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Countdown to Iowa Caucuses; Bloody Start to 2012; Female Park Ranger Fatally Shot; LA's New Year in Flames; Who is Wall Street Backing?; New Year, New Laws; Mt. Rainier Shooting; Kick starting Your Career in 2012; New Technology in 2012
Aired January 01, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello, again, everyone. I'm Natalie Allen. Top of the hour, it is 7:00 Eastern. Let's get right to the news.
Nearly 48 hours left until the very first votes are cast in the 2012 presidential race. The Iowa caucuses are Tuesday night and many of the Republican hopefuls are spending the holiday making their last sales pitch to voters.
Here's how the field looks in the latest closely watched "Des Moines Register" poll. Mitt Romney on top at 24 percent; Ron Paul close behind at 22 percent; Rick Santorum, one of the biggest surprises, now up to 15 percent; Newt Gingrich dropping to 12 percent; Rick Perry is at 11 percent; Michele Bachmann, seven percent. We're going to dig deeper into those numbers and what they mean when we go live to Iowa in just a moment.
Well, none of the candidates taking anything for granted. They were out on the campaign trail today, trying to seal the deal with undecided voters, and there are a lot of them, apparently.
Newt Gingrich may be in fourth place, but he believes a lot can change between today and Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But look, I think this is a volatile environment, where people are going to walk in undecided or semi-decided and maybe as many as 50 percent could switch during the course of the caucuses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: He's not the only one hoping undecided voters will break his way. Michele Bachmann was out today too. She hopes Iowans will decide to back a native daughter so she can prove the pollsters wrong.
Well, the New Year is bringing new violence to Syria. Video posted on the Internet shows the funeral of a child today in one village. CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of these images, but activists say at least ten people were killed today, but there is hope of a brighter future. Syrians in the city of Homs celebrated the dawn of 2012 by hoping for the end of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. That city has been the epicenter of protests. Arab Leagues monitors have toured the city but some within the Arab Leagues want the mission ended since it has failed to end the violence in Syria.
The search is under way in Mt. Rainier National Park for a gunman suspected of killing a female park ranger. Park officials say another ranger attempted to pull over a driver who then ran away. And Ranger Margaret Anderson then stopped the man who opened fire, killing her before fleeing on foot. Anderson, just 34, a mother of two children, age 2 and 4.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE TAYLOR, MOUNTAIN RANIER NATIONAL PARK (via telephone): Margaret Anderson worked at Mt. Rainier for about four years. She's an excellent ranger, a very dedicated public servant, really committed to park visitors and was an excellent ranger. Her husband also works in the park as a law enforcement ranger and they have two small children.
So it's a terrible loss. It's a great tragedy for the Park Service and all of us are grieving that loss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: The park is closed while the search for the gunman continues.
Well, the New Year got off to a deadly start in suburban San Diego. Coronado police responded to a 911 call of shots being fired early today at a condominium complex. According to officers, one man's body was found in a doorway. The bodies of two men and a woman were discovered inside. Investigators say it appears to be a murder/suicide.
Well, one city leader is calling it a new form of urban terrorism striking southern California, an arson spree getting worse with seven more fires overnight in the Hollywood area. That brings the total to 39.
Whoever is responsible is setting fire to cars and garages and carports and the flames have destroyed homes close by, including one where Jim Morrison of The Doors once lived.
Officials are not saying much about suspects, but they have announced $60,000 in reward money for information leading to an arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZEV YAROSLAVSKY, SUPERVISOR, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: But the Arson Task Force, I'm sure is -- I know is processing every lead. They have an unprecedented number of detectives and investigators working on this right now. The volume of calls in the fire department over the last 72 hours has increased 17 percent over the same period last year. It gives you an idea of what the workload is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Fortunately, only one firefighter has been hurt in the blazes and it was a minor injury.
Police believe celebratory gunfire may be to blame for a 12-year-old wounded by a gunshot early today. The boy was watching fireworks with his family outside their home in Ruskin, Florida, that's south of Tampa, when he was hit. The bullet lodged in his skull and the boy is reported in critical condition. Police say the shot could have been fired from miles away.
Well, Iran says its nuclear program has taken another step forward. Tehran claims to have built and tested its first nuclear fuel rod. It's reportedly been placed in the core of a Tehran research reactor. Iran, of course, insists its nuclear program is peaceful. Western powers doubt that. Some have accused Tehran of working towards a nuclear weapon.
