land so really the cold air gathers that moisture, that warm moist air right above the great lakes and as soon as it rushes back over land, the land is colder and just dumps it heavy and hard across the region.

So, our map shows that lake-effect snow machine. Otherwise, the rest of the U.S. is looking good. It's been a soggy week and weekend for places like Portland, Oregon. And of course, we have more rain in your forecast on Monday and some scattered showers popping up into Florida across a good portion of the region of the state.

But notice the temperature contrast. There is a cold front that pushed through. It doesn't quite make it all the way through south Florida. So, high is tomorrow and Miami will still be here 80. Where is Tampa, you are going to only hit 64. So depends where you are in terms of getting the warm weather, 22, that's it for Minneapolis and you can see 23 in Chicago, Atlanta only at 46. And I can tell you in the southeast, our numbers are going down. We had highs today in the 60s. It was just glorious.

WHITFIELD: We got spoiled.

SCHNEIDER: Things are changing, Fredricka. Well, temp because they drop down tomorrow night into the teens and 20s in some parts of Georgia.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

SCHNEIDER: It's all changing. Winter is here, it's January 2012 and it's cold out there.

WHITFIELD: Yes, 2011 was an incredible year in weather, 2012 promises to be --

SCHNEIDER: Well, you know, we have definitely had an extreme weather year in 2011. It doesn't necessary mean we are going to see another in 2012. But it's very important to be prepared. And right now our biggest effect is lake-effect snow and cold, cold air.

WHITFIELD: All the more apropos for your book on extreme weather and how to deal with. So, look for Bonnie Schneider's book coming out --

SCHNEIDER: Yes, thank you.

WHITFIELD: In 2012.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, less than a month away.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Happy New Year. It's going to be a great year for you and everybody else too. Happy New Year to you at home. That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredrick Whitfield. Much more of the CNN NEWSROOM coming up with Natalie Allen, in for Don Lemon. Have a great week.

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