Well, today's the day new light bulb standards are being phased in, in spite of intense GOP opposition. You may recall Congress passed the energy law back in 2007, but this is the year light bulbs have to be 30 percent more efficient. Critics argue that the rules greatly restrict consumer choice by pushing out traditional incandescent bulbs in favor of more expensive LED bulbs.
Well, no one was too worried about saving energy last night as fireworks lit up skies over cities around the world. Sydney, Australia, always has one of the more brilliant displays. Half a million people watched the fireworks over the harbor, such a beautiful place to see it.
People in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates were treated to a dazzling display from the world's tallest building. The UAE just finished celebrating the 40th anniversary of its independence last month.
And Russia kicked off the New Year with a light show over the Kremlin. But anyone looking to toast the New Year with champagne or vodka was out of luck, unless they planned ahead. Authorities banned the sale of alcohol to prevent the party from getting out of hand.
And getting back now to our top story. The Iowa caucuses are almost 48 hours away; the candidates needing to light some fireworks of their own right now. Let's bring in CNN political editor, Paul Steinhauser, standing by live in Des Moines and Kay Henderson, the news director for Radio Iowa.
First to Paul; Paul, the latest poll numbers show Rick Santorum running third in Iowa, but is it a true surge?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, maybe second because you showed the overall poll from the "Des Moines Register" at the top of the hour here, Natalie. But let's break it down. That was a four-day poll. Let's just look at the last two days, Thursday and Friday. And well there is Mitt Romney the former Massachusetts governor he's still on top at 24 percent. But look at this at 21 percent within the sampling era, there's Santorum with Paul now in third place at 18 percent. You add it all together and it really indicates like our poll did earlier in the week, Santorum is starting to surge.
And because of that maybe, just about two hours ago, Mitt Romney on the campaign trail here in Iowa talked about Rick Santorum. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Santorum was kind enough to endorse me last time around. I appreciate that. And -- and -- and we've been friends. I can tell you that our backgrounds are quite different. Like Speaker Gingrich, Senator Santorum has spent his career in -- in the government, in Washington. Nothing wrong with that; but it's a very different background than I have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Take that, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, I guess. That's Romney, of course, just from about an hour ago. You know, Santorum earlier today, Natalie said, yes, I did endorse Romney back four years ago, but you know what; that's only because I did not want Senator John McCain to win the nomination. Of course, he did.
Hey, one other number as I get blown away by the wind out here, one other number I want to show you, Natalie, look at this, we're two days away now from this caucuses. Look at this poll. More than four in ten say you know what I'm backing a candidate, but I could be persuaded to change my mind. Just shows everything could be up in the air here in Iowa, Natalie.
ALLEN: And what does that say, that after all of this time, Paul, it's still up in the air, so close to the caucuses?
STEINHAUSER: We've seen here in Iowa and nationwide when it comes to Republicans, one person after another, one candidate after another, rise up and drop down. I think it shows Republicans nationwide they really, desperately want to beat President Obama next year. They keep finding people then kind of falling out in love with him. They're still kind of fickle, I guess, here in Iowa and nationwide, Natalie.
ALLEN: Well, Kay, you're from Radio Iowa, so you should be able to tell us about the fickleness right now. What do you think is behind that?
KAY HENDERSON, NEWS DIRECTOR, RADIO IOWA: Well, I think in the last couple of weeks, there's been no nationally-televised debate, so Iowans are making their choices the old-fashioned way. They're actually listening to what the candidates are saying in stump speeches. They're listening to their radio stations, television stations, and reading their newspaper, and they're paying attention to the advertising. That's primarily why Newt Gingrich has had a precipitous fall in Iowa since the beginning of the month, when he was the perceived front- runner here. It's also why Ron Paul's numbers have started to show some downward trend. So I think this is playing out much the way past campaigns have played out in Iowa.
ALLEN: And do you think, Kay, that we're going to see the field whittled down after Tuesday's caucuses? And if so, who might drop out?
HENDERSON: Well, that is one of the primary functions of the Iowa caucuses, to winnow the field. It's often said there are three tickets out of here; first, second, and third class, if you will. But you have folks like Michele Bachmann, as late as this morning, saying she expects a miracle here in her home state. I'm not quite sure if you look at the polling data that a miracle is going to happen for Michele Bachmann. She would have a hard time continuing her campaign if she finishes dead last among the six candidate who competed here.
ALLEN: Well, we thank you both; Paul Steinhauser, Kay Henderson on the beat there in Iowa. Thanks so much.
And for the latest on what the Republican candidates are doing to win last-minute support in Iowa, please be sure to join Wolf Blitzer and the entire CNN political team for "Countdown to Iowa: The Final 48 Hours". That's coming up in an hour right here on CNN.
Well, we have been talking a lot about who the voters of Iowa will support, but what about the power brokers? Who they are supporting, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: We've been talking a lot about who the voters of Iowa will support, but what about the power brokers, the people on Wall Street, who have the clout and the cash to make a huge difference in this election, who are they supporting? For that, we go to our Susan Candiotti, standing by live for us.
So Susan, which candidates are getting the most money from Wall Street?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Natalie, Wall Street already digging deep to line the pockets of contenders for president. Here's a look at the latest numbers for the GOP. So far, Mitt Romney is way out in front. The center for Responsive Politics says the former Massachusetts governor has received more than $3.8 million from Wall Street stock brokers, brokerage companies, and bond dealers. That's through December 5th.
Now, Romney's take is about five times more than the rest of his competitors combined. Next is Texas Governor Rick Perry, followed by Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, with the rest trailing her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, you want to make nice with everybody if you're a donor at this early stage in the race. So I think, typically, when you talk about the financial sector, you're going to see donors giving more broadly to the sort of establishment- friendly kind of Republicans. Your Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry, all of those candidates raised a lot of money on Wall Street.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: And so, Natalie, everyone's covering all their bases at this point.
ALLEN: And, you know, it's interesting, because a lot of people a little bit down on Wall Street in the past year. They might be paying attention to who Wall Street is putting money behind. Who are the top donors?
CANDIOTTI: Well, remember, these are not necessarily the companies themselves. They include individuals who work for Wall Street firms or their political action committees. Now, at the top, Goldman Sachs, $2 million; Goldman is also Romney's top Wall Street donor. Next there's Bain Capital, a firm whose specialties include corporate takeovers. Romney is a former director there and still has ties. But donors tied to Bain Capital give the majority of their money to Democrats. Paulson & Company, a hedge fund, ranks third.
ALLEN: The question, though, now is how is President Obama faring? He's certainly been at odds with Wall Street from time to time?
CANDIOTTI: That's true because of regulations in the wake of the financial crisis. And so far GOP candidates, including House and Senate leaders, are getting nearly 75 percent of the Wall Street dollars compared to more than 25 percent for Democrats. Still, President Obama is cashing in, collecting $1.8 million. That trails Romney, but, of course, Natalie, it's still very early.
ALLEN: Certainly is. Susan Candiotti for us following the numbers there in Wall Street -- big numbers. Thanks, Susan.
Well, the buzz back in Iowa has no mention of Newt Gingrich. Some critics are saying his presidential bid seems to have petered out. We will discuss that and much more on the Iowa caucuses, right after the break.
But first, music isn't John Legend's only passion. The Grammy-award winning artist brings a unique voice to the debate over education reform. He was home-schooled, but also attended public and private schools. CNN education contributor Steve Perry sat down with the singer to get his perspective in tonight's "Perry's Principles".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN LEGEND, SINGER: Everyone believes that a kid should get a good education, but you have to put your money and your policy where your mouth is. But here's what that means: quality principals, quality teachers, quality superintendents that are accountable for actually delivering on their promises. And when you talk about accountability, then that means everybody is not going to be protected in that situation.
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (on camera): That's a loaded speech right there, man.
LEGEND: The priority is to make sure that the kids have the opportunity to get a great education.
PERRY: Now you have gotten some flak from that.
LEGEND: Of course, I have gotten flak for that.
PERRY: People are not really interested in hearing this singer out there telling them how to educate people.
LEGEND: I get flak for that and I'm not an educator and I know that.
I see this every time I talk about teachers. I truly respect what they do and I don't envy the task that they have. And like I said, we need to hold this job in high esteem, but when you hold it in high esteem that means you don't just put anybody in front of 25 kids. You make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. If they are not doing it well, then they shouldn't be there.
You know the idea that rich kids get to go to good schools and poor kids don't is so entrenched in our national psyche that we haven't challenged that notion.
PERRY (voice-over): Steve Perry, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: Well, you certainly know the countdown to the caucuses is on, because we are talking a lot about it. Because two days away from the Republican presidential candidates facing off in Iowa, and we have heard the predictions who's going to come out on top. But independent voter and political analyst Goldie Taylor isn't so sure.
Hi there, Goldie and Happy New Year.
GOLDIE TAYLOR, POLITICAL ANALYST: Happy New Year.
ALLEN: First, I want to get your reaction to Mitt Romney topping the polls in Iowa. You say he has conservatives doubting themselves.
TAYLOR: Well, absolutely. I mean there are a number of reasons for that. I think you don't really know where Mitt Romney stands. It really depends on which election cycle you catch him in. And so conservatives are a little bit wary on where he really stands on the issues and what he'll do, you know, if nominated and if elected. And that's a chance that many conservatives really don't want to take. ALLEN: We've been watching poll this, poll that, undecided. Do you have any idea how Iowa is going to turn out? What do you think?
TAYLOR: The only thing for sure is that somebody will win this race in Iowa. But the other for sure thing is that Iowa is not a predictor of who will be the nominee.
ALLEN: Right.
TAYLOR: It never really has been. But what we do know about Iowa is that it is a tremendous vetting ground for a candidate to get their message out, to see where their support's going to come from, you know, to really build out their organization. It's been a real test for some of these candidates, and some are doing well, and others, well, they've floundered with this.
ALLEN: Right. And Newt Gingrich was riding just a couple of weeks ago, but you say he floundered because of negative ads. Let's watch one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: In recent days and I would like to begin --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That means Tea Parties our decision may call him and --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: All right. Well that was a press event, not Newt Gingrich, but certainly the folks in Iowa have been inundated by these ads. So Gingrich is now even breaking into the top three. So these ads have had an impact.
TAYLOR: Well, there are a couple of reasons for that. Number one, there are the negative ads. The super PACs, the independent expenditure campaigns have put an awful lot of money in this race, you know, mostly investing in negative ads against people like Newt Gingrich -- you know, perceived front-runners.
But the other part of it is Newt Gingrich and some of the others didn't have an organization. Didn't go to all 99 counties in Iowa so, they had no organization to really stave themselves off from negative attacks. And he had no money to answer those ads. And so all he had was really sort of the big ideas he would call at the debates.
He had the big ideas, maybe, but he skipped the little stuff; he skipped the door-to-door campaigning that really wins races in places like Iowa. And Rick Santorum is benefiting from that.
ALLEN: He's been working on it, knocking on doors, working so hard. We've got the ad now. Let's try it again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ever notice how some people make a lot of mistakes?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was probably a mistake.
I made a mistake.
I've made mistakes at times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So far, Newt Gingrich has admitted his mistakes or flipped on teaming up with Nancy Pelosi, immigration, Medicare, health care, Iraq, attacking Mitt Romney and more.
GINGRICH: I made a big mistake in the spring.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Oh, man. If that's just a sign of the things to come, we've got some negativity coming in 2012.
TAYLOR: We absolutely, absolutely do. It used to be that, you know, conservatives would hang the late Ted Kennedy around a conservative's neck. Now it's Nancy Pelosi. And so if you're seen to agree with or partner up, you know, with a liberal like Nancy Pelosi, that's a bad, bad thing in a Republican primary and it just can't pay off at a time like this for Newt Gingrich.
ALLEN: Absolutely.
So moving past Tuesday, what do you think will happen? Who might fall?
TAYLOR: Well, I think a couple of things may happen after Tuesday. You're going to look for Michele Bachmann to sort of re-assess her campaign and can she really pull herself up by her bootstrap after coming out of state where she was born, and not being able to crack the top three. That's going to be a real question.
The other question is, if Romney is not able to pull out Iowa, how long does he live to see another day? Is the money enough? Can he trust that he can gain more conservative votes going forward? And that's going to be doubtful.
ALLEN: We'll be watching. Goldie Taylor, as always. Thank you, Goldie.
TAYLOR: Thank you.
ALLEN: Well, the New Year is ushering in new voter laws that could affect you. We'll run through some of them, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: Well, along with the New Year come a slew of new laws. Did you know, nearly 40,000 of them? They range from the controversial to the quirky, and Josh Levs is covering that for us. Well, legislators have been busy.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Because we didn't have enough laws in this country, right?
ALLEN: I know.
LEVS: So there were nearly 40,000 laws enacted in states this year. And some of them already go into effect right now. There's a couple of interesting ones, Hawaii and Delaware began allowing same-sex civil unions today. And in Honolulu, some couples gathered for a ceremony. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We now pronounce that you are legally joined as partners in life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: That was just after midnight there in Honolulu. Five states now have same-sex civil unions and six states plus Washington, D.C. have same-sex marriage. That's not including California, where same- sex marriages are currently not allowed. That followed a big debate.
Now, also controversial is this. A new law in New Hampshire requiring parental notification for a minor who wants to get an abortion or that minor can seek a court order to avoid parental notification. The governor, John Lynch, had vetoed it, saying he wanted an exception for rape, incest, or abuse. The state legislature then overrode that veto. That's in New Hampshire.
And then one more really interesting and controversial one; this is about immigration. Different states have new laws that contradict each other, that show the split in this country over this program, eVerify, which is used online to check a prospective employee's citizenship or immigration status. What happened now is Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia are all requiring businesses to enrol. California, meanwhile, is saying that state and local governments cannot require employers to use that program unless they have to, to receive federal funds.
Supporters say the program helps business make sure they're not hiring illegal immigrants. Opponents say it's not 100 percent accurate, it's expensive to operate and it pushes undocumented workers further underground.
So Natalie, all those enacted today; some of the most controversial ones for you right there.
ALLEN: Well, the subjects of some of these laws are as varied and interesting as Americans themselves, right?
LEVS: I like that.
ALLEN: Two others involve pets and tanning beds. Tell us about that.
LEVS: Yes, pets and tanning -- you know, I didn't see this coming. When I was looking through this list of what's coming out, this new California law makes it a crime -- and I have the words here -- to sell a live animal on any street, highway, public right of way, parking lot, carnival, or boardwalk.
And the reason for this, I'll tell you why -- as we look at these nice pictures of pets. Animal rights groups have pushed for this, because they say often that animals that maybe have problems, that are ill, some people will try to sell them on a boardwalk, and then impulse buyers will buy the pet, but then regret it later, and then you end up with abandoned pets. So they're hoping there will be fewer abandoned pets if they put in these new restrictions. We'll see how that plays out.
And tanning beds, one of my favorites on the list here. Check this out. It's now illegal in California for minors to use ultraviolet tanning devices, even with parental consent. For a while, they had to have parent's permission. Now even if your parents say it's OK, you cannot use a tanning bed in California if you are under 18 years old. So that's just a few of them.
I want you all to see the language on these and see thousands more, which is why I've posted them online for you on this mega list. It's up at my page on cnn.com/josh, Facebook and Twitter, Josh Levs cnn. Natalie, I will tell you, it is always fascinating to see what states around this country are implementing on January 1st of any given year.
ALLEN: Forty thousand in 50 states. That's a lot of new laws. And you know what, I saw a guy selling a puppy on the streets in Atlanta and it was disturbing, at a popular place. I'm like, "Why is he selling a puppy?
LEVS: Yes.
ALLEN: So, yes.
LEVS: There are some people who oppose that idea, who say, "Hey, we should be able to sell wherever we want to, it's America -- but then you have these animal rights groups saying there are these problems. I'm really interested to see what happens in California out of that because if it takes off and people think it works out you might find that this guy that you saw in Atlanta will be breaking the law here someday is possible.
ALLEN: Well, you had a busy January 1 sorting through 40,000 laws.
LEVS: Tell me about it. I know.
ALLEN: Thanks for that. Josh Levs, see you soon.
Coming up here, if you want to kick-start your career in the new year, we have tips on how you can make that happen in 2012. Stick around for that.
But first, it is the season of giving, which also makes it the season of giving back. Anyone can be a hero in their hometown or community, and here's actor and comedian George Lopez to show you how.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MALE: The dream center, every Thursday they feed people a hot meal here. A lot of times, these people, this is the only hot meal that they'll get. It does really bring you to the reality of our situation in this country and how easy it is to help someone else. There's a community here, and there's a family here. And it's not difficult to become part of that family. How does that make you feel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't want to do anything else. I love this.
LOPEZ: This is one example of what will volunteers are doing to make their communities a better place. And there are hundreds of opportunities for everyone, every day, in every neighborhood across America. You could spend time and help a child who has special needs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we're looking for here is really to see the kids emerge from their silent world, to see them vocalizing a lot more. With the objective of getting them to participate, even with their hearing loss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reward is instantaneous when you walk in.
LOPEZ: You could work to clean up your community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've always been interested in helping the environment and I knew this was a great place to get started. What we're doing today is we're removing debris and cleaning up the trails, just to make it look beautiful and keep one of our natural parks here alive and keep it looking nice.
LOPEZ: You could provide homework assistance to kids who want to stay in school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You wouldn't believe how easy it is to volunteer. It's the easiest thing in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is what matters. What matters is paying it forward and making a difference. And that's what gives true value to life.
LOPEZ: Whatever your passion, whatever experience you have, whatever amount of time that you have to spare, there is something on your doorstep that you can do too. So what are you waiting for? One person can make a tiny difference. Collectively, we can make a massive difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: Checking some of our top stories, this first day of the year. Republican presidential candidates campaigning hard two days ahead of the Iowa caucuses. New polling shows Mitt Romney with a slim lead over Ron Paul. Rick Santorum appears to be surging, as he tries to rally the religious vote to his campaign. Newt Gingrich remains a contender, but he has sunk to fourth place. Despite that, Gingrich vows the race isn't over. He told CNN that the flood of negative ads by his opponents would turn off Iowa voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Speaker, by stating now that you're willing to get more aggressive, aren't you also acknowledging that you should have done it sooner?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No. I think we're running a very interesting experiment. This is the first of many contests. I don't know what the results are going to tell me. I think people are genuinely disgusted with the negative ads and I think it will be very interesting to see what happens Tuesday night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Now we have already seen many of the negative ads against him.
We've been reporting this all evening. A search is under way in Mt. Rainier National Park for a gunman suspected of killing a female park ranger. Park officials say another ranger attempted to pull over a driver who then ran away. Ranger Margaret Anderson then stopped the man who opened fire, killing her before running off on foot. Anderson, 34, is a mother of two children, aged two and four.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE TAYLOR, MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK (ON THE PHONE): Margaret Anderson worked at Mt. Rainier for about four years. She's an excellent ranger, a very dedicated public servant, really committed to park visitors and was an excellent ranger. Her husband also works in the park as a law enforcement ranger and they have two small children. So it's a terrible loss. It's a great tragedy for the park service and all of us are grieving that loss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: The park is closed while the search continues.
Well, the arrival of the new year did not ease tension on the streets in Syria. An activist group says at least 10 people died today in violent clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters. 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.
And 2011 saw plenty of gadgets come on the market, so what will the new year hold in the world of technology? Tech reporter Katie Linendoll joins us with that ahead.
Also, is your new year's resolution to earn more, perhaps, or do better on the job? Hear what works from a man who has studied the science of workplace relations for more than 30 years. That's coming up as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ALLEN: 2012 is only a few hours old, but amazing new technology is already on the horizon for the year ahead. New computers, cameras, gaming consoles, gadgets. Everyone's going to be talking about and wanting. And we have tech reporter Katie Linendoll to tell us all about them. Hi, there, Katie. So tell us, what are your most anticipated gadgets for this year?
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH REPORTER: Yes, so a lot coming out in 2012. But I have to tell you, first, 2011 was all about the year of the tablet. And now get used to this buzz word of ultra books, because 2012 is the year of ultra books. And exactly that means it's a buzz word meaning light, portable, compact, and efficient.
And according to Intel, who has trademarked the word, they say by the end of 2012, 40 percent of all consumer laptops sold will be an ultra book. There are certain specifications that make it an ultra book. And we talked about how thin it is, taking cues from the MacBook Air, less than 0.8 inches thick and also it's going to weigh less than 3.1 pounds. Five to eight hours of battery life and around $1,000, so pretty consumer friendly. But great for any of those college students or, of course, people that love to travel. First on the list, ultra books.
ALLEN: Yes. Lighter than your Starbucks venti, perhaps. Or headed that way. Of course, we can't talk about tech without talking about Apple. I'm an Apple freak myself.
LINENDOLL: Yes. A lot to talk about on the Apple side. And these are merely guesses, but I will tell probably the biggest question again is when's the iPhone 5 coming out? When is the iPad 3 coming out? Probably around fall for iPhone 5, maybe as early as February for iPad 3. But let's talk about something that a lot of people didn't expect, and we got a little insight of Steve Jobs' biography, written by Walter Isaacson talk of an AppleTV. Not the set topbox that most people know, the Apple TV is actual television. And what's exciting about this is Apple could really shake up the television market.
A lot of rumors speculating that there could be use of series, so you might be able to control your television with your voice, and also have an a la carte channel programming lineup. Now we know that would be very tough to do with cable and licensing, but if any company has the clout to do it, it is Apple.
So looking forward to that iTV, probably later in 2012.
ALLEN: I got that book for Christmas. I haven't gotten to that part. I'll have to flip ahead and see. Sounds intriguing.
Also on your list, a new kind of photography?
LINENDOLL: Yes. No camera got more attention in 2011 than one that isn't even on the market. And this is going to be out early 2012. This is Lightro. It's a $400 camera, but it uses kind of a whole entirely different kind of photography. It only has three buttons on it. No settings. It has a zoom, a shutter, and a power button, but it's all about using light field photography.
And what that allows you to do is with this little gadget, again it doesn't really look like a camera, right? It gives you the capability to take a photo and then go back to any photo that you've taken and change the focus, which looks really cool, and it gives you more power than an amateur photographer. So nice little option there. I would say it is a high price point and also it doesn't take any video and it doesn't have an SD card in there. So you're going to have to use the desktop software, which is a little bit of a setback.
Ad I want to go, Natalie, right from photography to gaming, because we can't talk about tech in 2012 without talking about gaming consoles. One of the most anticipated is the Wii-U console system. It is of course the successor the Wii which came out in 2006. It's Nintendo's sixth console. And what's different about this one is not only does it give you the capability to have 1080p graphics, which is cool, it's all about this touch screen controller.
The Wii-U will have a controller that you can use separately. The TV doesn't even have to be on. You can use it in conjunction with a TV, you can do video chatting with it, and it will also be backwards compatible with the Wii and Wii game and the balance board. So a lot of people looking forward to the Wii-U coming out later this year.
ALLEN: All right. So I just got my iPad, but I have a lot more to think about and contemplate in 2012 to keep moving with the gadgets. Thank you so much, Katie Linendoll. Thank you for joining us.
LINENDOLL: Thank you.
ALLEN: Great tips.
Straight ahead, a new year, a new chance to excel at work. But what if your boss is bringing you down? How to handle that and other drags on the job from a doctor who has studied the science of business success, coming up.
But first, stick with CNN all evening. Wolf Blitzer is up in a few minutes with a special two-hour look at the first contest of election 2012. Mr. Blitzer, the countdown to Iowa. What can we expect?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're talking about the countdown. Look at this clock over here. Two days, 13 minutes, 51 seconds to go until they shut the doors In Iowa at those caucuses. And the actual voting, the first voting for this, the 2012 election cycle, will actually take place. We're going to set the scene tonight in our two- hour preview, right here in our brand-new CNN election center.
Rick Santorum will be joining us live. He's in Iowa. Of course, he's been surging, Natalie. As you know, Michele Bachmann joins us as well. We've got our political contributors. All of our reporters are standing by. Our anchors are here. It's going to be a great two hours. If you want to - if you're interested in politics, want to know what's going on in Iowa, Natalie, as I know you are, you should watch. We'll be starting right at the top of the hour. ALLEN: Certainly will. What's so interesting, Wolf, is that Iowa, many say it's not that important yet, because it's such a nail biter to the end. Everybody is pretty much on the edge of their seats, trying to figure out who's going to get it.
BLITZER: Yes. The last polls show it's very, very close right now and these next 48 hours, who knows what could happen. There could be some changes. We'll see who comes out at the bottom, who drops out, if anyone. So there's a lot of questions out there. But, you know, what, Natalie, as a political news junkie, history is about to unfold in the 2012 campaign. And of course, CNN's going to be there every step of the way.
ALLEN: All right. Thanks so much, wolf. We'll be watching you and your team in just about 13 minutes from now. See you then. And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: All right. Well, today is the first day to get started with your new year's resolution. That may involve trying to kick start your career. Well, how do you get that promotion, improve work relationships and just overall do better on the job? We have the man with the answers.
Dr. Aubrey Daniels. He has written "Other People's Habits" and a handful of other books considered text on workplace performance management. And Dr. Daniels, let's get right to the dread of many jobs. The toxic boss. The movie "Office Space" captured what many workers face daily. Let's watch a clip first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have sort of a problem here. Yes. You apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS reports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. I'm sorry about that. I forgot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mmm, yes. You see, we're putting the cover sheets on all TPS reports now before they go out. Did you see the memo about this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Oh, man. You know, we laugh. But this type of supervisor is ruining a lot of careers, right? Well, you've got five ways to handle these kinds of work challenges, we say. Let's go through each one. The overall theme you say is that a person's own behavior is the first that needs to change.
DR. AUBREY DANIELS, AUTHOR: We change people's behavior every day. The interesting thing is many people don't realize that they change the boss's behavior, too. So depending on how you respond to the boss you may inadvertently positively reinforce the boss for mistreating you.
ALLEN: So you can convert your horrible boss, perhaps.
DANIELS: Perhaps. Certainly you can make it better.
ALLEN: OK. So it's your attitude. So after giving your co-workers positive reinforcement, you say the next step is to track your own interactions.
DANIELS: Well, part of the problem is that new year's resolutions fall apart because we don't have consequences for ourselves. One of the things you can do is track it to see am I actually changing? Am I giving more positive reinforcement? Am I building better relationships with people? And that the tracking will actually allow you to see progress. And that typically is positively reinforcing.
ALLEN: So what should you do if you feel like you're not getting the recognition that you deserve?
DANIELS: Almost nobody feels they get the recognition.
ALLEN: Of course not.
DANIELS: The interesting thing is that the more you give, the more you get. My advice to people is, you just give me. If you're not getting enough, then give more to other people and you'll get more in return.
ALLEN: Well, for bosses, compliment over criticism, you say, will always work. But you know some bosses don't seem to get that.
DANIELS: Well, the interesting thing is, if you think you're getting too little recognition, think of your boss, it gets less. As we go up the chain, it gets less and less. So people change less. So if we find opportunities to reinforce the boss for timely decisions or helping you in some way. Then you're going to have more influence on the boss than other people might.
ALLEN: So perhaps it's lonely at the top, if you're a boss you don't get enough recognition sometimes.
DANIELS: It's lonely at the top, it is.
ALLEN: Well, overall your advice is that being positive will always advance your goals much more effectively than being negative.
DANIELS: Negative consequences rarely change behavior in a very good way. They're inefficient, ineffective and they just bring you down. It's better for your own mental health and job enjoyment to find positive in the work environment and help others do the same.
ALLEN: You know, certainly so many people have been challenged this past year with work and losing their jobs and finding work and what have you. So certainly this is the time when you've got to be aggressive in getting work. And then you've got to do your best to be a kind of a soldier no matter what the situations are with your company or your boss or your co-workers. DANIELS: That's the problem. The natural consequences of that is to bring you down. It's exactly the opposite of what you need. So work on yourself and you'll find it'll improve yourself and other people as well.
ALLEN: And you also talk about that with companies themselves and how they pat their employees on the back. And you also say in your books that this can affect a company's bottom line. That if you just really support the performance of your employees, you could turn your company around. You could see performance really enhanced.
DANIELS: There's no question. The problem with positive reinforcement is it's misunderstood, misapplied. You know, we're in an era where everybody gets a trophy. Everybody gets a bonus and those kind of things are really a waste of time and money.
ALLEN: So it matters, performance.
DANIELS: It's all about performance.
ALLEN: All right. So what is your big tip for anyone that's thinking really negative about 2012 overall. Just overall, you're a psychologist. You've been consulting companies around the world. Everyone's really nervous about work. So just help us just from a psychological standpoint feel better.
DANIELS: Well, I think we - if we look for the positive, there are always positives in every downturn. And those people are able to capitalize on those are the ones that do the best.
ALLEN: All right. Very well said. Dr. Aubrey Daniels, "Other People's Habits" among your books. "Oops" is another one. "Management Mistakes that Waste Time and Money" is another. You've got many more out there.
DANIELS: Yes.
ALLEN: Thanks very much for joining us. We appreciate it.
Well, let it snow, give a kid a sled and stand back. Not so fast. One town in the northeast is putting up "no sledding" signs in public parks. Can you keep a kid from sledding? That's not positive behavior, is it? I'll tell you where and I'll tell you why, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: I want to check now some other stories across the country. Some Chicago area pizza shops are refusing to deliver to customers ordering by cell phone. That's after a recent rash of robberies. Police say criminals are using their cell phones to target and rip off pizza delivery drivers. The restaurants could see their bottom lines suffer since many people don't have land line phones anymore. Such a shame. Because Chicago is the pizza capital.
Town officials in Western Pennsylvania are laying down the law on, can you believe it, sledding in local parks. In Beaverborough, sledding is banned altogether in one park because of an accident there. In another park it is still OK to sled, but it's restricted to local residents only and kids under 12 must wear helmets. Some out of control sledding, I guess, this winter.
And now to Florida where a pirate-themed party boat ran aground Saturday, hours before midnight. And the planned ship board new year's eve celebration. Another tourist boat tried to ferry passengers to shore. But get this. It also hit bottom. About 100 wannabe pirates ushered in the new year on shore, not as planned. I can imagine anyone who wants to play pirate on new year's eve kind of had fun no matter.
We hope you had a great new year and we wish you a happy 2012. From all of us here at CNN. I'm Natalie Allen at CNN center. I'll be back at 10:00. Now "COUNTDOWN TO IOWA" the final 48 hours. Here's Wolf Blitzer.
